Color barcodes for mobile applications: a per channel framework

• US 9,111,186 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of Rochester
• Original Assignee: University of Rochester
• Inventors: Blasinski, Henryk, Bulan, Orhan, Sharma, Gaurav
• Primary Examiner(s): Paik, Steven S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, Claude J
• Application Number:
  US13/648,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20130092738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/439, 235/454, 235/462.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06225 using wavelength selection, e.g. colour code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10821 further details of bar or optical code scanning devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/12 using a selected wavelength, e.g. to sense red marks and ignore blue marks

Abstract

A new framework for extending monochrome barcodes to color which offers higher data rates is described. In one embodiment of the present invention, the framework encodes independent data in each of the cyan, magenta, and yellow print colorant channels commonly used in color printing and decodes the data from each of the complementary red, green, and blue channels in capture color channels. The framework effectively increases the capacity of monochrome barcodes by a factor of three. In another embodiment of the present invention, a physical model based approach mitigates the effect of cross-channel interference among the print-colorant channels and capture color channels. In another embodiment of the invention, a pilot block methodology is used to estimate the model parameters and enable cross-channel interference cancellation. In another embodiment of the invention, an expectation maximization (EM)-type methodology estimates the model parameters and enables cross-channel interference cancellation.

Claims

1. A method of decoding a two-dimensional color barcode comprising:

capturing an image of the two-dimensional color barcode having a plurality of layers of encoded data with a three channel image capture device, wherein a first channel is sensitive to the red region of the spectrum, a second channel is sensitive to the blue region of the spectrum, and a third channel is sensitive to the green region of the spectrum, and wherein each layer of said plurality of layers of said two-dimensional color barcode comprises a barcode encoding a plurality of data into a single colorant;

performing color interference cancellation to estimate three cyan, magenta, and yellow colorant layers from the channels that are sensitive to the red, green and blue regions of the spectrum; and

extracting the first, second, and third layers of encoded data from the channels that are sensitive to the red, green and blue regions of the spectrum using said estimates of the three cyan, magenta, and yellow colorant layers.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein performing color interference cancellation includes estimation of parameters for the cancellation using synchronization patterns located in a plurality of regions within the color two-dimensional barcode, wherein said synchronization patterns are comprised of at least two pre-determined colorant combinations.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein performing color interference cancellation includes estimation of parameters for the cancellation from a region of the color two-dimensional barcode where data is encoded.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the estimation of parameters further includes iterating between the estimation of parameters and estimating the data value for each of the data locations in the region of the color two-dimensional barcode where data is encoded data for each of the three cyan, magenta, and yellow colorant layers.

5. A system for decoding a two-dimensional color barcode comprising:

a computer readable storage memory;

a processor for executing computer program instructions stored in the computer readable storage memory, wherein the instructions are for performing the steps of;

capturing in three channels an image of the two-dimensional color barcode having a plurality of layers of encoded data, wherein a first channel is sensitive to the red region of the spectrum, a second channel is sensitive to the blue region of the spectrum, and a third channel is sensitive to the green region of the spectrum, and wherein each layer of said two-dimensional color barcode comprises a barcode having encoded within a plurality of data encoded into a single colorant;

performing color interference cancellation to estimate three cyan, magenta, and yellow colorant layers from the channels that are sensitive to the red, green and blue regions of the spectrum; and

extracting the first, second, and third layers of encoded data from the channels that are sensitive to the red, green and blue regions of the spectrum using said estimates of the three cyan, magenta, and yellow colorant layers.

6. The system according to claim 5 wherein performing color interference cancellation further comprises computer program instructions for performing the step of estimating parameters for the cancellation using synchronization patterns located in a plurality of regions within the color two-dimensional barcode, wherein said synchronization patterns are comprised of at least two pre-determined colorant combinations.

7. The system according to claim 5 wherein performing color interference cancellation further comprises computer program instructions for performing the step of estimating of parameters for the cancellation from a region of the color two-dimensional barcode where data is encoded.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the estimation of parameters further comprises computer program instructions for performing the step of iterating between the estimation of parameters and estimating the data value for each of the data locations in the region of the color two-dimensional barcode where data is encoded data for each of the three cyan, magenta, and yellow colorant layers.

9. A method of decoding a two-dimensional color barcode comprising:

capturing an image of the two-dimensional color barcode with a image capture device having at least three channels, the two-dimensional color barcode comprising at least a first layer and a second layer, each of said first layer and said second layer comprising data encoded into a barcode, said first layer comprising a first colorant comprising one of three CMY colorants, said second layer comprising a second colorant comprising one of three CMY colorants, said second colorant different from said first colorant, said image capture device comprising a first channel sensitive to a red region of a spectrum, a second channel sensitive to a blue region of said spectrum, and a third channel sensitive to a green region of said spectrum;

performing color interference cancellation to estimate at least two colorant layers of a cyan colorant layer, a magenta colorant layer, and a yellow colorant layer from said channels that are sensitive to the red, green and blue regions of the spectrum; and

extracting at least two layers of encoded data from said estimate of said at least two colorant layers.