Bar code symbol scanner with reduced power usage to effect reading
AssigneeSymbol Technologies, Inc.
InventorsHoward M. Shepard, Boris Metlitsky, Mark Krichever
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Electrical power consumption is saved in a low-cost scanner for reading bar code symbols by oscillating one of the scanner components either by mechanical power alone or by a low-power electrical drive.
Claims33
In a scanner for reading indicia having parts of different light reflectivity by directing light along a transmission path toward the indicia, and by collecting reflected light returning along a return path from the indicia, an arrangement for scanning the indicia, comprising:
- (a) a movable component mounted in at least one of said paths for guiding the light therein;
- (b) biasing means for exerting a biasing force to the component to constantly bias the component to a rest position;
- and
- (c) read-start means for moving the component away from the rest position against the biasing force to a launch position, and concomitantly storing energy in the biasing means, said read-start means including means for abruptly releasing the stored energy after the component is in the launch position to enable the biasing means to move the component back and forth and guide the light in said at lest one path over swing distances of progressively smaller amplitude until the component returns to, and halts in, the rest position, at least one of the swing distances extending over all parts of the indicia to read the same during the back-and-forth movement of the movable component.
The arrangement according to clam 1, wherein the biasing means includes a vibratory tuning fork having a pair of arms on one of which is mounted the component, and wherein the read-start means includes an electrically-operated drive operative, when actuated, for vibrating the fork and oscillating the component.
A bar code scanner, comprising:
- (a) a scan generator for directing light toward a bar code symbol to be read and for detecting light reflected from an area moving along a scan line across said symbol;
- (b) a moving component included in said scan generator causing said area to move along said scan lines;
- (c) biasing means for exerting a biasing force to said moving component to constantly bias the component to a rest position;
- and
- (d) a read-start mechanism for moving the component away from said rest position against the biasing force to a launch position, and concomitantly storing energy in the biasing means, said mechanism including means for abruptly releasing the stored energy after the component is in the launch position to enable the biasing means to move the component back and forth over swing distances of progressively smaller amplitude until the component returns to, and halts in , said rest position, at least one of the swing distances extending across said symbol to read the same during the back-and-forth movement of the component.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.