JP2020008947A - Optical information reader - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a configuration capable of securing a required radio wave radiating distance for an antenna provided in a reading port without lowering operability.SOLUTION: An antenna unit 50 has a loop antenna 60 and a holder 70 for holding the loop antenna 60, and the holder 70 is located inside a reading port 13 and outside an imaging range S by a light receiving sensor 23 functioning as an imaging unit. Then, when viewed through the reading port 13, the loop antenna 60 is held by the holder 70 so that a first long side part 61 is outside the imaging range S and extends along a lower edge Sa of the imaging range S and that a second long side part 62 extends along an inner surface 11c of a housing 11.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical information reading device.

  In recent years, in stores such as supermarkets and drug stores, particularly stores handling expensive and relatively small products, in order to prevent theft of the products, electronic tags for security using a wireless function (hereinafter, also simply referred to as electronic tags). Stores that manage merchandise sales are increasing. In this merchandise sales management method, a process of stopping the function of an electronic tag attached to a merchandise using a dedicated device is performed at the time of an accounting process or the like.

  As a technique for stopping the function of an electronic tag attached to a product or the like, an optical information reading device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 below is known. This optical information reading device is configured by assembling a tag function restriction device with a bar code reader. When reading a bar code with a bar code reader when purchasing a product, the tag function restriction device restricts the electronic tags. It is configured to stop the function in a state.

JP 2014-098960 A

  By the way, in the configuration in which the tag function limiting device is later assembled to the reader main body as described above, the reading portion or the grip portion in which the reading port is formed becomes large, and this is one of the factors that reduce operability. May be. In order to avoid such a decrease in operability, if the optical information reading device is configured to incorporate a device for limiting the tag function, the electronic tag attached to the product or the like when reading the information code attached to the product or the like is read. In order to bring the antenna for function restriction closer, it is necessary to arrange the antenna in the reading opening.

  However, in the configuration in which the antenna for function restriction is simply arranged in the reading opening, the reading opening becomes large in order to secure an imaging range for imaging the information code, which may be a factor of reducing operability. . On the other hand, if the reading port is made small while securing the imaging range, the antenna becomes small, and it may not be possible to secure the required radio wave radiation distance.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration capable of securing a required radio wave radiating distance for an antenna provided in a reading port without lowering operability. Is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention described in claim 1 of the claims is
An optical information reader (1) for optically reading an information code (C),
An imaging unit (23) for imaging the information code via a reading opening (13);
A decoding unit (31) for decoding the information code imaged by the imaging unit;
An antenna unit (50) for radiating radio waves to a non-contact communication medium (T) using radio waves,
A housing (11) in which the reading opening is formed and at least the imaging unit and the antenna unit are housed;
With
The antenna unit has a loop antenna (60) and a holder (70) for holding the loop antenna,
The holder is arranged so as to be inside the reading opening and outside the imaging range (S) of the imaging unit,
When viewed through the reading opening, the loop antenna has a first long side portion (61) constituting one long side outside the imaging range of the imaging unit and at an edge (Sa) of the imaging range. The second long side portion (62) forming the other long side along the inner side (11c) of the housing is held by the holder.
In addition, the code | symbol in each said parenthesis shows the correspondence with the specific means described in embodiment mentioned later.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the antenna unit includes the loop antenna and a holder for holding the loop antenna, and the holder is disposed so as to be inside the reading opening and outside the imaging range of the imaging unit. When viewed through the reading opening, the loop antenna has a first long side outside the imaging range of the imaging unit and along the edge of the imaging range, and a second long side along the inner surface of the housing. So that it is held by the holder.

  Accordingly, since the loop antenna is disposed by effectively utilizing a region outside the imaging range of the imaging unit in the reading opening, the loop antenna can be formed large even with a small reading opening. Therefore, it is not necessary to increase the size of the reading port, so that the required radio wave radiating distance of the antenna provided in the reading port can be easily secured without lowering the operability.

