3D Non-Optical Imaging for Simultaneous POS Item Scanning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Checkout delays at retail stores are often caused by the individual scanning of items, which relies on customer trust and may require cashier verification, leading to inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A non-optical three-dimensional imaging system scans items in a volume, generating voxel images to identify product identifiers on the items, which are then added to a transaction, allowing for simultaneous scanning and processing without individual item transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual item scanning is used at checkout, then item identification accuracy is maintained, but checkout speed and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple item scanning operations into a single simultaneous scan of all items in the shopping cart. Instead of scanning items one by one, the system captures images of all items at once using a camera, extracts barcodes from multiple items in parallel, and processes them together, thereby maintaining identification accuracy while dramatically improving checkout speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from sequential one-dimensional scanning (one item at a time) to simultaneous multi-dimensional scanning (multiple items at once). By capturing a two-dimensional image containing multiple items and processing barcodes from different spatial positions within that single image, the system achieves parallel processing of multiple items without sacrificing identification precision.
2Ease of operation
If customer self-scanning is allowed, then cashier workload is reduced, but transaction reliability and verification accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic self-scanning by having the camera capture all items in the cart, automatically extract and decode barcodes from the captured image, and generate the transaction list without requiring customer action or cashier verification. The system serves itself by autonomously completing the scanning and verification process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides visual feedback by displaying the captured image and extracted item list to the customer for verification. This allows customers to confirm that all items were correctly identified, maintaining transaction reliability while eliminating the need for manual scanning or cashier verification.
3Reliability
If manual item-by-item scanning is performed, then scanning completeness is ensured, but time consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by capturing an image of all items in the cart before any scanning or processing occurs. This single preliminary capture ensures that all items are recorded in one action, preventing any items from being missed and eliminating the need for multiple sequential scanning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a visual copy (image) of all items in the cart simultaneously. This image copy serves as a complete record of all items, from which barcodes can be extracted and verified. The copying approach ensures scanning completeness while reducing time consumption compared to physical handling and individual scanning of each item.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of items is positioned in a volume scanned by a three-dimensional non-optical imaging system. The imaging system generates a three-dimensional voxel image of the volume. Voxel regions are identified and surfaces of voxel regions are analyzed to identify a symbol printed thereon. The symbols are resolved into product identifiers, which are then added to a transaction and payment for the transaction is processed. The imaging system may be a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, computed tomography (CT) scanning system, terahertz (T wave) imaging system, or other imaging system.