Commodity recognition apparatus and commodity recognition method

• US 10,061,490 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2016
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tsunoda, Youji
• Primary Examiner(s): Fujita, Katrina
• Application Number:
  US15/201,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20160313897A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/68 Food, e.g. fruit or vegetables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders

Abstract

The commodity recognition apparatus displays a frame for surrounding a commodity in an image captured by an image capturing module. Then the commodity recognition apparatus recognizes a candidate of the commodity imaged in the frame according to the feature amount of the image in the area surrounded by the frame, and outputs information of a highest ranked candidate commodity. If a change instruction for the candidate is received, the commodity recognition apparatus outputs information of the commodity other than the highest ranked candidate selected from the candidates.

Claims

1. A commodity recognition apparatus, comprising:

a memory configured to store computer executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the computer executable instruction to perform operations, the operations comprising;

photographing an image capturing area including a plurality of commodities to capture an image where the plurality of commodities are imaged;

displaying the image where the plurality of commodities are imaged on a display screen;

receiving a selection input on any position on the image;

counting a number of frames displayed on the image;

displaying a frame of a predetermined size on the image to distinguish, from the other commodities, one commodity which is assumed to be displayed on the position on which the selection input is received as a recognition object in response to the selection input when a count value obtained by the counting is zero;

determining a position on which an instruction input is received in response to the selection input when the count value is one or more;

displaying a frame of the predetermined size on the image to distinguish, from the other commodities, one commodity which is assumed to be displayed on the position on which the selection input is received, as a recognition object if the position on which the instruction input is received is outside the frame;

recognizing a candidate of the commodity assumed to be displayed in the frame according to the feature amount of the image in the area surrounded by the frame;

outputting information of a best candidate commodity among the candidates of the commodity recognized;

receiving a change instruction for the best candidate commodity for one commodity assumed to be displayed in the frame if the position on which the instruction input is received is inside the frame; and

outputting information of the commodity other than the best candidate selected from the candidates if the change instruction for the candidate of the commodity is received.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

erasing a frame to which a deleting mark is given if the position on which the instruction input is received is the deleting mark given to the frame.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

counting down the count value every time the frame is erased.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

calculating a similarity degree between a parameter indicating appearance feature amount of each commodity and feature amount of an image in an area surrounded by the frame border for each commodity and recognizes candidates in the descending order of similarity degree;

determining that the commodity having the highest similarity degree is the best candidate of the commodity and outputs information of the commodity; and

sequentially selecting a next candidate commodity of which the similarity degree is ranked just below that of the current candidate and outputs information of the candidate commodity selected every time a change instruction is received.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the frame having the position as a center thereof an instruction input on which is received.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

outputting information of a commodity in the frame to display; and

making the display form of the frame different from the frame in which information of the commodity output is displayed.

7. A processing method, comprising:

photographing an image capturing area including a plurality of commodities to capture an image where the plurality of commodities are imaged;

displaying the image where the plurality of commodities are imaged on a display screen;

receiving a selection input on any position on the image;

counting a number of frames displayed on the image;

displaying a frame of a predetermined size on the image to distinguish, from the other commodities, one commodity which is assumed to be displayed on the position on which the selection input is received as a recognition object in response to the selection input when a count value obtained by the counting is zero;

determining a position on which an instruction input is received in response to the selection input when the count value is one or more;

displaying a frame of the predetermined size on the image to distinguish, from the other commodities, one commodity which is assumed to be displayed on the position on which the selection input is received, as a recognition object if the position on which the instruction input is received is outside the frame;

recognizing a candidate of the commodity assumed to be displayed in the frame according to the feature amount of the image in the area surrounded by the frame;

outputting information of a best candidate commodity among the candidates of the commodity recognized;

receiving a change instruction for the best candidate commodity for one commodity assumed to be displayed in the frame if the position on which the instruction input is received is inside the frame; and

outputting information of the commodity other than the best candidate selected from the candidates if the change instruction for the candidate of the commodity is received.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

erasing a frame to which a deleting mark is given if the position on which the instruction input is received is the deleting mark given to the frame.

9. The method according to claim 8 further comprising:

counting down the count value every time the frame is erased.

10. The method according to claim 7 further comprising:

calculating a similarity degree between a parameter indicating appearance feature amount of each commodity and feature amount of an image in an area surrounded by the frame border for each commodity and recognizes candidates in the descending order of similarity degree;

determining that the commodity having the highest similarity degree is the best candidate of the commodity and outputs information of the commodity; and

sequentially selecting a next candidate commodity of which the similarity degree is ranked just below that of the current candidate and outputs information of the candidate commodity selected every time a change instruction is received.