JP7010052B2 - Information reading system - Google Patents

Description

The technique disclosed herein relates to an information reading system comprising a rechargeable reading device for reading information recorded on an information recording medium and a charging device for charging the reading device.

A rechargeable reading device for reading information recorded on an information recording medium is known. This type of reader is known to include a secondary battery capable of repeating charging and discharging as a power supply source. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a portable device including a power supply system having a secondary battery capable of repeating charging and discharging. The power supply system of Patent Document 1 includes a secondary battery as a power supply source, and also includes a capacitor for assisting the secondary battery. The power supply system of Patent Document 1 is provided with a capacitor, which enables a portable device to respond to a demand for an instantaneous large current discharge.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-139614

When the power supply system of Patent Document 1 is used as the power supply source of the reader, the power supplied from the secondary battery is used while the remaining capacity of the secondary battery ranges from the predetermined full charge voltage to the final voltage. The reader can be operated (ie, a secondary battery can be used as a power source). In this case, the larger the capacity of the secondary battery, the longer the reading device can be continuously operated. Therefore, in order to use the reading device for a long period of time in an environment away from the rechargeable environment, it is preferable to provide a secondary battery having a large capacity.

On the other hand, it is also known that the larger the capacity of a secondary battery, the longer it takes to charge. Therefore, when using a reader that uses a secondary battery as a power supply source, it is necessary to manage the remaining capacity of the secondary battery while using it, and there is a possibility that the reader cannot be used for charging. There is also. It is also necessary to use the reading device in consideration of the deterioration state of the secondary battery due to the increase in the number of charge / discharge cycles. As described above, when a reading device using a secondary battery as a power supply source is used, the convenience of the user may be hindered.

The present specification provides a technique capable of improving the convenience of the user of the reading device as compared with the conventional configuration in which the reading device uses a secondary battery as a power supply source.

The present specification discloses an information reading system including a rechargeable reading device for reading information recorded on an information recording medium and a charging device for charging the reading device. The reading device is electrically connected to the reading unit for reading the information recorded in the information recording medium, and can supply electric charges to the reading unit and supplies the electric charge to the reading unit. It is provided with a first capacitor for storing an electric charge for charging, and a first energizing unit electrically connected to the first capacitor. The charging device is electrically connected to the second capacitor for storing the electric charge for supplying to the first capacitor and the second capacitor, and establishes an energized state between the first energized portion. It includes a possible second energizing unit and a power supply source that supplies an electric charge to the second capacitor when it is electrically connected to the second capacitor.

According to this configuration, while the energized state is not established between the first energized portion of the reader and the second energized portion of the charging device, the charging device supplies electric charge from the power supply source to the second capacitor. , The charge can be stored in the second capacitor. Further, while the energized state is not established, the reading unit of the reading device can read information by using the electric charge stored in the first capacitor. When the reader performs reading of information, the remaining charge capacity in the first capacitor is reduced. After that, when the energized state is established between the first energized portion of the reading device and the second energized portion of the charging device, the potential of the first capacitor is higher than the potential of the second capacitor at the time when the energized state is established. If it is also low, the charge is transferred from the second capacitor having a high potential to the first capacitor having a low potential via the first energizing unit and the second energizing unit. Generally, a capacitor is characterized by a high power density (that is, the amount of power that can be input / output per unit time). Therefore, most of the potential transfer at this time is performed in a shorter period (for example, for several seconds) than in the case of charging the secondary battery. As a result, a certain amount of electric charge is stored in the first capacitor in a short period of time. After that, when the energized state is canceled, the reading unit of the reading device can read the information again by utilizing the electric charge in the first capacitor.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, if the user of the reading device establishes the energizing state between the first energizing unit and the second energizing unit after reading using the reading device, it can be used for a long period of time. A certain amount of electric charge can be stored in the first capacitor of the reader without requiring the charging period of the reader. The reading unit of the reading device can perform reading again using the charge stored in the first capacitor. According to the above configuration, unlike a conventional reading device using a secondary battery as a power supply source, the reading device can be made by establishing an energized state for a short period of time without providing a long-term charging period. It is possible to enable the reading unit to read the information. Therefore, the user does not need to manage the remaining charge of the first capacitor. Further, in general, a capacitor has a feature that it is less likely to deteriorate when repeatedly charged and discharged as compared with a secondary battery. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the user does not need to consider the deterioration state of the first capacitor due to repeated charging and discharging. Therefore, according to the above configuration, the convenience of the user of the reading device can be improved as compared with the conventional configuration in which the reading device uses a secondary battery as a power supply source.

In particular, the reader is used within a particular area, such as a code reader installed in a store cashier, is returned to a particular location after use (ie, after the read is performed), and is read. When the reading device is executed relatively frequently, it is particularly preferable that the period required for charging is short, the remaining capacity can be easily managed, and deterioration is unlikely to occur. Even in such a situation, the above configuration can improve the convenience of the user as compared with the conventional configuration using a conventional reading device using a secondary battery as a power supply source.

The capacity of the second capacitor may be larger than the capacity of the first capacitor.

