JP2022159856A - Code search device, code search method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a code search device which can more easily find an object being a search target by using a code given to the object.SOLUTION: A code search device 1 comprises: an image acquisition unit 11 which acquires a photographed image of an object to which a code is given; a reception unit 12 which receives an object identifier for identifying an object being a search target; a determination unit 14 which determines whether or not the code of the search target identified by a code identifier corresponding to the object identifier received by the reception unit 12 is included in the photographed image; a display unit 15 which displays the photographed image and displays information indicating the position of the code at the position of the code being the search target in the photographed image when the code of the search target is included in the photographed image; and an output unit 16 which performs output different from the display when the code of the search target is included in the photographed image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Patent Law Article 30, Paragraph 2 application filed March 16, 2021 https://www. womnet. com/arucocord/ November 19, 2020, November 25, 2020, March 1, 2021, March 4, 2021 https://apps. apple. com/jp/app/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC100/id1532176520 , https://apps. apple. com/jp/app/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC100/id1532176520 #? platform=ipad, https://apps. apple. com/jp/app/%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B3%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%80%E3%83%BC100/id1532176520 #? Distributed through platform = iphone, March 10, 2021 Published in "Monthly automatic recognition March 2021, page 39" published by Nippon Kogyo Publishing Co., Ltd., March 9 to March 12, 3rd year of Reiwa Japan Industrial Machinery Manufacturers Association, Japan Industrial Vehicles Association, Japan Pallet Association, Japan Transportation Equipment Association, Japan Logistics System Equipment Association, Japan Logistics System Association, and Exhibited at the “International Logistics Exhibition 2021” sponsored by the Japan Management Association, March 9th to May 31st, 2021 https://www. logis-tech-tokyo. gr. jp/ltt2021/etc/virtual. html, https://ltt2021. event-tank. com/lo/au/, https://ltt2021. event-tank. com/c/htm/ex/EH40AU00. Announced through html, December 1st to December 2nd, 2020 Exhibited at the "18th Auto-ID Comprehensive Exhibition" sponsored by the Japan Automatic-ID System Association

The present invention relates to a code search device and the like that perform processing using a code given to an object.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, information about an object is acquired by photographing the object to which a code is assigned and acquiring information corresponding to the code (see Patent Document 1, for example).

JP 2016-222371 A

By using the code attached to the object, it is possible to obtain the information of the object, but it is difficult to know the position of a specific object in a situation where many objects are lined up, such as in a warehouse. There was a problem that For example, although it is possible to photograph a plurality of code-assigned objects and display information on the objects corresponding to the respective codes in the photographed images, it is difficult to visually search for the desired object from the information. was difficult. In addition, there is also a problem that an oversight may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a code search apparatus or the like that can find an object to be searched more easily by using a code assigned to the object. With the goal.

To achieve the above object, a code search device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an image acquisition unit that acquires a photographed image of an object to which a code is assigned, and a reception that accepts an object identifier that identifies the object to be searched. a determination unit for determining whether or not a captured image includes a search target code identified by a code identifier corresponding to the object identifier received by the receiving unit; A display unit that displays information indicating the position of the code at the position of the code to be searched in the captured image when the code to be searched is included, and a display unit when the code to be searched is included in the captured image. and an output unit that provides different outputs.

With such a configuration, when the captured image includes the code assigned to the target object to be searched, it can be easily known from the output from the output unit. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility of overlooking the inclusion of the search target object in the captured image, and it is possible to find the search target object more easily.

Further, in the code search device according to one aspect of the present invention, the information indicating the position of the code may be displayed in a size greater than or equal to a predetermined size.
With such a configuration, when the size of the code included in the photographed image is reduced, the information indicating the position of the code is also displayed in a smaller size, which makes it difficult to visually recognize the code. can.

Further, in the code search device according to one aspect of the present invention, the information indicating the position of the code includes information corresponding to the code, and may include more information as the size of the code in the captured image increases.
With such a configuration, for example, by approaching the object and photographing it or enlarging the photographed image, it becomes possible to know more detailed information corresponding to the code.

Further, in the code search device according to one aspect of the present invention, the accepting unit may accept two or more object identifiers.
With such a configuration, two or more objects can be searched collectively, and the convenience when searching for two or more objects is improved.

