Article detection device, article detection method, and program

Abstract

An article inspection apparatus includes a direct illumination section that directly illuminates an article being transported in a prescribed transport direction from above the article, an indirect illumination section that indirectly illuminates the article from above the article, an image acquisition section that acquires an image of the article, and an article determination section that determines an external shape of the article based on an image of the article illuminated by direct light from the direct illumination section and indirect light from the indirect illumination section.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an article detection device, article detection method, and procedure. Background Technology

[0002] JP2023-049479A discloses an adhesive device that detects articles being conveyed along a conveying direction and affixes labels to designated positions on the articles while they are being conveyed.

[0003] The label affixing system disclosed in JP2023-049479A acquires image data of an article in a detection unit that can photograph an article that serves as a cover, and affixes a label to a designated position on the article based on the acquired image data.

[0004] In the label pasting system disclosed in JP2023-049479A, when it is difficult to detect the boundary between the item and the conveyor unit that serves as the background of the item in the acquired image data, the pasting position of the label on the item sometimes cannot be determined, resulting in label pasting errors. Therefore, there is still room for further improvement in the label pasting system. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to improve the detection accuracy of objects in images acquired by the image acquisition unit.

[0006] According to a certain aspect of the present invention, an article detection apparatus is provided, comprising: a direct illumination unit that directly illuminates the article from above, which is being conveyed along a predetermined conveying direction; an indirect illumination unit that indirectly illuminates the article from above; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the article; and an article determination unit that determines the shape of the article based on the image of the article illuminated by the direct light from the direct illumination unit and the indirect light from the indirect illumination unit.

[0007] According to a certain aspect of the present invention, since direct light illuminates the article, a halo is easily generated on the surface of the article in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit. Furthermore, the shadows of the article caused by direct light are softened by indirect light. Therefore, the image density value of the surface or outline of the article in the acquired image can be reduced. As a result, the article can be easily detected in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit.

[0008] Therefore, it is possible to improve the detection accuracy of objects in images acquired by the image acquisition unit. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the article detection device involved in this embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 This is a plan view of the article detection device according to this embodiment, viewed from above.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a side view of the article detection device according to this embodiment, viewed from the direction of article transport.

[0012] Figure 4 This is a side view of the article detection device according to this embodiment, viewed from the direction intersecting the conveying direction of the article and along the conveying surface.

[0013] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating the article detection device involved in this embodiment.

[0014] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the article detection method involved in this embodiment.

[0015] Figure 7 It is a simplified diagram illustrating the items detected in the acquired image.

[0016] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the label pasting system involved in this embodiment.

[0017] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the labels that are affixed to items using a label-attaching system. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The following description is not limited to the accompanying drawings which are simply explained.

[0019] A first aspect of the present invention is an article detection apparatus comprising: a direct illumination unit that directly illuminates an article being conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction from above; an indirect illumination unit that indirectly illuminates the article from above; an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the article; and an article determination unit that determines the shape of the article based on the image of the article illuminated by the direct light from the direct illumination unit and the indirect light from the indirect illumination unit.

[0020] According to a first aspect of the present invention, since indirect light illuminates the shadow of an object caused by direct light, the shadow on the surface or outline of the object can be lightened. Therefore, the image density value of the surface or outline of the object in the acquired image can be reduced. Consequently, the object can be easily detected in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit.

[0021] Therefore, according to a first aspect of the present invention, the detection accuracy of objects in an image acquired by the image acquisition unit can be improved.

[0022] Furthermore, in a second aspect of the present invention, based on the article detection device described in the first aspect, the direct illumination unit has a plurality of direct light sources and is configured to irradiate the article with light irradiated from the plurality of direct light sources in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; the indirect illumination unit has a plurality of indirect light sources and is configured to irradiate the article with light irradiated from the plurality of indirect light sources.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the present invention, since the direct light emanating from the direct illumination unit illuminates the article in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, shadows on the article are less likely to appear on the upstream and downstream sides of the article's conveying direction. Furthermore, indirect light emanating from the indirect illumination unit illuminates the shadows on the article caused by the direct light.

