KR100725064B1 - Barcode scanner having complex functions - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention there is provided a multifunctional barcode scanner. The barcode scanner includes a dome shaped housing defining a hollow space; A barcode scanner module unit provided at an upper side of the housing to scan a barcode by irradiating light into the hollow and receiving the scanned information into a digital signal; A mouse button provided outside of the housing; An optical sensor for a mouse provided at the bottom of the housing; A selection button provided outside the housing to select and switch a function of the barcode scanner; It includes a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the bar code scanner, characterized in that the part of the housing is a window made of a transparent material so that the hollow space formed by the dome shape can be seen from the outside.

Description

BARCODE SCANNER HAVING COMPLEX FUNCTIONS

1 is a block diagram of a multi-function barcode scanner according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a perspective view of a multi-function barcode scanner according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a bottom perspective view of FIG. 2.

4 is a side view of FIG. 2.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: control circuit

20: scanner module

30: mouse function

40: selection button

50: communication port

60: output means

70: cable

80: dome shaped housing

90: transparent window

The present invention relates to a barcode scanner, and more particularly, to perform scanning of a barcode without any special operation for scanning the barcode, and to operate the program to a user in connection with a general program of a personal computer. The present invention relates to a multifunctional barcode scanner incorporating a mouse function that can inform and be an essential accessory of a personal computer.

In general, a barcode is an optically readable encoding of letters, numbers, symbols, etc. through a combination of black bars and white bars between them. It is possible to configure the processing system and is widely used in various fields.

However, the information encoded in the one-dimensional barcode as described above is represented only by the bar width and the extension in a single dimension. Since all bars and blanks have a uniform height in their vertical direction, the information is stored only in the horizontal direction of the one-dimensional barcode. Therefore, since data must be recorded within a certain width, only a limited amount of data can be recorded.

In recent years, as the demand for information technology increases, the demand for storing more information in the code itself increases. As a result of this demand, two-dimensional barcodes have emerged as an extension of one-dimensional barcodes since the mid-1980s. This two-dimensional code is a flattened arrangement of data on both axes (X-axis direction, Y-axis direction), which expands the problem of one-dimensional barcode, that is, the limitation of data representation.

As a bar code that can hold a variety of information has been developed and popularized, a bar code recording a general information of a product has been attached to most of the products produced in recent years. Increasingly, barcodes are embedded that contain information about a product or product producer, such as product features. These barcodes are read using a barcode scanner connected to the computer, or the numbers or letters recorded side by side with the barcode are directly input to the computer using a means such as a keyboard.

However, when barcode information is recognized using a barcode scanner, a barcode scanner must be separately installed. Therefore, additional costs are incurred due to the installation of additional input means, and the separate barcode scanner must be connected to a computer in addition to existing peripheral devices. This complicates the interface of the computer.

In addition, in the case of a two-dimensional bar code, unlike a one-dimensional bar code, a precise bar code image must be drawn. Therefore, the bar code must be irradiated with light accurately in the X and Y axis directions, and an operation of adjusting the angle between the light source and the bar code is often preceded. . Furthermore, when reading a two-dimensional bar code using a barcode scanner, a predetermined distance must be maintained between the scanner and the bar code, and the bar code reading rate may drop due to inaccurate distance adjustment or position adjustment depending on the user.

Meanwhile, the mouse maintains its position as an essential peripheral that cannot be omitted when using a computer. However, a mouse has only a function as a computer peripheral device and a technology is developed only to expand the accuracy of the function, and a mouse having a function of interworking with various programs installed in a computer has not been developed. This is also the case with a barcode scanner connected to a computer. Currently, most barcode scanners are simply provided with a function for scanning a barcode, and user convenience of providing a predetermined function in conjunction with a computer device to which it is connected is provided. None

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, by incorporating the mouse function, which is located as a necessity as a peripheral device of the computer, to a barcode scanner, and solves the problem of complicated interface of the computer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-function barcode scanner that can easily scan general barcodes including two-dimensional barcodes without any special manipulation.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-function barcode scanner that interlocks with various application programs installed in a computer and informs a user of an operation state of the program so that the user can immediately take necessary actions.

