Symbol Technologies, LLC

Zebra Technologies Corporation

Eugene B Joseph

Duanfeng He

Mehul M Patel

Bradley S Carlson

Joseph M Katz

Mark E Drzymala

Jerome Swartz

Howard M Shepard

Arman Nikzad

Edward D Barkan

Mark Correa

Yajun Li

Thomas D Bianculli

Kevin D Hunter

Richard Watson

Peizheng Ma

John Mason

Darran Michael Handshaw

David P Goren

Raj Bridgelall

Chinh Tan

Allan Perry Herrod

James Robert Fuccello

Rong Liu

Joseph Cai

Paul R Poloniewicz

Robert W DiGiovanna

Theodosios Pavlidis

Miguel Orlando Rodriguez Ortiz

Edward Douglas Hatton

Mark D Anderson

Donald E Schafer

Przemyslaw Kowalewski

Kefei Lu

Steven Kramp

Paul Dvorkis

Mark J Krichever

Ron Goldman

Miroslav Trajkovic

Christopher Warren Brock

David Tsi Shi

Dariusz J Madej

William C Sackett

Brad Carlson

Ming Yu

Theo Pavlidis

Dongqing Chen

Bruno Vande Vyvre

Roland W F Lee

Warren Zuelch

Rubin Gelles

Kefie Lu

Thomas M Stankelis

Jim Li

William John Sakoda

A method of activating an illumination assembly within a symbology reader is provided, the illumination assembly having a first illumination source and a second illumination source, the symbology reader having an imaging sensor configured to operate at a predetermined framerate where each frame includes an exposure period over which the imaging sensor is active to capture image data and a non-exposure period over which the imaging sensor is not active to capture image data, the method comprising: during a first frame, activating the first illumination source during at least a portion of the respective exposure period and activating the second illumination source over at least a portion of the respective non-exposure period; and during a second frame, activating the second illumination source during at least a portion of the respective exposure period and activating the first illumination source over at least a portion of the respective non-exposure period.

Flicker mitigation for multiple interspersed illumination systems

Methods and apparatus to locate and decode an arranged plurality of barcodes in an image are disclosed. An example method includes obtaining image data representing an image of an environment appearing within a FOV of an imaging device that includes the image sensor, wherein an arranged plurality of barcodes appear in the image. A first subset of the plurality of barcodes is decoded from the image data. One or more parameters representing a predicted arrangement of the plurality of barcodes in the image is determined based upon location information associated with each of the decoded first subset of the plurality of barcodes. Possible locations for respective ones of a second subset of the plurality of barcodes are determined based upon the one or more parameters, and the second subset of the plurality of barcodes are attempted to be decoded from the image data in vicinities of the respective possible locations.

Methods and apparatus to locate and decode an arranged plurality of barcodes in an image

Methods and apparatus to locate barcodes in color images are disclosed. An example method includes: obtaining a color digital image using an image sensor, the image including a plurality of pixels represented by respective ones of a plurality of luminance components and respective ones of a plurality of color components; determining, based on the luminance components, a plurality of barcode indicative characteristics for respective ones of a plurality of regions of the image; determining, based on the plurality of color components, a plurality of color content amounts for respective ones of the plurality of regions; identifying one or more regions of the plurality of regions that have their respective color content amount satisfy a first criteria, and their respective barcode indicative characteristic satisfy a second criteria; and processing image data corresponding to each of the one or more regions to attempt to identify one or more barcodes in the image.

Methods and apparatus to locate barcodes in color images

Methods and apparatus to determine barcode decoding parameters for a plurality of barcodes in an image are disclosed. An example method includes: obtaining image data representing an image including a plurality of barcodes; decoding a first barcode of the plurality of barcodes from the image data; determining a set of barcode decoding parameters used to successfully decode the first barcode; determining whether the plurality of barcodes encoded using at least one of a same barcode size, a same module size, or a same barcode format; and when the plurality of barcodes are encoded using at least one of the same barcode size, the same module size, or the same barcode format, attempting to decode all remaining barcodes of the plurality of barcodes from the image data using first the set of barcode decoding parameters.

Methods and apparatus to determine barcode decoding parameters for a plurality of barcodes in an image

Example methods and apparatus to read barcodes on reflective surfaces are disclosed herein. An example method for handling a reflective surface in an imaging reader includes capturing one or more images of a surface of an item; detecting whether a specular reflection is present in the one or more images; when a specular reflection is detected, processing one or more additional images of the surface using a predetermined pattern of first processing suitable to identify a barcode on a reflective surface and second processing suitable to identify a barcode on a non-reflective surface; and when a specular reflection is not detected, processing one or more additional images of the surface using the second processing suitable to identify a barcode on a non-reflective surface.

