Management device, management system, and management method

Abstract

To achieve a management device for contributing to efficiency of work of identifying luggage and attaching delivery destination information according to the luggage.SOLUTION: A management device (2) includes a processor (21). The processor (21) performs: image acquisition processing for acquiring an image in which luggage is included as a subject; information acquisition processing for acquiring identification information for identifying the luggage; conversion processing for referring to a first correspondence table for associating non-normalized identification information with normalized identification information to convert the identification information acquired by the information acquisition processing into normalized identification information; and determination processing for determining whether or not a delivery destination of the luggage is determined by using a second correspondence table for associating arrival information including the normalized identification information with delivery destination information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] One aspect of the present invention relates to a management device for managing delivery destinations of packages at a package shipping base (e.g., a warehouse, etc.). Another aspect of the present invention also relates to a management system including such a management device, and a management method implemented by such a management device. [Background technology]

[0002] Due to the recent spread of internet sales, a series of operations from when a package arrives at a shipping center such as a warehouse or a market to when the package is shipped to a delivery destination is carried out day and night. In this series of operations, the work of identifying packages and attaching delivery destination information such as a destination address corresponding to the package is done manually by workers, which requires a lot of labor, time, and labor costs.

[0003] As a technology for improving the efficiency of a series of operations from when a package arrives at a shipping base to when the package is shipped to a delivery destination, for example, the technology described in Patent Document 1 is known. Patent Document 1 describes a system that recognizes character strings or barcodes that indicate a destination or sorting destination attached to a package, and sorts the package to a predetermined location based on the destination or sorting destination. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-11111 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above-mentioned conventional technology does not contribute to the efficiency of the work of identifying a package and attaching delivery destination information corresponding to the package, which is one of the series of work from the arrival of a package to the delivery of the package to the delivery destination, and which requires a lot of labor, time, and labor costs, etc. Therefore, the effect of improving the efficiency of the entire series of work from the arrival of a package to the delivery of the package is small.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its purpose is to realize a management device, a management system, and a management method that contribute to improving the efficiency of the task of identifying packages and assigning delivery destination information corresponding to the packages. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a management device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a processor that executes an image acquisition process, an information acquisition process, a conversion process, and a determination process. Also, a management method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image acquisition process, an information acquisition process, a conversion process, and a determination process. Here, the image acquisition process is a process in which a processor acquires an image including a package as a subject. The information acquisition process is a process in which identification information for identifying the package is acquired from the image acquired in the image acquisition process. The conversion process is a process in which the identification information acquired in the information acquisition process is converted into normalized identification information by referring to a first correspondence table that associates non-normalized identification information with normalized identification information. The determination process is a process in which it is determined whether or not the delivery destination of the package has been determined by using a second correspondence table that associates arrival information including the normalized identification information with delivery destination information. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a management device, a management system, and a management method that contribute to improving the efficiency of the task of identifying packages and attaching delivery destination information corresponding to the packages. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a management device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of the management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a management method executed by the management device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a diagram for explaining an information acquisition process executed by the management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a diagram showing an example of a correspondence table used by the management device according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of a management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations of a management system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a management method executed by a management device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of another management method executed by the management device 2 according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed on an output device of a management device included in a modified example of the management system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention (embodiment 1) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

[0011] (Overview of Management System S) A management system S according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a system that determines whether or not a delivery destination for a package P has been determined based on an image that includes the package P as a subject without delivery destination information at a package delivery center (e.g., a warehouse or a market), and if the delivery destination has been determined, prints the delivery destination on the package P.

[0012] In this specification, a "package" refers to something that is packed in a box. "Identification information" refers to information for identifying a package, such as information that indicates the contents of the package, such as item name, product name, quantity, type, color, etc. The identification information is attached to the package by being directly printed on any side of the package, or by attaching a label bearing the identification information. "Arrival information" refers to information about a package that arrives at a distribution center, such as information indicating the arrival date of the package, information that indicates the contents of the package, such as item name, product name, quantity, type, color, etc., and information that indicates the shipper of the package. "Shipping destination information" refers to information that includes at least the destination and address of the package.

[0013] (Configuration of management system S) The configuration of the management system S will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management system S.

[0014] 1, the management system S includes an imaging device 1, a management device 2, and a printing device 3. The imaging device 1 and the printing device 3 are configured to be able to communicate with the management device 2 via a network.

[0015] The imaging device 1 is a device that captures images of luggage. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the imaging device 1 is installed so that the angle of view includes a surface of luggage P, which is not provided with delivery destination information and is traveling on a conveyor line, that is provided with identification information. The imaging device 1 transmits an image of the luggage P to the management device 2. There are no particular limitations on the imaging device that can be used as the imaging device 1. In this embodiment, a known camera is used as the imaging device 1.

[0016] The management device 2 is a device that manages the delivery of packages. As an example, the management device 2 receives an image of the package P from the imaging device 1, and acquires identification information of the package P from the image. The management device 2 also determines whether or not the delivery destination of the package P has been determined using a first correspondence table that associates the identification information of the package P with normalized identification information, and a second correspondence table that associates arrival information including the normalized identification information with delivery destination information. There are no particular limitations on the device that can be used as the management device 2. In this embodiment, a desktop PC (Personal Computer) located in a delivery base that uses the management system S is used as the management device 2.

[0017] The printing device 3 is a device that prints destination information on luggage. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the printing device 3 prints destination information of the luggage P acquired from the management device 2 on the luggage P traveling along the conveyor line. The printing device 3 may print the destination information on a label attached to the luggage P, or may print the destination information directly on the luggage P. There are no particular limitations on the printing device that can be used as the printing device 3. Examples of the printing device 3 include an inkjet printer and a laser printer. Furthermore, when an inkjet printer is used, an appropriate ink can be selected from water-based ink, UV ink, solvent ink, and the like.

[0018] (Configuration of Management Device 2) The configuration of the management device 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management device 2.

[0019] 2, the management device 2 includes a processor 21, a primary memory 22, a secondary memory 23, a communication interface 24, an input / output interface 25, and a bus 26. The processor 21, the primary memory 22, the secondary memory 23, the communication interface 24, and the input / output interface 25 are connected to each other via the bus 26. An example of a device that can be used as the management device 2 is a workstation that constitutes a cloud server.

[0020] A management program P is stored in the secondary memory 23. The processor 21 expands the management program P stored in the secondary memory 23 onto the primary memory 22. The processor 11 then executes each process included in a management method M1, which will be described later, according to instructions included in the management program P expanded onto the primary memory 22. An example of a device that can be used as the processor 21 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). An example of a device that can be used as the primary memory 22 is a semiconductor RAM (Random Access Memory). An example of a device that can be used as the secondary memory 23 is a HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

[0021] The communication interface 24 is an interface for communicating with the imaging device 1 and the printing device 3 via a network. An example of an interface that can be used as the communication interface 24 is an Ethernet (registered trademark) interface. Examples of networks that can be used include a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a campus area network (CAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a global area network (GAN), or an internetwork including these networks. The internetwork may be an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet.

[0022] An input device 251 for inputting various information to the management device 2 and an output device 252 for the management device 2 to output various information are connected to the input / output interface 25. The input device 251 and the output device 252 may be built in the management device 2 or may be connected (externally) to the management device 2. Examples of devices that can be used as the input device 251 include a button, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch sensor, and the like. Examples of devices that can be used as the output device 252 include a lamp, a display, a printer, a speaker, and the like. In addition, a device having the functions of both an input device and an output device, such as a touch panel in which a touch sensor and a display are integrated, may be used as the input device 251 and the output device 252.

[0023] The management program P for causing the processor 21 to execute the management method M1 may be recorded on a computer-readable, non-transitory, tangible recording medium. This recording medium may be the secondary memory 23 or another recording medium. For example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. may be used as the other recording medium.

[0024] In the present embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which the management method M1 is executed using a single processor (processor 21), but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, a configuration may be adopted in which the management method M1 is executed using multiple processors. In this case, the multiple processors that execute the management method M1 may be provided in a single computer and configured to be able to communicate with each other via a bus, or may be provided in a distributed manner in multiple computers and configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network. For example, a mode in which the processors provided in each of the multiple computers that constitute a cloud server cooperate to execute the management method M1, or a mode in which the processor 21 of the management device 2 and the processors of the imaging device 1 and / or the printing device 3 cooperate to execute the management method M1, etc. are also conceivable.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the processor 21 executes the management method M1 according to instructions included in the management program P stored inside the management device 2 (for example, the secondary memory 23), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the management method M1 may be executed using a program recorded on a recording medium external to the management device 2, or a program supplied to the management device 2 via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves).

