Patent Application: US-201615079882-A

Abstract:
small mobile computing devices place stringent requirements on the electronic modules integrated within . high temperatures inside these mobile computing devices are unavoidable ; therefore good thermal management is important to insure proper module operation . here a heat - dissipation structure for an indicia - reading module integrated within a mobile computing device is disclosed .

Description:
the present invention embraces an indicia reader integrated into the body ( e . g ., metal support frame or enclosure ) of a mobile computing device ( e . g ., smart phone ). these devices are lightweight , pocket - sized devices that are easy to carry and operate with a single hand . a mobile computing device 10 , such as shown in fig1 , tends to be rectangular cuboids , in which the thickness is substantially smaller than both its height and its width . a smart phone device , for example , can have a length dimension 1 , a width dimension 2 , and a thickness dimension 3 of roughly 115 millimeters × 59 millimeters × 9 millimeters . these dimensions may vary , but some general rules apply . a mobile computing device &# 39 ; s length and width are determined by the display size . the thickness 3 plays an important role in the ease of handling . thinner devices are easier to hold and manipulate . thinner devices , however , make the integration of application specific modules ( e . g ., indicia reading modules ) challenging . fig1 depicts an exemplary embodiment of an indicia reading module integrated within a mobile computing device ( i . e ., smart phone ). the window 5 of the indicia - reading module is formed in the narrow edge 4 of the device . this allows for easy imaging and operation . to achieve such an embodiment , however , requires the combination of space - saving and thermal management techniques . fig2 shows a block diagram of an indicia - reading module 1000 . the indicia - reading module shown includes a sensor subassembly 1050 with an adjustable lens 200 . the adjustable lens 200 images the indicia - reading module &# 39 ; s field of view 1240 onto a sensor integrated circuit ( ic ) 1040 . the front surface of the sensor ic 1040 contains an active area 1033 with a plurality of pixels . the pixels are arranged in rows and columns and are sensitive to light . the sensor ic 1040 may implement cmos or ccd imaging technology to convert the light from a target 1250 into a digital image . in order to image indicia ( i . e ., barcodes ), an image of the module &# 39 ; s field of view 1240 is focused by the adjustable lens 200 onto the sensor ic &# 39 ; s 1040 plurality of pixels 1033 . the pixels are exposed to the imaged light via a physical or electronic shutter . during the exposure , a charge is created in each pixel . the charge depends on the image intensity in that region of the field of view . after the exposure is complete , the charges from the pixels are shifted row by row into a shift register 1034 where they then shifted out one by one and are amplified via an amplifier 1036 . the exposure , readout , timing , and other operational settings are controlled by the image sensor timing and control circuit 1038 . the amplified analog signal is rendered suitable for digital conversion by a processing circuit 1039 and then converted into a digital signal via an analog - to - digital ( a / d ) converter 1037 . the digital image is reconstructed and reformatted by the processor integrated circuit ( i . e ., cpu ) 1060 . as shown in fig3 , the sensor ic 1040 has a front surface 50 with a plurality of pixels . the back surface 52 of the sensor ic is for mounting . the sensor ic is mounted to a substrate 54 using thermally conductive epoxy so that the back surface 52 of the sensor ic is contiguous to the substrate &# 39 ; s top surface 56 . the substrate with the epoxied sensor ic is affixed to a sensor printed circuit board ( pcb ) 58 . the sensor pcb 58 provides electrical connectivity , support , and helps establish a thermal path for dissipating heat from the sensor ic . thermal management for the sensor ic is important for good imaging . sensor noise increases with temperature . it is therefore important to dissipate the heat generated by this component . a heat - dissipation structure is established through the connection of the sensor ic to a large thermal mass via a thermally conducting path . in one embodiment , a thermally conductive heat sink is attached via metallic traces or vias to a metallic circuit pad 60 on the sensor pcb 58 . the substrate 54 is affixed to the sensor pcb , typically by soldering , so that a metallic bottom pad 62 on the bottom surface 64 of the substrate is in contact with the metallic circuit pad 60 on the sensor pcb . an array of metallic vias 66 , running through the substrate , connect the metallic bottom pad 62 to a metallic top pad 68 on the top surface 56 of the substrate . the sensor ic &# 39 ; s back surface 52 is connected via thermally conductive epoxy to the top metallic pad . as a result , the heat generated by the sensor ic 1040 flows to the substrate &# 39 ; s metallic top pad 66 . the metallic top pad 66 , being connected to the metallic bottom pad 62 by the array of metallic vias 66 running through the substrate 54 , conducts the heat to the pcb &# 39 ; s metallic circuit pad 60 . the heat then flows from the metallic circuit pad through thermal vias into the heat - dissipation structure , which in this embodiment is a thermally conductive heat sink directly attaching to the other side of the pcb . in this way , the sensor ic temperature is maintained within a suitable range . in the embodiment described above , the metallic features ( e . g ., pads , traces , vias ) could be copper or any thermally conductive material . the vias could be metal rivets or metal plated holes through the substrate . also , while a thermally conductive heat sink was described , any heat - dissipating structure with a large thermal mass could be used as well . for example , a thermally conducting indicia - reading module housing or even the body of the