Three dimensional aimer for barcode scanning

• US 9,785,814 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2016
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Todeschini, Erik
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Claude J
• Application Number:
  US15/273,792
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: 23546208
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1011 Aiming
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2207/1013 Multi-focal
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1426 Multi-level bar codes

Abstract

A method of assisting in focusing a three dimensional camera system on an object within a field of view is disclosed. The process involves at the camera system, determining a distance D in a z direction, within the field of view, to a current focal plane; and rendering to a display, an aimer graphic element with the Z direction distance equal to D in a manner that causes the aimer graphic element to move in the Z direction with changes in the focal plane.

Claims

1. A method of assisting in focusing a camera system on an object within a field of view, comprising:

at the camera system, determining a distance D in a z direction, within the field of view, to a current focal plane; and

rendering to a display, an aimer graphic element with a Z direction distance equal to D in a manner that causes the aimer graphic element to move in the Z direction with changes in the focal plane.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining if the object in the field of view is within a depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D, and if so, modifying the rendering of the aimer graphic element in a manner that signifies that the object is in focus.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining if the object in the field of view is closer than the focal plane, and if so, modifying the rendering of the aimer graphic element in a manner that signifies that the aimer graphic element is behind the object.

4. The method according to claim 1, where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a first color if the distance D is closer to the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer object is rendered in a second color if the object is within the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D.

5. The method according to claim 1, where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a first manner if the distance D is closer to the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer object is rendered in a second manner if the object is within the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D.

6. The method according to claim 1, where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a third manner if the distance D is further from the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a second manner if the object is within the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D.

7. The method according to claim 1, where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a first manner if the distance D is closer to the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a second manner if the object is within the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a third manner if the distance D is further from the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D.

8. The method according to claim 7, where the rendering in the first manner comprises selecting a first aimer graphic;

where the rendering in the second manner comprises selecting a second aimer graphic; and

where the rendering in the third manner comprises selecting a third aimer graphic.

9. The method according to claim 1, where the distance D is determined by either querying a depth sensor or querying an autofocus system for a current focal depth.

10. The method according to claim 1, where the camera system forms a part of an augmented reality headset having a programmed processor that carries out the rendering to a binocular display.

11. A method of assisting in focusing a camera system on an object within a field of view, comprising:

at the camera system, determining a distance D in a z direction, within the field of view, to a current focal plane;

determining if the object in the field of view is within a depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D, and;

if so, then rendering an aimer graphic with the Z direction distance equal to D to a display in a manner that signifies that the object is in focus, and

if not then rendering the aimer graphic with a Z direction distance equal to D to the display in a manner that signifies that the object is not in focus.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising determining if the object in the field of view is closer than the focal plane, and if so, rendering the aimer graphic in a manner that signifies that the aimer graphic is behind the object.

13. The method according to claim 11, where the aimer graphic is rendered in a first color if the distance D is closer to the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer object is rendered in a second color if the object is within the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D.

14. The method according to claim 11, where the distance D is determined by either querying a depth sensor or querying an autofocus system for a current focal depth.

15. The method according to claim 11, where the camera system forms a part of an augmented reality headset having a programmed processor that carries out the rendering to a binocular display.

16. A method of assisting in focusing a camera system on an object within a field of view, comprising:

at the camera system, determining a distance D in a z direction, within the field of view, to a current focal plane;

rendering to a display, an aimer graphic with the Z direction distance equal to D in a manner that causes the aimer graphic to move in the Z direction with changes in the focal plane;

where the aimer graphic is rendered in a first manner if the distance D is closer to the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D;

where the aimer graphic is rendered in a second manner if the object is within the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer graphic is rendered in a third manner if the distance D is further from the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D.

17. The method according to claim 16, where if the object in the field of view is closer than the focal plane, the aimer graphic is rendered in a manner that signifies that view of the aimer graphic is occluded by the object.

18. The method according to claim 16, where the aimer graphic element is rendered in a first color if the distance D is closer to the camera than the object and if the object is outside the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D; and

where the aimer object is rendered in a second color if the object is within the depth of field distance Δ

D about the distance D.

19. The method according to claim 16, where the rendering in the first manner comprises selecting a first aimer graphic;

where the rendering in the second manner comprises selecting a second aimer graphic; and

where the rendering in the third manner comprises selecting a third aimer graphic.

20. The method according to claim 16, where the distance D is determined by either querying a depth sensor or querying an autofocus system for a current focal depth.