Hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system employing automatic object presence detection to control automatic generation of a linear targeting illumination beam within the field of view (FOV), and manual trigger switching to initiate illumination

• US 7,922,089 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• 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, Ren, Jie, Knowles, C. Harry, Au, Ka Man, Giordano, Patrick, Allen, Christopher, Yan, Weizhen, Smith, Taylor, De Foney, Shawn, Mandal, Sudhin, Wilz, David M. Sr., Kotlarsky, Anatoly, Miraglia, Michael V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US12/005,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20080290173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.42, 235/462.01, 235/462.09, 235/462.31
• US Class Current: 235/462.42
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10752 Exposure time control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/109 adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner

Abstract

A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system including a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window, and an area-type image formation and detection subsystem having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through the imaging window and upon an object within the FOV, and forming and detecting 2D digital images of the object on an area-type image detection array. The system includes an object presence detection subsystem for automatically detecting an object within the FOV, and generating a first trigger event indicative of automatic object detection within the FOV. The system also includes an object targeting illumination subsystem for generating and projecting a visible targeting illumination beam within the FOV, in response to the generation of the first trigger event signal. A manual trigger switch is integrated with the hand-supportable housing, for generating a second trigger event, indicating that a code symbol on the detected object is aligned with the visible targeting illumination beam and is ready for illumination and imaging. Also, the system includes an LED-based illumination subsystem, responsive to the second triggering event, for generating and projecting a field of illumination through the imaging window and within the FOV so that light transmitted through the imaging window and reflected/scattered off the object and detected by the area-type image detection array within the hand-supportable housing.

Claims

1. A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system for use by a human operator, comprising:

a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window;

an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in a hand-supportable housing, having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and upon an object within said FOV, and forming and detecting one or more 2D digital images of the object on an area-type image detection array;

an object presence detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for automatically detecting the object within said FOV, and generating a first trigger event signal indicative of automatic detection of said object within said FOV;

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 first trigger event signal;

a manual trigger switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a second trigger event signal, indicative that a code symbol on the detected object is aligned with said visible targeting illumination beam and is ready for illumination and imaging;

a LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and responsive to said second triggering event signal, for generating and projecting a field of illumination through said imaging window and within said FOV so that light transmitted through said imaging window and reflected/scattered off the object is 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 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 one or more 2D digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem;

a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for processing said one or more 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem so as to read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said one or more 2D digital images;

an input/output subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for outputting processed image data and the like 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.

2. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said field of illumination is a narrow-band field of illumination generated by said LED-based illumination subsystem and covering substantially the entire region of said FOV.

3. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said object targeting illumination subsystem generates and projects a visible linear-type targeting illumination beam within a central portion of said FOV, in response to the generation of said first trigger event signal.

4. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said field of illumination is a field of narrow-band illumination, and wherein said area-type image formation and detection subsystem further comprises a band-pass optical filter subsystem allowing only narrow-band illumination generated from said LED-based illumination subsystem to expose said area-type image detection array during object illumination and imaging operations.

6. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said object presence detection subsystem comprises an infrared (IR) light based object detection system which employs IR-transmitting and IR-receiving diodes to project an IR-based object detection field within said FOV during object detection operations.

7. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, wherein said one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols are selected from the group consisting of 1D bar code symbols, 2D bar code symbols, PDF symbols and datamatrix symbols.

8. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 1, which further comprises a single printed circuit (PC) board mounted within said hand-supportable housing, and has a rear surface facing away from said imaging window and a front surface facing towards said imaging window.

9. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 8, wherein said single PC board has a light transmission aperture which is substantially spatially aligned with said imaging window when said PC board is mounted within said hand-supportable housing.

10. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 9, wherein said object targeting illumination subsystem generates and projects a visible linear-type targeting illumination beam within a central portion of said FOV, in response to the generation of said first trigger event signal;

and wherein said image detection array is mounted on said rear surface of said PC board.

11. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 9, wherein said object targeting illumination subsystem comprises:

a pair of visible light sources are mounted on opposite sides of said area-type image detection array, for producing a pair of linear visible light beams; and

a pair of aperture stops are mounted above said pair of visible light sources, respectively, for producing a pair of linear visible light beam by transmitting said visible light beams through said pair of aperture stops.

12. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 9, wherein said object targeting illumination subsystem further comprises a pair of parabolic beam focusing mirrors supported above the rear surface of said PC board, for focusing said pair of linear visible light beams, respectively, and projecting said pair of linear visible light beams through said imaging window and into the central portion of said FOV.

13. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 9, wherein said object targeting illumination subsystem further comprises a beam folding mirror supported above the rear surface of said PC board, which cooperates with said pair of beam focusing mirrors to project said pair of visible light beams through said imaging window and into said central portion of said FOV.

14. The hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system of claim 11, wherein said pair of visible light sources comprises a pair of visible LEDs.

5. A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system for use by a human operator, comprising:

a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window;

an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in a hand-supportable housing, having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and upon the object within said FOV, and forming and detecting one or more 2D digital images of the object on an area-type image detection array;

an object presence detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportabel housing, for automatically detecting an object within said FOV, and generating a first trigger event signal indicative of automatic detection of said object within said FOV;

an object targeting illumination subsystem, disposed in said housing hand-supportable, for generating and projecting a visible targeting illumination beam within said FOV, in response to the generation of said first trigger event signal;

a manual trigger switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a second trigger event signal, indicative that a code symbol on the detected object is aligned with the visible targeting illumination beam and is ready for illumination and imaging;

a LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and responsive to said second triggering event signal, for generating and projecting a field of illumination through said imaging window and within said FOV so that light transmitted through said imaging window and reflected/scattered off the object is 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 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 one or more 2D digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem;

a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for processing said one or more 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem so as to read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said one or more 2D digital images;

an input/output subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for outputting processed image data and the like to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device; and

a system control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable, for controlling and/or coordinating said subsystems during object detection, illumination and imaging operations;

wherein said field of illumination is a field of narrow-band illumination,

wherein said area-type image formation and detection subsystem further includes a band-pass optical filter subsystem allowing only narrow-band illumination generated from said LED-based illumination subsystem to expose said area-type image detection array during object illumination and imaging operations; and

wherein said band-pass optical filter subsystem further includes;

a high-pass optical filter element is embodied within said imaging window; and

a low-pass optical filter element is disposed before said area-type image detection array, and wherein said high-pass and low-pass optical filter elements optically cooperate to form said narrow-band optical filter subsystem for transmitting substantially only the very narrow band of wavelengths of visible illumination produced from said LED-based illumination subsystem and reflected/scattered off the illuminated object, while rejecting all other optical wavelengths outside said narrow optical band.

15. A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system for use by a human operator, comprising:

a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window;

an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in a hand-supportable housing, having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and upon an object within said FOV, and forming and detecting one or more 2D digital images of the object on an area-type image detection array;

wherein said area-type image detection array has a snap-shot mode of image detection array operation, during which a single 2D digital image of the object is formed and detected during each image acquisition cycle;

an object presence detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportabel housing, for automatically detecting the object within said FOV, and generating a first trigger event signal indicative of automatic detection of said object within said FOV;

an object targeting illumination subsystem, disposed in said hnd-supportable housing, for generating and projecting a visible targeting illumination beam within said FOV, in response to the generation of said first trigger event signal;

a manual trigger switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a second trigger event signal, indicative that a code symbol on the detected object is aligned with the visible targeting illumination beam and is ready for illumination and imaging;

a LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and responsive to said second triggering event signal, for generating and projecting a field of illumination through said imaging window and within said FOV so that light transmitted through said imaging window and reflected/scattered 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 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 one or more 2D digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem;

a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable, for processing said one or more 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem so as to read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said one or more 2D digital images;

an input/output subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for outputting processed image data and the like 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.