Image-based code reader for acquisition of multiple views of an object and methods for employing same
First Claim
1. A method for decoding first and second optical codes from respective first and second objects passing through a view volume, the method comprising:
- capturing a first field of view of a view volume through a housing window onto a first region of an imager via a first set of first fold mirrors along a first image path, the first field of view having a first bisecting plane, the first field of view having a first depth of field within the view volume;
capturing a second field of view of the view volume through the housing window onto a second region of the imager via a second set of second fold mirrors along a second image path, the second field of view having a second bisecting plane, the second field of view having a second depth of field within the view volume, wherein the first and second bisecting planes intersect each other at an angle less than 10 degrees in the view volume, and wherein a first internal path length from the housing window to the imager along the first image path is longer than a second internal path length from the housing window to the imager along the second image path, thereby causing the second depth of field to extend more distally from the housing window into the view volume than the first depth of field extends from the housing window into the view volume;
forming a first image at the first region;
forming a second image at the second region; and
processing the first optical code based on at least the first image from the first field of view and processing the second optical code based on at least the second image from the second field of view.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
Fold mirrors permit the imagers to be closer to each other and permit an optical code reader, such as a tunnel scanner, to confine them to a smaller housing volume or capacity. A plurality of sets of fold mirrors can also be employed to convey at least a portion of at least two different perspectives or two different depths of field of a composite view volume to different regions of an image field of a common imager. The sets of fold mirrors may also include split mirrors that have mirror components that reflect images from different view volumes to different imagers or different regions of an image field of a single imager.
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Citations
55 Claims
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1. A method for decoding first and second optical codes from respective first and second objects passing through a view volume, the method comprising:
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capturing a first field of view of a view volume through a housing window onto a first region of an imager via a first set of first fold mirrors along a first image path, the first field of view having a first bisecting plane, the first field of view having a first depth of field within the view volume; capturing a second field of view of the view volume through the housing window onto a second region of the imager via a second set of second fold mirrors along a second image path, the second field of view having a second bisecting plane, the second field of view having a second depth of field within the view volume, wherein the first and second bisecting planes intersect each other at an angle less than 10 degrees in the view volume, and wherein a first internal path length from the housing window to the imager along the first image path is longer than a second internal path length from the housing window to the imager along the second image path, thereby causing the second depth of field to extend more distally from the housing window into the view volume than the first depth of field extends from the housing window into the view volume; forming a first image at the first region; forming a second image at the second region; and processing the first optical code based on at least the first image from the first field of view and processing the second optical code based on at least the second image from the second field of view. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for decoding first and second optical codes from respective first and second objects passing through a view volume, the method comprising:
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capturing a first field of view of a view volume through a housing window onto a first region of an imager via a first set of first fold mirrors along a first image path, the first field of view having a first depth of field within the view volume; capturing a second field of view of the view volume through the housing window onto a second region of the imager via a second set of second fold mirrors along a second image path, the second field of view having a second depth of field within the view volume, wherein a first internal path length from the housing window to the imager along a first image path is longer than a second internal path length from the housing window to the imager along the second image path, thereby causing the second depth of field to extend more distally from the housing window into the view volume than the first depth of field extends from the housing window into the view volume, and wherein the first and second depths of field overlap by a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 50%; forming a first image at the first region; forming a second image at the second region; and processing the first optical code based on at least the first image from the first field of view and processing the second optical code based on at least the second image from the second field of view. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method for decoding first and second optical codes from respective first and second objects passing through a view volume, the method comprising:
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capturing a first field of view of a view volume through a housing window onto a first region of an imager via a first set of first fold mirrors along a first image path, the first field of view having a first depth of field within the view volume; capturing a second field of view of the view volume through the housing window onto a second region of the imager via a second set of second fold mirrors along a second image path, the second field of view having a second depth of field within the view volume, wherein a first internal path length from the housing window to the imager along a first image path is longer than a second internal path length from the housing window to the imager along the second image path, thereby causing the second depth of field to extend more distally from the housing window into the view volume than the first depth of field extends from the housing window into the view volume, and wherein the first and second regions of the imager overlap; forming a first image at the first region; forming a second image at the second region; and processing the first optical code based on at least the first image from the first field of view and processing the second optical code based on at least the second image from the second field of view. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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41. A method for decoding first and second optical codes from respective first and second objects passing through a view volume, the method comprising:
