Mobile dimensioner apparatus to mitigate unfair charging practices in commerce

Abstract

A mobile volume dimensioning device, i.e. a mobile dimensioner, is described that detects excessive measuring time and/or a repetitive range of measuring motion and receives a deactivation event upon detection of this inappropriate behavior so as to prevent the systematic reporting of either the highest or lowest dimensions in an effort to mitigate unfair charging practices in commerce applications involving the shipping of goods.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/793,149 for a Mobile Dimensioner Apparatus for Use in Commerce filed Jul. 7, 2015 (and published Jan. 12, 2017 as U.S. Patent Publication No. 2017/0010141). Each of the foregoing patent application and patent publication is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to volume dimensioning devices.

BACKGROUND

Volume dimensioning devices, i.e. dimensioners, are devices that are used for estimating sizes of items (such as boxes) and the sizes of empty spaces (such as the volume left in a delivery truck). Dimensioners may be larger devices that are a static part of a larger logistical system in a distribution center or warehouse, or they may be smaller mobile devices designed for portable use. Mobile dimensioners that are certified for use in commerce can be used to charge customers for shipment based on the dimensions of an item. The National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) issues a National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP) Certificate of Conformance to mobile dimensioners that have been evaluated and found to produce accurate measurements capable of meeting applicable requirements of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 44, entitled “Specifications, Tolerances, and Other Technical Requirements for Weighing and Measuring Devices.”

Despite the certification process, mobile dimensioners can have variable tolerances in measurements as a result of the inherent variations that arise from different methods of measurement. The same item could be measured from two different locations, resulting in two different methods of measurement, each with a different angle relative to the item being measured as well as a different distance to the item being measured. Consequently, it is possible to have two different measurements for an item, both of which are certifiable and correct, all because of the variable tolerances in the methods of measurement. More specifically, because the accuracy dimension (referred to as “d” in the NIST and NTEP documentation) can change, two different yet valid measurements can be obtained simply by moving the mobile dimensioner around.

By way of a non-limiting example, assume that one dimension of an item to be shipped has been measured with a mobile dimensioner to be 9.5 with an accuracy dimension of 0.5 (i.e. d=0.5). Simply moving the mobile dimensioner side to side or further away might provide the same dimension with a measurement of 10 with an accuracy dimension of 1.0 (i.e. d=1.0). In yet other situations, it is possible to produce variable measurements for the same dimension with the same accuracy dimension. Again, simply by moving the mobile dimensioner in and out, it would be possible to go from a measurement of 10 with a d=1.0 to a measurement of 9 with a d=1.0.

One of the primary reasons behind government oversight of the measurement process is to ensure that vendors are not employing improper measurements in their business transactions with both customers and shipping companies. Since a mobile dimensioner has the inherent ability to produce different certifiable measurements, a disreputable vendor, could in practice, move the device back and forth within the useable range, for example closer and father away, always looking at the reported dimension and then picking the larger dimension for overcharging customers and the smaller dimension for cheating shippers. Therefore, over time, a disreputable vendor can employ a certified mobile dimensioner to determine a method of measurement designed to systematically defraud customers and shippers.

Therefore, a need exists for a mobile dimensioner designed to thwart activities intended to generate fraudulent measurements.

SUMMARY

Accordingly one aspect of the present invention discloses a mobile dimensioner device, comprising: a display; one or more optical sensors; one or more measurement sensors; an input subsystem; a clock system; one or more processors; and memory containing instructions executable by the one or more processors whereby the device is operable to: receive a threshold time period; activate at least one of the one or more measurement sensors; derive a first set of dimensions for an object and an associated indication of the dimensional accuracy of each of the dimensions based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors; display, on the display, the first set of dimensions and the associated indication of the dimensional accuracy of each of the dimensions; determine the time interval since the first set of dimensions for the object was derived; if the time interval exceeds the threshold time period, receive a deactivation event.

In other exemplary embodiments, the threshold time period is defined by one of the group consisting of: defined by the manufacturer of the device, defined to comply with certification standards set by a certification organization, defined in response to input received via the input subsystem at the device, and defined in response to information received at the device from a server.

In additional exemplary embodiments, the deactivation event is selected from the group consisting of: a power off event for the device, an event that turns off the ability of the device to take measurements, an event that turns off the one or more measurement sensors of the device, an event that restricts the ability of the device to report results, an event that turns off one or more communication interfaces of the device, an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and displays the first set of dimensions, an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and places the device in a state requiring reset, and an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and deletes the first set of dimensions.

In further embodiments, the one or more optical sensors are selected from a group consisting of: a barcode sensor, a camera, and an image sensor.

In yet other embodiments, the one or more measurement sensors are selected from a group consisting of: point-cloud projection, structured light, and stereoscopic cameras and n-scopic cameras.

Another aspect of the present invention discloses a mobile dimensioner device, comprising: a display; one or more optical sensors; one or more measurement sensors; an input subsystem; one or more processors; and memory containing instructions executable by the one or more processors whereby the device is operable to: receive a threshold number of contrary events; activate at least one of the one or more measurement sensors; derive a first set of dimensions for an object and an associated indication of the dimensional accuracy of each of the dimensions based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors; display, on the display, the first set of dimensions and the associated indication of the dimensional accuracy of each of the dimensions; display, on the display, an indication to obtain a better measurement of the object; detect a number of contrary events; if the number of contrary events detected exceeds the threshold number of contrary events, receive a deactivation event.

In still other exemplary embodiments, the device is further operable to: derive a set of preliminary dimensions for an object based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors.

In more embodiments, the contrary event is an action that does not correspond to an indication to obtain a better measurement of the object.

In some embodiments, the threshold number of contrary events is defined by one of the group consisting of: defined by the manufacturer of the device, defined to comply with certification standards set by a certification organization, defined in response to input received via the input subsystem at the device, and defined in response to information received at the device from a server.

An additional aspect of the present invention discloses a mobile dimensioner device, comprising: a display; one or more optical sensors; one or more measurement sensors; an input subsystem; one or more processors; and memory containing instructions executable by the one or more processors whereby the device is operable to: activate at least one of the one or more measurement sensors; derive a set of first dimensions for an object and an associated indication of the first dimensional accuracy of each of the first dimensions based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors; display, on the display, the set of first dimensions and the associated indication of the first dimensional accuracy of each of the first dimensions; derive a set of second dimensions for an object and an associated indication of the second dimensional accuracy of each of the second dimensions based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors; display, on the display, the set of second dimensions and the associated indication of the first dimensional accuracy of each of the first dimensions; in response to an input to capture the set of second dimensions, determine if the second dimensional accuracy is greater than the first dimensional accuracy; if the second dimensional accuracy is greater than the first dimensional accuracy; then receive a deactivation event; and if the second dimensional accuracy is not greater than the first dimensional accuracy; then capture the second set of dimensions.

In yet other embodiments, the device further comprises: a communication interface.

In still more embodiments, the communication interface is selected from the group consisting of: Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, USB, serial, and I²C.

In other embodiments, the device is further operable to: send the second set of dimensions to a server.

The foregoing illustrative summary, as well as other exemplary objectives and/or advantages of the invention, and the manner in which the same are accomplished, are further explained within the following detailed description and its accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram of the hardware elements of a device according to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C are block diagrams of the hardware elements of the system in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter in response to the detection of excessive measuring time.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are flow charts outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter in response to repetitive motion.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are flow charts outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter in response to the detection of excessive measuring time and/or repetitive motion.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are flow charts outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter involving the accuracy dimension.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention embraces the concept of restricting a mobile dimensioner from reporting systematically either the highest or lowest dimensions. Because the measurement results from a mobile dimensioner are not predictable, e.g. a mobile dimensioner used at its farthest range will not necessarily produce larger or smaller dimensions, a disreputable vendor must move the mobile dimensioner in and out and/or right or left looking for a specific measurement conducive to defrauding customers and shippers. This behavior must be repeated with each measurement because each item being measured will have a different size and will produce different results. In embodiments of the present invention, a mobile dimensioner device detects excessive measuring time and/or a repetitive range of motion and deactivates upon detection of this inappropriate behavior. In other embodiments of the present invention, a mobile dimensioner device detects when a measurement with a greater accuracy has been taken (i.e. a small accuracy dimension “d” value) and restricts the dimensioner from reporting measurements with less accuracy (i.e. a large accuracy dimension “d” value).

FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary device 100, such as a mobile dimensioner device, for one embodiment of the present invention. The device 100 may include other components not shown in FIG. 1A, nor further discussed herein for the sake of brevity. One having ordinary skill in the art will understand the additional hardware and software included but not shown in FIG. 1A.

In general, device 100 may be implemented in any form of digital computer or mobile device. Digital computers may include, but are not limited to, laptops, desktops, workstations, fixed vehicle computers, vehicle mount computers, hazardous environment computers, rugged mobile computers, servers, blade servers, mainframes, other appropriate computers. Mobile devices may include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones, smart phones, personal digital assistants, tablets, pagers, two-way radios, netbooks, barcode scanners, radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, intelligent sensors, tracking devices, volume dimensioning devices, mobile dimensioners, and other similar computing devices.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the device 100 of FIG. 1A can be connected to other devices, designated 100-X. In one embodiment, device 100-1 may be connected to another device 100-2 via a network 170, as shown in FIG. 1B. The network 170 may be any type of wide area network (WAN), such as the Internet, Local Area Network (LAN), or the like, or any combination thereof, and may include wired components, such as Ethernet, wireless components, such as LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or near field communication (NFC), or both wired and wireless components, collectively represented by the data links 172 and 174.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the device 100-1 may be connected to another device 100-2 via a wired communication channel 176, as shown in FIG. 1C. The wired communication channel 176 may be Universal Serial Bus (USB), serial, Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C), or other computer bus.

In one embodiment, the device 100-1 is a mobile dimensioner device and the device 100-2 is a server than handles backend functions like invoicing customers for the packages being shipped. In this embodiment, FIG. 1B and FIG. 1C represent ways that the devices can be connected to allow the measurement information from device 100-1 to be shared with the backend system of device 100-2.

