JP5104713B2 - Optical information reader - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical information reader.

In the field of optical information readers such as bar code readers, a technique for irradiating marker light such as laser light toward a reading target is provided. In this type of apparatus, marker light is irradiated in the imaging area to be read, and the user can visually grasp the imaging area.
JP 2008-176636 A

  By the way, in the configuration as described above (that is, an optical information reader configured to be able to irradiate marker light), a technique having a so-called point scan function is also considered. This point scan function is a function of reading an information code at a position irradiated with marker light as a reading target code. According to this function, the user can easily specify the reading target code and includes a plurality of information codes. Even when an image is captured, an information code to be decoded can be accurately specified.

  On the other hand, there are various types of information codes such as barcodes, and not only a single code that is supposed to be read independently, but also an information code group that is assumed to be read in a batch (so-called multistage code). Code etc.) are also provided. Such reading of the information code group is generally performed by a method in which all information codes constituting the information code group are collectively imaged and all the information codes are decoded. For example, when a multi-stage code composed of a plurality of barcodes is read, the data represented by the multi-stage code is obtained by collectively capturing a plurality of barcodes constituting the multi-stage code and decoding all of the barcodes. Can be obtained.

  However, when reading a multi-stage code or the like with an apparatus having the above-described point scan function, there is a problem that reading cannot be performed satisfactorily. That is, when the point scan function is used, the information code irradiated with the marker light can be selectively read. On the other hand, when the target is a multi-stage code, only a part of the multi-stage code is designated as a reading target. Therefore, there is a problem that the entire multistage code cannot be read.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and includes a function (point scan function) capable of selectively reading an information code near the marker light irradiation position and an information code group including a plurality of information codes. In an optical information reading apparatus provided with a function for reading all data at once (collective reading function), a configuration is provided in which the point scan function and the collective reading function can be used properly and quickly according to the code to be read. For the purpose.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 includes an imaging unit that images a reading target to which an information code is attached, a storage unit that stores image data of the reading target captured by the imaging unit, An optical apparatus comprising: a reading area setting unit that sets a reading area in the image to be read configured by image data; and a decoding unit that performs a decoding process on the reading area set by the reading area setting unit. An information reader, comprising: marker light irradiating means for irradiating marker light; and irradiation position specifying means for specifying an irradiation position of the marker light in the image to be read, wherein the reading area setting means comprises: in the image of the reading objective, the a radiation region including the object code that is located near the irradiation position and the irradiation target co A first read area setting means for setting a region not including the other of said information code other than de as a first read area comprises the irradiation object code, but and include other the information code other than the irradiation target code Second decoding area setting means for setting an area, and the decoding means decodes the second reading area when the decoding processing for the first reading area is in a predetermined failure state. It is characterized by performing processing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the first aspect, the second reading area setting means includes a region including all the information codes included in the image to be read. It is characterized by setting as two reading areas.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the first or second aspect , an information code group comprising a first mode for reading each information code as a single code and a plurality of the information codes Mode switching means for switching between a second mode in which the information can be read in a batch, and the decoding means, when set to the first mode by the mode switching means, the information code arranged at the irradiation position The decoding process is performed using a single code as a single code.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to any one of the first to third aspects, a first mode for reading each information code as a single code , and each information code as a single code And a mode switching means for switching between a second mode in which an information code group composed of a plurality of information codes can be read collectively, and the decoding means is controlled by the mode switching means. When the second mode is set, the decoding process is performed using the information code arranged at the irradiation position as the irradiation target code, and the decoding result of the irradiation target code is in the predetermined failure state. The decoding process is performed on the information code group in the second reading area.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the imaging unit sets the reading target to which the information code is attached to a first timing. When the imaging is performed at the second timing based on the coordinates of the marker light in the first image when the imaging is performed at the first timing. The irradiation position is specified in the second image, the reading area setting means sets the reading area in the second image, and the decoding means sets the reading area for the reading area set in the second image. It is configured to perform a decoding process, and further, imaging conditions when the first image is captured by the imaging unit at the first timing, and the second image at the second timing. Wherein the imaging condition switching means for switching the imaging conditions when the image is provided.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the imaging means sets the reading target to which the information code is attached to a first timing. The storage means stores the first image data when the image is captured at the first timing in the first storage area, and the storage unit stores the first image data when the image is captured at the second timing. Two image data is stored in a second storage area different from the first storage area, and the irradiation position specifying means is based on the coordinates of the marker light in the first image constituted by the first image data, The irradiation position is specified in the second image constituted by the second image data, the reading area setting means sets the reading area in the second image, and the decoding means sets in the second image And performing the decoding processing for the reading area is.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, the decoding means performs a decoding result when the decoding process is performed on the first reading area. The irradiation target code is a part of an information code group that allows a plurality of information codes to be read at once or a single code, and the irradiation unit performs the irradiation by the determination unit. When the target code is determined to be a part of the information code group, the decoding process is performed on the information code group included in the second reading area.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to the seventh aspect , the information code group includes one or more predetermined specific types of the information code, and the determination The means is characterized in that when the irradiation target code is the information code of the specific type, it is determined as a part of the information code group.

