Optical reader with combined housing and light pipe
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsRichard Hunter Harris, Robert William Kruppa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An optical reader includes a housing which may environmentally protect the optical path between a light source and a sensor array to reduce dust and debris interfering with transmission of light. The housing may further provide for alignment of the light path by positioning a focusing axis in alignment with the optical sensor array. The housing further acts as a light pipe to reflect transmitted light from a light source toward a focusing axis where the light may be reflected off of a document containing coded information back through the chamber defined by the housing to an optical sensor array. Point of sale devices incorporating an optical reader are also provided.
Claims11
An optical reader comprising:
- a base member;
- an optical sensor array connected to said base member;
- a housing positioned over the optical sensor array and defining a chamber in which the optical sensor array is positioned;
- a light source positioned in the chamber defined by the housing;
- wherein the housing includes a reflecting surface portion positioned to receive light from the light source and direct the received light through the chamber towards a focusing axis at a first end of the housing;
- and
- wherein the reflecting surface portion of the housing includes an optically transmissive inner layer and a reflective cladding outer layer on a surface of the optically transmissive layer opposite the chamber.
A point of sale device comprising:
- a housing;
- a document driver mounted in the housing to move a document inserted into the point of sale device along a document travel path;
- a magnetic reader mounted in the housing and positioned along the document travel path to read MICR coded information from the document;
- an optical reader mounted in the housing and positioned along the document travel path to read the MICR coded information from the document;
- wherein the optical reader comprises:
- a base member;
- an optical sensor array connected to said base member;
- a sensor housing positioned over the optical sensor array and defining a chamber in which the optical sensor array is positioned;
- a light source positioned in the chamber defined by the sensor housing;
- wherein the sensor housing includes a reflecting surface portion positioned to receive light from the light source and direct the received light through the chamber towards a focusing axis at a first end of the sensor housing;
- and
- wherein the optical reader is mounted to position the focusing axis so that a portion of the document containing the MICR coded information passes through the focusing axis when the document is moved along the document travel path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.