JPH04277120A - Article sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable articles to be inputted with high efficiency even if the inputting time for sorting information is not restricted by the transfer speed of a conveyer and the sorting information written on the article is small. CONSTITUTION:An article 1 on which sorting information is written is supplied to loading sections 2a,..., transferred by a conveyer and sorted by a sorting section on the basis of the sorting information. The image of the article 1 supplied by the loading sections 2a... in a specified position is read by a scanner 4 and indicated by an indicator section. The sorting information is inputted by a keying section on the basis of the indicated image.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an article sorting device for sorting articles such as parcels and courier services using a sorter section.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, articles such as parcels and courier services are sorted by an article sorting device as shown in FIG. This article sorting device includes a loading section 52 that supplies articles 51, a conveyor 53 that conveys articles 51, and so on.
, an induction section 55 for dispensing the articles 51 to the pan 54a of the sorter section 54, ..., a keystroke section 56 for inputting sorting information
, ..., a sorter section 54 that sorts the articles 51, a sorting (chute) section 57 that receives the articles 51 sorted by the sorter section 54, and a control section (not shown) that controls these. The flow of goods is as follows: 1. The articles 51 to be sorted are first manually supplied to the loading section 52 at regular intervals. 2. The supplied article 51 is conveyed to the induction section 55 by a conveyor 53 at a constant speed.

3. In the induction section 55, the operator who presses the key reads the sorting information (sorting number, address, etc.) written on the printed type label 51a attached to the article 51 flowing on the conveyor 53, and
Press 6. 4. The article 51 for which sorting information has been obtained is sent to the induction section 55
from there to the pan 54a of the sorter section 54 one after another. When the sorting information cannot be obtained, the induction section 55 is stopped at that spot until the sorting information of the article 51 is inputted, and waits for the keystroke input of the sorting information. 5. The sorter section 54 sorts the articles 51 into the sorting sections 57, . . . by driving and controlling a push-out mechanism (not shown) in accordance with the sorting information entered.

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] Conventionally, as the proportion of small printed type labels being used as slips containing sorting information is increasing, the efficiency of keystrokes decreases and the original characteristics of the sorter section are reduced. Their abilities are no longer being utilized.

[0005] This is because, for example, for articles with small printed type labels, it takes extra time to decipher the sorting information, which stops the flow of the induction section and upstream conveyor, and as a result, the processing capacity of the sorter section decreases. Resulting in.

Furthermore, in the conventional method, the keying time for each flowing article cannot be shortened because it is limited by the speed of the induction section and the upstream conveyor. There is a drawback that even if you have enough time to press the key for the next item, you cannot.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides an article sorting device in which the input time of sorting information is not limited by the conveying speed of the conveying means, and the sorting information can be inputted with high efficiency even when the sorting information written on the article is small. The purpose is to provide.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The article sorting device of the present invention includes a supply means for supplying articles on which sorting information is written, a conveyance means for conveying the articles supplied by the supply means, and a conveyance means for conveying the articles supplied by the conveyance means. a sorting means for sorting articles based on sorting information, a reading means for reading an image of a specific part of the article supplied by the supplying means, and a display for displaying the image read by the reading means. means, an input means for inputting sorting information based on the image displayed by the display means, and, if sorting information cannot be input by the input means based on the image on the display means, written on the article being transported by the transport means. The apparatus is comprised of a processing means for inputting the sorting information obtained through the input means.

[0009]

[Operation] The present invention supplies articles on which sorting information is written to a supply means, conveys the supplied articles by a conveying means, and sorts the conveyed articles by the sorting means based on the sorting information. , reading an image of a specific part of the article supplied by the supplying means with the reading means, displaying the read image with the display means, inputting sorting information with the input means based on the displayed image, and If the sorting information cannot be input using the input means based on the image on the display means, the sorting information written on the article being transported by the transport means is input using the input means.

0010

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show an article sorting apparatus according to the present invention, which has the following configuration. That is, loading sections 2a, . . . 2f are provided as supply sections to which a plurality of articles 1, . . . are sequentially fed manually at regular intervals. The articles 1 supplied to each of these loading sections 2a, . . . 2f are manually pushed out and transferred onto conveyors 3a, . Article 1 is transported by these conveyors 3a,...3e.
As the objects are conveyed, images of the upper surfaces of the objects 1, that is, images of the upper surfaces of the objects 1 are captured by automatic focusing scanners 4a, ... 4e placed in the middle of the conveyors 3a, ... 3e (near the loading sections 2a, ... 2e). An image containing sorting information (sorting number, address, etc.) written on a printed type label (slip) 1a pasted on is read.

Next, the articles 1 that have passed through the scanners 4a, . . . 4e are further conveyed by conveyors 3a, . It is now possible to do so.

