Oblique access to image data for reading dataforms
First Claim
1. An oblique access system, enabling access to dataform image data via an oblique line component of an image portion containing an image of said dataform, comprising:
- a two-dimensional array of image sensor cells positioned in rows and columns and arranged to provide image data representative of an image area including said image portion containing said dataform image;
an address unit arranged to provide address signals effective to identify a stepped pixel pattern of sensor cells representative of said oblique line component, said oblique line component positioned obliquely to said rows and columns and said address signals usable to access image data originating from sensor cells comprising said pattern; and
a data access arrangement responsive to said address signals to make available for further use output signals representative of image data originating from sensor cells comprising said stepped pixel pattern, said output signals thereby representative of said oblique line component of the image portion containing said dataform image.
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Abstract
An image sensor array system is arranged to enable oblique access for readout of image data from a stepped pixel pattern of sensor cells. The stepped pixel pattern represents an oblique line component of an image portion containing a 2-D bar code or other dataform. An obliquely aligned bar code image can thus be read out along oblique lines which follow rows of bar code elements traversing the elements. The sensor array (16) is accessed by horizontal and vertical readout circuits (22 and 24) under the control of address signals from an address unit (20). Location signals, from a source (12), indicative of a selected image portion (39) may be used by the address unit (20) to provide address signals representative of the stepped pixel pattern for a particular oblique line component. Under the control of the address signals, image data from cells at the intersection of array lines and columns are sampled by sampling devices (26-32) and provided as output signals representative of the selected oblique line component. The output signals are then usable for decoding the bar code or other dataform.
37 Citations
31 Claims
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1. An oblique access system, enabling access to dataform image data via an oblique line component of an image portion containing an image of said dataform, comprising:
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a two-dimensional array of image sensor cells positioned in rows and columns and arranged to provide image data representative of an image area including said image portion containing said dataform image;
an address unit arranged to provide address signals effective to identify a stepped pixel pattern of sensor cells representative of said oblique line component, said oblique line component positioned obliquely to said rows and columns and said address signals usable to access image data originating from sensor cells comprising said pattern; and
a data access arrangement responsive to said address signals to make available for further use output signals representative of image data originating from sensor cells comprising said stepped pixel pattern, said output signals thereby representative of said oblique line component of the image portion containing said dataform image. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An oblique access system, enabling access to dataform image data via an oblique line component of an image portion containing an image of said dataform, comprising:
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a two-dimensional array of image sensor cells positioned in rows and columns and arranged to provide image data representative of an image area including said image portion containing said dataform image;
a memory unit coupled to said array to store at memory locations image data representative of said image area and responsive to memory address signals to make available for further use output signals representative of image data at memory locations identified by said memory address signals; and
an address unit coupled to said memory unit and arranged to provide memory address signals effective to identify the memory locations of stored image data originating from sensor cells comprising a stepped pixel pattern representative of said oblique line component, said oblique line component positioned obliquely to said rows and columns and said memory address signals coupled to said memory unit to access stored image data to provide output signals representative of said oblique line component of the image portion containing said dataform. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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17. An oblique access system enabling access to dataform image data via an oblique line component of an image portion containing an image of said dataform, comprising:
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a two-dimensional array of image sensor cells positioned in rows and columns and arranged to provide image data representative of an image area including said image portion containing said dataform image;
an address unit arranged to provide array address signals effective to identify a stepped pixel pattern of sensor cells representative of said oblique line component, said oblique line component positioned obliquely to said rows and columns and said array address signals usable to identify row and column locations of said sensor cells comprising said pattern;
at least one readout circuit coupled to said array and providing random access responsive to said array address signals to selectively designate row and column intersections representative of locations of individual sensor cells of said stepped pixel pattern of sensor cells;
at least one sampling device coupled to said array and arranged to access image data available at said sensor cells at said row and column intersections; and
an output device coupled to each said sampling device and arranged to provide output signals representative of image data originating from sensor cells comprising said stepped pixel pattern, said output signals thereby representative of said oblique line component of the image portion containing said dataform image.
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25. An oblique access method, for accessing image data representative of a dataform, comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing image data representative of rows and columns of pixels comprising an image area including an image portion containing an image of said dataform;
(b) providing address signals identifying a stepped pixel pattern representative of a first oblique line component of said image portion, said oblique line component positioned obliquely to said rows and columns; and
(c) utilizing said address signals to make available for further use output signals representative of image data for pixels included in said stepped pixel pattern, said output signals thereby representative of said first oblique line component of the selected image portion containing said dataform image.
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Specification