Patent Publication Number: US-2023152221-A1

Title: Identification of carpet materials with near-infrared spectroscopy

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to the field of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, and in particular to a distributed system for identifying carpet materials with NIR spectroscopy. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Current technology is able to identify carpet materials by scanning a physical sample of the carpet with a wideband NIR spectrometer and comparing the collected spectra to a spectra library of known carpet materials. The technology is widely used in the insurance industry to estimate the repair and replacement costs for property losses or damages including carpets. Agents, on behalf of insurance companies, will obtain a carpet sample and send it to a laboratory for analysis. The purpose of identifying the carpet materials of the damaged carpets is to find the best available match for any repairs or replacements, and to provide accurate cost estimates for such repairs or replacements. 
     The NIR spectroscopy region extends from approximately 780 nm to 2500 nm in the electromagnetic spectrum and a lab NIR spectrometer is able to cover that range. Different materials absorb NIR energy at different wavelengths, so when radiation is absorbed, the NIR spectrometer measures the overtones and combinations of the fundamental molecular vibrational transitions. The absorption wavelengths and/or the corresponding frequencies will form a unique NIR signature based on the chemical and physical properties of the carpet materials being tested. 
     However, it is not always possible or preferable to take a physical sample of the carpet from the field, and send the physical sample to a lab facility where an NIR spectrometer is used to evaluate and identify the types of carpet materials. This may delay the insurance appraisal process, increase the associated cost, and have a negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, a lab NIR spectrometer equipped with the identification server is not easily portable. It is also prohibitively expensive, difficult to source, and requires customization. To be proficient in operating such an NIR spectrometer would require additional training and experience. 
     There exists a need for an NIR analysis system that may be used in the field and provide quick, accurate results, that overcomes the limitations of the prior art. 
     This background information is provided to reveal information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed, that any of the preceding information constitutes prior art against the present invention. 
     SUMMARY 
     An object of the present invention is to provide methods, apparatus, and system for identifying carpet materials with NIR spectroscopy, which can be reliably performed by an untrained person in the field using portable spectrometer devices, managed by a mobile application accessing a remote identification server. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for identifying a carpet material. The apparatus includes an NIR spectrometer and a controller coupled to the NIR spectrometer. The controller controls the NIR spectrometer to perform an analysis of a sample of the carpet material. The analysis includes receiving, from the NIR spectrometer, a predetermined number of NIR measurements of the sample conducted over a bandwidth of a subset of a full NIR spectrum. Then the controller may send the NIR measurements to a remote identification server including a spectra library of known carpet materials, and receive a matching result from the remote identification server. 
     Further embodiments comprise sending the matching result to a remote appraisal server and receiving an appraised value of the carpet material. 
     In further embodiments, the controller provides instructions for a user to perform gathering of additional data of the carpet material including a weight of a portion of the carpet material, a length of a pile of the carpet material, and one or more photos of the carpet material. The analysis further includes the controller receiving the additional information and sending the additional data to the remote appraisal server, where the appraised value is based on the matching result and the additional data. 
     In further embodiments, the identification server and the appraisal server are located remotely from the NIR spectrometer and the controller. 
     In further embodiments, the controller comprises a mobile application configured to perform any of the functions of controlling the NIR spectrometer to calibrate devices, perform measurements, sending an identification request to the identification server to generate a matching result, sending an appraisal request to the appraisal server to generate an appraisal result, or providing instructions for the user to gather additional data of the carpet material. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for identifying carpet materials including receiving, by a controller coupled to an NIR spectrometer, a predetermined number of NIR measurements of a sample of the carpet material conducted over a bandwidth of a subset of a full NIR spectrum. The NIR spectrometer performs the NIR measurements under control of the controller. The method also includes sending the NIR measurements to a remote identification server including a spectra library of known carpet materials and receiving a matching result from the remote identification server. 
     Further embodiments include sending the matching result to a remote appraisal server, and receiving an appraised value of the carpet material. 
