JP2020069204A - Posture determination device and posture determination method for cloth, and cloth - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a device capable of automatically determining a posture of cloth.SOLUTION: A posture determination device AA determines a posture of square-shaped cloth C1 having a posture tag 21 on one or both of two diagonal corner parts 13 and 13 uniquely defined in a positional relation between vertical/horizontal directions and front/back surfaces. The posture determination device AA comprises a conveyance device 30 for conveying the cloth C1 in a vertical direction, a camera 41 for imaging one surface of the cloth C1 being conveyed by the conveyance device 30, and an image processing device 43 to which an image captured by the camera 41 is input. The image processing device 43 specifies a position of the corner part 13 on which the posture tag 21 is attached according to the image and determines a direction of the front/back surfaces of the cloth C1 on the basis of the specification result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a cloth posture determination device, a posture determination method, and a cloth. More specifically, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for determining the posture of a cloth such as the front and back directions of the cloth, and a fabric suitable for determining the posture.

  Towels, sheets and other cloths are used in large quantities in hotels and hospitals. It is general that used cloths are collected, washed, dried and folded at a laundry factory, transported to a hotel or hospital, and used there. A laundry factory folds washed and dried cloth using a folding device (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP, 2014-117489, A

  Some cloths have a logo mark. This kind of cloth is required to be folded so that the logo mark appears on the outside. For that purpose, it is necessary to put the cloth into the folding device in a correct posture such as front and back directions. Conventionally, a worker has been working to correct the posture of the cloth, and there has been a problem that the burden on the worker is heavy.

  In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method capable of automatically determining the posture of cloth. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cloth suitable for discriminating a posture.

The cloth posture determining apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a rectangular shape in which a posture tag is attached to one or both of two corner portions that are uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. A posture determining device for determining the posture of the cloth, the conveying device conveying the cloth in a vertical direction, a camera for photographing one side of the cloth conveyed by the conveying device, An image processing device to which an image captured by a camera is input, wherein the image processing device identifies the position of the corner part to which the posture tag is attached from the image, and based on the result, It is characterized in that the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth is determined.
A cloth posture determining apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is a rectangular cloth having a first posture tag attached to a first corner that is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. A posture determination device for determining a posture, comprising a transport device for transporting the cloth in a vertical direction, a camera for capturing one side of the fabric transported by the transport device, and an image captured by the camera. And an image processing device to which an image is input. The image processing device identifies the position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached from the image, and based on the result, It is characterized in that the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth and the orientation of the upper and lower edges are determined.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cloth posture determining apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the cloth has a second corner portion uniquely defined by a positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. The position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached from the image or the second corner to which the second posture tag is attached is attached to the image processing device. It is characterized in that the positions of the parts are specified, and the orientations of the front and back surfaces and the orientations of the upper and lower edges of the cloth are determined based on the result.
The cloth posture determining apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the cloth posture determining apparatus according to the first, second or third aspect, wherein the cloth has one or more combinations of color, size, attachment position and number. One or a plurality of type tags uniquely determined for the types are attached, and the image processing apparatus identifies the type of cloth based on the one or a plurality of type tags included in the image. It is characterized by
A cloth posture determination method according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a rectangular shape in which a posture tag is attached to one or both of two corner portions that are uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. Is a method for determining the posture of a cloth, wherein an image is obtained by photographing one surface of the cloth conveyed in the vertical direction, and the corner to which the posture tag is attached is obtained from the image. It is characterized in that the positions of the parts are specified, and the orientations of the front and back surfaces of the cloth are determined based on the result.
A cloth orientation determination method according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a method for determining the orientation of a rectangular piece of cloth in which a first orientation tag is attached to a first corner that is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the top and bottom edges. A posture determination method for determining a posture, wherein an image is obtained by photographing one surface of the cloth conveyed in a vertical direction, and the first corner to which the first posture tag is attached from the image. It is characterized in that the positions of the parts are specified, and the orientations of the front and back surfaces and the orientations of the upper and lower edges of the cloth are determined based on the result.
The cloth posture determining method according to a seventh aspect is the sixth aspect, wherein in the sixth aspect, the cloth has a second corner portion uniquely determined by a positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. Two posture tags are attached, and the position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached or the position of the second corner portion to which the second posture tag is attached is specified from the image. The orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth are determined based on the result.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cloth attitude determination method according to the fifth, sixth or seventh invention, wherein the cloth has one or more combinations of a color, a size, a mounting position and a number. One or a plurality of type tags uniquely determined for the types are attached, and the type of cloth is identified based on the one or a plurality of type tags included in the image.
The cloth of the ninth aspect of the invention is a square-shaped cloth with distinction between the vertical and horizontal directions and a distinction between the front and back surfaces, and has a diagonal shape uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. A posture tag is attached to one or both of the two corners located.
The cloth of the tenth aspect of the invention is a rectangular cloth having vertical and horizontal directions, front and back surfaces, and upper and lower edges located at both ends in the vertical direction. A first attitude tag is attached to a first corner portion uniquely determined by a positional relationship between the back surface and the upper and lower edges.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the cloth according to the eleventh aspect, a second posture tag is attached to a second corner portion uniquely determined by a positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. Characterize.
According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, in the ninth, tenth, or eleventh aspect, one or more combinations of color, size, attachment position, and number are uniquely determined for the type of fabric. Alternatively, a plurality of types of tags are attached.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth can be automatically determined based on the positions of the corners to which the posture tags are attached. Further, since it is relatively easy to specify the position of the posture tag by image processing, the posture determination accuracy is high.
According to the second aspect of the invention, the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth can be automatically determined based on the position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached.
According to the third aspect of the invention, the posture of the cloth is determined based on either the first posture tag or the second posture tag. Therefore, even if one of the tags cannot be recognized due to the corner break of the cloth, the posture of the cloth can be recognized. Can be determined.
According to the fourth aspect, the type of cloth can be identified based on the type tag.
According to the fifth aspect, the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth can be determined based on the positions of the corners to which the posture tags are attached.
According to the sixth aspect, the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth can be determined based on the position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached.
According to the seventh aspect, the posture of the cloth is determined based on either the first posture tag or the second posture tag. Therefore, even if one of the tags cannot be recognized due to the corner break of the cloth, the posture of the cloth can be recognized. Can be determined.
According to the eighth aspect, the type of cloth can be identified based on the type tag.
According to the ninth aspect, the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth can be determined based on the positions of the corners to which the posture tags are attached.
According to the tenth aspect, the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth can be determined based on the position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached.
According to the eleventh aspect, the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth can be determined based on either the first orientation tag or the second orientation tag.
According to the twelfth invention, the type of cloth can be identified based on the type tag.

