Barcode Detection

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Motivation
1.2 Project Overview

2. Project Features
2.1 Inventory Management
2.2 Barcode Scanning and Decoding
2.3 User Interface and Interactivity

3. Libraries Used
3.1 OpenCV (cv2)
3.2 Pyzbar
3.3 Tkinter
3.4 Pandas

4. Challenges Encountered
4.1 Handling Camera Streams
4.2 Ensuring Real-Time Performance
4.3 Barcode Decoding Reliability

5. Important Code Snippets

5.1 Barcode Detection Code
5.2 Real-Time Image Processing Code
5.3 GUI Interaction Code

6. Future Improvements
6.1 Machine Learning for Barcode Recognition
6.2 Optimization for Large-Scale Inventory
6.3 Network Performance Enhancements

7. Conclusion
7.1 Summary of Achievements
7.2 Potential Expansions

8. References
Introduction
This project is designed to create a barcode-based inventory management system
that integrates computer vision techniques to scan barcodes through camera streams.
The system provides essential features like adding, searching, editing, and deleting
goods in the inventory, along with a selling interface that manages transactions. The
system leverages libraries such as OpenCV, Pyzbar, Tkinter, and Pandas to offer a
seamless user experience for handling and managing products in a store or a
supermarket environment. The project was developed to automate and streamline
the process of tracking goods, reducing human error and improving efficiency in
managing inventory.

The motivation behind this project stems from the need for an easy-to-use system
that can scan barcodes from a camera, eliminating the need for expensive handheld
scanners. Using Python’s powerful libraries, we can achieve an accessible solution
that allows for real-time tracking of goods using any standard IP camera. In addition,
the project provides a user-friendly interface using Tkinter, which allows users to
interact with the system without needing advanced technical knowledge.

This system can be expanded and improved by integrating more sophisticated

machine learning algorithms for detecting and recognizing damaged barcodes, as
well as optimizing the inventory system to handle large-scale data efficiently.
Throughout the development of this system, several challenges were encountered,
such as handling various camera streams, barcode decoding reliability, and ensuring
real-time performance under varying network conditions

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2. Project Features
2.1 Inventory Management
This project maintains an inventory by loading, saving, and editing records stored
in a CSV file (goods.csv). Users can add new items, search for items, update existing
ones, or delete them from the system. The CSV format allows for easy integration
and export.
2.2 Barcode Scanning and Decoding
The barcode scanner uses a camera stream to detect and decode barcodes in realtime.
By leveraging the cv2 (OpenCV) library and pyzbar, the system captures video
frames, scans for barcodes, and retrieves the product data by matching it to the
inventory.
2.3 User Interface and Interactivity
The user interface, built with tkinter, provides buttons and dialogs to guide the user
through various tasks like adding goods, editing details, and selling items. The GUI
is intuitive and ensures users can interact with the system efficiently

3. Libraries Used
3.1 OpenCV (cv2)
The cv2 library is used to capture and process video streams from a webcam or IP
camera. It allows for frame-by-frame processing, which is crucial in real-time
barcode detection and decoding.
3.2 Pyzbar
Pyzbar is a library that enables barcode and QR code reading from images or video
streams. It decodes barcodes captured from the video frames, translating them into
readable data that the system can use.
3.3 Tkinter
Tkinter is the library used for building the graphical user interface (GUI). It provides
the windows, buttons, and dialogs that users interact with for managing goods,
scanning barcodes, and selling items.

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3.4 Pandas
The pandas library manages the inventory data, which is stored in a CSV file. It
enables reading, writing, and manipulating the data, making it easy to update the
stock, prices, and quantities.

4. Challenges Encountered
4.1 Handling Camera Streams
One of the key challenges was ensuring smooth video streaming from the camera.
Latency and performance issues arose when dealing with IP camera feeds, which
required optimizing the video capture and processing speed.
4.2 Ensuring Real-Time Performance
The system had to process video streams in real-time to detect and decode barcodes
efficiently. Implementing an efficient loop for capturing frames, decoding barcodes,
and handling user inputs required careful attention to performance.
4.3 Barcode Decoding Reliability
Not all barcodes are scanned perfectly. Lighting conditions, camera resolution, and
barcode clarity affected the accuracy of the decoding process, requiring trial and
error to improve the system’s robustness.

