Patent Application
20190272401
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from. Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-038311, filed in Mar. 5, 2018, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
An embodiment described herein relates generally to an imaging device and an object imaging apparatus.
An imaging device that irradiates an object with light and images the object is known. Such an imaging device is used as a device that images an item sold in a store to recognize the item for purposes of sales transaction registration, for example.
These imaging devices typically include an irradiating section including, for example, an LED (light emitting diode) configured to irradiate an object, an imaging section configured to image the object using the light reflected from the object, and a reading window of transparent glass or the like permitting light emitted by the irradiating section to reach the object and light reflected from the object to reach the imaging device. The irradiating section usually includes a far-irradiating section for irradiating an object located at a relatively distant position from the imaging device and a near-irradiating section for irradiating an object located relatively near the imaging device. The far-irradiating section is typically provided near the reading window in order to better irradiate the distant object. The near-irradiating section is typically provided in back of the imaging device away from the reading window in order to better irradiate the near object. The near-irradiating section is often provided on a substrate on which the imaging section is also provided.
However, if the near-irradiating section and the imaging section are provided on the same substrate, an image sensor of the imaging section, may be affected by heat generated by the near-irradiating section in the emission of light. If heated too much, the imaging section sometimes cannot correctly image the object.
In general, according to one embodiment, an imaging device comprises a housing including a window on a front surface; a first irradiating section in the housing at a first distance from the window and configured to illuminate objects in a first region outside the housing with light directed through the window; and a second irradiating section in the housing at a second distance from the window and configured to illuminate objects in a second region outside the housing with light directed through the window. The second region is closer to the housing than the first region. An imaging sensor is in the housing. The imaging sensor is configured to image objects illuminated by at least one of the first and second irradiating sections. The imaging sensor is closer to a back surface of the housing than the front surface.
An imaging device and an object imaging apparatus according to an embodiment are explained below with reference to
The counter 300 separates a customer aisle (on the far side of the counter 300 in
The housing 101 forms a flat box shape including an vertical surface 101b perpendicular to the top plate 300a. The housing 101 includes an imaging device 105 positioned above the counter 300. The housing 101 includes a keypad 102, a touch panel 103 (including an operator display), and a customer display 104 above the imaging device 105. The operator display displays information to an operator, such as a store clerk. The customer display 104 displays information to a customer. The touch panel 103 may function as a keyboard and a user interface more generally.
The imaging device 105 is provided on the inside of the housing 101. The imaging device 105 includes a planar reading window 101a. The reading window 101a is provided substantially in parallel to the vertical surface 101b. The imaging device 105 images, via the reading window 101a, objects located in a region A1 or a region A2 (see
The commodity recognizing apparatus 100 performs generic object recognition on the commodity and specifies the commodity on the basis of image information obtained by the imaging device 105. The POS terminal 200 may register the commodity using the generic object recognition.
The housing 101 directs the keypad 102, the touch panel 103, and the reading window 101a towards the operator side and directs the customer display 104 towards the customer side. The upper surface of the top plate 300a is divided into an upstream side region and a downstream side region relative to the position of the commodity recognizing apparatus 100. The region on the upstream side is used as a space for placing customer-selected items for which sales registration has not yet been completed or a basket K1 storing customer-selected items for which sales registration has not yet been completed. The region on the downstream side is used as a space for placing items for which the sales registration has been completed or a basket K2 for storing the registered items.
The POS terminal 200 on a drawer 500 on a register stand 400. The POS terminal 200 performs sales registration processing and accounting/settlement processing for items sold in the store. Here, sales registration processing means the process of displaying and storing commodity information such as commodity names and prices on the basis of input commodity codes, and accounting/settlement processing means for the process of displaying a total amount due from the customer for a particular sales transaction on the basis of the registered commodity information from the sales registration processing and then recognizing money/payment from a customer, calculating change due to the customer, and issuing a receipt. Sales transaction processing thus overall includes sales registration processing and accounting/settlement processing. Transaction information provided on an issued receipt includes commodity information and accounting information.
The POS terminal 200 includes a keyboard 202, an operator display 203, a customer display 204, and a printer 205. The operator display 203 displays information to the operator. The customer display 204 displays information to the customer. The printer 205 issues a receipt on which transaction information is printed.
The drawer 500 stores money received from the customer. The drawer 500 stores change to be used in transaction settlements. An automatic change machine that automatically pays out change (coins or bills) is sometimes used instead of drawer 500.
The register stand 400 is a table, stand, or the like on which the POS terminal 200 and the drawer 500 are placed. The register stand 400 is located on the operator space side adjacent to the end portion of the counter 300 on the downstream side.
The commodity recognizing apparatus 100 and the POS terminal 200 are connected by a communication cable. Therefore, the commodity recognizing apparatus 100 transmits a commodity code to the POS terminal 200 indicating a commodity recognized by the commodity recognizing apparatus 100 using generic object recognition techniques or otherwise.
The imaging device 105 is in the housing 101 at a position above the counter 300 at a predetermined distance.
