Miniature long range imaging engine with auto-focus and auto-zoom system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12417364-B2
Application number	US-202318233609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2023
Priority date	Oct 11, 2021
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

Methods and systems to implement a miniature long range imaging engine with auto-focus, auto-zoom, and auto-illumination are disclosed herein. An example method includes detecting, by a microprocessor, a presence of an aim light pattern within the FOV; determining, by the microprocessor and in response to the detecting, a target distance of an object in the FOV based on a position of the aim light pattern in the FOV, the target distance being a distance from the imaging engine to the object; causing, by the microprocessor, a variable focus optical element to focus on the object based on the target distance; and responsive to making a first determination, by the microprocessor, selecting, based on the target distance, one of a plurality of zoom operation modes.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for an imaging engine having an imaging assembly having a field of view (FOV), the method comprising:
detecting, by a microprocessor, a presence of an aim light pattern within the FOV;
determining, by the microprocessor and in response to the detecting, a target distance of an object in the FOV based on a position of the aim light pattern in the FOV, the target distance being a distance from the imaging engine to the object;
causing, by the microprocessor, a variable focus optical element to focus on the object based on the target distance; and
responsive to making a first determination, by the microprocessor, selecting, based on the target distance, one of a plurality of zoom operation modes,
wherein the plurality of zoom operation modes includes at least two of: (i) an image binning mode. (ii) an image cropping mode, and (iii) an image interleaving mode.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting one of the plurality of zoom operation modes includes:
responsive to determining the target distance to be less than a lower threshold value, selecting the image binning mode;
responsive to determining the target distance to be greater than an upper threshold value, selecting the image cropping mode; and
responsive to determining the target distance to be between the lower threshold value and the upper threshold value, selecting the image interleaving mode.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the lower threshold value is at most 12 inches and the upper threshold value is at least 24 inches.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the variable focus optical element is one of a ball-bearing motor lens, a liquid lens, a T-len, or a voice coil motor lens.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the object is a barcode, further comprising:
cropping a region of interest (ROI) including the barcode; and
decoding the barcode.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying, to a user, the target distance on a display communicatively coupled to the microprocessor.

7. An imaging engine having an imaging assembly having a field of view (FOV) and comprising:
a variable focus optical element disposed along an optical axis to receive light from an object;
an imaging sensor disposed along the optical axis to receive light from the variable focus optical element;
a digital zoom module configured to modify an image received from the imaging sensor;
an aiming module configured to generate and direct an aim light pattern; and
a microprocessor and computer-readable media storing machine readable instructions that, when executed, cause the imaging engine to:
detect a presence of the aim light pattern in the FOV;
responsive to the detecting, determine a target distance of the object in the FOV based on a position of the aim light pattern in the FOV, the target distance being a distance from the imaging engine to the object; and
responsive to making a first determination, select, based on the target distance, one of a plurality of zoom operation modes;

wherein the variable focus optical element, the digital zoom module, and the aiming module are communicatively coupled to the microprocessor,
wherein selecting one of the plurality of zoom operation modes includes:
responsive to determining the target distance to be less than a lower threshold, selecting an image binning mode;
responsive to determining the target distance to be greater than an upper threshold value, selecting an image cropping mode: and
responsive to determining the target distance to be between the lower threshold value and the upper threshold value, selecting an image interleaving mode.

8. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the digital zoom module is configured to, responsive to selecting the image binning mode, bin pixels of the image using at least one of: 2×2 pixel binning, 3×3 pixel binning, or 4×4 pixel binning.

9. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the digital zoom module is configured to, responsive to selecting the image cropping mode, crop a portion of the image sized to at least one quarter of the image.

10. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the digital zoom module receives the image with a resolution of at least 3 megapixels and zooms on the image with a resolution in a range of 0.5 to 2 megapixels.

11. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein selecting the zoom operation mode includes:
responsive to determining the target distance to be less than a first lower threshold, selecting an image binning mode;
responsive to determining the target distance to be greater than a first upper threshold value, selecting an image cropping mode; and
responsive to determining the target distance to be between the first lower threshold value and the first upper threshold value, selecting an image interleaving mode.

12. The imaging engine of claim 11 , wherein the first upper threshold value and the second upper threshold value are equal.

13. The imaging engine of claim 12 , wherein the first upper threshold value and the second upper threshold value are at least 40 inches, the first lower threshold value is at most 8 inches, and the second lower threshold value is at most 24 inches.

14. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the imaging sensor is a rolling shutter sensor configured to operate in at least (i) a first state wherein an obfuscator of the rolling shutter sensor obfuscates a majority of radiation propagating along the optical axis and (ii) a second state wherein the obfuscator of the rolling shutter sensor transmits a majority of radiation propagating along the optical axis.

15. The imaging engine of claim 14 , wherein the rolling shutter sensor is communicatively coupled to the microprocessor, and wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the imaging engine to transition the rolling shutter sensor between the first state and the second state.

16. The imaging engine of claim 14 , wherein the rolling shutter sensor has a pixel size of at most 2.0 micrometers.

17. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the aiming module includes at least:
a beam source assembly having a beam source for generating the aim light pattern from an exit surface, wherein the exit surface defines a central axis along which an input light is to propagate; and
a collimator assembly having a lens group that defines a tilt axis, wherein the tilt axis has a tilt angle relative to the central axis and the lens group is positioned to deflect the aim light pattern from the central axis onto the tilt axis.

18. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the aiming module generates and directs the aim light pattern in a pulsed laser driving mode.

19. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the aim light pattern has a wavelength of at least 505 nanometers and at most 535 nanometers.

20. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the variable focus optical element is one of a ball-bearing motor lens, a liquid lens, a T-len, or a voice coil motor lens.

21. The imaging engine of claim 20 , wherein the variable focus optical element is the ball-bearing motor lens having a pupil diameter of at least 2.0 millimeters and a focus range from 3 inches to infinity.

22. The imaging engine of claim 7 , wherein the object is a barcode and wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, further cause the imaging engine to decode the barcode.

Assignees

• Zebra Tech Corp

Inventors

• Gurevich Vladimir
• Brock Christopher W
• Shi David Tsi
• Goren David P
• Wittenberg Carl D

Classifications

• H04N23/671

  in combination with active ranging signals, e.g. using light or sound signals emitted toward objects · CPC title

• H04N23/633

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/58

  Means for changing the camera field of view without moving the camera body, e.g. nutating or panning of optics or image sensors · CPC title

• H04N23/56

  provided with illuminating means · CPC title

• G03B13/36

  Autofocus systems · CPC title