JP2977418B2 - Mail handling equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mail processing apparatus used as, for example, an automatic mail sorting / sorting machine or an automatic mail sorting and stamping machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, central post offices and the like have introduced mail processing apparatuses such as automatic mail reading / sorting machines and automatic mail sorting and stamping machines in order to automate postal services.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, for example, an automatic mail sorting and stamping machine includes a sorting unit 101 for sorting fixed-size mail items from a large number of mail items, and a sorting unit 10 for sorting.
The one-time take-out unit 102 that takes out the standard mail selected in 1 one by one, the first detection unit 103 that detects a stamp from the postal matter taken out by the one-time take-out unit 102, and the stamp that is used by the first detection unit 103 Inversion / alignment unit 104 for inverting and positioning a postal matter that cannot be detected, and a second detection unit 1 for detecting a stamp from the postal matter inverted and positioned by the inversion / alignment unit 104
05, a stamping section 106 for stamping stamps detected by the first and second detecting sections 103 and 105, a stacking section 107 for stacking postal items stamped by the stamping section 106, and mails that do not require sorting. Supply of goods and first and second detection units 103,
It comprises an auxiliary supply unit 108 for resupplying mails and the like for which stamps could not be detected in 105.

[0004] The sorting section 101 includes a supply section 101a for taking in mail, and a thickness selecting section 10 for sorting the thickness of mail.
1b, and a width sorting unit 101c for sorting the width of mail.

[0005] An automatic mail sorting machine is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the supply unit 20 for supplying the postal stamped postal items one by one with the automatic postal stamping machine.
1. OCR scanner 202 for reading an image on a mail supplied from supply unit 201, OCR scanner 2
02, a discriminating unit 203 for recognizing a postal code or a recipient address using the postal image read in 02, an accumulating unit 204 for sorting and accumulating the postal matter according to the postal code or the recipient address recognized by the discriminating unit 203. , And a delay path 2 that delays the conveyance of the mail until the recognition by the discriminating unit 203 is completed.
05.

In a post office equipped with the above-mentioned automatic mail reading / sorting machine and the automatic mail sorting and stamping machine, the respective devices are operated continuously, that is, sorting and stamping are performed by the automatic mail sorting and stamping machine. After the processing, the sorting / stacking processing is performed by a mail automatic reading / sorting machine.

In this way, by automating the stamping of the postal matter collected on the collected postal matter and the classification of the postal matter stamped with the postal matter according to the delivery destination, the speed of each processing and the labor cost can be reduced. Have been.

However, conventionally, when performing sorting and stamping processing and sorting and stacking processing of mails, an automatic mail reading / sorting machine and an automatic mail sorting and stamping machine are required, respectively. You need a lot of space.

[0009] Further, in view of the operation rate of the equipment, since each equipment must be used in series, it is inefficient, especially in a post office where the physical quantity is small. That is, the sorting machine is in a non-operation state until the sorting and stamping processing is completed, and the stamping machine is in a non-operation state during the sorting and stacking processing.

[0010]

As described above, in the prior art, there is a drawback that the space efficiency and the operation efficiency of the equipment for performing the sorting and stamping processing of mails and the sorting and stacking processing are not good.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a mail processing apparatus which can share some mechanisms such as a transport system and can improve space efficiency and operation efficiency.

[0012]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a mail processing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a supply means for supplying a mail, and a mailing apparatus for supplying mail. Detecting means for detecting the charge amount stamped face, stamping means for stamping the charge amount stamped face detected by the detecting means, reading means for reading an image of the mail supplied by the supply means,
Recognition means for recognizing sorting information from the image read by the reading means, stacking of the postal matter stamped by the sealing means, and sorting and stacking of the postal matter according to the sorting information recognized by the recognizing means. Accumulating means, setting means for setting a processing mode for mail supplied by the supplying means, and the detecting means and the stamping means or the reading means and the recognizing means according to the mode setting of the setting means. And control means for selectively operating.

