JP2002236873A - Optical information reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical information reader capable of reading a mark even if influence of the disturbance light is strongly received from the reverse of a transparent or semitransparent material such as glass when the mark 1 is printed on the transparent or semitransparent material such as the glass. SOLUTION: A light shielding plate is arranged for preventing the disturbance light from the reverse of the transparent or semitransparent material such as the glass.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical information reading apparatus for reading a sign such as a bar code or a two-dimensional code.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Among optical information reading apparatuses, a two-dimensional code reader using a two-dimensional image sensor as an image sensor will be described below. Note that the present invention is not limited to a two-dimensional code reader, and optically reads information such as a one-dimensional barcode reader, an OCR reader, a handheld terminal integrated with a barcode reader, and a two-dimensional reader integrated handheld terminal. Needless to say, the present invention can be applied to a portable information terminal and the like that can be used.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a conventional two-dimensional code reader.
Shown in

[0004] Reference numeral 1 denotes a sign on which a bar code, a two-dimensional code, or the like is printed. Reference numeral 2 denotes an illuminating unit arranged so as to irradiate light in the direction of the sign 1, and is generally constituted by a plurality of LEDs. 3 is an image sensor, generally a CCD or CM
It is composed of an OS sensor and converts light reflected from the sign 1 and its surroundings into an electric signal. Reference numeral 4 denotes a waveform processing means for processing the waveform of the signal output from the image sensor 3 from an analog signal to a digital signal. Reference numeral 5 denotes a decoding means, which is mainly constituted by a microprocessor or a memory.
The decoding process is mainly performed using the digital signal obtained by the above.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a reading port, which guides reflected light from the marker 1 and its surroundings to the image sensor 3 through the reading port 6 and a light receiving lens (not shown).

The data decoded by the decoding means 5 is transmitted to a communication interface (not shown).
Is transmitted to a host (not shown) such as a POS or a PC.

In such a conventional two-dimensional code reader, as a method of reading the sign 1, a “touch reading method” in which the reading port 6 is read by bringing the reading port 6 into contact with the sign 1, and the reading is performed by floating the reading port 6 from the sign 1. "Release reading method"
There is.

In the touch reading method, since the position from the sign 1 to the reading port 6 is in contact, it is hardly affected by disturbance light, and the light receiving lens is always in focus. It has the advantage of simple processing. However, when the operator reads, the sign 1 is
There is a drawback that it is difficult to perform a reading operation because it is hidden in the image.

On the other hand, the separation reading method has an advantage that the reading operation is easy because the marker 1 is not hidden by the reading opening 6 at the time of reading. However, since the reading port 6 is separated from the marker 1, it is difficult to keep the distance from the marker 1 to the reading port 6 constant in each reading operation. Therefore, the focus of the light receiving lens is not adjusted during reading. However, there are disadvantages that the decoding process is relatively complicated because the image is easily blurred, and that the image is easily affected by disturbance light.

Conventionally, in both the touch reading system and the detached reading system, in order to reduce the influence of the contrast of the sign 1 and the influence of disturbance light, changing the gain and offset value set in advance has been performed. .

[0011]

However, in the conventional optical information reading device, when the marker 1 is printed on a transparent or translucent material such as glass, the disturbance light from the back surface of the transparent or translucent material such as glass. And there is a problem that reading cannot be performed by changing the gain or the offset.

In particular, as shown in FIG. 6, when the sign 1 is printed on a transparent or translucent material such as glass and it is necessary to read with the printed surface facing down (ground surface), the reading port 6 faces upward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, since light from external lighting such as a fluorescent lamp (sunlight outdoors) enters the image sensor 3, there is a problem that reading cannot be performed only by changing the gain or the offset value.

