Automatic omnidirectional bar code symbol reading system employing linear-type and area-type bar code symbol reading stations within the system housing

• US 20080029605A1
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• 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 7,559,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.41
• 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 automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system for use in a POS environment. The system comprises a system housing having a horizontal housing section with a first light transmission window, and a vertical housing section with a second light transmission window. A plurality of linear-type bar code symbol reading stations are disposed in the horizontal housing section, for generating and projecting a complex of linear illumination planes through the first light transmission window and into a 3D volume definable relative to the system housing. At least one area-type bar code reading station is disposed in the vertical housing section, for generating and projecting an area illumination beam through the imaging window, and into the 3D volume. The complex of linear illumination planes and the area illumination beam enable the omni-directional reading of bar code symbols on an object passing through the 3D volume, and generation of symbol character data representative of the read bar code symbol. An object detection subsystem automatically detects the object passing through the 3D volume, and generates motion data representative of the detected object motion within the 3D volume. A control subsystem controls operations within the linear-type and area-type bar code symbol reading stations using control data derived from the motion data generated by the object motion detection subsystem.

Claims

1. An automatic omni-directional bar code, symbol reading system for use in a POS environment, comprising:

a system housing having a horizontal housing section with a first light transmission window, and a vertical housing section with a second light transmission window;

a plurality of linear-type bar code symbol reading stations disposed within said horizontal and vertical housing sections, for generating and projecting a complex of linear illumination planes through said first and second light transmission windows and into a 3D volume definable relative to said horizontal and vertical housing sections;

at least one area-type bar code reading station disposed in said horizontal housing section, for generating and projecting an area illumination beam through said first light transmission window and into said 3D volume along with said linear illumination planes,

wherein said linear illumination planes and said area illumination beam support the omni-directional reading of bar code symbols on an object passing through said 3D volume, and the generation symbol character data representative of the read bar code symbols;

an object detection subsystem, disposed in said system housing, for automatically detecting said object passing through said 3D volume, and generating data representative of the object detected within said 3D volume; and

a control subsystem, disposed in said system housing, for controlling operations within said linear-type and area-type bar code symbol reading station, using data derived from the data generated by said object detection subsystem.

2. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein each said linear-type bar code symbol reading station comprises:

(i) an illumination subsystem having a linear illumination array including a plurality of light emitting devices for producing one said linear illumination plane, 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 linear illumination plane so as to form a coplanar illumination and imaging plane that is projected through said light transmission window and into said 3D volume, for capturing linear digital images of said object moving through said 3D volume, and subsequent processing to read one or more bar code symbols graphically represented in said linear digital images.

3. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 2, wherein each said linear-type bar code symbol reading station further comprises:

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

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

4. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said object 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.

5. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 4, 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.

6. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 4, 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.

7. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said object 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.

8. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said object 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.

9. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said object 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.

10. The omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 9, 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.

11. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading 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.

12. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said area-type bar code symbol reading station comprises:

(i) an illumination subsystem having an illumination array including a plurality of light emitting devices for producing said area 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 illumination beam.

13. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 12, wherein said area-type bar code symbol reading station further comprises:

(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.

14. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light emitting devices comprises a linear array of incoherent light sources.

15. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 14, wherein said linear array of incoherent light sources comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

16. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light emitting devices comprises a linear array of coherent light sources.

17. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading station of claim 16, wherein said linear array of coherent light sources comprises an array of visible laser diodes (VLDs).

18. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 2, 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.

19. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 2, 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.

20. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 1921, which further comprises a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said system housing, cooperating with said image capturing and buffering subsystems, for processing said area-type (2D) digital images of said object and recognizing one or more bar code symbols graphically represented in said area-type digital images.

21. The automatic omni-directional bar code symbol reading system of claim 20, 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.