Inspection support system, inspection support method, and inspection support program

Abstract

This invention provides an inspection support system, inspection support method, and inspection support program that enable inspectors to accurately grasp information about delivered goods during the inspection process. [Solution] The inspection support system includes: a first package information recording unit 13 that records first package information of a package recorded in a pre-shipment information notification regarding the package or recorded on an RFID tag attached to the package; an image information acquisition unit 11 that acquires image information of the package when it arrives at the inspection area; a package information acquisition unit 12 that acquires second package information of the package based on the image information of the package acquired by the image information acquisition unit 11; a matching unit 14 that checks whether the first package information of the package recorded in the first package information recording unit 13 matches the second package information of the package acquired by the package information acquisition unit 12 and outputs the result of the check; and a notification unit 15 that notifies the user of the result of the check by the matching unit 14.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an inspection support system, an inspection support method, and an inspection support program.

Background Art

[0002] When goods are delivered to wholesalers or stores, an inspection operation is performed in a warehouse of the wholesaler or the like to check and record information such as the name and quantity of the delivered goods. The inspection operation is performed, for example, by a method in which an employee of a wholesale business scans a barcode attached to a product with a dedicated terminal. However, this method has a problem that it takes time and labor to read information on a huge number of products.

[0003] Therefore, a method of attaching an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag to a product and reading product information by transmitting and receiving radio waves has been performed (Non-Patent Document 1). The method using RFID has an advantage that, unlike barcode scanning, information recorded in a plurality of tags can be read at once.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0004]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The method using RFID has a problem that if there is metal near a reader (radio transceiver), the information cannot be read or is misrecognized. The object of the present invention is to provide an inspection support system, an inspection support method, and an inspection support program that accurately read information about delivered goods during the inspection process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An inspection system according to an embodiment of the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, comprises: a first package information recording unit that records first package information of the package recorded in a pre-shipment information notification regarding the package or recorded on an RFID tag attached to the package; an image information acquisition unit that acquires image information of the package when it arrives at the inspection area; a package information acquisition unit that acquires second package information of the package based on the image information of the package acquired by the image information acquisition unit; a matching unit that checks whether the first package information of the package recorded in the first package information recording unit matches the second package information of the package acquired by the package information acquisition unit and outputs the result of the check; and a notification unit that notifies the user of the check result of the check unit.

[0007] The first and second package information that the matching unit matches may include information regarding the product name, quantity, size, or volume of the goods contained in the package.

[0008] When the image acquisition unit acquires image information of the luggage, it may also acquire the image information of the luggage by placing the luggage on a scale.

[0009] When the image acquisition unit acquires image information of the luggage, it may acquire image information of the luggage from two or more directions.

[0010] The aforementioned advance shipment information notification may be transmitted from the consignor of the shipment to the consignee's storage unit via the electronic invoice network.

[0011] An inspection support method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a first package information recording step, which is performed by a computer to record first package information of the package that is recorded in a pre-shipment information notification regarding the package or recorded on an RFID tag attached to the package; an image information acquisition step, which acquires image information of the package that has arrived at the inspection area; a package information acquisition step, which acquires second package information of the package based on the image information of the package acquired in the image information acquisition step; a comparison step, which compares whether the first package information of the package recorded in the first package information recording step matches the second package information of the package acquired in the package information acquisition step and outputs the result of the comparison; and a notification step, which notifies the user of the result of the comparison step.

[0012] An inspection support program according to an embodiment of the present invention causes a computer to execute: a first package information recording step of recording first package information of the package recorded in a pre-shipment information notification regarding the package or recorded on an RFID tag attached to the package; an image information acquisition step of acquiring image information of the package that has arrived at the inspection area; a package information acquisition step of acquiring second package information of the package based on the image information of the package acquired in the image information acquisition step; a comparison step of comparing whether the first package information of the package recorded in the first package information recording step matches the second package information of the package acquired in the package information acquisition step, and outputting the result of the comparison; and a notification step of notifying the user of the result of the comparison step. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an inspection support system, an inspection support method, and an inspection support program that enable inspectors to accurately grasp information about delivered goods during the inspection process. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the configuration of an inspection support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a computer used in the inspection support system according to the present invention. [Figure 3] In Example 1, it is a diagram showing a state of acquiring a luggage image. [Figure 4] In Example 1, it is a diagram showing a flowchart of information processing. [Figure 5] In Example 1, it is a diagram showing luggage information acquired based on RFID. [Figure 6] In Example 1, it is a diagram showing luggage information acquired based on a luggage image. [Figure 7] In Example 2, it is a diagram showing luggage information recorded in the pre-shipment information notice.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an inspection support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] This inspection support system includes a first luggage information recording unit 13 that records the first luggage information of the luggage recorded in the pre-shipment information notice regarding the luggage or recorded in the RFID attached to the luggage, an image information acquisition unit 11 that acquires image information of the luggage that has arrived at the inspection area, a luggage information acquisition unit 12 that acquires the second luggage information of the luggage based on the image information of the luggage acquired by the image information acquisition unit 11, a collation unit 14 that collates whether the first luggage information of the luggage recorded in the first luggage information recording unit 13 matches the second luggage information of the luggage acquired by the luggage information acquisition unit 12 and outputs the collation result, and a notification unit 15 that notifies the user of the collation result of the collation unit 14.

