Barcode
Barcode





a machine-readable representation of information in
a visual format on a surface.
stored data in the widths and spacings of printed
parallel lines
today they also come in patterns of dots, concentric
circles, and hidden in images.
read by optical scanners called barcode readers or
scanned from an image by special software.
widely used to implement Auto ID Data Capture
(AIDC) systems that improve the speed and
accuracy of computer data entry.
Usage



barcodes -- especially the UPC code -- have slowly
become an essential part of modern civilization.
usage is widespread, and the technology behind
barcodes is constantly improving.
Some modern applications of barcodes include:
–
–
every item purchased from a grocery store, department
store, and mass merchandiser has a barcode on it.
keeping track of the large number of items in a store and
also reduces instances of shoplifting
Usage - industry




Rental car companies keep track of their cars by
means of barcodes on the car bumper.
Airlines track passenger luggage with barcodes,
reducing the chance of loss.
Recently, researchers have placed tiny barcodes on
individual bees to track the insects' mating habits.
The movement of nuclear waste can be tracked
easily with a bar-code inventory system.
UPC




Universal Product Code
The best-known and most widespread use of
barcodes has been on consumer products
developed by the user community. Most
technological innovations are first invented and then
a need is found for the invention.
The U.P.C. is a response to a business need first
identified by the US grocery industry in the early
1970s.
UPC

automating the grocery checkout process
–

reduce labor costs, improve inventory control,
speed up the process, and improve customer
service
The usefulness of the barcode required the
adoption of expensive scanners by a critical
mass of retailers while manufacturers
simultaneously adopted barcode labels.
Scanner


The earliest, and still the
cheapest, barcode scanners
are built from a fixed light and a
single photo sensor that is
manually "scrubbed" across the
barcode.
A later design, the "laser
scanner," uses a polygonal
mirror or galvanometermounted mirror to scan a laser
across the barcode -- initially
only in a straight line, but
eventually in complicated
patterns so the reader could
read barcodes at any angle.
Scanner





In the 1990s some barcode reader manufacturers began
working with digital cameras to capture barcodes, both linear
and 2D.
That technology has since been perfected and now often
surpasses laser scanners in performance and reliability.
More recently, off-the-shelf digital cameras now have enough
resolution to capture both 1D and 2D barcodes.
Companies are looking to incorporate barcode scanning
software into camera-phones.
However, the camera phone optics are not well suited for
standard codes that were designed for industrial dedicated
scanners. As a result, new codes are being designed for mobile
use such as color code and mCode.
Mcode barcode



specifically designed to meet the needs of emerging
mobile applications and mobile camera phone
devices.
Extensive research and development went into
creating a code format that would provide optimal
usability for mobile devices, mobile users and mobile
services.
Pick up an advertisement with Mcode logo and send
out request SMS – message will return to you via
email system
Color code