JP2010152433A - Handy scanner terminal and operation control method for the handy scanner terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a handy scanner terminal allowing prevention of wrong operation of a key in time of bar code scan operation when having a key input function in addition to a bar code scan function of reading a bar code or a two-dimensional code. <P>SOLUTION: This handy scanner terminal includes a contact sensor 5 with which a finger or the like of a hand of an operator does not contact in time of reading operation of the bar code and/or the two-dimensional code by a bar code scan part 2 equipped in a rear face tip part of a body 1, and which detects contact of the finger or the like of the hand in a position predetermined as a position allowing the contact of the finger or the like of the hand of the operator in time of operation of the key 3 equipped in the front surface of the body 1.An installation position of the contact sensor 5 is positioned in the rear face or a side face of the body 1. When detecting the contact of the finger or the like of the hand in the contact sensor 5, the operation of the key 3 is made effective, the reading operation of the bar code scan part 2 is made ineffective. When not detecting the contact of the finger or the like of the hand in the contact sensor 5, the operation of the key 3 is made ineffective, and the reading operation of the bar code scan part 2 is made effective. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a handy scanner terminal and an operation control method for the handy scan terminal, and more particularly, to a handy scanner terminal capable of preventing erroneous key operation and an operation control method for the handy scan terminal.

A portable scanner terminal having a function of reading optical information such as a barcode and a two-dimensional code, that is, a handy scanner terminal, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-326545 “Mobile Terminal Device” of Patent Document 1, In general, a scanner is provided at the front end of the main body, and a display device is disposed above the surface side of the main body, and a keyboard is disposed below the center of the surface side. Therefore, when you hold the hand grip of the handy scanner terminal body and try to scan the target barcode or two-dimensional code, cover the keyboard located below the center of the body with your palm. In some cases, one of the keys on the keyboard touches the palm, and the key is erroneously operated.
JP 2004-326545 A (page 4-7)

  As described above, in the conventional handy scanner terminal, if the handy scanner terminal main body has a grip portion for reading bar codes or two-dimensional codes of products, etc. Since the keyboard that is placed will be covered with the palm, especially when the body is gripped strongly, an operation will be performed such as pressing any key on the keyboard placed on the surface of the body with the palm. There is a problem that the key information is erroneously input and not only the reading operation of the handy scanner terminal cannot be normally performed but also the operation of the handy scanner terminal itself cannot be performed in some cases.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and in a handy scanner terminal having a key input function for inputting data in addition to a barcode scan function for reading optical information such as a barcode and a two-dimensional code, An object of the present invention is to provide a handy scanner terminal capable of preventing an erroneous operation of a key when performing an operation of reading optical information such as a bar code or a two-dimensional code, and an operation control method of the handy scan terminal. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the handy scanner terminal according to the present invention employs the following characteristic configuration.

  (1) A handy scanner terminal provided with a bar code scanning unit for reading a barcode and / or a two-dimensional code at the back end of the main body and a key for inputting data on the surface of the main body. The finger and palm of the operator's hand do not come in contact with the barcode scanning unit and / or the two-dimensional code read by the barcode scanning unit, and the finger of the operator's hand does not touch the key provided on the surface of the main body. Alternatively, a handy scanner terminal provided with a contact sensor that detects contact of a finger of a hand or a palm at a predetermined position where the palm can contact.

  According to the handy scanner terminal and the operation control method of the handy scan terminal of the present invention, the finger or palm of the hand can be touched when the operator performs a key operation, and when the bar code reading operation is performed. Since a contact sensor that enables key operation by touching with a finger or palm at a predetermined position as a position where contact cannot be made is provided, the following effects can be obtained.

  In the case of a handy scanner terminal equipped with a bar code reading function and a key operation function, in general, how to hold the main body when operating the keys arranged in the lower part from the center of the main body surface side of the handy scanner terminal This is different from the way of holding the main body when the barcode and / or two-dimensional code is read by the barcode scanning unit arranged at the front end on the back side of the main body. Therefore, when the barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading operation is performed, the operator may hold the main body strongly during the barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading operation. Even if one of the keys is accidentally pressed with the finger or palm of the hand, the finger or palm of the hand may touch the contact sensor mounted at the appropriate position on the back or side of the main unit. Since there is no key operation, the key operation becomes invalid, and erroneous key input can be surely prevented.

