JPH10302021A - Batch type bar code symbol recognition system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform coexistence with a present bar code system and to recognize a symbol without taking it out from a cart by using a three-dimensional see-through imaging technique and an image recognition technique and reading plural bar code symbols printed or stuck to an article altogether as identification data. SOLUTION: The bar code symbol to be printed or stuck to the article is prepared by using special ink for absorbing X-rays. An intra-container scanning device 11 is the device using the same principle as a medical CT cross section image device, the X-rays are irradiated from an irradiation device, a container is rotated by a rotating base and projection data capable of reconstituting three-dimensional see-through images inside the container are taken out. An arithmetic processing unit 12 reconstructs the three-dimensional see-through images by a cross section theory from the projection data and reads a code value from the bar code symbol by a pattern recognition technique. Then, a data output device 13 sends out the read code value by an interface device for exchanging data with a data processing system positioned in a high-order hierarchy.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A bar code symbol printed or affixed to a plurality of products placed in a space is collectively extracted and recognized by a three-dimensional scanner device, so that the attributes of the products can be quickly detected. And an apparatus. This method has the characteristic that it can be migrated smoothly because it can coexist with the current barcode system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art At present, barcodes are widely used and have deeply penetrated our lives. This is because data entry can be performed very easily, accurately, and quickly as compared with the conventional manual operation. However, when using the bar code, today, the bar code symbol-added products are taken out of the cart one by one, and they are scanned by a reading device to recognize the symbols. This form
Since it is necessary to take out products one by one and make them recognized by the reading device, there are the following problems. (1) The processing efficiency is reduced due to a loss of time. (2) The customer has to wait for a long time at the time of billing. (3) There is a possibility that the product may be damaged by being taken out. Therefore, POS (Point Of Sales) systems using this technology have also been developed with their inherent components, and are now widely used.

[0003] Electronic tags are attracting attention as next-generation product tags. This tag has the major feature that it is possible to collectively grasp products in three dimensions instead of scanning products one by one. However, electronic tags have the following fatal problems as compared with currently popular barcodes. (1) The cost is higher than the barcode, and it is doubtful whether it is suitable for low-priced products such as food. (2) There is no other way to shift from the current POS than the entire related industry at once. (3) What to do with the currently popular barcode system.
And so on. Further, the electronic tag needs to include a device for transmitting identification data to the tag, and it is difficult to reduce the cost of the tag, and the use of the electronic tag is limited to a range where the use does not affect the overall cost. In the process of transition from a barcode application system to an electronic tag application system, the two are incompatible and cannot be shared, so both the electronic tag and the barcode must be prepared for the product until all the reading devices are replaced Is expected to be a major obstacle for

[0004]

A reading method that can coexist with an existing bar code system without using an electronic tag and that can recognize a bar code symbol-added product without taking out the symbol one by one from a cart. The system is the system proposed this time. Implementation of a system incorporating this method can solve the following problems. (1) Products must be taken out one by one and recognized by the reading device. (2) For that reason, there is a time loss and the efficiency is reduced. (3) At the store, the customer must wait long. (4) There is a possibility that the product may be damaged by being taken out.
Here, looking at the behavior of a customer coming to a supermarket to purchase a product, 1) The customer takes out a cart at the entrance of the store and puts a basket on it. 3) The customer waits in line at the cashier, 4) The customer removes the basket from the cart and places it on the cashier table, 5) The cashier removes the goods one by one from the basket and writes a bar code. 6) The cashier puts the scanned product back into another cart. 7) Repeats the above 5) 6) until there are no more products. 8) The customer pays the fee and puts the cart in the cart once. 9) The customer moves to the table and puts the basket from the cart on the table. 10) The customer removes the product from the basket and puts it in a plastic bag. 11) The customer is the car. The leave the store back to the original position. As shown in the figure, the user purchases the product by taking about 10 or more steps. By using this system, the number of steps can be halved as described in the “Effect of the Invention” below.

[0005]

The following effects can be expected by adding this system to a supermarket cash register. 1) The customer takes out the cart at the entrance of the shop and sets a plastic bag in the cart. 2) The customer walks around the shop while pushing the cart and puts the product in the basket. 3) The customer is a three-dimensional automatic payment machine. Put the cart in the bar code sensor. 4) The customer pays the cash or prepaid card to the automatic billing machine. 5) The customer removes the plastic bag containing the product from the cart and leaves the store. From the customer's point of view, this eliminates the time loss of waiting in line at the cash register, the mental burden, and the inconvenience of repeatedly refilling products from basket to basket. Not only that, but by eliminating refilling, it is also a great advantage that the product is not damaged. Also, from the supermarket management side, there is a great advantage that the labor cost of cashiers can be reduced.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] To solve the problems,
Let us consider a system composed of parts realizing three functions as shown in FIG. (1) A function of three-dimensionally irradiating a plurality of products placed in a space with ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves and reading a barcode symbol attached to an article as a three-dimensional perspective image. (2) A function of recognizing a barcode symbol from a three-dimensional perspective image by a pattern recognition function and extracting each barcode symbol. (3) A function of decoding and outputting code data from the extracted barcode symbols. These functions make it possible to obtain information for collectively identifying a plurality of articles placed in a designated space.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, as one embodiment of the present invention, a barcode symbol to be printed or affixed to an article is created using a special ink that absorbs X-rays, and the bar of the article in a container is made using X-rays. Figure 2 shows the configuration of the code symbol recognition system.
Shown in The system includes an in-vessel scanning device 11, an arithmetic processing device 12, a data output device 13, and a control device 14.

The in-container scanning device 11 is a medical CT
(Computerized tomography)
A device that uses the same principle as the cross-sectional image device. By irradiating X-rays from the irradiation device 21 as shown in FIG. 3 and rotating the container by the turntable 22, a three-dimensional perspective image in the container can be reconstructed. The projection data.

The arithmetic processing unit 12 is constituted by a computer or a dedicated arithmetic circuit, reconstructs a three-dimensional perspective image from projection data by the section theorem, extracts barcode symbols by pattern recognition technology, Read the code value.

The data output device 13 sends out a code value read by an interface device that exchanges data with a data processing system located at a higher hierarchical level.

The control device 14 includes the in-container scanning device 1.
1, a computer that controls the overall operation of the arithmetic processing device 12 and the data output device 13.

Next, a process of processing a barcode symbol in the recognition system will be described with reference to FIG. (Step F1)
As shown in FIG. 5, the barcode symbol attached to the article in the container is scanned by the in-container scanning device 11 to obtain projection data. (Step F2) A three-dimensional perspective image as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained from the projection data by the three-dimensional perspective image reconstruction processing of the arithmetic processing unit 12. (Step F3) Noise,
The image processing means for correcting the loss removes noise and loss in the three-dimensional perspective image obtained in step F2.
To obtain a three-dimensional perspective image. (Step F4) Bar code symbols are sequentially extracted from the bar code symbols in the three-dimensional perspective image by the pattern recognition technique as shown in FIG. If there is no barcode symbol to be extracted, the process ends. (Step F5) The extracted barcode symbols are normalized to obtain an image as shown in FIG.
(Step F6) Code value data is obtained from the normalized barcode symbol by a conventional reading system.
(Step F7) The obtained code value data is output through the data output device 13. The barcode symbol in the container is read and output by the above operation.

[0013]

The procedure and effects when this system operates will be described with reference to examples.

First, there is an embodiment in a supermarket shown in FIG. Supermarkets are roughly divided into inspection, sales, and inventory. The inspection business is a work of checking whether or not a product is received according to a delivery slip. Since the contents of the delivery slip are the same as the contents of the order, the data is stored in the storage device of the computer. Therefore, the matching process can be easily performed by taking in the goods and the number of the goods received into the present system. If there is a discrepancy here,
This means that the product is not a barcode (referred to as NEXT code) that can be read by this system. N
All products that do not have an EXT code can utilize the present system by attaching and displaying the NEXT code at the store.

[0015] For sale, if all products on the sales floor have the NEXT code, a great effect will be exhibited at the time of checkout. This is because not only the scanning of each item is unnecessary as in today, but also the cashier is not required by combining with the automatic payment system of FIG. In other words, the automatic settlement enables the customer to wait at the cash register, thereby improving service, leading to a significant reduction in labor costs, and eliminating the need for cashier training.

In the case of the inventory work, the number of products on the shelf is checked. However, in many supermarkets, not only the number is counted but also whether the product is sold or the shelf is cleaned. And so on. In the inventory business, it is necessary to count the number of goods by taking goods off the shelves as if they were letters. Therefore, just by setting the goods wholesaled from the shelves in the cart as shown in FIG. 12 in the store, the quantity can be accurately and speedily counted. Therefore, the present system exerts a tremendous effect also in this aspect.

Second, a convenience store (CV)
S). In the inspection business, the same inspection method as in the case of a supermarket is used for direct delivery from a business partner to a store. At the time of sale, the use of this system can be expected to have a tremendous effect on checkout as in the case of supermarkets. In particular, the prevention of injuries caused by burglary and the like frequently occurring in CVS can exert a tremendous effect in combination with the automatic payment system. In the case of the inventory business, since many stores are open 24 hours a day in CVS, speedy inventory is required. By utilizing this system, it can be expected that inventory operations can be performed in a very short time.

Third, there is utilization in a home center. By utilizing this system, home centers can not only receive the same benefits as supermarkets and CVS, but also demonstrate their potential in preventing theft. Since such stores deal with expensive products, theft prevention is a great advantage. This is because an alarm can be sounded when a commodity with a NEXT code is passed without a regular check-out at a cash register. Also,
NEX in all retail businesses other than those described here
The T system has the potential to run a business revolution in place of the current POS system. And the current POS
Since the NEXT code can be used in the system, the system can be introduced at any time.

