METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING AIMING OF A MACHINE-READABLE SYMBOL READER, SUCH AS BARCODE READER

• US 20070164112A1
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Dant, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/619,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20070164112A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/454
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1011 Aiming
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks

Abstract

Electromagnetic energy comprising a visible component and non-visible component is emitted from a reader, wherein the emitted visible component that is emitted forms a pattern indicative of a position of the reader with respect to a target. A portion of the emitted electromagnetic energy is returned from the target and received by the reader. A visible portion or component of the received electromagnetic energy is optically, computationally and/or electrically filtered and a non-visible portion or component is processed to resolve and/or decode the symbol. Additionally, or alternatively, a detector substantially detects only the non-visible portion or component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the symbol.

Claims

1. A machine-readable symbol reader operable to read machine-readable symbols, the machine-readable symbol reader comprising:

an illumination beam subsystem operable to emit electromagnetic energy outwards along a line-of-sight from the machine-readable symbol reader, the electromagnetic energy comprising a non-visible component and a visible component, the visible component capable of forming a visual pattern on a surface indicative of a position of the machine-readable symbol reader with respect to a target; and

a detector subsystem operable produce a signal indicative of a non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

2. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 1 wherein the detector subsystem comprises:

a detector operable to detect the visible component and the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface; and

a filter operable to filter the visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface such that the detector receives only the non-visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

3. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 1 wherein the detector subsystem comprises:

a detector substantially responsive to only the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

4. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 1 wherein the illumination beam subsystem comprises:

a first emitter operable to emit only the visible component of electromagnetic energy; and

a second emitter operable to emit only the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy.

5. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 1 wherein the detector subsystem comprises:

a detector operable to detect at least frequencies of the visible component and the non-visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface, and operable to generate a signal comprising;

information corresponding to the non-visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface; and

information corresponding to the visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface; and

a signal processing system communicatively coupled to the detector and operable to computationally filter the information corresponding to the visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface based upon a frequency of the visible component, such that substantially only the information corresponding to the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface is analyzed to determine the encoded information.

6. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 1 wherein the detector subsystem comprises:

a detector operable to detect at least frequencies of the visible light and the non-visible electromagnetic energy, and operable to generate a signal comprising;

information corresponding to the non-visible electromagnetic energy;

information corresponding to the visible light; and

a signal processing system communicatively coupled to the detector and operable to computationally select the information corresponding to the non-visible electromagnetic energy such that the selected information is analyzed to determine the encoded information.

7. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 6 wherein the signal processing system is further operable to resolve the machine-readable symbol.

8. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 7 wherein the signal processing system if further operable to decode the resolved machine-readable symbol.

9. A machine-readable symbol reader operable to read machine-readable symbols, the machine-readable symbol reader comprising:

an illumination beam subsystem operable to emit electromagnetic energy outwards along a line-of-sight from the machine-readable symbol reader, the electromagnetic energy comprising a non-visible component and a visible component, the visible component capable of forming a visual pattern on a surface indicative of a position of the machine-readable symbol reader with respect to a target; and

a detector subsystem comprising an optical filter that passes a non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface while filtering a visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

10. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 9 wherein the detector subsystem further comprises:

a detector operable to detect electromagnetic energy passed by the optical filter such that the detector detects the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy passed from the filter, and further operable to generate a signal corresponding to the detected non-visible component of electromagnetic energy passed from the filter.

11. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 10, further comprising;

a processing system operable to receive the signal and operable to determine information encoded in the machine-readable symbols based upon the received signal.

12. A machine-readable symbol reader operable to read machine-readable symbols, the machine-readable symbol reader comprising:

an illumination beam subsystem operable to emit electromagnetic energy outwards along a line-of-sight from the machine-readable symbol reader, the electromagnetic energy comprising a non-visible component and a visible component, the visible component capable of forming a visual pattern on a surface indicative of a position of the machine-readable symbol reader with respect to a target; and

a detector subsystem comprising a detector responsive to a non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface and substantially unresponsive to a visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

13. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 12 wherein the detector is operable to detect a range of non-visible electromagnetic energy about a nominal wavelength value, wherein the nominal wavelength value corresponds to at least a wavelength of the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

14. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 12 wherein the detector subsystem further comprises:

an optical filter operable to remove at least the visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface, and operable to pass the non-visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface; and

a charge coupled device (CCD) array operable to detect the non-visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface and passed by the optical filter.

