WO2021101159A1

WO2021101159A1 - Automatic payment apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2021101159A1
Application number: PCT/KR2020/015775
Authority: WO
Inventors: 이영훈; 이경목; 이종서; 전웅
Original assignee: 한화테크윈 주식회사
Priority date: 2019-11-22
Filing date: 2020-11-11
Publication date: 2021-05-27

Abstract

An automatic payment apparatus comprises: first and second transfer stages arranged along a transfer path through which products move; an inclined surface arranged between the first and second transfer stages on the transfer path; at least one first ID detector directed toward the first transfer stage to detect IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the first transfer stage; at least one second ID detector directed toward the second transfer stage to detect the IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the second transfer stage; and a lower ID detector directed toward the transfer path from a lower portion of the inclined surface.

Description

Automatic payment device

The present invention relates to a payment device, and more specifically, to an automatic payment device including a camera.

Currently, most products to be purchased by customers in stores such as supermarkets and discount stores are recognized through barcodes attached to the products. POS systems including barcode scanners and computers are widely used for the recognition of such products. Such a POS system is linked to a computer, and a very useful system is widely used by quickly and accurately calculating the price of a product purchased by a customer. The POS system uses a barcode scanner as an input device of a computer to recognize products from barcodes attached to the products, and accordingly determines the price of each product.

However, even if such a POS system is used, a person is required to recognize the barcode of a product in the barcode scanner, and this can occupy a significant portion of the resources required for the operation of the store.

The above-described content is only intended to aid in understanding the background art of the technical idea of the present invention, and thus it cannot be understood as the content corresponding to the prior art known to those skilled in the art of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention are to provide an automatic payment device capable of recognizing an ID of a product such as a barcode without a person. For example, the automatic payment device includes a camera and an ID detector, identifies products from images photographed using the camera, determines whether the IDs of the identified products are detected by the ID sensor, and according to the determination result. Products that have failed to detect ID can be notified to users.

An automatic payment device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: first and second transfer stages arranged along a transfer path through which products move; An inclined surface disposed between the first and second transfer stages on the transfer path; At least one first ID sensor directed toward the first transfer stage to detect IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the first transfer stage; At least one second ID sensor directed toward the second transfer stage to detect the IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the second transfer stage; And a lower ID detector directed toward the transport path from a lower portion of the inclined surface.

The first and second transfer stages may include conveyor belts for moving the products, and the inclined surface may include a transparent member provided as part of the transfer path between the conveyor belts.

The automatic payment device may further include a sensor disposed adjacent to the first transfer stage and configured to generate trigger signals by detecting that the products enter the transfer path.

The automatic payment device may further include a controller configured to control the at least one first detector, the at least one second detector, the lower ID detector, and the sensor.

The controller may be configured to map the ID sensed by the at least one first ID detector and the ID sensed by the at least one second ID detector to the trigger signals.

The automatic payment device may include at least one main camera configured to provide an image by photographing at least a portion of the transfer path; And a display device. The controller detects objects respectively corresponding to the products from the image, maps the detected objects to the trigger signals, and displays an object of a trigger signal that fails to map an ID among the detected objects. It can be configured to display on.

An automatic payment device according to another embodiment of the present invention includes: transfer stages arranged in succession along a transfer path through which products move; A first main camera configured to photograph a first target area of the transport path; At least one ID detector pointing to the first target area so as to detect IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the first target area; A second main camera configured to photograph a second target area located next to the first target area of the transfer path; A controller configured to communicate with the first main camera, the at least one ID detector, and the second main camera, wherein the controller identifies the products in a first image captured by the first main camera And controlling the second main camera to photograph a product that fails to detect an ID among the identified products based on whether the IDs of the identified products are detected by the at least one ID sensor.

The transfer stages may have different transfer speeds.

The at least one ID detector acquires a second image by photographing at least a portion of the first target area, and whenever the ID is detected from the second image, the position information of the detected ID in the second image is transmitted to the second image. It may be configured to transmit to a controller, and the controller may be configured to determine a product that successfully detects the ID among the identified products based on the location information received from the at least one ID sensor.