  In addition, when the contact of the finger or palm of the hand is detected by the contact sensor 5, the key input operation is being performed and the barcode or two-dimensional code is not being read. By turning off the light emitting diodes (LEDs) provided in the bar code scanning unit, it is possible to reduce power consumption and extend the operation time longer.

  Preferred embodiments of a handy scanner terminal and an operation control method for the handy scan terminal according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The handy scanner terminal according to the present invention is not limited to a scanner function dedicated terminal for reading a barcode and / or a two-dimensional code, but has both a barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading function and a key input function. As long as the portable information terminals are provided in different parts, any type of terminal may be used, for example, a mobile phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants).

(Features of the present invention)
Prior to the description of the embodiments of the present invention, an outline of the features of the present invention will be described first. The present invention provides a handy scanner terminal in which a bar code scanning unit is mounted on a front end portion of a main body and a key and a display unit are mounted on the front surface of the main body. The main feature is that it is equipped with a contact sensor that enables input. Here, the handy scanner terminal may be a battery-driven terminal for portable use, or may be a type driven by a power source supplied from the master unit.

  By installing a contact sensor such as this, when a key input is necessary, the finger or palm of the hand is brought into contact with the contact sensor, and the key input operation state in which the key operation is enabled is switched. On the other hand, if key input is not required, holding the main body so that the finger or palm of the hand does not touch the contact sensor can invalidate key operations and prevent erroneous key input. it can.

  In other words, the usage scene of the handy scanner terminal can be divided into two modes of “bar code or two-dimensional code scan” mode and “key input” mode, so that the handy scanner according to each mode. You can change the way you hold the terminal to grip the body. Here, as will be described later, since the method of holding the main body is generally different between the case of scanning a bar code or two-dimensional code and the case of performing key input, a contact sensor is used. If you hold the keypad when you hold it, the finger or palm of your hand will come into contact, and if you scan a barcode or 2D code, your finger or palm will not touch What is necessary is just to arrange | position in the position.

(Configuration of Example)
Next, an embodiment of the handy scanner terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the front side of the handy scanner terminal according to the present invention and how to hold the main body when performing key input, and FIG. 2 is the configuration of the back side of the handy scanner terminal according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of how to hold the main body when performing key input. Here, the way of holding the handy scanner terminal main body in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows how to hold the handy scanner terminal main body when a key input is performed by a general thumb operation in a portable terminal or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the main body 1 of the handy scanner terminal of this embodiment has a bar code scanning unit for reading optical information of a bar code and / or a two-dimensional code at the front end portion on the back side of the main body. 2, a data input key 3 composed of character keys, numeric keys, function keys, etc. from the central part to the lower part on the main body surface side, and a liquid crystal panel etc. on the upper part on the main body surface side In order to detect whether or not to allow key input by switching to a key input operation state in which the key operation is enabled at the center on the back side of the main body, A contact sensor 5 for detecting the contact of a finger or palm of the hand is mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the contact sensor 5 mounted in the center part on the back side of the main body is the contact sensor 5 at the abdomen between the index finger and the middle finger when holding the main body when performing key input. 2, but is not limited to such a case. For example, in the vicinity of the boundary with the upper part on the back side of the main body in FIG. It may be mounted at a position on the left side of the center or in the vicinity of the boundary with the upper part of the left side surface of the main body in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the front side of the handy scanner terminal according to the present invention and how to hold the main body when performing a scanning operation, and FIG. 4 is the back side of the handy scanner terminal according to the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of how to hold a main body in the case of performing a structure and a scanning operation.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when a barcode scanning unit and / or a two-dimensional code reading operation is performed by operating the barcode scanning unit 2 provided at the tip on the back side of the main body, FIG. 2 is the opposite of the way of holding the main body 1 (how to hold the palm on the back side of the main body) when performing key input, and the palm covers the lower side from the center of the key 3 on the front side of the main body. In addition, the main body 1 will be held. Therefore, when performing a scanning operation, the finger or palm of the hand does not come into contact with the contact sensor 5 mounted at the center on the back side of the main body, and the key operation becomes invalid.

