Method of generating a complex laser scanning pattern from a bioptical laser scanning system for providing 360° of omnidirectional bar code symbol scanning coverage at a point of sale station

• US 7,314,176 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2004
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Good, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US10/951,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20050109849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46245, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/472.03, 235/454, 235/455, 235/494, 235/470
• US Class Current: 235/462.34
• CPC Class Codes: A47F 9/04 Check-out counters, e.g. for self-service stores
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10623 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• 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 method of generating a complex laser scanning pattern from a bioptical laser scanning system for providing 360° of omnidirectional bar code symbol scanning coverage at a point of sale station that employs a plurality of laser scanning stations about two independently controlled rotating polygonal mirrors. The system has an ultra-compact construction, ideally suited for space-constrained retail scanning environments, and generates a 3-D omnidirectional laser scanning pattern between the bottom and side-scanning windows during system operation. The laser scanning pattern of the present invention comprises a complex of laser scanning planes, including a plurality of substantially-vertical laser scanning planes for reading bar code symbols having bar code elements (i.e. ladder type bar code symbols) that are oriented substantially horizontal with respect to the bottom-scanning window, and a plurality of substantially-horizontal laser scanning planes for reading bar code symbols having bar code elements (i.e. picket-fence type bar code symbols) that are oriented substantially vertical with respect to the bottom-scanning window.

Claims

1. A method of generating a complex laser scanning pattern from a bioptical laser scanning system for providing 360°

of omnidirectional bar code symbol scanning coverage at a point of sale (POS) station, said method comprising the steps of;

(a) supporting at a POS station, a bioptical laser scanning system including

(i) a horizontal section integrally connected to a vertical section,

(ii) a horizontal-scanning window formed in said horizontal section,

(iii) a vertical-scanning window formed in said vertical section, and being substantially orthogonal to said horizontal-scanning window,

(iv) a first laser scanning plane generation mechanism disposed within said horizontal section, and

(v) a second laser scanning plane generation mechanism disposed within said vertical section;

(b) generating a first plurality of laser scanning planes from said first laser scanning plane generation mechanism, and projecting said first plurality of laser scanning planes through said horizontal-scanning window, and also generating a second plurality of laser scanning planes from said second laser scanning plane generation mechanism, and projecting said second plurality of laser scanning planes through said vertical-scanning window;

(c) said first and second pluralities of laser scanning planes (i) intersecting within predetermined scan regions contained within a 3-D scanning volume defined between said horizontal-scanning and vertical-scanning windows, and (ii) generating a plurality of groups of quasi-orthogonal laser scanning planes within said 3-D scanning volume, and

(d) said plurality of groups of quasi-orthogonal laser scanning planes forming a complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern within said 3-D scanning volume capable of scanning a bar code symbol located on the surface of an object presented within said 3-D scanning volume at any orientation and from any direction at said POS station so as to provide 360°

of omnidirectional bar code symbol scanning coverage at said POS station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein during step (b) said first laser scanning plane generation mechanism produces a first laser beam from a first laser beam production module and a first polygonal scanning element having multiple reflective surfaces rotating about a first axis of rotation scans said first laser beam, so as to produce a first laser scanning beam that reflects off said first plurality of laser beam folding mirrors to generate and project said first plurality of laser scanning planes through said horizontal-scanning window;

and

wherein during step (b) said second laser scanning plane generation mechanism produces a second laser beam from a second laser beam production module and a second polygonal scanning element having multiple reflective surfaces rotating about a second axis of rotation scans said second laser beam, so as to produce a second laser scanning beam that reflects off said second plurality of laser beam folding mirrors to generate and project said second plurality of laser scanning planes through said vertical-scanning window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said first laser beam production module comprises a first visible laser diode (VLD), and said second laser beam production module comprises a second visible laser diode (VLD).

