JP7167393B2 - Meter reading system, meter reading method, meter reading program, and inspection support system provided with meter reading system - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a meter reading system, a meter reading method, and a meter reading program, and more particularly to a meter reading system, a reading method, and a reading program for a meter in which measured values are displayed in digital numbers. Moreover, it is related with the inspection support system provided with the meter reading system.

In general, inspection of plant equipment is carried out by having workers go to the plant site and check the measured values of the instruments of the equipment at the site. However, due to the labor shortage and aging population in recent years, the burden of daily inspection work has increased, and automation of the work is desired.

As a method of solving such a problem, research and development are being conducted on a technique of capturing an image of a meter, reading the measured value from the captured image, and automatically digitizing the measured value. A device and method for reading a measured value from a captured image are also known for instruments that display measured values in digital numbers (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-16027 A

However, the meter reading device and method disclosed in Patent Document 1 can only digitize digital numbers represented in the 7-segment format, and cannot be used for meters that display digital numbers in other formats. there were.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a meter reading system, meter reading method, and meter reading program capable of reading digital numbers displayed on a meter regardless of the display format of the digital numbers. intended to provide It is another object of the present invention to provide an inspection support system that is equipped with the instrument reading system and that can save manpower in plant inspection work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a meter reading system for reading measurements from a meter that displays measurements in digital numbers. A meter reading system includes an imaging device that captures an image of the meter and a processing device that processes the image captured by the imaging device. The processing device includes an image acquisition unit that acquires an image, a base pointer that is displayed around the measurement values of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and a plurality of pointers at preset positions on the measurement values of the image. A pointer display section for displaying a pointer, and a value reading section for reading a measurement value using the base pointer and the pointer displayed by the pointer display section are provided. The base pointer and multiple pointers have different colors.

Further, the present invention is a meter reading method for reading a measured value from a meter that displays the measured value in digital numbers. The meter reading method includes the steps of obtaining an image of the meter photographed by an imaging device, displaying a base pointer around the measurement values in the obtained image, and displaying a base pointer at a preset position above the measurement values in the image. and reading measurements using the displayed base pointer and pointers. The base pointer and multiple pointers have different colors.

Further, the present invention is a meter reading program for causing a computer to execute a method of reading measured values from a meter that displays measured values in digital numbers. The meter reading program acquires an image of the meter captured by the imaging device, displays a base pointer around the measurement values in the acquired image, and displays a base pointer at a preset position above the measurement values in the image. causes a computer to perform the steps of displaying a plurality of pointers on the , and reading measurements using the displayed base pointer and pointers. The base pointer and multiple pointers have different colors.

Further, the present invention is an inspection support system including the meter reading system. The inspection support system includes the meter reading system, a transmitter provided in the meter reading system that transmits the measured values read by the meter reading system, and a display device that displays the measured values sent via the transmitter. Prepare. The transmitter transmits the measured values using radio waves in a low frequency band within the medium wave band.

According to the meter reading system, meter reading method, and meter reading program of the present invention, the digital numbers displayed on the meter can be read regardless of the display format of the digital numbers. Further, according to the inspection support system of the present invention, by providing the instrument reading system, it is possible to read the measured value of the instrument regardless of the display format of the digital numbers displayed by the instrument of the equipment of the plant. As a result, it is possible to automatically read the measured value of the instrument, and it is possible to save manpower in plant inspection work.

It is a figure showing the whole inspection support system composition concerning one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen of a meter reading system of the inspection support system of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a measured value reading area of the instrument reading system of the inspection support system of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing operations in an operation process of the instrument reading system of the inspection support system of FIG. 1;

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the meter reading system 10 of the present invention will be described. The meter reading system 10 reads measured values from meters 2 (eg, MLSS (activated sludge suspended solids) meter, pH meter, DO (dissolved oxygen) meter, etc.) that display measured values in digital numbers. This meter reading system 10 is realized by a computer device, and reads measured values of the meter 2 by executing a meter reading program.

