Patent Publication Number: US-8978979-B2

Title: Systems, methods, and apparatus for overhead scanning of images in a manual distribution environment

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/422,876, entitled “SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR OVERHEAD SCANNING OF IMAGES IN A MANUAL DISTRIBUTION ENVIRONMENT” filed on Mar. 16, 2012, which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/453,903 entitled “CAMERA TO BE USED FOR OVERHEAD SCANNING OF IMAGES IN A MANUAL DISTRIBUTION ENVIRONMENT” filed on Mar. 17, 2011, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present application relates generally to imaging systems for scanning and processing barcodes and other information in a manual distribution environment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Manual distribution systems employ the use of barcodes and other printed/encoded information for use in electronically scanning, sorting and managing distribution items. As items are manually sorted and processed by operators, scanning systems and techniques are employed to automatically capture and process barcodes and other machine readable information. Many methods and devices for processing barcodes are available. These may include one-dimensional barcode scanning devices, such as handheld barcode readers. Other examples of barcode scanning devices and systems include photo diode pen type readers, laser barcode scanners, charge coupled diode (CCD) scanners, and camera based barcode scanners. Improved scanning systems and techniques are desirable for allowing operators to efficiently sort and scan distribution items as they are being handled and processed in a distribution system. 
     SUMMARY 
     Various implementations of systems, methods and devices within the scope of the appended claims each have several aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for the desirable attributes described herein. Without limiting the scope of the appended claims, some prominent features are described herein. 
     Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Note that the relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn to scale. 
     One aspect of the subject matter described in the disclosure provides an apparatus for capturing images. The apparatus includes an image capture device including one or more image sensors. The apparatus further includes a mirror configured to be selectively movable and positioned relative to the image capture device to reflect light toward the one or more image sensors. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to capture at least one image while the mirror is moving such that a field of view defined by the at least one image changes based on an instantaneous position of the mirror. The controller is further configured to process the at least one image to extract machine readable information located on at least a portion of one or more items in the at least one image. 
     Another aspect of the subject matter described in the disclosure provides an implementation of a method for capturing images. The method includes selectively moving a mirror positioned relative to the input of an image capture device. The method further includes capturing at least one image via the image capture device while the mirror is moving such that a field of view defined by the at least one image changes based on an instantaneous position of the mirror. The method further includes processing the at least one image to extract machine readable information located on at least a portion of one or more items in the at least one image. 
     Yet another aspect of the subject matter described in the disclosure provides an apparatus for capturing images. The apparatus includes means for reflecting light means for selectively moving the means for reflecting light. The apparatus further includes means for capturing at least one image using light reflected off the means for reflecting light while the means for reflecting light is moving such that a field of view defined by the at least one image changes based on an instantaneous position of the means for reflecting light. The apparatus further includes means for processing the at least one image to extract machine readable information located on at least a portion of one or more items in the at least one image. 
     Another aspect of the subject matter described in the disclosure provides an apparatus for capturing images. The apparatus includes a camera configured to capture an image defined by a first field view for a determined resolution. The apparatus further includes a mirror configured to be selectively movable and configured to be positioned at the input of the camera such that light is reflected from the mirror and into the camera. The apparatus further includes a controller configured to capture a series of images via the camera while the mirror is moving such that a second field of view defined by the series of images is larger than the first field of view. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A ,  1 B, and  1 C show examples of items and information that may be processed and scanned in a manual distribution system. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an image capture system for use in extracting machine readable information on an item placed within a scanning area. 
         FIG. 3A  is a functional block diagram of an image capture device, in accordance with embodiments described herein. 
         FIG. 3B  is a functional block diagram of a system for capturing images including the image capture device of  FIG. 3A  and a movable mirror, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 4A  is a side elevation view of a system for capturing images using a movable mirror for extracting machine readable information from items within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 4B  is a side perspective view of the system of  FIG. 4A  for capturing and processing images using a movable mirror. 
         FIG. 5A  is a side elevation view of a system for capturing images using a movable mirror for extracting machine readable information from items within a scanning area, in accordance with another embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 5B  is a side perspective view of the system of  FIG. 5A  for capturing and processing images using a movable mirror. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  are perspective views of the system shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  respectively for extracting machine readable information from an item within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method for expanding an effective field of view for use in a system for extracting machine readable information from an item within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method for capturing and processing images to extract machine readable information from an item located within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of another method for capturing and processing images to extract machine readable information from an item located within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method for processing an image to extract machine readable information in the form of a barcode, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. 
