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EP0462256A1 - Process for distributing packets or the like. - Google Patents

Process for distributing packets or the like.

Info

Publication number
EP0462256A1
EP0462256A1 EP91902168A EP91902168A EP0462256A1 EP 0462256 A1 EP0462256 A1 EP 0462256A1 EP 91902168 A EP91902168 A EP 91902168A EP 91902168 A EP91902168 A EP 91902168A EP 0462256 A1 EP0462256 A1 EP 0462256A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
addresses
package
images
scanning
image
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP91902168A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0462256B1 (en
Inventor
Siegmar Malow
Michael Pausinger
Albert Glade
Hubert Gitschier
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Siemens AG
Original Assignee
Licentia Patent Verwaltungs GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Licentia Patent Verwaltungs GmbH filed Critical Licentia Patent Verwaltungs GmbH
Publication of EP0462256A1 publication Critical patent/EP0462256A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0462256B1 publication Critical patent/EP0462256B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C5/00—Sorting according to a characteristic or feature of the articles or material being sorted, e.g. by control effected by devices which detect or measure such characteristic or feature; Sorting by manually actuated devices, e.g. switches
    • B07C5/34—Sorting according to other particular properties
    • B07C5/342—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour
    • B07C5/3422—Sorting according to other particular properties according to optical properties, e.g. colour using video scanning devices, e.g. TV-cameras
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
    • B07C3/00—Sorting according to destination
    • B07C3/10—Apparatus characterised by the means used for detection ofthe destination
    • B07C3/14—Apparatus characterised by the means used for detection ofthe destination using light-responsive detecting means
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC
    • Y10S—TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y10S209/00—Classifying, separating, and assorting solids
    • Y10S209/939—Video scanning

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for distributing packets or the like. corresponding to signs applied to their surface.
  • a sorting system for mail parcels and the like with a feed conveyor and a sorting station is already known from DE-AS 20 55 837.
  • the parcels are fed to the sorting station in an unordered manner, there they are visually checked by operators and, depending on the result of the check, distributed in a suitable manner, i.e. handed over to appropriate transport facilities.
  • Carrying out the visual inspection in this known sorting system requires that the respective package is manually turned and rotated until the surface with the address applied is found. For further distribution, the address must then be read by the operators and the zip code or delivery area determined for each package.
  • Disadvantages of this sorting system are, in particular, the multiple time-consuming manual turning and rotating of the packets until the address can be read, as well as the cumbersome further processing of the address information obtained.
  • the disadvantage of a system with automatic turning and rotating of the packets for positioning the address is the high design and control effort required for this.
  • the object of the present invention is to improve the prior art, in particular the specification of a method and a device for distributing packets or the like, in which the address information is largely automatically picked up and the packets only have to be positioned or moved a little when the address information is obtained, and which enables the obtained address information to be processed more easily.
  • the invention is based on the idea that after a separation and alignment of the package so that an edge lies in a defined manner with respect to the transport direction, positioning or movement of the packages is not necessary for obtaining the address information, if all of them Partial surfaces of each package are optically scanned and images of all six partial surfaces are obtained. If there is an area on the image of a partial surface that contains address information (e.g. stickers), this surface is further evaluated.
  • address information e.g. stickers
  • the recognized addresses are given a distribution code for further distribution and sorting, e.g. a postal routing number assigned which controls the subsequent distribution of the packets.
  • Figure 1 shows schematically a device for determining the Area containing address information and for scanning the address on a packet.
  • the device according to FIG. 1 enables address information to be obtained from characters applied to the package surface without the packages having to be positioned or moved after they have been separated and aligned beforehand.
  • the separation of the packages from the package stream and the alignment along an edge, so that a defined alignment with respect to the transport direction is achieved, can be carried out by suitable mechanical components, such as e.g. Vibrating belts, combinations of conveyor belts with different speeds and the discharge over edges.
  • suitable mechanical components such as e.g. Vibrating belts, combinations of conveyor belts with different speeds and the discharge over edges.
  • the parcels are preferably aligned along an edge parallel to the direction of transport.
  • a package 1 is moved along a conveyor line 2, a gap 3 being provided in the conveyor line which is dimensioned so small that the transport of the package over it is not impaired.
  • the package is scanned from six spatial directions by the cameras 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60, the camera 50 preferably being designed as a line camera which scans the downward-facing partial surface of the package while the remaining ones five cameras, which can be designed as standard area cameras, scan the exposed five sides of the package.
  • the images recorded by the cameras are simultaneously displayed on a monitor 65 with six partial image areas.
  • An operator can evaluate the six images of a package at the same time, ie the position of the address Identify and mark the area on one of the partial monitors.
  • the image can also be displayed successively on a simple monitor.
  • the device according to FIG. 1 therefore uses a two-stage recording of images of different resolutions, although it is also possible to process the packets in one stage if cameras with a suitable resolution are used.
