JP7238595B2 - picking system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a picking system, and more particularly to a picking system in which a worker picks an article according to instructions displayed on a display device.

In a picking system, for example, at a work station where articles are conveyed by a conveyor, workers take out and transfer necessary articles (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the picking system described in Patent Literature 1, a picking instruction is displayed on the display 161, and the operator picks while viewing the contents of the instruction.

JP-A-9-2623

In the picking system, picking instructions are displayed on the monitor in real time, and it is necessary for workers to be able to see the contents immediately.
In that case, the position of the camera can become an issue. For example, if the camera is positioned on the side of the worker, the camera will interfere with the worker's movement and work. Also, if the camera is placed on the side of the worker and not in the way of the worker, the camera will move away from the article, making it impossible to photograph the article accurately.
In addition, in the conventional picking system, it is required to support the operator so that the picking work can be performed intuitively.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a picking system in which a worker can perform picking work intuitively while reducing camera interference.

A plurality of aspects will be described below as means for solving the problem. These aspects can be arbitrarily combined as needed.

A picking system according to a first aspect of the present invention assists a worker in picking work, and includes a supply conveyor, a work conveyor, an unloading conveyor, a first camera, a second camera, and an image sensor. It comprises a synthesizing section, an article recognition section, an information adding section, and a display device.
A supply conveyor conveys the articles.
A work conveyor is connected downstream of the supply conveyor to allow workers to perform picking operations in the vicinity.
The output conveyor is connected downstream of the work conveyor.
The first camera is arranged on the side of the work conveyor where the worker performs the picking work, and is capable of photographing articles on the work conveyor.
The second camera is arranged at a position close to the work conveyor on the side of the work conveyor where the worker performs the picking work, and is capable of photographing the articles on the work conveyor.
The image synthesizing unit forms a synthesized image by synthesizing a first image captured by the first camera and a second image captured by the second camera.
The article recognition unit recognizes an article from one or more of the first captured image, the second captured image, and the composite image.
The information addition unit forms a picking instruction image by superimposing picking information related to the article on the composite image.
The display device displays the picking instruction image.
In this picking system, the second camera captures an image from a position near the article, and the first camera captures an image from a position away from the article, and then synthesizes the first captured image and the second captured image. be done. As a result, for example, even if there is a portion of the article that cannot be sufficiently photographed in one photographed image, that portion can be compensated for by the other photographed image. In other words, it is possible to display an image similar to the article viewed by the worker. As a result, the worker can intuitively grasp the article to be picked.

The second camera may be smaller than the first camera.
In this picking system, the second camera is arranged at a position close to the work conveyor in the worker's area, but does not easily interfere with the work.

The second camera has a holder that can be attached to the body or clothing of the worker, and may be portable by the worker.
In this picking system, the second camera is carried by the worker. Therefore, the second camera is less likely to interfere with work.

The first camera may be provided at a position higher than the height of the operator.
In this picking system, the first camera hardly interferes with the work.

The first camera has a pair of cameras spaced apart from each other and capable of photographing articles on the work conveyor.
In this picking system, since the first cameras are plural, the article can be photographed from different angles, thereby reducing the unphotographed portion of the article.

An article mounting member for mounting an article is marked with a marker,
The image synthesizing unit may synthesize the first captured image and the second captured image with reference to the marker.
In this picking system, the amount of calculation for synthesizing the first captured image and the second captured image is reduced.

In the picking system according to the present invention, the operator can intuitively perform the picking work while reducing the obstruction of the work by the camera.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a picking station according to a first embodiment; FIG. Schematic plan view of a picking station. Schematic side view of a picking station. Schematic plan view of the vicinity of an operator area. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the picking station; 4 is a flow chart showing the control operation of the picking station; An image captured by the first camera. An image captured by the first camera. An image captured by the second camera. An example of a composite image. An example of a picking instruction image. An example of what a worker sees. An example of a picking instruction image. An example of a picking instruction image. An example of a picking instruction image. An example of a picking instruction image.

1. First Embodiment (1) Basic Configuration of Picking Station The basic configuration of a picking station 1 (an example of a picking system) will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the picking station of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the picking station. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of a picking station; FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the vicinity of the worker area. Note that the horizontal direction in FIG. 2 is defined as a first direction (arrow X), and the vertical direction in FIG. 2 is defined as a second direction (arrow Y).
1 and 2, two picking stations 1 are arranged side by side. In the following description, only one picking station 1 will be described.

