Automatic digital video-imaging based code symbol reading system employing illumination and imaging subsystems controlled within a control loop maintained as long as a code symbol has not been successfully read and the object is detected in the field of view of the system
First Claim
1. An automatic digital video-imaging based code symbol reading system for reading code symbols on objects presented at point of sale (POS) environments, comprising:
- a housing having an imaging window;
a digital image formation and detection subsystem, disposed within said housing, and having (i) image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) from an area-type image detection array, through said imaging window, and upon an object to be imaged during object illumination and video-imaging operations, and (ii) said area-type image detection array for detecting frames of digital video image data of the object during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
an illumination subsystem, disposed within said housing, and having an illumination array for producing and projecting a field of illumination within said FOV during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
an automatic object motion detecting subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the motion of the object in said FOV, and automatically generating (i) a trigger signal indicative of the presence of the object within said FOV, and (ii) motion-related data representative of at least one motion characteristic of said object with respect to said FOV;
an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed within said housing, and being responsive to motion-related data generated by said automatic object motion detecting subsystem, for automatically controlling said illumination array during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
a digital video frame capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed within said housing, for capturing and buffering said frames of digital video image data in memory, during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
a digital video image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing said frames of digital video image data and reading one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said frames of digital video image data, and producing symbol character data representative of said read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols;
an input/output subsystem, disposed in said housing, for transmitting said symbol character data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device; and
a system control subsystem, disposed in said housing, and responsive to said trigger signal, for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of said subsystems above;
wherein said system control subsystem maintains a control loop as long as (i) the object is persistently detected in said FOV by said automatic object motion detection subsystem and (ii) a code symbol has not been successfully read by said digital video imaging processing subsystem; and
wherein, during said maintained control loop, (i) said detected object is illuminated within said field of illumination produced by said illumination subsystem, and (ii) a sequence of frames of digital video images are captured and buffered by said digital video frame capturing and buffering subsystem, and processed by said digital video image processing subsystem.
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Abstract
An automatic digital video-imaging based code symbol reading system for use in point of sale (POS) environments, employing automatic object motion detection and illumination control, and digital video-imaging based code symbol reading techniques, which ensures the reliable reading of code symbols graphically represented in digital images, in high-throughput point-of-sale and other environments, while providing the versatility required to accommodate the different ways in which operators present objects for code symbol reading at POS environments.
99 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An automatic digital video-imaging based code symbol reading system for reading code symbols on objects presented at point of sale (POS) environments, comprising:
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a housing having an imaging window;
a digital image formation and detection subsystem, disposed within said housing, and having (i) image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) from an area-type image detection array, through said imaging window, and upon an object to be imaged during object illumination and video-imaging operations, and (ii) said area-type image detection array for detecting frames of digital video image data of the object during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
an illumination subsystem, disposed within said housing, and having an illumination array for producing and projecting a field of illumination within said FOV during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
an automatic object motion detecting subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the motion of the object in said FOV, and automatically generating (i) a trigger signal indicative of the presence of the object within said FOV, and (ii) motion-related data representative of at least one motion characteristic of said object with respect to said FOV;
an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed within said housing, and being responsive to motion-related data generated by said automatic object motion detecting subsystem, for automatically controlling said illumination array during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
a digital video frame capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed within said housing, for capturing and buffering said frames of digital video image data in memory, during said object illumination and video-imaging operations;
a digital video image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing said frames of digital video image data and reading one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said frames of digital video image data, and producing symbol character data representative of said read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols;
an input/output subsystem, disposed in said housing, for transmitting said symbol character data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device; and
a system control subsystem, disposed in said housing, and responsive to said trigger signal, for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of said subsystems above;
wherein said system control subsystem maintains a control loop as long as (i) the object is persistently detected in said FOV by said automatic object motion detection subsystem and (ii) a code symbol has not been successfully read by said digital video imaging processing subsystem; and
wherein, during said maintained control loop, (i) said detected object is illuminated within said field of illumination produced by said illumination subsystem, and (ii) a sequence of frames of digital video images are captured and buffered by said digital video frame capturing and buffering subsystem, and processed by said digital video image processing subsystem. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification