Synchronous two-dimensional barcode system with all-around information, and reading method thereof

• US 7,377,449 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2004
• Issued: 05/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing LP Century Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Technology Center
• Inventors: Bian, Longxiang
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US10/553,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20060255163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462.09, 235/462.1, 235/462.11, 235/469, 235/494
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding

Abstract

A system for a two dimension bar code for synchronous omni-directional information and its identifying method are disclosed with advantages of simple in identifying, low requirement on scanner synchronization and high in ability to identifying with anti-aberration. The system for the two dimension bar code is composed of units aligned in a matrix form and comprises a pair of vertical synchronous information units at two opposing borders in said matrix; a pair of horizontal synchronous information units at another two opposing border in said matrix; a directing information unit having a characteristic shape and/or optic characteristics for identifying a scanning direction and having a specific relative positional relationship between said vertical information synchronous units and horizontal information synchronous units; and a coding information unit inside said matrix, wherein the base of each unit is in the vicinity of the intersection of the central linking line of a pair of the vertical synchronous information units and the central linking line of a pair of horizontal synchronous information units.

Claims

1. A system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information, characterized in that, comprising:

vertical synchronous information units disposed at two opposing borders in said matrix, wherein optical characteristics of the neighboring units are different and the units at different borders constitute a pair of vertical synchronous information units;

horizontal synchronous information units disposed at another two opposing borders of said matrix, wherein optical characteristics of the neighboring units are different and the units at different borders constitute a pair of horizontal synchronous information units;

directing information units having a characteristic shape and/or optical characteristic for identifying a scanning direction and having a relative positional relationship with said vertical synchronous information units and horizontal synchronous information units; and

coding information units inside said matrix, wherein the base of each unit is at or near the junction of the central line of a pair of the vertical synchronous information units and the central line of a pair of the horizontal synchronous information units.

2. The system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 1, characterized in that, the optical characteristics for each unit are the unit color attribute and said base is the center of each unit.

3. The system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 2, characterized in that, said vertical synchronous information units and horizontal synchronous information units are all distributed at said matrix border, and said directing information units are at the center of the matrix vertex and the border.

4. The system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 3, characterized in that, each of said vertical synchronous information units, horizontal synchronous information units and coding information units is a square, said directing information unit is selected from a rectangle, a square or a circle.

5. The system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 1, characterized in that, said vertical synchronous information units and horizontal synchronous information units are all distributed at said matrix border, and said directing information units are at the center of the matrix vertex and the border.

6. The system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 5, characterized in that each of said vertical synchronous information units, horizontal synchronous information units and coding information units is a square, said directing information unit is selected from a rectangle, a square or a circle.

7. A method for identifying the system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, the identifying device identifies an input image of said system for a two dimensional bar code for synchronous omni-directional information in accordance with the following steps:

(1) determining its position in the image based on the characteristic shape and/or optical characteristics of a directing information unit;

(2) determining a linking line between each pair of the vertical synchronous information units and the horizontal synchronous information units based on the specific relative positional relationship of the directing information unit with the vertical synchronous information unit and the horizontal synchronous information unit as well as the optic characteristics of the vertical synchronous information unit and the horizontal synchronous information unit;

(3) reading optical characteristic information at or near the junction of the linking line between the centers of said pair of vertical synchronous information units and the intersection between said pair of horizontal synchronous information units; and

(4) decoding the optical characteristic information at or near the junction read by step (3) in accordance with the order identified by the characteristic shape and/or optical characteristics of the directing information unit, so as to recover the coded information.

8. The method for identifying the system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 7, characterized in that, the optical characteristics for each unit are its color attribute and said base is the center of each unit.

9. The method for identifying the system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 7, characterized in that, the optical characteristics for each unit are its fluorescent attribute and said base is the center of each unit.

10. The method for identifying the system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 8, characterized in that, said vertical synchronous information units and horizontal synchronous information units are all distributed at said matrix border, and said directing information units are at the matrix vertex and the center of the border, the identifier determines the directing information unit at the border center by the directing information unit at neighboring matrix vertex.

11. The method for identifying the system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 10, characterized in that, each of said vertical synchronous information units, horizontal synchronous information units and coding information units is a square, said directing information unit is selected from a rectangle, a square or a circle, said identifier determines a scanning direction through comparing its geometric shape and its position.

12. The method for identifying the system for a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 11, characterized in that, the base location of the vertical synchronous information units and the horizontal synchronous information units at a border are determined by a border searching algorithm.

13. The method for identifying a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 9, characterized in that, said vertical synchronous information units and horizontal synchronous information units are all distributed at said matrix border, and said directing information units are at the matrix vertex and the center of the border, the identifier determines the directing information unit at the border center by the directing information unit at neighboring matrix vertex.

14. The method for identifying a two dimensional bar code having information units arranged in the form of a matrix for synchronous omni-directional information according to claim 13, characterized in that, each of said vertical synchronous information units, horizontal synchronous information units and coding information units is a square, said directing information unit is selected from a rectangle, a square or a circle, and said identifier determines a scanning direction through comparing its geometric shape and its position.