The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 19, 2009
Filed:
Jul. 11, 2006
Constantine J. Tsikos, Voorhees, NJ (US);
Michael D. Schnee, Aston, PA (US);
Xiaoxun Zhu, Marlton, NJ (US);
Thomas Amundsen, Turnersville, NJ (US);
Charles A. Naylor, Sewell, NJ (US);
Russell Joseph Dobbs, Cherry Hill, NJ (US);
Carl Harry Knowles, Moorestown, NJ (US);
Constantine J. Tsikos, Voorhees, NJ (US);
Michael D. Schnee, Aston, PA (US);
Xiaoxun Zhu, Marlton, NJ (US);
Thomas Amundsen, Turnersville, NJ (US);
Charles A. Naylor, Sewell, NJ (US);
Russell Joseph Dobbs, Cherry Hill, NJ (US);
Carl Harry Knowles, Moorestown, NJ (US);
Metrologic Instruments, Inc., Blackwood, NJ (US);
Abstract
A hand-supportable linear-type planar laser illumination and imaging (PLIIM) based device comprising a linear image formation and detection (IFD) module having a linear array of image detection elements and also image formation optics having a field of view (FOV) focusing a linear image of an object onto the linear array of image detection elements. A pair of planar laser illumination arrays (PLIAs) is arranged on opposite sides of the linear image formation and detection module, and produces a plurality of spatially-incoherent planar laser illumination beam (PLIB) components that are optically combined with respect to other PLIB components so as to produce a composite planar laser illumination beam (PLIB) that is arranged in a coplanar relationship with at least a portion of the FOV. Each PLIA includes a plurality of planar laser illumination modules (PLIMs). Each PLIM includes a laser diode and beam focusing and diverging optics for producing one spatially-incoherent PLIB component. The composite PLIB produces a number of substantially different individual speckle noise patterns at the linear array of image detection elements during the photo-integration time period thereof. The speckle noise power observed at the linear array of image detection elements is reduced through temporal averaging of the individual speckle noise patterns during the photo-integration time period. By virtue of the present invention, it is now possible to use visible laser diodes (VLDs) to produce speckle-reduced images of objects suitable for OCR processing, while enjoying improved working distances offered by planar laser illumination techniques.