Book Instant Automatic Inventory System Based on Barcode or QR Code

Abstract

An instant automatic inventory system for books based on barcodes or QR codes, comprising a plurality of camera components, an intelligent vision edge processor, an inventory processing server, and an administrator's handheld device; the plurality of camera components are respectively arranged on brackets and on a plurality of bookshelves; the plurality of bookshelves are arranged side by side in parallel, and the brackets are arranged in the front row of the plurality of bookshelves; the camera component includes a housing, a base, a vertical axis bracket, a camera, a horizontal rotation stepper motor, a vertical rotation stepper motor, and a module expansion board; one intelligent vision edge processor is arranged on each bookshelf; the plurality of intelligent vision inventory processing servers are connected to the inventory processing server through a network, and the inventory processing server is respectively connected to a plurality of administrator's handheld devices through a network. In the present invention, the working process is completely automatic, reducing the manual workload, relieving the pressure on library staff, having low cost, good instantaneity, and avoiding the phenomenon that books are borrowed but not timely feedback to the library internal management system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of library management systems, and particularly to an instant automatic inventory system for books based on barcodes or QR codes. Background Art

[0002] Currently, libraries generally use two technologies for book inventory:

[0003] 1. Manual inventory based on barcodes. When a library catalogs and edits books, each book is assigned a unique code, and this code is generated into a barcode and pasted inside the cover of the book. During inventory and sorting, library administrators use a laser barcode scanner to scan this code, and then judge where the book should be placed based on the read book information. Among the books already on the shelves, it is judged whether the book is placed in the correct position according to the call number of the book. In this way, administrators need to open each book one by one for scanning, which is time-consuming and laborious. For the books already on the shelves, almost all rely on visual inspection and memory, which is time-consuming, laborious and error-prone.

[0004] 2. RFID chips based on radio frequency technology. When a library catalogs and edits books, each book is assigned a unique code, and this code is generated into a barcode and pasted inside the cover of the book. At the same time, this code is written into an RFID tag and pasted inside the book. When sorting and inventorying are needed, there is no need to open each book for scanning one by one. Just use an RFID reader to scan the books at a short distance to know what book it is. For the books already on the shelves, it is necessary to manually hold the reader to scan each one to find out if the books are placed wrongly. There is still a large workload, and because the thickness of the book is limited, the RFID tags are too close to each other and there is a problem of mutual interference, and it is easy to read wrong data. Therefore, the accuracy is not very high.

[0005] Currently, there are intelligent bookshelves for automatic inventory based on RFID, but they are expensive and cannot be deployed in large quantities. Therefore, they are like a mirage and can only be applied in a small range. Summary of the Invention

[0006] (1) Object of the Invention

[0007] To solve the technical problems in the background art, the present invention proposes an instant automatic inventory system for books based on barcodes or QR codes.

[0008] (2) Technical Solution

[0009] To solve the above problems, the present invention proposes an instant automatic inventory system for books based on barcodes or QR codes, including a plurality of camera components, an intelligent vision edge processor, an inventory processing server and an administrator's handheld device;

[0010] Multiple camera components are respectively arranged on the bracket and on multiple bookshelves; among them, the multiple bookshelves are arranged side by side in parallel, and the bracket is arranged in the front row of the multiple bookshelves; the multiple bookshelves are respectively denoted as: bookshelf A1, bookshelf A2... bookshelf An;

[0011] The shooting directions of the multiple camera components on the bracket are towards bookshelf A1, the shooting directions of the multiple camera components on bookshelf A1 are towards bookshelf A2,..., the shooting directions of the multiple camera components on bookshelf An-1 are towards bookshelf An, and n is a positive integer not less than;

[0012] The camera component includes a housing, a base, a vertical axis bracket, a camera, and a module expansion board; the base is provided with a horizontal rotation stepper motor for driving the vertical axis bracket to swing horizontally; the vertical axis bracket is provided with a vertical rotation stepper motor for controlling the camera to swing vertically; the module expansion board is arranged on the vertical axis bracket, and the module expansion board is provided with a motor control interface, a wifi interface, and a power interface;

[0013] One intelligent vision edge processor is arranged on each bookshelf, and all the camera components located on that bookshelf are data-connected to the intelligent vision edge processor;

[0014] The multiple intelligent vision edge processors are connected to the inventory processing server through the network, and the inventory processing server is respectively connected to multiple administrator handheld devices through the network.

