JP2008310631A - Hand-held operated information reading apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a hand-held operated information reading apparatus which is capable of reliably reading a direct marking provided on the surface of a glossy object. <P>SOLUTION: As a direct marking Q is illuminated from the side surface side by an EL illumination panel 52 which is a surface light source arranged at the inner surface of a cover 70, irregular reflection hardly occurs and the direct marking provided on the surface of a glossy object can be read reliably. Also, a liquid crystal panel 62 is made opaque when illuminating the inner side of the cover 70 by lighting the EL illumination panel 52, which prevents incoming light from transmitting the cover 70 to make incident into the cover. This prevents the influence of the incoming light which makes it impossible to read the direct marking Q. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an information reading apparatus capable of reading an information code formed by unevenness, and more particularly to a hand-held handheld operation type information reading apparatus.

As the information code, direct marking for directly marking and printing on an object is used. For example, the direct marking of engraving (dot impact direct marking) only has a concave or convex portion formed on the surface of the object, so the reflectance may not be different even when illuminated from directly above, and each information code A cell (concave or convex) may be difficult to recognize by the information reading device. In such a case, reading was performed while adjusting the illumination position and illumination direction, such as illumination from an oblique direction. Patent Document 1 discloses an LED lighting device in which a plurality of light emitting diodes are arranged in a ring shape to obtain a substantially uniform light distribution characteristic.
JP 2003-179265 A

When reading the above-described direct marking of an inscription with an information reading device, it may be difficult to read even if the illumination position and illumination direction are adjusted. In Patent Document 1, since illumination is performed with a plurality of light emitting diodes, a completely uniform light distribution characteristic cannot be obtained, and reading is difficult even when applied to direct marking illumination.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a hand-held operation type information reading device that can reliably read a direct marking provided on the surface of a glossy object. To provide an apparatus.

  In the hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to claim 1, since the information code is illuminated from the side surface side by the surface light source arranged on the inner side surface of the cover, it is difficult to cause irregular reflection and is directly provided on the surface of the glossy object. The marking can be read reliably. In addition, by bringing the lower end opening of the cover into contact with the object, the distance between the information code and the imaging lens can be matched with the focal length of the imaging lens, and a clear image is taken by the light receiving sensor. It becomes possible to do. In addition, the cover is transparent or translucent, the EL lighting panel is transparent or translucent, and the liquid crystal panel is transparent when no voltage is applied. They can be aligned and are easily aligned. Furthermore, when reading the information code by turning on the surface light source and illuminating the inside of the cover, the liquid crystal panel can be made opaque to prevent light from leaking outside the cover, and the light can be concentrated on the information code side. . At the same time, by making the liquid crystal panel opaque when reading the information code, it is possible to prevent external light from entering the cover through the cover and prevent direct marking from being read due to the external light. .

  In the hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to claim 2, the contrast difference can be converged within an appropriate range by changing the duty ratio of the blinking of the surface light source, and the amount of specular reflection can be suppressed. The direct marking provided on the surface of the glossy object can be reliably read.

  In the hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to claim 3, the contrast difference can be converged within an appropriate range by adjusting the brightness of the surface light source, and the specular reflection is suppressed to the surface of the glossy object. The provided direct marking can be read reliably.

  In the hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to claim 4, since the EL illumination panel formed in the truncated cone shape is divided into a plurality of pieces in the axial direction of the cone, switching on / off of each EL illumination panel is performed. Thus, the illumination angle and the illumination distance can be changed, and the direct marking provided on the surface of the glossy object can be reliably read.

  In the hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to the fifth aspect, since the EL lighting panel formed in the truncated cone shape is divided into a plurality of parts in the circumferential direction, each EL lighting panel can be switched on and off. The illumination direction can be changed, and the direct marking provided on the surface of the glossy object can be reliably read.

  In the hand-held operation type information reading device according to claim 6, the illumination angle can be changed by switching on / off of the EL illumination panel arranged with different arrangement angles, and is provided on the surface of the glossy object. Direct marking can be read reliably.

  In the hand-held operation type information reading device according to claim 7, when displaying information on the liquid crystal panel without performing reading, the surface light source is turned on as a backlight of the liquid crystal panel, so that information to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel is displayed. It can make it easy to visually recognize.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the handheld operation type information reading apparatus of the present invention is applied to a two-dimensional code reader will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a configuration outline of the two-dimensional code reader 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 1 (A), a two-dimensional code reader 10 is integrated with a housing body 11 having a rounded and thin, substantially rectangular box shape, and the housing body 11 on the lower surface of the housing body 11 near the rear center. And a gun-type housing comprising a grip portion 12 formed on the housing. The grip portion 12 is set to an outer diameter that allows an operator to hold the grip portion 12 with one hand, and a trigger switch 14 that instructs the start of reading is located at a portion where the index finger of the operator holding the grip portion 12 abuts. Is provided.

A circuit portion 20 to be described later is accommodated inside the housing body 11, and an imaging opening 11 a that supports the cover 70 is formed at the distal end portion of the housing body 11. FIG. 1A shows a printed wiring board 15 constituting the circuit unit 20, a light receiving sensor 23, an imaging lens 27, and the like disposed in the vicinity of the imaging opening 11a.

The cover 70 is formed in a substantially truncated cone shape with transparent acrylic, the upper end side opening 70a is fixed to the imaging opening 11a, and the lower end side opening 70b is formed so as to be able to contact the reading object. A cylindrical portion 70c having a cylindrical shape is formed at a portion below the upper end opening 70a, and the light receiving sensor 23 and the imaging lens 27 are accommodated in the cylindrical portion 70c. The cover 70 has a two-layer structure of an outer plate 72o and an inner plate 72i, and an EL (Electro Luminescence) lighting panel 52 that illuminates the inside of the cover 70 is between the outer plate 72o and the inner plate 72i. Contained. The EL lighting panel 52 is formed in a truncated cone shape as shown in FIG. A liquid crystal panel 62 is accommodated between the outer plate 72o and the inner plate 72i on the outer periphery of the EL lighting panel 52.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the EL illumination panel 52 and the liquid crystal panel 62 disposed between the outer plate 72o and the inner plate 72i.
In the EL lighting panel 52, a transparent dielectric layer 52c and a transparent phosphor layer 52d are sandwiched between an electrode (Ag paste) 52b and an electrode (Ag paste) 52e, and a protective layer 52a is disposed outside the electrode 52b. The electrode 52e is covered with a transparent electrode film (ITO film) 52f, which is held by a base material (transparent material such as a PET film) 52g. The EL lighting panel 52 is transparent when no voltage is applied, and emits light when a voltage is applied.

The liquid crystal panel 62 has a liquid crystal 62c sandwiched between a transparent electrode (ITO film) 62b and a transparent electrode (ITO film) 62e, and a protective sheet 62a is coated on the outside of the transparent electrode (ITO film) 62b. Is held by 62 g of a base material (transparent material such as a PET film). The liquid crystal panel 62 is transparent when no voltage is applied, and is opaque when a voltage is applied.

As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit unit 20 mainly includes an optical system such as an EL illumination panel 52, a light receiving sensor 23, and an imaging lens 27, an EL driver circuit 50 that drives the EL illumination panel 52, and a liquid crystal panel 62. A liquid crystal driver circuit 60 to be driven, a memory 35, a control circuit 40, a trigger switch 14, a liquid crystal display 46 and other microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) systems, and a power switch 41 and a battery 49 and other power supply systems. It is mounted on the above-described printed wiring board 15 or housed in the housing body 11.

The optical system includes an EL illumination panel 52, a light receiving sensor 23, an imaging lens 27, and the like. The EL illumination panel 52 functions as an illumination light source. In the first embodiment, the EL illumination panel 52 is provided at the lower end of the frustoconical cover, and is configured to be able to irradiate the illumination light toward the information code Q from an oblique direction. Note that an information code Q including direct marking is formed on the reading object R.

The light receiving sensor 23 is configured to receive the reflected light Lr irradiated and reflected on the reading object R and the information code Q. For example, the light receiving sensor 23 is a solid-state imaging device such as a C-MOS or CCD. A color area sensor arranged in two dimensions of m rows and n columns in the order of 10,000 corresponds to this. The light receiving sensor 23 is arranged so that incident light incident through the imaging lens 27 can be received by the light receiving surface 23a.