According to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, there is provided a multi-function barcode scanner, the scanner comprising a dome-shaped housing forming a hollow space; A barcode scanner module unit provided at an upper side of the housing to scan a barcode by irradiating light into the hollow and receiving the scanned information into a digital signal; A mouse button provided outside of the housing; An optical sensor for a mouse provided at the bottom of the housing; A selection button provided outside the housing to select and switch a function of the barcode scanner; It includes a control unit for controlling the overall operation of the bar code scanner, characterized in that the part of the housing is a window made of a transparent material so that the hollow space formed by the dome shape can be seen from the outside.

That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to solve the problem of the complexity of the interface by connecting the barcode scanner and the mouse to the computer by incorporating ordinary mouse functions into the barcode scanner. In addition, the housing is formed into a dome shape to form a hollow space therein, and to irradiate light therein, thereby simply placing a barcode in the hollow space, thereby adjusting a distance or focusing. Scan barcodes accurately without

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the controller may be configured to detect an operation state of an application program installed in the computer device.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the bar code scanner is provided on the outside of the housing, in conjunction with an application program installed in the computer device output to inform the user of a specific operating state of the program under the control of the controller Means may further comprise.

Preferably, the control unit is arranged from the computer device in accordance with the operation of a predetermined application program installed in the computer device according to a driver program installed in the computer device for driving the bar code scanner or in accordance with a predetermined program recorded in the control unit. It may be configured to receive or detect the generated resource event to control the operation of the output means.

According to one embodiment, the output means is composed of a three-color LED lamp, and when the virus is detected or the mail is received through the application program, the control unit may detect the operation to emit the LED lamp.

Preferably, the controller may emit LED lamps of different colors according to the type of the application program.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the output means is composed of a speaker, when a virus is detected through the application program or the mail is received, the control unit detects the operation to output a predetermined sound through the speaker Can be.

That is, unlike the conventional barcode scanner, the barcode scanner according to the present invention is configured to interoperate with various application programs installed in the computer to which the scanner is connected. For example, if the application is a virus search and repair program such as V3, Ad-Spider, or a mail program such as Outlook, when a virus is detected or a mail is received through the program, the virus is output through an output means configured to work with the program. The fact of searching or receiving mail is displayed to the user for each color of the lamp or output in a predetermined sound. Therefore, even if the monitor is in the power saving state because the computer is not used for a long time, the user can immediately know the operation state of the specific program, and the user can take appropriate measures.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a multi-functional barcode scanner is provided, the barcode scanner comprising: a dome-shaped housing forming a hollow space; A barcode scanner module unit provided at an upper side of the housing to scan a barcode by irradiating light into the hollow and receiving the scanned information into a digital signal; A control unit configured to control overall operation of the barcode scanner and detect an operation state of an application program installed in a computer device to which the barcode scanner is connected; And output means for informing a user of a specific operating state of the program under control of the controller, in association with an application program provided outside the housing and installed in the computer device, wherein a part of the housing is formed by a dome shape. Characterized in that the window is made of a transparent material so that the hollow space to be formed from the outside.

In one embodiment, the barcode scanner comprises: a mouse button provided outside of the housing; An optical sensor for a mouse provided at the bottom of the housing; It may further include a selection button provided on the outside of the housing to select and switch the function of the barcode scanner.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the barcode scanner module unit may include a decoding unit for decoding the scanned barcode information.

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention described above will be more clearly understood through the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, detailed descriptions of well-known devices and their construction are generally required.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a multi-function barcode scanner according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-function barcode scanner of the present invention includes a control circuit 10, a scanner module unit 20, a mouse function unit 30, a select button 40, a communication port 50, and an output. Means 60 and cable 70.

The control circuit 10 is a component that controls the overall function of the barcode scanner according to the present invention, each of the components described below to perform the function under the control of the control circuit. In addition, the control circuit provided in accordance with the present invention is linked to a computer device to which the multi-function barcode scanner of the present invention is connected, so that a specific operation of an application program installed in the computer device is specified, for example, a mail program such as Outlook. Upon receiving the mail, a predetermined signal, for example, a resource event generated from the computer device is detected according to the operation, and the operation of controlling the output means 70 to be described later is performed. Alternatively, when the mail program receives a predetermined mail, a resource event generated according to the operation may be received from the computer device to control the operation of the output means 70. That is, the control circuit detects the operation of a predetermined application program installed in the computer device in accordance with a scanner driver program provided with the barcode scanner of the present invention and installed in the computer device or according to a predetermined program recorded in the control circuit. It is to be noted that it is configured to control the operation of the output means by receiving or detecting a resource event generated from the computer device accompanying the operation, and the implementation form is not particularly limited.

