EP0371881A2 - Dispositif électronique pour le comptage automatique d'objets empilés - Google Patents

Dispositif électronique pour le comptage automatique d'objets empilés Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0371881A2
EP0371881A2 EP89403324A EP89403324A EP0371881A2 EP 0371881 A2 EP0371881 A2 EP 0371881A2 EP 89403324 A EP89403324 A EP 89403324A EP 89403324 A EP89403324 A EP 89403324A EP 0371881 A2 EP0371881 A2 EP 0371881A2
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
count
telecamera
group
stacked objects
objects
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP89403324A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Other versions
EP0371881A3 (fr
Inventor
Adolfo Passero
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Alcatel Lucent Italia SpA
Original Assignee
MECCANIZZA POSTALE E AUTOMAZI
Alcatel Italia SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by MECCANIZZA POSTALE E AUTOMAZI, Alcatel Italia SpA filed Critical MECCANIZZA POSTALE E AUTOMAZI
Publication of EP0371881A2 publication Critical patent/EP0371881A2/fr
Publication of EP0371881A3 publication Critical patent/EP0371881A3/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06M—COUNTING MECHANISMS; COUNTING OF OBJECTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06M9/00—Counting of objects in a stack thereof
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06M—COUNTING MECHANISMS; COUNTING OF OBJECTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06M1/00—Design features of general application
    • G06M1/08—Design features of general application for actuating the drive
    • G06M1/10—Design features of general application for actuating the drive by electric or magnetic means
    • G06M1/101—Design features of general application for actuating the drive by electric or magnetic means by electro-optical means

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an electro­nic device for the automatic count of stacked objects.
  • the main object of the present invention is to eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks connected with solution used at the present time and realize an electronic device for the automatic count of sta­cked objects,capable to perform a quick and reliable count operation without picking up pieces one by one, with a limited manual intervention, and/or even by automatizing both the count and the pick-up proce­dures,so that the whole procedure becomes fully auto­matic,without any human intervention except for su­pervision purposes.
  • an electronic device for the automatic count of stacked objects characterized in that it comprises in combination a first optical detection group including a linear di­gital telecamera associated with a punctiform light source emitting a beam whose reflex on the stacked objects is detected by the linear digital telecame­ ra; a second group for converting signals from the telecamera;and,moreover, a third group for the actual count and for the image analysis, which group com­prises a microprocessor for the general control, a first memory for images and for threshold brightness value, a telecamera control circuit for incoming ima­ges digitization, a control software monitoring the user's terminal,a second memory defining the count parameters, a parallel interface I/O for transfer­ring data from the motor actuating the telecamera to a stepper motor actuating a drawing fork of the stac­ked objects,said motors being enabled only in
  • a first group 1 shown in a block form, represents a ligh­ting and optical detection group.
  • Such group is interfaced to a second group 2, which represents the count and image analysis group, via a third group 3 which is an interface con­sisting of a serial/parallel converter.
  • the group 1 comprises at least a digital te­lecamera, structurally associated with a punctiform light source 5,preferably an oscillating laser sour­ce emitting a concentrated beam 5a towards the stac­ked objects, not shown in the figure.
  • a punctiform light source 5 preferably an oscillating laser sour­ce emitting a concentrated beam 5a towards the stac­ked objects, not shown in the figure.
  • the discontinuity of the reflected light track, between two adjacent objects, is detected as a signal variation 4a by telecamera 4, then is digi­tized and sent to interface 3 of count and analysis unit 2.
  • the position of the telecamera is also de­tected by position decoder 6 and transmitted to I/O interface 12 of unit 2.
  • the group 1 is interfaced to group 2 through a serial/parallel converter 3, which recei­ves signals from the digital telecamera 4 and sends them to an image memory 8, which, in turn, is circui­tally associated to a telecamera control circuit 9, whose function will be described later on.
  • a software program 10 controls the user's station monitor,this latter being represented in the figure by the block 10b.
  • the actuating motor of telecamera 4 is re­presented in figure by the block 13, which is inter­faced with a microprocessor system 7, governing the whole image control count device, via an I/O interfa­ce 12 which performs the interfacing function for a stepper motor 14 actuating a fork 15 in case of auto­matic drawing of stacked objects.
  • a focused light source 16 integral with the te­lecamera and used as piece counter in case of manual drawing.
  • the image scanned by the digital telecamera 4 is converted into numeric vectors.
  • numeric vectors interpreted as a vecto­rialized information of the signal from the telecame­ra, are transferred to the image control and count group 2, through the serial/parallel interface 3.
  • numeric vectors correspon­ ding to a given light intensity level (reference point) prefixed before the start of the operation there are stored numeric vectors correspon­ ding to a given light intensity level (reference point) prefixed before the start of the operation.
  • the numeric value of counted objects is fixed in user memory 11 which acts just to define the count parameters.
  • the user can display the count in progress on monitor 10b.
  • Monitor software 10 con­trols such display.
  • the drawing process step is performed.
  • Such drawing can be performed manually, in which case the stepper motor 14,the fork 15 and tele­camera motor 13 are cut out and the operation is per­formed by an operator.
  • the focused light source 16 points out, with its beam 16a, the drawing line where the operator must intervene in order to remove the stacked objects.
  • the feed of telecamera 4 is performed through the telecamera motor 13 and such count is governed by microprocessor 7 of the count group 2.
  • the teleca­mera motor 13 is a stepper motor connected to a deco­der 6, and the number of steps which cause the feed of telecamera motor 13 is provided, through the deco­der,also as an information useful to actuate another stepper motor 14 of fork 15.
  • a first embodiment includes a further tele­camera and light source group (1) located in a posi­tion diametral to the pile of objects and which is enabled once the first telecamera detects the rever­sal of stacked objects.
  • a further tele­camera and light source group (1) located in a posi­tion diametral to the pile of objects and which is enabled once the first telecamera detects the rever­sal of stacked objects.
  • Such embodiment is highly expensive.
  • a second embodiment provides for a rotary base underneath the stacked objects, which is rota­ted a half turn (180°) so that the pile may turn up newly as an homogeneous group of stacked objects fa­cing the telecamera.
  • the invention achieves the intended ob­jects.
  • the discontinuity detected by the ima­ge control and count group allows to determinate the number of the objects forming the pile,and the move­ment, by means of motor 13, of digital telecamera 4, provides for "pointing" exactly to a reference on the pile of objects, in order that the light discon­tinuity corresponds to the number of counted steps, taking into consideration the number of counted ob­jects already programmed.
  • the optic refe­rence on the stacked objects corresponds to a discon­tinuity between two adjacent objects and such infor­mation is interpreted as a number of steps counted by the count group, which steps number is transfer­red as an information to the drawing actuation group represented by the stepper motor 14 and fork 15, the­se latter operating upon command of microprocessor7.
  • the fork 15 moves forward slipping between two grooves of the piled objects so as to lift the relative pile portion.
  • the entire device may be considered,as a who­le, highly reliable from all functional and struc­tural angles.
  • a code reader suitable to read eventual codes (e.g. bar codes) reproduced on the edges of the stacked objects, may be associated to group 1.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
  • Length Measuring Devices By Optical Means (AREA)
EP19890403324 1988-12-01 1989-11-30 Dispositif électronique pour le comptage automatique d'objets empilés Withdrawn EP0371881A3 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT2281288 1988-12-01
IT8822812A IT1227660B (it) 1988-12-01 1988-12-01 Dispositivo elettronico per il conteggio automatico di oggetti impiliati

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0371881A2 true EP0371881A2 (fr) 1990-06-06
EP0371881A3 EP0371881A3 (fr) 1991-07-31

Family

ID=11200725

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19890403324 Withdrawn EP0371881A3 (fr) 1988-12-01 1989-11-30 Dispositif électronique pour le comptage automatique d'objets empilés

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0371881A3 (fr)
IT (1) IT1227660B (fr)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2665282A1 (fr) * 1990-07-30 1992-01-31 Gemplus Card Int Dispositif de comptage de cartes a puce contenues dans un lot.
EP0743616A2 (fr) * 1995-05-15 1996-11-20 Eastman Kodak Company Appareil et méthode de comptage de feuilles
US7599516B2 (en) 2005-08-23 2009-10-06 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Machine vision counting system apparatus and method
US8682047B2 (en) 2011-12-05 2014-03-25 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Method and apparatus for machine vision counting and annotation
US8861816B2 (en) 2011-12-05 2014-10-14 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Method and apparatus for prescription medication verification
US9378454B2 (en) 2013-07-22 2016-06-28 Joseph G. Marquez Cup counter
CN112270396A (zh) * 2020-11-14 2021-01-26 邓权塑业科技（湖南）有限公司 一种管道用自动点数设备

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2256482A1 (fr) * 1973-12-28 1975-07-25 Nihon Electronic Ind Co Ltd
JPS6113388A (ja) * 1984-06-28 1986-01-21 Sumitomo Electric Ind Ltd 薄板枚数計数装置
US4707843A (en) * 1985-05-03 1987-11-17 American Coin Currency Equipment Corporation Relating to microprocessor controlled cash counting apparatus

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2256482A1 (fr) * 1973-12-28 1975-07-25 Nihon Electronic Ind Co Ltd
JPS6113388A (ja) * 1984-06-28 1986-01-21 Sumitomo Electric Ind Ltd 薄板枚数計数装置
US4707843A (en) * 1985-05-03 1987-11-17 American Coin Currency Equipment Corporation Relating to microprocessor controlled cash counting apparatus

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 10, no. 160 (P-465)(2216) 07 June 1986, & JP-A-61 13388 (SUMITOMO DENKI KOGYO K.K.) 21 January 1986, *

Cited By (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2665282A1 (fr) * 1990-07-30 1992-01-31 Gemplus Card Int Dispositif de comptage de cartes a puce contenues dans un lot.
US5163077A (en) * 1990-07-30 1992-11-10 Gemplus Card International Device for the counting of chip cards contained in a batch
EP0743616A2 (fr) * 1995-05-15 1996-11-20 Eastman Kodak Company Appareil et méthode de comptage de feuilles
EP0743616A3 (fr) * 1995-05-15 1998-01-14 Eastman Kodak Company Appareil et méthode de comptage de feuilles
US7599516B2 (en) 2005-08-23 2009-10-06 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Machine vision counting system apparatus and method
US8682047B2 (en) 2011-12-05 2014-03-25 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Method and apparatus for machine vision counting and annotation
US8861816B2 (en) 2011-12-05 2014-10-14 Illinois Tool Works Inc. Method and apparatus for prescription medication verification
US9378454B2 (en) 2013-07-22 2016-06-28 Joseph G. Marquez Cup counter
CN112270396A (zh) * 2020-11-14 2021-01-26 邓权塑业科技（湖南）有限公司 一种管道用自动点数设备

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
IT8822812A0 (it) 1988-12-01
EP0371881A3 (fr) 1991-07-31
IT1227660B (it) 1991-04-23

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