The picking station 1 is a facility that assists the worker W in picking articles. In particular, the picking station 1 is a facility that uses AR (Augmented Reality) technology to support picking from pallets on which goods are mixed. Picking in this embodiment means taking out a plurality of articles A (an example of articles) loaded on the pallet P and placing them on the shipping pallet 2 . Article A is, for example, a cardboard box. In the following description, general or overall description will be referred to as "item A", and individual items will be referred to as "items A1, A2, . . . ," for example.
The picking station 1 mainly includes a supply conveyor 3 , a work conveyor 5 , a discharge conveyor 7 and an operator area 9 .

The supply conveyor 3 is a conveyor for delivery, and is a conveyor for delivery from the automated warehouse 4 in order to supply the pallet P on which a plurality of articles A are mounted to the work conveyor 5 . The supply conveyor 3 extends in the second direction. The supply conveyor 3 is a chain conveyor, but may be a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor.
The work conveyor 5 is arranged between the supply conveyor 3 and the discharge conveyor 7 . In other words, the working conveyor 5 is connected to the downstream side of the supply conveyor 3 in the conveying direction, and arranged upstream of the unloading conveyor 7 in the conveying direction. The working conveyor 5 extends in the first direction. The working conveyor 5 has a picking point 5a where picking is performed. The picking point 5a is provided at the downstream end of the work conveyor 5 in the conveying direction and at a position continuous with the unloading conveyor 7. As shown in FIG. The work conveyor 5 is a combination of a change conveyor and a chain conveyor in this embodiment, but may be a free roller, a roller conveyor, or a belt conveyor.

The unloading conveyor 7 is a warehousing conveyor, and is a conveyor for unloading the pallet P on which a plurality of articles A are mounted from the work conveyor 5 and warehousing it into the automated warehouse 4 . The discharge conveyor 7 extends in the second direction, i.e. parallel to the supply conveyor 3 .
In this embodiment, the supply conveyor 3, the work conveyor 5 and the unloading conveyor 7 are arranged in a U-shape. That is, the supply conveyor 3 and the unloading conveyor 7 extend from the working conveyor 5 to the back side in the second direction. However, the layout of each conveyor is not limited to this. For example, the layout may be such that the supply conveyor 3, the work conveyor 5 and the unloading conveyor 7 are arranged in a straight line.

The worker area 9 is provided adjacent to the work conveyor 5 and is an area where the worker W performs the picking work. The worker area 9 is arranged on one side of the work conveyor 5 in the second direction (specifically, the side opposite to the side where the supply conveyor 3 and the carry-out conveyor 7 extend).

The picking station 1 has first cameras 10A and 10B. The first cameras 10A and 10B are arranged on the side of the work conveyor 5 where the worker performs the picking work, more specifically, on the one side of the worker area 9 in the second direction.
Specifically, the first cameras 10A and 10B are attached to the frame 14 . The first cameras 10A and 10B face the back side in the second direction, and can photograph the article A at the picking point 5a of the work conveyor 5. As shown in FIG. The images captured by the first cameras 10A and 10B are, for example, moving images.
Since the positions of the first cameras 10A and 10B are on the opposite side of the work conveyor 5 from the worker area 9, they do not interfere with the worker W.
Specifically, the first cameras 10A and 10B are arranged on both left and right sides on the back side of the worker W. As shown in FIG. That is, the first cameras 10A and 10B are arranged apart from each other in the first direction. Since there are a plurality of first cameras in this way, it is possible to photograph the article from different angles, thereby reducing the portion of the article A that is not photographed. The first cameras 10A and 10B are tilted at different angles with respect to the second direction, so that they both face inward.

The first cameras 10A, 10B photograph all the articles A located at the picking point 5a. As shown in FIG. 4, at the picking point 5a, a QR code 40 (registered trademark) is affixed to the article A on the side of the first cameras 10A and 10B.
The first cameras 10A and 10B are provided at positions higher than the height of the operator and face obliquely downward. Therefore, the first cameras 10A and 10B are less likely to interfere with work. Specifically, it is less likely to interfere with the work of placing the cargo A on the shipping pallet 2 . However, the first cameras 10A and 10B may be at the same height as the height of the worker W's face in a normal standing position.
As a further modification, the number of first cameras may be one, and may be arranged so as to face the front of the article A or its vicinity.

