JP7043772B2 - Portable information reader - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a portable information reader.

Conventionally, mobile terminals that read and process information from the outside, such as portable information readers, have been strongly required to improve operability by one-handed operation, and this request is for mobile phones provided with a display screen with a touch panel. The same applies to terminals. As a technique related to a mobile terminal provided with such a display screen with a touch panel, for example, a mobile terminal device disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. In this mobile terminal device, among the display elements including the display element with a touch panel and a plurality of objects that can be selected on the vertically long display screen, the topmost object arranged at the top is scrolled to the bottom of the display screen and then fixed. A possible down-scrolling means is provided. As a result, even objects that cannot be reached by fingers in the past can be reached by fingers, improving operability with one-handed operation.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2014-002710

By the way, there is an increasing need to read information codes such as barcodes and QR codes (registered trademarks) by using a portable information reading device provided with a display screen with a large touch panel on the surface of the housing. As an information reading device that meets such needs, it is necessary to provide the housing with a reading port for receiving the reflected light from the information code in the light receiving portion inside the housing. Further, in consideration of performing the reading work while wearing work gloves or the like, it is necessary to provide a plurality of button-type key operation units operated at the time of reading on the same surface as the display screen.

However, depending on the position where the key operation unit is provided, when the housing is grasped with one hand so that the reading port faces the information code, the key operation unit may be located at a position where it is difficult to operate with the thumb of the grasped hand. In some cases. This is because there is a desire to make the display screen as large as possible, so the key operation unit cannot be freely arranged. Then, the key operation unit can be operated with the fingers of the hand that is not grasped, but there is a problem that both hands are required for the reading work, the situation where the reading work is possible is limited, and the reading workability is deteriorated. ..

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a configuration in which a reading operation can be easily performed with one hand holding a housing.

In order to achieve the above object, the portable information reader (10) according to claim 1 of the claims is
Rectangular flat housing (11) and
A reading unit (21, 23) housed in the housing and reading an information code via a reading port (12) formed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing.
A touch panel (24) for detecting a touch operation on the display screen (24a) arranged on one surface (11a) of the housing, and a touch panel (24).
A key operation unit that is arranged at a position closer to the reading port than the display screen on one surface of the housing and is operated by a hand that grips the housing so that the reading port faces the information code. 30, 30a) and
A processing unit (21) for performing processing according to the touch operation detected by the touch panel and the input operation to the key operation unit, and
It is characterized by having.
The reference numerals in the parentheses indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later.

In the first aspect of the present invention, a touch panel for detecting a touch operation on a display screen arranged on one surface of a housing and a reading port arranged on one surface of the housing closer to the reading port than the display screen are provided. A key operation unit operated by a hand that grips the housing so as to face the information code is provided. As a result, when the housing is gripped with one hand so that the reading port faces the information code, the thumb of the gripped hand is positioned toward the reading port, so that the housing is located away from the reading port. Even if the display screen is enlarged, the key operation unit arranged at a position close to the reading port is located at a position where it is easy to operate with the thumb of the grasped hand. Therefore, it is possible to realize a portable information reading device that can be easily read by one hand holding the housing.

In the invention of claim 2, the plurality of keys of the key operation unit are arranged so as to be located on a plurality of arcs concentrically located on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing. Since the movable range of the thumb of one hand when the housing is gripped with one hand is easy to follow the arc centered on the predetermined reference point, it is possible to easily press multiple keys with the thumb of the gripped hand. can.

In the invention of claim 3, two or more frequently used keys among the plurality of keys of the key operation unit are located on the display screen side with respect to the other keys and on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing. They are arranged so as to be located on an arc centered on a predetermined reference point. Since the movable range of the thumb of one hand when the housing is gripped with one hand is easy to follow the arc centered on the predetermined reference point, it is easy to press each frequently used key with the thumb of the gripped hand. can do.

In the invention of claim 4, when the processing unit performs a predetermined operation on the key operation unit, the processing unit does not perform the processing corresponding to the touch operation detected by the touch panel for a predetermined time, so that the touch panel is subjected to the key operation. It is possible to prevent erroneous input operation.

It is a top view which shows the information reading apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a rear view of the information reading device of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an electrical configuration of the information reader of FIG. 1. It is explanatory drawing which shows the state which held the information reading apparatus with one hand. It is a top view which shows the information reading apparatus which concerns on the modification of 1st Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the information reading device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The information reading device 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the like is a portable information reading device that the user grips and operates with one hand, and is outerly formed by a substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped (thin-walled substantially rectangular parallelepiped) housing 11. Is configured. The information reading device 10 functions as an information code reading device that optically reads information codes such as barcodes and QR codes, and is a back surface 11b of the housing 11 and is one end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing 11 (FIG. 1). And on the upper side of FIG. 2), a reading port 12 for taking in the reflected light from the information code into the housing 11 is formed. On the surface 11a of the housing 11, a plurality of keys are arranged on one end side in the longitudinal direction, and a rectangular display screen 24a is arranged on the other end side in the longitudinal direction (lower side of FIGS. 1 and 2). .. The surface 11a of the housing 11 may correspond to an example of "one side of the housing".

As shown in FIG. 3, the information reading device 10 includes a control unit 21 including a CPU and the like, a storage unit 22 including a ROM, RAM, a non-volatile memory, and a light receiving unit including a solid-state image sensor such as a CCD area sensor. It includes a 23, a touch panel 24, a key operation unit 30 composed of various operation keys, a communication unit 25 configured as a communication interface for communicating with an external device (not shown), and the like.

The light receiving unit 23 is provided in the housing 11 so that the light incident on the housing 11 via the reading port 12 and collected by the imaging lens (not shown) can be received by the light receiving surface thereof. It is contained. By performing a reading process, the control unit 21 decodes (decodes) the information code from the image of the information code captured according to the light reception result by the light receiving unit 23, and records the information code together with the light receiving unit 23. It functions as a reading unit that reads the information.

The touch panel 24 is configured as a known touch panel type display device, and has a display unit configured as a known display device such as a liquid crystal display and a transparent operation panel covering the display screen 24a of the display unit. I have. The touch panel 24 is input by controlling the display content of the display unit by the control unit 21, detecting a touch operation on the operation panel (display screen 24a), and outputting an operation signal corresponding to the touch operation to the control unit 21. It is configured to function as a unit.

The key operation unit 30 includes a plurality of button-type keys, specifically, three function keys 31 to 33, and a numeric keypad 34, as physical keys that require a physical pressing operation unlike the touch operation to the touch panel 24. Is configured to output to the control unit 21 an operation signal corresponding to those input operations. The first function key 31 is a frequently used key that functions as a trigger key that is operated when the reading process is started, and the second function key 32 and the second function key 32 that are used more frequently than the keys constituting the numeric keypad 34. Together with the three function keys 33, they are arranged between the numeric keypad 34 and the display screen 24a. Each function key 31 to 33 is configured as a function key having a predetermined function regarding reading processing such as a function as a trigger key, and is formed so as to have a larger key shape than each key constituting the numeric keypad 34. ..

In particular, as shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, each function key 31 to 33 is located on an arc S1 centered on a predetermined reference point P located on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing 11. It is arranged like this. Therefore, each function key 31 to 33 is formed so as to be long along the arc S1. Similarly, the numeric keypad 34 is also arranged so as to be located on each of a plurality of arcs S2 to S4 concentric with the predetermined reference point P.

As described above, on the surface 11a of the housing 11, the key operation unit 30 is arranged on one end side in the longitudinal direction close to the reading port 12, and the display screen 24a is arranged on the other end side in the longitudinal direction far from the reading port 12. The control unit 21 functions as a processing unit for performing processing according to the touch operation detected by the touch panel 24 and the input operation to the key operation unit 30.

In the information reading device 10 configured as described above, the touch panel 24 for detecting the touch operation on the display screen 24a arranged on the surface 11a of the housing 11 and the display screen 24a on the surface 11a of the housing 11 A key operation unit 30 arranged at a position close to the reading port 12 is provided. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when the housing 11 is gripped with one hand so that the reading port 12 faces the information code C, the thumb of the gripped hand is positioned toward the reading port 12. Even if the display screen 24a arranged at a position away from the reading port 12 is enlarged, the key operating unit 30 arranged at a position close to the reading port 12 is located at a position where it can be easily operated with the thumb of the hand grasped. It will be. Therefore, it is possible to realize a portable information reading device that can be easily read by one hand holding the housing 11.