<Configuration of instrument reading system 10>
As shown in FIG. 1, a meter reading system 10 of this embodiment includes an imaging device 11 such as a camera, and a processing device 12 that processes an image captured by the imaging device 11 . The imaging device 11 and the processing device 12 are connected by wire.

The processing device 12 includes an image acquisition unit 121 for acquiring an image, an image storage unit 122 for storing an image, an image processing unit 123 for preprocessing an image, a pointer display unit 124 for displaying a pointer on the image, and a measurement value from the image. and a value storage unit 126 for storing the read measured value as numerical data. In addition, the processing device 12 includes a CPU (not shown) that executes programs, a RAM (not shown) that temporarily stores programs and data executed by the CPU, and non-volatile storage of the programs and data executed by the CPU. It has a ROM (not shown) for

The image storage unit 122 includes a storage medium such as USB or SD card. The image acquired by the image acquisition unit 121 is stored in the image storage unit 122 as it is.

The image processing unit 123 adjusts the brightness of the image acquired by the image acquiring unit 121 so that the measured values on the image can be easily recognized.

The pointer display unit 124 displays a base pointer Pb and a base pointer Pb around and on the measurement value MV of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 121, more specifically, the image whose brightness has been adjusted by the image processing unit 123. A plurality of pointers P (P1 to P9) are displayed (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment, a white base pointer Pb is displayed at a position around the measured value MV that does not overlap the measured value MV, and a plurality of different colors other than white are displayed above the measured value MV, that is, at a position overlapping the measured value MV. , pointers P1 to P9 are displayed. The number of the pointer P is determined by the form of a digital number, as will be described later. Here, the upper part of the measured value MV means the part representing the number when "8" is displayed. The colors of the base pointer Pb and the plurality of pointers P can be arbitrary colors different from each other. That is, the base pointer Pb can be colored other than white, and the plurality of pointers P can be colored differently from each other and from the base pointer Pb.

The value reading unit 125 uses the base pointer Pb and the pointers P (P1 to P9) displayed by the pointer display unit 124 to read the measured value MV.

The image acquisition unit 121, the image storage unit 122, the image processing unit 123, the pointer display unit 124, the value reading unit 125, and the value storage unit 126 are implemented by causing the CPU of the processing device 12 to execute programs.

The meter reading system 10 of this embodiment has a setting process and an operation process in order to read the measured value of the meter 2 . In the setting step, conditions for reading measured values from the image of the meter 2 captured by the imaging device 11 are set. In the operation process, the measured value of the meter 2 is read from the image of the meter 2 captured by the imaging device 11 based on each condition set in the setting process.

<Setting process>
Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, procedures in the setting process of the meter reading system 10 will be described. FIG. 2 shows the setting screen 30 of the meter reading system 10, and FIG. 3 shows only the measured value reading area 32 in which the measured value MV is displayed in the setting screen 30. As shown in FIG. Fig. 3(a) is an example in which the measured value MV is displayed in a 7-segment format, Fig. 3(b) is an example in which the measured value MV is displayed in a font close to the 7-segment format, Fig. 3(c) shows an example in which the measured value MV is displayed in a font different from the 7-segment format.

The setting process is performed after installing the imaging device 11 in front of the meter 2 or after correcting the position of the imaging device 11 . This setting process is performed manually.

First, the setting screen 30 of the meter reading system 10 shown in FIG. Then, the image of the meter 2 captured by the imaging device 11 is read into the image display section 31 of the setting screen 30 . At this time, the portion where the measured value MV of the meter 2 is displayed is the measured value reading area 32 . After that, the condition setting section 33 sets the conditions for reading the measured values.

First, the digital number format of the measured value MV is selected in the item of “number format” in the condition setting section 33 . That is, the user selects whether the digital numbers are in the "7-segment format" or in "another font". The “7-segment format” refers to a 7-segment format (the format of FIG. 3(a)) or a font close to the 7-segment format (the font of FIG. 3(b)). Further, "another font" refers to a font having a shape different from the 7-segment format (the font in FIG. 3(c)).