FIG. 1A is a view of a first type cloth having a posture tag attached to one corner, as viewed from the front with the vertical direction aligned with the vertical direction. FIG. 2B is a view of a first type cloth having posture tags attached to two corners, viewed from the front with the vertical direction aligned with the vertical direction. FIG. 6B is a view of a second type cloth having a posture tag attached to one corner, as viewed from the front with the vertical direction aligned with the vertical direction and the upper edge facing up. FIG. 6B is a view of a second type cloth having posture tags attached to two corners, viewed from the front with the vertical direction aligned with the vertical direction and the upper edge facing up. It is a side view of a posture determination device and a folding device. It is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the inspection table of the posture determination device. It is a block diagram of a posture determination device and a folding device. It is an explanatory view of cloth with a kind tag.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
The posture determination device AA according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention determines the posture of the cloth C. First, the cloth C that is an object of posture determination will be described.

(Clothes)
The cloth C has a rectangular shape having four corners. The cloth C may be rectangular or square. Examples of this type of cloth C include towels, sheets, duvet covers, wrapping cloths, and pillow cases. There are a plurality of types of cloth C. The first type and the second type will be described below. In the following description, the symbol C1 means the first type cloth. Reference numeral C2 means a second type of cloth. When the type of cloth is not distinguished, the code C is used.

-First type The first type cloth C1 is distinguished in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the front and back sides are distinguished. However, there is no distinction between the upper and lower edges of the first type cloth C1.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (A), the first type cloth C1 has a pair of parallel side edges 11 and 11 and a pair of parallel end edges 12 and 12. The one side edge 11 and the one edge 12 intersect perpendicularly. For example, the cloth C1 is rectangular, and there is a distinction between the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction. In such a case, the cloth C1 is distinguished in the vertical and horizontal directions. That is, the longitudinal direction corresponds to the vertical direction and the lateral direction corresponds to the lateral direction. The longitudinal direction may correspond to the lateral direction and the lateral direction may correspond to the longitudinal direction. The vertical and horizontal directions are collectively referred to as the vertical and horizontal directions.