     
    
    
     The various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given system, method or device. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The term “exemplary” used throughout this description means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other exemplary embodiments. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the invention. The exemplary embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the novelty of the exemplary embodiments presented herein. 
     Manual distribution systems may include scanning systems for capturing and/or processing machine readable information printed on an item being scanned. For example, the scanning systems may include capabilities for scanning barcodes and other encoded values. 
       FIGS. 1A ,  1 B, and  1 C show examples of items and information that may be processed and scanned in a manual distribution system.  FIG. 1A  shows an item  100   a , such as a package, that may be a distribution item and may be processed by a scanning system. Machine readable information may be affixed to and/or printed on the item  100   a . For example, the item  100   a  may have a barcode  151   a , such as a Quick Response (QR) code  151   a.  Another barcode  155   a , such as a four state barcode  155   a  (e.g., an Intelligent Mail® barcode) may also be affixed to the item  100   a . The item  100   a  may also include machine readable text  160   a  that may be scanned and processed by the scanning system. As shown in  FIG. 1A , the item  100   a  may be a package or other object of any shape or size. 
       FIG. 1B  shows an example of another item, such as a mail piece  100   b  Like the item  100   a , a variety of types of machine readable information may be affixed to the mail piece  100   b . For example, machine readable text  160   b  and a four state barcode  155   b  may be affixed and/or printed on the mail piece  100   b . The mail piece  100   b  may further include a stamp  162   b  that may include a variety of type of information that may be scanned and processed to decode information from the stamp  162 . For example, the stamp may include a barcode  150   b  or any other machine readable text. In some embodiments, the stamp may include an image  164   b  from which information associated with the image may be determined. The image  164   b  may also be affixed and/or printed to other portions of the mail piece  100   b . The information extracted from the mail piece  100   b  or item  100   a  ( FIG. 1A ) may include a variety of different types of information associated with the item  100   a , such as information associated with identifying the item  100   a , tracking the item  100   a , a destination of the item  100   a , a source or sender of the item  100   a , sorting data, routing information regarding the item  100   a , and the like. 
       FIG. 1C  shows examples of various different types of barcodes that may be affixed to and/or printed on item  100   a  or a mail piece  100   b  that may be scanned and decoded to extract information regarding the item  100   a  or mail piece  100   b . For example, a barcode may be a data matrix barcode  151   c  that may be affixed to and/or printed on an item  100   a.  The barcode may also be a width modulated bar code  152   c . In addition, other barcodes such as two state barcodes  153   c  and  154   c  (e.g., PLANET or POSTNET barcodes) may be used. A barcode may also be a four state barcode  155   c , such as an Intelligent Mail® barcode, and affixed to and/or printed on an item  100   a  or mail piece  100   b.    
     It should be appreciated that while the items  100   a  and  100   b  may be depicted and/or described herein as distribution items, the systems and methods described herein may be applicable to any item that may include machine readable information affixed to and/or printed thereon. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may be used in conjunction with any object that may be imaged and processed to extract information regarding the item. For examples, objects may include envelopes, cartons, flats, crates, bins, and the like. For ease of reference, items  100   a  and  100   b  may be referred to hereinafter as an item  100 . 
     As described above, it may be desirable to have an automated way to scan and process an item  100  without intervention by an operator. For example, handheld scanners and/or processing systems may be cumbersome and difficult to manage. More particularly, it may be difficult for an operator to carry and scan an item  100  as well as position and or find areas on the item  100  to scan. As such, in some embodiments a scanning system may be employed relative to a scanning area such that an item  100  may be automatically scanned and processed when it passes within the scanning area. For example, a scanning system may employ an image capture device employed over a scanning area. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an image capture system  200  for use in extracting machine readable information on an item  100  placed within a scanning area. For example, a scanning and processing system may employ the use of a two dimensional camera image capture system. Two-dimensional imaging systems may have high frame rates (e.g., 90 frames per second) and fast exposure times (e.g., 100 microseconds). These systems may be used in applications involving asynchronous movement without the need for motion specific information with respect to a target bar code or other machine readable text. For example, images may be captured at a speed such that at least one clear still image with all necessary information may be captured even as an item  100  is moving quickly through the system&#39;s scanning area. 
     The system  200  may include an image capture device  202  for capturing an image within a scanning area  104 . The image capture device  202  may be for example, a camera (e.g., a digital camera), or any other device configured to capture images. In some embodiments, the image capture device  202  may include a two-dimensional array of image pixel sensors (not shown). The image sensors may be charge-coupled device (CCD) pixel sensors, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) pixel sensors or the like. The image capture device  202  may be mounted overhead where an item  100  (not shown in  FIG. 2 ), or more than one item  100 , is moved through or placed on a surface within a field of view  206  of an overhead image capture device  202  for imaging/scanning as each item  100  is processed. This allows the item  100  to be sorted while capturing and processing machine readable data and other information from the item  100  in a hands free passive manner. 
     For example, an item  100  such as a distribution item (e.g., a mail piece) which may include barcodes, return addresses, destination addresses, and other information, may be placed in a field of view  206  of an overhead image capture device  202  for scanning as each item  100  is sorted. The field of view  206  of the image capture device  200  may include an area within a scanning area intended to capture machine readable information on an item  100  of differing heights and sizes. Captured images of an item  100  (or a portion of one or more items) may be processed using a controller (not shown) to decode barcode information, perform optical reading of information (e.g., return and destination addresses), and gather other information about the item  100  being sorted. The fixed mounted scanning system  200  may be placed over a conveyor belt or simply over a surface where an operator places each item within the field of view  206  of the image capture device  202 . Alternatively, the item  100  may be carried by an operator and/or a machine under the image capture device  202  such that it is scanned and processed while moving. Although an item  100  such as a mail piece  100   b  is used as an example herein, the systems and methods described herein may be applicable for any system in which information on an item  100  may be extracted, such as warehouse items and the like. 
     The field of view  206  of the image capture device  202  may correspond to the visible area captured by image sensors of the image capture device  202 . The field of the view  206  captured by the image capture device  202  may be constrained by a size of the two dimensional camera sensor array (e.g., number of row and column pixels on an image sensing chip) and the desired resolution of the image. The resolution may be measured in dots per inch (DPI). For example, when using an overhead image capture device  202 , the desired resolution may be affected by the size of the camera sensor array and the height of the camera over an object being scanned. As the image capture device  202  is moved further away from an area of inspection, the field of view  206  may increase while the resolution may decrease. Some applications require an image capture device  202  with sufficiently high DPI to support optical character reading (e.g.,  200  DPI or greater) as well as supporting barcode decoding. 
     As an example, in  FIG. 2 , the image capture device  202  may be placed thirty-six to forty-eight inches above a scanning area  204 . In other embodiments, the image capture device  202  may be placed at other distances from the scanning area  204 . According to this example, the resulting field of view  206  may define an approximate twelve inch by twelve inch area in which images may be captured for a target resolution. In other embodiments, the image capture area can be of other dimensions depending on, for example, the capabilities of the image capture device  202  or the distance of the image capture device  202  from the scanning area. The field of view  206  shown in  FIG. 2 , may be sufficient to allow the image capture device  202  to capture images with sufficiently high DPI for scanning an item  100  such as distribution items, which may include machine readable information such as barcodes, return addresses, destination addresses, and the like. 
     In order to accurately capture and process information such as return and destination addresses located on an item  100  (e.g., through optical character reading techniques, etc.), the item  100  may need to be placed such that return and destination addresses printed on the item  100  such as a mail piece  100   b  are positioned within a defined “trigger zone”  208  shown in  FIG. 2 . This may ensure that a captured image has all the data necessary to adequately extract the information from the item  100 . The “trigger zone”  208  is within and may be significantly smaller than the field of view  206  of the image capture device. Given, for example, the field of view  206  defined by  FIG. 2 , operators may have difficulty placing an item correctly within or moving an item through the field of view  206  of the image capture device  202  such that information such as the return address and destination address of an item  100  are included within the trigger zone  208 . 
     As such, it is desirable to increase the size of the field of view  206  of the image capture device  202  so as to allow operators to more quickly and easily place an item  100  while sorting and/or processing, such that captured images include all desired information to be automatically processed by the scanning system. A field of view  206  that is expanded or enlarged may allow for more efficient sorting operations and increased efficiency in capturing image data. However, placing an image capture device  202  at a further distance from a scanning area to increase the field of view  206  may be inadequate as, without further modification, the resolution of the resulting images may be reduced resulting in inaccurate image processing. For example, the resulting resolution may not be sufficient for optical character recognition desired by the system  200 . Alternatively, expanding the field of view, while maintaining a desired resolution, may involve increasing the size of the sensor array of the image capture device  202 . However, this may be difficult to achieve given that a larger image sensor array may be technologically infeasible or may unacceptably increase the cost of the image capture device  202 . In addition, any other alterations to the scanning system resulting in increasing the field of view, without sacrificing resolution, should still enable an operator to sort and/or process an item  100  while automatically processing information from item  106  in a hands free passive manner. 
