What is an optical reader?

Optical reader is a device that converts text or pictures from paper to digital signals that can process computers in different ways. In all cases, the reader scans scanning a printed text or image and converts it into a digital file suitable for a computer processor. The resulting file can then be used to convert the text to spell, check the letter or scan the barcode at the sales counter for retail sales. The growing interest in digital preservation of old documents and manuscripts has led to the libraries to create archives using optical readers' technology. Many digital files are stored on public computers and are available via the Internet. The reader's software uses a scanned picture of a book or letter to create a file that "reads" the text with a computer-voice. Voice readers are very useful for blind or visual affected people who cannot read the printed text. Starting at the end of the 20th century, some websites could be a geneEssed by voice directly from the website without the need for further scanning.

Another type of optical reader was the scanner of the laser barcode. This scanner used a low -performance laser beam to scan a series of codes that appear as black and white stripes of different widths on retail packages and labels. The computer has recognized a numeric code represented by a column that could be used to identify the purchased items. The barcodes were also widely used on shipping packages, where automated machines in sorting warehouses read codes and direct packages to their right shipping car or container.

Starting from the 20th century, an optical reader was developed, which could identify the designation of tests, ballot ballots, or voting cards for shareholders of corporation. The reader could detect black or dark blue marks made in specific circles or boxes on the N cardebo letter. These readers have simplified the vote or processing of tests when reading all cards. Occasionally, incomplete or incorrect brands and problems with optical readers and voices were re -established to minimize errors to reduce the efficiency of these systems.

Improved optical reader technology developed at the end of the 20th century was a digital matrix scanner. The barcodes had a limitation of total numbers that could be represented because each digit had to have a specific width and size bar. Using a nut or box, composed of smaller black or white boxes of different sizes, it made it possible to significantly expand the information capacity of the code. More information simply required a box of different sizes or size and enhanced readers enabled smaller boxes, which also improved the amount of information contained in them.

Mobile phones developed at the end of the 20th century often had an integrated camera. Applications have been developed that could recognize codes in digitalThe matrix image captured by a telephone camera. No scan was needed because the software used the camera image directly. At that time, retailers quickly expanded the use of matrix codes to connect customers to their website and, among other things, sent information for information directly to the phone.