  For example, the cloth C1 is provided with the logo mark M by jacquard weaving, embroidery, printing or the like. In such a case, the cloth C1 is distinguished between the front surface and the back surface. That is, the surface where the logo mark M appears as a normal image (an image that is normally viewed) corresponds to the front surface, and the surface where the logo mark M appears as a mirror image or the surface where the logo mark M does not appear corresponds to the back surface. The front surface and the back surface are collectively referred to as front and back surfaces.

  For example, the cloth C1 is provided with two logo marks M, M. Moreover, the two logo marks M, M are rotationally symmetrical by 180 ° around the center of the cloth C1. For example, a logo mark M is provided along each of the two end edges 12, and the upper portions of both logo marks M, M face the center of the cloth C1. In such a case, the upper and lower edges of the cloth C1 are not distinguished from each other. Here, the upper and lower edges correspond to the pair of edges 12, 12. It is not possible to distinguish which of the edges 12 is the upper edge and which is the lower edge.

  In the first type cloth C1, the diagonal can be uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. For example, the vertical direction of the cloth C1 is aligned with the vertical direction, and in the state viewed from the surface (the state shown in FIG. 1A), the upper left and lower right diagonals 13, 13 can be uniquely specified. Further, the diagonals 14, 14 at the upper right and the lower left can be uniquely specified. That is, the diagonals 13 and 13 and the diagonals 14 and 14 can be distinguished from each other based on the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. The upper left corner 13 and the lower right corner 13 cannot be distinguished. Further, the upper right corner 14 and the lower left corner 14 cannot be distinguished.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the cloth C1 has a posture tag 21 attached to one of the two corners 13, 13. Here, the two corners 13 and 13 are located in a diagonal direction that is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. The other diagonal corners 14 and 14 may be selected as the corners to which the posture tag 21 is attached. Which of the diagonals 13 and 13 and the diagonals 14 and 14 is selected may be determined in advance.

  The posture tag 21 is not particularly limited, but may be a monochrome plain tag. The color of the posture tag 21 is preferably different from that of the cloth of the cloth C1. The attachment method of the posture tag 21 is not particularly limited. If it is a towel, the posture tag 21 may be sewn at the time of sewing the hem (the sewing portion of the edge 12). The posture tag 21 may be sewn when the Mimi (the sewn portion of the side edge 11) is sewn. The posture tag 21 may appear on both the front and back surfaces of the cloth C1, or may appear on only one of them.

  In this way, since the cloth C1 is attached with the posture tag 21, it is possible to determine the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C1 based on the position of the corner portion 13 to which the posture tag 21 is attached. Specifically, when the corner 13 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is located at the upper left or the lower right, it can be determined that the surface of the cloth C1 appears. Further, when the corner portion 13 with the posture tag 21 is located at the upper right or the lower left, it can be determined that the back surface of the cloth C1 is exposed.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the posture tags 21 may be attached to both of the two corners 13, 13. In this case, the same type of tags (having the same color and size) are used as the two posture tags 21. In this case as well, the orientations of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C1 can be similarly determined based on the position of the corner portion 13 to which the posture tag 21 is attached.

-Second type The second type cloth C2 has vertical and horizontal directions, front and back sides, and upper and lower edges. Here, the upper and lower edges are located at both ends in the vertical direction of the cloth C2.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (A), the second type cloth C2 has the same vertical and horizontal directions as the first type cloth C1 and the front and back surfaces. Further, one of the pair of edges 12a and 12b is the upper edge 12a and the other is the lower edge 12b. For example, the cloth C2 is provided with one logo mark M. In such a case, the upper and lower edges of the cloth C2 are distinguished from each other. The upper edge 12a and the lower edge 12b are distinguished from each other in accordance with the upper and lower sides of the logo mark M. The upper edge 12a and the lower edge 12b are collectively referred to as upper and lower edges.

  In the second type cloth C2, one corner can be uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. For example, with the vertical direction of the cloth C2 aligned with the vertical direction, with the upper edge 12a facing upward, when viewed from the surface (the state shown in FIG. 2A), the upper left corner 15 and the lower right corner 16 are shown. , The upper right corner 17 and the lower left corner 18 can be uniquely specified. That is, each of the four corners 15 to 18 can be distinguished from each other in the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the positional relationship with the upper and lower edges.

