Variable orientation scan engine
AssigneeDatalogic IP Tech S.R.L.
InventorsGiovanni Minafò, Fabrizio Guastadini
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A machine readable symbol reader can include a variable orientation scan engine and features to vary the orientation of the scan engine with respect to a housing of the reader to maintain an orientation of the scan engine in a global sense while an orientation of the rest of the reader including the housing changes. Such a machine readable symbol reader can be used in machine-readable symbol readers such as laser scanning machine readable symbol readers, smartphones with barcode readers attached, barcode scanners, optical imaging scanners, cameras, mobile computers, or for machine vision generally.
Claims20
A machine readable symbol reader, comprising:
- a housing including a handle to be held by an operator;
- a scan engine having a field of view that extends outward from the housing, the scan engine including a plurality of illumination sources each positioned and oriented to illuminate the field of view, the scan engine mounted to the housing so that the field of view and illumination from each of the illumination sources are rotatable about an axis of rotation with respect to the housing;
- an accelerometer to output a signal that indicates an orientation of a component of the machine readable symbol reader with respect to gravity;
- a controller responsive to the orientation indicated by the signal output by the accelerometer to control rotation of the field of view and illumination from each of the illumination sources;
- and
- an actuator responsive to the controller. the actuator supported by the housing and coupled to the scan engine such that the actuator rotates the field of view about the axis of rotation with respect to the housing based on the signal from the accelerometer and response from the controller to maintain the field of view from each of the illumination sources at a constant orientation about the axis of rotation with respect to gravity as an orientation of the housing about the axis of rotation with respect to gravity changes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.