Method and apparatus for providing omnidirectional lighting in a scanning device
US8061613B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 1, 2009 |
| Grant date | Nov 22, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 1, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06K7/146
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method is provided for selectively controlling the illumination, and particularly dark field illumination, applied to a symbol to be decoded, and for determining a suitable or optimized level of lighting for decoding the symbol. A ring-shaped illuminator is provided, and is segmented into a plurality of individually-controllable lighting portions which can be, for example, quadrants. Initially, illumination is provided to the symbol through an initial set of lighting conditions. Feedback from acquired image data is then used to determine whether the lighting is suitable for decoding the symbol and, if not, a controller varies the lighting applied to the symbol, and additional image data is acquired. This process is continued until suitable conditions are met. Alternatively, activation and deactivation of the lighting segments can be manually selected by an operator to provide suitable conditions.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.