Hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reader employing an event-driven system control subsystem, automatic IR-based object detection, and trigger-switch activated image capture and processing subsystem

• US 20060278711A1
• Filed: 12/03/2004
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoxun, Knowles, C. Harry, Au, Ka Man, Liu, Yong, Liu, Liang, Schmidt, Mark, Ghosh, Sankar, Kotlarsky, Anatoly, Tao, Xi, Zhang, Wenhua, Amundsen, Thomas, Hou, Rui, Russell, Garrett, Byun, Sung, Yu, Hongpeng, Bonanno, John, Schnee, Michael, Spatafore, Pasqual
• Granted Patent: US 7,347,374 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.310
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10831 Arrangement of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms optical elements per se G02B
• 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 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• 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 hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reader employing an event-driven system control subsystem, automatic IR-based object detection, and a trigger-switch activated image capture and processing subsystem.

Claims

1-423. -423. (canceled)

424. :

A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device supporting narrow-area and wide-area modes of illumination and image capture, said hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprising;

a hand-supportable housing;

a multi-mode area-type image formation and detection subsystem having image formation optics for producing a field of view (FOV) upon an object to be imaged and an area-type image sensing array for detecting imaged light reflected off the object during illumination operations in either (i) a narrow-area image capture mode in which a few central rows of pixels on the image sensing array are enabled, or (ii) a wide-area image capture mode in which numerous or substantially all rows of the image sensing array are enabled;

a multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem for producing narrow and wide area fields of narrow-band illumination within the FOV of said image formation and detection subsystem during narrow and wide area modes of image capture, respectively;

an image capturing and buffering subsystem for capturing and buffering 2-D images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem;

an image-processing based bar code symbol reading subsystem for automatically processing images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem and reading 1D and 2D bar code symbols represented therein;

an IR-based object presence detection subsystem for producing an IR-based object detection field within the FOV of said image formation and detection subsystem; and

a manually-actuatable trigger for generating a trigger event within said system; and

a system control subsystem for controlling and coordinating each said subsystem component described above in accordance with a method of controlled subsystem operation;

wherein upon automatic detection of an object within said IR-based object detection field, said IR-based object presence detection subsystem automatically generates an object detection event and in response thereto, said multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem automatically produces a narrow-area field of narrow-band illumination within the FOV of said image formation and detection subsystem; and

(A) wherein upon the generation of said trigger event by the user depressing said manually-actuatable trigger, the following operations are automatically carried out;

(i) said image capturing and buffering subsystem automatically captures and buffers a narrow-area digital image of the object using said narrow-area field of narrow-band illumination within the FOV, during said narrow-area image capture mode of said multi-mode image formation and detection subsystem, and

(ii) said image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem automatically processes said 1D digital image attempts processes said narrow-area digital image in effort to read a 1D bar code symbol represented therein, and upon successfully decoding a 1D bar code symbol therein, automatically produces symbol character data representative thereof; and

(B) upon said multi-mode image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem failing to successfully read said 1D bar code symbol represented in said narrow-area digital image, the following operations are automatically carried out;

(i) said multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem automatically produces a wide-area field of narrow-band illumination within the FOV of said multi-mode image formation and detection subsystem,

(ii) said image capturing and buffering subsystem captures and buffers a wide-area digital image during said wide-area image capture mode of said image capturing and buffering subsystem, and

(iii) said image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem processes said wide-area digital image in effort to read a 1D or 2D bar code symbol represented therein, and upon successfully decoding a 1D or 2D bar code symbol therein, automatically produces symbol character data representative thereof.

425. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 424, which further comprises;

an automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem for measuring the light exposure incident upon a central portion of said FOV, and for controlling the operation of said LED-based multi-mode illumination subsystem.

426. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 425, which further comprises;

an input/output subsystem for outputting symbol character data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device.

427. :

A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device supporting narrow-area and wide-area modes of illumination and image capture, said hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprising;

a hand-supportable housing having a light transmission aperture;

a multi-mode area-type image formation and detection subsystem having image formation optics for producing a field of view (FOV) upon an object to be imaged and an area-type image sensing array for detecting imaged light reflected off the object during illumination operations in either (i) a narrow-area image capture mode in which a few central rows of pixels on the image sensing array are enabled, or (ii) a wide-area image capture mode in which many or substantially all rows of the image sensing array are enabled;

a multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem for producing narrow and wide area fields of LED illumination within the FOV of said image formation and detection subsystem during narrow and wide area modes of image capture, respectively;

an image capturing and buffering subsystem for capturing and buffering 2-D images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem;

an image-processing based bar code symbol reading subsystem for processing images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem and reading 1-D and 2-D bar code symbols represented;

