Two-dimensional code reader and program

• US 8,584,950 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shift Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shift Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Endo, Hiroyuki, Takahashi, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hess, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Savusdiphol, Paultep
• Application Number:
  US13/813,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20130175340A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,176 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/454, 235/462.01, 235/462.41, 235/462.09, 235/462.11, 235/462.16, 235/462.2, 235/462.25, 235/462.32
• US Class Current: 235/462.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10841 Particularities of the light-sensitive elements semiconductor devices H01L
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1093 sensing, after transfer of the image of the data-field to an intermediate store, e.g. storage with cathode ray tube
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1443 locating of the code in an image

Abstract

A two-dimensional code reader and program generate edge images based on obtained images, extract candidate regions within these edge images, determine whether or not the extracted candidate regions are valid, determine whether or not characteristic patterns are included in each corresponding region in the original image, and then detects two-dimensional code regions within original images. The two-dimensional code reader and program repeatedly implement generation of edge images based on conversion conditions that correspond to the applicable order among a plurality of conversion condition types in a pre-set order, detection of candidate regions among the generated edge images, determination of whether or not the extracted candidate regions are valid, determination of whether or not characteristic patterns are included in the corresponding regions in the original images that correspond to valid candidate regions, and detection of two-dimensional code regions.

Claims

1. A two-dimensional code reader comprising:

an image acquisition unit acquiring an image formed by shooting an image of a region including a plurality of two-dimensional code regions;

a component conversion unit converting the image acquired by the image acquisition unit into an edge image indicating the distribution of edge components included in the image;

a region extraction unit extracting a region formed in conformity with a predetermined region rule that defines an outer shape formed with an outline portion of each of the two-dimensional code regions and also defines a shape set as a shape similar to the outer shape, as a candidate region each containing the corresponding two-dimensional code region, from the edge image converted by the component conversion unit;

a candidate-region determination unit determining whether the candidate region extracted by the region extraction unit is a valid candidate region on the basis of shape information that is information in which a particular error range is set with respect to a parameter of an ideal outer shape being the outer shape formed with the outline portion of the two-dimensional code region;

a pattern determination unit determining, for respective corresponding regions that correspond to the candidate region in the image acquired by the image acquisition unit that has been determined to be valid by the candidate-region determination unit, whether a characteristic pattern that is a pattern for determining whether a pattern formed in the corresponding region is the two-dimensional code region is included in elements that form the corresponding region;

a region detection unit detecting the corresponding region determined to include the characteristic pattern by the pattern determination unit, as the two-dimensional code region;

an information identifying unit identifying information indicated by the two-dimensional code region, for each of the two-dimensional code regions detected by the region detection unit;

a repetitive execution unit successively allowing conversion of an image into an edge image by the component conversion unit for different kinds of conversion conditions and also repeatedly allowing, for each of the edge images converted for the respective conversion conditions, extraction of a candidate region by the region extraction unit, determination of a valid candidate region by the candidate-region determination unit, determination of a characteristic pattern by the pattern determination unit, and detection of a two-dimensional code region by the region detection unit; and

an agreement determination unit determining whether each candidate region extracted by the region extraction unit for a particular edge image and determined to be valid by the candidate-region determination unit agrees with a candidate region (hereinafter referred to as “

already-extracted candidate region”

) extracted by the region extraction unit for another edge image and determined to be valid by the candidate-region determination unit, based on both of the candidate regions,

the candidate-region determination unit determining that the extracted candidate region is a valid region when information corresponding to the shape information of the candidate region extracted by the region extraction unit is included within the error range, and determines that the extracted candidate region is an invalid region when information corresponding to the shape information falls outside the error range, and

the repetitive execution unit allowing the determination by the pattern determination unit as to whether a characteristic pattern is included and the detection of a two-dimensional code region by the region detection unit, only for a candidate region that has been determined by the agreement determination unit not to agree with the already-extracted candidate region, among candidate regions extracted by the region extraction unit and determined by the candidate-region determination unit to be valid.

2. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein the shape information includes information of a ratio in length of sides and information of an angle between two adjacent sides when the outer shape of the two-dimensional codes is polygonal.

3. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein the different kinds of conversion conditions include a conversion condition in which the image acquired by the image acquisition unit is converted into a gray scale image, the gray scale image is binarized with a threshold varying with the kinds of conversion conditions to generate a binarized image, and an edge portion in the binarized image is linearized.

4. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein the different kinds of conversion conditions include a conversion condition in which color components varying with the kinds of conversion conditions are extracted from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, a color component image formed of the extracted color components is converted into a gray scale image, the gray scale image is binarized with a particular threshold to generate a binarized image, and an edge portion in the binarized image is linearized.

5. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein the two-dimensional codes each are a two-dimensional code in which a plurality of cells are arranged, and each cell is colored such that the cells include cells of a plurality of kinds in different colors to code one or more pieces of information in accordance with colors given to the cells or a combination of colors, and

the information identifying unit identifies information on the basis of the color or the combination of colors given to a region of each cell in the two-dimensional code region.

6. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 5, wherein respective colors given to the cells in the two-dimensional code region are defined in conformity with a coloring rule according to information to be coded with the cells and colors given to cells adjacent to the cells, among different kinds of colors,

the two-dimensional code reader further comprising:

a color estimation unit estimating, in conformity with the coloring rule, a color that should originally be given for a region of a cell, among regions of the cells in the two-dimensional code detected by the region detection unit, that is given a color other than a color to be given in conformity with the coloring rule or other than a color to be used in the two-dimensional code, wherein

the information identifying unit identifies information on the basis of colors given to regions of the cells or a combination of colors, based on the assumption that the estimated color is given to the region of the cell whose color is estimated by the color estimation unit, among the regions of the cells in the two-dimensional code region.

7. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 5, further comprising:

a color determination unit determining a color given to a region of each cell in the two-dimensional code region detected by the region detection unit, on the basis of which determination region the color is included in, in the determination region on a color space expanding around each of a plurality of colors used in the two-dimensional code, wherein

the information identifying unit identifies information on the basis of colors given to regions of the cells or a combination of colors, based on the assumption that the region of each cell in the two-dimensional code region is given the color determined by the color determination unit for the region of the cell.

8. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 7, wherein for a two-dimensional code region that contains a certain number of regions of cells or more determined not to be included in any of the determination regions corresponding to a plurality of colors, the color determination unit expands the determination regions by a certain region and thereafter determines a color given to a region of each cell again.

9. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 7, wherein for a two-dimensional code region that contains a certain number of regions of cells or more determined not to be included in any of the determination regions corresponding to a plurality of colors, the color determination unit shifts the determination regions in the color space in accordance with the color distribution in the two-dimensional code region, and thereafter determines a color given to the region of each cell again.

10. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein the agreement determination unit determines whether each candidate region that is extracted by the region extraction unit for a particular edge image and is determined to be valid by the candidate-region determination unit agrees with the already-extracted candidate region in another edge image, depending on the degree of overlap between both candidate regions.

11. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein the agreement determination unit determines whether each candidate region in a particular edge image that is extracted by the region extraction unit and determined to be valid agrees with the already-extracted candidate region in another edge image, depending on whether one candidate region is embraced in the other candidate region.

12. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein, in a case where a two-dimensional code region is polygonal, the agreement determination unit determines whether each candidate region that is extracted by the region extraction unit in a particular edge image and is determined to be valid by the candidate-region determination unit agrees with the already-extracted candidate region in another edge image, on the basis of whether one or more vertices in a polygon formed as the candidate region are located within a certain range from any of the vertices of a polygon formed as the already-extracted candidate region.

13. The two-dimensional code reader according to claim 1, wherein, based on a template that defines the region rule, the region extraction unit extracts, as a candidate region, a region formed in conformity with the rule defined by the template from an edge image converted by the component conversion unit, and

based on a template that defines a shape rule as the shape information, the candidate-region determination unit determines whether the candidate region extracted by the region extraction unit is valid by determining whether the candidate region extracted by the region extraction unit is a region formed in conformity with the rule defined by the template.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer system to execute a variety of processing procedures functioning as the components as claimed in claim 1.