  As shown in FIG. 2 (A), a posture tag 21 is attached to one corner 15 of the cloth C2. Here, the corner portion 15 is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. The other corners 16 to 18 may be selected as the corners to which the posture tag 21 is attached. Which of the corners 15 to 18 should be selected may be determined in advance.

  In this way, since the cloth C2 is attached with the posture tag 21, the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the top and bottom edges of the cloth C2 is determined based on the position of the corner portion 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached. it can. Specifically, when the corner 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is located at the upper left or the lower right, it can be determined that the surface of the cloth C2 appears. Further, when the corner portion 15 with the posture tag 21 is located at the upper right or the lower left, it can be determined that the back surface of the cloth C2 appears. Further, when the corner portion 15 with the posture tag 21 is located at the upper left or the upper right, it can be determined that the upper edge 12a of the cloth C2 is facing upward. Further, when the corner portion 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is located at the lower right or the lower left, it can be determined that the upper edge 12a of the cloth C2 is facing downward.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the posture tags 21 and 22 may be attached to the two corners 15 and 16. For convenience of description, one corner portion 15 is referred to as a first corner portion 15, and the other corner portion 16 is referred to as a second corner portion 16. Further, the posture tag 21 attached to the first corner portion 15 is referred to as a first posture tag 21, and the posture tag 22 attached to the second corner portion 16 is referred to as a second posture tag 22.

  The second corner portion 16 is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. The second corner portion 16 may be a corner portion different from the first corner portion 15. The second corner portion 16 may or may not be diagonal to the first corner portion 15. Other corners 17 and 18 may be selected as the corners to which the second posture tag 22 is attached. Which of the corners 16 to 18 should be selected may be determined in advance. Different types of tags (different in color or size) are used as the first and second attitude tags 21 and 22.

  Also in this case, the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth C2 can be determined based on either the first orientation tag 21 or the second orientation tag 22.

(Attitude determination device)
Next, the configuration of the attitude determination device AA will be described.
The posture determination device AA only needs to include a camera that captures the cloth C and an image processing device that receives an image captured by the camera, and its mechanical configuration is not particularly limited. Hereinafter, an example of the configuration of the attitude determination device AA will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the posture determination device AA of the present embodiment is configured integrally with an inspection device that inspects the quality of the cloth C. In other words, the function as the attitude determination device AA is added to the inspection device. The posture determination device AA and the inspection device may be independent devices.

  The attitude determination device AA includes a transport device 30 that transports the cloth C. The transfer device 30 includes a first conveyor 31, a second conveyor 32, and a third conveyor 33. The first conveyor 31 is a conveyor into which the worker puts in the cloth C that has been washed and dried. The second conveyor 32 is connected to the downstream end of the first conveyor 31. The third conveyor 33 is connected to the downstream end of the second conveyor 32.

  The worker spreads one edge 12 of the cloth C to the left and right and places it on the first conveyor 31. The first conveyor 31 conveys the cloth C in its machine direction in the back direction of the machine. Therefore, the cloth C is conveyed with the vertical direction being along the conveying direction. That is, the carrying device 30 carries the cloth C in the vertical direction.

  The attitude determination device AA includes two cameras 41 and 42. The first camera 41 is arranged above the device. The first camera 41 captures an image of the upper surface of the cloth C being conveyed by the conveying device 30. The second camera 42 is arranged at the bottom of the device. The second camera 42 captures an image of the lower surface of the cloth C conveyed by the conveyor 30.

  In addition, the surface of the cloth C facing upward when being conveyed by the conveying device 30 is referred to as an “upper surface”. The surface of the cloth C that faces downward is referred to as the “lower surface”. The upper surface may be the front surface or the back surface. The lower surface may be the back surface or the front surface.

  The attitude determination device AA may include at least one camera 41. When the posture tag 21 is attached so as to appear on both the front and back surfaces of the cloth C, the position of the posture tag 21 can be determined simply by photographing one surface (upper surface or lower surface) of the cloth C with one camera 41. Can be specified. When the posture tag 21 is attached so as to appear on only one of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C, it is necessary to photograph both surfaces (upper surface and lower surface) with the two cameras 41 and 42. The position of the posture tag 21 can be specified from the images taken by either of the cameras 41 and 42.