The invention according to claim 9 is the optical information reading device according to claim 7 or claim 8 , wherein the information code group is configured by collecting a plurality of the information codes including specific data. The determination means determines that the irradiation target code is part of the information code group when the irradiation target code includes the specific data.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the decoding means is specified by the irradiation position specifying means in the image to be read. When the information code is not present at the irradiation position, the decoding process of the second reading area is performed.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a first reading area for reading an irradiation target code located in the vicinity of the marker light irradiation position is set in an image to be read, and the decoding process for the first reading area is in a predetermined failure state. The decoding process is performed for a second reading area wider than the first reading area. In this way, first, the irradiation target code specified by the marker light can be selectively read, and the point scan function can be realized satisfactorily. On the other hand, when decoding of the irradiation target code fails, the reading area is expanded and reading is performed, so that it becomes easy to read a multistage code and the like quickly and satisfactorily.

In addition, since the area including the irradiation target code located near the marker light irradiation position and not including the information code other than the irradiation target code is set as the first reading area, the irradiation target code is set. Thus, it is possible to set the first reading area that appropriately specifies the information, and it is possible to satisfactorily realize a configuration that can selectively decode only the irradiation target code. On the other hand, an area including the irradiation target code and including an information code other than the irradiation target code is set as the second reading area. If it does in this way, the 2nd reading area containing a plurality of information codes can be set up appropriately, and when decoding of an irradiation object code fails, it can shift to a batch reading of a plurality of information codes quickly and appropriately.

In the invention of claim 2 , an area including all the information codes included in the image to be read is set as the second reading area. According to this configuration, when the irradiation target code is unsuccessfully decoded, the image is displayed. It is possible to quickly read the information codes existing in the package.

The invention of claim 3 has mode switching means for switching between a first mode in which each information code is read as a single code and a second mode in which an information code group composed of a plurality of information codes can be read at once. is doing. According to this configuration, the mode for executing the point scan function and the mode capable of batch reading can be switched as necessary. In particular, in the first mode to perform a point scanning function, since the decoding process is performed the information code arranged at the irradiation position as a single code, advantageous if to be read selectively the information code pointed to by the marker It becomes.

The invention of claim 4 has mode switching means for switching between a first mode in which each information code is read as a single code and a second mode in which an information code group composed of a plurality of information codes can be read at once. is doing. According to this configuration, the mode for executing the point scan function and the mode capable of batch reading can be switched as necessary. Further, when the second mode is set, the decoding process is performed using the information code arranged at the irradiation position as the irradiation target code, and the second reading is performed when the decoding result of the irradiation target code becomes a predetermined failure state. The information code group in the area is configured to perform decoding processing. In this way, in the second mode in which batch reading is possible, the irradiation control code is preferentially read when point scanning is possible, and batch reading is executed when point scanning is impossible. The scan function and the batch reading function can be properly used properly, and the convenience for the user can be greatly improved.

According to the invention of claim 5 , the irradiation position is specified in the second image captured at the second timing based on the coordinates of the marker light in the first image captured at the first timing. Further, an imaging condition switching means for switching between an imaging condition when the first image is captured at the first timing and an imaging condition when the second image is captured at the second timing is provided. . In this way, it is possible to obtain an imaging condition suitable for detecting the coordinate of marker light when acquiring the first image used for detecting the coordinate of the marker light, and imaging advantageous for decoding when acquiring the second image used for decoding. It can be a condition.

The invention according to claim 6 stores the first image data when imaged at the first timing in the first storage area, and the second image data when imaged at the second timing as the first storage area. Are configured to be stored in different second storage areas. In this way, since the first image data and the second image data can be stored at the same time, the imaging timing of the first image (first timing) and the imaging timing of the second image (second timing) This makes it easy to reduce the time difference between the two. Therefore, it is easy to improve the identity between the first image and the second image, and thus the marker light irradiation position can be specified with high accuracy in the second image.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, based on the decoding result when the first reading area is decoded, the irradiation target code is a part of an information code group that allows a plurality of information codes to be read at once, or a single code. Judging whether it is one code. Furthermore, when it is determined that the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group, that is, when the irradiation target code cannot be read as a single code, this state is set as a “predetermined failure state” in the second reading area. Decoding processing is performed on the included information code group. In this way, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the irradiation target code is a single code or a part of the information code group. If the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group, the irradiation target code is included. The information code group can be decoded quickly and satisfactorily.

The invention of claim 8 is a case where an information code group consisting of one or more specific types of information codes determined in advance is one of the target codes that can be read, and the irradiation target code is a specific type of information code. The irradiation target code is determined as a part of the information code group. In this way, whether or not the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group to be collectively read can be well determined with a simple configuration. You can quickly move to batch reading.

The invention according to claim 9 is an irradiation target code when an information code group including a plurality of information codes including specific data is set as one of the target codes that can be read, and the irradiation target code includes specific data. Is part of the information code group. In this way, whether or not the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group to be collectively read can be well determined with a simple configuration. You can quickly move to batch reading.

The invention of claim 10 is configured to decode the second reading area when there is no information code at the irradiation position in the image to be read. In this way, batch reading can be quickly performed when the information code is not designated by the marker light.

