Patent Publication Number: US-2009224052-A1

Title: Standard omnidirectional barcode scanner

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (a) Field of the Invention 
     A standard omnidirectional barcode scanner which uses a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor formed from an annular array of a plurality of linear CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) or linear CMOSs (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductors) to enable reading of one-dimensional bar codes or two-dimensional bar codes. 
     (b) Description of the Prior Art 
     Current common bar codes can be divided into two broad categories, namely one-dimensional bar codes and two-dimensional bar codes, and after LEDs (Light Emission Diodes) are used to shine on the bar code, then optical elements, such as photosensitive CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) or CMOSs (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductors) receive the light rays reflected from the bar code, and the light rays are converted into electronic signals to serve as representative data for identifying the bar code. 
     Usually one-dimensional bar codes are read by linear CCDs, and two-dimensional bar codes are read by CCD image sensors. Referring to  FIG. 1 , which shows a schematic view depicting operation of a barcode scanner of the prior art, wherein a linear CCD or linear CMOS  101  is assembled to one side of a barcode scanner  10 , and the linear CCD or linear CMOS  101  is made up of approximately 2000 optical sensors (that is, 2000 picture elements). When reading a one-dimensional bar code  20 , light rays from LEDs  102  must completely shine on the one-dimensional bar code  20  in order to enable reflected light to reach the linear CCD or linear CMOS  101  for decoding thereof. However, during actual operation, because illumination range of the light rays from the LEDs  102  is limited and angle is fixed, thus, when the one-dimensional bar code  20  or the barcode scanner  10  are relatively askew relative to each other, then there is the possibility of dead space occurring when capturing the one-dimensional bar code  20 , resulting in incomplete reading of or even the inability to read the bar code. Hence, the angle of the one-dimensional bar code  20  or the barcode scanner  10  must be adjusted at all times, which is extremely inconvenient for the operator. In addition, omnidirectional barcode scanners can be used to read two-dimensional bar codes and one-dimensional bar codes, and uses the method for capturing two-dimensional bar codes to capture one-dimensional bar codes. However, because the picture elements requiring processing by the system are increased a thousand-fold, thus, reading speed of the scanner is substantially reduced, and If a faster processor is used, then production costs are inevitably increased. However, and such expensive and slow reading speed omnidirectional barcode scanners are not easily adopted by customers using the extensively present one-dimensional bar code  20  in the market. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In light of the shortcomings of the barcode scanners of the prior art, which often cause inconvenience in operation, have slow reading speed and high manufacturing cost when capturing one-dimensional bar codes or two-dimensional bar codes, the inventor of the present invention, has meticulously carried out extensive study and exploration to ultimately design a new improved structure for a standard omnidirectional barcode scanner. 
     A primary objective of the present invention is to provide the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner with convenient operation, and to improve reading efficiency thereof. 
     In order to achieve the aforementioned objective, the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner of the present invention comprises at least a casing and an electric circuit device, wherein the electric circuit device assembled within the casing, and a through hole is formed in one side of the casing. Moreover, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor is formed to one side of the electric circuit device, and the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor is made up of a plurality of linear CCDs or linear CMOSs arranged in an annular array at angular intervals, thereby evenly dividing up the entire CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor. Furthermore, each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs is made up of a linear arrangement of a fixed number of optical sensors, thereby enabling the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor to be used to read one-dimensional bar codes or two-dimensional bar codes. 
     Furthermore, reading characteristics of each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs of the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor of the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner of the present invention, and each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs set at respective corresponding angles are used to enable fast reading of one-dimensional bar code data by merely rotating the bar code or the barcode scanner through an appropriate angle when scanning and reading the one-dimensional bar code, which not only provides considerable convenience in operation, but also improves efficiency in reading one-dimensional bar codes. Furthermore, because of substantial reduction in the number of optical sensors used, thus, the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner of the present invention substantially lowers production cost. 
     To enable a further understanding of said objectives and the technological methods of the invention herein, a brief description of the drawings is provided below followed by a detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic view depicting operation of a barcode scanner of the prior art. 