Further, the code printed on a transparent or semi-transparent material such as glass is not printed by vapor deposition of an opaque material typified by a metal such as aluminum or chrome, but the transparent or semi-transparent material itself such as glass. The type that melts and prints with laser light, etc., has a very poor contrast between the printed part and its surroundings, and when reading operation, the position where the code is printed is not known to the operator, There was also a problem that it was difficult to aim at the sign 1 and it was difficult to read it.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, when reading is performed in a state where the reading port 6 faces upward, since the LED for reporting the reading result is on the surface (upper surface) on the opposite side of the reading port 6, In the case where a reading result cannot be confirmed or when inputting a number or the like by a key, a display unit such as a key input unit or an LCD for confirming the input key or confirming the reading result is provided opposite to the reading port 6. It is provided on the side surface (upper surface), and there is a problem that it is necessary to change the body for key input and display confirmation, and the operation is troublesome.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and is not affected by extraneous light even when printed on a transparent or translucent material such as glass, and can be easily read even if the printing contrast is poor. It is an object to provide a possible optical information reading device.

[0016]

In order to achieve the above object, a first optical information reading apparatus according to the present invention comprises: an illuminating means for illuminating a sign and its surroundings; An image sensor that converts the signal into an electric signal;
The apparatus includes a waveform processing unit for performing waveform processing on an electric signal from the image sensor, a decoding unit for restoring information of the marker, a reading port, and a shielding plate provided at a predetermined distance from the reading port.

The second optical information reading apparatus has a shielding plate for reflecting a part of the illumination light from the illumination means.

In a third optical information reading apparatus, a shielding plate is disposed substantially parallel to the image sensor.

The fourth optical information reading apparatus has a movable light shielding plate.

The fifth optical information reading device includes an illuminating means for irradiating the sign and its surroundings, an image sensor for taking in reflected light from the sign and its surroundings and converting it into an electric signal,
The apparatus includes a waveform processing unit for performing waveform processing on an electric signal from the image sensor, a decoding unit for restoring information of the marker, and a guide for defining a reading position according to the position of the marker.

The sixth optical information reading device comprises: an illuminating means for irradiating the sign and its surroundings; an image sensor for taking in reflected light from the sign and its surroundings and converting it into an electric signal;
The apparatus includes a waveform processing unit for performing waveform processing on the electric signal from the image sensor, a decoding unit for restoring information of the marker, and a movable guide for defining a reading position.

In a seventh optical information reading apparatus, a guide is provided rotatably with both sides of the reading opening as fulcrums.

The eighth optical information reading apparatus is one in which a shielding plate is attached to a guide.

The ninth optical information reading apparatus has a notifying means for notifying that a sign has been read, and / or a displaying means, and / or a key input section on a surface having a reading port.

[0025]

According to the first optical information reading apparatus of the present invention, the optical information reading apparatus is not affected by light from the back surface of a transparent or translucent material such as glass.

According to the second optical information reading apparatus of the present invention,
By reflecting a part of the illumination light on the light-shielding plate, uniform light is emitted from the back surface of a transparent or translucent material such as glass, so that the contrast between the printed portion and its surroundings is improved.

According to the third optical information reading apparatus of the present invention, the same effects as those of the first and second optical information reading apparatuses of the present invention are exerted.

Further, according to the fourth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention, the light shielding plate is made movable so that it can be applied to an opaque material such as paper, metal or plastic by using the "separate reading method" described in the prior art. When reading the printed sign, the light-shielding plate can be moved to a position that does not interfere with the reading.

According to the fifth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention,
By using the guide, the reading position can be defined according to the sign.

According to the sixth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention,
By making the guide movable, when reading a sign printed on an opaque material such as paper, metal, or plastic using the "separation reading method" described in the conventional technology, the guide is positioned so as not to interfere with reading Can be moved.

According to the seventh and eighth optical information reading apparatuses of the present invention, the same operation as that of the above-described optical information reading apparatus is achieved.

According to the ninth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention,
By providing the notifying means, the display means, and the key input unit on the surface having the reading port, when reading is performed with the reading port facing upward, the reading is performed as it is (without holding the optical information reading device), Confirmation of information by LED, etc.
Checking the display on the liquid crystal, etc., and key input are possible.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of an optical information reading apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Here, the configuration of a portion using the same reference numeral as that of FIG. 5 showing the configuration of the conventional example is the same as that of the conventional example, and therefore the description is omitted.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a light-shielding plate which shields light from the back of the sign 1. With such a configuration, even when reading upward as shown in FIG. 2, the light shielding plate 8 blocks light such as a fluorescent light indoors and sunlight such as sunlight outside the room, and thus is affected by light. Good reading can be performed without any problem.

