JP2022159855A - Information output device, information output method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To acquire information about an object for the object that exists by being concealed by a back side of an object whose code can be imaged.SOLUTION: An information output device 1 comprises: a reception unit 12 which receives a photographed image of an object to which a code is given; a storage unit 13 which stores positional relation information being information indicating a positional relation of the object; an acquisition unit 14 which acquires information about an object that exists on the back side of the object to which the code is given by using the code included in the photographed image received by the reception unit 12 and the positional relation information; and an output unit 15 which outputs information acquired by the acquisition unit 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an information output device or the like that outputs information about an object to which a code is assigned.

Conventionally, a camera installed on a forklift takes an image of a code of an object, and acquires and outputs an identifier of the object associated with the code (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this way, for example, it is possible to automatically acquire the identifier of an object moved by a forklift, and by using the identifier, there is the advantage that the object to be moved can be managed, etc. .

JP 2016-222371 A

However, when objects are stored from the back to the front in a warehouse or the like, the code of the object in the foreground can be photographed, but the code of the object in the rear is simply photographed. There may be situations where this is not possible. In order to photograph the code of the object behind in such a situation, for example, the photographer moves to the position of the object behind and photographs, or if there is no space for such movement, However, there is a problem that it is necessary to move the object in the foreground before photographing, which is a heavy burden.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. The purpose is to provide a device, etc.

To achieve the above object, an information output device according to one aspect of the present invention provides a storage unit that stores positional relationship information, which is information indicating the positional relationship of objects to which codes are assigned, and a captured image of the object. an acquisition unit that acquires information about an object existing on the back side of the object to which the code is assigned, using the reception unit that receives the image, the code included in the captured image received by the reception unit, and the positional relationship information; and an output unit for outputting the information acquired by the acquisition unit.

With such a configuration, it is possible to acquire information about an object that exists on the back side of the object for which the code can be photographed by using the positional relationship information. Therefore, the code photographer moves to the position of the object behind and photographs the code of the object behind, or moves the object in front and then photographs the code of the object behind. It is not necessary to do so, and it is possible to reduce the burden of acquiring information about the object behind.

Further, in the information output device according to one aspect of the present invention, the positional relationship information may be information indicating a relative positional relationship between objects.

With such a configuration, by using the positional relationship information indicating the relative positional relationship of the objects, it is possible to specify the object existing behind, and acquire information about the specified object. become.

In addition, in the information output device according to the aspect of the present invention, when a new object is arranged, the reception unit includes a photographed image of the code of the object to be arranged and the code existing on the back of the object to be arranged. A photographed image of a code of an object is received, and the code of the object to be arranged and the code of the object existing behind the object to be arranged, which are included in the photographed image accepted by the reception unit, are used. and a changing unit that adds the positional relationship of the objects to be arranged to the positional relationship information.

With such a configuration, it is possible to add the positional relationship of the objects according to the new arrangement of the objects to the positional relationship information.

Further, in the information output device according to one aspect of the present invention, the positional relationship information is information indicating the position of the object to which the code is assigned, and further comprising a current position acquiring unit for acquiring the current position, the acquiring unit comprising: By using the code included in the captured image received by the receiving unit, the positional relationship information, and the current position, information regarding the object existing behind the object to which the code is assigned may be obtained.

With such a configuration, by using the positional relationship information indicating the position of the photographed object and the positions of other objects, and the current position of the information output device, the object existing behind the photographed object can be detected. An object can be identified, and information about the identified object can be obtained.

Further, in the information output device according to the aspect of the present invention, when a new object is placed, the accepting unit accepts the photographed image of the code of the arranged object, and the photographed image accepted by the accepting unit A relative positional relationship acquisition unit that acquires a relative positional relationship between the code and the information output device using the included code of the placed object, and a positional relationship using the current position and the relative positional relationship and a changing unit that acquires the position of the target object and adds it to the positional relationship information.

With such a configuration, it is possible to add the position of the object to the positional relationship information based on the photographed image of the code of the object, so that the positional relationship information can be changed by a simple process.

Further, an information output method according to an aspect of the present invention includes a storage unit storing positional relationship information, which is information indicating the positional relationship of an object to which a code is assigned, a reception unit, an acquisition unit, and an output unit. in which a receiving unit receives a photographed image of an object; and an obtaining unit receives a code included in the photographed image received in the receiving step and positional relationship information and an output step in which the output unit outputs the information obtained in the obtaining step. is.

According to the information output device and the like according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain information about an object that exists on the back side of an object whose code can be photographed.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information output device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; Flowchart showing the operation of the information output device according to the same embodiment A diagram showing an example of the correspondence between code identifiers and object information in the same embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the positional-relationship information in the same embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the positional-relationship information in the same embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the positional-relationship information in the same embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the positional-relationship information in the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of objects in the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of objects in the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of objects in the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of objects in the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an object imaging situation in the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an object imaging situation in the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an object imaging situation in the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an object imaging situation in the same embodiment; A diagram showing an example of an output of information about an object in the same embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information output device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention; Flowchart showing the operation of the information output device according to the same embodiment FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining acquisition of the position of an object in the same embodiment; The figure which shows an example of the positional-relationship information in the same embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer system in each of the above embodiments

Hereinafter, an information output device and an information output method according to the present invention will be described using embodiments. In the following embodiments, constituent elements and steps with the same reference numerals are the same or correspond to each other, and repetitive description may be omitted.

(Embodiment 1)
An information output device and an information output method according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The information output apparatus according to the present embodiment uses positional relationship information indicating the relative positional relationship of the objects to acquire information about the object existing behind the object on which the code can be photographed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information output device 1 according to this embodiment. The information output device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an imaging unit 11 , a reception unit 12 , a storage unit 13 , an acquisition unit 14 , an output unit 15 and a change unit 16 . The information output device 1 may be, for example, a portable information processing terminal having a photographing function, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc., and accepts a photographed image photographed by an external device. It may be an information processing device such as a server. In this embodiment, a case where the information output device 1 is a portable information processing terminal having a photographing function will be mainly described.

The photographing unit 11 photographs the object to which the code is assigned, and acquires the photographed image of the object. The captured image preferably includes an image of the code attached to the object. The captured image of the object may be, for example, a captured image of the entire object or a captured image of a part of the object. Even in the latter case, it is preferable that the entire code is included in the captured image. A captured image is usually a still image, but it may be considered that a frame included in a moving image is a captured image. Further, since a code identifier, which will be described later, is obtained from the code included in the photographed image, the photographed image preferably has a resolution at which the code identifier can be obtained. Further, as will be described later, when the code to be photographed is a color code, the photographed image is preferably a color image. Also, the photographed image is preferably photographed so that the vertical direction of the real space corresponds to the vertical direction of the photographed image, and the horizontal direction of the real space corresponds to the horizontal direction of the photographed image.

The photographing unit 11 may acquire a photographed image by, for example, an optical device such as a camera. The imaging unit 11 may, for example, perform imaging according to a user's instruction. Further, a specific captured image (eg, a captured image specified by a user) among captured images (eg, a plurality of captured images included in a moving image) acquired by the imaging unit 11 is sent to the reception unit 12. may be passed. Further, the photographed image acquired by the photographing unit 11 may be displayed so as to be confirmed by the photographer, for example.

The reception unit 12 receives a photographed image of an object. This photographed image is acquired by the photographing unit 11 . The target included in the captured image received by the receiving unit 12 may be, for example, a target for which information is to be output, or a target for which positional relationship information is to be changed. In the latter case, for example, when a new object is to be placed, the receiving unit 12 stores the photographed image of the code of the object to be placed and the A photographed image of the code of the object to be processed may be accepted. The back surface of the object is usually the back surface when the object is viewed with reference to the shooting position. This embodiment mainly assumes a situation in which a plurality of objects are arranged in a warehouse or the like. Therefore, for example, the side closer to the entrance or passage of the warehouse may be the front side, and the side farther from the entrance of the warehouse or the wall side may be the rear side and the rear side. Note that the object existing behind the object A may be an object existing immediately behind the object A, for example. That is, when the object A is arranged in front of the object B, the object B may be the object existing behind the object A. Further, when a plurality of objects are stacked vertically or arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, the receiving unit 12 may receive captured images of the plurality of objects.

The receiving unit 12 may receive images other than captured images. The receiving unit 12 may receive, for example, instructions from the user. Acceptance of instructions from the user may be, for example, acceptance of instructions input from an input device (e.g., keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc.), or reception of instructions transmitted via a wired or wireless communication line. good. When the information output device 1 includes the photographing unit 11, the reception unit 12 may be considered as an interface between the photographing unit 11 and each subsequent component.

The storage unit 13 stores positional relationship information, which is information indicating the positional relationship of objects to which codes are assigned. Any information may be used as the positional relationship information as long as the positional relationship between the objects can be known as a result. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the positional relationship information is information indicating the relative positional relationship of objects. A case where the positional relationship information is information indicating the position of the object will be described in the second embodiment.

The code may be, for example, a color code such as a chameleon code (registered trademark), a QR code (registered trademark), a bar code, or any other code. In this embodiment, a case where the code is a color code will be mainly described.

The object is an object to be arranged, and may be, for example, a box-shaped object such as a cardboard box or a container, or may be a transport object placed on a distribution pallet or the like. , clothes hung on clothes hangers, or other objects. An object is usually an object to be moved.

It does not matter how the code is assigned to the object. For example, the code may be attached to the object, the code may be printed on the surface of the object, the object may be attached with a tag indicating the code, or the object may be identified by other methods. A code may be attached to the object. It should be noted that the code is preferably attached to the object so that the code can be easily read. For example, it is preferable that the code can be read in the photographed image when the part of the object to which the code is assigned is photographed.

The positional relationship information may be information indicating a relative positional relationship between objects identified by object identifiers. As the object identifier, for example, a code identifier of a code assigned to the object may be used, or an object identifier corresponding to the code identifier may be used. In this embodiment, the former case will be mainly described.

The code identifier may be any identifier as long as it can identify the code. The code identifier may be, for example, information indicated by the code (that is, information obtained by reading the code) itself, or information managed in association with information obtained by reading the code. good. In this embodiment, the former case will be mainly described. Therefore, it is assumed that the code identifier of the code can be acquired from the captured image of the code.

The positional relationship information may include information indicating the positional relationship between the object on the near side and the object on the far side, that is, information indicating the positional relationship of the object in the front-rear direction. The information may be, for example, information indicating the relationship between an object and an object placed behind the object. Further, the positional relationship information may include information indicating the positional relationship between the upper object and the lower object, that is, information indicating the positional relationship of the objects in the vertical direction. The information may be, for example, information indicating the relationship between a certain object and objects arranged above the object. Further, the positional relationship information may include other information indicating the positional relationship of the target (for example, information indicating the positional relationship of the target in the horizontal direction, etc.). In the present embodiment, the direction of the line of sight when looking at the code attached to the object is mainly described as the front-rear direction. That is, the direction of the double-headed arrow in FIG. 5A and the like is the front-rear direction.

Information other than the positional relationship information may be stored in the storage unit 13 . For example, the storage unit 13 may store information that associates an identifier of an object with information about the object. The information about the object is not particularly limited, but can include, for example, the name, type, quantity, attribute, expiration date, expiration date, serial number, owner, etc. of the object. In this embodiment, the case where the identifier of the object is associated with the expiration date of the object will be mainly described. The object identifier may be a code identifier, as described above. Information that associates an identifier of an object with information related to the object may be stored in the storage unit 13, for example, when a code is assigned to the object. Alternatively, for example, when information indicating a positional relationship regarding a certain object is added to the positional relationship information, information that associates the identifier of the object with the information regarding the object may be accumulated in the storage unit 13. .

The process by which information is stored in the storage unit 13 does not matter. For example, information may be stored in the storage unit 13 via a recording medium, or information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the storage unit 13. may be stored in the storage unit 13 . Further, as will be described later, the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 may be changed by the changing unit 16 . The storage unit 13 is preferably implemented by a non-volatile recording medium, but may be implemented by a volatile recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

The acquisition unit 14 uses the code included in the captured image received by the reception unit 12 and the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 to determine whether the object exists on the back side of the object to which the code is assigned. Get information about an object. Specifically, the acquisition unit 14 acquires the code identifier from the code included in the captured image. Then, the identifier of the object to which the code is assigned is obtained. In addition, when the code identifier also serves as the identifier of the object, the process of acquiring the identifier of the object is unnecessary. If the code identifier and the identifier of the object are different, the acquiring unit 14 uses information that associates the code identifier and the identifier of the object, for example, to determine the object corresponding to the acquired code identifier. You can get the identifier. Information that associates code identifiers with object identifiers may be stored in the storage unit 13, for example. After that, the acquiring unit 14 uses the positional relationship information to identify the identifier of the object existing on the back side of the object identified by the acquired object identifier, and identifies the object identified by the identified object identifier. Get information about an object An object that exists on the back side of a certain object may be an object that is shown to exist on the back side of the certain object by the positional relationship information. The information about the object may be obtained using, for example, information that associates the identifier of the object with the information about the object. Also, the information about the object may be, for example, the identifier itself of the object.

