Illumination control for an imaging system having multiple image sensors - Patents.com

Abstract

To provide illumination control for imaging systems with multiple image sensors.SOLUTION: The invention provides a multi-sensor imaging system generally relating to illumination synchronization in a multi-imager environment. A process comprises: operating a near-field illumination source associated with a near-field image sensor, based on a first illumination pulse train; determining an exposure period of a far-field image sensor; and modifying one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train to accommodate the exposure period of the far-field image sensor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to imaging systems having multiple image sensors, In particular, it relates to illumination control for image sensors in imaging systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Imaging devices and systems are becoming more complex and sophisticated than simple photography. These devices and systems have found applications in the field of computing. There is a constant demand for improved imaging capabilities in imaging systems. Currently available imaging systems offer Factors such as the adoption of compact form factors have led to increased interference between components in imaging systems. In such a system, there are measures to prevent any adverse effects on each other's capabilities. Getting the components to operate in such a synchronized manner remains a challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In general, the embodiments of the disclosure provided herein are directed to a multi-imager environment. Configured for lighting control and synchronization. Alternative illuminator assemblies and / or alternative One or more other implementations of the illumination imaging system and apparatus are described in the following drawings and detailed description. Such additional features will be, or will become, apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the description. All such implementations are contemplated herein within the scope of this disclosure and are set forth in the following claims. It is intended to be protected by

[0004] According to some exemplary embodiments, an imaging system is provided herein. In one embodiment, the imaging system includes a first illumination source associated with a first image sensor. a first illumination pulse train configured to operate based on the first illumination pulse train; The imaging system also includes a second image sensor, a first illumination source, and a first image sensor. and a controller communicatively coupled to each of the first and second image sensors. In some exemplary embodiments, the controller may further include: determining a first illumination pulse to accommodate a first exposure period of the second image sensor; and modifying one or more characteristics of the train.

[0005] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the imaging system, the first illumination pulse a controller controlling a first illumination pulse train to modify one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train; inserting at least one additional illumination pulse into the One of the start time period or the end time period of the illumination period of the illumination pulse is detected by the second image sensor. and aligned with one of the start time period or end time period of the first exposure period of the The device is further configured to:

[0006] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the imaging system, the first illumination pulse a controller controlling a first illumination pulse train to modify one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train; inserting at least one additional illumination pulse into the Illumination of the first image sensor corresponding to the illumination pulse activates the autofocus of the second image sensor. It is further configured to overlap in time with the period.

[0007] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the imaging system, the first illumination pulse a controller controlling a first illumination pulse train to modify one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train; Increasing the timing delay between a pair of temporally successive illumination pulses of the first exposure One of the start time period or the end time period of the light period is the start of an increased timing delay. and further configured to be aligned with a respective one of the time period or the end time period. is.

[0008] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the imaging system, the first image sensor , is exposed during at least a second exposure period. In some exemplary embodiments, the second Exposure of the first image sensor during the exposure period is performed using a first illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train. The end time period of the second exposure period begins at the same time as the start time period of the first illumination pulse. It extends beyond the end time period of the first illumination pulse of the rain.

[0009] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the imaging system, the controller The image frame captured during the first exposure period is acquired by exposing the second image sensor. In some exemplary embodiments, the controller is further configured to: determining a brightness of the image frame and associating a second image sensor with the second image sensor based on the determined brightness of the image frame; and further configured to activate a second illumination source associated with the second illumination source. The illumination pulse train is configured to operate based on the illumination pulse train.

[0010] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the imaging system, the first image sensor Exposure begins upon activation of the first illumination source.

[0011] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the imaging system, a second image sensor , remains stopped during the first illumination period of the first illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, a second image sensor may be provided to capture the first illumination. The exposure occurs during a portion of a second illumination period of a second illumination pulse of the pulse train.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, a method of imaging is provided. The method includes the steps of: Hardware, software, and and / or implemented using any one of a myriad of implementations, such as via firmware In some exemplary implementations of the method, the exemplary method includes: operating a first illumination source associated with the first image sensor based on the train. An exemplary method includes determining a first exposure period of a second image sensor; One or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train are adjusted to accommodate a first exposure period of the image sensor. and modifying the gender.

[0013] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the method, the first illumination pulse train Modifying one or more characteristics of the at least one additional pulse train in the first illumination pulse train. Inserting an additional illumination pulse so that the illumination period of at least one additional illumination pulse is One of the start time period or the end time period corresponds to the start of the first exposure period of the second image sensor. This includes being aligned with a respective one of the start time period or the end time period.

[0014] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the method, the first illumination pulse train Modifying one or more characteristics of the at least one additional pulse train in the first illumination pulse train. Inserting an additional illumination pulse, so that a first illumination pulse corresponding to at least one additional illumination pulse is inserted. The illumination of one image sensor overlaps in time with the autofocus period of a second image sensor. This includes:

[0015] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the method, the first illumination pulse train modifying one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train by a pair of temporally successive illuminations of the first illumination pulse train; Increasing the timing delay between the light pulses so that the start time period of the first exposure period or one of the end time periods is the start time period or the end time period of the increased timing delay This includes being aligned with each one of the

[0016] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the method, the method further comprises the step of: and causing exposure of the first image sensor during an exposure period. In an embodiment, the exposure of the first image sensor during the second exposure period is In some exemplary embodiments, the illumination pulse starts at the same time as the start time period of the first illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse. The end time period of the second exposure period is the end time period of the first illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train. The term extends beyond the expiration time period.

[0017] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the method, the method further comprises: The method further includes obtaining a captured image frame by exposing a second image sensor at the same time. An exemplary method includes determining a luminance of an image frame; and, activating a second illumination source associated with the second image sensor based on the a second illumination source configured to operate based on a second illumination pulse train; There are.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus is provided. In an exemplary embodiment, an imaging system includes a memory configured to store executable instructions; and one or more processors. In some exemplary embodiments, the one or more processors include: Controlling operation of a first illumination source associated with the first image sensor based on the train. In some exemplary embodiments, one The processor determines a first exposure period of the second image sensor and Modifying one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train to accommodate the first exposure period. The present invention is further configured as follows.

[0019] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the apparatus, the first illumination pulse train The one or more processors generate a first illumination pulse train to modify the one or more characteristics. inserting at least one additional illumination pulse into the One of the start time period or the end time period of the illumination period of the illumination pulse is detected by the second image sensor. and aligned with one of the start time period or end time period of the first exposure period of the The device is further configured to:

[0020] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the apparatus, the first illumination pulse train The one or more processors generate a first illumination pulse train to modify the one or more characteristics. inserting at least one additional illumination pulse into the Illumination of the first image sensor corresponding to the illumination pulse activates the autofocus of the second image sensor. It is further configured to overlap in time with the period.

[0021] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the apparatus, the first illumination pulse train The one or more processors generate a first illumination pulse train to modify the one or more characteristics. Increasing the timing delay between a pair of temporally successive illumination pulses of the first exposure One of the start time period or the end time period of the light period is the start of an increased timing delay. and further configured to be aligned with a respective one of the time period or the end time period. is.

[0022] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments of the apparatus, the one or more processors The image frame captured during the first exposure period is acquired by exposing the second image sensor. In some exemplary embodiments of the apparatus, the one or more processors are further configured to a second image processing unit that performs a first image processing operation based on the determined brightness of the image frame; and further configured to activate a second illumination source associated with the image sensor, The illumination source is configured to operate based on a second illumination pulse train. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] Having thus described in general terms embodiments of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: These are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0024] [Figure 1A] 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 1B] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging engine, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Diagram 2] 1 shows a block diagram of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging device in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Diagram 3] 1 illustrates a visualization of a field of view associated with an exemplary multi-sensor imaging device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a visualization of a first illumination generated by an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] [Diagram 5] 1 illustrates a visualization of a second illumination generated by an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] [Figure 6] 2 illustrates a timing diagram associated with operational functions of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] [Figure 7] 1 shows a flowchart illustrating an example operation of a process for lighting control in a multi-imager environment, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] [Figure 8] 1 shows a flowchart illustrating an example operation of a process for modifying one or more characteristics of a first illumination pulse train to accommodate a first exposure period of a second image sensor of an example multi-sensor imaging system, in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] [Figure 9] A flowchart illustrating an example operation of another process for modifying one or more characteristics of a first illumination pulse train to accommodate a first exposure period of a second image sensor of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] [Figure 10] A flowchart illustrating an example operation of another process for modifying one or more characteristics of a first illumination pulse train to accommodate a first exposure period of a second image sensor of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] [Figure 11] 1 illustrates a timing diagram associated with operational functions of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system for flicker reduction, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] [Figure 12A] 1 illustrates an example workflow of a symbol decoding process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12B] 1 illustrates an example workflow of a symbol decoding process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12C] 1 illustrates an example workflow of a symbol decoding process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] [Figure 13] 1 illustrates an example workflow of a flicker reduction process according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] [Figure 14] 1 illustrates an example workflow of a flicker reduction process for extended far-field exposure of an imaging device, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are now described, some of which are not all of the disclosure. As will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: may be embodied in many different forms and are not limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Provided to satisfy legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0040] Imaging devices such as sign readers are used in a variety of scenarios, each of which requires a number of different functions, such as symbol decoding. The imaging requirements may be adjusted to allow the operations associated with the tag readers to be performed continuously. A specific set of requirements must be met. Additionally, to ensure compliance with legal regulations: For example, certain safety requirements relating to the operator of the beacon reader must be met. Beacon readers typically require surfaces to be scanned from a close range in order to successfully decode them. However, in some environments, such as warehouses, Recognizing symbols attached to parcels and consignments by reaching each consignment from a close range Therefore, extended range sign readers are not offered. This eliminates the need for an operator to reach each shipment individually from close range. Extended range tag readers such as the , ... Multiple symbols can be scanned from the operator position. Such sign readers include: To provide these capabilities, it includes multiple image sensors and associated optics.

[0041] The lighting requirements of a sensor can vary widely. For example, one or more images of a beacon reader may Image sensors may require illumination even during data readout, whereas other sensors do not. Therefore, it may not be necessary to use a single image sensor light source for a longer period of time. If left running, the illumination may interfere with the exposure period of another sensor where it is not desired. Such interference results in images that are defective in terms of one or more imaging properties, which The problem is that the sensor, lighting, This is particularly useful in small imaging devices where the source and other optics and components are closely spaced. Additionally, in a multi-imager environment (e.g., multiple imagers and / or multiple light sources), In the context of a holographic imaging system (including a light source), capturing an image by alternating between an imager and / or a light source A naive implementation for capturing the flickering effect exacerbates the flickering effect and is therefore This exacerbates the negative effects of the

[0042] Often in scenarios where the image sensors are of different types, For example, it is difficult to synchronize the illumination of sensors to achieve the same image quality as a tag reader that images in the far field. A rolling shutter sensor for imaging in the near field and a global shutter for imaging in the near field. If the sensor contains a rolling shutter, the extended illumination time during data readout This makes it difficult to ensure optimal lighting conditions for global shutter sensors. This reduces the risk of snapping in images captured by a global shutter sensor. In addition, the extended illumination time also reduces the barcode scanning time. In outdoor environments, the temperature can rise and affect the thermal management system inside the device. Illumination is not always necessary for far-field imaging because sufficient ambient light is available. Therefore, the aim of the imaging system may not be distinguishable from the background, and Therefore, a quick focus is required to adjust the focus position of the image sensor.

