Wireless hand-supportable code symbol reading system with automatic communication range dependent control

• US 20080128512A1
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Jiang, Ming, Zhu, Xiaoxun, Knowles, C. Harry, Au, Ka Man, Giordano, Patrick, Schmidt, Mark, Colavito, Stephen J., Xu, Congwei, Wang, Lin, Hudrick, Donald T., Russell, Garrett, Shi, Shamei, Jin, Hongjian, Hu, Meng, Byun, Sung, Blake, Robert, Bonanno, John, Rockstein, George, Ji, MingQing, Wilz, David M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,686,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.46
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10564 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10594 Beam path
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10603 Basic scanning using moving elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10663 using hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10673 Parallel lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10702 Particularities of propagating elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors G06K7/10831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10801 Multidistance reading
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 Focalisation
• 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: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10871 randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence

Abstract

A wireless code symbol reading system including a wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader in two-way RF communication with a base station operably connected to a host system, by way of an RF-based wireless data communication link having a predetermined RF communication range over which two-way communication of data packets can occur. The wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader is programmed to automatically detect when it is located inside and outside of the predetermined RF communication range. When the wireless reader is inside the RF communication range, then symbol character data is automatically transmitted to the base station, and when the wireless reader is located outside of the RF communication range, then symbol character data is automatically collected and stored in a data packet buffer, until the wireless reader has re-entered its RF communication range.

Claims

1. A wireless code symbol reading system for use in a work environment, comprising:

(A) a wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader in two-way RF communication with a base station operably connected to a host system, by way of an RF-based wireless data communication link having a predetermined RF communication range over which two-way communication of data packets can occur, said wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader including

(1) a hand-supportable housing;

(2) a bar code symbol reading mechanism, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for reading a bar code symbol on an object, and producing a symbol character data string representative of said read code symbol;

(3) a first RF-based transceiver circuit, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for transmitting to said base station groups of data packets associated with each produced symbol character data string;

(4) a data packet group buffer, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for buffering one or more groups of data packets associated with produced symbol character data strings;

(5) a data transmission circuit, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for transmitting a selected one of said produced symbol character data strings to either said first RF-based transceiver circuit or said data packet group buffer, depending on the location of the wireless hand-supportable symbol reader in said RF communication range; and

(6) a device controller, disposed within said hand-supportable housing, for controlling the operation of said wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader and said first RF-based transceiver circuit; and

(B) said base station being installable within said work environment and including

(1) a base station housing,

(2) a second RF-based transceiver circuit, disposed within said base station housing, for receiving groups of data packets corresponding to the symbol character data strings transmitted from said first RF-based transceiver circuit, and

(3) a base station controller mounted in said base station housing, for controlling the operation of said base station;

wherein said first and second RF-based transceiver circuits enable the RF-based wireless data communication link between said wireless hand-supportable bar code reader and said base station;

wherein said first and second RF-based transceiver circuits cooperate to enable the communication of data packets between said wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader and said base station, over said RF-based wireless data communication link;

wherein said second RF-based transceiver automatically generate and transmit a reference signal to said first RF-based transceiver circuit over said RF-based wireless data communication link;

wherein said first RF-based transceiver circuit automatically receives said reference signal and detects the strength of said reference signal;

wherein said device controller is programmed to (i) automatically detect when said wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader is located inside of said predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of said detected reference signal, and thereupon (ii) automatically transmit the selected symbol character data string to said first RF-based transceiver for transmission to said second RF-based transceiver circuit, while said wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located inside of said predetermined RF communication range; and

wherein said device controller is programmed to (i) automatically detect when said wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located outside of said predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of said detected reference signal, and thereupon (ii) automatically collect and store the selected symbol character data string in said data packet group buffer, while said wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located outside of said predetermined RF communication range.

2. The wireless bar code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said wireless hand-supportable bar code reader further comprises an out-of-communication range indicator, integrated within said hand-supportable housing, for generating an audible and/or visual signal indicative that said wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located outside said predetermined RF communication range;

and

wherein said device controller controls said data transmission circuit, said data packet group buffer and said out-of-communication range indicator.

3. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 2, wherein said device controller is further programmed to cause said out-of-communication range indicator to automatically generate an audible and/or visual signal when said wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader is detected as being located outside of said predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of said detected reference signal.

4. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 2, wherein said base station further comprises:

a cradle portion adapted for receiving said hand-supportable housing.

5. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 3, wherein said cradle portion includes a radio antenna.

6. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said data packet group buffer is realized as a memory chip installed aboard said hand-supportable housing.

7. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said reference signal is a heartbeat-type signal generated from said second RF-based transceiver circuit.

8. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said first RF-based transceiver circuit and said device controller are realized as a first RF-based chipset disposed within said hand-supportable housing.

10. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, which further comprises a good read indicator, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for indicating each instance of when a bar code symbol is read by said bar code symbol reading mechanism and a symbol character data string representative thereof is produced.

11. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, which further comprises a manually-operated data transmission activation switch, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for sending a selected one of said produced symbol character data strings to said data transmission circuit in response to the manual actuation of said manually-activatable data transmission switch.

12. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, which further comprises an object detection subsystem disposed within said hand-supportable housing and including infrared (IR) signal transmission/receiving circuitry for automatically detecting said object within an object detection field definable relative to said hand-supportable housing.

13. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, which further comprises an object detection subsystem disposed within said hand-supportable housing, and including a low-power non-visible laser beam signaling mechanism for automatically detecting said object within an object detection field definable relative to said hand-supportable housing.

14. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said device controller is further programmed so that said device controller automatically tests said RF-based wireless data communication link prior to transmitting symbol character data, stored in said data packet group buffer, to said first RF-based transceiver circuit when said data transmission control activation signal is generated while said wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is once again located inside of said predetermined RF communication range.

15. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said wireless bar code symbol reader further comprises an indicator supported by said hand-supportable housing, and wherein said device controller is programmed so that said indicator indicates that said wireless reader is located outside of said predetermined RF communication range out of range.

16. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader further an indicator supported said hand-supportable housing, and wherein said device controller is programmed so that said indicator indicates that symbol character data is stored in said data packet group buffer waiting to be transmitted to said base station by way of said RF-based wireless data communication link.

17. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said bar code symbol reading mechanism comprises a laser scanning bar code symbol reading mechanism producing a laser scanning pattern for scanning said code symbol on the object and generating a scan data signal which is processed so as to decode said code symbol and generate symbol character data for the read code symbol.

18. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said code symbol on said object is a code symbol selected from the group consisting of a 1D bar code symbol, 2D bar code symbol and data matrix symbol.

9. The wireless code symbol reading system of claim 28, wherein said second RF-based transceiver circuit and said base station controller are realized as a second RF-based chipset disposed within said base station housing.