JPH07105300A - Bar code processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide the bar code processor which performs collation inspection for bar code records having no regularity associatively with a bar code recording device. CONSTITUTION:A bar code scan part 11 reads out a bar code recorded on a recording medium conveyed by a conveyor, etc., and the read data are inputted to a host computer 21. Bar code data which are used to record the bar code, on the other hand, are acquired by the host computer as collation data from a bar code recording device 30. The host computer 21 collates the read data with the collation data and if an error occurs, the bar code recording device 30 stores the collation data for rerecording the bar code on, for example, a floppy disk, etc., through a floppy disk drive 24.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bar code processing device for recording / inspecting a bar code on a recording medium conveyed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in recording a bar code in the printing industry, a bar code is recorded on a recording medium which is continuously moving at a high speed on a conveyor. The recording method generally used here is to record a barcode by a mechanical rotation mechanism called a character ring. In such a recording method, the barcode data to be recorded can only be changed sequentially and regularly such as incrementing or decrementing in the nth and (n + 1) th barcodes.

Recently, with the development of high-speed ink jet printers and the like, a method of recording a bar code by an ink jet method has also been used. With this type of recording method, it is possible to easily edit even bar code data that are recorded in sequence and have no regularity under the control of a host computer or the like, and to record without problems.

[0004]

In order to check whether or not the recorded bar code is the data intended, it is desirable to actually read and verify the recorded bar code. However, in the conventional inspection device,
It only supports bar codes with regularity based on letter loops, not bar code data without regularity.

Further, in the conventional bar code inspection,
No inspection was performed on the recording quality, and there was a problem with the reliability of the recorded barcode.

When an error or the like occurs in the conventional bar code inspection, the rotation warning lamp is turned on or the bar code data is printed out to notify the operator. However, it is not configured to automatically create the data for re-recording the bar code in the bar code recording device. If there is an error in the recorded bar code, Various measures are required. That is, the operator takes a means of temporarily stopping the transport system or manually requesting the barcode data in which an error has occurred to the barcode recording device after all recording is completed. Therefore, the operation becomes complicated when an error occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a bar code processing apparatus which can interlock with a bar code recording apparatus to perform a collation inspection on bar code recording having no regularity. The purpose is to do.

Further, when the recorded bar code has an error, it is possible to retain the data for re-recording the bar code, simplifying the re-recording process and reducing the number of steps. It is an object of the present invention to provide a bar code processing device that does.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a bar code processing device which improves the reliability of bar code recording by conducting a recording quality inspection together.

[0010]

A bar code inspection apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above object has the following configuration. That is, it is a bar code processing device for inspecting a bar code recorded by a bar code recording device on a conveyed recording medium, and acquires the data of the bar code used in the bar code recording device as verification data. Acquisition means, reading means for optically reading a barcode recorded on the recording medium by the barcode recording device to obtain read data, collating means for collating the collation data with the read data, and the collation When the two data do not match as a result of the collation by the means, the collation data is stored in a format that can be provided to the barcode recording device.

Further, in the above structure, further comprising a quality inspection means for inspecting the quality of the bar code recorded on the recording medium based on the read signal obtained when the bar code is read by the reading means, and the storage means The means stores the collation data in the bar code recording device so as to be provided to the bar code recording device when the two data do not match as a result of the collation by the collating means or when the quality is determined to be unacceptable by the quality inspecting means. With this configuration, the quality inspection of the barcode can be performed.

[0012]

With the above construction, the bar code recorded by the bar code recording device is read on the recording medium conveyed by the conveyer conveyor or the like to obtain the read data. On the other hand, the barcode data used for recording the barcode is acquired as the collation data. The read data is collated with the collation data, and if an error occurs, the collation data is stored so that the barcode can be re-recorded in the barcode recording device.

Further, based on the read signal when the bar code on the recording medium is read, a recording quality inspection such as bar width and reflectance of the bar code is performed, and if an error occurs, re-recording should be performed again. , The matching data is stored.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic control arrangement of a bar code inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a bar code inspection device, which includes a bar code reading unit 10 and a host computer unit 20.

