Barcode Recognition via Parallel Scan Tracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current barcode recognition methods are inefficient and resource-intensive, particularly for handheld devices, as they require manual adjustment and processing of entire image frames, leading to misjudgment and high hardware resource consumption when dealing with multiple barcodes.
Innovation Solution
An image processing method that defines multiple parallel scan tracks across the image frame, calculates gray level values, and verifies barcode sections, allowing for accurate identification and marking of potential barcode areas without manual adjustment, thereby improving recognition efficiency and accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the entire sample image frame is processed to locate barcodes, then multiple barcodes can be recognized in a single image frame, but a large amount of hardware resources are consumed and considerable operation time is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image frame into multiple horizontal scan tracks, where each scan track independently processes a specific horizontal region. This segmentation allows the system to process only relevant portions of the image rather than the entire frame, reducing hardware resource consumption and operation time while maintaining the ability to detect multiple barcodes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing the entire image frame, the patent applies partial action by processing only the horizontal scan tracks that may contain barcodes. The system defines multiple horizontal scan tracks and processes pixels along these tracks, which is a partial subset of the entire image, thereby reducing computational load while maintaining detection effectiveness.
2Device complexity
If a single horizontal line is used to scan the barcode, then the processing process is simple, but misjudgment of the barcode area occurs and manual adjustment is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the scanning process into multiple horizontal scan tracks instead of using a single line. Each scan track processes a specific horizontal region independently, which maintains the simplicity of the scanning mechanism while improving accuracy by covering multiple potential barcode locations simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-dimensional horizontal line scan to a multi-dimensional approach by defining multiple horizontal scan tracks at different vertical positions. This dimensional expansion allows the system to scan across the entire image frame horizontally while maintaining the simplicity of horizontal scanning, thereby improving barcode area identification accuracy without significantly increasing process complexity.
3Measurement precision
If manual selection of barcode area is required, then accurate barcode recognition can be achieved, but user operation complexity increases and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by automatically defining multiple horizontal scan tracks and processing them to locate barcodes without requiring manual user intervention. The system autonomously determines which horizontal regions contain barcodes and processes them accordingly, eliminating the need for users to manually select barcode areas while maintaining high recognition accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-defining multiple horizontal scan tracks before barcode recognition. This preliminary setup allows the system to automatically identify and process barcode-containing regions without requiring manual user selection, thereby simplifying user operation while maintaining accurate barcode recognition through the pre-established scanning framework.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing method of locating and recognizing barcodes in an image frame is applicable to an image processing apparatus. The method is to define plural scan tracks on the sample image frame, and the image processing apparatus searches for the section(s) possibly having the barcode, along each scan track. If the section(s) possibly having the barcode found on two neighboring scan tracks by the image processing apparatus is located at an approximate horizontal axis position, the image processing apparatus determines that a quadrilateral area defined by the two sections possibly having the barcode is an area possibly having the barcode. Therefore, the image processing apparatus can quickly locate and recognize the barcode area in the image frame.