JPS61208581A - Data collecting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a data collecting system by an optical connection efficiently, economically and with a high compatibility and reliability by using a data collecting equipment provided with a commercial bar code reader. CONSTITUTION:A microprocessor 62 outputs a similar signal to an electric signal obtained by photoelectrically converting a scanning reflecting light of a bar code based on a data from a memory 61. By a flash control based on this signal, light rays fed out from a luminescent element 7 are converted into an electric signal. This electric signal is amplified by an amplifier 23 and converted into digital signals of '1', '0' by a binary circuit 24. Then after time series signals of '1', '0' are decoded by a microprocessor 11, they are accumulated in a memory 12. An accumulated data of the memory 12 is read out to an external equipment in accordance with a requisition. An luminescent element 70 usually emits by a driving section 72. The microprocessor detects a condition capable of optically connecting a bar code reader to a data feeding section.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a data collection method using a portable data collection terminal device, and in particular to a method for collecting data using a portable barcode reader. Regarding the method of collecting.

(Prior Art) Data input using a barcode reader is used in a wide range of fields, and an example will be explained with reference to FIG. This is an example in which data is collected using a portable data collection terminal device 1 having a pen-shaped barcode reader 2. For example, in supermarkets, barcode labels representing product numbers are affixed to name plates placed near displayed products. When placing a replenishment order for a product, the barcode reader 2 scans the barcode label and inputs the product number to be restocked into the data collection terminal device 1.
Enter the number of replenishment orders using the numeric keypad 3. These data are displayed on the display section 4 and also stored in the memory. The data inputted for each product in this way is outputted all at once by connecting the data output section of the data collection terminal device 1 to the main unit of the product ordering system. Many portable data collection terminal devices equipped with such barcode readers are commercially available at relatively low prices and are highly versatile.

On the other hand, management data of vending machines is also being collected using dedicated data collection equipment. That is, vending machines are usually scattered over a wide area, and replenishment of products, collection of coins, etc. are performed at certain regular intervals. When doing this work, sales by product,
Total sales, quantity of replenishment products, etc. are recorded as management data, but data collection equipment is designed to automatically collect a large amount of management data in a short and easy manner without the hassle of such bookkeeping. be. Conventionally, this data collection device, unlike the above-mentioned barcode reader, automatically collects management data of the vending machine by electrically or optically coupling it to a control section including its storage section. Ta. However, the interface condition for this combination is
Currently, the specifications of data collection equipment are not standardized and differ depending on the manufacturer. Operator companies whose business is to replenish products in vending machines use vending machines from different manufacturers, and because each manufacturer has a different interface, they have to carry multiple types of data collection equipment, which can be uneconomical. It was causing inconvenience.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) For automatic data collection from vending machines, it is preferable to use the above-mentioned commercially available standardized portable data collection terminal device in terms of versatility, price, etc. . However, this is difficult to implement because the connection interfaces are not unified as described above.

In view of these problems, the present invention aims to easily and quickly collect data from data collection devices such as vending machines by using a portable data collection terminal device equipped with a portable barcode reader. This is an attempt to provide a data collection method that allows for

(Means for Solving the Problems) The data collection method according to the present invention is a data transmission system that converts the data to be collected into a time-series optical signal that is the same as the reflected light obtained by optically scanning a barcode, and transmits the converted data. and a detector for detecting the presence or absence of optical coupling between the data transmitting unit and the portable barcode reader, and each data collection device is equipped with a detector for detecting the presence or absence of optical coupling between the data transmitting unit and the portable barcode reader, and the time-series optical signal is electrically transmitted by the portable barcode reader. It is characterized by collecting data by converting it into a signal.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the present invention will be described in the case where data is collected from a vending machine using a portable data collection terminal device equipped with a pen-shaped barcode reader.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the coupling relationship between a data sending section and a portable data collection terminal device installed in a vending machine, and the vending machine itself is not shown. The data sending section 5 is composed of a control section 6 that controls the operation of the entire vending machine and a light emitting element 7. The control unit 6 stores management data to be sent to the portable data collection terminal device in a built-in memory (not shown). The storage method of this management data is the same as the conventional one, and its explanation will be omitted.

