Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Nikolai Orlov

Camerin Cole Hahn

Somasundaram Niranjayan

Nathan Pius O'Neill

James Stephanick

Patrick Ian McCleary

Jeremy Samuel De Bonet

Matthew Gregory Bowen

Dilip Kumar

Gerard Guy Medioni

Robert Waverly Zehner

Korwin Jon Smith

Manoj Aggarwal

Christopher Raymond Grajewski

George Leifman

Joseph W Chauvin

Benjamin Jozef Gyori

Natan Peterfreund

Matthew Perkins

Dmitri Veikherman

Sora Kim

Gabriel Isaiah Rowe

Interaction data provides information about particular items that have been picked or placed from a particular fixture. A radio signal that conveys designation data indicative of a particular user is coupled to a body of the user. A smart floor tile may emit the radio signal that is electromagnetically coupled to the user and propagates along the user's body. As the hand of the user approaches the fixture, the radio signal is received using antennas at the fixture. When the user touches an item, the propagation pathway may improve, resulting in an increase in received signal strength. By using information about the radio signal and the known location of the antennas, information such as a position of a hand of the user or which item has been picked or placed may be determined.

System to detect user interaction with inventory

A floor device generates output data indicative of the presence of objects, such as feet of users, on the floor device. The output data from the floor device is processed to determine an object representation at a given time. The object representation may then be associated with a user identifier based on characteristics or features of the object representation. If a location of a user associated with the user identifier is determined to be near a fixture that stores one or more items, changes in quantity of items at the fixture may be associated with the user. For example, sensors on the fixture may generate fixture data indicative of a pick or place of items on the fixture. Based on the location of the user being near the fixture and the fixture data, interaction data may be generated indicating the user interacting with the items at the fixture.

System for determining user interactions with items on a fixture

A facility is equipped with a floor containing one or more of a transmitter to generate electromagnetic signals (EMS) or a receiver to receive EMS. A device such as a tote may include one or more of a transmitters to generate EMS that may then be received by the receiver in the floor or a receiver to receive EMS transmitted by the floor. As the tote moves across the floor, tracking data may be generated using the information obtained from the exchange of EMS. Orientation of the tote with respect to the floor may be determined using an asymmetric arrangement of antennas on the tote, by encoding data within the EMS, or a combination thereof. For example, the tote may include three antennas arranged in a triangular layout, or a front antenna and a back antenna each used to transmit an EMS that is indicative of relative placement of the tote.

Electromagnetic tracking of moveable device with orientation determination

A non-contact biometric identification system includes a hand scanner that generates images of a user's palm. Images are acquired using light of a first polarization at a first time that show surface characteristics such as wrinkles in the palm while images acquired using light of a second polarization at a second time show deeper characteristics such as veins. Within the images, the palm is identified and subdivided into sub-images. The sub-images are subsequently processed to determine feature vectors present in each sub-image. A current signature is determined using the feature vectors. A user may be identified based on a comparison of the current signature with a previously stored reference signature that is associated with a user identifier.

Non-contact biometric identification system

A facility is equipped with floor tiles, each tile having several segments, each segment with an antenna. Each segment on a tile is associated with a particular timeslot. A transmitter at the tile transmits on a specific frequency. During the particular timeslot for that segment, a signal at the specific frequency is transmitted and radiated from the antenna for that segment. A user electromagnetically couples to one or more antennas of the tile, acting as a signal path for the signal. A receiver in a second tile detects the signal, and information about the frequency detected, timeslot for the signal, and relative signal strength is generated. Where the user has stepped from is determined using the information. By concatenating these steps, a path of the user may be determined. Receivers in shelves facilitate disambiguation of one user from another when interacting with items.

Electromagnetic user tracking system

A user obtains authentication credentials using a portable device, such as a smart phone. While standing on a smart floor in a facility, the portable device transmits the authentication credentials to the smart floor. The body of the user electromagnetically couples to electrodes in a touch sensor of the portable device and one or more antennas of the smart floor, acting as a signal path for signals between the mobile device and the smart floor. For example, one or more of the voltage applied to the electrodes, timing of when voltage is applied, and so forth, may be used to produce a particular electromagnetic signal that conveys the authentication credentials. The authenticated user may now be tracked in the facility using the smart floor.

