Hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system employing automatic object presence detection to control automatic generation of a linear targeting illumination beam within the field of view (FOV), and manual trigger switching to initiate illumination

A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system for use by a human operator, comprising:

• a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window;
• 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 the object within said FOV, and forming and detecting one or more 2D digital images of the object on an area-type image detection array;
• an object presence detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportabel housing, for automatically detecting an object within said FOV, and generating a first trigger event signal indicative of automatic detection of said object within said FOV;
• an object targeting illumination subsystem, disposed in said housing hand-supportable, for generating and projecting a visible targeting illumination beam within said FOV, in response to the generation of said first trigger event signal;
• a manual trigger switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a second trigger event signal, indicative that a code symbol on the detected object is aligned with the visible targeting illumination beam and is ready for illumination and imaging;
• a LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and responsive to said second triggering event signal, for generating and projecting a field of illumination through said imaging window and within said FOV so that light transmitted through said imaging window and reflected/scattered off the object is detected by said area-type image detection array within said hand-supportable housing;
• an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for controlling the operation of said LED-based illumination subsystem during object illumination and imaging operations, so that said targeting illumination beam is momentarily ceased when said LED-based illumination subsystem produces said field of illumination within said FOV;
• an image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for capturing and buffering said one or more 2D digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem;
• a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for processing said one or more 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem so as to read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said one or more 2D digital images;
• an input/output subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for outputting processed image data and the like to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device;
• and
• a system control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable, for controlling and/or coordinating said subsystems during object detection, illumination and imaging operations;
• wherein said field of illumination is a field of narrow-band illumination,
• wherein said area-type image formation and detection subsystem further includes a band-pass optical filter subsystem allowing only narrow-band illumination generated from said LED-based illumination subsystem to expose said area-type image detection array during object illumination and imaging operations;
• and
• wherein said band-pass optical filter subsystem further includes:
• a high-pass optical filter element is embodied within said imaging window;
• and
• a low-pass optical filter element is disposed before said area-type image detection array, and wherein said high-pass and low-pass optical filter elements optically cooperate to form said narrow-band optical filter subsystem for transmitting substantially only the very narrow band of wavelengths of visible illumination produced from said LED-based illumination subsystem and reflected/scattered off the illuminated object, while rejecting all other optical wavelengths outside said narrow optical band.

A hand-supportable digital image capture and processing system for use by a human operator, comprising:

• a hand-supportable housing having an imaging window;
• 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 forming and detecting one or more 2D digital images of the object on an area-type image detection array;
• wherein said area-type image detection array has a snap-shot mode of image detection array operation, during which a single 2D digital image of the object is formed and detected during each image acquisition cycle;
• an object presence detection subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportabel housing, for automatically detecting the object within said FOV, and generating a first trigger event signal indicative of automatic detection of said object within said FOV;
• an object targeting illumination subsystem, disposed in said hnd-supportable housing, for generating and projecting a visible targeting illumination beam within said FOV, in response to the generation of said first trigger event signal;
• a manual trigger switch integrated with said hand-supportable housing, for generating a second trigger event signal, indicative that a code symbol on the detected object is aligned with the visible targeting illumination beam and is ready for illumination and imaging;
• a LED-based illumination subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, and responsive to said second triggering event signal, for generating and projecting a field of illumination through said imaging window and within said FOV so that light transmitted through said imaging window and reflected/scattered off the object and detected by said area-type image detection array within said hand-supportable housing;
• an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for controlling the operation of said LED-based illumination subsystem during object illumination and imaging operations, so that said targeting illumination beam is momentarily ceased when said LED-based illumination subsystem produces said field of illumination within said FOV;
• an image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for capturing and buffering said one or more 2D digital images detected by said image formation and detection subsystem;
• a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable, for processing said one or more 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem so as to read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said one or more 2D digital images;
• an input/output subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for outputting processed image data and the like to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device;
• and
• a system control subsystem, disposed in said hand-supportable housing, for controlling and/or coordinating said subsystems during object detection, illumination and imaging operations.