Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha

Hidehiko Miyakoshi

Hitoshi Iizaka

Yuta Sasaki

Yuichiro Hatanaka

Hidehiro Naitou

Hidehiro Naito

Yuki Kawaguchi

Naoki Ogomori

An article reading device according to an embodiment includes a display device and an image capturing device that generates an image of an article. A processor extracts, from the image, first feature data for recognizing the article and second feature data for determining whether to recognize the article based on the first feature data. The processor determines whether to recognize the article. If it is determined to recognize the article, the processor recognizes the article based on the extracted first feature data, and controls the display device to display a recognition result. If it is determined to not recognize the article, extract a barcode from the image, the processor identifies the article based on the extracted barcode, and control the display device to display an identification result. The processor performs a transaction settlement with respect to the recognition result, if any, and the identification result, if any.

Article reading device

A reading apparatus according to an embodiment includes a captured-image reading section, an article detecting section, an object recognizing section, and a code reading section. The captured-image reading section reads, from an imaging apparatus that captures a captured image associated with distance information indicating distances to articles, the captured image associated with the distance information. The article detecting section detects images of articles in a preset predetermined imaging region in the captured image. The object recognizing section performs, based on the distance information, object recognition processing of an object, the object being an article closest from the imaging apparatus among the articles. The code reading section performs, based on the distance information, if a distance between the object and the imaging apparatus is equal to or smaller than a predetermined distance, code reading processing for detecting a code symbol from the predetermined imaging region and reading code information from the code symbol.

Reading apparatus and method

A reading device includes display and an image capturing device to image objects on a checkout counter. A control unit receives a first image including at least one object on the checkout counter, extracts a first object that is closest to the image capturing device in the first image, then displays an image of the first object and a frame around the first object. Generic object recognition is performed on the first object. A second image is received from the image capturing device. The control unit determines whether the first object is still closest to the image capturing device. A second object is extracted from the second image if the first object is no longer closest to the image capturing device and the second object is the one closest to the image capturing device in the second image.

Reading device and method

An object recognition system includes a storage device, a reading unit, an output device, and a processor. The storage device stores a dictionary containing attributes of a plurality of registered objects. The attributes includes at least a category and feature values. The reading unit includes an image capturing device. The processor registers a new object by (i) extracting a feature value of the new object from an image of the new object captured by the image capturing device, (ii) comparing the extracted feature value with feature values of registered objects that are registered in the dictionary to calculate a similarity degree therebetween, (iii) registering the extracted feature value in the dictionary as a determination criteria for an object recognition, and (iv) outputting a notification through the output device prior to the registering, upon a result of the comparing meets a predetermined condition.

Object recognition system and method of registering a new object

An object recognition apparatus includes an image capturing unit, a storage unit that stores feature data of a plurality of reference objects, a display unit, and a processor. The processor calculates degrees of similarity between an object in the captured image and a plurality of reference objects, based on the feature data of the reference objects, selects some of the reference objects as candidates objects based on the calculated degrees of similarity, and controls the display unit to display the candidate objects and a message to select one of the candidate objects. If no candidate object is selected within a predetermined time after the candidate objects and the message have been displayed, and thereafter a new image is captured by the image capturing unit, the processor removes the message and calculates degrees of similarity between an object in the newly captured image and the plurality of reference objects.

Object recognition apparatus

A commodity registration apparatus configured to perform object recognition includes an interface connected to receive captured images, a storage unit storing a dictionary for the object recognition, and a processor. The processor is configured to designate a learning target article for learning processing, extract, from each captured image, feature value indicating feature of an article contained in the captured image, compare each of the extracted feature values with stored feature values of the learning target article registered in the dictionary and calculate a similarity degree therebetween, generate relationship information indicating a relationship between the captured images based on the calculated similarity degrees, exclude captured images that meet a predetermined condition based on the relationship information, and execute the learning processing by adding, to the dictionary with respect to the learning target article, the feature values indicating features of the article contained in the non-excluded captured images.

Commodity registration apparatus configured to perform object recognition

A holding-manner learning apparatus includes a storage part and a hardware processor that functions as a designating module, an acquisition module, a calculation module, a storing module, and an output module. The designating module designates a target object from storage storing therein a feature amount for recognizing an object. The acquisition module acquires an image by photographing an object. The calculation module calculates a similarity degree between the feature amount of the object in the image and the feature amount of the target object. The storing module stores, according to the similarity degree calculated, the image and similarity degree in a first table or a second table in an associated manner. The output module outputs an electronic file presenting the image and similarity degree in the first table to indicate a proper holding manner and/or the image and similarity degree in the second table to indicate an improper holding manner.

Holding manner learning apparatus, holding manner learning system and holding manner learning method

A recognition dictionary creation apparatus photographs a commodity by an image capturing section to capture the image of the commodity; measures a distance from the image capturing section to the commodity photographed by the image capturing section; generates a quasi-commodity-image in a state in which the commodity is imaginarily moved away from the image capturing section to a given registration distance longer than the measurement distance based on the image of the commodity photographed by the image capturing section; extracts an appearance feature amount of the commodity from the generated quasi-commodity-image; and registers, in a recognition dictionary in association with the registration distance data, the extracted appearance feature amount as the feature amount data of the photographed commodity at the registration distance to create the recognition dictionary.

Recognition dictionary creation apparatus and method for creating recognition dictionary by the same

In accordance with one embodiment, a recognition dictionary creation apparatus comprises an image capturing section, a measurement module, a specification module, an extraction module and a registration module. The image capturing section photographs a commodity at a distance away from the image capturing section to capture an image of the commodity. The measurement module measures the distance from the image capturing section to the commodity photographed by the image capturing section as a distance data. The specification module specifies the commodity from the captured image. The extraction module extracts an appearance feature amount of the commodity from the captured image. The registration module registers the appearance feature amount extracted by the extraction module in a recognition dictionary file in association with the distance data as a feature amount data of the specified commodity at the distance measured by the measurement module.

Recognition dictionary creation apparatus and recognition dictionary creation method

A candidate output element configured to output recognition target commodities as candidates of a recognized commodity in a descending order of the similarity degrees calculated by the similarity degree calculation element, a distance measurement element configured to measure the distance from the image capturing section to a commodity photographed by the image capturing section, and a changing element configured to change the number of candidates of a recognized commodity output by the candidate output element according to the distance measured by the distance measurement element.

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Mishima Shizuoka, Japan

Hidehiko Miyakoshi