CODING PATTERN COMPRISING REGISTRATION SYMBOLS

• US 20090078780A1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Lapstun, Paul
• Application Number:
  US12/178,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20090078780A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1206 resulting in increased flexibility in input data format or job format or job type
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1265 Printing by reference, e.g. retrieving document/image data for a job from a source mentioned in the job
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1284 Local printer device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding

Abstract

A substrate having a coding pattern disposed on a surface thereof. The coding pattern comprises a plurality of target elements defining a target grid. The target grid comprises a plurality of cells, wherein neighboring cells share target elements. A plurality of data elements are contained in each cell. Tags are defined by a plurality of contiguous cells and each tag comprises respective local tag data encoded by a respective set of the data elements. Each cell comprises one or more translation symbols encoded by a respective set of the data elements. The translation symbols identify a translation of the cell relative to a tag containing the cell.

Claims

1. A substrate having a coding pattern disposed on a surface thereof, said coding pattern comprising:

a plurality of target elements defining a target grid, said target grid comprising a plurality of cells, wherein neighboring cells share target elements;

a plurality of data elements contained in each cell; and

a plurality of tags, each tag being defined by a plurality of contiguous cells, each tag comprising respective tag data encoded by a respective set of said data elements,

wherein each cell comprises one or more registration symbols encoded by a respective set of said data elements, said one or more registration symbols identifying;

a translation of said cell relative to a tag containing said cell; and

an orientation of a layout of said tag data with respect to said target grid.

2. The substrate of claim 1, wherein each cell comprises a first and second registration symbols, said first registration symbol identifying a first orthogonal translation of said cell, said second registration symbol identifying a second orthogonal translation of said cell.

3. The substrate of claim 2, wherein said first registration symbol identifies a first direction component of said orientation, and said second registration symbol identifies a second direction component of said orientation, such that said first and second orthogonal registration symbols together identify said orientation via said first and second direction components.

4. The substrate of claim 1, wherein each tag is square and comprises M² contiguous square cells, wherein M is an integer having a value of at least 2.

5. The substrate of claim 4, wherein M registration symbols in a row of M cells define a cyclic position code having minimum distance M, said code being defined by a first translation codeword.

6. The substrate of claim 4, wherein M registration symbols in a column of M cells define a cyclic position code having minimum distance M, said code being defined by a second translation codeword.

7. The substrate of claim 1, wherein each tag comprises N cells, and at least N registration symbols form a third translation codeword with minimum distance N, wherein N is an integer having a value of at least 4.

8. The substrate of claim 6, wherein any tag-sized portion of said coding pattern is guaranteed to contain at least N registration symbols, thereby capturing said third translation codeword.

9. The substrate of claim 1, wherein said orientation is one of four possible orientations identifiable via a pair of 1-bit direction code symbol values.

10. The substrate of claim 1, wherein each tag comprises N cells, and at least N first registration symbols form a first direction code with minimum distance N, wherein N is an integer having a value of at least 4.

11. The substrate of claim 10, wherein at least N second registration symbols form a second direction code with minimum distance N, wherein N is an integer having a value of at least 4.

12. The substrate of claim 11, wherein said orientation is identifiable from said first and second direction codes.

13. The substrate of claim 11, wherein said cells are arranged such that any tag-sized portion of said coding pattern is guaranteed to contain said first and second direction codes.

14. The substrate of claim 1, wherein said registration symbol further identifies a flag for said tag.

15. The substrate of claim 1, wherein said data elements are macrodots.

16. The substrate of claim 15, wherein a portion of data is represented by m macrodots, each of said macrodots occupying a respective position from a plurality of predetermined possible positions p within said cell, the respective positions of said macrodots representing one of a plurality of possible data values.

17. The substrate of claim 16, wherein said portion of data is a Reed-Solomon symbol.

18. The substrate of claim 16, wherein each cell defines a symbol group, each symbol group comprising a plurality of Reed-Solomon symbols encoded by a plurality of said data elements.

19. The substrate of claim 16, wherein m is an integer of 2 or more, and p≧

2m.

20. The substrate of claim 18, wherein said tag data is encoded as a local codeword comprised of a set of said Reed-Solomon symbols.