Further, in the mail processing apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a detecting means for detecting a postage stamp on a postal matter, a stamping means for stamping the postage stamp detected by the detecting means, Reading means for reading an image of an object, recognizing means for recognizing sorting information from the image read by the reading means, supply means for supplying mail, and processing mode for the mail supplied by the supply means And a stacking means for stacking mail processed in accordance with the mode setting of the setting means. The detecting means and the stamping means or the reading means in accordance with the mode setting of the setting means. And selectively operating the recognition means,
Stamping processing for stacking the mail supplied by the supply unit on the stacking unit via the detection unit and the stamping unit; and stacking the mail supplied by the supply unit via the reading unit and the recognition unit. It is configured to be able to selectively execute the sorting / accumulating process for accumulating in the means.

[0014]

According to the present invention, the functions of the automatic mail sorting and sorting machine and the functions of the automatic mail sorting and stamping machine can be integrated by the above means, so that the equipment can be reduced in size and multifunctional. Is possible.

[0015]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 schematically show a configuration of a mail processing apparatus according to the present invention.

That is, this mail processing apparatus includes a sorting section 11, a one-way take-out section 12, an OCR scanner 13 as reading means, a discriminating section 14 as recognizing means, first and second detecting sections 15 as detecting means, 16, inversion / alignment unit 17, stamping unit 18 as stamping unit, stacking unit 1 as stacking unit
9, an auxiliary supply unit 20, a mode switching device 21 as setting means, and the like.

For example, at the time of the sorting and stamping process, the sorting unit 11 sorts out fixed mail items and non-standard mail items from among a large number of mail items, and outputs only the fixed mail items to the one-time take-out unit 1.
Send to 2.

The sorting section 11 includes a supply section 11a for taking in mail, and a thickness selecting section 11 for sorting mail by thickness.
b, and a width sorting section 11c for sorting mail items by width.

For example, at the time of sorting and stamping processing, the one-time take-out section (supply means) 12 takes out the standard mail selected by the sorting section 11 one by one, passes through the OCR scanner 13 and passes through the first detecting section 15. To send to.

The OCR scanner 13 optically reads the surface of the postal matter supplied by the auxiliary supply section 20 and performs photoelectric conversion on the postal matter supplied by the auxiliary supply section 20, for example, at the time of sorting and stacking processing. An address or the like is obtained as an image.

Normally, the postal matter supplied to the OCR scanner 13 has already been subjected to the sorting and stamping process, and the front and back sides of the postal matter are available. A mail image is obtained.

The discriminating unit 14 recognizes a postal code or a recipient address (sorting information) to which the mail is delivered, using the mail image read by the OCR scanner 13 at the time of sorting and stacking processing, for example. It is.

The first and second detectors 15 and 16 detect the presence or absence and the position of a stamp (a fee stamped surface including a charge meter, etc.) based on a difference in color from the background of a postal matter, for example, during sorting and stamping processing. Is what you do.

The reversing / positioning unit 17 reverses and positions only the postal matter whose stamp cannot be detected by the first detecting unit 15 at the time of, for example, the sorting and stamping process.
To send to.

The stamping section 18 stamps a stamp on the stamp detected by the first and second detecting sections 15 and 16 during, for example, a selective stamping process. The first and second detectors 15 and 16, the reversing / aligning unit 17, and the stamping unit 18 are used by the discriminating unit 14 during, for example, the sorting and collecting process.
Function as a delay path for delaying the transport of the mail until the recognition by the user is completed.

The stacking section 19 is for stacking, for example, at the time of the sorting and stamping process, the postal matter stamped and stamped by the stamping section 18 in a state where the front and back sides are gathered. In accordance with the postal code or the recipient address recognized at 14, the mails are sorted for each delivery destination and accumulated.

