JP2022129435A - Information processing device, information processing system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve workability of work using a storage shelf.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image of a storage shelf including a plurality of storages for storing delivery articles; an identification unit that specifies a storage not storing a delivery article by comparing an image of an empty storage shelf with the captured image; and a projection control unit that projects an assistance image including various pieces of information to at least one or more of the storages not storing delivery articles.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, and a program.

Currently, work using a storage shelf having a plurality of storage units is performed in various fields. In such work, an object related to the work is stored in each of the plurality of storage units, and the stored object is taken out by the operator. For example, Patent Literature 1 below describes a route assembly shelf that has a large number of sorting shelves and is used for handling mail items.

In addition, for a storage shelf having a plurality of storage units, a technique has been proposed in which an image is dynamically projected onto the storage shelf based on the progress of work, thereby instructing the operator which parts to take out from the storage shelf. . For example, Patent Literature 2 describes a work support device that projects, onto a shelf provided with a plurality of parts storages, an image designating a parts storage storing parts to be taken out during work. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 describes a technique of projecting information indicating a component to be collected from a storage unit onto a storage rack with a projector, in a storage rack that has a plurality of storage units and is used for parts assembly work.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-288240 JP 2014-28697 A JP 2018-45669 A

Here, an image such as a name list or list, which has a large amount of information and tends to have a large projection area, is generally projected onto a workbench on which objects taken out from storage shelves are handled. However, when an image is projected onto the workbench, the object handled on the workbench overlaps the projected image, which reduces the visibility of the image for the operator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems. It is to provide an apparatus, an information processing system, and a program.

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, an image acquisition unit acquires a captured image of a storage shelf including a plurality of storage units in which items to be delivered are stored; By comparing the image with the captured image, at least one of a specifying unit that specifies the storage unit in which the delivery item is not stored and the storage unit in which the delivery item is not stored. and a projection control unit that projects a support image containing various information.

The projection control unit may project the support image onto, among the storage units in which the item to be delivered is not stored, a screen plate arranged at an opening of the storage unit.

The projection control unit notifies the operator of the storage unit on which the support image is projected, and arranges the screen plate in the storage unit based on a change in the image of the storage unit notified to the operator. It may be determined whether or not

The projection control section may project the support image onto the screen plate.

The projection control unit determines whether or not to project the support image on the storage units that do not store the items to be delivered, based on the number or positions of the storage units that do not store the items to be delivered. good too.

The specifying unit may specify the storage unit in which the difference between the image of the storage shelf in an empty state and the captured image is equal to or less than a threshold as the storage unit in which the delivery item is not stored. good.

The supporting image may include a delivery ledger with households ordered along the delivery route of the delivery.

The projection control unit may project the support image including the delivery ledger corresponding to the storage unit from which the item to be delivered was taken out.

In the supporting image, each of the households in the delivery master may be represented differently by surname.

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, an image acquisition unit acquires a captured image of a storage shelf including a plurality of storage units in which items to be delivered are stored; At least one or more of a specifying unit that specifies the storage unit in which the item to be delivered is not stored and the storage unit in which the item to be delivered is not stored by comparing the image of the storage shelf with the captured image. and a projection control unit that displays a support image containing various kinds of information.

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a computer includes an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image of a storage shelf including a plurality of storage units for storing items to be delivered, and an empty storage unit. By comparing the image of the storage shelf in the state with the captured image, at least one of the identification unit that identifies the storage unit in which the delivery item is not stored and the storage unit in which the delivery item is not stored. A program is provided that causes one or more to function as a projection controller that displays a support image containing various information.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to improve the workability of the work using the storage shelf.

It is a perspective view showing an example of composition of a work support system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a block diagram showing connections between the information processing apparatus according to the same embodiment and an administrator terminal; FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the mechanism structure of the information processing apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of operation|movement of the information processing apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a storage shelf in which items to be delivered are stored in storage units; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which a screen plate is arranged in a storage portion of the storage shelf shown in FIG. 5; It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the screen board arrange|positioned at the opening of a storage part. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a delivery ledger projected by a display projection unit in a modification of the same embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a delivery ledger projected by a display projection unit in a modification of the same embodiment; It is a block diagram showing an example of hardware constitutions of an information processor which embodies the work support system concerning the embodiment.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

<1. About work using storage shelves >
First, an operation using a storage shelf to which an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described. The storage shelf has a plurality of storage units in which work-related objects are stored. A worker can take out an object stored in each of the plurality of storage units according to the necessity of the work.

In the following description, an item to be delivered is exemplified as an object to be stored in the storage unit. However, the technique according to the present embodiment is not limited to the work for delivery items, and can also be used for work for parts (for example, sorting or rearranging work according to the assembly order of parts). In addition, the configuration of the storage shelf having a plurality of storage units can be appropriately changed according to the type of work.

For example, storage racks are used for preparatory work such as sorting and sorting of deliveries in the delivery business of deliveries. Specifically, the preparatory work in the delivery business is performed according to steps 1 to 3 below.

• Procedure 1: A plurality of items to be delivered are grouped by destination in the same direction and stored in corresponding storage units (sorting work).
• Procedure 2: Take out the deliverables from the storage unit, rearrange the deliverables according to the order of the actual delivery routes, and return them to the storage unit (sorting work).
Step 3: Items to be delivered are sequentially taken out from a plurality of storage units according to the order of the actual delivery route, and loaded into a carry box or the like used for delivery (recovery work for delivery).

