Overprinted Color Barcode Decoding via RGB Pixel Classification
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Solution Overview
Problem
One-dimensional barcodes are limited in the amount of information they can store due to size restrictions, necessitating a method to increase data capacity within a single barcode footprint.
Innovation Solution
Overprinting multiple disparate colored barcodes within a one-dimensional barcode space, where each barcode is assigned a unique color and encoded using a selected symbology, allowing for the storage of a larger character string by utilizing the available footprint efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If multiple disparate colored barcodes are overprinted in the same area, then the amount of information stored within a one dimensional barcode space increases, but the device complexity for reading and decoding the barcode increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the barcode reading process into distinct functional modules: an RGB scanner for capturing color information, a pixel map classifier for separating colors, a barcode extractor for isolating individual barcodes, and a decoding element for processing each barcode. This segmentation allows the complex task of reading multi-colored barcodes to be divided into manageable steps, resolving the contradiction between increased information storage and reading system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate processing structures including an RGB pixel map as an intermediary between the physical barcode and the decoding system, and a pixel map classifier as a mediator that translates color information into separable barcode components. These intermediaries bridge the gap between the complex multi-colored barcode input and the simpler individual barcode decoding process.
2Loss of information
If the barcode size is increased to store more information, then the information storage capacity increases, but the available footprint on the product increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional single-color barcodes to multi-dimensional color-coded barcodes by utilizing the color spectrum as an additional dimension for encoding information. By assigning different colors to different barcodes within the same spatial footprint, the system effectively adds a color dimension to the barcode structure, allowing multiple layers of information to be packed into the same physical area without increasing the barcode's spatial dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent directly applies color changes as the core mechanism for increasing information density. By using an RGB scanning device to detect and differentiate multiple colors within the barcode, the system encodes additional information layers through color variation. Each disparate color represents a separate barcode that can be independently decoded, thereby multiplying the information storage capacity within the same footprint.
3Device complexity
If conventional single-color barcodes are used, then the reading system complexity remains low, but the information storage capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of barcode encoding from solely spatial variation (bar width and position) to include color variation. By introducing color as an additional encoding parameter and using an RGB scanning device to detect it, the system expands the information storage capacity without requiring a proportional increase in reading system complexity, as the scanning and classification processes build upon conventional barcode reading techniques.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the storage of a substantially unlimited amount of information within a single barcode space, as the number of disparate barcodes is limited only by the number of colors that can be identified by an RGB scanning device, effectively doubling the storage capacity.
Implementation Method 1
An RGB pixel map is obtained from an overprinted color barcode that contains a plurality of disparate colors. A pixel map is allocated for each of the colors detected and each pixel is classified in the one or more pixel maps according to color.
Data Source
AI summary
In an exemplary embodiment, a method is employed to read an overprinted barcode. An RGB pixel map is obtained from an overprinted color barcode that contains a plurality of disparate colors. A pixel map is allocated for each of the colors detected and each pixel is classified in the one or more pixel maps according to color. One or more barcodes are extracted from the overprinted barcode that correlates to each color detected. Each of the extracted barcodes are then filtered, decoded and read.