JP5333168B2 - Optical information reader - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical information reader automatically stopping the outgoing of a laser beam while the optical information reader does not perform a reading operation. <P>SOLUTION: When whether the optical information reader is in an incident state in which an external light from the outside of a casing 11 is made incident on a plurality of opening parts 51 to 57 formed in a grip part 50 of the casing 11, is detected for each of the opening parts, a gripping state in which the grip part 50 is held is estimated on the basis of each of the incident states. When it is not determined that the reader is performing a reading operation on the basis of the estimated gripping state and an outgoing direction detected by an outgoing direction detection mechanism 70, the outgoing of a laser beam Lf by a light source 21 is stopped. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical information reader.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique related to an optical information reader, a portable information reader shown in Patent Document 1 below is known. In this portable information reading device, touch electrodes are embedded in a linear shape over the entire gripping portion of the gripping portion of the case, and changes in the capacitance of the electrodes and the like due to contact of the operator's finger with the touch electrodes are detected. By doing so, it is determined whether or not the operator is holding the device. When gripping by the operator is detected, the reading operation is turned on. When gripping by the operator is not detected, the reading operation is controlled to be off, so that the reading operation can be performed without operating the operation switch. Implementation is possible.

  Further, in the mobile phone shown in Patent Document 2 below, side contact state detection means for detecting whether or not the user is holding the mobile phone and whether the bottom and back of the mobile phone are in contact with an object are detected. Bottom contact state detection means and back contact state detection means. When an incoming call is detected, either the grip of the mobile phone or the contact state of both the bottom and the back is detected, the mobile phone is vibrated, and the mobile phone is not gripped and the bottom and the back are not touched. When the contact state is detected, the vibration of the mobile phone is stopped unless the vibration function is set. By determining whether or not to vibrate according to the situation where the mobile phone is placed in this way, the mobile phone is prevented from dropping from the desk or the like due to vibration in response to an incoming call.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-251180 JP 2000-069129 A

  By the way, in the optical information reading apparatus, there is a possibility that the laser beam irradiated when optically reading the information code may enter the human eye. Therefore, it is desirable to stop the irradiation of the laser beam except during the reading operation. However, for example, it is conceivable that operating means such as a push button method is provided to irradiate the laser beam only when the switch is pushed. However, since it is necessary to provide the operating means, the mechanism becomes complicated and the size is reduced. There was a problem that the cost was hindered.

  Further, although the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 can detect gripping by an operator, there is a problem that it is difficult to accurately grasp whether gripping for reading work or gripping for simple movement. Further, in Patent Document 2, since the contact state at three locations is detected, even if gripping by an operator or placement on a desk is detected, it is possible to accurately grasp the use state as in Patent Document 1. It was difficult.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical information reader capable of automatically stopping emission of laser light when reading is not being performed. It is in.

In order to achieve the above object, in the optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, the irradiation means for emitting laser light to the information code, the irradiation control means for controlling the irradiation means, Light receiving means for receiving the reflected light reflected by the information code by the laser light from the irradiation means, and the information code based on a signal output from the light receiving means in response to the reflected light from the information code. An optical information reading apparatus comprising: a decoding unit that decodes; and a housing that accommodates the light receiving unit and has a reading port that guides reflected light from the information code to the light receiving unit. An incident state detection unit that detects whether or not the external light from the outside of the housing is incident on a plurality of openings formed in the holding unit for each opening, and the incident state detection unit A gripping state estimating means for estimating a gripping state for gripping the gripping part based on an incident state for each of the openings to be detected, an emitting direction detecting means for detecting an emitting direction of the laser light, and the gripping state estimating means determining determines that the work is being done reading when facing the emission direction emission direction of the laser beam that is assumed is detected by said emission direction detecting means when performing the work read by the gripping state estimated by And the irradiation control unit stops the emission of the laser beam by the irradiation unit when the determination unit does not determine that the reading operation is being performed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to the first aspect, the determination unit determines that the reading operation is not being performed when the upward emission direction is detected by the emission direction detection unit. Features.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the first or second aspect, the emission direction detecting means is provided in a detection chamber fixed to the casing, and in the detection chamber. A movable body that is relatively movable with respect to the detection chamber, and a plurality of contacted bodies that are fixed to the inner wall of the detection chamber, and detecting contact between at least one of the contacted bodies and the moving body. Detecting the emitting direction of the laser beam.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading apparatus according to the third aspect, the moving body is formed in a spherical shape.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the third or fourth aspect, the inner wall of the detection chamber has one or a plurality of recesses into which at least a part of the movable body can be detachably fitted. It is formed, and at least any one of the contacted bodies is disposed so as to be able to contact the moving body fitted in the recess.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the optical information reading device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a pair of wide surfaces facing each other among the four surfaces constituting the gripping portion are formed as a part of each opening. A pair of narrow surfaces having a smaller area than the surface, each provided with a first opening in the vicinity of the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the casing, and the gripping state estimating means is configured to detect the both states by the incident state detecting means. When it is detected that both of the first openings are not in the incident state, it is estimated that the gripper is in a gripping state for performing a reading operation.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the sixth aspect, at least one of the first openings is composed of a plurality of first opening holes, and the incident state detecting means is When it is detected that at least one of the plurality of first opening holes is not in the incident state, it is detected that the first opening is not in the incident state.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the optical information reader according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a pair of wide surfaces facing each other among the four surfaces constituting the gripping part are formed as a part of each opening. One second opening is provided in each of a pair of narrow surfaces having a smaller area than the surface and spaced apart from the reading port, and the gripping state estimating means is configured to detect both the second openings by the incident state detecting means. When it is detected that both parts are not in the incident state, it is estimated that the state is a gripping state for performing the reading operation.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the eighth aspect, at least one of the second openings is composed of a plurality of second opening holes, and the incident state detection means includes: When it is detected that at least one of the plurality of second opening holes is not in the incident state, it is detected that the second opening is not in the incident state.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the eighth or ninth aspect, as the part of each of the openings, both the second openings and the two wide surfaces are separated from the reading port. A third opening that opens in the vicinity of both of the second openings with respect to the first wide surface, and a fourth opening that opens at a position away from the reading port with respect to the first wide surface. The gripping state estimating means is configured such that the incident state detecting means causes the fourth opening, one of the second openings, and the third opening in the vicinity of the second opening to be in an incident state. In addition, when it is detected that the other second opening and the third opening in the vicinity of the second opening are in an incident state, it is in a gripping state for performing a reading operation. It is characterized by estimating.

  The invention of claim 11 is the optical information reader according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the third openings is composed of a plurality of third openings, and the incident state detection means comprises: When it is detected that at least one of the plurality of third opening holes is not in the incident state, it is detected that the third opening is not in the incident state.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the tenth or eleventh aspect, the fourth opening portion is composed of a plurality of fourth opening holes, and the incident state detecting means is the plurality of the plurality of fourth opening holes. When it is detected that at least one of the four opening holes is not in the incident state, it is detected that the fourth opening is not in the incident state.

  A thirteenth aspect of the present invention is the optical information reading device according to any one of the eighth to twelfth aspects, wherein the first wide width is a surface of the housing and is spaced from the reading port among the wide surfaces. An operation unit for inputting predetermined information is provided on a surface along the surface, and the determination unit detects that only one of the second openings is not in the incident state by the incident state detection unit. , It is determined that the reading operation is not being performed.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to any one of the first to thirteenth aspects, the determination unit is provided on one surface of the four surfaces constituting the grip portion by the incident state detection unit. When it is detected that only the formed openings are not in the incident state, it is determined that the reading operation is not being performed.

  According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to any one of the first to fourteenth aspects, the determination unit detects that all the openings are not in the incident state by the incident state detection unit. Then, based on only the emission direction detected by the emission direction detecting means, it is determined whether or not the reading operation is being performed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the incident state detection means detects for each opening whether or not the external light from the outside of the case is incident on the plurality of openings formed in the holding part of the case. Then, the gripping state in which the gripping portion is gripped is estimated by the gripping state estimation means based on the respective incident states. Then, working read by judging means since the emission direction of the laser beam assumed when performing work read by grasping condition estimated by the grip state estimation means is not suited to the emission direction detected by the emission direction detecting means in the case it is not judged to be the outgoing laser beam is stopped by the irradiation unit by the irradiation control unit.

  When an operator grips a grip portion to perform a reading operation, the way of holding tends to be limited. As a limited way of holding, for example, a pair of narrow surfaces having a smaller area than a pair of opposed wide surfaces among the four surfaces constituting the gripping portion, and the vicinity of the center of gravity of the housing is sandwiched between the thumb and the index finger, etc. There is a way to hold (hereinafter also referred to as holding). In addition, with the little finger or the palm of the hand, holding the part that is separated from the reading port between both narrow surfaces of the gripping part (hereinafter also referred to as lower holding), or four fingers excluding the thumb and thumb There is a holding method (hereinafter also referred to as “upper holding”) in which both of the wide surfaces are separated from the reading port and the other is sandwiched between and the reading port faces downward. Therefore, a plurality of openings are provided including the portion of the gripping portion that is planned to be gripped according to each holding method, and an opening portion that is in an incident state and an opening portion that is not in an incident state are detected among these openings. Thus, when the grip portion is gripped by the worker, the way of holding by the worker is estimated.

  As a result, the use state of the apparatus can be estimated from the holding method estimated as described above and the emission direction of the laser beam detected by the emission direction detection means in consideration of the opening direction of the reading port. When the use state is not during the reading operation, the emission of the laser beam can be automatically stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the laser light from entering the eyes of surrounding people including the worker. In particular, since the emission of laser light is stopped when unnecessary, power consumption can be effectively suppressed.

  In the second aspect of the invention, when the upward emitting direction is detected by the emitting direction detecting unit, the determining unit determines that the reading operation is not performed without considering the gripping state estimated by the gripping state estimating unit. When the upward emission direction is detected in this way, the reading operation is not in progress. In this case, the laser beam emission is automatically stopped by the surrounding people including the operator. It can be surely prevented from entering the eyes.

  According to the invention of claim 3, the emitting direction detecting means detects the emitting direction of the laser light by detecting the contact between at least one of the contacted bodies provided in the detection chamber and the moving body. When the moving body comes into contact with any one of the contacted bodies when the casing is tilted in an arbitrary direction, the opening direction of the reading port, that is, the laser beam emission direction is uniquely determined according to the contacted contacted body. Therefore, the laser beam emission direction can be detected with a simple mechanism.

  In the invention of claim 4, since the moving body is formed in a spherical shape, it is easy to move in the detection chamber, so that it is possible to reliably detect the emission direction of the laser light corresponding to the contacted body with which the moving body contacts. .

  In the invention of claim 5, one or a plurality of recesses into which at least a part of the moving body can be detachably fitted is formed on the inner wall of the detection chamber, and at least one of the contacted bodies is fitted into the recess. It arrange | positions so that a mobile body can be contacted. As a result, when the moving body comes into contact with the contacted body arranged in the recess when the housing is tilted in an arbitrary direction, the moving body is fitted into the recess. The contacted body corresponding to the emission direction and the moving body can be reliably brought into contact with each other.

  In a sixth aspect of the present invention, as a part of each opening, one first opening is provided in the vicinity of the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the housing, which is a pair of narrow surfaces constituting a part of the gripping part. ing. When the incident state detecting means detects that both the first openings are not in the incident state, it is estimated that the grasping state estimating means is in the holding state for performing the reading operation.

  When both the first openings provided on both narrow surfaces are not in the incident state, it is assumed that both the first openings are closed by the operator's finger and the above-mentioned gripping is assumed. It can be reliably estimated that the gripping state is to be carried out.

  In the invention of claim 7, the incident state detecting means detects the first opening when it is detected that at least one of the plurality of first opening holes constituting the first opening is not in the incident state. Detect that is not in the incident state. Thereby, even when the position where the operator grips the grip portion is slightly shifted, the grip state can be reliably estimated.

  According to the invention of claim 8, as a part of each opening, one second opening is provided in each of the pair of narrow surfaces constituting a part of the gripping part and separated from the reading port. When the incident state detecting means detects that both the second openings are not in the incident state, it is estimated that the grasping state estimating means is in a grasping state for performing the reading operation.

  When both the second openings provided on both narrow surfaces are not in the incident state, it is assumed that the second opening is closed by the operator's finger and the above-mentioned holding is assumed. It can be reliably estimated that the gripping state is to be carried out.

  In the invention of claim 9, the incident state detecting means detects the second opening when it is detected that at least any one of the plurality of second opening holes constituting the second opening is not in the incident state. Detect that is not in the incident state. Thereby, even when the position where the operator grips the grip portion is slightly shifted, the grip state can be reliably estimated.