Further, in the code search device according to the aspect of the present invention, the output unit may change the output according to the number of object identifiers corresponding to the search target code included in the captured image.
With such a configuration, for example, the number of objects included in the captured image can be easily grasped by sound, vibration, or the like.

Moreover, in the code search device according to one aspect of the present invention, the object may be a product.
With such a configuration, the code search device can be used, for example, for searching for a desired product to be picked up in a warehouse or the like.

Further, in the chord search device according to one aspect of the present invention, the output different from the display may be at least one of vibration and sound output.
With such a configuration, it is possible to know that the object to be searched is included in the captured image by vibration or sound, and it is possible to overlook the fact that the object to be searched is included in the captured image. can be reduced.

A code search method according to an aspect of the present invention includes the steps of acquiring a photographed image of an object to which a code is assigned, receiving an object identifier for identifying the object to be searched, and a step of determining whether or not a captured image contains a code to be searched identified by a code identifier corresponding to the identifier; a step of displaying information indicating the position of the code at the position of the code to be searched for; and a step of outputting a different output from the display when the captured image contains the code to be searched. .

According to the code search device and the like according to one aspect of the present invention, it becomes possible to find an object to be searched more easily.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a code search device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of the code search device according to the same embodiment; A diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the code identifier and the information of the object in the same embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an object photographed by the code search device according to the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of display of a photographed image according to the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of display of a photographed image according to the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of display of a photographed image according to the same embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of display of a photographed image according to the same embodiment; A diagram showing an example of a configuration of a computer system according to the same embodiment.

Hereinafter, a code search device and a code search 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. The code search device 1 according to the present embodiment performs an output different from the display when a code corresponding to the object to be searched is included in the captured image, so that the position of the object to be searched is not overlooked. It is possible to do so.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a code search device 1 according to this embodiment. A code search device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an image acquisition section 11 , a reception section 12 , a storage section 13 , a determination section 14 , a display section 15 and an output section 16 . The code search device 1 may be, for example, a portable information processing terminal having a photographing function, such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or the like. The code search device 1 is used to find an object to be searched using a photographed image of a code assigned to the object. This code search device 1 is used, for example, to search for a target object in a warehouse, store, or the like.

The image acquisition unit 11 acquires a photographed image of the object to which the code is assigned. The image acquisition unit 11 may be, for example, an optical device of a camera that captures an image of an object, or may receive a captured image of an object captured by an optical device such as a camera. The captured image preferably includes an image of the code attached to the object. In addition, since the photographing is performed to find the object to be searched, it is preferable that the photographed image includes a plurality of objects and codes assigned to those objects. It is preferable that the image acquisition unit 11 continuously acquires the captured image in real time. In this embodiment, this case will be mainly described. Therefore, in this embodiment, the case where the captured image is a moving image will be mainly described. For example, the captured image may be a moving image captured by the user while scanning a plurality of objects. Further, as will be described later, since the code identifier is obtained from the code included in the captured image, it is preferable that the captured image has a resolution that allows the code identifier to 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.

The code may be, for example, a color code such as a chameleon code (registered trademark), a QR code (registered trademark), a barcode, an AR marker, or other code. When a plurality of codes are included in a photographed image, it is preferable to use a code, for example, a color code, which can collectively obtain a plurality of code identifiers corresponding to the plurality of codes. In this embodiment, a case where the code is a color code will be mainly described.

The object may be, for example, a product, a storage object stored in a warehouse or the like, or other objects. The object may be, for example, a box-shaped object such as a cardboard box or a container, or may be an object such as a bag, a bottle, a can, or any other object. In this embodiment, the case where the object is a box-shaped product will be mainly described.

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 accepting unit 12 accepts an object identifier. The object identifier accepted by the accepting unit 12 is an identifier that identifies the object to be searched. Therefore, the object identifier of the object that the user of the code search device 1 wants to search may be accepted by the accepting unit 12 . The object identifier may be, for example, the name of the object, or an identifier such as a character string or number that identifies the object. The accepting unit 12 may accept, for example, one object identifier, or may accept two or more object identifiers. If more than one object identifier is accepted, each object identifier is different. For example, when the user wants to know the positions of two or more different objects, the accepting unit 12 may accept two or more object identifiers. This acceptance may be performed, for example, by accepting a selection of one or more object identifiers from a plurality of object identifiers, and accepting the input one or more object identifiers. may be performed by The object identifier may be associated with, for example, a code identifier that identifies the code, or may be the code identifier itself. In this embodiment, the former case will be mainly described. The correspondence between the object identifier and the code identifier may be, for example, one-to-one or one-to-many. In the latter case, multiple code identifiers may correspond to one object. For example, this may occur when different codes are given to the same object depending on the expiration date, arrival time, or the like. In this embodiment, a case where the correspondence between the object identifier and the code identifier is one-to-one will be mainly described.

