JPS5840434Y2 - Portable optical character recognition device - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the idea] The present invention relates to a portable optical character recognition device.

A small hand-held optical character recognition device capable of manual alphanumeric scanning is described in US Pat.

An optical character recognition device that can be used in handheld devices is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,075,605, entitled "Character Recognition Device."

The hand-held device described in the patent specification is U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,687, "Portable OCR Wand Device"
It is used in the portable optical character recognition device described in .

The portable device described in this patent specification is lightweight and is capable of checking the inventory of products to determine the quantity of the products on hand.
or can be transported from one location to another to suit purposes such as reading labels on stored goods.

One drawback of this portable device is that it has the shape of a briefcase.

And in instances where the data on the document or label is such that it cannot be read by an optical character reader, if the user attempts to manually enter data into the handheld device using a keyboard, the user will generally be required to use a wand. You must stop inside and place this bag on the table or floor.

Information displayed on a control console display is inconvenient to view unless it is flat on a tabletop or other surface.

According to the present invention, a full data entry optical character recognition wand, in which a keyboard and a display are attached to an optical scanning device, can be used in conjunction with a portable character recognition device that is lightweight and can be carried on the shoulder like a women's band bag. and use it.

This portable character recognition device is battery operated, very lightweight, and can be easily moved from one location to another.

If the data on the label or document cannot be read by the optical character recognition device, the user simply enters the information via the wand's keyboard and confirms correct input via the display, which is also mounted on the wand. .

A feature of this all data entry wand 1 is that it is convenient to use with either the right or left hand.

The wand's optical character reading head is reversible in that it can be rotated 1800 times for convenient use in either the right or left hand.

The basic feature of this wand is that the reading, input, and display capabilities are all within the handheld device.

The information read optically or entered with a keyboard is transmitted to a lightweight processing unit, where it is processed and recorded on magnetic tape for further use.

When this information is properly read, it is recorded on a cassette tape for later further processing.

If the item you are trying to read is torn or dirty, or if the information cannot be read by an optical device but is readable by a person, you can enter the information into this device using a keyboard and use the keyboard to input the information. Check directly on the display directly above.

Another feature of the invention is that the reading head of the wand can be rotated 1800 times when the wand is to be used, for example in the left hand.

This can be done by lifting and turning the head and then placing the head against the top of the case containing the keyboard and display.

Distortion-free rotation that allows the head to rotate 180° within the body of the reader without undue wear or damage to the connections between the display, keyboard and remaining electronics of the optical recognition device. Connection is possible.

This optical recognition device is equipped with an illumination lamp at its tip that is used to illuminate the material to be read.

Also associated with the head is a switch-on control device that shuts off power to the basic electronic recognition device when the reading amplification device is not in use.

The infrared signal travels from the emitter sensor towards the document,
It is then necessary to return to the emitter sensor.

For this purpose, a light pipe is provided at the tip of the reader.

The light pipe allows the tip to be removed and the illumination to be changed without the need for electrical connections between the tip and the remainder of the readhead.

Without a light pipe, an electrical connection must be made between the body of the reader and the tip section by locating the emitter sensor within the tip section.

Embodiments of the portable optical character recognition device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a full data entry optical character recognition wand and data entry device according to the present invention.

The hand-held device 1 is attached to the stain hole recognition device 2 by a cable 3.

The electronic recognition device 2 is designed to accommodate a magnetic tape cassette 4.

Each switch 5, 6 is used to energize and control other functions of the device.

The recognition device 2 comprises a strap connected to a connector 7 (only one of which is illustrated).

The hand-held device 1 is shown in more detail in FIG.

The hand-held device 1//i consists of a reading head 13 with a tip portion 14 attached by a rotating screw 15.

Data is entered on the keyboard 11 by means of keys 16.

Information input to this recognition device is displayed on the display 12.

When the handheld device 1 is in the process of reading or processing data, the indicator light 11 lights up, indicating that the recognition device is working.

The read head 13 is shown in more detail in FIG.

The read head 13 comprises a 12.times.38 self-scanning electronic array that focuses information read from a medium, such as a document or any printed matter, such as a tag, label, etc., onto a lens.

Lamps DS1, DS2 illuminate the document for reading.

Control circuitry is used to conserve energy and shut off power to most of the recognition device while the reader head 13 is not actually reading a document.

An ivy sensor 19 is provided for this control circuit.

When the document is read more and more, an infrared signal is emitted from the emitter sensor 19 and the light pipe (light pipe) is emitted.
ipe ) 18 to the document and emitter sensor 1
9 through the light pipe 18.

However, if the document is not in close proximity to read head 13, the infrared signal will not be reflected and emitter sensor 19 will not be energized.

Such a control device is described in US Pat. No. 4,072,859.

During a read cycle, the self-scanning electronic array clocks the cell clock driver (
cell clock driver) and row clock driver
) is continuously scanned and operated.

For synchronization of this recognition device, an end-of-frame signal (EOF) is required.
A synchronization signal is created by combining the EOL signal and the end-of-line signal (EOL signal) in the buffer synchronization logic and sent back to the simple device.

Video output from the self-scanning electronic array is also sent back to the recognition device.

Status lamp LED 171/i lights up when data is being processed using this recognition device.

The transmitting signal line and the receiving signal line transmit and receive and receive signals to the emitter sensor or transmitting/receiving device 19 when a document is being read or is within the vicinity of the tip of the reading head. It is connected to the vine sensor 19 so as to give instructions on the movement.

The keyboard and display circuitry is illustrated in block diagram form in FIG.

Using a 4-pit microprocessor, it receives and takes information entered from the keyboard, returns it to the electronic recognition device, puts it into the keyboard, reads it with the reading head, and sends the information processed by the recognition device to the display. Le.

Five lines are required to enter the keyboard display.

These lines are the battery power line, the ground line, and the three lines that communicate between the four-pit microprocessor and the recognition device electronics.

The keyboard and display circuits are standard available devices commonly used in hand-held calculators, for example.

The four-pit microprocessor may be, for example, a Texas Instruments TMS microprocessor chip.

Communication between the keyboard, display, and recognition device 2 is carried out using a serial message format.

The recognition device 2 comprises a Fairchild F'-8 microprocessor such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,687.

The transmission of data from the recognition device 2 to the keyboard display consisting of a keyboard and a display is initiated by raising each data line to the logic value l.

The TMS1200 installed in the keyboard display device is 6m long.
8 clock pulses with a period of 5 ec are generated to strobe data from the recognizer 2 to the keyboard display.

Table 1 shows the message codes sent to the TMS 1200.

The keystroke data is sent to the recognition device 2 in interrupt mode, with the MSB (most significant pit) being sent first.

The ATTN key code is all 1 and is used to activate the recognition device into the operating state when it is in the power saving state.

An interrupt strobe causes power to be pulled up and held for 2 seconds after the last keystroke.

Table 2 shows the various types of key codes sent to the recognition device.

The read head 13 can be rotated 1800 turns to point either to the left or to the right (not shown) as shown in FIG. It's Nishide.

Between the axis of rotation through which the cable 3 connects the recognition device 2 to the reading head 13 and the keyboard display device, it is necessary to provide a flexible connection, ie a connection that allows 1800 rotations relative to each other. be.

This is accomplished by connecting the plug 22 to a receptacle 28 (FIG. 7) provided in a recessed portion on the rotating shaft.

One end of the wire 23 is connected to the plug 22, one end of the rotating shaft is connected, and the other end is connected to each terminal of the circuit board.

A keyboard and display parts are attached to this circuit board.

Five lines are required, including the battery connection (positive and ground), the input/output line used for communication between the keyboard display device and the recognition device 2, and the clock data line.

The uppermost part of the rotational unit of the shaft is provided with a spring piece which holds the read head 13 in contact with the uppermost part of the body 20.

To rotate the reading head 13, read 9D head 1.
3 in a direction away from the main body 20 and turn it.

At the end of the rotation, the spring piece pulls the reading head 13 back to its original position and places the reading head 13 against the body 20.

Accidental rotation of the read head 13 causes the read head 13 to rotate when the read head 13 is in its lower position.
This is prevented by a display housing extending upwardly to one side of the display.

The read head 13 must be pulled above the display housing before it can be rotated.

A more detailed structure of the rotation unit (used to specify the second and third levels of the multi-level purpose key) is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 7, plug 22 is shown mating with connector 28 within recess 30. In FIG.

A spring piece (not shown) is located in place of the shaft portion 25, the lead wire 27 extends into the read head 13 and is connected to the electronics therein, and the other end extends out and connects the recognition device 2. is connected to via cable 3 and plug 26.

Instead of the cable 3, a transceiver device can be used in the hand-held device and the recognition control device.

Since the compact data relay transmitter/receiver is well known, a detailed explanation will be omitted.

The light pipe used in conjunction with the switch on/off circuit is shown in more detail in FIGS. 8 and 9.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of this light pipe, and FIGS. 9a and 9b are a side view and a plan view of the light pipe, respectively.

Such light pipes typically use multiple bundles of optical fibers.

However, such light pipes cannot be produced in large quantities at low cost.

The illustrated light pipe is made by injection molding acrylic plastic.

A light pipe is a homogeneous material unlike some glass fibers.

The molding has a finish of 16 microinches or more to provide a mirror finish on each side of the light pipe.

One drawback of this type of light pipe is that it requires only one inexpensive component to perform its function.

Each surface of the light pipe is highly polished to create substantial total internal reflection.

Light energy within the light pipe is thus directed from the inlet to the outlet with relatively low losses.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, energy from transceiver 19 is directed to the document via light pipe 18, and reflected energy is transmitted back to transceiver 19 via light pipe 18.

The transceiver device 19 is added to the main read head frame, while the light pipe 18 is provided within the frustum-shaped tip.

The light pipe 18 can be removed from the tip portion without providing any electrical connection between the tip, end portion, and main reading head body.

Light pipes can be used without coherent light when the energy source or receiver is located at a remote location.

To avoid other surfaces contacting the outer wall of the light pipe and interfering with the internal reflections of the wall, a mating piece 29 is formed on each side of the light pipe 18 to avoid contact between the wall and the surrounding structure. Prevent unusual contact.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed to a hand-held data entry device that reads data optically.

When the data cannot be read optically, this same device with a keyboard is used to encode the data into the recognition device.

The encoded data will be displayed for confirmation.

This hand-held device can be used with either the left or right hand.
The reading head is rotated 180° so that the head faces either to the right or to the left of the keyboard display body.

A device is provided in the main body to release the twist between the head main bodies due to the rotation of the head without damaging the mutual connection.

Of course, this invention can be modified in various ways without departing from its spirit.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the character recognition device of the present invention;
The figure is an enlarged plan view of the hand-held device part of the device in Figure 1,
The figure is a block diagram of the basic electronic equipment in the head section of the hand-held device shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the keyboard and display of the hand-held device shown in FIG. 2, and FIG.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view showing the main body of the hand-held device shown in FIGS. FIG. 8 is a side view of the rotating device, partially broken away to show the interconnections between the internal circuits of the handheld device, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the light pipe used to send control signals to and from the document. , No. 9
Figures a and 9b are a plan view and a side view, respectively, of the light pipe of Figure 8. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Hand-held device, 2...Mobile box device, 3...Cable, 11...Keyboard, 12...Display device, 1
3...Reading head, 18...Light pipe, 19.
...Transmitting/receiving device, 25...shaft part, 27...profit.

Claims (4)

[Scope of utility model registration request] (1) An optical scanner a that generates an electrical signal representing scanned data, a keyboard b, a display C, and a first
A hand-held device A that stores a second processor d, and a portable button device B that stores a second processor e that includes an optical character recognition device. Processor d of 1 inputs the information entered manually from keyboard b and sends it to the optical character recognition device, which processes this and then sends it to display C, and then (ro ) A portable optical character recognition device, wherein a second processor C is electrically coupled to process the signals generated by the scanner a and send the resulting information to a display C. (2) Store the scanner a in the head part of the handheld device A,
The portable optical character recognition device according to item 1) above, wherein a keyboard b, a display C, and a first processor d are housed in the main body part, and the head part is rotatably added to the main body part. (3) The head portion and the main body portion are rotatably coupled to each other via a shaft piece fixed to the main body portion and extending into the head portion, and the head portion and the main body portion are connected to the shaft portion. the pieces being held in abutting relationship by cooperating spring pieces, and having electrical wires extending through the shaft pieces and into each piece to permit mutual rotation of the head and body parts; The portable optical character recognition device according to (2). (4) The portable optical character recognition device according to item (3), wherein a removed portion is provided in the central circumferential direction of the shaft piece so that an electrical connector can be attached thereto.