Technology[edit]

Barcode readers can be differentiated by technologies as follows:

Pen-type readers[edit]
Pen-type readers consist of a light source and photodiode that are placed next to each other in the tip of a pen or wand. To read a bar code, the
person holding the pen must move the tip of it across the bars at a relatively uniform speed. The photodiode measures the intensity of the light
reflected back from the light source as the tip crosses each bar and space in the printed code. The photodiode generates a waveform that is used to
measure the widths of the bars and spaces in the bar code. Dark bars in the bar code absorb light and white spaces reflect light so that the voltage
waveform generated by the photodiode is a representation of the bar and space pattern in the bar code. This waveform is decoded by the scanner
in a manner similar to the way Morse code dots and dashes are decoded.
Laser scanners[edit]
Laser scanners work the same way as pen type readers except that they use a laser beam as the light source and typically employ either a
reciprocating mirror or a rotating prism to scan the laser beam back and forth across the bar code. As with the pen type reader, a photodiode is
used to measure the intensity of the light reflected back from the bar code. In both pen readers and laser scanners, the light emitted by the reader
is rapidly varied in brightness with a data pattern and the photodiode receive circuitry is designed to detect only signals with the same modulated
pattern.
CCD readers[edit]
CCD readers use an array of hundreds of tiny light sensors lined up in a row in the head of the reader. Each sensor measures the intensity of the
light immediately in front of it. Each individual light sensor in the CCD reader is extremely small and because there are hundreds of sensors lined
up in a row, a voltage pattern identical to the pattern in a bar code is generated in the reader by sequentially measuring the voltages across each
sensor in the row. The important difference between a CCD reader and a pen or laser scanner is that the CCD reader is measuring emitted
ambient light from the bar code whereas pen or laser scanners are measuring reflected light of a specific frequency originating from the scanner
itself.
Camera-based readers[edit]
Two-dimensional imaging scanners are the sixth and newest type of bar code reader. They use a camera and image processing techniques to
decode the bar code.
Video camera readers use small video cameras with the same CCD technology as in a CCD bar code reader except that instead of having a
single row of sensors, a video camera has hundreds of rows of sensors arranged in a two dimensional array so that they can generate an image.
Large field-of-view readers use high resolution industrial cameras to capture multiple bar codes simultaneously. All the bar codes appearing in
the photo are decoded instantly (ImageID patents and code creation tools) or by use of plugins (e.g. the Barcodepedia uses a flash application and
some web cam for querying a database), have been realized options for resolving the given tasks.
Omni-directional barcode scanners[edit]
Omni-directional scanning uses "series of straight or curved scanning lines of varying directions in the form of a starburst, a lissajous pattern, or
other multiangle arrangement are projected at the symbol and one or more of them will be able to cross all of the symbol's bars and spaces, no
matter what the orientation."[1]
Omni-directional scanners almost all use a laser. Unlike the simpler single-line laser scanners, they produce a pattern of beams in varying
orientations allowing them to read barcodes presented to it at different angles. Most of them use a single rotating polygonal mirror and an
arrangement of several fixed mirrors to generate their complex scan patterns.
Omni-directional scanners are most familiar through the horizontal scanners in supermarkets, where packages are slid over a glass or sapphire
window. There are a range of different omni-directional units available which can be used for differing scanning applications, ranging from retail
type applications with the barcodes read only a few centimetres away from the scanner to industrial conveyor scanning where the unit can be a
couple of metres away or more from the code. Omni-directional scanners are also better at reading poorly printed, wrinkled, or even torn
barcodes.
Cell phone cameras[edit]
While cell phone cameras without auto-focus are not ideal for reading some common barcode formats, there are 2D barcodes which are optimized
for cell phones, as well as QR Codes and Data Matrix codes which can be read quickly and accurately with or without auto-focus. These open up
a number of applications for consumers:
Movies: DVD/VHS movie catalogs
Music: CD catalogs, play MP3 when scanned
Book catalogs and device.
Groceries, nutrition information, making shopping lists when the last of an item is used, etc.
Personal Property inventory (for insurance and other purposes)ode scanned into personal finance software when entering. Later,
scanned receipt images can then be automatically associated with the appropriate entries. Later, the bar codes can be used to rapidly
weed out paper copies not required to be retained for tax or asset inventory purposes.
If retailers put barcodes on receipts that allowed downloading an electronic copy or encoded the entire receipt in a 2D barcode,
consumers could easily import data into personal finance, property inventory, and grocery management software. Receipts scanned on
a scanner could be automatically identified and associated with the appropriate entries in finance and property inventory software.
Consumer tracking from the retailer perspective (for example, loyalty card programs that track consumers purchases at the point of
sale by having them scan a QR code).
A number of enterprise applications using cell phones are appearing:
Access control (for example, ticket validation at venues), inventory reporting (for example, tracking deliveries), asset tracking (for
example, anti-counterfeiting).[2]
Smartphones[edit]
Smartphones can be used in Google's mobile Android operating system via both their own Google Goggles application or 3rd party
barcode scanners like Scan.[3] Nokia's Symbian operating system features a barcode scanner which can scan barcodes, [4] while
mbarcode[5] is a barcode reader for the Maemo operating system. In the Apple iOS, a barcode reader is not automatically included, but
there are more than fifty free or paid apps available with both scanning capabilities and hard-linking to URI. With BlackBerry devices,
the App World application can natively scan barcodes. Windows Phone 8 is able to scan barcodes through the Bing search app.