     Further embodiments include receiving, additional data of the carpet material including a weight of a portion of the carpet material, a length of a pile of the carpet material, and one or more photos of the carpet material, and sending the additional data to the remote appraisal server, where the appraised value is based on the matching result and the additional data. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for identifying a carpet material. The system includes an NIR spectrometer, a controller, and a remote identification server. The controller is coupled to the NIR spectrometer, controlling the NIR spectrometer to perform an analysis of a sample of the carpet material. The analysis includes receiving, from the NIR spectrometer, a predetermined number of NIR measurements of the sample conducted over a bandwidth of a subset of a full NIR spectrum. The remote identification server receives the NIR measurements sent by the controller. The remote identification server includes a spectra library of known carpet materials. The remote identification server sends a matching result corresponding to the NIR measurements to the controller. 
     Further embodiments include a remote appraisal server for receiving the matching result from the controller and sending an appraised value of the carpet material to the controller. 
     Although example embodiments are described in reference to carpet materials identification for the insurance industry, a person skilled in the art may apply the methods and apparatus as described by example embodiments herein to other suitable purposes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION 
       Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a call flow diagram illustrating an operation procedure for a user using a controller, an NIR spectrometer and an identification server in accordance with embodiments. 
         FIG.  2    is a call flow diagram illustrating an operation procedure for a user using a controller, an NIR spectrometer, an identification server, and an appraisal server in accordance with embodiments. 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a controller in accordance with embodiments. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention include methods, apparatus, and systems for identifying carpet materials using NIR spectroscopy. 
     An aspect of embodiments is to shorten the long processing, waiting times, and high costs caused by sending physical samples of carpets to a lab facility for analysis. Embodiments may use a controller  101 , an NIR spectrometer  102  and a remote identification server  103  to simplify and speed up the process of identifying carpet materials. 
     In embodiments, the NIR spectrometer  102  is capable of testing using a subset of the entire NIR spectrum, for example, a lower half of the NIR spectrum including a wavelength range of 900 nm to 1700 nm. The NIR spectrometer can measure the overtones and combinations of the fundamental molecular vibrational transitions and the absorption wavelengths or the corresponding frequencies that form a unique NIR signature based on the chemical and physical properties of the carpet materials being tested. In embodiments, the NIR spectrometer  102  may be a portable device, for example, a handheld NIR spectrometer based on a digital micromirror device. 
     With reference to  FIG.  1   , a controller  101  may be coupled to an NIR spectrometer  102  and an identification server  103 . In embodiments, the coupling between the controller  101  and the NIR spectrometer  102  may be implemented by a short-range wireless connection, such as Bluetooth, or through a wired connection, such as USB. In embodiments, the controller  101  and NIR spectrometer  102  may be two physical devices or be packaged or housed as a single physical device. The identification server  103  is located at a remote location and is coupled to the controller  101  over the Internet through wired or wireless networking technologies, such as Wi-Fi or Ethernet. It should be understood that the NIR spectrometer  102  may also be coupled to the identification  103  through the controller  101 . 
