Capacitive sensor for item identifying mobile apparatus
AssigneeAmazon Technologies, Inc.
InventorsRachid M Alameh, Stephen Ernest O'Dea
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure describes, in part, a mobile apparatus for identifying items within a facility using an omnidirectional imaging system. For instance, the mobile apparatus may include a main frame, a chassis attached to the main frame, a basket that attaches to the chassis in order to prevent the basket from contacting the main frame, and an omnidirectional imaging system providing image data in and around the mobile apparatus. A user may place item(s) within a receptacle of the basket. The mobile apparatus may further include a handlebar module attached to the main frame, the handlebar module including the omnidirectional imaging system and a computing system for identifying items and events in and around the cart.
Claims20
A shopping cart comprising:
- a frame comprising:
- a bottom having a perimeter;
- and one or more sides coupled to and extending upward from the perimeter of the bottom, the bottom and the one or more sides defining a basket;
- a handlebar coupled to the frame at an upper edge of the basket;
- an imaging system coupled to the frame adjacent the handlebar, the imaging system comprising:
- a housing comprising a capacitive sensor disposed thereon;
- and an imaging device positioned within the housing and configured to capture image data of an environment surrounding the housing, the imaging device having a first focal length and a second focal length, the first focal length shorter than the second focal length;
- one or more processors;
- and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising:
- receiving first image data from the imaging device using the first focal length;
- receiving capacitive sensor data from the capacitive sensor indicative of a presence of an item within a threshold distance of the imaging system;
- causing the imaging device to capture second image data using the second focal length in response to the capacitive sensor data;
- determining that the second image data includes a representation of an item being placed into the basket;
- and storing an association between the representation of the item and a virtual listing of items associated with a user operating the shopping cart.
A mobile apparatus comprising:
- a frame comprising;
- a bottom having a perimeter;
- one or more sides coupled to and extending upward from the perimeter of the bottom, the bottom and the one or more sides defining a receptacle;
- an imaging system coupled to the frame, comprising:
- a capacitive sensor;
- and an imaging device configured to operate at least at a first setting and a second setting;
- one or more processors;
- and one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
- cause the imaging device to operate at the first setting:
- determine, based at least in part on capacitive data from the capacitive sensor, that an item is brought within a threshold distance of the imaging system;
- cause the imaging device to capture image data at the second setting in response to the item being within the threshold distance;
- and store an association between a representation of the item in the image data and a virtual listing of items associated with a user operating the mobile apparatus.
A method, comprising:
- causing an image system coupled to a mobile apparatus to capture first image data at a first setting;
- receiving capacitive data from a capacitive sensor coupled to the mobile apparatus, the capacitive sensor comprising a conductive shell;
- determining, based on the capacitive data, an item being brought within a threshold distance of the capacitive sensor;
- causing the image system to capture second image data at a second setting;
- identifying an item identifier associated with the item from the second image data;
- and
- storing an association between the item identifier in the second image data and a virtual listing of items associated with a user operating the mobile apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.