Bar code reader

Abstract: The bar code label according to the present invention can be washed, if stained with mud or dirt, to remove the stains and also it is not easily corroded by rust, thereby permitting to positively record and preserve information for a long term. Also the present invention provides a bar code reader incorporating a magnetic sensor to detect a change of magnetic field and by which anybody can read the bar code label easily and positively.

Description: The present invention relates to a bar code reader for a bar code label in which information on each of various commodities, outdoor installations or individuals are recorded as engraved in the form of characters and bar codes. The bar code label is well known and widely used as attached on the surface of a box or package in which a commodity or delivery is packed. The bar code label carries a variety of information. as coded in the form of bars different in width from one another, on such commodity. The information are used for a higher efficiency and less labor in sales calculation, inventory control or assortment. Generally, such bar code is black bars printed on the white surface of a bar code label. If the label surface is stained with an oil or dirt or if the blackness of the coded bars fades, the information recorded in the bar code label cannot possibly be read positively and accurately. Particularly, there is a problem in reading the bar code label outdoors. Recently, a magnetic bar code reading system has been proposed which can be used in any environment. In this system, engraved recesses (characters and bar codes) 202, 202 ' , 203 , · · · are made, as shown in Fig. 1, on a bar code label 201 made of a metal such as iron and the recesses are magnetically detected by means of a ferromagnetic magnetic resistance device (will be referred to as "MR device" hereinafter) and a permanent magnet. More particularly, the head at the bottom of a main body 204 in which the MR device and permanent magnet are integrally incorporated is swept on the engraved bar code label 201 to read the recess pattern consisting of the recesses 202, 202 ' , 203 , · · · . The principle of this bar code reading will be discussed below: When the head is placed on the engraved bar code label 201, the engraved recesses 202, 202' , 203 , · · · are magnetized by the DC magnetic formed by the permanent magnet. The magnetic field formed by these magnetized recesses causes the magnetic flux distribution over the recesses to change and this change of the magnetic flux distribution results in a resistance change of the MR device. The resistance change is passed to the signal processing circuit provided in the head of the main body 204 in which they are converted into a binary-coded signal (0 or 1) correspondingly to the code represented by the recess pattern. This binary-coded signal is supplied to the decoder for recognition of the bar code pattern. The conventional head of the magnetic bar code reader operating on the above-mentioned principle has a tip of which the structure will be discussed below with reference to Fig. 2. Namely, for an electrical connection between an input wire of an MR device 206 made on a printed circuit board 205 through a well-known IC manufacturing process and an external lead wire 207 through which a current is supplied to detect a magnetic field change as a voltage, the circuit board 205 is connected to an electrode 209 by means of a bonding wire 208 and the external lead wire 207 is spot-joined to the electrode 209 by means of a solder joint 210. The electrode 209 and circuit board 205 are attached to an internal substrate 211. Further, the internal substrate 211 and electrode 209 are attached to a head frame 212 and sealed from below with a coating film 213. A permanent magnet 214 provided for exciting is attached to the internal substrate 211 and sealed with a coating film 215. As the conventional sensor of the magnetic bar code reader operating on the above-mentioned principle, a generally square MR device is used as shown in Fig. 3. As seen, a magnetic resistance film 217 formed on a circuit board 216 made of, for example, a glass is provided in such a structure that it is folded back in parallel to the lateral side of the circuit board 216. For a high magnetic sensitivity, a plurality of such magnetic resistance films is provided as cascade-connected. Usually, the number of the magnetic resistance films thus provided is such that the whole resistance will be on the order several kiloohms. Furthermore, a current-supplying electrode 218 is provided on either end of the magnetic resistance film 217 in such a manner that an ohmic contact can be assured. For a higher yield of manufacture with a reduced IC area, these patterns are so set as to form together a generally square shape in many cases. In a magnetic bar code reader, the above-mentioned MR device is inclined more than 30 deg. with respect to bar code recesses 219 and a permanent magnet 220 which applies a biasing magnetic field is provided on the MR device to make a head 221 which will be swept on recesses 223, engraved in the form of bar code in an iron sheet 222, in a direction perpendicular to the length of the engraved recesses 223, thereby reading the bar code. A bar code label made of any other metal sheet than the iron sheet is so resistant against contamination or staining that even when the label surface is stained with a dirt or the like, it can be washed with water to remove such dirt. However, in case the label is made of an iron sheet, it will be