System and method for reading a computer readable code

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12561540-B2
Application number	US-202418943503-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2024
Priority date	Feb 13, 2020
Publication date	Feb 24, 2026
Grant date	Feb 24, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a system for reading a barcode independently of image resolution or scale of a captured barcode image. In one embodiment, the system includes an optical sensor and a processor. The optical scanner can scan a barcode, including a plurality of bars and spaces, into a scanned image. The processor can convert the scanned image into binary data. The processor can also calculate numbers of ones (1s) between zeros (0s) in the binary data and determine widths of one of i) each of the bars and ii) each of the spaces based on the calculated numbers of ones (1s). The processor can further calculate numbers of zeros (0s) between ones (1s) in the binary data and determine widths of the other one of i) each of the bars and ii) each of the spaces based on the calculated numbers of zeros (0s).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for processing an image of a computer readable code positioned on distribution item, the system comprising:
one or more processors configured to:
obtain, via a scanning device on item processing equipment, a scanned image of the computer readable code;
determine, in the scanned image of the computer readable code, a plurality of first pixel values and a plurality of second pixel values, wherein each of the plurality of first pixel values represents a first pixel corresponding to a first component of the computer readable code and each of the plurality of second pixel values represents a second component of the computer readable code;
determine a relative size of the first component of the computer readable code based on the plurality of first pixel values;
determine a relative size of the second component of the computer readable code based on the plurality of second pixel values; and
determine adjusted size values of the first component and the second component of the computer readable code based on a scaling factor applied to the relative sizes of the first component and the second component of the computer readable code.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:
identify a first edge of the computer readable code, the first edge representing positions in a sequence of the digital data corresponding to the first component; and identify a second edge of the computer readable code, the second edge representing positions in the sequence of the digital data corresponding to the second component.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine where a string of first pixel values transitions to a string of second pixel values.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein one or more processors are further configured to determine where a string of second pixel values transition to a string of first pixel values in.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first component is a plurality of bars, and the second component is a plurality of spaces, and wherein one or more processors are further configured to:
compare relative sizes of the plurality of bars to identify a widest bar; compare relative sizes of the plurality of spaces to identify a widest space; calculate the scaling factor based on a largest width specified by a predetermined computer readable code standard and the widest bar determined; calculate the space width scaling factor based on the largest width specified by the predetermined computer readable code standard and the widest space determined; multiply the calculated scaling factors respectively by a width of the widest bar and a width of the widest space to obtain scaled bar and space widths; and determine the adjusted width values of the plurality of bars and the plurality of spaces by referencing the scaled bar widths and scaled space widths against corresponding values of a predetermined computer readable code specification stored in a memory.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to identify a first edge of the computer readable code, by calculating numbers of first pixel values arranged relative to the second pixel values.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are further configured to identifying a second edge of the computer readable code, by calculating numbers of second pixel values arranged relative to the first pixel values.

8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the processors are further configured to:
convert the scanned image to binary data, wherein the first pixel values correspond to a lower digit binary value and the second pixel values correspond to a higher digit binary value; subtract the lower digit binary value of the binary data (A) from an adjacent higher digit binary value of the binary data (A) throughout the plurality of binary digits; determine a subtracted set of the computer readable code data (B); select a first set of digit values (C 1 ) having a positive digit difference from the subtracted set of the computer readable code data (B); select a second set of digit values (C 2 ) having a negative digit difference from the subtracted set of the computer readable code data (B); and determine relative widths (L 1 ) of the plurality of bars and relative widths (L 2 ) of the plurality of spaces based on the first and second sets of digit values (C 1 , C 2 ).

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of binary digits of the binary data (A) comprise a plurality of ones (1s) each representing a bar and a plurality of zeros (0s) each representing a space, wherein the binary data (A) is represented by a matrix of A ({circumflex over (ι)}, ĵ), and wherein the subtracted set of the computer readable code data (B) comprises 1, 0, −1 and is determined using the equation B=A (2≤ĵ≤n A )−A(1≤ĵ≤n A −1) where a dimension of B is 1×n B and n B =n A −1.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to select the first and second sets of digit values (C 1 , C 2 ) using Equation 2 below:

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dimension
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n

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Assignees

• United States Postal Service

Inventors

• Simpson Ryan J

Classifications

• G06K7/1413

  1D bar codes · CPC title

• G06K7/10722 Primary

  Photodetector array or CCD scanning · CPC title

• G06K7/10861 Primary

  sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels (postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48) · CPC title