Category: Business/Financial Management >> Finance and Taxation

Problem description:

I am a newbie, please tell me what the product barcode is?

Analysis:

Barcode technology is an emerging technology developed on the basis of computer technology and information technology that integrates coding, printing, identification, data collection and processing. The barcodes that people see printed on product packaging every day are ordinary one-dimensional barcodes. As an automatic identification technology, one-dimensional barcodes have been widely used in business and books since their advent in the early 1970s. Due to their advantages of fast reading, accuracy, reliability, and low production costs, Management, warehousing, post and telecommunications, transportation and industrial control and other fields.

1. The origin of two-dimensional barcode technology

Since the information capacity of one-dimensional barcode is very small, for example, the barcode on a product can only hold a few or dozens of *** digits. Or letters, the detailed description of the product can only be provided by the database. Without the pre-established database, the use of one-dimensional barcodes is limited. For this reason, people are eager to invent a new coding system that not only has the advantages of one-dimensional barcodes, but also has the advantages of large information capacity, high reliability, and strong confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting. In order to meet people's needs, after several years of efforts, the American Symbol Company officially launched a two-dimensional barcode called PDF417 in 1991, referred to as PDF417 barcode (see Figure 1 below), which is a "portable data file".

(Figure 1 2D barcode PDF417)

2. Characteristics of PDF417 barcode technology

PDF417 barcode is a high-density, high-information content portable data Documents are an ideal means to automatically store, carry, and automatically read large-capacity, high-reliability information such as documents and cards, and can be automatically read by machines. PDF417 barcode has the following characteristics:

1. Large information capacity

It can accommodate 250 to 1100 characters per square inch according to different bar-to-space ratios. In the effective area of ??the international standard card (equivalent to 2/3 of the credit card area, approximately 76mm*25mm), the PDF417 barcode can accommodate 1848 alphabetical characters or 2729 numeric characters, approximately 500 Chinese character information. This two-dimensional barcode has dozens of times higher information capacity than ordinary barcodes.

2. Wide encoding range

PDF417 barcode can encode photos, fingerprints, palmprints, signatures, sounds, text and other digitizable information.

3. Good confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting performance

PDF417 barcode has multiple anti-counterfeiting properties. It can use password anti-counterfeiting, software encryption and use of contained information such as fingerprints, photos, etc. for anti-counterfeiting. Therefore, it has extremely strong confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting properties.

4. High decoding reliability

The decoding error rate of ordinary barcodes is about two parts per million, while the error rate of PDF417 barcodes does not exceed one part per million. First, the decoding reliability is extremely high.

5. Strong error correction ability

PDF417 barcode adopts the world's most advanced mathematical error correction theory. If the damaged area does not exceed 50%, the barcode will be damaged due to contamination, damage, etc. Lost information can be deciphered as usual.

6. Easy to produce and low cost

Using existing printing technologies such as dot matrix, laser, inkjet, thermal/thermal transfer, card printing machine, etc., you can Print PDF417 2D barcodes on paper, card, PVC, and even metal surfaces. The added cost is only the cost of ink, so people also call PDF417 a "zero-cost" technology.

7. The shape of the barcode symbol is variable

With the same amount of information, the shape of the PDF417 barcode can be self-adjusted according to the carrier area and art design.

3. Comparison between PDF417 and IC card and magnetic card technology

In terms of the application of card technology, the comparison between PDF417 barcode card and IC card and magnetic card technology is as follows:

Advantages: Readable and writable, cost slightly higher than PDF417 2D barcode card;

Disadvantages:

①Small information capacity, Often dependent on external databases;

②Poor confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting;

③Low reliability, susceptible to electromagnetic field interference and damage to information;

④Short lifespan ( 1 year).

2. IC card

Advantages: large information capacity, readable and writable;

Disadvantages:

① High cost, IC The cost of the card is usually 3-5 times that of the PDF417 barcode card;

② Short life (2-3 years), easy to be destroyed;

③ Poor reliability, vulnerable to external force Magnetic field interference destroys information;

④ Confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting are relatively poor. Information can be rewritten, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage of IC cards, leaving opportunities for forgery of information.

3.PDF417 2D barcode card

Advantages:

① Large information capacity, strong confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting, and high reliability;

② Low cost, choose carrier according to different materials, a PDF417 barcode card can cost up to a few yuan, or even a few cents;

③ Long life, PDF417 2D barcode card The lifespan can reach 8 or 9 years (PVC card).

Disadvantages: Information cannot be rewritten. This just enhances the anti-counterfeiting ability of the 2D barcode card.

Through the above analysis, it can be seen that 2D barcode cards contain almost all the advantages of magnetic cards and IC cards. The only disadvantage is that it cannot be rewritten. In order to enhance the confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting properties of the card, for applications such as certificates and licenses that do not need to be rewritten frequently, the information cannot be rewritten, which exactly enhances the confidentiality and anti-counterfeiting performance of the card.

4. Standardization status of PDF417 barcode

Since Symbol made PDF417 an open system standard technology in 1991, PDF417 barcode has been respected by more and more standardization organizations. For example:

AIM - was selected as the International Association of Automatic Identification Manufacturers (AIM) standard in 1994;

ANSIMH10.8 - in 1996 the American Standardization Committee (ANSI) has Use PDF417 barcode as the paper EDI standard for transportation packaging in the United States;

CEN - In 1997, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) adopted the European standard for PDF417;

International standardization The 31st Subcommittee of the First Joint Committee of the Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is drafting the PDF417 two-dimensional barcode standard;

China - PDF417 two-dimensional barcode has been listed as a standard during the 1995 period National key scientific and technological research project. In December 1997, the PDF417 barcode national standard "417 Barcode" was officially promulgated;

AIAG/ODETTE - In 1995, North American and European automobile industry organizations have selected PDF417 as a standard for various production and management/ Standard for paper EDI;

AAMVA - In 1995, the U.S. Department of Motor Vehicles selected PDF417 as the two-dimensional barcode application standard for all driver and motor vehicle management. Some states in the United States and some provinces in Canada have selected PDF417 as a machine-readable standard for annual vehicle inspections, annual vehicle license reviews, and annual driver's license reviews;

TCIF - the American Industry Forum has listed PDF417 as a machine-readable standard Identification standard for important telecommunications products;

EDIFICE - the European industrial organization responsible for the application of EDI and barcodes in the electronics industry has designated PDF417 as the management/paper EDI application standard and included it in the transportation identification barcode label Application Guide;

Bahrain - PDF417 has been set as the machine-readable standard for ID cards. Recently, some countries will continue to use PDF417 two-dimensional barcodes on ID cards;

United States The Department of Defense uses PDF417 barcodes as the machine-readable standard on its new military ID cards to encode photos and emergency medical information into barcodes. Approximately more than 16,000,000 military cards have been put into use at more than 700 U.S. military bases around the world. In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense also uses PDF417 barcode as a standard for logistics management and paper EDI applications.