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capturing a first field of view of a view volume through a housing window onto a first region of an imager via a first set of first fold mirrors along a first image path, the first field of view having a first depth of field within the view volume; capturing a second field of view of the view volume through the housing window onto a second region of the imager via a second set of second fold mirrors along a second image path, the second field of view having a second depth of field within the view volume, wherein a first internal path length from the housing window to the imager along a first image path is longer than a second internal path length from the housing window to the imager along the second image path, thereby causing the second depth of field to extend more distally from the housing window into the view volume than the first depth of field extends from the housing window into the view volume, and wherein the first and second regions of the imager have unequal area; forming a first image at the first region; forming a second image at the second region; and processing the first optical code based on at least the first image from the first field of view and processing the second optical code based on at least the second image from the second field of view. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. An optical code reader for obtaining images from different depths of field associated with similar perspectives of a view volume, comprising:
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a housing; an imager located within the housing; a first set of first fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a first image path, a first view associated with a first depth of field about a first focal plane within the view volume onto a first region of the imager, the first view having a first bisecting plane, the first set of first fold mirrors including at least a first set primary mirror and a first set secondary mirror, the first image path having multiple first image path segments including at least a first primary image path segment and a first secondary image path segment, such that the first image path leads from the view volume along the first primary image path segment to the first set primary mirror and from the first set primary mirror along the first secondary image path segment to the first set secondary mirror; and a second set of second fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a second image path, a second view associated with a second depth of field about a second focal plane within the view volume onto a second region of the imager, the second view having a second bisecting plane, the second focal plane being different from the first focal plane, the second set of fold mirrors including at least a second set primary mirror and a second set secondary mirror, the second image path having multiple second image path segments including at least a second primary image path segment and a second secondary image path segment, such that the second image path leads from the view volume along the second primary image path segment to the second set primary mirror and from the second set primary mirror along the second secondary image path segment to the second set secondary mirror, the first and second sets of mirrors having a different number of mirrors, wherein; the first and second bisecting planes intersect each other at an angle less than 10 degrees in the view volume; the first and second depths of field overlap by a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 50%; the fold mirrors of the first and second sets are fixed in position; the first and second images paths intersect a shared lens; and one of the first fold mirrors is connected to a one of the second fold mirrors to form a split mirror that is positioned along both the first and second image paths.
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48. An optical code reader for obtaining images from different depth of fields associated with similar perspectives of a view volume, comprising:
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a housing; an imager located within the housing; a first set of one or more first fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a first image path, a first view associated with a first depth of field about a first focal plane within the view volume onto a first region of the imager, the first set of first fold mirrors including at least a first set primary mirror and a first set secondary mirror, the first image path having multiple first image path segments including at least a first primary image path segment and a first secondary image path segment, such that the first image path leads from the view volume along the first primary image path segment to the first set primary mirror and from the first set primary mirror along the first secondary image path segment to the first set secondary mirror; and a second set of second fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a second image path, a second view associated with a second depth of field about a second focal plane within the view volume onto a second region of the imager, the second focal plane being different from the first focal plane, the second set of fold mirrors including at least a second set primary mirror and a second set secondary mirror, the second image path having multiple second image path segments including at least a second primary image path segment and a second secondary image path segment, such that the second image path leads from the view volume along the second primary image path segment to the second set primary mirror and from the second set primary mirror along the second secondary image path segment to the second set secondary mirror, wherein one of the first fold mirrors is connected to a sequentially different one of the second fold mirrors to form a split mirror that is positioned along both the first and second image paths such that the split mirror is optically between sequentially noncorresponding first and second image path segments, and wherein; the first field of view has a first bisecting plane and the second field of view has a second bisecting plane; the first and second bisecting planes intersect each other at an angle less than 10 degrees in the view volume; the first and second depths of field overlap by a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 50%;
the fold mirrors of the first and second sets are fixed in position;the first and second images paths intersect a shared lens; and one of the first fold mirrors is connected to a one of the second fold mirrors to form a split mirror that is positioned along both the first and second image paths.
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49. An optical code reader for obtaining images from different depths of field associated with similar perspectives of a view volume, comprising:
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a housing; an imager located within the housing; a first set of first fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a first image path, a first view associated with a first depth of field about a first focal plane within the view volume onto a first region of the imager, the first set of first fold mirrors including at least a first set primary mirror and a first set secondary mirror, the first image path having multiple first image path segments including at least a first primary image path segment and a first secondary image path segment, such that the first image path leads from the view volume along the first primary image path segment to the first set primary mirror and from the first set primary mirror along the first secondary image path segment to the first set secondary mirror; and a second set of second fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a second image path, a second view associated with a second depth of field about a second focal plane within the view volume onto a second region of the imager, the second focal plane being different from the first focal plane, the second set of fold mirrors including at least a second set primary mirror and a second set secondary mirror, the second image path having multiple second image path segments including at least a second primary image path segment and a second secondary image path segment, such that the second image path leads from the view volume along the second primary image path segment to the second set primary mirror and from the second set primary mirror along the second secondary image path segment to the second set secondary mirror, and wherein at least one of the first or second image paths traverses both the first and second image paths, wherein; the first field of view has a first bisecting plane and the second field of view has a second bisecting plane; the first and second bisecting planes intersect each other at an angle less than 10 degrees in the view volume; the first and second depths of field overlap by a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 50%;
the fold mirrors of the first and second sets are fixed in position;the first and second images paths intersect a shared lens; and one of the first fold mirrors is connected to a one of the second fold mirrors to form a split mirror that is positioned along both the first and second image paths.
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50. An optical code reader operative for viewing sides of a six-sided box-shaped object being passed through a view volume, the six-sided box-shaped object having a first top side facing one o1′
- more upper apertures, a second bottom side facing the lower aperture, a third side facing a left vertical aperture, a fourth side facing a right vertical aperture such that the fourth side is opposite the third side, a fifth leading side, and a sixth trailing side, the optical code reader comprising;
a top imaging unit for capturing images of at least the first top side, the fifth leading side, and the sixth trailing side of the object; a bottom imaging unit for capturing images of at least the second bottom side of the object; and left and right imaging units, each for capturing images of at least the respective third and fourth sides of the object, each of the left and right imaging units further including; a housing; an imager located within the housing; a first set of first fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a first image path, a first view associated with a first depth of field about a first focal plane within the view volume onto a first region of the imager, the first set of first fold mirrors including at least a first set primary mirror and a first set secondary mirror, the first image path having multiple first image path segments including at least a first primary image path segment and a first secondary image path segment, such that the first image path leads from the view volume along the first primary image path segment to the first set primary mirror and from the first set primary mirror along the first secondary image path segment to the first set secondary mirror; and a second set of second fold mirrors located within the housing to reflect, along a second image path, a second view associated with a second depth of field about a second focal plane within the view volume onto a second region of the imager, the second focal plane being different from the first focal plane, the second set of fold mirrors including at least a second set primary mirror and a second set secondary mirror, the second image path having multiple second image path segments including at least a second primary image path segment and a second secondary image path segment, such that the second image path leads from the view volume along the second primary image path segment to the second set primary mirror and from the second set primary mirror along the second secondary image path segment to the second set secondary mirror, wherein; the first field of view has a first bisecting plane and the second field of view has a second bisecting plane; the first and second bisecting planes intersect each other at an angle less than 10 degrees in the view volume; the first and second depths of field overlap by a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 50%;
the fold mirrors of the first and second sets are fixed in position;the first and second images paths intersect a shared lens; and one of the first fold mirrors is connected to a one of the second fold mirrors to form a split mirror that is positioned along both the first and second image paths.
- more upper apertures, a second bottom side facing the lower aperture, a third side facing a left vertical aperture, a fourth side facing a right vertical aperture such that the fourth side is opposite the third side, a fifth leading side, and a sixth trailing side, the optical code reader comprising;
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51. A method for decoding first and second optical codes from respective leading and trailing sides of objects passing through a view volume, the method comprising:
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moving the objects at a constant velocity through the view volume, the objects being spaced apart by a spacing distance; capturing at a first time a leading field of view of a view volume onto a first region of a first imager via a first set of one or more first fold mirrors along a first image path; capturing at a second time a trailing field of view of the view volume onto a second region of a second imager via a second set of one or more second fold mirrors along a second image path, the second time occurring at a time interval after the first time, the first and second image paths being transverse, the first and second image paths having a proximal maximum distance from each other on respective first and second proximal portions of the first and second image paths, the first and second image paths having a distal maximum distance from each other on respective first and second distal portions of the first and second image paths, the proximal maximum distance being shorter than the distal maximum distance, and the time interval cooperating with the constant velocity to provide an effective view volume length that is shorter than the distal maximum distance; forming a first image of a leading side of an object at the first region; forming a second image of a trailing side of the object at the second region; and processing at least a first portion of the first optical code based on at least the first image from the first field of view and processing at least a second portion of the second optical code based on at least the second image from the second field of view. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55)
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Specification