According to this configuration, since the capacity of the second capacitor is larger than the capacity of the first capacitor, the capacity of the second capacitor becomes the capacity of the first capacitor when the energized state is established between the first energized portion and the second energized portion. The amount of charge transferred from the second capacitor having a high potential to the first capacitor having a low potential is larger than that in the case of equal to the capacitance of. Therefore, according to this configuration, more charge can be stored in the first capacitor in a short period of time.

The power supply source may further supply an electric charge to the second energized portion when it is electrically connected to the second energized portion. In the charging device, the connection state between the second capacitor, the second energizing portion, and the power supply source is further electrically connected between the second capacitor and the power supply source. The first state, the second state in which the second energizing unit and the second capacitor are electrically connected, and the third state in which the second energizing unit and the power supply source are electrically connected. A switching unit that can be switched between and may be provided.

According to this configuration, while the connection state is the first state, the electric charge is supplied from the power supply source to the second capacitor, and the electric charge is stored in the second capacitor. If the energized state is established between the first energized portion and the second energized portion while the connected state is the second energized state, and if the potential of the second capacitor is higher than the potential of the first capacitor, the second capacitor Charges can be transferred from the first capacitor to the first capacitor. Further, if the energized state is established between the first energized portion and the second energized portion while the connected state is the third state, the potential of the power supply source at that time is higher than the potential of the first capacitor. For example, the electric charge can be transferred from the power supply source to the first capacitor.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, more charges can be stored in the first capacitor of the reader according to the procedure as described below. First, the connection state is switched to the first state by the switching unit. As a result, electric charges are supplied from the power supply source to the second capacitor, and the electric charges are stored in the second capacitor. Next, the connection state is switched from the first state to the second state by the switching unit. Then, an energized state is established between the first energized unit of the reading device and the second energized unit of the charging device after the reading is performed a predetermined number of times or more. At this point, the potential of the first capacitor is lower than the potential of the second capacitor. Therefore, if the energized state is established while the connected state is the second state, the second capacitor having a high potential is changed to the first capacitor having a low potential for a short period of time via the first energized portion and the second energized portion. The charge moves (for example, in a few seconds). At this point, some charge is stored in the first capacitor. As the charge is transferred from the second capacitor to the first capacitor, the potential difference between the second capacitor and the first capacitor becomes smaller. When the potential difference between the second capacitor and the first capacitor becomes small, it becomes difficult to transfer the charge from the second capacitor to the first capacitor. In this case, the connection state is switched from the second state to the third state by the switching unit. At this point, if the potential of the power supply source is higher than the potential of the first capacitor, an electric charge is charged from the high potential power supply source to the low potential first capacitor via the first energizing unit and the second energizing unit. Moving. This allows the first capacitor to store more charge. If the potential of the power supply source is sufficiently high, the electric charge can be stored in the first capacitor up to the upper limit of the capacity of the first capacitor. Therefore, according to the above configuration, a large amount of electric charge can be stored in the first capacitor.

The power supply source may be a battery.

According to this configuration, the charging device can be configured to be portable. Therefore, the charging device can be arranged at an arbitrary place to charge the reading device.

The charging device may be configured as a part of a terminal device capable of executing specific information processing.

According to this configuration, the charging device does not have to be a dedicated device that only charges the reading device. The user does not need to separately provide a dedicated charging device.

The block diagram schematically showing the structure of the information reading system of 1st Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the content of the charging process executed by the switching control unit of the charging device of 1st Embodiment. The explanatory view which shows typically the remaining capacity before and after the establishment of the energization state of the 1st capacitor and the 2nd capacitor of 1st Example. The graph which shows the transition of the charge current in 1st Example. The graph which shows the transition of the potential of the 1st capacitor and the potential of the 2nd capacitor in the 1st Example. The explanatory view which shows typically the remaining charge capacity before and after the establishment of the energization state of the 1st capacitor and the 2nd capacitor of 2nd Example.

(First Example)
(Configuration of information reading system 2)
The information reading system 2 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The information reading system 2 of FIG. 1 includes a reading device 10 and a charging device 50. Note that FIG. 1 illustrates how the charging device 50 is configured as a part of the terminal device 100, but in this embodiment, the charging device 50 is not a part of the terminal device 100, but is an independent device. It is configured as one device. The terminal device 100 will be described in the fourth embodiment described later.

(Structure of reading device 10)
The reading device 10 is a rechargeable code reader for optically reading information recorded in an information code such as a two-dimensional code. In this embodiment, the reading device 10 is used in a specific area like a code reader installed in a store cashier or the like, and is charged after use (that is, after reading information a predetermined number of times). It is assumed that the code reader is placed in a predetermined position of the device 50 and the frequency of reading information is relatively high. The reading device 10 includes an operation unit 12, a display unit 14, a reading unit 16, a control unit 18, a memory 19, a first energizing unit 20, a first capacitor 22, and an external communication interface 24. There is. Hereinafter, in the present specification, the interface will be referred to as "I / F".

The operation unit 12 includes, for example, one button. The user can input the instruction to the reading device 10 by operating the operation unit 12. The display unit 14 is a display for displaying information. In another example, the operation unit 12 may include a plurality of keys. In yet another example, the reading device 10 may not include at least one of the operating unit 12 and the display unit 14.

