Automatically-activated hand-supportable omni-directional laser scanning bar code symbol reader having a user-selectable linear scanning menu-reading mode supported by a stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern for improved bar code symbol navigation and alignment during menu-reading operations

• US 20040173684A1
• Filed: 10/11/2003
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Edmonds, Shane, Giordano, Patrick, Martin, William, Wilz, David M. Sr., Amundsen, Thomas, Russell, Garrett, Colavito, Stephen, Defoney, Shawn, Veksland, Mikhail, Osborn, James, Hudrick, Donald, Hejl, Benjamin, Schmidt, Mark C., DiPlacido, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 7,097,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10554 Moving beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10564 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10594 Beam path
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10603 Basic scanning using moving elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10613 by rotation, e.g. polygon
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10663 using hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10673 Parallel lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10702 Particularities of propagating elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors G06K7/10831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10801 Multidistance reading
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 Focalisation
• 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 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10871 randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 : the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/109 : adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 : using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence

Abstract

A multi-mode laser-based bar code symbol reading device having a hand-supportable housing with a light transmission aperture, wherethrough visible light can exit and enter the hand-supportable housing. A laser scanning engine, disposed within the hand-supportable housing, is controlled to selectively operate in either an omni-directional reading mode or a uni-directional bar code reading mode. In the omni-directional bar code reading mode, the laser scanning engine projects pattern through the light transmission aperture, an omni-directional laser scanning pattern producing multiple laser scanning lines with substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at any given scanning plane parallel to the light transmission aperture within the working distance of the system, and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the omni-directional scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. In the uni-directional bar code reading mode, the laser scanning engine projects through the light transmission aperture, a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern, against a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at any given scanning plane parallel to the light transmission aperture within the working distance of the system, and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the single laser scanning line, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. A manually-actuatable data transmission switch, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, produces an activation signal in response to the manual-actuation of the data transmission switch. A data transmission subsystem, disposed in the hand-supportable housing, operates under control of control circuitry to communicate the symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine to a host device operably coupled to the bar code symbol reading device. The control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the uni-directional bar code reading mode of operation to the host device in response to the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch, and the control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the omni-directional reading mode of operation to the host device irrespective of the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch.

Claims

1. An automatic hand-supportable laser scanning bar code reading system, wherein two distinct nodes of laser scanning supported bar code reading operation are provided:

a first, omni-directional bar code reading mode, wherein a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern produces multiple laser scanning lines having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics in any given scanning plane for the purpose of scanning and reading bar code symbols in an either a hands-on or hands-free manner; and

a second, uni-directional bar code reading mode, wherein against a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern, there is produced a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics in any given scanning plane for the purpose of scanning and reading bar code symbols in either a hands-on or hands-free manner.

2. An automatic hand-supportable laser scanning bar code reading system, wherein different methods can be used to generated such different types of omni-directional laser scanning patterns in respective bar code reading modes of operation.

3. An automatic hand-supportable laser scanning bar code reading system, wherein both (i) the visible omni-directional scanning pattern of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity, and (ii) the visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern having a single line laser scanning line of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity, are generated in respective modes of operation by electronically controlling a single laser scanning beam and its photo-reception.

4. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device comprising a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a hand-supportable housing that is capable of operating in two different bar code reading modes:

in a first bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates an visible omni-directional visible laser scanning pattern of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby;

in a second bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern having a single laser scanning line of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby.

5. An automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device, wherein the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically enters the first “

omni-directional”

reading mode when the hand-supportable housing is placed in a support stand (that supports the housing), and automatically enters the second “

single-line”

reading mode when the hand-supportable housing is removed from the support stand, or alternatively, when removed from the support stand and the user depresses the data activation switch/trigger switch mounted external to the hand-supportable housing.

6. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device comprising a manually-actuatable data transmission control (activation) switch that is capable of producing a control activation signal that enables communication of symbol character data (produced by the bar code symbol reading system) to a host system in an automatic manner.

7. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device comprising a manually-actuatable data transmission control (activation) switch that is capable of serving dual purposes, namely:

producing a control activation signal that enables communication of symbol character data (produced by the bar code symbol reading system) to a host system in an automatic manner, as well as enabling the manually-selection of the bar code mode reading modes supported by the system, in response to preprogrammed conditions determined by an automatic IR-enabled object detection subsystem embodied within the system.

