JPH0686157U - Information reader - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To reduce the power consumption of the scanner unit to suppress heat generation, and to reduce the size and extend the service life. [Structure] Decoder unit 1 having power supply circuit 1-8 and light receiver
A decoder unit 2 having a binarization processing circuit composed of a binarization signal generation circuit 2-6 and a binarization signal output circuit 2-7 for binarizing the electric signal from 2-3. A power on / off command circuit 1-9 is provided in the section 1, and the power on / off command circuit 1-9 controls the power supply to the binary processing circuit of the scanner section 1, that is, the power on / off command circuit 1 -
Reference numeral 9 supplies power to the scanner unit 2 based on the external synchronization signal 4, and stops power supply to the scanner unit 2 based on the completion of decoding the binarized signal.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an information reading device for reading binary information.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 As this type of device, there is a device that reads a barcode attached or printed on a product or the like, and is applied to a production / shipping line in a factory or a cash register in a supermarket. In general, this type of information reading device (hereinafter referred to as a bar code reader) uses a laser light source that easily obtains a focused beam because a thin bar code is read by an optical means. As for this laser light source, due to market demands for device miniaturization and long life, there are many cases where gas lasers are replaced by semiconductor lasers.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a conventional bar code reader using a semiconductor laser. Reference numeral 1 is a decoder unit, which drives the laser driving means 1-5 by the reading start means 1-6 synchronized with an external synchronizing signal, and the laser driving command circuit 1-7 responds to this by driving the laser driving command circuit 1-7 inside the scanner unit 2. Drive command is given to the laser drive circuit 2-5 of. Then, the binarized signal output from the scanner unit 2 is received by the signal input circuit 1-1, stored in the binarized signal storage circuit 1-2, and the signal decoding means 1-3 decodes the alphanumeric characters. Further, this result is discriminated by the reading termination means 1-4, and when the reading is completed, the driving of the laser driving means 1-5 is stopped, and in response thereto, a stop command is given to the laser driving circuit 2-5. In the scanner section 2, the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 2-1 in response to the driving of the reading start means 1-6 of the decoder section 1 is rotationally driven by the driving circuit 2-8. It is reflected by -2 and hits the bar code 2-4, and the reflected light enters the light receiver 2-3. Then, the optical signal is converted into an electric signal and input to the binarized signal generation circuit 2-6, the original signal is converted into a digital signal of "1" or "0", and the binarized signal is output. It is output to the decoder unit 1 via the circuit 2-7. Each circuit of the scanner unit 2 is driven by supplying power from a power supply circuit 1-8 in the decoder unit 1.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in the above-mentioned configuration, if the scanner unit is downsized, the life of the semiconductor laser is shortened due to the heat generated by the power loss of the circuit unit. You will not be able to make use of it. Therefore, there is a limit to downsizing the scanner unit.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a small-sized and long-life information reading apparatus by reducing the power consumption of the scanner unit and suppressing heat generation. It is in.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a semiconductor laser controlled by a laser driving circuit, and a rotation for irradiating a laser beam reflected from the semiconductor laser with a medium carrying information to be read. A scanner unit in which a polygonal mirror, a photoreceiver for receiving the reflected light from the medium, and a circuit for binarizing an electric signal photoelectrically converted by the photoreceiver are integrated, and a scanner unit according to an external synchronization signal In the information reading device including a decoder unit that supplies electric power to the scanner unit and decodes the information recorded on the medium based on the binarized signal from the scanner unit, an external synchronization signal is supplied to the decoder unit. An instruction to supply power to the binarization processing circuit of the scanner unit based on the above, and to stop power supply to the binarization processing circuit of the scanner unit based on the completion of decoding of the binarization processing signal. Characterized in that a road.

[0007]

[Action]

 In the present invention, the power supply to the binarization processing circuit of the scanner section is controlled to be turned on / off based on the input of the external synchronization signal and the completion of decoding the binarization processing signal. For example, the supply of electric power from the power supply circuit is linked with the laser driving means of the decoder unit which responds to the input of the external synchronizing signal and the end of decoding of the binarized signal, and the binary signal generating circuit of the scanner unit and the binary signal. The ON / OFF control is performed on the activation signal output circuit, the irradiation light (laser) is turned on to start reading, and at the same time the above circuit is turned on. At the same time as the laser is turned off upon completion of decoding of information such as a bar code signal, the above circuit is activated. To turn off. As a result, the heat generated from the above circuits is reduced, and the temperature rise in the scanner section provided with these circuits is reduced.

