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Portable digital image capturing and processing system employing an area-type image sensing array exposed to illumination produced from an LED-based illumination array and measured using a photodector operated independently from said area-type image sensing array

  • US 20070138292A1
  • Filed: 11/27/2006
  • Published: 06/21/2007
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A portable digital image capture and processing system comprising:

  • a hand-supportable housing;

    an image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and 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 an image capture mode in which rows of sensor elements in said area-type image sensing array are enabled so as to detect a 2D digital image of the object formed on said area-type image sensing array;

    an LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and having an LED-based illumination array for producing a field of LED-based illumination within the FOV of said image formation and detection subsystem during the image capture mode;

    an automatic light exposure measurement subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing, employing a photodetector operated independently from said area-type image sensing array, for automatically measuring the light exposure incident upon a selected portion of said FOV, and producing an electrical signal representative of said light exposure measurement;

    an automatic illumination control subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for automatically controlling the operation of said LED-based illumination subsystem, wherein said automatic illumination control subsystem responds to said electrical signal and controls the duration of LED-based illumination produced from said LED-based illumination subsystem during said image capture mode;

    an image capturing and buffering subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for capturing and buffering 2D digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem;

    an image-processing subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for processing 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem and producing processed image data; and

    an input/output subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for outputting processed image data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device; and

    a system control subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of the subsystem components described above.

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