Digital imaging-based code symbol reading system permitting modification of system features and functionalities

• US 7,607,581 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Issued: 10/27/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoxun, Kotlarsky, Anatoly
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US11/305,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20060208083A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.45, 235/462.24, 235/462.01, 235/462.09, 235/462.15
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• 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 digital imaging-based code symbol reading system having a set of standard features and functions, and a set of custom features and functionalities that satisfy customized end-user application requirements. The system includes a housing having a light transmission window, a digital camera subsystem, a digital image processing subsystem, an input/output subsystem, a system control system, and a computing platform. The computing platform includes (i) memory for storing pieces of original product code written by the original designers of said digital image capture and processing system, and (ii) a microprocessor for running one or more applications by calling and executing pieces of said original product code in a particular sequence, so as support a set of standard features and functions which characterize a standard behavior of said digital image capture and processing system. One or more pieces of original product code have a set of place holders into which third-party product code can be inserted or plugged by third parties, including value-added resellers (VARs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and also end-users of said digital image capture and processing system.

Claims

1. A digital imaging-based code symbol reading system having a set of standard features and functions, and a set of custom features and functionalities that satisfy customized end-user application requirements, said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system comprising:

a housing having a light transmission window,

a digital camera subsystem, disposed in said housing, for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said light transmission window and upon an object to be imaged in said FOV, and detecting imaged light reflected off the object during illumination operations in an image capture mode in which one or more digital images of the object are formed and detected by said digital camera subsystem;

a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing said one or more digital images and producing raw or processed data, or recognizing or acquiring information graphically represented therein, and producing output data representative of said recognized information;

an input/output subsystem, disposed in said housing, for transmitting said output data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device;

a system control subsystem, disposed in said housing, for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of said subsystems above; and

a computing platform, disposed in said housing, for supporting the implementation of one or more of said subsystems above, and the features and functions of said digital image-based code symbol reading system;

said computing platform including (i) memory for storing pieces of original product code written by the original designers of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system, and (ii) a microprocessor for running one or more applications by calling and executing pieces of said original product code in a particular sequence, so as to support a set of standard features and functions which characterize a standard behavior of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system;

wherein said one or more pieces of original product code have a set of place holders into which a third-party product code can be inserted or plugged in by third parties, including value-added resellers (VARs), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and also end-users of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system; and

wherein one or more pieces of said third-party product code that have been plugged into said set of place holders, operate to extend the features and functions of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system, and modify the standard behavior of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system into a custom behavior for said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system.

2. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein when said pieces of third-party product code are plugged into said place holders, the features and functions of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system are modified and/or extended, and the standard behavior of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system is modified into a custom behavior for said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system.

3. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 2, wherein said one or more pieces of original product code and said third-party product code are maintained in one or more libraries.

4. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said memory comprises a memory architecture having different types of memory, each type of memory having a different access speed and performance characteristics.

5. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein an end-user, such as a value-added reseller (VAR) or original equipment manufacturer (OEM), can write said one or more pieces of third-party product code according to specifications set by said original system designers, and said one or more pieces of custom product code can be plugged into said place holders, so as to extend the features and functions of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system, and modify the standard behavior of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system into said custom behavior for said digital image capture and processing system, without permanently modifying the standard features and functions of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system.

6. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, which has the form factor of a digital imaging engine module that can be integrated into a third party product selected from the group consisting of bar code driven portable data terminals (PDT) having wireless interfaces with their base stations, a reverse-vending machine, and a retail bar code driven kiosk.

7. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said digital camera subsystem comprises:

a digital image formation and detection subsystem having (i) image formation optics for projecting said FOV through said light transmission window and upon said object to be imaged in said FOV, and (ii) an image sensing array for detecting imaged light reflected off the object during illumination operations in said image capture mode in which sensor elements in said image sensing array are enabled so as to detect one or more digital images of the object formed on said image sensing array;

an illumination subsystem having an illumination array for producing and projecting a field of illumination through said light transmission window and within said FOV during the image capture mode; and

an image capturing and buffering subsystem for capturing and buffering said one or more digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem.

8. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 7, wherein said image sensing array comprises an image sensing structure selected from the group consisting of an area-type image sensing array, and a linear-type image sensing array.

9. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said memory maintains system parameters used to configure said functions of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system.

10. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said computing platform implements said digital image processing subsystem, said input/output subsystem and said system control subsystem.

11. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said memory comprises a memory architecture that supports a three-tier modular software architecture characterized by an Operating System (OS) layer, a System CORE (SCORE) layer, and an application layer and responsive to the generation of a triggering event within said digital-imaging based code symbol reading system.

12. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 11, wherein, prior to capturing one or more digital images of the object, said microprocessor rapidly initializes said computing platform by performing the following operations:

(1) accessing one or more software modules from said OS layer and executing code contained therein;

(2) accessing one or more software modules from said SCORE layer and executing code contained therein; and

(3) accessing one or more software modules from said application layer and executing the code contained therein.

13. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 7, wherein said field illumination comprises narrow-band illumination produced from an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

14. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said one or more digital images, so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented therein, and produce output data in the form of symbol character data representative of said read one or more code symbols.

15. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein each said code symbol is a bar code symbol selected from the group consisting of a 1D bar code symbol, a 2D bar code symbol, and a data matrix type code symbol structure.

16. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 7, wherein said digital camera subsystem further comprises an illumination control subsystem for controlling the operation of said illumination subsystem during said image capture mode.

17. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 11, wherein said application layer includes said one or more libraries and said one or more libraries include one or more software modules selected from the group consisting of a code symbol decoding module, a function programming module, an application events manager module, a user commands table module, and a command handler module.

18. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, which further comprises an automatic object detection subsystem for automatically detecting the presence of the object in said FOV, and in response thereto, generating a trigger signal indicative of a triggering event.

19. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, which further comprises a trigger manually actuatable by an operator of said digital imaging-based code symbol reading system so as to generate a trigger signal indicating a triggering event.

20. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, which further comprises an automatic object detection subsystem disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the presence of the object in said FOV, and in response thereto, generating a trigger signal indicating a triggering event.

21. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said housing is a hand-supportable housing.

22. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 1, wherein said digital image processing subsystem, said input/output subsystem and said system control system are implemented using said computing platform.

23. The digital imaging-based code symbol reading system of claim 21, wherein said digital camera subsystem is implemented as an electro-optical module.