JP3013244U - Optical mark processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Purpose] To increase the recording density of information by recording and reading marks at multiple densities. [Structure] When recording information, the information is made to correspond to a combination of one or more marks having a plurality of density steps, a mark is recorded on a recording medium such as a card or paper by a head, and a plurality of bits are recorded in one mark. Try to have information. At the time of reading, the density of each recorded mark is read by the sensor 6 in a plurality of density steps, and the corresponding original information is restored from the combination with the density steps of the mark.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a mark processing device of a card processing device such as a prepaid card using an optical reading means.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 In conventional optical mark processing devices, as represented by bar codes, the information to be recorded is recorded as a combination of marks and the length of the intervals between the marks. The required information was obtained by detecting the length of the record and reading the recorded information.

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, although there is a difference in how information and marks are associated with each other, the marking and the detection of the mark are performed by a binary judgment as to whether or not there is a mark.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 When the recording and detection of the mark is performed by binary judgment based on the presence or absence of the mark as in the conventional case, the largest amount of information can be recorded when the smallest mark that can be recorded and detected corresponds to the information amount of 1 bit. become.

Therefore, when recording certain information, an area for recording a number of marks equal to or more than the number of bits of the information is required, so that the amount of information that can be recorded in a limited area such as a card is reduced. There was a point.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an optical mark processing device that records information with a number of marks smaller than the number of bits of information and records more information in a limited area. To aim.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a device having a head for recording a predetermined mark on a paper sheet or a card used as an information medium, and a sensor for optically reading the mark, A recording means for changing the recorded density of the recorded mark in a plurality of steps; a reading means capable of reading in a plurality of steps according to the recording density of the mark; and a mark having a plurality of steps of density and a plurality of information. It is composed of a combination that can be used as information.

[0008]

[Action]

 The optical mark processing device of the present invention, when recording information, makes the information correspond to a combination of one or more marks having a plurality of density levels, and causes the head to record the marks on a recording medium such as a card or paper. At the time of reading, the density of each recorded mark can be read by a sensor in a plurality of density steps, and the corresponding original information can be restored from the combination with the density steps of the mark.

As described above, by associating the information with the combination of the marks of a plurality of density steps, it becomes possible to record and read more information on a limited area.

[0010]

【Example】

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an optical mark processing device according to the present invention. The CPU 2 inputs or outputs data or a device operation command from the outside using the input / output device 1.

The head unit 5 includes a head 7 and a sensor 6, and an X motor 8 can reciprocate above the card in the X direction. The card Y motor 9 reciprocates in the Y direction. The CPU 2 causes the head unit 5 to scan an arbitrary row on the card by giving a drive signal to each of the X and Y motor drivers.

The sensor 6 is a reflection type optical sensor and outputs a voltage to the density of the mark on the card. The output voltage of the sensor is converted into a numerical value by the AD converter 3, and the CPU 2 can detect the density of the mark on the card by reading the converted numerical value. The head 7 is a heat-sensitive type head, and the card is also a heat-sensitive coloring card. While the CPU 2 drives the X motor to move the head unit, it gives heat to the head 7 by applying an appropriate electric conduction pulse to the head driver 4, and this heat can record a mark on the card. it can. In order to change the density of the marks to be recorded, multiple density steps are realized by the density of the recording pattern.

When the mark recorded on the card is read, a slit is provided between the sensor and the card so that the mark on the card can only be seen inside the slit. The light emitted from the light emitting unit (not shown) is reflected by the card seen through the slit and is incident on the light receiving unit (not shown), and the light receiving unit outputs a voltage according to the amount of incident light.

The slit 12 has a size of about 2 dots in the X direction and a size of about 5 dots in the Y direction. The light emitted from the light emitting portion is absorbed when it hits the black dot, and is reflected when it hits the white portion and reaches the light receiving portion. Therefore, the output voltage rises according to the number of black dots occupying a certain area seen from the slit, and it is possible to know the approximate number of dots in the slit from the output voltage.

[0015]

[Effect of device]

 As described in detail above, according to the present invention, by providing means for recording one mark with multi-step information according to the density and means for reading multi-step information according to the density of the mark, The recording density can be improved, and an optical mark processing device capable of recording more information can be provided without improving mechanical resolution and positional accuracy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an optical mark processing device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Input / Output Device 2 CPU 3 AD Converter 4 Head Driver 5 Head Unit 6 Sensor 7 Head 8 X Motor 9 Y Motor

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A device having a head for recording a predetermined mark on a paper sheet or a card used as an information medium, and a sensor for optically reading the mark, the recording density of the recorded mark being recorded. A recording unit that changes in a plurality of levels, a reading unit that can read in a plurality of levels according to the recording density of the mark, and a unit that can handle the combination of the density having a plurality of levels and a mark having a plurality of information as information. An optical mark processing device characterized by being configured.