JP3007813U - Bar code printing card holder and bar code printing card - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Barcode prints that already exist as an asset, which are constructed by printing a barcode on a paper sheet, can be used as they are, and the device environment for these printings does not change. Also, when used in an oil-contaminated environment such as the production line of an internal combustion engine, oil-absorbed bar code prints, and bar code prints that have just been printed and have no dirt, so that these bar code prints may flow in a mixed manner To obtain maximum read rate improvement even under complicated and harsh usage conditions. According to the present invention, a card supporting portion for positioning and holding a card printed with a bar code for reflecting a light beam for reading a bar code and causing the light receiving sensor to read the bar code is provided on the back surface of the card. A card holder for barcode printing, which is composed of a non-hygroscopic reflector. And a barcode printing card configured by forming a non-hygroscopic reflecting portion on a card printed with a barcode for reflecting a beam for reading a barcode and causing the light receiving sensor to read the beam.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a bar code printing card holder and a bar code printing card that can be reliably read by significantly reducing the reading error even in an oil-contaminated environment.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 As a conventional bar code and a method for manufacturing the bar code, there is one disclosed in JP-A-2-235190, in which a retroreflective material is used for the white bar and a non-reflective material is used for the black bar.

The above-mentioned technology is a technology for reading a barcode provided on a race horse from a long distance. Due to its business nature, a high recognition rate and a high degree of accuracy without regard to cost are required, and it is achieved. This is a technology that was conceived to Therefore, do not use a normal bar code printed matter that is formed by printing black ink on a white paper sheet that is commonly used to form a black bar, and use at least the light side of the light and dark that constitutes this bar code. This is a technique for obtaining clear bar code readings by using a retroreflector that constitutes the signal but does not scatter on the surface.

[Problems to be solved by the device]

However, since the above-described technique requires the use of a retroreflective plate instead of a white paper sheet that is widely used in general, it cannot be applied to existing bar code prints as it is, and many of them have already been used. Not only in the environment where the ordinary barcode printed matter is used, even when the barcode printed matter using the above technology is newly introduced, the barcode printed matter can be printed using the ordinary paper sheet. Compared to manufacturing, changing the equipment on the material on the one hand and the barcode on the other hand would result in a double cost increase.

Now, the object of the present invention is to use a bar code printed matter which is already formed as an asset, which is formed by printing a bar code on a paper sheet, without changing the equipment environment for these printings. When used under conditions and in an oil-contaminated environment such as the production line of an internal combustion engine, both bar code prints that have sucked in oil and bar code prints that have just been printed and have no stains are mixed. The card holder for bar code printing, which maximizes the reading rate even under complicated and harsh usage conditions such as flowing, and the conventional printing environment using hygroscopic paper, do not change the printing environment and use it in an oil-contaminated environment. However, it is intended for bar code printing cards whose reading rate does not decrease. When used for recognizing a pallet on a manufacturing line in a situation where there are many reading errors as in the past, the line may have to be stopped due to unreadableness, or the barcode reader scans. There is a problem that the speed of the manufacturing line is limited because sufficient reading cannot be obtained unless the number of times is increased, and the present invention eliminates these problems that cause a great problem in manufacturing cost. There is also a thing.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the bar code printing card holder of the present invention includes a back plate portion for positioning a card on which a bar code is printed for reflecting a light beam for reading a bar code and causing the light receiving sensor to read it. It is characterized in that it comprises a support portion composed of a bottom plate portion supporting the back plate portion, and a non-hygroscopic reflector provided so as to be located on the back surface of the card. A bar code printing card according to another aspect of the present invention is a bar code printing card that reflects a bar code reading light beam and causes the light receiving sensor to read the bar code printing card. It is characterized by forming a non-hygroscopic reflection part.

[0007]

[Action]

 The card holder for bar code printing and the card for bar code printing of the present invention each have a normal bar code printed with a black bar printed with black ink on a white paper sheet, and this bar Behind the printed element of the code there is a highly non-hygroscopic reflective part. When the present invention constructed in this way is used in an oil pollution environment, even if the printed part becomes semi-transparent due to oil permeation and becomes transparent, the reflection provided behind it. The part compensates for the reflection of light and reduces the reading error.

