Method of capturing and processing digital images of an object within the field of view (FOV) of a hand-supportable digitial image capture and processing system

A method of capturing and processing digital images of an object, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system for use by a human operator, and which includes:
• (i) a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window,
• (ii) an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in a hand-supportable housing, having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and upon an object within said FOV, and an area-type image detection array for detecting images of said object within said FOV,
• (iii) an object presence detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing,
• (iv) an object targeting illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing,
• (v) a trigger switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing,
• (vi) an illumination subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing,
• (vii) an image capturing and buffering subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing,
• (viii) a digital image processing subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and
• (ix) an input/output subsystem disposed in said hand-supportable housing;
• (b) said human operator holding said hand-supportable housing, and moving said hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system in proximity to the object, and said object presence detection subsystem automatically detecting the object within said FOV, and generating a first trigger event signal indicative of automatic object detection within said FOV;
• (c) in response to the generation of said first trigger event signal, said object targeting illumination subsystem automatically generating and projecting a visible targeting illumination beam within said FOV;
• (d) said human operator aligning the visible targeting illumination beam with said object in said FOV, and then manually actuating said trigger switch to generate a second trigger event signal;
• and
• (e) in response to the generation of said second trigger event signal,
• (i) said illumination subsystem automatically generating and projecting a field of illumination through said imaging window and within said FOV, while said visible targeting illumination beam is momentarily ceased so that light transmitted from said illumination subsystem through said imaging window is reflected/scattered off the object and detected by said area-type image detection array within said hand-supportable housing, and said area-type image formation and detection subsystem detects one or more 2D digital images of the object formed on said area-type image detection array,
• (ii) said image capturing and buffering subsystem automatically capturing and buffering said one or more detected 2D digital images, and
• (iii) said digital image processing subsystem automatically processing said one or more captured and buffered 2D digital images so as to read one or more code symbols graphically represented in said one or more 2D digital images.