  According to the invention of claim 2, the loop antenna is disposed on one surface where the first long side is on the imaging range side of the holder, and the second long side is disposed on the other surface on the back side with respect to one surface of the holder. So that it is held by the holder. Thereby, even in the configuration in which the loop antenna is held by the holder, for example, the first long side portion and the second long side portion are compared with the case where the first long side portion and the second long side portion are arranged on the same surface of the holder. The second long side portion can be arranged further apart according to the thickness of the holder. As described above, since a three-dimensional loop antenna can be formed using the holder, the loop antenna can be formed even larger even with a small reading opening.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the loop antenna is configured using the flexible substrate, for example, the first long side portion is arranged on one surface of the holder and the second long side portion is arranged on the other surface behind the holder. With such an arrangement, the loop antenna can be easily assembled to the holder. In particular, since the antenna opening surface of the loop antenna can be easily angled, the direction of radio wave radiation can be adjusted easily, so the relationship between the reading direction and the direction of radio wave radiation can be easily adjusted according to the shape of the housing and usage environment, etc. can do.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the housing is configured such that the reading unit provided with the reading port is connected to bend with respect to the grip unit, and the holder is looped on the grip unit side with respect to the imaging range of the imaging unit. It is arranged to hold the antenna. Thus, when the user holding the holding unit of the housing points the reading port of the reading unit to the information code or the electronic tag, the reading unit is usually located above the holding unit, and thus, the lower side of the imaging range. Since the loop antenna is located at the position, the loop antenna can be easily and intuitively directed to the electronic tag.

It is a sectional view showing the composition outline of the optical information reader concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electrical configuration of the optical information reading device of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view for describing a schematic configuration of an antenna unit in a three-dimensional manner. It is a front view of the antenna part of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an XX cross section of the antenna unit of FIG. 4. It is an expanded sectional view which expands and shows the A section of FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a positional relationship between a loop antenna and an imaging range as viewed from a reading port side, excluding a holder and the like.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an optical information reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The optical information reading device 1 according to the present embodiment has a function as an information code reader that optically reads an information code such as a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code, and a non-functioning device provided on an article or the like to which the information code is attached. It is configured to have a function of controlling a non-contact communication medium by radiating radio waves (electromagnetic waves) using electromagnetic induction to the contact communication medium. In the present embodiment, as a function of controlling the non-contact communication medium, the invalidation of the security electronic tag T attached to the product R together with the information code C is employed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical information reader 1 includes a scanner 2 for reading an information code C and a controller 3 for controlling the invalidation of the electronic tag T using the scanner 2. It is configured to be connected via a. The optical information reading apparatus 1 is controlled by a POS register P serving as an upper terminal, and is configured to output a reading result of the information code C read by the scanner 2 to the POS register P via the cable 4. I have.

  An outer shell of the scanner 2 is formed by a housing 11 configured by assembling an upper case and a lower case, and various electric components and the like are mounted on the circuit board 20 and housed in the housing 11. An upper case and a lower case constituting the housing 11 are molded members made of a synthetic resin such as an ABS resin, and a reading port 13 is formed in an end surface 12 on one end of the housing 11 and an optical port is formed on the other end. A cable attaching portion 14 for collectively pulling out the cable for use 4a and the cable for electronic tag 4b as one cable 4 is formed. The cable attaching portion 14 holds the optical cable 4a and the electronic tag cable 4b by being sandwiched by the upper case and the lower case of the housing 11, and is released by being sandwiched by the upper case and the lower case. The holding of the cable 4a and the cable 4b for the electronic tag is released. In this way, by collecting the cables taken out of the housing 11 into one, the handling is improved, and the operability can be improved. In addition, replacement of the optical cable 4a and the electronic tag cable 4b can be easily performed.

  The housing 11 is configured such that a reading unit 11a provided with a reading opening 13 is connected to a holding unit 11b to be held by a user in a bent manner such that the reading unit 11a is bent forward and greatly bent to the back side. Have been. Accordingly, the reading port 13 can be easily applied to the information code attached to the object to be read in a state where the user holds the holding portion 11b of the scanner 2 from the upper case side.