In general, as shown, the device 100 of FIG. 1A includes a processing system 110 that includes one or more processors 111, such as Central Processing Units (CPUs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and/or Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), a memory controller 112, memory 113, which may include software 114, and other components that are not shown for brevity, such as busses, etc. The processing system may also include storage 115, such as a hard drive or solid state drive.

The processing system 110 also includes a peripherals interface 116 for communicating with other components of the device 100, including but not limited to, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 152, such as Wi-Fi and/or cellular communications circuitry such as wireless Ethernet, Bluetooth, and near field communication (NFC), audio circuitry 154 for the audio input component 153, such as a microphone, and audio output component 155, such as a speaker, one or more accelerometers 156, one or more other sensors 158, such as a location determination component such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) chip, and one or more external ports 160, which may be used for smart card readers or for wired connections such as wired Ethernet, USB, serial or I²C ports. The RF circuitry 152 and external ports 160 individually and collectively make up the communication interfaces for the device 100. The processing system 110 is also connected to a power system component 120 that is used to power the device 100, such as a battery or a power supply unit. The processing system 110 is also connected to a clock system component 130 that controls a timer for use by the disclosed embodiments.

The peripherals interface 116 may also communicate with an Input/Output (I/O) subsystem 140, which includes a display(s) controller 141 operative to control display(s) 142. In some embodiments the display(s) 142 is a touch-sensitive display system, and the display(s) controller 141 is further operative to process touch inputs on the touch sensitive display 142. The I/O subsystem 140 may also include a keypad(s) controller 143 operative to control keypad(s) 144 on the device 100. The I/O subsystem 140 also includes an optical sensor(s) controller 145 operative to control one or more optical sensor(s) 146. The optical sensor(s) may include, but is not limited to, a barcode sensor, a camera, and an image sensor. The I/O subsystem 140 also includes a measurement sensor(s) controller 147 operative to control one or more measurement sensor(s) 148. The measurement sensor(s) may include, but is not limited to, a point-cloud projection sensor, a structured light sensor, a stereoscopic camera, and an n-scopic camera. The components of device 100 may be interconnected using one or more buses, represented generically by the arrows of FIG. 1A, and may be mounted on a motherboard (not shown) or some other appropriate configuration.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter in response to the detection of excessive measuring time. The process begins at Step 200 followed by Step 202 in which a check is made to see if an activation event has been received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. If not (Path 203), then the process ends (Step 220). If an activation event has been received (Path 205), then the process continues.

In some embodiments, the activation event comprises a power on event or a power cycling event for the mobile dimensioner device 100. In other embodiments, the activation event comprises an event that turns on the ability of the mobile dimensioner device 100 to take measurements, such as turning on one or more measurement sensors 148. In other embodiments, the activation event comprises an event that turns on the communication interfaces 160 and/or 152 of mobile dimensioner device 100-1 to report measurement results to the server 100-2. In still other embodiments, an activation event may also comprise a reset of any existing measurements currently in memory 113 or storage 115 of the mobile dimensioner device 100, or a reset of the mobile dimensioner device itself. In additional embodiments, the activation event includes a preliminary scan of the object to derive some preliminary dimensions. Note that in some embodiments, the object can be empty space, e.g. the amount of dirt removed from a hole or the amount of space remaining in a delivery truck. However, in other embodiments, the object will be a package that is being shipped.

Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 then resets a timer used in the detection of excessive measuring time. This timer is called the acc-meas-timer in FIG. 2 (step 204) as it is used to track the amount of time that transpires from when an accurate measurement is obtained to when the measurement is captured. In some embodiments, the mobile dimensioner device 100 records an infra-red (IR) image of a pattern of light projected on an object being measured. The mobile dimensioner device, though hardware and software, transform the image into three dimensional data about the object. That three dimensional data is used to derive an accurate measurement for the object.

The mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the acc-meas-timer is greater than a specified threshold (Step 208). This threshold is called the acc-meas-time-threshold in FIG. 2. The acc-meas-time-threshold may be set by the manufacturer of the mobile dimensioner device 100, may be set to comply with certification standards set by a certification organization, may be set by a server 100-2, may be set in response to an input at the mobile dimensioner device 100, or may be set in some other manner.

If the acc-meas-timer is less than or equal to the acc-meas-time-threshold (Path 207), i.e. the amount of time spent between obtaining and capturing an accurate measurement is not excessive, then the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if an accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Step 210). If no accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Path 211), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 resets the acc-meas-timer (Step 222), and the process then continues to Step 208 as described above.

Returning to Step 210, if an accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Path 213), then the mobile dimensioner device checks to see if the measurement has been captured (Step 216). In some embodiments, the measurement may be captured in response to an input at the mobile dimensioner device 100, or may be set in some other manner. If the measurement is captured (Path 217), then the measurement results are reported (Step 218) and the process is complete (Step 220). If the measurement is not captured (Path 215), then the clock system 130 of the mobile dimensioner device 100 increments the acc-meas-timer with the passage of time (Step 206) and the process continues to Step 208 as described above.

