Laser scanner using acousto-optic deflectors

• US 7,450,273 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2004
• Issued: 11/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul, Rusman, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, II; Jerome
• Application Number:
  US10/815,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20040232243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 358/473, 358/475, 358/509, 358/510, 358/513, 358/480, 358/482, 382/313, 382/321, 235/462.01, 235/462.14, 235/462.24, 235/462.25, 235/462.38, 235/462.39, 235/462.32, 235/462.33, 235/472.01, 235/472.02
• US Class Current: 358/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10554 Moving beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10623 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10772 Moved readers, e.g. pen, wand
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0217 involving input on products or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/59 by controlling the amount of charge storable in the pixel, e.g. modification of the charge conversion ratio of the floating node capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/671 for non-uniformity detection or correction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/745 : Circuitry for generating timing or clock signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/75 : Circuitry for providing, modifying or processing image signals from the pixel array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/767 : Horizontal readout lines, multiplexers or registers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/778 : comprising amplifiers shared between a plurality of pixels, i.e. at least one part of the amplifier must be on the sensor array itself
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 3/1568 : for disturbance correction or prevention within the image-sensor, e.g. biasing, blooming, smearing correction circuits H04N25/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 : Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

A scanning device adapted to scan an interface surface provided on a product item, the interface surface having disposed thereon coded data indicative of an identity of the product item, the product item being provided in a sensing region, the scanning device including: a beam generator for emitting at least one beam; first and second acousto-optic deflectors for deflecting the beam in first and second orthogonal directions to thereby generate a raster scan pattern over a scanning patch; a sensor for sensing at least some of the coded data on the interface surface of the product item as the product item passes through the sensing region; and a processor for determining, using at least some of the sensed coded data, product identity data indicative of the identity of the product item.

Claims

1. A scanning device adapted to scan an interface surface provided on a product item, the interface surface having disposed thereon coded data potions at a plurality of locations on the interface surface, each coded data portion containing coded data indicative of an identity of the product item, an identity of interface surface and the position of the coded data portion, the scanning device including:

(a) a beam generator for emitting at least one beam;

(b) first and second acousto-optic deflectors for deflecting the beam in first and second orthogonal directions to thereby generate a raster scan pattern over a scanning patch;

(c) a sensor for sensing at least some of the coded data on the interface surface of the product item as the product item passes through the scanning patch; and

(d) a processor for

determining, using at least some of the sensed coded data, product identity data indicative of the identity of the product item

determining the identity of the interface surface;

determining position data representing at least one of;

(i) a position of the sensed coded data portion on the interface surface; and

,

(ii) a position of the scanning patch relative to the interface surface;

determining a description of the interface surface using the determined identity; and

identifying the at least region from the description and the position data.

2. The scanning device of claim 1, wherein the scanning device includes at least one beam controller for selectively providing the scanning patch at one of a number of positions in a sensing region.

3. The scanning device of claim 1, wherein the scanning device includes at least one beam controller for directing the at least one beam along at least a selected one of a number of patch beam paths.

4. The scanning device of claim 3, wherein the beam controller includes at least one mirror for directing the beam along the selected one of the patch beam paths.

5. The scanning device of claim 4, wherein the beam controller comprises:

(a) a first mirror;

(b) a plurality of second mirrors provided in the at least one housing; and

,

(c) a controller which controls the position of the first mirror to thereby reflect the beam from a selected one of the second mirrors into a sensing region.

6. The scanning device of claim 5, wherein each second mirror defines at least one patch beam path.

7. The scanning device of claim 3, wherein the sensor is adapted to sense radiation reflected from the product item along the selected patch beam path.

8. The scanning device of claim 1, wherein the coded data encodes an (Electric Product Code) EPC associated with the product item, and wherein the processor determines the EPC.

9. The scanning device of claim 1, wherein the product identity data distinguishes the product item from every other product item.

10. The scanning device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the steps of:

comparing the determined product identity data to previously determined product identity data; and

,

generating scan data representing the identity of the product item if the determined product identity data has not previously been determined.

11. The scanning device of claim 1, wherein the coded data is redundantly encoded and the processor is further adapted to use the redundantly encoded coded data to detect one or more errors in the coded data.

12. The scanning device of claim 1, wherein the coded data is indicative of a plurality of reference points, each reference point corresponds to a respective location on the interface surface, and wherein the processor further generates position data representing the position of a sensed reference point on the interface surface.

13. The scanning device of claim 1, the coded data being disposed on the interface surface in accordance with at least one layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a center of rotational symmetry of the layout, the coded data disposed in accordance with each sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes the rotation of that sub-layout from the rotation of at least one other sub-layout within the layout.

14. The scanning device of claim 13, wherein the rotation-indicating data of each sub-layout is adapted to distinguish the rotation of the sub-layout from the rotation of each other sub-layout.

15. The scanning device of claim 13, wherein each coded data portion has a plurality of codewords arranged in accordance with a respective layout, the plurality of codewords being indicative of the identity of the product item.

16. The scanning device of claim 15, wherein each sub-layout has at least one codeword that is different to the codeword of each other sub-layout.

17. The scanning device of claim 15, wherein each layout has at least one codeword that is different to at least one codeword of at least one other layout.

18. The scanning device of claim 15, wherein each layout has at least one codeword that is identical to at least one codeword of at least one other layout.

19. The scanning device of claim 15, wherein each codeword is formed from a number of data elements arranged in accordance with a respective sub-layout.

20. The scanning device of claim 19, wherein the data elements are arranged such that each data element has a unique position.

21. The scanning device of claim 20, wherein the positions of the data elements of respective sub-layouts are interleaved.

22. The scanning device of claim 1, the coded data being disposed on the interface surface in accordance with at least one layout, the layout having at least order n rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding orientation-indicating data comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a centre of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation-indicating data, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation-indicating data and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout.

23. The scanning device of claim 22, wherein each coded data portion has a plurality of codewords arranged in accordance with a respective layout, the plurality of codewords being indicative of the identity of the product item.

24. The scanning device of claim 23, wherein the coded data includes a plurality of layouts of two or more layout types, each layout encoding its layout type.

25. The scanning device of claim 24, wherein each layout encodes a distributed codeword wherein fragments of the distributed codeword are distributed between the two or more layout types in a predetermined manner such that the distributed codeword can be reconstructed from fragments located in a plurality of adjacent layouts of different types.

26. The scanning device of claim 3, wherein each patch beam path extends into a sensing region at a respective angle.

27. The scanning device of claim 26, wherein the angle between respective patch beam paths is at least one of:

(a) at least 1°

;

(b) at least 10°

;

(c) at least 30°

;

(d) at least 45°

; and

,

(e) at least 90°

.