Here, the destination in the same direction may be a destination in the same or similar direction with respect to the starting point of delivery (however, the range of similarity is not particularly limited). Alternatively, destinations in the same direction may be destinations included in the same area (prefecture, city, town, etc.). In the storage shelf used for work, each of a plurality of storage units is associated with each direction, and in "Procedure 1", the worker stores the deliveries in the corresponding storage units. As a result, deliveries are grouped by destination in the same direction.

In "Procedure 2", a list (hereinafter also referred to as a delivery master list) in which destination households are arranged in order along the delivery route is presented to the worker for each storage unit. While referring to the presented delivery ledger, the worker takes out the items to be delivered stored in the storage unit, rearranges the items in order of delivery route, and then returns the items to the original storage unit. The worker sequentially performs the above operations for all the storage units storing the items to be delivered. Such work of rearranging deliverables is also referred to as "routine assembly work".

In "Procedure 3", the worker takes out the deliveries stored in each of the storage units in order along the delivery route, and sequentially loads the taken-out deliveries into the carry box. At this time, the worker loads the bundle of deliveries sequentially taken out from the storage section into the carry box without changing the arrangement order. As a result, in the delivery business, the deliverer can take out the deliveries in the order of the delivery route by taking out the deliveries in order from the front.

<2. System configuration example>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a work support system for supporting work using the storage rack will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of a work support system 10 according to this embodiment. The work support system 10 includes an information processing device according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the work support system 10 includes an information processing device 11, a storage shelf 12, a workbench 13, a sensor section 14, a display projection section 15, and a mirror . The work support system 10 presents various types of information including a delivery ledger to the worker who performs the route assembly work described above, thereby assisting the worker in the route assembly work.

In FIG. 1, the direction from the storage shelf 12 to the workbench 13 is defined as the front direction, and the direction opposite to the front direction is defined as the rear direction. The up, down, left, and right directions when viewing the storage rack 12 from the workbench 13 (that is, when viewing the rearward side from the front side) are defined as upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions, respectively.

The storage shelf 12 includes a plurality of storage units 121 . A worker can put his or her hand in one of the storage units 121 to store a delivery item in the storage unit 121 . In addition, the worker can put his or her hand into any one of the storage units 121 and take out the delivery item stored in the storage unit 121 . In the example shown in FIG. 1, the storage shelf 12 has a total of 16 storage units 121, 4 rows in the vertical direction and 4 rows in the horizontal direction. However, the number of storage units 121 included in the storage shelf 12 is not particularly limited. The storage shelf 12 may have more storage units 121, such as twenty, thirty, or fifty.

The workbench 13 is a workbench that is used by the worker when the route assembly work is performed. The workbench 13 has a flat surface (upper surface) extending horizontally across the entire width of the storage shelf 12 . The workbench 13 may function as a projectable area on which an image projected from the display projection unit 15 is formed.

The sensor unit 14 includes various sensors that sense information about work performed by the worker. Specifically, the sensor unit 14 may include a camera that detects visible light, and may perform sensing by capturing an image with the camera. The sensor unit 14 can output, for example, an image captured by a camera to the information processing device 11 as information indicating the sensing result. For example, the sensor unit 14 may include a live camera (also referred to as a USB camera) connectable to the information processing device 11 via USB (Universal Serial Bus). However, the type of camera included in the sensor unit 14 is not limited. For example, the sensor unit 14 may include a camera that detects infrared rays, or a camera that can acquire depth information.

The sensor unit 14 is positioned above the height of the head of a worker of standard height (for example, above the uppermost storage unit 121) and in front of the front surface of the storage shelf 12. It may also include a positioned camera. In such a case, the sensor unit 14 can capture an image including a part or the whole body of the worker positioned in front of the work support system 10 . For example, the sensor section 14 may be attached to a support frame 17 that supports a mirror 18, as shown in FIG.

Moreover, the sensor unit 14 may further include a camera arranged to capture an image in the direction of the storage shelf 12 . In such a case, the sensor section 14 can capture an image of the storage shelf 12 . Therefore, based on the captured image of the storage shelf 12, the information processing device 11 can recognize that the worker has stored the delivery item in the storage unit 121 or taken out the delivery item from the storage unit 121. can.

The number of cameras included in the sensor unit 14 and their installation locations are not particularly limited. The sensor unit 14 may include, for example, a camera arranged to capture an image of the upper surface of the workbench 13 or a camera arranged to capture an image of the environment around the work support system 10 .

Under the control of the information processing device 11, the display projection unit 15 projects and displays a support image including various types of information for supporting the work of the worker. For example, the display projection unit 15 may project the support image onto the front surface of the storage shelf 12 or the upper surface of the workbench 13 using a so-called projection mapping technique using a projector.

The display projection unit 15 may be arranged on the storage shelf 12, for example, as shown in FIG. In such a case, the display projection unit 15 can project the projection light reflected by the mirror 18 onto the front surface of the storage shelf 12 or the upper surface of the workbench 13 by irradiating the projection light toward the mirror 18 . can. That is, the display projection unit 15 can project the support image onto the front surface of the storage shelf 12 or the upper surface of the workbench 13 via the mirror 18 .