The scanner module unit 20 is a means for performing a function of a barcode scanner. The scanner module unit 20 is a light source (not shown) for irradiating light for scanning a two-dimensional barcode or the like and information of a barcode scanned by the light emitted from the light source. It includes an optical sensor 21 for receiving, and an A / D converter 22 for converting the information received through the optical sensor into a digital signal. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 1, the scanner module unit 20 receives the digital information converted by the A / D conversion unit 22 to decode the information recorded in the bar code The decoder 23 may further include. That is, the barcoding information scanned by the scanner module unit 20 is transferred to a computer (not shown) connected to the cable 70 through the communication port 50 under the control of the control unit 10, and installed in the computer. The decoding information may be decoded through a decoding program, or a decoding unit such as a decoding module may be embedded in the scanner module unit 20 itself to decode the scanned information, and then transmit the decoding information to the computer.

The mouse function unit 30 is a means for performing a mouse function which is configured in the multi-function barcode scanner according to the present invention. In particular, according to the present invention, the mouse is implemented in the form of an optical mouse, for this purpose is provided with an optical sensor 31, the light is emitted from a light source (not shown) provided around the optical sensor and the emitted light is reflected back The light sensor 31 detects the reflected light and transmits the optical signal to the computer device to move the mouse cursor displayed on the user's display device. On the other hand, as in a normal mouse, the mouse function unit is provided with a mouse button, that is, a left and right mouse button 32, and a trickball button 33 for scrolling a screen on which a mouse position is displayed. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a mouse wheel may be provided instead of the trick ball button.

The selection button 40 is a component provided to switch the functions of the barcode scanner according to the present invention, that is, the scanner function and the mouse function according to the user's convenience. As will be described in more detail below, the user can switch the barcode scanner of the present invention to the scanner mode or the mouse mode as required by the operation of the selection button 40.

The communication port 50 is for transmitting a barcode information related signal read by the scanner module unit 10 or a predetermined signal transmitted from the mouse function unit 30 to the computer under the control of the control circuit 10. A cable is connected to the communication port.

The cable 70 is connected to the communication port 50, and is a medium for transmitting and receiving data by interconnecting a barcode scanner and a computer according to the present invention. According to one embodiment of the invention, the cable is a USB connector. In addition, although not specifically illustrated in the drawings, it should be noted that the barcode scanner according to the present invention may be configured to perform data transmission and reception with a computer device wirelessly instead of a wired cable such as a USB connector.

The output means 70 is a component for informing the user of the operation states of various programs installed in the computer under the control of the control circuit 10. That is, according to the present invention, the barcode scanner is configured to interoperate with various application programs installed in the computer to which the scanner is connected under the control of the control circuit. For example, if the application is a virus search and repair program such as V3, Ad-Spider, or a mail program such as Outlook, if a virus is detected or a mail is received through the program, the control circuit may be configured as described above. The operation state of the program is sensed and the output means is emitted to inform the user.

According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the output means consists of three color LED lamps, and when a virus is detected or a mail is received through the application program, the control circuit detects it and emits the LED lamps. Preferably, each LED lamp may be configured to emit light corresponding to a program installed in a computer. For example, the control circuit may detect a virus and emit a red LED lamp in association with a virus treatment program. The control circuit may detect a reception when a mail is received and emit a green LED lamp in association with a mail program. You can. Therefore, the user can immediately know which program has performed a predetermined operation through the emission color of the LED lamp.

By providing the output means 60 as described above, even if the monitor is in the power saving state without using the computer for a long time, the user can immediately know the operating state of the program, and the user can immediately take action according to the situation.

On the other hand, although not specifically shown in the drawings, in addition to or instead of the output means such as the LED, by providing a voice output device such as a speaker, it is audible with or instead of the light emission of the lamp You can also tell the user the status of the application. For example, when a mail is received, at the same time the control circuit senses the operation of the application as described above and outputs a predetermined output sound through an output device such as a speaker provided in the barcode scanner, thereby allowing the user to immediately You can check the reception.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figures 2 to 4, the operation to the configuration of the present invention will be described in more detail. 2 is a perspective view of a multi-function barcode scanner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 2, the multi-function barcode scanner according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a dome-shaped housing 80 which forms a hollow space and has an open lower surface thereof, a part of which is dome-shaped. The hollow space formed by the housing of the window 90 is made of a transparent material so that it can be seen from the outside.

Unlike the prior art, the multi-function barcode scanner according to the present invention forms a hollow space therein and a part of the housing is made of a transparent window 90 so that the space can be seen from the outside, FIG. As can be seen more clearly, the distance between the scanner module unit 20 and the bottom of the scanner, that is, the position where the barcode is placed, is fixed and the position of the barcode can be easily understood. Therefore, the user can accurately scan the barcode without deteriorating a specific read rate by simply placing the barcode to be read in the hollow space without any special distance adjustment, position adjustment, focus adjustment, or the like. That is, as described above, the barcode reader may be viewed from the outside and form a predetermined scanning range without the inconvenience of placing and focusing the barcode reader at a predetermined position with respect to the two-dimensional barcode for accurate reading of the two-dimensional barcode. The barcode can be scanned by simply inserting the barcode to be read in the hollow space and operating the scanner mode.

First, when a user places a bar code in the hollow space of the bar code scanner to read a predetermined bar code, and operates the selection button 40 provided in the mouse housing 80, the control circuit 10 recognizes the operation and The multifunctional barcode scanner of the present invention is placed under scanner mode. Then, the scanner module 20 provided in the upper portion of the housing 80 is driven under the control of the control circuit 10 to emit light downward from the light source. The emitted light reaches the bar code, scans the bar code, reflects it back, and is received by the optical sensor 21. The optical signal received through the optical sensor is converted into a digital signal through the A / D conversion unit 22.

The bar code information converted into a digital signal is decoded by the decoding unit 23, and various information such as letters, numbers, and images stored in the bar code are decoded, and then the cable 70 connected to the communication port 50 is decoded. Is transferred to the computer via. Alternatively, when the decoder 23 is not provided, the digital signal converted by the A / D converter 22 is immediately transmitted to the computer without additional processing and decoded inside the computer.

On the other hand, when the user operates the selection button 40 provided on the outside of the housing 80 to switch to the mouse mode, the control circuit 10 detects this to allow the barcode scanner of the present invention to operate as a mouse. Then, the mouse function unit 30 is activated, so that the optical sensor 31 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) performs a mouse function. That is, light is emitted through a light source (not shown) around the optical sensor provided in the lower part of the dome-shaped housing 70 of the barcode scanner of the present invention, and the emitted light is reflected and sensed by the optical sensor 31. . Therefore, when the user moves the mouse in a specific direction, the optical signal input to the optical sensor 31 also changes, so under the control of the control circuit 10, the optical sensor analyzes the minute difference and then calculates the moving distance. The coordinates are sent to the computer, which moves the cursor on the display device based on the coordinates received from the mouse.

As described above, the multi-function barcode scanner according to the present invention performs a function of detecting an operation state of an application program installed in the computer and informing the user of the operation in association with the computer device. In other words, if the user does not use the computer or the barcode scanner according to the present invention for more than a predetermined time, most computers enter a power saving mode, so that the display device displays nothing or displays another screensaver screen. do. Therefore, even if a user performs a predetermined operation through a program installed in his computer, the user can perform other tasks without knowing the fact. In view of the above, the present invention prevents a situation in which the user may be inadvertently damaged by directly informing the user of a predetermined display by interworking the barcode scanner with a computer device.

For example, although a predetermined mail has been received through an electronic mail program, a specific task can be performed without knowing the fact. If the mail is an emergency mail requiring immediate response, the user may be in a difficult situation. However, as described above, the bar code scanner according to the present invention is provided with a predetermined program recorded in a control circuit or a driver program installed in a computer and installed in a computer, such that when a predetermined mail is received through the mail program. In response to the detection or transmission of the resource event generated from the computer device to drive the output means (70). That is, in response to the resource event, the control circuit 10 controls the operation of the output means 70 to emit LEDs of a specific color or output a predetermined sound through an output device such as a speaker. You can immediately see the result of the action. The same is true for the behavior of other applications, such as vaccine programs.

Although the present invention has been described on the basis of preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above description, and it can be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. will be. For example, although an e-mail program such as Outlook and an antivirus program such as V3 have been described as an example of an application installed on a computer, the operation of other applications may be detected to inform the user visually or audiologically. In addition, although the output means has been described as being provided to a barcode scanner incorporating a mouse function, the output means may also be implemented for a barcode scanner in which a mouse function is not provided. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is limited only by the claims that follow.

As described above, according to the present invention, by configuring the barcode scanner in a dome shape and a part of the dome-shaped housing in a transparent window so that the inside can be easily seen, the user can simply read the barcode without any additional manipulation. Barcode scanning can be performed simply by placing the dome-shaped housing inside the hollow.

In addition, the bar code scanner according to the present invention is equipped with a mouse function, it is possible to eliminate the complexity of the computer interface by connecting the scanner and the mouse to the computer device separately.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the operation of the application installed on the computer device is detected and the result of the operation is immediately visually or audible to the user, even if the user does not work for a predetermined time or more, You can take actions such as replying mail.

Claims (14)

delete Multifunctional barcode scanner, A dome-shaped housing forming a hollow space; A barcode scanner module unit provided at an upper side of the housing to scan a barcode by irradiating light into the hollow and receiving the scanned information into a digital signal; A mouse button provided outside of the housing; An optical sensor for a mouse provided at the bottom of the housing; A selection button provided outside the housing to select and switch a function of the barcode scanner; Control unit for controlling the overall operation of the barcode scanner Including, A part of the housing is a window made of a transparent material so that the hollow space formed by the dome shape can be seen from the outside, And the control unit is configured to detect an operation state of an application program installed in a computer device to which the barcode scanner is connected. The method according to claim 2, further comprising an output means provided on the outside of the housing, in conjunction with an application program installed in the computer device for notifying a user of a specific operating state of the program under the control of the controller. Multifunctional barcode scanner. The method of claim 3, wherein the control unit is generated in the computer device during the operation of a predetermined application program installed in the computer device according to a driver program installed in the computer device for driving the bar code scanner or a predetermined program recorded in the control unit And receive the resource event from the computer device or detect the resource event to control the operation of the output means. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the output means is composed of a three-color LED lamp, when the virus is detected or the mail is received through the application program, the control unit detects the operation to emit the LED lamp Multifunction barcode scanner. The multi-function barcode scanner of claim 5, wherein the controller emits LED lamps of different colors according to the type of the application program. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the output means is composed of a speaker, when a virus is detected or the mail is received through the application program, the control unit detects the operation to output a predetermined sound through the speaker. Multifunction barcode scanner. Multifunctional barcode scanner, A dome-shaped housing forming a hollow space; A barcode scanner module unit provided at an upper side of the housing to scan a barcode by irradiating light into the hollow and receiving the scanned information into a digital signal; A control unit configured to control overall operation of the barcode scanner and detect an operation state of an application program installed in a computer device to which the barcode scanner is connected; Output means for informing a user of a specific operating state of the program under control of the controller in association with an application program provided outside the housing and installed in the computer device; And a portion of the housing is a window made of a transparent material so that the hollow space formed by the dome shape can be seen from the outside. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: a mouse button provided outside the housing; An optical sensor for a mouse provided at the bottom of the housing; Selection button provided on the outside of the housing to select and switch the function of the barcode scanner Multi-function barcode scanner further comprising a. The method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the control unit according to the driver program installed in the computer device for driving the bar code scanner or in accordance with a predetermined program recorded in the control unit, the operation of the predetermined application program installed in the computer device. And control the operation of the output means by receiving or detecting a resource event generated from a computer device. The method of claim 10, wherein the output means is composed of a three-color LED lamp, when the virus is detected through the application program or the mail is received, the control unit detects the operation to emit the LED lamp, characterized in that Functional barcode scanner. The multi-function barcode scanner of claim 11, wherein the controller emits LED lamps of different colors according to the type of the application program. The composite apparatus of claim 10, wherein the output unit comprises a speaker, and when a virus is detected or an e-mail is received through the application program, the controller detects the operation and outputs a predetermined sound through the speaker. Functional barcode scanner. 10. The complex functional barcode scanner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, 8 or 9, wherein the barcode scanner module unit includes a decoding unit for decoding the scanned barcode information.

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