Image sensor based optical reader

• US 9,076,054 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Hennick, Robert John, Barber, Charles P., Coleman, Eric C., Ehrhart, Michael A., Gannon, Colleen, Gardiner, Robert C., Havens, William H., Hunter, Vivian L., McCall, Melvin D., Ruhlman, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US13/932,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20130292477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.11, 235/462.41, 235/462.42, 235/462.43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 13/08 Feeding or discharging cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/04 characterised by the shape
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1011 Aiming
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10693 for omnidirectional scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10742 including a diffuser for diffusing the light from the light source to create substantially uniform illumination of the target record carrier
• 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 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• 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 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14601 Structural or functional details thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for use in optical reading can comprise an image sensor and a circuit board, and can further comprise a support assembly. An apparatus for use in optical reading can also comprise a light source and imaging optics.

Claims

1. An imaging module comprising:

a support assembly, said support assembly having a back end, a front end, said support assembly having first, second, third, and fourth post holes for accommodating first, second third, and fourth support posts;

a first circuit board disposed rearward of said support assembly;

a two dimensional CMOS image sensor mounted to said first circuit board;

a second circuit board having a central aperture carrying illumination LEDs, said second circuit board being disposed forwardly of said front end of said support assembly, said second circuit board having first, second, third, and fourth post holes for accommodating said first, second, third, and fourth support posts;

a plurality of illumination LEDs carried by said second circuit board;

a plurality of aiming LEDs;

imaging optics supported by said imaging module;

an optical plate having a central aperture disposed forwardly of said second circuit board, said optical plate having illumination optics for shaping light from said plurality of illumination LEDs and aiming optics for shaping light from said plurality of aiming LEDs, said optical plate having first, second, third, and fourth post holes for accommodating said first, second, third, and fourth support posts;

first, second, third, and fourth support posts extending through said first, second, third, and fourth post holes of said optical plate, said second circuit board and said support assembly.

2. The imaging module of claim 1, wherein said first, second, third and fourth support posts are electrically conductive.

3. The imaging module of claim 1, wherein the imaging module is configured so that light from said plurality of aiming LEDs is projected to form an aiming pattern comprising a single horizontal blue line.

4. The imaging module of claim 1, wherein the imaging module is configured so that the plurality of illumination LEDs emit red light and further so that light from said plurality of aiming LEDs is projected to form an aiming pattern comprising a single horizontal blue line.

5. The imaging module of claim 1, wherein the support assembly is a single piece support assembly, wherein the support assembly has a containment section for accommodating the two dimensional image sensor, wherein the support assembly includes a retainer section for supporting the imaging optics, wherein said first circuit board also comprises a post hole for accommodating said first support post, said first support post extending through said first post hole of said first circuit board, wherein said first support post is secured to said first circuit board.

6. The imaging module of claim 1, wherein said plurality of illumination LEDs are configured to emit white light.

7. The imaging module of claim 1, wherein said imaging module has a width dimension of less than 1.0 inches and a height dimension of less than 0.5 inches, wherein the first support post provides electrical communication between electrical components of said first and second circuit boards, wherein said plurality of aiming LEDs are carried by said first circuit board, wherein the imaging optics includes a plurality of lenses, wherein a center aperture of the second circuit board and the optical plate are circular in shape, wherein the first circuit board and the second circuit board are in electrical communication, wherein the optical plate is generally rectangular from a front view, and wherein the first, second, third, and fourth post holes of the optical plate are formed proximate first, second, third, and fourth corners of the optical plate.

8. An optical reader comprising:

an imaging subsystem including an image sensor and an imaging optics assembly for focusing light on said image sensor;

an illumination subsystem to project light emitting diode light for use in reading decodable indicia toward a target;

a hand held housing in which the imaging subsystem and the illumination subsystem are disposed;

wherein the optical reader is adapted for switching between a first setting in which said light for use in decoding decodable indicia projected by said illumination subsystem is of a first color and a second setting in which said light for use in decoding decodable indicia is of a second color, the second color being different than the first color;

wherein the optical reader is adapted to process data obtained utilizing the image sensor for attempting to decode decodable bar code indicia; and

a manually actuated trigger, wherein said attempting to decode is responsive to an actuation of said manually actuated trigger;

wherein the imaging subsystem and the illumination subsystem are incorporated on an imaging module including first and second circuit boards, and a conductive support post connecting the first and second circuit boards, wherein the image sensor is supported on the first circuit board.

9. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the image sensor is a one dimensional CCD image sensor, wherein said hand held housing is a gun style housing, wherein the switching is automatic, wherein said first color is green, and wherein said second color is red.

10. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein said first color is red and said second color is white.

11. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein said first color is green and said second color is red.

12. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the switching is in response to an operator input.

13. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the switching is automatic.

14. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the switching is automatic in response to a sensed condition.

15. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the illumination subsystem includes a first LED adapted to emit light in first narrow wavelength band of the visible spectrum, and a second LED adapted to emit light in a second narrow wavelength band of the visible spectrum, the second narrow wavelength band being different than the first narrow wavelength band.

16. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the illumination subsystem includes a multiple color emitting LED.

17. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the illumination subsystem includes an LED and a lens disposed forward of the LED for shaping light from the LED.

18. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein the image sensor is a two dimensional color image sensor and therein the switching is responsive to a sensed color sensed using the two dimensional color image sensor.

19. The optical reader of claim 8, wherein said illumination subsystem includes a multiple color-emitting LED of the type having a plurality of LED dies, each being independently drivable, wherein said optical reader establishes a certain color emitted by said multiple color-emitting LED by presenting a set of LED die driver signals to said LED dies.