Polarization of barcode readers

Daniel J. Reiley

doi:10.1117/1.601869

1 February 1998 Polarization of barcode readers

Daniel J. Reiley

Optical Engineering, Vol. 37, Issue 2, (February 1998). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.601869

In high-quality barcode readers, specular reflection from shiny barcodes is blocked by using a polarized scan laser and a crossed polarizer in front of the detector. When complex scanning geometries are required, the polarization properties of the mirrors in the system can become a limiting factor in system performance. Polarization raytracing allows systems such as barcode readers, LIDAR systems, and other polarization-critical systems to be accurately characterized. Polarization raytracing often requires the use of a local, ray-based coordinate system for expressing rays’ polarization states, yet the choice of coordinate system can have important implications on system analysis. An example is presented in which specular reflection is controlled in a barcode reader by using reflection-enhanced coatings on only one of the four sets of the mirrors in the system. The coordinate system used to express rays’ polarization states in the example system provides useful lessons for other systems. The other analytical methods used in this example can be applied to a variety of scanning systems.

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Daniel J. Reiley "Polarization of barcode readers," Optical Engineering 37(2), (1 February 1998). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.601869

Published: 1 February 1998

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