JP4968043B2 - Optical information reader - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical information reader.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, optical information readers that read bar codes and two-dimensional codes are widely known. In this type of optical information reading device, reflected light from an information code (bar code, two-dimensional code, etc.) is received by an optical sensor, and image data obtained according to the light reception result is temporarily stored in a memory, Reading processing is performed so as to decode the stored image data by a known method.
JP 2001-266064 A

  In the above optical information reader, there are cases where a plurality of information codes are included in the image data obtained according to the light reception result. In such a case, how to identify and read the desired information code Is a problem. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-133867 discloses a technique for displaying information codes on a display and allowing a user to select them when image data includes a plurality of information codes. According to this technique, the information code desired by the user can be accurately specified, and the decoding process can be accurately performed.

  However, since the technique of Patent Document 1 tries to specify an information code to be decoded by causing a user to operate a part of the device (touch panel), a detailed operation is required at the time of specification. In addition, there is a problem that the labor for operation increases. Furthermore, since the above technique displays the acquired image data once on the display and asks the user to perform the above operation, it takes time to specify the decoding target. As a result, there is also a problem that the entire reading process takes time.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problem. When a plurality of information codes are included in the reading area, the information code desired by the user can be quickly and accurately specified, and the reading processing time can be increased. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical information reading apparatus capable of shortening the length.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a light receiving means for receiving reflected light from a reading object on which an information code is recorded, and a reading object based on a light reception result by the light receiving means at least at a first time. An optical information reading apparatus comprising: an image generating means for generating a first image; and a decoding means for decoding an image of the information code included in the first image to be read, wherein the decoding means The operation direction detecting means for detecting the operation direction of the optical information reading device by the user after the first period, and the operation when the plurality of information code images are included in the first image to be read. Selection means for selecting any one of the information codes based on the operation direction detected by the direction detection means, and selected by the selection means And outputs the result of decoding the information code.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the optical information reading device according to the first aspect, comprising operation amount detecting means for detecting an operation amount of the optical information reading device by the user after the first period. The selection unit includes the operation direction detected by the operation direction detection unit and the operation amount detection unit detected by the operation amount detection unit when the first image to be read includes a plurality of images of the information code. One of the information codes is selected based on an operation amount.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the first aspect, the image generating means generates the first image to be read at the first time and the first time. A second image to be read is generated based on a light reception result by the light receiving unit after the user has moved the optical information reading device later, and the operation direction detection unit is configured to detect the first image to be read The operation direction is detected based on the second image to be read.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the second aspect, the image generating means generates the first image to be read at the first time period, and at the first time period. A second image to be read is generated based on a light reception result by the light receiving means after the user has moved the optical information reading device, and the operation direction detection means and the operation amount detection means The operation direction and the operation amount are detected based on the first image of the object and the second image of the object to be read.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the fourth aspect, the information code is a two-dimensional code including a position detection pattern, and the operation direction detection means and the operation amount detection means are Based on the position detection pattern of the information code included in the first image to be read and the position detection pattern of the information code included in the second image to be read, the operation direction and the operation amount are determined. Each is detected.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to any one of the third to fifth aspects, the selecting unit changes the first image to be read from the first image to be read to the second image to be read. When changing, the information code is selected to approach the image center position.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to the first aspect, the operation direction detecting means includes an acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration of the optical information reading apparatus.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the second aspect, the operation direction detecting means and the operation amount detecting means comprise acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration of the optical information reading device. It is characterized by.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the selecting means includes a dividing means for dividing the first image to be read into a plurality of regions. And assigning means for assigning a numerical value to each of the plurality of areas, wherein the assigning means is a numerical value of a part of the plurality of areas based on the operation direction of the optical information reading device by the user. Assigning a numerical value to each region so as to be set larger than a reference value assigned to other than the partial region, and the selection means includes a plurality of images of the information code in the first image to be read; Any one of the information codes is selected based on the numerical value of the area where the image of each information code is arranged.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the ninth aspect, the allocating unit sets the partial area with a width corresponding to an operation amount of the optical information reading device by the user. It is characterized by that.

The invention according to claim 11 is the optical information reading device according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein the first image to be read is displayed and each of the plurality of regions in the first image to be read is displayed. Further, it is characterized by comprising area mode display means for displaying in a mode corresponding to the numerical value of each area.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the decoding means includes a plurality of images of the information code in the first image to be read. If the information is decoded, each of the plurality of the information codes is decoded prior to selection by the selection unit, and any of the information that has already been decoded based on the operation direction of the optical information reader by the user A code is selected by the selection means, and a decoding result is output.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to any one of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the decoding unit includes a plurality of images of the information code in the first image to be read. The information code images are decoded in order starting from the information code arranged in the area having the larger numerical value, and the decoding result of the information code that can be normally decoded first is obtained. It is characterized by outputting.

A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the optical information reading device according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, further comprising display means for indicating a correspondence relationship between the reading target and the optical information reading device. It is characterized by that.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the fourteenth aspect , the display means displays at least the first image to be read and identifies the predetermined position of the first image to be read. A display for displaying a mark, the display corresponding to a moving direction of an image acquisition region in the reading target according to the operation direction after the first time period, on the first image of the reading target . The display position of the attached identification mark is moved.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the fifteenth aspect , the display unit is operated by the selection unit according to an operation of the optical information reading device by the user after the first period. The display position of the identification mark is moved to the image position of the selected information code.

The invention of claim 17 is the optical information reader according to claim 14 , wherein the display means comprises marker light irradiating means for irradiating the reading object with marker light, and the marker light irradiating means comprises: A correspondence relationship between the reading target and the optical information reading device is shown by irradiating the marker light to a predetermined position of an image acquisition region of the reading target by the optical information reading device.

The invention according to claim 18 is the optical information reading device according to any one of claims 1 to 17 , wherein the selection code display means for displaying the selection result of the information code by the selection means, and the user Selection canceling means for canceling the selection of the information code by the selection means based on a canceling operation.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a plurality of information codes are included in the first image to be read obtained at the first time, any information is based on the operation direction detected by the operation direction detection means. A code is selected, and the decoding result of the selected information code is output. In this configuration, when a plurality of information codes are included in the reading area, the user can select the information code by operating the optical information reading device in an appropriate direction. Can be facilitated. In addition, information code identification processing can be performed quickly, and reading processing time can be further shortened, as compared with a conventional configuration in which a plurality of information codes are displayed on a display and a fine selection operation is performed. It becomes like this.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, any one of the information codes is selected based on the operation direction detected by the operation direction detection means and the operation amount detected by the operation amount detection means. In this way, even if the information code cannot be specified only by the operation direction, it can be appropriately specified based on the operation amount.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first image to be read obtained based on the light reception result at the first time and the light reception result after the user moves the optical information reader after the first time are obtained. The operation direction is detected based on the second image to be read. In this way, if the operation direction is detected based on images obtained at different times, the image processing means can be used as the operation direction detection means, and therefore it is necessary to provide a complicated detection means separately. Therefore, a highly functional configuration can be realized at a reduced cost.