The controller may include a storage medium that stores mapping data between the position values in the first image and the position values in the second image, and the controller identifies the position based on the position information and the mapping data. It may be configured to determine a product that has succeeded in detecting the ID among the products.

The controller manages marks of the identified products, converts the location information into location information in the first image according to the mapping data, and a mark of one of the identified products corresponding to the converted location information And, according to the marks, it may be configured to determine a product that has failed to detect the ID.

The automatic payment device may further include a trigger sensor disposed adjacent to the first target area of the transfer path, and configured to detect movement of the products to generate trigger signals, wherein the controller is the trigger sensor May be configured to communicate further with.

The automatic payment device may further include a second ID detector disposed on a lower surface supporting the products between the first target area and the second target area of the transfer path, and the controller includes the second ID It may be configured to further communicate with the detector, and the controller identifies the ID of any one of the products by the second ID detector when a predetermined time elapses from the time when any one of the trigger signals is generated. Based on whether or not, it may be configured to determine a product that has failed to detect the ID.

According to embodiments of the present invention, embodiments of the present invention provide an automatic payment device capable of recognizing an ID of a product such as a barcode without a person.

1 is a perspective view showing an automatic payment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view showing the automatic payment device from an angle different from that of FIG. 1.

3 is a plan view showing a transfer unit and an output unit of the automatic payment device of FIG. 2.

4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the automatic payment device of FIG. 2.

5 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the controller of FIG. 2.

6 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a mark table managed by the controller of FIG. 2.

7 is a plan view exemplarily showing a first target area and sub-areas on a transfer path.

8 is a side view exemplarily showing a first target area and a second target area on a transfer path.

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an automatic payment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S140 of FIG. 9.

11 is a flowchart illustrating a training method using an ID and a product object acquired according to the automatic payment method of FIG. 9.

12 is a plan view showing a transfer unit and an output unit of an automatic payment device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a side view illustrating a target area and an output unit on a transfer path of the automatic payment device of FIG. 12.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, it should be noted that only parts necessary to understand the operation according to the present invention will be described, and descriptions of other parts will be omitted so as not to obscure the subject matter of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. However, the embodiments described herein are provided to explain in detail enough to be able to easily implement the technical idea of the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" with another part, this includes not only "directly connected" but also "indirectly connected" with another element interposed therebetween. . The terms used herein are for describing specific embodiments and not for limiting the present invention. Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, it means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components unless specifically stated to the contrary. "At least any one of X, Y, and Z", and "at least any one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z" means X one, Y one, Z one, or two of X, Y, and Z, or It can be interpreted as any combination beyond that (eg, XYZ, XYY, YZ, ZZ). Herein, "and/or" includes all combinations of one or more of the corresponding elements.

Referring to FIG. 1, the automatic payment device 100 may include a base unit 10, an output unit 20, a transfer unit 110, a support unit 120, and a controller 130.

The base part 10 includes a structure for supporting the transfer part 110 and the support part 120 at a predetermined height from the ground.

The transfer unit 110 is supported by the base unit 10 and is configured to transfer products along a transfer path. The transfer unit 110 may include a plurality of transfer stages, for example, conveyor belts, which are continuously arranged along a transfer path. In this case, the plurality of transfer stages may have different transfer speeds. In FIG. 1, the transfer unit 110 is illustrated as including two

transfer stages

111 and 112. Accordingly, when the user puts the products down on the first transfer stage 111, the products may move to the output unit 20 through the first and

second transfer stages

111 and 112. While the products are moving to the output unit 20, the automatic payment device 100 may detect IDs attached to the products. The detected IDs can be used to perform payment for products.

The support unit 120 is disposed to overlap the transport path of the transport unit 110. The support 120 may have a shape suitable for supporting the controller 130. In addition, the support 120 may support cameras and ID detectors (see 140, 151 to 154, and 160 in FIG. 2). In embodiments, the support 120 includes a plurality of frames 121 to 123 of a “U” shape, and a controller 130, cameras, and ID detectors are installed on the plurality of frames 121 to 123 Can be.

