Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus capable of acquiring more accurately a plurality of code identifiers from captured images of multiple codes.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 1 includes: an image acquisition unit 11 which acquires, for multiple codes, a plurality of captured images having different imaging conditions; an identifier acquisition unit 13 which acquires a plurality of code identifiers identifying the multiple codes, respectively, using the captured images; and an output unit 14 which outputs the code identifiers acquired by the identifier acquisition unit 13.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and the like that acquires a code identifier for identifying a code by using a photographed image of the code. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a captured image of a code given to an object has been used to search for the object (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When performing processing using a captured image of such a code, a code identifier for identifying the code is usually obtained using the captured image of the code. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-159856 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, depending on the shooting conditions of the code, the code identifier of the code to be shot may not be properly acquired. For example, when shooting is performed in a backlit state, the code identifier of some codes may not be acquired due to whiteout in the shot image. Also, for example, when shooting is performed in a dark state, the code identifier of some codes may not be acquired due to blackout in the shot image. Usually, when shooting an image, the exposure is automatically adjusted, so it is considered that it is rare that the code identifier cannot be acquired for all of the multiple codes included in the shot image, but it may be possible that the code identifier cannot be acquired for some of the codes. In such a case, it is necessary to shoot again. However, when multiple codes are the shooting target, even if the code identifier cannot be acquired for some of the codes, if the code identifiers are acquired for the other codes, the person may not notice that some of the code identifiers have not been acquired and may not shoot again. In such a case, the result of processing using multiple codes becomes inaccurate. For example, when codes are attached to objects that are products and the codes are used for product management such as inventory, the product management cannot be properly performed if some of the codes are not read.

[0005] Therefore, when acquiring code identifiers corresponding to each of a plurality of codes from a captured image of a plurality of codes, there has been a demand for realizing acquisition of more accurate code identifiers.

[0006] The present invention has been made in response to the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide an information processing device, etc. that can more accurately acquire multiple code identifiers when acquiring multiple code identifiers from a photographed image of multiple codes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes an image acquisition unit that acquires multiple captured images of multiple codes under different shooting conditions, an identifier acquisition unit that uses the multiple captured images to acquire multiple code identifiers that respectively identify the multiple codes, and an output unit that outputs the multiple code identifiers acquired by the identifier acquisition unit.

[0008] With this configuration, multiple code identifiers are obtained using multiple captured images taken under different shooting conditions, which reduces the occurrence of code identifiers being overlooked due to the effects of backlight, for example, and enables more accurate acquisition of code identifiers.

[0009] In the information processing device according to an aspect of the present invention, the plurality of captured images may be acquired by capturing images of a plurality of codes, respectively. With this configuration, it is possible to more accurately obtain the code identifier by using a plurality of captured images obtained by photography.

[0010] In addition, in the information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the multiple captured images may include captured images obtained by capturing images of multiple codes and having shooting conditions changed by image processing. With this configuration, even if the camera that captures the images does not have a function for changing the shooting conditions, it is possible to obtain a plurality of captured images captured under different shooting conditions by image processing.

[0011] In addition, in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the acquisition of one captured image by the image acquisition unit and the acquisition of a code identifier from one captured image by the identifier acquisition unit are repeated, and if the image acquisition unit is unable to acquire a code identifier for at least one of the multiple codes, it may repeat the acquisition of captured images whose shooting conditions have been changed by image processing. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain a plurality of code identifiers corresponding to the plurality of codes, using the minimum number of captured images required to obtain the plurality of code identifiers.

[0012] In addition, in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the multiple codes are all different codes, and the identifier acquisition unit may acquire multiple code identifiers that respectively identify the multiple codes by integrating code identifiers acquired from the multiple captured images. With this configuration, by integrating the acquired code identifiers, it is possible to acquire a plurality of code identifiers respectively corresponding to a plurality of codes of the subject to be photographed.

[0013] In addition, in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the identifier acquisition unit may acquire code position information including a code identifier and a code position for each of a plurality of codes contained in a captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and may acquire a plurality of code identifiers each identifying the plurality of codes using the plurality of code position information acquired from the plurality of captured images. With this configuration, it is possible to obtain multiple code identifiers corresponding to the multiple codes of the subject by using the code positions as well. Therefore, even if there are overlaps among the multiple codes of the subject, it is possible to obtain more accurate code identifiers.

[0014] In the information processing device according to the aspect of the present invention, the shooting condition may be exposure or brightness. With this configuration, for example, it is possible to more accurately obtain a plurality of code identifiers by using a plurality of captured images with different exposures or brightnesses.

[0015] Furthermore, an information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention is an information processing method processed using an image acquisition unit, an identifier acquisition unit, and an output unit, and includes the steps of: the image acquisition unit acquiring a plurality of captured images for a plurality of codes, the captured images being captured under different shooting conditions; the identifier acquisition unit acquiring a plurality of code identifiers that respectively identify the plurality of codes, using the plurality of captured images; and the output unit outputting the acquired plurality of code identifiers. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to an information processing device and the like according to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to more accurately obtain a plurality of code identifiers from a captured image of a plurality of codes. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] A flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an object to which a code is assigned in the embodiment. [Figure 4A] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of acquired code position information in the embodiment; [Figure 4B] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of acquired code position information in the embodiment; [Figure 4C] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of integrated code position information according to the embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of a computer system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] The information processing device and information processing method according to the present invention will be described below using embodiments. In the following embodiments, components and steps with the same reference numerals are the same or equivalent, and repeated description may be omitted. The information processing device according to the present embodiment acquires multiple code identifiers from captured images of multiple codes by using multiple captured images with different shooting conditions.

[0019] 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment. The information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment includes an image acquisition unit 11, a storage unit 12, an identifier acquisition unit 13, and an output unit 14. The information processing device 1 may be, for example, a portable information processing terminal having a photographing function, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or may be an information processing device or a server that receives and processes photographed images from a device having a photographing function.

[0020] The image acquisition unit 11 acquires a plurality of captured images of a plurality of codes under different capture conditions. The plurality of codes of the subject may or may not overlap. In the former case, for example, two or more of the plurality of codes of the subject may be the same. In the latter case, the plurality of codes of the subject are all different codes. The image acquisition unit 11 may have, for example, an optical device such as a camera that captures an image, or may acquire an image captured by an optical device such as a camera. In this embodiment, the case where the image acquisition unit 11 has a camera will be mainly described. The captured image may be, for example, a color image, or may be a black and white or grayscale image. When the code has a color other than black and white, it is preferable that the captured image is a color image. As an example, the image acquisition unit 11 may acquire the captured image in response to an instruction from a user. The acquired plurality of captured images may be stored in the storage unit 12, for example.

[0021] The shooting condition may be, for example, at least one selected from exposure, brightness, saturation, and sharpness. In this embodiment, a case where the shooting condition to be changed is exposure will be mainly described.

[0022] It is preferable that the multiple captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit 11 are multiple captured images captured from the same position with the same optical axis direction and the same angle of view. In other words, it is preferable that the positions of the multiple codes of the subject do not change in each of the multiple captured images. It is also preferable that the capture times of the multiple captured images are the same or close enough to be considered to be substantially the same. In the latter case, the capture times may be close enough to the extent that the positions of the codes included in the captured images do not change, for example.

[0023] The multiple captured images may be acquired by capturing multiple codes. In this case, the capturing of images under different capturing conditions is repeated for the number of captured images. As described above, it is preferable that the multiple captured images are captured in a short time. Therefore, the multiple captured images are usually captured all at once. The multiple captured images may be captured continuously. When the multiple captured images are captured by capturing images, for example, the images may be captured under multiple different capturing conditions that are determined in advance. Specifically, the image capture unit 11 may acquire an image captured with an exposure that is considered appropriate, one or more captured images captured by changing the exposure to a different exposure on the over side, and one or more captured images captured by changing the exposure to a different exposure on the under side.

[0024] The multiple captured images may include a captured image in which the capturing conditions of the captured image acquired by capturing the multiple codes are changed by image processing. As an example, one or more of the multiple captured images may be captured by capturing, and the capturing conditions of the other captured images may be changed by image processing. In this embodiment, a case in which one captured image is captured by capturing, and the other captured images are captured by image processing will be mainly described. In this manner, when at least some of the captured images are captured by image processing, the image acquisition unit 11 may have, for example, a processing unit that performs the image processing. Note that, for example, all of the captured images from which the code identifier is acquired may be captured images acquired by image processing. In this case, the captured images acquired by capturing may not be used to acquire the code identifier. When at least some of the multiple captured images are acquired by image processing, for example, multiple captured images in which the capturing conditions of the captured captured images are changed as predetermined may be acquired by image processing. Specifically, the image acquisition unit 11 may acquire one or more captured images in which the exposure of the captured image acquired by shooting has been changed to a different exposure on the overexposure side by image processing, and one or more captured images in which the exposure of the captured image has been changed to a different exposure on the underexposure side by image processing.

[0025] In addition, when capturing images with different shooting conditions are acquired by image processing, the image acquisition unit 11 may, for example, acquire a predetermined number of captured images collectively by image processing, or may sequentially repeat acquisition of captured images by image processing. In the latter case, for example, acquisition of one captured image by the image acquisition unit 11 and acquisition of a code identifier from one captured image by the identifier acquisition unit 13 may be repeated. Then, when the identifier acquisition unit 13 has not been able to acquire a code identifier of at least one code among the multiple codes, the image acquisition unit 11 may repeat acquisition of captured images with the shooting conditions changed by image processing. By repeating acquisition of captured images with the shooting conditions changed by image processing, multiple captured images with different shooting conditions may be acquired as a result. In addition, whether or not a code identifier of at least one code among the multiple codes has not been acquired may be determined by, for example, the number of codes set in advance or the number of codes identified by template matching or the like in the captured images. The number of codes set in advance may be set by, for example, a user or the like. For example, when the number of acquired code identifiers or code position information described later is less than the number of codes, it may be determined that the code identifier of at least one of the multiple codes of the subject has not been acquired. This determination may be made by, for example, the image acquisition unit 11 or the identifier acquisition unit 13, or by other components.

[0026] The code may be, for example, a color code such as Chameleon Code (registered trademark), a QR Code (registered trademark), a two-dimensional code such as an AR marker, a barcode, or other codes. The code may be, for example, a code composed of a predetermined number of two-dimensional codes. As an example, the code may be composed of a plurality of AR markers. The number of two-dimensional codes constituting the code may be, for example, two, three, or four or more. The AR marker may be, for example, an ArUco marker. In addition, in order to collectively acquire code identifiers corresponding to a plurality of codes included in a captured image, it is preferable that the code is capable of reading a plurality of codes simultaneously. In this embodiment, a case where the code is composed of two square AR markers will be mainly described. Note that the two AR markers may be arranged so that one side of each AR marker faces each other, for example, as in the code 5 shown in FIG. 3.

[0027] The code of the photographed object may be, for example, given to the object. The object may be, for example, a commodity, a storage object stored in a warehouse or the like, or other object. The object may be, for example, a box-shaped object such as a cardboard box or a container, a bag, a bottle, a can, or other object. In this embodiment, the case where the object is a box-shaped commodity will be mainly described. As an example, a photographed image of a code given to each of a plurality of commodity boxes stacked in a warehouse or the like may be acquired by the image acquisition unit 11.

[0028] The method by which the code is applied to the object is not important. For example, the code may be affixed to the object, the code may be printed on the surface of the object, a tag (label) showing the code may be attached to the object, or the code may be applied to the object by other methods. It is preferable that the code is applied to the object in such a way that the code is easily read. For example, it is preferable that when the part of the object to which the code is applied is photographed, the code can be read in the photographed image.

