Remote indicia reading system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for reading indicia from a remote location, comprising:
- a light source for providing illumination;
a reflective medium disposed remotely from the light source, the reflective medium including indicia operable to reflect the illumination provided by the light source, where portions of the illumination reflected from the indicia comprise a reflected indicia image;
a light sensing device disposed remotely from the reflective medium, the light sensing device for receiving the reflected indicia image and for generating an indicia image signal based thereon; and
an indicia processing system for receiving the indicia image signal and for operating on the indicia image signal to extract indicia information therefrom.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus is provided for reading indicia, such as a bar code, from a remote location. The apparatus includes a light source for illuminating the indicia, preferably with infrared illumination. The indicia is incorporated in a reflective medium, disposed remotely from the light source, which reflects the illumination provided by the light source. The apparatus includes a light sensing device also disposed remotely from the reflective medium. The light sensing device receives the reflected image of the indicia and generates an indicia image signal based thereon. An indicia processing system receives and operates on the indicia image signal to extract indicia information therefrom. The light source and the light sensing device may be located up to 75 feet or more away from the reflective medium, and the reflective medium may be moving at speeds of up to 85 miles per hour or more relative to the light source and the light sensing device. To prevent blurring of the reflected indicia image, the infrared illumination is preferably provided in pulses, and the light sensing device is shuttered in synchronism with the pulses. The indicia and reflective medium may be attached to a motor vehicle, a trailer portion of a tractor/trailer rig, a railroad box car or container, or any other type of vehicle, package, or cargo container.
40 Citations
23 Claims
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1. An apparatus for reading indicia from a remote location, comprising:
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a light source for providing illumination;
a reflective medium disposed remotely from the light source, the reflective medium including indicia operable to reflect the illumination provided by the light source, where portions of the illumination reflected from the indicia comprise a reflected indicia image;
a light sensing device disposed remotely from the reflective medium, the light sensing device for receiving the reflected indicia image and for generating an indicia image signal based thereon; and
an indicia processing system for receiving the indicia image signal and for operating on the indicia image signal to extract indicia information therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. An apparatus for reading indicia from a remote location, comprising:
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an infrared light source for providing pulses of infrared illumination;
a reflective medium disposed remotely from the light source, the reflective medium including indicia operable to reflect the pulses of infrared illumination provided by the light source, where portions of the illumination reflected from the indicia comprise a reflected indicia image;
a camera incorporating charge-coupled devices which is disposed remotely from the reflective medium, sensitive to the infrared illumination reflected from the indicia, electronically shuttered in synchronism with the pulses of infrared illumination provided by the light source, for receiving the reflected indicia image and for generating a bit-mapped indicia image based on the reflected indicia image; and
an indicia processing system for receiving the bit-mapped indicia image and for operating on the bit-mapped indicia image to extract indicia information therefrom.
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23. An apparatus for reading a bar code from a remote location, comprising:
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a light source for providing illumination from a fixed location;
a retro-reflective medium operable to be disposed on a vehicle or container which is remote from the light source and which is moveable relative to the light source, the retro-reflective medium including the bar code which is operable to reflect the illumination provided by the light source, where portions of the illumination reflected from the bar code comprise a reflected bar code image;
a light sensing device disposed at the fixed location for receiving the reflected bar code image and for generating a bar code image signal based thereon; and
a bar code processing system for receiving the bar code image signal and for operating on the bar code image signal to extract bar code information therefrom as the retro-reflective medium is moving relative to the light source and the light sensing device.
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Specification