Electronic scanner

Claim 2

A static opto-electronic scanner for sensing coded markings of an information field comprising, a source of radiant energy, an optical system for directing substantially all of the radiant energy from said source onto said information field as a horizontally narrow vertically long band of radiant energy including a pair of planar mirrors in spaced parallel relationship with each other a dichroic mirror and a first and second filter for resolving the reflected radiant energy received from said information field into two complete separate spectral images of the coded markings of the information field onto the face of an electronic imaging means, said electronic iMaging means sampling and scanning said two separate spectral images and for producing video signals corresponding to the coded markings of the information field.

Claim 3

A static opto-electronic scanner as defined in claim 1, wherein said optical system includes a wide angle objective lens for removing angular distortion which is present in the reflected radiant energy received from said information field.

Claim 4

A static opto-electronic scanner as defined in claim 1, wherein said electronic imaging means comprises an image dissector for producing the video signals which are fed to a video preamplifier and in turn to a synchronous detector which produces a train of pulses for each of the two separate spectral images.

Claim 5

A static opto-electronic scanner as defined in claim 1, wherein said electronic imaging means comprises a cathode-ray tube and the video signals are applied to a video preamplifier for amplification and a portion of the amplified signals is fed back to said cathode-ray tube for automatic gain control.

Claim 6

A static opto-electronic scanner as defined in claim 1, wherein said optical system includes condensing and projecting lenses for forming said band of radiant energy.

Claim 7

A static optic-to-electronic scanner comprising, a source of radiant energy, first optical means for projecting a vertical band of radiant energy from said source, second optical means for reflecting substantially all of said vertical band of radiant energy onto a retroreflective identification label having coded data and for permitting passage of radiant energy reflected by said retroreflective identification label, third optical means for separating the reflected radiant energy into two paths in accordance with the spectral characteristics of the coded data, fourth optical means for focusing two entire separate images of the coded data in side-by-side relationship onto the surface of an electronic image storage device, said electronic image storage device sequentially sampling and scanning said two separate images and producing video output signals in accordance with the spectral characteristics of the coded data so that useable intelligence may be derived from said identification label.

Claim 8

A static optic-to-electronic scanner comprising, a source of radiant energy, first optical means for projecting a vertical band of radiant energy from said source, second optical means for reflecting substantially all of said vertical band of radiant energy onto a retroreflective identification label having coded data and for permitting passage of radiant energy reflected by said retroreflective identification label, third optical means for separating the reflected radiant energy into two paths in accordance with the spectral characteristics of the coded data, fourth optical means for focusing two entire separate images of the coded data in side-by-side relationship onto the surface of an electronic image storage device, said electronic image storage device sequentially sampling and scanning said two separate images and producing video output signals in accordance with the spectral characteristics of the coded data so that useable intelligence may be derived from said identification label.

Claim 9

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said first optical means includes a toroidal condensing and a toroidal projecting lens.

Claim 10

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said second optical means including a first planar mirror angularly disposed relative to said radiant energy source and said identification label and a second planar mirror spaced from and disposed at the same angle as said first planar mirror.

Claim 11

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said third optical means includes a dichroic mirror and a pair of filters having spectral responses corresponding to the spectral characteristics of the coded data.

Claim 12

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said fourth optical means includes a wide angle objective lens which is angularly disposed relative to the paths of the reflected radiant energy for removing angular distortion from the two images focused on the surface of said electronic storage device.

Claim 13

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said electronic image storage device comprises an image dissector having horizontal and vertical controls for alternately sampling and scanning the two images.

Claim 14

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said electronic image storage device comprises a cathode-ray tube having horizontal and vertical deflection means for alternately sampling and scanning the two images.

Claim 15

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said coded data comprises a plurality of colored stripes arranged in a two color stripe combination.

Claim 16

An optic-to-electronic scanner as defined in claim 6, wherein said coded data comprises a vertical array of horizontal disposed colored stripes.