User authentication with portable device and smart floor

Tracking data of objects within a facility may be obtained using a plurality of smart floor tiles. Techniques for installation of the smart floor tiles allow for the generation of information about the relative arrangement of the smart floor tiles relative to one another. This relative arrangement is used in conjunction with information about physical dimensions of the smart floor tiles to generate a mapping that associates particular floor tiles with particular physical locations within the facility.

User tracking system

Tracking data of users or other objects within a facility may be obtained using a plurality of smart floor tiles. Determining group data indicative of which users are in a common group is useful to associate interactions of those users with a particular account, such as a billing account. A radio signal may be transferred from one user to others via proximity or physical contact. The radio signal conveys designation data. Smart floor tiles at different locations receive the radio signal conveying the same designation data. The users present at those different locations are then associated with a common group.

System to determine user groupings in a facility

A surface within a facility, such as a floor, is equipped with electromagnetic sensors that generate data indicative of the presence of objects, such as the feet of users, at or close to the floor. The data may also be indicative of cross-coupling resulting from a transfer of an electromagnetic signal by the object, such as from one foot to another of a user. The data is processed to determine presence of individual object representations, such as representing a foot. Information about object representations such as their movement, cross-coupling, physical distance between, or features of the object representation may be determined. This data may be used to maintain the identity of particular object representations, track object representations over time, determine that particular object representations are associated with a single user and so forth. Adjacent object representations may avoid merging by using a top-down cross sectioning technique.

System for locating users

One or more surfaces within a facility are equipped with devices having several segments, each segment with an antenna. Segments may be grouped together into a cluster. Each segment within a cluster is associated with a particular timeslot. A transmitter at the device transmits on a specific frequency. During the particular timeslot for that segment, a signal at the specific frequency is transmitted and radiated from the antenna for that segment. An object electromagnetically couples to one or more antennas of the device, acting as a signal path for the signal. A receiver in a second segment detects the signal, and information about the timeslot for the signal and relative signal strength is generated. By using this information, a location and path of the object may be determined. Receivers in shelves may also be used to facilitate disambiguation of one user from another when interacting with items on those shelves.

Electromagnetic object tracking system

A facility is equipped with floor tiles. Each tile is equipped with transmitters that transmit on specific frequencies. A particular set of frequencies identifies a particular floor tile and a particular segment on the floor tile. A user electromagnetically couples to one or more antennas of the tile, acting as a signal path for the signals on the particular set of frequencies. A receiver detects these signals, and the information about the frequencies detected and relative signal strength may be used to determine a location of the user within the facility. Receivers in the floor tiles allow a first tile to transmit its set of frequencies and a second tile to receive the set of frequencies and determine where the user has stepped from. By concatenating these steps a path of the user may be determined. Receivers in shelves facilitate disambiguation of one user from another when interacting with items.

Multi-frequency user tracking system

This disclosure describes RFID tags that include capacitive shields to capacitively couple with antennas of the RFID tags when exposed to threshold levels of electromagnetic energy, such as when placed in a microwave. In some instances, these capacitive shields comprise a material that is both thermally conductive and electrically conductive. When exposed to electromagnetic energy of a high frequency, the capacitive shield may capacitively couple to the antenna of the RFID and, thus, may receive energy from the antenna. Given the properties of the capacitive shield, the capacitive shield may convert this energy into thermal energy and dissipate this heat into an ambient environment of the RFID tag. By doing so, the capacitive shield lessens the risk that dangerous arcing will occur from the electromagnetic energy.

RFID tags

The ability to effect a change in capacitance is not limited to one side of a capacitive touch element. Objects on an opposite side, or approaching from the opposite side, of a touch element can distort the electrostatic field. In some instances, overall device thickness can be such that the presence of a user's fingers on the back of a portable computing device (e.g., when holding the device) can be sensed by the capacitive touch screen on the front of the device. In various embodiments, a metallic plain, shield, or other conductive layer is provided for devices such as, smartphones, tablet computers, and other computing devices to eliminate, or at least reduce, any potential measurable change in capacitance caused by objects behind the touch panel.

Growing community of inventors

Toronto, Canada

Nikolai Orlov