Smart Cart with Omnidirectional Imaging for Automated Item Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional shopping carts require manual scanning of items at checkout, which is inefficient and can lead to errors, and existing technologies have not effectively automated the identification and tracking of items within a shopping cart during a customer's shopping experience.
Innovation Solution
The development of 'smart carts' equipped with omnidirectional cameras, processors, and sensors that identify items placed or removed from the cart, update a virtual shopping cart, and communicate with remote servers to automate the checkout process by recognizing users and items through image data analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual scanning of items is performed at checkout, then the checkout process can be completed, but it is inefficient and prone to errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by automatically identifying and tracking items as they are placed in the shopping cart during the shopping process. The imaging system captures images of items, and the processor identifies them in real-time, updating the virtual shopping cart before checkout occurs. This eliminates the need for manual scanning at checkout, improving both efficiency and accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual scanning process with an automated imaging and image processing system. Instead of requiring customers or cashiers to manually scan barcodes, the system uses cameras to capture images of items and processors to identify them through image analysis, substituting mechanical interaction with optical and computational methods.
2Extent of automation
If omnidirectional cameras and image processing systems are installed in shopping carts, then automated item identification is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shopping cart system is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a traditional shopping cart and as an automated identification system. The imaging system and processor are integrated into the cart, allowing it to perform multiple functions: traditional shopping assistance plus automated item identification, user recognition, and virtual cart management, thereby justifying the increased complexity through enhanced functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by enabling the cart to automatically identify items, recognize users, and manage the shopping list without human intervention. The imaging system captures images, the processor identifies items and users, and the virtual shopping cart updates automatically, allowing the cart to serve itself and the customer without requiring manual scanning or checkout assistance.
3Loss of information
If real-time image data analysis is performed to identify items and users, then automated tracking is achieved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by continuously capturing and pre-processing images of items as they are placed in the cart throughout the shopping experience. The processor identifies items in real-time and updates the virtual shopping cart before checkout, preventing information loss and eliminating the need for post-hoc scanning, thereby managing processing time efficiently through distributed computation.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes, in part, a mobile apparatus for identifying items within a facility using an omnidirectional imaging system. For instance, the mobile apparatus may include a main frame, a chassis attached to the main frame, a basket that attaches to the chassis in order to prevent the basket from contacting the main frame, and an omnidirectional imaging system providing image data in and around the mobile apparatus. A user may place item(s) within a receptacle of the basket. The mobile apparatus may further include a handlebar module attached to the main frame, the handlebar module including the omnidirectional imaging system and a computing system for identifying items and events in and around the cart.