Device attribute information registration support program

Abstract

To provide a program for efficiently and correctly inputting information described on a face plate and registering the information in a database.SOLUTION: There is provided a registration support program for supporting registration of prescribed attribute information provided on a device in a database of a management system, on the basis of a content described on an information representation part provided on the device. The program causes a computer to execute: an OCR function for recognizing, by optical recognition technology, characters in an image obtained by imaging the information representation part on which the attribute information of the device is described; a scoring function for comparing sequentially, character strings in a correct answer data table in which character strings indicating pieces of attribute information of multiple devices which are possibly registered, are registered, with the character string recognized by the OCR function, and scoring the character strings indicating the pieces of attribute information of all devices described in the correct answer data table; and a selection function for selecting the attribute information corresponding to the character string whose score is the highest point, as the attribute information of the device which should be registered in the database.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a registration support program that supports the registration of device attribute information in a database by utilizing written information on nameplates attached to various electrical equipment and devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Along railway tracks and within stations, various electrical equipment and devices are installed that make up the safety system to ensure the safe running of trains. These devices and devices are equipped with plates called nameplates that display information about the product, such as the product name, manufacturer, manufacturing date, product model (model number), and product code. In addition, because railways are a wide-area system, a wide variety of devices and equipment are installed along the tracks and in stations. For example, at a level crossing, more than 50 devices and equipment are installed at one location, including alarms, circuit breakers, level crossing controllers, and relays that make up the signal transmission circuit. Therefore, in order to properly manage these devices and equipment, it is necessary to register the attribute information of each device and equipment in a database when it is installed.

[0003] Conventionally, the task of registering attribute information of devices and equipment into a database involved a worker at the site where the devices and equipment were installed visually reading various pieces of information written on nameplates attached to the devices and equipment, writing them down on paper or taking pictures with a camera, then moving to an office where a computer for data registration was installed and manually entering the information into a keyboard while looking at the written information on paper or the camera image. Therefore, there was a problem that the task of registering nameplate information into a database required a great deal of labor and time, and there was a demand for a device or mechanism that could efficiently register nameplate information into a database. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-105905 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, the inventors have investigated a system that uses a portable information terminal such as a tablet PC with a built-in camera to read and register various information written on nameplates using OCR (optical character recognition) technology. As a result, since the nameplates attached to railway equipment and devices are metal plates, the background color is not white, so the ink is not noticeable and the printed letters and symbols are often faded and difficult to read. In addition, because letters and symbols are sometimes written in an uneven manner, it was found that it is difficult to read the nameplate information and register it in a database using OCR technology alone. Furthermore, the type of information written on the nameplate varies depending on the manufacturer, and when registering equipment attribute information, there are cases where information such as the installation location that is not written on the nameplate needs to be registered in the database, so it was found that there are limitations to inputting equipment attribute information using OCR technology.

[0006] Conventionally, as a technology for registering written information using OCR technology, there is, for example, a business card information registration device as described in Patent Document 1. The business card information registration device described in Patent Document 1 reads business cards on which relatively clear characters are printed, so that accurate information input is possible using OCR technology. On the other hand, there are no rules or restrictions on the writing method or contents of nameplates for railway equipment and devices, and the layout is also indefinite, so a computer may not even know what the characters read by the OCR function mean, and it is often unable to identify the items for classifying the characters. Therefore, there is a problem that it is difficult to input accurate nameplate information and register it in a database just by applying the invention of Patent Document 1.

[0007] The present invention has been made against the background described above, and its object is to provide an equipment attribute information registration support program that can efficiently and accurately input information written on the nameplates of equipment and devices in railway facilities, etc., and register it in a database. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device attribute information registration support program that utilizes information written on the nameplate of a device or equipment, and that can input information that is not written on the nameplate of the device or equipment, and register it in a database. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to 1. A registration support program for supporting registration of predetermined attribute information of a device into a database of a management system based on contents written on an information display unit of the device, comprising: On the computer, an OCR function that recognizes characters in an image captured by an imaging device of the information display section on which the attribute information of the device is described, using an optical recognition technology; A scoring function that sequentially compares character strings in a correct answer data table in which character strings representing attribute information of a plurality of devices that may be registered are registered with character strings recognized by the OCR function, and assigns scores to character strings representing attribute information of all devices registered in the correct answer data table; A selection function is realized for selecting attribute information corresponding to the character string with the highest score as attribute information of a device to be registered in the database.

[0009] With a registration support program having the above-described functions, there is no need for an operator to visually read the various information written on the nameplate attached to the equipment at the site where the equipment is installed, write it down on paper, then go to the office and manually input the information into a computer keyboard while looking at the information written on the paper. Therefore, the information written on the nameplate can be efficiently and accurately entered and registered in the database.

[0010] Here, it is preferable that the correct answer data table has a plurality of cells in each row in which character strings representing a plurality of pieces of attribute information of each device are stored in order, In the scoring function, The calculation of the similarity between the attribute information stored in multiple cells in each row of the correct answer data table and the character string recognized by the OCR function is performed sequentially for multiple cells in all rows of the correct answer data table, and the total similarity value for each row is calculated as a standard score. According to a registration assistance program equipped with such functions, the similarity between each character string corresponding to each attribute information of the device and the corresponding character string registered in the correct data table is calculated, and the sum of the similarities for each row is calculated as a standard score, thereby increasing the accuracy rate of the recognition results obtained by the OCR function.

[0011] It is also preferable to provide a registration information data table in which attribute information of devices to be finally registered in the database is described on a line-by-line basis, Each row of the correct answer data table is associated with each row of the registration information data table, When registering the attribute information of the device to be registered in the database based on the character string recognized by the OCR function, the selection function selects the attribute information of the row of the registration information data table linked to the row of the character string in the correct answer data table with the highest standard score as the attribute information to be registered in the database.

[0012] According to the registration support program having the above functions, even if there is an error in the character string registered in the correct data table, the registration information in the registration information data table in which the correct attribute information to be registered is registered can be registered in the database of the management system, so that the accuracy of the attribute information of the device finally registered in the database can be improved. Also, by using the information written on the nameplate of the device or equipment, information that is not written on the nameplate of the device or equipment can be entered and registered in the database.

[0013] Further, preferably, the computer further realizes a suggestion function of displaying, on a display unit, attribute information of a plurality of devices having high standard scores, including the device having the highest standard score, In the suggestion function, attribute information of a plurality of devices with high standard scores extracted from the correct answer data table is displayed on the display unit together with the standard scores of the devices. According to a registration support program equipped with such a function, attribute information of multiple highly similar devices is displayed, so that the worker can visually compare and confirm the attribute information of the device to be registered from multiple candidates and then register it by performing the operation, thereby improving the efficiency of the registration work. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the registration support program of the present invention, information written on the nameplates of devices and equipment of railway facilities can be efficiently and accurately input and registered in a database. In addition, by utilizing the information written on the nameplates of the devices and equipment, information that is not written on the nameplates of the devices and equipment can be input and registered in a database. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 2A is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the configuration of a system to which the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view showing an example of a nameplate. [Diagram 2] 11 is a diagram showing a part of a correct answer data table used in the registration support program of the embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in a registration support program according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an edit screen displayed on a screen of a display device of a computer constituting the registration support system of the embodiment; [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for character string recognition processing of a serial number and a manufacturing date by the registration support program of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an overview of an information registration system to which this embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1(A), a system 10 to which this embodiment is applied is composed of a mobile information terminal 11 such as a tablet terminal or a smartphone equipped with a camera for capturing an image of the inscription on a nameplate 20 attached to electrical equipment and devices (hereinafter simply referred to as equipment) installed at the site and a wireless communication function, a PC (personal computer) 12 installed in an office located in each maintenance area or in a designated location, and a server 13 of an equipment management system equipped with an equipment attribute database 14.

