JP5742641B2 - Optical information reader - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical information reader that optically reads an information code.

  Currently, information codes such as barcodes and QR codes (registered trademark) are widely used in various fields. This type of information code is attached to various objects by printing with a printer, direct marking, etc., and an optical information reader such as a barcode reader has a configuration that can read such an information code satisfactorily. It has been demanded.

Special Table 2008-524746

  By the way, the configuration of the illumination means is important in order to satisfactorily read the information codes attached to various objects as described above. For example, in an information code formed by direct marking, it is necessary to raise the uneven pattern on the display surface (printing surface). By irradiating illumination light as low-angle light from the side of the information code, the information code It is effective to receive the diffused light.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to such a problem, and irradiates dark field illumination from a dark field illuminator as low-angle light and is disposed outside an opening for irradiating dark field illumination. The bright field illumination from the bright field illuminator is emitted far away. However, with such a configuration, when low-angle light is irradiated to information codes displayed in a dense area such as information codes displayed on a substrate on which various components are mounted, the surroundings of the information codes There are cases where it is difficult to bring the optical information reading device close to a distance that allows irradiation of low-angle light due to the mounting component, or low-angle light may be blocked by surrounding mounting components. In such a case, there is a problem in that the information code cannot be read because the diffused light from the information code cannot be sufficiently received.

  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 that can easily irradiate an information code with low-angle light. .

In order to achieve the above object, an optical information reading device according to claim 1, an illuminating means (21) for irradiating illumination light (L 1 to L 4) to the information code (C), and the information code A light receiving means (28) for receiving light and a first reading port (13) are formed. The illumination means is arranged around the first reading port, and the light receiving means is used for the first reading. An optical information reading device (10) having a housing (11) arranged to receive light from the information code through a mouth, from a proximal end side (50a) to a distal end side (50b) ), The second reading port (51) is formed by the opening on the distal end side, and the proximal end side covers the first reading port. So that it can be attached to and detached from the housing. A light guide member (50, 54 to 56) for guiding the illumination light emitted from the illumination means from the proximal end side to the distal end side is sometimes provided, and on the distal end side of the light guide member, A first reflecting surface (53) for reflecting the transmitted illumination light as low-angle light (L1) so as to approach the center of the second reading port is formed, and the illumination light from the illumination means can be transmitted. And the transmitted illumination light is split into low-angle light irradiated so as to approach the center of the first reading port and light irradiated toward an area away from the first reading port. An optical component having a light branching portion, and a second reflection for reflecting the low-angle light branched by the light branching portion toward the distal end side on the proximal end side of the light guide member; surface is formed, characterized in Rukoto.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the first aspect, the reflected light reflected by the first reflecting surface is applied to the distal end side of the light guide member (54). A refracting surface (54a) that is refracted and transmitted so as to be closer to the center of the second reading port is formed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical information reading device according to the first or second aspect , the light guide member (56) is formed such that the thickness increases toward the distal end side. .

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, the light guide member is formed of a material whose tip side is softer than the housing. It is characterized by that.
In addition, the code | symbol in each said parenthesis shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

  In the first aspect of the invention, the second reading port is formed by the opening on the distal end side by forming the tube so that the outer diameter is reduced from the proximal end side to the distal end side. A light guide member formed so as to be detachable from the housing is provided so as to cover one reading port, and the light guide member emits illumination light emitted from the illumination means when attached to the housing. Is transmitted through the base end side to the front end side to guide the light. And the 1st reflective surface which reflects so that the illumination light to permeate | transmit as low angle light may be formed in the front end side of a light guide member so that it may approach the center of a 2nd reading port.

  For this reason, by attaching the light guide member to the housing, the illumination light from the illumination unit is irradiated so as to pass through the light guide member and approach the center of the second reading port as low-angle light. . Since the light guide member is formed so that the outer diameter is reduced toward the distal end side, even the information code displayed in the dense area can bring the second reading port close to the information code.

