Methods and Apparatus for Automated Product Identification in Point of Sale Applications

• US 20100155476A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Daghestani, Nart, Ross, Gary Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 8,113,427 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 radiation source operative to illuminate an area of interest with terahertz frequency radiation;

a terahertz radiation detector operative to detect terahertz radiation reflected from an object within the area of interest resulting from illumination by the terahertz radiation source and generating a detector signal based on the detected radiation; and

a processor operative to process information represented by the detector signal to generate indicia indicating characteristics of an object within the area of interest so as to allow for comparison of the indicia against a collection of indicia associated with products offered for sale.

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 products in order to identify the product whose associated spectral signature matches the spectral signature generated by the product identification unit.

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, if the spectral signature does not provide a match to a spectral signature for a single item with sufficient reliability, comparison is performed to create a candidate list of products for which the spectral signature indicate a match.

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 products in order to identify the product whose associated spectral signature matches the spectral signature generated by the product identification unit.

11. A point of sale terminal, comprising:

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

a terahertz radiation source operative to illuminate an area under consideration with terahertz radiation;

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

a processor to generate identifying data for a product based on the detected terahertz radiation,

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 receive product information for the product for entry into a point of sale transaction.

13. 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.

14. A method of point of sale management, comprising the steps of:

illuminating an area of interest in the vicinity of a point of sale terminal with terahertz frequency radiation;

detecting terahertz frequency radiation reflected from objects within the area of interest as a result of the illumination to produce a detection signal based on the detected radiation;

processing the detection signal to generate identifying information for objects within the area of interest; and

comparing the generated identifying information with stored identifying information to identify products whose stored identifying information matches the generated identifying in formation.

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

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

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the identifying information includes image information.

18. The method of claim 14, 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.

19. The method of claim 18, 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.

20. The method of claim 14, 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.