Laser scanning system and scanning method for reading 1-D and 2-D barcode symbols

A system for reading coded indicia of different classifications, comprising:

• an electro-optical reader within a portable housing having a means for enabling a human operator to hold and aim the reader at indicia to be read, the reader including a light source for generating a light beam, a light detector for receiving light reflected from said indicia and in response generating an electrical signal, and means for converting said electrical signal to data representing the information content of said indicia;
• a stationary fixture having a means for supporting the portable housing of the reader when not held by the operator to enable the light beam to be conveniently positioned with respect to indicia to be read by the reader;
• and
• scan control means for controlling the light beam to enable the beam to scan the indicia with a first scan pattern for reading the indicia independently of indicia orientation when the portable housing is mounted in said fixture and with a second scan pattern optimized for reading a prescribed classification of indicia when the portable housing is separated from said fixture.

A system for reading coded indicia, comprising:

• an electro-optical reader within a portable housing having a means for enabling a human operator to hold and aim the reader at indicia to be read, the reader including a light source for generating a light beam, a light detector for receiving light reflected from said indicia and responsively generating an electrical signal, and means for converting said electrical signal to data representing information content of said indicia;
• a stationary fixture having a means for supporting the portable housing of the reader when not held by the operator;
• and
• scan control means for controlling the light beam to scan the indicia with different prescribed scan patterns in response to the information content of the indicia and whether the portable housing is separated from or mounted in said fixture.

A device for reading barcode symbols comprising:

• a light source for generating a light beam and directing the beam toward a symbol to be read;
• a light detector for receiving light reflected from said symbol and, in response, generating an electrical signal;
• means for converting said electrical signal to data representing the information content of said barcode symbol;
• and
• scan control means for controlling the light beam to scan the symbol with a prescribed scan pattern to develop control information, and thereafter to increase a dimension of the scan pattern at a rate dependent upon said control information,
• wherein said scan control means includes means for executing (a) an aim mode of operation wherein said light beam is controlled to scan said symbol with a first prescribed scan pattern that is visible to the user and covers only a portion of said symbol, and (b) a decode mode of operation wherein said light beam is controlled to scan a portion of said symbol with a second prescribed scan pattern and thereafter to successively increment the size of said second prescribed scan pattern while decoding said symbol, and wherein said scan control means further includes means responsive to data produced during said aim mode of operation for determining whether the symbol is a one-dimensional or a two-dimensional barcode, and wherein said second prescribed scan pattern is controlled to be a stationary or precessing raster scan pattern if said symbol is determined to be a two-dimensional barcode.

A device for reading barcode symbols, comprising:

• a light source for generating a light beam and directing the beam toward a symbol to be read;
• a light detector for receiving a light reflected from said symbol and, in response, generating an electrical signal;
• means for converting said electrical signal to data representing the information content of said barcode symbol;
• and
• scan control means for controlling the light beam to scan the symbol with a prescribed scan pattern to develop control information, and thereafter to increase a dimension of the scan pattern at a rate dependent upon said control information,
• wherein said scan control means includes means for executing (a) an aim mode of operation wherein said light beam is controlled to scan said symbol with a first prescribed scan pattern that is visible to the user and covers only a portion of said symbol, and (b) a decode mode of operation wherein said light beam is controlled to scan a portion of said symbol with a second prescribed scan pattern and thereafter to successively increment the size of said second prescribed scan pattern while decoding said symbol, and wherein when said symbol is determined to be a one-dimensional barcode, said first and second prescribed patterns are controlled to be a rotating Lissajous.

A device for reading barcode symbols, comprising:

• a light source for generating a light beam and directing the beam toward a symbol to be read;
• a light detector for receiving light reflected from said symbol and, in response, generating an electrical signal;
• means for converting said electrical signal to data representing the information content of said barcode symbol;
• and
• scan control means for controlling the light beam to scan the symbol with a prescribed scan pattern to develop control information, and thereafter to increase a dimension of the scan pattern at a rate dependent upon said control information,
• wherein said scan control means includes means for executing (a) an aim mode of operation wherein said light beam is controlled to scan said symbol with a first prescribed scan pattern that is visible to the user and covers only a portion of said symbol, and (b) a decode mode of operation wherein said light beam is controlled to scan a portion of said symbol with a second prescribed scan pattern and thereafter to successively increment the size of said second prescribed scan pattern while decoding said symbol, and wherein when said symbol is determined to be a two-dimensional barcode, said first and second prescribed patterns are controlled to be rotating Lissajous and raster scan patterns, respectively.

