JPS63278187A - Optical reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve reading accuracy by dividing laser beam emitted from an optical scanner into plural pieces to emit them. CONSTITUTION:The laser beam L emitted from a laser tube 6 passes through the small hole 7a of a first mirror 7, is reflected with a second mirror 8 and made incident on the optical scanner 11. The laser beam incident on the optical scanner 11 is polarized by a hologram disk 3 rotating at high speed, oscillated with prescribed number of times in prescribed plural directions in a prescribed pattern and emitted. The emitted laser beam is further reflected with a third mirror 9, is made incident on an optical means 5, divided by a translucent mirror 16, a part thereof is reflected L1, the other part is transmitted through the translucent mirror 16, reflected L2 with a total reflection mirror 17 and emitted externally of the scanner through a transparent window 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Summary] Optical means for dividing the laser beam emitted by the optical scanning device into a plurality of beams and emitting the beams is provided to expand the scanning area and improve the reliability of scanning.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention is PO3 (Point Of 5ales)
The present invention relates to an optical reader used in a system to read barcodes attached to products.

In recent years, with the spread of computer network systems, stationary optical reading devices for PO8 terminals have been used in department stores, supermarkets, and the like.

The optical reading device is installed at a payment counter and operated by a clerk or the like to read a label affixed to a product or a bar code directly printed on the product.

The barcode displays the product number, product name, product price, etc. When the optical reader reads the barcode, the read prices are displayed one after another on the display of the electronic register, and the final total is totaled by pressing a button. The amount will be displayed.

In addition to register functions, electronic registers also function as data input devices for information management systems that send sales information for each product online to a computer center for comprehensive product management such as sales aggregation, inventory management, and purchasing management. It is flat.

Therefore, there is a demand for improved barcode reading accuracy in optical reading devices.

[Conventional technology]

As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 3, a supermarket checkout operator 1 uses an optical reader to move the products 2 with barcodes 3 from one basket to the other at the counter in the direction of the arrow ■ without stopping them. It passes over the transparent window 5 of No. 4 within a predetermined dimension.

Then, the light emitted from the optical reader 4 through the transparent window 5 scans the barcode 3 attached to the product 2, and the reflected light returns along the same path and is sent to the optical reader 4 as a signal.
It is read with.

As shown in the side sectional view of FIG. 4, the optical reading device 4 includes a laser tube 6, mirrors 7 to 10, and an optical scanning device 11.
The laser light emitted from the laser tube 6 passes through the small hole 7a of the first mirror 7, and passes through the small hole 7a of the first mirror 7.
The light is reflected by the mirror 8 and enters the optical scanning device 11 .

The optical scanning device 11 consists of a hologram disk 13 and a motor 14 that rotates the hologram disk 13 at high speed.
The incident laser beam I5 is polarized by the diffraction phenomenon of the hologram disk 13, and then emitted, and is further passed through the third mirror 9.
The light is then reflected by the fourth mirror 10 and is emitted to the outside of the apparatus through the transparent window 5.

The emitted laser beam generates an intersecting scanning pattern as shown in FIG. 5 by rotating the hologram disk 13 at a high speed, and is swung in a predetermined number of directions in a plurality of predetermined directions.

The laser beam L' reflected and diffused by the barcode 3 travels in the opposite direction along the same optical path as the one it came through, and the reflected light from the other surfaces of the first mirror 7 except for the small hole 7a is reflected. is read by the reading element 12.

The reading element 12 converts this reflected light into an electrical signal to read the barcode 3.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Although barcodes are read as described above, it is necessary to scan the barcode as many times as possible in order to achieve high reliability (reading).

For this purpose, a hologram disk that can easily generate complex patterns is used, but the area to be scanned is limited and there is a problem that it cannot meet the requirements for higher reliability.

[Means for solving problems]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of an optical reading device of the present invention.

In the present invention, an optical means 15 is provided for dividing the laser beam emitted by the optical scanning device 1 into a plurality of beams and emitting the divided beams.

[Effect]

The scanning area of the laser beam emitted to the outside of the apparatus is expanded by the optical means, and the number of scanning lines is multiplied.

Identical parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout the figures.

The optical reading device # in the present invention is equipped with an optical means 15 that divides the laser beam emitted by the optical scanning device 11 into a plurality of beams and emits them, thereby expanding the scanning area and improving the reliability of reading. It is.

That is, as shown in the side cross-sectional view of the configuration of the optical means 15 in FIG. and enters the optical scanning device 11.

The laser light incident on the optical scanning device 11 is polarized by a hologram disk 13 rotating at high speed, and is emitted after being swung in a predetermined pattern in a predetermined number of directions.

The emitted laser beam is further reflected by the third mirror 9 and then enters the optical means 15.

As shown in the figure, the optical means 15 includes a semi-transparent mirror 16 arranged opposite to the emitted laser beam, and a total reflection mirror 17 arranged in parallel at the rear of the semi-transparent mirror 16 with a gap therebetween. The incident laser light is divided by the semi-transparent mirror 16, and one part is reflected as shown in Ll, and the other part is transmitted through the semi-transparent mirror 16 and reflected by the total reflection mirror 7 as shown in L2.

The laser beams 1-+ and L2 are then emitted to the outside of the apparatus through the transparent window 5.

Alternatively, as in another embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the optical means 15'' of the optical reading device 21'' has a semi-transparent surface 18 facing the emitted laser beam, and the semi-transparent surface 18 is attached to the rear of the semi-transparent surface 1B. Mirror 20 with a total reflection surface 19 opposite to surface 18
It may be.

The laser light reflected and diffused by the barcode 3 travels in the opposite direction along the same optical path as the one it traveled through, as in the conventional technology.
The reading element 12 reads the reflected light 7'' of the mirror 7.

With this configuration, the number of scanning lines of the laser beam emitted outside the apparatus is doubled, such as L1 and L2, and the scanning area is also enlarged, so that barcode reading accuracy is dramatically improved.

The optical means 15 has been described for a combination of two mirrors, one semi-transparent mirror and one total reflection mirror. The area may be increased.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, by applying the optical reading device of the present invention, reading accuracy is greatly improved, such as by increasing the number of scanning lines and expanding the scanning area, resulting in great industrial effects. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of an optical reading device according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the structure of another embodiment of the optical reading device tti of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the structure of a conventional optical reading device, and FIG. 5 is a scanning pattern opening. In the figure, 2 is the product, 3 is the barcode, and 4.21.
21 is an optical reading device, 5 is a transparent window, 6 is a laser tube, 7 is a first mirror, 7a is a small hole, 8 is a second mirror, 9 is a third mirror, ]0 is a fourth mirror
11 is an optical scanning device, 12 is a reading element,
13 is a hologram disk, 14 is a motor,
15 is an optical means, 16 is a semi-transparent mirror, 17
is a total reflection mirror, 18 is a semi-transparent surface, 19 is a total reflection surface, 9. Mentoro Figure 3

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) Optical reading device that emits laser light from the laser tube (6) inside the device to the outside of the device using the optical scanning device (11), irradiates it onto the scanning surface of the object to be scanned, and reads the reflected light. An optical reading device comprising an optical means (15) for dividing the laser beam emitted from the optical scanning device (11) into a plurality of beams and emitting the divided beams. (2) The optical means (15) has a semi-transparent mirror (16) facing the emitted laser beam, and the semi-transparent mirror (16)
2. The optical reading device according to claim 1, further comprising total reflection mirrors (17) arranged in parallel at the rear of the mirrors (17) with a space therebetween. (3) The optical means (15) has a semi-transparent surface (18) facing the emitted laser beam, and is provided with a total reflection surface (19) at the rear of the semi-transparent surface (18) to face the semi-transparent surface (18). Claim 1 characterized in that it is a mirror (20).
The optical reading device described in Section 1.