SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF OPTICAL CODE READING USING A COLOR IMAGER
First Claim
1. A method of data reading comprising the steps of:
- illuminating a field of view of an optical code reader to produce light reflected from an optical code toward an optical system of the optical code reader;
focusing with the optical system the reflected light to form an image of the optical code on a color image sensor array of the optical code reader, the color image sensor array including;
a first set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a first wavelength band, anda second set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band;
producing multiple sets of image data including a first of image data representing light intensity values sensed by the first set of sensor pixels and a second set of image data representing light intensity values sensed the second set of sensor pixels;
selecting from the multiple sets of image data a target set of image data by comparing statistical characteristics of the light intensity values of the first and second sets of image data, the statistical characteristics corresponding to intensity variations of the light intensity values; and
processing the target set of image data to decode the optical code.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods of optical code reading include production of image data by a color image sensor array and processing of the image data to decode an optical code. In one configuration, the color image sensor array includes first and second sets of sensor pixels sensitive to light having wavelengths within, respectively, first and second wavelength bands, reflected light is focused by an optical system to form an image of an optical code on the color image sensor array, first and second sets of image data representing light intensity levels sensed by, respectively, the first and second sets of sensor pixels are produced, and the first set of image data is processed to determine whether the second set of image data is to be used in combination with the first set of image data to decode the optical code.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. A method of data reading comprising the steps of:
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illuminating a field of view of an optical code reader to produce light reflected from an optical code toward an optical system of the optical code reader; focusing with the optical system the reflected light to form an image of the optical code on a color image sensor array of the optical code reader, the color image sensor array including; a first set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a first wavelength band, and a second set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band; producing multiple sets of image data including a first of image data representing light intensity values sensed by the first set of sensor pixels and a second set of image data representing light intensity values sensed the second set of sensor pixels; selecting from the multiple sets of image data a target set of image data by comparing statistical characteristics of the light intensity values of the first and second sets of image data, the statistical characteristics corresponding to intensity variations of the light intensity values; and processing the target set of image data to decode the optical code. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method of data reading, comprising:
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illuminating a field of view of an optical code reader to produce light reflected from an optical code toward an optical system of the optical code reader; focusing with the optical system the reflected light to form an image of the field of view on an array of sensor pixels of a color image sensor array positioned in the optical code reader, the image of the field of view including an image of the optical code, and the array of sensor pixels including; a first set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a first wavelength band, a second set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, and a third set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a third wavelength band different from the first and second wavelength bands; producing first, second, and third sets of image data representing light intensity values sensed by, respectively, the first, second, and third sets of sensor pixels; processing the first set of image data to identify a feature of the optical code that enables categorization of the optical code into one of a number of symbology types; estimating a size of an image of the feature representing a number of sensor pixels of the first, second, and third sets on which the image of the feature is formed to thereby determine whether the image of the optical code is sufficiently large relative the array of sensor pixels to enable decoding of the optical code using a combination of the first, second, and third sets of image data. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of data reading, comprising:
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illuminating a field of view of an optical code reader to produce light reflected from an optical code toward an optical system of the optical code reader; focusing with the optical system the reflected light to form an image of the optical code on a color image sensor array of the optical code reader, the color image sensor array including; a first set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a first wavelength band, a second set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, and a third set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a third wavelength band different from the first and second wavelength bands; producing image data representing light intensity values sensed by at least one of the first, second, and third sets of sensor pixels; calculating a percentage of the light intensity values below a selected light intensity threshold value; comparing the percentage to a selected percentage to determine whether to process the image data and thereby attempt to decode the optical code; and processing the image data to decode the optical code when the percentage is less than the selected percentage. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An optical code reader, comprising:
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a color image sensor array including; a first set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a first wavelength band, the first set of sensor pixels operable to produce a first set of image data representing sensed light intensity values, and a second set of sensor pixels sensitive to light having a wavelength within a second wavelength band different from the first wavelength band, the second set of sensor pixels operable to produce a second set of image data representing sensed light intensity values; an optical system operable to direct light on the color image sensor array to form an image of an optical code on the color image sensor array; a data processing system operable to receive the first and second sets of image data, the data processing system including; a standard deviation calculation unit operable to calculate a first standard deviation of the intensity values of the first set of image data and a second standard deviation of the intensity values of the second set of image data, a standard deviation comparison unit operable to compare the first and second standard deviations and identify a highest standard deviation among the first and second standard deviations, a data set selection unit operable to select as a target set of image data one of the first and second sets of image data based the comparison performed by the standard deviation comparison unit, the target set of image data having the highest standard deviation among the first and second standard deviations, and a low-resolution decoding unit operable to receive the target set of image data and process the target set of image data to thereby attempt to decode the optical code using only the target set of image data. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. An optical code reader comprising:
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a color image sensor array including; a first set of sensor pixels sensitive to a first wavelength of light, and a second set of sensor pixels sensitive to a second wavelength of light different from the first wavelength of light; and optics to provide for the optical code reader a first view of an object and a second view of the object, the optics operable to form on the color image sensor array a first image of the first view and a second image of the second view, wherein the first image is formed by light of the first wavelength emanating from the first view and the second image is formed by light of the second wavelength emanating from the second view, the optics substantially excluding from the first image light of the second wavelength emanating from the first view and substantially excluding from the second image light of the first wavelength emanating from the second view to thereby enable the sensor pixels of the first set to sense the first image without substantially sensing the second image and the sensor pixels of the second set to sense the second image without substantially sensing the first image. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method of data reading, comprising:
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providing an optical code reader having light directing optics and a color image sensor array, the color image sensor array including a first set of sensor pixels sensitive to light of a first wavelength and a second set of sensor pixels sensitive to light of a second wavelength, the light directing optics providing a first view of an object positioned in a read region of the optical code reader and a second view of the object; directing light emanating from the first view along a first path to the color image sensor array to form a first image of the first view on the color image sensor array, the light emanating from the first view including light of the first wavelength and light of the second wavelength; directing light emanating from the second view along a second path to the color image sensor array to form a second image of the second view on the color image sensor array, the light emanating from the second view including light of the first wavelength and light of the second wavelength; diverting from the first path in a first direction away from the color image sensor array the light of the second wavelength emanating from the first view so that the first image substantially excludes the light of the second wavelength emanating from the first view, the light of the first wavelength emanating from the first view continuing to travel along the first path to the color image sensor array to form the first image of the first view on the color image sensor array; and diverting from the second path in second direction away from the color image sensor array the light of the first wavelength emanating from the second view so that the second image substantially excludes the light of the first wavelength emanating from the second view, the light of the second wavelength emanating from the second view continuing to travel along the second path to the color image sensor array to form the second image of the second view on the color image sensor array. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
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Specification