[First embodiment]
DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which an optical information reading device of the invention is embodied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electrical configuration of the optical information reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of reading processing performed by the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the decoding process in the reading process of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the multistage reading process which is a part of the decoding process of FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the setting contents of the point scan and the multi-stage scan. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the data configuration of multi-stage scan setting data. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating a first image composed of first image data, and FIG. 7B conceptually illustrates a second image composed of second image data. It is explanatory drawing demonstrated to. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for conceptually explaining setting of the first reading area and the second reading area. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating a state in which a part of the multistage code is an irradiation target code. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating a state in which marker light is irradiated at a position deviated from the information code.

First, the overall configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
The optical information reader 10 shown in FIG. 1 is configured as an information code reader that reads a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code, and an information code B attached to a reading object R (for example, attached to an article). Bar code etc.). The optical information reading apparatus 10 includes a circuit unit 20 housed in a case (not shown). The circuit unit 20 mainly includes an illumination light source 21, a light receiving sensor 28, an imaging lens 27, and the like. And a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) system such as a memory 35, a control circuit 40, and a trigger switch 42.

  The optical system is divided into a light projecting optical system and a light receiving optical system. The illumination light source 21 constituting the light projecting optical system functions as an illumination light source capable of emitting the illumination light Lf, and includes, for example, a red LED and a lens provided on the emission side of the LED.

  The light receiving optical system includes a light receiving sensor 28, an imaging lens 27, a reflecting mirror (not shown), and the like. The light receiving sensor 28 is configured to be able to receive reflected light (reflected light of illumination light or reflected light of marker light described later) Lr irradiated and reflected on the reading object R and the information code B. The light receiving sensor 28 is mounted on a printed wiring board (not shown) so as to be able to receive incident light incident through the imaging lens 27.

  The imaging lens 27 functions as an imaging optical system capable of condensing incident light incident from the outside via a reading port (not shown) and forming an image on the light receiving surface 28a of the light receiving sensor 28. . In the present embodiment, the illumination light Lf emitted from the illumination light source 21 and the marker light M1 emitted from the marker light irradiation unit 50 are reflected by the reading object R, and this reflected light Lr is connected. The light is condensed by the image lens 27, and a code image is formed on the light receiving surface 28 a of the light receiving sensor 28.

  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, a trigger switch 42, a buzzer 44, a display LED (hereinafter also simply referred to as an LED). 45, a liquid crystal display 46, a communication interface 48, and the like.

  An image signal (analog signal) output from the light receiving sensor 28 of the optical system is input to the amplifier circuit 31 to be amplified with a predetermined gain, and then input to the A / D conversion circuit 33 to be converted into a digital signal from the analog signal. Is converted to The digitized image signal, that is, image data (image information) is input to a memory 35 constituted by a known storage medium such as a ROM or a RAM, and is accumulated in a predetermined storage area. The synchronization signal generation circuit 38 is configured to generate a synchronization signal for the light receiving sensor 28 and the address generation circuit 36, and 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.

  In the present embodiment, the light receiving sensor 28 and the amplifier circuit 31 correspond to an example of “imaging means”, and function to image a reading target to which an information code is attached. The memory 35 corresponds to an example of “storage means”, and functions to store image data of the reading target R imaged by the “imaging means”.

  The control circuit 40 is a microcomputer that can control the entire optical information reading apparatus 10 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 via a built-in input / output interface. In the case of this embodiment, the trigger switch 42, the buzzer 44, the LED 45, the liquid crystal display 46, A communication interface 48 or the like is connected. Thereby, for example, monitoring and management of the trigger switch 42, turning on / off of the buzzer 44 capable of generating a beep sound and an alarm sound, lighting of the LED 45, non-lighting, display control of the liquid crystal display 46, control of the communication interface 48, etc. Is possible.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of a “reading area setting unit” and functions to set a reading area in an image to be read configured by image data. The control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of a “decoding unit” and has a function of performing a decoding process on a set reading area.

  The marker light irradiation unit 50 is configured by a laser diode and a lens that are driven by a drive circuit (a known laser diode drive circuit) (not shown). The laser diode is driven in accordance with a signal from the control circuit 40 shown in FIG. 1 and emits laser light. The lens condenses the laser light emitted by the laser diode and emits marker light M1 in a predetermined direction. The marker light irradiation unit 50 corresponds to an example of “marker light irradiation means”.

Next, a reading process performed by the optical information reading apparatus 10 will be described.
The reading process is roughly performed as shown in FIG. The reading process is started, for example, with a predetermined operation by the user or power-on as a trigger, and first, an image acquisition process is performed (S1). In this image acquisition process, the reading target to which the information code is attached is imaged twice.

  In the image acquisition process of S1, the imaging conditions for the first imaging (that is, imaging at the first timing) and the imaging conditions for the second imaging (that is, imaging at the second timing) Has been switched. Specifically, the amplification factor (first amplification factor G1) of the amplification circuit 31 at the first imaging and the amplification factor (second amplification factor G2) of the amplification circuit 31 at the second imaging are changed. Thus, the imaging is performed so that the first amplification factor G1 for the first time is smaller than the second amplification factor G2 for the second time. The amplification circuit 31 used in the present embodiment is provided with a known amplification factor switching circuit, and switches between the first amplification factor G1 and the second amplification factor G2 in accordance with an instruction from the control circuit 40. It is configured. In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of an “imaging condition switching unit”. When the first image is captured at the first timing, and when the second image is captured at the second timing. It functions to switch between imaging conditions.

