US 11,954,843 B2
Component tracking in automated manufacturing using digital fingerprints
Satish Seshayya, Plano, TX (US); and Vinay R. Thatigutla, Frisco, TX (US)
Assigned to Lennox Industries Inc., Richardson, TX (US)
Filed by Lennox Industries Inc., Richardson, TX (US)
Filed on May 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/315,598.
Application 18/315,598 is a continuation of application No. 17/035,617, filed on Sep. 28, 2020, granted, now 11,694,321.
Prior Publication US 2023/0281783 A1, Sep. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. G06T 7/00 (2017.01); G06T 7/11 (2017.01); G06T 7/246 (2017.01)
CPC G06T 7/0004 (2013.01) [G06T 7/11 (2017.01); G06T 7/246 (2017.01); G06T 7/0008 (2013.01); G06T 7/0012 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30136 (2013.01); G06T 2207/30164 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for tracking components in an automated manufacturing line, comprising:
a camera configured to record video of apparatuses in a first assembled state, wherein the first assembled state comprises:
a first component of a first type, having a first digital fingerprint comprising a first binary feature vector of a plurality of feature points, comprising at least one selected from an edge, a corner, a blob, or a ridge; and
a second component, being one of the first type or a second type, having a second digital fingerprint comprising a second binary feature vector of a second plurality of feature points that are different from those of the first fingerprint, the second plurality of feature points comprising at least one selected from an edge, a corner, a blob, or a ridge; and
a component tracking tool comprising:
a hardware processor communicatively configured to:
receive an indication that an apparatus in the first assembled state should comprise a component with the first digital fingerprint and a component with the second digital fingerprint;
receive video footage from the camera;
isolate a first frame comprising an image of an apparatus in the first assembled state;
split the first frame into a second frame comprising the first component of the first type and associated with the first digital fingerprint, and a third frame comprising the second component associated with the second digital fingerprint;
generate a first set of feature points and a second set of feature points comprising at least one selected from an edge, a corner, a blob, or a ridge;
determine that the first set of feature points matches the feature points comprising the first digital fingerprint;
determine that the second set of feature points matches the feature points comprising the second digital fingerprint;
generate a third digital fingerprint based on the apparatus in the first assembled state, wherein the third digital fingerprint comprises the first digital fingerprint and the second digital fingerprint; and
update a component database with:
the third digital fingerprint;
a date and time when the apparatus in the first assembled state was assembled; and
an indication that the apparatus in the first assembled state is associated with the first and second digital fingerprints.