JP2019179526A - Individual identification device and individual management system - Google Patents

Abstract

To identify and manage individuals using patterns formed unintentionally by an operator in a manufacturing process of articles.SOLUTION: An individual identification device identifies an individual of an article using individual information generated in the individual of the article in a manufacturing process. Here, the individual information includes a discrimination pattern possessed by the individual, the position of the discrimination pattern in the individual, and feature point information related to a feature point generated in the discrimination pattern due to the material of the individual.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for identifying and managing individual articles.

  For the purpose of ensuring the traceability of the individual goods to be distributed, there is known a method for giving a pattern for individual identification to an industrial product or a product. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method of generating an individual pattern for individual identification and applying it to an article with a pen, liquid ink, stamp, laser, or the like. Patent Document 2 describes a method for determining the authenticity of agricultural, forestry and fishery products based on the skin pattern of the matching region of agricultural, forestry and fishery products.

International Publication No. WO2017 / 038432 JP 2017-10050 A

  With a technique such as Patent Document 1, it is difficult to give individual identification information to an article to which ink or the like cannot be applied without impairing the design of the article itself. On the other hand, with respect to Patent Document 2, it is possible to identify an individual using features that originally exist like agricultural products, but it is possible for a third party to forge a similar pattern.

  The main object of the present invention is to identify and manage an individual using a pattern formed unintentionally by an operator in an article manufacturing process.

  One aspect of the present invention is an individual identification device for identifying an individual of an article using individual information generated in the individual of an article in a manufacturing process, wherein the individual information includes an identification pattern possessed by the individual, and the individual A position of the identification pattern, and feature point information regarding a feature point generated in the identification pattern due to the material of the individual.

  The individual identification device identifies an individual of an article using individual information generated in the individual of the article in the manufacturing process. Here, the individual information includes an identification pattern possessed by the individual, a position of the identification pattern in the individual, and feature point information related to a feature point generated in the identification pattern due to the material of the individual. By using the feature point information related to the feature points generated in the identification pattern due to the material of the individual, it is possible to identify the individual of the article without giving the identification information to the article.

  In one aspect of the individual identification device, the identification pattern is a pattern of a specific shape that is determined for each article and formed on the individual using the material. In this aspect, a pattern having a specific shape formed on the article is used as an identification pattern.

  In another aspect of the above individual identification device, the feature point is a unique material or color in the material of the article. In a preferred embodiment, the material is a fiber, and the characteristic point is a specific material or color contained in the fiber. Here, the “unique material” includes a unique shape, pattern, twist, and the like. Particularly preferably, the fiber comprises a lame and the characteristic point is a part of the lame.

  In another aspect of the individual identification device, the feature point information includes at least one of the type, number, and position of the feature points included in the identification pattern. In this aspect, the individual can be accurately identified by using the type, number, and position of the feature points.

  In another aspect of the present invention, the individual management system stores the individual identification device, the individual identification information of the article, and the individual information storage that associates and stores the individual information generated in the individual of the article in the manufacturing process. A section. By storing the identification information of the individual item and the individual information in association with each other, the individual item can be managed.

  In another aspect of the present invention, an individual management system includes an individual information storage unit that stores individual identification information of an article in association with individual information generated in the individual of the article in a manufacturing process. By storing the identification information of the individual item and the individual information in association with each other, the individual item can be managed.

  One aspect of the individual management system includes an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image of an article, an extraction unit that extracts the individual information from the captured image, the individual information extracted by the extraction unit, and the individual information Individual identification means for identifying the individual by comparing with individual information stored in a storage unit. In this aspect, by comparing the individual information extracted from the photographed image provided from the outside with the individual information stored in the individual information storage unit, the individual of the article that is the source of the photographed image can be identified. it can.

