Image capture and processing system supporting a multi-tier modular software architecture

• US 9,785,811 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Kotlarsky, Anatoly, Zhu, Xiaoxun
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US15/166,608
• Publication Number:
  US 20170116449A1
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 23546224, 23546215, 23546225, 23546242
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44526 Plug-ins; Add-ons
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1012 Special detection of object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10712 Fixed beam scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10722 Photodetector array or CCD scanning
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10831 Arrangement of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors, prisms optical elements per se G02B
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10881 constructional details of hand-held scanners
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1426 Multi-level bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image

Abstract

An image capture and processing system supports a multi-tier modular software, and plug-in extendable, architecture. The image capture and processing system can be realized as an image-capturing cell phone, a digital camera, a video camera, mobile computing terminal and portable data terminal (PDT), provided with suitable hardware platform, communication protocols and user interfaces. A third-party customer can write and install a software plug-in into the application layer so as to enhance or modify the behavior of the image capture and processing system without any required knowledge of the hardware platform, communication protocols and/or user interfaces.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an image formation and detection subsystem;

an image capturing subsystem for capturing images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem;

an image processing subsystem for processing images captured by the image capturing subsystem;

an illumination subsystem comprising at least one light emitting diode (LED);

a processing device; and

memory comprising processing instructions that, when executed by the processing device, execute an application for reading indicia within the processed images and producing symbol character data representative of the read indicia;

wherein the memory comprises a memory architecture that supports a multi-tier modular software architecture characterized by an operating system (OS) layer and an application layer in which the application for reading indicia and producing symbol character data is run.

2. The system according to claim 1, comprising an input/output subsystem for transmitting signals to an external system.

3. The system according to claim 2, comprising an image buffering subsystem for buffering images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the multi-tier modular software architecture comprises an intermediate layer disposed between the application layer and the OS layer.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein:

the OS layer comprises one or more software modules comprising an OS kernel module, an OS file system module, and/or a device driver module;

the intermediate layer comprises one or more software modules comprising a tasks manager module, an events dispatcher module, an input/output manager module, a user commands manager module, a timer subsystem module, an input/output subsystem module, and/or a memory control subsystem module; and

the application layer comprises one or more software modules comprising an indicia decoding module, a function programming module, an application events manager module, a user commands table module, and/or a command handler module.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein, prior to capturing images, the processing device is configured to:

(1) access one or more software modules from the OS layer and executing code contained therein;

(2) access one or more software modules from the intermediate layer and executing code contained therein; and

(3) access one or more software modules from the application layer and executing code contained therein.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light emitting diode (LED) produces narrow-band illumination.

8. The system according to claim 1, comprising an illumination control subsystem for controlling the operation of the illumination subsystem.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the one or more indicia comprise 1D bar code symbols, 2D bar code symbols, and/or data matrix type code symbol structures.

10. The system according to claim 1, comprising an automatic object detection subsystem;

wherein the image formation and detection subsystem has a field of view (FOV); and

wherein the automatic object detection subsystem automatically detects the presence of an object in the FOV, and in response thereto, generates a trigger signal.

11. A system, comprising:

an image formation and detection subsystem;

an image capturing subsystem for capturing images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem;

an image processing subsystem for processing images captured by the image capturing subsystem;

an input/output subsystem for transmitting signals to an external system;

an illumination subsystem comprising at least one light emitting diode (LED);

a processing device;

memory comprising processing instructions that, when executed by the processing device, execute an application for reading indicia within the processed images and producing symbol character data representative of the read indicia;

Flash ROM for storing the application; and

RAM for storing the images captured by the image capturing subsystem;

wherein the memory comprises a memory architecture that supports a multi-tier modular software architecture characterized by an operating system (OS) layer and an application layer in which the application for reading indicia and producing symbol character data is run.

12. The system according to claim 11, comprising an image buffering subsystem for buffering images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the multi-tier modular software architecture comprises an intermediate layer disposed between the application layer and the OS layer.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein:

the OS layer comprises one or more software modules comprising an OS kernel module, an OS file system module, and/or a device driver module;

the intermediate layer comprises one or more software modules comprising a tasks manager module, an events dispatcher module, an input/output manager module, a user commands manager module, a timer subsystem module, an input/output subsystem module, and/or a memory control subsystem module; and

the application layer comprises one or more software modules comprising an indicia decoding module, a function programming module, an application events manager module, a user commands table module, and/or a command handler module.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein, prior to capturing images, the processing device is configured to:

(1) access one or more software modules from the OS layer and executing code contained therein;

(2) access one or more software modules from the intermediate layer and executing code contained therein; and

(3) access one or more software modules from the application layer and executing code contained therein.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the memory maintains system parameters used to configure functions of the image capture and processing system.

17. A system, comprising:

an image formation and detection subsystem;

an image capturing subsystem for capturing images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem;

an image processing subsystem for processing images captured by the image capturing subsystem;

an input/output subsystem for transmitting signals to an external system;

an illumination subsystem comprising at least one light emitting diode (LED);

a processing device; and

memory comprising processing instructions that, when executed by the processing device, execute an application for reading indicia within the processed images and producing symbol character data representative of the read indicia;

wherein the memory comprises a memory architecture that supports a multi-tier modular software architecture characterized by an operating system (OS) layer and an application layer in which the application for reading indicia and producing symbol character data is run; and

wherein the application layer comprises one or more software modules comprising an indicia decoding module, a function programming module, an application events manager module, a user commands table module, and/or a command handler module.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the OS layer comprises one or more software modules comprising an OS kernel module, an OS file system module, and/or a device driver module.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the multi-tier modular software architecture comprises an intermediate layer disposed between the application layer and the OS layer.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the intermediate layer comprises one or more software modules comprising a tasks manager module, an events dispatcher module, an input/output manager module, a user commands manager module, a timer subsystem module, an input/output subsystem module, and/or a memory control subsystem module.