  In a tenth aspect of the present invention, as a part of each opening, both the second openings, a third opening that opens in the vicinity of both the second openings with respect to the first wide surface, and the first A fourth opening is provided that opens at a position away from the reading port with respect to one wide surface. Then, the incident state detection means causes the fourth opening, the one second opening, and the third opening near the second opening not to be in the incident state, and the other second opening and the second opening. When it is detected that the third opening in the vicinity of is in the incident state, it is estimated that the grasping state for carrying out the reading operation is grasped by the grasping state estimating means.

  When the fourth opening and one of the second opening and the third opening are not in the incident state and the other second opening and the third opening are in the incident state, the four except the thumb and the thumb are excluded. The gripping state for carrying out the reading operation is assumed since the above-mentioned holding by holding the reading port facing downward by sandwiching the other side of the wide surface between the two wide surfaces with the finger and the other side is assumed. This can be reliably estimated.

  In the invention of claim 11, when it is detected that at least any one of the plurality of third opening holes constituting the third opening is not in the incident state, the incident state detection means Detect that is not in the incident state. Thereby, even when the position where the operator grips the grip portion is slightly shifted, the grip state can be reliably estimated.

  In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, when it is detected that at least any one of the plurality of fourth opening holes constituting the fourth opening is not in the incident state, the incident state detecting means is configured to correspond to the fourth opening. Detect that is not in the incident state. Thereby, even when the position where the operator grips the grip portion is slightly shifted, the grip state can be reliably estimated.

  In the invention of claim 13, an operation unit for inputting predetermined information is provided on the surface of the housing that is along the first wide surface. When the incident state detecting means detects that only one of the second openings is not in the incident state, it is assumed that the operation unit is held by the holding method (key operation holding) with the thumb. It is determined by the means that reading is not in progress. In addition, the surface which is the surface of a housing | casing and follows a 1st wide surface shall include a 1st wide surface.

  When gripping the grip portion to operate the operation portion provided on the surface along the first wide surface, the first wide surface and the other wide surface are composed of the thumb operating the operation portion and the four fingers excluding the thumb. Is assumed to be held. In this case, it is assumed that only one of the second openings is closed by the four fingers or the palm. For this reason, by detecting that only one of the second openings is not in the incident state, it can be reliably estimated that the operation unit is being operated and is not in the gripping state for performing the reading operation.

  In the invention of claim 14, the determination means is not in a reading operation when it is detected by the incident state detection means that only each opening formed in one of the four surfaces constituting the gripping portion is not in the incident state. judge. When only the openings on one surface are not in the incident state, it is assumed that the housing is placed on a desk or the like with this one surface as the lower surface. For this reason, by detecting that only the openings on one surface are not in the incident state, it is reliably estimated that the casing is in a state of being placed on a desk or the like and not in a gripping state for performing a reading operation. Can do.

  According to the fifteenth aspect of the present invention, when the incident state detection unit detects that all the openings are not in the incident state, the determination unit is performing a reading operation based only on the emission direction detected by the emission direction detection unit. It is determined whether or not there is. When all the openings are not in the incident state, it is assumed that the housing is in a dark place. In this case, since the gripping state is not reflected in the detection result by the incident state detection unit, whether the reading operation is being performed based only on the laser beam emission direction without considering the gripping state estimation by the gripping state estimation unit. By determining whether or not, the estimation accuracy by the gripping state estimation means can be improved.

1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of an optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, in which FIG. 1A is a front view, FIG. 1B is a side view as viewed from 1B in FIG. (C) is the side view seen from 1C of FIG. 1 (A). 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the optical information reading apparatus 10. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an emission direction detection mechanism 70. FIG. 4A is a top view of the emission direction detection mechanism 70, FIG. 4B is a side view of the emission direction detection mechanism 70, and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view taken along 4C-4C in FIG. 4B. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which hold | gripped the holding part 50, FIG. 5 (A) shows the state seen from the one side narrow surface 50c, and FIG. 5 (B) shows the state seen from the lower side wide surface 50b. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which held the holding part 50 down. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which held the holding | grip part 50 up. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which has the holding part 50 with key operation. It is a flowchart which illustrates the flow of a laser beam emission process. FIGS. 10A and 10B are explanatory views illustrating a state in which the reading port 13 faces downward. FIG. 10A shows an enlarged contact state between the contact terminal 75b and the moving body 74, and FIG. 10B shows an emission direction. 11A and 11B are explanatory views illustrating a state in which the reading port 13 faces downward from FIG. 10, FIG. 11A shows an enlarged position of the moving body 74, and FIG. 11B shows an emission direction. It is explanatory drawing which illustrates the state which the reading port 13 faces in a horizontal direction, FIG. 12 (A) expands and shows the position of the mobile body 74, FIG.12 (B) shows the output direction. FIGS. 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams illustrating a state where the reading port 13 is positioned below, FIG. 13A shows an enlarged contact state between the contact terminal 75e and the moving body 74, and FIG. 13B shows an emission direction. FIGS. 14A and 14B are explanatory views illustrating a state in which the reading port 13 faces upward. FIG. 14A shows an enlarged contact state between the contact terminal 75a and the moving body 74, and FIG. 14B shows an emission direction. FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the reading port 13 faces sideways with the one-side narrow surface 50c as a lower surface. FIG. 15A is an enlarged view of the contact state between the contact terminal 75c and the moving body 74, and FIG. B) shows the emission direction.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a portable optical information reader according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The optical information reader 10 is configured as a portable reader that optically reads an information code such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code that is a reading target displayed on an object. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical information reading apparatus 10 is configured such that a circuit unit 20 is accommodated in a housing 11, and for inputting predetermined information to the circuit unit 20. The keyboard 12 is provided on the upper wide surface 50 a that is the surface farthest from the reading port 13 among the four surfaces constituting the grip portion 50.

  Here, the reading port 13 is formed so that the opening direction (outgoing direction) is downward (see arrow α in FIGS. 1B and 1C) when the housing 11 is held horizontally. Yes. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the four surfaces constituting the grip portion 50 are divided into the above-described upper wide surface 50a, the lower wide surface 50b facing the upper wide surface 50a, and both wide widths. The one side narrow surface 50c and the other side narrow surface 50d are defined as having a smaller area than the surfaces 50a and 50b and facing each other. The lower wide surface 50b facing the upper wide surface 50a corresponds to an example of “a pair of wide surfaces” recited in the claims, and the one narrow surface 50c and the other narrow surface 50d are claimed. This corresponds to an example of “a pair of narrow surfaces” described in the range.

