JP2001043418A - Code reader - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a code reader utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance phenomena and a forgery preventing code for it. SOLUTION: As for a code reader utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance phenomena and a forgery preventing code for it, the code reader for reading information on the forgery preventing code, which is given to an article and is obtained by controlling the content rate of atom having a magnetic moment to be a different value from the content rate of the atom in the constituting material of this article, by using the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomena is provided with a static magnetic field generator consisting of a permanent magnet, a cored electromagnet or an air-core electromagnet, a transmission coil for irradiating electromagnetic wave to the forgery preventing code and a receiving coil for receiving the, electromagnetic wave discharged from the forgery preventing code.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to nuclear magnetic resonance (Nu).
clear Magnetic Resonance:
The present invention relates to a new and useful code reader for reading a forgery prevention code (code) easily and with high sensitivity by utilizing the phenomenon (abbreviated as “NMR” in this specification as appropriate), and a forgery prevention code therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Systems for printing a code on the surface of an object and optically reading the code are widely used. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional optical barcode reading system as an example. As shown in FIG. 1A, the code reader is composed of a light source and an optical sensor for detecting the intensity of reflected light. Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, the code is described by a line, and the linear code is detected by a code reader. However, in such a system, forgery or alteration of a code is easy, and it is difficult to use the code for authenticity determination.

In addition, since the code is described by the line, the code cannot be provided so as to overlap the printed portion, and a large amount of information cannot be written in the same place. Furthermore, because the code is read optically,
It is not possible to print other information or attach other objects to the place where the code is provided. Therefore, one piece of information occupies a place, and the appearance of the object is also impaired. In addition, there is a drawback such that reading cannot be performed if a light-shielding substance is present on the code.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By the way, the present inventors have proposed that "a layer of a substance containing a larger amount of ¹³ C than that of a natural substance" on at least a part of sheets or cards to prevent forgery.
And a technology for detection by nuclear magnetic resonance has been invented and developed (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-114298).
However, in this technique, only a sheet or a card is targeted, and a “layer of a substance containing a larger amount of ¹³ C than a natural substance” is added thereto. As for the NMR detection means itself, an NMR apparatus conventionally used in researches on the structure of organic compounds, medicine, biology and the like, for example, an NMR apparatus as shown in FIG. 2 is used.
It was not sufficient in terms of detection sensitivity and the like.

Therefore, in the present invention, the means itself for reading the information of the code given to the article for preventing forgery by utilizing the NMR phenomenon is further pursued and studied, and a new and useful means particularly suitable for the purpose is studied. This led to the development of a simple code reader. As a premise, for an article requiring forgery prevention, the content of atoms having a magnetic moment was previously controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in the constituent material of the article requiring forgery prevention. The material is provided as a forgery prevention code.

That is, the present invention is based on the premise that an anti-counterfeiting code is preliminarily provided to an article which requires or is intended to prevent forgery, that is, an anti-counterfeiting article, and utilizes the above-described NMR phenomenon. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful code reader for reading information of a forgery prevention code easily and with high sensitivity, and a forgery prevention code therefor.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the content of atoms having a magnetic moment, which is preliminarily applied to an article, is controlled to a value different from the content of the atoms in the constituent material of the article. The information of one or more forgery prevention codes is
A code reader for reading utilizing the MR phenomenon, comprising a permanent magnet, a cored electromagnet or an air core electromagnet, a static magnetic field generator and a transmission coil for irradiating the forgery prevention code with an electromagnetic wave. A code reader using an NMR phenomenon, comprising a receiving coil for receiving an electromagnetic wave emitted from the forgery prevention code.

[0008] The present invention also provides an article,
An anti-counterfeiting code read using the NMR phenomenon, including a substance in which the content of an atom having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in a constituent material in the article, and which is read in the same environment. Having different NMR frequencies 2
Provided is an anti-counterfeiting code which is read by utilizing an NMR phenomenon characterized by containing more than one kind of substance.

[0009] The present invention also provides an article,
Containing material with a controlled content of the different values of the atoms of the content of atoms having a magnetic moment in the material in the article, a anti-counterfeiting code read by utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon, ¹³ Provided is an anti-counterfeiting code which is read using a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon characterized in that it contains any of graphite, fullerene and diamond in which the content of C is controlled to a value different from the natural isotope abundance.

[0010] The present invention also provides an article,
Containing material with a controlled content of the different values of the atoms of the content of atoms having a magnetic moment in the material in the article, a anti-counterfeiting code reading using a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon, ¹³ Provided is a forgery prevention code which is read by utilizing a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon characterized by including a synthetic resin in which the content of C is controlled to a value different from the natural isotope abundance.

Further, the present invention provides a nucleus containing a substance to be imparted to an article, wherein the content of the atom having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in the constituent material in the article. An anti-counterfeit code read by using a magnetic resonance phenomenon, comprising at least one fiber in which the content of atoms having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atoms in a constituent material in the article. A forgery prevention code which is read by utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon is provided.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The code reader according to the present invention is characterized in that the content of atoms having a magnetic moment, which is given in advance to an article, is different from the content of the atoms having the magnetic moment in the material of the article. This is a code reader for reading the information of the "counterfeit prevention code controlled to a value" by utilizing the NMR phenomenon. As a basic configuration, (1) a static magnetic field generator comprising a permanent magnet, a cored electromagnet or an air core electromagnet; ,
(2) a transmitting coil for irradiating an electromagnetic wave to a forgery prevention code previously assigned to an article intended to prevent forgery;
(3) It is provided with a receiving coil for receiving an electromagnetic wave emitted from the forgery prevention code.

