JP2019028503A - Information reading device, information reading method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve workability in performing reading of a bar code and capturing images of an account book document and the like in parallel.SOLUTION: A method displays an image captured by an image sensor as a live view image (S2); and performs reading processing of the bar code from the captured image (S11) if a reading direction size of a bar code region in the live view image meets or exceeds a threshold value (S6: YES). Moreover, throughout a reading period of the bar code, the method switches an operation mode of the image sensor to a vertical thinning-out mode which thins out and reads pixels in a vertical direction, or a horizontal thinning-out mode which thins out and reads the pixels in a horizontal direction (S9, S10). Thereby, reading work of the bar code and image-capturing work of a slip can be smoothly performed. At the same time, the same frame rate as those in other periods can be secured, in the reading period of the bar code with a large processing load, irrespective of image processing capacity of a system.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

  The present invention relates to an information reading device, an information reading method, and a program.

  Conventionally, a handy terminal is known as an information reading device used for reading a barcode. Some handy terminals include, for example, a barcode scanner and a camera, and acquire an image of a slip from various slips together with identification information included in a barcode printed on the slip. Patent Document 1 describes a technique for recognizing a barcode portion from an image obtained by photographing a slip and reading barcode identification information without using a barcode scanner.

JP 2013-103163 A

  When taking a slip using a handy terminal and obtaining barcode identification information from the image, the barcode is read (identified) while the user adjusts the size of the slip within the angle of view. It is desirable that the (information acquisition) work and the document photographing work can be smoothly performed by a series of operations. In order to achieve this, live view that captures images of a subject at a predetermined frame rate and displays them sequentially on the screen in the shooting standby state is indispensable. Need to get.

  However, in a system with low image processing capability, if the resolution of an image to be captured is increased, the frame rate must be lowered, which hinders the angle of view adjustment operation. On the contrary, if the frame rate is increased, the resolution must be lowered, and there is a problem that the reading work at a short distance is forced to read the barcode with high accuracy, and the workability at the time of photographing is lowered.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the workability when reading barcodes and photographing book documents in parallel.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the information reading apparatus of the present invention, the display control means for sequentially displaying on the display means the images captured by the image sensor while photographing the object having the barcode, A reading unit that reads a barcode from an image, and a driving mode of the image sensor during a barcode reading period by the reading unit is controlled to a specific driving mode in which pixels are thinned out in a direction different from the barcode reading direction. And a control means.

  Further, in the information reading method of the present invention, the step of sequentially displaying on the display means the images picked up by the image pickup device during the photographing standby of the object having the barcode, and the step of reading the barcode from the image And controlling the drive mode of the image sensor during the barcode reading period to a specific drive mode in which pixels are thinned out and read in a direction different from the barcode reading direction.

  Further, in the program of the present invention, the computer sequentially displays on the display means the images picked up by the image pickup device while waiting for photographing the object having the barcode, and reads the barcode from the image. And a process of controlling the drive mode of the image sensor during the barcode reading period to a specific drive mode in which pixels are thinned out and read in a direction different from the barcode reading direction. .

  According to another information reading apparatus of the present invention, display control means for sequentially displaying on the display means images captured by the image sensor during photographing standby of an object having a barcode, and a bar from the image. A reading unit that reads a code, and a driving mode of the image sensor during a barcode reading period by the reading unit is controlled to a specific driving mode that selectively reads pixels in a region excluding a predetermined region that does not correspond to the barcode. And a control means.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve workability when reading barcodes and photographing book documents in parallel.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the information reader which concerns on this invention, (a) is a front view, (b) is a back view. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of an information reading device. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a camera part. It is a figure which shows an example of the imaging | photography slip. It is a flowchart which shows the process in a slip | shoot form mode. It is a flowchart following FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the change of a live view image. It is a figure which shows an example of a live view image.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 1A and 1B are views showing an external appearance of an information reading apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is a front view of the information reading apparatus 1, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of the information reading apparatus 1. .

  The information reading device 1 is a so-called handy terminal that has a function of photographing a slip and storing the photographed image and acquiring identification information indicated by a barcode described in the slip from the photographed image.

  Note that the information reading device 1 is not limited to the handy terminal, and may be another information terminal device such as a tablet PC, a notebook PC, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smartphone, or a mobile phone.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, a display 2, a first indicator 3, a second indicator 4, an operation key group 5, and a speaker 6 are provided on the front side of the information reading device 1.

  The display 2 displays various types of information on the screen, and is used for operation of the information reading device 1 and data input using an attached stylus. The 1st indicator 3 and the 2nd indicator 4 are LED (Light Emitting Diode) which can light-emit in multiple colors as needed. The first indicator 3 is lit in a color according to the power supply state of the information reading device 1, and the second indicator 4 is lit or blinked in a color (green or red) according to various states other than the power supply. .

  The operation key group 5 includes a plurality of keys including a power key 5a and a center trigger key 5b. The center trigger key 5b is used for an instruction for photographing a slip. Each key (not shown in the figure) constituting the operation key group 5 includes a function key, a numeric key, and the like, and is used for various operations of the information reading device 1.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, a camera 7 and an LED light 8 for photographing a slip are provided on the back side of the information reading apparatus 1. The camera 7 has an AF (Auto Focus) function. Further, side trigger keys 9 used for instructing photographing of a slip are provided on both side surfaces of the information reading device 1 in the same manner as the center trigger key 5b.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the electrical configuration of the information reading apparatus 1. The information reading device 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 12 connected to the CPU 11, a main storage device 13, a recording unit 14, a display unit 15, a touch panel 16, an indicator unit 17, and keys. The input unit 18, the camera unit 19, the sound emitting unit 20, and the communication unit 21 are configured.

  The main storage device 13 is composed of a rewritable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory built in the information reading device 1. The main storage device 13 includes a control program area 13a for storing a control program, a setting information area 13b for storing various setting information relating to the operation of the information reading apparatus 1 set by the user, and an image for temporarily storing a captured image. A region 13c is secured.

  Here, the information reading apparatus 1 can handle a plurality of types of slips, and information (hereinafter referred to as slip information) relating to a plurality of types of slips preset by the user is stored in the setting information area 13b. The setting information area 13b also stores various types of setting information including information indicating a slip to be imaged that is set in advance by the user and information related to the operation content of the information reading device 1.

  The CPU 11 reads a control program from the main storage device 13 and develops it in the RAM 12, and controls the operation of the information reading device 1 based on the developed control program.

  The display unit 15 includes the display 2 and its drive circuit. The display 2 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an ELD (Electro Luminescent Display). The touch panel 16 is a pressure-sensitive or electrostatic touch panel provided integrally on the surface of the display 2, and supplies operation information by the user to the CPU 11.

  The indicator part 17 is comprised from LED which comprises the 1st indicator 3 and the 2nd indicator 4, and the drive circuit which drives it. The indicator unit 17 includes the LED light 8 and its drive circuit. The key input unit 18 includes a plurality of keys such as the center trigger key 5 b and supplies operation information by the user who uses the information reading device 1 to the CPU 11.

  The camera unit 19 captures a subject such as a slip and supplies the captured image data to the CUP 11. The image data supplied to the CUP 11 is displayed on the display 2 of the display unit 15 as a live view image or stored (saved) in the recording unit 14.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the camera unit 19. As shown in FIG. 3, a CMOS (Complementary Meta 10xide Semiconductor) sensor 31, a sensor driving circuit 32 for driving the sensor 31, an image processing circuit 33, an optical system 35 including a focus lens 34, and AF (Auto Focus). And a drive circuit 36.

  The CMOS sensor 31 is driven at a predetermined frame rate by the sensor drive circuit 32, picks up an optical image of the subject formed by the optical system 35, and outputs an image pickup signal to the image processing circuit 33. In the present embodiment, the number of effective pixels of the CMOS sensor 31 is 5 million pixels (2592 dots × 1944 dots).