Housing[edit]
Barcode readers can be distinguished based on housing design as follows:
Handheld scanner
with a handle and typically a trigger button for switching on the light source.
Pen 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.
Automatic reader
a back office equipment to read barcoded documents at high speed (50,000/hour).
Cordless scanner (or Wireless scanner)
a cordless barcode scanner is operated by a battery fit inside it and is not connected to the electricity mains and transfer data to the
connected device like PC.
Gamepad
A gamepad, also known as a joypad, is held in both hands with thumbs and fingers used to provide input. Gamepads can have a
number of action buttons combined with one or more omnidirectional control sticks or buttons. Action buttons are generally handled
with the digits on the right hand, and the directional input handled with the left. Gamepads are the primary means of input on most
modern video game consoles. Due to the ease of use and user-friendly nature of gamepads, they have spread from their origin on
traditional consoles to computers, where a variety of games and emulators support their input as a replacement for keyboard and
mouse input.[3] Most modern game controllers are a variation of a standard gamepad. Common additions include shoulder buttons
placed along the edges of the pad, centrally placed buttons labeled start, select, and mode, and an internal motor to provide haptic
feedback.
Paddle
A paddle is a controller that features a round wheel and one or more fire buttons. The wheel is typically used to control movement of
the player or of an object along one axis of the video screen. Paddle controllers were the first analog controllers and they lost
popularity when "paddle and ball" type games fell out of favor. A variation on the Paddle, the Atari driving controller appeared on the
Atari 2600. Designed specifically for the game Indy 500, it functioned almost identically in operation and design to the regular paddle
controller. The exceptions were that its wheel can be continuously rotated in either direction, and it was missing the extra paddle
included on the previous model. Unlike a spinner, friction prevented the wheel from gaining momentum.
Joystick
A joystick is a peripheral that consists of a handheld stick that can be tilted around either of two axes and (sometimes) twisted around
a third. The joystick is often used for flight simulators. HOTAS controllers, composed of a joystick and throttle quadrant (see below)
are a popular combination for flight simulation among its most fanatic devotees. Most joysticks are designed to be operated with the
user's primary hand (e.g. with the right hand of a right-handed person), with the base either held in the opposite hand or mounted on a
desk. Arcade controllers are typically joysticks featuring a shaft that has a ball or drop-shaped handle, and one or more buttons for in
game actions. Generally the layout has the joystick on the left, and the buttons on the right, although there are instances when this is
reversed.
Trackball
A trackball is basically an upside-down mouse that is manipulated with the palm of one's hand. It has the advantage of not requiring a
lot of desktop space, and that it is as fast as one can roll the ball on it. This is faster than one can move a mouse due to space not being
an issue. It was a precursor to the mouse. Notable uses of a Trackball as a gaming controller would be games such as Centipede,
Marble Madness, Golden Tee Golf and SegaSonic the Hedgehog.
Throttle quadrant
A throttle quadrant is a set of one or more levers that are most often used to simulate throttles or other similar controls in a real
vehicle, particularly an aircraft. Throttle quadrants are most popular in conjunction with joysticks or yokes used in flight simulation.
Steering wheel
A Racing wheel, essentially a larger version of a paddle, is used in most racing arcade games as well as more recent racing simulators
such as Live for Speed, Grand Prix Legends, GTR2, and Richard Burns Rally. While most arcade racing games have been using
steering wheels since Gran Trak 10 in 1974,[4] the first steering wheels for home systems appeared on fifth-generation consoles such
as the PlayStation and Nintendo 64.[citation needed] Many are force feedback (see Force Feedback Wheel), designed to give the same
feedback as would be experienced when driving a real car, but the realism of this depends on the game. They usually come with
pedals to control the gas and brake. Shifting is taken care of in various ways including paddle shifting systems, simple stick shifters
which are moved forward or back to change gears or more complex shifters which mimic those of real vehicles, which may also use a
clutch. Most wheels turn only 200 to 270 degrees lock-to-lock but some models, such as the Logitech Driving Force Pro, Logitech
G25 and Logitech G27 can turn 900 degrees, or 2.5 turns, lock-to-lock. The Namco Jogcon paddle was available for the PlayStation
game R4: Ridge Racer Type 4. Unlike "real" video game steering wheels, the Jogcon was designed to fit in the player's hand. Its much
smaller wheel (diameter roughly similar to a soda can's) resembles the jog-and-shuttle control wheel used on some VCRs. The
Nintendo Wii game Mario Kart Wii is bundled with the Wii Wheel: a steering wheel-shaped shell that the Wii Remote is placed inside
thus using the Wii Remote's motion sensing capabilities to control the kart during the game. Hori also has a steering wheel that is
made for the Nintendo 3DS game Mario Kart 7. When the steering wheel is placed on the back of the console, then it will have the
same ability as in Mario Kart Wii by using the gyroscope in first-person mode.

