Patent ID: 7815120

Claim:
An imaging system for scanning and decoding a target object, the imaging system comprising: a scanning arrangement comprising a sensor assembly for capturing an image from a target object, the sensor assembly having a field-of-view focused by an optical arrangement onto a sensor array located within the sensor assembly; a programmable microprocessor located within and coupled to said scanning arrangement that operates an electronic shutter for controlling the exposure time of pixels located in said sensor array, the electronic shutter having first and second modes of exposure; and an image test control system associated with said scanning arrangement for evaluating lighting conditions surrounding the imaging system by performing at least one of calculating a brightness gradient by taking a difference between a first brightness value provided by a pixel read out early in the test image frame and a second brightness value provided by a pixel read out late in the test image frame, or calculating an exposure ratio, wherein the image test control system selects an optimum mode for imaging based on said evaluation between said first mode of exposure and said second mode of exposure based on at least one of comparing said brightness gradient to a prescribed threshold such that if said brightness gradient is greater than the prescribed threshold, said electronic shutter mode is switched from said first mode of exposure to said second mode of exposure for future imaging operations, or comparing said exposure ratio to a sensitive ratio such that if said comparison is within a predetermined range of said sensitive ratio, said electronic shutter mode is switched from said first mode of exposure to said second mode of exposure for future imaging operations.