Scanner to combine partial fragments of a complete code

• US 5,466,921 A
• Filed: 06/22/1992
• Issued: 11/14/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accu-Sort Systems Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Accu-Sort Systems Incorporated (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Eckert, Charles, Scott, William, Wurz, David A., Skokowski, Richard, Cox, James, Lapinski, Charles, Chaleff, Edward, Sharpe, Jeffrey G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tan
• Application Number:
  US07/902,574
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462, 235/463, 235/467, 235/472, 235/470
• US Class Current: 235/462.12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0166 by means of clock-signals derived from the code marks, e.g. self-clocking code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10871 randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1491 the method including a reconstruction step, e.g. stitching two pieces of bar code together to derive the full bar code

Abstract

A scanner can read machine-readable code on an object. A scanner has a scanning device, a data device, and a registration device. The scanning device can repetitively scan the code and provide a scan signal repetitively corresponding to at least fragments of the code. The data device is coupled to the scanning device and responds to its scan signal for repetitively storing it. The registration device is coupled to the data device for reconstructing the code from at least two of the fragments of the code by relatively shifting the code fragments until they are in registration.

Claims

1. A scanner for reading machine-readable code on an object, comprising:

scanning means for repetitively scanning said code and providing a scan signal including data fragments that are a portion of said code;

data means for receiving and storing the data fragments; and

reconstruction means coupled to said data means for reconstructing a portion of said code from at least two of the data fragments each having a common subinterval, shifting the fragments to a position where the common subintervals are overlaid in registration and combining the registered fragments into a data string representing the reconstructed portion of the code.

2. The scanner of claim 1 wherein said common subinterval within each said data fragment is determined by matching a subinterval in a first fragment to the same subinterval in a second fragment.

3. The scanner of claim 2 wherein said common subinterval includes position data.

4. A scanner for reading machine-readable code on an object, comprising:

scanning means for repetitively scanning the code and providing data fragments that are representation of scans through the code;

data means for receiving and storing the data fragments; and

reconstruction means coupled to said data means for reconstructing a portion of the code from at least two data fragments each having a common subinterval, shifting the fragments to overlay the common subintervals and register the fragments relative to each other, and combining the registered fragments into a data string representing the reconstructed portion of the code.

5. The scanner of claim 4 wherein said common subinterval within each said data fragment is determined by matching a subinterval in a first fragment to the same subinterval in a second fragment.

6. The scanner of claim 5 wherein said common subinterval includes position data.

7. A scanner for reading machine-readable code on an object, comprising:

scanning means for repetitively scanning the code and providing data fragments of the code;

data means for receiving and storing the data fragments; and

reconstruction means coupled to said data means for reconstructing at least a portion of the code from the data fragments each having a common subinterval, shifting the fragments relative to each other to a position where the common subintervals are overlaid and the fragments are in registration and combining the registered fragments into a data string representing the reconstructed portion of the code.

8. The scanner of claim 7 wherein said common subinterval within each said data fragment is determined by matching a subinterval in a first fragment to the same subinterval in a second fragment.

9. The scanner of claim 8 wherein said common subinterval includes position data.

10. A scanner for reading machine-readable code on an object, comprising:

scanning means for repetitively scanning said code and providing a plurality of data fragments that correspond to successive scans of the code;

data means for receiving and storing the data fragments; and

reconstruction means coupled to the data means for reconstructing a portion of said code from multiple data fragments each having a common subinterval, shifting the fragments to overlay the common subintervals and register the fragments relative to each other and combining the registered fragments into a data string representing the reconstructed portion of the code.

11. The scanner of claim 10 wherein said common subinterval within each said data fragment is determined by matching a subinterval in a first fragment to the same subinterval in a second fragment.

12. The scanner of claim 11 wherein said common subinterval includes position data.

13. A scanner for reading machine-readable code on an object, comprising:

scanning means for repetitively scanning said code and providing scan signals, each scan signal is a representation of at least a code fragment and includes a scan position value;

data means for receiving and storing the scan signals; and

reconstruction means coupled to said data means for reconstructing a portion of said code from at least two of said scan signals by matching the scan signal from a first fragment with the scan signal from a second fragment, shifting the fragments to a position where corresponding subintervals are placed in registration and combining the registered fragments into a data string representing the reconstructed portion of the code.

14. A scanner for reading machine-readable code on an object, comprising:

scanning means for repetitively scanning said code and providing a plurality of scan signals that correspond to successive scans of the code;

data means for receiving and storing the scan signals; and

reconstruction means coupled to the data means for reconstructing a portion of said code from a plurality of scan signals by matching at least a portion of each said scan signal and placing the scan signals to overlay identical subintervals;

wherein said plurality of scan signals is combined into a data string representing the reconstructed portion of the code.

15. The scanner of claim 14 wherein each scan signal includes a scan position value.

16. A scanner for reading machine-readable code on an object, comprising:

scanning means for repetitively scanning said code and providing data corresponding to each scan through the code;

data means for receiving and storing the data fragments; and

reconstruction means coupled to said data means for reconstructing a portion of said code from at least two data fragments by matching common subintervals within data fragments and shifting the fragments where common subintervals are identified in registration;

wherein the registered fragments are combined into a data string representing the reconstructed portion of the code.

17. The scanner of claim 16 wherein said common subintervals include position data.