Method and apparatus for calibrating a client computing device for decoding symbols

1. A client computing device comprising:

a housing;

a display positioned within the housing;

an imaging assembly positioned within the housing and comprising an image sensor, wherein the imaging assembly is configured to capture images of a symbol using a plurality of parameters; and

a controller operatively coupled to the imaging assembly, the controller configured to:

decode a first symbol in a first image captured by the image sensor at a first setting of a first one of the plurality of parameters;

decode the first symbol in a second image captured by the image sensor at a second setting of the first one of the plurality of parameters; and

determine the faster of: 1) the decode-time of the first symbol in the first image, and 2) the decode-time of the first symbol in the second image, as the setting of the first one of the plurality of parameters to decode a second symbol.

2. The client computing device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:

decode the first symbol in the first image captured by the image sensor at the first setting of the first one of the plurality of parameters and at a first setting of a second one of the plurality of parameters;

decode the first symbol in the second image captured by the image sensor at the second setting of the first one of the plurality of parameters and at the first setting of the second one of the plurality of parameters; and

determine the faster of: 1) the decode-time of the first symbol in the first image, and 2) the decode-time of the first symbol in the second image, as a combination of the settings of the first and second ones of the plurality of parameters to decode the second symbol.

3. The client computing device of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to:

decode the first symbol in a third image captured by the image sensor at the second setting of the first one of the plurality of parameters and at a second setting of the second one of the plurality of parameters; and

determine the faster of: 1) the decode-time of the first symbol in the first image, 2) the decode-time of the first symbol in the second image, 3) the decode-time of the first symbol in the third image, as the combination of the settings of the first and second ones of the plurality of parameters to decode the second symbol.

4. The client computing device of claim 2 , wherein the first parameter is focus and the second parameter is exposure value.

5. The client computing device of claim 1 , wherein the first symbol comprises at least one of a known size and a known density, and wherein the controller is configured to cause the display to generate an image of a graphic indicating a boundary in which to position an image of the first symbol on the display, the image of the first symbol on the display being representative of image data of the first symbol captured by the image sensor, the boundary corresponding to a size of the image of the symbol on the display, which in turn corresponds to a known distance of the first symbol from the imaging assembly.

6. The client computing device of claim 1 , wherein the first symbol comprises one of a: 1) one-dimensional barcode, and 2) a two-dimensional barcode, and wherein the controller is configured to cause the display to generate a prompt to capture an image of the first symbol.

7. The client computing device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to reject a decode-time of the first symbol slower than a threshold value.

8. The client computing device of claim 7 , wherein the threshold value is at least 100 milliseconds and no more than 200 milliseconds.

9. A client computing device comprising:

a housing;

a display positioned within the housing;

an imaging assembly positioned within the housing and comprising an image sensor, wherein the imaging assembly is configured to capture images of a symbol using a plurality of parameters; and

a controller operatively coupled to the imaging assembly, the controller configured to:

sequentially decode a plurality of images of a first symbol captured by the image sensor, each image captured using a different combination of settings of the plurality of parameters; and

determine a combination of the settings of the plurality of parameters with the fastest time-to-decode the first symbol as the combination of settings of the plurality of parameters to decode a second symbol in an image captured by the image sensor.

10. The client computing device of claim 9 , wherein the combination of parameters comprises one or more of the following: focus parameter, exposure value, image size, image resolution, and shape correction.

11. The client computing device of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to first sequentially decode the plurality of images of the first symbol captured by the image sensor, each image captured using a different focus setting, and configured to then sequentially decode a plurality of images of a first symbol captured by the image sensor, each image captured using a different exposure value setting.

12. The client computing device of claim 9 , wherein the first symbol comprises at least one of a known size and a known density, and wherein the controller is configured to cause the display to generate an image of a graphic indicating a boundary in which to position an image of the first symbol on the display, the image of the first symbol on the display being representative of image data of the first symbol captured by the image sensor, the boundary corresponding to a size of the image of the symbol on the display, which in turn corresponds to a known distance of the first symbol from the imaging assembly.

13. The client computing device of claim 9 , wherein the first symbol comprises one of a: 1) one-dimensional barcode, and 2) a two-dimensional barcode, and wherein the controller is configured to cause the display to generate a prompt to capture an image of the first symbol.

14. A calibration method for a client computing device, the method comprising:

providing a client computing device having a camera configured to capture an image;

instructing a user of the client computing device to position a symbol of predetermined size and/or density a predetermined distance from the camera;

scanning the symbol a plurality of times with the camera, each scan having a value of a scanning parameter changed;

decoding the symbol in each scan;

determining the decode-time for each decode of the symbol in each scan; and

choosing the value of the scanning parameter of the scan with the fastest decode-time as a default setting for scanning and decoding subsequent symbols.

15. The calibration method of claim 14 , further comprising causing a display on the client computing device to generate a prompt to use the default setting to scan a subsequent symbol.

16. The calibration method of claim 14 , further comprising transmitting the decode-time of the symbol in each scan to a server, wherein choosing the setting with the fastest decode-time as a default setting comprises: choosing, by the server, the setting with the fastest decode-time as a default setting for scanning and decoding subsequent symbols.

17. The calibration method of claim 14 , wherein choosing the setting with the fastest decode-time as a default setting comprises: choosing, by the client computing device, the setting with the fastest decode-time as a default setting for scanning and decoding subsequent symbols.

18. A calibration method for a client computing device, the method comprising:

providing a client computing device having a camera configured to capture an image;

instructing a user of the client computing device to position a symbol of predetermined size and/or density a predetermined distance from the camera;

scanning the symbol a plurality of times with the camera, wherein each scan has a value of a scanning parameter changed and comprises a plurality of images of the symbol captured by the camera;

decoding the symbol in each scan;

averaging decode-times of the symbol in the plurality of images in each scan; and

choosing the value of the scanning parameter of the scan with the fastest average decode-time as a default setting for scanning and decoding subsequent symbols.

19. The calibration method of claim 18 , further comprising causing a display on the client computing device to generate a prompt to use the default setting to scan a subsequent symbol.

20. The calibration method of claim 18 , further comprising transmitting the average decode-time of the symbol in the plurality of images in each scan to a server, wherein choosing the value of the scanning parameter of the scan with the fastest decode-time as a default setting comprises:

choosing, by the server, the value of the scanning parameter of the scan with the fastest decode-time as a default setting for scanning and decoding subsequent symbols.

21. The calibration method of claim 18 , wherein choosing the value of the scanning parameter of the scan with the fastest decode-time as a default setting comprises: choosing, by the client computing device, the value of the scanning parameter of the scan with the fastest decode-time as a default setting for scanning and decoding subsequent symbols.