APPARATUS, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENROLLMENT OF IRREGULAR SHAPED OBJECTS

• US 20150042791A1
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Postea, Inc. (Postea Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Postea, Inc. (Postea Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Metois, Eric, Ludmann, Sandor
• Application Number:
  US14/456,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042791A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/135
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 1/14 Sorting according to length or width
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/00 Measuring arrangements characterised by the use of optical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/028 by measuring lateral position of a boundary of the object G01B11/022, G01B11/024, G01B11/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 21/02 for measuring length, width, or thickness G01B21/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 5/0021 for measuring the volumetric dimension of an object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/753 Transform-based matching, e.g. Hough transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 Three-dimensional objects

Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for enrollment of irregular shaped objects. The system described herein includes an image capturing camera for capturing images of a package and a processing unit communicatively coupled to the camera. The processing unit may receive one or more images of the package from the camera. The processing unit may determine a first volume, a second volume, and the rectangle-score of the package. Responsive to determining the first volume, the second volume, and the rectangle-score of the package, a cuboid-score for the package is determined. Finally, the processing unit determines a shape of the package based on the cuboid-score.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a volume of a package comprising:

an image capturing camera for capturing images of the package; and

a processing unit communicably coupled to the camera, the processing unit configured to;

receive one or more images of the package from the camera;

determine a first volume of the package from the images;

determine a second volume of the package from the images;

determine rectangle-score of the package from the images;

determine a cuboid-score based on the first volume, the second volume and the rectangle-score; and

determine a shape of the package based on the cuboid-score.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

receive an unprocessed image, wherein the unprocessed image includes the package and additional objects;

generate a base image frame; and

comparing the base image frame to the unprocessed image; and

generate a differentiated image of the package, wherein the package is isolated from the additional objects in the unprocessed image.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine a two-dimensional rectangle for the package; and

determine a height value for the package.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

perform principal component analysis (PCA) on the image to determine an orientation of a principal axis corresponding to the package and an orientation of an orthogonal axis corresponding to the package.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine a length of a bounding-box based on the principal axis;

determine a width of the bounding-box based on the orthogonal axis; and

determine a height of the package based on depth information from the image of the package.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

determine a fitted-box volume using fitted-box dimensions;

determine a bounding-box volume using the bounding-box dimensions; and

determine the cuboid-score by multiplying the rectangle-score by a ratio of the first volume to the second volume, as defined by the following equation;

cuboid-score=rectangle-score*(first volume/second volume).

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

compare the cuboid-score to a threshold value, and

output the first volume if the cuboid-score is greater than or equal to the threshold value, wherein a score greater than or equal to the threshold value indicates a regular shaped package.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

compare the cuboid-score to a threshold value; and

output the second volume if the cuboid-score is less than the threshold, wherein a score less than the threshold value indicates an irregular shaped package.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first volume is at least one of a fitted-box volume or a depth image integration volume, and wherein the second volume is a bounding-box volume.

10. A method for determining a volume of a package comprising:

generating an image of the package;

determining a first volume of the package from the image;

determining a second volume of the package from the image;

determining a rectangle-score of the package from the image; and

determine a cuboid-score based on the first volume, the second volume and the rectangle-score; and

determining a shape of the package based on the cuboid-score.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the image of the package further comprises:

receiving an unprocessed image, wherein the unprocessed image includes the package and additional objects;

generating a base image frame; and

comparing the base image frame to the unprocessed image to generate the image of the package isolated from additional objects in the unprocessed image.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the first volume further comprises:

determining a two-dimensional rectangle for the package; and

determining a height value for the package.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the second volume further comprises:

performing principal component analysis (PCA) on the image to determine an orientation of a principal axis corresponding to the package and an orientation of an orthogonal axis corresponding to the package.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a length of a bounding-box based on the principal axis;

determining a width of the bounding-box based on the orthogonal axis; and

determining a height of the package based on depth information from the image of the package.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the rectangle-score further comprises:

performing a Hough transform on the image;

calculating a Hough rectangle based on the Hough transform; and

comparing the Hough rectangle to a perimeter of the package in the image;

wherein the rectangle-score is the proportion of the Hough rectangle that coincides with the perimeter of the package.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a fitted-box volume using fitted-box dimensions; and

determining a bounding-box volume using bounding-box dimensions.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the cuboid-score comprises multiplying the rectangle-score by a ratio of the first volume to the second volume, as defined by the following equation:

Cuboid-score=rectangle-score*(first volume/second volume).

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

comparing the cuboid-score to a threshold value, and

outputting the first volume if the cuboid-score is greater than or equal to the threshold value, wherein a score greater than or equal to the threshold value indicates a regular shaped package.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

comparing the cuboid-score to a threshold value; and

outputting the second volume if the cuboid-score is less than the threshold, wherein a score less than the threshold value indicates an irregular shaped package.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein the first volume is at least one of a fitted-box volume or a depth image integration volume and wherein the second volume is a bounding-box volume.