         FIG. 2  shows a structural schematic view depicting a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic view depicting operation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a structural schematic view depicting another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , which shows a structural schematic view depicting a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein a standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  of the present invention is being used to read data from a one-dimensional bar code  40  and a two-dimensional bar code  50 . The standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  comprises at least: a casing  301 , and in the embodiment a hand-held barcode scanner is used as an example, in which a holding space  3011  is formed inside the casing  301 , and the holding space  3011  extends to one side of the casing  301  to form a through hole  3012  thereat. Moreover, a handle  3013  is formed on an underside of the casing  301 . The present invention further comprises an electric circuit device  302 , which is assembled within the holding space  3011  formed within the casing  301 , and a CCD image sensor (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS image sensor (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor)  3021  is formed to one side of the electric circuit device  302 , thereby enabling the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021  to correspond with the through hole  3012  of the casing  301 . When light from a light emitter  3022  (which can be a common laser point source or infrared light source) of the electric circuit device  302  passes through the through hole  3012  and transmitted towards the two-dimensional bar code  50 , then reflected light from the light shining on the two-dimensional bar code  50  similarly passes through the through hole  3012 , and is received by the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021 , thereby enabling the two-dimensional bar code  50  to be read. Furthermore, the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021  is made up of a plurality of linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023 , and in the preferred embodiment of the present invention,  12  of the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  are used, which are arranged in an annular array at angular intervals to form the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021 , and the angular interval between two adjacent linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  is approximately 15 degrees. Moreover, the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  are further made up of a linear arrangement of approximately 2000 optical sensors  30231 . Hence, the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  uses approximately 24000 of the optical sensors  30231 , which, when compared to the as many as 4,000,000 optical sensors used in standard omnidirectional barcode scanners of the prior art (not shown in the drawings), shows that the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  of the present invention uses a substantially fewer number of the optical sensors  30231 , thereby naturally reducing manufacturing cost, as well as increasing reading speed of the system. Furthermore, an applicable choice in the number of the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  can be made, whereby when the number of the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  used is relatively fewer, then the number of lines of the one-dimensional bar code  40  captured is correspondingly fewer, and thus dead space is increased during capture. However, when an excessive number of the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  are used, then the number of picture elements that the system needs to process correspondingly increases, and the reading speed naturally slows down. Consequently, data displays obtained through repeated tests carried out by the inventor of the present invention have shown that the preferred number of the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  is approximately 10 to 30, which makes the angular interval between adjacent linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  approximately between 18 degrees and 6 degrees. Because each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  is made up of a linear arrangement of a fixed number of the optical sensors  30231 , thus, a small angle adjustment enables each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  to read the one-dimensional bar code  40 , which not only provides the operator with convenience of use, but also increases reading efficiency. Furthermore, when each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  reads the one-dimensional bar code  40 , optimization processing is implemented within the system, and enables incomplete picture elements read by the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  to be rejected, or for the signals most captured by the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  to be preferentially decoded, thereby substantially increasing the speed of reading a bar code by the system. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , which shows a schematic view depicting operation of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein when the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  of the aforementioned embodiment of the present invention is used to read the one-dimensional bar code  40  askew at an angle relative to the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30 , then the operator can rotate either the one-dimensional bar code  40  or the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  through an angle to align one of the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  with the angle of the one-dimensional bar code  40 , thereby enabling the reflected light captured by the linear CCD or linear CMOS  3023  in principle to be still in a linear arrangement. Moreover, because the number of the optical sensors  30231  of each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  is the same, thus, the picture elements captured when reading the one-dimensional bar code  40  is also the same. However, during actual implementation, because there is a small gap between each pair of the adjacent optical sensors  30231 , thus, when the reflected light after reading a bar code happens to pass through these gaps, then the nearest optical sensor  30231  capturing the one-dimensional bar code  40  functions similar to the single linear CCD or linear CMOS barcode scanner technology of the prior art (not shown in the drawings), and the signals from the one-dimensional bar code  40  captured by the aforementioned 12 linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  are sent to the system processor for decoding, which immediately decodes the data represented by the one-dimensional bar code  40 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , which shows a structural schematic view depicting another preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  of the present invention is shown to have further application in a general free-standing barcode scanner or a fixed type barcode scanner. Taking a free-standing barcode scanner as an example, which similarly comprises the casing  301  and the electric circuit device  302 , in which the through hole  3012  is defined in one side of the casing  301 , a base  3014  is assembled to the underside of the casing  301 , and after the electric circuit device  302  is configured within the casing  301 , then the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021  at one side of the electric circuit device  302  is aligned with the through hole  3012 , thereby enabling the light rays emitted by the light emitter  3022  to pass through the through hole  3012 , after which the light rays of the reflected light from the one-dimensional bar code  40  or the two-dimensional bar code  50  again pass through the through hole  3012  and are received by the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021 , thereby enabling the aforementioned one-dimensional bar code  40  or the aforementioned two-dimensional bar code  50  to be read. Because the free-standing barcode scanner is a fixed type, thus, an operator can rotate a bar code in front of the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021  to quickly capture the light rays reflected from the bar code for decoding of the data represented by the bar code. 
     According to what has been described above, the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  of the present invention uses a plurality of the linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  arranged in an annular array at angular intervals to form the CCD image sensor or CMOS image sensor  3021 , and implementation of the present invention only requires slight rotation of a bar code or the barcode scanner  30  by an operator to enable each of the separate linear CCDs or linear CMOSs  3023  to quickly read one-dimensional bar codes positioned at different angles, thereby achieving the objectives of convenience of operation and high reading efficiency. 
     In conclusion, the standard omnidirectional barcode scanner  30  of the present invention possesses patent inventiveness and commercial utility value, and in accordance with patent law,: the applicant proposes an application for a new patent herein. 
     It is of course to be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention and that a wide variety of modifications thereto may be effected by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.