A method for reading barcode symbols, comprising the steps of:

• directing a light beam toward a symbol to be read;
• controlling said light beam to scan said symbol with a prescribed scan pattern of a first prescribed dimension;
• receiving light reflecting from said symbol, and in response, generating an electrical signal;
• producing first data corresponding to said electrical signal;
• increasing the dimension of said prescribed scan pattern at a rate dependent upon said first data;
• executing (a) an aim mode of operation by controlling said light beam to scan said symbol with a first prescribed scan pattern that is visible to the user and covers only a portion of said symbol, and (b) a decode mode of operation by controlling said light beam to scan a portion of said symbol with a second prescribed scan pattern and thereafter to successively increment the size of said second prescribed scan pattern while decoding said symbol;
• and
• responding to data produced during said aim mode of operation by determining whether the symbol is a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode symbol, and controlling said second prescribed scan pattern to be a stationary or precessing raster if said symbol is determined to be a two-dimensional barcode.

A method of reading barcode symbols, comprising the steps of:

• directing a light beam toward a symbol to be read;
• executing an aim mode of operation by controlling said light beam to scan said symbol with a visible scan pattern that is relatively small compared to the symbol;
• receiving light reflected from said symbol, and producing first data identifying an attribute of said symbol;
• and
• executing a decode mode of operation by producing second data corresponding to the symbol while increasing a dimension of said scan pattern at a rate and to a size dependent upon said first data,
• wherein said scan patterns in said aim and dcode modes of operation are of different configurations.

The method of reading barcode symbols, comprising the steps of:

• directing a light beam toward a symbol to be read;
• executing an aim mode of operation by controlling said light beam to scan said symbol with a visible scan pattern that is relatively small compared to the symbol;
• receiving light reflected from said symbol, and producing first data identifying an attribute of said symbol;
• executing a decode mode of operation by producing second data corresponding to the symbol while increasing a dimension of said scan pattern at a rate and to a size dependent upon said first data;
• and
• responding to data produced during said aim mode of operation by determining whether the symbol is a one-dimensional or two-dimensional barcode, and controlling said scan pattern to be a stationary or precessing raster scan pattern during said decode mode of operation if said symbol is determined to be a two-dimensional barcode symbol.

A device for reading barcode symbols comprising:

• a light source for generating a light beam and directing the beam toward a symbol to be read;
• scan control means for controlling the light beam to scan the symbol with a rotating Lissajous scan pattern;
• a light detector for receiving light reflected from said symbol and, in response, generating an electrical signal;
• and
• means for converting said electrical signal into first data corresponding to an attribute of said barcode symbol;
• said scan control means including further means for converting the rotating Lissajous scan pattern to a raster scan pattern depending upon said barcode symbol attribute.

A method of reading barcode symbols, comprising the steps of:

• directing a light beam toward a symbol to be read;
• executing an aim mode of operation by controlling said light beam to scan said symbol with a visible scan pattern in the form of a rotating Lissajous pattern;
• receiving light reflected from said symbol, and producing first data identifying an attribute of said symbol including whether said symbol represents a one-dimensional barcode symbol or a two-dimensional barcode symbol;
• and
• executing a decode mode of operation such that
• (a) if during said aim mode of operation, said symbol is determined to be a one-dimensional barcode, decoding while scanning using a rotating Lissajous scan pattern to scan said symbol, and
• (b) if during said aim mode of operation said symbol is determined to be a two-dimensional barcode, decoding while using a raster scan pattern to scan said symbol.

A bar code reader, comprising:

• a light beam scanner generating a light beam directed toward a symbol to be read and moving said light beam along said symbol in an omnidirectional scanning pattern;
• a light-detector receiving reflected light from said symbol and generating electrical signals responsive to said reflected light;
• and
• means for controlling said scanning pattern in response to said electrical signals, wherein said light beam scanner moves said light beam selectively on a first scan path or on a second scan path different from the first scan path depending on an analysis of said electrical signals.

