Barcode reader
The inevitable peril of endless queue at the supermarkets is something that we all have suffered from. The manual product data entry takes, what seems like an eternity. That is why the new age answer to this menace is Barcode readers.
Yes, product detail entry has never been easier. This device, which is known as barcode reader, is universally accepted tool used by maximum retailers.
In most of the standard products, which are available in the market today, there is a Barcode attached. Remember those vertical series of lines of varying width, with some numbers at the top of the bar? Well even if those scribbling never have made any sense to you, but it surely does make sense to a Barcode reader. Do you know that in those bars scores of information are stored? Hard to believe but its true.
Barcode readers, as the name suggests are used to read printed Barcodes. It consist of a source of light, a high resolution lens, and a photo conducting plate which does the work of transporting optical data into electrical pulses. So all that you need to enter to the product detail is, simply place the barcode of the product under the scanner, and in one quick sweep the barcode reader captures all the information given.
Well now, though it sounds simple, it is not the end of the story. There are many versions of barcode reader, which uses different technologies, and you can choose one according to your convenience.
To start off, the first type is known as the Pen Type reader. This model uses photosensitive diodes, which detects the Barcode patterns by throwing light at them and analyzing the reflection received. The decoding process is a lot similar to that of decoding a Morse code.
The other type is the laser scanner, which is exactly similar to the previous version, except that it uses a laser beam, instead of monochromic light.
Next comes the CCD scanner. This model has hundreds of tiny photosensitive diodes lined up a row. It throws a light onto the Barcodes and detects the pattern by realizing the voltage difference between the barcodes.
Until recent time the CCD scanners were the most widely used barcode readers, however, now the throne has been taken up by Camera Based readers. Camera based readers creates a 2D image of the barcodes. Then the data is processed in a highly sophisticated digital image analyzer. This is the most efficient and fastest version of all the barcode readers we have discussed till now.
Barcodes are one of the truly sophisticated innovations of the previous century and have brought a revolution in the retailing world ever since. There many kinds of Barcode reader available in the market. A few to name are Hand-Held, Stationary Scanners, Pen Scanners, PDA scanners, fixed position scanner, Automatic Scanner. The automatic scanners are a bit expensive, but they are the most efficient ones as they automatically detect a Barcode and process the information at a blinding speed.
Very recently, brand new wireless barcode readers have arrived into the market, which are obviously a bit more expensive than its contemporaries, but considering the degree of freedom it gives you, every extra penny is worth the value.