Hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system employing visible targeting illumination beam projected from an array of visible light sources on the rear surface of a printed circuit (PC) board having a light transmission aperture, and reflected off multiple folding mirrors and projected through the light transmission aperture into a central portion of the field of view of said system
First Claim
1. A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system comprising:
- a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window;
a printed circuit (PC) board mounted in said hand-supportable housing, and having front and rear surfaces and a light transmission aperture formed centrally through said PC board;
an image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and upon an object within said FOV, and an area-type image detection array for forming and detecting one or more 2D digital images of the object during object illumination and imaging operations;
a first FOV folding mirror supported above the rear surface of said PC board over said light transmission aperture, and a second FOV folding mirror supported above the rear surface of said PC board and over said area-type image detection array, for folding and projecting said FOV through said light transmission aperture and said imaging window; and
an automatic targeting illumination subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing having a plurality of visible light sources mounted on the rear surface of said PC board for generating a targeting illumination beam, and reflecting said targeting illumination beam off at least one beam folding mirror, and then off said first FOV mirror so as to project said targeting illumination beam through said light transmission aperture and said imaging window, into a portion of said FOV extending outside of said hand-supportable housing, and onto the object present within said FOV.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system including a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window. A printed circuit (PC) board is mounted in the hand-supportable housing, and has front and rear surfaces and a light transmission aperture formed centrally therethrough. An image formation and detection subsystem has image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through the imaging window and upon an object within the FOV, and an area-type image detection array for forming and detecting 2D digital images of the object during object illumination and imaging operations. A first FOV folding mirror is supported above the rear surface of the PC board over the light transmission aperture, and a second FOV folding mirror is supported above the rear surface of the PC board and over the area-type image detection array. These mirrors fold and project the FOV through the light transmission aperture and the imaging window. An automatic targeting illumination subsystem is disposed in the hand-supportable housing, and has a plurality of visible light sources mounted on the rear surface of the PC board for generating a targeting illumination beam, which reflects off at least one beam folding mirror, and then off the first FOV mirror and then projects the targeting illumination beam through the light transmission aperture and the imaging window, into a portion of said FOV extending outside of the hand-supportable housing and onto the object therein.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system comprising:
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a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window; a printed circuit (PC) board mounted in said hand-supportable housing, and having front and rear surfaces and a light transmission aperture formed centrally through said PC board; an image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and upon an object within said FOV, and an area-type image detection array for forming and detecting one or more 2D digital images of the object during object illumination and imaging operations; a first FOV folding mirror supported above the rear surface of said PC board over said light transmission aperture, and a second FOV folding mirror supported above the rear surface of said PC board and over said area-type image detection array, for folding and projecting said FOV through said light transmission aperture and said imaging window; and an automatic targeting illumination subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing having a plurality of visible light sources mounted on the rear surface of said PC board for generating a targeting illumination beam, and reflecting said targeting illumination beam off at least one beam folding mirror, and then off said first FOV mirror so as to project said targeting illumination beam through said light transmission aperture and said imaging window, into a portion of said FOV extending outside of said hand-supportable housing, and onto the object present within said FOV. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system for use by a human operator, comprising:
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a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window; an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and an area-type image detection array having a snap-shot mode of operation for forming and detecting a 2D digital image of the object during each image acquisition cycle of said area-type image detection array; a manual trigger switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a trigger signal; an object targeting illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for generating and projecting a visible targeting illumination beam within said FOV, in response to the generation of said trigger signal; a LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for generating and projecting a field of illumination through said imaging window and within said FOV so that light transmitted through said imaging window towards the object is reflected off the object and detected by said area-type image detection array within said hand-supportable housing; an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for controlling the operation of said LED-based illumination subsystem during object illumination and imaging operations, so that said visible targeting illumination beam is momentarily ceased when said LED-based illumination subsystem produces said field of illumination within said FOV; an image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for capturing and buffering said 2D digital image detected by said area-type image formation and detection subsystem; a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for processing said 2D digital image captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said 2D digital image; an input/output subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for outputting processed image data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device; and a system control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for controlling and/or coordinating said subsystems during object detection, illumination and imaging operations. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification