What Is A QR Code And How Does It Work?

2023 Author: Sheila Hailey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 15:18

In principle, a QR code is an information store for reading devices. The information contained therein can be recognized and read out by special scanners, but also by the combination of cell phone cameras and software.

The information content depends on how many individual points a row of the square contains. A distinction is made between 4 levels: the level low contains 21 times 21 elements, the level high 177 times 177 points. In the High level, up to 4,296 alphanumeric characters can be encoded - i.e. letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces.

At the same time, the QR code also contains a built-in error correction, which in extreme cases can restore up to 30% of the code if it is damaged or incomplete. The structure of the code and the error correction make it possible to generate working QR codes in almost any size. The squares can easily be smaller than 1 by 1 cm, but can also fill the wall. As long as the camera can distinguish between individual points, the code works.

Incidentally, QR codes can be generated and used free of charge, but the name "QR code" has been protected by Denso Wave as a registered trademark.

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Possible data in a QR code

QR codes are mostly used in everyday life to pass on an Internet address. This saves typing long addresses. In this case, smartphones serve as “scanners” whose cameras “look at” the image and then have the code translated using a “QR code reader”.

You can also pass on a WiFi login with a QR code. This works at least with Android smartphones and has the advantage that the guest of your WLAN does not even know the password, but that access is set up directly with the code.

Here I have generated a sample QR code that forwards to this website:

DownloadQR-Code Click here for this article!

In addition to these "public applications", the QR code has long been used in industry. Similar to barcodes, information is stored on articles or components. This can be storage information, but also long text information about the assembly of the parts, about the customer or the material properties.

You will probably encounter the small codes more and more in the future. They are ideal as advertising media and are often used for this.

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