The display projection unit 15 is placed at a position where the projection light can be directly projected onto the front surface of the storage shelf 12 or the upper surface of the workbench 13 (for example, the ceiling or wall (not shown) of the space where the work support system 10 is arranged). may be placed. Also, the display projection unit 15 may include a plurality of projectors. For example, the display projection unit 15 may include a projector that projects projection light onto the front surface of the storage shelf 12 and a projector that projects projection light onto the upper surface of the workbench 13 .

For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the mirror 18 is positioned above the height of the head of a worker of standard stature (for example, above the top storage unit 121) and the storage shelf 12 placed in front of the front of the Specifically, the mirror 18 is positioned above the workbench 13 and obliquely above the storage shelf 12 so that the reflective surface faces the front surface of the workbench 12 or the top surface of the workbench 13 and the display projection unit 15 . may be placed. According to this, the mirror 18 can reflect the projection light emitted from the display projection unit 15 toward the front surface of the storage shelf 12 or the upper surface of the workbench 13 .

The mirror 18 may be rotatably supported by a support mechanism so that the reflection angle can be changed in the vertical direction. According to this, the mirror 18 can reflect the projection light emitted from the display projection unit 15 at an arbitrary reflection angle. Therefore, the mirror 18 can selectively reflect the projection light emitted from the display projection unit 15 to the front surface of the storage shelf 12 or the upper surface of the workbench 13 .

The information processing device 11 is a computer or the like that controls the overall operation of the work support system 10 . A functional configuration of the information processing device 11 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The information processing device 11 may be connected with a card reader 19 for reading an ID (identification) card of the worker. A card reader 19 is provided around the storage shelf 12 or the workbench 13 . The card reader 19 can read worker information (for example, the worker's identification number and name) from the ID card and output it to the information processing device 11 . The ID card may be a magnetic card or an IC (integrated circuit) card. For example, the information processing device 11 may recognize which worker started the work by reading the ID card.

In place of or in addition to the card reader 19, the work support system 10 includes a biometric information recognition device that recognizes biometric information such as fingerprints or palm prints, an identification number input device that inputs an identification number, or a A two-dimensional code reader device may be provided to read stored barcodes or two-dimensional codes (eg, QR Codes®).

The information processing device 11 may be connected, for example, via a network 40 to an administrator terminal 30 operated by an administrator. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing connections between the information processing apparatus 11 according to this embodiment and the administrator terminal 30. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the administrator terminal 30 is composed of a computer or the like connected to at least one information processing device 11 via a network 40 . The administrator terminal 30 can manage the progress of work in each of the work support systems 10 by managing data transmitted from the connected information processing device 11 .

Here, in recent years, the number of destinations included in one area corresponding to one storage unit 121 has increased along with the increase in housing complexes and the rise in the number of high-rise buildings. As a result, the number of households in the delivery ledger presented to the worker in the route assembly work (step 2) increases, the projected area of the image of the delivery ledger increases, and the number of ledger to be displayed increases. It is conceivable that it will increase. Therefore, when the image of the delivery ledger is projected onto the workbench 13 that handles the delivery items taken out from the storage unit 121, the visibility of the image of the delivery ledger is lowered because the delivered items and the image of the delivery ledger overlap. was there.

In the following, a technique capable of improving the visibility of a support image including a delivery ledger projected during route assembly work for rearranging items to be delivered stored in the storage unit 121 will be described. Specifically, the information processing apparatus 11 according to one embodiment of the present invention identifies a storage unit 121 in which no delivery item is stored, and projects a support image including a delivery ledger onto the identified storage unit 121. . According to this, by installing a screen plate in the opening of the storage unit 121 specified by the information processing device 11, the worker uses the storage unit 121 in which no deliverables are stored as a projection screen for the support image. be able to. Therefore, the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment can improve the visibility of the support image by suppressing interference between the delivery item for which route assembly work is to be performed and the support image including the delivery ledger. Workability can be improved.

<3. Configuration example of information processing device>
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the functional configuration of the information processing device 11 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the mechanical configuration of the information processing device 11. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the information processing apparatus 11 includes a control section 110 , an I/F (interface) section 120 and a storage section 130 .

(control unit 110)
The control unit 110 controls overall operations of the work support system 10 . Control unit 110 includes image acquisition unit 111 , work progress estimation unit 112 , identification unit 113 , and projection control unit 114 .

For example, the control unit 110 includes an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and a storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 110 can control the overall operation of the work support system 10 by temporarily loading the program stored in the ROM into the RAM and executing it by the CPU.

The image acquisition unit 111 acquires, via the I/F unit 120 , real-time captured images of the storage shelf 12 continuously obtained by the sensor unit 14 . The image acquisition unit 111 may store the acquired real-time captured image in the storage unit 130 . For example, the image acquisition unit 111 may cause the storage unit 130 to store a real-time captured image for a certain period of time in the past. Alternatively, the image acquisition unit 111 may overwrite (update) the real-time captured image stored in the storage unit 130 each time the image is acquired from the sensor unit 14 .

