JPH08123890A - Bar code reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To improve the read accuracy of a bar code with simple constitution by providing the read part of the bar code freely movably forwards and backwards for an object to be read to which the bar code is attached and pressurizing the read part to the side of the object to be read. CONSTITUTION: This bar code reader 21 is provided with a main body part 22 for incorporating a mechanism for reading the bar code printed near the front end part and the rear end part of a ticket 5 such as an airline ticket or the like as the object to be read and a metal fitting 25 for supporting the main body part 22 freely swings to the frame 12 of a ticket issuing machine with a fulcrum shaft 26 as a center and supports the read part 23 movably forwards and backwards in an approximately vertical direction. The lower end part of a leg piece part 27 projected from the metal fitting 25 pivotally supports a abutment roller 28 freely rotatably and the abutment roller 28 is elastically abutted on the upper surface of the ticket 5 of a top layer inside a hopper 11. Thus, at the time of reading the bar code by the read part 23 while sending out the ticket 5 one by one by a carrier roller 16, a distance between the bar code and the read part 23 is kept fixed at all times.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bar code reader provided in, for example, a ticket issuing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a bar code reader 1 shown in FIG. 4 is known. This barcode reader 1
Is provided in the ticket issuing machine 2. The ticket issuing machine 2 is housed in the frame 3a of the hopper 3, and one ticket 5 mounted on the bottom plate 3c moved up and down by the fork 3b is conveyed by the conveying roller 6. It is designed to extend to the front one by one. And
The bar code reader 1 is fixed to the frame 3a of the hopper 3 at a position above the front side of the hopper 3, and the bar code reader 1a is provided on the lower surface of the bar code reader 1. ing. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the ticket 5 has bar codes 7 and 8 printed near the front end and the rear end of one side along the longitudinal direction, respectively.

Then, the hopper 3 and the carrying roller 6
Is operated to send the ticket 5 while the frame 3a of the hopper 3 is being operated.
By the reading unit 1a of the bar code reading device 1 fixed to
The bar codes 7 and 8 of the ticket 5 are read.

However, in the above conventional structure, the bar code reading device 1 is fixedly attached to the frame 3a of the hopper 3, so that the bar code is caused by the wrinkles of the ticket 5, the stacking amount of the ticket 5, and the like. There is a problem in that the distance between the reading unit 1a of the reading device 1 and the barcodes 7 and 8 of the ticket 5 becomes uneven, and the reading accuracy of the barcodes 7 and 8 decreases.

Further, for example, a bar code reader disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-307635 is known.
In this bar code reading device, the bar code attached to the pallet conveyed on the conveyor is read by the reading unit of the bar code reading device fixed above the conveyor. The bar code reading device is provided with an elevating device that elevates and lowers the pallet with the bar code, and the bar code reading position can be changed by elevating and lowering the pallet.

However, this Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-30763
The configuration described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5 requires an elevating device that elevates and lowers a pallet with a bar code, which increases the size and complexity of the device and also increases the distance between the reading unit of the bar code reading device and the bar code. Change significantly, and the bar code reading accuracy may be degraded.

[0007]

As described above, in the structure in which the bar code reading device 1 is fixedly attached to the frame 3a of the hopper 3, the bar code reading device is caused by the wrinkles and the stacking amount of the ticket 5. There is a problem in that the distance between the reading unit 1a of 1 and the barcodes 7 and 8 of the ticket 5 becomes uneven, and the reading accuracy of the barcodes 7 and 8 decreases. Further, in the configuration described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-307635, an elevating device for elevating a pallet having a bar code is required, so that the device becomes large and complicated, and the reading unit of the bar code reading device is required. However, there is a problem that the reading accuracy of the bar code may be reduced due to a large change in the distance between the bar code and the bar code.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a bar code reading apparatus capable of improving the bar code reading accuracy with a simple structure.

[0009]

A bar code reading device of the present invention is a bar code reading device for reading a bar code attached to a moving object to be read, wherein the bar is provided so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the object to be read. A reading unit that reads the code,
An abutting part connected to the reading part and abutting on the object to be read and a pressing means for pressing the reading part toward the object to be read are provided.

[0010]

In the bar code reading apparatus of the present invention, the reading section for reading the bar code is provided so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the object to be read with the bar code, and the reading section is read by the pressing means. It is pressed to the object side. Therefore, when the object to be read with the bar code moves, the contact portion connected to the reading unit is held in contact with the object to be read, and the reading unit moves back and forth according to the object to be read, The distance between the reading unit of the barcode reading device and the barcode of the read object is kept constant.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction of an embodiment of the bar code reader of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 3, reference numeral 5 denotes a ticket such as an air ticket as an object to be read. The ticket 5 has a front end portion and a rear end portion along one side portion in the longitudinal direction on the back surface side. Bar codes 7 and 8 are provided by printing or the like. In addition,
A magnetic stripe 9 is provided on the ticket 5 along the barcodes 7 and 8.

Further, in FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 11 denotes a hopper which constitutes a ticket issuing machine, and the hopper 11 is housed inside the frame 12 and a substantially box-shaped frame 12 having an open top surface. , A bottom plate 15 that is moved up and down by a vertically moving fork 14. And on the upper surface of this bottom plate 15,
A plurality of tickets 5 are stacked and mounted with the back side facing upward.

On the upper side of the hopper 11, the transport roller 16
Is provided, and is pressed against the uppermost ticket 5 to pay out the tickets 5 one by one to the front side.

Then, on the upper side of the hopper 11, there are conveyance rollers.
A sensor 17 including a roller provided with a micro switch is provided adjacent to the rear side of 16. Then, the sensor 17 detects the height position of the upper surface of the ticket 5, controls the ascending / descending amount of the fork 14 to maintain the height position of the upper surface of the ticket 5 that is sequentially fed out substantially constant, and It is designed to prevent tilting of the.

Further, above the hopper 11, this hopper is
Located near the front end of 11, the bar code reader 21
Is provided. And this bar code reader 21
Is the main body with a built-in mechanism for reading barcodes 7 and 8.
A reading section 23 is provided on the lower surface of the main body section 22 near the front end section thereof so as to face the barcodes 7 and 8. The main body 22 is attached to and supported by the metal fitting 25. The metal fitting 25 is swingably attached to the frame 12 about a fulcrum shaft 26 located at the rear of the main body 22, and the reading unit 23 is supported so as to be able to advance and retreat substantially vertically. A leg piece portion 27 is provided so as to project downward from the metal fitting 25, and a contact roller 28 as a contact portion is rotatably supported by a lower end portion of the leg piece portion 27. There is. Further, an arm portion 31 is projected from the metal fitting 25 toward the front side of the reading portion 23, and a spring body 33 as a pressing means is provided between the arm portion 31 and the frame 12 of the hopper 11.
Is attached. The spring body 33 urges the frame 12 downward via the arm portion 31, and the contact roller 28 elastically contacts the upper surface of the uppermost ticket 5.

In this way, in the bar code reading device 21 of the present embodiment, the contact roller 28 is used when the bar codes 7 and 8 are read by the reading unit 23 while feeding the tickets 5 one by one by the conveying roller 16. Elastically abuts on the upper surface of the uppermost ticket 5, the reading unit 23 is moved up and down in accordance with the ticket 5, and the barcodes 7 and 8 printed on the ticket 5 and the reading unit.
The distance to 23 can always be kept constant regardless of the surface condition and position of the ticket 5.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, since the distance between the barcodes 7 and 8 printed on the ticket 5 and the reading unit 23 can be kept constant at all times, the reading accuracy of the barcodes 7 and 8 can be improved.
The reading sensitivity can be improved.

Further, since the contact roller 28 elastically contacts the ticket 5, even if the ticket 5 has a wrinkle or a warp, the bar code 7 or 8 can be accurately read by extending the wrinkle or the warp. In addition, it is possible to prevent the reading unit 23 from bouncing.

Further, in this bar code reading device 21,
Since a complicated driving device or control device for moving the reading unit 23 up and down is unnecessary, the device can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the metal fitting 25 for supporting the reading unit 23 is swingably supported by the fulcrum shaft 26, for example, the reading unit 23
The number of parts can be reduced, the structure can be simplified, the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the fulcrum axis 26 Since it is supported, it can be moved forward and backward with little blur, and the reading accuracy can be improved.

In the above embodiment, the spring body 33 is used as the pressing means. However, other elastic bodies may be used, and the weight of the reading section 23 or the weight body is used as the pressing means. The reading unit 23 and the contact roller 28 can be pressed downward.

Further, the contact roller 28 is not provided at the tip of the leg piece portion 27 of the metal fitting 25, and the leg piece portion 27 is directly or
A member provided at the tip of 27 can be slid or slid on the ticket 5.

Further, the bar code reading device of the present invention can be applied to a reading device for reading a bar code attached to an object other than the ticket 5 such as an airline ticket.

[0025]

According to the bar code reader of the present invention,
Since the reading unit for reading the bar code is provided so as to be movable back and forth with respect to the object to be read with the bar code, and the reading unit is pressed toward the object to be read by the pressing means, the object with the bar code is attached. When the object to be read moves, the contact portion connected to the reading unit is held in contact with the object to be read,
Since the reading unit moves back and forth according to the object to be read, the distance between the reading unit of the barcode reading device and the barcode of the object to be read can be kept constant, and the reading accuracy of the barcode can be improved. In addition, it is not necessary to provide a complicated control device or drive device, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced with a simple configuration.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a bar code reading device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the above barcode reader.

FIG. 3 is a back view of a ticket with a barcode.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a conventional barcode reading device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Ticket as an object to be read 7 Bar code 21 Bar code reading device 23 Reading unit 28 Abutting roller as abutting unit 33 Spring body as a pressing unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A bar code reading device for reading a bar code attached to a moving object to be read, the reading unit being provided so as to be capable of advancing and retracting with respect to the object to be read, and reading a bar code, and being connected to the reading unit. A bar code reading device comprising: an abutting portion that comes into contact with the object to be read; and a pressing unit that presses the reading unit toward the object to be read.