JPS635797B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention automatically detects the position of a postal code in an automatic postal code reading and sorting machine that reads the postal code written on the postal item and automatically sorts the postal item. Related to a postal code detection device.

The following two methods are mainly used to scan postal codes using a scanner. The first method is to print a frame in a special color (red in Japan) at a specific position on the mail, and write the postal code in this frame. The scanner always scans only this particular location. However, if a postal code is written at a location other than this specific location, the location of that postal code cannot be scanned. The second method is to manually preset the position of the postal code in the automatic postal code reading and sorting device when there are a large number of mail items with postal codes written in the same format at certain predetermined positions on the postal items. Process. However, if the postal code is written in a different position for each letter,
It cannot be processed this way.

In other countries, it is common practice to write the postal code by hand in a specific position, or to type the address and postal code in another position using a typewriter or the like. Also, such mail is usually collected in a mixed state. Therefore, it is strongly desired to be able to continuously read and classify postal codes even in the case of mail items where the postal code is not written in a fixed position. To do this, it is necessary to detect whether or not a postal code is written in a specific position, and if it is found that a postal code is not written in this position, it is necessary to detect the position of the addressee. By knowing the location of the addressee, it becomes possible to detect the position of the postal code written at a specific position in the addressee.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to identify the specific position for each postal item when there is a mixture of postal items with a postal code written in a specific position and postal items with a postal code written in other positions. To provide a postal code detection device capable of detecting the presence or absence of a postal code in a postal code, and detecting the position of an addressee if there is no postal code at this position.

According to the present invention, there is no need to divide the mixed mail into mail with a postal code written in a specific position and mail with a postal code written in another position. Therefore, the reading and sorting device can be used very effectively.

Next, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the drawings. The shaded area in FIG. 1 indicates the scanning range on the mail item. FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the present invention. A scanning range shown in FIG. 1 is optically scanned by a scanning tube 1, and the reflected light is converted into an electrical signal by a photoelectric converter, and information within the scanning range is stored in a memory 2. Control part 3
is started by the start signal ST. Control part 3
outputs a signal MR to the reading means 4 in order to read the contents of a specific address in the memory 2. The contents of the specific address in the memory 2 are output as a signal 8 to the data detection means 5. The control section 3 outputs a signal 7 for controlling the data detection means 5. The data detection means 5 uses the signals 7 and 8 to check the presence or absence of a postal code at a specific position on the mail piece. If a postal code is detected, a signal 10 is output. If it is determined that the postal code is not written at that position, a signal 9 is output. The addressee position detecting means 6 receives the signal 9, detects the addressee's position from within the scanning range, and outputs a signal 11 indicating the addressee's position.
This destination position detection means 6 can be realized by a known method. For example, it is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 157992/1982.

FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the scanning range and each bit in the memory. The mail shown in FIG. 3a is conveyed from right to left as indicated by arrow A. Scanner is arrow B
Scan from bottom to top like this. Scanning starts from position 20, and the scanning end point of the first column is position 2.
It is 1. The columns to the right are scanned sequentially, the last column being scanned starting at position 22 and ending at position 23. Enter one digit of the postal code inside the postal code entry frame 24. In Figure 3a, a box is drawn for entering a 5-digit postal code. In the diagram, for example, L ₁ is 10 mm, L ₂ is 9 mm,
L ₃ is 38 mm, L ₄ is 7 mm, H is 64 mm, and the resolution of the scanner is 0.5 mm. 0.5 per line (64mm) of scanning range
When scanning with a resolution of mm, one row has 128 meshes. If one mesh corresponds to one bit in the memory, the information for one column in the scanning range can be represented by 128 bits. When a memory with 16 bits per word is used, information for one column of the scanning range can be stored in 8 words of memory. Therefore, the information in the first column of the scanning range, that is, from position 20 to position 21, is stored at addresses 0 to 7 in FIG. 3b. Position 20 corresponds to the 0th bit of address 0, and position 21 corresponds to the 7th F bit. The information in the nth column of the scanning range is 8 from address 8×(n-1).
It is stored at address x(n-1)+7. Also, L ₁ , L ₂ ,
If the area specified by L ₃ and L ₄ is a specific position,
The information in this area is located at addresses 161, 169, and
It is stored in 76 words up to address 177, ...8×(m-1)+1, ..., and address 761. “1” is stored in the bit in the memory that corresponds to a mesh in which characters, figures, etc. are written within the scanning range, and “0” is stored in a bit corresponding to a mesh in which no characters, figures, etc. are written. is stored.