The acquisition unit 14 may also acquire information about a target object to which a code is assigned and which is included in the captured image received by the reception unit 12 . For example, the acquisition unit 14 may acquire an identifier of a target object to which a code is attached and included in the captured image, and acquire information about the target object identified by the acquired identifier of the target object. As noted above, the object identifier may be a code identifier. It should be noted that it is not necessary to obtain the information on the object to which the code is assigned, which is included in the captured image. Normally, an object to which a code is assigned and included in a photographed image is an object that can be seen even by the user who is the photographer. This is because the user can learn about the information without using the information output device 1 . In the present embodiment, a case where the acquisition unit 14 also acquires information about an object to which a code is assigned and included in a captured image will be mainly described.

In addition, the acquisition unit 14 may generate information indicating the acquired information about the target according to the positional relationship of the target. By outputting such information, the user can easily grasp the relationship between each object arranged in the real space and the information about each object.

The output unit 15 outputs the information acquired by the acquisition unit 14 . The information to be output may be, for example, information about the object, or information indicating the information about the object according to the positional relationship of the object (for example, information shown in FIG. 7, etc.). . Here, this output may be, for example, display on a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, etc.), may be transmitted to a predetermined device via a communication line, may be printed by a printer, or may be a recording medium. It may be stored in or passed on to another component. In this embodiment, the case where the output is display will be mainly described. Note that the output unit 15 may or may not include a device for outputting (for example, a display device or a printer). Also, the output unit 15 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver for driving those devices.

The changing unit 16 adds the positional relationship of the objects to the positional relationship information. Specifically, the changing unit 16 uses the code of the object to be arranged and the code of the object existing behind the object to be arranged, which are included in the captured image accepted by the accepting unit 12. Then, the positional relationship of the object to be arranged may be added to the positional relationship information. For example, when the object A is arranged in front of the object B, the photographed image of the object A and the photographed image of the object B are acquired, and the object B exists behind the object A. When indicated, the changing unit 16 may add a positional relationship indicating that the object B exists behind the object A to the positional relationship information. In this way, the positional relationship in the front-rear direction is added to the positional relationship information. The existence of the object B behind the object A may be indicated by, for example, the order in which the captured images are received, or may be input by the user. In the former case, for example, it may be determined that the object B exists behind the object A when the photographed image of the object A is accepted after the photographed image of the object B is accepted. .

Further, when a photographed image in which a plurality of objects are vertically superimposed is received by the receiving unit 12, the changing unit 16 may add the vertical positional relationship of the objects to the positional relationship information. . For example, by acquiring the vertical positional relationship of a plurality of codes included in the accepted photographed image, it is possible to acquire the vertical positional relationship of the object to which each code is assigned. Therefore, the changing unit 16 may add the acquired vertical positional relationship of the object to the positional relationship information.

Next, the operation of the information output device 1 will be explained using the flowchart of FIG.

(Step S101) The acquisition unit 14 determines whether or not to output information. If the information is to be output, the process proceeds to step S102; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S107. For example, the acquiring unit 14 may determine to output information when an instruction to output information is received from the user.

(Step S102) The photographing unit 11 photographs an object and obtains a photographed image. Note that the timing and direction of photographing may be determined by the user.

(Step S<b>103 ) The reception unit 12 receives the captured image from the imaging unit 11 . The captured image may be stored, for example, in a recording medium (not shown).

(Step S<b>104 ) The acquisition unit 14 acquires a code identifier, which is the identifier of the object, from the code included in the captured image received by the reception unit 12 . If the captured image contains two or more codes, a code identifier may be obtained for each code.

(Step S105) The acquisition unit 14 uses the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 to obtain a code for identifying each object existing on the back side of the object identified by the code identifier acquired in step S104. Identify an identifier. Then, the obtaining unit 14 uses the information stored in the storage unit 13, which associates the code identifier with the information about the object identified by the code identifier, to obtain the specified code identifier and the code identifier obtained in step S104. Information about the object corresponding to the code identifier is obtained, respectively.

(Step S106) The output unit 15 outputs the information about the object acquired in step S105. Then, the process returns to step S101.

(Step S107) The changing unit 16 determines whether or not to change the positional relationship information. If the positional relationship information is to be changed, the process proceeds to step S108; otherwise, the process returns to step S101. For example, the changing unit 16 may determine to change the positional relationship information when an instruction to change the positional relationship information is received from the user.

(Step S108) The photographing unit 11 photographs an object and obtains a photographed image. Note that the timing and direction of photographing may be determined by the user.

(Step S<b>109 ) The receiving unit 12 receives the captured image from the imaging unit 11 . The captured image may be stored, for example, in a recording medium (not shown).

(Step S<b>110 ) The changing unit 16 acquires a code identifier, which is the identifier of the object, from the code included in the captured image accepted by the accepting unit 12 . If the captured image contains two or more codes, a code identifier may be obtained for each code.

Note that the processing of steps S108 to S110 may be performed repeatedly. For example, if the captured image contains only one code, the processing of steps S108 to S110 may be repeated twice. In this way, the code identifier of the object to be placed and the code identifier of the object behind the object may be obtained. On the other hand, for example, when a plurality of codes are included in the captured image, the processing of steps S108 to S110 need not be repeated.

(Step S111) The changing unit 16 uses the code identifier acquired in step S110 to add the positional relationship of the target object to the positional relationship information. For example, when the code identifier of the object on the back and the code identifier of the object on the front are acquired, the changing unit 16 may add information indicating the anteroposterior relationship of those objects to the positional relationship information. good. Further, for example, when a plurality of code identifiers respectively corresponding to a plurality of codes arranged in the vertical direction are acquired, the changing unit 16 adds information indicating the vertical relationship of those objects to the positional relationship information. good too. Then, the process returns to step S101.

In the flowchart of FIG. 2, a case has been described where, for example, the user instructs whether to output information or change the positional relationship information, but this does not have to be the case. For example, if the captured image received by the receiving unit 12 contains only a code corresponding to a known code identifier, it is determined to output the information, and if not, the positional relationship information is changed. You may decide to do so. A known code identifier is a code identifier of an object whose positional relationship is indicated by the positional relationship information. In this case, for example, when adding the positional relationship of the object in the front-rear direction to the positional relationship information, the object to be arranged may be photographed first. This is because the code identifier of the object to be arranged is an unknown code identifier. Also, the order of processing in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is an example, and the order of each step may be changed as long as the same result can be obtained. In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the processing ends when the power is turned off or an interrupt for processing end occurs.