  If the operation direction and the operation amount are detected based on images obtained at different times as in the invention of claim 4, the means for performing image processing can be used as the operation direction detection means and the operation amount detection means. Therefore, it is more advantageous in terms of realizing a highly functional configuration at a reduced cost.

  In the invention of claim 5, a two-dimensional code including a position detection pattern is to be read, and a two-dimensional code position detection pattern included in the first image to be read and a two-dimensional code included in the second image to be read. The operation direction and the operation amount are detected based on the code position detection pattern. Thus, by paying attention to the characteristic part of the two-dimensional code, it becomes possible to accurately and quickly grasp the difference between the two images obtained at different times, and the operation amount and operation direction of the optical information reading device can be determined. It becomes possible to detect with higher accuracy in a shorter time.

  The invention according to claim 6 is configured to select an information code to approach the image center position when changing from the first image to be read to the second image to be read. According to this configuration, if the user operates the optical information reading device so that the desired information code is directed to the center position of the reading area, the information code can be selected. The configuration is excellent.

  In the invention of claim 7, acceleration detection means for detecting the acceleration of the optical information reader is provided, and this functions as operation direction detection means. In this way, the operation direction of the optical information reader by the user can be detected well.

  In the invention of claim 8, acceleration detecting means for detecting the acceleration of the optical information reader is provided, and this functions as an operation direction detecting means and an operation amount detecting means. In this way, the operation direction and operation amount of the optical information reading apparatus by the user can be detected well.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there are provided dividing means for dividing the first image to be read into a plurality of areas, and assigning means for assigning numerical values to each of the plurality of areas. Based on the operation direction of the reading device, a numerical value is assigned to each area so that a numerical value of a partial area of the plurality of areas is set to be larger than a reference value assigned to other than the partial area. When the first image to be read includes a plurality of information code images, one of the information codes is selected based on the numerical value of the area where the information code image is arranged. According to this configuration, the specific area corresponding to the operation direction can be set numerically so as to be differentiated from other areas, and the information code desired by the user can be appropriately selected based on such numerical setting.

  In a tenth aspect of the present invention, a partial area (an area where a numerical value is set to be large) is set with a size corresponding to the amount of operation of the optical information reader by the user. When the amount of operation increases, due to the nature of the operation, the deviation between the operation direction and the desired information code tends to increase. However, in the present invention, when the amount of operation increases, a certain area (the numerical value is increased). The area to be set) is set wide to suppress the influence of the shift. In addition, when the operation amount is small, the operation direction and the information code are relatively easily associated with each other due to the nature of the operation. However, in the present invention, when the operation amount is small, a partial area (area where the numerical value is set large). Is set narrowly, it becomes difficult to select an information code having a small relationship with the operation direction.

In the eleventh aspect of the invention, the first image to be read is displayed, and each of the plurality of regions in the first image to be read is displayed in a manner corresponding to the numerical value of each region. In this way, the correspondence between the user's operation and the information code can be accurately grasped by the user based on the actually acquired image (first image to be read), and the selection operation can be performed. The convenience in the can be further improved.

In the invention of claim 12 , when a plurality of information code images are included in the first image to be read, each of the plurality of information codes is decoded prior to selection by the selection means, and the optical information reading device by the user Based on the operation direction, any one of the already decoded information codes is selected by the selection means, and the decoding result is output. As described above, if one of the information codes is selected after previously decoding a plurality of information codes, it is easy to detect the information code corresponding to the operation direction, and it is possible to prevent a decoding failure after the selection.

In the invention of claim 13 , when a plurality of information code images are included in the first image to be read, the plurality of information code images are decoded in order starting from the information code arranged in the area having a large numerical value. The decoding result of the information code that has been successfully decoded is output. In this way, the decoding process can be suppressed to the minimum necessary number, and the processing speed can be increased.

According to the fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided display means for indicating the correspondence between the reading object and the optical information reading device. Accordingly, the user can accurately grasp the correspondence between the reading target and the optical information reading apparatus, and the user appropriately performs the selection operation for selecting the information code while checking the display means. Can do.

According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display for displaying at least a first image to be read and displaying an identification mark at a predetermined position of the first image to be read, in accordance with an operation after the first time. The display position of the identification mark is moved in correspondence with the moving direction of the image acquisition area. In this way, the user can better understand the correspondence between the reading target and the optical information reading device, and can also check the correspondence with the reading target after the optical information reading device is operated. Become. Therefore, the user can perform the selection operation of the information code even better.

In the invention of claim 16 , the display position of the identification mark is moved to the image position of the information code selected by the selection means in accordance with the operation of the optical information reader by the user after the first period. In this way, it is possible to quickly indicate to the user which information code is selected.

In the invention of claim 17 , marker light irradiating means for irradiating the reading target with marker light is provided, and the reading is performed by irradiating the marker light to a predetermined position of the image acquisition region by the optical information reading device on the reading target. The correspondence relationship between the object and the optical information reader is shown. In this way, it is possible to inform the user of the correspondence between the reading target and the optical information reading device without using a complicated configuration, and the user can appropriately perform the selection operation based on the marker light. it can.

The invention according to claim 18 is provided with a selection code display means for displaying the selection result of the information code by the selection means, and a selection release means for releasing the selection of the information code by the selection means based on a release operation from the user. ing. In this way, the user can grasp whether or not the desired information code has been selected, and when an incorrect information code is selected, the selection can be canceled.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an optical information reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of a reading process by the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the movement detection process. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of priority order setting processing. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of image acquisition in the first period. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of image acquisition in the second period. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the concept of detecting the movement direction and the movement amount based on the acquired image. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which the first image is divided into a plurality of regions. FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram for explaining the numerical setting when the movement amount is zero or in a predetermined fine movement state, and FIG. 9B is the numerical setting when the movement amount is in a predetermined small state. It is explanatory drawing explaining these. FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram for explaining the numerical setting when the movement amount is in a predetermined middle state, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram for explaining the numerical setting when the movement amount is in a predetermined large state. It is. FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the first image is displayed, and FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example in which the mode of each region is changed in accordance with the numerical value setting. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example in which the state in which the information code is selected is displayed as an image.

(1. Overall configuration)
An optical information reading apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a code reader that reads a bar code or a two-dimensional code, and mainly includes an illumination light source 21, a light receiving sensor 23, a filter 25, an imaging lens 27, and the like. It comprises an optical system, a memory 35, a control circuit 40, an operation switch 42, a microcomputer system such as a liquid crystal display device 46 and the like, and a power supply system such as a power switch 41 and a battery 49. . These are mounted on a printed wiring board (not shown) or housed in a housing (not shown).

  The optical system includes an illumination light source 21, a light receiving sensor 23, a filter 25, an imaging lens 27, and the like. The illumination light source 21 functions as an illumination light source capable of emitting illumination light Lf, and includes, for example, a red LED and a diffusion lens, a condensing lens, and the like provided on the emission side of the LED. In the present embodiment, illumination light sources 21 are provided on both sides of the light receiving sensor 23, and configured to irradiate the illumination light Lf toward the reading object R through a reading port of a housing (not shown). . The reading object R corresponds to a display medium such as a packaging container, packaging paper, or label, for example, and an information code C (for example, a bar code B or a two-dimensional code Q1, Q2 described later) is printed on the surface thereof. Etc. are attached.