Next, the electrical configuration of the optical information reading device 1 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical information reading apparatus 1 mainly includes an optical system such as an illumination light source 21, a light receiving sensor 23, an imaging lens 27, and a microcomputer (such as a memory 32 and a control unit 31). (Hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”).

  The optical system is housed in the housing 11 of the scanner 2 and 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 illumination unit capable of emitting the illumination light Lf through the reading port 13, and includes, for example, a red LED 21a and a lens 21b provided on the emission side of the LED 21a. It is composed of The LED 21a is mounted on the circuit board 20 so as to irradiate the illumination light Lf with a slight inclination with respect to the image forming optical axis of the light receiving sensor 23 in order to suppress specular reflection.

  The light receiving optical system includes a light receiving sensor 23, an imaging lens 27, and the like. The light receiving sensor 23 is configured as an area sensor in which light receiving elements, which are solid-state imaging elements such as C-MOS and CCD, are two-dimensionally arranged. The light receiving sensor 23 is mounted on the circuit board 20 so as to be able to receive incident light that enters from the reading opening 13 via the imaging lens 27. In addition, the light receiving sensor 23 may correspond to an example of an “imaging unit” that captures the information code C via the reading opening 13.

  The imaging lens 27 functions as an imaging optical system capable of condensing incident light incident from the outside via the reading port 13 and forming an image on the light receiving surface 23 a of the light receiving sensor 23. In the present embodiment, after the illumination light Lf emitted from the illumination light source 21 is reflected by the information code or the like, the reflected light Lr is condensed by the imaging lens 27, and the code image or the like is formed on the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving sensor 23. Is imaged.

  The control unit 31 is a microcomputer capable of controlling the entire scanner 2 and includes a CPU, a system bus, an input / output interface, and the like, and can form an information processing device together with the memory 32 and has an information processing function. The control unit 31 functions as a decoding unit that decodes and reads information recorded in the information code by performing a known decoding process on the image data of the information code captured using the light receiving sensor 23. .

  Further, the control unit 31 is configured to be connectable to various input / output devices via a built-in input / output interface. In the case of the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 33, the buzzer 34, the vibrator 35, the communication interface 36, etc. Is connected. Thus, for example, lighting and non-lighting of the light emitting unit 33, turning on and off of a buzzer 34 capable of generating a beep sound and an alarm sound, drive control of the vibrator 35, and communication for communicating with the outside via the optical cable 4a. It is possible to control the interface 36 and the like.

  Further, the optical information reading apparatus 1 includes an antenna unit 50 for realizing the above-described electronic tag T to be invalidated. The antenna unit 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 7, in order to facilitate the description of the shape of the loop antenna 60, for convenience, the reading port 13 is shown in a cross section, and the illustration of the holder 70, the illumination light source 21, and the like is omitted.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, the antenna unit 50 is configured to include an antenna substrate 51 on which the loop antenna 60 is formed, and a holder 70 for holding the loop antenna 60 and the like. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the antenna unit 50 is disposed inside the housing 11 so as to be outside the imaging range S of the light receiving sensor 23. Hereinafter, the image pickup range S side (upper side in FIG. 7) with respect to the loop antenna 60 in FIG. 7 is referred to as an upper side, and the loop antenna 60 side (lower side in FIG. 7) with respect to the image pickup range S is referred to as a lower side. The direction orthogonal to the left and right directions will be described as a left-right direction.

  The antenna substrate 51 is configured as a flexible substrate so that the antenna opening surface (the surface orthogonal to the radio wave radiation direction) of the loop antenna 60 can easily have an angle and can be easily routed in the housing 11. . The antenna board 51 has a loop antenna 60 at one end and a connector 52 for connecting to the control device 3 via the electronic tag cable 4b at the other end.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the loop antenna 60 includes a first long side 61 forming one long side, a second long side 62 forming the other long side, a first long side 61 and a second long side. Two short sides 63 and 64 connected to both ends of the long side 62 are formed.

