OPTICAL SCANNERS, SUCH AS HAND-HELD OPTICAL SCANNERS

• US 20110142371A1
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Arends, Thomas C., Fox, Daniel C., Grunbock, Cheryl, Bajorins, David P., King, Martin T., Mannby, Claes-Fredrik
• Granted Patent: US 8,600,196 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00331 with an apparatus performing optical character recognition character recognition G06V30/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00525 Providing a more compact apparatus, e.g. sheet discharge tray in cover
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/02815 Means for illuminating the original, not specific to a particular type of pick-up head
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0282 Using a single or a few point light sources, e.g. a laser diode

Abstract

A hand-held optical scanner is described. The hand-held optical scanner has an image sensor, as well as a scan window through which image light is directed toward the image sensor.

Claims

1. A hand-held optical scanner having:

an image sensor; and

a scan window through which image light is directed toward the image sensor.

2. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1, further comprising:

a light source to emit light through the scan window; and

a light shield to block at least a portion of the light from the light source from reaching the scan window.

3. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1, further comprising a diffuse light source to emit light through the scan window and illuminate an adjacent scan region.

4. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1, further comprising:

a light source to emit light through the scan window;

a first light polarizing filter through which at least a portion of the light from the light source passes; and

a second light polarizing filter through which at least a portion of the light reaching the image sensor passes, the first and second polarizing filters being rotationally aligned in a way that produces a cross-polarization effect.

5. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1 wherein the scan window has an inner surface spaced apart from an outer surface to define a cross-sectional thickness of the scan window, and wherein the cross-sectional thickness of the scan window varies in a first direction.

6. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1 wherein the scan window has an inner surface spaced apart from an outer surface to define a cross-sectional thickness of the scan window, and wherein the cross-sectional thickness of the scan window varies in a first direction and a second direction.

7. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1 wherein the scan window is configured to magnify at least a portion of a scan image.

8. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1 wherein the scan window is configured to reduce the size of at least a portion of a scan image.

9. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1 wherein the optical scanner has a roughly rectangular body having sides each having a first dimension and a second dimension, and wherein the image sensor is positioned to receive light through an aperture in a first side of the body, the aperture in the first side of the body occupying at least 75% of the larger of the first and second dimensions of the first side of the body,

the optical scanner further comprising a second image sensor positioned to receive light through an aperture in a second side of the body, the aperture in the second side of the body occupying at least 75% of the larger of the first and second dimensions of the second side of the body, the second side of the body being approximately perpendicular to the first side of the body, the larger of the first and second dimensions of the second side of the body being at least twice as large as the larger of the first and second dimensions of the first side of the body.

10. The hand-held optical scanner of claim 1 wherein the scan window has a thickness of from about 0.50 inch to about 1.0 inch.

11. An optical scanner comprising:

an image sensor;

a first light source to emit light and illuminate a scan image;

a second light source to emit light and illuminate the scan image; and

a controller operatively connected to the first and second light sources, wherein the controller causes the first and second light sources to cycle on and off in sequence while the image sensor captures at least a portion of the scan image such that no more than one of the first and second light sources is on at any time.

12. The optical scanner of claim 11 wherein the image sensor is operatively connected to scanner circuitry that selectively records a first portion of a first image captured by the image sensor when the first light source is on and the second light source is off, and a second portion of a second image captured by the image sensor when the second light source is on and the first light source is off.

13. A method for digitizing an image of a marking with an optical scanner, the method comprising:

capturing a first scan image of the marking when the optical scanner is in a first position relative to the marking, wherein the first scan image includes a first region obscured by glare;

capturing a second scan image of the marking when the optical scanner is in a second position relative to the marking, wherein the second scan image includes a second region obscured by glare; and

digitally assembling an unobscured image of the marking by combining at least a first portion of the first scan image with a second portion of the second scan image.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first portion of the first scan image does not include the first region obscured by glare, and the second portion of the second scan image does not include the second region obscured by glare.

15. One or more computer memories collectively storing an optical text capture result data structure comprising a sequence of captured images ordered in the order of their capture, each adjacent pair of images clearly showing in the first image of the pair of visual elements in a first subrange of the height of the text and the second image of the pair clearly showing visual features in a second subrange of the height of the text that is distinct from the first subrange, such that the contents of the data structure may be used to composite a single image of the text appearing in the captured images in which all of the visual features of the text are clear.

16. A method in a computing system for processing an ordered sequence of images produced by a text capture operation capturing a region of text, comprising:

generating a master image of the captured region of text by compositing a first half of the images of the sequence clearly portraying portions of an upper half of the captured regions and a second half of the images of the sequence clearly portraying a lower half of the captured region; and

storing the master image.