Device and method for improving weighing reliability

Abstract

The present invention provides a device and method for improving weighing reliability, comprising: a light source, disposed on the side of a weighing device frame, for projecting a light beam toward the exterior of the weighing device; an image collector, disposed on the same side as the light source, for capturing an image of the light beam projected on a projection surface; and an image processor for identifying whether the projected image is incomplete, thereby determining whether the object being weighed overlaps the ground or the weighing device frame. The device and method for improving weighing reliability provided by the present invention can improve the applicability and reliability of excess detection during weighing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a weighing device, and in particular to a device and method for improving weighing reliability. Background Art

[0002] In some applications, if the length and width of the object being weighed exceeds the load-bearing surface of the weighing equipment, the object will partially protrude from the load-bearing surface of the electronic scale. If the portion of the object protruding from the load-bearing surface overlaps the ground or a tabletop, a portion of the object's weight will fall outside the load-bearing surface, causing incorrect use of the scale and, in turn, impacting weighing reliability. During weighing applications, such incorrect use of the scale caused by this overlap can directly lead to inaccurate weighing results. If these inaccurate weighing results are not detected in a timely manner, adverse consequences may result.

[0003] If the above-mentioned overlapping situation can be detected during the weighing application of the electronic scale, the weighing operation after the above-mentioned overlapping situation occurs can be avoided, ensuring that the weight of the weighed object falls completely on the bearing surface of the electronic scale. This will effectively avoid the adverse consequences caused by the above-mentioned overlapping situation, thereby improving the weighing reliability of the electronic scale.

[0004] Patent CN102763120B discloses a scanner-scale system and method for monitoring the perimeter of an electronic scale. The system utilizes a light source, a light guide, and a detector positioned on the side of the weighing plate. During weighing, the detector determines whether the object being weighed blocks the light path by detecting whether it receives the light beam transmitted by the light guide. This determines whether the object exceeds the load-bearing surface of the electronic scale.

[0005] The above-mentioned technical solution can be used to detect whether a portion of the object being weighed extends beyond the load-bearing surface of the electronic scale. However, because the light source, light guide, and detector are arranged closely to the side of the weighing pan, it can only detect objects with relatively regular shapes. For irregularly shaped objects, such as those with a certain curvature, if the portion extending beyond the load-bearing surface of the electronic scale bypasses the detection range of the optical path and contacts the ground or tabletop, the above-mentioned solution is not applicable, thus affecting the reliability of subsequent weighing results.

[0006] Furthermore, if the object being weighed extends beyond the scale's load-bearing surface, obstructing the optical path but not touching the ground or countertop, false alarms will frequently occur. This is especially true in applications where weighing accuracy requirements are relatively low, such as supermarkets and factories, where the practicality and convenience of the excess detection solution will be compromised. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is how to improve the applicability and reliability of excess detection during weighing.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a device for improving weighing reliability, comprising: a light source, arranged on the side of the weighing equipment frame, for projecting a light beam to the outside of the weighing equipment; an image collector, arranged on the same side as the light source, for collecting the projected image of the light beam on the projection surface; an image processor, for identifying whether the projected image is incomplete, and then determining whether the object being weighed is overlapped with the ground or the frame of the weighing equipment.

[0009] Preferably, when the light source is arranged on the side of the weighing equipment frame, it is downward at a preset angle to the horizontal direction; the image collector collects the projected image of the light source on the supporting surface of the weighing equipment, and the arrangement position of the image collector is not higher than the arrangement position of the light source.

[0010] Preferably, the projection surface is opposite to the emission direction of the light source; when the light source is arranged on the side or top surface of the weighing equipment frame, it is upward at a preset angle to the horizontal direction; the image collector collects the projected image of the light source on the projection surface, and the arrangement position of the image collector is not lower than the arrangement position of the light source.

[0011] Preferably, the light sources are respectively arranged on four sides of the weighing equipment frame.

[0012] Preferably, the device for improving weighing reliability further includes a vertical bar facing the side of the weighing device frame; the light source and the image collector are arranged on the side of the weighing device frame and arranged horizontally close to the ground.

[0013] Preferably, the light source is a laser generator.

[0014] Preferably, the image collector is a camera.