As a result, even when an information code that requires low-angle light irradiation, for example, an information code formed by processing the display surface into a concavo-convex shape is displayed in a dense area, the display surface and the light guide member are transmitted. The low-angle light is irradiated from the lateral direction with respect to the information code so that the angle with the low-angle light irradiated is small, and the light (diffused light) from the information code is emitted from the second reading port and Light is received by the light receiving means through the first reading port.
Therefore, even an information code displayed in a dense area can be easily irradiated with low-angle light.
In particular, the illumination light from the illuminating means is disposed so as to be transmissive, and the low-angle light irradiated so that the transmitted illumination light approaches the center of the first reading port and the area away from the first reading port. An optical component having a light branching portion that branches into the irradiated light is provided. And the 2nd reflective surface which reflects so that the low angle light branched by the light branching part may permeate | transmit to the front end side is formed in the base end side of the light guide member.
For this reason, even when the optical component as described above is provided, the low-angle light branched by the light branching portion can be reflected so as to be transmitted to the tip side by the second reflecting surface. It is possible to increase the illuminance of the low-angle light irradiated through the optical member.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, on the tip side of the light guide member, the refracting surface that refracts and transmits the reflected light reflected by the first reflecting surface so as to be closer to the center of the second reading port. Therefore, the low-angle light is irradiated so as to come closer to the center of the second reading port. As a result, the angle between the display surface on which the information code approaching the second reading port is displayed and the low-angle light irradiated through the light guide member becomes smaller, so this low-angle light is irradiated. By capturing the information code, a good contrast can be obtained for the information code.

In the invention of claim 3 , since the light guide member is formed so as to be thicker toward the distal end side, there is a reflection angle at which light guided from the proximal end side to the distal end side is reflected by a surface different from the reflection surface. It becomes larger toward the tip side. As a result, the number of reflections of light guided from the proximal end side to the distal end side is reduced, and the ratio of total reflection without being transmitted at the time of reflection is increased, so that the total amount of light transmitted at the time of reflection on the surface is small. Thus, the illuminance of the low-angle light irradiated through the light guide member can be increased.

In the invention of claim 4 , since at least the tip side of the light guide member is made of a material softer than the housing, the tip side of the light guide member is positioned around the information code when the second reading port is brought close to the information code. Even when it comes into contact with the mounted components, it is possible to prevent the mounted components from being damaged.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the optical information reader which concerns on 1st Embodiment schematically, FIG. 1 (A) shows the mounting state which mounted | wore the light guide member, FIG.1 (B) shows a light guide member. The removed unmounted state is shown. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing the detailed shape of the light guide member of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a view of FIG. 2A viewed from the second reading port side. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the optical information reader of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of the reading port and each light source when a housing main body is seen from the front. FIG. 5A is a diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of the illumination device, and FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a light path when illumination light incident on the optical component is directly incident on the third outer surface. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the light path when the illumination light incident on the optical component is incident on the third outer surface after being reflected by another reflecting surface. FIG. 6A is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of the illumination device, and FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a light path when illumination light incident on the optical component is directly incident on the first outer surface. FIG. 6B is a diagram showing the light path when the illumination light incident on the optical component is directly incident on the second outer surface. It is explanatory drawing explaining the light guide state by the light guide member of FIG. FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram showing the first irradiation state with the light guide member attached, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram showing the second irradiation state with the light guide member removed. It is sectional drawing which shows the detailed shape of the light guide member in 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the detailed shape of the light guide member in 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the detailed shape of the light guide member in 4th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing explaining the light guide state by the light guide member of FIG.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, an optical information reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 1 (A) shows a mounting state in which a light guide member 50 is mounted, and FIG. These show the unmounted state where the light guide member 50 is removed. 2A is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed shape of the light guide member 50 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a view of FIG. 2A viewed from the second reading port 51 side. . FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the optical information reading apparatus 10 of FIG. In the present embodiment, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 will be described as the front-rear direction of the optical information reader 10.

