Weight monitoring-based sensing system and sensing method

Abstract

A sensing system and a sensing method are provided based on weight monitoring. The sensing system includes: a goods database generator that generates a goods database; a weight collector that collects a weight sensing value of the rack in real time; a pick or place status judger that determines whether the weight sensing value of the rack changes or not, where if the weight sensing value of a rack becomes smaller, it determines that there are goods taken away from the rack; and if the weight sensing value of the rack becomes larger, it determines that there are articles placed on the rack; and a goods database updater that stores the weight sensing value in the goods database to update the weight sensing value of the rack in the goods database in real time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sensing system based on weight monitoring, comprises:
 a goods database generator that generates a goods database;   a weight collector that collects a weight sensing value of a rack in real time;   a pick or place status judger that determines whether the weight sensing value of the rack changes or not, wherein if the weight sensing value of the rack becomes smaller, the pick or place status judger determines that there are one or more goods taken away from the rack; and if the weight sensing value of the rack becomes larger, the pick or place status judger determines that there are one or more articles placed on the rack; and   a goods database updater that stores the weight sensing value in the goods database to update the weight sensing value of the rack in the goods database in real time.   
     
     
         2 . The sensing system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 at least one shelf, wherein each shelf includes at least one rack, and at least one item of goods is placed on the at least one rack; and   a weight sensing device disposed under the at least one rack and connected to the weight collector.   
     
     
         3 . The sensing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the goods database generator comprises:
 an initializer that initializes the goods database;   an information input that records a weight value and goods information of each item of the goods, and stores the weight value and the goods information in the goods database; and   a value initializer that collects the weight sensing value of the rack after the goods are placed thereon, and stores the weight sensing value in the goods database.   
     
     
         4 . The sensing system according to  claim 1 , wherein the pick or place status judger comprises:
 a weight difference calculator that calculates a difference value between the weight sensing value of the rack collected in real time and the weight sensing value of the same rack stored in the goods database, and records the difference value as a weight difference value of the rack;   a weight difference judger that compares the weight difference value of the rack with 0, wherein when the weight difference value of the rack is less than 0, it determines that there are goods taken away from the rack; and when the weight difference value of the rack is greater than 0, it determines that there are articles placed on the rack; and   a rack information recorder that records a rack number of the rack and the weight difference of the rack when the weight difference of the rack is greater than 0 or less than 0.   
     
     
         5 . The sensing system according to  claim 4 , wherein
 when all goods on a same rack have a same type and a same weight, the pick or place status judger further comprises:   a goods type decider that determines a type of the goods taken away from the rack according to the rack number of the rack and goods information associated with the rack stored in the goods database; and   a goods quantity calculator that calculates a ratio of an absolute value of the weight difference of the rack to a weight value of a single item of the goods on the rack, wherein the ratio is rounded, by using a rounding method, to an integer which is a quantity of the taken goods.   
     
     
         6 . The sensing system according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a shopping user identification system that determines an identity of a user who takes away or puts back the goods; and   a shopping information recorder that records a type and quantity of the goods taken by each user.   
     
     
         7 . The sensing system according to  claim 6 , wherein the shopping information recorder comprises:
 a shopping database generator that generates a shopping database of the user according to identity information of the user when the identity of the user is recognized; and   a shopping database updater that generates, when the goods are taken away, shopping information according to the type and quantity of the taken goods and the identity information of the user who takes the goods, and stores the shopping information in the shopping database of the user; wherein the shopping database updater, when the goods are put back, generates return information according to a type and quantity of the goods and the identity information of the user who puts back the goods, and deletes the shopping information associated with the return information from the shopping database of the user.   
     
     
         8 . A sensing method based on weight monitoring, including:
 generating a goods database;   collecting a weight sensing value of a rack in real time;   judging a pick or place status by determining whether the weight sensing value of the rack changes or not, wherein if the weight sensing value of the rack becomes smaller, it is determined that there are goods taken away from the rack; and if the weight sensing value of the rack becomes larger, it is determined that there are articles placed on the rack; and   storing the weight sensing value in the goods to update the weight sensing value of the rack in the goods database in real time.   
     
     
         9 . The sensing method according to  claim 8 , wherein, before generating the goods database, the sensing method further comprises:
 placing at least one item of the goods on at least one rack of at least one shelf, wherein a same type of goods placed on a same rack has a same weight value and each weight value only corresponds to one type of goods; and   setting a weight sensor under the at least one rack.   
     
