Omniplanar, Inc.

United Parcel Service of America, Inc.

Other

Hillier Technologies Limited Partnership

O'neill Communications, Inc.

Ommiplanar Inc.

Donald G Chandler

Eric P Batterman

Govind Shah

Raymond W Simpson

John Bowers

Robert H Dunphy, Jr

David Goodwin Shaw

Steve J Nossen

A leg support apparatus is herein provided for use in the health care industry for the treatment and rehabilitation of persons having leg injuries. The apparatus includes a vertical support member having a base and a clamp which is slideably positionable on the vertical support member. The clamp is pivotably coupled to at least one cradle having a sling member. The sling member is independently pivotally coupled to the cradle permitting the sling member to tilt in an arc up and down, depending of the need of the patient. The adjustability of the vertical support assembly further provides for greater positioning thereby increasing the general comfort of the patient while providing for the patient's medical needs.

Leg support apparatus

A hand-held bar code reader includes a laser scanning module and a two dimensional image sensor and processing for reading a bar code. The laser scanner assists the 2D image processing by providing information on location, type, range, reflectivity, and presence of bar code for 2D reading. Additionally, the 2D imaging reading operation is improved by using the laser scan as a spotter beam for aiming.

Hand-held bar code reader with laser scanning and 2D image capture

A method and system for acquiring an optical target affixed to a surface of a package with an optical scanning device. Height information associated with the height of the surface of the package is sensed and a height signal representative of a scanning distance between the optical target and the optical scanning device is generated. The package surface is scanned with the optical scanning device to generate an optical target input signal. The optical target input signal is converted in accordance with a first sampling frequency to provide a converted input signal, and a second resampling frequency is adjusted in accordance with the height signal. The converted input signal is reconverted in accordance with the second resampling frequency to generate a frequency shifted optical target signal, and the optical target on the surface of the package is acquired in accordance with the frequency shifted optical target signal.

Frequency shifter for acquiring an optical target

A method for determining degrees of freedom of an object, and in particular, to a device for determining up to six degrees of freedom of a head mount display and a handle. A first camera is attached to a head mount display and senses an optically modulated target. The first camera's video output signal is processed with a digital computer to determine the position and orientation of the head mount display. A second camera is attached to a head mount display and senses an optically modulated target attached to a handle. The second camera's video output signal is processed with a digital computer to determine the position and orientation of the handle.

Method and apparatus for determining position and orientation

A method for determining up to six degrees of freedom of a camera relative to a reference frame comprises sensing an optically modulated target with the camera and processing the camera's video output signal with a digital computer. The target may have a single pattern, multiple patterns, or patterns of varying size. Multiple targets may also be used. A very wide field of view camera may be used in conjunction with a method for removing geometric distortion from the camera's view. Target patterns may be transmissive, reflective, or retroreflective, or may actively emit light. Asymmetric patterns are used to eliminate ambiguity in the recovery of the degrees of freedom.

Method and apparatus for determining degrees of freedom of a camera

A bar code reader includes a first and second memory arrangement in which a two dimensional image containing the image of a bar code symbol at a random location and orientation is stored in a first memory. Thereafter, the contents of the first memory is processed by a specialized controller to determine whether any portion of the stored image is likely to contain a bar code symbol, and if so, at what location. If a bar code symbol is located, then the portion of the image stored in the first memory which has been identified as likely to contain a bar code symbol is transferred to a second memory. In the second memory, the stored image is processed by a digital signal processor in order to orient, filter and scan the stored bar code image. The present dual processor, dual memory arrangement permits the performance and cost of an omnidirectional bar code reader to be optimized by chosing the memory type and the particular processor most suitable to the processing algorithm for each of the bar code image processing tasks.

Dual processor omnidirectional bar code reader with dual memory for bar

A hand-held bar code reader with a two dimensional image sensor for omnidirectional bar code reading, includes variable imaging optics, and flash illumination with variable flash illumination optics. A spotter beam is provided for aiming the hand held bar code reader at a bar code symbol. The spotter beam is also used to measure the range to said bar code from said hand held bar code reader and to determine the focal length of said variable imaging optics and variable flash illumination optics. The imaging optics are adjusted automatically to provide the correct magnification and focus of a bar code regardless of range to the label. The variable focal length flash illumination optics are used to concentrate illumination energy only in the field of view of the bar code reader. The flash illumination energy is conserved by measuring the ambient light and setting the level of flash illumination energy in accordance with the measured level of ambient light. In such manner, conventional, damaged, multiple, and stacked bar codes symbols along with true two dimensional codes may be rapidly read over distances from under one foot to over several feet without having to align the bar code reader to the bar code.