Returning to Step 208, if the acc-meas-timer is greater than the acc-meas-time-threshold (Path 209), i.e. the amount of time spent in obtaining and capturing an accurate measurement is excessive, then the process continues to Step 214 where a deactivation event is received by the mobile dimensioner device 100, and the mobile dimensioner device returns to a state where it waits for an activation event (Step 202). In some embodiments, the deactivation event comprises a power off event for the mobile dimensioner device 100 itself. In alternative embodiments, the deactivation event comprises placing the device in a state requiring a reset, such as a key sequence to reset or a simple power cycle reset. In other embodiments, the deactivation event comprises an event that turns off the ability of the mobile dimensioner device 100 to take measurements, such as an event that turns off or temporarily disables one or more measurement sensors 148. In some embodiments, any active measurements in the mobile dimensioner device at the time of the deactivation event may be cleared, i.e. deleted or erased. In other embodiments, any active measurements in the mobile dimensioner device at the time of the deactivation event may be displayed. In yet other embodiments, the deactivation event comprises events restricting the ability of the mobile dimensioner device 100-1 to report the results to the server 100-2, such as events that turn off the communication interfaces 152 and/or 160 of the mobile dimensioner device 100. In some embodiments, the deactivation events are initiated by the mobile dimensioner device 100 itself in response to the criteria met in accordance with FIG. 2 as described above.

In this manner, FIG. 2 describes a use case where, for a mobile dimensioner device 100 that may or may not display an accuracy dimension, once an accurate measurement has been derived and displayed, it must be captured within a certain time period or the mobile dimensioner device 100 will be deactivated.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are flow charts outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter in response to repetitive motion. The process begins in FIG. 3A at Step 300 followed by Step 302 in which a check is made to see if an activation event has been received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. If not (Path 303), then the process ends (Step 328). If an activation event has been received (Path 305), then the process continues.

As described earlier, there are different embodiments for the activation event, including but not limited to: a power on event, a power cycling event, an event that turns on the ability to take measurements, an event that turns on the communication interfaces, an event that resets existing measurements, an event that resets the mobile dimensioner device, and an event that includes a preliminary scan of the object.

Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 then resets a counter used in the detection of repetitive motion. This counter is called the contrary-event-counter in FIG. 3A (Step 306) as it is used to track the number of times that a contrary event occurs.

A contrary event is an action by the mobile dimensioning device 100 that does not correspond to an indication for a better measurement of the object. As described earlier, an action may be a new measurement taken by the mobile dimensioning device 100, a movement of the mobile dimensioner device 100, or a combination of both.

An indication may either be text or graphics (or both) for a movement that the mobile dimensioner device 100 should take or a measurement that the mobile dimensioner device 100 should obtain (or both a movement and a measurement) in order to better measure the object being measured. By way of a non-limiting example, a movement indication may be a text instruction that provides directions, such as move left, move up, move in closer, etc., that allow the mobile dimensioner device 100 to be moved into a better position for measuring the subject being measured. In another non-limiting example, a movement indication may be an arrow that provides visual cues, such as move down, move right, move back further, etc., that allow the mobile dimensioner device 100 to be moved into a better position for measuring the subject being measured. A measurement indication may include, but is not limited to, a textual instruction, such as “measure the depth of the object”, that allows the mobile dimensioner device 100 to obtain a measurement of a particular dimension of the subject being measured. A measurement indication may also include, but is not limited to, a visual representation of the object being measured that highlights particular dimensions of the subject being measured for the mobile dimensioner device 100 to obtain, such as an icon of a box with the depth dimension blinking.

In this respect, a contrary event is more specifically defined as a measurement or movement (or both) by the mobile dimensioning device 100 that does not correspond to a text or graphic (or both) that provides information designed to help the mobile dimensioner device 100 obtain better measurements of the subject being measured. Accordingly, the contrary-event-counter is used to track the number of times that movements or measurements of the mobile dimensioner device 100 are not aligned with the goal of obtaining better measurements for the subject being measured.

In some embodiments, a contrary event also occurs whenever new accurate measurements are derived after an accurate measurement has already been derived but not captured.

Returning to FIG. 3A, the next steps in the process reset flags used to track certain events. The accurate-measurement-flag is a flag that is set to TRUE once an accurate measurement has been obtained by the mobile dimensioner device 100. This flag is initially set to FALSE (Step 308). The indication-measurement-flag is a flag that is set to TRUE if the mobile dimensioner device 100 has any indications for better measurement of the object but the actions of the mobile dimensioner device do not corresponded to those indications. This flag is initially set to FALSE (Step 310).

Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if the contrary-event-counter is greater than a specified threshold (Step 312). This threshold is called the contrary-event-threshold in FIG. 3A. The contrary-event-threshold may be set by the manufacturer of the mobile dimensioner device 100, may be set to comply with certification standards set by a certification organization, may be set by a server 100-2, may be set in response to input at the mobile dimensioner device 100, or may be set in some other manner.

If the contrary-event-counter is less than or equal to the contrary-event-threshold (Path 307), i.e. the number of times that a contrary event has occurred is less than the allowed number, then the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if an accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Step 314). If no accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Path 311), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 receives new actions (Step 316). In some embodiments, new actions may be new measurements taken by the mobile dimensioner device. In other embodiments, new actions may be movements of the mobile dimensioner device 100, including but not limited to movements in three dimensional space (up-and-down, side-to-side, front-to-back), or a repositioning of the viewing angle of the mobile dimensioner device 100 relative to the object being measured. In other embodiments, new actions include both new measurements and new movements. It should be noted that if the actions do not produce an accurate measurement that can be displayed, then the process set forth in FIG. 3A repeats until such an accurate measurement is derived.

Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if there are any indications for obtaining a better measurement of the object being measured (Step 322). If not (Path 315), then the process continues as indicated by the connector A. If there are indications (Path 317), then the mobile dimensioner device checks to see if the new actions followed or corresponded to the indications (Step 326). If the new actions followed the indications (Path 325), then the process continues as indicated by connector A. If the new actions did not correspond to the indications (Path 323), then the indication-measurement-flag is set to TRUE (Step 332) and the process continues as indicated by connector A.

Returning to Step 314, if an accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Path 313), then the accurate-measurement-flag is set to TRUE (Step 320), and then the mobile dimensioner device checks to see if the measurement has been captured (Step 324). As described earlier, in some embodiments, the measurement may be captured in response to input at the mobile dimensioner device 100, or some other manner. If the measurement is captured (Path 321), then the measurement results are reported (Step 330) and the process is complete (Step 328). If the measurement is not captured (Path 319), then process then continues to Step 316 where new actions are received by the mobile dimensioner device 100, as already described.

Connector A from FIG. 3A continues then in FIG. 3B. In this part of the process, the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks the flags and increments the contrary-event counter accordingly. The mobile dimensioner device 100 first checks to see if the accurate-measurement-flag is TRUE. If it is not (Path 327), then the process continues. If it is (Path 329), then the contrary-event counter is incremented (Step 338) and the accurate-measurement-flag is reset to FALSE (Step 340), and the process continues. The mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the indication-measurement-flag is TRUE (Step 336). If it is not (Path 331), then the process continues as indicated by connector B. If it is (Path 333), then the contrary-event counter is incremented (Step 342) and the indication-measurement-flag is reset to FALSE (Step 344), and the process continues as indicated by connector B.

Connector B from FIG. 3B continues then in FIG. 3A. At this point, the mobile dimensioner device 100 again checks to see if the contrary-event-counter is greater than a specified threshold (Step 312). If the contrary-event-counter is greater than the contrary-event-threshold (Path 309), i.e. the number of times that a contrary event has occurred is now greater than the allowed number, then the mobile dimensioner device 100 then the process continues to Step 318 where a deactivation event is received by the mobile dimensioner device 100, and the mobile dimensioner device returns to a state where it waits for an activation event (Step 302).

As described earlier, there are different embodiments for the deactivation event, including but not limited to: a power off event, an event that turns off the ability to take measurements, an event that turns off sensors, an event that restricts the reporting of results, an event that turns off communication interfaces, an event that deactivates sensors and displays the last set of dimensions, an event that deactivates sensors and requires a device reset, and an event that deactivates and deletes the last set of dimensions.

In this manner, FIGS. 3A and 3B describe a use case where, for a mobile dimensioner device 100 that may or may not display an accuracy dimension, if there are indications for getting a better measurement and they are repeatedly ignored or if an accurate measurement is obtained but is perpetually not captured, then the mobile dimensioner device 100 will be deactivated.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B represent an embodiment that combines elements of FIG. 2, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are flow charts outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter in response to the detection of excessive measuring time and/or repetitive motion.

The process begins in FIG. 4A at Step 400 followed by Step 402 in which a check is made to see if an activation event has been received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. If not (Path 403), then the process ends (Step 428). If an activation event has been received (Path 405), then the process continues.

As described earlier, there are different embodiments for the activation event, including but not limited to: a power on event, a power cycling event, an event that turns on the ability to take measurements, an event that turns on the communication interfaces, an event that resets existing measurements, an event that resets the mobile dimensioner device, and an event that includes a preliminary scan of the object.

Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 then resets a counter used to track the number of times that a contrary event occurs, i.e. the contrary-event-counter (Step 406). The next steps in the process resets the accurate-measurement-flag (Step 408) which is used to track when an accurate measurement has been obtained. The indication-measurement-flag, which is used to track when indications for better measurements are not followed, is then reset (Step 410). Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 resets the acc-meas-timer (Step 412), which is the timer used to track the amount of time that transpires before the mobile dimensioner device 100 derives an accurate measurement.

An additional timer, called the indication-timer, is then reset (Step 414). This timer is used to track the aggregate elapsed time that the mobile dimensioner device 100 spends in movements or measurements that are not aligned with the goal of obtaining better measurements for the subject being measured. The process then continues as indicated by connector C.

Connector C from FIG. 4A continues then in FIG. 4B. At this point, the mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the acc-meas-timer is greater than a specified threshold (Step 456). As described with earlier, the acc-meas-time-threshold may be set by the manufacturer, may be set to comply with certification standards, may be set in response to input or the like.

If the acc-meas-timer is less than or equal to the acc-meas-time-threshold (Path 435), i.e. the amount of time spent in obtaining and capturing an accurate measurement is not excessive, then the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if the indication-timer is greater than a specified threshold (Step 458). This threshold is called the indication-time-threshold in FIG. 4B. Similar to the acc-meas-time-threshold, the indication-timer may be set by the manufacturer, may be set to comply with certification standards, may be set in response to input or the like.

If the indication-timer is less than or equal to the indication-time-threshold (Path 439), the mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the contrary-event-counter is greater than a specified threshold (Step 460). This threshold is called the contrary-event-threshold in FIG. 4B. As described earlier, the contrary-event-threshold may be set by the manufacturer, may be set to comply with certification standards, may be set by a server, may be set in response to input at the mobile dimensioner device 100, or may be set in some other manner.

If the contrary-event-counter is less than or equal to the contrary-event-threshold (Path 443), i.e. the number of times that a contrary event has occurred is less than or equal to the allowed number, then the process continues as indicated by connector F.

If the acc-meas-timer is greater than the acc-meas-time-threshold (Path 437), i.e. the amount of time spent in obtaining and capturing an accurate measurement is excessive, then the process continues to Step 462 where a deactivation event is received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. The process then continues as indicated by connector D.

If the indication-timer is greater than the indication-time threshold (Path 441), i.e. the aggregate elapsed time that the mobile dimensioner device 100 spends in movements or measurements that are not aligned with the goal of obtaining better measurements for the object being measured is greater than what is allowed, then the process continues to Step 462 where a deactivation event is received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. The process then continues as indicated by connector D.

If the contrary-event-counter is greater than the contrary-event-threshold (Path 445), i.e. the number of times that a contrary event has occurred is now greater than the allowed number, then the mobile dimensioner device 100 then the process continues to Step 462 where a deactivation event is received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. The process then continues as indicated by connector D.

As described earlier, there are different embodiments for the deactivation event, including but not limited to: a power off event, an event that turns off the ability to take measurements, an event that turns off sensors, an event that restricts the reporting of results, an event that turns off communication interfaces, an event that deactivates sensors and displays the last set of dimensions, an event that deactivates sensors and requires a device reset, and an event that deactivates and deletes the last set of dimensions.

Connector D of FIG. 4B then continues in FIG. 4A, where a check is made to see if an activation event has been received by the mobile dimensioner device 100 (Step 402), and if not (Path 403) then the process ends (Step 428).

Returning to Step 460, Connector F of FIG. 4B then continues in FIG. 4A where the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if an accurate measurement has been derived and displayed (Step 416). If no accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Path 407), then the acc-meas-timer is reset (Step 464), and the mobile dimensioner device 100 receives new actions (Step 418). As described above, new actions are movements, measurements, or both.

Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if there are any indications for obtaining a better measurement of the object being measured (Step 422). If not (Path 411), then the process continues as indicated by the connector E. If there are indications (Path 413), then the mobile dimensioner device checks to see if the new actions followed or corresponded to the indications (Step 426). If the new actions follow the indications (Path 421), then the incrementing of the indication-timer with the passage of time, if it has been running, is stopped or paused (Step 434) and the process continues as indicated by connector E. If the new actions do not correspond to the indications (Path 419), then the indication-measurement-flag is set to TRUE (Step 432), the indication-timer is incremented with the passage of time (Step 436), and the process continues as indicated by connector E.

Connector E of FIG. 4A then continues in 4B. The mobile dimensioner device 100 first checks to see if the accurate-measurement-flag is TRUE. If it is not (Path 423), then the process continues. If it is (Path 425), then the contrary-event counter is incremented (Step 444) and the accurate-measurement-flag is reset to FALSE (Step 446), and the process continues. The mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the indication-measurement-flag is TRUE. If it is not (Path 427), then the process continues. If it is (Path 429), then the contrary-event counter is incremented (Step 448) and the indication-measurement-flag is reset to FALSE (Step 450), and the process continues.

The mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the number of contrary events is 0 (Step 442). If not (Path 431), then the process continues as indicated by connector C. If the number of contrary events is 0 (Path 433), then the acc-meas-time-threshold is augmented (Step 452), and the process continues as indicated by connector C. The augmentation of the acc-meas-time-threshold effectively rewards movements and measurements by the mobile dimensioner device 100 that are aligned with the goal of obtaining better measurements for the subject being measured by giving more time to derive an accurate measurement. Connector C from FIG. 4B then continues in FIG. 4A, as described above.

