Abstract: A store profile generation method includes moving a mobile base around a product facility which includes an arrangement of product display units for displaying products. Product labels are associated with the display units. The product labels display product-related data for the displayed products. With an image capture assembly mounted on the mobile base, images are acquired of the product display units at a sequence of locations of the mobile base. With a computer processor, the product-related data is extracted from the acquired images and a store profile is constructed, based on the extracted product-related data, a spatial characterization of the image capture assembly, and information on the locations of the mobile base when the images were acquired, which indicates locations of the product labels throughout the product facility.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A method of three-dimensional printing comprises heating a first portion of a build surface on a platform by impinging a laser beam on the build surface so as to provide a preheated drop contact point having a first deposition temperature. A first drop of a liquid print material is ejected from a printhead of a 3D printer so as to deposit the first drop on the preheated drop contact point at the first deposition temperature.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A store profile generation method includes moving a mobile base around a product facility which includes an arrangement of product display units for displaying products. Product labels are associated with the display units. The product labels display product-related data for the displayed products. With an image capture assembly mounted on the mobile base, images are acquired of the product display units at a sequence of locations of the mobile base. With a computer processor, the product-related data is extracted from the acquired images and a store profile is constructed, based on the extracted product-related data, a spatial characterization of the image capture assembly, and information on the locations of the mobile base when the images were acquired, which indicates locations of the product labels throughout the product facility.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A store profile generation system includes a mobile base and an image capture assembly mounted on the base. The assembly includes at least one image capture device for acquiring images of product display units in a product facility, product labels being associated with the product display units which include product-related data. A control unit acquires the images captured by the at least one image capture device at a sequence of locations of the mobile base in the product facility. The control unit extracts the product-related data from the acquired images and constructs a store profile indicating locations of the product labels throughout the product facility, based on the extracted product-related data. The store profile can be used for generating new product labels for a sale in an appropriate order for a person to match to the appropriate locations in a single pass through the store.

Abstract: A store profile generation system includes a mobile base and an image capture assembly mounted on the base. The assembly includes at least one image capture device for acquiring images of product display units in a retail environment. A control unit acquires the images captured by the at least one image capture device at a sequence of locations of the mobile base in the retail environment. The control unit extracts product-related data from the acquired images and generates a store profile indicating locations of products and their associated tags throughout the retail environment, based on the extracted product-related data. The store profile can be used for generating new product labels for a sale in an appropriate order for a person to match to the appropriate locations in a single pass through the store.

Abstract: A store profile generation system includes a mobile base and an image capture assembly mounted on the base. The assembly includes at least one image capture device for acquiring images of product display units in a retail environment. A control unit acquires the images captured by the at least one image capture device at a sequence of locations of the mobile base in the retail environment. The control unit extracts product-related data from the acquired images and generates a store profile indicating locations of products and their associated tags throughout the retail environment, based on the extracted product-related data. The store profile can be used for generating new product labels for a sale in an appropriate order for a person to match to the appropriate locations in a single pass through the store.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: A store profile generation system includes a mobile base and an image capture assembly mounted on the base. The assembly includes at least one image capture device for acquiring images of product display units in a retail environment. A control unit acquires the images captured by the at least one image capture device at a sequence of locations of the mobile base in the retail environment. The control unit extracts product-related data from the acquired images and generates a store profile indicating locations of products and their associated tags throughout the retail environment, based on the extracted product-related data. The store profile can be used for generating new product labels for a sale in an appropriate order for a person to match to the appropriate locations in a single pass through the store.

Abstract: A system for acquiring multi-angle images of a product includes a workstation having a working surface for placing a product, a camera supporting member having a vertical axis, and an image capturing device movably attached to the camera supporting member so that it may move along the vertical axis of the camera supporting member. The system captures and analyzes a digital image of a product to detect the vertical center of the product, and adjusts the position of the image capturing device along the vertical axis so that the vertical center of the product is proximate to the vertical center of the image. The system may also have a turntable and additionally rotate the turntable at multiple capturing angles and capture one or more additional digital images of the product at various capturing angles and store the one or more additional images in a product database.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a retail environment robotic system including a vertically oriented/scanning LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) unit mounted to a mobile base which travels along the aisles of a retail environment such as a store. According to an exemplary embodiment, the LIDAR unit vertically scans product display units along the aisles to generate a depth map associated with detected objects which is further processed to detect missing products, product/shelving tags, shelves, etc.

Abstract: A system to detect and maintain retail store promotional price tags (PPTs) includes a heuristic PPT description extractor module, a heuristic rule deriver module, a store shelf image acquisition system, a barcode locator and recognizer module, and a heuristic PPT classifier module. The heuristic PPT description extractor module extracts heuristic descriptions of PPTs. The heuristic rule deriver module derives a set of heuristic parameters for the PPTs. The barcode locator and recognizer module analyzes images acquired by the store shelf image acquisition system to localize and recognize barcodes. The heuristic PPT description classifier module extracts heuristic attributes from the images acquired by the store shelf image acquisition system using the set of PPT parameters supplied by the heuristic rule deriver module.

Abstract: A store profile generation system includes a mobile base and an image capture assembly mounted on the base. The assembly includes at least one image capture device for acquiring images of product display units in a retail environment. A control unit acquires the images captured by the at least one image capture device at a sequence of locations of the mobile base in the retail environment. The control unit extracts product-related data from the acquired images and generates a store profile indicating locations of products and their associated tags throughout the retail environment, based on the extracted product-related data. The store profile can be used for generating new product labels for a sale in an appropriate order for a person to match to the appropriate locations in a single pass through the store.

Abstract: A system to detect and maintain retail store promotional price tags (PPTs) includes a heuristic PPT description extractor module, a heuristic rule deriver module, a store shelf image acquisition system, a barcode locator and recognizer module, and a heuristic PPT classifier module. The heuristic PPT description extractor module extracts heuristic descriptions of PPTs. The heuristic rule deriver module derives a set of heuristic parameters for the PPTs. The barcode locator and recognizer module analyzes images acquired by the store shelf image acquisition system to localize and recognize barcodes. The heuristic PPT description classifier module extracts heuristic attributes from the images acquired by the store shelf image acquisition system using the set of PPT parameters supplied by the heuristic rule deriver module.