Production of aiming spot with enhanced visibility in electro-optical readers for reading indicia
AssigneeSymbol Technologies, Inc.
InventorsVladimir Gurevich, Daniel Gonzalez, Mark Krichever, Edward Barkan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Curved reflecting surfaces on a rotary scan component produce an aiming spot of enhanced visibility during a single scan line mode of operation for an electro-optical reader capable of reading bar code symbols in a multiple scan line mode of operation.
Claims17
In a reader for electro-optically reading indicia by reflecting a light beam off a plurality of generally planar light reflecting surfaces rotatable about an axis to sweep the light beam at a visibility across the indicia during a multiple scan line mode of operation, an arrangement for producing an aiming spot of enhanced visibility brighter than said visibility during a single scan line mode of operation, the arrangement comprising:
- a) an actuatable light source for producing the light beam;
- b) means for directing the light beam along a path to the generally planar reflecting surfaces and to the indicia to be read;
- c) a curved light reflecting surface mounted for joint rotation with and between two of the generally planar reflecting surfaces, and being movable across the path;
- d) a controller for actuating the light source during the single line mode to produce the light beam during movement of the curved reflecting surface across the path;
- and
- e) the curved reflecting surface having a center of curvature on the axis for reflecting, and not sweeping across the indicia, the light beam incident on the curved reflecting surface at an angle of reflection which is substantially constant during movement of the curved reflecting surface across the path, thereby producing the aiming spot of enhanced visibility.
A scan component rotatable about an axis, comprising:
- a) a plurality of generally planar light reflecting surfaces successively arranged in a circumferential direction about the axis, each generally planar reflecting surface being operative for reflecting and sweeping a light beam at a visibility along a path to and across indicia to be read by an electro-optical reader during a multiple scan line mode of operation;
- and
- b) a curved light reflecting surface mounted for joint rotation with and between two of the generally planar reflecting surfaces, and being movable across the path during a single scan line mode of operation, the curved reflecting surface having a center of curvature on the axis for reflecting, and not sweeping across the indicia, the light beam incident on the curved reflecting surface at an angle of reflection which is substantially constant during movement of the curved reflecting surface across the path, thereby producing an aiming spot of enhanced visibility brighter than said visibility.
In a method of electro-optically reading indicia by reflecting a light beam off a plurality of generally planar light reflecting surfaces rotatable about an axis to sweep the light beam at a visibility across the indicia during a multiple scan line mode of operation, a method of producing an aiming spot of enhanced visibility brighter than said visibility during a single scan line mode of operation, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) producing the light beam with an actuatable light source;
- b) directing the light beam along a path to the generally planar reflecting surfaces and to the indicia to be read;
- c) mounting a curved light reflecting surface for joint rotation with and between two of the generally planar reflecting surfaces, and moving the curved reflecting surface across the path;
- d) actuating the light source during the single line mode to produce the light beam during movement of the curved reflecting surface across the path;
- and
- e) configuring the curved reflecting surface to have a center of curvature on the axis for reflecting, and not sweeping across the indicia, the light beam incident on the curved reflecting surface at an angle of reflection which is substantially constant during movement of the curved reflecting surface across the path, thereby producing the aiming spot of enhanced visibility.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.