JP2001022920A - Portable terminal device and image reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a device to have images read, while the device is held by a user in a hand to appropriately read an image at all times. SOLUTION: An image sensor 3 is for reading seals or signs, in addition to a barcode from merchandise, a slip, etc. A guide 9, projecting from a face on which a sensor window 2a is provided, is attached under the window 2a. The distance between a projecting face 9b located at the front end of the guide 9, and the window 2a is defined on the basis of the size of a seal provided in such as a slip or a field for a signature. Thus, the seal or the sign can be read appropriately by pressing the projecting face 9b against the neighborhood of the seal or the sign.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus in which a user performs an operation of reading an image while holding it in his hand, and a portable terminal device equipped with the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, portable terminal devices (hereinafter abbreviated as portable terminals) for users to carry data and to input data at any time have been widely used in order to improve work efficiency and the like. This mobile terminal is a device commercialized mainly for use in the field. Many of them are equipped with a scanner (image reading device) that reads a barcode attached to a product (including a box storing the product) or a form.

By mounting a scanner, it is possible to quickly specify a processing target such as a product or a customer, thereby realizing high working efficiency. However, the work efficiency is always desired to be further improved.

[0004] Until now, portable terminals have been equipped with a scanner for reading images one-dimensionally, so that only barcodes can be read. It cannot be said that the amount of information obtained by reading the image is large. From this, it is conceivable to read and utilize more information from the image. In a product or a slip, a column for pressing a mark of a person in charge or a recipient is often provided. For this reason, recently, a portable terminal equipped with an image sensor and capable of reading an imprint or a signature has been commercialized.

[0005]

As is well known, by specifying the thickness of each bar, information represented by the bar code can be extracted. Therefore, the accuracy required for the distance from the image is low.

The low accuracy means that a bar code can be read from a relatively distant position.
For this reason, some portable terminals that read barcodes are provided with a stick to facilitate aiming at the barcode.

On the other hand, in the case of a seal or a sign, the distance between the seal and the sign greatly affects the size and sharpness of the read image. For this reason, the accuracy required for the distance from the image is high. However, in a conventional portable terminal equipped with an image sensor, the distance has to be adjusted by the user depending on his / her own sense. For this reason, there has been a problem that an image cannot always be read properly. this is,
The same applies to not only the mobile terminal but also an image reading device used for reading such requested images (including other portable devices equipped with the image reading device).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for allowing a user to read an image while holding it in his / her hand.

[0009]

The first and second aspects of the present invention are described.
The portable terminal device according to the above aspect is provided on the assumption that the portable terminal device is used by a user to carry data and input data, and includes the following units.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal device comprising: image reading means for reading an image; and guide means for indicating an appropriate distance between the image reading means and the image when the image reading means reads the image. Is provided.

In the configuration of the first aspect, it is desirable that a space is formed by the guide means, and that the space is used for storing components of the portable terminal device. It is desirable that at least one of an antenna, a battery, a light emitting element, a touch pen, and a function expansion unit be housed in a space as its constituent elements.

Preferably, the guide means is attached by engaging an end of a member constituting the guide means with a housing of the main body of the portable terminal device. It is desirable that a plurality of spaces be formed by the guide means. Further, it is desirable that the image reading means reads the image two-dimensionally.

[0013] The portable terminal device according to the second aspect includes illumination means for irradiating light to illuminate the surroundings. An image reading apparatus according to the present invention is based on the premise that a user performs an operation of reading an image while holding the image in a hand, and an image reading unit that reads an image in two dimensions, and an image reading unit that causes the image reading unit to read an image. Guide means for indicating an appropriate distance between the means and the image.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a portable terminal (portable terminal device) according to a first embodiment, showing a schematic configuration thereof. First, referring to FIG.
The configuration of the mobile terminal 1 according to the embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the portable terminal 1 is housed in a casing 2 having an overall shape of a thick flat plate.
An image sensor (for example, a CCD camera) 3, various printed wiring boards (PT boards) 4 to 6, and a battery 8 are housed therein. A sensor window 2a is provided on a side surface of the housing 2 near the image sensor 3, and a display (for example, an LCD) and various switches are provided on the front surface of the housing 2 although not particularly shown. .

