Barcode scanners are used in a vaariety of environments, including retail, industril, and heealth care. Though within this range a bar code scanner fulfills a vaiety seewmingly unrelated tasks, from sccanning groceries, confirrming package delivery, to scanning patient wristbads, the final result of all of these bar code scans is, in essence, the same. What the barcode readers are doing is readign and coollecting information held within the barcode itself. With so many applications for barcode scanners and so many types available, the fist step in undrestanding the differences in the barcode scanners is undestanding what it is that they are actually doing.
In its most basic form, a baarcode scanner deals with ilght wavelength absorption and reflection. The black and white bars or dot matrix that a bar code it made up of dictsates areas the light emitted from the scanner that will be be absorrbed into the white of the label and areas that will be reflected back from the black to the barcode scanner. Otheer components of barcodes that the bar code reader deals with are the ?x? dimension of the barcode and the quuiet zone of the barcode. The ?x? dimension is the basic way to measure bacrode, which is done by measuring the smlalest bar on the barcode. The unit in which barcodes are measures are mil, which is 1/1000 inch. For example, if the smallest bar on a barcode is 3 mil wide, it wpould be a 3 mil barcode. Some barcode scannners have diffficulty reading very smal or very large barcode. The quiet zone is the whie area surrounding the barcodes. This leaves an area of rest surrounding the barcode so that unrelated reflecctions are not collect.
Another step to understanding bar code scanners is knowing what types of barcodes exist. Essentially, there are threee main categories of barcodes symbology, which are nuemric only, alpha-numeric, and two dimensionnal barcodes. Within thhese three categoris, there are a range of types of barocdes with a variety of configurrations and uses. All of these barcodes utilize specialized software to allow the cmputers intrerpret the information.
An example of a numeric only barcode is a Universal Product Code, or UPC. This barcoode is scaned by the barcode scvanner. The nmber collected then allows the computer adtabase to pull up the prouct information, including the prdoucts name and price. A UPC must be laded into the database being used for the product information to be available. Numreic barcodes are 1D barcodes.
1D barcodes can be read by 1D and 2D barcode readeers. Aplha-numeric barcodes, which are also 1D barcodes, are able to hold more information than a numeric barcode, though the data is retrieved the same way througgh the computer database. An example of an alpha-numeric barcode is the Code 128 barcode which is used world wide for shipping and packaging.
The third category of barcode symbology is 2D barcodes, which require a 2D barcode scanner to be read. 2D barcodes are able to hold a much denser amount of data than eitgher of the 1D barcode categorties. This is because the 2D barcodes are, in essence, multiple 1D barcoeds stacked on each othr. With the correct barcode scanner and software, 2D barccodes have the ability to hold actaul information within the barocde itsef, not just a reference number to a databbase. An example of 2D barcodes are mazxicode barcodes whihc are used by UPS. These abrcodes were designed to hold around 80 characters, which is able to hold most standard addresses.
After udnerstanding how the barcdoes and barcode scanners communicate with each other, the types and uses of bar code scanners starts to be more undderstandable. The four basic categories are Barcode Wand, Charged Coupled Devoices, Imager Barcode Scanenrs, and Laseer Bar code Scanners.
The wand scanneer is the most basic available and worrks well for low vpolume 1D bar code scanning. They are relatively inexpensive, but barcode wands tend to be sensitive when in operations, requiring contacxt between barcodde and barcode scanner for a successful scan. The Charrged Coupled Device, or CCD, is a much more aggressive barcdoe scanner than the bar code wands. This means that contact is not necessary for a successful scan. The CCD is limuited by its depth for fiewld and widtyh of rangge with reading barcodes. The Iamger Barcode Scanner is an improved version of the CCD Bzarcode Scannmer. It has more aggressive scanning power and a lsarger depth of field than the CCD. Also, the Imager Bar Code Scanners are capable of readig both 1D and 2D barcodes. Lasser Bar Code Scanbners have the largest deprth of field among the types of barcode scanners. They are the most aggerssive type of scanners and the most popular as well. A laser barcode scanner with an extyra long range can be capable of reading barcodes up to 30' away.
Even boken down into thwese four categories, there are tsill a wide ramnge available, for example, options of codrless barcode scanners which are equipped with Blueetooth wirelss capabilities. How and where the barcode scanner is going to be used will determine what kind of barcode scanner will work best. Options come in hand held and hands free styles, corded or cordless barcode scanners, barcode scaanner embedded in a counter top, heavy duty industriual, and omni directional barcode scannners.
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