mobile computing device ( i . e ., metal support frame or enclosure ) could be thermally connected to the sensor ic in order to dissipate its heat . the indicia - reading module , as shown in fig2 , has the processing and electronics necessary to decode information from indicia images . the processing subassembly 1100 includes the input and output circuitry for the sensor subassembly 1038 , 1039 , as well as a processor integrated circuit 1060 and ram memory 1080 and flash memory 1090 for program and configuration data storage . here , the processor ic 1060 executes algorithms to perform image processing and decoding . processor ic &# 39 ; s may generate heat that can affect the operation of the indicia - reading module . as a result , a heat - dissipation structure may be required to remove this heat from this subassembly . here , heat dissipation may be achieved by affixing a thermally conductive heat sink to the processor ic 1060 . alternatively , heat dissipation may be achieved by connecting the processor ic 1060 to a thermally conductive ( e . g ., metal or thermally conductive plastic ) indicia - reading module housing . as shown in fig2 , the indicia - reading module 1000 can have an interface circuit subassembly 1300 . this circuit subassembly is built onto its own board and is connected to the bus 1500 , other subassemblies , and modules via flex cabling . the interface circuit 1110 on this board serves to assist in the communication of data to and from the indicia - reading module 1000 and to transition power into the module and to the power circuit 1206 where it is conditioned and distributed within the indicia - reading module 1000 . fig2 shows the interface of the module as a bus 1500 . the bus 1500 is considered to be any communication system that transfers data ( and power ) between components inside the computer or , in this case , the smart hand - held device . the bus may be used to communicate data back and forth between the indicia - reading module 1000 and the host device or peripheral . power may also be delivered over the bus . a power conditioning circuit , a battery , dc power supply , or any other source for providing power can use the bus to deliver power to the indicia - reading module . finally , diagnostic and programming devices may use the bus to deliver programming information or receive diagnostic information from the indicia - reading module . as depicted in fig2 , the interface circuit subassembly 1300 also includes a power unit 1206 that protects against overloads and distributes power at the right level and at the right time to the various subassemblies and modules within the indicia - reading module . the power unit 1206 can include a charging circuit that is continually charged by a power supply and can be configured to output energy within a range of power levels to accommodate various operation characteristics . the power from this unit can be provided as constant current or constant voltage and is adjustable so that it can serve the constant power needs of the module as well as intermittent service to subsystems for such operations as illumination , exposure , focusing , and aiming . the illuminator - aimer subassembly 1400 , shown in fig2 , is used to help the user align the indicia 15 within the module &# 39 ; s field of view 1240 and to provide light for the sensor subassembly to record with good fidelity . this circuit subassembly is built onto its own board and is connected to other subassemblies and modules via flex cabling . as shown in fig2 , the illuminator - aimer subassembly 1400 has two subsystems that perform similar actions . in general , it can be said that both are projection systems and , as such , can use a variety of optical technologies and methods ( e . g ., lenses , lightpipes , or diffractive optics ) to achieve the objective of illuminating the scene and providing an aiming image . the illuminator driver circuit 550 and the aimer driver circuit 650 provide power ( e . g ., a constant current ) to the illuminator light source 500 and aimer light source 600 , respectively . the illuminator light source 500 and the aimer light source 600 may include an led or bank of leds . alternatively , the aimer light source can be a laser diode to provide highly visible pattern in extra long range and under direct sun light . the illumination light source should provide light of sufficient intensity to allow for the sensor subassembly 1050 to capture an image of low noise and high dynamic range image with no saturation . the light should be uniform across the field of view for best results and at a wavelength that the sensor ic 1040 was designed for ( e . g ., visible wavelength regime ). upon triggering the illuminator , driver circuit 550 causes the illuminator light source 500 to emit light . the light passes through a rectangular illuminator aperture 575 . the image of this illuminator aperture 575 is formed on the target 1250 via the illuminator lens 525 . thus , in this embodiment , a rectangular image 1260 of uniform white light would appear on the target 1250 . to help alignment , the user may also be provided with an aligning pattern 1242 . this pattern is formed like the illumination pattern 1260 . the light from the aimer light source 600 passes through an aimer aperture 675 ( e . g ., crosshair , line , or rectangle ) and then is imaged via the aimer lens 625 to form an aligning pattern 1242 on the target 1250 . when the user aligns the crosshairs with the center of the indicia , the indicia will image onto the center of the sensor ic &# 39 ; s active area 1033 . in one embodiment , the cpu 1060 can provide control inputs to all control circuits ( e . g ., the image sensor timing and control circuit 1038 , the illuminator driver circuit 550 , and the aimer driver circuit 650 ) and to the power unit 1206 to coordinate timing between image sensor array controls and illumination subsystem controls . the illuminator - aimer subassembly may generate heat that can affect the operation of the indicia - reading module . as a result , a heat - dissipation structure may be required to