JPH04111083A - Bar code reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve operability by detecting the position of a completely read area and informing the position of an unread area to be read later when the bar code is divided into plural areas and read. CONSTITUTION:When the bar code is divided into plural areas and read, a completely read area position detecting means detects the position occupied by the divided and completely read area on the bar code and based on the detected position of the completely read area, an unread area informing means alarms the position of the unread area to be read later. In this case, there is not operation error to read the same area again when the operation is executed according to the informed position of the unread area. Thus, operability is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a barcode reading device, and more particularly to a barcode reading device that reads a barcode by dividing it into a plurality of regions.

[Prior art] As a conventional barcode reading device of this type,
A device described in Japanese Patent No. 26502 has been proposed. In a device before this device was proposed, for example, when reading a barcode on a barcode label L printed on a cylindrical surface as shown in FIG. 9, both ends of the barcode were the focus of the imaging lens of the barcode reader. If the beam is curved beyond the depth, the image on the image sensor may be blurred or the image may be narrower than the actual width, resulting in a possibility of misreading. Also,
Barcodes that are wider than the field of view of the barcode reader cannot be read.In contrast, the barcode reader described in the above publication utilizes the unique structure of barcodes to spread barcodes across multiple areas. By dividing and reading, it is possible to read curved and wide barcodes. FIG. 10 shows an example of a unique structure of a barcode. The left end of barcode B is the start par Ba.
is formed. The left data Bb and the right data Bd are separated by a center bar Bc. Further to the right, an end bar Bf is formed at the end with a check character Be for parity checking sandwiched therebetween.

In the above barcode reading device, for example, the barcode B is read twice on the left and right, and the start bar Ba, center bar Bc, and check character B are read separately for each operation.
Based on e and end bar Bf, left side data Ba and right side data Bd are extracted, and these two data are combined to complete the reading of barcode B. If the barcode B is divided into a plurality of regions and read in this way, even if the barcode B is curved, the degree of curvature will be reduced in appearance, so that the barcode B can be read accurately. Also, even if barcode B has a width wider than the viewing area,
Barcode B can be read by dividing the data into multiple areas and finally combining the data into one piece of data.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, the conventional barcode reading device is excellent in being able to read curved barcodes and wide barcodes, but during the reading operation, There is a problem in that it may become difficult to know which area should be read in subsequent operations.

Therefore, for example, an operational error such as reading the same area twice occurs.

The barcode reading device of the present invention aims to improve operability by making it possible to notify the position of an area where reading has not been completed.

[Means for solving the problem] The barcode reading device of the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. A barcode reading device that reads a code includes a reading completion area position detecting means for detecting a position occupied by a reading completion area divided and read on the barcode, and a position of the reading completion area detected by the reading completion area position detection means. The present invention is characterized by comprising an unread area notification means for notifying the position of an unread area to be read based on the following.

[Operation] In the barcode reading device of the present invention having the above configuration, when reading a barcode by dividing it into a plurality of areas, the reading completion area position detecting means detects the position occupied by the divided reading completion area on the barcode. The unread area notification means notifies the position of the unread area to be read based on the detected position of the read completed area. Follow the notified position of the unread area (this will prevent you from making a mistake in reading the area redundantly).

[Example] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

The barcode reading device of the embodiment has a hand-held portion 3 formed in a main body case 1, as shown in FIG. The barcode is read by holding the handheld portion 3 and bringing the reading port 5 at the tip of the main body case close to the barcode label L. The upper surface of the main body case 1 near the reading port 5 is provided with a left light-emitting window 7L and a right light-emitting window 7R that indicate the reading completion area.

The block diagram in FIG. 3 shows an outline of the configuration of this barcode reading device. The barcode reading device includes an electronic control device 9, a lens 1], an image sensor 13, a reset circuit 15, an interface circuit]7, an illumination light emitting diode 19, an LE/D drive circuit 2], and a buzzer. 23 and
A buzzer drive circuit 25, two light emitting diodes 27R,
27L, a right LED drive circuit 29R, and a left LED drive circuit 29L.

The electronic control unit 9 has a built-in microcomputer consisting of a well-known CPU, ROM, RAM, input/output circuit, etc., and is divided into a central processing section 9a and an input/output section 9b based on its functions. A program corresponding to a flowchart described later is stored in advance in the ROM.

The lens 11 converts the image of the barcode B into an image sensor]3
image on the element.

The image sensor 13 performs scanning at a timing instructed by the electronic control device 9 and outputs an electric signal to the electronic control device 9 according to the image formed on the element.

