Compact holographic laser scanner having minimized housing dimensions determined by scanning disc and beam folding mirror parameters

• US 6,953,153 B2
• Filed: 10/03/1997
• Issued: 10/11/2005
• 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:
  US08/943,288
• Publication Number:
  US 20030183692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,930 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462, 235/472, 235/467, 235/469, 235/470, 23546201-46245, 23547201-47203, 235/454, 235/434, 235/375
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• 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 provisions 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

Disclosed is a holographic laser scanner of ultra-compact design. The scanner has a scanner housing having width, length and height dimensions, and a holographic scanning disc for scanning and focusing a plurality of laser beams so as to produce a plurality of laser scanning planes. A plurality of beam folding mirrors are disposed about the holographic scanning disc, for folding the laser scanning planes so as to project a complex scanning pattern within the spatial extent of a predefined 3-D scanning volume. A plurality of parabolic light collecting mirrors are disposed beneath the holographic scanning disc for collecting laser light reflected from scanned code symbols. In accordance with principles of the present invention, the geometrical dimensions of the beam folding mirrors in conjunction with the geometrical dimensions of the holographic scanning disc determine the width and length dimensions of the scanner housing, whereas the geometrical dimensions of the beam folding mirrors and parabolic light collecting mirrors beneath the holographic scanning disc determine the height dimension of the scanner housing. By virtue of the present invention, it is now possible to design and construct holographic laser scanner having minimized height and width dimensions hitherto unachievable using prior art design methodologies.

Claims

1. A holographic laser scanner comprising:

a scanner housing having width, length and height dimensions, and a scanning window;

a plurality of laser beam sources for producing a plurality of laser beams;

a holographic scanning disc, rotatable about an axis of rotation, and supporting a plurality of holographic optical elements for scanning and focusing said plurality of laser beams so as to produce a plurality of scanning planes;

a plurality of beam folding mirrors disposed about said holographic scanning disc, for directly folding said plurality of scanning planes in a direction above said holographic scanning disc so as to project a complex scanning pattern through said scanning window and within the spatial extent of a predefined 3-D scanning volume disposed directly above the said holographic scanning disc; and

a plurality of parabolic light collecting mirrors disposed beneath said holographic scanning disc;

wherein the geometrical dimensions of only said beam folding mirrors in conjunction with the geometrical dimensions of said holographic scanning disc substantially determine said width and length dimensions of said scanner housing; and

wherein said geometrical dimensions of only said beam folding mirrors and parabolic light collecting mirrors beneath said holographic scanning disc substantially determine said height dimension of said scanner housing.

2. The holographic laser scanner of claim 1, wherein each said laser beam source comprises a laser diode, and wherein said holographic laser scanner further comprises a photodetector arranged with each parabolic light collecting mirror for producing scan data signals.