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EP-4332829-B1 - NEAR CO-AXIAL POLARIZED ILLUMINATOR APPARATUSES AND USES THEREOF

EP4332829B1EP 4332829 B1EP4332829 B1EP 4332829B1EP-4332829-B1

Inventors

  • FENG, CHEN
  • GIORDANO, PATRICK ANTHONY
  • XIAN, TAO
  • YOUNGBLOOD, Eric Alfons
  • POLONIEWICZ, PAUL R.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230726

Claims (14)

  1. An apparatus (100, 200) comprising: a Direct Part Marking, DPM, channel image sensor (308A); a standard range channel image sensor (308B) configured to operate in a far range, wherein a field of view of the DPM channel image sensor is narrower than a field of view of the standard range channel image sensor in one or more directions; the apparatus being characterized by : a near co-axial polarizer light source (534) positioned adjacent to the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and adjacent to the standard range channel image sensor (308B); a near co-axial polarizer (512) aligned with the near co-axial polarizer light source (534); an analyzer (510) aligned with the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and/or the standard range channel image sensor (308B), wherein the analyzer (510) is configured to filter out light from reaching the DPM channel image sensor and/or the standard range channel image sensor; and wherein the near co-axial polarizer light source (534) is positioned between the DPM channel image sensor and the standard range channel image sensor; and an illumination board (520) comprising a jut out, a first hole, and a second hole, wherein the jut out is adjacent to a center point between the first hole that receives the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and the second hole that receives the standard range channel image sensor (308B), wherein the near co-axial polarizer light source (534) is electronically coupled on the jut out.
  2. The apparatus (100, 200) according to claim 1, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising: a near co-axial polarizer lens aligned with the near co-axial polarizer light source (534).
  3. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-2, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising: a protective window (514) aligned in front of the DPM channel image sensor (308A), the standard range channel image sensor, and the near co-axial polarizer light source (534).
  4. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the analyzer (510) is aligned with the DPM channel image sensor (308A).
  5. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-4, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising a ring illuminator.
  6. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-5, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising a diffusion illuminator.
  7. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-6, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising a near co-axial aimer light source (304) positioned adjacent to the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and adjacent to the standard range channel image sensor (308B), wherein the near co-axial aimer light source (304) is positioned across the center point between the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and the standard range channel image sensor (308B).
  8. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-7, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising a processor (202) that controls activation of the DPM channel image sensor (308A), the standard range channel image sensor (308B), and/or the near co-axial polarizer light source (534).
  9. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and the standard range channel image sensor (308B) are vertically aligned, and wherein the near co-axial polarizer light source (534) is positioned to a side adjacent to the center point between the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and the standard range channel image sensor (308B).
  10. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-9, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising: a first board; and a second board, wherein the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and the standard range channel image sensor (308B) are electronically coupled to the first board, and wherein the near co-axial polarizer light source is electronically coupled to the second board.
  11. The apparatus (100, 200) according to claim 1-10, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising: a third board; and the at least one ring illuminator light source, at least one right illuminator light source electronically coupled to the third board.
  12. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-11, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising: a DPM channel lens aligned with the DPM channel image sensor (308A); and a standard range channel lens aligned with the standard range channel image sensor (308B).
  13. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-12, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising: an aimer light source (304); and a plurality of aimer folding optics, wherein the plurality of aimer folding optics are aligned to receive an aimer light generated by the aimer light source (304) and redirect the aimer light in near co-axial alignment with the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and the standard range channel image sensor (308B).
  14. The apparatus (100, 200) according to any one of claims 1-13, the apparatus (100, 200) further comprising: a ring illuminator assembly comprising a ring lens (504), a ring illuminator board, and the at least one ring illuminator light source electronically coupled to the ring illuminator board, wherein the ring lens is aligned in front of the at least one ring illuminator light source; the diffusion illuminator assembly comprising the diffusion illuminator and a diffusion back light reflector; a protector assembly comprising a protector window, the near co-axial polarizer, and the analyzer; at least one back light illumination board, wherein the near co-axial polarizer light is electronically coupled to the at least one back light illumination board; a lens assembly comprising an aimer lens, a DPM channel imager lens, and a standard range channel imager lens; an aimer illuminator aligned at least one imager board with the aimer lens; at least one aimer folding optics; and the at least one imager board comprising the DPM channel image sensor (308A) and the standard range channel image sensor (308B).

Description

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to machine-readable symbology readers, and specifically to improved machine-readable symbology readers including near co-axial polarized illuminator(s) and uses thereof. BACKGROUND Machine-readable symbology readers often capture image representation(s) of an environment for processing. For example, a reader can capture an image of an environment and process the image for detecting and/or decoding a machine-readable symbology represented therein. Some readers utilize various illuminators in an attempt to illuminate a target object sufficiently to enable accurate image processing. Such illuminators, however, in various cases can negatively impact the image captured by the reader and/or require that the reader be designed with a large size to accommodate the illuminators. US2017/289421A1 discloses an imaging reader having near and far imagers for imaging illuminated targets to be read over a range of working distances. A range finder determines a distance to a target. A default imager captures a minor portion of an image of the target, and rapidly determines its light intensity level. At least one of the imagers is selected based on the determined distance and/or the determined light intensity level. The exposure and/or gain of the selected imager is set to a predetermined value, and an illumination level is determined, also based on the determined light intensity level and/or the determined distance. The selected imager, which has been set with the predetermined value, captures an image of the target, which has been illuminated at the illumination light level. Applicant has discovered problems with current implementations of machine-readable symbology reader(s). Through applied effort, ingenuity, and innovation, Applicant has solved many of these identified problems by developing embodied in the present disclosure, which are described in detail below. BRIEF SUMMARY In general, embodiments of the present disclosure are provided for improved readers, other improved near co-axial polarized illuminator apparatuses, and uses thereof. Other implementations for improved near co-axial polarized illuminator apparatuses and uses thereof will be, or will become, apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional implementations be included within this description be within the scope of the disclosure, and be protected by the following claims. The invention is defined by the appended claims. In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a computer-implemented method for near co-axial polarized illumination projection and use is provided. The computer-implemented method is executable by any of a myriad of computing device(s) embodied in hardware, software, firmware, and/or a combination thereof. In one example embodiment of the computer-implemented method, the example computer-implemented method includes activating, via a reader, a polarized illuminator, the polarized illuminator positioned adjacent to at least each of a DPM channel imager and a standard range channel imager. The example computer-implemented method further includes exposing, via the reader, the DPM channel imager adjacent to the polarized illuminator to light projected through an analyzer aligned with the DPM channel imager. The example computer-implemented method further includes outputting, via the reader, a captured image from the DPM channel imager based at least in part on the exposure of the DPM channel imager. In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, a computer program product for near co-axial polarized illumination projection and use is provided. In one example embodiment of the computer program product, the computer program product includes at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer program code stored thereon that, in execution with at least one processor, configures the at least one processor for performing any one of the example computer-implemented methods described herein. In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, another apparatus for near co-axial polarized illumination projection and use is provided. In one example embodiment of the apparatus, the apparatus includes at least one processor and at least one memory having computer-coded instructions stored thereon that, in execution with the at least one processor, causes the apparatus to perform any one of the example computer-implemented methods described herein. In another example embodiment of the apparatus, the apparatus includes means for performing each step of any one of the example computer-implemented methods described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Having thus described the embodiments of the disclosure in general terms, reference now will be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein: FIG. 1