Bar-code reading apparatus and computer-readable medium

• US 7,832,642 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2008
• Issued: 11/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Takao, Kuromatsu, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess; Daniel A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ellis; Suezu
• Application Number:
  US12/079,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20080245871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.12, 235/462.16, 396/52, 396/53, 396/55, 348/208.1, 348/208.99, 348/208.2, 348/208.4, 348/208.16, 3482085-2087
• US Class Current: 235/462.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1456 determining the orientation of the optical code with respect to the reader and correcting therefore
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1465 using several successive scans of the optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1491 the method including a reconstruction step, e.g. stitching two pieces of bar code together to derive the full bar code

Abstract

A bar-code reading apparatus includes a reading section to read a bar-code a plurality of times to obtain multiple pieces of bar-code image data; a storage section to store the pieces of bar-code image data; a detection section to detect a moving state of the reading section in a three-dimensional space during a reading operation of the bar-code; a correction section to correct the pieces of bar-code image data stored in the storage section into pieces of bar-code image data which are obtained if the bar-code is read when the reading section is at a preset reference position with respect to the bar-code, based on the moving state detected by the detection section; a synthesis section to synthesize the pieces of bar-code image data corrected by the correction section to produce synthesized image data; and a decode section to decode the synthesized image data.

Claims

1. A bar-code reading apparatus comprising:

a reading section configured to read a bar-code a plurality of times to obtain multiple pieces of bar-code image data;

a storage section configured to store the pieces of bar-code image data obtained by the reading section;

a detection section configured to detect a moving state of the reading section in a three-dimensional space when the reading section moves with respect to a bar-code surface during a reading operation of the bar-code;

a correction section configured to correct the pieces of bar-code image data stored in the storage section into pieces of bar-code image data which would have been obtained if the bar-code were read when the reading section was at a preset reference position with respect to the bar-code, based on the moving state detected by the detection section;

a synthesis section configured to synthesize the pieces of bar-code image data corrected by the correction section to produce synthesized image data; and

a decode section configured to decode the synthesized image data produced by the synthesis section.

2. The bar-code reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection section detects one of (i) a moving state of the reading section in which the reading section moves from the reference position so as to move closer to the bar-code surface, and (ii) a moving state of the reading section in which the reading section moves from the reference position so as to move away from the bar-code surface, and

wherein the correction section corrects the pieces of bar-code image data so that a bar width decreases based on a moving distance of the reading section when the reading section moves closer to the bar-code surface, and the correction section corrects the pieces of bar-code image data so that a bar width increases based on a moving distance of the reading section when the reading section moves away from the bar-code surface.

3. The bar-code reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection section detects a moving state of the reading section in which the reading section irradiates the bar-code surface with light in a light irradiation direction inclined with respect to a reference direction of the reference position, and

wherein the correction section corrects a bar width of the pieces of bar-code image data based on an inclination angle of the light irradiated from the reading section, in a case in which the reading section irradiates the bar-code surface with the light in the light irradiation direction inclined with respect to a reference direction of the reference position.

4. The bar-code reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection section detects a moving state of the reading section in which the reading section moves from the reference position along an alignment direction of bars of the bar-code with respect to the bar-code surface, and

wherein the correction section corrects a width of a start margin of the pieces of bar-code image data in a case in which the reading section moves from the reference position along the alignment direction of the bars of the bar-code with respect to the bar-code surface.

5. The bar-code reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection section detects a moving state of the reading section in which the reading section irradiates the bar-code surface with light which has an irradiation line on the bar-code surface that is inclined with respect to an alignment direction of bars of the bar-code, and

wherein the correction section corrects a bar width of the pieces of bar-code image data based on an inclination angle of the irradiation line with respect to the alignment direction, in a case in which the reading section irradiates the bar-code surface with the light having the irradiation line on the bar-code surface that is inclined with respect to the alignment direction of the bars of the bar-code.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon that is executable by a bar-code reading apparatus which comprises a reading section to read a bar-code a plurality of times to obtain multiple pieces of bar-code image data, wherein the program controls the bar-code reading apparatus to function as:

a reading section configured to read a bar-code a plurality of times to obtain multiple pieces of bar-code image data;

a storage section configured to store the pieces of bar-code image data obtained by the reading section;

a detection section configured to detect a moving state of the reading section in a three-dimensional space when the reading section moves with respect to a bar-code surface during a reading operation of the bar-code;

a correction section configured to correct the pieces of bar-code image data stored in the storage section into pieces of bar-code image data which would have been obtained if the bar-code were read when the reading section was at a preset reference position with respect to the bar-code, based on the moving state detected by the detection section;

a synthesis section configured to synthesize the pieces of bar-code image data corrected by the correction section to produce synthesized image data; and

a decode section configured to decode the synthesized image data produced by the synthesis section.

7. A bar-code reading apparatus comprising:

a reading section configured to sequentially read a bar-code with a movement of a read range with respect to the bar-code to obtain multiple pieces of bar-code data;

a storage section configured to store the pieces of bar-code data obtained by the reading section;

a detection section configured to detect a moving state of the reading section in a three-dimensional space;

a calculation section configured to calculate a moving distance of the reading section required for synthesis of the pieces of bar-code data based on the moving state detected by the detection section;

a synthesis section configured to synthesize the pieces of bar-code data stored in the storage section to produce synthesized bar-code data by combining bar-code data obtained before the reading section moves the moving distance with bar-code data obtained after the reading section moves the moving distance; and

a decode section configured to decode the synthesized bar-code data produced by the synthesis section.

8. The bar-code reading apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising:

a correction section configured to correct the pieces of bar-code data obtained by the reading section into pieces of bar-code data which would have been obtained if the bar-code were read when the reading section was at a preset reference position with respect to the bar-code, based on the moving state detected by the detection section,

wherein the synthesis section synthesizes the pieces of bar-code data corrected by the correction section.

9. The bar-code reading apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the detection section detects the moving state by using a gyro sensor, and

the gyro sensor includes an acceleration sensor which detects acceleration of the reading section in the three-dimensional space and an inclination sensor which detects inclination of the reading section caused by moving of the reading section in the three-dimensional space.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a program stored thereon that is executable by a bar-code reading apparatus which comprises a reading section to sequentially read a bar-code with a movement of a read range with respect to the bar-code to obtain multiple pieces of bar-code data, wherein the program is executable by the bar code reading apparatus to function as:

a reading section configured to sequentially read a bar-code with a movement of a read range with respect to the bar-code to obtain multiple pieces of bar-code data;

a storage section configured to store the pieces of bar-code data obtained by the reading section;

a detection section configured to detect a moving state of the reading section in a three-dimensional space;

a calculation section configured to calculate a moving distance of the reading section required for synthesis of the pieces of bar-code data based on the moving state detected by the detection section;

a synthesis section configured to synthesize the pieces of bar-code data stored in the storage section to produce synthesized bar-code data by combining bar-code data obtained before the reading section moves the moving distance with bar-code data obtained after the reading section moves the moving distance; and

a decode section configured to decode the synthesized bar-code data produced by the synthesis section.