Label reading system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10984207-B2
Application number	US-201916574272-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2019
Priority date	Oct 15, 2018
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

Based on information on a plurality of images taken by a plurality of cameras of a QR-code imaging device, either information that label information has been appropriately acquired or information that the label information has not been appropriately acquired is assigned to each of a plurality of parts boxes placed on a forklift. Then, the information assigned to each parts box is displayed over a corresponding parts box in an image showing the parts boxes. By visually checking the image showing the parts boxes, a worker can easily recognize a parts box of which the label information has not been appropriately acquired.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A label reading system in which labels respectively attached to those surfaces of a plurality of loads placed on a transfer vehicle that extend in a direction along a traveling direction of the transfer vehicle are read as the transfer vehicle passes through a label reading area, the label reading system comprising:
a group of label imaging devices that is installed in the label reading area, that includes a plurality of label imaging devices each configured to image some of the labels attached to the respective loads, and that is configured to be able to image all the labels of the loads when the loads have passed through the label reading area;
a stack-of-loads imaging device that images a plurality of loads placed on the transfer vehicle as one image; and
a label information integrating and displaying device that, based on information on a plurality of images taken by the label imaging devices of the group of label imaging devices, assigns either information that label information has been appropriately acquired or information that the label information has not been appropriately acquired to each of the loads placed on the transfer vehicle, and then displays the information assigned to each of the loads over a corresponding load in an image showing the loads,
wherein the label information integrating and displaying device is configured to display information on each of the loads to which either the information that the label information has been appropriately acquired or the information that the label information has not been appropriately acquired is assigned, over a corresponding load in an image showing the loads taken by the stack-of-loads imaging device, by performing a coordinate point conversion process that involves arranging images of the loads taken by the label imaging devices of the group of label imaging devices in a coordinate system, and converting a coordinate point of an information presenting portion of the label of each of the loads into a coordinate point of the information presenting portion of the label of the load in an image showing the loads taken by the stack-of-loads imaging device.

2. The label reading system according to claim 1 , wherein:
a plurality of loads is placed on the transfer vehicle in a direction along the traveling direction of the transfer vehicle, and the label imaging device sequentially images the labels attached to the respective loads as the transfer vehicle travels and the loads sequentially move into an imaging range of the label imaging device; and
in the coordinate point conversion process, a computational formula having a traveling speed of the transfer vehicle as one of parameters is used to convert the coordinate point of the information presenting portion of the label of each of the loads imaged by the label imaging device into the coordinate point of the information presenting portion of the label of the load in an image showing the loads taken by the stack-of-loads imaging device.

3. The label reading system according to claim 1 , wherein the label imaging devices of the group of label imaging devices are disposed along a vertical direction, with each of the label imaging devices having a different imaging field of view in the vertical direction, and are configured such that a label imaging device located at a lowest position images at least a label attached to a load in a bottom tier of a plurality of loads stacked in tiers while a label imaging device located at a highest position images at least a label attached to a load in a top tier of the loads stacked in tiers.

4. A label reading system in which labels respectively attached to those surfaces of a plurality of loads placed on a transfer vehicle that extend in a direction along a traveling direction of the transfer vehicle are read as the transfer vehicle passes through a label reading area, the label reading system comprising:
a group of label imaging devices that is installed in the label reading area, that includes a plurality of label imaging devices each configured to image some of the labels attached to the respective loads, and that is configured to be able to image all the labels of the loads when the loads have passed through the label reading area; and
a label information integrating and displaying device that, based on information on a plurality of images taken by the label imaging devices of the group of label imaging devices, assigns either information that label information has been appropriately acquired or information that the label information has not been appropriately acquired to each of the loads placed on the transfer vehicle, and then displays the information assigned to each of the loads over a corresponding load in an image showing the loads,
wherein the label information integrating and displaying device is configured to create an image showing a plurality of loads by performing an image combining process of combining a plurality of images taken by the label imaging devices of the group of label imaging devices into an image in which the same labels are superimposed on each other such that the image does not contain duplicate labels, and then display information on each of the loads to which either the information that the label information has been appropriately acquired or the information that the label information has not been appropriately acquired is assigned, over a corresponding load in the created image.

5. The label reading system according to claim 4 , wherein:
the plurality of loads is placed on the transfer vehicle in a direction along the traveling direction of the transfer vehicle, and the label imaging device sequentially images the labels attached to the respective loads as the transfer vehicle travels and the loads sequentially move into an imaging range of the label imaging device; and
in a coordinate point conversion process, a computational formula having a traveling speed of the transfer vehicle as one of parameters is used to convert a coordinate point of the information presenting portion of the label of each of the loads imaged by the label imaging device into the coordinate point of the information presenting portion of the label of the load in an image showing the loads taken by the stack-of-loads imaging device.

6. The label reading system according to claim 4 , wherein the label imaging devices of the group of label imaging devices are disposed along a vertical direction, with each of the label imaging devices having a different imaging field of view in the vertical direction, and are configured such that a label imaging device located at a lowest position images at least a label attached to a load in a bottom tier of a plurality of loads stacked in tiers while a label imaging device located at a highest position images at least a label attached to a load in a top tier of the loads stacked in tiers.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sone Daiji
• Nagasawa Katsuhiko

Classifications

• G06K7/1447 Primary

  extracting optical codes from image or text carrying said optical code · CPC title

• G06K17/0025 Primary

  the arrangement consisting of a wireless interrogation device in combination with a device for optically marking the record carrier · CPC title

• G06K7/1443

  locating of the code in an image · CPC title

• G06K7/10871 Primary

  randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code · CPC title

• G06Q10/00

  Administration; Management · CPC title