1. A situation communication mirror adapted for mounting to a transportation vehicle, said situation communication mirror comprising:
a rearward facing reflective member comprising at least three integrally-formed and arcuately distinct reflective surface areas;
the first reflective surface area having a relatively slight curvature defining a relatively focused driver field of view, and wherein the first reflective surface area extends from a top edge of said reflective member towards a bottom edge of said reflective member, and from an inside edge of said reflective member towards an outside edge of said reflective member;
the second and third reflective surface areas each having an increased curvature as compared to the first surface area, and respectively defining wider driver fields of view, wherein the second reflective surface area comprises a longitudinal outside margin of said reflective member opposite the first reflective surface area, and extends from the top edge of said reflective member towards the bottom edge of said reflective member, and wherein the third reflective surface area comprises a longitudinal bottom margin of said reflective member, and extends from an inside edge of said reflective member towards an outside edge of said reflective member; and
first, second, and third reflective elongated transition zones adjacent respective first, second, and third reflective surface areas, each transition zone having a degree of curvature intermediate the slight curvature of the first reflective surface area and the increased curvature of the second and third reflective surface areas, and said transition zones dividing the first, second, and third reflective surface areas and defining a visual transition between the relatively focused driver field of view provided by the first reflective surface area and the wider driver fields of view provided by the second and third reflective surface areas, and wherein the first transition zone extends longitudinally adjacent and between the first and second reflective surface areas, and has a width dimension greater than 20% of a width of said second reflective surface area, and wherein the second transition zone extends longitudinally adjacent and between the first and third reflective surface areas, and has a width dimension greater than 20% of a width of said third reflective surface area, and wherein the third transition zone extends diagonally adjacent and between the second and third reflective surface areas, and has a width dimension equal to the width dimension of said first and second transition zones.
2. A situation communication mirror according to claim 1, wherein said first reflective surface area is greater in dimension than said second and third reflective surface areas.
3. A situation communication mirror according to claim 1, wherein said first reflective surface area has a curvature radius in the range of 500 to 3000 mm.
4. A situation communication mirror according to claim 1, wherein said second reflective surface area has a curvature radius in the range of 300 to 600 mm.
5. A situation communication mirror according to claim 1, wherein said third reflective surface area has a curvature radius in the range of 200-400.
6. In combination with a transportation vehicle, a situation communication mirror mounted to the vehicle and comprising:
a rearward facing reflective member comprising at least three integrally-formed and arcuately distinct reflective surface areas;
the first reflective surface area having a relatively slight curvature defining a relatively focused driver field of view, and wherein the first reflective surface area extends from a top edge of said reflective member towards a bottom edge of said reflective member, and from an inside edge of said reflective member towards an outside edge of said reflective member;
the second and third reflective surface areas each having an increased curvature as compared to the first surface area, and respectively defining wider driver fields of view, wherein the second reflective surface area comprises a longitudinal outside margin of said reflective member opposite the first reflective surface area, and extends from the top edge of said reflective member towards the bottom edge of said reflective member, and wherein the third reflective surface area comprises a longitudinal bottom margin of said reflective member, and extends from an inside edge of said reflective member towards an outside edge of said reflective member; and
first, second, and third reflective elongated transition zones adjacent respective first, second, and third reflective surface areas, each transition zone having a degree of curvature intermediate the slight curvature of the first reflective surface area and the increased curvature of the second and third reflective surface areas, and said transition zones dividing the first, second, and third reflective surface areas and defining a visual transition between the relatively focused driver field of view provided by the first reflective surface area and the wider driver fields of view provided by the second and third reflective surface areas, and wherein the first transition zone extends longitudinally adjacent and between the first and second reflective surface areas, and has a width dimension greater than 20% of a width of said second reflective surface area, and wherein the second transition zone extends longitudinally adjacent and between the first and third reflective surface areas, and has a width dimension greater than 20% of a width of said third reflective surface area, and wherein the third transition zone extends diagonally adjacent and between the second and third reflective surface areas and has a width dimension equal to the width dimension of said first and second transition zones.
7. A combination according to claim 6, wherein said first reflective surface area is greater in dimension than said second and third reflective surface areas.
8. A combination according to claim 6, wherein said first reflective surface area has a curvature radius in the range of 500 to 3000 mm.
9. A combination according to claim 6, wherein said second reflective surface area has a curvature radius in the range of 300 to 600 mm.
10. A combination according to claim 6, wherein said third reflective surface area has a curvature radius in the range of 200-400.
11. A combination according to claim 6, wherein said situation communication mirror is mounted to a body of the vehicle adjacent at least one of the driver and passenger side doors.
12. A combination according to claim 6, wherein said situation communication mirror is mounted to a body of the vehicle adjacent at least one of the driver and passenger side fenders.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A laser scanning system comprising: at least one laser scanning module for detecting properties of a surface passing through a 3-D scanning volume defined by a 3-D omni-directional scan pattern, said laser scanning module utilizing holographic optical elements to direct laser light into said 3-D scanning volume and collect laser light reflected off surfaces in said 3-D scanning volume; and visible indicia, visibly discernable by users of the system, characterizing location of the 3-D scanning volume.
2. The laser scanning system of claim 1, wherein the surface is part of an object moved through the 3-D scanning volume under human control.
3. The laser-scanning system of claim 1, wherein said visible indicia comprises visible markings affixed to a surface over which the objects are moved.
