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Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (publ)

Anoto Aktiebolag

Mats Petter Pettersson

Petter Ericson

Andreas Björklund

Tomas Fredrik Edso

Stefan Lynggaard

Stefan Burström

Torbj&ouml;rn G&auml;rdenfors

Anna-Karin Stenman

Andreas Olsson

Andreas Bj&ouml;rklund

Espen Kristensen

B&ouml;rre Fjelds&ouml;

Fåhraeus Christer

Torbjorn Gardenfors

Anna-Karin Rundqwist

Tomas Edsö

Erik; Persson

A product has a surface and a plurality of marks detectable on the surface, wherein each mark is arranged at a predetermined displacement value relative to a raster location, wherein each mark has associated with the mark a displacement value corresponding to each mark's displacement relative to the raster location, and wherein a plurality of displacement values collectively encode a position on the surface.

Product provided with a coding pattern and apparatus and method for reading the pattern

A product and method for decoding information is provided. The product includes a sensor for detecting a plurality of marks on a surface to obtain associated mark location data, at least a first group of the plurality of marks being arranged on the surface so as to define an invisible raster with predetermined dimensions and marks in at least a second group of the plurality of marks are displaced from raster locations in a manner encoding information, and a processor for receiving from the sensor at least some of the mark location data, the processor determining, using the received mark location data, a position of the invisible raster on the surface, and decoding information based on positions of at least some of the marks in the second group of the plurality of marks relative to locations on the invisible raster.

In an information code which is arranged to redundantly code at least one first information element by means of a first information element, one or more of the marks can be omitted for the coding of at least one additional information element. In addition, copy protection can be created for an information code that codes at least one first information element by means of a plurality of marks by the addition of at least one interference mark whose optical characteristics differ from those of the marks in the information code. After copying, all the marks will have the same optical characteristics.

Information code including redundant information providing copy protection

A product provided with a coding pattern which comprises a plurality of marks, each of which represents one of at least two different values, and which further comprises a plurality of nominal positions, each of said plurality of marks being associated with a nominal position and the value of each mark being determined by its location relative to its nominal position. The invention also comprises use of the product.

A method aims at identifying, starting from objects in a digital image, a virtual raster included in a coding pattern. The objects in the image at least partially reproduce marks on a base, each mark being associated with a respective point of intersection of raster lines belonging to the virtual raster. The method comprises the steps of matching sets of objects against a cell unit, which corresponds to a recurring known basic element of said raster; when a set corresponds with the cell unit, identifying the objects in the set as approved; and reconstructing the virtual raster on the basis of the mutual arrangement of the approved objects. A computer program, a storage medium and a device for position determination are also described.

Reconstruction of virtual raster

A product provided with a coding pattern which comprises a plurality of marks, each of which represents one of at least two different values, and which further comprises a plurality of nominal positions, each of the plurality of marks being associated with a nominal position and the value of each mark being determined by its location relative to its nominal position. A method and device of using the product are also disclosed.

Coding pattern comprising a plurality of marks

A position code is applied on a surface to code positions in one or more directions. The code is based on a main number series which has the property that the place in the main number series of each number sequence of a first predetermined length is unambiguously determined. A position is determined based on one or more such number sequences of the first predetermined length. The orientation of the position code is discriminable from the main number series, but only for number sequences of a second predetermined length that exceeds the first predetermined length.

Orientation discrimination in a position-coding pattern

A method is provided for decoding data stored in a partial area of a coding pattern on a surface, based on a recorded image of the partial area. The coding pattern contains elements which each have at least two possible decoding values. The method identifies in the image a plurality of elements. The method further calculates, for each identified element, an associated value probability for each possible decoding value that the element has this decoding value. Additionally, the method performs the decoding of data based on the decoding values and the corresponding value probabilities. A device and a memory medium storing a computer program with instructions for performing such a data decoding technique are also provided.

Method and device for data decoding

A product is provided with a coding pattern, which codes position information in the form of coordinates for a plurality of points on the product with the aid of a plurality of marks belonging to each point. The marks have a first parameter which varies for coding of the position information. The marks additionally have a second parameter which varies for coding of further information in the coding pattern. A method and a device for coding of the coding pattern and a method and a device for decoding of the coding pattern are also described.

Coding pattern

Coding pattern and apparatus and method for determining data values in the coding pattern

In a method for position decoding, a position is calculated on the basis of information determined from a partial area, imaged by a sensor, of a position-coding pattern. If the position calculation fails, the information from the partial area recorded by the sensor is matched with information about how the position-coding pattern is designed in a plurality of matching partial areas, which each define a position in the position-coding pattern. The position of the positions defined by the matching partial areas, which according to the matching step is the most probable position in the position-coding pattern for the imaged partial area is accepted as the decoded position. A device and a computer program for carrying out the method are also described.

Method and device for decoding a position-coding pattern

A device, a method and a computer program for position determination are provided. The device comprises a processing means for determining a position on a surface on the basis of an image of a position-coding pattern on the surface. The processing means is arranged to decide whether it is possible to determine an acceptable posi- tion on the surface on the basis of the position-coding pattern in the image. In addition, the processing means is arranged to cause the first writing means to write on the surface depending upon the result of said decision.

Devices method and computer program for position determination

A method of providing a position code on a surface, which position code codes a plurality of positions on the surface. A cyclic number series is used, which has the characteristic that the position in the number series of each number sequence of a first predetermined length is determined unambiguously. The number series is printed out a plurality of times across the surface, different rotations of the first cyclic number series being used so that displacements arise between adjacent number series. The surface is divided into a plurality of code windows, which comprise at least three number series and have one number series overlapping one number series of adjacent code windows. The position of the code windows in the x-direction is coded by means of the displacements between the cyclic number series belonging to the code window. A second number series is used for coding in the y-direction. The invention also concerns a method and a device for determining the position, and a device and a computer program product for implementing the method.

Position determination II&mdash;calculation

In a method for position coding, positions are coded in a first dimension on a surface in accordance with a primary number sequence that has the property that the place in the primary number sequence of each partial sequence of a first predetermined length is unambiguously determined. Each position in the first dimension is coded by one of the partial sequences. The primary number sequence is built up of at least two secondary number sequences that have a smaller base than the base of the primary number sequence and that are used for determination of the partial sequences of the primary number sequence which correspond to the positions in the first dimension. This makes possible, among other things, realization of the method in devices with limited memory capacity, as the secondary number sequences require less memory in total than the primary number sequence. The secondary number sequences can also be used for decoding the position code.

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Lund, Sweden

Mats Petter Pettersson