  As the first and second cameras 41, 42, for example, a line camera that linearly captures the cloth C along its lateral direction is used.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an inspection table 50 is provided between the downstream end of the second conveyor 32 and the upstream end of the third conveyor 33. The inspection table 50 includes a dark color portion 51 and a light transmitting portion 52. The dark color portion 51 may have a darker color than the cloth of the cloth C, and black, gray, or the like is selected. It is sufficient that the light transmitting portion 52 allows light to pass therethrough, and is preferably colorless and transparent. It should be noted that a gap may be provided instead of providing the transparent portion 52 on the inspection table 50.

  A light source 53 is provided around the inspection table 50. The optical axis of the first camera 41 is set to reach the dark color portion 51. When the cloth C passes over the dark color portion 51, the upper surface thereof is illuminated by the light source 53. The first camera 41 captures the reflected light of the cloth C passing through the dark color portion 51.

  The optical axis of the second camera 42 is set so as to reach the transparent portion 52. When the cloth C passes over the transparent portion 52, the light emitted from the light source 53 is transmitted from the upper surface to the lower surface. The second camera 42 captures the transmitted light of the cloth C that passes through the transparent portion 52.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cloth C discharged from the attitude determination device AA is supplied to the processing device of the next step. The processing device in the next step is, for example, a folding device FM that folds the cloth C. The folding device FM has a mechanism for folding the cloth C.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the attitude determination device AA has an image processing device 43. The image processing device 43 is a computer including a CPU and a memory. The images of the cloth C captured by the first and second cameras 41 and 42 are input to the image processing device 43.

  The image processing device 43 determines the posture of the cloth C based on the image of the cloth C. That is, it is determined whether the surface of the cloth C faces upward or downward. Further, it is determined whether the upper edge of the cloth C faces the upstream side or the downstream side in the transport direction.

  As described above, the attitude determination device AA has a function as an inspection device. The image processing device 43 compares the reflected light image of the cloth C photographed by the first camera 41 with the transmitted light image of the cloth C photographed by the second camera 42 to check for defects such as holes and stains. Determine the presence or absence.

  The folding device FM includes a control unit 60. The control unit 60 is a computer including a CPU, a memory, and the like, and has a function of controlling each mechanism included in the folding device FM. For example, the control unit 60 controls the operations of the reversing device 61 and the stack unit 62.

  The reversing device 61 is a device that changes the posture of the cloth C. The reversing device 61 has a function of reversing at least the front and back surfaces of the cloth C. The reversing device 61 may have a function of reversing the upper and lower edges of the cloth C. The stack portion 62 is a device for stacking the cloths C by type.

  The image processing device 43 inputs the determination result of the posture of the cloth C to the control unit 60. Then, the control unit 60 operates the reversing device 61 based on the determination result, and reverses the cloth C as necessary. Thereby, the cloth C can be appropriately folded. For example, the cloth C can be folded such that the logo mark M appears on the outside.

(Posture determination method)
Next, a method for determining the posture of the cloth C will be described.
The cloth C loaded into the attitude determination device AA is transported by the transport device 30. At this time, the cloth C is photographed by the first and second cameras 41 and 42, and an image including the cloth C is obtained. Here, the cloth C is conveyed in a state where the longitudinal direction is along the conveying direction. Therefore, the cloth C included in the image is arranged so that the vertical and horizontal directions always face a specific direction (vertical direction).

  The image processing device 43 determines the posture of the cloth C by using one of the two images captured by the first and second cameras 41 and 42 that includes the posture tag 21. Hereinafter, the details of the determination process will be sequentially described for each of the first type and the second type.

First type As shown in FIG. 1A, the posture tag 21 is attached to one corner 13 of the first type cloth C1. Here, the corner portion 13 is located in a diagonal direction that is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. For example, the corners 13 are located at either the upper left corner or the lower right corner in a state in which the vertical direction of the cloth C1 is aligned with the vertical direction and viewed from the surface (the state illustrated in FIG. 1A). This positional relationship is stored in the image processing device 43 in advance.

  First, the image processing device 43 identifies the position of the corner portion 13 to which the posture tag 21 is attached from the image of the cloth C1. Depending on the posture of the cloth C1, the corner portion 13 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is located at any of the upper left, lower right, upper right, and lower left.

  Next, the image processing device 43 determines the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C1 based on the position specification result of the corner portion 13. When the positional relationship of the corners 13 is as described above, the judgment is made as follows. When the corner portion 13 with the posture tag 21 is located at the upper left or the lower right, it is determined that the surface of the cloth C1 appears in the image. When the corner portion 13 with the posture tag 21 is located at the upper right or the lower left, it is determined that the back surface of the cloth C1 appears in the image.

