Scanners of various codes are currently present in various areas of life, from ... type or a particular element is usually repeatable. However, changes in ... scanning, trial lots or even contamination of nozzles in printers printing the barcodes can.
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A device for multi-axis manual positioning in particular of a barcode reader The subject of the invention is a device for multi-axis manual positioning in particular of a barcode reader. Scanners of various codes are currently present in various areas of life, from manufacturing of consumer goods to shopping. Normal scanners, for example 5 barcode scanners, have the form of a light beam transmitter (usually of a laser beam), a photosensitive receiver and a system "straightening" the beam reflected off the code in order to provide it to the receiver. The straightening system usually has the form of a rotating optical system containing mirrors. In the simplest case, the optical system is rotating together with 10 the entire scanner, an analogous solution was described in invention disclosure P-314706. The rack on which the scanner was installed has the option of height regulation while maintaining the parallel nature of scanning plane and of beam transmitter plane and it can be fixed and rotating around a 180 degrees angle. In other cases, the mirrors used are mobile and the light reflected off the 15 barcode plane is directed by them to a photooptical element. Such a solution is presented in a patent application US20050161509. Sometimes, together with rotating mirrors, alarms informing about the fact that the code field was found along the path of laser beam propagation between the transmitter/mirror/receiver are used. The JP2000028424 application discloses a 20 code reader in which an optical mirror system with variable light reflection angle was used. After a correct reflection of the light beam towards the photoelement, the operator is informed about the finished scanning with a sound signal. Solutions known in the art enable barcode scanning in case of low code flux, since every time the barcode surface must be lifted and correctly oriented against 25 the scanner. Thus, these methods may not be used in cases of streaming fluxes of barcodes, which are typical for large scale manufacturing. In case of this type of manufacturing, subunits or packagings with barcodes attached are usually transported using conveyors, and the location of the code for a particular packaging
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type or a particular element is usually repeatable. However, changes in conveyor speed, rearming machinery at production stages upstream of the barcode scanning, trial lots or even contamination of nozzles in printers printing the barcodes can often cause changes in locations of packagings or code-containing elements, which 5 changes must be corrected by a change in location of the reader scanning beam. In case of methods known in the art, such a change requires to stop the conveyor and to perform reader calibration at low transport speed of the conveyor. Such settings are often erroneous after switching to the normal course of the conveyor and they require additional corrections. On the other hand, use of scanners scanning the 10 conveyor area in the production line not using an focused light beam, but using a group of beams as in the case of scanners with optical systems containing mirrors influences the photooptical sensors present within the conveyor, controlling its speed. In addition, the light used in barcode readers is harmful to eyes of the process operators, exposing them to negative health influence. 15
Thus it was deemed purposeful to develop a design of a scanner enabling correction of scanning beam location at full speed of the conveyor, which would not pose a risk for individuals present close to the scanning beam. The device for multi-axis, manual positioning, in particular that of a barcode reader, includes a bearing framework of the device which is comprised of at least
20 two, located in parallel, sliding guides located at a distance bigger than conveyor width, equipped with sliding guide carriages. The sliding guide carriages have plates attached, connected using two parallel guides equipped with carriages. The carriages are connected using the main plate. Linear motion of the sliding guide carriages along the guides as well as parallel guide carriages along the guides 25 results in a change of the main plate location within the plane indicated by the guides. It is possible to stop the motion at the target location, resulting from positioning of the sheet with the barcode attached, using knobs the carriages are equipped with. In the central part, the main plate has a through opening in which a thin-walled knob is placed. In the part placed within the main plate, the knob has 30 symmetrically placed, radial openings located on its circumference. A spring latch
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is installed in the surface of the side plate, the stem of which immobilizes the knob against the main plate after its stem slides into the plate opening, at a slanted position required for correct readout of the barcode onto the sheet. The knob has an opening in its rotation axis, where a bushing is located in a rotating manner. A 5 justifying knob is slipped onto the bushing, immobilized against the bushing using a bolt. The bushing has a threaded opening in the rotation axis, into which the threaded shaft of the barcode reader fixture is placed. Inside the knob a lock preventing the fixture from turning is placed, as well as limiting its axial motion between the bottom of the knob and a lock tab. Rotational movement of the 10 justifying knob attached to the bushing results in a relative axial movement (threading in/out) of the housing, thus also motion of the code reader. In the top part, the knob has an inspection glass made of transparent material, enabling observation of the scanning area of the code reader. In order to protect against damage, the power supply-signalling cable of the code reader 1 is placed in two, 15 segmented conduits. The advantage of the presented solution is the ability to change linear position of the