Patent Description:
Indicia reading devices (also referred to as optical indicia readers, scanners, etc.) typically read data represented by printed indicia, (also referred to as symbols, symbology, bar codes, etc.) For instance one type of a symbol is an array of rectangular bars and spaces that are arranged in a specific way to represent elements of data in machine readable form. Optical indicia reading devices typically transmit light onto a symbol and receive light scattered and/or reflected back from a bar code symbol or indicia. The received light is interpreted by an image processor to extract the data represented by the symbol. Laser indicia reading devices typically utilize transmitted laser light.

One-dimensional (1D) optical bar code readers are characterized by reading data that is encoded along a single axis, in the widths of bars and spaces, so that such symbols can be read from a single scan along that axis, provided that the symbol is imaged with a sufficiently high resolution along that axis.

In order to allow the encoding of larger amounts of data in a single bar code symbol, a number of 1D stacked bar code symbologies have been developed which partition encoded data into multiple rows, each including a respective 1D bar code pattern, all or most all of which must be scanned and decoded, then linked together to form a complete message. Scanning still requires relatively higher resolution in one dimension only, but multiple linear scans are needed to read the whole symbol.

A class of bar code symbologies known as two dimensional (2D) matrix symbologies have been developed which offer orientation-free scanning and greater data densities and capacities than 1D symbologies. 2D matrix codes encode data as dark or light data elements within a regular polygonal matrix, accompanied by graphical finder, orientation and reference structures. Often times an optical reader may be portable and wireless in nature thereby providing added flexibility. In these circumstances, such readers form part of a wireless network in which data collected within the terminals is communicated to a host computer situated on a hardwired backbone via a wireless link. For example, the readers may include a radio or optical transceiver for communicating with a network computer.

[<NUM>] Patent document number <CIT> discloses a barcode scanner and for switching between allowing and inhibiting decoding of barcodes are disclosed. Depending on the position of a multiposition switch controlled by an operator, the scanner produces an omnidirectional scan pattern and immediately decodes barcodes falling within the field of view of the scanner, produces a single line scan pattern but inhibits decoding of barcodes until the switch is moved to a position to select allowing decoding of barcodes, or produces a single line scan pattern and immediately decodes barcodes falling within the field of view of the scanner. If the scanner has been set to decode barcodes using a single line scan pattern, a delay is imposed between the time the switch is set to select producing an omnidirectional scan pattern and the time at which the scanner begins to produce the omnidirectional scan pattern.

[<NUM>] Hand Held Products: "<NPL>; discloses a barcode scanner with a red LED which is illuminated when a scan engine of the scanner is activated, and a green LED which is activated when the scanner has successfully decoded a barcode. A display is located in the top part of a housing.

[<NUM>] Patent document number <CIT> describes a method of operating an indicia reader comprising the steps of: requesting upgrade software from a remote server; the remote server sending in response to the request an information bearing indicia (IBI) to a device local to the indicia reader; providing the IBI on a readable medium; reading the IBI; recognizing in the indicia the presence of indicia upgrade information regarding retrieval of the upgrade software; and, retrieving upgrade software from the remote server in response to the indicia upgrade information.

[<NUM>] Patent document number <CIT> describes a code information reader. An acceleration sensor of a detection part detects acceleration based on a shaking operation of the code information reader by a user. When the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor is larger than a prescribed value, a CPU controls a laser diode so as to irradiate aiming being a frame of a laser beam to a code. Thereafter, the user presses down a trigger key for imaging. In this case, the CPU controls the laser diode so as to finish aiming irradiation and controls a light source so as to irradiate the code with light for stroboscopic illumination.

Conventionally, a reader, whether portable or otherwise, may include a central processor which directly controls the operations of the various electrical components housed within the bar code reader. For example, the central processor controls detection of keyboard entries, display features, wireless communication functions, trigger detection, and bar code read and decode functionality.

Efforts regarding such systems have led to continuing developments to improve their versatility, practicality and efficiency.

The present invention in its various aspects is as set out in the appended claims. The invention comprises, in one form thereof, indicia reader with a user perceptible indicator of a software upgrade providing an additional capability to the indicia reader, comprising: an optical system comprising image receive optics and an image sensor, wherein the image sensor is a two-dimensional CMOS image sensor having a global shutter operating mode; an illumination assembly that illuminates a target; an aiming pattern generator that projects an aiming light pattern; a housing for holding the optical system, the illumination assembly, the aiming pattern generator, and an electronics assembly; and an electroluminescent display positioned within a top panel of the housing, wherein the indicia reader includes a motion detector configured to detect when the indicia reader is picked up by a user, and then to power on the indicia reader for a predetermined period of time; and said electroluminescent display is not illuminated when the indicia reader has not received a software upgrade, and said electroluminescent display produces a user perceptible indicator if particular additional capability has been provided to the indicia reader via a software upgrade.

