Method, apparatus, and system for programming a barcode symbol scanning terminal with two-dimensional programming code

• US 8,302,865 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Gelay, Geoffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US13/017,981
• Publication Number:
  US 20120193426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.01, 235/462.13, 235/462.11, 235/462.24, 235/462.25, 235/462.41, 235/454, 235/487
• US Class Current: 235/462.07
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10554 Moving beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning

Abstract

A configuration system for configuring a barcode symbol scanning terminal using a two-dimensional barcode is provided.

The configuration system includes a two-dimensional imager terminal including an image sensor configured to collect an image representative of a two-dimensional barcode, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal is configured to determine programming data based upon the image representative of the two-dimensional barcode and to transmit the determined programming data. The configuration system further includes a barcode symbol scanning terminal, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal receives the determined programming data from the two-dimensional imager terminal, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is operative to be configured based upon the determined programming data.

Claims

1. A configuration system for configuring a barcode symbol scanning terminal using a two-dimensional barcode, comprising:

a two-dimensional imager terminal including a central processing unit (CPU), memory communicatively coupled to the CPU, and a 2D image sensor, and an imager terminal housing in which there is disposed the 2D image sensor, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal is configured to capture a frame of image data representing a two-dimensional barcode, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal is configured to determine programming data based upon the frame of image data representing the two-dimensional barcode, the two-dimensional imager terminal further including an input/output (I/O) interface for transmitting the determined programming data;

a barcode symbol scanning terminal including a second CPU, a second memory communicatively coupled to the CPU, a scanning terminal housing comprising a first section and a second section, a first laser assembly disposed within the first section of the scanning terminal housing, the first laser assembly including a first laser beam generation unit for generating a first laser beam, one or more mirrors for projecting and scanning the first laser beam, one or more second mirrors for focusing a first reflected laser beam onto a first photodetector unit, the first photodetector unit being configured for detecting the first reflected laser beam, the barcode symbol scanning terminal further including a second laser assembly disposed within the second section of the scanning terminal housing, the second laser assembly including a second laser beam generation unit for generating a second laser beam, one or more third mirrors for projecting and scanning the second laser beam, one or more fourth mirrors for focusing a second reflected laser beam onto a second photodetector unit, the second photodetector unit being configured for detecting the second reflected laser beam, the barcode symbol scanning terminal further including a second I/O interface for receiving the determined programming data from the second I/O interface of the two-dimensional imager terminal, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is operative to be configured based upon the determined programming data received from the two-dimensional imager terminal, wherein the programming data is utilized to determine operating parameters of the bar code symbol scanning terminal.

2. The configuration system of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal is also configured based upon the determined programming data.

3. The configuration system of claim 2, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal and barcode symbol scanning terminal are simultaneously configured based upon the determined programming data.

4. The configuration system of claim 1, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is configured to scan one-dimensional barcodes.

5. The configuration system of claim 1, wherein the determined programming data is adapted to configure a plurality of operating parameters of the barcode symbol scanning terminal.

6. The configuration system of claim 1, wherein the determined programming data is in an Extensible Markup Language format.

7. The configuration system of claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal is an external auxiliary scanner coupled to the barcode symbol scanning terminal.

8. The configuration system of claim 1, wherein the 2D image sensor is an image sensor selected from the group consisting of is an optical imager comprising a CCD image sensor and a CMOS image sensor.

9. A method for configuring a barcode symbol scanning terminal, comprising the steps of:

imaging a two-dimensional barcode using an image sensor of a two-dimensional imager terminal to capture a frame of image data representing the two-dimensional barcode, wherein the imager terminal includes a central processing unit (CPU), memory communicatively coupled to the CPU, a 2D image sensor, and an imager terminal housing in which there is disposed the 2D image sensor, and an input/output (I/O) interface;

determining programming data based upon the frame of image data representing the two-dimensional barcode using the two-dimensional imager terminal;

transmitting the determined programming data using the I/O interface of the two-dimensional imager terminal, wherein the programming data is transmitted to a barcode symbol scanning terminal that includes a second CPU, a memory communicatively coupled to the second CPU, a scanning terminal housing comprising a first section and a second section, a first laser assembly disposed within the first section of the scanning terminal housing, the first laser assembly including a first laser beam generation unit for generating a first laser beam, one or more mirrors for projecting and scanning the first laser beam, one or more second mirrors for focusing a first reflected laser beam onto a first photodetector unit, the first photodetector unit being configured for detecting the first reflected laser beam, the barcode symbol scanning terminal further including a second laser assembly disposed within the second section of the scanning terminal housing, the second laser assembly including a second laser beam generation unit for generating a second laser beam, one or more third mirrors for projecting and scanning the second laser beam, one or more fourth mirrors for focusing a second reflected laser beam onto a second photodetector unit, the second photodetector unit being configured for detecting the second reflected laser beam, the two-dimensional imager terminal further including a second I/O interface;

receiving the determined programming data at the second I/O interface of the barcode symbol scanning terminal; and

configuring the barcode symbol scanning terminal based upon the determined programming data received from the two-dimensional imager terminal and wherein the configuring comprises determining operating parameters of the barcode symbol scanning terminal.

