US 7,296,751 B2 · Imaging module for optical reader

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus packaging components of an optical reading device which may include illumination optical elements, receive optical elements, and signal processing elements. In one embodiment a single circuit board can carry multiple elements such as an image sensor together with illumination elements. In one embodiment, a control circuit can be provided that is coupled to a light source and an image sensor.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims48

Dependent claims

An optical reader comprising:

a printed circuit board;
a image sensor mounted on said printed circuit board, said image sensor having a field of view, said image sensor adapted to generate an electrical signal representative of the field of view of said image sensor;
a signal processing circuit disposed to receive said electrical signal from said image sensor, said signal processing circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
an image capture circuit adapted to receive electrical signal from said signal processing circuit and store said electrical signal, said image capture circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
an image decoding and/or recognition circuit coupled to said image capture circuit, said image decoding and/or recognition circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
at least one light source mounted on said printed circuit board, said at least one light source disposed to illuminate at least a portion of the field of view of said image sensor;
and
a control circuit coupled to said image sensor
wherein said control circuit is adapted to control the operation of said image sensor.

6 more elements

An optical reader comprising:

a mounting frame, said mounting frame including:
a back plate;
and
four sidewalls extending outwards from said back plate;
wherein said back plate and said four side walls define an interior volume;
and
wherein said back plate defines a plurality of openings;
a printed circuit board coupled to said back plate, wherein said printed circuit board is external to said interior volume;
an image sensor mounted on said printed circuit board, said image sensor disposed such that the field of view of said image sensor faces said interior volume;
at least one light source provided by a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed within said interior volume, said plurality of light emitting diodes mounted on said printed circuit board;
a control circuit for controlling the operation of said image sensor said control circuit disposed on said printed circuit board, said control circuit coupled to said image sensor;
a signal processing circuit disposed to receive an electrical signal from said image sensor, said signal processing circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
an image capture circuit adapted to receive the electrical signal from said signal processing circuit and store said electrical signal, said image capture circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
and
an image decoding and/or recognition circuit coupled to said image capture circuit, said image decoding and/or recognition circuit mounted on said printed circuit board.

12 more elements

An optical reader comprising:

a mounting frame, said mounting frame including:
a back plate;
and
four sidewalls extending outwards from said back plate;
wherein said back plate and said four side walls define an interior volume;
and
wherein said back plate defines a plurality of openings;
a printed circuit board coupled to said back plate, wherein said printed circuit board is external to said interior volume;
an image sensor mounted on said printed circuit board, said image sensor disposed such that the field of view of said image sensor faces said interior volume;
a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed within said interior volume, said plurality of light emitting diodes mounted on said printed circuit board;
a control circuit for controlling the operation of said image sensor said control circuit disposed on said printed circuit board, said control circuit coupled to said image sensor;
a signal processing circuit disposed to receive an electrical signal from said image sensor, said signal processing circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
an image capture circuit adapted to receive the electrical signal from said signal processing circuit and store said electrical signal, said image capture circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
and
an image decoding and/or recognition circuit coupled to said image capture circuit, said image decoding and/or recognition circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
wherein the receive axis of said image sensor is substantially perpendicular to said printed circuit board.

13 more elements

An optical reader comprising:

a mounting frame, said mounting frame including:
a back plate;
and
four sidewalls extending outwards from said back plate;
wherein said back plate and said four side walls define an interior volume;
wherein said back plate includes an exterior surface and
wherein said back plate defines a plurality of openings;
a printed circuit board coupled to said external surface;
an image sensor mounted on said printed circuit board, said image sensor disposed such that the field of view of said image sensor faces said interior volume;
at least one light source provided by a plurality of light emitting diodes disposed within said interior volume, said plurality of light emitting diodes mounted on said printed circuit board;
illumination optics disposed proximate to said plurality of light emitting diodes;
a control circuit for controlling the operation of said image sensor said control circuit disposed on said printed circuit board, said control circuit coupled to said image sensor;
a signal processing circuit disposed to receive an electrical signal from said image sensor, said signal processing circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
an image capture circuit adapted to receive the electrical signal from said signal processing circuit and store said electrical signal, said image capture circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
and
an image decoding and/or recognition circuit coupled to said image capture circuit, said image decoding and/or recognition circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
wherein the receive axis of said image sensor is substantially perpendicular to said printed circuit board.

14 more elements

An optical reader comprising:

a mounting frame, said mounting frame including:
a back plate;
and
four sidewalls extending outwards from said back plate;
wherein said back plate and said four side walls define an interior volume;
and
wherein said back plate defines a plurality of openings;
a printed circuit board coupled to said external surface;
an image sensor mounted on said printed circuit board, said image sensor disposed such that the field of view of said image sensor faces said interior volume;
imaging optics coupled to said image sensor, said imaging optics at least partially disposed within said interior volume;
at least one illumination light emitting diode coupled to said printed circuit board wherein said at least one illumination light emitting diode is disposed within said interior volume;
at least one aiming light emitting diode coupled to said printed circuit board wherein said at least one aiming light emitting diode is disposed within said interior volume;
an aperture plate disposed proximate to said at least one illumination light emitting diode and said at least one aiming light emitting diode;
a diffuser plate coupled to said mounting frame, wherein said aperture plate is disposed between said aperture plate and said mounting frame, wherein said diffuser plate applies a clamping force to said aperture plate thereby holding said aperture plate in a predetermined position;
a control circuit for controlling the operation of said image sensor said control circuit disposed on said printed circuit board, said control circuit coupled to said image sensor;
a signal processing circuit disposed to receive an electrical signal from said image sensor, said signal processing circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
an image capture circuit adapted to receive the electrical signal from said signal processing circuit and store said electrical signal, said image capture circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
and
an image decoding and/or recognition circuit coupled to said image capture circuit, said image decoding and/or recognition circuit mounted on said printed circuit board;
wherein the receive axis of said image sensor is substantially perpendicular to said printed circuit board;
wherein said aperture plate defines at least one opening for allowing light generated by said at least one illumination light emitting diode to pass through;
and
wherein said aperture plate defines at least one opening for allowing light generated by said at least one aiming light emitting diode to pass through.