  An optical information reader 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is an information code that reads an information code such as a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code (for example, a bar code, QR code, data matrix code, maxi code). It is configured as a reader and has a function of optically reading an information code attached to an object to be read. The information code to be read includes various information codes such as an information code attached to a member such as paper, resin, metal, etc. by printing or direct marking, an information code displayed on a display unit of a mobile phone, etc. Target information codes.

  The optical information reader 10 is a round, thin, substantially rectangular box-shaped housing main body 11a having a circular reading port 13, and a housing main body 11a on the lower surface of the housing main body 11a near the center rear end. And a gun-type housing 11 made of synthetic resin such as ABS resin. The grip portion 11b is set to have an outer diameter that allows a user to hold the grip portion 11b with one hand, and instructs the emission of illumination light, which will be described later, to a portion where the index finger of the user holding the grip portion 11b contacts. A trigger switch 42 is provided. The housing 11 may correspond to an example of a “housing” described in the claims, and the reading port 13 may correspond to an example of a “first reading port” described in the claims.

  The optical information reader 10 includes a light guide member 50 that is detachably formed on the housing body 11 a so as to cover the reading port 13. The light guide member 50 is an illumination light irradiation state (hereinafter referred to as a first irradiation state) when the light guide member 50 is attached to the housing body 11a and an illumination light when the light guide member 50 is not attached. This is a member for switching between the irradiation state (hereinafter referred to as the second irradiation state).

  The light guide member 50 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is made of a translucent silicon material that is a softer material than the housing 11, and is on the base end side (the right side of FIG. 2A). The taper is formed in a tapered tube shape so that the outer diameter is reduced from the center axis 50c from the end 50a to the front end side (left side in FIG. 2A) 50b, so that the second reading is performed by the opening on the front end side 50b. A mouth 51 is formed. In addition, a concave portion 52 that engages with a distal end portion (described later) of an optical component 60 protruding from the periphery of the reading port 13 of the housing body 11a is annularly formed around the central axis 50c on the proximal end side 50a of the light guide member 50. Is formed. By engaging / disengaging the recess 52 and the tip of the optical component 60, the light guide member 50 can be attached to and detached from the housing body 11a. The light guide member 50 may be formed so as to be detachable from the housing body 11 a by engagement with other engagement portions in addition to engagement with the recess 52, or other engagement different from the recess 52. It may be formed so as to be detachable from the housing main body 11a by engagement with a part or the like.

  The outer peripheral surface 53 on the distal end side 50b of the light guide member 50 is formed such that the degree of diameter reduction is higher than that of the outer peripheral surface on the proximal end side 50a, that is, the inclination angle with respect to the central axis 50c is increased. Has been. For this reason, the outer peripheral surface 53 internally reflects the illumination light transmitted through the light guide member 50 as low-angle light (hereinafter referred to as first low-angle light L1) so as to approach the center of the second reading port 51. It functions as the first reflecting surface 53.

  The light guide member 50 formed in this way guides the illumination light emitted from the optical component 60 of the illumination device 21 from the base end side 50a to the front end side 50b when mounted on the housing body 11a. In the first irradiation state, the first low-angle light L1 is irradiated in the vicinity of the second reading port 51. The light guide function of the light guide member 50 will be described later.

Next, the electrical configuration of the circuit 20 of the optical information reader 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, a circuit 20 for reading an information code such as a barcode or a two-dimensional code is accommodated in the housing 11. The circuit 20 mainly includes a lighting device 21 and a light receiving sensor. 28, an optical system such as an image forming lens 27, and a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as “microcomputer”) system such as a memory 35 and a control circuit 40.