[0043] Additionally, controlling the lighting of such devices provides a pleasant visual experience to the operator. For example, it may be useful to provide a view of the frequency range of the illumination pulse (e.g., If the frequency is within the threshold frequency range of 100 Hz, the operator may experience headaches due to visual exposure to the light. and / or experience seizures. Therefore, multi-image devices with multiple illumination sources are In the context of the illuminator, each lighting source has its own set of negative health effects and undesirable visual appearances. Regardless, the illumination source may be cycled or and / or otherwise switched on frequently, the operator may may experience a "flicker" effect which can be deleterious as well.

[0044] Some embodiments described herein use multiple illumination sources and multiple image sensors. The present invention relates to a dual illumination framework for a multi-sensor imaging system. Some embodiments described herein include a first illumination source and a second illumination source associated with the first illumination source. a first image capture step for capturing an image during one or more illumination pulses of the illumination pulse train; An embodiment further captures an image using a second image sensor and The exposure period of the image sensor is the time period during which the illumination of the first illumination source is reflected by the image captured by the second image sensor. The first illumination pulse train is modified so as not to introduce any undesirable effects into the image. It is further considered that the illumination of the second image sensor is captured by the first image sensor. The timing is done in a manner that does not affect the captured image.

[0045] In some embodiments, one or more indicators indicating a condition in which activation of the second illumination source is required are provided. In this regard, a second illumination source may be associated with a second image sensor. A second illumination may be generated to illuminate a second associated field of view. In one exemplary context, activation of the second illumination source may be indicative of a first field of view using the first illumination source. The object is detected in an image captured in a second field of view using ambient lighting and / or Therefore, it is determined that the object is likely to be further away from the imaging device. Activation of the second illumination source is triggered after detecting one or more events and / or conditions. In response to the determination, for example, one or more previously captured images are processed to obtain a threshold number of Images are captured and are captured in very low lighting conditions (e.g. below a certain white value threshold). It may be triggered in response to determining that there is no detectable object in the image.

[0046] In such a situation, a change to a different illumination source will trigger the second image sensor to start up again. during the illumination pulse of the second illumination source to improve the effective read range of the device. In embodiments having three or more illumination sources, the same considerations apply to the three or more , continuing to cycle through the illumination sources, e.g., the field of view illuminated by each illumination source. Alternatively, one or more illumination sources may be skipped. For example, the cycle may be the widest without utilizing one or more intermediate illumination sources. Proceed instantly from the illumination source to the narrowest illumination source.

[0047] Such an embodiment provides for effective and efficient capture of images for processing while still providing This provides for effective synchronization of lighting sources with flicker reduction and / or elimination. Operation of such an embodiment successfully completes image processing tasks such as sign or symbol scanning. Capture images in a manner that is likely to result in desired behavior while still containing sufficient data for successful processing. Increasing the likelihood that an image will be captured within a time frame. Implementations of embodiments address challenges arising from the use of multiple sensors and multiple illumination sources. While performing this process, the operational efficiency of the imaging device is maintained or improved.

[0048] In some embodiments, some of the above actions may be modified or even amplified. Additionally, in some embodiments, additional optional operations may be included. Modifications, amplifications, or additions to the above operations may be made in any order and in any combination. It may be implemented.

[0049] Many modifications and other embodiments of the disclosure described herein are within the scope of the present invention and are within the scope of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Therefore, the embodiments are not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed. and modifications and other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the associated drawings are intended to While the disclosure describes exemplary embodiments in the context of specific exemplary combinations of features, Different combinations of elements and / or functions may be used without departing from the scope of the appended claims. It should be understood that matching may be provided by alternative embodiments. For example, combinations of elements and / or functions other than those specifically described above may be used within the scope of the appended patents. It is contemplated that certain terms may be used in the present specification. Although the terms and conditions are used herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. do not have. definition

[0050] The term "illumination" refers to one or more lights generated by an illumination source within a defined field of view. In at least one exemplary context, illumination refers to a line generated by a corresponding illumination source. In some embodiments, the illumination comprises one or more illumination pulses. They are generated based on a "defined pulse frequency" which refers to the rate at which they are generated by the source. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the illumination may be provided by an illumination source that generates corresponding illumination. The pulses are generated based on a "defined pulse phase" that refers to the activation period during which the pulses are activated.

[0051] Thus, multiple illumination pulses having a defined pulse frequency are collectively referred to as "illumination Each illumination pulse may comprise a "pulse train." Each illumination pulse may have a duration called an "illumination period." Thus, the illumination period may extend over a period in the time domain when the amplitude of the illumination pulse is non-zero. That is, the illumination period of an illumination pulse may refer to the duration of time that the illumination Refers to the period during which the source remains activated corresponding to an illumination pulse.

[0052] In at least one exemplary context, an illumination pulse is associated with an "illumination pulse start time." is attached to a voltage that represents the time when the corresponding illumination source begins to generate an illumination pulse. Additionally or alternatively, at least one such context In, an illumination pulse is associated with an "illumination pulse end time", which is the time when the corresponding illumination source Stop Timer Stops Producing Illumination Pulses.

[0053] The term "start time period of an illumination period" refers to the threshold hold time period starting from the illumination pulse start time. The threshold duration refers to a period of time of at least one In one example context, the threshold duration may be zero, and thus the start of the illumination period The terms start time period and lighting pulse start time refer to the same instance in time. Each illumination pulse may have an individual starting time period.

[0054] The term "end time period of the illumination period" refers to the threshold duration that ends with the illumination pulse end time. The threshold duration may have a configurable value. In the exemplary context of The terms time period and illumination pulse end time refer to the same instance in time. Each illumination pulse may have an individual end time period.

[0055] The term "illumination source" (also referred to as "illuminator source" or "illuminator") refers to a desired field of view. one or more light generating hardware, devices, and / or devices configured to generate illumination within Non-limiting examples of illumination sources include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). Examples of light emitting diodes (LEDs) and lasers.

[0056] The term "near-field illumination source" refers to a source that illuminates the near-field associated with a near-field image sensor. At least one exemplary context refers to an illumination source configured to generate illumination for a So, near-field illumination sources tend to produce illumination over a wider field of view compared to far-field illumination sources. It is composed.

[0057] The term "far-field illumination source" refers to a source that illuminates a field of view associated with a far-field imager. In at least one exemplary context, In contrast, far-field illumination sources are constructed to generate illumination over a narrower field of view than near-field illumination sources. It has been made.

[0058] The term "near-field illumination" refers to the particular illumination produced by a near-field illumination source. In some embodiments, the near-field illumination is an image of the near field captured by a near-field image sensor. The term "near-field illumination pulse" refers to a pulse that is associated with a near-field sensor. The near-field illumination pulse is a pulse of illumination that is focused on the target.

[0059] The term "far-field illumination" refers to the particular illumination produced by a far-field illumination source. In some embodiments, the far-field illumination is an image of the far-field captured by a far-field image sensor. The term "far-field illumination pulse" refers to the illumination pulse of a far-field illumination. This refers to the s.

[0060] The term "imager" refers to a device configured to capture an image representing a particular field of view. In at least one exemplary context, an imager refers to one or more components that At least one optical component (e.g., a lens and / or associated hardware) that defines the field of view of the Additionally or alternatively, in at least one exemplary context, an image The image sensor may be configured to output an image based on light that engages the image sensor, such as via optical components. The imaging device includes an image sensor configured as follows:

[0061] The term "image sensor" refers to an image sensor that detects an object based on the light incident on the image sensor. It refers to one or more components configured to generate the image represented by the object. In one such illustrative context, the image sensor may represent light waves interacting with the image sensor as: The image output by the sensor is converted into a signal representative of the image.

[0062] The term "near-field image sensor" refers to an image sensor configured to capture an image in the near field. In at least one context, a near-field image sensor defines a near field At least one near field optical component and an electronic sensor. In an illustrative context, the near-field image sensor may include a global shutter. In this exemplary situation, the near-field image sensor may include a rolling shutter. The term "field of view image" refers to a near-field image captured by a near-field image sensor that embodies a captured representation of the near field. This refers to electronic data generated through

[0063] The term "far-field image sensor" refers to an image sensor configured to capture images in the far field. In at least one context, a far-field image sensor defines a far-field At least one far-field optical component and an electronic sensor. In an illustrative context, the far-field image sensor may include a rolling shutter. In this exemplary situation, the far-field image sensor may include a global shutter. The term "far field image" refers to a captured representation of the far field captured by a far field image sensor. This refers to electronic data generated through

[0064] The term "exposure period" refers to the period during which the image sensor is configured to be exposed to incoming light. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the image refers to electronic data representing the length of time the image has been in use. The image sensor of the imager is adapted to utilize a variable exposure time that can be set to a specific exposure time value. It is composed.

[0065] The term "start time period of an exposure period" refers to a threshold duration that begins from the start of an exposure period. The threshold duration may have a configurable value. The duration may be zero, and therefore the start time period of the exposure period and the start of the exposure period The terms may refer to the same instance in time.

[0066] The term "end time period of an exposure period" refers to a threshold duration that ends at the end of an exposure period. The threshold duration may have a configurable value. The time may be zero, and therefore the end time period of the exposure period and the end of the exposure period The terms may refer to the same instance in time.

[0067] FIG. 1A illustrates an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 shows a block diagram of a multi-sensor imaging system 10. The system 10 includes a controller 20, a communication interface 40, an initiating component 60, and a The imaging engine 100 is communicatively coupled to one or more peripheral components 80. In this exemplary embodiment, imaging system 10 may include fewer or more than that shown in FIG. 1A. Imaging system 10 may include one or more illumination sources to capture one or more The imaging system 10 is configured to capture one or more images of a target within a field of view of the target. , process one or more images to perform one or more image processing tasks, such as reading signs. Thus, in some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the imaging system 10 includes a marker or symbol reader, or handheld device capable of reading signs and similar symbols One exemplary embodiment of the imaging system 10 is shown in FIG. An embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, the details of which are described in subsequent parts of this disclosure.

[0068] The controller 20 performs one or more control operations associated with the imaging system 10. For example, the controller 20 may be configured to control the imaging engine 100. may be used to trigger image capture of a target within the field of view of the imaging engine 100. The controller 20 may process the captured images to perform one or more image processing tasks. The controller 20 includes a central processing unit (CPU) having one or more processors and a memory. In some exemplary implementations, the processor may be embodied as a processor core (CPU). In an embodiment, the controller 20 may be a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or a digital signal processor (DSP), a processor with or without an associated DSP One or more of various hardware processing means, such as a processor, logic element, or, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). plication specific integrated circuit, specific Application-specific integrated circuits), FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) rray, field programmable gate array), hardware accelerator, dedicated computer One or more microcomputers, such as a variety of other processing circuits, including integrated circuits such as computer chips This may be achieved using a microcontroller unit (MCU). In some embodiments, the processors of the controller 20 are configured to operate independently. A multi-core processor may contain one or more processing cores integrated into a single physical package. Additionally or alternatively, the processor may include an instruction, a pipe, lines, and / or threads over a bus to allow independent execution of The system may include one or more processors configured in a demux fashion.

[0069] The memory may be non-transitory, e.g., one or more volatile and / or non-volatile. For example, the memory may include a computer program such as a machine (e.g., a processor). storing data (e.g., bits) that may be retrievable by a computing device

[0023] An electronic storage device (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium) including a gate configured to The memory may be configured to enable the device to perform various functions according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. To enable the performance of the Services, information, data, content, applications, instructions, etc. For example, the memory may be configured to store information for processing by the processor. Additionally or alternatively, the memory may be configured to buffer data for processing by the processor. The processor may be configured to store instructions for execution by the processor.

