Multi-Application QR Code Structure for Selective App Decoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing QR codes are inefficient for multiple applications as they require scanning multiple codes, leading to time consumption and user confusion in selecting the right code for a specific application, especially in scenarios like wireless device commissioning where multiple protocols are involved.
Innovation Solution
A QR code encoding method that stores information for multiple applications with a header and data containers, utilizing error correction mechanisms and distributed storage to enable reliable and efficient retrieval of each application's data, allowing selective reading of application-specific information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate QR codes are used for different applications, then each application's data can be stored independently, but the user must scan multiple codes and figure out which code to use for which application, increasing time consumption and user confusion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple application-specific QR codes into a single multi-application QR code. The encoded data structure includes a header with application identifiers and multiple data containers, each containing information for a different application. This allows a user to scan one code to access multiple applications' data, eliminating the need to scan multiple separate codes and reducing time consumption while maintaining data retrieval reliability through structured organization and error correction mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal QR code that serves multiple functions by incorporating data containers for different applications (e.g., Wi-Fi Easy Connect, Smart Home System, Bluetooth Low Energy). The header section identifies which applications are present, and the system can selectively retrieve data for the relevant application based on the commissioning protocol being used. This multi-functional approach eliminates user confusion about which code to scan while maintaining application-specific data integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate QR codes are used for different applications, then each application's data can be stored independently, but the system complexity increases as the product must implement multiple commissioning protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the QR code data structure into distinct components: a header section containing application identifiers and a global error correction mechanism, and multiple data containers each dedicated to a specific application with its own error correction mechanism. This segmentation allows the system to support multiple applications within a single QR code while maintaining clear organizational boundaries. The segmented structure reduces system complexity by providing a standardized framework for incorporating different commissioning protocols without requiring separate QR code generation and processing logic for each application.
3Productivity
If a single QR code contains information for multiple applications, then scanning time is reduced, but the data structure becomes more complex requiring header and data container organization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data structure into a header and multiple data containers, where each container is dedicated to a specific application. This segmentation organizes the complex data in a systematic way that improves scanning efficiency. The header provides a roadmap of which applications are present, allowing the scanning system to quickly identify and retrieve the relevant data container without having to process all application data. This structured segmentation reduces the effective complexity during the scanning process while maintaining comprehensive multi-application support.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts application-specific data into separate data containers within the QR code structure. Each data container is self-contained with its own error correction mechanism, allowing the scanning system to extract and process only the relevant application data while ignoring other containers. This extraction approach simplifies the scanning process by enabling selective data retrieval based on the commissioning protocol being used, thereby improving scanning efficiency without requiring the system to handle all possible application data simultaneously.
4Reliability
If error correction mechanisms are applied to each data container, then data retrieval reliability is improved, but the overall data size and encoding complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies error correction mechanisms at the data container level rather than treating the entire QR code as a single data unit. Each data container contains its own error correction code, which allows for localized error detection and correction specific to each application's data. This segmented approach to error correction improves data retrieval reliability for individual applications while optimizing the overall data size by avoiding redundant error correction overhead that would result from applying a single global error correction mechanism to all application data collectively.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a multiple application QR code capable of storing information of a plurality of applications in such a way that a respective information can be retrieved for each application in a reliable and time-efficient manner. The information is encoded into encoded data including at least a header and a respective data container per application. The header can comprise at least a single identifier indicating a presence of the plurality of applications and a respective application identifier per application. The encoded data are distributedly stored in a plurality of data pixels distributed over an encoding region of the QR code, according to an allocation rule. A QR code reader can retrieve the information stored in the QR code by only accessing and processing the data pixels associated with the respective application of interest and by using an error correction which is specific to this respective application.