Intermec IP Corporation

Hand Held Products, Inc.

Reflexion Plus

United Barcode Industries Scanner Technology Center

Jean-Michel Puech

Jean-Louis Massieu

Serge Thuries

Khalid El Akel

Patrick Reuze

Christophe Dumontier

H Sprague Ackley

Khalid Elakel

Alain Gillet

Jean-Pierre Stang

Vincent Bessettes

Patrice Thebault

Bernard Serres

Pierre-Marie Manine

Jean-Luc Basso

Michael W Dant

Christophe Lopez

Pierre Cabrera

Mustapha Krichi

Philippe Lac

A linear actuator assembly has a linear actuator including a motor shaft extending from a base with a piezoelectric component oscillate the shaft. The shaft has a faceted surface. A movable carriage has a notch with at least one flat surface that receives the shaft of the linear actuator. The carriage is in direct and continuous contact with the motor shaft at the notch such that the motor shaft's facet is in contact with the flat surface of the notch, when the carriage moves linearly along a travel axis. A spring is coupled to the carriage to urge the motor shaft into contact with the notch of the carriage so as to maintain contact between the motor shaft facet and the flat surface of the notch to inhibit rotation of the motor shaft.

Angular motor shaft with rotational attenuation

A device permitting multiple focusable fields of view, such as a universal bar code scanner that can read bar code symbols at both near and far distances for a range of X-dimensions, is described. The scanner uses an adjustable optical imaging system that has at least two different focused fields of view. In one embodiment, the optimal field of view for a target object can be automatically selected with the use of a range finder.

Multiple focusable fields of view, such as a universal bar code symbol scanner

An automatic data collection device is provided for reading barcodes, matrix codes, stacked codes, or other machine-readable symbol. The data collection device generates an aiming beam that serves a dual purpose of target locating and data acquisition, such as data acquisition using imaging methods. The aiming beam defines the field of view of the data collection device for imaging. The illumination pattern provided by the aiming beam for imaging can have its shape, size, and/or intensity adaptively changed depending on conditions.

Functional aiming system for an automatic data collection device, such as an image acquisition device

A system and method for acquiring a machine-readable symbol are disclosed. Briefly described, one embodiment comprises receiving at least one scan line of a codeword row, determining a number of codewords of the codeword row, and collapsing an initialization symbol matrix into a partially-collapsed machine-readable symbol matrix based upon the determined number of codewords. Once the number of rows in the machine-readable symbol are determined, the partially collapsed machine-readable symbol matrix is further collapsed to the determined number of codeword rows.

System and method of acquiring a machine-readable symbol

The invention relates to a device and a process for acquiring bichromatic bar codes, with a two-dimensional sensor with electronic scanning. The height Hy of the scanned portion is modified between at least two successive scanning operations. Thus, the device is or may be adapted to the type and/or to characteristics not known in advance of the code to be read.

Optoelectronic device and process for acquiring symbols, such as bar codes, using a two-dimensional sensor

A process for detection of straight-line segments in a stream of digital data that are representative of an image (m, n) in which the contour points of said image each defined by the modulus and the orientation &#x3b8; of their gradient in relation to a horizontal axis are identified. The stream of digital data is stored in the form of two successive lines, each of n points P(i, j), for each of the lines the n points of said line are extracted successively, and for each point Pc(i, j) extracted, the so-called current point, the three points having inferior coordinates Pa(i&#x2212;l, j&#x2212;l), Pb(i, j&#x2212;l), Pd(i&#x2212;l, j) directly neighbouring said current point are extracted, successively the value of the orientation of the current point Pc is compared with that of the neighbouring points Pa, Pb and Pd. The values of the orientations of the points Pb and Pd are compared, the result of a comparison is validated if the points are contour points and if the values of their orientation are close. Moreover, when the result of a comparison is validated the coordinates of the point of the connection having inferior coordinates are copied over to those of the point having superior coordinates, it is verified whether solely the point Pa(i&#x2212;l, j&#x2212;l) is a contour point amongst the four points Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd extracted, and in the affirmative case the coordinates of the origin point and of the final point and the orientation of the straight-line segment, if its size is greater than a predetermined threshold, are saved.

Process and device for detection of straight-line segments in a stream of digital data that are representative of an image in which the contour points of said image are identified

A process for detection of straight-line segments in a stream of digital data that are representative of an image (m, n) in which the contour points of said image each defined by the modulus and the orientation &#x3b8; of their gradient in relation to a horizontal axis are identified. The stream of digital data is stored in the form of two successive lines, each of n points P(i, j), for each of the lines the n points of said line are extracted successively, and for each point Pc(i, j) extracted, the so-called current point, the three points having inferior coordinates Pa(i&#x2212;1, j&#x2212;1), Pb(i, j&#x2212;1), Pd(i&#x2212;1, j) directly neighboring said current point are extracted, successively the value of the orientation of the current point Pc is compared with that of the neighboring points Pa, Pb and Pd. The values of the orientations of the points Pb and Pd are compared, the result of a comparison is validated if the points are contour points and if the values of their orientation are close. Moreover, when the result of a comparison is validated the coordinates of the point of the connection having inferior coordinates are copied over to those of the point having superior coordinates, it is verified whether solely the point Pa(i&#x2212;1, j&#x2212;1) is a contour point amongst the four points Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd extracted, and in the affirmative case the coordinates of the origin point and of the final point and the orientation of the straight-line segment, if its size is greater than a predetermined threshold, are saved.

A process for detection of straight-line segments in a stream of digital data that are representative of an image (m, n) in which the contour points of said image each defined by the modulus and the orientation &thgr; of their gradient in relation to a horizontal axis are identified. The stream of digital data is stored in the form of two successive lines, each of n points P(i, j), for each of the lines the n points of said line are extracted successively, and for each point Pc(i, j) extracted, the so-called current point, the three points having inferior coordinates Pa(i&minus;1, j&minus;1), Pb(i, j&minus;1), Pd(i&minus;1, j) directly neighbouring said current point are extracted, successively the value of the orientation of the current point Pc is compared with that of the neighbouring points Pa, Pb and Pd. The values of the orientations of the points Pb and Pd are compared, the result of a comparison is validated if the points are contour points and if the values of their orientation are close. Moreover, when the result of a comparison is validated the coordinates of the point of the connection having inferior coordinates are copied over to those of the point having superior coordinates, it is verified whether solely the point Pa(i&minus;1, j&minus;1) is a contour point amongst the four points Pa, Pb, Pc, Pd extracted, and in the affirmative case the coordinates of the origin point and of the final point and the orientation of the straight-line segment, if its size is greater than a predetermined threshold, are saved.

Optoelectronic device for acquisition of images, in particular of bar codes

An optoelectronic device for acquisition of images, such as images of bar codes, includes a case which contains an electronic scanning sensor, an illumination source and optics including a diaphragm that permit the formation of images on the sensor. The optics include at least two diopters disposed between the diaphragm and the sensor. For example, the diopters may take the form of a revolved symmetrical lens, the useful part of which is convex, and a cylindrical lens which does not create any deflection in a plane parallel to the optical plane, and is convergent in a plane perpendicular to the parallel plane.

The invention concerns an oplo-electronic device for acquisition of images of codes in one and two dimensions, comprising an electronic sensor constituted by a high-resolution photosensitive matrix, an analog/digital converter to convert the data emitted from the electronic sensor, and an image acquisition and processing module, comprising a preprocessing module and two processing modules, forming a pipe-line type architecture. The preprocessing module, acts in synchronous mode on the flow of digital data and implements simple image-processing operations. A number of cabled processing units can form the preprocessing modules. The processing modules, are constituted by programmable modules acting in asynchronous mode on the data emitted from the preceding module and stored in alternative manner in two memory blocks. The programmable modules are programmed to perform processing operations culminating in the obtaining of normalized data that are representative of the information &ldquo;coded&rdquo; in the captured code.

Opto-electronic device for acquisition of images of codes in one and two dimensions

Hand held bar code scanner

A barcode label reader comprises a read window having a longer dimension parallel to an X axis and a lens system with an optical axis Y substantially normal to the window at its center which projects a conjugate image of a read line of the label onto a CCD type strip which is scanned sequentially to form a signal representing the barcode carried by the label. A strip of light-emitting diodes is disposed outside the X-Y plane to illuminate the label through the read window. A prismlike lens in the form of two refractors separated by a slot in the X-Y plane deflects the beam emitted by this strip so that it is substantially parallel to the X-Y plane. Thus, the depth of field of the reader is limited only by the aperture of the lens system.

Growing community of inventors

Toulouse, France

Jean-Michel Puech