  The light receiving sensor 23 is configured to be able to receive the reflected light Lr irradiated and reflected on the reading object R and the information code C. For example, the light receiving element 23 is a solid-state image pickup device such as a C-MOS or CCD. An area sensor arranged in a dimension corresponds to this. The light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving sensor 23 is positioned so as to be externally visible through the reading port from the outside of the housing. The light receiving sensor 23 can receive incident light incident through the imaging lens 27 on the light receiving surface 23a. It is mounted on a printed wiring board (not shown).

  The filter 25 is an optical low-pass filter that allows passage of light that is less than or equal to the wavelength of the reflected light Lr, and that can block passage of light that exceeds the wavelength, and is provided between the reading port of the housing and the imaging lens 27. Is provided. Thereby, unnecessary light exceeding the wavelength equivalent of the reflected light Lr is prevented from entering the light receiving sensor 23.

  The imaging lens 27 functions as an imaging optical system capable of condensing incident light incident from the outside via a reading port and forming an image on the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving sensor 23. And a plurality of condensing lenses housed in the lens barrel. In the present embodiment, the illumination light Lf emitted from the illumination light source 21 is reflected by the information code C and the reflected light Lr incident on the reading port is collected, whereby the information code C is reflected on the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving sensor 23. The code image can be formed.

  Next, a configuration outline of the microcomputer system will be described. The microcomputer system includes an amplification circuit 31, an A / D conversion circuit 33, a memory 35, an address generation circuit 36, a synchronization signal generation circuit 38, a control circuit 40, an operation switch 42, an LED 43, a buzzer 44, a liquid crystal display device 46, and a communication interface 48. Etc. As the name suggests, this microcomputer system is composed mainly of a control circuit 40 and a memory 35 that can function as a microcomputer (information processing device). The image signal of the information code C imaged by the optical system described above is obtained. It can perform signal processing in terms of hardware and software. The control circuit 40 also performs control related to the entire system of the optical information reading apparatus 1.

  An image signal (analog signal) output from the light receiving sensor 23 of the optical system is input to the amplification circuit 31 and amplified by a predetermined gain, and then input to the A / D conversion circuit 33. Converted into a digital signal. When the digitized image signal, that is, image data (image information) is input to the memory 35, it is stored in the image data storage area. The synchronization signal generation circuit 38 is configured to generate a synchronization signal for the light receiving sensor 23 and the address generation circuit 36. The address generation circuit 36 is based on the synchronization signal supplied from the synchronization signal generation circuit 38. Thus, the storage address of the image data stored in the memory 35 can be generated.

  The memory 35 is a semiconductor memory device, and corresponds to, for example, a RAM (DRAM, SRAM, etc.) or a ROM (EPROM, EEPROM, etc.). In addition to the above-described image data storage area, the RAM of the memory 35 is configured to be able to secure a work area and a reading condition table that are used by the control circuit 40 in each processing such as arithmetic operation and logical operation. . The ROM stores in advance a predetermined program that can execute a reading process and the like that will be described later, and a system program that can control each piece of hardware such as the illumination light source 21 and the light receiving sensor 23.

  The control circuit 40 is a microcomputer that can control the entire optical information reading apparatus 1 and includes a CPU, a system bus, an input / output interface, and the like. The control circuit 40 can constitute an information processing apparatus together with the memory 35 and has an information processing function. . The control circuit 40 is configured to be connectable to various input / output devices (peripheral devices) via a built-in input / output interface. A buzzer 44, a liquid crystal display device 46, a communication interface 48, and the like are connected.

  Thereby, for example, monitoring and management of the power switch 41 and the operation switch 42, turning on / off the LED 43 functioning as an indicator, turning on / off the buzzer 44 capable of generating a beep sound and an alarm sound, and further reading the information code The screen control of the liquid crystal display device 46 capable of displaying the code content by C, the communication control of the communication interface 48 enabling serial communication with an external device, and the like are enabled. The external devices connected to the communication interface 48 include a host computer HST corresponding to the host system of the optical information reading device 1 and the like.

  The power supply system includes a power switch 41, a battery 49, and the like. When the power switch 41 managed by the control circuit 40 is turned on and off, the conduction of the drive voltage supplied from the battery 49 to each device and each circuit described above is established. Or shut off is controlled. The battery 49 is a secondary battery that can generate a predetermined DC voltage, and corresponds to, for example, a lithium ion battery. Further, the battery 49 may be configured to receive power supply from an external device such as the host computer HST connected via the communication interface 48 without using the battery 49. In this case, the battery 49 is unnecessary.

  By configuring the optical information reader 1 in this way, for example, when the power switch 41 is turned on and a predetermined self-diagnosis process or the like is normally completed and the information code C can be read, the illumination light Lf The input of the operation switch 42 (for example, a trigger switch) for instructing the light emission is received. As a result, when the operator presses the trigger switch to turn it on, the control circuit 40 outputs a light emission signal to the illumination light source 21 based on the synchronization signal. Light is emitted to irradiate illumination light Lf.

  Then, the illumination light Lf applied to the information code C is reflected, and the reflected light Lr enters the imaging lens 27 through the reading port and the filter 25, so that the imaging lens is formed on the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving sensor 23. 27, an image of the information code C, that is, a code image is formed. Each light receiving element of the light receiving sensor 23 outputs a signal corresponding to this image formation. The signal data output from the light receiving sensor 23 is amplified by the amplification circuit 31, and then converted into a digital signal by the A / D conversion circuit, and stored in the memory 35 as image data including an image of the information code C. It will be. In the present embodiment, the light receiving sensor 23 corresponds to an example of a “light receiving unit” and functions to receive reflected light from a reading target on which an information code is recorded. The control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of an “image generation unit”, and is based on a light reception result by the light receiving sensor 23 at a first time (a time when image acquisition processing described later is performed (FIG. 2)). It functions to generate the first image. The control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of a “decoding unit” and functions to decode an image of an information code included in the first image to be read.

  The information code included in the image data acquired as described above is not limited to one, but may be two or more (that is, two or more information code images are formed on the light receiving surface 23a of the light receiving sensor 23). Therefore, in the present invention, the following reading process is performed so that the desired information code can be decoded even when two or more information codes are acquired in this way.

(2. Reading process)
The reading process shown in FIG. 2 is executed by the control circuit 40 based on a program stored in a ROM or the like, and is started with, for example, a predetermined start operation (such as operation of a trigger switch) as a trigger. When the process is started, first, an image acquisition process of S1 is performed. This image acquisition processing is based on the light reception result of the light receiving sensor 23 immediately after the start operation is performed (first time) (that is, based on the image formed on the light receiving sensor 23 at the first time). ) Image data including an image of the information code is stored in the memory 35 as described above. Then, after this image acquisition process is performed, a process of displaying the acquired image (the image acquired at the first time (ie, the first image to be read)) on the liquid crystal display 46 (FIG. 1) is performed ( S2). FIG. 11A shows a display example of the acquired image to be read.
In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 correspond to an example of “display means” and function to indicate the correspondence between the reading target and the optical information reading device 1.

  And the process which decodes the information code contained in the image data acquired by S1 is performed (S3). In this decoding process, all information codes included in the image data are decoded. That is, when only one information code is included in the image data, the information code is decoded. When two or more information codes are included in the image data, all the plurality of information codes are decoded. To do. Each information code and its decoding result are stored in the memory 35 in association with each other. Although a technique for decoding a barcode or a two-dimensional code based on image data is well known and will not be described in detail, as an outline, after binarizing the image data acquired in S1, predetermined information By performing processing, character data encoded as an information code is decoded, and the contents are stored in the memory 35.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the decoding has been normally performed (S4). If the decoding is not performed normally (when no decoding result of the information code is obtained), the process proceeds to No in S4, returns to S1 again, and repeats the processes after S1. If the decoding is not performed normally, a notification output (for example, “NG”, long beep sound or red light) is output by the liquid crystal display device 46, the buzzer 44 or the LED 43. The user of the optical information reader 1 may be notified by

  On the other hand, if it is determined in S4 that the decoding has been normally performed (when at least one decoding result is obtained), the process proceeds to Yes in S4, and whether the acquired image data includes a plurality of information codes. It is determined whether or not (S5). In this embodiment, if the acquired image data includes only one information code, the process proceeds to No in S5, and the decoding result of the information code is output (S12). If the information code is included, the process proceeds to Yes in S5, and any information code is selected by performing the processing from S6 onward.

  When the process proceeds to Yes in S5 (that is, when the acquired image data includes a plurality of information codes), an operation detection process is first performed in S6. This operation detection process is a process for detecting the operation direction and the operation amount of the optical information reading apparatus 1 performed by the user after the image is acquired in S1, and is performed in the flow as shown in FIG. 3, for example. In the example of FIG. 3, first, based on the light reception result of the light receiving sensor 23 immediately after the start of the operation direction detection process (second time) (that is, in an image formed on the light receiving sensor 23 at the second time). Based on this, processing (image acquisition processing) for generating image data and storing it in the memory 35 is performed (S61). The image acquired in S61 is an image obtained based on the light reception result by the light receiving sensor 23 in which the user has performed the moving operation of the optical information reading device 1 after the image acquisition of S1 (first time). Yes, corresponding to “second image to be read”.

  Thereafter, processing for detecting the comparison reference position is performed (S62). The comparison reference position detection process is a process for detecting a reference position for comparing the first image and the second image. If the first image and the second image include a two-dimensional code, the two-dimensional code is detected. A code position detection pattern is detected in each image. In addition, when the two-dimensional code is not included, a specific pattern of the included information code (for example, the left end bar of the barcode) is detected in each image.

  Thereafter, an operation amount detection process is performed (S63). This operation amount detection process is a process for detecting the operation amount of the optical information reading apparatus 1 by the user based on the movement amount of the comparison reference position detected in S62. For example, after reading as shown in FIG. 5 at the first time, the optical information reader 1 is operated in the lower right direction, and reading as shown in FIG. 6 is performed at the second time. The change of the acquired image is as shown in FIG. In S63, the operation amount of the optical information reading apparatus 1 is detected based on such a change in the acquired image.

  FIG. 7 mainly shows the second image after the change. For the first image before the change, a part of each information code is shown to explain the correspondence. As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, because of the nature of image acquisition, the operation direction of the optical information reading apparatus 1 and the movement direction of the information code in the image are opposite to each other. The operation direction of the optical information reader 1 is detected by detecting the movement direction of the information code. Specifically, paying attention to one of the position detection patterns in the image Q1 ′ of any one two-dimensional code (information code Q1 configured as a QR code (trade name) in the example of FIG. 7) as a comparison reference position. The moving direction of the position detection pattern used as the comparison reference position is detected.

  In the example of FIG. 7, the upper right position detection pattern in the information code Q1 is used as a comparison reference position, and the predetermined position of the upper right position detection pattern PA2 in the image Q1 "of the information code Q1 included in the second image is used as a base point. The amount of increase in the coordinate value until reaching the predetermined position of the upper right position detection pattern PA1 in the image Q1 ′ of the information code Q1 in one image is detected in each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Then, the upper right corner of the upper right position detection pattern of the information code Q1 is set as the “predetermined position”, and the coordinates (Xb, Yb) of the upper right corner P2 of the upper right position detection pattern PA2 in the second image are used as base points. Increase amount (Xa-Xb) in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction until reaching the coordinates (Xa, Ya) of the upper-right corner P1 of the upper-right position detection pattern PA1 in the first image On the basis of the increase amount (Ya-Yb), the operation amount is obtained by the following equation.

  Furthermore, the process which detects an operation direction is performed (S64). Specifically, the operation direction can be obtained by the following formula based on the increase amount (Xa−Xb) and the increase amount (Ya−Yb) in the Y axis direction obtained as described above.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “operation direction detection means” and functions to detect the operation direction of the optical information reading apparatus 1 by the user. The control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of an “operation amount detection unit” and functions to detect an operation amount of the optical information reading apparatus 1 by the user after the first period.

  In the above example, the upper right position detection pattern of the information code Q1 is used as the comparison reference position, but another position detection pattern may be used as the comparison reference position. In the above example, the upper right corner of the position detection pattern is set to “predetermined position”, and the movement amount change and the movement direction change of this upper right corner are obtained. You may make it detect a quantity change and a moving direction change. For example, the center position of the position detection pattern may be set as the “predetermined position”, and the movement amount change and movement direction change of the center position may be detected.

  Next, priority setting processing is performed (S7). This priority order setting process is a process of setting the priority order of each area, and this priority order serves as a determination index when determining which of a plurality of information codes is to be selected. This priority setting process is performed, for example, in a flow as shown in FIG. 4, and the image (first image to be read) acquired in S1 is divided into a plurality of areas as shown in FIG. An initial value is assigned to each of the plurality of regions, and thereafter, a numerical value of a part of the plurality of regions based on the direction of operation of the optical information reading device 1 by the user is assigned to a reference value other than the part of the region. The numerical value of each area is set so as to be larger than that.

  In the example of FIG. 4, at the start of the processing, first, the image (first image to be read) acquired in S1 is divided into a plurality of grid-like blocks as shown in FIG. 8 (S71). Initial values are set for all the divided blocks (S72). In the example of FIG. 8, “1” is set as the initial value. In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to “dividing means” and functions to divide the first image to be read into a plurality of regions.

  Thereafter, a second reference position setting process is performed (S73). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the center position PC1 of the first image to be read is set as the first reference position, and the center position PC1 is used as the starting point and is shifted by the moving direction and moving amount detected in S63 and S64. The position is a second reference position PC2. In S73, such a second reference position PC2 is calculated by calculation.

  After specifying the second reference position PC2, the central region specifying process is performed (S74). This center area specifying process is a process for specifying the center area that is the center of the area to be numerically added. In the present embodiment, the four squares closest to the second reference position PC1 are specified as the center area. In the example of FIG. 8, the area surrounded by the thick line AR is the central area.

  A point value P1 to be set in the central area specified in S74 is calculated, and processing for setting the point value P1 in the central area is performed (S75). In the present embodiment, the point value P1 to be set in the central region is determined based on the movement amount detected in S63 (FIG. 3). Specifically, when the amount of movement detected in S63 is a predetermined large level, 4 is added to the initial value “1” to set the point value to “5”, and when it is a predetermined medium level, 3 is added. Thus, the point value is set to “4”, and at a predetermined small level, 2 is added to set the point value to “3”. Further, when there is no movement amount or a predetermined fine movement level, 1 is added to set the point value to “2”.

  Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the value obtained by subtracting 1 from the point value P1 set in the central area is “1” (S76). If it is “1”, the process proceeds to Yes in S76 and the process is performed. End and return to the main routine of S2. If the value obtained by subtracting 1 from P1 is larger than “1”, the process proceeds to No in S76, and the next peripheral area is specified (S77). The “next peripheral area” is an adjacent area surrounding the periphery of the area where the numerical value has been previously set. When the previous numerical setting is the numerical setting of the central area in S75, the adjacent area surrounding the central area is Identified as “next peripheral area”. When the previous numerical value setting is the numerical value setting of S79 described later, the adjacent area surrounding the area set in S79 is specified as the “next peripheral area”.

  Thereafter, the current point value P1 is decremented by 1 (S78), and the decremented point value P1 is set in the peripheral area specified in S77 (S79). For example, when the point value of the central area is “5”, the point value of the adjacent area surrounding the central area is “4”. If the point value of a certain area is set to “3” in the process of S79 performed earlier, the point value of the adjacent area surrounding the area is set to “2” in the process of S79 performed thereafter. It will be set.

  After the process of S79, the process returns to S76 again, and it is determined whether or not P1-1 = 1. If P1 is greater than 1, the processes after S77 are repeated.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the process of adding numerical values to the partial areas of the plurality of areas divided in S71 is performed as in S72 to S79. Corresponds to “at least part of the partial area”. In addition, a point value is set for this central area in a size corresponding to the operation amount, and a numerical value is set so that the point value decreases as the distance from the central area increases. (A region set with a value larger than the initial value) becomes wider.

  FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 describe examples of setting point values by giving specific values to each region, and illustrate the case where the user's operation direction is in the lower right as an example. When the amount of movement by the user is zero or at a predetermined fine movement level, the second reference position PC2 and the center position PC1 are at the same position or close positions. Therefore, the central area specified in S74 is shown in FIG. Thus, there are 4 squares near the center position PC1, and the point value is “2”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, when the movement amount is a predetermined small level (a predetermined movement amount range in which the movement amount is larger than the movement amount range of the “fine movement level”), it is more than that in FIG. 9A. The second reference position PC2 is set at a further distance, and the point value in the central region is “3”, which is larger than that in FIG. In this case, since the area of the point value “2” is set around the central area, the addition area (area where the point value (numerical value is larger than the initial value)) is wider than that in FIG. .

  Also, as shown in FIG. 10A, when the movement amount is a predetermined middle level (a predetermined movement amount range in which the movement amount is larger than the “small level” movement amount range), The second reference position PC2 is set at a position farther than that, and the point value in the central region is “4”, which is larger than that in FIG. 9B. In this case, since the area of the point value “3” is set around the central area and the area of the point value “2” is set around the center area, the addition area (the point value (numerical value) is set higher than the initial value). The (larger region) is wider than in FIG. 9B. Similarly, when the movement amount is a predetermined large level (a predetermined movement amount range in which the movement amount is larger than the “medium level” movement amount range), the second position is further away than in the case of FIG. The reference position PC2 is set, and the point value in the central area is “5”, which is larger than that in FIG. In this case, the area of the point value “4” is set around the central area, the area of the point value “3” is set around the area, and the area of the point value “2” is set around the area. The addition region (region where the point value (numerical value) is larger than the initial value) is wider than that in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “assignment means” and functions to assign a numerical value to each of a plurality of areas divided in S71. Based on the operation direction of the reading device 1, the numerical values of some areas of the plurality of areas (areas divided in S71) are set to be larger than the reference value assigned to other areas, and priorities are assigned to the respective areas. It is set.

  In this embodiment, as described above, image display of the image (first image to be read) acquired at the first time in S2 is started (see FIG. 11A), but in S7. After the priority order is set, as shown in FIG. 11B, each of a plurality of regions (regions divided in S71) in the first image to be read is displayed in a mode corresponding to the numerical value of each region. May be. In this case, the control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 function as “region mode display means”.

  As shown in FIG. 2, when the process of S7 ends, an information code selection process is performed in S8. This information code selection process is a process of selecting any information code from among a plurality of information codes included in the acquired image based on the point value (priority order) of each area set in S7. Specifically, the information code should be decoded in order from the area with the larger point value (that is, the area with the higher priority) to determine whether it is the information code arrangement area or not. Processing is performed to select the code. For example, when each area is set as shown in FIG. 10A, if there is an information code that is partially arranged in the area of the point value “4”, the information code is selected. If such an information code does not exist, it is checked whether there is an information code that is partially arranged in the area of the point value “3”. Select as code.

  In S7, when changing from the first image to the second image, each region is numerically set so that the point value of the region that is about to approach the image center position is increased. When changing from the image to the second image, the information code corresponding to the code image that is about to approach the image center position is selected. For example, in the example of FIG. 7, a numerical value is set so that the point value in the lower right region that is going to approach the image center position is increased, and the code image (see reference numerals Q1 ′ and Q2 ″) that approaches the image center position is set. The corresponding information code Q2 is selected.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of a “selecting unit”, and one of the acquired images (first image) included in S1 based on the operation direction and the operation amount detected in S63 and S64. It functions to select the information code. More specifically, in the case where a plurality of information code images are included in the acquired image (first image) in S1, any one of the information codes is based on the numerical value of the area where the information code images are arranged as described above. Function to select.

  Thereafter, in S8, it is determined whether one information code to be decoded has been selected. If the information code is not properly selected (for example, when all of the plurality of information codes are arranged in the area of the point value “1”), the process proceeds to No in S9, and the processes after S1 are performed. repeat. On the other hand, if one information code can be selected in S9, the process proceeds to Yes in S9, and a process for displaying a confirmation screen is performed in S10.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 function as a “display”, and when the first image to be read is displayed in S2, the first circuit as shown in FIG. Display control is performed so that the identification mark MK is displayed at a predetermined position of the image (the center of the first image in the example of FIG. 11A). In the process of S10, the identification mark MK displayed in this way is moved to the position of the information code selected in the process of S8 so that the user can visually recognize which information code has been selected. (FIG. 12). The control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 correspond to an example of “selection code display means”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the display control for moving the identification mark MK to the position of the selected information code, judgment information for determining whether to confirm or cancel the selection is displayed, and the release operation by the user To accept. In this embodiment, a display button BT1 “Transfer” and a display button BT2 “Cancel” are displayed on the liquid crystal display 46, and the user selects one of the display buttons using an operation unit (not shown). It can be configured. When the “Cancel” display button BT2 is selected, the process proceeds to Yes in S11, and the processes after S1 are repeated again. On the other hand, when the “transfer” display button BT1 is selected, the process proceeds to No in S11, and the information code associated with the identification mark MK (information code Q2 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 in the example of FIG. 12). And the decoding result of the information code is output (S12). The control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “selection canceling means” and functions to cancel the selection of the information code based on a canceling operation from the user.

