JP6703693B2 - Tablet counting aid - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tablet counting assisting device, in particular, such as manually subdividing tablets such as health foods into containers using a tray, when allocating, even if the tray itself does not have a device for special counting, The present invention relates to a tablet counting assisting device that makes it possible to count tablets on a tray so that image processing by a personal computer can be easily performed, and thus facilitates manual sorting of tablets to predetermined tablets using the tray. ..

Conventionally, a tray 6 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is used for manually distributing tablets such as health foods into containers. This conventional tray is constructed by stacking a counter plate 63 having a large number of tablet holding holes 62 on a tray body 61 provided with a handle 67 in a biased state, and pinching a knob 64 against the bias. The counter plate 63 is configured to rotate in the direction of the arrow around the pivot shaft 65 with respect to the tray main body 61, and the predetermined tablets are distributed by sufficiently supplying the tablets onto the counter plate 63. After visually confirming that the tablets are held in the tablet holding holes 62, the extra tablets are discharged from the counting plate 63 through the discharge port 66 of the tray body 61 and removed, and then the handle 67 of the tray body 61 is removed. While grasping, the knob 64 is pinched to hold the tablet only in the tablet holding hole 62 of the counting plate 63, and then the tray body 61 is tilted to hold the tablet on the counting plate 63 from the discharge port 66 into a container (not shown). It is carried out by allocating it inside. Therefore, in the conventional tray 6, the tablet of the predetermined tablet can be distributed to the container only by visually confirming that all the tablets are held in the tablet holding hole 62 of the counting plate 63 and performing the operation.

However, when different tablets are used, the size, shape, and number of tablets to be distributed are different. Therefore, different trays 6 having corresponding counting plates 63 must be used. It was an economical burden to prepare multiple expensive trays.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present inventor can cope with different tablets even if a single tray, for example, a conventional tray main body alone is used, without changing its structure depending on the tablets handled like a conventional tray. As a result of earnestly researching what cannot be done, it was found that this can be done by utilizing the image processing technique, and the present invention has been completed based on this finding.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to perform image processing by a personal computer, especially when distributing tablets such as health foods by manually subdividing them into containers using a tray without special measures for counting the tray itself. It is possible to count tablets on a tray so that it is possible to easily perform, and to provide a novel tablet counting assisting device that facilitates manual distribution of tablets to predetermined tablets using a tray. ..

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a base having a keyboard accommodating portion for a personal computer below, a support fixed to the base, and a base positioned above the base and fixed to the support. A guide is provided on the base for positioning the tray containing the tablets on the upper surface of the base, and the horizontal bar has an optical guide for the tray placed on the base. The present invention provides a tablet counting assisting device, which is provided with an LED light for irradiating light, and a camera for image processing of tablets stored on the tray surface on the base.

Since the tablet counting assisting device of the present invention is configured as described above, it can be organically combined with a personal computer, image processing software is installed in the personal computer, and the personal computer is connected to the camera and the LED light. If the tray is positioned on the base, the number of tablets on the tray can be appropriately displayed as the counting result on the display (screen) of the personal computer by image processing. Based on this display, it can be manually displayed. The number of tablets on the tray can be adjusted to a predetermined number. Therefore, according to the tablet counting assisting device of the present invention, the tray itself does not have to be specially devised for counting as in the conventional case, and even if a single tray is used, the tray can be processed by an image processing by a personal computer. The above tablets can be counted, and there is a remarkable effect that the sorting to the predetermined tablets can be easily performed manually.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the tablet counting assisting device of the present invention from diagonally above. It is a perspective view from the front upper part of one example of the tablet counting auxiliary device of the present invention shown with a personal computer. 3 is a vertical cross section of FIG. 2. It is a bottom view which shows the LED light used for one Example of the tablet counting auxiliary|assistance apparatus of this invention with the lighting case. It is a perspective view of the tray used for one Example of the tablet counting auxiliary device of the present invention. It is a block diagram of image processing used in an example of the tablet counting auxiliary device of the present invention. It is a top view in the case where the tablet of a predetermined tablet is stored in one example of the tablet counting auxiliary device of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram at the time of displaying the state of FIG. 7 as a result of image processing on the display of a personal computer. It is a top view in the case where the tablets are partially overlapped and accommodated in one embodiment of the tablet counting assisting device of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram at the time of displaying the state of FIG. 9 as a result of image processing on the display of a personal computer. It is a top view of the tray conventionally used. It is a left side view of the tray conventionally used.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, 1 is a base having a keyboard accommodating portion 10 for a personal computer 2 below, 3 is a support column fixed to the base 1, and 4 is located above the base 1. Is a horizontal rod fixed to the column 3. On the base 1, a guide 11 for positioning the tray 6 containing the tablets 5 on the upper surface of the base 1 is provided. The horizontal rod 4 houses the lighting case 71 that houses the LED light 7 (see FIG. 4) that illuminates the tray 6 placed on the base 1, and the tray 6 on the base 1 And a camera 8 for image processing of the formed tablet 5 is provided.

