JP6537262B2 - Color code, color code reader, color code reading method, and program. - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to color codes.

  As a prior art, there has been known a color code target in which colors are arranged in a ring, and a color code discrimination device for discriminating this color code (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 5350943 (Page 1, Figure 1 etc.)

  However, in the conventional color code in which colors are arranged in a ring, there is a problem that the area inside the area in which the colors are arranged can not be effectively used.

  The present invention has been made to solve the problems as described above, and provides a color code that can effectively use an area inside a circularly arranged area, and a color code reader and the like. The purpose is

  The color code of the present invention is an annular code area in which cells of a plurality of colors arranged in an annular arrangement of one or more rows are arranged, and an area inside the annular code area, which is arranged in the code area It is a color code provided with: a non-coding area in which array attribute specification information indicating array attribute information which is information of an attribute related to an array of cells of a plurality of colors is arranged.

  According to this configuration, the color code can be read appropriately using the array attribute information acquired from the array attribute information specification information, and the area inside the annularly arranged area can be used effectively. .

  Further, in the color code of the present invention, in the color code, the array attribute information can be arranged in the number of rows of cells of the annularly arranged color arranged in the code region, the number of cells in each row, and the code region It is a color code which is information indicating at least one or more of the types of color of cells.

  According to this configuration, the color code can be read using one or more of the number of rows of cells, the number of cells, and the type of cell color, and the color code can be read appropriately.

  Further, the color code of the present invention is an annular code region in which cells of a plurality of colors arranged to form an annular shape of one or more lines are arranged in the color code, and an area inside the annular code region. , And a non-coding area in which a logo is arranged.

  According to such a configuration, a logo can be shown on the color code, and the area inside the annularly arranged area can be used effectively.

  In the color code of the present invention, the color code further includes a reference line segment which is a line segment for specifying a reference position of reading placed across the row of color cells. It is.

  With this configuration, the start position of reading can be appropriately detected, and accurate reading can be performed.

  In the color code reading device according to the present invention, the image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the color code and the arrangement attribute designation information are acquired from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and are associated with the acquired array attribute designation information. An array attribute information acquisition unit for acquiring array attribute information, a color code information acquisition unit for acquiring information associated with a color code using array attribute information acquired by the array attribute information acquisition unit, and color code information And a color code output unit that outputs information acquired by the acquisition unit.

  According to this configuration, the color code can be read appropriately using the array attribute information acquired from the array attribute information specification information, and the area inside the area in which the color is arranged in a ring of the color code is effectively used. be able to.

  According to the color code and the color code reader and the like according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively utilize the area inside the area in which the colors are arranged in a ring.

A diagram showing an example of a color code according to an embodiment of the present invention Block diagram showing the configuration of a color code reader for reading the same color code Diagram showing arrangement management information for explaining the same color code The figure which shows the condition which image | photographs the same color code (FIG. 4 (a)), and the figure which shows the image obtained by image | photographing color code 1 (FIG. 4 (b)) The figure which shows the modification of the color code A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer according to an embodiment of the present invention

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a color code and the like will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, since the component which attached the same code in embodiment performs the same operation | movement, description for the second time may be abbreviate | omitted.

Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a color code 1 in the present embodiment. In the figure, different diagonal lines indicate different colors.

  The color code 1 includes a code area 101 and a non-code area 102.

  The color code is, for example, a code in which a plurality of color arrangements are associated with arbitrary information. The information associated with the color code is, for example, an identifier. The color code may also be called, for example, a color barcode. By reading this color code 1 with a color code reader 2 described later, information associated with this color code 1 can be acquired.

  The color code 1 is disposed, for example, on a sheet-like member such as paper or film, or a product. For example, the color code 1 is printed on these members, goods, and the like. The color code 1 may be displayed on a display device or the like (not shown).

