JP2809866B2 - Optical character reader - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Purpose of the Invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to an optical character reading device including a scanner mechanism, a character recognition processing function, and a control mechanism.

2. Description of the Related Art In general, an optical character reading apparatus for reading characters or the like recorded on a form or the like generally includes a scanner device that optically scans a form and detects a form image, and a scanner device that detects the form image. A character recognition device that performs character recognition processing based on the form image, and a control device that controls knowledge processing and the like and the entire device.

6 and 7 are block diagrams showing the configuration of a conventional optical character reading device. The configuration shown in FIG. 6 shows an example in which the scanner device, the character recognition device, and the control device are housed in independent housings. Each device is connected by a cable (GPIB) via an interface provided in each device, and constitutes an optical character reading device. Further, peripheral devices such as a CRT, a keyboard (KB), and a floppy disk device (FDD) are connected to the control device in FIG. In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the scanner device and the character recognition device are housed in independent housings as in the configuration shown in FIG.
An example in which a personal computer is used as a control device is shown.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, the conventional optical character reading device requires at least three independent housings at a minimum. Therefore, when the apparatus is installed on a desk, a large occupation area is required. In addition, when transporting, it is necessary to perform operations for each of the housings and connect each device with a cable.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to provide an optical character reading device that occupies a small installation area and is easy to carry.

[Constitution of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention relates to a sheet feeding means for stacking forms to be read, and a form for taking out the forms stacked on the sheet feeding means onto a transport path. Take-out means, reading means for reading an image of a form conveyed through the conveyance path, a paper discharge unit for stacking forms discharged from the conveyance path, and a lower part defining a lower surface of the conveyance path A unit, an upper unit mounted on the lower unit and defining an upper surface of the transport path, and the paper discharge unit and the upper unit provided in the lower unit are independently rotatable by a predetermined angle. And a connecting means for attachment.

Further, the present invention has a paper feeding unit for stacking forms to be read, and a lower unit that defines a lower surface of a conveyance path that conveys the forms taken out from the paper feeding unit, A form taking-out means for taking out the forms loaded on the paper feeding means on a transport path, a reading means for reading an image of the forms carried on the transport path, and an operating means provided on the upper surface of the housing; Then, an upper unit placed on the lower unit and defining the upper surface of the transport path, a paper discharge port provided at a fixed position of the housing, and a form transported through the transport path are introduced. Discharge guide means for transporting to the discharge port, and stacker means for placing the sheets discharged from the discharge port, and a discharge unit mounted on the lower unit, wherein each unit is In one connection means, Part unit, and the discharge unit is one that is coupled so as to be rotated by a predetermined angle independently.

Further, the discharge unit functions as a paper discharge unit on which the sheets discharged from the transport path are placed in an open state, and a protection unit that covers the upper surface of the upper unit in a closed state, based on the coupling unit. It functions as.

(Operation) According to such a configuration, since the upper unit and the discharge unit are mounted on the lower unit,
The occupied area of the apparatus only needs to be the lower unit. The upper unit and the discharge unit are rotatable by a predetermined angle at the fulcrum. Thus, by rotating the upper unit upward, the transport path can be exposed, and maintenance is facilitated. In addition, by making the discharge unit cover the upper unit, the apparatus is made compact, and the operation means (display unit, keyboard, etc.) is protected by the stacker unit.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of an optical character reading apparatus according to the embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the structure of each of three units constituting the apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 2, the optical character reading apparatus according to the embodiment includes a lower unit 10 (FIG. 2 (a)), an upper unit 20 (FIG. 2 (b)), and a discharge unit 30 (second (3)). FIG. 3 is a view showing a state in which the lower unit 10 is rotated and the operation means is covered by the stacker table 34. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state of the apparatus when reading characters recorded on a form, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper unit 20 is rotated to expose a transport path. .

