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. 2024 May 11;24(10):3055.
doi: 10.3390/s24103055.

Dual-Message QR Codes

Kuo-Chien Chou  1 , Ran-Zan Wang  1
Affiliations

Dual-Message QR Codes

Kuo-Chien Chou et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

A novel dual-message QR code is proposed for carrying two individual messages that can be read by standard QR code readers: one from a close range and the other from a large distance. By exploring the module value determining the rule of typical QR code readers, we designed two-state module blocks that can be recognized as different module values through changing the distance from which the QR code is scanned, and applied them to construct the proposed dual-message QR code. Experiments were conducted to test the readability of the two messages within a dual-message QR code, with the results demonstrating the high feasibility of the proposed method. The dual-message QR code can be applied for designing creative applications. For example, an interactive wedding card that can access the growing film of the groom and that of the bride interchangeably, which bring the viewers a higher-quality experience.

Keywords: 2D barcode; QR code; dual-message QR code; nested QR code; two-layer QR code.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Structure of a version-7 QR code. Function patterns are used to locate and identify the parameters of a QR code. Data modules contain the input-data code words and the error-correction code words.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Typical QR code decoding procedure.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Special QR code for exploring the module value determination rule. (a) The testing QR code. (b) Layout of a module block.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Illustration of pixels of an exhibited module block that are projected onto the centroid pixel of a module block in the captured image. (a) QR code module located at a distance. (b) QR code module located at close range. (c) A pixel in the camera image plane.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Working model of the two-state module block. (a) The designed 1-0 two-state module block. (b) The region to be projected onto the centroid pixel of the module block from a close range. (c) The region to be projected on the centroid pixel of the module block from a large distance.
Figure 6
Figure 6
An example of dual-message QR code. (a) Standard QR code with message “Near view is less.” (b) Standard QR code with message “Far view is more.” (c) Dual-message QR code generated by setting the module block size and the centroid region size to 29 × 29 and 7 × 7 pixels, respectively.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Accessing MSGnear and MSGfar from the dual-message QR code. (a) Snapshot of QRdual displayed on the screen captured from a close range. (b) Snapshot of QRdual displayed on the screen captured at a distance. (c) Snapshot of QRdual displayed on paper captured from a close range. (d) Snapshot of QRdual displayed on paper captured at a distance.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Dual-message QR codes generated with module block size of 29 × 29 and vary centroid region size from 1 to 11.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Another example of dual-message QR code with two messages “https://youtu.be/MUcTeoFJ9qo” and “https://youtu.be/zNmhCabrJlg.” The module block size and the centroid region size are set to 11 × 11 and 3 × 3 pixels, respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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