[0070] In some embodiments, the processor (and / or processor-assisting or a co-processor or any other processing circuitry otherwise associated with the processor, The memory may be in communication with the imaging system 10 via a bus for passing information between components of the imaging system 10. The processor executes instructions stored in the memory or otherwise accessible to the processor. Additionally or alternatively, the processor may be configured to execute instructions accessible to the processor. The server may be configured to perform hard-coded functions. The invention may be implemented by hardware or software methods or by a combination of both. Regardless of whether the processor is configured in accordance with the present invention, the processor may be configured accordingly. Operations according to the embodiments may be implemented (e.g., physically embodied in a circuit) So for example, a processor may represent an ASIC, an FPGA, etc. When embodied as a hardware device, the processor may be implemented as a hardware device for performing the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, the processor may be tangibly configured in software. When embodied as an execution body of software instructions, the instructions, when executed, may be implemented as described herein. The processor is specifically configured to perform the algorithms and / or operations described. The processor may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit, t, ALU), and logic gates configured to support the operation of the controller 20. That's fine.

[0071] The communication interface 40 is an input interface for supporting communication with the imaging system 10. The communication interface 40 may include an input interface and an output interface. Data may be received from and / or transmitted to a communication device in communication with the imaging system 10. Hardware or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to The present invention is embodied by any means, such as a device or circuit embodied in any combination of the above. In this regard, the communication interface 40 may include, for example, an antenna (or a plurality of antenna) and supporting hardware to enable communication with wireless communication networks; Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface 40 may include , to interact with an antenna to cause the transmission of a signal through the antenna, or In some embodiments, the signal processing circuitry may include a first cascade of circuits for processing signals received via the first cascade of circuits. Alternatively, or in addition, communication interface 40 may support wired communications. Thus, for example, the communications interface 40 may be a cable, a digital subscriber line (DI digital subscriber line, DSL, universal serial bus A communications modem and / or other hardware to support communications via a USB, USB, or other mechanism. The device may include hardware and / or software.

[0072] Initiation component 60 is configured to indicate the initiation (and / or termination) of a desired function by a user. Hardware, software, firmware, and / or any combination thereof configured to For example, initiating component 60 may include, for example, illumination by one or more illumination sources. to initiate illumination and / or capture by an image sensor, one or more images; 2, a start signal is sent to the controller 20 to start the operation of the imaging engine 100. Additionally or alternatively, initiating component 60 may initiate a process to terminate the corresponding function. For example, a stop signal may be sent to the controller 20 to stop scanning via the image sensor. In some embodiments, initiating component 60 may be located within the body of the chassis or The device is controlled by one or more buttons, triggers, and / or other physical components provided on the device itself. For example, in at least one exemplary context, initiating component 60 is embodied in an When engaged by the operator (e.g., when the operator pulls the trigger), the corresponding function One or more "trigger" components that send a signal to the controller 20 to initiate a function. In some such embodiments, the initiating component is embodied by the component is disengaged by the operator (e.g., when the operator releases the trigger ), a stop signal may be sent to the controller 20 to stop such function. Alternatively or additionally, in at least some embodiments, initiating component 60 may be an operator For example, the imaging system 10 may be embodied without any components for direct engagement by a When embodied as an imaging device, initiating component 60 may be configured to cause the imaging device to capture a predefined and / or positioned in and / or lowered from the "scan" position. Hardware and / or software or other means to detect triggering a stop Alternatively or additionally, initiating component 60 may be embodied in a combination of these. may be embodied as user interface elements of the imaging system 10. In such an embodiment, initiating component 60 embodied as a user interface element may include Receives input from a user on a user interface and then issues a corresponding command to the computer. The signal may be configured to be transmitted to the controller 20.

[0073] One or more peripheral components 80 may be, for example, a display device, a user interface, Other structural and functional elements of the imaging system 10, such as the housing, chassis, power supply, etc. One or more of the peripheral components 80 may be controlled by a controller. , may operate according to instructions or control provided by controller 20.

[0074] FIG. 1B illustrates an exemplary multi-sensor imaging engine ( Hereinafter, also referred to as an "imaging engine"). Specifically, as shown, The multi-sensor imaging engine is embodied by multi-sensor imaging engine 100 . The multi-sensor imaging engine 100 includes multiple image sensors, each of which has a near-field A near field associated with the image sensor and a far field associated with the image sensor A near field image sensor and a far field image sensor configured to capture an image data object. In at least one exemplary context, the multi-sensor imaging engine 100 near-range using a near-field image sensor and far-range using a far-field image sensor , configured to capture images for indicia reading at different ranges.

[0075] As shown, the multi-sensor imaging engine 100 includes near-field image capture optics 104. The near-field capture optical system 104A captures the light onto a corresponding image sensor, specifically a near-field image sensor. One or more sensors configured to enable interaction across the image sensor 102A. The near field may be embodied by lenses and / or other optical components. The image capture optics 104A are configured to capture a particular image that may be captured by the near-field image sensor 102A. In some embodiments, the near-field image capture optics 104A may define a field of view. defining a near field associated with one focus range, such that the determination from the first focus range Objects located at and / or within the possible offsets are captured by the near-field image sensor 102A. Thus, it may be evident in the captured image.

[0076] As further shown, the multi-sensor imaging engine 100 includes a far-field image capture optics system 1 04B. The far-field image capture optics 104B are arranged to capture light onto a corresponding image sensor, specifically 1 configured to enable interaction across the far-field image sensor 102B The present invention may be embodied by one or more lenses and / or other optical components. The far-field image capture optical system 104B may be captured by the far-field image sensor 102B. In some embodiments, the far-field image capture optics 104 may define a second field of view. B defines a far field associated with the second focal range, and thus the second focal length An object located at and / or within a determinable offset from the far-field image sensor 102B. Some such implementations In this mode, the near field is wider than the far field, and as a result, the captured data is It represents more of the environment within the field of view of the image engine 100. The far field is narrower and more detailed than the near field. Objects located at a range greater than that which can be clearly captured in the near field, being focused at a range The physical layout of the illumination sources allows the image sensor to capture images more clearly. This can be changed along the way.

[0077] In some exemplary embodiments, the near-field imaging sensor 102A has enhanced motion tolerance. The near-field image sensor 102A may include a global shutter to provide a high degree of image quality. , a large Field of View (FOV) may be used, and a large FOV Applications include, but are not limited to, optical character recognition (OCR), image reproduction, In some embodiments, the far field sensor 102 B may include a rolling shutter. The far-field image sensor 102B is a far-field image sensor. In addition, the near-field image sensor 102A uses a small FOV to improve sampling. and far-field image sensor 102B may each have an associated focusing mechanism. The mechanism includes one or more focusing lenses aligned along the optical axis of the image sensor (102A or 102B). To this end, several embodiments may be implemented. In some embodiments, the focus scheme may include one or more motors, for example stepper motors. The focus scheme may provide multiple distinct focus positions within each field of view, and the motor may be The focus optics of the image sensor may be moved to each of the individual focus positions to provide a focus mechanism. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, changing the focus of the far field image sensor 102B To achieve this, a corresponding motor drives the associated focusing optics of the far-field imaging sensor 102B. The focus mechanism may be moved to three separate focal positions in the far field. Each operation of the focus mechanism corresponds to the operation of FIG. 1A. It may be controlled by a processing component such as the controller 20 or processor 202 .

[0078] In some embodiments, for example as shown, each image sensor (or a sub-sensor thereof) The illumination device generates illumination configured to illuminate a field of view defined by the image sensor. For example, as shown, a multi-sensor The imaging engine 100 includes a near-field illumination source 106A and corresponding near-field projection optics 108A. The near-field illumination source 106A includes illumination pulses that form a near-field illumination pulse train. That is, activation of the near-field illumination source 106A may generate a Then, the near field illumination source 106A is turned on for a set period of time before the next activation. The near-field illumination source 106A is aligned along the optical axis of the near-field projection optical system 108A. The light is directed toward the near-field projection optics 108A. The light is refracted and produced in a desired pattern based on the configuration and design of the near-field projection optical system 108A. In this regard, the near-field projection optics 108A produces a near-field illumination that may be generated. The illumination generated by the light is a near-field image that can be captured by the near-field image sensor 102A. In some embodiments, near-field illumination sources 106A and / or 106B may illuminate a particular field of view. Alternatively, the near-field projection optical system 108A may be designed such that the near-field illumination specifically illuminates the near field. may be used without adversely affecting the functionality of the near-field image sensor 102A. It should be understood that this may affect the functionality of the sensor 102B. For example, the proximity between the components Due at least in part to the proximity, the reflected light interacts with the far field image sensor 102B. , which may adversely affect the image produced via far-field image sensor 102B. In some exemplary embodiments, the near-field illumination source 106A comprises a near-field illumination pulse train. The near-field illumination may be generated based on one or more illumination pulses that are generated by the first and second illumination pulses.

[0079] Similarly, the multi-sensor imaging engine 100 includes a far-field illumination source 106B and a corresponding far-field The far-field illumination source 106B is a pulsed far-field illumination source. The far-field illumination source 106B generates far-field illumination pulses that constitute the far-field projection optics. The far-field projection optical system 108B is configured to generate light in the direction of the far-field projection optical system 10 8B, and based on the configuration and design of the far-field projection optical system 108B, In this regard, the far-field illumination may be generated in a pattern of A particular field of view may be illuminated, such as the far field that can be captured by field image sensor 102B. The far-field illumination source 106B and / or the far-field projection optics 108B are adapted to project the far-field illumination onto the near-field image. The image sensor 102A and / or the far field image sensor 102B may be operated in a manner that is not sufficiently reflective to adversely affect their operation. It should be understood that the illumination may be designed to specifically illuminate the far field without producing glare.

[0080] Additionally or alternatively, optionally, in some embodiments, a multi-sensor imaging element The engine 100 further comprises an aimer illumination source 110. The aimer illumination source 110 provides an aimer projection. The aimer illumination source is configured to generate light in the direction of the optical system 112. For example, One or more laser diodes configured to generate intense and / or concentrated light at a specific wavelength. The light is refracted through the aimer projection optics 112. Based on the configuration and design of the aimer projection optical system 112, a desired pattern may be generated. Generates good aimer illumination. For example, for barcode scanning purposes, one example context In this case, the aimer pattern may be generated as a laser line pattern.

[0081] The multi-sensor imaging engine 100 further includes a protective window 114. The protective window 114 includes: The generated light exits the engine 100 and the incident light passes through image capture optics 104A and 104B. 102A and 102B. In some contexts, the one or more optical components are configured to enable , the protective window 114 is provided to prevent light leakage or to prevent the corresponding image capture optics 104A and / or 1 04B. At least one of the illumination projected by the near-field projection optics 108B and / or the near-field projection optics 108A is For example, at least a portion of the near-field illumination is reflected by the far-field image sensor 102. B and is triggered when an illumination pulse occurs. In at least one exemplary context, the operation of the remote controller 102B may be adversely affected. The far-field illumination source 106B is a near-field illumination source, and the far-field illumination generated by the far-field projection optics 108B is a near-field illumination source. 102A. Generate light in other well-designed ways.

[0082] In other embodiments, the multi-sensor imaging engine may include any number of image capture optics, image capture It is understood that the present invention may include a sensor, an illumination source, and / or any combination thereof. In this regard, imaging engine 100 may be expanded to capture any number of fields of view. Each may be associated with a corresponding illuminator designed specifically to illuminate a corresponding field of view. One or more illumination sources may adversely affect the operation of another illuminator. In such a situation, if one such lighting source is active, the image will be adversely affected. The image sensor may be activated between illumination pulses of the illumination sources described herein. Such operations may be implemented for any combination of illumination sources and image sensors.

[0083] In some embodiments, the multi-sensor imaging engine 100 is one or more processing components (e.g., For example, at least one exemplary In an embodiment, the multi-sensor imaging engine 100 includes a near-field illumination source 106A and / or a far-field illumination source 106B. The illumination pulses of the field illumination source 106B are timed and / or the near-field image sensor 102B and / or or a processor configured to control the exposure of the far-field image sensor 102A. In some such situations, the processor may be, for example, an FPGA, an ASIC, or a microprocessor. It is embodied by any one of a myriad of processing circuit implementations such as a processor, a CPU, etc. In at least some embodiments, the processor, when executed by the processor, and one or more memories having computer coded instructions that enable such functionality. In some embodiments, the processor may be in communication with one or more sub-processors. processor, a remote processor (e.g., a "cloud" processor), etc. and / or in communication with one or more additional processors for performing such functions. For example, in at least one embodiment, the processor may Another processor in the device, such as processor 2 as depicted and described with respect to FIG. 02.

[0084] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary multi-sensor imaging device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary multi-sensor imager 200. As shown, The multi-sensor imaging device 200 includes a device chassis 21 for housing the various components of the device. In this regard, the device chassis can accommodate various configurations of the multi-sensor imager 200. Any of a myriad of materials and / or similar suitable for positioning the elements for operation. It is understood that the present invention may be implemented in any of a myriad of chassis designs. In at least one exemplary context, device chassis 210 may be a handheld device chassis. The present invention may be embodied as a portable device, a wearable chassis, or the like.

[0085] The multi-sensor imaging device 200 performs multi-sensor imaging as described above with respect to FIG. The multi-sensor imaging device 200 further includes a processor 202. The processor 202 (and / or any device supporting and / or otherwise associated with the processor 202) Any other co-processors and / or processing circuitry provided in the multi-sensor imager 200 In this regard, the processor 202 may provide processing functionality to the controller 202 of FIG. As discussed with respect to the 20, the present invention may be embodied in any one of a myriad of ways. stomach.

[0086] In some exemplary embodiments, the processor 202 may include a processor for detecting the presence of a multi-sensor imager 200. 0. For example, the processor 202 may select the far-field illumination source 106B, the near-field illumination source 106A, and / or the 1. Additionally or alternatively, some In an embodiment, the processor 202 may include a near-field image sensor 102A and / or a far-field image sensor. Activating the corresponding image sensor 102B to expose the corresponding image sensor and / or capture the image captured during the exposure. and configured to read out the captured data to generate an image based on the data. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the processor 202 may, for example, The imaging device is configured to process the captured image based on one or more image processing tasks. In one such example context, the processor 202 derives 1D and and / or attempt to detect and decode visual indicators such as 2D bar codes. In this regard, the processor 202 may be configured to execute a visual signature analysis algorithm. and / or utilizes visual indicator decoding algorithms to provide such functionality. It may be configured.

[0087] Additionally or alternatively, optionally, in some embodiments, a multi-sensor imaging device The device 200 further includes an initiation component 206. The initiation component 206 corresponds to the initiation configuration of FIG. As discussed with respect to element 60, it may be embodied in a myriad of ways.

[0088] Additionally or alternatively, optionally, in some embodiments, the imaging device 200 includes: The display 208 may further include a display 208 that displays one or more components of the device 200. LCD, LED, and / or other screens configured for data provided by the device. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention may be embodied in a display device. Ray 208 may be used to send text, images, control elements, and / or other Render a user interface including other data provided by 202 In some embodiments, for example, the display 208 is configured to D and / or an LED module integrated into the surface of the device chassis 210 and visible to the operator. The image sensor may be implemented by a scanner, for example, and may be decoded from a barcode and / or In one or more embodiments, the method includes: In the present invention, the display 208 may be configured to receive user engagement, and / or The processor 202 may include one or more corresponding In some such embodiments, the display 208 may transmit a signal to For example, an operator may initiate a scan function through interaction with a user interface. A user implementing initiating component 206 may be able to initiate and / or terminate the initiating Provides user interface functionality.

[0089] Additionally or alternatively, optionally, in some embodiments, a dual image capture device 2 The multi-sensor imaging device 200 further includes a memory 204. The memory 204 may include, for example, 0 and / or instructions for providing the functionality described herein. In some embodiments, the processor 202 may provide a memory function for storing the The device is used to pass information between components of the device and / or to retrieve instructions for execution. The memory 204 may communicate with the controller 202 via a bus to perform the operations shown in FIG. 1A. The memory 204 may be embodied in any of the numerous ways discussed with reference to the controller 20. To enable imaging device 200 to perform various functions according to the exemplary embodiment, configured to store information, data, content, applications, instructions, etc. In some embodiments, the memory 204 may be configured to perform functions such as those described herein. and / or hard-coded functions executed via the processor 202 to execute Together, these include computer code instructions for execution by the processor 202. For example, if the processor 202 is embodied as an execution body of software instructions, the instructions may be The instructions, when executed, are configured to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein. The processor 202 may be specifically configured for the multi-sensor imaging engine 100 and the multi-sensor imaging engine 102. A non-limiting example implementation of the sensor imager 200 is the “INTEGRATED IL LUMINATION-AIMER IMAGING APPARATUSES" The present invention is described in patent application Ser. No. 16 / 684,124, filed Nov. 14, 2019. The contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. One or more of the elements may be configured to provide lighting synchronization as described herein. It should be understood that this may be possible.

[0090] In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the processor 202 and the memory 204 include: The imaging device may be embodied together as an imaging control device or a lighting control device, and thus the imaging device 200, or may be fixedly or removably coupled to the imaging device 200. In some embodiments, the imaging control device may be 200 may be embodied as an integrated circuit operatively coupled to 200.

[0091] FIG. 3 shows a visualization of the field of view that can be captured by an exemplary multi-sensor imager. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, FIG. 3 illustrates a near-field image that can be captured by a multi-sensor imager 200. 3 shows a near field 302 and a far field 304. As shown, the near field 302 is wider than the far field. , so that more of the environment can be captured in the near field 302 than in the far field 304.

[0092] Additionally, as shown, the far field 304 extends further than the near field 302. In this regard, the narrow nature of the far field 304 allows for a closer view of certain parts of the environment as compared to the near field 302. In some embodiments, the near field 302 and the far field 303 may be captured. 04 is a corresponding near-field image sensor and a corresponding far-field image sensor of the multi-sensor imaging device 200. The near field 302 is the area of ​​the object that can be captured by the image sensor in the multi-sensor imager 200. A particular distance from a corresponding image sensor may be associated with a close focus range. Alternatively, the far field 304 may be a different field of view from a corresponding image sensor in the multi-sensor imager 200. In this regard, the near field focal range may be related to the far field focal range in distance. When captured via the image sensor, the object from the multi-sensor imager 200 is more to be in good focus and allow for an extended range compared to near-field image sensors; It may be closer than the far field focal range.

[0093] The multi-sensor imager 200 may be configured to include a specific illumination system for illuminating each of the fields of view 302 and 304. In this regard, the illumination source may be configured to provide illumination to the The corresponding image sensor is adapted to adequately illuminate the corresponding field of view without any fill or underfill. The field of view of the non-compliant image sensor may be specifically designed to match the field of view of the non-compliant image sensor. Utilizing a separate illumination source to generate the capture would be too much illumination and / or is not sufficient as explained, affecting the quality of the data in the captured image. Obtaining overfill (e.g., captured using a far-field image sensor during a near-field illumination pulse) when the near-field image sensor is exposed during the far-field illumination pulse, and / or underfilling (e.g., when the near-field image sensor is exposed during the far-field illumination pulse). For example, FIG. 4 shows an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the image is generated by a multi-sensor imager, such as the multi-sensor imager 200. In this regard, the near-field illumination 402 substantially illuminates the near field 302. The near-field illumination 402 may be generated to illuminate the object in a localized or global manner. The illumination pattern may be generated according to an illumination pattern that sufficiently illuminates the entire near field 302 in a time-series manner.

[0094] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary multi-sensor imaging device, e.g., 2 illustrates a visualization of the far-field illumination produced by the multi-sensor imager 200. Thus, the far field illumination 404 is generated to substantially or entirely illuminate the far field 304. The far-field illumination 504 may be provided for capture by a corresponding far-field image sensor. The far field illumination may be generated according to an illumination pattern that sufficiently illuminates the entirety of the far field 304. The light 504 is a percentage of the near field 302, e.g., the central percentage of the near field 302. In this regard, far-field illumination may be used to illuminate only a small area of ​​the image (e.g., 25%, 50%, etc.). The activation of the optics may be dependent on the specific visual field, such as that which extends beyond the boundary of the far field of view 304 at a particular distance. Capturing a satisfactory image of a visually impaired sign can be problematic. Utilizing the appropriate illuminator for each image sensor while minimizing operating time and reducing image noise is key. It is desirable to increase the likelihood of success and efficiency of detecting and decoding visual landmarks.

[0095] FIG. 6 illustrates operational functions of an exemplary multi-sensor imaging system, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The associated timing diagram 600 is shown. The various components of the device 200 (e.g., a near-field illumination source, a near-field image sensor, a far-field illumination source, The timing of starting and stopping the imaging system 10 / Several individual processes associated with imaging device 200 are illustrated in timing diagram 60 of FIG. The vertical extension of the pulse in the timing diagram is always The amplitude of the pulse is not specified. According to some exemplary embodiments, the timing diagram 6 Each pulse in 00 indicates the length of time for which the associated component / process is up, followed by the associated Each pulse may be defined by the length of time that the component / process is inactive. may have a corresponding period that may be defined as the duration during which the amplitude of the signal remains non-zero. The duration of a pulse is determined by the start time instance (pulse start time) and the end time instance (pulse end time). As used herein, the start of the period of a pulse. The term time period can also refer to the time period of the threshold duration starting from the pulse start time. Advantageously, the threshold duration may have a configurable value. In one example, the threshold duration is zero. Thus, the start time of the period and the pulse start time may be the same in time. Similarly, the term end time period of a pulse may refer to the same instance of a pulse. The Threshold Duration refers to the time period that ends at the End Time of the Threshold. The Threshold Duration is a configurable value. In at least one example context, the threshold duration may be zero. Therefore, the end time of the period and the pulse end time are the same instant in time. In some exemplary embodiments, each threshold duration may be referred to as a according to one or more performance parameters of the controller 20 and / or the imaging engine 100. It may be possible.

[0096] As shown in timing diagram 600, a particular Some pulses associated with a particular operation of a component are aligned in time. The imaging system 10 / imaging device 20 may be overlapped, partially or completely. 0, does not overlap with one or more other pulses associated with the operation of one or more other components As an example, the start of the near-field illumination pulse 602A may coincide with the exposure of the near-field image sensor. In time with the start of the associated pulse 604 (also referred to as the near-field exposure pulse 604). As another example, the near-field illumination pulse 602A is aligned with the readout of a near-field image sensor. 606, which overlaps with a pulse 606 associated with the readout (also called a near-field readout pulse 606). As another example, the pulse 61 associated with the exposure of the far-field image sensor may not be repeated. 4A (also referred to as far-field exposure pulse 614A) overlaps with near-field readout pulse 606. do.

[0097] Executable instructions corresponding to the acts illustrated in timing diagram 600 may include one or more imaging or is utilized by the imaging system / imaging device to perform smooth execution of image processing tasks. For example, activation of each image sensor may be used to capture two corresponding images. The image sensor may include a step of exposing the image sensor and reading out the image sensor. In this regard, for example, the processor 202 may implement various configurations based on the timing diagrams. It should be understood that the present invention may be configured to allow activation of the element. According to the embodiment, the image sensors (102A, 102B) are arranged such that the exposure period of the far-field image sensor 102B is Operate in a manner such that the pulse width is adjusted or accommodated in the illumination pulse train of the near-field illumination source 106A. The near-field illumination source 10 may be adjusted to accommodate the exposure period of the far-field image sensor 102B. Such modification of the 6A illumination pulse train may be accomplished in a variety of ways, Some examples will be considered with reference to FIGS.