The lower unit 10 includes a hopper section 11 for stacking forms, and a plurality of drive rollers for conveying the form supplied from the hopper section 11 substantially horizontally and conveying the form on a conveyance path.
12, power supply, AC-BOX, floppy disk drive (FDD), hard disk drive (HDD) and other electrical unit products 13, PCBs equipped with control and character recognition processing functions (including processor, memory, etc.) 14, etc. Is provided. In addition, a fulcrum 15 for rotatably connecting the upper unit 20 and the discharge unit 30 is provided on the upper part of the housing of the lower unit 10. The transport path on which the form is transported is defined between the upper surface of the lower unit 10 and the lower surface of the upper unit 20.

The form 1 loaded on the hopper 11 is placed in the upper unit 20.
A feed roller 21 (sheet taking-out means) for feeding a sheet onto a transport path, a number of driven rollers 22 corresponding to each drive roller 12 provided in the lower unit 10, and a reading provided facing the transport path A part 23 is provided. Also, on the upper surface of the upper unit 20, a keyboard 24 for inputting instructions from the user to the apparatus and the like, and a liquid crystal display (LCD) for notifying the user of processing contents and the like from the apparatus side.
And the like. The upper unit 20 is coupled to the fulcrum 15 of the lower unit 10 at a fulcrum 26 provided at the upper part of the housing.

The discharge unit 30 includes a discharge port 31 for discharging the form conveyed through the conveyance path, a conveyance guide 32 for guiding the form to the discharge port 31, a discharge roller 33 for discharging the form from the discharge port 31, and a discharge roller 33. A stacker table 34 for storing the discharged sheets is provided. The discharge unit 30
At the fulcrum 35 provided at the top of the housing, the lower unit
Combined with ten fulcrum parts 15.

Lower unit 10, upper unit 20, and discharge unit
Numeral 30 is electrically connected near the fulcrum of each unit without a special interface.

 Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described.

The forms to be subjected to the character reading process are placed on the hopper 11. When the reading process is executed, the forms on the hopper 11 are separated one by one by the feed roller 21 and guided to the transport path. The form on the transport path includes a number of drive rollers 12 that are driven to rotate in a predetermined direction,
The sheet is conveyed in a predetermined direction by a driven roller 22 which rotates when the sheet is pressed. For the conveyed form, the reading unit 23 detects the form image. Reading unit
23 is configured by, for example, a contact type image sensor.

The form image data detected by the reading unit 23 is
It is subjected to character reading processing by a character recognition processing function formed in a part of the PCB group 14 in the lower unit 10.

The form that has passed through the reading unit 23 is further transported toward the discharge unit 30. The form is guided from the transport path of the lower unit 10 to the discharge unit 30 side. Further, the form is guided to the discharge port 31 by the discharge guide 32 of the discharge unit 30, and is discharged from the discharge port 31. The form discharged in this way is stored in the stacker table 34.

 Next, the operation and effect of the embodiment will be described.

The optical character reading apparatus according to the embodiment has a structure in which a lower unit 10, an upper unit 20, and a discharge unit 30 are rotatably connected by fulcrum portions in each unit. When the apparatus is used, the units are arranged as shown in FIGS. In this state, the operation means (keyboard provided on the upper surface of the upper unit 20)
24, display unit 25) can be used. Further, the stacker table 34 of the discharge unit 30 can store the discharged form.

On the other hand, when the device is not used, each unit can be installed as follows. For example, when a jam (paper jam or the like) occurs on the transport path, the upper unit 20 is rotated to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The state shown in FIG. 5 can be obtained. In this embodiment, the angle θ1 at which the upper unit 20 can be rotated is set to, for example, about 45 °. Thus, by rotating the upper unit 20 in the upward direction, the transport path can be exposed. Therefore, maintenance can be easily performed.

In the case of transporting the equipment, the discharge unit
As shown in FIG. 3, the fulcrum 15 of the lower unit 10 is
Can be rotated around the rotation axis. In this embodiment,
The angle θ2 at which the discharge unit 30 can rotate is set to, for example, 120 ° or more. As described above, by rotating the discharge unit 30 upward and bringing the discharge unit 30 into close contact with the upper surface of the upper unit 20, the entire apparatus can be made compact. At this time, the stacker table 34 is configured to cover the keyboard 24 and the upper part of the display unit 25. Therefore, the device can be easily transported, and at that time, the keyboard 24 and the display unit 25 are protected by the stacker table 34, so that the device can be prevented from being damaged. The keyboard 24 and the display unit 25 are interposed by the user only when using the optical character reading device.

As described above, the optical character reading device according to the present invention is arranged such that one lower unit 10 has another unit (the upper unit 2).
0, since the discharge unit 30) is provided, the occupied area of the apparatus for installation may be smaller than that of the conventional optical character reading apparatus that required at least three independent housings. Also, since the device can be downsized,
The device can be easily transported.

In the above embodiment, the rotatable range of the upper unit 20 is about 45 ° and the rotatable angle of the discharge unit 30 is 120 ° or more. However, the value is not particularly limited.

In the present embodiment, the hopper unit 11 is configured to be integrated with the lower unit 10, but may be a separable type.

Further, a drive roller 12 for taking out forms, and
A case has been described where the reading unit 23 for reading an image of a form is arranged in the upper unit 20. However, the arrangement is not limited to this, and may be provided in the lower unit 10.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, since the upper unit and the discharge unit are mounted on the lower unit, the area occupied by the apparatus is only required for the lower unit. do not need. Further, since the upper unit and the discharge unit are rotatable by a predetermined angle at the fulcrum, the maintenance can be easily performed by exposing the transport path, and the apparatus can be made compact and the operating means ( Since the display unit, the keyboard, etc.) are protected by the stacker unit, the transportation becomes easy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the structure of an optical character reading apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the structure of each unit constituting the optical character reading apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of an arrangement state of the discharge unit, FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state of the apparatus when reading characters recorded on a form, and FIG. It is a perspective view showing the state where it turned and the conveyance path was exposed. 6 and 7 are block diagrams showing the configuration of a conventional optical character reading device. 10 Lower unit, 11 Hopper unit (paper feeding means), 12
…… Drive roller, 13… Electrical unit, 14 …… PCB
Group, 15, 26, 35… fulcrum, 20… Upper unit, 21…
Feed roller (means for taking out forms), 22… driven roller,
23 ... Reading unit (reading means), 24 ... Keyboard, 25 ...
Display unit, 30 discharge unit, 31 discharge port, 32 discharge guide (conveyance guide means), 33 discharge roller, 34
... Stacker table (stacker means).

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sheet feeding means for stacking forms to be read, a form taking out means for taking out the forms stacked on the sheet feeding means onto a conveyance path, and a form conveyed on the conveyance path. Reading means for reading an image of the sheet, a sheet discharging unit for stacking the forms discharged from the conveyance path, a lower unit for defining a lower surface of the conveyance path, and a conveyance unit mounted on the lower unit. An upper unit that defines an upper surface of a road; and coupling means that is provided in the lower unit and that attaches the paper discharge unit and the upper unit so that they can rotate independently by a predetermined angle. Optical character reader. 2. A lower unit having sheet feeding means for stacking forms to be read, and defining a lower surface of a conveyance path for conveying the forms taken out from the sheet feeding means. Form taking-out means for taking out the forms loaded on the paper feeding means on a transport path, reading means for reading an image of the forms transported on the transport path, and operation display means provided on the upper surface of the housing. An upper unit stacked on the lower unit and defining an upper surface of the transport path, a paper discharge port provided at a fixed position of a housing, and introducing a form conveyed through the transport path. A discharge unit that has discharge guide means for transporting the sheets to the discharge port, and stacker means for stacking the documents discharged from the discharge port, and a discharge unit stacked on the lower unit; Two binding means The optical character reading device, wherein the upper unit and the discharge unit are independently coupled so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle. 3. The discharge unit functions as a discharge unit for stacking forms discharged from the transport path in a released state, and covers an upper surface of the upper unit in a closed state, based on the coupling unit. 3. The optical character reading device according to claim 1, wherein the optical character reading device functions as a protection unit.