SENSOR ALIGNING MEANS FOR OPTICAL READING APPARATUS

Abstract: An optical reading apparatus which has a mechanism for aligning the center line of the optical image sensor with the characters on the subject matter to be read. As the vertical position of the optical image sensor is adjusted, an indicator plate with a pointer which indicates the position of the center line of the optical image sensor enables alignment of the center line of the optical image sensor with the characters to be read.

Description: The invention relates to an apparatus for reading characters, symbols or the like from a record medium while passing the recording medium past a reader means, said apparatus including adjustment means for moving the position of said reader means, and an indicator means for indicating the position of the center of the reader means, whereby the position of said reader means can be aligned with the position of the characters to be read by moving the position of said reader means until said indicator means is in line with the position of the characters to be read. Heretofore, the characters in a line could be caught within a visual field of the image sensor by manually operating the so-called "height adjustment wheels" provided for changing the height of a card track which is at the base of a card insertion slot. Upon turning the height adjustment wheels, the track height would be changed in relation to the card insertion slot by means of a helical ramp or cam, so that the different lines of characters on the cards can be accommodated irrespective of the type of the card, and the characters and the like on the card could be optically read, as shown in Figures 5, 6 and 9 of US Patent No. 4,396,902 or GB-A-2 080 004. According to the afore-mentioned prior art, height adjustment wheels 63 are manually turned so that a track 65 is moved over its entire height on helical ramps 64, thus aligning the characters to be read with the image detector or sensor. However, it is not in fact possible to see where the center line of the image sensor is located; therefore, it is difficult to properly align the center line with the characters. Moreover, the height adjustment wheels 63 are turned to raise the track 65 along the helical ramps 64 so that the adjustment wheels 63 are positioned under the track 65, which provides no means for determining whether optical array 73 in the image sensor exactly captures the character image. A device as mentioned at the beginning of the description is known from DE-A-2 052 336. In this device, a separate aligning table is included with a transparent plate and a guide edge on one side of this plate to which a recording medium can be aligned. The indicator is disposed beneath the transparent plate and is illuminated so that a light spot generated by the indicator can be observed on the surface of the recording medium, which has, therefore, to be sufficiently transparent. It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for optically reading characters as mentioned at the beginning of the description, which is improved over the prior art. The inventive apparatus is characterized in that the reader means is disposed in a housing and can be moved vertically by the adjustment means for optically reading characters, symbols or the like in different lines on the record medium, the housing is provided with an insertion gap or clearance for the record medium, and in that the indicator is positioned on the housing close to a substantially vertically extending entrance slot of the gap or clearance on the one side of the record medium carrying the characters, symbols or the like to be read. In comparison with the prior art, the present invention permits to provide a more compact device in which no separate aligning table for adjusting the position of the reader means is necessary. The adjustment of the reader means can be performed while the record medium is inserted into the gap and, after adjusting, the medium can be read immediately by passing through the same gap. Therefore, the present invention facilitates the adjustment of the reader and the inventive apparatus can be easily used for successively reading several lines of characters on one card or different cards with changing positions of the lines. According to the present invention as claimed, a card insertion and deposit slot is held fast whereas a nose section of a reader means is vertically movable by means of a dial mounted on the apparatus, the dial being on the side thereof through which the card is inserted. The invention is further designed so that the center position (with respect to the vertical direction) of an image sensor for reading the card is displayed by a pointer on a position indicator plate which is preferably mounted on the same side as the dial, whereby the pointer and thus the center position of the image sensor may be aligned by eye with the center line of the characters in the line to be read to thus very readily and correctly read the characters and the like on the recording element. The dials for vertically positioning the reader means are divided into "moving" and "locking" dials for practical use. More specifically, for each individual card, the vertical position of the reader means may be adjusted by means of the moving dial. When a plurality of the same cards are read, with the characters in a line which is a defined distance from the bottom of each card, a location is determined by the initial card which, after being fixed by the locking dial, then allows the apparatus to be subsequently used, as will be described in detail below. The system which will be hereinafter described in detail is capable of exactly capturing the characters and the like disposed in a line by vertically moving the reader means more precisely than in the prior art. This is accomplished by providing the moving dial (as well as the locking dial), and the indicator, for showing the central position of the reader means, on the same plane on one side of the apparatus, such that the reader means may be readily aligned with the characters to be read while the operator is viewing a position where the characters are arranged in a line. Brief Description of the Drawings Fig. 1 is a representation schematically showing an optical reading apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of the optical reading apparatus of the invention, and Figs. 3 and 4 are views showing one and the other side of the instant optical reading apparatus. Description of the Preferred Embodiment Now, an embodiment of the invention will be illustrated with reference to Fig. 1 which schematically shows an optical reading apparatus according to the present invention. A card 3 or the like is deposited or inserted in a card insertion slot 2 of an optical reading apparatus 1. For reading the characters 4a and 4b in a first or second line (hereinafter referred to as "first or second line characters 4a and 4b, respectively") as selected, a moving dial 6 for moving a portion of an image sensor (not shown) upwardly and downwardly along a light conductive path with the first and second line characters 4a and 4b, respectively, is turned manually while the user is viewing a pointer 5 in which a center position of the image sensor incorporated in the apparatus is indicated by use of luminous sources such as a lamp or LED (light emitting diode) so that the pointer 5 may be aligned with the first or second line characters 4a and 4b, respecively, which are at a defined distance from the bottom of the card. To this end, a position indicator plate 8 is provided on the apparatus as an index which serves to determine where the pointer 5, which corresponds to the center position of the image sensor, is located. That is, the position indicator plate 8 shows whether the pointer 5 is above or below the first or second line characters 4a and 4b, respectively. If the same cards, each including a recording element which carries either the first or second line characters 4a and 4b, respectively, are repeatedly or successively used, it is convenient to bring the pointer 5 into alignment with the first or second line characters 4a and 4b, respectively, at a fixed height, then rotating a separately mounted locking dial 7 in a predetermined direction, (for example, clockwise to the very limit) to fix the readout position of the image sensor. A mechanism for setting a position of the image sensor by the dials 6, 7 is characterized in that the position of the center of the image sensor is indicated by the pointer 5 which shows such position through a lamp or LED, and that the dials as well as the indicator are disposed in the same plane on one side of the apparatus to facilitate easy movement and alignment of the position of the image sensor. According to the invention, the marks, symbols, characters and the like put on the cards, check or the like may be readily and correctly caught within the field of view of the sensor and are readable by operating the image sensor position setting dial and observing the pointer.

