Anamorphic Lens for Barcode Scanner Beam Shaping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional bar code scanners face difficulties in reading poor and damaged quality bar codes due to the complexity and cost of generating an elongated laser beam, which increases the part count and alignment challenges of the optical system.
Innovation Solution
The use of an anamorphic lens in a bar code reader device to generate an elongated laser beam, reducing the number of components and simplifying the alignment process by collimating and elongating the laser beam in the scanning motion without the need for a collimator lens or cylindrical lens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional arrangement with collimator lens and cylindrical lens is used to generate an elongated laser beam, then the ability to read poor and damaged quality bar codes is improved, but the part count increases and alignment difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the functions of the collimator lens and cylindrical lens into a single anamorphic lens. This merged component performs both collimation and beam elongation in one optical element, reducing the part count from two separate lenses to one, while maintaining the ability to generate an extremely elongated laser beam for improved bar code reading capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The anamorphic lens serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both a collimator (making light rays parallel) and a beam elongator (stretching the beam in the scanning direction). This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate optical components while achieving the same technical effect of reading damaged bar codes through spatial noise averaging.
2Reliability
If a collimator lens and cylindrical lens are used to produce an elongated laser beam, then the signal to noise ratio is improved, but the cost and complexity of the optical system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges two separate optical components (collimator lens and cylindrical lens) into a single anamorphic lens, thereby reducing the optical system's complexity and cost while preserving the signal-to-noise ratio improvement achieved through beam elongation for reading damaged bar codes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and consolidates the essential optical functions (collimation and elongation) into a single anamorphic lens element, removing the unnecessary complexity of having separate components while maintaining the beneficial effect of spatial noise averaging that improves signal-to-noise ratio.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces the cost and complexity of the optical system while effectively reading poor and damaged quality bar codes by producing an extremely elongated laser beam, improving signal-to-noise ratio and scanning efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A cylindrical anamorphic lens is provided which has a planar surface at a first end and an anamorphic surface at a second end thereof, the first end receiving the laser beam from the laser light source and producing an output laser beam from the second end thereof
Data Source
AI summary
An elongated laser beam optical assembly. The assembly has a laser light source that produces a laser beam. A cylindrical anamorphic lens has a planar surface at a first end and an anamorphic surface at a second end thereof, the first end receiving the laser beam from the laser light source and producing an output laser beam from the second end thereof. An aperture passes the output laser beam from the second end of the anamorphic lens to produce an elongated laser beam.