Mail-sorting installation comprising a colour reading head with two cameras

• US 20040233278A1
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Published: 11/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Solystic
• Original Assignee: Solystic
• Inventors: Prudhomme, Cyrille, Claude, Mitte, Agnes, Gamez Cuatzin
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/91
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/14 using light-responsive detecting means for information carriers G06K7/14

Abstract

The read head (1) for a postal sorting installation serves to pick up a digital image of each postal object using a high-resolution camera (3) providing a multiple level gray scale. The read head also has a low-resolution color camera (4), the two cameras (3, 4) being placed in such a manner as to acquire simultaneously two superposable digital images of each postal object. The superposable high-resolution gray scale image and low-resolution color image are intended to be combined in order to provide a high-resolution color image.

Claims

1. A read head (1) for acquiring digital images of postal objects in a postal sorting installation, said read head comprising a high-resolution camera (3) providing a multiple level gray scale and a low-resolution color camera (4), said cameras (3, 4) being disposed in said read head (1) so as to form simultaneously two separately acquired and superposable digital images of each postal item, said read head being provided with an observation window (2) through which each of the two cameras (3, 4) takes a respective image of each postal object, said read head being characterized in that it further comprises a light splitter system (5) for splitting the light flux from the window and directing it to each of the cameras so that both cameras simultaneously take images of the same object points from the same viewing angle.

2. A read head according to claim 1, in which the splitter device is a splitter plate (5) made of treated glass.

3. A read head according to claim 2, in which said splitter plate is disposed at 45°

relative to the plane of the window (2′

) and in which each camera (3, 4) is disposed at substantially 45°

relative to said splitter plate (5).

4. A postal sorting installation including a read head according to claim 1, and a processing unit which, for each postal object, combines the high-resolution gray scale image with the low-resolution color image delivered by the read head (1) for forming a high-resolution color image.

5. The use of an “

HSL”

representation in an installation according to claim 4 for transmitting said images from said read head to said processing unit.