Claims: An apparatus for reading characters (4), symbols or the like, from a record medium (3), while passing the record medium post a reader means, said apparatus including adjustment means for moving the position of said reader means, and an indicator (5,8) for indicating the position of the center of said reader means, whereby the position of said reader means can be aligned with the position of the characters (4) to be read by moving the position of said reader means until said indicator means (5,8) is in line with the position of the characters (4) to be read, characterized in that the reader means is disposed in a housing (1) and can be moved vertically by the adjustment means for optically reading characters, symbols or the like in different lines on the record medium, the housing is provided with an insertion gap or clearance (2) for the record medium (3), and in that the indicator (5,8) is positioned on the housing close to a substantially vertically extending entrance slot of the gap or clearance on the one side of the record medium carrying the information to be read. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said indicator and said adjustment means are provided on the same side of said housing as the record medium is inserted. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said adjustment means comprises a first dial for moving said reader means and a second dial for holding said reader means in its adjusted position. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said indicator comprises a pointer to indicate the position of the center of said optical reader means, and a position indicator plate whereby the location of said pointer and thus the center of said optical reader is shown. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said adjustment means comprises a first dial for moving said render means and a second dial for holding said reader means in in its adjusted position. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said indicator comprises an electronic pointer formed by light emitting diodes.

Inventors: NAKAMURA, TORU C/O OSAKA WORKS, YASUNAGA, YOSHITAKA C/O OSAKA WORKS
Applicants: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES LIMITED
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G06K7
IPC codes: G06K13, G06K9, G06K7