[0015] Preferably, the camera component is arranged at the middle layer position of the bookshelf.

[0016] Preferably, the focal length of the camera component is not less than 12mm.

[0017] Preferably, the administrator handheld device is used for manually photographing and uploading the bookshelves where cameras are missing or inconvenient to deploy.

[0018] Preferably, it includes the following working steps:

[0019] S1: Code the books and convert the code into a barcode or a QR code; print the barcode or QR code together with the original call number and paste it on the spine of the book;

[0020] S2: Multiple groups of camera components photograph the barcode or QR code on the spine of the book and send the photos to the intelligent vision edge processor; the camera components swing horizontally and vertically, and take multiple photos during the swing, and there are overlapping scenes between the multiple photos; the multiple photos are combined by an algorithm to obtain a photo set covering all the books;

[0021] S3: The intelligent vision edge processor applies the bar code / QR code positioning algorithm in a complex background to cut out the bar codes / QR codes of all books, sort them in a certain order, and then identify them one by one to obtain the corresponding book codes;

[0022] S4: The intelligent vision edge processor transmits all the identified codes back to the inventory processing server; the inventory processing server is connected to the library internal management system to organize the data in the inventory processing server and compare it with the book data in the library internal management system to obtain the inventory result of the bookshelf;

[0023] S5: According to the inventory result, the system identifies the missing books, borrowed books, and misplaced books on the bookshelf.

[0024] Preferably, the minimum length of the bar code or QR code is not less than 3 mm, and the maximum length is not more than 12 mm.

[0025] Preferably, the inventory result includes all the book names, numbers, author and publisher information on the bookshelf, and the accurate sorting.

[0026] In the present invention, the working process is completely automatic. The camera rotates under the control of the intelligent vision edge processor 4. All calculations are completed by the intelligent vision edge processor, and the data organization is completed by the inventory processing server 5 connecting to the data of the library internal management system. Therefore, the entire inventory process does not require manual intervention, greatly reducing the manual workload and relieving the pressure on library staff. At the same time, the camera is a mature product with low price and stable quality.

[0027] In the present invention, multiple cameras and an intelligent vision edge processor 4 are deployed on each bookshelf 2. All cameras can run simultaneously, and the polling time of a single camera is controlled within about 20 minutes. Therefore, it is possible to conduct an inventory of all the books in the library once every 20 minutes, with very good instantaneity, avoiding the phenomenon that books are borrowed but not timely reflected in the library internal management system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the equipment layout structure of the book instant automatic inventory system based on bar codes or QR codes proposed by the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the hardware connection in the book instant automatic inventory system based on bar codes or QR codes proposed by the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a front view of the camera assembly in the book instant automatic inventory system based on bar codes or QR codes proposed by the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4Side view of the camera assembly in the book instant automatic inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes proposed by the present invention. Detailed implementation manners

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the detailed implementation manners and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these descriptions are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition, in the following description, the descriptions of well-known structures and technologies are omitted to avoid unnecessarily confusing the concepts of the present invention.

[0033] As Figures 1-4 shown, the book instant automatic inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes proposed by the present invention includes a plurality of camera assemblies 3, an intelligent vision edge processor 4, an inventory processing server 5, and an administrator's handheld device 6;

[0034] The plurality of camera assemblies 3 are respectively arranged on the bracket 1 and on a plurality of bookshelves 2; wherein, the plurality of bookshelves 2 are arranged side by side in parallel, and the bracket 1 is arranged in the front row of the plurality of bookshelves 2; the plurality of bookshelves 2 are respectively denoted as: bookshelf A1, bookshelf A2... bookshelf An;

[0035] The shooting directions of the plurality of camera assemblies 3 on the bracket 1 face the bookshelf A1, the shooting directions of the plurality of camera assemblies 3 on the bookshelf A1 face the bookshelf A2,..., the shooting directions of the plurality of camera assemblies 3 on the bookshelf An-1 face the bookshelf An, and n is a positive integer not less than 2;

[0036] The camera assembly 3 includes a housing 31, a base 34, a vertical axis bracket 32, a camera 35, and a module expansion board 36; the base 34 is provided with a horizontal rotation stepper motor 33 for driving the vertical axis bracket 32 to swing horizontally; the vertical axis bracket 32 is provided with a vertical rotation stepper motor 37 for controlling the camera 35 to swing vertically; the module expansion board 36 is arranged on the vertical axis bracket 32, and the module expansion board 36 is provided with a motor control interface, a wifi interface, and a power supply interface;

[0037] One intelligent vision edge processor 4 is arranged on each bookshelf 2, and all the camera assemblies 3 located on the bookshelf 2 are data-connected to the intelligent vision edge processor 4;

[0038] The plurality of intelligent vision edge processors 4 are connected to the inventory processing server 5 through a network, and the inventory processing server 5 is respectively connected to the plurality of administrator's handheld devices 6 through a network.

[0039] In an optional embodiment, the camera assembly 3 is arranged at the middle layer position of the bookshelf 2.

[0040] In an optional embodiment, the focal length of the camera assembly 3 is not less than 12 mm.

[0041] In an optional embodiment, the librarian manually takes pictures of the bookshelves where cameras are missing or inconvenient to deploy through the administrator's handheld device 6 and uploads them, supporting manual scanning by handheld devices, with a wider range of use and greater convenience.

[0042] In the present invention, the working process is completely automatic. The camera 35 rotates under the control of the intelligent vision edge processor 4, all calculations are completed by the intelligent vision edge processor 4, and data collation is completed by the inventory processing server 5 docking with the data of the library internal management system. Therefore, the entire inventory process does not require manual intervention, greatly reducing the workload of manual labor and relieving the pressure on library staff. At the same time, the camera 35 is a mature product with a low price and stable quality. Compared with the current RFID intelligent bookshelf, the price is basically only a fraction.

[0043] In the present invention, multiple cameras 3 and an intelligent vision edge processor 4 are deployed on each bookshelf 2. All cameras 35 can run simultaneously, and the polling time of a single camera 35 is controlled within about 20 minutes. Therefore, it is possible to conduct an inventory of all the books in the library once every 20 minutes, with very good instantaneity, avoiding the phenomenon that books are borrowed and not timely feedback to the library internal management system.

[0044] An instant automatic inventory system for books based on barcodes or QR codes includes the following working steps:

[0045] S1: Encode the books and convert the encoding into a barcode or QR code; print the barcode or QR code together with the original call number and paste it on the spine of the book.

[0046] S2: Multiple camera assemblies 3 take pictures of the barcodes or QR codes on the spines of the books and transmit the photos to the intelligent vision edge processor 4; the camera assemblies 3 swing horizontally and vertically, taking multiple photos during the swing, and there are overlapping scenes between the multiple photos; the multiple photos are combined by an algorithm to obtain a photo set covering all the books.

[0047] S4: The intelligent vision edge processor 4 uses a barcode / QR code positioning algorithm in a complex background to cut out the barcodes / QR codes of all the books, sort them, and then identify them one by one to obtain the corresponding book encoding.

[0048] S5: The intelligent vision edge processor 4 transmits all the identified encodings back to the inventory processing server 5; the inventory processing server 5 docks with the library internal management system to conduct data collation in the inventory processing server 5 and compare with the book data of the library internal management system to obtain the inventory result of the bookshelf.

[0049] S6: Based on the inventory results, the system identifies the missing books, borrowed books, and misplaced books on the bookshelf.

[0050] In an optional embodiment, the minimum length of the barcode or QR code is not less than 3 mm and the maximum length is not greater than 12 mm.

[0051] In an optional embodiment, the inventory results include all the book names, numbers, author and publisher information, and the accurate sorting on the bookshelf.