The bar code reading section 10 reads the bar code recorded on the recording medium and generates information on the recording quality. Reference numeral 11 denotes a bar code scanning unit, which obtains a bar code reading signal by reading scanning with a semiconductor laser beam. In addition, the barcode scanning unit 11 is C
It may be configured using an image pickup device such as a CD. Incidentally, CCD
By using, the recording quality inspection performance described later is improved as compared with the case where a semiconductor laser is used. A decoding unit 12 decodes the barcode based on the read signal from the barcode scanning unit 11 to obtain barcode data. Further, the decoding unit 12 performs a bar code quality inspection such as the bar width of the bar code and the PCS value (reflectance) based on the read signal obtained by the bar code scanning unit 12. For example, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an analog signal (read signal) obtained by scanning a semiconductor laser beam. From this analog signal, the width of the black and white bars is detected, and the reflectance is detected from the difference between the signal levels of white and black, and this is transferred to a host computer described later as recording quality information.

Next, the configuration of the host computer section 20 will be described. Reference numeral 21 denotes a host computer, which performs collation of bar code data and management of various data. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a more detailed configuration of the host computer 21. A main CPU 21a manages various collation data and collation results. Reference numeral 21b is a data collating unit, which is configured as an expansion board equipped with a CPU. The data collating unit 21b is one barcode reading unit 1
The collation data provided by the main CPU 21a is provided for each 0, and the read data input from the decoding unit 12 is collated. Further, the data collating section 21b carries out a quality inspection of the barcode based on the recording quality information provided by the decoding section 12. And the main CP
The U21a manages the collation status and recording quality information. The host computer 21 is provided with a plurality of data collating units 21b.

Reference numeral 22 is a CRT display, which performs various displays according to commands from the host computer 21.
A keyboard 23 is used to input various instructions to the host computer 21. Drives 24 to 27 for storing various data are a floppy disk drive 24, a hard disk drive 25, a magneto-optical disk drive 26 and a magnetic tape drive 27. still,
The data storage drive does not have to include all of the components listed here, and may have a configuration including, for example, a floppy disk drive 24 and a hard disk drive 25, or a data storage device of another system. . Then, for example, when the barcode data used for recording the barcode by the barcode recording device 30 is stored in a floppy disk or the like and provided, the floppy disk driver 24 reads it into the host computer 21 as collation data.

Reference numeral 30 is a bar code recording apparatus, which comprises a printer main body 31 and a host computer 32. The printer main body 31 records a barcode by an inkjet method, for example. The host computer 32 provides the printer main body 31 with barcode data to be recorded. Reference numeral 40 denotes a marker unit, which records an X mark on a bar code that has an error in the collation inspection or the quality inspection according to a command from the host computer 21. Host computer 2
An I / F-2 connecting 1 to the host computer 32 is a signal line for providing the barcode data recorded by the barcode recording device 30 from the host computer 32 by communication. Further, the I / F-2 is also used as a signal line for transmitting data relating to the re-recording of the barcode to the barcode recording apparatus 30 online when the barcode inspection apparatus 1 detects the above. be able to.

FIG. 3 shows a device configuration example of the first embodiment. Figure 3
In the figure, 100 is a conveyor, and 101 is a recording medium on which a barcode is recorded. Here, the recording medium 101 is, for example, a business form such as a courier sheet. One host computer 21 includes a plurality of data collating units 21b and bar code reading units 10.
(Has a barcode scanning unit 11 and a decoding unit 12). As in this example, a plurality of bar code reading units 10 may be attached to one conveyance system,
A plurality of bar code readers 10 may be attached to a plurality of transport systems such as a roll collator described later in FIG. The host computer 21 may be a personal computer or a workstation depending on the weight of processing. Of course, the processing may be performed by one data collating unit 21b and the reading unit 10, but
In the printing industry, the speed of the transport system is 100-450.
Since the speed is as high as m / min and the interval at which the barcodes flow is close to about 10 mm, it is desirable to have a multi-CPU configuration as in this example. Further, the recording medium to be conveyed may be a continuous sheet. Further, the barcode data for collation may be provided to the host computer 21 using a storage medium such as the floppy disk 102, or may be provided by communication (I / F-2) from the barcode recording device.

The operation of the bar code inspection apparatus of the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the barcode inspection apparatus of the first embodiment.

In step S10, the bar code data to be recorded, which is created by the bar code recording device 30 or the like, is acquired as collation data. Here, the collation data may be input to the host computer of the bar code inspection device using a magneto-optical disk or a magnetic tape as a medium. In addition, during the recording of the barcode recording device 30, the I / F-
It is also possible to sequentially input in real time via 2, and with this configuration, it is not necessary to prepare a disk or the like for storing the collation data for bar code inspection. In this case, I / F-2 is Ethernet, SCS
General-purpose interfaces such as I, RS422A, and RS232D are sufficient. Next, in step S11,
The decoder unit 11 of the bar code reading unit 10 obtains bar code decode data and recording quality information from the signal read by the bar code scanning unit 11, and transfers this to the host computer 21. Next, in step S13, the data matching unit 21b determines whether or not the decoding unit 11 was able to decode, and if not, the process proceeds to step S18 and error processing is performed. On the other hand, if the decoding is successful, the process proceeds to step S14.

A collation check is performed in steps S14 and S15. The data collating unit 21b in the host computer 21 is an expansion board equipped with a CPU, respectively, and acquires the barcode data to be recorded from the main CPU 21a in real time via the I / F-3, and the barcode reading unit 10b. Receives the decoded data of the bar code from the I / F-1 and collates them (step S14). As I / F-3, dual port R
AM or the like is suitable. Then, in step S15, if the collation results do not match, the error processing from step S18 is performed. If they match as a result of collation, step S
Proceed to 16.

In step S16, the quality of the bar code is inspected based on the recording quality information provided by the decoding section 12. If the quality inspection results in a quality error in step S17, the process proceeds to step S18 and error processing is performed. On the other hand, if the quality is acceptable in step S17, the process proceeds to step S20.

Steps S18 and S19 are error processing when a decoding error, a collation error or a quality error occurs. In step S18,
The collation data of the bar code having the error is stored in the memory managed by the host computer 21 as the bar code data for re-recording (the floppy disk drive 2
5, the magneto-optical disk drive 26 or the like is used). Then, in step S19, the marker 40 is controlled to record the X mark on the barcode.

In step S20, it is judged whether or not the inspection for the previous bar code has been completed. If not completed, the process returns to step S10 and the above-mentioned processing is repeated. If it is finished, this process is finished.

Further, when an error occurs in each of the above-mentioned inspections, after the inspection of all the bar codes is completed, the rotating lamp and the buzzer are turned on to inform the operator of the fact. Then, it is possible to make a request for re-recording offline by using a floppy disk or a magneto-optical disk as a medium for the barcode recording device 30. Also, rerecording may be automatically requested via the I / F-2. As the specific procedure, the procedure described in steps S25 to S29 of FIG. 7 described later may be applied. Further, if the processing capacity of the main CPU 21a is sufficient, it is possible to make a request for re-recording online even while the barcode recording device 30 is recording.

As described above, according to the present bar code inspection apparatus, the bar code data used for recording in the bar code recording apparatus can be easily obtained as the collation data. Matching is possible even if there is no barcode data.

Further, a quality inspection is also performed, and it is possible to easily request re-recording even for unsuitable bar code data. Therefore, the reliability of barcode recording is improved, and the steps involved in barcode re-recording are simplified.

<Embodiment 2> In Embodiment 1 described above, the bar code inspection device and the bar code recording device each have their own host computers. In the second embodiment, a bar code recording / inspecting device that records and inspects a bar code by one host computer (that is, one main CPU) will be described.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the control arrangement of the bar code recording / inspecting apparatus of the second embodiment. 200 in the figure
Is a main CPU, which controls recording and inspection of barcodes, management of barcode data, and the like. 201a is CR
This is a T display, and various displays are performed under the control of the main CPU 200. A keyboard 201b is used to make various inputs to the main CPU 200. 202 ~
Reference numeral 205 denotes various data storage units, such as a floppy disk drive 202, a hard disk drive 203, a magneto-optical disk drive 204, and a magnetic data drive 205.
And so on. It is not necessary to include all of these various drives, and the data storage mechanism is not limited to the one described here.

Reference numerals 210-1 to 210-n are bar code recording output / collation inspection sections (hereinafter referred to as bar code recording output / collation inspection section 210), and image data of a bar code to be recorded is recorded in each recording head (211). -1 to n), and each bar code reading unit (212-1 to n).
The inspection is performed based on the decoded data and the recording quality data. 211-1 to 211-n are recording heads (hereinafter referred to as recording heads 211), which record the barcode on the recording medium according to the image data provided by the barcode recording output / collation inspection unit. 212-1 ~ 2
A bar code reading unit 12-n (hereinafter referred to as a bar code reading unit 212) reads a recorded bar code, obtains decoded data of the bar code, and obtains recording quality data from the read signal. 213-1 to 213-n
Is a bar code scanning unit (hereinafter referred to as a bar code scanning unit 214), which scans and reads a bar code by a semiconductor laser. Reference numerals 214-1 to 214-n are bar code decoding / recording quality inspection units (hereinafter referred to as bar code decoding / recording quality inspection unit 214), which perform decoding based on a read signal from the bar code scanning unit 213 and decode data. And recording quality data. Reference numeral 220 denotes a marker portion, which records an X mark on the bar code when it is determined that an error occurs in the collation inspection or the quality inspection.

