Abstract: Method and systems for driving an aiming assembly of a barcode imager are provided. An example method includes obtaining an operating mode of the barcode imager having an aiming assembly and, in response, determining a duty cycle of an aiming pulse of the aiming assembly. That duty cycle is determined as a percentage of a frame duration of an imager sensor and, further, such that simultaneous constraints are satisfied by the aiming pulse. The constraints include a simultaneous frame duration-independent, peak pulse optical power constraint and a frame duration-dependent heat dissipation constraint.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for locating small indicia in large images are disclosed herein. An example method includes: identifying an aiming pattern zone that includes a detected or presumed location of an aiming light pattern, wherein an offset between the location and a center of image data varies due to a parallax; determining one or more coordinates of the aiming pattern zone; capturing image data representing an image of an environment appearing within a field of view (FOV) of a scanner including the indicia; encoding the one or more coordinates into a tagline of the image; and providing the image with the tagline to an indicia decoder such that the indicia decoder attempts to decode the indicia from the image data starting in a region of the image data selected based upon the one or more coordinates.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for locating small indicia in large images are disclosed herein. An example method includes: identifying an aiming pattern zone that includes a detected or presumed location of an aiming light pattern, wherein an offset between the location and a center of image data varies due to a parallax; determining one or more coordinates of the aiming pattern zone; capturing image data representing an image of an environment appearing within a field of view (FOV) of a handheld scanner including the indicia; encoding the one or more coordinates into a tagline of the image; and providing the image with the tagline to an indicia decoder such that the indicia decoder attempts to decode the indicia from the image data starting in a region of the image data selected based upon the one or more coordinates.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for locating small indicia in large images are disclosed herein. An example method includes: identifying an aiming pattern zone that includes a detected or presumed location of an aiming light pattern, wherein an offset between the location and a center of image data varies due to a parallax; determining one or more coordinates of the aiming pattern zone; capturing image data representing an image of an environment appearing within a field of view (FOV) of a handheld scanner including the indicia; encoding the one or more coordinates into a tagline of the image; and providing the image with the tagline to an indicia decoder such that the indicia decoder attempts to decode the indicia from the image data starting in a region of the image data selected based upon the one or more coordinates.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for scanning swiped barcodes are disclosed. An example method includes in response to detecting an object, capturing first images while focused at a swipe focus distance representing a pre-determined expected swipe distance range within which a scan target is expected to be swiped across a FOV. In response to a barcode decoded based upon the first images, exiting the swipe decode phase. In response to no barcode decoded during a time period representing an expected amount of time during which a scan target is expected to be swiped across the FOV, exiting the swipe decode phase and initiating a re-presentation decode phase including sequentially focusing the imaging scanner at a plurality of pre-determined, re-presentation focus distances, capturing one or more second images at each of the plurality of pre-determined, re-presentation focus distances, and, attempting to decode a barcode in one or more of the second images.

Abstract: Method and systems for driving an aiming assembly of a barcode imager are provided. An example method includes obtaining an operating mode of the barcode imager having an aiming assembly and, in response, determining a duty cycle of an aiming pulse of the aiming assembly. That duty cycle is determined as a percentage of a frame duration of an imager sensor and, further, such that simultaneous constraints are satisfied by the aiming pulse. The constraints include a simultaneous frame duration-independent, peak pulse optical power constraint and a frame duration-dependent heat dissipation constraint.

Abstract: Successive products associated with targets to be electro-optically read are swiped, in their respective turns, past a window in a point-of-transaction workstation. A motion detector detects movement of each product. A reader electro-optically reads a target associated with each moving product. If the target associated with each moving product has not been read, then this event is deemed suspicious, and the event is flagged for a security investigation designed to deter product theft by sweethearting.

Abstract: Successive products associated with targets to be electro-optically read are swiped, in their respective turns, past a window in a point-of-transaction workstation. A motion detector detects movement of each product. A reader electro-optically reads a target associated with each moving product. If the target associated with each moving product has not been read, then this event is deemed suspicious, and the event is flagged for a security investigation designed to deter product theft by sweethearting.

Abstract: An imaging module for electro-optically imaging a target, includes an energizable illuminating light source for illuminating the target with illumination light for return from the target, an energizable solid-state imager for capturing return light from the target, and a controller for energizing the imager during an exposure time period to capture the return light at a frame rate, for deenergizing the imager during a non-exposed time period, and for energizing the illuminating light source not only during the exposure time period, but also during the non-exposed time period, to produce a plurality of illumination light pulses at an illumination rate that enables the human eye to perceive the illumination light pulses as substantially continuous. The illumination rate of one or more of the illumination light pulses produced during the non-exposed time period is substantially independent and decoupled from the frame rate.

