Abstract
In this paper, we describe a multi-camera system for parcel inspection which detects signs of damages and cues of tampering. The proposed system has been developed within the EU project SAFEPOST as a part of a multi-sensor scanning modality, to enhance safety and security of parcels travelling on the European Postal Supply Chain. Our work addresses in particular the safety of valuable goods, whose presence on the postal supply chain is in steady growth. The method we propose is based on extracting 3D shape and appearance information, detecting in real-time signs of damages or tampering, and storing the model for future comparative analysis when required by the system. We provide an experimental evidence of the effectiveness of the method, both in laboratory and field tests.
Highlights
Over the last years, the statistics on the e-commerce has shown its significance and regular growth: the 2015 Global B2C E−Commerce report confirms the booming of this market, with a + 23.6% of transactions, a percentage which is expected to grow in the near future
The EU project SAFEPOST1 aims at establishing sustainable postal security solutions, focusing on innovative screening methods and advanced information processing
In the SAFEPOST logic, X-ray scanning is considered as a complementary feature which may be optionally installed on a postal centre, should it be requested by the postal operator
Summary
The statistics on the e-commerce has shown its significance and regular growth: the 2015 Global B2C E−Commerce report (https:// ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/content/global-e-commerceturnover-grew-240-reach-1943bn-2014) confirms the booming of this market, with a + 23.6% of transactions, a percentage which is expected to grow in the near future. There is a limited but promising literature of methods addressing object recognition in X-ray images [1, 8, 22], but the main limitation is the considerable cost of the machine and the significant amount of space it occupies which is not always available in the postal feeding lines For this reason, in the SAFEPOST logic, X-ray scanning is considered as a complementary feature which may be optionally installed on a postal centre, should it be requested by the postal operator. Recent technology advances in sensors have had an impact on research and development in quality control and retail applications On this respect, it is worth mentioning 3D scanners (http://www.3dsystems.com/ shop/scanners, http://www.rapidform.com/3d-scanners/, http://www.kapricorp.net/postal-scanner-systems-1480835.html, http://www.datalogic.com/eng/industries/transportation-logistics/postal-so-12.html) which have a very high potential for the accuracy in the estimated points cloud, in particular if the speed requirements are not too stringent— current models perform on average at about 16 images per second, unless GPU-based systems are employed (see for instance [6]). – In case of doubt, the human operator can access previously stored images for a manual comparison
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