JP2015072597A - Optical information reading device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical information reading device in which influence of illumination light caused by irradiation error can be prevented.SOLUTION: By reading processing executed by a control circuit 40, on the basis of an acceleration signal outputted from a three-axis motion sensor 50, whether an optical information reading device 10 is in a still state of being still or a non-still state of not being still is determined, and irradiation of illumination light Lf of an illumination light source 21 is stopped at the time of determining the non-still state so as to be lower than illuminance of the illumination light Lf of the illumination light source 21 at the time of determining the still state.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical information reader.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an information code reading apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a technique related to an optical information reading apparatus that optically reads an information code. In this information code reading device, a self-luminous transparent FPD is arranged in a reading window, and the self-luminous transparent FPD is operated so that information is displayed at a predetermined cycle and is transparent when information is not displayed. To do. When the light from the illuminator arranged in the housing is transmitted through the transparent self-luminous transparent FPD and irradiated onto the information code held over the reading window, the reflected light from the information code is self-luminous. The information code is decoded (decoded) by being transmitted through the transparent FPD and received by the light receiving sensor in the housing. In this manner, the information window reader is miniaturized by providing the reading window with a display function.

JP 2007-287909 A

  By the way, in the information code reading operation using the stationary optical information reading device, basically, the reading device itself is placed on a predetermined placement surface, and the information code is held over the reading port. Read. However, when reading an information code displayed on a large product, the reader itself may be moved or tilted to direct the reading port to the information code. There is a possibility that erroneous illumination of illumination light that causes the illumination light to enter the human eye by mistake occurs. In particular, in a stationary optical information reader, the illumination light is often constantly lit to free both hands of the reader, and the above problem is likely to occur. In addition, the above-described problem may occur when the portable optical information reader is moved while being irradiated with illumination light.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical information reading apparatus capable of suppressing the influence of illumination light caused by erroneous irradiation.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 of the claims includes an irradiation means (21) for irradiating the information code (C) with illumination light (Lf), and the illumination of the irradiation means. Based on a control means (40) for controlling the illuminance of light, a light receiving means (28) for receiving reflected light from the information code, and a signal output from the light receiving means in response to the reflected light from the information code. An optical information reader (10) comprising: a decoding means (40) for decoding the information code, wherein the optical information reader is stationary and non-stationary. Determination means (40) for determining whether the illumination light intensity of the illuminating means at the time of determination by the determination means to be in the non-stationary state is determined by the determination means. Stationary Than the illuminance of the illumination light of the illumination means in on purpose of determining when to and decreases.
In addition, the code | symbol in each said parenthesis shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the optical information reader is provided with a determination unit that determines whether the optical information reader is stationary or non-stationary. The illuminance of the illumination light of the irradiation unit at the time of determination by the determination unit as the non-stationary state is lower than the illuminance of the illumination light of the irradiation unit at the time of determination by the determination unit as the stationary state.

  Thereby, when it is determined that the optical information reader is carried to read the information code and is in a non-stationary state, the illuminance of the illumination light emitted from the irradiating means is in a stationary state, that is, Since it is lower than that in the normal mounting state, it is possible to suppress the influence of illumination light caused by erroneous irradiation.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the moving distance from the reference position of the optical information reading device calculated by the moving distance calculating means exceeds the predetermined distance threshold, the determining means determines that it is in a non-stationary state. As described above, whether the stationary state or the non-stationary state is determined based on the moving distance of the optical information reading apparatus, so that the stationary determination accuracy is improved with respect to the movement, and therefore the influence of illumination light caused by erroneous irradiation. Can be reliably suppressed.

  In the third aspect of the invention, the determining means determines that the optical information reading device calculated by the rotation angle calculating means is in a non-stationary state when the rotation angle from the reference angle exceeds a predetermined angle threshold. As described above, whether the stationary state or the non-stationary state is determined based on the rotation angle of the optical information reader, so that the stationary determination accuracy with respect to the rotation is improved. Can be reliably suppressed.