  The one-side narrow surface 50c and the other-side narrow surface 50d are each provided with one one-side first opening 51 and one other-side first opening 52 near the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the housing 11. And the 1st side 1st opening part 51 is comprised from two opening holes 51a and 51b, and the other side 1st opening part 52 is comprised from two opening holes 52a and 52b. Further, each of the one-side narrow surface 50c and the other-side narrow surface 50d is provided with one one-side second opening 53 and one other-side second opening 54 at a portion separated from the reading port 13. The one-side second opening 53 includes two opening holes 53a and 53b, and the other-side second opening 54 includes two opening holes 54a and 54b.

  Also, the upper wide surface 50 a has a first third opening 55 that opens in the vicinity of the first second opening 53, and a third third opening that opens in the vicinity of the second second opening 54. 56 and a fourth opening 57 that opens at a portion that is separated from the reading port 13 are provided in one place.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit unit 20 mainly includes an optical system such as a light source 21, a light receiving sensor 28, and an imaging lens 27, and a microcomputer (such as a memory 35, a control circuit 40, and a liquid crystal display 46. (Hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”).

  The light source 21 of the optical system functions as an irradiating unit that can emit the laser light Lf, and includes, for example, a red LED and a diffusing lens, a condensing lens, and the like provided on the emitting side of the LED. In the present embodiment, the light sources 21 are provided on both sides of the light receiving sensor 28, and the laser light Lf can be emitted toward the reading object R through the reading port 13 of the housing 11. This reading object R corresponds to a display medium such as a packaging container, packaging paper, or label, for example, and a barcode B is printed on the surface thereof. The light source 21 corresponds to an example of an “irradiation unit” recited in the claims.

  The light receiving sensor 28 is configured to receive the reflected light Lr irradiated and reflected on the reading object R or the barcode B. For example, the light receiving sensor 28 is a primary element such as a C-MOS or CCD. A line sensor originally arranged or an area sensor arranged two-dimensionally corresponds to this. The light receiving sensor 28 is mounted on a printed wiring board (not shown) so that incident light incident through the imaging lens 27 can be received by the light receiving surface 28a. The light source 21 corresponds to an example of a “light receiving unit” recited in the claims.

  The imaging lens 27 functions as an imaging optical system capable of condensing incident light incident from the outside through the reading port 13 and forming an image on the light receiving surface 28a of the light receiving sensor 28. In the present embodiment, the laser beam Lf emitted from the light source 21 is reflected by the barcode B, and the reflected light Lr incident on the reading port 13 is collected, whereby the barcode B is applied to the light receiving surface 28a of the light receiving sensor 28. 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 LED 43, a buzzer 44, a vibrator 45, a liquid crystal display 46, a communication interface 48, and the like. It is composed of 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 barcode B imaged by the optical system described above is obtained. It can perform signal processing in terms of hardware and software.

  The image signal (analog signal) output from the light receiving sensor 28 of the optical system is amplified by a predetermined gain by being input to the amplifier circuit 31, and then input from the analog signal when 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 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.

  The memory 35 is a semiconductor memory device, for example, a rewritable memory such as a flash ROM (EPROM, EEPROM, etc.). In addition to the above-described image data storage area, the memory 35 is configured to be able to secure a work area and a reading condition table used by the control circuit 40 in each processing such as arithmetic operation and logical operation, and a laser which will be described later. A predetermined program that can execute light emission processing, reading processing, and the like, and a system program that can control each hardware such as the light source 21 and the light receiving sensor 28 are stored in advance.

  The control circuit 40 is a microcomputer capable of controlling the entire optical information reading device 10 and includes a CPU, a system bus, an input / output interface, and the like, and can constitute an information processing device 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. In this embodiment, the LED 43, the buzzer 44, the vibrator 45, and the liquid crystal display are provided. Device 46, communication interface 48, etc. are connected.

  Thereby, for example, the LED 43 that functions as an indicator for notifying information relating to reading of the barcode B is turned on / off, the buzzer 44 that can generate a beep sound and an alarm sound is turned on / off, and the optical information reader 10 is used. Communication that enables drive control of the vibrator 45 that can generate vibrations that can be transmitted to the user, screen control of the liquid crystal display 46 that can display the code contents of the read barcode B, and serial communication with an external device Communication control of the interface 48 is enabled.

  The circuit unit 20 includes a plurality of photosensors and an emission direction detection mechanism 70. As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, each photosensor is arranged for each opening 51 to 57 formed in the grip 50, and the housing 11 is placed in each opening 51 to 57. It functions as an incident state detecting means for detecting whether or not the external light from the outside is incident. Specifically, photosensors 61a and 61b are disposed in the opening holes 51a and 51b of the first opening 51 on one side, and photosensors 62a and 62b are disposed in the opening holes 52a and 52b of the first opening 52 on the other side. The photosensors 63a and 63b are disposed in the opening holes 53a and 53b of the second opening 53 on the one side, and the photosensors 64a and 64b are disposed in the opening holes 54a and 54b of the second opening 54 on the other side. ing. A photo sensor 65 is disposed in the first third opening 55, a photo sensor 66 is disposed in the third third opening 56, and a photo sensor 67 is disposed in the fourth opening 57. Each of the photosensors 61a to 67 is electrically connected to the control circuit 40 so as to output a signal indicating the incident state to the control circuit 40 when the corresponding opening is in the incident state.

  The emission direction detection mechanism 70 is a mechanism for detecting the opening direction of the reading port 13, that is, the emission direction of the laser light Lf, and is a detection fixed in the housing 11 as shown in FIGS. A chamber 71, a conductive movable body 74 provided in the detection chamber 71 and movable relative to the detection chamber 71, and a plurality of contact terminals 75a fixed to the inner walls 71a to 71e of the detection chamber 71, respectively. ~ 75e. The emission direction detection mechanism 70 is electrically connected to the control circuit 40 so that when any of the contact terminals 75a to 75e is in contact with the moving body 74, a detection signal corresponding to the contact terminal in contact is output to the control circuit 40. It is connected to the. In addition, in the detection chamber 71 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and FIGS. 10 to 15 described later, only the inner surface is shown on each inner wall for convenience. In addition, the emission direction detection mechanism 70, the detection chamber 71, the moving body 74, and the contact terminals 75a to 75e include the “outgoing direction detection means”, “detection chamber”, “moving body”, and “contacted” according to the claims. It corresponds to an example of “body”.

