Abstract: A method is provided for recognizing an individual item at an identification station from a variety of known products for purposes of entry into an inventory and/or register system. A backlit viewplate is used and a digital image capturing device captures and stores a reference image of the viewplate. A backlit image of the item to be identified adjacent the viewplate is then captured and converted into a digitized image signal representing the captured image. The digitized image signal is processed by subtraction of a representation of said stored reference image to remove viewplate artifact, to provide a background-compensated image signal. The background-compensated image signal is analyzed to generate image descriptors characterizing features of size and/or shape of the item, and the descriptors are compared with the data stored on a computerized product database to identify data sets with the highest correlation.

Abstract: The invention provides in one form an item recognition apparatus for recognising an individual item from a variety of known products for purposes of entry into an inventory and/or register system, said apparatus comprising (a) an identification station having a viewplate with backside illumination to provide a backlit image viewable from the frontside of the viewplate, a digital image capture means arranged to view said backlit image, a display screen for viewing by an operator, and an entry means for the operator to selectively make entries into the inventory and/or register system; and (b) computer storage and processing means having a first memory store containing data representing a reference image of said viewplate, a second memory store containing a product database of data sets representing image descriptors characterising features of size and/or shape for all of said variety of known products, and digitised image processing and analysing means for processing and analysing a digitised image captured by