Barcode structure and barcode encoding method

• US 8,702,011 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Farn, En-Jung, Chen, Chih-Wei, Kang, Chung-Chia, Wu, Nien-Chu
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US13/743,172
• Publication Number:
  US 20140042232A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 235/494, 235/454, 235/460, 235/462.07, 235/462.03
• US Class Current: 235/494
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12

Abstract

A barcode structure includes at least one symbolic element row and a frame arranged at a periphery of the at least one symbolic element row. Each symbolic element row has multiple symbolic elements. Each symbolic element has different color from its adjacent symbolic elements, and the color of the frame is different from that of any symbolic element. A barcode encoding method includes: establishing multiple color combinations where a color of a frame is excluded, and each color combination comprising a main color and a sub color; performing a symbolic element row establishment procedure, which includes using a reference color as a color of a first symbolic element of a symbolic element row; deleting color combinations where the reference color is used as a main color; and selecting a color combination from remaining color combinations for coloring two symbolic elements that are sequentially connected with the first symbolic element.

Claims

1. A barcode structure, comprising:

at least one symbolic element row, wherein the number of rows corresponds to the number of bits of encoded information, each symbolic element row comprises multiple symbolic elements, the multiple symbolic elements extend and are sequentially connected in a first direction, each symbolic element comprises a polygon, and any two adjacent symbolic elements have different colors; and

a frame, wherein the at least one symbolic element row is arranged in the frame, and a color of the frame is different from that of any symbolic element,

wherein the frame comprises;

a rim frame, arranged at a periphery of the at least one symbolic element row, wherein the rim frame comprises four border frames; and

at least one triangle block group, comprising two triangle blocks, wherein the two triangle blocks are symmetrically arranged at two ends of the at least one symbolic element row in the first direction.

2. The barcode structure according to claim 1, wherein one of the symbolic elements is a parallelogram.

3. The barcode structure according to claim 1, wherein one of the symbolic elements is a triangle.

4. The barcode structure according to claim 1, comprising multiple symbolic element rows, wherein the multiple symbolic element rows are parallel to the first direction and arranged in the frame, and each symbolic element row is correspondingly provided with a triangle block group.

5. The barcode structure according to claim 4, wherein the frame further comprises at least one demarcation line between two adjacent symbolic element rows.

6. The barcode structure according to claim 1, wherein in each symbolic element row, two adjacent symbolic elements form a group, and extension directions of any two side edges of adjacent symbolic elements of the group are used to store information.

7. A barcode encoding method, comprising following steps:

deciding multiple colors according to the number of bits of encoded information;

deciding a frame, and deciding a color of the frame from the multiple colors;

removing the color of the frame from the multiple colors, two different colors among remaining colors forming a combination, establishing a first color lookup table comprising multiple color combinations, and each color combination comprising a main color and a sub color different from the main color; and

performing a symbolic element row establishment procedure, which further comprises following steps;

deciding a reference color from the remaining multiple colors, which is used as a color of a first symbolic element of a symbolic element row, wherein the symbolic element comprising a polygon;

deleting combinations in which the reference color is used as a main color in the first color lookup table, so as to form a second color lookup table; and

selecting a color combination corresponding to content of the encoded information from the second color lookup table, which is respectively used as colors of two symbolic elements that extend and are sequentially connected with the first symbolic element in a first direction, so as to form the symbolic element row in the frame.

8. The barcode encoding method according to claim 7, further comprising repeating the symbolic element row establishment procedure for multiple times, so as to obtain multiple symbolic element rows arranged along a second direction, wherein a demarcation line exists between two adjacent symbolic element rows.

9. The barcode encoding method according to claim 7, further comprising following steps:

deleting color combinations, in which a color of a last symbolic element in a symbolic element row being a main color, from the first color lookup table, so as to form another second color lookup table; and

selecting any one color combination from the second color lookup table, which is respectively used as colors of two symbolic elements that extend and are sequentially connected in the first direction with the last symbolic element in the symbolic element row, so as to extend a length of the symbolic element row, and increase an information amount the symbolic element row is capable of storing.

10. The barcode encoding method according to claim 7, wherein in the symbolic element row, two adjacent symbolic elements form a group, and extension directions of any two side edges of adjacent symbolic elements of the group are used to store information.

11. The barcode encoding method according to claim 7, wherein the encoded information comprising original information, and an error-correcting code and at least one piece of filling information that follow the original information, the number of bits of the error-correcting code depends on a length of the original information and a fault tolerance rate of the barcode, and the filling information is used to supplement a length of the encoded information.

12. The barcode encoding method according to claim 7, wherein the frame comprises:

a rim frame, arranged at a periphery of the at least one symbolic element row, wherein the rim frame comprises four border frames; and

at least one triangle block group, comprising two triangle blocks, wherein the two triangle blocks are symmetrically arranged at two ends of the at least one symbolic element row in the first direction.

13. The barcode encoding method according to claim 7, wherein one of the symbolic elements is a parallelogram.

14. The barcode encoding method according to claim 7, wherein one of the symbolic elements is a triangle.