Apparatus operative for capture of image data

• US 8,596,542 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2011
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Havens, William H., Barber, Charles P., Gannon, Colleen, Gardiner, Robert C., Hennick, Robert J., Pettinelli, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US13/323,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20120153022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/462.45, 235/439, 235/454, 235/455, 235/462.11, 235/462.41, 235/462.24, 235/462.42
• US Class Current: 235/462.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10841 Particularities of the light-sensitive elements semiconductor devices H01L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/109 adaptations to make the hand-held scanner useable as a fixed scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1465 using several successive scans of the optical code

Abstract

There is set forth an apparatus for capture of image data. In one embodiment an apparatus is operative for capture of a first frame of image data and a second frame of image data. In one embodiment, an apparatus is operative for processing the first frame of image data and the second frame of image data.

Claims

1. An optical reader comprising:

an image sensor having two dimensional array of photosensitive elements;

imaging optics for focusing an image of a target onto the image sensor;

a housing in which the image sensor and the imaging optics are disposed;

a first source of light for projecting light externally from the optical reader, the first source of light being spaced a first distance from the image sensor;

a second source of light for projecting light externally from the optical reader, the second source of light being spaced a second distance from the image sensor, the second distance being greater than the first distance;

wherein the optical reader is operative to capture a first frame of image data via actuation of the image sensor and the first source of light;

wherein the optical reader is operative to capture a second frame of image data via actuation of the image sensor and the second source of light without actuation of the first source of light;

wherein the optical reader is operative to process captured image data for attempting to decode a decodable indicia, wherein the first source of light comprises a plurality of LEDs, and wherein the second source of light comprises a plurality of LEDs.

2. The optical reader of claim 1, wherein the housing is a hand held housing.

3. The optical reader of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is a color image sensor.

4. The optical reader of claim 1, wherein the optical reader includes a first imaging module having the image sensor and the first source of light, and a second imaging module including a second image sensor and a the second source of light.

5. The optical reader of claim 1, wherein the optical reader is operative to capture the second frame of image data responsively to a processing of the first frame of image data to determine whether the first frame of image data is saturated.

6. The optical reader of claim 1, wherein the optical reader is operative to capture the second frame of image data responsively to a failure of the attempt to decode a decodable indicia by processing of the first frame of image data.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a first image sensor having an array of photosensitive pixels;

a second image sensor having an array of photosensitive pixels;

a hand held housing in which the first image sensor and the second image sensor are disposed;

a manually actuatable trigger for activation of image capture;

a first analog to digital converter converting image signals output by the first image sensor into digital image data;

a second analog to digital converter converting image signals output by the second image sensor into digital image data;

a random access memory coupled to a system bus;

an integrated circuit coupled to the system bus and having a first frame grabber and a second frame grabber, the first frame grabber being coupled to an output of the first analog to digital converter, the second frame grabber being coupled to an output of the second analog to digital converter, the first frame grabber being operative to receive image data output from the first analog to digital converter and to transmit the image data output by the first analog to digital converter to the random access memory, the second frame grabber being operative to receive image data output from the second analog to digital converter and to transmit the image data output by the second analog to digital converter to the random access memory;

wherein the apparatus is operative for capture of a first frame of image data via actuation of the first image sensor;

wherein the apparatus is operative for capture of a second frame of image data via actuation of the second image sensor;

wherein an imaging axis extending from the first image sensor extends in a direction diverging relative to an imaging axis extending from the second image sensor.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first image sensor is an area image sensor and wherein the second image sensor is a linear image sensor.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first image sensor is a color area image sensor.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is operative to attempt to decode a decodable indicia by processing the first frame of image data.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is adapted so that frames captured using the first image sensor and the second image sensor overlap.

18. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, in response to a trigger signal, the apparatus captures a first frame of image data via actuation of the first image sensor, and wherein, further in response to the trigger signal, the apparatus captures a second frame of image data via actuation of the second image sensor, wherein the apparatus attempts to decode the first frame of image data, and wherein the apparatus attempts to decode the second frame of image data.

11. An optical reader comprising:

a control circuit;

a first image sensor in communication with the control circuit, the first image sensor having a first imaging axis;

a second image sensor in communication with the control circuit, the second image sensor having a second imaging axis, the second imaging axis different from the first imaging axis; and

a first illumination source in communication with the control circuit, the first illumination source configured to provide flood illumination, the first illumination source emitting light along a first path;

wherein imaging axes of said first and second image sensors are disposed in a vertical plane.

12. The optical reader of claim 11, wherein said first image sensor is a one dimensional image sensor and said second image sensor is a two dimensional image sensor.

13. The optical reader of claim 11, wherein, in response to a trigger signal, the control circuit activates the first illumination source, thereby illuminating a target optical indicia, the control circuit activates the first image sensor, the first image sensor capturing a first frame of image data representative of the target optical indicia, the first image sensor communicating the first frame of image data to the control circuit, the control circuit attempting to decode the first frame of image, the control circuit activating the second image sensor, the second image sensor capturing a second frame of image data representative of the target optical indicia, the second image sensor communicating the second frame of image data to the control circuit, the control circuit attempting to decode the second frame of image data.

14. The optical reader of claim 11, further including a second illumination source in communication with the control circuit, the second illumination source configured to provide flood illumination, the second illumination source emitting light along a second path different from the first path.

16. The optical reader of claim 11, wherein the optical reader includes a hand held housing in which the first image sensor and the second image sensor are disposed.

17. The optical reader of claim 11, wherein the optical reader is adapted so that frames captured using the first image sensor and the second image sensor overlap.

19. The optical reader of claim 11, wherein the optical reader includes a first imaging module and a second imaging module, the first imaging axis extending from the first imaging module, the second imaging axis extending from the second imaging module, wherein the optical reader includes a gun style housing in which the first imaging module and the second imaging module are disposed.

20. The optical reader of claim 16, wherein, in response to a trigger signal, the optical reader captures a first frame of image data via actuation of the first image sensor, and wherein, further in response to the trigger signal, the optical reader captures a second frame of image data via actuation of the second image sensor, wherein the optical reader attempts to decode the first frame of image data, and wherein the optical reader attempts to decode the second frame of image data.