  • an image of coarse spatial resolution is first with the 'cameras 10 to 60 (Grob ⁇ scanning), which captures the entire package, collected and evaluated for determining the position of the address, as described above.
  • the evaluation can be done by:
  • the solution 1. has the advantage that the operator only works on the screen and not on an additional surface and does not have to use any instrument, but suffers from the disadvantage of a relatively imprecise positioning of the address field. In contrast, solutions 2 and 3 offer the possibility of finer positioning.
  • the marking of the address and determination of the recording field according to 2nd and 3rd can be done in the following modes:
  • the section of the packet surface is determined by the recording field, from which an image of fine • lateral resolution is obtained, which is evaluated for the character recognition.
  • Cameras 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 are provided for this purpose, which also allow the entire package to be captured without it having to be positioned or moved.
  • the recording windows of these cameras can be positioned as desired within the respective surface of the package by means of optomechanics, the resolution of these cameras being selected to be suitable for automatic step recognition.
  • the package is transported by the conveyor into the area of fine scanning.
  • the rough scanning can be performed by the Slot camera 3 used for scanning the underside of the package can be selected so that it detects the entire width of the package if the resolution is sufficient for the recognition of the writing.
  • the compressed image of the camera can thus be used to evaluate the coarse scan, while a section of this image in full resolution can be used for automatic font recognition. This enables the saving of a camera for fine scanning.
  • a further slit and an additional camera are provided for the fine scanning of the underside of the package.
  • the position of the address area determined from the coarse scanning controls the selection of one of the six cameras and the positioning of its recording window.
  • the images NEN already are fed to an automatic character recognition device and fine scanning takes place then only if the images of the coarse scanning are rejected by the character recognition.
  • the evaluation of the fine-scan images can, in addition or as an alternative to the above-mentioned character recognition device, be carried out by one or more video coding devices. This is particularly advantageous when there is a mixed volume of packets with differently readable addresses, so that rejected (non-machine-readable) addresses can be supplied with corrective coding.
  • a distribution code is assigned by known methods, which code is also applied to the packets and which controls the further distribution in sorting devices (not shown here).

Landscapes

  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
  • Image Processing (AREA)
  • Branching, Merging, And Special Transfer Between Conveyors (AREA)
  • Transition And Organic Metals Composition Catalysts For Addition Polymerization (AREA)
  • Discharge Of Articles From Conveyors (AREA)
  • Character Discrimination (AREA)
  • Battery Electrode And Active Subsutance (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analysing Biological Materials (AREA)
  • Heat Treatment Of Sheet Steel (AREA)
  • Stacking Of Articles And Auxiliary Devices (AREA)
  • Medicines Containing Material From Animals Or Micro-Organisms (AREA)
  • Character Input (AREA)
  • Control And Other Processes For Unpacking Of Materials (AREA)
  • Preliminary Treatment Of Fibers (AREA)

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/EP90/02234 Sec. 371 Date Aug. 23, 1991 Sec. 102(e) Date Aug. 23, 1991 PCT Filed Dec. 19, 1990 PCT Pub. No. WO91/09688 PCT Pub. Date Jul. 11, 1991.In a method of distributing packages according to addresses, headings or the like applied to their surfaces by means of a separating and conveying device, it is provided that along a conveying path all surface portions of each previously separated package are scanned optically, for each package images are obtained from the surface portions of the package and, for further evaluation, the images are displayed simultaneously or approximately simultaneously. For each package, one or a plurality of the images are selected, and each selected image is assigned a sorting information for the distribution of the package corresponding to that image.

Description

Verfahren zum Verteilen von Paketen o.a.Method for distributing packages or the like
Beschreibungdescription
Die vorliegende Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren und eine Vorrichtung zum Verteilen von Paketen o.a. entsprechend von auf ihrer Oberfläche aufgebrachten Zeichen.The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for distributing packets or the like. corresponding to signs applied to their surface.
Bereits bekannt aus der DE-AS 20 55 837 ist eine Sortieran¬ lage für Postpakete und dergleichen mit einem Zulaufförderer und einem Sortierplatz. Zur Sortierung und Verteilung der Postpakete nach verschiedenen Adreß-Angaben werden nach die¬ ser Druckschrift die Pakete ungeordnet dem Sortierplatz zuge¬ führt, dort von Bedienkräften visuell geprüft und je nach Ergebnis der Prüfung in geeigneter Weise verteilt, d.h. an entsprechende Transporteinrichtungen übergeben. Die Durchfüh¬ rung der visuellen Prüfung in dieser bekannten Sortieranlage erfordert, daß das jeweilige Paket manuell solange gewendet und gedreht wird, bis die Oberfläche mit der aufgebrachten Adresse gefunden ist. Für die weitere Verteilung muß anschließend die Adresse von den Bedienkräften gelesen und für jedes Paket die Postleitzahl bzw. der Zustellbezirk ermittelt werden.A sorting system for mail parcels and the like with a feed conveyor and a sorting station is already known from DE-AS 20 55 837. For sorting and distributing the postal parcels according to various address details, the parcels are fed to the sorting station in an unordered manner, there they are visually checked by operators and, depending on the result of the check, distributed in a suitable manner, i.e. handed over to appropriate transport facilities. Carrying out the visual inspection in this known sorting system requires that the respective package is manually turned and rotated until the surface with the address applied is found. For further distribution, the address must then be read by the operators and the zip code or delivery area determined for each package.
Nachteile dieser Sortieranlage sind insbesondere das im Durchschnitt erforderliche mehrfache zeitaufwendige manuelle Wenden und Drehen der Pakete bis die Adresse gelesen werden kann, sowie eine umständliche Weiterverarbeitung der gewon¬ nenen Adreß-Information. Nachteil einer Anlage mit automati¬ schem Wenden und Drehen der Pakete zum Positionieren der Adresse ist der hierfür erforderliche hohe konstruktive und Steuerungsaufwand.Disadvantages of this sorting system are, in particular, the multiple time-consuming manual turning and rotating of the packets until the address can be read, as well as the cumbersome further processing of the address information obtained. The disadvantage of a system with automatic turning and rotating of the packets for positioning the address is the high design and control effort required for this.
Aufgabe der vorliegenden Erfindung ist die Verbesserung des Standes der Technik, insbesondere die Angabe eines Verfahrens und einer Vorrichtung zur Verteilung von Paketen o.a., bei dem die Adreß-Information weitgehend automatisch aufgenommen und die Pakete bei der Gewinnung der Adreß-Information nur wenig positioniert oder bewegt werden müssen, und die eine einfachere Weiterverarbeitung der gewonnenen Adreß-Informa¬ tion ermöglicht.The object of the present invention is to improve the prior art, in particular the specification of a method and a device for distributing packets or the like, in which the address information is largely automatically picked up and the packets only have to be positioned or moved a little when the address information is obtained, and which enables the obtained address information to be processed more easily.
Diese Aufgabe wird erfindungsgemäß durch die Merkmale der Ansprüche 1 und 11 gelöst. Die Erfindung geht dabei von der Idee aus, daß nach einer Vereinzelung und Ausrichtung der Paket, so daß eine Kante in definierter Weise zur Tranεport- richtung liegt, eine Positionierung oder Bewegung der Pakete für die Gewinnung der Adreß-Information nicht erforderlich ist, wenn alle Teil-Oberflächen jedes Paket optisch abge¬ tastet und Bilder aller sechs Teiloberflächen gewonnen werden. Wenn auf dem Bild einer Teiloberfläche ein Bereich enthalten ist, der Adreß-Informationen enthält (z.B. Auf¬ kleber), wird diese Oberfläche weiter ausgewertet. Dies kann dadurch geschehen, daß von einem entsprechenden Teilbereich der betreffenden Oberfläche (Aufnahmefeld) ein Bild höherer Auflösung gewonnen und einer automatischen Zei¬ chenerkennungsvorrichtung und/oder einer Videocodiereinrich- tung zugeführt wird, oder - falls die Auflösung des erwähnten Bildes hoch genug ist - dieses den erwähnten Einrichtungen zugeführt wird. Den erkannten Adressen wird für die weitere Verteilung und Sortierung ein Verteilcode, z.B. eine Post¬ leitzahl, zugeordnet der die darauffolgende Verteilung der Pakete steuert. Weitere vorteilhafte Ausführungen der Erfin¬ dung sind in den ünteransprüchen und der Beschreibung angege¬ ben.This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claims 1 and 11. The invention is based on the idea that after a separation and alignment of the package so that an edge lies in a defined manner with respect to the transport direction, positioning or movement of the packages is not necessary for obtaining the address information, if all of them Partial surfaces of each package are optically scanned and images of all six partial surfaces are obtained. If there is an area on the image of a partial surface that contains address information (e.g. stickers), this surface is further evaluated. This can be done by obtaining an image of higher resolution from a corresponding partial area of the relevant surface (recording field) and feeding it to an automatic character recognition device and / or a video coding device, or - if the resolution of the image mentioned is high enough - this is supplied to the facilities mentioned. The recognized addresses are given a distribution code for further distribution and sorting, e.g. a postal routing number assigned which controls the subsequent distribution of the packets. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims and the description.
Im folgenden wird die Erfindung anhand einer Zeichnung genauer erläutert.The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to a drawing.
Figur 1 zeigt schematisch eine Vorrichtung zur Ermittlung des Adreß-Informationen enthaltenden Bereichs und zur Abtastung der Adresse auf einem Paket.Figure 1 shows schematically a device for determining the Area containing address information and for scanning the address on a packet.
Die Vorrichtung nach Fig. 1 ermöglicht es, aus auf der Paket¬ oberfläche aufgebrachten Zeichen Adreß-Informationen zu gewinnen, ohne daß die Pakete, nachdem sie vorher vereinzelt und ausgerichtet worden sind, positioniert oder bewegt werden müssen.The device according to FIG. 1 enables address information to be obtained from characters applied to the package surface without the packages having to be positioned or moved after they have been separated and aligned beforehand.