[0017] The luggage information in this specification refers to information regarding luggage and includes information such as product name, product number, manufacturer name, price, number of products, size of the packaging container, volume of the packaging container, mixed loading rate, and particle size. The inspection area in this specification refers to the place where the luggage arrives and should be inspected.

[0018] The information processing of this inspection system is executed by a computer. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of computer 20 used in this inspection system.

[0019] 20's storage unit is a device having a function of storing information, and is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, an SSD, etc., and functions as the first cargo information recording unit 13, etc. The arithmetic unit 22 is a device that performs arithmetic processing, and functions as the cargo information acquisition unit 12, the collation unit 14, etc. The output unit 24 is a component that outputs the information stored in the storage unit 21, and is composed of, for example, a display unit such as a display, a speaker, etc. The input unit 23 is a device for inputting information to the computer 20, and specifically includes a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a camera, etc. The communication unit 25 is a device for performing input / output of information with devices outside the computer 20.

Example

[0020] Hereinafter, an inspection support system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. Figure 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the information processing of this system. Figure 3 is a diagram showing a state of acquiring cargo information, which is information about cargo 31, in the inspection area.

[0021] After the cargo is delivered to a wholesaler or a retailer, the delivered cargo is moved onto the scale 35 in the inspection area. The scale 35 is a sheet printed with grid graduations at regular intervals, and needs to be placed under the cargo 31 in order to accurately calculate the shape and size of the cargo based on the cargo images obtained by photographing the cargo 31 with cameras 33 and 34. An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) 32 recording cargo information such as the name of the cargo, the number of goods per container, the number of containers, the size of the container (length, width, height), the volume, etc. is attached to the cargo 31.

[0022] Next, an RFID reader (radio wave transceiver; not shown) reads the package information recorded on the RFID 32, transmits the read information to the terminal, and records it in the first package information recording unit 13 (S11). Figure 5 shows the package information 5 recorded in the first package information recording unit.

[0023] Then, the luggage 32 is photographed from two directions using two digital cameras (image information acquisition units) 33 and 34, and images of the luggage from two directions are acquired (S12). The digital cameras 33 and 34 are equipped with distance sensors 36 and 37 that measure the distance from the camera to the object. By using the distance sensors, the shape and size of the object to be photographed can be calculated with high accuracy. Alternatively, one digital camera may be used to photograph the luggage from two different positions by changing the shooting position. Photographing the luggage from multiple directions in this way reduces blind spots and allows for the acquisition of more accurate luggage information than photographing from only one direction.

[0024] The package information acquisition unit 12 acquires package information based on the package image acquired by the digital camera (S13). The package images taken from two directions by the digital cameras 33 and 34 show the product labels and the printing on the packaging containers, and by recognizing this information using character recognition technology, the product name and other information can be recognized. If an identification label such as a barcode indicating package information is attached to the packaging container, the package information may be read from the identification label. Alternatively, the product name may be estimated from the shape of the package in the package image. In this case, a learning model may be constructed that has been trained on training data to output the product name when the shape of the product is input, and the product name may be estimated by inputting the package image into the learning model. If multiple products are mixed in one package, the mixing ratio can also be calculated from information such as the number and weight of each product.

[0025] Furthermore, the dimensions (length, width, height) and volume of the package are calculated using a scale of 35 that appears alongside the package in the package image as a reference. Using a 3D camera, the size and volume of the package can be estimated even from a single-angle shot. Additionally, using an infrared camera, the particle size (particle size) can be calculated if the product is in powder form.

[0026] Figure 6 shows the package information 6 acquired based on the package image. The matching unit 14 compares the first package information acquired based on the RFID stored by the first package information recording unit with the second package information acquired by the package information acquisition unit 12 based on the package image, checks whether the first package information and the second package information match, performs a matching, and outputs the matching result (S14). In the package information acquired based on the RFID (Figure 5), the product name is "A Beer," but in the package information acquired based on the package image (Figure 6), the product name is "B Beer," which is different. Therefore, it is possible that the information recorded on the RFID has been incorrectly recognized for some reason. So, the system displays "The product name may be incorrect." on the display unit (notification unit) of the terminal being used by the user (S15), prompting the user to visually check the product name.

[0027] In the package information obtained based on RFID (Figure 5), the number of cases is "36" and the volume is "0.432" (m³). 3 However, in the luggage information obtained based on the luggage image (Figure 6), the number of cases is "30" and the volume is "0.36" (m³). 3 Because it differs from the standard, there is a possibility that the number of cases is insufficient due to errors made by the shipper's staff. Therefore, this system displays "The product name may be incorrect" on the display of the terminal being used by the user, prompting the user to visually check the product name.

