COMMODITY RECOGNITION APPARATUS AND COMMODITY RECOGNITION METHOD

• US 20160371524A1
• Filed: 09/01/2016
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kakino, Tomonari
• Application Number:
  US15/253,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20160371524A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/68 Food, e.g. fruit or vegetables
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source

Abstract

A commodity recognition apparatus comprises an image interface, a memory and a processor. The image interface is configured to acquire a commodity image captured by a camera. The memory is configured to store a candidate of a commodity recognized from the commodity image acquired by the image interface. The processor is configured to try to read a commodity recognition code from the commodity image acquired by the image interface and reset the candidate of the commodity stored in the memory if the commodity recognition code is read.

Claims

1. A commodity recognition apparatus, comprising:

an image interface configured to acquire an image for detecting a commodity recognition code and surface information of a commodity from a sensor;

a memory configured to store the image acquired from the image interface; and

a processor configured to execute;

processing of analyzing the image stored in the memory to detect the commodity recognition code;

processing of analyzing the image stored in the memory to detect the surface information of the commodity and recognize the commodity from the surface information;

processing of specifying the commodity recognition code of the recognized commodity; and

processing of sending the commodity recognition code to an external device.

2. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes the processing of detecting the commodity recognition code before the processing of recognizing the commodity.

3. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if the processor detects the commodity recognition code, the processor sends the commodity recognition code to an external device without executing the processing of recognizing the commodity.

4. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor executes the processing of recognizing the commodity before the processing of detecting the commodity recognition code.

5. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein if the processor does not successfully detect the commodity recognition code by the processing of detecting the commodity recognition code after recognizing the commodity by executing the processing of recognizing the commodity, the processor executes the processing of specifying the commodity recognition code of the recognized commodity and sends the specified commodity recognition code to an external device.

6. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an image sensor.

7. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface information is information of at least one of an appearance shape, a hue, a pattern, and a concave-convex state of the commodity.

8. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor tries to extract a contour of an object from the image stored in the memory, regards the image in the contour as a commodity if the contour of the object is extracted, and detects the surface information of the commodity.

9. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the processor calculates a degree of similarity between the detected surface information and an appearance feature amount of each commodity registered in a recognition dictionary file in association with the commodity recognition code.

10. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor stores, in a candidate buffer, the commodity recognition code associated with the appearance feature amount having a high degree of similarity with the surface information.

11. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a display configured to display a commodity candidate, wherein the processor displays, on the display, a commodity image recognized by the commodity recognition code stored in the candidate buffer.

12. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 11, wherein if one of commodities displayed on the display is selected, the processor resets the candidate buffer.

13. The commodity recognition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the commodity recognition code is included in a barcode.

14. A commodity recognition method, comprising:

acquiring an image for detecting a commodity recognition code and surface information of a commodity from a sensor;

analyzing the image acquired from an image interface to detect the commodity recognition code;

analyzing the image acquired from an image interface to detect the surface information of the commodity and recognize the commodity from the surface information;

specifying the commodity recognition code of the recognized commodity; and

sending the commodity recognition code to an external device.

15. The commodity recognition method according to claim 14, wherein the processing of detecting the commodity recognition code is executed before the processing of recognizing the commodity.

16. The commodity recognition method according to claim 15, wherein if the commodity recognition code is detected, the commodity recognition code is sent to an external device without execution of the processing of recognizing the commodity.

17. The commodity recognition method according to claim 14, wherein the processing of recognizing the commodity is executed before the processing of detecting the commodity recognition code.

18. The commodity recognition method according to claim 17, wherein if the commodity recognition code is not successfully detected by the processing of detecting the commodity recognition code after the commodity is recognized by execution of the processing of recognizing the commodity, the processing of specifying the commodity recognition code is executed, and the specified commodity recognition code is sent to an external device.