Picking verification system
The picking verification system addresses manual picking errors by using sensor-equipped trays and image/code verification to ensure accurate and efficient enclosure placement in envelopes.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- DAI NIPPON PRINTING CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-11-07
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-29
AI Technical Summary
Manual picking of enclosures in envelopes is prone to errors, and existing systems lack effective verification methods to ensure adherence to work procedures and accurate content placement.
A picking verification system with picking trays equipped with sensors and indicator lights, image matching devices, and code verification systems to verify the legitimacy of the picking operation and content accuracy.
The system ensures accurate and efficient verification of the picking process, reducing errors by confirming the legitimacy of picking operations and content placement through sensor feedback and image/code matching.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention disclosed in the present application is a system for assisting an operator in manually picking an enclosure.
Background Art
[0002] In the direct mail shipping business, at least a form printed with customer information is enclosed in an envelope as an enclosure. Also, depending on the items of direct mail, in addition to the form, an enclosure without printed customer information is enclosed in the envelope as an enclosure. In the case of a large-lot shipping business, an enclosure such as a form is automatically enclosed in an envelope by an enclosing machine. However, in the case of a shipping business where the size of an enclosure such as a form does not fit the enclosing machine or a small-lot shipping business, an operator manually picks an enclosure such as a form and encloses it in an envelope.
[0003] When an operator manually picks an enclosure such as a form and encloses it in an envelope, compared with the case of using an enclosing machine for the work of enclosing an enclosure such as a form in an envelope, an enclosing error is likely to occur. Therefore, the applicant has disclosed in Patent Document 1 a workbench suitable for the work of picking an enclosure such as a form.
[0004] The workbench disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a picking tray for placing documents, a tray for placing an envelope in which an enclosure is enclosed and sealed, and a PLC or the like. The picking tray is provided with a weight detection sensor and a work detection sensor. When the weight of the picking tray decreases, the weight detection sensor of the picking tray outputs a signal to the PLC. When the work detection sensor of the picking tray detects an act of taking out an enclosure by an operator, it outputs a signal to the PLC. The tray is provided with a weight detection sensor. When the weight of the tray increases, the weight detection sensor of the tray outputs a signal to the PLC. The PLC makes an abnormal determination of the work based on the signals from each sensor.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-069519 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0006] When workers manually pick up documents and other items and place them in envelopes, they perform the picking operation according to a predetermined work procedure. Therefore, by comparing the picking operation performed by the worker with the work procedure, it is possible to detect errors in the insertion of documents and other items that occurred during the manual picking and insertion of documents into envelopes.
[0007] Therefore, the primary objective of the invention disclosed in this application is to provide a system that can verify the picking work performed by an operator against the work procedure. Furthermore, the invention disclosed in this application also aims to enable the operator to check the contents picked from the picking tray. [Means for solving the problem]
[0008] The present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is a picking verification system that includes one or more picking trays for placing sealed items and a picking verification device for verifying the picking work of the sealed items. In the present invention, the picking tray comprises a tray body on which the enclosed items are placed, a picking sensor for detecting the worker's hands, and an indicator light for instructing the picking of the enclosed items. Furthermore, in the present invention, the picking verification device outputs a lighting instruction to the indicator light of the picking tray on which the enclosed items are to be picked, and performs a picking judgment process to determine the legitimacy of the picking operation based on whether or not the picking sensor of the picking tray equipped with the indicator light that has output the lighting instruction has output a detection signal, while changing the picking trays according to a predetermined order of use of the picking trays, thereby verifying the worker's picking operation and work procedure.
[0009] To enable the picking verification device to determine whether the picking operation for a single envelope has been completed, it is preferable to include a discharge box for envelopes containing the contents and sealed in the picking verification system according to the present invention. In the present invention, the discharge box comprises a box body for placing sealed envelopes and a discharge detection sensor for detecting the worker's hand extended to the box body, and the picking verification device determines that the picking operation for one envelope has been completed when a detection signal is output from the discharge detection sensor.
[0010] If the enclosed item includes an enclosed item, it is preferable to include an image matching device in the picking matching system according to the present invention, which compares an image captured by a camera with a master image thereof, so that the enclosed item to be enclosed in the envelope can be inspected. In this case, the picking matching device determines whether the enclosed item placed on the picking tray equipped with the indicator light that outputs a lighting instruction is an enclosed item, and when a picking instruction is output to the indicator light on the picking tray on which the enclosed item is placed, it outputs a shooting instruction to the camera using the following detection signal as a trigger, and the image matching device performs image matching between a master image corresponding to the item being picked and the image captured by the camera.
[0011] In the picking verification system according to the present invention, it is desirable to provide the image verification device with means for manually operating the camera so that the envelope and the contents can be inspected, and to configure the image verification device to perform image verification with a master image corresponding to the item being picked and the image captured by the camera each time the means is operated, and to enable the image verification device to perform image verification with the front and back surfaces of the contents and the envelope by issuing instructions to the operator from the picking verification device to inspect the front and back surfaces of the contents and the envelope.