The reading unit 16 is a module for optically reading the information recorded in the information code. The reading unit 16 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit (not shown). The light emitting unit irradiates the information code to be read with light. The light receiving unit receives the reflected light from the information code.

The control unit 18 executes various processes according to a program (not shown) in the memory 19. For example, the control unit 18 can decode the information recorded in the information code based on the reflected light received by the light receiving unit of the reading unit 16. In the following, a series of processes of irradiating the information code with the light emitting unit of the reading unit 16, receiving the reflected light by the light receiving unit of the reading unit 16, and decoding the information by the control unit 18 are simply referred to as "reading". May be called. The memory 19 stores various programs. The memory 19 also has a temporary storage area for temporarily storing the read information.

The first energizing unit 20 is an electrode for establishing an energized state with the second energizing unit 60 by contacting the second energizing unit 60 of the charging device 50. In this embodiment, when the reading device 10 is placed on a predetermined mounting portion (not shown) of the housing of the charging device 50, the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60 come into contact with each other, and the first energizing unit is energized. An energized state is established between the portion 20 and the second energized portion 60 (see the alternate long and short dash line portion in the figure). Further, the first energizing unit 20 is electrically connected to the first capacitor 22. The first energizing unit 20 can supply the electric charge acquired through the second energizing unit 60 to the first capacitor 22 while the energizing state is established with the second energizing unit 60. (See arrow L5 in the figure).

The first capacitor 22 is a capacitor for storing the electric charge supplied from the first energizing unit 20. In this embodiment, the first capacitor 22 is a lithium ion capacitor. In another example, the first capacitor 22 may be an electric double layer capacitor. The first capacitor 22 is electrically connected to each of the operation unit 12, the display unit 14, the reading unit 16, the control unit 18, the memory 19, and the external communication I / F 24, and can supply electric charges to each of these elements. Is. That is, the first capacitor 22 functions as a power supply source for each element of the operation unit 12, the display unit 14, the reading unit 16, the control unit 18, the memory 19, and the external communication I / F 24.

The external communication I / F 24 is an I / F for executing communication with an external device (for example, a terminal device for managing read information). In this embodiment, the external communication I / F 24 is an I / F capable of executing wireless communication (for example, Wi-Fi communication). In another example, the external communication I / F 24 may be an I / F capable of performing wired communication. The control unit 18 can transmit the information read from the information code to an external device via the external communication I / F 24.

(Configuration of charging device 50)
The charging device 50 is a device for charging the reading device 10. In this embodiment, the charging device 50 is assumed to be a charging device for charging a cord reader installed in a store cashier or the like. That is, the charging device 50 of this embodiment is arranged in a specific area such as a cash register in a store, and is a holder for mounting the reading device 10 after use (that is, after reading information a predetermined number of times). In addition, it is assumed that the charger is for charging the reading device 10 being mounted.

The charging device 50 includes a second energizing unit 60, a switching control unit 62, a memory 63, a second capacitor 64, and a power supply unit 66. Although FIG. 1 shows how the charging device 50 includes the battery 68, in the present embodiment, the charging device 50 does not include the battery 68. The battery 68 will be described in the third embodiment described later.

The second energizing unit 60 is an electrode for establishing an energized state with the first energizing unit 20 by contacting with the first energizing unit 20 of the reading device 10. As described above, when the reading device 10 is mounted on a predetermined mounting portion (not shown) of the housing of the charging device 50, the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60 come into contact with each other, and the first energizing unit is placed. An energized state is established between the 20 and the second energized portion 60 (see the alternate long and short dash line portion in the figure). Further, the second energizing unit 60 is electrically connected to the switching control unit 62. As a result, the second energizing unit 60 can acquire the electric charge (see arrow L4 in the figure) supplied from the switching control unit 62.

The switching control unit 62 is electrically connected to each of the second energizing unit 60, the second capacitor 64, and the power supply unit 66, and is between the second energizing unit 60, the second capacitor 64, and the power supply unit 66. It is a control unit for switching the connection state (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "connection state"). The switching control unit 62 executes the charging process (see FIG. 2) described later according to the program stored in the memory 63. The switching control unit 62 switches the connection state between the three states of the standby state, the discharging state, and the charging state by performing the charging process. The standby state is a state in which the power supply unit 66 and the second capacitor 64 are electrically connected via the switching control unit 62. In the standby state, electric charges can be supplied from the power supply unit 66 to the second capacitor 64 (see arrows L1 and L2 in the figure). The discharge state is a state in which the second capacitor 64 and the second energization unit 60 are electrically connected via the switching control unit 62. In the discharged state, electric charges can be supplied from the second capacitor 64 to the second energizing unit 60 (see arrows L3 and L4 in the figure). The charging state is a state in which the power supply unit 66 and the second energizing unit 60 are electrically connected via the switching control unit 62. In the charged state, electric charges can be supplied to the power supply unit 66 and the second energizing unit 60 (see arrows L1 and L4 in the figure). The memory 63 stores a program for causing the switching control unit 62 to execute the charging process.