  The upper inner wall 71a of the detection chamber 71 is disposed so as to be downward with respect to the other inner walls when the casing 11 is tilted so that the upper wide surface 50a of the four surfaces of the gripping portion 50 is downward. The upper inner wall 71a is formed with a recess 72a into which a part of the moving body 74 can be detachably fitted. The contact terminal 75a is disposed in the recess 72a so as to come into contact with the moving body 74 when the upper wide surface 50a is lowered as described above.

  The lower inner wall 71b of the detection chamber 71 is disposed so as to be downward with respect to the other inner walls when the casing 11 is tilted so that the lower wide surface 50b of the four faces of the gripping portion 50 is downward. . The lower inner wall 71b has a recess 72b in which a part of the moving body 74 can be detachably fitted, and a part of the moving body 74 that can extend from the recess 72b toward the reading port and can be freely detached. A groove 73b is formed. The contact terminal 75b is disposed in the recess 72b so as to come into contact with the moving body 74 when the lower wide surface 50b is downward as described above.

  One side inner wall 71c of the detection chamber 71 is arranged so as to be downward with respect to the other inner wall when the casing 11 is tilted so that one side narrow surface 50c of the four surfaces of the grip portion 50 is downward. . The one side inner wall 71c is formed with a recess 72c into which a part of the moving body 74 can be detachably fitted. The contact terminal 75c is arrange | positioned at the recessed part 72c so that it may contact the mobile body 74 when the one side narrow surface 50c becomes below as mentioned above.

  The other inner wall 71d of the detection chamber 71 is arranged so as to be downward with respect to the other inner walls when the casing 11 is tilted so that the other narrow surface 50d of the four faces of the grip portion 50 is downward. . The other inner wall 71d is formed with a concave portion 72d into which a part of the moving body 74 can be detachably fitted. 75 d of contact terminals are arrange | positioned at the recessed part 72d so that it may contact the mobile body 74, when the other side narrow surface 50d becomes below as mentioned above.

  The reading port side inner wall 71e of the detection chamber 71 is arranged so as to be downward with respect to other inner walls when the casing 11 is tilted so that the reading port 13 is downward. The contact terminal 75e is arranged on the reading port side inner wall 71e so as to come into contact with the moving body 74 when the reading port 13 is lowered as described above.

  By configuring the optical information reader 10 in this way, the following reading process is performed. For example, when a power switch (not shown) is turned on and a predetermined self-diagnosis process or the like is normally completed, the control circuit 40 outputs a light emission signal to the light source 21 based on a synchronization signal in accordance with a laser beam emission process described later. Then, the light source 21 that has received this light emission signal emits the LED and emits the laser light Lf through the reading port 13 so that the barcode B can be read.

  When the laser beam Lf irradiated to the barcode B is reflected and the reflected light Lr enters the imaging lens 27 through the reading port 13, the imaging lens 27 applies a bar to the light receiving surface 28 a of the light receiving sensor 28. An image of code B, that is, a code image is formed. Thereby, each light receiving element which comprises the light-receiving surface 28a is exposed, and the signal according to the light reception amount is output from each light receiving element, respectively. The signal output from each light receiving element constitutes the image data of the barcode B. The image data is binarized and then encoded as the barcode B by performing a predetermined decoding process. Character data or the like is decoded and written into the memory 35. The decoded contents can be displayed on the liquid crystal display 46 or output to the host computer via the communication interface 48.

  Next, laser light emission processing executed by the control circuit 40, which is a characteristic part of the present invention, will be described. The laser beam emission process is a process of emitting the laser beam Lf from the light source 21 when it is determined that the reading operation is being performed, and stopping the emission of the laser beam Lf when it is determined that the reading operation is not being performed. To implement.

  Here, the basis for determining whether or not the reading operation is being performed will be described. When an operator grips the grip portion 50 in order to perform a reading operation, the holding method tends to be limited. As a limited holding method, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the thumb and the index finger or the like near the center of gravity of the housing 11 on both the narrow surfaces 50 c and 50 d of the grip portion 50. There is a holding method (hereinafter also referred to as holding). Further, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a holding method in which the reading port 13 is directed upward by sandwiching a portion of the both narrow surfaces 50 c and 50 d of the gripper 50 that is separated from the reading port 13 with the little finger or the palm of the hand (hereinafter referred to as “the reading port 13”). There is also a lower level). In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 7, a holding method in which the upper wide surface 50 a and the lower wide surface 50 b are sandwiched between the thumb and four fingers excluding the thumb and the reading port 13 is directed downward (hereinafter also referred to as upper holding). ) Further, as illustrated in FIG. 8, when gripping the grip portion 50 for operating the keyboard 12, the upper wide surface 50 a and the lower wide surface are composed of the thumb operating the keyboard 12 and the four fingers excluding the thumb. There is a holding method (hereinafter also referred to as key operation holding) for holding 50b.

  Therefore, the plurality of openings 51 to 57 described above are provided in the portion of the gripping portion 50 that is planned to be gripped depending on how to hold each of the openings 51 to 57. By detecting a non-opening portion, when the grip portion 50 is gripped by the worker, the way of holding by the worker is estimated. Specifically, when both the first openings 51 and 52 are not in the incident state, gripping is estimated (see FIGS. 5A and 5B), and both the second openings 53 and 54 are both. If neither is in the incident state, the underside is estimated (see FIG. 6). In addition, the fourth opening 57, the other second opening 54, and the other third opening 56 are not in the incident state, but the one side second opening 53 and the one side third opening 55 are in the incident state. In some cases (see FIG. 7), or the fourth opening 57, the one-side second opening 53, and the one-side third opening 55 are not in the incident state, and the other-side second opening 54 and the other-side third When the opening 56 is in the incident state, the upper holding is estimated. Further, when only one of the second openings 53 and 54 is not in the incident state, it is estimated that the key operation is held (see FIG. 8).

  Accordingly, it is ensured whether or not the reading operation is being performed by considering the holding method estimated as described above and the emission direction of the laser light Lf detected in consideration of the opening direction of the reading port 13. Can be determined.

