# US 9,038,903 B2 · Method and apparatus for controlling illumination > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,038,903 B2 - Document ID: US9038903B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/690,229 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Symbol Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Symbol Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Dariusz J. Madej; David P. Goren; Eugene B. Joseph - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9038903B2 ## CPC - G06K 7/1096: {the scanner having more than one scanning window, e.g. two substantially orthogonally placed scanning windows for integration into a check-out counter of a super-market} - G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS ## Abstract A method includes transmitting from at least one of the imaging sensors to a controller a short frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a first illumination level. The method further includes transmitting subsequently from the at least one of the imaging sensors to the controller a regular frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a second illumination level that is determined based upon the short frame data. The size of the regular frame data being at least 50 times larger than the size of the short frame data. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of operating emitting mostly invisible light towards a target object from a light emitting diode within a housing having a first window located in a generally horizontal plane and a second window located in a generally upright plane that intersects the generally horizontal plane; detecting returned invisible light from the target object with a photodetector to generate an electrical signal; activating an illumination source to provide an illumination light toward the target object after the electrical signal generated by the photodetector indicates that the returned invisible light from the target object is detected; capturing light returned from the target object with a plurality of imaging sensors through the first window or through the second window, wherein each of the imaging sensors has an array of photosensitive elements; transmitting from at least one of the imaging sensors to a controller a short frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a first illumination level; and transmitting subsequently from the at least one of the imaging sensors to the controller a regular frame data that is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a second illumination level that is determined based upon the short frame data, the size of the regular frame data being at least 50 times larger than the size of the short frame data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the short frame data includes a histogram of an image captured by the at least one of the imaging sensors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the short frame data includes subsampling imaging data obtained from an image captured by the at least one of the imaging sensors. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the regular frame data is at least 128 times larger than the size of the short frame data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: processing the short frame data to select the second illumination level from two predetermined illumination levels. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein one of the two predetermined illumination levels is substantially equal to the first illumination level, and the second illumination level is selected to be lower than the first illumination level when the percentage of saturated pixels in the short frame data is larger than a predetermined threshold level. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein one of the two predetermined illumination levels is substantially equal to the first illumination level, and the second illumination level is selected to be higher than the first illumination level unless the percentage of saturated pixels in an extrapolation of the short frame data is larger than a predetermined threshold level. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: processing the short frame data to select the second illumination level from two from N predetermined illumination levels, wherein integer N is less than four. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, comprising: transmitting from the at least one of the imaging sensors to the controller in sequence a first short frame data, a first regular frame data, a second short frame data, and a second regular frame data. ### Claim 10 A workstation for imaging a target object, comprising: a housing having a first window located in a generally horizontal plane and a second window located in a generally upright plane that intersects the generally horizontal plane; an illumination source configured to be activated to provide an illumination light toward the target object; a plurality of imaging sensors configured to capture light returned from the target object through the first window or through the second window, wherein each of the imaging sensors has an array of photosensitive elements; a controller configured to receive data from at least one of the imaging sensors; and wherein at least one of the imaging sensors is configured to transmit to the controller a short frame data and subsequently a regular frame data, the size of the regular frame data being at least 50 times larger than the size of the short frame data, wherein the short frame data is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a first illumination level, and wherein the regular frame data is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a second illumination level that is determined based upon the short frame data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The workstation of claim 10, wherein the short frame data includes a histogram of an image captured by the at least one of the imaging sensors. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The workstation of claim 10, wherein the short frame data includes subsampling imaging data obtained from an image captured by the at least one of the imaging sensors. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The workstation of claim 10, wherein the second illumination level is selected based upon the short frame data from two predetermined illumination levels. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The workstation of claim 13, wherein the second illumination level is selected to be lower than the first illumination level when the percentage of saturated pixels in the short frame data is larger than a predetermined threshold level. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The workstation of claim 13, wherein the second illumination level is selected to be higher than the first illumination level unless the percentage of saturated pixels in an extrapolation of the short frame data is larger than a predetermined threshold level. ### Claim 16 A workstation for imaging a target object, comprising: a housing having a first window located in a generally horizontal plane and a second window located in a generally upright plane that intersects the generally horizontal plane; a light emitting diode within the housing operative to emit mostly invisible light towards the target object; a photodetector configured to detect returned invisible light from the target object to generate an electrical signal; an illumination source configured to be activated to provide an illumination light toward the target object after the electrical signal generated by the photodetector indicates that the returned invisible light from the target object is detected; a plurality of imaging sensors configured to capture light returned from the target object through the first window or through the second window, wherein each of the imaging sensors has an array of photosensitive elements; a controller configured to receive data from at least one of the imaging sensors; and wherein at least one of the imaging sensors is configured to transmit to the controller a short frame data and subsequently a regular frame data, the size of the regular frame data being at least 50 times larger than the size of the short frame data, wherein the short frame data is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a first illumination level, and wherein the regular frame data is collected by the at least one of the imaging sensors when the illumination source is activated to provide the illumination light toward the target object with a second illumination level that is determined based upon the short frame data. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The workstation of claim 16, wherein the short frame data includes a histogram of an image captured by the at least one of the imaging sensors. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The workstation of claim 16, wherein the short frame data includes subsampling imaging data obtained from an image captured by the at least one of the imaging sensors. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The workstation of claim 16, wherein the second illumination level is selected based upon the short frame data from two predetermined illumination levels. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The workstation of claim 16, wherein the second illumination level is selected based upon the short frame data from N predetermined illumination levels, wherein integer N is less than four.