The fundamental principle on which barcode readers work is to examine an image and process it in various manners. Capturing image and text procedure so called OCR (optical character recognition) enables you to store corresponding data to a file or folder on your computer system. With this information, you can easily use it for several purposes like for printing, for modifying or for implementing on your own web page.

Barcode scanner or reader mainly consists of three components:

1/ Illumination System
2/ Sensor or Converter
3/ Decoder

The process of scanning starts when red light is illuminated on encoded data. Sensor senses the reflected light from the illumination system and produces an analog signal with different voltage displaying the reflection intensity or lack of intensity. The converter is responsible for altering the analog signal into a digital signal for the purpose of decoding. After that decoder interprets digital signal, perform mathematical or arithmetic computations to verify that barcode is decipherable, changes it into ASCII text, arrange the text and transfer it to the computer to which the scanner is referenced.

Description of Barcode Scanner parts

1/ Illumination System

The illumination system is the technique through which black bars and white spaces are illuminated. Most generally used illumination systems are as the following:

Single Point LED

This technology uses barcode wand reader and barcode slot reader. The illumination of the barcode arrives from individual or pair of LED’s and is centered by a single ball-type opening. In this technology, ball is used to actually touch the barcode used for scanning.

Linear Multiple LED

In Linear Multiple LED, batch LED’s are placed in a line provides facility to light the complete width of the barcode image. This technology is mainly acceptable in CCD scanners and Linear Imagers.

Laser

Laser technology implements a single point red laser diode which seems like a laser pointer.

2/ Sensor or Converter

Sensor is used to detect red light reflected form the illumination system and creates an analog signal having several sized employed to show lack of intensity or reflection intensity. The converter is implemented to change analog signal to digital signal so that it is easily decoded into useful information.

3/ Decoder

Decoder understands digital signal code, carries out arithmetical computations to authenticate whether barcode is decipherable or not, transformed it into ASCII text, customize text formatting and transmit it to the computer system to which the scanner is attached. Barcode Generator can print 26 fonts of barcode and these barcodes can be scanned.

Author: John is a 24 years old Software Engineer. Further knowledge: Barcode generator software can create Barcode Label of different formats and different Barcode Symbologies.