The image sensor 3 reads an image in two dimensions. By providing this, in addition to the two-dimensional barcode, a seal imprinted in a predetermined column such as a slip or a signature described therein can be read. By reading these imprints or signatures, you can also directly input whether the customer has agreed to pay the amount you charged, the relationship between the purchased product and the person who actually received it . By being able to read a larger amount of information, it becomes possible to directly input data for more items. As a result, convenience is improved, and higher working efficiency can be realized.

The PT board 4 is a part for controlling the entire terminal 1, and is provided with various elements, connectors 4a and the like. The connector 4a is for connecting to a PC card (for example, a type I data storage card) 7 stored in the terminal 1. The PT plate 5 is an image sensor 3
Is the part that controls The PT plate 6 is provided with a terminal 6a that comes into contact with a terminal (not shown) of the stored battery 8. A current is taken out of the battery 8 by the terminal 6a and supplied to each section.

The guide 9 is provided on the sensor window 2 from the back of the housing 2.
It is attached to the side provided with a. It is mounted without covering the sensor window 2a and protruding from the side where it is provided. The attachment is performed by inserting the end 9a of the guide 9 into the groove 2b provided in the housing 2 and positioning the guide 9 and then fixing the state with screws (not shown).

As described above, the image sensor 3 can read not only a barcode (including a two-dimensional barcode) but also an imprint pressed in a predetermined column such as a slip or a signature described therein. Is adopted in order to
From this, the distance between the protruding surface 9b located at the end of the portion of the guide 9 protruding toward the sensor window 2a and the sensor window 2a (hereinafter, referred to as the height of the protruding surface 9b) is shown in the column. Determined based on size.

FIG. 2 shows a portable terminal 1 having the guide 9.
It is a figure explaining how to use. More specifically, a description will be given of a method of using the portable terminal 1 to read a product (including a box or the like containing a product), an imprint or a signature on a processing target 11 such as a slip, or a signature. FIG. Here, in order to clarify the reading target 12, a step is provided.

When the guide 9 is provided on the portable terminal 1,
As shown in FIG. 2, the protruding surface 9b of the guide 9 is
The mobile terminal 1 can be positioned at an appropriate position when reading the reading target 12 only by pressing the processing target 11 near the processing target 11. The sensor window 2a
The reading target 12 can be read, and the distance between the reading target 12 and the reading target 12 can be adjusted to an appropriate position. For this reason, the user can quickly read the reading target 12 with a clear and appropriate size.

The actual reading is performed by the user operating a predetermined switch. When the switch is operated by the user, for example, a light emitting element provided in the image sensor 3 emits light and irradiates the reading target 12 with light through the sensor window 2a. The light is incident on a light receiving element (for example, a CCD) inside. Thus, the image of the reading target 12 is read.

The image sensor 3 is expensive among those constituting the portable terminal 1. Since the mobile terminal 1 is usually used by the user, it is often the case that the mobile terminal 1 is dropped or hit against something. However, since the guide 9 protrudes on the side surface on which the sensor window 2a is provided, the guide 9 protects the sensor window 2a and further the image sensor 3. Thereby, the mobile terminal 1
In addition, it is possible to obtain the effects of further reducing the cost for repair and the like and extending the service life.

In the first embodiment, the guide 9 is supported by the portable terminal 1 by inserting the end 9a of the guide 9 into the groove 2b formed in the housing 2 and by screwing. However, the method of supporting the guide 9 is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG.
c may be provided, and the other end 9c of the guide 9 may be supported in the groove 2c. By doing so, the guide 9 can be more firmly supported by the mobile terminal 1.

The guide 9 has a thick plate shape as a whole, but may have a thin plate shape. In the case of such a shape, the position may be movable. In other words, the image may be projected toward the sensor window 2a when the image is read, and may be retracted so as not to project when the image is not read. Further, the guide 9 may be formed integrally with the housing 2.

Although the protruding surface 9b is flat,
It need not be flat. In addition, since the protruding surface 9b is likely to collide with the ground, another device, or a member, the portion may be formed as another member such as an elastic member, or may be covered with the elastic member. . The guide 9 is provided on the back side of the mobile terminal 1, but may be provided on a different surface side. Instead of one, a plurality may be provided. <Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the guide 9 is provided so as to always keep the distance between the reading target 12 and the sensor window 2a (image sensor 3) appropriately. . By providing the guide 9, a space (a closed space) is formed between the housing 2 and the guide 9. The width is almost the same as the width of the sensor window 2a or the housing 2. In the second embodiment, the housing 2
The space formed by the mobile terminal 1 and the guide 9 is used for storing the components constituting the mobile terminal 1.

