APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING MAIL SIZE AND ACQUIRING MAIL INFORMATION

• US 20150199569A1
• Filed: 07/11/2014
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: PARK, Moon Sung
• Granted Patent: US 10,026,194 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/16 Sorting according to weight sorting eggs A01K43/00; weighing apparatus per se G01G
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/342 according to optical properties, e.g. colour according to radiation transmittivity B07C5/3416
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for measuring a mail size and acquiring mail information. The apparatus and method measure a mail size, recognize or read out specific information extracted from image information of a photographed mail, and acquire information necessary for receiving and delivering the mail. Accordingly, a height and length of a mail can be efficiently measured a narrow space, and an accuracy of the measurement can be enhanced. When specific information is extracted from photographed mail image information, information necessary for receipt and delivery of a mail can be more easily acquired by using a method of reading out or recognizing the extracted specific information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring a mail size and acquiring mail information, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of height measurement sensor modules configured to, when a mail is placed in a weight measurement space with a reflective plate installed therein, sense position information used to measure a size of the mail by using the reflective plate;

a height value generation controller configured to calculate a height value of the mail, based on the position information sensed by the plurality of height measurement sensor modules; and

a mail information generator configured to extract a barcode and an address region from an image of the mail acquired by a camera, read out the barcode from the extracted barcode and address region to recognize an address, and generate mail information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

the reflective plate is divided into a plurality of columns,

except for an initial position value used to identify a general mail standard, position values of the plurality of columns are arranged at the same intervals and registered to be identified by the plurality of height measurement sensor modules, and

the plurality of height measurement sensor modules sense position information of the plurality of columns into which the reflective plate is divided.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein,

the plurality of height measurement sensor modules are arranged in parallel with each other, and each of the plurality of height measurement sensor modules comprises three sensors arranged based on a combination of a column and a row,

the three sensors are arranged at certain intervals not to cause interference therebetween, and move in a direction from a bottom to a top of the mail to sense columns corresponding thereto, and

the height value generation controller calculates the height value of the mail, based on number of position values of columns respectively acquired by the three sensors.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a movement control module configured to move the camera by a reference height value which enables a text and barcode of the mail image to be read out,

wherein,

the height value generation controller calculates a difference value between the height value of the mail and a current position value of the camera, and

the mail information generator controls the movement control module based on the calculated difference value, acquires the image of the mail by using the camera, searches for a barcode position and an address region from the acquired image of the mail to read out the barcode and recognize an address.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

when values acquired by a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of height measurement sensor modules correspond to that number of times the plurality of sensors are all turned off is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, movement of the plurality of height measurement sensor modules is stopped, and the values acquired from the plurality of sensors are stored in a sensor memory, and

the values stored in the sensor memory are read, and when the calculation of the height value of the mail is completed, the plurality of height measurement sensor modules are moved to a start point of the reflective plate to allow a height of a next mail to be measured.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein,

when the values acquired by the plurality of sensors correspond to that the plurality of sensors are all turned off, the height value of the mail is calculated as 0,

when the values acquired by the plurality of sensors correspond to that one sensor is turned on, the height value of the mail is calculated as an initial position value “

B”

of the reflective plate,

when the values acquired by the plurality of sensors correspond to that two or more sensors are turned on, the height value of the mail is calculated as (C−

D)+(A−

1)*D, where A denotes number of turned-on sensors, B denotes the initial position value of the reflective plate, C denotes “

the initial position value of the reflective plate+a second position value of the reflective plate”

, and D denotes a position value interval of the reflective plate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein,

based on information sensed by a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of height measurement sensor modules, the height values by sensor of the mail are stored,

the stored height values by sensor of the mail are searched for, and a maximum value of the searched height values of the mail is set as a final height value of the mail, and

a width value of the mail is calculated by multiplying number of turned-on sensors and an interval between adjacent sensors.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein,

an error range of the height value and width value of the mail is determined based on a predetermined interval between adjacent sensors and a predetermined position value of the reflective plate,

when each of the plurality of height measurement sensor modules include three sensors, an error value of the height value and width value of the mail is equal to or less than a reference error value, and