     According to embodiments described herein, systems and methods are provided for expanding the effective field of view of a system for capturing and processing image while avoiding, in some aspects, increasing the size of the image sensor array or decreasing the desired resolution. 
       FIG. 3A  is a functional block diagram of an image capture device  302 , in accordance with embodiments described herein.  FIG. 3A  shows some of the components that may be used in the image capture device  302 . The image capture device  302  of  FIG. 3A , may be the image capture device  202  shown in  FIG. 2  and may be an example of a device that may be configured to implement the various methods described herein. The image capture device  302  may include one or more image sensors  334 . For example, the image sensors may be charge-coupled device (CCD) pixel sensors, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) pixel sensors and the like. The image sensors  334  may form a two dimensional array of image sensors  334  and may be configured to convert light into digital signals that represent an image. 
     The image capture device  302  may include a controller  330  that may control operations of the image capture device  302 . The controller  330  may also be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU) or just as a processor. The controller  330  may perform logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored within a memory  332 . Memory  332 , which may include both read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM), provides instructions and data to the processor  330 . A portion of the memory  206  may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). The instructions in the memory  206  may be executable to implement the methods described herein. 
     The controller  330  may comprise or be a component of a processing system implemented with one or more processors. The one or more processors may be implemented with any combination of general-purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entities that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information. 
     The processing system may also include machine-readable media for storing software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean any type of instructions, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Instructions may include code (e.g., in source code format, binary code format, executable code format, or any other suitable format of code). The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the processing system to perform the various functions described herein. 
     The controller  330  may be configured to process image data obtained by the image sensors  334  to extract machine readable information on the images as described above. For example, the controller  330  may be configured to decode barcodes, perform optical character recognition, identify images, and the like. Memory  332  may be used to store instructions for processing image data using the controller  330 . 
     The image capture device  302  may further include a communication module  338  that may include communication circuitry to allow transmission and reception of data between the image capture device  302  and a device external to the image capture device  302 . The communication module  338  may be configured to send and receive data to or from the image capture device  302  via a network to a database  344  or another computer system  342 . For example, machine readable information extracted from an item  100  scanned may be stored in the database  334  or managed and further processed by the computer system  342 . For example, the computer system  342  may use the extracted information to allow further tracking and/or interaction with data extracted from a scanned item  100  such as for tracking, managing, and processing items being scanned. In addition, extracted information may be provided to a database  334  or computer system  342  as a reference to additional information stored regarding an item  100 . 
     The image capture system  302  may further include a user interface  336  in some aspects. The user interface  336  may comprise a keypad, a microphone, a speaker, and/or a display. The user interface  336  may include any element or component that conveys information to a user of the image capture device  302  and/or receives input from the user. In some implementations, a remote computer system  342  may be used to control the operation of the image capture device  302  via the network  340  or other ways of communication. The image capture device  302  may also include a housing. 
     The various components of the image capture device  302  may be coupled together by a bus system  346 . The bus system  346  may include a data bus, for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus in addition to the data bus. Those of skill in the art will appreciate the components of the image capture device  302  may be coupled together or accept or provide inputs to each other using some other mechanism. 
     Although a number of separate components are illustrated in  FIG. 3A , those of skill in the art will recognize that one or more of the components may be combined or commonly implemented. For example, the controller  330  may be used to implement not only the functionality described above with respect to the controller  330 , but also to implement the functionality described above with respect to the other components. Further, each of the components illustrated in  FIG. 3A  may be implemented using a plurality of separate elements. Furthermore the controller  330  may be used to implement any of the components, modules, circuits, or the like described below, or each may be implemented using a plurality of separate elements. 