Further, the image acquisition unit 111 acquires a captured image of an empty storage shelf 12 in which no deliveries are stored in any of the storage units 121 before the sorting work (operation of procedure 1) is started. , to store the acquired captured image in the storage unit 130 . The picked-up image of the empty storage shelf 12 stored in the storage unit 130 is used as a reference image for specifying the storage unit 121 in which no deliverables are stored in the specifying unit 113, which will be described later. Note that the captured image of the empty storage shelf 12 may be acquired and stored in the storage unit 130 before the start of the sorting work, or may be stored in the storage unit 130 in advance.

The work progress estimation unit 112 estimates the progress of work based on the captured image of the storage shelf 12 acquired by the image acquisition unit 111 .

Specifically, first, the work progress estimating unit 112 compares the real-time captured image acquired by the image acquiring unit 111 with the captured image captured temporally before the real-time captured image, and calculates the difference. To detect. Note that the captured image to be compared with the real-time captured image (that is, the captured image captured earlier in time) may be stored in the storage unit 130, for example. After the difference is detected, the captured image in real time may overwrite (update) the captured image to be compared by being stored in the storage unit 130 .

Next, the work progress estimating unit 112 recognizes the storage unit 121 corresponding to the area where the detected difference occurs as the storage unit 121 in which the work has been performed by the worker. For example, in the operations shown in steps 1 to 3 described above, when performing the operation of storing a delivery item in the storage unit 121 and the operation of taking out a delivery item from the storage unit 121, the storage unit 121 or directly below the storage unit 121 At least part of the area of is shielded by the operator's hand. At this time, since there is a difference in the presence or absence of the worker's hand in the captured image of the storage unit 121 where the work was performed, the work progress estimation unit 112, based on the presence or absence of the worker's hand included in the captured image, It is possible to recognize the storage unit 121 in which the work has been performed.

Further, the order of performing each work shown in Procedures 1 to 3 described above is determined, and the work is transitioned according to a transition instruction by the operator. Therefore, the work progress estimation unit 112 can estimate which work the work on the storage unit 121 corresponds to from the transition instruction by the worker.

For example, when the worker's hand partially shields the storage unit 121 after the procedure 1 is started, the work progress estimation unit 112 performs the work of storing the deliverables in the storage unit 121 in the procedure 1 (sorting work). can be assumed to have taken place. Further, when the worker's hand partially shields the storage unit 121 after the procedure 2 is started, the work progress estimation unit 112 estimates that the work to take out the delivery item from the storage unit 121 was performed in the procedure 2. can do. After that, when part of the same storage unit 121 is again blocked by the worker's hand, the work progress estimation unit 112 returns the rearranged deliveries (on which route assembly work has been performed) to the storage unit 121. It can be assumed that work has been done. Further, if the worker's hand partially shields the storage unit 121 after procedure 3 is started, the work progress estimation unit 112 determines that the work (recovery work) of taking out the delivery item from the storage unit 121 in procedure 3 is performed. can be presumed to have taken place.

In addition, the estimation of the work progress by the work progress estimation unit 112 is not limited to the estimation by the above difference detection. For example, the work progress estimation unit 112 can also estimate work progress by using various image recognition techniques. Further, the work progress estimation unit 112 may estimate the work progress based on the sensing results of various sensors that detect the hands of the worker provided in each of the storage units 121 .

The identification unit 113 compares the captured image (reference image) of the empty storage shelf 12 stored in the storage unit 130 with the real-time captured image of the storage shelf 12 acquired by the image acquisition unit 111. , to specify the storage unit 121 in which no deliverables are stored. Specifically, the specifying unit 113 selects the storage unit 121 in which the difference between the captured image of the empty storage shelf 12 and the captured image of the storage shelf 12 in real time is equal to or less than a threshold value. You may specify as the storage part 121. FIG. For example, the identification unit 113 identifies storage units 121 in which the difference in pixel value between the captured image of the empty storage shelf 12 and the captured image of the storage shelf 12 in real time is 5% or less. You may specify as the storage part 121 which does not have.

The projection control unit 114 controls the display projection unit 15 to project a support image including various information on the storage unit 121 identified by the identification unit 113 as not containing a delivery item. Specifically, the projection control unit 114 projects the support image including the delivery ledger onto the storage unit 121 in which the delivery items are not stored during route assembly work for rearranging the delivery items along the delivery route. Since a screen plate serving as a projection screen for a support image is arranged by the worker in the opening of the storage unit 121 in which no deliverables are stored, the worker can use the storage unit 121 in which no deliverables are stored as a screen. A supporting image containing the delivery ledger can be viewed as

Further, the projection control unit 114 may project light or an image for notifying the operator of the storage unit 121 on which the support image is to be projected, before projecting the support image including the delivery ledger. Specifically, the projection control unit 114 may control the display projection unit 15 so as to project light or an image clearly indicating the storage unit 121 specified as the storage unit 121 that does not store the item to be delivered. According to this, the operator can arrange the screen plate, which serves as a projection screen for the support image, in the storage section 121 clearly indicated by light, image, or the like.