  The code area 101 is an annular area in which a plurality of cells 1012 having a plurality of colors arranged to form an annular shape in one or more rows. The plurality of cells having a plurality of colors are a plurality of cells each having any one of a plurality of colors. The cell here is usually an area filled with a single color. The plurality of colors are, for example, two or more, preferably three or more colors excluding the background color of the code area 101. The background color of the code area 101 does not matter. As the background color, for example, an achromatic color such as black or white is used. It goes without saying that the plurality of cells 1012 of a plurality of colors may have cells 1012 of overlapping colors. Hereinafter, the plurality of cells 1012 having a plurality of colors may be referred to as a plurality of color cells 1012.

  The annular shape here is usually a circular shape, but may be a substantially circular shape, an ellipse, a polygon or the like. For example, the plurality of cells 1012 annularly arranged in two or more rows are a plurality of cells 1012 arranged along two or more rings which are concentric circles. Each cell 1012 has, for example, a fan-like shape obtained by radially dividing a band-like ring. However, the shape, size, etc. of each cell 1012 do not matter. For example, the width or the like of the row of the cells 1012 arranged in a ring shape does not matter. The number of cells 1012 in each column may be the same or different. That the plurality of cells 1012 are arranged in a ring means that the plurality of cells 1012 are arranged along the ring, and the adjacent cells 1012 may or may not be in contact with each other. good. For example, adjacent cells 1012 may be arranged at a constant interval. Further, the rings in two or more rows in which the cells 1012 are arranged may be in contact with each other or may not be in contact with each other.

  For example, in color code 1, an array of cells 1012 of a plurality of colors arranged in a ring in code region 101 is previously associated with arbitrary information, and acquiring this array corresponds to this array. It becomes possible to acquire attached information. The number of patterns of the arrangement of the cells 1012 changes depending on the number of ring columns, the number of cells of each ring, and the number of types of cell colors. The number of ring columns of the code area 101, the number of cells of each ring, the type of cell color, and the like may be appropriately selected according to the amount of information to be associated with the color code.

  In FIG. 1, as an example, a case where three rows of rings 1011 a to 1011 c configured by arranging a plurality of cells 1012 are arranged in the code region 101 is illustrated. Further, here, for example, 16 cells 1012 are arranged at equal intervals in each of the rings 1011 a to 1011 c.

  The non-coding area 102 is an area inside the annular coding area 101. Array attribute specification information 1021 is arranged in the non-coding area. Array attribute specification information 1021 is information indicating array attribute information. The array attribute information is information indicating an attribute related to the array of cells 1012 of a plurality of colors arranged in the code area 101. For example, the array attribute information includes at least one or more of the number of columns of cells arranged in a ring in the code area 101, the number of cells in each column, and the color types of cells that can be arranged in the code area. It is information to show. The types of possible cell colors may be considered as all possible types of color. The number of cells in each column indicated by the array attribute information may be the number of cells in each column, or may be the number of common cells if the number of cells in each column is the same. The number of rows of cells of a color arranged in a ring may be considered, for example, as the number of rings composed of a plurality of cells.

  The array attribute specification information 1021 may be array attribute information itself, or may be an identifier or the like formed of a character string or the like associated with the array attribute information. The characters here are concepts including numbers. The arrangement attribute designation information 1021 is, for example, a character string such as “number of columns: 3, number of cells: 16, number of colors: 8” when this information is the arrangement attribute information itself. Alternatively, the information may be information such as “3: 16: 8” in which the number of columns, the number of cells, and the number of colors are arranged in a predetermined order. Further, when the array attribute designation information 1021 is an identifier associated with the array attribute information, this identifier, for example, “ID123456” may be arranged in the non-code area 102. In this case, for example, an identifier, which is array attribute specification information, and one or more pieces of information having array attribute information associated with each other are stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) of a device (not shown) As appropriate, array attribute information corresponding to the code read out from the non-code area 102 may be acquired from this storage unit by searching or the like. The array attribute specification information may be an image that can be recognized by pattern matching or the like, such as a star, a symbol such as a circle, or a mark.

