Abstract
A method for monitoring a picking or packaging process of at least one article. Using a plurality of cameras, images are recorded of at least one moving article. Labels in the images are read. The read labels are compared with specifications from a picking list, and a sort of the article is identified on the basis of the comparison. If the sort of the article does not agree with specifications from the picking list, a warning is issued. In addition, a camera system having a plurality of cameras is provided. These cameras are set up to record at least the images and to read labels in the images.
Claims
1-14. (canceled)
15. A method for monitoring a picking or packaging process of at least one article, comprising the following steps: a) recording, by a plurality of cameras, images of at least one moving article; b) reading labels in the images; c) comparing the read labels with specifications from a picking list; d) identifying a sort of the article based on the comparison; and e) issuing a warning based on sort of the article not agreeing with the specifications from the picking list.
16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein between steps a and b, a selection is made of all images that contain at least one label and have at least a specified image quality level, and step b is carried out only with the selected images.
17. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising the following step: issuing a warning based on, in step c, recognizing that the read labels correspond to different sorts of articles according to the picking list.
18. The method as recited in claims 15, wherein in the picking list, essential labels are marked, the method further comprising the following step: issuing a warning based on, in step b, not finding an essential label that would be expected for the sort of article identified in step d.
19. The method as recited in claim 15, further comprising the following steps: f) recording at least one image and at least one depth measurement of the article after the article is placed in a transport container; g) calculating three-dimensional dimensions of the article; h) comparing the calculated dimensions with the specifications from the picking list for the sort of article identified in step d; and i) issuing a warning based on the calculated dimensions of the article not agreeing with one or more of the specifications from the picking list.
20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein a number of articles is inferred from the comparison of the calculated dimensions with the specifications from the picking list.
21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising the following step: issuing warning based on the number of articles of the same sort acquired in the method exceeds a specification from the picking list.
22. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium on which is stored a computer program for monitoring a picking or packaging process of at least one article, the computer program, when executed by a computer, causing the computer to perform: comparing read labels with specifications from a picking list, the labels having been read from images of at least one moving article; identifying a sort of the article based on the comparison; and issuing a warning based on sort of the article not agreeing with the specifications from the picking list.
23. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the computer program, when executed by the computer, further causes the computer to perform: comparing calculated dimensions of the article with the specifications from the picking list for the sort of article that was identified; and issuing a warning based on the calculated dimensions of the article not agreeing with one or more of the specifications from the picking list.
24. A camera system, comprising: a plurality of cameras configured to record images of at least one moving article, and reading labels in the images.
25. The camera system as recited in claim 24, further comprising: at least one camera that has a depth sensor, configured to record at least one image and at least one depth measurement of the article after the article is placed in a transport container, and calculate three-dimensional dimensions of the article.
26. An electronic control device configured to to monitor a picking or packaging process of at least one article, the electronic control device configured to: a) record, using a plurality of cameras, images of at least one moving article; b) read labels in the images; c) compare the read labels with specifications from a picking list; d) identify a sort of the article based on the comparison; and e) issue a warning based on sort of the article not agreeing with the specifications from the picking list.
27. A monitoring system for monitoring a picking or packaging process of at least one article, comprising: a camera system including a plurality of cameras; and an electronic control device configured to: a) record, using the camera system, images of at least one moving article; b) read labels in the images; c) compare the read labels with specifications from a picking list; d) identify a sort of the article based on the comparison; and e) issue a warning based on sort of the article not agreeing with the specifications from the picking list.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the figures and are explained in more detail in description below.
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a picking work station at which a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be carried out.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows, in a schematic side view, a plurality of articles whose picking process can be monitored using a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and that are contained in a outer packaging.
[0031] FIG. 3 shows the outer packaging of FIG. 2, from which an article has been removed.
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram of a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0033] FIG. 5 schematically shows another picking work station at which a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be carried out.
[0034] FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram of another exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0035] At a picking work station shown in FIG. 1, an article 10 is to be packaged. Article 10 has a first label 11 on the upper side of its packaging, and a second label 12 is attached to one of the side surfaces of its packaging. For the monitoring of the picking process, a camera system 20 is provided that is made up of four cameras 21 through 24. The first three cameras 21, 22, 23 are industrial cameras that are capable of recording up to 30 images per second, while fourth camera 24 is a depth camera. In a picking list 30, it is stated which sorts of articles 10, and which quantities of these articles, are to be packaged in a transport container 40. Picking list 30 is read in in an electronic control device 50 that controls the camera system. The picking work station has a placement area 61 on which articles 10 can be put down before the packaging process. The first three cameras 21, 22, 23 are situated above a read area 62. A shipping employee takes each article 10 to be packaged from placement area 61, moves it through read area 62, and places it in transport container 40. Transport container 40 is situated in a lower-positioned transport area 63 above which fourth camera 24 is positioned. When article 10 is moved through read area 62, it reaches the record area of the first three cameras 21, 22, 23. When article 10 is placed in transport container 40, it is situated in the record area of fourth camera 24.