The above-mentioned main CPU board, various disk drives, and bar code recording / outputting / checking unit may be composed of one personal computer or workstation.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which the second embodiment is applied to a system for recording and inspecting a bar code on a recording medium which moves on the conveying system. It has a configuration including n recording heads 211 and n barcode reading units 212, and performs recording on a recording medium that moves at high speed by an inkjet printer method, for example. The recording head 211 and the bar code reading unit 212 are paired and installed on the conveyor.
The barcode reading unit 212 is installed on the downstream side of the recording head 211. In FIG. 6, a continuous sheet 300 is used as a recording medium, and the recording medium is moved by winding it in a roll by a winding motor 301. Further, in FIG. 6, the recording head 211 and the bar code reading unit 212 are arranged in series, but if the system has a plurality of conveyance systems, the recording head 211 and the bar code reading unit 212 will be described.
It is also possible to arrange the pairs in parallel.

Next, the operation of the bar code recording / inspecting apparatus of the second embodiment will be described. 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the operation procedure of the bar code recording and inspection apparatus of the second embodiment.

The coded bar code data is stored in a magneto-optical disk, a magnetic tape or the like, and taken into the CPU 200 via the disk driver (step S2).
1). The fetched bar code data is transferred to the bar code recording / output / collation checking unit 210 via the I / F-11 and stored in each memory. Here, as the I / F-11, for example, a dual port RAM or the like is suitable. And
This bar code data is expanded into bit map data by the bar code recording output / collation inspection unit 210 and transferred to the recording head 211, and the bar code is printed (step S22).

Next, a bar code reading inspection subroutine (step S23) is executed. This subroutine is shown in FIG. 8, and since each step from step S11 to step S19 is the same as that in FIG. 4 of the above-described first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted here. In addition, here
The recording quality inspection unit 212 is connected to the barcode recording output / collation inspection unit 210 via the I / F-3. I /
RS422A or the like is suitable as F-3. The barcode decoding data and the recording quality information of each barcode transferred from the barcode decoding / recording quality inspection unit 212 are held in the barcode recording output / collation inspection unit 210. On the other hand, since the barcode data for collation is the same as the barcode data to be recorded, the data already stored in the barcode recording output / collation inspection unit 210 can be used. Further, the bar code data for re-recording in step S18 is transferred to the main C via the I / F-11.
It is transferred to the PU 200 and stored in a magneto-optical disk or the like.

In the following step S24, it is determined whether or not the inspection of the previous bar code is completed. If not completed, the process returns to step S22, and if completed, the step S25.
Go to. In step S25, it is determined whether or not an error has occurred as a result of the collation and quality inspection, and if not, the present process is terminated. If an error has occurred, step S
In step 26, the bar code is re-recorded.

In step S26, the re-recording bar code data stored in the magneto-optical disk or the like is read out, and the bar code recording output / verification checking section 210 is instructed to carry out bar code recording by the bar code data. In step S27, the barcode recording output / collation checking unit 210 outputs the bitmap data to the recording head in order to record the barcode. Then, in step S28, the barcode is collated and the quality is checked (the same process as step S23). It is determined whether or not the above processing has been completed for all the barcodes to be rerecorded, and if not completed, the processing returns to step S26. If it is finished, this processing is finished.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to automatically re-record a bar code that has an error in the collation inspection and the recording quality inspection. That is, there is an effect that the recording process can be reduced as compared with the case of manually re-recording the barcode. Further, in the second embodiment, since the same CPU is used for recording and inspecting the barcode, it is not necessary to create an interface for connecting the recording device and the inspection device, an interface program and a data format, and the introduction cost can be reduced. is there.

Further, the bar code recording device and the bar code collating device are integrated with each other, and the collation and the print inspection are performed simultaneously with the printing of the bar code, thereby improving the reliability of the bar code recording. Further, by configuring the bar code recording / inspection device in multiple, it becomes possible to perform bar code recording at high speed and with high reliability, and at low cost, it is possible to respond to the accelerating expansion of bar code demand.