  In the invention of claim 4, when the moving distance calculated by the moving distance calculating means exceeds a predetermined distance threshold or the rotation angle calculated by the rotation angle calculating means exceeds a predetermined angle threshold by the determining means, The state is determined. Thus, since it is determined whether the stationary state or the non-stationary state is based on both the moving distance and the rotation angle of the optical information reading device, the optical information reading device can be operated with a small change in the rotation angle. Even when the optical information reader is tilted while moving or when the change in the moving distance is small, it is determined that the optical information reader is in a non-stationary state, so that the stationary determination accuracy can be improved.

  In the invention of claim 5, since the predetermined distance threshold value can be changed by the distance threshold value changing means, for example, the predetermined distance threshold value is increased in a use environment in which the optical information reader is easily carried. By changing the predetermined distance threshold according to the use environment, it is possible to adjust the stillness determination accuracy so as to be suitable for the use environment. Thereby, the optical information reader according to the present invention can be employed in various usage environments.

  In the invention of claim 6, since the predetermined angle threshold value can be changed by the angle threshold value changing unit, for example, the predetermined angle threshold value is increased in a usage environment in which the optical information reader is frequently carried. By changing the predetermined angle threshold according to the usage environment, it is possible to adjust the stillness determination accuracy to suit the usage environment. Thereby, the optical information reader according to the present invention can be employed in various usage environments.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the duration for which the state determined to be in the non-still state continues exceeds a predetermined time threshold, information for prompting the optical information reader to stop is notified by the notification means. As a result, the reading operator can easily recognize that the illuminance of the illumination light of the irradiating means is reduced because the optical information reader is not stationary. Furthermore, the reader who has received the notification can smoothly switch to an irradiation state in which the illuminance for reading the information code is not reduced by stopping the optical information reader at a position where the information code can be read. it can.

  In the invention of claim 8, since the predetermined time threshold value can be changed by the time threshold value changing means, for example, the predetermined time threshold value is increased in a usage environment in which the optical information reader is easily carried, etc. By changing the predetermined threshold value according to the use environment, it is possible to adjust the stillness determination accuracy to suit the use environment. Thereby, the optical information reader according to the present invention can be employed in various usage environments.

It is a perspective view which shows the optical information reader which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure of the optical information reader of FIG. 2 is a part of a flowchart illustrating the flow of a reading process in the first embodiment. 2 is a part of a flowchart illustrating the flow of a reading process in the first embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the movement of the optical information reader outside a regulation range. It is a part of flowchart which illustrates the flow of the reading process in 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the inclination of the optical information reading apparatus exceeding the regulation angle range.

[First Embodiment]
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which an optical information reading device of the invention is embodied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the optical information reading apparatus 10 of FIG.

  An optical information reader 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a stationary reader that optically reads an information code such as a one-dimensional code such as a bar code or a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark). An outline is constituted by a substantially rectangular box-shaped housing 11 made of a synthetic resin such as resin, and a circuit portion 20 for reading an information code is accommodated in the housing 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit unit 20 accommodated in the housing 11 mainly includes an optical system such as an illumination light source 21, a light receiving sensor 28, and an imaging lens 27, a memory 35, and a micro circuit such as a control circuit 40. And a computer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) system.

  The optical system is divided into a light projecting optical system and a light receiving optical system. The illumination light source 21 constituting the light projecting optical system functions as an irradiation unit that irradiates the information code with illumination light Lf. For example, a white LED and light from the LED are emitted toward the reading window 13. It is comprised from the optical member etc. which do. FIG. 2 conceptually shows an example in which the illumination light Lf is irradiated through the reading window 13 toward the article R to which the information code C is attached.

  The light receiving optical system includes a light receiving sensor 28, an imaging lens 27, a reflecting mirror (not shown), and the like. The light receiving sensor 28 is an area sensor in which light receiving elements, which are solid-state imaging elements such as C-MOS and CCD, are arranged in a two-dimensional manner, and is configured as a camera module. The light receiving means is configured to receive the reflected light Lr. The light receiving sensor 28 is mounted on a printed wiring board (not shown) so as to be able to receive incident light incident through the imaging lens 27.

  The imaging lens 27 functions as an imaging optical system capable of condensing incident light incident from the outside through the reading window 13 and forming an image on the light receiving surface 28a of the light receiving sensor 28. In the present embodiment, after the illumination light Lf emitted from the illumination light source 21 is reflected by the information code, the reflected light Lr is condensed by the imaging lens 27 and a code image is formed on the light receiving surface 28a of the light receiving sensor 28. I am letting you image.