The controller 130 is configured to communicate with and control cameras and ID detectors by wire and/or wirelessly.

2 is a perspective view showing the automatic payment device from an angle different from that of FIG. 1. 3 is a plan view showing a transfer unit and an output unit of the automatic payment device of FIG. 2. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the automatic payment device of FIG. 2.

2 to 4, in the transfer unit 110, the first transfer stage 111 transfers products at a first transfer speed, and the second transfer stage 112 transfers a second transfer faster than the first transfer speed. Goods are transported at a speed. Due to this, the products on the second transfer stage 112 may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance or more. For example, when the user puts down the products on the first transfer stage 111 at once, the second transfer stage 112 due to a faster transfer speed than the first transfer stage 111 of the second transfer stage 112 Products can be moved apart at regular intervals. This allows each of the products to be effectively identified in the image captured by the first main camera 140, and the IDs attached to the products to be effectively detected by the first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154. have.

The automatic payment device 120 may include a first main camera 140, a plurality of ID detectors 151 to 154, and a second main camera 160.

The first main camera 140 may photograph the first target area TA1 of the transfer paths defined by the transfer stages 111 and 112. The plurality of ID detectors 151 to 154 is a first target to detect IDs attached to the products, for example, barcodes, when products moving along the transfer path overlap the first target area TA1. It can be directed toward the area TA1. Although it is shown that four ID detectors 151 to 154 are provided in FIGS. 2 to 4, the number of ID detectors may vary according to embodiments. In embodiments, each of the first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154 may capture an image and/or an image, and may extract and detect the captured image and/or an ID included in the image. In embodiments, each of the first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154 may include a barcode scanner.

In response to the control of the controller 130, the second main camera 160 may capture a second target area TA2 located next to the first target area TA1 of the transfer path. In embodiments, an inclined surface SL may be provided between the transfer unit 110 and the output unit 20. In embodiments, the second target area TA2 may overlap the inclined surface SL.

The first main camera 140, the plurality of ID detectors 151 to 154, and the second main camera 160 may be appropriately installed on the first to third frames 121 to 123 that are sequentially arranged. . For example, the first main camera 140 may be installed on the second frame 122 between the first and

third frames

121 and 123 so as to orient the first target area TA1 in a vertical direction. , The second main camera 160 may be installed in the third frame 123 adjacent to the second target area TA2. Each of the plurality of ID detectors 151 to 154 may be installed in any one of the first to third frames 121 to 123 according to embodiments.

The controller 130 may communicate with the first main camera 140, the first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154, and the second main camera 160 by wire and/or wirelessly. The controller 130 acquires an image of the first target area TA1 from the first main camera 140, identifies products from the image of the first target area TA1, and identifies IDs of the identified products (for example, For example, it determines whether barcodes) are detected by the first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154, and controls the second main camera 160 to photograph a product that has failed to detect the ID according to the determination result. can do. In addition, the controller 130 may include a display device for displaying an image photographed by the second main camera 160, and accordingly, may notify a user of a product that has failed to detect an ID. For example, the user may place the product in the transfer unit 110 again. In this way, the automatic payment device 100 can recognize the ID of the product without a person.

A trigger sensor 170 and a lower ID detector 180 may be further provided. The controller 130 may further communicate with the trigger sensor 170 and the lower ID detector 180. The trigger sensor 170 is disposed adjacent to the first target area TA1, and may generate a trigger signal whenever movement of each product is sensed. In embodiments, the trigger sensor 170 may be an infrared sensor, for example, an active infrared sensor. Trigger signals from the trigger sensor 170 enable the controller 130 to effectively identify products in the first image. In addition, the controller 130 may determine whether or not there is a product that has failed to detect the ID by further referring to the trigger signals.

The lower ID detector 180 may be disposed on a lower surface supporting products between the first target area TA1 and the second target area TA2. For example, the lower ID sensor 180 may overlap the inclined surface SL. Accordingly, the lower ID detector 180 can detect the ID when the product is placed so that the ID attached thereto faces the lower surface and moves. The lower ID sensor 180 may provide an additional opportunity for detecting an ID of a product.

