There is provided a non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a machine-readable image having data encoded therein and embedded with a graphic, the machine-readable image adapted to be detected by a reader for decoding said encoded data, including: the graphic associated with an image descriptor calculated based on a chosen area of the graphic, the image descriptor being used in a reading process of said machine-readable image; a plurality of function patterns; and a plurality of dot modules having decoded values corresponding to at least said encoded data, the dot modules being positioned in one or more encoding regions of the machine-readable image relative to the function patterns and the chosen area of the graphic.

Systems and methods for custom functional patterns for optical barcodes are provided. In example embodiments, image data of an image is received from a user device. A candidate shape feature of the image is extracted from the image data. A determination is made that the shape feature satisfies a shape feature rule. In response to the candidate shape feature satisfying the shape feature rule, a custom graphic in the image is identified by comparing the candidate shape feature with a reference shape feature of the custom graphic. In response to identifying the custom graphic, data encoded in a portion of the image is decoded.

Systems and methods for registering arbitrary visual features for use as fiducial elements are disclosed. An example method includes aligning a geometric reference object and a visual feature and capturing an image of the reference object and feature. The method also includes identifying, in the image of the object and the visual feature, a set of at least four non-colinear feature points in the visual feature. The method also includes deriving, from the image, a coordinate system using the geometric object. The method also comprises providing a set of measures to each of the points in the set of at least four non-colinear feature points using the coordinate system. The measures can then be saved in a memory to represent the registered visual feature and serve as the basis for using the registered visual feature as a fiducial element.

Disclosed are various embodiments of a multi-scale fiducial. A multi-scale fiducial may have three or more scales, where the child fiducials are nested or otherwise linked by a relative position to the parent fiducials. Multi-scale fiducials may facilitate target identification and tracking at varying distances, potentially without the aid of a scale-invariant recognition algorithm. One application of multi-scale fiducials may involve target identification for autonomously controlled aerial vehicles.

An image code is for information storage, transfer and identification, a method of generating and analyzing the same, and an apparatus for implementing the method, the image code includes a standard image area, at least one image filled in the standard image region, at least one segment of information stream implanted in the at least one image by using digital watermarking technique and 4 location identification graphics arranged in different positions of the standard image region, the location identification graphics are arranged in the 4 vertex angles of the standard image region, including 1 feature location identification graphic and 3 basic location identification graphics; the 3 basic location identification graphics are identical and the feature location identification graphic is different from the basic location identification graphic.

The present document describe monocular machine vision systems and methods for determining locations of target elements when the three dimensional orientation of the monocular machine vision system relative to the target system is unknown. The machine vision system described herein captures and uses information gleaned from the captured target elements to determine the locations of these captured target elements relative to the vision system, or reversely, the location and orientation of the vision system relative to the target elements.

There are provided a data playback system, a data playback method, a data playback terminal, a printer, and a server which are capable of playing sound from a printout and viewing a favorable image. Image data of an image printed on an instant film and sound data associated with the image data are stored in a data storage server. In a case where a two-dimensional code printed with the image on the instant film is read by a data playback terminal, access information to the image data of the printed image and the sound data associated with the image data is obtained. The data playback terminal accesses the data storage server based on the obtained access information, and downloads and plays the image data of the printed image and the sound data.

An information bearing device comprising a data bearing pattern, wherein the data bearing pattern comprises a plurality of data defining elements, the data defining elements being spatially distributed to define a set of spatial frequency data, and the set of spatial frequency data comprising a plurality of frequency data elements (F.sub.1, F.sub.2, . . . , F.sub.n); and wherein each frequency data (F.sub.i) has a data frequency magnitude (f.sub.i) and a data frequency angle(θ.sub.i), the data frequency magnitude being above a first characteristic spatial frequency (f.sub.A) which corresponds to a characteristic frequency of a staple or commonplace image reproduction apparatus, the characteristic frequency representing an image data frequency above which reproduction quality by the staple or commonplace image reproduction apparatus begins to drop substantially.

Software tools disclosed herein may allow a user to enter design choices that alter an aesthetic appearance of a machine-readable label such that modules included in the label deviate from a standardized definition for the modules. Such alterations may include changes in size, color and orientation of modules. The alterations may allow a user to create machine-readable labels having unique aesthetic appearances. A software engine may ensure that, despite the aesthetic design choices entered by a user, the generated machine-readable label is reliably scannable.

A navigation system for an automated guided vehicle comprises a set of marking elements which are to be arranged in grid form on the floor and in which navigation information is encoded; a sensor device to be arranged at the automated guided vehicle for reading navigation data from the marking elements; and an evaluation device connected to the sensor device for generating control signals for the automated guided vehicle with reference to read navigation data. Each of the marking elements has at least two graphical code patterns that are each designed as one-dimensional code patterns and comprise a code applied along a scanning direction, with the scanning directions of the at least two graphical code patterns being aligned offset from one another by an angular offset.