Systems and methods for providing low-power sensing, identification, and sweep detection for items on a sensor mat are provided. Item detection sensors are provided in grid on a sensor mat. A first subset of the item detection sensors are sensed at a first time, and a second subset of the item detection sensors are sensed at a second time. The item detection sensors of the first and second subsets are chosen such that they span the surface of the sensor mat, and so that the sensors of the chosen subsets include all of the sensors of the mat after multiple sensing steps have been completed.

Systems and methods for providing low-power sensing, identification, and sweep detection for items on a sensor mat are provided. Item detection sensors are provided in grid on a sensor mat. A first subset of the item detection sensors are sensed at a first time, and a second subset of the item detection sensors are sensed at a second time. The item detection sensors of the first and second subsets are chosen such that they span the surface of the sensor mat, and so that the sensors of the chosen subsets include all of the sensors of the mat after multiple sensing steps have been completed.

The disclosed technology provides for reconstructing products that are added to a shopping cart in three-dimensional space. The recontructed products can be used for product validation. A shopping cart can include product validation hardware including light emitters and light sensors along a top perimeter of the shopping cart. The shopping cart can activate the light emitters to emit light across a top horizontal plane of the shopping cart, receive, from light sensors on a side of the shopping cart opposite a side where the activated light emitter is located, light intensity data as a product passes through the top horizontal plane and obstructs at least a portion of the emitted light from being detected by the light sensors, identify, from the light intensity data, slices of the product, and reconstruct the product in 3D space based on stitching together the slices.

The disclosed technology provides for reconstructing products that are added to a shopping cart in three-dimensional space. The recontructed products can be used for product validation. A shopping cart can include product validation hardware including light emitters and light sensors along a top perimeter of the shopping cart. The shopping cart can activate the light emitters to emit light across a top horizontal plane of the shopping cart, receive, from light sensors on a side of the shopping cart opposite a side where the activated light emitter is located, light intensity data as a product passes through the top horizontal plane and obstructs at least a portion of the emitted light from being detected by the light sensors, identify, from the light intensity data, slices of the product, and reconstruct the product in 3D space based on stitching together the slices.

The object detection sensor includes: a sensing unit to detect to-be-detected rays from a target object to output a sensing signal, a control unit to command output of a predetermined detection signal in response to input of sensing signal, a sensor output to output predetermined detection signal in response to command, a test signal reception to receive a test signal, and a test signal response to output a test response signal in response to reception of test signal, and further includes: a learning mode transition input to start a learning mode, a test signal determination to determine a state of received test signal in learning mode, a test signal estimation to estimate a characteristic of test signal from determined state of test signal, and a test signal verification to verify whether estimated characteristic of test signal is included in test signal received by test signal reception.

The object detection sensor includes: a sensing unit to detect to-be-detected rays from a target object to output a sensing signal, a control unit to command output of a predetermined detection signal in response to input of sensing signal, a sensor output to output predetermined detection signal in response to command, a test signal reception to receive a test signal, and a test signal response to output a test response signal in response to reception of test signal, and further includes: a learning mode transition input to start a learning mode, a test signal determination to determine a state of received test signal in learning mode, a test signal estimation to estimate a characteristic of test signal from determined state of test signal, and a test signal verification to verify whether estimated characteristic of test signal is included in test signal received by test signal reception.

A visible light sensor may be configured to sense environmental characteristics of a space using an image of the space. The visible light sensor may be controlled in one or more modes, including a daylight glare sensor mode, a daylighting sensor mode, a color sensor mode, and/or an occupancy/vacancy sensor mode. In the daylight glare sensor mode, the visible light sensor may be configured to decrease or eliminate glare within a space. In the daylighting sensor mode and the color sensor mode, the visible light sensor may be configured to provide a preferred amount of light and color temperature, respectively, within the space. In the occupancy/vacancy sensor mode, the visible light sensor may be configured to detect an occupancy/vacancy condition within the space and adjust one or more control devices according to the occupation or vacancy of the space. The visible light sensor may be configured to protect the privacy of users within the space via software, a removable module, and/or a special sensor.

A visible light sensor may be configured to sense environmental characteristics of a space using an image of the space. The visible light sensor may be controlled in one or more modes, including a daylight glare sensor mode, a daylighting sensor mode, a color sensor mode, and/or an occupancy/vacancy sensor mode. In the daylight glare sensor mode, the visible light sensor may be configured to decrease or eliminate glare within a space. In the daylighting sensor mode and the color sensor mode, the visible light sensor may be configured to provide a preferred amount of light and color temperature, respectively, within the space. In the occupancy/vacancy sensor mode, the visible light sensor may be configured to detect an occupancy/vacancy condition within the space and adjust one or more control devices according to the occupation or vacancy of the space. The visible light sensor may be configured to protect the privacy of users within the space via software, a removable module, and/or a special sensor.

The system can include: a container no, a set of sensors 120, and a controller 130. The system can optionally include a robot 140. However, the system 100 can additionally or alternatively include any other suitable set of components. The system functions to monitor and/or maintain a fullness level of a container. The system can additionally or alternatively function to enable robotic picking out of the container (e.g., in a pick-and-place setting). The system can additionally function to maintain candidate objects within reach of the robot's end effector to increase robot uptime while minimizing the extent of the robot's required motion (e.g., in the z-axis).

Among other things, a dispensing device is described herein. A sensor component of the dispensing device includes an emitter (e.g., of an emitter array) in optical communication with a detector array for sensing objects disposed between the emitter and the detector array. An object detector is configured to identify a presence of an object between the emitter and the detector array based upon a readout signal generated by the detector array. A calibration component is configured to recalibrate the object detector responsive to determining that an obstruction is present between the emitter and the detector array. The recalibration allows the detector array and the emitter array to detect the presence of an object regardless of the obstruction. A material (e.g., soap, sanitizer, etc.) may be dispensed from the dispensing device responsive to detecting the presence of the object.