JP2014115811A - Optical reading apparatus, method of reading optical symbols, program, and recording paper sheets - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical information reading apparatus that can readily accept paper sheets even when optical symbols cannot be read.SOLUTION: An optical information reading apparatus comprises: an imaging unit that images an image of a paper sheet and obtains an imaged optical symbol image; a character information acquiring unit that acquires character information on the basis of the imaged optical symbol image; an optical symbol generating unit that generates optical symbols indicating character information on the basis of the acquired character information; a display unit; a display control unit that causes a reproduced symbol image representing the generated optical symbols and the imaged optical symbol image on the same screen of the display unit; and an image correcting unit that obtains a corrected image by correcting the imaged optical symbol image.

Description

  The present invention relates to reading optical symbols possessed by paper sheets.

  2. Description of the Related Art Optical information readers that accept paper sheets such as banknotes, coupons, and cards and read barcodes printed on paper sheets have become widespread. As such an optical information reading device, for example, a sales counter, a coupon processing device, or an automatic teller machine is applicable. When the print quality of the barcode is low, or when the printed portion of the barcode is deformed due to the folding of a paper sheet, the barcode may not be read. In this case, a process of discharging paper sheets and refusing acceptance, or a process in which an administrator operates the optical information processing apparatus to forcibly accept paper sheets without reading a barcode (forced deposit process) (Patent Document 1).

JP 2011-197739 A

  In the configuration in which the paper sheet is discharged and the acceptance is rejected when the barcode cannot be read, even if the paper sheet is reinserted into the optical information reader, the acceptance is likely to be rejected again. For this reason, there is a problem that the user cannot use the paper sheet. In the configuration for executing the forced deposit process, for example, the print quality is low in all the sheets included in the specific lot, and a large number of sheets corresponding to the specific lot are inserted into the optical information reader. In this case, there is a problem that the administrator has to repeatedly execute the operation for forced deposit processing. Note that the above-described problem may occur not only in barcodes but also in paper sheets having an arbitrary optical symbol such as a QR code (registered trademark) on the surface.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides an optical information reader capable of easily accepting paper sheets even when an optical symbol cannot be read.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an imaging unit that captures paper sheets to obtain an optical symbol captured image, and first character information that acquires first character information based on the optical symbol captured image. An acquisition unit, an optical symbol generation unit that generates a first optical symbol indicating the first character information based on the acquired first character information, a display unit, and the generated first optical symbol A display control unit that displays a first reproduced symbol image representing an optical symbol captured image on the same screen on the display unit, an image correction unit that corrects the optical symbol captured image to obtain a corrected image, and correction And an optical information reading device having a user interface that accepts input of the content of.

According to the present invention, even when an optical symbol cannot be read, the user can easily understand how the optical symbol captured image can be approximated to the reproduced symbol image by correcting the captured image. Since the reproduction symbol image is reproduced from the acquired first character information (which could be read), the correction to approximate the reproduction symbol image is performed, so that in the optical symbol captured image after correction, The occurrence of unreadable characters can be suppressed. For this reason, even if an optical symbol cannot be read, paper sheets can be easily accepted.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the following description of embodiments.

1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical information reading apparatus as one embodiment of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the surface of the gift certificate which the optical reader of a present Example handles. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of paper sheet acceptance processing. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the content of the reading log stored in the reading log storage part 47 shown in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed procedure of the return process (step S165) shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the retry menu screen displayed in step S255. 3 is a first flowchart illustrating a retry process procedure according to the first embodiment. 6 is a second flowchart illustrating a retry process procedure according to the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the total result obtained by step S305. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the menu screen containing the character information displayed by above-mentioned step S320 or step S325. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the menu screen displayed on the display part 42 in step S385. It is explanatory drawing which shows the reading barcode image before correction | amendment, and the reading barcode image after correction | amendment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a retry processing procedure according to the second embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the menu screen displayed on the display part 42 in step S285a of the retry process of Example 2. FIG.

  Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

A1. Device configuration:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical information reading apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the surface of a gift certificate handled by the optical information reader of this embodiment.

  The optical information reading apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 accepts a paper sheet on which a barcode is printed, and reads and manages the barcode. In this embodiment, a gift certificate is adopted as such a paper sheet, but it is not limited to a gift certificate. Arbitrary paper sheets, such as a banknote, a coupon, a card, a bankbook, may be employ | adopted as paper sheets, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the gift certificate C that can be handled by the optical information reading apparatus 100 has a portion printed with a barcode (hereinafter referred to as “barcode portion”) P1 and a character string printed on the surface. Part (hereinafter referred to as “character part”) P2. The character part P2 is arranged in the vicinity of the barcode part P1. In the present embodiment, the character printed on the character portion P2 matches the character that the barcode printed on the barcode portion P1 means. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the character of the character part P2 and the character that the bar code means do not match. For example, a configuration in which the barcode includes a check digit may be employed. In this configuration, the character of the character part P2 does not match the character that the bar code means. Even in this case, the character of the character part P2 can be matched with the character of the barcode by performing a predetermined calculation on the character (number) of the barcode. That is, as a paper sheet that can be handled by the optical information reading apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, an arbitrary paper sheet such as a gift certificate on which a bar code and a character corresponding to the character that the bar code means are printed. It may be adopted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical information reading apparatus 100 includes a paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30, a transport mechanism 32, a collection store 34, a return store 36, an imaging unit 40, a display unit 42, and an operation unit 44. And a storage unit 46 and a main control unit 10.