FIG. 4 shows a gate for extracting information on a specific location. Specific location information is from address 161 to 761
It is stored in 76 words up to the address, but each word also contains information other than the specific location. for example,
If the information in a specific position is stored within 14 consecutive bits from the 1st bit to the E-th bit in each word, the 0th bit and the F bit are set to "0", and the 1st bit is set to "0". A gate 701 is used that sets "1" from the Eth bit to the Eth bit. Gate each time each word in memory corresponding to a specific location is read.
701 and removes information outside the specific location.

FIG. 5 is a detailed diagram of the data detection means 5 (FIG. 2). Further, FIG. 6 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the present invention. After the information within the scanning range has been stored by the scanner 1 in the memory 2, the detection of the position of the postal code begins. Start signal ST
When input to the control section 3, a reset signal 704 and a signal MR are output. (FIG. 2) Next, the reset signal 704 sets the counter 34 to an initial value of 0. Based on the signal MR, the reading means 4 (FIG. 2) determines the memory address corresponding to the specific position.

One word of information read from the memory is set in the register 30. The contents of gate 701 and register 30 are ANDed by AND circuit group 31 in response to clock CL ₂ , and the result is set in shift register 32 . Clock CL ₁ and gate signal 705 are combined by AND circuit 36 to input 16 pulses to shift register 32 . With one pulse, the contents of the shift register 32 are shifted by 1 bit and outputted to the counter 34. counter 3
When “1” is input to 4, the content of the counter becomes 1.
To increase. If "0" is input, the contents of the counter do not change. When the contents of the shift register 32 are shifted by 16 bits, the signal MR is outputted again, the contents of the second word at the specific position are read out, and the above processing is performed. By repeating this process 76 times, the counter 34 counts the number of "1" bits in the memory corresponding to the specific position. When the 76 times of processing is completed, a signal 703 is output from the control section 3 to the subtraction circuit 35. Contents of the counter 34 and reference value output from the control unit 3
Subtraction is performed with 702. When the output of the counter 34 is equal to or greater than the reference value 702, a signal 10 is output, and it is detected that a postal code is written at a specific position. When the output of the counter 34 is less than the reference value 702, a signal 9 is output, and the destination position is detected. The addressee position detecting means detects the addressee's position using the information in the memory 2 and outputs it as a signal 11. The address position detecting means is described in Japanese Patent Application No. 157992/1982, and will therefore be omitted here.

As explained above, the present invention has a scanning means, a storage means, a reading means, a data detecting means, and an addressee position detecting means configured as shown in FIG. This method has the effect of continuously processing mail items with postal codes written in other locations, and extracting information that is extremely useful for detecting the location of postal codes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a scanning range, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a position a of the scanning range and an address b in the memory, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a specific position. An example of a gate for extracting information, FIG. 5 is a detailed diagram of a postal code detection means, and FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the operation of the present invention.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A scanning means for scanning the address writing surface on a postal item, a storage means for storing the scanning result, and a reading means for reading out information at a specific position of the storage means,
The data detecting means detects the presence or absence of data corresponding to a postal code at a specific position, and the destination position detecting means detects the address position when the data does not exist at the specific position, and the data detecting means The counting means includes a counting means for counting the number of bits having a signal state corresponding to a character or a figure among the output read out from the reading means, and a comparing means for comparing the output of the counting means with a predetermined threshold value. A postal code detection device characterized in that it is determined that data corresponding to a postal code exists when the output is larger than the predetermined threshold value.