  The optical system is divided into a light projecting optical system and a light receiving optical system. The illuminating device 21 constituting the light projecting optical system functions as an illuminating unit capable of emitting illumination light. For example, a plurality of light sources 22 configured as LEDs and the emission side (front side) of each of the light sources 22 are used. Each of the condenser lenses 23 and the optical component 60 are provided. A detailed description of the optical component 60 will be described later together with the light guide member 50. In addition, in FIG. 3, the example of the 2nd irradiation state which irradiates illumination light toward the reading target object R with which the information code C was displayed in the unmounted state where the light guide member 50 is removed is shown conceptually. Yes.

  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 as a CCD area sensor, and is configured to receive the reflected light Lr irradiated and reflected on the information code C or the reading object R or the like. 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 light receiving sensor 28 may correspond to an example of “light receiving means” 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, after the illumination light emitted from the illumination device 21 is reflected by the information code C, the reflected light Lr is condensed by the imaging lens 27, and the information code C is reflected on the light receiving surface 28 a of the light receiving sensor 28. An image is formed.

  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, and the like. This microcomputer system is configured around a control circuit 40 and a memory 35 that can function as a microcomputer (information processing apparatus), and the image signal of the information code C imaged by the optical system described above is signaled in hardware and software. It can be processed.

  The image signal (analog signal) output from the light receiving sensor 28 of the optical system is input to the amplification circuit 31 and amplified with a predetermined gain, and then input to the A / D conversion circuit 33. Converted. 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, and corresponds to, for example, a RAM (DRAM, SRAM, etc.) or a ROM (EPROM, EEPROM, etc.). In addition to the above-described image data storage area, the RAM of the memory 35 is configured to be able to secure a work area and a reading condition table used by the control circuit 40 in each processing such as arithmetic operation and logical operation. . The ROM stores in advance a predetermined program capable of executing reading processing, analysis processing, and the like, which will be described later, and a system program capable of controlling each hardware such as the illumination device 21 and the light receiving sensor 28.

  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 control circuit 40 includes a trigger switch 42, light emission. The unit 43, the buzzer 44, the vibrator 45, the communication interface 48, and the like are connected. Thereby, for example, monitoring and management of the trigger switch 42, lighting and non-lighting of the light emitting unit 43, on / off of the sound of the buzzer 44 capable of generating a beep sound and an alarm sound, and transmission to the user of the optical information reading device 10 The control circuit 40 performs drive control of the vibrator 45 that can generate possible vibrations, communication control of the communication interface 48 that enables communication with an external device, and the like.

  Next, the detailed structure of the illuminating device 21 which has the optical component 60 is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the positional relationship between the reading port 13 and the light sources 22a to 22m when the housing body 11a is viewed from the front. 5 and 6 are explanatory views schematically illustrating the configuration of the illumination device 21. FIG. 5A illustrates the case where the illumination light incident on the optical component 60 is directly incident on the third outer surface 63a. FIG. 5B shows the light path when the illumination light incident on the optical component 60 is reflected by another reflecting surface and then enters the third outer surface 63a. FIG. 6 (A) is a diagram also showing a light path when the illumination light incident on the optical component 60 is directly incident on the first outer surface 61a, and FIG. 6 (B). These are figures which show collectively the path | route of the light in case the illumination light which injected into the optical component 60 injects into the 2nd outer surface 62a directly. In FIG. 4, the optical component 60, the condenser lens 23, and the like are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the light sources 22 (light sources 22 a to 22 m) are annularly arranged so as to surround the periphery of the reading port 13, and each emits illumination light in the forward direction. It is configured. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a condensing lens 23 that condenses and transmits the illumination light from the light source 22 is arranged on the emission side of each light source 22 (light sources 22 a to 22 m). Yes. The condensing lens 23 includes an incident-side first condensing unit 23 a that condenses illumination light incident from the light source 22, and an exit-side second condensing unit that further condenses the illumination light transmitted through the condensing lens 23. The optical part 23b is provided. The first light condensing part 23a is formed so as to condense the illumination light incident on the condensing lens 23 from the light source 22 by its condensing surface, and the second light condensing part 23b is collected by the first light condensing part 23a. Illumination light that is emitted and passes through the condensing lens 23 is further condensed by the condensing surface, and is emitted outside the lens.

  An annular optical component 60 is disposed on the front side of each condenser lens 23 so as to surround the reading port 13. This optical component 60 takes in and transmits the illumination light from each condensing lens 23 inside, respectively, and has branched the transmitted illumination light by the light branch part 65 each formed in the front-end part.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the light branching portion 65 includes a first light guide portion 61 having a first outer surface 61a, a second light guide portion 62 having a second outer surface 62a, and a third outer surface. And a third light guide 63 having 63a. The first outer surface 61a is disposed closer to the reading port 13 than the second outer surface 62a and the third outer surface 63a. The third outer surface 63a is disposed so as to be farther from the reading port 13 than the first outer surface 61a and the second outer surface 62a, and is positioned between the first outer surface 61a and the third outer surface 63a. A second outer surface 62a is disposed on the outer surface. In each light branching portion 65, the first light guide portion 61 and the second light guide portion 62 are arranged adjacent to each other in the width direction (vertical direction in FIGS. 5 and 6), and the first outer surface 61a and the second light guide portion 65 are arranged. Each is formed so that the boundary with the outer surface 62a is positioned closer to the reading port 13 than the center position in the width direction.

  The first light guide 61 partially refracts the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60 at the first outer surface 61a, and moves from the lateral direction toward the near area close to the reading port 13 and imageable by the light receiving sensor 28. It is configured to emit angle light (hereinafter referred to as second low angle light L2). Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the first light guide 61 is reflected on the outer surface other than the first outer surface 61 a out of the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60. The reflected light to be refracted by the first outer surface 61a is emitted from the first outer surface 61a as the second low-angle light L2.

  In particular, the third light guide 63 emits light that directly enters the third light guide 63 from the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60, as shown in FIG. 5A, on the third outer surface 63a. The internal reflected light Lb reflected toward the first outer surface 61a as the internally reflected light La and internally reflected by the inner peripheral surface 60a as shown in FIG. 5B is again reflected by the third outer surface 63a. It is formed so as to be reflected as the internally reflected light Lc toward the outer surface 61a. The third outer surface 63a is a flat surface that forms an acute angle with respect to the incident optical axis of the illumination light incident on the optical component 60 (the optical axis of the condenser lens 23). The amount of light that leaks out is reduced.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6A, the first light guide portion 61 is direct light that is directly incident on the first outer surface 61a without being reflected by other outer surfaces among the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60. Ld is emitted as illumination light L3 toward an area farther from the reading port 13 than an area (near area) irradiated with the second low-angle light L2.

  The second light guide unit 62 is configured to partially refract the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60 at the second outer surface 62a and emit the illumination light L4 toward a far area. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6B, the second light guide unit 62 directly enters the second outer surface 62a without being reflected by other outer surfaces of the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60. The direct light Le to be emitted is emitted toward the far area as illumination light L4.

  In the present embodiment, the first outer surface 61a of the first light guide portion 61 and the second outer surface 62a of the second light guide portion 62 are curved surfaces (specifically, so as to diffuse the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60). Specifically, it is constituted by a curved surface that is concave on the inner side. For this reason, on the first outer surface 61a, the internally reflected light La, Lc reflected by the third outer surface 63a is diffused to some extent and emitted as the second low-angle light L2, and the directly incident direct light Ld is to some extent. It is diffused and emitted toward the far area as illumination light L3. On the second outer surface 62a, the directly incident direct light Le is diffused to some extent and is emitted toward the far area as illumination light L4. In the drawings in which the optical component 60 is illustrated except for FIGS. 5 and 6, the first outer surface 61a and the second outer surface 62a are illustrated in a planar shape for convenience of explanation.

