Automated system and method for identifying and measuring packages transported through an omnidirectional laser scanning tunnel

An automated package identification and dimensioning system capable of (i) identifying packages by reading bar code symbols on said packages while transported through a three-dimensional laser scanning volume disposed above a conveyor belt structure, and (ii) measuring dimensional characteristics of said packages while said packages are transported along the conveyor belt structure through said three-dimensional laser scanning volume, said automated package identification and dimensioning system comprising:

• a conveyor belt structure for transporting packages along a predetermined direction;
• a scanner support framework arranged above said conveyor belt structure, for supporting a package identification subsystem providing a tunnel-like scanning arrangement above said conveyor belt structure through which said conveyor belt structure extends and along which said packages are transported in an automated manner, wherein said tunnel-like scanning arrangement has an entry port and an exit port;
• said package identification subsystem having a plurality of laser scanning subsystems, each said laser scanning subsystem being mounted from said scanner support framework and a projecting a laser scanning pattern confined substantially within a three-dimensional laser scanning volume disposed above said conveyor belt structure, so that when each said package is transported through said three-dimensional laser scanning volume, the bar code symbol on said package is automatically read and a scan beam data element is automatically generated, wherein said scan beam data element includes (i) symbol character data representative of the bar code symbol read by at least one said laser scanning beam and the identity of said package, and (ii) laser scanning beam index data indicative of said at least one laser scanning beam used to read said bar code symbol;
• a package dimensioning subsystem, mounted above said conveyor belt structure and before said entry port of said tunnel-like scanning arrangement, for optically scanning each said package as said package is transported through said three-dimensional laser scanning volume, and automatically generating a package dimension data element for each optically scanned package, wherein each said package dimension data element contains package dimension-related data representative of one or more dimension-related characteristics of said optically scanned package;
• and
• a data element queuing, handling and processing subsystem for (1) queuing, handling and processing (i) said scan beam data elements produced by said package identification subsystem, and (ii) said package dimension data elements produced by said package dimensioning subsystem, and (2) generating an output data element for each package transported through said three-dimensional laser scanning tunnel, and
• wherein each said output data element contains a time-stamped scan beam data element correlated with a time-stamped package dimension data element, and
• whereby each said package transported through said three-dimensional laser scanning volume is identified, while providing a measure of the dimension-related characteristics thereof in an automated manner.