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6. Important Code Snippets
1. Add Product Function
def scan_barcode_camera():
camera_url = simpledialog.askstring("Camera URL", "Enter the camera URL:",
initialvalue=camera_url_history[0])

cap = cv2.VideoCapture(camera_url)
while True:
ret, frame = cap.read()
if not ret:
messagebox.showerror("Error", "Failed to connect to camera.")
cap.release() return None

barcodes = pyzbar.decode(frame)
for barcode in barcodes:
barcode_data = barcode.data.decode("utf-8")
cap.release() cv2.destroyAllWindows()
return barcode_data.strip()

cv2.imshow("Barcode Scanner", frame)

if cv2.waitKey(1) & 0xFF == ord('q'):
break

cap.release()
cv2.destroyAllWindows()
return None Explanation:

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 • Function Purpose: This function allows the user to add a new product to the
database.
• Steps:

1. Get Barcode: It uses the get_barcode() function to obtain the product

barcode either through scanning or manual entry.
2. Check for Existing Product: If the barcode already exists in the
database, a warning is displayed.
3. Input Additional Information: The user is prompted to enter the
product name, price, and available quantity.
4. Update Database: The product is added to the DataFrame, and then
saved to a CSV file

2. Search Product Function

def search_good():
barcode = get_barcode()
if not barcode:
messagebox.showerror("Error", "No barcode provided.")
return

df = load_goods()
good = df[df['Barcode'].str.strip() == barcode.strip()] if not good.empty:
messagebox.showinfo("Good Found", f"Details:
\n{good.to_string(index=False)}")
else:
messagebox.showerror("Error", "No such item found with the given barcode.")
Explanation:

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 • Function Purpose: This function enables the user to search for a specific
product using its barcode.
• Steps:

1. Get Barcode: The barcode is obtained from the user as before.

2. Search in Database: The code uses the DataFrame to look for the
product based on the entered barcode.
3. Display Results: If the product is found, its details are shown to the
user. If not found, an error message is displayed.

3. Sell Product Function def

sell_good():
sell_window = tk.Toplevel()
sell_window.title("Sell Items")
sell_window.geometry("800x600")

df = load_goods()

tree = ttk.Treeview(sell_window, columns=('Barcode', 'Name', 'Price', 'Available

Quantity', 'Sell Quantity'), show='headings') tree.heading('Barcode',
text='Barcode') tree.heading('Name', text='Name') tree.heading('Price',
text='Price')
tree.heading('Available Quantity', text='Available Quantity')
tree.heading('Sell Quantity', text='Sell Quantity')

# ... other code for handling sales ...

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 def confirm_sell():
# ... code for confirming sale and updating quantities ...
Explanation:
• Function Purpose: This function manages the product selling process
through a user interface.

• Steps:
1. Create New Window: A new window is created for the selling process.
2. Load Product List: The existing product data is loaded for use during
the selling process.
3. Display Products in a Table: A table is shown that includes details of
the available products.
4. Confirm Sale: A sub-function is included to confirm the sale and
update quantities in the database.

7. Future Improvements
7.1 Machine Learning for Barcode Recognition
An enhancement to this system could involve using machine learning models to
improve barcode recognition, especially in noisy or low-quality images where
traditional methods might fail.

7.2 Optimization for Large-Scale Inventory

As the inventory grows, managing and searching through large datasets can become
slow. Implementing optimizations in data handling or using a more robust database
system could improve performance.

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7.3 Network Performance Enhancements
For real-time IP camera streams, the system can be further optimized to handle
network latency and interruptions, improving the overall user experience during
barcode scanning.

Conclusion
This project integrates multiple technologies and libraries to create a functional and
user-friendly system for barcode-based inventory management. By using image
processing techniques to detect and decode barcodes, it simplifies the process of
managing goods in a store. The inclusion of libraries such as OpenCV and Pyzbar
directly ties the project to computer vision and image processing, while the use of
Tkinter and Pandas ensures ease of use and data management.
With future improvements, such as adding machine learning algorithms for damaged
barcode detection or optimizing for large-scale inventory, this system could evolve
into a more sophisticated tool that further reduces human error and improves
operational efficiency in retail environments. Moreover, its real-time image
processing capabilities demonstrate the potential for combining computer vision
with practical business applications.

9. References
• OpenCV Documentation: https://docs.opencv.org/
• Pyzbar Documentation: https://github.com/NaturalHistoryMuseum/pyzbar
• Tkinter Documentation: https://docs.python.org/3/library/tkinter.html
• Pandas Documentation: https://pandas.pydata.org/docs/

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