  The control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “decoding means” and functions to output a decoding result of the selected information code. The decoded data (the content of the selected information code) is output to the liquid crystal display device 46 or output to the host computer HST via the communication interface 48.

In this embodiment, as an example in which the identification mark attached to the first image to be read is moved in correspondence with the operation direction after the first time, an example as shown in FIG. 12 (that is, by the process of S8). The configuration is shown in which the identification mark is moved to the position of the selected information code), but the identification mark need not be moved to the position of the selected information code, but to the position beyond the selected information code. It may be moved. In short, as long as it corresponds to the operation direction after the first period, the identification mark may be moved without being aligned with the selected information code.

  In the present embodiment, when a plurality of information codes are included in the image obtained at the first time (first image to be read), based on the operation direction detected by the “operation direction detection unit”, One of the information codes is selected, and the decoding result of the selected information code is output. According to this configuration, when a plurality of information codes are included in the reading area, the user can select the information code by operating the optical information reading device 1 in an appropriate direction. The selection operation can be facilitated. In addition, information code identification processing can be performed quickly, and reading processing time can be further shortened, as compared with a conventional configuration in which a plurality of information codes are displayed on a display and a fine selection operation is performed. It becomes like this.

  In addition, since either information code is selected in consideration of both the operation direction and the operation amount, even if the information code cannot be specified only by the operation direction, it should be appropriately specified based on the operation amount. Can do.

  Also, an image obtained based on the light reception result at the first time (first image to be read) and an image obtained from the light reception result after the user moved the optical information reader 1 after the first time. The operation direction is detected based on (second image to be read). In this way, if the operation direction is detected based on images obtained at different times, the image processing means can be used as the “operation direction detection means”, so there is no need to separately provide a complicated detection means. Therefore, a highly functional configuration can be realized at a reduced cost.

  Further, not only the operation direction but also the operation amount is detected based on images obtained at different times (first time and second time). In this way, since the means for performing image processing can be used as both the “operation direction detecting means” and the “operation amount detecting means”, it is further advantageous in terms of high functionality and low cost.

  Further, a two-dimensional code including a position detection pattern is to be read, a position detection pattern of a two-dimensional code included in the first image to be read, and a position detection pattern of a two-dimensional code included in the second image to be read The operation direction and the operation amount are detected based on the above. In this way, by paying attention to the characteristic part of the two-dimensional code, it becomes possible to accurately and quickly grasp the difference between two images obtained at different times, and the operation amount and operation of the optical information reader 1 by the user. The direction can be detected with higher accuracy in a shorter time.

  In addition, when changing from the first image to the second image, an information code to be approached to the image center position is selected. If comprised in this way, if the user will just operate the said optical information reader 1 so that the desired information code may face the center position of a reading area, it will become possible to select the information code favorably. Therefore, it is extremely advantageous in terms of operability and convenience.

  In addition, a “dividing unit” that divides an image (first image to be read) obtained in the first period into a plurality of regions, an “allocating unit” that assigns a numerical value to each of the divided plurality of regions, The “assignment means” sets a numerical value of a part of the plurality of regions to be larger than a reference value assigned to the part other than the part based on the operation direction of the optical information reading apparatus 1 by the user. A numerical value is assigned to each area. This numerical value is treated as a priority in selecting an information code. When a plurality of information code images are included in the first image to be read, the numerical value of the area where the information code image is arranged One of the information codes is selected based on the information. According to this configuration, the specific area corresponding to the operation direction can be set numerically so as to be differentiated from other areas, and the information code desired by the user can be appropriately selected based on such numerical setting.

  In addition, a partial area (an area where a numerical value is set large) is set with a size corresponding to the amount of operation of the optical information reading apparatus 1 by the user. When the amount of operation increases, due to the nature of the operation, the deviation between the operation direction and the desired information code tends to increase. However, in the present invention, when the amount of operation increases, a certain area (the numerical value is increased). The area to be set) is set wide to suppress the influence of the shift. In addition, when the operation amount is small, the operation direction and the information code are relatively easily associated with each other due to the nature of the operation. However, in the present invention, when the operation amount is small, a partial area (area where the numerical value is set large). Is set narrowly, it becomes difficult to select an information code having a small relationship with the operation direction.

  In addition, at least a part of numerical values in a partial region (region where a numerical value is set to be large) is set by adding to a size corresponding to the amount of operation of the optical information reading device 1 by the user (that is, the priority is set to be large). Like to do. If the information code is selected based on such numerical setting, a more appropriate selection reflecting both the operation direction and the operation amount by the user becomes possible.

  In addition, the image (first image to be read) obtained at the first time is displayed using the liquid crystal display 46, and each of the plurality of areas in the first image to be read is set to a numerical value of each area. The display is made in a corresponding manner. In this way, the correspondence between the operation by the user and the information code can be accurately grasped by the user based on the actually acquired image (first image to be read), and the user can perform the selection operation. Convenience in performing can be further improved.

  In addition, when the image obtained at the first time (the first image to be read) includes a plurality of information code images, the plurality of information codes are decoded prior to the selection of the information code in S8. ing. As described above, if one of the information codes is selected after previously decoding a plurality of information codes, it is easy to detect the information code corresponding to the operation direction, and it is possible to prevent a decoding failure after the selection.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 are caused to function as “display means”, and the correspondence relationship between the reading target and the optical information reading device 1 is shown. In this way, the user can accurately grasp the correspondence relationship between the reading target and the optical information reading device 1, and the user performs the selection operation for selecting the information code on the liquid crystal display 46. It can be done properly while checking.

  The control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 function as a “display” to display a first image to be read and an identification mark MK at a predetermined position of the first image. The display position of the identification mark MK is moved in correspondence with the moving direction of the image acquisition area according to the operation by the user after the first period. In this way, the user can better understand the correspondence between the reading target and the optical information reading device 1 and can also check the correspondence with the reading target after the optical information reading device 1 is operated. It becomes like this. Therefore, the user can perform the selection operation of the information code even better.

  Further, the display position of the identification mark MK is moved to the image position of the information code selected in accordance with the operation of the optical information reader 1 by the user after the first period. In this way, it is possible to quickly and clearly indicate to the user which information code is selected.

  In addition, a “selection code display unit” that displays the selection result of the information code and a “selection release unit” that cancels the selection of the information code based on a release operation from the user are provided. In this way, the user can grasp whether or not the desired information code has been selected, and when an incorrect information code is selected, the selection can be canceled.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an optical information reading apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of image acquisition at the first time when the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. 13 is used. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the state of image acquisition at the second time when the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. 13 is used. The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the marker light irradiation unit 51 is provided, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Specifically, FIGS. 2, 3, and 7 to 12 are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the configuration of FIG. 13 is used instead of the configuration of FIG. The image acquisition will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15 instead of FIGS.
The marker light irradiation unit 51 corresponds to an example of “display means” and “marker light irradiation means”.

