SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RECEIVING SHIPMENT PARCELS

• US 20100082152A1
• Filed: 12/08/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhao, Jun, Mishra, Devesh, Tien, Timothy Jesse, Shah, Sameer Vinod, Young, Eric C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,489,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments of systems and methods for receiving shipment parcels at materials handling facilities. A parcel receiving system has an imaging tunnel through which shipment parcels received at a materials handling facility are passed. While a shipment parcel is passing through the imaging tunnel, a camera captures at least one image of the parcel. The parcel image is electronically analyzed to discover various tracking information and to detect various types of exceptions, such as damage to the parcel or defective tracking information. In addition, the captured image is stored in order to create a visual record of the parcel at the time of reception. This record may be used in a variety of ways, such as resolving or tracking exceptions or providing feedback to the vendor or shipment carrier. In addition, the parcel image may be viewed by a user to enable the user to detect and/or resolve an exception. Thus, the overall process of receiving parcels is facilitated, and the percentage of parcels diverted to an exception bin may be decreased.

Claims

1. A parcel monitoring system, comprising:

a tunnel;

a conveyor belt extending through the tunnel, the conveyor belt operable to move a shipment parcel into the tunnel;

a transparent path segment positioned such that the shipment parcel is moved from the conveyor belt to the transparent path segment;

a sensor configured to sense the shipment parcel as the conveyor belt is moving the shipment parcel;

a camera positioned to capture an image of the shipment parcel through the transparent path segment; and

logic configured to control the camera based on the sensor such that the camera captures the image of the shipment parcel through the transparent path segment while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel and on the transparent path segment, the logic configured to store the image and to correlate the image with an identifier for the shipment parcel, the logic configured to analyze the image to determine a shipment parameter indicated by a label attached to the shipment parcel, the logic further configured to automatically detect an exception for the shipment parcel based on the shipment parameter.

2. The parcel monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the shipment parameter is a purchase order number for the shipment parcel.

3. A parcel monitoring system, comprising:

a tunnel;

a conveyor system configured to move a shipment parcel through the tunnel;

a sensor configured to sense the shipment parcel;

a camera; and

logic configured to control the camera based on the sensor such that the camera captures an image of the shipment parcel while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel, the logic further configured to correlate the image with an identifier for the shipment parcel.

4. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the logic is configured to analyze the image and to detect an exception for the shipment parcel based on the image.

5. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the conveyor system is configured to move the shipment parcel along a path, the path having a transparent path segment, wherein the camera is positioned to capture the image through the transparent path segment.

6. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the logic is configured to move the camera based on the sensor.

7. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, further comprising a light source positioned such that light from the light source illuminates the shipment parcel when the image of the shipment parcel is captured by the camera, wherein the logic is configured to control the light source.

8. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, further comprising a plurality of cameras, wherein the logic is configured to control the plurality of cameras such that the camera and the plurality of cameras capture a respective image of each side of the shipment parcel.

9. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the conveyor system comprises a first conveyor belt extending into the tunnel, a second conveyor belt extending into the tunnel, and a transparent path segment between the first and second conveyor belts, and wherein the camera is positioned to capture the image through the transparent path segment.

10. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, further comprising:

a curtain coupled to the tunnel; and

a curtain actuator configured to move the curtain based on a position of the shipment parcel.

11. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, further comprising a sonar transceiver configured to sense the shipment parcel while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel.

12. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, further comprising a receiver coupled to the tunnel, the receiver configured to receive a wireless signal from the shipment parcel.

13. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, further comprising an X-ray system configured to capture an X-ray image of the shipment parcel while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel, wherein the logic is configured to correlate the X-ray image with the identifier.

14. The parcel monitoring system of claim 13, wherein the logic is configured count a number of items contained by the shipment parcel based on the X-ray image.

15. The parcel monitoring system of claim 3, wherein the logic, based on the image, is configured to determine a shipment parameter indicated by a label attached to the shipment parcel.

16. The parcel monitoring system of claim 15, wherein the parameter is a purchase order number for the shipment parcel.

17. A parcel monitoring system, comprising:

a conveyor system;

a sensor configured to sense a shipment parcel as the conveyor system is moving the shipment parcel;

a camera; and

logic configured to control the camera based on the sensor such that the camera captures an image of the shipment parcel, the logic configured to analyze the image to determine a shipment parameter indicated by a label attached to the shipment parcel, the logic further configured to automatically detect an exception for the shipment parcel based on the shipment parameter.

18. The parcel monitoring system of claim 17, further comprising a tunnel, wherein the conveyor system is configured to move the shipment parcel through the tunnel, and wherein the logic is configured to control the camera such that the camera captures the image of the shipment parcel while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel.

19. A parcel monitoring method, comprising the steps of:

moving a shipment parcel through a tunnel;

sensing the shipment parcel;

automatically capturing an image of the shipment parcel while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel based on the sensing step;

storing the image; and

automatically correlating the image with an identifier for the shipment parcel.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

automatically analyzing the image; and

automatically detecting an exception for the shipment parcel based on the analyzing step.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of moving the camera based on the sensing step.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the moving step comprises the step of moving the shipment parcel onto a transparent path segment, wherein the capturing step comprises the step of capturing the image of the shipment parcel through the transparent path segment.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of capturing an X-ray image of the shipment parcel while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

automatically determining a number of items contained in the shipment parcel; and

automatically detecting an exception for the shipment parcel based on the number.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of sensing the shipment parcel via sonar while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of receiving a wireless signal transmitted from the shipment parcel while the shipment parcel is in the tunnel.