Bar code reading apparatus having one-dimensional image sensor and digital digitizer
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for decoding a bar code, comprising:
- a hand held housing;
a one dimensional image sensor comprising pixels for capturing image data along a scanning line oriented across a width of a bar code, the captured image data comprising an analog intensity value for each of a plurality of said pixels;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensor, the analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the analog intensity value for each pixel of the plurality of pixels into a digital value represented by an N-bit value, where N is an integer greater than 1; and
a processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the processor configured to decode the plurality of N-bit values to extract information encoded in the bar code, wherein said one dimensional image sensor is encapsulated in said hand held housing.
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Abstract
There is provided a bar code reading apparatus having a one-dimensional image sensor. The bar code reading apparatus can include a one-dimensional image sensor comprising a certain number of pexels, an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensor, and a processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter. The analog-to-digital converter in one embodiment can be configured to convert the analog intensity value for each pixel into a digital value represented by an N-bit value, where N is an integer greater than 1. The processor in one embodiment can be configured to extract information encoded in a bar code.
281 Citations
59 Claims
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1. An apparatus for decoding a bar code, comprising:
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a hand held housing;
a one dimensional image sensor comprising pixels for capturing image data along a scanning line oriented across a width of a bar code, the captured image data comprising an analog intensity value for each of a plurality of said pixels;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensor, the analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the analog intensity value for each pixel of the plurality of pixels into a digital value represented by an N-bit value, where N is an integer greater than 1; and
a processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the processor configured to decode the plurality of N-bit values to extract information encoded in the bar code, wherein said one dimensional image sensor is encapsulated in said hand held housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A bar code reading device for decoding information encoded in a bar code, comprising:
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a one dimensional image sensor comprising light sensitive pixels, the one dimensional image sensor generating an output signal indicative of said bar code, said output signal comprising an analog intensity value for each of a plurality of said light sensitive pixels;
a housing shaped to be fitted into a human hand, wherein said bar code reading device is configured so that said image sensor is supported within said housing;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said one dimensional image sensor, the analog to digital converter configured to convert the analog intensity value for each of said plurality of pixels into a digital pixel value represented by an N-bit value, where N is an integer greater than 1;
a memory coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the memory having at least M memory locations for storage of image data, wherein M is of a size suitable to store a plurality of said N-bit values corresponding to said plurality of light sensitive pixels of said one dimensional image sensor, wherein said bar code reading device is configured to store into said memory at least a first block of image data, the first block of image data representing light incident on said plurality of light sensitive pixels of said one dimensional image sensor and comprising one of said N-bit value representations for each of said plurality of light sensitive pixels, wherein each of said M memory locations is of suitable size to store one of said N-bit values, wherein said bar code reading device is further configured so that a plurality of bar code symbology decoding programs are stored in said memory; and
a processor coupled to said memory, said processor configured to read the plurality of N-bit values from the memory, wherein said processor is further configured to process said plurality of N-bit values to decode the information encoded in said bar code. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method for decoding information stored in a bar code, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a hand held optical reader having a one dimensional image sensor, said one dimensional image sensor having a plurality of pixels;
providing a bar code to be read by the optical reader;
imaging said bar code onto the one dimensional image sensor with an optical element reading a plurality of analog intensity values from the plurality of pixels of the image sensor. converting each analog intensity value into a digital N-bit pixel value to digitize the image of the bar code;
storing a block of image data comprising a plurality of said N-bit pixel values into a set of memory locations of a memory;
reading the plurality of N-bit pixel values from the memory;
binarizing the N-bit pixel values using sub pixel interpolation to mark changes in brightness representative of bar code transitions across the digitized image of the bar code; and
processing the binarized data to decode the information stored in the bar code. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A bar code reading device for use in reading information encoded in a bar code comprising a plurality of bars and spaces, said bar code reading device comprising:
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an imaging assembly including a one dimensional image sensor comprising light sensitive pixels, the one dimensional image sensor generating an output signal indicative of said bar code, said output signal comprising an analog intensity value for each of a plurality of said light sensitive pixels, the imaging assembly further including an imaging optics assembly focusing an image of said bar code onto said one dimensional image sensor;
a hand held housing, wherein said bar code reading device is configured so that components of said imaging assembly are supported within said hand held housing;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said one dimensional image sensor, the analog to digital converter configured to convert the analog intensity value for each of said plurality of pixels into a digital pixel value represented by an N-bit value, where N is an integer greater than 1;
a memory being of sufficient size to store first and second blocks of image data, each of said first and second blocks of image data representing light incident on said plurality of pixels of said one dimensional image sensor;
a trigger; and
a decode circuit coupled to said memory for reading image data from said memory and processing said image data to produce data indicating relative widths of said bars and spaces of said bar code;
wherein said bar code reading device is configured so that at a time after said trigger is actuated by an operator of said bar code reading device, both of a first block of image data and second block of image data are stored into said memory, wherein said first block of image data represents light incident on said one dimensional image sensor at a first time, T1, and said second block of image data represents light incident on said one dimensional image sensor at a second time, T2, wherein T2 after T1, and wherein each of said first block of image data and said second block of image data comprises one of said N-bit value representations for each of said plurality of light sensitive pixels. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method for decoding a bar code, utilizing a hand held one dimensional bar code reader, the method comprising:
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generating image data with a one dimensional image sensor having pixels, the image data comprising a plurality of pixel values along a scanning line oriented across a bar code, the image data comprising an analog intensity value for each of a plurality of the pixels;
converting the analog intensity value for each pixel of the plurality of pixels into a digital value represented by an N-bit value, where N is an integer greater than 1; and
decoding the plurality of N-bit values to extract information encoded in the bar code, wherein said decoding comprises identifying at least one candidate symbol region within a block of image data comprising said plurality of N-bit values. - View Dependent Claims (45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. An apparatus for decoding a bar code, comprising:
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a hand held housing;
a one dimensional image sensor comprising pixels for generated image data along a scanning line oriented across a width of a bar code, the generated image data comprising an analog intensity value for each of a plurality of said pixels;
an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the sensor, the analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the analog intensity value for each pixel of the plurality of pixels into a digital value represented by an N-bit value, where N is an integer greater than 1and wherein said apparatus is configured to store a block of said N-bit values into a memory; and
a processor coupled to the analog-to-digital converter, the processor configured to decode said block of N-bit values to extract information encoded in the bar code, wherein said one dimensional image sensor is encapsulated in said hand held housing, and wherein said decoding includes the step of utilizing a priority rule under which decoding of more centrally located image data is prioritized over decoding of less centrally located image data. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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Specification