Movable scanning array in electro-optical readers

Scanning in an electro-optical reader for reading indicia is obtained by moving one array of microlenses relative to another microlens array. An outgoing laser beam directed to indicia for reflection therefrom and/or return light reflected from the indicia is steered through a scan angle by the moving array.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to electro-optical systems for reading indicia, for example, bar code symbols, having parts with different light reflectivities and, in particular, to an arrangement for, and a method of, scanning a light beam or a field of view by performing relative motion between a pair of microlens arrays or like optical elements.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various electro-optical readers and systems have previously been developed for reading bar code symbols appearing on a label, or on a surface of a target. The bar code symbol itself is a coded pattern of indicia. Generally, the readers electro-optically transform graphic indicia of the symbols into electrical signals which are decoded into alphanumeric characters. The resulting characters describe the target and/or some characteristic of the target with which the symbol is associated. Such characters typically comprise input data to a data processing system for applications in point-of-sale processing, inventory control, article tracking and the like.

The specific arrangement of symbol elements, e.g., bars and spaces, in a symbol defines the characters represented according to a set of rules and definitions specified by a code or symbology. The relative size of the bars and spaces is determined by the type of code used, as is the actual size of the bars and spaces.

To encode a desired sequence of characters, a collection of element arrangements is concatenated to form the complete symbol, with each character being represented by its own corresponding group of elements. In some symbologies, a unique “start” and “stop” character is used to indicate where the symbol begins and ends. A number of different bar code symbologies presently exists. The symbologies include one-dimensional codes such as UPC/EAN, Code 39, Code 128, Codabar, and Interleaved 2 of 5.

In order to increase the amount of data that can be represented or stored on a given amount of symbol surface area, several new symbologies have been developed. One new code standard, Code 49, introduced a two-dimensional concept of stacking rows of elements vertically instead of extending elements horizontally. That is, there are several rows of bar and space patterns, instead of one long row. The structure of Code 49 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,239. Another two-dimensional code structure known as PDF417 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,786.

Electro-optical readers have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,798; No. 4,369,361; No. 4,387,297; No. 4,409,470, No. 4,760,248 and No. 4,896,026, all of which have been assigned to the assignee of the present invention. These readers generally include a light source consisting of a gas laser or semiconductor laser for emitting a light beam. The use of semiconductor devices as the light source in readers is especially desirable because of their small size, low cost and low power requirements. The laser beam is optically modified, typically by a focusing optical assembly, to form a beam spot having a certain size at a predetermined target location. Preferably, the cross-section of the beam spot at the target location approximates the minimum width between symbol regions of different light reflectivity, i.e., the bars and spaces.

In conventional readers, the light beam is directed by a scan component along a light path toward a target symbol. The reader operates by repetitively scanning the light beam in a scan pattern, for example, a line or a series of lines across the target symbol by movement of the scan component such as a mirror disposed in the path of the light beam. The scan component may sweep the beam spot across the symbol, trace a scan line across and beyond the boundaries of the symbol, and/or scan a predetermined field of view.

Readers also include a sensor or photodetector which functions to detect light reflected or scattered from the symbol. The photodetector or sensor is positioned in the reader in an optical path so that it has a field of view which extends at least across and slightly beyond the boundaries of the symbol. A portion of the light beam reflected from the symbol is detected and converted into an analog electrical signal. A digitizer digitizes the analog signal. The digitized signal from the digitizer is then decoded, based upon the specific symbology used for the symbol, into a binary data representation of the data encoded in the symbol. The binary data may then be subsequently decoded into the alphanumeric characters represented by the symbol.

The scan pattern that scans the symbol can take a variety of forms, such as repeated line scan, standard raster scan, jittered raster scan, fishbone, petal, etc. These beam patterns are generated by controlled motions of the scan component in the beam path. Typically, the scan component is driven by some form of scanning motor to periodically deflect the beam through the desired beam scanning pattern. For a repeated line scan beam pattern, a polygonal mirror unidirectionally rotated by a simple motor can be utilized. For more complex beam patterns, more involved drive mechanisms are required.