[0026] (Operation of management system S) The operation of the management system S will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the flow of the operation of the management system S.

[0027] First, the imaging device 1 captures an image of a baggage P traveling on a conveyor line so that the angle of view includes a surface of the baggage P to which identification information is attached (S1). The imaging device 1 transmits the captured image of the baggage P to the management device 2.

[0028] Next, the management device 2 uses the captured image of the package P received from the imaging device 1 to determine whether or not the delivery destination of the package P has been determined (S2). Here, the management device 2 determines whether or not the delivery destination of the package P has been determined by executing each process of a management method M1, which will be described later. Furthermore, if the delivery destination of the package P has been determined, the management device 2 transmits delivery destination information of the package P to the printing device 3.

[0029] Next, the printing device 3 prints various information on the package P based on the information received from the management device 2 (S3). When the printing device 3 receives delivery destination information for the package P from the management device 2 (YES in S3), the printing device 3 prints the received delivery destination information in a predetermined location on the package P (S4). When the printing device 3 does not receive delivery destination information for the package P from the management device 2 (NO in S3), the printing device 3 prints an error code in a predetermined location on the package P (S5). The error code is a character string or a two-dimensional barcode indicating that there is no delivery destination information corresponding to the package P or that the management device 2 was unable to recognize the identification information of the package P. The predetermined location where the printing device 3 prints the delivery destination information and error code is a blank space on the top surface of the package P, which may be set in advance.

[0030] The management system S ends its operation when printing of various information (delivery destination information or error code) on the package P is completed in the manner described above. A user of the management system S can easily sort the package P based on the various information printed on it. For example, if delivery destination information is printed on the package P, the user sorts the package P to a sorting destination corresponding to the delivery destination information. Also, if an error code is printed on the package P, the user manually checks whether delivery destination information exists for the package P. If the user's manual inquiry finds that delivery destination information exists, the delivery destination information is manually affixed to the package P. If the user's manual inquiry finds that no delivery destination information exists, the package P is sorted to the corresponding sorting destination as a package with an undetermined delivery destination.

[0031] (Management method M1) A management method M1 executed by the management device 2 in the management system S will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the management method M1.

[0032] 4, the management method M1 includes an image acquisition process M11, an information acquisition process M12, a conversion process M13, a determination process M14, and a transmission process M15. These processes are executed every time the management device 2 receives a captured image from the imaging device 1.

[0033] The image acquisition process M11 is a process for acquiring an image including, as a subject, the luggage P. In the image acquisition process M11, the processor 21 receives a captured image of the luggage P captured by the imaging device 1, thereby acquiring the image.

[0034] The information acquisition process M12 is a process for acquiring identification information of the package P. As shown in Fig. 4, the information acquisition process M12 includes an area identification process M12a for identifying an area to which the identification information of the package P is attached in an image including the package P as a subject, and a reading process M12b for reading the identification information of the identified area. In the information acquisition process M12, the processor 21 executes the area identification process M12a and the reading process M12b for reading the identification information of the identified area, thereby acquiring the identification information of the package P from the image including the package P as a subject acquired in the image acquisition process M11.

[0035] In the area identification process M12a, the processor 21, for example, uses a trained model to identify an area to which the identification information of the luggage P is attached. Specifically, an image including the luggage P as a subject acquired in the image acquisition process M11 is input to a trained model that has been trained to detect an area to which the identification information of the luggage is attached, using an image including the luggage as a subject as input information. The processor 21 refers to a detection result by the trained model to identify an area to which the identification information of the luggage P is attached in an image including the luggage P as a subject. Note that the management device 2 may have a function of the trained model, or a device different from the management device 2 may have a function of the trained model, and the processor 21 may input an image including the luggage P as a subject to the device and acquire a detection result from the device. Details of the trained model will be described later.

[0036] In this embodiment, the method of identifying the area to which the identification information of the package P is attached using the trained model as described above is adopted, but is not limited to this. For example, the area to which the identification information of the package P is attached may be identified using an artificial intelligence algorithm such as pattern recognition or rule base.

