ISO/IEC 16480:2015

Information technology - Automatic identification and data capture techniques - Reading and display of ORM by mobile devices

ISO/IEC 16480:2015 specifies a method to assess the symbol quality rendered on electronic displays (i.e. the symbol produces its own light) when the reading device is a two-dimensional bar code imager. In addition, this international standard specifies a method to assess the quality of symbols that are intended to be read with general-purpose cameras in ambient lighting conditions. Further, this international standard describes modifications, which are to be considered in conjunction with the symbol quality methodology when applied to a particular symbology specification as defined in ISO/IEC 15415 and ISO/IEC 15416. It defines alternative illumination conditions, display pixel conditions and the reporting of the grading results. This document also describes appropriate ranges of symbol X-dimensions.

Technologies de l'information — Techniques automatiques d'identification et capture de données — Lecture et affichage de l'ORM par dispositifs mobiles

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 13-Aug-2015
• ICS: 35.040 - Information coding
• ICS: 35.040.50 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31 - Automatic identification and data capture techniques
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 31/WG 1 - Data carrier
• Current Stage: 9093 - International Standard confirmed
• Start Date: 05-Jan-2021
• Completion Date: 30-Oct-2025

Overview

ISO/IEC 16480:2015 defines methods to assess the quality of optical readable marks (ORM) as they are displayed on electronic screens or read by general‑purpose cameras on mobile devices. The standard addresses two reading environments:

• MQR - bar codes rendered on electronic displays and read by 2D imagers (display produces its own light).
• MBR - symbols intended to be read by mobile device cameras in ambient lighting.

ISO/IEC 16480:2015 complements existing print‑grade methods by specifying display‑specific conditions, alternative illumination, pixel/display requirements, X‑dimension (module) ranges, grading criteria and reporting formats for automatic identification and data capture.

Key technical topics and requirements

• Scope and environments: Distinguishes MQR (display→imager) and MBR (camera→printed/displayed symbol) test procedures.
• Display pixel conditions: Black and white modules on displays must be produced by directly controlling pixels so a black module uses the same number of pixels as an equivalent white module.
• X‑dimension / Z‑dimension: Appropriate X‑dimension on displays is 0.38 mm to 0.63 mm. Symbols are non‑conforming if measured Z‑dimension < 0.35 mm or > 0.65 mm.
• Luminescence (display brightness): Measured in cd/m². Recommended minimum for dependable scanning is > 90 cd/m², and displays < 40 cd/m² may not be readable. Grading table:
  • ≥70 cd/m² → Grade 4.0
  • 60 → 3.0
  • 50 → 2.0
  • 40 → 1.0
  • <40 → 0
• Image capture for verification: Use a verifier with no auxiliary illumination; set exposure so white areas reach 70–85% of sensor saturation.
• Relation to ISO/IEC 15415 and 15416: Uses those print‑quality methodologies with modifications - e.g., R set to 90%, Symbol Contrast not graded, synthetic aperture 0.38 mm max for reference and 0.25 mm for grading; linear barcode scan reflectance profiles may use an aperture of 80% of the X‑dimension.
• Quiet Zone Noise (QZN): QZN = Navg / Cavg, where Navg measures quiet‑zone variation and Cavg the symbol contrast. QZN thresholds define grades (≤0.25 → Grade 4.0 ... >0.40 → Grade 0).
• Reporting: Grades are reported with prefix MQR or MBR and include grade details and Z‑dimension (example: MQR/2,8/10/N (Z = 0,4 mm)).

Practical applications and users

• Who uses it: verifier manufacturers, application specification developers, symbology implementers, mobile app developers, and integrators of barcode/QR code solutions.
• Typical use cases: mobile ticketing, access control, coupon redemption, advertising and marketing (camera‑based scanning), and verification of mobile‑displayed codes for retail or transit.
• Practical value: Ensures consistent readability, interoperability between mobile displays and imagers/cameras, and standardized grading/reporting for deployments that rely on automatic identification and data capture.

Related standards

• ISO/IEC 15415 - 2D barcode print quality test specification
• ISO/IEC 15416 - Linear barcode print quality test specification
• ISO/IEC 19762 - Harmonized vocabulary for automatic identification and data capture