[0052] It should be understood that the above specific embodiments of the present invention are only for illustrative or explanatory purposes of the principles of the present invention, and do not constitute a limitation to the present invention. Therefore, any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention. In addition, the appended claims of the present invention are intended to cover all changes and modifications that fall within the scope and boundaries of the appended claims, or equivalent forms of such scope and boundaries.

Claims

1. An instant automatic book inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes, characterized in that, it includes multiple camera components (3), an intelligent vision edge processor (4), an inventory processing server (5), and an administrator's handheld device (6); The multiple camera components (3) are respectively arranged on the bracket (1) and on multiple bookshelves (2); among them, the multiple bookshelves (2) are arranged side by side in parallel, and the bracket (1) is arranged in the front row of the multiple bookshelves (2); the multiple bookshelves (2) are respectively denoted as: bookshelf A1, bookshelf A2... bookshelf An; The shooting directions of the multiple camera components (3) on the bracket (1) face the bookshelf A1, the shooting directions of the multiple camera components (3) on the bookshelf A1 face the bookshelf A2,..., the shooting directions of the multiple camera components (3) on the bookshelf An-1 face the bookshelf An, where n is a positive integer not less than 2; The camera component (3) includes a housing (31), a base (34), a vertical axis bracket (32), a camera (35), and a module expansion board (36); the base (34) is provided with a horizontal rotation stepper motor (33) for driving the vertical axis bracket (32) to swing horizontally; the vertical axis bracket (32) is provided with a vertical rotation stepper motor (37) for controlling the camera (35) to swing vertically; the module expansion board (36) is arranged on the vertical axis bracket (32), and the module expansion board (36) is provided with a motor control interface, a wifi interface, and a power interface; One intelligent vision edge processor (4) is arranged on each bookshelf (2), and all the camera components (3) located on that bookshelf (2) are data-connected to the intelligent vision edge processor (4); The multiple intelligent vision edge processors (4) are connected to the inventory processing server (5) through a network, and the inventory processing server (5) is respectively connected to multiple administrator's handheld devices (6) through a network; The instant automatic book inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes includes the following working steps: S1: Encode the books and convert the encoding into a barcode or QR code; print the barcode or QR code together with the original call number and paste it on the spine of the book; S2: Multiple groups of camera components (3) take pictures of the barcodes or QR codes on the spine and transmit the photos to the intelligent vision edge processor (4); the camera components (3) swing horizontally and vertically, and take multiple photos during the swing, and there are overlapping scenes between the multiple photos; the multiple photos are combined by an algorithm to obtain a photo set covering all the books; S4: The intelligent vision edge processor (4) uses the barcode / QR code positioning algorithm in a complex background to cut out all the barcodes / QR codes of the books, sort them, and then identify them one by one to obtain the corresponding book encoding; S5: The intelligent vision edge processor (4) transmits all the identified encodings back to the inventory processing server (5); the inventory processing server (5) is docked with the library internal management system to sort out the data in the inventory processing server (5) and compare it with the book data in the library internal management system to obtain the inventory result of the bookshelf; S6: Based on the inventory results, the system identifies the missing books, borrowed books, and misplaced books on the bookshelf.

2. The instant automatic book inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes according to claim 1, characterized in that, the camera assembly (3) is arranged at the middle layer position of the bookshelf (2).

3. The instant automatic book inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes according to claim 2, characterized in that, the focal length of the camera assembly (3) is not less than 12 mm.

4. The instant automatic book inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes according to claim 1, characterized in that, the administrator's handheld device (6) is used to manually take pictures and upload for bookshelves where cameras are missed or inconvenient to deploy.

5. The instant automatic book inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes according to claim 1, characterized in that, the minimum length of the barcode or QR code is not less than 3 mm and the maximum length is not more than 12 mm.

6. The instant automatic book inventory system based on barcodes or QR codes according to claim 1, characterized in that, the inventory results include all book names, numbers, author and publisher information, and accurate sorting on the bookshelf.

Images