Quick Median Filtering Algorithm for Denoising QR Code Images

O. Appiah, E. M. Martey, E. Quayson, E. Opoku

Abstract


QR Code is a 2D symbology technique that provides a machine-readable optical label with information on the associated item. Its usage is fast becoming ubiquitous in diverse fields of study due to the proliferation of smartphones, which have become the primary devices for scanning these codes. The operation of QR Codes is like information decoding, encompassing activities such as image capturing, image preprocessing, image segmentation, recognition and presentation of information. Issues of poor QR codes, poor camera quality, the introduction of noise into images by image-capturing sensors, communication issues, and errors in image-processing algorithms may affect the whole scanning process. Several techniques have been suggested to address the impact of these issues on a successful scanning task.  One such technique is the image denoising technique, which enhances the quality of images to help reduce the chances of failed scans. Integration of image denoising techniques in the preprocessing of QR Codes for effective results by Scanners is a crucial stage in the pipelines of these QR-code scanning applications. However, the computational time complexities of these algorithms sometimes increase the throughput of Scanners. This paper proposes a novel median filtering algorithm for denoising salt and pepper noise in QR codes. Compared to the state-of-the-art median-based filtering algorithms, the proposed algorithm completes the denoising of QR Code images in the shortest possible time.


Keywords


Image denoising, Median Filtering, QR Codes, QR Scanners, Quick Filters

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abas, H., Yahya, F. H. and Kamaruddin, M. (2015), “User Readiness Evaluation of Qr Codes In Mobile Learning (m-learning)”. International Conference on Information Technology and Society. Lugano, Switzerland. pp. 126-136.

Abdullah, A. M. and Aziz, R. H. A. (2014), “Evaluating the use of Quick Response (QR) code at Sulaimani University libraries”. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 11, pp. 62-72.

Ahamed, M. S. and Mustafa, H. A. (2019), “A Secure QR Code System for Sharing Personal Confidential Information”. In 2019 International Conference on Computer, Communication, Chemical, Materials and Electronic Engineering (IC4ME2), Rajshahi, Bangladesh, pp. 1-4. IEEE.

Ahmad, M., and Sundararajan, D. (1987), “A Fast Algorithm for Two-Dimensional Median Filtering”. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, Vol 34, No. 11, pp. 1364-1374.

Appiah, O., Asante, M. and Hayfron-Acquah, J. B. (2016), “Adaptive Approximated Median Filtering Algorithm for Impulse Noise Reduction”. Asian Journal of Mathematics and Computer Research, Vol 12, No. 2, pp. 134-144.

Appiah, O., Asante, M. and Hayfron-Acquah, J. B. (2022), “Improved Approximated Median Filter Algorithm for Real-Time Computer Vision Applications”. Journal of King Saud University-Computer and Information Sciences, Vol 34, No. 3, pp.782-792

Appiah, O., Martey, E. M., Ninfaakanga, C. B., Awarayi, N. S. and Opoku, E., (2021), “Performance Evaluation of Corrupted QR Code Scanners”. In 8th International Conference on Adaptive Science and Technology (ICAST), Accra, Ghana, pp. 1-6. doi: 10.1109/ ICAST52759.2021.9682029

Aranda, L. A., Reviriego, P. and Maestro, J. A. (2017), “Error Detection Technique for a Median Filter”. IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol. 64, No 8, pp. 2219-2226.

Bae, J. and Yoo, H. (2018), “Fast Median Filtering by Use of Fast Localization of Median Value”. International Journal of Applied Engineering Research, Vol. 13, No. 12, pp. 10882-10885.

Bhatnagar, I. and Bhatnagar, S. (2018), “QR Code Denoising using parallel Hopfield Networks”. arXiv preprint, doi: https://doi.org/ 10.48550 /arXiv.1812.01065.

Chang, J. H. (2014), “An Introduction to using QR Codes in Scholarly Journals”. Sci Ed, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 113-117.

Czerwinski, R. N., Jones, D. L. and O'Brien, W. D. (1995), “Ultrasound Speckle Reduction by Directional Median Filtering”. In Proceedings., International Conference on Image Processing, Vol. 1, pp. 358-361.

Denso W. (2021), “Denso Wave, the inventor of QR Code. QRcode.com”. https://www.qrcode. com/en/ind-ex.html. Accessed: 24 September 2021.

Durak, G., Ozkeskin, E. E. and Ataizi, M. (2016), “QR Codes in Education and Communication”. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, Vol. 17, No. 2. doi:https://doi.org/10.17718 /tojde.89156.

Erkan, U., Gökrem, L. and Enginoğlu, S. (2018), “Different Applied Median Filter in Salt and Pepper Noise”. Computers and Electrical Engineering, Vol. 70, pp. 789-798.

