JPH0528295A - Laser scan - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] In a laser scanner having a structure in which a laser light source and a polygon mirror are hermetically sealed in a main body housing in which a light-transmitting window is formed, it is possible to eliminate fog on the inner surface of the light-transmitting window. A blower fan 18 is integrally formed with the polygon mirror 16, and a heating wire having a pattern that does not interfere with scanning light is provided in the light-transmissive window 8.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser scanner having a structure in which a laser light source and a polygon mirror are built in a main body housing having a transparent window.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example of a laser scanner will be described with reference to FIG. First, in this laser scanner 1, a polygon mirror 5 is provided on the emission optical axis of a laser tube 2 which is a laser light source via a plurality of reflecting mirrors 3 and a perforated lens 4.
Is located on the scanning optical path of the polygon mirror 5, a translucent window 8 is located through a plurality of reflective mirrors 7, and a photodetector 9 is located at the condensing position of the perforated lens 4. It is arranged. Here, in the laser scanner 1, the transparent window 8 is formed on the upper surface of a box-type main body housing 10 having a hermetically sealed structure, and the main body housing 10 incorporates the optical components 2 to 9. In this laser scanner 1, the polygon mirror 5 is directly connected to the drive motor 11, and the light transmitting window 8 is located in the axial center direction.

In such a structure, the laser scanner 1 reads and scans a bar code 14 attached to a product 12 as a label 13 or the like, for example. First of all, this laser scanner 1 includes a laser tube 2
The emitted light is deflected and scanned by the reflecting surface 6 of the rotating polygon mirror 5, and the scanning light is reflected by a plurality of reflecting mirrors 7 so that a plurality of scanning lights having different scanning and optical axis directions are transmitted from the light transmitting window 8. Emit. Therefore, when the bar code 14 of the product 12 is positioned on the transparent window 8 and the scanning light is reflected, the reflected light of the bar code 14 passes through the reflection mirror 7, the polygon mirror 5 and the perforated lens 4 and the photo detector 9 is formed. Is received by. Therefore, the photodetector 9 photoelectrically converts the incident light and diffracts the incident light, so that the product information with the barcode 14 is input. In the laser scanner 1, the barcode 14 is read and scanned with high efficiency by emitting a plurality of scanning lights having different scanning and optical axis directions from the transparent window 8.

[0004]

In the laser scanner 1 described above, various optical components 2 to 9 are sealed in the main body housing 10 to which the transparent window 8 is connected, so that the optical components 2 to 9 are contaminated. It is designed to prevent damage.

However, in such a laser scanner 1, the humidity inside the main body housing 10 rises due to a temperature change and the like, and the inner surface of the transparent window 8 becomes cloudy, so that the light of the scanning light emitted from the transparent window 8 is emitted. The strength may be reduced and reading failure may occur.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A laser light source and a polygon mirror rotatably supported are built in a main body housing in which a light-transmitting window is formed, and a reflecting surface of the polygon mirror is positioned on an emission optical axis of the laser light source.
In the laser scanner that emits the scanning light of the polygon mirror through the light-transmitting window, a blower fan is integrally formed on the polygon mirror.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a laser light source and a rotatably supported polygon mirror are built in a main body housing having a light transmitting window, and the polygon mirror is reflected on the emission optical axis of the laser light source. In the laser scanner whose surface is positioned and the scanning light of this polygon mirror is emitted from the translucent window, a heating wire having a pattern that does not interfere with the scanning light is provided in the translucent window.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the air in the main body housing is made to flow by the blower fan formed integrally with the polygon mirror, the air is constantly blown to the inner surface of the light transmitting window.
Even if the humidity in the main body housing rises due to a temperature change or the like, it is possible to prevent the inner surface of the translucent window from being fogged.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the transparent window is heated by the heating wire having a pattern that does not interfere with the scanning light, so that even if the humidity in the main body housing rises due to a temperature change or the like, the transparent window is transparent. Fogging on the inner surface of the light window can be eliminated.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the invention described in claim 1 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in this laser scanner 15, a reflecting surface 17 of a polygon mirror 16 is located on the emission optical axis of a laser tube 2 which is a laser light source via a plurality of reflecting mirrors 3 and a perforated lens 4, and the polygon A translucent window 8 is located on the scanning optical path of the mirror 16 via a plurality of reflecting mirrors 7, and a photodetector 9 is located at the condensing position of the perforated lens 4. Here, in the laser scanner 15, the translucent window 8 is formed on the upper surface of a box-type main body housing 10 having a hermetic structure, and the main body housing 10 has optical components 2 to 9 built therein.

Here, in the laser scanner 15, a blower fan 18 is integrally provided on the upper edge of the reflection surface 17 of the polygon mirror 16 directly connected to the drive motor 11, and the blower fan 18 transmits light. It faces the inner surface of the window 8.

In such a configuration, the laser scanner 15 reads and scans the bar code 14 attached to the product 12 as the label 13 or the like, for example. First, the laser scanner 15 includes a reflecting surface 1 of a polygon mirror 16 that rotates the light emitted from the laser tube 2.
Deflection scanning is performed by 7, and the scanning light is reflected by a plurality of reflection mirrors 7 and a plurality of scanning lights having different scanning and optical axis directions are emitted from the light transmitting window 8. Therefore, the product 12 is placed on the transparent window 8.
When the barcode 14 is positioned and the scanning light is reflected, the reflected light of the barcode 14 is received by the photodetector 9 via the reflection mirror 7, the polygon mirror 16 and the perforated lens 4. Therefore, the photodetector 9 photoelectrically converts the incident light and diffracts the incident light, so that the product information with the barcode 14 is input. In the laser scanner 15, the barcode 14 is read and scanned with high efficiency by emitting a plurality of scanning lights having different scanning and optical axis directions from the transparent window 8.

Here, in the laser scanner 15, since the blower fan 18 formed integrally with the rotating polygon mirror 16 constantly blows air to the inner surface of the translucent window 8, the main body is subject to temperature changes and the like. Even if the humidity inside the housing 10 rises, the inner surface of the translucent window 8 does not become cloudy. Therefore, in the laser scanner 15, the translucent window 8
Since the light intensity of the scanning light emitted from is always kept good, the reading accuracy of the barcode 14 is highly stable.

In the laser scanner 15 of this embodiment, since the blower fan 18 formed on the polygon mirror 16 directly faces the transparent window 8, the transparent window 8 can be prevented from fogging very well. It is supposed to be done. In addition,
For example, even in a laser scanner (not shown) having a structure in which the translucent window and the polygon mirror are separated from each other, a blower fan is formed in the polygon mirror to form a flow of air in the main body housing to prevent fogging of the translucent window. Can be prevented.

Further, in such a laser scanner 15, since the air inside the main body housing 10 flows by the blower fan 18, it is expected that the laser tube 2 and the drive motor 11 which are apt to generate heat are also cooled.

Next, an embodiment of the invention described in claim 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, in this laser scanner 19, the reflecting surface of a polygon mirror (not shown) is located on the emission optical axis of a laser light source (not shown), and a plurality of reflecting mirrors are provided on the scanning optical path of this polygon mirror. A light-transmitting window 8 located through (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of a box-type main body housing 10 having a closed structure.

Here, in the laser scanner 19, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the heating wire 20 having a pattern that does not interfere with a plurality of scanning lights is attached to the inner surface of the light transmitting window 8.
A driving power source (neither is shown) is connected to these heating wires 20 via an on / off switch and a volume.

In such a structure, the laser scanner 19 has the same structure as the laser scanner 15 and the like described above.
A plurality of scanning lights having different scanning and optical axis directions are emitted from the light transmitting window 8 to read and scan the barcode with high efficiency.

Here, in the laser scanner 19, the transparent window 8 is constantly heated by the heating wire 20, so that even if the humidity in the main body housing 10 rises due to a temperature change or the like, the transparent window 8 is heated. The inner surface of the will not fog. Therefore, in the laser scanner 19, since the light intensity of the scanning light emitted from the light transmitting window 8 is always kept good, the barcode 14
The reading accuracy of is highly stable.

In the laser scanner 19 of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the translucent window 8 is always heated by the heating wire 20, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned form, and for example, the user turns it on and off. It is also possible to manually operate the switch or the volume to drive the heating wire 20 arbitrarily, or to automatically control the driving of the heating wire 20 by the humidity sensor.

[0021]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the main body housing in which the light-transmitting window is formed contains the laser light source and the polygon mirror rotatably supported, and the polygon mirror is provided on the emission optical axis of the laser light source. In the laser scanner that positions the reflection surface of the polygon mirror and emits the scanning light of the polygon mirror through the light-transmitting window, the blower fan that rotates together with the polygon mirror forms an air blower inside the main body housing by integrally forming the blower fan on the polygon mirror. Flows and the air is constantly blown to the inner surface of the light-transmitting window, so that the inner surface of the light-transmitting window is prevented from fogging even if the humidity inside the main body housing rises due to temperature changes, etc. This has the effect that the light intensity of the scanning light emitted from the device can always be kept good.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a laser light source and a polygon mirror rotatably supported are built in a main body housing having a light-transmitting window, and the polygon mirror is reflected on the emission optical axis of the laser light source. In the laser scanner that positions the surface and emits the scanning light of this polygon mirror through the light-transmitting window, a heating wire with a pattern that does not interfere with the scanning light is provided in the light-transmitting window, so that the temperature inside the main body housing may change due to temperature changes. Even if the humidity rises, it is possible to eliminate the fogging on the inner surface of the transparent window by heating it with a heating wire, so that the light intensity of the scanning light emitted from the transparent window is always maintained good. It is possible to achieve such effects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the invention described in claim 1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the invention described in claim 2.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 laser light source 8 translucent windows 15,19 Laser scanner 16 polygon mirror 17 Reflective surface 18 Blower fan 20 heating wire

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A laser light source and a rotatably supported polygon mirror are built in a main body housing having a translucent window, and a reflection surface of the polygon mirror is positioned on an emission optical axis of the laser light source. A laser scanner which emits scanning light of the polygon mirror through the light-transmitting window, wherein a blower fan is integrally formed with the polygon mirror. 2. A laser light source and a rotatably supported polygon mirror are built in a main body housing having a light-transmitting window, and a reflection surface of the polygon mirror is positioned on an emission optical axis of the laser light source. A laser scanner which emits scanning light of the polygon mirror through the light transmitting window, wherein a heating wire having a pattern that does not interfere with the scanning light is provided in the light transmitting window.