US3814933A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Optical transducer having rectilinear fiber optic array including interdigitated light source and sensor associated fibers
Assignee: UDT Sensors Inc
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Filing: 1973-04-05
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Granted: 1974-06-04
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Expires: 1993-04-05
Abstract
Abstract A fiber optic transducer includes at least one read aperture at which optical fibers conducting light from a source and fibers transmitting reflected light to a sensor terminate in rectilinear array. The optical fibers all are of rectangular cross-section and are arranged in the array so that each row of reflected light transmitting fibers is interdigitated between rows of light source conducting fibers. The other ends of the light source fibers from all of the read apertures terminate in a single source aperture illuminated by a light emitting diode or other light source. The reflected light transmitting fibers from each read aperture terminate at respective separate sensor apertures. The transducer is used to read optically coded indicia on a tag, label or other article which is moved past the transducer in close proximity to the read apertures in a direction parallel to the interdigital rows of fibers.
Inventors
- 👤 O Weber
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 19:59
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06K; G06K7/00; G06K7/10; G06K7/10544; G06K7/10821; G06K7/10881
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
234 words
A fiber optic transducer for reading optically coded indicia on a label or other article, comprising: a housing having at least one read aperture at one end thereof, said coded indicia being read during relative linear motion of said article past said read apertures in close proximity to said one end, a rectilinear array of optical fibers terminating within each read aperture, each of said fibers being of substantially rectangular cross-section, said array including an odd number of rows of source fibers for transmitting light toward said read aperture interdigitated with an even number of rows of sensor fibers for transmitting light reflected from said article back to a sensor, the rows of source and sensor fibers in each read aperture all being aligned parallel to the relative direction of motion of said article, said rows of source and sensor fibers alternating in a direction lateral to the relative direction of motion of said article, the outermost rows in said array being the source fiber rows, each sensor fiber row being situated between rows of source fibers, and elsewhere on said housing, a light source aperture at which the other ends of all of the source fibers from all of said read apertures terminate in a rectilinear array, and at least one sensor aperture at each of which terminate in rectilinear array the other ends of the sensor fibers from a respective read aperture.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
234 words
A fiber optic transducer for reading optically coded indicia on a label or other article, comprising: a housing having at least one read aperture at one end thereof, said coded indicia being read during relative linear motion of said article past said read apertures in close proximity to said one end, a rectilinear array of optical fibers terminating within each read aperture, each of said fibers being of substantially rectangular cross-section, said array including an odd number of rows of source fibers for transmitting light toward said read aperture interdigitated with an even number of rows of sensor fibers for transmitting light reflected from said article back to a sensor, the rows of source and sensor fibers in each read aperture all being aligned parallel to the relative direction of motion of said article, said rows of source and sensor fibers alternating in a direction lateral to the relative direction of motion of said article, the outermost rows in said array being the source fiber rows, each sensor fiber row being situated between rows of source fibers, and elsewhere on said housing, a light source aperture at which the other ends of all of the source fibers from all of said read apertures terminate in a rectilinear array, and at least one sensor aperture at each of which terminate in rectilinear array the other ends of the sensor fibers from a respective read aperture.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
A fiber optic transducer according to claim 1 wherein said housing also contains a circuit board including a photosensor aligned with each of said sensor apertures and a light source aligned with said source aperture.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
40 words
A fiber optic transducer according to claim 2 wherein said source comprises an infrared light emitting diode, wherein said sensors are responsive to infrared light, and wherein an integrated circuit amplifier for each photosensor also is mounted on said board.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
30 words
A fiber optic transducer according to claim 1 wherein each source and sensor fiber has a square cross-section, the dimension of each side being between 0.4 mils and 3.5 mils.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
219 words
An optical transducer for reading coded indicia printed on a label, tag or other article, comprising: a housing tapering toward a tip, said reading being accomplished during rectilinear travel of said coded indicia past said tip, said tip including a plurality of read apertures, a rectilinear array of optical fibers of rectangular cross-section terminating in each aperture, said array including alternate rows of source fibers for transmitting light from a source interdigitated with rows of sensor fibers for transmitting light reflected from said article back to a sensor, said alternate rows all being aligned parallel to the relative direction of travel past said tip of the coded indicia being read, the outermost of said alternate rows being rows of source fibers, said housing having an interior chamber and having one wall spaced from said tip, said one wall including a source aperture in which terminate the other ends of the source fibers from all of said read apertures, said one wall also having a like plurality of sensor apertures, all of the sensor fibers from each read aperture terminating in a respective sensor aperture, and a light source and a like plurality of photosensors mounted to said housing on the opposite side of said one wall in respective, close spaced alignment with said source aperture and said sensor apertures.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
219 words
An optical transducer for reading coded indicia printed on a label, tag or other article, comprising: a housing tapering toward a tip, said reading being accomplished during rectilinear travel of said coded indicia past said tip, said tip including a plurality of read apertures, a rectilinear array of optical fibers of rectangular cross-section terminating in each aperture, said array including alternate rows of source fibers for transmitting light from a source interdigitated with rows of sensor fibers for transmitting light reflected from said article back to a sensor, said alternate rows all being aligned parallel to the relative direction of travel past said tip of the coded indicia being read, the outermost of said alternate rows being rows of source fibers, said housing having an interior chamber and having one wall spaced from said tip, said one wall including a source aperture in which terminate the other ends of the source fibers from all of said read apertures, said one wall also having a like plurality of sensor apertures, all of the sensor fibers from each read aperture terminating in a respective sensor aperture, and a light source and a like plurality of photosensors mounted to said housing on the opposite side of said one wall in respective, close spaced alignment with said source aperture and said sensor apertures.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
An optical transducer according to claim 5 wherein each optical fiber has a side dimension between 0.4 mils and 3.5 mils.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
An optical transducer according to claim 5 wherein said read apertures are covered with a window of material having a hardness greater than about 4 moh and which is transparent to light in the spectral range emitted by said light source.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
68 words
A transducer according to claim 5 wherein said tip includes a plurality of read aperture defining slots extending to one edge of said tip, each slot facilitating assembly of the optical fibers forming said array for that read aperture, and a plug inserted in each of said read aperture defining slot to retain the array in place and to define the fourth side of the respective read aperture.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
53 words
An optical transducer according to claim 8 wherein said housinG one wall includes a like plurality of sensor aperture defining slots and a single source aperture defining slot, and wherein said light source and said plurality of photosensors are mounted on a common substrate also supporting a separate microelectronic amplifier for each photosensor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
165 words
A process for assembling the transducer of claim 9 comprising the steps of; a. assembling a group of optical fibers into a flat row, b. inserting one end of said flat row into the slot defining one of said read apertures, c. inserting the other end of said flat row into said source aperture defining slot, d. repeating said steps (a) and (b) for another group of fibers, and inserting the other end of said other group of fibers into one sensor defining slot associated with said one read aperture, e. repeating steps (a) through (d) until all rows of said one read aperture have been assembled, followed by insertion of plugs into said one read aperture defining slot and into said one sensor aperture defining slot, and f. repeating steps (a) through (e) until all read aperture arrays have been assembled, followed by insertion of a plug into said source aperture defining slot to retain in place all of the source fibers terminating therein.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process according to claim 10 followed by the step of filling said interior chamber with opaque encapsulating material.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-06-03 | 1977-12-03 | 1978-06-04 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-06-03 | 1981-12-03 | 1982-06-04 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-06-03 | 1985-12-03 | 1986-06-04 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |