Indicia reading system with improved battery charging

• US 8,157,177 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2011
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Donnell, James F., Volkinburg, Daniel Van, Scollan, Michael, Ledwith, James
• Primary Examiner(s): HESS, DANIEL A
• Application Number:
  US13/017,909
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: 235/470, 235/462.01, 235/462.08, 235/462.41, 235/462.21, 235/462.42, 235/472.01, 235/462.45
• US Class Current: 235/472.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader

Abstract

Embodiments of an indicia reading system comprise a terminal and a cradle that communicate via wireless technology and are configured to charge a battery in the terminal using power supplied by a host device when the terminal is operated in a presentation mode.

Claims

1. A system configured to read and decode decodable indicia on a target, said system comprising:

a cradle comprising an input port that is connectable to a host device from which an input current is received, the cradle comprising a socket through which an electrical signal can be conducted; and

a terminal that is removeably replaceable with the socket, the terminal comprising a battery and data capture hardware which is configured to capture data from the decodable indicia, the data capture hardware comprising a first light source for use in generating a first pattern, the data capture hardware further comprising a second light source for use in generating a second pattern,

wherein responsive to docking the terminal with the cradle the terminal is configured to operate in a first mode characterized by the first light source generating the first pattern to provide illumination for use in capturing images by the terminal, the first mode further being characterized by the second light source being disabled, the first mode further being characterized by the battery being charged via the electrical signal.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the input port comprises an auxiliary connection and a host connection through which the input current is received from the host device.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the host connection is configured for a wire having on one end a USB connection that is connectable with the host device.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein the cradle comprises a power path management device, and wherein the input current is routed from the host connection to a pin on the power path management device that is connectable with the auxiliary connection.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the cradle comprises a status indicator with a light, and wherein the cradle is configured to operate the light in accordance with a pre-determined pattern.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the pre-determined pattern energizes and de-energizes the status indicator.

7. A system according to claim 5, wherein the light comprises a light emitting diode.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the data capture hardware comprises a second light source that generates a second pattern, wherein the terminal is configured to change operation of the second light source in accordance with a pre-defined operating characteristic, and wherein the pre-defined operating characteristic is configurable by an operator.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the pre-defined operating characteristic is configured to disable the second light source in the first mode.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein the pre-defined operating characteristic defines a pre-determined period of time that the second light source is activated.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the second light source is deactivated after expiration of the pre-determined period of time.

12. A system according to claim 8, wherein the pre-defined operating characteristic defines an operating current for the second light source.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal is configured to communicate wirelessly with one or more of the cradle and the host device.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein the input current is less than about 500 mA at 5 V.

15. A system comprising:

a terminal comprising a battery and having an image sensor array comprising a plurality of pixels, a first light source for use in generating a first pattern to illuminate decodable indicia on a target, a second light source for use in generating a second pattern, a lens assembly for use in focusing an image onto the image sensor array, and a housing incorporating the battery and the image sensor array;

a cradle with a socket sized and configured to receive a portion of the housing therein, the cradle having a input port that is connectable to a host device from which an input current can be received; and

a server external to the terminal and the cradle;

wherein the terminal is operative for capture of a frame of image data responsively to a trigger signal initiated by an operator in manual trigger mode, the frame of image data representing the target and the decodable indicia disposed thereon,

wherein the terminal is operative to transmit the frame of image data to the server, and

wherein responsive to docking the terminal in the socket of the cradle the terminal is configured to operate in a first mode characterized by the first light source generating the first pattern to provide illumination for use in capturing images by the terminal, the first mode further being characterized by the second light source being disabled, the first mode further being characterized by the battery being charged via an electrical signal conducted from the cradle to the terminal.

16. A system according to claim 15, wherein the input current is 500 mA or less at about 5 V.

17. A system according to claim 15, wherein the terminal is operative for capture of the frame of image data in the first mode without the trigger signal.

18. A system according to claim 15, wherein the cradle comprises an auxiliary connection that is connectable to an adapter, and wherein the auxiliary connection is empty in the first mode.

19. A system according to claim 15, wherein the terminal comprises a second light source that is disabled in the first mode.

20. A system according to claim 19, wherein the first light source is deactivated when the terminal is removed from the socket.