Patent ID: 7770798

Claim:
An automatically-triggered digital video-imaging based code symbol reading system for reading code symbols on objects presented at point of sale (POS) environments, comprising: a housing having an imaging window; a digital image formation and detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, and having (i) image formation optics for projecting a field of view (FOV) from an area-type image detection array, through said imaging window and upon an object to be imaged during object illumination and video-imaging operations, and (ii) said area-type image detection array detecting frames of digital video image data of the object during said object illumination and video-imaging operations; an illumination subsystem, disposed in said housing, having an illumination array for producing a field of illumination in said FOV during said object illumination and video-imaging operations; said illumination subsystem including (i) an illumination board supported within said housing and having a central aperture through which said FOV passes during object illumination and video-imaging operations, and on which said illumination array is mounted, and (ii) an assembly of lenses, supported on said illumination board, for focusing and/or shaping illumination emanating from said illumination array so as to produce said field of illumination within said FOV; wherein said central aperture in said illumination board is spatially aligned with said imaging window in said housing; an automatic object detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the presence of the object in said FOV, and in response thereto, generating a trigger signal indicative of a triggering event; an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed in said housing, for controlling illumination produced from said illumination array during said object illumination and video-imaging operations, wherein said automatic illumination control subsystem includes circuitry for providing drive signals to said illumination array; a digital video image capturing and buffering subsystem for capturing and buffering said frames of digital video image data during said object illumination and video-imaging operations; a digital video image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing said frames of digital video image data and reading one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols graphically represented in said frames of digital video image data, and producing symbol character data representative of said read one or more 1D and/or 2D code symbols; an input/output subsystem, disposed in said housing, for transmitting said symbol character data to an external host system or other information receiving or responding device; and a system control subsystem, disposed in said housing, and responsive to said trigger signal, for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of said subsystems above.