JP6441138B2 - Weighing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a weighing device.

  In a grocery store of a store such as a supermarket, there are cases where the weighing of products to be sold is entrusted to the customer himself rather than the store clerk. As a self-type weighing device used for weighing such products, a weighing pan on which objects to be weighed including containers and products are placed, a weighing unit for weighing objects to be weighed, and containers in which products are put The specific part for identifying the product, the calculation part for calculating the mass value of the product by subtracting the mass value of the identified container from the mass value of the object to be weighed, and the price of the product based on the calculated mass value of the product are displayed. And a label issuing unit that issues a label (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-108817 A

  In the weighing device as described above, the weight in a state where the lid is attached to the container in which the product is put may be set as a weight (tare weight) subtracted from the total weight when the container is used. In this case, if the customer performs weighing without putting the lid after putting the product into the container, the value calculated as the weight of the product is a value smaller than the original weight by the weight of the container lid. As a result, the selling price of the product is calculated lower than the original price, causing a loss on the store side. On the other hand, if the weight of the lid is not subtracted even though the container has a lid, the value calculated as the weight of the product is not the original weight. As a result, the weight of the customer becomes large and a loss occurs on the customer side. Therefore, it is desired to appropriately determine the presence / absence of a lid in the container, and it is desired to appropriately determine the presence / absence of a lid even when the lid is transparent.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a weighing device that can accurately determine the presence or absence of a transparent lid in a container.

  A weighing device according to the present invention is a weighing device for weighing an object to be weighed including a container with a lid and a product, and corresponds to an object to be weighed from an image pickup unit that picks up an image of the object to be measured and an image picked up by the image pickup unit. An extraction unit that extracts an object area that is an image area to be performed, a lid determination unit that determines the presence or absence of a transparent lid in the container based on the brightness of pixels in at least a part of the area of the measurement object area, Is provided.

  When the container has a transparent lid, pixels in at least a part of the area to be measured may have a tendency to be bright due to light reflected by the lid. Therefore, the presence or absence of a transparent lid in the container can be accurately determined based on the brightness (for example, luminance) of the pixel.

  In the weighing device according to the present invention, the lid determination unit detects the maximum value of the luminance of the pixel in at least a part of the area of the object to be measured, and when the maximum value of the luminance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, It may be determined that there is a transparent lid. When the container is provided with a transparent lid, so-called color skipping (an event in which the luminance shows a value near the peak) tends to occur in pixels in at least a part of the area to be measured. Therefore, the presence / absence of a transparent lid in the container can be accurately determined based on whether or not the maximum luminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

  In the weighing device according to the present invention, the lid determination unit detects the luminance of each pixel in at least a part of the area of the object to be measured, and the number of pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold. In this case, it may be determined that there is a transparent lid. When the container has a transparent lid, the luminance of each pixel included in a certain range in at least a part of the area to be measured tends to show a relatively high value. Therefore, the presence or absence of a transparent lid in the container can be determined based on the presence or absence of luminance that is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, the influence of noise or the like can be eliminated based on whether or not the number of pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. For example, when extremely large luminance is detected in a very small number of pixels due to the influence of noise or the like, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination if there is no transparent lid.

  In the weighing device according to the present invention, the lid determining unit detects the luminance of each pixel in at least a part of the area to be measured, and when the variance of the luminance of each pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, It may be determined that there is a transparent lid. When a transparent lid is attached to the container, the luminance of each pixel in at least a part of the area to be measured tends to vary widely from pixel to pixel. Therefore, the presence / absence of a transparent lid in the container can be accurately determined based on whether or not the luminance dispersion of each pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  In the weighing device according to the present invention, the lid determining unit further determines the presence or absence of a colored lid in the container based on at least one of the brightness and the color of each pixel in at least a partial area of the object area. Also good. When the lid of the container is colored, the brightness of the pixels in at least a part of the area to be measured can be different depending on, for example, whether the color of the lid is light or dark. In addition, pixels in at least a part of the area of the object to be weighed tend to have a relatively small variance in color (for example, color difference). In addition, when a colored lid is present, pixels in at least a part of the area to be measured may have a tendency that the color distribution thereof corresponds to the color of the lid. Therefore, by further performing determination based on at least one of the brightness and color of the pixel, in addition to the case where the lid of the container is transparent, the presence / absence of the lid in the container is also determined when the lid of the container is colored. It becomes possible to discriminate with high accuracy.

  The weighing device according to the present invention may further include an illumination unit that irradiates light to the object to be weighed. According to this configuration, the brightness and color of the area in which the light is reflected stands out by the light irradiated to the object to be measured, so that the accuracy of determining the presence or absence of the lid can be improved.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a weighing device that can accurately determine the presence or absence of a transparent lid in a container.

It is a block diagram of a network including a weighing device according to an embodiment. It is a perspective view of the weighing device concerning one embodiment. It is a side view of the measuring device concerning one embodiment. It is a block diagram of a measuring device concerning one embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a sales information table. It is a figure which shows an example of the image imaged with the camera. It is a figure which shows an example of the measurement result of a brightness | luminance and a color difference. It is a flowchart which shows the measurement procedure of the measuring apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process which discriminate | determines the presence or absence and color of a cover.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(1) Overall Configuration As shown in FIG. 1, the weighing device 1 is a self-measuring device with a camera that is used for weighing products such as side dishes by customers at a food department in a store 100 such as a supermarket. is there. The weighing device 1 is used for weighing in which a customer puts a desired product in a desired container with a lid. In addition, the weighing device 1 issues a label displaying a product price based on the mass value (weight) of the product in the case of measurement sales, or a label displaying the fixed price in the case of fixed amount sales. The customer puts the issued label on the container and brings it to the desired cash register terminal 103. Hereinafter, a product in a container is referred to as a “measurement”. That is, the objects to be weighed include containers with lids and commodities.

  The weighing device 1 can communicate with each of the store server 102 and the plurality of cash register terminals 103 via a network 101 built in the store 100. Store server 102 memorizes various information about goods. Each cash register terminal 103 performs calculation of the amount charged to the customer, calculation of change for payment of the customer, and the like. In the store server 102, information (specifically, the price of the product, the product number (ID), etc.) regarding the product input to each cash register terminal 103 is transmitted and stored via the network 101.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the weighing device 1 includes a main body 2, a weighing pan 3, and a touch panel 4. The main body 2 is provided with a weighing mechanism 5. The weighing pan 3 is detachably mounted on a tray mounting portion 5 a of the weighing mechanism 5 that protrudes upward from the main body portion 2. The touch panel 4 is supported by two struts 6 extending upward from the back surface of the main body 2. The touch panel 4 is mainly used for a customer to see and operate, but is used for a store clerk to see and operate when performing various settings.

(2) Configuration of Each Part As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the weighing device 1 includes a weighing pan 3, a touch panel 4, a weighing mechanism 5, a camera (imaging unit) 7, a human sensor 8, a label issuing mechanism 9, and illumination. A device (illumination unit) 10, a speaker 11, a store-side radio unit 12, a communication unit 13, a control unit 30, and a sales information storage unit 41 are provided. Among these components, the measuring mechanism 5, the label issuing mechanism 9, the store-side wireless unit 12, the communication unit 13, the control unit 30, and the sales information storage unit 41 are accommodated in the main body unit 2.

(2-1) Weighing Dish As shown in FIG. 3, a weighing object 50 including a container 51 with a lid 51 b and a product X is placed on the weighing dish 3. The container 51 includes a main body 51a in which the product X is stored, and a lid 51b that is detachably attached to an upper portion of the main body 51a. As an example, in the container 51, a shallow dish-shaped lid 51b can be fitted to the opening edge of the cup-shaped main body 51a that opens upward so that the opening is closed. The weighing pan 3 is made of, for example, metal, and the surface thereof is given a color that can easily identify the container 51. Specifically, the surface of the weighing pan 3 is colored so that the object to be weighed region can be easily extracted by the extraction unit 31 described later. For example, when a bright color such as white or yellow is used as the color of the lid 51b, the surface of the weighing pan 3 is black so that the contrast between the color of the lid 51b and the color of the surface of the weighing pan 3 is clear. It may be colored. The shape, size, and type of the container 51 (the main body 51a and the lid 51b) to be used are not particularly limited, and can be various shapes, sizes, and types. The shape, size, and type of the product X put in the container 51 are not particularly limited, and can be various shapes, sizes, and types.

(2-2) Weighing mechanism The weighing mechanism 5 measures the object to be weighed 50 placed on the weighing pan 3. The weighing mechanism 5 transmits the mass value (measured value) of the object 50 to the control unit 30.

(2-3) Camera On the lower side of the touch panel 4, a rectangular support member 6 a is stretched over the two columns 6. A camera housing member 6b is attached to the lower portion of the central portion in the width direction of the support member 6a. The camera housing member 6 b extends toward the front of the touch panel 4. The camera housing member 6b is formed in a box shape having an opening on the lower side. The camera 7 is attached on the front end side of the camera housing member 6b so that the weighing pan 3 can be imaged from above. Thereby, the camera 7 can capture an image of the imaging region including the object 50 placed on the weighing pan 3. When the camera 7 captures an image of the imaging area, the camera 7 transmits the image of the imaging area to the control unit 30.

  The position and angle of the camera 7 may be fixed or may be adjustable (changeable). When the position and angle of the camera 7 can be adjusted, the control unit 30 includes the entire object to be weighed 50 placed on the weighing pan 3 in the imaging region based on, for example, an image captured by the camera 7. As such, the position and angle of the camera 7 may be adjusted.

(2-4) Human sensor The human sensor 8 is attached to the support member 6a so as to be positioned on the left side and the right side of the camera housing member 6b, and detects the presence of a person around the weighing pan 3. The human sensor 8 is an infrared sensor or an ultrasonic distance sensor, for example, and detects the presence of a person in the space on the front side of the weighing device 1. When the human sensor 8 detects the presence of a person around the weighing pan 3, the human sensor 8 transmits a signal indicating that to the control unit 30.

(2-5) Label issuing mechanism The label issuing mechanism 9 issues a label on which the price of the product X is displayed. The label issuing mechanism 9 includes a label cassette and a plurality of sensors. The label issuing mechanism 9 prints the price of the product X on a sheet fed from the label cassette and issues it as a label. As the label paper, a paper having adhesiveness only on the back surface can be used.

(2-6) Lighting Device As shown in FIG. 3, the lighting device 10 is housed in the camera housing member 6 b together with the camera 7. The illumination device 10 is formed in a ring shape so as to cover the periphery of the camera 7 when viewed from below, and can irradiate light downward. The illumination device 10 irradiates light toward the object 50 placed on the weighing pan 3 by irradiating light downward. In this arrangement example, when the object to be weighed 50 is placed almost directly below the camera 7, the light emitted from the illumination device 10 is reflected on the upper surface of the object to be weighed 50 (when the container 51 has a lid 51 b. Is reflected by the upper surface of the lid 51b and enters a lens (not shown) of the camera 7. That is, the illuminating device 10 is disposed at a position where the light irradiated on the object to be weighed 50 is reflected by the object to be weighed 50 and enters the camera 7. Thereby, the hue of the image captured by the camera 7 is clarified, and the accuracy of the extraction of the object area by the extraction unit 31 to be described later, and the presence / absence of the lid 51b and the color discrimination by the lid discrimination unit 33 can be improved. it can. Further, it is possible to make the luminance peak noticeable in the image, and improve the accuracy of determining the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b by the lid discriminating unit 33 described later.

