JP2025101840A - Shipping fee calculation system and its program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a shipping fee calculation system and a shipping fee calculation program that can easily and accurately calculate the shipping fee for mail, parcels, and other deliveries, even when the shipping fee varies depending on the thickness and external dimensions, including the length, width, and thickness, of the deliveries.
[Solution] The shipping fee calculation system 1 has an imaging device 11 that photographs the address side of the delivery item, a distance measuring sensor 12 that measures the distance to the address side of the delivery item, a weight measuring device 13 that measures the weight of the delivery item, and an analysis device 21 that analyzes the contour of the address side from the image captured by the imaging device 11, analyzes the external dimensions including the contour and thickness of the delivery item from the analyzed contour and the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor 12, and calculates the shipping fee for the delivery item from these external dimensions and weight.
[Selected figure] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a shipping fee calculation system and a program for calculating the shipping fee for mail, parcels, and other items.

Many devices have been invented in the past for determining postal charges. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention titled ``Fees Determination Device Using a Scale'', in which a tilting stand with a guide section for positioning two perpendicular sides of a mail piece is attached to the scale pan of an electronic scale, the mail piece is placed so that it leans against the guide section, and a number of holes are formed in multiple places on the tilting stand to allow light from a light-emitting element to pass through to a light-receiving element, and whether the shape of the mail piece is standard or irregular is determined based on a combination of whether or not the light is blocked by the mail piece at the multiple holes, and at the same time the weight of the mail piece is measured using an electronic scale, and the fee for the mail piece is determined from the result.
Patent Document 2 discloses an invention called "Delivery System" that includes a portable terminal equipped with a measuring means and a gravity sensor, measures the length of the package using the portable terminal, measures gravity on the four sides of the bottom of the package by installing a weight sensor at the tip of the portable terminal, and uses a piezoelectric cable sensor as the gravity sensor to output a voltage according to deformation and measure the weight at any part of the cable. This invention also makes it possible to download fee data from a shipping company to the portable terminal, and calculate the fee required for delivery from the measured length and weight of the package using a fee calculation means.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-339659 JP 2006-240807 A

However, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not measure the thickness of mail, and has the problem of being unable to determine postal and home delivery charges, which vary depending on the thickness and external dimensions of the package, including its length, width, and thickness.
In addition, the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2 assumes the use of a portable terminal device, and therefore has the problem that it is highly likely that high accuracy cannot be required when measuring the dimensions and weight of luggage.
Furthermore, the inventions disclosed in these documents have the problem that they cannot accommodate shipping fees that vary depending on the recipient's address or postal fees that vary depending on the type of mail.
Furthermore, there was the problem of being unable to verify whether an area code such as a postal code written on a delivery such as mail or parcel matches an address, and of being unable to verify whether the address and destination written on a delivery match customer data.

The present invention has been made in response to such conventional circumstances, and aims to provide a shipping fee calculation system and a shipping fee calculation program that can easily and accurately calculate the shipping fee for mail, parcels, and other deliveries, even when the shipping fee varies depending on the thickness and external dimensions, including the length, width, and thickness, of the deliveries.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a shipping fee calculation system and a shipping fee calculation program that can easily accommodate shipping fees that vary depending on the destination address and shipping type.
In addition, the present invention aims to provide a shipping fee calculation system and a shipping fee calculation program capable of checking whether the area code and address written on the shipment, or the address and destination written on the shipment, match customer data.

To achieve the above object, the first invention, a shipping fee calculation system, is a shipping fee calculation system that calculates the shipping fee of a shipment, and is characterized by having an imaging device that photographs the address surface of the shipment, a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the address surface of the shipment, a weight measuring device that measures the weight of the shipment, and an analysis device that analyzes the contour of the address surface from the image captured by the imaging device, analyzes the external dimensions of the shipment, including the length and thickness of the contour, from the analyzed contour and the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor, and calculates the shipping fee of the shipment from the external dimensions and the weight.

The second invention, a shipping fee calculation system, is the first invention, characterized in that the analysis device analyzes an area code that has been determined in advance by a delivery company and attached to the shipment from the image, and calculates the shipping fee for the shipment from the analyzed area code, the external dimensions, and the weight.

The third invention is a shipping fee calculation system according to the first invention, characterized in that it has the analysis device that analyzes the area code and address that have been determined in advance by the delivery company and attached to the shipment from the image, and a comparison device that compares the address and the destination address via the area code by referring to area code data that links the area code and the destination address, or a comparison device that compares the area code attached to the shipment via the address with the area code of the area code data.

The fourth invention, the shipping fee calculation system, is characterized in that in the second invention, it has the analysis device that analyzes the address from the image, and a comparison device that refers to area code data that links the area code to the destination address and compares the address with the destination address via the area code, or a comparison device that compares the area code attached to the delivery item via the address with the area code data.

The fifth invention, the shipping fee calculation system, is the first or second invention, characterized in that it has the analysis device that analyzes the addressee and address from the image, and a comparison device that refers to a customer list in which customer addresses are linked to customer names or customer surnames and compares the address and the customer address via the addressee attached to the delivery, or compares the address and the customer name or customer surname via the address attached to the delivery.

The sixth invention, a shipping fee calculation system, is any one of the first to fourth inventions, characterized in that the analysis device analyzes the shipping type attached to the shipment from the image and calculates the shipping fee for the shipment taking this shipping type into account.

The seventh invention, a shipping fee calculation program, is a shipping fee calculation program executed by a computer to calculate the shipping fee of a delivery, and is characterized by executing an imaging process for photographing the address surface of the delivery, a distance measurement process for measuring the distance to the address surface of the delivery, a weight measurement process for measuring the weight of the delivery, an external dimension analysis process for extracting the outline of the address surface from the image taken by the imaging process and analyzing the external dimensions of the delivery, including the length and thickness of the outline, from the extracted outline and the distance measured by the distance measurement process, and a shipping fee calculation process for calculating the shipping fee of the delivery from the external dimensions and weight.