Next, the operation of the information output device 1 according to this embodiment will be described using a specific example. In this specific example, as described above, the code identifier of the code given to an object is assumed to be the identifier of the object. It is also assumed that the information output device 1 is a smart phone.

In this specific example, it is assumed that the code identifier shown in FIG. 3 and the object information, which is information about the object assigned the code identified by the code identifier, are associated and stored. . It is assumed that the object information is the expiration date of the object. In FIG. 3, for example, it is shown that the expiration date of the object assigned the code identified by the code identifier "ID0001" is "December 2020".

Also, in this specific example, the positional relationship information is information indicating the positional relationship of objects in a tree structure. In the positional relationship information, for each object, the code identifier of the object placed on the upper surface (top code identifier) and the code identifier of the object placed on the back (back code identifier) are associated with each other. and Note that there is no upper code identifier corresponding to the uppermost object. Also, the back code identifier is assumed to be associated only with the lowest object. In addition, there is no depth code identifier corresponding to the lowest object existing on the farthest side.

First, assume that objects B0001 to B0004 are arranged as shown in FIG. 5A. Codes C0001 to C0004 are assigned to the objects B0001 to B0004, respectively. Assume that the code identifiers corresponding to the codes C0001 to C0004 are ID0001 to ID0004. In this specific example, the code CN identified by the code identifier IDN is given to the object BN. Here, assume that N is a four-digit number.

It is assumed that the user operates the information output device 1 to input that the positional relationship information is to be changed. In response to the input, the changing unit 16 determines to change the positional relationship information, and switches the information output device 1 to the shooting mode (step S107). Assume that the objects B0001 to B0004 are photographed as shown in FIG. 6A. Then, the photographed image is acquired by the photographing unit 11 and accepted by the accepting unit 12 (steps S108 and S109). Also, the captured image accepted by the accepting unit 12 is passed to the changing unit 16 . Upon receiving the captured image, the changing unit 16 recognizes a plurality of codes C0001 to C0004 included in the captured image. In this case, since a plurality of codes are included in the captured image, the changing unit 16 sequentially identifies the code identifiers of each code from the bottom of the captured image. Specifically, the code identifiers are specified in the order of code identifiers ID0001, ID0002, ID0003, and ID0004 (step S110).

After that, the changing unit 16 registers each specified code identifier in the positional relationship information, and sets a code identifier specified next to a certain code identifier as an upper code identifier. For example, since the code identifier ID0002 is identified next to the code identifier ID0001, the upper code identifier ID0002 is set for the code identifier ID0001. As a result, the positional relationship information is changed as shown in FIG. 4A (step S111).

After that, it is assumed that the user operates the information output device 1 and inputs that the positional relationship information is to be changed before arranging the object B0101 to be newly arranged. In response to the input, the changing unit 16 determines to change the positional relationship information, and switches the information output device 1 to the shooting mode (step S107). Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, it is assumed that the code C0001 assigned to the object B0001 in the bottom row has been photographed. Then, the photographed image is acquired by the photographing unit 11, accepted by the accepting unit 12, and the code identifier ID0001 of the code C0001 is acquired by the changing unit 16 (steps S108 to S110). Next, it is assumed that the user has arranged a new arrangement target object B0101 as shown in FIG. 5B. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, it is assumed that the code C0101 assigned to the newly placed object B0101 is photographed. Then, the photographed image is acquired by the photographing unit 11, accepted by the accepting unit 12, and the code identifier ID0101 of the code C0101 is acquired by the changing unit 16 (steps S108 to S110). After obtaining the code identifiers ID0001 and ID0101, the changing unit 16 registers the new code identifier ID0101 in the positional relationship information, and sets the obtained code identifier ID0001 as the back code identifier corresponding to the code identifier ID0101. As a result, the positional relationship information is changed as shown in FIG. 4B (step S111).

In this specific example, when arranging a new object, the code of the object on the bottom of the rear surface is photographed, and then the code of the object arranged on the front side of the object is photographed. It is assumed that the purpose has been decided. Therefore, as described above, the anteroposterior relationship of the object can be registered in the positional relationship information.

After that, as shown in FIG. 5C, it is assumed that objects B0102 to B0104 are arranged on the object B0101. Then, in the same manner as described above, it is assumed that the objects B0101 to B0104 are photographed, the photographed images are acquired, and the code identifiers ID0101 to ID0104 are specified in order (steps S107 to S110). Then, the changing unit 16 registers each code identifier and sets an upper code identifier corresponding to each code identifier. In this case, since the code identifier ID0101 has already been registered, only the upper code identifier ID0102 is set for the code identifier ID0101. Thus, the positional relationship information is changed as shown in FIG. 4C.

Thereafter, when arranging the objects B0201 to B0204 as shown in FIG. 5D, the registration of the code identifier ID0201 and the setting of the back code identifier ID0101 are performed by photographing the objects B0201 and B0101. Also, by photographing the objects B0201 to B0204, the code identifiers ID0202 to ID0204 are registered and the upper code identifiers are set (steps S107 to S111). As a result, the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 becomes as shown in FIG. 4D.

Thus, the positional relationship information is changed. The positional relationship information has a tree structure as shown in FIG. 4D. In the tree structure, the code identifier of the lowest object on the front side is the root node, and the code identifier of the highest object is the leaf node.

After that, the process of outputting the object information (best before date) regarding the object on the back side using the positional relationship information will be described. Assume that the user operates the information output device 1 to input information output in the state where the object is arranged as shown in FIG. 5D. In response to the input, the acquisition unit 14 determines to output information, and switches the information output device 1 to the shooting mode (step S101). Then, as shown in FIG. 6D, it is assumed that the objects B0201 to B0204 on the frontmost side have been photographed. Then, the photographed image is acquired by the photographing unit 11 and accepted by the accepting unit 12 (steps S102 and S103). Also, the captured image accepted by the accepting unit 12 is passed to the acquiring unit 14 . Upon receiving the captured image, the acquisition unit 14 recognizes a plurality of codes C0201 to C0204 included in the captured image, and acquires code identifiers ID0201 to ID0204 corresponding to each code included in the captured image (step S104).

4D stored in the storage unit 13, the obtaining unit 14 obtains each code ID starting from each obtained code ID and ending with the code ID of the leaf node. . In this case, codes ID0001 to ID0004 and ID0101 to ID0104 are acquired. The acquisition unit 14 also refers to the information in FIG. 3 stored in the storage unit 13, and obtains the expiration date corresponding to each code ID acquired from the captured image and each code ID acquired using the positional relationship information. get. Then, information indicating the expiration date by the positional relationship of the positional relationship information shown in FIG. 4D is generated (step S105). It is assumed that the generated information is information indicating the expiration date for each object, and is information that indicates the hierarchical relationship and anteroposterior relationship of the objects. The information thus generated is displayed by the output unit 15 on the touch panel of the information output device 1, which is a smart phone, as shown in FIG. 7 (step S106). By displaying the display shown in FIG. 7, it becomes possible to know information (expiration date) on objects other than the object on the frontmost side. For example, it is possible to know that there is an object with an expiration date of "December 2020" on the far side, and the object on the far side can be shipped before the object on the front side. .

In this specific example, the case where the depth code identifier is set for the object at the bottom in the positional relationship information has been described, but this does not have to be the case. In the positional relationship information, for example, an identifier that identifies an object that exists in the back may be set for the top object or other objects. Also, in this specific example, the case where the back code identifier and the upper code identifier are set in the positional relationship information has been described, but this need not be the case. For example, a front code identifier may be set to identify the object on the front side, and a lower code identifier may be set to identify the object on the bottom side.

Also, in this specific example, a case has been described in which information indicating the information about the object is output according to the positional relationship of the object, but this need not be the case. Only information about the object may be output. Even in that case, it is possible to know information about an object that exists behind the object whose code is photographed, for example, it is possible to know that an object with a shorter expiration date exists on the back side. become able to.

As described above, according to the information output device 1 and the information output method according to the present embodiment, by using the positional relationship information indicating the relative positional relationship of the target, an object whose code is not photographed can be Also, information can be known by photographing the code of the object on the near side. Therefore, the code photographer does not need to move to the object on the far side to photograph the code on the object on the far side, and also move the object on the front side before shooting the object on the far side. There is no need to photograph the code, and the burden of acquiring information on the object on the far side is reduced. In this way, it is possible to know information about an object placed on the far side without having to move to the object on the far side. Also, it becomes possible to realize efficient arrangement of objects. It is also possible to add information to the positional relationship information using the captured image, and the positional relationship information can be constructed by simple processing.

Here, a modified example of the information output device 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[Two or more imaging units]
Although the case where the receiving unit 12 receives a photographed image from one photographing unit 11 has been described in the above embodiment, this need not be the case. For example, when arranging a new object, the information output device 1 has a first photographing unit for photographing the object to be arranged and a second photographing unit for photographing the objects arranged so far. and may be provided. In this case, the photographed image of the code of the object to be arranged and the photographed image of the code of the object existing on the back of the object to be arranged can be obtained without repeating photographing by one photographing unit 11. can be obtained collectively. For example, when an object is arranged using a forklift or the like, a first photographing unit that photographs the code of the object being conveyed, that is, the object to be arranged, and an object that has already been arranged at the destination. By arranging the second photographing unit for photographing the code of the object on the forklift, both photographing can be performed collectively.

(Embodiment 2)
An information output device and an information output method according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The information output device according to the present embodiment uses positional relationship information indicating the position of the object to obtain information about the object existing behind the object on which the code can be photographed.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information output device 2 according to this embodiment. The information output device 2 according to the present embodiment includes an imaging unit 11, a reception unit 12, a storage unit 13, an output unit 15, a current position acquisition unit 21, an acquisition unit 22, and a relative positional relationship acquisition unit 23. , and a changing unit 24 . Note that the photographing unit 11, the reception unit 12, the storage unit 13, and the output unit 15 are the same as those in Embodiment 1 except that the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 is different, and descriptions thereof are omitted. do. Further, the receiving unit 12 may receive a photographed image of the code of the arranged object when a new object is arranged. Further, the acquisition unit 22 and the change unit 24 may perform processing similar to that of the acquisition unit 14 and the change unit 16 of the first embodiment, except for processing that will be particularly described below.

In this embodiment, the code preferably has a predetermined shape (for example, rectangular, square, triangular, polygonal, etc.). This is because the relative positional relationship between the code and the information output device 2 is acquired using the shape of the code.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the positional relationship information is information indicating the position of the object to which the code is assigned. The position of the object may be, for example, the position in the global coordinate system of the space in which the object is located. Thus, in this embodiment, the positional relationship information indicates the absolute position of the object. Even if the absolute position of each object is indicated, the position can be used to know the positional relationship of each object as a result. It can be said that it is information indicating a relationship. The positional relationship information in the present embodiment may be, for example, information that associates an identifier of a target object with the position of the target object. The position may be a position on a two-dimensional plane (that is, position in the horizontal direction) or a position including the height direction. In this embodiment, the case where the position includes the height direction will be mainly described so that the vertical relationship of the object can also be known. For example, the position of a code given to the object may be used as the position of the object. In this embodiment, the case where the position of the object is the position of the code will be mainly described. Also, as in the first embodiment, the present embodiment will mainly describe the case where the identifier of the object is the code identifier.

The current position acquisition unit 21 acquires the current position. Acquisition of the current position may be performed using wireless communication, for example, or may be performed using other means capable of acquiring the current position. Known methods for acquiring the current position using wireless communication include, for example, a method using a GPS (Global Positioning System), a method using an indoor GPS, and a method using a nearby wireless base station. The current position may be a position in the global coordinate system of the space in which the object is located. The current position may be, for example, a two-dimensional position in the horizontal direction or a three-dimensional position including the height direction. In the latter case, for example, a predetermined value (such as "0") may be acquired for the position in the height direction. This is because it is generally considered that the position of the information output device 2 in the height direction does not change significantly. If the position of the information output device 2 in the height direction can also change significantly, it is preferable to obtain an accurate value for the position in the height direction that is included in the current position. It is preferable that the current position acquisition unit 21 acquires the current position including the orientation (direction) of the information output device 2 . The direction may be indicated, for example, by the angle of the local coordinate system of the information output device 2 with respect to the global coordinate system (for example, Euler angles), or may be indicated by information indicating other directions. The orientation may be acquired by an electronic compass, a geomagnetic sensor, a gyro sensor, an inclination sensor, or the like.

The acquisition unit 22 uses the code included in the captured image accepted by the acceptance unit 12, the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13, and the current position acquired by the current position acquisition unit 21 to obtain the Acquire information about an object that exists behind a coded object. More specifically, the acquiring unit 22 acquires the position corresponding to the code identifier of the code included in the captured image, thereby specifying the position of each object to which the code included in the captured image is assigned. can. Also, the acquisition unit 22 can identify the position of the information output device 2 based on the current position. Also, the acquisition unit 22 can identify the position of each object based on the positional relationship information. Therefore, the acquiring unit 22 can specify the object existing on the far side (rear side) of each object to which the code is assigned and included in the captured image. Then, the acquiring unit 22 may acquire information about the object thus specified.

It should be noted that, for example, the identification of an object existing on the far side (rear side) of each object to which a code is assigned and included in the photographed image may be performed as follows. First, in a horizontal circular coordinate system, the current position is set as the origin, and the position of each object to which a code is assigned in the captured image is associated with the code identifier of the code from the origin. Assume that the angle of the half straight line extending to the position (hereinafter referred to as "azimuth angle") is 0 degree. Then, an object whose position is included in a region sandwiched by a half line with an azimuth angle of −δ degrees and a half line with an azimuth angle of +δ degrees may be specified. The object specified in this way is the object existing behind each object to which the code is assigned and which is included in the photographed image. Normally, in an area sandwiched by a half line with an azimuth angle of -δ degrees and a half line with an azimuth angle of +δ degrees, the current position is closer than the position of the object assigned the code included in the captured image. It is thought that there is no object on the near side, but if it does exist, in the area sandwiched by a half line with an azimuth angle of -δ degrees and a half line with an azimuth angle of +δ degrees, It is also possible to specify only the object that exists on the side farther from the position of the object to which the code is assigned and that is included in the captured image. Note that δ is a predetermined positive angle, which is usually not very large. δ may be, for example, 3 degrees or more, or may be 5 degrees or more. Also, δ may be, for example, 30 degrees or less, 20 degrees or less, or 10 degrees or less. In addition, when a plurality of codes are included in one captured image, the above processing is performed for each code, and by merging the objects identified by each processing, the final result of identifying the object is good too. Alternatively, the object may be specified as described above using representative values (for example, average values) of a plurality of positions respectively corresponding to a plurality of codes.

Also, a method of acquiring the positional relationship of each target in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction using the position of each target will be briefly described. The acquisition unit 22 clusters each object using the horizontal position of each object so that code identifiers having close horizontal positions belong to the same cluster. Then, the acquisition unit 22 determines the vertical relationship in each cluster using the position in the height direction. Also, using the representative value of the horizontal position of each cluster (for example, the average value, the position of a randomly selected target object, etc.) and the distance from the current position, each cluster with the information output device 2 as a reference can be arranged in order from the front side to the back side (far side). In this way, when the position of each target and the current position of the information output device 2 are known, the acquisition unit 22 acquires the relative positional relationship of the target with respect to the information output device 2. be able to. Using the relative positional relationship of the objects thus obtained, the obtaining unit 22 indicates information about the object in accordance with the positional relationship of the object, similarly to the obtaining unit 14 of the first embodiment. information may be generated. Further, when such information is not generated, the obtaining unit 22 does not need to obtain the relative positional relationship of the target objects.

The relative positional relationship acquiring unit 23 uses the code of the placed object included in the captured image accepted by the accepting unit 12 to acquire the relative positional relationship between the code and the information output device 2 . The relative positional relationship may include, for example, information on parallel movement between the code and the information output device 2 at the time of photographing, and information on rotational movement between the code and the information output device 2. You can stay. In this embodiment, a case where both are included in the relative positional relationship will be mainly described.

Here, a method for obtaining the relative positional relationship from the captured image of the code will be briefly described. The local coordinate system of the camera that captures the code will be called the camera coordinate system, and the local coordinate system of the code that will be captured will be called the code coordinate system. It is known that coordinates in the camera coordinate system and coordinates in the code coordinate system can be transformed using homogeneous transformation matrices corresponding to translation and rotation. Since there are three unknowns for translation in three-dimensional space and three unknowns for rotation in three-dimensional space, there are six unknowns in the homogeneous transformation matrix. On the other hand, when the distances between three points on the real space related to the code included in the captured image are known, six unknowns of the homogeneous transformation matrix can be obtained by using the three distances, It is known that a homogeneous transformation matrix can be uniquely identified. Note that the three points are not on a straight line. For example, if the short side length A1 and the long side length A2 of a rectangular code are known, all the distances between the four vertices of the code are known (for example, the diagonal has length (A1 ² +A2 ² ) ^1/2 ), and since the distances between the three points on the code are known, the homogeneous transformation A matrix can be specified. Therefore, by using the code included in the captured image and the distance between the three points related to the code, a homogeneous transformation matrix can be calculated and used to obtain the relative positional relationship between the camera coordinate system and the code coordinate system. can do. Also, the relationship between the camera coordinate system and the local coordinate system of the information output device 2 is generally known. Therefore, it is possible to acquire the relative positional relationship between the local coordinate system of the information output device 2 and the code coordinate system, that is, the relative positional relationship between the information output device 2 and the code. Note that, for example, the camera coordinate system may be the local coordinate system of the information output device 2 .

In this embodiment, each coordinate axis direction value (x, y, z) and each rotation angle (θ, φ, ψ) related to parallel movement of the code coordinate system with respect to the local coordinate system of the information output device 2 are The case of acquisition by the relative positional relationship acquisition unit 23 will be mainly described. It is assumed that the information output device 2 stores the vertical and horizontal lengths of the rectangular code. This is because it is necessary to acquire the relative positional relationship. Also, when a plurality of codes are included in the captured image, it is preferable to obtain the relative positional relationship with respect to the information output device 2 for each code.

The changing unit 24 uses the current position acquired by the current position acquiring unit 21 and the relative positional relationship acquired by the relative positional relationship acquiring unit 23 to acquire the position of the code of the placed object. to add to the location information. As shown in FIG. 10, the current position (X1, Y1, Z1, α1, β1, γ1) of the information output device 2 in the global coordinate system, and the relative positional relationship between the code C0001 and the information output device 2 ( x1, y1, z1, θ1, φ1, ψ1), the position of code C0001 in the global coordinate system (X001, Y001, Z001) can be obtained. Therefore, the changing unit 24 can thus acquire the position of each code included in the captured image in the global coordinate system. The changing unit 24 associates the position of each code obtained in this way, that is, the position of the object to which the code is assigned, with the identifier of the object to which the code is assigned, and adds the positional relationship information. You may In the current position described above, (X1, Y1, Z1) is the position in the three-dimensional global coordinate system, and α1, β1, γ1 are the angles of the information output device 2 with respect to the global coordinate system. Also, for example, to obtain the code position (X001, Y001, Z001), the relative angles (θ1, φ1, ψ1) between the code and the information output device 2 are not necessarily required, so they are not obtained. may

Next, the operation of the information output device 2 will be explained using the flowchart of FIG. Processing other than steps S201 to S205 is the same as in the flowchart of FIG. 2 of Embodiment 1, and description thereof will be omitted.

(Step S<b>201 ) The current position acquisition section 21 acquires the current position of the information output device 2 . It should be noted that information about the angle need not be acquired in the acquisition of the current position.

(Step S202) Using the current position acquired in step S201, the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13, and the code identifier acquired in step S104, the acquisition unit 22 uses the code identifier to The object existing on the back side of the object to which the code is assigned is specified, and information about the object is obtained.

(Step S<b>203 ) The current position acquisition section 21 acquires the current position of the information output device 2 .

(Step S204) The relative positional relationship acquisition unit 23 acquires the relative positional relationship between the code and the information output device 2 using the image of the code included in the captured image received in step S109. Note that when two or more codes are included in the captured image, it is preferable to acquire the relative positional relationship for each code.

(Step S205) The changing unit 24 acquires the position of each code included in the captured image accepted in step S109 using the current position and the relative positional relationship between the code and the information output device 2, Add the position of each code obtained to the positional relationship information. Then, the process returns to step S101.

In steps S108 to S110 of the flow chart of FIG. 9, photographing of the arranged object, reception of the photographed image, and acquisition of the code identifier for identifying the code of the arranged object included in the photographed image are performed. shall be performed. Further, the order of processing in the flowchart of FIG. 9 is an example, and the order of each step may be changed as long as the same result can be obtained. In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the processing ends when the power is turned off or an interrupt for processing end occurs.

Next, the operation of the information output device 2 according to this embodiment will be described using a specific example. It should be noted that the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 is information indicating the position of the object, and other than the processing related to the current position acquisition unit 21, acquisition unit 22, relative positional relationship acquisition unit 23, and change unit 24. is the same as the specific example of Embodiment 1, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

First, as shown in FIG. 10, in a state in which the objects B0001 to B0004 are arranged, when photographing is performed for changing the positional relationship information, the code identifier of each code is read accordingly (step S107-S110). Further, the current position of the information output device 2 is obtained by the current position obtaining unit 21, and the relative positional relationship with the information output device 2 is obtained by the relative positional relationship obtaining unit 23 for each code included in the captured image. It is acquired (steps S203 and S204). More specifically, the position (X001, Y001, Z001) of the object B0001, which is the position of the code C0001, is acquired using the relative positional relationship with the code C0001 and the current position. Similarly, the positions (X002, Y002, Z002) to (X004, Y004, Z004) of the objects B0002 to B0004 are obtained using the relative positional relationships with the codes C0002 to C0004 and the current positions. . Those positions are added to the positional relationship information in association with the code identifiers ID0001 to ID0004 of each code (step S205).

Similarly, when the objects B0101 to B0104 are arranged as shown in FIG. 5C, the positions of these objects are added to the positional relationship information, and the objects B0201 to B0204 are added as shown in FIG. 5D. The positions of these objects are also added to the positional relationship information when they are arranged (steps S107-S110, S203-S205). As a result, the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 is as shown in FIG.

After that, assume that the user operates the information output device 2 to photograph objects B0201 to B0204 for information output, as shown in FIG. 6D. Then, the code identifier of each code is read in the captured image (steps S101 to S104). Also, the current position of the information output device 2 is obtained by the current position obtaining unit 21 (step S201). After that, the acquisition unit 22 uses the current position, the position corresponding to the code identifier read from the captured image, and the position of each object indicated by the positional relationship information to obtain the code identifier read from the captured image. Identify the code identifier of the object that is behind the corresponding location. In this case, it is assumed that code identifiers ID0001 to ID0004 and ID0101 to ID0104 are specified. Then, the acquiring unit 22 uses the horizontal position (for example, (X001, Y001), etc.) corresponding to the code identifier read from the captured image and the code identifier specified using the positional relationship information to obtain the horizontal position. Each code identifier is clustered so that code identifiers close to each other belong to the same cluster. Then, the acquisition unit 22 determines the vertical relationship in each cluster using the position in the height direction. Also, using the representative value of the horizontal position of each cluster (for example, the average value, the position of a randomly selected target object, etc.) and the distance from the current position, each cluster with the information output device 2 as a reference are arranged in order from the front side to the back side (the farthest side). In this way, it is possible to obtain the positional relationship of each object in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction. It is possible to generate information indicated by The information thus generated is displayed by the output unit 15 as shown in FIG. 7, so that the user can know the expiration date of each object.

As described above, according to the information output device 2 and the information output method according to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, even for an object whose code is not photographed, the code of the object on the near side is displayed. By taking pictures, you will be able to know information. Moreover, when acquiring the positional relationship information, it is only necessary to photograph the code of the object after placement.

Modifications of the information output devices 1 and 2 according to Embodiments 1 and 2 will now be described.

[Information output device without imaging unit]
In Embodiments 1 and 2 above, the case where the information output devices 1 and 2 have the photographing unit 11 has been described, but this does not have to be the case. The imaging unit 11 may exist outside the information output devices 1 and 2 . In that case, the reception unit 12 may receive a photographed image photographed by an external photographing unit. Acceptance of the captured image may be reception of the captured image transmitted via a wired or wireless communication line, for example. In this case, the receiving unit 12 may or may not include a device for receiving (for example, a modem or a network card). Further, the reception unit 12 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver for driving a predetermined device.

[Information output device without change part]
In Embodiments 1 and 2 described above, the case where the information output devices 1 and 2 have the changing units 16 and 24 has been described, but this does not have to be the case. If the positional relationship information stored in the storage unit 13 is not changed, the information output devices 1 and 2 do not have to include the change units 16 and 24 . If the changing unit 24 is not provided, the information output device 2 does not have to include the relative positional relationship acquisition unit 23 either. Also, if the information output devices 1 and 2 do not have the changing units 16 and 24, for example, the positional relationship information may be manually created by an operator, or the information output devices 1 and 2 may may be generated by a process similar to that of the changing units 16 and 24 by another device. Then, the created positional relationship information and the generated positional relationship information may be accumulated in the storage unit 13 .

[Configuration as a server]
In the first and second embodiments, the information output devices 1 and 2 are mainly described as stand-alone devices, but the information output devices 1 and 2 may be stand-alone devices and may be servers in a server/client system. It may be a device. In the latter case, the output unit and the reception unit may receive inputs and captured images and output information via communication lines.

[Process according to movement of object]
In Embodiments 1 and 2 above, when an object is moved from its location, for example, when it is shipped from a warehouse, the information about that object may be deleted from the positional relationship information. . For example, when an object is removed from the placement location, the code of the object is photographed, and accordingly the change units 16 and 24 delete the information on the code identifier of the code from the positional relationship information. good.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a case where an object such as a cardboard box is arranged in a warehouse or the like has been mainly described, but the object may have other shapes. For example, as noted above, the object may be clothes on a hanger. Even in such a case, it is possible to easily know the information about the clothes existing on the rear side, and for example, it is possible to easily search for the target clothes. In this case, the information about the object may be information about the type of clothing (for example, a gray checked jacket, etc.).