The picking station 1 has a second camera 11 . The second camera 11 is arranged at a position close to the work conveyor 5 in the worker area 9 . The image captured by the second camera 11 is, for example, a moving image.
The second camera 11 is smaller than the first cameras 10A, 10B. Therefore, although the second camera 11 is arranged at a position close to the work conveyor 5 in the worker area 9, it hardly interferes with the work.

The second camera 11 has a belt 12 (an example of a holding portion) that can be attached around the waist of the worker W, and can be carried by the worker. Therefore, the second camera 11 is less likely to interfere with the work. The second camera 11 may be attached to the worker W's clothes or helmet. For example, the second camera 11 may have a shoulder member so as to be positioned on the operator W's chest.

The picking station 1 includes a display 13 (an example of a display device). The display 13 is a device that displays a picking instruction image 60 (described later). In this embodiment, the display 13 is arranged in the worker area 9 and the worker W can pick while looking at the display 13 .
Note that, for example, a head-mounted display may be used as the display device.

(2) Control Configuration of Picking Station The control configuration of the picking station 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control configuration of the picking station.
The picking station 1 has a controller 51 .
The controller 51 is a computer having a processor (eg, CPU), a storage device (eg, ROM, RAM, HDD, SSD, etc.), and various interfaces (eg, A/D converter, D/A converter, communication interface, etc.). system. The controller 51 performs various control operations by executing programs stored in a storage unit (corresponding to part or all of the storage area of the storage device).
The controller 51 may be composed of a single processor, or may be composed of a plurality of independent processors for each control.
A part or all of the function of each element of the controller 51 may be implemented as a program executable by the computer system that configures the controller 51 . In addition, part of the function of each element of the control section may be configured by a custom IC.

The controller 51 has a QR code processing section 53 (an example of an article recognition section), an image processing section 55 (an example of an image synthesizing section), and an image forming section 57 (an example of an information adding section).
The QR code processing unit 53 recognizes the article A from the photographed image. Specifically, in this embodiment, article recognition reads the QR code 40 included in the captured image, inquires to a server (not shown), and obtains information on article A (whether it is a picking target, It is done by obtaining the type) in the case of picking target. Note that the article recognition may be performed based on external shape information, for example, characters written on the outer surface of the article A or the size of the article A. FIG.
The image processing unit 55 forms a combined image 43 by combining the first captured images 41A and 41B captured by the first cameras 10A and 10B and the second captured image 42 captured by the second camera 11 . Specifically, the image processing unit 55 creates respective still images from a plurality of moving images being captured, and finally synthesizes them.

The image forming unit 57 forms the picking instruction image 60 by superimposing the picking information related to the article A on the composite image 43 . That is, the picking instruction image 60 is created based on the photographed image in which all the articles A are shown.
The picking instruction image 60 includes picking instructions such as the type and quantity of the goods A to be picked for the delivered pallet P.
The picking instruction includes markings that visually indicate the article A to be picked. The marking is, for example, a color or a frame superimposed on the item A to be picked. The marking may be an arrow or other symbol that indicates the cardboard box to be picked. The picking information also includes quantity and product name. The marking method is arbitrary, and the content of the picking information is arbitrary.

Although not shown, the controller 51 is connected with sensors for detecting the size, shape and position of the pallet P and the articles A, sensors and switches for detecting the state of each device, and an information input device.
A display 13 is connected to the controller 51 .
An operation terminal 61 and a touch scanner 63 are connected to the controller 51 as shown in FIG. The operation terminal 61 is provided with a completion button (not shown) that is pushed when picking from one pallet P is completed.
Further, the controller 51 is connected to conveyor drive units (not shown) for driving the supply conveyor 3, the work conveyor 5, and the unloading conveyor 7, respectively.

(3) Control Operation of Picking Station Control operation of the picking station 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the control operation of the picking station.
The control flow chart described below is an example, and each step can be omitted or replaced as needed. Also, a plurality of steps may be executed simultaneously, or some or all of them may overlap.
Furthermore, each block in the control flow chart is not limited to a single control operation, and can be replaced with a plurality of control operations represented by a plurality of blocks.
The operation of each device is the result of commands from the controller 51 to each device, and these are expressed by each step of the software application.

In step S1, the arrival of the pallet P at the picking point 5a of the working conveyor 5 is waited. Specifically, the pallet P is taken out from the automated warehouse 4 by the supply conveyor 3, and then conveyed to the picking point 5a by the work conveyor 5.
In step S2, the first cameras 10A, 10B and the second camera 11 photograph the front surfaces of a plurality of articles A placed on the pallet P. As shown in FIG. After that, the image processing unit 55 creates still images from the plurality of moving images being captured.

