JP2008117249A - Card reader and bar code reading method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card reader allowed to be provided at a low price and capable of accurately reading out the contents of a card even when a reading speed of a play card is varied. <P>SOLUTION: In the card reader comprising a width measuring means for successively measuring the width of each bar of a bar code composed of a plurality of bars, a thin/thick judgment means for judging whether each bar is a thin bar or a thick bar on the basis of the width measuring means and a character encoding part for analyzing a pattern on the basis of thin bars and thick bars in the bar code on the basis of a result judged by the thin/thick judgment means and determining a character code indicated by the pattern; the thin/thick judgment part judges thinness/thickness of a first bar and a second bar according to the value of a ratio R of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar on the basis of the width of the first bar measured by the width measuring means and the width of the second bar adjacent to the first bar and measured prior to the first bar. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a card reader and a barcode reading method for reading a barcode or the like recorded on a card such as a game card.

  Traditionally, playing cards are generally used as game cards, but games using various game cards such as trading cards are also gaining popularity.

  As a game system using a play card, there is a game system (“Coleoptera King Musiking” (registered trademark)) on the theme of beetle fighting. This is a card fighting game in which a game card is read by a game machine and beetles fight each other.

  As a game system for girls using game cards, there is a game system (“Fashion Witch Love and Berry” (registered trademark)) based on the theme of dress-up play. This is a card changing game in which a game card is read by a game device and a character is changed.

  These game systems are performed by so-called arcade type game devices installed in a game center or the like. However, games with only arcade-type game devices are not sufficient, and there is an increasing demand for playing similar games on portable game devices, home game devices, and the like.

  However, when a game using a game card is provided as game software for a portable game device or a home game device, it is necessary to attach a card reader for reading the game card.

As a card reader, for example, those described in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3 are known.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-62005 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-101214 JP-A-8-202798

  However, card readers attached to game software for portable game devices and home game devices need to be provided at a very low price compared to card readers for arcade game devices due to price restrictions as game software. is there. However, the conventional card reader, for example, the card reader of Patent Document 3, is expensive because the logic circuit for correcting the reading error due to the size of the beam spot of the light source is complicated and the number of gates is large.

  On the other hand, since it is used at home, it cannot be expected that the card reading environment is good. In particular, there is a possibility that the reading speed of a game card will vary more than in the case of an arcade game device, and at least equal or higher performance is required compared to a card reader of an arcade game device.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance card reader and barcode reading method that can be provided at a low price and can be read accurately even if the reading speed of a game card varies.

A card reader according to an aspect of the present invention includes a width measuring unit that sequentially measures the width of each bar of a bar code including a plurality of bars, and each bar based on the width of each bar measured by the width measuring unit. Based on the result of determination by the thinness measurement means and the thinness determination means for determining whether the bar is a thin bar or a thick bar, the pattern based on the arrangement of the thin bar and the thick bar in the barcode is analyzed, and the pattern is In the card reader having a character encoding unit that determines a character code to be displayed, the thinness determination means is adjacent to the first bar and the width of the first bar measured by the width measurement means, Based on the width of the second bar measured before the first bar, the ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is Formula R> A
However, when A satisfies a constant larger than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thick bar, the second bar is determined to be a thin bar, and the width of the first bar with respect to the width H2 of the second bar. The ratio R of H1 (= H1 / H2) is given by the following formula R <B
However, when B satisfies a constant smaller than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thin bar, the second bar is determined to be a thick bar, and the width of the first bar with respect to the width H2 of the second bar. The ratio R of H1 (= H1 / H2) is expressed by the following formula B ≦ R ≦ A
Is satisfied, it is determined that the thicknesses of the first bar and the second bar do not change.

  In the card reader described above, the constant A may be a value in the range of 1.25 to 1.50, and the constant B may be a value in the range of 0.6250 to 0.8125.

A card reader according to another aspect of the present invention includes a width measuring unit that sequentially measures the width of each bar of a plurality of bars, and each bar based on the width of each bar measured by the width measuring unit. Based on the result of the determination by the thinness measuring means and the thinness measuring means for determining whether the bar is a thin bar or a thick bar, the pattern according to the arrangement of the thin bar and the thick bar in the barcode is analyzed, and the pattern In the card reader having a character encoding unit for determining the character code indicated by, a width H1 of the first bar is adjacent to the first bar by the width measuring means, and is before the first bar. When the second bar width H2 is measured and the second bar is determined to be a thick bar by the thin / thickness determining means, the width H1 of the first bar is expressed by the following formula H1 ′ = H1 × C
However, C is characterized by further having a width correcting means for correcting to H1 ′ by a constant smaller than 1.

  In the card reader described above, the constant C may be a value in the range of 0.750 to 0.875.

  In the above card reader, the bar of the bar code is a bar of a color that absorbs light or a bar of a color that reflects light, and the width measuring means is a bar of a color that absorbs the light of the bar code or Measure the width of a color bar that reflects light, the thin thickness determination means determines whether the color bar that absorbs light of the barcode or the color bar that reflects light is a thin bar or a thick bar, The character encoding means includes a pattern formed by an arrangement of thin bars and thick bars of a color bar that absorbs light of the barcode, or an arrangement of thin bars and thick bars of a color bar that reflects the light of the barcode. The character code may be determined based on the pattern.

