Digital image capture and processing system employing a linear LED-based illumination array mounted behind an illumination-focusing lens component integrated within the imaging window of the system

A digital image capture and processing system capable of illuminating the entire field of view (FOV) of said digital image capture and processing system using a linear LED-based illumination array and having a working distance, said digital image capture and processing system comprising:

• a housing having an imaging window with a refractive-type illumination-focusing lens component supported within said imaging window;
• an area-type image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, and having image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) through said imaging window and onto an area-type image detection array, for forming and detecting 2D digital images of an object in said FOV, during object illumination and imaging operations;
• an illumination subsystem, disposed in said housing, having a linear LED-based illumination array, disposed immediately behind said refractive-type illumination-focusing lens component, for producing a field of wide-area illumination illuminating substantially the entire FOV over the working distance of said digital image capture and processing system, so that said illumination reflects off an object within said FOV and is transmitted back through said imaging window and onto said area-type image detection array to form one or more 2D digital images of said object;
• an image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed in said housing, for capturing and buffering 2D digital images detected by said area-type image formation and detection subsystem;
• a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing 2D digital images captured and buffered by said image capturing and buffering subsystem and reading one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said 2D digital images, and generating symbol character data representative of said read 1D and/or 2D code symbols;
• and
• a system control subsystem, disposed in said housing, for controlling and/or coordinating one or more of said subsystems during object illumination and imaging operations.