20 more elements

An optical reader comprising:

a printed circuit board (“PCB”) on which an integrated circuit (“IC”) is mounted, the PCB further comprising printed circuit wiring for receiving electrical connections from at least one component, the at least one component including a source of electrical power, the source of electrical power coupled to the IC;
an image sensor having a field of view, the image sensor adapted to generate an electrical signal representative of the field of view of the image sensor, the image sensor located within the IC;
an analog-to-digital (“A/D”) converter, the A/D converter to digitize the electrical signal from the image sensor, the A/D converter electrically coupled to the image sensor and the A/D converter to convert the electrical signal from the image sensor to a digital signal, the A/D converter located within the IC;
a signal processing circuit electrically coupled to the A/D converter to receive the digital signal from the A/D converter, the signal processing circuit to process the digital signal from the A/D converter and to output a processed digital signal, the signal processing circuit located within the IC;
an image capture circuit including a memory, the image capture circuit electrically coupled to the signal processing circuit and adapted to receive the digital signal from the signal processing circuit and to store the processed digital signal in the memory, the image capture circuit located within the IC;
an image decoding and/or recognition circuit coupled to the IC, the image decoding and/or recognition circuit mounted on the PCB;
at least one light source mounted on the PCB, the at least one light source to illuminate at least a portion of the field of view of the image sensor;
and
a control circuit coupled to the IC
wherein the control circuit is adapted to control the operation of the image sensor in the IC.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description5,372 words

Summary192 words

#The present invention relates to optical reading devices in general and in particular to an apparatus for elements of an optical reader.

#Currently available optical readers include illumination elements, electronic signal processing, image capture and decoding circuitry that are carried by more than one circuit board. For, example, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,834 is an optical reader having numerous circuit boards, including an LED board for carrying illumination LEDs, an “imaging board” carrying an image sensor and circuitry for processing signals generated from the image sensor, and a “mother board” carrying image capture and decoding circuitry.

#Assembly of the multiple circuit board arrangement of the prior art is time consuming and expensive. Assembly of a prior art reader requires mounting of separate circuit boards to separate internal structures of a reader, and providing electrical connection between the multiple circuit boards. In addition adding to being difficult to assemble, the multiple circuit board design imposes size requirements on the optical reader housing in which the electrical components are to be integrated.

Brief description of the drawings8 figures

#For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of a preferred mode of practicing the invention, read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1A is a front perspective assembly diagram illustrating assembly of an image capture module according to the invention;

#FIG. 1B is a rear perspective assembly diagram illustrating assembly of an image capture module according to the invention;

Detailed description4,997 words

#According to its major aspects and broadly stated the present invention is a module for packaging optical illumination, optical receive, and electrical signal processing components of an optical reader.

#The module includes a frame which carries a printed circuit board, preferably a printed circuit board (PCB) and various optical components. In one embodiment, the frame includes a back plate having a retainer for receiving an optical lens barrel, and a recess for receiving and aligning an image sensor which is carried by the PCB. The frame may also include resilient fingers which enable the frame to receive certain optical components of the module in an adhesiveless snap-fitting arrangement.

#According to a preferred assembly method for assembling the module, the PCB is first mounted onto the frame's back plate such that the image sensor of the PCB is received and aligned by the recess of the back plate. Next, illumination and aiming LEDs are soldered to the PCB to mount the LEDs. As a space conserving measure, the LEDs may be mounted so that a portion of rear surfaces of the illumination LEDs oppose a portion of the top surface of the image sensor when mounted.

Facts

Application

10/613,208Filed 3 Jul 2003 · continuation

Priority

4 Oct 1999

Published

US 2004/0195328 A17 Oct 2004

Granted

20 Nov 2007

Term ended

22 Feb 2020

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 141 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification9 codes

G06K 7/10742
Photodetector array or CCD scanning: including a diffuser for diffusing the light from the light source to create substantially uniform…
G06K 7/10722
Fixed beam scanning: photodetector array or CCD scanning
G06K 7/10732
Photodetector array or CCD scanning: light sources
G06K 7/10881
Further details of bar or optical code scanning devices: constructional details of hand-held scanners

Timeline

4 Oct 1999Priority claimedParent application 09/411,936
3 Jul 2003Application filedUS 10/613,208
7 Oct 2004PublishedUS 2004/0195328 A1
19 Oct 2007Assigned to Welch Allyn Data Collection, Inc.assignment of assignor's interest
19 Oct 2007Assigned to Hand Held Products, Inc.change of name
20 Nov 2007GrantedUS 7,296,751 B2
22 Feb 2020Term endedEstimated, includes 141 days of adjustment

Imaging module for optical reader

Life of this patent

Imaging module for optical reader

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims48

Description5,372 words

Drawings

Classification9 codes

Life of this patent

Description5,372 words