10. The method of claim 9, further including the step of configuring the two-dimensional imager terminal based upon the determined programming data.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the steps of configuring the two-dimensional imager terminal and configuring the barcode symbol scanning terminal occur simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is operable to scan one-dimensional barcodes.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined programming data is adapted to configure a plurality of operating parameters of the barcode symbol scanning terminal.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined programming data is in an Extensible Markup Language format.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the 2D image sensor is an image sensor selected from the group consisting of CCD image sensor and a CMOS image sensor.

22. The method of claim 9, wherein the laser assembly is operable for use in scanning one-dimensional barcodes.

23. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined programming data is adapted to configure a plurality of operating parameters of the laser assembly.

16. A barcode symbol scanning terminal comprising:

a CPU;

a memory communicatively coupled to the CPU;

a scanning terminal housing comprising a first section and a second section;

a first laser assembly disposed within the first section of the scanning terminal housing, the first laser assembly including a first laser beam generation unit for generating a first laser beam, one or more mirrors for projecting and scanning the first laser beam, one or more mirrors for focusing a first reflected laser beam onto a first photodetector unit, the first photodetector unit being configured for detecting the first reflected laser beam;

a second laser assembly disposed within the second section of the scanning terminal housing, the second laser assembly including a second laser beam generation unit for generating a second laser beam, one or more mirrors for projecting and scanning the second laser beam, one or more second mirrors for focusing a second reflected laser beam onto a second photodetector unit, the photodetector unit being configured for detecting the second reflected laser beam; and

an I/O interface for receiving data from a second I/O interface of a two-dimensional imager terminal, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is operative to be configured based upon received data, the received data being one or more of programming data that has been determined by the two-dimensional imager terminal decoding of a 2D barcode symbol, and image data representing a 2D barcode symbol encoding programming data, wherein said bar code scanning terminal is operative to utilize the received data for determining operating parameters of the barcode symbol scanning terminal.

17. The barcode symbol scanning terminal of claim 16, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is adapted to utilize the received data to configure a plurality of operating parameters of the barcode symbol scanning terminal.

18. The barcode symbol scanning terminal of claim 16, wherein the received data is programming data in an Extensible Markup Language format.

19. The barcode symbol scanning terminal of claim 16, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is devoid of a two-dimensional image sensor.

20. A configuration system for configuring a barcode symbol scanning terminal using a two-dimensional barcode, comprising:

a two-dimensional imager terminal including a central processing unit (CPU), memory communicatively coupled to the CPU, and a 2D image sensor and an imager terminal housing in which there is disposed the 2D image sensor, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal is configured to capture a frame of image data representing a two-dimensional barcode, wherein the two-dimensional imager terminal is configured to perform one or more of (a) determining programming data based upon the frame of image data representing the two-dimensional barcode and (b) transmitting the frame of image data representing a two-dimensional bar code, the two-dimensional imager terminal further including an input/output (I/O) interface for transmitting one or more of determined programming data and the frame of image data representing the two-dimensional bar code;

a barcode symbol scanning terminal including a second CPU, a second memory communicatively coupled to the second CPU, a scanning terminal housing comprising a laser assembly having a laser beam generation unit for generating a laser beam, one or more mirrors for projecting and scanning the laser beam, one or more mirrors for focusing a first reflected laser beam onto a photodetector unit, the photodetector unit being configured for detecting the reflected laser beam, the barcode symbol scanning terminal further including a second I/O interface for receiving one or more of the determined programming data and the frame of image data representing the two dimensional bar code from the I/O interface of the two-dimensional imager terminal, wherein the barcode symbol scanning terminal is operative to be configured based upon one or more of (a) the determined programming data received from the two-dimensional imager terminal, the determined programming data received from the two-dimensional imager terminal being utilized to determine operating parameters of the barcode symbol scanning terminal, and (b) the frame of image data representing the two dimensional bar code, the frame of image data representing the two dimensional bar code being processed to determine data that is utilized to determine operating parameters of the barcode symbol scanning terminal.

21. A method comprising:

providing a terminal including a 2D image sensor and a laser assembly, and a housing in which the 2D image sensor and the laser assembly are disposed;

imaging a two-dimensional barcode using a 2D image sensor of the terminal to capture a frame of image data representing the two-dimensional barcode, wherein the terminal includes a central processing unit (CPU), memory communicatively coupled to the CPU and an input/output (I/O) interface;

determining programming data based upon a processing of the frame of image data representing the two-dimensional barcode;

utilizing the programming data for configuring the laser assembly disposed within the terminal housing the laser assembly including a laser beam generation unit for generating a laser beam, one or more mirrors for projecting and scanning the laser beam, one or more mirrors for focusing a reflected laser beam onto a photodetector unit, the photodetector unit being configured for detecting the reflected laser beam, wherein the configuring comprises determining operating parameters of the laser assembly.