Detecting conflicts between multiple different encoded signals within imagery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9690967-B1
Application number	US-201615154572-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	May 13, 2016
Priority date	Oct 29, 2015
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

This disclosure relates to advanced signal processing technology including steganographic embedding and digital watermarking. One combination disclosed in the description is an image processing apparatus including: electronic memory for storing an image, in which the image comprises at least a 1D or 2D barcode represented therein and a first encoded signal encoded therein, the 1D or 2D barcode comprising a first plural-bit code and the first encoded signal comprising a second plural-bit code; means for decoding the 1D or 2D barcode from the image to obtain the first plural-bit code; means for analyzing data representing the image to obtain the second plural-bit code from the first encoded signal; means for determining whether the second plural-bit code conflicts with the first plural-bit code; and means for generating a conflict map, the conflict map comprising an identification of a code conflict, and a spatial location of the code conflict relative to the image. Of course, other features and combinations are described as well.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing method comprising:
obtaining an image comprising a plurality of color separations or channels, in which the image comprises at least a 1D or 2D barcode associated therewith and the image comprises plural encoded signals encoded therein, the 1D or 2D barcode comprising a first plural-bit code and the plural encoded signals comprising a second plural-bit code, in which the first plural-bit code comprises a first UPC code or a first GTIN code, and the second plural-bit code comprise comprises a second UPC code or a second GTIN code;
first analyzing data representing the image to decode the 1D or 2D barcode, said first analyzing yields the first plural-bit code comprising the first UPC code or the first GTIN code;
for each of the plurality of color separations or channels, second analyzing data representing image data to decode the plural encoded signals, said second analyzing yielding plural instances of the second plural-bit code comprising the second UPC code or the second GTIN code;
determining whether the plural instances of the second UPC code or the second GTIN code are different than the first UPC code or the first GTIN code; and
for each difference, providing information associated with a spatial location of the difference relative to the image, in which the information comprises information to help identify potential code conflicts.

2. The image processing method of claim 1 in which said obtaining occurs prior to a printing plate manufacture process.

3. The image processing method of claim 1 in which said first analyzing data representing the image to decode the 1D or 2D barcode operates on nonadjacent scanline data from the image.

4. The image processing method of claim 1 in which the information associated with the spatial location is formatted as a conflict map, the conflict map comprising a graphical box or highlight for a spatial location of the conflict relative to the image.

5. The image processing method of claim 1 in which the plural encoded signals comprise digital watermarking.

6. An image processing method comprising:
obtaining an image comprising a plurality of color separations or channels, in which the image comprises at least a 1D or 2D barcode associated therewith and the image comprises plural encoded signals encoded therein, the 1D or 2D barcode comprising a first plural-bit code and the plural encoded signals comprising a second plural-bit code;
first analyzing data representing the image to decode the 1D or 2D barcode, said first analyzing yields the first plural-bit code, in which said first analyzing data representing the image to decode the 1D or 2D barcode operates on nonadjacent scanline data representing the image, until the first plural-bit code is decoded, then said first analyzing data operates on N adjacent scanlines, N being an integer greater than 2, with the first plural-bit code being yielded only when analysis of the N adjacent scanlines each yields the first plural-bit code;
for each of the plurality of color separations or channels, second analyzing data representing image data to decode the plural encoded signals, said second analyzing yielding plural instances of the second plural-bit code;
determining whether the plural instances of the second plural-bit code conflict with the first plural-bit code; and
for each conflict, providing information associated with a spatial location of the conflict relative to the image.

7. The image processing method of claim 6 in which the plural encoded signals comprise digital watermarking.

8. An image processing method comprising:
obtaining an image comprising a plurality of color separations or channels, in which the image comprises at least a 1D or 2D barcode associated therewith and the image comprises plural encoded signals encoded therein, the 1D or 2D barcode comprising a first plural-bit code and the plural encoded signals comprising a second plural-bit code;
first analyzing data representing the image to decode the 1D or 2D barcode, said first analyzing yields the first plural-bit code;
segmenting at least a portion of the image into a plurality of blocks or tiles, in which a second analyzing operates on individual blocks or tiles from the plurality of blocks or tiles for each of the plurality of separations or channels;
for each of the plurality of color separations or channels, and after said act of segmenting, second analyzing data representing image data to decode the plural encoded signals, said second analyzing yielding plural instances of the second plural-bit code;
determining whether the plural instances of the second plural-bit code conflict with the first plural-bit code; and
for each conflict, providing information associated with a spatial location of the conflict relative to the image.

9. The image processing method of claim 8 in which the first plural-bit code and the second plural-bit code comprise data representing a UPC code or a GTIN code.

10. The image processing method of claim 8 in which the plural encoded signals comprise digital watermarking.

11. An image processing method comprising:
obtaining an image comprising a plurality of color separations or channels, in which the image comprises at least a 1D or 2D barcode associated therewith and the image comprises plural encoded signals encoded therein, the 1D or 2D barcode comprising a first plural-bit code and the plural encoded signals comprising a second plural-bit code, in which the plural encoded signals comprise a synchronization component and a message component;
first analyzing data representing the image to decode the 1D or 2D barcode, said first analyzing yields the first plural-bit code;
for each of the plurality of color separations or channels, second analyzing data representing image data to decode the plural encoded signals, said second analyzing yielding plural instances of the second plural-bit code;
determining whether the plural instances of the second plural-bit code conflict with the first plural-bit code;
for each conflict, providing information associated with a spatial location of the conflict relative to the image;
transforming data representing the image to yield transformed data;
analyzing the transformed data to obtain detectability indicators, in which a first detectability indicator corresponds to synchronization component strength, and a second indicator corresponds to message component strength;
predicting, based on the first detectability indicator and on the second detectability indicator, a likelihood that the transformed data, once printed on a physical substrate, will be detectable from optical scan data representing such printed transformed data on the physical substrate; and
providing information for a conflict map, in which the information represents predicted signal detection of the encoded signals.

12. The image processing method of claim 11 in which the conflict map represents predicted signal detection for one or more swipe paths across the image.

13. The image processing method of claim 11 in which the plural encoded signals comprise digital watermarking.

14. An image processing apparatus comprising:
electronic memory for storing an image, the image comprising a plurality of color separations or channels, in which the image comprises at least a 1D or 2D barcode represented therein and a first encoded signal encoded therein, the 1D or 2D barcode comprising a first plural-bit code and the first encoded signal comprising a second plural-bit code;
a barcode module configured for analyzing data representing the image to decode the 1D or 2D barcode to obtain the first

Assignees

• Digimarc Corp

Inventors

• Brundage Trent J
• Holub Vojtech
• Cushman David A

Classifications

• G06T1/0078

  using multiple thresholds · CPC title

• G06T2201/0202

  whereby the quality of watermarked images is measured; Measuring quality or performance of watermarking methods; Balancing between quality and robustness · CPC title

• G06T1/005

  Robust watermarking, e.g. average attack or collusion attack resistant · CPC title

• G06T1/0028 Primary

  Adaptive watermarking, e.g. Human Visual System [HVS]-based watermarking · CPC title

• G06T1/0021

  Image watermarking · CPC title