Bar code scanning assembly with cantilevered or torsionally vibrating flexural member
US5614706A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 13, 1996 |
| Grant date | Mar 25, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 13, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K2207/1016
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An optical scanner module, for use in a bar code reader, has an electromagnetic coil across which is disposed a thin flexible strip. Mounted to the center of the strip is an optical element, such as a lightweight mirror, and a magnetic element, such as a permanent magnet. When an AC signal is applied to the electromagnetic coil, a varying magnetic field is produced which interacts with the fixed magnetic field of the magnet causing the magnet and mirror assembly to flex the flexible strip (e.g., in a twisting motion), thereby changing the spatial orientation of the mirror. By suitably driving the electromagnetic coil, the mirror can be made to oscillate, thereby converting a laser beam directed onto the mirror into a scanning laser beam. The entire module is compact, inexpensive to manufacture, and robust. Additional robustness may be provided by incorporating shock-absorber material between the flexible strip and the electromagnetic coil, and protecting the mirror by covering the front surface of the scanner module with a transparent shield.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.