In the barcode reading method according to one aspect of the present invention, the first step of sequentially measuring the width of each bar of the barcode composed of a plurality of bars, and each bar is thin based on the measured width of each bar. A second step of determining whether the bar is thick or a thick bar; and, based on the determined result, a pattern based on an arrangement of thin bars and thick bars in the bar code is analyzed, and a character code indicated by the pattern is determined. 3, wherein the first step includes the width of the first bar measured by the width measuring means, the first bar adjacent to the first bar, and the first step. Based on the width of the second bar measured before the bar, the ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is expressed by the following equation: R> A
However, when A satisfies a constant larger than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thick bar, the second bar is determined to be a thin bar, and the width of the first bar with respect to the width H2 of the second bar. The ratio R of H1 (= H1 / H2) is given by the following formula R <B
However, when B satisfies a constant smaller than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thin bar, the second bar is determined to be a thick bar, and the width of the first bar with respect to the width H2 of the second bar. The ratio R of H1 (= H1 / H2) is expressed by the following formula B ≦ R ≦ A
Is satisfied, it is determined that the thicknesses of the first bar and the second bar do not change.

  In the barcode reading method described above, the constant A may be a value in the range of 1.25 to 1.50, and the constant B may be a value in the range of 0.6250 to 0.8125.

A barcode reading method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a first step of sequentially measuring a width of each bar of a barcode including a plurality of bars, and each bar is based on the measured width of each bar. Based on the second step of determining whether the bar is a thin bar or a thick bar and the determined result, the pattern based on the arrangement of the thin bar and the thick bar in the bar code is analyzed, and the character code indicated by the pattern is determined. A bar code reading method comprising a third step, wherein in the first step, the width H1 of the first bar and the measurement is performed before the first bar, adjacent to the first bar. The width H2 of the second bar is measured, and in the second step, when the second bar is determined to be a thick bar in the first step, the width H1 of the first bar is determined. The following formula H1 ′ = H1 × C
However, C is corrected to H1 'by a constant smaller than 1.

  In the barcode reading method described above, the constant C may be a value in the range of 0.750 to 0.875.

  In the barcode reading method described above, the bar of the barcode is a bar of a color that absorbs light or a bar of a color that reflects light, and the width measuring unit is a bar of a color that absorbs the light of the barcode. Alternatively, the width of a color bar that reflects light is measured, and the thin thickness determination means determines whether the color bar that absorbs light of the barcode or the color bar that reflects light is a thin bar or a thick bar. The character encoding means includes a pattern formed by arranging a thin bar and a thick bar of a color bar that absorbs light of the barcode, or a thin bar and a thick bar of a color bar that reflects the light of the barcode. The character code may be determined based on the pattern by arrangement.

  According to the present invention, a width measuring unit that sequentially measures the width of each bar of a bar code including a plurality of bars, and each bar is a thin bar or a thick bar based on the width of each bar measured by the width measuring unit. Based on the result determined by the thin thickness determination means and the thin thickness measurement means, the character code that determines the character code indicated by the pattern is analyzed by analyzing the pattern based on the arrangement of the thin bar and the thick bar in the barcode In the card reader having the first and second portions, the thinness determining means includes the first bar width measured by the width measuring means and the first bar measured before the first bar, adjacent to the first bar. Based on the width of the second bar, the thin bar of the first bar and the second bar is determined according to the ratio R of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar. So it can be offered at a low price, and it is a game car Also reading speed is varied can be read accurately.

[One Embodiment]
A card reader according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Game device)
A game device using the card reader of this embodiment is shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an appearance of the game apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the game apparatus according to the present embodiment.

(Appearance of game device)
As a game apparatus of this embodiment, a portable game apparatus having two display screens physically and one of the display screens covered with a touch panel will be described as an example.

  The game apparatus 10 includes a first LCD 11 having a first display screen 11a and a second LCD 12 having a second display screen 12a. The first display screen 11a is a display screen physically different from the second display screen 12a, and is provided with a predetermined gap from the second display screen 12a.

  Speakers 15a and 15b for outputting game music and sound are provided on both the left and right sides of the first display screen 11a.

  The surface of the second display screen 12 a is covered with the touch panel 13. On the right side of the second display screen 12a, an A button 14a, a B button 14b, an X button 14c, a Y button 14d, a start button 14e, and a select button 14f are provided at positions that can be operated by the player's right hand. On the left side of the second display screen 12a, a cross key 14g is provided at a position that can be operated by the left hand of the player.

  The game apparatus 10 is provided with a stylus (not shown) for inputting to the touch panel 13, and the stylus is detachably accommodated in the game apparatus 10.

  When the position detection accuracy of the touch panel 13 is high, it is effective to use the stylus. However, when the position detection accuracy is low, it is not necessary to use the stylus. For example, the touch panel 13 is input by a player's finger. Is also possible.

