By tracking a user's eyes, an indicia scanning system can make educated guesses as to what the user is interested in. This insight could be useful in dynamically configuring a camera system, configuring an indicia decoding process or even as a method to select data that the user is interested in.

The invention features an image reader and a corresponding method for capturing a sharp distortion free image of a target, such as a one or two-dimensional bar code. In one embodiment, the image reader comprises a two-dimensional CMOS based image sensor array, a timing module, an illumination module, and a control module. The time during which the target is illuminated is referred to as the illumination period. The capture of the image by the image sensor array is driven by the timing module that, in one embodiment, is able to simultaneously expose substantially all of the pixels in the array. The time during which the pixels are collectively activated to photo-convert incident light into charge defines the exposure period for the sensor array. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the exposure period occurs during the illumination period.

A modular camera apparatus is provided having a common control and evaluation unit and having at least one camera module that has a reception optics and an image sensor that determine a module viewing zone of the camera module, wherein the module viewing zones together produce a monitored zone of the camera apparatus. The monitored zone is here adaptable by a common setting of the module viewing zones.

The invention features an image reader and a corresponding method for capturing a sharp distortion free image of a target, such as a one or two-dimensional bar code. In one embodiment, the image reader comprises a two-dimensional CMOS based image sensor array, a timing module, an illumination module, and a control module. The time during which the target is illuminated is referred to as the illumination period. The capture of the image by the image sensor array is driven by the timing module that, in one embodiment, is able to simultaneously expose substantially all of the pixels in the array. The time during which the pixels are collectively activated to photo-convert incident light into charge defines the exposure period for the sensor array. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the exposure period occurs during the illumination period.

A method for depositing items into a storage facility includes receiving a request for storing an item, providing information descriptive of the item. The information is received from the user. A vehicle type that is adapted to transport the first item is determined based on the information received from the user. A first location, where the first item is available for pickup, is determined. A storage facility for storing the first item is determined. The storage facility is associated with a physical address, and the physical address of the storage facility corresponds to a second location. A vehicle that matches the determined vehicle type is dispatched to the first location with instructions for picking up the first item and delivering the first item to the second location such that the first item can be stored at the storage facility.

A barcode detection method includes obtaining a gradient of each pixel in an image, generating a gradient phase and a gradient magnitude of each pixel according to the gradient, and binarizing the gradient magnitude of each pixel to generate a binary image, generating a sliding window on the image, sampling the binary image vertically and horizontally within the sliding window to generate the numbers of grayscale value variations in the vertical and horizontal directions, locating the most intensive flip region according to the grayscale variations in the vertical and horizontal directions, locating a core barcode region according to the most intensive flip region, capturing the gradient phase of the pixels in the core barcode region to generate a gradient phase distribution, generating a barcode format detection result according to the gradient phase distribution, and locating the barcode region according to the barcode format detection result.

Implementations of the present application provide a QR code positioning method and apparatus. Based on a predetermined pixel detection rule, centers of candidate position detection patterns in the QR code image are determined from a QR code image that includes first-type pixels and second-type pixels. The predetermined pixel detection rule includes that a consecutive arrangement ratio of the first-type pixels, the second-type pixels, and the first-type pixels satisfies a predetermined ratio. The candidate position detection patterns are identified based on the centers of the candidate position detection patterns. A set of patterns that satisfies a QR code image positioning rule are determined from the candidate position detection patterns. The set of patterns are used as position detection patterns of the QR code image.

Systems and methods product security include: generating a unique activation code, product identification code, and product scan code for electronic products to be protected and assigning these security codes to their corresponding products; generating an unlock code for each product; embedding the unlock code into the electronic product, and locking the electronic product to be protected to create a locked electronic product; and affixing the unique product scan codes to their corresponding products. At the point of purchase the unique product scan code is scanned to identify the unique activation code for the purchased product. The purchaser receives the activation code assigned to the locked product and enters it. A hash string generated from the activation code is compared to the unlock code to determine whether they are a match.

Various arrangements are presented for cleaning and sorting transaction cards. A transaction card may be dispensed from an intake magazine that houses a plurality of smartcards. The transaction card may be moved along a cleaning assembly. After cleaning the transaction card, the transaction card may be sorted and output into an output magazine. A card sensor may be used to determine when a next transaction card should be dispensed.

Techniques are provided for detecting an improper barcode using a neural network trained to identify an object from physical features appearing in images of object, and without resorting to using a barcode or other indicia to identify the object. The neural network is self-training, updating itself with selected images obtained at a Point-of-Sale. That is, the neural network is capable of training itself while performing improper barcode detection operations, such as spoofing detection.