  As can be seen from FIG. 7, by using the holder 70, the first long side portion 61 extends along the lower edge Sa of the imaging range S, and the second long side portion 62 has a center portion at the first long side portion. Each of them is arranged in the housing 11 so as to be substantially parallel to 61 and along the lower side of the inner surface 11c of the housing 11 constituting the reading opening 13. In particular, the second long side portion 62 is disposed so as to be located on the outer side (the end face (reading surface) side of the reading opening 13) with respect to the first long side portion 61.

  The short side 63 is formed in a substantially U-shape, and has an end of the first long side 61 on the side opposite to the reading surface (inside) and an end of the second long side 62 on the side of the reading surface. It is arranged in the housing 11 so as to be connected to and suspended along the side edge of the imaging range S. In particular, the connecting portion 63 a of the short side portion 63 connected to the end of the first long side portion 61 is formed so as to be inclined upward toward the first long side portion 61. The short side 64 is formed in a substantially U-shape, and the end of the first long side 61 and the end of the second long side 62 on the side different from the end to which the short side 63 is connected. Are arranged in the housing 11 so as to be connected and suspended along the side edge of the imaging range S. In particular, the connecting portion 64a of the short side portion 64 connected to the end of the first long side portion 61 is formed so as to be inclined upward toward the first long side portion 61, similarly to the connecting portion 63a.

  The holder 70 uses an engaging portion (not shown) provided in the housing 11 so that the holder 70 is below the imaging range S of the light receiving sensor 23 and has a predetermined positional relationship with the reading opening 13. In addition, it is assembled in the housing 11. That is, as can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 7, the holder 70 is disposed in the housing 11 so as to hold the loop antenna 60 on the side of the holding unit 11 b with respect to the imaging range S. The holder 70 includes a first holding part 71 for holding the loop antenna 60 and a second holding part 72 for holding a part of the antenna substrate 51.

  The first holding unit 71 is formed wide so as to contact the inner surface 11c of the housing 11 forming the reading opening 13 in the left-right direction except for the imaging range S or to face the inner surface 11c via a slight gap. ing. On both left and right end surfaces of the first holding portion 71, engagement portions 73 with which the short side portions 63 and the short side portions 64 are engaged are formed, respectively.

  The first holding portion 71 has a substantially rectangular opening 74 formed near the center so as to communicate the upper side and the lower side. An upper plane (hereinafter referred to as an upper side) connected to the reading surface side of the opening 74 is formed. The holding surface 81 is formed along the lower edge Sa of the imaging range S. At both left and right ends of the upper holding surface 81, slits (not shown) into which the connecting portions 63a of the short side portions 63 and the connecting portions 64a of the short side portions 64 are fitted are formed so as to be continuous with the openings 74.

  On the reading surface side of the upper holding surface 81, a protruding portion 75 interposed between the upper holding surface 81 and the reading opening 13 at the time of assembly into the housing 11 is provided. As shown in FIG. 6, a step 76 for positioning when the first long side 61 is bonded to the upper holding surface 81 is formed on the protrusion 75 as shown in FIG.

  In addition, the first holding unit 71 is formed to be curved along the lower side of the inner surface 11c of the housing 11 on a lower surface (hereinafter, also referred to as a lower holding surface 82) near the reading port 13. ing. A step portion for positioning when the second long side portion 62 is bonded to the lower holding surface 82 on the second holding portion 72 side (opposite to the reading surface side) of the lower holding surface 82 as described later. 77 are formed.

Next, assembling of the loop antenna 60 and the like to the holder 70 will be described.
The short side 63 is attached to the holder 70 formed as described above so that the first long side 61 through which the opening 74 is inserted from below is adhered to the upper holding surface 81 with the step 76 as a reference. And the connecting portion 64a of the short side portion 64 is fitted into the slit. By engaging the short side 63 and the short side 64 with the engaging portion 73, the second long side 62 that has passed over the step 77 is held below the first holding portion 71 under the lower side. The surface 82 is attached. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7 and the like, the loop antenna 60 is disposed on the upper holding surface 81 (one surface) on the imaging range S side of the holder 70 at the first long side 61 and the second long side 62 Then, the antenna unit 50 is completed by being held by the holder 70 so as to be disposed on the lower holding surface 82 (the other surface) on the back surface side with respect to the upper holding surface 81.

  In this assembled state, the first long side portion 61 and the second long side portion 62 form the step portions 76 and 77 without the second long side portion 62 intersecting the plane including the first long side portion 61. Are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the holder 70 so as to be separated from each other. Therefore, the loop antenna 60 can be formed large without disturbing the imaging range S of the light receiving sensor 23.

  In the optical information reading apparatus 1 employing the antenna unit 50 configured as described above, when the reading process by the control unit 31 is started according to a predetermined operation, the illumination light source 21 emits the illumination light Lf to the reading port 13. , And the information code C facing the reading port 13 is imaged using the light receiving sensor 23 to be in an optically readable state. At this time, since the antenna unit 50 arranged in the reading opening 13 is arranged in the housing 11 so as to be outside the imaging range S by the light receiving sensor 23, the antenna unit 50 There is no reflection inside.

  The control device 3 controls the antenna unit 50 so that radio waves are radiated from the loop antenna 60 for a certain period of time when the reading process is performed, according to information obtained from the scanner 2 via the cable 4. I do. For example, the emission of the radio wave from the loop antenna 60 is started simultaneously with the start of the reading process of the information code C. Accordingly, when the electronic tag T for crime prevention is attached to the product or the like when reading the information code C attached to the product or the like, the electronic tag T enters the radio wave output area by the loop antenna 60, The electronic tag T is invalidated.

  When the invalidation of the electronic tag T (control of the non-contact communication medium) succeeds, a notification process is performed in accordance with the control by the control unit 31. For example, by using the lighting of the light emitting unit 33 and the sounding of the buzzer 34, etc. It can be notified that the invalidation of the electronic tag T has been successful. Here, regarding the success or failure of the invalidation of the electronic tag T, for example, the electronic tag T is irradiated with a radio wave so as to change around the resonance frequency for invalidating the electronic tag T, and the response from the electronic tag T near the resonance frequency is performed. May change before and after invalidation.

  As described above, in the optical information reading device 1 according to the present embodiment, the antenna unit 50 includes the loop antenna 60 and the holder 70 that holds the loop antenna 60, and the holder 70 And is arranged so as to be outside the imaging range S of the light receiving sensor 23 functioning as an imaging unit. When the loop antenna 60 is viewed through the reading opening 13, the first long side 61 is outside the imaging range S, along the lower edge Sa of the imaging range S, and the second long side 62 is It is held by the holder 70 along the inner surface 11c of the body 11.

  Accordingly, since the loop antenna 60 is disposed by effectively utilizing a region outside the imaging range S in the reading opening 13, the loop antenna 60 can be formed large even with a small reading opening 13. Accordingly, it is not necessary to increase the size of the reading opening, and the required radiating distance of the antenna provided in the reading opening can be easily ensured without lowering the operability.

  In particular, the loop antenna 60 is disposed on the upper holding surface 81 where the first long side 61 is on the imaging range S side of the holder 70, and the lower side where the second long side 62 is on the back side with respect to the upper holding surface 81. It is held by the holder 70 so as to be arranged on the side holding surface 82. Thereby, even in the configuration in which the loop antenna 60 is held by the holder 70, for example, compared to the case where the first long side 61 and the second long side 62 are arranged on the same surface of the holder 70, The first long side portion 61 and the second long side portion 62 can be arranged further apart according to the thickness of the first holding portion 71 in the holder 70. Thus, a three-dimensional loop-shaped antenna can be configured using the holder 70, so that the loop antenna 60 can be formed larger even with a small reading opening 13.