[0029] The storage unit 12 may store, for example, a photographed image acquired by the image acquisition unit 11. The storage unit 12 may also store a code identifier acquired by the identifier acquisition unit 13 and code position information (described later). The storage unit 12 is preferably realized by a non-volatile recording medium, but may also be realized by a volatile recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

[0030] The identifier acquisition unit 13 acquires a plurality of code identifiers that respectively identify a plurality of codes of the photographed object using a plurality of photographed images. The identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire the code identifiers, for example, by detecting a code in the photographed image and reading the code in the area of ​​the detected code.

[0031] The code identifier may be any identifier that can identify the code. For example, the code identifier may be the information indicated by the code (i.e., information obtained by reading the code), or may be information that is managed in association with the information obtained by reading the code. In this embodiment, the former case will be mainly described.

[0032] When the multiple codes are all different codes, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire multiple code identifiers that identify the multiple codes, for example, by integrating the code identifiers acquired from the multiple captured images. When the multiple captured images are acquired collectively, as an example, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire multiple code identifiers that respectively correspond to the multiple codes of the captured object by performing unique processing on a set of code identifiers obtained by merging the code identifiers acquired from the multiple captured images. When the multiple captured images are acquired sequentially, as an example, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire multiple code identifiers from the captured image acquired initially, accumulate the set of the multiple code identifiers in the storage unit 12, acquire multiple code identifiers from the captured image acquired next, and add code identifiers that are not included in the set of the multiple code identifiers stored in the storage unit 12 to the set, among the multiple acquired code identifiers, every time a new captured image is acquired. In this case, the set of multiple code identifiers finally stored in the storage unit 12 becomes multiple code identifiers that respectively correspond to the multiple codes of the captured object. In addition, even when multiple captured images are acquired sequentially, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire multiple code identifiers, for example, by performing unique processing on a set of code identifiers obtained by merging code identifiers acquired from multiple captured images.

[0033] Further, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire code position information including a code identifier and a code position for each of a plurality of codes included in the photographed image acquired by the image acquisition unit 11, for example. In this case, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire a plurality of code identifiers for identifying the plurality of codes, for example, by using a plurality of code position information acquired from a plurality of photographed images. By acquiring a plurality of code identifiers in this manner, it is possible to accurately acquire code identifiers even when there is duplication among a plurality of codes of the photographed object, that is, when the plurality of codes includes two or more identical codes. The position of the code may be, for example, the position of the code in the photographed image. As an example, the position of the code may be the coordinate value of a representative position of the code in the coordinate system of the photographed image. The representative position of the code may be, for example, the position of the center of gravity of the code, or may be a predetermined position such as the upper left vertex of the code.

[0034] Acquisition of multiple code identifiers using multiple code position information may be performed, for example, as follows. When multiple captured images are acquired collectively, as one example, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may perform unique processing on a set of code position information obtained by merging code position information acquired from multiple captured images to generate a set including only code position information corresponding to multiple codes of the captured subject, and acquire a code identifier from each of the multiple code position information included in the set. The multiple code identifiers acquired in this way are multiple code identifiers corresponding to multiple codes of the captured subject.

[0035] Also, when a plurality of photographed images are sequentially acquired, for example, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire a plurality of pieces of code position information from the photographed image acquired initially, accumulate a set of the plurality of pieces of code position information in the storage unit 12, acquire a plurality of pieces of code position information from the photographed image acquired next, and add to the set, among the plurality of pieces of acquired code position information, any code position information that is not included in the set of the plurality of pieces of code position information stored in the storage unit 12, every time a new photographed image is acquired. Then, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire a code identifier from each of the plurality of pieces of code position information included in the set of the plurality of pieces of code position information finally stored in the storage unit 12. The plurality of code identifiers acquired in this manner become a plurality of code identifiers corresponding to the plurality of codes of the photographed object, respectively. Note that even when a plurality of photographed images are sequentially acquired, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may generate a set of a plurality of pieces of code position information by performing a unique process on the set of code position information obtained by merging the code position information acquired from the plurality of photographed images, and acquire a code identifier from each of the plurality of pieces of code position information included in the set.

[0036] In the process of making code position information unique or adding new code position information to a set of code position information, code position information including the same code identifier and the same position may be determined to be the same code position information. In addition, the same position may be, for example, the exact same position, or a position close enough to be considered to be substantially the same position.

