Selective Pixel Row Extraction for High-Speed Optical Code Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-performance image capture devices struggle to achieve high passby speeds in scanning environments due to the time-consuming process of extracting sufficient pixel data from image capture devices to identify and decode optical codes, as they need to analyze the entire image despite the code only appearing in a small portion, leading to inefficiencies in retail and other applications.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a 'Skip N, Out M' command in the image capture device, which selectively reads and skips rows of pixel data, allowing for the efficient extraction of only the necessary pixel data by repeating a pattern of reading 'M' rows and skipping 'N' rows, reducing the overall time required to process images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If all pixel data is extracted from the image capture device, then complete image analysis is possible, but the extraction time becomes very long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary pixel data blocks containing the optical code from the entire image, rather than extracting all pixel data. The system identifies which blocks contain the code and selectively extracts only those blocks, significantly reducing extraction time while maintaining complete code analysis capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the image into multiple blocks and processes them individually. By segmenting the image data into manageable blocks and identifying which blocks contain the optical code, the system can extract only the necessary portions rather than processing the entire image, thus reducing overall extraction time
2Productivity
If blocks of pixel data are extracted by issuing commands for each block, then selective data extraction is achieved, but the command issuance process becomes time consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual block extraction commands into a single command that extracts multiple blocks simultaneously. By combining the extraction operations for multiple blocks into one command issuance, the system reduces the overhead time associated with repeated command issuance while maintaining selective extraction of only the necessary data blocks
3Speed
If image scanners process images at high speeds, then passby scanning performance improves, but the time required to extract and analyze pixel data becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential pixel data blocks containing the optical code rather than processing the entire image. This selective extraction approach reduces the amount of data that needs to be processed, enabling the system to maintain high passby scanning speeds while still completing code identification and decoding within the available time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary identification of which image blocks contain the optical code before extracting the actual pixel data. By pre-identifying the relevant blocks, the system avoids unnecessary processing of irrelevant image areas, thus reducing overall processing time and enabling higher scanning speeds
Data Source
AI summary
A device, methods and system for outputting selective rows of pixels from an image capture device. A command implemented by the image capture device of the form “Skip N, Out M” causes the image capture device to cycle through the all rows of pixels in the image capture device, outputting “M” sequential rows and skipping “N” sequential rows until all rows in the image capture device have been processed.