  Further, the touch panel 13 may be of any type such as a resistive film type, an optical type, an ultrasonic type, a capacitance type, and an electromagnetic induction type, and is particularly advantageous because the resistive film type is low cost. The detection method may be either a matrix method (digital) or a resistance value detection method (analog) depending on the configuration.

  A connector 16 is provided at the upper end of the game apparatus 10 on the first LCD 11 side, and a cartridge 18 in which game software is stored is connected.

  A connector 17 is provided at the lower end of the game apparatus 10 on the second LCD 12 side, and a card reader 19 for reading a game card is connected thereto.

(Configuration of game device)
The circuit board 20 of the game apparatus 10 includes a CPU core 21 that is an example of a computer for executing a game program. The CPU (central processing unit) core 21 is electrically connected to a WRAM (working storage device) 22, a first GPU (image processing device) 24, a second GPU 26, and an I / F (interface) circuit 27 via a predetermined bus. Connected to.

  The first GPU 24 and the second GPU 26 have a memory having a coordinate system.

  The WRAM 22 is a memory that temporarily stores a game program executed by the CPU core 21 and a calculation result of the CPU core 21.

  The first GPU 24 draws a first game image to be displayed and output on the first LCD 11 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU core 21 in a first VRAM (video RAM) 23, and the drawn first game image is displayed on the first LCD 11. It is displayed on the display screen 11a.

  The second GPU 26 draws a second game image to be displayed and output on the second LCD 12 in accordance with an instruction from the CPU core 21 in the second VRAM 25, and displays the drawn second game image on the second display screen 12a.

  The I / F circuit 27 is a circuit that exchanges data between the CPU core 21 and an external input / output device such as the touch panel 13, the operation switch unit 14, and the speaker 15.

  The touch panel 13 (including a device driver for the touch panel) has a coordinate system corresponding to the coordinate system of the second VRAM 25, and outputs position coordinate data corresponding to a position input (instructed) by a stylus, a player's finger, or the like. To do.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the resolution of the first display screen 11a and the second display screen 12a is 192 dots × 256 dots, respectively, as an example. Although the detection accuracy of the touch panel 13 is described as 192 dots × 256 dots corresponding to the second display screen 12a, the detection accuracy of the touch panel 13 may be lower than the resolution of the display screen.

  Further, connectors 16 and 17 are electrically connected to the CPU core 21. A cartridge 18 is detachably connected to the connector 16, and a card reader 19 is detachably connected to the connector 17.

  The cartridge 18 is provided with a ROM 18a for storing game programs and a RAM 18b for storing backup data in a rewritable manner.

  The game program stored in the ROM 18 a of the cartridge 18 is loaded into the WRAM 22, and the game program loaded into the WRAM 22 is executed by the CPU core 21.

(Play card)
An example of a game card used in the game device of this embodiment is shown in FIG.

  The game card of this embodiment is a card made of thick paper called a playing card size of 88 mm in length and 63 mm in width. In this embodiment, three types of game cards (fashionable magic cards) are prepared. A hair and makeup card for fashionable heads, a dress-up card for fashionable torso parts, and a footwear card for fashionable foot parts.

  The game card shown in FIG. 3 is a hair and make-up card that makes the head look stylish among the three types of game cards. FIG. 3A shows the front surface of the hair & makeup card 30, and FIG. 3B shows the back surface of the hair & makeup card 30.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (a), an attribute column 31 representing the attribute of the card is provided in the upper left part of the front surface of the hair & makeup card 30. In FIG. 3A, a design letter “H” is drawn in the heart in the attribute column 31.

  At the upper edge of the surface of the hair & makeup card 30 is provided an attribute name notation field 32 in which the attribute name of the card is written. In FIG. 3A, “Hair & Makeup Card” is written in the attribute name column 32.

  On the right side of the surface attribute name notation column 32 of the hair & makeup card 30 is provided an item number column 33 in which item numbers of three to three digits are written. In FIG. 3A, “001-04A” is written in the item number column 33.

  A bar code field 34 a on which a bar code for card reading by the card reading device 19 of the game apparatus 10 is provided is provided on the left edge of the front surface of the hair & makeup card 30. The bar code in the bar code column 34 a is in contact with the left edge of the card 30.

  In the center of the surface of the hair & makeup card 30, there are provided a portrait field 35 in which a face corresponding to the item number of the card is drawn and a comment field 36 in which comments are written. In FIG. 3 (a), the portrait field 35 has a pattern of “Sarasara Long Hair” and the comment field 36 says “Tabane hair that suits any coordination. Yes.

  A name field 37 a in which a name corresponding to the item number of the card is drawn is provided below the item number field 33 in the upper right part of the front surface of the hair & makeup card 30. In FIG. 3A, “Sara Sara Long” is written in the name column 37a.

  A name field 37 b in which a name corresponding to the item number of the card is drawn is provided on the lower edge of the surface of the hair & makeup card 30. In FIG. 3A, “SARASARA LONG” is written in the name column 37b.