The second capacitor 64 is a capacitor for storing electric charges to be supplied to the first capacitor 22 of the reader 10. In this embodiment, the second capacitor 64 is also a lithium ion capacitor. In another example, the second capacitor 64 may also be an electric double layer capacitor. Further, in this embodiment, the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is equal to the capacity of the first capacitor 22. As described above, the second capacitor 64 is electrically connected to the switching control unit 62. Therefore, the second capacitor 64 can acquire the electric charge supplied from the power supply unit 66 via the switching control unit 62 while the connection state is in the standby state (see arrows L1 and L2 in the figure). Can store the electric charge. Further, the second capacitor 64 can supply the stored electric charge to the second energizing unit 60 via the switching control unit 62 while the connected state is the discharged state (arrows L3 and L4 in the figure). reference).

The power supply unit 66 is connected to a commercial power source (not shown) and is a power supply means that functions as a power supply source for charging the reading device 10. As described above, the power supply unit 66 is electrically connected to the switching control unit 62. Therefore, the power supply unit 66 can supply electric charges to the second capacitor 64 via the switching control unit 62 while the connection state is the standby state (see arrows L1 and L2 in the figure). Further, the power supply unit 66 can supply electric charges to the second energization unit 60 via the switching control unit 62 while the connection state is the charging state (see arrows L1 and L4 in the figure).

(Charging process: Fig. 2)
Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 2, the content of the charging process executed by the switching control unit 62 of the charging device 50 will be described. When the power supply unit 66 of the charging device 50 is connected to the commercial power source and the power is turned on to the charging device 50, the switching control unit 62 starts the charging process of FIG. At the start of the charging process, the switching control unit 62 sets the connection state to the standby state. That is, at this point, an electric charge is supplied from the power supply unit 66 to the second capacitor 64 via the switching control unit 62, and the electric charge is stored in the second capacitor 64 (see arrows L1 and L2 in FIG. 1).

In S10, the switching control unit 62 monitors that the energized state is established between the first energized unit 20 of the reading device 10 and the second energized unit 60 of the charging device 50. Specifically, the switching control unit 62 monitors that the second energizing unit 60 is in contact with the first energizing unit 20. For example, the user of the reading device 10 can use the reading device 10 while the energizing state is not established between the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60 (that is, while the reading device 10 is away from the charging device 50). By operating the operation unit 12 and inputting a predetermined reading instruction, the reading unit 16 and the control unit 18 can be made to read the information recorded in the information code. At this time, the reading unit 16 and the control unit 18 use the electric charge stored in the first capacitor 22 at that time to read information. When the reading unit 16 and the control unit 18 perform reading, the remaining charge capacity in the first capacitor decreases. When the user mounts the reading device 10 on a predetermined mounting portion (not shown) of the housing of the charging device 50 after performing a predetermined number of readings using the reading device 10, the first energization is performed. The unit 20 and the second energized unit 60 come into contact with each other, and an energized state can be established between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60. In this case, the switching control unit 62 determines YES in S10 and proceeds to S12.

In S12, the switching control unit 62 switches the connection state from the standby state to the discharge state. That is, it switches to a state in which electric charges can be supplied from the second capacitor 64 to the second energizing unit 60 via the switching control unit 62 (see arrows L3 and L4 in FIG. 1). In many cases, at the time of establishment of the energized state (point of YES in S10), the potential V1 (see FIG. 1) of the first capacitor 22 of the reading device 10 after the reading is executed is charged during the standby state. The potential is lower than the stored potential V2 (see FIG. 1) of the second capacitor 64. Therefore, when the energized state is established, the electric charge moves from the second capacitor 64 having a high potential to the first capacitor 22 having a low potential via the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60. Generally, a capacitor is characterized by a high power density (that is, the amount of power that can be input / output per unit time). Therefore, most of the potential transfer at this time is performed for a very short period of time (for example, for several seconds) as compared with the case of charging the secondary battery. As a result, a certain amount of electric charge is stored in the first capacitor 22 in a short period of time.

This point will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. In FIG. 3, (a) shows the charges stored in the first capacitor 22 and the second capacitor 64 before the energized state is established between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60. The remaining capacity is schematically shown. In FIG. 3, (b) shows the charges stored in the first capacitor 22 and the second capacitor 64 after the energized state is established between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60. The remaining capacity is schematically shown. In this embodiment, the capacities of the first capacitor 22 and the second capacitor 64 are equal (that is, 1: 1). In this example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the remaining capacity of the first capacitor 22 before the energization state is established (while it is determined to be NO in S10 of FIG. 2) is 0%. Yes, the remaining capacity of the second capacitor 64 is 100% (that is, it is in a fully charged state). After that, when the energized state is established and the charge transfer path is switched to the discharged state, the electric charge transfer path is switched to the discharged state for a short period of time (for example, between several seconds to a dozen seconds) via the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60. , Charges are transferred from the high potential second capacitor 64 to the low potential first capacitor 22. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3B, the remaining capacity of the first capacitor 22 and the remaining capacity of the second capacitor 64 are approximately both in a short period of time due to the establishment of the energized state. It will be 50%.

In the following S14, in the switching control unit 62, the value of the current I1 (see FIG. 1) flowing from the second capacitor 64 toward the switching control unit 62 is the current I2 (FIG. 1) flowing from the power supply unit 66 toward the switching control unit 62. 1) Monitor the value to be less than or equal to the value of). Specifically, in S14, the switching control unit 62 monitors the values of the current I1 and the current I2, respectively, and monitors that the value of the current I1 becomes equal to or less than the value of the current I2. As described above, in the discharged state, an electric charge is supplied from the second capacitor 64 to the switching control unit 62 (that is, a current I1 flows from the second capacitor 64 toward the switching control unit 62). During this time, the electric charge is also supplied from the power supply unit 66 toward the switching control unit 62 (that is, the current I2 is flowing from the power supply unit 66 toward the switching control unit 62). However, during the discharge state, the electric charge supplied from the power supply unit 66 to the switching control unit 62 is not supplied to the second energization unit 60. The switching control unit 62 monitors the respective values of the currents I1 and I2. As described above, immediately after the energization state is established, since the potential difference between the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 is large, a large amount of electric charge moves from the second capacitor 64 to the first capacitor 22 in a short period of time. In the meantime, the value of the current I1 is larger than the value of the current I2. However, after that, when the potential difference between the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 becomes smaller, the amount of charge transferred from the second capacitor 64 to the first capacitor 22 per unit time becomes smaller. Finally, the value of the current I1 becomes equal to or less than the value of the current I2. In that case, the switching control unit 62 determines YES in S14 and proceeds to S16.

In S16, the switching control unit 62 switches the connection state from the discharge state to the charge state. That is, the state is switched to a state in which electric charges can be supplied from the power supply unit 66 to the second energization unit 60 via the switching control unit 62 (see arrows L1 and L4 in FIG. 1). At the time of switching to the charged state in S16, the electric charge is not stored up to the upper limit in the first capacitor 22. Specifically, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the remaining capacity of the first capacitor 22 at this time is about 50%. Therefore, in this embodiment, the potential Vin of the power supply unit 66 (see FIG. 1) is higher than the potential V1 of the first capacitor 22 (see FIG. 1) when the connected state is switched to the charged state. Therefore, the electric charge is supplied from the power supply unit 66 having a high potential to the first capacitor 22 having a low potential via the switching control unit 62, the second energizing unit 60, and the first energizing unit 20. As a result, an additional charge is stored in the first capacitor 22.

In the following S18, the switching control unit 62 monitors that the potential difference between the potential V1 of the first capacitor 22 and the potential Vin of the power supply unit 66 disappears (that is, the potential V1 and the potential Vin become equal). Specifically, in S18, the switching control unit 62 monitors that the transfer of electric charge to the first capacitor 22 is stopped. As described above, at the time when the connected state is switched to the charged state in S16, the potential Vin of the power supply unit 66 is higher than the potential V1 of the first capacitor 22. Therefore, the electric charge is supplied from the power supply unit 66 having a high potential to the first capacitor 22 having a low potential via the switching control unit 62, the second energizing unit 60, and the first energizing unit 20. As a result, as the electric charge is stored in the first capacitor 22, the potential difference between the potential V1 of the first capacitor 22 and the potential Vin of the power supply unit 66 becomes smaller. When the electric charge is stored up to the upper limit of the capacity of the first capacitor 22 (that is, when the fully charged state is reached), the potential difference between the potential V1 of the first capacitor 22 and the potential Vin of the power supply unit 66 disappears. That is, the transfer of electric charge to the first capacitor 22 is stopped (that is, the current I2 does not flow). In that case, the switching control unit 62 determines YES in S18 and proceeds to S20.

In S20, the switching control unit 62 monitors that the energized state between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60 is released. Specifically, in S20, the switching control unit 62 monitors the contact state of the second energized unit 60, and monitors that the first energized unit 20 is separated from the second energized unit 60. When the user of the reading device 10 removes the reading device 10 from the charging device 50, the energized state is released. The user can read the information code again by using the reading device 10 in the fully charged state. In this case, the switching control unit 62 determines YES in S20 and proceeds to S22. On the other hand, when the energized state between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60 is not released, the switching control unit 62 determines NO in S20 and returns to S18. In this case, the switching control unit 62 releases the energized state between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60 in a state where the first capacitor 22 is fully charged (YES in S18). Monitoring of S18 and S20 is continued until (YES in S20).

In S22, the switching control unit 62 switches the connection state from the charging state to the standby state. As a result, electric charges are supplied to the second capacitor 64 from the power supply unit 66 again via the switching control unit 62, and the electric charges are stored in the second capacitor 64 (see arrows L1 and L2 in FIG. 1). After finishing S22, the switching control unit 62 returns to the monitoring of S10. In this way, the switching control unit 62 repeatedly executes each process of S10 to S22 while the power of the charging device 50 is turned on.