Returning to Step 416, if an accurate measurement has been derived and displayed (Path 409), then the accurate-measurement-flag is set to TRUE (Step 420), and then the mobile dimensioner device checks to see if the measurement has been captured (Step 424). As described earlier, in some embodiments, the measurement may be captured in response to input at the mobile dimensioner device 100, or may be set in some other manner. If the measurement is captured (Path 417), then the measurement results are reported (Step 430) and the process is complete (Step 428). If the measurement is not captured (Path 415), then the clock system 130 of the mobile dimensioner device 100 increments the acc-meas-timer with the passage of time (Step 454), and the process then continues to Step 418 where new actions are received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. In alternative embodiments, once the clock system 130 of the mobile dimensioner device 100 increments the acc-meas-timer with the passage of time (Step 454), the process continues as indicated by connector C. In this embodiment, similar to FIG. 2, once the mobile dimensioner device 100 has an accurate measurement, it must be captured or the device will deactivate.

In this manner, FIGS. 4A and 4B describe a use case where, for a mobile dimensioner device 100 that may or may not display an accuracy dimension, if there are indications for getting an accurate measurement and they are ignored in sufficient quantity and/or duration, or if accurate measurements are derived but not captured after a certain number of times or within a certain time period, then the mobile dimensioner device 100 will be deactivated.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are flow charts outlining the process for deactivating a device in accordance with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter involving the accuracy dimension. The process begins in FIG. 5A at Step 500 followed by Step 502 in which a check is made to see if an activation event has been received by the mobile dimensioner device 100. If not (Path 503), then the process ends (Step 520). If an activation event has been received (Path 305), then the process continues.

As described earlier, there are different embodiments for the activation event, including but not limited to: a power on event, a power cycling event, an event that turns on the ability to take measurements, an event that turns on the communication interfaces, an event that resets existing measurements, an event that resets the mobile dimensioner device, and an event that includes a preliminary scan of the object.

The mobile dimensioner device 100 first resets a variable used to store the previous measurements taken by the mobile dimensioner device 100 (Step 504). This is the prev-measurement variable in FIG. 5A. The mobile dimensioner device then resets a variable used to store the accuracy dimension (i.e. the “d” value) for the previous set of measurements taken by the mobile dimensioner device (Step 506). This is the prev-acc-value variable in FIG. 5A. The last variable reset by the mobile dimensioner device 100 is the curr-acc-value (Step 508), which is used to store the accuracy dimension of the current set of measurements taken by the mobile dimensioner device 100. Note, in some embodiments, these single variables may be implemented as separate but related variables having the attributes described herein.

Next, the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if an accurate measurement has been derived and displayed (Step 510). If no accurate measurement has been derived and displayed yet (Path 507), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 receives new actions (Step 512). As described above, new actions are movements, measurements, or both. The process then continues as indicated by connector G.

Connector G in FIG. 5A continues in FIG. 5B. The mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the accuracy dimension for the current measurement is defined (Step 524). If not (Path 523), then the process continues as indicated by connector H. If the accuracy dimension is defined (Path 525), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 sets the curr-acc-value variable to the value of the accuracy dimension of the current measurement (Step 526). The mobile dimensioner device 100 then checks to see if the prev-acc-value variable is 0 or if the prev-acc-value variable is greater than the curr-acc-value variable (Step 528). If not (Path 527), then the process continues as indicated by connector H. If so (Path 529), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 sets the prev-acc-value variable to the curr-acc-value variable (Step 530) and sets the prev-measurements variable to the value of the current measurements (Step 532). The process then continues as indicated by connector H.

Connector H of FIG. 5B then continues in FIG. 5A. If an accurate measurement has been obtained and displayed (Path 509), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if the measurement has been captured (Step 514). In some embodiments, the measurement may be captured in response to input at the mobile dimensioner device 100, or may be set in some other manner. If the measurement is not captured (Path 511), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 receives new actions (Step 512) as described above. If the measurement is captured (Path 513), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if the curr-acc-value variable exceeds the prev-acc-value variable (Step 518), i.e. is the mobile dimensioner device 100 attempting to capture a measurement with less accuracy (a large accuracy dimension “d” value) after having previously obtained a measurement with more accuracy (a small accuracy dimension “d” value). If not (Path 515), then the measurement results are reported (Step 522) and the process is complete (Step 520). If so (Path 517), then the mobile dimensioner device 100 checks to see if it should use the previous accurate measurements stored in the prev-measurements variable (Step 518). If so (Path 521), then again, the measurement results are reported (Step 522). If not, then a deactivation event is received by the mobile dimensioner device 100, and the mobile dimensioner device returns to a state where it waits for an activation event (Step 502).

As described earlier, deactivation events may be a power off event, an event requiring a reset, an event that turns off the ability to take measurements, an event that clears out any active measurements, an event restricting the ability to report the results, or any combination therein.

In this manner, FIGS. 5A and 5B describe a use case where, for a mobile dimensioner device 100 that displays an accuracy dimension, once a measurement with a greater accuracy has been taken (i.e. a small accuracy dimension “d” value), the mobile dimensioner device 100 is prevented from reporting measurements with less accuracy (i.e. a large accuracy dimension “d” value).

In this respect, the processes described in FIG. 2, FIG. 3A & FIG. 3B, FIG. 4A & FIG. 4B, and FIG. 5A & FIG. 5B should make it clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art how the mobile dimensioner device 100 of the present invention detects excessive measuring time and/or a repetitive range of motion and receives a deactivation event upon detection of these activities in an attempt to mitigate the risk of systematic reporting of improper measurements designed to defraud customers and shippers.

