AUTHENTICATION-BASED TRACKING
Methods and systems integrate digital fingerprint authentication-based identification and location tracking into a single, continuous process in which an authentication-integrated tracking system is simultaneously aware of both the identity and location of each physical object at all times as they move along a conveyance system. Insertion or removal of an object is quickly detected and reported. Rapid reestablishment and continuation of authentication-integrated tracking is enabled in the event of any temporary interruption or failure of tracking in the system. An exemplary system comprises plural tracking units networked together, each tracking unit including a camera or scanner to observe a corresponding field of view, the tracking units arrange to realize a continuous field of view of a physical conveyance system.
1 . (canceled)
2 . A system for authenticating a physical object as the physical object travels along a path to continuously track the physical object along the path, the system comprising:
a plurality of scanners arranged along the path to form a system field of view that covers the path, each of the scanners having a field of view and being configured to generate digital image data of the physical object while the physical is in the field of view of the scanner, the field of view of each scanner overlapping with a field of view of another scanner of the plurality of scanners to provide the system field of view;
one or more processors; and
one or more memories storing executable instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
receive first digital image data of a portion of the physical object;
create, based on the first digital image data, a first digital fingerprint that uniquely identifies and authenticates the physical object based on a plurality of features extracted from the first digital image data;
store the first digital fingerprint in a datastore;
generate subsequent digital fingerprints of the physical from the digital image data generated by each of the scanners of the plurality of scanners; and
continuously track the physical object as the physical object travels along the path, the continuous tracking being based on authentication of the physical object by comparison of subsequent digital fingerprints with the first digital fingerprint as the physical object moves within the system field of view of the plurality of scanners.
3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of features extracted from the first digital image data comprise intrinsic structure or native properties of the physical object, such that the first digital fingerprint identifies the physical object without reliance on extrinsic labels, tags, or markers added to the physical object.
4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the continuous tracking comprises associating the subsequent digital fingerprints generated by different scanners of the plurality of scanners with the first digital fingerprint in the datastore to maintain a single identity record for the physical object as it moves through the system field of view.
5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the first digital fingerprint serves as an induction fingerprint against which the subsequent digital fingerprints are matched to verify the identity of the physical object at multiple locations along the path.
6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions cause the system to extract the plurality of features by identifying points of interest in the first digital image data and generating feature vectors that are invariant to at least one of rotation, scale, or illumination changes.
7 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to detect that a match between a subsequent digital fingerprint and the first digital fingerprint fails to meet a confidence threshold; and, in response to the detection, to generate an error signal indicating a potential loss of chain of custody.
8 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the field of view of a first scanner of the plurality of scanners overlaps the field of view of a second scanner of the plurality of scanners such that the physical object is imaged by the second scanner before exiting the field of view of the first scanner, thereby maintaining continuity of identity for the physical object.
9 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the path comprises a conveyor, and wherein the system is configured to track the physical object at a speed corresponding to a transport speed of the conveyor.
10 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions further cause the system to store location data in the datastore each time one of the subsequent digital fingerprints is successfully matched to the first digital fingerprint, thereby generating a history record of the movement of the physical object along the path.
11 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the system comprises a network of processors distributed among the plurality of scanners, wherein each scanner processes the digital image data locally to generate the subsequent digital fingerprints.
12 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the instructions cause the system to distinguish the physical object from other nominally identical physical objects on the path based solely on the unique arrangement of the plurality of features extracted from the digital image data.
13 . A method of continuously tracking a physical object as the object travels along a path, the method comprising:
receiving first digital image data of a portion of the physical object;
creating, based on the first digital image data, a first digital fingerprint that uniquely identifies and authenticates the physical object based on a plurality of features extracted from the first digital image data;
storing the first digital fingerprint in a datastore;
acquiring, by each tracking unit of a plurality of tracking units arranged along the path, digital image data of the physical object when the physical object is within a field of view of the tracking unit, the field of view of each tracking unit overlapping with a field of view of another tracking unit of the plurality of tracking units to provide a system field of view;
extracting subsequent digital fingerprints of the physical object from the digital image data acquired by each of the tracking units, wherein the digital fingerprints represent intrinsic surface features of the physical object; and
authenticating the physical object based on a comparison of the subsequent digital fingerprints of the physical object to the first digital fingerprint to continuously track the physical object as the physical object travels along the portion of the field of view.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein authenticating the physical object comprises determining that the extracted subsequent digital fingerprints match the first digital fingerprint within a predetermined confidence threshold.
15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein authenticating the physical object is performed repeatedly by subsequent tracking units in the plurality of tracking units as the physical object progresses along the path, thereby re-verifying the identity of the physical object at multiple points along the path.
16 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
predicting, after an arrival of the physical object into a first field of view of a first tracking unit, a time of arrival of the physical object into a second field of view associated with a second tracking unit based on a velocity vector determined by the first tracking unit; and
triggering the second tracking unit to acquire image data based on the predicted time of arrival.
17 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the physical object is untagged, and the first and subsequent digital fingerprints are derived solely from random, inherent imperfections and texture of a material of the physical object.