[0017] In addition, PC 12 may be one that is allowed to log in regardless of its installation location, and equipment attribute data entered from multiple PCs 12 is sent to and registered on server 13 of a common equipment management system, so that the equipment attribute data of the entire company can be managed in a centralized manner. In the information registration system of this embodiment, the PC 12 and server 13 are connected to be able to transmit and receive data via a communication network 15, and the device attribute information is registered in a device attribute database 14 of the server 13 by using the nameplate notation information acquired by the mobile information terminal 11 and a unique registration support function of an application program of the PC 12. The server 13 may be a cloud server.

[0018] 1(A), the tasks performed by humans are the acquisition of the nameplate inscription information of the equipment by a worker holding a portable information terminal 11 at the equipment installation site, and the registration of the nameplate inscription information in a PC 12 received by a worker waiting in an office from the portable information terminal 11. An application program for acquiring and transmitting the nameplate inscription information is installed in the portable information terminal 11. Below, we will explain in order the process of obtaining the nameplate information by the mobile information terminal 11, the process of registering it by the PC 12, and the registration support function provided by an application program installed on the PC 12 or stored in a cloud server so that the PC can use it with a web browser.

[0019] In the work of acquiring the information written on the nameplate attached to the equipment, a worker who has gone to the site first starts an application program for acquiring the information written on the nameplate, and inputs information on the location where the equipment to be acquired is installed (railway name, station-to-station interval, installation location, etc.), construction number, etc., into the mobile information terminal 11. Next, the camera equipped in the mobile information terminal 11 is used to take a picture of the nameplate of the target equipment, and the input information and the photographed image are transmitted by wireless communication to the PC 12 installed in the office. When a cloud server is used, the mobile information terminal 11 transmits the information directly to the cloud server that the PC 12 uses in the web browser. At this time, information on the date and time of the photograph is added to the photographed image. Also, the GPS information acquired by the GPS function equipped in the mobile information terminal 11 may be added and transmitted.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1(B), the nameplate includes the product name, product type (the model number assigned to the device by the manufacturer), serial number, and date of manufacture. Furthermore, Table 1 below shows a list of device attribute information to be registered in the database. [Table 1]

[0021] It should be noted that Table 1 shows only an example, and the present invention is not limited to these items. The contents of the right column of Table 1 differ depending on the device for which information is to be registered. In addition, the nameplate 20 may include all of the information shown in Table 1, or may not include all of the information (such as product name and model) as in the nameplate shown in Fig. 1(B). Also, the same type of information may be written under different names depending on the manufacturer, such as "product model", "product code", and "model name". Furthermore, depending on the type of device and the manufacturer, information other than the above (for example, product performance such as ratings) may be written.

[0022] Next, the registration operation by the PC 12 and the registration support function provided in the application program of the PC 12 (hereinafter, referred to as the registration support application) will be described. The registration support app of this embodiment has a feature in that it has an algorithm that generates all correct and necessary device attribute information based on ambiguous nameplate inscription information and enables registration. Specifically, the registration support app of this embodiment has an OCR function that recognizes characters inscribed on a nameplate using image data of the nameplate captured by a camera of a mobile information terminal, a function that performs a similarity determination to derive correct data, and a correction function that assists in correcting information to be registered. The functions of the registration support app of this embodiment may be provided on the server 13 side instead of the PC 12. The above functions will be explained below in order.

[0023] Of the above functions, the OCR function can use a function similar to a general OCR function provided in an existing program such as Acrobat Reader, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. In order to realize the function of deriving correct data by performing similarity judgment, the registration support application of this embodiment includes a correct data table that describes examples of nameplate inscription information (correct device attribute data) that are the result of recognizing character strings written on the nameplates of devices installed at the site using an OCR function, and a registration information data table that describes data that is linked to the nameplate inscription data in the correct data table and that is to be registered in the device attribute database 14. Some nameplates do not describe information that corresponds to the type (item) of device attribute information that is to be registered in the database 14, so data columns in each row of the correct data table, registration information data table, and device attribute database 14 that do not have corresponding information may be left blank. The contents of the correct data table and the registration information data table are updated as needed.