The auxiliary supply unit (supply means) 20 is, for example, at the time of the sorting / accumulating process, the accumulating unit 1 in the sorting and stamping process.
The postal matter accumulated in 9 is supplied to the OCR scanner 13 one by one.

Each of the above-mentioned mechanisms is connected to each other by a transport path 22 for transporting mail.
The mode switching device 21 switches the mode between, for example, the sorting and stamping process and the sorting and stacking process, and selects and sets the stamping machine mode during the sorting and stamping process and the sorting machine mode during the sorting and stacking process.

The mode switching device 21 is composed of, for example, an operator panel operated by an operator, and a mode switch is used for mode switching. An operator operates this changeover switch to control the operation of the apparatus as a DC signal line.
PU (Central Processing Uni)
At t), a mode switching signal is input, and a control system as a control means is set to a mode corresponding to a switch operation.

As described above, each of the above-mentioned mechanisms can be selectively used in accordance with the operation of the changeover switch by the operator. That is, when the stamping machine mode is set by the mode switching device 21, the sorting unit 11, the one-time take-out unit 12, the first and second detection units 15, 1
6, the inversion / alignment unit 17, the stamping unit 18 and the like are put into operation, and the operations of the OCR scanner 13 and the discriminating unit 14 are put into a stopped state.

On the other hand, when the sorting machine mode is set by the mode switching device 21, the OCR scanner 13 and the discriminating unit 14 and the like are put into operation, and the sorting unit 11, the one-time take-out unit 12, the first and the first 2 detectors 15, 16,
The operations of the inversion / alignment unit 17 and the stamping unit 18 are stopped.

In this way, by switching the function according to the processing mode, it is possible to selectively perform a plurality of processes (here, two processes of the sorting and stamping process and the sorting and stacking process) by one device. Become.

The stacking section 19 is set to an operating state in any of the processes. However, the stacking portion 19 functions as a small-capacity stacker during the sorting and stamping process and as a large-capacity stacker during the sorting and stacking process.

When the stamping machine mode is set by the mode switching device 21, for example, when a large amount of mail is collected, the collected large amount of mail is sorted by the sorting unit 11.
And the operator selects the stamping machine mode.

Then, as described above, the selection section 11, the one-way take-out section 12, the first and second detection sections 15, 16, the reversing / positioning section 17, the stamping section 18, and the like are brought into an operating state. The operations of the scanner 13 and the determination unit 14 are stopped.

Thus, the postal matter is taken out by the one-time take-out unit 12 through the sorting unit 11 and
And is sent to the first detection unit 15. The postal matter whose stamp is detected by the first detection unit 15 passes through the reversing / alignment unit 17 and the second detection unit 16 and is sent to the stamping unit 18, where the postmark is stamped and then accumulated. It is integrated in the unit 19.

The postal matter whose stamp is not detected by the first detecting unit 15 is turned upside down (or up and down) by the reversing / aligning unit 17, and is further positioned to be second aligned by the second detecting unit 16. Sent to

The postal matter whose stamp is detected by the second detecting unit 16 is similarly stamped by the stamping unit 18 and then stacked in the stacking unit 19. In this way, the present apparatus automatically performs the sorting and stamping process on a large amount of collected mail.

On the other hand, when the sorting machine mode is set by the mode switching device 21, for example, when the sorting and stamping process for the collected mail is completed, the mail is set in the auxiliary supply unit 20 and Selects the sorter mode.

Then, as described above, the OCR scanner 1
3, the discriminating unit 14, the auxiliary supply unit 20 and the like are set in the operating state, and the sorting unit 11, the one-through take-out unit 12, the first
The operations of the second detection units 15 and 16, the inversion / alignment unit 17, and the seal unit 18 are stopped.

Thus, the postal matter is supplied to the OCR scanner 13 by the auxiliary supply section 20, and after the image on the surface thereof is read, the discrimination section 14 further recognizes the postal code of the delivery destination and the address of the recipient. Is performed.