The permanent magnet has a U shape or the like. A cored electromagnet is an electromagnet in which the magnetic field created by a coil is reinforced by passing it through a magnetic core made of a soft magnetic material.For soft magnetic materials, iron, iron-nickel alloy, iron-nickel-cobalt alloy,
An iron-nickel-copper alloy or the like is used. An air-core electromagnet is an electromagnet that generates a magnetic field with only a coil, and a superconducting magnet is usually configured in the form of an air-core electromagnet. These magnets are used in the static magnetic field generator in the code reader of the present invention.

In the present invention, it is premised that the content of the atom having a magnetic moment in the material of the article is determined by comparing the content of the atom having the magnetic moment with respect to the article which requires or is intended to prevent forgery. One or more forgery prevention codes controlled to a value different from the atomic content are added in advance. And, by the code reader of the present invention, if the forgery prevention code can be read correctly, it is a genuine article, or the forgery prevention code cannot be read,
Alternatively, if the read code does not match the information provided in advance, it is determined that the article is a counterfeit article. Also, the presence or absence of authenticity is determined based on the difference in the position where the forgery prevention code is applied to the article.

By utilizing the NMR phenomenon, the presence or absence of an atom having a magnetic moment, the type and density of such an atom, the electronic state of such an atom and a molecule containing the atom, the electronic state of a solid, and the magnetic state of a solid It is possible to non-destructively detect states, crystal structures of solids, movements of atoms and molecules in liquids and solids, and the like. By assigning a substance whose detectable parameter is controlled to a value different from that of the constituent material of the article to the article, a code that can be detected nondestructively using the NMR phenomenon is given to the article. can do. In the present invention, a substance in which the content of the atom having the magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in the constituent material of the article is used as the forgery prevention code. The information that can be included as the forgery prevention code includes (1) the type of atom having a magnetic moment mixed with the material constituting the forgery prevention code and the difference in the form of mixing of the atom, and (2) the article of the material or on the article. This is the application position in the inside. The difference in the mixing form refers to, for example, C, a difference between graphite, fullerene, and diamond, and the NMR frequency differs depending on the form. (1)
Is detected as a form of a frequency-intensity spectrum when an NMR signal is measured.

FIGS. 3 to 22 show various examples of the code reader of the present invention. FIGS. 3 to 5 show an embodiment of a code reader in which an N-pole and an S-pole for forming a static magnetic field in a static magnetic field generator are arranged on one side of a place where an anti-counterfeiting code is provided on an article to read the presence or absence of the anti-counterfeiting code. It is an example. In the code reader shown in FIG. 3, an electromagnetic wave is radiated for a short time by a transmission coil while a static magnetic field is applied by a permanent magnet to a place where a forgery prevention code is provided on an article. In this case, the N-pole and S-pole of the permanent magnet are arranged on one side of the forgery prevention code applying portion of the article, and a static magnetic field is applied, and the electromagnetic wave is irradiated at right angles or almost at right angles to the static magnetic field. After the transmission of the electromagnetic wave from the transmitting coil is stopped, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the article is received by the receiving coil, and the frequency-intensity spectrum of the received electromagnetic wave is frequency-intensity when a genuine forgery prevention code is provided. The presence or absence of forgery is determined by comparing the spectrum. If these spectra match, it is determined that the article has an authentic anti-counterfeiting code, and the article is determined to be authentic. on the other hand,
If the spectra do not match, it is determined to be a counterfeit article.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), a tapered pole piece is provided at the tip of the N and S poles forming the static magnetic field in the static magnetic field generator, or the N and S poles are formed. The reception sensitivity, that is, the S / N ratio can be increased by increasing the magnetic flux density near the magnetic pole by making the end portion tapered. This is the same for the embodiments described below.

In the case where the article is provided with an anti-counterfeiting code on its entire surface or on its wide surface, the code reader is moved relative to the target article, that is, the article is fixed and the code reader is attached. Move it,
By fixing the code reader and moving the article, or moving the code reader and the article together,
Inspection of the entire surface or wide surface of the article is possible. Also, this code reader is not limited to the case where the surface of the article is flat,
It is also applied to curved surfaces and the like.

In the present invention, the code reader
By performing NMR measurement in accordance with the respective resonance frequencies of a plurality of types of atoms (corresponding to codes) provided to the article, each code provided to the article can be inspected by one code reader. More specifically,
(A) An electromagnetic wave of each resonance frequency may be transmitted at an interval from one transmission coil, and (B)
The transmission may be performed from a plurality of transmission coils arranged corresponding to the respective resonance frequencies, or (C) the transmission coil may be used also as the reception coil.

Fix the magnetic flux density of the static magnetic field applied to the article
And the resonance frequency of nuclear magnetic resonance depends on the type of atom.
You. For example, a code reader has a magnetic flux density of 1.0T
When a static magnetic field is applied to an article,
The resonance frequency of the atoms in the ¹42.6 MHz for H,
¹³10.7MHz for C,³¹For P, 17.2MHz
You. Therefore, in the above mode (A), one transmission coil
The transmission frequency is shifted by 10.7 MH
Switching like z, 17.2MHz, 42.6MHz
You. Then, the corresponding NMR signals are received.
By using the anti-counterfeiting code,¹³C,³¹P,¹H to 1
It can be detected by a single NMR device.