[0037] Furthermore, when there is duplication among multiple codes of the subject, the identifier acquisition unit 13 may acquire a set of multiple code identifiers including two or more identical code identifiers, or may acquire one or more pairs of a code identifier and the number of codes identified by the code identifier, since both are considered to be substantially the same.

[0038] The output unit 14 outputs the multiple code identifiers acquired by the identifier acquisition unit 13. When there is duplication among the multiple codes of the subject, the output unit 14 may output, for example, a set of multiple code identifiers including two or more identical code identifiers, or may output one or more pairs of a code identifier and the number of codes identified by the code identifier. In the latter case, the multiple code identifiers corresponding to the multiple codes of the subject may be, for example, one or more pairs of a code identifier and the number.

[0039] This output may be, for example, transmission via a communication line to a specified device, storage in a recording medium, display on a display device (e.g., a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display), or delivery to another component. Note that output unit 14 may or may not include a device that performs output (e.g., a communication device). Also, output unit 14 may be realized by hardware, or may be realized by software such as a driver that drives such a device.

[0040] Next, the operation of the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 2. In this flowchart, the case where captured images are acquired sequentially will be described. In addition, in this flowchart, the case where there may be overlaps among multiple codes of the captured image will be described.

[0041] (Step S101) The image acquisition unit 11 determines whether to acquire a captured image. If the captured image is to be acquired, the process proceeds to step S102. If not, the process of step S101 is repeated until it is determined that the captured image is to be acquired. Note that the image acquisition unit 11 may determine to acquire a captured image in response to, for example, an instruction to acquire a captured image (for example, a user pressing a capture button), or may determine to acquire a captured image when the captured image is accepted by the information processing device 1.

[0042] (Step S102) The image acquisition unit 11 acquires a photographed image. The acquired photographed image may be stored in the storage unit 12, for example.

[0043] (Step S103) The identifier acquisition unit 13 acquires code position information from the last acquired captured image. For example, when proceeding from step S102 to step S103, the code position information may be acquired from the captured image. Also, for example, when returning from step S106 to step S103, the code position information may be acquired from the captured image acquired by image processing. The acquired code position information may be stored, for example, in the storage unit 12. At the time of this accumulation, code position information that has already been stored does not need to be accumulated.

[0044] (Step S104) The identifier acquisition unit 13 determines whether or not there is an unacquired code. For example, if the number of pieces of code position information stored in the memory unit 12 is less than the number of the multiple codes of the image capture target, it may be determined that there is an unacquired code. If there is an unacquired code, the process proceeds to step S105, and if not, that is, if the code identifiers have been acquired for all the codes of the image capture target, the process proceeds to step S107.

[0045] (Step S105) The identifier acquisition unit 13 judges whether or not to end the acquisition of the captured images. If the acquisition of the captured images is to be ended, the process returns to step S101, and if not, the process proceeds to step S106. Note that the identifier acquisition unit 13 may judge to end the acquisition of the captured images, for example, when the number of captured images that have been acquired is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. In this case, it means that the code identifiers could not be acquired for at least some of the codes included in the captured images. Therefore, the output unit 14 may output, for example, a message indicating an error.

[0046] (Step S106) The image acquisition unit 11 acquires images captured under different shooting conditions by image processing. Then, the process returns to step S103. Note that, when the process of step S106 is performed multiple times, it is preferable to perform the process of step S106 so that the shooting conditions of the captured image acquired in step S102 and the captured image acquired in step S106 are different from each other.

[0047] (Step S107) The output unit 14 outputs a plurality of code identifiers that respectively identify the plurality of codes of the photographing target. Then, the process returns to step S101. Note that the output unit 14 may read and output the code identifiers included in each of the plurality of pieces of code position information stored in the storage unit 12, for example.

[0048] In addition, when a plurality of captured images are acquired at once, a plurality of captured images with different shooting conditions may be acquired in step S102. In this case, the process of step S106 may not be performed. In addition, in step S105, it is determined whether the process of acquiring the code position information from the captured images has been completed for all the captured images. If the process has been completed for all the captured images, the process may return to step S101. If there are still unprocessed captured images, the process may return to step S103. In addition, in step S103, if the first process is performed, the process may be performed for the first captured image, and if the second process is performed, the process may be performed for the second captured image, and so on. In addition, if there is no overlap in the plurality of codes of the captured object, that is, if the plurality of codes are different from each other, a code identifier may be acquired in step S103 instead of the code position information. In addition, the order of the processes in the flowchart of FIG. 2 is an example, and the order of the steps may be changed as long as the same result can be obtained. In addition, in the flowchart of FIG. 2, the process ends due to an interruption such as power off or end of process.

[0049] Next, the operation of the information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described using a specific example. In this specific example, a case will be described in which a plurality of box-shaped products 3 with codes 5 on the sides thereof, as shown in FIG. 3, are photographed by the information processing device 1, which is a smartphone. In this specific example, it is assumed that the code 5 is composed of two AR markers arranged side by side, as shown in FIG. 3. It is assumed that the plurality of products 3 are stacked in FIG. In this specific example, it is assumed that a code identifier is obtained using a plurality of photographed images with different exposures, which are photographing conditions. In this specific example, it is assumed that the maximum number of photographed images used to obtain a code identifier is 10.

[0050] Suppose that a user inputs an instruction to take a picture with the information processing device 1, which is a smartphone, pointed at the product 3 shown in Fig. 3. Then, the image acquisition unit 11 acquires one captured image including the code 5 of each product 3 and stores it in the storage unit 12, and also notifies the identifier acquisition unit 13 that the captured image has been acquired (steps S101, S102). Note that this image may be taken with an exposure automatically adjusted on the smartphone.

[0051] When receiving the notification that the photographed image has been acquired, the identifier acquisition unit 13 reads out the latest photographed image stored in the storage unit 12, acquires code position information including a code identifier and the position of the code in the photographed image for each of the multiple codes 5 included in the photographed image, and stores the code position information in the storage unit 12 (step S103). Here, it is assumed that the five pieces of code position information shown in FIG. 4A are acquired and stored in the storage unit 12.

[0052] Furthermore, the identifier acquisition unit 13 detects the code 5 in the latest captured image stored in the storage unit 12 by template matching using a template of the code 5, counts the number of the detected codes 5, and stores the number in the storage unit 12. In this case, it is assumed that the number of codes 5 included in the captured image is six. Then, the identifier acquisition unit 13 determines that there are codes 5 that have not been acquired because the code identifiers for only five of the six codes 5 have been acquired (step S104). Furthermore, the identifier acquisition unit 13 determines that the acquisition of captured images is to be continued because ten captured images have not yet been acquired, and instructs the image acquisition unit 11 to acquire captured images with different shooting conditions (step S105). Upon receiving the instruction, the image acquisition unit 11 performs image processing on the first captured image to acquire a second captured image in which the exposure, which is a shooting condition, is changed to a predetermined value, and stores the second captured image in the storage unit 12, and also passes a notice of the acquisition of the captured images to the identifier acquisition unit 13 (step S106).

[0053] Upon receiving a notification that the captured image has been acquired, the identifier acquisition unit 13 reads out the latest captured image stored in the storage unit 12, acquires code position information including a code identifier and the position of the code in the captured image for each of the multiple codes 5 included in the captured image, and stores the code position information in the storage unit 12 (step S103). Here, five pieces of code position information shown in Fig. 4B are acquired, and among them, the third code position information from the top that has not yet been stored in the storage unit 12 is stored in the storage unit 12. As a result, the code position information stored in the storage unit 12 becomes as shown in Fig. 4C.

[0054] Since the number of acquired code position information pieces, "6", is equal to the number of codes 5 stored in the memory unit 12, "6", the identifier acquisition unit 13 determines that there are no unacquired codes 5, and passes the six code identifiers read from each of the six pieces of code position information shown in FIG. 4C to the output unit 14 (step S104). Upon receiving the six code identifiers, the output unit 14 outputs them (step S107). The output unit 14 may transmit the multiple code identifiers to, for example, a device that performs processing such as inventorying multiple products 3. In this way, the series of processes for acquiring code identifiers using multiple captured images with different shooting conditions is completed.

[0055] As described above, according to the information processing device 1 of the present embodiment, since multiple code identifiers are obtained using multiple captured images with different shooting conditions, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of oversight of code identifiers due to the influence of backlight, for example, and to realize more accurate acquisition of code identifiers. Furthermore, if multiple captured images with different shooting conditions include a captured image in which the shooting conditions of the captured image obtained by shooting are changed by image processing, for example, it becomes possible to obtain multiple captured images with different shooting conditions even if the camera does not have a function for changing the shooting conditions. Furthermore, by sequentially acquiring captured images and acquiring code identifiers, for example, it becomes possible to acquire multiple code identifiers corresponding to each of multiple codes using a minimum number of captured images. Furthermore, by acquiring code identifiers using code position information acquired from captured images, it becomes possible to appropriately acquire code identifiers even when two or more of the same codes are included in a captured image.

[0056] In the information processing device 1 according to the present embodiment, when the captured images are sequentially acquired and the code identifier of at least one of the codes of the captured subject cannot be acquired, the image capturing conditions may be changed by image processing only for the area of ​​the code whose code identifier could not be acquired. For example, the identifier acquiring unit 13 may detect a code in the captured image acquired by shooting by template matching or the like and acquire the code identifier of the detected code. Then, the identifier acquiring unit 13 may instruct the image acquiring unit 11 to change the shooting conditions for the area of ​​the detected code whose code identifier could not be acquired, and may perform a process of acquiring the code identifier using the image whose shooting conditions have been changed by image processing in response to the instruction. This process of changing the shooting conditions and the process of acquiring the code identifier using the image after the shooting conditions have been changed may be repeated until the code identifier can be acquired. In this case, the image acquiring unit 11 may change the shooting conditions by image processing for a part of the area, i.e., a captured image including only the code area, instead of the entire captured image acquired by shooting. In addition, when there are multiple codes whose code identifiers cannot be acquired, the above process may be performed for each of the multiple codes.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the case where the information processing device 1 is a stand-alone device has been mainly described, but the information processing device 1 may be a stand-alone device or a server device in a server-client system. In the latter case, the output unit and the reception unit may obtain information and output information via a communication line.

[0058] In addition, in the above embodiments, each process or function may be realized by centralized processing in a single device or a single system, or may be realized by distributed processing in multiple devices or multiple systems.

[0059] In addition, in the above embodiments, the transfer of information between each component may be performed, for example, by one component outputting information and the other component receiving information if the two components transferring the information are physically different, or, if the two components transferring the information are physically the same, by shifting from a processing phase corresponding to one component to a processing phase corresponding to the other component.

[0060] In the above embodiment, information related to the processing performed by each component, such as information accepted, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component, and information such as thresholds, formulas, and addresses used by each component in processing, may be temporarily or long-term stored in a recording medium (not shown) even if not specified in the above description. Furthermore, each component or a storage unit (not shown) may store information in the recording medium (not shown). Furthermore, each component or a reading unit (not shown) may read information from the recording medium (not shown).

[0061] In the above embodiment, if the information used by each component, such as the thresholds, addresses, and various setting values ​​used by each component in processing, may be changed by the user, the user may be able to change the information as appropriate, even if not specified in the above description. If the information is changeable by the user, the change may be realized, for example, by a reception unit (not shown) that receives a change instruction from the user, and a change unit (not shown) that changes the information in response to the change instruction. The reception unit (not shown) may receive the change instruction from an input device, may receive information transmitted via a communication line, or may receive information read from a predetermined recording medium.

[0062] In addition, in the above embodiment, when two or more components included in the information processing device 1 have a communication device, an input device, etc., the two or more components may physically have a single device, or may have separate devices.