4. The method of claim 2, wherein during step (b), said first plurality of laser beam folding mirrors and said first laser production module cooperate with first and second light collecting/focusing optical elements and first and second photodetectors disposed within said horizontal section to form first and second scanning stations disposed about said first polygonal scanning element, and

wherein the light collecting/focusing optical element within each said laser scanning station collects light from predetermined scan regions within said 3-D scanning volume and focuses such collected light onto the photodetector to produce an electrical signal having an amplitude proportional to the intensity of light focused thereon, and said electrical signal being supplied to analog/digital signal processing circuitry for processing analog and digital scan data signals derived therefrom to perform bar code symbol reading operations.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein during step (b), said second plurality of laser beam folding mirrors and said second laser production module cooperate with a third light collecting/focusing optical element and a third photodetector disposed within said vertical section to form third scanning station disposed about said second polygonal scanning element, and

wherein the light collecting/focusing optical element within said third laser scanning station collects light from predetermined scan regions within said 3-D scanning volume and focuses such collected light onto the photodetector to produce an electrical signal having an amplitude proportional to the intensity of light focused thereon, and said electrical signal being supplied to analog/digital signal processing circuitry for processing analog and digital scan data signals derived therefrom to perform bar code symbol reading operations.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said first polygonal scanning element comprises a first polygonal scanning mirror having a first plurality of rotating mirror facets, and wherein said second polygonal scanning element comprises a second polygonal scanning mirror having a second plurality of rotating mirror facets.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said first polygonal scanning element is disposed within said horizontal section, and said second polygonal scanning element is disposed within said vertical section.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the height dimension of the said horizontal section is less than about 4.5 inches for installation of said horizontal section within a countertop surface at said POS station.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein during step (c) said plurality of groups of intersecting laser scanning planes comprises over sixty (60) different laser scanning planes cooperating within said 3-D scanning volume to generate said complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein during step (c) each said group of intersecting laser scanning planes comprises:

(i) a plurality of substantially-vertical laser scanning planes for reading bar code symbols having bar code elements that are oriented substantially parallel with respect to said horizontal-scanning window, and

(ii) a plurality of substantially-horizontal laser scanning planes for reading bar code symbols having bar code elements that are oriented substantially orthogonal with respect to said horizontal-scanning window.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein during step (d) said complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern is generated from said horizontal-scanning window and said vertical-scanning window during the revolution of said first and second polygonal scanning elements.

12. The bioptical laser scanning system of claim 6, wherein said second plurality of rotating mirror facets on said second polygonal scanning mirror are classifiable into a first class of facets having High Elevation (HE) angle characteristics, and a second class of facets having Low Elevation (LE) angle characteristics.

13. A method of generating a complex laser scanning pattern from a bioptical laser scanning system for providing 360°

of omnidirectional bar code symbol scanning coverage at a point of sale (POS) station, said method comprising the steps of;

(a) supporting at a POS station, a bioptical laser scanning system including

(i) a bottom section integrally connected to a side section,

(ii) a bottom-scanning window formed in said bottom section,

(iii) a side-scanning window formed in said side section, and being substantially orthogonal to said bottom-scanning window,

(iv) a first laser scanning plane generation mechanism disposed within said bottom section, and

(v) a second laser scanning plane generation mechanism disposed within said side section;

(b) generating a first plurality of laser scanning planes from said first laser scanning plane generation mechanism, and projecting said first plurality of laser scanning planes through said bottom-scanning window, and also generating a second plurality of laser scanning planes from said second laser scanning plane generation mechanism, and projecting said second plurality of laser scanning planes through said side-scanning window;

(c) said first and second pluralities of laser scanning planes (i) intersecting within predetermined scan regions contained within a 3-D scanning volume defined between said bottom-scanning and side-scanning windows, and (ii) generating a plurality of groups of quasi-orthogonal laser scanning planes within said 3-D scanning volume, and