     
         10 . The sensing method according to  claim 8 , wherein generating the goods database comprises:
 initializing the goods database;   recording a weight value and goods information of each item of the goods, and storing the weight value and the goods information in the goods database; and   collecting the weight sensing value of the rack after the goods are placed thereon, and storing the weight sensing value in the goods database.   
     
     
         11 . The sensing method according to  claim 8 , wherein judging the pick or place status comprises:
 calculating a difference value between the weight sensing value of the rack collected in real time and the weight sensing value of the same rack stored in the goods database, and recording the difference value as a weight difference value of the rack;   comparing the weight difference value of the rack with 0, wherein when the weight difference value of the rack is less than 0, it is determined that there are goods taken away from the rack; and when the weight difference value of the rack is greater than 0, it is determined that there are articles placed on the rack; and   recording a rack number of the rack and the weight difference of the rack when the weight difference of the rack is greater than 0 or less than 0.   
     
     
         12 . The sensing method according to  claim 11 , wherein, when all goods on a same rack have a same type and a same weight, judging the pick or place status further comprises:
 determining a type of the goods taken away from the rack according to the rack number of the rack and goods information associated with the rack stored in the goods database; and   calculating a ratio of an absolute value of the weight difference of the rack to a weight value of a single item of the goods on the rack, wherein the ratio is rounded, by using a rounding method, to an integer which is a quantity of the taken goods.   
     
     
         13 . The sensing method according to  claim 8 , further comprising:
 determining an identity of a user who takes away or puts back the goods; and   recording a type and quantity of the goods taken away by each user.   
     
     
         14 . The sensing method according to  claim 13 , wherein recording the type and quantity of the goods taken away by each user comprises:
 generating a shopping database of the user according to identity information of the user when the identity of the user is recognized;   generating, when the goods are taken away, shopping information according to the type and quantity of the taken goods and the identity information of the user who takes the goods, and storing the shopping information in the shopping database of the user; and   generating, when the goods are put back, return information according to a type and quantity of the goods and the identity information of the user who puts back the goods, and deleting the shopping information associated with the return information from the shopping database of the user.   
     
     
         15 . A sensing apparatus based on weight monitoring, comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a memory configured to store instructions executable by the one or more processors;   wherein the one or more processors, upon execution of the instructions, are configured to perform acts comprising:
 generating a goods database; 
 collecting a weight sensing value of a rack in real time; 
 determining whether the weight sensing value of the rack changes or not, wherein if the weight sensing value of a rack becomes smaller, it is determined that there are goods taken away from the rack; and if the weight sensing value of the rack becomes larger, it is determined that there are articles placed on the rack; and 
 storing the weight sensing value in the goods database to update the weight sensing value of the rack in the goods database in real time. 
   
     
     
         16 . The sensing apparatus according to  claim 15 , further comprising:
 at least one shelf, wherein each shelf includes at least one rack, and at least one item of goods is placed on the rack; and   a weight sensing device disposed under the rack.   
     
     
         17 . The sensing apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 initializing the goods database;   recording a weight value and goods information of each item of the goods, and storing the weight value and the goods information in the goods database; and   collecting the weight sensing value of the rack after the goods are placed thereon, and storing the weight sensing value in the goods database.   
     
     
         18 . The sensing apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 calculating a difference value between the weight sensing value of the rack collected in real time and the weight sensing value of the same rack stored in the goods database, and recording the difference value as a weight difference value of the rack;   comparing the weight difference value of the rack with 0, wherein when the weight difference value of the rack is less than 0, it is determined that there are goods taken away from the rack; and when the weight difference value of the rack is greater than 0, it is determined that there are articles placed on the rack; and   recording a rack number of the rack and the weight difference of the rack when the weight difference of the rack is greater than 0 or less than 0.   
     
     
         19 . The sensing apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein, when all goods on a same rack have a same type and a same weight, the acts further comprise:
 determining a type of the goods taken away from the rack according to the rack number of the rack and goods information associated with the rack stored in the goods database; and   calculating a ratio of an absolute value of the weight difference of the rack to a weight value of a single item of the goods on the rack, wherein the ratio is rounded, by using a rounding method, to an integer which is a quantity of the taken goods.   
     
     
         20 . The sensing apparatus according to  claim 15 , wherein the acts further comprise:
 determining an identity of a user who takes away or puts back the goods; and   recording a type and quantity of the goods taken away by each user.