Multiresolution Optical Code Sub-dot Encoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard QR codes face limitations in encoding capacity and readability, especially under adverse conditions such as low resolution or distance, requiring a compromise between payload and robustness against decoding errors.
Innovation Solution
A multiresolution optical code is created by dividing each dot into a matrix of sub-dots, allowing additional information to be encoded by changing pairs of sub-dots, enabling multiple levels of encoding that can be decoded with varying image quality, from low to high resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the dot size is reduced to increase data capacity, then more data can be encoded, but readability deteriorates under adverse conditions such as low resolution or distance
Solution Approach 1:
Each dot in the optical code is divided into a matrix of sub-dots (e.g., 3x3, 5x5, or 7x7 matrix). This segmentation allows the code to encode multiple levels of information: the first level uses the overall dot pattern for robustness, while subsequent levels use specific sub-dot configurations for additional data capacity, thereby increasing information density without reducing dot size
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested encoding where multiple levels of information are embedded within the same physical structure. The first level of encoding is contained within the overall dot arrangement, while second and third levels are nested within the sub-dot matrices of each dot, creating a hierarchical information structure that can be decoded at different resolution levels
2Reliability
If the dot size is maintained to preserve readability, then robustness against decoding errors is improved, but data capacity remains limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from encoding information solely in the two-dimensional dot matrix to utilizing the internal structure of each dot by dividing it into sub-dots. This adds a new dimension of encoding capability within each dot, allowing multiple bits of information to be stored in what would traditionally be a single information unit, thereby exponentially increasing data capacity without expanding the code's physical footprint
3Quantity of substance
If additional information is encoded in the optical code, then data capacity increases, but the code becomes more complex and harder to decode under poor conditions
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the optical code serve different functions: the overall dot matrix structure maintains the original code's robustness and simplicity for basic decoding, while specific local regions (sub-dots within individual dots) contain additional encoding layers. This local differentiation allows the system to provide multiple levels of information without compromising the global structure's readability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-structures the optical code with a hierarchical encoding framework where the first level of encoding is established in the dot matrix, and additional encoding capacities are pre-configured within each dot's sub-dot matrix. This preliminary structuring allows decoders to progressively access information at different levels without requiring complex real-time decision-making about which encoding level to decode
Data Source
AI summary
A multiresolution optical code can be encoded. A first set of information and a second set of information to encode in an optical code is received. An optical code that encodes the first set of information in a plurality of dots is generated. Each dot of the plurality of dots is divided into a matrix of a first number of sub-dots by a second number of sub-dots, wherein each of the first number and the second number are integers equal to or greater than three and wherein this dividing creates a set of matrices of sub-dots. The second set of information is encoded in a plurality of the sub-dots of the set of matrices of sub-dots.