JP4423804B2 - Portable information code reader - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a portable information code reader having a reading function for reading an information code such as a barcode.
[0002]
[Prior art]
This type of portable information code reader is used by, for example, workers (truck drivers, etc.) in the logistics industry, and the case (device main body) of the reader has an elongated box shape as a whole. Presents. A display (display unit) and a keyboard (operation unit) are disposed on the upper surface of the case.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in recent years, there has been a strong demand from users to further reduce the size of portable information code readers. However, since a display and a keyboard must be disposed on the upper surface of the case, there is a problem that if the case is downsized, the display and the keyboard are downsized and visibility and operability are deteriorated. For this reason, the case could not be made very small. On the other hand, in recent years, functions incorporated in portable information code readers are increasing. For this reason, display contents to be displayed on the display increase and the number of keys provided on the keyboard tends to increase, and it is necessary to enlarge the display and the keyboard.
[0004]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a portable information code reader capable of reducing the size of the apparatus body and maintaining good visibility and operability.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the apparatus main body is composed of the two partial main body members connected so as to be foldable, so that the apparatus main body can be miniaturized by folding. In addition, since it is possible to provide a display unit on one of the two partial body members and an operation unit on the other, the size of the display unit and the operation unit can be configured to be sufficiently large, and visibility is improved. And operability can be improved. In addition, since the apparatus body is provided with a flat portion indicating the reading direction of the information code, even if the reading direction is an obscure direction that is obliquely downward and forward of the apparatus body, the user clearly defines the reading direction. Can be recognized.
[0006]
In this case, as in the second aspect of the invention, the reading optical unit and the display unit are disposed on one of the two partial body members, and the switch unit is disposed on the other partial body member. It is preferable to constitute so as to provide.
[0007]
Further, in the invention of claim 3, when detecting whether the two partial body members are folded or opened, and when the two partial body members are opened, The normal mode is set as the operation mode, and the power saving mode is set as the operation mode when the two partial main body members are folded. According to this configuration, power can be saved and consumption of the internal battery can be suppressed as much as possible.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the apparatus body is composed of two partial body members connected so as to be foldable, and is a switch for causing the apparatus body to execute reading of an information code. A power switch that can be operated in a folded state of the main body member is provided. According to this configuration, since the information code can be read in the folded state, the convenience for the user is improved accordingly. In addition, since the apparatus body is provided with a flat portion indicating the reading direction of the information code, even if the reading direction is an obscure direction that is obliquely downward and forward of the apparatus body, the user clearly defines the reading direction. Can be recognized.
[0010]
According to inventions of claims 5, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as inventions of 請 Motomeko 2.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a portable barcode reader will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 1 is a side view of the portable barcode reader 1 of the present embodiment in a folded state, and FIG. 2 is a top view of the portable barcode reader 1 in an opened state. It should be noted that the electrical configuration of the portable barcode reader 1 of this embodiment is substantially the same as the electrical configuration of a conventionally known portable barcode reader.
[0012]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the apparatus main body 2 of the portable barcode reader 1 is configured by connecting two partial main body members 3 and 4 so as to be foldable by a hinge portion 5. In the case of this configuration, the partial main body member 4 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the partial main body member 3 in the direction indicated by the arrow A using the hinge 5 as a rotation fulcrum.
[0013]
One of the two partial body members 3 and 4 is the upper surface of the lower partial body member 3 in FIG. 1 as shown in FIG. A display 6 is provided. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a laser module 7 which is a reading optical unit is disposed at the left end portion inside the partial main body member 3.
[0014]
The laser module 7 has a well-known configuration, and a laser emitting portion (not shown) that emits laser light, and the laser light emitted from the laser emitting portion is directed from the laser module 7 to the outside (barcode). An optical system (not shown) for scanning and output and a light receiving unit (not shown) for receiving the reflected light reflected by the barcode via the optical system are configured. The laser light output from the laser module 7 travels in the direction indicated by arrow B in FIG. 4, passes through the dustproof plate 9 provided on the side wall 8 at the left end of the partial main body member 3, and is a portable barcode. It is configured to be output to the outside of the reading device 1 and to irradiate a barcode (not shown).
[0015]
The reflected light reflected by the bar code passes through the dust-proof plate 9 and enters the laser module 7 and is received by the light receiving unit through the optical system. 3 and 4, a rectangular opening 8a is formed on the side wall 8 of the partial main body member 3, and the dustproof plate 9 is attached so as to close the opening 8a. ing. In this case, the dustproof plate 9 is a reading port.
[0016]
On the other hand, on the lower surface of the upper partial main body member 4 in FIG. 1 which is the other partial main body member of the two partial main body members 3 and 4, as shown in FIG. A keyboard 10 provided with the operation keys is provided.
[0017]
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a contact switch 11 that is turned on / off according to the opening / closing operation of the two partial body members 3, 4 is disposed inside the hinge portion 5. The contact switch 11 is turned on when the two partial body members 3 and 4 are folded as shown in FIG. 5 (a), and the two parts as shown in FIG. 5 (b). The main body members 3 and 4 are configured to perform a switching operation so as to be turned off when the main body members 3 and 4 are open. That is, it is configured to detect whether the two partial body members 3 and 4 are in a folded state or an open state by turning on and off the contact switch 11. In the case of this configuration, the contact switch 11 constitutes the detection means of the present invention.