When the item of "number shape" is selected, the image display section 31 displays pointers P and base pointers Pb corresponding to the selected item. Specifically, in the case of the "7-segment format" as shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), seven pointers P1 to P7 are displayed. On the other hand, in the case of "another font" as shown in FIG. 3(c), nine pointers P1 to P9 are displayed. At this time, the base pointer Pb is white, and the pointers P1 to P9 are different colors other than white. For example, P1 is red, P2 is orange, P3 is yellow, P4 is green, P5 is blue, P6 is indigo, P7 is purple, P8 is pink, and P9 is gray. They are sorted so that they do not become colored. The colors of the pointers P1 to P9 are preferably colors that increase the color difference and luminance difference between the background portion and the measured value MV portion. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the pointers P1 to P9 are all shown in gray because the drawings cannot be displayed in color.

When the base pointer Pb is displayed on the image display unit 31, an input device such as a mouse is used to place the base pointer Pb at a position around the measured value MV so as not to overlap the measured value MV.

Next, the number of digits of the measured value MV is entered in the item of "number of digits", and the number of digits of the measured value MV after the decimal point is entered in the item of "number of digits after the decimal point". The "number of digits" entered here is the sum of the number of digits above the decimal point and the number of digits below the decimal point. Note that if the measured value measured by the instrument 2 is an integer, the item "number of digits after the decimal point" may be omitted.

After that, input the item of "set digit". In this embodiment, the "set digit" is set such that the rightmost (lowermost) of the measured value reading area 32 is one digit, the left adjacent is two digits, and the left adjacent is three digits. In the "Set Digits" item, enter the number of "Number of Digits" in order.

Each time the "set digit" is input, the pointers P1 to P7 (in FIG. 2) displayed on the image display unit 31 are moved using an input device such as a mouse so that the pointers P1 to P7 are above the measured value MV. Place them so that they overlap. At this time, if the “set digit” is “1”, the pointers P 1 to P 7 are placed on the rightmost number in the measured value reading area 32 . When the “set digit” becomes “2”, the pointers P1 to P7 are placed on the second number from the right in the measured value reading area 32 . In this way, the input of the "set digit" and the arrangement of the pointers P1 to P7 are repeated by the number of the "number of digits". The positions of the pointers P1 to P7 are stored for each "set digit".

As for the pointer P, in the 7-segment format, pointers P1 to P7 are arranged one by one at approximately the center position of each segment. In other fonts as shown in FIG. 3(c), pointers P1 to P9 are used to arrange all numbers 0 to 9 so that they can be distinguished. For example, as shown in FIG. 3C, three pointers P1 to P9 are arranged in the upper part, three in the middle part, and three in the lower part. This completes the setting process.

<Operating process>
Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the procedure in the operation process of the meter reading system 10 of this embodiment, that is, the meter reading method will be described. The meter reading method is implemented by executing a meter reading program stored in the meter reading system 10 .

First, the CPU of the processing device 12 instructs the imaging device 11 to capture an image of the meter 2 (S1). The image acquisition unit 121 acquires the captured image from the imaging device 11 (S2). The acquired image is stored in the image storage unit 122 (S3). The acquired image is sent to the image processing unit 123, and the image processing unit 123 adjusts the brightness of the image and corrects the image so that the measurement value MV can be easily recognized (S4).

Thereafter, the pointer display unit 124 displays a base pointer Pb around the measured value MV of the corrected image, and displays a plurality of pointers P above the measured value MV (S5). The base pointer Pb and the pointer P are displayed at positions preset in the setting process. Initially, the pointer P displays at the position to read the rightmost (bottommost) digit.

The value reading unit 125 reads values in the following procedure. First, color information (for example, RGB) is acquired from the base pointer Pb and the pointer P. As shown in FIG. Then, the color information of the base pointer Pb is compared with the color information of each of the pointers P1 to P9 (the pointers P1 to P7 in the examples of FIGS. 3A and 3B).

