WO2017101270A1

WO2017101270A1 - Article tracking system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2017101270A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/084800
Authority: WO
Inventors: 宁洪志; 田龙; 王涛
Original assignee: 同方威视技术股份有限公司
Priority date: 2015-12-18
Filing date: 2016-06-03
Publication date: 2017-06-22
Also published as: CN105425308A; KR20180006424A; BR112017025118A2; AR105898A1

Abstract

An article tracking system (100) used for tracking an article on which security check has been performed, comprising: a plurality of first optical detecting devices (111a-111x) arranged along a path that an article moves and used for detecting the positions of the article; second optical detecting devices (112a-112y) arranged along the path and used for detecting first features of the article; a controller (120) used for receiving the positions detected by the first detecting devices (111a-111x) and matching the first features detected by the second detecting devices (112a-112y) with a first predefined feature that is inputted from the outside or stored in advance, wherein when a detected article passes by a particular second optical detecting device (112a-112y) in the second optical detecting devices (112a-112y) and the controller determines that the first feature of the detected article recorded by the particular second detecting device (112a-112y) matches a first predefined feature of detected articles, the controller records the position of the detected article detected by the current first detecting device (111a-111x).

Description

Item tracking system and method

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of item tracking, and more particularly to an automatic tracking system and method for baggage arrival.

Background technique

At present, the international airport customs lacks a scientific and efficient method for tracking suspicious baggage. For example, items are not tracked before labeling, so that it is not possible to grasp the condition of items during untracking. At the same time, tracking a item using a single device (such as a light eye) does not guarantee the accuracy of the tracking results. From the X-ray inspection system to the conveyor belt area between the label printing systems, the automatic tracking and identification system for suspicious baggage plays a vital role in the integrated baggage management of the airport. This system enables the label printing system to correctly print labels. And paste it on the baggage to ensure that the passengers of the suspicious baggage can be controlled in time. However, if the correct automatic tracking of the baggage and the accuracy of identifying and locating the suspicious bag cannot be guaranteed, the quality of service will be difficult to guarantee.

Summary of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a tracking apparatus and method that can automatically track suspicious baggage. Another object of the present invention is to provide a tracking system and method capable of improving the accuracy of recognizing suspicious luggage. Another object of the present invention is to provide a baggage tracking system and method that can not affect the security pass rate.

According to one aspect of the invention, an item tracking system is provided for tracking an item that has undergone security inspection, the item tracking system comprising: a plurality of first optical detection devices, the plurality of first optical detections The device is arranged along a path in which one or more items move and is used to detect the position of the one or more items; one or more second optical detection devices, the one or more optical second detection devices being Arranged along the path and used to detect the a first feature of the one or more items; and control means for receiving a location detected by the first detecting device, inputting or first storing the first feature detected by the second detecting device with the outside world Pre-defined features are matched, wherein when the item under test in the one or more items passes the selected second optical detection device of the one or more second optical detection devices and when the control device determines When the first feature of the tested item recorded by the selected second detecting device matches the first predefined feature of the tested item, the control device records the measured current detected by the first detecting device The location of the item.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for item tracking is provided, the method comprising: detecting the one or more by using a plurality of first optical detecting devices arranged along a path of movement of one or more items Positioning a plurality of items; detecting a first feature of the one or more items using one or more second optical detecting devices arranged along the path; receiving a position detected by the first detecting device; The first feature detected by the second detecting device is matched with an external input or a pre-stored first predefined feature, wherein when the tested item in the one or more items passes the one or more When the second optical detecting device is selected in the second optical detecting device and when it is determined that the first feature of the measured article recorded by the selected second detecting device matches the first predefined feature of the measured article And recording the position of the tested item detected by the current first detecting device.

By adopting the technical solution disclosed by the present invention, automatic and reliable tracking of suspicious baggage can be realized without disturbing existing processes (for example, baggage screening process), and the recognition accuracy of suspicious baggage can be improved.

DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the embodiments of the claimed subject matter will become apparent from the Detailed Description of the Drawing.

1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a system for item tracking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a method for item tracking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a usage scenario of a system for item tracking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The figures herein are not necessarily to scale, and in the different views, like reference numerals may refer to the The drawings generally illustrate the various embodiments discussed in this document, by way of example and not limitation.

detailed description

The following description includes terms such as first, second, etc., which are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as limiting. Examples of devices or articles described herein can be manufactured, used, or shipped in a variety of locations or orientations.

In order to ensure accurate delivery of the item and to properly position a particular item, the current transmission system is provided with a monitoring system between the item entry and the transfer end point. However, tracking results obtained using only a single device (eg, light eye) may be inaccurate and cannot be further verified. In particular, in the field of inspection of articles (including but not limited to luggage, containers, etc.), in addition to the installation of radiation (such as X-ray) inspection systems and article labels (such as radio frequency identification (RFID) tags) printing system, it can also In the case of article transfer and inspection, a system for item tracking is provided in the transport path of the article to perform subsequent operations such as label printing and pasting, thereby further improving operational efficiency and reducing labor costs. Preferably, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied after the article passes the security check and before the security-inspected article is applied with a label, so that the tracking of the article can be maintained throughout the flow of the article, and the abnormality can be timely The situation responded.

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a system 100 for item tracking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. System 100 can include a device 110 for item tracking and an optional controller 120 coupled to device 110. The apparatus 110 may include x first detecting devices 111a-111x (x is an integer greater than 1); y second detecting devices 112a-112y (y is an integer greater than or equal to 1); and optionally z monitoring devices 113a -113z (z is an integer greater than or equal to 1).

The first detecting devices 111a-111x are arranged along a path along which one or more items move and are used to detect the position of the item. Those skilled in the art can according to actual needs (for example, need to carry out The set position of the first detecting device 111a-111x is designed to track the size of the area, the length and shape of the item path, and the like. The first detecting device 111a-111x may be any device known to have or developed in the future with the function of detecting the position of the item. Preferably, the first detecting device 111a-111x may be an optical detecting device, such as a light-eye detecting device. Embodiments are described herein with the optical eye detection device as an example, but it should be understood that other systems such as an ultrasonic detection system, a camera detection system, and the like are also possible. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the optical eye detecting device may employ a reflective or contrast type optical eye. In operation, such as when an item passes through a light eye, the item obscures the light path of the light eye such that the light eye detects that the item is passing through its disposed position.

The second detection devices 112a-112y are arranged along a path in which one or more items move and are used to detect a first feature of the item. Those skilled in the art can design the set positions of the second detecting devices 112a-112y according to actual needs (e.g., the size of the area to be tracked, the length and shape of the item path, etc.). Preferably, the second detecting devices 112a-112y may be arranged equidistantly along the path of movement of the item. The second detection devices 112a-112y may be any device known to have or developed in the future that has the feature of detecting an item. Preferably, the second detection devices 112a-112y may be optical detection devices, such as raster detection devices. Embodiments are described herein with a raster detection device as an example, but it should be understood that other systems such as RFID detection systems, pressure sensitive measurement systems, and the like are also possible. The grating can for example be an array of light eyes (one or two dimensional array). While tracking the item with the light eye, the grating can identify the features of the item, thereby improving the fault tolerance of the item tracking.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the monitoring devices 113a-113z may be image recording devices such as cameras. It is also possible to design the setting position of one or more monitoring devices 113a-113z according to actual needs.

System 100 can include a controller 120 that is communicatively coupled (e.g., wired or wirelessly connected) to device 110. The controller 120 can be configured to receive the item location information detected by the first detecting device 111a-111x and the first feature information of the item detected by the second detecting device 112a-112y.

The first detection device 111a-111x is configured to track one or more items to determine the current location of the item. For example, the optical eye detecting device disposed beside the article transport path may follow the item currently passing through the light eye detecting device according to the time when the detected light wave is blocked. trace. The optical eye detection device can include any optical, electronic, optoelectronic implementation that enables detection of the position of the item. Tracking of the item by the first detecting device 111a-111x further includes recording the time at which the particular item passes the particular location, and the item count through the particular location over a period of time. Preferably, the first detecting devices 111a-111x may be arranged at regular intervals along the path of the article transport, for example equidistantly arranged.