The aforementioned and other features, characteristics, advantages, and the invention in general will be better understood from the following more detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:.

It will be appreciated that for purposes of clarity and where deemed appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated in the figures to indicate corresponding features. Also, the relative size of various objects in the drawings has in some cases been distorted to more clearly show the invention.

Reference will now be made to exemplary embodiments of the invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These representative embodiments are described in detail so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope, structure, operation, functionality, and potential of applicability of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Referring to <FIG>, an exemplary hand held indicia reading device or scanner <NUM> (referred to as "scanner <NUM>") has a number of subsystems for capturing images and decoding dataforms within such images and for indicating to an operator the current capabilities of the scanner <NUM>. The scanner <NUM> has an imaging reader assembly <NUM>, an electronics assembly <NUM> including a printed circuit board <NUM>, an inner cable <NUM> from the electronics assembly <NUM> to a connector (not shown) at the end of a handle <NUM>, and a housing <NUM> which encloses the electrical parts and is connected to the handle <NUM>. A trigger <NUM> may be used to activate and deactivate the scanner <NUM>. The imaging reader assembly <NUM> may be of the type described in <CIT>.

The housing <NUM> also includes <NUM> LEDs and <NUM> translucent windows. More specifically, LEDs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are positioned behind translucent windows <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively; LEDs <NUM> and <NUM> are positioned behind translucent window <NUM>; and LEDs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are positioned behind translucent window <NUM>. The scanner <NUM> may also contain a sound generator <NUM>, a motion detector <NUM>, and/or a vibrator <NUM>. The activating of the LEDs, the sound generator, and/or the vibrator change the appearance and/or feel of the scanner <NUM> so that an operator can easily recognize the functionality/capability of the scanner <NUM>.

The scanner <NUM> has hardware for many different operating modes, and the same scanner <NUM> may be sold with basic functionality and later the scanner <NUM> and/or host processor software can be upgraded to provide different programmed configurations which determine, in part, the sales price of the installed software upgrades. The different programmed configurations may have different indicators on the housing <NUM> of the scanner <NUM> to indicate the programmed configuration. Thus, it is also possible to sell a scanner <NUM> with minimal capabilities and to offer the customer the option to enhance the capabilities of the scanner <NUM> by changing the software in the scanner <NUM> and/or a host system for the scanner <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the image reader assembly <NUM> and electronics assembly <NUM> generally comprise a receive optical system <NUM>, an illumination assembly <NUM>, an aiming pattern generator <NUM>, and a variety of control and communication modules. The receive optical system <NUM> generates frames of data containing indications of the intensity of light received by the read optical system <NUM>. The illumination assembly <NUM> illuminates a target T creating reflections that are received by the receive optical system <NUM>. The aiming pattern generator <NUM> projects an aiming light pattern to assist with aiming the scanner <NUM>. While the present description employs an imager based data collection subsystem (the image reader assembly <NUM> and electronics assembly <NUM>), it is to be recognized that the data collection subsystem may take other forms such as a laser scanner.

The receive optical system <NUM> generally comprises image receive optics <NUM> and an image sensor <NUM>. The image optics <NUM> receives light reflected from a target T and projects the reflected light on to the image sensor <NUM>. The image sensor <NUM> may comprise any one of a number of two-dimensional, color or monochrome solid state image sensors using such technologies as CCD. CMOS, NMOS, PMOS, CID, CMD, etc. One possible sensor is the MT9V022 sensor from Micron Technology Inc. Such sensors contain an array of light sensitive photodiodes (or pixels) that convert incident light energy into electric charges.

Many image sensors are employed in a full frame (or global) shutter operating mode, wherein the entire imager is reset prior to an image capture operation to remove any residual signal in the photodiodes. The photodiodes (pixels) then accumulate charge for some period of time (exposure period), with the light collection starting and ending at about the same time for all pixels. At the end of the integration period (time during which light is collected), all charges are simultaneously transferred to light shielded areas of the sensor. The light shield prevents further accumulation of charge during the readout process. The signals are then shifted out of the light shielded areas of the sensor and read out. Image sensor <NUM> may also employ a rolling shutter.

The illumination assembly <NUM> generally comprises a power supply <NUM>, an illumination source <NUM> and illumination optics <NUM>. The illumination optics <NUM> directs the output of the illumination source <NUM> (generally comprising LEDs or the like) onto the target T. The light is reflected off the target T and received by the receive optical system <NUM>. It is to be noted that the illumination provided by the illumination assembly <NUM> may be combined with (or replaced by) other sources of illumination, including ambient light from sources outside of the scanner <NUM>.

The aiming pattern generator <NUM> generally comprises a power supply <NUM>, an aimer light source <NUM>, an aperture <NUM>, and aimer optics <NUM>. The aiming pattern generator <NUM> creates an aiming light pattern projected on or near the target which spans a portion of the receive optical system's <NUM> operational field of view with the intent of assisting the operator to properly aim the scanner at the bar code pattern that is to be read. A number of representative generated aiming patterns are possible and not limited to any particular pattern or type of pattern, such as any combination of rectilinear, linear, circular, elliptical, etc., figures, whether continuous or discontinuous, i.e., defined by sets of discrete dots, dashes, and the like. Alternately, the aimer pattern generator may be a laser pattern generator. The type of aiming pattern may be under software control and may be part of a software upgrade to thereby provide an indication of the upgrade to a user of the upgraded scanner <NUM>.

Generally, the aimer light source <NUM> may comprise any light source which is sufficiently small or concise and bright to provide a desired illumination pattern at the target. For example, the aimer light source <NUM> may comprise one or more LEDs, such as part number NSPG300A made by Nichia Corporation. Illumination and aiming light sources with different colors and combination of colors may be employed, for example white, green and red LEDs. The colors may chosen based on the color of the symbols most commonly imaged by the image reader. Different colored LEDs may be each alternatively pulsed at a level in accordance with an overall power budget.

The aimer light sources <NUM> may also be comprised of one or more laser diodes such as those available from Rohm. In this case a laser collimation lens (not shown in these drawings) will focus the laser light to a spot generally forward of the scanning head and approximately at the plane of the target T. This beam may then be imaged through a diffractive interference pattern generating element, such as a holographic element fabricated with a desired pattern in mind. Examples of these types of elements are known, commercially available items and may be purchased, for example, from Digital Optics Corp. of Charlotte, N. among others.

An image reader processor <NUM> provides overall control of the image reader assembly <NUM> and electronics assembly <NUM>. The image reader processor <NUM> and other components of the image reader assembly are generally connected by one or more buses 182n and/or dedicated communication lines. In the illustrated example a parallel bus 182a connects the image reader processor <NUM> to a main system memory <NUM> used to store processed (and unprocessed) image data from the image sensor <NUM>. The image reader processor <NUM> utilizes an I<NUM>C bus 182b to communicate exposure settings to the image sensor <NUM> and illumination parameters to a microcontroller <NUM>. A dedicated <NUM> to <NUM> bit parallel bus 182c is used to transfer image data from the image sensor <NUM> to the image reader processor <NUM>. The width of the bus 182c may be dependant on the bit size recorded by each pixel in the image sensor <NUM>. The output of the image sensor <NUM> is processed by the image reader processor <NUM> utilizing one or more functions or algorithms, which may be stored in an EEPROM <NUM>, to condition the signal appropriately for use in further processing downstream, including being digitized to provide a digitized image of target T.

Another function of the image reader processor <NUM> is to decode machine readable symbology represented within an image captured by the image sensor <NUM>. Information respecting various reference decode algorithms is available from various published standards, such as by the International Standards Organization ("ISO"). The image reader processor <NUM> also controls the scanner housing status indicator device drivers <NUM> which drives the LEDs <NUM>-<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>-<NUM>, the vibrator <NUM>, and the sound generator <NUM>. The image reader processor <NUM> also receives output signals from the motion detector <NUM>.

The microcontroller <NUM> maintains illumination parameters, used to control operation of the illumination assembly <NUM> and the aiming pattern generator <NUM>, in a memory <NUM>. For example, the memory <NUM> may contains tables indicative of power settings for the power supplies <NUM> and <NUM> corresponding to various states of the signal from the image sensor <NUM>. Based upon signals from the image reader processor <NUM> and/or the image sensor <NUM>, the microcontroller <NUM> sends signals to the power supplies <NUM> and <NUM> based on values stored in the table in memory <NUM>. An exemplary microcontroller <NUM> is the CY8C24223A made by Cypress Semiconductor Corporation.