The reception unit 12 may, for example, receive an object identifier input from an input device (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.), or receive an object identifier transmitted via a wired or wireless communication line. may In this embodiment, a case where an object identifier input by an input device is accepted will be mainly described. Note that the receiving unit 12 may or may not include a device for receiving (for example, an input device, a modem, a network card, etc.). 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.

The storage unit 13 may store a plurality of pieces of correspondence information that associate an object identifier with a code identifier that identifies a code assigned to the object identified by the object identifier. If the object identifier and the code identifier are different identifiers, it is preferable that the storage unit 13 stores correspondence information that associates them. In addition, the storage unit 13 may store other information or the like. For example, the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 11 may be temporarily stored.

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 photographed image of the object to which the code is assigned.

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, information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the storage unit 13, or Information input via an input device may be stored in the storage unit 13 . 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, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or the like.

The determination unit 14 determines whether or not the captured image includes a search target code identified by a code identifier corresponding to the object identifier received by the reception unit 12 . If the captured image is a moving image, this determination may be made for each frame. A search target code is a code assigned to a search target object, and is a code identified by a code identifier corresponding to the object identifier received by the receiving unit 12 . The code identifier corresponding to the object identifier is, for example, a code identifier associated with the object identifier by the correspondence information when both identifiers are associated by the above correspondence information, and both identifiers are the same. In some cases, it is the object identifier itself. The determination unit 14 acquires the code identifier of each code included in the captured image, and determines whether the code identifier corresponding to the object identifier accepted by the acceptance unit 12 is included in the acquired one or more code identifiers. You may make this judgment, depending on how you feel. If the code identifier corresponding to the accepted object identifier is included in one or more code identifiers acquired from the captured image, the determination unit 14 identifies the object identifier with the code identifier corresponding to the accepted object identifier. When it is determined that the code to be searched is included in the captured image, and the code identifier corresponding to the received object identifier is not included in the one or more code identifiers obtained from the captured image, the accepted object It is determined that the code to be searched identified by the code identifier corresponding to the identifier is not included in the captured image. Note that when a plurality of object identifiers are accepted, the determination unit 14 selects a search target identified by a code identifier corresponding to how many object identifiers out of the N object identifiers accepted. It may be specified whether the code is included in the captured image. In other words, the determination unit 14 may specify the number of object identifiers, “M”, for which the code identified by the corresponding code identifier is included in the captured image, among the received N object identifiers. Note that N is an integer of 2 or more, and M is an integer of 0 or more and N or less. If M is 0, it is determined that the captured image does not contain the code to be searched identified by the code identifier corresponding to the accepted object identifier. Further, the determination unit 14 may acquire a set of the position of the search target code in the captured image and the code identifier of the code.

The display unit 15 displays the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 11 . The display unit 15 preferably displays the captured image, which is a moving image, in real time. In this embodiment, this case will be mainly described. Further, when the determination unit 14 determines that the captured image includes the search target code, the display unit 15 displays information indicating the position of the search target code at the position of the search target code in the captured image. By displaying the information indicating the position of the code at the position of the code to be searched in the captured image, the user can specify the position of the object to be searched.

The information indicating the position of the code may be, for example, a figure for indicating the position (for example, a polygon such as a circle, triangle, or square, or a figure such as an arrow), or may be information corresponding to the code. , and other information. Information corresponding to a code may be, for example, information about an object to which the code is attached. The information about the object may be, for example, the name of the object, detailed information about the object, and the like. For example, when a captured image includes a code to be searched, the determination unit 14 may pass a set of the code identifier of the code and the position of the code identifier in the captured image to the display unit 15 . Then, the display unit 15 uses the set of the code identifier and the position in the captured image received from the determination unit 14 to display the information corresponding to the code identified by the code identifier at the position in the captured image. good too. When the display unit 15 displays only a graphic for indicating the position of the code, for example, the determination unit 14 may pass only the position of the search target code included in the captured image to the display unit 15. .

