Body-wearable laser scanning system with code symbol detection responsive controller
First Claim
1. A body-wearable portable laser scanning system, said body-wearable portable laser scanning system comprising:
- a scanner housing having a compact construction having a light transmission aperture through which visible light can exit and enter said scanner housing;
scanner housing support means wearable on the hand of an operator and being operably connected to said scanner housing so that said light transmission aperture is orientable in a scanning direction;
activatable scan data producing means in said scanner housing, for producing, when activated, scan data from an object located in a scan field definable external to said scanner housing, said activatable scan data producing means includinglaser beam producing means for producing a laser beam for projection through said light transmission aperture and scanning across said scan field and a code symbol on said object, andlaser light detecting means for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off said code symbol and passed through said light transmission aperture, and for automatically producing scan data indicative of said detected light intensity;
a processor housing having a compact construction;
processor housing support means wearable on the body of said operator; and
being operably connected to said processor housing;
code symbol presence detection means in said processor housing, for automatically generating an activation signal in response to detecting the presence of said code symbol within said scan field;
scan data processor means in said processor housing, for processing produced scan data, when activated, so as to decode said detected code symbol and automatically produce symbol character data representative of said decoded code symbol;
system control means in said processor housing, for automatically controlling the operation of said activatable scan data producing means, said code symbol presence detection means, and said activatable scan data processing means in response to the generation of said activation signal;
radio frequency signal transmission means in said processor housing, for transmitting said symbol character data to a peripheral device by way of radio frequency signal transmission; and
batter power supply means in said processor housing, for supplying electrical power to said activatable scan data producing means, said code symbol presence detection means, said activatable scan data processing means, and said system control means.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable automatic code symbol reading system having a laser scanning engine mounted upon the hand of its operator to provide hands-free automatic laser scanning capabilities. The automatic code symbol reading system includes a battery power supply aboard its hand-mounted housing, and a power-conserving control subsystem for conserving the consumption of electrical power during automatic portable laser scanning operations. The control subsystem of the present invention has a plurality of control centers which control the operation of the system components in accordance with preselected system control operations. Each of the control centers is responsive to control activation signals generated by certain of the system components upon the occurrence of predefined conditions. Certain of the control centers are capable of overriding other control centers to provide diverse control capabilities. These control capabilities facilitate execution of intelligent functions and power consumption measures required during automatic, hands-free code symbol reading operations.
13 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A body-wearable portable laser scanning system, said body-wearable portable laser scanning system comprising:
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a scanner housing having a compact construction having a light transmission aperture through which visible light can exit and enter said scanner housing; scanner housing support means wearable on the hand of an operator and being operably connected to said scanner housing so that said light transmission aperture is orientable in a scanning direction; activatable scan data producing means in said scanner housing, for producing, when activated, scan data from an object located in a scan field definable external to said scanner housing, said activatable scan data producing means including laser beam producing means for producing a laser beam for projection through said light transmission aperture and scanning across said scan field and a code symbol on said object, and laser light detecting means for detecting the intensity of laser light reflected off said code symbol and passed through said light transmission aperture, and for automatically producing scan data indicative of said detected light intensity; a processor housing having a compact construction; processor housing support means wearable on the body of said operator; and
being operably connected to said processor housing;code symbol presence detection means in said processor housing, for automatically generating an activation signal in response to detecting the presence of said code symbol within said scan field; scan data processor means in said processor housing, for processing produced scan data, when activated, so as to decode said detected code symbol and automatically produce symbol character data representative of said decoded code symbol; system control means in said processor housing, for automatically controlling the operation of said activatable scan data producing means, said code symbol presence detection means, and said activatable scan data processing means in response to the generation of said activation signal; radio frequency signal transmission means in said processor housing, for transmitting said symbol character data to a peripheral device by way of radio frequency signal transmission; and batter power supply means in said processor housing, for supplying electrical power to said activatable scan data producing means, said code symbol presence detection means, said activatable scan data processing means, and said system control means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification