How to read barcodes with small module sizes

In some scenarios, the barcode is relatively small to the entire image and the barcode module size is also very small, making it difficult for our library to read the barcode. In this case, we can enlarge the barcode area through the ScaleUpModes parameter to a proper size before starting the recognition process.

Here is an overview of the enumerations for ScaleUpModes:

The default value for ScaleUpModes is SUM_AUTO, which automatically detects whether to enlarge the code area before decoding.

To control the enlarging process manually, you can choose one or all of the other available modes ( SUM_LINEAR_INTERPOLATION, SUM_NEAREST_NEIGHBOUR_INTERPOLATION) at the same time.

When you set the parameter to both SUM_LINEAR_INTERPOLATION and SUM_NEAREST_NEIGHBOUR_INTERPOLATION, you can configure extra arguments to define a custom rule for scaling up. The arguments are as follows:

• AcuteAngleWithXThreshold
  If the acute angle of the barcode with the horizontal axis (X) (see below figure for reference to which angle this is referring to) is greater than the value of AcuteAngleWithXThreshold, the barcode will be enlarged.

• ModuleSizeThreshold
  If the module size of the barcode (see below figure for reference) is less than the value for ModuleSizeThreshold, the barcode will be enlarged.

• TargetModuleSize
  The barcode will be enlarged by N times (N=1,2,3…) till N * ModuleSize is greater than or equal to TargetModuleSize.

Example Condition: ModuleSizeThreshold = 4, AcuteAngleWithXThreshold = 30, TargetModuleSize = 4

Result The module size of the barcode in the image is 2 pixels, which is smaller than ModuleSizeThreshold, and the acute angle is larger than AcuteAngleWithXThreshold, so our library will perform scaling up operation. After scaling up, the barcode is enlarged by 2 times since 2 * modulesize >= TargetModuleSize.

Below is a sample image in real scenario:

The barcode image is a bit blurry and the module size of the barcode is only 2px. By using the default barcode reading settings, the barcode may not be readable. In this case, we can use the ScaleUpModes parameter in the following way:

CBarcodeReader* reader = new CBarcodeReader();
reader->InitLicense("Insert your license here");

PublicRuntimeSettings* runtimeSettings = new PublicRuntimeSettings();
reader->GetRuntimeSettings(runtimeSettings); // Get the current runtime settings
runtimeSettings->scaleUpModes[0] = SUM_LINEAR_INTERPOLATION; // Set SUM_LINEAR_INTERPOLATION

char sError[512];
reader->UpdateRuntimeSettings(runtimeSettings, sError, 512); // Update runtime settings
reader->SetModeArgument("scaleUpModes", 0, "AcuteAngleWithXThreshold", "0"); 
reader->SetModeArgument("scaleUpModes", 0, "ModuleSizeThreshold", "4"); 
reader->SetModeArgument("scaleUpModes", 0, "TargetModuleSize", "4"); 
reader->DecodeFile("Insert your file path here", "") // Start decoding

TextResultArray* paryResult = NULL;
reader->GetAllTextResults(&paryResult); // Get results
int iCount = paryResult->resultsCount;
for (int i = 0; i < iCount; i++)
{
    printf("Text: %s", paryResult->results[i]->barcodeText); // Print results
}

CBarcodeReader::FreeTextResults(&paryResult);
delete runtimeSettings;
delete reader;

You can also set the runtime settings (and the ScaleUpModes) via a JSON template or string. The first snippet is the JSON template and the second demonstrates how to use that template for the runtime settings:

{
    "Version":"3.0",
    "ImageParameterContentArray":[
        {
            "Name":"Test1",
            "ExpectedBarcodesCount":0,
            "MaxAlgorithmThreadCount":4,
            "BarcodeFormatIds":["BF_ALL"],
            "ScaleUpModes":["SUM_LINEAR_INTERPOLATION(0, 4, 4)"],
            "DeblurLevel":9
        }
    ]
}

CBarcodeReader* reader = new CBarcodeReader();
reader->InitLicense("Insert your license here");

char sError[512];
reader->InitRuntimeSettingsWithFile("insert your JSON file path here", CM_OVERWRITE, sError, 512);
reader->DecodeFile("insert your image file path here", "");

TextResultArray* paryResult = NULL;
reader->GetAllTextResults(&paryResult); // Get results
int iCount = paryResult->resultsCount;
for (int i = 0; i < iCount; i++)
{
    printf("Text: %s", paryResult->results[i]->barcodeText); // Print results
}

CBarcodeReader::FreeTextResults(&paryResult);
delete reader;

Final result:

Text: 16046055491