SCDigest Editorial Staff
In what may turn out to be pretty important automated data collection news, AIM, a trade organization for automatic identification solution providers and developer of many industry standards, announced this week a standard for a new two-dimensional bar code specifically designed to encode double byte Asian characters.
Han Xin Code is a two-dimensional matrix symbology made up of an array of square modules arranged in an overall square pattern. Unique finder patterns assist in easy location of its position, size and inclination.
The new code was first made available for public review in comment in May of this year. The symbology was developed by AIM China.
In May, Dr. Clive Hohberger, AIM board chairman, said that "AIM is pleased to be able to recognize this contribution from China. Han Xin Code represents a significant opportunity for AIM member companies seeking to provide solutions to the Chinese market."
In addition to the symbology's capability to efficiently encode double-byte Chinese characters (GB18030), Han Xin Code can efficiently encode numeric and ASCII characters, plus octet bytes such as graphic and audio information. The symbology includes user-selectable levels of Reed-Solomon error correction to ensure correct decoding even with damaged symbols.
There are eighty-four sizes (versions) of Han Xin Code symbols. Version 1 measures 23 modules x 23 modules; Version 84 measures 189 modules x 189 modules. Module dimension is user-specified to enable production of symbols by a wide variety of techniques.
Maximum symbol data capacities are 7827 numeric characters, 4350 ASCII characters, 2174 Common Chinese Characters in Region one or Region 2, 1739 2-byte Chinese characters data, 1044 4-byte Chinese characters, and 3261 binary byte data. Multiple data types can be encoded in the same symbol.
As with all AIM symbology specifications, Han Xin Code has undergone a rigorous review process in AIM's Technical Symbology Committee (TSC) to ensure that a new symbology offers unique or novel features that provide additional benefits to the user community and that it is robust from both a printing and reading perspective.
According to Chuck Evanhoe, AIM board chairman, "AIM is pleased with the close cooperation of AIM China and the Han Xin Code development team in developing this International Technical Specification. This symbology has already been deployed in a variety of applications within China and this standard will help vendors and end users adopt it for additional applications with confidence. We encourage the submission of this symbology for consideration as an international standard under ISO/IEC."
A Look at the New Han Xin Code, Designed for Double Byte Characters