Dimension measurement device, parcel locker system, and dimension measurement method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018374232-A1
Application number	US-201616062714-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2016
Priority date	Dec 25, 2015
Publication date	Dec 27, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A dimension measurement device includes: a storage receptacle; an imager configured to capture an image of a measurement object to be stored in the storage receptacle; and an image processor configured to process the image captured by the imager. The storage receptacle includes: a rectangular lower surface; a rectangular first side surface; a rectangular second side surface; a first concave corner formed by the lower surface and the first side surface; a second concave corner formed by the lower surface and the second side surface; a third concave corner formed by the first side surface and the second side surface; and a reference corner point formed at an intersection between the first concave corner, the second concave corner, and the third concave corner. The storage receptacle further includes markers indicating locations of respective sides of the first side surface, the second side surface, and the lower surface.

First claim

1 . A dimension measurement device comprising:
a storage receptacle configured to store a measurement object so as to allow the measurement object to be readily loaded into, and unloaded from, the storage receptacle; an imager provided for the storage receptacle to capture an image of the measurement object to be stored in the storage receptacle; and an image processor configured to perform image processing based on information about the image captured by the imager to measure a size of the measurement object, the storage receptacle including: a rectangular lower surface configured to put the measurement object thereon; a rectangular first side surface extended upward from the lower surface; a rectangular second side surface also extended upward from the lower surface and adjacent to the first side surface; a first concave corner formed by the lower surface and the first side surface; a second concave corner formed by the lower surface and the second side surface; a third concave corner formed by the first side surface and the second side surface; a reference corner point formed at an intersection between the first concave corner, the second concave corner, and the third concave corner and defining a reference point for placing the measurement object at a predetermined location; and markers indicating locations of respective sides of the first side surface, the second side surface, and the lower surface.

2 . The dimension measurement device of claim 1 , wherein
the markers are each implemented as a line, a dot, or a polygon.

3 . The dimension measurement device of claim 1 , wherein
the markers, provided for multiple different surfaces, have mutually different color tones.

4 . The dimension measurement device of claim 1 , wherein
the storage receptacle further includes: a rectangular upper surface extended from respective upper ends of the first side surface and the second side surface; and a receptacle opening facing the first side surface and allowing the measurement object to be loaded into, and unloaded from, the storage receptacle, wherein the imager is arranged at an end of the upper surface, the end being located adjacent to a side of the receptacle opening and opposite from the reference corner point.

5 . The dimension measurement device of claim 1 , wherein
the markers each include at least one of: a first line parallel to length of the first concave corner and provided for either or each of the lower surface and the first side surface; a second line parallel to length of the second concave corner and provided for either or each of the lower surface and the second side surface; or a third line parallel to length of the third concave corner and provided for either or each of the first side surface and the second side surface.

6 . The dimension measurement device of claim 5 , wherein
the reference lines comprise at least two of the first line, the second line, and the third line.

7 . The dimension measurement device of claim 1 , wherein
the imager includes a light fixture configured to light up the storage receptacle.

8 . The dimension measurement device of claim 1 , wherein
the measurement object is placed at a deep corner of the lower surface of the storage receptacle.

9 . A parcel locker system comprising the dimension measurement device of claim 1 ,
the parcel locker system including multiple different types of parcel storage boxes configured to store a given parcel, which is a measurement object that has had its size measured by the dimension measurement device, by classifying the parcel according to its size.

10 . A dimension measurement method executed by a dimension measurement device,
the dimension measurement device comprising: a storage receptacle configured to store a measurement object so as to allow the measurement object to be readily loaded into, and unloaded from, the storage receptacle, the storage receptacle including a rectangular lower surface configured to put the measurement object thereon,
a rectangular first side surface extended upward from the lower surface,
a rectangular second side surface also extended upward from the lower surface and adjacent to the first side surface,
a first concave corner formed by the lower surface and the first side surface,
a second concave corner formed by the lower surface and the second side surface,
a third concave corner formed by the first side surface and the second side surface,
a reference corner point formed at an intersection between the first concave corner, the second concave corner, and the third concave corner and defining a reference point for placing the measurement object at a predetermined location, and
markers indicating locations of respective sides of the first side surface, the second side surface, and the lower surface;
an imager provided for the storage receptacle to capture an image of the measurement object to be stored in the storage receptacle; and an image processor configured to perform image processing based on information about the image captured by the imager to measure a size of the measurement object, the image processor measuring the size of the measurement object by performing:
binarizing, before the measurement object is loaded into the storage receptacle, the image captured by the imager to generate a binary image;
recognizing the markers in the binary image;
distinguishing, by reference to the markers, respective edges corresponding to respective sides of the first side surface, the second side surface, and the lower surface in the binary image;
generating, based on distortion of the respective edges, distortion correction data;
binarizing, after the measurement object has been loaded into the storage receptacle, the image captured by the imager to generate a binary image;
performing, in accordance with the distortion correction data, correction to edge distortion, detected in the binary image, of the measurement object to acquire a corrected image; and
scanning planes, representing the first side surface, the second side surface, and the lower surface, of the corrected image.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein
the storage receptacle further includes: a rectangular upper surface extended from respective upper ends of the first side surface and the second side surface; and a receptacle opening facing the first side surface and allowing the measurement object to be loaded into, and unloaded from, the storage receptacle, wherein the imager is arranged at an end of the upper surface, the end being located adjacent to a side of the receptacle opening and opposite from the reference corner point.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kadowaki Nobuaki

Classifications

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• G06T7/62 Primary

  of area, perimeter, diameter or volume · CPC title

• G06T5/003

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06T7/13

  Edge detection · CPC title

• H04N5/2256

  Electricity · mapped topic