The image sensor 13 of the embodiment includes an amplifier that amplifies the output signal of the element and a comparator that binarizes the amplified signal. Note that a binary signal from the comparator is output to the electronic control device 9. Further, a reference level setting circuit 3 which sets a reference level (threshold value) for binarization of the comparator is connected to the image sensor] 3.

The reset circuit 15 is connected to the input/output section 9b of the electronic control device 9 and outputs a reset signal to the electronic control device 9 when the power is turned on. The interface circuit] 7 is connected to the input/output section 9b of the electronic control device 9, and connects an external host computer or the like to the electronic control device 9 via the connector 33 in a communicable manner. Note that power for this barcode reading device is taken from the connector 33.

A light emitting diode for illumination] 9 is placed near the reading port 5 to illuminate the barcode B. The LED drive circuit 2] is connected to the input/output section 9b of the electronic control device 9 and drives the lighting light emitting diode 19 according to instructions from the electronic control device 9.

The buzzer 23 notifies the completion of reading by its sound. The buzzer drive circuit 25 is connected to the input/output section 9b of the electronic control device 9. The buzzer drive circuit 25 drives the buzzer 23.

The light emitting diode 27R and the light emitting diode 27L are inside the right light emitting window 7R and the left light emitting window 7 of the main body case, respectively.
It is placed inside the L. The right LED drive circuit 19R is connected to the input/output section 9b of the electronic control device 9, and lights up the light emitting diode 27R of the right light emitting window 7R. In the embodiment, the completion of the reading operation of the right half of the barcode B is notified by the light emission from the right light emitting window 7R. The left LED drive circuit 29m is connected to the input/output section 9b of the electronic control device 9, and lights up the light emitting diode 27L of the left light emitting window 7L. The completion of the reading operation of the left half of the barcode B is notified by the light emission from the left light emitting window 7L.

Next, the barcode reading process executed by the CPU of the electronic control unit 9 will be explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

Barcode reading processing is started after power is turned on.

When barcode reading processing starts, the right flag and left flag are first turned off (reset) as initialization processing.
Then, a process (step 100) is executed to turn off the light emitting diode 27R of the right light emitting window 7R and the light emitting diode 27L of the left light emitting window 7L. When the right flag is on (set), it indicates that reading of the right half of barcode B has been completed, and when the left flag is on (set), it indicates that reading of the left half has been completed.

Next, read the output of image sensor] 3 (step)
05), the presence or absence of the barcode label L is determined (step) 10). These processes are repeated until it is determined that the barcode label L exists. Based on the output of the image sensor 13, it is determined in step 110 whether the reading port 5 of the main body case 1 is approaching the barcode label and the barcode B is detected.

If it is determined that barcode label L exists (step 110), then it is determined whether the data of barcode B read in step 105 is on the left side of barcode B (step 120).

If the start par Ba (see FIG. 10) and validity are confirmed from the read data, the data is determined to be the one on the left.

If it is determined in step 120 that the data is not on the left side, it is determined whether the data is on the right side of barcode B (step) 30. End bar B from data
If f (see FIG. 10) and validity are confirmed, the data is determined to be the one on the right.

If it is determined in step] 20 that the data is on the left side, for example, as shown in FIG.
This is the case when the reading operation (at the bottom of the drawing) is performed. In this case, it is then determined whether the left flag is on (step 140). If the left flag is on, the left side data Bb has already been read, but the left side is read again and the process moves to step 40. Therefore, it is assumed that there was an operational error, and the process of reading the output of the image sensor 13 in step 105 is performed. Return to

On the other hand, if it is determined that the left flag flag is off in the process of step 140 (then it is determined whether or not the right flag is on (step 150). If the reading of the right side data Bd of the code B has already been completed, it is assumed that the left and right reading of the barcode B has been completed, and the process moves to step 240 and subsequent steps to be described later.

If it is determined that the right flag is off in step]50, it is assumed that the reading of the right side of barcode B is not completed, and the process of lighting the light emitting diode 27L of the left light emitting window 7L (step 160) is performed, and the left flag is turned off. Turn on (step] 70). The operator is informed by the light emission from the left light emitting window 7L that the reading of the right side of the barcode B is incomplete. Next, data Bb on the left side sandwiched between the start bar Ba and the center bar Be is extracted from the data read in the previous step 105. Then, a process (step 80) is performed to store the left side data Bb in a predetermined area of the RAM included in the electronic control unit 9. After this, step ] 0
The process returns to step 5 of reading the output of the image sensor 13.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 130 that the data read in the previous step 105 is on the right side of barcode B (so, the processing from step 90 onwards is executed. This is the same process as the process (steps 140 to 180) that is executed when it is determined that is on the left side of barcode B.