In step S3, a composite image 43 is created. Specifically, the image processing unit 55 combines the first captured images 41A and 41B and the second captured image 42 to create a combined image 43 . The creation of the composite image 43 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10. FIG. 7 and 8 are examples of the first captured image. FIG. 9 is an example of a second captured image. FIG. 10 is an example of a composite image.
As shown in FIG. 7, part of the article A is hidden by the worker W in the first captured image 41A captured by the first camera 10A. In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, part of the article A is hidden by the worker W in the first captured image 41B captured by the first camera 10B. As shown in FIG. 9, the article A is shown in the second photographed image 42 photographed by the second camera 11 . However, since the second camera 11 is installed in the vicinity of the article A, there is a possibility that the left and right sides of the article A are not sufficiently photographed. Therefore, the image processing unit 55 complements the second captured image 42 with the partial image 41A1 of the first captured image 41A and the partial image 41B1 of the first captured image 41B, thereby obtaining a composite image as shown in FIG. form 43; Note that only one of the first captured images may be used for the composite image.
In practice, the inclination of each photographed image is adjusted before combining. This is because the captured images are different in direction and angle.

Next, the criteria for image composition will be described. A plurality of markers 31 are marked on a pallet P (an example of an article mounting member) on which articles A are to be mounted. The image processing unit 55 synthesizes the first captured images 41A and 41B and the second captured image 42 with the marker 31 as a reference. In this case, the amount of calculation for synthesizing the first captured images 41A and 41B and the second captured image 42 is reduced.

In step S4, article recognition by the QR code 40 is performed. Specifically, the QR code processing unit 53 identifies each article A from the QR code 40 in the composite image, and then inquires to a server (not shown) to obtain information related to the article A (picking target). (or not, and if it is a picking target, the type) is obtained.
In step S5, a picking instruction image 60 is created. Specifically, the image forming unit 57 creates the picking instruction image 60 by superimposing the picking information related to the article A on the composite image 43 .
In step S6, a picking instruction image 60 is displayed. Specifically, the picking instruction image 60 is sent to the display 13 and displayed there.

In step S7, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed. If it has passed, the process returns to step S2, and if it has not passed, the process moves to step S8.
In step S8, it is determined whether the QR code 40 of the case picked by the worker W has been scanned by the touch scanner 63 or not. Picking is considered to be completed when the worker W scans the QR code 40 . The worker W loads the article A on the shipping pallet 2 after scanning. If scanning is completed, the process moves to step S9.
As described above, the picking instruction image 60 is updated unless the scanning of the QR code 40 is completed within a predetermined time after the picking instruction image 60 is displayed. Therefore, the worker W can refer to the picking instruction image 60 based on the latest packaging of the article A in real time.

In step S9, it is determined whether or not the picking has been completed. Specifically, the controller 51 determines whether or not all the articles A to be picked have been picked. If completed, the process proceeds to step S10, and completion is displayed on the display 13. FIG. If not completed, the process returns to step S2, and the operation of displaying the next picking instruction image 60 on the display 13 is executed.
As described above, when there are a plurality of picking targets, the picking instruction image 60 is updated each time one is picked. Therefore, the worker W can refer to the picking instruction image based on the latest packaging of the article A in real time.

In step S7, if an error is detected when the worker W scans the QR code 40 (if the picked item is different), the display 13 displays a picking error or sounds a sound. Alternatively, the worker W may be informed of the situation.

As a result, the second camera 11 captures an image near the article A, the first cameras 10A and 10B capture an image distant from the article A, and then the first captured images 41A and 41B and the first captured image 41B. 2 photographed images 42 are synthesized. As a result, for example, even if there is a portion of the article A that cannot be sufficiently photographed in one photographed image, that portion can be compensated for by the other photographed image. In other words, it is possible to display an image similar to that of the article A viewed by the worker. As a result, the operator can intuitively perform the picking work.
11 and 12, the picking instruction image 60 and the scene actually seen by the worker W will be compared and explained. FIG. 11 is an example of a picking instruction image. FIG. 12 is an example of a scene seen by the worker W. FIG. FIG. 11 shows the arrangement of the articles A in the picking instruction image 60, and FIG. 12 shows the arrangement of the articles A that the worker W actually saw. As is clear from the drawing, the worker W can easily grasp the article A to be picked by the picking instruction image 60 .