Die Vereinzelung der Pakete aus dem Paketstrom und die Aus¬ richtung entlang einer Kante, so daß eine definierte Ausrich¬ tung in Bezug auf die Transportrichtung erreicht wird, kann dabei durch geeignete mechanische Bauelemente erfolgen, wie z.B. Rüttelbänder, Kombinationen von Transportbändern mit unterschiedlichen Geschwindigkeiten und den Abwurf über Kan¬ ten. Vorzugsweise erfolgt die Ausrichtung der Pakete entlang einer Kante parallel zur Transportrichtung.The separation of the packages from the package stream and the alignment along an edge, so that a defined alignment with respect to the transport direction is achieved, can be carried out by suitable mechanical components, such as e.g. Vibrating belts, combinations of conveyor belts with different speeds and the discharge over edges. The parcels are preferably aligned along an edge parallel to the direction of transport.
Bei der in Figur 1 illustrierten erfindungsgemäßen Vorrich¬ tung wird ein Paket 1 entlang einer Förderstrecke 2 bewegt, wobei ein Spalt 3 in der Förderstrecke vorgesehen ist, der so klein dimensioniert ist, daß der Transport des Paketes über ihn nicht beeinträchtigt wird. Die Abtastung des Paketes aus sechs Raumrichtungen erfolgt durch die Kameras 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 und 60, wobei die Kamera 50 vorzugsweise als Zeilenka¬ mera ausgebildet ist, die die nach unten gerichtete Teilober¬ fläche des Paketes abtastet, während die verbleibenden fünf Kameras, die als Standardflächenkameras ausgeführt werden können, die offenliegenden fünf Seiten des Paketes abtasten.In the device according to the invention illustrated in FIG. 1, a package 1 is moved along a conveyor line 2, a gap 3 being provided in the conveyor line which is dimensioned so small that the transport of the package over it is not impaired. The package is scanned from six spatial directions by the cameras 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60, the camera 50 preferably being designed as a line camera which scans the downward-facing partial surface of the package while the remaining ones five cameras, which can be designed as standard area cameras, scan the exposed five sides of the package.
Eine gleichzeitige Darstellung der von den Kameras aufgenom¬ menen Bilder erfolgt auf einem Monitor 65 mit sechs Teilbild¬ bereichen. Eine Bedienkraft kann die sechs Bilder eines Pake¬ tes gleichzeitig auswerten, d.h. die Position des Adreß- Bereichs auf einem der Teilmonitore identifizieren und mar¬ kieren. Bei Verwendung einer Bildspeichereinrichtung kann die Bilddarstellung auch sukzessive auf einem einfachen Monitor erfolgen.The images recorded by the cameras are simultaneously displayed on a monitor 65 with six partial image areas. An operator can evaluate the six images of a package at the same time, ie the position of the address Identify and mark the area on one of the partial monitors. When using an image storage device, the image can also be displayed successively on a simple monitor.
Für die weitere Verarbeitung der Pakete ist folgendes zu berücksichtigen. Für die Bestimmung der Adreß-Position benö¬ tigt man nur Bilder geringer Auflösung, die dafür allerdings jeweils die gesamte Paketoberfläche abdecken müssen. Anderer¬ seits erfordert die automatische Erkennung von Adressen, die in Schriftzeichen in der Größe von Schreibmaschinenschriften vorliegen, eine Auflösung von ca. acht bis 10 Bildpunkten pro Millimeter. Die Größe der zu sortierenden Pakete von maximal ca. 600/600/1000 mm (B/H/L) würde daher Bilder mit einer Anzahl von 6000 x 10000 Bildpunkten erfordern, wollte man für die automatische Schrifterkennung das gleiche Bild verwenden, das für die Ermitttlung der Adreß-Position verwendet wurde. Abgesehen von Zeilenkameras, die wegen der Vibrationen der Pakete auf dem Transportweg nur sehr beschränkt eingesetzt werden- können, stehen Bildaufnehmer dieser Größe zur Zeit zu einem vertretbaren Preis nicht zur Verfügung. Die Vorrichtung nach Figur 1 verwendet deshalb eine zweistufige Aufnahme von Bildern unterschiedlicher Auflösung, obwohl auch die einstu¬ fige Verarbeitung der Pakete bei Einsatz von Kameras geeigne¬ ter Auflösung möglich ist. Hierbei wird zunächst mit den ' Kameras 10 bis 60 ein Bild grober lateraler Auflösung (Grob¬ abtastung), das das gesamte Paket erfaßt, gewonnen und zur Ermittlung der Position der Adresse ausgewertet, wie oben beschrieben. Die Auswertung kann erfolgen durch:The following must be taken into account for the further processing of the packets. To determine the address position, only low-resolution images are required, which, however, must cover the entire package surface. On the other hand, the automatic recognition of addresses which are present in characters the size of typewriter fonts requires a resolution of approximately eight to 10 pixels per millimeter. The size of the packages to be sorted of a maximum of approx. 600/600/1000 mm (W / H / L) would therefore require images with a number of 6000 x 10000 pixels if one wanted to use the same image for automatic font recognition as for the Determination of the address position was used. Apart from line scan cameras, which can only be used to a very limited extent due to the vibrations of the parcels on the transport route, image recorders of this size are currently not available at a reasonable price. The device according to FIG. 1 therefore uses a two-stage recording of images of different resolutions, although it is also possible to process the packets in one stage if cameras with a suitable resolution are used. In this case, an image of coarse spatial resolution is first with the 'cameras 10 to 60 (Grob¬ scanning), which captures the entire package, collected and evaluated for determining the position of the address, as described above. The evaluation can be done by:
1. Fingerzeig auf einem touch-screen,1. finger pointing on a touch screen,
2. Lichtstift auf einem Bildschirm,2. light pen on a screen,
3. Maus und Digitalisierungstablett oder ähnliche pointing device. Hierbei hat die Lösung 1. den Vorteil, daß der Bediener nur auf dem Bildschirm und nicht auf einer zusätzlichen Fläche arbeitet und keinerlei Instrument benutzen muß, leidet aller¬ dings unter dem Nachteil einer relativ ungenauen Positionie¬ rung des Adreß-Feldes. Die Lösungen 2. und 3. bieten demge¬ genüber die Möglichkeit einer feineren Positionierung.3. Mouse and digitizing tablet or similar pointing device. The solution 1. has the advantage that the operator only works on the screen and not on an additional surface and does not have to use any instrument, but suffers from the disadvantage of a relatively imprecise positioning of the address field. In contrast, solutions 2 and 3 offer the possibility of finer positioning.
Die Markierung der Adresse und Bestimmung des Aufnahmefeldes nach 2. und 3. kann in folgenden Modi erfolgen:The marking of the address and determination of the recording field according to 2nd and 3rd can be done in the following modes:
Markierung der Mitte des Aufnahmefeldes, wobei eine Rückmeldung durch eine Anzeige des ausgewählten Aufnahmefeldes vor einem Monitor möglich ist.Marking the center of the recording field, whereby feedback is possible by displaying the selected recording field in front of a monitor.
Markierung von zwei Ecken des Aufnahmefeldes, wobei das Aufnahmefeld variable Größe und Form haben kann.Marking of two corners of the recording field, whereby the recording field can have variable size and shape.
Positionierung eines Symbols auf dem Anschriftenfeld, das in Größe in Form mit dem Aufnahmefeld übereinstimmt.Positioning of a symbol on the address field, the size of which corresponds to the recording field.
Durch das Aufnahmefeld wird der Ausschnitt der Paketoberflä¬ che bestimmt, von dem ein Bild feiner • lateraler Auflösung gewonnen wird, das für die Schrifterkennung ausgewertet wird. Hierfür sind Kameras 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 vorgesehen, die auch hier eine Bildaufnahme des gesamten Pakets, ohne daß es positioniert oder bewegt werden müßte, ermöglichen. Die Auf- nahmefenster dieser Kameras können mittels einer Optomechanik innerhalb der jeweiligen Oberfläche des Pakets beliebig posi- tioniert werden, wobei die Auflösung dieser Kameras für die automatische Schri terkennung geeignet gewählt ist.The section of the packet surface is determined by the recording field, from which an image of fine • lateral resolution is obtained, which is evaluated for the character recognition. Cameras 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 are provided for this purpose, which also allow the entire package to be captured without it having to be positioned or moved. The recording windows of these cameras can be positioned as desired within the respective surface of the package by means of optomechanics, the resolution of these cameras being selected to be suitable for automatic step recognition.
Nach der Grobabtastung wird das Paket von der Fördereinrich¬ tung in den Bereich der Feinabtastung transportiert. Bei der Vorrichtung nach Figur 1 kann die zur Grobabtastung durch den Schlitz 3 verwendete Zeilenkamera zur Abtastung der Paketun¬ terseite so ausgewählt werden, daß sie bei einer zur Schrifterkennung ausreichenden Auflösung die gesamte Breite des Pakets erfaßt. Damit kann das komprimierte Bild der Kamera zur Auswertung der Grobabtastung herangezogen werden, während ein Ausschnitt dieses Bildes in voller Auflösung zur automatischen Schrifterkennung genutzt werden. Dies ermög¬ licht die Einsparung einer Kamera für die Feinabtastung. In einer anderen, hier nicht dargestellten Ausführungsform der Erfindung, ist ein weiterer Spalt und eine zusätzliche Kamera für die Feinabtastung der Paketunterseite vorgesehen. In jedem Fall steuert die aus der Grobabtastung ermittelte Posi¬ tion des Adreß-Bereichs die Auswahl einer der sechs Kameras und die Positionierung ihres Aufnahmefensters.After the coarse scanning, the package is transported by the conveyor into the area of fine scanning. In the device according to FIG. 1, the rough scanning can be performed by the Slot camera 3 used for scanning the underside of the package can be selected so that it detects the entire width of the package if the resolution is sufficient for the recognition of the writing. The compressed image of the camera can thus be used to evaluate the coarse scan, while a section of this image in full resolution can be used for automatic font recognition. This enables the saving of a camera for fine scanning. In another embodiment of the invention, not shown here, a further slit and an additional camera are provided for the fine scanning of the underside of the package. In any case, the position of the address area determined from the coarse scanning controls the selection of one of the six cameras and the positioning of its recording window.
Während in der oben dargestellten Ausführungsform der Vorrichtung die Auswertung der sechs Bilder der Grobabtastung manuell erfolgt, kann in einer weiteren Ausführungsform diese Auswertung auch automatisch erfolgen. Hierzu ist lediglich erforderlich, alle sechs Bilder der Grobabtastung auf Gebiete zu untersuchen, die in einer Auswahl von Merkmalen mit dem Modell eines Adreß-Aufklebers bzw. eines Adreß-Bereichs auf einem Paket übereinstimmen. Merkmale dieser Art sind z.B. der Farbkontrast einer Fläche zur Umgebung, Grauwertkontrast einer Fläche zur Umgebung, Form dieser Fläche, Art und Anzahl der Schwärzungsgebiete innerhalb der Fläche, Lage im Bezug auf andere markante Objekte und im Bezug auf die Kontur des Paketes. Nach bekannten Verfahren der Bilderkennung kann aus" den Bildern der Grobabtastung automatisch dasjenige ausge¬ wählt werden, das mit höchster Wahrscheinlichkeit einen Adreß-Bereich aufweist und daraufhin eine Feinabtastung die¬ ses Bereichs vorgenommen werden. In dieser ersten Stufe kön¬ nen die Bilder auch bereits einer automatischen Zeichenerken¬ nungsvorrichtung zugeführt werden; eine Feinabtastung erfolgt dann nur, wenn die Bilder der Grobabtastung von der Zei¬ chenerkennung zurückgewiesen werden. Die Auswertung der Bil¬ der der Feinabtastung kann, zusätzlich oder alternativ zu der oben erwähnten ZeichenerkennungsVorrichtung, durch eine oder mehrere Videocodiereinrichtungen erfolgen. Dies ist insbeson¬ dere dann vorteilhaft, wenn ein gemischtes Aufkommen von Paketen mit unterschiedlich lesbaren Anschriften vorliegt, so daß zurückgewiesene (nicht-maschinenlesbare) Adressen einer korrigierenden Codierung zugeführt werden können.While the evaluation of the six images of the coarse scanning is carried out manually in the embodiment of the device shown above, this evaluation can also be carried out automatically in a further embodiment. All that is required for this is to examine all six images of the coarse scanning for areas that match a model of an address label or an address area on a package in a selection of features. Features of this type are, for example, the color contrast of a surface to the surroundings, gray value contrast of a surface to the surroundings, shape of this surface, type and number of blackening areas within the surface, position in relation to other striking objects and in relation to the contour of the package. By known methods of image recognition may be made of "the images of the coarse scanning are ausge¬ automatically selects the one having the highest probability of an address range, and then a fine scanning die¬ be made ses range. In this first stage kön¬ the images NEN already are fed to an automatic character recognition device and fine scanning takes place then only if the images of the coarse scanning are rejected by the character recognition. The evaluation of the fine-scan images can, in addition or as an alternative to the above-mentioned character recognition device, be carried out by one or more video coding devices. This is particularly advantageous when there is a mixed volume of packets with differently readable addresses, so that rejected (non-machine-readable) addresses can be supplied with corrective coding.
Nach der Auswertung der Bilder der Feinabtastung, d.h. Erken¬ nung der Adressen, erfolgt durch bekannte Verfahren eine Zuordnung eines Verteilcodes, der auch auf die Pakete aufge¬ bracht wird und die die weitere Verteilung in hier nicht näher dargestellten Sortiereinrichtungen steuert.After evaluating the images of the fine scan, i.e. If the addresses are recognized, a distribution code is assigned by known methods, which code is also applied to the packets and which controls the further distribution in sorting devices (not shown here).
Während in der oben dargestellten Ausführungsform der Erfin¬ dung mit sechs Kameras für die Grobabtastung und sechs bzw. fünf für die Feinabtastung die Pakete nach der Vereinzelung und Ausrichtung in der Förderstrecke nicht erneut bewegt wer¬ den müssen, sind in weiteren Ausführungsformen mit einer geringeren Anzahl an Kameras ein oder zwei Drehungen oder Wendungen erforderlich, die von entsprechenden Mechanismen automatisch ausgeführt werden. While in the embodiment of the invention shown above with six cameras for the coarse scanning and six or five for the fine scanning, the packets do not have to be moved again after the separation and alignment in the conveyor line, in other embodiments with a smaller number one or two rotations or twists are required on cameras, which are carried out automatically by appropriate mechanisms.

