Method for producing artistic screen graphic two-dimensional barcode and product thereof

Abstract

A method for producing an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode and the product thereof, the method comprising: providing an image and a two-dimensional barcode, wherein the two-dimensional barcode comprises a plurality of modules; using information hiding technology to combine the two-dimensional barcode with the image to form an image-based two-dimensional barcode on the image; and using digital halftone technology to combine a plurality of artistic halftone dots with the image-based two-dimensional barcode to form an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode, wherein each artistic halftone dot has the same microstructure.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a two-dimensional barcode, and more particularly to a method for producing an image-based two-dimensional barcode with artistic dots and the product thereof. [Previous Technology]

[0002] With the widespread adoption of internet technology and mobile devices, two-dimensional barcodes have become one of the most widely used mediums for information exchange. Users can obtain the linked information simply by scanning the barcode with their mobile devices. Two-dimensional barcodes are easy to produce, inexpensive, and have high storage capacity. These advantages have led to their rapid application across various industries, including product packaging, information links, electronic payments, and digital tickets, making them an important medium connecting the virtual world and the physical world. Meanwhile, many developed countries have also begun embedding two-dimensional barcodes into commemorative and circulating banknotes. Scanning these links can promote information about the country's politics, economy, culture, and historical development.

[0003] However, commemorative banknotes are usually high-value-added products with commemorative significance. This profitable business opportunity is often accompanied by the risk of counterfeiting. In particular, the existing two-dimensional barcodes are simple in appearance, easy to produce, inexpensive to generate, and widely used. Counterfeiters can easily tamper with and copy them, linking them to malicious websites to carry out illegal profit-making activities, which also involves the security of financial value and interests. In recent years, there have been frequent reports of counterfeit functional tickets. Many consumers have suffered personal data leaks after scanning the two-dimensional barcodes on the tickets. At the same time, the extremely simple appearance of the two-dimensional barcodes makes them indistinguishable to the human eye, making it impossible to identify the authenticity of the data source before scanning the barcode, which is a major drawback of the current system.

[0004] In the face of this challenge, the development of two-dimensional barcodes requires a stronger anti-counterfeiting mechanism to ensure that users can perform scanning operations with peace of mind and improve the recognition accuracy and security. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode. Compared to traditional black-and-white modular barcodes that can only be read by machines, the artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode is visually identifiable and can be self-verified to determine authenticity. It combines aesthetics and anti-counterfeiting technology to achieve a visually appealing image without affecting readability.

[0006] To achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a method for making an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode, including: providing an image and a two-dimensional barcode, where the two-dimensional barcode includes a plurality of modules; using information hiding technology to combine the two-dimensional barcode with the image to form an image-based two-dimensional barcode on the image; using digital halftone technology to combine a plurality of artistic halftones with the image-based two-dimensional barcode to form an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode, where each of the artistic halftones has the same microstructure.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present invention, before the step of using information hiding technology to combine the two-dimensional barcode with the image to form the image-based two-dimensional barcode on the image, it further includes: enhancing the image using contrast stretching method, histogram equalization method or histogram specification method.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the step of using information hiding technology to combine the two-dimensional barcode with the image to form the image-based two-dimensional barcode on the image includes: dividing each of the modules of the two-dimensional barcode into N × N pixels; performing binarization operation on a plurality of information points, and implanting each of the processed information points into the central area of the N × N pixels of a corresponding one of the modules; and using error diffusion method to process the pixels adjacent to the information point in each of the modules.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the step of using digital halftone technology to combine the artistic halftones with the image-based two-dimensional barcode to form the artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode includes: setting the microstructure of the artistic halftones, where the size of the microstructure is M × M pixels, M < N; and using dot matrix color adjustment method to map the microstructure of the artistic halftones to the positions of corresponding ones of the modules respectively, where each of the modules includes (N / M) × (N / M) artistic halftones. 【001O】According to some embodiments of the present invention, the step of setting the microstructure of the artistic halftones includes: determining a style of the microstructure of the artistic halftones; adjusting the pixel ratio occupied by the microstructure in the size of M × M pixels of the microstructure according to the style of the microstructure to obtain a plurality of candidate microstructures; using digital halftone technology to establish a plurality of artistic halftone gray scale derivative tables for the candidate microstructures; and setting the candidate microstructure corresponding to the largest number of styles that can completely present the style of the candidate microstructure in the artistic halftone gray scale derivative tables as the microstructure of the artistic halftone for combining with the image-based two-dimensional barcode.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the style of the microstructure includes a "hundred" character pattern.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention is an article having an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode, comprising a first substrate and a mask sheet. The first substrate has the artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode and the image formed by the method for manufacturing artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcodes described in any of the above embodiments. The mask sheet is connected to one side of the first substrate. The mask sheet is used to reveal the microstructure when covering the artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode, thereby verifying the authenticity of the artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the mask sheet includes a second substrate, the second substrate being black and having a plurality of holes having the same size and being regularly arranged on the second substrate.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the mask is folded back to cover the artistic dot image 2D barcode.