[0037] In the reading process M12b, the processor 21, as an example, reads the identification information of the package P by performing optical character recognition (OCR) processing on the area identified in the area identification process M12a to which the identification information of the package P is attached.

[0038] The conversion process M13 is a process for converting the identification information of the parcel P into normalized identification information. The identification information of the parcel P is given by the shipper who shipped the parcel P to the delivery base, and the notation method may differ depending on the shipper. That is, the identification information given to the parcel P and acquired in the information acquisition process M12 is not normalized identification information. The conversion process M13 is a process for converting such not normalized identification information into normalized identification information that does not include variations in notation that differ depending on the shipper. In the conversion process M13, the processor 21 refers to a first correspondence table that associates not normalized identification information with normalized identification information, and converts the identification information of the parcel P acquired in the information acquisition process M12 into normalized identification information. A specific example of the first correspondence table referred to in the conversion process M13 will be described later with reference to a drawing.

[0039] The determination process M14 is a process for determining whether or not the delivery destination of the package P has been determined. In the determination process M14, the processor 21 determines whether or not the delivery destination of the package P has been determined by referring to a second correspondence table that associates arrival information, including normalized identification information, with delivery destination information. As described above, arrival information is information about a package arriving at a delivery base, and is, for example, information indicating the arrival date of the package, information indicating the contents of the package such as item, product name, quantity, type, color, and information indicating the shipper of the package. Such arrival information includes normalized identification information.

[0040] First, the processor 21 refers to a second correspondence table that matches arrival information including normalized identification information with delivery destination information, and identifies arrival information including the normalized identification information of the package P converted in the conversion process M13, i.e., the arrival information corresponding to the package P.

[0041] Next, processor 21 refers to the second correspondence table and determines whether the delivery destination of package P has been determined based on the presence or absence of delivery destination information associated with the arrival information corresponding to package P. For example, if there is delivery destination information associated with the arrival information corresponding to package P in the second correspondence table, it is determined that the delivery destination of package P has been determined. If there is no delivery destination information associated with the arrival information corresponding to package P in the second correspondence table, it is determined that the delivery destination of package P has not been determined. Note that a specific example of the second correspondence table referred to in determination process M14 will also be described later using a different drawing.

[0042] The transmission process M15 is a process for transmitting destination information of the package P to the printing device 3 when the destination of the package P has been determined. In the transmission process M15, when it is determined in the determination process M14 that the destination of the package P has been determined (YES in M14), the processor 21 obtains destination information of the package P from the correspondence table and transmits it to the printing device 3.

[0043] If it is determined in the determination process M14 that the delivery destination of the package P has not been determined (NO in M14), the transmission process M15 is not executed and the management method M1 is terminated.

[0044] (Pre-trained model) The trained model in this embodiment is a model trained to recognize an area to which identification information of a package is attached. The training data of the trained model includes training data including one or more combinations of an image and information regarding an area to which identification information is attached, which is included in the image.

[0045] As an example, a trained model is trained using as training data a set of an image including as a subject a surface bearing identification information of a piece of luggage, and information indicating the shape of an area in the image bearing identification information included as a subject, and the color of the area.

[0046] The trained model uses an image including the luggage P as a subject as input information, and recognizes an area to which identification information is attached as an area to which identification information included in the input image is attached. Then, the trained model may output, as an example of a detection result, an image in which a bounding box is attached to the area to which the recognized identification information is attached. The processor 21 specifies the area of ​​the bounding box attached to the image output as the detection result as the area to which the identification information of the luggage P is attached. Note that the trained model may be a model generated by deep learning, or may be a model generated by machine learning other than deep learning.

[0047] (Examples of identifying information) A specific example of the identification information attached to the package P will be described with reference to FIG. 5. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of identification information, and FIG. 5 shows an example in which the package P is fresh flowers.