Fourth, it can be used in the logistics industry.
The challenge in the logistics industry is how to control the actual "things" and information about them. Such information is usually conveyed by a medium such as a slip or a picking list, and the physical identification is identified by an appearance display or a characteristic such as a package or a mark. In recent years, barcodes have been widely used. In distribution centers of retailers, barcode labels (PD
It is also common to issue a label) and affix it to the actual product for consistent information management. Since this system can use the function of the conventional barcode and the function of three-dimensional batch recognition at the same time, it can be expected that this business will be reformed.

Fifth, it can be used in distribution centers. Here, a distribution center for a retail business and a wholesale business will be described as an example. First, in a distribution center of a retail business, it is common to use an automatic sorter (sorter) to sort by store. In addition, distribution centers in the wholesale industry require detailed sorting in various fields, and sorting errors are a serious problem. In the incoming inspection, when a sorter is used, the quantity can be counted by scanning the NEXT code of the outer box as before. Although the quantity is small and it is practically difficult to inspect goods and the like that are mixed and loaded in one box, complete content inspection is possible by using the NEXT system. With this system, what can be called an original automatic inspection system can be realized, and very powerful functions can be expected in apparel-related and daily delivery-related items. In the sorting work, since the confirmation of detailed sorting in piece units is completed by batch scan,
Elimination of mistakes can be easily realized. In addition, since inspection can be performed in units of trucks that have been sorted by batch scanning of barcode symbols on the outer box, delivery to a delivery vehicle can be completed. Furthermore, since the data of delivery and shipment can be controlled by the scanned information, the debt is completely fixed in the retail business, and the receivables in the wholesale business are easily and accurately grasped.

Sixth, utilization in the warehousing business is mentioned.
In the inspection business, if this system is used, the inspection business in receipt / shipment can be realized by batch scan after palletizing. Moreover, the receiving of the integrated pallet transportation can be more accurate. Furthermore, even if different products are mixed in the target product, it can be easily found because the product can be collectively scanned for each product. Conventionally, in cargo handling work, it has been an essential condition that important information such as a product name and weight be devised and loaded so that it can be seen from the outside. However, if this system is used, three-dimensional objects can be scanned, and information such as the product name and weight can be obtained irrespective of the direction of the box. This means that the work of stacking on the pallet is released from humans, and it can be said that stacking the direction correctly eliminates the obstacle to automation by robots and palletizers and leads to promotion of mechanization. In this way, the loading of goods on pallets is much easier than now. In addition, in the irregular cargo processing, in the case of irregular cargo such as meat storage, the weight adjustment work is a heavy burden on the refrigerated warehouse. However, by using this system, it is possible to completely grasp the weight at the time of arrival and at the time of shipment, so that the settlement operation can be automated. This not only speeds up this business,
This will result in significant labor cost savings.

Seventh, the implementation in the transportation business can be mentioned.
Many companies in this industry have their own warehouses and distribution centers, and can enjoy the benefits mentioned above. In addition, since the delivery of the product is completed, the relationship of trust with the destination and the customer is improved. This means that not only does it mean backward processing such as delivery mistakes and complaint resolution, but it can also deal with positive issues such as efficient distribution.

Eighth, there is an effect on society as a whole. In these logistics situations, information on ordering and the like and the actual barcode of "things" can be completely confirmed, so it is anticipated that paperlessness will be dramatically advanced in every situation, contributing to the effective use of resources. Become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a logical configuration of a system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a system configuration of the system.

FIG. 3 Scanning device in a container

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of barcode symbol recognition.

FIG. 5: Articles in a container

FIG. 6: Reconstructed three-dimensional perspective image

FIG. 7 is a modified three-dimensional perspective image.

FIG. 8 shows extracted barcode symbols.

FIG. 9 is a normalized barcode symbol

FIG. 10: Flow of inspection processing in a supermarket

FIG. 11 is an automatic settlement processing system for a customer.

FIG. 12 is an automatic transmission cart for inventory quantity data.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Toru Tanimura 5-18-11 Kanoko Taipei-cho, Kita-ku, Kobe-shi (72) Inventor Tatsuo Yamamuro 4-1441-2 Kitakatacho, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba 112 Cosmo Ichikawa Paseo 112 (72) Inventor Yoshio Wakamatsu 2-7-10 Sasazuka, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of barcode symbols printed or affixed to a product using a material having a property of absorbing or reflecting ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves by using three-dimensional perspective imaging technology and image recognition technology to identify data. And collectively read the article information. 2. A bar code symbol is formed in the same format as a conventional bar code, and the identification data obtained in claim 1 is output in a time series so as to be applicable to a conventional bar code reading method. . 3. Reflection and absorption by ultrasonic waves or electromagnetic waves,
Use special inks that have the property of obtaining highly accurate images.