DEVICE AND METHOD FOR THE ACQUISITION AND AUTOMATIC PROCESSING OF DATA OBTAINED FROM OPTICAL CODES

• US 20090166569A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic IP Tech S.r.l. (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Datalogic S.p.A.
• Inventors: Canini, Federico, Zocca, Rinaldo, Piva, Marco
• Granted Patent: US 8,058,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/555
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10841 Particularities of the light-sensitive elements semiconductor devices H01L
• 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: G06V 10/22 by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/00 Circuitry of solid-state image sensors [SSIS]; Control thereof

Abstract

The device for the acquisition and automatic processing of data obtained from optical codes comprises a CMOS optical sensor; an analog processing unit connected to the optical sensor; an analog/digital conversion unit connected to the analog processing unit; a logic control unit connected to the CMOS optical sensor, the analog processing unit and the analog/digital conversion unit; and a data-processing unit connected to the logic control unit and the analog/digital conversion unit. The CMOS optical sensor and at least one of the analog processing, analog/digital conversion, logic control and data processing units are integrated in a single chip. The data processing unit processes the digital signals corresponding to the image acquired by the CMOS sensor and extracts the optically coded data.

Claims

1-40. -40. (canceled)

41. A device for the acquisition of data obtained from reading at least one type of optical code having data coded therein by a combination of elements in accordance with pre-defined rules, comprising:

means for generating an electric signal correlated to the brightness of an image including a CMOS optical sensor comprising a plurality of pixels arranged in a plurality of lines and columns; and

acquisition means for acquiring an electric signal from at least one window of pixels of said CMOS optical sensor, said window comprising a sub-portion of said plurality of pixels.

42. The device according to claim 41 wherein said window includes at least a portion of at least two lines or two columns of said CMOS optical sensor.

43. The device according to claim 42 wherein said at least two lines or two columns are respectively adjacent lines or adjacent columns.

44. The device according to claim 42 wherein said at least two lines or two columns are respectively non adjacent lines or non adjacent columns.

45. The device according to claim 41 further comprising:

processing means for processing the electrical signal acquired from said window,

wherein said acquisition means is configured for acquiring an electric signal from at least one further window of pixels of said CMOS optical sensor according to a result of the processing of the electrical signal by the processing means, said further window being different from said window in at least one of size and shape.

46. A device for the acquisition of data obtained from reading at least one type of optical code having data coded therein by a combination of elements in accordance with pre-defined rules, comprising:

an image detector comprising a CMOS optical sensor, the CMOS optical sensor comprising a plurality of CMOS sensing elements, the image detector further comprising an analog to digital conversion unit connected to said CMOS optical sensor;

a data-processing unit, connected to said image detector, comprising;

a microprocessor; and

a data memory unit connected to said microprocessor;

wherein the device further comprises a volatile memory which is interposed between said analog to digital conversion unit and said microprocessor.

47. The device according to claim 46, wherein said volatile memory is connected to said analog to digital conversion unit by means of a first connection and to said microprocessor by means of a second connection, said second connection being entirely distinct from said first connection.

48. The device according to claim 46, wherein said volatile memory is part of said image detector.

49. The device according to claim 46, wherein said volatile memory is a RAM.

50. The device according to claim 46, further comprising a Direct Memory Access Controller connected between said analog to digital conversion unit and said data memory unit.

51. The device according to claim 50, wherein said Direct Memory Access Controller is part of said image detector.