  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, and the like. 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 performs signal processing on the image signal of the information code captured by the optical system described above in hardware and software. It is possible.

  The image signal (analog signal) output from the light receiving sensor 28 of the optical system is input to the amplification circuit 31 and amplified with a predetermined gain, and then input to the A / D conversion circuit 33. Converted. When the digitized image signal, that is, image data (image information) is input to the memory 35, it is stored in the image data storage area. The synchronization signal generation circuit 38 is configured to generate a synchronization signal for the light receiving sensor 28 and the address generation circuit 36, and 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 above-described image data storage area, the RAM of the memory 35 is configured to be able to secure a work area and a reading condition table used by the control circuit 40 in each processing such as arithmetic operation and logical operation. . The ROM stores in advance a predetermined program that can execute reading processing, analysis processing, and the like, and a system program that can control each hardware such as the illumination light source 21 and the light receiving sensor 28.

  The control circuit 40 is a microcomputer capable of controlling the entire optical information reading device 10 and includes a CPU, a system bus, an input / output interface, and the like, and can constitute an information processing device together with the memory 35 and has an information processing function. . The control circuit 40 is configured to be connectable to various input / output devices (peripheral devices) via a built-in input / output interface. In this embodiment, the control circuit 40 includes an operation unit 42, light emission. The unit 43, the buzzer 44, the communication interface 48, and the like are connected.

  Thereby, for example, the control circuit 40 turns on / off the light emitting unit 43 that functions as an indicator for notifying various kinds of control according to operation signals input in response to operation of the operation unit 42 and reading of the information code, The buzzer 44 capable of generating a beep sound and an alarm sound can be turned on / off, and communication control of the communication interface 48 enabling serial communication with an external device can be performed.

  Further, the control circuit 40 is connected with a three-axis motion sensor 50 as a three-axis acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in the three-axis direction. The triaxial motion sensor 50 detects the acceleration in the triaxial direction and the angular acceleration around the triaxial axis of the optical information reading apparatus 10 with respect to the vertical direction or the like, and generates an acceleration signal corresponding to the detection result. , And output to the control circuit 40. The three-axis motion sensor 50 detects acceleration in three axis directions (x direction, y direction, z direction) and angular acceleration around three axes (x axis, y axis, z axis). The movement distance and inclination of the optical information reading apparatus 10 in the three-axis directions can be respectively calculated.

Next, a reading process for preventing erroneous irradiation of the illumination light Lf when the information code is optically read in the optical information reading apparatus 10 configured as described above will be described below.
In the reading process performed by the control circuit 40 in the present embodiment, the optical information reader is controlled based on the detection result of the three-axis motion sensor 50 in order to control the illumination light source 21 to prevent erroneous illumination of the illumination light Lf. When it is determined that 10 is moving, the irradiation of the illumination light Lf is stopped. For example, when reading an information code displayed on a large product, if the reading operator moves the optical information reader 10 itself to point the reading window 13 at the information code, this optical code is read. During the movement of the information reading apparatus 10, the irradiation of the illumination light Lf can be stopped. The control circuit 40 may correspond to an example of “control means”.

  Hereinafter, the reading process performed by the control circuit 40 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts illustrating the flow of reading processing in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the movement of the optical information reading apparatus 10 outside the specified range.

  When the optical information reader 10 is turned on according to the operation of the operation unit 42, the control circuit 40 starts reading processing, and first, initial setting shown in step S101 of FIG. 3 is performed. In this process, the current measurement position of the optical information reader 10 is set as the starting position (origin) P, and the flags F1 and F2 are set to F1 = 0 and F2 = 0, respectively. Here, the flag F1 is a flag indicating whether or not the measurement position of the optical information reading apparatus 10 is located within a specified range with reference to the starting position P set as described above, and F1 = 0. Indicates a state that is located within the specified range, and F1 = 1 indicates a state that is not located within the specified range. Further, the flag F2 is a flag indicating whether or not the optical information reader 10 is in a state in which stationary measurement is continued. F2 = 0 indicates a state in which stationary measurement is not performed, and F2 = 1 indicates that Indicates that the stationary measurement is continued.