Reference numeral 9 denotes a rotation shaft, which is provided so as to be rotatable around both sides of the reading port 6 in order to move the light shielding plate 8. With such a configuration, when reading a sign printed on an opaque material such as paper, metal, or plastic as in the conventional case, the light-shielding plate 8 is moved to a position that does not interfere with the reading, so that the reading in the conventional manner can be performed. When reading a sign such as a bar code printed on a transparent or translucent material such as glass, the light shielding plate 8 should be disposed at a position where external illumination light from the back of the glass or the like is shielded. Thereby, good reading is realized without the image sensor 3 being affected by disturbance light.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, at least the surface of the light shielding plate 8 on the reading port 6 side (the image sensor 3 side).
Is made white so that the contrast of the sign 1 can be increased by improving the rate of reflecting a part of the illumination light from the illumination means 2 in the direction of the image sensor 3. A good configuration was adopted.
Further, by arranging the light shielding plate 8 substantially in parallel with the image sensor 3, a part of the illumination light from the illumination unit 2 reflected by the light shielding plate 8 can be easily input to the image sensor 3.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 3 shows a configuration diagram of an optical information reading apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Here, the same parts as those in FIG. 5 showing the configuration of the conventional example and FIG. 1 showing the configuration of the optical information reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a guide which defines the position of a mark on which a mark 1 such as glass is printed. By lining the side of the guide 10 on which the sign 1 is printed,
Since the position of the sign 1 is specified, the reading operation can be easily performed by bringing the sign 1 into contact with the guide 10 without the operator checking the position of the sign 1 in particular.

In particular, a type in which a transparent or translucent material such as glass is melted with a laser beam or the like for printing is very poor in contrast between the printed portion and the periphery thereof, so that when a reading operation is performed, a sign is displayed. Since the position where 1 is printed is difficult for the operator to understand, the fact that the operator can perform the reading operation without particularly confirming the location of the sign 1 greatly improves the reading workability.

Although the guide 10 is attached to the light-shielding plate 8 in FIG. 3, a configuration in which only the guide 10 is used without using the light-shielding plate 8 may be used.

Further, the rotating shaft 9 in FIG. 3 is attached to the light shielding plate 8 in the same manner as in FIG.
The guide 10 can also be made movable by attaching the rotating shaft 9 to zero.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 4 shows a configuration diagram of an optical information reading apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Here, portions using the same reference numerals as in FIG. 5 showing the configuration of the conventional example are the same as those of the conventional configuration, and the description thereof will be omitted.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a notifying means, which is constituted by an LED or the like, and notifies the reading of the sign 1. Numeral 12 denotes a display means, which is composed of a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays symbols such as numbers input by a key input unit 13 described later, information on read codes, and the like. Reference numeral 13 indicated by a broken line denotes a key input unit, which includes a numeric keypad and the like.

In the third embodiment, these notification means 1
1, display means 12 and key input unit 13 are arranged on the reading port 6 side, and the sign 1 is printed on the surface of a transparent or translucent material such as glass, and read with the printed surface facing downward (ground surface). If necessary, with the reading port 6 facing upward, confirmation of the notification content from the notification means 11, confirmation of the display content by the display means 12,
Input can be performed by the key input unit 13. In addition,
In the third embodiment, the notification unit 11 is described as being an LED, but it goes without saying that a buzzer or a vibrator may be used in combination.

[0046]

As is apparent from the above description, when a sign such as a bar code is printed on a transparent or translucent material such as glass by the first optical information reading apparatus of the present invention,
By eliminating the influence of light from the back surface of a transparent or translucent material such as glass, there is an effect that reading can be performed accurately.