[0008]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a bar code reader showing an embodiment of the information reading device of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals as the respective parts that can be configured similarly to the conventional example shown in FIG. That is, the scanner unit 2 has the same configuration as that shown in FIG. 2, and the decoder unit 1 has a configuration in which a power ON / OFF command circuit 1-9 is provided in addition to the units 1-1 to 1-8 in FIG. is there. The power on / off command circuit 1-9 is provided in the middle of the power line from the power circuit 1-8 to the binary signal output circuit 2-7 and the binary signal generation circuit 2-6 in the scanner section 2. Yes, depending on the state of the laser driving means 1-5, that is, the laser driving means 1-5 is energized by the reading start means 1-6 and deenergized by the reading end means 1-4. Accordingly, it may be in the form of a switch for turning on / off the power supply path to the binarized signal generation circuit 2-6 and the binarized signal output circuit 2-7.

In such a configuration, a bar code reading command is given by the external synchronizing signal 4, and the laser driving device 1-5 is operated by the reading starting device 1-6 by the signal, and the laser driving command circuit 1-7 Turn on the power on / off command circuit 1-9 to drive the laser drive circuit 2-5, the binarized signal generation circuit 2-6 and the binarized signal output circuit 2-7 of the scanner section 2 at the same time. . Due to this action, the laser beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 2-1 is reflected by the rotary polygon mirror 2-2, hits the barcode 2-4, and the reflected light is received by the light receiver 2-3. Here, the optical signal is converted into an electric signal, input to the binarized signal generation circuit 2-6, and converted into a digital signal of "1" or "0". Then, it is output to the binarized signal output circuit 2-7 and further supplied to the decoder section 1. The binary signal is input to the binary signal interface circuit 1-1 and stored in the binary signal storage unit 1-2.

Data is loaded from the binarized signal storage unit 1-2 into the binarized signal decoding means 1-3, the bar code signal is decoded, and when the end is judged, the reading end means 1-4 drives the laser. The step 1-5 is turned off, which turns off the laser drive command circuit 1-7 and the power on / off command circuit 1-9. Therefore, the laser drive circuit 2-5, the binarized signal generation circuit 2-6 and the binarized signal output circuit 2-7 of the scanner unit 2 are turned off, and the barcode reading is completed.

In the present embodiment, by providing the power on / off command circuit 1-9, the binarized signal generation circuit 2-6 and the binarized signal output circuit 2-7 are activated in response to the start of reading the bar code. These circuits are turned on and turned off when the bar code is read, reducing the power loss in those circuits and suppressing the temperature rise inside the scanner. It is possible to extend the device and downsize the device.

[0013]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, in the present invention, the decoder unit supplies power to the binarization processing circuit (binarization signal generation circuit and binarization signal output circuit) based on the external synchronization signal and the binarization processing signal. By providing a means for turning on / off, and controlling the driving of the binarized signal generation circuit and the binarized signal output circuit of the scanner unit, that is, by driving them only when reading information, The power loss from the scanner is reduced and the temperature rise inside the scanner is reduced. Therefore, there is an advantage that the life of the semiconductor laser is significantly extended and the scanner unit can be downsized without taking special heat radiation measures on the scanner unit.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a bar code reader according to an embodiment of an information reading device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a conventional information reading device.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 Decoder section 1-1 Signal input circuit 1-2 Binary signal storage section 1-3 Binary signal decoding means 1-4 Reading ending means 1-5 Reading starting means 1-6 Laser driving means 1 -7 Laser drive command circuit 1-8 Power supply circuit 1-9 Power on / off command circuit 2 Scanner section 2-1 Semiconductor laser 2-2 Rotating polygon mirror 2-3 Light receiver 2-4 Bar code 2-5 Laser drive circuit 2-6 Binary signal generation circuit 2-7 Binary signal output circuit 2-8 Rotating polygon mirror drive circuit 4 External synchronization signal

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A semiconductor laser controlled by a laser drive circuit, a rotary polygon mirror for reflecting a laser beam from the semiconductor laser and irradiating the medium carrying information to be read with the laser beam; A scanner unit in which a photoreceiver for receiving the reflected light of the light source and a circuit for binarizing an electric signal photoelectrically converted by the photoreceiver are integrated, and power is supplied to the scanner unit according to an external synchronization signal. In the information reading device, which comprises a decoder unit for decoding the information recorded on the medium based on the binarized signal from the scanner unit, the decoder unit is provided with a binary value of the scanner unit based on an external synchronization signal. Power is supplied to the signal processing circuit,
Based on the completion of decoding the binarized signal, the scanner unit 2
An information reading device comprising a command circuit for stopping power supply to a digitization processing circuit.