Image acquisition system for processing and tracking mail pieces
AssigneeNeopost Technologies
InventorSamira Bouzit-Benbernou
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An image acquisition system for processing and tracking mail pieces in a mailing system (2) of the type comprising at least one mail piece processing machine (4, 6, 8) comprising at least one accumulation device (14, 16) for producing mail pieces and generating electronic processing and tracking details for these mail pieces, at least one imaging device (10, 12) for acquiring images of the mail pieces, and a computer (24) coupled to the at least one imaging device and the at least one mail piece processing machine, the at least one imaging device acquiring the images of mail pieces for simultaneously providing both these processing and tracking details and a filling level of the at least one accumulation device.
Claims20
A mailing system comprising:
- at least one mail piece processing machine comprising at least one accumulation device for producing mail pieces and generating electronic processing and tracking details for these mail pieces;
- and
- at least one imaging device for acquiring images of the mail pieces;
- a computer coupled to said at least one imaging device and said at least one mail piece processing machine;
- wherein said at least one imaging device for acquiring said images of the mail pieces comprises means for simultaneously providing both these processing and tracking details produced by said at least one piece processing machine and a focus value FV which once compared with a predefined focus value delivers a filling level of said at least one accumulation device.
A system comprising:
- an imager having a field of view and an adjustable focus, the imager positioned such that the field of view of the imager encompasses at least a portion of a topmost mail piece in an accumulator which holds at least two stacked mail pieces, the imager focuses on the topmost mail piece, acquires at least one image of at least the portion of the topmost mail piece, provides processing and tracking details of the topmost mail piece, and provides a focus value FV corresponding to a focus level of the adjustable focus of the imager when focused on the topmost mail piece;
- and
- at least one processor coupled to the imager, the at least one processor receives the focus value FV from the imager, compares the focus value FV to a predefined focus value, generates a result of comparison of the focus value FV to the predefined focus value, and determines a filling level of the accumulator based at least in part on the result of the comparison of the focus value FV to the predefined focus value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.