[0012] If the enclosed items include a form on which an optical code is printed, it is desirable to include a code verification device in the picking verification system according to the present invention that verifies the optical code printed on the form so that the form to be enclosed in the envelope can be inspected. [Effects of the Invention]
[0013] Thus, the picking verification system disclosed in this application is configured to verify the picking work performed by the worker against the work procedure by utilizing a picking tray equipped with a picking sensor and an indicator light. Furthermore, the picking verification system disclosed in this application includes an image processing device and a code verification device so that the worker can check the contents picked from the picking tray. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0014] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of a picking verification system installation. [Figure 2] Block diagram of the picking and matching system. [Figure 3] A diagram illustrating an envelope. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating the documents to be enclosed in an envelope. [Figure 5] A diagram illustrating the contents to be enclosed in an envelope. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating a picking tray. [Figure 7] A diagram illustrating the discharge box. [Figure 8] A diagram illustrating the main procedure of the picking and matching system. [Figure 9] A diagram illustrating the procedure for matching picking operations. [Figure 10] A diagram illustrating the procedure for component matching. [Figure 11] A diagram illustrating the picking operation verification process in this embodiment. [Figure 12] A diagram illustrating the process of inserting the contents into the enclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention disclosed in the present application will be described. This embodiment is for facilitating the understanding of the invention disclosed in the present application, and the invention disclosed in the present application is not limited to this embodiment. Also, unless otherwise specified, the drawings are schematic diagrams drawn for facilitating the understanding of the invention disclosed in the present application.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an installation example of the picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment.
[0017] The picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment is a system for verifying the picking operation of items (here, forms 70 and enclosures 71) enclosed in an envelope 8. The picking verification system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is arranged on a workbench 9 where the operation of manually enclosing the items in the envelope 8 is performed.
[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment includes one or more picking trays 3 for sorting and placing the items to be enclosed in the envelope 8 by type, and a picking verification device 2 for verifying the picking operation of the items performed by an operator. Further, the picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment includes a discharge box 4 for putting the sealed envelope 8a after all the items are enclosed. Further, the picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment includes an image verification device 5 for image-verifying the image captured by the camera 50 and the master image corresponding to this image. Further, the picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment includes a code verification device 6 for verifying the optical code 700 printed on the form 70.
[0019] As shown in Figure 2, the picking tray 3 is equipped with a picking sensor 31 that detects the action of picking an item from the picking tray 3, and an indicator light 32 that gives a picking instruction to the worker. The discharge box 4 is equipped with a discharge detection sensor 41 that detects the action of placing a sealed envelope 8 into the discharge box 4. Although not shown in Figure 1, as shown in Figure 2, the picking verification device 2 is connected to the picking sensor 31, the indicator light 32, and the discharge detection sensor 41, respectively. The picking verification device 2 is also connected to the image verification device 5.
[0020] In this embodiment, the contents enclosed in the envelope 8 include a form 70 that differs for each recipient and a common enclosed item 71 for each recipient. The form 70 is a printed document on which personal information such as the recipient's address is printed. The enclosed item 71 is an item that is enclosed in the envelope 8 together with the form 70. The enclosed item 71 is envisioned to be a printed document such as a pamphlet or leaflet, a booklet such as a catalog, or an information recording medium such as a compact disc. In the picking and matching system 1 disclosed in this application, there is no limit to the number of contents enclosed in the envelope 8, but in Figure 2, there are four contents enclosed in the envelope 8: form 70A, form 70B, enclosed item 71C, and enclosed item 71D.
[0021] Figure 3 illustrates an envelope 8. Figure 3(a) shows the front of the envelope 8. Figure 3(b) shows the back of the envelope 8. As shown in Figure 3(a), the envelope 8 of this embodiment is a window envelope. The front of the envelope 8 has a window 80 that allows the inside of the envelope 8 to be seen through. The front of the envelope 8 has a postage-paid mark 81, a document 82 describing the importance of the enclosed items, and the company name 83 printed on it. Also, as shown in Figure 3(b), the back of the envelope 8 has sender information 84 printed on it, including the company name, address, and department name.
[0022] Figure 4 illustrates the document 70 to be enclosed in the envelope 8. Figure 4(a) illustrates document 70A. Figure 4(b) illustrates document 70B. In this embodiment, document 70A is a cover letter. As shown in Figure 4(a), the upper end of document 70A is printed with recipient information 702, a document type number 701 indicating the type of document 70A, and an optical code 700 encoding a unique document number specific to each document 70A. In this embodiment, document 70B is a document on which personal information such as transaction details is printed. Similar to document 70A, the upper end of document 70B is printed with a document type number 701 indicating the type of document 70B, and an optical code 700 encoding a unique document number specific to each document 70B. Note that in Figure 4, the optical mark 700 is shown as a one-dimensional barcode, but the optical code 700 may be a two-dimensional barcode or other optical mark.