  When the image captured by the first camera 41 is used, the following determination is made. When the surface of the cloth C1 appears in the image, it is determined that the surface of the cloth C1 faces upward. When the back surface of the cloth C1 appears in the image, it is determined that the front surface of the cloth C1 faces downward. When the image captured by the second camera 42 is used, the orientations of the front and back sides are opposite.

  In this way, the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C1 can be automatically determined based on the position of the corner portion 13 to which the posture tag 21 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 1 (B), the judgment in the case where the posture tags 21 are attached to both of the two corner portions 13 and 13 located diagonally is basically the same as the above. The orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C1 may be determined based on one of the two posture tags 21. Here, it is not necessary to distinguish the two posture tags 21. Therefore, the same kind of tags may be used as the two posture tags 21.

  Since the cloth C1 has flexibility, its shape is likely to change. When a worker puts the cloth C1 on the first conveyor 31, the corner may be turned up when the cloth C1 transfers between the conveyors. This is called "corner break". If the corner portion 13 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is turned over, the posture tag 21 may be hidden and cannot be recognized.

  On the other hand, when the posture tag 21 is attached to the two corners 13 and 13, even when one of the posture tags 21 cannot be recognized due to the corner of the cloth C1, the other posture tag 21 can be recognized, The posture of the cloth C1 can be determined. Since the probability that the posture tag 21 can be recognized becomes high, the posture of the cloth C1 can be easily determined.

-Second type As shown in Fig. 2 (A), the posture tag 21 is attached to one corner 15 of the second type cloth C2. Here, the corner portion 15 is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. For example, the vertical direction of the cloth C2 is aligned with the vertical direction, the upper edge 12a is facing upward, and the corner 15 is located at the upper left in a state viewed from the surface (the state shown in FIG. 2A). This positional relationship is stored in the image processing device 43 in advance.

  First, the image processing device 43 identifies the position of the corner 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached from the image of the cloth C2. Depending on the posture of the cloth C2, the corner portion 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is located at any of the upper left, lower right, upper right, and lower left.

  Next, the image processing device 43 determines the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C2 based on the position specification result of the corner portion 15. When the positional relationship of the corner portion 15 is as described above, it is determined as follows. When the corner 15 with the posture tag 21 is located at the upper left or the lower right, it is determined that the surface of the cloth C2 appears in the image. When the corner 15 with the posture tag 21 is located at the upper right or the lower left, it is determined that the back surface of the cloth C2 appears in the image.

  When the image captured by the first camera 41 is used, the following determination is made. When the surface of the cloth C2 appears in the image, it is determined that the surface of the cloth C2 faces upward. When the back surface of the cloth C2 appears in the image, it is determined that the front surface of the cloth C2 faces downward. When the image captured by the second camera 42 is used, the orientations of the front and back sides are opposite.

  Further, the image processing device 43 determines the direction of the upper and lower edges of the cloth C2 based on the result of specifying the position of the corner portion 15. When the positional relationship of the corner portion 15 is as described above, it is determined as follows. When the corner 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is located at the upper left or the upper right, it is determined that the upper edge 12a of the cloth C2 is downstream in the transport direction. Further, when the corner portion 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached is located at the lower right or the lower left, it is determined that the upper edge 12a of the cloth C2 is upstream in the transport direction.

  In this way, the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth C2 can be automatically determined based on the position of the corner portion 15 to which the posture tag 21 is attached.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the determination in the case where the first corner portion 15 has the first posture tag 21 and the second corner portion 16 has the second posture tag 22 is basically determined. The same as above. The orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth C2 may be determined based on one of the first and second posture tags 21 and 22.

  First, the image processing device 43 identifies the position of the first corner portion 15 to which the first posture tag 21 is attached, from the image of the cloth C2. Alternatively, the image processing device 43 identifies the position of the second corner portion 16 to which the second posture tag 22 is attached, from the image of the cloth C2. Here, when both the first and second attitude tags 21 and 22 can be recognized, the position of one of the predetermined tags may be specified. When only one of the first and second attitude tags 21 and 22 can be recognized, the position of the tag that can be recognized may be specified.

