Identification of non-barcoded products

• US 8,479,996 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Barkan, Edward D., Sanders, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEDEKEL, TABITHA F
• Application Number:
  US12/266,642
• Publication Number:
  US 20100116887A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.32, 235/462.41, 235/462.36, 235/462.43, 235/462.44, 235/440, 235/462, 235/383, 235/462.17, 235/462.38, 235/462.4, 705/16, 705/28, 705/407, 705/414
• US Class Current: 235/462.43
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10792 Special measures in relation to the object to be scanned

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns a bar code reader 10 that can both interpret bar codes and determine a feature of a target object 230 not having a bar code affixed thereto. The bar code reader includes a housing including one or more transparent windows H, V and defining a housing interior region. As a target object is swiped or presented in relation to the transparent windows an image of the target object is captured. A camera C1-C6 has an image capture sensor array positioned within the housing interior region for capturing an image of a bar code within a camera field of view. An image processing system has a processor for decoding a bar code carried by the target object. If the target object has no bar code, the image processing system determines a feature such as a dimension of the target object from images captured by the imaging system.

Claims

1. A bar code reader for reading bar codes and determining a feature of a target object not having a bar code affixed thereto, the bar code reader comprising:

a housing including one or more transparent windows and defining a housing interior region, a target object being swiped or presented in relation to the transparent windows for imaging a target object;

an illumination system having one or more illumination sources positioned within the housing interior region for providing illumination to illuminate the target object through one of the transparent windows;

a camera having an image capture sensor array positioned within the housing interior region for capturing an image of the target object through one of the transparent windows;

an image processing system comprising a processor for interpreting the image of the target object to determine a presence of a bar code and if present decoding the bar code in the image of the target object and in the absence of a bar code, identifying the target object by determining a feature of the target object from the image of the target object captured by the imaging system, and wherein the feature includes a length dimension of a characteristic of the target object; and

a calibration object at a distance from the one of the transparent windows, the calibration object having a visible calibration scale affixed thereto for imaging by the camera to allow the image processing system to determine dimensions of object features within the field of view.

2. The bar code reader of claim 1 wherein the housing has a horizontal window onto which the target object is placed for imaging.

3. The bar code reader of claim 1 further comprising a calibration scale attached to the housing having regularly spaced markings for imaging by the processing system for calibrating said processing system.

4. The bar code reader of claim 1 additionally comprising a scale and wherein a feature of an item not having a bar code affixed thereto includes the item'"'"'s weight.

5. A method for identifying a target object comprising:

providing a housing having one or more transparent windows that define a region for movement and/or positioning of an object;

positioning a camera having a sensor array within the housing for imaging bar codes on objects outside the housing;

illuminating the target object through one of the transparent windows with one or more illumination sources positioned within the housing interior region;

capturing an image of the target object through one of the transparent windows as light from the target object impinges onto said sensor array;

interpreting the image of the target object to determine a presence of a bar code and if present decoding the bar code and if not present identifying the target object by determining a feature of the target object from the image of the target object and wherein the feature includes a length dimension of a characteristic of the target object; and

comprising placing a target object in close proximity to a calibration object having regular markings to simultaneously image both the calibration object and the target object and then correlating the feature with spacings between markings on the calibration object, wherein the calibration object is located at a distance from the one of the transparent windows.

6. The method of claim 5 additionally comprising calibrating the sensor array to determine a pixel per length characteristic of said reader.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein imaging of the calibration object is performed prior to delivery of the reader to a customer and a pixel per length characteristic is stored in a memory of the reader.

8. The method of claim 5 comprising determining a weight of an item not bearing a bar code.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the weight of an item is used to confirm a visual determination of another item feature based on an image of that item.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein multiple number of identical items are placed on a scale surface and the weight of the multiple number of identical items is used to count said items by dividing a total weight by a unit weight per item.

11. An imaging system for use in a multi-camera imaging-based bar code reader having a housing supporting a plurality of transparent windows and defining an interior region, a target object being presented near or moved with respect to the plurality of windows for imaging a target bar code on a target object, the imaging system comprising:

a plurality of camera assemblies coupled to an image processing system, each camera assembly of the plurality of camera assemblies being positioned within the housing interior position and defining a field of view which is different than a field of view of each other camera assembly of the plurality of camera assemblies, each camera assembly including a sensor array and a light source in close proximity to the sensor array for illuminating a field of view;

one or more mirrors associated with each of the plurality of camera assemblies for returning light bouncing off a target object back to the sensor array of said camera assembly;

one or more processors for evaluating an image of the target object captured through one of the transparent windows by said plurality of camera assemblies to determine a presence of a bar code and if present, the one or more processors are operative to decode the bar code in the image f the target object captured through one of the transparent windows and if not present, the one or more processors are operative to determine a non bar code feature of target objects either presented within or swiped through at least one camera field of view and to identify the target objects based on the non bar code feature, and wherein the non bar code feature includes a length dimension of a characteristic of the target objects; and

a calibration object at a distance from the one of the transparent windows, the calibration object having a visible calibration scale affixed thereto for imaging by the camera to allow the image processing system to determine dimensions of object features within the field of view.

12. The system of claim 11 a calibration object is imaged to calibrate the reader.

13. An imaging-based bar code reader for imaging a target bar code on a target object, the bar code reader comprising:

a housing supporting one or more transparent windows and defining an interior region, a target object being presented to or swiped through the housing for imaging a target bar code;

an imaging system comprising

camera means having an image capture sensor array positioned within the housing interior region for capturing an image of a bar code within a camera field of view;

light source means for the camera means positioned in close proximity to the image capture sensor of said camera for emitting light; and

light reflecting means for defining multiple camera fields of view including mirrors positioned with respect to said light source and the sensor array along a light path to transmit light from the light source means to the field of view and transmit light that bounces from a target in the field of view back along said light path to the image capture sensor array;

image processing means for selectively activating the light source means and interpreting a bar code or non-bar code features from an image of the target object captured through one of the transparent windows by the imaging system and if a bar code is present, the image processing means is operative to decode the bar code in the image of the target object captured through one of the transparent windows and in the absence of a bar code, the image processing means is operative to identify the target object based on the non bar code feature, and wherein the non bar code feature includes a length dimension of a characteristic of the target objects; and

a calibration object at a distance from the one of the transparent windows, the calibration object having a visible calibration scale affixed thereto for imaging by the camera to allow the image processing system to determine dimensions of object features within the field of view.