US 5,780,834 AGranted

Imaging and illumination optics assembly

AssigneeWelch Allyn, Inc.

InventorsWilliam H. Havens, Charles M. Hammond, Jr., Robert J. Hennick, Robert C. Hinkley, Robert J. Wood, Sr., Tanya A. Onori, Thomas W. Karpen

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Abstract

A low profile optical unit for use in a 2D bar code reader. A vertically disposed light redirecting panel having contoured reflective openings therein is mounted in the front of the unit and an LED behind the panel. Light emitting diodes for illuminating a target are mounted on the LED board behind the contour openings whereby direct light and reflected light illuminates a target. An imager housing is mounted on the back of the LED board and contains a recess that passes through the back of the housing and a lens barrel that extends forward through holes provided in the LED board and the light redirecting panel. An imager board is secured to the back of the housing which holds a 2D imager that is contained within the housing recess. Circuitry for generating image data signals is mounted on the back of the imager board. A lens holder is threadably mounted in the lens barrel which contains a lens system having a short back focal length for focusing a target image on the imager.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A low profile optical unit for use in an optical reader which has illumination and optical axes that are generally parallel to one another, and which is adapted to illuminate and read target indicia that are disposed in target regions that are oriented roughly perpendicular to said axes including, in combination:

a plurality of low profile LEDs for emitting light;
a light redirecting panel having a front face and a back face and having a plurality of contoured openings passing therethrough, said contoured openings having light reflecting surfaces for receiving light emitted by respective LEDs and directing said light toward said target region;
an LED board mounted in parallel alignment with said panel behind the back face of said panel for supporting said LEDs in proximity to respective ones of said openings;
an imager housing including a recessed chamber that opens through the back of said housing and a hollow lens barrel extending forward of said recessed chamber through coaxially aligned holes in said panel and said LED board;
an imager board mounted in parallel alignment with said panel and said LED Board and having a solid state two dimensional (2D) imager mounted on the front face thereof, said imager board being secured to said housing with said 2D imager positioned in said recessed chamber;
and
a lens assembly disposed in said lens barrel for focusing an illuminated image of said target region upon said 2D imager;
wherein said light redirecting panel, said LED board, and said imager board are all oriented generally perpendicular to said axes, and are located in such proximity to one another that the dimensions of said optical unit in directions parallel to said axes are small in relation to the dimensions of said unit in directions perpendicular to said axes.

5 more elements

A low profile optical unit for use in a 2D bar code reader which has illumination and optical axes that are generally parallel to one another, and which is adapted to illuminate and read a 2D bar code that is located in generally planar target region that is oriented roughly perpendicular to said axes including, in combination:

a LED board having a plurality of LEDs mounted on said board for emitting light toward a target region situated in front of said board;
an imager housing secured to the LED board, said housing containing a recessed chamber and a hollow lens barrel extending forward of said recessed chamber toward said target region;
an imager board secured to the back of said imager housing in substantial parallel alignment with said LED board, said imager board having a solid state imager mounted on the front face thereof within said recessed chamber of said imager housing, wherein the entirety of said imager housing extends forward of said imager board;
and
a lens system mounted in said barrel having at least one lens element for focusing an image of said target region upon said imager;
wherein said LED board and said imager board are oriented generally perpendicular to said axes, and are located in such proximity to one another that the dimensions of said optical unit in directions parallel to said axes are small in relation to the dimensions of said unit in directions perpendicular to said axes.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.