Patent ID: 7594609

Claim:
An automatic digital video image capture and processing system supporting an image-processing based code symbol reading process during a pass-through mode of system operation at a retail point of sale (POS) station, comprising: a housing supportable on a countertop surface at a point-of-sale (POS) station or other work environment, and including an imaging window; a digital image formation and detection subsystem, disposed within 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 imaging operations, and (ii) said area-type image detection array detecting frames of digital video data of the object during said object illumination and imaging operations carried out while said automatic digital video image capture and processing system is configured in said pass-through mode of system operation; an automatic object direction detection subsystem, disposed in said housing, for automatically detecting the presence and direction of movement of the object in said FOV, and in response thereto, generating a first signal indicating a triggering event and a second signal indicating the direction of movement of said object with respect to said FOV; an illumination subsystem, disposed within said housing, and having an illumination array for producing and projecting a field of illumination within said FOV during said object illumination and imaging operations; an automatic illumination control subsystem, disposed within said housing, for controlling said illumination array during said object illumination and imaging operations; a digital image capturing and buffering subsystem, disposed within said housing, for capturing and buffering said frames of digital video data in memory, during said object illumination and imaging operations; a digital image processing subsystem, disposed in said housing, for processing said frames of digital video data and reading one or more code symbols graphically represented in said frames of digital video data, and producing symbol character data representative of said read one or more 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 first and second signals, for controlling and/or coordinating the operation of said subsystems above.