The configuration of the portable terminal according to the second embodiment is basically the same as that of the portable terminal 1 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals are used for the same elements as those in the first embodiment, and only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described. This is the same in other embodiments to be described later.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the portable terminal 1 according to the second embodiment. Particular attention is paid to a part that is particularly different from the first embodiment, and the part is extracted and shown.

The portable terminal 1 has a function of transmitting and receiving data wirelessly to and from the installed base station. FIG.
As shown in (2), in the second embodiment, an antenna 41 for performing transmission and reception is provided in a space formed by the housing 2 and the guide 9. In the first embodiment, the antenna 41 for transmitting and receiving data to and from the base station is provided on the PT plate 4 as in the related art.

The image sensor 3 such as a CCD camera that reads an image two-dimensionally is larger than a scanner that has been used so far that reads an image one-dimensionally. Generally, there is a demand for a portable terminal to be reduced in size and weight, and the extra space in the space inside the housing 2 is usually very small. For this reason, if the image sensor 3 is simply mounted instead of the scanner, the size of the apparatus will increase accordingly.

However, as shown in FIG. 4, when the antenna 41 is disposed in the space formed by the guide 9 and used as a storage space, the number of components to be disposed on the PT plate 4 decreases, and the size ( For example, the length in the longitudinal direction)
Can be reduced. For this reason, the mobile terminal 1
An increase in the size of the (body) can also be avoided.

By the way, in electric equipment, the inside of the housing is covered (shielded) with a conductive member so as not to be affected by or exerted by electromagnetic waves.
This is the same for the mobile terminal 1.

When the antenna 41 is placed inside the shielded area, the range where radio waves can reach is narrowed. However, since the guide 9 is not shielded, when the antenna 41 is placed in the space formed by the shield, radio waves can reach farther. Thus, there is also an effect that the communicable range can be made wider.

In the second embodiment, one space is formed by the guide 9 and the housing 2, but more space may be formed. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when the guide 9 is attached to the housing 2, a projection 9 d is provided on the guide 9 so that the step 2 d of the housing 2 comes into contact with the end, thereby forming two spaces. May be. Each space can be used not only for storing parts, but also for preventing invasion of water or the like (most likely between the housing 2 and the guide 9) and diffusion (the antenna 41 and the PT plate). The housing 2 is provided with a hole for a cable connecting the cable 4 to the housing 4). Therefore, by forming a plurality of spaces, the portable terminal 1 can be made more robust. Naturally, the space need not be formed by the guide 9 and the housing 2. For example, a space may be formed in the guide 9 itself. <Third Embodiment> FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal 1 according to a third embodiment. Particular attention is paid to a part that is particularly different from the first or second embodiment, and that part is extracted and shown.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the third embodiment, a backup battery 61 is housed in a space formed by the housing 2 and the guide 9. Thereby, the number of components to be accommodated in the housing 2 is reduced, and the main body of the mobile terminal 1 is prevented from being enlarged.

The attachment / detachment of the battery 61 may be performed by removing the guide 9 from the housing 2 of the portable terminal 1. For example, a detachable lid is provided on the guide 9 itself.
The lid may be removed to attach and detach the battery 61. <Fourth Embodiment> FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal 1 according to a fourth embodiment. Particular attention is paid to a part that is particularly different from the first to third embodiments, and the part is extracted and shown.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the fourth embodiment, a hole 9e is provided in the guide 9, and the light emitting element 71 is accommodated in the space formed by the guide 9 and the housing 2. Although not particularly shown, when a predetermined switch is operated, a voltage is applied from the main body side of the portable terminal 1 and the light emitting element 71 emits light.

The portable terminal 1 cannot always be used in a bright environment. However, the user can use the mobile terminal 1 even in a dark environment because the user prepares the light emitting element 71 that allows the user to emit light arbitrarily. The light emitting element 7
Since the portable terminal 1 is accommodated in the space formed by the guide 9, it is possible to prevent the main body of the portable terminal 1 from being enlarged. In addition, since it is possible to prevent the user's hands from being blocked, it is possible to further suppress a decrease in work efficiency caused by dark surroundings.

In the fourth embodiment, the light emitting element 7
Although a voltage is applied to 1 from the main body side, a battery may be housed in a space formed by the guide 9 and application of the voltage from the main body side may be unnecessary. In other words, the guide 9 itself may be provided with a function as a lighting device. Instead of the guide 9, the lighting device may be simply attached to the portable terminal 1. Although the size is increased, the mobile terminal 1 may be mounted on the main body. The hole 9e of the guide 9 may be a member through which light is transmitted instead of providing the hole 9e. In such a case, the range in which the member is used may be not only the hole 9e but also a wider range. By irradiating light from a wider range, even when the protruding surface 9b is pressed against a product or the like, the surroundings can be illuminated. As a result, convenience is further improved. <Fifth Embodiment> FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal 1 according to a fifth embodiment. Particularly different from the first to fourth embodiments is noted, and the part is extracted and shown.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the fifth embodiment, a hole 9f is provided in the guide 9 so that the touch pen 81 can be stored in a space formed by the guide 9 and the housing 2. . This eliminates the need to provide equipment (parts, space, etc.) for storing the touch pen 81 on the main body side, thereby avoiding an increase in size. <Sixth Embodiment> FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal 1 according to a sixth embodiment. The parts that are particularly different from the first to fifth embodiments are noted, and the parts are extracted and shown.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the sixth embodiment, the space formed by the guide 9 and the housing 2 is used for housing the extension unit 91. This eliminates the need to provide a device for accommodating the extension unit 91 on the main body side, thereby avoiding an increase in size. The extension unit 9
Reference numeral 1 denotes a transceiver for wireless communication having an antenna, for example.

In the present embodiment (first to sixth embodiments), the present invention is applied to the portable terminal 1. However, an apparatus in which a user performs an operation of reading an image while holding it in his hand If this is the case, the present invention can be applied to a dedicated image reading device (used in connection with another device), and also to other types of devices equipped with the image reading device.

For storing components and the like, by providing a cover and the like on the guide 9, the components and the like can be attached and detached without attaching and detaching the guide 9 itself. For this reason, even when it is used for storing parts and the like, the guide 9 can be formed integrally with the housing 2.

[0044]

As described above, according to the present invention, an appropriate distance for reading an image is indicated, so that the user can accurately and quickly perform positioning at that time. As a result, not only can the image be read properly reliably, but also the work efficiency can be improved.

In the present invention, the surroundings are illuminated by irradiating light. For this reason, the user can work even in a dark environment. In addition, since both hands are prevented from being blocked, a decrease in work efficiency caused by dark surroundings can be further suppressed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of a portable terminal device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a method of using the mobile terminal device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view for explaining another supporting method of the guide.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another space forming method using a guide.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal device according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable terminal device according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal device according to a sixth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile terminal device 2 Case 2a Sensor window 2b, 2c groove 2d Step 3 Image sensor 4-6 Printed wiring board (PT board) 9 Guide 9a, 9c End 9b Projection surface 9d Projection 9e, 9f Hole 41 Antenna 61 Battery 71 Light emitting device 81 Touch pen 91 Expansion unit

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Junichi Nakayama 1776 Yanoguchi, Inagi-shi, Tokyo F-term in Fujitsu Electric Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 5B047 AA01 AA30 BA02 BB04 BC16 5C072 AA01 BA02 BA04 EA08

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A terminal device for carrying data input carried by a user, comprising: an image reading means for reading an image; an image reading means for causing the image reading means to read an image; And a guide means for indicating an appropriate distance between the portable terminal device and the portable terminal device. 2. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a space is formed by the guide means, and the space is used for storing components of the portable terminal device. 3. The device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of an antenna, a battery, a light emitting element, a touch pen, and a function expansion unit is housed in the space as the constituent element. Mobile terminal device. 4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said guide means is mounted by engaging an end of a member constituting said guide means with a housing of said portable terminal device main body. Or the mobile terminal device according to 3. 5. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of spaces are formed by said guide means. 6. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit reads the image two-dimensionally. 7. A terminal device for carrying data input carried by a user, comprising a lighting means for irradiating light to illuminate the surroundings. 8. An image reading apparatus in which a user performs an operation of reading an image while holding the image in a hand, an image reading means for reading the image two-dimensionally, and the image reading means for causing the image reading means to read the image. An image reading apparatus, comprising: a guide unit that indicates an appropriate distance between the image and the image.