15. A machine-readable symbol reader operable to read machine-readable symbols, the machine-readable symbol reader comprising:

an illumination beam subsystem operable to emit electromagnetic energy outwards along a line-of-sight from the machine-readable symbol reader, the electromagnetic energy comprising a non-visible component and a visible component, the visible component capable of forming a visual pattern on a surface indicative of a position of the machine-readable symbol reader with respect to a target; and

a detector subsystem comprising a filter operable pass a signal indicative of a non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface while substantially filtering a signal indicative of a visible component of the electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

16. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 15 wherein the detector subsystem further comprises:

a detector operable to detect the visible and the non-visible components of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface, wherein the filter comprises a signal processing system operable to receive a signal from the detector corresponding to the visible and the non-visible components of electromagnetic energy detected by the detector, operable to computationally filter the visible component of electromagnetic energy, and further operable to generate a second signal indicative of the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface.

17. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 16, further comprising:

a processing system operable to received the generated second signal indicative of the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface such that the generated second signal is processed to determine information encoded in the target.

18. The machine-readable symbol reader of claim 15 wherein the detector subsystem further comprises:

a detector operable to detect the visible and the non-visible components of electromagnetic energy returned from the surface; and

a signal processing system operable to receive a signal from the detector corresponding to the visible and the non-visible components of electromagnetic energy detected by the detector, operable to computationally determine the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy, and further operable to determine information encoded in the target based upon the determined non-visible component of electromagnetic energy.

19. A method of operating a machine-readable symbol reader to read machine-readable symbols, the method comprising:

emitting electromagnetic energy comprising a visible component and a non-visible component from the machine-readable symbol reader, wherein the emitted visible component forms a pattern indicative of a position of the machine-readable symbol reader with respect to a target;

receiving a portion of the emitted electromagnetic energy returned from the target, wherein the received portion of the electromagnetic energy comprises a visible portion and a non-visible portion of electromagnetic energy; and

detecting only the received non-visible portion of electromagnetic energy.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the target is a machine-readable symbol and further comprising:

determining information encoded in the machine-readable symbol based only upon the detected non-visible portion of electromagnetic energy.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

filtering the visible portion of electromagnetic energy detected with a filter such that only the non-visible portion of electromagnetic energy substantially remains.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

emitting the visible component of electromagnetic energy from a first emitter; and

concurrently emitting the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy from a second emitter.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

concurrently emitting the visible component and the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy from a single emitter.

24. A method for determining machine-readable encoded information in machine-readable symbols, the method comprising:

generating a signal based upon a detected portion of electromagnetic energy that is returned from a machine-readable symbol, the electromagnetic energy comprising to a visible component and a non-visible component;

preprocessing the signal to substantially remove the visible component of electromagnetic energy; and

processing substantially only the information corresponding to the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy in the signal to resolve the machine-readable symbol.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein preprocessing comprises electronically filtering the visible component of electromagnetic energy such that substantially only information corresponding to the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy remains in the preprocessed signal.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein preprocessing comprises computationally filtering the visible component of electromagnetic energy such that only information corresponding to the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy remains in the preprocessed signal.

27. A system for determining encoded information in a plurality of machine-readable symbols, comprising:

means for concurrently emitting visible and non-visible electromagnetic energy onto a machine-readable symbol;

means for concurrently receiving a visible component and a non-visible component of electromagnetic energy that is returned back from the machine-readable symbol; and

means for detecting substantially only the returned non-visible component of electromagnetic energy.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the means for concurrently emitting comprises:

a first emitter operable to emit the visible electromagnetic energy; and

a second emitter operable to emit the non-visible electromagnetic energy.

29. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for generating a signal corresponding to the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned; and

means for determining information from the generated signal, wherein the determined information corresponds to the encoded information.

30. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

means for filtering the visible component of electromagnetic energy returned, such that the means for detecting substantially detects only the non-visible component of electromagnetic energy returned.