  When the image acquisition process of S1 is completed, a decoding process based on the acquired image is performed (S2). This decoding process is performed, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. First, a reading method (hereinafter, also referred to as a point scan) for reading each information code as a single code is permitted, and a plurality of information codes are batched. It is then determined whether the reading method (hereinafter also referred to as multi-stage scanning) is in the permitted state (S10).

  In this embodiment, the user can set the multi-stage scan to the permitted state by performing an operation for instructing the permission of the multi-stage scan to an operation unit (not shown) provided in the optical information reading apparatus 10, and prohibit the multi-stage scan. A multi-stage scan can be set to a prohibited state by performing an instruction operation. Further, the point scan can be set to a permitted state by performing an operation for instructing the point scan, and the point scan can be set to a prohibited state by performing an operation for instructing the point scan to be prohibited. The setting information as shown in FIGS. 5B to 5D is stored in the memory 35 in accordance with the setting operation by the user as described above.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, point scan availability data, multi-stage scan availability data, and multi-stage scan setting data can be stored in advance by a user input operation or the like. Yes. Of these, the point scan availability data is data indicating whether point scan is permitted or prohibited, and the multi-stage scan availability data is data indicating whether multi-stage scan is permitted or prohibited. These data are set and changed as shown in FIGS. 5B to 5D by the user's operation or a program in the apparatus. The multi-stage scan setting data is data for setting the configuration of a multi-stage code that can be read by the optical information reader 10, and is set as shown in FIG. 6A or 6B, for example. The multi-stage scan setting data will be described later.

  For example, when the point scan is set to the permitted state and the multi-stage scan is set to the permitted state, setting information as shown in FIG. Also, when the point scan is set to the permitted state and the multi-stage scan is set to the prohibited state, setting information as shown in FIG. Further, when the point scan is set to the prohibited state and the multi-stage scan is set to the enabled state, setting information as shown in FIG.

  In this embodiment, the time set as shown in FIG. 5C corresponds to the “first mode”, and processing is performed so that each information code is read as a single code. Also, the time set as shown in FIG. 5B corresponds to the “second mode”, and processing is performed so as to collectively read an information code group composed of a plurality of information codes when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Done. The control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “mode switching means” and functions to switch between the first mode and the second mode.

  In S10, the setting information as described above is confirmed, and if both point scan and multi-stage scan are set to permit as shown in FIG. 5B, the process proceeds to Yes in S10. On the other hand, when either one is set to be prohibited as shown in FIGS. 5C and 5D, the process proceeds to No in S10.

  When the process proceeds to No in S10, a decoding initialization process (for example, initialization of variables) is performed in S11, and then it is determined whether or not the point scan is permitted (S12). When the point scan is set to the permitted state as shown in FIG. 5C, the process proceeds to Yes in S12. When the point scan is set to the prohibited state as shown in FIG. Proceed to

In addition, the case where it progresses to Yes in S12 is a case where it is set to 1st mode, In this case, the decoding process is performed by using the information code arranged at the marker light irradiation position as a single code.
Specifically, first, marker light detection processing is performed in S13. In the present embodiment, as described above, the reading target R to which the information code is attached is imaged at the first timing and the second timing, and the first image data captured at the first timing is stored in the memory. The second image data stored in the first storage area 35 and captured at the second timing is stored in a second storage area different from the first storage area in the memory 35. In the process of S <b> 13, the coordinates of the marker light irradiation spot in the first image constituted by the first image data are detected, and the coordinate data is stored in the memory 35.

  In this embodiment, since the amplification factor is set low when the first image is captured as described above, a marker light irradiation spot having a high luminance can be satisfactorily extracted as shown in FIG. ing. If the amplification factor is suppressed to such an extent that the information code cannot be detected when the first image is captured, the marker light irradiation spot is shown brightly, and the other areas are shown dark and the marker light irradiation spot is well extracted. However, in FIG. 7A, the marker light irradiation spot is conceptually shown in black and the other areas are conceptually shown in white for the sake of easy explanation. On the other hand, when the second image is picked up, the amplification factor is set high enough to clearly recognize each information code, so that the information code image can be satisfactorily extracted as shown in FIG. 7B. It has become.

  If marker light cannot be detected in the process of S13, the process proceeds to Yes in S14, and the decoding process shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the marker light is detected in S13, the process proceeds to No in S14, and in S15, a process of reading the information code (irradiation target code) indicated by the detected marker light is performed.

  In the reading process of S15, a reading area is set in the second image, and the decoding process is performed on the set reading area. In this process, first, marker light coordinates in the first image are detected, and a position corresponding to the marker light coordinates is detected in the second image. In the example of the present embodiment, the first image and the second image are continuously captured in a short time, and it can be said that the first image and the second image are capturing substantially the same position of the reading target. Therefore, the irradiation position on the second image can be specified by obtaining the same coordinate position as the marker light coordinate obtained in the first image in the second image.