  By configuring the optical component 60 in this way, in the second irradiation state when the light guide member 50 is not mounted, a part of the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60 is branched by the light branching unit 65 and the second light is irradiated. 2 Since it can be irradiated well as the low-angle light L2, an object suitable for reading with the second low-angle light L2 (information code C formed by direct marking) in the near area close to the reading port 13 is good. Can be read. Further, in the second irradiation state, a part of the illumination light transmitted through the optical component 60 is branched by the light branching unit 65, and the farther away from the reading port 13 than the area irradiated with the second low-angle light L2. Since the illumination lights L3 and L4 are emitted, a part of the illumination light can be used as illumination light for the far area. Therefore, in the second irradiation state, it is easy to secure illuminance in the far area, and the information code C can be read well in the far area.

Next, the function of the light guide member 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a light guide state by the light guide member 50 of FIG. 1. FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first irradiation state in which the light guide member 50 is mounted, and FIG. 8B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second irradiation state in which the light guide member 50 is removed.
By engaging the recess 52 of the light guide member 50 formed as described above with the tip of the optical component 60, the light guide member 50 is mounted on the housing body 11a so as to cover the reading port 13 (FIG. 1). (See (A)).

  As shown in FIG. 7, in the first irradiation state when the light guide member 50 is mounted, the illumination lights L3 and L4 emitted from the light branching portion 65 of the optical component 60 toward the far area are the light guide member 50. When the light is guided through the inside from the base end side 50a to the front end side 50b, the outer peripheral surface 53 internally reflects the internal reflected light Lf toward the inner peripheral surface 50d. The internally reflected light Lf thus internally reflected as the first low-angle light L1 from the inner peripheral surface 50d of the light guide member 50 is increased in angle with respect to the central axis 50c of the light guide member 50, that is, the first The light is emitted so as to approach the center of the second reading port 51. Thereby, the illumination light guided into the light guide member 50 is the display surface S (light guide member) on which the information code C irradiated with the first low angle light L1 is displayed as the first low angle light L1. 50 (surface orthogonal to the central axis 50c) is irradiated from the lateral direction so as to reduce the angle θ (see FIG. 7).

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when reading the information code C displayed in the dense area of the circuit board on which the electronic components R1 and R2 such as capacitors are densely mounted as the reading object R, As shown in FIG. 8A, by attaching the light guide member 50, the second reading port 51 through which the first low-angle light L1 is emitted can be brought close to the information code C. Thereby, an object (such as the information code C formed by direct marking) suitable for reading with the first low-angle light L1 can be satisfactorily read in an area close to the second reading port 51.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, in the unmounted state where the light guide member 50 is removed, the electronic components R1, R2 and the like are obstructed, and the reading port 13 from which the second low-angle light L2 is emitted is displayed as an information code. C cannot be approached, and the information code C cannot be read. This irradiation state is the same as that of the conventional optical information reading device, and it can be seen that the information code C displayed in the dense area can be suitably read by attaching the light guide member 50.

  As described above, in the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the optical information reader 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape so that the outer diameter decreases from the proximal end side 50a to the distal end side 50b, thereby opening the distal end side 50b. The second reading port 51 is configured, and a light guide member 50 that is detachably attached to the housing 11 is provided so that the base end side 50 a covers the reading port 13. Is configured to transmit the illuminating light emitted from the illuminating device 21 through the proximal end side 50a to the distal end side 50b when the housing 11 is mounted. A first reflection surface 53 is formed on the distal end side 50b of the light guide member 50 to reflect the transmitted illumination light as the first low-angle light L1 so as to approach the center of the second reading port 51. .

  For this reason, by attaching the light guide member 50 to the housing 11, the illumination light from the illumination device 21 passes through the light guide member 50 and approaches the center of the second reading port 51 as the first low-angle light L <b> 1. Will be irradiated. Since the light guide member 50 is formed so that the outer diameter decreases toward the distal end side 50b, even if the information code C is displayed in the dense area, the second reading port 51 is provided in the information code C. (See FIG. 8A).