Omnidirectional wide range hand held bar code reader

A bar code reader includes an image capture means for storing a two dimensional image in memory, which stored image may include a bar code symbol within the field of view of said image. The present bar code reader further includes method and apparatus for determining the location and orientation of said bar code symbol within the field of view of said image, and then filtering said located and oriented bar code symbol along an axis perpendicular to said detected orientation. Thereafter, the filtered bar code symbol is scanned and applied to a decoder to produce a decoded bar code output.

System for locating and determining the orientation of bar codes in a

An optical target is acquired by an optical scanning system according to an in-band target frequency in an input signal from an optical scanning device. Both the in-band energy level and the out-of-band energy level of the input signal from the optical scanning device are determined. These two energy levels are compared and a possible detection of the target is determined according to this comparison. A minimum threshold of in-band energy is required in order for the possible detection to be confirmed.

System and method for acquiring an optical target

A bar code reader utilizing a two dimensional image capture optical system, includes a method and apparatus for distinguishing a preferred bar code out a plurality of bar codes within the field of view of the bar code reader. The method and apparatus for distinguishing a preferred bar code includes placing a special pattern proximate to the bar code to be distinguished. In one embodiment, a predetermined pattern at a predetermined location and orientation relative to the bar code is placed on a label. The reader includes means for detecting the presence of the predetermined pattern after the bar code has been located. The bar code reader first locates each of the plurality of bar codes, and then checks each located bar code to determine whether the predetermined pattern is present. If the predetermined pattern is detected, then the corresponding located bar code is scanned and decoded as the preferred bar code.

Method and apparatus for distinguishing a preferred bar code or the like

A label and a process are provided for encoding target acquisition information and data information on an optically readable label at different resolutions. A multiplicity of cells is arranged in a regular pattern wherein each cell in the pattern may have one of at least two different optical properties to permit acquisition information encoding of the cells. Target acquisition information is encoded in the cells at a low resolution by assigning one of the plurality of optical properties to the cells in the pattern. The information-encoded cells are divided into a plurality of subcells. Data information is encoded at a high resolution in the subcells of the information-encoded cells.

Low resolution target acquisition

A multiple resolution optically encoded label is readable at two or more optical resolutions, and is able to store two or more respective channels of optically encode information. Low resolution information is encoded in a plurality of large cells arranged in a predetermined geometric pattern. Each of the large cells includes a plurality of smaller cells for storing high resolution information. Method and apparatus are disclosed for encoding both high resolution data, and low resolution data, as well as for finding and reading both high resolution and low resolution data.

System method and apparatus using multiple resolution machine readable

An optically encoded information bearing label containing a two dimensional array of data cells includes a finder pattern comprising a plurality of spots arranged in a predetermined geometric pattern substantially analogous to the predetermined geometric pattern of said two dimensional array of data cells. The finder pattern is detected by first scanning the image area to detect spots. The locations of detected spots are compared to the known geometry of the finder pattern in order to provide for rapid and reliable finding of the finder pattern and the information bearing label. Additionally, the detected finder pattern spots provide information for decoding the two dimensional data array in order to compensate for label magnification, tilt and other distortions.

Finder pattern for optically encoded machine readable symbols

A bar code reader includes an optical system for storing a two dimensional image in memory, which stored two dimensional image contains a bar code symbol. A method and apparatus is disclosed for detecting the location of said bar code image by computing the accumulated sum of the products of the derivatives of respective first and second scan lines as a location score for the image under consideration. The higher the location score, the higher the probability that the area under consideration contains a bar code image. Also, a method and apparatus is disclosed for determining the fine orientation of a located bar code image by the cross-correlation of interpolated scan line data. The bar code image is filtered by shifting interpolated scan line data in accordance with the detected peak of the cross-correlation and combining the shifted scan line data.

Omnidirectional bar code reader with method and apparatus for detecting

A multiple resolution optically encoded label is readable at two more optical resolutions, and is able to store two or more respective channels of optically encoded information. Low resolution information is encoded in a plurality of large cells arranged in a predetermined geometric pattern. Each of the large cells includes a plurality of smaller cells for storing high resolution information. Method and apparatus are disclosed for encoding both high resolution data, and low resolution data, as well as for finding and reading both high resolution and low resolution data.

Growing community of inventors

Princeton, NJ, United States of America

Donald G Chandler