  The paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30 accepts the paper sheet inserted by the user, discharges the paper sheet, and returns it to the user. The transport mechanism 32 transports paper sheets in the optical information reading apparatus 100. The transport mechanism 32 is connected to the paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30, the collection box 34, and the return box 36, and the paper sheets inserted into the paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30 are collected in the collection box 34 or the return box 36. Transport toward. Further, the transport mechanism 32 transports the paper sheets stored in the collection store 34 or the return store 36 toward the paper sheet input / output unit 30. The transport mechanism 32 can be configured by, for example, a transport path constituted by a plurality of rollers, a motor that drives the rollers, and the like.

  The collection store 34 stores paper sheets that are determined to be paper sheets to be collected in a paper sheet receiving process described later, among the paper sheets inserted into the paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30. The return store 36 temporarily stores paper sheets that are determined to be paper sheets to be returned in the paper sheet receiving process described later, among the paper sheets inserted into the paper sheet input / output unit 30. .

  The imaging unit 40 is disposed in the middle of the paper sheet conveyance path, and acquires an image by imaging the surface of the paper sheet being conveyed. The display unit 42 displays various menu screens. The operation unit 44 includes various operation buttons and accepts user operations.

  The storage unit 46 is configured by a nonvolatile memory capable of overwriting data, and includes a reading log storage unit 47 and a correction log storage unit 48. The reading log storage unit 47 stores a reading log to be described later. The correction log storage unit 48 stores a correction log described later.

  The main control unit 10 controls the entire optical information reading apparatus 100. The main control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like. The main control unit 10 includes a conveyance control unit 11, an imaging control unit 12, a user interface control unit 13, an image recognition unit 14, a barcode interpretation unit 15, a type determination unit 16, an acceptance control unit 17, A retry control unit 18 and an image processing unit 19 are provided. These various function units 10 to 19 are realized by the CPU executing various control programs stored in the ROM.

  The conveyance control unit 11 controls the conveyance mechanism 32 to control the conveyance speed of the paper sheet and the position of the paper sheet. The imaging control unit 12 controls the imaging unit 40. The user interface control unit 13 creates various menu screens and controls the display unit 42 to display the menu screens. In addition, the user interface control unit 13 interprets the instruction input from the operation unit 44 and transmits the interpreted instruction content to the other functional units 11, 12, and 14 to 19. The image recognizing unit 14 specifies a barcode part, a character part, and the like from an image obtained by imaging by the imaging unit 40 (hereinafter referred to as “captured image”). Further, the image recognition unit 14 recognizes characters from the specified character portion and acquires character information. The bar code interpretation unit 15 interprets the bar code written in the bar code part and extracts character information. Specifically, the barcode interpretation unit 15 specifies the type of barcode from the barcode shape and the like, and acquires character information according to the reading rule corresponding to the specified type. The type determination unit 16 specifies the type of the paper sheet based on the character information extracted from the barcode, the surface pattern of the paper sheet (the gift certificate C), and the like. The acceptance control unit 17 controls the entire paper sheet acceptance process and return process, which will be described later. The retry control unit 18 controls the entire retry process described later. The image processing unit 19 corrects the captured image obtained by the imaging control unit 12 in accordance with an instruction from the user.

  In the optical information reading apparatus 100 having the above-described configuration, paper sheets that could not be read at the beginning can be easily obtained by executing a paper sheet receiving process, a returning process, and a retry process, which will be described later. Can accept. The above-described user interface control unit 13 corresponds to a display control unit in claims. In addition, the image recognition unit 14 is in the second character information acquisition unit in the claims, the barcode interpretation unit 15 is in the first character information acquisition unit and the optical symbol generation unit in the claims, and the retry control unit 18 is in the claim. The image processing unit 19 corresponds to an image correction unit in claims.

A2. Paper sheet acceptance processing:
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the paper sheet receiving process. The user inserts one or a plurality of gift certificates C into the paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30, and selects the paper sheet receiving processing menu by operating the operation unit 44 from various menu screens displayed on the display unit 42. Then, the paper sheet receiving process is started in the optical information reading apparatus 100.

  The imaging control unit 12 controls the imaging unit 40 to capture the captured image by imaging the surface of one gift certificate C among the sheets (gift certificate C) inserted into the paper sheet input / output unit 30. Obtain (step S105). The image recognition unit 14 identifies a barcode part and a character part from the captured image, and the barcode interpretation unit 15 obtains character information from an image of the identified barcode part (hereinafter referred to as “read barcode image”). Obtain (step S110). At this time, if part of the character information (partial digits) of the character information indicated by the barcode cannot be read due to, for example, the printing quality of the barcode being poor, the barcode interpretation unit 15 Such characters are recorded with information indicating that they are unknown. In the present embodiment, the character “?” Is used as the information indicating that it is unknown as described above. However, the present invention is not limited to such a character, and any character may be used. The image recognition unit 14 specifies the print coordinates of the barcode part when specifying the barcode part. Hereinafter, the character information acquired from the image of the barcode portion is referred to as “barcode interpretation character information”. The bar code interpretation character information described above corresponds to the first character information in the claims.

  The image recognition unit 14 acquires character information from the image of the character part (hereinafter referred to as “character image”) (step S115). Hereinafter, the character information acquired from the character image is referred to as “read character information”. The character image corresponds to the character code image in the claims. The read character information corresponds to the second character information in the claims. The type determination unit 16 specifies the type of the gift certificate C, and the acceptance control unit 17 records the information obtained in the above-described steps S110 and S115 and the specified type of the gift certificate C in the reading log ( Step S120).

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of the read log stored in the read log storage unit 47 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the reading log includes a reading number field f1, a barcode type field f2, a barcode interpretation character information field f3, a reading character information field f4, a paper sheet type field f5, and a barcode. A partial print coordinate field f6, a classification field f7, and a correction field f8 are provided. In the reading log, an entry including fields f1 to f8 is recorded for each sheet. In the example of FIG. 4, three entries (entries E1, E2, E3) are recorded in the reading log.

  In the reading number field f1, the reading order (entry number) in the optical information reading apparatus 100 is recorded. The barcode type field f2 records the type of barcode. In the barcode interpretation character information field f3, the barcode interpretation character information obtained in step S110 described above is recorded. In the read character information field f4, the read character information obtained in step S115 is recorded. In the paper sheet type field f5, the type of the gift certificate C specified in step S120 is recorded. In the barcode part printing coordinate field f6, the printing coordinates of the barcode part specified in the above-described step S110 are recorded. In the classification field f7, classification information corresponding to the processing result of the paper sheets inserted into the optical information reading apparatus 100 is recorded. In the correction field f8, the presence or absence of correction in a retry process to be described later is recorded. In step S120 described above, six fields f1 to f6 are recorded among the fields f1 to f8 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, after the above-described step S120 is executed, the acceptance control unit 17 determines whether or not the barcode interpretation characters include characters that could not be read (step S125). If it is determined that the bar code interpretation character does not include an unreadable character (step S125: NO), the acceptance control unit 17 obtains the bar code interpretation character information obtained in step S110 and the step S115. The read character information is compared (step S130), and it is determined whether or not the characters indicated by these two pieces of information match (step S135).

  In step S135 described above, when it is determined that the characters indicated by the two pieces of information (barcode interpretation character information and read character information) match (step S135: YES), the acceptance control unit 17 selects the corresponding entry ( In the entry of the gift certificate C to be processed), “collected” is recorded in the classification field f7. The conveyance control unit 11 controls the conveyance mechanism 32 to convey the processing-target gift certificate C to the collection box 34. As a result, the gift certificate C to be processed is stored in the collection box 34. If the character that could not be read is not included (step S125: NO), and the character indicated by the barcode interpretation character information matches the character indicated by the read character information (step S135: YES), the bar It can be determined that the code has been read normally and the gift certificate C to be processed may be accepted. Therefore, in the optical information reader 100, the gift certificate C to be processed is collected and stored in the collection box 34.

  If it is determined in step S125 that the barcode interpretation character includes a character that could not be read (step S125: YES), and in step S135, two pieces of information (barcode interpretation character information and reading). When it is determined that the characters indicated by (character information) do not match (step S135: NO), the acceptance control unit 17 sets the classification field f7 in the corresponding entry (entry of the gift certificate C to be processed) in the record log. “Unreadable” is recorded (step S155). The conveyance control unit 11 controls the conveyance mechanism 32 to convey the processing target gift certificate C to the return box 36. After the above-described step S160 is executed, the acceptance control unit 17 performs a return process (step S165). Details of the return process will be described later.

  After the above-described step S145 is executed and the return process is completed (after step S165), the reception control unit 17 receives all the gift certificates inserted into the paper sheet input / output unit 30. It is determined whether each process described above for C has been executed (step S150). When it is determined that the above-described processes are not executed for all the gift certificates C (step S150: NO), the process returns to the above-described step S105, and the remaining gift certificates C are processed, and steps S105 to S165 are performed. Run. On the other hand, when it is determined that the above-described processes have been executed for all the gift certificates C (step S150: YES), the paper sheet receiving process ends.

A3. Return processing:
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the return process (step S165) shown in FIG. The acceptance control unit 17 refers to the reading log, specifies whether or not correction has already been performed on the same type of paper sheets (step S205), and determines whether or not such correction is performed (step S210). As shown in FIG. 4, the type of paper sheet is recorded in the paper sheet type field f5 of each entry. In the correction field f8 of each entry, “present” indicating presence of correction and “not present” indicating no correction are recorded. Therefore, the acceptance control unit 17 can determine whether or not correction is made on the same type of paper sheets as the gift certificate C to be processed by referring to these fields f5 and f8.

  If it is determined that there is a correction for the same type of paper sheet as the gift certificate C to be processed (step S210: YES), the acceptance control unit 17 refers to the correction log stored in the correction log storage unit 48. Then, the correction is specified and the image processor 19 is controlled to execute the same correction as the specified correction on the read barcode image of the C gift certificate C to be processed (step S215). Details of the correction will be described later.

  The bar code interpretation unit 15 acquires character information from the read bar code image corrected in step S215 (step S220). The acceptance control unit 17 determines whether the character information acquired in step S220 (hereinafter referred to as “re-acquired character information”) includes a character that could not be read (step S225). When it is determined that the character that could not be read is not included in the reacquired character information (step S225: NO), the acceptance control unit 17 reads the character indicated by the reacquired character information and the reading obtained in step S115. The character information is compared (step S230), and it is determined whether or not the characters indicated by these two pieces of information match (step S235).

  In step S235 described above, when it is determined that the characters indicated by the two pieces of information (barcode interpretation character information and read character information) match (step S235: YES), the acceptance control unit 17 sets the corresponding entry ( In the processing-target gift certificate C), the value of the classification field f7 is changed from “unreadable” to “collected by the user”, and the value of the correction field f8 is changed to “present” (step S240). ). The conveyance control unit 11 controls the conveyance mechanism 32 to convey the processing-target gift certificate C to the collection box 34. As a result, the gift certificate C to be processed is stored in the collection store 34, and the return process ends.