[0048] As shown in Fig. 5, the package P is provided with identification information related to the shipper (producer), variety name, type, grade, and quantity. Furthermore, this identification information is not normalized and includes variations in notation depending on the shipper, such as abbreviations and common names. In the example of Fig. 5, carnation, which is the official type name, is abbreviated as "carne." As an example, the information acquisition process M12 acquires the identification information of the read package P in the form of a list organized by item, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0049] (Example of a correspondence table) A specific example of the first and second correspondence tables referred to in the conversion process M13 and the determination process M14 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a specific example of the first and second correspondence tables referred to in the conversion process M13 and the determination process M14. Fig. 6 continues to use the example where the package P is fresh flowers.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 6, the first correspondence table associates non-normalized identification information with normalized identification information. Here, the non-normalized identification information is information obtained by reading the identification information attached to the package as it is. Therefore, the non-normalized identification information includes information in which carnation is written as an abbreviation or a common name, such as "carne" for carnation and "statis sinuata" for statice. Moreover, the normalized identification information is information in which the information in which abbreviations or common names, such as "carne" and "statis," contained in the non-normalized identification information, is changed to a formal name or a general name, such as "carnation" or "statis sinuata." In this way, the first correspondence table is a correspondence table for unifying the variations in notation that differ depending on the shipping source. Such a first correspondence table may be created by recording the identification information attached to the package that has arrived at the shipping base in the past in association with the formal name or general name of the information representing the contents of the package, or may be created by obtaining information in which the identification information attached to the package in advance is associated with the information representing the contents from the shipping source.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 6, the second correspondence table associates arrival information including normalized identification information with delivery destination information. Here, the arrival information includes information indicating the arrival date and the place of origin in addition to the normalized identification information. Such a second correspondence table may be created, for example, by matching arrival information indicating a package arriving at a shipping base with a delivery request arriving at a delivery base, which includes delivery destination information and information regarding the package to be delivered.

[0052] (Effects of Management System S) The management system S judges whether or not the delivery destination of the package P has been determined based on the identification information of the package P from a captured image containing multiple packages P as subjects. The management system S also attaches various information (delivery destination information or an error code) to the package P according to the judgment result. This allows the user to check the identification information and delivery destination information attached to the package, and to efficiently assign delivery destination information to the package manually. This contributes to reducing the effort, labor, and labor costs involved in the series of operations from when the package arrives at the shipping base to when the package is shipped to the delivery destination.

[0053] [Embodiment 2] A management system Sa according to another embodiment (embodiment 2) of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7 to Fig. 10. For ease of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0054] (Configuration of management system Sa) The configuration of the management system Sa will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the management system Sa.

[0055] 7, the management system Sa includes an imaging device 1, a management device 2, a printing device 3, and a user terminal 4a. That is, the management system Sa differs from the management system S in that the management system Sa includes a user terminal 4.

[0056] The user terminal 4 is a terminal carried by a user Ua (e.g., a worker). The user terminal 4 captures images of a plurality of packages P1 to Pn (n is any natural number equal to or greater than 2) so that the surface to which the identification information of each package Pi (i is any natural number equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than n) is attached is included in the angle of view, and transmits the captured images to the management device 2. The user terminal 4 also receives a determination result as to whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined from the management device 2, and displays the result to the user Ua. In this embodiment, a smartphone is adopted as the user terminal 4, but is not limited thereto. The user terminal 4 may be configured to be able to communicate with the management device 2, and may have a function of capturing images of the packages P1 to Pn.

[0057] (Operation of management system Sa) The operation of the management system Sa will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the operation of the management system Sa.

[0058] First, the user terminal 4 captures an image of a plurality of packages P1 to Pn stacked on a rack or the like at a delivery base (S11). The user terminal 4a transmits the captured image of the plurality of packages P1 to Pn to the management device 2a.

[0059] Next, the management device 2 uses the captured images of the packages P1 to Pn received from the user terminal 4a to determine whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined (S12). Here, the management device 2 determines whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined by executing a management method M2, which will be described later. In addition, the management device 2 transmits the determination result as to whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined to the user terminal 4.

[0060] The user terminal 4 displays the determination result received from the management device 2 to the user Ua. If the displayed determination result indicates that the delivery destinations of all of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined (YES in S13), the user Ua passes the packages P1 to Pn to the conveyance line. However, if the determination result displayed on the user terminal 4 indicates that the delivery destinations of all of the packages P1 to Pn have not been determined (NO in S13), the management system Sa ends its operation.

[0061] The imaging device 1 captures an image of each of the packages Pi among the packages P1 to Pn transported along the conveyor line so that the surface to which the identification information is attached is included in the angle of view (S14). The imaging device 1 transmits the captured image of each package Pi to the management device 2.

[0062] The management device 2 identifies the delivery destination information of the package Pi by using the captured image of the package Pi (S15). Furthermore, the management device 2 transmits the identified delivery destination information of the package Pi to the printing device 3. Here, the management device 2 identifies the delivery destination information of the package Pi by executing a management method M3, which will be described later.

[0063] The printer 3 prints the delivery destination information received from the management device 2 on the package Pi (S16).

[0064] When the printing of the delivery destination information on the package Pi is completed in the manner described above, the management system Sa ends its operation. A user Ua of the management system Sa sorts the package Pi to a sorting destination corresponding to the printed delivery destination information.

[0065] (Management method M2 and management method M3) The management method M2 and management method M3 executed by the management device 2 will be described with reference to Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. Fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the management method M2, and Fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing the flow of the management method M3.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 9, the management method M2 includes an image acquisition process M21, an information acquisition process M22, a conversion process M23, a determination process M24, and a transmission process M25.

[0067] The image acquisition process M21 is a process for acquiring a captured image including the luggage P1 to Pn as a subject. In the image acquisition process M21, the processor 21 receives captured images of the luggage P1 to Pn captured by the user terminal 4, thereby acquiring the captured images including the luggage P1 to Pn as a subject.

[0068] The information acquisition process M22 is a process for acquiring the identification information of each of the packages P1 to Pn. As shown in Fig. 9, the information acquisition process M22 includes an area specification process M22a for specifying an area to which the identification information of each of the packages P1 to Pn is attached in a captured image including the packages P1 to Pn as subjects, and a reading process M22b for reading the identification information of each of the specified areas. In the information acquisition process M22, the processor 21 executes the area specification process M22a and the reading process M22b for reading the identification information of the specified areas, thereby acquiring the identification information of each of the packages P1 to Pn from the captured image including the packages P1 to Pn as subjects acquired in the image acquisition process M21.

[0069] The area identification process M22a uses a trained model to identify the area to which the identification information of each of the packages P1 to Pn is attached, similar to the area identification process M12a, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The reading process M22b performs OCR processing similar to the reading process M12b to obtain the identification information of each of the packages P1 to Pn from a captured image that includes the packages P1 to Pn as subjects.

[0070] The conversion process M23 is a process for converting the identification information of each of the packages P1 to Pn into normalized identification information. In the conversion process M23, the processor 21 performs a process similar to the conversion process M13 to convert the identification information of each of the packages P1 to Pn acquired in the information acquisition process M22 into normalized identification information.

[0071] The determination process M24 is a process for determining whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined. In the determination process M24, the processor 21 performs the same process as the determination process M14 to identify arrival information corresponding to the identification information of each package Pi of the normalized packages P1 to Pn converted in the conversion process M23, and determines whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined based on the presence or absence of delivery destination information corresponding to the identified arrival information.

[0072] The transmission process M25 is a process of transmitting the determination result as to whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been decided to the user terminal 4. The processor 21 transmits the determination result as to whether or not the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been decided, which is determined in the determination process M24, to the user terminal 4.

[0073] 10, the management method M3 includes an image acquisition process M31, an information acquisition process M32, a specification process M33, and a transmission process M34. The management method M3 is executed when the delivery destinations of all of the packages P1 to Pn have been determined. The management method M3 is executed every time the user Ua passes the packages P1 to Pn to the conveyor line.

[0074] The image acquisition process M31 is a procedure for acquiring a captured image including each of the packages Pi of the packages P1 to Pn handed over to the conveyor line as a subject. In the image acquisition process M31, the processor 21 receives the captured image of the package Pi captured by the imaging device 1, thereby acquiring the captured image including the package Pi as a subject.

[0075] The information acquisition process M32 is a process for acquiring identification information of the parcel Pi. As shown in Fig. 10, the information acquisition process M32 includes an area identification process M32a for identifying an area to which the identification information of the parcel Pi is attached in a captured image including the parcel Pi as a subject, and a reading process M32b for reading the identification information of each of the identified areas. In the information acquisition process M32, the processor 21 executes the area identification process M32a and the reading process M32b for reading the identification information of the identified areas, thereby acquiring the identification information of the parcel Pi from the captured image including the parcel Pi as a subject acquired in the image acquisition process M31.