[0098] As shown, timing diagram 600 includes a timing diagram for generating near-field illumination. The near-field illumination pulse train 602 used by source 106A. The strain 602 is made up of illumination pulses 602A, 602B, 602C, 602D, and 602E. In its unmodified form, the near-field illumination pulse includes multiple illumination pulses, such as The illumination pulses may include only illumination pulses similar to illumination pulses 602A that are generated at a constant fixed frequency. Note that additional illumination pulses similar to 602B-602E are also The exposure period 614 of the image sensor 102B is accommodated in the near-field illumination pulse train 602 to To alleviate the lighting problems associated with the chip sensor imaging device 200 / system 10, In this regard, each myopia may be added by the controller 20 or the processor 202. The field illumination pulse is determined by the length of the activation time (e.g., the on-time of the near-field illumination source 106A) followed by may be defined by the amount of non-activated time (e.g., the time the near field illumination source 106A is off). In an exemplary context, the multi-sensor imager 200 has an on-chip time of 1.5 milliseconds ("ms"). The near-field illumination pulse 602A is periodically generated with an on time of 14.5 ms followed by an off time of 14.5 ms. In this regard, each illumination pulse 602A may be configured to begin and end at 1.5 ms. 602A begins before another illumination pulse 602A begins after 14.5 ms. To avoid occlusion, only one illumination pulse 602A may be emitted from the near-field illumination pulse. However, in the exemplary embodiment described herein, In accordance with the embodiment, the near-field illumination pulse train 602 in its unmodified form includes a plurality of such It may be contemplated to include such an illumination pulse 602A. The near-field illumination source 106A may include the same Or additional lighting pulses 602B-602C in a similar manner to above with different on and off times. Each of the illumination pulses 602A-602E may generate a duration called an illumination period. In the above exemplary embodiment, for example, each The illumination pulse 602A may have an illumination duration equal to 1.5 milliseconds. The light period may begin at a first time instance and end at a second time instance. Thus, the first time instance corresponds to the illumination pulse start time of the illumination pulse. and the second time instance may correspond to an illumination pulse end time of the illumination pulse. .

[0099] In some exemplary embodiments, the near field image sensor 102A and the far field image sensor 102B may each be activated while near-field illumination is being generated. , the near-field image sensor exposure pulse 604 is the near-field illumination pulse of the near-field illumination pulse train 602. It may be perfectly or substantially aligned with the bright pulse 602A. The exposure of the near-field image sensor in 04 is performed by the near-field illumination pulses of the near-field illumination pulse train 602. In some exemplary embodiments, the start time period of the process 602A may start at the same time as the start time period of the process 602B. The end time period of the exposure period 604 is the end time period of the near-field illumination pulses of the near-field illumination pulse train 602. For example, as shown, the near field image may extend beyond the end time period of 602A. Image sensor exposure begins with the rising edge of exposure pulse 604, which is the first near field The near-field image sensor 102A is aligned with the rising edge of the illumination pulse 602A. The exposure is a time instance that exceeds the falling edge of the first near-field illumination pulse 602A. In this regard, the near-field image sensor 102A receives a first near-field illumination pulse 6 The entire 02A is exposed during (or nearly the entire) This maximizes the likelihood of capturing sufficient data to enable successful completion of the project.

[0100] In some embodiments, the illumination pulse is such that the image sensor is exposed during the illumination pulse. It should be understood that this can occur at any time during the exposure of the image sensor if desired. For example, in a situation where the near-field image sensor 102A is exposed during a near-field illumination pulse, the exposure The illumination pulse may begin before the pulse or may occur later in time during the exposure. As such an example, the near field image sensor 102A is associated with an exposure time value of 4.5 ms. In the context of each near-field illumination pulse lasting 1.5 ms, the exposure of the near-field image sensor 102A may begin at any time between the start of the illumination pulse and 3 ms before the start of the illumination pulse. The specific timing can vary, so that the entire illumination pulse occurs during the exposure. It is understood that the present invention may vary for any combination of image sensors and / or illumination sources configured in accordance with the present invention. I want to be.

[0101] As shown, the near field image sensor 102A is then read at pulse 606. is read out to generate a corresponding image (e.g., a first near-field image) at pulse 608. The readout from the near-field image sensor 102A is started at pulse 606. In parallel with the initial exposure, exposure of the far field sensor 102B may begin with pulse 614. With the end of the exposure of the far-field sensor 102B at pulse 614, The readout begins with pulse 616 and the corresponding image (e.g., the first image) is read out at pulse 618. 1) may be generated and / or processed.

[0102] In some exemplary embodiments, the start time period of the exposure period of pulse 614 is It should be noted that the readout period of the first period of the second sigma-based ... Note also that the end time period of the exposure period of pulse 614 is the same as the readout time period of pulse 616. The period may be perfectly or substantially aligned with the start time period of the period.

[0103] The timing of the illumination pulses and the corresponding exposure, readout, and / or processing can be determined in a myriad of ways. For example, in at least one exemplary embodiment, In the present invention, the timing for the initiation of the illumination pulse and / or image sensor exposure is determined by one or more related Pre-determined and / or hard-coded for execution by an associated processor. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the timing to the next illumination pulse may be The lighting offset determines the pulse frequency of the generated lighting and / or the start time of the lighting pulse ( For example, the time at which the first illumination pulse was generated may be determined based on one or more The exposure of the image sensor is determined by known and / or determinable current time, illumination pulse frequency, and The appropriate timing is based on the offset and / or exposure time value of the image sensor being exposed. For example, based on such data, the exposure of the image sensor may be adjusted The sensor remains exposed for the entire illumination pulse in some situations and / or in other In some circumstances, the light source may be triggered to remain fully or partially exposed between illumination pulses. It is possible.

[0104] Each illumination source is adapted to illuminate a desired field of view for capture by a corresponding image sensor. It is used to increase the chances of successfully completing imaging tasks such as barcode scanning. Can.

[0105] FIG. 7 illustrates a lighting control in a multi-imager environment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 shows a flow chart illustrating an example operation of a process 700 for The process 700 will be described in conjunction with the timing diagram 600 shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. The process may be implemented by the imaging system 10 or the imaging device 200 described above. 700 includes, at 702, control by the controller 20 / processor 202 to generate a first illumination pulse. and operating a first illumination source based on the train. The first illumination source includes a near field sensor. In one example, the first illumination source may correspond to a light source associated with the The first illumination source may be the near-field illumination source 106A described with reference to FIG. The near-field of the near-field image sensor may be illuminated according to a first illumination pulse train. The bright pulse train corresponds to the near-field illumination pulse train 602 shown in the timing diagram of FIG. In some exemplary embodiments, the first illumination pulse train may correspond to an illumination It has a constant pulse frequency of about 60-90 Hz to generate short bright pulses of In some sensitive applications, the pulse frequency should be set to a constant value above 90 Hz. May be set.

[0106] The process 700 may include, at 704, controlling the controller 20 / processor 202 to In some exemplary embodiments, the method further includes determining a first exposure period of the image sensor. In the example, the second image sensor may be a far-field image sensor 102B, and thus the first The first exposure period may correspond to the exposure period of the far field sensor 102B. The illumination and exposure of the light may be controlled by a control or processing medium such as a controller 20 or a processor 202. Therefore, the first exposure period of the second image sensor may be controlled or triggered by The process may be pre-determined and / or hard-coded for execution by one or more associated processors. In some exemplary embodiments, the exposure period may be It may be dynamically calculated based on one or more associated imaging parameters.

[0107] The process 700 may include, at 706, controlling the controller 20 / processor 202 to one or more of the first illumination pulse trains to accommodate a first exposure period of the image sensor of The method further includes modifying one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train, such as a pulse frequency of the first illumination pulse train. By modifying the above characteristics, the process 700 converts the image sensor from a far-field image sensor to a near-field image sensor. This provides an efficient measure for blocking "light leakage" into the sensor and vice versa. The modification of one or more characteristics of the illumination pulse train of one of the imaging systems may be used to illuminate an image sensor of the imaging system. This may be done to reduce light interference. One or more of the characteristics may be modified in a myriad of ways. In some exemplary embodiments, To avoid illumination interference with the exposure of the second image sensor, one or more additional illumination pulses are added to the first 1, may be added to or inserted into the illumination pulse train, the detailed description of which is given in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 and processes 706A and 706B of FIG. In some exemplary embodiments, a pair of temporally consecutive illuminations of the first illumination pulse train Increase the timing delay between the light pulses to avoid illumination interference with the exposure of the second image sensor A detailed description of which is provided with reference to process 706C in FIG. do.

[0108] The process 700 continues at 708 with the controller 20 / processor 202 modifying a first illumination pulse train associated with the first image sensor based on the first illumination pulse train Accordingly, the controller 20 / processor 202 may: Controlling subsequent activation of the near-field illumination source based on the modified near-field illumination pulse train. Therefore, the exposure of the near-field image sensor is performed by the near-field image sensor. The illumination pulses are aligned with the illumination pulses of the modified near-field illumination pulse train to achieve the desired focal distance. A near-field illumination pulse train is generated that is modified to take into account the exposure period of the field image sensor. Therefore, the possibility of light leakage between the two sensors is reduced or in some cases eliminated. Thus, the process 700 operates a multi-sensor imaging system / apparatus. Therefore, the process 700 may be implemented or utilized in a manner that provides an efficient measure for Such an apparatus would provide improvements in imaging and / or subsequent image processing tasks.

[0109] FIG. 8 is an exemplary multi-sensor in accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. A first illumination pulse is generated to accommodate a first exposure period of a second image sensor of the imaging system. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating an example operation of a process 706A for modifying one or more characteristics of a rain In some exemplary embodiments, process 706A performs flicker control. Or it may be triggered in scenarios where lighting synchronization along with removal is required.

[0110] The process 706A includes, at 802, a step of executing a first determining a start time period and an end time period of a first exposure period of the second image sensor. As previously mentioned, the second image sensor may be a far-field image sensor 102B. Therefore, the controller 20 / processor 202 determines the boundaries of the exposure period of the far field image sensor as follows: Further, as discussed with reference to step 704 of FIG. 7, the second image sensor may be The first exposure period of the sensor is pre-determined and pre-programmed for execution by one or more associated processors. In some exemplary embodiments, the exposure period may be: dynamically calculated based on one or more imaging parameters associated with the second image sensor; The controller 20 / processor 202 may receive far-field information from any of the above sources. Obtaining data regarding an exposure period of the image sensor, and determining a start time period and an end time period of the exposure period. The interval may be determined.

[0111] In step 804, the process 706A controls the controller 20 / processor 202 to At least one additional illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train of the first image sensor is The at least one additional illumination pulse is generated by substituting it for the first illumination pulse. Therefore, the process 706A may generate 80 At 6, at least one additional light pulse is generated by the controller 20 / processor 202. and inserting a first illumination pulse train into the first illumination pulse train so that the at least one additional illumination pulse train is The start time period and / or the end time period of the illumination period of the bright pulse are determined by the first image sensor of the second image sensor. The exposure period may further include being aligned with a start time period and / or an end time period of the exposure period. That is, at least one additional illumination pulse is provided corresponding to the exposure period of the second image sensor. A pulse may be added or inserted into one or more "non-care regions" of the pulse. may correspond to those portions of the exposure period during which the object or a portion thereof is not captured. As mentioned above, the second image sensor may be a far-field image sensor, and in a typical scenario is the initial window associated with a pulse corresponding to the exposure period of the far-field image sensor, and The end window is the window in which the object is typically captured within the central window of the exposure period of the far-field image sensor. Therefore, the present invention may not be associated with the capture of an object. In the example shown, the initial and final windows of the exposure period correspond to non-care areas. However, additionally or alternatively, any other portion of the exposure period is within the scope of the present disclosure. It is contemplated that the area may also be defined as a non-care area within the area.

[0112] As shown in FIG. 6, one or more additional illumination pulses 602B and 602E (shown in dashed lines) are ) are generated and inserted into the near-field illumination pulse train 602, resulting in illumination The start time period of the illumination period of pulse 602B corresponds to the start of the exposure period 614A of the far field image sensor. The start time period of the illumination period of the illumination pulse 602E is aligned with the time period of the far-field image It is aligned with the start time period of the sensor exposure period 614B.

[0113] FIG. 9 illustrates an example multi-sensor in accordance with at least one example embodiment of the present disclosure. A first illumination pulse is generated to accommodate a first exposure period of a second image sensor of the imaging system. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example operation of another process for modifying one or more characteristics of a rain In some exemplary embodiments, the process 706B includes a flicker suppression process. It may be triggered in scenarios where lighting synchronization along with removal is required.

[0114] The process 706B includes, at 902, the controller 20 / processor 202 The method includes determining an autofocus period of the image sensor of the second image sensor for imaging in the far field. During operation of the second image sensor, the image sensor moves to one of several focus positions. It is necessary to change the focal position from the initial position of the image sensor (and / or associated optics). The shift to one of them occurs during the autofocus period, which is One or more imaging parameters may be predefined and stored in the memory of the imaging engine. In either case, the controller 20 / processor 202 may obtain the autofocus period or calculate it in other ways.

[0115] In step 904, the process 706B executes a Thus, at least one additional illumination pulse is provided for the first illumination pulse train of the first image sensor. The at least one additional illumination pulse is generated by comparing it to the first illumination pulse. 3. A bright pulse train may be generated for insertion into the bright pulse train. Thus, process 706B At 906, at least one additional illuminator is selected by the controller 20 / processor 202. A bright pulse is inserted into the first illumination pulse train, resulting in at least one additional Illumination of the first image sensor corresponding to the illumination pulse activates the autofocus of the second image sensor. and further including a time overlap with the period of at least one additional illumination pulse. is the first illumination pulse at a position aligned with the period of motor movement of the second image sensor. They may be added or inserted into the train.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 6, one or more additional illumination pulses 602D (shown in bold dotted lines) is generated and inserted into a near-field illumination pulse train 602, resulting in illumination pulse 60 The 2D illumination period overlaps with the autofocus motor movement pulse 610 .

[0117] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary multi-sensor system in accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The first illumination is adjusted to accommodate a first exposure period of a second image sensor of the imaging system. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an operation of process 706C for modifying one or more characteristics of a bright pulse train. 10 shows a flowchart illustrating the process 706C. The start and end times of the first exposure period of the second image sensor are recorded by the processor 202. As previously mentioned, the second image sensor is a far-field image sensor 10. 2B. Thus, the controller 20 / processor 202 may The boundaries (start and end time periods) of the sensor's exposure period may be determined. As discussed with reference to step 704 of Example 7, the first exposure period of the second image sensor is Pre-determined and / or hard-coded for execution by one or more associated processors In some exemplary embodiments, the exposure period is associated with a second image sensor. The image may be dynamically calculated based on one or more of the imaging parameters provided by the controller 2. 0 / The processor 202 receives information regarding the exposure period of the far field image sensor from any of the sources described above. The data may be obtained to determine a start time period and an end time period for the exposure period.

[0118] The process 706C includes, at 1004, the controller 20 / processor 202: a first illumination pulse tray in closest time proximity to the first exposure period of the second image sensor; The controller 20 / processor further includes determining a pair of temporally successive illumination pulses of the first and second illumination pulses. The processor 302 measures the start and end time instances of the exposure period of the far field image sensor. The controller 20 / processor 302 may determine the stance of the exposure period. The start and end time instances are then mapped to a near-field illumination pulse train. pings on the time axis to respectively indicate the determined start and end time instances of the exposure period. A pair of temporally-distributed near-field illumination pulse trains in the nearest neighborhood of a time instance The illumination pulse following may be determined.

[0119] The process 706C includes, at 1006, the controller 20 / processor 202: The timing delay between a qualifying pair of successive illumination pulses in the first illumination pulse train is Increasing the time period so that one of the start time period or the end time period of the first exposure period , the position of each of the start time period or end time period of the increased timing delay As shown in the example timing diagram 1100 of FIG. , illumination pulse pairs 1104, 1106, and illumination pulse pair 11 08, 1110 are the start and end time instances of the exposure period 1112 may be selected as the pair of eligible temporally consecutive illumination pulses that are in the closest proximity to each other. Therefore, the controller 20 / processor 302 controls the illumination pulses (1102-1110) 11. Increasing the timing delay between the start time of the exposure period 1112 and / or The end time periods are the falling edge of illumination pulse 1104 and the falling edge of illumination pulse 1105, respectively. 06。 Illumination pulse 1 may be aligned with each one of the rising edges of The falling edge of 104 is within a threshold delay from the start time period of the exposure period 1112. The rising edge of the illumination pulse 1106 may occur from the end of the exposure period 1112. Similar modifications to the other pulses in the exposure period may be made to the corresponding pairs of pulses. The leading edge of the illumination pulse 1104 may be aligned with the leading edge of the illumination pulse 1104. The duration between the rising edge and the falling edge of the illumination pulse 1106 is increased by Therefore, the near-field illumination pulse train shown in FIG. Thus, the start and end time periods of the far field image sensor exposure period 1112 are increased. align with one of the start or end time periods of the added timing delay. It is said.

[0120] 12A and 12B are diagrams illustrating an example of a cellular telephone according to at least one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram of a symbol decoding process performed by a typical multi-sensor imaging system; In some exemplary embodiments, the imaging system 10 and / or imaging device 200 includes or is part of an exemplary symbol reading device, such as a sign reader. As shown in FIG. 12A, FIG. 12B, and FIG. 12C, 1200B and 1200C provide a symbol decoding method that includes various aspects of method 700. A symbol reader having multiple image sensors includes processes 1200A, 1200B, and 1200C. When implementing 200C, it can reduce problems caused by flicker and light leakage. Thus, error-free or reduced error capture of the image of the symbol can be provided. This results in faster and more efficient decoding of symbols. The advantages of this will become apparent through the following disclosure of the workflow.

[0121] Some or all of the steps of processes 1200A, 1200B, and 1200C may , may be implemented by suitable data processing means and control means. For example, some In an exemplary embodiment, processes 1200A, 1200B, and 1200C include symbolic reads. The method may be performed by one or more processors or a controller in the controller. In a typical embodiment, the controller of the symbol reader is the controller 20 of the imaging system 10. It may be embodied in a manner similar to that described with reference to.

[0122] The process 1200A receives input from a user on the initiating component 206 of the imaging device 200. In response, the process 1200A starts at 1202. Begin by turning on the aimer as an indicator. As explained with reference to Figure 2 Together, the aimer illumination source 110 and aimer projection optics 112 project the desired pattern. Next, in 1204, the process 1200A turns on the near-field illumination. Near-field illumination can be achieved in a variety of ways, for example as discussed previously in this disclosure. In some exemplary embodiments, the near-field illumination may be generated at a fixed pulse frequency. Each near-field illumination pulse is generated according to a near-field illumination pulse train having a magnitude of 1 It may be of short duration such as .5ms.

[0123] Exposure of the near-field image sensor begins at 1206 substantially simultaneously with activation of the near-field illumination source. In some exemplary embodiments, the near-field image sensor includes a global shutter. In some exemplary situations, a near-field image sensor may be used. The shutter may include a rolling shutter. Then, in 1208, the process 1200A transferring data from the near-field image sensor to capture a first near-field image. That is, the charges may constitute an image frame captured by a near-field image sensor. The data may be read out to

[0124] In parallel with step 1208, at 1210, the process 1200A In some exemplary embodiments, the exposure of the far-field image sensor includes initiating an exposure of the far-field image sensor. The field image sensor may include a rolling shutter and has a narrow field of view compared to the near-field image sensor. After the exposure period of the far-field image sensor has elapsed, the image may have a field of view that is longer than the exposure period of the far-field image sensor. Data transfer from may begin at 1212 to capture a first far field image.

[0125] Upon capturing the first near-field image, at 1214, the process 1200A and processing the first near field image to initiate a first decoding run. Towards this end, any suitable image processing based Distance estimation techniques (such as, but not limited to, parallax-based techniques or near-field image sensors and A method for detecting the sharpness of an image from a far-field image sensor may be used. For example, ,As a binary test, from the decoding result of the first decoding run, the target symbol is in the first near field The result of the distance estimation may be determined whether the image was successfully captured or not. Using the first far-field image, the first near-field image is used to decode the symbol. If the target symbol is beyond the maximum imaging range of the near-field image sensor, the target symbol may be determined to be within the maximum imaging range of the near-field image sensor. In an exemplary scenario where the first near-field image frame captured is within acceptable resolution, may not show a target symbol with the same brightness, luminance, contrast, etc. Therefore, near-field imaging may not be an appropriate means for decoding the symbols. In this case, a far-field image sensor may be relied upon to attempt successful decoding.

[0126] At 1216, process 1200A successfully decodes the symbol in the first decoding run. If the symbol is successfully decoded from the first near field image, determining whether the symbol is successfully decoded from the first near field image. 1200C, no processing of the first far field image is required, and the control step is the same as step 1200C of FIG. Proceeding to 1246, the decoded symbols may be output by the symbol decoder. However, if the symbol is not successfully decoded by the symbol decoder at 1214, the process The sensor 1200A moves the imaging engine at 1218, thereby forming a far-field image sensor. The movement to the corresponding focus position includes step 1 At 214, a particular focus position is determined from the set of focuses based on the estimated distance. The focal position of the image sensor is adjusted to a different focal position traversed by a focus motor of the imaging engine. Following the movement of the imaging engine at 1218, Control of the step then proceeds to two parallel flows shown in process 1200B of FIG. nothing.

[0127] Process 1200B is a step-by-step process for processing and imaging using a far-field image sensor. A first flow including steps 1220 to 1232 and a first flow for imaging using a near-field image sensor. The second flow includes steps 1234 to 1242 for the purpose of In an embodiment, the second flow including steps 1234-1242 is a process 1200A. One or more iterations of 200B and 1200C may be skipped.

[0128] The process 1200B continues at 1220 with a far-field image (in this case, the first far-field image). The first far field image includes processing the first far field image and starting a second decoding run. The image may be processed to obtain other parameters of the image, while the other parameters of the image may be processed to obtain other parameters of the image. Other parameters may be the brightness of the first far-field image, etc. Using the parameters of, one or more sensor parameters of the far-field image sensor to be adjusted Then, in 1222, it may be determined that the symbol is successfully decoded in the second decoding run. If the result of the check in 1222 is positive (yes), the step Control of the step proceeds to step 1246 of FIG. 1200C, where the decoded symbols are However, in 1222, the symbol may be decoded by the symbol decoder. If the decode is not successful, control proceeds to step 1224, where illumination in the far field is required. Such a determination may be made, for example, by performing an arbitrary If it is determined that far-field illumination is necessary, If so, the far field illumination source may be turned on at 1226 and control proceeds to step 1228. However, if far field illumination is not required, control passes directly to step 1228. In 1228, the exposure of the far field sensor may proceed in a similar manner to the illumination in the far field. Then the transfer of data from the far field image sensor is completed at 1230. The second far-field image may be processed at 1232 to obtain a second far-field image. A third decryption run may then be attempted. Control then passes to process 1 shown in FIG. 7C. Proceed to step 1244 of 200C.