[0023] Figure 5 illustrates the enclosed items 71 to be placed in the envelope 8. Figure 5(a) shows the front surface of enclosed item 71C, which is one of two types of enclosed items 71. Figure 5(b) shows the back surface of enclosed item 71C. Figure 5(c) shows the front surface of enclosed item 71D, which is the other of the two types of enclosed items 71. Figure 5(d) shows the back surface of enclosed item 71D. In this embodiment, enclosed items 71C and 71D are pamphlets. As shown in Figure 5(a), the upper edge of the front surface of enclosed item 71C, which is a pamphlet, has the name of the enclosed item 710, the background color of the name of the enclosed item 710 (blue in this case), and a picture 712 related to enclosed item 71C printed on it. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(b), the lower edge of the back of the enclosed item 71C, which is a pamphlet, has the contact telephone number 713 and the enclosed item number 714 indicating the type of enclosed item 71C printed on it. Also, as shown in Figure 5(c), the upper edge of the front of the enclosed item 71D, which is a pamphlet, has the enclosed item name 710, the background color 711 of the enclosed item name 710 (in this case, red), and an image 712 related to enclosed item 71D printed on it. Also, as shown in Figure 5(d), the lower edge of the back of the enclosed item 71D, which is a pamphlet, has the contact telephone number 713 and the enclosed item number 714 indicating the type of enclosed item 71D printed on it.
[0024] Thus, in this embodiment, the contents of the envelope 8 include form 70A, form 70B, enclosed item 71C, and enclosed item 71D. Therefore, the picking and matching system 1 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, is equipped with a total of four picking trays 3: picking tray 3A for placing form 70A, picking tray 3B for placing form 70B, picking tray 3C for placing enclosed item 71C, and picking tray 3D for placing enclosed item 71D. The number of picking trays 3 equipped in the picking and matching system 1 can be increased or decreased according to the number of types of contents to be enclosed in the envelope 8.
[0025] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating the picking tray 3. The picking tray 3 comprises a tray body 30 on which the enclosed items are stacked and placed, a picking sensor 31 for detecting the worker's hand extended onto the tray body 30, and an indicator light 32 used to indicate the picking of the enclosed items.
[0026] As illustrated in Figure 6, the tray body 30 has the form of a typical letter tray. Enclosed items are placed on the tray body 30. Generally, enclosed items placed on the tray body 30 are in a folded state. For example, enclosed items folded in half or in thirds are placed on the tray body 30.
[0027] A picking sensor 31 for detecting a worker's hand extended onto the tray 30 is provided on the front side of the tray 30. The picking sensor 31 is a sensor that detects opaque objects (in this case, a worker's hand) present in the detection area 31a. For example, a through-type multi-axis photoelectric sensor consisting of at least a light emitter and a light receiver can be used as the picking sensor 31. In this embodiment, the picking sensor 31 detects a worker's hand extended onto the tray 30 as an opaque object, and when it detects an opaque object present in the detection area 31a, it outputs a detection signal to the picking verification device 2 indicating that an opaque object has been detected. The indicator light 32 on the picking tray 3 is used to indicate the picking of the enclosed items. The indicator light 32 on the picking tray 3 lights up when a light-up instruction to turn on the indicator light 32 is output from the picking verification device 2, and turns off when a light-off instruction to turn off the indicator light 32 is output from the picking verification device 2.
[0028] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating the discharge box 4. The discharge box 4 comprises a box body 40 for placing sealed envelopes 8 and a discharge detection sensor 41 for detecting a worker's hand extended into the box body 40. As shown in Figure 7, the box body 40 of the discharge box 4 is a cube with an open front. It is desirable that the box body 40 be made of a transparent material such as acrylic so that the inside of the box body 40 can be seen. The discharge detection sensor 41 is located on the front side of the discharge box 4. The discharge detection sensor 41 is a sensor that detects opaque objects (in this case, a worker's hand or enclosed items) present in the detection area 41a. Similar to the picking sensor 31, a through-beam multi-axis photoelectric sensor can be used for the discharge detection sensor 41. When the discharge detection sensor 41 detects an opaque object present in the detection area 41a, it outputs a detection signal to the picking verification device 2 indicating that an opaque object has been detected.
[0029] The picking verification system 1 according to this embodiment includes a code verification device 6 that verifies an optical code 700 printed on a form 70. As shown in Figure 2, the code verification device 6 is equipped with a code reader 60 that reads the optical code 700 printed on the form 70 and is connected via a network 64 to a database 62 that stores manufacturing information for each item. Furthermore, the code verification device 6 is connected to a display 61 that displays the verification result of the optical code 700 and an alarm light 63 that notifies the surroundings that the optical code 700 has failed to be verified.
[0030] When the code reader 60 reads the optical code 700, the code matching device 6 executes a process to match the document-specific number encoded in the optical code 700. In this embodiment, when the code reader 60 reads the optical code 700, the code matching device 6 checks whether the document-specific number encoded in the optical code 700 is registered in the database 62, and then matches the document-specific number encoded in the optical code 700. If the document-specific number read by the code reader 60 is included in the manufacturing information corresponding to the item being picked, and this document-specific number has not been matched, the code matching device 6 determines that the matching of the document-specific number read by the code reader 60 was successful. In other cases, the code matching device 6 determines that the matching of the document-specific number read by the code reader 60 was unsuccessful. After matching the document-specific number read by the code reader 60, the code matching device 6 reflects the matching result of the document-specific number in the manufacturing information corresponding to the item, and also displays the matching result on the display 61. If the verification of the unique document number fails, the code verification device 6 activates the alarm light 63 connected to the code verification device 6.
[0031] The picking and matching system 1 according to this embodiment includes an image matching device 5 that performs image matching between an image captured by a camera 50 and a corresponding master image. The image matching device 5 is a device implemented using computer equipment. As shown in Figure 2, the image matching device 5 is connected to a camera 50 for capturing images. The image matching device 5 is also connected to at least a display 51 that displays the image matching results, a button 52 that serves as a means for manually operating the camera 50, and an alarm light 53 that notifies the surroundings of an image matching failure.
[0032] In this embodiment, the image matching device 5 has the functions of the inspection device disclosed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-37632. The image matching device 5 stores a master image of the component used in the picking operation and its associated information for each component. In this embodiment, the component used in the picking operation includes an envelope 8 and the contents enclosed therein (forms 70 and 71). In this embodiment, the image matching device 5 stores master images of the front and back of the contents and master images of the front and back of the envelope 8 for each item.
[0033] Similar to the inspection apparatus disclosed by the applicant in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-37632, the master image stored in the image matching device 5 is associated with the master image's supplementary information. The supplementary information includes an item code indicating the item and feature data representing the characteristics of the master image. The feature data is used to identify the master image corresponding to the image captured by the camera 50. The image matching device 5 according to this embodiment uses the feature points of the image in the monochrome image to match the pattern contained in the image captured by the camera 50 with the pattern contained in the master image. The image matching device 5 according to this embodiment also uses the representative color of the image in the color image to match the representative color of the image captured by the camera 50 with the representative color of the master image. Furthermore, the image matching device 5 according to this embodiment refers to a character matching area predetermined in the enclosed material to match the characters in the image captured by the camera 50 with the characters in the master image.
[0034] The image matching device 5 compares the image captured by the camera 50 when the camera 50 captures an image. When the worker is image matching the enclosed items 71 that have been picked, the camera 50 capture instruction is output from the picking matching device 2. When all the components used in the picking operation are to be matched with the image matching device 5, the camera 50 capture instruction is output by the worker. In this embodiment, the image matching device 5 is equipped with a button 52 as a means for the worker to manually operate the camera 50. Each time the button 52, which is a means for manually operating the camera 50, is activated, the image matching device 5 compares the image captured by the camera 50 with a master image that corresponds to the items in the picking operation and the image captured by the camera 50.
[0035] When performing image matching, the image matching device 5 calculates the feature data of the image captured by the camera 50 and compares it with the feature data included in the accompanying information to identify the master image corresponding to the image captured by the camera 50 from among the master images corresponding to the item. The master image corresponding to the item can be determined from the item code included in the accompanying information of the master image. Next, the image matching device 5 compares the image captured by the camera 50 with the master image corresponding to this image. For example, in the case of the front of the enclosed item 71, the characters of the name 710 of the enclosed item 71, the shape of the pattern 712, and the color of the background color 711 are matched by the image matching device 5. In the case of the back of the enclosed item 71, the characters of the contact information 713 and the enclosed item number 714 printed on the back of the enclosed item 71 are matched by the image matching device 5. The image matching device 5 displays the image matching result on the display 51 connected to the image matching device 5. If image matching fails, the image matching device 5 activates the alarm light 53 connected to the image matching device 5.
[0036] The picking verification device 2 is a device equipped with the function of verifying the picking work of the sealed items performed by the worker. In this embodiment, a programmable logic controller (PLC) is used in the picking verification device 2. As illustrated in Figure 2 and other figures, the picking verification device 2 is connected to a display 20 and an alarm light 21.
[0037] To allow the picking operation and work procedure performed by the worker to be verified, the picking verification device 2 has predetermined usage order of the picking tray 3 as information indicating the order in which the enclosed items are picked. The first enclosed item to be picked is the one at the bottom of the stack of enclosed items. In this embodiment, the first enclosed item to be picked is enclosed item 71D. The last enclosed item to be picked is the one at the top of the stack of enclosed items. In this embodiment, the last enclosed item to be picked is the form 70A with destination information 702 and the like printed on it.
[0038] Furthermore, the picking verification device 2 stores information on the type of enclosed items for at least one picking tray 3, so that it can determine which enclosed items to pick up from the picking tray 3.
[0039] As shown in Figure 2, the picking verification device 2 is equipped with multiple tray terminals 22 for connecting to the picking sensor 31, and each tray terminal 22 is assigned a terminal number. In this embodiment, the picking verification device 2 manages the picking trays 3 connected to the tray terminals 22 using the terminal numbers. In this embodiment, since there are four items to be enclosed, the picking sensor 31 is connected to each of the tray terminals 22 with terminal numbers from "1" to "4".
[0040] In this embodiment, the order in which the picking trays 3 are used is the order in which the contents are placed inside. For example, suppose the contents are placed inside picking tray 3D, where the picking sensor 31 is connected to the tray terminal 22 with terminal number "4", picking tray 3C, where the picking sensor 31 is connected to the tray terminal 22 with terminal number "3", picking tray 3B, where the picking sensor 31 is connected to the tray terminal 22 with terminal number "2", and then picking tray 3A, where the picking sensor 31 is connected to the tray terminal 22 with terminal number "1". In this case, the order in which the picking trays 3 are used is picking tray 3D, picking tray 3C, picking tray 3B, and picking tray 3A. The order in which the tray terminals 22 are used is tray terminal 22 with terminal number "4", tray terminal 22 with terminal number "3", tray terminal 22 with terminal number "2", and tray terminal 22 with terminal number "1".
[0041] The picking verification device 2 outputs a signal to light up the indicator light 32 of the picking tray 3 in which the packaged items are picked. Based on whether the picking sensor 31 of the picking tray 3 equipped with the indicator light 32 that has been signaled to light up has output a detection signal, the device performs a picking judgment process to determine the legitimacy of the picking operation in the picking tray 3 in which the indicator light 32 has been lit. The picking verification device 2 performs the picking judgment process while changing the picking tray 3 according to the order in which the picking trays 3 are used, thereby verifying the picking operation and work procedure performed by the worker.
[0042] As shown in Figure 2, the picking verification device 2 is equipped with an discharge terminal 23 for connecting to a discharge detection sensor 41 provided on the discharge box 4. In this embodiment, when a detection signal is input from the discharge detection sensor 41 to the discharge terminal 23, it is determined that the picking operation of the contents to be sealed in one envelope 8 has been completed.
[0043] In this embodiment, the picking verification system 1 includes an image verification device 5 that compares the image captured by the camera 50 with a master image corresponding to this image. The image verification device 5 verifies the image captured by the camera 50 as soon as the camera 50 captures an image. The picking verification device 2 has a function to output a shooting instruction to the camera 50 when the enclosed item to be picked from the picking tray 3 is the enclosed item 71.
[0044] In this embodiment, the worker is instructed to place the packaged item picked from the picking tray 3 within the shooting range of the camera 50. Taking this into consideration, when the picking verification device 2 outputs a signal to light up the indicator light 32 on the picking tray 3 on which the packaged item 71 is placed, it outputs a shooting instruction to the camera 50, triggered by the next detection signal. For example, when a signal to light up is output to the indicator light 32 on the picking tray 3D on which the packaged item 71D is placed, the device outputs a shooting instruction to the camera 50 at the timing when a detection signal is output from the picking sensor 31 of the picking tray 3C, which will output a light-up instruction next to the picking tray 3D.
[0045] The operation of the picking verification system 1 will now be explained. Figure 8 is a diagram showing the main procedure of the picking verification system 1. Figure 9 is a diagram showing the procedure of the picking work verification process S5. Figure 10 is a diagram showing the procedure of the component verification process S6. Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the picking work verification process S5 in this embodiment. Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the packaging material input process.
[0046] First, the main procedure of the picking verification system 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 8. In the main procedure of the picking verification system 1, the picking verification device 2 executes an insert insertion process (S1) to acquire the order in which the inserts are inserted, and then executes a loop process (S2) that is repeated for each envelope 8. In this embodiment, the picking operation for one envelope 8 involves picking the enclosed items 71D, 71C, form 70B, and form 70A in that order. Before the procedure in Figure 8 is executed, the items to be picked are selected by the worker. The selection information for the items to be picked is input to the picking verification device 2, the image verification device 5, and the code verification device 6, respectively.
[0047] In the loop process (S2), the picking verification device 2 checks whether the picking operation is for the first envelope 8 (S3). If it is for the first envelope 8, it performs a component verification process (S6) to verify the components used in the picking operation. If the picking verification device 2 is not for the first envelope 8, it checks whether it is for the last envelope 8 (S4). If it is for the last envelope 8, it performs a component verification process (S6). If it is neither the first nor the last envelope 8, the picking verification device 2 performs a picking operation verification process (S5) to verify the picking operation of the contents performed by the worker and the work procedure. Once the loop process (S2) has been performed for all envelopes 8, the procedure in Figure 8 is completed.
[0048] Next, the component matching process (S6) will be explained with reference to Figure 9. In the component matching process (S6), the picking matching device 2 first instructs the operator via the display 20 to match the components to be used in the picking operation using the image matching device 5, and then executes a loop process that is repeated for each picking tray 3 used in the picking operation (S10). This loop process (S10) is a process that selects and executes the picking trays 3 in ascending order of the terminal numbers connected to the picking sensor 31. In this loop process (S10), the picking matching device 2 first outputs a signal to light up the indicator light 32 of the picking tray 3 that is the target of the loop process (S10) (S11), and instructs the operator to pick the contents from the picking tray 3 whose indicator light 32 is lit.
[0049] When an operator picks an item from the picking tray 3, if the operator reaches for the tray body 30 of the picking tray 3, the picking sensor 31, which detects the operator's hand as an opaque object, outputs a detection signal to the picking verification device 2 indicating that an opaque object has been detected (S12).
[0050] The picking verification device 2 determines the legitimacy of the picking operation from the detection signal output by the picking sensor 31 (S13). If the picking sensor 31 that output the detection signal is the picking sensor 31 of the picking tray 3 equipped with the indicator light 32 that was instructed to light up in step S11, the picking verification device 2 determines that the picking operation is legitimate. In all other cases, the picking verification device 2 determines that the picking operation is illegitimate. When the picking verification device 2 determines that the picking operation is illegitimate, it activates the alarm light 21 connected to the picking verification device 2 (S23), and the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally. When the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 also terminates abnormally.
[0051] If the picking operation is determined to be legitimate, the picking verification device 2 outputs an off command to the indicator light 32 that was on command in step S11 (S14). Next, the picking verification device 2 uses the display 20 to instruct the worker to spread out the packaged items picked from the picking tray 3, place them with the surface facing upwards within the shooting range of the camera 50, and then activate the button 52 on the image processing device (S15).
[0052] When the operator activates button 52, camera 50 captures an image of the shooting range, and the image captured by camera 50 is transferred to image matching device 5. Image matching device 5 compares the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, an image of the surface of the enclosed item) with a master image (in this case, a master image of the surface of the enclosed item) that corresponds to the item being picked and the image captured by camera 50 (S16). If image matching device 5 fails in this image matching, image matching device 5 activates alarm light 53 connected to image matching device 5 (S24), and the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally. If the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 also terminates abnormally.
[0053] If the image matching device 5 successfully matches the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, an image of the surface of the enclosed object), the picking matching device 2 instructs the worker to spread out the enclosed object picked from the picking tray 3, place it with the back side facing upwards within the camera 50's shooting range, and then activate the button 52 on the image matching device 5 (S17).
[0054] When the operator activates button 52, camera 50 captures an image of the shooting range. The image captured by camera 50 is transferred to image matching device 5, which then compares the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, an image of the back of the enclosed item) with a master image (in this case, a master image of the back of the enclosed item) that corresponds to the item being picked and the image captured by camera 50 (S18). If image matching device 5 fails, it activates alarm light 53 connected to it (S24), and the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally. If the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 also terminates abnormally. If image matching device 5 succeeds in matching the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, an image of the back of the enclosed item), the series of processes related to the loop processing (S10) ends.
[0055] When the loop processing (S10) that is repeated for each picking tray 3 used in the picking operation is completed, the picking verification device 2 instructs the worker to place the envelope 8 containing the contents facing upwards within the shooting range of the camera 50, and then activate the button 52 on the image processing device (S19). When the worker activates the button 52, the camera 50 takes an image of the shooting range, and the image taken by the camera 50 is transferred to the image verification device 5. The image verification device 5 performs image verification between the image taken by the camera 50 (in this case, an image of the surface of the envelope 8) and a master image (in this case, a master image of the surface of the envelope 8) that corresponds to the items being picked and the image taken by the camera 50 (S20). If the image verification device 5 fails in this image verification, the image verification device 5 activates the alarm light 53 connected to the image verification device 5 (S24), and the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally. If the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 also terminates abnormally.
[0056] If the image matching device 5 successfully matches the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, an image of the front of envelope 8), the picking matching device 2 instructs the worker to place the envelope 8, which will contain the contents, with its back side facing upwards within the camera 50's shooting range, and then activate the button 52 on the image processing device (S21). When the worker activates the button 52, camera 50 captures an image of the shooting range, and the image captured by camera 50 is transferred to the image matching device 5. The image matching device 5 then performs an image matching between the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, an image of the back of envelope 8) and a master image corresponding to the item being picked and the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, a master image of the back of envelope 8) (S22). If the image matching device 5 fails in this image matching, the image matching device 5 activates the alarm light 53 connected to the image matching device 5 (S24), and the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally. If the procedure in Figure 9 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 will also terminate abnormally. If the image matching device 5 successfully matches the image captured by camera 50 (in this case, an image of the back of envelope 8), the component inspection process (S6) will terminate normally.
[0057] In the component inspection process (S6), the master image used by the image matching device 5 for image matching is a full-surface image of the enclosed object. By performing image matching on both the front and back surfaces of the enclosed object in the component inspection process (S6), it is possible to inspect for the mis-mixing of enclosed objects used in the picking operation.
[0058] Next, with reference to Figure 10, the picking work verification process (S5) for one envelope 8 will be explained. In the picking work verification process (S5), first, a loop process (S30) is executed that is repeated for each picking tray 3 used in the picking work. In this loop process (S30), the picking verification device 2 first outputs an instruction to light up the indicator light 32 of the picking tray 3 that is the target of the loop process (S30) (S31), and instructs the worker to pick the contents from the picking tray 3 whose indicator light 32 is lit.
[0059] When an operator picks an item from the picking tray 3, if the operator reaches for the tray body 30 of the picking tray 3, the picking sensor 31, which detects the operator's hand as an opaque object, outputs a detection signal to the picking verification device 2 indicating that an opaque object has been detected (S32). The item picked by the operator from the picking tray 3 is placed by the operator within the shooting range of the camera 50 of the image verification device 5.
[0060] When the picking verification device 2 receives a detection signal from the picking sensor 31, it determines the legitimacy of the picking operation based on the detection signal output by the picking sensor 31 (S33). If the picking sensor 31 that output the detection signal is the picking sensor 31 of the picking tray 3 equipped with the indicator light 32 that was instructed to light up in step S31, the picking verification device 2 determines that the picking operation is legitimate. In all other cases, the picking verification device 2 determines that the picking operation is illegitimate. If the picking verification device 2 determines that the picking operation is illegitimate, it activates the alarm light 21 connected to the picking verification device 2 (S41), and the procedure in Figure 10 terminates abnormally. If the procedure in Figure 10 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 also terminates abnormally.
[0061] If the picking operation is determined to be legitimate, the picking verification device 2 outputs an off command to the indicator light 32 that output an on command in step S31 (S34). Next, the picking verification device 2 checks whether the previously picked item is enclosed item 71 (S35). Whether the previously picked item is enclosed item 71 can be determined from the type of enclosed item corresponding to the terminal number of the picking terminal that output an on command in the previous step. If the previously picked item is not enclosed item 71, the series of processes related to the loop processing (S30) ends. If the previously picked item is enclosed item 71, the picking verification device 2 outputs a shooting command to the camera 50 (S36). The camera 50, which has received a shooting command from the picking verification device 2, takes an image of the shooting range, and the image taken by the camera 50 is transferred to the image verification device 5. The image matching device 5 performs image matching between a master image (in this case, the master image of the enclosed item 71) that corresponds to the item being picked and the image captured by the camera 50, and the image captured by the camera 50 (in this case, the image of the enclosed item 71) (S37). If the image matching device 5 fails in this image matching, the image matching device 5 activates the alarm light 53 connected to the image matching device 5 (S42), and the procedure in Figure 10 terminates abnormally. If the procedure in Figure 10 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 also terminates abnormally. If the image matching device 5 succeeds in image matching, the series of processes related to the loop processing (S30) is completed.
[0062] In the picking operation verification process (S5), the master image used by the image verification device 5 for image verification is the surface image of the contents as they are to be placed in the envelope 8.
[0063] When the loop processing (S30) is completed, the picking verification device 2 displays information on the display 20 instructing the worker to inspect the form 70 (S38). The code verification device 6 is used to inspect the form 70. The worker has the code reader 60 read the optical code 700 for all the picked forms 70, and the optical code 700 read by the code reader 60 is verified by the code verification device 6 (S39). If the code verification device 6 also fails to verify the optical code 700, the code verification device 6 activates the alarm light 63 connected to the code verification device 6 (S43), and the procedure in Figure 10 terminates abnormally. If the procedure in Figure 10 terminates abnormally, the procedure in Figure 1 also terminates abnormally. If the code verification device 6 also succeeds in verifying the optical code 700, the picking verification device 2 waits for the output of a detection signal from the discharge detection sensor 41 provided in the discharge box 4 (S40). When a detection signal is output from the discharge detection sensor 41 of the discharge box 4 to the picking verification device 2, the picking work verification process (S5) for one envelope 8 is completed successfully.
