AUTOMATED HOLOGRAPHIC-BASED TUNNEL-TYPE LASER SCANNING SYSTEM FOR OMNI-DIRECTIONAL SCANNING OF BAR CODE SYMBOLS ON PACKAGE SURFACES FACING ANY DIRECTION OR ORIENTATION WITHIN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL SCANNING VOLUME DISPOSED ABOVE A CONVEYOR BELT
US6360947B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 24, 1998 |
| Grant date | Mar 26, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 24, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K2207/1018
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A fully automated package identification and measuring system, in which an omni-directional laser scanning system are used to read bar codes on packages entering the tunnel, while a package dimensioning subsystem is used to capture information about the package prior to entry into the tunnel. Mathematical models are created on a real-time basis for the geometry of the package and the position of the laser scanning beam used to read the bar code symbol thereon. The mathematical models are analyzed to determine if collected and queued package identification data is spatially and/or temporally correlated with package measurement data using vector-based ray-tracing methods, homogeneous transformations, and object-oriented decision logic so as to enable simultaneous tracking of multiple packages being transported through the scanning tunnel.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.