Hereinafter, the laser beam emission processing will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, when the power switch is turned on and the power is turned on, an incident state detection process is performed in step S101 of FIG. In this process, based on the outputs from the photosensors 61a to 67, whether or not each of the openings 51 to 57 is in an incident state (whether each of the openings 51 to 57 is not in a light shielding state) is determined. Detected every 51-57.

  Here, if any one of the two opening holes 51a and 51b of the one-side first opening 51 is in the incident state, the one-side first opening 51 is determined to be in the incident state, and the other-side first opening is determined. If any one of the two opening holes 52a and 52b of the part 52 is in the incident state, it is determined that the other first opening 52 is in the incident state. Further, if any one of the two opening holes 53a and 53b of the one-side second opening 53 is in the incident state, it is determined that the one-side second opening 53 is in the incident state, and the other-side second opening is formed. If any one of the two opening holes 54a and 54b is in the incident state, it is determined that the other second opening 54 is in the incident state. The control circuit 40 and the photosensors 61a to 67 that execute the process of step S101 correspond to an example of “incident state detection means” described in the claims.

  Next, in step S103, it is determined whether or not all the openings 51 to 57 are in the incident state. If all the openings 51 to 57 are in the incident state (Yes in S103), the gripping unit is determined. 50 is determined not to be grasped and is not being read, an emission stop process is performed in step S117, and emission of the laser light Lf from the light source 21 is stopped.

  On the other hand, if at least one of the openings 51 to 57 is not in the incident state in step S103 (No in S103), each opening formed on one of the four surfaces constituting the gripping unit 50 in step S105. It is determined whether only the part is not in the incident state. Here, when only the openings on one surface, for example, the one-side first opening 51 and the one-side second opening 53 on the one-side narrow surface 50c are not in the incident state (Yes in S105), the one-side narrowing is performed. With the width surface 50c as the bottom surface, it is determined that the casing 11 is placed on a desk or the like and is not being read, and emission stopping processing is performed in step S117.

  On the other hand, if the openings of the plurality of surfaces constituting the gripping part 50 are not in the incident state in step S105 (No in S105), whether or not all the openings 51 to 57 are not in the incident state in step S107. Is determined. Here, when all the openings 51 to 57 are not in the incident state (Yes in S107), it is determined that the housing 11 is in a dark place, and the process of step S111 is performed without performing the process of step S109 described later. Is made.

  On the other hand, if at least one of the openings 51 to 57 is in the incident state (No in S107), a gripping state estimation process is performed in step S109. In this process, the gripping state in which the gripping part 50 is gripped based on the incident states of the openings 51 to 57, that is, the above-described gripping and holding, upper holding, key operation holding, and other ways of holding are estimated. (See FIGS. 5 to 8). The control circuit 40 that executes the process of step S109 corresponds to an example of a “gripping state estimation unit” recited in the claims.

  Next, in step S111, emission direction detection processing is performed. In this processing, the emission direction is detected according to the contact terminal in contact with the moving body 74 among the contact terminals 75a to 75e of the emission direction detection mechanism 70.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 (A), when the contact pin 75b comes into contact with the moving member 74 is, the emission direction of reading opening 13 faces downward (FIG. 10 (B) an arrow alpha ₁ Reference Reference ) Is detected. Further, any contact terminal is determined by whether the moving body 74 falls into the groove 73b (see FIG. 11A) or the moving body 74 contacts the counter reading side inner wall 71f (see FIG. 12A). both when not in contact with the moving member 74 is 10 or exit direction further reading opening 13 than the state of (B) is directed downward (see arrow alpha ₂ shown in FIG. 11 (B) refer), reading opening 13 it is detected is one of the emission direction toward the horizontal direction (see arrow alpha ₃ reference FIG 12 (B)).

Further, as shown in FIG. 13 (A), when the contact terminals 75e contacts the moving member 74 is, the emission direction of reading opening 13 is positioned below (arrow alpha ₄ shown in FIG. 13 (B) refer) is Detected. Further, as shown in FIG. 14 (A), when the contact terminals 75a is in contact with the moving member 74 is, the emission direction of reading opening 13 faces upward (see arrow alpha ₅ in see FIG. 14 (B)) is detected Is done. Further, as shown in FIG. 15A, when the contact terminal 75c contacts the moving body 74, the emission direction in which the reading port 13 faces sideways with the one side narrow surface 50c as the lower surface (FIG. 15B). When the contact terminal 75d is in contact with the moving body 74, the emission direction in which the reading port 13 faces sideways is detected with the other narrow surface 50d as the bottom surface. The control circuit 40 that executes the process of step S111 corresponds to an example of an “incident state detection unit” recited in the claims.

  When the emission direction is detected as described above, it is determined in step S113 whether the reading operation is being performed based on the gripping state estimated in step S109 and the emission direction detected in step S111. Is done. That is, when the emission direction assumed when the reading operation is performed in the estimated gripping state matches the detected emission direction, the reading operation is determined to be Yes in step S113.

  Specifically, when the grasping is estimated in step S109 and the emission direction in which the reading port 13 faces downward is detected in step S111, the assumed emission direction matches the detected emission direction. It is determined that the reading operation is in progress. In addition, when the holding direction is estimated in step S109 and the emission direction in which the reading port 13 faces upward is detected in step S111, the assumed emission direction and the detected emission direction coincide with each other. It is determined that it is in the middle. Further, if the upper holding is estimated in step S109 and the emission direction in which the reading port 13 faces downward is detected in step S111, the assumed emission direction and the detected emission direction coincide with each other. It is determined that it is in the middle.

  On the other hand, if it is estimated that the key operation is held in step S109, it is determined that the reading operation is not being performed even when the assumed emission direction matches the detected emission direction. In the present embodiment, when the assumed emission direction and the detected emission direction do not match, it is determined that the reading operation is not being performed, but depending on the assumed emission direction and the detected emission direction. Alternatively, it may be determined that the reading operation is in progress. The control circuit 40 that executes the process of step S113 corresponds to an example of a “determination unit” recited in the claims.

  As described above, when it is determined in step S113 that the reading operation is being performed (Yes in S113), emission processing is performed in step S115, and the laser beam Lf is emitted from the light source 21, whereby the barcode B Reading is possible. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S113 that reading is not in progress (No in S113), emission stop processing is performed in step S117, and emission of the laser light Lf from the light source 21 is stopped. As a result, when the reading operation is not being performed, the emission of the laser light Lf is automatically stopped. The control circuit 40 that executes the processes of steps S115 and 117 corresponds to an example of “irradiation control means” recited in the claims.