Note that the information indicating the position of the code may be displayed in a size greater than or equal to a predetermined size. For example, when displaying information corresponding to a code such as an AR marker in a captured image of the code, the information corresponding to the code may be displayed in a size proportional to the size of the code in the captured image. . In this case, when the code is displayed small in the captured image, the information corresponding to the code is also displayed small, making it difficult for the user to read. Such a problem can be solved by displaying the information indicating the position of the code in a size greater than or equal to a predetermined size. In this case, for example, the information indicating the positions of the displayed codes may all be displayed in the same size, or the minimum size of the information indicating the positions of the displayed codes is determined and As the size of the code displayed in the image increases, the display size of the information indicating the position of the code displayed at the position of the code may also increase. The minimum size of the information indicating the position of the code is preferably set, for example, to a size that allows the user to easily specify the information indicating the position of the displayed code. The minimum size of the information indicating the code position may be defined by, for example, the number of pixels.

Further, when the information indicating the position of the code includes the information corresponding to the code as described above, the larger the size of the code in the captured image, the more information corresponding to the code. May contain information. For example, if the code to be searched is displayed small in the captured image, only the product name corresponding to that code is displayed, and if the code is displayed larger, the product corresponding to that code is displayed. Name and details may be displayed. In this case, the code size may be obtained by the determination unit 14 . Also, the display unit 15 may display the amount of information corresponding to the size of the code received from the determination unit 14 . The detailed information may be, for example, attribute information such as the arrival time of the object, expiration date, expiration date, etc., attribute information related to the size, color, etc. of the object, or other information related to the object. There may be. Enlarging or reducing the code in the photographed image may be performed, for example, by the user moving closer to or away from the object while holding the code search device 1, using the camera's optical zoom function, digital zoom function, or the like. may be performed using

Note that the display unit 15 may or may not include a display device (for example, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or the like) that performs these displays. Also, the display of the display object may be performed on another device. In this case, the display unit 15 may transmit information to be displayed to the outside of the device. Also, the display unit 15 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver for driving the display device.

The output unit 16 performs an output different from the display when the captured image contains the search target code, and does not perform the output when the captured image does not include the search target code. The output other than display may be, for example, at least one of vibration and sound output. For example, when the user is capturing an object while panning or tilting the code search device 1, which is a smart phone, and the captured image includes the code to be searched, the smart phone vibrates. or by outputting sound from the speaker, the user can easily notice that the object to be searched is included in the captured image, and the user's convenience is improved. Become. When the output is vibration, the output unit 16 may rotate, for example, a motor for generating vibration when the code to be searched is included in the captured image. Further, when the output is a sound output, the output unit 16 may output a predetermined sound (for example, a beep sound) from the speaker when the captured image contains the code to be searched. .

When a plurality of object identifiers are accepted by the accepting unit 12, the output unit 16 may change the output according to the number of object identifiers corresponding to the search target code included in the captured image. For example, when three object identifiers are accepted, the captured image contains a code corresponding to one object identifier, and the captured image contains codes corresponding to two object identifiers. The output from the output unit 16 may be different depending on when the captured image includes codes corresponding to three object identifiers. The output unit 16 receives, from the determination unit 14, information indicating how many codes corresponding to the object identifiers among the received object identifiers are included in the captured image, that is, the value of M described above, from the determination unit 14, The output may be changed according to the value. As a result, the output may change according to the number of object identifiers corresponding to the search target codes included in the captured image. The output by the output unit 16 when included in the image may be the same, and the output by the output unit 16 when the codes corresponding to the three object identifiers are included in the captured image may be different. Therefore, for example, when the captured image contains the search target codes corresponding to all the object identifiers accepted by the accepting unit 12, the output unit 16 outputs an output distinguishable from the other case. good too. In this case, the output unit 16 also receives the above-mentioned value of N from the determination unit 14, and compares N and M to determine the search object corresponding to all the object identifiers received by the reception unit 12. is included in the captured image, and the result of the determination may be received from the determination unit 14 .

