Registers – Coded record sensors – Particular sensor structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-21
2004-10-26
Hess, Daniel A. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Coded record sensors
Particular sensor structure
C235S462420
Reexamination Certificate
active
06808114
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for acquiring and reading optical codes, with indication of the result of the reading itself.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In this description and the following claims, by the expression “optical code”, bar codes, stacked codes, that is, with a plurality of stacked bar sequences, bidimensional codes, colour codes, and the like should be meant.
Moreover, by “acquisition of an optical code”, the whole of illumination (or scan) of the code with a light beam, detection of the light diffused by the code, and its transformation into electric signal is meant, while by “reading of an optical code”, the processing of the electric signal and its interpretation or decoding are meant.
Finally, by “indication of the reading result”, also the mere indication of the end of the reading, or of the unsuccessful reading attempt, is meant.
Known optical code acquisition and reading apparatuses, or briefly, readers, are essentially provided with a light source for generating a light beam which is projected onto the optical code to be read, for example through slits and lenses, herein in general referred to with the expression “illumination optics”, optical elements suitable to collect and focus the light diffused by the code, for example slits and lenses (in general referred to with the expression “receiving optics”), photosensitive elements on which the light collected by the receiving optics is focused, suitable to detect the light diffused by the code and to convert it into an electric signal reproducing as much accurately as possible the reflectance modulations of the elements making up the code, as well as processing means for interpreting or decoding the code so as to obtain the significant information contained in it, such as for example manufacturer, name of the specific product, production lot, price, etcetera.
The operation of reading a particular optical code can give negative results for various factors, among which the imperfection of the code due, for example, to damages to the label on which it is obtained, the distance between the reader and the code, or the maintenance of said distance during the scanning time. In addition, also when the code is correctly acquired, its decoding may be impossible because, for example, it does not fall within the categories of codes known by the reader. In any case, the operator needs to know whether the code has been decoded before proceeding to read another code.
These problems are especially severe in the case of the so-called manual or hand-held readers, of the gun type.
Thus, in optical-code readers, simple indication devices are known and currently used for indicating to the user that the particular aimed optical code has been decoded by the reader.
Said indication is normally generated using a light source made up of one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged in the reader body, in the proximity of the outer surface or inside it. Since in both cases the LED must be visible from the outside, the light emitted by the LED can be refracted and/or diffused so as to be more visible towards the operator. However, the image of the reader body usually is at the edges of the operator's field of view, whose look is focused on the optical code. This is particularly true for codes of small sizes, or for stacked codes, whose reading requires a precise movement of the hand. Thus, the perception of the lighting of the LED arranged into the reader body may not be immediate.
To improve the perception of the indication that the reading has occurred, also when the visual attention of the operator is not focused on the reader, the lighting of the LED is commonly accompanied by an acoustic signal, provided for example by an electromagnetic acoustic horn, commonly called buzzer, or beeper. However, also this provision is not totally satisfactory since the acoustic signal cannot be easily heard if the operation is carried out in a noisy environment or by an operator with auditory deficiency. Moreover, a frequently repeated acoustic signal may be annoying for the operator who must carry out very frequent readings and/or for a long time interval.
The European patent application N. 98830656.9 by the same Applicant, which represents a document of the prior art according to Art. 54 (3) EPC, describes an optical device comprising at least one illuminating assembly active on a portion of the reading area along an emission optical path, wherein said at least one illuminating assembly comprises: a light source; a diaphragm having a predetermined shape for selecting a portion of the light generated by said source; and a converging lens arranged downstream of the diaphragm for collimating the shaped light coming from the diaphragm and projecting it onto the portion of reading area.
However, said device is intended for the aiming and the visual indication of the area in which the optical code is, while the above document does not provide for any indication on the use of such a device for indicating the result of the optical code reading.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The technical problem underlying the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for reading optical codes, which should be capable of providing an indication of the reading result immediately perceptible by the operator.
A more ambitious object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatus and method, wherein the indication of the reading result should be more significant, that is, with greater information content.
The Applicant has found that the aforesaid technical problem can be successfully overcome by projecting a luminous figure on the optical code being read, that is to say, in the position on which the operator's attention is focused. Moreover, making use of this inventive idea, it is possible to project, at the code, a wide range of useful information for the operator, also more complex and o elaborate than the simple indication of the end of decoding, thus satisfying also the aforesaid second object.
Thus, in a first aspect thereof, the present invention relates to an apparatus for acquiring and reading optical codes, comprising:
means for acquiring the optical code, having at least one acquisition light source,
means for reading the acquired optical code, and
means for visually indicating the reading result,
characterised in that said visual indication means comprises:
at least one indication light source, distinct from or coinciding with, the at least one acquisition light source of said acquisition means,
means for imposing an information content indicating the reading result to the light emitted by said at least one indication light source, and
means for projecting the light, having the imposed information content, substantially at the optical code.
In this description and the following claims, by “substantially at the optical code” it is meant on the surface bearing the optical code and in close proximity or coincidence with the optical code itself.
Advantageously, the means for reading the optical code comprises means for communicating the acquired code to a remote processing unit and for receiving the reading result therefrom.
In an embodiment, the means for imposing the information content comprises a switch for switching on and off the at least one indication light source. This embodiment has the advantage of being very simple.
In an alternative embodiment, the means for imposing the information content comprises at least one element for selectively transmitting the light generated by the at least one indication light source. With this provision, it is possible to generate luminous figures having such shapes or hues as to be immediately recognisable by the operator as being different from the illumination line used for acquiring the code, by simply switching on and off the light source.
More in particular, the selective transmission element can be a diffractive element, a diaphragm having a predetermined shape, a slide, a reflecting surface hav
Alessi Nicola
Oliva Cristiano
Palestini Valeria
Rigoni Giacomo
Datalogic S.p.A.
Hess Daniel A.
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
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