Bar code reader using scanned memory array
First Claim
1. A method of reading a bar code symbol comprising the steps of:
- (a) optically imaging upon a light-detector array a field of view including a symbol to be read;
(b) directly transferring serially only to a serial port of a memory array a binary representation of light impinging upon the light-detector array;
(c) during said transferring, scanning said binary representation in the memory array via a parallel port of said memory array to produce electrical data output to processing means; and
(d) evaluating said electrical data output including finding the presence of bar code symbol information by said processing means to thereby determine orientation of the bar code symbol.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In a bar code reader, a field of view which includes a symbol to be read is imaged upon a light-responsive array such as a CCD imager device. The output of this array is transferred to a memory array to provide a bit-mapped type of binary representation of the image including the symbol. The memory is scanned (instead of the field of view itself being mechanically scanned) to recognize and decode the symbol. Because the angular orientation of the symbol is variable, this binary representation may be interpreted to determine how the memory array is to be scanned to recognize the bar code symbol. For example, the distinctive patterns of characters used in bar codes may be found by scanning the memory and the relative positions of these patterns interpreted to determine the position, size and shape of the symbol in the memory, thereby defining at what angular displacement the memory array need be addressed to traverse the rows of the bar code symbol. Or, the memory array may be simply scanned using preselected scan lines (beginning with a raster-type scan) until code recognition is obtained.
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Citations
49 Claims
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1. A method of reading a bar code symbol comprising the steps of:
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(a) optically imaging upon a light-detector array a field of view including a symbol to be read; (b) directly transferring serially only to a serial port of a memory array a binary representation of light impinging upon the light-detector array; (c) during said transferring, scanning said binary representation in the memory array via a parallel port of said memory array to produce electrical data output to processing means; and (d) evaluating said electrical data output including finding the presence of bar code symbol information by said processing means to thereby determine orientation of the bar code symbol. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of operating a bar code scanner for reading bar code symbols, comprising the steps of:
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(a) generating directly in a light-responsive array a binary representation of a two-dimensional field of view, the field of view including a symbol to be read;
said generating including the step of optically imaging said field of view onto said light-responsive array to generate said binary representation of said field of view;
then serially transferring said binary representation to a memory array by a direct serial-only coupling;(b) during said step of serially transferring, scanning said memory array by parallel accessing said memory array by processing means, said scanning including generating an effective scan line or lines having an angular orientation corresponding to that of a representation of the symbol included within said binary representation, said scanning including determining the angular orientation of at least part of said representation of the symbol, said scanning being effective to produce electrical data output; and
said scanning including finding bar code information by said processing means in the electrical data output to thereby determine said angular orientation. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. Apparatus for reading bar code symbols, comprising:
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(a) optical means for imaging upon a light-responsive array a field of view which includes a symbol to be read, the array having a serial output; (b) a memory array having a serial port receiving directly from said serial output a serial binary representation of light impinging upon said light-responsive array, the memory array also having a parallel port; (c) processing means accessing the memory array via said parallel port, while said serial port is receiving said binary representation, to determine the orientation of a symbol included within said binary representation and producing electrical data output derived from said memory array by scanning based upon said orientation, and said processing means including means for finding bar code information in said binary representation to thereby determine said orientation of said symbol. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. Apparatus for reading bar code symbols comprising:
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(a) a memory array having a serial access port and a parallel access port; (b) means including optical imaging means generating in said memory array by serial transfer to said serial access port a binary representation of a two-dimensional field of view including a symbol to be read, the optical imaging means including a light-responsive array having a serial output directly coupled to said serial access port; (c) processing means accessing the memory array via said parallel access port, while said serial transfer is occurring, and producing an electrical data output by scanning said memory array via said parallel access port; and the processing means including means for finding bar code information in the electrical data output to thereby determine position and angular orientation of said symbol. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method of scanning a bar code symbol, comprising the steps of:
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(a) optically imaging the bar code symbol onto an array of light sensitive elements, each element producing a signal related to light impinging thereon, said array having a serial output; (b) storing a bit-mapped binary representation of said signals in an array of memory elements, said array having a serial access port and a parallel access port;
wherein said storing includes serially transferring said signals from said serial output of the array of light sensitive elements directly to said array of memory elements only via said serial port;(c) while said step of storing is occurring, accessing said memory array the by processing means only via said parallel access port for determining the orientation of the representation of said symbol in said array, and for scanning said array of memory elements along selected paths corresponding to said orientation of the binary representation of said symbol to produce an electrical output, and (d) by said processing means evaluating said electrical output to find bar code symbol information and determine orientation of said bar code symbol. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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Specification