[0129] In a second parallel flow of process 1200B, a symbol decoder decodes symbols. If it is determined that the near-field illumination pulse is not successful, the far-field image is The near-field illumination pulse is modified to accommodate one or more exposure periods of the sensor. As discussed with reference to Figs. 8-10, the near-field illumination pulse train can be modified in a myriad of ways. Then, at 1236, the near field illumination is Beginning with the field illumination pulse, at 1238, the near-field image sensor is exposed to the near field. The illumination and exposure of the near-field image sensor after the correction of the illumination pulse may be respectively step This may be accomplished in a manner similar to that described in 1204 and 1206. Process 1200B initiates near-field image sensor data transfer to capture a second near-field image. At 1242, the second near field image may be processed and decoded by a symbol decoder. A fourth decryption run may then be attempted. Control then passes to process 1 shown in FIG. 7C. Proceed to step 1244 of 200C.

[0130] At 1244, the symbol is decoded according to the third decoding run at 1232 or the fourth decoding run at 1242. It is determined whether the symbol is decoded by any one of the second remote symbols. Successfully decoding a target symbol from either the field image or the second near field image. If so, control passes to step 1246 where the decoded symbol is However, at 1244, the symbol is decoded by the symbol decoder. If it is determined that the search is unsuccessful, control proceeds to 1248 to return to any focal positions that have not yet been visited. It is determined whether any further positions remain. That is, the process 1200C is The focal position of the sensor where imaging in the far field has not yet been performed in any of the iterations. This includes determining whether there are any focus positions. Far field imaging has not yet been performed. If there are no such focus positions remaining (i.e., all focus positions have been visited), The target symbol is outside the imaging range of the symbol decoder, or the decoder concludes that there is no target symbol in the imaged field of view. Thus, at 1250, an error message is generated indicating that the target symbol is not However, at 1248, the output may still indicate that the If it is determined that one or more focus positions remain to be visited, control proceeds to 1252. Then, the imaging engine is moved to a corresponding position in the far field that has not yet been visited. The image engine movement occurs in a manner similar to that described with reference to step 1218 of FIG. 12B. The movement to the focus position may be performed in ascending order (i.e., individual (moving from the closer to the farthest focus position) Control then passes to the process 1200B in steps 1220 and 1234. Back to the two parallel flows.

[0131] In this manner, the exemplary workflow illustrated in FIGS. 12A-12C provides a suitable may be utilized to perform symbol decoding by hardware, thereby Improved focus selection control provided by modification of the illumination pulse allows for near-field imaging and / or or the likelihood of successfully decoding a target symbol from a far-field image is greatly increased. Such improvements in the process result in improvements in the overall functionality of the symbol decoder device itself. Glass.

[0132] The exemplary workflow illustrated in FIG. 12A-FIG. 12C is an end application for symbol decoding. Although described with respect to a dual or multiple image application, it is within the scope of this disclosure to Other end application tasks that utilize sensors (and therefore multiple illumination sources) Any of these applications may benefit from the improved lighting control and synchronization framework provided herein. It is contemplated that the present disclosure may be modified in any manner, including, but not limited to, the following embodiments: A preferred modification is to incorporate a lighting control framework into a multi-camera This may be done to extend to similar end use cases such as mobile phones based on In this exemplary context, a multi-image sensor device is a sensor having at least two cameras. The cameras may be embodied as a smartphone. At least one camera in the smartphone may have a bright, A study on the relationship between image capture in bright, well-lit, and low-lit scenarios The image quality of such cameras may be considered to be megapixels. MP) intensity, and in some exemplary embodiments, the primary camera The camera may have 12, 24, 48, or 64 MP. This camera may be considered a secondary camera associated with one or more image enhancement features. For example, a smartphone may have a telephoto lens that supports an ultra-zoom option. In some exemplary embodiments, the telephoto lens supports zoom factors ranging from 2x to 10x. In some more advanced embodiments, the smartphone may include Additionally or optionally, some In one exemplary embodiment, the smartphone detects background objects in comparison to the primary object in the field of view. The smartphone may include a depth sensor for measuring the depth of the subject. Mela has addressed the different lighting requirements to support the universal imaging capabilities of smartphones. For example, the primary camera may have a lighting frame for imaging in low-lit scenarios. A smartphone's monochrome lens can capture images in the same pulse. The resulting image may therefore show spikes in brightness. It may be compromised in terms of image parameters.

[0133] The exemplary embodiments described herein are directed to illumination of multiple cameras in a smartphone. We mitigate the aforementioned problems by providing an effective solution aimed at synchronizing In particular, as shown in Figures 6 to 12C, the exposure of one or more cameras can be Even if designed or adjusted to overlap or be outside the exposure of one or more other cameras Well, that may be a requirement. Exemplary embodiments also provide an adaptation for lighting synchronization. The proposed solution is applicable to a wide variety of imaging scenarios and situations, since it also provides a process will be done.

[0134] In some exemplary embodiments, a multi-image sensor device, such as a multi-image sensor device, In a scanning environment, the illumination source during symbol reading / decoding (e.g., near-field illumination source and far-field illumination source) Cycling between different lighting sources can cause a flickering effect to the operator of a multi-image sensor device. Therefore, the lighting control framework also introduces flicker reduction. FIG. 13 illustrates at least one example of the present disclosure. A general purpose image processing system according to an exemplary embodiment is 13 illustrates an example workflow of a noise reduction process 1300.

[0135] At 1302, the process 1300 generates a near field center based on a first illumination pulse train. The method includes operating a first illumination source associated with the sensor. The first illumination source may be a light source as shown in FIG. The first source illumination may be the near-field illumination source 106A, which is considered in light of the first illumination source 106A. The source may be a near-field illumination pulse train 602 of FIG. 6 or a near-field illumination pulse train of FIG. The first near-field illumination source may be operated according to any near-field illumination pulse train. The system may be configured to generate pulsed illumination in the near field of the engine, each individual pulse being: Other illumination pulses in the pulse train may be of short duration, such as 1.5 ms. It may be periodic or aperiodic, having

[0136] At 1304, the process 1300 causes exposure of the near field sensor during a first exposure period. The start time of the first exposure period is a start time of the illumination period of the first illumination source. The exposure of the near-field image sensor may be substantially or perfectly aligned with the , substantially simultaneously with the activation of the first illumination source, as shown in timing diagram 1100 of FIG. The exposure of the near-field image sensor may begin beyond the end of the illumination period of the first illumination source. It may last for a period of time that ends (i.e. beyond the activation period of the first illumination source).

[0137] At 1306, the process 1300 selects a second illumination source that does not overlap with any illumination period of the first illumination source. For example, the imaging device 200 may include exposing the far field sensor for a second exposure period. The far-field image sensor of the imaging system 10 may be exposed during a second exposure period. The start and end time periods of the second exposure period of the near-field image sensor are determined by the near-field illumination pulse train. may be scheduled so as not to overlap with the illumination period of any illumination pulse of the rain. That is, exposure of the far-field image sensor occurs during the time period in which the first illumination source is turned off. This is also fine.

[0138] In this way, the near-field illumination pulse train is modified to accommodate the far-field exposure period. By doing so, illumination from the far-field illumination does not occur in the exposure of the near-field image sensor, and The far-field image sensor ensures that the near-field illumination source is turned off during periods of inactivity. Since only the near-field illumination source is exposed to the far-field image sensor, there is no interference from the near-field illumination source in the exposure of the far-field image sensor. Also, such an arrangement allows the illumination (near-field illumination and far-field illumination) to be substantially sequential (i.e. That is, there is no time gap between near-field and far-field illumination activation for successive pulses. This ensures that the data is generated in a time interval of 100 ms or less. The device is able to recognize noticeable flicker caused by dimming and brightening lighting sources. I can't do that.

[0139] In some exemplary embodiments, the target to be captured is located at a significant distance from the imaging engine. Therefore, target acquisition is accomplished using a far-field imaging sensor. Furthermore, such a scenario may occur, for example, when a far-field image sensor is subject to a rolling shutter. The longest exposure of the far-field image sensor is required when the far-field image sensor includes a In such a scenario, the far-field illumination source can be used for a long distance. By keeping the far-field illumination source running for a period of time, the This can introduce some problems with the operation of the imaging engine, such as excessive heat generated. Therefore, in such a scenario, it is necessary to ensure that far-field imaging is not compromised. While this is true, it may be desirable to have a framework that reduces the startup time of far-field illumination sources. FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary multi-sensor in accordance with at least one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Flicker reduction processes performed by imaging systems, particularly for extended far-field exposures 14 illustrates an example workflow of the process 1400.

[0140] The process 1400 includes, at 1402, generating a near field sensor based on a first illumination pulse train. Step 1402 includes operating a first illumination source associated with the sensor. The process may be performed in a similar manner to step 1302.

[0141] The process 1400 includes, at 1402, exposing a near field sensor during a first exposure period. a start time period of the first exposure period is equal to a start time period of an illumination period of the first illumination source; Step 1402 is performed in a similar manner to step 1304. This may also be the case.

[0142] The process 1400 includes, at 1406, exposing the far field sensor during a second exposure period. and wherein the second exposure period overlaps with at least one illumination period of the first illumination source. For example, the far-field image sensor of the imaging device 200 / imaging system 10 may In some exemplary embodiments, the second far-field image sensor may be exposed to light during the exposure period. The start or end time period of the first exposure period of the far-field image sensor is equal to the start or end time period of the second exposure period of the far-field image sensor. The start time period or the end time period is the start time period or the end time period of the illumination period of the near-field illumination pulse train. are scheduled to be perfectly or substantially aligned with the end time period. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the start time period of the far-field exposure pulse 614A may be 6B of the field illumination pulse train 602.

[0143] An example scenario in which the target to be captured is in the central region of the field of view of the far-field image sensor. In this phase, to extend the exposure time of the far-field image sensor, the exposure is initiated when the near-field illumination source is activated. While the rolling shutter-based far-field image sensor is This can be modified to expose only a small number of the far-field images. Minimize reflections and light leakage / spill onto the top and bottom areas, and in this context, The minimum size area in the central region of the field of view of the far field sensor is determined by the automatic gain control operation and the general Ensure that no illumination from near-field sources is received, as this would interfere with decoding. Thus, the resulting captured image is subject to the effects of illumination spillover from the near-field illumination source. does not include any adverse effects that may have occurred.

[0144] Within the scope of the present disclosure, it is contemplated that targets to be captured may be captured in areas other than the central area of ​​the field of view of the far-field image sensor. If present, the minimum size region is configurable by the imaging engine operator / administrator. It may be contemplated that the minimum size area may be within the field of view of the far-field image sensor. The position of the target captured in the

[0145] In this manner, the exemplary embodiment of the flicker reduction process of FIG. By ensuring overlap between the exposure period of the sensor and the illumination period of the near-field illumination source, This provides the operator with an effective reduction in perceptible flicker.