[0024] Therefore, according to a second aspect of the present invention, in the acquired image, it is possible to reduce the image density value at the outline of the article on the upstream and downstream sides of the article's transport direction.

[0025] Furthermore, by using indirect light from above the object, the shadows cast by the object extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction are reduced. Therefore, in the acquired image, the image density value of the shadows cast by the object extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction can be reduced. This makes it easier to determine the shape of the object.

[0026] Therefore, according to a second aspect of the present invention, the detection accuracy of articles can be improved.

[0027] Furthermore, in a third aspect of the present invention, based on the article detection device described in the first or second aspect, the direct illumination unit comprises: a first direct illumination unit disposed on one side of the article in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; and a second direct illumination unit disposed on the other side of the article in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, wherein the indirect illumination unit is disposed on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction, and is configured to cancel out the shadow of the article generated by the first direct illumination unit and the shadow of the article generated by the second direct illumination unit.

[0028] According to a third aspect of the present invention, shadows extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the article are canceled out by direct light from a first direct illumination unit disposed on one side, separated from the article in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, and direct light from a second direct illumination unit. Furthermore, the shadows extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the article are illuminated from above the article by indirect light from indirect illumination units disposed upstream and downstream of the transport direction.

[0029] Therefore, according to a third aspect of the present invention, in the acquired image, the image density value at the outline of the item can be reduced, thereby making it easier to determine the shape of the item.

[0030] Therefore, according to a third aspect of the present invention, the detection accuracy of articles can be improved.

[0031] Furthermore, in a fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the article detection device described in the third aspect, the optical axis of the indirect illumination unit faces upward, and the optical axes of the first direct illumination unit and the second direct illumination unit are arranged opposite each other in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.

[0032] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, since the optical axis of the indirect illumination section is oriented upward, interference between the indirect light used to generate indirect light and the direct light can be avoided.

[0033] Furthermore, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, since the optical axes of the first direct illumination unit and the second direct illumination unit are arranged opposite each other in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction, the shadows extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the article are canceled out. Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the shape of the article can be easily determined in the acquired image.

[0034] Therefore, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the detection accuracy of articles can be improved.

[0035] Furthermore, in a fifth aspect of the present invention, based on the article detection device described in any of the first to fourth aspects, at least a portion of the article has the same color as the background of the image of the article acquired by the image acquisition unit.

[0036] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the acquired image, the image density value at the surface of the article or the outline of the article can be reduced, thereby making it easier to determine the shape of the article. Therefore, even if at least a part of the article is the same color as the background of the article, the shape of the article can still be easily determined in the acquired image.

[0037] Therefore, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the detection accuracy of articles can be improved.

[0038] Furthermore, in a sixth aspect of the present invention, based on the article detection device described in any one of the first to fifth aspects, at least a portion of the article is transparent.

[0039] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the image density value at the surface or outline of the article can be reduced in the acquired image, thereby making it easier to determine the shape of the article. Therefore, even if at least a portion of the article is transparent, the shape of the article can still be easily determined in the acquired image.

[0040] Therefore, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the detection accuracy of articles can be improved.

[0041] Furthermore, a seventh aspect of the present invention is an article detection method in which direct light is irradiated onto the article being conveyed along a predetermined conveying direction from above, and indirect light is irradiated onto the article, an image of the article illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light is acquired, and the shape of the article is determined based on the image of the article illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light.

[0042] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the acquired image, the image density value at the surface of the article or the outline of the article can be reduced, thereby making it easier to determine the shape of the article.

[0043] Therefore, according to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the detection accuracy of articles can be improved.

[0044] Furthermore, an eighth aspect of the present invention is a procedure that can be executed by a computer of an article detection device, wherein the procedure causes the computer to perform the following processes: irradiating the article with direct light from above and irradiating the article with indirect light from above; acquiring an image of the article illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light; and determining the shape of the article based on the image of the article illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light.

[0045] According to an eighth aspect of a certain method of the present invention, in the acquired image, the image density value at the surface of the article or the outline of the article can be reduced, thereby making it easier to determine the shape of the article.

[0046] Therefore, according to the eighth aspect of a certain method of the present invention, the detection accuracy of articles can be improved.

[0047] [Item Detection Device]

[0048] The following describes the article detection device 1 according to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the article detection device 1 involved in this embodiment. Figure 2 This is a plan view of the article detection device 1 as described in this embodiment, viewed from above. Figure 3This is a side view of the item detection device 1 as seen from the direction of item transport. Figure 4 This is a side view of the item detection device 1 viewed from a direction that intersects the direction of item transport and is parallel to the transport surface.

[0050] In this embodiment, the article M, which is the object of detection by the article detection device 1, refers to an article made of food or components encapsulated in packaging material. Therefore, the shape of article M is the shape of the packaging material covering the food or components.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the article detection device 1 includes: a direct illumination unit 11 that directly illuminates the article M from above; and an indirect illumination unit 12 that indirectly illuminates the article M from above.

[0052] The item detection device 1 includes an image acquisition unit 10 that acquires images of the item M. Additionally, the item detection device 1 includes a controller 15 that performs specific image processing on the image data of the item M acquired by the image acquisition unit 10.

[0053] In this embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, a conveying device 20 for conveying item M is also provided. Item M is conveyed by the conveying device 20 along the conveying direction F at a predetermined speed.

[0054] exist Figure 1 The conveying destination of the conveying device 20 (not shown) may be, for example, a sorting device for sorting items M, or a labeling system for attaching labels to items M.

[0055] exist Figures 1 to 4 In this context, the direction intersecting the conveying direction F (X direction) is represented as the width direction Y of the conveying surface 20a of the conveying device 20, and the height from the conveying surface 20a of the conveying device 20 is represented as the height direction Z.

[0056] In this embodiment, the image acquisition unit 10 is a 2D camera capable of acquiring images of the article M. The image acquisition unit 10 acquires images of the article M conveyed by the conveying device 20. Furthermore, in Figure 2 For ease of explanation, the image acquisition unit 10 is not shown in the figure.

[0057] In this embodiment, "image" refers not only to a visible image displayed on a display device such as a monitor, but also to data used for display and storage in digital devices such as computers and monitors.

[0058] The image acquisition unit 10 is disposed vertically above the placement surface (conveying surface 20a) of the item M in the conveying device 20, and is disposed opposite to the conveying surface 20a.

[0059] Next, the direct lighting section 11 will be described. For example... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the direct lighting unit 11 includes a first direct lighting unit 11A and a second direct lighting unit 11B.

[0060] The first direct illumination unit 11A has multiple direct light sources. In this embodiment, as an example, the light source that can be used as a direct light source is an LED (Light Emitting Diode) unit L. In this embodiment, the first direct illumination unit 11A is constructed by arranging multiple LED units L in a linear pattern at predetermined intervals.

[0061] The second direct illumination section 11B is the same as the first direct illumination section 11A, and is composed of multiple LED units L arranged in a line.

[0062] The first direct illumination unit 11A and the second direct illumination unit 11B are arranged at a predetermined position on the article detection device 1 in such a way that the arrangement of a plurality of LED units L is along the conveying direction F. That is, the direct illumination unit 11 is configured such that the light it emits illuminates the article in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.

[0063] In this embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the first direct illumination unit 11A and the second direct illumination unit 11B are arranged at a predetermined position in the article detection device 1 such that the optical axis 11Aa of the first direct illumination unit 11A and the optical axis 11Ba of the second direct illumination unit 11B are opposite to each other in the width direction Y.

[0064] Next, the indirect lighting section 12 will be described. For example... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the indirect lighting unit 12 includes a first indirect lighting unit 12A and a second indirect lighting unit 12B.

[0065] Similar to the first direct lighting section 11A, the first indirect lighting section 12A and the second indirect lighting section 12B are formed by arranging a plurality of LED units L in a linear pattern at a predetermined interval.

[0066] The first indirect illumination unit 12A is arranged on the upstream side of the image acquisition unit 10 in such a way that the arrangement direction of a plurality of LED units L arranged in a linear pattern is along the width direction Y.

[0067] The second indirect lighting unit 12B is arranged downstream of the image acquisition unit 10 in such a way that a plurality of LED units L arranged in a linear pattern are arranged along the width direction Y.

[0068] In addition, such as Figure 4As shown, a reflector 14 is provided above the indirect lighting unit 12, which reflects light from the plurality of LED units L from the indirect lighting unit 12 toward the object M. Furthermore, in Figure 1 and Figure 2 For ease of explanation, reflector 14 is not shown in the diagram.

[0069] The reflector 14 is provided with a surface treatment to facilitate the diffusion of the irradiated light. As an example, the reflector 14 is coated with a paint of a color that easily reflects light.

[0070] In this embodiment, the first indirect illumination unit 12A is configured such that its optical axis 12Aa faces upward at 90° relative to the conveying surface 20a. Similarly, the second indirect illumination unit 12B is also configured such that its optical axis 12Ba faces upward at 90° relative to the conveying surface 20a.

[0071] Through the aforementioned indirect lighting unit 12 and reflector 14, the light from the first indirect lighting unit 12A and the second indirect lighting unit 12B is reflected by the reflector 14, so that the reflected light (diffuse light) illuminates the article M.

[0072] Figure 5 This is a block diagram illustrating the article detection device 1 according to this embodiment.

[0073] Although not shown in the figure, the controller 15 is a computer consisting of a microprocessor, storage units such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), input / output interfaces, and buses connecting these components.

[0074] like Figure 5 As shown, the controller 15 includes an image processing unit 16 and an item determination unit 17 as functional components.

[0075] The controller 15 executes a control program stored in a storage unit such as ROM via a microprocessor, thereby causing the image processing unit 16 and the item determination unit 17 to operate.

[0076] The image processing unit 16 performs prescribed image processing on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10. In this embodiment, background subtraction processing can be used as an example of image processing.

[0077] The image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 is a collection of pixels having RGB digital information. In this embodiment, as an example, the brightness value and the grayscale value of the brightness obtained from the information possessed by the pixels can be used for background difference processing.

[0078] When applying background differential processing, the item detection device 1 stores the image of the conveying surface of the conveying device 20 (hereinafter referred to as the background image) acquired in advance in the storage unit.

[0079] The controller 15 can extract image regions that are not present in the background image by comparing the background image with the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10.

[0080] The item determination unit 17 determines the shape of the item M by extracting the image region from the image of the item M obtained by illuminating the item M with direct and indirect light.

[0081] [Item Inspection Methods]

[0082] Next, the method for detecting item M by item detection device 1 will be explained.

[0083] In the article detection method, direct light is shone on the article M from above, which is being conveyed along the conveying direction F, and indirect light is also shone on the article M. An image of the article M illuminated by the direct light and indirect light is obtained, and the shape of the article M is determined based on the image of the article M illuminated by the direct light and indirect light.

[0084] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating the article detection method performed by article detection device 1. Figure 6 The image processing performed on the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 is explained below.

[0085] In step S1, the controller 15 acquires an image of the item M being transported by the conveying device 20 via the image acquisition unit 10.

[0086] In step S2, the controller 15 performs processing on the image acquired from the image acquisition unit 10 by the image processing unit 16 to extract regions with pixel information that become features.

[0087] In this embodiment, as an example, background subtraction processing is applied using the brightness value and the grayscale value of the brightness obtained from the information of the pixels in the acquired image.

[0088] Next, in step S3, the controller 15 uses the image obtained through background subtraction to determine the shape of the object.

