A portable data collection device providing for dataform decoding and color imaging. An imaging assembly is provided that includes a board camera having black and white circuitry and generates a composite video signal representing an image of a target area of the imaging assembly when actuated. The imaging assembly includes a two dimensional photosensor array overlaid by a color filter having a repeating pattern of four color filter elements. The imaging assembly is selectively actuatable with a first trigger for reading a target dataform in the imaging assembly's target area and actuatable with a second trigger for capturing a image of the target object in the target area. When the device is operated in the dataform reading mode, compensation circuitry is actuated to operate on digital gray scale values extracted from the composite video signal to adjust gray scale value magnitudes to compensate for the transmittivity differences of the color filter elements to improve decodability of the imaged dataform. When the device is operated in the imaging mode, conversion circuitry is actuated to convert the gray scale values to either Y-C or RGB digital data and a D/A converter further processes the Y-C or RGB digital data to provide an analog Y-C or RGB output signal.
An apparatus for capturing images and barcodes. The apparatus has an image-sensing device and a lens having a variable-focal-length region and a substantially fixed-focal-length region. The variable-focal-length region focuses light onto a first region of the image-sensing device and the substantially fixed-focal-length region focuses light onto a second region of the image-sensing device. The variable-focal-length region varies such that different portions of that region of the lens focus objects at different distances from the lens in different areas of the first region of the image-sensing device. Thus, the device is able to focus, in the first region of the image-sensing device, objects at varying distances from the apparatus.
A scanner with a two dimensional array of sensors generates an aiming pattern that is concurrently used as illumination for a segment of the array. In this manner, one-dimensional and simple two-dimensional barcodes can be quickly processed by loading and decoding only the segment of the array.
The present invention provides an apparatus for reading a color symbol, which comprises a matrix of color filters arranged in front of a detector. Light received from the filters of some colors is used to locate the color symbol, while light received from all the filters is used to read and decode the located symbol. Preferably, the filters used for locating the symbol are of the colors to which the detector is most sensitive. Preferably, the filters for locating the symbol are dominant in number.
A code reader for color images, which can simultaneously accept a one-dimensional code or a two-dimensional code and data of a color image of a subject for management and which can record both the data in mapping with each other, is provided. The code reader comprises color image pickup means for picking up a code and also a color image of a subject for management as is specified by identification information contained in the code; code-recognizing-data extraction means for extracting luminance data from the color image data picked up by the color image pickup means, and for writing gray scale data into a first frame memory as data for recognizing the code; and recorded-image extraction means for extracting color data from the color image data picked up by the color image pickup means, and for writing the color data into a second frame memory as data for the original image of the subject for management.
A multi-dimensional imaging device and method for automated exposure control that implement two distinct modules to control the exposure and gain settings in the imager so that processing can occur in a multi-tasking single CPU environment. The first module, referred to herein as the imager control module, controls the exposure and gain settings in the imager. The first module is typically implemented in a high priority routine, such as an interrupt service routine, to insure that module is executed on every captured frame. The second module, referred to herein as the histogram processing module, calculates a target contrast (the product of the targeted exposure and gain settings) based on feedback data from the first module and image data from memory. The second module is typically implemented in a low priority routine, such as a task level routine, to allow for the routine to be executed systematically in accordance with priority.