Next, in the above mode (B), a plurality of transmitting coils are provided corresponding to the number of types of atoms contained in the forgery prevention code, and electromagnetic waves having different frequencies are transmitted from each transmitting coil. FIG. 3B shows a case where three transmitting coils are provided in this mode. In the above example, 10.7 MHz, 17.2 MHz, 4
Transmits a 2.6 MHz electromagnetic wave. Then, the information of the forgery prevention code is read based on the NMR signal received from the article by the receiving coil. In this case, a plurality of types of anti-counterfeiting codes can be detected by one code reader by decomposing the NMR signal for each frequency by Fourier transform and performing signal processing. The coil has at least two lead wires and is used in various shapes such as a solenoid type, a flat type, and a saddle type, but is shown in an oval or circular shape in the drawings.

In the mode (C), the electromagnetic waves from the atoms in the forgery prevention code provided in the article are emitted at intervals after radiating the electromagnetic waves from the transmitting coil. The coil is also used. FIG. 3 (c)
Shows this embodiment. The transmitting and receiving coil is
When there are two types of "forgery prevention codes in which the content of atoms having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of atoms having the magnetic moment in the material of the object", there are two types of forgery prevention codes. To place two,
The number can be set according to the number of atoms given as the forgery prevention code.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment using a cored electromagnet, and FIG. 5 shows an embodiment using an air-core magnet (including a superconducting magnet). FIGS. 4 and 5 show a case where the transmitting and receiving coils are arranged. Alternatively, the transmitting coil and the receiving coil may be separately arranged.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show that the N pole and the S pole forming the static magnetic field in the static magnetic field generator are arranged so as to face each other with a gap therebetween, and a place where a forgery prevention code of an article is provided in the gap. This is an example of an embodiment of a code reader configured to read information of a forgery prevention code. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a code reader applied to an article having a code-added portion at an end of a sheet-like or card-like article. In this code reader, the part where the anti-counterfeiting code of the article is supposed to be given
An electromagnetic wave is radiated for a short time by the transmitting coil while a static magnetic field is applied to the portion by the permanent magnet between the poles. The electromagnetic waves are irradiated at right angles or almost at right angles to the static magnetic field. Otherwise, the information of the forgery prevention code is read in the same manner as described above. FIG. 6B shows an example in which three transmitting coils are provided corresponding to the number of types of atoms included in the forgery prevention code.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment using a cored electromagnet, and FIG. 8 shows an embodiment using an air-core magnet (including a superconducting magnet). FIGS. 7 and 8 show a case where the transmitting and receiving coils are arranged. Alternatively, the transmitting coil and the receiving coil may be separately arranged.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, there is no limitation on the area of the article, as compared with the embodiment shown in FIGS. On the other hand, it has the advantage that it has many gaps in the magnetic path, so that it is difficult to increase the static magnetic field strength at the position where the forgery prevention code is placed. This defect can be compensated for by increasing the static magnetic field strength at the position where the forgery prevention code is placed, for example, by superposing static magnetic fields.

FIGS. 9 to 14 show examples of code readers in which a static magnetic field in a static magnetic field generator is formed by superposing magnetic fields by combining two or more magnetic circuits forming a closed magnetic circuit. 9 to 10 show examples of embodiments of a static magnetic field generation device that generates a strong magnetic field by superposing a magnetic field by combining two magnetic circuits that form a closed magnetic circuit when they exist alone. FIG. 9 shows a configuration of a probe in which U-shaped permanent magnets are arranged so that the same poles face each other. In this aspect, the magnetic flux density between the magnetic poles is superimposed to increase, the magnetic field lines are easily aligned in the direction parallel to the article, and the uniformity of the local magnetic field is improved, so that the sensitivity is improved. In addition, since the transmitting coil and the receiving coil can be arranged so that their end faces are parallel to the surface of the article, the size of the article is not limited, and the place where the forgery prevention code is applied to the article is at the end of the article. The advantage that the present invention is not limited to this is also obtained. Furthermore, the sensitivity can be improved by closely attaching the receiving coil to the forgery prevention code.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment using a cored electromagnet, and FIG. 11 shows an embodiment using an air core magnet (including a superconducting magnet). 9 to 11 show the case where the transmitting and receiving coils are arranged, but the transmitting coil and the receiving coil may be separately arranged instead.

FIG. 12 shows an example in which four magnetic circuits are combined, and FIG. 12 (b) shows a state at the time of reading a forgery prevention code. FIGS. 13 and 14 show an embodiment in which twelve magnetic circuits are combined. FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b) show the whole composed of a pair of an upper part and a lower part, and FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b) respectively show FIG.
13A shows the lower structure of the upper and lower pairs in FIG. 13B.

In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 9 to 14, it is necessary to combine many magnetic circuits to increase the superposition effect of the magnetic field. However, if the cross-sectional area of each magnetic circuit is reduced in order to combine many magnetic circuits, The magnetic resistance increases, and the magnetic flux density passing through each magnetic circuit decreases. Therefore, in order to maximize the static magnetic field strength at the position where the anti-counterfeiting code is to be placed, an optimum upper limit for the size of the anti-counterfeiting code, the thickness of the article, and the size and superposition of the static magnetic field generator is taken into account. Set the number of magnetic circuits. A static magnetic field generator using a permanent magnet whose magnetization direction is controlled so that the number of magnetic circuits is infinitely large and the two sets of permanent magnets in FIG. 14A become one permanent magnet each. May be used.