  For example, when marker light is detected at the position of the coordinates (X1, Y1) in the first image as shown in FIG. 7A, the first image is obtained in the second image as shown in FIG. 7B. The position P1 having the same coordinates as the marker light coordinates (X1, Y1) (ie, coordinates (X1, Y1)) is set as the marker light irradiation position.

  In the second image, an area including the irradiation target code C1 located at the specified irradiation position P1 and not including other information codes C2 and C3 other than the irradiation target code C1 (for example, FIG. 8 is set as a first reading area, and the first reading area is decoded.

  On the other hand, when it is determined No in S12, a normal reading process is performed in S15. The case where the process proceeds to No in S12 is a case where the point scan function is not performed. In this case, based on the acquired image (specifically, the second image) acquired in S1, the normal point scan function is not used. Read processing is performed.

  In either case of proceeding to No in S12 or proceeding to No in S14, if decoding succeeds in the reading process of S15, the process proceeds to Yes in S16 and data indicating that the reading is successful ( For example, the value of “TRUE”) and the decoding result are temporarily stored (S17). On the other hand, if the decoding fails in S15, the process proceeds to No in S16, and data (for example, a value of “FALSE”) indicating a reading failure is temporarily stored (S18).

  When the process of S17 or S18 ends, the decoding process ends, and it is determined whether or not the decoding is successful in S3 of FIG. If the decoding has failed in S15 (FIG. 3) (that is, “FALSE” in S18), the process proceeds to No in S3, and the processes after S1 are repeated. On the other hand, when the decoding is successful in S15 (FIG. 3) (that is, when “TRUE” is obtained in S17), the process proceeds to Yes in S3, and the reading result output process is performed (S4). The decoding result in FIG. 3) is output to the liquid crystal display 46 or the like.

Next, a case where the process proceeds to Yes in FIG. 10 will be described.
The case where the process proceeds to Yes in S10 is a case where the second mode is set. In this embodiment, when the second mode is set, the information code arranged at the marker light irradiation position is set as the irradiation target code. When the decoding result of the irradiation target code is in a predetermined failure state, the decoding process is performed on the information code group in the second reading area. Hereinafter, these processes will be described in detail.

  When the process proceeds to Yes in S10, first, decoding initialization processing (such as variable initialization) is performed (S19). Then, a temporary setting change process is performed (S20). In S20, in order to preferentially try the point scan, the setting is changed from the setting state as shown in FIG. 5B to a setting state that prohibits multi-stage scanning (that is, the setting state shown in FIG. 5C).

  After the setting is changed in S20, marker detection processing is performed in S21 (S21). The process of S21 is the same as that of S13, and the coordinates of the marker light irradiation spot are detected based on the first image. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the detection of the marker light in the first image has failed (S22). If the detection has failed, the process proceeds to Yes in S22, and data indicating that reading has failed (for example, the value of “FALSE”) ) Is temporarily stored (S23), and the decoding process is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the marker light has been successfully detected in S21, the process proceeds to No in S22, and processing for reading the information code (irradiation target code) indicated by the detected marker light is performed. Note that the reading process in S24 is the same as the reading process in S15 when the process proceeds to No in S14. First, the marker light coordinates in the first image are detected, and the position corresponding to the marker light coordinates is set in the second image. Detect at. That is, the same coordinate position as the marker light coordinate obtained in the first image is obtained in the second image, and the irradiation position on the second image is specified.

  For example, when marker light is detected at the position of the coordinates (X1, Y1) in the first image as shown in FIG. 7A, the first image is obtained in the second image as shown in FIG. 7B. A position P1 having the same coordinates as the marker light coordinates (X1, Y1) (ie, coordinates (X1, Y1)) is set as the marker light irradiation position. In this embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “irradiation position specifying means” and functions to specify the irradiation position of the marker light in the image to be read.

In the second image, an area including the irradiation target code C1 located at the specified irradiation position P1 and not including other information codes C2 and C3 other than the irradiation target code C1 (for example, FIG. 8 is set as the first reading area, and the first reading area AR1 is decoded. In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of a “first reading area setting unit”, and in the image to be read, the first reading area (an area for reading the irradiation target code located at the marker light irradiation position). Function to set.

  Thus, in S24, reading by the point scan method is attempted, and in S25, it is determined whether or not the reading by the point scan method is successful. The case where the reading by the point scanning method is successful means that the information code exists at the irradiation position of the marker light in the second image and the information code is not a part of the multistage code.

  In the present embodiment, a multi-stage code composed of one or more specific types of information codes determined in advance is set as a reading target. In S25, it is determined whether or not the irradiation target code is a specific type of information code. Thus, it is determined whether or not the irradiation target code is a part of the multistage code.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, when a multi-stage code is configured only by NW7 and EAN-13, and a single code that is not a multi-stage code is used using a type other than NW7 and EAN-13, In S25, it is determined whether or not the code type of the irradiation target code read in S24 is other than NW7 or EAN13. If the code type of the irradiation target code read in S24 is other than NW7 or EAN-13 and decoding is successful in S24, the irradiation target code is a single code to be point-scanned, and Since it can be said that decoding of a single code has succeeded (that is, it can be said that reading of the point scan method has succeeded), the process proceeds to Yes in S25, and data indicating successful reading (for example, “TRUE” And the decoding result in the point scan method are temporarily stored (S33). Then, the decoding process ends.

  On the other hand, if the reading by the point scan method becomes a predetermined failure state in S24, the process proceeds to No in S25. Here, the “predetermined failure state” means that an information code exists at the marker light irradiation position in the second image, but the information code is a part of a multistage code, or the second When the information code does not exist at the irradiation position of the marker light in the image (that is, when the marker light indicates a position away from the information code), the process proceeds to No in S25 in such a case.

For example, as described above, when the multistage code is configured only by NW7 and EAN-13, and a single code that is not a multistage code is used using a type other than NW7 and EAN-13, as shown in FIG. When the type of the information code (irradiation target code) arranged at the marker light irradiation position P1 is EAN-13, the irradiation target code is specified as part of the multi-stage code, and reading by the point scan method has failed. Therefore, the process proceeds to No in S25. Further, as shown in FIG. 10, when the marker light irradiation position P1 is away from each information code and there is no information code at the irradiation position P1, the irradiation target code cannot be specified, and reading by the point scan method cannot be performed. Even in such a case, the process proceeds to No in S25.

  In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of a “determination unit”, and the irradiation target code collectively includes a plurality of information codes based on the decoding result when the first reading area is decoded. It functions to determine whether it is a part of an information code group to be read and a single code.

  When the process proceeds to No in S25, a decoding initialization process (such as variable initialization) is performed (S26), and a temporary setting change process is performed (S27). In S27, reading by the point scan method is interrupted and batch reading by the multi-stage scan method is executed, so that the point scan is prohibited and the multi-stage scan is permitted (ie, the setting state in FIG. 5D). change. Then, a multistage code reading process is performed (S28).

  The multi-stage code reading process in S28 is performed in the flow as shown in FIG. 4, for example. In this reading process, a second reading area wider than the reading area (first reading area) at S24 (FIG. 3) is set, and the decoding process is performed on the second reading area.

The second reading area is set as an area including not only the irradiation target code arranged at the irradiation position but also an information code other than the irradiation target code. Specifically, the second reading area is all included in the reading target image. The area including the information code is set as the second reading area. For example, when the first reading area AR1 is set as shown in FIG. 8 and the decoding process of the information code C1 located in the first reading area AR1 is in the predetermined failure state, an image to be read (specifically, Is set as a second reading area an area including all the information codes C1, C2, C3 included in the second image (see the one-dot chain line AR2 in FIG. 8). Then, the decoding process shown in FIG. 4 is performed on the second reading area AR2.
In the present embodiment, the control circuit 40 corresponds to an example of “second reading area setting unit”, and functions to set a second reading area wider than the first reading area in the image to be read.

  In the reading process of FIG. 4 (reading process of information code group for batch reading), the process between S100 and S107 is repeated for the number of stages set as a multistage code. For example, when the number of stages or the width of the number of stages of the multi-stage code is defined in advance, S100 to S107 are repeated for the defined number of stages (or for the defined maximum number of stages).

  In the processing of FIG. 4, first, decoding processing is performed on any information code of the information code group (multistage code) (S101). If the decoding is successful in S101, the process proceeds to Yes in S102, and the code type of the information code that has been successfully decoded is the code type to be used in the information code group (multistage code) (as the type for the multistage code). It is determined whether or not the code type matches a predetermined code type (S103). If the code type of the information code successfully decoded in S101 matches the code type of the information code group, the process proceeds to Yes in S103 to determine whether the code data match (S104).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, when an information code group (multi-stage code or the like) is specified so that specific data (data “99” in FIG. 6B) is included in all information codes, In S104, it is determined whether or not the specific data is included in the information code successfully decoded in S101. If the multi-stage code is configured in a format that does not have the specific data as described above, the process of S104 may be omitted.

  If it is determined in S104 that the code data match, the process proceeds to Yes in S104, and it is determined whether or not all the stages of decoding have been completed (S105). If not completed, the process proceeds to No in S105 to determine whether or not the decoding process in S101 has been performed a predetermined number of times. Note that such processing of S101 to S106 is repeated for the above-mentioned specified number of steps (or for the specified maximum number of steps).

  In the case of No in S102, No in S103, No in S104, Yes in S105, Yes in S106, FIG. The multistage reading process shown in FIG.

  After such a multistage reading process (S28), the determination process of S29 is performed as shown in FIG. In S29, it is determined whether or not the multi-stage reading process shown in FIG. 4 is successful. If the process proceeds to Yes in S105 (that is, if all stages of decoding are normally completed), Yes in S29. Then, the data indicating that the reading is successful (for example, the value of “TRUE”) and the decoding result of the multistage code are temporarily stored (S32). This decoding result is output in the subsequent output processing (FIG. 2: S4).

  On the other hand, if the multi-stage reading fails (No in S102, No in S103, No in S104, Yes in S106), the process proceeds to No in S29 and a predetermined setting change process (S30). ) Is temporarily stored (S31), data indicating that the reading has failed (for example, a value of “FALSE”).