  When it is determined in step S210 that there is no correction for the same type of paper sheet (step S210: NO), it is determined in step S225 that the barcode interpretation characters include characters that could not be read. If it is determined that the characters indicated by the two pieces of information (re-acquired character information and read character information) do not match in step S235 described above (step S235: NO), The control unit 11 conveys the processing target gift certificate C from the return box 36 to the paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30 and discharges it (step S250). The user interface control unit 13 displays a retry menu screen on the display unit 42 (step S255).

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a retry menu screen displayed in step S255. The retry menu screen W1 is a screen for confirming the necessity of executing the retry process with respect to the user. The retry process is a process of attempting to accept the gift certificate C returned to the user by the above-described return process to the optical information reading apparatus 100 again.

  As shown in FIG. 6, on the retry menu screen W1, two operation buttons B1, B2 and an area AR1 for displaying a message are displayed. The operation button B1 is a button for instructing “Yes” (OK). The operation button B2 is a button for instructing cancellation. In the area AR1, a message asking whether or not the retry process needs to be executed is displayed.

  After the retry menu screen W1 is displayed, the retry control unit 18 determines whether or not the execution of the retry process has been instructed (step S260). When the operation button B1 shown in FIG. 6 is pressed, it is determined that the retry process has been instructed (step S260: YES), and the retry process is executed (step S265). On the other hand, when the operation button B2 shown in FIG. 6 is pressed, it is determined that the retry process is not instructed (step S260: NO), and the return process ends.

A4. Retry processing:
FIG. 7 is a first flowchart illustrating a retry process procedure according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 is a second flowchart illustrating the retry process according to the first embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 8 shows the procedure executed according to the determination result in step S310 described later in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  The retry control unit 18 refers to the correction log, and for each type of paper sheet includes a case in which a character that could not be read in the paper sheet receiving process is included, and the character indicated by the barcode interpretation character information and the reading The total number of times that the character indicated by the character information does not match (the number of unreadable times) is tabulated, and the presence or absence of correction is specified for each type of paper sheet (step S305). FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the tabulation result obtained in step S305. As shown in FIG. 9, the tabulation result obtained in step S <b> 305 includes the type of paper sheet, the number of unreadable pages, and the presence / absence of correction. For example, for a paper sheet (gift certificate C) whose paper sheet type is “XX department store”, the number of unreadable items is counted as “6”, and the presence / absence of correction is counted as “none”. Here, the unreadable number of times is obtained by counting the number of entries in which the classification field f7 in the read log is “unreadable” or “collected by the user” as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 7, after step S305 is executed, the retry control unit 18 uses the total result obtained in step S305 for the same type of paper sheets as the gift certificate C to be processed in the retry process. It is determined whether or not the number of unreadable times is a predetermined number or more (step S310). As the predetermined number in step S310, for example, an arbitrary value such as 10 or 100 can be set. As will be described later, in this embodiment, when there are a predetermined number or more of the same type of paper sheets that have not been read, the same type of paper sheet has a similar problem such as defective printing. Therefore, the correction of the read image is performed only once, and such correction is commonly performed on the same kind of paper sheets.

  When it is determined that the number of unreadable items is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number for the same type of paper certificate C as the processing target gift certificate C (step S310: NO), the retry control unit 18 sets the processing target in the reading log. Compare the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information with the number of unreadable digits in the read character information by referring to the paper sheet entry, and the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is It is determined whether or not the number of unreadable digits in the information is greater than or equal to (step S315).

  When it is determined that the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is equal to or larger than the number of unreadable digits in the read character information (step S315: YES), the retry control unit 18 controls the user interface control unit 13. The character indicated by the read character information is displayed on the display unit 42 (step S320). On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is smaller than the number of unreadable digits in the read character information (step S315: NO), the retry control unit 18 receives the reception control unit 17. And the character indicated by the barcode interpretation character information is displayed on the display unit 42 (step S325).

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a menu screen including character information displayed in step S320 or step S325 described above. The menu screen W2 shown in FIG. 10 has a character information display area U1, a candidate character display area U2, an operation button B3, and an operation button B4. In the character information display area U1, the character indicated by the read character information is displayed when step S320 is executed, and the character indicated by the bar code interpretation character information is displayed when step S325 is executed. In the example of FIG. 10, the read character information of the entry E2 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed in the character information display area U1. As shown in FIG. 4, in the entry E2, the number of unreadable digits in the read character information is “1”, and the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is “2”. When the retry process is executed for the gift certificate C, step S320 is executed.

  In the candidate character display area U2, a candidate character is displayed in which a candidate character is displayed in a digit that cannot be read with respect to the character string displayed in the character information display area U1. As such a candidate character, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the character indicated by the read character information is displayed in the character information display area U1, the barcode interpretation character information corresponding to the unreadable digit in the read character information. It is possible to adopt a character that uses the value of the digit in place of the unreadable character in the read character information. Further, for example, a character obtained by substituting an arbitrary character for an unreadable character may be adopted. As the character to be replaced, for example, a frequently used character used in the same digit of the same type of paper sheets may be employed. In the example of FIG. 10, among the characters displayed in the character information display area U1, three characters using “E”, “1”, “2” instead of the unreadable character “?” Are candidates. It is displayed in the candidate character display area U2. In the example of FIG. 10, the uppermost candidate character is selected from the three candidate characters. As described above, the character indicated by the character information having a smaller number of unreadable characters is determined from the bar code interpretation character information and the read character information, and the character is displayed in the character information display area U1. Since the candidate characters are created from the candidates, candidates closer to the correct character string printed on the gift certificate C can be displayed in the candidate character display area U2. For this reason, the possibility of direct input by the user can be reduced, and convenience can be improved.

