Automatically-activated hand-supportable multi-mode laser scanning bar code symbol reading system

• US 6,905,071 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2002
• Issued: 06/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Jefferson, Matthew, Knowles, C. Harry, Edmonds, Shane, Giordano, Patrick, Martin, William, Wilz, David M. Sr., Kolis, George, Amundsen, Thomas, Russell, Garrett, Colavito, Stephen, Movsessian, Sergio, Schmidt, Mark C., DiPlacido, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US10/042,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20030222146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.14, 235/462.25, 235/462.3, 235/462.31, 23546232-46233, 235/462.35, 235/462.36, 235/462.43, 235/462.45, 235/462.46, 235/462.48, 235/462.09, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/454, 235/473
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• 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: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• 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 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence

Abstract

A multi-mode laser-based bar code symbol reading device having a hand-supportable housing with a light transmission aperture, wherethrough visible light can exit and enter the hand-supportable housing. A laser scanning engine, disposed within the hand-supportable housing, is controlled to selectively operate in either an omni-directional scanning mode or a single line scanning mode. In the omni-directional scanning mode, the laser scanning engine projects an omni-directional scanning pattern through the light transmission aperture, detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the omni-directional scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. In the rastered scanning mode, the laser scanning engine projects rastered scanning pattern through the light transmission aperture and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the single line scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. In the single-line scanning mode, the laser scanning engine projects a single line scanning pattern through the light transmission aperture and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the single line scanning pattern, and produces symbol character data representative of decoded bar code symbols. A manually-actuatable data transmission switch, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, produces an activation signal in response to the manual-actuation of the data transmission switch. A data transmission subsystem, disposed in the hand-supportable housing, operates under control of control circuitry to communicate the symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine to a host device operably coupled to the bar code symbol reading device. The control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the single line or rastered scanning mode of operation to the host device in response to the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch, and the control circuitry enables communication of symbol character data produced by the laser scanning engine in the omni-directional scanning mode of operation to the host device irrespective of the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch.

Claims

1. An automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device comprising:

(1) a hand-supportable housing having a light transmission aperture wherethrough visible light can exit and enter said hand-supportable housing;

(2) a laser scanning bar code symbol reading engine, disposed within said hand supportable housing, that can be selectively operated in one of first and second scanning modes,

wherein during said first scanning mode, said laser scanning bar code symbol reading engine projects an omni-directional laser scanning pattern through said light transmission aperture, for automatically reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby, and

wherein during said second scanning mode, said laser scanning bar code symbol reading engine projects a single line scanning pattern through said light transmission aperture, for automatically and repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby;

(3) a data transmission subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for transmitting, when activated, a selected one of said produced symbol character data strings to a host system operably connected to said automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device;

(4) a manually-activatable data transmission switch, integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a data transmission control activation signal in response to the activation of said manually-activatable data transmission switch within a predetermined time period; and

(5) a system controller for controlling said data transmission subsystem during said first and second scanning modes of operations,

wherein during said first scanning mode, the symbol character data string, produced at substantially the same time when said data transmission control activation signal is generated, is transmitted to said host system, and

wherein during said second scanning mode, the symbol character data string, produced at substantially the same time when said data transmission control activation signal is generated, is transmitted to said host system.

2. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 1, wherein said laser scanning bar code reading engine further comprises:

a bar code symbol presence detector in said hand-supportable housing for processing scan data so as to detect the presence of said bar code symbol on said object and to automatically generate a first control signal in response to the detection of said bar code symbol; and

decode processor in said hand-supportable housing for processing scan data so as to decode said bar code symbol on said object and for automatically producing symbol character data representative of said decoded bar code symbol, and automatically generating a second control signal indicative of the production of said symbol character data.

3. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 2, wherein said bar code symbol presence detector detects said bar code symbol by detecting first and second envelope borders of said bar code symbol.

4. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 2, wherein said laser scanning bar code symbol reading engine comprises object detection means in said hand-supportable housing, for detecting said object in at least a portion of an object detection field defined relative to said housing and automatically generating a third control signal indicative of the detection of said object in at least a portion of said object detection field.

5. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 4, wherein said object detection means comprises:

a signal transmitting means for transmitting a signal towards said object in said object detection field, and

a signal receiving means for receiving said transmitted signal reflected off said object in at least a portion of said object detection field, and automatically generating said third control signal indicative of the detection of said object in at least a portion of said object detection field.

6. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 5, wherein said signal transmitting means comprises an infra-red light source for transmitting a pulsed infra-red light signal, and wherein said signal receiving means comprises an infra-red light detector disposed in said hand-supportable housing.

7. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 5, wherein said signal transmitting means comprises a laser diode for transmitting a pulsed laser signal, and wherein said signal receiving means comprises a photodetector disposed in said hand-supportable housing.