Optical scanning pattern generator

A scanning pattern generation device comprising;

• rotating radial beam generation means for generating a beam directed radially from an origin point and continually rotating within a rotation plane;
• rotating refraction means situated circumferentially about said origin point to refract said beam by a plurality of discrete angles from said rotation plane, the rate of rotation of the rotating refraction means differing from the rate of rotation of the rotating radial beam generation means;
• and
• fixed reflection means situated coaxially with and exteriorally to the rotating refraction means to reflect said beam to a scan zone situated within a cone perpendicular to said rotation plane.

A bar code scanner-reader device, comprising:

• an enclosing housing including portions of one surface thereof being transparent to electromagnetic beams, said transparent portions including a scanning beam window portion and a reflected beam window portion;
• a beam generator for generating a scanning beam, situated within the housing;
• a scattering system for scattering said scanning beam through said scanning beam window, the scattering system including a rotating mirror for directing said beam radially outward within a circle in a plane, a rotating prism ring, rotating in the same direction as but at a different rate than said rotating mirror, said prism ring including a plurality of discrete prisms for refracting said beam from said plane, motive means for rotating said rotating mirror and said prism ring, and a plurality of fixed mirrors for reflecting said refracted beam through said scanning beam window to a scan zone;
• beam shaping and directing means for shaping said beam and directing it from the beam generator to said scattering system;
• and
• beam collection means situated to collect portions of said beam reflected off exterior objects through said reflective beam windows, the beam collection means including beam focusing means and beam detector means for detecting said reflected beam and generating signals analogous thereto and delivering said signals to analyzing means.

In a scanning beam system including a beam generator, a scattering system and beam collection and detecting elements, the improvement comprising constructing the scattering system to include:

• rotating reflector means for directing a radial beam sequentially through a circular path in a rotation plane;
• rotating refraction means for rotating coaxially with but at a different rate from the rotating reflector means for intercepting said radial beam and refracting it from said rotation plane, the degree of refraction being dependent on the portion of the rotating refraction means which intersects said beam;
• and
• stationary reflector means including a plurality of circumferentially arranged reflector elements, each positioned to reflect said beams directed toward a portion of said circular path to an external scan zone.