5 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the controller of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 5, the controller 200 may include a processor 210, a system memory 220, a buffer memory 230, a communicator 240, a storage medium 250, and a display device 260. .

The processor 210 may load instructions and/or program codes that cause operations of the controller 130 (refer to FIG. 2) described herein, and execute the loaded instructions and/or program codes. When executed by the processor 210, the processor 210 loads the object tracking module 221 that performs the operations of the controller 130 described herein into the system memory 220, and the loaded object tracking module 221 Can run. For example, the object tracking module 221 may be loaded into the system memory 220 from the storage medium 250.

The system memory 220 and the buffer memory 230 may include at least one of various types of memories such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and synchronous DRAM (SDRAM). The system memory 220 may be used as a working memory of the processor 210. At least a portion of the system memory 220 may be included in the processor 210 and used as a working memory. The buffer memory 230 may be provided as a separate component from the system memory 220. In other embodiments, the buffer memory 230 may be integrated with the system memory 220. The processor 210 may write and delete data, for example, the mark table MK, in the buffer memory 230 as needed. The mark table MK will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6.

The communicator 240 includes a first main camera 140, first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154, a second main camera 160, a trigger sensor 170, and a lower ID detector 180 and a controller. Signals between 200 may be transmitted and received by wire and/or wirelessly.

The storage medium 250 may include various types of storage media that maintain stored data even when power is cut off, for example, storage media such as flash memory and hard disk. The storage medium 250 may store data for matching the photographing region of the first main camera 140 and the photographing region of each ID sensor. In embodiments, the mapping data MP includes position values (eg, coordinates) of a first image captured by the first main camera 140 and position values of a second image captured by each ID sensor ( For example, the mapping data MP between coordinates) may be stored. The mapping data MP may be loaded into the system memory 220 and/or the buffer memory 230 by the processor 210.

The display device 260 displays information processed by the controller 200 under the control of the processor 210. For example, the processor 210 may receive an image and/or image captured by the second main camera 160 and display the received image and/or image on the display device 260.

6 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a mark table managed by the controller of FIG. 2. 7 is a plan view exemplarily showing a first target area and sub-areas on a transfer path. In the description with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, it is assumed that three products move through the transfer unit 110 for convenience of description.

First, referring to FIG. 6 along with FIG. 2, the controller 130 may generate and manage the mark table MK. The mark table MK may include a time stamp TS corresponding to each product, an identifier of the object OB, and a mark.

The controller 130 may receive first to third trigger signals TRG1 to TRG3 indicating movement of goods from the trigger sensor 170. In this case, the controller 130 may list the first to third time stamps TS1 to TS3 representing times when the first to third trigger signals TRG1 to TRG3 are generated in the mark table MK. have. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the first to third trigger signals TRG1 to TRG3 are sequentially generated.

The controller 130 may map IDs detected by the first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154 to the first to third trigger signals TRG1 to TRG3. In this case, the controller 130 may update the mark of the trigger signal mapped to the detected ID. The controller 130 may identify products from an image captured by the first main camera 140. The controller 130 may include at least one of various algorithms for identifying and tracking a product within an image, such as the object tracking module 221 of FIG. 5, and is thus photographed by the first main camera 140. The first to third objects OB1 to OB3 respectively corresponding to the products may be identified in the image. The controller 130 may effectively identify the first to third objects OB1 to OB3 by referring to the trigger signals TRG1 to TRG3.

It is assumed that the first to third objects OB1 to OB3 are sequentially identified in the image captured by the first main camera 140. In this case, the controller 130 may include the first to third objects OB1 to OB3 in the mark table MK to correspond to the first to third time stamps TS1 to TS3, respectively.