  Next, the image processing device 43 determines the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth C2 based on the position specification result of the first corner portion 15 or the second corner portion 16. Here, it is necessary to distinguish between the first posture tag 21 and the second posture tag 22. Therefore, different types of tags are used as the first and second attitude tags 21 and 22. For example, the first posture tag 21 and the second posture tag 22 are distinguished by the difference in color and size.

  In this way, since the posture of the cloth C2 is determined based on either the first posture tag 21 or the second posture tag 22, even if one of the tags cannot be recognized due to the corner break of the cloth C2, the cloth C2 can be recognized. The posture can be determined. Since the probability that the posture tag 21 can be recognized becomes high, the posture of the cloth C2 can be easily determined.

  As described above, according to the posture determination device AA of the present embodiment, the posture of the cloth C can be determined from the image of the cloth C photographed. Here, the posture determination device AA determines the posture of the cloth C based on the position of the posture tag 21. Therefore, it is not necessary to identify the fine characters attached to the posture tag 21, the logo mark M attached to the cloth C, and the like. Since it is relatively easy to specify the position of the posture tag 21 by image processing, the posture determination accuracy is high.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the determination result of the posture determination device AA (the posture of the cloth C) is input to the folding device FM in the next step. The reversing device 61 reverses the cloth C as necessary to bring it into a desired posture. Thereby, the cloth C can be appropriately folded.

  As described above, with the configuration in which the cloth C is automatically inverted, the worker does not have to properly adjust the posture when the cloth C is thrown in. The worker can perform the loading work without being aware of the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth C and the orientation of the upper and lower edges. Therefore, the work is simplified and the productivity is improved.

[Second Embodiment]
The attitude determination device AA according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention determines the type of the cloth C in addition to or instead of determining the attitude of the cloth C. First, the cloth C3 that is an object of type identification will be described.

(Clothes)
The cloth C3 may be the first type, the second type, or any other type. The cloth C3 has various attributes such as a delivery destination (user of the cloth C3 at a hotel or hospital), a purchase year, a size, and the like. The cloth C3 to be processed by the linen equipment is classified according to these attributes. Then, the cloth C3 is sorted by type.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the type tag 23 is attached to the cloth C3. The type tag 23 has a function of indicating the type of cloth C3. The color of the type tag 23 may indicate the type of cloth C3. In this case, the color of the type tag 23 is uniquely determined for the type of cloth C3. The size of the type tag 23 may indicate the type of cloth C3. In this case, the size of the type tag 23 is uniquely determined for the type of cloth C3. The attachment position of the type tag 23 may indicate the type of cloth C3. Here, the attachment position means the distance between the side edge 11 and / or the edge 12 and the type tag 23. In this case, the attachment position of the type tag 23 is uniquely determined for the type of cloth C3. The number of type tags 23 may indicate the type of cloth C3. Here, the number of type tags 23 may be considered as the number of tags attached to one corner, or may be considered as the total number of tags attached to the cloth C3. In this case, the number of type tags 23 is uniquely determined for the type of cloth C3. You may show the kind of cloth C3 by combining arbitrarily selected from the color, the size, the attachment position, and the number. In this case, a plurality of arbitrarily selected combinations of color, size, mounting position and number are uniquely determined for the type of cloth C3.

  In this way, since the type tag 23 is attached to the cloth C3, the type of the cloth C3 can be identified based on the type tag 23.

  The type tag 23 can be shared with the posture tag 21 of the first embodiment. That is, while one tag is used as the attitude tag 21, it can be used as the type tag 23.

(Attitude determination device)
The mechanical configuration of the attitude determination device AA according to the second embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment. The posture determination device AA identifies the type of cloth C3 in the following procedure.

  The image of the cloth C3 captured by the first and second cameras 41 and 42 is input to the image processing device 43. The image processing device 43 identifies the type of the cloth C3 by using one of the two images captured by the first and second cameras 41 and 42 that includes the type tag 23.

  In the image processing device 43, the correspondence relationship between the form (color, size, attachment position, number) of the type tag 23 and the type of cloth C3 is stored in advance. For example, the correspondence between the color of the type tag 23 and the type of cloth C3 is stored.

  First, the image processing device 43 recognizes the form of one or a plurality of type tags 23 included in the image of the cloth C3. That is, the image processing device 43 recognizes the color, size, attachment position, and number of the type tags 23. Next, the image processing device 43 identifies the type of cloth C3 based on the recognition result of the type tag 23.

