EP3117423B1

EP3117423B1 - Component with authenticity marker and use indicator, system or machine containing component, and method of checking a component

Info

Publication number: EP3117423B1
Application number: EP15707641.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Thomas Baque; Jochen MOESSLEIN
Original assignee: Polysecure GmbH
Current assignee: Polysecure GmbH
Priority date: 2014-03-11
Filing date: 2015-03-03
Publication date: 2018-08-29
Anticipated expiration: 2035-03-03
Also published as: EP3117423A1; DE102014003243A1; WO2015135799A1

Description

The present invention relates to a component with an authenticity marker and use indicator, a system or machine containing such a component, and a method of checking a component for authenticity and/or use.
It is known that technical and other high-value products are frequently copied illicitly. In the process, the companies concerned and also the economy as a whole suffer a great loss. Furthermore, the copied products are often of poor quality.
Especially in the case of industrial machines and systems, maintenance and the regular replacement of components, irrespective of whether they are components with or without wear, are of great financial significance.
Product pirates are increasingly attempting to counterfeit individual components in such machines and systems, especially components which have to be replaced and renewed several times over the life of the machine or system. In the meantime, however, attempts are also being made to counterfeit entire machines or systems.
It is increasingly also happening in the case of machines and systems which are broken or are no longer in use that original components are removed, partially refurbished and re-sold as high-price replacements which are supposed to be as good as new, or they are installed in existing machines and systems in the course of maintenance work.
Methods of marking new original components are known from the state of the art. DE102012003519A1 , for example, describes a workpiece which on its upper surface has an indentation with an opening width of at least 0.2 mm, in which indentation is disposed a carrier material which is joined substantially inseparably to the workpiece and which contains a marker substance characteristic of the workpiece. This prior art thus describes a practical solution for labelling components, in particular those made of metals with a marker drop, which may contain a complete material marker. Components or workpieces marked in this way can be verified as genuine before being fitted. It is also possible for the detection to be integrated into the machines and systems by means of appropriate measuring technology.
EP 0 831 379 A2 discloses the preamble of claim 1.
What is not known from the state of the art, however, is how the fitting of used genuine parts can be prevented. It is, of course, possible according to the state of the art for each component/workpiece to be numbered individually. After a component has been removed, a machine's controller waits until it receives an authentic message stating what number the new component should/must have. This kind of solution, however, requires a secure networked data base and data processing.
Use indicators are likewise known from the state of the art for products subject to wear, WO2009/058191 A1 , for example, describes a colour indicator for cleansing wipes. Here, the fibres of the cleansing wipes have a surface coating the colour of which is different from the colour of the fibres. When the cleansing wipes are used, surface coating is removed, as a result of which the colour of the fibres appears and indicates the wearing of the surface coating. In this case, the indication of use follows the actual wear of the product.
It is now an object of the present invention to provide a component which, in addition to the authentication and/or identification of the component, also enables an indication of use irrespective of any physical or chemical wear of the component. The sole criterion for an indication of use in this context should be a particular number of uses or a particular duration of use. In particular, the component ought to enable a distinction to be made between new and unused components on the one hand and used authentic parts on the other.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an appropriate method of checking a component for authenticity and/or use and a system or machine containing a corresponding component.
The first object is achieved by a component on and/or in which is disposed substantially inseparably a carrier material which contains

(i) an authenticity marker for detecting the authenticity of the component and
(ii) a use indicator for detecting the use of the component.

In the context of the present application, the term "component" is intended to mean an article that can be used alone or as part of a system or machine. Such a component does not need to have any predetermined shapes or dimensions and can be used in any field of technology. It may, for example, be an automotive spare part, a part for a complex industrial production system, a part in an electronic apparatus, etc.
An authenticity marker in the context of the present application is to be understood as a marker with which the authenticity (genuineness) of the correspondingly marked article can be checked. Corresponding authenticity markers are sufficiently well-known in the art, such as from WO2010/066237 A1 .
The use of a component in accordance with the invention is intended to be understood in the present context as the utilisation of the component. That utilisation may be a single utilisation, multiple utilisation, continuous or discontinuous. The use of the component can preferably also comprise the wear, i.e. the abrasion, of such a component.
According to the invention, a use indicator is intended to be understood as an indicator that can be used to identify the use defined above.
It is preferred in this connection that the carrier material is disposed on the surface of the component, preferably inside an indentation on the surface of the component, where the indentation advantageously has an opening width of at least 0.2 mm, preferably 1.0-5.0 mm.
The indentation preferably has a depth of at least 0.1 mm, preferably 2.0-5.0 mm.
In particular, it is preferable that the carrier material can be introduced onto the component, preferably into the indentation, in the form of a liquid or paste and then cured.
The carrier material to be used in accordance with the invention, together with the authenticity marker and use indicator, is preferably chemically inert, mechanically robust and temperature-stable.
The component can preferably be made of metal, glass, wood, plastic and/or a ceramic material.
It is also preferable that the carrier material is selected from the group consisting of glass and polymeric compounds such as epoxy, polyester, polyether, silicone and/or phenolic resin.
The carrier material which contains the authenticity marker and the use indicator may be disposed on and/or in the component. The carrier material may, for example, be disposed as a marker drop in an indentation on the surface of the component, or may be distributed homogeneously in the material of the component. In this way, it is possible to have a distribution located at specific points (such as a marker drop) and/or homogeneously.
One embodiment is characterised by the fact that the authenticity marker is selected from the group consisting of Stokes and/or anti-Stokes pigments, ceramic markers, preferably with a chemical code, or a material possessing a characteristic that can be distinguished from the carrier material and/or the component. According to the invention, the use indicator includes a measurable characteristic which changes irreversibly, continuously or discontinuously, as a result of measuring that characteristic of the use indicator and/or of the authenticity marker itself.
It is also preferably proposed that the characteristic of the use indicator is a photochemical and/or photophysical characteristic.
It is also particularly preferable that the component is covered with an optical filter in the region of the carrier material containing the authenticity marker and use indicator so that it only allows the radiation needed for reading out to pass through from the outside.
The invention in accordance with the invention also relates to a method of checking a component of the invention for authenticity and/or use, comprising the steps of:

