Data-Bearing Image Tampering Detection via Color Module Encoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data-bearing images, such as two-dimensional barcodes, can be tampered with, making it difficult to determine if tampering has occurred, as existing technologies are limited in detecting modifications to the modules that encode data.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves modifying some modules of a data-bearing image by converting white modules to colored modules, allowing additional data to be encoded, which can be compared to the original data to detect tampering, while still being readable by standard barcode readers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If white modules are converted to colored modules to encode additional data for tampering detection, then data integrity verification capability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds verification data within the existing barcode structure by converting specific white modules to colored modules. The colored modules contain encoded data that mirrors or verifies the black module data, creating a nested verification mechanism where the verification information is embedded within the original barcode boundaries rather than requiring separate verification structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes color conversion as the primary mechanism for encoding verification data. White modules are transformed into colored modules (yellow, cyan, magenta, or combinations) to represent additional data bits. This color change approach allows the same physical space to carry multiple layers of information - the original black/white pattern and the additional colored verification data - without increasing the barcode's physical dimensions.
2Reliability
If colored modules are added to encode verification data, then tampering detection capability is improved, but compatibility with standard barcode readers may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies color changes only to specific white modules that are strategically selected based on the barcode's structure and data requirements. Not all white modules are converted - only those that, when changed to colored modules, will not interfere with the standard barcode reading process. This localized application of color changes allows verification data to be embedded in regions that are less critical for standard decoding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts only a portion of the available white modules to colored modules, rather than converting all white modules. This partial action approach ensures that sufficient white modules remain to maintain the barcode's readability by standard readers, while still embedding enough verification data in the colored modules to provide effective tampering detection capability.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple bit values are encoded in colored modules, then data capacity is improved, but measurement and decoding difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The colored modules serve multiple functions simultaneously: they maintain the original white module's data representation (readable by standard readers as either black or white), encode additional verification data through their color property, and provide visual distinction for verification purposes. This multi-functionality allows the same module to participate in both the original data structure and the verification data structure without requiring separate decoding paths.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding separate verification structures outside the existing barcode framework, the patent inverts the approach by embedding verification data within the existing module structure. The verification data is encoded by modifying the properties of existing white modules (converting them to colored modules) rather than adding new modules or structures, thereby utilizing the same space for dual purposes.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
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AI summary
In an embodiment of a method of automatically modifying a data-bearing image, a number of first modules and a number of second modules of the data-bearing image used to encode first data and extra data, corresponding to the first data, are determined, where portions of the first data and/or portions of the extra data encoded in second modules cannot be modified. When the number of first modules is greater than or equal to the number of second modules, at least some of the number of first modules are modified to encode at least some of the first data and at least some of the extra data. When the number of first modules is less than the number of second modules, at least some of the number of first modules are modified to encode the first data.