APPARATUS, METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AN IMAGE SCANNER WITH DIFFERENTIAL PANNING

• US 20100012727A1
• Filed: 07/21/2008
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation
• Inventors: Kwan, Sik Piu
• Granted Patent: US 8,033,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation

Abstract

An image scanner apparatus, method and system to scan a bar code or other optical code using an image capture device where the blurring associated with the movement of the bar code pass the image scanner is reduced or eliminated by using differential panning of the bar code. An image of the bar code is panned or moved across the image capture device in a direction that negates at least some of the apparent movement of the bar code past the image scanner. The apparent motion of the bar code to the image capture device is reduced thus reducing the blurring of the bar code in the captured image.

Claims

1. An optical code image scanner apparatus for scanning an optical code where blurring associated with the movement of the optical code is reduced, the apparatus comprising:

an image capture device operable to capture an image comprising the optical code; and

an image directing device where the image directing device reduces the apparent motion of the optical code relative to the image capture device by panning a directed image of the optical code across the image capture device as the image capture device captures an image of the optical code.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the image directing device comprises a movable image reflecting device to pan the directed image across the image capture device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, where the image reflecting device is rotated about a single axis.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, where the image reflecting device is rotatable about two axis.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, where an actuator is used to move the image reflecting device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, where the speed at which the actuator moves the image reflecting device is controllable.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising a processor adapted to control the image directing device and the image capture device where the processor causes the reflected image to move at a first speed and then causes the image capture device to capture a first image of the optical code when the image is panning across the image capture device and where the processor causes the reflected image to move at a second speed and then causes the image capture device to capture a second image of the optical code when the image is panning across the image capture device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor that controls the image directing device and the image capture device where the processor causes the image capture device to capture an image of the optical code when the image is panning across the image capture device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, where the image directing device comprises a MEMS mirror.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, where the optical code is a bar code.

11. A computer implemented method of scanning an optical code by an optical code image scanner wherein blurring associated with the movement of the optical code past the scanner is reduced, the method comprising:

receiving an optical image of the optical code;

directing the image of the optical code using an image directing device to an image capture device where the image directing device causes the image to move across the image capture device to reduce the apparent motion of the optical code in the image relative to the image capture device; and

using the image capture device, capturing an electronic image of the optical code as the image moves across the image capture device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein directing the image using an image directing device further comprises causing the image directing device to move the image across the image capture device at a first speed and where capturing an electronic image of the optical code further comprises causing the image capture device to capture the electronic image of the optical code when the image of the optical code has reached the first speed moving across the image capture device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein directing the image using an image directing device further comprises causing the image directing device to move the image across the image capture device at a second speed and where capturing an electronic image of the optical code further comprises causing the image capture device to capture the electronic image of the optical code when the image of the optical code has reached the second speed moving across the image capture device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining the level of optical code burring in the captured electronic image for each of the first and second speeds and using the results to select the next first speed.

15. The method of claim 11, where the optical code is a bar code.

16. An image scanning system for scanning an optical code where blurring associated with the movement of the optical code is reduced, the system comprising:

a store server computer;

a network connected to the store server computer; and

an optical code image scanner connected to the network, the optical code image scanner comprises;

an image capture device to capture an image of the optical code; and

an image directing device to direct the image of the optical code to the image capture device;

where the image directing device reduces the apparent motion of the optical code relative to the image capture device by panning the directed image of the optical code across the image capture device as the image capture device captures the image.

17. The system of claim 16, where the image directing device comprises a movable image reflecting device to pan the directed image across the image capture device.

18. The system of claim 17, where the image reflecting device is rotated about a single axis.

19. The system of claim 17, where the image reflecting device is rotatable about two axis.

20. The system of claim 17, where an actuator is used to move the image reflecting device.

21. The system of claim 20, where the speed at which the actuator moves the image reflecting device is controllable.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a processor to control the image directing device and the image capture device where the processor causes the reflected image to move at a first speed and the causes the image capture device to capture a first image of the optical code when the image is panning across the image capture device and where the processor causes the reflected image to move at a second speed and causes the image capture device to capture a second image of the optical code when the image is panning across the image capture device.

23. The system of claim 16, further comprising a processor that controls the image directing device and the image capture device where the processor causes the image capture device to capture an image of the optical code when the image is panning across the image capture device.

24. The system of claim 16, where the image directing device comprises a MEMS mirror.

25. The system of claim 16, where the optical code is a bar code.