  On the right edge of the surface of the hair & makeup card 30, there is provided a game name field 38a in which the game name of this game is written. In FIG. 3B, “Osharemajo Love & Berry” is written in the game name column 38a. In the overseas version, “LOVE AND BERRY Dress up and Dance!” Is written in the play name column 38a.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, a bar code field 34 b on which a bar code for card reading by the card reading device 19 of the game apparatus 10 is provided is provided on the right edge of the back surface of the hair & makeup card 30. It has been. The barcode column 34b corresponds to the barcode column 34a on the surface of the hair & makeup card 30, and the same barcode has the same length, width, and content. The bar code in the bar code column 34 b is in contact with the left edge of the card 30.

  In the upper part of the back surface of the hair & makeup card 30, there is provided a game name column 38b in which the game name of this game is written. In the center of the back side of the hair & makeup card 30 is provided a portrait field 39 on which a representative portrait of this game is drawn. In FIG. 3B, “Fashion Witch Love and Berry” (registered trademark) is written in the game name column 38 b, and a uniform portrait is drawn in the portrait column 39. In the overseas version, “LOVE AND BERRY Dress up and Dance!” Is written in the play name column 38b.

  In FIG. 3, an area dedicated to barcode display is provided as in the barcode field 34a on the front surface and the barcode field 34b on the back surface, and the barcode is printed in this area. In this barcode, black thick lines or thin lines (bars) are arranged with a predetermined interval (space) therebetween. In the present embodiment, the ground color of the barcode column 34a on the front surface and the barcode column 34b on the back surface is white, and a black bar is printed thereon.

  In this embodiment, the bar is black and the space is white. However, any combination of colors may be used as long as the bar and the space can be identified. The “white” of the space is not limited to white as long as it reflects the color of the light-emitting element, and the “black” of the bar is not limited to black and may be a color that absorbs the color of the light-emitting element. That's fine.

  For example, when the color of the light emitting element is red, the “white” of the space may be a color with a lot of red or red components (such as pink), and the “black” of the bar may be a complementary color of red or its component As long as there are many colors (such as blue). For example, the background color of the barcode field 34a on the front surface and the barcode field 34b on the back surface may be light blue, and the bar may be dark red.

  Further, the “white” of the space and the “black” of the bar may not be a single color. For example, a color or a pattern with gradation may be used.

  Further, in the present embodiment picture, boundary lines are described as in the barcode field 34a on the front surface and the barcode field 34b on the back surface, and the area within the boundary line is an area dedicated to barcode display. Instead of describing the boundary line, a pattern such as a pattern or a photograph may be described on the entire front or back surface of the game card, and a bar may be printed on the pattern.

(Configuration of card reader)
The card reader according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the card reader 19 has a groove 19 a for reading the game card 30. Inside the groove 19a, a light emitting element and a light receiving element for optically reading the barcodes described in the bar code fields 34a and 34b of the game card 30 are provided. The player inserts the bar code fields 34a and 34b of the game card 30 into the groove 19a and moves in the horizontal direction to read the bar code described in the bar code field 34b.

  In the barcode, black thick lines or thin lines are arranged at a predetermined interval. Normally, the black line is read as a bar, and the interval between adjacent bars is read as a space. However, in this embodiment, the bar is called a black bar, and the space is called a white bar.

  In addition, when a pattern such as a pattern or a photograph is written on the entire front or back of the game card and a bar is printed on the pattern, the printed bar is a black bar, and between the black bars The part of the ground color (ground pattern) becomes a white bar.

  In the present embodiment, it is determined whether the black bar is thin or thick, that is, a thin black bar, a thick black bar, or a white bar is thin or thick, that is, whether it is a fine white bar or a thick white bar. The character code indicated by the barcode is determined.

  The configuration of the card reader 19 is shown in FIG.

  Inside the groove 19a of the card reader 19, a light emitting element 40 for irradiating the bar code fields 34a, 34b of the game card 30 and a light receiving element 42 for receiving the reflected light from the bar code fields 34a, 34b of the game card 30. And are provided.

  A band pass filter 44 is connected to the light receiving element 42. The band pass filter 44 filters the received light signal output from the light receiving element 42 and cuts the DC component and unnecessary frequency components.

  An amplifying circuit 46 is connected to the band pass filter 44. The amplification circuit 46 amplifies the light reception signal filtered by the band pass filter 44.

  A binarization processing unit (width measuring unit) 48 is connected to the amplifier circuit 46.

  The binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48 is provided with a black bar counter 50A, a white bar counter 50B, a black end flag 51A, and a white end flag 51B.

  The binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48 compares the light reception signal output from the amplifier circuit 46 with a predetermined threshold value, and determines that the signal is “black” when the signal is smaller than the predetermined threshold value. When it is larger than the threshold value, it is judged as “white”.

  The binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48 determines whether the received light signal is black or white in a predetermined cycle based on the clock signal. If it is determined that the received light signal is black, the black bar counter 50A is incremented. If it is determined that the light reception signal is white, the white bar counter 50B is incremented.

  When the bar code of the scanned game card 30 is read and it is determined that the reading of one bar is completed, the black end flag 51A or the white end flag 51B is set. For example, when the white light reception signal continues for a predetermined time after the black light reception signal continues, it is determined that the measurement of the black bar is completed, and the black end flag 51A is set. If the black light reception signal continues for a predetermined time after the white light reception signal continues, it is determined that the measurement of the white bar is completed, and the white end flag 51B is set.

  The counter value of the black bar counter 50A when the black end flag 51A is raised becomes a value proportional to the time when the black light is received by the light receiving element 42, that is, the width of the black bar of the barcode.

  The counter value of the white bar counter 50B when the white end flag 51B is set is a value proportional to the time when the white light is received by the light receiving element 42, that is, the width of the white bar of the barcode.

  Details of the processing of the binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48 will be described later.

  A thinness determination unit 52 is connected to the binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48. The thin determination section 52 is provided with a black data memory 54A and a white data memory 54B.

  Based on the black bar counter 50A and the white bar counter 50B, the thin / thickness determination unit 52 determines whether the currently read black bar or white bar is a thick bar or a thin bar. The black bar determination result is stored in the black data memory 54A, and the white bar determination result is stored in the white data memory 54B.

  When the bar code of the scanned game card 30 is read, information on whether the black bar is thin or thick is stored in the black data memory 54A in the order of the read bars, and the white data memory 54B stores the white bar. Information on whether thin or thick is stored in the order of bars read. For the black bar and the white bar, for example, information such as “thin → thick → thin → thin →...” Is stored. Details of the processing of the thinness determination unit 52 will be described later.

  A character encoding unit 56 is connected to the thin determination unit 52. The character encoding unit 56 refers to a character pattern determined by a coding rule such as CODE 39, and stores a pattern of thin black bars and thick bars stored in the black data memory 54A, and a white data memory. The character code indicated by the read bar code is determined based on the thin bar of white bar and the pattern formed by arranging the thick bar stored in 54B. The character code determined by the character encoding unit 56 is stored in the character code memory 58.

(Card reading process)
An outline of card reading processing by the card reading device of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the card reading process by the card reading apparatus of this embodiment.

  The player inserts the bar code fields 34a and 34b of the game card 30 into the groove 19a of the bar code reader 19, and moves in the horizontal direction to read the bar code described in the bar code field 34b.

  In the bar code reader 19, the bar code fields 34 a and 34 b of the game card 30 are irradiated by the light emitting element 40, and the reflected light from the bar code fields 34 a and 34 b of the game card 30 is received by the light receiving element 42.

  The light reception signal from the light receiving element 42 is filtered by the band pass filter 44, amplified by the amplification circuit 46, and binarized by the binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48. The binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48 determines whether the light reception signal is black or white in a predetermined cycle based on the clock signal, and if it is determined that the light reception signal is black, the black bar When the counter 50A is incremented and it is determined that the light reception signal is white, the white bar counter 50B is incremented.

  First, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, it is determined whether or not a bar end flag is set on the black end flag 51A or the white end flag 51B (step S10).

  When the bar end flag is set in the black end flag 51A or the white end flag 51B, the thinness determination unit 52 performs the thinness determination processing (step S20), and then, based on the result of the thinness determination processing. Character encoding processing is performed by the character encoding unit 56 (step S30). The thinness determination process and the character encoding process will be described later.

  If the bar end flag is not set in the black end flag 51A or the white end flag 51B, it is subsequently determined whether the black bar counter 50A or the white bar counter 50B has overflowed (step S11).

  When a blank sheet or the like that is not the game card 30 is inserted into the groove 19a, or when the game card 30 is inserted but stopped without being moved, the black or white light reception signal is continuously input for black. The bar counter 50A or the white bar counter 50B overflows. In this case, it is necessary to reset the bar code reading by a timeout process.

  Therefore, when the black bar counter 50A or the white bar counter 50B overflows, the black bar counter 50A, the white bar counter 50B and the binarization processing unit 48 are cleared, and the bar code reading waiting state is established. (Step S12), the process returns to Step S10.

  If the black bar counter 50A or the white bar counter 50B does not overflow, the count value of the black bar counter 50A or the white bar counter 50B is incremented as usual (step S13), and the process returns to step S10. .

(Thinness judgment processing)
Next, the thinness determination process in the card reading process of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing details of the thinness determination process in the card reading process of the present embodiment, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the correction process in the thinness determination process in the card reading process of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the principle of thinness determination processing in the card reading processing of the present embodiment, and FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of thinness determination processing in the card reading processing of the present embodiment.

  Before the thinness determination process, the width of the black bar or the white bar is measured by the binarization processing unit (width measurement unit) 48, and the measured bar width (H1) is adjacent to the measured bar. The bar width (H2) measured immediately before the black bar counter 50A or the white bar counter 50B is stored. The black data memory 54A or the white data memory 54B stores whether the bar measured immediately before is a thin bar or a thick bar. It should be noted that nothing is stored when the thinness measurement of the bar measured immediately before has not been made yet.

  First, it is determined whether the bar measured immediately before was a thick bar (step 21). If the immediately preceding bar is a thick bar, the width (H1) of the bar that has just been measured is corrected (step S22).

  For example, when the present inventor reads a bar code as shown in FIG. 7, he noticed that the bar immediately after the thick bar is measured to be thicker than the actual case in both the black bar and the white bar.

  As shown in FIG. 7, black thin bar → white thin bar → black thin bar → white thin bar → black thick bar → white thick bar → black thick bar → white thin bar → black thin bar → white thin bar → black thin bar → When reading the pattern of white thin bar → black thin bar, the white thick bar immediately after the black thick bar, the black thick bar immediately after the white thick bar, and the white thin bar immediately after the black thick bar are originally measured. Measured thicker than the correct thickness.

  The reason for this measurement will be described with reference to FIG.

  8A shows a specific example of the barcode, FIG. 8B shows the output signal of the light receiving element 42, FIG. 8C shows the output signal of the bandpass filter 44, and FIG. Indicates an output signal of the amplifier circuit 46.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8A, the second white bar from the right is thick. When this thick white bar is read, it takes a long time to detect white, and the output signal of the light receiving element 42 is saturated as shown in FIG. 8B. When the output signal of the light reception signal 42 is saturated, as shown in FIG. 8C, the output signal of the bandpass filter 44 is cut back to the reference potential with the DC component cut off.

  For this reason, when the next black bar signal is input, the output signal of the band-pass filter 44 exceeds the black bar threshold signal at a timing earlier than the normal signal waveform indicated by the one-dot chain line. Therefore, the width of the first black bar from the right is measured wider than usual, and the width of the second white bar from the right is measured thinner than usual.

Therefore, the present inventor multiplies the bar width (H1) just measured by various constants C to obtain the following formula: H1 ′ = H1 × C
I came up with a correction. The present inventor prepared 0.375, 0.500, 0.625, 0.750, 0.8125, 0.875, 1.000 as the constant C, and conducted an experiment to determine which value was appropriate. ,
As a result of the experiment, it was found that 0.8125 is most suitable as the constant C, and a value in the range of 0.750 to 0.875 is desirable.

  Next, a ratio R of the bar width H1 just measured to the previous bar width H2 (or the corrected width H1 ′ when corrected in step S22) is calculated (step S23). In this embodiment, based on the value of the ratio R, it is determined whether the currently measured bar is a thin bar or a thick bar.

In the present embodiment, the bar width H1 just measured is sequentially compared with the bar width H2 measured immediately before, and the following determination is made.
(1) When the last measured bar is a thin bar and the next bar has a size within a certain range, it is determined that the current bar is also a thin bar.
(2) If the last measured bar is a thick bar and the next bar has a size within a certain range, it is determined that the current bar is also a thick bar.
(3) If the bar measured immediately before is a thin bar and the size of the next bar exceeds a certain range, it is determined that the current bar is a thick bar.
(4) If the last measured bar is a thin bar and the size of the next bar is below a certain range, it is determined that the current bar is a thin bar.

  Specifically, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6, the range of the ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the bar width H1 just measured to the width H2 of the immediately preceding bar is determined (step S24). If it is smaller than the constant A, the current bar is a thick bar and the previous bar is a thin bar (step S27). If the ratio R is smaller than the constant B, the current bar is a thin bar. Assume that the immediately preceding bar is a thick bar (step S25), and if the ratio R is greater than or equal to constant B and less than or equal to constant A, the current bar thinness determination is the same as the previous bar thinness determination. (Step S26).

  The inventor of the present application repeatedly performed an experiment to determine which value is appropriate for the constant A and the constant B.

  As a result of the experiment, it was found that 1.375 is most suitable as the constant A, and a value in the range of 1.25 to 1.50 is desirable.

  Further, it has been found that 0.75 is most suitable as the constant B, and a value in the range of 0.6250 to 0.8125 is desirable.

  As shown in FIG. 9, for the black bar, when width 100 → width 90 → width 200 → width 160 → width 140 → width 95 → width 85 continues, the thinness determination is made as follows.

Comparison (1)
If the width of the currently measured bar is 90 and the width of the previously measured bar is 100 (R = 90/100 = 0.90), it is determined that the previously measured bar is the same as the currently measured bar (thick or thin). It is unknown whether it is a bar).

Comparison (2)
When the width of the currently measured bar is 200 and the width of the last measured bar is 90 (R = 200/90 = 2.22), the last measured bar is determined to be a thin bar, and the currently measured bar is determined to be a thick bar. At this point, it is found that the bar in comparison (1) is a thin bar.

Comparison (3)
If the width of the currently measured bar is 160 and the width of the last measured bar is 200 (R = 160/200 = 0.80), the last measured bar is determined to be a thick bar, and the currently measured bar is also determined to be a thick bar.

Comparison (4)
When the width of the bar measured just now is 140 and the width of the bar measured immediately before is 160 (R = 140/160 = 0.88), it is determined that the bar measured immediately before is a thick bar, and the bar measured just now is also a thick bar.

Comparison (5)
When the width of the bar measured just now is 95 and the width of the bar measured immediately before is 140 (R = 95/140 = 0.68), it is determined that the bar measured immediately before is a thick bar and the bar just measured is a thin bar.