     In embodiments, a user  100  may perform one or more of the user operations in the controller  101  such as creating a profile or an account, entering inputs, sending requests, receiving results, or the like, through a user interface  100   a , via Step  112 . The controller  101  may be triggered to forward an NIR analysis request to the NIR spectrometer  102 , via Step  106 . In response, under control of the controller  101 , the NIR spectrometer  102  may perform a predetermined number of analysis operations  104 , upon receiving such the NIR analysis request. Alternatively, in an embodiment, the NIR spectrometer  102  may be configured to self-initiate one or more of analysis operations  104  without a request from the controller  101 . The analysis operations may generate a predetermined number of resulting NIR measurement  108 , and the NIR measurement  108  may be subsequently sent to the controller  101  via Step  107 . In embodiments, the NIR measurement  108  may be a predetermined number of NIR measurements of the carpet material conducted over a bandwidth of a subset of the NIR spectrum. In an embodiment, the controller may send five analysis requests to the NIR spectrometer  102 . In another embodiment, the controller may send a single analysis request to the NIR spectrometer  102  which may perform five measurements in response to the analysis request from the controller. After receiving the NIR measurement  108 , the controller  101  may send the NIR measurement via Step  109  to the remote identification server  103  which comprises one or more network accessible spectra libraries  103   a  of known carpet materials. The identification server  103  may be configured to perform one or more of identification operations  105 , such as comparative analysis by comparing the received NIR measurement with the network accessible spectra library  103   a  of known carpet materials for highest resemblance or similarity. Accordingly, the identification server  103  may generate a matching result  111 , and the matching result  111  may be sent to the controller  101 , via Step  110 . In embodiments, the identification server can accurately identify the fibre composition of carpet materials commonly used in the manufacture of carpets, including without limitation Linen, Silk, Polyester (PET), Cotton, Nylon 6 (PA6), Nylon 6.6 (PA66), Rayon/Viscose, Polypropylene/Olefin (PP), Triexta (PTT), Wool, and various blends. The user  100  may access any of the information or data stored in or received by the controller  101  via the user interface. For example, the user is able to request and receive the matching result  111  via Step  112  and Step  113 . In embodiments, the matching result may be displayed as a composition of 40% cotton and 60% polyester, with or without an accuracy rate. Generally, the process from taking scans of the damaged carpets to receiving the displayed result will be faster than that of the prior art. 
     In embodiments, the controller  101  may collect or assign metadata to the data. Metadata may be received or measured by the controller  101 , received from the NIR spectrometer  102 , received from the remote identification server  103 , or be received from other servers or sensors. The controller  101  may be used to manage the information or data received, stored, or archived, based on one or more of various features, groupings, or categories such as measurement time, location, carpet brand, individual users or companies, etc. 
     With reference to  FIG.  2   , a controller  101  may be coupled to an NIR spectrometer  102 , a remote identification server  103 , and a remote appraisal server  214 . In another embodiment, the appraisal server  214  may be configured to be coupled with the identification server  103 . The remote appraisal server  214  and the remote identification server  103  may be any form of physical or virtual server and may make use of cloud computing technology. The remote appraisal server  214  and the remote identification server  103  may be the same physical or virtual server unit or may be separate and may be located at the same or different locations. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , a user  100  may perform one or more of user operations and either of the NIR spectrometer  102  and the identification server  103  may perform one or more of the analysis operations  104  and the identification operations  105  respectively under the control of the controller  101 , as illustrated in  FIG.  1    and aforementioned embodiments. 
     With reference to  FIG.  2   , the controller may further send the matching result  111  via Step  217  to a remote appraisal server  214  which is configured to perform one or more of appraisal operations  216 . The remote appraisal server  214  may comprise one or more of pricing libraries of known carpet materials. In one embodiment, the appraisal server  214  may generate an appraisal result  215  based on the matching result  111 . In another embodiment, the appraisal server  214  may generate an appraisal result  215  based on the matching result  111  together with any additional data gathered and entered into the controller  101  by the user  100  via the user interface  100   a . Such additional data of the carpet material may include one or more of the following: a weight of a portion of the carpet material, a length of a pile of the carpet material, and a photo of the carpet material. 
     Furthermore, the appraisal result  215  may comprise a single value or a range of values and the value may be accompanied with a confidence level or an estimate buffer (e.g. +10%). The appraisal result  215  may be sent to the controller  101 , via Step  218 . 
     Accordingly, the user  100  may access any of the information or data stored in or received by the controller  101  via a user interface  100   a . For example, the user  100  is able to request and receive the appraisal result  215  via Step  112  and Step  113 . In embodiments, the appraisal result  215  may be displayed together with additional information such as suggested replacement brands, carpet suppliers or the like. 
     In embodiments, the controller may comprise a smart phone together with a mobile application which is configured to perform any or all of: controlling the NIR spectrometer to calibrate the device, perform measurements, controlling the identification server to generate a matching result, controlling the appraisal server to generate an appraisal result, or providing instructions for the user to gather additional data of the carpet material. The mobile application may be compatible with various types of controller system operating systems including iOS and Android. In embodiments, the identification server or the appraisal server may be implemented on a cloud server. 
     In embodiments, a user (e.g., a layperson, or a person with no specialized training or experience) may reliably perform the aforementioned steps and operations in the field using portable spectrometer devices, managed by a mobile application accessing a remote identification server or both a remote identification server and a remote appraisal server. 
       FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a computing device  301  that may be used as a controller  101 . A controller may perform any or all of operations of the above methods and features explicitly or implicitly described herein, according to different embodiments of the present invention. For example, a computer or a mobile phone equipped with network function may be configured as a computing device  301 . In embodiments, device  301  may optionally include NIR spectrometer  102  housed within. In embodiment, NIR spectrometer  102  may be a physically separate device coupled to device  301 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  3   , the computing device  301  includes a processor  302 , such as a central processing unit (CPU) or specialized processors such as a graphics processing unit (GPU) or other such processor unit, memory  306 , non-transitory mass storage  303 , I/O interface  308 , network interface  304 , video adaptor  307 , and a transceiver  305 , all of which are communicatively coupled via bi-directional bus  309 . Video adapter  307  may be connected to one or more of display  311  and I/O interface  308  may be connected to one or more of I/O devices  312  which may be used to implement a user interface. According to embodiments, any or all of the depicted elements may be utilized, or only a subset of the elements. Further, the computing device  301  may contain multiple instances of certain elements, such as multiple processors, memories, or transceivers. Also, elements of the hardware device may be directly coupled to other elements without the bi-directional bus. Additionally, or alternatively to a processor and memory, other electronics, such as integrated circuits, may be employed for performing the required logical operations. 
     The memory  306  may include any type of non-transitory memory such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), any combination of such, or the like. The mass storage element  303  may include any type of non-transitory storage device, such as a solid state drive, hard disk drive, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, USB drive, or any computer program product configured to store data and machine executable program code. According to embodiments, the memory  306  or mass storage  303  may have recorded thereon statements and instructions executable by the processor  302  for performing any of the aforementioned method operations described above. 
     It will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the technology have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the technology. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded simply as an illustration of the invention as defined by the appended claims, and are contemplated to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present invention. In particular, it is within the scope of the technology to provide a computer program product or program element, or a program storage or memory device such as a magnetic or optical wire, tape or disc, or the like, for storing signals readable by a machine, for controlling the operation of a computer according to the method of the technology and/or to structure some or all of its components in accordance with the system of the technology. 
     Acts associated with the method described herein can be implemented as coded instructions in a computer program product. In other words, the computer program product is a computer-readable medium upon which software code is recorded to execute the method when the computer program product is loaded into memory and executed on the microprocessor of the wireless communication device. 
     Further, software-related operations of the method may be executed on any computing device, such as a personal computer, server, PDA, or the like and pursuant to one or more, or a part of one or more, program elements, modules or objects generated from any programming language, such as C++, Java, Python, or the like. In addition, each operation, or a file or object or the like implementing each said operation, may be executed by special purpose hardware or a circuit module designed for that purpose. 
     Through the descriptions of the preceding embodiments, the present invention may be implemented by using hardware only or by using software and a necessary universal hardware platform. Based on such understandings, the technical solution of the present invention may be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product may be stored in a non-volatile or non-transitory storage medium, which can be a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), USB flash disk, or a removable hard disk. The software product includes a number of instructions that enable a computer device (personal computer, server, or network device) to execute the methods provided in the embodiments of the present invention. For example, such an execution may correspond to a simulation of the logical operations as described herein. The software product may additionally or alternatively include number of instructions that enable a computer device to execute operations for configuring or programming a digital logic apparatus in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. 
     Embodiments have been described above in conjunctions with aspects of the present disclosure upon which they can be implemented. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments may be implemented in conjunction with the aspect with which they are described but may also be implemented with other embodiments of that aspect. When embodiments are mutually exclusive, or are otherwise incompatible with each other, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Some embodiments may be described in relation to one aspect, but may also be applicable to other aspects, as will be apparent to those of skill in the art.