The frequency at which the beam pattern is executed is also an important consideration. The more times a symbol can be scanned in a given time period, the chances of obtaining a valid read of the symbol are increased. This is particularly important when the symbols are borne by moving objects, such as packages traveling on a conveyor belt.

Many applications call for a hand-held reader where a user aims the light beam at the symbol, and the beam executes a scan pattern to read the symbol. For such applications, the arrangement of electro-optical components must be compact in order to be accommodated in a hand-held package which may be pistol-shaped. Moreover, such readers must be lightweight and structurally robust to withstand physical shock resulting from rough handling. It is also desirable that minimal power be consumed during operation to promote battery usage.

It is known to scan the light beam or field of view by reflecting the light beam or scattered light off a scan mirror that is oscillated. The scan mirror occupies a non-negligible volume and adds weight to the reader. Rather than relying on reflection, it is also known to provide beam steering by shifting a focusing lens through which the beam passes. However, a too large lens shift is needed in order to achieve a usable scan angle for the beam.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

One object of this invention is to provide an improved arrangement for and method of scanning a light beam or field of view in a reader for reading a data-encoded symbol.

Another object of this invention is to provide an arrangement which is miniature, compact, lightweight, durable and power efficient in operation, and thus is ideally suited for portable hand-held applications.

Still another object of this invention is to achieve a usable scan angle for a beam to be swept across the symbol by using the transmittance property of a miniature scan component.

FEATURES OF THE INVENTION

In keeping with these objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of this invention resides, briefly stated, in an arrangement for, and a method of, scanning at least one of a light beam directed along an outgoing path toward indicia to be read for reflection therefrom, and a field of view of a detector operative for detecting return light reflected along a return path from the indicia in a reader for electro-optically reading indicia, such as one-and/or two-dimensional bar code symbols.

The scanning is achieved by performing relative motion between a pair of optical elements through which the light beam and/or the return light passes. Preferably, the optical elements are arrays of microlenses in mutual parallelism, each array extending perpendicular to at least one of the paths. A drive performs the relative motion along a drive direction perpendicular to said at least one path to steer the light beam and/or the return light over a scan angle.

The required movement of one array relative to another is very small to achieve a usable scan angle. For example, each array comprises at least one row of microlenses extending lengthwise of the array. The distance between two adjacent microlenses, also known as the pitch of the array, measures in the tens of micrometers in a preferred embodiment, and the amount of movement for the moving array corresponds to the array pitch. This minimal movement minimizes power consumption, vibration, noise, and overall size and weight of the arrangement and still achieves practical scan angles on the order of ±20°.

Each array may comprise a single linear row, or mutually orthogonal rows. Each mircolens could be spherical for two-dimensional scanning, or cylindrical for one-dimensional scanning. Each microlens array could be substituted with a diffractive optical element (DOE) or a holographic element.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference numeral20inFIG. 1generally identifies a hand-held reader for electro-optically reading indicia, such as bar code symbol24, located in a range of working distances therefrom. The reader20has a pistol grip handle21and a manually actuatable trigger22which, when depressed, enables a light beam23to be directed at the symbol24. The reader20includes a housing25in which a light source26, a light detector27, signal processing circuitry28, and a battery pack29are accommodated. A light-transmissive window30at a front of the housing enables the light beam23to exit the housing, and allows return light31scattered off the symbol to enter the housing. A keyboard32and a display33may advantageously be provided on a top wall of the housing for ready access thereto.

In use, an operator holding the handle21aims the housing at the symbol and depresses the trigger. The light source26emits a light beam which is optically modified and focused by optics35to form a beam spot on the symbol24. The beam passes through a beam splitter34to a scan mirror36which is repetitively oscillated at a scan rate of at least 20 scans a second by a motor drive38. The scan mirror36reflects the beam incident thereon to the symbol24and sweeps the beam spot across the symbol in a scan pattern. The scan pattern can be a line extending lengthwise along the symbol along a scan direction, or a series of lines arranged along mutually orthogonal directions, or an omnidirectional pattern, just to name a few possibilities.