[0024] The correct data table is categorized for registration in the database of the equipment management system server, and contains character strings reflecting the contents entered or corrected on the PC 12. The initial correct data table is generated based on accurate equipment attribute data registered in the database 14 of the equipment management system server 13. The registration information data table can be generated, for example, based on equipment attribute data related to delivered products provided by the equipment manufacturer, or by inputting the contents described in the specifications.

[0025] In addition, each piece of equipment data in the registration information data table is linked to each piece of equipment data in the correct answer data table by a linking code or the like, and when new equipment data is registered in the correct answer data table, a linking code is generated and added to each equipment data column (row) of the correct answer data table. As a result, the device attribute data in each row of the correct answer data table is linked to the device data in one row of the registration information data table. Also, the device attribute data in the registration information data table may be linked to the device attribute data in two or more rows of the correct answer data table. Also, the device attribute data in one row of the correct answer data table may be linked to the device attribute data in two or more rows of the registration information data table. The method of linking the device attribute data in the correct answer data table with the device attribute data in the registration information data table is not limited to the above-mentioned linking code, and for example, a linking correspondence table may be provided and the linking partner may be identified by referring to this linking correspondence table.

[0026] FIG. 2 shows an excerpt from the correct data table. As shown in FIG. 2, the correct data table has columns for items to be registered as device attributes, such as "product name and model," "manufacturing company name," and "product model," and a notation character string corresponding to each item is recorded for each nameplate. Of these, "product name and model" is an item name given to a character string having a characteristic that can identify a device. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the registration information data table has item columns for product group, manufacturing date, and serial number in addition to the same item columns as the correct data table, and is configured so that the product name and model are recorded as separate items.

[0027] Next, the similarity determination & information registration process, which determines the character string with the highest similarity and determines the attribute information to be registered by using the above-mentioned correct answer data table and the registration information data table that describes the device attribute data linked to each data in the correct answer data table, will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 shows an example of the procedure of the similarity determination & information registration process. As shown in FIG. 3, in the similarity determination and information registration process, first, one of multiple images of the nameplate acquired and transmitted by the mobile information terminal 11 is selected, and a group of characters is sequentially extracted using the OCR function (step S1).

[0028] Next, for all character strings in the correct answer data table, the similarity between each character string extracted in step S1 is calculated, and the character string with the highest similarity is determined (step S2). Specifically, the similarity between the three device attribute data in the first row in the correct answer data table and each character string extracted in step S1 is calculated, and the character string with the highest similarity is determined. After that, the similarity between the three device attribute data in the next row and each character string extracted in step S1 is calculated, and the character string with the highest similarity is determined. This is repeated until the last row. Then, the total similarity value is calculated for each row of the correct answer data table (step S3).

[0029] The uniqueness of the above attribute items (product name / model, manufacturer name, product format) varies depending on the item. Specifically, the product name and model may be the same even if the equipment is manufactured by different manufacturers, so the uniqueness is somewhat low. Also, the uniqueness of the manufacturer is low because the same manufacturer may manufacture multiple types of equipment. On the other hand, the product format tends to vary greatly depending on both the product name and model and the manufacturer, so the uniqueness is high. Therefore, in the similarity calculation process in step S2, weighting may be applied to each attribute item (product name / model, manufacturer name, product format). For example, the similarity of the product format is weighted so that it has a higher score than the similarity of the product name / model and manufacturer name.

[0030] After step S3, the row with the highest calculated similarity total value (the row with the highest similarity) is identified, and multiple rows with high similarity total values ​​(e.g., five rows) are extracted (step S4). Next, the linking information is used to find a row in the registration information data table linked to the row with the highest similarity identified in step S4 (step S5). Then, data of the row linked to the row with the highest similarity in the registration information data table is read out and displayed in the first candidate column FCC on the editing screen of Fig. 4, and data of five rows in the registration information data table linked to the top five rows with the similarity total values ​​extracted in step S4 is read out and displayed together with their scores (similarity total values) in the next candidate column SCC at the bottom of the editing screen of Fig. 4 (step S6). Therefore, the content displayed in the first candidate column FCC is the same as the content displayed on the leftmost side of the five data in the next candidate column SCC. Also, in the editing screen of Fig. 4, the nameplate photographed image NP to be recognized received from the mobile information terminal 20 is displayed in the image display column IDC at the top right.