[0008]

【Example】

 An embodiment of a bar code printing card holder of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of the operating principle of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a graph specifically showing the signal read by the operation shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the three types of reflection states of the solid line, the dotted line, and the one-dot chain line shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example in which the bar code printing card holder of the present invention is applied on a pallet of a manufacturing line. FIG. 5 shows a bar code printing card holder of the present invention formed into a more practical shape. FIG. 6 is a table showing how the reading rate is improved by providing the reflective surface for each material of the reflective surface.

[Explanation of FIG. 1] In FIG. 1, a bar code reader 1 includes a laser diode 2 serving as a light source, and a laser beam of visible light from the laser diode 2 is reflected on a polygon mirror 3 for scanning. The scanned laser light is applied to the bar code printed matter 5, which is the object to be irradiated, through the light projecting lens 4. After hitting the bar code printed matter 5, the laser light is diffusely reflected, and is mainly reflected at a portion other than the black bar code print and returns to the bar code reader 1 side. Then, the light quantity is electrically converted by the light receiving element 7 through the condenser lens 6 provided on the side of the barcode reader 1 and then digitally converted to be used for various controls.

A reflector 8 is provided behind the bar code printed matter 5. When the bar code printed matter 5 is soaked with oil and the laser light leaks from the white part of the bar code printed matter 5 to the back surface of the bar code printed matter 5 depending on the degree of oil contamination, the leaked laser light is diffused. The light is reflected by the reflector 8 as light, and the bar code printed matter 5 is again illuminated from behind. As a result, the condensing lens 6 can obtain a high condensing light, which is close to a state where the bar code printed matter 5 is not contaminated by oil, and the correct bar code can be read.

[Explanation of FIG. 2] In FIG. 2, the solid line a, the dotted line b, and the alternate long and short dash line c represent changes in the voltage of the light receiving element 7, and the vertical axis represents voltage and the horizontal axis represents time. . The solid line a represents the read signal level when the bar code printed matter 5 is not stained, and the alternate long and short dash line c represents the read signal level when the bar code printed material 5 is in the light transmitting state due to oil contamination. The dotted line b indicates the read signal level when the reflector 8 is provided close to the back of the bar code printed matter which is in the light transmitting state due to the oil contamination.

[Explanation of FIG. 3] FIG. 3 shows how the visible laser light L emitted from the laser diode 2 shown in the explanation of FIG. 1 strikes the bar code printed matter 5 and is reflected or transmitted. It shows. Common features shown by these graphs will be described first. The incident angle of the laser light L on the bar code printed matter 5 is set to 15 ° which is a recommended angle for reading by a general-purpose laser bar code reader. When the laser light L hits the bar code printed matter 5, a remarkably large and sharp reflection occurs in the direction of a reflection angle of 15 ° which is the same as the incident angle. This is the directly reflected light L1. Scattered reflected light L2 is evenly generated around it. Normally, the direct reflected light L1 is larger than the scattered reflected light L2, but instead, it is unstable depending on the condition of the irradiated object and the material. On the other hand, the transmitted light L3 is generated below the barcode printed matter 5. Eliminating the amount of the transmitted light L3 leads to efficient reflection. The amount of light is shown by the size of the arrow on the graph. Further, (a) to (d) show the reflection state of the laser light L divided into four types of conditions.

Hereinafter, each condition will be described. (a) shows a reflection state in which the barcode printed matter 5 is in a state close to an ideal state in which no stain is added. The characteristic of this graph is that the scattered reflected light L2 is reflected uniformly and with a large amount of light, and the transmitted light L3 is small. (b) shows a state of reflection and transmission in a state immediately after the oil is scattered and adhered to the bar code printed matter 5, that is, in a glossy condition without being dried. The feature of this graph is that the direct reflected light L1 is prominently large, and the scattered reflected light L2 is reduced to a level at which the barcode reader 1 cannot read it. Further, a large amount of transmitted light L3 is generated. (c) shows the state of reflection and transmission when the attached surface has dried after some time has passed from the state of (b). The characteristic of this graph is that even the direct reflected light L1 is lowered to a level at which the barcode reader 1 cannot read it. Therefore, if the irradiation angle of the barcode reader 1 is changed from the normal 15 ° to any angle. Even if it does, it cannot be read. (d) shows the state of reflection and transmission when the reflector 8 is provided close to the back of the bar code printed matter 5 which is in a light transmitting state due to oil contamination in the state of (c). The characteristic of this graph is that since the transmitted light L3 is reflected from the reflector 8, the apparent scattered reflected light L2 increases and the bar code reader 1 reaches a level where it can be sufficiently read. There is.

The present invention is intended to enable stable bar code reading in an oil-contaminated environment. From this viewpoint, the contents shown in (a) to (d) above will be examined. In the first place, the means for directly reading the reflected light L1 by changing the irradiation angle cannot be used because it is unstable. Secondly, the bar code printed matter 5 which is in a light transmitting state due to oil contamination cannot be read. Thirdly, by providing the reflector 8 on the back surface side of the bar code printed matter 5, it has been found that such bar code printed matter 5 which becomes unreadable can be reused.

[Explanation of FIG. 4] FIG. 4 (a) is a perspective view showing an example in which the bar code printing card holder of the present invention is installed at the leading position on the upper left side of the pallet of the engine manufacturing line of the actual internal combustion engine. FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of the specific structure of the card holder for barcode printing. In FIG. 4 (a), an engine 11 is mounted on the pallet 10, and a bar code printing card holder 20 in which contents corresponding to the type of the engine 11 are entered is installed on the left side of the top of the pallet 10. A bar code reader 30 is provided at a position corresponding to the bar code printing card holder 20. In this state, when the pallet 10 moves from the front to the depth direction and the bar code printing card holder 20 reaches the side of the bar code reader 30, the bar code information of the bar code printing card holder 20 is read by the bar code reader 30. Is read. Then, based on the read information, for example, when approaching the branch point X, the target pallet 10 is automatically controlled so as to be directed to the I direction or the G direction according to the reference.

FIG. 4B is an enlarged perspective view of the card holder 20 for printing barcodes. The barcode assembly 20 is a bubble jet type ink-printed barcode on a paper of a predetermined size. A card 21 printed with the above, a non-hygroscopic reflector 22 formed by laminating a laminated silver foil having a surface protection onto a plate-like member, and supporting the card 21 and the reflector 22. Support means 23 for The supporting means 23 is composed of a bottom plate portion 23a screwed to the pallet 10, a back plate portion 23b, a side plate portion 23c, and a front locking portion 23d. These bottom plate portion 23a, back plate portion 23b, side plate portion 23c. The space surrounded by the front locking portion 23d is a pocket portion 23e into which the card 21 and the reflector 22 are inserted. The card 21 and the card 21 are inserted into the pocket 23e of the supporting means 23 toward the front locking portion 23d, and the reflector 22 is inserted between the inserted card 21 and the back plate 23b of the supporting means 23. Is inserted. Incidentally, reference numeral 24 in the drawing denotes a gap adjusting member, and this gap adjusting member 24 is inserted between the reflector 22 and the back plate portion 23b of the supporting means 23 as required. By changing the thickness of the gap adjusting member 24, it is possible to change the gap between the card 21 and the reflector 22 generated in the pocket portion 23e.

It should be noted that the reflector 22 can take various measures if necessary, and for example, a laminated silver foil attached to the reflector 22 can be randomly attached with its flatness disturbed. . In this way, even if the angle between the barcode reader 30 and the barcode printing card holder 20 changes more than the standard angle, the reading improvement can be achieved in a wide angle range. When a non-hygroscopic sponge is attached to the back surface of the reflector 22, the card 21 inserted into the pocket portion 23e of the support means 23 is pushed toward the front side with the lapse of time, and the card 21 and the reflector 22 are separated from each other. The gap between the two is reduced or adhered, and the warp of the card is corrected, and as a result, the reading rate is greatly improved.

[Explanation of FIG. 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing four examples of a bar code printing card holder of the present invention formed in a more practical shape. The common features of these four examples will be explained first. In the figure, reference numeral 40 denotes a supporting means. The supporting means 40 comprises a bottom plate portion 40a screwed to a pallet, a back plate portion 40b and a side plate portion 40c, and the side plate portion 40c holds the card 50. It is bent inward to allow A space surrounded by the bottom plate portion 40a, the back plate portion 40b and the side plate portion 40c is a pocket portion 40d for inserting the card 50, and a window portion 40e is provided between the left and right side plate portions 40c. Has become. Although the window 40e is merely a space in this embodiment, a transparent plate may be attached if necessary so long as the barcode printing area can maintain an optically transparent state after the card 50 is inserted. The supporting means 40 described above is formed by bending a single metal plate. The details of the four slightly different implementations will now be described individually.

