Portable laser scanning arrangement for and method of evaluating and validating bar code symbols
First Claim
1. In a laser scanning system for evaluating and validating bar code symbols, a portable laser scanning head comprising:
- (a) means on said head for directing a laser light beam towards a bar code symbol for reflection therefrom;
(b) means on said head for detecting the intensity of the light reflected from the symbol, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected intensity of the reflected light;
(c) means on said head for selecting a characteristic of the symbol;
(d) means responsive to selection of the characteristic for decoding the electrical signal, and for generating data descriptive of the decoded signal; and
(e) means on said head for displaying the generated data, whereby the mounting of the displaying means and the selecting means on the head facilitates data reading and characteristic selection at the site of the symbol to be analyzed.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Laser light reflected from a bar code symbol pattern is detected by a photodetector mounted in a portable scanning head of a laser scanning system. By selecting appropriate threshold values on the analog signal generated by the photodetector, the analog signal is converted to a series of pulses, each pulse width accurately corresponding to the width of a bar from the scanned pattern. A plurality of functions can be determined from the series of pulses, each function being independently selected by keyboard entry from the head, displayed on the head, and/or recorded by a printer remote from the head. Single line or multiple line scans in two orthogonal directions relative to the pattern may be selected. A bimorph or speaker-type oscillatory element may be utilized as a miniature scanning element. Circuitry for synchronizing scanning along both axes, and for generating a signal to drive the bimorph in a uniform, constant velocity manner is also disclosed.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. In a laser scanning system for evaluating and validating bar code symbols, a portable laser scanning head comprising:
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(a) means on said head for directing a laser light beam towards a bar code symbol for reflection therefrom; (b) means on said head for detecting the intensity of the light reflected from the symbol, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected intensity of the reflected light; (c) means on said head for selecting a characteristic of the symbol; (d) means responsive to selection of the characteristic for decoding the electrical signal, and for generating data descriptive of the decoded signal; and (e) means on said head for displaying the generated data, whereby the mounting of the displaying means and the selecting means on the head facilitates data reading and characteristic selection at the site of the symbol to be analyzed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. In a laser scanning system for scanning bar code symbols, a portable laser scanning head comprising:
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(a) means in said portable head for directing a laser light beam towards a bar code symbol which has bars and spaces successively spaced apart of each other along a predetermined direction; and (b) multiple line scanning means for generating a raster-type scan pattern, including (i) first miniature scan means in said portable head for moving the laser light beam lengthwise of the symbol along said predetermined direction, and (ii) second miniature scan means in said portable head for moving the laser light beam in transverse direction substantially orthogonal to said predetermined direction for a stroke distance at least equal to one-half of the transverse height of the symbol along said orthogonal direction. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A laser scanning system for evaluating and validating bar code symbols, comprising:
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(a) a console; (b) a portable laser scanning head movable relative to and operatively connected with said console; (c) means on said head for directing a laser light beam towards a bar code symbol for reflection therefrom; (d) means on said head for detecting the intensity of the light reflected from the symbol, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected intensity of the reflected light; (e) means on said head for selecting a characteristic of the symbol; (f) means responsive to selection of the characteristic for decoding the electrical signal, and for generating data descriptive of the decoded signal; and (g) means on said console for recording the generated data, said recording means including a printer operative for recording each and every of the generated data in response to operation of said selecting means.
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17. In a laser scanning system for reading bar code symbols, a portable laser scanning head, comprising:
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(a) a portable hand-held housing; (b) means in the portable housing for directing a laser light beam along a light path towards a bar code symbol which is located in the vicinity of a reference plane that is located exteriorly of the portable housing, said directing means including (i) light source means for generating the laser light beam, said light source means being mounted within and enclosed on all sides by the housing; and (ii) optic means for optically modifying the laser light beam to produce a scanning beam spot, said optic means including an optical train in the light path and operative for producing the scanning beam spot with an axial cross-section whose size is generally maintained in the vicinity of the reference plane over a working distance which is at least one-half inch as measured with respect to the reference plane; (c) miniature multiple line scanning means in the portable housing for generating a raster-type scan pattern which has a height at least on the order of 3/8 inches and which is comprised of a plurality of generally parallel, equidistantly spaced-apart scan lines by sweeping the laser light beam across the bar code symbol for reflection therefrom over a field of view which has a linear dimension up to on the order of four inches, said miniature line scanning means including a miniature scanning element in the light path and operative for changing the sweep direction of the laser light beam in a predetermined cyclic manner; (d) means in the portable housing for detecting the intensity of light reflected from the bar code symbol, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected intensity of the reflected light; and (e) means in the portable housing to process the electrical signal for generating therefrom data descriptive of the bar code symbol. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A miniature light beam scanning device, comprising:
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(a) a stationary support plate having a pair of spaced-apart support regions; (b) a displaceable component having a cantilevered end region mounted at one of the support regions of the support plate, and a free end region movable relative to the cantilevered end region; (c) a mirror component having a reflective surface positioned in the path of a light beam to be scanned; and (d) means for mounting the mirror component for amplified angular movement relative to the support plate, said mounting means including (i) elongated resilient support means having a first end region operatively connected to the free end region of the displaceable component, a second end region operatively connected to the other support region of the support plate, and an intermediate flexible region on which the mirror component is mounted for amplified movement as compared to the movement of the free end region of the displaceable component. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A miniature light beam scanning device comprising:
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(a) a ferro-electric-type oscillatory bimorph; (b) means for operative the bimorph for movement in a resonant, closed loop electro-mechanical configuration; (c) a mirror component having a reflective surface positioned in the path of a light beam to be scanned; and (d) means operatively connected between the mirror component and the bimorph for moving the mirror over a scanning distance on the order of at least one inch.
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Specification