[0031] In step S6, multiple items with different contents of the attribute data group for the same device are registered in the correct answer data table, and the same row in the registration information data table may be read out in duplicate due to the linking information. Therefore, when the same row in the same registration information data table is selected, the row linked to the item with the next highest similarity total value after the top 5 is read out and displayed. Also, when the same row in the registration information data table is selected, only the one with the highest score is displayed. In this way, multiple items with different contents of the attribute data group for the same device may be registered in the correct answer data table because when an operator manually inputs data to correct attribute data in the process of step S11 described later, there is variation in the work, for example, when the product name is input as "XX device" or "XX instrument", and these may be registered separately in the correct answer data table in step S14.

[0032] After executing step S6, the process proceeds to step S7, where the worker compares the display character string in the first candidate field FCC with the character string in the received nameplate notation image NP displayed in the image display field IDC to determine whether the display data in the first candidate field FCC is correct. If it is determined to be correct, the process proceeds to step S11, where the data in the first candidate field FCC is sent to the server 13 by clicking the "Confirm" button DB on the screen, and is registered in the device attribute database 14. On the other hand, if the answer is "No" in step S7, that is, if the display data of the first candidate column FCC is determined to be incorrect, the process proceeds to step S8, where it is determined whether the attribute data group recognized as correct by the operator exists in the next candidate column SCC, and if so, the "Apply" button AB displayed corresponding to the attribute data group is clicked to display the attribute data group in the first candidate column FCC (step S9). At this time, data (character string) of the row in the correct data table linked to the display data of the selected next candidate column SCC is read out and displayed in the correct data column CDC provided between the first candidate column FCC and the image display column IDC.

[0033] If there is no attribute data group that the worker has recognized as the correct answer in step S8, the process proceeds to step S10, where the worker manually corrects the display data in the correct answer data column CDC and the first candidate column FCC (step S10). Note that the correct answer data column CDC initially displays the attribute data of the row with the maximum similarity total value that is read from the correct answer data table based on the character string recognized by the OCR function from the nameplate photographed image NP displayed in the image display column IDC on the right side.

[0034] Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S11, where the data in the first candidate column FCC is sent to the server 13 by clicking the "Confirm" button DB on the screen, and is registered in the device attribute database 14. At this time, the attribute data group (row) of the correct answer data table displayed in the correct answer data column CDC is linked (a linking code is generated) with the attribute data group (row) of the registered information data table displayed in the first candidate column FCC. Next, it is determined whether or not there is a row in which the data registered in the device attribute database 14 in step S11 and the linking code generated match the data in the registered information data table, the data in the correct answer data table, and the linking code (step S12), and if it is determined that there is a matching row (Yes), the process returns to step S1, and the above series of processes are executed for the next nameplate photographed image.

[0035] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S12 that there is no row in which the registered data matches the data in the registered information data table, the data in the correct answer data table, and the linking code (No), the process proceeds to step S13, where the attribute data group displayed in the first candidate column FCC is additionally registered in the registered information data table, and the attribute data group displayed in the correct answer data column CDC is additionally registered in the correct answer data table, and the generated linking code is registered in the corresponding row in the correct answer data table. In this case, all three may be registered, or only one or two may be registered. Then, the processes in steps S1 to S14 are performed on all the nameplate photographed images received from the mobile information terminal 11.

[0036] Although not shown, if it is determined that the attribute data group registered in step S12 matches the attribute data group (row data) recorded in the correct answer data table, the adoption count value of the data in that row is incremented (+1). Then, in response to an external command given periodically or at any time, the adoption count value of the correct answer data table may be checked, and if the row has a small adoption count value, the row may be deleted from the correct answer data table. In this case, it is preferable to execute the deletion function for those rows in the correct answer data table that are considered to have the same product type. This is because, compared to other attribute information, product types are often written in a variety of subtle differences even for the same device.