Further, with reference to FIG. 4, the transition of the value of the charging current in the above charging process (see FIG. 2) will be specifically described. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time from the establishment of the energized state and the charging current flowing through the first capacitor 22 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, immediately after the energization state is established, a current I1 (see the solid line portion in FIG. 4) flows from the second capacitor 64 to the first capacitor 22 (S12 in FIG. 2). Immediately after the energization state is established, the potential difference between the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 is large, so that the value of the flowing current I1 is large. After that, as the potential difference between the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 becomes smaller, the value of the flowing current I1 becomes smaller. After that, at the timing T1, the value of the current I1 becomes equal to or less than the value of the current I2 flowing from the power supply unit 66 toward the switching control unit 62 (YES in S14). In this case, the switching control unit 62 switches the charge movement path from the discharged state to the charged state (S16). As a result, after the timing T1, the current I2 (see the thick line portion in FIG. 4) flows from the power supply unit 66 to the first capacitor 22. After that, the first capacitor 22 is fully charged by continuing to flow the current I2 from the power supply unit 66 to the first capacitor 22.

Further, with reference to FIG. 5, the transition of the potential of the first capacitor 22 and the potential of the second capacitor 64 in the above charging process (see FIG. 2) will be specifically described. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time from the establishment of the energized state and the potential of the first capacitor 22 and the potential of the second capacitor 64 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, immediately after the energization state is established, the difference between the potential V2 of the second capacitor 64 and the potential V1 of the first capacitor 22 is large. In this case, a large current I1 flows from the second capacitor 64 to the first capacitor 22 (S12 in FIG. 2). After that, the potential difference between the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 becomes smaller. After that, at the timing T1 at which the potential difference between the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 almost disappears, the value of the current I1 becomes equal to or less than the value of the current I2 flowing from the power supply unit 66 toward the switching control unit 62 (YES in S14). ). In this case, the switching control unit 62 switches the charge movement path from the discharged state to the charged state (S16). As a result, after the timing T1, the current I2 flows from the power supply unit 66 to the first capacitor 22. As the electric charge is stored in the first capacitor 22, the potential of the first capacitor 22 rises toward the upper limit value (see the thick line portion in FIG. 5). As a result, the potential V1 of the first capacitor 22 is fully charged.

The configuration and operation of the information reading system 2 of this embodiment have been described above. As described above, in this embodiment, switching is performed when an energized state is established between the first energized unit 20 of the reading device 10 and the second energized unit 60 of the charging device 50 (YES in S10 of FIG. 2). When the connection state is switched to the discharge state by the control unit 62 (S12), the electric charge can be transferred from the second capacitor 64 having a high potential to the first capacitor 22 having a low potential. Generally, a capacitor is characterized by a high power density (that is, the amount of power that can be input / output per unit time). Therefore, most of the potential transfer at this time is performed in a shorter period (for example, for several seconds) than in the case of charging the secondary battery. As a result, a certain amount of electric charge is stored in the first capacitor 22 in a short period of time (see (b) in FIG. 3). As a result, even if the energized state is released at this point, the reading unit 16 and the control unit 18 of the reading device 10 execute information reading by utilizing the electric charge in the first capacitor 22. be able to.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the user of the reading device 10 is allowed to establish an energized state between the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60 after reading using the reading device 10. For example, a certain amount of electric charge can be stored in the first capacitor 22 of the reading device 10 without requiring a long charging period. In this embodiment, the reading device 10 is provided by establishing an energized state for a short period of time without providing a long-term charging period as in a conventional reading device using a secondary battery as a power supply source. Reads can be made ready for execution. Therefore, the user does not need to manage the remaining amount of electric charge of the first capacitor 22. Further, in general, a capacitor has a feature that it is less likely to deteriorate when repeatedly charged and discharged as compared with a secondary battery. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the user does not need to consider the deterioration state of the first capacitor 22 due to repeated charging and discharging. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user of the reading device 10 as compared with the conventional configuration in which the reading device 10 uses a secondary battery as a power supply source.

In particular, a code reader installed in a store cashier or the like such as the reading device 10 of the present embodiment is used in a specific area, and after use (that is, after reading is executed), a specific place (that is, a charging device 50) is used. It is used in an environment where it is returned to the place where the reading is performed and the reading is performed relatively frequently. As described above, in this embodiment, even when the reading device 10 is used in such an environment, the first capacitor 22 can store the electric charge required for reading in a short period of time, and the first capacitor 22 can be used. There is no need to manage the remaining capacity of the 1-capacitor 22, and there is no need to deteriorate the first capacitor 22. Therefore, in the present embodiment, even in such an environment, the convenience of the user can be improved as compared with the conventional configuration using the conventional reading device using the secondary battery as the power supply source.

Further, in the present embodiment, the switching control unit 62 can switch the connection state between the three states of the standby state, the discharging state, and the charging state. Then, as described above, at the start of the charging process, the switching control unit 62 sets the connection state to the standby state. As a result, electric charges are supplied from the power supply unit 66 to the second capacitor 64, and the electric charges are stored in the second capacitor 64. After that, when the energized state is established (YES in S10 of FIG. 2), the switching control unit 62 switches the connected state from the standby state to the discharged state (S12). As a result, as described above, the charge can be transferred from the high potential second capacitor 64 to the low potential first capacitor 22 in a short period of time (for example, in a few seconds), and a certain amount of charge can be transferred to the first capacitor 22. Can be stored. Then, when the potential difference between the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 becomes smaller and the value of the current I1 becomes equal to or less than the value of the current I2 (YES in S14), the switching control unit 62 changes the connection state to the discharge state. To switch to the charged state (S16). As a result, the electric charge can be further transferred from the power supply unit 66 having a high potential to the first capacitor 22 having a low potential, and the electric charge can be stored up to the upper limit of the capacity of the first capacitor 22. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the electric charge can be stored up to the upper limit of the capacity of the first capacitor 22 in a relatively short period of time.