[0015] The present invention also provides a method for improving weighing reliability, which is implemented by the above-mentioned device for improving weighing reliability, including: turning on the light source when detecting that the object to be weighed is placed on the weighing platform; photographing the projected image of the light beam on the projection surface by the image collector; identifying whether the projected image is incomplete; if so, determining that there is overlap between the object to be weighed and the ground or the frame of the weighing equipment; otherwise, determining that the weighing is normal.

[0016] Preferably, when the light source is a laser generator, the identifying whether the projected image is incomplete includes: identifying whether a light line segment in the projected image is incomplete.

[0017] Preferably, after determining whether the weighing object is in contact with the ground or the frame of the weighing device, the method further includes: sending a weighing error signal through an indicating device.

[0018] The positive progress effect of the present invention is:

[0019] A light beam is projected to the outside of the weighing device by a light source, and an image collector collects the projected image of the light beam on the projection surface. If part of the object being weighed exceeds the load-bearing surface of the scale pan and overlaps with the ground or the table, the light beam line segment or the light beam surface in the projected image will be blocked, making the projected image incomplete, so as to detect whether the object being weighed overlaps with the ground or the table. Since the light source in the present invention projects a light beam to the outside of the weighing device, rather than just forming an irradiation light path along the side of the weighing device, it is possible to perform over-provision detection on the weighed object in a larger range. For example, it can be applied to over-provision detection of irregularly shaped objects and whether they overlap with the table or the ground of the weighing device, thereby solving the problems of low applicability and insufficient reliability of existing over-provision detection technologies.

[0020] Throughout the specification and claims, certain terms are used to refer to specific system components. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, different usages may refer to the same component by different names. Components with different names but the same function are not distinguished herein and are all within the scope of protection of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a device for improving weighing reliability according to Example 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the device for improving weighing reliability in Example 1, in which laser generators and cameras are arranged on four sides;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a device for improving weighing reliability according to Example 2 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a device for improving weighing reliability according to Example 3 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 Flowchart of a method for improving weighing reliability according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] The device for improving weighing reliability of the first embodiment can be installed in weighing equipment such as a platform scale, a table scale, an electronic scale, an electronic scale, and a barcode scale, and is suitable for daily weighing of items in applications such as factories and supermarkets.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, one side of the frame housing of an electronic scale 1 includes a laser generator 11 and a camera 12. According to the application requirements, the laser generator 11 and the camera 12 can be arranged on other different sides of the electronic scale 1 to perform out-of-range detection in various directions of the electronic scale 1, such as Figure 2 The number and form of the laser generators 11 are suitable so that the light beams 13 emitted by them can cover the required detection range, and the number of the cameras 12 is suitable so that they can completely capture the image projected by the light beams 13 on the projection surface.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the laser generator 11 is bar-shaped and tilted downward at a preset angle relative to the horizontal. Therefore, the light beam 13 projected from the laser generator 11 forms a single line of light on the table support surface 2, which serves as the projection surface. By increasing the emission power of the laser generator 11, a light projection surface can also be formed. The preset tilt angle can be adjusted based on actual usage needs. If a larger range is required to detect whether an object overlaps the table support surface 2, the angle can be set smaller, causing the light beam 13 emitted by the laser generator 11 to project farther, increasing the distance L between the side of the electronic scale and the point where the light beam 13 projects onto the table support surface 2. Conversely, the angle can be set larger to reduce L.

[0031] The camera 12 and the laser generator 11 are arranged in the same direction, that is, tilted downward, to collect the image projected by the light beam 13 on the projection surface. To prevent the shooting range of the camera 12 from being blocked by the laser generator 11, the installation height of the laser generator 11 is not lower than the installation height of the camera 12.

[0032] When part of the object being weighed overlaps the ground or the table top of the electronic scale 1, such as when a supermarket is weighing vegetables, and the vegetable leaves overlap the table support surface 2 outside the load-bearing surface of the electronic scale 1, the vegetable leaves will touch the light path of the projected light beam 13 of the laser generator 11, thereby blocking the light beam 13 or partially blocking the light beam 13 from being irradiated on the table support surface 2, forming an incomplete projected image on the table support surface 2.

