Narrow-bodied, single-and twin-windowed portable laser scanning head for reading bar code symbols

• US 4,845,350 A
• Filed: 01/26/1988
• Issued: 07/04/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Barkan, Edward D., Swartz, Jerome, Shepard, Howard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAFTON, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US07/148,555
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 235/472, 235/462, 358/256, 372/24, 250/566
• US Class Current: 235/462.21
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/109 adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner

Abstract

A narrow-bodied, single-and twin-windowed, hand-held, laser scanning head for reading bar code symbols includes at least one window mounted at the rear region of the head, and through which either the incident beam going to the symbol and/or the reflected beam returning from the symbol, passes unobstructedly and exteriorly of, and past, the front and intermediate body regions of the head. A field-replaceable laser tube arrangement, a laser tube and method of making the same, an arrangement for and method of controlling a scanning system, optical passive elements for increasing the depth of field, a trigger protective device, and a one-piece support bench and method of fabricating the same by mass-production techniques are also disclosed.

Claims

1. In a scanning system for reading symbols, a hand-held, solid-state, retro-reflective laser scanning head comprising:

(a) means including a laser diode in the head for emitting an incident laser beam, and for directing the incident laser beam on zones on successive symbols to be read;

(b) sensor means in the head and aimed at, and having a field of view on, a respective symbol, said field of view overlapping a respective zone on the symbol being read;

(c) scanning means for simultaneously scanning a respective zone and the overlapping field of view across the respective symbol;

(d) said sensor means being operative, during scanning, for detecting laser light of variable intensity reflected off the zone of the respective symbol, and for generating an electrical signal which is indicative of the detected laser light intensity; and

(e) signal processing means in the head, for processing the electrical signal to generate therefrom data descriptive of the respective symbol being read.