Multi-channel signal processing in an optical reader
AssigneeSymbol Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation
InventorsDavid Tsi, Mark Krichever, Edward Barkan
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AssigneeSymbol Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation
InventorsDavid Tsi, Mark Krichever, Edward Barkan
Estimating the term…
An optical reader, for example a field of view reader or a flying spot scanner for reading a printed indicia such as a bar code symbol includes a light source and a light detector, and at least two channels associated with the detector for carrying signals corresponding to light detected by the detector at different resolution levels, thus simplifying the decoupling of signals allowing a single reader to be used regardless of the resolution level of the indicia to be read. In order to arrive at an improved signal to noise ratio of a bar code symbol being read, a processor produces two signals at respective first and second channels, the signal in the second channel being buffered and merged with a later signal in the first channel allowing time averaging out of the noise portion of the signal and enhancement of the information portion of the signal. An improved system for detecting defects in a printed bar code symbol includes processing means for comparing the width of a detected space with the width of neighbouring spaces and identifying the space as a defect if its width is less than a predetermined proportion of the width of neighbouring spaces.
An optical reader for generating an outgoing light beam to illuminate an information symbol comprising regions of different light reflectivity, and for collecting an incoming light beam reflected from the symbol, the reader comprising:
A reader for reading printed indicia, for example bar code symbols, comprising a light source for illuminating an indicia and a light detector for producing a signal corresponding to detected light reflected from the indicia, the light detector having a plurality of channels, each channel being associated with a different resolution level of the signal produced by the detector.
A reader for reading printed indicia comprising a light source for illuminating an indicia and a light detector for detecting light reflected from the indicia wherein the detector comprises a first region and a second region for detecting reflected light at a first resolution level and a second resolution level respectively, a first channel being associated with the first region and a second channel being associated with the second region.
A method of operation of a reader for reading printed indicia comprising a light source for illuminating the indicia and a light detector producing a signal corresponding to detected light reflected from the indicia, a first channel and a second channel being associated with the detector for carrying respective signals at different resolution levels, and a decoder;
A reader for reading printed indicia such as bar code symbols comprising a light source for illuminating an indicia and a detector for producing a signal corresponding to detected light reflected from the indicia, a first channel and a second channel being arranged to receive signals processed by the detector wherein the second channel includes buffer means for delaying a signal and merging the signal with a subsequent signal transferred by the first channel.
A method of processing analog signals corresponding to a light beam reflected from a printed indicia including receiving the light beam at a detector, converting the light beam to a digital signal and transferring the digital signal via a first channel to a decoder, transferring the digital signal from the detector via a second channel to a delay buffer and merging the delayed signal with a subsequent signal transferred by the first channel.
A method of decoding a bar code symbol composed of elements of different reflectivity comprising scanning the bar code symbol with a light beam, detecting the reflected light beam and providing a digitized signal carrying the bar code information, wherein the decoder compares the width of each element of a first reflectivity with the width of another element of that reflectivity in the bar code symbol and identifies the element as a defect if its width is less than a predetermined proportion of the width of the other element.
A processor for processing an optical signal received from a printed indicia, the processor including a detector, a first channel and a second channel associated with a detector and a decoder wherein the channels are arranged to transfer signals at different resolution levels from the detector to the decoder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.