JP5169052B2 - Information reading system and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information reading system that reads identification information of an object including a plurality of barcodes.

Conventionally, an information reading device (for example, a bar code reader) that reads identification information such as a bar code one by one has been used in operations such as inventory and inspection in a supermarket or the like. These information reading apparatuses can read only one identification information element (for example, a barcode) by one reading, and there is a problem that reading takes time and labor in operations such as inventory and inspection.
In order to solve this problem, several information readers capable of reading a plurality of barcodes have been proposed (Patent Document 1).
JP-A-9-114913

However, when photographing an object including a plurality of barcodes (reading object 15 with a plurality of barcodes) with these information readers, in a distribution site where many objects are placed in a small area, As shown in FIG. 5A, even the surrounding non-read object (misread object 17) enters the photographing area and is photographed.
As shown in FIG. 5B, the photographing screen 19 photographed in this way includes a plurality of reading objects 15 with barcodes as well as a misreading object 17 as photographed image data. When individual barcodes are extracted from such photographed image data and decoded, there is a problem that even barcodes that are not to be read are decoded or erroneous recognition occurs.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an information reading system that reads a plurality of bar codes that can exclude bar codes that are not to be read.

According to a first aspect of the present invention for solving the above-described problem, there is provided a photographing means for photographing an object having an object having one or more information storage identifiers to obtain image data, and the one or more information included in the image data. An image analysis unit that separates the storage identifier into individual information storage identifiers and reads identification information of the individual information storage identifiers, wherein the image analysis unit separates the readable individual An information reading system which extracts an information storage identifier having a maximum area from information storage identifiers and excludes the information storage identifier having an area lower than a predetermined ratio with reference to the maximum area from identification information reading targets. It is.

  The information storage identifier is preferably a barcode or a two-dimensional barcode.

The imaging unit captures an object having a plurality of information storage identifiers such as barcodes to obtain image data.
The image analysis means separates a plurality of information storage identifiers included in the image data obtained by the photographing means into individual information storage identifiers, and compares the size of each separated information storage identifier with a predetermined allowable size. When the size of the information storage identifier is out of the allowable range, the reading processing of the identification information of the information storage identifier is not performed as being out of the reading target, and the reading processing is performed only when the size is within the allowable range.

  With the above processing, it is possible to exclude information storage identifiers assigned to objects that are not to be read around the object to be read 15 and prevent erroneous reading.

A second invention is a program that causes a computer to function as the information reading system according to the first or second aspect.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to prevent the misreading of the barcode provided to things other than a reading target object in several barcode reading.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, a system configuration of an information reading system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a multiple barcode reading system 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the multiple barcode reading system 1 includes a camera 11 and an image analysis processing unit 13.
The camera 11 is a digital camera, a Web camera, or the like, and is installed in a warehouse, a manufacturing site, or provided in a store or the like.
The image analysis processing unit 13 performs analysis processing on the captured image data captured by the camera 11. You may comprise by common computers, such as a personal computer and a server, and you may comprise as the camera 11 integral type.

The camera 11 photographs the object 15 with a plurality of barcodes in front of it. The object 15 with a plurality of barcodes is, for example, a stack of a plurality of packing materials, pallets, containers, etc. attached with barcodes or two-dimensional barcodes.
At this time, there is a possibility that a misread object 17 placed behind or around the object 15 with a plurality of barcodes enters the shooting area of the camera 11.
In a warehouse or the like, there is a possibility that the same pallet or container with a barcode attached is placed in a narrow space. In such a case, there is a possibility that there is a misread object 17 with a barcode in the shooting area. high.

The image analysis processing unit 13 has a barcode separating unit 3, a reading target determining unit 5, and a reading unit 7 as its functions.
The bar code separating means 3 separates and extracts a plurality of bar codes included in the photographed image data. At this time, the separated barcode may include the barcode of the misread object in addition to the barcode to be read.

The reading target determining means 5 eliminates the bar code to be misread from the bar codes separated by the bar code separating means 3 by a method described later and determines the bar code to be read.
The reading means 7 decodes the confirmed barcode to be read.
By the above processing, only the barcode included in the reading object 15 is decoded, and other barcodes can be excluded.