  Note that the contact sensor 5 is not located at the center on the back side of the main body, for example, at the position on the left side of the center near the boundary with the upper part on the back side of the main body in FIG. 2 or FIG. Even if it is mounted near the boundary with the upper part of the part, when performing key input, it is possible to contact the contact sensor 5 with the fingertip of the index finger, but when performing a scanning operation, It becomes the state which cannot contact the sensor 5, and becomes equivalent to the case where it mounts in the center part of the main body back side.

(Description of operation of the embodiment)
Next, the operation of the handy scanner terminal of this embodiment will be further described. When the handy scanner terminal operator is holding the main body 1 of the handy scanner terminal in the manner shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to perform key input operation, as described above, the handy scanner terminal is mounted at the center on the back side of the main body. Since it is detected that the finger or palm of the hand has come into contact with the contact sensor 5, the key 3 disposed from the center of the main body surface portion toward the lower portion can be operated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to input arbitrary characters and numbers by operating the thumb of the key 3 or switch functions by operating the function keys.

  On the other hand, when the operator of the handy scanner terminal tries to perform a bar code and / or two-dimensional code scanning operation and holds the main body 1 of the handy scanner terminal in the manner shown in FIGS. Since the finger or palm of the hand does not contact the contact sensor 5 mounted at the center on the back side, the contact of the finger or palm of the hand is not detected by the contact sensor 5, and the operation of the key 3 is set to an invalid state. Is done. For this reason, even if the operation of the key 3 arranged from the center of the main body surface part toward the lower part is performed, or even if the finger or palm of the hand inadvertently contacts the key 3, Cannot accept input. 3 and 4, the finger or palm of the hand accidentally presses the key 3 by squeezing the main body 1 of the handy scanner terminal while performing the scanning operation. Even if this is the case, it is possible to reliably prevent an erroneous input of the key.

(Explanation of the effect of this embodiment)
As described in detail above, in a handy scanner terminal having at least a barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading function and a key input function, the finger of a hand is placed at an appropriate position on the back surface or side surface of the main body 1. Alternatively, since the touch sensor 5 that enables key operation by touching with a palm is mounted, the following effects can be obtained.

  How to hold the main body 1 when operating the key 3 arranged at the lower part from the center of the surface of the main body 1 of the handy scanner terminal, and reading by the bar code scanning unit 2 arranged at the tip of the back surface of the main body 1 As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the way of holding the main body 1 when performing the operation is generally different, so that FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 when performing the reading operation by the barcode scanning unit 2 are shown in FIG. Even if one of the keys 3 is accidentally pressed with the finger or palm of the hand, for example, by strongly grasping the main body 1 during the reading operation in the holding manner shown, the back or side surface of the main body 1 should be appropriate. Since the finger or palm of the hand does not touch the contact sensor 5 mounted at the position, the key operation becomes invalid, and erroneous key input can be surely prevented.

  When the contact sensor 5 detects a finger or palm contact, the operation of the key 3 is permitted, and the operator of the handy scanner terminal performs a reading operation by the barcode scanning unit 2. Instead, the input operation using the key 3 is being performed. Therefore, in such a key input operation permission state, the barcode scanning unit 2 does not perform a barcode or two-dimensional code reading operation. Therefore, a light emitting diode (LED: Light Emitting) provided in the barcode scanning unit 2 is not performed. There is no need to turn on the diode.

  Therefore, when the contact of the finger or palm of the hand is detected by the contact sensor 5, it is possible to reduce power consumption by turning off the light emitting diode (LED) provided in the barcode scanning unit 2. In addition, the operation time may be extended longer.