a keyboard is a typewriter-style device, which uses

an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as
mechanical levers or electronic switches. Following
the decline of punch cards and paper tape,
interaction via teleprinter-style keyboards became
the main input device for computers.
A touchscreen is an electronic visual display that
the user can control through simple or multi-touch
gestures by touching the screen with a special
stylus/pen and-or one or more fingers. Some
touchscreens use an ordinary or specially coated
gloves to work while others use a special stylus/pen
only. The user can use the touchscreen to react to
what is displayed and to control how it is displayed
(for example by zooming the text size).
image scanneroften abbreviated to just scanner,
although the term is ambiguous out of context
(barcode scanner, CAT scanner, etc.)is a device
that optically scans images, printed text,
handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a
digital image. Commonly used in offices are
variations of the desktop flatbed scanner where the
document is placed on a glass window for
scanning. Hand-held scanners, where the device is
moved by hand, have evolved from text scanning
"wands" to 3D scanners used for industrial design,
reverse engineering, test and measurement,
orthotics, gaming and other applications.
Mechanically-driven scanners that move the
document are typically used for large-format

a mouse is a pointing device that detects twodimensional motion relative to a surface. This
motion is typically translated into the motion of a
pointer on a display, which allows for fine control
of a graphical user interface.
Physically, a mouse consists of an object held in
one's hand, with one or more buttons. Mice often
also feature other elements, such as touch
surfaces and "wheels", which enable additional
control and dimensional input.
A barcode reader (or barcode scanner) is an
electronic device for reading printed barcodes.
Like a flatbed scanner, it consists of a light source,
a lens and a light sensor translating optical
impulses into electrical ones. Additionally, nearly
all barcode readers contain decoder circuitry
analyzing the barcode's image data provided by
the sensor and sending the barcode's content to the
scanner's output port.
A microphone, colloquially mic or mike

documents, where a flatbed design would be

(/mak/),[1] is an acoustic-to-electric transducer or

sensor that converts sound in air into an electrical
signal. Microphones are used in many applications
such as telephones, hearing aids, public address
systems for concert halls and public events, motion
picture production, live and recorded audio
engineering, two-way radios, megaphones, radio
and television broadcasting, and in computers for
recording voice, speech recognition, VoIP, and for
non-acoustic purposes such as ultrasonic checking

impractical

or knock sensors.

A light pen is a computer input device in the

form of a light-sensitive wand used in
conjunction with a computer's CRT display.It
allows the user to point to displayed objects or
draw on the screen in a similar way to a
touchscreen but with greater positional accuracy.
It was long thought[according to whom?] that a light pen
can work with any CRT-based display, but not
with LCDs (though Toshiba and Hitachi
displayed a similar idea at the "Display 2006"
show in Japan[1]) and other display technologies.
However, in 2011 Fairlight Instruments released
its Fairlight CMI-30A, which uses a 17" LCD
monitor with light pen control.
1.A monitor or a display is an electronic visual
display for computers. The monitor comprises the
display device, circuitry and an enclosure. The
display device in modern monitors is typically a
thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFTLCD) thin panel, while older monitors used a
cathode ray tube (CRT) about as deep as the screen
size

3A projector or image projector is an optical

device that projects an image (or moving images)
onto a surface, commonly a projection screen.
Most projectors create an image by shining a light
through a small transparent lens, but some newer
types of projectors can project the image directly,
by using lasers. A virtual retinal display, or retinal
projector, is a projector that projects an image
directly on the retina instead of using an external
projection screen.

