Method and apparatus for the reading of a bar code

US6073847A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• SICK AG · DE

Inventors

• Jurgen Reichenbach · Emmendingen, DE
• Hubert Uhl · Waldkirch, DE
• Peter Hauser · Kirkland, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 19, 1998
• Grant date: Jun 13, 2000
• Expiry date: Mar 19, 2018

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06K7/14
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method is described for the reading of a bar code consisting of a predetermined number of code elements for the generation of a binary signal with sequential high and low phases, the lengths of which correspond to the width of the sequential code elements, in particular with a reading direction extending obliquely to the code elements. The code elements are sensed by one or more sensing beams of a bar code reader along scanning lines extending substantially parallel to one another, with each region of a code element scanned by a scanning line forming a code element section. For substantially each scanning line those code segments which consist of a code element section, or a plurality of sequential code element sections, are detected, which are recognized as permissible code segments on the basis of preset decision criteria. A reference code element is found from mutually associated code element sections, each representing the same code element of the bar code for different scanning lines, and the binary signal is produced from the reference code elements. Furthermore, an apparatus is described for carrying out the method.