A system for reading optically encoded symbols, comprising:

• scanning means for generating a laser beam directed toward a target and producing a first scanning pattern
• that enables a user to manually aim and direct the beam to the location desired by the user and a relatively larger second scanning pattern in the form of a Lissajous pattern that sweeps an entire symbol to be read,
• means for changing the scanning pattern produced by said scanning means from said first scanning pattern to said second scanning pattern;
• and
• detection means for receiving reflected light from a symbol being read to produce an electrical signal corresponding to data represented by said symbol.

A method for reading optically encoded symbols, comprising the steps of:

• generating a laser beams directed toward a target and producing a first scanning pattern that enables the user to manually aim and direct the beam to the location desired by the user and a relatively larger second scanning pattern in the form of an omnidirectional pattern that sweeps an entire symbol to be read;
• changing from said first scanning pattern to said second scanning pattern;
• and
• receiving reflected light from said symbol to produce an electrical signal corresponding to data represented by said symbol.

A method for reading bar code symbols, comprising the steps of:

• generating a laser beam directed toward a target and producing a first scanning pattern that has a reflectivity on the target that enables a user to manually aim and direct the beam to a desired location on the target;
• generating a sequence of different subsequent scanning patterns that each are rotationally offset with respect to the preceding scanning pattern, including a scanning pattern that sweeps the entire symbol to be read;
• and
• receiving reflected light from the symbol to produce an electrical signal corresponding to data represented by said symbol;
• wherein said target includes a bar code symbol with at least two rows of bar patterns and one of said subsequent scanning patterns covers the entire symbol with at least two scan lines per row of bar patterns during reading.

A bar code reader, comprising:

• a light beam scanner generating a light beam directed toward a symbol to be read and moving said light beam along said symbol in a predetermined scanning pattern having a center of rotation;
• a light detector receiving reflected light from said symbol and generating electrical signals responsive to said reflected light;
• and
• means for controlling the angular orientation of said scanning pattern with respect to a center of rotation thereof in response to said electrical signals so as to change the scan path of said light beam from a first scan path to a second and subsequent scan paths in response to said electrical signals so as to create a rotating scan pattern.

An optical scanning system for reading optically encoded indicia on a target, said system having a reading head which emits a light beam, wherein said indicia is within one of a plurality of symbology classifications, comprising:

• means for determining if said reading head is in a portable or fixed mode of operation;
• means for scanning said indicia with the light beam in a first scan pattern on said target and detecting light reflected therefrom;
• and
• means for determining the symbology classification of said indicia from said detected light, wherein said means for scanning functions to scan said indicia with the light beam along a second scan pattern on the target and detect light reflected therefrom, said second scan pattern being selected based upon the determined mode of operation and the determined symbology classification.

An optical scanning system for reading optically encoded indicia on a target, said system having a reading head which emits a light beam, wherein said indicia is within one of a plurality of symbology classifications, comprising:

• means for scanning said indicia with the light beam in a first scan pattern on said target and detecting light reflected therefrom;
• means for determining the symbology classification of said indicia from said detected light;
• and
• selectively changing an operational parameter of the means for scanning based upon the determined symbology classification.

A method for operating an optical scanning system to read optically encoded indicia on a target, said system having a reading head which emits a light beam, wherein said indicia is within one of a plurality of symbology classifications, comprising the steps of:

• determining if said reading head is in a portable or fixed mode of operation;
• scanning said indicia with the light beam in a first scan pattern on the target and detecting light reflected therefrom;
• and
• determining the symbology classification of said indicia from said detected light;
• and
• scanning said indicia with the light beam in a second scan pattern on the target and detecting light reflected therefrom;
• wherein said second scan pattern is based upon said determined symbology classification and said determined mode of operation.

A method for operating an optical scanning system to read optically encoded indicia on a target, said system having a reading head which emits a light beam, wherein said indicia is within one of a plurality of symbology classifications, comprising the steps of:

• scanning said indicia with the light beam in a first scan pattern on the target and detecting light reflected therefrom;
• processing the detected light to determine the symbology classification of said indicia;
• and
• selectively changing an operational parameter of the scanning system so that the scan pattern is matched to the symbology classification.

A method for operating an optical scanning system to read optically encoded indicia on a target, said system having a reading head which emits a light beam, wherein said indicia is within one of a plurality of symbology classifications, comprising the steps of:

• determining if said reading head is in a portable or fixed mode of operation;
• and
• scanning said indicia with the light beam in a scan pattern on the target and detecting light reflected therefrom;
• and
• wherein said scan pattern is based upon said determined mode of operation.