Digital imaging-based system having intelligent data communication interface to a host system

• US 7,686,226 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2008
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Xuewen, Yang, Aili, Xu, Congwei, Ji, Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US12/156,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20090014523A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• Field of Search: 23546201-46245, 235/472.01, 235/472.02, 235/472.03
• US Class Current: 235/462.46
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/0022 arrangements or provisions for transferring data to distant stations, e.g. from a sensing device "transfer between computer elements G06F13/00 "; data-transmission H04L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners

Abstract

A digital imaging-based system for reading code symbols affixed to objects, including an imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem for capturing and processing digital images of code symbols affixed to objects, and reading said code symbols and producing symbol character data representative of read code symbols. A data transmission subsystem, operably coupled to the imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem, communicates such symbol character data to the communication interface of a host system over a communication link therebetween. The data transmission subsystem implements a plurality of different communication interfaces, and thus is capable of interfacing to a variety of different host devices in an automatic and error free manner with minimal human involvement, thus providing significant advantages over the prior art code symbol reading systems and devices.

Claims

1. A digital imaging-based system for reading code symbols affixed to objects, comprising:

an imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem for capturing and processing digital images of code symbols affixed to objects, and reading said code symbols and producing symbol character data representative of read code symbols; and

a data transmission subsystem, operably coupled to said imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem, for communicating said symbol character data to a communication interface of a host system over a communication link between said data transmission subsystem and said host system;

wherein said data transmission subsystem implements a plurality of different communication interfaces, and

wherein, during an interface configuration mode of operation, said data transmission subsystem automatically cycles through at least one of said plurality of different communication interfaces,

whereby, for a given communication interface, said data transmission subsystem selectively activates the given communication interface while disabling the other communication interfaces and tests the communication link between the given communication interface and the host system to ascertain if the given communication interface corresponds to the communication interface of said host system.

2. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein said interface configuration mode of operation is carried out when said digital imaging-based system is initially powered up.

3. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein, during said interface configuration mode of operation, upon detecting that said given communication interface corresponds to the communication interface of said host system, the interface configuration mode of operation ends, thereby enabling subsequent data communication between said digital imaging-based system and said host system over the given communication interface.

4. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein said host system is selected from the group comprising:

an electronic cash register system, a data collection device, and a data storage and processing device.

5. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein at least one communication interface implemented by said data transmission subsystem and the communication interface of said host system, provides a wireless data link between said digital imaging-based system and said host system.

6. The digital imaging-based system of claim 5, wherein said wireless data link is selected from the group comprising:

an infra-red link, a Bluetooth RF link, and an IEEE 802.11b RF link.

7. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein at least one communication interface implemented by said data transmission system, and the communication interface of said host system, provides a wired serial data link between said digital imaging-based system and said host system.

8. The digital imaging-based system of claim 7, wherein said wired serial data link is selected from the group comprising:

a keyboard wedge link, an RS-232 link a USB link, an IEEE 1394 link, an RS-422 link, and a RS-485 link.

9. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein at least one communication interface implemented by said data transmission system and the communication interface of said host system provides a wired parallel data bus.

10. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein at least one communication interface implemented by said data transmission subsystem, and said communication interface of said host system provides a wired communication link selected from the group comprising:

an OCIA link, an IBM 46XX link, a Light Pen Emulation link, and a LTPN link.

11. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein the reading of a bar code symbol and subsequent communication of said symbol character data corresponding thereto to said host system occurs automatically without the need for human interaction to activate such operations.

12. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein the reading of the code symbol occurs automatically without the need for human interaction to activate such operation, and the subsequent transfer of the symbol data corresponding thereto to said host system is manually-activated by a user interacting with a data transmission switch.

13. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein the reading of the code symbol and the subsequent transfer of the symbol character data corresponding thereto to said host system is manually-activated by a user interaction with a trigger mechanism.

15. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein, during the interface configuration mode of operation, the data transmission subsystem tests the signal levels of a given communication interface to ascertain if the given communication interface corresponds to the communication interface of said host system.

16. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, wherein the imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem comprise an image sensing array, and at least one light source for producing an illumination beam.

17. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, configured for use as a hand-holdable scanner.

18. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, configured for use as a presentation scanner.

19. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, configured for use as an in-counter scanner.

20. The digital imaging-based system of claim 1, configured for use as a wearable scanner.

14. A digital imaging-based system for reading code symbols affixed to objects, comprising:

an imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem for capturing and processing digital images of code symbols affixed to objects, and reading the code symbols and producing symbol character data representative of read code symbols; and

a data transmission subsystem, operably coupled to the imaging-based code symbol reading subsystem, for communicating the symbol character data to a communication interface of a host system over a communication link between said data transmission subsystem and said host system;

wherein the data transmission subsystem implements a plurality of different communication interfaces, and

wherein, during an interface configuration mode of operation, the data transmission subsystem automatically cycles through at least one of the plurality of different communication interfaces,

whereby, for a given communication interface, the data transmission subsystem selectively activates the given communication interface while disabling the other communication interfaces and tests the communication link between the given communication interface and the host system to ascertain if the given communication interface corresponds to the communication interface of said host system; and

wherein said data transmission subsystem maintains a status register that stores information related to said establishment of a communication link between said data transmission subsystem and said host system over a specific interface implemented by the data transmission subsystem, and

wherein, during the interface configuration mode of operation, the data transmission subsystem reads the information stored in the status register to ascertain if the given communication interface corresponds to the communication interface of said host system.