Increasing information size in two-dimensional barcodes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9864892-B2
Application number	US-201415034559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 4, 2014
Priority date	Nov 6, 2013
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

Decoding or encoding information in a two-dimensional barcode, the barcode comprising an orientation pattern and a payload data pattern both being compiled of first and second type elements. The decoding or encoding involves a two-dimensional transformation applying at least to the payload data pattern in connection with second information that forms together with first information the information encoded in the two-dimensional barcode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of encoding information in a two-dimensional barcode, the barcode comprising an orientation pattern and a payload data pattern both being compiled of first and second type elements, the method comprising:
obtaining information to be encoded in the two-dimensional barcode;
extracting, from the obtained information, first and second information, wherein the first information is to be encoded in the payload data pattern of the two-dimensional barcode;
generating the payload data pattern based on the first information;
compiling a two-dimensional barcode pattern from the generated payload data pattern and an orientation pattern,
wherein a two-dimensional transformation is reviewed based on the second information, the two-dimensional transformation being applied at least to the payload data pattern.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional transformation is reviewed by applying the two-dimensional transformation to the compiled two-dimensional barcode pattern based on the second information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional transformation is reviewed by applying the two-dimensional transformation to the payload data pattern based on the second information.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional transformation is reviewed, based on the second information, during the generating of the payload data pattern based on the first information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the reviewed two-dimensional transformation comprises applying a mask for assigning positions of the elements of the payload data pattern to positions in a bit sequence.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises generating an additional element in the vicinity of the two-dimensional barcode pattern, wherein any one of an orientation of the two-dimensional barcode pattern relative to the additional element, a position of the two-dimensional barcode pattern relative to the additional element, and a transformation of at least parts of the two-dimensional barcode pattern relative to the additional element is based on the second information.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises incorporating a verification mechanism into the payload data pattern.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the verification mechanism is incorporated by calculating one or more of a checksum, an error correction code, and a Reed-Solomon polynomial.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transformation includes one or more of a rotation transformation, a rotation transformation by 90 degrees, a rotation transformation by n×90 degrees, n=1, 2 or 3, a reflection transformation, a point reflection transformation, a reflection transformation across a line, and an identity transformation.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first information is represented by a first sequence of bits, and the second information is represented by one more bits preceding or succeeding the first sequence of bits.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the two-dimensional barcode is any one of a symmetric datamatrix barcode, an asymmetric datamatrix barcode, and a QR-code.

12. A computer program comprising code executable by a processing unit, the code when executed implementing a method of claim 1 .

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory tangible medium storing the code of the computer program of claim 12 .

14. A method of decoding information in a two-dimensional barcode, the barcode comprising an orientation pattern and a payload data pattern both being compiled of first and second type elements, the method comprising:
identifying the type of the elements and the positions of the elements from image data of the two-dimensional barcode;
setting second information based on a first two-dimensional transformation having been applied to at least the payload data pattern;
decoding first information from the identified positions and types of the elements of the payload data pattern based on the first two-dimensional transformation; and
compiling the information in the two-dimensional barcode from the first information and the second information.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first two-dimensional transformation is based on the orientation pattern.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first two-dimensional transformation is based on a result from decoding the first information.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein, in an event of the decoding first information failing, the method further comprises repeating the decoding of the first information based on a second two-dimensional transformation having been applied to at least the payload data pattern.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises evaluating a verification mechanism on the first information for determining whether decoding the first information was successful or failed.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the verification mechanism includes calculating one or more of a checksum, an error correction code, and a Reed-Solomon polynomial.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the decoding of the first information comprises applying a mask for assigning positions of the elements of the payload data pattern to positions in a bit sequence.

21. The method of claim 14 , wherein the method further comprises identifying an additional element in the vicinity of the two-dimensional barcode, wherein the first two-dimensional transformation and/or setting the second information is based on any one of an orientation of the two-dimensional barcode relative to the additional element, a position of the two-dimensional barcode relative to the additional element, and a transformation of at least parts of the two-dimensional barcode relative to the additional element.

22. A device for encoding information in a two-dimensional barcode, the barcode comprising an orientation pattern and a payload data pattern both being compiled of first and second type elements, the device comprising processing resources being configured to:
obtain information to be encoded in the two-dimensional barcode;
extract, from the obtained information, first and second information, wherein the first information is to be encoded in the payload data pattern of the two-dimensional barcode;
generate the payload data pattern based on the first information;
compile a two-dimensional barcode pattern from the generated payload data pattern and an orientation pattern,
wherein a two-dimensional transformation is reviewed based on the second information, the two-dimensional transformation being applied at least to the payload data pattern.

23. The device of claim 22 , wherein the processing resources are configured to implement a method of encoding information in a two-dimensional barcode, the barcode comprising an orientation pattern and a payload data pattern both being compiled of first and second type elements.

24. The device of claim 22 , wherein the compiled two-dimensional barcode pattern is attachable to an item.

25. The device of claim 22 , wherein the processing resources comprise a processing unit and a memory unit, the memory unit being configured to store code executable by the processing unit.

26. A device for decoding information in a two-dimensional barcode, the barcode comprising an orientation pattern and a payload data pattern both being compiled of first and second type elements, t

Assignees

• Sicpa Holding Sa

Inventors

• Vasic Milan

Classifications

• G06K19/06037

  multi-dimensional coding · CPC title

• G06K7/1473 Primary

  error correction · CPC title

• G06K19/06075

  the marking containing means for error correction · CPC title

• G06K19/06056

  the marking comprising a further embedded marking, e.g. a 1D bar code with the black bars containing a smaller sized coding · CPC title

• G06K7/1443

  locating of the code in an image · CPC title