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Symbology reader illumination system

  • US 5,886,338 A
  • Filed: 07/10/1997
  • Issued: 03/23/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1994
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A hand-held symbology reader for reading a symbology located within a target area on a target object substantially in an object plane, comprising:

  • a head portion having a reader aperture providing a passageway for light into and out of the head portion;

    a handle mounted to the head portion for grasping by the hand of a user;

    a planar base mounted within the head portion;

    at least three illuminating sources, each having a body portion with leads connected at a selected location on the planar base with a space between the body portion and the planar base, each of the illuminating sources when energized emitting a beam of light along a principal emission vector relative to its body portion, the leads of each of the body portions of the illuminating sources being bent to align its principal emission vector with a corresponding desired beam vector toward the object plane, the desired beam vectors being nonparallel and selected to produce the desired illumination pattern when the illuminating sources are energized;

    an alignment board positioned adjacent to the planar base, between the planar base and the object plane, the alignment board having at least three alignment apertures therethrough, each corresponding to one of the illuminating sources, each alignment aperture being defined by a sidewall conforming substantially to the shape of the body portion of the corresponding illuminating source and being angularly oriented and offset from the selected location of the illuminating source on the planar base to engage the body portion and hold the semi-rigid leads in their bent state to maintain the alignment of the principal emission vector with the desired beam vector for the corresponding illuminating source; and

    an area detector mounted within the head portion and positioned to receive light through the reader aperture from the illuminating sources after being first reflected from the target object.

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