  For example, when the lighting device 10 detects that the object 50 is placed on the weighing pan 3 (that is, when the control unit 30 detects that a weighing value larger than 0 is transmitted from the weighing mechanism 5), the lighting device 10 turns off. The light irradiation is started by switching from the state to the on state. However, the timing at which the lighting device 10 is switched from the off state to the on state is not limited to the above. The lighting device 10 may be switched on when, for example, the presence of a person is detected by the human sensor 8. In this case, before the customer places the object to be weighed 50 on the weighing pan 3, a position suitable for the placement (in this embodiment, a position directly below the camera 7) can be made bright and conspicuous. At this time, the illuminating device 10 may collect the illumination light at a position suitable for the placement (irradiate it as spot light). In this case, a position suitable for the placement can be made more bright and conspicuous. Accordingly, it is possible to indicate the position where the object 50 is to be placed to the customer, and to prompt the customer to place the object 50 at a position directly below the camera.

  In addition, arrangement | positioning of the camera 7 and the illuminating device 10 is not restricted to the arrangement | positioning mentioned above. The camera 7 and the illuminating device 10 may be arranged in any positional relationship as long as the light irradiated from the illuminating device 10 and reflected by the upper surface of the object 50 is incident on the lens of the camera 7. Good. The illumination device 10 is not limited to the ring-shaped light source described above, and may be a point light source, for example. The number of lighting devices 10 may be one or plural. Further, for example, a mirror may be provided around the weighing pan 3 so that the light irradiated from the illumination device 10 effectively illuminates the object 50 to be weighed. Specifically, the mirror may be arranged at a position where the light from the illumination device 10 is reflected by the mirror and the reflected light (secondary light) illuminates the object to be measured 50.

  The position, angle, and the like of the illumination device 10 may be fixed or may be adjustable (changeable). When the position and angle of the illuminating device 10 can be adjusted, the control unit 30 determines the position and angle of the illuminating device 10 so that the color of the object area is clear based on, for example, an image captured by the camera 7. Etc. may be adjusted. In general, since the customer often places the object to be weighed 50 on the near side (customer side) of the weighing pan 3, the illumination device 10 may be arranged on the customer side with respect to the camera 7. . Thereby, even when the object to be weighed 50 is placed on the customer side of the weighing pan 3, the light from the illumination device 10 is reflected by the object to be weighed 50 and easily enters the camera 7. In addition, for example, the amount of light of the indoor lighting of the store (for example, lighting provided on the ceiling of the store) is sufficient, and the camera 7 has a clear color image by the light of the indoor lighting reflected by the upper surface of the object 50 to be measured. Can be imaged, the lighting device 10 need not be provided.

(2-7) Touch panel The touch panel 4 displays an image including various information for customers. For example, the touch panel 4 starts displaying an image for purchasing procedure guidance when the human sensor 8 detects the presence of a person due to the approach of a customer. Specifically, the touch panel 4 presses an issue button displayed on the touch panel 4 in order to issue an image that prompts the customer to place the object 50 on the weighing pan 3 and the label described above. An image prompting the customer and an image prompting the customer to attach the issued label to the container 51 are displayed.

(2-8) Speaker The speaker 11 is built in the support member 6a and outputs sound including various information for customers. For example, when the human sensor 8 detects the presence of a person due to the approach of a customer, the speaker 11 outputs a sound that is linked to the display of an image on the touch panel 4.

(2-9) Store-side wireless unit The store-side wireless unit 12 performs wireless communication with a mobile terminal owned by a store clerk. For example, when the human sensor 8 continuously detects the presence of a customer for a predetermined time or longer, the store-side wireless unit 12 transmits a signal indicating that to the portable terminal of the store clerk. Thereby, the store clerk can provide a service quickly to the customer who is confused about the operation of the weighing device 1. In addition, the store side radio | wireless part 12 notifies that when the remaining amount of the label roll in the label issuing mechanism 9 becomes below a predetermined amount, and when the number of unused containers 51 becomes below a predetermined number. A signal may be transmitted to the mobile terminal of the store clerk.

(2-10) Communication unit The communication unit 13 communicates with each of the store server 102 and the plurality of cash register terminals 103. For example, the communication unit 13 transmits information related to the label issued by the label issuing mechanism 9 to each of the store server 102 and the plurality of cash register terminals 103. Examples of the information related to the label include the price of the product X described on the label, the time when the label is issued, and the like.

(2-11) Sales Information Storage Unit The sales information storage unit 41 associates the combination of the size of the container 51 (hereinafter referred to as “container size”) and the color of the lid 51b with the sales information corresponding to the combination. Remember. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the sales information storage unit 41 stores a sales information table T having a plurality of record information R. In the plurality of record information R, the container size (in this embodiment, as an example, the long side size and the short side size of the container 51), the color of the lid 51b, and the sales information are associated with each other. The sales information table T is registered in advance in the sales information storage unit 41 by advance preparation (for example, data registration by a store clerk or the like) before the customer actually measures.

  The sales information is information used to sell the product X, and specifically, information used to determine the price of the weighing object 50 (that is, the sales price of the product X). In the present embodiment, as an example, the sales information includes the container weight of the object to be weighed 50 and the sales form specified according to the combination of the container size and the color of the lid 51b. The container weight is the weight of the container 51 (the sum of the weight of the main body 51a and the weight of the lid 51b). The sales forms include “fixed price sales” and “metered sales”. “Fixed-line sales” is a sales form in which the product X is sold at a predetermined fixed price. “Weighing sale” is a sales form based on the unit price per unit mass.

(2-12) Control Unit The control unit 30 is a part that controls various operations in the weighing device 1, and includes a central processing unit (CPU), a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a hard disk. Is done. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 30 is a conceptual element that executes various control processes in the weighing device 1, and includes an extraction unit 31, a container size determination unit 32, a lid determination unit 33, a notification unit 34, and a specification unit 35. , A price calculation unit 36, and a label information generation unit 37. Such a conceptual element can be configured as, for example, software that is loaded into the RAM and executed by the CPU while a program stored in the ROM is loaded. The control unit 30 may be configured as hardware such as an electronic circuit.

