Concepts for sorting items using a display

• US 9,646,369 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: United Parcel Service Of America Incorporated (United Parcel Service Incorporated)
• Inventors: Skonberg, Carl M., Loverich, Scott Alan, Salzman, David Ray, Loubriel, Paul Augustine, Gray, Jonathan, Hess, William D., Vaidya, Devang R., Anderson, Duane
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Trang U
• Application Number:
  US14/204,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20150262348A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 348180, 348184
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0004 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/225 based on a marking or identifier characterising the area
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/06 Recognition of objects for industrial automation

Abstract

Concepts for presenting display features to a user of a system which comprises a display, an acquisition device, and a controller system. In various embodiments, the acquisition device is configured to capture image data of one or more items moving along a conveying mechanism and read item identifiers associated with each item. The system then associates or identifies display features with each item identifier and presents the captured image data with the display features presented on or near the image data of the items.

Claims

1. A system comprising an acquisition device, a controller system, and a display device for displaying information about one or more items moving along a path, the system configured to:

capture image data of an item moving along a path while the item is located within an acquisition zone located along the path;

capture an item identifier for the item;

identify one or more display features based at least in part on the item identifier; and

cause display of at least a portion of the image data of the item and the one or more display features after a predefined time delay after the portion of the image data is captured, wherein the predefined time delay is determined based at least in part on a distance between a point in the acquisition zone and a corresponding point in a work zone spaced a distance away from the acquisition zone and the speed at which the items are moving along the path, such that the portion of the image data is displayed while the item is located in the work zone.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the item identifier is selected from the group consisting of an optical code, a barcode, a QR code, an RFID tag, or a character string.

3. The system of claim 1 further configured to determine a location of the item.

4. The system of claim 1 further configured to determine a location of the item at multiple instances in time while the item is located in the acquisition zone.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more display features are associated with the determined location of the item, and the display is configured to present the image data with the one or more display features located on or near the determined location of the item in the image data.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive a value representing the time delay.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more display features comprise at least one handling instruction.

8. A method of displaying information about one or more items moving along a path comprising the following steps:

(1) capturing image data of an item moving along a path while the item is located within an acquisition zone located along the path;

(2) receiving an item identifier for the item;

(3) identifying one or more display features based at least in part on the item identifier;

(4) associating the one or more display features with the item identifier and the image data; and

(5) displaying the image data and the one or more display features after a predefined time delay after capturing the image data, wherein the predefined time delay is determined based at least in part on a distance between a point in the acquisition zone and a corresponding point in a work zone spaced a distance away from the acquisition zone and the speed at which the items are moving along the path, such that the portion of the image data is displayed while the item is located in the work zone.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the item identifier is selected from the group consisting of an optical code, a barcode, a QR code, an RFID tag, or a character string.

10. The method of claim 8, additionally comprising the step of determining a location of the item.

11. The method of claim 8, additionally comprising the step of determining a location of the item at multiple instances in time.

12. The method of claim 10, additionally comprising the step of associating the one or more display features with the determined location of the item, and presenting the image data with the one or more display features located on or near the determined location of the item in the image data.

13. The method of claim 8, additionally comprising the step of receiving a value representing the time delay prior to displaying the image data and associated display features.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the display features comprise at least one handling instruction.

15. A computer program product for displaying information regarding an item travelling along a path, the computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:

an executable portion configured to receive image data of an item moving along a path while the item is located within an acquisition zone located along the path;

an executable portion configured to receive an item identifier for the item;

an executable portion configured to identify one or more display features based at least in part on the item identifier;

an executable portion configured to associate the one or more display features with the item identifier and the image data; and

an executable portion configured to display the image data and one or more display features after a predefined time delay after receiving the image data wherein the predefined time delay is determined based at least in part on a distance between a point in the acquisition zone and a corresponding point in a work zone spaced a distance away from the acquisition zone and the speed at which the items are moving along the path, such that the portion of the image data is displayed while the item is located in the work zone.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the item identifier is selected from the group consisting of an optical code, a barcode, a QR code, an RFID tag, or a character string.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, additionally comprising an executable portion for determining a location of the item.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, additionally comprising an executable portion for determining a location of the item at multiple instances in time.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, additionally comprising an executable portion for associating the one or more display features with the determined location of the item and displaying the image data with the one or more display features located on or near the determined location of the item in the image data.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, additionally comprising an executable portion configured to receive a value representing the time delay to wait prior to displaying the image data and the one or more display features.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the display features comprise at least one handling instruction.