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Digital-imaging based code symbol reading system employing a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems, global object motion detection subsystem for automatically detecting objects within its 3D imaging volume, and global control subsystem for managing the state of operation of said coplanar illumination and imaging substems

  • US 7,571,859 B2
  • Filed: 02/27/2007
  • Issued: 08/11/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A digital-imaging based code symbol reading system comprising:

  • a system housing having an imaging window;

    a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems disposed in said system housing, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem has an object detection state of operation and a code symbol reading state of operation;

    a global control subsystem for managing the state of operation of each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem; and

    a global object motion detection subsystem for automatically detecting the motion of an object passing through at least a portion of a 3D imaging volume defined relative to said imaging window, and generating object detection data in response to said detected object motion;

    wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem includes(i) one or more planar illumination modules (PLIMs) for producing a substantially planar illumination beam (PLIB), wherein each said PLIM includes at least one illumination source and optics for producing said PLIB,(ii) a linear imaging array having a field of view (FOV) on said linear imaging array and extending in substantially the same plane as said PLIB so as to produce a coplanar illumination and imaging plane (PLIB/FOV) that is projected through said 3D imaging volume, for capturing linear (1D) digital images of said object passing through said 3D imaging volume, and subsequent processing so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said linear digital images, and(iii) a local control subsystem for locally controlling the operation of subcomponents in said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem; and

    wherein upon said global object motion detection subsystem automatically detecting the motion of said object passing through at least a portion of said 3D imaging volume, and generating object detection data in response to said detected object motion, said object detection data is transmitted to said global control subsystem, and said global control subsystem manages the state of operation of each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem by driving one or more of said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems into said code symbol reading state of operation; and

    wherein a plurality of said coplanar illumination and imaging planes are projected through said 3D imaging volume, and intersect within said 3D imaging volume to produce a complex of coplanar illumination and imaging planes, for illuminating and imaging the detected object moving through said 3D imaging volume and reading one or more code symbols graphically represented in captured linear digital images of said detected object.

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