[0064] In this embodiment, the picking operation for one envelope 8 is performed according to the procedure shown in Figure 11. First, the enclosed item 71D placed on the picking tray 3D is picked (S50), and then the enclosed item 71C placed on the picking tray 3C is picked (S51). Since the enclosed item picked immediately before the enclosed item 71C becomes the enclosed item 71D, when the enclosed item 71C is picked in step S51, the enclosed item 71D picked in step S50 is image-matched (S52). Next, the form 70B placed on the picking tray 3B is picked (S53). Since the enclosed item picked immediately before the form 70B becomes the enclosed item 71C, when the form 70B is picked in step S53, the enclosed item 71C picked in step S51 is image-matched (S54). Finally, the form 70A placed on the picking tray 3A is picked (S55). Once the picking operation is complete, the optical codes 700 of form 70A and form B are inspected (S56). When a detection signal is output from the discharge detection sensor 41 of the discharge box 4 (S57), the picking operation for one envelope 8 is completed.
[0065] Finally, the packaging process (S1) will be explained with reference to Figure 12. The order in which the picking trays 3 are issued with picking instructions can be determined arbitrarily, but as mentioned above, in this embodiment, this order is the order in which the packaging items are placed.
[0066] In the packaging process (S1), the picking verification device 2 uses the display 20 to instruct the worker to place the packaging into the picking tray 3 (S60). When the worker places the packaging into the tray 30, the picking verification device 2 receives a detection signal from the picking sensor 31, which detects the worker's hand as they place the packaging (S61). The picking verification device 2 then performs a process to store the terminal numbers corresponding to the picking sensor 31 that output the detection signal in chronological order (S62), and the procedure in Figure 12 is completed. Note that steps S61 and S62 in Figure 12 are performed each time the worker places packaging into the tray 30. For example, if the contents are placed in picking tray 3D, picking tray 3C, picking tray 3B, and picking tray 3A in that order, the picking verification device 2 will store the terminal numbers in the order of terminal number "4", terminal number "3", terminal number "2", and terminal number "1".
[0067] 1. Picking Verification System 2. Picking and Verification Device 20 displays 21 Warning light 22 Tray terminals 3 Picking Trays 30 trays 31 Picking Sensor 32 Indicator light 4 Discharge Box 40 Boxes 41 Emission detection sensor 5. Image matching device 50 Cameras 51 displays 52 buttons 53 Warning light 6. Code Verification Device 60 Code Readers 61 displays 62 Databases 63 Warning light 64 Networks 70 forms 700 Optical Code 71 Enclosures 8 Envelope 9 Workbench
Claims
1. The system includes one or more picking trays for placing sealed items, and a picking verification device for verifying the picking operation of the sealed items. The picking tray comprises a tray body on which the sealed items are placed, a picking sensor for detecting the worker's hands, and an indicator light for instructing the picking of the sealed items. The picking verification device outputs a signal to light up the indicator light on the picking tray on which the enclosed items are picked, and performs a picking determination process to determine the legitimacy of the picking operation based on whether or not the picking sensor on the picking tray equipped with the indicator light that has output the signal to light up has output a detection signal, while changing the picking trays according to a predetermined order of use of the picking trays, thereby verifying the worker's picking operation and work procedure. A picking verification system characterized by the following features.
2. Includes a discharge box into which envelopes containing the aforementioned contents are placed and sealed, The discharge box comprises a box body into which sealed envelopes are placed, and a discharge detection sensor for detecting the worker's hand extended into the box body. The picking verification device determines that the picking operation for one envelope has been completed when a detection signal is output from the discharge detection sensor. The picking verification system described in claim 1.
3. The enclosed item includes the enclosed item, and includes an image matching device that compares the image captured by the camera with a master image thereof. The picking matching device determines whether the enclosed item placed on the picking tray, which is equipped with an indicator light that outputs a lighting instruction, is the enclosed item. When a picking instruction is output to the indicator light on the picking tray on which the enclosed item is placed, the device outputs a shooting instruction to the camera using the next detection signal as a trigger. The image matching device is characterized by comparing the image captured by the camera with a master image that corresponds to the item being picked and the image captured by the camera. A picking verification system according to claim 1 or claim 2.
4. The image matching device is equipped with means for manually operating the camera, and each time the means is operated, the image matching device is configured to perform image matching between a master image corresponding to the item being picked and the image captured by the camera, and the picking matching device issues instructions to the work to inspect the front and back surfaces of the enclosed items and the front and back surfaces of the envelopes, thereby enabling the image matching device to perform image matching on the front and back surfaces of the enclosed items and the envelopes. The picking verification system described in claim 3.
5. The enclosed material includes a form on which an optical code is printed, and is characterized by including a code verification device for verifying the optical code printed on the form. The picking verification system described in claim 3.
6. The enclosed material includes a form on which an optical code is printed, and is characterized by including a code verification device for verifying the optical code printed on the form. The picking verification system described in claim 4.