Shelf-mountable imaging system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Retailers face challenges in efficiently monitoring and managing inventory levels, particularly with high-volume and low-volume products, due to disruptions and customer privacy concerns with existing surveillance methods, which often require significant employee intervention and power/communication infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A shelf-mountable imaging system that captures images of products minimally invasively, using low-power components, avoiding customer and employee capture, and transmitting data for analysis, with remote upgradability and stabilization for consistent image capture, reducing the need for extensive power and communication infrastructure and employee maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If continuous surveillance cameras or robotic devices are used to monitor inventory, then image capture capability is improved, but customer privacy concerns and store traffic disruption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the imaging function from traditional surveillance cameras and robotic devices, placing small imaging sensors directly on shelf components. This localization allows inventory monitoring without requiring customers or employees to be visible to cameras, thereby maintaining privacy while capturing product images.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces shelf-mounted imaging sensors as intermediaries between the monitoring system and products. These sensors capture product images directly at the shelf level without observing customers or employees, serving as a mediator that enables inventory monitoring while preserving customer privacy and avoiding traffic disruption.
2Reliability
If robust inventory monitoring solutions with continuous surveillance are implemented, then monitoring reliability is improved, but power consumption and communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic image capture at predetermined intervals rather than continuous surveillance. The imaging sensors on shelves activate at scheduled times to capture product images, then enter low-power states. This periodic operation maintains monitoring reliability while significantly reducing power consumption compared to continuous surveillance.
3Device complexity
If employee monitoring and manual restocking are used, then system complexity is reduced, but labor requirements and response time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the inventory monitoring system to operate autonomously without requiring employee intervention. Shelf-mounted imaging sensors automatically capture product images, and the system processes these images to detect out-of-stock conditions and generate restocking notifications, allowing the system to serve itself rather than relying on manual employee monitoring.
4Measurement precision
If existing inventory monitoring systems are deployed, then image capture is improved, but installation complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs imaging sensors that are integrated into universal shelf components that can be installed on various shelf types without requiring specialized infrastructure. The sensors and their housings are designed to be compatible with standard retail shelving, enabling easy deployment across different locations without complex installation procedures or specialized power and communication wiring.
Data Source
AI summary
A stabilizer facilitates mounting an image sensor at an imaging device. The stabilizer removably holds the image sensor. The stabilizer is removably mounted to the imaging device. In certain examples, the image sensor is snap-fit to the stabilizer and the stabilizer is snap-fit to the imaging device. Certain imaging devices define a thermal regulation channel.