[0076] The area identification process M32a uses a trained model to identify an area to which the identification information of the package Pi is attached, similar to the area identification process M12a, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted here. The reading process M32b performs OCR processing similar to the reading process M12b to obtain the identification information of the package Pi from a captured image that includes the package Pi as a subject.

[0077] The identification process M33 is a process for identifying the delivery destination information of the package Pi. In the identification process M33, the processor 21 identifies the delivery destination information of the package Pi by referring to the first and second correspondence tables in the same manner as in the conversion process M13 and the determination process M14.

[0078] The transmission process M34 is a process for transmitting the delivery destination information of the package Pi to the printing device 3. The processor 21 transmits to the printing device 3 the delivery destination information of the package Pi determined in the identification process M33.

[0079] (Display example) A specific example of a display screen displayed on the user terminal 4 to display to the user Ua the determination result as to whether or not the delivery destination of each of the packages P1 to Pn has been decided will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a specific example of a display screen displayed on the user terminal 4.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 11, the display screen displayed on the user terminal 4 to show the user Ua the result of the determination as to whether the delivery destinations of the packages P1 to Pn have been decided shows an image of the packages P1 to Pn captured by the user terminal 4 with either an "O" indicating that the delivery destination has been decided or an "X" indicating that the delivery destination has not been decided, the number of the rack on which the packages P1 to Pn are stacked, a character string indicating the determination result, a message instructing the next task, and a button corresponding to the message (already delivered or take a picture again).

[0081] (Effects of management system Sa) The management system Sa has a function of determining whether or not the delivery destination of each package Pi has been decided from a captured image including multiple packages P1 to Pn as subjects and displaying this to the user Ua, so that only packages with a decided delivery destination can be handed over to the conveyance line. This eliminates the need to move packages with an undecided delivery destination, so that the work of attaching delivery destination information to packages that arrive at the delivery base can be efficiently performed, which contributes to reducing the labor, effort, and labor costs involved in the series of work from when a package arrives at the shipping base to when the package is shipped to its delivery destination.

[0082] (summary) The management device according to the first aspect of the present embodiment is a management device that manages delivery of a package at a package delivery base. The management device includes a processor that executes an image acquisition process for acquiring an image including the package as a subject, an information acquisition process for acquiring identification information for identifying the package from the image, a conversion process for converting the identification information acquired by the information acquisition process into normalized identification information by referring to a first correspondence table that associates non-normalized identification information with normalized identification information, and a determination process for determining whether or not the delivery destination of the package has been determined by using a second correspondence table that associates arrival information including the normalized identification information with delivery destination information.

[0083] The above configuration can improve the efficiency of a series of operations from when a package arrives at a shipping base to when the package is shipped to a delivery destination, which contributes to reducing the labor, time, labor costs, and other costs involved in the series of operations from when the package arrives at a delivery base to when the package is shipped to a delivery destination.

[0084] The management device according to aspect 2 of this embodiment is characterized in that, in the information acquisition process of aspect 1 above, the processor uses an image containing luggage as a subject as input information, inputs the image into a trained model trained to detect areas bearing identification information that identifies the luggage, thereby identifying areas bearing identification information of the luggage included as a subject in the image.

[0085] According to the above configuration, in an image that includes a package as a subject, it is possible to specify an area that includes identification information of the package. This makes it possible to efficiently perform each process only on the area in the image that includes the package as a subject.

[0086] The management device of aspect 3 of this embodiment is characterized in that, in the information acquisition process of aspect 2 above, the processor acquires identification information of luggage included as a subject in the image by performing optical character recognition on an area to which identification information detected by the trained model is attached.

[0087] According to the above configuration, it is possible to obtain only information about character strings included in a specified area of ​​an image that includes a package as a subject. In other words, since no unnecessary information other than the character strings is obtained, each subsequent process can be performed efficiently.

[0088] The management device according to Aspect 4 of this embodiment is characterized in that, in any one of Aspects 1 to 3 above, it further executes a display process for displaying a determination result of the determination process to a user.