rusty and thus corroded. Particularly, any iron-sheet bar code label is not suitably usable in a place where the atmosphere is very salty. In the head having the structure shown in Fig. 2, since the bonding wire 208 is provided as bonded to the electrode 205 on the substrate (semiconductor substrate) of the MR device 206 by using an ultrasonic bonder or the like, a air gap d (about 0.3 mm) must be provided under these elements. This air gap causes the strength of the magnetic lines of force produced by the engraved recesses, that is to be detected by the MR device, to be extremely small. In other words, the MR device has only a low sensitivity to the magnetic lines of force formed by the bar code recesses. When the head is off the bar code label, the sensitivity of the MR device is found very low. For example, when about 0.1 mm is off the label surface in relation to a pattern of minimum recesses of 0.5 mm, the head can hardly read the code represented by the recess pattern. In the bar code reader having a magnetic sensor of a structure shown in Fig. 3, since the magnetic resistance film 217 occupies so large inside the reader as extends fully across one engraved recess, so the changes of magnetic field in opposite directions at the right and left recess edges cancels the magnetic resistance change of the MR device. Thus, this reader cannot read any high resolution engraved bar code composed of narrow recesses. For example, a common MR device of 0.5 to 0.6 mm in length and width should preferably be inclined 45 deg. with respect to the length of the recesses to apply a biasing magnetic field longitudinally of the recesses in order to read the bar code with a high sensitivity. In this case, however, the width of the MR device will be about 0.7 mm to 0.85 mm and thus it is apparent that the MR device cannot read any engraved recess of 0.5 mm in minimum width. Also even if a bar code reading head is constructed with the MR device not inclined 45 deg. (the biasing magnetic field may be applied from a direction inclined 45 deg.) but directed longitudinally of the engraved recesses at the sacrifice of the sensitivity to some extent, any common magnetic sensor element having a large width, if fitted, in the head cannot read a high resolution (namely, narrow) bar code recess pattern. The present invention provides a bar code reader for reading a bar code label carrying coded information by detecting a magnetic field change caused by the bar code label, the bar code reader comprising: a permanent magnet: an MR device having an input lead wire, the MR device being for detecting the magnetic field change; a head frame housing the permanent magnet and the MR device, said permanent magnet being supported on a bottom of said head frame, wherein the bottom of the head frame has an opening formed therein, a portion of the bottom of the head frame being recessed from the lower end of said head frame to define a depression; an internal lead wire disposed in the depression in the bottom of the head frame; a resin film disposed in the depression, the resin film covering said internal lead wire, and being flush with the bottom of the bead frame; an external lead wire connected to said internal lead wire; and a printed circuit board, the MR device being fixed to the lower side of the printed circuit board; wherein said printed circuit board is disposed in said opening in the bottom of the head frame, and is electrically connected to said internal lead wire by bumping material placed between said printed circuit board and the internal lead wire; and wherein said external lead wire is passed through through-holes formed in said bottom of said head frame, and spot-joined to the internal lead wire. The present invention will be better understood from the following description made, by way of example, of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings: Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of the essential part of the bar code reader; Fig. 2 is also a schematic illustration showing the construction of the head of the conventional bar code reader; Fig. 3 schematically illustrates the construction of the conventional bar code reader having a MR device; Fig. 4(a) schematically shows the construction of the head of the bar code reader according to one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 4(b) is a perspective view of the pen head in which the head shown in Fig. 4(a) is built; Fig. 5(a) shows the resistance charge characteristic of the MR device when the head sweeps on the bar code label; Fig. 5(b) shows the positions of the recesses engraved in the bar code label which corresponded to the magnetic resistance change characteristic in Fig. 5(a); Fig. 4(a) shows the construction of a bar code reader according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 4(b) shows the shapes of a main body 33 and head 34 of this bar code reader. The bar code reader according to the present invention has a pen head-type structure to sweep the bar code label 101 (basically the one shown in Fig. 1) and read the code thereon. The head at the tip of the reader is built in a head frame 35 as shown in Fig. 4(a), The head frame 35 is an opened casing having a cut 35a formed at the end thereof. According to the present invention, a permanent magnet 36 is installed as supported on the bottom 35b within the head frame 35 and a printed circuit board on which a MR device 37 is formed by predetermined IC manufacturing process is provided as supported on an internal lead wire 38 in a hole 35c and facing the end of the head frame 35. The internal lead wire 38 is formed on a resin film 38 by patterning. The resin film 39 is fitted in the cut 35a and the surface thereof is so shaped as to be flush with the end of the head frame 35. The internal lead wire 38 and circuit board 40 are joined to each other by means of a bumping material 41. The bumping material 41 is previously attached to the internal lead wire 38 and connected, as pressed from the resin film side by means of a bonding tool, to an input wire 37' of the MR device 37 laid on the circuit board 40. The input wire 37' is made of Au or the like while the internal lead wire 38 is of Cu or the like. The resin film 39, internal lead wire 38 and circuit board 40 are coated with a resin film 42 for a protection from the environment and also for prevention of their separation. There are opened in the bottom 35b of the head frame 35 circular or square through-holes 43', 44 and 44' through which a resin coating 45 is filled to secure the resin film 39 and internal lead wire 38 to the head frame 35. It should be noted that the permanent magnet 36 is mechanically fixed to the head frame 35 by means of the resin coating 45. An external lead wire 46 through a current is suppled to the MR device 37 and by which a resistance change is detected is passed through the bottom 35b and solder-joined to the internal lead wire 38. In the head 34 of such construction, the resin film 39, internal lead wire 38 and bumping material 41 are about 0.1 mm, 0.05 mm and 0.01 mm thick, respectively. The gap between the surface of the resin film 39, namely, the end of the detector (end of the head frame), and the surface of the MR device (circuit board surface) is about 0.15 mm. This gap size is nearly a half of the conventional reader in which a bonding wire is used. Because of the fact that the strength of magnetic field attenuates in proportion to one/square or one/cube of distance, the sensitivity of detection is four times higher than in the conventional reader. Fig. 5(a) shows the magnatic resistance change when the reader is swept on a bar code label 50 (with minimum recess pattern of 0.5 mm) made of a metal. Fig. 5(b) shows the relation between the recesses engraved on the bar code label 50 and the magnetic resistance change. The resistance change characteristic α is a one obtained when the bar code reader according to the present invention was used while the characteristic β is a one obtained by using the conventional reader. In the reader according to the present invention, the magnetic resistance changes more greatly than in the bar code reader of the conventional structure. Even when the head 34 is swept at a height of about 0.1 to 0.2 mm above the top surface of the bar code label, the code could be accurately read. Having a high sensitivity as mentioned above. the bar code reader according to the present invention can read an engraved record in a bar code label even when the latter is somewhat stained with an oil, dust or minute metal piecses. Since being able to catch up with any fluctuation of sensitivity (approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm), the bar code reader according to the present invention is highly reliable. A bar code reader according to of the present invention uses a structure in which the MR device and lead wires are connected to each other by means of a bumping mateial, which can surely provide a highly reliable bar code reading system. Even if stained with oil, dust or mud, this reader can still be used normally. Thus, it can be used effectively in any desirable environment such as outdoor, factory or the like.

Claims: A bar code reader for reading a bar code label carrying coded information by detecting a magnetic field change caused by the bar code label, the bar code reader comprising: a permanent magnet (36); a magnetic resistance MR device (37) having an input lead wire (37), the MR device being for detecting the magnetic field change; a head frame (35) housing the permanent magnet (36) and the MR device (37), said permanent magnet (36) being supported on a bottom (35b) of said head frame (35), wherein the bottom (3 5b) of the head frame (35) has an opening (35c) formed therein, a portion of the bottom of the head frame being recessed from the lower end of said frame to define a depression (35a); an internal lead wire (38) disposed in the depression in the bottom of (35b) of the head frame (35); a resin film (39) disposed in the depression, the resin film covering said internal lead wire and being flush with the bottom of the head frame; an external lead wire (46) connected to said internal lead wire (38); and a printed circuit board (40), the MR device (37) being fixed to the lower side of the printed circuit board; wherein said printed circuit board (40) is disposed in said opening (35c) in the bottom (35b) of the head frame (35), and is electrically connected to said internal lead wire (38) by bumping material (41) placed between said printed circuit board (40) and the internal lead wire (38); and wherein said external lead wire (46) is passed through through-holes (43') formed in said bottom (35b) of said head frame (35), and spot-joined to the internal lead wire (38).

Inventors: AJIKI HIROSHI, WAKUMI HIROO, AJIKI, HIROSHI, WAKAUMI, HIROO, Ajiki, Hiroshi, c/o Nippon Elec. Ind. Co., Ltd., Wakumi, Hiroo, c/o NEC Corp.
Applicants: NIPPON ELECTRIC CO, NIPPON ELECTRIC IND, NEC CORPORATION, NIPPON ELECTRIC INDUSTRY, CO. LTD.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: G06K7
IPC codes: G06K7, G06K19, G06K1