To supplement the present disclosure, this application incorporates entirely by reference the following commonly assigned patents, patent application publications, and patent applications:

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In the specification and/or figures, typical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed. The present invention is not limited to such exemplary embodiments. The use of the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The figures are schematic representations and so are not necessarily drawn to scale. Unless otherwise noted, specific terms have been used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.

Claims

1. A system, comprising: an input subsystem comprising one or more measurement sensors; anda memory containing instructions executable by one or more processors whereby the system is operable to: activate at least one of the one or more measurement sensors;derive a set and a subsequent set of dimensions for an object and an associated indication of dimensional accuracy of each of the set and the subsequent set of dimensions based on information received from the at least one of the one or more measurement sensors;determine that a number of times the dimensional accuracy for the subsequent set of dimensions is less accurate exceeds a threshold number for less accurate dimensions of the object; anddeactivate the system in accordance with receipt of a deactivation event based on the determination.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein to determine that a number of times the dimensional accuracy for the subsequent set of dimensions is less accurate the system is further operable to determine a time period for dimensioning the object to exceed a threshold time period pre-defined for deriving the set and the subsequent set of dimensions of the object by the one or more measurement sensors.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation event is received based on determining, from the deriving, a second accuracy value associated with a second dimension derived by the processing unit, to be greater than a first accuracy value associated with a first dimension derived by the processing unit, wherein the determining is based on comparison of the first accuracy value with the second accuracy value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation event is received based on determining a number of contrary events to exceed a threshold number of contrary events.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the threshold time period is defined by one of the group consisting of: defined by a manufacturer of a dimensioner device; defined to comply with certification standards set by a certification organization; defined in response to input received via an input subsystem at the system; and defined in response to information received at the system from a server.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is operable to derive a set of preliminary dimensions for an object based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the deactivation event is selected from the group consisting of: a power off event for the system; an event that turns off the ability of the system to take measurements; an event that turns off the one or more measurement sensors of the system; an event that restricts the ability of the system to report results; an event that turns off one or more communication interfaces of the system; an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and displays the first set of dimensions; an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and places the system in a state requiring reset; and an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and deletes the first set of dimensions.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more optical sensors is selected from a group consisting of: a barcode sensor, a camera, and an image sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more measurement sensors is selected from a group consisting of: point-cloud projection, structured light, and stereoscopic cameras and n-scopic cameras.

10. The system of claim 1, comprising a communication interface.

11. The system of claim 1, comprising a communication interface selected from the group consisting of: Bluetooth, Ethernet, wireless Ethernet, USB, serial, and I2C.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is operable to send the subsequent set of dimensions to a server.

13. A method, comprising: activating one or more measurement sensors of a dimensioning system;deriving a set and a subsequent set of dimensions for an object and an associated indication of dimensional accuracy of each of the set and the subsequent set of dimensions based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors;determining that a number of times the dimensional accuracy for the subsequent set of dimensions is less accurate exceeds a threshold number for less accurate dimensions of the object; anddeactivating the dimensioning system in accordance with receipt of a deactivation event based on the determination.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining that the number of times the dimensional accuracy for the subsequent set of dimensions is less accurate comprises determining a time period for dimensioning the object to exceed a threshold time period pre-defined for deriving the set and the subsequent set of dimensions of the object by the one or more measurement sensors.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the deactivation event is received based on determining, from the deriving, a second accuracy value associated with a second dimension derived by the processing unit to be greater than a first accuracy value associated with a first dimension derived by the processing unit, wherein the determining is based on comparison of the first accuracy value with the second accuracy value.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the deactivation event is received based on determining a number of contrary events to exceed a threshold number of contrary events.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the threshold time period is defined by one of the group consisting of: defined by the manufacturer of the dimensioning system, defined to comply with certification standards set by a certification organization, defined in response to input received via an input subsystem at the dimensioning system, and defined in response to information received at the dimensioning system from a server.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the deactivation event is selected from the group consisting of: a power off event for the dimensioning system, an event that turns off the ability of the dimensioning system to take measurements, an event that turns off the one or more measurement sensors, an event that restricts the ability of the dimensioning system to report results, an event that turns off one or more communication interfaces of the dimensioning system, an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and displays the first set of dimensions, an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and places the dimensioning system in a state requiring reset, and an event that deactivates the measurement sensors and deletes the first set of dimensions.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein a set of preliminary dimensions are derived for an object based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors.

20. A non-transitory processor readable medium having stored thereon processor executable instructions configured to cause a processor to perform operations, comprising: activating one or more measurement sensors of a dimensioning system;deriving a set and a subsequent set of dimensions for an object and an associated indication of dimensional accuracy of each of the set and the subsequent set of dimensions based on information received from the one or more measurement sensors;determining that a number of times the dimensional accuracy for the subsequent set of dimensions is less accurate exceeds a threshold number for less accurate dimensions of the object; anddeactivating the dimensioning system in accordance with receipt of a deactivation event based on the determination.