Transmission of images for inventory monitoring

• US 9,747,677 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2016
• Issued: 08/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Clayton, Richard M., Lakshminarayanan, Karthik, Stern, Miklos
• Primary Examiner(s): BERARDESCA, PAUL M
• Application Number:
  US15/161,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20160267635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20221 Image fusion; Image merging
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30108 Industrial image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0008 checking presence/absence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0084 Digital still camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

An example disclosed method includes generating a composite image by merging unblocked portions of first and second images, each of the first and second images being representative of an environment; identifying a blocked portion of the first and second images; determining, by the processor, whether the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than a threshold amount of time; and in response to determining that the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than the threshold amount of time, including the blocked portion in the composite image.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, by a processor, a composite image by merging unblocked portions of first and second images, each of the first and second images being representative of an environment;

identifying, by the processor, a blocked portion of the first and second images;

determining, by the processor, whether the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than a threshold amount of time; and

in response to determining that the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than the threshold amount of time, including, by the processor, the blocked portion in the composite image.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than the threshold amount of time, transmitting the composite image with the blocked portion included in the composite image.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the blocked portion has been blocked for less than the threshold amount of time, not including the blocked portion in the composite image and determining whether the blocked portion remains blocked in a third image representative of the environment.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising, in response to determining that the blocked portion is unblocked in the third image, adding the unblocked portion from the third image to the composite image.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein determining whether the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than the threshold amount of time comprises:

determining that the composite image is incomplete; and

determining a number of images that has been obtained.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the blocked portion comprises detecting an absence of an image feature at a location in the first and second images.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

memory including machine-readable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the machine-readable instructions to perform operations including;

generating a composite image by merging unblocked portions of first and second images, each of the first and second images being representative of an environment;

identifying a blocked portion of the first and second images;

determining whether the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than a threshold amount of time; and

in response to determining that the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than the threshold amount of time, including the blocked portion in the composite image.

8. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the operations include, in response to determining that the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than the threshold amount of time, transmitting the composite image with the blocked portion included in the composite image.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the operations include, in response to determining that the blocked portion has been blocked for less than the threshold amount of time, not including the blocked portion in the composite image and determining whether the blocked portion remains blocked in a third image representative of the environment.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 9, wherein the operations include, in response to determining that the blocked portion is unblocked in the third image, adding the unblocked portion from the third image to the composite image.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein determining whether the blocked portion has been blocked for greater than the threshold amount of time comprises:

determining that the composite image is incomplete; and

determining a number of images that has been obtained.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein identifying the blocked portion comprises detecting an absence of an image feature at a location in the first and second images.

13. A machine-readable storage device including instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive images representative of an environment;

generate a composite image formed of unblocked portions of the images;

determine that the composite image is incomplete;

determine whether the composite image has been incomplete for greater than a threshold amount of time; and

in response to determining that the composite image has been incomplete for greater than the threshold amount of time;

cease generation of the composite image; and

transmit the incomplete composite image.

14. A machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to, in response to determining that the composite image has been incomplete for less than the threshold amount of time, continue the generation of the composite image.

15. A machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein ceasing generation of the composite image comprises not requesting an additional image.

16. A machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein determining whether the composite image is incomplete comprises determining whether the composite image includes a blocked portion.

17. A machine-readable storage device as defined in claim 13, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the machine to identify the unblocked portions by detecting an image feature at a location within the images.

18. A machine-readable storage device including instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive images representative of an environment;

generate a composite image formed of unblocked portions of the images;

determine that the composite image is incomplete, wherein determining whether the composite image is incomplete comprises determining whether the composite image includes a blocked portion;

determine whether the composite image has been incomplete for greater than a threshold amount of time; and

in response to determining that the composite image has been incomplete for greater than the threshold amount of time, cease generation of the composite image.