Method of and system for detecting produce weighing interferences in a POS-based checkout/scale system

• US 8,794,525 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Amundsen, Thomas, Kearney, Sean Philip, Edmonds, Shane Michael, Wang, Ynjiun Paul, Good, Timothy, Miraglia, Michael, Zhu, Xiaoxun, Giordano, Patrick Anthony, Cunningham, Charles Joseph IV
• Primary Examiner(s): Marshall, Christle I
• Application Number:
  US13/246,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20130075168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 235/239, 235/454, 235/462.14, 177/45, 177/48
• US Class Current: 235/462.14
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/4144 for controlling weight of goods in commercial establishments, e.g. supermarket, P.O.S. systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 23/00 Auxiliary devices for weighing apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10594 Beam path
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader

Abstract

A POS-based checkout/scale system having (i) a bar code symbol reading subsystem for reading bar code symbols on products being purchased at a retail POS station, and (ii) a produce weigh scale having a weigh scale assembly for weighing one or more produce items on a weigh platter during produce weighing operations carried out at the time of checkout at said retail POS station. The system also includes an automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem, supporting an IR-based light curtain about the weigh platter, automatically detects when any object is overhanging the weigh platter during produce weighing operations, and generates an alert signal when such conditions are automatically detected.

Claims

1. A bi-optical checkout/scale system comprising:

a housing having a vertical housing section with a vertical scanning window and a horizontal housing section with a horizontal scanning window adjacent said vertical scanning window;

a laser scanning subsystem, disposed in said housing, for generating and projecting a plurality of laser scanning planes through said vertical and horizontal scanning windows, which intersect within a 3D scanning volume defined between said vertical and horizontal scanning windows and provide a laser scanning pattern within said 3D scanning volume, for scanning one or more objects within said 3D scanning volume and producing scan data for decode processing,

a scan data processor for processing said scan data produced by said laser scanning subsystem in effort to read a bar code symbol on each object passed through said 3D scanning volume, and generate symbol character data representative of each said read bar code symbol;

a weigh scale subsystem mounted within said horizontal housing section, for weighing produce items placed on a weigh platter supported above the horizontal scanning window, and producing weigh data representative of the weight of said produce items weighed on said weigh platter;

wherein said weigh platter is supported about said horizontal scanning window;

an automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting produce weighing interference conditions during produce weighing operations, and generating control signals indicative of said detected weighing interference conditions during produce weighing operations; and

a system controller for automatically controlling the operation of said bi-optical checkout/scale system;

wherein said automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem comprises pairs of object detection modules for projecting pairs of overlapping planar IR-based object detection planes normal to the weigh platter about the outer edges of the weigh platter to detect produce weighing interference conditions.

2. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 1, wherein said produce weighing interference conditions comprises detecting that a produce item is resting against said vertical scanning window portion, or extending over and beyond the spatial boundaries of said weigh platter.

3. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 1, wherein said laser scanning pattern is an omni-directional laser scanning pattern within said 3D scanning volume.

4. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 1, wherein said automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem comprises:

a plurality of object detection modules for projecting said pairs of planar IR-based object detection planes.

5. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 4, wherein each said object detection module comprises a pair of optical devices for generating and projecting a pair of closely spaced apart IR-based object sensing planes located about said weigh platter.

6. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 1, wherein said automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem further includes a display device for indicating said detected weighing interference conditions during produce weighing operations.

7. A bi-optical checkout/scale system comprising:

a housing having a vertical housing section with a vertical window and a horizontal housing section with a horizontal window adjacent said vertical window;

a digital imaging based bar code symbol reading subsystem, disposed in said housing, for generating and projecting at least one field of view (FOV) through at least one of said vertical and horizontal windows and into a 3D imaging volume defined between said vertical and horizontal windows, for capturing digital images of one or more objects within said 3D imaging volume, and processing said digital images in effort to read a bar code symbol on each object passed through said 3D imaging volume, and generate symbol character data representative of each said read bar code symbol;

a weigh scale subsystem mounted within said horizontal housing section, for weighing produce items placed on a weigh platter supported above the horizontal window, and producing weigh data representative of the weight of said produce items weighed on said weigh platter;

wherein said weigh platter is supported above said horizontal window;

an automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting produce weighing interference conditions during produce weighing operations, and generating control signals indicative of said detected weighing interference conditions during produce weighing operations; and

a system controller for automatically controlling the operation of said bi-optical checkout/scale system;

wherein said automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem comprises pairs of object detection modules for projecting pairs of overlapping planar IR-based object detection planes normal to the weigh platter about the outer edges of the weigh platter to detect produce weighing interference conditions.

8. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 7, wherein said produce weighing interference conditions comprises detecting that a produce item is resting against said vertical window portion, or extending over and beyond the spatial boundaries of said weigh platter.

9. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 7, wherein said automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem comprises:

a plurality of object detection modules for projecting said pairs of planar IR-based object detection planes.

10. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 9, wherein each said object detection module comprises an IR-based light source for generating and projecting a IR-based object sensing plane located about said weigh platter, and a photo-diode for detecting reflections of said IR-based object sensing plane off produce items extending beyond the spatial boundaries of said weigh platter.

11. The bi-optical checkout/scale system of claim 7, wherein said automatic produce weighing interference detection subsystem further includes a display device for indicating said detected weighing interference conditions during produce weighing operations.

12. A method of weighing objects on a weigh platter having outer edges, comprising

projecting pairs of overlapping planar IR-based object detection planes normal to the weigh platter about the outer edges of the weigh platter to detect one or more objects extending over an outer edge of the weigh platter using pairs of object detection modules;

and

in response to the detection of an object extending over an outer edge of the weigh platter alerting a cashier.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising detecting reflections of the IR-based object detection planes from objects extending beyond the outer edges of said weigh platter.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising generating audible and/or visual signals indicating the detection of an object extending over a spatial boundary of the weigh platter.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising scanning an object on the weigh platter with a plurality of laser scanning planes.

16. The method of claim 12, comprising scanning an object on the weigh platter with an omni-directional laser scanning pattern.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising capturing an image of an object on the weigh platter.

18. The method of claim 12, comprising detecting the presence of an operator in proximity to the weigh platter.

19. The method of claim 12, comprising weighing an object on the weigh platter.

20. The method of claim 12, comprising:

weighing an object on the weigh platter; and

if an object extending over an outer edge of the weigh platter is not detected, transmitting the weight of the object;

if an object extending over an outer edge of the weigh platter is detected, not transmitting the weight of the object.