[0089] According to the above configuration, the user can hand over only packages with a determined delivery destination to the conveyor line and assign the corresponding delivery destination to the package. This can eliminate the need to move packages with no determined delivery destination, and can streamline the entire process from when the package arrives at the shipping base to when it is shipped to the delivery destination.

[0090] The management device of aspect 5 of this embodiment is characterized in that, in any one of aspects 1 to 4 above, the arrival information includes, in addition to the normalized identification information, at least one of information indicating the shipping date of the package and information indicating the shipping origin of the package.

[0091] According to the above configuration, the arrival information including the normalized identification information can be identified by the shipping date or the shipping origin, so that the arrival information corresponding to the normalized identification information acquired in the information acquisition process can be identified with high accuracy.

[0092] The management system according to aspect 6 of this embodiment is characterized in that it comprises an imaging device that captures an image including a package as a subject, a management device according to any one of aspects 1 to 5 above, and a printing device that, when it is determined by the determination process that the delivery destination of the package has been determined, prints on the package a delivery destination in the second correspondence table that corresponds to the arrival information including the normalized identification information obtained by the conversion process.

[0093] According to the above configuration, the task of attaching delivery destination information such as the address corresponding to the package to the package that has arrived at the delivery base can be performed automatically without manual work, thereby making it possible to streamline the series of tasks from when the package arrives at the shipping base to when the package is shipped to the delivery destination.

[0094] The management method according to aspect 7 of this embodiment is a management method for managing delivery of a package at a package delivery center. This management method includes an image acquisition process for acquiring an image including the package as a subject, an information acquisition process for acquiring identification information for identifying the package from the image, a conversion process for converting the identification information acquired by the information acquisition process into normalized identification information by referring to a first correspondence table that associates non-normalized identification information with normalized identification information, and a determination process for determining whether or not the delivery destination of the package has been determined by using a second correspondence table that associates arrival information including the normalized identification information with delivery destination information.

[0095] According to the above configuration, the same effects as those of the above-mentioned first aspect are achieved.

[0096] (Additional Notes) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] S Management System 1. Imaging device 2 Management device 3 Printing device 21 Processors 22 Primary Memory 23 Secondary Memory 24 Communication Interface 25 Input / Output Interface 26 Bus

Claims

1. A management device that manages delivery of packages at a package delivery base, an image acquisition process for acquiring an image including the luggage as a subject; an information acquisition process for acquiring identification information for identifying the package from the image; a conversion process of converting the identification information acquired by the information acquisition process into normalized identification information by referring to a first correspondence table that associates non-normalized identification information with normalized identification information; a processor for executing a determination process of determining whether or not the delivery destination of the package has been determined by using a second correspondence table that associates the arrival information including the normalized identification information with delivery destination information. A management device comprising:

2. In the information acquisition process, the processor inputs an image including a package as a subject into a trained model trained to detect an area to which identification information for identifying the package is attached, thereby identifying an area to which identification information of the package included as a subject in the image is attached.

2. The management device according to claim 1.

3. In the information acquisition process, the processor acquires identification information of a baggage included as a subject in the image by performing optical character recognition on an area to which the identification information detected by the trained model is attached.

3. The management device according to claim 2.

4. and further executing a display process for displaying a determination result of the determination process to a user.

2. The management device according to claim 1.

5. The arrival information includes at least one of information representing a shipping date of the package and information representing a shipping origin of the package in addition to the normalized identification information.

2. The management device according to claim 1.

6. An imaging device that captures an image including the luggage as a subject; A management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a printing device that prints, when it is determined by the determination process that the delivery destination of the package has been determined, a delivery destination corresponding to the arrival information including the normalized identification information obtained by the conversion process in the second correspondence table on the package; 1. A management system comprising:

7. A method for managing delivery of a package at a package delivery base, comprising: an image acquisition process for acquiring an image including the luggage as a subject; an information acquisition process for acquiring identification information for identifying the package from the image; a conversion process of converting the identification information acquired by the information acquisition process into normalized identification information by referring to a first correspondence table that associates non-normalized identification information with normalized identification information; and a determination process for determining whether or not the delivery destination of the package has been determined by using a second correspondence table that associates the arrival information, including the normalized identification information, with delivery destination information. A management method comprising:

Images