In FIG. 5A, a plate-shaped reflector 60a having a high reflectance is provided on the entire back surface of the card 50 inserted in the pocket 40d, and the card is placed below the pocket 40d of the bottom plate 40a. Two bosses 40f are provided to prevent 50 from completely falling down. Usually, the card 50 drops completely downward and comes into contact with the bottom plate portion 40a, and the oil of the engine parts mounted on the pallet soaks up from below due to the capillary phenomenon, and the card 50 is contaminated with oil from below. . By providing this boss portion 40f, it is possible to separate from such a pollution source, and as a result, the reading rate of this barcode printing card holder by the barcode reader is improved.

FIG. 5B shows a plate-shaped reflector 60 b having high reflectance at a position of the back plate portion 40 b of the support member 40 corresponding to the bar code printed portion when the card 50 is inserted. The attached card holder for barcode printing is shown.

FIG. 5 (c) shows that a relatively heavy mirror or a reflector 60c having a relatively heavy plate member provided with a mirror surface is provided on the back surface of the card 50 inserted into the pocket 40d. The entire pocket 40d is inclined by 15 ° toward the front. By doing so, the inserted card 50 is pressed by the heavy reflector 60c by gravity, so that proper adhesion is obtained between the card 50 and the reflector 60c and the distortion of the card 50 is also obtained. , Will be improved a little.

The reflector 60c located on the back surface of the card 50 can be formed as an integral layer on the back surface of the card 50. Although the barcode printing card formed in this way has a special reflective material on the back side, the barcode can be printed on the front side without changing the printing equipment environment like the conventional ink jet method. You can In addition, the reflector 60c formed as a layer on the back surface can be formed by sticking a non-hygroscopic laminated silver foil or applying a high-luminance material such as white, yellow, silver or gold to which various materials described above can be applied. The reflector can be obtained by applying a chromatic color coating to form a non-hygroscopic reflective layer. The reflector can then be formed via a very thin adhesive layer or by direct application or printing. The position and range of the formation may be the entire back surface, but at least the back surface on which the bar code is printed provides a sufficient effect.

FIG. 5 (d) shows that the inside of the back plate portion 40b of the supporting means 40c is mirror-finished so as to increase the reflectance, and the recess for gripping that has been conventionally provided on the back surface is removed. A highly reflective surface is formed behind the bar code printed surface of the card 50, and if necessary, the entire pocket 40d is tilted 15 ° toward the back surface. By doing this, a card that has the least number of parts and that is relatively heavy including oil will come closer to the mirror-finished reflective surface on the back surface, and as a result, a card that has been soaked with oil will not get soaked and is light. The card can read barcodes with a relatively similar reading rate. As a means for performing the above-mentioned mirror finish, if necessary, the whole material can be made of stainless steel or can be achieved by chrome plating. Further, even if the reflective layer is formed by applying a color coating of high lightness color such as white, yellow, silver or gold, the reading rate can be improved.

In any of the embodiments shown in FIG. 5, the card supporting means is composed of at least a bottom plate portion 40a for supporting the entire card supporting means and a pocket portion 40d for positioning the reflector. If the angle formed is larger than 90 °, that is, the card is bent backward, the inserted card will automatically lean against the reflective surface and come into close contact, and the gap between the card and the reflective surface will decrease, reducing the reading rate. Can be further improved. If necessary, it is possible to tilt the bar code reader to a greater angle by changing the installation angle.

[Description of FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a table showing, for each material, how the reading rate is improved by providing the reflecting surface. Further, the bar code printed matter to be read commonly uses a card which is smeared with oil and soiled to the extent that it becomes unreadable at a reading rate of 15% or less under normal reading conditions. In addition, the reading rate is measured by changing the gap between the card and the reflective surface. From the results shown in these tables, in order for the bar code reader to achieve a reading rate of 15% or more that does not handle errors, it is necessary to keep the gap at least 1.6 mm or less. It was found that the device of (1) has a sufficient effect in improving the reading rate.

[0026]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, since the reflector is provided between the reflection side of the barcode reading side and the card supporting means, the white background portion of the card is transparent due to oil contamination, Even if it becomes impossible to read, the laser light for reading that has once passed through the white background part of the card, but the transmitted light is reflected by the reflector behind it and returns to the card side again. As a result, the situation is the same as if a light source was provided behind the card, and a sufficient amount of scattered light was obtained even from the white background of a transparent card, making it possible to read from a state that could not be read in the past. Will be improved.

