Systems, devices, and methods for reading machine-readable characters and human-readable characters

• US 7,857,220 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Dean, Daniel, Marty, William A., Ackley, H. Sprague
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US12/463,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20090272812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 235/454, 235/462.01, 235/462.07, 235/462.09, 235/462.1, 235/462.14, 235/462.45, 235/462.49, 23547201-47203, 235/462.08
• US Class Current: 235/462.08
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/10 Character recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 30/1448 based on markings or identifiers characterising the document or the area

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods for automatic data collection. An automatic data collection system includes an image capture subsystem and a processor subsystem. The automatic data collection system is operable to decode machine-readable symbols in a machine-readable symbol reading mode, and to automatically switch from a machine-readable symbol reading mode to an optical character recognition mode in response to information encoded in a machine-readable symbol. In some embodiments, the automatic data collection system is further operable to perform optical character recognition on human-readable symbols in a human-readable symbol reading mode.

Claims

1. A method of operating an automatic data collection system to perform automatic data collection, the method comprising:

reading a machine-readable symbol by the automatic data collection system;

automatically changing the automatic data collection system from a machine-readable symbol mode to a character recognition mode in response to information encoded in the machine-readable symbol;

determining a location of a first number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol;

determining a location of a second number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, the location of the second number of human-readable characters spaced from the location of the first number of human-readable characters;

automatically reading the first number of human-readable characters; and

automatically reading the second number of human-readable characters; and

verifying information read from the first number of human-readable characters based at least in part on information read from the second number of human-readable characters.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a location of a first number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol includes determining a location of the first number of human-readable characters in an image from the information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, and wherein determining a location of a second number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol includes determining a location of the second number of human-readable characters in the image from the information encoded in the machine-readable symbol.

3. An automatic data collection system, comprising:

an image capture subsystem operable to capture images; and

a processor subsystem configured to decode machine-readable symbols in a machine-readable symbol reading mode, to perform optical character recognition on human-readable characters in a human-readable characters reading mode, and to automatically switch from the machine-readable symbol reading mode to the human-readable character reading mode in response to information encoded in a machine-readable symbol captured in an image by the image capture system;

to determine a location of a first number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, and to read the first number of human-readable characters from the location;

to determine a location of a second number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, the location of the second number of human-readable characters spaced from the location of the first number of human-readable characters, to read the second number of human-readable characters and to verify information read from the first number of human-readable characters based at least in part on information read from the second number of human-readable characters.

4. The automatic data collection system of claim 3 wherein the processor subsystem is further configured to determine a location in an image of a first number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, and to determine a location of a second number of human-readable characters in the image from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol.

5. The automatic data collection system of claim 3 wherein the processor subsystem is further configured to determine a location in an image of a first number of human-readable characters with respect to the machine-readable symbol from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, and to determine a location in the image of a second number of human-readable characters with respect to the machine-readable symbol from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, the location of the second number of human-readable characters spaced from the location of the first number of human-readable characters.

6. An automatic data collection system, comprising:

an image capture subsystem operable to capture images; and

a processor subsystem configured to decode machine-readable symbols in a machine-readable symbol reading mode, to perform optical character recognition on human-readable characters in a human-readable characters reading mode, and to automatically switch from the machine-readable symbol reading mode to the human-readable character reading mode in response to information encoded in a machine-readable symbol captured in an image by the image capture system;

to determine a location of a first number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol;

to read the first number of human-readable characters from the location;

to determine a location of a second number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, the location of the second number of human-readable characters spaced from the location of the first number of human-readable characters, to read the second number of human-readable characters; and

to perform error correction on the information read from the first number of human-readable characters using error correction information encoded in the second number of human-readable characters.

7. A method of operation for a data collection system, the method comprising:

reading a machine-readable symbol by the data collection system;

automatically changing the data collection system from a machine-readable symbol mode to a character recognition mode in response to information encoded in the read machine-readable symbol;

automatically reading by the data collection system a first number of human-readable characters at a first location identified by information encoded in the read machine-readable symbol;

automatically reading by the data collection system a second number of human-readable characters at a second location identified by information encoded in the read machine-readable symbol; and

verifying by the data collection system information encoded by the first number of human-readable characters based at least in part on information encoded in the machine-readable symbol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein verifying information read from the first number of human-readable symbols based at least in part on information read from the machine-readable symbol includes performing error detection and/or correction on the information read from the first number of human-readable symbols using Reed-Solomon code information encoded in the machine-readable symbol.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the Reed-Solomon code information is based on a Galois Field (GF) selected from GF (37), GF (41), or GF (53).

10. A method of operating an automatic data collection system to perform automatic data collection, the method comprising:

reading a machine-readable symbol by the automatic data collection system;

automatically changing the automatic data collection system from a machine-readable symbol mode to a character recognition mode in response to information encoded in the machine-readable symbol;

determining a location of a first number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol;

determining a location of a second number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, the location of the second number of human-readable characters spaced from the location of the first number of human-readable characters;

automatically reading the first number of human-readable characters; and

automatically reading the second number of human-readable characters; and

performing error detection and/or correction on the information read from the first number of human-readable characters using error correction information encoded in the second number of human-readable characters.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining a location of a first number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol includes determining a location of the first number of human-readable characters in an image from the information encoded in the machine-readable symbol, and wherein determining a location of a second number of human-readable characters from information encoded in the machine-readable symbol includes determining a location of the second number of human-readable characters in the image from the information encoded in the machine-readable symbol.