  In another aspect of the individual management system, image acquisition means for acquiring a photographed image of the article, owner information acquisition means for acquiring owner information of the article, and extracting the individual information from the photographed image An individual identification unit for obtaining identification information of the individual by comparing the extraction unit, the individual information extracted by the extraction unit and the individual information stored in the individual information storage unit; and the individual identification And an owner information storage unit that stores the individual identification information acquired by the means and the owner information in association with each other. In this aspect, the owner information of the article can be stored in association with the identification information of the individual.

  In another aspect of the individual management system, the individual information is generated in the identification pattern due to an identification pattern of the article, a position of the identification pattern in the article, and a material of the article. And feature point information regarding the point. By using the feature point information regarding the feature points generated in the identification pattern due to the material of the individual, it is possible to identify and manage the individual of the article without giving the identification information to the article.

1 shows a configuration of an individual management system according to the present embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of a server apparatus. An example of an identification pattern provided on an individual product is shown. The example of the individual information memorize | stored in an individual information database is shown. The example of the member information memorize | stored in a member information database is shown. It is a flowchart of an individual information registration process. It is a flowchart of a member information registration process. It is a flowchart of a product confirmation process.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Configuration of individual management system]
FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an individual management system according to the present embodiment. The individual management system 1 is configured such that the server device 10, the store terminal 20, and the purchaser terminal 30 can communicate with each other through the network 5.

  The server device 10 is operated by a product manufacturing company or a sales company, stores identification information about the individual product, and manages the individual product. The dealer terminal 20 is a terminal device installed in a product dealer, and is used for registering information related to a purchaser of the product in the server device 10 when the product is sold as a product. The purchaser terminal 30 is a terminal device personally used by the purchaser of the product, and confirms whether the purchased product is genuine (genuine) (that is, authenticity) or repairs or supports the product. Used by purchasers when receiving etc. In FIG. 1, for convenience of illustration, the dealer terminal 20 and the purchaser terminal 30 are illustrated one by one. However, a large number of dealer terminals 20 and purchaser terminals 30 actually communicate with the server device 10. It will be.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an internal configuration of the server apparatus 10. The server device 10 includes a communication unit 11, an image processing unit 12, a control unit 13, a storage unit 14, an individual information database (hereinafter, “database” is referred to as “DB”) 15, and a member information DB 16. Is provided. These components can communicate with each other through a bus 18.

  The communication unit 11 performs necessary data communication between the store terminal 20 and the purchaser terminal 30 through the network 5. In particular, the communication unit 11 receives a captured image of a product identification pattern from the store terminal 20 or the purchaser terminal 30. The image processing unit 12 performs image processing for extracting feature points included in the identification pattern based on the captured image of the identification pattern received by the communication unit 11.

  The control unit 13 is configured by a CPU or the like, for example, and controls the entire server device 10. In particular, the control unit 13 executes individual information registration processing, member information registration processing, product confirmation processing, and the like, as will be described later.

  The storage unit 14 includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and stores programs for various processes executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 14 is also used as a working memory when various processes are executed.

  Individual information DB15 memorizes individual information about each product. Here, “individual information” is information for identifying an individual product. The member information DB 16 stores information related to members who are purchasers of products. In the present embodiment, only members can purchase products.

  In the above configuration, the product is an example of the article of the present invention, and the server device 10 is an example of the individual identification device and the individual management system of the present invention. The communication unit 11 is an example of the image acquisition unit and the owner information acquisition unit of the present invention, the image processing unit 12 is an example of the extraction unit of the present invention, and the control unit 13 is an example of the individual identification unit of the present invention. The individual information DB 15 is an example of the individual information storage unit of the present invention, and the member information DB 16 is an example of the owner information storage unit of the present invention.

[Individual information]
Next, individual product information will be described in detail. FIG. 3A shows a T-shirt 40 that is an example of a product in the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, three patterns 41 to 42 are provided on the front surface of the T-shirt 40 by floral embroidery as a design. The pattern 41 is at the left chest position of the T-shirt 40, the pattern 42 is at the lower right position of the T-shirt 40, and the pattern 43 is at the lower left position of the T-shirt 40. All T-shirts 40 as the same product have the same design, and patterns 41 to 43 are provided at these three locations. Here, in the present embodiment, it is assumed that the pattern 41 at the position of the left chest of the T-shirt 40 is used as an individual identification pattern (hereinafter simply referred to as “identification pattern”).

  In this case, a plurality of T-shirts 40 as the same product are all provided with an identification pattern 41 at the position of the left chest, but since this identification pattern 41 is embroidered using fibers (threads), the thread If the twisting and sewing methods are different, the identification patterns 41 provided on the individual T-shirts 40 are not the same. Further, when multi-colored yarns are used, the identification pattern 41 is not the same for each individual T-shirt 40 because the arrangement of the colored yarns in the formed embroidery is different. That is, each individual identification pattern 41 that is actually formed has individual characteristics resulting from the thread used for embroidery. Therefore, this identification pattern 41 can be used as individual information of the T-shirt 40.

  FIG. 3B shows, as an example of the identification pattern 41, an enlarged identification pattern 41 a formed on one individual with the T-shirt 40. In this example, a thread containing gold glitter is used for the embroidery of the flower pattern, and the identification pattern 41 a formed on the T-shirt 40 includes a plurality of gold glitters 45. It can be said that the gold glitter 45 is a feature point formed due to the feature of the yarn that is a material for creating the identification pattern 41a. Since the yarn with gold glitter as a material contains a plurality of gold glitters with different sizes, the identification pattern 41a formed by embroidery has a plurality of gold glitters 45 with different sizes as characteristic points. include.

  FIG. 3C shows the identification pattern 41b formed on another individual of the T-shirt 40 in an enlarged manner. Similarly, the identification pattern 41b is formed by embroidery with a thread with gold glitter, but due to the characteristics of the thread with gold glitter as a material, a position different from the identification pattern 41a shown in FIG. The gold glitter 45 of different sizes is included.

  In this way, even if the same gold glittering thread is embroidered on the T-shirt 40 of the same product to form the identification pattern 41 having the same shape, it is formed due to the characteristics of the gold glittering thread as the material. Different feature points occur in the identified identification pattern 41. That is, each individual identification pattern 41 has characteristic points that are unintentionally formed by the operator in the manufacturing process of the T-shirt 40 that is a product. Therefore, it is possible to identify the individual of the T-shirt 40 by using the information regarding the feature point as the individual information.

[Individual information DB]
FIG. 4 shows an example of individual information stored in the individual information DB 15. The individual information includes information related to the feature points included in the identification pattern and is stored for each product. Specifically, the individual information includes “product ID”, “identification pattern”, “identification pattern position”, “type of feature point”, “number of feature points”, “position of feature point”, “size of feature point” "including. Assume that the identification pattern 41a shown in FIG. 3B is the identification pattern of the product ID “P0000001”, and the identification pattern 41b shown in FIG. 3C is the identification pattern of the product ID “P0000002”.

  “Product ID” is product identification information, such as a product number uniquely assigned to each product. The “identification pattern” is a pattern used for individual identification that is determined in advance for each product, and one of patterns formed on the product based on the design of the product is used. “Identification pattern position” indicates a position where an identification pattern is provided in the product. In the example of FIG. 3A, the flower pattern 41 formed at the position of the left chest is used as the identification pattern for the T-shirt 40 that is a product. A flower pattern is stored, and “left chest” indicating the position of the identification pattern is stored in “identification pattern position”. Note that the “identification pattern position” indicates the position by coordinates in the coordinate system defined for the product, other than indicating the position based on the shape of the product such as “left chest”, “lower right”, etc. It is good as well.

  The “type of feature point” indicates the type of feature point included in the identification pattern. As mentioned above, feature points are characteristic parts produced by the material used to form the identification pattern. In the example of FIG. 3, since the identification pattern 41 is formed by embroidery of a thread with gold glitter, the “type of feature point” is “gold glitter”. There may be a plurality of feature points for one identification pattern. For example, when the identification pattern is formed by embroidery of multi-colored yarns, different color yarn portions (for example, a red portion and a blue yarn portion) may be used as feature points.

  The “number of feature points” indicates the number of feature points included in the identification pattern. In the identification pattern 41a shown in FIG. 3B, since there are a total of 10 gold glitters 45 as feature points, the number of feature points corresponding to the product ID “P0000001” is “10”. Further, since the identification pattern 41b shown in FIG. 3C has eight gold glitters 45 as feature points, the number of feature points corresponding to the product ID “P0000002” is “8”.

  “Feature point position” indicates the position of each feature point in the identification pattern. Specifically, a coordinate system including an identification pattern is defined, and the position coordinates of each feature point in the coordinate system are stored as the position of the feature point. In the case of a flower pattern identification pattern as shown in FIG. 3, an XY coordinate system is defined with the center of the flower pattern as the origin, and the position coordinate of each gold glitter 45 in the XY coordinate system is stored as the position of the feature point. do it. At the position of the feature point corresponding to the product ID “P0000001”, the positions of the ten gold lams 45 included in the identification pattern 41a shown in FIG. 3B are stored. In addition, the position of the eight gold glitters 45 included in the identification pattern 41b shown in FIG. 3C is stored at the position of the feature point corresponding to the product ID “P0000002”.

  The “feature point size” is information indicating the presence or position of a maximum feature point or a feature point of a predetermined size or more when there are a plurality of feature points. In the example of FIG. 3B, since the largest gold glitter 45x is in the upper left petal of the identification pattern 41a, information indicating that is stored in the “feature point size” of the product ID “P0000001”. Similarly, in the example of FIG. 3C, since the largest gold glitter 45y is present in the petal at the lower right of the identification pattern 41b, the “feature point size” of the product ID “P0000002” includes information indicating that fact. Remembered.

  In FIG. 4, the individual information of the product ID “P0000100” uses a star pattern as an identification pattern, and an example in which a red thread portion of multi-colored threads is used as a feature point. Show.

[Member information DB]
FIG. 5 shows an example of member information stored in the member information DB 16. Member information is prepared for each member, and includes “member ID”, “name”, “mail address”, and “product ID”. “Member ID” is an identification number uniquely assigned to each member. “Name” is the name of the member, and “Mail address” is an email address used by the member as a contact.

  “Product ID” is an identification number of a product purchased by each member, for example, a production number. As described above, the member information DB stores information indicating which products each member purchases and possesses. If a member has not yet purchased a product, the “Product ID” column is blank, and if a plurality of products have been purchased, all the product IDs are stored in the “Product ID” column. The A product manufacturer or sales company can smoothly repair and support a product after sale using the member information.

[Individual information registration process]
Next, the individual information registration process will be described. The individual information registration process is a process of generating individual information as shown in FIG. 4 for each individual product and registering it in the individual information DB 15 when the product is manufactured. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the individual information registration process. This process is basically executed by the server device 10. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 shows a process of registering individual information for an individual product.

  When a product is manufactured, an operator in a manufacturing company or the like captures an identification pattern of the individual product with a camera or the like to generate a captured image and supplies it to the server device 10. The server device 10 acquires a captured image of the identification pattern (step S11). In the example of FIG. 3, the worker generates a captured image of the identification pattern 41 provided on the left chest of the T-shirt 40. Since the identification pattern and the identification pattern position of each product are determined in advance, the information is given in advance to the worker. In the example of FIG. 3, the worker is given information that the identification pattern of this product (T-shirt 40) is a flower pattern embroidery provided on the left chest. The left chest identification pattern is taken.

  Next, the server device 10 analyzes the captured image using the image processing unit 12 and extracts feature points included in the captured image (step S12). In the example of FIG. 3, the image processing unit 12 extracts the gold glitter 45 included in the identification pattern 41 as a feature point. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the server device 10 generates information on the feature points extracted by the image processing unit 12 such as the type of feature points, the number of feature points, the position of the feature points, and the size of the feature points. (Step S13) and store it in the individual information DB 15 in association with the product ID. Then, the process ends. By performing this process for each individual product, individual information as illustrated in FIG. 4 is accumulated in the individual information DB 15.