FIGS. 15 to 17 show that the N and S poles forming the static magnetic field in the static magnetic field generator have two pairs of N and S poles, and each pair of the N and S poles is spaced apart from each other. This is an example of an embodiment of a code reader which is arranged so as to face each other, and reads information on a forgery prevention code by arranging a forgery prevention code application portion of an article in each gap between an N pole and an S pole.

FIG. 15 shows the configuration of a probe in which U-shaped permanent magnets are arranged so that the N and S poles, that is, different poles face each other. In this aspect, the articles can be inserted between the two pairs of magnetic poles, respectively, and the two articles can be inspected at the same time, and the inspection time can be reduced. The transmitting coil and the receiving coil are arranged such that their end faces are perpendicular to the surface of the article. FIG. 16 shows an embodiment using a cored electromagnet, and FIG. 17 shows an embodiment using an air-core electromagnet (including a superconducting magnet). FIGS. 16 and 17 show a case where the transmitting and receiving coils are arranged, but the transmitting coil and the receiving coil may be separately arranged instead.

FIG. 18 shows an embodiment of a code reader in which a static magnetic field generated by a static magnetic field generator is applied in a direction non-parallel to the surface of an article. The present embodiment is similar to the above embodiment in that the article is sandwiched between the N pole and the S pole of the permanent magnet, but is suitably applied to an article having a forgery prevention code-assigned portion at the center of the sheet-like article. It is configured to apply a static magnetic field in a direction inclined with respect to the article surface, that is, in a non-parallel direction, and the electromagnetic wave is irradiated at a right angle or almost a right angle to the static magnetic field. In this embodiment, a slider for sliding and holding the article is provided. The article is inserted into the slider, the place where the forgery prevention code is applied is located between the N-pole and the S-pole, and the transmission coil is irradiated with electromagnetic waves for a short time. Otherwise, the information of the forgery prevention code is read in the same manner as described above. The same applies to the point that a plurality of transmitting coils can be provided corresponding to the number of types of atoms included in the forgery prevention code.

FIG. 19 shows an embodiment of a code reader in which a constant temperature device is added to a static magnetic field generator. In the static magnetic field generator, the materials that make up the permanent magnet, pole piece, yoke, coil of the electromagnet, magnetic core, transmission coil, reception coil, etc., change their magnetic susceptibility and electrical conductivity depending on the temperature, and change the resonance frequency. Also affect. For this reason, the change in the ambient temperature at the place where the code reader is arranged is NM
This may cause an error in detecting the R signal. In this embodiment, by attaching a constant temperature device to the static magnetic field generator, it is possible to eliminate an error of the NMR signal due to a temperature change and to keep the detection accuracy constant.

FIG. 19 shows a case where a constant temperature device is applied to the static magnetic field generator as shown in FIG.
It can be applied to any of the embodiments described above. The configuration of the thermostat is not particularly limited, and can be performed in a conventional manner. At this time, for example, a commercially available temperature controller using an electric heater and performing feedback control of the heater using a temperature sensor may be used.

FIG. 20 shows an embodiment in which a constant temperature device is applied to the static magnetic field generator as shown in FIG. 15, and also corresponds to a modification of FIG. Provide a shield in the center,
The inspection time can be shortened by inserting the articles between the two pairs of magnetic poles and simultaneously inspecting the two articles. The transmitting coil and the receiving coil are arranged such that their end faces are perpendicular to the surface of the article. Cored electromagnets or air-core magnets (including superconducting magnets) may be used instead of the permanent magnets. Instead of separately arranging the transmitting coil and the receiving coil, the transmitting and receiving coils are It may be arranged.

According to the present invention, the static magnetic field generator is provided with a forgery prevention code for reference, and the discrimination is made by comparing the detection signal with the forgery prevention code. Can be eliminated. As an example, in the embodiment of FIG. 20, a standard forgery prevention code is disposed as a reference forgery prevention code between one set of pole pieces, and the forgery prevention code of the inspection article is provided between the other one set of pole pieces. Place the place,
The information of the forgery prevention code is read by comparing the two NMR signals. By using a forgery prevention code for reference under the same environment, a reading error can be eliminated.

The transmitting coil and the receiving coil in the present invention can be formed in any suitable shape such as an annular shape, a spiral shape, a rectangular shape, a rectangular shape, a solenoid type, a plane type, a saddle type, and the like. FIG. 21 is an example of a rectangular shape or a rectangular shape. Further, in the present invention, a plurality of receiving coils can be arranged. In this case, a plurality of receiving coils are arranged in a plane parallel to the article surface. FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a mode in which a plurality of receiving coils are arranged. This enables high-resolution inspection by detecting signals in the receiving area of each receiving coil with high accuracy and displaying the detection results two-dimensionally based on the signals obtained by each receiving coil. Can be. In FIG. 22, each cell indicates each receiving coil, and an arrow (↓) indicates a positional correspondence with respect to the surface of the article to be inspected. FIG. 22 shows a case of a rectangular shape or a rectangular shape, but the same applies to a solenoid type, a flat type, a saddle type, and the like.

