IPC분류정보
| 국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
| 국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
| 출원번호 |
UP-0820010
(2007-06-15)
|
| 등록번호 |
US-7575169
(2009-08-31)
|
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Knowles, C. Harry
- Zhu, Xiaoxun
- Xian, Tao
|
| 출원인 / 주소 |
- Metrologic Instruments, Inc.
|
| 대리인 / 주소 |
Perkowski, Esq., P.C., Thomas J.
|
| 인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
18 인용 특허 :
298 |
초록
▼
An automatic digital image capturing and processing system for use in point of sale (POS) environments, comprising a plurality of coextensive area-type illumination and imaging stations, an object motion detection subsystem, a digital image capturing and buffering subsystem, a digital image processi
An automatic digital image capturing and processing system for use in point of sale (POS) environments, comprising a plurality of coextensive area-type illumination and imaging stations, an object motion detection subsystem, a digital image capturing and buffering subsystem, a digital image processing subsystem, and a control subsystem, each being disposed in a system housing having an imaging window. Each coextensive area-type illumination and imaging station has an area-type imaging array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on the area-type imaging array that projects into a 3D imaging volume definable relative to the imaging window. Each coextensive area-type illumination and imaging station also has an array of light emitting devices configured together to produce an area-type field of illumination that is coextensive area-type with the FOV of the area-type imaging array, and thereby providing a coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zone that projects through the imaging window and into the 3D imaging volume, for capturing a series of area-type digital images of an object intersecting therewith during system operation. During system operation, the object detection subsystem automatically detects the motion of objects moving through the 3D imaging volume, and generates motion data which is used by the control subsystem to control at least one illumination control parameter associated with the production of the area-type fields of illumination produced from the coextensive area-type illumination and imaging stations, during system operation. The coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zones intersect within the 3D imaging volume for digital imaging of objects passing through the 3D imaging volume.
대표청구항
▼
What is claimed is: 1. An automatic digital image capturing and processing system for use in point of sale (POS) environment, comprising: a system housing having an imaging window; a plurality of coextensive area-type illumination and imaging stations disposed in said system housing, and wherein ea
What is claimed is: 1. An automatic digital image capturing and processing system for use in point of sale (POS) environment, comprising: a system housing having an imaging window; a plurality of coextensive area-type illumination and imaging stations disposed in said system housing, and wherein each coextensive area-type illumination and imaging station includes; (i) an area-type imaging array having optics providing a field of view (FOV) on said area-type imaging array that projects into a 3D imaging volume definable relative to said imaging window; and (ii) an array of light emitting devices configured together to produce an area-type field of illumination that is coextensive with the FOV of said area-type imaging array so as to provide a coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zone that projects through said imaging window and into said 3D imaging volume, for capturing a series of area-type digital images of an object intersecting with said coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zone during system operation; wherein said plurality of coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zones intersect within said 3D imaging volume for digital imaging of the object passing through said 3D imaging volume; an object motion detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the motion of the object passing through said 3D imaging volume, and generating motion data in response to the detection of the object moving through said 3D imaging volume during system operation; a digital image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said system housing, for capturing and buffering said series of area-type digital images of the object during system operation; a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said system housing, for processing said series of area-type digital images of the object so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said digital images; and a control subsystem, disposed in said system housing, responsive to said motion data for controlling at least one illumination control parameter associated with the production of said area-type fields of illumination produced from said coextensive area-type illumination and imaging stations, and also controlling and/or coordinating other operations of said subsystems during system operation. 2. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said at least one illumination parameter includes illumination mode and illumination intensity. 3. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises an area-type image sensing array having a field of view that spatially overlaps at least a portion of one said coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zone, for detecting the motion of the object passing therethrough during system operation. 4. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises a IR-based subsystem projecting an IR-based beam through at least a portion of at least one said coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zone, for detecting the motion of the object passing therethrough during system operation. 5. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein each said array of light emitting devices comprises an array of incoherent light sources. 6. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 5, wherein said array of incoherent light sources comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs). 7. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein each said array of light emitting devices comprises an array of coherent light sources. 8. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 7, wherein said array of coherent light sources comprises an array of visible laser diodes (VLDs). 9. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said area-type field of illumination comprises narrow-band illumination produced from said array of light emitting devices. 10. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 9, wherein said narrow-band illumination is visible to the human vision system. 11. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said area-type image detection array comprises an area-type image sensing array selected from the group consisting of a CMOS image sensing array and a CCD image sensing array. 12. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said one or more code symbols comprise one or more bar code symbols selected from the group consisting of 1D bar code symbols, 2D bar code symbols and data matrix type bar code symbols. 13. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 1, wherein said system housing is mounted within a countertop surface at sale POS environment so that said imaging window is substantially orthogonal with respect to said countertop surface, and wherein said plurality of coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zones are projected through said imaging window prior to intersecting within said 3D imaging volume. 14. An automatic digital image capturing and processing system for use in point of sale (POS) environment, comprising: a system housing having a first housing section provided with a first imaging window, and a second housing section provided with a second imaging window, and wherein said first and second housing sections are substantially orthogonal with respect to each other; a first coextensive area-type illumination and imaging station disposed in said first housing section, and including (i) a first area-type imaging array having optics providing a first field of view (FOV) on said first area-type imaging array that projects into a 3D imaging volume definable relative to said first and second imaging windows, and (ii) a first array of light emitting devices configured together to produce a first area-type field of illumination that is coextensive with the first FOV of said first area-type imaging array so as to provide a first coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zone that projects through said first imaging window and into said 3D imaging volume, for capturing a first series of area-type digital images of an object intersecting with said first coextensive are-type illumination and imaging zone during system operation; a second coextensive area-type illumination and imaging station disposed in said first housing section, and including (i) a second area-type imaging array having optics providing a second field of view (FOV) on said second area-type imaging array that projects into said 3D imaging volume, and (ii) a second array of light emitting devices configured together to produce a second area-type field of illumination that is coextensive with the second FOV of said second area-type imaging array so as to provide a second coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zone that projects through said second imaging window and into said 3D imaging volume, for capturing a second series of area-type digital images of the object intersecting with said second coextensive are-type illumination and imaging zone during system operation; wherein said first and second coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zones intersect within said 3D imaging volume for digital imaging of the object passing through said 3D imaging volume; an object motion detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the motion of the object passing through said 3D imaging volume, and generating motion data in response to the detection of the object moving through said 3D imaging volume during system operation; a digital image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said system housing, for capturing and buffering said first and second series of area-type digital images of the object during system operation; a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said system housing, for processing said first and second series of area-type digital images of the object so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said digital images; and a control subsystem, disposed in said system housing, responsive to said motion data for controlling at least one illumination control parameter associated with the production of said first and second area-type fields of illumination produced from said first and second coextensive area-type illumination and imaging stations, respectively, and also controlling and/or coordinating other operations of said subsystems during system operation. 15. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein said at least one illumination parameter includes illumination mode and illumination intensity. 16. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises an area-type image sensing array having a field of view that spatially overlaps at least a portion of one said first and second coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zones, for detecting the motion of the object passing through the field of view of said are-type image sensing array during system operation. 17. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein said object motion detection subsystem comprises an IR-based subsystem projecting an IR-based beam through at least a portion of at least one said first and second coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zones, for detecting the motion of the object passing through said IR-based beam during system operation. 18. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said first and second arrays of light emitting devices comprises an array of incoherent light sources. 19. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 18, wherein said array of incoherent light sources comprises an array of light emitting diodes (LEDs). 20. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said first and second arrays of light emitting devices comprises an array of coherent light sources. 21. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 20, wherein said array of coherent light sources comprises an array of visible laser diodes (VLDs). 22. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein at least one of said first and second area-type fields of illumination comprises a narrow-band illumination produced from said array of light emitting devices. 23. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 22, wherein said narrow-band illumination is visible to the human vision system. 24. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein said first and second area-type image detection arrays comprises an area-type image sensing array selected from the group of a CMOS image sensing array and a CCD image sensing array. 25. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein said one or more code symbols comprise one or more bar code symbols selected from the group consisting of 1D bar code symbols, 2D bar code symbols and data matrix type bar code symbols. 26. The automatic digital image capturing and processing system of claim 14, wherein said system housing is mounted within a countertop surface at sale environment so that said first imaging window is substantially orthogonal with respect to said countertop surface, and second imaging window is substantially parallel to said countertop surface; and wherein said first and second coextensive area-type illumination and imaging zones are projected through said first and second imaging windows, respectively, prior to intersecting within said 3D imaging volume.
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