(2-12-1) Extraction Unit The extraction unit 31 extracts an object area that is an image area corresponding to the object 50 from the image captured by the camera 7. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the extraction unit 31 performs an edge (contour) between an image region corresponding to the object to be weighed 50 and another region by image processing such as edge detection on the image G captured by the camera 7. ) Is detected, the object area A is extracted.

(2-12-2) Container Size Determination Unit The container size determination unit 32 determines the size of the container 51 based on the size of the object area A extracted by the extraction unit 31. As shown in FIG. 6, the container size determination unit 32 specifies a rectangular area B that is a rectangular area (so-called minimum rectangular area) having a minimum area including the object area A, for example. The container size determination unit 32 determines the container size (long side size and short side size) by calculating the length of the side of the specified rectangular region B. Here, the length (mm) of the side B of the rectangular area can be specified based on the number of pixels (pixels), for example. As the container size, in addition to the long side size and the short side size of the container 51, for example, in the case of a circular container or the like, the total of the sides of the approximated polygons, the peripheral length, or the like may be used. The container size determining unit 32 outputs information indicating the determined container size to the specifying unit 35. Incidentally, instead of specifying the rectangular area B, the container area may be determined by specifying the envelope area surrounding the object area A along the outer edge of the object area A.

(2-12-3) Lid Determination Unit The lid determination unit 33 determines the presence or absence of the lid 51b of the container 51 based on the pixels in at least a part of the image area (target area) of the object area A. If it is determined that the lid 51b is present, the color of the lid 51b is determined. Here, the “color” includes, in addition to colored colors such as white, black, red, blue, and green, and colorless (transparent) that is not colored. In order to perform the determination, the lid determination unit 33 first sets a target area C used for determination of the presence / absence of the lid 51b and the color. As an example, the lid determination unit 33 sets a region of a predetermined size (for example, a region of 100 × 50 pixels) positioned at the center of the rectangular region B as the target region C, for example.

  The target area C is not limited to the above-described area, and an area having an arbitrary shape in the object area A can be set as the target area C. Further, the target area C may be one continuous area or an area composed of a plurality of discontinuous areas. However, for the following reason, the target area C is preferably set so as not to include an area near the edge of the object area A. That is, the luminance of the pixels in the vicinity of the edge of the object area A tends to show a relatively high luminance when the container 51 does not have the lid 51b. This is because, in the absence of the lid 51b, the region near the edge includes the edge of the main body 51a, and the light reflected at the edge of the main body 51a is detected by the camera 7. As described above, when the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b is determined based on the luminance level, if the region near the edge is included in the target region C, the transparent lid 51b is not attached but the transparent lid 51b is not attached. If there is an easy lid 51b, there is a risk of misjudgment. Therefore, the target area C is preferably set so as not to include an area near the edge of the object area A. As a method of setting the target area C, an area of a predetermined size located at the center of the rectangular area B is set as the target area C as described above, and an area near the edge of the object area A is masked. For example, a method of setting the target area C from other areas may be used.

  After determining the target area C, the lid determination unit 33 acquires information on each pixel included in the target area C (for example, information on the hue). The lid determination unit 33 determines the presence and color of the lid 51b of the container 51 based on the pixels in the target area C. The lid discriminating unit 33 in the present embodiment discriminates the presence / absence and color of the lid 51b of the container 51 based on the color of the pixel in the target area C. “Hue” is information indicating the state and condition of the color. The hue includes, for example, “brightness” and “color”. The brightness includes, for example, brightness and brightness, and more specifically includes an average brightness, a brightness peak, and the like. The color includes, for example, a color difference, hue, saturation, and the like, and more specifically includes a blue difference, a red difference, and the like. Hereinafter, the presence / absence of the lid 51b and the color discrimination method will be exemplified and described.

  First, an example of determining the presence or absence of a colorless (transparent) lid that is not colored will be described. When the transparent lid 51b is attached to the container 51, the brightness of the pixels in the target region C tends to be bright because the light is strongly reflected on the upper surface of the transparent lid 51b. For example, the brightness of the pixel in the target area C when the transparent lid 51b is attached is brighter than when the lid 51b itself is not attached and when the colored lid 51b is attached. Tend. Therefore, the lid determination unit 33 determines the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b in the container 51 based on the brightness of the pixels in the target area C.

  Further, when a transparent lid 51b is attached to the container 51, so-called color skipping (an event in which the luminance shows a value near the peak, also referred to as white spot) tends to occur in the pixels in the target region C. . For example, such a color jump tends to be less likely to occur when the transparent lid 51b is attached than when the lid 51b itself is not attached or when the colored lid 51b is attached. Therefore, for example, the lid determination unit 33 detects the maximum value (luminance peak) of the luminance of the pixel in the target region C, and the luminance peak is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (hereinafter referred to as “luminance peak threshold”). It is determined that there is a transparent lid 51b.

  Moreover, when the transparent lid | cover 51b is attached to the container 51, the brightness | luminance of the pixel contained in the fixed range in the object area | region C tends to show a high value. For example, the luminance of the pixel in the target area C when the transparent lid 51b is attached is higher than when the lid 51b itself is not attached and when the colored lid 51b is attached. Tend. Accordingly, the lid determination unit 33 detects the luminance of each pixel in the target area C, and the number of pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined luminance (threshold) is equal to or higher than a predetermined number of pixels (threshold). In addition, it may be determined that the transparent lid 51b is provided. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the influence of noise or the like when determining the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b. For example, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination that an extremely large luminance is detected due to the influence of noise or the like, and that it is determined that there is no transparent lid 51b.