  The image processing circuit 33 performs various kinds of image processing such as analog processing on the image pickup signal sent from the CMOS sensor 31, conversion processing into a digital signal, brightness and white balance adjustment, and supplies the processed image data to the CPU 11. To do.

  The sensor driving circuit 32 drives the CMOS sensor 31 at a predetermined frame rate based on a command from the CPU 11. In addition, the sensor drive circuit 32 can drive the CMOS sensor 31 in three different drive modes, that is, a normal mode, a vertical thinning mode, and a horizontal thinning mode. To drive.

  Here, the normal mode is a mode in which pixel signals of all pixels are read from the CMOS sensor 31. The vertical thinning mode is a mode in which pixel signals of each row are read from the CMOS sensor 31 every one or more rows. The horizontal thinning mode is a mode in which pixel signals of each column are read from the CMOS sensor 31 every other column. In the following description, the vertical thinning mode and the horizontal thinning mode are collectively referred to as a thinning mode.

  An AF (Auto Focus) drive circuit 36 drives the optical system 35 based on a command from the CPU 11 and automatically adjusts the focus according to the shooting distance.

  On the other hand, the recording unit 14 includes, for example, various memory cards that are detachable from the information reading device 1 and a card interface that enables data input / output to / from the memory card. The recording unit 14 stores voucher data including a voucher image obtained by cutting out a voucher portion from a captured image obtained by shooting the voucher, that is, voucher image information and identification information acquired from a barcode.

  The sound emitting unit 20 includes a sound generation circuit, an amplifier, and a speaker 6, and emits various notification sounds as necessary. The communication unit 21 communicates with the external data management server 51 by wired or wireless communication as necessary, and transmits the slip data of a plurality of slips stored (saved) in the recording unit 14.

  The data management server 51 is a computer that manages a large amount of slip data supplied from a plurality of information reading devices 1, and the slip data is supplied to the data management server 51 by communication of the communication unit 21. The slip data is also supplied to the data management server 51 by a memory card. Further, communication between the information reading device 1 and the data management server 51 can be performed via an arbitrary communication network.

  The information reading device 1 captures a slip to acquire slip images, barcode identification information and slip data, and stores them in the recording unit 14 and slips stored in the recording unit 14. A plurality of operation modes including a data output mode for outputting data to an external information processing apparatus via the communication unit 21 are provided.

  Next, a slip that the information reading apparatus 1 is a photographing target will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is an example of a slip 101 to be photographed, and shows a delivery slip used by a courier, for example. The slip 101 has a horizontally long rectangular shape, and a lower part of the slip 101 includes a requester column 102 that describes the address and name of the requester as a delivery source, and a delivery destination column 103 that describes the address and name of the delivery destination. The barcode 104 indicating the identification information assigned to the slip 101 is described in the upper right part of the slip.

  Here, the actual size of a general slip is smaller than the size of the A4 paper 100 (vertical length 297 mm × width 210 mm), for example, as shown in FIG. 3 (length 115 mm × width 230 mm).

  On the other hand, when the slip 101 is photographed and saved as a slip image, if a resolution of 200 dots or more (200 dpi or more) is secured at 25.4 mm (1 inch) in the slip image, the provisions of the electronic book storage method are satisfied. it can.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when an image of an A4 size paper 100 is stored at 200 dpi, the number of pixels is 2,338 dots vertically, 1,654 dots horizontally, the total number of pixels is 3,867, 052 pixels. Therefore, if the actual size of the slip 101 is the size shown in FIG. 4, the size of the number of pixels of the slip image is 906 dots long, 1810 dots wide, and the total number of pixels is 1,639,860 pixels. Therefore, if an image having a total number of pixels of 4 million pixels or more can be recorded, a general slip such as the slip 101 can be handled.

  In the setting information area 13b of the main storage device 13, the minimum number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions of the slip image used for storing the slip 101 as a 200 dpi slip image, that is, a reference pixel number size, Information on the position of the barcode 104 in the slip 101 is stored as slip information together with the actual size (vertical dimension and horizontal dimension) of the slip.

  The reference size is the number of pixels when the size of the number of pixels of the captured image of the slip 101 is the maximum number of pixels (5 million pixels). Further, the information related to the position of the barcode 104 indicates a description area of the barcode 104 in the slip 101 with, for example, the upper right of the slip 101 as a reference.

  Next, using FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, an operation when a photographer who is a user photographs the slip 101 using the information reading device 1 and reads the identification information of the barcode 104 will be described. FIGS. 5 and 6 are flowcharts showing processing in the slip photographing mode that is executed by the CPU 11 according to the control program stored in the main storage device 13 (control program area 13a) when the power is turned on.

  In the voucher shooting mode, the CPU 11 immediately reads out voucher information of a voucher designated in advance as a shooting target from the main storage device 13 (setting information area) (step S1). Next, the CPU 11 sets the drive mode of the CMOS sensor 31 to the normal mode and starts live view display (step S2). That is, image data of all pixels is acquired at a predetermined frame rate (for example, 50 fps), and display of an image (hereinafter referred to as a live view image) based on the acquired image data on the display 2 is started.

  In the present embodiment, the information reading apparatus 1 is used in a landscape orientation during shooting, and the live view image G is displayed in the screen center area 2a of the display 2 as shown in FIG. In addition, other information (not shown) other than the live view image G is displayed in the other screen areas 2b and 2c of the display 2.

  Next, the CPU 11 recognizes the barcode 104 printed or pasted on the slip 101 from the live view image G for each frame (may be every several frames) captured sequentially (step S3). The barcode 104 is recognized by binarizing or patterning an area in which a plurality of black bars and white bars having a certain length, which are modules of the barcode 104 from the live view image G, are arranged in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. The detection is performed by using a known image processing technique such as detection.

  Then, the CPU 11 repeatedly executes the recognition process on the live view image G of a new frame until the barcode 104 can be recognized (step S4: NO).

  In the meantime, if the barcode 104 can be recognized (step S4: YES), the CPU 11 specifies the barcode area 104g corresponding to the barcode 104 recognized in the live view image G (see FIG. 7A), and the barcode The size of the code area 104g in the reading direction (hereinafter referred to as the reading direction size) is acquired (step S5).

  Here, the barcode area 104 g is an area having a specific aspect ratio corresponding to the type of the barcode 104, and is an area circumscribing the barcode 104. A reading direction A is an arrangement direction of each module (black bar and white bar) of the barcode 104. In the process of step S5, the CPU 11 determines the number of pixels in the horizontal direction of the barcode area 104g when the barcode 104 is in the horizontal direction in the image as shown in FIG. If it is vertically oriented (not shown), the number of pixels in the vertical direction of the barcode area 104g is acquired as the size in the reading direction.

  If the reading direction size is not equal to or larger than the threshold (step S6: NO), the CPU 11 returns to the process of step S3 and repeats the subsequent processes. After that, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the size of the barcode 104 in the live view image G is adjusted by the photographer and the reading direction size of the barcode area 104g becomes equal to or larger than the threshold (step S6: YES), At that time, the user is notified of the start of reading the barcode 104 (step S7). Specifically, the second indicator 4 is lit red to notify the start of reading the barcode 104. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in the live view image G.

