This disclosure relates to image signal processing technology including signal encoding. One claim recites a method of detecting plural-bit code conflicts within an image, the image includes at least one color separation. The image includes a first plural-bit code carried by a first symbology, and a second plural-bit code carried by a second symbology, the first symbology and the second symbology comprising different symbology types. The method includes: accessing a subset of the image that comprises the first plural-bit code carried by the first symbology; analyzing the subset of the image to decode the first plural-bit code; analyzing the at least one color separation to spatially locate and decode the second plural-bit code carried by the second symbology; comparing the first plural-bit code and the second plural-bit code; and outputting information if a conflict is identified by said act of comparing, in which the information comprises a spatial location within the image of the conflict. Of course, other claims, features and combinations are described as well.

The present document provides image processing methods and apparatus. One claim recites: obtaining a signal to be encoded in color image data, the signal comprising a plural-bit payload; predicting a resulting color of overprinting several inks on a substrate, the overprinting representing the color image data encoded with the signal; using the resulting color for both i) visibility evaluation of the overprinting, and ii) signal robustness evaluation of the overprinting as seen by an imaging device. Other claims and combinations are provided.

Optical code signal components are generated and then transformed into signal bearing art that conveys machine readable data. The components of an optical code are optimized to achieve improved signal robustness, reliability, capacity and/or visual quality. An optimization program can determine spatial density, dot distance, dot size and signal component priority to optimize robustness. An optical code generator transforms tiles of an optical code or image embedded with the optical code into signal-bearing art using stipple, Voronoi, Delaunay or other graphic drawing methods so as to retain prioritized components of the optical code. The optical code is merged into a host image, such as imagery, text and graphics of a package or label, or it may be printed by itself, e.g., on an otherwise blank label or carton. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed.

A reception apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for processing an image in which a plurality of symbols is encoded, and an information providing apparatus for providing the image. The reception apparatus includes circuitry configured to receive or retrieve an image in which a plurality of symbols is encoded. The circuitry determines a set of luminance values used to encode the symbols based on luminance values of a plurality of pixels included in the image. The circuitry determines a highest luminance value used to encode the symbols in the image based on the determined set of luminance values. Further, the circuitry derives data values of the symbols encoded in the image based on the set of luminance values and using the determined highest luminance value.

Differential modulation schemes encode a data channel within host signal or noisy environment in a manner that is robust, flexible to achieve perceptual quality constraints, and provides improved data capacity. Differential arrangements enable a decoder to suppress host signal or other background signal interference when detecting, synchronizing and extracting an encoded data channel. They also enable the incorporation of implicit or explicit synchronization components, which are either formed from the data signal or are complementary to it.

Advanced signal processing technology including steganographic embedding and digital watermarking is described. For an encoded image, detectability measures can be generated including a first detectability measure associated with a synchronization component strength and a second detectability measure associated with a message component strength. Such measures can be used to help determine a likelihood that the encoded image, once printed on a physical substrate, will be detectable from optical scan data representing such. Of course, other features and combinations are described as well.

This disclosure relates to advanced signal processing technology including steganographic embedding and digital watermarking. One combination disclosed in the description includes an apparatus comprising: memory storing an image comprising a plurality of color channels; means for locating image areas including an encoded signal with each color channel of the plurality of color channels, said means for locating identifying a plurality of image areas; means for generating one or more detectability measures corresponding to the encoded signal for each of the plurality of image areas; means for determining whether the encoded signal can be decoded from the plurality of image areas to obtain a plural-bit message component carried therein; means for selecting, per color channel, only one (1) image area as a validation point based on one or more generated detectability measures for that color channel, and based on whether the one (1) image area includes a decodable plural-bit message component; and means for generating information associated with a spatial location of each of the validation points in the image. Of course, other technology, features and combinations are described as well.

This disclosure relates to advanced signal processing technology including signal encoding and digital watermarking. Image areas are selected in an encoded digital design, and corresponding areas from a printed version of the encoded digital design are evaluated to determined signal robustness after printing. One claim recites an image processing method for selecting image areas to test for robustness of encoded signals, the method comprising: obtaining digital artwork comprising a plurality of colors, the digital artwork comprising multiple instances of an encoded signal; selecting a set encoding tiles, and for each encoding tile determining encoding detectability measure associated therewith; creating a bin for each encoding technology used to encode the encoded signal; for each bin, removing any encoding tile having a detectability measure below a predetermined threshold; for each bin, prioritizing remaining encoding tiles; selecting an encoding tile based on the prioritization per bin, and spatially locating the selected encoding tile relative to the digital artwork. Other technology is described in this patent document.

This disclosure relates to advanced signal processing technology including signal encoding. One combination includes an apparatus comprising: memory for storing image data, the image data comprising a plurality of color separations or channels, in which the image data comprises at least a first type of machine-readable symbology comprising a 1D barcode represented therein and a second type of machine-readable symbology comprising a first signal represented therein, in which the second type of machine-readable symbology comprises a different type of machine-readable symbology relative to the first type of machine-readable symbology, the 1D barcode comprising a first plural-bit code and the first signal comprising a second plural-bit code; a barcode reader configured to analyze the image data to decode the 1D barcode to obtain the first plural-bit code; a signal decoder configured to analyze one or more color separations or channels of the plurality of color separations or channels to decode the first signal to obtain the second plural-bit code; one or more processors configured to determine whether the second plural-bit code and the first plural-bit code conflict; and to identify a conflict based on a conflict determination. Of course, other features and combinations are described as well.

The present disclosure relates to advanced image processing and encoded signal processing. One claim currently recites an image processing method comprising the acts: receiving a digital representation of artwork, the artwork having an area of uniform color; generating a two-dimensional data signal that redundantly encodes a plural-bit message, the data signal comprising plural elements, each of which has a single bit value; receiving a two-dimensional synchronization signal comprising plural elements, each of which has a plural-bit value, each element of said data signal having an element of the synchronization signal corresponding thereto; processing the two-dimensional data signal with the two-dimensional synchronization signal and with a gradient function to yield a two-dimensional gradient marking signal; and printing an ink counterpart of the gradient marking signal on a medium with the artwork, said printing comprising printing plural dithered two-dimensional blocks of at least four contiguous elements each, in which one or more elements of each block are printed to be dark. Of course, other claims and combinations are described as well.