Claims

Verfahren zum Verteilen von Paketen o.a.Patentansprüche Procedure for distributing packages or patent claims
1. Verfahren zum Verteilen von Paketen o.a. entsprechend von auf ihrer Oberfläche aufgebrachten Adressen, An¬ schriften o.a. mit einer Vereinzelungs- und Förderein¬ richtung, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß1.Procedures for distributing packages or the like in accordance with addresses, addresses or the like applied to their surface with a separating and conveying device, characterized in that
entlang einer Förderstrecke alle Teil-Oberflächen jedes vorher vereinzelten Paketes optisch abgeta¬ stet werden,all partial surfaces of each previously separated package are optically scanned along a conveyor line,
für jedes Paket Bilder von den Paket-Teiloberflä¬ chen gewonnen und zur weiteren Auswertung eine gleichzeitige oder näherungsweise gleichzeitige Darstellung der Bilder erfolgt,images are obtained from the partial package surfaces for each package and the images are displayed simultaneously or approximately simultaneously for further evaluation,
für jedes Paket eine Auswahl eines oder mehrerer Bilder erfolgt undone or more images are selected for each package and
jedem ausgewählten Bild eine Sortierinformation für die Verteilung des ihm entsprechenden Pakets zuge¬ ordnet wird.Sorting information for the distribution of the package corresponding to it is assigned to each selected image.
2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß zur gemeinsamen Auswertung die Darstellung der Bilder auf einem oder mehreren Monitoren erfolgt.2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the representation of the images on one or more monitors takes place for the joint evaluation.
3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 2, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß für jedes Paket in einem ersten Schritt eine Grobabta¬ stung erfolgt und eine Paket-Teiloberfläche ausgewählt wird und in einem zweiten Schritt eine Feinabtastung und Darstellung eines Bild-Ausschnitts der ausgewählten Teiloberfläche erfolgt. 3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that for each package in a first step a Grobabta¬ stung and a package sub-surface is selected and in a second step a fine scan and display of an image section of the selected sub-surface.
4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß bereits im ersten Schritt die Paketunterseite durch einen Spalt in der Förderstrecke von einer Zeilenkamera mit hoher Auflösung abgetastet wird.4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that already in the first step the bottom of the package is scanned by a line camera with high resolution through a gap in the conveyor line.
5. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3 oder 4, dadurch gekennzeich¬ net, daß Standbilder oder Bewegtbilder der Grobabtastung verwendet werden.5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that still images or moving images of coarse scanning are used.
6. Verfahren nach Anspruch 3 bis 5, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß die Bilder der Grobabtastung einer automatischen Zeichenerkennungsvorrichtung zugeführt werden, die die Bilder auswertet und eine Auswahl einer Teiloberfläche für die Feinabtastung nur dann erfolgt, wenn die Bilder der Grobabtastung zurückgewiesen werden.6. The method according to claim 3 to 5, characterized in that the images of the coarse scanning are fed to an automatic character recognition device which evaluates the images and a selection of a partial surface for fine scanning is only carried out if the coarse scanning images are rejected.
7. Verfahren nach Ansprüchen 3 bis 6, dadurch gekennzeich¬ net, daß das Bild der feinabgetasteten Oberfläche einer automatischen Zeichenerkennungsvorrichtung zugeführt werden.7. The method according to claims 3 to 6, characterized gekennzeich¬ net that the image of the scanned surface of an automatic character recognition device are supplied.
8. Verfahren nach Anspruch 7, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß von der automatischen Zeichenerkennungsvorrichtung zurückgewiesene Bilder einer oder mehreren Videocodier¬ einrichtungen zur Eingabe richtiger Adressen, Anschrif¬ ten o.a. zugeführt werden.8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that rejected by the automatic character recognition device images of one or more Videocodier¬ devices for entering correct addresses, addresses, etc. be fed.
9. Verfahren nach Anspruch 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß von mit der Zeichenerkennungsvorrichtung oder Videoco¬ diereinrichtung elektrisch verbundenen Sortiermitteln die Pakete o.a. in Abhängigkeit von den Adressen, An¬ schriften o.a. sortiert werden. 9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that from the sorting means electrically connected to the character recognition device or video coding device, the packets or the like are sorted as a function of the addresses, addresses or the like.
10. Verfahren nach Anspruch 8, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß den Adressen, Anschriften o.a. ein Code zugeordnet und auf die Pakete o.a. aufgebracht wird.10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that the addresses, addresses or the like. a code assigned and on the packages o.a. is applied.