remove this heat from the subassembly . the heat dissipation may be achieved by affixing a thermally conductive heat sink to the illuminator light source 500 and / or aimer light source 600 . alternatively , the heat dissipation may be achieved by connecting the illuminator light source 500 and / or aimer light source 600 to a thermally conductive ( e . g ., metal or thermally conductive plastic ) indicia - reading module housing . the imaging lens assembly 200 can be adapted for focusing an image of a decodable barcode 15 , which is located within the field of view 1240 , onto image sensor array 1033 . working distances should not vary so greatly that they cannot be accommodated by the depth of field and the size of the sensor . in this embodiment , the imaging lens has relatively a high f - number ( i . e ., f /#) and thus a long depth of field to accommodate all normal usage scenarios , thereby precluding the need for active focusing . active focusing could be used but would typically add complexity , size , and cost . as depicted in fig1 , the window 5 of the indicia - reading module is integrated into a narrow edge of the smart device 4 . this serves to seal the smart device and the sensor subassembly to protect it from dust and debris . it also can perform some optical filtering in order to reduce the unwanted stray light that otherwise would enter the device ( e . g ., possibly affecting performance ). as shown in fig4 , the indicia - reading module typically includes a ( i ) a sensor subassembly 1050 , ( ii ) an illuminator - aimer subassembly 1400 , ( iii ) a processing subassembly 1100 , and ( iv ) an interface circuit subassembly 1300 . each of these subassemblies can be constructed on a discrete circuit board , and each are connected using flex or rigid - flex cabling . rigid - flex circuit technology connects all of the subassemblies with metal traces and reduces heat transfer resistance . the traces and copper planes in the circuitry serve as heat conducting paths between subassemblies and form a large heat dissipation mass . this heat dissipation mass is contiguous to an indicia - reading module housing 1014 and possibly the mcd body for efficient heat transfer . the subassemblies are supported and contained by the indicia - reading module housing 1014 . this housing may be used as part of the heat - dissipation structure if it is constructed using materials such as metal or thermally conductive plastic . fig5 illustrates the relative size of the indicia - reading module with respect to the smart device 10 . as depicted in fig5 , the indicia - reading module 1000 can be oriented by a user with respect to a target ( e . g ., a package label ) bearing decodable indicia 15 so that an illumination pattern 1260 is projected onto decodable indicia 15 . in the exemplary embodiment depicted in fig5 , a code symbol 15 is provided by a 1d bar code symbol , although a code symbol may also be provided by a 2d bar code symbol or optical character recognition ( ocr ) characters . the user aligns the aimer pattern 1242 and takes a frame of image data . the frame that can be captured and subject to decoding can be a full frame ( including pixel values corresponding to each pixel of image sensor array active area 1033 , a partial frame in which a maximum number of pixels read out from image sensor array 1033 during operation of the indicia - reading module 1000 ), or a windowed frame that includes pixel values corresponding to less than a full frame of pixels of image sensor array 1033 . a picture size of a windowed frame can vary depending on the number of pixels subject to addressing and readout for capture of a windowed frame . to supplement the present disclosure , this application incorporates entirely by reference the following commonly assigned patents , patent application publications , and patent applications : u . s . pat . no . 6 , 832 , 725 ; 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u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 153 , 249 for terminal operative for storing frame of image data , filed jan . 13 , 2014 ( winegar ); u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 154 , 207 for laser barcode scanner , filed jan . 14 , 2014 ( hou et al . ); u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 154 , 915 for laser scanning module employing a laser scanning assembly having elastomeric wheel hinges , filed jan . 14 , 2014 ( havens et al . ); u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 158 , 126 for methods and apparatus to change a feature set on data collection devices , filed jan . 17 , 2014 ( berthiaume et al . ); u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 159 , 074 for wireless mesh point portable data terminal , filed jan . 20 , 2014 ( wang et al . ); u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 159 , 509 for mms text messaging for hand held indicia reader , filed jan . 21 , 2014 ( kearney ); u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 159 , 603 for decodable indicia reading terminal with optical filter , filed jan . 21 , 2014 ( ding et al . ); 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u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 342 , 544 for imaging based barcode scanner engine with multiple elements supported on a common printed circuit board filed mar . 4 , 2014 ( liu et al . ); u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 342 , 551 for terminal having image data format conversion filed mar . 4 , 2014 ( lui et al . ); and u . s . patent application ser . no . 14 / 345 , 735 for optical indicia reading terminal with combined illumination filed mar . 19 , 2014 ( ouyang ). in the specification and / or figures , typical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed . the present invention is not limited to such exemplary embodiments . the use of the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . the figures are schematic representations and so are not necessarily drawn to scale . unless otherwise noted , specific terms have been used in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation .