Image Processing Conflict Detection for Encoded Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing digital watermarking technologies face challenges in detecting conflicts between different encoded signals, such as barcodes and watermarks, on product packaging, which can lead to errors in inventory management and mislabeling, and there is a need for a method to predict the detectability of watermarks across printed surfaces to ensure robust signal communication.
Innovation Solution
The method involves creating grayscale and inverted grayscale versions of color channels in images, analyzing these versions to locate encoded signals, generating detectability measures, and selecting validation points for each color channel to determine the spatial location of encoded signals, while also using a mobile device app to check for code conflicts and generate press check sheets to identify areas for scanning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If digital watermarking is applied to product packaging, then signal communication capability is improved, but code conflicts between multiple encoded signals occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by detecting code conflicts between digital watermarks and other encoded signals (barcodes, QR codes) before the packaging goes to print. The system analyzes proof images to identify conflicting signal locations and provides feedback to designers, allowing conflicts to be resolved in advance rather than after production errors occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection system that acts as a mediator between the digital watermarking process and the final printed packaging. This intermediary system automatically analyzes proof images, detects encoded signals, identifies conflicts, and provides recommendations, serving as a bridge that resolves the contradiction between maintaining signal communication capability and eliminating code conflicts.
2Loss of information
If multiple encoded signals are placed on packaging, then information capacity is improved, but detection accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of all encoded signals on the packaging design before production. By analyzing proof images and identifying the spatial locations and types of multiple encoded signals in advance, the system can predict potential detection conflicts and provide feedback to designers to resolve overlapping or interfering signal placements before they cause accuracy problems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the detection system provides information about detected encoded signals and their potential conflicts back to the design process. This feedback loop allows designers to adjust signal placements, spacing, and configurations to maintain high detection accuracy while preserving the information capacity provided by multiple encoded signals.
3Reliability
If comprehensive image analysis is performed to detect all encoded signals, then detection completeness is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the image analysis process into distinct stages: initial scan to identify potential signal regions, targeted analysis of those regions to detect specific encoded signals, and conflict detection between signals. This segmented approach processes only relevant portions of the image in detail, maintaining detection completeness while reducing overall processing time compared to analyzing every pixel uniformly.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies partial action by performing comprehensive detection on regions where encoded signals are likely to be present (based on initial scanning or metadata) rather than uniformly processing the entire image at maximum detail. This allows the system to achieve sufficient detection completeness for quality control purposes without the excessive processing time that would result from exhaustive analysis of every image region.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to advanced signal processing technology including steganographic embedding and digital watermarking. One combination disclosed in the description includes an image processing method. The method includes: obtaining an image comprising a plurality of color channels; for each color channel of the plurality of color channels, creating a grayscale version of the color channel and creating an inverted greyscale version of the color channel; analyzing the grayscale inverted version and the grayscale non-inverted version to locate image areas including an encoded signal, said analyzing yielding a plurality of image areas; generating one or more detectability measures corresponding to the encoded signal for each of the plurality of image areas; for each color channel selecting only one (1) image area as a validation point based on one or more generated detectability measures for that color channel; and generating information associated with a spatial location of each of the validation points in the image. Of course, other features and combinations are described as well.