System and method for detecting barcode printing errors

摘要

Barcode verifiers automate the verification process by capturing an image of the printed barcode and analyzing the image according to an industry specification. Industry specifications (e.g., ISO/IEC 15416,15415) identify common printing errors and prescribe test methods for detecting and quantifying these errors. Typically, these tests sample a barcode along one or more scan lines. Print errors that are parallel to these scan lines may be missed by the test. The present invention embraces a system and method to detect unprinted lines in barcodes resulting from a printer malfunction and produce a printer malfunction report with information regarding the quantity, position, and magnitude of these print errors.

主权项

1. A barcode verifier, comprising:
an imaging module for capturing images of a field of view; a memory communicatively coupled to the imaging module and configured to store images and a barcode quality verification program; and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory configured by the barcode quality verification program to execute the ordered steps of:
(i) retrieving a stored image from the memory, (ii) locating a barcode symbol in the stored image, (iii) identifying an unprinted line or lines in the barcode symbol, (iv) determining a printer malfunction using the unprinted line or lines, and (v) creating a printer malfunction report.