US 12,307,419 B2
Mobile apparatus with computer vision elements for inventory condition
Todd A. Hagen, Minneapolis, MN (US); Donnie Tolbert, Minneapolis, MN (US); Arne Wilkin, Minneapolis, MN (US); John Ojanen, Minneapolis, MN (US); Nicholas Lojewski, Minneapolis, MN (US); and Yeshwanth Gowda, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Assigned to Target Brands, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed by Target Brands, Inc., Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed on Dec. 13, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/080,277.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/299,476, filed on Jan. 14, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0230033 A1, Jul. 20, 2023
Int. Cl. G06Q 10/087 (2023.01); G06T 7/292 (2017.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); H04N 23/61 (2023.01); H04N 23/65 (2023.01); H04N 23/667 (2023.01); H04N 23/69 (2023.01); H04N 23/695 (2023.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01)
CPC G06Q 10/087 (2013.01) [G06T 7/292 (2017.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); H04N 23/61 (2023.01); H04N 23/651 (2023.01); H04N 23/667 (2023.01); H04N 23/69 (2023.01); H04N 23/695 (2023.01); H04N 23/90 (2023.01); G06T 2207/30252 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for imaging inventory objects in a retail environment, the system comprising:
a shopping cart;
a fixed low resolution camera being fixedly mounted on the shopping cart at a first angle, wherein the fixed low resolution camera is maintained in a single power mode and configured to continuously capture images having a first resolution;
a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera being controllably mounted on the shopping cart, wherein the PTZ camera is configured to capture PTZ images and to engage pan, tilt, and zoom operations in response to engagement instructions received from a PTZ controller, the PTZ camera further configured to operate in a plurality of modes, the plurality of modes comprising a sleep mode and a working mode, wherein the PTZ camera is controlled, by the PTZ controller, to switch from the sleep mode to the working mode in response to a cart controller executing processing logic to identify presence or absence of an inventory object that is detected in the images having the first resolution, wherein, in the working mode, the PTZ camera is configured to capture images having a second resolution that is higher than the first resolution;
a cart controller comprising a processor and memory, the controller configured to:
continuously receive, from the fixed low resolution camera, the images having the first resolution;
identify, based on executing the processing logic, the presence of the inventory object in the images having the first resolution, wherein executing the processing logic comprises applying object detection techniques to the images having the first resolution to determine the presence or absence of the inventory object;
determine a spatial location of the inventory object in the images having the first resolution;
generate PTZ instructions that, when executed by the PTZ controller, are configured to cause the PTZ camera to switch from the sleep mode to the working mode and to capture the images having the second resolution;
transmit the PTZ instructions to the PTZ controller to cause the PTZ controller to automatically execute the PTZ instructions to control the PTZ camera;
receive, in response to the PTZ camera switching from the sleep mode to the working mode, the images having the second resolution, wherein the images having the second resolution capture the inventory object; and
return the images having the second resolution for use in determining a stock status for the inventory object.