Methods and apparatus to read barcodes on reflective surfaces

An array of pixels of a solid-state imaging sensor having a rolling shutter is sequentially exposed to capture images from an illuminated DPM target over successive frames for image capture by an imaging reader. The DPM target is illuminated at an elevated output power level for a fractional time period of a frame, and is not illuminated for at least a portion of a remaining time period of the frame for increased energy efficiency. Only a sub-array of the pixels is exposed during the fractional time period in which the DPM target is being illuminated at the elevated output power level.

System for, and method of, controlling illumination of direct part marking (DPM) targets to be read by image capture

A method of operating a workstation includes capturing multiple monitoring images each being captured with the imaging sensor while the illumination light source is energized during one of multiple short exposure-time-periods, and detecting a checkup-condition that includes analyzing the multiple monitoring images to determine the presence of any adverse feature on workstation's window. Each of the multiple short exposure-time-periods is shorter than four times of a threshold exposure-time-period but no shorter than 25% of the threshold exposure-time-period. The threshold exposure-time-period is a minimal exposure-time-period needed for the imaging sensor to capture recognizable patterns of a barcode that is in directing contacting with the window while the illumination light source is energized.

Detecting window deterioration on barcode scanning workstation

A method includes transmitting from at least one of the imaging sensors to a controller a short frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a first illumination level. The method further includes transmitting subsequently from the at least one of the imaging sensors to the controller a regular frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a second illumination level that is determined based upon the short frame data. The size of the regular frame data being at least 50 times larger than the size of the short frame data.

Method and apparatus for controlling illumination

An apparatus includes a diffusive plate that is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of an imaging lens arrangement and covers a side face of a solid rectangular defining a volume space within which parts of a scan engine are deposited. The parts of the scan engine including at least the illumination light source, the imaging lens arrangement, an imaging sensor, and a controller for controlling both the illumination light source and the imaging sensor. The diffusive plate includes a first opening to allow light enter the imaging lens arrangement through the first opening. The area enclosed by the boundary of the diffusive plate substantially equal to the area of the side face of the solid rectangular.

Diffuser engine for barcode imaging scanner

A multicamera imaging-based bar code reader for imaging a target bar code on a target object features: a housing supporting a plurality of transparent windows and defining an interior region, a target object being presented to the plurality of windows for imaging a target bar code; an imaging system including a plurality of camera assemblies coupled to an image processing system, each camera assembly of the plurality of camera assemblies being positioned within the housing interior position. Each camera assembly includes a sensor array and an imaging lens assembly for focusing a field of view of the camera assembly onto the sensor array and wherein the sensor array is read out at a predetermined frame rate. The predetermined frame rate of at least one camera assembly is less than the predetermined frame rates of the other camera assemblies.

Multiple camera imaging-based bar code reader

A solid-state imager is mounted at a point-of-transaction workstation for capturing images of one- and two-dimensional indicia and is operated at high speed to resist image blurring due to relative movement between the target and the imager. Dedicated hardware assistance and computation resources are allocated to decode multiple, continuous and simultaneous video streams from multiple imagers at the workstation.

Point-of-transaction workstation for electro-optically reading one-dimensional and two-dimensional indicia by image capture

A method and imaging assembly () are disclosed adapted for reading a target object comprising a scan engine () having a sensor (), focusing optics (), and an imager (). The scan engine includes a field-of-view defining an area to be imaged by the imaging assembly (). A housing () internally lodges the scan engine () and an illumination source (). The illumination source () is adapted to project illumination from the housing (). A boot () extends from the housing () for shaping the illumination as it passes through the boot to form an illumination pattern from the illumination. The illumination pattern substantially conforms to a geometrical shape of the boot () and is adapted to envelope the scan engine field-of-view.

Imaging-based reader having smart illumination

The exemplary system requires a 2D barcode be located on an object, a portion of which is to be captured in an image. The module size of the 2D barcode is chosen to match the smallest feature to be preserved on the output image. While the target is moving with respect to the imager the 2D bar code is also moving and the resulting image is degraded. The imager will properly decode the 2D barcode only if the bar code is stationary (or moving very slowly) and hence will provide an acceptable image in the region of the 2D bar code.

Increasing imaging quality of a bar code reader

An optical code reading system includes an imaging engine having an illuminating assembly for illuminating a potential target area; an imaging assembly including an imaging sensor for acquiring a native image of a potential target area; and circuitry for converting the native image of a potential target area to a data signal and outputting the data signal. The data signal includes potential target area data indicative of low and high resolution representations of the native image; and at least one processor that includes means for receiving the data signal and separating the potential target area data included within the data signal into at least first and second groups of pixels indicative of the low and high resolution representations. The processor may also receive intermediate resolution representations. A corresponding imaging engine and processors capable of implementing the method of separating the high, low and intermediate resolution representations are also disclosed.

Optical code reading system and method for processing multiple resolution representations of an image

Growing community of inventors

Coram, NY, United States of America

Eugene B Joseph