Information-reading component and information-reading device utilizing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016011041-A1
Application number	US-201414770600-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 27, 2014
Priority date	Feb 28, 2013
Publication date	Jan 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An information-reading element may be provided, which can be made small, and allows the number of adjustment steps to be reduced, and an information-reading device may be provided. An information-reading element may be provided and equipped with a light-emitting element, which serves as a polarized light-emitting part for emitting polarized light as outgoing light, and a light-receiving element, which serves as a polarized light-receiving part for receiving the polarized light as returning light after the polarized light is reflected off a reflecting plate, said reflecting plate being a target object from which information is to be read, wherein the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element have different polarization characteristics from each other.

First claim

1 . An information-reading element comprising:
a polarized light emitting part emitting polarized light as outgoing light; and a polarized light receiving part receiving as returning light the outgoing light reflected on a read object as an object from which information is read, the polarized light emitting part and the polarized light receiving part respectively having different polarization characteristics.

2 . The information-reading element according to claim 1 , wherein
a polarization characteristic changing part changing polarization characteristics of the outgoing light and the returning light is arranged at a position through which the outgoing light and the returning light pass, and the polarization characteristic changing part gives rise to a change A in the polarization characteristic when the outgoing light passes therethrough and gives rise to a change B in the polarization characteristic when the returning light passes therethrough so that the polarization characteristic of the returning light may match the polarization characteristic of the polarized light receiving part due to the change A and the change B.

3 . The information-reading element according to claim 1 , wherein
the polarized light emitting part, the polarized light receiving part, the read object, and the polarization characteristic changing part are arranged at positions intersecting with equal traces.

4 . The information-reading element according to claim 3 , wherein
the polarized light receiving part is provided on an opposite side of the read object through the polarized light emitting part, and the polarized light emitting part has a light transmission characteristic, the outgoing light emitted by the polarized light emitting part transmitting through the polarized light emitting part after being reflected on the read object as the returning light and the outgoing light reaching the polarized light receiving part.

5 . An information-reading device comprising:
the information-reading element according to claim 1 .

6 . An information-reading device comprising:
a plurality of information-reading elements, each of which is the information-reading element according to claim 1 , wavelengths of polarized light emitted or received by the plurality of information-reading elements being different among the adjacent information-reading elements.

7 . The information-reading element according to claim 2 , wherein
the polarized light emitting part, the polarized light receiving part, the read object, and the polarization characteristic changing part are arranged at positions intersecting with equal traces.

Assignees

• Shinano Kenshi Co
• Univ Shinshu

Inventors

• Nakamura Hiroyuki
• Ichikawa Musubu

Classifications

• G06K7/10821

  further details of bar or optical code scanning devices · CPC title

• G01D5/26

  characterised by optical transfer means, i.e. using infrared, visible, or ultraviolet light · CPC title

• H04B10/114

  Indoor or close-range type systems · CPC title

• G06K7/10831

  Arrangement of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms (optical elements per se G02B) · CPC title

• H04B10/00

  Transmission systems employing electromagnetic waves other than radio-waves, e.g. infrared, visible or ultraviolet light, or employing corpuscular radiation, e.g. quantum communication · CPC title