Metrologic Instruments, Inc.

Other

Sung Byun

Mark C Schmidt

Garrett K Russell

Xiaoxun Zhu

C Harry Knowles

Ka Man Au

John Bonanno

Thomas A Amundsen

Anatoly Kotlarsky

Yong Liu

Michael Schnee

Xi Tao

Sankar Ghosh

Rui Hou

Liang Liu

Hongpeng Yu

Wenhua Zhang

Pasqual Spatafore

Donald T Hudrick

David M Wilz

Patrick Anthony Giordano

George B Rockstein

Stephen J Colavito

Robert E Blake

Lin Wang

Congwei Xu

Min Jiang

Meng Hu

Hongjian Jin

MingQing Ji

Shamei Shi

Peter Bressler

Timothy A Good

Charles A Naylor

James C Nahill

Peter Byar

Zoey Juhng

Harry C Knowles

David M Witz, Sr

Frank J Travea

Ronald Jackson

Mathieu Turpault

Wenhua Room 203 Building 03 Zhang

Mark S Schmidt

Ming Qing Ji

Ming Jiang

Novel POS-based bar code symbol reading systems are disclosed having an integrated customer-kiosk terminal. Also disclosed are novel POS-Based Bar Code Reading Cash Register Systems having Integrated Internet-Enabled Customer-Kiosk Terminals.

POS-based code driven retail transaction system configured to enable the reading of code symbols on cashier and customer sides thereof, during a retail transaction being carried out at a point-of-sale (POS) station, and driven by a retail transaction application program

A wireless code symbol reading system including a wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader in two-way RF communication with a base station operably connected to a host system, by way of an RF-based wireless data communication link having a predetermined RF communication range over which two-way communication of data packets can occur. The wireless hand-supportable code symbol reader is programmed to automatically detect when it is located inside and outside of the predetermined RF communication range. When the wireless reader is inside the RF communication range, then symbol character data is automatically transmitted to the base station, and when the wireless reader is located outside of the RF communication range, then symbol character data is automatically collected and stored in a data packet buffer, until the wireless reader has re-entered its RF communication range.

Wireless code symbol reading system with automatic communication range dependent control

An ergonomic single-line compact laser bar code scanning system having a compact housing for hand-held disposition at a counter. The scanning system is automatically-activated and includes a bar code symbol reading mechanism contained within a hand-supportable housing having a manually-activatable data transmission switch formed integrally in the housing. During symbol reading operations, the bar code symbol reading mechanism automatically generates a visible laser scanning pattern for repeatedly reading one or more bar code symbols on an object during a bar code symbol reading cycle, and automatically generating a new symbol character data string in response to each bar code symbol read thereby. During system operation, the user visually aligns the visible laser scanning pattern with a particular bar code symbol on an object (e.g., product, bar code menu, etc.) so that the bar code symbol is detected, scanned, and decoded. The user depresses the data transmission switch to produce a data transmission control activation signal and enabling a currently or subsequently produced symbol character data string to be automatically selected and transmitted to a host system.

Hand-held compact ergonomic laser scanner with integrated scanner activation or data transmission switch in scanner housing

A method of reading bar code symbols using a digital-imaging based code symbol reading system employing an event-driven multi-tier modular software architecture and supporting automatic operating system login and loading of a bar code symbol reading application.

Method of reading bar code symbols using a digital-imaging based code symbol reading system employing an event-driven multi-tier modular software architecture and supporting automatic operating system login and loading of bar code symbol reading application

A method of reading bar code symbols comprising the steps of: (a) projecting an image cropping zone (ICZ) framing pattern within the FOV of an image sensing array during wide-area illumination and image capturing operation; (b) visually aligning an object to be imaged within the ICZ framing pattern; (c) forming and capturing an wide-area image of the entire FOV, which spatially encompasses the ICZ framing pattern aligned about the object to be imaged; (d) using automatic software-based image cropping algorithm to automatically crop the pixels within the spatial boundaries defined by the ICZ framing pattern, from those pixels contained in the entire wide-area image frame captured during step (c); and (e) automatically decode processing the image represented by the cropped image pixels in the ICZ framing pattern so as to read a 1D or 2D bar code symbol graphically represented therein.