In the inspection operation of the article by the code reader of the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 23, the electromagnetic wave from the high frequency pulse generator is irradiated on the inspection article, and then the received electromagnetic wave is detected by the detector / amplifier. , Amplify, and calculate and process in a calculation / processing unit. The obtained result is displayed on the display / recording unit, and necessary data is recorded. When the forgery prevention code is provided at a plurality of locations and a part of the information is expressed by the relative relationship between the positions where the forgery prevention codes are provided, the detection result is a CT image (Computed Tomogram).
(Hy Image). C
The T image can be obtained by a conventionally known operation.

In the present invention, the probe including the static magnetic field generator, the transmitting coil and the receiving coil in the code reader is made independent of the other parts, so that a small, lightweight and portable probe can be used. It is possible to increase the efficiency of the reading operation and to enhance the sensitivity of the reading by facilitating the adhesion to the forgery prevention code given to the article. FIG. 24 is an example showing an embodiment in which an article on which a plurality of forgery prevention codes are arranged is inspected using a code reader having a plurality of probes. FIG. 24 shows, in addition to the probe, an attached device (including an amplifier, an A / D converter, an arithmetic / processor) and a display / recording unit. A plurality of probes are applied to the article and each probe is individually tested. As a result, a large number of inspections can be performed by one inspection, so that the inspection time can be reduced. In this embodiment, a plurality of probes can be collectively configured as an integrated probe, and each probe can be configured as a product 1 and a product 2 with respect to a plurality of products in which forgery prevention codes are arranged as shown in FIG. Applicable.

According to the present invention, the NM is provided by the code reader.
By detecting the NMR image based on the R signal, the information of the forgery prevention code can be read with high accuracy and speed. As an example, when the present invention is used for inspection of a forgery-preventive article, if an NMR image corresponding to the form of a forgery-prevention code given in advance is obtained, it is determined that the article is a genuine article,
If such an NMR image is not obtained, it is determined to be a counterfeit product. FIG. 25 is an example of the shape of some anti-counterfeiting codes provided in advance to an article intended to prevent forgery. For example, a plurality of anti-counterfeiting codes having such a shape are laminated on the same part of the article. Can be granted. NMR images corresponding to these are obtained by the code reader of the present invention.

The anti-counterfeiting code of the present invention is not limited to the purpose of anti-counterfeiting itself, but is provided for the purpose of identification, quality proof, copyright protection, stolen product identification, physical distribution management, inventory management and the like. In the present specification, the forgery prevention code means a code given for the above-mentioned purposes and similar purposes. That is, in this specification, forgery prevention means including the above-mentioned and similar purposes, and the code reader and forgery prevention code of the present invention provide information to an article like a barcode reader and a barcode. In addition, it can be widely used for reading. Therefore, the article to which the anti-counterfeiting code is provided in the present invention is not limited as long as it is an article which needs to be provided with the anti-counterfeiting code for these purposes. Although there are some examples, the following examples (1) to (6) can be given.

(1) Banknotes, stamps, stamps, gift certificates, bonds, stock certificates, bills, checks, securities, book certificates, etc. as gold notes.
(2) Bags, decorations, clothing, watches, rings, necklaces, cars, etc. as brand goods. (3) CDs, optical discs, computer software, etc. as the subject of copyright protection. (4)
Jewelry, precious metals, such as coins, precious metal blocks, employee badges, tags, paintings, artworks, celebrity goods, pharmaceuticals, etc.
(5) Passports, seats, licenses, identification cards, business cards, sports tickets, etc.
Theater tickets, prescriptions, medical certificates, inspection slips, official documents, etc. (6) Cards such as credit cards, telephone cards, and tickets used in transportation such as railways and buses, cards incorporating highway cards, pachinko cards, and other various functions and mechanisms.

The materials of the sheets are not limited.
Usually, hard paper and other various papers are used, and plastic is also used. There are no restrictions on the materials of the cards themselves,
Uses acrylic resin, polyester resin, polyolefin (including polyvinyl chloride) resin, polyamide resin, polyurethane resin, polycarbonate resin, and other synthetic resins, as well as various materials such as aluminum (including alloys) and other metals and paper. Is done.

Nuclear nuclei having both even numbers of protons and neutrons have no magnetic moment, and all other nuclei have a magnetic moment. The nucleus having the magnetic moment causes an NMR phenomenon and can be a component of the forgery prevention code. For example, carbon in natural carbon and carbon compounds includes ¹² C and ¹³ C. Normally, the natural isotopic abundance of ¹³ C is about 1.1%. Of these, the nucleus of ¹² C is an even-even nucleus and has no magnetic moment, whereas the ¹³ C that is an even-odd nucleus has a magnetic moment. That is,
Of these, only ¹³ C causes the NMR phenomenon.

As described above, the present inventors have established a "layer of a substance containing a larger amount of ¹³ C than the natural isotope abundance" for sheets or cards containing ¹³ C at a natural isotope abundance. In addition, the technique for detecting by the nuclear magnetic resonance method has been previously proposed (Japanese Patent Application No. 9-114298).
¹³ not necessarily detection layer "of a material containing C, not only can be applied to the detection of the presence or absence of the" layer of material containing a small amount of ¹³ C than natural isotopic abundance of "magnetic moment other than ¹³ C It can also be applied to atoms having the same.