     As described above, certain aspects of certain embodiments may be directed to expanding the effective field of view of a system for capturing and processing images.  FIG. 3B  is a functional block diagram of a system  300  for capturing images including the image capture device  302  of  FIG. 3A  and a movable mirror  308 , in accordance with embodiments described herein. As shown in  FIG. 3B , the system  300  may include a mirror  308  positioned relative to the input of the image sensors  334  such that light may be reflected off the mirror  308  and sensed by the image sensors  334  to capture image data reflected by the mirror  308 . According to one embodiment, the mirror  308  may be continuously and selectively moved (e.g., rotated or tilted) according to some determined pattern of movement and some determined speed. As the mirror  308  changes positions, the reflected image captured by the image capture device  302  may vary based on the instantaneous position of the mirror  308 . In this case, the position of the mirror  380  may define a slightly different reflected area. For example, the system  300  may include an actuator  310  (or any other appropriate electromechanical device and/or motor) physically connected to the mirror  310  for controllably moving the mirror  308  in some way. In some embodiments, the actuator  310  may be selectively controlled by a controller (not shown). For example, the controller  330  shown in  FIG. 3A  may be configured to send signals to control the actuator  310 , or the actuator  310  may be connected to a dedicated controller, or the controller may be in a system external to the actuator  310  such as a computer system  342 . 
     In operation, the controller  330  ( FIG. 3 ) may be configured to capture at least one image while the mirror  308  is moving such that the field of view  206  defined by the at least one image changes based on an instantaneous position of the mirror  308 . The controller  308  may then process the at least one image to extract machine readable information located on at least a portion of one or more items in the at least one image. Capturing a series of images as the mirror  308  moves may thus produce a series of distinct images, where the field of view  206  ( FIG. 2 ) of each image may depend on the instantaneous position of the mirror. By processing/extracting machine readable information from each image (or a composite image), the combined field of view  206  defined by the sum of field of views of all of the images together may be larger than the field of view  206  for each individual image. As such, the field of view may be defined by the range of positions of the mirror  308  as it moves and the resulting reflected captured images. Accordingly, the range of movement of the mirror may effectively enlarge the field of view  206  that can be captured by the image capture device  302 . In one aspect, no loss in resolution occurs, as the position and/or hardware configuration of the image capture device  302  is not altered. 
     As described above, there may be a variety of different ways the system  300  may be configured to effectively expand the field of view of the image capture device  302  using a movable mirror  308 . As will be described below, a variety of different ways in which the mirror  308  may be moved may allow for expanding the field of view in different shapes and sizes according to the desired application. 
       FIG. 4A  is a side elevation view of a system  400  for capturing images using a movable mirror  408   a  for extracting machine readable information from items within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. The embodiments shown in  FIG. 4A  may be used to expand the effective field of view  406  of an image capture device  402   a . A mirror  408   a  may be mounted to a rotatable structure  412   a , for example, at a nominal forty-five degrees at the input of the image sensors  434   a  of the image capture device  402   a . It should be appreciated that the mirror  408   a  may be mounted at a variety of angles (e.g., at least from 10 degrees to 80 degrees) according to the position of the image capture device  402   a  and the desired scanning area and field of view  406 . Light is reflected off the mirror  408   a  and into the image sensors  434   a  of the image capture device  402   a . The mirror  408   a  may be physically mounted to the rotatable structure  412   a  with a bias. For example, the mirror  408   a  may be affixed to the rotatable structure  412   a  at an angle from the rotatable structure  412   a  of more or less 6 degrees. This angle may be more or less depending on the application and desired field of view. An actuator  310  ( FIG. 3 ) may be configured to continuously rotate the rotatable structure  412   a  while images are being captured by the image capture device  402   a . In one aspect, as the rotatable structure  412   a  rotates, a ‘wobble’ may be seen as the biased (e.g., mounted at a fixed angle from the rotatable structure  412   a ) mirror  408   a  rotates. 
     The rotatable structure  412   a  may be rotated at a determined speed, for example at 2 Hz, to produce a sweep cycle of a half of a second. A frequency of two hertz may be adequate in some aspects for providing a fast reading response required for scanning images in a manual sorting operation. As the mirror  408   a  rotates, the field of view  406  as captured by the image capture device  402   a  will be determined by the instantaneous position of the mirror  408   a . For example, as the mirror  408   a  is fixed at an angle with respect to the rotatable structure  412   a , the portion of the mirror  408   a  that reflects into the image sensors  434   a  will change thus allowing images captured by the image capture device  402   a  to capture a different area under the mirror  408   a . As a series of images are captured by the image capture device  402 , the effective field of view of the images combined will correspond to the total visible area reflected off the mirror in each position. For example, the image capture device  402   a  may take 10 to 15 frames a second while the mirror is moving at 2 Hz to capture images at as the mirror  408   a  is at several different positions. The captured reflected images may correspond to a different area reflected into the mirror such that each image is different. Each of these images may be processed as they are captured to extract machine readable information. In one aspect, this may allow for sufficient time for objects moving within the expanded field of view to be imaged and processed. 
