QR Code Transparency for Image Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for overlaying QR codes on images often result in features being unclear to humans and not recognizable by machines, affecting their usability in advertising and commerce.
Innovation Solution
A method for combining a QR code with an image, allowing the QR code to be transparent and readable while preserving the visibility and recognizability of the base image, enabling machine image search and face recognition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a QR code is overlaid on an image, then the QR code becomes visible and machine-readable, but the original image features become unclear and unrecognizable
Solution Approach 1:
The QR code is divided into individual modules (small squares) that can be selectively modified. By segmenting the QR code structure, the patent applies different transparency levels to different modules, allowing some areas to be more visible to machines while preserving image features in other areas, thus resolving the contradiction between QR code readability and image recognizability
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the QR code are assigned different quality characteristics through varying transparency levels. Critical modules for machine reading maintain higher opacity, while modules overlapping with important image features use lower opacity. This local differentiation allows the QR code to function reliably for machines while preserving visual information for human recognition
2Measurement precision
If a QR code is made opaque to ensure machine readability, then scanning accuracy improves, but the underlying image content becomes invisible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies varying transparency levels to different modules of the QR code based on their importance for machine reading versus their overlap with image content. Modules critical for scanning accuracy maintain higher opacity, while modules overlapping with important visual features use lower opacity, thus locally optimizing both scanning accuracy and image visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The transparency parameter of QR code modules is dynamically adjusted based on their position and importance. By changing the transparency parameter selectively across different modules, the system achieves both sufficient machine readability and adequate image visibility, resolving the contradiction between scanning accuracy and image visibility
Data Source
AI summary
A QR code is combined with a base image, preserving useful functionalities of both the base image and the QR code. For example, the base image remains clearly visible and recognizable by humans; the transparent QR code remains readable by scanners; machine image search can distinguish the base image from the combined image; and faces of the combined image are usable by machine face recognition programs. A QR code is generated with transparencies for different regions. An inner portion and outer shell portion for each module each may have different transparencies. Inner portion size relative to outer shell size is selectively adjustable. The generated QR code image may be combined with a given base image such as a face or company logo using the transparency values of the QR code image to make the two images appear as overlaid on one another with varying degrees of transparency.