Optical scanner, code reader and bar code reader having increased degree of freedom in placement of optical parts
US6631844B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 21, 1999 |
| Grant date | Oct 14, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 21, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K7/10623
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multi-head optical scanning device used for a bar code reader having a reduced thickness and realizing more complete 360° bar code reading. The scanning device includes a bottom part, a side part which is nearly vertical to the bottom part, a light source, a polygon mirror and a light detector contained inside the body of the side part. Light beams are emitted from the light source so that they are nearly vertical to the surface of the bottom part, and the polygon mirror has a rotation axis at a position which is nearly parallel to the surface of the bottom part. The optical scanning device eliminates the need for a mechanism which performs scanning inside the bottom part and the degree of freedom with which each of the pattern mirrors is disposed is increased, and provides a scanning pattern whose reading capacity can be upgraded by using a scanning pattern which is emitted from the bottom part.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.