an input/output subsystem for outputting processed image data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device;

an IR-based object presence and range detection subsystem for automatically producing an IR-based object detection field within the FOV of said image formation and detection subsystem, and upon detecting the presence of an object within said IR-based object detection field, generating an object detection event;

a manually-actuatable trigger switch for generating a trigger event upon a user manually actuating said trigger switch; and

an event-driven system control subsystem for responding to events generated within said system, including said object detection event and said trigger event, and controlling and coordinating a plurality of said subsystems;

wherein upon detecting said object detection event, said event-driven system control subsystem automatically controls said subsystems so that said multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem produces a narrow area field of LED illumination within the FOV of said image formation and detection subsystem; and

wherein upon detecting said trigger event, said event-driven system control subsystem controlling said subsystems so that following operations are automatically carried out;

(a) said image capturing and buffering subsystem automatically captures and buffers a narrow-area digital image of the object using the narrow-area field of narrow-band illumination within the FOV, during the narrow-area image capture mode of said multi-mode image formation and detection subsystem; and

(b) said image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem automatically processes said 1D digital image attempts processes the narrow-area digital image in effort to read a 1D bar code symbol represented therein, and upon successfully decoding a 1D bar code symbol therein, automatically produces symbol character data representative thereof; and

wherein upon said multi-mode image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem failing to successfully read the 1D bar code symbol represented in the narrow-area digital image, the following operations are automatically carried out;

(c) said multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem automatically produces a wide-area field of narrow-band illumination within the FOV of the multi-mode image formation and detection subsystem,

(d) said image capturing and buffering subsystem captures and buffers a wide-area digital image during the wide-area image capture mode of the image capturing and buffering subsystem, and

(e) said image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem processes the wide-area digital image in effort to read a 1D or 2D bar code symbol represented therein, and upon successfully decoding a 1D or 2D bar code symbol therein, automatically produces symbol character data representative thereof.

428. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 427, which further comprises;

an automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem for measuring the light exposure incident upon a central portion of said FOV, and for automatically controlling the operation of said LED-based multi mode illumination subsystem.

429. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 428, wherein said multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem and said automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem are realized on an illumination board carrying components realizing electronic functions supported by said subsystems.

430. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 427, wherein said multi-mode area-type image formation and detection subsystem is realized on a camera board carrying a high resolution CMOS-type image sensing array with randomly accessible region of interest (ROI) window capabilities.

431. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 427, wherein said I/O subsystem is realized on an interface board.

432. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 427, wherein said IR-based object presence and range detection subsystem is realized using an IR-based object presence and range detection circuit.

433. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 427, wherein the imaging-based bar code symbol reading subsystem processes images that have been captured and buffered by the image capturing and buffering subsystem, during both narrow-area and wide-area illumination modes of system operation.

430-1. :

The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 427, wherein said multi-mode image-processing bar code reading subsystem is realized on a computing platform including (i) a microprocessor, (ii) an expandable memory, (iii) SDRAM, and (iv) an FPGA FIFO configured to control the camera timings and drive an image acquisition process.

434. :

A method of controlling the operation of a hand-supportable image-processing bar code symbol reader having an said IR-based object presence detection subsystem, a multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem, an image formation and detection subsystem having a field of view (FOV), an image capturing and buffering subsystem, an image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem, and a manually-actuatable trigger switch, said method comprising the steps;

(a) upon generating an IR-based object detection field from said IR-based object presence detection subsystem, and upon detection of an object therein, automatically generating an object detection event;

(b) in response detecting said object detection event, said multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem automatically producing a narrow-area field of narrow-band illumination within said FOV;

(c) a user manually-actuating said trigger switch, and said event-driven system control subsystem controlling the following operations;

(d) said image capturing and buffering subsystem automatically capturing and buffering a narrow-area digital image of the object using the narrow-area field of narrow-band illumination within the FOV; and

(e) said image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem automatically processing said 1D digital image in effort to read a 1D bar code symbol represented therein, and upon successfully decoding a 1D bar code symbol therein, automatically producing symbol character data representative thereof; and

(f) upon said image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem failing to successfully read the 1D bar code symbol represented in the narrow-area digital image, said event-driven system control subsystem controlling following operations;

(g) said multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem automatically produceing a wide-area field of narrow-band illumination within the FOV of said multi-mode image formation and detection subsystem,

(h) said image capturing and buffering subsystem capturing and buffering a wide-area digital image during a wide-area image capture mode of said image capturing and buffering subsystem, and

(i) said image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem processing the wide-area digital image in effort to read a 1D or 2D bar code symbol represented therein, and upon successfully decoding a 1D or 2D bar code symbol therein, automatically produces symbol character data representative thereof.