How Does A Barcode Scanner Work?

To understand how a barcode scanner work, it ispulses into readable text that can be displayed on a
important to first understand how barcodes aremonitor. This process is actually very fast and only
produced and being read.takes a few milliseconds.
Each barcode has specific symbols defined as aNowadays there are many varieties of barcode
series of bars in a barcode. The way to differentiatescanners models. Their usage depends a lot on the
the barcode is by the height and width as well as thetype of industry and the work environment. Examples
bar spacing. Each strip of bar can represent a number,are desktop models, handheld and portable models.
character or alphanumeric character depending onOne of the most popular type is the wireless barcode
which type of barcode symbology set is used.scanner. They connect to the base station or
Usually a barcode contains a start and end bar toworkstations wirelessly and can transmit data back to
denote the starting and ending point of the barcode.the terminal as long as they are within the wireless
Sometimes, there is an additional bar called therange radius.
checksum bar. The purpose of the checksum bar isWireless barcode scanner are often used in the
used to determine whether the barcode is correctwarehouse industry where workers can easily scan a
after calculation and ensures the accuracy of thebarcode that can be placed in awkward positions or
barcode.angles. It is also used in industries where goods are
The barcode scanner's photosensors can then readoften moving from one location to another. Using a
the barcodes and convert them to electrical pulses.wireless barcode scanner allows freedom of
Since each strip of bar is equivalent to a character, themovement and thus more efficient.
barcode software can easily convert these electrical