Next, the configuration of the image analysis processing unit 13 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the image analysis processing unit 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, the image analysis processing unit 13 is configured using a general computer such as a personal computer or a server.
The image analysis processing unit 13 has a configuration in which a CPU 131, a ROM 132, a RAM 133, a storage unit 134, an input unit 135, a display unit 136, a communication interface unit 137, and the like are connected via a bus 138.

    The CPU 131 calls a program stored in a storage medium such as the storage unit 134 and the ROM 132 to a work memory area on the RAM 133 and executes the program, drives and controls each device connected via the bus 138, and an image analysis processing unit. 13 (bar code separating means 3, reading object determining means 5, reading means 7, etc.) performed by 13 is executed.

  The storage unit 134 is a hard disk device (HDD), and stores a program executed by the CPU 131, data necessary for executing the program, an OS, and the like. As for the program, a control program such as an OS and an application program for the image analysis processing unit 13 described later are stored.

The input unit 135 is, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, an input device such as a numeric keypad, or a media input unit that takes in data by inserting a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.
The display unit 136 is a display device such as a CRT monitor or a liquid crystal panel.
The communication interface unit 137 includes a communication control device, a communication port, and the like, and performs communication control when the computer is connected to a communication network and various devices.

  On the other hand, the image analysis processing unit 13 can be built in the camera 11.

Next, the processing flow of the multiple barcode reading system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the multiple barcode reading system 1, and FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the process flow.

First, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3A, the object 11 with a plurality of barcodes is photographed by the camera 11 (step 301).
With this shooting, a shooting screen 19 as shown in FIG. 4A is shot. The photographing screen 19 may include an image of the misread object 17 in the vicinity thereof as shown in FIG. 4A as well as an image of the object 15 with a plurality of barcodes. Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, the misread object 17 may have a barcode that is not a read object.

Next, the captured image data is sent to the image analysis processing unit 13 (step 302) and stored in the RAM 133 or the storage unit 134 of the image analysis processing unit 13.
Here, when the image analysis processing unit 13 is not integrated with the camera 11 and is a computer such as a personal computer, the captured image data is obtained by connecting the camera 11 and the image analysis processing unit 13 via USB or the like. The recording medium of the camera 11 is sucked by inserting it into the input unit 135 of the image analysis processing unit 13.
On the other hand, when the image analysis processing unit 13 is integrated with the camera 11, the captured image data is stored in the RAM or the storage unit in the camera 11, and in particular, the captured image data is sent to the image analysis processing unit 13. There is no need.

Next, the image analysis processing unit 13 performs the process of the barcode separating means 3 (step 303).
That is, the photographic image data (the photographic screen 19) is scanned, and a portion regarded as a barcode portion is extracted by image analysis. This image analysis can be performed, for example, by extracting repeated portions of black bars.

Through the above processing, the portion regarded as the extracted barcode portion is extracted as shown in FIG. 4B, for example.
That is, from the shooting screen 19, six barcode portions included in the object 15 with a plurality of barcodes, three missing barcode portions included in the misread object 17, and four missing portions included in the misread object 17 ′. The barcode part is extracted.

Next, the image analysis processing unit 13 causes the reading target determining unit 3 to extract a barcode to be read from among the plurality of extracted barcodes (step 304).
That is, the barcode included in the misread objects 17 and 17 ′ is excluded from the plurality of barcodes shown in FIG. 4B, and only the barcode included in the reading object 15 is extracted.
The reading target bar code extraction process (step 304) will be described in detail later.

  When the barcodes to be read are extracted, they are decoded (step 305). When all the barcodes to be read are decoded (Yes in step 306), the process is terminated.

FIG. 3B is a flowchart showing a flow of processing (step 304) for extracting a barcode to be read.
When the reading object 15 is photographed by the camera 11, the reading object 15 is considered to be substantially in the center of the photographing screen 19 and in front of the surrounding misreading object 17.
Based on this assumption, if the barcode has the same format, the front barcode has a larger area than the rear barcode.

