Maximize barcode recognition speed with VintaSoft Barcode .NET SDK

Speed is critical for any barcode scanning application – whether you are scanning products in a warehouse with a camera, parts on a production line, or items at the checkout.

VintaSoft Barcode .NET SDK offers an automatic barcode recognition mode that is used by default. The automatic barcode recognition mode is balanced in favor of recognition quality for barcode recognition in any conditions.

Also VintaSoft Barcode .NET SDK offers a manual barcode recognition mode, which has many specialized settings and allows you to achieve maximum performance and / or barcode recognition quality in each specific situation.

Below we will consider how the deep adjusting of VintaSoft Barcode .NET SDK settings helps to achieve fast barcode reading in various conditions.

Step 1. Define basic (general) scanning settings

These settings affect the recognition speed of all types of barcodes.

Set barcode types

Set barcode types or barcode subset types:

reader.Settings.ScanBarcodeTypes = BarcodeType.QR | BarcodeType.DataMatrix;
reader.Settings.ScanBarcodeSubsets.Add(BarcodeSymbologySubsets.GS1_128);

Set the expected number of barcodes

Use the ReaderSettings.ExpectedBarcodes property to set the number of barcodes expected in the image.

Set the recognition mode

The recognition mode makes the most significant contribution to the speed of barcode recognition. VintaSoft Barcode Reader provides four recognition modes used in different situations:

Automatic (default). This mode does not require configuration and sacrifices speed in favor of recognition quality. The recognition speed will directly depend on the quality of the image with barcodes. This mode is suitable when the parameters of images and barcodes are unknown (changing or uneven lighting, blurring, unknown barcode size, etc).
```
reader.Settings.AutomaticRecognition = true;
```
Iterative. This mode is used when the barcode illumination changes. Set the upper and lower binarization thresholds, the number of iterations. The recognition speed will depend on the correct choice of the number of iterations, as well as the upper and lower binarization thresholds.
```
reader.Settings.AutomaticRecognition = false;
reader.Settings.ThresholdMode = ThresholdMode.Iterations;
reader.Settings.ThresholdMin = 100;
reader.Settings.ThresholdMax = 600;
reader.Settings.ThresholdIterations = 6;
```
Automatic threshold. This mode is used when the illumination of the barcode changes, while the barcode has normal modulation (consists of black and white colors). The recognition speed will be fixed regardless of the image quality.
```
reader.Settings.AutomaticRecognition = false;
reader.Settings.ThresholdMode = ThresholdMode.Automatic;
```
Manual threshold. This mode should be used when the barcode illumination does not change, for example if the camera is installed on a production line. Set the binarization threshold using the ReaderSettings.Threshold property. The recognition speed will be fixed regardless of the image quality.
```
reader.Settings.AutomaticRecognition = false;
reader.Settings.ThresholdMode = ThresholdMode.Iterations;
reader.Settings.Threshold = 450;
```

Check the size of the barcode in the image

If your one-dimensional barcodes are of good quality and have a large height, then increase the scanning interval using the property ReaderSettings.ScanInterval.

Specify the location of the barcode on the image

If you know in which rectangle on the image the barcode may be located, then specify the coordinates of the rectangle using the property ReaderSettings.ScanRectangle.

Step 2. Advanced Settings.

VintaSoft goes further by providing advanced control over the barcode recognition engine. This gives VintaSoft Barcode Reader a performance advantage that other vendors do not offer, providing unmatched speed in a variety of environments.

Determine the size of the barcode modules

If the image contains a barcode in which a single module is more than 6 pixels, use the ReaderSettings.ImageScaleFactor property to reduce the image so that the size of a single module is in the range from 3 to 6 pixels. This will significantly speed up the barcode recognition.

Multithreaded processing

VintaSoft Barcode Reader uses multithreaded processing by default. You can change the number of threads used using the property ReaderSettings.MaximumThreadCount.

Fine-tuning of binarization

VintaSoft Barcode Reader provides two modes of adaptive binarization: Fast and HighQuality (default). If the barcode in the images has uniform illumination, then use the fast mode of adaptive binarization:

reader.Settings.AdaptiveBinarizationType = AdaptiveBinarizationType.Fast;

Define scanning settings depending on the type of barcodes being scanned

Set the ReaderSettings.MatrixBarcodeMaxCellSize property if the approximate size of a single module of a two-dimensional barcode is known.
If recognition of reflected two-dimensional barcodes is not required, then disable it using the ReaderSettings.SearchMirrored2DBarcodes property.
QR Code. Reduce the value of the ReaderSettings.QrMaxAxialNonuniformity property if the recognized barcodes do not have axial distortions.
QR Code. Set the properties ReaderSettings.QrMaxSymbolVersion and ReaderSettings.QrMinSymbolVersion, if the matrix size of the recognized QR Code barcode is known.
QR Code. Disable the ReaderSettings.SearchDistortedQRBarcodes property if the scanned barcodes do not have barcode matrix size distortions (the barcode is square).
Data Matrix. Reduce the value of the ReaderSettings.DataMatrixLPatternMaxErasures property if the scanned DataMatrix barcodes do not have damage of their "L" patterns.
Data Matrix. Disable the ReaderSettings.SearchDistortedDataMatrixBarcodes property if the scanned barcodes do not have distortions in the dimensions of the barcode matrix (the barcode is rectangular).
Data Matrix. Set the ReaderSettings.DataMatrixMinCellSize property if the approximate size of a single barcode module is known.
Data Matrix. If the barcodes are of high quality, then increase the value of the ReaderSettings.ScanInterval property. For normal DataMatrix barcode quality, it is recommended to set the scanning interval so that at least 4 scanning lines pass through the barcode.
DotCode. Set the ReaderSettings.DotCodeMatrixMaxArea and ReaderSettings.DotCodeMatrixMinArea properties if the matrix size of the recognized Dot Code barcode is known.

Step 3: Additional measures for maximum speed

To limit the time for barcode recognition, use the ReaderSettings.RecognitionTimeout property.
Create one instance of the BarcodeReader class for recognition and use it multiple times. If recognition of different images is performed in several threads, then use one instance of the BarcodeReader class for each thread.
Avoid encoding/decoding images if possible. If the image pixel data is in memory (e.g. from a camera), then use the following as the source for image recognition:

Vintasoft.Imaging.ManagedBitmap class if the image pixel data is in managed memory
Vintasoft.Imaging.UnmanagedBitmap class if the image pixel data is in unmanaged memory.

Contact our team of experts for individual recommendations on customization of VintaSoft Barcode Reader for your task.

Bottom Line: Fast Barcode Scanning in Any Conditions

VintaSoft Barcode Reader is designed to work quickly even in challenging conditions - low or uneven lighting, blurry images, busy layouts or distorted images. With deep configuration settings for the barcode scanning process, it allows your applications to:

Provide instant scanning for a better user experience
Maintain consistent barcode recognition quality
Adapt scanning speed to your needs
Reduce hardware loads, which is important for mobile, embedded or high-performance systems.

Maximize barcode recognition speed ​​with VintaSoft Barcode .NET SDK