Universal host interface for data acquisition systems

• US 5,875,415 A
• Filed: 09/18/1997
• Issued: 02/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Lieb, Robert, May, Robert, Brown, Daniel, Catalano, Michael, Mauro, Patrick, Stein, Robert, Boriotti, Joseph, Poloniewicz, Paul R., Biuso, Anthony, Mulla, Altaf, Buongervino, Nicholas, Oppenheim, Ellen, Chu, Cary, Fama, Anthony, Karcher, Sara, Rizzi, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Barlow, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, CRAIG S
• Application Number:
  US08/932,496
• Time in Patent Office: 523 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/462, 235/463, 364/932.62, 364/238.3, 364/239, 364/514 R, 364/514 C, 395/836, 395/883, 702/90, 702/91, 702/122
• US Class Current: 702/122
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisious for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L

Abstract

A universal interface system for use with a data acquisition system including a data acquisition device such as a bar code scanner or scanner integrated terminal for providing digital data signals indicative of acquired data for transmission to a host device such as a computer, and a host device having host-specific input/output data format requirements. The universal interface system comprises universal data exchange means located in the data acquisition device for providing digital data signals in a universal data exchange format independent of the data format requirements of the host device; and a host interface cable coupled to the data acquisition device and to said host device, for transmitting acquired digital data from the data acquisition device to the host device, the interface cable comprising means for translating digital data from the universal data exchange format to the host-specific input/output data format requirements. The interface cable comprises a buffer for storing a host parameter data word used in communications with the host device. The universal data exchange means comprises a memory for storing a plurality of host parameter data words, each of the host parameter data words being associated with one of a plurality of different host interface modules; and means for reading from the memory and transmitting to the host interface module the host parameter data word associated with the particular host interface module operatively connected thereto.

Claims

1. In a bar code scanning system including a bar code scanner for providing digital signals indicative of scanned data for transmission to a host device, said host device having host-specific input/output data format requirements, said bar code scanning system comprising:

(a) universal data exchange means located in the bar code scanner for providing said digital signals in a universal data exchange format independent of the data format requirements of the host device; and

(b) a host interface module externally coupled between said bar code scanner and said host device, for transmitting acquired digital signals from said bar code scanner to said host device, said interface module comprising means for translating said digital signals from said universal data exchange format to said host-specific input/output data format requirements.

2. The interface system of claim 1 wherein said host interface module comprises a buffer for storing a host parameter data word used to configure communications with the host device;

and wherein said universal data exchange means comprises;

a memory for storing a plurality of host parameter data words, each of said host parameter data words being associated with one of a plurality of different host interface modules; and

means for reading from said memory and transmitting to said host interface module the host parameter data word associated with the particular host interface module operatively connected thereto.

3. The interface system of claim 2 wherein:

said host interface module is initially provided with a default mode of communication with said host device;

said host interface module overwrites said default mode when a host parameter data word is provided by said universal data exchange means and operates in accordance with said host parameter data word; and

said interface module operates in accordance with said default mode when a host parameter data word is not provided by said universal data exchange means.

4. The interface system of claim 3 wherein said host interface module and said universal data exchange means execute an initialization process wherein:

said universal data exchange means requests an identification code from said host interface module,

said host interface module provides in response thereto an identification code stored therein,

said universal data exchange means utilizes said provided identification code to read from said memory the host parameter data word associated with said identification code,

said universal data exchange means transmits to said host interface module said host parameter data word read from said memory, and

said host interface module overwrites said default mode with said host parameter data word provided by said universal data exchange means and operates in accordance with said host parameter data word.

5. The bar code scanning system of claim 2 wherein said bar code scanner comprises means for entering host parameter data words by a user.

6. The system of claim 1 adapted to be selectively operated in a normal operating power mode and in a reduced operating power mode, said system further comprising:

timeout determination means located in said bar code scanner for detecting when no data has been acquired within a predetermined timeout period;

means for placing said bar code scanner in said reduced operating power mode in response to said timeout determination; and

wherein

said universal data exchange means requests the host interface module to enter into a reduced operating power mode in response to said timeout determination, and said universal data exchange means requests the host interface module to enter into a normal operating power mode in response to a determination that data has been acquired.

7. The interface system of claim 1 wherein said universal data exchange means transmits a poll request in order to determine if a host interface module is connected thereto.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein said bar code scanner transmits to said host device, via said host interface module, control data for controlling operation of said host device.

9. The interface system of claim 1 wherein said host interface module transmits digital data from said host device to said bar code scanner, said interface module further comprising means to translate digital data from said host-specific input/output format to said universal data exchange format.

10. The interface system of claim 9 wherein said host device transmits to said bar code scanner, via said host interface module, control data for controlling the operation of said bar code scanner.