[0089] [Effects of the item detection device and method]

[0090] According to the article detection device 1 and article detection method of this embodiment, direct light is irradiated on the article M from above by the direct illumination unit 11, which is being conveyed along the conveying direction F, and indirect light is irradiated from above the article M by the indirect illumination unit 12 reflected by the reflector 14.

[0091] Figure 7 This is a simplified diagram illustrating the item M detected in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10. Figure 7 This is a view taken from above of item M, which is being conveyed along the conveying direction F. For clarity, in... Figure 7 Item M is displayed as a rectangle.

[0092] Figure 7 The diagram schematically shows direct light L1 from the first direct illumination unit 11A and direct light L2 from the second direct illumination unit 11B.

[0093] In this embodiment, the direct light L1 emanating from the first direct illumination unit 11A in the width direction Y falls on the article M being conveyed along the conveying direction F. As a result, in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10, the surface of the article M illuminated by the direct light L1 and L2 is prone to produce a halo effect.

[0094] Because the direct light L1 and L2 illuminate along the Y direction, shadows are less likely to be generated at the upstream end Mu and downstream end Md of the transport direction F of the item M. On the other hand, the direct light L1 and L2 will cause shadows Sa and Sb to appear extending along the Y direction from the side of the transport direction of the item M. The extent and shape of the shadows Sa and Sb shown in the illustration are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limited thereto.

[0095] However, in this embodiment, since the optical axis 11Aa of the first direct illumination unit 11A and the optical axis 11Ba of the second direct illumination unit 11B are arranged opposite each other in the width direction Y at a predetermined position of the article detection device 1, the shadows Sa and Sb extending along the Y direction through the article M are canceled out by the first direct illumination unit 11A and the second direct illumination unit 11B.

[0096] In addition, depending on the shape of the item M, the shadows Sa and Sb extending along the Y direction may not be completely canceled out and remain as faint shadows. However, even so, the shadows will be illuminated by reflected light (indirect light) from above the item M by the first indirect lighting unit 12A and the second indirect lighting unit 12B and become even fainter.

[0097] This makes the boundary between the outline of item M and the shadow cast by item M clearer.

[0098] Therefore, in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10, a halo can be generated by illumination, while the image density value caused by shadows is reduced, thereby making the tones in the image clearer.

[0099] Therefore, according to the article detection device 1, in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10, the boundary between the edge of the article M on the upstream side of the conveying direction F and the conveying surface 20a, which serves as the background of the article M, and the boundary between the edge of the article M on the downstream side of the conveying direction F and the conveying surface 20a, which serves as the background of the article M, can be easily detected.

[0100] Therefore, according to the item detection device 1, the detection accuracy of the item M in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10 can be improved.

[0101] Furthermore, in the article detection device 1, the first indirect lighting unit 12A is configured such that its optical axis 12Aa faces upward at 90° relative to the conveying surface 20a. Additionally, the second indirect lighting unit 12B is also configured such that its optical axis 12Ba faces upward at 90° relative to the conveying surface 20a.

[0102] Therefore, the light irradiated from the first indirect lighting section 12A and the second indirect lighting section 12B is less likely to interfere with each other, and diffused light (indirect light) without bright or dark spots is easily generated on the reflector 14.

[0103] The article detection device 1 according to this embodiment is particularly suitable for situations where at least a portion of the packaging material is transparent, or where at least a portion of the packaging material is the same color as the conveying surface. Here, "at least a portion of the packaging material is transparent" means that in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 10, the packaging material covering the article M is difficult to distinguish from the background image, both visually and in terms of pixel information. The same applies to the situation where at least a portion of the packaging material is the same color as the conveying surface.

[0104] [program]

[0105] The program involved in this embodiment is a program that can be executed by the computer of the article detection device 1, wherein,

[0106] The program causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0107] Direct light is shone on the item M being conveyed in the conveying direction F from above, while indirect light is also shone on the item M.

[0108] Acquire an image of an object M illuminated by both direct and indirect light; and

[0109] The shape of object M is determined based on images of object M illuminated by direct and indirect light.