When the degree of oil contamination of the card is constant, various settings on the barcode reader side (eg, reading angle, reading sensitivity, reading distance, wavelength of laser light) can be changed. However, there is a good chance that it will be readable, but if the card is partially contaminated with oil or a new card that has just been printed and a mixture of clean and oil contaminated cards are flowing on the automation pallet. In such cases, if you change the settings on the barcode reader side in accordance with the oil-contaminated card side, a beautiful card may become unreadable due to an excessive amount of reflected light. By using the present invention even in such a difficult situation where the amount of reflected light is strong and weak, it is possible to obtain sufficient scattered light even in a highly permeable place that is contaminated with oil, so change the setting conditions of the card reader. Without being affected by the degree of oil contamination of the card, stable reading is possible, and as a result, reading errors are reduced. Furthermore, due to this reduction in reading error, it is possible to shorten the reading time, and as a result, it is possible to increase the traveling speed of the pallet of the belt conveyor on which the present invention is mounted, improving the production of the entire production line. Can be made.

On the other hand, by forming a card for bar code printing on the back surface of the card as an integral layer, in addition to the same effect as described above, it is possible to prevent deterioration in an oil-contaminated environment without changing conventional printing equipment. However, highly reliable barcode reading can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an outline of the operating principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph specifically showing a signal read by the operation shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing three types of reflection states of a solid line, a dotted line, and a one-dot chain line shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example in which the card holder for barcode printing of the present invention is applied on a pallet of a manufacturing line.

FIG. 5 is a card holder for bar code printing of the present invention formed into a more practical shape.

FIG. 6 is a table showing how the reading rate is improved for each material of the reflective surface.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Bar Code Reader 2 Laser Diode 3 Polygon Mirror 4 Light Emitting Lens 5 Bar Code Printed Material 6 Condensing Lens 7 Photosensitive Element 8 Reflector L Laser Light L1 Direct Reflected Light L2 Scattered Reflected Light L3 Transmitted Light

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 6, 1994

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 6

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

FIG. 6 is a chart showing how the reading rate is improved for each material of the reflective surface.

Claims (13)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A back plate part (23b) for positioning a card printed with a bar code for reflecting a light beam for reading a bar code and causing the light receiving sensor to read it, and a bottom plate part for supporting the back plate part (23b). (23a), a card holder for bar code printing, comprising: a support portion and a non-hygroscopic reflector provided so as to be located on the back surface of the card. 2. The card holder for bar code printing according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is formed of a mirror. 3. The card holder for bar code printing according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is formed by pasting a silver foil on a plate member. 4. The card holder for bar code printing according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is integrally formed on the card side of the back plate portion (23b) as a mirror finishing layer. 5. The card holder for bar code printing according to claim 1, wherein the reflector is integrally provided on the card side of the back plate portion (23b) as a coating layer of a high lightness color. . 6. A pocket (23e) for inserting a card and a reflector is formed by providing a front engaging portion (23d) on the reading side of the back plate (23b), and the bottom plate (23a). ) And the pocket portion (23e) form an angle smaller than 90 °, wherein the card holder for bar code printing according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. The bottom plate portion (23a) and the back plate portion (23)
The bar code printing card holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the angle formed with b) is larger than 90 °. 8. The projection according to claim 1, wherein a projection for mounting a card is provided below the back plate (23b) or on the bottom plate (23a). Card holder for bar code printing. 9. A non-hygroscopic reflecting portion is formed on at least the back surface of a card printed with a bar code for reflecting a light beam for reading a bar code and causing the light receiving sensor to read the bar code. And a card for bar code printing. 10. The card for bar code printing according to claim 9, wherein the reflective portion is formed by providing a high-brightness color layer on the back surface of the card with an adhesive layer interposed therebetween. 11. The bar code printing card according to claim 9, wherein the reflective portion is formed by directly applying or printing a layer of high lightness color on the back surface of the card. 12. The bar code printing card according to claim 10, wherein the high lightness color layer is formed as a silver foil. 13. The bar code printing card according to claim 10, wherein the high lightness color layer is formed as a paint layer.