Methods and apparatus for automated product identification in point of sale applications

• US 8,113,427 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Ross, Gary Alexander, Daghestani, Nart
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US12/338,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20100155476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 235/378, 235/435, 235/454, 705/64, 705/16, 382/190, 382/207, 382/181, 382/203, 382/110
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3581 using far infrared light; using Terahertz radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 1/02 solid

Abstract

Systems and techniques for product identification using terahertz radiation detection. An area of interest is illuminated with radiation in the terahertz frequency range and terahertz radiation reflected from objects within the area of interest is detected and a detector signal based on the detected radiation is processed to generate identifying information for the objects. The generated identifying information may be compared against stored identifying information for products and the result of the comparison is used to select a product or group of products for which the comparison produces a match. Processing of the detector signal may generate a spectral signature characteristic of reflective and absorptive properties of an object under illumination, and the spectral signature may be compared with stored spectral signature information for products.

Claims

1. A product identification unit comprising:

a terahertz optical radiation source operative to optically illuminate an area of interest with optical terahertz frequency radiation during a purchase transaction at a point of sale (POS) transaction terminal;

a terahertz optical radiation detector operative to detect the illuminated optical terahertz radiation reflected from an object within the area of interest resulting from the optical illumination by the terahertz optical radiation source and operative to generate a detector signal based on the detected optical radiation during the purchase transaction; and

a processor operative to receive a command to identify the object within the area of interest, to operate the terahertz optical radiation source and the terahertz optical radiation detector in response to the command, to process information represented by the detector signal to generate indicia, based on the optical characteristics of the object within the area of interest, wherein the indicia comprises spectral information, to compare the generated indicia to stored reference indicia of products offered for sale in a product identification database, and to send a candidate product to the POS transaction terminal for entry into the purchase transaction, wherein the candidate product is determined to optically correspond to the object of interest, and wherein the processor is operative to complete the purchase transaction at the POS transaction terminal, the purchase transaction comprising at least the object of interest.

2. The product identification unit of claim 1, wherein the indicia include a spectral information signature characteristic of the object, and wherein the spectral information signature is compared against stored spectral information signatures associated with the products.

3. The product identification unit of claim 2, wherein the indicia are generated using terahertz time domain spectroscopy.

4. The product identification unit of claim 3, wherein the terahertz radiation source is a continuous wave tunable laser diode with volume Bragg gratings.

5. The product identification unit of claim 4, wherein the laser diode is tuned through rotation of one or more volume Bragg gratings.

6. The product identification unit of claim 3, wherein the terahertz radiation source is an ultrashort pulsed laser emitting pulses each including frequency components over the entire terahertz spectrum.

7. The product identification unit of claim 2, wherein the processor determines a list of candidate products including the one candidate product.

8. The product identification unit of claim 1, wherein the terahertz radiation source illuminates objects within the area of interest with radiation conducive to generating image information and wherein the processor processes the detector signal so as to generate image information for an object within the area of interest.

9. The product identification unit of claim 8, wherein the image information is sufficient to indicate the presence and locations of one or more objects within the area of interest and wherein the terahertz radiation source directs radiation targeted at each of the objects in order to generate a detector signal for each such object so as to generate a spectral signature characteristic of the object.

10. The product identification unit of claim 9 wherein the spectral signature for each object is compared against stored spectral information signatures associated with the products.

21. The product identification unit of claim 1, wherein the object is located within a container at the transaction terminal.

11. A point of sale (POS) transaction terminal, comprising:

a user interface for receiving inputs from a user and furnishing information to a user in order to conduct a point of sale purchase transaction;

a terahertz optical radiation source operative to optically illuminate an area under consideration with terahertz optical radiation during a purchase transaction at the POS terminal;

a terahertz optical radiation detector to detect terahertz optical radiation reflected by one or more objects under the area under optical illumination, and to generate a detection signal based on the detected optical radiation; and

a processor, operable to generate, based on the detection signal, identifying data based on optical characteristics comprising spectral data for each of the one or more objects, and operable to identify an object based on comparing the identifying data comprising spectral data to stored reference identifying data comprising spectral data, and operable to enter each of the one or more identified objects into the POS transaction terminal and to complete the purchase transaction comprising the one or more objects.

12. The point of sale terminal of claim 11, wherein the processor is further operative to use the identifying data to identify a product and to examine a transaction record to detect discrepancies between identified products and the transaction record.

13. A method of point of sale (POS) management, comprising the steps of:

optically illuminating an area of interest in the vicinity of a point of sale terminal with terahertz frequency optical radiation during a purchase transaction;

detecting terahertz frequency optical radiation reflected from objects within the area of interest as a result of the optical illumination to produce a detection signal based on the detected optical radiation, the purchase transaction including the one or more objects;

processing the detection signal to generate identifying information based on optical characteristics including spectral information for the objects within the area of interest; and

comparing the generated identifying information with stored reference spectral identifying information to identify products whose stored reference spectral identifying information matches the generated identifying information,

and completing the purchase transaction at the POS comprising at least the one or more objects based on the matching.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifying information includes spectral signature information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the spectral signature information is generated using terahertz time domain spectroscopy.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the identifying information includes image information.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of comparing the generated identifying information with stored identifying information comprises identifying near matches between generated identifying information and stored identifying information and further comprising a step of assembling a list of products for which such near matches are identified.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising a step of presenting the list of products to a user for identification of the product within the area of interest by selecting information for the product from the list.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising a step of comparing identified products to product information in transaction entries and noting discrepancies between the identified products and the product information in transaction entries.

20. A product identification unit comprising:

a terahertz optical radiation source operative to optically illuminate an area of interest with optical terahertz frequency radiation during a purchase transaction at a point of sale (POS) transaction terminal, including a continuous wave tunable laser diode with volume Bragg gratings;

a terahertz optical radiation detector operative to detect the illuminated optical terahertz radiation reflected from an object within the area of interest resulting from the optical illumination by the terahertz optical radiation source and generate a detector signal based on the detected optical radiation during the purchase transaction; and

a processor operative to process information represented by the detector signal to generate indicia based on optical characteristics including spectral information indicating characteristics of the object within the area of interest so as to allow for comparison of the indicia against a collection of stored reference indicia associated with products offered for sale;

wherein the indicia are generated using optical terahertz time domain spectroscopy and include a spectral information signature characteristic of the object, and wherein the spectral information signature is compared against stored reference spectral information signatures associated with products in order to identify the product whose associated spectral signature matches the spectral signature generated by the product identification unit; and

entering the product into the POS terminal and completing the purchase transaction comprising the object.

22. A product identification unit comprising:

a terahertz optical radiation source for generating terahertz frequency optical radiation during a purchase transaction at a point of sale (POS) transaction terminal;

a terahertz optical radiation detector to detect terahertz optical radiation reflected from within a volume containing an object resulting from optical illumination by the terahertz optical radiation source, and operative to generate a detector signal based on the detected optical radiation during the purchase transaction, the purchase transaction comprising at least the object; and

a processor operative to cause the terahertz optical radiation source to sweep a beam through the volume, to process first information represented by the detector signal to determine points of the object within the volume, to generate an image from the points, to analyze the image to determine a disposition of the object within the volume, to operate the terahertz optical radiation source to illuminate the object based upon the disposition, to process second information represented by the detector signal to determine a spectral information signature of the object, to compare the spectral information signature to reference spectral information signatures of products offered for sale in a product identification database, and to send a candidate product to the POS transaction terminal for entry into the purchase transaction and to complete the purchase transaction.