  The reference line segment 103 is a line segment for specifying the reference position of the reading placed across the row of the color cells 1012 placed in the code area 101. The reference line segment 103 is, for example, a line segment extending toward the center of the rings 1011 to 1011 c. Here, the reference of reading is a position serving as a reference when reading information from the code area 101. For example, the cell 1012 in a positional relationship specified in advance with respect to the position where the reference line segment 103 is disposed is a cell such as a reference position, for example, a start position or a head. For example, with the centers of the rings 1011a to 1011c as the center of rotation, the cell 1012 closest to the reference line segment in the clockwise direction becomes the read start position or the head cell of each column. The reference line segment 103 is usually arranged at a position indicating the start position and the end position of reading in a row of colored cells arranged in a ring in the color code area. However, for example, a cell separated by a predetermined number of cells from the reference line segment 103 may be determined to be a cell serving as a reference for reading, and a cell at a position rotated by a predetermined angle from the reference line segment 103 is read It may be determined that the cell is a reference cell.

  It is preferable that the reference line segment 103 have a display mode that can be identified with respect to parts other than the reference line segment 103, such as the cell 1012 and the background of the code area 101. The display mode is, for example, a color, a pattern, or a shape. For example, the reference line segment 103 may be a line segment of a color different from that of the cell 1012 or the background, may have a pattern such as a dot pattern, and has a shape such as a wavy line or a broken line. It is good. Here, for example, it is assumed that the reference line segment 103 has a color that can be used for the cell 1012, or a color that is different from the background color of the code area 101.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the color code reader 2 for reading the color code 1.

  The color code reading device 2 includes an image acquisition unit 201, an array attribute information acquisition unit 202, a color code information acquisition unit 203, and a color code output unit 204.

  The color code reader 2 can be realized by, for example, a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, a multifunctional mobile phone called a so-called smart phone, a mobile information terminal, a scanner, a camera, a dedicated terminal, or the like.

  The image acquisition unit 201 acquires an image obtained by capturing the color code 1 using an imaging unit such as a camera (not shown). The image to be acquired is a color image. The image to be acquired is usually a still image but may be a moving image. The image acquisition unit 201 may acquire an image obtained by photographing a plurality of color codes 1. The image acquisition unit 201 may or may not include an imaging unit, and may use an external imaging unit.

  The array attribute information acquisition unit 202 acquires array attribute information using the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 201. For example, the array attribute information acquiring unit 202 binarizes the image acquired by the image acquiring unit 201, and uses the binarized image to detect a portion in which cells are arrayed in a ring, and the inside of the detected portion Is detected as a non-coding region 102. Then, array attribute designation information 1021 is detected in the non-code area 102. For example, when the array attribute designation information 1021 is a character string, characters are recognized to acquire the character string using character recognition technology used for OCR or the like. The characters here may be considered to include numbers. When the array attribute designation information 1021 is an image designated in advance, the image may be identified by image processing such as pattern matching of the image. When the array attribute information acquisition unit 202 can directly detect the array attribute specification information 1021, the detection of the non-code area 102 may not be performed.

  Then, the array attribute information acquisition unit 202 acquires, for example, array attribute information corresponding to the acquired array attribute designation information 1021. For example, an array stored in association with the same array attribute specification information as the above acquired array attribute specification information from the array attribute information stored in advance in association with the array attribute specification information 1021 in a storage unit or the like (not shown) Get attribute information. When the array attribute specification information 1021 is array attribute information itself, the process of acquiring array attribute information associated with the array attribute specification information is omitted, and the array acquired by the character recognition technology, the image processing, etc. Attribute specification information may be acquired as array attribute information. For example, when the array attribute specification information 1021 is array attribute information itself, the array attribute information acquisition unit 202 acquires array attribute specification information from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 201, and associates the array attribute specification information with the acquired array attribute specification information. The process of acquiring the acquired array attribute information may be considered as the process of acquiring array attribute specification information, which is array attribute information, using the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 201.

  The color code information acquisition unit 203 acquires information associated with the color code 1 using the array attribute information acquired by the array attribute information acquisition unit 202. The information associated with color code 1 may be any information such as an identifier associated with color code 1, and information similar to the information that can be associated with a normal color code can be associated. is there. The information associated with color code 1 may be considered, for example, as information associated with the arrangement of cells in the color of code area 101 of color code 1. As a specific example, the color code information acquisition unit 203 acquires an array of color cells from the code area 101 using array attribute information, and acquires information associated with the acquired cell array of colors. . To acquire an array of color cells is to acquire an array of color cells from a row of one or more color cells arranged in a ring in the code area 101. Acquiring the array is, for example, acquiring information indicating an array of color cells, and specifically, acquiring information indicating which color cells are arranged and how . Acquiring the array means, for example, acquiring a plurality of combinations of the color of the cell and the information indicating the arranged position. Here, the information indicating the position at which the cells are arranged is, for example, the arrangement order from the cell serving as the reference of reading indicated by the reference line segment 103 or the like, the arrangement order, the ring sequence in which the cells are arranged, And the like. The color code information acquisition unit 203 detects the reference line segment 103 from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 201 as described above, and acquires an array of color cells based on the reference line segment. For example, the color of the cell is sequentially acquired from each column clockwise from the position of the reference line segment 103. The reference line segment 103 is detected, for example, by searching for a line segment of the same color using, for example, information on a display mode of a reference line segment designated in advance. Detection of the color from each cell is performed, for example, for each row arranged in a ring. Note that the information associated with color code 1 is information indicating the arrangement of cells of the color of code area 101 of color code 1, for example, information indicating the colors of a plurality of cells and the position where each cell is arranged. Or a combination thereof.

  The configuration for acquiring the array of cells from cells of a plurality of colors arranged in a ring and the configuration for acquiring information associated with the array of acquired cells of color are known in the prior art described above and the like. Detailed descriptions will be omitted here because they exist.

  Here, for example, in the present embodiment, the array attribute information acquired by the array attribute information acquisition unit 202 determines the number of annular cell columns in the code area 101, the number of cells, and the types of usable colors. Because of this, it is possible to know in advance what color code the color code 1 has, that is, the combination of the number of columns, the number of cells, and the type of color used for the cells. In other words, it may be considered that the coding system of the photographed color code 1 can be known. Therefore, even if it is not known in advance what color code 1 the color code 1 is, the color code information acquisition unit 203 is an attribute of the color code 1, that is, what color code is the color code 1 Can be known without judging from the cell arrangement status etc., and by reading the color code according to the attribute of the color code 1, the information can be read accurately and quickly from the color code 1. be able to. Further, since the attribute of color code 1 is known, for example, the information is read from code area 101 out of the information of the array pattern of the cells corresponding to the attribute of color code 1 stored in the storage unit etc. An arrangement pattern that matches the arrangement of cells can be detected, and information corresponding to the detected arrangement pattern, for example, an identifier or the like can be acquired as information read from color code 1. As a result, even for the color code 1 having different attributes, it is possible to appropriately obtain information corresponding to the arrangement of cells.

  Further, since the attribute of color code 1 is known in advance by the array attribute information, it is possible to determine, for example, whether or not the array of cells read by the color code information acquisition unit 203 is appropriate. Become. For example, if the array of read cells indicates that there are 2 columns × 15 cells, and the attribute of color code 1 acquired from the array attribute information indicates that 2 columns × 16 cells, both match Because it does not, it may be judged that there was an error in the reading of the color cell. This enables accurate reading of the array of cells.

  The color code output unit 204 outputs information associated with the color code 1 acquired using the color code 1 acquired by the color code information acquisition unit 203. The information associated with color code 1 is, for example, an identifier associated with the color code. The determination result of the color code 1 is, for example, information associated with the color code read from the color code 1.

  Output here is display on a display, projection using a projector, printing on a printer, sound output, transmission to an external device, storage in a recording medium, processing on other processing devices or other programs, etc. It is a concept that includes the delivery of results.

  The color code output unit 204 may or may not include an output device such as a display or a printer. The output unit may be realized by driver software of an output device, or driver software of an output device and an output device.

  When a plurality of color codes 1 are captured in the image acquired by the image acquiring unit 201, for example, the above-described process may be sequentially performed on each color code 1.