Since the bar code recording / inspecting device of the second embodiment is a pair of the recording device and the inspecting device, it can be used for a roll collator as shown in FIG. The roll collator is composed of multiple continuous sheets (A, B, and C in the figure).
It forms one set of slips.

[0043]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By interlocking with a barcode recording device, it becomes possible to perform a collation inspection on barcode records having no regularity. Also, when the recorded barcode is an error, it becomes possible to retain the data for re-recording the barcode,
The labor of the re-recording process is simplified.

Furthermore, the reliability of the bar code recording is further improved by conducting the recording quality inspection together.

[0045]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic control configuration of a bar code inspection apparatus according to a first embodiment.

2 is a block diagram showing a more detailed configuration of a host computer 21. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a device configuration example of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the bar code inspection apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of a bar code recording / inspecting apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example in which the second embodiment is applied to a system for recording and inspecting a barcode on a recording medium moving on a transport system.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the barcode recording inspection apparatus of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of the barcode recording inspection apparatus of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an analog signal obtained in the reading operation of the barcode scanning unit of the present embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the bar code recording / inspecting device according to the second embodiment is applied to a roll collator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bar code inspection apparatus 10 Bar code reading section 11 Bar code scanning section 12 Decoding section 20 Host computer section 21 Host computer 21a Main CPU 21b Data collating section 30 Bar code recording apparatus 40 Marker section

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. A bar code processing device for inspecting a bar code recorded by a bar code recording device on a conveyed recording medium, wherein the bar code data used in the bar code recording device is collation data. Acquiring means for acquiring as, a reading means for optically reading a barcode on a recording medium recorded by the barcode recording device to obtain read data, and a collating means for collating the collation data with the read data. A barcode processing apparatus, comprising: a storage unit that stores the validation data in a format that can be provided to the barcode recording device when both data do not match as a result of the validation by the validation unit. 2. A quality inspection unit for inspecting the quality of the bar code recorded on the recording medium based on a read signal obtained when the bar code is read by the reading unit, the storage unit including: When the two data do not match as a result of the matching by the matching means, or when the quality is determined to be unacceptable by the quality checking means, the matching data is stored in a format that can be provided to the barcode recording device. The barcode processing device according to claim 1. 3. The bar code processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the quality inspection unit inspects at least one of the reflectance and the bar width of the bar code recorded on the recording medium. 4. If the two data do not match as a result of the collation by the collating means, or if the quality is judged to be unacceptable by the quality inspecting means, a record to that effect is recorded at a predetermined position of the recording medium. The barcode processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising recording means for performing the operation. 5. The bar code data stored in the memory means is transferred to the bar code recording device online, and a rerecording requesting means for requesting rerecording of the bar code data is further provided. The barcode recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The reading device according to claim 1, wherein the reading means reads a bar code recorded on the recording medium by the bar code recording device by scanning with a semiconductor laser beam to obtain read data. Bar code processing device. 7. The reading means CCs the barcode on the recording medium recorded by the barcode recording device.
The bar code processing device according to claim 1, wherein the bar code processing device obtains read data by reading with D. 8. The acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the collation data by sequentially reading data from a storage medium that stores the data of the barcode used in the barcode recording device. Bar code processing device. 9. The acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition means acquires the collation data by sequentially inputting the data of the barcode used in the barcode recording device from the barcode recording device. Bar code processing device. 10. Storage means for storing barcode data to be recorded; recording means for recording a barcode on a recording medium conveyed based on the data stored by the storage means; and the barcode. Acquisition means for acquiring the collation data by reading the barcode data used in the recording means from the storage means, and reading means for reading the barcode on the recording medium recorded by the barcode recording means to obtain the read data. And a collating means for collating the collation data with the read data, and a storage means for storing the collation data in a format that can be provided to the recording means when the two data do not match as a result of the collation by the collating means. A re-recording means for executing re-recording of the barcode by the recording means based on the data stored in the storage means. A bar code processing device which is characterized by being obtained. 11. The recording means records a bar code on a recording medium that continuously moves on a conveyor based on the data stored by the storage means, by means of a ring mechanism. Item 11. The barcode processing device according to Item 11. 12. The recording means records a barcode by an inkjet method on a recording medium that continuously moves on a conveyor based on the data stored by the storage means. 11. The bar code processing device according to item 11.