  The marker light irradiation unit 51 includes a laser diode, a lens, and a drive circuit that drives the laser diode. The drive circuit drives a laser diode in accordance with a signal from the control circuit 40 shown in FIG. 13, and a marker light composed of a laser beam is emitted from the laser diode driven by the drive circuit. The light is irradiated to the outside through a lens. The configuration for driving the laser diode by the drive circuit is well known and will not be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the marker light emitted by the marker light irradiation unit 51 displays a pattern PT1 indicating the boundary of the reading area and a pattern PT2 indicating the center of the reading area on the surface of the reading target. It is like that. The marker light irradiation unit 51 functions to indicate the correspondence between the reading target and the optical information reading device 1 by irradiating the marker light to a predetermined position of the image acquisition region by the optical information reading device 1 on the reading target. is doing.

  When the patterns PT1 and PT2 are displayed in this way, the moving direction of the image acquisition region on the reading target (that is, the operation direction of the optical information reading device 1) can be confirmed. Further, in this configuration, if the optical information apparatus 1 is operated so as to move the pattern PT2 in the center of the reading target to the desired information code side, the information that the pattern PT2 is directed to in the process of S7 in FIG. The priority order is set so that the numerical value (priority) of the area on the code side is increased, and the information code toward the pattern PT2 is selected. For example, if the operation shown in FIG. 15 is performed from the state shown in FIG. 14, the priority is set so that the numerical value on the information code Q2 side toward the pattern PT2 increases in the process of S7 in FIG. Will be selected.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the marker light irradiation unit 51 that irradiates the reading target with the marker light is provided, and by irradiating the marker light to a predetermined position of the image acquisition region in the reading target, The correspondence relationship with the optical information reader 1 is shown. In this way, it is possible to inform the user of the correspondence between the reading target and the optical information reading device without using a complicated configuration, and the user can appropriately perform the selection operation based on the marker light. it can.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of a reading process in the optical information reading apparatus according to the third embodiment. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the reading process is performed as shown in FIG. 16 instead of FIG. 2, and the rest is the same as the first embodiment. Accordingly, FIGS. 1 and 3 to 12 will be described as being the same as the first embodiment.

  In the reading process of FIG. 16, first, an image acquisition process is performed in S100, and then image display is started (S110). The image acquisition process of S100 is the same process as the process of S1 of FIG. 2, and the image display of S110 is the same process as S2 of FIG.

  Thereafter, an operation detection process is performed (S120). This operation detection process is the same process as S6, and is performed in the same flow as in FIG. 3, and based on the light reception result of the light reception sensor 23 after the first period (that is, after image acquisition in S100) An operation amount and an operation direction of the information reading apparatus 1 are detected.

  Further, priority order setting processing is performed (S130). This priority order setting process is the same process as S7, and is performed in the same flow as in FIG. 4. For each area of the image (first image) acquired in S100, numerical values as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. Set (Priority). In this embodiment as well, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “dividing means” and “allocating means” and performs the same function as in the first embodiment.

  Thereafter, an information code selection process is performed (S140). This information code selection process is also the same process as S8 in FIG. 2, and based on the point value (priority order) of each area set in S130, any one of the information codes included in the acquired image is selected. This is the process of selecting a code. Specifically, the information code should be decoded in order from the area with the larger point value (that is, the area with the higher priority) to determine whether it is the information code arrangement area or not. Processing is performed to select the code. In the present embodiment, in the image acquisition process of S100, which area is the information code area in the acquired image (first image) is detected in advance, and the position data of the information code area is stored in the memory. 35, it is possible to accurately determine whether or not an information code is arranged in each area by referring to the stored data.

In the information code selection process (S140) of the present embodiment, the point of selecting the information code based on the point value is the same as that of S8. Thereafter, the information code selected based on the point value is decoded. I am doing so. When the decoding is normally performed, the information code is treated as an information code to be decoded in the subsequent processing. When the decoding is not normally performed, the information code with the defective decoding is canceled, An information code other than the canceled information code and arranged in an area having a larger point value is selected again as an information code to be decoded. Such a selection process is repeated until an information code that can be normally decoded is reached.
In this embodiment as well, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “selecting means” and “decoding means” and performs the same function as in the first embodiment.

Thereafter, a confirmation screen display process is performed in S150. This process is the same process as S10 in FIG. 2, and a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the liquid crystal display 46. Also in the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 function as a “display”, and when the first image to be read is displayed in S110, the first circuit as shown in FIG. Display control is performed so that the identification mark MK is displayed at a predetermined position of the image (the center of the first image in the example of FIG. 11A). In the process of S150, the identification mark MK displayed in this way is moved to the position of the information code selected in the process of S140 so that the user can visually recognize which information code has been selected. (FIG. 12).
In this embodiment as well, the control circuit 40 and the liquid crystal display 46 correspond to an example of “selection code display means” and perform the same functions as those in the first embodiment.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the display control for moving the identification mark MK to the position of the selected information code, judgment information for determining whether to confirm or cancel the selection is displayed, and the release operation by the user To accept. That is, also in this embodiment, the display button BT1 “Transfer” and the display button BT2 “Cancel” are displayed on the liquid crystal display 46, and the user uses the operation unit (not shown) to display one of the display buttons. Can be selected. When the “cancel” display button BT2 is selected, the process proceeds to Yes in S160, and the processes after S100 are repeated. On the other hand, when the “transfer” display button BT1 is selected, the process proceeds to No in S160 to confirm the selection of the information code associated with the identification mark MK. When the process proceeds to Yes in S160, the decoding result of the information code determined in S160 is output (S170).
In this embodiment as well, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “selection canceling means” and functions to cancel the selection of the information code based on the canceling operation from the user.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when a plurality of information code images are included in the first image to be read, the plurality of information code images are decoded in order from the information code arranged in the large numerical value area. First, the decoding result of the information code that can be normally decoded first is output. In this way, the decoding process can be suppressed to the minimum necessary number, and the processing speed can be increased.

[Other Embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the operation direction and the operation amount of the optical information reading device 1 are detected using two images (first image and second image) obtained at different times. An acceleration sensor may be provided in the apparatus so as to function as “operation direction detection means” and “operation amount detection means”.

  FIG. 17A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a configuration in which an acceleration sensor is provided in the optical information reader 1, and FIG. 17B is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example in which an acceleration sensor is arranged near the reading port. It is. In the example of FIG. 17, a first acceleration sensor 71 that detects acceleration in a predetermined direction of the optical information reader 1 and acceleration in a direction orthogonal to the acceleration detection direction (the predetermined direction) by the first acceleration sensor 71 are measured. A second acceleration detection sensor 72 for detection is provided. 17 differs from the first embodiment in that an operation detection process using the first acceleration sensor 71 and the second acceleration sensor 72 is performed instead of the operation detection process as shown in FIG. Other than that, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment, and FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 to 12 will be described as being the same as the first embodiment.

  The first acceleration sensor 71 is arranged to detect acceleration when the reading port 3 of the optical information reading device 1 is displaced in the longitudinal direction of the opening of the reading port 3 (X-axis direction in FIG. 17). Yes. The second acceleration sensor 72 detects the acceleration when the reading port 3 of the optical information reading device 1 is displaced in the short direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 17) of the opening of the reading port 3. Has been placed. The detection values of the first acceleration sensor 71 and the second acceleration sensor 72 are input to the control circuit 40 (FIG. 1).