[0110] The program is stored in a storage unit that can be used by the controller 15 of the item detection device 1. Alternatively, it can be provided in a manner that allows storage on a removable storage medium relative to the item detection device 1.

[0111] [Label Pasting System]

[0112] As an example, the above-mentioned item detection device 1 can constitute a label pasting system 100 for pasting label LB onto item M.

[0113] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the label pasting system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0114] The label pasting system 100 involved in this embodiment and Figures 1 to 5 The item detection device 1 shown is used in combination to form a system that affixes a label LB to an item M detected by the item detection device 1.

[0115] The label pasting system 100 includes an item detection device 1, a conveying device 20, a pasting arm 30, a printer 40, a label conveying unit 50, and a downstream detection unit 60. All of the above structures are controlled by a controller 70.

[0116] Figure 8 The item detection device 1 and conveying device 20 shown are Figure 1 The item detection device 1 and the conveying device 20 shown are the same.

[0117] The adhesive arm 30 has a label holding part 31. The front end of the label holding part 31 has a structure for attracting and holding the label LB.

[0118] The adhesive arm 30 has an actuator that can move in the longitudinal, lateral and vertical directions and adjust the angle around the axis.

[0119] Therefore, the adhesive arm 30 can pick up and hold the label LB conveyed by the label conveying unit 50 with the adhesive surface facing the item M. In addition, the adhesive arm 30 can move the label LB to the item M being conveyed and affix the label LB to the designated position on the item M.

[0120] The printer 40 includes: a printer body 41 that prints the required information on a label LB; a label roll 42 formed by temporarily adhering the label LB to a continuous sheet of backing paper before printing; and a backing paper roll 43 in which the continuous sheet of backing paper is recycled after the label LB has been peeled off.

[0121] In this embodiment, the printer 40 can be set up and print content related to the item M independently, even without being connected to an information processing terminal such as a personal computer.

[0122] The label affixing system 100, equipped with a printer 40, is capable of printing information related to the item M onto the label LB before affixing. This information, if related to the item M, includes, for example, the production date, shelf life, and raw material names for food products.

[0123] The label conveying unit 50 includes a conveyor belt 51 for conveying labels LB that are peeled off from the continuous sheet of backing paper. The conveyor belt 51 conveys multiple labels LB one by one in succession.

[0124] The downstream detection unit 60 is disposed in the conveying device 20 at a position downstream of the adhesive arm 30. In this embodiment, the downstream detection unit 60 is a camera that takes pictures of the item M after the label LB has been affixed. The image data acquired by the downstream detection unit 60 is used in the controller 70 for processing to determine the affixing status of the label LB.

[0125] The controller 70 is a computer consisting of a microprocessor, storage units such as ROM and RAM, input / output interfaces, and buses connecting these components.

[0126] In this embodiment, the controller 70 can determine the affixing position of the label LB relative to the item M based on the determination result of the shape of the item M obtained from the item detection device 1.

[0127] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating how a label LB is affixed to an item M using a label affixing system 100.

[0128] Figure 9 The diagram shows states (a), (b), and (c). State (a) is the state where label LB is being conveyed by conveyor belt 51. State (b) is the state where the action of label LB being picked up by adhesive arm 30 and being transported to item M while being turned to a specified orientation is being performed. State (c) is the state where the action of label LB being affixed to item M is being performed.

[0129] According to the item detection device 1, the item M can be detected with high precision. Therefore, by applying it to the label affixing system 100, such as... Figure 9 As shown, for example, it is possible to move the label LB toward the item M while turning the label LB so that one side of the label LB is parallel to one side of the shape of the item M, thereby attaching the label LB to the item M.

[0130] Therefore, it can improve the aesthetics between item M and the label LB pasted on item M.

[0131] [Other Implementation Methods]

[0132] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the above embodiments only show a part of the application examples of the present invention and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0133] The image acquisition unit 10 may also be equipped with a 3D camera capable of acquiring height information. In this case, the item determination unit 17 determines the shape of the item based on the height information in addition to the acquired image. Alternatively, instead of a 3D camera, a sensor may be used to illuminate the item M with detection light such as infrared light or laser and acquire height information based on its reflection time.