Here, this output may be, for example, audio output by a speaker, generation of vibration by a vibration generator such as a motor, or other output other than display. It should be noted that this output is preferably an output capable of alerting the user, such as sound output or vibration generation. Also, the output unit 16 may or may not include a device for output (for example, a speaker, a vibration generator, etc.). Also, the output unit 16 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver for driving those devices.

Next, the operation of the code search device 1, that is, the code search method will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
(Step S101) The reception unit 12 determines whether or not the object identifier of the object to be searched has been received. Then, if the object identifier is accepted, the process proceeds to step S102, and if not, the process of step S101 is repeated until the object identifier is accepted.

(Step S102) The determination unit 14 identifies a code identifier corresponding to the object identifier received by the reception unit 12, and stores the identified code identifier in the recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, the storage unit 13, or may be another recording medium (not shown).

(Step S103) The image acquisition unit 11 determines whether or not to acquire a captured image. If a photographed image is to be acquired, the process proceeds to step S104; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S109. Note that the image acquisition unit 11 may periodically determine, for example, to acquire a captured image.

(Step S104) The image acquisition unit 11 acquires a captured image.

(Step S105) The display unit 15 displays the captured image acquired in step S104.

(Step S106) The determination unit 14 determines whether the code identified by the code identifier accumulated in step S102 is included in the captured image acquired in step S104. If the code identified by the stored code identifier is included in the captured image, the process proceeds to step S107; otherwise, the process returns to step S103.

(Step S107) The display unit 15 displays information indicating the position of the code at the position of the search target code in the captured image.

(Step S108) The output unit 16 performs output different from display. Then, the process returns to step S103. Note that the output in step S108 may be continued when, for example, the captured image contains the code to be searched, or may be continued so that the captured image contains a new code to be searched. It is performed only once when it becomes possible, and it does not have to be performed after that. In the latter case, the process of step S108 may be performed when a new code to be searched comes to be included in the captured image, and thereafter the process of step S108 may be skipped.

(Step S109) The image acquisition unit 11 determines whether or not to end the acquisition of the captured image. If it is to end, the process returns to step S101; otherwise, the process returns to step S103. For example, the image acquisition unit 11 may determine to end acquisition of the captured image when receiving an instruction to end the search for the object from the user. The instruction may be received by the receiving unit 12, for example.

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. For example, in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the process proceeds from step S104 to step S106, and if it is determined in step S106 that the stored code is included in the captured image, the processing of steps S105 and S107 is performed, and step S108 is performed. , and if it is determined in step S106 that the stored code is not included in the captured image, the process of step S105 may be performed and the process may return to step S103. 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 code search device 1 according to this embodiment will be described using a specific example. In this specific example, the code search device 1 is assumed to be a smart phone. Further, in this specific example, it is assumed that the correspondence information shown in FIG. 3 is stored in the storage unit 13 . Correspondence information is information that associates a code identifier with object information that is information about an object to which a code identified by the code identifier is assigned. The object information has an object identifier and detailed information. In this specific example, the object identifier is the name of the object, and the detailed information is information indicating the arrival date of the product.

First, the display unit 15 refers to a plurality of pieces of correspondence information stored in the storage unit 13 to read and display a list of object identifiers, that is, product names. If there is duplication of product names, for example, if a plurality of code identifiers correspond to one product, the display unit 15 displays a list of product names after performing unique processing. may

Assume that the user selects "product A" from the list of product names. Then, the object identifier "product A", which is the name of the product, is received by the receiving unit 12 and passed to the determining unit 14 (step S101). The determination unit 14 searches for correspondence information stored in the storage unit 13 using the received object identifier "product A" as a search key, and the hit correspondence information is associated with the object identifier "product A". A code identifier "ID0001" is acquired and stored in a recording medium (not shown) (step S102).

After that, the user takes an image of the object 3 stacked in the warehouse with the code search device 1, as shown in FIG. Since it is difficult to photograph all the objects 3 at once, the user can photograph the objects 3 while panning the code search device 1 in the horizontal direction or tilting it in the vertical direction. become. Since the code 5, which is a color code, is attached to the front side of the object 3, i.e., the side where the user is photographing, the photographed image of the code 5 is acquired by photographing the object 3. . It is assumed that shooting is performed at a predetermined frame rate.