Near the conveyors 3a, . . . 3e in front of the induction sections 5a, . Lamp indicators 10, . . . and buzzers 11, . The key input device 7a includes a display unit 8 on which an image read by the scanner 4a is displayed, and a key input unit 9 for inputting sorting information by key input. In the key input section 9, sorting information corresponding to the image displayed on the display section 8 can be entered by key input, or the printed type label 1 pasted on the article 1 that has been conveyed nearby by the conveyor 3a.
The sorting information listed in a is entered by typing. The other keystroke input devices 7b, . . . , 7e also have the same configuration as the keystroke input device 7a.

Furthermore, the conveyor 3f is not provided with a scanner, and the conveyor 3f conveys the articles 1 to the induction section 5f, where they are delivered one after another to the pan 6a of the sorter section 6. It has become.

In the vicinity of the conveyor 3f in front of the induction section 5f, there is a printed type label 1 pasted on the article 1 that has been conveyed close by the conveyor 3f.
Keypad unit 1 for inputting the sorting information described in a.
2 is placed. The conveyor 3f is designed to convey non-standard-sized articles 1 that cannot be read by a scanner.

Further, the sorter section 6 sorts the articles 1 on the pan 6a into respective sorting sections (not shown) by driving and controlling a push-out mechanism (not shown) according to sorting information entered in the key, that is, selectively distributes them. It is now possible to

Note that each of the conveyors 3a, . . . 3e has the following:
A plurality of conveyance detectors (article detectors) 13, . . . each comprising a light emitting element and a light receiving element, each detecting the conveyance of the article 1 on each of the conveyors 3a, . . . 3e at various positions, are provided.

The control circuit for each conveyor 3a, . . . 3e will be explained using FIG. That is, the control section 21 controls the entire system. The control unit 21 stores the images read from the scanner unit 4a, . An image buffer section 23 that sequentially stores the cutout images from the image processing slip detection section 22 stores the article number and sorting information entered by keystroke for each article 1 conveyed on the conveyor 3a (3b,...3e). A control table 24 as a storage section stores information corresponding to the conveyance position of No. 1 (linked with the article location signal), and the conveyors 3a (3b, . . . 3)
e), the drive mechanism 25 that drives the keystroke input device 7a (
7b,...7e) and the conveyance detectors 13,... are connected. The article number for each article 1,... is conveyor 3.
Items 1 and 2 are applied serially starting from the first item 1 supplied to item a (3b, . . . 3e).

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. First, the article 1 is manually supplied to the loading section 2a and pushed out onto the conveyor 3a. Then, article 1
is conveyed by a conveyor 3a, and the upper surface of the article 1 is scanned by a scanner 4a. At this time, conveyor 3 of article 1
The supply to a is detected by the conveyance detector 13 on the side of the loading section 2a, and the scanner 4a is operated in response to this detection. As a result, the image containing the sorting information (sorting number, address, etc.) written on the printed type label (slip) 1a attached to the article 1 is read by the scanner 4a. In addition, in response to the detection signal from the conveyance detector 13, the control unit 21 stores the article number in the supply order of the corresponding article 1 and the unprocessed (sorting information has not been input) in the control table 24 corresponding to the conveyance position. (linked with the article location signal).

The image read by the scanner 4a is output to the image processing slip detection section 22. The image processing slip detection section 22 stores the supplied image in the memory 22a, cuts out an image at a predetermined position in the memory 22a, for example, the center, as an image of sorting information, and outputs it as an image of the slip to the image buffer section 23. .

Further, as the other articles 1 are also fed from the loading section 2a to the conveyor 3a and conveyed in the same manner as described above, the images of the slips for the articles 1 are also sequentially stored in the image buffer section 23. Further, the article number for the article 1 and data indicating unprocessed status are stored in the control table 24 in correspondence with the conveyance position.

In such a state, the control section 21
The image of the slip for the first article 1 stored in the image buffer section 23 is read out, and the image and its article number are displayed on the display section 8 in the key input device 7a. Based on the image of the slip displayed on the display section 8, the operator inputs sorting information (sorting number, address, etc.) using the keypad section 9.
Insert the exit key. In response to the input of the end key, the control unit 21 determines that sorting information has been input, and rewrites the unprocessed contents corresponding to the article number in the control table 24 with the sorting information.

Next, the control section 21 controls the image buffer section 2.
The image of the slip for the next article 1 stored in 3 is read out, the image and the article number are displayed on the display section 8 in the key input device 7a, and the same operation as described above is performed.

[0024] Furthermore, when inputting sorting information using the image of the slip displayed on the display section 8, if the slip cannot be detected and the image of the slip cannot be displayed on the display section 8, or when the image of the slip is If the sorting information is not present or cannot be read even if the information can be displayed on the display section 8, the operator presses the end key on the key press section 9. In response to the input of this end key, the control unit 21 determines whether it is impossible to input the sorting information (skip), and fills the control table 2 with data indicating skip.
Rewrite the unprocessed contents corresponding to the article number in 4.