11. Vorrichtung zum Verteilen von Pakten o.a. entsprechend von auf ihrer Oberfläche aufgebrachten Adressen, Anschriften o.a. mit einer Vereinzelungs- und Förderein¬ richtung, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß11. Device for distributing packets or the like in accordance with addresses, addresses, etc. on their surface with a separating and conveying device, characterized in that
eine Förderstrecke vorgesehen ist, entlang derer die vereinzelten Pakete bewegt werden,a conveyor line is provided, along which the separated packages are moved,
ein Spalt in der Förderstrecke vorgesehen ist, über den die Pakete o.a. bewegt werden,a gap is provided in the conveyor line over which the packages o.a. be moved
bei der Förderstrecke Mittel zur optischen Abtastung aller Paket-Teiloberflächen vorgesehen sind, wobei ein Mittel zur optischen Abtastung der Unterseite der Pakete o.a. im angegebenen Spalt angeordnet ist,Means for the optical scanning of all parcel partial surfaces are provided on the conveyor line, a means for optically scanning the underside of the parcels or the like. is arranged in the specified gap,
mit Mitteln zur gleichzeitigen oder näherungsweise gleichzeitigen Darstellung von Bildern der Paket-Teil- oberflächer.-, und zur Auswahl eines oder mehrerer dieser Bilder,with means for the simultaneous or approximately simultaneous display of images of the package part surfaces, and for the selection of one or more of these images,
mit Mitteln zur Auswahl eines vorgegebenen Bereichs eines ausgewählten Bildes, zur Abtastung der entspre¬ chenden Teil-Oberfläche und Gewinnung eines Bildes einer vorgegebenen Auflösung von diesem Bereich,with means for selecting a predetermined area of a selected image, for scanning the corresponding partial surface and obtaining an image of a predetermined resolution from this area,
und mit Mitteln zur Zuordnung von Verteilcodes zu den im besagten Bild des ausgewählten Bereichs enthaltenen Adressen, Anschriften o.a.. and with means for assigning distribution codes to the addresses, addresses or the like contained in the said image of the selected area.
12. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 11, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß zur optischen Abtastung aller Teil-Oberflächen sechs Kameras vorgesehen sind.12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that six cameras are provided for optical scanning of all partial surfaces.
13. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 11, dadurch gekennzeichnet, daß für die Abtastung der Paketunterseite eine Zeilen¬ kamera hoher Auflösung vorgesehen ist.13. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that a line camera of high resolution is provided for scanning the underside of the package.
14. Vorrichtung nach Ansprüchen 11 bis 13, dadurch gekenn¬ zeichnet, daß für die Zuordnung von Verteilcodes zu den Adressen, Anschriften o.a. automatische Zeichenerken¬ nungsmittel vorgesehen sind.14. The device according to claims 11 to 13, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that for the assignment of distribution codes to the addresses, addresses or the like. automatic character recognition means are provided.
15. Vorrichtung nach Ansprüchen 11 oder 14, dadurch gekenn¬ zeichnet, daß eine Anzahl von Videocodiereinrichtungen zur Zuordnung von Verteilcodes zu den Adressen, Anschriften o.a. vorgesehen sind. 15. The apparatus according to claims 11 or 14, characterized gekenn¬ characterized in that a number of video coding devices for assigning distribution codes to the addresses, addresses or the like. are provided.
EP91902168A 1989-12-23 1990-12-19 Process for distributing packets or the like Expired - Lifetime EP0462256B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE3942932A DE3942932A1 (en) 1989-12-23 1989-12-23 METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING PACKAGES O. AE.
DE3942932 1989-12-23
PCT/EP1990/002234 WO1991009688A1 (en) 1989-12-23 1990-12-19 Process for distributing packets or the like

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EP0462256B1 EP0462256B1 (en) 1994-06-22

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PL165615B1 (en) 1995-01-31
ES2056635T3 (en) 1994-10-01
CZ656690A3 (en) 1993-12-15
JP3207419B2 (en) 2001-09-10
CZ278655B6 (en) 1994-04-13
AU635607B2 (en) 1993-03-25
FI913969A0 (en) 1991-08-22
DK0462256T3 (en) 1994-08-01
NO913152D0 (en) 1991-08-13
YU241990A (en) 1994-11-15
RU2070101C1 (en) 1996-12-10
DE59006241D1 (en) 1994-07-28
YU47922B (en) 1996-05-20
PL288520A1 (en) 1991-12-02
IE65565B1 (en) 1995-11-01
ATE107544T1 (en) 1994-07-15
AU7059491A (en) 1991-07-24
HRP930034A2 (en) 1995-02-28
NO913152L (en) 1991-08-13
EP0462256B1 (en) 1994-06-22
CA2045694A1 (en) 1991-06-24
JPH04503921A (en) 1992-07-16
DE3942932A1 (en) 1991-06-27
IE904708A1 (en) 1991-07-17
WO1991009688A1 (en) 1991-07-11
US5311999A (en) 1994-05-17
NZ236633A (en) 1994-04-27

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