JPH07311812A - Bar code scanner terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the service life of a battery from being extremely shortened and also to reduce the running cost and the weight in operation of a hand-held terminal equipment which is integrated with a bar code scanner especially a laser scanner by using an AC power source. CONSTITUTION:This bar code scanner terminal equipment is provided with a key input part 12 which includes plural keys to input the numerical value and symbols, a bar code reading part 12 which reads the bar code data by irradiating the bar codes with laser beams from a light source, a display part 11 which displays the bar code data, a trigger switch 4, and a grip part 3 which contains a battery as a main power supply. And, the part 3 is attached to the main body 1 of the terminal equipment freely attachably and detachably. Furthermore, an adaptor device 6 can be attached to supply the power from an AC power source in place of the part 3.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a handheld terminal integrated with a laser scanner, and more particularly to a detachable handle part having a built-in battery, and instead, an adapter device for supplying power from an AC power source can be easily replaced. The present invention relates to a barcode scanner terminal device that can be connected and used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A terminal device called a handheld terminal has been developed for the purpose of collecting and grasping generated data in the field of stock management such as ordering and stocktaking of goods.

The data collected by the handheld terminal is sent to a personal computer installed in an office or the like, a host computer such as an office computer, analyzed and processed, and used for management decision making and customer service.

On the other hand, the use of bar codes has become widespread as a means for inputting data to the handheld terminal. Data entry by barcode is quicker, easier, and more accurate than manual entry from a keyboard.

FIG. 8 is an external view of a conventional bar code scanner terminal device in which a connecting cable is eliminated to improve operability and a handheld terminal and a bar code reader are integrally formed.

In the figure, the key input section 12 of the apparatus main body 1 is provided with a plurality of keys such as a power key, a numerical value input key and a symbol input key. Further, the display unit 11 provided on the upper surface of the device is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal or the like, and displays an input numerical value or the like to enable confirmation of input data.

A bar code reading section 2 is provided on the front surface of the apparatus, and the bar code is read through the bar code reading section 2.

Further, a trigger switch 4 for turning on / off a power source for reading is provided on the front surface of the handle portion 3. A battery used as a main power source is built in the handle portion 3, and the built-in battery is configured to be chargeable or replaceable.

In addition, the apparatus main body 1 has a built-in backup battery separately for backing up the program and data when the battery of the main power source is replaced.

The bar code reading section 2 is composed of a laser scanner and uses a laser beam as a light source. When reading the bar code, the bar code reading section 2 is aimed at the bar code and the trigger switch 4 is depressed. To oscillate laser light.

Next, when the operator scans the bar code with the oscillated laser light, the laser light is reflected from the bar code, condensed, and converted into an electric signal. The barcode information converted into the electric signal is converted into numerical data by the barcode circuit.

[0012]

Such a conventional handheld terminal in which the apparatus main body 1 and the grip portion 3 are integrally formed is operated by a battery, and the operating time of the handheld terminal is limited by the battery capacity. It was necessary to recharge or replace the battery at regular intervals.

Further, in particular, since the conventional handheld terminal using laser light consumes a large amount of power, it is configured to emit the laser only when the trigger switch 4 is depressed to reduce the current consumption.

Therefore, in the case of operating only in a certain limited place, in order to supplement the limitation of the operating time, the operation is performed while supplying the power from the AC power source using the AC adapter as shown in FIG. The method, so-called auxiliary charging operation was also performed.

However, the method of using while charging the battery as described above has a problem that the rechargeable battery is damaged quickly and the life is extremely shortened, or the cord becomes an obstacle when the battery is not required to be charged. It was

For example, in a nickel-cadmium storage battery, the life is about 2 when the battery characteristics are fully utilized.
Although it is a year, the life span will be halved to about one year when used for supplementary charging operation. Therefore, there is a problem that the running cost of the device increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the conventional bar code scanner terminal device. A bar code reader, particularly a bar code scanner terminal device using a laser scanner, can be installed at a certain limited work place. When using it, the handle part, that is, the power supply battery is replaced with an adapter device and the AC is used as a direct power source to prevent the battery life from being extremely shortened to reduce running costs and reduce the weight during operation. To do.

Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bar code scanner terminal device which can be operated as a so-called stationary scanner in which the trigger switch is abolished and the trigger switch does not have to be pressed each time.

[0019]

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the present invention.

The first invention, as shown in FIG. 1B, is a key input section 12 having a plurality of keys for inputting numerical values and symbols, and a bar for emitting bar code data by emitting light from a laser. In a bar code scanner terminal device including a code reading unit 2, a device body 1 including a display unit 11 that displays input data, and a handle unit 3 that has a trigger switch 4 and contains a power battery, The grip portion 3 is detachably mounted.

In the second invention, as shown in FIG. 1C, an adapter device 6 having a trigger switch is attached in place of the handle portion 3 of the first invention, and an alternating current can be used as a power supply current. To be configured. The adapter device 6 of the present invention does not have a power battery.

In a third aspect based on the second aspect, the adapter device 6 does not have a trigger switch and is configured to always emit laser light when power is supplied.

In a fourth aspect based on the first to third aspects, the grip portion 3 and the adapter device 6 have an interface 5 for exchanging data with an external device.

In a fifth aspect based on the fourth aspect, the interface 5 is an optical interface.

In a sixth aspect based on the fourth to fifth aspects, the read bar code data is not stored in the storage section, but is directly exchanged with an external device. .

In a seventh aspect based on the second to sixth aspects, the bar code scanner terminal device is the device body 1
And the adapter device 6 are integrally configured.

[0027]

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the handle portion 3 having the power supply battery of the bar code scanner terminal device is incorporated into the device main body 1.
The adapter device 6 which is detached from the power supply unit and supplies AC power instead of the power supply battery unit can be attached to the device body 1.

As a result, since the bar code scanner terminal device can be directly operated by the AC power source, the battery is quickly damaged by the supplementary charging operation that is operated while charging the conventional battery, the life is extremely shortened, and the running cost of the device is reduced. Can be prevented from increasing.

Further, by removing the battery, which occupies a considerable part of the weight of the bar code scanner terminal, the weight of the apparatus can be reduced and the operability is remarkably improved. Also,
Since an AC power supply is used instead of a power supply battery, there is no need to worry about operating hours and you can use it with confidence.

Further, by removing the trigger switch from the adapter device 6 and keeping the bar code reading unit constantly supplied with power, it is not necessary to depress the trigger switch each time the bar code is read. It is possible to use it, and the operability and efficiency are further improved.

Further, by providing the handle portion 3 and the adapter device 6 with an interface for exchanging data with an external device, it becomes possible to exchange data with the external device quickly and easily, which further improves the efficiency of the work. improves.

Further, by using an optical interface as the above interface, reliability of data exchange with an external device and data processing capacity are improved.

Further, the bar code scanner terminal device is simplified in structure, light in weight and low in cost by directly transmitting / receiving the data to / from an external device without storing the read bar code data in the storage section. Can be realized.

[0034]

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the internal structure of a bar code scanner terminal device.

The bar code reading section 2 includes a laser emitting section 12
1. A light receiving unit 122 that receives reflected light from a barcode and converts it into an electric signal, and a decoding unit 123 that decodes the electric signal and converts it into a numerical signal.

Further, when pressed, the bar code reading section 2
A trigger switch 4 for supplying power to the device to enable reading of barcodes, a handheld terminal interface 5 for transmitting data to the handheld terminal
It is configured with.

The apparatus main body 1 includes a power supply battery 1 as a main battery.
31 and a backup battery 132 are built in, and C
PU 133, program memory 134, data memory 1
35, key input unit 136, and liquid crystal display unit (LCD)
137 is connected by a bus line.

A host interface 139 for connecting an external device and a bar code interface 140 are connected to the bus line, a host device is connected to the host interface 139, and a bar code is connected to the other side of the bar code interface 140. The reading unit 2 is connected.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing an embodiment of the bar code scanner terminal device according to the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of the apparatus, which is a bar code reading section 2 for reading using a laser beam as a light source, a grip section 3 having a main power supply battery incorporated therein, and a power source for supplying power to the bar code reading section 2. Is provided, and a trigger switch 4 for reading a bar code and an interface unit 5 for exchanging data with an external host device are provided.

Further, a connector 27 for connecting a charger for charging the main battery of the bar code scanner terminal device.
And a charging terminal 28 for charging by the communication unit using the time for exchanging data with the host device via the optical interface unit 5.

FIG. 4 is a view exemplifying a state in which the device body 1 is separated from the handle portion 3 and the adapter device 6. In the figure, an adapter device 6 converts an AC power source into a DC power source and supplies the DC power source to the apparatus main body 1, and a converter for converting an AC voltage into a DC voltage is provided inside.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, the groove portion 4 is formed in the apparatus main body 1.
2 is provided, and the handle portion 3 and the adapter device 6 are provided with an insertion portion 41.
And the handle portion 3 and the adapter device 6 are detachably attached to the device body 1.

By configuring the insertion portion of the adapter device 6 in the same manner as the handle portion 3, the handle portion 3 and the adapter device 6 can be exchanged.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining an example of the arrangement of the respective constituent elements arranged on the contact surfaces of the apparatus main body 1 and the grip portion 3 of the bar code scanner terminal device of the present invention.

In the figure, a power supply terminal 32 is provided on each of the separation surfaces 30 of the device body 1 and the handle portion 3, and power is supplied to the device body 1 from a battery built in the handle portion 3. .

When the apparatus main body 1 and the grip portion 3 are separated, the apparatus main body 1 is not supplied with power, so that a backup battery (not shown) incorporated in the apparatus main body 1 holds the program and data. .

Further, in this embodiment, the trigger switch 4
Is provided on the side surface of the handle portion 3, and the interface portion 5 is provided at the end portion of the handle portion 3.
It is configured to be separable from.

For this reason, the signal terminal 34 for notifying the apparatus body 1 from the handle portion 3 whether the trigger switch 4 has been pressed,
Also, an interface connector 36 for transmitting and receiving data between the device body 1 and the grip portion 3 is also formed on each separation surface 30.

However, the trigger switch 4 and the optical interface 5 as described above together with the handle 3 are provided in the apparatus main body 1.
Of course, it is not necessary to provide the signal terminal 34 and the interface connector 36 when they are not separated from each other.

In such a structure, when the AC power source is used, after the grip portion 3 is separated from the apparatus main body 1,
An adapter device 6, which is a feature of the present invention, is connected to the device body 1.

The construction of the connection surface 30 of the adapter device 6 may be substantially the same as the construction of the connection surface 30 of the handle portion 3, and the mounting structure may be similar to the mounting structure with the handle portion 3.

FIG. 6 is a view showing the external appearance when the adapter device 6 is connected to the device main body 1.

In this embodiment, the interface section 5 and the handle section 3 are removed. At this time, the tip of the cable 52 extending from the adapter device 6 may have an outlet plug (see FIG. 7) and may be configured to directly take power from an AC power source.

In such a configuration, an interface for exchanging information with an external device and a communication cable 51 (see FIG. 1C) may be provided separately from the power supply cable 52.

Alternatively, the cable 52 is used only for power supply, and the read barcode data is temporarily stored in a data memory (not shown) in the barcode scanner terminal device.

The accumulated data may be configured to communicate with a host device (not shown) via the interface section 5 of the handle section 3 when the adapter device 6 is replaced with the handle section 3. .

