Portable, stand-alone, desk-top laser scanning workstation for intelligent data acquisition terminal and method of scanning
First Claim
1. In a laser scanning system, a portable, stand-alone, desk-top, laser scanning workstation for reading bar code symbols on objects passing through the workstation, comprising:
- (a) a single housing having wall portions bounding an outlet port;
(b) miniature light source means mounted within the housing, for generating a laser light beam;
(c) miniature optic means mounted within the housing, for directing the laser light beam along a light path through the outlet port and towards a bar code symbol which is located in the vicinity of a reference plane that is located exteriorly of the housing;
(d) miniature scanning means mounted in the light path and within the housing, for cyclically sweeping the laser light beam across the bar code symbol for reflection therefrom;
(e) miniature sensor means mounted within the housing, for detecting the intensity of light reflected from the bar code symbol, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected intensity of the reflected light;
(f) miniature signal processing means mounted within the housing, for processing the electrical signal to generate therefrom a processed signal descriptive of the bar code symbol;
(g) all of said miniature light source means, optic means, scanning means, sensor means, and signal processing means together with said housing constituting a light-weight, compact laser scanning head;
(h) a base located exteriorly of the housing and mountable on a support surface; and
(i) means for mounting the head on the base to constitute a laser scanning workstation which supports itself on the support surface and which is portable as a unit from one location to another, said head being mounted at a predetermined elevation above the base to permit the user to view the bar code symbol from above the same, and to position the bar code symbol in the light path of the laser light beam exteriorly of the outlet port during passage of the object through the workstation.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable, stand-alone, desk-top, laser scanning workstation includes a laser scanning head mounted above a support base. Objects bearing bar code symbols to be scanned are passed underneath the head for overhead scanning, or are passed along one side of the head for sideward scanning. The symbols are oriented face-up towards the handler all during their passage through the workstation to facilitate sighting and registration of the symbol with the laser light beam generated by the head. The workstation is self-supporting, is fully portable, can process objects of different sizes, and grants access to objects from either side of the workstation. The workstation is connected to a microprocessor-based microcomputer which is mounted within a desk-top console, as well as to a variety of peripheral devices such as a printer, a keyboard, a communications port, audio-visual annunciators and a data display. The workstation, console and peripheral devices all constitute an intelligent laser-based data acquisition terminal for use in a variety of applications.
265 Citations
58 Claims
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1. In a laser scanning system, a portable, stand-alone, desk-top, laser scanning workstation for reading bar code symbols on objects passing through the workstation, comprising:
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(a) a single housing having wall portions bounding an outlet port; (b) miniature light source means mounted within the housing, for generating a laser light beam; (c) miniature optic means mounted within the housing, for directing the laser light beam along a light path through the outlet port and towards a bar code symbol which is located in the vicinity of a reference plane that is located exteriorly of the housing; (d) miniature scanning means mounted in the light path and within the housing, for cyclically sweeping the laser light beam across the bar code symbol for reflection therefrom; (e) miniature sensor means mounted within the housing, for detecting the intensity of light reflected from the bar code symbol, and for generating an electrical signal indicative of the detected intensity of the reflected light; (f) miniature signal processing means mounted within the housing, for processing the electrical signal to generate therefrom a processed signal descriptive of the bar code symbol; (g) all of said miniature light source means, optic means, scanning means, sensor means, and signal processing means together with said housing constituting a light-weight, compact laser scanning head; (h) a base located exteriorly of the housing and mountable on a support surface; and (i) means for mounting the head on the base to constitute a laser scanning workstation which supports itself on the support surface and which is portable as a unit from one location to another, said head being mounted at a predetermined elevation above the base to permit the user to view the bar code symbol from above the same, and to position the bar code symbol in the light path of the laser light beam exteriorly of the outlet port during passage of the object through the workstation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A method of reading bar code symbols on objects to be scanned, comprising the steps of:
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(a) generating a laser light beam in a scanning head having a discharge port; (b) emitting the laser beam through the discharge port; (c) scanning the emitted laser beam across the symbols for reflection therefrom; (d) generating electrical signals indicative of the symbols being scanned in response to detection of the reflected light beam; (e) processing the electrical signals to data descriptive of the symbols being scanned; (f) mounting a base remotely from the head on a support surface; (g) mounting the head at a predetermined elevation above the base to thereby constitute a stand-alone, desk-top, laser scanning workstation; (h) orienting the objects to have their bar code symbols face away from the base and towards a handler; (i) passing the oriented objects through the workstation; and (j) registering the bar code symbols with the emitted laser beam during passage of the objects through the workstation. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A miniature scan element for generating a multiple line scan pattern, comprising:
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(a) a rotary hub portion having an axis of rotation; (b) a plurality of radially-extending extension portions of one-piece with the hub portion, each extension portion having a light-reflecting mounting portion and a hinge portion integrally connected between the hub portion and its associated light-reflecting mounting portion; (c) a plurality of light-reflecting means each provided on a respective light-reflecting mounting portion for joint rotation with the hub portion, said light-reflecting means being spaced circumferentially about the axis of rotation, and lying in planes which form different angles of inclination relative to the axis of rotation, to thereby reflect a multiple line scan pattern when a light beam is directed towards the rotating light-reflecting means; and (d) adjusting means for setting the positions of the light-reflecting means at said different angles of inclination, each hinge portion having a thickness dimension which is thick enough to resist centrifugal forces developed during rotation of the hub portion, but thin enough to resiliently yield during adjustment of the positions of the light-reflecting means. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A method of making a miniature scan element for generating multiple line scan patterns, comprising the steps of:
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(a) forming a one-piece construction including a rotary hub portion having an axis of rotation, and a plurality of radially-extending extension portions, each extension portion having a light-reflecting mounting portion and a hinge portion integrally connected between the hub portion and its associated light-reflecting mounting portion; (b) providing a plurality of light-reflecting means each on a respectively light-reflecting mounting portion, and spacing the light-reflecting means circumferentially about the axis of rotation; (c) adjusting the positions of the light-reflecting means to lie in planes which form different angles of inclination relative to the axis of rotation; and (d) forming each hinge portion with a thickness dimension which is thick enough to resist centrifugal forces developed during rotation of the hub portion, but thin enough to resiliently yield during adjustment of the positions of the light-reflecting means.
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58. A method of generating a multiple line scan pattern, comprising the steps of:
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(a) forming a one-piece scan element of a rotary hub portion having an axis of rotation, and a plurality of radially-extending extension portions each having a light-reflecting mounting portion and a hinge portion integrally connected between the hub portion and its associated light-reflecting mounting portion; (b) mounting a plurality of light-reflecting means each on a respective light-reflecting mounting portion, and spacing the light-reflecting means circumferentially about the axis of rotation; (c) adjusting the positions of the light-reflecting means to lie in planes which form different angles of inclination relative to the axis of rotation, each hinge portion being thin enough to resiliently yield during adjustment of the positions of the light-reflecting means; (d) rotating about the axis of rotation the one-piece scan element, each hinge portion being thick enough to resist centrifugal forces developed during rotation; and (e) directing a light beam at the light-reflecting means for reflection therefrom, and thereby sweeping the reflected light beam along a scanning path to generate a scan line for each light-reflecting means.
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Specification