The atoms having the above magnetic moment include:
¹³ In addition to ^{C, 1 H, 2 H,} 3 He, 7 Li, 10 B, 11 B, 14
N, ¹⁵ N, ¹⁷ O, ¹⁹ F, ²⁷ Al, ²⁹ Si, ³¹ P, ³³ S,
⁴³ Ca, ⁴⁵ Sc, ⁴⁷ Ti, ⁴⁹ Ti, ⁵¹ V, ⁵⁵ Mn, ⁵⁷ F
e, ⁵⁹ Co, ⁶⁵ Cu, ⁷¹ Ga, ⁸⁷ Rb, ⁹³ Nb, ⁹⁵ M
o, ⁹⁷ Mo, ¹¹³ In, ¹¹⁵ In, ¹²¹ Sb, ¹³⁵ Ba, ¹³⁷
Ba, ¹⁴¹ Pr, ¹⁵¹ Eu, ¹⁶⁵ Ho, ¹⁷⁶ Lu, ¹⁸⁵ R
e, ¹⁸⁷ Re, ²⁰³ Tl, ²⁰⁵ Tl, and ²⁰⁹ Bi. In the present invention, a material in which the content of these atoms is different from the natural abundance is used as a cord.

In the present invention, a forgery prevention code is formed by using a material in which the content of these atoms is different from the content of the atom in the constituent material of the article to which the forgery prevention code is provided. By using two or more kinds, the information amount of the forgery prevention code can be increased exponentially, and the forgery prevention, that is, the above-mentioned object and the objects similar to these can be more reliably achieved.

Examples of cord materials include LiF, LiC
O_Three, LiOH, B, BN, C, SiO_Two, Al_TwoO_Three, S
c_TwoO_Three, VS, V_TwoO_Three, MnP, Mn_ThreeO_Four, MnC
O_Three, MnS, Fe_TwoO_Three, CoO, CoCO_Three, Co
_ThreeS_Four, CuO, Cu_TwoO, Cu_TwoS, CuBr, GaP,
GaAs, Ga_TwoO_Three, RbCIO_Four, NbO_Two, MoCl
_Two, MoCl_Three, In_TwoO_Three, InP, InSb, InA
s, Sb, Sb_TwoO_Three, InSb, Sb _TwoS_Three, EuSO_Four,
ReO_Two, Tl_TwoO_Three, TlI, Bi_TwoO_Three, Bi_TwoS_Three, D
Poxy resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, alk
Resin, phenol resin, urea resin, polyethylene,
Resins such as nitrocellulose are exemplified.

By using any one of graphite, fullerene and diamond in which ¹³ C is controlled to a value different from the natural isotope abundance, the security level and detection sensitivity can be increased. Similarly, C is a synthetic resin in which ¹³ C is controlled to a value different from the natural isotope abundance, in particular, thermosetting resins such as epoxy resin, alkyd resin, phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin, urethane resin, polyethylene, and polychlorinated resin. Thermoplastic resins such as vinyl, polyamide, and polystyrene can be used. These resins have excellent advantages such as being easy to apply and fix to an article, and being transparent so as not to impair the appearance of the article and to be provided as a hidden (not visually recognizable) forgery prevention code.

The forgery prevention code is formed by using a material in which the content of atoms having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from that of the constituent materials of various articles. The anti-counterfeit code can be applied to the surface, inside, or both, of the anti-counterfeit article. The form of the forgery prevention code is not limited as long as it can be detected by a code reader. The forgery prevention code is provided in the form of powder, whisker, layer, line, or any other appropriate shape. In the case of a powder or a whisker, for example, it is applied by dispersing it uniformly or partially or entirely on the surface of the article. In the case of a layered structure, for example, a uniform layer thickness is applied to a part or the whole of the inside or surface of the article. In the case of a linear shape, for example, it is applied to the surface of an article,
Granted by embedding inside.

As the linear forgery prevention cord, any of organic fibers and inorganic fibers can be used. As the organic fibers, for example, fibers such as polyamide fibers (including aramid fibers), polyester fibers, and epoxy resin fibers are used. As inorganic fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers, boron fibers, silicon carbide fibers, alumina fibers,
Fibers such as steel fibers are used. Consisting of these fibers,
A forgery prevention code in which the content of atoms having a magnetic moment constituting a fiber is controlled to a value different from that in a general material of the article (preferably a value different from the natural abundance) is applied to the article in advance. . Specifically, for example, the following (1) to
The fiber configured as in (14) can be used as a forgery prevention code.

(1)¹³C from natural isotope abundance 1.1%
Highly contained carbon fiber. (2) ²⁹Si is a natural isotope
Glass fiber contained at a higher concentration than 4.67%.
(3) ¹⁷O concentration higher than natural isotope abundance 0.038%
Glass fiber contained in. (4) ^TenB is natural isotope abundance 1
Boron fiber contained at a concentration higher than 9.9%. (5)¹¹B
Was contained in a concentration higher than the natural isotope abundance 80.1%.
Boron fiber. (6)¹³C from natural isotope abundance 1.1%
Also contains silicon carbide at a high concentration. (7)²⁹Si
Carbide contained at a higher concentration than isotope abundance ratio 4.67%
fiber. (8)¹⁷O is more than natural isotope abundance 0.038%
Alumina fiber contained in high concentration. (9)¹³C is a natural isotope
Aramid fibers contained at a concentration higher than 1.1%.
(Ten)¹⁷O concentration higher than natural isotope abundance 0.038%
Aramid fiber contained in. (11)^FifteenN is the natural isotope abundance
Aramid fiber containing higher than 0.366%
The word¹⁴N is lower than 99.634% of natural isotope abundance
Aramid fiber contained in the concentration. (12)^TwoH is a natural isotope
Aramid fiber with a higher concentration than 0.015%
Wei. (13)¹³Higher concentration of C than natural isotope abundance 1.1%
Steel fiber contained in. (14)⁵⁷Fe is a natural isotope abundance 2.
Steel fiber contained at a concentration higher than 2%.