Then, according to the detection signal from the conveyance detector 13, the skipped article 1 is detected by the key input device 7a.
When the controller 21 determines that the lamp indicator 10 has been transported to the position in front of the key press position (in front of the key press position), the lamp indicator 10 blinks and the buzzer 11 sounds a guide sound. This allows the operator to
The user looks at the sorting information written on the printed type label (slip) 1a attached to the article 1 that has been transported by the user, inputs it on the keypad 9, and then presses the end key. In response to the input of this end key, the control unit 2
1 determines whether sorting information has been input and rewrites the unprocessed contents corresponding to the article number in the control table 24 with the sorting information.

When the article 1 on the conveyor 3a is delivered to the pan 6a of the sorter section 6 by the induction section 5a, the control section 21 reads out the sorting information for the article 1 stored in the control table 24. Sorter section 6
is output to a control unit (not shown).

Thereafter, the articles 1 conveyed by the pan 6a of the sorter section 6 are sorted into each sorting section (not shown) by driving and controlling an extrusion mechanism (not shown) according to the sorting information. Further, when the article 1 is loaded into the other loading sections 2b, etc., the same operation as described above is performed.

As described above, in an apparatus in which articles with sorting information written thereon are supplied to a loading section, the supplied articles are conveyed by a conveyor, and the conveyed articles are sorted by a sorter section based on the sorting information. , an image of a specific part of the article fed by the loading section is read by a scanner, the read image is displayed on the display section, sorting information is inputted using the keypad section based on the displayed image, and the above-mentioned If the sorting information cannot be entered using the keypad based on the image on the display, the sorting information written on the articles being conveyed by the conveyor is input using the keypad.

[0029] As a result, the input time of sorting information is not limited by the conveyance speed of the conveyor, and even articles for which sorting information written on the articles is small can be inputted with high efficiency.

[0030] Therefore, it is possible to make maximum use of the processing capacity of the sorter section without making any major changes to conventional sorter equipment, especially the conveyor or induction, and without requiring special additional space. Become. Furthermore, since each conveyor (line) can be installed independently, flexible operation is possible, the effects of failure can be minimized, and maintenance plans can be easily established.

Another embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. That is, the keystroke input devices may be concentrated in one location. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the keystroke input devices 32, . . . are concentrated in a keystroke room 31, and the images obtained from the scanners 33, . It has become.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, a scanner 33,
Even if the sorting information is read (discriminated) using the OCR (number recognition unit) 34 from the image read by..., and the operator inputs the keystrokes only for the articles 35 that could not be identified by the OCR 34 reading. good.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the conveyor 36 and the conveyor 37 may be connected by a branch conveyor 38. In this case, a scanner 40 is provided near the loading section 39 on the conveyor 36, and
A keying section 42 is provided near the upper induction section 41. As a result, fixed-shaped articles 3 to be supplied in large quantities
5 is conveyed and processed on the conveyor 36 side, and non-standard-sized articles 3
5 and articles 35 that cannot be supplied in large quantities are transported and processed on the conveyor 37 side.

If the sorting information on the article 35 is determined according to the content read by the scanner 33 of the conveyor 36, the article 35 is conveyed as is by the conveyor 36 and sent to the sorter section 43.
The bread 43a is dispensed. Further, if the sorting information on the article 35 is not determined according to the content read by the scanner 33, the article 35 is conveyed by the conveyor 37 via the branch conveyor 38, so that the sorting information on the article 35 is not determined. Keystroke input is performed by the operator of the keystroke unit 42 and processed. In addition, the images read by each scanner 33,...
The image processing slip detection section 44 is used to cut out the slip image, and the overall control is performed by the control section 45.

[0035]

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to provide an article sorting device in which the input time of sorting information is not restricted by the conveying speed of the conveying means, and in which sorting information can be inputted with high efficiency even when the sorting information written on the article is small.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control circuit for each conveyor of an article sorting device in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the article sorting device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an article sorting device in another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control circuit of the article sorting device shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a conventional article sorting device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, ~... Goods, 2a, ~2f... Loading section (supply means), 3a, ~3f... Conveyor (transporting means), 4a, ~
4e...Scanner (reading means), 5a, ~5f...Induction section, 6...Sorter section (sorting means), 6a...Pan,
7a, ~7e... Keystroke input device, 8, ~... Display unit (display means), 9, ~... Keystroke unit (input means), 10, ~... Lamp display, 11, ~... Buzzer, 12... Keystroke unit, 13...
Conveyance detector.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A supply means for supplying articles with sorting information written thereon, a conveyance means for conveying the articles supplied by the supply means, and a means for sorting the articles conveyed by the conveyance means based on the sorting information. an article sorting device comprising: a reading means for reading an image of a specific part of the article supplied by the supplying means; a display means for displaying the image read by the reading means; and a display means for displaying the image read by the reading means. an input means for inputting sorting information based on the image displayed on the display means, and an input means for inputting sorting information written on the article being conveyed by the conveying means when the sorting information cannot be inputted by the input means based on the image on the display means; An article sorting device comprising: processing means for inputting data using means.