in an operation of receiving a mail, when a thickness of the mail is less than a reference thickness, the mail is classified as a standard mail, and when the thickness of the mail is equal to or greater than the reference thickness, the mail is classified as a nonstandard mail.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a position value for moving the camera by the calculated height value of the mail is generated, and based on the generated position value, the camera is moved so that a distance between a height of the mail and the camera becomes a predetermined value.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein,

when movement of the camera is completed, a current position of the camera is stored, and the image of the mail is acquired by using the camera, and

when a height of a next mail is acquired, a difference value with a height value of a previous mail is calculated, and the camera is moved by the calculated −

or + difference value in a traveling direction or an opposite direction from the current position to maintain a predetermined distance between the mail and the camera.

11. A method of measuring a mail size and acquiring mail information for receiving a mail through a mail acceptance window of an unmanned post office, the method comprising:

when a mail is placed in a weight measurement space with a reflective plate installed therein, measuring a size of the mail by using a plurality of sensors and the reflective plate;

extracting a barcode and an address region from an image of the mail acquired by a camera; and

reading out the barcode and recognizing an address from the extracted barcode and address region to acquire mail information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the measuring of a size comprises:

moving the plurality of sensors in a direction from a bottom to a top of the mail to sense position information of a plurality of columns into which the reflective plate is divided; and

calculating a height value of the mail, based on the sensed position information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein except for a position value used to identify a general mail standard, position values of the plurality of columns are arranged at the same intervals and registered.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the extracting of a barcode and an address region comprises:

calculating a difference value between the height value of the mail and a current position value of the camera; and

moving the camera by a reference height value, which enables a text and barcode of the mail image to be read out, so that a distance between the mail and the camera maintains a predetermined distance, to acquire the image of the mail by using the camera, based on the calculation result.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the measuring comprises:

when values acquired by a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of height measurement sensor modules correspond to that number of times the plurality of sensors are all turned off is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, stopping movement of the plurality of sensors;

storing the values acquired from the plurality of sensors in a sensor memory, and reading the values stored in the sensor memory to calculate the height value of the mail;

when the calculation of the height value of the mail is completed, moving the plurality of sensors to a start point of the reflective plate to allow a height of a next mail to be measured.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the calculating comprises:

when the values acquired by the plurality of sensors correspond to that the plurality of sensors are all turned off, calculating the height value of the mail as 0;

when the values acquired by the plurality of sensors correspond to that one sensor is turned on, calculating the height value of the mail as an initial position value “

B”

of the reflective plate; and

when the values acquired by the plurality of sensors correspond to that two or more sensors are turned on, calculating the height value of the mail as (C−

D)+(A−

1)*D, where A denotes number of turned-on sensors, B denotes the initial position value of the reflective plate, C denotes “

the initial position value of the reflective plate+a second position value of the reflective plate”

, and D denotes a position value interval of the reflective plate.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the measuring comprises:

storing the height values by sensor of the mail, based on information sensed by a plurality of sensors included in the plurality of height measurement sensor modules;

searching for the stored height values by sensor of the mail, and setting a maximum value of the searched height values of the mail as a final height value of the mail; and

multiplying number of turned-on sensors and an interval between adjacent sensors to calculate a width value of the mail.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

an interval value between adjacent sensors is previously stored as an experiment value which is induced through an experiment, an error range of a height value and a width value is determined based on the interval value between adjacent sensors and a predetermined position value of the reflective plate, and an error value of the height value and width value of the mail is equal to or less than a reference error value depending on number of measurement sensors,

when a thickness of the mail measured by reflecting the error value in receiving the mail is less than a reference thickness, classifying the mail as a standard mail; and

when the thickness of the mail is equal to or greater than the reference thickness, classifying the mail as a nonstandard mail.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the extracting of a barcode and an address region comprises:

generating a position value for moving the camera by the calculated height value of the mail;

moving, based on the generated position value, the camera so that a distance between a height of the mail and the camera becomes a predetermined value;

when the movement of the camera is completed, storing a current position of the camera, and acquiring the image of the mail by using the camera; and

when a height of a next mail is acquired, calculating a difference value with a height value of a previous mail, and moving the camera by the calculated −

or + difference value in a traveling direction or an opposite direction from the current position to maintain a predetermined distance between the mail and the camera.