By providing a fibrous forgery prevention code to an article, it is possible to form the forgery prevention code while also reinforcing the article. For example, by providing a carbon fiber containing (1) ¹³ C at a higher concentration than the natural isotope abundance of 1.1% as an anti-counterfeit code in an article made of plastic or the like, improvement in the strength of the article can be achieved. In addition, by weaving high polymer fibers with higher ¹³ C content than natural isotope abundance in bills, etc., the strength of bills etc. is improved,
The service life can be extended.

Further, the forgery prevention code can be printed and provided as ink. The components of the ink are titanium oxide, barium sulfate, calcium carbide, carbon, nitrified cotton,
It contains alkyd resins, phenol resins, urea resins, various organic pigments, etc., and one or more of the elements constituting these substances are represented by ² H, ¹³ C, ¹⁴ N, ¹⁵ N, ¹⁷ O, ^{2 9
Si, 33 S, 43 Ca,} 47 Ti, 49 Ti, 57 Fe, 135 B
a, An ink containing a substance substituted by ¹³⁷ Ba as an ink component can be printed to provide a forgery prevention code. Further, a forgery prevention code material other than the components of the ink may be separately added to the ink.

26 to 28 show examples of shapes and arrangements of the forgery prevention code in addition to FIG. 25 described above. Figure 2 of these
Reference numeral 8 is an example of a mode in which two types of codes having a T-shape and an L-shape are provided in a two-dimensionally superimposed manner. The T-shaped anti-counterfeiting code composed of a transparent material including, for example, ¹³ C, by varying such that constitute the L-shaped anti-counterfeiting code of a transparent material including, for example, ⁵⁷ Fe, different frequencies over the receiver coil An NMR signal having an intensity spectrum is detected. As described above, according to the present invention, forgery identification, distribution management, and the like can be easily and accurately performed for various articles, based on the NMR signal of the forgery prevention code portion that cannot be distinguished by appearance or visible light.

[0057]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples, but it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the examples.

[0058] As the ink, were prepared three kinds of inks C ink B, ¹³ do not contain even ¹⁹ F not contain C containing ¹⁹ F free of ink A, ¹³ C containing no but ¹⁹ F containing ¹³ C. ^13
13 C graphite powder to the ink A commercial black ink containing C ⁽¹³ C: ¹² C ratio = 1: 99) was used after mixed 50% by weight, likewise commercially available ink B comprising ¹⁹ F CaF ₂ (transparent crystal, ¹⁹ F amount = 1) for black ink
(00%) powder was used, and a commercially available black ink was used as the ink C. As samples, (1) a sample coated with ink C after coating ink A, (2) a sample coated with ink C after coating ink B, and (3) a sample coated with ink A on plain paper, respectively. Ink B
, Followed by coating with ink C, and (4) coating with ink C. Black ink C on all samples
Are painted, all are black and cannot be distinguished by measurement of visible light.

An experiment was conducted to measure the NMR signals of these samples. A code reader equipped with a probe of the type shown in FIG. 6 was used as the NMR apparatus. The static magnetic field generator is composed of permanent magnets, and has two cylindrical NdFeB permanent magnets having a diameter of 30 mm and a height of 15 mm. In order to increase the magnetic flux density, the tip diameter is 10 mm and the bottom diameter is 30 m
It has two frustum-cone pole pieces made of Fe-Co alloy having a height of 11 mm and a height of 11 mm. The magnetic flux density between the pole pieces is about 2T. The coil is used for both transmission and reception. The transmission frequency is 21 MHz in accordance with the tuning frequency of ¹³ C and ¹⁹ F.
Switching was performed at 80 MHz.

The pulse sequence used was a single pulse type as shown in FIG. First, a pulse sequence for ¹³ C was executed. t1a is the excitation pulse transmission time for ¹³ C, which was set to 7 μs in this test to apply a 90 ° pulse. t2a is the transmission-reception switching and transmission pulse attenuation wait time, which was set to 7 μs in this test. t3a is the reception time of the NMR signal from ¹³ C, which was set to 100 ms in this test. t4a is a time for waiting for switching between transmission and reception, and was set to 10 μs in this test.

Next, a pulse sequence for ¹⁹ F was executed. t1b is the transmission time of the excitation pulse for ¹⁹ F. In this test, 1.9 μs was required to apply a 90 ° pulse.
Set to. t2b is a waiting time for switching between transmission and reception and waiting for transmission pulse attenuation, and is 5 μm in this test.
s. t3b is the NMR signal reception time from ¹⁹ F, which was set to 100 ms in this test. t4b is a transmission-reception switching waiting time, which is 10 μs in this test.
Set to. In this test, the integration was not performed.
Can be integrated to improve the / N ratio. In the case of integration, the pulse sequence of FIG. 29 is repeated to integrate the received signals. In that case, it is necessary to allow sufficient time between the execution of the first pulse sequence and the execution of the next pulse sequence, in consideration of the relaxation time.