[0036] A plurality of articles 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d can be bundled by an outer packaging 70. Outer packaging 70 is made of a transparent film. From a side of outer packaging 70, shown in FIG. 2, individual labels, such as label 13 of article 10a and label 14 of article 10c, may be visible. The labels of the further articles 10b, 10d are not visible from this direction. However, a further label 15 is visible that is not attached to the articles themselves, but rather is attached to outer packaging 70, where it again indicates the type of article and also the number of articles contained in outer packaging 70, i.e., four.
[0037] Sometimes, individual articles are removed from outer packagings 70. FIG. 3 shows outer packaging 70 of FIG. 2 from which the lowermost article 10d has been removed. The label on outer packaging 70 now still indicates the correct sort of article in outer packaging 70, but no longer indicates the correct number of articles.
[0038] In an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the present invention shown in FIG. 4, method steps are carried out by a shipping employee, by camera system 20, and by electronic control device 50. In order to illustrate this division of work tasks, in FIG. 4 the method steps are grouped in three columns, the left column showing the method steps of the shipping employee, the center column showing the method steps of camera system 20, and the right column showing the method steps of electronic control device 50. The shipping employee starts the method in a step S01 by inputting, at a user interface of electronic control device 50 (not shown in FIG. 1), that a packaging process is to be started. Then, using another interface (not shown) of electronic control device 50, the employee reads in picking list 30, which is provided to electronic control device 50 in digital form (step S02). In a further step S03, the shipping employee takes an article 10 from placement area 61 and, in a step S04, moves it through read area 62. Here, in a step S05, images of article 10 are recorded by the first three cameras 21, 22, 23 of camera system 20, and these images are forwarded to electronic control device 50. In electronic control device 50, in a step S06 all the images are selected in which at least one label is completely contained and whose sharpness has a specified minimum value. From these images, in a step S07 the content of the labels is read, and in a step S08 the contents are compared with specified label contents from picking list 30. In a step S09, an attempt is made to identify a sort of article 10 on the basis of the read labels. If this is not successful, because no single label could be successfully read, an instruction is issued to the shipping employee not to place the article, in a step S10, into the transport container, but rather to move it again through read area 62 in step S04. This instruction is also issued when a label was read that can be assigned to an article contained in picking list 30, but according to picking list 30 this article would further require an essential label that was not read. Next, in a step S11 it is checked whether the read labels are consistent, i.e., whether they are all to be assigned to the same article according to picking list 30. Labels 11, 12, 13, 14, attached to a single article, are here considered to be consistent in relation to a label 15 on an outer packaging 70 as long as they all relate to the same sort of article. In a step S12 it is checked whether the article sort corresponding to the label or labels is contained in picking list 30. If one of the conditions of steps S11 or S12 is not met, then a warning is issued to the shipping employee, and the employee is asked to place the article 10 onto a clear surface, in a step S13. If no warning has been issued, then the shipping employee places article 10 into the transport container 40, in a step S14. There, using fourth camera 24 an image that shows the upper side of article 10 is recorded, and a depth measurement of article 10 is carried out, S15. This information is sent to electronic control device 50, and this device calculates, in a step S16, the three-dimensional dimensions of article 10, designated x, y, z in FIG. 1. In a step S17 it is checked whether dimensions x, y, z correspond to the dimensions of article 10 stored in picking list 30, or to a multiple of these dimensions. If this is the case, then in a step S18 the number of articles 10 placed in transport container 40 is calculated. In control device 50, a counter for the type of this article is correspondingly incremented upward, and in a step S19 it is checked whether a required total quantity of this article sort was exceeded by placing article or articles 10 in transport container 40. If this is the case, or if in step S17 it was already recognized that the dimensions x, y, z do not match the article sort ascertained from the labels, then a warning is issued to the shipping employee so that he or she will remove the article from transport container 40 and place it on a clear surface, S20. If no warnings have been issued, then in a step S21 it is checked whether all articles from picking list 30 have been packaged. If this is not the case, then the shipping employee takes the next article 10 from placement area 61, in a step S03. Otherwise, the employee receives an instruction that the packaging process is concluded, and in a step S22 the employee can close the transport container 40. In a final step S23, the shipping employee terminates the method by confirmation at a user interface of electronic control device 50.
[0039] In a second exemplary embodiment of the method, cameras 21-24 of camera system 20 each have computing devices 51 to 54. These computing devices have filters and image stabilization systems.
[0040] This is shown in FIG. 5. Here, the sequence of the method changes as shown in FIG. 6. Steps S06 and S07 are now no longer carried out in electronic control device 50, but rather in computing devices 51 to 53 of the first three cameras 21 to 23. Here, further information, such as timestamp, copyright, hash value, and image name, is also stored in image data files. Step S16 is also no longer carried out in electronic control device 50, but rather is carried out externally, in computing device 54 of fourth camera 24. Because steps S06, S07, and S16 are already carried out in camera system 20, the load on the network (not shown) between camera system 20 and electronic control device 50 is reduced.