  Subsequently, if the reading direction of the barcode 104 is horizontal (step S8: horizontal), the CPU 11 changes the driving mode of the CMOS sensor 31 to the vertical thinning mode (step S9), and the reading direction of the barcode 104 is vertical. If the direction is the direction (step S8: vertical), the driving mode of the CMOS sensor 31 is changed to the horizontal thinning mode (step S10). As a result, the subsequent live view images G are read out from the CMOS sensor 31 in one or more rows, and are read out from the pixel data of each row or from the CMOS sensor 31 in every one or more columns. An image based on image data composed of pixel signals in each column (hereinafter referred to as a pixel thinned image) is obtained. As illustrated in FIG. 7, when the reading direction A of the barcode 104 is the horizontal direction, the pixel thinning direction B is the vertical (vertical) direction, and the pixel thinned image thinned in the vertical direction is a live view. It becomes image G.

  Thereafter, the CPU 11 performs barcode reading processing on the barcode area 104g and acquires identification information of the barcode 104 (step S11). Then, when the barcode reading process is completed, the CPU 11 notifies the user of the completion of reading the barcode 104 (step S12).

  Specifically, the second indicator 4 blinks green a predetermined number of times to notify the completion of reading of the barcode 104. The completion of reading of the barcode 104 is not the second indicator 4 but a mark indicating the completion of reading in any of the screen areas 2a, 2b, 2c of the display 2, or the identification information acquired in the process of step S11. (If the bar code 104 is JAN (Japan Article Number) -13, it is a 12-digit number).

  Thereafter, the CPU 11 changes the drive mode of the CMOS sensor 31 to the normal mode (step S13), and performs the following processing shown in FIG.

  In other words, the CPU 11 recognizes an area (hereinafter referred to as a slip area) Ga corresponding to the slip 101 from the live view image G for each frame (may be every several frames) captured sequentially (step S14). For the slip area Ga, refer to FIGS. 8A and 8B. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the live view image G.

  The slip area Ga is recognized by, for example, performing edge detection or straight line recognition on the live view image G, detecting a plurality of rectangular areas partitioned along the recognized plurality of straight lines, and the rectangle having the largest area among them. This is done by specifying the area as the slip area Ga.

  Further, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the slip area Ga has been recognized, that is, whether or not the slip area Ga has been successfully recognized (step S15). The CPU 11 repeatedly executes the recognition process on the live view image G of a new frame until the slip area Ga can be recognized (step S15: NO).

  On the other hand, if the slip area Ga can be recognized (step S15: YES), the CPU 11 acquires the size (number of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions) of the slip area Ga, and this is the reference pixel number size indicated by the slip information. It is checked whether the number of pixels in both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is equal to or greater than the reference number of pixels (step S16). That is, when photographing is performed at this time, it is confirmed whether or not the slip area Ga can be recorded with a resolution higher than a specified resolution. And CPU11 performs the following processes according to the result.

  First, when the size of the slip area Ga is not equal to or larger than the reference size (step S16: NO), the CPU 11 does not display the guide frame 111 in red at that time (step S17: NO), and the guide frame 111 is displayed in red. The image is superimposed on the live view image G (step S18). FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the live view image G at that time.

  Next, the CPU 11 causes the sound emitting unit 20 to output the sound guidance for urging the size adjustment of the slip 101 in the live view image G, specifically, the adjustment of the angle of view and the shooting distance (step S19). The voice guidance is, for example, a message “Please make a larger copy of the slip”. Thereafter, the CPU 11 returns to the process of step S14 and repeats the subsequent processes.

  In contrast to the above, if the guide frame 111 is displayed in red at that time (step S17: YES), the CPU 11 skips steps S18 and S19 and immediately returns to step S14. The subsequent processing is repeated.

  On the other hand, if the size of the slip area Ga is equal to or larger than the reference size (step S16: YES), the CPU 11 does not display the guide frame 111 in green at that time (step S17: NO), the guide frame 111 is green. And superimposed on the live view image G (step S20).

  Furthermore, the CPU 11 notifies the photographer that the prescribed resolution can be secured in the slip image by causing the sound emitting unit 20 to generate a predetermined notification sound (step S21). The predetermined notification sound is a buzzer sound such as “beep”. Thereafter, the CPU 11 confirms the presence or absence of a shooting instruction by the photographer. If there is no shooting instruction (step S22: NO), the CPU 11 returns to the process of step S14 and repeats the subsequent processes.