The mark table MK may further include marks respectively corresponding to the identified first to third objects OB1 to OB3. In FIG. 6, marks respectively corresponding to the first to third objects OB1 to OB3 are illustrated as “0”, “1”, and “1”. Each mark can have a default value of “0”. The marks can be updated by the controller 130. When the ID corresponding to each object is detected by the ID detector, the controller 130 may update the corresponding mark to “1”. Accordingly, the mark “0” may mean that the ID corresponding to the object has not been detected by the ID detector. The controller 130 may determine that the object has failed to detect the ID when the corresponding mark has a default value of “0” even though the object deviates from the image of the first main camera 140. In FIG. 6, the controller 130 may determine that the first object OB1 having a mark of “0” has failed to detect the ID. The controller 130 may control the second main camera 160 to photograph a product corresponding to the first object OB1.

Referring to FIG. 7 along with FIG. 2, products are sequentially moved along the moving direction DR by the transfer unit 110, for example, the second transfer stage 112. The first main camera 140 photographs the first target area TA1. The controller 130 may identify first to third objects OB1 to OB3 corresponding to products in an image captured by the first main camera 140.

The first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154 photograph at least a part of the first target area TA1, and extract and detect the captured image and/or an ID (eg, barcode) included in the image. can do. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, photographing areas photographed by two ID detectors are shown. For example, the second ID detector 152 photographs a first sub-area SBA1 in the first target area TA1, and the third ID detector 153 is a second sub-area in the first target area TA1. The area SBA2 is photographed. When an ID of a product is detected, each ID detector may transmit location information of the detected ID in the photographing area of the corresponding ID sensor to the controller 140.

The controller 130 may determine an object that fails to detect an ID among the first to third objects OB1 to PB3 based on the location information received from each ID detector. As described with reference to FIG. 5, the controller 130 maps between the shooting area (eg, TA1) of the first main camera 140 and the shooting area (eg, SBA1 and SBA2) of each ID sensor. Data (MP) can be stored. The controller 130 converts the location information received from each ID detector into location information in the photographing area of the first main camera 140, and is located in the converted location information among the first to third objects OB1 to PB3. You can update the mark of what you do. In this way, each of the marks corresponding to the first to third objects OB1 to PB3 of the mark table MK of FIG. 6 may be updated.

In other embodiments, the controller 130 may map the ID to a trigger signal (or object) based on the time when the ID is detected. The controller 130 may determine a trigger signal corresponding to the ID based on the time at which the ID is sensed, and update a mark corresponding to the determined trigger signal. For example, each ID detector may detect the ID after a corresponding elapsed time from the time when the trigger signal is generated. In this case, the controller 130 determines a trigger signal having a time stamp that was generated before an elapsed time corresponding to it from the detection point when an ID is detected, and updates the mark corresponding to the determined trigger signal. I can.

2 and 8, the first to third products PD1 to PD3 are supported and moved by the lower surface 110_1 of the transfer unit 110. The first to third products PD1 to PD3 may correspond to the first to third objects OB1 to OB3 of FIG. 7, respectively.

According to the mark table MT of FIG. 6, detection of an ID for the first object OB1 having the mark “0”, that is, the first product PD1, fails. The controller 130 may control the second main camera 160 to photograph the first product PD1 when the first product PD1 reaches the second target area TA2. In embodiments, the controller 130 refers to the distance between the location P1 of the first product PD1 and the arbitrary location P2 of the second target area TA2, and the transfer speed of the transfer unit 110. A time point at which the second main camera 160 photographs the first product PD1 may be determined. The location P1 of the first product PD1 may be determined according to the location value of the first object OB1 in the image of the first main camera 140. In embodiments, the controller 130 determines a time point at which a predetermined time elapses from a time point at which the first object OB1 deviates from the image of the first main camera 140 or a time range similar thereto. It may be determined as the shooting time of (160). In this case, the predetermined elapsed time may be determined with reference to the transfer speed of the transfer unit 110.