[0037] This makes it possible to prevent the size of the correct answer data table from becoming too large. Also, for rows in the correct answer data table that are linked to a row in the registration information data table and that are the only row in the correct answer data table, the deletion process is not executed. This is because some installed devices are rare (one of a kind), and it is desirable to leave the attribute data of such devices in the correct answer data table. Furthermore, the registration support application may be provided with a function for periodically checking the contents of the correct answer data table, and when it is determined that there are multiple sets of attribute data relating to the same device, for keeping the data with the largest total similarity value and deleting the rest. In this case, the deletion function may be performed on data that have multiple rows with the same product format in the linked registration information data table.

[0038] Next, a method for recognizing the serial number and date of manufacture of the device, which are attribute data not listed in the correct answer data table shown in Fig. 2, using the registration assistance application of this embodiment will be described. The reason why the correct answer data table shown in Fig. 2 does not have items for the serial number and date of manufacture of the device is that the serial number and date of manufacture written on each nameplate are unique values, and therefore are not suitable for a method of finding a correct answer by comparing with pre-prepared data, and the recognition accuracy is highly dependent on the performance of the OCR function. Therefore, it is difficult to correct the recognition results of the serial number and date of manufacture by software using OCR.

[0039] On the other hand, the serial number and date of manufacture of a device have characteristics that are not found in other attribute information such as the product name. Specifically, the way in which the serial number is written varies depending on the manufacturing company, but the number of patterns for writing the date of manufacture is limited, such as a pattern using the Gregorian calendar and a pattern using the Japanese calendar. In addition, when focusing on a certain product of a certain company, if there is a product with a confirmed date of manufacture and serial number, there is no product with a larger serial number that is earlier than the confirmed date of manufacture of the product. In addition, there is no product with a smaller serial number that is later than the confirmed date of manufacture of the product. Therefore, by utilizing the above characteristics, it is possible to increase the accuracy rate of the recognition results of the serial number and the date of manufacture.

[0040] FIG. 5 shows an example of a procedure for character string recognition processing of a serial number and a manufacturing date by the registration assistance application of this embodiment. In the character string recognition process shown in FIG. 5, first, a character string corresponding to the "manufacturing date" is searched for using the OCR function in one image of the nameplate acquired and transmitted by the mobile information terminal 11 (step S21). Then, it is determined whether or not a character string corresponding to the "manufacturing date" is found (step S22). If found (Yes), a character string is extracted from the surrounding area and recognition processing is performed using the OCR function (step S23).

[0041] Also, some manufacturers do not write the "date and year of manufacture" on the nameplate, but write something like "manufactured in xx month of xx year" or "manufactured in xx month of Heisei year." In that case, the process moves from step S22 to step S24, and recognition processing is performed on the entire nameplate using the OCR function, utilizing the characteristics of the pattern of the date and year of manufacture and the character string of the era name. Next, it is determined whether the "serial number" is known (step S25), and if it is known (Yes), it is determined whether the date of manufacture recognized in steps S23 and S24 is consistent with the date of manufacture linked to the serial number (step S26). If there is a discrepancy, the date of manufacture is corrected to the date of manufacture estimated from the serial number, or the serial number estimated from the date of manufacture (step S27). Specifically, since numbers such as "4" and "9," "5" and "6," and "3" and "8" are relatively easy to misread, it is conceivable to prepare a correspondence list of numbers that are easily confused, and by referring to this correspondence list, swap the numbers so that there is no discrepancy between the serial number and the date of manufacture.

[0042] The location of the "manufacturing date" may be fixed depending on the manufacturer or product, so if the location is fixed, the nameplate's marking pattern is analyzed in advance based on the accumulated data on the nameplate to determine the location of the "manufacturing date". Then, for products whose product name and manufacturer name are known, the location of the "manufacturing date" may be estimated, and the surrounding character strings may be extracted to perform recognition processing using the OCR function.

[0043] Furthermore, the character string patterns for serial numbers vary widely depending on the manufacturer and the type of product. Therefore, the character string patterns for each product are analyzed based on the accumulated data on the nameplate, and the character strings corresponding to the serial number are extracted. In addition, the characters used in OCR are limited, and the recognized characters are corrected to increase the accuracy rate of the recognition result. For example, the character string notation pattern for the serial number may be determined by the manufacturer, so it is also possible to increase the accuracy rate by identifying the character string notation pattern using information on the manufacturer's name. In this case, it is advisable to record the identification result of the character string notation pattern in the row of the corresponding device in the correct data table.

