Metrologic Instruments, Inc.

Ian A Scott

Xiaoxun Zhu

David M Wilz

Timothy A Good

Ka Man Au

George B Rockstein

Robert E Blake

LeRoy Dickson

Carl Harry Knowles

Gennady Germaine

Thomas A Amundsen

Stephen J Colavito

Sankar Ghosh

George Kolis

Andrew D Dehennis

Michael Schnee

John Groot

C Harry Knowles

John A Furlong

Donald T Hudrick

Francis E Lodge

An automated tunnel-type scanning system arranged about a conveyor belt structure, including: a tunnel structure arranged about a conveyor belt structure for transporting packages; an omni-directional bar code symbol scanning subsystem; a package detection and dimensioning subsystem; and a data management subsystem. The package detection and dimensioning subsystem captures package measurement information about each detected package prior to the package being scanned by the omni-directional bar code symbol reading subsystem, and producing package measurement data representative of the captured package measurement information. The data management subsystem collects and queues package identification data and package measurement data, and automatically correlates both package measurement data and package identification data corresponding to each package transported through the tunnel structure so as to enable automated tracking and identification of packages being transported therethrough, in either singulated or non-singulated arrangements.

Automated tunnel-type scanning system enabling automated tracking and identification of packages transported therethrough

A fully automated package identification and measuring system, in which an omni-directional holographic scanning tunnel is used to read bar codes on packages entering the tunnel, while a package dimensioning subsystem is used to capture information about the package prior to entry into the tunnel. Mathematical models are created on a real-time basis for the geometry of the package and the position of the laser scanning beam used to read the bar code symbol thereon. The mathematical models are analyzed to determine if collected and queued package identification data is spatially and/or temporally correlated with package measurement data using vector-based ray-tracing methods, homogeneous transformations, and object-oriented decision logic so as to enable simultaneous tracking of multiple packages being transported through the scanning tunnel.

Automated method of and system for dimensioning objects over a conveyor belt structure by applying contouring tracing, vertice detection, corner point detection, and corner point reduction methods to two-dimensional range data maps of the space above the conveyor belt captured by an amplitude modulated laser scanning beam

Automated system and method for identifying and measuring packages transported through a laser scanning tunnel

Automated method of and system for identifying and measuring packages transported through a laser scanning tunnel

AUTOMATED METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR DIMENSIONING OBJECTS OVER A CONVEYOR BELT STRUCTURE BY APPLYING CONTOURING TRACING, VERTICE DETECTION, CORNER POINT DETECTION, AND CORNER POINT REDUCTION METHODS TO TWO-DIMENSIONAL RANGE DATA MAPS OF THE SPACE ABOVE THE CONVEYOR BELT CAPTURED BY AN AMPLITUDE MODULATED LASER SCANNING BEAM

AUTOMATED METHOD OF AND SYSTEM FOR DIMENSIONING OBJECTS TRANSPORTED THROUGH A WORK ENVIRONMENT USING CONTOUR TRACING, VERTICE DETECTION, CORNER POINT DETECTION, AND CORNER POINT REDUCTION METHODS ON TWO-DIMENSIONAL RANGE DATA MAPS CAPTURED BY AN AMPLITUDE MODULATED LASER SCANNING BEAM

AUTOMATED TUNNEL-TYPE LASER SCANNING SYSTEM EMPLOYING CORNER-PROJECTED ORTHOGONAL LASER SCANNING PATTERNS FOR ENHANCED READING OF LADDER AND PICKET FENCE ORIENTED BAR CODES ON PACKAGES MOVING THERETHROUGH

A bar code scanner is equipped with a keyboard emulation mechanism so as to provide an enhanced interface to a keyboard controller port of a computing device such as a personal or laptop computer. The keyboard emulation mechanism eliminates the necessity of connecting an actual computer keyboard to the port by responding to the computing device's standard power-on diagnostic procedure as if it were effectively an electrical equivalent of a computer keyboard. The keyboard emulation mechanism can also be equipped to detect a keyboard inhibit signal at the keyboard controller port. If the keyboard emulation mechanism detects a keyboard inhibit signal while a data byte is being transmitted to the keyboard controller port, the keyboard emulation mechanism retransmits this data byte to the keyboard controller port. The data byte may specify a scan code corresponding to a keyboard key press or all or part of a decoded bar code. This retransmission process is repeated up to a specified number of times, so as to provide additional opportunities for the scan code to be inputted to the keyboard controller port if the port is momentarily disabled by the keyboard inhibit signal. For many applications, it is advantageous to repeat the retransmission process up to three times for a given data byte. If the data byte is still not successfully received after the third attempt, the process is no longer repeated.

Techniques for interfacing a bar code scanner to a PC using a keyboard retransmit protocol

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Haddonfield, NJ, United States of America

Ian A Scott