The data sending section 5 also has an insertion section 51 for the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 provided in the data collection terminal device 1, and the light emitting element 7 is provided in this insertion section 51. This light emitting element 7 generates an optical signal that is the same as the scanning reflected light obtained when scanning a barcode with a barcode reader.
This will be discussed later.

The light emitting element 70 is arranged opposite to the photodetector 71, and when the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is not inserted into the insertion part 51, the light from the light emitting element 7o reaches the photodetector 71, When the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted, the light is blocked and does not reach the photodetector 71. This insertion detection function makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of optical coupling between the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 and the data sending unit 5. 1st
Although signal lines for the light emitting element 70 and the photodetector 71 are not shown in the figure, they are both connected to the control unit 6. The pen-shaped barcode reader 2 has a built-in light beam emitting section, and sends out the beam through a ball lens 21 provided at the tip. When a barcode is scanned with the ball lens 2I, reflected light from the barcode surface is focused into the barcode reader 2 through the ball lens 21. The collected light is converted into an electrical signal by a photoelectric conversion section within the barcode reader 2, and this electrical signal is sent to the main body of the data collection terminal device. The data collection terminal device processes the incoming electrical signals and decodes the data represented by the barcode. The configurations and operations of the barcode reader and data collection terminal device main body as described above are well known, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, when collecting data from a vending machine, the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted into the insertion section 51.

The light emitting element 7 is provided at a position facing the ball lens 21 of the inserted barcode reader 2. As a result, the optical signal from the light emitting element 7 is focused into the barcode reader 2 by the ball lens 21, and converted into an electric signal by a photoelectric conversion section (not shown). Note that the barcode reader 2 sends out a scanning beam of light through a ball lens 21 , and when this light ray illuminates the light emitting element 7 , reflected light is captured through the ball lens 21 . If this level is large, the light signal from the light emitting element 7 becomes noise, so the positional relationship between the light emitting element 7 and the ball lens 21 is set so that the reflected light from the light emitting element 7 is sufficiently weak. . This can be realized, for example, by moving the installation position of the light emitting element 7 away from the focal position of the ball lens 21.

The optical signal from the light emitting element 7 is the same as the reflected light obtained when the barcode is scanned by a beam of light in the barcode reader 2, and this will be explained below.

Figure 4 shows J A N (Japanese Artic
This is an example of a barcode symbol based on the LE Number) standard.

When the barcode reader 2 touches and scans the barcode 10 in the direction of the arrow, the photoelectric conversion unit in the barcode reader 2 generates a time-series electric signal (partially shown) as shown in FIG.
is obtained. Note that the photoelectric conversion section includes a binarization circuit, and the signal shown in FIG. 5 is a binarized digital signal. The main body of the data collection terminal device uses a built-in microprocessor to perform predetermined processing on digital signals, and collects information (if
! decrypts the information (usually a string of digits).

FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the control unit 6 and the portable data collection terminal device in a block diagram.

The control unit includes a memory 61 that stores management data for the vending machine, a microprocessor 62 that reads data from this memory 61 and performs predetermined processing, and a light emitting element based on signals from the microprocessor 62. 7 and a drive section 63 that controls the blinking of the light. Based on the data from the memory 61, the microprocessor 62 outputs a signal similar to the electrical signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the scanning reflected light of the bar code. The light rays sent out from the light emitting element 7 by blinking control based on this signal are focused by the ball lens 21 onto the photoelectric conversion element 22 and converted into an electric signal. This electrical signal is amplified by an amplifier 23,
IT I IT in the value converting circuit 24.

It is converted into a digital signal of IT O11, and this II
I II.

The time series signal of II OII is decoded by the microprocessor 11 and then stored in the memory 12. The data stored in the memory 12 is read out to an external device as necessary.

The light emitting element 70 constantly emits light by the driving section 72, and the output signal of the photodetector 71 is connected to the microprocessor 62, so that the microprocessor is in a state where the barcode reader and the data sending section can be optically coupled. Detect that.

The barcode symbol may be a black bar or a black bar depending on the standard.
The number and configuration of white bars are determined, so the microprocessor 62 sends a signal to the drive unit 63 in a format in which one piece of management data out of a series of data from the memory 61 corresponds to one barcode symbol. to make.

International standards have already been established for barcode symbols; for example, there are common standards such as UPC in the United States, EAN in Europe, and JAN in Japan.