In particular, the plurality of keys of the key operation unit 30 are arranged so as to be located on a plurality of arcs S1 to S4 having a predetermined reference point P located on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing 11 concentrically. Since the movable range of the thumb of one hand when the housing 11 is gripped with one hand is easy to follow the arcs S1 to S4 centered on the predetermined reference point P, the thumb of the gripped hand can hold a plurality of keys. It can be made easier to push.

The predetermined reference point P is set to be located on a straight line L passing through the center of the display screen 24a along the longitudinal direction of the housing 11, but is not limited to this, and grips the housing 11. It may be set to a position shifted from the position shown in FIG. 1 according to the position of the thumb of the hand. Further, the centers of the arcs S1 to S4 are not limited to be set so as to coincide with each other at the predetermined reference point P, and are set so as to be displaced along the longitudinal direction of the housing 11 for each arc, for example. You may.

Further, the key operation unit 30 is not limited to being arranged so that all the keys are located on any of the arcs, and even if only some of the keys are arranged so as to be located on any of the arcs. good. For example, as in the key operation unit 30a illustrated in FIG. 5, only the three function keys 31 to 33 located on the display screen 24a side are the housing 11 with respect to the numeric keypad 34a in which each key is arranged in a grid pattern. It may be arranged so as to be located on the arc S1 about the predetermined reference point P located on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the above. Even in this way, the movable range of the thumb of one hand when the housing 11 is gripped with one hand tends to follow the arc centered on the predetermined reference point P, so that the thumb of the gripped hand is used. It is possible to easily press each of the frequently used function keys 31 to 33. The function keys 31 to 33 may correspond to an example of "two or more frequently used keys", and the numeric keypad 34a may correspond to an example of "another key".

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be embodied as follows, for example.
(1) When a predetermined operation is performed on the key operation unit 30, the control unit 21 may not perform the process corresponding to the touch operation detected by the touch panel 24 for a predetermined time. As a result, it is possible to prevent an erroneous input operation to the touch panel 24 when the key operation unit 30 is operating the key.

(2) The reading port 12 is not limited to being provided at the position of the back surface 11b as shown in FIG. 2 or the like, and may be provided at a position of the back surface 11b on the other end side in the longitudinal direction. Further, the reading port 12 may be provided on the end surface on one end side in the longitudinal direction connected to both the back surface 11b and the front surface 11a, or may be provided from the end surface on the one end side in the longitudinal direction to the back surface 11b. It may be provided from the end surface on one end side in the longitudinal direction to the surface 11a.

10 ... Information reader (portable information reader)
11 ... Housing 11a ... Surface (one side)
12 ... Reading port 21 ... Control unit (reading unit, processing unit)
23 ... Light receiving unit (reading unit)
24 ... Touch panel 24a ... Display screen 30, 30a ... Key operation unit

Claims (4)

With a rectangular flat plate-shaped housing,
A reading unit housed in the housing and reading an information code via a reading port formed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing.
A touch panel that detects a touch operation on the display screen arranged on one surface of the housing, and a touch panel.
A key operation unit that is arranged at a position closer to the reading port than the display screen on one surface of the housing and is operated by a hand that grips the housing so that the reading port faces the information code. ,
A processing unit for performing processing according to the touch operation detected by the touch panel and an input operation to the key operation unit, and a processing unit.
A portable information reading device characterized by being provided with. The key operation unit includes a plurality of keys.
The first aspect of claim 1, wherein the plurality of keys are arranged so as to be located on a plurality of arcs concentrically located on the other end side of the housing in the longitudinal direction. Portable information reader. The key operation unit includes a plurality of keys.
Of the plurality of keys, two or more frequently used keys are on the display screen side with respect to the other keys, and are centered on a predetermined reference point located on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the housing. The portable information reading device according to claim 1, wherein the portable information reader is arranged so as to be located on an arc. Any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processing unit does not perform processing corresponding to the touch operation detected by the touch panel for a predetermined time when a predetermined operation is performed on the key operation unit. The portable information reader according to the first paragraph.

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