Note that whether or not the screen board is placed in the storage unit 121 for projecting the support image depends on the real-time captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 111 and the captured image captured temporally before the real-time captured image. can be determined by detecting the difference between For example, after notifying the operator of the storage unit 121 on which the support image is to be projected, the projection control unit 114 may generate a real-time captured image of the storage unit 121 and a captured image captured before the real-time captured image. If there is a difference between , it may be determined that the screen plate has been placed in the storage portion 121 .

If a plurality of storage units 121 that do not contain any items to be delivered are specified, the projection control unit 114 may determine the storage unit 121 on which the support image containing the delivery ledger is to be projected based on a predetermined priority. The predetermined priority order for determining the storage unit 121 on which the support image is projected may be set based on the visibility of the support image from the operator, for example. Specifically, the predetermined priority may be set based on the position of the storage section 121 on the storage shelf 12 . For example, the predetermined priority may be set such that the storage unit 121 located in the lower stage of the storage shelf 12 has a higher priority.

In addition, if the storage unit 121 that does not store any items to be delivered exists only in a position where visibility from the worker is extremely low, the projection control unit 114 replaces the storage unit 121 that does not store any items to be delivered, and replaces the storage unit 121 with the work item. The display projection unit 15 may be controlled to project the support image onto the platform 13 .

For example, if the storage unit 121 that does not contain any items to be delivered is located on the upper half side of the storage shelf 12, the worker may, during the route assembly work, place the items to be delivered on the work table 13 and the items to be stored. The support image projected on the storage section 121 positioned on the upper half side stage of the shelf 12 is visually recognized. In such a case, the burden on the worker is heavy, so the projection control unit 114 causes the display projection unit 15 to project the support image onto the workbench 13 instead of the storage unit 121 that does not store the items to be delivered. may be controlled. In such a case, the projection control unit 114 may notify the worker in advance that the support image will be projected onto the workbench 13 .

Furthermore, if the projection area of the delivery ledger included in the support image is too large to be projected onto the screen plate installed at the opening of one storage unit 121, the projection control unit 114 will generate a plurality of A support image including a delivery ledger may be projected onto the storage unit 121 . However, if the number of storage units 121 that do not store any items to be delivered is less than the number required for projecting the support image, the projection control unit 114 replaces the storage units 121 that do not store any items to be delivered with a work table. The display projection unit 15 may be controlled to project the support image onto 13 . In such a case, the projection control unit 114 may notify the worker in advance that the support image will be projected onto the workbench 13 .

(I/F unit 120)
The I/F unit 120 inputs and outputs data to and from an external device connected by wire or wirelessly. Specifically, the I/F section 120 may receive an image captured by the sensor section 14 from the sensor section 14 connected for communication. Further, the I/F section 120 may receive ID information read by the card reader 19 from the card reader 19 connected for communication. Furthermore, the I/F unit 120 may transmit information about work progress to the administrator terminal 30 connected for communication. For example, the I/F section 120 may be an interface configured by a communication device or the like for connecting to a network.

(storage unit 130)
The storage unit 130 is a storage device that stores programs and data for operating the control unit 110 . Moreover, the storage unit 130 may temporarily store various data necessary in the course of the operation of the control unit 110 . The storage unit 130 may be configured by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

According to the information processing apparatus 11 having the above configuration, a support image including a delivery ledger is projected onto the screen plate arranged in the storage section 121 in which no items to be delivered are stored during work such as route assembly work. be able to. Therefore, the information processing device 11 can improve the visibility of the support image including the delivery ledger by projecting the support image including the delivery ledger on a region different from the workbench 13 that handles the deliveries. Therefore, the information processing device 11 can improve the workability of the work using the storage shelf 12 .

<4. Operation example of information processing device>
Next, operation examples of the information processing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation flow of the information processing apparatus 11 according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a storage shelf 12 in which items to be delivered 150 are stored in each of the storage units 121. As shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which the screen plate 200 is arranged in the storage section 121 of the storage shelf 12 shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the screen plate 200 arranged in the opening of the storage section 121. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, the image acquisition unit 111 acquires a real-time captured image of the storage shelf 12 (S101).

At this time, the storage shelf 12 is in a state in which the sorting work of the procedure 1 is finished and the deliveries before the sorting work of the procedure 2 is started are stored in each of the storage units 121 .

In the storage shelf 12 shown in FIG. 5, the items to be delivered 150 are sorted into the respective storage units 121 by the sorting work of the procedure 1, so that the storage units 121 are divided into storage units 121A in which the items to be delivered 150 are stored, and storage units 121A in which the items to be delivered 150 are stored 150 is not stored in the storage portion 121B. Note that the delivery items 150 are sorted based on the information displayed in the display area 123 . The display area 123 is provided below each opening of the storage section 121 and is an area where an image indicating the name of the area of the destination corresponding to each of the storage sections 121 is projected.

Subsequently, the specifying unit 113 compares the captured image (reference image) of the empty storage shelf 12 with the real-time captured image of the storage shelf 12, thereby identifying the storage unit 121 that does not contain any items to be delivered. Identify (S102). For example, the identification unit 113 identifies storage units 121 in which the difference in pixel value between the captured image of the empty storage shelf 12 and the real-time captured image of the storage shelf 12 is 5% or less. You may specify as the storage part 121 which does not have.