Comparison (6)
When the width of the bar measured just now is 85 and the width of the bar measured immediately before is 95 (R = 85/95 = 0.89), it is determined that the bar measured immediately before is a thin bar, and the bar just measured is also a thin bar.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the determination is performed by sequentially replacing the width of the reference bar with the width of the bar determined to be thin, it can be measured correctly even if the scanning speed of the game card fluctuates. For example, the bar having the thickness of 200 in the comparison (2) and the bar having the thickness of 140 in the comparison (4) can be correctly distinguished from the thick bar even if the measured values are different as the width.

(Character encoding process)
Next, the character encoding process in the card reader according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing details of the character encoding process in the card reading process of this embodiment, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the CODE 39 that is a barcode standard.

  As described above, the character encoding unit 56 refers to the character pattern defined by the CODE 39 encoding rule, and stores the pattern of thin black bars and thick bars stored in the black data memory 54A. The character code indicated by the read barcode is determined on the basis of the pattern of thin white bars and thick bars stored in the white data memory 54B.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the CODE 39 provides * (asterisk) codes at the beginning and end of the bar code, and inserts the required number of character data (two in the example of FIG. 11) between them. * Since the code of (asterisk) is determined as shown in FIG. 11, by comparing the first white bar with the second white bar and comparing the first black bar with the second black bar, The scanning direction of the game card 30 can be determined.

  Therefore, first, the comparison between the first white bar and the second white bar and the comparison between the first black bar and the second black bar are simultaneously performed (step S31).

  Next, from the result of the comparison, it is determined whether or not the * (asterisk) code is read in the forward direction (step S32).

  If the * (asterisk) code is read in the forward direction, the read data is stored in order from the upper bit to the lower bit of the character code memory 58 (step S33).

  If the * (asterisk) code is not read in the forward direction, the code is read and stored in order from the lower bit to the upper bit of the character code memory 58 (step S34).

  Next, the data stored in the character code memory 58 is converted into an ASCII code and output (step S34).

  In this embodiment, CODE39 is used as the barcode standard, but other code standards may be used.

[Modified Embodiment]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, each player performs a dress-up process, but the players may play a battle by operating characters to determine whether to win or lose.

  In the above embodiment, a portable game device has been described as an example. However, a home game device, a game system using a personal computer, a mobile phone, or the like, or a so-called arcade game device installed in a game center. It can also be applied to a game system using.

  In the above embodiment, the barcode reading function in the card reader is realized by an electronic circuit as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 4, but instead, a general-purpose computer reads and executes a dedicated program. Thus, a barcode reading function may be realized. The dedicated program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  In the above embodiment, the light emitting element is used as the light source for irradiating the barcode with light, but a laser or an incandescent bulb may be used. Further, it may be a photosensor of an element used in a pen scanner or a laser scanner.

  In the above embodiment, the player moves the card and scans the barcode. However, the player may automatically scan using a motor or the like. Further, the scanning direction of the barcode may be any direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, a bar code having a linearly long bar is used as the bar code. However, a bar code having another shape, for example, a bar having a circular arc arranged on a circular card may be used.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the game device by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the game device by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hair & makeup card | curd which is a specific example of the game card used with the game device by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the card reader by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the outline of the card | curd reading process by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the thinness determination process in the card | curd reading process by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the correction process in the thinness determination process in the card | curd reading process by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of the thinness determination process in the card | curd reading process by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the thinness determination process in the card | curd reading process by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the detail of the character encoding process in the card | curd reading process by one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of CODE39 which is a barcode standard.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Game device 11 ... First LCD
11a ... 1st display screen 12 ... 2nd LCD
12a ... second display screen 13 ... touch panel 14 ... operation button 14a ... A button 14b ... B button 14c ... X button 14d ... Y button 14e ... start button 14f ... select button 14g ... cross keys 15, 15a, 15b ... speaker 16, 17 ... Connector 18 ... Game cartridge 18a ... ROM
18b ... RAM
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 19 ... Card reader 19a ... Groove 20 ... Circuit board 21 ... CPU core 22 ... WRAM (working storage device)
23. First VRAM (video RAM)
24. First GPU (image processing apparatus)
25. Second VRAM (video RAM)
26. Second GPU (image processing apparatus)
27 ... I / F (interface) circuit 30 ... hair & makeup card 31 ... attribute column 32 ... attribute name notation column 33 ... item number column 34a, 34b ... barcode column 35 ... portrait column 36 ... comment column 37a, 37b ... Name field 38a ... Game name field 39 ... Portrait field 40 ... Light emitting element 42 ... Light receiving element 44 ... Band pass filter 46 ... Amplifying circuit 48 ... Binarization processing section (width measuring section)
50A ... Black bar counter 50B ... White bar counter 51A ... Black end flag 51B ... White end flag 52 ... Thin determination unit 54A ... Black data memory 54B ... White data memory 56 ... Character encoding unit 58 ... Character code memory

Claims (12)