In other embodiments, the function of the second main camera 160 is performed by the first main camera 160 and the second main camera 160 may be omitted. For example, the image and/or image of the first target area TA1 photographed by the first main camera 160 may be displayed on the display device to notify the user of a product that has failed to detect an ID. As another example, the controller 130 may notify the user of a product that has failed to detect an ID by displaying the image and/or image of the second target area TA2 photographed by the first main camera 160 on the display device. have. In this case, the first main camera 140 may be installed to have a wider field of view or to photograph and/or direct a wider area to capture not only the first target area TA1 but also the second target area TA2.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the automatic payment device 100 may further include a trigger sensor 170 and a lower ID sensor 180. The trigger sensor 170 may be directed toward the area overlapping the transfer unit 110, in particular, the second transfer stage 112. For example, the trigger sensor 170 may be disposed at a third position P3 adjacent to the first target area TA1. The lower ID sensor 180 is disposed at the fourth position P4 between the first target area TA1 and the second target area TA2 to detect the ID of the lower surface of the product.

An ID of any one of the first to third products PD1 to PD3 may be detected by the lower ID sensor 180. In this case, the controller 130 is the lower ID detector at a time when a predetermined time has elapsed from any one of the time stamps TS1 to TS3 of the mark table (MK, see FIG. 6) or a time range similar thereto. Depending on whether 180) detects the ID, the mark table MK may be updated. In FIG. 6, the first time stamp TS1 corresponds to the first object OB1 and the mark “0”. When the lower ID detector 180 detects the ID when a predetermined time elapses from the first time stamp TS1, the mark of the first object OB1 may be updated to “1”. Accordingly, the marks of all of the first to third objects OB1 to OB3 are “1”, which means that the detection of IDs for all of the first to third products PD1 to PD3 is successful. In this case, the controller 130 may not trigger photographing of the second main camera 160. If the lower ID detector 180 detects the ID when a predetermined time has elapsed from one of the time stamps TS2 and TS3 other than the first time stamp TS1, the corresponding marks are already “ 1”, so the mark table (MK) is not updated. This means that even though the first product PD1 has passed the area where the lower ID sensor 180 is located, detection of the ID for the first product PD1 has failed. In this case, the controller 130 may trigger photographing of the second main camera 160.

2 and 9, in step S110, the automatic payment device 100 transfers the products so that the interval is constant.

In step S120, the automatic payment device 100 identifies products in the first target area of the transport path using the first main camera 140. The controller 130 may include at least one of various algorithms for identifying and tracking products in the image.

In step S130, when the identified products overlap the first target area, the automatic payment device 100 identifies IDs using at least one ID detector 151 to 154.

In step S140, the automatic payment device 100 performs step S150 when there is a product that has failed to detect the ID. The automatic payment device 100 stores mapping data for matching the photographing region of the first main camera 140 and the photographing region of each ID sensor. Each ID detector may provide the location of the identified ID in its photographing area to the automatic payment device 100 when the ID is identified. By referring to the mapping data and the provided location information, the automatic payment device 100 may determine whether the detection of IDs for each of the products identified in the image of the first main camera 140 is successful. If there is a product in which the detection of the ID has failed, step S150 is performed.

In step S150, the automatic payment device 100 performs photographing using the second main camera when the product for which the detection of the ID has failed is located in the second target area after the first target area of the transfer path.

10 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of step S140 of FIG. 9.

2 and 10, the automatic payment device 100 may additionally determine whether the ID of the product determined to have failed to detect the ID in step S140 of FIG. 9 is detected by the lower ID sensor 180. have. In embodiments, this may be determined according to the time stamps TS1 to TS3 of the mark table MK described with reference to FIG. 6 and the detection timing of the ID by the lower ID detector 180. According to the determination result, the automatic payment device 100 may perform step S150 of FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 11, in step S210, an ID detected by the ID detectors 151 to 154 and 180 is obtained as a target ID. In step S220, objects of goods identified by the first and second

main cameras

140 and 160 are obtained.

In step S230, training (or deep learning) is performed using the target ID and objects. Such training may be performed by learning and accumulating data for estimating the association between the target ID and objects based on various algorithms and techniques known in the art.

In step S240, the training result data is verified. For example, an object of a target ID may be acquired, an ID corresponding to a newly acquired object may be estimated using training result data, and the training result data may be verified according to whether the estimated ID matches the target ID. . If IDs having a higher ratio than the threshold among IDs estimated according to newly acquired objects match the target ID, verification of the training result data may pass.