A digital camera (or digicam) is a camera that

encodes digital images and videos digitally and
stores them for later reproduction.[1] Most cameras
sold today are digital,[2] and digital cameras are
incorporated into many devices ranging from PDAs
and mobile phones (called camera phones) to
vehicles.Digital and film cameras share an optical
system, typically using a lens with a variable
diaphragm to focus light onto an image pickup
device.[3] The diaphragm and shutter admit the
correct amount of light to the imager, just as with
film but the image pickup device is electronic rather
than chemical. However, unlike film cameras,
digital cameras can display images on a screen
immediately after being recorded, and store and
delete images from memory. Many digital cameras
can also record moving videos with sound. Some
digital cameras can crop and stitch pictures and
perform other elementary image editing
4Computer speakers, or multimedia speakers,
are speakers external to a computer, that disable the
lower fidelity built-in speaker. They often have a
low-power internal amplifier
Computer speakers can also serve as an economy
amplifier for MP3 player use for those who wish to
not use headphones, although some models of
computer speakers have headphone jacks of their
own.
DVDs are used in DVD-Video consumer digital
video format and in DVD-Audio consumer digital
audio format, as well as for authoring DVD discs
written in a special AVCHD format to hold high
definition material (often in

conjunction

with AVCHD format camcorders). DVDs

containing other types of information may be
referred to as DVD data discs.

A graphics tablet or digitizer is a computer input device that

enables a user to hand-draw images, animations and graphics,
similar to the way a person draws images with a pencil and
paper. These tablets may also be used to capture data or
handwritten signatures. It can also be used to trace an image
from a piece of paper which is taped or otherwise secured to
the surface. Capturing data in this way, by tracing or entering
the corners of linear poly-lines or shapes, is called digitizing.
The device consists of a flat surface upon which the user may
"draw" or trace an image using an attached stylus, a pen-like
drawing apparatus. The image is displayed on the computer
monitor, although some graphics tablets also have a screen.
Some tablets are intended as a replacement for the mouse as
the primary pointing and navigation device for desktop
computers
A webcam is a video camera that feeds or streams its image in
real time to or through a computer to computer network. When
"captured" by the computer, the video stream may be saved,
viewed or sent on to other networks via systems such as the
internet, and email as an attachment. When sent to a remote
location, the video stream may be saved, viewed or on sent
there. Unlike an IP camera (which connects using Ethernet or
Wi-Fi), a webcam is generally connected by a USB cable, or
similar cable, or built into computer hardware, such as laptops

A game controller is a device used with games or

entertainment systems to provide input to a video game,
typically to control an object or character in the game. A
controller is usually connected to a game console or computer
by means of a wire or cord, although, since the mid-2000s,
wireless controllers have become widespread. Input devices
that have been classified as game controllers include
keyboards, mice, gamepads, joysticks, etc. Special purpose
devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light
guns for shooting games, are also game controllers.
2.a printer is a peripheral which makes a persistent humanreadable representation of graphics or text on paper or similar
physical media. The two most common printer mechanisms
are black and white laser printers used for common
documents, and color ink jet printers which can produce highquality photograph-quality output.
1A floppy disk, also called a diskette, is a disk storage medium
composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium,
sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that
removes dust particles. Floppy disks are read and written by a
floppy disk drive (FDD
2USB flash drives are often used for the same purposes for which
floppy disks or CDs were used, i.e., for storage, data back-up and
transfer of computer files. They are smaller, faster, have
thousands of times more capacity, and are more durable and
reliable because they have no moving parts.
3Disk storage is a general category of storage mechanisms where
data are recorded by various electronic, magnetic, optical, or
mechanical changes to a surface layer of one or more rotating
disks. A disk drive is a device implementing such a storage
mechanism and is usually distinguished from the disk medium.
Notable types are the hard disk drive (HDD) containing a nonremovable disk, the floppy disk drive (FDD) and its removable
floppy disk, and various optical disc drives and associated optical
disc media
4A smartphone (or smart phone) is a mobile phone with an
operating system.[1][2][3] Smartphones typically include the
features of a phone with those of another popular consumer
device, such as a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, a
media player, and/or a GPS navigation unit. Later smartphones
include all of those plus the features of a touchscreen computer,
including web browsing, Wi-Fi, 3rd-party apps, motion sensor,
mobile payment and 3G.