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, for example, the following effects can be obtained.
The optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment sets a first reading area for reading an irradiation target code located in the vicinity of the marker light irradiation position in the image of the reading target R, and decodes the first reading area. When a predetermined failure state occurs, the decoding process is performed on the second reading area wider than the first reading area. In this way, first, the irradiation target code specified by the marker light M1 can be selectively read, and the point scan function can be realized satisfactorily. On the other hand, when decoding of the irradiation target code fails, the reading area is expanded and reading is performed, so that it becomes easy to read a multistage code and the like quickly and satisfactorily.

  In addition, since the area including the irradiation target code located near the marker light irradiation position and not including the information code other than the irradiation target code is set as the first reading area, the irradiation target code is set. Thus, it is possible to set the first reading area that appropriately specifies the information, and it is possible to satisfactorily realize a configuration that can selectively decode only the irradiation target code. On the other hand, an area including the irradiation target code and including an information code other than the irradiation target code is set as the second reading area. If it does in this way, the 2nd reading area containing a plurality of information codes can be set up appropriately, and when decoding of an irradiation object code fails, it can shift to a batch reading of a plurality of information codes quickly and appropriately.

  Specifically, an area including all the information codes included in the image to be read is set as the second reading area, and according to this configuration, when decoding of the irradiation target code fails, The existing information code can be quickly read at once.

  In addition, there is mode switching means for switching between a first mode in which each information code is read as a single code and a second mode in which an information code group composed of a plurality of information codes can be read at once. According to this configuration, the mode for executing the point scan function and the mode capable of batch reading can be switched as necessary. In particular, in the first mode in which the point scan function is executed, when the information code arranged at the irradiation position is decoded as a single code, it is desired to selectively read only the information code indicated by the marker Is advantageous.

  Further, when the second mode is set, the decoding process is performed using the information code arranged at the irradiation position as the irradiation target code, and the second reading is performed when the decoding result of the irradiation target code is in a predetermined failure state. The information code group in the area is configured to perform decoding processing. In this way, in the second mode, when the point scan is possible, the irradiation reference code is preferentially read, and when the point scan is impossible, the batch reading is executed. The reading function can be properly used properly, and the convenience for the user can be greatly improved.

  Further, the irradiation position is specified in the second image captured at the second timing based on the coordinates of the marker light in the first image captured at the first timing, and further Imaging condition switching means for switching between an imaging condition when the first image is captured at the first timing and an imaging condition when the second image is captured at the second timing is provided. In this way, it is possible to obtain an imaging condition suitable for detecting the coordinate of marker light when acquiring the first image used for detecting the coordinate of the marker light, and imaging advantageous for decoding when acquiring the second image used for decoding. It can be a condition.

  In addition, the first image data captured at the first timing is stored in the first storage area, and the second image data captured at the second timing is stored in a second storage different from the first storage area. It is configured to store in the area. In this way, since the first image data and the second image data can be stored at the same time, the imaging timing of the first image (first timing) and the imaging timing of the second image (second timing) ) And the time difference is easy to reduce. Therefore, it is easy to improve the identity between the first image and the second image, and thus the marker light irradiation position can be specified with high accuracy in the second image.

  Whether the irradiation target code is a part of an information code group (multi-stage code in the above example) that allows a plurality of information codes to be read collectively based on the decoding result when the first reading area is decoded. Judge whether it is a single code. Furthermore, when it is determined that the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group, that is, when the irradiation target code cannot be read as a single code, this state is set as a “predetermined failure state” in the second reading area. Decoding processing is performed on the included information code group. In this way, it is possible to more accurately determine whether the irradiation target code is a single code or a part of the information code group. If the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group, the irradiation target code is included. The information code group can be decoded quickly and satisfactorily.

  Further, when an information code group consisting of a plurality of predetermined specific types of information codes is one of the target codes that can be read, and the irradiation target code is a specific type of information code, the irradiation target code is information Judged as part of the code group. In this way, whether or not the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group to be collectively read can be well determined with a simple configuration. You can quickly move to batch reading.

  In addition, the second reading area is decoded when there is no information code at the irradiation position in the image to be read. In this way, batch reading can be quickly performed when the information code is not designated by the marker light.

[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 information code arranged at the marker light irradiation position in the second image is the irradiation target code. However, the information code closest to the marker light irradiation position within the predetermined distance is the irradiation target code. It may be a configuration. In this case, the first reading area is set so as to include the entire information code closest to the marker light irradiation position within a predetermined distance and not to include other information codes, and when the decoding of the first reading area fails, Further, it is only necessary to perform decoding for a wide second reading area (for example, a second reading area including all information codes in the image).

  In the above embodiment, the multi-stage code is exemplified as the information code group to be collectively read. However, the information code group is not limited to the multi-stage structure as long as it is configured by a plurality of information codes and is a target of batch reading. For example, an information code group in which information codes are arranged side by side may be used.