When it comes time to acquire the captured image, the image acquisition unit 11 acquires the captured image and passes it to the determination unit 14 and the display unit 15 (steps S103 and S104). Upon receiving the captured image, the display unit 15 displays the captured image on the touch panel (step S105). Further, upon receiving the photographed image, the determination unit 14 recognizes the position of each code included in the photographed image, and obtains the information indicated by the code, that is, the code identifier obtained by reading the code. A set of the position of the code in the captured image and the code identifier is obtained. After that, the determination unit 14 determines whether or not the code identifier "ID0001" of the search target code stored in advance is included in the obtained code identifier. In this case, it is included. Then, the determination unit 14 determines that the code to be searched is included in the captured image, passes the code identifier "ID0001" and the position of the code identified by the code identifier to the display unit 15, and displays the code to be searched. The fact that the code is included in the captured image is passed to the output unit 16 (step S106).

When the code identifier and its position are received, the display unit 15 reads out the product name “product A”, which is the object identifier corresponding to the received code identifier, from the storage unit 13, and reads the product name as the code in the captured image. (step S107). As a result, information 51a indicating the position of the code corresponding to product A is displayed as shown in FIG. 5A. In addition, the output unit 16 vibrates the code search device 1, which is a smartphone operated by the user, and outputs a beep sound such as a “beep” to alert the user (step S108). As a result, even when the code search device 1 is being panned or tilted, the user can easily know that the object to be searched is included in the captured image, which is the intended result. It becomes possible to specify the position of the object.

By photographing more objects 3 at once, it becomes possible to find the target object 3 to be searched more quickly. On the other hand, in such a case, the size of the code included in the captured image may also be reduced, and accordingly, the information indicating the position of the code to be searched may also be displayed in a smaller size. In order to avoid such a situation, as described above, the information indicating the position of the code may be displayed in a size larger than a predetermined size. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 5B, even if the code included in the captured image becomes smaller, the information 51a indicating the position of the code may be displayed in the same size as the situation in FIG. 5A. good.

In addition, when there are two objects to be searched for, ie, product A and product B, each object identifier is accepted by the accepting unit 12 . Then, as shown in FIG. 5C, information 51a and 51b indicating the position of each code to be searched is displayed in the captured image, and the user can easily specify the positions of the products A and B. be able to In this case, as described above, the output unit 16 outputs the image when the captured image includes one search target object and when the captured image includes two search target objects. , the contents of the output may be different. For example, when the captured image includes one object to be searched, the output unit 16 vibrates the code search device 1 only once, outputs a beep sound, and searches the captured image. When two target objects are included, the code search device 1 may be vibrated twice and a beep sound may be output. By performing such an output, the user can easily know the number of search target objects included in the captured image without gazing at the display screen. A plurality of objects can be specified more efficiently.

Further, the display unit 15 may display more information as information corresponding to the code, which is information indicating the position of the code, as the size of the code in the captured image increases. For example, as shown in FIG. 5D, when the size of the code corresponding to product A is larger in the captured image, the display unit 15 includes not only the name of the product but also detailed information about the product. Information 51c indicating the position of the code may be displayed. In this case, the determination unit 14 may pass information indicating the size of the code to the display unit 15 when the code to be searched is included in the captured image. Then, the display unit 15 may display the amount of information corresponding to the size of the code received from the determination unit 14 using information that associates the size of the code with the amount of information to be displayed. If such a function is provided, it is possible to know the details of the product before actually picking up the product, thereby improving convenience. In addition, when the code is displayed in a small size in the captured image, less information is displayed, thereby increasing the visibility and making it possible to more easily identify the object to be searched. become.

As described above, according to the code search device 1 according to the present embodiment, when a captured image includes a code assigned to an object to be searched, the output from the output unit 16 can be easily known. Therefore, even in a situation where the user is shooting while scanning a plurality of objects, it is possible to reduce the possibility of overlooking the fact that the photographed image includes the object to be searched, thereby making it easier to find the object to be searched. will be able to find the object of

In addition, in the present embodiment, the case where the correspondence information is stored in the storage unit 13 has been mainly described, but this does not have to be the case. Correspondence information may be stored, for example, in an external server or an external recording medium. When the correspondence information is stored in an external server, the determination unit 14 or the like transmits the object identifier to the server, and receives the code identifier corresponding to the object identifier, information about the object, and the like. good too. In addition, when the correspondence information is stored in an external recording medium, the determination unit 14 or the like accesses the recording medium to acquire the code identifier corresponding to the object identifier, or obtain the information about the object. etc. may be obtained.

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

Further, in the above-described embodiment, 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 output of information and reception of information by the other component, or one component if the two components that pass the information are physically the same from the phase of processing corresponding to the other component to the phase of processing corresponding to the other component.

In the above embodiments, information related to processing executed by each component, for example, information received, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component Also, information such as thresholds, formulas, addresses, etc. used by each component in processing may be stored temporarily or for a long period of time 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 the above embodiment, if the information used in each component etc., for example, information such as thresholds, addresses and various set values used in processing by each component may be changed by the user, the above The user may or may not be able to change such information as appropriate, even if not explicitly stated in the description. 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 the above embodiment, when two or more components included in the code search device 1 have a communication device, an input device, etc., even if the two or more components physically have a single device, or may have separate devices.

Further, in the above 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 code search device 1 in the above embodiment is the following program. In other words, the program comprises an image acquisition unit that acquires a photographed image of an object to which a code is assigned, a reception unit that receives an object identifier that identifies the object to be searched, and an object that has been received by the reception unit. A determination unit for determining whether or not a captured image contains a code to be searched identified by a code identifier corresponding to the identifier; This is a program that functions as a display unit that displays information indicating the location of the code at the position of the code to be searched in the , and an output unit that outputs a different output from the display when the captured image contains the code to be searched. be.

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 only be realized by hardware such as modems and interface cards in the image acquisition section that acquires captured images, the display section that displays captured images, and the output section that performs output different from the display are performed by the above program. At least it is not included in the functions to be realized.

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. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a computer system 900 that implements the code search device 1 according to the embodiment by executing the above program. The above embodiments can be implemented by computer hardware and computer programs executed thereon.

In FIG. 6, 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 computer system 900 to execute the functions of code search device 1 according to the above embodiment may be stored in ROM 912 via 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 code search device 1 according to the above embodiment. 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.

Moreover, 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.

1 code search device 3 object 5 code 11 image acquisition unit 12 reception unit 13 storage unit 14 determination unit 15 display unit 16 output unit

Claims (9)

an image acquisition unit that acquires a photographed image of an object to which a code is assigned;
a receiving unit that receives an object identifier that identifies an object to be searched;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the photographed image includes a search target code identified by a code identifier corresponding to the object identifier received by the reception unit;
a display unit that displays the captured image and, when the captured image includes a search target code, displays information indicating the position of the search target code at the position of the search target code in the captured image;
and an output unit that outputs a different output from a display when the captured image includes a code to be searched. 2. The code search device according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating the position of said code is displayed in a size greater than or equal to a predetermined size. 3. The code search device according to claim 1, wherein the information indicating the position of the code includes information corresponding to the code, and includes more information as the size of the code in the photographed image increases. 4. The code search device according to claim 1, wherein said accepting unit accepts two or more object identifiers. 5. The code search device according to claim 4, wherein said output unit changes the output according to the number of object identifiers corresponding to a search target code included in said photographed image. 6. The code search device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said object is a product. 7. The chord search device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the output different from the display is at least one of vibration and sound output. obtaining a photographed image of the object to which the code is attached;
receiving an object identifier that identifies an object to be searched;
determining whether or not the captured image includes a code to be searched identified by a code identifier corresponding to the accepted object identifier;
a step of displaying the captured image and, if the captured image includes a search target code, displaying information indicating the position of the search target code at the position of the search target code in the captured image;
A code search method comprising the step of outputting a different output from the display when the captured image includes a code to be searched. the computer,
an image acquisition unit that acquires a photographed image of an object to which a code is assigned;
a reception unit that receives an object identifier that identifies an object to be searched;
a determination unit that determines whether or not a code to be searched identified by a code identifier corresponding to the object identifier received by the reception unit is included in the captured image;
a display unit that displays the captured image and, when the captured image includes a search target code, displays information indicating the position of the search target code at the position of the search target code in the captured image;
A program for functioning as an output unit that performs output different from display when a code to be searched is included in the captured image.

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