Here, the projection control unit 114 determines whether or not the specifying unit 113 has specified the presence of the storage unit 121 in which no delivery item is stored (S103). If there is a storage unit 121 that does not contain any deliverables (S103/Yes), the projection control unit 114 notifies the operator of the storage unit 121 in which the screen board is to be placed (S104). Specifically, the projection control unit 114 determines the storage unit 121 in which the screen plate is to be placed, from among the storage units 121 in which the items to be delivered are not stored, based on a predetermined priority order, and selects the determined storage unit 121. The worker is notified using light or an image.

Subsequently, the projection control unit 114 confirms that the screen plate has been placed in the storage unit 121 notified to the operator (S105). Specifically, when there is a difference between the real-time captured image in the storage unit 121 and the captured image captured earlier than the real-time captured image, the projection control unit 114 causes the storage unit 121 to It may be determined that it has been confirmed that the screen plate has been placed.

At this time, the storage shelf 12 is in a state in which the screen plate is arranged in the opening of the storage section 121 in which the articles to be delivered are not stored.

For example, in the storage shelf 12 shown in FIG. 6, the screen plate 200 is arranged in front of the openings of the three storage portions 121 from the left on the lowest stage of the storage shelf 12 . The screen plate 200 may be configured as a plate-like member having an achromatic plain flat surface so as to function as a projection screen onto which an image or the like can be projected. Moreover, the thickness of the screen plate 200 is desirably thin enough to enable projection onto the screen plate 200 at the same focal point as the projection from the display projection unit 15 onto the storage shelf 12 .

For example, the screen plate 200 may be configured as shown in FIG. A screen plate 200 shown in FIG. 7 is constructed by connecting a plurality of rectangular members 201 having achromatic and plain flat surfaces in a bellows shape. According to this configuration, the screen plate 200 can cover a wide range when the bellows are unfolded, and can be stored compactly when the bellows are folded, thereby further enhancing the convenience of the operator. can be done.

Further, each of the plurality of rectangular members 201 forming the screen plate 200 may be provided with a magnet portion 202 for fixing the screen plate 200 to the storage shelf 12 . However, the screen plate 200 may be fixed to the storage shelf 12 by other methods. For example, the screen plate 200 may be fixed to the storage shelf 12 by rails provided at the upper end or the lower end of the storage portion 121 . The screen plate 200 may be attached to the storage shelf 12 or may be separate from the storage shelf 12 .

It should be noted that if there is no storage unit 121 that does not store the item to be delivered in step S103 (S103/No), all storage units 121 store the item to be delivered. The operation of S105 is omitted.

Procedure 2 is then started. Specifically, the items to be delivered are taken out from each storage unit 121 in which the items to be delivered are stored, and the items to be delivered are rearranged according to the delivery route.

First, the work progress estimation unit 112 confirms that the item to be delivered has been taken out from the storage unit 121 that stores the item to be delivered (S106). Specifically, the work progress estimating unit 112 compares a real-time captured image with a captured image captured temporally earlier than the real-time captured image, and detects a difference between the captured image and the delivered image from the storage unit 121 . Make sure the item has been removed.

Next, the projection control unit 114 determines whether or not the storage unit 121 in which the screen plate is arranged exists (S107). For example, the projection control unit 114 may determine that the storage unit 121 in which the screen plate is arranged exists when the operation of step S105 in the previous stage is executed. Further, the projection control unit 114 may determine that the storage unit 121 in which the screen board is arranged does not exist when the operation of step S105 in the previous stage is not executed.

If it is determined that there is a storage unit 121 in which a screen plate is arranged (S107/Yes), the projection control unit 114 displays the image of the delivery ledger corresponding to the storage unit 121 from which the item to be delivered has been taken out. The image is projected onto the storage unit 121 (S108). On the other hand, if it is determined that the storage unit 121 in which the screen plate is arranged does not exist (S107/No), the projection control unit 114 displays the image of the delivery ledger corresponding to the storage unit 121 from which the item to be delivered was taken out on the work table. 13 (S108).

After that, the items to be delivered that have been rearranged according to the delivery ledger are stored in the storage unit 121 . Subsequently, the operation of steps S107 to S109 is repeatedly executed by taking out a delivery item from the storage unit 121 in which another delivery item is stored. The operations of steps S107 to S109 are repeated until all the storage units 121 storing the items to be delivered are rearranged.

According to the operation of the information processing apparatus 11 described above, the worker can use the storage unit 121, which is not used in step 2 and thereafter, as a projection screen for the delivery ledger, etc. visibility can be improved. This eliminates the need for the worker to use the workbench 13 as a projection screen for the delivery ledger or the like, so that workability in steps 2 and 3 can be improved.

<5. Variation>
Next, a modified example of the information processing apparatus 11 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 and 9 are diagrams showing an example of the delivery ledger projected by the display projection unit 15. FIG. In addition, in FIGS. 8 and 9, the difference in color is expressed as the difference in hatching.

As described above, the number of destinations in the direction corresponding to one storage unit 121 (for example, destinations in the same direction or in the same area based on the starting point) increases as the number of housing complexes increases and the number of high-rise buildings increases. is doing. As a result, the number of households in the delivery ledger presented to the worker in the route assembly work (step 2) has increased, so the worker needs more time to find the destination of the delivery from the delivery ledger. is applied.