Hand-supportable digital image-processing based bar code symbol reading system employing image cropping zone (ICZ) framing and post-image capture cropping

A portable digital image capturing and processing system comprising: an image formation and detection subsystem; a narrow-band illumination subsystem; a narrow-band transmission-type optical filter subsystem; an automatic light exposure measurement subsystem; and an automatic illumination control subsystem. The image formation and detection subsystem has an area-type image sensing array for detecting digital images of objects formed thereon by image formation optics providing a field of view (FOV) for the system. Within the FOV of the image formation and detection subsystem, the narrow-band illumination subsystem produces a field of narrow-band illumination consisting essentially of a narrow band of wavelengths of visible illumination. The narrow-band transmission-type optical filter subsystem transmits substantially only the narrow band of wavelengths of visible illumination produced from the narrow-band illumination subsystem, and rejects all other optical wavelengths outside the narrow band however generated by ambient illumination sources. The automatic light exposure measurement subsystem employs a photo-detector operated independently from the area-type image sensing array, for automatically measuring the light exposure incident upon a selected portion of the FOV, and producing an electrical signal representative of the light exposure measurement. The automatic illumination control subsystem responds to the electrical signal and controls the duration of narrow-band illumination produced from the narrow-band illumination subsystem.

Digital image capturing and processing system employing an area-type image sensing array exposed to narrow-band illumination from a narrow-band illumination subsystem for a time duration controlled using a photodetector operated independently from said area-type image sensing array

A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprises: an IR-based object presence and range detection subsystem; a area-type image formation and detection subsystem having an image capture modes of operation; a multi-mode led-based illumination subsystem for providing a narrow-band field of illumination; an automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem; an image capturing and buffering subsystem; a image-processing bar code symbol reading subsystem; an input/output subsystem; and a system control subsystem integrated with each of the above-described subsystems. The automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem has a light collecting element and a photodiode arranged within the hand-supportable housing, wherein incident illumination is collected from the predetermined portion of the FOV using the light collecting element, and then focused upon the photodiode for detection of the intensity of incident illumination and subsequent processing by the automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem.

Hand-supportable imaging based bar code symbol reader employing automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem integrated therein

A portable digital image capturing and processing system comprising: an image formation and detection subsystem; a narrow-band illumination subsystem; a narrow-band transmission-type optical filter subsystem; an automatic light exposure measurement subsystem; and an automatic illumination control subsystem. The image formation and detection subsystem has an area-type image sensing array for detecting digital images of objects formed thereon by image formation optics providing a field of view (FOV) for the system. Within the FOV of the image formation and detection subsystem, the narrow-band illumination subsystem produces a field of narrow-band illumination consisting essentially of a narrow band of wavelengths of visible illumination. The narrow-band transmission-type optical filter subsystem transmits substantially only the narrow band of wavelengths of visible illumination produced from the narrow-band illumination subsystem, and rejects all other optical wavelengths outside the narrow band however generated by ambient illumination sources. The automatic light exposure measurement subsystem employs a photo-detector operated independently from the area-type image sensing array, for automatically measuring the light exposure incident upon a selected portion of the FOV, and producing an electrical signal representative of the light exposure measurement. Only when all sensor elements in the image-sensing sensing array are activated and in state of integration, then narrow-band illumination is produced for illuminating objects in FOV of the system and simultaneously detected by a photo-detector for measuring light exposure within the FOV, and also by an area-type image sensing array for detecting a digital image of said illuminated object.

Method of reading code symbols using a hand-supportable digital image capturing and processing device employing a micro-computing platform supporting an event-driven multi-tier modular software architecture

Digital-imaging based code symbol reading system employing an event-driven multi-tier modular software architecture and supporting automatic operating system login and loading of a bar code symbol reading application.

Digital-imaging based code symbol reading system employing an event-driven multi-tier modular software architecture and supporting automatic operating system login and loading of code symbol reading application

A wireless automatically-activated bar code symbol reading system for use in a work environment, the system including a device controller programmed to automatically detect when a wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located inside of a predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of a detected reference signal, and thereupon to automatically transmit to a first RF-based transceiver, the symbol character data string produced while the wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located inside of the predetermined RF communication range. Also, the device controller is programmed to automatically detect when the wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located outside of the predetermined RF communication range based on measuring the strength of the detected reference signal, and thereupon to automatically collect and store in the data packet group buffer, the symbol character data string produced while the wireless hand-supportable bar code symbol reader is located outside of the predetermined RF communication range.

