JPH05197011A - Information recording and reading system and print head used therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify and miniaturize the structure of a print head and to reduce production cost. CONSTITUTION:The width of luminous fluxes emitted from seven separate LEDs 31 vertically arranged in a line on a substrate 32 is regulated by a slit 33 which is formed on a light shielding plate 34 and whose width is smaller than that of the LED 31. Furthermore, the luminous flux passes through a lens 35, the length and width thereof are reduced, and the seven luminous fluxes are formed to be a bar-like code as a whole.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for recording / reading information by using a code in which bar-shaped patterns are combined and a print head used therefor.

[0001]

2. Description of the Related Art Bars having thin and thick patterns are arranged at narrow and wide intervals, and a bar code for recording various information is read by a pen type scanner or a stationary scanner. When reading with the pen-type scanner, there is a problem that the misreading rate becomes high unless the contour of the pattern is sharp and the density is not uniform. For example, in the print head of a side printing device that records the company name and quality on a photographic film with a barcode, the edges are precisely processed to sharpen the contour of the pattern, and a long light guide is used in the print head. The light-emitting elements, for example, LEDs are arranged without gaps to make the brightness uniform and the density uniform.

On the other hand, the trimming size, the trimming position, the trimming method, the photographing date, the photographing frame N at the time of taking a photograph.
o. Shooting information such as shooting light information, photographer code, camera type code, print edit / combine desired code, photographer intention information, number of prints, image area code, etc. are recorded in the photo film, and the shooting information is read at the time of printing. JP-A-3-95537 discloses a camera and a photographic printer used in a printing system for producing good photographic prints. This camera is provided with the print head having the above-mentioned structure in order to record the photographing information on the photographic film by using the bar code.

[0003]

By the way, the conventional bar code has a problem that a bar pattern requires a sharp contour and a uniform density, so that an expensive recording device and a high degree of management are required. It was Further, when a conventional print head, for example, a large print head having a long light guide inside is incorporated in the camera, there is a problem that the camera becomes large. When the size of the print head in which LEDs are arranged without gaps is reduced, the size of L is small.
It is technically difficult to arrange the EDs without a gap, which causes a problem of high manufacturing cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances. Claim 1
An object of the present invention is to provide an information recording / reading system which can easily record information and can be accurately read without being affected by the contour and density of a pattern. Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive and compact print head which can be easily manufactured.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, in the information recording / reading method of the present invention, a bar-shaped pattern having dots of different thicknesses, which are composed of dots arranged in a straight line in a discrete manner. Are combined to form a code corresponding to the information, and the code is read by moving the code with respect to the stationary skier in a direction orthogonal to the bar-shaped pattern. Also, in the print head used for it, in order to image a plurality of dots on a photographic film in a row in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction, a plurality of light emitters are arranged in a row at a light source section, and in front of this light source section. And a light-shielding plate having a slit formed therein, the slit being narrower than the width of the light-emitting body.

[0006]

FIG. 2 shows a camera provided with the print head of the present invention and a photographic film cartridge loaded in the camera. The photographic film cartridge 2 comprises a photographic film 3, a spool 4 around which the photographic film 3 is wound in a roll shape, and a cartridge main body 5 which accommodates the photographic film 3 in a light-tight manner. Perforations 6 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the photographic film 3 with a predetermined space therebetween.

An exposure frame 11 is provided at the center of the rear surface of the camera body 10, and an exposure opening 12 is formed at the center of the exposure frame 11. A photographing lens 13 is provided in front of the exposure opening 12, and a cartridge chamber 14 for accommodating the photographic film cartridge 2 and a film winding chamber 16 having a winding shaft 15 are provided on the left and right of the exposure frame 11. Are formed. A cartridge loading port 18 is formed on the lower side of the camera body 10, and a fork 19 for rotating the spool 4 is provided on the upper side of the cartridge chamber 14.
Is provided. Further, the back cover 20 is provided with a pressure plate 21 and a film guide plate 22 for pressing the photographic film 3 onto the winding shaft 15.

A photo sensor 25 and a print head 26, which are driven and controlled by a CPU of a camera (not shown), are provided below the exposure frame 11 when the photographic film 3 is fed one frame.
Is provided. The photo sensor 25 detects the perforation 6 and outputs the detection signal to the CPU. Further, the print head 26 imprints a bar-shaped code 27 on the photographic film 3 as shown in FIG. 3, and records photographing information such as luminance information, shutter speed, photographing date and the like.

FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the print head. The print head 26 includes a projection optical system 28 and a case body 30 having a rectangular opening 29. The imprinting optical system 28 is a substrate 3 in which seven light emitting elements, for example, LEDs 31 are discretely arranged in a line vertically.
2. The light-shielding plate 34 is provided on the front surface of the substrate 32 and has the slit 33, and the lens 35 is provided on the front surface of the light-shielding plate 34. In addition, the slit 3
The width of 3 is formed narrower than the lateral width of the LED 31.

In the print head of the present invention thus constructed, when one frame of the photographic film 3 is started and the feeding speed becomes constant, the CPU turns on the seven LEDs 31 based on the photographing information. The code 27 in which seven pixels 36 are dispersed in one column, which is controlled and is enlarged in FIG.
Imprint. The light from the seven LEDs 31 has a narrow width in the horizontal direction by the slit 33, and the width in the vertical and horizontal directions is reduced by the lens 35, so that the resolution is high. Although the pixel 36 has a rectangular shape in this embodiment, it may have a circular shape or a triangular shape.

FIG. 5 shows a photographic printer for printing a photographic film 3 on which the above code is imprinted.
The structure of this photographic printer comprises an information input unit 60, a printing light source unit 61, a film transport system 62, a photographic paper transport system 63, an optical system 64 and a control unit 65. The information input unit 60
Is composed of a light source unit 71 for irradiating the photo film 3 with light through a slit plate 70 and a light amount measuring unit 73 connected to an A / D converter 72. The code 27 is read out and the photographing information is controlled by the control unit. It is output to the unit 65.

The controller 65 controls the film transport system 62, the photographic paper transport system 63, and the optical system 64, respectively. The film transport system 62 is driven by a motor 76 via a driver 75, and transports the developed photographic film 3. Further, the photographic paper carrying system 63 is driven by a motor 78 via a driver 75 and carries the photographic paper 79. The optical system 64 turns on the printing light source unit 61 and prints through the printing lens 64a.

In the printer thus constructed, the control section 65 first turns on the light source section 71 and then the film transport system 62.
Drive to. Part of the light from the light source unit 71 is blocked by the pixel 36, and the rest passes through the photographic film 3 and is incident on the light amount measuring unit 73. The amount of light incident on the light amount measuring unit 73 is converted into, for example, a voltage. For example, when the cords 27 in the first to eighth rows shown in FIG. 4 pass over the slit plate 70, the voltage converted by the light quantity measuring unit 73 changes as shown in FIG. The voltage output from the light quantity measuring unit 73 is A /
It is converted into a binary signal by the D converter 72 and sent to the control unit 65. The binary signal is inverted by the control unit 65 into the binary signal shown in FIG. 7, and the code 26 is converted into the photographing information based on the high level time width. By the way, since the information input section 60 is a stationary scanner with respect to the code 27, the misreading rate can be as low as when using a bar code.

After that, when the center of a predetermined image frame coincides with the printing optical axis, the film feeding system 62 is stopped. The control unit 65 controls the printing light source unit 6 based on the read imaging information.
After adjusting the amount of light of No. 1 or moving the baking lens 64a in the optical axis direction for focusing, baking is performed.
After printing, the control unit 65 controls the photographic paper transport system 63 according to the code data and controls the feed amount of the photographic paper 79.

[0015]

As described above in detail, in the information recording / reading method of the present invention, bar-shaped patterns having different thicknesses, which are composed of dots arranged in a rectilinear array, are combined to form information. While the corresponding code is formed, the code is moved in the direction orthogonal to the bar-shaped pattern with respect to the stationary skier so that the information is read. Can be recorded easily and read accurately. Further, by combining a bar-shaped pattern of dots like a par of a parcode, it is possible to record information or read information in the same manner as a conventional barcode. Further, in the print head of the present invention, since the light source part in which a plurality of light emitters are dispersed in a row is provided behind the light shielding plate having the slits narrower than the width of the light emitters, the size is small. And the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a print head of the present invention with a part thereof cut away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a camera having the print head shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a photographic film on which a code is imprinted by the camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a code shown in FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner.

FIG. 5 reads the code from the photographic film shown in FIG.
It is the schematic which shows the structure of the photographic printer which prints.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a voltage corresponding to an amount of transmitted light measured by a light amount measuring unit.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a binary signal output from an A / D converter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 26 print head 27 code 31 LED 32 substrate 33 slit 34 light-shielding plate 36 pixel

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A code corresponding to information is formed by combining bar-shaped patterns having different thicknesses, which are composed of dots arranged in a straight line in a discrete manner, and the code is applied to a stationary skier as a bar. An information recording / reading method, characterized in that the information is read by moving the information in a direction orthogonal to the pattern. 2. A plurality of light-emitting bodies, comprising: a substrate having a plurality of light-emitting bodies arranged in a line in a discrete manner; and a light-shielding plate arranged on the front surface of the substrate and having slits narrower than the width of the light-emitting bodies. The print head is characterized in that a plurality of dots are arranged in a line in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction and are printed at the same time.