In this modification, the information processing apparatus 11 expresses households with the same surname in the same manner in the image of the delivery ledger projected by the display projection unit 15, thereby expressing households in different manners for each surname. This makes it easier for the worker to recognize households with the same surname in the delivery ledger, thereby making it easier to find the destination of the delivery. Therefore, the information processing device 11 according to this modification can further improve the workability of the route assembly work.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the delivery master books 300A and 300B, the name of each household to which the delivery is to be addressed is listed in the "name" column 340 in the order of the delivery route (for example, from left to right). ) are displayed. Also, the address of the household to which the delivery is to be delivered is expressed as a combined cell in the "chome" column 310, the "street address" column 320, and the "number" column 330. FIG. The worker can perform route assembly work by rearranging the items to be delivered so that the addresses of the items to be delivered are arranged in the order of households from left to right in the delivery ledger 300A, 300B.

For example, in the delivery ledger 300A shown in FIG. 8, columns of households with the same surname are represented with the same background color (same background hatching in FIG. 8). Specifically, in the delivery ledger 300A, the "○○ Taro" column 341, the "○○ Jiro" column 342, and the "○○ Shirou" column 344, which have the same last name "○○", are the first background expressed in color. Also, the "XX Saburo" column 343 and the "XX Goro" column 345 having the same last name "XX" are expressed in a second background color different from the first background color. Furthermore, the "△△ Rokuro" column 346, which does not have the same surname, is expressed in the same background color (for example, white) as the other "chome" column 310, "address" column 320, and "number" column 330. . According to this, the worker can group households with the same surname with the same background color and recognize them, so that the household to which the delivery is to be delivered can be more easily found from the delivery ledger 300A.

In addition, in the delivery ledger 300B shown in FIG. 9, the same mark 351 is added to the columns of households having the same last name. Specifically, in the delivery ledger 300B, two-color marks 352 are displayed in the "○○ Taro" column 341, the "○○ Jiro" column 342, and the "○○ Shirou" column 344 whose surname is "○○". , 353 are added. In addition, two-color marks 354 and 355 having different color schemes from the two-color marks 352 and 353 are added to the "XX Saburo" column 343 and the "XX Goro" column 345 whose surname is "XX". ing. According to this, since the worker can group households with the same surname with the same mark 351 and recognize them, it is possible to more easily find out the household to which the delivered item is to be delivered from the delivery ledger 300B.

In particular, in the delivery ledger 300B shown in FIG. 9, a group of households with the same surname can be distinguished from a group of households with other surnames by two marks with different color combinations. According to this, even when the number of groups of households with the same surname included in the delivery ledger 300B increases, the information processing apparatus 11 can more flexibly distinguish groups of households with the same surname.

Therefore, according to the information processing apparatus 11 according to the present modification, the worker can easily find the household that is the destination of the delivery even from the delivery ledger in which many households are arranged, so that the sorting of the delivery can be performed more easily. It can be done efficiently.

For example, the information processing apparatus 11 according to this modification can control the mode of expression for each household in the delivery ledger as follows.

More specifically, the information processing device 11 first projects the delivery ledger for each household in an unchanged form of representation by the display projection unit 15 . Next, the information processing device 11 captures an image of the projected delivery ledger with the sensor unit 14 and performs image recognition of the imaged delivery ledger to recognize the surname of each household included in the delivery ledger. Subsequently, the information processing device 11 identifies households with the same surname from the delivery ledger, and groups the households with the same surname. After that, the information processing device 11 regenerates a delivery ledger in which households with the same surname are expressed in different manners (for example, different background colors or addition of different marks) for each group, and the regenerated delivery ledger is displayed by the display projection unit. At 15, projection is performed again. According to the above control, the information processing apparatus 11 can control the expression mode for each household for each surname according to the contents of the projected delivery ledger.

It should be noted that the mode of expression for each group of households with the same surname is not limited to the above example. For example, groups of households with the same surname may have different background patterns (hatching, gradation, texture, or pattern), emphasis on borders (color, thickness, or line type), or emphasis on letters of the surname ( color or typeface) or the like so as to be distinguishable from each other.

<6. Hardware configuration example>
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. Various information processing performed by the work support system 10 described above is realized by cooperation between software and hardware of the work support system 10 described below.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device 900 that implements the work support system 10 (more specifically, the information processing device 11, for example) according to this embodiment. Information processing apparatus 900 includes CPU 901 , ROM 902 , RAM 903 , host bus 904 , bridge 905 , external bus 906 , interface 907 , input device 908 , output device 909 , storage device 910 , drive 911 . and a communication device 913 .

The CPU 901 functions as an arithmetic processing device and a control device, and controls general operations within the information processing device 900 according to various programs. CPU 901 may be a microprocessor. The ROM 902 stores programs and calculation parameters used by the CPU 901 . The RAM 903 temporarily stores programs used in the execution of the CPU 901 and parameters that change as appropriate during the execution of the programs. These CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903 are interconnected by a host bus 904 comprising a CPU bus or the like. Cooperation of the CPU 901, ROM 902, and RAM 903 implements the functions of the control unit 110 described above.

The host bus 904 is connected via a bridge 905 to an external bus 906 such as a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect/Interface) bus. Note that the host bus 904, bridge 905, and external bus 906 do not necessarily have to be configured separately, and these functions may be implemented in one bus.