4. The laser-scanning system of claim 3, wherein said visible markings comprises paint applied to said surface.
5. The laser-scanning system of claim 3, wherein said visible markings comprise tape applied to said surface.
6. The laser-scanning system of claim 1, wherein said visible indicia comprises a visible light pattern that characterizes location of the 3-D scanning volume.
7. The laser-scanning system of claim 6, wherein said visible light pattern comprises light emitted from one of at least one white light source, at least one light-emitting diode, and at least one visible laser diode.
8. The laser-scanning system of claim 6, wherein said visible light pattern is pulsed.
9. The laser-scanning system of claim 8, wherein the visible light pattern is pulsed at a frequency less than the critical flicker frequency.
10. The laser scanning system of claim 6, wherein shining of the light pattern on a surface over which the objects are moved through the 3-D scanning volume provides a visible indication of points substantially corresponding to the boundary of the projection of the 3-D scanning volume onto said surface.
11. The laser-scanning system of claim 1, wherein said visible indicia is generated by controlling the at least one laser scanning module to repeatably scan select scan lines that pass through the 3-D scanning volume thereby providing a pulsing of such scan lines, wherein said pulsing of such scan lines characterizes location of the 3-D scanning volume.
12. The laser scanning system of claim 1, wherein said properties comprise at least bar code symbols affixed to surfaces of objects passing through the 3-D scanning volume.
13. The laser scanning system of claim 1, wherein said 3-D omni-directional scanning pattern includes different multi-directional scan patterns at varying focal zones within the 3-D scanning volume.
14. The laser scanning system of claim 13, wherein said focul zones cover a depth of field greater than one foot.
15. The laser scanning system of claim 13, wherein said focul zones cover a depth of field greater than one meter.
16. The laser scanning system of claim 1, wherein said 3-D omni-directional scanning pattern is characterized by a well-defined boundary comprised of substantially planar polygonal surfaces.
17. The laser scanning system of claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for generating an indication that the user has entered a region corresponding to the 3-D scanning volume.
18. The laser scanning system of claim 17, wherein the mechanism utilizes infra-red beams to detect that the user has entered said region.
19. The laser scanning system of claim 17, wherein said indication comprises one of an audio signal and a visual signal.
20. The laser scanning system of claim 1, stationarily mounted above a work environment, wherein the 3-D scanning volume projects downward toward a surface to scan objects that are moved under human control over said surface.
21. The laser scanning system of claim 1, wherein said visible indicia characterizes location of said 3-D scanning volume by visually indicating at least one of center, edges, and other portions of said 3-D scanning volume.
22. A method for detecting properties of an object comprising the steps of: providing at least one laser scanning module scanning a 3-D scanning volume defined by a 3-D omni-directional scan pattern, said laser scanning module utilizing holographic optical elements to direct laser light into said 3-D scanning volume and collect laser light reflected off surfaces in said 3-D scanning volume: generating visible indicia, visibly discernable by users of the laser scanning module, characterizing location of the 3-D scanning volume; and manually moving the object through the 3-D scanning volume such that scanning of the at least one laser scanning module detects properties of the object.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein said visible indicia comprises visible markings affixed to a surface over which the objects are moved.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein said visible markings comprise paint applied to said surface.
25. The method of claim 23, wherein said visible markings comprise tape applied to said surface.
26. The method of claim 22, wherein said visible indicia comprises a visible light pattern that characterizes location of the 3-D scanning volume.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein said visible light pattern comprises light emitted from one of at least one white light source, at least one light-emitting diode, and at least one visible laser diode.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein said visible light pattern is pulsed.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the visible light pattern is pulsed at a frequency less than the critical flicker frequency.
30. The method of claim 26, wherein shining of the light pattern on a surface over which the objects are moved through the 3-D scanning volume provides a visible indication of points substantially corresponding to the boundary of the projection of the 3-D scanning volume onto said surface.
31. The method of claim 26, wherein said visible indicia is generated by controlling the at least one laser scanning module to repeatably scan select scan lines that pass through the 3-D scanning volume thereby providing a pulsing of such scan lines, wherein said pulsing of such scan lines characterizes location of the 3-D scanning volume.
32. The method of claim 22, wherein said properties comprise bar code symbols affixed to surfaces of objects passing through the 3-D scanning volume.
33. The method of claim 22, wherein said 3-D omni-directional scanning pattern includes different multi-directional scan patterns at varying focal zones within the 3-D scanning volume.
34. The method of claim 33, wherein said focul zones cover a depth of field greater than one foot.
35. The method of claim 33, wherein said focul zones cover a depth of field greater than one meter
36. The method of claim 22, wherein said 3-D omni-directional scanning pattern is characterized by a well-defined boundary comprised of substantially planar polygonal surfaces.
37. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of generating an indication that the user has entered a region corresponding to the 3-D scanning volume.
38. The method of claim 37, wherein infra-red beams are used to detect that the user has entered said region.
39. The method of claim 37, wherein said indication comprises one of an audio signal and a visual signal.
40. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one laser scanning module is stationarily mounted above a work environment, wherein the 3-D scanning volume projects downward toward a surface to scan objects that are moved under human control over said surface.
41. The method of claim 22, wherein said visible indicia characterizes location of said 3-D scanning volume by visually indicating at least one of center, edges, and other portions of said 3-D scanning volume