(d) said plurality of groups of quasi-orthogonal laser scanning planes forming a complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern within said 3-D scanning volume capable of scanning a bar code symbol located on the surface of an object presented within said 3-D scanning volume at any orientation and from any direction at said POS station so as to provide 360°

of omnidirectional bar code symbol scanning coverage at said POS; and

wherein when a rectangular-shaped article having a bottom-facing surface, a top-facing surface, a back-facing surface, a front-facing surface, a left-facing surface, and a right-facing surface is oriented in said 3-D scanning volume disposed between said bottom-scanning and side-scanning windows, said complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern automatically reading bar code symbols present on said bottom-facing surface, said top-facing surface, said back-facing surface, said front-facing surface, said left-facing surface, and/or said right-facing surface of said rectangular-shaped article.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein during step (b) said first laser scanning plane generation mechanism produces a first laser beam from a first laser beam production module and a first polygonal scanning element having multiple reflective surfaces rotating about a first axis of rotation scans said first laser beam, so as to produce a first laser scanning beam that reflects off said first plurality of laser beam folding mirrors to generate and project said first plurality of laser scanning planes through said bottom-scanning window;

and

wherein during step (b) said second laser scanning plane generation mechanism produces a second laser beam from a second laser beam production module and a second polygonal scanning element having multiple reflective surfaces rotating about a second axis of rotation scans said second laser beam, so as to produce a second laser beam that reflects off said second plurality of laser beam folding mirrors to generate and project said second plurality of laser scanning planes through said side-scanning window.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said first laser beam production module comprises a first visible laser diode (VLD), and said second laser beam production module comprises a second visible laser diode (VLD).

16. The method of claim 14, wherein during step (b), said first plurality of laser beam folding mirrors and said first laser production module cooperate with first and second light collecting/focusing optical elements and first and second photodetectors disposed within said bottom section to form first and second scanning stations disposed about said first polygonal scanning element, and

wherein the light collecting/focusing optical element within each said laser scanning station collects light from predetermined scan regions within said 3-D scanning volume and focuses such collected light onto the photodetector to produce an electrical signal having an amplitude proportional to the intensity of light focused thereon, and said electrical signal being supplied to analog/digital signal processing circuitry for processing analog and digital scan data signals derived therefrom to perform bar code symbol reading operations.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein during step (b), said second plurality of laser beam folding mirrors and said second laser production module cooperate with a third light collecting/focusing optical element and a third photodetector disposed within said side section to form third scanning station disposed about said second polygonal scanning element, and

wherein the light collecting/focusing optical element within said third laser scanning station collects light from predetermined scan regions within said 3-D scanning volume and focuses such collected light onto the photodetector to produce an electrical signal having an amplitude proportional to the intensity of light focused thereon, and said electrical signal being supplied to analog/digital signal processing circuitry for processing analog and digital scan data signals derived therefrom to perform bar code symbol reading operations.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said first polygonal scanning element comprises a first polygonal scanning mirror having a first plurality of rotating mirror facets, and wherein said second polygonal scanning element comprises a second polygonal scanning mirror having a second plurality of rotating mirror facets.

19. The bioptical laser scanning system of claim 18, wherein said second plurality of rotating mirror facets on said second polygonal scanning mirror are classifiable into a first class of facets having High Elevation (HE) angle characteristics, and a second class of facets having Low Elevation (LE) angle characteristics.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein said first polygonal scanning element is disposed within said bottom section, and said second polygonal scanning element is disposed within said side section.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the height dimension of the said bottom section is less than about 4.5 inches for installation of said bottom section within a countertop surface at said POS station.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein during step (c) said plurality of groups of intersecting laser scanning planes comprises over sixty (60) different laser scanning planes cooperating within said 3-D scanning volume to generate said complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein during step (c) each said group of intersecting laser scanning planes comprises (i) a plurality of substantially-vertical laser scanning planes for reading bar code symbols having bar code elements that are oriented substantially parallel with respect to said bottom-scanning window, and (ii) a plurality of substantially-horizontal laser scanning planes for reading bar code symbols having bar code elements that are oriented substantially orthogonal with respect to said bottom-scanning window.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein during step (d) said complex omni-directional 3-D laser scanning pattern is generated from said bottom-scanning window and said side-scanning window during the revolution of said first and second polygonal scanning elements.