Omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system employing coplanar illumination and imaging planes and area-type illumination and imaging zones within the system housing

• US 20080023559A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Anatoly Kotlarsky, C Knowles, John Furlong, Mark Hernandez, Mark Schmidt, Michael Veksland, Nicola Ciarlante, Tao Xian, Timothy Good, Xiaoxun Zhu
• Original Assignee: Anatoly Kotlarsky, C Knowles, John Furlong, Mark Hernandez, Mark Schmidt, Michael Veksland, Nicola Ciarlante, Tao Xian, Timothy Good, Xiaoxun Zhu
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoxun, Veksland, Michael, Xian, Tao, Good, Timothy, Schmidt, Mark, Kotlarsky, Anatoly, Furlong, John, Hernandez, Mark, Ciarlante, Nicola, Knowles, C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,537,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• 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: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination

Abstract

An omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system for use in a POS environment, comprising a system housing having an imaging window, and a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging stations, disposed in the system housing, for generating and projecting a complex of coplanar illumination and imaging planes through said imaging window. At least one area-type illumination and imaging station is also disposed in the system housing, for generating and projecting an area-type illumination and imaging zone through the imaging window, which intersects with the complex of coplanar illumination and imaging planes within a 3D imaging volume definable relative to the imaging window, for omni-directional digital imaging of objects passing through the 3D imaging volume. Digital linear images of the object are generated when the object intersects with coplanar illumination and imaging planes, and digital area-type images of the object are generated when the object intersects with the area-type illumination and imaging zone, within the 3D imaging volume during system operation. The system also includes an object motion detection subsystem for automatically detecting the motion of objects passing through the 3D imaging volume, and generating motion data representative of the detected object motion within the 3D imaging volume.

Claims

1. An omni-directional image capturing and processing system for use in a POS environment, comprising:

a system housing having an imaging window;

a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging stations, disposed in said system housing, for generating and projecting a group of coplanar illumination and imaging planes through said imaging window; and

at least one area-type illumination and imaging station disposed in said system housing, for generating and projecting an area-type illumination and imaging zone through said imaging window, which intersects with said complex of coplanar illumination and imaging planes within a 3D imaging volume definable relative to said imaging window, for omni-directional digital imaging of an object passing through said 3D imaging volume, and generating digital linear (1D) images of said object as said object intersects with said coplanar illumination and imaging planes, and generating digital (2D) area-type images of said object as said object intersects with said area-type illumination and imaging zone within the 3D imaging volume.

2. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, which further comprises an object motion detection subsystem for automatically detecting the motion of said object passing through said 3D imaging volume, and generating motion data representative of said detected object motion within said 3D imaging volume.

3. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging station includes

(i) an illumination subsystem having a linear illumination array including a plurality of light emitting devices for producing a planar illumination beam (PLIB), and

(ii) an image formation and detection subsystem including a linear image detection array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on said linear image detection array, and extending substantially along said PLIB so as to form one said coplanar illumination and imaging plane (PLIB/FOV) that is projected through said imaging window and into said 3D imaging volume, for capturing linear digital images of said object moving through said 3D imaging volume, and subsequent processing to read information graphically represented in said linear digital images;

(iii) an automatic illumination control subsystem for controlling the production of illumination by said illumination subsystem into said 3D imaging volume, as said object is detected moving within said 3D imaging volume; and

(iv) an image capturing and buffering subsystem for capturing and buffering linear digital images from said linear image detection array.

4. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 3 wherein said each said coplanar illumination and imaging station further comprises:

(v) a local control subsystem for controlling operations within said coplanar illumination and imaging station using control data derived from said motion data generated by said object motion detection subsystem.

5. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises a plurality of imaging-based motion detectors deployed within said system, for detecting the presence and motion of said object within said 3D imaging volume.

6. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 5, wherein each said imaging-based object motion detector comprises an area-type image acquisition subsystem and an embedded digital signal processing (DSP) chip to support high-speed digital image capture and processing operations required for real-time object motion detection in said system.

7. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 5, wherein each said imaging-based object motion detector comprises an linear-type image acquisition subsystem and an embedded digital signal processing (DSP) chip to support high-speed digital image capture and processing operations required for real-time object motion detection in said system.

8. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises at least one IR-based LIDAR subsystem having an embedded digital signal processing (DSP) chip to support high-speed digital image capture and processing operations required for real-time object motion detection in said system.

9. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises a plurality of IR-based object motion sensors each having an IR LED and optics for producing an amplitude modulated (AM) IR light beam within said 3D imaging volume, and an IR photodiode for synchronously detecting the IR light beam reflected from an object within said 3D imaging volume.

10. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises one or more imaging-based motion detectors, each being deployed at each said coplanar illuminating and imaging station, for detecting the presence and motion of said object within said 3D imaging volume.

11. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 10, wherein said imaging-based object motion detector comprises an area-type image acquisition subsystem and an embedded digital signal processing (DSP) chip to support high-speed digital image capture and processing operations required for real-time object motion detection in said system.

12. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 10, wherein said imaging-based object motion detector comprises an linear-type image acquisition subsystem and an embedded digital signal processing (DSP) chip to support high-speed digital image capture and processing operations required for real-time object motion detection in said system.

13. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises an IR-based LIDAR subsystem deployed at each said coplanar illuminating and imaging station, and having an embedded digital signal processing (DSP) chip to support high-speed digital image capture and processing operations required for real-time object motion detection at said coplanar illuminating and imaging station.

14. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises an IR-based object motion detector deployed at each said coplanar illuminating and imaging station, and having an IR LED and optics for producing an amplitude modulated (AM) IR light beam within said 3D imaging volume, and an IR photodiode for synchronously reflected signals reflected from objects within said 3D imaging volume.

15. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein said area-type illumination and imaging station includes

(i) an illumination subsystem having an illumination array including a plurality of light emitting devices for producing an area-type illumination beam;

and

(ii) an image formation and detection subsystem including an area-type image detection array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on said area-type image detection array, and spatially overlapping said area-type illumination beam;

(iii) an automatic illumination control subsystem for controlling the production of illumination by said illumination subsystem into said 3D imaging volume, as said object is detected moving within said 3D imaging volume; and

(iv) an image capturing and buffering subsystem for capturing and buffering area-type digital images from said area-type image detection array.

16. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 15 wherein said area-type illumination and imaging station further comprises:

(v) a local control subsystem for controlling operations within said area-type illumination and imaging station.

17. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light emitting devices comprises a linear array of incoherent light sources.

18. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 17, wherein said linear array of incoherent light sources comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

19. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light emitting devices comprises a linear array of coherent light sources.

20. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 15, wherein said linear array of coherent light sources comprises an array of visible laser diodes (VLDs).

21. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said linear image detection array comprises an image sensing array selected from the group of a CMOS image sensing array and a CCD image sensing array.

22. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 3, wherein said image capturing and buffering subsystem captures and buffers series of said linear digital images and composes area-type (2D) digital images of said object graphically representing information therein.

23. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 22, which further comprises a digital image processing subsystem, cooperating with said image capturing and buffering subsystems, for processing said area-type (2D) digital images of said object and recognizing information graphically represented in said area-type digital images.

24. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 23, wherein said processing said area-type (2D) digital images of said object comprises decode processing said area-type digital images so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said area-type digital images.

25. The omni-directional digital image capturing and processing system of claim 24, wherein said one or more code symbols comprise one or more bar code symbols selected from the group consisting of 1D bar code symbols, 2D bar code symbols and data matrix type bar code symbols.