Bi-Optic Scanner Crown Visual Indicators
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data reading devices in retail environments lack effective visual feedback mechanisms for bi-optic readers, particularly in checkout settings, which can lead to unclear indication of decoding success or failure, especially when codes are damaged or not recognized by the reader.
Innovation Solution
A bi-optic data reader system with a horizontal and vertical housing portion, a weigh platter having a horizontal surface and an extended crown, and visual indicators in different planes, controlled by a controller to provide clear visual feedback through light windows, allowing remote cameras to detect and respond to decoding events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If visual feedback is provided via LEDs visible to the user, then decoding success or failure can be indicated, but the feedback may not be clearly visible to remote camera systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by providing visual indicators in multiple spatial planes - specifically a first visual indicator in a first plane and a second visual indicator in a second plane. This multi-planar arrangement ensures that feedback is visible from different angles, making it detectable by both local users and remote camera systems positioned at various locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual feedback system is segmented into multiple independent indicators located in different planes. Each indicator can be independently controlled to provide specific feedback information, allowing the system to communicate different decoding states through distributed visual elements that can be selectively viewed by different observers.
2Ease of operation
If the weigh platter has a standard size, then the device structure remains simple, but the visual indicators may not be accessible from multiple viewing angles
Solution Approach 1:
The weigh platter is designed with an extended crown portion that protrudes from the main body, creating a third-dimensional structure. This extended portion houses visual indicators in multiple planes, making them accessible from various viewing angles including top-down views by remote cameras, without requiring a completely redesign of the platter's basic function.
Solution Approach 2:
The visual indicators are nested within the extended crown structure of the weigh platter. The indicators in different planes are integrated into the multi-level platter design, allowing the feedback system to be embedded within the existing weigh platter form factor while adding functional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A bi-optic data reader has a horizontal housing portion including a horizontal reading window, a vertical housing portion including a vertical reading window disposed between a left panel area and a right panel area of a body of the vertical housing portion, and a weigh platter having a horizontal weigh surface extending over the horizontal housing portion, and a crown extending over the vertical housing portion including overhanging portions that extend over the left panel area and the right panel area.