(i) qualitatively and/or quantitatively reading out the authenticity marker and
(ii) comparing the results of the read-out obtained in step (i) with the information for the authenticity marker stored for the component,
(iii) continuously or discontinuously reading out the use indicator and
(iv) comparing the results of the read-out obtained in step (iii) with the information for the use indicator stored for the component.

Steps (i) and (ii) or (iii) and (iv) in the method of checking a component in accordance with the invention can be performed one after the other or simultaneously.
Finally, the invention also relates to a system or machine containing, in accordance with the invention, a component and also containing measurement and/or control technology for measuring the authenticity marker and/or use indicator, comparing the measuring results with stored information and controlling the system or machine on the basis of the results of the comparison.
It has surprisingly been found for the component of the invention that thanks to the presence of an authenticity marker together with a use indicator, it is possible to determine whether the genuine parts concerned have already been used or are new, so that in particular the fitting of used genuine parts can be prevented. The component of the invention does not require any individual numbering or any networked and secure data management, but provides manufacturers of original components with reliable control over the use and utilisation of the components.
One or more measurable characteristics of the authenticity marker are used to detect the authenticity of the component and constitute a security feature.
In addition to that security feature, there is a use indicator present in the carrier material in the component of the invention, which includes one or more measurable characteristics which reliably and continuously or discontinuously, but irreversibly, change/changes either as a result of the use of the component and/or as a consequence of measuring the security feature or of detecting the authenticity marker and/or of measuring that characteristic of the use indicator itself.
Furthermore, it is also possible at the same time or in addition for the use indicator to have one or more measurable characteristics which reliably and continuously or discontinuously, but irreversibly, change/changes the measurement of the security feature as a result of the use of the component and/or as a consequence of measuring the security feature itself and/or of measuring that characteristic of the use indicator. Over time, the use indicator preferably ensures that it becomes impossible to measure the security feature.
The more the component is used or measured, the more the status of the use indicator is removed from its original value and/or the fainter a measuring signal for measuring the authenticity marker becomes. The use indicator can thus reflect the use and wear of the component and also prevent the multiple utilisation of a used component.
In the process, the change in the use indicator and/or its influence on the intensity of a measuring signal can be employed flexibly for measuring the authenticity marker.
It is, for example, conceivable to set the controller of a machine containing components of this kind in such a way that even after a first use or a slight change in the use indicator, the continued utilisation of the component is stopped.
Secondly, it is likewise possible to adapt the change in the use indicator to an actual service life of the component, so that the controller of a machine or system can use the measurement of the use indicator to work out and display when it is time to replace the component.
It is particularly advantageous if, in order to operate a machine or system containing such a component, it is required that at least when the machine or system is switched on and off, though preferably at regular intervals in routine operation, both the authenticity marker and the use indicator are identified and measured.
The controller of the machine or the system registers the values measured and can refuse to restart and/or continue operation of the machine or system if the authenticity marker is not detected and/or the status of the use indicator does not match its original status or differs to a specified extent.
In addition, the controller of the machine or system can be configured such that removing or changing the component concerned is detected by the controller. Then, renewed operation can be made dependent on the used or substituted component concerned being replaced by an unused or new genuine component.
The measuring of the authenticity marker and of the use indicator can be integrated into the machine or system by means of suitable measurement and control technology.
Further features and advantages of the subject matter of the present invention will become clear from the following detailed description of worked embodiments.