  An operation button B3 shown in FIG. 10 is a button for instructing to continue the process. The operation button B4 is a button for displaying a menu screen for the user to directly input a character when the candidate character displayed in the candidate character display area U2 is different from the character described in the gift certificate C. . The user compares the character string (code) described in the returned paper sheet with the candidate character displayed in the candidate character display area U2, and if the same character string exists, the user selects the character string. It is possible to select and press the operation button B3. Also, if any of the candidate characters displayed in the candidate character display area U2 is different from the character string (code) described in the returned paper sheet, the user presses the operation button B4 to The correct character string can be input by operating the operation unit 44 on the character input screen.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the retry control unit 18 determines whether or not there is a character input by a user operation after the above-described step S320 or S325 is executed (step S330). When it is determined that there is a character input (step S330: YES), the retry control unit 18 sets the barcode interpretation character information field f3 or the read character information field f4 in the entry of the paper to be processed in the recording log. It is overwritten with the input content (step S335). If it is determined that no character input has been made by a user operation (step S330: NO), in this case, since the candidate is selected from the candidate character display area U2 on the menu screen W2, the retry control unit 18 records the log. In the entry of the paper sheet to be processed in, the barcode interpretation character information field f3 or the read character information field f4 is overwritten with the selected candidate character string (step S340).

  The user interface control unit 13 causes the display unit 42 to display a menu screen that prompts the user to re-insert the gift certificate C to be processed into the paper sheet input / output unit 30 (step S345). The retry control unit 18 waits until the paper sheet is reinserted into the paper sheet loading / unloading unit 30 (step S350), and if there is reinsertion (step S350: YES), the processing target in the reading log is determined. In the paper sheet entry, the classification field f7 is changed to “collected by the user” (step S355). The retry control unit 18 controls the transport control unit 11 to transport and store the reinserted gift certificate C to the collection box 34 (step S360).

  If it is determined in step S310 described above that the number of unreadable items is equal to or greater than a predetermined number for the same type of paper voucher C as the processing target of the retry process (step S310: YES), as shown in FIG. The retry control unit 18 refers to the entry of the processing target paper sheet in the reading log, compares the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information with the number of unreadable digits in the read character information, and It is determined whether or not the number of unreadable digits in the bar code interpretation character information is greater than or equal to the number of unreadable digits in the read character information (step S370). The process in step S370 is the same as the above-described step S315 shown in FIG.

  If it is determined that the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is greater than or equal to the number of unreadable digits in the read character information (step S370: YES), the barcode interpretation unit 15 reproduces the barcode from the read character information. (Step S375). On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is smaller than the number of unreadable digits in the readout character information (step S370: NO), the barcode interpretation unit 15 interprets the barcode. The bar code is reproduced from the character information (step S380).

  After step S375 or step S380 is executed, the user interface control unit 13 performs the barcode image reproduced in step S375 or step S380 (hereinafter referred to as “reproduced barcode image”) and the above-described step S105. The acquired reading barcode image is superimposed and displayed on the display unit 42 (step S385). Note that the reproduced barcode image obtained in step S380 corresponds to the first reproduced symbol image in the claims. The reproduced barcode image obtained in step S375 corresponds to the second reproduced symbol image in the claims.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen displayed on the display unit 42 in step S385. The menu screen W3 includes a barcode display area ARa, a character string display area ARb, and an operation menu display area ARc. In the barcode display area ARa, the reproduced barcode image and the read barcode image are displayed in an overlapping manner. In the example of FIG. 11, the reproduced barcode image Bc1 and the read barcode image Bc2 are displayed in an overlapping manner. These barcode images Bc1 and Bc2 are barcode images when the gift certificate C of the entry E3 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, in the entry E3, the number of unreadable digits “1” in the barcode interpretation character information is smaller than the number of unreadable digits “2” in the read character information. Therefore, the reproduced barcode image Bc1 It is reproduced from the character indicated by the code interpretation character information. Since one unreadable character is included in the barcode interpretation character information, as shown in FIG. 11, the reproduced barcode image Bc1 lacks some information. In the character string display area ARb, the character string that is the origin of the reproduced barcode image Bc1 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 11, the character string described in the barcode interpretation character information field f3 of the entry E3 is displayed in the character string display area ARb.

  In the operation menu display area ARc, a plurality of menu icons for correcting the read barcode image Bc2 displayed in the barcode display area ARa are displayed. In the example of FIG. 11, three menu icons m1, m2, and m3 are displayed in the operation menu display area ARc. The menu icon m1 indicates a menu for enlarging and reducing the selected range of the read barcode image Bc2 displayed in the barcode display area ARa. The menu icon m2 indicates a menu for directly inputting characters. The menu icon m3 indicates a menu for rotating a selected range in the read barcode image Bc2 displayed in the barcode display area ARa.

  As shown in FIG. 11, since the reproduced barcode image Bc1 and the read barcode image Bc2 are displayed in an overlapping manner, how the user corrects the read barcode image Bc2 to bring it closer to the reproduced barcode image Bc1. Can easily understand (approximate). In the example of FIG. 11, the user selects a part of the read barcode image Bc2 and then selects the menu icon m3 to rotate the selection region SR1 clockwise. After the correction is completed, the user can confirm the correction of the image and instruct the continuation of the process by selecting an operation button (not shown) included in the menu screen W3. Note that the menu screen W3 shown in FIG. 11 corresponds to a user interface in the claims.