The power source may be connected to a host device (not shown) and the power source may be supplied via this host device. At this time, the cable 52 may include not only the power supply line but also a communication signal line with the host device.

Further, the bar code data may be directly transmitted to the host device each time the bar code is read, without storing the bar code data in the data memory in the bar code scanner terminal device. In this case, it has the same function as a general laser scanner.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the trigger switch 4 is removed together with the handle portion 3. However, in this case, the trigger switch 4 may be newly provided in the adapter device 6.

It is also possible to configure the adapter device 6 without the trigger switch 4 so that when the power source is connected, it is operated as a stationary scanner which constantly emits laser light and reads it. This is because an AC power supply is used, and it is not necessary to consider operating time due to battery consumption.

It is advantageous to use an optical interface as the interface because the reliability is improved and the data processing capacity is large.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of the present invention, showing a case where a stationary type adapter device 50 for AC power supply is connected to the bar code scanner terminal device body 1.

In the figure, the tip of the cable 52 extending from the adapter device 50 has an outlet plug structure so that power is directly taken from the AC power source. However, as described above, it is connected to the host device. Power may be supplied via the host.

The device body 1 is fixed by the adapter device 50, and the laser beam 54 emitted for reading the bar code is radiated with a constant amplitude in a constant direction of the space.

The bar code 56 printed on the product 55 is read by crossing the laser beam 54, and the data is stored in the data memory of the main part of the main body. It becomes possible to operate as such a stationary scanner / register, and an extremely small POS register system can be obtained.

[0067]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By configuring the power supply battery section of the bar code scanner terminal device and the main part of the device to be separable, and connecting the adapter device for AC power supply detachably instead of the power supply battery section, battery deterioration due to supplementary charging operation can be prevented. It is possible to prevent the increase of the running cost of the device and to reduce the weight of the device during operation.

Further, it is possible to operate the apparatus as a stationary type without providing a trigger switch and keeping the laser light of the light source constantly oscillated, and the operability is remarkably improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a barcode scanner terminal device.

FIG. 3 is an external view showing a configuration of a barcode scanner terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a structure of an attachment / detachment unit of the barcode scanner terminal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of the main parts of the attachment / detachment portion of the barcode scanner terminal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an external view when the adapter device is attached to the barcode scanner terminal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a stationary barcode scanner terminal device that is another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an external view of a conventional barcode scanner terminal device.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of supplementary charging operation of a barcode scanner terminal device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Device Main Body 2 Bar Code Reader 3 Handle 4 Trigger Switch 5 Interface 6 Adapter Device 11 Display 12 Key Input 27 Connector 28 Charging Terminal 30 Separation Surface 32 Power Terminal 34 Signal Terminal 36 Interface Connector 41 Insert 42 Groove 51 Communication cable 52 Cable 54 Laser light 55 Product 56 Bar code

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A device main body (1) comprising a bar code reading section (2) for reading bar code data by emitting light using a laser as a light source, and a display section (11) for displaying input data.
Handle with trigger switch (4) and built-in power supply battery
(3) The barcode scanner terminal device configured by (3), wherein the grip portion (3) is detachably attached. 2. A device body (1) in place of the handle portion (3)
Device with a trigger switch on the inside and a built-in power supply
The bar code scanner terminal device according to claim 1, wherein (6) is attachable. 3. The bar code scanner terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the adapter device (6) does not have a trigger switch and always emits laser light when power is supplied. 4. The handle part (3) and the adapter device (6) are an interface (5) for exchanging data with an external device.
4. The bar code scanner terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising: 5. The bar code scanner terminal device according to claim 4, wherein the interface (5) is an optical interface. 6. The bar code scanner terminal device according to claim 4, wherein data is directly exchanged with an external device without storing the bar code data in the storage section. 7. The bar code scanner terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the bar code scanner terminal device comprises a device body (1) and an adapter device (6) integrated with each other.