The eighth invention is a shipping fee calculation program according to the seventh invention, which has an area code analysis step of analyzing an area code that has been determined in advance by a delivery company and that has been affixed to the shipment from the image, and the shipping fee calculation step is characterized in that it calculates the shipping fee for the shipment from the analyzed area code, the external dimensions, and the weight.

The shipping fee calculation program, which is a ninth invention, is the seventh invention, characterized in that it has an area code analysis step of analyzing the area code predetermined by the delivery company and attached to the delivery from the image, an address analysis step of analyzing the address attached to the delivery from the image, and an area code/address matching step of matching the address and the destination address via the area code by referring to area code data linking the area code and the destination address, or an area code/address matching step of matching the area code attached to the delivery via the address and the area code of the area code data.

The tenth invention is a shipping fee calculation program according to the eighth invention, characterized in that it has an address analysis step of analyzing the address attached to the delivery from the image, and an area code/address matching step of matching the address and the destination address via the area code by referring to area code data linking the area code and the destination address, or an area code/address matching step of matching the area code attached to the delivery via the address with the area code of the area code data.

The shipping fee calculation program, which is an eleventh invention, is characterized in that, in the seventh or eighth invention, it has an address analysis step of analyzing the address attached to the delivery from the image, and an address analysis step of analyzing the address attached to the delivery from the image, and also has a customer matching step of referencing a customer list in which customer addresses and customer names or customer names are linked, and matching the address and the customer address via the address attached to the delivery, or a customer matching step of matching the address and the customer name or customer name via the address attached to the delivery.

The shipping fee calculation program, which is a twelfth invention, is any one of the seventh to tenth inventions, characterized in that it has a shipping type analysis step of analyzing the shipping type attached to the shipment from the image, and the shipping fee calculation step calculates the shipping fee for the shipment taking into account this shipping type.

In the first invention, the shipping fee calculation system measures not only the image of the address surface but also the distance to the address surface, so that the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the image outline can be analyzed with high accuracy even if the thickness of the delivery varies. Also, by determining the distance in advance when there is no delivery, it is possible to calculate the thickness of the delivery, and it is possible to obtain the vertical, horizontal and thickness dimensions of the delivery, i.e., the external dimensions.
The weight is measured by a weight measuring device, and it is possible to calculate the shipping fee in a fee system in which the shipping fee is determined by the external dimensions, including the length, width, and thickness of the item, and the weight.

The second invention, the shipping fee calculation system, is the same as the first invention, except that the analysis device further analyzes the area code attached to the item from the image, making it possible to apply the system to a fee system in which the shipping fee is also determined by the area code.

In the third invention, the shipping fee calculation system, in the first invention, the analysis device further analyzes the area code and address attached to the shipment from the image, and can refer to the area code data that links the area code and the destination address, and compare the address and destination address via the area code, or the area code attached to the shipment via the address and the area code data. In other words, it is possible to determine whether the area code and address attached to the shipment are consistent with the area code and destination address predetermined by the delivery company.

The fourth invention, a shipping fee calculation system, is the second invention, but the analysis device further analyzes the address attached to the shipment from the image, thereby achieving the same effect as the third invention.

In the fifth invention, the shipping fee calculation system according to the first or second invention, the analysis device further analyzes the addressee and address attached to the shipment from the image, and can refer to the customer list to compare the address with the customer address via the addressee, or the addressee with the customer name or customer name via the address. In other words, it is possible to determine whether the addressee and address attached to the shipment are consistent with the customer name or customer name shown in the customer list.

In the sixth invention, the shipping fee calculation system is any one of the first to fourth inventions, and furthermore, the analysis device can analyze the shipping type attached to the delivery from the image, and calculate the shipping fee taking this shipping type into account. For example, even for deliveries that are delivered faster than usual or that receive a service that records the delivery process, by displaying the shipping type on the address writing surface, it is possible to easily calculate the shipping fee taking into account the additional fee.

The shipping fee calculation programs of the seventh to twelfth inventions are inventions that treat the shipping fee calculation systems of the first to sixth inventions, respectively, as program inventions, and therefore have the same effects as the shipping fee calculation systems of the first to sixth inventions, respectively.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a shipping fee calculation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, taking postal items as an example of deliveries. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a shipping fee calculation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, taking a parcel as an example of a delivery item. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a shipping fee calculation system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flow diagram of a shipping charge calculation executed by the shipping charge calculation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing mail as a delivery item. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a parcel delivered as a delivery item. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the use of a distance measuring sensor when imaging the address surface of a delivery item using an imaging device of a shipping fee calculation system. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of delivery data obtained by the delivery fee calculation system. FIG.

A shipping fee calculation system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In this embodiment, the case where postal items and home delivery items are used as the items to be shipped will be described, but the items to be shipped are not limited thereto.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of a shipping fee calculation system according to the present embodiment, taking postal items as an example of the items to be delivered, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the configuration of a shipping fee calculation system according to the present embodiment, taking parcels as an example of the items to be delivered.
As shown in FIG. 1, the shipping fee calculation system 1 has a base 3 with a measurement surface 2, and a support plate 9 is provided via a support 8 fixed to the base 3. An imaging device 11 and a distance measuring sensor 12 are provided on the underside of the support plate 9 via a port 10. The imaging device 11 may be a device using an element such as a CCD (charge-coupled device) or a COMS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor). The distance measuring sensor 12 may be a sensor using a general principle such as a sensor using the phase difference of light or a sensor using the time difference (time of flight) between the transmission and reception of radio waves or ultrasonic waves. Furthermore, a device or sensor that combines the imaging device 11 and the distance measuring sensor 12 may be used. In that case, the imaging device 11 can be regarded as the imaging function part of the device or sensor, and the distance measuring sensor 12 can be regarded as the distance measuring function part of the device or sensor.

In Fig. 1, a mail piece 15a is placed on the measurement surface 2 as a delivery item with the addressee 19 written on it facing up. A postal code is displayed as an area code 16 on the mail piece 15a, and a mailing type such as express mail, simple registered mail, or registered mail is displayed as a delivery type 17 depending on the delivery purpose of the delivery item. In addition, an address 18 or residence of the recipient's customer, etc., and an addressee name 19 such as a corporate name, organization name, or individual name are displayed. Note that the term "customer" in this application is a concept that includes individuals, corporations, and organizations to which the delivery item is to be sent.
Also provided on the base 3 are a power switch 4, a postal mode switch 5, a home delivery mode switch 6, and a display device 7. The postal mode switch 5 is used for deliveries delivered by a postal service, and the home delivery mode switch 6 is used for deliveries delivered by a home delivery service. These are used to accommodate delivery services with different fee systems.
Furthermore, inside the base 3, a weight measuring device, an analysis device, a collation device, and various databases for calculating shipping fees (shipping charges) in the shipping fee calculation system 1 are stored, as will be described in detail with reference to Figure 3.

1, the distance measuring sensor 12 can measure the distance H between the distance measuring sensor 12 and the measurement surface 2 when no mail piece 15a is placed, and can also measure the distance h between the distance measuring sensor 12 and the surface on which the addressee 19 of the mail piece 15a is written when the mail piece 15a is placed. Therefore, the thickness T of this mail piece 15a can be calculated by the following formula (1).
T = H - h (1)
The distance H may be automatically measured when the power switch 4 is turned on before the mail piece 15a is placed on the measurement surface 2, or the distance H may be measured the first time the shipping fee calculation system 1 is used, without having to be measured every time the system is used, and the distance H may be automatically used from the next time onwards to calculate the distance h.
The display device 7 displays the distance H and distance h measured by the distance sensor 12, the weight of the mail piece 15a measured by the weight measuring device, and further the analysis results and calculated shipping fees measured by the analysis device.

Next, the configuration of the shipping fee calculation system 1 will be described using a home delivery package as an example with reference to Fig. 2. Note that the same components as those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted.
In Fig. 2, a parcel 15b is placed on the measurement surface 2 instead of the mail item 15a in Fig. 1. The parcel 15b is generally handled as a parcel rather than an envelope, and is therefore often protected with packing string 20 or packing tape. In addition, an area code 16 utilizing a postal code, an address 18 of the recipient's customer, and a destination name 19 are also displayed in the same manner. However, since the parcel 15b often does not have a type that corresponds to the shipping purpose, such as the shipping type 17, it is not displayed on the parcel 15b shown in Fig. 2, but even if the parcel 15b has a display indicating a type, such as the shipping type 17, it is possible to use the shipping fee calculation system 1 in the same way as the mail item 15a.

Next, the shipping fee calculation system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.
Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the shipping charge calculation system according to this embodiment, and Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of the shipping charge calculation executed by the shipping charge calculation system according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 also shows the execution process of the shipping charge calculation program of the present invention, and explaining the flow of various analyses, shipping charge calculations, and collation in the shipping charge calculation system with reference to this figure is equivalent to explaining an embodiment of the shipping charge calculation program using a computer.
In FIG. 4, the symbols indicated by lead lines from the process description indicated by "S" and the figures connected with lead lines with symbols to the dashed lines covering the process description are components of the shipping fee calculation system shown in FIG. 1, and their symbols are the same.

3, the shipping fee calculation system 1 is composed of the imaging device 11, distance measuring sensor 12, and display device 7 described in FIG 1, as well as the weight measuring device 13, input device 14a, output device 14b, analysis device 21, collation device 29, and databases. Other than the components described with reference to FIG 1 and FIG 2, for example, the weight measuring device 13, input device 14a, output device 14b, analysis device 21, collation device 29, and databases are stored inside the base 3.
This shipping fee calculation system 1 can be assumed to be a system equipped with an arithmetic circuit and a storage device capable of performing the respective functions within a computer server.
The input device 14a functions as a data receiving unit, and corresponds to a keyboard, mouse, pen tablet, optical reading device, etc., used by a user or administrator of the shipping fee calculation system 1 when inputting data in advance into the database group.
The weight measuring device 13 has a function of measuring the weight of a mail item 15a or a parcel 15b when the mail item is placed on the measurement surface 2. A general load cell can be used as the weight measuring device 13.
The output device 14b may be a display device different from the display device 7, a transmitting device to an information and communication network, or a transmitter that transfers data to other devices as a data transmitting unit. That is, even if the components in Fig. 3 are not integrated, it is possible to provide the input device 14a and the output device 14b separately and configure a system in which data and information are transmitted and received between the analysis device 21, the collation device 29, or a group of databases by wire or wirelessly.

Next, the analysis device 21 includes an analysis mode switching unit 22, an external dimension analysis unit 23, an area code analysis unit 24, an address analysis unit 25, a destination analysis unit 26, a delivery type analysis unit 27, and a shipping fee calculation unit 28, and is a device that photographs the address 19 written on a delivery item such as a postal item 15a or a parcel 15b with an imaging device 11, analyzes the obtained image, and calculates the shipping fee for the delivery item using the image and the weight of the delivery item measured with a weight measuring device 13. Note that in the embodiment of the present invention, components including the word "part" such as the analysis mode switching unit 22, the external dimension analysis unit 23, or the area code analysis unit 24 are used, but this "part" means a means or function, and specific components are "elements" or "electronic circuits" for performing specific operations, or "component units" or "devices that are an assembly of these", and these are conceptualized and shown as "parts".

The matching device 29 is equipped with an area code/address matching section 30, a customer matching section 31, and a shipping destination matching section 32, and is a device that performs matching on the contents displayed on the address side of the delivery item to check whether the area code 16 and address 18 are consistent, whether there is consistency with the customer list, whether there is consistency with the shipping destination list, etc.

The database group includes a measurement database 35 that readably stores image data 36 of the address surface of the delivery item photographed by the imaging device 11, distance measurement data 37 relating to the distance H to the measurement surface 2 measured by the distance sensor 12 and the distance h to the address surface of the delivery item, and weight data 38 of the delivery item measured by the weight measuring device 13. There is also a fee database 39 that readably stores postal fee data 40 for mail item 15a and home delivery fee data 41 for home delivery item 15b, and this fee database 39 and measurement database 35 are connected to the analysis device 21.

A logistics database 42 that readably stores area code data 43, such as postal codes, that is predetermined by the delivery company for each delivery area in order to distribute deliveries at the time of delivery, and a customer database 44 that readably stores a customer list 45 of users of the shipping fee calculation system 1 are connected to the collation device 29. Furthermore, a delivery destination list 47 that lists the delivery destinations of deliveries in advance, and a delivery database 46 that readably stores delivery data 48 obtained by analyzing the addressing surface and weight of the deliveries are connected to both the analysis device 21 and the collation device 29.
Since the collation device 29 and the analysis device 21 are connected to each other, the databases may be connected in any other state besides the connection state shown in Fig. 3. Data stored in these databases, such as postal fee data 40, home delivery fee data 41, and area code data 43, and lists, such as customer list 45 and shipping destination list 47, can be input from the analysis device 21 or the collation device 29 via the input device 14a, and can be output to an external device or network via the output device 14b.

Below, the flow of analysis and calculation in the shipping charge calculation system 1 will be explained with reference to FIG. 4, and the components of the shipping charge calculation system 1 will also be explained in detail.
In FIG. 4, when the power switch 4 of the shipping fee calculation system 1 is turned on, the system becomes "START".
Step S1 is a process of measuring the distance H to the measurement surface 2 by the distance measuring sensor 12. The distance measuring sensor 12 displays the measured distance H on the display device 7 and stores it in a readable manner in the measurement database 35 as distance measurement data 37. Note that this step S1 is not necessary when the distance H is a known distance that is stored in advance in the measurement database 35 as distance measurement data 37 or when it is stored in the external dimension analysis unit 23 or the like.
Step S2 is a process in which the user places the delivery on the measurement surface 2 of the base 3. Thereafter, step S3 is a process in which the analysis mode is selected. When the delivery companies of the delivery items such as the postal item 15a and the parcel 15b are different, it is necessary to calculate the delivery fee according to the fee system used by the delivery company. Therefore, in this embodiment, the analysis mode switching unit 22 of the analysis device 21 has a function of switching between the postal mode and the parcel mode upon receiving a signal input from the postal mode switch 5 and the parcel mode switch 6. The postal mode is a mode in which the shipping fee for the postal item 15a is calculated by referring to the postal fee data 40 in the fee database 39, and the parcel mode is a mode in which the shipping fee for the parcel item 15b is calculated by referring to the parcel fee data 41. It is preferable that the postal mode switch 5 and the parcel mode switch 6 are colored by a liquid crystal or a lamp when the switch is pressed, or that the analysis mode switching unit 22 displays the selected mode on the display device 7, to clarify that the mode has been selected.

Here, additional explanation will be given on the postal item 15a and the parcel 15b with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figures 5 and 6 are conceptual diagrams showing a postal item and a parcel as deliveries, respectively.
5, mail 15a is generally sent by enclosing documents in an envelope, displaying a postal code as an area code 16, a shipping type 17 such as "express mail,""registeredmail" or "simple registered mail" as necessary, and an address 18 or residence of various organizations including corporations or individual customers, and the name of the recipient 19. In this embodiment, for the sake of calculating the shipping fee, the vertical dimension of the envelope will be described as L and the horizontal dimension as W for convenience.
Similarly, the area code 16, address 18, and recipient 19 are displayed in the parcel 15b in Fig. 6, but the shipping type 17 is not generally displayed in parcels 15b, so it may be displayed, although it is omitted in this figure. Also, parcels 15b are generally thick packages, so the packaging is protected by packing string 20 or the like. As with mail 15a, the vertical dimension is L and the horizontal dimension is W.

Returning to Fig. 4, step S4 is a step in which the imaging device 11 captures an image of the address surface of a delivery item such as mail 15a or parcel 15b, i.e., an imaging step, and step S5 is a step in which the distance measuring sensor 12 measures the distance to the address surface, i.e., a distance measuring step. The imaging device 11 stores the image obtained by the capture as imaging data 36, and the distance measuring sensor 12 stores the distance h obtained by measurement as distance measurement data 37 in the measurement database 35 so that they can be read out. The imaging device 11 displays the captured image and the distance measuring sensor 12 displays the measured distance h on the display device 7.
Step S6 is a weight measurement step in which the weight measuring device 13 measures the weight of the delivery. The weight measuring device 13 displays the weight value obtained by the measurement on the display device 7, and also stores the weight value in the measurement database 35 in a readable manner as weight data 38.

Next, step S7 is an external dimension analysis step in which the external dimension analysis unit 23 reads out the imaging data 36 and the distance measurement data 37 of the address written surface of the delivery item photographed by the imaging device 11 from the measurement database 35, extracts the contour of the image, which is the imaging data 36, and analyzes the external dimensions including the length of the contour and the thickness of the delivery item using the distance H and distance h, which are the distance measurement data 37. The external dimension analysis unit 23 has a function to extract the contour of the delivery item from the image of the address written surface and analyze its length (dimension), and a function to analyze the thickness T of the delivery item. In this case, the distance h to the address written surface of the delivery item measured by the distance measurement sensor 12 and the distance H to the measurement surface 2 are referenced.
The analysis of the outer dimensions by the outer dimension analysis unit 23 will be specifically described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the use of a distance measuring sensor when the image pickup device of the shipping fee calculation system picks up an image of the address surface of the delivery item.

In Fig. 7, the mail item 15a or the parcel 15b, which is a delivery item photographed by the imaging device 11, has a thickness T, and the thickness T varies depending on the delivery item. Therefore, when analyzing an image photographed by the imaging device 11 that is always in the same position, it is necessary to take into account how far the image is from the imaging device 11 in order to accurately analyze the contour dimensions, i.e., the vertical dimension L and the horizontal dimension W. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the actual vertical dimension L of the mail item 15a or the parcel 15b may be understood as the apparent length Lv on the measurement surface 2 unless the thickness T of the delivery item is taken into account for the image photographed by the imaging device 11. That is, in order to accurately analyze the contour dimensions of the delivery item, it is necessary to accurately measure the distance H and the distance h by the distance measuring sensor 12.
In the external dimension analysis unit 23, the measurement surface 2 at the distance H is photographed in advance by the imaging device 11, and the length f on the measurement surface 2 corresponding to one pixel of the imaging device 11 in the photographed image is obtained by analysis and calculation, and in step S5, using the distance h previously measured by the distance measuring sensor 12, the length L and width W are analyzed as the contour dimensions by multiplying the ratio of the distance h to the distance H and the length f for the number of pixels constituting the contour of the delivery in the image. The analyzed length L and width W are readably stored in the delivery database 46 as delivery data 48 by the external dimension analysis unit 23 and displayed on the display device 7. The length f is readably stored in the measurement database 35 by the distance measuring sensor 12 via the input device 14a as the distance measurement data 37.

The external dimension analysis unit 23 then reads out the distance measurement data 37 relating to the distance H and the distance h from the measurement database 35, and calculates the thickness T of the delivery item based on formula (1). However, if there is only one piece of paper in an envelope, the thickness is about 1 or 2 mm, and since this thickness is not considered to have a significant effect on the shipping fee, any thickness below a certain level may be treated as 0 mm. The external dimension analysis unit 23 also stores this thickness T in the delivery item database 46 in a readable manner as delivery item data 48, and displays it on the display device 7.
Furthermore, the external dimension analysis unit 23 can also analyze the type of envelope of the delivery item as the external diameter dimension. For example, data on the size (standard) of envelopes generally used in Japan, such as a long envelope No. 3 (120 mm x 235 mm) which is a standard envelope and a square envelope No. 2 (240 mm x 332 mm) which is a non-standard envelope, is stored in the external dimension analysis unit 23 itself, and the envelope standard is analyzed while referring to this envelope size data, and this is also stored in the delivery item database 46 in a readable manner as delivery item data 48 in addition to part of the data of the external dimensions, and displayed on the display device 7. In addition, in the case of the parcel 15b, the sum of the dimensions of the length, width, and thickness is also stored in the delivery item database 46 in a readable manner as delivery item data 48 in addition to part of the data of the external diameter dimension, and displayed on the display device 7.

Next, step S8 is an area code analysis step in which the area code analysis unit 24 reads out from the measurement database 35 the image data 36 of the address side of the delivery captured by the imaging device 11, and analyzes the characters of the area code 16. The analyzed area code 16 is stored in the delivery database 46 by the area code analysis unit 24 in a readable manner as delivery data 48, and is displayed on the display device 7.
Step S9 is an address analysis step in which the address analysis unit 25 reads out from the measurement database 35 the image data 36 of the address surface of the delivery captured by the imaging device 11, and analyzes the characters of the address 18. The analyzed address 18 is stored in the delivery database 46 by the address analysis unit 25 in a readable manner as delivery data 48, and is displayed on the display device 7.
Step S10 is an address analysis step in which the address analysis unit 26 reads out from the measurement database 35 the image data 36 of the address writing surface of the delivery item photographed by the imaging device 11, and analyzes the characters of the address 19. The analyzed address 19 is stored in the delivery database 46 by the address analysis unit 26 in a readable manner as delivery data 48, and is displayed on the display device 7.

Step S11 is a shipping type analysis step in which the shipping type analysis unit 27 reads out the image data 36 of the address surface of the delivery item photographed by the imaging device 11 from the measurement database 35 and analyzes the characters of the shipping type 17. The analyzed shipping type 17 is stored in the delivery item database 46 by the shipping type analysis unit 27 in a readable manner as delivery item data 48, and is displayed on the display device 7.
Furthermore, the delivery type analysis unit 27 reads out delivery data 48 relating to external dimensions (L.W, T) from the delivery database 46 and weight data 38 from the measurement database 35, and analyzes the delivery type other than the delivery type 17 displayed on the address side of the delivery. Specifically, this is within standard size, within non-standard size, non-standard size, etc. in the postal mode. In this analysis, the postal fee data 40 as shown in Table 1 is read out from the fee database 39 and analyzed, and the delivery types other than the delivery type 17 are also stored as delivery data 48 by the delivery type analysis unit 27 in the delivery database 46 and displayed on the display device 7.
Incidentally, standard size refers to a length (long side) of 14 to 23.5 cm, a width (short side) of 9 to 12 cm, a thickness of 1 cm, and a weight of 50 g, and non-standard size refers to a length (long side) of 34 cm or less, a width (short side) of 25 cm or less, a thickness of 3 cm or less, and a weight of 1 kg or less, and any size that falls outside these values, with a length (long side) of 60 cm or less and a combined length, width, and thickness of 90 cm or less, is considered to be non-standard size, and these data are also included in the postage data 40. These dimensions are current values and may change due to changes in laws and regulations, in which case the postage data 40 will be revised as appropriate.
In addition, since it is considered that the shipping type 17 will rarely be displayed in the home delivery mode, step S11 may be skipped, or, if a shipping type exists even in the home delivery mode, the shipping type analysis unit 27 may analyze it accordingly.