  Next, the current position calculation process shown in step S103 is performed. In this process, the coordinates (Xc, Yc, Zc) of the measurement position of the optical information reading device 10 based on the starting position P are calculated based on the acceleration signal output from the triaxial motion sensor 50.

Subsequently, in the determination process shown in step S105, it is determined whether or not the optical information reader 10 is located within the specified range. In the present embodiment, when all of the following three conditional expressions (1) to (3) are satisfied, it is determined that the optical information reader 10 is located within the specified range.
Xth1 <Xc <Xth2 (1)
Yth1 <Yc <Yth2 (2)
Zth1 <Zc <Zth2 (3)
Xth1, Xth2, Yth1, Yth2, Zth1, and Zth2 are preset threshold values, and the values can be changed according to the use environment.

  Here, since it is immediately after the starting position P is set, Xc = 0, Yc = 0, Zc = 0, and when all of the conditional expressions (1) to (3) are satisfied (S105) Yes), the irradiation process shown in step S129 of FIG. 4 is performed, and the illumination light Lf from the illumination light source 21 is emitted outward through the reading window 13. That is, when the optical information reader 10 is located within the specified range, the illumination light Lf for reading the information code is irradiated through the reading window 13.

  Next, based on the light reception signal output from the light receiving sensor 28 according to the external light received through the reading window 13 in the state where the imaging process shown in step S131 is performed and the illumination light Lf is irradiated, the captured image is displayed. Is generated. Subsequently, a decoding process shown in step S133 is performed, and a known decoding process is performed on the captured image. Here, since the information code is not imaged, the decoding has failed (No in S135), and if the end operation or the like is not performed (No in S139), the processing from Step S103 is repeated.

  On the other hand, when the reading operator holds the information code over the reading window 13 of the optical information reading device 10 located within the specified range, the captured information code is successfully decoded and is encoded as the information code. When the converted character data or the like is acquired (Yes in S135), the output process shown in step S137 is performed. In this processing, the acquired character data or the like is transmitted (output) to a higher system such as an external device via the communication interface 48. If the end operation or the like is not performed (No in S139), the processing from Step S103 is repeated. The control circuit 40 that executes the decoding process may correspond to an example of a “decoding unit”.

  During the iterative process from step S103 as described above, as shown in FIG. 5, the optical information reader 10 has moved out of the specified range, so at least one of the conditional expressions (1) to (3) above. Is not satisfied, it is determined No in step S105 because the optical information reader 10 is not located within the specified range. Here, when the optical information reading device 10 moves, for example, in order to hold the information code displayed on a large product over the reading window 13, the reading operator moves to the position of the information code. This is the case when 10 is carried.

  If it is determined No in step S105 as described above, it is determined in step S107 whether or not the flag F1 is F1 = 1. If F1 = 0 is set (No in S107). In step S109, F1 = 1 is set. Subsequently, the first time measurement process shown in step S111 is performed, and time measurement of the elapsed time T1 after the optical information reader 10 is carried outside the specified range is started. If the elapsed time T1 has not passed a predetermined time threshold (hereinafter also referred to as the first time threshold Tth1), it is determined No in step S113. The control circuit 40 that executes the first time measurement process corresponds to an example of “time measuring means”, and the elapsed time T1 and the first time threshold value Tth1 are examples of “continuation time” and “predetermined time threshold value”. It can be equivalent.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the flag F2 is F2 = 1 in step S117. If F2 = 0 is set (No in S117), F2 = 1 is set in step S119. .

  Subsequently, a stationary determination reference setting process shown in step S121 is performed. In this process, the stationary determination reference position coordinates Xc1, Yc1, Zc1 are set to be equal to the current position coordinates Xc, Yc, Zc calculated in step S103 immediately before. Then, the second time measurement process shown in step S123 is performed, and time measurement of the elapsed time T2 is started.