  Moreover, when the transparent lid | cover 51b is attached to the container 51, the brightness | luminance of the pixel in the object area | region C tends to become large dispersion | variation between pixels. For example, when the transparent lid 51b is attached, the luminance of the pixel in the target region C varies more than when the lid 51b itself is not attached and when the colored lid 51b is attached. Tend. This is due to the fact that partially reflected light is detected by the camera 7 in a part of the transparent lid 51b. Therefore, the lid determination unit 33 detects the luminance of each pixel in the target region C, and is transparent when the luminance dispersion of each pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold (hereinafter referred to as “luminance dispersion threshold”). It may be determined that there is a cover 51b.

  Note that the determination of the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b is not limited to the determination by the above-described determination method. For example, the lid determination unit 33 may use an average value of luminance instead of the luminance peak in the above-described determination using the luminance peak. The lid determination unit 33 may combine the above-described determination methods. For example, the lid determination unit 33 has the transparent lid 51b when the luminance dispersion of each pixel in the target region C is equal to or greater than the luminance variance threshold and the luminance peak in the target region C is equal to or greater than the luminance peak threshold. It may be determined.

  Next, an example of determining the presence / absence and color of the colored lid 51b will be described. The lid determination unit 33 determines the presence or absence of the colored lid 51b in the container 51 based on at least one of the brightness and color of each pixel in the target area C. When the color of the lid 51b is colored, for example, the brightness of the pixels in the target area C may differ depending on whether the color of the lid 51b is a light color or a dark color. Therefore, the lid determination unit 33 may detect the presence and color of the colored lid 51b based on the luminance of each pixel in the target area C. For example, the lid determination unit 33 detects the luminance of each pixel in the target area C, and calculates the average value of the luminance of each pixel. Then, the lid determination unit 33 compares the calculated average luminance value with the average luminance value registered in advance for each color of the lid 51b (for example, a value measured at the time of data registration of the container 51) (matching). ), The presence / absence and color of the colored lid 51b may be determined.

  In addition, when the colored lid 51b is attached to the container 51, the pixels in the target region C may have a tendency that the dispersion of the color corresponds to the color of the lid 51b. Therefore, the lid determination unit 33 may determine the presence or absence of the colored lid 51b based on the color dispersion of the pixels in the target area C. For example, when the color of the lid 51b is a single color such as red or blue, the variation in color among the pixels in the target area C is small, and the dispersion of the color of the pixels in the target area C tends to be relatively small. There is a case. Therefore, the lid determination unit 33 determines that the colored lid 51b is present when the color dispersion of the pixel in the target area C is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold (hereinafter referred to as “color dispersion threshold”). Also good. Further, the lid determination unit 33 calculates the variance of colors in the pixels in the target region C, and calculates the variance of the calculated colors and the variance of colors registered in advance for each color of the lid 51b (for example, when registering data of the container 51) The color of the colored lid 51b may be determined by comparing (matching) with the value measured in (1). As the “color dispersion”, for example, a red difference dispersion (Cr value shown in FIG. 7), a blue difference dispersion (Cb value shown in FIG. 7), and the like can be used.

  In addition, when the colored lid 51b is attached to the container 51, the pixels in the target region C may have a tendency that the color distribution thereof corresponds to the color of the lid 51b. Therefore, the lid determination unit 33 may determine the presence / absence and color of the colored lid 51b based on the pixel color distribution in the target region C. As an example, the lid determination unit 33 calculates the number of pixels (frequency) for each red difference value (for example, a value from 0 to 255) based on the red color difference of each pixel in the target region C, and the pixel relating to the red color difference. Create a histogram showing the distribution of numbers. The lid discriminating unit 33 performs pattern matching between the created histogram and a histogram created in advance for each color of the lid 51b (for example, a histogram created at the time of data registration of the container 51), so that the colored lid 51b The color may be determined.

  In the discrimination (pattern matching) of the color of the lid 51b using the histogram, the lid discrimination unit 33 may perform pattern matching using a histogram relating to the blue difference instead of the histogram relating to the red difference, Pattern matching may be performed using both of the histograms relating to the blue color difference. The lid determination unit 33 may also create a histogram relating to luminance and perform pattern matching using the histogram of luminance and color difference. In the above example, a histogram showing the distribution of the number of pixels for each color difference value is used. However, the color difference values are grouped into classes (for example, a range of 0 to 5, a range of 6 to 10, etc.). A histogram indicating the distribution of the number of pixels for each class may be used.

  The discrimination method described above will be described with reference to the measurement result of FIG. FIG. 7 shows the luminance peak of the target area C, the luminance of each pixel in the target area C, and the case where the color of the lid 51b of the container 51 is white and colorless (transparent) (product X is a potato salad). It is a figure which shows an example of the result of having measured dispersion | distribution (sigma) (Y, Cr, Cb) of color difference. The numerical values of the luminance peak and variance in FIG. 7 are values indicating the magnitudes when the luminance and color difference are represented by step values from 0 to 255. In the dispersion σ, Y represents luminance dispersion, Cr represents a red difference (red difference), and Cb represents a blue difference (blue difference).

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, the luminance peak when the color of the lid 51b is colorless (transparent) is “252”, and it can be confirmed that the luminance peak has a large value close to the maximum value. In particular, it can be confirmed that the luminance peak has a value clearly larger than the luminance peak “211” when the color of the lid 51b is white. In this case, in the determination of the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b based on the above-described luminance peak, the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b can be determined by setting the luminance peak threshold value to, for example, “240” in advance.

  In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the luminance dispersion when the color of the lid 51b is colorless (transparent) is “15.42”, and the luminance dispersion when the color of the lid 51b is white “4”. A value clearly greater than .90 "was measured. In this case, in the determination of the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b based on the luminance dispersion described above, the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b can be determined by setting the luminance dispersion threshold value to “10” in advance.