The input device 908 includes input means for the user to input information, such as a mouse, keyboard, touch panel, button, switch, or microphone, and an input control circuit that generates an input signal based on the user's input and outputs it to the CPU 901. consists of A user who operates the information processing apparatus 900 can input various data to the information processing apparatus 900 and instruct processing operations by operating the input device 908 .

Also, the input device 908 may be configured by a device that detects information about work. For example, the input device 908 includes various sensors such as an image sensor (for example, a camera), a depth sensor (for example, a stereo camera), an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an optical sensor, a sound sensor, a ranging sensor, and a force sensor. may be configured to include The input device 908 can implement the functions of the sensor unit 14, for example.

The output device 909 includes, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device, a display device such as a lamp, and an audio output device such as a speaker. include. The output device 909 can implement the function of the display projection unit 15, for example.

The storage device 910 is a data storage device. The storage device 910 may include a storage medium, a recording device that records data on the storage medium, a reading device that reads data from the storage medium, a deletion device that deletes data recorded on the storage medium, and the like. The storage device 910 can implement the functions of the storage unit 130, for example.

A drive 911 is a storage medium reader/writer and is externally attached to the information processing apparatus 900 . The drive 911 reads information recorded in a removable storage medium 912 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and outputs the information to the RAM 903 . Drive 911 can also write information to removable storage medium 912 .

A communication device 913 is a communication interface configured by a communication device or the like for communication. The communication device 913 may be a communication device compatible with a wireless LAN (Local Area Network), or may be a wire communication device that performs wired communication. The communication device 913 can implement the functions of the I/F section 120, for example.

Note that the hardware configuration of the information processing device 900 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 10 . For example, the information processing apparatus 900 does not need to include the communication device 913 when performing communication via a connected external communication device. Also, the information processing apparatus 900 may not include the input device 908 or the output device 909, for example. Furthermore, part or all of the configuration shown in FIG. 10 may be realized by one or two or more ICs (Integrated Circuits).

<7. Summary>
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, the processes described herein with flowcharts do not necessarily have to be performed in the order shown. Some processing steps may be performed in parallel. Also, additional processing steps may be employed, and some processing steps may be omitted.

Also, a series of processes by the information processing apparatus described in this specification may be realized using any of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. Programs constituting software are stored in advance in a storage medium (non-transitory media) provided inside or outside each device, for example. Each program, for example, is read into a RAM when executed by a computer, and executed by a processor such as a CPU. The storage medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, or the like. Also, the above computer program may be distributed, for example, via a network without using a storage medium.

10 work support system 11 information processing device 12 storage shelf 13 work table 14 sensor unit 15 display projection unit 17 support frame 18 mirror 19 card reader 110 control unit 111 image acquisition unit 112 work progress estimation unit 113 identification unit 114 projection control unit 120I /F unit 130 storage unit 30 administrator terminal 40 network 121, 121A, 121B storage unit 123 display area 150 delivery 200 screen plate 201 rectangular member 202 magnet unit

Claims (11)

an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image of a storage shelf including a plurality of storage units in which items to be delivered are stored;
an identification unit that identifies the storage unit in which the item to be delivered is not stored by comparing the image of the storage shelf in an empty state with the captured image;
a projection control unit that projects a support image containing various information onto at least one or more of the storage units in which the item to be delivered is not stored;
An information processing device. 2. The projection control unit according to claim 1, wherein the projection control unit projects the support image onto the storage unit in which a screen plate is arranged in an opening of the storage unit out of the storage units in which the article to be delivered is not stored. The information processing device described. The projection control unit notifies the operator of the storage unit on which the support image is projected, and arranges the screen plate in the storage unit based on a change in the image of the storage unit notified to the operator. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, which determines whether or not it has been performed. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said projection control unit projects said support image onto said screen plate. The projection control unit determines whether or not to project the support image on the storage unit that does not store the delivery item, based on the number or positions of the storage units that do not store the delivery item. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. wherein the identification unit identifies the storage unit in which a difference between the image of the storage shelf in an empty state and the captured image is equal to or less than a threshold as the storage unit that does not store the item to be delivered. Item 6. The information processing device according to any one of Items 1 to 5. 7. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said support image includes a delivery ledger in which households are arranged in order along the delivery route of said delivery item. 8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said projection control unit projects said support image including said delivery ledger corresponding to said storage unit from which said item to be delivered has been taken out. 9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein in said support image, each of said households in said delivery ledger is represented in a different manner for each surname. an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image of a storage shelf including a plurality of storage units in which items to be delivered are stored;
an identification unit that identifies the storage unit in which the item to be delivered is not stored by comparing the image of the storage shelf in an empty state with the captured image;
a projection control unit that displays a support image containing various information on at least one or more of the storage units in which the item to be delivered is not stored;
An information processing system comprising: the computer,
an image acquisition unit that acquires a captured image of a storage shelf including a plurality of storage units in which items to be delivered are stored;
an identification unit that identifies the storage unit in which the item to be delivered is not stored by comparing the image of the storage shelf in an empty state with the captured image;
a projection control unit that displays a support image containing various information on at least one or more of the storage units in which the item to be delivered is not stored;
A program that functions as

Images