Terminal having image data format conversion

• US 9,135,483 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Liu, Yong, Zhu, Xiaoxun, Tao, Xi, Wang, Ynjiun Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D
• Application Number:
  US14/342,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20140197238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.27, 235/462.24, 235/462.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10544 by scanning of the records by radiation in the optical part of the electromagnetic spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1408 the method being specifically adapted for the type of code

Abstract

There is set forth herein an indicia reading terminal having data format conversion capabilities. The indicia reading terminal includes an image sensor integrated circuit with an image sensor array comprising a plurality of pixels. The image sensor integrated circuit is configured to output image data in a first data format to a data formatting circuit for conversion to image data in a second data format. The data formatting circuit is configured to provide the image data in the second data format to the at least one data interface of a microprocessor integrated circuit, which is operative to transfer image data received by the at least one data interface into memory of the indicia reading terminal. A CPU of the microprocessor integrated circuit is operative for executing a decoding algorithm for processing image data in the memory for attempting to decode at least one symbol represented in the memory.

Claims

1. An indicia reading terminal comprising:

an image sensor integrated circuit, the image sensor integrated circuit including a two-dimensional image sensor array comprising a plurality of selectively-addressable pixels, the image sensor integrated circuit further including analog-to-digital conversion circuitry for converting analog signal pixel values into digital signal pixel values, and the image sensor integrated circuit configured to output image data in a first data format;

an imaging lens assembly for focusing an image of a target onto the two-dimensional image sensor array of the image sensor integrated circuit;

a memory;

a microprocessor integrated circuit, the microprocessor integrated circuit comprising a central processing unit (CPU) and at least one data interface for receiving data in a second data format, the microprocessor integrated circuit operative to transfer image data received by the at least one data interface into the memory of the indicia reading terminal, and the CPU operative for executing a decoding algorithm, the decoding algorithm for processing image data in the memory for attempting to decode at least one symbol represented in the memory; and

a data formatting circuit for receiving image data in the first data format output from the image sensor integrated circuit, for converting the received image data in the first data format to image data in the second data format, and for providing the image data in the second data format to the at least one data interface of the microprocessor integrated circuit;

wherein the indicia reading terminal has a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation;

wherein responsive to a trigger signal activation with the first mode of operation active, image signals are read out from the image sensor array for capture of a frame of image data having a first picture size and the indicia reading terminal reads-out the image signals at a first pixel clock speed for processing the image data; and

wherein responsive to a trigger signal activation with the second mode of operation active, image signals are read out from the image sensor array for capture of a frame of image data having a second picture size and the indicia reading terminal reads-out the image signals at a second pixel clock speed, wherein the first picture size is larger than the second picture size and wherein the first pixel clock speed is slower than the second pixel clock speed.

2. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the second data format comprises a serial data format.

3. The indicia reading terminal of claim 2, wherein the at least one data interface comprises at least one serial data interface for receiving data in the serial data format.

4. The indicia reading terminal of claim 2, wherein the first data format comprises a parallel data format, wherein the data formatting circuit receives image data in the parallel data format and converts the received image data in the parallel data format to image data in the serial data format for providing to the at least one data interface of the microprocessor integrated circuit.

5. The indicia reading terminal of claim 2, wherein the first data format comprises a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) data format, and wherein the data formatting circuit receives image data in the MIPI data format and converts received image data in the MIPI data format to image data in the serial data format for providing to the at least one data interface of the microprocessor integrated circuit.

6. The indicia reading terminal of claim 2, wherein the serial data format comprises at least one of a serial peripheral interface bus (SPI) format, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) format, or an Inter-integrated circuit (I²C) format.

7. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein each row of pixel values included in image data of a frame is read-out at a common pixel clock speed.

8. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein in the second mode of operation, the indicia reading terminal reads-out pixel data at a lower resolution than a full frame of pixels of the image sensor array.

9. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein in the second mode of operation, the indicia reading terminal reads-out one or more windowed frames from the image sensor array.

10. The indicia reading terminal of claim 9, wherein the one or more windowed frames comprises at least one of:

a windowed frame centered at a set pixel of the image sensor array, and a linear arrangement of pixels of the image sensor array.

11. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the indicia reading terminal is selectably configurable by a user of the indicia reading terminal to operate in one of the first mode of operation or the second mode of operation.

12. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation comprises a photographing mode.

13. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the second mode of operation comprises a barcode scanning mode.

14. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the data formatting circuit comprises a complex programmable logic device (CPLD).

15. An indicia reading terminal comprising a two-dimensional image sensor array comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein the indicia reading terminal is selectively configurable to operate in a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation, wherein responsive to a trigger signal activation with the first mode of operation active, image signals are read out from the image sensor array for capture of a frame of image data having a first picture size and the indicia reading terminal reads-out the image signals at a first pixel clock speed, and wherein responsive to a trigger signal activation with the second mode of operation active, image signals are read out from the image sensor array for capture of a frame of image data having a second picture size and the indicia reading terminal reads-out the image signals at a second pixel clock speed, wherein the first picture size is larger than the second picture size and wherein the first pixel clock speed is slower than the second pixel clock speed.

16. The indicia reading terminal of claim 15, wherein the first pixel clock speed is uniformly applied for reading-out image signals for capture of the frame of image data having the first picture size, and wherein the second pixel clock speed is uniformly applied for reading-out image signals for capture of the frame of image data having the second picture size.

17. The indicia reading terminal of claim 15, wherein the pixels of the image sensor array from which the image signals are read-out are selectively addressable for image signal read-out.