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US 2006/0065734 A1Published application
Dual scanner signal acquisition
AssigneeSymbol Technologies, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Sackett, Anthony Biuso, Ed Barkan, Frederick Schuessler, James Giebel, Wynn Aker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method for processing scanner signals by storing both a standard digitizer signal and a more detailed digitizer signal for decoding. The decoder can then use the standard digitizer signal by default and in those cases when the bar code pattern cannot be decoded using the standard digitizer signal the decoder may access the more detailed digitizer signal.
Claims31
An apparatus that acts on a bar code comprising:
- a light detector that detects light reflected back from a surface on which a bar code may be present and provides a detection signal having peaks corresponding to the timing and strength of changes in the amount of the reflected light;
- a detection signal translator that translates the detection signal and outputs a first bar code signal that represents the timing of the detection signal peaks and a second bar code signal that represents the timing of detection signal peaks, wherein the second bar code signal includes additional information about the detection signal peaks as compared to the first bar code signal;
- and
- a plurality of buffers for storing each of the first and second digitizer signals.
1 more element
A method that processes a scanner signal comprising:
- receiving a detection signal that has elements corresponding to transitions between light and dark on a surface;
- converting the detection signal into a first bar code signal that represents the timing of the elements;
- storing the first bar code signal for decoding;
- converting the detection signal into a second bar code signal that represents the timing of the elements and the strength of the elements;
- and
- storing the second bar code signal for decoding.
3 more elements
An apparatus that acts on a bar code comprising:
- a light detector that detects light reflected back from a surface on which a bar code may be present and provides a detection signal having peaks corresponding to the timing and strength of changes in the amount of the reflected light;
- a detection signal tracker that calculates a detection signal tracking threshold that is an average of the absolute amplitude of the detection signal;
- a detection signal translator that translates the detection signal based on the tracking threshold to output first and second bar code signals for decoding comprising:
- a sampler that samples the detection signal and tracking threshold to produce a sampler signal having elements comprising a detection signal amplitude and tracking threshold data pair;
- a high sensitivity digitizer that produces a digitizer signal representative of the detection signal that comprises a series of pulses that change state at each peak in the detection signal having a magnitude that exceeds a high sensitivity threshold;
- a first bar code signal generating unit that receives the digitizer signal and sampler signal and selects elements in the sampler signal that correspond in time to transitions in state of the pulses in the digitizer signal;
- second bar code signal generating unit that produces the second bar code signal by transmitting a series of pulses that changes state each time the selected elements of the sampler signal have an amplitude that exceeds a predetermined threshold;
- and
- a plurality of buffers for storing each of the first and second digitizer signals.
6 more elements
A method that processes a scanner signal comprising:
- receiving a detection signal that has elements corresponding to transitions between light and dark on a surface, wherein the detection signal elements are peaks in the detection signal that occur when a transition between light and dark is scanned and wherein the peaks have an amplitude corresponding to a strength of the transition;
- calculating a tracking threshold data that is a running average of the absolute amplitude of the scanner signal;
- constructing a high sensitivity digital bar pattern from the detection signal comprising a series of pulses that change state at each peak in the detection signal that exceeds a high sensitivity threshold;
- converting the detection signal into a first bar code signal by sampling the detection signal and the tracking threshold data at each state change in the high sensitivity digital bar pattern, normalizing the sampled amplitude and tracking threshold data by dividing each sampled amplitude by a corresponding tracking threshold;
- saving the high sensitivity bar pattern in a first buffer and saving the normalized amplitude in a second buffer;
- converting the detection signal to a second bar code signal by constructing an output digital bar pattern comprising a series of pulses that change at times corresponding to an occurrence of a normalized amplitude that exceeds one;
- and
- saving the second bar code signal in a third buffer.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.