Fixed retail scanners with illumination assemblies having different sub-groups of LEDs and related method
AssigneeDatalogic IP Tech S.R.L.
InventorsMichael Ahten, Brett Howard, Ryan Thompson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosure includes a fixed retail scanner including a data reader. The data reader includes illumination assemblies that include different LED sub-groups that are co-located within its respective assembly. These illumination assemblies may be identically constructed and installed at various positions within the data reader to provide active illumination for the camera modules. Illumination assemblies are activated together, but only with the first sub-groups from each of the illumination assemblies being activated together at a first time, and only with the second sub-groups from each of the illumination assemblies being activated together at a second time.
Claims20
A fixed retail scanner including a data reader, comprising:
- a housing configured to be disposed within a checkout counter of a retail environment;
- a plurality of camera modules disposed within the housing;
- a plurality of illumination assemblies disposed within the housing, wherein each illumination assembly of the plurality includes:
- a first sub-group of light emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting at a first wavelength;
- and
- a second sub-group of LEDs emitting at a second wavelength and co-located with the first sub-group of LEDs on a common illumination board within its respective illumination assembly, wherein at least two illumination assemblies are connected to each other in a daisy chain arrangement;
- and
- a system controller disposed within the housing and operably coupled with the plurality of camera modules and the plurality of illumination assemblies, and configured to activate each illumination assembly together to provide active illumination for the plurality of camera modules such that:
- the first sub-group of LEDs of each illumination assembly of the plurality is activated together across the different illumination assemblies to be synchronized with a first camera module of the plurality;
- and
- the second sub-group of LEDs of each illumination assembly of the plurality is activated together across the different illumination assemblies to be synchronized with a second camera module of the plurality at times different from the first sub-group of LEDs.
A fixed retail scanner including a data reader, comprising:
- a housing configured to be disposed within a checkout counter of a retail environment;
- a first grouping of illumination assemblies disposed in a first housing plane of the data reader, the first grouping of illumination assemblies including:
- a first illumination assembly including a first LED sub-group emitting at a first wavelength and a second LED sub-group emitting at a second wavelength, and co-located within on a first common assembly illumination board;
- and
- a second illumination assembly including a first LED sub-group and a second LED sub-group co-located within on a second common assembly illumination board, wherein the first illumination assembly and the second illumination assembly of the first grouping are disposed at different locations and connected to each other in a daisy chain arrangement;
- and
- a system controller operably coupled with the first grouping of illumination assemblies, wherein the system controller is configured to simultaneously activate each of the first illumination assembly and the second illumination assembly with the first LED sub-groups of the first illumination assembly and the second illumination assembly of the first grouping being activated at a first time, and with the second LED sub-groups of the first illumination assembly and the second illumination assembly of the first grouping being activated at a second time different than the first time.
A method of illuminating a read zone of a fixed retail scanner having a housing disposed within a checkout counter of a retail environment, the method comprising:
- activating a first set of LED sub-groups emitting at a first wavelength across a plurality of LED assemblies located within a housing of a data reader to be synchronized with exposure of a first camera;
- and
- activating a second set of LED sub-groups emitting at a second wavelength across the plurality of LED assemblies located within the housing of the data reader, wherein each LED assembly of the plurality includes a first LED subgroup co-located with a second LED sub-group within on a common assembly illumination board, wherein at least two LED assemblies are connected to each other in a daisy chain arrangement,
- wherein all LED assemblies are activated together but with only the first sub-groups from each corresponding LED assembly being synchronized with exposure of a first camera, and with only the second sub-groups from each corresponding LED assembly being synchronized with exposure of a second camera.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.