Detecting Visual Codes ( May 2006 )

The detection of binary visual codes is an integral commercial application of computer vision, facilitating the transmission of digital information from the physical to the electronic domains. Our detection method uses repeated elimination of image areas to identify likely guide bars. Guide bars are used to predict the locations of the bounding bits, and further calculation yields a refined estimate of the code’s location and bit values. Final processing eliminates candidate visual codes that do not fit the fixed pattern to a high enough degree.