Automatic visual searching and reading of barcodes in 3-D scene

Automatic finding and reading barcodes in 3D scene has wide demands. The key problem is to search barcodes and supply them to a reading subsystem. In the previous papers (see IEEE Trans. PAMI, vol.22, no.2, p.179-90, 2000, and vol.22, no.3, p.252-65, 2000), we proposed a method of "feature extraction after categorization and projection" for edges, ridges, corners, and vertices. The categorization is based on uni- and omnidirectionality of significant local variation. In this paper, we describe an extension of this method that is more efficient to detailed images with closely spaced features like barcodes. Defining a barcode region with these features, we describe an application of it to extraction and reading of barcodes in 3-D scene.