Patent · US Active

Auto-exposure method using continuous video frames under controlled illumination

US8408464B2 · kind B2 · utility

571Cited by
38References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 3, 2011
Grant dateApr 2, 2013
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 9, 2031

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF21Y2115/10
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An adaptive strobe illumination control process for use in a digital image capture and processing system. In general, the process involves: (i) illuminating an object in the field of view (FOV) with several different pulses of strobe (i.e. stroboscopic) illumination over a pair of consecutive video image frames; (ii) detecting digital images of the illuminated object over these consecutive image frames; and (iii) decode processing the digital images in an effort to read a code symbol graphically encoded therein. In a first illustrative embodiment, upon failure to read a code symbol graphically encoded in one of the first and second images, these digital images are analyzed in real-time, and based on the results of this real-time image analysis, the exposure time (i.e. photonic integration time interval) is automatically adjusted during subsequent image frames (i.e. image acquisition cycles) according to the principles of the present disclosure. In a second illustrative embodiment, upon failure to read a code symbol graphically encoded in one of the first and second images, these digital images are analyzed in real-time, and based on the results of this real-time image analysis, the…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.