[0134] In the article detection device 1, the first direct illumination unit 11A can also be arranged upstream of the conveying direction F with the LED units L arranged along the Y direction intersecting the conveying direction F. Furthermore, the second direct illumination unit 11B can also be arranged downstream of the conveying direction F with the LED units L arranged along the Y direction. Additionally, the first indirect illumination unit 12A and the second indirect illumination unit 12B can also be arranged above each other on both sides of the width direction of the conveying direction F with the LED units L arranged along the conveying direction F.

[0135] Alternatively, the item detection device 1 may also include: Figure 2 The first lighting group shown has a first direct lighting unit 11A and a second direct lighting unit 11B arranged along the conveying direction F, and a first indirect lighting unit 12A and a second indirect lighting unit 12B arranged along the Y direction; and the second lighting group shown above has a first direct lighting unit 11A and a second direct lighting unit 11B arranged along the Y direction, and a first indirect lighting unit 12A and a second indirect lighting unit 12B arranged along the conveying direction F.

[0136] The two lighting groups mentioned above can also be replaced based on the shape of item M, the light reflection from the surface of item M, etc. Furthermore, the two lighting groups mentioned above can also be switched based on the shape of item M, the light reflection from the surface of item M, etc.

[0137] In this embodiment, although it is described that the optical axis 12Aa of the first indirect illumination unit 12A and the optical axis 12Ba of the second indirect illumination unit 12B are arranged to face upward at 90° relative to the conveying surface 20a, it is not limited to 90° as long as they face upward to avoid interference with direct light.

[0138] As for the image processing applicable in this embodiment, image processing other than background subtraction can also be applied. Algorithms for detecting objects of known shapes from acquired images can be listed. For example, there are methods using R-CNN and YOLO to obtain bounding boxes (shapes) from multiple images.

[0139] In addition, there is the following method: using image processing such as optical flow or known transport speed information, multiple images that are presumed to be item M are overlaid to find the area where item M exists in the image.

[0140] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-072245, filed with the Japan Patent Office on April 26, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. An item detection device, characterized in that, have: A direct lighting unit that directly illuminates the article from above, which is being conveyed along a predetermined conveying direction; An indirect lighting unit that indirectly illuminates the article from above; The image acquisition unit acquires an image of the item; as well as The article determination unit determines the shape of the article based on an image of the article illuminated by direct light from the direct illumination unit and indirect light from the indirect illumination unit.

2. The article detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The direct lighting unit has multiple direct light sources and is configured to illuminate the article from the multiple direct light sources in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; The indirect lighting unit has multiple indirect light sources and is configured to illuminate the article with light emitted from the multiple indirect light sources.

3. The article detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The direct illumination unit has: A first direct illumination unit is disposed on one side of the article in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction; and A second direct illumination unit is disposed on the other side of the article in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction. The indirect lighting unit is disposed on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying direction. The configuration is such that the shadow of the object produced by the first direct lighting unit cancels out the shadow of the object produced by the second direct lighting unit.

4. The article detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The optical axis of the indirect illumination unit faces upward. The optical axes of the first direct illumination unit and the second direct illumination unit are arranged opposite each other in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

5. The article detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least a portion of the item has the same color as the background of the image of the item acquired by the image acquisition unit.

6. The article detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least a portion of the item is transparent.

7. A method for detecting an article, characterized in that, Direct light is shone on the article from above, while indirect light is also shone on the article. Acquire an image of the object illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light. The shape of the object is determined based on an image of the object illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light.

8. A program executable by a computer of an article detection device, characterized in that, The program causes the computer to perform the following processes: Direct light is shone on the article from above, while indirect light is also shone on the article. Acquire an image of the object illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light; as well as The shape of the object is determined based on an image of the object illuminated by the direct light and the indirect light.

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