Here, each of the pointers P1 to P9 has predetermined color information when compared with the base pointer Pb. When each pointer P1 to P9 overlaps the numerical portion of the measurement value MV, the color information compared with the base pointer Pb changes. Based on this change in color information, it is determined which pointers P1 to P9 overlap the numerical portion of the measured value MV. Further, the relationship between each number (0 to 9) and the combination of the pointer P whose color information has changed is set in advance in the meter reading program. For example, in the example of FIG. 3A, it is preset that the number is 1 when the color information of the pointer P3 and the pointer P6 changes.

In the above procedure, the color information of the base pointer Pb is compared with the color information of each of the pointers P1 to P9, and combinations of pointers P whose color information has changed are identified. Then, the numerical value of the measured value MV is read using the relationship between the number and the combination of the pointer P whose color information has changed. Thus, the measured value MV is read using the displayed base pointer Pb and pointer P (S6).

When the value of the measured value MV can be read, the value is recorded in the value storage unit 126 as numerical data (S7). On the other hand, if the value of the measured value MV cannot be read, it is recorded as an error in the value storage unit 126 (S8).

When reading of the value of the rightmost (lowest) digit of the measured value MV is completed, the value of the measured value MV of the next left (second from the right) digit is read. That is, in the pointer display unit 124 again, the pointer P is displayed on the second digit from the right of the measured value MV, and in the same manner as reading the value of the rightmost digit of the measured value MV, the value reading unit 125 , the second value from the right of the measured value MV is read, and the read value is recorded in the value storage unit 126 as numerical data. This is done for all digits, that is, for the number entered in the "number of digits" in the setting process. When the value of all digits can be read, the reading of the measured value of the instrument 2 is completed.

<Inspection support system>
The inspection support system 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1 again. The inspection support system 1 includes the instrument reading system 10 and the instrument monitoring system 20 described above. The meter reading system 10 is equipped with a transmitter 13 and the meter monitoring system 20 is equipped with a receiver 21 . Using the transmitting device 13 and the receiving device 21 , the measured value MV read by the meter reading system 10 is sent to the meter monitoring system 20 .

The transmitting device 13 performs wireless communication using radio waves in a low frequency band within the medium wave band. Specifically, communication is performed using Wi-SUN in the 920 MHz band. As a result, there is no troublesome wire arrangement in wired communication, and the inspection system can be used even in plants where Wi-Fi cannot be used.

The instrument monitoring system 20 is equipped with a display device 22 . The display device 22 is, for example, a personal computer or a tablet, and displays the measured value MV received by the receiving device 21 . By using this display device 22 to check the numerical value of the meter 2, the state of the meter 2 is monitored. In addition, using the CPU (not shown) installed in the display device 22, the numerical data of the instrument 2 is summarized, the normality/abnormality of the numerical data is judged, and if an abnormality is detected, an e-mail or the like is sent. You can give warnings.

As described above, in the meter reading system 10, the meter reading method, and the meter reading program of the present embodiment, by simply changing the number and arrangement of the pointers P, not only digital numbers in the 7-segment format but also digital numbers in different fonts can be read. can be read.

Specifically, in the 7-segment format (FIGS. 3A and 3B), the number "7" can be determined as "7" if the color information of the pointers P1, P3, and P6 changes. Also, in a font different from the 7-segment format as shown in FIG. As a result, even if the color information of point P6 does not change and cannot be determined as "7" in the 7-segment format, even if the font is "7" as shown in FIG. If the color information of the pointers P1, P3, and P8 changes, the value can be set to "7" so that the numerical values can be read accurately.

In this way, by changing the number and arrangement of pointers P, the meter reading system 10, the meter reading method, and the meter reading program of the present embodiment can , the digital numbers displayed on the instrument 2 can be read accurately.

Furthermore, since the inspection support system 1 of the present embodiment includes the meter reading system 10, it can be applied to the meter 2 that displays any digital number, and can automatically read the measured value displayed with any digital number. . As a result, the inspection support system 1 can be applied to a wide range of plants, and labor saving and efficiency improvement in inspection work can be achieved in many plants.