In the said embodiment, although an example of the method which judges whether an irradiation object code | cord | chord is a part of information code group was shown, it is not restricted to this. For example, when an information code group including a plurality of information codes including specific data is used as a target code, when the irradiation target code includes the specific data, the irradiation target code is determined to be a part of the information code group. You may comprise. For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, when data “99” is included in each information code as specific data, “99” is included in the irradiation target code in the reading process of S24 (FIG. 3) for the irradiation target code. May be included in the above-mentioned “predetermined failure state” in S25, the above-described processing from S26 onward may be performed.
In this way, whether or not the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group to be collectively read can be well determined with a simple configuration. You can quickly move to batch reading.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electrical configuration of the optical information reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of reading processing performed by the optical information reading apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the decoding process in the reading process of FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the multistage reading process which is a part of the decoding process of FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the setting contents of the point scan and the multi-stage scan. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the data configuration of multi-stage scan setting data. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating a first image composed of first image data, and FIG. 7B conceptually illustrates a second image composed of second image data. It is explanatory drawing demonstrated to. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for conceptually explaining setting of the first reading area and the second reading area. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating a state in which a part of the multistage code is an irradiation target code. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram conceptually illustrating a state in which marker light is irradiated at a position deviated from the information code.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Optical information reader 28 ... Light receiving sensor (imaging means)
31 ... Amplifier circuit (imaging means)
35 ... Memory (storage means)
40... Control circuit (reading area setting means, first reading area setting means, second reading area setting means, decoding means, irradiation position specifying means, mode switching means, imaging condition switching means, determination means)
50. Marker light irradiation unit (marker light irradiation means)
R: Reading target B: Information code

Claims (10)

An imaging means for imaging a reading object to which an information code is attached;
Storage means for storing the image data to be read imaged by the imaging means;
A reading area setting means for setting a reading area in the image to be read constituted by the image data;
Decoding means for performing decoding processing on the reading area set by the reading area setting means;
An optical information reader comprising:
Marker light irradiation means for irradiating marker light;
An irradiation position specifying means for specifying an irradiation position of the marker light in the image to be read;
With
The reading area setting means includes
In the image of the reading target, a region including the irradiation target code located near the irradiation position and not including the information code other than the irradiation target code is set as a first reading area. a first read area setting means for,
A second reading area setting means for setting, as the second reading area, an area including the irradiation target code and including the information code other than the irradiation target code ;
Have
The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decoding unit performs the decoding process on the second reading area when the decoding process on the first reading area is in a predetermined failure state. 2. The optical information according to claim 1 , wherein the second reading area setting unit sets an area including all the information codes included in the image to be read as the second reading area. Reader. Mode switching means for switching between a first mode in which each information code is read as a single code and a second mode in which an information code group constituted by a plurality of the information codes can be read at once;
The said decoding means performs the said decoding process by making the said information code distribute | arranged to the said irradiation position into a single code, when set to the said 1st mode by the said mode switching means. Item 3. The optical information reader according to Item 2 . A first mode in which each information code is read as a single code; a second mode in which each information code can be read as a single code and an information code group composed of a plurality of information codes can be read in a batch Mode switching means for switching between modes,
When the decoding unit is set to the second mode by the mode switching unit, the decoding unit performs the decoding process using the information code arranged at the irradiation position as the irradiation target code, and the decoding result of the irradiation target code is 4. The optical device according to claim 1, wherein the decoding process is performed on the information code group in the second reading area when the predetermined failure state is reached. 5. Information reader. The imaging means images the reading target to which the information code is attached at a first timing and a second timing,
The irradiation position specifying means is configured to determine the irradiation position in the second image captured at the second timing based on the coordinates of the marker light in the first image captured at the first timing. Identify,
The reading area setting means sets the reading area in the second image,
The decoding means is configured to perform the decoding process for the reading area set in the second image,
Furthermore, an imaging condition switching unit that switches between an imaging condition when the first image is captured at the first timing by the imaging unit and an imaging condition when the second image is captured at the second timing. The optical information reader according to claim 1 , wherein the optical information reader is provided. The imaging means images the reading target to which the information code is attached at a first timing and a second timing,
The storage means stores first image data when captured at the first timing in a first storage area, and stores second image data when captured at the second timing in the first storage area. And store it in a second storage area different from
The irradiation position specifying means specifies the irradiation position in the second image constituted by the second image data based on the coordinates of the marker light in the first image constituted by the first image data,
The reading area setting means sets the reading area in the second image,
6. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the decoding unit performs the decoding process on the reading area set in the second image . 7. The decoding means includes
Based on the decoding result when the decoding process is performed on the first reading area, the irradiation target code is a part of an information code group that allows a plurality of information codes to be read at once or is a single code. Having a judgment means for judging whether
The decoding process is performed on the information code group included in the second reading area when the determination unit determines that the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 6 . The information code group is composed of one or more predetermined types of the information code,
The optical information reader according to claim 7 , wherein the determination unit determines that the irradiation target code is a part of the information code group when the irradiation target code is the specific type of the information code . The information code group is configured by a plurality of information codes including specific data.
9. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the determination unit determines that the irradiation target code is part of the information code group when the irradiation target code includes the specific data . The decoding means performs the decoding process of the second reading area when the information code does not exist at the irradiation position specified by the irradiation position specifying means in the image to be read. The optical information reader according to any one of claims 1 to 9 .

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