The imaging device 105 includes inside the housing 116, first irradiating sections 111, which are far-irradiating sections, and a second irradiating section 112, which is a near-irradiating section. The first irradiating sections 111 and the second irradiating section 112 are provided proximate to the reading window 101a. The first irradiating sections 111 are disposed nearer the corner portions of the housing 116 in two different groupings. That is, first irradiating sections 111 are provided on an upper left side portion and an upper right side portion of the reading window 101a. The left and right first irradiating sections 111 may be referred to in some context as a left bank of lights 111 and a right bank of lights 111, respectively. A first irradiating section 111 is not provided near the center portion of the reading window 101a. Three LEDs 111a are disposed side by side in the lateral direction (the left-right direction in
The second irradiating section 112 is provided on the upper center portion of the reading window 101a between the first irradiating sections 111. Since the first irradiating sections 111 are used to irradiate the region A1 (see
The imaging device 105 includes an imaging section 113 on the inside of the housing 116. The imaging section 113 is an imaging device including a CCD (charge coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor).
The first irradiating sections 111 are directed towards the reading window 101a. The first irradiating sections 111 are radiated toward a direction (the right side in
The second irradiating section 112 are directed more downwardly than the first irradiating sections 111. The light radiated from the second irradiating section 112 is radiated in a range indicated by a dotted line L2 and illuminates the region A2. The region A2 is closer to the imaging device 105 than the region A1 but is also a region above the counter 300. The second irradiating section 112 irradiates a commodity passing the region A2. The region A1 and the region A2 may partially overlap as depicted in
The second irradiating section 112 is located further away from the reading window 101a than the first irradiating sections 111 by a fixed distance C The second irradiating section 112 located away from the reading window 101a by the fixed distance C is still considered located near the reading window 101a and is also considered located in a position near the irradiating sections 111. The second irradiating section 112 is located away from the reading window 101a by the distance C beyond the first irradiating sections 111. Thus, the light from the second irradiating section can be radiated toward the region A2 close to the imaging device 105 without being pointed excessively downward and thus significantly attenuated by the reading window 101a.
The imaging device 105 includes the imaging section 113. The imaging section 113 is attached on the substrate 114 in a position (in the left side in
Near the bottom portion of the imaging device 105, a control section 115 for controlling the first irradiating sections 111, the second irradiating section 112, the imaging section 113, and the like is provided. The control section 115 identifies an imaged commodity on the basis of an image data from the imaging section 113. The control section 115 may also adjust the volume of sounds emitted by the imaging device 105 and a reading depth of the imaging device 105. The control section 115 can also determine whether a person is presently in front of the imaging device 105 using various sensor outputs.
In a sales registration process utilizing the commodity recognition apparatus 100, the imaging device 105 images a commodity taken out from the basket K1 and passed the front of the imaging device 105. Specifically, the first irradiating sections 111 irradiate any commodity passing the region A1. The second irradiating section 112 irradiates any commodity passing the region A2. The imaging section 113 images the commodities irradiated by the first irradiating sections 111 and/or the second irradiating section 112.
As explained above, according to the embodiment, the imaging device 105 includes the first irradiating sections 111 provided near the reading window 101a in the housing 116 and configured to irradiate lights on the region A1 away from the housing 116, the second irradiating section 112 provided near the reading window 101a in the housing 116 and configured to irradiate light on the region A2 closer to the housing 116 than the lights from the first irradiating sections 111. However, the imaging section 113 well away from the reading window 101a in the depth direction of the housing 116. Therefore, the imaging section 113 in the imaging device 105 is not significantly affected by heat generation by the first irradiating sections 111 and the second irradiating section 112.
The commodity recognizing apparatus 100 includes the housing 101 extending upward from the counter 300, on which the basket K1 storing commodities is placed. The housing 101 includes the vertical surface 101b and the imaging device 105 provided above the counter 300. The imaging device 105 includes the housing 116 including the reading window 101a parallel to the vertical surface 101b, the first irradiating sections 111 configured to irradiate the region A1 away from the housing 116, the second irradiating section 112 configured to irradiate light on the second region A2 closer to the housing 116, and the imaging section 113 provided in the housing 116 away from the reading window 101a and configured to image a commodity irradiated by at least one of the first irradiating sections 111 and the second irradiating section 112.
For example, two first irradiating sections 111 and the one second irradiating section 112 are included in the example embodiment. However, the numbers of the first irradiating sections 111 and the second irradiating sections 112 are not limited to these numbers.
In an example embodiment, the first irradiating sections 111 are respectively provided on both the sides of the one second irradiating section 112. However, the positions of the first irradiating sections 111 and the second irradiating section 112 can be varied.
In an example embodiment, the first irradiating sections 111 radiate at an angle approaching orthogonal to the window plane. However, this is not necessarily required and the adopted irradiation angles for the first irradiating sections 111 can be set according to the desired position of the region A1. The second irradiating section 112 radiates light obliquely downward with respect to the window plane. However, this is not necessarily required and the adopted irradiation angle of the second irradiating section 112 can be set according to the desired position of the region A2.
In an example embodiment, the second irradiating section 112 is shifted towards the back of the housing 116 by the distance C from the first irradiating sections 111. However, in other examples, the second irradiating section 112 may be disposed at the same distance from the window plane as the first irradiating sections 111 (e.g., distance C=0).
In an example embodiment, a commodity or product for sale in a retail store is presented as an example of an object to be imaged by the imaging device 105. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example and the imaged object may other than a commodity or product for sale in a retail store.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-038311 | Mar 2018 | JP | national |