Further, in each of the above embodiments, each process or each function may be realized by centralized processing by a single device or single system, or may be implemented by distributed processing by a plurality of devices or a plurality of systems. It may be realized by

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, when the information is passed between the components, for example, when the two components that exchange the information are physically different, one of the components by outputting information by and receiving information by the other component, or by one component if the two components that pass the information are physically the same This may be done by moving from the phase of processing corresponding to the element to the phase of processing corresponding to the other component.

In each of the above embodiments, information related to processing executed by each component, for example, information received, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component Information, information such as thresholds, formulas, and addresses used by each component in processing may be temporarily or long-term stored in a recording medium (not shown) even if not specified in the above description. . Further, each component or an accumulation section (not shown) may accumulate information in the recording medium (not shown). Further, each component or a reading unit (not shown) may read information from the recording medium (not shown).

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, when information used in each component, for example, information such as threshold values, addresses, and various setting values used in processing by each component may be changed by the user, Although not explicitly stated in the above description, the user may or may not be able to change such information as appropriate. If the information can be changed by the user, the change is realized by, for example, a reception unit (not shown) that receives a change instruction from the user and a change unit (not shown) that changes the information according to the change instruction. may The reception of the change instruction by the reception unit (not shown) may be, for example, reception from an input device, reception of information transmitted via a communication line, or reception of information read from a predetermined recording medium. .

Further, in each of the above embodiments, when two or more components included in the information output devices 1 and 2 have communication devices, input devices, etc., the two or more components physically have a single device. or may have separate devices.

Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or components that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component can be realized by reading and executing a software program recorded in a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory by a program execution unit such as a CPU. During the execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing the storage unit or recording medium. The software that implements the information output devices 1 and 2 in each of the above embodiments is the following program. In other words, this program causes a computer that can access a storage unit that stores positional relationship information, which is information indicating the positional relationship of an object to which a code has been assigned, by a reception unit that receives a photographed image of the object, and a reception unit. an acquisition unit that acquires information about an object that exists behind the object to which the code is attached using the code and the positional relationship information that are included in the received photographed image; This is a program for functioning as an output section for output.

In the program, the functions realized by the program do not include functions that can be realized only by hardware. For example, functions that can be realized only by hardware such as a modem or an interface card, such as a reception unit that receives information and an output unit that outputs information, are not included in the functions realized by the program.

Also, this program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, and the program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.) may be read. may be performed by Also, this program may be used as a program constituting a program product.

Also, the number of computers executing this program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a computer system 900 that implements the information output devices 1 and 2 according to the above embodiments by executing the above programs. Each of the above embodiments can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon.

In FIG. 12, a computer system 900 includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 911, a program such as a boot-up program, an application program, a system program, and a ROM 912 such as a flash memory that stores data. It includes a RAM 913 that temporarily stores instructions of application programs and provides a temporary storage space, a touch panel 914, a wireless communication module 915, and a bus 916 that interconnects the MPU 911, ROM 912, and the like. Note that a wired communication module may be provided instead of the wireless communication module 915 . Also, instead of the touch panel 914, a display and an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard may be provided.

A program that causes the computer system 900 to execute the functions of the information output devices 1 and 2 according to the above embodiments may be stored in the ROM 912 via the wireless communication module 915 . Programs are loaded into RAM 913 during execution. Alternatively, the program may be loaded directly from the network.

The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third party program that causes the computer system 900 to execute the functions of the information output devices 1 and 2 according to the above embodiments. A program may contain only those portions of instructions that call the appropriate functions or modules in a controlled manner to produce the desired result. How the computer system 900 operates is well known and will not be described in detail.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various modifications are possible and are also included within the scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the information output device or the like according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effect of being able to acquire information about an object that exists on the back side of the object whose code can be photographed. , as a device for outputting information about an object.

Reference Signs List 1, 2 information output device 12 reception unit 13 storage unit 14, 22 acquisition unit 15 output unit 16, 24 change unit 21 current position acquisition unit 23 relative positional relationship acquisition unit

Claims (7)

a storage unit that stores positional relationship information that is information indicating the positional relationship of objects to which codes are assigned;
a reception unit that receives a photographed image of the object;
an acquisition unit that acquires information about an object existing on the back side of the object to which the code is assigned, using the code included in the captured image received by the reception unit and the positional relationship information;
and an output unit configured to output the information acquired by the acquisition unit. 2. The information output device according to claim 1, wherein said positional relationship information is information indicating a relative positional relationship of objects. The reception unit receives, when a new object is arranged, a photographed image of a code of an object to be arranged and a photographed image of a code of an object existing behind the object to be arranged,
Using the code of the object to be arranged and the code of the object existing behind the object to be arranged, which are included in the photographed image received by the reception unit, the object to be arranged is obtained. 3. The information output device according to claim 2, further comprising a changing unit that adds a positional relationship to said positional relationship information. The positional relationship information is information indicating the position of the object to which the code is assigned,
further comprising a current position acquisition unit that acquires the current position;
The acquisition unit uses the code included in the captured image received by the reception unit, the positional relationship information, and the current position to obtain an image of an object existing behind the object to which the code is assigned. 2. The information output device according to claim 1, which acquires information about. The reception unit receives a photographed image of a code of the arranged object when a new object is arranged,
a relative positional relationship acquisition unit that acquires a relative positional relationship between the code of the arranged object and the information output device, which is included in the photographed image received by the reception unit;
5. The information output according to claim 4, further comprising a changing unit that acquires the position of the placed object using the current position and the relative positional relationship and adds the position to the positional relationship information. Device. An information output method processed using a storage unit storing positional relationship information indicating the positional relationship of an object to which a code is assigned, a reception unit, an acquisition unit, and an output unit,
a receiving step in which the receiving unit receives a photographed image of the object;
The acquiring unit acquires information about an object existing behind the object to which the code is assigned, using the code included in the captured image accepted in the accepting step and the positional relationship information. an acquisition step;
An information output method, comprising: an output step in which the output unit outputs the information acquired in the acquisition step. A computer capable of accessing a storage unit storing positional relationship information indicating the positional relationship of objects to which codes are assigned,
a reception unit that receives a photographed image of the object;
an acquisition unit that acquires information about an object existing on the back side of the object to which the code is attached, using the code included in the captured image received by the reception unit and the positional relationship information;
A program for functioning as an output unit that outputs information acquired by the acquisition unit.

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