Indicia reading terminal operative for processing of frames having plurality of frame featurizations

• US 8,373,108 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2009
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Bremer, Edward C., Havens, William H., Feng, Chen, Wang, Ynjiun P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sohn, Seung C
• Application Number:
  US12/540,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20110036910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: 250/208.3, 235/472.01, 235/375, 235/462.16, 235/462.44, 235/462.46
• US Class Current: 250/208.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning

Abstract

The present invention relates to an indicia reading terminal operative to capture and process a succession of frames of image data during an operator activated read attempt. The succession of frames can comprise alternating frames, wherein the alternating frames can have first and second frame featurizations. The frames having the first frame featurization can have a first window position and the frames of the second featurization can have a second window position. In one embodiment, exposure of frames of the first featurization can be controlled according to a first exposure control process and exposure of frames of the second featurization can be controlled according to a second exposure control process. In one embodiment, gain that is applied to image signals of frames of the first featurization can be controlled according to a first gain control process and gain that is applied to image signals of frames of the second featurization can be controlled according to second gain control process.

Claims

1. An indicia reading terminal comprising:

a two dimensional image sensor array, said two dimensional image sensor array having a plurality of pixels;

at least one optical assembly for focusing light rays onto the image sensor array;

wherein the terminal is operative so that during an operator activated read attempt the terminal captures and processes alternating frames of image data having respective first and second featurizations, the first featurization having an associated first window position and one or more of (a) an associated first exposure control process; and

(b) an associated first gain control process, the second featurization having an associated second window position and one or more of (a) an associated second exposure control process; and

(b) an associated second gain control process;

wherein the terminal is operative to process a frame of the first featurization for attempting to decode a decodable indicia.

2. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process.

3. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first featurization has an associated first gain control process.

4. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process and an associated first gain control process.

5. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first featurization has an associated exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated exposure control process of the first featurization preferentially utilizes frame data of frames of the first featurization.

6. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first featurization has an associated first gain control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated gain control process of the first featurization preferentially utilizes frame data of frames of the first featurization.

7. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated first exposure control process of the first featurization applies a first initial frame exposure value, and further wherein the second featurization has an associated second exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the second associated exposure control process of the second featurization applies a second initial frame exposure value.

8. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated first gain control process of the first featurization applies a first initial frame gain value, and further wherein the second featurization has an associated second gain control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated second gain control process of the second featurization applies a second initial frame gain value.

9. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein a set of frames of the first featurization has a period of one frame.

10. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein a set of frames of the first featurization has a period of two frames.

11. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the indicia reading terminal includes a first register for storing a first parameter of a first parameter type associated with the first featurization, and a second register for storing a second parameter of the first parameter type associated with the second featurization.

12. An indicia reading terminal comprising:

a two dimensional image sensor array, said two dimensional image sensor array comprising a plurality of pixels;

a first optical assembly having a center optical axis and an imaging lens, said first optical assembly for focusing imaging light rays onto a first set of pixels of said two dimensional image sensor array, wherein said imaging light rays transmitted by said first optical assembly are transmitted about said center optical axis of said first optical assembly;

a second optical assembly having a center optical axis and an imaging lens, said second optical assembly for focusing imaging light rays onto a second set of pixels of said two dimensional image sensor array, wherein said imaging light rays transmitted by said second optical assembly are transmitted about said center optical axis of said second optical assembly;

wherein the terminal is operative so that during an operator activated read attempt the terminal captures and processes alternating frames of image data having respective first and second featurizations, the first featurization having an associated first window position corresponding to the first set of pixels and one or more of (a) an associated first exposure control process; and

(b) an associated first gain control process, the second featurization having an associated second window position corresponding to the second set of pixels and one or more of (a) an associated second exposure control process; and

(b) an associated second gain control process;

wherein the terminal is operative to process a frame of the first featurization for attempting to decode a decodable indicia.

13. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has associated first exposure control process.

14. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first gain control process.

15. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process and a first associated gain control process.

16. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated exposure control process of the first featurization preferentially utilizes frame data of frames of the first featurization.

17. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first gain control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated gain control process of the first featurization preferentially utilizes frame data of frames of the first featurization.

18. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated exposure control process of the first featurization applies a first initial frame exposure value, and further wherein the second featurization has an associated second exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated second exposure control process of the second featurization applies a second initial frame exposure value.

19. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first gain control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated first gain control process of the first featurization applies a first initial frame gain value, and further wherein the second featurization has an associated second gain control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated second gain control process of the second featurization applies a second initial frame gain value.

20. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein a set of frames of the first featurization has a period of one frame.

21. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein a set of frames of the first featurization has a period of two frames.

22. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated first exposure control process of the first featurization applies a first initial frame exposure value, and further wherein the second featurization has an associated second exposure control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated second exposure control process of the second featurization applies a second initial frame exposure value, wherein the first optical assembly has a farther best focus distance than a best focus distance of the second optical assembly and wherein the first initial exposure value is of greater duration than the second initial exposure value.

23. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the first featurization has an associated first gain control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated first gain control process of the first featurization applies a first initial frame gain value, and further wherein the second featurization has an associated second gain control process, and wherein the indicia reading terminal according to the associated second gain control process of the second featurization applies a second initial frame gain value, wherein the first optical assembly has a farther best focus distance than a best focus distance of the second optical assembly and wherein the first initial gain value is greater than the second initial gain value.

24. The indicia reading terminal of claim 12, wherein the indicia reading terminal includes a first register for storing a first parameter of a first parameter type associated with the first featurization, and a second register for storing a second parameter of the first parameter type associated with the second featurization.