Abstract: A system and method for retro-reflective imaging transparent and/or shiny objects may include generating a light signal having a spin polarization. A magnetic field oscillating greater than about 1 GHz to cause the spin polarization of the light signal may be generated, where the light signal being retro-reflective imaged onto a transparent and/or shiny object so as to provide for determining presence of the transparent and/or shiny object.

Abstract: Systems and methods for generating machine-readable symbols on surfaces of objects using laser marking systems and processes. A specialized contour fill pattern for a laser beam path may be used that combines modules of a machine-readable symbol into bounded blocks or islands according to adjacencies and/or according to role (e.g., finder pattern, timing pattern, encoded payload data). In some implementations, the islands of modules may be filled using a laser beam path that traverses contour path lines from inner path lines to outer path lines. Once the islands have been generated during pre-processing, they are sorted to reduce the required time for the laser to “jump” (i.e., move with the laser turned off) from one island to a subsequent island to be filled. A filling pattern for bounded areas with sharp corners (e.g., squares, rectangles) may be simplified by rounding corners to optimize speed while maintaining suitable marking quality.

Abstract: Systems and methods which utilize wireless charging to initiate near field communication (NFC) pairing between mobile systems which utilize wireless charging and wireless charging base stations. Wireless signals sent by a mobile system over a wireless charging channel are used to initiate communication between an NFC reader presented in a base station and a passive NFC tag (or an active NFC tag used in a passive mode) present in the mobile system. Such feature allows the mobile system to act as an initiator for NFC communication without requiring the mobile system to be equipped with an NFC reader. A wireless power receiver of a mobile system may communicate with a wireless power transmitter of a base station using backscatter modulation. Commands of a standard wireless charging protocol may be repurposed to send a request for initiation of an NFC session from a mobile system to a base station.

Abstract: A system and method of inspection may include capturing image data by a stereo imaging device. A determination as to whether noise indicative of a transparent or specular object exists in the image data may be made. A report that a transparent or specular object was captured in the image data may be made.

Abstract: A machine readable symbol reader can include a variable orientation scan engine and features to vary the orientation of the scan engine with respect to a housing of the reader to maintain an orientation of the scan engine in a global sense while an orientation of the rest of the reader including the housing changes. Such a machine readable symbol reader can be used in machine-readable symbol readers such as laser scanning machine readable symbol readers, smartphones with barcode readers attached, barcode scanners, optical imaging scanners, cameras, mobile computers, or for machine vision generally.

Abstract: A battery support for a scanning device includes a separator plate and multiple elongate battery guides. The separator plate includes multiple mounting supports to engage mounting portions of the interior of the head portion to install the separator plate within the casing. The multiple elongate battery guides extend from the handle-side surface of the separator plate into the interior of the handle portion when the separator plate is installed within the casing. The multiple elongate battery guides engage a removable battery as the battery is inserted into a second end of the handle portion opposite a first end to guide a battery mating connector towards a scanner battery connector. The multiple battery guides continue to engage the removable battery while the battery connector engages the mating connector. The multiple battery guides are configured to prevent exertions of physical stress on the battery connector through the mating connector by the battery.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media are provided for acquiring field device data (e.g., imaging data such as barcode readings), extracting patterns from the field device data, and formatting the extracted patterns—all directly from field devices (e.g., barcode readers) embedded with these capabilities. The information conveyed by the patterns extracted at the devices embedded with these capabilities may be synthesized and shown in a graphical way to end-users, for instance, by exploiting IoT middleware platform services available at end-user side. Accordingly, systems, methods and computer-readable storage media in accordance with embodiments hereof further provide a customized visualization (e.g., a widget) aimed to make the formatted patterns available in an easy, intuitive and effective way.

Abstract: Systems and methods to reduce the overlap areas of the fields of view of multiple cameras when reading symbols (e.g., barcode symbols, text) disposed on moving objects using an imaging system which includes an array of cameras. Each of a plurality of cameras may have a field of view directed toward objects positioned on a conveyor which moves the objects in a longitudinal direction, and the field of view of each of the plurality of cameras may overlap with the field of view of at least one other camera in the plurality of cameras in one or both of the longitudinal direction and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media are provided for an embedded, scalable, predictive tool capable of detecting in-field anomalies and trends in advance of productivity losses on single devices, device clusters, and/or multi-cluster architectures. In-field and in real-time, sets of barcode signal sequences associated with respective barcode symbols are collected in time series (that is, at successive time intervals). A quality index measure in computed for each of the barcode signal sequence sets such that each quality index measure is associated with a barcode symbol. Patterns among the sets are identified therefrom and compared to barcode symbol patterns that are known to be associated with particular trends or anomalies and appropriately classified as such.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic sensor and a method of measurement with such sensor. The sensor includes an emitter arranged for emitting an electromagnetic, preferably a pulsed radiation, and a receiver arranged for receiving said electromagnetic radiation and transforming it into an electric signal.

Abstract: A system and method for processing imaged machine readable indicia may include capturing an image of a machine readable indicia including multiple codewords. A determination of an actual scanline of a codeword of the captured indicia may be made. A virtual scanline of the codeword of the imaged indicia for a type of symbology may be generated. In response to the virtual and actual scanlines matching, data representative of the codeword may be stored. Otherwise, repeat generating virtual scanlines of the codewords and compare the generated virtual scanlines with the actual scanlines until a match is identified or possible virtual codewords are exhausted. In response to a match, data representative of the matched scanline may be stored. The process may further repeatedly determine, generate, and compare until each codeword is determined. Data represented by the indicia based on the stored data representative of the matched codewords may be generated.

Abstract: A system and method may include determining a presence or absence of cigarettes in a set of cigarettes being processed by a cigarette packer machine by using at least one of a first image or a second image inclusive of the cigarettes in the set of cigarettes. A stereographic image may be produced using the first and second images. Determine level of tobacco of each cigarette of the set of cigarettes by using the first and second images. Produce a report in response to determining that a cigarette is not present or that a level of tobacco of a cigarette is outside of a specified level of tobacco of a cigarette.

Abstract: A decoding device includes storage to store image data including grayscale values of pixels in multiple captured images, and a processor including multiple SIMD components and at least one component. For each captured image at least one available SIMD component performs: at least one transform with the grayscale values of at least one portion of the captured image to generate at least one corresponding metadata; and the at least one transform in preparation for an analysis of the at least one metadata by the at least one core component. The at least one core component is to perform: the analysis to identify at least one ROI within the captured image indicated by the at least one metadata to include at least one encoded data marking; and a decoding of the at least one ROI to attempt a decode of the at least one encoded data marking.

Abstract: The invention relates to a sensor for the recognition of images on surfaces of objects in relative motion with regard to the sensor, especially for reading optical codes and/or characters and/or symbols on a surface of an object, comprising a plurality of sensor lines, each adapted to render line images in a temporal sequence, wherein the sensor is arranged to combine a plurality of line images of said sensor lines to yield a line image of the sensor, wherein each of said plurality of line images was captured by a different one of said sensor lines and at least some of said plurality of line images were captured at different points in time. The invention also relates to a corresponding method for the recognition of an image on a surface of an object and to a system for the acquisition of images on a surface of a moving target, comprising a conveyor for carrying target objects and a sensor as described above.

Abstract: In a handheld scanning device, a support frame configured to physically support an indicia scanning engine configured to scan and interpret an indicia and a light pipe within a casing of a scanning device. The light pipe extends along and flush against a surface of a planar portion of the support frame. Multiple ribs of elongate shape are formed integrally with the planar portion. A plurality of the ribs of the multiple ribs each define a gap in the elongate shape through which the light pipe may extend. The support frame may support the indicia scanning engine and the light pipe in predetermined relative positions to cause a central projection axis along which light is projected from an outlet end of the light pipe to extend in parallel with a central scanning axis extending from a front end of the indicia scanning engine, and toward a surface that carries the indicia.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media are provided for identifying (recognizing) an object from its shape in a sequence of images utilizing sequence alignment matrices (SAMs). For a given image, an object is segmented and from the segmented object, a set of key points is extracted. From the extracted key points, a set of local feature descriptors, strictly related to the key points and uniquely ordered in sequence, are extracted. The feature sequence obtained from the segmented object is aligned with a counterpart or reference image (e.g., a model or another image) using a Sequence Alignment Matrix (SAM). A custom scoring technique for the alignment provides a quality index for the identification of the object.

Abstract: Systems and methods of operation for a machine-readable symbol reader for estimating the distance of a scanned target object or item labeled with indicia, such as a machine-readable symbol. The reader may include an illumination subsystem which projects a light pattern (e.g., line) out from the reader. The reader may capture an image of the target object while the light pattern is projected thereon and analyze at least one detectable characteristic of the pattern to estimate distance of the target object relative to the reader. A one-dimensional sensor array of the reader may be exploited in part for imaging a symbol and in part for imaging detectable characteristics (e.g., edges) of the projected illumination pattern which allows for estimation of the reading distance. A central portion of the one-dimensional sensor array may be dedicated to imaging a machine-readable symbol and lateral portions may be dedicated to implementing a range finder.

Abstract: A system and method for an active Q-switched fiber laser cavity may include a pump source for emitting a laser beam at a wavelength along an optical path including an active optical medium. A modulation device may be configured to introduce tunable losses into the optical path. The tunable losses may be achieved through modulation of the transmissivity of an optical element within the optical path, the modulation of said optical element being performed over (i) a first period of time in which a cavity Q curve increases from a first percentage value to a second percentage value of a maximum Q value and (ii) a second period of time in which the cavity Q curve increases from a third percentage value to a fourth percentage value of the maximum Q value. The cavity Q curve may non-linearly and smoothly transition between (i) the first and second percentage values and (ii) the third and fourth percentage values.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical unit for an opto-electronic system, said optical unit comprising: a first and a second opto-electronic component; a casing suitable for containing said first and second opto-electronic component; and a fastening system suitable for connecting together said first and second opto-electronic components, characterized in that said fastening system is fixed to a first end of said first opto-electronic component and to a first end of said second opto-electronic component and comprises: an elastic device movable between an undeformed operative position and a compressed operative position, and a mechanical fastening device suitable for taking said elastic device into said compressed operative position when said mechanical fastening device couples together said first and said second optoelectronic component.

Abstract: Two or more colors are used in an aiming pattern, where the high contrast between the edges of the two illuminated portions identifies the centerline of the field of view (FOV). The centerline is used as an intuitive and highly recognizable aiming pattern. The colors are generated by light sources, such as LEDs or laser diodes. The edges of the two figures produced by the light sources create a high visibility color contrast line/stripe. Additionally, the aiming pattern can be created using illuminators in the barcode reader, allowing for the barcode to maintain compactness.