Digital image capture and processing system employing an illumination subassembly mounted about a light transmission aperture, and a field of view folding mirror disposed beneath the light transmission aperture

• US 7,845,563 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• 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, Veksland, Michael, Au, Ka Man, Good, Timothy, Kotlarsky, Anatoly, Hou, Richard, Meagher, Mark, Hu, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US11/818,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20090052807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,279 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.45, 235/462.42, 235/462.43, 235/462.01, 235/462.09
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10683 Arrangement of fixed elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10801 Multidistance reading
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10831 Arrangement of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms optical elements per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03

Abstract

A digital image capture and processing system having a housing with a light transmission window, and an illumination subsystem including an illumination board disposed adjacent the light transmission window, configured substantially within a plane, and having a central aperture mounted adjacent the imaging window. The illumination board supports an array of illumination sources mounted around at least portion of the central aperture, for producing and a field of illumination within the FOV of its image formation and detection subsystem during object illumination and imaging operations. A FOV folding mirror is mounted within the housing and beneath the illumination board, and folds the path of the FOV beneath the light transmission aperture and directs and projects the FOV out through the central aperture. Also, an automatic illumination control subsystem is provided for controlling the array of illumination sources during object illumination and imaging operations.

Claims

1. A digital image capture and processing system comprising:

a housing having a light transmission window;

a digital image formation and detection subsystem, disposed within said housing, and having (i) image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) from an area-type image detection array, and upon an object to be illuminated and imaged during object illumination and imaging operations, and (ii) said area-type image detection array detecting one or more digital images of the object during object illumination and imaging operations;

an illumination subsystem, disposed in said housing, and including an illumination board (i) disposed adjacent to said light transmission window, (ii) configured substantially within a plane, (iii) having a central aperture mounted adjacent to said imaging window, and (iv) supporting an array of illumination sources mounted around at least a portion of said central aperture, for producing a field of illumination within the FOV of said digital image formation and detection subsystem during object illumination and imaging operations;

wherein said area-type image detection array is disposed below the plane of said illumination board and outside of said light transmission window;

a FOV folding mirror mounted within said housing and beneath said illumination board, folding the path of said FOV beneath said light transmission aperture and directing and projecting said FOV out through said central aperture and said light transmission window;

an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed within said housing, for controlling said array of illumination sources during object illumination and imaging operations; and

an image capturing and buffering subsystem, embodied within said housing, for capturing and buffering one or more digital images detected by said area-type image detection array.

2. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, which further comprises:

an automatic exposure measurement subsystem disposed within said housing and including an optical component, and arranged for collecting illumination scattered off an illuminated object present in said FOV, and directing the collected illumination onto a photo-detector; and

wherein said photo-detector operates independently from said area-type image detection array, for measuring the intensity of said collected illumination and producing an electrical signal representative of said measured intensity.

3. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said digital image formation and detection subsystem further comprises a digital camera board on which said area-type image detection array is mounted, along with video memory and digital signal processing circuitry.

4. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said image formation optics comprise a lens barrel assembly for supporting a plurality of lens.

5. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 4, wherein said digital image formation and detection subsystem further comprises a component for enclosing said area-type image detection array and receiving said lens barrel assembly.

6. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said illumination subsystem further comprises illumination source driver circuitry, and an assembly of lenses for focusing and/or shaping illumination emanating from said plurality of illumination sources so as to produce said field of illumination within said FOV.

7. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 3, wherein said digital camera board and said illumination board are arranged in a substantially perpendicular relationship.

8. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 2, wherein said optical component comprises a light collecting mirror.

9. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 2, wherein said optical component comprises an optical waveguide component.

10. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 6, wherein said automatic illumination control subsystem comprises digital electronic circuitry for controlling said illumination source driver circuitry.

11. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 2, wherein said automatic exposure measurement subsystem comprises electronic circuitry for receiving and processing said electrical signal from said automatic exposure measurement subsystem.

12. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 3, wherein said image capturing and buffering subsystem comprises video memory, mounted on said digital camera board, for buffering said one or more digital images of the illuminated object detected during object illumination and imaging operations.

13. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, which further comprises a digital image processing subsystem for processing said one or more digital images and producing raw or processed output data, or recognizing or acquiring information graphically represented in said one or more digital images, and producing output data representative of said recognized or required information.

14. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 13, which further comprises an input/output subsystem for transmitting said raw or processed output data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device;

and a system control subsystem for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of said subsystems identified above.

15. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 13, wherein said digital image processing subsystem comprises a digital image processing board for processing said one or more digital images.

16. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 15, wherein said digital image processing board is mounted parallel to said digital camera board.

17. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, which further comprises a FOV marking subsystem for projecting, during object illumination and imaging operations, a visible illumination-based FOV marking pattern into said FOV, which visually indicates boundary conditions of said FOV.

18. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 17, wherein said visible illumination-based FOV marking pattern is selected from the group consisting of a one dot pattern, a two dot pattern, a four dot pattern, a visible line pattern, and a composite four dot and line pattern.

19. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 14, which further comprises a computing platform for implementing said digital image processing subsystem, said input/output subsystem and said system control subsystem.

20. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 19, wherein said computing platform comprises (i) memory for storing software libraries, containing code for one or more applications, and (ii) a microprocessor for running said one or more applications.

21. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 20, wherein said computing platform is implemented on a printed circuit (PC) board.

22. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 20, 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 responsive to the generation of a triggering event within said digital image capture and processing system.

23. The digital image capture and processing engine of claim 13, wherein said digital image processing subsystem processes said one or more digital images, so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said one or more digital images, and producing output data in the form of symbol character data representative of said read one or more code symbols.

24. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 23, 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.

25. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, which further comprises an automatic object detection subsystem for automatically detecting the presence of the object in said FOV.

26. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 25, wherein said object presence detection subsystem further comprises infrared (IR) based transmitting and receiving circuits.

27. The digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said housing has the form factor of a digital image capture and processing engine.