The imaging lens 27 functions as an imaging optical system capable of condensing incident light incident from the outside through the imaging aperture 11a and forming an image on the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving sensor 23. It is constituted by a lens barrel and a plurality of condensing lenses housed in the lens barrel. The focal length of the imaging lens 27 is adjusted so as to be at the position of the lower end side opening 70 b of the cover 70. Thereby, the distance between the information code Q and the imaging lens 27 can be matched with the focal length of the imaging lens 27 in a state where the lower end side opening 70b of the cover 70 is in contact with the object R. A clear image can be taken by the light receiving sensor 23.

The microcomputer system includes an amplification circuit 31, an A / D conversion circuit 33, a memory 35, an address generation circuit 36, a synchronization signal generation circuit 38, a control circuit 40, an EL driver circuit 50, a liquid crystal panel 62, a liquid crystal driver circuit 60, and a trigger switch 14. LED 43, buzzer 44, liquid crystal display 46, communication interface 48, and the like. As its name suggests, this microcomputer system is composed mainly of a control circuit 40 and a memory 35 that can function as a microcomputer (information processing apparatus), and the image signal of the code image captured by the optical system described above is hardware. It can perform signal processing in terms of hardware and software. The control circuit 40 constitutes the control means of the present application, and also performs control related to the entire system of the two-dimensional code reader 10.

An image signal (analog signal) output from the light receiving sensor 23 of the optical system is input to the amplification circuit 31 and amplified by a predetermined gain, and then input to the A / D conversion circuit 33. Converted into a digital signal. When the digitized image signal, that is, image data (image information) is input to the memory 35, it is stored in a predetermined code image image information storage area. The synchronization signal generation circuit 38 is configured to generate a synchronization signal for the light receiving sensor 23 and the address generation circuit 36. The address generation circuit 36 is based on the synchronization signal supplied from the synchronization signal generation circuit 38. Thus, the storage address of the image data stored in the memory 35 can be generated.

The memory 35 is a semiconductor memory device, and corresponds to, for example, a RAM (DRAM, SRAM, etc.) or a ROM (EPROM, EEPROM, etc.). In addition to the image processing program, the ROM stores in advance a system program that can control each hardware such as the EL illumination panel 52, the liquid crystal panel 62, and the light receiving sensor 23.

The control circuit 40 is a microcomputer that can control the entire two-dimensional code reader 10, and includes a CPU, a system bus, an input / output interface, and the like, and constitutes an information processing apparatus together with the memory 35. The control circuit 40 is configured to be connectable to various input / output devices (peripheral devices) via a built-in input / output interface. In the case of the first embodiment, the power switch 41, the trigger switch 14, and the LED 43 are connected. , A buzzer 44, a liquid crystal display 46, a communication interface 48 and the like are connected. Thereby, for example, monitoring and management of the power switch 41 and the trigger switch 14, turning on and off the LED 43 functioning as an indicator, turning on and off the buzzer 44 capable of generating a beep sound and an alarm sound, and further reading the information code The screen control of the liquid crystal display 46 capable of displaying the code contents by Q on the screen, the communication control of the communication interface 48 enabling serial communication with an external device, and the like are enabled.

The power supply system includes a power switch 41, a battery 49, and the like. When the power switch 41 managed by the control circuit 40 is turned on and off, the conduction of the drive voltage supplied from the battery 49 to each device and each circuit described above is established. Or shut off is controlled. The battery 49 is a secondary battery that can generate a predetermined DC voltage, and corresponds to, for example, a lithium ion battery.

By configuring the two-dimensional code reader 10 in this manner, for example, when the power switch 41 is turned on and a predetermined self-diagnosis process or the like is normally completed and the operator presses and turns on the trigger switch 14, the control circuit 40 outputs a light emission signal to the liquid crystal panel 62 based on the synchronization signal. As a result, the liquid crystal panel 62 that has received the light emission signal irradiates illumination light, so that the information code Q positioned in the imaging field of view is irradiated, and the reflected light Lr passes through the imaging aperture 11a to form the imaging lens 27. Is incident on. Therefore, a code image is formed on the light receiving surface 23 a of the light receiving sensor 23 by the imaging lens 27, and each image can be exposed to the light receiving element of the light receiving sensor 23.