For example, if the left side of the barcode B is first read, the left light emitting window 7L is checked for light emission, and the barcode reading device is then moved to the right side as shown in FIG. 5, the processes from step 190 onwards are executed. Ru.

That is, first, it is confirmed that the right flag is off (step 90). If the right flag is on, the right side data Bd has already been read, but the right side is read again and the process moves to step]90. Therefore, it is assumed that there was an operation error and the output of the image sensor 13 in step]05 is Return to the reading process.

On the other hand, if the right flag is off in step]90, it is then determined whether the left flag is on (step 200). If the left flag is on and reading of the left side data Bb of barcode B has been completed, it is assumed that reading of the left and right sides of barcode B has been completed, and the process moves to step 240 and subsequent steps to be described later. In the example in Figure 5,
Since reading of the left side of barcode B has already been completed, after executing the processing up to this point, the processing moves to step 240 and subsequent steps.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step 200 that the left flag is off, it is assumed that the reading of the left side of the barcode B is not completed, and the process of lighting up the light emitting diode 27R of the right light emitting window 7R (step 210) is performed, and the right flag is is turned on (step 220).

The light emission from the right light emitting window 7R informs the operator that reading of the left side of the barcode B is incomplete.

Next, from the data read in step 105,
The left side data Bb sandwiched between the center bar Bc and the end bar Bf and the check character Be are extracted and stored in a predetermined area of the RAM built in the electronic control unit 9 (step 230). Then, the process returns to step 105 to read the output of the image sensor]3.

As described above, if barcode B is divided into left and right parts and read, and if it is determined that the right flag is on in step 150, or if it is determined that the left flag is on in step 200, first, the buzzer is activated. Sounding processing that outputs a signal to the drive circuit 25 and sounds the buzzer 23 (step 24)
0) to notify the operator that the reading operation has been completed.

Next, in order to prevent the next reading process and operational errors, turn off the right flag and the left flag, and turn off the right light emitting window 7.
A process (step 250) is executed to turn off the R light emitting diode 27R and the light emitting diode 27L of the left light emitting window 7L. Then, the left side data Bb and the right side data Bd are combined (step 260). Finally, the synthesized data is output to a host computer or the like (step 270).

According to the barcode reading device of the embodiment described above, (f,
When reading the barcode B by dividing it into left and right parts, the window on the side where reading has been completed among the left and right light-emitting windows 7L and 7R emits light, so the area where reading has not been completed can be instantly determined, improving operability. This has the effect of making it possible to achieve the following. Therefore, reading time can be shortened. In addition, operational errors such as reading the same area twice are less likely to occur.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments in any way, and it goes without saying that it can be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, as in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 6, three light-emitting windows 35L, 35C, and 35R may be provided and an unread area may be notified by the light-emitting pattern. In this case, the fairly wide barcode B can be divided into three areas and read.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the configuration in which the number of notification means is the same as the number of divided areas of the barcode as in the second embodiment, but may be a configuration in which the number of notification means is smaller than the number of divided areas. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a light emitting diode or the like whose emission color can be changed is used to change the color tone depending on the position of the unread area. Also, the seventh
As shown in the third embodiment of the figure, the frequency of the sound emitted by the buzzer may be changed depending on the position of the read completed area to notify the user of the unread area. When using a buzzer in this way, there is a high degree of freedom in changing the tone color and sound change pattern, so a variety of notifications can be realized.

Furthermore, as shown in the fourth embodiment of FIG. 8, a plurality of barcode illumination means are arranged corresponding to the divided areas of the barcode, and the illumination means corresponding to the position of the reading completion area is turned off; A configuration may also be adopted in which the illumination means corresponding to the position of the unread area is turned on.

Effects of the Invention As detailed above, according to the barcode reading device of the present invention, when reading a barcode divided into multiple areas, the position of the read completed area is detected and the position of the unread area to be read is detected. Since the position of the unread area can be determined instantaneously without mistakes, the operability is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the basic configuration of the barcode reading device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the barcode reading device as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the barcode reading process executed in the electronic control unit. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the reading operation. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the second embodiment. An explanatory diagram showing an example, FIG. 8 is the fourth
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of printing a barcode label, and FIG. 10 is a front view showing the structure of the barcode. 5...Reading port R...Right light emitting window 7L...Left light emitting window 9...Electronic control unit 23...Buzzer 27R, 27L...Light emitting diode Fig. 1

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a barcode reading device that reads a barcode by dividing the barcode into a plurality of areas and combining the read data, It is characterized by comprising: a reading completion area position detecting means for detecting the reading completion area; and an unreading area notifying means for notifying the position of the unread area to be read based on the position of the reading completion area detected by the reading completion area position detection means. barcode reading device.