The postal matter from which the postal matter image has been read by the OCR scanner 13 is processed by the first detecting unit 15 and the reversing / aligning unit 1 until the recognition result is obtained.
7, the second detection unit 16, and the stamping unit 18 are sequentially conveyed and sent to the stacking unit 19.

In this way, the mail sent to the stacking unit 19 is sorted into pockets (stacking ports) corresponding to the postal code and the recipient address recognized by the discriminating unit 14, and are stacked there.

In this way, the present apparatus automatically performs the sorting and stacking process for mail items that have been subjected to the sorting and stamping process. As described above, the function of the automatic mail sorting and sorting machine and the function of the automatic mail sorting and stamping machine can be integrated.

That is, the automatic mail sorting and sorting machine and the automatic mail sorting and stamping machine are combined so that one apparatus has two functions. As a result, one device can be selectively used for the sorting and stamping process and the sorting and stacking process, so that the device can be reduced in size and multifunctional. Therefore, the space for installation can be reduced by sharing the stacking unit and the transport path, and the operation can be performed with less waste and high efficiency.

In addition, the cost can be reduced by eliminating the need for a dedicated path for delaying the transport of mail. In the above embodiment, the case where the operator switches the mode has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the mode may be switched automatically by reading the presence or absence of a postmark.

In this case, no auxiliary supply unit is required,
Further cost reduction and miniaturization are possible. Also,
Regarding cost reduction and miniaturization, it is also possible to colorize the OCR scanner and perform stamp detection using the color image. Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0048]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mail processing apparatus which can share a part of a mechanism such as a transport system and can improve space efficiency and operation efficiency. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a mail processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the mail processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a stamping machine for automatically sorting and mailing mail showing the prior art and its problems.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the appearance of the automatic mail sorting and stamping machine.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a stamping machine for automatically sorting and mailing mails.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an automatic mail sorting machine.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the automatic mail sorting machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 11: sorting unit, 12: one extraction unit, 13: OCR scanner, 14: discriminating unit, 15: first detecting unit, 16: second detecting unit, 17: reversing / aligning unit, 18: stamping unit, 19 ... Stacking unit, 20: auxiliary supply unit, 21: mode switching device.

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A supply means for supplying a postal matter, a detecting means for detecting a postage stamp surface on the postal matter supplied by the supply means, and an imprint for stamping the postage stamp face detected by the detection means Means, reading means for reading an image of the postal matter supplied by the supply means, recognition means for recognizing classification information from the image read by the reading means, and the postal matter stamped by the stamping means Stacking means for sorting and stacking the mail according to the sorting and the sorting information recognized by the recognition means; setting means for setting a processing mode for the mail supplied by the supply means; mode setting of the setting means Control means for selectively operating the detecting means and the stamping means or the reading means and the recognizing means in response to . 2. A detecting means for detecting a charge amount stamped surface on a mail, an imprinting means for stamping the charge amount stamped surface detected by the detecting means, a reading means for reading an image of a mail, and the reading means. Recognizing means for recognizing the sorting information from the image read in step S, supply means for supplying mail, setting means for setting a processing mode of the mail supplied by the supply means, and mode setting of the setting means. Accumulating means for accumulating postal matter processed in accordance with the setting means, according to the mode setting of the setting means, selectively operating the detecting means and the sealing means or the reading means and the recognition means, the A stamping process for accumulating the postal matter supplied by the supply means on the accumulating means via the detection means and the stamping means; And mail processing apparatus, characterized in that said by the sorting and stacking process to accumulate in the stacking means via the identification means to be alternatively executed. 3. The postal matter supplied to the reading means is a postal matter which has been subjected to a stamping process and accumulated in the accumulating means via the detecting means and the stamping means. A mail processing apparatus according to item 1. 4. The postal matter accumulated in the collecting means via the reading means and the recognizing means is sorted and collected according to the sorting information recognized by the recognizing means. A mail processing apparatus as described.