Next, the control timing of the EL illumination panel 52 and the liquid crystal panel 62 in the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the timing chart of FIG.
When the trigger switch 14 is operated, the control circuit 40 of the two-dimensional code reader 10 first applies a voltage to the liquid crystal panel 62 via the liquid crystal driver circuit 60 to make the liquid crystal panel 62 opaque and into the cover 70. Prevents extraneous light from entering. Then, a voltage is applied to the EL illumination panel 52 through the EL driver circuit 50 to cause the EL illumination panel 52 to emit light, and the information code Q in the cover 70 is illuminated. Then, the light receiving sensor 23 is exposed. After the exposure of the light receiving sensor 23 is completed, the EL illumination panel 52 is turned off and the liquid crystal panel 62 is returned to a transparent state.

Adjustment of illumination by the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4B and 5.
When the trigger switch is operated (S12: Yes), the information code is read (S14), and it is determined whether or not the decoding is successful (S18). If the decoding is successful (S18: Yes), the decoding result is transmitted to the external device via the communication interface 48 (S20), and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if decoding fails (S18: No), the illumination is adjusted (S22), and reading is performed again (S14). For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, by changing the duty ratio of turning on / off the EL illumination panel 52, an appropriate amount of light is found and the information code is read.

  In the two-dimensional code reader 10 according to the first embodiment, since the information code Q is illuminated from the side surface by the EL illumination panel 52 that is a surface light source disposed on the inner side surface of the cover 70, irregular reflection hardly occurs and the glossy target The direct marking provided on the surface of the object can be reliably read. Further, since the cover 70 is transparent, the EL illumination panel 52 is transparent, and the liquid crystal panel 62 is transparent when no voltage is applied, the two-dimensional code reader 10 is aligned while viewing the information code Q through the cover 70. Can be easily aligned. Further, when reading the information code by turning on the EL illumination panel 52 and illuminating the inside of the cover 70, the liquid crystal panel 62 is made opaque to prevent light from leaking outside the cover 70, and illuminate the information code side. Can concentrate. At the same time, by making the liquid crystal panel 62 opaque, it is possible to prevent external light from entering the cover through the cover 70 and to prevent the information code (direct marking) Q from being unreadable due to the external light. .

  Further, in the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the first embodiment, the contrast difference can be converged within an appropriate range by changing the blinking duty ratio of the EL illumination panel 52 to adjust the amount of light. The direct marking provided on the surface of the glossy object can be reliably read while suppressing the amount of light.

[Modification of the first embodiment]
Subsequently, a modified example of the first embodiment will be described.
The mechanical and circuit configuration of the modified example of the first embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. In the first embodiment, the light amount is adjusted by changing the blinking duty ratio of the EL illumination panel 52. On the other hand, in the modified example of the first embodiment, for example, when the amount of light is insufficient as shown in FIG. 4C, the voltage applied to the EL illumination panel 52 is increased, the illumination is brightened, and conversely When the amount of light is excessive, the voltage applied to the EL illumination panel 52 is lowered to darken the illumination.

  In the modification of the first embodiment, by adjusting the brightness of the EL lighting panel 52, the contrast difference can be converged to an appropriate range, and provided on the surface of a glossy object by suppressing specular reflection. It is possible to reliably read the direct marking.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a two-dimensional code reader 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the second embodiment, the cover 70 is formed in a truncated cone shape close to a rectangle. In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the second embodiment, since the information illumination code Q can be illuminated from the lateral direction by the EL illumination panel 52, the irregularly reflected light to the imaging lens 27 is suppressed, and the surface of the glossy object is obtained. The direct marking provided on the can be read more reliably.

[Third embodiment]
Subsequently, a two-dimensional code reader 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the second embodiment, the cover 70 is formed in a semicircular shape. In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the third embodiment, since the information code Q can be illuminated from a direction equal to 360 °, the direct marking can be reliably read.

