Finger-mounted electro-optical scanner with on-board short range radio transmitter

• US 6,010,071 A
• Filed: 03/18/1997
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Strantienco, Asklod, Katz, Joseph, Bard, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Pitts, Harold I.
• Application Number:
  US08/820,047
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.43, 235/462.44
• US Class Current: 235/462.43
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2007/10534 Scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1016 Motor control or optical moving unit control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10564 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10653 using flexible or piezoelectric means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10891 the scanner to be worn on a finger or on a wrist
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction

Abstract

Several different embodiments are disclosed of a simple, compact bar code scanner which is capable of scanning in any one of several modes, a linear scan mode for scans along a single axis, an omnidirectional scan mode for scans with consecutive scan lines which are angularly displaced relative to each other, or a raster scan mode for scans with consecutive scan lines along a first scan axis which are displaced relative to each other along a second perpendicular axis. In a preferred embodiment, the compact bar code scanner is used in a small housing mounted on an index finger of an operator such that the natural pointing direction of the index finger aims the scanner.

Claims

1. A bar code scanning system comprising:

a. a first housing adapted to be worn on a user'"'"'s finger including an exit port spaced rearwardly from the fingertip of the user'"'"'s outstretched finger and a symbol detector for generating a moving light beam directed through the exit port toward and across a symbol to be read on a target and for receiving reflected light from such symbol to produce an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light;

b. a switch for energizing said light beam;

c. a mount for mounting said housing on the finger in a position to project the moving beam forwardly generally in the direction of natural pointing of the finger;

d. a second housing adapted to be worn on the user remotely from the first housing and including a signal processor for processing the electrical signal to generate therefrom a digitized signal descriptive of the bar code symbol, and a display for visually displaying information to the user; and

e. a transfer circuit for transferring said electrical signal from said first housing to said second housing.

2. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said second housing includes a decoder for translating said digitized signal into data represented by said symbol.

3. A system as defined in claim 1 wherein said second housing is mounted on the user'"'"'s wrist.

4. A bar code scanning system comprising:

a. a first housing adapted to be worn on a user'"'"'s finger including an exit port spaced rearwardly from the fingertip of the user'"'"'s outstretched finger and a symbol detector for generating a moving light beam directed through the exit port toward and across a symbol to be read on a target and for receiving reflected light from such symbol to produce an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light, and a signal processor for processing the electrical signal to generate therefrom a digitized signal descriptive of the bar code symbol;

b. a switch for energizing said light beam;

c. a mount for mounting said housing on a finger in a position to project the moving beam forward generally in the direction of natural pointing of the finger;

d. a second housing mounted on the user'"'"'s wrist including a decoder for translating said digitized signal into data represented by said symbol, and a display for visually displaying information to the user; and

e. a transfer circuit for transferring said digitized signal from said first housing to said second housing.

5. A system for electro-optically reading indicia, comprising:

a) a finger-mounted housing having an exit port facing outwardly in a forward direction away from an outstretched finger on which the housing is mounted, said exit port being spaced in a rearward direction away from the fingertip of the outstretched finger;

b) a scanner supported by the housing, for projecting a moving light beam through the exit port in a scan pattern to and across an indicium to be read, for detecting light of variable intensity reflected off the indicium, and for generating in response to such detection an electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light;

c) a control unit supported by a user at a location remote from the housing;

d) a signal processor supported by the control unit, for processing the electrical signal into a digital signal descriptive of the indicia;

e) a display supported by the control unit, for visually displaying information to the user;

f) a transmitter supported by the housing for transmitting the electrical signal to the signal processor in the control unit; and

g) an actuator for selectively actuating the scanner.

6. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the housing includes a mount for supporting the housing on an index finger of an operator.

7. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the housing has side walls, and wherein the actuator includes a manually depressible switch mounted on one of the side walls.

8. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the actuator includes a voice-actuated switch.

9. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the transmitter includes a radio frequency transmitter on the housing, and further comprising a receiver including a receiving antenna on the control unit.

10. A system as defined in claim 5, wherein the control unit includes a keyboard for manually entering data.

11. A system for electro-optically reading indicia, comprising:

a) a finger-mounted housing having an exit port facing outwardly in a forward direction away from an outstretched finger on which the housing is mounted, said exit port being spaced in a rearward direction away from the fingertip of the outstretched finger;

b) a scanner supported by the housing, for projecting a moving light beam through the exit port in a scan pattern to and across an indicium to be read, for detecting light of variable intensity reflected off the indicium, and for generating in response to such detection an analog electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light;

c) a signal digitizer supported by the housing, for digitizing the analog signal to a digitized signal;

d) a control unit supported by a user at a location remote from the housing;

e) a decoder supported by the control unit, for decoding the digitized signal to data represented by the indicium being read;

f) a display supported by the control unit, for visually displaying information to the user; and

g) a radio transmitter supported by the housing, for transmitting the digitized signal to the decoder in the control unit.

12. A system as defined in claim 11, wherein the housing includes a mount for supporting the housing on an index finger of an operator, and wherein the control unit includes a support for supporting the control unit on the operator.

13. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein the support is a belt.

14. A system as defined in claim 11;

and further comprising a receiver including an antenna mounted on the control unit.

15. A system as defined in claim 11;

and further comprising a keyboard supported on the control unit.

16. A system as defined in claim 12, wherein the transmitter transmits the digitized signal through ambient air by radio wave telemetry.

17. A method of electro-optically reading indicia, comprising the steps of:

a) mounting a housing having an exit port on an outstretched finger of an operator to position the exit port to face outwardly in a forward direction away from the outstretched finger, said exit port being spaced in a rearward direction away from the fingertip of the outstretched finger;

b) projecting a moving light beam through the exit port in a scan pattern to and across an indicium to be read, detecting light of variable intensity reflected off the indicium, generating in response to such detection an analog electrical signal corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light, and digitizing the analog signal to a digitized signal, said projecting, detecting, generating and digitizing steps all being performed in the housing;

c) mounting a control unit on the operator remotely from the housing;

d) transmitting the digitized signal by radio wave transmission to the control unit;

e) decoding, in the control unit, the digitized signal into data representative of the indicium being read; and

f) visually displaying on the control unit information to the operator.

18. A system as defined in claim 17, wherein step (a) is performed by mounting the housing on an index finger of the operator, and wherein step (c) is performed by mounting the control unit on the waist of the operator.