Bar code Menu |

For general information about Barcodes, see Using Bar codes

Properties window for the barcode reader
Type of Reader
Starting Position for Basket Code in Barcode
Obligatory or Optional label?
Modes of Operation
Manual

Fixed

You can add one bar code reader to the machine.
This menu is visible if you have added a Bar code Reader to any loading position.

Clicking opens up the properties definition window for the barcode reader.

Properties window for the barcode reader

Type of Reader

There are two types of bar code readers that can be connected to an RS 232 serial port:

1. Fixed (also called Laser)
2. Manual (the operator manually reads the label)

In industry, the recommended type is Fixed. The baskets must have the label at a specific physical position. The bar code reader is mounted so that the label can be read when the basket is positioned in front of it. The Manual reader can be used for instance when a batch of baskets can use the same label for each basket. Only when a new batch arrives a new label has to be read.

Starting Position for Basket Code in Barcode
The label can contain a basket code or not. This is identified by the Starting character for Basket Code in the label (0 means no basket code is contained in the label). Exactly two characters must be reserved in the label for the basket code (01 to 63).

Input the starting position of the two character Basket Code in the barcode string. Starting position = 0 means that no basket code is included in barcode.

Obligatory or Optional label?
The label can be obligatory or optional. If obligatory, the basket will not be taken from the loading position if the label is missing or incorrect. If optional, the basket will be taken, even if the label is not OK, and it will be associated with the last label read. For Fixed reader the default is Obligatory and for the Manual reader the default is Optional.

See also How Fisa Logger manages bar codes

Modes of Operation

Manual
For the Manual reader it is an operator that intervenes when a new label must be read.

Fixed
For the Fixed reader it is the robot that commands the lecture, at the proper moment. This is accomplished by connecting the reader to an output that is managed by the robot program. If the label has not been read in the time specified, typically 0.5 seconds, the reader will return a special character, Can = ASCII 24, for this purpose.

In the case when the label contains a basket code (the cleaning program), Fisa Logger is capable of sending the Next Program to the programming unit. For a machine not equipped with Fisa Logger, a specific module connected to the Master Slave network is required to send the Next Program to the programming unit.
See How Fisa Logger manages bar codes