[0015] In summary, the proposed method for producing artistic dot image-based two-dimensional barcodes and its products do not affect the accuracy of scanning and reading the image-based two-dimensional barcodes, whether displayed on a screen or actually output. It achieves the self-verification and anti-counterfeiting function of hiding two-dimensional barcode information and securely decrypting it without affecting readability, and can also effectively enhance the visual aesthetics of the two-dimensional barcode image itself.

Implementation Method

[0017] In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] This invention discloses an image-based two-dimensional barcode and its manufacturing method. In this preferred embodiment, the two-dimensional barcode is a Quick Response code (QR code), which can be applied to various fields in life, such as commercial marketing, transaction payment, education, identity verification, or logistics management. The two-dimensional barcode of the QR code connects the internet and the real world, effectively and quickly disseminating information and providing an anti-counterfeiting mechanism to avoid problems arising from information theft and misuse.

[0019] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a flowchart illustrating a method 100 for creating an artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, in step S110, an image (e.g., image 210 of Figure 2) and a two-dimensional barcode pre-integrated into the image (e.g., two-dimensional barcode 230 of Figure 2 or Figure 3) are provided. In this embodiment, the two-dimensional barcode is, for example, a Quick Response code (QR code), which may include multiple modules (as shown in Figure 3).

[0020] Next, before combining the two-dimensional barcode with the image, step S130 can be performed to enhance the image's visual effect, thereby facilitating recognition by the human eye or machine. For perfectly ideal images, the image enhancement effect is not significant, but it can be remarkably effective for some distorted images. This invention can improve image tone and optimize the integrity of overlay text in self-verification decoding through image enhancement. By increasing the contrast between adjacent pixels, the human eye's perception of image details and edges is enhanced, thereby improving image quality.

[0021] In this embodiment, the image enhancement process can be performed using the Contrast Stretching, Histogram Equalization, or Histogram Specification methods.

[0022] Contrast extension is an image enhancement technique that uses point processing methods. The original underexposed and dark image is stretched to the grayscale pixel value range between 0 and 255 using the linear equation of contrast extension, thereby expanding the grayscale value distribution range in the image.

[0023] Histogram equalization is a method of reordering and assigning new gray values, distributing the tones from the brightest to the darkest evenly, so that the probability of each pixel value appearing is equal, which can avoid the influence of noise on image quality. This method can increase the distance between gray values ​​other than noise, thereby obtaining an image with distinct tones.

[0024] The histogram specification method is a more extensive method derived from the histogram equalization method. The histogram equalization method equalizes the pixel value distribution of the original image, while the histogram specification method can directly convert the pixel values ​​of the original image into a specified distribution by manual setting, so as to highlight the range of a certain grayscale value.

[0025] After image enhancement, in step S150, a two-dimensional barcode is combined with the image using information hiding technology to form an imaged two-dimensional barcode on the image. Please refer to Figures 2 and 3 together. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an imaged two-dimensional barcode 250 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional barcode 230 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 3, the two-dimensional barcode 230 includes multiple modules 231. As shown in Figure 2, the two-dimensional barcode 230 can be combined with the image 210 using information hiding technology to form an imaged two-dimensional barcode 250 on the image 210.

[0026] Further, step S150 may include, for example, the following steps: dividing each module 231 of the two-dimensional barcode 230 into N × N pixels (as shown in Figure 3); performing a second-order operation on multiple information points, and embedding each processed information point into the central region of a corresponding N × N pixels in the module 231; and processing the pixels of adjacent information points in each module using the error diffusion method.

