Barcode Scanners

Barcode Scanners & 2D Barcode Scanners from Psion Honeywell Datalogic UK and Ireland

Barcode Scanners

The manufacturing industry has been an important component of World economiesand is large and competitive, because of these characteristics, manufacturers need to look for ways to differentiate themselves from competition. Datalogic Barcode Scanners believes that, being at the beginning of the supply chain, manufacturers can use AIDC technology to gain a competitive edge.

Handheld Barcode Scanner
With a handle and typically a trigger button for switching on the light source.

Pen Barcode Scanner (or wand scanner)
A pen-shaped scanner that is swiped.

Stationary scanner
Wall- or table-mounted scanners that the barcode is passed under or beside. These are commonly found at the checkout counters of supermarkets and other retailers.

Fixed-position scanner
An industrial barcode reader used to identify products during manufacture or logistics. Often used on conveyor tracks to identify cartons or pallets which need to be routed to another process or shipping location. Another application joins holographic scanners with a checkweigher to read bar codes of any orientation or placement, and weighs the package. Systems like this are used in factory and farm automation for quality management and shipping.

PDA scanner (or Auto-ID PDA)
A PDA with a built-in barcode reader or attached barcode scanner.

Cordless scanner (or Wireless scanner)
A cordless barcode scanner is operated by a re-chargeable battery fitted inside it and is not connected to the electricity mains.

Barcode Scanning

•Accurate and Efficient organization – bar code scanning allows products to be stored safely and fast.
•Money-saving inventory management – Datalogic bar code scanning keeps accurate and percise data about inventory levels, reducing stock-outs, overstocks, and emergency shipments.
•Increased efficiency – Datalogic Barcode Scanners have industry leading scan rates and excellent reading of poor quality labels which terminate hand-keying operations.
•Visible product tracking – technological advances such as 2D bar codes are empowering manufacturers to have greater control of their products and materials throughout the supply chain.
2D Barcode scanners

As barcodes evolved into rectangles, dots, hexagons and other geometric patterns, they become known as 2D or 2 dimensional codes such as CODE1, DATAMATRIX, QR CODES, MAXICODE, PDF 417.
A 2D Barcode Scanner can interpret 2D barcodes, which store data in two dimensions, rather than in just a series of black and white bars. 2D barcodes look like checkerboards or a series of traditional barcodes stacked atop one another. 2D Barcode Scanners use both CCD and Imaging technology to read barcodes. This means the code can hold a large amount of information one advantage over the linear barcode. The 2D barcode is also very small in size meaning it does not take up much room on a product leaving designers more space for decorating the products.

Data Matrix barcodes are a 2-D matrix code designed to pack a lot of information in a very small space. A Data Matrix symbol can store between one and 500 characters. The symbol is also scalable between a 1-mil square to a 14-inch square. The density will, of course, be limited by the resolution of the printing and reading technology used.

The code has several other interesting features. Since the information is encoded by absolute dot position rather relative dot position, it is not as susceptible to printing defects as is traditional bar code. The coding scheme has a high level of redundancy with the data "scattered" throughout the symbol. this allows the symbol to be read correctly even if part of it is missing. Each Datacode symbol has two adjacent sides printed as solid bars, while the remaining adjacent sides are printed as a series of equally spaced square dots. These patterns are used to indicate both orientation and printing density of the symbol.

PDF417 is a stacked symbology and PDF stands for Portable Data File, and the symbology consists of 17 modules each containing 4 bars and spaces (thus the number "417"). The code is in the public domain.
The structure of the code allows for between 1000 to 2000 characters per symbol with an information density of between 100 and 340 characters. Each symbol has a start and stop bar group that extends the height of the symbol.

A PDF417 symbol can be read with modified handheld laser or CCD scanners. High density printers (thermal transfer or laser) should be used to print the symbol
QR Code (Quick Response Code) QR Code symbols are square in shape and can easily be identified by their finder pattern of nested alternating dark and light squares at three corners of the symbol. Maximum symbol size is 177 modules square, capable of encoding 7366 numeric characters, or 4464 alpha numeric characters. The QR Code is designed for rapid reading using CCD array cameras and image processing technology because of the layout of the finder pattern.