Metrologic Instruments, Inc.

Hand Held Products, Inc.

Honeywell International Inc.

Datamax-o'neil Corporation

Metrologic Instruemtns, Inc.

Jie Ren

Xiaoxun Zhu

C Harry Knowles

Anatoly Kotlarsky

Patrick Anthony Giordano

Michael L Veksland

Yong Liu

Tao Xian

Taylor Smith

Timothy A Good

Xi Tao

Duane Ellis

Steven Essinger

JiBin Liu

John Gardner

Sean Phillip Kearney

Ming Zhuo

David M Wilz

Ka Man Au

Mark C Schmidt

Michael Vincent Miraglia

John A Furlong

Christopher Allen

Mark Hernandez

Sudhin Mandal

Shawn De Foney

Nicholas Ciarlante

Weizhen Yan

Chen Feng

Yunxin Ouyang

Jun Lu

Haiming Qu

Jun Yin

Alain Gillet

Hui Li

Zhuling Wang

Ynjiun P Wang

Timothy P Meier

Rui Hou

Stephen Patrick Deloge

Jian Zhang

HongJian Jin

Qing Zhang

Miansong Chen

Li Liu

ZhiPeng Teng

Lin Wang

Paul Poloniewicz

Yuefeng Mo

Mikhail L Veksland

Si Qian

Qinrong Zhu

Feng Chen

Jean-Luc Basso

Guowu Zhao

Xiaozhi Yin

Konstantin Yakovlev

A single piece light pipe is designed to provide dual-field, multi-color, multi-directional illumination. The light pipe is combined with a single PCB having a plurality of LEDs to create a compact illuminator that can selectively provide dark field and bright field with red, green, blue color, broad spectrum, or combination of any color in horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or combination of any direction. The single piece light pipe is compact in size and light in weight. The non-closed form option not only can further reduce the weight but also can allow arrange opening area clearance for: (1) visual aiming and alignment in application, especially for hand held application; (2) reducing illumination crosstalk to unwanted directions; and for (3) mechanical integration. The improvements allow the illuminator to read direct product marking (DPM) type of barcodes.

Multi-functional optical illuminators

A multi-functional optical illuminator comprises: a light pipe () with an open frame structure for visual aiming of the illuminator to facilitate an alignment of a barcode; and a circuit board (), attached to a back opening of the light pipe (), comprising six dark field LEDs () for generating six dark field illuminations and two bright field LEDs () for generating bright field illuminations; wherein, the two bright field LEDs () produce two alternating point sources for providing bright field illuminations in different directions to minimize a specular reflection hot spot without using any diffuser during the bright field illuminations; wherein, chamfered inner edges of the light pipe () emit the dark field illuminations in different orientations from the light pipe (). The illuminator is designed to provide dual-field, multi-color, multi-directional illumination. The non-closed form option not only can further reduce the weight but also can allow arrange opening area clearance for: (1) visual aiming and alignment in application, especially for hand held application; (2) reducing illumination crosstalk to unwanted directions; and for (3) mechanical integration. The improvements allow the illuminator to read direct product marking (DPM) type of barcodes.

A method of decoding a color barcode involves simultaneously illuminating the color barcode with three light zones in a manner that illuminates each bar of the color barcode with each of the three spatially separated light zones, where the three light zones are each illuminated by a different one of three colors; capturing a monochrome image of light reflected off of the color barcode that includes each of the bars in the barcode illuminated by the three light zones; and for each bar in the color barcode, determining a color of the bar by analysis of the intensity of the light captured in the image of the reflected light intensity in each of the three light zones.

Decoding color barcodes

An aimer pattern projector assembly () includes an LED light source (), an LED aperture plate (), and a projector lens () disposed in front of and coaxial with the LED aperture plate () and the LED light source (). The LED light source (), aperture plate (), and projector lens () each have a central opening configured to accommodate and coaxially align with a line of sight of an imaging lens. The LED light source () can include two or more LEDs operably coupled to a PCB. A coaxial aimer imager assembly () can include an imaging lens-sensor module () and the aimer pattern projector assembly. A method for scanning includes generating a combined aimer pattern coaxially aligned with a line of sight of an image of the object.

Coaxial aimer for imaging scanner

Examples embodiments of a method and system for synchronizing active illumination pulses in a multi-sensor imager is provided. Example embodiments of the method disclosed herein include the provision of an illumination pulse for each of N sensors, each of N illumination pulses are set to have the same pulse period and active pulse width. Moreover, example embodiments include setting the active width pulse for each of the N illumination pulses to have maximum exposure time for each of N image sensors, and in further examples, ensuring that the time to capture a frame plus the time interval between subsequent image captures is the same for each sensor. In yet further examples, an offset period between subsequent frame synchronous signals is determined. In yet further example embodiments, an interval between frame captures is adjusted and a negative edge of the frame synchronous signal and an illumination pulse is aligned.