     This allows the combined field of view from all the images to create a circular pattern (e.g., circular pattern of images) within an area reflecting into the mirror  408   a  (e.g., underneath the mirror). As shown in  FIG. 4A , as the mirror  408   a  rotates, three fields of view  406   a ,  406   b , and  406   c  are shown which correspond to different positions of the mirror as it rotates. The combined areas defined by the fields of view  406   a ,  406   b , and  406   b  may defined a expanded field of view as each image may be processed to extract machine readable information located in any of the fields of view  406   a ,  406   b , and  406   c.    
       FIG. 4B  is a side perspective view of the system  400   b  of  FIG. 4A  for capturing and processing images using a movable mirror  408   b . As in  FIG. 4A , the mirror  408   a  is angled from a rotatable structure  412   b  which is positioned such that light is reflected from the mirror  408   b  and into the image sensors  434   b  of the image capture device  402   b . As is more easily shown in  FIG. 4B , a field of view  406   e  capture by an image via the mirror  408   b  at an instantaneous position of the mirror  408   b  defines a three dimensional area. As the mirror moves and images are captured at each instantaneous position, the total field of view captured by the aggregate of all images may be shown by the three dimensional circular field of view  406   b . This may greatly expand a circular area under the image capture device  402   b  in which information may be automatically extracted from items/objects passing underneath. 
       FIG. 5A  is a side elevation view of a system  500  for capturing images using a movable mirror  508   a  for extracting machine readable information from items within a scanning area, in accordance with another embodiment described herein. As in  FIG. 4A , the system  500  includes a rectangular or similarly shaped mirror  508   a  that is positioned relate to image sensors  534   a  of an image capture device  502   a  for capturing images reflected via the mirror  508   a . In  FIG. 5A , the mirror  508   a  is affixed to structure  514   a  that may be mounted at a nominal angle with respect to the input of the image sensors  534   a . An actuator  310  ( FIG. 3A ) may be configured to cause the mirror  508   a  to linearly oscillate back and forth with respect to an axis (e.g., tilt back and forth or side to side). This may cause the field of view  506  to linearly sweep back and forth as shown by the combined fields of views  506   a ,  506   b,  and  506   c  defined by different positions of the mirror  508   a . This provides for differently shaped combined fields of view as described above with respect to  FIGS. 4A and 4B . It should be appreciated that the mirror  508   a  may be configured to linearly oscillate in any direction. For example, the mirror  508   a  may tilt with respect to any two opposing points on the mirror  508   a  (e.g., back and forth, laterally from side to side to create a side to side sweep, or at any angle) to create different expanded fields of view in different locations. 
       FIG. 5B  is a side perspective view of the system  500  of  FIG. 5A  for capturing and processing images using a movable mirror  508   b . As described above, the mirror  508   b  may tilt back and forth with respect to an axis to reflect different areas beneath the mirror into the image sensors  534   b  of the image capture device  502   b . As shown, a three-dimensional area  506   e  is defined for one instantaneous position of the mirror  508   b . The combined field of view defined by the fields of view  506   d ,  506   e , and  506   f  for three different positions of the mirror  508   b  may form an expanded substantially rectangular three dimensional area for extracting information from items/objects placed within this area. As such, in contrast to  FIGS. 4A and 4B ,  FIGS. 5A and 5B  show how the configuration and pattern of movement may be changed to change the resulting expanded field of view for the scanning system. This may provide increased flexibility in configuring the scanning system at a low cost for different applications with different constraints on the field of view desired. It should be appreciated while  FIGS. 4A and 4B  and  FIGS. 5A and 5B  show two different patterns of movement, a variety of types of patterns of movement may be selected for defining different expanded fields of view according to the application and the desired field of view. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are additional perspective views of the system shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B  respectively for extracting machine readable information from an item  600   b  within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein.  FIG. 6A  shows a perspective view at an angle to show the mirror  608   a  as it reflects light into the image sensors  634   a  of the image capture device  602   a . As shown, the mirror  608   a  is affixed to the surface of a rotatable structure  612   a  and may be attached at angle (i.e., biased) as described above with reference to  FIG. 4A . A controller  330  ( FIG. 3 ) may be configured to capture images as the mirror  608   a  rotates to extract machine readable information in several images of an item  600   a  below within an expanded field of view. As described above, the item  600   a  may include machine readable information such as barcode  651   a  and  655   a  as well as machine readable text  660  for which optical character recognition may be performed or other techniques for extracting information.  FIG. 6B  shows the image capture device  602   b  and mirror  608   b  at an alternative angle. The image capture device  602   b  and mirror  608   b  may be attached and mounted in a variety of different ways relative to a scanning area. The scanning area may over areas such as a table, a conveyor belt, an area where items are carried underneath, and the like. 
