FIBER OPTIC SHELVING SYSTEM

• Main Authors: ROA, Kevin Michael, GOSS, John Christopher, MEISER, Douglas Steven, NOBLE, Gregory Daniel
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 24.02.2021
• Subjects: CALCULATING; COFFEE MILLS; COMPUTING; COUNTING; DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS OR METHODS, SPECIALLY ADAPTED FORADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORYOR FORECASTING PURPOSES; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; FURNITURE; HUMAN NECESSITIES; PAYING COUNTERS; PHYSICS; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION; SPECIAL FURNITURE, FITTINGS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR SHOPS,STOREHOUSES, BARS, RESTAURANTS OR THE LIKE; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE,COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL, SUPERVISORY OR FORECASTINGPURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

A fiber optic shelving system includes a shelf including a plurality of holes, a plurality of fiber optic filaments, each of the plurality of fiber optic filaments having a first end and a second end, and the first end being coupled to one of the plurality of holes, a first camera configured to capture an image of the terminal surfaces of the plurality of fiber optic filaments, and a second camera configured to capture an image of a side of one or more products on the shelf. The fiber optic shelving system identifies, among the plurality of holes, a set of holes that are blocked from light based on the captured image of terminal surfaces of the second ends of the plurality of fiber optic filaments, and determines a number of products on the shelf based on the identified set of holes blocked from light and the captured image of the side of one or more products on the shelf.