Besides this, NW-'? , Code 39, and other standards have been established. A typical portable data collection terminal device has a barcode decoding function that complies with the various standards mentioned above. Therefore, the control unit 6 also uses the light emitting element 7.
It has a blinking control method that corresponds to the various standards listed above, and by specifying the barcode standard as necessary, an optical signal that corresponds to the specified barcode standard is sent out, so the interface specifications can be standardized.

According to the present invention, the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted into the insertion section 5.
1, data transfer becomes possible, but the timing at which the optical signal is actually output from the light emitting element 7 must be instructed in some way to the control unit. As a method for giving this instruction, a function of detecting the presence or absence of insertion of a pen-shaped barcode reader using the light emitting element 70 and the photodetector 71 can be used.

That is, after an operator who wants to collect data using the data collection terminal device 1 performs operations on the data collection terminal device 1 necessary for data collection using the pen-type barcode reader 2, the pen-type barcode reader 2 is inserted into the insertion section 51. At this time, the photodetector 71 detects the insertion, and the control unit 6 starts sending data by blinking the light emitting element 7 after a certain period of time. As described above, since the insertion detection function of the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is provided, the operator does not have to operate the data collection device, but simply inserts the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 into the insertion section 5.
The operational advantage is that it only needs to be inserted into 1.

Further, the operation method of another embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 6. Even in the case where the data collection device side is provided with a data sending instruction button 73 and the operator presses the button to set the timing of data sending. It is necessary to confirm whether or not the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted, and for this purpose, the above-mentioned insertion detection function using the combination of the light emitting element 70 and the photodetector 71 is effective.

Although a pen-shaped barcode reader was used in the above embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention is applicable to all portable data collection terminal devices equipped with a portable barcode reader. Furthermore, the data collecting device is not limited to vending machines.

Furthermore, although a photodetector is used to detect insertion of the barcode reader, mechanical detection means or other means may be employed.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, in order to realize optical coupling between the barcode reader and the data transmission section, the barcode reader is inserted into the insertion section, but it is not necessary to realize the optical coupling. There is no need to perform an insertion operation, and it is sufficient if a position regulating means is provided on the data collection device or the barcode reader so that the barcode reader and the data sending section are in a predetermined positional relationship.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, by using a portable data collection terminal device equipped with a commercially available pen-shaped barcode reader of standard specifications, it is possible to Data collection methods can be realized efficiently and economically.

That is, in data collection equipment such as vending machines that are already installed, it may be difficult to add and modify the data sending unit later. Even in such cases, if you use a portable data collection terminal equipped with a barcode reader and use the normal barcode scanning data collection method, you can input the product code using the bar code printed on the product. Accurate data can be collected in a short time by scanning codes or scanning a correspondence table between product names and barcodes.

In this way, in the data collection method according to the present invention, the same data collection terminal device can be used in common not only when the data collection device is equipped with a data transmission section, but also when it is not equipped with a data transmission section. The effect is that work efficiency can be improved by collecting data and transferring it to the master device all at once.

Furthermore, since a detector is provided to detect the presence or absence of optical coupling between the barcode reader and the data sending section, it is possible to eliminate operational errors such as sending data from the data sending section when there is no optical coupling.