     Many variations to the above described embodiments are possible as will be appreciated by a person having ordinary skill in the art. For example, the speed at which a mirror is moved may be configured to be faster or slower, depending on the application and desired reading/scanning response. The speed may be dependent on the frame capture rate of the image capture device, the processing required to use combined image data, and other characteristics of the image scanning and processing system needed to achieve the appropriate reading/scanning response. 
     In addition, as noted above, various and more complicated scan/image patterns may also be achieved by changing the mirror  308  characteristics and/or motion mechanism. For example, in one embodiment, a semi-circular image pattern may be produced. The image pattern resulting from the chosen mirror movement pattern may also affect the processing required to use and combine image data from the series of images and may allow for adapting the shape and size of the target area in which distribution items may be placed. Furthermore, the shape, size and relative position of the mirror  308  with respect to the image capture device  302  may be configured for different applications. The shape, size and relative position of the mirror  308  may be used to change the visible area captured by a series of images and can be used to configure the desired resolution needed as well other parameters for achieving desired reading/scanning responses. 
     In addition, in some embodiments it may be necessary to synchronize the movement of the mirror  308  and/or capturing and processing of the images with the event of an item  100  or items moving within a scanning area. For example, the system  300  may be configured to detect when an item  100  is going to be scanned and automatically initiate the movement of the mirror  308  and capturing/processing of the images. For example, the system  300  may include one or more sensors (not shown) such as motion sensors that may detect that an item  100  needs to be scanned and initiate the process for capturing the images and causing the mirror  308  to start moving. Any other sensor that may detect the presence of an article within the scanning area may also be used. In another embodiment, the mirror  308  may be configured to continuously move regardless of the presence of the object, but the image capturing process may be selectively enabled upon detection of one or more items. In yet another embodiment there may be a manual input or switch that may be used by an operator to initiate the movement of the mirror  308  and/or the image capturing and processing process. A user interface may be provided to allow for controlling both the moving of the mirror and the capturing and processing of images. Other methods and/or sensors may also be used in accordance with the principles describes herein to synchronize the scanning process with the detection of items within the scanning area. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method  700  for expanding an effective field of view for use in a system for extracting machine readable information from an item within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. The method  700  may be used for capturing and processing images as described above. Although the method  700  is described below with respect to elements of the image capture device  302  ( FIG. 3 ), those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that other components may be used to implement one or more of the steps described herein. 
     At block  702 , a mirror  308  positioned relative to the input of an image capture device  302  is selectively moved. An actuator  310  may be configured to selectively move the mirror  308 . At block  704 , at least one image may be captured via an image capture device  302  while the mirror  308  is moving such that a field of view defined by the at least one image changes based on an instantaneous position of the mirror  308 . A controller  330  of the image capture device  302  may be configured to capture the at least one image. At block  706 , the at least one image is processed to extract machine readable information located on at least a portion of one or more items in the at least one image. The controller  330  may be configured to perform the processing. 
     It should be appreciated that there may be several ways of processing the series of images to extract machine readable information from items located in the images. While some examples are provided below, one skilled in the art will appreciate the variety of methods that may be used for processing images to decode and extract information found thereon. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method  800  for capturing and processing images to extract machine readable information from an item  100  located within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. As in  FIG. 7 , at block  802 , a mirror  308  positioned relative to the input of an image capture device  302  is selectively moved. At block  804 , a series of images are captured via the image capture device  302  while the mirror  308  is moving such that a field of view defined by the at least one image changes based on an instantaneous position of the mirror. At block  806 , each individual image may be processed to extract machine readable information from each individual image. For example, each image may be analyzed individually to determine whether the image captures an item  100  with machine readable information affixed to and/or printed thereon. Once machine readable information has been detected, the information may be decoded as necessary from the information included in the image being processed. At block  808 , the machine readable information extracted from each individual image is aggregated. This may include determining and eliminating redundant information, for example, if several images include the same piece of information. This may allow for continuous image capturing and processing as the mirror  308  moves to continuously scan and capture items/objects moving within the expanded field of view of the image capture system. 
