There are many types of barcode scanners available in the market as of now, and some of them are really impressive. For example, the laser scanner is a very interesting piece of equipment once you understand the principle behind it. One of the most famous alternatives to laser scanners are CCD based scanners.
CCD scanners are a different type of scanner in that they have no moving parts, making them more reliable and less prone to failure. Another type of scanner is the 2D barcode scanner, which is the most popular type of scanner. You will see it in almost any store, be it a clothing store, a hypermarket or just your regular corner store.
Laser scanners use moving mirrors and light diodes and are more likely to fail in a shorter period of time, while CCD barcode scanners use LEDs that are known to last 10 times longer than light diodes. 2D barcode readers also use CCD technology to work.
The principle behind CCD technology is by no means mind-boggling: A CCD scanner uses an array of tiny light sensors that aim at the barcode section of a product. The way these scanners work is that they form a sort of grid of tiny laser lights on the surface of the barcode portion of the product. Because barcodes are usually printed on white backgrounds, plus the light emitted by the scanner is reflected by a receiver inside the scanner head. That light is translated into voltage by a photovoltaic cell, and that amount of voltage corresponds to a single type of product in the store.
Once the information is sent from the scanner to the computer, it is cross-referenced to a database, which is also stored on the computer, to which the scanner is connected. This all happens in a matter of nanoseconds: the scanner emits a grid of laser lights on the barcode portion of the product. A portion of the light is reflected from the white surface to a receiver placed inside the barcode scanner head (also known as a photovoltaic cell) that translates the light into a voltage and then crosses it with a database to find out. which product you scanned.
And that’s how barcode scanners work.