  In contrast to the above, if the guide frame 111 is displayed in green (step S19: YES), the CPU 11 skips steps S20 and S21 and immediately confirms the presence or absence of a shooting instruction from the photographer. If there is no shooting instruction (step S22: NO), the processing returns to step S14 and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  Further, if the slip area Ga cannot be recognized in the live view image G while repeating the processing from step S14 onward (step S15: NO), the CPU 11 displays the guide frame 111 in red or green at that time. (Step S25: YES) After the display of the guide frame 111 is temporarily stopped (Step S26), the process returns to Step S14 and the subsequent processes are repeated.

  When the photographer gives a photographing instruction while the size of the slip area Ga is equal to or larger than the reference (while the guide frame 111 is green) (step S22: YES), the CPU 11 performs the following processing.

  That is, the CPU 11 performs AF control in the camera unit 19 (step S23), and performs a photographing process for recording the slip image to acquire a photographed image (step S24). Thereafter, the CPU 11 stores the captured image in the recording unit 14 as the file name of the identification information acquired in step S11 of FIG. 5 (step S25). That is, the barcode code information and the captured image are stored in the recording unit 14 in association with each other. Thereby, the CPU 11 ends a series of processes in the slip photographing mode.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the slip 101 is photographed, the barcode 104 is automatically read when the reading direction size of the barcode region 104g in the live view image G exceeds a threshold value. Therefore, the user can read the barcode 104 during a series of operations for shooting the slip 101, and can smoothly perform the reading operation of the barcode 104 and the shooting operation of the slip 101.

  Moreover, during the reading period of the bar code 104, the driving mode of the CMOS sensor 31 is switched from the normal mode to the thinning mode (vertical thinning mode or horizontal thinning mode). That is, the total number of pixels of the image displayed as the live view image G while reducing the reading accuracy of the barcode 104 is reduced, and the processing load on the CPU 11 related to the display of the live view image G is reduced. As a result, the same frame rate as in other periods can be ensured during the reading period of the barcode 104 with a large processing load, regardless of the image processing capability of the CPU 11. From the above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the workability when reading barcodes and photographing book documents in parallel.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the reading direction size of the barcode area 104g in the live view image G is equal to or larger than the threshold, the reading start of the barcode 104 is notified, and when the reading process is completed, Inform it. As a result, it is possible to clearly indicate the reading period of the barcode 104 to the user during the photographing operation. As a result, it is possible to reliably eliminate a situation in which the position of the slip 101 in the live view image G and the shooting distance are remarkably changed and the reading of the barcode 104 is hindered.

  Note that since the reading period of the barcode 104 is extremely short, notification of the reading start and reading end of the barcode 104 may be omitted in the implementation of the present invention, but it is performed from the viewpoint of user convenience. It is desirable.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the configuration in which the driving mode of the CMOS sensor 31 is switched from the normal mode to the thinning mode (vertical thinning mode or horizontal thinning mode) during the barcode 104 reading period has been described. May be. That is, as a driving mode of the CMOS sensor 31, a specific mode for selectively reading out pixels in a region excluding a predetermined region not corresponding to the barcode 104 from the CMOS sensor 31 is prepared. May be driven in that particular mode.

  Even in such a case, the reading operation of the barcode 104 and the photographing operation of the slip 101 can be performed smoothly, and at the same time, regardless of the image processing capability of the CPU 11, during the reading period of the barcode 104 with a large processing load. Also, the same frame rate as in other periods can be ensured. That is, as in the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the workability when reading barcodes and photographing book documents in parallel.

  Further, the subject to be photographed in the present invention is not limited to the slip 101, and may be other book documents. Further, the present invention is not limited to a handy terminal or the like, and can be implemented in other information terminal devices such as a smartphone, a tablet PC (Personal Computer), a notebook PC, and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant).

