Hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reader employing an event-driven system control subsystem, automatic IR-based object detection, and trigger-switch activated image capture and processing subsystem

• US 20060219792A1
• Filed: 11/15/2004
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Bonanno, John, Zhu, Xiaoxun, Knowles, C. Harry, Au, Ka Man, Liu, Yong, Liu, Liang, Schmidt, Mark, Ghosh, Sankar, Kotlarsky, Anatoly, Tao, Xi, Zhang, Wenhua, Amundsen, Thomas, Hou, Rui, Russell, Garrett, Byun, Sung, Yu, Hongpeng, Schnee, Michael, Spatafore, Pasqual
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,774 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/462.60
• 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 7/10732 Light sources
• 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

Abstract

A hand-supportable Digital Imaging-Based Bar Code Symbol Reading Device comprises: an IR-based Object Presence and Range Detection Subsystem; a Multi-Mode Area-type Image Formation and Detection Subsystem having narrow-area and wide area image capture modes of operation; a Multi-Mode LED-based Illumination Subsystem having narrow-area and wide area illumination modes of operation; an Automatic Light Exposure Measurement and Illumination Control Subsystem; an Image Capturing and Buffering Subsystem; a Multi-Mode Image-Processing Bar Code Symbol Reading Subsystem; an Input/Output Subsystem; a manually-activatable trigger switch; a System Mode Configuration Parameter Table; and a System Control Subsystem integrated with each of the above-described subsystems. The bar code reading device can be configured and operated in numerous programmable modes of system operation to automatically read 1D and 2D bar code symbologies in a high-speed manner using advanced modes of image processing on captured images.

Claims

1-423. -423. (canceled)

424. A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprising:

a hand-supportable housing;

an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and having image formation optics for producing a field of view (FOV) upon an object to be imaged and an area-type image sensing array for detecting imaged light reflected off the object during illumination operations in an image capture mode in which in which one or more rows of the image sensing array are enabled;

an LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and including at least one LED array for producing a field of narrow-band illumination within said FOV during said image capture mode;

an automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for automatically measuring the light exposure incident upon a central predetermined portion of said FOV, and controlling the operation of said LED-based illumination subsystem;

an image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for capturing and buffering 2-D images detected by the image formation and detection subsystem; and

an image-processing based bar code symbol reading subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for processing images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem and reading 1D and 2D bar code symbols represented in said processed images;

wherein said automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem has a light collecting element and a photodiode arranged within said hand-supportable housing, wherein incident illumination is collected from a selected portion of said FOV using said light collecting element, and then focused upon said photodiode for detection of the intensity of incident illumination and subsequent processing by said automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem.

425. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 424, wherein said automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem:

(1) measures, in real-time, the power density of light collected by said area-type image sensing array, and generates auto-exposure control signals indicating the amount of light exposure required for good quality image formation and detection; and

(2) automatically drives and controls the output power of said at least one LED array, so that objects within said FOV are optimally exposed to LED-based illumination and good quality images are formed and detected at said area-type image sensing array.

426. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 424, wherein said light collecting element comprises a light collecting mirror.

427. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 424, which further comprises an input/output subsystem for outputting processed image data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device, and a system control subsystem for automatically controlling the operation of each said subsystem.

428. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 427, wherein which further comprises an automatic object presence detection subsystem for producing an object detection field within said FOV and detecting objects present therein.

429. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device of claim 428, wherein said automatic object presence detection subsystem automatically detects the presence of an object within said object detection field, and in response thereto, said system control subsystem enables said automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem to continuously measure the light exposure within said predetermined portion of said FOV and automatically control the illumination produced by said LED-based illumination subsystem so that the detected object is sufficiently illuminated and said image formation and detection subsystem forms and detects good quality digital images of illuminated objects.

430. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code reading device of claim 424, wherein said LED-based illumination subsystem comprises a first LED array for producing a narrow-area field of narrow-band illumination and also a second LED array for producing a wide-area field of narrow-band illumination.

431. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code reading device of claim 430, wherein illumination is collected from the selected portion of said FOV and automatically detected so as to generate a control signal for driving, at the proper intensity, said first LED array as well as said second LED array, so that said area-type image sensing array produces good quality digital images of illuminated objects.

432. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code reading device of claim 428, wherein said automatic object presence detection subsystem produces an IR-based object detection field within said FOV for detecting objects present therein.

433. The hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code reading device of claim 424, wherein said predetermined portion of said FOV is a central portion of said FOV.