  After the above-described step S385 is executed, the barcode interpretation unit 15 waits until the correction of the read barcode image Bc2 using the menu screen W3 is completed (step S390), and character information is obtained from the corrected barcode image. Is acquired (step S395). Hereinafter, the character information acquired in step S395 is referred to as “corrected barcode interpretation character information”.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a read barcode image before correction and a read barcode image after correction. In FIG. 12, (a) shows a read barcode image before correction, and (b) shows a read barcode image after correction. Note that FIG. 12A is the same as the image displayed in the barcode display area ARa shown in FIG. 12A and 12B, a reproduced barcode image Bc1 is also displayed in addition to the read barcode image.

  When the user corrects the read barcode image Bc2 as shown in FIGS. 12A and 11A, a corrected read barcode image Bc3 is obtained as shown in FIG. 12B. The corrected barcode image Bc3 after correction is closer to the reproduced barcode image Bc1 than the barcode image Bc2 before correction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12B, in the character information (corrected barcode interpretation character information) acquired from the corrected read barcode image Bc3, there is a high possibility that unreadable characters are eliminated. .

  The retry control unit 18 determines whether or not the corrected barcode interpretation character information acquired in step S385 includes characters that could not be read (step S400). When it is determined that the character that could not be read is not included in the corrected barcode interpretation character information (step S400: NO), the retry control unit 18 uses the character indicated by the correction barcode interpretation character information and the character in step S115. The obtained read character information is compared (step S405), and it is determined whether or not the characters indicated by these two pieces of information match (step S410).

  In step S410 described above, when it is determined that the characters indicated by the two pieces of information (corrected barcode interpretation character information and read character information) match (step S410: YES), the user interface control unit 13 determines the gift certificate to be processed. A menu screen prompting reinsertion of C is displayed on the display unit 42 (step S415). The retry control unit 18 waits until the gift certificate C is reinserted into the paper sheet input / output unit 30 (step S420), and when there is a reinsertion (step S420: YES), correction of the read barcode image is performed. The contents are recorded in the correction log (step S425). The retry controller 18 overwrites the corrected barcode interpretation character information obtained in step S395 in the barcode interpretation character information field f3 of the corresponding entry in the reading log (step S430). Thereafter, the aforementioned steps S355 and S360 shown in FIG. 7 are executed, and the gift certificate C to be processed is stored in the collection box 34.

  When it is determined in step S400 described above that the corrected barcode interpretation character information includes a character that could not be read (step S400: YES), and in step S410 described above, two pieces of information (correction barcode) If it is determined that the characters indicated by the interpreted character information and the read character information) do not match (step S410: NO), the retry process ends. In this case, the retry fails, and the gift certificate C that is the processing target is not stored in the optical information reading apparatus 100.

  In the optical information reading apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment described above, the reproduction barcode image and the reading barcode image are displayed in an overlapping manner in the retry process, so how to correct the reading barcode image. The user can easily understand whether the code image can be approximated. Since the reproduced barcode image is reproduced from the character information that can be read, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of unreadable characters in the corrected barcode by performing correction that approximates the reproduced barcode image. . For this reason, it becomes possible to accept the gift certificate C. Therefore, according to the optical information reader 100, the gift certificate C can be easily received even when the barcode cannot be read.

  Further, in the optical information reading apparatus 100, when the reading barcode image is corrected, the correction content is recorded, and when there is correction already performed on the same type of paper sheets in the return process, Such correction contents are executed. Therefore, even when a defect such as a printing defect occurs in common in a large number of paper sheets of the same lot, the user can omit manual operations such as correction for each paper sheet. Therefore, even in such a case, a large number of paper sheets can be easily accepted by the optical information reading apparatus 100.

  Further, as the reproduced barcode image, a barcode image reproduced based on character information having a smaller number of unreadable digits out of the barcode interpretation character information and the read character information is used. Therefore, the reproduced barcode image can be displayed more clearly, and the user can easily determine how to correct the read barcode image.

  Further, in the retry process, for the same type of paper sheets as the gift certificate C to be processed, when the number of unreadable times is a predetermined number or more, the read barcode image is corrected. When a problem such as a printing failure occurs in common, the large number of paper sheets can be easily accepted. In addition, for paper sheets of the same type as the gift certificate C to be processed, if the number of unreadable items is less than a predetermined number, the user is allowed to directly input a character string. It is possible to register and accept paper sheets for which barcodes could not be read.

B. Example 2:
FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of retry processing in the second embodiment. The flowchart shown in FIG. 13 shows the procedure executed according to the determination result of step S310 (step S310: YES) in the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In the retry process, the optical information reading apparatus according to the second embodiment executes step S375a instead of step S375, executes step S380a instead of step S380, and executes step S385a instead of step S385. Unlike the optical information reading apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment, other processing procedures and apparatus configurations are different from the optical information reading apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment in that step S395a is executed instead of step S395, and step S430a is executed instead of step S430. These are the same as those of the optical information reading apparatus 100 of the first embodiment.

  In the first embodiment, in the retry process, when the number of unreadable items is equal to or greater than a predetermined number for the same type of paper sheets as the gift certificate C to be processed, the reproduced barcode image and the read barcode image are displayed in an overlapping manner. It was. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, in the retry process, the character image and the character indicated by the read character information when the number of unreadable times is greater than or equal to a predetermined number for the same type of paper sheet as the gift certificate C to be processed. Are displayed on the same screen.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, when step S370 is executed and it is determined that the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is equal to or larger than the number of unreadable digits in the read character information (step S370: YES), the retry control unit 18 specifies the read character information as a reference (step S375a). On the other hand, when it is determined that the number of unreadable digits in the barcode interpretation character information is smaller than the number of unreadable digits in the read character information (step S370: NO), the retry control unit 18 displays the barcode interpretation characters. Information is specified as a reference (step S375a).

  The user interface control unit 13 displays the character image included in the captured image obtained in step S105 and the character information (character) specified as a reference in step S375a or step S380a on the same menu screen (step S385a). ).

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a menu screen displayed on the display unit 42 in step S385a of the retry process according to the second embodiment. This menu screen W4 is different from the menu screen W3 shown in FIG. 11 in that a character string display area ARd is provided instead of the barcode display area ARa, and the other configuration is the same as the menu screen W3.

  In the character string display area ARd, a character image included in the captured image obtained in step S105 is displayed. In the example of FIG. 14, the character image (GHIJKLMN) obtained for the gift certificate C corresponding to the entry E3 shown in FIG. 4 is displayed in the character string display area ARd. As shown in FIG. 4, in entry E3, the number of unreadable digits “1” in the barcode interpretation character information is smaller than the number of unreadable digits “2” in the read character information, so step S380a is executed, and the barcode The character indicated by the interpretation character information is displayed in the character string display area ARb.

  As shown in FIG. 14, since the character image and the character indicated by the barcode interpretation character information are displayed on the same screen, the user easily understands which character in the character string could not be read. be able to. In addition, the user can easily understand how the character image can be read after correcting the portion including the character that could not be read. In the example of FIG. 14, the user selects a part of the character image, then selects the menu icon m3, and tries to rotate the selection region SR2 clockwise. After the correction is completed, the user can confirm the correction of the image and instruct the continuation of the process by selecting an operation button (not shown) included in the menu screen W4.

  After step S385a is executed, the process waits until the correction of the character image using the menu screen W4 is completed (step S390), and the image recognition unit 14 acquires character information from the corrected character image (step S390). S395a). Hereinafter, the character information acquired in step S395a is referred to as corrected read character information.

  After step S395a is executed, the above-described steps S400 to S425 are executed. After step S425 is executed, the retry control unit 18 overwrites the corrected read character information obtained in step S395a on the read character information field f4 of the corresponding entry in the read log (step S430a). Thereafter, the aforementioned steps S355 and S360 shown in FIG. 7 are executed, and the gift certificate C to be processed is stored in the collection box 34.

  The optical information reading apparatus according to the second embodiment described above has the same effects as the optical information reading apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. In the optical information reading apparatus according to the second embodiment, in the retry process, the character image obtained by imaging and the character indicated by the read character information or the barcode interpretation character information are displayed on the same screen. The user can easily understand which character of the character string could not be read. In addition, the user can easily understand how the character image can be read by correcting it.

  In addition, as the character to be displayed on the same screen as the character image, the character image indicated by the character information having a smaller number of unreadable digits is adopted from the barcode interpretation character information and the read character information. The amount can be reduced, and the work burden on the user can be reduced.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to an above-described Example, Various modifications are included. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replaced with the configuration of another embodiment, and another configuration can be added to, deleted from, or replaced with a part of the configuration of one embodiment. Is possible.

  Each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Each of the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program for the processor to realize each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing each function is stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording paper such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD (registered trademark). Can be placed on leaves.

  Further, the control lines and information lines are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines on the product are necessarily shown. Actually, it may be considered that almost all the components are connected to each other. Further, the present invention may include the following specific modifications.

  In each of the above embodiments, the paper sheet (gift certificate C) on which a barcode is printed is used. However, instead of the barcode, a paper sheet on which an arbitrary optical symbol such as a QR code is printed is used. It may be used. Further, instead of the paper sheet on which the optical symbol is directly printed, a paper sheet on which a paper piece such as a sticker on which the optical symbol is printed is attached to the surface can be used. That is, in general, paper sheets having optical symbols on the surface can be used in the present invention.

  Further, in the menu screen W3 of the first embodiment, the reproduced barcode image and the read barcode image may be displayed without being overlapped instead of being displayed. Even in this case, since the reproduced barcode image and the read barcode image are displayed on the same screen, the user can determine how to correct the read barcode image to approximate the reproduced barcode image. It can be easily understood.

  Moreover, the processing content of each Example can also be combined and performed. For example, when the number of unreadable items is greater than or equal to a predetermined number for the same type of paper voucher C as the processing target gift certificate C, first, steps S370 to S430 are executed as in the first embodiment. That is, the reproduced barcode image and the read barcode image are displayed in an overlapping manner, and correction of the read barcode image is allowed. When it is determined in step S400 that there is a character that cannot be read, and when it is determined in step S410 that the character indicated by the corrected barcode interpretation character information does not match the character indicated by the read character information. Steps S370 to S430a in step 2 may be executed. In this way, it is possible to increase the possibility of accepting paper sheets that have been determined to be unable to be read once. First, steps S370 to S430a of the second embodiment are executed, and when it is determined in step S400 that there is a character that cannot be read, and in step S410, the character indicated by the corrected barcode interpretation character information and the character indicated by the read character information When it is determined that does not match, steps S370 to S430 in the first embodiment may be executed.

  Further, the correction field f8 can be omitted in the reading log. In this case, in step S205 of the return process, when there is no entry of “collected by user” in the same type of paper sheets and the classification field f7 is determined as “no correction”, and when such an entry exists, “correction” is performed. Can be determined.

  In addition, in the menu screen W3 of the first embodiment and the menu screen W4 of the second embodiment, in addition to the three menu icons m1, m2, and m3, a menu for adjusting the aspect ratio of each bar constituting the barcode is shown. A menu icon such as a menu icon for performing arbitrary image correction may be displayed in the operation menu display area ARc.

  In each embodiment, the number of characters that could not be read was compared in steps S315 and S370, but the number of characters that could be read may be compared instead of the number of characters that could not be read.

  In each embodiment, in the retry process, correction of the read barcode image or character image is performed by a user operation, but may be configured to be automatically performed. For example, in the first embodiment, steps S370 to S390 may be omitted, and the read barcode image may be corrected with preset correction contents (rotation, enlargement, reduction, etc.). In this configuration, the image correction by the user operation can be omitted, so that the display of the menu screen W3 can be omitted. That is, the user interface in the claims can be omitted. In this configuration, for example, a plurality of correction contents are registered in advance, and the correction contents that minimize the area of the difference that appears when the reproduced barcode image and the corrected reading barcode image are superimposed are specified. Then, step S395 may be executed using the read barcode image corrected with the correction content.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Main control part 12 ... Imaging control part 13 ... User interface control part 14 ... Image recognition part 15 ... Barcode interpretation part 17 ... Acceptance control part 18 ... Retry control part 19 ... Image processing part 30 ... Paper sheet input / output part 32 ... Transport mechanism 34 ... Recovery box 36 ... Return box 40 ... Imaging unit 42 ... Display unit 44 ... Operation unit 46 ... Storage unit 100 ... Optical information reader W3, W4 ... Menu screen

Claims (10)

An optical information reader for reading optical symbols arranged on the surface of a paper sheet,
An imaging unit that images the paper sheet and obtains an optical symbol captured image;
A first character information acquisition unit that acquires first character information based on the optical symbol captured image;
An optical symbol generation unit that generates a first optical symbol indicating the first character information based on the acquired first character information;
A display unit;
A display control unit that displays the first reproduction symbol image representing the generated first optical symbol and the optical symbol captured image on the same screen in the display unit;
An image correction unit for correcting the optical symbol captured image to obtain a corrected image;
An optical information reader. The optical information reader according to claim 1.
The display control unit is an optical information reading device that causes the display unit to display the first reproduction symbol image and the optical symbol captured image in a superimposed manner. The optical information reader according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:
A user interface for accepting input of the content of the correction,
The optical information reading device, wherein the image correction unit corrects the optical symbol captured image to obtain the corrected image according to the content of correction received by the user interface. In the optical information reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The paper sheet has a character code image indicating the same character information as the character information indicated by the optical symbol on the surface,
The imaging unit captures the character code image of the paper sheets to obtain a character code captured image;
The optical information reader further includes a second character information acquisition unit that acquires second character information based on the character code captured image,
The optical symbol generator generates a second optical symbol from the second character information;
The display control unit causes the display unit to display a second reproduced symbol image representing the generated second optical symbol and the optical symbol captured image on the same screen on the display unit. The optical information reader according to claim 4,
The display control unit is an optical information reading device that causes the second reproduction symbol image and the optical symbol captured image to be superimposed and displayed on the display unit. In the optical information reader according to claim 4 or 5,
The optical symbol and the character code image both show character information consisting of a plurality of characters,
The optical information reader further includes a first character number that is the number of characters that can be read included in the first character information acquired by the first character information acquisition unit, and the second character information. A read character number comparison unit that compares the second character number that is the number of characters that can be read included in the second character information acquired by the character information acquisition unit;
The display control unit
When the first number of characters is equal to or greater than the second number of characters, the first reproduction symbol image and the optical symbol captured image are displayed on the same screen in the display unit,
An optical information reading apparatus that displays the second reproduced symbol image and the optical symbol captured image on the same screen on the display unit when the first number of characters is smaller than the second number of characters. In the optical information reader according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The optical symbol and the character code image both show character information consisting of a plurality of characters,
The optical information reading apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores the correction content and the type of the paper sheet in association with each other,
The image correction unit refers to the storage unit when at least a part of the plurality of characters cannot be read by the first character information acquisition unit with respect to the paper sheet. An optical information reading device that specifies the content of the correction associated with a paper sheet of the same type as the type, and executes the correction of the specified content. A method of reading an optical symbol placed on a surface of a paper sheet,
(A) imaging the paper sheet to obtain an optical symbol captured image;
(B) acquiring first character information based on the optical symbol captured image;
(C) generating a first optical symbol indicating the first character information based on the acquired first character information;
(D) displaying a first reproduction symbol image representing the generated first optical symbol and the optical symbol captured image on the same screen on a display unit;
(E) correcting the optical symbol captured image to obtain a corrected image;
A method comprising: A program for reading optical symbols arranged on the surface of a paper sheet,
A function of imaging the paper sheet to obtain an optical symbol captured image;
A function of acquiring first character information based on the optical symbol captured image;
A function of generating a first optical symbol indicating the first character information based on the acquired first character information;
A function of displaying the first reproduced symbol image representing the generated first optical symbol and the optical symbol captured image on the same screen in a display unit;
A function of correcting the optical symbol captured image to obtain a corrected image;
A program to make a computer realize.   Computer-readable recording paper on which the program according to claim 9 is recorded.

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