Methods of unattended detection of operator's deliberate or unintentional breaches of the operating procedure and devices therefore.

• US 20060104479A1
• Filed: 03/18/2005
• Published: 05/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ISSC Technologies Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ISSC Technologies Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: ORLOV, ARTEM, ZHYVOTNIKOV, GERMAN, BOGDANOV, ILYA, BONCH-OSMOLOVSKIY, ALEXANDER, FALOMKIN, IGOR
• Application Number:
  US10/907,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20060104479A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

Method and device is proposed herein for unattended detection of deliberate or unintentional breaches caused by an operator of a routinely executed procedure comprising transference of objects and their mandatory presenting to the item-sensing device for registration or testing or classification. The invention can be used for detecting fraud of a cashier in checkout retail environments by omitting registration of items placed on the take-away belt. The invention is based on detecting motion and presence events in the predetermined workspace areas and comparing their temporal sequence with the predetermined scenarios. In the case of coincidence with the scenario, the sensing device signal in the due time is checked to be received. In the case of a wrong or no signal received, the procedure is recognized as incorrectly executed. Motion and presence events are detected by computer analysis of live video from the camera and/or by applying the motion and the presence detectors.

Claims

1. A method of unattended detection of an operator'"'"'s breach of items registration, testing, or assembly procedure performance, said procedure comprising taking one or more items, from at least one item source area, on option combining said items, presenting the resultant item to an item sensing device, and further placing said item in the item destination area in accordance with said item sensing device signal type, said method comprising

motion detection signals, generated by motion detection means,

presence detection signals, generated by presence detection means,

signals generated by the item sensing device assigned for identification or testing of said items with further registration or classification on option;

further comprising the following preliminary steps;

recognizing an operator'"'"'s typical hands/arms and/or an item motions and/or paths thereof occurring during the correct execution of the procedure;

assigning at least one area to be monitored for presence and/or motion of an operator'"'"'s hands and/or items;

expressing temporal sequences of said typical motions and paths of the operator'"'"'s hands and/or the handled items during the procedure execution in the form of at least one scenario describing a temporal sequence of said motion events in at least one area monitored for motion of the operator'"'"'s hands and/or items and/or presence events in at least one area monitored for presence thereof;

performing actual monitoring of said at least one area;

assigning at least one phase in each scenario, to be accompanied by the definite signal of said item sensing device;

further comprising the following steps during the actual procedure performance;

motion of an operator'"'"'s hands and/or items is monitored in at least one area assigned therefore via signals of motion detection means;

presence of an operator'"'"'s hands and/or items is monitored in at least one area assigned therefore via signals of presence detection means;

a sequence of the detected events and their temporal correlation is examined for compliance with at least one scenario;

once a compliance with at least one scenario is found, the preliminarily assigned signal from said item sensing device is expected to be received in the due time according to said scenario;

once no said signal is obtained from said item sensing device, the executed procedure is regarded as incorrect.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein signals related to motion detection and/or presence detection are obtained by means of a video device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein motion and/or presence of an operator'"'"'s hand or a handling device of machine and/or an item in at least one monitored area is detected on the basis of color and/or brightness and temporal analysis of at least two video images.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operator is a cashier at a retail point of sale or the like, said item sensing device is a purchase registration means, said destination area is a paid item issue area, and the operator'"'"'s hands are a cahier'"'"'s hands.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising examination of signal type obtained from said item sensing device.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein if the signal type differs from the predetermined one, the executed procedure is regarded as a breach of the correct procedure.

7. A device for unattended detection of an operator'"'"'s breach of the procedure of items registration, testing, or assembly comprising

at least one motion detection device and/or

at least one presence detection device,

an item sensing device assigned for identification or testing presented items with the further registration and/or classification on option;

at least one computing device,

at least one converting device for converting data from said detection and sensing devices to the format compatible with said computing device,

said sensing devices are connected to said computing device via said at least one converting device.

8. The device as recited in claim 7 where motion detection and/or presence detection devices are realized on the basis of video devices.

9. The device as recited in claim 7 where the operator is a cashier, said item sensing device is a purchase registration device, aid destination area is a paid item issue area, and the operator'"'"'s hands are a cashier'"'"'s hands.

10. The device as recited in claim 7, further comprising a light indicator of purchase registration.

11. The device as recited in claim 7, further comprising a sound indicator for indicating purchase registration and a sound-receiving device.