Keywords: ISO/IEC 16480:2015, mobile devices, MQR, MBR, 2D bar code, barcode quality, luminescence, X‑dimension, quiet zone noise, verifier, automatic identification and data capture.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 16480
First edition
2015-08-15
Information technology — Automatic
identification and data capture
techniques — Reading and display of
ORM by mobile devices
Technologies de l’information — Techniques automatiques
d’identification et capture de données — Lecture et affichage de
l’ORM par dispositifs mobiles
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2015
© ISO/IEC 2015, Published in Switzerland
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on the internet or an intranet, without prior
written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below or ISO’s member body in the country of
the requester.
ISO copyright office
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Fax [phone]
[e-mail]
www.iso.org
ii © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Symbols and abbreviated terms . 2
5 Requirements . 2
5.1 Symbol quality produced on electronic displays (MQR) . 2
5.1.1 Reading and illumination conditions . 3
5.1.2 Display pixel conditions . . 3
5.1.3 Appropriate range of symbol X-dimensions . 3
5.1.4 Capturing an image . 4
5.1.5 Grading an image . 4
5.1.6 Reporting the grading results . 6
5.2 Quality of symbols that are intended to be read with general-purpose cameras in
ambient lighting conditions (MBR) . 6
5.2.1 Reading and illumination conditions . 6
5.2.2 Appropriate ranges of symbol X-dimensions . 7
5.2.3 X-dimension recommendation (MBR2 and MBR3) . 7
5.2.4 Reading angle recommendation (MBR3) . 8
5.2.5 Verifier setup . 9
5.2.6 Symbol graphics . 9
5.2.7 Quiet zone . 9
5.2.8 Grading an image . 9
5.2.9 Reporting the grading results .10
Annex A (informative) Applications of MQR and MBR .11
Bibliography .13
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are
members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical
committees established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical
activity. ISO and IEC technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the
work. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee,
ISO/IEC JTC 1.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for
the different types of document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject
of patent rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent
rights. Details of any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the
Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT), see the following URL: Foreword — Supplementary information.
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology, Subcommittee
SC 31, Automatic identification and data capture techniques.
iv © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Introduction
This is a technical engineering document intended for verifier manufacturers and application specification
developers for two distinct scanning environments. One is when a bar code is sent to a mobile device or
other display device (MQR) for reading by a bar code scanner (generally used for personal applications
such as access control and coupons). The other is when a mobile device is used to read a bar code (MBR)
with its internal photographic camera from a printed or electronically displayed symbol (generally used
for advertising where the mobile device runs an application to access the internet).
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 16480:2015(E)
Information technology — Automatic identification and
data capture techniques — Reading and display of ORM by
mobile devices
1 Scope
This International Standard specifies a method to assess the symbol quality rendered on electronic
displays (i.e. the symbol produces its own light) when the reading device is a two-dimensional bar code
imager.
In addition, this international standard specifies a method to assess the quality of symbols that are
intended to be read with general-purpose cameras in ambient lighting conditions.
Further, this international standard describes modifications, which are to be considered in conjunction
with the symbol quality methodology when applied to a particular symbology specification as defined
in ISO/IEC 15415 and ISO/IEC 15416. It defines alternative illumination conditions, display pixel
conditions and the reporting of the grading results. This document also describes appropriate ranges of
symbol X-dimensions.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 15415, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Bar
code symbol print quality test specification — Two-dimensional symbols
ISO/IEC 15416, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques — Bar
code print quality test specification — Linear symbols
ISO/IEC 19762, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Harmonized vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/IEC 19762 and the
following apply.
3.1
MQR
application environment where a bar code symbol is rendered on an electronic display such as found on
a typical mobile device and is intended to be read by a bar code scanner
Note 1 to entry: MQR is not an acronym.
3.2
MBR
application environment where a bar code symbol is intended to be read with a general-purpose camera
such as that found on a typical mobile device in ambient lighting conditions
Note 1 to entry: MBR is not an acronym.
© ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved 1

4 Symbols and abbreviated terms
L Luminance
Navg Average noise (used to calculate QZN)
QZN Quiet Zone Noise
5 Requirements
5.1 Symbol quality produced on electronic displays (MQR)
Bar code symbols are displayed on mobile device screens, generally, with device-owner specific
information. See Figure 1.
Figure 1 — Symbol displayed on mobile devices
Figure 1 shows a bar code symbol sent to a mobile device typically via the internet containing owner-
specific information. The symbol is intended to be presented to an imager and read with the light
produced by the mobile device.
Bar code symbols produced on electronic displays, generally, are constructed with pixels that emit light
and pixels that block the light. See Figure 2.
2 © ISO/IEC 2015 – All rights reserved

Figure 2 — Magnified portion of Figure 1
NOTE Figure 2 shows a magnified portion of the bar code displayed on the screen (see Figure 1) of a mobile
device showing the individual pixels of the screen.
5.1.1 Reading and illumination conditions
Generally, mobile devices do not have a diffuse reflective surface. Therefore it is generally not successful
to attempt to read the bar code with a flying spot device (e.g. a visible laser beam).
Generally, mobile devices have a flat polished screen surface (e.g. glass) that is highly reflective.
Consequently it is not generally appropriate for a bar code scanning device to illuminate the surface.
In addition, generally, the only type of scanning devices capable of reading images produced on mobile
devices contains linear or area sensors or arrays and are sometimes called “linear imagers”, “2D
imagers” or simply “imagers”.
Generally, mobile devices produce light (i.e. backlighting) that is used directly by imagers to read
symbols on the screen. The amount of backlight produced is called Luminescence. Luminescence is
measured with an optometer (luminance-meter) set to the units candelas per metre squared (cd/m ).
The optometer shall be configured so that the only light collected is from pixels on the display at their
maximum output.
Mobile devices should produce background illumination of greater than 90 cd/m for dependable scanner
performance. Displays with illumination less than 40 cd/m may not be readable by some scanners.
5.1.2 Display pixel conditions
The pixels on a mobile device screen should be controlled directly and individually in order to produce
a readable symbol. Specifically a black module should be rendered with exactly the same number of
pixels as what would be a white module of the same size.
For instance, in Figure 2 above, the smallest black module is made up of an array of four by four pixels
that have been directly controlled to exclude the background light. Similarly, precisely the same array
of pixels is left open to produce a bright module.
5.1.3 Appropriate range of symbol X-dimensions
The X-dimension of a bar code symbol on a mobile device screen is the physical size of an individual
pixel times the number of pixels per module. An alternate way to calculate the X-dimension is
...