  In the example shown in FIG. 7, the dispersion of the red difference and the dispersion of the blue difference when the color of the lid 51b is white (colored) are both “1.41”, and the color of the lid 51b is colorless. A value clearly smaller than the dispersion of red difference and the dispersion of blue difference (both “5.92”) in the case of (transparent) was measured. In this case, in the determination of the presence / absence of the colored lid 51b based on the color dispersion described above, the presence / absence of the colored lid 51b can be determined by setting the color dispersion threshold value to “3” in advance. Further, for example, “5.92” (or a value close to “5.92”) is registered in advance as the variance of the color (here, red difference and blue difference as an example) when the color of the lid 51b is white. For example, the lid determination unit 33 can determine that the color of the lid 51b is white by comparing (matching) the color dispersion calculated from the pixels in the target region C with the registered value.

  The lid determination unit 33 may determine the presence / absence and color of the lid 51b of the container 51 by using, for example, a method selected in advance by an operator or the like among the various determination methods described above. In the above description, the determination of the presence or absence of the lid 51b based on the brightness of the pixels in the target region C has been described separately for the transparent lid 51b and the colored lid 51b. The unit 33 can determine the presence or absence of the lid 51b based on the brightness of the pixels in the target area C, regardless of whether the lid 51b is transparent or colored. The discrimination method described above is an example, and the presence / absence of the lid 51b and the color discrimination method are not limited. The lid determination unit 33 may determine the presence / absence and color of the lid 51b by appropriately combining the above-described determination methods.

  When it is determined that the lid 51b is provided, the lid determining unit 33 outputs a determination result indicating the presence of the lid 51b and the color of the lid 51b to the specifying unit 35. On the other hand, when it is not determined that the lid 51b is present (that is, when it is determined that there is no lid 51b), the lid determination unit 33 outputs a determination result indicating that there is no lid 51b to the notification unit 34.

  In the lid discriminating unit 33, the processing procedure for discriminating the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b, the presence / absence of the colored lid 51b, and the color discrimination is not limited. The lid determination unit 33 may determine the presence / absence and color of the colored lid 51b after the determination of the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b, and conversely, the presence / absence of the colored lid 51b and the color After the determination, it may be determined whether or not there is a transparent lid 51b. The lid determination unit 33 may execute the determination of the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b and the determination of the presence / absence and color of the colored lid 51b in parallel. As an example, the lid determination unit 33 according to the present embodiment determines the presence or absence of the colored lid 51b and the color when it is not determined that the transparent lid 51b is present after the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b (details). Is described later). According to this configuration, since it is possible to complete the determination process when it is determined that the transparent lid 51b is present, useless determination processing (determination processing for the presence or absence of the colored lid 51b) can be avoided.

(2-12-4) Notification unit The notification unit 34 notifies the customer to attach the lid 51b to the main body 51a of the container 51 when the discrimination result indicating that the lid 51b is not provided is output from the lid discrimination unit 33. To do. Specifically, the notification unit 34 indicates that it is necessary to reweigh the object 50 after attaching the lid 51b to the main body 51a of the container 51 via the touch panel 4, the speaker 11, or the like. The image is displayed to the customer via video display) and audio output.

(2-12-5) Identification Unit The identification unit 35 identifies the sales information of the object to be weighed 50 based at least on the color of the lid 51b determined by the lid determination unit 33. Specifically, the specifying unit 35 specifies the sales information based on the color of the lid 51b determined by the lid determining unit 33 and the container size determined by the container size determining unit 32. More specifically, the specifying unit 35 refers to the sales information table T stored in the sales information storage unit 41, and is uniquely determined by the combination of the container size (long side size and short side size) and the color of the lid 51b. The record information R determined by Thereby, the specifying unit 35 specifies the specified record information R as sales information of the object to be weighed 50. The identification unit 35 outputs the identified sales information to the price calculation unit 36. The specifying unit 35 regards the two as corresponding if the difference between the container size determined by the container size determining unit 32 and the container size associated with each record information R is within a predetermined threshold. The record information R is specified. As a result, even if a slight error may occur between the two, sales information can be reliably specified.

(2-12-6) Price Calculation Unit The price calculation unit 36 calculates a sales price based on the sales information acquired from the specifying unit 35. Specifically, the price calculation unit 36 refers to the sales form associated with the sales information, specifies whether the sales form of the weighing object 50 is a metered sale or a fixed-price sale, and according to the sales form Execute the calculation process.

  If the sales form is specified as metered sales, the price calculation unit 36 calculates the weight obtained by subtracting the container weight associated with the sales information from the measured value measured by the measuring mechanism 5 as the product weight. Then, the sales price is calculated by multiplying the product weight by the unit price per unit mass. On the other hand, when the sales form is specified as fixed price sales, the price calculation unit 36 sets a predetermined fixed price as the sales price. The fixed price may be associated with the sales information of the record information R, for example. In this case, the price calculation unit 36 can refer to the fixed price associated with the sales information and set the fixed price as the sales price.

(2-12-7) Label Information Generation Unit The label information generation unit 37 generates information to be displayed on the label issued by the label issuing mechanism 9. Examples of the information include the expiration date of the product X, the unit price of the product X, the sales price calculated by the price calculation unit 36, the internal capacity of the product X, the number of products X, and the barcode indicating the price of the product X. .

(3) Weighing Procedure With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, an example of a weighing procedure including the process of the control unit 30 at the time of weighing will be described. The weighing mechanism 5 measures the object to be weighed 50 placed on the weighing pan 3 by the customer (step S1). The weighing mechanism 5 outputs the measured value of the object 50 to the control unit 30. When the object 50 is placed on the weighing pan 3 by the customer (that is, when the control unit 30 receives the weighing signal output from the weighing mechanism 5), the camera 7 is placed on the weighing pan 3. An image G of the imaging area including the weighing object 50 is captured (step S2). The camera 7 transmits the captured image G to the control unit 30.

  Subsequently, the extraction unit 31 extracts an object area A that is an image area corresponding to the object 50 from the image G captured by the camera 7 (step S3). Specifically, the extraction unit 31 extracts an object area A by detecting an edge (contour) between an image area corresponding to the object 50 and other areas by image processing such as edge detection. To do.