reader in two orthogonal directions and to rotate it in order to read the barcodes placed on sheets supplied on a conveyor. The developed solution additionally allows to change distance between the reader and the sheet surface, 20 enabling to adapt the readout distance to the barcode size A device for multiaxial manual positioning in particular of a barcode is presented in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 presents a general view of the device according to the invention, Fig. 2 presents an aerial view of the device according to the invention, Fig. 3 presents longitudinal cross-section of the device according to 25 the invention, Fig 4 presents transverse cross-section of the device according to the invention. The device for multi-axis, manual positioning, in particular that of a barcode reader, includes a bearing framework of the device which is comprised of two, located in parallel, sliding guides 1 located at a distance bigger than width of 30 conveyor 19, equipped with sliding guide carriages 3. The sliding guide carriages 3
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have plates 5 attached, connected using two parallel guides 2 equipped with carriages 4. Carriages 4 are connected using the main plate 6. Linear motion of carriage 3 along guides 1 and of carriages 4 along guides 2 results in a position change of the main plate 6 in the plane determined by guides 1. It is possible to 5 stop the motion at the target location, resulting from positioning of the sheet 20 with the barcode attached, using knobs the carriages 3 and 4 are equipped with. In the central part, the main plate 6 has a through opening in which a thin-walled knob 7 is placed. In the part placed within the main plate 6, the knob 7 has symmetrically placed, radial openings 18 located on its circumference. A spring latch 8 is installed 10 in the surface of the side plate 6, the stem of which immobilizes the knob 7 against the main plate 6 after its stem slides into the opening 18, at a slanted position required for correct readout of the barcode onto the sheet 20. The knob 7 has an opening in its rotation axis, where a bushing 10 is located in a rotating manner. A justifying knob 9 is slipped onto the bushing 10, immobilized against the bushing 15 10 using a bolt 15. The bushing 10 has a threaded opening in the rotation axis, into which the threaded shaft of the barcode reader 13 fixture 11 is placed. Inside the knob 7 a lock 12 preventing the fixture 11 from turning is placed, as well as limiting its axial motion between the bottom of the knob 7 and a lock tab 12. Rotational movement of the justifying knob 9 attached to the bushing 10 results in 20 a relative axial movement (threading in/out) of the housing 11, thus also motion of the code reader 13. In the top part, the knob 7 has an inspection glass 14 made of transparent material, enabling observation of the scanning area of the code reader 13. In order to protect against damage, the power supply-signalling cable of the code reader 13 is placed in two, segmented conduits 16 and 17. 25
The advantage of the presented solution is the ability to change linear position of the reader in two orthogonal directions and to rotate it in order to read the barcodes placed on sheets supplied on a conveyor. The developed solution additionally allows to change distance between the reader and the sheet surface, enabling to adapt the readout distance to the barcode size
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Claims 1. A device for multiaxial manual positioning in particular of a barcode reader characterised by that it has a bearing frame comprised of two parallel, placed at a distance bigger than conveyor (19) width, sliding guides (1) equipped with carriages (3) with plates (5) attached to carriages (3), connected using two parallel guides (2) equipped with carriages (4) and with the main plate (6) connected to them. 2. A device according to claim 1 characterised by that the linear motion of carriages (3) along guides (1) and that of carriages (4) along guides (2) and the resulting change of main plate 6 location within the plane determined by guides 1 is locked using knobs the carriages 3 and 4 are equipped with. 3. A device according to claims 1 or 2 characterised by that in the central part, the main plate 6 has a through opening, in which a thin-walled knob 7 is placed, having symetrically located along the circumference, radial openings 18. 4. A device according to claim 1 or 2 or 3 characterised in that a spring latch 8 is installed in the surface of the side plate 6, the stem of which immobilizes the knob 7 against the main plate 6 after its stem slides into the opening 18, at a slanted position required for correct readout of the barcode onto the sheet 20. 5. Device according to claim 4 characterised by that the knob 7 has an opening in its rotational axis, in which a rotating bushing 10 is located, on which the justifying knob 9 is installed, immobilized against bushing 10 using bolt 15, and the bushing 10 has a threaded opening along its axis of rotation, into which the housing stem 11 of the barcode reader 13 is threaded. 6. Device according to claim 4 or 5 characterised by that there is a lock 12 installed inside the knob 7, protecting the housing 11 against rotation and limiting its axial movement between the bottom of the knob 7 and the lock tab 12, and the knob 7 has
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an inspection glass 14 made of transparent material, located in the top part, enabling observation of the scanning area of the code reader 13. 7. A device according to claim 6 characterised in that the power supplysignalling cable of the code reader 13 is placed in two, segmented conduits 16 and 17.
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Abstract A device for multiaxial manual positioning in particular of a barcode reader characterised by that it has a bearing frame comprised of two parallel, placed at a distance bigger than conveyor 19 width, sliding guides 1 equipped with carriages 3 with plates 5 attached to carriages 3, connected using two parallel guides 2 equipped with carriages 4 and with the main plate 6 connected to them. Fig.1
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