A barcode is a small image of lines (bars) and spaces that is attached to retail store items, ID cards, and mail to identify a specific product number, person, or location. The code uses a sequence of vertical bars and spaces to represent numbers and other characters. Barcode and barcode are synonyms. A code character usually consists of several parts: the start character, data characters (including the optional control character), and the end character.
What is a barcode? Definition
From a technical point of view, a barcode is a machine-readable form of information on a scanned, visual surface. They are also often called UPC codes. The barcode is read using a special scanner that takes information directly from it. The information is then transferred to a database where it can be recorded and tracked. Merchandisers and other companies must pay an annual fee to an organization called the UCC or the Uniform Codes Council, which then generates special bar codes specific to that particular company. Each number has a special meaning, and often these numbers are added, multiplied and divided by some formula that personalizes the data. Barcode is a very useful invention for maintaining accurate inventory information, pricing, and other important business data.
Data generation
The barcode generators of different companies use a different number of combinations of numbers and bars. Some of the larger manufacturers will have a longer number. Each barcode number has its own meaning. For example, if the number starts with 0, then this is the standard UPC number. If it starts with 1, then this is what is called "random weight" and means that the price of an item will depend on its weight. This usually applies to food groups such as meat, fruits, or vegetables. If it starts with number 3, it is pharmaceutical. There are several other options for numbers, and each of them carries certain information. If you use a coupon that has a barcode, the information goes through a system that links this coupon and its value to a previously checked item, and then the amount is automatically subtracted. Barcodes make our lives much more efficient and purchases much faster.
Readers
For reading information, a barcode reader is used. The reader uses a laser beam that is sensitive to reflections from line thickness, space and variation. The reader converts reflected light into digital data that is transmitted to a computer for immediate action or storage. Barcodes and readers are most often found in supermarkets and retail stores, but for them a large number of different applications in other areas have been found:
inventory in retail stores;
checking books from the library;
production and shipping control;
terminals for entry to work;
identification of hospital patients;
tabulation of direct mail sales results.
Very small barcodes and matrix codes were used to mark the bees used in the studies. Readers can be attached to a computer (as they are often found in the settings of a retail store) or are delivered separately and portable. In this case, they store the data that they read until the information is downloaded to the computer.
Standardization system
There is no single barcode standard. This is because there are several different barcode standards called symbols that serve different purposes, industries, or geographic needs. Since 1973, the Unified Product Code (UPC), regulated by the Uniform Code Council (industry organization), has provided the barcode generator used by most retail stores. The European Article Numbering System (EAN), developed by Joe Woodland, inventor of the first barcode system, has added an extra pair of numbers and is widely used.
Types of Barcodes
POSTNET is the standard barcode used in the United States for postal codes in mass mailing. The following are the most common standards:
standard use of a bar code - a single product code (UPC), retail stores to verify sales, inventories;
code 39 (code 3 of 9) - identification, inventory and tracking of deliveries of POSTNET, encoding of postal codes on a postal item;
European Article Number (EAN) - a subset of the UPC that allows you to enter additional numbers to identify the country;
Japanese Article Number (JAN) - like EAN, used in Japan;
Bookland - based on ISBN numbers, used for book covers;
ISSN - used in periodicals outside the United States;
code 128 - is used instead of code 39, because it is more compact;
Interleaved 2 of 5 - used in the shipping and storage industries;
Codabar - Federal Express, in libraries and blood banks;
MICR (magnetic ink character recognition) - a special font used for numbers in bank checks;
OCR-A is an optical character recognition format used on book covers for a human-readable version of ISBN;
OCR-B - used for the human-readable version of the barcodes UPC, EAN, JAN, Bookland and ISSN and for optional human-readable digits with code 39 and alternating 2 out of 5 characters;
Maxicode - used by United Parcel Service;
PDF417 is a new two-dimensional type of barcode that can encode up to 1108 bytes of information, can become a compressed, portable data file (which means PDF).
Technical features
Scanners can be connected to a computer via a serial port, keyboard, or interface device. The reader works by directing a beam of light through a barcode and measuring the amount of light that is reflected. Dark stripes reflect less light than spaces between them. The scanner converts light energy into electrical energy, which is then converted into data by a decoder and redirected to a computer.
Reader Types
What is a barcode, we figured it out. How many types of scanners are there? There are five main types of readers — handheld devices, slot scanners, charge-coupled scanner (CCD), image scanners, and laser scanners.
Hand Reader is the easiest barcode reader. It contains no moving parts and is known for its durability and low cost. However, this type of reader may be inconvenient for the user, because it must remain in direct contact with the barcode, held at a certain angle and moved across the surface at a certain speed.
The barcode slot scanner remains stationary, and the barcode element is manually pulled through the slot. Slot scanners are commonly used to scan barcodes on ID cards.
Innovative readers
The CCD scanner has a better reading range and is often used in retail sales. Typically, a CCD scanner has a gun interface and should be held no more than a centimeter from the barcode. Each time a barcode is scanned, several measurements are taken to reduce the likelihood of errors. The disadvantage of a CCD scanner is that it cannot read a barcode that is wider than its input boundary.
An image scanner, also called a camera reader, uses a small video camera to capture an image, and then uses sophisticated digital image processing techniques for decoding. The device is capable of reading a barcode from about 3 to 9 inches and usually costs less than a laser scanner.
The laser scanner, both manual and stationary, uses a system of mirrors and lenses so that the device can read information regardless of orientation and easily read data at a distance of up to 60 centimeters. To reduce the likelihood of errors, a laser scan can perform up to 500 scans per second. Specialized long-range laser scanners are capable of reading a bar code at a distance of up to 10 meters.