The reflected return light31has a variable intensity over the scan pattern and passes through the window30onto the scan mirror36where it is reflected onto the splitter34and, in turn, reflected to the photodetector27for conversion to an analog electrical signal. As known in the art, the signal processing circuitry28digitizes and decodes the signal to extract the data encoded in the symbol.

In accordance with this invention, the beam splitter34, optics35and scan mirror36are replaced by a pair of optical elements movable relative to each other, as described herein with reference toFIGS. 2–6. As shown in a non-retroreflective embodiment ofFIG. 2, a support40, preferably a printed circuit board, is mounted within the housing25. A pair of upright resilient arms42,44is movable about respective first 46 and second 48 axes of oscillation. Each arm is preferably constituted of a metallic spring steel, but other resilient materials including plastic could be employed. In the illustrated solid line rest position, the arms42,44are parallel. In the preferred embodiment, the arms42,44are planar leaf springs.

The light source26, preferably a laser diode, is mounted on the board40and emits a laser beam to and through a focusing lens50for optically modifying the beam to form the beam spot of the required size and shape on the symbol24. The beam then passes in succession through a first optical array52of microlenses and a second optical array54of microlenses prior to exiting the housing as the outgoing laser beam23.

The optical arrangement of the arrays52,54relative to the focusing lens50, as described so far, is depicted inFIG. 3. The arrays52,54are parallel to each other. Each array extends perpendicular to an optical axis56along which the laser beam23is transmitted. Each array comprises either a single linear row of microlenses, or two mutually orthogonal rows of microlenses lying in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis56. Each microlens is preferably spherical for forming the beam spot with a circular cross-section for scanning two-dimensional symbols, or is preferably cylindrical for forming the beam spot with an elliptical cross-section for scanning one-dimensional symbols. Other lens shapes are contemplated. Each microlens can have a positive or a negative power. Each microlens of the first array52has a focal length F1. Each microlens of the second array54has a focal length F2. To maintain laser beam power constant during scanning, it is preferable for F2to be less than or equal to F1.

Returning toFIG. 2, the focusing lens50and the first array52are preferably injection molded as a single stationary optical component that is stationarily mounted on the board40. The second array54is likewise molded as a single movable optical component with a collection lens60operative for collecting the return light31and focusing the collected light onto the photodetector27, which is likewise mounted on the board40adjacent the laser diode26. The single movable optical component of which the collection lens60and the second array54are comprised is mounted on the resilient arms42,44for oscillating movement relative to the board40, and is driven by the drive38. The drive is preferably a linear drive such as a piezo-electric motor, but other drives are contemplated. For example, the drive may include an energizable electromagnetic coil operative for generating an alternating electromagnetic field when energized by a periodic drive signal, as well as a permanent magnet mounted on the movable optical component. The magnetic field of the magnet interacts with the alternating field of the coil, thereby moving the magnet jointly with the movable optical component.

FIG. 4is analogous toFIG. 3, but shows the second array54after it has been moved through a distance S by the drive38. This movement causes the laser beam23to be steered through a scan angle A. Expressed mathematically, the laser beam is deflected by an angle A=atan (S/F2). For example, if S=0.018 mm and F2=0.050 mm; then A=±20°.

Rather than using a convex collection lens60, the return light31can likewise be passed through the pair of arrays52,54, as shown in a retroreflective embodiment ofFIGS. 5 and 6, en route to the detector27. Array54is shifted by the drive38, as described above, the steer the return light31over the symbol24. In this way, the field of view of the detector27is scanned.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a scanning arrangement in electro-optical readers operative by movement of one microlens array relative to another, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. For example, relative motion between a pair of diffractive optical elements, or a pair of holographic elements, could likewise be employed.