Compact holographic laser scanning system having a high scanning-volume-to-housing-volume ratio

• US 6,112,990 A
• Filed: 09/30/1997
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Dickson, LeRoy, Amundsen, Thomas, Knowles, Carl Harry, Groot, John
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US08/940,561
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.25, 235/462.24, 235/462.01, 235/462.08, 235/462.09, 235/462.41, 235/462.42, 235/462.34, 359/12, 359/30, 359/17, 359/18, 359/19
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 15/00 Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/10 Scanning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/106 having diffraction gratings as scanning elements, e.g. holographic scanners holographic optical elements G02B5/32, holography G03H
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1013 Multi-focal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1016 Motor control or optical moving unit control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1017 Programmable
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1018 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10564 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10584 Source control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10594 Beam path
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10603 Basic scanning using moving elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10663 using hologram
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10673 Parallel lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10702 Particularities of propagating elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors G06K7/10831 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10801 Multidistance reading
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10811 : Focalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 : Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 : sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10871 : randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
• 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 7/109 : adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner
• 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: G07F 9/002 : Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 : with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 : with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A holographic laser scanners of ultra-compact design capable of reading bar and other types of graphical indicia within a large scanning volume using holographic optical elements and visible laser diodes, and also a method of designing and operating the same for use in diverse applications.

Claims

1. A holographic laser scanner for producing a 3-D laser scanning volume, which comprises:

a scanner housing having a scanning window; and

a holographic laser scanning means, disposed in said scanner housing, for producing a laser scanning pattern within a 3-D laser scanning volume projected beyond said scanning window, said holographic laser scanning means including

a laser beam source for producing a laser beam, and

a plurality of holographic optical elements for scanning said laser beam and producing said laser scanning pattern for omnidirectional scanning of code symbols within said 3-D laser scanning volume,

wherein said the ratio of said 3-D scanning volume to the volume of said scanner housing is greater than about 5.0.

2. The holographic laser scanner of claim 1, wherein said 3-D laser scanning volume has multiple focal planes for scanning bar code symbols at different distances within said 3-D scanning volume.

3. The holographic laser scanner of claim 1, wherein said laser scanning pattern is an omnidirectional laser scanning pattern within said 3-D laser scanning volume.

6. The holographic laser scanner of claim 1, wherein said laser scanning mechanism has a plurality of laser diodes mounted beneath said holographic scanning disc for producing a plurality of said laser beams.

7. The holographic laser scanner of claim 1, wherein said 3-D scanning volume has multiple focal planes for scanning code symbols at different distances within said 3-D scanning volume.

8. The holographic laser scanner of claim 3, wherein said laser scanning pattern is an omnidirectional laser scanning pattern within said 3-D laser scanning volume.

4. A holographic laser scanner for scanning bar code symbols within a 3-D scanning volume, comprising:

a scanner housing having an internal volume and a scanning window; and

a holographic scanning mechanism disposed within said scanner housing, having a holographic scanning disc with a plurality of holographic optical elements for scanning a laser beam and producing said laser scanning pattern for scanning of code symbols within a 3-D scanning volume produced from said scanner housing, wherein the ratio of said 3-D scanning volume to the volume of said scanner housing is greater than about 5.0.

5. The holographic laser scanner of claim 4, wherein said 3-D scanning volume has multiple focal planes for scanning code symbols at different distances within said 3-D scanning volume.

9. The holographic laser scanner of claim 4, wherein said laser scanning mechanism has a plurality of laser diodes mounted beneath said holographic scanning disc for producing a plurality of said laser beams.