As a result, even when an information code that needs to be irradiated with low-angle light, for example, an information code C formed by processing the display surface S into a concavo-convex shape, is displayed in the dense area, the display surface S and the light guide The information code C is irradiated with the first low-angle light L1 from the lateral direction so that the angle with the first low-angle light L1 irradiated through the member 50 becomes small, and the information code C Light (diffused light) is received by the light receiving sensor 28 via the second reading port 51 and the reading port 13.
Therefore, even an information code displayed in a dense area can be easily irradiated with low-angle light.

  In addition, since the light guide member 50 is formed of a silicon material that is softer than the housing 11, when the second reading port 51 is brought close to the information code, the distal end side 50b of the light guide member 50 is around the information code. Even when it comes into contact with the mounted components, it is possible to prevent the mounted components from being damaged. In addition, the light guide member 50 has the above-described effects when at least the distal end side 50 b is formed of a softer material than the housing 11.

  The optical component 60 is not limited to be formed so that a part of the incident illumination light is emitted as the second low-angle light L2, and all the incident illumination light is directed to a far area away from the reading port 13. And may be formed so as to be emitted as illumination lights L3 and L4.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an optical information reading apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed shape of the light guide member 54 in the second embodiment.
In the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment, the light guide member 50 described above is used in order to reduce the angle θ between the display surface S on which the information code C is displayed and the first low-angle light L1. The light guide member 54 is mainly different from the optical information reading apparatus according to the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the light guide member 54 is such that the inner peripheral surface 54a of the distal end side 50b is tapered toward the proximal end side 50a with respect to the light guide member 50 described above. Is formed. Therefore, the inner peripheral surface 54 a is refracted so that at least part of the reflected light internally reflected by the first reflecting surface 53 is refracted so as to be closer to the center of the second reading port 51 and transmitted. It functions as the surface 54a.

For this reason, in the first irradiation state when the light guide member 54 is mounted, the first low-angle light L1 is irradiated so as to be closer to the center of the second reading port 51. Accordingly, the angle θ between the display surface S on which the information code C approaching the second reading port 51 is displayed and the first low-angle light L1 that is irradiated through the light guide member 50 becomes smaller. Since the information code C irradiated with the first low-angle light L1 is imaged, a good contrast can be obtained for the information code C.
The characteristic configuration of the light guide member 54 in the second embodiment may be applied to other embodiments.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, an optical information reading apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed shape of the light guide member 55 in the third embodiment.
In the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the third embodiment, in order to increase the illuminance of the first low-angle light L1, the light guide member 55 is employed instead of the light guide member 50 described above. Mainly different from the optical information reading apparatus according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the light guide member 55 is formed such that the inner peripheral surface 55a of the proximal end side 50a has a larger inclination angle with respect to the central axis 50c than the inner peripheral surface of the distal end side 50b. . For this reason, the inner peripheral surface 55a functions as a second reflecting surface 55a that internally reflects the second low-angle light L2 branched by the light branching portion 65 so as to pass to the distal end side 50b.

For this reason, in the 1st irradiation state at the time of the mounting state of the light guide member 55, the optical component 60 which branches the incident illumination light into the 2nd low angle light L2 and the illumination light L3, L4 as mentioned above is provided. However, since the second low-angle light L2 branched by the light branching portion 65 can also be internally reflected so as to be transmitted to the tip side 50b by the second reflecting surface 55a, the light is transmitted through the light guide member 55. The illuminance of the first low-angle light L1 irradiated can be increased.
Note that the characteristic configuration of the light guide member 55 in the third embodiment may be applied to other embodiments.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, an optical information reading apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a detailed shape of the light guide member 56 in the fourth embodiment. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a light guide state by the light guide member 56 of FIG. 11.
In the optical information reading apparatus 10 according to the fourth embodiment, in order to increase the illuminance of the first low-angle light L1, the light guide member 56 is employed instead of the light guide member 50 described above. Mainly different from the optical information reading apparatus according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the light guide member 56 is formed so that the tip side 50b is thicker than the light guide member 50 described above. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 12, the reflection angle at which the light guided from the proximal end side 50a to the distal end side 50b is reflected by a surface different from the first reflecting surface 53 becomes larger toward the distal end side 50b. For example, as can be seen from FIG. 12, the reflection angle is θa <θb <θc.

