Patent ID: 7588187

Claim:
A scan engine comprising: a beam assembly for repetitively directing a beam of light along a path of travel at a scan angle toward the target bar code; an array of non-imaging light collectors for collecting and concentrating reflected light from the target bar code, each light collector of the array of light collectors having an entrance aperture and an exit aperture and wherein a collection angle of the collector is less than or equal to scan angle of the beam assembly and a total area of the entrance apertures of the array of light collectors is greater than 50 percent of a total area of a target-facing surface of the scan engine, the array of light collectors being laterally offset from the beam assembly such that the light beam does not pass through any of the light collectors of the array of light collectors along its path of travel toward the target bar code; and a corresponding array of photodetectors, each photodetector in the array of photodetectors positioned adjacent the exit aperture of a respective light collector of the array of light collectors to receive concentrated light from its respective light collector and generate an output electrical signal corresponding to an intensity of the concentrated light received by the photodetector.