Step S12 is a shipping fee calculation step in which the shipping fee calculation unit 28 reads out the weight data 38 measured by the weight measuring device 13 from the measurement database 35 and the external dimensions stored as shipping data 48 by the external dimension analysis unit 23 from the shipping item database 46, i.e., the length L, width W and thickness T, and calculates the shipping fee for the shipping item using these. In the calculation, if the shipping item is a postal item 15a, postal fee data 40 such as shown in Table 1 is read out, and if the shipping item is a home delivery item 15b, home delivery fee data 41 such as shown in Table 2 is read out, and a shipping fee corresponding to the weight and external dimensions is calculated.
The shipping fee calculation unit 28 can also read out from the shipping database 46 the shipping data 48 relating to the shipping type 17 and shipping types other than the shipping type 17 analyzed by the shipping type analysis unit 27 in step S11, and calculate the shipping fee taking this into account. That is, although the postal fee data 40 shown in Table 1 does not show shipping fees relating to the shipping type 17 and other shipping types, it does include information relating to current postal fees, so it is possible to calculate the shipping fee taking these into account.
The calculated shipping fee is stored in the shipping database 46 as shipping data 48 by the shipping fee calculation unit 28, and is displayed on the display device 7 together with the weight, external dimensions, shipping type, and other data on which the fee is based. At this time, the shipping fee calculation unit 28 also stores the weight data 38 read from the measurement database 35 in the shipping data 48.

Here, the delivery data 48 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of the delivery data 48 obtained by the shipping fee calculation system 1.
In Figure 8, "No." and "Shipping date" indicate a number assigned in the order of analysis using the shipping fee calculation system 1 and the shipping date or the analysis date, both of which are assigned to each shipment analyzed by the external dimension analysis unit 23 and stored in the shipment database 46 as shipment data 48.
In addition, the area code 16 is analyzed and stored by the area code analysis unit 24, the shipping type 17 is analyzed by the shipping type analysis unit 27, and the addressee 19 and the address 18 are analyzed and stored by the addressee analysis unit 26 and the address analysis unit 25, respectively.
The outer dimensions (L, W, T, the sum of the dimensions, and envelope standards) are also analyzed by the outer dimension analysis unit 23 and the shipping type analysis unit 27 and stored.
In addition, the weight data 38 measured by the weight measuring device 13 and the shipping fee are stored as shipping data 48 in the shipping database 46 by the shipping fee calculation unit 28 .
Furthermore, the delivery data 48 includes a remarks column, allowing the user to write notes.
Specifically, looking at the No. 1 mail item, the vertical dimension L is 235 mm, the horizontal dimension W is 120 mm, and the thickness T is negligible at 0 mm, so it is considered to be a long size No. 3. In addition, since the weight is 20 g, it is analyzed as "standard size" by the mailing type analysis unit 27, and also analyzed as "express mail" from the image of the address written side of the mail item 15a. The final shipping fee is 344 yen, which is the shipping fee of 84 yen for standard mail items up to 25 g in Table 1 plus the express fee of 260 yen.

Returning to FIG. 4, the flow of collation using the collation device 29 will be described.
Step S13 is an area code/address matching process in which the area code/address matching unit 30 of the matching device 29 reads out the area code 16 or address 18 stored in the shipment database 46 as shipment data 48, and for these, reads out the area code data 43 from the logistics database 42 and matches it.
First, the area code data 43 will be described. The area code data 43 is data, such as a postal code, that is determined in advance by the delivery company, and is a data set in which a code for identifying an area is paired with a destination address and linked together. Specifically, it is as shown in Table 3.

The area code/address matching unit 30 reads the area code 16 from the delivery data 48 in the delivery database 46, and detects a matching area code in the area code data 43 through it, i.e., as a key, and matches the destination address linked to the area code and the address 18 in the delivery data 48. If they match, the area code/address matching unit 30 stores the area code/address matched characters or symbols as delivery data 48 in the delivery database 46 so that they are displayed in the remarks column or the like, displays the matching result on the display device 7, and ends step S13 and proceeds to step S14.
If the area code cannot be matched, first, if no area code is detected in the area code data 43 that matches the area code 16, the area code 16 may be incorrect, so the area code/address matching unit 30 displays this fact on the display device 7 to alert the user. Also, if an area code that matches the area code 16 is detected but the destination address in the area code data 43 cannot be matched with the address 18 in the delivery data 48, the address 18 may be incorrect or the area code 16 may not correctly correspond to the address 18, so the area code/address matching unit 30 similarly displays this fact on the display device 7 to alert the user.

Alternatively, the area code/address matching unit 30 may read the address 18 from the delivery data 48, and use it as a key to detect a matching destination address in the area code data 43, and match the area code linked to the destination address and the area code 16 in the delivery data 48. In this case, if they match, the same process is carried out to end step S13 and proceed to the next step S14.
If matching is not possible, first, if a destination address in the area code data 43 that matches the address 18 is not detected, the address 18 may be incorrect, so the area code/address matching unit 30 displays that fact on the display device 7 to alert the user. Also, if a destination address in the area code data 43 that matches the address 18 is detected but the area code in the area code data 43 cannot be matched with the area code 16 in the delivery data 48, the area code 16 may be incorrect or the address 18 may not correctly correspond to the area code 16, so the area code/address matching unit 30 similarly displays that fact on the display device 7 to alert the user.

Step S14 is a customer matching process in which the customer matching unit 31 of the matching device 29 reads out the addressee 19 or address 18 stored in the shipment database 46 as shipment data 48, and reads out the customer list 45 from the customer database 44 for matching.
First, the customer list 45 will be described. The customer list 45 is a list created by the user of the shipping fee calculation system 1, and is a data set related to at least the "name" and "address or residence" of the customer linked to the "customer ID" assigned to each customer. Specifically, it is as shown in Table 4. Although not shown in Table 4, an area code may be included in the customer list 45 by linking it to the "customer ID."