  When the process in step S115 or the process in step S117 is performed, it is determined No in step S119 until the power is turned off, and the process from step S101 described above is repeated.

  As described above, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, external light from the outside of the housing 11 is incident on the plurality of openings 51 to 57 formed in the grip portion 50 of the housing 11. If it is detected for each opening as to whether or not it is an incident state, a gripping state in which the gripping portion 50 is gripped is estimated based on each of the incident states. When it is determined that the reading operation is not being performed based on the estimated gripping state and the emission direction detected by the emission direction detection mechanism 70, the emission of the laser light Lf by the light source 21 is stopped.

  Thereby, the use state of the apparatus can be estimated from the gripping state (holding method) estimated as described above and the emission direction of the laser light Lf detected in consideration of the opening direction of the reading port 13. Therefore, when the usage state is not during the reading operation, the emission of the laser beam Lf can be automatically stopped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the laser beam Lf from entering the eyes of surrounding people including the worker. In particular, since the emission of the laser beam Lf is stopped when unnecessary, the power consumption can be effectively suppressed.

  In the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the emission direction detection mechanism 70 detects contact between any one of the contact terminals 75a to 75e provided in the detection chamber 71 and the conductive movable body 74. As a result, the emission direction of the laser light Lf is detected. That is, when the moving body 74 comes into contact with any one of the contact terminals 75a to 75e when the casing 11 is tilted in an arbitrary direction, the opening direction of the reading port 13, that is, the laser beam Lf, according to the contact terminal in contact therewith. Therefore, the emission direction of the laser beam Lf can be detected with a simple mechanism.

  Furthermore, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, since the moving body 74 is formed in a spherical shape, the moving body 74 is easily moved in the detection chamber 71, so that the laser beam corresponding to the contact terminal with which the moving body 74 contacts The emission direction of Lf can be reliably detected. The moving body 74 is not limited to being formed in a spherical shape, and may be formed in a shape that can easily move in the detection chamber 71.

  Further, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the inner walls 71a to 71d of the detection chamber 71 are respectively formed with recesses 72a to 72d into which a part of the moving body 74 can be detachably fitted, Each of the contact terminals 75a to 75d is disposed so as to be able to contact the moving body 74 fitted in the corresponding recess 72a to 72d. Thereby, when the moving body 74 comes into contact with a contact terminal arranged in any one of the recesses 72a to 72d when the casing 11 is tilted in an arbitrary direction, the moving body 74 is fitted into the recess. Depending on the emission direction of the laser beam Lf, the contact terminal corresponding to the emission direction and the moving body 74 can be reliably brought into contact with each other.

  Furthermore, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, as a part of each opening, the pair of narrow surfaces 50c and 50d of the grip 50 is first positioned near the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the housing 11. Each of the openings 51 and 52 is provided. When it is detected that both the first openings 51 and 52 are not in the incident state, it is estimated that the gripper is in a gripping state for performing the reading operation. Since the gripping by the above-mentioned gripping is assumed by the detection of the incident state, it can be reliably estimated that the gripping state for performing the reading operation is performed.

  Further, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the second opening 53 is formed at a part of the pair of narrow surfaces 50c and 50d of the grip 50 that is separated from the reading port 13 as a part of each opening. , 54 are provided in one place. When it is detected that both the second openings 53 and 54 are not in the incident state, it is estimated that the gripper is in a gripping state for performing the reading operation. Since the gripping by the above-mentioned holding is assumed by the detection of the incident state, it can be reliably estimated that the gripping state for performing the reading operation is performed.

  Furthermore, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, both the second openings 53 and 54 and the vicinity of the second openings 53 and 54 with respect to the upper wide surface 50a as a part of each opening. Are provided with third openings 55 and 56 that are respectively opened at 4 and a fourth opening 57 that is opened at a position away from the reading port 13 with respect to the upper wide surface 50a. Then, when it is detected that the fourth opening 57 and one of the second opening and the third opening are not in the incident state, and the other second opening and the third opening are in the incident state, It is presumed that the gripping state is for carrying out the reading operation. Since the above-described holding by the holding state is assumed by the detection of the incident state, it can be reliably estimated that the holding state is for performing the reading operation.

  Further, in the optical information reading device 10 according to the present embodiment, when it is detected that at least one of the opening holes 51a and 51b configuring the one-side first opening 51 is not in the incident state, It is detected that the one-side first opening 51 is not in the incident state. Thereby, even if the position where the operator grips the grip portion 50 is slightly shifted, the grip state can be reliably estimated. The other openings 52 to 54 have the same effect. In addition, each opening part 51-54 may be comprised by three or more opening holes. Moreover, the 3rd opening parts 55 and 56 and the 4th opening part 57 may be comprised by two or more opening holes.

  Furthermore, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, since the keyboard 12 is provided on the upper wide surface 50a, it is detected that only one of the second openings 53 and 54 is not in the incident state. Then, it is determined that the reading operation is not being performed. Since the above-described gripping by holding the key operation is assumed based on the detection of the incident state, it can be reliably estimated that the keyboard 12 is being operated and is not in a gripping state for performing a reading operation. Even when the keyboard 12 is provided on a surface along the upper wide surface 50a on the surface of the housing 11, the same effects can be obtained.

  Further, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, when it is detected that only the openings formed on one surface of the four surfaces 50a to 50d constituting the grip portion 50 are not in the incident state, the reading operation is performed. It is determined that it is not in the middle. By detecting the incident state, it can be reliably estimated that the casing 11 is placed on a desk or the like and is not in a gripping state for performing a reading operation.

  Furthermore, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, when it is detected that all the openings 51 to 57 are not in the incident state, it is assumed that the housing is in a dark place and is based only on the detected emission direction. Then, it is determined whether or not the reading operation is being performed. In this case, since the gripping state is not reflected in the detection result of the incident state detection process, the reading operation is being performed based only on the emission direction of the laser beam Lf without considering the gripping state estimation by the gripping state estimation process. By determining whether or not, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy by the gripping state estimation process.

  When the upward emission direction is detected by the emission direction detection mechanism 70, it may be determined that the reading operation is not performed without considering the estimated gripping state. When the upward emission direction is detected in this manner, there is a high possibility that the reading operation is not being performed. In this case, the laser beam Lf includes the operator by automatically stopping the emission of the laser beam Lf. It can be surely prevented from entering the eyes of those around you.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, You may actualize as follows, and even in that case, an effect | action and effect equivalent to the said embodiment are acquired.
(1) Instead of the photosensors 61a to 67, a sensor capable of detecting the incident state (light shielding state) of each opening may be provided as the incident state detection means.