Explaining the embodiment in more detail, the base 1 has a structure in which a plate-shaped body is bent downward in front of the base 1, and the lower end of the support column 3 is passed through the base 1 and fixed with a nut or the like. A space is formed below the base 1, and the keyboard accommodating portion 10 is formed in this space. In the keyboard accommodating portion 10, the keyboard portion 21 of the personal computer 2 is accommodated from the rear of the base 1 as shown in FIG. Two guides 11 are fixed on the right side and the center of the upper surface of the base 1, so that the tray 6 shown in FIG. 5 can be positioned at the center of the upper surface of the base 1 when the tablet counting assisting device of the present invention is used. There is. The tray 6 has a shape corresponding to a conventional tray body as shown in FIG. 5, and is provided with a discharge port 66, a handle 67 and the like.

In the case of the embodiment, two columns 3 are used, each of which is fixed to both sides of the base 1, and a horizontal rod 4 is installed at the upper end of each column 3. The support 3 and the base 1 may be fixed to each other and the support 3 and the horizontal rod 4 may be fixed to each other by using a nut or the like by an appropriate method.

As shown in FIG. 4, six LED lights 7 are fixed to the lower surface of the horizontal rod 4 while being housed in the lighting case 71. The LED light 7 irradiates the tray 6 positioned on the base 1 with light to facilitate counting the tablets 5 by image processing. Even if an incandescent lamp is used instead of the LED light 7, it is difficult to perform the intended image processing because the frequency is low. Further, in FIG. 4, reference numeral 72 is a power cord of the LED light 7, which is connected to the personal computer 2 in this embodiment. The camera 8 is fixed to the central portion of the horizontal rod 4 and takes an image of the tablet 5 accommodated in the tray 6 positioned on the base 1. The camera 8 is also connected to the personal computer 2. ..

In the case of this embodiment, a notebook type personal computer is used as the personal computer 2, and when the tablet counting assisting device of the present invention is used, its keyboard portion 21 is accommodated in the keyboard accommodating portion 10 of the base 1 from the rear. The display unit 22 is set so as to be located at the upper rear of the base 1.

Image processing software and counting processing software linked thereto are installed in the personal computer 2. The operation of the tablet counting assisting device of the invention will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 6, and the tablets 5 on the tray 6 photographed by the camera 8 are subjected to image processing and counting processing. The number is counted. On the other hand, the number of tablets to be sorted, the size of tablets to be handled, and the like are input from the personal computer 2 or an input device such as a numeric keypad connected thereto, and in the counting process, the input tablet size is input. The image corresponding to the height and the image of the size larger than that are counted. Then, in the case of this embodiment, an image having a predetermined size or more is displayed in red on the screen as a warning. Further, in the case of this embodiment, an image corresponding to a predetermined size or the like is displayed in blue on the screen, and an image of a tablet having a predetermined size or less is not displayed by omission. Furthermore, in the case of the embodiment, it is controlled so that the input number of tablets to be distributed is displayed in the "denominator" on the screen, and the number of tablets processed by image processing is displayed in the "numerator" on the screen. Then, on the screen of the personal computer 2, an image of the tablet 5 itself taken by the camera 8 and an image of the tablet 5 which has been image-processed and counted are displayed in an overlapping manner (see FIGS. 8 and 10).

The image processing and the counting processing will be described in detail. In the case of the embodiment, the presence or absence of the tablets 5 on the tray 6 is detected by the difference between the empty tray without tablets and the tray with tablets. As for the difference, it is possible to understand that there is an object on the tray 6 by taking a color difference in all of the three primary colors RGB. After taking the difference, contraction processing is performed to eliminate the information corresponding to the small image, and the information corresponding to the image of the connected figure-eight object is separated and processed as information corresponding to the image of two objects. To be done. With the information corresponding to the image of the object separated, the labeling process is performed next, and the identification number is given to the information corresponding to the image of each object. It becomes possible to count the information of the object at the same time when the identification number is given. Next, in evaluating the image information of each object, enlargement processing is performed to bring the image information closer to the original size of the object. Then, the extremely small ones are ignored, and the large ones are treated as the above-mentioned warnings, and the image information is processed to count the image information corresponding to the tablets 5 and the image information relating to the warnings. An image of the counted tablets is displayed together with an image of the tablets 5 themselves taken by the camera 8. As described above, the warning portion where the tablets are overlapped is displayed in red, and the portion where the tablets are not overlapped is displayed in blue.

Next, the operation of allocating tablets to predetermined tablets will be described using the above-described embodiment.
First, the personal computer 2 is set in advance to the tablet counting assisting apparatus of the present invention as described above with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, and the camera 8 and the LED light 7 are put into operation. Then, the number of tablets to be sorted, the shape and size of tablets to be handled, etc. are input from the input device. For example, the number of tablets to be distributed is input as 70 tablets.

When the above preparations are completed, the empty tray 6 is positioned and placed at a predetermined position on the base 1 using the guide 11, and the empty tray is read. Next, the tablets 5 are supplied so as to be spread on the tray 6, and while watching the screen of the personal computer 2, the tray 6 is shaken while grasping the handle 67 as necessary to adjust the excess or deficiency of the tablets 5. When the number of tablets reaches a predetermined number, the return key is pressed to move the tray 6 from the base 1, and the predetermined number of tablets 5 are distributed to the container (not shown). When the sorting is completed, the empty tray may be read again and the above operation may be repeated.

Explaining the screen of the personal computer 2 in the above sorting operation, FIG. 7 shows a state where 70 tablets are stored on the tray 6 so that they do not overlap, and the image of the display unit 22 is shown in bold lines in FIG. As shown, it is displayed in blue as described above. Then, on the screen of the display unit 22, the input number of tablets 70 to be sorted is displayed in the "denominator" on the screen, and the number of tablets 70 which has been image-processed and counted is displayed in the "numerator" on the screen. The state of FIG. 8 shows a state in which the tablets 5 do not overlap each other and the tablets 5 of the predetermined tablets 70 are accommodated on the tray 6. The operator compares the “denominator” with the “numerator” while looking at the screen of the display unit 22, and if the “numerator” is smaller, supplements the tablet 5 in an insufficient number and the “numerator” is larger. For example, an excess number of tablets 5 may be removed from the tray 6. If the "denominator" and the "numerator" match, it may be sorted as described above.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which tablets are supplied in a state of being stacked on the tray 6, and the image thereof includes a red one having a large area shown by a thick line in FIG. 10 as described above. Therefore, in this case, the operator loosens the tablets 5 on the tray 6 while shaking the tray 6, performs this loosening work until the red color disappears from the screen, compares the "denominator" with the "numerator", As described above, the tablets 5 on the tray 6 may be replenished or removed, and the number of tablets may be manually adjusted so that the predetermined tablets 5 are present on the tray 6, and then the tablets may be distributed to the containers as described above. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the screen of the personal computer 2 also displays an image of the tablet 5 itself and an image of the tray 6.

In the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the tray 6 is made of aluminum or the like in consideration of hygiene and the like, but if the tablets are directly accommodated on the tray 6 surface, the image processing cannot be performed accurately due to the bad influence of reflected light. Therefore, it is preferable to lay brown khaki colored paper on the tray 6 and supply the tablets on it.

In the present invention, depending on the surrounding environment, another ray of light may affect the tray 6, which becomes noise during image processing. Therefore, in order to prevent such noise, the tablet counting assist device of the present invention is used. Enclosures may be provided on the left, right, and above of which the surrounding rays are blocked.

Further, in the present invention, in order to clarify the image edge of the tablet 5, the upper surface of the base 1 may be semitransparent, and the inside or the lower surface thereof may be provided with illumination such as organic LE illumination. In this case, it is preferable to use a semitransparent tray 6 as well.

1 base 10 keyboard accommodating part 11 guide 2 personal computer 21 keyboard part 21
22 Display Part 3 Support Column 4 Horizontal Rod 5 Tablet 6 Tray 66 Discharge Port 67 Handle 7 LED Light 71 Lighting Case 8 Camera

Claims (1)

A base having a keyboard accommodating portion for a personal computer below, a pillar fixed to the base, and a horizontal rod positioned above the base and fixed to the pillar. A guide for positioning a tray containing tablets on the upper surface of the base is provided, and the horizontal rod has an LED light for irradiating the tray mounted on the base with light and a light on the base. A tablet counting assisting device, comprising: a camera for image processing of tablets contained in the tray surface.