[0063] In the above embodiment, each component may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. For example, each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. During execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing the storage unit or the recording medium. Note that the software for realizing the information processing device 1 in the above embodiment is a program such as the following. In other words, this program may be a program for making a computer function as an image acquisition unit that acquires multiple captured images with different shooting conditions for multiple codes, an identifier acquisition unit that acquires multiple code identifiers that respectively identify the multiple codes using the multiple captured images, and an output unit that outputs the multiple code identifiers acquired by the identifier acquisition unit.

[0064] In addition, the functions realized by the above program do not include functions that can only be realized by hardware, such as a modem or an interface card in an acquisition unit that acquires information or an output unit that outputs information.

[0065] This program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or by reading out a program recorded on a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, etc.). This program may be used as a program constituting a program product. This program may be executed by a single computer or multiple computers. That is, centralized processing or distributed processing may be performed.

[0066] 5 is a diagram showing an example of a computer system 900 that executes the above program to realize the information processing device 1 according to the above embodiment. The above embodiment can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon.

[0067] 5, the computer system 900 includes an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 911, a ROM 912 such as a flash memory in which programs such as a boot-up program, application programs, system programs, and data are stored, a RAM 913 connected to the MPU 911 and temporarily storing instructions of application programs and providing a temporary storage space, a touch panel 914, a wireless communication module 915, and a bus 916 connecting the MPU 911, the ROM 912, and the like to each other. Note that a wired communication module may be provided instead of the wireless communication module 915. Also, instead of the touch panel 914, a display and an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard may be provided.

[0068] A program that causes the computer system 900 to execute the functions of the information processing device 1 according to the above embodiment may be stored in the ROM 912 via the wireless communication module 915. The program is loaded into the RAM 913 when executed. The program may also be loaded directly from the network.

[0069] The program does not necessarily include an operating system (OS) or a third-party program that causes the computer system 900 to execute the functions of the information processing device 1 according to the above embodiment. The program may include only an instruction portion that calls appropriate functions or modules in a controlled manner to obtain a desired result. How the computer system 900 operates is well known, and a detailed description will be omitted.

[0070] The above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples for specifically implementing the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the description of the embodiments, and is intended to include modifications within the literal scope of the claims and the scope of equivalent meanings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1. Information processing device 11 Image acquisition section 12 Storage section 13 Identifier Acquisition Unit 14 Output section

Claims

1. an image acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of images captured under different photographing conditions for a plurality of codes; an identifier acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of code identifiers that respectively identify the plurality of codes by using the plurality of captured images; an output unit that outputs the plurality of code identifiers acquired by the identifier acquisition unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of photographed images are acquired by photographing the plurality of codes, respectively.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of photographed images include photographed images obtained by photographing the plurality of codes and in which photographing conditions of the photographed images have been changed through image processing.

4. the acquisition of one photographed image by the image acquisition unit and the acquisition of a code identifier from the one photographed image by the identifier acquisition unit are repeated, The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the image acquisition unit, when unable to acquire a code identifier for at least any of the plurality of codes, repeats acquisition of captured images with shooting conditions changed by image processing.

5. The plurality of codes are all different codes, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the identifier acquisition unit acquires a plurality of code identifiers each identifying the plurality of codes by integrating the code identifiers acquired from the plurality of captured images.

6. 5. An information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the identifier acquisition unit acquires code position information including a code identifier and a code position for each of a plurality of codes included in the captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit, and acquires a plurality of code identifiers each identifying the plurality of codes using the plurality of code position information acquired from the plurality of captured images.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the photographing condition is exposure or brightness.

8. An information processing method performed using an image acquisition unit, an identifier acquisition unit, and an output unit, comprising: The image acquisition unit acquires a plurality of captured images of a plurality of codes under different photographing conditions; the identifier acquisition unit acquiring a plurality of code identifiers each identifying one of the plurality of codes by using the plurality of captured images; and a step of the output unit outputting the acquired code identifiers.

9. Computer, an image acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of images captured under different photographing conditions for a plurality of codes; an identifier acquisition unit that acquires a plurality of code identifiers that respectively identify the plurality of codes by using the plurality of captured images; A program for causing the output unit to function as an output unit that outputs the multiple code identifiers acquired by the identifier acquisition unit.

Images