The configuration of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, it should be noted that such examples are merely illustrative of the invention and do not limit the invention in any way. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that various modifications and changes can be made according to a specific application without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, as an operation control method of a handy scan terminal having a function of reading a bar code and / or a two-dimensional code and a data input function, a touch sensor that detects contact of a finger or palm of a hand is provided, and the bar code and / or 2 The contact sensor is arranged at a position predetermined as a position where the finger or palm of the operator's hand can contact the contact sensor during one of the dimension code reading operation or key operation. Depending on whether the finger or palm of the operator's hand touches the contact sensor, one of key operation, bar code and / or two-dimensional code reading operation is set to an effective state, and the other is disabled. The barcode and / or two-dimensional code may be set according to whether the finger or palm of the hand touches the contact sensor. If you set the read operation of de invalid state may be a light emitting diode provided in the bar code scanning to turn off. Moreover, the embodiment of the present invention can be expressed as the following configuration in addition to the configuration (1) in the means for solving the problems.
(2) The handy scanner terminal according to (1), wherein the position where the contact sensor is installed is the back surface or the side surface of the main body.
(3) When the contact of the finger or palm of the hand is detected by the contact sensor, the key operation is set to an effective state, and the barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading operation is set to an invalid state. (1) or (2) handy scanner terminal.
(4) If the touch sensor does not detect finger or palm contact, set the key operation to invalid and set the barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading operation to valid. The handy scanner terminal of (1) or (2) above.
(5) The handy scanner terminal according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein when the contact sensor detects contact of a finger or palm, the light emitting diode provided in the barcode scanning unit is turned off. .
(6) An operation control method for a handy scanner terminal having a function of reading a bar code and / or a two-dimensional code and a data input function, comprising a contact sensor for detecting a finger or palm contact of the hand, / Or the contact sensor at a position determined in advance as a position where the finger or palm of the operator's hand can contact the contact sensor at the time of either the two-dimensional code reading operation or the key operation. Is set, and one of key operation, bar code and / or two-dimensional code reading operation is set to an effective state depending on whether or not the finger or palm of the operator's hand touches the contact sensor, The operation control method of the handy scanner terminal to set to disable.
(7) Barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading operation is set in an invalid state in accordance with the presence or absence of a finger or palm contact with the contact sensor, provided for barcode scanning (6) The handy scanner terminal operation control method of (6) above, wherein the light emitting diode is turned off.

It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of how to hold a main body in the case of performing the structure of the surface side of the handy scanner terminal by this invention, and key input. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the structure of the back surface side of the handy scanner terminal by this invention, and how to hold a main body in the case of performing key input. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of how to hold the main body when performing the structure of the surface side of the handy scanner terminal by this invention, and scanning operation. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of how to hold the main body when performing the scanning operation and the configuration of the back side of the handy scanner terminal according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body (Handy Scanner Terminal body)
2 Barcode scanning unit 3 Key 4 Display unit 5 Contact sensor

Claims (7)

  In a handy scanner terminal having a barcode scanning unit for reading a barcode and / or a two-dimensional code at the front end of the main body and a key for inputting data on the surface of the main body, the handy scanner terminal provided at the front end of the main body The finger and palm of the operator's hand do not come in contact with the barcode scanning unit and / or the two-dimensional code read operation by the barcode scanning unit, and the finger or palm of the operator's hand does not touch the key provided on the surface of the main body. A handy scanner terminal comprising a contact sensor for detecting contact of a finger or a palm at a predetermined position where contact can be made.   The handy scanner terminal according to claim 1, wherein a position where the contact sensor is installed is a back surface of the main body or a side surface of the main body.   When contact of a finger or palm is detected by the contact sensor, the key operation is set to an effective state, and the barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading operation is set to an invalid state. The handy scanner terminal according to claim 1 or 2.   If the touch sensor does not detect finger or palm contact, set the key operation to an invalid state and set the barcode and / or two-dimensional code reading operation to an effective state. The handy scanner terminal according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that:   The handy scanner according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when a contact of a finger or a palm is detected by the contact sensor, a light emitting diode provided in the barcode scanning unit is turned off. Terminal.   An operation control method of a handy scanner terminal having a function of reading a bar code and / or a two-dimensional code and a data input function, comprising a contact sensor for detecting a finger or palm contact of the hand, and the bar code and / or 2 The contact sensor is arranged at a position predetermined as a position where the finger or palm of the operator's hand can contact the contact sensor during one of the dimension code reading operation or key operation. Depending on whether the finger or palm of the operator's hand touches the contact sensor, one of key operation, bar code and / or two-dimensional code reading operation is set to an effective state, and the other is disabled. An operation control method for a handy scanner terminal, characterized by: setting.   When the reading operation of the barcode and / or the two-dimensional code is set to an invalid state depending on whether the finger or palm of the hand touches the contact sensor, a light emitting diode provided for barcode scanning is provided. 7. The handy scanner terminal operation control method according to claim 6, wherein the operation is turned off.

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