Automatically-activated wireless hand-supportable laser scanning bar code symbol reading system with automatic communication range dependent control

A hand-supportable automatic digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprises: an automatic object presence detection subsystem; an area-type image formation and detection subsystem having a narrow-area image-capture mode of operation; a LED-based illumination subsystem having narrow-area illumination mode of operation; an image capturing and buffering subsystem; and an image-processing bar code symbol reading subsystem. The automatic object presence detection subsystem automatically detects an object, and the LED-based illumination subsystem automatically illuminates the detected object in a field of narrow-area narrow-band illumination, while the area-type image formation and detection subsystem captures a narrow-area image thereof. The image-processing bar code symbol reading subsystem automatically and directly applies decode image processing operations on the captured image, in an outwardly-directed manner, referenced from the center of the captured narrow-area image, to automatically read a 1D bar code symbol on the detected object.

Automatic hand-supportable image-based bar code symbol reader having image-processing based bar code reading subsystem employing simple decode image processing operations applied in an outwardly-directed manner referenced from the center of a captured narrow-area digital image of an object bearing a 1D bar code symbol

A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprises: an IR-based object presence and range detection subsystem; a multi-mode area-type image formation and detection subsystem having narrow-area and wide area image capture modes of operation; a multi-mode LED-based illumination subsystem having narrow-area and wide area illumination modes of operation; an automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem; an image capturing and buffering subsystem; a multi-mode image-processing bar code symbol reading subsystem; an input/output subsystem; a manually-activatable trigger switch; and a system control subsystem integrated with each of the above-described subsystems. The digital imaging-based bar code reading device employs a multi-mode bar code symbol reading image processor that is dynamically reconfigurable in response to real-time image analysis carried out upon captured narrow and wide area images.

Hand-supportable imaging-based auto-discriminating 1D/2D bar code symbol reader employing a multi-mode image processing bar code symbol reading subsystem having a plurality of modes of operation which are dynamically reconfigurable in response to real-time image analysis

A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device comprises: an automatic object presence and range detection subsystem; an area-type image formation and detection subsystem having a CMOS area-type image detection array, and narrow-area and wide area image capture modes of operation; an LED-based illumination subsystem having LED arrays, and narrow-area and wide area illumination modes of operation; an automatic light exposure measurement and illumination control subsystem; an image capturing and buffering subsystem; and an image-processing bar code symbol reading subsystem. The LED arrays associated with the LED-based illumination subsystem are automatically driven in a precise manner to globally expose the CMOS area-type image detection array with LED-based illumination only when substantially all of its rows of pixels are in a state of integration and have a common integration time, thereby enabling the image capturing and buffering subsystem to capture high quality images independent of the relative motion between the hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reading device and the object.

Hand-supportable imaging-based bar code symbol reader employing a CMOS-type image sensor using global exposure techniques

A hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reader employing an event-driven system control subsystem, automatic IR-based object detection, and a trigger-switch activated image capture and processing subsystem.

Hand-supportable digital imaging-based bar code symbol reader employing an event-driven system control subsystem, automatic IR-based object detection, and trigger-switch activated image capture and processing subsystem

An automatically-activated laser scanning 2-D bar code symbol reading system employing a visible linear-type laser scanning pattern and an audible feedback signal during scan data capturing and buffering operations. The system includes a laser scanning 2-D bar code symbol reading mechanism that automatically produces a visible linear-type laser scanning pattern for scanning a 2-D bar code symbol structure on an object as its hand-supportable housing is manually transported past a 2-D bar code symbol along a height-wise direction by an operator, automatically capturing lines of scan data from the scanned 2-D bar code symbol structure, decode processing the scan data, and generating a symbol character data string representative of the read 2-D bar code symbol.

Automatically-activated laser scanning 2D bar code symbol reading system employing a visible linear-type laser scanning pattern and an audible feedback signal during scan data capturing and buffering operations

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Cherry Hill, NJ, United States of America

Sung Byun