  Subsequently, the container size determination unit 32 determines the container size based on the size of the object area A extracted by the extraction unit 31 (step S4). Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the container size determination unit 32 specifies, for example, the rectangular area B having the smallest area including the object area A and calculates the length of the side of the rectangular area B. The container size (long side size and short side size) is determined. The container size determining unit 32 outputs information indicating the determined container size to the specifying unit 35.

  Subsequently, the lid determination unit 33 determines at least a part of the object area A (target area C), and determines the presence / absence and color of the lid 51b of the container 51 based on the pixels in the target area C. (Step S5). With reference to FIG. 9, an example of the determination processing procedure by the lid determination unit 33 will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, first, the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b is determined by using the above-described determination method for determining the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b (step S51).

  When it is determined in step S51 that the transparent lid 51b is present (step S52: YES), the determination result indicating that the container 51 has the lid 51b and the color of the lid 51b (colorless (transparent)) is sent to the specifying unit 35. Output (step S53). On the other hand, if it is not determined that the transparent lid 51b is present (step S52: NO), the presence / absence of the colored lid 51b and the presence / absence of the colored lid 51b are determined by using the above-described determination method for determining the presence / absence and color of the colored lid 51b. Color discrimination is performed (step S54).

  If it is determined in step S54 that the colored lid 51b is present (step S55: YES), the determination result indicating that the container 51 has the lid 51b and the color of the lid 51b (the determined colored color) is specified. 35 (step S53). On the other hand, when it is not determined that the colored lid 51b is present (step S55: NO), a determination result indicating that there is no lid 51b is output to the notification unit 34 (step S56).

  Returning to FIG. 8, the control unit 30 determines whether or not it is determined that the lid 51 b is present in the determination process of step S <b> 5 (step S <b> 6). When it is determined that the lid 51b is present (that is, when the determination result of step S53 is output to the specifying unit 35), the specifying unit 35 determines the color of the lid 51b and the container size determining unit 32 determined by the lid determining unit 33. The sales information is specified based on the container size determined by (Step S7). Specifically, the specifying unit 35 refers to the sales information table T stored in the sales information storage unit 41, and the container size acquired by the container size determination unit 32 and the color of the lid 51 b acquired by the lid determination unit 33. The record information R corresponding to the combination is specified. Thereby, the specifying unit 35 specifies the sales information associated with the specified record information R as the sales information of the object 50 placed on the weighing pan 3. The identification unit 35 outputs the identified sales information to the price calculation unit 36.

  Subsequently, the price calculation unit 36 calculates a sales price based on the sales information acquired from the specifying unit 35 (step S8). Specifically, the price calculation unit 36 refers to the sales form associated with the sales information, and specifies whether the sales form of the weighing object 50 is a metered sale or a fixed price sale. When the sales form is specified as metered sales, the price calculation unit 36 calculates the weight obtained by subtracting the container weight associated with the sales information from the measured value measured by the measuring mechanism 5 as the product weight, The sales price is calculated by multiplying the product weight by the unit price per unit mass. On the other hand, when the sales form is specified as fixed price sales, the price calculation unit 36 sets a predetermined fixed price as the sales price.

  Subsequently, the label information generation unit 37 generates information to be displayed on the label issued by the label issuing mechanism 9. Specifically, the label information generation unit 37 generates information including the sales price calculated by the price calculation unit 36 in step S7. The label issuing mechanism 9 prints information on the label based on the information generated by the label information generating unit 37, and issues the printed label to the customer (step S9). Thereafter, the customer affixes the label printed by the label issuing mechanism 9 to the container 51 and brings the container 51 to the cash register terminal 103.

  On the other hand, when it is not determined in step S6 that the lid 51b is present (that is, when the determination result in step S56 is output to the specifying unit 35), the notification unit 34 receives the container via the touch panel 4, the speaker 11, or the like. After attaching the lid 51b to the main body 51a of 51, the customer is notified that the object 50 needs to be reweighed (step S10). Subsequently, the control unit 30 repeatedly executes the processes of steps S1 to S6 and S10 until it is determined that the lid 51b is present. Accordingly, the commodity price calculation process (step S8) can be stopped until the customer attaches the lid 51b to the main body 51a of the container 51.

(4) Features, Actions, and Effects In the weighing device 1 configured as described above, the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b in the container 51 is determined based on the brightness of the pixels in the target region C. When the container 51 has a transparent lid 51b, the pixels in the target area C may have a tendency to be bright due to light reflected by the lid 51b. Therefore, the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b in the container 51 can be accurately determined based on the brightness (for example, luminance) of the pixel.

  The lid determination unit 33 detects the maximum value of the luminance of the pixels in the target area C, and determines that the transparent lid 51b is present when the maximum luminance value is equal to or greater than a predetermined luminance threshold value. When the container 51 has a transparent lid 51b, a so-called color jump (an event in which the luminance shows a value near the peak) tends to occur in the pixels in the target region C. Therefore, the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b in the container 51 can be accurately determined based on whether or not the maximum luminance value is equal to or greater than the luminance threshold value.

  The lid determination unit 33 detects the luminance of each pixel in the target area C, and when the number of pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined luminance (threshold) is equal to or higher than a predetermined number of pixels (threshold). It is determined that there is a transparent lid 51b. When the container 51 has a transparent lid 51b, the luminance of each pixel included in a certain range in the target area C tends to show a relatively high value. Therefore, the presence or absence of the transparent lid 51b in the container 51 can be determined on the basis of the presence or absence of the luminance exceeding the predetermined luminance. Furthermore, the influence of noise or the like can be eliminated based on whether or not the number of pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than the predetermined luminance is equal to or higher than the predetermined number of pixels. For example, when an extremely large luminance is detected in a very small number of pixels due to the influence of noise or the like, it is possible to prevent erroneous determination if there is no transparent lid 51b.