[Membership information registration process]
Next, the member information registration process will be described. The member information registration process is a process in which when a product is purchased at a store, a member who is a purchaser is associated with an individual product and stored in the member information DB 16 as illustrated in FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the member information registration process. This process is executed by the store terminal 20 and the server device 10. Note that the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 shows a process of registering member information for an individual product.

  When a member purchases a product at a store, the store clerk shoots an individual identification pattern of the product with a camera or the like to generate a captured image (step S21). At this time, it is assumed that the store clerk knows the predetermined identification pattern and identification pattern position for each product. That is, in the example of FIG. 3, the salesclerk of the sales store is given information that the identification pattern of this product (T-shirt 40) is an embroidered flower pattern provided on the left chest. The identification pattern of the left chest of the T-shirt 40 is photographed.

  The obtained captured image is transmitted from the store terminal 20 to the server device 10 together with the purchaser's member ID (step S22). The server device 10 uses the image processing unit 12 to extract feature point information from the received captured image (step S23). The feature point information includes the types of feature points illustrated in FIG. 4, the number of feature points, the positions of feature points, the size of feature points, and the like.

  Next, the server device 10 searches the individual information DB 15 for individual information having feature point information that matches the feature point information acquired in step S23 (step S24). Then, the server device 10 acquires the product ID of the individual having the feature point information that matches the feature point information acquired in step S23, and registers it in the member information DB 16 in association with the member ID as illustrated in FIG. (Step S25). Thus, the member ID of the purchaser is associated with the product ID of the product in the member information DB 16 managed by the server device 10.

  And the server apparatus 10 transmits the registration result which shows that registration was completed to member information DB16 to the store terminal 20 (step S26). The dealer terminal 20 displays on the display device or the like that registration has been completed (step S27). Thus, the member information registration process ends. If no individual information with matching feature point information is found in step S24, the server device 10 transmits that fact to the dealer terminal 20 in step S26, and the dealer terminal 20 can register in step S27. Display that there was no.

  The member information registration process described above can also be used to prevent unauthorized resale of products. When a product is a limited product and has rare value, there may be a person who wants to make a profit by purchasing the product in large quantities and reselling it. In this embodiment, since the member information DB 16 stores the purchase history of past products for each member, members who purchase products for the purpose of resale as described above may not have purchased many of the same products. A natural history will remain. Therefore, the server device 10 can notify the dealer terminal 20 that sales should be stopped for members who have purchased many of the same products, and can stop sales to the members.

[Product confirmation process]
Next, the product confirmation process will be described. The product confirmation process is a process for a purchaser who has purchased a product to confirm whether or not the product is genuine (genuine). FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the product confirmation process. This process is executed by the purchaser terminal 30 and the server device 10.

  The purchaser who has purchased the product images the approximate position of the individual identification pattern of the product with a camera or the like, and generates a captured image (step S31). At this time, it is assumed that the purchaser knows the approximate position of the identification pattern of the product. For example, a tag or manual attached to the product contains a message such as “Please take a picture of the left chest when checking the product.” The buyer refers to this message, The area around the left chest of the T-shirt 40 is photographed. The captured image is transmitted from the purchaser terminal 30 to the server device 10 (step S32).

  The server device 10 generates feature point information from the received captured image (step S33), and searches the individual information DB 15 for individual information having feature point information that matches the feature point information (step S34). And the server apparatus 10 acquires a search result (step S35), transmits to the purchaser terminal 30 (step S36), and the purchaser terminal 30 displays a search result (step S37). Specifically, when individual information with matching feature point information is found in the individual information DB 15, a search result indicating that the product is a genuine product is transmitted from the server device 10 to the purchaser terminal 30, and the purchaser terminal 30 30. On the other hand, when individual information with matching feature point information is not found in the individual information DB 15, a search result indicating that the product is not a genuine product is transmitted from the server device 10 to the purchaser terminal 30 and displayed on the purchaser terminal 30. Is done.

