JP3073298B2 - Trace residual barcode method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a trace residual bar for visually confirming whether a bar code has been read normally or not, and for confirming the normal reading by human eyes and preventing double reading. It concerns the code system.
Applications of the barcode method include application to systems related to production management, physical distribution management, and point-of-sale information management.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional bar code system, whether or not a bar code has been read and whether or not the bar code can be read normally can be displayed and registered only on the bar code reader itself or a device connected to the bar code reader. The only way to confirm the presence was to contact the above equipment.

[0003] Therefore, in order to register the above information on the bar code side, the bar code or its vicinity is manually written with a writing instrument or disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-12396.
As described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9, there is a method of stamping the vicinity of a barcode by a marking mechanism incorporated in a barcode reader.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional method, the marking on the bar code body may cause stains on the label surface and may hinder the second and subsequent reading. In addition, it is necessary to secure a marking area other than the area where the original barcode is to be printed for the nearby marking, which requires a larger area for the label for printing the barcode and the target product. There was a problem. Furthermore, the conventional marking by physical action may be a source of dust, and is not a preferable method especially for operation in a clean room.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
The purpose of the barcode reading operation is to leave a trace of the read on the main body of the barcode by means that does not hinder the second and subsequent readings and that does not involve dust generation. It is intended to clearly show the progress of data input to the operator and to prevent double reading due to the operator's misunderstanding.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the bar code label and the bar code reader are provided with the following means. (1) In a barcode label, a barcode printed with a marking material that changes color in response to only a light beam in a certain wavelength range. (2) In a bar code reader, light emitting means for emitting light rays in the above-mentioned constant wavelength region. (3) In a barcode reader, an irradiating means for scanning a barcode with a light beam in the above-mentioned constant wavelength region. (4) A light receiving means for recognizing a difference between the reflectances of light beams projected on the two colors and the background of at least two colors excluding the background color of the label in the bar code reader.

[0007]

The bar code label according to the present invention is printed with a marking material that changes color in response to only a light beam in a certain wavelength range. The bar code reader is provided with a means for emitting light in a certain wavelength region on the side of the bar code reader. The light is emitted at the time of normal reading or arbitrarily, and the bar code label is scanned by the irradiation means. Thereby, the trajectory of the scanning by the light beam is recorded on the barcode label as a visually recognizable trace (discolored barcode stripe portion).

Further, by selecting a color that does not extremely change in contrast with the initial color as the color after discoloration,
Even after the discoloration, the difference in reflectance between the stripe portion and the base portion can be recognized by the barcode reader, which does not hinder the second and subsequent reading.

Furthermore, since the discoloration of the marking material is a chemical reaction caused by irradiation of light, it does not involve dusting.
Further, it is not necessary to separately secure a portion for recording information such as the presence or absence of the read barcode.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a barcode reader and a barcode label to which a barcode system according to the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, reference numeral (101) denotes a bar code reader, and a light emitting unit (103) serving as a light emitting / irradiating means.
A reading unit (102) including a light receiving unit (104), a data checking unit (105), a marking light emitting unit (106) as a light emitting / irradiating means, a color reversing unit (107), and the like are provided. Reference numeral (108) denotes a barcode label on which a barcode is printed.

The stripe of the bar code printed on the bar code label (108) is printed with a marking material that changes color in response to only a light beam in a certain wavelength range. Light of a wavelength other than the certain wavelength range is irradiated and the bar code label (1
08), and the bar code label (108) is scanned by irradiating the light beam of the above-mentioned constant wavelength region from the marking light emitting unit (106). The light receiving unit (104) is configured to control the color of the base of the barcode label (108) and at least two colors different from the base, in other words, the color of the stripe first printed on the barcode label (108). It has a function of recognizing differences in the reflectance of the light beams projected from the light emitting section (103) with respect to the background and the color of the stripe that has changed color in response to light rays in a certain wavelength region. The recoloring section (107) has a function of returning the color of a stripe that has changed color in response to a light beam in a certain wavelength region to the color of the first printed stripe as necessary. The color changed by an appropriate method such as thermal method, thermo-optical method, etc. is returned to the original color by a chemical reaction.

In the above configuration, first, the light emitting section (1)
From 03), the bar code label (108) is irradiated with a scanning light beam, and the light receiving unit (104) detects the difference in reflectance between the stripe portion of the bar code and the portion other than the bar code label, thereby inputting the bar code information.

The input bar code information is checked for consistency by the data check unit (105), and when it is determined that the bar code information is normally read, the bar code reader (101)
The control unit (not shown) drives the light emitting unit for marking (105) to irradiate the light beam in the above-mentioned constant wavelength region to scan on the barcode label (108).

As described above, since the marking material on which the barcode is printed is printed with the marking material that changes color in response to only the light beam in the above-mentioned fixed wavelength region, the trace of the scanning by the light beam is displayed on the label. Are left as traces that can be visually identified (discolored barcode stripe portions). Therefore, the progress of data input is clearly indicated on the barcode label (108) to the operator who performs the barcode reading operation, and double reading due to the operator's misunderstanding can be prevented.

