Image pick-up device and POS system including the same

• US 9,509,958 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Shiraishi, Takashi, Yajima, Shinsuke, Naito, Hidehiro, Kakino, Tomonari
• Primary Examiner(s): ELAHI, SHAN E
• Application Number:
  US14/170,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20140226017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 348/150
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0025 for optical correction, e.g. distorsion, aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2007/10485 Arrangement of optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10831 Arrangement of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms optical elements per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An image pick-up device which photographs an object to generate an image signal representing the object, including: a housing including an opening; a transparent plate which covers the opening; an image detector arranged in the housing; an optical lens forming an image of the object on the image detector through the transparent plate; a lighting device arranged in the housing and placed both in an inner area in which an imaging area outside the housing is folded into the housing with reference to one surface of the transparent plate, and in an outer area of the imaging area; and an optical-path modifying element which causes an optical path of the light to be refracted such that the light is emitted from a virtual image of the lighting device, the virtual image being placed outside the inner area.

Claims

1. An image pick-up device which photographs an object to generate an image signal representing the object, comprising:

a housing including an opening to pass light therethrough;

a transparent plate which covers the opening and has a first surface facing the object and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

an image detector arranged in the housing to generate the image signal;

an optical lens forming an image of the object on the image detector through the transparent plate when the object is positioned in an imaging area from which light reaches the image detector through the optical lens;

a lighting device configured to emit light, which is arranged in the housing to illuminate the object, wherein the lighting device illuminates both of an inner area in which the imaging area outside the housing is folded into the housing with reference to the first surface, and an outer area of the imaging area; and

an optical-path modifying element which causes an optical path of the light emitted by the lighting device to be refracted such that the light is emitted from a virtual image of the lighting device, the virtual image being placed outside the inner area.

2. The image pick-up device according to claim 1, wherein the optical-path modifying element is an optical element having an optical axis and an emitting point of the lighting device is shifted with reference to the optical axis of the optical element in a direction that the emitting point is apart from the optical axis of the optical lens.

3. The image pick-up device according to claim 1, wherein the optical-path modifying element is an optical element having an optical axis and the optical axis of the optical element is inclined to an approximate center of the transparent plate with reference to the border of the inner area.

4. The image pick-up device according to claim 1, wherein the optical-path modifying element refracts the optical path of a part of the light emitted by the lighting device to be directed toward a direction apart from the image detector, wherein the optical path refracted extends near the image detector.

5. The image pick-up device according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is arranged such that the lighting device illuminates the imaging area from a position higher than the image detector in a diagonal-downward direction.

6. A POS system having an image pick-up device which photographs an object to generate an image signal representing the object, and a POS terminal which executes a sales registration processing in accordance with the image signal, the image pick-up device comprising:

a housing including an opening to pass light therethrough;

a transparent plate which covers the opening and has a first surface facing the object and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

an image detector arranged in the housing to generate the image signal;

an optical lens forming an image of the object on the image detector through the transparent plate when the object is positioned in an imaging area from which light reaches the image detector through the optical lens;

a lighting device configured to emit light, which is arranged in the housing to illuminate the object, wherein the lighting device illuminates both of an inner area in which the imaging area outside the housing is folded into the housing with reference to the first surface, and an outer area of the imaging area; and

an optical-path modifying element which causes an optical path of the light emitted by the lighting device to be refracted such that the light is emitted from a virtual image of the lighting device, the virtual image being located outside the inner area.

7. The POS system according to claim 6, wherein the optical-path modifying element is an optical element having an optical axis and an emitting point of the lighting device is shifted with reference to the optical axis of the optical element in a direction that the emitting point is apart from the optical axis of the optical lens.

8. The POS system according to claim 6, wherein the optical-path modifying element is an optical element having an optical axis and the optical axis of the optical element is inclined to an approximate center of the transparent plate with reference to the border of the inner area.

9. The POS system according to claim 6, wherein the optical-path modifying element refracts the optical path of a part of the light emitted by the lighting device to be directed apart from the image detector, wherein the optical path extends near the image detector.

10. The POS system according to claim 6, wherein the lighting device is arranged such that the lighting device illuminates the imaging area from a position higher than the image detector in a diagonal-downward direction.