SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OBJECT TRACKING USING WEIGHT CONFIRMATION

• US 20180068266A1
• Filed: 09/08/2016
• Published: 03/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Inventors: Kirmani, Shahzad Farooq, Seiger, Alex
• Granted Patent: US 11,436,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/005 with electric or electronic computing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

Methods and systems for tracking an object comprise a horizontal surface upon which objects are to be placed, a weight sensor disposed on one side of the horizontal surface, and a processor in communication with the weight sensor. The processor is adapted to detect a change in weight measured by the weight sensor, to associate the detected weight change with an identified object and with a location on the horizontal surface, and to confirm whether a cause of the weight change at the location on the horizontal surface corresponds to a proper handling of the identified object.

Claims

1. An object tracking system comprising:

a horizontal surface upon which objects are to be placed;

a weight sensor disposed on one side of the horizontal surface; and

a processor in communication with the weight sensor, the processor being adapted to detect a change in weight measured by the weight sensor, to associate the detected weight change with an identified object and with a location on the horizontal surface, and to confirm whether a cause of the weight change at the location on the horizontal surface corresponds to a proper handling of the identified object.

2. The object tracking system of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to:

associate a measured decrease in weight with a removal of the identified object from the location on the horizontal surface; and

determine the removal to be a proper handling of the identified object if the identified object is expected to be a next object removed from the horizontal surface, otherwise the processor is adapted to consider the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

3. The object tracking system of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to:

associate a measured increase in weight with placement of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface; and

determine the placement to be a proper handling if the identified object is expected to be a next object placed on the horizontal surface, otherwise the processor is adapted to consider the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

4. The object tracking system of claim 1, further comprising an optical sensor in communication with the processor, the optical sensor capturing one or more images of the location on the horizontal surface and communicating the one or more images to the processor, wherein the processor is adapted to associate the weight change with the one or more images.

5. The object tracking system of claim 4, wherein the processor is adapted to:

determine an absence of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface in the one or more images, accompanied by a decrease in the measured weight, to correspond to a removal of the identified object from the horizontal surface; and

determine the removal to be a proper handling of the identified object if the identified object is expected to be a next object removed from the horizontal surface, otherwise the processor is adapted to consider the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

6. The object tracking system of claim 4, wherein the processor is adapted to:

determine a presence of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface in the one or more images, accompanied by an increase in the measured weight, to correspond to a placement of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface; and

determine the placement to be a proper handling if the identified object is expected to be a next object placed on the horizontal surface, otherwise the processor is adapted to determine the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

7. The object tracking system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of weight sensors disposed on one or both sides of the horizontal surface, and wherein the processor is adapted to calculate an overall weight placed on the horizontal surface based on weight measured by the plurality of weight sensors.

8. The object tracking system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of weight sensors disposed on one or both sides of the horizontal surface, and wherein the processor is adapted to determine a distribution of weight on the horizontal surface based on weight measured the plurality of weight sensors.

9. The object tracking system of claim 1, wherein the processor is adapted to adjust the weight measured by the weight sensor to compensate for temperature.

10. A method of tracking an object comprising:

identifying an object by obtaining identification information from a scannable medium associated with the object;

detecting a change in weight measured by a weight sensor disposed on one side of a horizontal surface;

associating the measured weight change with the identified object and with a location on the horizontal surface;

confirming whether a cause of the weight change at the location on the horizontal surface corresponds to a proper handling of the identified object.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

associating a measured decrease in weight with a removal of the identified object from the location on the horizontal surface; and

determining the removal to be a proper handling of the identified object if the identified object is expected to be a next object removed from the horizontal surface, otherwise the considering the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

associating a measured increase in weight with placement of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface; and

determining the placement to be a proper handling if the identified object is expected to be a next object placed on the horizontal surface, otherwise determining the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

capturing one or more images of the location on the horizontal surface; and

associating the weight change with the one or more images.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining an absence of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface in the one or more captured images, accompanied by a decrease in the measured weight, to correspond to a removal of the identified object from the horizontal surface; and

determining the removal to be a proper handling of the identified object if the identified object is expected to be a next object removed from the horizontal surface, otherwise determining the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a presence of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface in the one or more captured images, accompanied by an increase in the measured weight, to correspond to a placement of the identified object at the location on the horizontal surface; and

determining the placement to be a proper handling if the identified object is expected to be a next object placed on the horizontal surface, otherwise determining the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified object.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising calculating an overall weight placed on the horizontal surface based on weight measured by a plurality of weight sensors disposed on one or more sides of the horizontal surface.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining a distribution of weight on the horizontal surface based on weight measured by a plurality of weight sensors disposed on one or more sides of the horizontal surface.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising adjusting the weight measured by the weight sensor to compensate for temperature.

19. A package tracking system comprising:

a plurality of shelves upon which packages are to be placed;

a plurality of weight sensors coupled to the plurality of shelves to measure weight of packages placed on the plurality of shelves; and

at least one processor in communication with the plurality of weight sensors, the at least one processor being adapted to detect a change in weight measured by a given weight sensor of the plurality of weight sensors, to associate the detected weight change with an identified package and with a location on a given shelf of the plurality of shelves, and to confirm whether a cause of the weight change at the location on the given shelf of the plurality of shelves corresponds to a proper handling of the identified package.

20. The package tracking system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to:

associate a measured decrease in weight with a removal of the identified package from the location on the given shelf of the plurality of shelves; and

determine the removal to be a proper handling of the identified package if the identified package is expected to be a next package removed from the plurality of shelves, otherwise the at least one processor is adapted to consider the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified package.

21. The package tracking system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to:

associate a measured increase in weight with placement of the identified package at the location on the given shelf of the plurality of shelves; and

determine the placement to be a proper handling if the identified package is expected to be a next package placed on the plurality of shelves, otherwise the at least one processor is adapted to determine the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified package.

22. The package tracking system of claim 19, further comprising at least one optical sensor in communication with the at least one processor, a given optical sensor of the at least one optical sensors capturing one or more images of the location on the given shelf of the plurality of shelves and communicating the one or more captured images to the at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to associate the weight change with the one or more captured images.

23. The package tracking system of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to:

determine an absence of the identified package at the location on the given shelf of the plurality of shelves in the one or more captured images, accompanied by a decrease in the measured weight, to correspond to a removal of the identified package from the plurality of shelves; and

determine the removal to be a proper handling of the identified package if the identified object is expected to be a next package removed from the plurality of shelves, otherwise the at least one processor is adapted to consider the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified package.

24. The package tracking system of claim 22, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to:

determine a presence of the identified package at the location on the given shelf of the plurality of shelves in the one or more captured images, accompanied by an increase in the measured weight, to correspond to a placement of the identified package on the plurality of shelves; and

determine the placement to be a proper handling if the identified package is expected to be a next object placed on the plurality of shelves, otherwise the at least one processor is adapted to determine the cause of the weight change to be an improper handling of the identified package.

25. The package tracking system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to calculate an overall weight on each shelf of the plurality of shelves.

26. The package tracking system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to determine a distribution of weight on each shelf of the plurality of shelves.

27. The package tracking system of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is adapted to adjust the weight measured by the plurality of weight sensors to compensate for temperature.