[Fourth embodiment]
Next, a two-dimensional code reader 10 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of the two-dimensional code reader according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a bottom view of the cover 70. In the first embodiment, one EL illumination panel 52 is arranged on the frustoconical cover 70. On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, the EL illumination panel 52 is divided into two parts, and is composed of two pieces, an upper EL illumination panel 52U and a lower EL illumination panel 52D.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing switching of illumination of the two-dimensional code reader of the fourth embodiment.
When the trigger switch is operated (S12: Yes), first, the lower EL illumination panel 52D is turned on to read the information code (S14), and it is determined whether or not the decoding is successful (S18). If the decoding is successful (S18: Yes), the decoding result is transmitted to the external device via the communication interface 48 (S20), and the process is terminated. On the other hand, if decoding fails (S18: No), the illumination is switched to the upper EL illumination panel 58U side (S22), and reading is performed again (S14). Further, when decoding fails (S18: No), the illumination is switched to simultaneous lighting of the lower EL illumination panel 52D and the upper EL illumination panel 58U (S22), and reading is performed again (S14).

In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the fourth embodiment, since the EL lighting panel formed in the truncated cone shape is divided into a plurality of pieces in the axial direction of the cone, the upper EL lighting panel 52U and the lower EL By switching on / off the illumination panel 52D, the illumination angle and the illumination distance can be changed, and the direct marking provided on the surface of the glossy object can be reliably read.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Subsequently, a two-dimensional code reader 10 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view of a two-dimensional code reader according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a bottom view of the cover 70. In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the fourth embodiment, the EL illumination panel formed in a truncated cone shape is divided into two in the axial direction of the cone. On the other hand, in the fifth embodiment, the EL lighting panel formed in the truncated cone shape is divided into two in the circumferential direction, and the right EL lighting panel 52R and the left EL lighting panel 52L are two pieces. It is configured.

In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the fifth embodiment, since the EL illumination panel formed in a truncated cone shape is divided into two in the circumferential direction, the same as the fourth embodiment described above with reference to FIG. The lighting direction can be changed by switching on / off the right EL lighting panel 52R and the left EL lighting panel 52L, and the direct marking provided on the surface of the glossy object can be read reliably. it can.

[Sixth Embodiment]
Next, a two-dimensional code reader 10 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11 is a sectional view of a two-dimensional code reader according to the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, a lower EL lighting panel 52D that is arranged at an angle close to an upright and that illuminates in the horizontal direction, and an upper EL lighting panel 52U that is arranged in an inclined manner and illuminates in an oblique direction are arranged in the cover 70. Has been. Also in the sixth embodiment, the upper EL illumination panel 52U and the lower EL illumination panel 52D are turned on and off as in the fourth embodiment.

In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the sixth embodiment, the illumination angle can be changed by switching on / off of the upper EL illumination panel 52U and the lower EL illumination panel 52D that are arranged with different arrangement angles. The direct marking provided on the surface of the glossy object can be reliably read.

[Seventh embodiment]
A two-dimensional code reader 10 according to a seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the seventh embodiment, the decoding result is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 62. When this display is performed, the EL illumination panel is turned on as a backlight of the liquid crystal panel 62, thereby making the display easy to read.

FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram of a display area on the liquid crystal panel in the seventh embodiment. In FIG. 13A, the liquid crystal panel 62 is viewed from above. Here, the grip portion 12 is attached in the direction of 270 ° in the drawing. 0 ° to 60 ° (area (1)) cannot be read from the front, but can be read only from the side. 60 ° to 180 ° (area (2)) can be measured directly on the front. 180 ° to 240 ° (area (3)) cannot be read from the front, but can be read only from the side. 240 ° to 360 ° (area (4)) is not visible because it is on the housing body side of the two-dimensional code reader. For this reason, in the seventh embodiment, information is displayed in an angle range of 180 ° to 240 ° (area (3)) of the liquid crystal panel 62.

Here, since information is displayed on the conical liquid crystal panel 62, it is difficult to interpret the information (characters) displayed as it is. For this reason, in the seventh embodiment, the character display is deformed for easy viewing. FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram showing the liquid crystal panel 62 having a truncated cone shape in a developed state. The length of the outer periphery where the upper end face is developed is A, the length of the outer circumference where the lower end face is developed is B, the length along the ridgeline is L, and the distance from the upper end face to the character is a, the distance a Based on the above, the character display is transformed by the following equation.

In the two-dimensional code reader 10 of the seventh embodiment, when information is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 62 without performing reading, the surface light source is turned on as a backlight of the liquid crystal panel, so that the information is displayed on the liquid crystal panel 62. Information can be easily viewed.

In the above-described fourth to sixth embodiments, the EL lighting panel is divided into two. However, it is also possible to divide the EL lighting panel into three or more and switch on / off. In this embodiment, the liquid crystal panel is automatically switched on / off, but this can also be performed manually.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of the two-dimensional code reader according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a bottom view of the cover. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the two-dimensional code reader shown in FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the EL illumination panel arrange | positioned between an outer board and an inner board, and a liquid crystal panel. FIGS. 4A and 4B are timing charts of control timings of the EL illumination panel 52 and the liquid crystal panel 62 of the two-dimensional code reader according to the first embodiment, and FIG. It is a timing chart of the control timing of the two-dimensional code reader which concerns on the modification of embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows adjustment of the illumination of the two-dimensional code reader of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the two-dimensional code reader which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the two-dimensional code reader which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view of a two-dimensional code reader according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8B is a bottom view of the cover. It is a flowchart which shows switching of the illumination of the two-dimensional code reader of 4th Embodiment. FIG. 10A is a cross-sectional view of the two-dimensional code reader according to the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 10B is a bottom view of the cover. It is sectional drawing of the two-dimensional code reader which concerns on 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the two-dimensional code reader which concerns on 7th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 13A is an explanatory diagram of a display area on the liquid crystal panel in the seventh embodiment, and FIG. 13B is an explanatory diagram of deformation of display characters.

Explanation of symbols

10 Two-dimensional code reader (hand-operated information reader)
11a Imaging aperture 14 Trigger switch 23 Light receiving sensor 27 Imaging lens 40 Control circuit (control means)
52, 52D, 52U, 52R, 52L Lighting panel (surface light source)
52c Dielectric layer (EL substrate)
52d phosphor layer (light emitting layer)
62 LCD panel 70 Cover

Claims (7)

A hand-held information reader that includes an optical system that forms an image of incident light from an imaging aperture on a light receiving surface of a light receiving sensor through an imaging lens and reads an information code from an image of the captured object:
A transparent or semi-transparent cover having an upper end side opening and a lower end side opening wider than the upper end side opening, the upper end side opening being attached to the imaging opening, and the lower end side opening corresponding to the object. A cover that can be touched,
A surface light source comprising an EL illumination panel formed of a transparent or translucent EL substrate and a transparent or translucent light emitting layer, the surface light source disposed on the cover and illuminating the inside of the cover, and voltage A liquid crystal panel that becomes opaque when a voltage is applied and becomes transparent when a voltage is not applied, and is disposed on the cover, and becomes opaque so that light from the surface light source is emitted to the outside of the cover. A liquid crystal panel that prevents the entrance of extraneous light into the cover through the cover and
When reading the information code, the surface light source is turned on to illuminate the inside of the cover, and the liquid crystal panel is made opaque, and control means is provided for preventing external light from entering the cover. A hand-held operation type information reading apparatus. The hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts a duty ratio of blinking of the surface light source. 2. The hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means adjusts brightness of the surface light source. The hand-held operation type information reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the EL lighting panel is formed in a truncated cone shape and divided into a plurality of parts in an axial direction of the cone. The handheld operation type information reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the EL lighting panel is formed in a truncated cone shape and is divided into a plurality of parts in a circumferential direction. The handheld operation type information reading apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of the EL lighting panels are provided, and the arrangement angles of the EL lighting panels are different. 7. The handheld operation type information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the information is displayed on the liquid crystal panel, the surface light source is turned on as a backlight of the liquid crystal panel.

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