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention and its modification were demonstrated, as long as these are in the range with which the effect of this invention is obtained, it can change suitably, and embodiment after change is also in a claim. It is included in the scope of the invention described and equivalent invention. The invention described in the scope of the claims of the present application will be appended below.
(Appendix 1)
Display control means for sequentially displaying images picked up by the image pickup device while waiting for photographing an object having a barcode on the display means;
Reading means for reading a barcode from the image;
Control means for controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during a barcode reading period by the reading means to a specific driving mode for reading out pixels by thinning out pixels in a direction different from the barcode reading direction. To read information.
(Appendix 2)
Further comprising detection means for detecting the size of the barcode in the image;
The information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit reads a barcode from the image in response to the size detected by the detection unit being equal to or greater than a threshold value.
(Appendix 3)
The information reading apparatus according to appendix 1 or 2, further comprising notifying means for notifying that the size detected by the detecting means is equal to or greater than a threshold value.
(Appendix 4)
The information reading apparatus according to appendix 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a notifying means for notifying completion of barcode reading by the reading means.
(Appendix 5)
Sequentially displaying on the display means images captured by the image sensor while waiting for photographing an object having a barcode;
Reading a barcode from the image;
Controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during the barcode reading period to a specific driving mode in which pixels are thinned out and read in a direction different from the barcode reading direction.
(Appendix 6)
On the computer,
A process of sequentially displaying on the display means images captured by the image sensor during imaging standby of an object having a barcode;
Processing to read a barcode from the image;
And a process of controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during the barcode reading period to a specific driving mode in which pixels are thinned out and read in a direction different from the barcode reading direction.
(Appendix 7)
Display control means for sequentially displaying images picked up by the image pickup device while waiting for photographing an object having a barcode on the display means;
Reading means for reading a barcode from the image;
Control means for controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during a barcode reading period by the reading means to a specific driving mode for selectively reading out pixels in a region excluding a predetermined region not corresponding to the barcode. An information reader characterized by.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Information reader 2 Display 2a Screen center area | region 2b Screen area | region 7 Camera 11 CPU
12 RAM
13 Main storage device 13a Control program area 13b Setting information area 13c Image area 15 Display section 19 Camera section 31 CMOS sensor 32 Sensor drive circuit 33 Image processing circuit 36 Drive circuit 101 Slip 104 Bar code 104g Bar code area 111 Guide frame G Live view Image Ga slip area

Claims (7)

Display control means for sequentially displaying images picked up by the image pickup device while waiting for photographing an object having a barcode on the display means;
Reading means for reading a barcode from the image;
Control means for controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during a barcode reading period by the reading means to a specific driving mode for reading out pixels by thinning out pixels in a direction different from the barcode reading direction. To read information. Further comprising detection means for detecting the size of the barcode in the image;
The information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reading unit reads a barcode from the image in response to the size detected by the detection unit being equal to or greater than a threshold value.   The information reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying start of barcode reading by the reading means.   4. The information reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising notification means for notifying completion of barcode reading by the reading means. Sequentially displaying on the display means images captured by the image sensor while waiting for photographing an object having a barcode;
Reading a barcode from the image;
Controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during the barcode reading period to a specific driving mode in which pixels are thinned out and read in a direction different from the barcode reading direction. On the computer,
A process of sequentially displaying on the display means images captured by the image sensor during imaging standby of an object having a barcode;
Processing to read a barcode from the image;
And a process of controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during the barcode reading period to a specific driving mode in which pixels are thinned out and read in a direction different from the barcode reading direction. Display control means for sequentially displaying images picked up by the image pickup device while waiting for photographing an object having a barcode on the display means;
Reading means for reading a barcode from the image;
Control means for controlling the driving mode of the image sensor during a barcode reading period by the reading means to a specific driving mode for selectively reading out pixels in a region excluding a predetermined region not corresponding to the barcode. An information reader characterized by.

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