[0033] The electronic scale 1 also includes an image processor (not shown in the figure) to identify the projected image captured by the camera 12, determine whether the projected image is incomplete, that is, whether the light rays therein are cut off, and then determine whether the object being weighed overlaps with the frame of the electronic scale 1 or the table support surface 2. Whether the projected image is incomplete can be identified by an edge detection algorithm. Since the brightness of the light beam 13 is relatively high, the light rays projected on the table support surface 2 are the place where the grayscale change on the projected image is most obvious, and therefore become an edge. Then, by detecting whether the pixels constituting the edge are continuous, it can be determined whether the light beam 13 is blocked by the object being weighed, thereby determining whether the object being weighed overlaps with the frame of the electronic scale 1 or the table support surface 2.

[0034] In the device for improving weighing reliability of Example 1, a laser generator emits a light beam directed toward the exterior of the electronic scale and uses image recognition to determine whether objects are overlapping. This device has a wide detection range. This allows for detection of objects that are outside the scale frame and those that are overlapping. Furthermore, the detection range can be expanded from the perimeter of the scale frame to include the support platform, such as the table or floor, on which the scale is placed, thereby improving the reliability of weighing results.

[0035] Example 2

[0036] Compared with the device for improving weighing reliability of embodiment 1, this embodiment 2 is as follows Figure 3 As shown, the laser generator 11, mounted on the side of the electronic scale 1 frame, is tilted upward at a preset angle relative to the horizontal. The camera 12 is also positioned at a higher elevation than the laser generator 11. In this embodiment, the projection surface is a panel 142 extending obliquely outward from the electronic scale 1 frame via a connector 141. Panel 142 faces the direction of the laser generator 11, forming the projection surface. To minimize the overlap of the portion of the object being weighed that extends beyond the scale's bearing surface onto the connector 141 and panel 142, the connector 141 can be configured to be relatively long.

[0037] The light beam 13 emitted by the laser generator 11 is projected onto the panel 14. If part of the object to be weighed exceeds the load-bearing range of the electronic scale 1 platform, it collides with the light beam 13 and is projected onto the panel 14 serving as the projection surface. The image processor will recognize that the light rays of the projected image are incomplete.

[0038] Because the weighing sensitivity in the middle of the electronic scale 1's platform is typically higher than that at the edges, the electronic scale 1 issues an audible and visual alarm through a corresponding indicator device, alerting the operator that the object being weighed may be partially outside the scale's load capacity due to being placed off-center. This allows for slight weight measurement errors even when the object is not in contact with the scale's frame or tabletop support surface 2. By realigning the object to the center of the scale's platform, a more accurate weighing result can be achieved.

[0039] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that if the laser generator 11 is set on the top surface of the electronic scale 1 and its orientation is set to be tilted upward at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, and the camera is arranged on the side or top surface of the electronic scale 1 in a position that does not affect image acquisition, the above-mentioned exceedance detection and the technical effect of detecting whether the object to be weighed is placed correctly in the middle position of the scale pan can also be achieved, which also falls within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0040] Example 3

[0041] like Figure 4 As shown, the device for improving weighing reliability in this embodiment is applied to an electronic scale 1 and includes a laser generator 11 and a camera 12 disposed on one side of the frame housing of the electronic scale 1. It also includes a vertical bar 15 facing the side of the weighing device frame as a projection surface. If the laser generator 11 and camera 12 are disposed on four sides of the electronic scale 1, four vertical bars 15 will each face the four sides of the electronic scale 1, thereby forming a vertical frame surrounding the electronic scale 1.

[0042] The laser generator 11 and the camera 12 are arranged close to the ground and are both oriented horizontally. Since the light beam 13 generated by the laser generator 11 also propagates horizontally close to the ground, the height of the vertical bar 15 can be set very low, and only needs to be able to display the projected light segment of the light beam 13.

[0043] In this third embodiment, since the laser generator 11 is positioned horizontally close to the ground, it is possible to more accurately detect whether the protruding portion of the object being weighed actually overlaps the table support surface 2. If the laser generator 11 were positioned higher, however, the protruding portion of the object being weighed might touch the optical path of the projected beam 13 of the laser generator 11 but still not actually overlap the table support surface 2, which would still result in a false overlap alarm.

[0044] At the same time, for electronic scales with narrow frame sides, by arranging the laser generator 11 and the camera horizontally close to the ground and providing a vertical column as the projection surface of the light beam 13, it is also possible to avoid the laser generator 11 blocking the shooting range of the camera 12 and the problem of the laser generator 11 having a too small detection range.