  Further, since the loop antenna 60 is configured using a flexible substrate, the first long side portion 61 is arranged on the upper holding surface 81 of the holder 70 and the lower holding surface on the back side thereof as in the present embodiment. Even when the second long side portion 62 is arranged at the position 82, the loop antenna 60 can be easily assembled to the holder 70. In particular, since the antenna aperture of the loop antenna can be easily angled, the direction of radio wave radiation can be easily adjusted. Therefore, the relationship between the reading direction and the direction of radio wave radiation can be easily determined according to the shape of the housing 11 and the use environment. Can be adjusted.

  In addition, the housing 11 is configured such that a reading unit 11 a provided with a reading opening 13 is connected to the holding unit 11 b so as to be bent, and the holder 70 has a loop antenna on the holding unit 11 b side with respect to the imaging range S. 60 are held. Thereby, when the user holding the holding unit 11b of the housing 11 turns the reading port 13 of the reading unit 11a toward the information code C or the electronic tag T, the reading unit 11a is usually located above the holding unit 11b. Therefore, since the loop antenna 60 is located below the imaging range S, the loop antenna 60 can be easily directed to the electronic tag T intuitively.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and the like, and may be embodied as follows, for example.
(1) The present invention provides optical information reading in which the housing 11 of the scanner 2 in which the light receiving sensor 23 and the antenna unit 50 are incorporated, and the housing of the control device 3 that controls the antenna unit 50 are separate. The present invention is not limited to the application to the apparatus. For example, a portable optical information reading apparatus such as a handy terminal having both the function of the scanner 2 and the function of the control apparatus 3 and having a battery for supplying power is provided. May be applied.

(2) The loop antenna 60 is not limited to being held by the holder 70 such that the first long side 61 is arranged on the upper holding surface 81 and the second long side 62 is arranged on the lower holding surface 82. Instead, for example, the first long side portion 61 and the second long side portion 62 may be held on the same surface (lower surface or upper surface) of the holder. In addition, the antenna substrate 51 may be configured such that the loop antenna 60 is formed as a metal antenna by pressing or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical information reading device 2 ... Scanner 3 ... Control device 11 ... Housing 11a ... Reading part 11b ... Grip part 11c ... Inner surface 13 ... Reading opening 23 ... Light receiving sensor (imaging part)
31 ... Control unit (decryption unit)
Reference Signs List 50 antenna part 60 loop antenna 61 first long side part 62 second long side part 70 holder 81 upper holding surface 82 lower holding surface C information code S imaging range T electronic tag (non Contact communication medium)

Claims (4)

An optical information reader for optically reading an information code,
An imaging unit for imaging the information code via a reading port,
A decoding unit that decodes the information code imaged by the imaging unit,
An antenna unit for radiating radio waves to a non-contact communication medium using radio waves,
A housing in which the reading opening is formed and at least the imaging unit and the antenna unit are housed;
With
The antenna unit has a loop antenna and a holder for holding the loop antenna,
The holder is disposed so as to be inside the reading opening and outside the imaging range of the imaging unit,
When viewed through the reading opening, the loop antenna has a first long side portion that constitutes one long side is outside the imaging range of the imaging unit and along an edge of the imaging range, and the other long side An optical information reading device, wherein the second long side portion of the optical information reading device is held by the holder so as to be along the inner surface of the housing.   The loop antenna is arranged on one surface where the first long side is on the imaging range side of the holder, and the second long side is arranged on the other surface on the back side with respect to the one surface of the holder. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the optical information reading device is held by the holder.   The optical information reader according to claim 1, wherein the loop antenna is configured using a flexible substrate. The housing is configured such that the reading unit provided with the reading opening is connected to bend with respect to the grip unit,
4. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the holder is arranged to hold the loop antenna on a side of the holding unit with respect to the imaging range of the imaging unit. 5. Information reader.

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