Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Atsutoshi Okamoto

Toshiyasu Sakai

Masahiro Hara

Akio Sugiura

Takeshi Matsushima

Motoyoshi Suzuki

Mutsushi Yamashita

Hiromitsu Takai

Hiroshi Yamamoto

Tadao Ohshima

Yasuhito Imai

A bar code label comprises a recording medium and a bar code recorded on a recording medium. The bar code includes a plurality of bar elements lined up parallel. Each width of bar elements is different in accordance with the kind of bar elements. The width of the bar elements is made wider than it would normally be based on its distance from the center of the bar code toward the end of the bar code.

Bar code label

Apparatus for reading optical information such as a bar code capable of reflecting ambient light and including a hand-held reader containing an image sensor. The hand-held reader is constructed so that ambient light illuminates the optical information, whereby an image of the optical information is imaged by ambient light reflected from the optical information on the image sensor so that the image is converted into an electric signal. The hand-held reader further includes a light detector for detecting intensity of the ambient light and the image sensor is controlled so that the exposure time thereof is changed in accordance with intensity of the ambient light detected by the light detector.

Optical information reading apparatus

In an optical reading apparatus having an image sensor for converting optically readable information into an electrical signal, a sensor driving circuit is arranged to produce at least two clocks with which two or more groups of optical imaging elements of the image sensor are respectively driven. In one embodiment, the two clocks have a time or phase difference therebetween so that signal charges from one group of the imaging elements are derived at once after signal charges of another group are derived. The derived signal charges are read out in a sequence within a period equal to the time difference. This enables a charging time to be twice or more the time difference providing high sensitivity. Since at least two or more read data can be obtained within a single charging time, high-speed reading is also resulted. In another embodiment, the optical reader is switched so that one of high-speed mode and high-resolution mode is selected. In a further embodiment, the invention is adapted to a reader having an area image sensor.

High-sensitive optical reading apparatus and method of reading optical

A bar code having parallel bars carrying information is divided into a plurality of regions so that each region is detected by a field of vision of an image sensor of a bar code reader. The bars in each region are detected by a scanning operation to store data indicative of the width of each bar into a memory. When scanning of a region is completed, detection of another region follows to store data in the same manner. After all the regions are scanned to obtain their data, these data are combined to produce a combined data. Some superfluous data due to overlapping of two consecutive regions are removed from the combined data. In one embodiment, the superfluous data are removed by using data indicative separation bars provided between the two consecutive regions, while in another embodiment, the superfluous data are removed by using a predetermined value indicative of the actual number of bars of the bar code.

Method and apparatus for reading a bar code

A bar code scanner for scanning bar codes having a plurality of parallel bar symbols recorded in different light reflective colors on a record medium. The scanner has a light source, an image sensor comprising a plurality of light responsive elements which are aligned and activated one by one, and diaphragm having an aperture which is longitudinally extending in orthogonal relation with the straight line of the aligned elements.

Bar code scanner

A combination of a linear integrated circuit supplied with voltages from a first dc voltage source and a second dc voltage source of lower power capacity and opposite polarity, a switching circuit for performing a switching action according to the output signal of the linear integrated circuit without consuming power from the low capacity dc voltage source, and a digital circuit operable by the reception of the switching signal from the switching circuit. The low level dc voltage source provides a voltage by converting the voltage supplied from the first dc voltage source.

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Aichi, Japan

Atsutoshi Okamoto