The customer matching unit 31 reads out the addressee 19 from the delivery data 48 in the delivery database 46, and detects a matching "name" in the customer list 45 through the addressee 19, i.e., as a key, and matches the "address or residence" corresponding to the "name" with the address 18 in the delivery data 48. If an area code is included in the customer list 45, the area code corresponding to the "name" may also be matched with the area code 16 in the delivery data 48. If they match, the customer matching unit 31 stores the customer matched characters or symbols as delivery data 48 in the delivery database 46 so that they are displayed in the remarks column or the like, displays the matching result on the display device 7, and ends step S14 before proceeding to the next step S15.
If a match cannot be made, first, if the "name/name of the recipient" in the customer list 45 that matches the recipient 19 is not found, then the recipient 19 may be incorrect, so the customer matching unit 31 displays this fact on the display device 7 to alert the user.
Furthermore, if a "name/name of recipient" matching the recipient name 19 is detected but the "address or residence" in the customer list 45 cannot be matched with the address 18 in the shipment data 48, the address 18 may be incorrect, so the customer matching unit 31 similarly displays this fact on the display device 7 to alert the user.

Alternatively, the customer matching unit 31 may read the address 18 from the delivery data 48, and use this as a key to detect a matching "address or residence" in the customer list 45, and match the "name" corresponding to the "address or residence" with the addressee 19 in the delivery data 48. In this case as well, if there is a match, the process goes through the same steps, and step S14 is terminated, and the process proceeds to the next step S15.
If matching is not possible, first, if an "address or residence" in the customer list 45 that matches the address 18 is not detected, the address 18 may be incorrect, so the customer matching unit 31 displays that fact on the display device 7 to alert the user. Also, if an "address or residence" that matches the address 18 is detected but matching between the "name/name of the recipient" in the customer list 45 and the addressee 19 in the delivery data 48 cannot be made, the addressee 19 may be incorrect, so the customer matching unit 31 similarly displays that fact on the display device 7 to alert the user.

Step S15 is a destination matching process in which the destination matching unit 32 of the matching device 29 reads out the destination list 47 stored in the shipment database 46 as shipment data 48, and reads out the shipment data 48 from the shipment database 46 and matches it.
First, the shipping destination list 47 will be described. The shipping destination list 47 is assumed to be a list created by the user before using the shipping fee calculation system 1, and is a data set including at least "scheduled shipping date,""shippingtype,""recipient'sname," and "address." However, the "shipping type" in this shipping destination list 47 is limited to only those assumed in advance, that is, to whether it is "mail" or "courier service," and to "express mail" or "registered mail." More specifically, it is as shown in Table 5. Although not shown in Table 5, the shipping destination list 47 may also include an area code.

The destination matching unit 32 reads out the address 19 from the delivery data 48 in the delivery database 46, and detects a matching "address" in the delivery destination list 47 through the address 19, i.e., as a key, and matches the "address" corresponding to the "address" with the address 18 in the delivery data 48. If an area code is included in the delivery destination list 47, the area code corresponding to the "address" may also be matched with the area code 16 in the delivery data 48. Furthermore, the delivery destination matching unit 32 reads out and matches the "shipping type" corresponding to the "address" in the delivery destination list 47 with the shipping type 17 from the delivery data 48. If they match, the delivery destination matching unit 32 stores the characters or symbols, etc., that have been matched in the delivery list as delivery data 48 in the delivery database 46 so that they are displayed in the remarks column, etc., and displays a match on the display device 7, and ends step S15, completing all steps and going to "END".
If the match cannot be made, it is assumed that the delivery has been overlooked in the analysis, and the delivery destination matching unit 32 will display a message to that effect on the display device 7 to alert the user.
This comparison can only confirm pre-planned details such as whether it is postal mail or home delivery, and in the case of postal mail, whether it is express mail or registered mail, and cannot confirm the shipping type 17 that is analyzed for the first time using the shipping fee calculation system 1. However, comparison is possible if the shipping type is included in the list in advance, such as "standard size", "non-standard size", or "non-standard size".
By performing this comparison, it is possible to confirm whether the shipping type 17 of the actual shipment is the same as the planned "shipping type," and it is possible to detect omissions such as "express mail" or "registered mail" in the shipment.
In addition, the matching device 29 and the matching process are options that do not always need to be included in the shipping fee calculation system 1 or shipping fee calculation program of this embodiment, and if the option is not included, step S12 may be set to "END."

As described above, the shipping fee calculation system 1 of this embodiment can easily and accurately calculate the shipping fee for mail, parcels, and other items, even when the shipping fee varies depending on the thickness and external dimensions, including the length, width, and thickness, of the item.
Furthermore, by providing a distance measuring sensor 12 in addition to the imaging device 11, it is possible to obtain not only an image of the address surface, but also the distance H when there is no delivery item in advance, and by measuring the distance h to the address surface, it is possible to analyze the thickness T of the delivery item, so that even if the thickness of the delivery item varies, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the image outline can be analyzed with high accuracy. As a result, it is possible to calculate the shipping fee with high accuracy.
Furthermore, the external dimension analysis unit 23 analyzes the address 18 of the recipient 19 and the shipping type 17 from the image of the address writing side of the delivery item, and stores postal fee data 40 and courier fee data 41 related to the shipping fee that varies depending on these in the fee database 39.The shipping fee calculation unit 28 calculates the shipping fee using this data, so that it is possible to easily and accurately respond to fluctuations in shipping fees based on the address 18 of the recipient 19 and the shipping type 17.
In addition, since the area code analysis section 24 analyzes the area code 16 attached to the delivery from the image, it is possible to easily adapt to a fee system in which the delivery fee is determined also by the area code 16.