  Further, when the camera 11 is installed in a warehouse or a manufacturing site, the positional relationship (direction and distance) between the camera 11 and the reading object 15 is kept almost constant. Therefore, the size of the reading object 15 on the photographing screen 19 of the barcode of a predetermined format is known in advance, and the barcodes of the reading object 15 and the misreading object 17 are separated based on this size, and the reading object Only the barcode of the object 15 is extracted.

That is, first, a predetermined allowable size of the reading object 15 is set in advance in the storage unit 134 or the RAM 133 of the image analysis processing unit 13 (step 310).
The size of the barcode can be defined by the area, the number of pixels, and the like, and a size range that can be identified from the reading object 15 is set as an allowable range.

For example, the number of pixels on the shooting screen 19 of the camera 11 is 4000 × 3000 pixels, the size of the two-dimensional barcode is 5 cm × 5 cm, and the distance between the reading object 15 and the camera 11 is 1 m ± 0.5 m.
In this case, the number of pixels on one side of the barcode located 1 m from the camera 11 is 100 pixels, 200 pixels at 0.5 m, and 66 pixels at 1.5 m.
Therefore, the number of pixels on one side of the separated barcode is 66 to 200 pixels, and the allowable range is set in the storage unit 134 or the RAM 133.

Next, the individual bar codes separated in step 303 are compared in size and permissible size (step 311). If they are within the permissible size (Yes in step 311), the bar code image is read as the bar code to be read. Data is stored in the storage unit 314 or the RAM 133 (step 312).
That is, in the above-described example, if the size of one side of the separated barcode is 66 to 200 pixels, it is within the allowable size and is set as the barcode to be read.
On the other hand, if it is outside the allowable size range (No in step 311), it is determined that the barcode is included in the misread object 17, and the image data is discarded (step 314). That is, this is the case when the number of pixels on one side of the separated barcode is less than 66 pixels or 200 pixels or more.
This process is repeated for all separated barcodes, and when the process is completed for all barcodes (Yes in step 313), the process ends.

  By the above processing, for example, the barcode (FIG. 4B) included in the misread objects 17 and 17 ′ is small because it is behind or missing, and is smaller than the allowable size. It is possible to exclude it from the reading target.

  The allowable size of the barcode to be read may be set in advance from the input unit 135 (keyboard or the like) of the image analysis processing unit 13 in advance.

The following method is also conceivable as a method for setting the allowable size.
When all the barcodes are extracted from the photographed image data in step 303, the area of the barcode part is obtained and the maximum barcode area is extracted. Here, the barcode having the maximum barcode area is considered to be a barcode included in the reading object 15.
Therefore, a bar code portion having an area of a predetermined rate (for example, 80%) or less with the maximum bar code area as a reference may be considered as the bar code of the misread object 17.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications are possible, and these are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the multiple barcode reading system 1 which concerns on this Embodiment Hardware configuration diagram of the image analysis processing unit 13 The flowchart which shows the flow of a process of the multiple barcode reading system 1 Explanatory drawing of the process of the multiple barcode reading system 1 Explanatory drawing of a conventional barcode reader

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ......... Multiple barcode reading system 3 ......... Bar code separation means 5 ......... Reading object determination means 7 ......... Reading means 11 ......... Camera 13 ......... Image analysis processing unit 15 ......... Multiple bars Object with code 17 ………… Object misread

Claims (3)

Photographing means for photographing an object having an object having one or more information storage identifiers to obtain image data;
An information analysis system comprising: image analysis means for separating the one or more information storage identifiers included in the image data into individual information storage identifiers and reading identification information of the individual information storage identifiers;
The image analysis means extracts an information storage identifier having a maximum area from the separated readable information storage identifiers, and identifies the information storage identifier having an area lower than a predetermined ratio based on the maximum area as identification information. The information reading system is characterized in that it is excluded from the reading target. The information reading system according to claim 1 , wherein the information storage identifier is a barcode or a two-dimensional barcode. A program for causing a computer to function as the information reading system according to claim 1 .

Images