[0018]
Furthermore, in addition to the display 6 and the laser module 7, electrical components such as a control circuit, a wireless communication unit, a power supply circuit, and a battery (none of which are shown) are disposed inside the partial body member 3. Yes. The control circuit controls the operation of the portable barcode reader 1, and performs signal processing on the received light signal received by the light receiving unit of the laser module 7 and also executes reading processing (decoding processing). It has a function.
[0019]
In this case, the data such as the reading result is stored in the internal memory of the control circuit, and wireless communication means (PHS, mobile phone, optical) is transmitted from the portable barcode reader 1 to a host device (such as a personal computer) (not shown). Communication) or the like. In the case of this configuration, the wireless communication means on the portable barcode reader 1 side is configured by a wireless communication unit (wireless communication module) disposed in the partial main body member 3. The portable bar code reader 1 and the host device can be connected via a connection cable or the like, and the data such as the reading result can be transmitted to the host device via the connection cable or the like. May be.
[0020]
In addition, the control circuit of the portable barcode reader 1 is configured to be able to switch between two operation modes, a normal mode and a power saving mode. In this case, the normal mode is a reading mode for reading a barcode (information code), and in this mode, the laser module 7, the wireless communication unit, and the display 6 are turned on. On the other hand, the power saving mode is a reading standby mode that stands by in a low power consumption state. In this mode, the laser module 7 and the display 6 are turned off and the wireless communication unit is set in a standby state.
[0021]
When the control circuit detects that the two partial body members 3 and 4 are in the opened state, the normal mode is set as the operation mode, and the two partial body members 3 and 4 are folded. The power saving mode is set as the operation mode when it is detected that the current state is detected. In this case, the control circuit has the function of the control means of the present invention.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the portable barcode reader 1 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The flowchart of FIG. 6 shows the contents of the control part that switches the operation mode according to the opening / closing of the two partial body members 3 and 4 in the control of the control circuit of the portable barcode reader 1. .
[0023]
First, in step S1 of FIG. 6, the control circuit of the portable barcode reader 1 opens or closes the two partial body members 3 and 4 based on the switch signal output from the contact switch 11. Judgment is made. Here, when the two partial body members 3 and 4 are open, the process proceeds to “open” in step S1, and then proceeds to step S2 to turn on the laser module 7 and turn on the wireless communication unit, Further, the display 6 is configured to be turned on.
[0024]
Then, it progresses to step S3 and is comprised so that the process which reads a barcode may be performed. In step S4, the communication state between the portable barcode reader 1 and the host device is set to the connection state. Next, the process proceeds to step S5, and the barcode read result data read in step S3 is transferred to the host device. In the case of this configuration, each process from step S2 to step S5 corresponds to the normal mode.
[0025]
In step S6, the laser module 7 is turned off and the display 6 is turned off. Next, the process proceeds to step S7, where the communication state between the portable barcode reader 1 and the host device is set to the standby state. In the case of this configuration, each process of step S6 and step S7 corresponds to a power saving mode. Thereafter, the process returns to step S1, and the above-described processing is repeatedly executed.
[0026]
On the other hand, when the two partial body members 3 and 4 are closed (folded) in step S1, the process proceeds to “closed” in step S1, and proceeds to step S6 to execute the power saving mode. It is configured as follows.
[0027]
According to this embodiment having such a configuration, the apparatus main body 2 of the portable barcode reader 1 is composed of the two partial main body members 3 and 4 that are foldably connected. By folding the members 3 and 4, the apparatus main body 2 can be reduced in size. In the case of the above-described embodiment, one of the two partial body members 3 and 4 (partial body member 3) has a display (display unit) 6 and the other (partial body member 4) has a keyboard (operation unit) 10. Therefore, the size of the display 6 and the keyboard 10 can be made sufficiently large. Therefore, the visibility of the display 6 and the operability of the keyboard 10 can be improved.
[0028]
In the above embodiment, the two partial body members 3 and 4 are opened by detecting whether the two partial body members 3 and 4 are folded or opened. When in the state, the normal mode is set as the operation mode, and when the two partial body members are folded, the power saving mode is set as the operation mode.
[0029]
According to this configuration, only when the barcode is actually read by the portable barcode reader 1 (that is, only when the two partial body members 3 and 4 are opened), the normal mode is set. In the power saving mode, power can be saved and consumption of the internal battery can be suppressed as much as possible. Further, the contact switch 11 is used to detect whether or not the two partial body members 3 and 4 are folded. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may comprise so that it may do.
[0030]
In the above embodiment, the partial main body member 3 is provided with the display 6 and the partial main body member 4 is provided with the keyboard 10. Instead of this, the partial main body member 3 is provided with a keyboard and the partial main body. You may comprise so that the display may be provided in the member 4. FIG. Further, the contact switch 11 for detecting opening and closing of the two partial body members 3 and 4 is not necessarily required and may be omitted as appropriate. If the contact switch 11 is omitted, a switch (so-called trigger switch or power switch) for turning on the laser module 7 may be separately provided.