When a sign such as a bar code is printed on a transparent or translucent material such as glass by the second optical information reading apparatus of the present invention, a part of the illumination light is reflected by a light shielding plate, Uniform light is radiated from the back of a transparent or translucent material such as glass to improve the contrast between the printed portion and its surroundings. There is an effect that becomes possible.

Further, the third optical information reading apparatus of the present invention comprises:
The same effects as those of the first and second optical information reading apparatuses of the present invention can be obtained.

Further, the fourth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention makes the light shielding plate movable so that it can be printed on an opaque material such as paper, metal or plastic by using the "separation reading method" described in the prior art. When reading a marked sign, the light-shielding plate can be moved to a position that does not interfere with reading, and when reading a sign such as a bar code printed on an opaque material, or when printing on a transparent or translucent material such as glass There is an effect that one device can be used in combination with the case of reading a mark such as a bar code.

According to the fifth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention, the reading position can be defined according to the sign by using the guide, and the reading operation can be performed without the operator particularly confirming the printing position. This has the effect of improving operability. In particular, when a sign such as a barcode is printed on a transparent or translucent material such as glass, it is difficult to visually check the sign such as a barcode, so that the effect of improving the work is great.

Further, according to the sixth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention, the guide is made movable so that it can be formed on an opaque material such as paper, metal or plastic by using the "separation reading method" described in the prior art. When reading a printed sign, the guide can be moved to a position that does not interfere with reading, and when reading a sign such as a bar code printed on an opaque material, or on a transparent or translucent material such as glass There is an effect that one device can be used in combination with the case of reading a mark such as a bar code.

The same effects can be obtained by the seventh and eighth optical information reading apparatuses of the present invention.

Further, according to the ninth optical information reading apparatus of the present invention, when reading is performed with the reading port facing upward, an LED or the like is used as it is (without changing the optical information reading apparatus). Confirmation of information, confirmation of display on a liquid crystal or the like, and key input can be performed, which has the effect of improving workability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an optical information reading device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an optical information reading device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an optical information reading device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an optical information reading device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a conventional optical information reading device.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a conventional optical information reading device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Marker 2 Illumination means 3 Image sensor 4 Waveform processing means 5 Decoding means 6 Reading port 7 External illumination 8 Shield plate 9 Rotating axis 10 Guide 11 Notification means 12 Display means 13 Key input section

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B047 BA03 BB01 BC04 BC12 BC16 CA17 CA23 CB04 CB09 CB22 5B072 AA02 CC01 CC21 DD02 DD21 FF02 HH00 JJ11 LL11 LL18

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. An illuminating means for illuminating a sign and its surroundings, an image sensor for taking in reflected light from the sign and its surroundings and converting it into an electric signal, and a waveform processing means for subjecting the electric signal from the image sensor to waveform processing. An optical information reading device comprising: decoding means for restoring the information of the marker; a reading port; and a shielding plate provided at a predetermined distance from the reading port. 2. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shielding plate reflects a part of illumination light from the illumination means. 3. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding plate is disposed substantially parallel to the image sensor. 4. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding plate is movable. 5. An illuminating means for illuminating a sign and its surroundings, an image sensor for taking in reflected light from the sign and its surroundings and converting it into an electric signal, and a waveform processing means for subjecting the electric signal from the image sensor to waveform processing. An optical information reader having decoding means for restoring the information of the marker and a guide for defining a reading position according to the position of the marker. 6. An illuminating means for irradiating a sign and its surroundings, an image sensor for taking in reflected light from the sign and its surroundings and converting it into an electric signal, and a waveform processing means for subjecting the electric signal from the image sensor to waveform processing. An optical information reading device having decoding means for restoring the information of the marker, and a movable guide for defining a reading position. 7. The optical information reading device according to claim 5, wherein the guide is rotatably provided around both sides of the reading port as a fulcrum. 8. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the shielding plate is rotatably provided around both sides of the reading port as a fulcrum. 9. A shielding plate attached to a guide.
7. The optical information reading device according to any one of 7. 10. A notifying means and / or displaying means for notifying that a sign has been read on a surface having a reading port, and / or
9. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, further comprising a key input unit.