Further, the standardization that optical coupling signal standards are defined by the internationally standardized bar code standard has the effect that a large number of models can be selected as portable data collection terminal devices. For example, when a lower-priced data collection terminal device becomes available, it can be used to create an economical data collection system.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a coupled state of a data collection device and a portable data collection terminal device in order to explain the data collection method according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an embodiment of the method according to the present invention. , Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a portable data collection terminal device, Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a barcode symbol, and Fig. 5 is a diagram of an electrical signal obtained by optically scanning this with a barcode reader. Partial diagram, No. 6
The figure is a schematic block diagram showing another embodiment of the system of the present invention. 1...Portable data collection terminal device 2...Pen-shaped barcode reader 6...Control unit 7...Light emitting element Figure 1 Figure 3 Procedures Amendment (Voluntary) December 1985 16th 1. Indication of the case 1985 Patent Application No. 49899 2. Name of the invention, person making the amendment Relationship to the case Patent applicant telephone (0270) 24-1211 4. Date of the amendment order 5. Specification to be amended 6, Contents of amendment Amended specification 1, Title of invention Data collection method 2, Claims The data to be collected is collected using the same time-series light as the reflected light obtained by optically scanning a barcode. Each data collection device is equipped with a data sending unit that converts the signal into a signal and sends it out, and a detector that detects the presence or absence of optical coupling between the data sending unit and Z:≦W, and converts the time-series optical signal into the , a data collection method characterized by collecting data by converting it into an electric signal using a Beniji Nijo IU detector. 3. Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a data collection method using a data collection device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a method of collecting data stored in a data collecting device using a barcode reader. [Prior Art] Data input using a barcode reader is used in a wide range of fields, and one example will be explained with reference to FIG. This is an example in which data is collected using a portable data collection terminal device 1 having a pen-shaped barcode reader 2. For example, in supermarkets, barcode labels representing product numbers are affixed to name plates placed near displayed products. When placing a replenishment order for a product, the barcode reader 2 scans the barcode label and inputs the product number to be restocked into the data collection terminal device 1.
Enter the number of replenishment orders using the numeric keypad 3. These data are displayed on the display section 4 and also stored in the memory. The data inputted for each product in this manner is output all at once by connecting the data output section of the data collection terminal device 1 to the main unit of the parts ordering system. Many portable data collection terminal devices equipped with such barcode readers are commercially available at relatively low prices and are highly versatile. On the other hand, management data of vending machines is also being collected using dedicated data collection equipment. That is, vending machines are usually scattered over a wide area, and replenishment of products, collection of coins, etc. are performed at certain regular intervals. When doing this work, sales by product,
Total sales, quantity of replenishment products, etc. are recorded as management data, but data collection equipment is designed to automatically collect a large amount of management data in a short and easy manner without the hassle of such bookkeeping. be. Conventionally, this data collection device, unlike the above-mentioned barcode reader, automatically collects management data of the vending machine by electrically or optically coupling it to a control section including its storage section. Ta. However, the interface condition for this combination is
Currently, the specifications of data collection equipment are not standardized and differ depending on the manufacturer. Operator companies whose business is to replenish products in vending machines use vending machines from different manufacturers, and because each manufacturer has a different interface, they have to carry multiple types of data collection equipment, which can be uneconomical. It was causing inconvenience. [Problem to be solved by the invention] For automatic data collection from such vending machines, it is preferable to use the above-mentioned commercially available standardized portable data collection terminal device in terms of versatility, price, etc. . However, this is difficult to implement because the connection interfaces are not unified as described above. In view of these problems, the present invention provides a data collection method that can easily and quickly collect data from a data collection device using a data collection device equipped with a barcode reader. That is. [Means for Solving the Problems] The data collection method according to the present invention converts the data to be collected into a time-series optical signal, which is the same as reflected light obtained by optically scanning a barcode, and transmits the data. and a detector for detecting the presence or absence of optical coupling between the data sending unit and the barcode reader, and each data collection device is equipped with a detector for detecting the presence or absence of optical coupling between the data sending unit and the barcode reader, and the time-series optical signal is converted into an electrical signal by the barcode reader. It is characterized by collecting data by converting it into [Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a case where data is collected from a vending machine using a portable data collection terminal device equipped with a pen-shaped barcode reader. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a connection between a data sending unit and a portable data collection terminal device installed in a vending machine, and the vending machine itself is not shown. The data sending section 5 is composed of a control section 6 that controls the operation of the entire vending machine and a light emitting element 7. The control unit 6 stores management data to be sent to the portable data collection terminal device in a built-in memory (not shown). The storage method of this management data is the same as the conventional one, and its explanation will be omitted. The data sending section 5 also has an insertion section 51 for the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 provided in the data collection terminal device 1, and the light emitting element 7 is provided in this insertion section 51. This light emitting element 7 generates an optical signal that is the same as the scanning reflected light obtained when scanning a barcode with a barcode reader.
This will be discussed later. The light emitting element 70 is placed opposite the photodetector 71, and when the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is not inserted into the insertion section 51, the light from the light emitting element 70 reaches the photodetector 71, When the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted, the light is blocked and does not reach the photodetector 71. This insertion detection function makes it possible to detect the presence or absence of optical coupling between the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 and the data sending unit 5. 1st
Although the signal lines of the light emitting element 70 and the photodetector 71 are not shown in the figure, both are connected to the control section 6 tL7. The pen-shaped barcode reader 2 has a built-in light beam emitting section, and sends out the beam through a ball lens 21 provided at the tip. When a barcode is scanned by the ball lens 21, reflected light from the barcode surface is focused into the barcode reader 2 through the ball lens 21. The focused light is passed to barcode reader 2
The photoelectric conversion section inside converts it into an electrical signal, and this electrical signal is sent to the main body of the data collection terminal device. The data collection terminal device processes the incoming electrical signals and decodes the data represented by the barcode. The configurations and operations of the barcode reader and data collection terminal device main body as described above are well known, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, when collecting data from a vending machine, the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted into the insertion section 51. The light emitting element 7 is provided at a position facing the ball lens 21 of the inserted barcode reader 2. As a result, the optical signal from the light emitting element 7 is focused into the barcode reader 2 by the ball lens 21, and converted into an electric signal by a photoelectric conversion section (not shown). Note that the barcode reader 2 sends out a scanning beam of light through a ball lens 21 , and when this light ray illuminates the light emitting element 7 , reflected light is captured through the ball lens 21 . If this level is large, the light signal from the light emitting element 7 becomes noise, so the positional relationship between the light emitting element 7 and the ball lens 21 is set so that the reflected light from the light emitting element 7 is sufficiently weak. . This can be realized, for example, by moving the installation position of the light emitting element 7 away from the focal position of the ball lens 21. The optical signal from the light emitting element 7 is the same as the reflected light obtained when the barcode is scanned by a beam of light in the barcode reader 2, and this will be explained below. Figure 4 shows J A N (Japanese Artic
This is an example of a barcode symbol based on the LE Number) standard. When the barcode reader 2 touches and scans the barcode 10 in the direction of the arrow, the photoelectric conversion unit in the barcode reader 2 generates a time-series electric signal (partially shown) as shown in FIG.
is obtained. Note that the photoelectric conversion section includes a binarization circuit, and the signal shown in FIG. 5 is a binarized digital signal. The data collection terminal device uses a built-in microprocessor to perform predetermined processing on digital signals and collects information (usually
digit string information). FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the control unit 6 and the portable data collection terminal 8 in a block diagram. The control unit includes a memory 61 that stores management data for the vending machine, a microprocessor 62 that reads data from this memory 61 and performs predetermined processing, and a light emitting element based on signals from the microprocessor 62. 7 and a drive section 63 that controls the blinking of the light. Based on the data from the memory 61, the microprocessor 62 outputs a signal similar to the electrical signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the scanning reflected light of the bar code. The light rays sent out from the light emitting element 7 by blinking control based on this signal are focused by the ball lens 21 onto the photoelectric conversion element 22 and converted into an electric signal. This electrical signal is amplified by an amplifier 23,
If l II in the value conversion circuit 24. ” is converted into a digital signal of OIT, and this
II. The time series signals of tTO and TI are decoded by the microprocessor 11 and then stored in the memory 12. The data stored in the memory 12 is read out to an external device as necessary. The light emitting element 70 constantly emits light by the driving section 72, and the output signal of the photodetector 71 is connected to the microprocessor 62, so that the microprocessor is in a state where the barcode reader and the data sending section can be optically coupled. Detect things. The barcode symbol may be a black bar or a black bar depending on the standard.
The number and configuration of white bars are determined, so the microprocessor 62 sends a signal to the drive unit 63 in a format in which one piece of management data out of a series of data from the memory 61 corresponds to one barcode symbol. to make. International standards have already been established for barcode symbols; for example, there are common standards such as UPC in the United States, EAN in Europe, and JAN in Japan. In addition, several other standards such as NW-1 and Code 39 have been established. A typical portable data collection terminal device has a barcode decoding function that complies with the various standards mentioned above. For this reason, the control unit 6 also has a blinking control method for the light emitting element 7 corresponding to the various standards mentioned above, and by specifying the barcode standard as necessary,
Since an optical signal compatible with this designated barcode standard is sent out, the interface specifications can be standardized. According to the present invention, the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted into the insertion section 5.