The image reader assembly <NUM> and electronics assembly <NUM> may be provided with one or more communication paths for communicating with remote devices <NUM> and <NUM>, such as networks, network interfaces (e.g. routers hubs and switches), other scanners, data collection devices, computers, or data storage devices (e.g. hard drives). In general, such communications paths are either wired or wireless and may either be integrated with the image reader processor <NUM> or implemented as one or more separate modules. In the example illustrated in <FIG>, a wired connection, such as UARTS, USB serial, parallel, scan wedge, or Ethernet, is shown as being integrated with the image reader processor <NUM>. On the other hand, a wireless connection, such as IrDA, BLUETOOTH, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, and <NUM>, is illustrated as being implemented via a wireless communication module <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a typical system with which the scanner <NUM> may be used. Shown in <FIG> is the scanner <NUM> coupled to a local host processor <NUM> by means an interconnect cable <NUM>. Host processor <NUM> may be connected to a display <NUM>, to a printer <NUM>, and a keyboard <NUM>, although the cable <NUM> may be equipped with a keyboard wedge to connect between the host processor <NUM> and the keyboard <NUM>. The reader may also comprise a cordless battery powered reader <NUM> which is coupled to a host processor <NUM> via a suitable RF link including antennae <NUM> and <NUM> and an RF interface module <NUM>. As used herein, the term "local host processor" will be understood to include both stand alone host processors and host processors which comprise only one part of a local computer system.

If the software for the scanner <NUM> is available locally as, for example, on a diskette or CD-ROM, it may be loaded using a suitable drive unit <NUM>. The local host processor <NUM> may be in communication with a remotely located processor <NUM> through a suitable transmission link <NUM>, such as an electrical conductor link, a fiber optic link, or a wireless transmission link through a suitable communication interface <NUM>, such as a modem. As used herein, the term "transmission link" will be understood to refer broadly to any type of transmission facility, including an RS-<NUM> capable telephone line, an RF link, or a computer network, e.g., ETHERNET although other types of transmission links or networks may also be used. For example, transmission link <NUM> could be provided by a coaxial cable or any other non-RF electromagnetic energy communication link including a light energy infrared or microwave communication link. Link <NUM> could also be an acoustic communications link.

<FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG> are top views of embodiments of the present invention. In <FIG> the top of the housing 122a of the scanner 112a has a row of LEDs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, which can be either visible, as shown in <FIG>, or invisible when a LED is not illuminated. Next to each of the LEDs <NUM>-<NUM> are printed labels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, respectively, which indicate the upgrade status of the scanner 112a by the illumination, or lack of illumination, of the LEDs next to each of the labels. In <FIG> the LEDs are replaced by labels in the housing 122b which are part of the translucent windows <NUM>-<NUM>, and which can be back illuminated if the corresponding capability of the scanner 112b has been programmed into the scanner 112b. In <FIG> the top panel of the housing 122c may have an electroluminescent display <NUM> which is not illuminated when the scanner 112c has not been upgraded, and which is illuminated if a particular capability has been programmed into the scanner 112c or host processor <NUM>. <FIG> and <FIG> show scanners 112d, 112e with housings 122d, 122e, respectively, with a plurality of individual icons <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively, some with labels, such as the labels in the icons <NUM> and icons labeled "1D', "PDF", and "2D" in the icons <NUM>. In <FIG> "DPM" signifies digital product marking barcodes, "OCR" signifies that the scanners 112e can read OCR printed labels, and a camera icon indicating that the scanner 112e can take full frame pictures. The scanner 112e in <FIG> may have the "1D" icon illuminated for any version of the scanner 112e.

With the indicators shown in <FIG> a user can quickly determine if a scanner <NUM> has the capability to perform the function that the user requires for a particular task, and also allows the end user to purchase a number of scanners <NUM> and upgrade them as required for the end user's business needs.

Claim 1:
An indicia reader (<NUM>)
with a user perceptible indicator of a software upgrade providing an additional capability to the indicia reader, comprising:
an optical system (<NUM>) comprising image receive optics and an image sensor, (<NUM>), wherein the image sensor is a two-dimensional CMOS image sensor having a global shutter operating mode;
an illumination assembly (<NUM>) that illuminates a target;
an aiming pattern generator (<NUM>)
that projects an aiming light pattern;
a housing (<NUM>) for holding the optical system, the illumination assembly, the aiming pattern generator, and an electronics assembly; and
an electroluminescent display (<NUM>) positioned within a top panel (122c) of the housing,
wherein
said electroluminescent display comprises a plurality of individual icons, each individual icon corresponding to a capability of the indicia reader to function for a different scanning task, each capability being provided by a corresponding software upgrade, wherein in response to a software upgrade providing one of the capabilities the corresponding individual icon is illuminated.