Tunnel or portal scanner and method of scanning for automated checkout

• US 8,967,474 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datalogic Adc, Inc. (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Original Assignee: Datalogic Adc, Inc. (Datalogic S.p.A.)
• Inventors: Olmstead, Bryan L., Shearin, Alan, Svetal, Michael P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US14/301,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20140291400A1
• Time in Patent Office: 266 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.08, 235/462.11, 235/462.12, 235/462.43, 235/444
• US Class Current: 235/444
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10762 Relative movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10831 Arrangement of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms optical elements per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10871 randomly oriented data-fields, code-marks therefore, e.g. concentric circles-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1096 the scanner having more than one scanning window, e.g. two substantially orthogonally placed scanning windows for integration into a check-out counter of a super-market
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0063 with means for detecting the geometric dimensions of the article of which the code is read, such as its size or height, for the verification of the registration

Abstract

Systems and methods for data reading, which in one example configuration is directed to an automated optical code data reader in the form of a tunnel or portal scanner having an open architecture configured with front and rear inverted U-shaped arches, a plurality of cameras (some or most of which have multiple fields of view) in each of the arches for reading the top live sides of an item being passed by a conveyor through a read region formed by the arches, and a bottom reader including one or more cameras under the conveyor for reading a bottom side of the item through a gap in the conveyors as the item is passed over the gap. Also disclosed are specific imaging schemes for providing effective views of the items with a minimum number of cameras.

Claims

1. A scanning system for reading optical codes on items being passed via a transport mechanism through a read volume of the system, comprising

a front arch section and a rear arch section, each arch section having (a) first and second lateral leg sections, and (b) a top arch section connected to a top portion of each of the first and second lateral leg sections and spanning therebetween over a width of the transport mechanism, wherein the front arch section and the second arch section are arranged with lower portions of the front arch lateral leg sections adjacent to lower portions of the rear arch lateral leg sections, wherein the front arch section is slanted forwardly and the rear arch section is slanted rearwardly;

a plurality of readers disposed in the top arch sections and the lateral leg sections for reading an optical code on any of five sides of a six-sided box-shaped item being passed through a read region formed by the arch sections.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of readers comprises cameras disposed in the lateral side legs and the arch top sections, one or more of the cameras each having an imager, a lens system and associated mirrors for forming multiple image views on the imager.

3. A system according to claim 2 further comprising

a plurality of illumination modules disposed in the first and second arch sections, each module including one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) for projecting an illumination region into the read region, the illumination modules providing illumination for the image views of the item being passed through the read region.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the front arch section and the rear arch section are of like configuration.

5. A system according to claim 4 wherein the front arch section and the rear arch section are arranged back-to-back.

6. A system according to claim 4 wherein the front arch section comprises an inverted U-shaped housing.

7. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a chassis, wherein the first and second arch sections are mounted to and aligned by the chassis.

8. A system according to claim 1 wherein the transport mechanism comprises a conveyor and the system further comprising

a first conveyor section and a second conveyor section with a gap formed between the first and second conveyor sections;

a bottom scanner disposed below the conveyor reading up through the gap to read optical codes on a bottom side of items as they pass over the gap.

9. A system according to claim 8 further comprising a drawer slidably mounted below the conveyor, wherein the bottom scanner is disposed in the drawer.

10. A system according to claim 9 further comprising a chassis, wherein the first and second arch sections and the drawer are mounted to and aligned by the chassis.

11. A system according to claim 1 wherein the scanning system is configured in the form of a tunnel or portal scanner.

12. A method for reading an optical code comprising the steps of

moving an item bearing an optical code through a read region of a tunnel or portal scanner via a transport mechanism;

providing an open architecture scanner housing comprising front and rear inverted U-shaped arch sections separated by an opening between top sections thereof;

forming a read region under and between the arch sections by positioning a plurality of imagers in each of the front and rear arch sections and directing fields of view into the read region to produce views of front, rear, top, left lateral and right lateral sides of a six sided box-shaped item being passed through the read region;

forming images at the imagers from the fields of view;

processing the optical code based on one or more of the images.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein the transport mechanism comprises a conveyor, the method further comprising

providing the conveyor with first and second conveyor sections separated by a relatively narrow gap therebetween;

via the conveyor, passing the item from the first conveyor section to the second conveyor section over the gap;

directing one or more fields of view upwardly through the gap from one or more imagers located below the conveyor to produce a view of a bottom side of the six sided box-shaped item being passed over the gap.

14. A method according to claim 12 further comprising

illuminating the read region with a plurality of illumination modules, the illumination modules being arranged in various locations about the arch sections with each illumination module projecting illumination along one of the fields of view of one of the imagers.

15. A method according to claim 12, wherein each arch section includes (a) first and second lateral leg sections, and (b) a top arch section connected to a top portion of each of the first and second lateral leg sections and spanning therebetween over a width of the conveyor, the method further comprising

projecting fields of view out of each of:

the top arch section, the first lateral leg section and the second lateral leg section.

16. A method according to claim 12 further comprising

arranging the front arch section and the second arch section back-to-back with the front arch section slanted forwardly and the rear arch section slanted rearwardly

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein the arch sections together forming a V or Y shape as viewed from a lateral side.

18. An automated checkout system for reading items, the automated checkout system comprising:

a portal scanner having an open architecture scanner housing comprising front and rear inverted U-shaped arch sections adjacently arranged with an opening between top sections thereof;

a conveyor operable to receive and transport an item along a path through a read zone of the portal scanner.

19. An automated checkout system according to claim 18 further comprising

a conveyor comprising a leading conveyor section and a trailing conveyor section spaced apart from the leading conveyor section by a gap such that the item is transportable across the gap from the leading conveyor section onto the trailing conveyor section;

a data reader positioned beneath the conveyor and oriented to read encoded data on a bottom side of the item through the gap.

20. An automated checkout system according to claim 18 wherein the portal scanner comprises a front arch section and a rear arch section, each arch section having (a) first and second lateral leg sections, and (b) a top arch section connected to a top portion of each of the first and second lateral leg sections and spanning therebetween over a width of the conveyor, wherein the front arch section and the second arch section are arranged back-to-back with lower portions of the front arch lateral leg sections adjacent to lower portions of the rear arch lateral leg sections, wherein the front arch section is slanted forwardly and the rear arch section is slanted rearwardly.

21. An automated checkout system according to claim 18 wherein the portal scanner comprises a data reader selected from the group consisting of:

an optical code reader;

an RFID reader;

an image recognition reader; and

combinations thereof.