Abstract: An imaging reader for, and a method of, imaging symbols of different symbologies and a receipt acknowledgment, include a solid-state imager having an array of image sensors for capturing return light from the symbols of different symbologies and the receipt acknowledgment over a field of view, and a controller operatively connected to the imager. The controller is automatically configured for detecting a symbol having a specific symbology, for decoding the symbol having the specific symbology, for processing the receipt acknowledgment only when the symbol having the specific symbology has been detected and decoded, and for decoding symbols having symbologies different from the specific symbology when the symbol having the specific symbology has not been detected.

Abstract: Targets associated with transactions to be processed at a workstation are read by capturing return light from the targets with an array of light sensors of a solid-state imager having a field of view that extends through a workstation window to the targets. A controller controls the imager to operate at a frame rate to acquire images of the targets over successive frames in either a batch mode or a free-running mode. A memory stores the acquired images. The controller processes all of the stored images, and processes at least one of the stored images over an extended time period greater than one of the frames.

Abstract: Targets associated with transactions to be processed at a workstation are read by capturing return light from the targets with an array of light sensors of a solid-state imager having a field of view that extends through a workstation window to the targets. A controller controls the imager to operate at a frame rate to acquire images of the targets over successive frames in either a batch mode or a free-running mode. A memory stores the acquired images. The controller processes all of the stored images, and processes at least one of the stored images over an extended time period greater than one of the frames.

Abstract: An imaging module for electro-optically imaging a target, includes an energizable illuminating light source for illuminating the target with illumination light for return from the target, an energizable solid-state imager for capturing return light from the target, and a controller for energizing the imager during an exposure time period to capture the return light at a frame rate, for deenergizing the imager during a non-exposed time period, and for energizing the illuminating light source not only during the exposure time period, but also during the non-exposed time period, to produce a plurality of illumination light pulses at an illumination rate that enables the human eye to perceive the illumination light pulses as substantially continuous. The illumination rate of one or more of the illumination light pulses produced during the non-exposed time period is substantially independent and decoupled from the frame rate.

Abstract: An imaging reader for, and a method of, imaging symbols of different symbologies and a receipt acknowledgment, include a solid-state imager having an array of image sensors for capturing return light from the symbols of different symbologies and the receipt acknowledgment over a field of view, and a controller operatively connected to the imager. The controller is automatically configured for detecting a symbol having a specific symbology, for decoding the symbol having the specific symbology, for processing the receipt acknowledgment only when the symbol having the specific symbology has been detected and decoded, and for decoding symbols having symbologies different from the specific symbology when the symbol having the specific symbology has not been detected.

Abstract: An imaging scanner with a two dimensional array of sensors analyzes data from a segment of the array to detect if one or more indicia conditions is present that would prevent a successful decode based on data in the segment. In this manner, if decoding the indicia using data from the segment of array data is not possible, an enlarged frame of array data can be sought for decode when necessary while one-dimensional and simple two-dimensional barcodes can be quickly processed by loading and decoding only the segment of the array.

Abstract: An imaging-based bar code reader that includes an imaging and decoding system. When used on a stand to image documents, typically neither the stand or document is moving. Therefore blurring due to motion is not an issue. A sensor detects when the scanner is mounted to a stand. When commanded to take an image the scanner electronics and software modifies an auto-exposure process to minimize gain and lengthen exposure. This modification results in the scanner that is effective for scanning bar codes and yet also takes excellent pictures when mounted to a stand.

Abstract: A scan engine (52, 66) for imaging a target object (30) comprises a photosensitive circuitry (58, 76) located within the scan engine (52, 66) for capturing an image reflected from a target object (30) to the scan engine (52, 66). A communication interface (60, 78) is disposed within the scan engine (52, 66) and coupled to the photosensitive circuitry (58, 76) for communicating an undecoded signal (62, 80) to a remote device (14) over a digital serial interface.

Abstract: An imaging scanner with a two dimensional array of sensors analyzes data from a segment of the array to detect if one or more indicia conditions is present that would prevent a successful decode based on data in the segment. In this manner, if decoding the indicia using data from the segment of array data is not possible, an enlarged frame of array data can be sought for decode when necessary while one-dimensional and simple two-dimensional barcodes can be quickly processed by loading and decoding only the segment of the array.

Abstract: An imaging-based bar code reader that includes an imaging and decoding system. When used on a stand to image documents, typically neither the stand or document is moving. Therefore blurring due to motion is not an issue. A sensor detects when the scanner is mounted to a stand. When commanded to take an image the scanner electronics and software modifies an auto-exposure process to minimize gain and lengthen exposure. This modification results in the scanner that is effective for scanning bar codes and yet also takes excellent pictures when mounted to a stand.

Abstract: An imager with a two dimensional array of sensors processes illumination data from a subset of the sensors located within a selected region of the image to determine imager settings prior to acting upon a full frame of data. In this manner imager settings can be quickly determined by transferring and examining only the segment of the sensor array data.