Visual feedback for code readers

• US 10,152,622 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2015
• Issued: 12/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Sailors, Jeffrey, Davis, Brett
• Primary Examiner(s): St Cyr, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/936,008
• Publication Number:
  US 20160188939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 235437, 235454, 23546211, 23546224
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2007/10524 Hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06262 with target- or other orientation-indicating feature
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1011 Aiming
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48

Abstract

A system and method for providing visual feedback to facilitate multi-code (e.g., barcode) reading (i.e., scanning) is presented. The visual feedback will project a read status for each code scanned. The visual feedback for a particular code will be projected onto that code. For example, an “X” projected onto a code would indicated that this code was not read and needed to be scanned again. This visual feedback minimizes the number of codes that need to be rescanned in the case of a read error.

Claims

1. A multi-code reading system with visual feedback, the system comprising:

an imager for capturing a digital image of a code set in a field of view, the code set comprising a plurality of physical codes;

a projector for projecting onto at least one physical code of the plurality of physical codes a visual feedback indicator selected from a set of visual feedback indicators;

a memory for storing the digital image, the set of visual feedback indicators, and a code-reading program; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the imager, the projector, and the memory, wherein the processor is configured by the code-reading program to;

(i) retrieve the digital image from the memory,

(ii) detect the codes within the digital image,

(iii) read each detected code,

(iv) for the at least one physical code, select a visual feedback indicator from the set of visual feedback indicators, the selection being based on the code'"'"'s reading results,

(v) project onto the at least one physical code the code'"'"'s selected visual feedback indicator; and

(vi) project a box with edges corresponding to the field of view.

2. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the code set comprises multiple codes of the same symbology.

3. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the code set comprises multiple codes of mixed symbologies.

4. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the set of visual feedback indicators comprises a box with edges corresponding to a code.

5. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the set of visual feedback indicators comprises an “

X”

to cover a code.

6. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the set of visual feedback indicators comprises a box with edges corresponding to a code and an “

X”

to cover a code, wherein (i) the box is projected onto codes that were read correctly, (ii) the “

X”

is projected onto codes that were read incorrectly, and (iii) nothing is projected onto codes that were not detected.

7. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the projector comprises a light emitting diode (LED).

8. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the projector comprises a laser.

9. The multi-code reading system according to claim 1, wherein the code set comprises barcodes.

10. A method for providing visual feedback regarding a multi-code scan using an imaging barcode scanner, the method comprising:

capturing a digital image of a field of view with the imaging barcode scanner, the field of view comprising a set of codes for reading;

detecting the codes within the digital image;

reading each code;

determining a code status for each code, the code status having (i) a positive status if the code was read and (ii) a negative status if an attempt to read the code failed; and

projecting visual feedback into the field of view, the visual feedback projected onto the set of codes that are printed on or affixed to a target, wherein the visual feedback comprises;

(i) positive feedback messages projected onto codes having a positive status;

(ii) negative feedback messages projected onto codes having a negative status; and

(iii) a box with edges corresponding to the field of view.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the set of codes comprises a two-dimensional barcode.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the set of codes comprises a linear barcode.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the positive feedback messages each comprise a box with edges corresponding to a code.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the negative feedback messages each comprise an “

X”

to cover a code.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the visual feedback only comprises the box with edges corresponding to the field of view and the positive or negative feedback messages for detected codes within the digital image.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the positive feedback messages or the negative feedback messages are partially contained within the box corresponding to the field of view.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the imaging barcode scanner comprises a light emitting diode (LED) for projecting the feedback.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the imaging barcode scanner comprises a laser for projecting the feedback.