Manually operated hand-held optical scanner with tactile speed control assembly

A manually displaced, hand-held optical scanner comprising:

• a) optical sensor means for generating a data signal representative of a scanned object;
• b) housing means for hand-displacedly supporting said optical sensor means;
• c) roller means mounted on said housing means for enabling rolling displacement of said housing means over a scanned object in a predetermined scan direction;
• d) displacement sensing means for sensing the angular displacement of said roller means and generating a displacement signal representative thereof;
• e) motor means drivingly linked to said roller means for applying a driving torque thereto;
• and
• f) control means for actuating said motor means responsive to said displacement signal for angularly accelerating and decelerating said roller means for urging an operator to hand displace said housing means across a scanned within a predetermined speed range which is optimal for scanning.