  Hereinafter, an example of a specific operation of the process of reading the color code 1 in the present embodiment will be described. Here, it is assumed that the color code reader 2 is a tablet terminal with a camera. Here, the case where the array attribute designation information 1021 disposed in the non-code area 102 of color code 1 is an identifier associated with the array attribute information will be described.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing sequence management information having a sequence identifier and sequence attribute information in association with each other. The arrangement management information is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) of the color code reader 2 or the like. The array management information has the attributes “array ID” and “array attribute”. “Array ID” is array attribute specification information. "Array attribute" indicates array attribute information. In the attribute value of "array attribute", "line:" is the number of columns of cells arranged in a ring, "cell:" is the number of cells arranged in each column, and "color:" is available to cells All color types are shown respectively.

  As a result of photographing the color code 1 shown in FIG. 1 with the camera 2011 of the color code reader 2 as shown in FIG. 4A, the image acquisition unit 201 acquires an image as shown in FIG. 4B. I suppose. The array attribute information acquisition unit 202 acquires an array identifier “CID 001” from the non-code area 102 of the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 201 by character recognition. Then, from the array management information shown in FIG. 3, a record (row) in which “array ID” matches with “CID 001” acquired from the image is detected, and the attribute value of “array attribute” of the detected record is acquired. . It is assumed that the acquired attribute values are "line: 3; cell: 16; color: red, blue, green, yellow ...".

  The color code information acquisition unit 203 acquires information associated with the color code 1 using the array attribute information acquired by the array attribute information acquisition unit 202. Specifically, the reference line segment 103 is detected from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit 201, and the array of the color cells of each row of the code area 101 is acquired from the position of the detected reference line segment 103 and acquired. Gets information associated with the array of color cells.

  Here, as described above, since the attribute of the color code 1 is known in advance from the array attribute information, the color code information acquisition unit 203 does not specify the attribute of the color code 1 before photographing the image. Even in the code area 101, it is possible to obtain an array of colored cells accurately and quickly.

  The color code output unit 204 outputs information associated with the array of color cells acquired by the color code information acquisition unit 203. For example, when an identifier of a product is associated in advance with the arrangement of cells of colors, the color code output unit 204 outputs the identifier of the product corresponding to the color code 1.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the arrangement attribute designation information is arranged in the non-coding area which is not used for reading a color code, whereby the non-coding area can be effectively used, and further, the arrangement is performed in the non-coding area. The accuracy and speed of color code reading can be improved using array attribute information acquired from the array attribute specification information. Also, even with color codes of different coding systems having different attributes, it is possible to read the codes quickly with high accuracy, and it becomes possible to mix color codes of different attributes seamlessly and use them. Versatility can be enhanced.

  In the first embodiment, the arrangement attribute information is arranged in the non-coding region 102. However, in the present invention, the non-coding region is used in place of or in addition to the arrangement attribute information. A logo may be placed at 102. The logo is, for example, design characters such as a company name and a product name. Further, the logo may be a mark indicating a company, a group, a product, a service or the like.

  FIG. 5 is a view showing a modified example of the color code 1 in which the logo is arranged.

  As shown in FIG. 5, by arranging the logo 1022 in the non-coding area 102, the user can visually identify the owner or user of the color code. In addition, the non-coding area 102, which is an area in which no color cell is arranged, can be effectively used.

  In the above embodiment, each component of color code reader 2 may be configured by dedicated hardware, or a component that can be realized by software may be realized by executing a program. Good. For example, each component can be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory. At the time of execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing a storage unit (for example, a recording medium such as a hard disk or a memory).

  The software for realizing the color code in the above embodiment is the following program. That is, this program acquires arrangement attribute specification information from the image acquisition unit that acquires an image of the color code described in the above embodiment and the image acquired by the image acquisition unit. And a color code information acquisition unit that acquires information associated with a color code using the array attribute information acquisition unit that acquires array attribute information associated with the image, and the array attribute information acquired by the array attribute information acquisition unit. It is a program for functioning as a color code output part which outputs the information which a color code information acquisition part acquired.