The correspondence between this embodiment and the claims will be described. The information code is an example of an "information recording medium". The power supply unit 66 is an example of a “power supply source”. The switching control unit 62 is an example of a “switching unit”. The standby state is an example of the "first state", the discharge state is an example of the "second state", and the charge state is an example of the "third state".

(Second Example)
The information reading system of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is larger than the capacity of the first capacitor 22. Specifically, in this embodiment, the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is three times the capacity of the first capacitor 22. As a result, in S12 of FIG. 2, a part of the behavior of the first capacitor 22 and the second capacitor 64 when the switching control unit 62 switches the connection state to the discharge state is also different from that of the first embodiment.

Also in this embodiment, in S12, when the switching control unit 62 switches the connection state to the discharge state, charges can be supplied from the second capacitor 64 to the second energization unit 60 via the switching control unit 62 (FIG. 1). (See middle arrows L3 and L4). As a result, the electric charge is transferred from the second capacitor 64 having a high potential to the first capacitor 22 having a low potential, and a certain amount of electric charge is stored in the first capacitor 22 in a short period of time.

This point will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 6, (a) shows the charges stored in the first capacitor 22 and the second capacitor 64 before the energized state is established between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60. The remaining capacity is schematically shown. In FIG. 6, (b) shows the charges stored in the first capacitor 22 and the second capacitor 64 after the energized state is established between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60. The remaining capacity is schematically shown. However, in this embodiment, the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is three times the capacity of the first capacitor 22 (that is, 3: 1). Also in this example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the remaining capacity of the first capacitor 22 before the energized state is established (while it is determined to be NO in S10 of FIG. 2) is 0%. Yes, the remaining capacity of the second capacitor 64 is 100% (that is, it is in a fully charged state). After that, when the energized state is established and the connected state is switched to the discharged state, the electric charge moves from the second capacitor 64 to the first capacitor 22. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the remaining capacity of the first capacitor 22 and the remaining capacity of the second capacitor 64 are both about 75%.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is larger than the capacity of the first capacitor 22, when the energized state is established between the first energized unit 20 and the second energized unit 60, the energized state is established. Compared with the case of the first embodiment in which the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is equal to the capacity of the first capacitor 22, the amount of electric charge transferred from the second capacitor 64 having a high potential to the first capacitor 22 having a low potential is larger. Therefore, according to this configuration, a large amount of electric charge can be stored in the first capacitor 22 in a short period of time.

(Third Example)
This embodiment differs from the first and second embodiments in that the battery 68 is used as a power supply source instead of the power supply unit 66 (see the broken line portion in FIG. 1). The battery 68 of this embodiment is also electrically connected to the switching control unit 62. In this embodiment, the standby state is a state in which the battery 68 and the second capacitor 64 are electrically connected via the switching control unit 62, and the charging state is the state in which the battery 68 and the second capacitor 64 are electrically connected via the switching control unit 62. 2 The energizing unit 60 is electrically connected. In the standby state, the battery 68 can supply an electric charge to the second capacitor 64 (see arrows L1'and L2 in the figure), and in the charged state, the battery 68 can supply an electric charge to the second energizing unit 60 (FIG. Middle arrow L1', see L4). Further, in this embodiment, in S14 of FIG. 2, the switching control unit 62 compares the current with the current I1 with the current I2'(see FIG. 1) flowing from the battery 68 toward the switching control unit 62 instead of the current I2. ). The battery 68 of this embodiment is a secondary battery, but in another example, the battery 68 may be a primary battery.

As described above, in this embodiment, the battery 68 is used as the power supply source. Therefore, it can be configured to be transportable with the charging device 50. In this embodiment, the charging device 50 can be arranged at an arbitrary place to charge the reading device 10.

(Fourth Example)
In this embodiment, the charging device 50 is configured as a part of the terminal device 100, which is different from the first to third embodiments (see the broken line portion in FIG. 1). The terminal device 100 of this embodiment is a device for receiving and managing the information read by the reading device 10 from the reading device 10. The terminal device 100 may be, for example, a POS cash register terminal or the like. In the terminal device 100 of this embodiment, in addition to each element of the charging device 50 (that is, the second energizing unit 60, the switching control unit 62, the memory 63, the second capacitor 64, and the power supply unit 66), the operation unit 102 , Display unit 104, control unit 106, memory 108, and external communication I / F 110.

The operation unit 102 includes a plurality of keys. The user can input various instructions to the terminal device 100 by operating the operation unit 102. The display unit 104 is a display for displaying various information. The control unit 106 executes various processes according to the program in the memory 108. For example, the control unit 106 can execute various processes (calculations and the like) using the information received from the reading device 10. The memory 108 stores various programs. The memory 108 also has a storage area for storing the information received from the reading device 10. The external communication I / F 110 is an I / F for executing communication with the reading device 10. In this embodiment, the external communication I / F 110 is an I / F capable of executing wireless communication (for example, Wi-Fi communication), but in another example, the external communication I / F 110 is an I / F capable of executing wired communication. It may be / F. The control unit 106 can receive the information transmitted from the reading device 10 (that is, the information read from the information code) via the external communication I / F 110.

In this embodiment, the charging device 50 is configured as a part of the terminal device 100. Therefore, the charging device 50 does not have to be a dedicated device that only charges the reading device 10. The user does not need to separately provide a dedicated charging device.

Although the examples of the techniques disclosed in the present specification have been described in detail above, each of the above examples is merely an example and does not limit the scope of claims. The techniques described in the claims include various modifications and modifications of the specific examples exemplified above. For example, the following modification may be adopted.

(Modification 1) In each of the above embodiments, the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60 are electrodes, and the energized state is established by contacting each other. Not limited to this, both the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60 may be non-contact power transmission units. In this case, when the distance between the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60 is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold distance, an energized state is established between the first energizing unit 20 and the second energizing unit 60. You may.

(Modification 2) In each of the above embodiments, the reading device 10 is a code reader for reading the information recorded in the information code, and the reading unit 16 optically reads the information recorded in the information code. It is a module for reading. Not limited to this, the reading device 10 may be a device for reading information recorded on another information recording medium such as an RF (abbreviation of Radio Frequency) tag and an IC card. The reading unit may be an RF communication unit, an NFC (abbreviation of Near Field Communication) communication unit, or the like.

(Modification 3) In each of the above embodiments, the switching control unit 62 executes the charging process of FIG. 2 according to the program stored in the memory 63. Not limited to this, the charging device 50 may be provided with a switching circuit capable of executing each process of FIG. 2 instead of the switching control unit 62 and the memory 63. In this case, the switching circuit is an example of the "switching unit".

(Modification 4) In the second embodiment described above, the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is three times the capacity of the first capacitor 22. Not limited to this, the second capacitor 64 and the first capacitor 22 may have any capacity as long as the capacity of the second capacitor 64 is larger than the capacity of the first capacitor 22.

(Modification 5) In the third embodiment described above, the charging device 50 is provided with the battery 68 and is not provided with the power supply unit 66. Not limited to this, the charging device 50 may be provided with both a power supply unit 66 and a battery 68. In that case, when the power supply unit 66 is connected to the commercial power supply, the power supply unit 66 is connected to the switching control unit 62, and when the power supply unit 66 is not connected to the commercial power supply, the battery 68 is switched and controlled. It may be connected to the unit 62.

Further, the technical elements described in the present specification or the drawings exhibit technical usefulness alone or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the techniques exemplified in the present specification or the drawings achieve a plurality of purposes at the same time, and achieving one of the purposes itself has technical usefulness.

2: Information reading system 10: Reading device 12: Operation unit 14: Display unit 16: Reading unit 18: Control unit 19: Memory 20: First energization unit 22: First capacitor 24: External communication I / F
50: Charging device 60: Second energizing unit 62: Switching control unit 63: Memory 64: Second capacitor 66: Power supply unit 68: Battery 100: Terminal device 102: Operation unit 104: Display unit 106: Control unit 108: Memory 110 : External communication I / F

Claims (4)

An information reading system including a rechargeable reading device for reading information recorded on an information recording medium and a charging device for charging the reading device.
The reading device is
A reading unit for reading the information recorded on the information recording medium, and
A first capacitor that is electrically connected to the reading unit, can supply an electric charge to the reading unit, and stores an electric charge to be supplied to the reading unit.
A first energizing unit that is electrically connected to the first capacitor,
Equipped with
The charging device is
A second capacitor for storing electric charge to supply to the first capacitor, and
A second energizing unit that is electrically connected to the second capacitor and can establish an energized state with the first energizing unit.
When electrically connected to the second capacitor, an electric charge is supplied to the second capacitor, and further, when electrically connected to the second energized portion, an electric charge is supplied to the second energized portion. Power supply source and
The connection state between the second capacitor, the second energizing portion, and the power supply source is the first state in which the second capacitor and the power supply source are electrically connected, and the first state. 2 It is possible to switch between a second state in which the energized portion and the second capacitor are electrically connected and a third state in which the second energized portion and the power supply source are electrically connected. Switching part and
Equipped with
In the second state, the switching unit switches from the power supply source to the switching unit from a value in which the value of the current from the second capacitor to the switching unit is larger than the value of the current from the power supply source to the switching unit. When the value changes to a value equal to or less than the value of the current to the unit, the second state is switched to the third state.
Information reading system. The capacity of the second capacitor is larger than the capacity of the first capacitor.
The information reading system according to claim 1. The power supply source is a battery.
The information reading system according to claim 1 or 2 . The charging device is configured as part of a terminal device capable of performing specific information processing.
The information reading system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

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