[0027] As shown in Figure 3, each module 231 of the two-dimensional barcode 230 is divided into N × N pixels. In this embodiment, N can be, for example, 72. Each module 231 includes an information point 251, which is located in the central region of the N × N pixels of the module 231, as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an imaged two-dimensional barcode 250 with embedded information points 251 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Since the central region of each module 231 is replaced by the grayscale value (e.g., 0 or 255) of the information point 251, the difference between the grayscale value of the pixels adjacent to the information point and the grayscale value of the information point increases. Therefore, the present invention uses an error diffusion method to correct these adjacent pixels, diffusing them to the pixels of adjacent information points according to different weights, so as to maintain the consistency of the overall density with the original image as much as possible. This not only reduces the encryption strength of the two-dimensional barcode, but also improves the visualization image quality.

[0028] Next, in step S170, multiple artistic halftone dots are combined with an image-based two-dimensional barcode using digital halftone technology to form an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode. As shown in FIG5, FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Each module 231 of the artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode 500 includes multiple artistic halftone dots 510 with the same microstructure (microstructure refers to the pattern structure presented by the artistic halftone dots, which is unrelated to the grayscale presented). In this embodiment, each module 231 may include nine artistic halftone dots 510, the number of which is determined by the pixel size of the artistic halftone dots (M × M pixels, M < N).

[0029] In this invention, the artistic halftone dot is a technique that changes the traditional circular or square halftone dot shape. The shape of the halftone dot is no longer limited to traditional halftone dots, but can be various design elements, such as text, numbers, symbolic elements, geometric shapes, or artistic imagery. This innovative halftone dot structure not only gives the image an artistic quality, but also makes the subtle patterns difficult to detect and replicate, thus improving its anti-counterfeiting properties.

[0030] Specifically, a dot is the smallest unit in printing. The printing process uses a binary number system with and without ink. To simulate the continuous tone of visible natural images, drawings, or photographs, halftone technology converts continuous-tone images into tiny printed dots, using the size, density, and arrangement angle of these dots to represent tonal gradations. This technology utilizes the low-pass filter characteristic of the human visual system (HSS). When the dot density exceeds a certain level, under appropriate observation distance, the human eye performs visual integration on these dots, blurring them to produce an image similar to continuous tone. Digital halftone technology can achieve higher precision and resolution. Based on dot output, it can be divided into two main categories: amplitude modulation (AM) halftone and frequency modulation (FM) halftone.

[0031] In this embodiment, step S170 may include, for example, the following steps: setting the microstructure of all artistic dots; and using a bitmap color matching method to map the microstructure of the artistic dots to the position of a corresponding one in all modules.

[0032] Setting the microstructure of all artistic dots Specifically, it is to determine the specific style and details of the microstructure to be implanted. In this embodiment, the Chinese character shape of "hundred" is used as the style of the microstructure because its shape is symmetric left and right, and the same interpretation can be obtained during front and back decryption. It should be understood that this is only an example, and those skilled in the art can design other font shapes, numbers, symbol elements, geometric figures, etc. with the same left and right symmetry according to the actual situation. The specific design operations will be described later.

[0033] The present invention uses the dot matrix color adjustment method to map the microstructure of the artistic dots to the positions of corresponding ones in all modules respectively. Specifically, in this embodiment, a dot angle of 0 degrees is used, and by using the dot matrix color adjustment method of amplitude modulation dots, the image is designed through a threshold matrix, and the dot pixel values of the matrix are calculated through the Matlab program. Then, 256 levels of artistic dots are mapped to the corresponding positions according to the pixel values of the matrix, thereby forming an artistic dot image two-dimensional barcode 500 in which each module 231 includes multiple artistic dots 510. In this embodiment, the size of each module 231 is set to 72 × 72 pixels (N = 72), the information point 251 of the two-dimensional barcode 230 is the size of a single artistic dot 510, and the size of each artistic dot 510 is set to 24 × 24 pixels (M = 24). Therefore, each module 231 includes 3 × 3 (N / M = 72 / 24) artistic dots 510.

[0034] Regarding how to determine the microstructure of the artistic dots, it may include the following steps: determining the style of the microstructure of the artistic dots (in this embodiment, the shape of the Chinese character "hundred" is used as the style of the microstructure); adjusting the pixel ratio occupied by the microstructure in the M × M pixel size of the microstructure to obtain multiple candidate microstructures; using digital halftone technology to establish respective artistic dot gray scale derivative tables for these candidate microstructures; and setting the candidate microstructure corresponding to the largest number of styles of the candidate microstructures that can completely present the style of the candidate microstructure in these artistic dot gray scale derivative tables as the microstructure of the artistic dots used for combining the image two-dimensional barcode.

