Automatically-activated hand-supportable omni-directional laser scanning bar code symbol reader having a user-selectable linear scanning menu-reading mode supported by a stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern for improved bar code symbol navigation and alignment during menu-reading operations

• US 7,097,105 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2003
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• 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: Edmonds, Shane, Giordano, Patrick, Martin, William, Wilz, David M. Sr., Amundsen, Thomas, Russell, Garrett, Colavito, Stephen, Defoney, Shawn, Veksland, Mikhail, Osborn, James, Hudrick, Donald, Hejl, Benjamin, Schmidt, Mark C., DiPlacido, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): FUREMAN, JARED
• Application Number:
  US10/684,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20040173684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,053 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.45, 235/462.48, 235/462.32, 235/462.36, 235/462.37, 235/462.38, 235/462.39, 235/462.4, 235/472.01, 235/462.33
• 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 7/10554 Moving beam scanning
• 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 7/10613 by rotation, e.g. polygon
• 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

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 reading mode or a uni-directional bar code reading mode. In the omni-directional bar code reading mode, the laser scanning engine projects pattern through the light transmission aperture, an omni-directional laser scanning pattern producing multiple laser scanning lines with substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at any given scanning plane parallel to the light transmission aperture within the working distance of the system, and 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 uni-directional bar code reading mode, the laser scanning engine projects through the light transmission aperture, a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern, against a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at any given scanning plane parallel to the light transmission aperture within the working distance of the system, and detects and decodes bar code symbols on objects passing through the single laser scanning line, 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 uni-directional bar code reading 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 reading mode of operation to the host device irrespective of the activation signal produced by the data transmission switch.

Claims

1. An automatic hand-supportable laser scanning bar code reading system comprising:

a first omni-directional bar code reading mode of operation, wherein a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern produces multiple laser scanning lines having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics in any given scanning plane for the purpose of scanning and reading bar code symbols; and

a second uni-directional bar code reading mode of operation, wherein against a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern, there is produced a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics in any given scanning plane for the purpose of scanning and reading bar code symbols.

2. The automatic hand-supportable laser scanning bar code reading system of claim 1, wherein different methods can be used to generated said visible omni-directional laser scanning patterns in respective bar code reading modes of operation.

3. The automatic hand-supportable laser scanning bar code reading system of claim 1, wherein both (i) the visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity, and (ii) the visible stroboscopically-pulsed on-mi-directional laser scanning pattern having a single line laser scanning line of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity, are generated in respective modes of operation by electronically controlling a single laser scanning beam and its photo-reception.

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

a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a hand-supportable housing and which is capable of operating in two different bar code reading modes, namely;

in a first bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates an visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby;

in a second bar code reading mode, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern having a single laser scanning line of substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby;

wherein said hand-supportable housing further comprises a manually-actuatable data transmission control activation switch that is capable of serving dual purposes, namely;

(i) producing a control activation signal that enables communication of symbol character data produced by the bar code symbol reading mechanism to a host system in an automatic manner, as well as (ii) enabling the manually-selection of the bar code mode reading modes supported by the system, in response to preprogrammed conditions determined by an automatic IR-enabled object detection subsystem embodied within said hand-supportable housing.

5. The automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device of claim 4, wherein the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically enters the first omni-directional bar code reading mode when the hand-supportable housing is placed in a support stand that supports the hand-supportable housing, and automatically enters the second uni-directional bar code reading mode when the hand-supportable housing is removed from the support stand, or alternatively, when removed from the support stand and the user depresses a manually-actuatable data activation transmission control activation switch mounted external to the hand-supportable housing.

6. The automatically-activated bar code symbol reading device of claim 4, wherein said hand-supportable housing further comprises a manually-actuatable data transmission control activation switch that is capable of producing a control activation signal that enables communication of symbol character data produced by the bar code symbol reading system to a host system in an automatic manner.

7. The automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device of claim 4, which further comprises a control subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing for enabling the transmission of produced symbol character data to said host system or data storage device, only when said manually-actuatable data transmission control activation switch, provided on the exterior of said hand-supportable housing is manually actuated by the user during a bar code symbol reading cycle.

8. The automatically-activated laser scanning bar code symbol reading device of claim 7, wherein the bar code symbol reading cycle is visually signaled to the user by a bar code symbol reading state indicator provided on said hand-supportable housing.

9. An automatically-activated bar code reading system comprising:

a visible laser light source, scanning element and a plurality of stationary mirrors arranged in a first configuration and cooperating to produce a visible omni-directional laser scanning pattern having multiple laser scanning lines with substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to a scanning window within a working distance of said system; and

wherein said visible laser light source, said scanning element and said plurality of stationary mirrors arranged in a second configuration and cooperating to produce a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern against a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to said scanning window within the working distance of said system.

10. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 9, wherein said visible laser light source, said scanning element and said plurality of stationary mirrors are arranged and cooperate to produce a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern against multiple rastered laser scanning lines having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to a scanning window within a working distance of said system.

11. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 10, wherein the pulse frequency and width of a visible laser light is dynamically-controlled to selectively enable the visible laser light source to produce a visible stroboscopically-pulsed omni-directional laser scanning pattern against a single laser scanning line having substantially uniform spatial and temporal intensity characteristics at a given scanning plane parallel to the scanning window within the working distance of said system, only when the light produced therefrom is directed by said scanning element onto a predetermined subset of said plurality of stationary mirrors, to thereby support a uni-directional bar code reading mode of operation.

12. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 10, wherein timing signals are derived and synchronized to a particular interval in a rotation cycle of said scanning element, realized as a rotating light directing element when the rotating light directing element directs light produced from the laser light source onto the predetermined subset of said plurality of stationary mirrors.

13. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 12, wherein such timing signals are derived from a position sensor integrated into a rotating portion of the rotating light directing element.

14. The automatically-activated bar code reading system of claim 12 that derives such timing signals a position indicating optical element mounted adjacent or near the perimeter of one of said stationary mirrors, such that the position indicating optical element is illuminated by light produced from said laser light source when the rotating light directing element reaches a predetermined point in its rotation.