[0031]
7 to 10 show a second embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the apparatus main body 2 is configured to be provided with a flat portion 12 indicating the reading direction.
[0032]
Specifically, in the second embodiment, a reading port is provided at the left end of the lower surface of the lower partial main body member 3 in FIG. That is, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the dustproof plate 9 is disposed at the left end portion in FIG. 10 of the lower wall portion of the partial main body member 3, and the dustproof plate 9 inside the partial main body member 3. The laser module 7 is disposed in an inclined manner in the vicinity.
[0033]
In this case, the laser beam output from the laser module 7 is configured to irradiate in the direction indicated by the arrow C in FIG. This is the reading direction of the portable barcode reader 1 of the second embodiment.
[0034]
As shown in FIG. 7, inclined surfaces 3 a and 4 a that are inclined obliquely are formed at the left end of the apparatus main body 2, that is, the two partial main body members 3 and 4. These inclined surfaces 3a and 4a constitute one flat portion 12, and the direction of the inclination coincides with the reading direction C (that is, becomes parallel). The configuration of the second embodiment other than that described above is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0035]
Therefore, in the second embodiment, substantially the same operational effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In particular, in the second embodiment, when the barcode reading direction C is the obliquely lower front direction of the apparatus main body 2, the apparatus main body 2 is provided with the flat surface portion 12 indicating the reading direction C. Even if the reading direction C is an unintelligible direction such as the diagonally lower front direction of the apparatus main body 2, the user can clearly recognize the reading direction C.
[0036]
FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, a power switch 13 made of, for example, a push button switch is provided on the side surface of the partial body member 3 of the apparatus body 2. The power switch 13 is a switch for executing barcode reading, and can be operated even when the two partial body members 3 and 4 are folded.
[0037]
In the case of this configuration, when the power switch 13 is operated with the two partial body members 3 and 4 folded, the power of the portable barcode reader 1 is turned on, and the operation mode thereof becomes the normal mode. It is configured to execute a barcode reading process. In the normal mode, when the power switch 13 is operated again, the portable barcode reader 1 is turned off.
[0038]
The configuration of the third embodiment other than that described above is the same as that of the first embodiment. Accordingly, in the third embodiment, substantially the same operational effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In particular, in the third embodiment, the power switch 13 that can be operated even when the two partial main body members 3 and 4 are folded is provided on the side surface of the partial main body member 3 of the apparatus main body 2. Even when the partial main body members 3 and 4 are folded, the barcode reading process can be executed, and the user-friendliness can be further improved.
[0039]
In the third embodiment, when reading the barcode with the two partial body members 3 and 4 folded, the display 7 is turned off or the wireless communication unit is turned off. By doing so, it may be configured to save power.
[0040]
In each of the above embodiments, the information code is applied to, for example, a reading device that reads a barcode. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the information code may be applied to a reading device that reads a two-dimensional code (such as a QR code). good.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view of a portable barcode reader showing a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view of a portable barcode reader with two partial body members opened. [Fig. 4] Front view of portable barcode reader [Fig. 4] Partial longitudinal sectional side view of portable barcode reader [Fig. 5] (a) shows the ON state of the contact switch, (b) shows OFF of the contact switch FIG. 6 is a flow chart. FIG. 7 is a view equivalent to FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view equivalent to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a partial bottom view of a portable barcode reader. 10 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4. FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a third embodiment of the present invention.
1 is a portable barcode reader (portable information reader), 2 is an apparatus main body, 3 is a partial main body member, 4 is a partial main body member, 6 is a display (display unit), and 7 is a laser module (reading optical unit). , 9 is a dustproof plate, 10 is a keyboard (operation unit), 11 is a contact switch (detecting means), 12 is a flat surface portion, and 13 is a power switch.

Claims (5)

In a portable information code reader comprising a portable device body and a reading function for reading an information code,
The apparatus body is composed of two partial body members that are foldably connected ,
A portable information code reading device , wherein a flat portion indicating the reading direction is provided in the device main body when the reading direction of the information code is an obliquely downward front direction of the device main body .   2. The reading optical unit and the display unit are disposed on one partial body member of the two partial body members, and a switch unit is disposed on the other partial body member. Portable information code reader. Detecting means for detecting whether the two partial body members are in a folded state or in an opened state;
When the two partial body members are opened, the normal mode is set as the operation mode, and when the two partial body members are folded, the power saving mode is set as the operation mode. 3. The portable information code reader according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit. In a portable information code reader comprising a portable device body and a reading function for reading an information code,
The apparatus body is composed of two partial body members that are foldably connected, and
Provided in the apparatus main body is a switch for executing reading of an information code, the power switch operable in the folded state of the two partial main body members,
The reading direction of the information code, the when device is obliquely lower front direction of the body, the apparatus main body, PORTABLE information code reader you characterized in that a flat portion indicative of the reading direction. Wherein of the two parts the body member, along with arranging the reading optical unit and a display unit on the one part the body member, according to claim 4, characterized in that arranged a switch portion to the other portion the body member portable information code reader.

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