[0035] Please refer to FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C together. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram of an artistic dot gray scale derivative table of a candidate microstructure 610 drawn according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram of an artistic dot gray scale derivative table of a candidate microstructure 630 drawn according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram of an artistic dot gray scale derivative table of a candidate microstructure 650 drawn according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] In this embodiment, the pixel size of the artistic dot 510 is 24 × 24 pixels, and the style of its microstructure is determined to be the shape of the character "hundred". According to the proportion of "hundred" in these 24 × 24 pixels, that is, the size, thickness, and occupied position of the microstructure of the artistic dot "hundred" presented in the 24 × 24 pixel size, multiple candidate microstructures can be formed (only three different candidate microstructures 610, 630, and 650 are shown in this example, but the quantity can be adjusted according to the actual situation). Then, the digital halftone calculation technology is used to establish the grayscale derivative tables of the artistic dots for these candidate microstructures respectively. In the form of a 16x16 matrix, from the upper left 0 (darkest) to the lower right 255 (brightest), and the tone increasing from top to bottom and from left to right, to simulate the 256 grayscale tone changes, and find out the quantity that can completely present the candidate microstructure in each grayscale derivative table (for example, screening by manual means). The purpose of this operation is to find a style that can be mapped to an image with as many grayscales as possible and still completely present the microstructure, so as to avoid the situation that when the grayscale change of the image is too large, the artistic dot image-based two-dimensional barcode formed cannot clearly identify the microstructure of the artistic dot when distinguishing authenticity. As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the number of grayscales in which the candidate microstructure 610 can completely present its style in the 0 to 255 grayscale is 64, the number of grayscales in which the candidate microstructure 630 can completely present its style in the 0 to 255 grayscale is 136, and the number of grayscales in which the candidate microstructure 650 can completely present its style in the 0 to 255 grayscale is 108. Therefore, in this example, the candidate microstructure 630 is the most suitable microstructure of the artistic dot for mapping to the image-based two-dimensional barcode.

[0037] Through the above embodiments, an artistic dot image-based two-dimensional barcode can be formed in an image, that is, an image-based two-dimensional barcode with the microstructure of artistic dots is formed. The microstructure of the artistic dots of the present invention uses amplitude modulation dots through different dot angles to achieve grayscale or color images. When the angles of two or more dots are too close, it is easy to interfere with each other and cause conflicts during the overprinting process, resulting in the printing misregistration problem, and the formed net pattern is called moiré. In the printing process, the generation of moiré is usually regarded as an undesirable phenomenon, especially in the multicolor printing of halftone images, which is likely to occur when the dots are overlapped improperly. However, the present invention utilizes this characteristic and transforms it into a useful anti-counterfeiting means through specific designs or screening techniques.

[0038] Please refer to Figures 7 and 8 together. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an article 700 with an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a mask 730 and its application according to an embodiment of the present invention. The article 700 may have a first substrate 710 and a mask 730. An image 711 and an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode 713 are formed on the first substrate 710. The artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode 713 may be formed by the above-described method for manufacturing artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcodes. The mask 730 is connected to one side of the first substrate 710. As shown in Figure 8, when the mask 730 covers the artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode, the microstructure of the artistic halftone dots can be displayed, thereby verifying the authenticity of the artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode.

[0039] Specifically, the mask 730 includes a second substrate, which is black and has multiple holes 731 formed thereon. These holes 731 are of the same size and are arranged regularly on the second substrate. Specifically, by controlling the arrangement of the holes or structures, and superimposing them with halftone dots of similar frequency, the selective light transmission properties of the holes are utilized. The non-transparent areas appear black, the semi-transparent areas have a smaller white range, and the transparent areas have a larger white range. Specific patterns can be presented by varying the degree of light transmission. However, the period of the mask and the artistic dots will affect the clarity of the decrypted image or the details of the image. To obtain better imaging performance, the period of the mask in this invention is set to 25 × 25 pixels, and the size of the holes is set to 4 × 4 pixels.

