MENU SYMBOL CONTROLLED OPTICAL READER

• US 20040094627A1
• Filed: 12/21/2000
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Welch Allyn Incorporated
• Inventors: Longacre, Andrew Jr., Hussey, Robert M., Ehrhart, Michael A., Koziol, Thomas J., Parker, James A., Pine, Jeffrey, Smith, George S.
• Application Number:
  US09/746,427
• Publication Number:
  US 20040094627A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1017 Programmable
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1491 the method including a reconstruction step, e.g. stitching two pieces of bar code together to derive the full bar code

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical reading system comprising an optical reader and a host processor. In one aspect of the invention, the host processor may be configured to transmit a component control instruction in response to a user input command input by a user of the host processor to remotely control the reader. The optical reader subsequently receives the transmitted component control instruction and executes the component control instruction substantially on receipt thereof. In one embodiment, execution of the component control instruction by the optical reader has the same effect as the reader trigger being manually pulled by a reader operator.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reading at least one optically encoded symbol representing either a menuing command or output data, the apparatus including an imaging assembly for converting the at least one optically encoded symbol into imaging data, the apparatus comprising:

a programmable controller coupled to the imaging assembly, the programmable controller being programmed to perform a menuing routine in response to the imaging data being decoded as a menuing command.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the imaging assembly and the programmable controller are supported within a housing shaped to substantially fit the human hand.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the menuing routine alters and uses a parameter table stored in a memory in the apparatus, the apparatus being programmed to operate in accordance with the parameter table.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the programmable controller comprises a VLSI integrated circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the VLSI integrated circuit is a microprocessor.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the VLSI integrated circuit is an ASIC.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the ASIC is comprised of a programmable logic array, a gate array, or both.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the imaging assembly further comprises:

illumination optics for illuminating the at least one optically encoded symbol to thereby produce a reflected optically encoded symbol;

imaging optics coupled to the illumination optics, the imaging optics focusing the reflected optically encoded symbol;

a sensor coupled to the imaging optics, the sensor converting the focused reflected optically encoded signal into electrical signals corresponding to the at least one optically encoded symbol; and

an A/D converter coupled to the sensor for converting the electrical signals into imaging data, the imaging data being in a digital format.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises a charge coupled device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises a CMOS solid-state device.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one optically encoded symbol is one optically encoded symbol.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one optically encoded symbol is a plurality of optically encoded symbols.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an output device coupled to the programmable controller, the output device being adapted to display data in a user perceptible form.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the output device comprises an LED device.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the output device comprises a liquid crystal display device.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the output device comprises a beeper device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the programmable controller directs the output data to the output device in response to the imaging data being decoded as output data.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an I/O device coupled to the programmable controller, the I/O device being adapted to transmit data to, or receive data from, an external device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the external device is a local host-processor system.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the external device is a remote host-processor system.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the I/O device is compatible with an RS-232 signal format.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the I/O device comprises a wireless system.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the I/O device is adapted to transmit and receive data from a computer network.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the computer network is an Ethernet.

25. An optical reader apparatus for reading at least one optically encoded symbol, the apparatus comprising:

imaging means for scanning the at least one optically encoded signal to thereby produce digital imaging data corresponding to the at least one optically encoded symbol; and

processing means for,

receiving the digital imaging data from the imaging means,

decoding the digital imaging data to thereby derive either a menuing command or output data, and

executing a menuing routine in response to decoding a menuing command, or outputting the output data in a user readable format in response to decoding output data.

26. A method for reading at least one optically encoded symbol using an optical reader, the method comprising:

scanning the at least one optically encoded symbol to thereby convert it into computer-readable imaging data;

decoding the computer-readable imaging data, whereby it is classified as either a menuing command or output data; and

executing a first routine in response to the computer-readable imaging data being classified as a menuing command, the first routine being programmed to drive the optical reader in accordance with the menuing command.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a second routine is executed in response to the computer-readable imaging data being classified as output data.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the second routine directs the computer-readable imaging data to an output device in a user perceptible format.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of scanning is performed by an imaging assembly resident in the optical reader.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of decoding and the step of executing are performed by a programmable controller resident in the optical reader.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of executing the first routine includes the step of programming the scanning-decoding mode of the optical reader.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of programming includes programming the optical reader to scan and decode in a one-shot mode.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of programming includes programming the optical reader to scan and decode in a repeat-until-done mode.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of programming includes programming the optical reader to scan and decode in a repeat-until-stopped mode.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of programming includes programming the optical reader to scan and decode in a scan-on-demand mode.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of programming includes programming the optical reader to scan and decode in a skip scan mode.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of programming includes programming the optical reader to scan and decode in a decode-on-demand mode.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one optically encoded symbol is one optically encoded symbol.

39. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least optically encoded symbol is a plurality of optically encoded symbols.

40. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of scanning includes converting the computer-readable imaging data into a hexadecimal format.

41. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of decoding includes verifying that the optical reader is compatible with the menuing command.

42. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of decoding includes deriving command information, addressing information, and data from the menu word.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the addressing information enables a programmable controller to write the command information and data to a location in memory.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the command information is an operational code that is used by a programmable controller to execute the first routine.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the operational code is used to change at least a portion of a parameter table, the optical reader being programmed to operate in accordance with the parameter table.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the parameter table includes parameters for defining communications, scanning, decoding, display, and error correction operational modes of the optical reader.

47. The method of claim 45, wherein the parameter table is stored in EROM.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the first routine is executed to output the parameter table resident in the optical reader.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein the first routine is executed to print the parameter table resident in the optical reader as an optically encoded symbol.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the first routine is executed to clear all or a portion of the parameter table resident in the optical reader.

51. The method of claim 45, wherein the first routine is executed to set all or selected bits in the parameter table resident in the optical reader.

52. The method of claim 26, wherein the first routine is executed to toggle all or selected bits in the parameter table resident in the optical reader.

53. The method of claim 45, wherein the first routine is executed to add data to the parameter table resident in the optical reader.

54. The method of claim 45, wherein the first routine is executed to load a default parameter table into the optical reader.

55. The method of claim 45, wherein the first routine is executed to load a new parameter table into the optical reader.

56. The method of claim 26, wherein the first routine is executed to direct a current version of the software resident in the optical reader to an output device.

57. The method of claim 26, wherein the first routine is executed to display codes enabled in the optical reader.

58. The method of claim 26, wherein the first routine is executed to select an autodiscrimination process, the autodiscrimination process being a process used by the optical reader to recognize various types of optically encoded symbols during the step of decoding.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the selected autodiscrimination process performs 1D autodiscrimination during the step of decoding.

60. The method of claim 58, wherein the selected autodiscrimination process performs 2D autodiscrimination during the step of decoding.

61. The method of claim 58, wherein the selected autodiscrimination process performs either 1D autodiscrimination or 2D autodiscrimination during the step of decoding.

62. A method for permitting a user to select a menu option to perform a predetermined task with an optical reader device, the optical reader device including an imaging assembly and a programmable controller, the method comprising:

scanning an optically encoded menu symbol with the imaging assembly, the optically encoded menu symbol tangibly embodying a menuing instruction for performing the menu option, whereby the menuing instruction is converted into a computer-readable form; and

executing the menuing instruction with the programmable controller, whereby the optical reader device is programmed to perform the predetermined task.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the step of scanning further comprises:

viewing a collection of menu symbols, each menu symbol corresponding to a menu option in an optically encoded form; and

selecting an optically encoded menu symbol corresponding to the predetermined task.

64. The method of claim 62, wherein the step of scanning includes converting the optically encoded menu symbol into an analog electrical signal.

65. The method of claim 64, wherein the step of executing further comprises:

deriving a command and data from the computer readable data;

manipulating a parameter table resident in the optical reader device using the command and data, whereby the optical reader is programmed to operate in accordance with the parameter table; and

executing a routine using the parameter table to thereby perform the predetermined task.

66. The method of claim 65, wherein the step of manipulating includes storing the parameter table in EROM resident in the optical reader device.

67. A method for reprogramming a first optical reader to perform a task performed by a second optical reader, the second optical reader being programmed to perform the task by a parameter table resident in the second optical reader, the method comprising:

providing an optically encoded menu symbol corresponding to the parameter table; and

scanning-decoding the optically encoded menu symbol with the first optical reader to thereby load the parameter table into the first optical reader.

68. The method of claim 67, wherein the step of providing further comprises:

providing a host computing system;

downloading the parameter table from the second optical reader to the host computer; and

printing the optically encoded menu symbol.