Open frame camera support assembly for self-service checkout terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Self-service checkout terminals face challenges in theft detection due to inadequate camera placement and view occlusions, leading to increased response times and adverse customer experience.
Innovation Solution
An open frame camera support assembly with multiple cameras and a lighting strip is mounted above the scan area, providing a trapezoidal frame with cameras positioned to capture multiple angles of the transaction area, ensuring unobstructed views and enhancing item recognition through computer-vision technology.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If additional cameras are added around the transaction area to detect theft, then theft detection capability is improved, but response time increases and customer experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the security monitoring function from traditional overhead cameras and relocates it to the barcode scanner itself. The scanner captures images of items during the scanning process, and these images are analyzed by a processor to detect theft, thereby eliminating the need for additional dedicated security cameras and reducing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The barcode scanner is given a dual function: it serves both its traditional purpose of reading barcodes and a new security monitoring function by capturing and analyzing images of items. This multi-functionality allows the system to detect theft without adding separate camera hardware, thus improving reliability while avoiding the time delays associated with additional security systems.
2Reliability
If additional cameras are deployed to monitor the transaction area, then theft detection is improved, but device complexity and obstruction of customer display increase
Solution Approach 1:
The security monitoring function is extracted from the camera system and integrated into the barcode scanner. This eliminates the need for additional camera hardware and reduces device complexity while maintaining theft detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the security monitoring function with the existing barcode scanner system. By combining these functions in a single device, the system achieves theft detection capability without increasing overall device complexity or adding intrusive cameras that could obstruct the customer display.
3Device complexity
If a single overhead camera is used to monitor the transaction area, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision and field-of-view coverage deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The barcode scanner captures images of items during the scanning process itself, before any security analysis is needed. This preliminary capture of high-resolution item images during normal operation allows for accurate detail measurement and theft detection without requiring a separate overhead camera system.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a single overhead camera to view the entire transaction area, the system uses the barcode scanner to capture high-quality local images of items at the point of scanning. This local quality approach ensures detailed item capture accuracy while avoiding the complexity of a comprehensive overhead monitoring system.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
A camera support assembly may include an open frame mounted on a bracket coupled to self-service checkout terminal, the open frame above a scan area surface of the self-service checkout terminal, the open frame being trapezoidal and having two opposing parallel sides, the bracket connected to the open frame on a first side of the two opposing parallel sides. In addition, the assembly may include a cross-member connecting the two opposing parallel sides of the open frame. The assembly may include a first camera mounted on the cross-member, the first camera positioned downward facing towards the scan area surface of the self-service checkout terminal, the first camera coupled to a computer-vision item transaction module of the self-service checkout terminal.