Multi-mode ring scanner
View Patent ↗A multi-mode ring scanner (MMRS) has a ring unit for wearing on a finger. The MMRS optionally has a wrist unit coupled to the ring unit, such as via a cable. The MMRS optionally communicates wirelessly with a computing device. The ring unit has one or more scanners (such as an optical scanner or an RFID tag reader). The ring unit optionally has two paddle switches for activation by inward pressure from fingers adjacent to the finger. The two switches enable specifying operation of the MMRS in a plurality of modes and/or to communicate a plurality of information codes to the computing device. The computing device is optionally enabled to assign a function to each combination of activation of the two switches. A scanning system including the MMRS optionally provides feedback to a user based on feedback from a host processor.
1. A multi-mode ring scanning device comprising:
a ring unit comprising
at least two independent switches each settable in a plurality of states at least in part via respective digits of a hand, and
processing circuitry;
wherein the ring unit is enabled to operate in a selected one of a plurality of modes and adapted to be worn on at least one digit of the hand;
wherein the processing circuitry is enabled to determine the selected mode based at least in part on the states of the switches; and
wherein the processing circuitry is further enabled to determine the selected mode based at least in part on previous values of the states of the switches.
2. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein one of the respective digits is a thumb of the hand and another one of the respective digits is a finger of the hand.
3. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein a first one of the states corresponds to a contact of one of the switches being closed, and a second one of the states corresponds to the contact being open.
4. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein a first one of the modes specifies the operating of the ring unit to be actively scanning, and a second one of the modes specifies the operating of the ring unit to be not scanning.
5. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein the ring unit comprises one or more of an optical scanner and a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag reader.
6. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein the ring unit is further enabled to receive an assignment of functions from a host computer, the assignment specifying at least first and second functions, respectively, to the two switches.
7. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 6 , wherein the first function is to activate an optical scanner of the ring unit, and the second function is to activate a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag reader of the ring unit.
8. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein the ring unit is further enabled to receive information from a host computer and to communicate at least a portion of the information to a user of the multi-mode ring scanning device.
9. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 8 , wherein the information comprises scan success/failure status.
10. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , further comprising a wrist unit coupled to the ring unit and enabled to operate in accordance with the modes.
11. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is first processing circuitry and further comprising a wrist unit coupled to the ring unit and comprising second processing circuitry, and wherein the first processing circuitry is further enabled to determine the selected mode based at least in part on information determined by the second processing circuitry based at least in part on the states of the switches.
12. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 11 , wherein the coupling is via a stretchable cable connecting the units and configured to reduce slack of the cable.
13. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 11 , wherein the coupling is via a wireless connection.
14. The multi-mode ring scanning device of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry comprises a programmable processor.
15. A method comprising:
determining respective states of respective switches that are settable in a plurality of states at least in part via respective digits of a hand;
determining, based at least in part on the respective states of the switches and at least in part on previous values of the respective states of the switches, a selected one of a plurality of modes to operate a multi-mode ring scanner in;
wherein the multi-mode ring scanner comprises a ring unit comprising the switches and adapted to be worn on at least one digit of the hand; and
wherein the ring unit further comprises processing circuitry that is enabled to perform the determining of the selected mode.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, via the multi-mode ring scanner, optically scanning when the selected mode is an optical scanning mode, and reading a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag when the selected mode is a read RFID tag mode.
17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising configuring the multi-mode ring scanner to perform optical scans when the selected mode transitions to an optical scanning mode.
18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising configuring the multi-mode ring scanner to perform Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag reads when the selected mode transitions to a read RFID tag mode.
19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving an assignment of functions from a host computer, the assignment specifying at least first and second functions, respectively, to the respective switches.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the first function is to activate an optical scanner of the ring unit, and the second function is to activate a Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tag reader of the ring unit.
21. The method of claim 15 , further comprising receiving information from a host computer and communicating at least a portion of the information to a user of the multi-mode ring scanner.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the information comprises scan success/failure status.
23. The method of claim 15 , further comprising setting the respective states of the respective switches via the respective digits of the hand.