Also, the inspection support system 1 of the present embodiment reads the measured value MV of the meter 2 with the meter reading system 10 connected to the imaging device 11 and transmits numerical data to the meter monitoring system 20 . As a result, the amount of data to be transmitted to the instrument monitoring system 20 can be suppressed, and radio waves (Wi-SUN) in the low frequency band in the medium wave band can be used. As a result, wireless communication becomes possible even in places where Wi-Fi cannot be used, and the inspection support system 1 can be used in a wider range of plants.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the pointer P is displayed in order from the lowest digit to read the measured value MV. However, the procedure for reading the measured value MV is not limited to this form, and the measured value MV may be read by displaying the pointer P in order from the top digit. Alternatively, the number of pointers P may be increased, the pointers P may be displayed on all digits at once, and the measured value MV may be read at once.

In the above embodiment, the number of pointers P is 7 or 9, but the number of pointers P can be any number as long as the numbers "0" to "9" can be read accurately. can.

Further, in the above embodiment, the corresponding relationship between the state of the pointer P and the numerical value is set in the meter reading program. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the correspondence relationship between the state of the pointer P and the numerical value may be set on the setting screen 30 in the setting step. Thus, even if the correspondence condition between the pointer P and the numerical value changes, the correspondence condition between the pointer P and the numerical value can be easily changed on the setting screen 30 in the setting process without changing the meter reading program.

Further, in the above embodiment, the numerical data is transmitted to the instrument monitoring system 20 via Wi-SUN. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and Wi-SUN may be used to communicate to a place where wireless communication is possible, and from there, Wi-Fi or the like may be used to communicate via a gateway. Alternatively, the data may be transmitted from the gateway to a cloud computing service such as AWS (Amazon Web Services), and the monitor's tablet or personal computer may access the cloud computing service for confirmation.

Further, in the above embodiment, the processing device 12 includes the image processing section 123 . However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and the image processing section 123 may not be provided when there is no particular need to process the image when reading the measured value MV. In this case, the step of processing or correcting the image can also be omitted in the meter reading method and the meter reading program.

1 inspection support system 2 instrument 10 instrument reading system 11 imaging device 12 processing device 121 image acquisition unit 124 pointer display unit 125 value reading unit 13 transmission device 22 display device MV measurement value Pb base pointer P, P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, P8, P9 pointer

Claims (4)

A meter reading system for reading measured values from a meter that displays measured values in digital numbers,
an imaging device that images the instrument;
and a processing device that processes the image captured by the imaging device,
The processing device is
an image acquisition unit that acquires the image;
a pointer display unit that displays a base pointer around the measurement values of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit and displays a plurality of pointers at preset positions above the measurement values of the image;
a value reading unit that reads a measured value using the base pointer displayed by the pointer display unit and the pointer;
The meter reading system, wherein the base pointer and the plurality of pointers have different colors from each other. A meter reading method for reading a measured value from a meter that displays the measured value in digital numbers,
obtaining an image of the instrument captured by an imaging device;
displaying a base pointer around the acquired image measurements and displaying a plurality of pointers at preset locations above the image measurements;
reading a measurement using the displayed base pointer and the pointer;
The meter reading method, wherein the base pointer and the plurality of pointers have different colors. A meter reading program for causing a computer to execute a method of reading measured values from a meter that displays measured values in digital numbers,
obtaining an image of the instrument captured by an imaging device;
displaying a base pointer around the acquired image measurements and displaying a plurality of pointers at preset locations above the image measurements;
and reading a measurement using the displayed base pointer and the pointer;
The meter reading program, wherein the base pointer and the plurality of pointers have colors different from each other. A meter reading system according to claim 1;
a transmission device provided in the meter reading system for transmitting measured values read by the meter reading system;
and a display device that displays the measured values sent via the transmitting device, wherein the transmitting device transmits the measured values using radio waves in a low frequency band within a medium wave band. .

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