Voice-Guided Weight Sensing for Inventory Quantity Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inventarisation technologies for home use are not accurate, easy-to-use, and fast enough to determine the presence and quantity of items, as they face occlusion issues with cameras and RFID, require manual scanning with barcodes, or lack integration with appliance control.
Innovation Solution
A system combining weight measurement through load cells and voice commands to track item presence and quantity, allowing retrofitted implementation in storage units, with a local database for inventory management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cameras are used to detect items in storage units, then item presence can be identified, but occlusion prevents accurate determination of quantity and brand
Solution Approach 1:
The storage unit is divided into multiple compartments, with each compartment equipped with its own weight sensor. This segmentation allows independent measurement of items in each compartment, eliminating occlusion problems and enabling precise quantity determination for each item type.
Solution Approach 2:
Weight sensors serve as an intermediary measurement mechanism between the items and the control unit. Instead of directly observing items with cameras, the system measures the weight of items indirectly through sensors, providing accurate quantity data without being affected by visual occlusion.
2Reliability
If RFID tags are attached to items, then item identification is possible, but material absorption causes occlusion and prevents accurate detection
Solution Approach 1:
Weight sensors provide an intermediary measurement method that does not rely on electromagnetic signals that can be absorbed by materials. The sensors measure mechanical weight directly, bypassing the occlusion problem that affects RFID technology with certain materials like metals.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces electromagnetic-based RFID detection with a mechanical weight sensing system. This substitution eliminates the material absorption issue inherent in RFID technology, as mechanical sensors are not affected by electromagnetic interference from metallic or other absorbing materials.
3Reliability
If barcode readers are used for inventarisation, then item identification is reliable, but manual scanning adds excessive effort and reduces ease of use
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs inventarisation automatically without requiring user intervention. Weight sensors continuously monitor item weights and the control unit automatically updates inventory records, eliminating the need for manual barcode scanning and significantly reducing user effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The weight sensors operate continuously to monitor item presence and quantity in real-time, rather than requiring periodic manual scanning. This continuous automatic monitoring maintains reliable item identification while eliminating repetitive manual effort.
4Measurement precision
If weight sensors are installed in each compartment, then quantity determination becomes accurate, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The weight sensing functionality is extracted as a separate, modular component that can be independently installed in each compartment. This extraction allows the system to achieve accurate quantity determination through simple weight measurement without requiring complex integrated systems, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Provides accurate and efficient tracking of item presence and quantity, enabling automated inventory updates and additional functionalities like order placement and recipe suggestions, without manual effort.
Implementation Method 1
the plates which measure weight through compression (in other words the item presses on the plate)
Implementation Method 2
the plates could measure the weight through tension (in other words the items can pull on the plate)
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention is titled System and method for determining the availability and quantity of goods by means of interaction between voice commands and measurement of the changes in the weight of the goods. The purpose of the invention is to be an accurate and easy-to-use system for tracking the number and quantity remaining of items (in grams or other standard units) thus enabling their inventarisation. The system has a wide range of uses within households as well as in industry. A few sample usages of the invention are for it to be fitted in refrigerators, freezers, cupboards, shelves, racks, and pantries allowing access to their contents from afar. The invention could further be incorporated in medical cabinets, shelves in shelving units of supermarkets, racks in warehouses, assembly lines and others. The invention solves the problem of the presence and quantity remaining of an item by a combination of voice commands and changes in the weight as reported by the plate(s) on which the item is placed.