Barcode-reading system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9830487-B2
Application number	US-201615063245-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2016
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

This patent specification describes a barcode-reading enhancement accessory for a mobile device having a barcode-reading capability. The accessory may include an outer case and an inner carriage. A mobile device is encased in the inner carriage, and the combination of the inner carriage and the mobile device may be accommodated in the outer case. The inner carriage is configured to accommodate a mobile device of a particular size such that a mobile device of a different size may be accommodated in the outer case using a different inner carriage. The accessory may also include an optic system to fold an optical path of a field of illumination of a light source of the mobile device and/or a field of view of a camera of the mobile device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A barcode-reading system for a mobile device, the mobile device comprising a camera for capturing an image of a barcode in a field of view of the camera, a white light source for projecting a field of illumination into the field of view of the camera, a memory, and a processor for executing an operating system and applications stored in the memory, the barcode-reading system comprising:
a barcode-reading enhancement accessory secured to the mobile device, the barcode-reading enhancement accessory comprising at least one optic system, the at least one optic system being within the field of illumination of the white light source and comprising:
an optical substrate, not within the field of view of the camera, having a front major surface and a back major surface arranged generally perpendicular to an optical axis of the camera, wherein light from the white light source enters the optical substrate between the front major surface and the back major surface and is transferred by total internal reflection primarily in a direction transverse to the optical axis, and wherein the optical substrate comprises one or more extraction features configured to extract light from the optical substrate into the field of view of the camera; and
a barcode-reading application stored in the memory and executable by the processor, the barcode-reading application including:
an image capture function for controlling the white light source and the camera to capture the image of the barcode, the image of the barcode being affected by the at least one optic system;
a decoder function for receiving the image of the barcode and generating decoded data representing data encoded in the barcode; and
a relay function for sending the decoded data to a remote server via a wireless connection established between the mobile device and a network.

2. The barcode-reading system of claim 1 , wherein the barcode-reading enhancement accessory further includes a dark field illumination system, the dark field illumination system comprising at least one dark field illuminator for directing illumination into the field of view of the camera at an angle greater than 45 degrees from the optical axis.

3. The barcode-reading system of claim 2 , wherein the dark field illuminator is a colored light-emitting diode (LED) with an illumination spectrum narrower than an illumination spectrum of the white light source.

4. The barcode-reading system of claim 2 , wherein the barcode-reading enhancement accessory further comprises a battery for powering the dark field illumination system, and the image capture function of the barcode-reading application further controls the dark field illumination system through a communication interface between the mobile device and the barcode-reading enhancement accessory.

5. The barcode-reading system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one optic system further comprises a reflective surface within the field of view of the camera for folding the optical axis and the field of view about the optical axis from its initial direction extending generally perpendicular from a back side surface of the mobile device to a folded direction extending into a region around a top side of the mobile device; and
the front major surface and the back major surface of the optical substrate are arranged generally perpendicular to the optical axis in the folded direction.

6. The barcode-reading system of claim 5 , wherein the barcode-reading enhancement accessory further includes a dark field illumination system, the dark field illumination system comprising at least one dark field illuminator for directing illumination into the field of view of the camera at an angle greater than 45 degrees from the optical axis in the folded direction.

7. The barcode-reading system of claim 6 , wherein the dark field illuminator is a colored light-emitting diode with an illumination spectrum narrower than an illumination spectrum of the white light source.

8. The barcode-reading system of claim 6 , wherein:
the barcode-reading enhancement accessory further includes a battery for powering the dark field illumination system; and
the image capture function of the barcode-reading application further controls the dark field illumination system through a communication interface between the mobile device and the barcode-reading enhancement accessory.

9. The barcode-reading system of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one optic system further comprises a reflective surface within the field of view of the camera for folding the optical axis and the field of view about the optical axis from its initial direction extending generally perpendicular from a back side surface of the mobile device to a folded direction extending into a region around a top side of the mobile device;
the front major surface and the back major surface of the optical substrate are arranged generally perpendicular to the optical axis in its initial direction; and
the reflective surface folds illumination extracted from the optical substrate into the region around the top side of the mobile device.

10. The barcode-reading system of claim 9 , wherein the barcode-reading enhancement accessory further includes a dark field illumination system, the dark field illumination system comprising at least one dark field illuminator for directing illumination into the field of view of the camera at an angle greater than 45 degrees from the optical axis in the folded direction.

11. The barcode-reading system of claim 10 , wherein the dark field illuminator is a colored light-emitting diode with an illumination spectrum narrower than an illumination spectrum of the white light source.

12. The barcode-reading system of claim 11 , wherein:
the barcode-reading enhancement accessory further includes a battery for powering the dark field illumination system; and
the image capture function of the barcode-reading application further controls the dark field illumination system through a communication interface between the mobile device and the barcode-reading enhancement accessory.

13. A barcode-reading enhancement accessory for securing to a mobile device, the mobile device comprising a camera for capturing an image of a barcode in a field of view of the camera, the barcode-reading enhancement accessory comprising:
at least one optic system within a field of illumination of a white light source of the mobile device, comprising:
an optical substrate, not within the field of view of the camera, having a front major surface and a back major surface arranged generally perpendicular to an optical axis of the camera, wherein light from the white light source enters the optical substrate between the front major surface and the back major surface and is transferred by total internal reflection primarily in a direction transverse to the optical axis, and wherein the optical substrate comprises one or more extraction features configured to extract light from the optical substrate into the field of view of the camera.

14. The barcode-reading enhancement accessory of claim 13 , further comprising a dark field illumination system, wherein the dark field illumination system comprises at least one dark field illuminator for directing illumination into the field of view of the camera at an angle greater than 45 degrees from the optical axis.

15. The barcode-reading enhancement accessory of claim 14 , wherein the dark field illuminator is a colored light-emitting diode with an illumination spectrum narrower than an illumination spectrum of the white light source.

16. The barcode-reading enhancement access

Assignees

• Code Corp

Inventors

• Powell George
• Lei Ming
• Hoobler Ryan

Classifications

• H02J7/751

  concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries · CPC title

• H01M50/247

  specially adapted for portable devices, e.g. mobile phones, computers, hand tools or pacemakers · CPC title

• H02J7/0045

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M2/1022

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G06K7/0004

  Hybrid readers · CPC title