Visual settlement system refers to a series of intelligent technology to complete the automatic settlement, you can avoid manual tedious settlement process, generally used in the self-service restaurants, canteens or group meals industry. With the participation of intelligent canteen settlement system, change the traditional self-service restaurant there is a "slow settlement, error-prone, high cost, poor experience" status quo. However, there are different core settlement systems on the market, but also due to the different core technologies of intelligent catering settlement, resulting in the existence of differentiation between them, such as "cost, convenience, accuracy".

Currently the principle of intelligent canteen settlement system, mainly divided into RFID radio frequency technology and image recognition two technical principles.

RFID radio frequency technology

RFID radio frequency technology for intelligent settlement, mainly the use of RFID radio frequency technology, implanted in the bottom of each tableware RFID radio frequency chip, tableware into the settlement area, through the bottom of the tableware RFID radio frequency chip read and write operations, with the help of computers and their communication technology.

Figure 2-RFID radio frequency identification structure

This technology principle of intelligent settlement, with fast, accurate and other characteristics, but this technology also has obvious shortcomings. The need for customized tableware and dinner plates, that is, customers must use this technology to settle the program manufacturers to join the RFID radio frequency chip produced by the plate, the plate cost is higher, normal for the ordinary plate of 2-4 times. At the same time, due to the chip is not resistant to high temperatures and other characteristics, in the catering tableware disinfection or loaded meals are often easy to make the chip is damaged and can not be sensed, so the later replacement of tableware troublesome and costly.

Gozi visual recognition technology

Gozi visual recognition technology, also known as image information processing technology, is an important technology in the field of artificial intelligence, but also in the intelligent catering settlement.

At present, image recognition technology is mainly used in the field of group meals, and the functions it implements are: intelligent visual recognition settlement, mainly based on the characteristics of dishes, tableware size, shape, color, commodity and other characteristics of rapid intelligent identification. "Settlement area" in the tableware, dishes, commodity images and intelligent and accurate settlement, and connected to a card and other third-party payment systems, so that diners quickly complete the payment, reducing queuing time.

The image processing algorithm is combined with the current mainstream convolutional neural network algorithm, which converts the target ingested by the camera into an image signal, transmits it to the image processing algorithm, obtains the morphological information, and converts it into a digital signal; the image algorithm and the deep neural network carry out a variety of operations on these signals to extract the target features, and then control the on-site equipment actions according to the results of the discrimination.

Figure 4 - dish recognition algorithm flow

This technology has been rapidly developed in the past few years. Image recognition intelligent settlement technology, also known as visual intelligent settlement technology, compared to RFID radio frequency technology, in addition to fast, accurate and other characteristics, there is no need to customize the plate, low cost, simple maintenance in the later stages, etc., the cost is 40% - 60% lower than the RFID radio frequency technology solutions. At the same time, the dishes can also be identified and data can be analyzed to achieve nutritional health and dish recommendations and other functions.

Original excerpt: visual billing system