[0028] If the package information obtained based on RFID matches the package information obtained based on package images, the inspection process is complete.

[0029] According to this embodiment, users can become aware if the information recorded on the RFID is misinterpreted or if the delivered goods are insufficient in quantity. [Examples]

[0030] In Example 1, the matching unit 11 acquired package information based on RFID and package information based on package images. However, in this example, unlike Example 1, the matching unit compares the package information from the pre-shipment notification with the package information acquired based on package images.

[0031] An advance shipping information notification, also known as an ASN (Advanced Shipping Notice) or incoming shipment data, is a notification from the shipper to the recipient of a shipment in advance, providing information about the shipment. This advance shipping information notification can be transmitted from the shipper to the recipient's (consignee's) storage via an electronic invoice network conforming to standards such as Peppol. Figure 7 shows the shipment information 7 recorded in the advance shipping information notification of this embodiment.

[0032] In this embodiment as well, package information is acquired based on package images obtained by a digital camera (Figure 6). The matching unit 14 compares the package information 7 from the pre-shipment information notification with the package information 6 based on the package images to confirm whether these package information matches and performs a matching. In the package information from the pre-shipment information notification (Figure 7), the number of cases is "36" and the volume is "0.432" (m³). 3 Although the information is as shown, the package information based on the package image (Figure 7) shows the number of cases as "30" and the volume as "0.36," which is different. Therefore, there is a possibility that the number of items is less than expected due to a work error by the shipper's staff. To address this, the system displays a message such as "There is a possibility that the number of items is insufficient" on the display of the terminal being used by the user, prompting the user to visually check the number of items.

[0033] If the package information obtained based on the pre-shipment notification matches the package information obtained based on the package image, the inspection process is complete.

[0034] According to this embodiment, if the delivered goods are insufficient in quantity than expected, the user can become aware of this.

[0035] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and examples described above, and the present invention can be implemented by modifying the above embodiments in various ways within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 11 Image Information Acquisition Unit 12. Package Information Acquisition Unit 13. First Package Information Recording Section 14. Verification section 15 Notification Department 20 Computers 21 Memory section 22 Arithmetic section 25 Communications Department 31 Luggage 32 RFID 33, 34 Digital Cameras 35 scale 5. RFID-based package information 6. Package information based on package images 7. Package information from the pre-shipment notification.

Claims

1. A first package information recording unit records the first package information of the package recorded in the pre-shipment information notification regarding the package or recorded on the RFID attached to the package, An image information acquisition unit acquires image information of the aforementioned package upon arrival at the inspection area, A package information acquisition unit acquires second package information of the package based on the image information of the package acquired by the image information acquisition unit, A matching unit compares whether the first package information of the package recorded in the first package information recording unit matches the second package information of the package acquired by the package information acquisition unit, and outputs the result of the comparison. An inspection support system comprising a notification unit that notifies the user of the verification results of the verification unit.

2. The inspection support system according to claim 1, wherein the first package information and the second package information verified by the matching unit include information regarding the product name, quantity, size, or volume of the goods contained in the package.

3. The inspection support system according to claim 1, wherein when the image acquisition unit acquires image information of the package, the package is placed on a scale to acquire image information of the package.

4. The inspection support system according to claim 1, wherein the image acquisition unit acquires image information of the package from two or more directions when acquiring image information of the package.

5. The inspection support system according to claim 1, wherein the aforementioned advance shipment information notification is transmitted from the consignor of the shipment to the consignee's storage unit via the electronic invoice network.

6. Executed by a computer, A first package information recording step, which records the first package information of the package recorded in the pre-shipment information notification regarding the package or recorded on the RFID attached to the package, An image information acquisition step to acquire image information of the aforementioned package upon arrival at the inspection area, A package information acquisition step, which acquires second package information of the package based on the image information of the package acquired in the image information acquisition step, A matching step which checks whether the first package information of the package recorded in the first package information recording step matches the second package information of the package obtained in the package information acquisition step, and outputs the result of the matching, A notification step that notifies the user of the matching result of the matching step, A method for supporting inspection that has the following characteristics.

7. On the computer, A first package information recording step, which records the first package information of the package recorded in the pre-shipment information notification regarding the package or recorded on the RFID attached to the package, An image information acquisition step to acquire image information of the aforementioned package upon arrival at the inspection area, A package information acquisition step, which acquires second package information of the package based on the image information of the package acquired in the image information acquisition step, A matching step which checks whether the first package information of the package recorded in the first package information recording step matches the second package information of the package obtained in the package information acquisition step, and outputs the result of the matching, A notification step that notifies the user of the matching result of the matching step, A quality control support program that enables the execution of quality control checks.

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