  As described above, according to the posture determination device AA of the present embodiment, the type of the cloth C3 can be identified based on the type tag 23. As shown in FIG. 5, the identification result (type of cloth C3) of the posture determination device AA is input to the folding device FM in the next step. The stack portion 62 stacks the cloths C3 by type. As a result, the cloth C3 is sorted.

  As a method of identifying the type of the cloth C3, it is possible to read the logo mark M attached to the cloth C3. However, since the cloth C3 is flexible and the logo mark M is deformed, it is relatively difficult to read the logo mark M by image processing. On the other hand, it is easy to recognize the color, size, attachment position, and number of the type tags 23. Therefore, the type identification accuracy is high.

C cloth 11 side edge 12 edge 13 to 18 corners 21 and 22 attitude tag 23 type tag AA attitude determination device 30 carrier device 41, 42 camera 43 image processing device

Claims (12)

A posture determination device for determining the posture of a rectangular cloth, in which a posture tag is attached to one or both of two corner portions that are uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. There
A transport device for transporting the cloth in the vertical direction,
A camera for photographing one surface of the cloth being conveyed by the conveying device;
An image processing device to which an image captured by the camera is input,
The image processing device specifies the position of the corner portion to which the posture tag is attached from the image, and determines the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth based on the result. Attitude determination device. A posture determination device for determining the posture of a rectangular cloth having a first posture tag at a first corner uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges,
A transport device for transporting the cloth in the vertical direction,
A camera for photographing one surface of the cloth being conveyed by the conveying device;
An image processing device to which an image captured by the camera is input,
The image processing device identifies the position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached from the image, and based on the result, the orientation of the front and back surfaces of the cloth and the orientation of the upper and lower edges. An apparatus for determining the posture of a cloth, which is characterized in that The cloth is provided with a second posture tag at a second corner that is uniquely determined by a positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges,
The image processing apparatus identifies the position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached or the position of the second corner portion to which the second posture tag is attached, from the image, and the result The cloth posture determining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth are determined based on the above. The cloth is provided with one or a plurality of type tags in which one or more combinations of color, size, mounting position and number are uniquely determined for the type of cloth,
4. The cloth posture determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image processing apparatus identifies the type of cloth based on the one or more kinds of tags included in the image. A posture determination method for determining the posture of a rectangular cloth in which a posture tag is attached to one or both of two corner portions that are uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. There
An image is obtained by photographing one side of the cloth being conveyed in the vertical direction,
A method for determining the posture of a cloth, comprising: determining the position of the corner portion to which the posture tag is attached from the image, and determining the orientations of the front and back surfaces of the cloth based on the result. A posture determination method for determining the posture of a rectangular cloth having a first posture tag at a first corner uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges,
An image is obtained by photographing one side of the cloth being conveyed in the vertical direction,
The position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached is specified from the image, and the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges of the cloth are determined based on the result. How to determine the posture of cloth. The cloth is provided with a second posture tag at a second corner that is uniquely determined by a positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges,
The position of the first corner portion to which the first posture tag is attached or the position of the second corner portion to which the second posture tag is attached is specified from the image, and the cloth is determined based on the result. 7. The cloth posture determining method according to claim 6, wherein the orientation of the front and back surfaces and the orientation of the upper and lower edges are determined. The cloth is provided with one or a plurality of type tags in which one or more combinations of color, size, mounting position and number are uniquely determined for the type of cloth,
8. The cloth posture determining method according to claim 5, wherein the cloth type is identified based on the one or more kind tags included in the image. There is a distinction between the vertical and horizontal directions, a square-shaped cloth with front and back distinction,
A cloth, wherein a posture tag is attached to one or both of two corners located diagonally uniquely defined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions and the front and back surfaces. There is a distinction between the vertical and horizontal directions, there is a distinction between the front and back sides, and there is a distinction between the upper and lower edges that are located at both ends in the vertical direction.
A first attitude tag is attached to a first corner portion uniquely defined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. 11. The cloth according to claim 10, wherein a second posture tag is attached to a second corner portion that is uniquely determined by the positional relationship between the vertical and horizontal directions, the front and back surfaces, and the upper and lower edges. 10. One or a plurality of types tags in which one or a plurality of combinations of color, size, attachment position and number are uniquely determined for the type of cloth are attached. The fabric according to 10 or 11.

Images