  In the above program, the function realized by the program does not include the function that can be realized only by hardware. For example, functions that can be realized only by hardware such as an acquisition unit that acquires information and an output unit that outputs information, such as a modem or an interface card, are not included in the functions that the above program realizes.

  Moreover, the computer that executes this program may be singular or plural. That is, centralized processing may be performed, or distributed processing may be performed.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a computer system 900 that implements the color code reader according to the above embodiment by executing the above program. The above embodiments can be realized by computer hardware and a computer program executed thereon.

  6, a computer system 900 is connected to an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 911, a program such as a boot-up program, an application program, a system program, a ROM 912 such as a flash memory for storing data, and the MPU 911 The ROM 913 temporarily stores instructions of the application program, and also includes a RAM 913 for providing a temporary storage space, a touch panel 914, a wireless communication module 915, and a bus 916 interconnecting the MPU 911, the ROM 912 and the like. Note that instead of the wireless communication module 915, a wired communication module may be provided. Further, instead of the touch panel 914, a display and an input device such as a mouse or a keyboard may be provided.

  A program that causes the computer system 900 to execute the function of the color code reader according to the above embodiment may be stored in the ROM 912 via the wireless communication module 915. The program is loaded into the RAM 913 upon execution. The program may be loaded directly from the network.

  The program may not necessarily include the operating system (OS) that causes the computer system 900 to execute the function of the color code reader according to the above embodiment, a third party program, or the like. The program may include only portions of instructions that invoke appropriate functions or modules in a controlled manner to achieve a desired result. It is well known how computer system 900 operates, and detailed description is omitted.

  It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible, which are also included in the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the color code or the like according to the present invention is suitable as a ring-shaped color code or the like, and is particularly useful as a color code or the like which can effectively use an area other than the portion where the color is arranged.

1 color code 2 color code reader 101 code area 1011a-1011c ring 1012 cell 102 non-code area 1021 array attribute specification information 1022 logo 103 reference line segment 201 image acquisition unit 2011 camera 202 array attribute information acquisition unit 203 color code information acquisition unit 204 Color code output unit

Claims (6)

An annular code region in which cells of a plurality of colors arranged to form an annular array of one or more rows;
A non-code area in which is arranged an array attribute specification information indicating array attribute information which is an area inside the annular code area and is information of an attribute related to an array of cells of a plurality of colors arranged in the code area; Color code with. The array attribute information indicates at least one or more of the number of rows of annularly arranged cells of the color arrayed in the code region, the number of cells in each row, and the types of cell colors that can be arranged in the code region. The color code according to claim 1, which is information. The color code according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising: a reference line segment which is a line segment for specifying a reference position of a reading placed across the row of color cells. An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the color code according to claim 1;
An array attribute information acquisition unit that acquires the array attribute specification information from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and acquires the array attribute information associated with the acquired array attribute specification information;
A color code information acquisition unit that acquires information associated with the color code using the array attribute information acquired by the array attribute information acquisition unit;
And a color code reading unit for outputting the information acquired by the color code information acquiring unit. A color code reading method performed using an image acquisition unit, an array attribute information acquisition unit, a color code information acquisition unit, and a color code output unit.
An image acquisition step of acquiring the color code image according to claim 1;
An array attribute information acquisition step of acquiring the array attribute specification information from the image acquired in the image acquisition step, and acquiring the array attribute information associated with the acquired array attribute specification information; ,
A color code information acquisition step in which the color code information acquisition unit acquires information associated with the color code, using the array attribute information acquired in the array attribute information acquisition step;
And a color code reading step of outputting the information acquired in the color code information acquiring step. Computer,
An image acquisition unit for acquiring the image of the color code according to claim 1;
An array attribute information acquisition unit that acquires the array attribute specification information from the image acquired by the image acquisition unit, and acquires the array attribute information associated with the acquired array attribute specification information;
A color code information acquisition unit that acquires information associated with the color code using the array attribute information acquired by the array attribute information acquisition unit;
A program for functioning as a color code output unit that outputs information acquired by the color code information acquisition unit.

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