     Alternatively or in combination with the method described with reference to  FIG. 8 ,  FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of another method  900  for capturing and processing images to extract machine readable information from an item located within a scanning area, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. As in  FIG. 7 , at block  902 , a mirror  308  positioned relative to the input of an image capture device  302  is selectively moved. At block  904 , a series of images are captured via the image capture device  302  while the mirror  308  is moving such that a field of view defined by the at least one image changes based on an instantaneous position of the mirror. At block  906 , image data from at least two images of the series of images is combined. For example, images may be stitched together to form an enlarged image with non-overlapping or non-overlapping data. At block  908 , the combined image data is processed to extract machine readable information. This may allow for extracting information that may be only partially included on individual images, but that when combined together may allow for improved processing. 
     There may be many methods of extracting machine readable information from an item being scanned. For example, various image processing techniques may be used to identify target data in an image and extract and/or decode the target data. In addition, a variety of barcode decoding methods may be used according to the type and structure of the barcode. In addition, different methods of object segmentation and identification may further be used. Further, other optical character recognition techniques and like processes are additionally contemplated. 
     As just one example of an image processing technique,  FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method  1000  for processing an image to extract machine readable information in the form of a barcode, in accordance with an embodiment described herein. Once an image has been captured, at block  1002 , a controller  308  may be configured to threshold the captured image into a bit matrix. At block  1004 , horizontal lines may be scanned to locate an area of image with correct number of distinct vertical lines. This may correspond to identifying a portion of an image in which a barcode is located. At block  1006 , a center line may be located in order to provide a reference point for determining the type of each bar. At block  1008 , bar types for each vertical line may be detected based on comparisons with expected bar types and using the center line. At block  1010 , vertical lines may be translated into a decoded values based on detected bar types. The decoded value may be a numeric value, a string, or other alphanumeric value that may be stored. In one aspect, the decoded value may be used to access a database  344  to retrieve additional information about the barcode. Other processing may be further done based on the decoded value. 
     It should be appreciated that  FIG. 10  shows just one possible example of a method for processing image data and other machine readable information. As such, numerous other methods may be used as would be appreciated by one skilled the art. For example, as described above, other methods employing optical character recognition, image recognition/detection, additional barcode image decoding, and the like may be used in accordance with the principles described herein. 
     As such, in accordance with embodiments described herein, a system  300  is provided that allows for enlarging the field of view of a scanning area while using a single image capture device  302 . In one aspect, rather than specially modifying or upgrading an image capture device  302  such as a camera, a “stock” camera not specially adapted for higher resolution or increased image sensor array size may be used in the scanning system while still increasing the field of view. This may greatly reduce the cost of having a scanning system with an enlarged field of view while also maintaining an acceptable resolution for extracting machine readable information located on items passing through the enlarged field of view. In addition, according to the embodiments described herein, an image capture device  302  may not have to be modified or repositioned to change the shape of or the size of the field of view of the scanning system. Rather, the movement and/or shape and size of the mirror may be altered to produce different sweep patterns to alter the field of the view defined by images capture by the image capture device  302 . This may additionally reduce the cost of having a reconfigurable system for different fields of view for applications and situations in which a scanning system may be employed. 
     It will be understood by those of skill in the art that numerous and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, it should be clearly understood that the forms of the invention are illustrative only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. While the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features as applied to various embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. As will be recognized, the embodiments described herein may be embodied within a form that does not provide all of the features and benefits set forth herein, as some features may be used or practiced separately from others. 
     The various operations of methods described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the operations, such as various hardware and/or software component(s), circuits, and/or module(s). Generally, any operations illustrated in the Figures may be performed by corresponding functional means capable of performing the operations. For example, with reference to  FIG. 3 , means for reflecting light may include a mirror. Means for selectively moving may include a controller  308  or an actuator  310 . Means for capturing at least one image may include an image capture device  302  and/or a controller  308  thereof. Means for processing may additionally include a controller  308 . It should be appreciated that some of the image processing may occur external to the image capture device  308  by another connected processor or system. In this case, the controller  308  may be configured to communicate captured images to another processor for extracting machine readable information located on the images. 
     Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof. 
     The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. The described functionality may be implemented in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the embodiments of the invention. 
     The various illustrative blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. 
     The steps of a method or algorithm and functions described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium. A software module may reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), Electrically Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal. 
     For purposes of summarizing the disclosure, certain aspects, advantages and novel features of the inventions have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. 
     Various modifications of the above described embodiments will be readily apparent, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.