Fraunhofer Sit. (2020), “JAB Code”. https://jabcode.org/, Accessed: 24 September 2021.

Karia, C. T., Hughes, A. and Carr, S. (2019), “Uses of quick response codes in healthcare education: a scoping review”. BMC Medical Education, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1-14.

Kumawat, D., Singh, R. K., Gupta, D. and Gupta, S. (2013), “Impact of denoising using various filters on QR code”. International Journal of Computer Applications, vol. 63, No. 5, pp. 0975-8887.

Liang, H., Li, N., and Zhao, S. (2021), “Salt and Pepper Noise Removal Method Based on a Detail-Aware Filter”. Symmetry, Vol 13, No. 3, pp. 515.

Lu, Y., Dai, M., Jiang, L. and Li, S. (2010), “Sort Optimization Algorithm of Median Filtering Based On FPGA”. In 2010 International Conference on Machine Vision and Human-machine Interface, Kaifeng, China, pp. 250-253. doi: 10.1109/ MVHI.2010.145

Mafi, M., Martin, H., Cabrerizo, M., Andrian, J., Barreto, A. and Adjouadi, M. (2019), “A Comprehensive Survey on Impulse and Gaussian Denoising Filters For Digital Images”. Signal Processing, Vol. 157, pp. 236-260.

Marcus, R. C. and Ward, W. C. (2013), “DP: A Fast Median Filter Approximation”. Tech Rep Los Alamos National Lab, pp. 1-11.

Perreault, S. and Hébert, P. (2007), “Median Filtering in Constant Time”. IEEE transactions on image processing, Vol 16, No. 9, pp. 2389-2394.

Qi, Y., Yang, Z., Sun, W., Lou, M., Lian, J., Zhao, W., Deng, X. and Ma, Y. (2021), “A Comprehensive Overview of Image Enhancement Techniques”. Archives of Computational Methods in Engineering, pp. 1-25.

Rikala, J. (2014), “Evaluating QR Code Case Studies Using a Mobile Learning Framework”. International Association for the Development of the Information Society.

Saumya B. S. B. (2021), “Use QR codes on nature trails to make them more engaging”. QR Batch Blog. https://scanova.io/blog/qrbatch/qr-codes-on-nature-trails/. Accessed on 24 September 2021.

Senthil Selvi, A. and Sukumar, R. (2019), “Removal of Salt and Pepper Noise from Images Using Hybrid Filter (Hf) and Fuzzy Logic Noise Detector (FLND)”. Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience, Vol. 31, No 12, pp. 4501.

Shettar, I. M. (2016), “Quick Response (QR) Codes in Libraries: A case study on the use of QR codes in the Central Library, NITK”. In Proc. TIFR-BOSLA National Conference on Future Librarianship (pp. 129-134).

Singh, S. (2011), “An Alternate Algorithm for (3x3) Median Filtering of Digital Images”. International Journal of Computers & Technology, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 7-9.

Suomela, J. (2014), “Median filtering is equivalent to sorting”. arXiv preprint. doi: https:// doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1406.1717

Thompson, N. and Lee, K. (2013), “Information security challenge of QR codes”. Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, Vol. 8, No. 2, pp. 2.

Tsai, M. J. and Hsieh, C. Y. (2019), “The visual color QR code algorithm (DWT-QR) based on wavelet transform and human vision system”. Multimedia Tools and Applications, Vol 78, pp. 21423-21454.

Van-Gennip, Y., Athavale, P., Gilles, J. and Choksi, R. (2015), “A Regularization Approach to Blind Deblurring and Denoising of Qr Barcodes”. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, Vol 24, No. 9, pp. 2864-2873.

Wang, W., Wen, S., Wu, C. and Deng, J. (2019), “Denoising Piecewise Constant Images with Selective Averaging and Outlier Removal”. Numerical Mathematics: Theory, Methods & Applications, Vol 12, No. 2, pp. 467. doi:10.4208/nmtma.OA-2017-0130.

Wang, W., Wu, C., & Deng, J. (2019), “Piecewise Constant Signal and Image Denoising Using a Selective Averaging Method with Multiple Neighbors”. Inverse Problems and Imaging, Vol 13, No. 5, pp. 903.

Weiss, B. (2006), “Fast median and bilateral filtering”. In ACM SIGGRAPH Vol. 2006, pp. 519-526.

Zhang, Q., Xu, L. and Jia, J. (2014), “100+ times Faster Weighted Median Filter (WMF)”. In Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, pp. 2830-2837.

Zhu, Y. and Huang, C. (2012), “An Improved Median Filtering Algorithm for Image Noise Reduction”. Physics Procedia, Vol 25, pp. 609-616.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.