Digital image capturing and processing system employing a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems for digitally imaging objects in a 3D imaging volume, and a globally-deployed object motion detection subsystem for automatically detecting and analyzing the motion of objects passing through said 3-D imaging volume

• US 7,905,413 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Knowles, C. Harry, Xian, Tao, Zhu, Xiaoxun, Good, Timothy
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US11/712,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20070278308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.22, 235/462.42, 235/462.41, 235/462.01, 235/462.09
• US Class Current: 235/462.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• 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 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination

Abstract

A digital image capturing and processing system for installation at a retail POS environment comprising a system housing having an imaging window; and a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems for projecting a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging planes through a 3D imaging volume defined relative to the imaging window, for digital imaging of objects passing through the 3D imaging volume. A globally-deployed object motion detection subsystem automatically detects and analyzes the motion of an object passing through at least a portion of the 3D imaging volume, and generates object motion data in response thereto. Object motion data, including object velocity data, is used to generate control data for controlling the operation of the coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems.

Claims

1. A digital image capturing and processing system for installation in or on the countertop surface of a retail point-of-sale (POS) environment, comprising:

a system housing having an imaging window;

a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems for projecting a plurality of coplanar illumination and imaging planes through a 3D imaging volume defined relative to said imaging window, for digital imaging of objects passing through said 3D imaging volume; and

a globally-deployed object motion detection subsystem for automatically detecting and analyzing the motion of an object passing through at least a portion of said 3D imaging volume, and generating object motion data in response to the detection and analysis of the motion of said object.

2. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem comprises:

(i) a linear imaging array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on said linear imaging array and projecting into said 3D imaging volume;

(ii) a linear array of light emitting devices configured together to produce a substantially planar illumination beam (PLIB) that extends substantially along the same plane as the FOV of said linear imaging array so as to provide a coplanar illumination and imaging plane (PLIB/FOV) that projects through said imaging window and into said 3D imaging volume, for capturing a series of linear digital images of an object intersecting with said PLIB/FOV during system operation;

(iii) a local control subsystem for locally controlling the operation of subcomponents in said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem.

3. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein upon said globally-deployed object motion detection subsystem automatically detecting the motion of said object passing through at least a portion of said 3D imaging volume, and generating object motion data in response thereto, said object motion data is converted into control data which is transmitted to one or more of said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems, so as to enable said one or more coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems to generate and project said coplanar illumination and imaging planes through said imaging window and into said 3D imaging volume, to illuminate the detected object moving through said 3D imaging volume, and capture linear digital images thereof, for subsequent processing.

4. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 3, wherein said object motion data includes object velocity data, which is used to generate said control data for use in adjusting local parameters at one or more of said plurality coplanar illumination and imaging subsystems, in real-time, including the clock frequency of said linear imaging arrays.

5. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said globally-deployed object motion detection subsystem comprises a plurality of imaging-based object detection subsystems, and wherein each said imaging-based object detection subsystem comprises an area-type image sensing array having a field of view that spatially overlaps at least a portion of said PLIB/FOV, for detecting the motion of an object passing therethrough during system operation.

6. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said globally-deployed object motion detection subsystem comprises a plurality of IR-based pulse-doppler LIDAR subsystems, and wherein each said imaging-based object detection subsystem projects an IR-based LIDAR beam through at least a portion of said PLIB/FOV, for detecting the motion and velocity of objects passing therethrough during system operation.

7. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said globally-deployed object motion detection subsystem comprises a plurality of IR-based object motion sensors, and wherein each said IR-based object motion sensor has an IR LED and optics for producing an amplitude modulated (AM) IR light beam within said 3D imaging volume, and an IR photodiode for synchronously detecting the IR light beam reflected from an object within said 3D imaging volume.

8. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein each said linear array of light emitting devices comprises a linear array of incoherent light sources.

9. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 8, wherein said linear array of incoherent light sources comprises a linear array of light emitting diodes (LEDs).

10. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein each said linear array of light emitting devices comprises a linear array of coherent light sources.

11. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 10, wherein said linear array of coherent light sources comprises a linear array of visible laser diodes (VLDs).

12. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein said linear imaging array comprises an image sensing array selected from the group consisting of a CMOS image sensing array and a CCD image sensing array.

13. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem further comprises:

an automatic illumination control subsystem for controlling the production of illumination into said 3D imaging volume by said linear array of light emitting devices, as said object is detected moving within said 3D imaging volume.

14. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 2, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem further comprises:

an image capturing and buffering subsystem for capturing and buffering linear digital images from said linear imaging array, and composing area-type (2D) digital images of said object.

15. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein each said coplanar illumination and imaging subsystem further comprises:

a digital image processing subsystem for processing said area-type digital images so as to recognize information graphically represented in said area-type digital images.

16. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 15, wherein said digital image processing subsystem decode processes said area-type digital images so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said area-type digital images.

17. The digital image capturing and processing system of claim 16, wherein said one or more code symbols comprise one or more bar code symbols selected from the group consisting of 1D bar code symbols, 2D bar code symbols and data matrix type bar code symbols.