11. The interface system of claim 9 wherein said bar code scanner comprises a memory for storing a plurality of device operating parameter data words, said host device comprises a temporary buffer, and wherein said host device and said universal data exchange means execute the transfer of said device operating parameter data words from said memory to said buffer wherein:

said host device requests in said host-specific input/output format the transfer of said data words;

said host interface module translates said transfer request to said universal data exchange format and transmits said translated request to said universal data exchange means;

said universal data exchange means transfers in response thereto the requested data words to said host interface module;

said host interface module translates said data words to said host-specific input/output format and transmits said translated response to said host device for storage in said buffer.

12. The interface system of claim 11 wherein said host device and said universal data exchange means execute the transfer of said device operating parameter data words from said buffer to the memory of a different bar code scanner wherein:

said host device transmits said data words in said host-specific input/output format;

said host interface module translates said data words to said universal data exchange format and transmits said translated data words to said universal data exchange means; and

said universal data exchange means stores in memory the transmitted data words.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said universal data exchange format comprises data packets, each data packet having a format comprising:

(a) a protocol and length field indicative of (i) whether the information content of the packet is data or control and status and (ii) the length of the data packet;

(b) an opcode field indicative of the particular message being sent by the packet;

(c) a message source field indicative of the source of the message;

(d) a status field indicative of a retransmit condition, a continue condition, or a low battery power condition;

(e) a data and other parameters field indicative of the data sent in accordance with the particular opcode being implemented; and

(f) a checksum field.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the host interface module, on command from the bar code scanner, monitors data transmitted by the host device in order to determine said host-specific input/output data format requirements.

15. A host interface module externally coupled between a bar code scanner and a host device and for transmitting acquired digital signals from said bar code scanner to said host device, said interface module comprising:

(a) means for receiving digital signals in a universal data exchange format from the bar code scanner;

(b) means for translating said received digital signals from said universal data exchange format to a host-specific input/output data format; and

(c) means for transmitting said translated digital signals to said host device.

16. The host interface module of claim 15 further comprising:

(d) a buffer for storing a host parameter data word used in communications with the host device; and

(e) means for requesting from said bar code scanner a host parameter data word for storage in said buffer.

17. The host interface module of claim 16 wherein:

said host interface module is initially provided with a default mode of communication with said host device;

said host interface module overwrites said default mode when a host parameter data word is provided by said bar code scanner and operates in accordance with said host parameter data word; and

said host interface module operates in accordance with said default mode when a host parameter data word is not provided by said bar code scanner.

18. The host interface module of claim 15 wherein said universal data exchange format comprises data packets, each data packet having a format comprising:

(a) a protocol and length field indicative of (i) whether the information content of the packet is data or control and status and (ii) the length of the data packet;

(b) an opcode field indicative of the particular message being sent by the packet;

(c) a message source field indicative of the source of the message;

(d) a status field indicative of a retransmit condition, a continue condition, or a low battery power condition;

(e) a data and other parameters field indicative of the data sent in accordance with the particular opcode being implemented; and

(f) a checksum field.

19. A bar code scanner for providing digital signals indicative of acquired data for transmission to a host device comprising:

(a) means for acquiring digital data by a user; and

(b) universal data exchange means for providing said digital signals in a universal data exchange format independent of host-specific input/output data format requirements of the host device, said universal data exchange means being operably connectable to a host interface module device externally coupled between said bar code scanner and said host device, said host interface module device capable of translating said digital signals from said universal data exchange format to a host-specific input/output format.

20. The bar code scanner of claim 19 wherein said universal data exchange means comprises:

a memory for storing a plurality of host parameter data words, each of said host parameter data words being associated with one of a plurality of different host interface modules; and

means for reading from said memory and transmitting to a host interface module the host parameter data word associated with the particular host interface module operatively connected thereto.

21. The bar code scanner of claim 20 further comprising means for entering host parameter data words by a user.

22. The bar code scanner of claim 19 wherein said universal data exchange format comprises data packets, each data packet having a format comprising:

(a) a protocol and length field indicative of (i) whether the information content of the packet is data or control and status and (ii) the length of the data packet;

(b) an opcode field indicative of the particular message being sent by the packet;

(c) a message source field indicative of the source of the message;

(d) a status field indicative of a retransmit condition, a continue condition, or a low battery power condition;

(e) a data and other parameters field indicative of the data sent in accordance with the particular opcode being implemented; and

(f) a checksum field.

23. A method of providing digital signals from a bar code scanner having a universal input/output format to a host device having a host-specific input/output format comprising the steps of:

(a) acquiring in said bar code scanner the digital signals to be provided to said host device;

(b) formatting said digital signals in a universal, no-host-specific input/output format;

(c) transmitting said universally formatted digital signals to a host interface module externally coupled between said bar code scanner and said host device;

(d) translating at said host interface module the universally formatted digital signals to a host-specific format data; and

(e) transmitting said translated digital signals to said host device.