[0045] Example 4

[0046] The method for improving weighing reliability of this embodiment 4 can be implemented by the device for improving weighing reliability of the above embodiments 1 to 3. Figure 5 As shown, methods to improve weighing reliability may include:

[0047] Step S101 , turning on the laser generator 11 .

[0048] When the object to be weighed is placed on the scale plate of the electronic scale and the weighing sensor of the electronic scale detects pressure, the laser generator 11 is turned on to perform object overrun and overlap detection.

[0049] Step S102 : photographing the projection image of the light beam 13 on the projection surface through the camera 12 .

[0050] Depending on the needs of use, the camera 12 and the laser generator 11 can be located in different positions or in different orientations. Referring to Example 1, if the camera 12 and the laser generator 11 are oriented downward at a preset angle relative to the horizontal direction, the projection surface is the support surface of the electronic scale 1; referring to Example 2, if the camera 12 and the laser generator 11 are oriented upward at a preset angle relative to the horizontal direction, the projection surface is a separately provided panel 14; referring to Example 3, if the camera 12 and the laser generator 11 are arranged horizontally close to the ground, the projection surface is a separately provided vertical column.

[0051] Step S103: identifying whether the projected image is incomplete.

[0052] The image edge detection algorithm can be used to identify whether the light line segments in the projected image are truncated. If so, the process proceeds to step S104; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S105 to complete the weighing of the object normally.

[0053] Step S104: sending a weighing error signal.

[0054] The indicating device may be an audible and visual warning device, which sends a weighing error signal to the operator through audible and visual signals.

[0055] Step S105: Check whether the object to be weighed is placed within a preset time.

[0056] If the operator picks up the object to be weighed and puts it back, the electronic scale sensor will detect the pressure change on the scale plate, which is equivalent to returning to step S101 and performing a new excess detection again; if the operator does not move the object to be weighed within the preset time, it is assumed that the operator allows a small weighing error to occur, and the process goes to step S106 to complete the weighing.

[0057] In step S106, the electronic scale completes weighing the object and returns to step S101 to prepare for the next weighing.

[0058] In a supermarket weighing environment, after completing the weighing of the weighing object, the weighing result can be output to the display and also output to a portable printer to print a barcode label.

[0059] Although the design concept of the present invention has been described through the above-mentioned specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciate that more variations can be conceived based on the teachings of the present invention, such as combining features of various embodiments and / or interchanging functional units between embodiments. Therefore, all such variations fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0060] Although the present invention has been described with reference to a number of specific embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and that various equivalent variations or substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, variations and modifications to the above embodiments, so long as they fall within the spirit of the present invention, shall fall within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A device for improving weighing reliability, characterized in that: include: a weighing device for placement on a table support surface; a light source, arranged on a side of the weighing device frame, pointing downward at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, and used to project a light beam toward the outside of the weighing device; An image collector is arranged on the same side as the light source and is used to collect the projected image of the light beam on the table support surface; The image processor is used to identify whether the projected image is incomplete, and further determine whether the object being weighed is in contact with the table support surface or the frame of the weighing device.

2. The device for improving weighing reliability according to claim 1, characterized in that: The image collector is arranged at a position not higher than the light source.

3. The device for improving weighing reliability according to claim 1, wherein: The light sources are respectively arranged on four sides of the weighing equipment frame.

4. The device for improving weighing reliability according to claim 1, wherein: The light source is a laser generator.

5. The device for improving weighing reliability according to claim 1, wherein: The image collector is a camera.

6. A method for improving weighing reliability, implemented by the device for improving weighing reliability according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: include: When it is detected that the object to be weighed is placed on the weighing platform, the light source is turned on; photographing a projection image of the light beam on a projection surface by means of the image collector; Identify whether the projected image is incomplete; if so, determine that the object being weighed is overlapped with the table support surface or the frame of the weighing device; otherwise, determine that the weighing is normal.

7. The method for improving weighing reliability according to claim 6, wherein: When the light source is a laser generator, the identifying whether the projected image is incomplete includes: identifying whether a light line segment in the projected image is incomplete.

8. The method for improving weighing reliability according to claim 6, wherein: After determining whether the weighing object overlaps with the table support surface or the frame of the weighing device, the method further includes: sending a weighing error signal through an indicating device.

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