IMAGE SENSOR PIXEL ARRAY HAVING OUTPUT RESPONSE CURVE INCLUDING LOGARITHMIC PATTERN FOR IMAGE SENSOR BASED TERMINAL

• US 20100258633A1
• Filed: 04/09/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Ynjiun P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,425 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/472.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/73 by influencing the exposure time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/84 for processing colour signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/134 based on three different wavelength filter elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/573 the logarithmic type
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/575 with a response composed of multiple slopes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/589 with different integration times, e.g. short and long exposures

Abstract

There is described in one embodiment an indicia reading terminal having an image sensor pixel array incorporated therein, wherein the terminal is operative for decoding of decodable indicia and for providing color frames of image data for storage or transmission. An image sensor based terminal in one embodiment can include an image sensor having a hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array wherein the image sensor pixel array includes a first subset of monochrome pixels and a second subset of color pixels. In one embodiment, an output response curve for the image sensor pixel array can include a logarithmic pattern.

Claims

1. An indicia reading terminal comprising:

an image sensor having a hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array, the hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array having a first subset of pixels and a second subset of pixels, the first subset of pixels being monochrome pixels devoid of color filter elements and a second subset of pixels being a color sensitive subset of pixels including color filter elements;

a lens assembly for use in focusing an image onto the image sensor pixel array; and

a hand held housing, wherein the hybrid monochrome pixel array is disposed within the hand held housing;

wherein the image sensor pixel array is configured so that an output response curve for the image sensor pixel array includes an output response curve having a logarithmic pattern;

wherein the terminal is operative in an indicia decode mode in which the terminal, in response to an operator initiated command, captures a frame of image data and processes the frame of image data for attempting to decode a decodable indicia representation;

wherein the terminal is operative in a picture taking mode in which the terminal, in response to an operator initiated command, captures a frame of image data and processes the frame of image data for output of a color frame of image data;

wherein the terminal is further operative so that the output response curve having the logarithmic pattern is active during operation of the terminal in at least one of the indicia decode mode or the picture taking mode.

2. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the output for response curve is characterized by a plurality of linear response regions of different slope.

3. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the output response curve is characterized by a curvilinear logarithmic region.

4. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the output response curve is characterized by a linear response region and a curvilinear logarithmic response region.

5. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is a multiple state image sensor having a logarithmic output state and a linear output state, wherein the output response curve of the image sensor having the logarithmic pattern is active when the logarithmic output state is active, the image sensor being operative so that the image sensor has a linear output response curve when the linear output state is active.

6. The indicia reading terminal of claim A1, wherein the image sensor is a single state image sensor configured so that the output response curve having the logarithmic response curve is always active.

7. An image sensor based terminal comprising:

an image sensor having a hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array, the hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array having a first subset of pixels and a second subset of pixels, the first subset of pixels being monochrome pixels devoid of color filter elements and a second subset of pixels being a color sensitive subset of pixels including color filter elements;

a lens assembly for use in focusing an image onto the image sensor pixel array; and

a hand held housing, wherein the image sensor based terminal is configured so that the hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array is supported within the hand held housing;

wherein the image sensor a multiple state image sensor pixel array having a logarithmic output state in which an active output response curve for the image sensor pixel array includes a logarithmic pattern and a linear output state in which an active output response curve of the image sensor pixel array defines a substantially straight linear pattern extending a range of possible illumination levels to an illumination level resulting in saturation of the image sensor pixel array;

wherein the terminal is operative so that the terminal activates a selected one of the logarithmic output state and the linear output state responsively to one of a sensed condition or an operator input command.

8. The image sensor based terminal of claim 7, wherein the terminal is operative to activate the logarithmic output state of the image sensor in response to a sensed ambient illumination level.

9. The image sensor based terminal of claim 7, wherein the terminal is operative to activate the logarithmic output state of the image sensor in response to a sensed ambient illumination level, and wherein the terminal is operative to sense the ambient illumination level by processing of image data captured with use of the hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array.

10. The image sensor based terminal of claim 7, wherein the terminal is operative to activate the logarithmic output state of the image sensor in response to a sensed ambient illumination level, and wherein the terminal is operative to sense the ambient illumination level utilizing an output of a light level detector external to the hybrid monochrome and color image sensor pixel array.

11. The image sensor based terminal of claim 7, wherein the terminal is operative to activate the logarithmic output state of the image sensor in response to an operator activating a picture taking mode.

12. The image sensor based terminal of claim 7, wherein the terminal is operative to activate the linear output state of the image sensor in response to an operator activating an indicia decode mode.

13. The image sensor based terminal of claim 7, wherein the terminal is operative to activate the logarithmic output state of the image sensor in response to an operator activating a logarithmic output state override mode.

14. The image sensor based terminal of claim 7, wherein the terminal is operative to activate the linear output state of the image sensor in response to an operator activating a linear output state override mode.

15. An image sensor based terminal comprising:

an image sensor having an image sensor pixel array, the image sensor pixel array having a plurality of pixels;

a lens assembly for use in focusing an image onto the image sensor pixel array; and

a hand held housing, wherein the image sensor based terminal is configured so that the image sensor pixel array is supported within the hand held housing;

wherein the image sensor is a multiple state image sensor pixel array having a logarithmic output state in which an active output response curve for the image sensor pixel array includes a logarithmic pattern and a linear output state in which an active output response curve of the image sensor pixel array defines a substantially straight linear pattern extending a range of possible illumination levels to an illumination level resulting in saturation of the image sensor pixel array;

wherein the terminal is operative in an operator initiated mode of operation in which there is output from the image sensor pixel array for processing a succession of frames having image information, the image sensor based terminal further being operative so that a first subset of the succession of frames are output from the image sensor pixel array with the logarithmic output state of the image sensor active, and further being operative so that a second subset of the succession of frames are output from the image sensor pixel array with the linear output state of the image sensor active.

16. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the terminal is operative so that the succession of frames are output responsively to an initiation of an operator initiated command.

17. The image sensor based terminal of claim 16, wherein the operator initiated command is a command to initiate a trigger signal, and wherein the image sensor based terminal is operative to process the succession of frames for a time that the trigger signal remains active.

18. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the mode of operation is an indicia decode mode of operation.

19. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the mode of operation is a picture taking mode of operation.

20. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the image sensor pixel array is operative to output the first subset of frames prior to output of the second subset of frames.

21. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the image sensor pixel array is operative to output the first subset of frame prior to output of the second subset of frames, and wherein the terminal is operative to process a frame of the first subset of frames for parameter determination.

22. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the terminal is operative to output the first subset of frames prior to output of the second subset of frames, wherein the terminal is operative to process a frame of the first subset of frames for parameter determination, and wherein the terminal is operative to process a frame of the second subset of frames for attempting to decode decodable indicia.

23. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the terminal is operative to switch an output state of the image sensor during operation in the operating mode in response to a sensed condition.

24. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the image sensor pixel array includes color sensitive pixels.

25. The image sensor based terminal of claim 15, wherein the image sensor pixel array is a hybrid monochrome and color pixel array having a first subset of pixels and a second subset of pixels, the first subset of pixels being monochrome pixels devoid of color filter elements, the second subset of pixels being color sensitive pixels having color filter elements.