FIG. 2 shows that a bar code reader (201) employing the method according to the present invention irradiates a bar code label (202) with a light beam (203) in a certain wavelength range and scans the bar code label (202). It is a state in which the trajectory is recorded as a trace.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a bar code label according to the present invention. FIG. 3A shows a bar code (301) on the label before reading (before discoloration), and FIG. ) Indicates a barcode (302) on the label after reading (after discoloration).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a light beam in a certain wavelength region is irradiated and scanned on a part of the barcode, and only a part of the barcode is used as a discolored stripe portion. I have. This is to improve the discriminability by mixing the original color and the color after discoloration, but irradiates the entire area of the barcode with a light beam of a certain wavelength region, and the entire barcode is formed as a discolored stripe portion. Needless to say, it may be done.

Next, an example of a system using the trace residual barcode method described above will be described. Here, an example in which the present invention is applied to a progress management system that manages the progress of a lot at a production site will be described.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the progress management system.
This system mainly includes a worker terminal (402) for collecting work results at a site and a higher-level computer (401) for collectively managing the information. A bar code reader (403) is connected to the worker terminal (402), and the worker reads the bar code printed on the work slip (404) to input data to the system. ing.

A work slip (501) shown in FIG. 5 describes a production process as a process flow from process 1 to process n. A process name (502) and a barcode (503) are printed on the work slip (501) in correspondence with each other, and a worker can produce lots in each process based on the process flow indicated on the work slip. After the work is completed, to report to the upper system that the work of the own process has been completed,
Enter the process name using a barcode. After the input, the lot is delivered to the next process indicated by the work slip (501).

According to the operation of the bar code system of the present invention, when inputting a bar code for reporting to the host system that the work of the own process has been completed, only when the tracking is normal and after the tracking check, the trace of the scanning is displayed on the bar of the work slip. It is recorded on the code, and visually indicates the progress of the process to the operator. According to the example shown in FIG. 5, the bar code indicates that in the lot requiring the work process from process 1 to process n, the work is currently completed up to process 4 and the next work is to be performed in process 5. The worker can recognize only by looking at the trace of the scan.

As described above, by using the barcode system of the present invention, the worker can grasp the progress of the lot by merely looking at the work slip without inquiring the host computer. In addition, since the presence / absence of reading has been visually indicated on the label, double reading due to the operator's misunderstanding can be prevented.

Further, by removing traces as necessary (returning the discolored stripe portion to the original color), when the tracking process is abnormal, or when the lot is reproduced, the in-process process of the lot returns to the original state. Can also be handled.

[0024]

By recording the presence / absence of normal reading on the barcode label itself, it is possible to recognize the presence / absence of data input without inquiring the barcode reader itself or the device connected to the barcode reader.
Confirmation work accompanying data entry is simplified.

Thus, when the present invention is applied to a progress management system at a manufacturing site, it is not necessary to inquire of the host computer about the progress information, and the load on the host computer is reduced.

Further, by visually indicating the progress of the data input to the operator, double reading due to the operator's misunderstanding can be prevented. As a result, the reliability of manual barcode input can be significantly improved.

Further, since the color change due to the chemical reaction of the marking material is used, there is no fear of dust generation as compared with the conventional marking with a writing instrument. Therefore, the present invention is particularly effective in application to production and distribution management of products that are subjected to fine processing in a clean room such as a semiconductor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a barcode reader and a barcode label to which a barcode system according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a barcode reader employing the method according to the present invention irradiates a barcode label with a light beam in a certain wavelength range.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a comparison between an original barcode and a barcode after discoloration according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a system configuration when a barcode system according to the present invention is applied to a progress management system at a production site.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a work slip used in the progress management system to which the barcode system according to the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Bar code reader 102 Reading part 103 Light emitting part 104 Light receiving part 105 Data check part 106 Marking light emitting part 107 Recoloring part 108 Barcode label 201 Barcode reader 202 Barcode label 203 Light in a certain wavelength region 301 Barcode before discoloration 302 Barcode after discoloration 401 Host computer 402 Worker terminal 403 Barcode reader 404 Worksheet 501 Worksheet 502 Process name 503 Barcode

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G06K 7/12 G06K 7/10

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A bar code system comprising a label on which a bar code is printed and a bar code reader capable of inputting information by reading the bar code, wherein a marking material which changes color only in response to a light beam in a certain wavelength region. A bar code label on which a bar code is printed, a light emitting source that emits light in the above-mentioned predetermined wavelength region, a unit that scans the bar code label with the light emitted from the light emitting source, a base of the label and a stripe portion of the bar code. A bar code reader having means for recognizing the difference in the reflectance of the projected light beam and means for determining whether or not the read data is normal. And a trace residual bar code system characterized in that it can be visually recorded as a scanning trajectory by a light beam. 2. The bar code reader according to claim 1, further comprising means for recognizing a difference in reflectance of the projected light beam between the color of the base of the label and at least two different colors. Trace barcode method characterized by the following. 3. The trace residual bar code system according to claim 1, wherein the bar code reader includes means for returning the color of the marking material, which has been changed in color, as needed, to the original color. 4. The trace according to claim 1, wherein
In the trace residual bar code method, the trace residual bar code is used.
The method is applied to a progress management system that shows the progress information of the lot at the manufacturing site to the worker by referring to the barcode printed on the work slip and the trace recorded on the barcode without inquiring the host device A trace residual barcode method characterized by being performed. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the progress management system has a means for checking the tracking of the input lot data, and leaves a trace on the bar code only when the tracking of the target lot is normal. Trace residual barcode method. 6. The progress management system according to claim 4, wherein the progress management system deletes a trace on a bar code label as necessary, thereby performing an in-process of a target lot at the time of tracking abnormality or reproduction. The trace residual bar code system, which can be easily handled even when the system returns to Japan.