Method and system for synchronizing illumination timing in a multi-sensor imager

A system includes a verifier that is operationally integrated with a printer so as to configure one or more elements of the verifier to have a handshake arrangement with one or more elements of the printer when verifying a print quality of a barcode image during printing of the barcode image by the printer. The handshake arrangement can include various unidirectional and/or bidirectional communication signals that are propagated between the verifier and the printer so as to optimize various operational factors such as paper print speed, barcode image verification speed, and barcode verification result intimation. Barcode result intimation can include features such as providing a paper printout indicative of an unacceptable barcode image quality and/or providing a status message upon a display.

Systems and methods for barcode verification

An illuminator is provided, comprising a support frame arranged symmetrically around an optical axis of an optical sensor. The illuminator includes at least one light bar connected to the support frame. At least one light source is connected to the support frame, wherein each of the at least one light source is configured to direct light towards one of the opposing ends of one of the at least one light bar. The illuminator further includes a peripheral cover configured to receive light emitted from the front face of each of the at least one light bar. The peripheral cover is further configured to emit dark field illumination at a low incident angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis and to emit bright field illumination at a high incident angle with respect to the plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

Illuminator for a barcode scanner

A compact illuminator for a direct part marking (DPM) scanner is provided to perform dual-field, multi-color, multi-directional, multi-distance illumination functions. The illuminator can selectively provide dark field and bright field illumination with broad spectrum white or narrow band color, in combination with directions for near contact distance as well as far distance barcode readings. Specifically, illuminator includes a front edge illuminator with customized LED optics, a dome diffuser, an LED board assembly, and a reflective sleeve surrounding the dome diffuser. The board assembly can further include an alternative on/off plural point source bright field spot illuminating system. A method for scanning DPM indicia focuses on generating illumination light using an illumination assembly, illuminating the DPM indicia, detecting reflected and/or scattered light, and capturing under different illumination conditions and combining at least two consecutive images of the DPM indicia, followed by processing and decoding the obtained image.

Illuminator for DPM scanner

An indicia encoding system is disclosed herein that encodes integrated information on products and/or services selected for purchase and payment information for purchasing the selected products and/or services, in accordance with a variety of embodiments involving various methods, devices and systems. In one illustrative embodiment, a method may include entering purchase order information via one or more input/output components. The purchase order may include an indication for one or more products and/or one or more services. The method may also include entering payment information, including information on a method of payment, via one or more input/output components. The method may also include generating a machine-readable indicia that encodes both the purchase order information and the payment information, with the payment information in an encrypted form; and displaying the machine-readable indicia on a screen.

Indicia encoding system with integrated purchase and payment information

Illumination systems for illuminating objects to be read or imaged by optical readers, such barcode scanners and direct part marking (DPM) barcode readers, are provided. One implementation includes an illumination apparatus including a light source and a freeform lens having a cavity configured to at least partially surround the light source. The freeform lens is configured to provide both dark field illumination and bright field illumination to an object to be imaged.

Illumination apparatus for a barcode reader

Imaging devices and illuminating devices are provided. In one exemplary implementation, an imaging device comprises an optical sensor and an illuminator. The illuminator comprises a support frame and a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) connected to the support frame. A first set of LEDs of the plurality of LEDs is configured to provide dark field illumination at a high angle of incidence with respect to an object. The first set of LEDs is configured to provide illumination without the use of a light pipe, diffuser, or reflector. A second set of LEDs of the plurality of LEDs is configured to provide bright field illumination at a low angle of incidence with respect to the object. The second set of LEDs is configured to provide illumination without the use of a light pipe, diffuser, or reflector.

Illuminator for directly providing dark field and bright field illumination

An illumination assembly is provided for a direct part marking (DPM) scanner. The illumination assembly includes an LED assembly for generating a light output, an LED reflector mounted to the LED assembly and configured to receive at least a portion of the light output and to reflect at least the portion of the light output toward a region of interest, and a continuous aspheric cylindrical lens disposed forward of the LED reflector between the LED reflector and the region of interest. The portion of the light output reflected toward the region of interest is reflected onto the continuous aspheric cylindrical lens which then provides redistributed light to the region of interest. A dome diffuser assembly and direct part marking scanner are also provided.

Direct part marking scanners including dome diffusers with edge illumination assemblies

A reconfigurable sled for a mobile device with camera is provided. The reconfigurable sled may be moved into different configurations in order to facilitate either normal or specialized use. For example, in a first configuration, the mobile device's camera is unobstructed and imaging may proceed normally. In a second configuration, on the other hand, the camera's imaging direction may be repositioned by a reflective element in the camera's optical path. The reflective element provides feedback to the mobile device via visible markings that may be imaged by the camera and detected by the mobile device. If the mobile device determines that the mirror is in the optical path, then the mobile device may respond to accommodate the mirror and enable a function, like reading an indicium.

Reconfigurable sled for a mobile device

Growing community of inventors

Suzhou, China

Jie Ren