United States Postal Service

Laitram, LLC

John M Dunlop

Matthew L Fourney

Scott R Bombaugh

Eric M Pressler

Stephen G Wargo

This disclosure defines systems, methods and apparatus for imaging systems for scanning barcodes and images in a manual distribution environment. In one aspect a method is disclosed for expanding the effective field of view of a camera used in an overhead scanning system. The method may include moving a mirror positioned relative to the input of a camera according to a determined pattern of movement and a determined speed and capturing a series of images with the camera while the mirror is moving such that the field of view defining each image captured by the camera changes based on the position of the mirror. The method may further include using combined image data from each of the images in the series of images to process machine readable information located on a target item being imaged.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for overhead scanning of images in a manual distribution environment

This disclosure defines systems, methods and apparatus for scanning in a distribution environment. In one aspect a method is disclosed for expanding a field of view of a camera. The method may include moving a mirror according to a determined pattern of movement and speed and capturing a series of images with a camera while the mirror is moving such that the field of view defining images captured by the camera changes based on the position of the mirror. The method may further include using image data from the series of images to process information located on a target item being imaged. In another aspect, an apparatus is disclosed including a selectively movable mirror positioned relative to an image capture device. A controller is configured to capture an image while the mirror is moving.

A package-culling conveyor system and a method for culling flat packages from a bulk flow of flat and non-flat packages. The conveyor system includes a tilted conveyor belt that conveys flat packages along its length while non-flat packages tumble off its lower side edge to initially cull flat packages from a bulk flow of packages. Retention means, such as a high-friction outer conveying surface or a raised barrier along the length of the outer conveying surface of the tilted conveyor belt, holds flat packages on the tilted conveyor belt. The initially separated packages are more fully culled in a conveyor comprising a roller conveyor belt with package-supporting belt rollers rotated in a direction to push packages sidewise toward a culling element that extends along the length of the roller conveyor belt. Examples of culling elements include powered rollers and vertical walls forming side guards. The powered roller lifts the contact side of non-flat packages to free flat packages underneath. The belt rollers push the flat packages under the culling elements and off the side of the roller belt. The culling elements block the non-flat packages from exiting laterally off the side of the roller belt so that they are conveyed off the exit end of the roller belt separate from the flat packages.

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Gaithersburg, MD, United States of America

John M Dunlop