JPS6116374A - Optical reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the burden of an operator and to simplify the read operation and to improve the read precision by controlling automatically light emission of a light emitting part by a processing part. CONSTITUTION:The bar code signal outputted by moving a read pen 2 on a bar code 1 is inputted to a processing part 6 through a signal forming part 5 and is converted to a code signal. this code signal is sent to a display control circuit 7, and a character or symbol corresponding to the code signal is displayed on a display device 8. A switch 9 is provided between a lamp 3 and a power source E, and this switch 9 is controlled by the output of the processing part 6 to control lighting/extinction of the lamp 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field] The present invention relates to an optical reading device that reads information by irradiating a member to be read with light.

[Prior Art] A reading pen of a parcode reader that reads a barcode from a member to be read on which a barcode is optically recorded always includes a light emitting section for optically irradiating the barcode.

Conventionally, this light emitting section was always emitting light, but as reading pens have come to be connected to battery-powered data processing devices, in order to save power consumption, the light emitting section has been made to emit light at all times. A manual switch is provided for control, and the operator operates the switch to emit light only when necessary. In this case, before starting to scan the barcode with the reading pen, the operator must press the light-emitting switch to cause the light-emitting part to emit light, and then scan, which complicates the operation and affects the scanning speed. , these had an adverse effect on the reading rate of large code data. Furthermore, when the light emitting switch is pressed, asynchronous chattering occurs, which has an adverse effect on the decoding circuit that decodes the read code signal.

[Purpose] The present invention eliminates the light-emitting switch of the barcode reader, which was conventionally operated manually by the operator, and automatically controls it in the processing section, thereby reducing the burden on the operator and making it possible to perform scanning with the barcode reader. The purpose is to eliminate the effects of chattering caused by switches.

[Example] In Fig. 1, the symbol ■ is an optically formed barcode, and as shown in Fig. 2, narrow black and white bands SB and SW and wide black and white bands are shown. It is composed of a combination of white bands WB and WW. Reference numeral 2 indicates a reading pen for reading barcodes, and its tip houses a lamp 3 driven by a power source E, and irradiates the barcode 1 with light from the lamp 3 and receives the reflected light. A photoelectric conversion element 4 such as a transistor is housed therein for converting the photovoltaic signal into an electrical signal.

Therefore, by moving the reading pen 2 over the barcode 1, a barcode signal having a level change in response to the barcode is output on the signal line SL, but this barcode signal includes a differentiating circuit, etc. The signal forming section 5 converts it into a change signal that notifies the level change point of the barcode signal. That is, this change signal is output by the reading pen 2 in correspondence with the point where the barcode changes from black to white or from white to black, and is converted by the processing unit 6 into a code signal of characters, symbols, etc. By sending the signal to the display control circuit 7, the display 8 displays characters corresponding to the code signal,
Show symbols. A switch 9 is provided between the lamp 3 and the power source E, and blinking of the lamp 3 is controlled by controlling this switch 9 by the output of the processing section 6. 6
The processing section shown by is composed of a microcomputer,
A part of it includes a counter 6-1 and a memory memory 6-2.
and ROM6-3. A part of this microcomputer 6 further includes an address bus 6 as shown in FIG.
-4 and decodes the addresses D1 and D2 sent by this address bus 6-4, the latch circuit 10 is set by the output of the address decoder 6-5. , address decoder 6
-6 output resets the latch circuit 10.

This latch circuit 10 turns on the switch 9 with its set output.
Set to N, and set to OFF in the reset state.

A control program is stored in ROM6-3.
It is controlled as shown in FIG. That is, when some other work is completed in step S1, the buffer 6-2 is cleared in step S2, and then, in step S3, the operator is notified that the reading pen can be operated. This notification is performed by, for example, lighting a lamp (not shown) provided on the main body.

By turning on the switch 9 in step S4, the lamp 3 of the reading pen 2 is turned on, the counter 6-1 is started in step S5, and it is determined in step S6 whether a signal change appears on the signal line SG. .

If the signal changes, the process proceeds to step S7, and it is determined whether the count value N of the counter is larger than the number nl. If the signal does not change, the process proceeds to step S8, and the count value N is determined.
is larger than the number n2. Here, the number nl is when the operator scans the reading pen 2 at a normal speed.
This corresponds to a sufficient time for the reading pen 2 to pass through the widest barcode signal WB or WW, and n2 corresponds to a sufficient time for determining that the reading pen 2 has been left unused. The relationship n 1 << n 2 exists. Therefore, in step S7, when it is determined that the reading pen 2 is scanning the barcode section BC, it is determined in step S9 whether it has changed from white to black or from black to white on the signal line SG. Distinguish by the polarity of the signal. When it is determined that black has changed to white, the count value corresponds to the length of black, so the count value is stored as BN in the buffer 6-2 in step S10, and then the counter 6-1 is reset. , when changing from white to black, the count value corresponds to the length of white, so
After storing the count value as WN in the buffer 6-2 in step S12, the counter 6-2 is stored in step S12.
Reset 1.

If nl≦N in step S7, it is assumed that the reading pen 2 has entered the barcode area after scanning the blank area on the left side of the barcode BC or the blank area BD between the barcodes. Determine and perform step 5 above.
After resetting the counter 6-1 by step S12, the process returns to step S5.

If the signal change does not occur, the process waits for the signal change to occur in steps S6 and S8, and if this waiting time exceeds a time corresponding to a predetermined time n2, the process proceeds to step 313.
Then, the switch 9 is turned OFF in order to turn off the lamp 3.

[Effects] As described above, according to the present invention, the light emission of the light emitting part is automatically controlled, which reduces the burden on the operator, simplifies the reading operation, and improves the reading accuracy. It is possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an optical reader according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view showing a bar code, FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the processing section, and FIG. 4 is a control flowchart. Here, 1... barcode, 2... reading pen, 3...
...Lamp, 6-1...Counter, 6-2.../<
Enofa, 6-3...ROM.

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an optical reading device that irradiates a member to be read with light emitted from an issuing unit, photoelectrically converts the light obtained from the member to be read, and sends the photoelectrically converted light to a processing unit, where the processing unit reproduces the read information. An optical reading device characterized in that light emission of the light emitting section is controlled by a section.