  In the case of this configuration, optical information reading is performed based on values input from the first acceleration sensor 71 and the second acceleration sensor 72 to the control circuit 40 after the first period (after image acquisition is performed in S1). The moving direction and moving amount of the apparatus 1 (more specifically, the moving direction and moving amount near the reading port 3) can be detected. Specifically, the movement amount Lx per unit time in the X-axis direction can be calculated based on the value of the first acceleration sensor 71, and the movement amount Ly per unit time in the Y-axis direction can be calculated based on the second acceleration sensor 72. Therefore, the total movement amount La per unit time can be obtained from these movement amounts Lx and Ly, and this can be used as the operation amount of the optical information reading apparatus 1 in the processing after S7. Further, the movement direction θ is obtained from the movement amounts Lx and Ly as shown in FIG. 17A, and this can be used as the operation direction in the processing after S7.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an optical information reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of a reading process by the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the movement detection process. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of priority order setting processing. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of image acquisition in the first period. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of image acquisition in the second period. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the concept of detecting the movement direction and the movement amount based on the acquired image. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which the first image is divided into a plurality of regions. FIG. 9A is an explanatory diagram for explaining the numerical setting when the movement amount is zero or in a predetermined fine movement state, and FIG. 9B is the numerical setting when the movement amount is in a predetermined small state. It is explanatory drawing explaining these. FIG. 10A is an explanatory diagram for explaining the numerical setting when the movement amount is in a predetermined middle state, and FIG. 10B is an explanatory diagram for explaining the numerical setting when the movement amount is in a predetermined large state. It is. FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state in which the first image is displayed, and FIG. 11B is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example in which the mode of each region is changed in accordance with the numerical value setting. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example in which the state in which the information code is selected is displayed as an image. FIG. 13 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an optical information reading apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a state of image acquisition at the first time when the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. 13 is used. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the state of image acquisition at the second time when the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. 13 is used. FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a main routine of a reading process performed in the optical information reading apparatus according to the third embodiment. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which an operation direction and an operation amount are detected using an acceleration sensor.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical information reader 23 ... Light receiving sensor (light receiving means)
40... Control circuit (image generation means, decoding means, operation direction detection means, selection means, operation amount detection means, division means, allocation means, area mode display means, display means, display, selection code display means, selection release means )
46 ... Liquid crystal display (region mode display means, display means, display, selection code display means)
51 ... Laser diode (marker light irradiation means)
71 ... 1st acceleration sensor (acceleration detection means)
72. Second acceleration sensor (acceleration detecting means)

Claims (18)

A light receiving means for receiving reflected light from a reading object in which an information code is recorded;
Image generating means for generating a first image to be read based on a light reception result by the light receiving means at least at a first time;
Decoding means for decoding an image of the information code included in the first image to be read;
An optical information reader comprising:
The decoding means includes
An operation direction detecting means for detecting an operation direction of the optical information reader by the user after the first period;
A selection unit that selects any one of the information codes based on the operation direction detected by the operation direction detection unit when a plurality of images of the information code are included in the first image to be read;
With
An optical information reading apparatus that outputs a decoding result of the information code selected by the selection means. An operation amount detection means for detecting an operation amount of the optical information reader by the user after the first period;
The selection unit includes the operation direction detected by the operation direction detection unit and the operation detected by the operation amount detection unit when a plurality of images of the information code are included in the first image to be read. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein any one of the information codes is selected based on a quantity. The image generating means generates the first image to be read at the first time, and the light receiving means after the user moves the optical information reading device after the first time. Generating a second image to be read based on the light reception result;
The optical information reader according to claim 1, wherein the operation direction detection unit detects the operation direction based on the first image to be read and the second image to be read. . The image generating means generates the first image to be read at the first time, and the light receiving means after the user moves the optical information reading device after the first time. Generating a second image to be read based on the light reception result;
The operation direction detection unit and the operation amount detection unit detect the operation direction and the operation amount based on the first image to be read and the second image to be read, respectively. The optical information reader according to claim 2. The information code is a two-dimensional code including a position detection pattern,
The operation direction detection unit and the operation amount detection unit detect the position of the information code included in the first image to be read and the position detection of the information code included in the second image to be read. The optical information reader according to claim 4, wherein the operation direction and the operation amount are detected based on a pattern.   The said selection means selects the said information code which is going to approach an image center position, when changing from the said 1st image of the said reading object to the 2nd image of the said reading object. Item 6. The optical information reading device according to any one of Items 5 to 6.   The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation direction detecting unit includes an acceleration detecting unit that detects an acceleration of the optical information reading apparatus.   3. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the operation direction detection unit and the operation amount detection unit include an acceleration detection unit that detects an acceleration of the optical information reading apparatus. The selection means includes
Dividing means for dividing the first image to be read into a plurality of regions;
Assigning means for assigning a numerical value to each of the plurality of areas;
With
The assigning means sets a numerical value of a partial area of the plurality of areas to be larger than a reference value assigned to other than the partial area based on the operation direction of the optical information reading apparatus by the user. Assign a number to each area,
The selection means selects one of the information codes based on the numerical value of the area where the information code images are arranged when the first image to be read includes a plurality of information code images. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical information reading apparatus is an optical information reading apparatus.   The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the allocating unit sets the partial area with a size corresponding to an operation amount of the optical information reading apparatus by the user.   In addition to displaying the first image to be read, there is provided area mode display means for displaying each of the plurality of areas in the first image to be read in a mode corresponding to the numerical value of each area. The optical information reading device according to claim 9 or 10.   The decoding means includes
  When a plurality of images of the information code are included in the first image to be read, each of the plurality of information codes is decoded prior to selection by the selection unit,
  The selection means selects one of the already decoded information codes based on the operation direction of the optical information reader by the user, and outputs a decoding result. The optical information reader according to claim 11.   The decoding means includes
  When a plurality of images of the information code are included in the first image to be read, the plurality of information code images are decoded in order from the information code arranged in the region having the larger numerical value. The optical information reading apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein a decoding result of the information code that has been successfully decoded is output.   14. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit that indicates a correspondence relationship between the reading target and the optical information reading apparatus.   The display means includes a display for displaying at least a first image to be read and an identification mark at a predetermined position of the first image to be read.
  The indicator is
  The display position of the identification mark attached to the first image to be read is moved in correspondence with the moving direction of the image acquisition region in the read object according to the operation direction after the first time. The optical information reading device according to claim 14.   The display unit moves the display position of the identification mark to the image position of the information code selected by the selection unit in response to an operation of the optical information reader by the user after the first period. The optical information reader according to claim 15.   The display means includes marker light irradiation means for irradiating the reading target with marker light,
  The marker light irradiation means irradiates the marker light to a predetermined position of an image acquisition region by the optical information reading device on the reading target, thereby indicating a correspondence relationship between the reading target and the optical information reading device. The optical information reader according to claim 14.   Selection code display means for displaying the selection result of the information code by the selection means;
  Selection canceling means for canceling the selection of the information code by the selection means based on a canceling operation from the user;
  The optical information reader according to claim 1, further comprising:

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