[0044] Furthermore, some manufacturers use a combination of letters and numbers to indicate serial numbers. In such cases, by analyzing the arrangement patterns of letters and numbers from past data in advance, a character list is prepared that defines the relationships between letters that are easily misread, such as the letter "O" and the number "0," the letter "I" and the number "1," and the letter "B" and the number "8." If the OCR recognition results show that a number is in a position where a letter should be, or that a letter is in a position where a number should be, the above definition can be used to automatically correct the typo to the correct character, thereby increasing the accuracy rate. In addition, if the location on the nameplate where the serial number or manufacturing date is written is known in advance from past accumulated data, if the OCR recognition result recognizes a character string read from an unrelated location as the serial number or manufacturing date, the recognition result may be discarded.

[0045] According to the registration support system of this embodiment, which is equipped with a PC installed with a registration support program that executes the process according to the above procedure, the information written on the nameplate can be registered in the server database with a relatively simple operation by taking a picture of the nameplate with a mobile information terminal at the site where the equipment is installed and sending the image to the PC. Therefore, it is not necessary for the worker to visually read the various information written on the nameplate attached to the equipment at the site, write it down on a prescribed form, go to the office, and manually input the information on the PC keyboard while looking at the information written on the form, so the information written on the nameplate can be efficiently and accurately entered and registered in the database.

[0046] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the number of attribute data groups displayed in the next candidate column SCC is five, but the number displayed is not limited to five, and may be four or less, or six or more. In addition, in the above embodiment, a case has been described in which attribute information of equipment installed at a site is registered in a database on the server of an equipment management system that manages the equipment. However, a system having a database for registering attribute information of equipment is not limited to an equipment management system, and may be a management system that also manages information other than equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10 Information Registration System 11 Mobile information terminals 12 PC (personal computer) for registering device attribute data 13. Facility management system server 14 Equipment Attribute Database 15. Communication Networks 20 Nameplate IDC Image display column FCC 1st candidate column CDC Answer Data Column SCC next candidate column NP nameplate image

Claims

1. A registration support program for supporting registration of predetermined attribute information of a device in a database of a management system based on contents written on an information display unit provided in the device, On the computer, an OCR function that recognizes characters in an image captured by an imaging device of the information display section on which the attribute information of the device is described, using an optical recognition technology; a score assignment function that sequentially compares character strings in a correct answer data table in which character strings representing attribute information of a plurality of devices that may be registered are registered with character strings recognized by the OCR function, and assigns scores to character strings representing attribute information of all devices registered in the correct answer data table; a selection function for selecting attribute information corresponding to the character string having the highest score as attribute information of a device to be registered in the database; A registration support program characterized by realizing the above.

2. The correct answer data table has a plurality of cells in each row in which character strings representing a plurality of pieces of attribute information of each device are stored in order, In the scoring function, The registration support program according to claim 1, characterized in that a calculation of the similarity between attribute information stored in multiple cells in each row of the correct answer data table and a character string recognized by the OCR function is performed sequentially for multiple cells in all rows of the correct answer data table, and a total value of the similarity for each row is calculated as a standard score.

3. a registration information data table in which attribute information of the device to be finally registered in the database is described on a row-by-row basis; Each row of the correct answer data table is associated with each row of the registration information data table, The registration support program described in claim 2, characterized in that when registering attribute information of the device to be registered in the database based on a character string recognized by the OCR function, the selection function selects attribute information of a row of the registration information data table linked to the row of the character string in the correct answer data table having the highest standard score as the attribute information to be registered in the database.

4. a suggestion function for displaying, on a display unit, attribute information of a plurality of devices having high standard scores, including the device having the highest standard score, on the display unit; The registration support program according to claim 3, characterized in that in the suggestion function, attribute information of multiple devices with top standard scores extracted from the correct answer data table is displayed on the display unit together with the standard scores of the devices.