(2) Instead of the emission direction detection mechanism 70, an inclination sensor or the like may be provided as the emission direction detection means.

(3) It may be possible to select whether or not to perform the laser beam emission processing described above.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Optical information reader 11 ... Housing | casing 12 ... Keyboard (operation part)
13: Reading port 21 ... Light source (irradiation means)
28. Light receiving sensor (light receiving means)
40. Control circuit (irradiation control means, decoding means, incident state detection means, gripping state estimation means, emission direction detection means, determination means)
50: gripping portion 50a: upper wide surface (first wide surface, wide surface)
50b: Lower wide surface (wide surface)
50c: One side narrow surface (narrow surface)
50d ... other side narrow surface (narrow surface)
51 ... One side first opening 52 ... Other side first opening 53 ... One side second opening 54 ... Other side second opening 51a, 51b, 52a, 52b, 53a, 53b, 54a, 54b ... Opening hole 55 ... One side third opening 56 ... Other side third opening 57 ... Fourth opening 61a, 61b, 62a, 62b, 63a, 63b, 64a, 64b, 65, 66, 67 ... Photo sensor (incident state detection) means)
70: Emission direction detection mechanism (emission direction detection means)
71 ... Detection chamber 74 ... Moving body 75a to 75e ... Contact terminal (contacted body)
B ... Bar code (information code)
Lf: Laser light α: Emitting direction

Claims (15)

Irradiating means for emitting laser light to the information code;
Irradiation control means for controlling the irradiation means;
A light receiving means for receiving the reflected light reflected by the information code by the laser light from the irradiation means;
Decoding means for decoding the information code based on a signal output from the light receiving means in response to reflected light from the information code;
A housing in which a reading port for accommodating the light receiving means and guiding reflected light from the information code to the light receiving means is formed;
An optical information reader comprising:
Incident state detection means for detecting, for each opening, whether or not it is an incident state in which extraneous light from outside the casing is incident on a plurality of openings formed in the grip portion of the casing;
A gripping state estimating means for estimating a gripping state for gripping the gripping part based on an incident state for each of the openings detected by the incident state detecting means;
An emission direction detecting means for detecting an emission direction of the laser beam;
In working reading when facing the emission direction of the emission direction of the laser beam that is assumed when performing work read by the gripping state estimated by said grip state estimation means is detected by said emission direction detecting means determination means that there is,
With
The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation control unit stops emission of the laser light by the irradiation unit when the determination unit does not determine that the reading operation is being performed.   The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the reading operation is not being performed when an upward emission direction is detected by the emission direction detection unit. The emission direction detecting means includes
A detection chamber fixed to the housing; a movable body provided in the detection chamber and movable relative to the detection chamber; and a plurality of contacted bodies fixed to the inner wall of the detection chamber;
3. The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an emission direction of the laser light is detected by detecting contact between at least one of the contacted bodies and the moving body. 4.   The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the moving body is formed in a spherical shape.   One or more recesses into which at least a part of the movable body can be detachably fitted are formed on the inner wall of the detection chamber, and at least one of the contacted bodies is fitted into the concave portion. The optical information reading device according to claim 3, wherein the optical information reading device is arranged so as to be in contact with the optical information reading device. As a part of each of the openings, a pair of narrow surfaces having a smaller area than a pair of opposing wide surfaces among the four surfaces constituting the gripping portion, the first opening near the center of gravity in the longitudinal direction of the housing One part each,
The gripping state estimating unit estimates that the gripping state for performing a reading operation is detected when the incident state detecting unit detects that both the first openings are not in the incident state. An optical information reader according to any one of claims 1 to 5. At least one of the first openings is composed of a plurality of first opening holes,
The incident state detecting means detects that the first opening is not in the incident state when it is detected that at least one of the plurality of first opening holes is not in the incident state. The optical information reader according to claim 6. As a part of each of the openings, a second opening is formed at a part of a pair of narrow surfaces having a smaller area than a pair of opposed wide surfaces among the four surfaces constituting the grip portion and spaced apart from the reading port. One place,
The gripping state estimation means estimates that the gripping state for carrying out a reading operation when the incident state detection means detects that both the second openings are not in the incident state. An optical information reader according to any one of claims 1 to 5. At least one of the second openings is composed of a plurality of second opening holes,
The incident state detecting means detects that the second opening is not in an incident state when it is detected that at least one of the plurality of second opening holes is not in an incident state. The optical information reader according to claim 8. As a part of each opening, both the second opening and a first wide surface spaced apart from the reading port among the both wide surfaces are opened in the vicinity of both the second openings. A third opening and a fourth opening that opens at a portion spaced from the reading port with respect to the first wide surface,
The gripping state estimating means is configured so that the incident state detecting means is configured so that the fourth opening, the one second opening, and the third opening near the second opening are not in the incident state, and the other When it is detected that the second opening and the third opening in the vicinity of the second opening are in an incident state, it is estimated that the holding state for performing a reading operation is estimated. An optical information reading device according to claim 8 or 9. At least one of the third openings is composed of a plurality of third opening holes,
The incident state detecting means detects that the third opening is not in the incident state when it is detected that at least one of the plurality of third opening holes is not in the incident state. The optical information reader according to claim 10. The fourth opening is composed of a plurality of fourth opening holes,
The incident state detection means detects that the fourth opening is not in an incident state when it is detected that at least one of the plurality of fourth opening holes is not in an incident state. The optical information reader according to claim 10 or 11. An operation unit for inputting predetermined information is provided on a surface along the first wide surface which is a surface of the housing and is separated from the reading port among the wide surfaces.
13. The determination unit according to claim 8, wherein when the incident state detection unit detects that only one of the second openings is not in the incident state, the determination unit determines that the reading operation is not being performed. The optical information reading apparatus according to any one of the above.   The determination means determines that the reading operation is not being performed when it is detected by the incident state detection means that only each opening formed on one of the four surfaces constituting the grip portion is not in the incident state. The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the optical information reading device is an optical information reading device.   If the determination means detects that all the openings are not in the incident state by the incident state detection means, is the reading operation based on only the emission direction detected by the emission direction detection means? The optical information reading device according to claim 1, wherein determination is made as to whether or not.

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