Portable encoded information reading terminal configured to acquire images

• US 8,881,982 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell Scanning & Mobility (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Zumsteg, Philip, Plocher, Tom, Putrevu, Sriharsha
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUDORF, LAURA A
• Application Number:
  US13/451,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20130277427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/440, 235/451, 235/454, 23546201-46249
• US Class Current: 235/440
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/089 hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10089 the interrogation device using at least one directional antenna or directional interrogation field to resolve the collision direction or location finding, such as triangulation techniques, G01S13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/403 Edge-driven scaling; Edge-based scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/00 Image enhancement or restoration

Abstract

An encoded information reading (EIR) terminal can comprise a microprocessor, a memory, an EIR device including a two-dimensional imaging device, a motion sensing device, and a communication interface. The EIR terminal can be configured, responsive to detecting a pre-defined pattern in a first plurality of values received from the motion sensing device, to store in the memory a point of origin equal to a first spatial position of the EIR terminal. The EIR terminal can be further configured, responsive to detecting a user interface command, to determine, based on a second plurality of values received from the motion sensing device, a second spatial position of the EIR terminal relative to the point of origin, and to acquire an image of the object. The EIR terminal can be further configured to determine the image scale factor based on at least the second spatial position.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a motion sensing device;

a communication interface; and

a processor that;

stores, responsive to detecting a pre-defined pattern in a first plurality of values received from said motion sensing device, in memory a point of origin that corresponds to a first spatial position of said apparatus,

determines, responsive to detecting a user interface command and based on a second plurality of values received from said motion sensing device, a second spatial position of said apparatus relative to said point of origin, and to acquire an image of an object in a field of view of said apparatus; and

determines a scale factor of said image based on at least said second spatial position, wherein said image scale factor is provided by a ratio of a size of said object along a chosen direction to a size of an image of said object in said chosen direction.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by at least three accelerometers configured to measure proper acceleration values of said apparatus along at least three mutually-perpendicular axes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by a 9-DOF (degree of freedom) motion sensing unit containing a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis magnetometer, and 3-axis gyroscope sensors.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured, before determining said scale factor, to process said image to remove one or more distortions selected from the group consisting of:

keystone-related distortions, and rotation-related distortions.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to process said image to detect a plurality of edges of an object and to determine one or more dimensions of said object.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to transmit said image to an external computer via said communication interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to transmit to an external computer said image and at least one of:

an identifier of said object, a description of said object, one or more dimensions of said object.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further configured to identify said object by performing one of:

scanning a bar code attached to said object, reading an RFID tag attached to said object.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an RFID reading device;

wherein said apparatus is further configured to identify said object by reading an RFID tag attached to said object.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is associated with a encoded information reading device selected from the group consisting of:

a bar code reading device, an RFID reading device, a magnetic card reading device;

wherein said encoded information reading device is configured to perform at least one of;

outputting raw message data containing an encoded message, outputting decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message.

11. A method of producing an image of an object by an apparatus comprising a motion sensing device, said method comprising:

responsive to detecting a pre-defined pattern in a first plurality of values received from said motion sensing device, said apparatus storing in memory a first spatial position of said apparatus as a point of origin;

responsive to detecting a user interface command, determining, based on a second plurality of values received from said motion sensing device, a second position of said apparatus relative to said point of origin;

acquiring an image of said object; and

determining a scale factor of said image based on at least said second spatial position,

wherein said image scale factor is provided by a ration of a size of said object along a chosen direction to a size of an image of said object in said chosen direction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by at least three accelerometers configured to measure proper acceleration values of said apparatus along at least three mutually-perpendicular axes.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein said motion sensing device is provided by a 9-DOF (degree of freedom) motion sensing unit containing a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis magnetometer, and 3-axis gyroscope sensors.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

processing said image to detect a plurality of edges of an object; and

determining one or more dimensions of said object.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting said image to an external computer.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting to an external computer said image and at least one of:

an identifier of said object, a description of said object, one or more dimensions of said object.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying said object.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising identifying said object;

wherein said identifying said object is performed by one of;

scanning a bar code attached to said object;

reading an RFID tag attached to said object.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a motion sensing device provided by a 9-DOF (degree of freedom) motion sensing unit containing a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis magnetometer, and 3-axis gyroscope sensors;

a communication interface; and

a processor that;

stores, responsive to detecting a pre-defined pattern in a first plurality of values received from said motion sensing device, in memory a point of origin that corresponds to a first spatial position of said apparatus,

determines, responsive to detecting a user interface command and based on a second plurality of values received from said motion sensing device, a second spatial position of said apparatus relative to said point of origin, and to acquire an image of an object in a field of view of said apparatus; and

determines a scale factor of said image based on at least said second spatial position.