Width measuring means for sequentially measuring the width of each bar of a bar code comprising a plurality of bars;
Based on the width of each bar measured by the width measuring means, a thinness determining means for determining whether each bar is a thin bar or a thick bar;
A card reader having: a character encoding unit that analyzes a pattern based on an arrangement of a thin bar and a thick bar in the bar code based on a result determined by the thin thickness measuring unit and determines a character code indicated by the pattern Because
The thin thickness determination means includes
Based on the width of the first bar measured by the width measuring means and the width of the second bar measured adjacent to the first bar and before the first bar,
The ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is expressed by the following equation: R> A
However, when A satisfies a constant larger than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thick bar, and the second bar is determined to be a thin bar.
The ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is expressed by the following formula R <B
However, when B satisfies a constant smaller than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thin bar and the second bar is determined to be a thick bar.
The ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is expressed by the following formula: B ≦ R ≦ A
When the above is satisfied, it is determined that the thicknesses of the first bar and the second bar do not change. The card reader according to claim 1, wherein
The constant A is a value in the range of 1.25 to 1.50,
The card reader is characterized in that the constant B is a value in the range of 0.6250 to 0.8125. Width measuring means for sequentially measuring the width of each bar of a bar code comprising a plurality of bars;
Based on the width of each bar measured by the width measuring means, a thinness determining means for determining whether each bar is a thin bar or a thick bar;
A card reader having: a character encoding unit that analyzes a pattern based on an arrangement of a thin bar and a thick bar in the bar code based on a result determined by the thin thickness measuring unit and determines a character code indicated by the pattern Because
The width measuring means measures the width H1 of the first bar and the width H2 of the second bar that is adjacent to the first bar and is measured before the first bar. When the determination means determines that the second bar is a thick bar, the width H1 of the first bar is expressed by the following equation: H1 ′ = H1 × C
However, the card reader further comprises a width correcting means for correcting C to H1 ′ by a constant smaller than 1. The card reader according to claim 3, wherein
The card reader is characterized in that the constant C is a value in the range of 0.750 to 0.875. The card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The bar of the barcode is a color bar that absorbs light or a color bar that reflects light,
The width measuring means measures a width of a bar of a color that absorbs light of the barcode or a bar of a color that reflects light,
The thin thickness determination means determines whether the color bar that absorbs light of the barcode or the color bar that reflects light is a thin bar or a thick bar,
The character encoding means includes a pattern formed by an arrangement of thin bars and thick bars of a color bar that absorbs light of the barcode, or an arrangement of thin bars and thick bars of a color bar that reflects the light of the barcode. A card reader characterized by determining a character code based on the pattern of A first step of sequentially measuring the width of each bar of a bar code comprising a plurality of bars;
A second step of determining whether each bar is a thin bar or a thick bar based on the measured width of each bar;
Analyzing the pattern based on the arrangement of thin and thick bars in the barcode based on the determined result, and determining a character code indicated by the pattern;
The first step includes
Based on the width of the first bar measured by the width measuring means and the width of the second bar measured adjacent to the first bar and before the first bar,
The ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is expressed by the following equation: R> A
However, when A satisfies a constant larger than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thick bar, and the second bar is determined to be a thin bar.
The ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is expressed by the following formula: R <B
However, when B satisfies a constant smaller than 1, the first bar is determined to be a thin bar and the second bar is determined to be a thick bar.
The ratio R (= H1 / H2) of the width H1 of the first bar to the width H2 of the second bar is expressed by the following formula: B ≦ R ≦ A
If it is satisfied, it is determined that the thicknesses of the first bar and the second bar do not change. The barcode reading method according to claim 6, wherein
The constant A is a value in the range of 1.25 to 1.50,
The constant B is a value in the range of 0.6250 to 0.8125. A first step of sequentially measuring the width of each bar of a bar code comprising a plurality of bars;
A second step of determining whether each bar is a thin bar or a thick bar based on the measured width of each bar;
Analyzing the pattern based on the arrangement of thin and thick bars in the barcode based on the determined result, and determining a character code indicated by the pattern;
In the first step, a width H1 of the first bar and a width H2 of the second bar that is adjacent to the first bar and is measured before the first bar are measured.
In the second step, when it is determined in the first step that the second bar is a thick bar, the width H1 of the first bar is expressed by the following equation: H1 ′ = H1 × C
However, C is corrected to H1 ′ by a constant smaller than 1 A bar code reading method characterized by: The barcode reading method according to claim 8, wherein
The constant C is a value in the range of 0.750 to 0.875. The barcode reading method according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
The bar of the barcode is a color bar that absorbs light or a color bar that reflects light,
The width measuring means measures a width of a bar of a color that absorbs light of the barcode or a bar of a color that reflects light,
The thin thickness determination means determines whether the color bar that absorbs light of the barcode or the color bar that reflects light is a thin bar or a thick bar,
The character encoding means includes a pattern formed by an arrangement of thin bars and thick bars of a color bar that absorbs light of the barcode, or an arrangement of thin bars and thick bars of a color bar that reflects the light of the barcode. A card reader characterized by determining a character code based on the pattern of   A program for causing a computer to execute the first step, the second step, and the third step in the barcode reading method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.   A program for causing a computer to execute the first step, the second step, and the third step in the barcode reading method according to any one of claims 6 to 10 is recorded. Computer-readable recording medium.

Images