Basics of 1D Barcodes

1D barcodes are a type of machine-readable label that consists of a series of vertical lines of varying widths, often accompanied by a numerical code. They were originally designed to be read by a barcode scanner. A barcode scanner uses a laser or camera to read the pattern of lines and convert it into a digital code that can be processed by a computer.

With the help of computer vision algorithms, barcodes can also be read using cameras like webcams or the cameras on mobile phones. The latter is what this course will focus on.

Short history of 1D barcodes

One-dimensional (1D) barcodes have an interesting history that dates back to the mid-20th century. The first barcodes were invented by Norman Joseph Woodland and Bernard Silver.

The original inspiration was from Morse code. Woodland and Silver used this inspiration to create a system using a series of wide and narrow lines. Their first US patent was issued on October 7, 1952.

These optical codes were first used in the railway system for identifying railroad cars, but the results were mixed. Barcodes first became commercially successful when they were used to automate supermarket checkout systems in the 1970s.

This was due in part to the development of laser scanning technology, which made it possible to read barcodes quickly and accurately. The first product to feature a barcode was a pack of Wrigley’s gum, which was scanned at a supermarket in Ohio in 1974. ...