Next, in the determination process shown in step S125, is the optical information reader 10 stationary based on the relationship between the current position coordinates Xc, Yc, Zc and the stationary determination reference position coordinates Xc1, Yc1, Zc1? It is determined whether or not.
Specifically, it is determined that the optical information reader 10 is stationary when all of the following three conditional expressions (4) to (6) are satisfied.
| Xc1-Xc | <Xstop (4)
| Yc1-Yc | <Ystop (5)
| Zc1-Zc | <Zstop (6)
Note that Xstop, Ystop, and Zstop are preset distance determination distance threshold values that can be changed according to the use environment. The control circuit 40 that executes the determination process corresponds to an example of “determination means”, and the left side of the conditional expressions (4) to (6) corresponds to “movement distance from the reference position”. The motion sensor 50 may correspond to an example of “movement distance calculation unit”.

  Here, since the reference position coordinates Xc1, Yc1, and Zc1 for stillness determination are immediately after being set, since Xc1 = Xc, Yc1 = Yc, and Zc = Zc1, the conditional expressions (4) to (6) are satisfied. When all the conditions are satisfied (Yes in S125) and the elapsed time T2 has not passed the predetermined time threshold (hereinafter also referred to as the second time threshold Tth2) (No in S127), the processing from Step S103 is performed. The For this reason, since the irradiation process is not performed until the elapsed time T2 becomes equal to or greater than the second time threshold value Tth2, the irradiation of the illumination light Lf is stopped. The second time threshold value Tth2 is set to 2 to 3 s, for example.

  When the processing from step S103 is performed and the optical information reading apparatus 10 continues to move, if at least one of the conditional expressions (4) to (6) is not satisfied, No in step S125. And the stationary determination reference position coordinates Xc1, Yc1, Zc1 are reset (S121), and the elapsed time T2 is started again (S123). That is, while the optical information reader 10 continues to move, the elapsed time T2 is not started to be measured.

  Thereafter, when the optical information reader 10 is stopped because the reading operator has finished moving the optical information reader so that the reading window 13 faces the information code, the conditional expressions (4) to (6) are satisfied. While the state where everything is satisfied (Yes in S125) continues, the elapsed time T2 continues to be measured. If the elapsed time T2 during which the time measurement continues does not exceed the second time threshold value Tth2, it is determined in step S127 that the optical information reader 10 is not completely stationary and is not stationary. It is determined No and the processing from step S103 is performed. That is, the irradiation stop state of the illumination light Lf is continued until the state where the optical information reader 10 is stationary continues for a predetermined time (until the elapsed time T2 exceeds the second time threshold value Tth2). For this reason, it is possible to reliably prevent the irradiation stop state of the illumination light Lf from being released only by temporarily stopping the optical information reader 10.

  Then, when a predetermined time elapses after the optical information reader 10 is stationary and the elapsed time T2 is equal to or greater than the second time threshold value Tth2 (Yes in S127), the optical information reader 10 is assumed to be stationary. The processes after step S129 are performed. That is, when it is determined that the movement of the optical information reading device 10 is completed because the optical information reading device 10 is still stationary, the illumination light Lf is irradiated through the reading window 13. In the state, the process after step S131 is performed.

  On the other hand, if the elapsed time T1 becomes equal to or greater than the first time threshold value Tth1 when the processing from step S103 is repeated because the optical information reader 10 continues to move (Yes in S113), step S115 is performed. Warning processing shown in FIG. In this process, since the optical information reading device 10 continues to move, the processing after step S129 cannot be performed, and thus a notification for prompting the optical information reading device 10 to stop is performed by the notification means. In the present embodiment, for example, flashing of the light emitting unit 43 or ringing of the buzzer 44 is employed as notification for prompting the optical information reading apparatus 10 to be stopped by the notification unit.

  As described above, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to this embodiment, the optical information reading apparatus 10 is stationary and not stationary by the reading process performed by the control circuit 40. It is determined whether it is a non-stationary state, the irradiation of the illumination light Lf of the illumination light source 21 at the time of determination of the non-stationary state is stopped, and the illumination light Lf of the illumination light source 21 at the time of determination of the stationary state It is lower than the illuminance.

  Thereby, when it is determined that the optical information reader 10 is carried for reading the information code, the illumination intensity of the illumination light Lf emitted from the illumination light source 21 is stationary. At the time, that is, lower than the normal mounting state, it is possible to suppress the influence of illumination light caused by erroneous irradiation.

  When it is determined that the light source 21 is not stationary, the illumination light source 21 is not limited to stopping the irradiation of the illumination light Lf, and the illumination light source 21 is easier than the stationary state to direct the reading window 13 toward the information code. The illumination light Lf may be irradiated with a reduced illuminance.

  Further, the movement distances (| Xc1-Xc |, | Yc1-Yc |, | Zc1-Zc |) from the reference position of the optical information reading apparatus 10 calculated in the determination process in step S125 are predetermined distance threshold values. When (Xstop, Ystop, Zstop) is exceeded, it is determined that the state is not stationary. Since it is determined whether the stationary state or the non-stationary state is based on the moving distance of the optical information reading apparatus 10 in this way, the stationary determination accuracy with respect to the movement is improved, so that the illumination light Lf caused by erroneous irradiation is improved. Can be reliably suppressed.

  It should be noted that Xstop, Ystop, and Zstop, which are distance threshold values for stillness determination, may be changed according to the use environment by changing processing by the control circuit 40. That is, in a usage environment in which the optical information reader 10 is frequently carried, the stationary determination accuracy is adjusted to be suitable for the usage environment by changing it according to the usage environment, such as increasing Xstop, Ystop, and Zstop. can do. Thereby, the optical information reader 10 according to the present invention can be employed in various usage environments. The control circuit 40 that executes the change process may correspond to an example of a “distance threshold change unit”.

  Further, when the elapsed time T1 becomes equal to or greater than the first time threshold value Tth1, information for prompting the optical information reader 10 to stop is notified by blinking of the light emitting unit 43, ringing of the buzzer 44, or the like. Thereby, since the optical information reader 10 is not stationary, the reading operator can easily recognize that the irradiation of the illumination light Lf of the illumination light source 21 is stopped (decrease in illuminance). Further, the reading operator who has received the notification makes the optical information reading device 10 stand still at a position where the information code can be read, thereby smoothly switching to an irradiation state in which the illuminance for reading the information code is not reduced. Can do.

  The first time threshold value Tth1 may be changeable according to the use environment by a change process by the control circuit 40. In other words, in a usage environment in which the optical information reader 10 is frequently carried, the stationary time determination accuracy is adjusted to suit the usage environment by changing it according to the usage environment, such as increasing the first time threshold value Tth1. can do. Thereby, the optical information reader 10 according to the present invention can be employed in various usage environments. Similarly, the second time threshold value Tth2 may be changeable according to the use environment by a change process by the control circuit 40. The control circuit 40 that executes the change process may correspond to an example of a “time threshold value changing unit”.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an optical information reading apparatus according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a part of a flowchart illustrating the flow of the reading process in the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the tilt of the optical information reading device 10 exceeding the specified angle range. FIG. 7A shows a state where the optical information reader 10 is not tilted, and FIG. FIG. 7 (A) shows a state in which it is tilted beyond the specified angle range.

  In the second embodiment, the optical information according to the first embodiment is that the above-described reading process is calculated based on the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 and 4 instead of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Mainly different from the reader. Therefore, the same reference numerals are given to substantially the same components as those of the mobile terminal mounting base of the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the irradiation of the illumination light Lf is suppressed in consideration of the rotation angle obtained from the angular acceleration around the three axes in addition to the moving distance of the optical information reader 10. This is because if only the moving distance of the optical information reading device 10 is taken into account, there is a possibility of erroneous irradiation when the optical information reading device is tilted with a small change in the moving distance.

Hereinafter, the reading process performed by the control circuit 40 in the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 6 and 4.
When the optical information reader 10 is turned on according to the operation of the operation unit 42, the control circuit 40 starts reading processing, and first, initial setting shown in step S101a of FIG. 6 is performed. In this process, a predetermined measurement position of the optical information reading device 10 at the current time is set as the starting position P, and the x axis, the y axis, and the z axis are based on the inclination of the optical information reading device 10 at the current time. Is set. As in the first embodiment, the flags F1 and F2 are set to F1 = 0 and F2 = 0, respectively.

  Next, when the current position coordinates Xc, Yc, Zc are calculated in the current position calculation process shown in step S103, the current angle calculation process shown in step S104 is performed. In this process, based on the acceleration signal output from the triaxial motion sensor 50, the current angles θxc, θyc of the optical information reading apparatus 10 with reference to the x axis, the y axis, and the z axis set in step S101a. , Θzc are calculated.

