WO2001023106A1 - Process and device for locating and reading a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item - Google Patents
Process and device for locating and reading a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO2001023106A1 WO2001023106A1 PCT/EP2000/009451 EP0009451W WO0123106A1 WO 2001023106 A1 WO2001023106 A1 WO 2001023106A1 EP 0009451 W EP0009451 W EP 0009451W WO 0123106 A1 WO0123106 A1 WO 0123106A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- mail item
- bar code
- reading
- locating
- past
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Ceased
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
- B07C1/02—Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating
- B07C1/06—Orientating; Aligning ; Aligning to one edge
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
- B07C1/02—Forming articles into a stream; Arranging articles in a stream, e.g. spacing, orientating
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
- B07C—POSTAL SORTING; SORTING INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES, OR BULK MATERIAL FIT TO BE SORTED PIECE-MEAL, e.g. BY PICKING
- B07C1/00—Measures preceding sorting according to destination
- B07C1/20—Sorting according to orientation, e.g. according to position of stamp
Definitions
- the invention relates to the field of postal sorting.
- postal sorting machines the address of each mail item is read automatically with the aid of a camera and an optical character recognition system.
- the users of such machines are seeking to be able to read the postage value of the mail item automatically.
- This postage value may be coded in the form of a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on the postage mark of the mail item, for example on a stamp affixed to a face of the mail item.
- the aim of the invention is to propose a process for locating and reading automatically a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item.
- Another aim of the invention is to propose a device for locating and for reading in real time a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item which is of compact design and low cost price.
- the subject of the invention is a process for locating and reading automatically a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item, consisting in moving said mail item on edge in a conveyor in a longitudinal conveying direction past a light source emitting in the ultraviolet spectrum and in then moving said mail item on edge past a row of phototransistors extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of conveying and past a photomultiplier, the signal output by the photomultiplier serving for detecting the presence of the bar code in an analysis strip parallel to said direction of conveying and said signals output by the phototransistors serving for the reading of the bar code.
- the device for reading bar codes printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item comprises in a housing intended to be mounted along a conveyor of mail items on edge, a light source radiating in the ultraviolet spectrum and which is mounted in a recess of the housing, a first sensor formed of a row of phototransistors extending in a direction perpendicular to said certain direction and a second sensor formed of a photomultiplier, the said sensors being disposed on one side of the recess.
- Figure 1 very diagrammatically illustrates a device for locating and for reading bar codes p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink according to the invention
- FIGS 2 and 3 very diagrammatically illustrate the process for locating and for reading bar codes p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink according to the invention
- the device and the process for locating and for reading a bar code p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink are most particularly intended for an automatic postal sorting machine
- This bar code is in p ⁇ n ⁇ ple p ⁇ nted on the postage mark of the mail item, for example a stamp affixed to a face of the mail item They meet the need of automatic checking of the postage value of a mail item, even if several postage marks are affixed to a face of this mail item
- the bar code p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink comp ⁇ ses in sequence an alternation of bars and of vertical spaces, flanked preferably by start and end of code symbols p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink, these symbols possibly themselves consisting of bars and vertical spaces
- the bars of such a code, p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink are of course invisible under natural light and appear only under the effect of exposure to ultraviolet light
- the presence of several bars p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink on a zone of a postage mark affixed to the face of a mail item makes it possible very easily to locate this postage mark since the density of phosphorescence in the zone of the postage mark is very high
- the device 1 for locating and for reading a bar code 2 p ⁇ nted with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark, here a stamp 3 affixed to the face of a mail item 4, comp ⁇ ses in a housing 5 a light source 6 radiating in the ultraviolet spectrum and which is mounted in a recess 7 of the housing forming a sort of dark box
- the device 1 is intended to be mounted along a conveyor 8 of a postal sorting machine, and on which each mail item such as 4 is moved on edge
- the light source 6 is for example a lighting tube which extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction D of conveying of the mail item 4 in the conveyor 8
- the recess is open on the side corresponding to the face for inspecting the face of the mail item and the light source sweeps a st ⁇ p B of the face of this mail item when the latter is moved in the direction D
- the height H of the st ⁇ p B may be of the order of 50 mm
- the device 1 further comprises, here downstream of the recess 5 with respect to the direction D, a first sensor 9 consisting of a row of phototransistors 9 extending perpendicularly to the direction D and parallel to the tube of the lighting source 6 and, just alongside the sensor 9, a second sensor 10 consisting of a photomultiplier having a cone of sensitivity illustrated by 11 which extends over the entire height H of the stnp B
- the second sensor 10 delivers a continuous elect ⁇ cai signal 12 which is representative of the presence or absence of a high density of phosphorescence in the swept st ⁇ p B of the face of the mail item, thus making it possible to conclude the detection of the presence of the stamp 3 and of the bar code 2 by compa ⁇ ng the signal 12 with a predetermined threshold tailored as a function of the sensitivity of the sensor 10 This detection therefore makes it possible to locate the stamp 3 on the face of the mail item so as to correctly position the mail item with a view to subsequent automatic address reading since generally the stamp is affixed above and to the ⁇ ght of the address on the mail
- the first sensor 9 delivers several continuous electrical signals such as 13, one for each phototransistor, each signal 13 being representative of the sequence of bars and of vertical spaces of the code and of the start and end of code symbols detected by the phototransistor On the basis of these signals 13, a corresponding postage value can be decoded It should be noted that the start and end of code symbols make it possible to decode postage values on several stamps affixed to the same mail item
- the bars and the vertical spaces of the code 2 may have at least two different widths, thereby making it possible to encode a large number of postage values
- the fact that the bar code has a single useful dimension along the direction D is reflected in the simplicity and compactness of the device 1 , thereby rende ⁇ ng it relatively inexpensive to produce
- This device can moreover operate in real time and is suitable for high speeds of travel of the mail items in an automatic postage sorting machine (of the order of 4 m/s)
- the device 1 according to the invention is therefore arranged so as to gather two types of information, one serving for the locating of the bar code and hence of the stamp on the face of the mail item by an on-edge movement of the mail item in the direction D past the light source 6 and the second sensor 10 and the other serving for the reading of the bar code by an on-edge movement of this mail item past the light source 6 and the first sensor 9
- the device 1 may be necessary to provide several devices 1 for locating and reading in a single pass the bar code p ⁇ nted on a stamp affixed to this mail item
- a row of phototransistors 9A of the sensor 9 is represented between the lighting source 6 and the sensor 10 in front of that face of a mail item 4 on which is affixed a stamp 3 with a bar code 2 printed with phosphorescent ink.
- the bars of the code 2 are normally aligned in a direction perpendicular to the direction D of conveying of the mail item 4 disposed on edge in a vertical plane.
- each phototransistor 9A sweeps a slender horizontal line on the face of the mail item. If the spacing between two consecutive phototransistors in the sensor 9 is sufficiently small, it is also possible to read a bar code which is inclined by around 45° with respect to the horizontal, as illustrated in Figure 3. It is understood that the signals restored by the sensors 9 and 10 are processed in an electronic unit (not represented) so as to carry out the acquisition and the processing for locating and for decoding the bar code in real time.
Landscapes
- Sorting Of Articles (AREA)
Abstract
The process for locating and reading automatically a bar code (2) printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item (4), consists in moving said mail item on edge in a conveyor (8) in a longitudinal conveying direction (D) past a light source (6) emitting in the ultraviolet spectrum and in then moving said mail item on edge past a row of phototransistors (9A) extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of conveying and past a photomultiplier (10), the signal (12) output by the photomultiplier serving for detecting the presence of the bar code in an analysis strip parallel to said direction of conveying and said signals (13) output by the phototransistors serving for the reading of the bar code. Application to automatic postal sorting.
Description
Process and device for locating and reading a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item
The invention relates to the field of postal sorting. In postal sorting machines, the address of each mail item is read automatically with the aid of a camera and an optical character recognition system. In addition to this address reading, the users of such machines are seeking to be able to read the postage value of the mail item automatically. This postage value may be coded in the form of a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on the postage mark of the mail item, for example on a stamp affixed to a face of the mail item. The aim of the invention is to propose a process for locating and reading automatically a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item.
Another aim of the invention is to propose a device for locating and for reading in real time a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item which is of compact design and low cost price.
For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a process for locating and reading automatically a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item, consisting in moving said mail item on edge in a conveyor in a longitudinal conveying direction past a light source emitting in the ultraviolet spectrum and in then moving said mail item on edge past a row of phototransistors extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of conveying and past a photomultiplier, the signal output by the photomultiplier serving for detecting the presence of the bar code in an analysis strip parallel to said direction of conveying and said signals output by the phototransistors serving for the reading of the bar code.
The device for reading bar codes printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item according to the invention comprises in a housing intended to be mounted along a conveyor of mail items on edge, a light source radiating in the ultraviolet spectrum and which is mounted in a recess of the housing, a first sensor formed of a row of phototransistors extending in a direction perpendicular to said certain direction and a second sensor formed of a photomultiplier, the said sensors being disposed on one side of the recess.
The process and the device according to the invention are described hereinafter in detail in conjunction with the drawings.
Figure 1 very diagrammatically illustrates a device for locating and for reading bar codes pπnted with phosphorescent ink according to the invention
Figures 2 and 3 very diagrammatically illustrate the process for locating and for reading bar codes pπnted with phosphorescent ink according to the invention
The device and the process for locating and for reading a bar code pπnted with phosphorescent ink are most particularly intended for an automatic postal sorting machine This bar code is in pπnαple pπnted on the postage mark of the mail item, for example a stamp affixed to a face of the mail item They meet the need of automatic checking of the postage value of a mail item, even if several postage marks are affixed to a face of this mail item
The bar code pπnted with phosphorescent ink compπses in sequence an alternation of bars and of vertical spaces, flanked preferably by start and end of code symbols pπnted with phosphorescent ink, these symbols possibly themselves consisting of bars and vertical spaces The bars of such a code, pπnted with phosphorescent ink, are of course invisible under natural light and appear only under the effect of exposure to ultraviolet light The presence of several bars pπnted with phosphorescent ink on a zone of a postage mark affixed to the face of a mail item makes it possible very easily to locate this postage mark since the density of phosphorescence in the zone of the postage mark is very high
Figure 1 , the device 1 for locating and for reading a bar code 2 pπnted with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark, here a stamp 3 affixed to the face of a mail item 4, compπses in a housing 5 a light source 6 radiating in the ultraviolet spectrum and which is mounted in a recess 7 of the housing forming a sort of dark box
The device 1 is intended to be mounted along a conveyor 8 of a postal sorting machine, and on which each mail item such as 4 is moved on edge The light source 6 is for example a lighting tube which extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction D of conveying of the mail item 4 in the conveyor 8 The recess is open on the side corresponding to the face for inspecting the face of the mail item and the light source sweeps a stπp B of the face of this mail item when the latter is moved in the direction D In practice the height H of the stπp B may be of the order of 50 mm
The device 1 further comprises, here downstream of the recess 5 with respect to the direction D, a first sensor 9 consisting of a row of phototransistors 9 extending perpendicularly to the direction D and parallel to the tube of the lighting source 6 and, just alongside the sensor 9, a second sensor 10 consisting of a
photomultiplier having a cone of sensitivity illustrated by 11 which extends over the entire height H of the stnp B
The second sensor 10 delivers a continuous electπcai signal 12 which is representative of the presence or absence of a high density of phosphorescence in the swept stπp B of the face of the mail item, thus making it possible to conclude the detection of the presence of the stamp 3 and of the bar code 2 by compaπng the signal 12 with a predetermined threshold tailored as a function of the sensitivity of the sensor 10 This detection therefore makes it possible to locate the stamp 3 on the face of the mail item so as to correctly position the mail item with a view to subsequent automatic address reading since generally the stamp is affixed above and to the πght of the address on the mail
The first sensor 9 delivers several continuous electrical signals such as 13, one for each phototransistor, each signal 13 being representative of the sequence of bars and of vertical spaces of the code and of the start and end of code symbols detected by the phototransistor On the basis of these signals 13, a corresponding postage value can be decoded It should be noted that the start and end of code symbols make it possible to decode postage values on several stamps affixed to the same mail item
The bars and the vertical spaces of the code 2 may have at least two different widths, thereby making it possible to encode a large number of postage values The fact that the bar code has a single useful dimension along the direction D is reflected in the simplicity and compactness of the device 1 , thereby rendeπng it relatively inexpensive to produce This device can moreover operate in real time and is suitable for high speeds of travel of the mail items in an automatic postage sorting machine (of the order of 4 m/s)
The device 1 according to the invention is therefore arranged so as to gather two types of information, one serving for the locating of the bar code and hence of the stamp on the face of the mail item by an on-edge movement of the mail item in the direction D past the light source 6 and the second sensor 10 and the other serving for the reading of the bar code by an on-edge movement of this mail item past the light source 6 and the first sensor 9
Depending on the height of the on-edge mail item in the conveyor 8 and on the height H of sweeping by the device 1 , it may be necessary to provide several devices 1 for locating and reading in a single pass the bar code pπnted on a stamp affixed to this mail item
In Figure 2, a row of phototransistors 9A of the sensor 9 is represented between the lighting source 6 and the sensor 10 in front of that face
of a mail item 4 on which is affixed a stamp 3 with a bar code 2 printed with phosphorescent ink. The bars of the code 2 are normally aligned in a direction perpendicular to the direction D of conveying of the mail item 4 disposed on edge in a vertical plane. As illustrated in Figure 2, each phototransistor 9A sweeps a slender horizontal line on the face of the mail item. If the spacing between two consecutive phototransistors in the sensor 9 is sufficiently small, it is also possible to read a bar code which is inclined by around 45° with respect to the horizontal, as illustrated in Figure 3. It is understood that the signals restored by the sensors 9 and 10 are processed in an electronic unit (not represented) so as to carry out the acquisition and the processing for locating and for decoding the bar code in real time.
Claims
1. A process for locating and reading automatically a bar code (2) printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark (3) of a mail item (4), consisting in moving said mail item on edge in a conveyor (8) in a longitudinal conveying direction (D) past a light source (6) emitting in the ultraviolet spectrum and in then moving said mail item on edge past a row of phototransistors (9A) extending in a direction perpendicular to said direction of conveying and past a photomultiplier (10), the signal (12) output by the photomultiplier serving for detecting the presence of the bar code in an analysis strip parallel to said direction of conveying and said signals (13) output by the phototransistors serving for the reading of the bar code.
2. A device (1) for reading bar codes (2) printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark (3) of a mail item (4), comprising in a housing (5) intended to be mounted along a conveyor of mail items on edge, a light source (6) radiating in the ultraviolet spectrum and which is mounted in a recess (7) of the housing, a first sensor (9) formed of a row of phototransistors extending in a direction perpendicular to said certain direction and a second sensor (10) formed of a photomultiplier, both disposed on one side of the recess.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| AU77838/00A AU7783800A (en) | 1999-09-27 | 2000-09-27 | Process and device for locating and reading a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR99/11995 | 1999-09-27 | ||
| FR9911995A FR2798869B1 (en) | 1999-09-27 | 1999-09-27 | METHOD AND DEVICE FOR LOCATING AND READING A BAR CODE PRINTED WITH PHOSPHORESCENT INK ON A POSTAGE MARK OF A MAIL ARTICLE |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| WO2001023106A1 true WO2001023106A1 (en) | 2001-04-05 |
Family
ID=9550247
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2000/009451 Ceased WO2001023106A1 (en) | 1999-09-27 | 2000-09-27 | Process and device for locating and reading a bar code printed with phosphorescent ink on a postage mark of a mail item |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| AU (1) | AU7783800A (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2798869B1 (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2001023106A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2895820A1 (en) * | 2006-01-05 | 2007-07-06 | Solystic Sas | Postal parcel image acquisition device for use in postal sorting machine, has LEDs including light radiations that illuminate address information visible by contrast, and fluorescent mark in zones of window, respectively |
Families Citing this family (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2895821B1 (en) * | 2006-01-05 | 2008-06-27 | Solystic Sas | DEVICE FOR READING FLUORESCENT BAR CODES WITH INTENSITY PRE-DETECTION |
Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3592326A (en) * | 1969-01-31 | 1971-07-13 | Ncr Co | Parcel post singulating and orienting apparatus |
| US5149139A (en) * | 1985-04-24 | 1992-09-22 | Gao Gesellschaft Fur Automation Und Organisation Mbh | Stamp such as a postage stamp and a method for producing it |
| US5554842A (en) * | 1994-12-22 | 1996-09-10 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | Luminescent facing marks for enhanced postal indicia discrimination |
-
1999
- 1999-09-27 FR FR9911995A patent/FR2798869B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2000
- 2000-09-27 AU AU77838/00A patent/AU7783800A/en not_active Abandoned
- 2000-09-27 WO PCT/EP2000/009451 patent/WO2001023106A1/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US3592326A (en) * | 1969-01-31 | 1971-07-13 | Ncr Co | Parcel post singulating and orienting apparatus |
| US5149139A (en) * | 1985-04-24 | 1992-09-22 | Gao Gesellschaft Fur Automation Und Organisation Mbh | Stamp such as a postage stamp and a method for producing it |
| US5554842A (en) * | 1994-12-22 | 1996-09-10 | Pitney Bowes Inc. | Luminescent facing marks for enhanced postal indicia discrimination |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR2895820A1 (en) * | 2006-01-05 | 2007-07-06 | Solystic Sas | Postal parcel image acquisition device for use in postal sorting machine, has LEDs including light radiations that illuminate address information visible by contrast, and fluorescent mark in zones of window, respectively |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| FR2798869A1 (en) | 2001-03-30 |
| FR2798869B1 (en) | 2001-10-26 |
| AU7783800A (en) | 2001-04-30 |
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