5. The attribute information of the device includes a plurality of pieces of attribute information including at least a product type, The registration support program described in claim 4, characterized in that in the suggestion function, if the attribute information of multiple devices with high standard scores has the same product model, the display of all devices other than the one with the highest standard score is omitted, and the attribute information of the device with the next highest standard score after the multiple devices is moved up and displayed.

6. In the suggestion function, a correction input field is displayed on the display unit, which allows attribute information of a device selected from the plurality of devices having the highest standard score displayed on the display unit to be corrected by operating an input operation unit, and the corrected attribute information is generated as information to be registered in the database; 6. The registration support program according to claim 4, wherein the attribute information inputted through the correction input field is added to the correct answer data table and the registration information data table.

7. Each row of the correct answer data table has a number of times field for recording the number of times the correct answer data has been adopted as attribute information of the device with the highest standard score, The registration support program according to claim 6, further comprising a deletion function for deleting attribute information of rows with low numbers in the number of times column from the correct answer data table periodically or at any time.

8. 8. The registration support program according to claim 7, wherein the deletion function is executed for rows of the correct data table that have the same product type.

9. A registration support program for supporting registration of predetermined attribute information of a device in a database of a management system based on contents written on an information display unit provided in the device, On the computer, an OCR function that recognizes characters in an image captured by an imaging device on the information display section on which attribute information of the device is described by an optical recognition technology; a device identification function for identifying a device to be registered in the database using a correct answer data table in which character strings representing attribute information of a plurality of devices that may be registered are stored; a character string extraction function that extracts, when a device to be registered in the database is specified, a character string that is considered to correspond to a manufacturing date and a serial number of the attribute information from the character strings recognized by the OCR function; a character string correction function that corrects the manufacturing date or the serial number recognized by the OCR function when it is determined that there is a discrepancy between the manufacturing date and the serial number based on the manufacturing date and the serial number extracted by the character string extraction function, using a list that describes correspondences between letters and numbers that are easily confused in advance; A registration support program characterized by realizing the above.

10. A registration support program for supporting registration of predetermined attribute information of a device in a database of a management system based on contents written on an information display unit provided in the device, On the computer, an OCR function that recognizes characters in an image captured by an imaging device on the information display section on which attribute information of the device is described by an optical recognition technology; A device identification function that identifies a device to be registered in the database using a correct answer data table in which character strings representing attribute information of a plurality of devices that may be registered are stored in each row; a character string extraction function that extracts, when a device to be registered in the database is specified, a character string that is regarded as equivalent to a serial number of the attribute information from the character strings recognized by the OCR function; a character string correction function that, when attribute information of a device to be registered is specified from the correct answer data table using a result recognized by the OCR function, regards a character string that is most similar to a notation pattern of the manufacturing number among the character strings recognized by the OCR function as a manufacturing number using a notation pattern of the manufacturing number stored in correspondence with a row in the correct answer data table in which the attribute information of the device to be registered is stored, and corrects the character string based on the notation pattern of the manufacturing number; A registration support program characterized by realizing the above.

11. a registration information data table in which attribute information of the device to be finally registered in the database is described on a row-by-row basis; Each row of the correct answer data table is associated with each row of the registration information data table, a score assignment function that sequentially compares character strings in a correct answer data table, in which character strings representing attribute information of a plurality of devices that may be registered are stored, with character strings recognized by the OCR function, and assigns scores to character strings representing attribute information of all devices stored in the correct answer data table; a selection function for selecting attribute information corresponding to the character string having the highest score as attribute information of a device corresponding to the image captured by the photography process to be registered in the database; We will further realize this on the computer, The registration support program described in claim 10, characterized in that when registering attribute information of the device to be registered in the database based on a character string recognized by the OCR function, the selection function selects attribute information of a row of the registration information data table linked to the row of the character string in the correct answer data table with the highest score as the attribute information to be registered in the database.

12. 12. The registration support program according to claim 11, wherein the pattern of the serial number is described in the registration information data table.

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