JPS6058242A - Bar code display method to specimen test tube - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable sure reading without complicating the structure of a reading apparatus, by specifying the direction of each bar of a bar code and a display region. CONSTITUTION:Each bar of a bar code 12 is directed to the circumferential direction of a specimen test tube 10 and the bar code 12 is displayed so that each bar almost goes round the test tube 10 and the bar arranging direction is directed to the pipe axis direction of the test tube 10. The bar code 12 may be directly recorded or printed on the test tube 10 but it is simple to stick on a preliminarily printed label.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for displaying barcodes on sample test tubes used in blood tests and the like.

BACKGROUND ART BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Blood tests are one of the most effective means of diagnosing patients, and institutions have also been established to perform these tests on their behalf. The organization that performs blood tests on behalf of the organization dispatches staff to each hospital, etc. to receive test tubes containing blood collected from patients, tests the blood in the test tubes, and notifies the hospital, etc. of the test results. do.

Since blood test agencies must receive a large number of sample test tubes from each hospital, test them, and report the results to the hospital, it is necessary to manage the sample test tubes individually. As an individual management means, it is sufficient to simply attach a label with the patient's name and hospital name written on it to the test tube, but this method is difficult to automatically process. That is, automatic recognition of the label is necessary for automatic processing, but automatic recognition of handwritten Chinese characters is troublesome.

Therefore, it is being considered to use barcodes attached to product packaging. In this case, the hospital name should be expressed as a code, a number should be attached to the patient, and these codes and numbers should be displayed in a barcode.Specifically, a barcode should be printed and a label should be attached to the sample test tube. become. FIG. 1 shows an example of such a barcode-displayed sample test tube, where 10 is the test tube, 12 is a barcode or a sample test tube.
- A label with a code printed on it.

In this method, each bar of the barcode is oriented in the direction of the tube axis, and the bar arrangement direction is oriented in the circumferential direction. As is well known, each barcode consists of a thin black line, a thick black line, a thin white line and a thick white line between these lines, and the combination of these lines represents the numbers 0.1.2.・・・・・・
...9 is expressed. Therefore, what is important is the arrangement of the bars, not the length of the bars. In the method shown in FIG. 1, the horizontal length of the barcode label is determined by the number to be displayed, but the vertical length may be short, and a small label can be used. However, when reading the barcode, it is necessary to correctly face the barcode reader, and if the barcode is only partially facing the barcode reader or facing away from the barcode reader, a reading error will occur. However, in the reading line, a large number of sample test tubes are sent in succession at appropriate intervals, and the barcode 'ch' of the passing sample test tube is sequentially read by the reader, so that the barcode is correctly facing the reader. It is difficult to guarantee that. Therefore, it has been proposed to rotate the test tube over the sample 8 placed in front of the reader. The code 1' can be read correctly no matter where the code is located on the circumference of the sample test tube. However, this method requires a test tube rotation mechanism, making the reading device structurally complex. Also, since the image is rotated, it takes a long time to read the image, making high-speed processing impossible.

It is possible to read the digit code in a correct manner by rotating the reader around the sample test tube or placing multiple readers around the sample test tube. However, both mechanisms are complex.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention aims to improve the above points, and aims to improve the barcode display method that allows accurate and reliable reading without complicating the structure of the reading device. It is.

Structure of the Invention The present invention provides a method for displaying a 71- code on a test tube for individual management of sample test tubes, in which the bar code is displayed on a test tube with each bar of the code facing in the circumferential direction. The circumference is characterized by being displayed over the entire circumference, which will be explained next with reference to examples.

Embodiment of the Invention FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the invention. 10 is a sample test tube;
12 is a barcode. As is clear from the comparison with Fig. 1, in Fig. 2 the bar code is arranged so that each bar of the barcode faces in the circumferential direction of the sample test tube, and that each bar extends ~1 week from the sample test tube. Display the barcode so that the direction is in the direction of the tube axis of the sample test tube. Although the barcode may be recorded or printed directly on the sample tube, it is easier to pre-print it and apply a pre-printed label. The length of the label in the lateral direction (in the direction in which the bar extends) is defined as I51) and is approximately equal to the circumferential length of the sample test tube (defined as L2).

Of course, if L1<L2, there will be a gap between both α111 of the attached label, and if 1>L2, there will be an overlap, but a slight gap or overlap will not particularly hinder reading.

Barcodes often also include the numbers they represent, and even if such numbers are included, humans can read them visually, which is advantageous if you don't have a good reader or if the reader is out of order. It is. FIGS. 3 and 4 show the /s+- code with the following numbers, 14 being the number. In Figure 3, the numbers 14 are displayed inside the barcode, lined up in the tube axis direction, and in Figure 4, the numbers 14 are displayed outside the barcode, lined up in the circumferential direction.

Figure 5 shows an outline of the automatic barcode reading line - (11). 16 is an automatic barcode reader, in front of which a large number of specimens 10 are read at intervals (, z, j type reading). The reader 16 is moved in the direction of the arrow.
: A 1-gram scanner is provided, and the code is scanned by swinging the beam 18 perpendicularly to the plane of the paper. The reflected light is received by a photoreceiver such as a phototransistor or a phototransistor, and the code is read. The hologram scale is equipped with a rotating disk in which a plurality of Fresnel zone plates (FZP) are arranged around the circumference, and a laser beam (reproduction light) is projected onto the FZP to scan the beam 18 in one line. In the invention, each bar of the barcode marked on the sample test tube extends in the circumferential direction or 51 times around the sample test tube, so no matter how the sample test tube is placed, Stapling-ζ) The reader 16 can correctly scan and read the barcode. It is not necessary to place the test tube so that the bar code faces the reader as in the sample test tube of FIG. Of course, it is not necessary to spin the test tube in front of the reader 16, and the structure of the reader can be simplified.

If numbers are written on the barcode, or if there is a gap or overlap at both ends of the pasted barcode reader, place them on the opposite side (back side) of the test tube from the reader 16 side. It's a good idea to put a test tube on it. Since the back side is not scanned, it can be placed anywhere as long as it is on the back side.Therefore, the above conditions are extremely lenient, and there is no problem even if the test tube position shifts during transportation. Furthermore, if the barcode is scanned and read multiple times while the sample test tube is being transferred, it becomes possible to read the barcode even if the numbers mentioned above are in the foreground.

As the reader 16, an appropriate reader can be used instead of a hologram scanner or the like. For example, a CCD line scanner, photogilead array, etc. may be used.
In this case, an optical system forms an image of the bar code on these two, and electrical scanning is performed to read it every 1[K].

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, as described above, 1) a reliable half-code can be obtained by simply displaying the code on the sample test tube in such a way that the bar is oriented in the circumferential direction and that the bar rotates around the sample tube once and for all. This makes it possible to read 5 cards and simplify the reading mechanism.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the conventional system, and Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the inventive system, in which (8) is a side view and (bl is an end view). A side view showing an example of
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the automatic barcode reading line. In the drawing, IO is a sample test tube, 12 is a barcode, and 16 is a reader. Applicant Fujitsu Automation Ltd. Representative Patent Attorney Minoru Aoyagi Figure 3 541-1-18 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] +11 In a method of displaying a barcode on a test tube for individual management of the sample test tube, each bar of the barcode is oriented in the circumferential direction so that the barcode is displayed on the circumference of the test tube. This is a barcode display method that is characterized by displaying the entire barcode. (2) Barcode display on a sample test tube according to claim 1, characterized in that the barcode is recorded on a label, and the label is affixed to the entire circumference of the test tube. Method.