[0146] In Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, 12A, 12B, 12C, 13 and 14, Each block of the flowchart shown above and the combination of blocks in the flowchart The combination may include hardware, firmware, processors, circuits, and / or one or more Other communication devices associated with the execution of software containing computer program instructions. It will be appreciated that the above procedure may be implemented by a variety of means, such as a One or more of the above may be embodied by computer program instructions. With respect to the above, computer program instructions embodying the above-described procedures may be used to implement embodiments of the present invention. The image is stored in the memory device of the device used and is processed by a processor in the imaging device / system. As will be appreciated, any such computer program may be implemented. The program instructions may be used to generate a machine programmable by a computer or other programmable device (e.g. For example, hardware, and the resulting computer or other The programmable device implements the functions specified in the blocks of the flowchart. Instructing a computer or other programmable device to function in a particular way These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable memory. The instructions stored in the computer readable memory may be used to generate a product, the execution of which may The functions specified in the blocks of the flowchart are implemented by the computer program. Program instructions also refer to a sequence of operations to be performed by a computer or other programmable device. to cause a computer or other program to generate a computer-implemented process. The program may be loaded into a programmable device, so that the program can be executed by a computer or other programmable device. The instructions executed by the device are to implement the functions specified in the flowchart blocks. Provides the following behavior.

[0147] Thus, the blocks of the flowchart represent combinations of means for implementing the specified functions. A combination of operations that perform a specified function to perform a specified function / operation One or more blocks of the flowchart and the blocks in the flowchart The combination includes a dedicated hardware-based computer system that performs the specified functions; Or it may be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions. Let it be understood.

[0148] An exemplary processing system has been described above, and the subject matter and functionality described herein The operations may be implemented in other types of digital electronic circuitry or in the structures and methods disclosed herein. Any computer software, firmware, or hardware, including any structural equivalents thereof, The present invention may be implemented in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, hardware, or a combination of one or more of these.

[0149] The subject matter and operational embodiments described herein may be implemented with digital electronic circuitry or with the aid of the present disclosure. Computer software, file formats, and related applications, including structures disclosed in the document and their structural equivalents. Implemented in software, software, or hardware, or a combination of one or more of these Embodiments of the subject matter described herein may be implemented using one or more computer programs. A program, i.e., a program for execution by or for controlling the operation of information / data processing devices. A computer program instruction encoded on a computer storage medium for Alternatively or additionally, the program instructions may be implemented as the above modules. transmits information / data to a receiver device suitable for execution by an information / data processing device. An artificially generated propagation signal, e.g., a machine-generated The information may be encoded on an electrical, optical, or electromagnetic signal. The body may be a computer readable storage device, a computer readable storage substrate, a random or sequential Real-access memory arrays or devices, or a combination of one or more of these In addition, a computer storage medium may be or be included in a propagating signal. The computer storage medium is a computer program encoded with an artificially generated propagated signal. A computer storage medium may be a source or destination of program instructions. A body may also be one or more separate physical components or media (e.g., multiple CDs, disks, or other storage device).

[0150] The operations described herein may be stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices. performed by an information / data processing device on information / data transmitted or received from other sources It can be implemented as an action to be taken.

[0151] The term "data processing device" includes, for example, a programmable processor, a computer, a system on a chip, or a combination of any of the foregoing This includes all kinds of equipment, devices, and machines for processing data, including is a dedicated logic circuit, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or The device may also include a SIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). and code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question, e.g., Firmware, protocol stack, repository management system, operating system, cross-platform runtime environment, virtual machine, or any of them The device and the execution environment may include a code that configures a combination of the above. services, distributed computing, and grid computing infrastructure. Various computing model infrastructures can be realized.

[0152] Computer programs (programs, software, software applications) Programs, also known as programs, scripts, or code, are written in compiled or interpreted languages. It can be written in any form of programming language, including verbal, declarative or procedural languages. , as a stand-alone program or as a module, component or subroutine. A machine, object, or other unit suitable for use within a computing environment. The computer program may be deployed in any form, including as It may, but need not, correspond to a file in a file system. may be used to communicate with other programs or information / data (e.g., information stored in a markup language document) Within the part of the file that holds the script (or several scripts), there is a single Within a file, or across multiple cooperating files (e.g. one or more modules, subprograms, The code may be stored in a program or a file that stores parts of the code.

[0153] The processes and logic flows described herein operate on input information / data and output One or more computer programs are configured to perform actions by generating forces. The method may be implemented by one or more programmable processors executing the program. Suitable processors for the execution of a computer program include, for example, a general purpose microprocessor. Both dedicated microprocessors and processors, and any type of digital computer In general, a processor may include one or more processors, each of which may include read-only memory or The computer receives instructions and information / data from a random access memory or both. The essential elements of computer software are a processor for performing actions according to the instructions, and instructions and One or more memory devices for storing information and data. Generally, a computer Also, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic disks, optical Contains or receives information / data from magnetic or optical disks; or operably coupled to transmit information / data thereto, or both. However, a computer does not necessarily have to have such devices. Suitable devices for storing computer program instructions and information / data include, for example: Typical semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory. All forms of non-volatile memory, media, and memory devices, including magnetic disks Disks, such as internal hard disks or removable disks, magneto-optical disks, parallel and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and memory are It may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, application logic circuitry.

[0154] To provide for interaction with a user, embodiments of the subject matter described herein may A display device for displaying information / data to a user, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube). ode ray tube, cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal d LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, as well as the device that allows the user to provide input to the computer A keyboard and a pointing device, such as a mouse or trackpad, The ball can be implemented on a computer. Other types of devices can also be used to can be used to provide interaction with, for example, a fee offered to the user. Feedback can be any form of sensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, etc. The input from the user can be audio, sound, or haptic feedback. The input may be received in any form, including voice or tactile input. By sending and receiving documents to devices used by users, e.g. Responsive to requests received from a web browser, the web page is delivered to the user's client device. The user can then interact with the device by sending the request to a web browser on the device.

[0155] Although this specification contains many specific implementation details, these may not be incorporated into any disclosure or patent claim. should not be construed as limiting the scope of what may be sought, but rather as The description of features specific to a particular embodiment of the present invention should be interpreted as a description of features specific to a particular embodiment of the present invention. Certain features that are described in the text herein may also be combined in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple The embodiments may be implemented separately or in any suitable subcombination. Moreover, features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and may not be construed as being necessarily inconsistent with those described above. Although claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be Therefore, the claimed combination can be removed from the combination. The present invention may be directed to variations of the above-mentioned compounds, such as combinations or subcombinations.

[0156] Similarly, although operations may be illustrated in the figures in a particular order, this is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but may be construed as a continuation of the sequence shown in the drawings. To the extent necessary, it is understood that such actions must be performed in the particular order or sequence shown, or that all actions shown must be performed in the particular sequence or sequence shown. This should not be construed as requiring that the user perform all of the following actions in any particular situation. In addition, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Separation of system components is not required in all embodiments. The program components and systems described should not be construed as being, in general, , integrated into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. It should be understood that it is possible.

[0157] Thus, certain embodiments of the present subject matter have been described. Other embodiments are described in the following patents: Within the scope of the claims. In some cases, the actions recited in the claims , may be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. The processes depicted in the accompanying drawings may be implemented in the particular order shown to achieve the desired results. In certain implementations, multitasking and Parallel processing may be advantageous.

Claims

1. An imaging system a first illumination source associated with a first image sensor, the first illumination source configured to operate based on a first illumination pulse train; A second image sensor; and a controller communicatively coupled to the first illumination source, the first image sensor, and the second image sensor, the controller: determining a first exposure period of the second image sensor; modifying one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train to accommodate the first exposure period of the second image sensor in the first illumination pulse train to reduce illumination interference between the first image sensor and the second image sensor; wherein the one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train comprise a pulse frequency of the first illumination pulse train; The controller includes at least inserting at least one additional illumination pulse into the first illumination pulse train such that illumination of the first image sensor corresponding to the additional illumination pulse overlaps in time with an autofocus period of the second image sensor, the additional illumination pulse not overlapping with the first exposure period of the second image sensor; or increasing a timing delay between a pair of temporally successive illumination pulses of the first illumination pulse train such that a start time period of the first exposure period is aligned with a falling edge of a first of the illumination pulses and an end time period of the first exposure period is aligned with a rising edge of a second of the illumination pulses, wherein the first exposure period of the second image sensor does not overlap with the pair of temporally successive illumination pulses. and further configured to modify the first illumination pulse train by: Imaging system.

2. 2. The imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the controller: acquiring an image frame captured by exposing the second image sensor during the first exposure period; determining a luminance of the image frame; and activating a second illumination source associated with the second image sensor based on the determined brightness of the image frame, the second illumination source configured to operate based on a second illumination pulse train.

3. 2. The imaging system according to claim 1, the first image sensor is exposed during at least a second exposure period, the exposure of the first image sensor during the second exposure period beginning simultaneously with a start time period of a first illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train and an end time period of the second exposure period extending beyond an end time period of the first illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 , wherein exposure of the first image sensor begins simultaneously with activation of the first illumination source.

5. The imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the second image sensor remains stopped during a first illumination period of a first illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train.

6. The imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the second image sensor is not exposed to light during a portion of a second illumination period of a second illumination pulse of the first illumination pulse train.

7. An imaging method operating a first illumination source associated with a first image sensor based on a first illumination pulse train; determining a first exposure period of a second image sensor; modifying one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train to accommodate the first exposure period of the second image sensor in the first illumination pulse train to reduce illumination interference between the first image sensor and a second image sensor, the one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train comprising a pulse frequency of the first illumination pulse train; The step of modifying the one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train includes at least: inserting at least one additional illumination pulse into the first illumination pulse train such that illumination of the first image sensor corresponding to the additional illumination pulse overlaps in time with an autofocus period of the second image sensor, the additional illumination pulse not overlapping with the first exposure period of the second image sensor; or increasing a timing delay between a pair of temporally successive illumination pulses of the first illumination pulse train such that a start time period of the first exposure period is aligned with a falling edge of a first of the illumination pulses and an end time period of the first exposure period is aligned with a rising edge of a second of the illumination pulses, wherein the first exposure period of the second image sensor does not overlap with the pair of temporally successive illumination pulses; An imaging method comprising:

8. The imaging method according to claim 7 further comprises: obtaining an image frame captured by exposing the second image sensor during the first exposure period; determining a luminance of the image frame; activating a second illumination source associated with the second image sensor based on the determined luminance of the image frame, the second illumination source being configured to operate based on a second illumination pulse train; An imaging method comprising:

9. A device a memory configured to store executable instructions; One or more processors, controlling operation of a first illumination source associated with the first image sensor based on the first illumination pulse train; determining a first exposure period of a second image sensor; Modifying one or more characteristics of the first illumination pulse train to accommodate the first exposure period of the second image sensor in the first illumination pulse train to reduce illumination interference between the first image sensor and the second image sensor. and one or more processors configured to execute executable instructions for: The one or more processors include at least inserting at least one additional illumination pulse into the first illumination pulse train such that illumination of the first image sensor corresponding to the additional illumination pulse overlaps in time with an autofocus period of the second image sensor, the additional illumination pulse not overlapping with the first exposure period of the second image sensor; or and increasing a timing delay between a pair of temporally successive illumination pulses of the first illumination pulse train such that a start time period of the first exposure period is aligned with a falling edge of a first of the illumination pulses and an end time period of the first exposure period is aligned with a rising edge of a second of the illumination pulses, wherein the first exposure period of the second image sensor does not overlap with the pair of temporally successive illumination pulses. the first illumination pulse train.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, The one or more processors further include obtaining an image frame captured by exposing the second image sensor during the first exposure period; determining a luminance of the image frame; and configured to activate a second illumination source associated with the second image sensor based on the determined brightness of the image frame, the second illumination source configured to operate based on a second illumination pulse train.

Images