[0040] In some embodiments, the first substrate and the second substrate are formed of a flexible material. Since the mask 730 is attached to one side of the first substrate 710 having an artistic dot pattern 2D barcode, the mask 730 can be folded back to cover the artistic dot pattern 2D barcode and allow light to pass through, thus decrypting the message (e.g., the artistic dots formed in the image 2D barcode appear). If no display is made, it can be determined that the 2D barcode may be fake, thereby achieving a self-verification function.

[0041] In summary, the present invention proposes a method for producing an artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode and its product. Whether displayed on a screen or actually output, the correctness of scanning and reading the image-based two-dimensional barcode is not affected. It achieves the self-verification and anti-counterfeiting function of hiding two-dimensional barcode information and securely decrypting without affecting readability, and at the same time, it can effectively enhance the visual aesthetics of the two-dimensional barcode image itself.

[0042] Although the present invention has been disclosed with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be determined by the appended claims. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0016] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for producing an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an image-based two-dimensional barcode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a two-dimensional barcode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an image-based two-dimensional barcode with embedded information points according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating an artistic halftone grayscale guide table of a candidate microstructure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6B is a schematic diagram illustrating an artistic halftone grayscale guide table of a candidate microstructure according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6C is a schematic diagram illustrating an artistic halftone grayscale guide table of a candidate microstructure according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an article having an artistic halftone image-based two-dimensional barcode according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a mask sheet and its application according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for creating an artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode, comprising: Providing an image and a two-dimensional barcode, wherein the two-dimensional barcode comprises a plurality of modules; combining the two-dimensional barcode with the image by using an information hiding technique to form an imaged two-dimensional barcode on the image; and combining a plurality of artistic halftone dots with the imaged two-dimensional barcode by using a digital halftoning technique to form an artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode, wherein each of the artistic halftone dots has an identical microstructure; wherein the step of combining the artistic halftone dots with the imaged two-dimensional barcode by using the digital halftoning technique to form the artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode comprises: setting the microstructure of the artistic halftone dots, wherein the size of the microstructure is M × M pixels, and M < N; and mapping the microstructures of the artistic halftone dots respectively to the corresponding positions in the modules by using a dot matrix color matching method, wherein each of the modules comprises (N / M) × (N / M) artistic halftone dots; wherein the step of setting the microstructure of the artistic halftone dots comprises: determining a style of the microstructure of the artistic halftone dots; adjusting a pixel proportion occupied by the microstructure within the size of M × M pixels of the microstructure according to the style of the microstructure to obtain a plurality of candidate microstructures; establishing a plurality of artistic halftone dot grayscale lookup tables for the candidate microstructures by using the digital halftoning technique; and setting the candidate microstructure corresponding to the maximum number of the styles that can be completely presented in the artistic halftone dot grayscale lookup tables as the microstructure of the artistic halftone dots for combining with the imaged two-dimensional barcode.

2. The method for creating an artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode as described in claim 1, further comprising, before the step of combining the two-dimensional barcode with the image using the information hiding technique to form the image-based two-dimensional barcode on the image: Performing enhancement processing on the image by using a contrast stretching method, a histogram equalization method or a histogram specification method.

3. The method for creating an artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode as described in claim 1, wherein the step of combining the two-dimensional barcode with the image using the information hiding technology to form the image-based two-dimensional barcode on the image includes: Dividing each of the modules of the two-dimensional barcode into N × N pixels; Performing a binary operation on a plurality of information points, and implanting each of the operated information points into a central area of the N × N pixels of a corresponding one of the modules; and processing pixels adjacent to the information point in each of the modules by using an error diffusion method.

4. The method for making an artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode according to claim 1, wherein the style of the microstructure comprises a pattern in the shape of the Chinese character "bai" (hundred).

5. A product with an artistic dot-matrix image-based two-dimensional barcode, comprising: a first substrate, wherein the first substrate is provided with the artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode and the image formed by the method for making an artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a mask sheet connected to one side of the first substrate; wherein the mask sheet is configured to reveal the microstructure when covering the artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode, so as to verify the authenticity of the artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode.

6. The product with an artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode according to claim 5, wherein the mask sheet comprises a second substrate, the second substrate is black and formed with a plurality of holes, and the holes have the same size and are regularly arranged on the second substrate.

7. The product with an artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode according to claim 5, wherein the mask sheet covers the artistic halftone dot imaged two-dimensional barcode by folding back.

Images