Optical Code Defect Detection for Extended Error Correction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing code reading technologies struggle to accurately read optical codes with defects such as damage, poor printing, contamination, or optical impairments, exceeding the error correction capacity of conventional methods like Reed-Solomon correction.

Innovation Solution

A method that utilizes an edge criterion and a binarization criterion to identify defects in optical codes, allowing for improved error correction by marking affected code modules and words, thereby enhancing the error correction process's efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If Reed-Solomon correction is used to correct errors in optical codes, then reading accuracy is improved, but the method fails when the number of defects exceeds the error correction capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereading accuracyVSAvoiderror correction capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary defect detection and marking before the error correction process. By identifying and marking defective code modules in advance using edge and binarization criteria, the system prepares the error correction algorithm with prior knowledge of error locations, enabling it to handle more defects than traditional Reed-Solomon correction alone

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Device complexity

If conventional error correction methods are applied without defect identification, then the error correction process is simple, but the number of correctable errors is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveerror correction process simplicityVSAvoidnumber of correctable errors

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the error correction process into two distinct stages: (1) defect detection and marking using edge and binarization criteria, and (2) error correction using the marked defect information. This segmentation allows the system to maintain relative simplicity while significantly increasing the number of correctable errors by providing targeted guidance to the correction algorithm

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Measurement precision

If defect detection is performed using edge and binarization criteria, then defect identification accuracy is improved, but the processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedefect identification accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different detection criteria (edge detection and binarization analysis) to different aspects of code module evaluation. By combining these specialized local quality assessments, the system achieves high defect identification accuracy while keeping each individual processing step relatively simple and computationally efficient

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20250265432A1Reading an optical code

Publication Date: 2025.08.21 SICK AG

AI summary

A method of reading an optical code (20); is provided, the method comprising the steps of recording image data having the optical code (20); determining defects (30), and evaluating the image data by reading the code words. In this respect, the defects (30) are determined using an edge criterion and/or a binarization criterion, wherein the edge criterion evaluates whether there is a code module in an edge-free region of the image data that is larger than a specified multiple of the module size, and wherein the binarization criterion evaluates whether a code module having gray scale values close to a binarization threshold has been recorded.