Thereby, in the first irradiation state when the light guide member 56 is attached, the number of reflections of the light guided from the proximal end side 50a to the distal end side 50b is reduced, and the ratio of total reflection without being transmitted during reflection is increased. The light transmitted through the reflection on the surface is reduced as a whole, and the illuminance of the first low-angle light L1 irradiated through the light guide member 56 can be increased.
Note that the characteristic configuration of the light guide member 56 in the fourth embodiment may be applied to other embodiments.

In addition, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment, You may actualize as follows.
(1) The housing (housing) to which the light guide members 50, 54 to 56 are mounted is not limited to being configured as a gun type including the housing body 11a and the grip portion 11b. And the lower case may be configured as a box shape.

(2) The reading port 13 formed in the housing body 11a is not limited to being formed in a circular shape, and may be formed in an elliptical shape or a rectangular shape, for example. In this case, the light guide members 50 and 54 to 56 that are detachably formed on the housing main body 11 a so as to cover the reading port 13 receive illumination light from the illumination device 21 disposed around the reading port 13 on the front end side 50 b. It can be formed in a tapered cylindrical shape so as to be guided to the surface.

(3) The light guide member 50 is not limited to being made of a translucent silicon material, and may be made of a translucent material such as a transparent acrylic resin or glass. In this case, at least the distal end side 50b of the light guide member is made of a softer material than the housing 11, so that the distal end side 50b of the light guide member surrounds the information code when the second reading port 51 is brought close to the information code. Even when it comes into contact with the mounted components, it is possible to prevent the mounted components from being damaged.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Optical information reader 11 ... Housing (housing)
13: Reading port (first reading port)
21 ... Illumination device (illumination means)
28. Light receiving sensor (light receiving means)
50, 54 to 56: light guide member 50a: proximal end side 50b ... distal end side 51 ... second reading port 53 ... outer peripheral surface, first reflecting surface 54a ... inner peripheral surface, refracting surface 55a ... inner peripheral surface, first 2 reflective surfaces 60 ... optical component 65 ... light branching portion L1 ... first low angle light L2 ... second low angle light L3, L4 ... illumination light

Claims (4)

An illumination means for illuminating the information code with illumination light;
A light receiving means for receiving light from the information code;
A first reading port is formed, the illuminating means is arranged around the first reading port, and the light receiving unit receives light from the information code through the first reading port. A housing arranged in
An optical information reader comprising:
The second reading port is formed by the opening on the distal end side by forming the tube so that the outer diameter is reduced from the proximal end side to the distal end side, and the proximal end side is the first reading port. Is formed so as to be detachable from the casing so as to cover the casing, and transmits the illumination light emitted from the illuminating means when mounted on the casing from the proximal end side to the distal end side to guide the illumination light. A light guide member,
A first reflecting surface that reflects the transmitted illumination light as low-angle light so as to approach the center of the second reading port is formed on the distal end side of the light guide member ,
An area separated from the first reading port and the low-angle light that is arranged so as to be able to transmit the illumination light from the illuminating means and is irradiated so that the transmitted illumination light approaches the center of the first reading port. Comprising an optical component formed with a light branching portion for branching into light irradiated toward
The base end side of the light guide member, the optical characterized by Rukoto second reflecting surface for reflecting is formed so as to transmit low-angle light split into the front end side at the optical branching section Information reader.   A refracting surface that refracts and transmits the reflected light reflected by the first reflecting surface so as to be closer to the center of the second reading port is formed on the front end side of the light guide member. The optical information reading device according to claim 1. The optical information reader according to claim 1 , wherein the light guide member is formed to have a thickness that increases toward a distal end side . The optical information reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a tip end side of the light guide member is made of a material softer than the housing .

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