Two dimensional barcode provided with dynamic environmental indicator provided within a gap

A method of reading of a sensor-augmented two-dimensional barcode symbol comprising:

• optically scanning an image of the sensor-augmented two-dimensional barcode symbol to obtain color values for pixels in the image, wherein the two-dimensional barcode symbol includes a layer with a barcode region, an empty region having an area, and a dynamic region, wherein the dynamic region is provided within the area of the empty region, the barcode region includes a plurality of modules and the plurality of modules includes a plurality of distinct subgroups of modules each associated with a respective codeword, each codeword being one of a data codeword or an error correcting codeword, and wherein the area of the empty region is sized and shaped such that the empty region occupies at most two of the plurality of subgroups of the plurality of modules thereby limiting error correction for the area to error correcting codewords corresponding to the two respective subgroups of the plurality of modules;
• constructing a scanned pixel map containing the color values in the sensor-augmented two-dimensional barcode symbol;
• processing the pixels in the scanned pixel map to assign a binary color value to each pixel and to form a binarised pixel map;
• identifying the two-dimensional barcode symbol in the binarised pixel map;
• decoding the identified two-dimensional barcode symbol in the binarised pixel map to recover a symbol codeword sequence;
• recovering underlying data codewords from the symbol codeword sequence, by utilizing error correction process on the symbol codeword sequence;
• processing the data codewords for identification of the dynamic region using at most two error correcting codewords corresponding to the at most two of the plurality of subgroups of the plurality of modules;
• determining an average color value of the dynamic region;
• and
• processing the average color value of the dynamic region to determine a reflectance percentage of incident light at a time of scanning.

A method of generating a sensor-augmented two-dimensional barcode symbol comprising:

• creating a bitmap of a barcode region of a two-dimensional error-correcting barcode symbol, wherein the barcode region includes a plurality of modules and the plurality of modules includes a plurality of distinct subgroups of modules each associated with a respective codeword, each codeword being one of a data codeword or an error correcting codeword;
• modifying the bitmap to create an empty region having an area within the barcode region such that the empty region is sized and shaped to occupy respective bits in the bitmap from at most two of the plurality of subgroups of the plurality of modules thereby limiting error correction for the area to error correcting codewords corresponding to the two respective subgroups of the plurality of modules;
• and
• generating the two-dimensional error-correcting barcode symbol with the barcode region and the empty region, wherein the empty region is designated for a dynamic region positioned within the area of the empty region, the dynamic region comprising a dynamic indicator having a chemistry that is configured, responsive to the occurrence of an environmental condition, to undergo a chemical or physical state change between an initial state and an end state, causing a change in the color state of the dynamic indicator, wherein the color state indicates exposure to the environmental condition.

A method of generating a sensor-augmented two-dimensional barcode symbol comprising:

• creating a bitmap of a two-dimensional error-correcting barcode symbol such that the barcode symbol includes a barcode region and an empty region, wherein the barcode region is configured to include a plurality of modules, and the plurality of modules includes a plurality of distinct subgroups of modules each associated with a respective codeword, each codeword being one of a data codeword or an error correcting codeword;
• and
• generating the two-dimensional error-correcting barcode symbol with the barcode region and the empty region, wherein the empty region is designated for a dynamic region positioned within the area of the empty region, the dynamic region comprising a dynamic indicator having a chemistry that is configured, responsive to the occurrence of an environmental condition, to undergo a chemical or physical state change between an initial state and an end state, causing a change in the color state of the dynamic indicator, wherein the color state indicates exposure to the environmental condition, wherein the area of the empty region is sized and shaped such that the empty region occupies at most two of the plurality of subgroups of the plurality of modules thereby limiting error correction for the area to error correcting codewords corresponding to the two respective subgroups of the plurality of modules.