Tunnel-type digital imaging system for use within retail shopping environments such as supermarkets

• US 20080128508A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allan Wirth, Andrew Jankevics, Barry E. Schwartz, Charles A. Naylor, Constantine J. Tsikos, Dale Fisher, David W. Wilz, Edward Skypala, George Kolis, Jeffery Yorsz, Jon Van Tassell, Ka Man Au, Knowles C. Harry, Mark C. Schmidt, Michael D. Schnee, Patrick A. Giordano, Pirooz Vatan, Robert Blake, Russell Joseph Dobbs, Sankar Ghosh, Shawn Defoney, Stephen J. Colavito., Steven Y. Kim, Thomas Amundsen, Timothy A. Good, William Svedas, Xiaoxun Zhu
• Original Assignee: Allan Wirth, Andrew Jankevics, Barry E. Schwartz, Charles A. Naylor, Constantine J. Tsikos, Dale Fisher, David W. Wilz, Edward Skypala, George Kolis, Jeffery Yorsz, Jon Van Tassell, Ka Man Au, Knowles C. Harry, Mark C. Schmidt, Michael D. Schnee, Patrick A. Giordano, Pirooz Vatan, Robert Blake, Russell Joseph Dobbs, Sankar Ghosh, Shawn Defoney, Stephen J. Colavito., Steven Y. Kim, Thomas Amundsen, Timothy A. Good, William Svedas, Xiaoxun Zhu
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoxun, Good, Timothy A., Knowles, C. Harry, Au, Ka Man, Ghosh, Sankar, Kolis, George, Colavito, Stephen J., Amundsen, Thomas, Vatan, Pirooz, Naylor, Charles A., Defoney, Shawn, Skypala, Edward, Schwartz, Barry E., Jankevics, Andrew, Schnee, Michael D., Blake, Robert, Tsikos, Constantine J., Giordano, Patrick A., Yorsz, Jeffery, Wirth, Allan, Kim, Steven Y., Dobbs, Russell Joseph, Svedas, William, Fisher, Dale, Schmidt, Mark C., Tassell, Jon Van, Wilz, David W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,581,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources

Abstract

A tunnel-type digital imaging system for use within retail shopping environments such as supermarkets. The system includes a tunnel configuration arranged about a conveyor structure for transporting objects therethrough, and an image capturing and processing subsystem embodied within the tunnel configuration, for generating a 3D digital imaging volume above the conveyor structure and within the tunnel configuration, for capturing digital images of objects transported through the 3D imaging volume. The image capturing and processing subsystem includes a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging stations. Each station includes a linear imaging array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on the linear imaging array that is projected and extends into the 3D imaging volume, and one or more light emitting devices configured together to produce a substantially planar illumination beam (PLIB) that extends in substantially along the same plane as the FOV of the linear imaging array so that each the linear imaging array and corresponding one or more light emitting devices produce at least one coplanar illumination and imaging plane that projects into the 3D imaging volume. A digital image processing subsystem processing digital images of objects passing through the 3D imaging volume, and a system control subsystem controls and/or orchestrates the coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems during system operation.

Claims

1. A tunnel-type digital imaging system for within retail shopping environments such as supermarkets, said tunnel-type digital imaging system comprising:

a tunnel configuration arranged about a conveyor structure for transporting objects through said tunnel configuration; and

an image capturing and processing subsystem embodied within said tunnel configuration, and

supporting a 3D digital imaging volume above said conveyor structure and within said tunnel configuration, for capturing digital images of objects transported through said 3D imaging volume;

wherein said image capturing and processing subsystem includes a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems,

wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem generates a coplanar light illumination beam (PLIB) and field of view (FOV), PILB/FOV, that projects into said 3D imaging volume for imaging of objects passing therethrough and generating digital images of each said object intersecting with one or more of said coplanar PLIB/FOVs; and

a digital image processing subsystem for processing said digital images of objects passing through said 3D imaging volume; and

a system control subsystem for controlling and/or orchestrating said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems during system operation.

2. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes one or more coherent light sources, and said plurality of coplanar light illumination beams are generated by said one or more coherent light sources.

3. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 2, wherein said one or more light sources comprises one or more visible laser diodes (VLDs).

4. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 2, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem further comprises a despeckling mechanism for substantially reducing the coherence of said PLIB so as to substantially reduce speckle-pattern noise power observed in said captured digital images.

5. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes one or more incoherent light sources, and said plurality of PLIBs are generated by said one or more incoherent light sources.

6. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 4, wherein said one or more incoherent light sources comprises one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs).

7. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said digital images so as to read bar code on said objects, and generate symbol character data for each read bar code symbol.

8. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem produces at least one coplanar PLIB/FOV within a predetermined region of space contained within said 3-D imaging volume.

10. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 8, wherein said plurality of coplanar PLIB/FOVs are projected through said 3D imaging volume so as to support omnidirectional imaging within said 3D imaging volume.

11. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem automatically buffers captured linear digital images and assembles these linear images to construct 2D images of the object taken along said FOV of said coplanar PLIB/FOV associated with said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem;

and wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said 2D images to read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented therein.

12. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, which further comprises an object detection subsystem for automatically detecting the motion of an object that passes through said 3D imaging volume, and generating a control indication signal indicative of said detected object.

13. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, which further comprises an electronic weigh scale disposed along said conveyor structure for weighing said objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations within said tunnel configuration.

14. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, which further comprises an object dimensioning subsystem for dimensioning objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations conducted within said tunnel configuration.

15. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 1, which further comprises a data element management subsystem for managing and linking data elements associated with the identity of objects imaged within said tunnel configuration, and other data elements selected from the group consisting of object dimension data element and object weight data element.

9. The tunnel-type digital imaging system, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem comprises one or more planar light illumination modules (PLIMs) for generating one said PLIB, and a linear image sensing array with optics providing said FOV on said linear image sensing array.

16. A tunnel-type digital imaging system for use within retail shopping environments such as supermarkets, said tunnel-type digital imaging system comprising:

a tunnel configuration arranged about a conveyor structure for transporting objects through said tunnel configuration; and

an image capturing and processing subsystem embodied within said tunnel configuration, and supporting a 3D digital imaging volume above said conveyor structure and within said tunnel configuration, for capturing digital images of objects transported through said 3D imaging volume;

wherein said image capturing and processing subsystem includes a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging stations;

wherein each coplanar illumination and imaging station includes

(i) a linear imaging array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on said linear imaging array that is projected and extends into said 3D imaging volume; and

(ii) one or more light emitting devices configured together to produce a substantially planar illumination beam (PLIB) that extends in substantially along the same plane as the FOV of said linear imaging array so that each said linear imaging array and corresponding one or more light emitting devices produce at least one said coplanar illumination and imaging plane that projects into said 3D imaging volume;

wherein said plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging planes project through and intersect within said 3D imaging volume, for imaging of objects passed therethrough and generating digital images of each said object intersecting with one or more of said coplanar illumination and imaging planes;

a digital image processing subsystem for processing said digital images of objects passing through said 3D imaging volume; and

a system control subsystem for controlling and/or orchestrating said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems during system operation.

17. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes one or more coherent light sources, and said plurality of coplanar light illumination beams are generated by said one or more coherent light sources.

18. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 17, wherein said one or more light sources comprises one or more visible laser diodes (VLDs).

19. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 17, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem further comprises a despeckling mechanism for substantially reducing the coherence of said PLIB so as to substantially reduce speckle-pattern noise power observed in said captured digital images.

20. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes one or more incoherent light sources, and said plurality of PLIBs are generated by said one or more incoherent light sources.

21. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 20, wherein said array of incoherent light sources comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

22. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said digital images so as to read bar code on said objects, and generate symbol character data for each read bar code symbol.

23. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem produces at least one coplanar illumination and imaging plane within a predetermined region of space contained within said 3-D imaging volume.

24. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, wherein said plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging planes are projected through said 3D imaging volume so as to provide omnidirectional imaging coverage within said 3D imaging volume.

25. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, which further comprises an object detection subsystem for automatically detecting the motion of an object that passes through said 3D imaging volume, and generating a control indication signal indicative of said detected object.

26. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, which further comprises an electronic weigh scale disposed along said conveyor structure for weighing said objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations within said tunnel configuration.

27. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, which further comprises an object dimensioning subsystem for dimensioning objects that are automatically identified by said digital imaging operations conducted within said tunnel configuration.

28. The tunnel-type digital imaging system of claim 16, which further comprises a data element management subsystem for managing and linking data elements associated with the identity of objects imaged within said tunnel configuration, and other data elements selected from the group consisting of object dimension data element and object weight data element.