Scanner with illumination system

• US 9,646,189 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Lu, Jun, Ren, Jie, Wang, Zhuling
• Primary Examiner(s): VO, TUYEN KIM
• Application Number:
  US14/872,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20160125216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 235454, 235455, 23546201-47203
• 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

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a scanner with an illumination system, including: a plurality of illumination devices in the illumination system, wherein the plurality of illumination devices illuminate a label; an imager, which captures an image signal reflected from the label and decodes the image signal; and a detector, which detects the intensity of light reflected from the label, wherein if the light intensity is higher than a predetermined threshold, an illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices is changed. The scanner with an illumination system according to the present disclosure can effectively avoid specular reflection when scanning a barcode on a smartphone screen.

Claims

1. A scanner, comprising:

a plurality of illumination devices configured to illuminate a label;

an imager configured to capture light received from the label and generate an image signal; and

a detector configured to detect an intensity of light received from the label;

wherein the scanner is configured to, if the light intensity is higher than a predetermined threshold, change an illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices;

wherein the change in the illumination status comprises closing all of the one or more of the plurality of illumination devices that are initially opened.

2. The scanner of claim 1, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices closes one or more of the plurality of illumination devices.

3. The scanner of claim 1, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices opens one illumination device once in the plurality of illumination devices and successively opens the same illumination device.

4. The scanner of claim 1, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices opens multiple illumination devices once in the plurality of illumination devices and successively opens the same illumination devices in a predetermined pattern.

5. The scanner of claim 1, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices opens multiple of the plurality of illumination devices once at a predetermined interval and successively opens the same illumination devices.

6. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the imager comprises a wide-angle lens.

7. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the plurality of illumination devices are uniformly distributed on an edge of the scanner.

8. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the plurality of illumination devices are illumination bars.

9. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the scanner is configured to decode a barcode on the label.

10. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the label is located on a specular surface.

11. A method, comprising:

illuminating, with one or more illumination devices, a label, the one or more illumination devices being of a plurality of illumination devices of a scanner;

capturing, with an imager of the scanner, light received from the label;

detecting, with the scanner, an intensity of light received from the label; and

if the detected intensity of light is higher than a predetermined threshold, changing an illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices;

wherein the change in the illumination status comprises closing all of the one or more of the plurality of illumination devices that are initially opened.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices closes one or more of the plurality of illumination devices.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices opens one illumination device once in the plurality of illumination devices and successively opens the same illumination device.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices opens multiple illumination devices once in the plurality of illumination devices and successively opens the same illumination devices in a predetermined pattern.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the illumination status of one or more of the plurality of illumination devices opens multiple of the plurality of illumination devices once at a predetermined interval and successively opens the same illumination devices.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the imager comprises a wide-angle lens.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of illumination devices are uniformly distributed on an edge of the scanner.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of illumination devices are illumination bars.

19. The method of claim 11, comprising decoding a barcode on the label.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the label is displayed on an electronic screen.