As a modification, the first cameras 10A and 10B may be arranged so that the position of the photographing target is close to the worker W's line of sight. In this case, by aligning the photographed image with the line of sight of the worker W, the worker W can more intuitively grasp the article A to be picked. This is because the angle between the photographed image and the scene seen by the worker approximately matches.

(4) Example of picking instruction image (Part 1)
An example of the picking instruction image will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG. 13 and 14 are examples of picking instruction images.
In FIG. 13, at the first stage, the objects to be picked are stacked items A1 and A2. Therefore, at this stage, the articles A1 and A2 are marked as objects to be picked.
As a modification, if there are more items A to be picked than the actual number of items to be picked, for example, among the corresponding items A, the item A that is likely to be picked up is automatically identified from the position information. to mark. For example, if both items A stacked above and below are applicable, only the top item A is marked. As another method, the number of items to be picked may be displayed and all items A to be picked may be marked. In this case, since any item can be selected from the marked items A, it is preferable to give a marking different from the marking in the case of essential to indicate that it is optional. For example, different colors can be used for mandatory and optional cases. Thereby, the worker W can pick smoothly without hesitation.

When the worker W picks the article A1, only the article A2 is picked. Then, as shown in FIG. 14, a new picking instruction image 60 after the article A1 has been picked is displayed. This is because if all picking is not completed even after one picking is completed (eg, No in step S9 of FIG. 6), image capturing (eg, step S2 of FIG. 6) and image processing (eg, FIG. 6 This is because a series of processes such as step S3 of ), creation of a picking instruction image (for example, step S5 in FIG. 6), and display of the picking instruction image (for example, step S6 in FIG. 6) are performed. In the new picking instruction image 60, only the article A2 is marked as a picking target.
As described above, the QR code 40 is read and the picking instruction image 60 is updated in real time. Therefore, the worker W can smoothly continue a plurality of picking operations.

(5) Example of picking instruction image (Part 2)
15 and 16, changes in the picking instruction image when picking up an article stacked in the lower part will be described. FIG. 15 is an example of a picking instruction image. FIG. 16 is an example of a picking instruction image.
In FIG. 15, at the first stage, the object to be picked is the item A2 below the item A1. Therefore, at this stage, article A2 is marked as a picking object.

In order for the worker W to pick the article A2, it is necessary to move the article A1 to the side as shown in FIG. Even after the item A1 has been moved, the picking instruction image 60 in the state after the item A1 has been moved is newly displayed. This is because, even if the picking instruction image is displayed once, if a predetermined period of time elapses (for example, Yes in step S7 of FIG. 6), then image shooting (for example, step S2 of FIG. 6), image processing (for example, step S2 of FIG. 6) This is because a series of processes such as step S3 of ), creation of a picking instruction image (for example, step S5 in FIG. 6), and display of the picking instruction image (for example, step S6 in FIG. 6) are performed. In the new picking instruction image 60, article A2 is still marked.
As described above, the QR code 40 is read and the picking instruction image 60 is updated in real time. Therefore, even if the worker W needs to move the article A on the pallet P, the worker W can reliably perform the picking operation.

In order to enable the above control operation, the surface of the article A to which the QR code 40 is attached must face the same side. Therefore, when the article A is to be stored in the automated warehouse 4, the worker W must place the article A with the side to which the QR code 40 is pasted to the front when the empty pallet P arrives at the picking point 5a. , are loaded on the pallet P in the near side.

2. Features of Embodiments The above embodiments can also be described as follows.
A picking station 1 (an example of a picking system) assists a worker W (an example of a worker) in picking work, and includes a supply conveyor 3, a work conveyor 5, an unloading conveyor 7, and a 1 cameras 10A and 10B, a second camera 11, an image processing unit 55 (an example of an image synthesizing unit), a QR code processing unit 53 (an article recognition unit), and an image forming unit 57 (an example of an information adding unit) , and a display 13 (an example of a display device).
The supply conveyor 3 conveys the articles A.
The work conveyor 5 is connected to the downstream side of the supply conveyor 3 so that workers can perform picking work nearby.
The unloading conveyor 7 is connected downstream of the working conveyor 5 .
The first cameras 10A and 10B are arranged on the side of the work conveyor 5 where the worker performs the picking work.
The second camera 11 is arranged at a position close to the work conveyor 5 on the side of the work conveyor 5 where the worker performs the picking work.
The image processing unit 55 forms a combined image 43 by combining the first captured images 41A and 41B captured by the first cameras 10A and 10B and the second captured image 42 captured by the second camera 11 .
The QR code processing section 53 recognizes the article A from the composite image 44 .
The image forming unit 57 forms the picking instruction image 60 by superimposing the picking information related to the article A on the composite image 43 .
The display 13 displays a picking instruction image 60. FIG.

In the picking station 1, the second camera 11 captures an image near the article A, and the first cameras 10A and 10B capture an image distant from the article A. After that, the first captured image is taken. 41A, 41B and the second photographed image 42 are synthesized. As a result, for example, even if there is a portion of the article A that cannot be sufficiently photographed in one photographed image, that portion can be compensated for by the other photographed image. That is, an image similar to that of the article A viewed by the worker W can be displayed. As a result, the worker W can intuitively grasp the article A to be picked.

3. Other Embodiments Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the invention. In particular, multiple embodiments and modifications described herein can be arbitrarily combined as needed.
For marking the article A to be picked, instead of the entire article A, for example, the QR code 40 may be colored or illuminated.
A captured image is not limited to a still image. For example, it may be a moving image or a frame-by-frame image consisting of a large number of still images.
A source of information for specifying an article is not limited to the QR code. Other two-dimensional codes or barcodes may be used. Furthermore, the article may be specified based on the pattern or characters on the surface of the article.

The type of article is not particularly limited. The articles may be various types of cases and boxes other than cardboard boxes. Further, the item may be a plurality of packages contained in a container, in which case the picking instructions include removal of the packages.
In the above embodiment, article recognition is performed based on the synthesized image, but may be performed based on the first captured image or the second captured image. Furthermore, article recognition may be performed based on a plurality of the composite image, the first captured image, and the second captured image.

One first camera may be provided for one picking point.
The second camera does not have to be attached to the operator. For example, the second camera may be fixed near the work conveyor in the worker area.

A plurality of second cameras may be provided for one picking point.
The second camera may be the same type of camera (size, performance) as the first camera.
In the image synthesis, the first image captured by the first camera is used as a reference, and the portion hidden by the worker may be complemented by the second image captured by the second camera.
The number and shape of markers for image synthesis are not particularly limited.
The reference for image synthesis may be the front edge or corner of the pallet P, or the edge or corner of one or a plurality of articles A, instead of the marker.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied to picking systems in which a worker picks an article according to instructions displayed on a display device.

Reference Signs List 1: Picking station 2: Shipping pallet 3: Supply conveyor 5: Work conveyor 5a: Picking point 7: Unloading conveyor 9: Worker area 10A: First camera 10B: First camera 11: Second camera 12: Belt 13: Display 40: QR code 41A: First captured image 41A1: Partial image 41B: First captured image 41B1: Partial image 42: Second captured image 43: Synthetic image 44: Synthetic image 51: Controller 53: QR code processor 55: Image processing unit 57 : Image forming unit 60 : Picking instruction image 61 : Operation terminal 63 : Touch scanner A : Goods P : Pallet W : Worker

Claims (6)

A picking system that assists a worker in picking work,
a supply conveyor for conveying articles;
a work conveyor connected to the downstream side of the supply conveyor and allowing the worker to perform picking work nearby;
a discharge conveyor connected to the downstream side of the work conveyor;
a first camera disposed on the side of the work conveyor where the worker performs the picking work, and capable of photographing articles on the work conveyor;
a second camera arranged at a position close to the work conveyor on the side of the work conveyor where the worker performs the picking work, and capable of photographing the articles on the work conveyor;
an image synthesizing unit that forms a synthesized image by synthesizing a first image captured by the first camera and a second image captured by the second camera;
an article recognition unit that recognizes an article from one or more of the first captured image, the second captured image, and the combined image;
an information addition unit that forms a picking instruction image by superimposing picking information related to the article on the composite image;
a display device that displays the picking instruction image;
picking system with 2. The picking system of claim 1, wherein said second camera is smaller than said first camera. 3. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein said second camera has a holding portion attachable to said worker's body or clothes, and is portable by said worker. The picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first camera is provided at a position higher than the height of the worker. 5. The picking system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said first camera has a pair of cameras arranged apart from each other and capable of photographing articles on said work conveyor. An article mounting member for mounting the article is marked with a marker,
6. The picking system according to claim 1, wherein said image synthesizing unit synthesizes said first photographed image and said second photographed image with reference to said marker.

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