Visual Feedback for Multi-Code Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multi-code scanners face productivity losses and user frustration due to the difficulty in identifying which codes have been read and which have been missed or skipped during a scan, especially when errors occur, as users must re-scan each code individually without clear visual feedback.
Innovation Solution
A multi-code reading system that projects visual feedback onto the target, using a combination of an imaging scanner, processor, and projector to provide intuitive feedback by overlaying positive or negative status messages directly on each code, allowing users to identify and re-scan missed codes within the same scan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multi-code scanning is used to enhance productivity, then scanning speed increases, but the ability to identify read errors and missed codes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a visual feedback system that projects status indicators directly onto the target surface at the location of each code. After multi-code scanning, the system displays visual cues (such as color-coded indicators or icons) showing which codes were successfully read and which were missed or errored, providing immediate feedback without requiring manual verification
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary visual indication layer between the scanner and the user. Instead of directly showing raw scan results on a screen, the system projects intermediate visual cues onto the target itself, serving as a mediator that guides user attention to specific codes that need re-scanning
2Ease of operation
If visual feedback is projected onto the target to indicate read status, then user understanding of scan results improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the code reader multi-functional by integrating both the scanning function and the visual projection function into a single device. The code reader can operate in multiple modes: standard scanning mode and visual feedback mode, allowing it to serve different needs without requiring separate equipment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual verification processes with an automated visual projection system. Instead of requiring users to manually check each code or interpret complex scan results on a screen, the system automatically projects intuitive visual indicators onto the target, substituting mechanical/manual operations with an automated optical system
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and method for providing visual feedback to facilitate multi-code (e.g., barcode) reading (i.e., scanning) is presented. The visual feedback will project a read status for each code scanned. The visual feedback for a particular code will be projected onto that code. For example, an "X" projected onto a code would indicated that this code was not read and needed to be scanned again. This visual feedback minimizes the number of codes that need to be rescanned in the case of a read error.