The second detection device 112a-112y can be configured to record a first feature of the item. The first feature may be any property that is specific to the item, such that the item can be distinguished; including but not limited to any combination of one or more of the following: an item-specific label, an item's shape, an item's color And the size of the item (eg, length, width, height, etc.). The article-specific tag may be an RFID tag, a fluorescent tag, an odor tag, a magnetic clasp, a two-dimensional code, a barcode, etc., provided to the item by the tag system.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the grating may be an array (one or two dimensional array) composed of a plurality of optical eyes. In this case, when the detected article passes, depending on the detection mode (opformed or reflective type), the detected article causes light to be absorbed by absorbing light or by reflecting light to the photoreceiver of the photosensor. The intensity of the light received by the device changes, and the change value triggers the output of the switch signal to achieve the function of detecting the first feature of the item (eg, length, height, width, etc.). Preferably, the second detecting devices 112a-112y may be arranged at regular intervals along the path of the article transport, for example equidistantly arranged.

The item tracking system 100 can also be configured to match the first feature recorded by the second detecting device 112a-112y with the first predefined feature of the item. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 120 can also be used to receive or pre-store a first predefined feature of an item from the outside world. In addition, the controller 120 can be configured to compare and match the first feature of the article detected by the second detecting device 112a-112y with the first predefined feature. When the item passes through one of the first detecting devices 111a-111x, if the controller 120 determines the first feature and the item detected by the second detecting device selected from the second detecting devices 112a-112y The first predefined feature matches, the controller 120 records the location of the item detected by the first detecting device to achieve tracking of the item.

The monitoring devices 113a-113z are arranged along the path of item movement and are used to detect second features of the item to obtain additional valid data regarding the item position and/or characteristics. This can be significant Raise the accuracy of the position determination of the item. For example, the monitoring devices 113a-113z can take an image of the item and the system 100 can identify whether there are features in the captured image that match the predefined features.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller 120 may be configured to receive the second feature information of the item detected by the monitoring device 113a-113z, and may also be used to receive or pre-store the second predefined feature of the item from the outside. Additionally, the controller 120 can be configured to compare and match the second feature of the item detected by the monitoring device 113a-113z with the second predefined feature. For example, various image recognition algorithms (eg, local recognition algorithms, etc.) can be used for image recognition and feature matching operations. For example, a local salient feature of an item can be used as a second feature for identification and matching. When the item passes through one of the first detecting devices 111a-111x, if the controller 120 determines the second feature of the item identified in the image taken by one of the monitoring devices selected from the monitoring devices 113a-113z The second predefined feature matches, and the controller 120 records the location of the item detected by the first detecting device to achieve tracking of the item. Preferably, the monitoring devices 113a-113z may be arranged at regular intervals along the path of the article transport, for example equidistantly arranged.

In a preferred embodiment, a uniformly moving conveyor belt is disposed on the item moving path to move one or more target items to a destination. In this case, the speed at which the target article travels with the conveyor belt is constant and the position of the light eye is constant, the time difference between the two light eyes in which a certain article moves past the predetermined position should be kept constant under normal conditions. For example, in the case where a total of L light eyes are included, the time at which the target item triggers the Nth optical eye (ie, the time when the Nth optical eye detects the item) is marked as T _N , and the target item is The time at which the Mth optical eye is triggered is T _M , and the time difference ΔT=T _M -T _N should be a constant value (where L, M, N are integers and L>M>N). Thus, those skilled in the art can track the target item in a manner that calculates and monitors the time difference ΔT. Depending on the number and location of the light eye settings, different light eye combinations can be used to track different items. For example, for two or more different items, it can be calculated by ΔT ₁ =T _M -T _N , ΔT ₂ =T _R -T _{S ,} etc. (R, S is an integer and R>S), Different ΔT values are derived to track different items to achieve accurate tracking of the item.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus for tracking an item according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a counter for determining whether the number of items appears in the process of passing the plurality of items through a group of optical eyes Increase or decrease. For example, in the case where a total of L light eyes are included, the counter performs a count value plus 1 operation each time the article passes the Nth optical eye, and the counter performs a count value minus 1 operation each time the package passes the Mth optical eye. Thereby, it is possible to determine the condition of the item in the path between the Nth optical eye and the Mth optical eye based on the count value, for example, whether there is a case where the number of articles increases or decreases. Based on the above principles, different combinations of multiple optical eyes can be utilized to separately count to determine the condition of the item in a different path segment.

2 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a method for item tracking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

At step 201, the location of one or more items is detected. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the position of the article can be detected using the first detecting devices 111a-111x arranged along the moving path of the article. The specific process refers to the above, and details are not described herein again.

At step 202, a first feature of one or more items is detected. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the first feature of the item may be detected using second detection devices 112a-112y arranged along the path of movement of the item. The specific detection process is referred to the above, and will not be described here.

At step 203, it is determined whether the first feature of the detected item matches the first predefined feature. The specific matching process is described above, and details are not described herein again.

At step 204, if the item first feature matches the first predefined feature, the currently detected item location is recorded to enable tracking of the item.

Optionally, the method of tracking an item according to the present invention may further comprise: step 205, detecting a second feature of the one or more items; and step 206, determining whether the second feature of the detected item matches the second predefined feature. If the item second feature matches the second predefined feature, the currently detected item position is recorded to enable tracking of the item.

Additionally, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the method operations in accordance with the present invention may be performed separately or in combination. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that not all operations of each flowchart are required to be performed, and the present invention allows all combinations of such operations.

Embodiments of the methods described herein can be implemented in a system that includes one or more storage media on a storage medium, with instructions stored separately or in combination, when the instructions are executed by one or more processors, the method is performed . Thus, a processor may include, for example, a system CPU (eg, a core processor) and/or a programmable circuit. Thus, operations in accordance with the methods described herein may A plurality of physical devices, such as processing structures, are distributed across a number of different physical locations.

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a usage scenario of a system for item tracking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The second detecting devices 112a-112y are a plurality of grating devices arranged along the conveyor belt at a predetermined interval. The first detecting devices 111a-111x are a plurality of optical eye devices arranged along the conveyor belt at a predetermined interval. And the monitoring devices 113a-113z are cameras arranged along the conveyor belt at predetermined intervals.

The terms and expressions used herein are used to describe and not limit the terms, and in the use of such terms and expressions, there is no intention to exclude any equivalents of the features (or portions thereof) shown and described, and should It will be appreciated that various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Therefore, the claims are intended to cover all such equivalents. Various features, aspects, and embodiments have been described herein. The features, aspects, and embodiments allow for mutual combination as well as variations and modifications, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present disclosure should be considered to include such combinations, modifications, and modifications.

The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings in which, The drawings illustrate specific embodiments by way of illustration, in which the methods, devices, and systems discussed herein may be practiced in this particular embodiment. These embodiments are also referred to herein as "examples." Such examples may include elements in addition to those elements that have been shown or described. However, the inventors have also considered merely providing examples of those elements that are shown or described. In addition, the inventors have also considered (by one or more aspects) of the specific examples (or one or more aspects of the examples shown or described herein) by using those (from one or more aspects) An example of a combination or arrangement of elements shown or described.

In this document, the terms "a" or "an" Unless otherwise specified, the term "or" is used in this document to mean non-exclusive or, that is, "A or B" includes "A instead of B", "B instead of A", and "A and B". In this document, the terms "include" and "in" are used as concise English equivalent to the terms "comprising" and "including", respectively. In addition, in the following claims, the terms "include" and "comprising" are open-ended, that is, include those elements that are listed after those such terms. Systems, devices, articles, components, formulas or processes of elements other than the elements are still considered to fall within the scope of the claims. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose a numerical ordering requirement on their objects.

The above detailed description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more aspects thereof) can be used in conjunction with one another. For example, other embodiments may be utilized by those skilled in the art upon reviewing the Detailed Description. The Abstract is provided to enable the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that the abstract is not to be construed as limiting or limiting the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be combined together to simplify the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as an intention to indicate that a disclosed feature that is not claimed is essential to any claim. Conversely, the inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of the specifically disclosed embodiments. The following claims are, therefore, to be construed as being in the The scope of the invention should be determined in accordance with the scope of the appended claims and the appended claims.

Claims

An item tracking system for tracking an item that has undergone security inspection, the item tracking system comprising:

a plurality of first optical detection devices, the plurality of first optical detection devices being arranged along a path of movement of the one or more items and for detecting a position of the one or more items;

One or more second optical detection devices, the one or more optical second detection devices being arranged along the path and for detecting a first feature of the one or more items;

a control device, configured to receive a location detected by the first detecting device, and match the first feature detected by the second detecting device with a first predefined feature input or pre-stored by the external detecting device,

Wherein when the item under test in the one or more items passes the selected second optical detection device of the one or more second optical detection devices and when the control device determines the selected second When the first feature of the tested item recorded by the detecting device matches the first predefined feature of the tested item, the control device records the position of the measured item detected by the current first detecting device.
The article tracking system of claim 1 further comprising:

One or more image monitoring devices, the one or more image monitoring devices being arranged along the path and for recording an image of the one or more items,

Wherein the control device is configured to identify a second feature of the one or more items from an image recorded by the image monitoring device and input or pre-store the second feature with a second predefined feature Make a match.
The article tracking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

Wherein the item tracking system comprises L first optical detecting devices,

The control device is configured to record a time difference between the Nth and the Mth of the L first optical detecting devices respectively detecting the position of the tested object, and compare the time difference with a predetermined time difference, wherein L >M>N.
The item tracking system according to claim 1 or 2,

Wherein the item tracking system comprises L first optical detecting devices,

The item tracking device further includes a counter, wherein the control device increments the counter value by one every time the item passes the Nth of the L first optical detecting devices, and each time the item passes by When the Mth of the L first optical detecting devices is described, the counter value of the counter is decremented by one, where L>M>N.
The article tracking system of claim 1 wherein said first detecting device is a light eye.
The article tracking system of claim 1 wherein said second detecting device is a raster.
The article tracking system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of first optical detection devices are equally spaced along a path along which one or more items move.
The item tracking system of claim 2, wherein

Wherein when the item under test in the one or more items passes through the selected one of the one or more image monitoring devices and when the control device determines the location recorded by the selected image monitoring device When the second feature of the tested item matches the second predefined feature of the tested item, the control device records the position of the tested item detected by the current first detecting device.
The article tracking system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first feature comprises any combination of one or more of the following: an article-specific tag, an item shape, an item color, and an item. size.
The article tracking system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the second feature comprises any combination of one or more of the following: an article-specific tag, an item shape, an item color, and an item. size.
A method for item tracking, the method comprising:

Detecting the location of the one or more items using a plurality of first optical detection devices arranged along a path of movement of the one or more items;

Detecting a first feature of the one or more items using one or more second optical detection devices arranged along the path;

Receiving a location detected by the first detecting device; and

Inputting or pre-stored the first feature detected by the second detecting device with the outside world Matching a predefined feature,

Wherein when the tested item of the one or more items passes the selected second optical detecting device of the one or more second optical detecting devices and when it is determined that the selected second detecting device records When the first feature of the tested item matches the first predefined feature of the tested item, the position of the tested item detected by the current first detecting device is recorded.
The method of claim 11 wherein said method further comprises: recording an image of said one or more items using one or more image monitoring devices arranged along said path;

A second feature of the one or more items is identified from an image recorded by the image monitoring device and the second feature is matched to a second predefined feature that is externally input or pre-stored.
The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the plurality of first optical detecting devices are L first optical detecting devices,

The method further includes: recording a time difference between an Nth and an Mth of the L first optical detecting devices respectively detecting a position of the measured object, and comparing the time difference with a predetermined time difference, wherein L> M>N.
The method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the plurality of first optical detecting devices are L first optical detecting devices,

The method further includes incrementing a count value by each time the article passes the Nth of the L first optical detecting devices, and each time the article passes through the L first optical detecting devices At the Mth time, the count value is decremented by one, where L>M>N.
The method of claim 11 wherein said first detecting device is a light eye.
The method of claim 11 wherein said second detecting device is a raster.
The method of claim 11 wherein said plurality of first optical detection devices are equally spaced along a path along which one or more items move.
The method of claim 12, wherein when the item under test in the one or more items passes the selected one of the one or more image monitoring devices and when the control device determines When the second feature of the tested item recorded by the selected image monitoring device matches the second predefined feature of the tested item, the control device records the current first The position of the tested item detected by the detecting device.
A method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the first feature comprises any combination of one or more of the following: an article-specific tag, a shape of the article, a color of the article, and a size of the article.
A method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the second feature comprises any combination of one or more of the following: an item-specific label, an item's shape, the color of the item, and the size of the item.