JPH02176985A - Optical character reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arbitrarily select and connect one OCR main body to plural host devices by decoding an instruction from the host device and connecting and releasing a line between the host device and OCR main body in the host connection interface of the OCR. CONSTITUTION:A central processing unit 15 receives a command issued from respective host devices 21-2n through respectively correspondent receivers and decodes the commands. When the line open instruction is received from any one of the host devices, the line switch instruction is generated to a port 16. The port 16 controls a multiplexer 12 and decoder 13 and connects the receiver and driver in the host device side to receive the line open instruction with a drive and receiver 14 in an OCR 1A side. Thus, when only one OCR main body, which is comparatively expansive, is prepared, the operation efficiency of the OCR main body is improved since the OCR main body can be selectively connected and used to the plural different host devices.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical character reader (hereinafter abbreviated as OCR).
In particular, the present invention relates to an OCR upper-level connection configuration that enables selective connection to a plurality of higher-level devices.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 3 shows a conventional example. The conventional example shown in FIG.
This figure shows the upper level connection configuration of OCR, in which multiple OCR
CR1+ to CR11 are respectively connected to host devices (workstations) 21 to 2. It is connected to the. Upper device 2°~2. is connected to the office processor 4 via the bus 3.

Now, when a higher-level device under the control of the office processor 4, for example, the higher-level device 2I, attempts to read character information such as a form using the 0CRII belonging to it, the higher-level device 2I issues a read command to the OCRI I. Issue.

On the other hand, when the 0CRI receives a reading command, it performs a required character reading operation, and the character information read thereby is sent to the host device 2I.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

Conventional OCR has only one channel (one type) of interface for connecting to a host device, so OCR can be connected to one host device such as a personal computer.
is limited to one unit.

As described above, conventional OCR has the disadvantage that it must be connected to a host device such as a personal computer in a one-to-one manner.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art, and provides an optical character reading device that can be selectively connected to a plurality of host devices by providing a plurality of interface channels. , its purpose.

[Means to solve the problem]

In the present invention, in an optical character reading device, a host device interface means consisting of a circuit for interfacing with each of a plurality of host devices, an optical character reading device interface means consisting of an interface circuit for the optical character reading device, and a communication circuit from the host device. An upper-level connection interface circuit comprising a command interpretation means for interpreting a command, and a line switching means for connecting any interface circuit in the upper-level device interface means to the optical character reader interface means according to the interpreted command. , and can be selectively connected to a plurality of higher-level devices in response to a command from any one of the plurality of higher-level devices. This aims to achieve the above-mentioned purpose.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, the same reference numerals are used for the same constituent members as in the conventional example described above. An optical character reader (OCR) 1 is connected to a plurality of host devices 2. ~27 can be selectively connected.

That is, in FIG. 2, 0CR1 is connected to a plurality of host devices 2. -27, it is equipped with an n-channel interface.

Now, when a certain host device 27 attempts to read character information using 0CRI, the host device 2I makes an inquiry to the office processor 4 regarding the availability of 0CR1. When the host device 27 issues a line open command to 0CR1, the interface in 0CR1 becomes connected to the host devices 2 and 1, so that the host device 2. l will now occupy 0CRI.

Upper device 2. When finished using 0CR1, 0C
By issuing a line close command to the RI, the interface in 0CR1 releases the connection with the higher-level device 2, and as a result, 0CRI is released from the exclusive state from the higher-level device 2.

As described above, since the OCR1 according to the present invention has a plurality of interface channels, it can be arbitrarily and selectively connected to a plurality of host devices.

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the upper connection interface circuit IB of OCR1 in the present invention.

A receiver (
R) and driver (D)11. ．． 112,...11
．． 1 is the host device 21,2! ..., 2. , and are provided for connection with the host device 2., respectively.
．． It has a function of receiving information from the host devices 22, . Here, input information received by each receiver is combined in a multiplexer 12, and output information to be sent out via each driver is separated in a decoder 13. A driver (D) and a receiver (R) 14, which function as optical character reading device interface means, are provided for connection with the OCR main body IA, and each output information from the multiplexer 12 to the OCR.
It sends out to the main body IA, and also receives information from the OCR main body IA and outputs it to the decoder 13.

The central processing unit (CPU) 15 is for each upper bag? Z2+, 2
z,...+21+ are received and decoded through their corresponding receivers, and when a line open command is received from any higher-level device, a line switching command is issued to the boat 16. It has a function as a so-called command interpretation means. As a result, the boat 16 controls the multiplexer 12 and the decoder 13, and the receiver and driver on the host device side that received the line open command, and the driver and receiver 1 on the 0CRI side.
Connect with 4. That is, the line switching means 10 is controlled by the multiplexer 12, the decoder 13, and the port 16.
is configured. Therefore, the host device that received the line open command and the OCR main body IA are connected in a one-to-one relationship.

Once a line switching command is issued from the CPU 15 to the boat 16, the connection state between the host device and 0CR1 is maintained. When a line close command is issued from a higher-level device, the CPU 15 decodes it and gives a line switching command to the boat 16 again, which causes the boat 16 to control the multiplexer 12 and decoder 13 and close the line to the higher-level device. side receiver and driver and 0CR
Since the connection with the driver and receiver 14 on the first side is released, the connection between the host device and the OCR main body IA is released.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the present invention, the OCR's upper connection interface decodes commands from the higher-level device and connects and opens the line between the higher-level device and the OCR main body. The OCR main body can be arbitrarily selected and connected to a plurality of host devices to read character information such as forms. Therefore, if the present invention is applied, if only one relatively expensive OCR unit is prepared, it can be selectively connected to and used for multiple different host devices, increasing the range of tasks in which the OCR unit can be used. As it expands, the operating efficiency of the OCR itself improves, making it extremely economical. Furthermore, in the present invention, a plurality of host devices and an OCR
Since the line connection between the main bodies can be executed by a command from the host device, switching can be performed by the application program of the host device.

Note that in addition to switching the line connection between the host device and the OCR main body by command, manual switching may also be used.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of the upper-level connection interface part of the OCR which forms the main part of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the upper-level device including the one shown in FIG. 1 and the OCR, and FIG. 3 is a conventional circuit diagram. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the upper connection configuration of OCR of FIG. 1... Optical character reader (OCR), IB... Upper connection interface circuit, 2I to 2fi... Upper device, 3... Bus, 4... Office processor (OP)
, 10... line switching means, 11... host device ink face means, 11. ．． 11□, ~117... Receiver (R) and driver (D), 12... Multiplexer (MUX), 13... Decoder (DEC)
, 14...driver CD as optical character reading device interface means) and receiver (R), 15...
Central processing unit (CPU) as instruction interpretation means, 16.
··boat.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A host device interface means consisting of a circuit for interfacing with each of the plurality of host devices, an optical character reading device interface means consisting of an interface circuit for the optical character reading device, and a command interpreter for interpreting commands from the host device. and line switching means for connecting any of the interface circuits in the upper-level device interface means to the optical character reader interface means in accordance with the interpreted command, An optical character reading device characterized in that it is configured to be selectively connectable to one of the higher-level devices in response to a command from one of the devices.