Codablock

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Codablock-F example

Codablock is a two-dimensional barcode that was developed in Germany in 1989 and was used internationally in the following years through expansion stages. The inventors and innovation drivers of the Codablock were ICS International under the then managing director Heinrich Oehlmann and Harald Oehlmann.

With the help of this code it is possible to obtain the data context of a message if the label width is too large and consequently several shorter barcodes would have to be printed. This principle of the Codablock can best be compared with a line break in a text editor. As soon as one line is full, the next is broken, whereby the line number is inserted into each line and the number of lines is inserted into the finished block. A checksum follows at the end . Thus, each line contains an indicator for orientation for the reader and the entire code contains two check characters to ensure the content of the overall message.

A distinction is made between three variants:

Codablock A
is based on the structure of Code39 . Two to 61 characters (maximum 1340 characters) can be encoded in two to 22 lines. The test character for the entire message is calculated modulo 43.
Codablock F
is based on the structure of Code128 . Four to 62 characters (maximum 2725 characters) can be encoded in two to 44 lines.
Codablock 256
is structured like Codablock F, but with its own start / stop character. Two to 44 lines with two to 62 data each (maximum 2725) can be generated. Each line has its own error correction so that minor damage can be reconstructed.

In particular the Codablock F, internationally standardized on the basis of the specification “AIM Europe USS - Codablock F”, found widespread use in Europe in the 1990s. The main areas of application were in medicine and healthcare according to the HIBC standard. The marking and identification of blood bags and dental products can be cited as prime examples.

The Codablock has the following advantages:

  • Increased data security of a Codablock label compared to reading different individual labels to form an overall message
  • Flexibility in adapting information to a given area through variable height, width and information density
  • All conventional reading devices can be used, as Codablock is based on existing bar coding .
  • The assembly of the individual lines to form the overall message can also take place in higher-level computer systems.

literature

  • Raj, Raj Bhasker: Bar Codes: Technology and Implementation . Tata McGraw-Hill Pub., New Delhi 2001, ISBN 0074638491 , p. 99 f.
  • Bernhard Lenk: manual of automatic identification . Vol. 2. Monika Lenk Fachbuchverlag, Kirchheim unter Teck 2002, ISBN 3935551010 , p. 19 and 44 ff.
  • Heinrich Oehlmann: Indispensable for medical products: the HIBC . In: Digital_Dental.News, 4th volume, June 2010 edition, published by Comcord GmbH, Düsseldorf. HTML with reference to the PDF file stored there; 1.48 MB . Pp. 46-53. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
  • Prof. Dr. Heinz-Michael Winkels - Barcode: A special identification technology . Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, Department of Economics, Dortmund March 17, 2000. PDF file; 250 kB . Retrieved October 17, 2013.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bernhard Lenk: Manual of the automatic identification . Vol. 2. Monika Lenk Fachbuchverlag, Kirchheim unter Teck 2002, ISBN 3935551010 , p. 44 ff.
  2. ↑ Prof. Dr. Heinz-Michael Winkels - Barcode: A special identification technology . Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, Department of Economics, Dortmund March 17, 2000. PDF file; 250 kB , pp. 18-20. Retrieved October 17, 2013.
  3. ↑ See: ISO / IEC 15424: Information technology - Automatic identification and data capture techniques - Data Carrier Identifiers (including Symbology Identifiiers) . ISO copyright office, Geneva (Switzerland), June 1, 2000.
  4. ↑ HIBC is the official abbreviation for Health Industry Barcode, as a special form of barcode for medical applications. HIBC contains various standards for automatic data communication, which are intended to ensure secure product identification and traceability worldwide. For more information see, for example:
    Heinrich Oehlmann: Indispensable for medical products: the HIBC . In: Digital_Dental.News, 4th volume, June 2010 edition, published by Comcord GmbH, Düsseldorf. HTML with reference to the PDF file stored there; 1.48 MB . Pp. 46-53.
  5. ↑ Bernhard Lenk: Manual of the automatic identification . Vol. 2. Monika Lenk Fachbuchverlag, Kirchheim unter Teck 2002, ISBN 3935551010 , p. 19 and p. 49.
    Raj, Raj Bhasker: Bar Codes: Technology and Implementation . Tata McGraw-Hill Pub., New Delhi 2001, ISBN 0074638491 , p. 100.
  6. ↑ Bernhard Lenk: Manual of the automatic identification . Vol. 2. Monika Lenk Fachbuchverlag, Kirchheim unter Teck 2002, ISBN 3935551010 , pp. 45, 49 and p. 54.