In step S250, the training result data may be used to detect the target ID. By repeatedly performing steps S210 to S240, detection of an ID corresponding to each product can be performed through cameras such as the first and second

main cameras

140, 160, and IDs (e.g. For example barcodes) may not be necessary. Accordingly, user convenience is improved.

12 is a plan view showing a transfer unit and an output unit of an automatic payment device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a side view illustrating a target area and an output unit on a transfer path of the automatic payment device of FIG. 12.

First, referring to FIG. 12, a transfer unit 310 and an output unit 20' of the automatic payment device 300 may be included. Although not shown in FIG. 12, the automatic payment device 300 may include a controller, at least one main camera, a plurality of ID detectors, and a trigger sensor, similar to the automatic payment device 100 of FIG. 2. The configurations may operate as described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8. Hereinafter, redundant descriptions are omitted.

The transfer unit 310 may include a first transfer stage 311, a second transfer stage 312, and an inclined surface SL. The first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 may include conveyor belts that transfer products, for example, the first to third products PD1 to PD3 at predetermined moving speeds. In embodiments, the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 may transfer products at the same speed. In other embodiments, the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 may transfer goods at different speeds.

The main camera may photograph at least a part of the transfer unit 310, that is, the target area TA. The plurality of ID detectors may be directed toward the target area TA to detect IDs attached to products located in the target area TA.

The plurality of ID detectors include a first group of ID detectors associated with the first sub-area SBA1 overlapping the first movement stage 311 of the target area TA, and a second movement stage ( 312) may include ID detectors of a second group associated with the second sub-area SBA2 overlapping with each other. When the products overlap the first sub-area SBA1, the ID detectors of the first group photograph products located in the first sub-area SBA1, for example, the third product PD3, and detect their IDs. , When the products overlap the second sub-area SBA2, the ID detectors of the second group photograph products located in the second sub-area SBA2, for example, the first product PD1 to detect their ID. can do.

ID detectors of each of the first and second groups may be installed to have various orientation directions at various locations in consideration that barcodes attached to products may be variously located. For example, the ID detectors of each of the first and second groups may include ID detectors located above the transfer unit 310, such as the first to fourth ID detectors 151 to 154 shown in FIG. 2. I can. In addition, the ID detectors of each of the first and second groups may include ID detectors positioned at the side of the transfer unit 310. Mirror members may be provided to increase the viewing angle of the ID detectors located at the side, and the ID detectors at the side may proceed from the products and receive light reflected by the mirror members to take a barcode. The number of ID detectors of the first and second groups may vary according to embodiments.

Next, referring to FIG. 13 along with FIG. 12, the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 have different heights, and an inclined surface SL between the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 Can be placed. The inclined surface SL may include a transparent member and/or material. For example, the inclined surface SL may be formed of glass. The inclined surface SL may overlap the target area TA between the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312. The size of the inclined surface SL may be variously modified according to exemplary embodiments. For example, the inclined surface SL may have different inclinations, different widths and lengths, and different ratios than the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 according to embodiments.

An additional ID sensor 380 may be provided that is disposed under the sloped surface SL to direct the transport path, and the lower ID sensor 380 detects the ID when the product is placed so that the ID attached to it faces the bottom surface and moves. Can be detected. For example, the lower ID detector 380 may detect the ID of the second product PD2 when it faces the lower surface. In this way, the transparent inclined surface SL and the ID detector 380 below it may provide an additional opportunity for detecting the ID of a product. Further, the inclined surface SL positioned between the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 allows the product that was moved by the first transfer stage 311 to roll, for example, and its ID is in a different direction. It can provide an opportunity to head. Accordingly, even if the detection of the ID in the first transfer stage 311 fails, the inclined surface SL may increase the probability of success in detecting the ID of the corresponding product in the second transfer stage 312.