In addition, the area code/address matching unit 30 can determine whether the area code 16 and address 18 attached to the shipment match the area code and destination address predetermined by the delivery company, or whether either the area code 16 or the address 18 written on the shipment is a typo.
In addition, the customer matching unit 31 can determine whether the address 18 and the name 19 written on the shipment match the address or residence and name/name in the customer list 45, or whether either the address 18 or the name 19 written on the shipment is a typo.
Furthermore, the destination matching unit 32 can determine whether the delivery data 48 relating to the delivery matches the contents of the delivery destination list 47 or whether there are any deliveries that have not been analyzed.

The present invention can be used in a shipping fee calculation system and its program that can easily and accurately calculate shipping fees for mail, parcels, and other items.

1...Shipping fee calculation system 2...Measuring surface 3...Base 4...Power switch 5...Postal mode switch 6...Home delivery mode switch 7...Display device 8...Support 9...Support plate 10...Port 11...Imaging device 12...Distance measurement sensor 13...Weight measurement device 14a...Input device 14b...Output device 15a...Mail item 15b...Home delivery item 16...Area code 17...Shipping type 18...Address 19...Addressee 20...Packing string 21...Analysis device 22...Analysis mode switching unit 23...External dimension analysis unit 24...Area code analysis unit 25...Address analysis unit 26...Addressee analysis unit 27...Shipping type analysis unit 28...Shipping fee calculation unit 29...Matching device 30...Area code/address matching unit 31...Customer matching unit 32...Shipping destination matching unit 35...Measurement database 36...Imaging data 37...Distance measurement data 38...Weight data 39...Fee database 40...Postal fee data 41...Courier fee data 42...Logistics database 43...Area code data 44...Customer database 45...Customer list 46...Shipping database 47...Shipping destination list 48...Shipping data

Claims (12)

A shipping fee calculation system that calculates the shipping fee of a delivery, comprising: an imaging device that photographs the address surface of the delivery; a distance measuring sensor that measures the distance to the address surface of the delivery; a weight measuring device that measures the weight of the delivery; and an analysis device that analyzes the contour of the address surface from the image taken by the imaging device, analyzes the external dimensions of the delivery, including the length and thickness of the contour, from the analyzed contour and the distance measured by the distance measuring sensor, and calculates the shipping fee of the delivery from the external dimensions and the weight. The shipping fee calculation system according to claim 1, characterized in that the analysis device analyzes an area code that is predetermined by a delivery company and attached to the shipment from the image, and calculates the shipping fee for the shipment from the analyzed area code, the external dimensions, and the weight. The shipping fee calculation system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has an analysis device that analyzes the area code and address that are predetermined by the delivery company and attached to the delivery item from the image, and a comparison device that compares the address and the destination address via the area code by referring to area code data that links the area code and the destination address, or a comparison device that compares the area code attached to the delivery item via the address with the area code of the area code data. The shipping fee calculation system according to claim 2, further comprising: an analysis device that analyzes an address from the image; and a comparison device that compares the address and the destination address via the area code by referring to area code data that links the area code and the destination address, or a comparison device that compares the area code attached to the delivery via the address with the area code of the area code data. The shipping fee calculation system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it has an analysis device that analyzes the addressee and address from the image, and a comparison device that compares the address and the customer address via the addressee attached to the delivery item by referring to a customer list in which customer addresses are linked to customer names or customer names, or a comparison device that compares the addressee and the customer name or customer name via the address attached to the delivery item. The shipping fee calculation system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the analysis device analyzes the shipping type attached to the shipment from the image and calculates the shipping fee for the shipment taking this shipping type into account. A shipping fee calculation program executed by a computer to calculate the shipping fee of a delivery, the shipping fee calculation program being characterized by executing an imaging process for photographing the address surface of the delivery, a distance measurement process for measuring the distance to the address surface of the delivery, a weight measurement process for measuring the weight of the delivery, an external dimension analysis process for extracting the outline of the address surface from the image taken by the imaging process and analyzing the external dimensions of the delivery, including the length and thickness of the outline, from the extracted outline and the distance measured by the distance measurement process, and a shipping fee calculation process for calculating the shipping fee of the delivery from the external dimensions and weight. The shipping fee calculation program according to claim 7, further comprising an area code analysis step of analyzing an area code that has been determined in advance by a delivery company and that has been affixed to the item from the image, and the shipping fee calculation step of calculating a shipping fee for the item from the analyzed area code, the external dimensions, and the weight. The shipping fee calculation program according to claim 7, characterized in that it has an area code analysis step of analyzing an area code predetermined by a delivery company and attached to the delivery from the image, an address analysis step of analyzing an address attached to the delivery from the image, and an area code/address matching step of matching the address and the destination address via the area code by referring to area code data linking the area code and the destination address, or an area code/address matching step of matching the area code attached to the delivery via the address and the area code of the area code data. The shipping fee calculation program according to claim 8, further comprising an address analysis step for analyzing the address attached to the delivery from the image, an area code/address matching step for matching the address and the destination address via the area code by referring to area code data linking the area code and the destination address, or an area code/address matching step for matching the area code attached to the delivery via the address and the area code of the area code data. The shipping fee calculation program according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that it has an address analysis step of analyzing the address attached to the delivery from the image, an address analysis step of analyzing the address attached to the delivery from the image, and a customer matching step of matching the address and the customer address via the address attached to the delivery, or a customer matching step of matching the address and the customer name or customer name via the address attached to the delivery, by referring to a customer list in which customer addresses and customer names or customer names are linked. The shipping fee calculation program according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that it has a shipping type analysis step for analyzing the shipping type attached to the item from the image, and the shipping fee calculation step calculates the shipping fee for the item by taking this shipping type into account.

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