1, data transfer becomes possible, but the timing at which the optical signal is actually output from the light emitting element 7 must be instructed in some way to the control section. As a method for giving this instruction, a function of detecting the presence or absence of insertion of a pen-shaped barcode reader using the light emitting element 70 and the photodetector 71 can be used. That is, after an operator who wants to collect data using the data collection terminal device 1 performs operations on the data collection terminal device 1 necessary for data collection using the pen-type barcode reader 2, the pen-type barcode reader 2 is inserted into the insertion section 51. At this time, the photodetector 71 detects the insertion, and the control unit 6 starts sending data by blinking the light emitting element 7 after a certain period of time. As described above, since the insertion detection function of the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is provided, the operator does not have to operate the data collection device, but simply inserts the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 into the insertion section 5.
The operational advantage is that it only needs to be inserted into 1. Further, the operation method of another embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 6. Even in the case where the data collection device side is provided with a data sending instruction button 73 and the operator presses the button to set the timing of data sending. It is necessary to confirm whether or not the pen-shaped barcode reader 2 is inserted, and for this purpose, the above-mentioned insertion detection function using the combination of the light emitting element 70 and the photodetector 71 is effective. Although a pen-shaped barcode reader was used in the above embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention is applicable to all data collection devices equipped with a barcode reader. Furthermore, the data collecting device is not limited to vending machines. Furthermore, although a photodetector is used to detect insertion of the barcode reader, mechanical detection means or other means may be employed. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the bar code reader is inserted into the insertion section in order to achieve optical coupling between the bar code reader and the data sending section. does not necessarily have to involve the operation of insertion; a position regulating means may be provided on the data collecting device or the bar code reader so that the bar code reader and the data sending section are in a predetermined positional relationship. That's enough. As explained above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, by using a portable data collection terminal device equipped with a commercially available pen-shaped barcode reader of standard specifications, a data collection method using optical coupling from a data collection target device is used. can be realized efficiently and economically. That is, in data collection equipment such as vending machines that are already installed, it may be difficult to add and modify the data sending unit later. Even in such a case, if you use a portable data collection terminal equipped with a barcode reader and use the normal barcode scanning data collection method, for example, the manual input of the product code can be detected using the bar code printed on the product. Accurate data can be collected in a short time by scanning codes or scanning a correspondence table between product names and barcodes. As described above, in the data collection method according to the embodiment of the present invention, the same data collection terminal device can be used not only when the data collection target device is equipped with a data sending unit, but also when it is not equipped with the data transmission unit. The effect is that work efficiency can be improved by collecting data from both sources and transferring the data to the parent device all at once. Furthermore, since a detector is provided to detect the presence or absence of optical coupling between the barcode reader and the data sending section, it is possible to eliminate operational errors such as sending data from the data sending section when there is no optical coupling. Further, due to standardization in which the optical coupling signal standard is determined by the internationally standardized bar code standard, there is an effect that a large number of models can be selected as portable data collection terminal devices. For example, when lower-cost portable data collection terminals become available, they can be used to create highly compatible and economical data collection systems. Because it is optically coupled, there is no electrical interference between the data collection device and the data collection device, and highly reliable signal transmission can be achieved.In the above explanation, the data collection device was described as being portable, but it is not necessarily the case that the data collection device is portable. Even if it is not a portable type, similar effects can be obtained. [Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, by using a data collection device equipped with a commercially available barcode reader, data can be transmitted even when there is no optical coupling. This method eliminates the mistakes of data loss, and enables an efficient, economical, and highly compatible data collection method based on the international standard barcode data format with high compatibility and reliability.4. Simple drawings Explanation FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a coupled state of a data collection device and a portable data collection device in order to explain the data collection method according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic block configuration showing one embodiment of the method of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a portable data collection device, Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a barcode symbol, and Figure 5 is an electrical signal obtained by optically scanning this with a barcode reader. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing another embodiment of the system of the present invention. 1...Portable data collection terminal device 2...Pen-shaped barcode reader 6 ...Control unit 7...Light emitting element

Claims (1)

[Claims] A data transmitter that converts the data to be collected into a time-series optical signal that is the same as reflected light obtained by optically scanning a barcode and transmits the same, and an optical connection between the data transmitter and a portable barcode reader. A data collection method characterized in that each data collection target device is equipped with a detector for detecting the presence or absence of the data, and data is collected by converting the time-series optical signal into an electrical signal using the portable barcode reader.