In embodiments, the speed of the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 may be varied in consideration of the number of products, types of products, shapes of products, sizes of products, and time intervals for inputting products. In addition, the speeds of the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 may vary according to a result of ID detection and a success probability of ID detection according to the above-described embodiments. The speed of the first and second transfer stages 311 and 312 may be controlled by a controller (eg, 130 in FIG. 3 ).

Although specific embodiments and application examples have been described herein, these are provided only to aid in a more general understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those with ordinary knowledge in the field to which the present invention pertains. As it grows, various modifications and variations are possible from this description.

Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention is limited to the described embodiments and should not be defined, and all things that are equivalent or equivalent to the claims as well as the claims to be described later fall within the scope of the inventive concept. .

Claims

First and second transfer stages arranged along a transfer path through which goods move;

An inclined surface disposed between the first and second transfer stages on the transfer path;

At least one first ID sensor directed toward the first transfer stage to detect IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the first transfer stage;

At least one second ID sensor directed toward the second transfer stage to detect the IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the second transfer stage; And

Automatic payment device comprising a lower ID detector facing the transport path from a lower portion of the inclined surface.
The method of claim 1,

The first and second transfer stages include conveyor belts for moving the products,

The inclined surface is an automatic payment device comprising a transparent member provided as a part of the conveying path between the conveyor belts.
The method of claim 1,

The automatic payment device further comprises a sensor disposed adjacent to the first transfer stage and configured to generate trigger signals by detecting that the goods enter the transfer path.
The method of claim 3,

The automatic payment device further comprises a controller configured to control the at least one first detector, the at least one second detector, the lower ID detector, and the sensor.
The method of claim 4,

The controller is configured to map the ID detected by the at least one first ID detector and the ID detected by the at least one second ID detector to the trigger signals.
The method of claim 5,

At least one main camera configured to provide an image by photographing at least a portion of the transport path; And

Including a display device,

The controller detects objects respectively corresponding to the products from the image, maps the detected objects to the trigger signals, and displays an object of a trigger signal that fails to map an ID among the detected objects. Automatic payment device configured to display on.
Transfer stages arranged in succession along a transfer path through which goods move;

A first main camera configured to photograph a first target area of the transport path;

At least one ID detector pointing to the first target area so as to detect IDs attached to the products when the products overlap the first target area;

A second main camera configured to photograph a second target area located next to the first target area of the transfer path; And

Including a controller configured to communicate with the first main camera, the at least one ID detector, and the second main camera,

The controller identifies the products in a first image captured by the first main camera, and among the identified products based on whether the IDs of the identified products are detected by the at least one ID sensor. An automatic payment device configured to control the second main camera to photograph a product that fails to detect an ID.
The method of claim 7,

The transfer stages are automatic payment devices having different transfer speeds.
The method of claim 7,

The at least one ID detector acquires a second image by photographing at least a portion of the first target area, and whenever the ID is detected from the second image, the location information of the detected ID in the second image Is configured to send to the controller,

The controller is an automatic payment device configured to determine a product that successfully detects the ID among the identified products based on the location information received from the at least one ID detector.
The method of claim 9,

The controller includes a storage medium for storing mapping data between position values in the first image and position values in the second image,

The controller is an automatic payment device configured to determine a product that successfully detects the ID among the identified products based on the location information and the mapping data.
The method of claim 10,

The controller,

Manage the marks of the identified products,

Converting the location information into location information in the first image according to the mapping data,

Updating a mark of one of the identified products corresponding to the converted location information,

An automatic payment device configured to determine a product that has failed to detect the ID according to the marks.
The method of claim 7,

Further comprising a trigger sensor disposed adjacent to the first target area of the transport path and configured to detect movement of the goods and generate trigger signals,

The controller is an automatic payment device configured to further communicate with the trigger sensor.
The method of claim 12,

Further comprising a second ID sensor disposed on a lower surface supporting the products between the first target region and the second target region of the transport path,

The controller is configured to further communicate with the second ID detector,

The controller is further based on whether the ID of any one of the products is identified by the second ID detector at a time when a predetermined time elapses from the time when any one of the trigger signals is generated, An automatic payment device configured to determine which product has failed to be detected.