3-D matrix barcode presentation

• US 8,827,150 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Gratton, Max Stephen, Atkinson, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAIL, ALLYSON NEEL
• Application Number:
  US13/968,611
• Publication Number:
  US 20140076963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/380, 235/440, 359/465
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/211 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/302 for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/334 using spectral multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/337 using polarisation multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals

Abstract

A method for processing a matrix barcode displayed in three dimensions to extract data represented thereby involves capturing the component images of the three-dimensional representation. The method includes receiving a first component image of the matrix barcode and receiving a second component image of the matrix barcode as the two images are displayed on a display device. After the two images have been received, the first component image and the second component image of the matrix barcode are captured on an image capture device. Then depth information between elements of the matrix barcode presented in the first and second component images is determined and additional data represented in such depth information is extracted.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a microprocessor controlled device comprising

capturing a first component image of a matrix barcode and a second component image of the matrix barcode corresponding to a three-dimensional matrix barcode as presented on a display device, wherein the first component image corresponds to an even frame presented on the display device, and the second component image corresponds to an odd frame presented on the display device;

processing with a microprocessor the first component image and the second component image to identify depth information for the three-dimensional matrix barcode; and

decoding the depth information into data previously encoded into the three-dimensional matrix barcode.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising capturing the first component image and the second component image of the matrix barcode on an image capture device component of the microprocessor-controlled device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the data comprises a location identifier;

and

the method further comprises transmitting a request for content to a location related to the location identifier; and

receiving the content from the location.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising presenting the content on a display device component of the microprocessor-controlled device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor-controlled device is a smart phone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor-controlled device is a remote control device.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the capturing operation further comprises

synchronizing a shutter on the image capture device component with a frame display rate of a display device.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the capturing operation further comprises

capturing the first component frame on the image capture device component through a filter having a first polarization;

and

capturing the second component frame on the image capture device component through a filter having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the capturing operation further comprises rotating the filter from a first orientation to a second orientation orthogonal to the first orientation between the step of capturing the first component frame and the step of capturing the second component frame.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein

a portion of the matrix barcode has a color component other than black and white;

and

the method further comprises decoding data represented by the color component.

11. A method implemented on a microprocessor-controlled device comprising

receiving a first component image of a matrix barcode and a second component image of the matrix barcode, wherein the first component image and the second component image correspond to a three-dimensional representation of the matrix barcode;

and

capturing via an image capture device, the first component image and the second component image, wherein the first component frame is captured on the image capture device through a filter having a first polarization and the second component frame is captured on the image capture device through a filter having a second polarization orthogonal to the first polarization.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising processing via a microprocessor the first component image and the second component image to determine a depth data of the matrix barcode.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a mobile computing device comprises the image capture device and the microprocessor.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising accessing content at a location provided in data represented by and decoded from the three-dimensional representation of the matrix barcode.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the image capture device comprises

one or more filters configured to filter out the second component image of the matrix barcode;

and

the method further comprises controlling a selection or orientation of the one or more filters to alternately filter out the first component image and the second component image from capture by the image capture device.

16. A computer program product comprising

a first set of instructions, stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by at least one processing unit to capture a first component image of a matrix barcode and a second component image of the matrix barcode corresponding to a three-dimensional matrix barcode as presented on a display device, wherein the first component image corresponds to an even frame presented on the display device, and the second component image corresponds to an odd frame presented on the display device;

a second set of instructions, stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by at least one processing unit to process a first component image of a matrix barcode and a second component image of the matrix barcode corresponding to a three-dimensional matrix barcode presented on a display device to identify depth information for the three-dimensional matrix barcode; and

a third set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to decode the depth information into data previously encoded into the three-dimensional matrix barcode.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 further comprising a fourth set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to capture the first component image and the second component image of the matrix barcode on a capture device component of the microprocessor-controlled device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the capturing operation further comprises operations to

synchronize a shutter on the image capture device component with a frame display rate of a display device.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein

the data comprises a location identifier;

and

further comprising a fourth set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to transmit a request for content to a location related to the location identifier; and

a fifth set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to receive the content from the location.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising a fourth set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to present the content on a display device component of the microprocessor-controlled device.