  In this way, according to the product confirmation process, a purchaser who has purchased a product, particularly a purchaser who has purchased a product from a store other than an authorized retailer, can check whether or not the product is genuine. can do. In addition, about the product confirmed as the regular goods in the server apparatus 10, you may enable it to perform procedures, such as registration to member information DB16, as it is according to a purchaser's wish.

  In addition, a product manufacturer or sales company can use a product confirmation process to repair or support only a genuine product. That is, when the purchaser receives a product repair or support inquiry, the server device 10 requests the purchaser to transmit a photographed image at an approximate position of the identification pattern, and the product is determined based on the photographed image transmitted. It is determined whether the product is genuine. The server device 10 can accept repairs and support for genuine products and reject repairs and support for products other than regular products. If the product is a genuine product, it is desirable that not only the person who purchased the product directly from a regular store but also a secondary purchaser can receive repairs and support.

  In addition, an illegal reseller can be identified using the product confirmation process. For example, a person who finds a high-price resale on the Internet or the like generates image data of an identification pattern portion from a product image and transmits it to the server device 10. First, the server apparatus 10 analyzes the transmitted image data to generate feature point information, and searches the individual information DB to identify the product ID. Next, the server device 10 searches the member information DB 16 and identifies the person who purchased the product. In this way, the purchaser who is reselling can be identified.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, a thread containing gold glitter is used as the material for forming the identification pattern, and the color of the thread (gold glitter) is used as a feature point of the material. In addition, a material unique to the material may be used. The “unique material” includes a unique shape, pattern, twist, and the like in the material.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Individual management system 10 Server apparatus 11 Communication part 12 Image processing part 13 Control part 15 Individual information DB
16 Member information DB
20 Dealer terminal 30 Purchaser terminal

Claims (11)

An individual identification device for identifying an individual of an article using individual information generated in the individual of the article in a manufacturing process,
The individual information includes an identification pattern possessed by the individual, a position of the identification pattern in the individual, and feature point information regarding a feature point generated in the identification pattern due to the material of the individual. An individual identification device.   The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein the identification pattern is a pattern having a specific shape that is determined for each article and is formed on the individual using the material.   The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic point is a unique material or color in the material of the article.   The individual identification device according to claim 3, wherein the material is a fiber, and the feature point is a unique material or color included in the fiber.   The individual identification device according to claim 4, wherein the fiber includes a lame, and the feature point is a portion of the lame.   The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein the feature point information includes at least one of a type, a number, and a position of the feature points included in the identification pattern. The individual identification device according to claim 1,
An individual information storage unit for storing the identification information of the individual of the article and the individual information generated in the individual of the article in the manufacturing process in association with each other;
An individual management system comprising:   An individual management system comprising an individual information storage unit that stores individual identification information of an article and individual information generated in the individual of the article in a manufacturing process in association with each other. Image acquisition means for acquiring a photographed image of the article;
Extracting means for extracting the individual information from the photographed image;
Individual identification means for identifying the individual by comparing the individual information extracted by the extraction means and the individual information stored in the individual information storage unit;
An individual management system according to claim 8. Image acquisition means for acquiring a photographed image of the article;
Owner information acquisition means for acquiring owner information of the article;
Extracting means for extracting the individual information from the photographed image;
Individual identification means for obtaining identification information of the individual by comparing the individual information extracted by the extraction means and the individual information stored in the individual information storage unit;
An owner information storage unit for storing the identification information of the individual acquired by the individual identification means and the owner information in association with each other;
An individual management system according to claim 8.   The individual information includes an identification pattern included in the article, a position of the identification pattern in the article, and feature point information regarding a feature point generated in the identification pattern due to the material of the article. The individual management system according to any one of claims 8 to 10.