A high-speed six-line ternary barcode detection system with a dual threshold method

A six-line ternary barcode detection system employing a dual threshold detection method has been developed to investigate the possibility of realizing multi-line scanners. This system, characterizing the subtraction of an attenuated enveloped line of a detected barcode signal from the original signal, enables detection over a larger range and also at higher scanning speeds while containing a great amount of information. The system using a six-line ternary barcode and a six-mirror-facet raster scanner was demonstrated to be capable of providing detection in a wide detection range of over 3.5 cm at a scanning speed of 417 scan/sec, over eight times that of conventional CCD cameras. The allowable skew angle for detection of barcode was over -16 ~ +16 degrees, which are nearly equivalent to that in the conventional two-dimensional barcode detection system. The possibility of high-speed detection with a sufficient detection range determined by the raster scanner configuration and a practically usable large allowable skew angle for barcode detection was confirmed even when the scanning lines were increased. This system is expected to enable the real time identification of goods on production lines and in automated warehouses etc.