  The lid determination unit 33 detects the luminance of each pixel in the target area C, and determines that the transparent lid 51b is present when the luminance dispersion of each pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined luminance dispersion threshold. When the container 51 is provided with a transparent lid 51b, the luminance of each pixel in the target area C tends to vary greatly from pixel to pixel. Therefore, the presence / absence of the transparent lid 51b in the container 51 can be accurately determined based on whether or not the luminance dispersion of each pixel is equal to or greater than the luminance dispersion threshold.

  The lid determination unit 33 further determines the presence / absence of the colored lid 51b in the container 51 based on at least one of the brightness and color of each pixel in the target area C. When the lid 51b of the container 51 is colored, for example, the brightness of the pixels in the target region C may differ depending on whether the color of the lid 51b is light or dark. In addition, the pixels in the target area C may have a tendency that the dispersion of colors (for example, color differences) is relatively small. In addition, when the colored lid 51b exists, the pixels in the target area C may have a tendency that the color distribution thereof corresponds to the color of the lid 51b. Therefore, by further determining based on at least one of the brightness and the color of the pixel, the container 51 can be used not only when the lid 51b of the container 51 is transparent but also when the lid 51b of the container 51 is colored. It is possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of the lid 51b.

  The weighing device 1 includes an illumination device 10 that irradiates light to the object to be weighed 50. According to this configuration, the brightness, color, and the like of the area where the light is reflected stand out, so that the accuracy of determining the presence or absence of the lid 51b can be improved.

(5) Modifications Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the weighing device 1 of the above embodiment, the specifying unit 35 specifies unique sales information after acquiring the container size determined by the container size determining unit 32 and the color of the lid 51b determined by the lid determining unit 33. The sales information may be narrowed down (restriction of the corresponding record information R in the sales information table T) step by step. For example, the specifying unit 35 narrows down the sales information based on the color of the lid 51b determined by the lid determining unit 33, and executes the narrowing down of the sales information based on the container size when the sales information is uniquely specified. There is no need. That is, the specifying unit 35 may perform the narrowing of the sales information based on the container size and the color of the lid 51b step by step in an arbitrary order, and complete the narrowing of the sales information when the sales information can be uniquely specified. .

  In the above embodiment, when it is determined that the lid 51b is not present by the lid discriminating unit 33, the notification unit 34 moves to the price calculation process without notifying or notifying the customer to attach the lid 51b. May be. Specifically, information on the container weight without the lid 51b (that is, the weight of only the main body 51a) is further associated with the sales information of each record information R stored in the sales information table T. When the lid discriminating unit 33 determines that the lid 51b is not present, in the price calculation process, the weight obtained by subtracting the weight of the container without the lid 51b from the measurement value obtained by the weighing mechanism 5 is calculated as the product weight. Also good. Thereby, it is possible to omit re-execution of weighing when there is no lid 51b, and it is possible to smoothly proceed with the customer's product purchase process.

  In the above embodiment, sales information may be specified from at least one of the brightness and color of the pixels in the target area C. That is, the sales information may be specified without determining from the information regarding the color such as the brightness and color of the pixel in the target area C to the specific color type such as blue and red. For example, in this case, at least one of brightness and color of the pixel is determined as the color of the lid 51b based on the pixel in the target area C. Then, the sales information may be specified from the determination result using the sales information table T in which at least one of the brightness and the color of the pixel is associated with the sales information.

  In the above-described embodiment, as a sales form, “fixed-price product sales” which is a sales form based on a unit price per product or a plurality of products may be included. When the specifying unit 35 specifies that the sales form is fixed-price product sales, the price calculating unit 36 can calculate the selling price as follows, for example. The price calculation unit 36 calculates the weight obtained by subtracting the container weight associated with the sales information from the measurement value measured by the measurement mechanism 5 as the product weight. Subsequently, the price calculation unit 36 estimates the number of products X put in the container 51. The estimation of the number of products X in the price calculation unit 36 may be based on the image data captured by the camera 7 or may be estimated based on the mass measured by the weighing mechanism 5. Good. The price calculation unit 36 can calculate the selling price by multiplying the unit price per product by the estimated number of products X.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Weighing device, 2 ... Main-body part, 3 ... Measuring pan, 4 ... Touch panel, 5 ... Measuring mechanism, 7 ... Camera (imaging part), 8 ... Human sensor, 9 ... Label issuing mechanism, 10 ... Illuminating device (illumination) Part), 30 ... control part, 31 ... extraction part, 32 ... container size discrimination part, 33 ... lid discrimination part, 34 ... notification part, 35 ... identification part, 36 ... price calculation part, 37 ... label information generation part, 41 ... sales information storage unit, 50 ... object to be weighed, 51 ... container, 51b ... lid, 100 ... store, A ... object to be weighed, C ... object area (at least part of the object to be weighed area), G ... Image, T ... Sales information table, X ... Product.

Claims (6)

A weighing device for weighing objects including a container with a lid and a product,
An imaging unit for imaging the object to be weighed;
An extraction unit that extracts an object area that is an image area corresponding to the object to be measured from an image captured by the imaging unit;
A weighing device comprising: a lid discriminating unit that discriminates the presence or absence of a transparent lid in the container based on the brightness of pixels in at least a part of the area to be weighed.   The lid determining unit detects a maximum value of luminance of pixels in at least a part of the area of the object to be measured, and the transparent lid is detected when the maximum value of luminance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. The weighing device according to claim 1, wherein the weighing device is determined to be present.   The lid discriminating unit detects the luminance of each pixel in at least a part of the area of the object to be measured, and when the number of pixels having a luminance equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, The weighing device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that there is a transparent lid.   The lid determination unit detects the luminance of each pixel in at least a part of the area of the object to be measured, and when the variance of the luminance of each pixel is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the transparent lid The weighing device according to claim 1, wherein the weighing device is determined to be present.   The lid determination unit further determines the presence or absence of a colored lid in the container based on at least one of brightness and color of each pixel in at least a part of the area of the object to be measured. The weighing device according to any one of the above.   The weighing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination unit that irradiates light to the object to be weighed.

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