8. An automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device, wherein the control subsystem thereof enables the transmission of produced symbol character data to the associated host system or data storage device, only when the data transmission control switch provided on the exterior of the scanner housing is manually actuated by the user during a bar code symbol reading cycle.

9. An automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device, wherein the bar code symbol reading cycle is visually signaled to the user by a bar code symbol reading state indicator provided on the scanner housing.

10. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device which comprises:

(i) a hand-supportable housing, (ii) a preprogrammed set of operational states wherethrough the device automatically passes during each bar code symbol reading operation, without requiring manual actuation of a switch, trigger or like component within the system, and (iii) a preprogrammed symbol character data transmission state of operation into which the device is automatically induced in response to manual-actuation of a data transmission control switch provided on the exterior of the housing of the bar code symbol reader.

11. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device, wherein the preprogrammed set of operational states include an object detection state of operation, a bar code presence detection state of operation, and a bar code symbol reading state of operation, wherein each of these states of operation are automatically activated in response to the automatic detection of predetermined conditions in the object detection field, bar code symbol detection field and/or bar code reading field of the device.

12. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device, wherein the objection detection is carried out using either infrared (IR) signal transmission/receiving technology, or low-power non-visible laser beam signaling technology.

13. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device comprising a set of color-encoded light sources provided on the exterior of the system housing for sequentially generating a set of visually-perceptible state indication signals that visually indicate to the user the various states of operation, wherethrough the device automatically passes during each bar code symbol reading cycle.

14. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device, wherein the set of color-encoded state indicating light sources on the exterior of the housing sequentially generate a visually-perceptible object detection indication signal when the device is automatically induced into the object detection state of operation, a visually-perceptible bar code symbol presence detection indication signal when the device is automatically induced into its bar code symbol detection state of operation, and a visually-perceptible bar code symbol read indication signal when the device is automatically induced into its bar code symbol reading state of operation.

15. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device, wherein the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device can be used as either a portable hand-supported laser scanner in an automatic hands-on mode of operation having a manually-activated data transmission state of operation, or as a stationary laser projection scanner in an automatic hands-free mode of operation having a automatically-activated data transmission state of operation.

16. An automatically-activated bar code reading device, wherein a support stand is provided for supporting the hand-supportable bar code symbol reading device in its automatic hands-free mode of operation and automatically generating a data transmission control activation signal to enable the automatically-activated data transmission state in this operational mode.

17. An automatically-activated bar code reading device wherein a visible laser light source, scanning element and a plurality of stationary mirrors cooperate to produce a visible omni-directional visible laser scanning pattern having multiple laser scanning lines with substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to the scanning window within the working distance of the system.

18. An automatically-activated bar code reading device wherein a visible laser light source, scanning element and a plurality of stationary mirrors cooperate to produce a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern against a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to the scanning window within the working distance of the system.

19. An automatically-activated bar code reading device wherein a visible laser light source, scanning element and a plurality of stationary mirrors cooperate to produce a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern against multiple rastered laser scanning lines having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to the scanning window within the working distance of the system.

20. An automatically-activated bar code reading device wherein the pulse frequency and width (e.g. duty cycle) of the visible laser light is dynamically-controlled to selectively enable the laser light source to produce a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern against a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to the scanning window within the working distance of the system, only when the light produced therefrom is directed by said scanning element onto the predetermined subset of stationary mirrors, to thereby support the uni-directional bar code reading mode of operation, e.g. during bar code menu reading applications.

21. An automatically-activated bar code reading device that derives timing signals synchronized to a particular interval in the rotation cycle of a rotating light directing element when the rotating light directing element directs light produced from the laser light source onto the predetermined subset of stationary mirrors.

22. An automatically-activated bar code reading device that derives such timing signals from a position sensor integrated into a rotating portion of the rotating light directing element.

23. An automatically-activated bar code reading device that derives such timing signals a position indicating optical element mounted adjacent (or near) the perimeter of one of said stationary mirrors, such that the position indicating optical element is illuminated by light produced from said laser light source when the rotating light directing element reaches a predetermined point in its rotation.