1. In a carrier material containing anti-Stokes compounds, silver bromide is additionally incorporated as a use indicator and a corresponding marker system as described in DE 102012003519 is produced. The particle size of the silver bromide should be at least 200 nm, preferably 599 - 1,000 nm. Apart from silver bromide, gold bromide and other silver and gold halides can be used. An epoxy resin is used as the carrier material. The concentration of silver bromide is adjusted depending on the length of the service life of the component and is at least 10 ppm, preferably between 0.1 and 10 per cent by weight, based on the mass of the carrier material. The longer and the more frequently the authenticity marker and the use indicator are supposed to be measured, the lower the concentration of the silver bromide is set. The more powerful the laser radiation used for excitation, the lower the concentration of the silver bromide is set.
An indentation is made in a component to be marked, and the marking agent produced is introduced into the indentation, after which the carrier material can cure. When fitted, the marked component is constantly or cyclically irradiated with an IR laser, which allows the authenticity to be detected as described in DE 102012003519 A1 . In this context, the excitation of the anti-Stokes fluorescence requires a certain radiation density of the excitation radiation, which at the same time as exciting the anti-Stokes marker, also triggers the photochemical reaction which leads to clouding of the carrier material and hence to a reduction in the intensity of the anti-Stokes fluorescence. For this reason, as the number of authentications of the authenticity marker increases, the clouding of the carrier material intensifies, which thus serves as a use indicator and with which the anti-Stokes fluorescence can be measured.
2. The component of the invention can also be used in a system with a number of identical components, such as an electric escalator, large numbers of which are installed and fitted in buildings and outside facilities throughout the world. Escalators consist of steps which are joined to a circulating belt and run up and down in a repeating motion. In addition, an escalator consists of a drive and a controller. All new genuine step parts are marked in this example with a corresponding marker drop produced as described in 1. above. The marker drop is positioned on the step parts in such a way that each step with the marker drop moves past a detector in operation, which can measure both the authenticity marker and also the degree of wear of the use indicator. In the present example, for instance, the detector measures the decay constant and intensity of the fluorescence.
For the operation of an escalator of this kind, which might consist of 20 step parts for example, the following routine could be defined:
1. a) After a stoppage of the escalator, the escalator controller issues an instruction that the marker drop of every 20 step parts should be checked for its authenticity marker and the measured value or status of the use indicator.
2. b) The operation the escalator can then be made dependent on whether all the step parts possess an authenticity marker and/or whether the use indicator of each individual step part is either unused or corresponds to the utilisation status which the step part concerned had before the stoppage. Here, the controller can also keep a record of the order and position of the step parts and the status of its use indicators at all times and especially before each stoppage.
3. Again, a use indicator is integrated into a system as described in DE 102012003519 . By means of a photochemical reaction, this system can change in such a way that:
1. a) after expiry of the service life, it is no longer possible to detect the authenticity,
2. b) the detector is capable of detecting the associated expiry of the service life and issuing a corresponding warning.
3. c) a component recognised as faulty cannot be fitted again.

The photochemical reaction is triggered by radiation, preferably laser radiation, particularly preferably either UV radiation outside the range of the light reaching the Earth (UV-C) or of a wavelength that also excites the fluorescence of the authenticity marker. In accordance with the embodiment, it may be contemplated that optical filters are provided to control the intensity of the radiation strength and as protection against ambient radiation.
Here, the embodiment in accordance with the invention contemplates that a radiation-sensitive substance is integrated into a marker system as described in DE 102012003519 A1 . This can change the system in such a way that the signal of the authenticity marker is no longer detected. As of a defined attenuation of the signal, the detector can still detect the authenticity, but it issues a warning that the end of the service life is approaching. In the event of a premature failure of the part, the marker can be clouded with a powerful pulse of radiation such that the signal of the detector is no longer recognised. This rules out erroneous continued utilisation.
The features of the invention disclosed in the above description and claims could be essential to implementing the invention in its various embodiments both individually and in any combination.

Claims

A component on and/or in which is disposed substantially inseparably a carrier material which contains
(i) an authenticity marker for detecting the authenticity of the component and

(ii) a use indicator for detecting the use of the component, characterised in that the use indicator includes a measurable characteristic which changes irreversibly, continuously or discontinuously, by measuring a characteristic of the use indicator and/or the authenticity marker itself.
The component as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that the carrier material is disposed on the surface of the component, preferably inside an indentation on the surface of the component, where the indentation advantageously has an opening width of at least 0.2 mm.
The component as claimed in either of claims 1 or 2, characterised in that the carrier material is selected from the group consisting of glass and polymeric compounds such as epoxy, polyester, polyether, silicone and/or phenolic resin.
The component as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the authenticity marker is selected from the group consisting of Stokes and/or anti-Stokes pigments, ceramic markers, preferably with a chemical code, or a material possessing a characteristic that can be distinguished from the carrier material and/or the component.
The component as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that the characteristic of the use indicator is a photochemical and/or photophysical characteristic.
A method of checking a component as claimed in any of the preceding claims for authenticity and/or use, comprising the steps of:
(i) qualitatively and/or quantitatively reading out the authenticity marker and

(ii) comparing the results of the read-out obtained in step (i) with the information for the authenticity marker stored for the component,

(iii) continuously or discontinuously reading out the use indicator and

(iv) comparing the results of the read-out obtained in step (iii) with the information for the use indicator stored for the component
A system or machine containing a component as claimed in any of the preceding claims 1 to 5, and further containing measurement and/or control technology for measuring the authenticity marker and/or use indicator, comparing the measuring results with stored information and controlling the system or machine on the basis of the results of the comparison.