Abstract: A method and apparatus for illuminating and imaging two-dimensional and three-dimensional objects located at various distances. The apparatus includes a non-monochromatic light source, a diffractive optical element having a strong chromatic aberration that focuses the light beam generated from the source at various focal distances at where the various objects are located. The light beams are then reflected by the various objects and are received through the diffractive optical element onto an imager.

Abstract: A system for reading two dimensional codes as well as regular bar codes. A laser scanner generates a narrow horizontal beam which scans a code by means of a scanning mirror in the vertical direction. This mirror receives the reflected beam and passes it on to a lens array to yield high quality imaging characteristics all across a large field of view angle. The lens array and an auto focusing system produce images of the scanning lines in the sensor plane--a CCD linear array. In the sensor's plane, sub aperture diaphragms generate partially overlapping fields of view from each of the elements of the lens array. The system Electronics, converts the CCD linear array electrical signals, into digital data. A module, synthesizes in real-time, the partially overlapping line sections of the image signal, into an integrated continuous line signal and stores them consecutively in the image memory. A system processor operates an autofocus, as well as code classification and decoding algorithms.