Automatically measuring an item based on a ratio between item dimensions and reference tag dimensions

A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computing device of an automated mail sorting system to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

• receiving an image of an item including a reference tag attached to the item, the image of the item having been captured at an isometric angle showing three dimensions of the item;
• attempting to automatically detect a perimeter of the item within the image using a contrast-analysis image processing technique;
• in response to failing to detect the perimeter of the item within the image using the contrast-analysis image processing technique, outputting a message directing a user to place the item in front of a high contrast background to produce a retaken image of the item, wherein the retaken image has the high contrast background;
• receiving the retaken image of the item having the high contrast background, including the reference tag attached to the item;
• automatically detecting, using the contrast-analysis image processing technique, the perimeter of the item within the retaken image having the high contrast background;
• identifying a type of the reference tag;
• identifying known dimensions of the reference tag based on the type;
• determining a number of pixels for each dimension associated with the perimeter of the item in the retaken image;
• determining dimensions of the item based on corresponding numbers of pixels associated with the known dimensions of the reference tag and the number of pixels for each dimension associated with the perimeter of the item in the retaken image;
• and
• causing an adjustment to at least one of the mail sorting operations of the automated mail sorting system based on the dimensions of the item.

A system comprising:

• a processor, a computer readable memory, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium associated with a computing device of an automated mail sorting system, and program instructions executable by the computing device to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
• receiving an image of an item including a reference tag attached to the item, the image of the item having been captured at an isometric angle showing three dimensions of the item;
• attempting to automatically detect a perimeter of the item within the image using a contrast-analysis image processing technique;
• in response to failing to detect the perimeter of the item within the image using the contrast-analysis image processing technique, outputting a message directing a user to place the item in front of a high contrast background to produce a retaken image of the item, wherein the retaken image has the high contrast background;
• receiving the retaken image of the item having the high contrast background, including the reference tag attached to the item;
• automatically detecting, using the contrast-analysis image processing technique, the perimeter of the item within the retaken image having the high contrast background;
• identifying a type of the reference tag;
• identifying known dimensions of the reference tag based on the type;
• determining a number of pixels for each dimension associated with the perimeter of the item in the retaken image;
• determining dimensions of the item based on corresponding numbers of pixels associated with the known dimensions of the reference tag and the number of pixels for each dimension associated with the perimeter of the item in the retaken image;
• and
• causing an adjustment to at least one of the mail sorting operations of the automated mail sorting system based on the dimensions of the item.