When the optical information reader 10 is located within the specified range and all of the conditional expressions (1) to (3) are satisfied (Yes in S105), the determination shown in step S106 is performed. It is determined whether or not the inclination of the optical information reader 10 is within a specified angle range. In the present embodiment, when all of the following three conditional expressions (7) to (9) are satisfied, it is determined that the inclination of the optical information reader 10 is within the specified angle range.
θx1 <θxc <θx2 (7)
θy1 <θyc <θy2 (8)
θz1 <θzc <θz2 (9)
Note that θx1, θx2, θy1, θy2, θz1, and θz2 are preset threshold values, and the values can be changed according to the use environment.

  Then, as illustrated in FIG. 7A or FIG. 7B, the inclination of the optical information reader 10 is within the specified angle range, and all of the conditional expressions (7) to (9) are satisfied. If so (Yes in S106), the processing after step S129 of FIG. 4 described above is performed.

  On the other hand, since at least one of the conditional expressions (1) to (3) is not satisfied because the optical information reading apparatus 10 has moved (No in S105), as illustrated in FIG. If at least one of the conditional expressions (7) to (9) is not satisfied because the information reading apparatus 10 is tilted (No in S106), the processes in and after step S107 are performed. When F2 = 1 is set in step S119, the stationary determination reference setting process shown in step S121a is performed. In this processing, the stationary determination reference position coordinates Xc1, Yc1, Zc1 are set so as to be equal to the current position coordinates Xc, Yc, Zc calculated immediately before in step S103, and calculated immediately before in step S104. The stationary determination reference angles θxc1, θyc1, and θzc1 are set to be equal to the current angles θxc, θyc, and θzc. Subsequently, the second time measurement process shown in step S123 is performed, and time measurement of the elapsed time T2 is started.

Next, in the determination process shown in step S125a, the relationship between the current position coordinates Xc, Yc, Zc and the stationary determination reference position coordinates Xc1, Yc1, Zc1, the current angles θxc, θyc, θzc and the stationary determination reference angle Based on the relationship between θxc1, θyc1, and θzc1, it is determined whether or not the optical information reader 10 is stationary. Specifically, in addition to the three conditional expressions (4) to (6) described above, the optical information reader 10 is stationary when all of the following three conditional expressions (10) to (12) are satisfied. It is determined that
| Θxc1−θxc | <θxstop (10)
| Θyc1-θyc | <θystop (11)
| Θzc1-θzc | <θzstop (12)
Note that θxstop, θystop, and θzstop are preset angle threshold values for stillness determination, and the values can be changed according to the use environment. Further, the left side of the conditional expressions (10) to (12) corresponds to “a rotation angle from a reference angle”, and the three-axis motion sensor 50 can correspond to an example of “a rotation angle calculation unit”.

  And while at least one of conditional expressions (4)-(6), (10)-(12) is not satisfied, conditional expressions (4)-(6), (10)-(12) In step S127, the optical information reader 10 is determined to be No and is not stationary until the elapsed time T2 has passed the second time threshold Tth2 after all of the above are satisfied. Thus, the irradiation of the illumination light Lf is stopped. That is, if the inclination of the optical information reading device 10 is continuously changed even if it is determined that the movement is determined only by the change in the movement distance, the optical information reading device 10 Assuming that it is in a non-stationary state, the irradiation stop state of the illumination light Lf is continued.

  Thereafter, when a predetermined time elapses after the optical information reader 10 stops and the elapsed time T2 becomes equal to or greater than the second time threshold value Tth2 (Yes in S127), the optical information reader 10 is assumed to be stationary. The processing after step S129 is performed, and the illumination light Lf is irradiated.

  As described above, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the movement distance (| Xc1-Xc |,) from the reference position of the optical information reading apparatus 10 calculated in the determination process in step S125a. | Yc1-Yc |, | Zc1-Zc |) exceeds a predetermined distance threshold (Xstop, Ystop, Zstop), or a rotation angle from a reference angle (| θxc1-θxc |, | θyc1-θyc |, | θzc1- When θzc |) exceeds a predetermined angle threshold value (θxstop, θystop, θzstop), it is determined that the vehicle is not stationary. As described above, since it is determined based on both the moving distance and the rotation angle of the optical information reader 10 whether the stationary state or the non-stationary state is present, the optical information reader can be used with a small change in the rotation angle. Even when the optical information reader 10 is tilted with a small change in the movement distance or when the movement of the optical information reader 10 is determined to be in a non-stationary state, it is possible to improve the stationary determination accuracy.

  Note that θxstop, θystop, and θzstop, which are angle thresholds for stillness determination, may be changed according to the use environment by changing processing by the control circuit 40. That is, in a usage environment in which the optical information reader 10 is frequently carried, θxstop, θystop, and θzstop are increased to change according to the usage environment, thereby adjusting the stationary determination accuracy to suit the usage environment. can do. Thereby, the optical information reader 10 according to the present invention can be employed in various usage environments. The control circuit 40 that executes the changing process may correspond to an example of an “angle threshold changing unit”.

In addition, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment, For example, you may actualize as follows.
(1) In the reading process performed by the control circuit 40, the movement distance is not limited to determining whether the stationary state or the non-stationary state is based on the movement distance as in the first embodiment. You may determine whether it is a stationary state or a non-stationary state based on the rotation angle demonstrated in the said 2nd Embodiment, without considering. In this case, the stationary determination accuracy with respect to rotation can be improved, and the influence of the illumination light Lf caused by erroneous irradiation can be reliably suppressed.

(2) The optical information reader 10 is not limited to being configured as a stationary reader, but may be configured as a portable reader.

(3) Not only calculating the movement (current position) and inclination (rotation angle) of the optical information reader 10 using the three-axis motion sensor 50, but also using other sensors or the like. Ten movements and inclinations may be calculated.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Optical information reader 21 ... Illumination light source (irradiation means)
28. Light receiving sensor (light receiving means)
40. Control circuit (control means, decoding means, determination means, timing means, distance threshold changing means, angle threshold changing means, time threshold changing means)
50 ... 3-axis motion sensor (movement distance calculation means, rotation angle calculation means)
Lf: Illumination light

Claims (8)

Irradiating means for illuminating the information code with illumination light;
Control means for controlling the illuminance of the illumination light of the irradiation means;
A light receiving means for receiving reflected light from the information code;
Decoding means for decoding the information code based on a signal output from the light receiving means in response to reflected light from the information code;
An optical information reader comprising:
A determination unit for determining whether the optical information reader is stationary or non-stationary;
The control means determines the illuminance of the illumination light of the irradiation means when the determination means determines the non-stationary state, and the illuminance of the illumination light of the irradiation means when the determination means determines the stationary state. An optical information reader characterized by lowering than that.   The determination unit includes a movement distance calculation unit that calculates a movement distance from a reference position of the optical information reading device, and the movement distance calculated by the movement distance calculation unit exceeds a predetermined distance threshold value. The optical information reader according to claim 1, wherein the optical information reader is determined to be in a non-stationary state.   The determination unit includes a rotation angle calculation unit that calculates a rotation angle from a reference angle of the optical information reading device, and the rotation angle calculated by the rotation angle calculation unit exceeds a predetermined angle threshold value. The optical information reader according to claim 1, wherein the optical information reader is determined to be in a non-stationary state.   The determination means further includes a movement distance calculation means for calculating a movement distance from the reference position of the optical information reader, and the movement distance calculated by the movement distance calculation means exceeds a predetermined distance threshold value. 4. The optical information reader according to claim 3, wherein when the rotation angle calculated by the rotation angle calculation means exceeds a predetermined angle threshold value, the non-stationary state is determined.   The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a distance threshold changing unit capable of changing the predetermined distance threshold.   The optical information reader according to claim 3, further comprising an angle threshold changing unit capable of changing the predetermined angle threshold. Clocking means for clocking a continuation time during which the state determined to be in the non-stationary state by the determination unit continues;
Informing means for informing information for prompting the optical information reader to stop when the duration timed by the time measuring means is equal to or greater than a predetermined time threshold;
The optical information reader according to claim 1, comprising:   The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a time threshold changing unit capable of changing the predetermined time threshold.

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