FIG. 30 shows an outline of the obtained NMR signal. As shown in the figure, a signal peak of about 500 ppm width around 21 MHz caused by ¹³ C was observed for Samples 1 and 3, and a 200 ppm width around 80 MHz caused by ¹⁹ F was observed for Samples 2 and 3. Some signal peaks were observed. For sample 4, no signal peak was observed. ^The wide width of the ¹³ C signal peak is
In the case of the NMR signal of graphite, it is understood that there was a frequency shift due to crystal anisotropy.

According to the present invention, for example, the information of the forgery prevention code is read by observing the frequency-intensity spectrum of the NMR signal at the portion where the code is not applicable to the appearance or visible light as described above. It can be used to judge the authenticity of goods and for logistics management.

[0064]

According to the present invention, the following advantages (1) to (3) can be obtained in addition to the advantages described above. (1) By using two or more kinds of materials in which the content of atoms is different from the content in the material constituting the article, the information amount of the forgery prevention code can be increased exponentially, The objectives such as prevention can be more reliably and accurately achieved. (2) Forgery prevention code portions can be determined as forgery prevention code images by NMR imaging. (3) Information can be read in a completely non-destructive state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional optical barcode reading system.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conventional NMR apparatus used in research on the structure of organic compounds, medicine, biology, and the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a code reader according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a code reader according to the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of a code reader according to the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of an embodiment of the code reader of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing examples of shapes of a transmitting coil and a receiving coil.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a mode in which a plurality of receiving coils are arranged.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of a mode of obtaining a CT image by inspecting with a code reader.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing an example of an inspection mode using a code reader provided with a plurality of probes.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of the shape of a forgery prevention code.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of the shape and arrangement of a forgery prevention code.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the shape and arrangement of a forgery prevention code.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of the shape and arrangement of a forgery prevention code.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a pulse sequence in the embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an outline of an NMR signal obtained in an example.

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Claims (18)

[Claims] An anti-counterfeiting code, wherein the content of an atom having a magnetic moment applied to an article is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in the constituent material of the article, a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon. A static magnetic field generator comprising a permanent magnet, a cored electromagnet or an air-core electromagnet, a transmitting coil for irradiating the forgery prevention code with an electromagnetic wave, and the forgery. A code reader using a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon, comprising a receiving coil for receiving an electromagnetic wave emitted from a prevention code. 2. An N-pole and an S-pole for forming a static magnetic field in the static magnetic field generating device are arranged on one side of a place where an anti-counterfeiting code is provided on an article to read information on the anti-counterfeiting code. A code reader utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon according to claim 1. 3. An N pole and an S pole forming a static magnetic field in the static magnetic field generating device are arranged so as to face each other with a gap therebetween, and a forgery prevention code applying portion of an article is arranged in the gap. 2. The code reader according to claim 1, wherein information of the prevention code is read. 4. The static magnetic field in the static magnetic field generator according to claim 1, wherein the static magnetic field is formed by superposing magnetic fields by combining two or more magnetic circuits forming a closed magnetic circuit. Code reader that uses nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon. 5. An N-pole and an S-pole for forming a static magnetic field in the above-mentioned static magnetic field generating device have two pairs of an N-pole and an S-pole.
Each pair of poles is arranged so as to face each other with a gap therebetween, and the information of the anti-counterfeiting code is read by arranging the code applying portion of the article in each gap between the north pole and the south pole. A code reader utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon according to claim 1. 6. A static magnetic field generator according to claim 1, wherein the static magnetic field generated by said static magnetic field generator is applied in a direction non-parallel to an article surface. A code reader that uses the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon. 7. The static magnetic field generator according to claim 1, further comprising a thermostat.
A code reader utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon described in the paragraph. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said static magnetic field generating device is provided with a reference code, and the discrimination is performed by comparing with a detection signal.
A code reader utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon described in the paragraph. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the static magnetic field generator comprises a tapered pole piece at the tip of the north pole and south pole for forming a static magnetic field, or the end of the north pole and south pole is tapered to form a magnetic pole near the magnetic pole. The magnetic flux density is increased, wherein the magnetic flux density is increased.
A code reader utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon according to any one of claims 8 to 13. 10. A transmission coil for irradiating an electromagnetic wave, comprising a transmission coil for transmitting electromagnetic waves of a plurality of kinds of frequencies by switching a transmission frequency. A code reader utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon according to claim 1. 11. The transmission coil according to claim 1, wherein said transmission coil for irradiating said electromagnetic wave is a plurality of transmission coils for transmitting electromagnetic waves of plural kinds of frequencies. A code reader that uses the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon. 12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the transmitting coils for irradiating the forgery prevention code with an electromagnetic wave is also used as a receiving coil for receiving the electromagnetic wave emitted from the forgery prevention code. A code reader using the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon according to claim 1. 13. A reception coil for receiving an electromagnetic wave emitted from the forgery prevention code is a plurality of reception coils arranged corresponding to a plurality of forgery prevention code application positions. Item 13. A code reader utilizing the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon according to any one of Items 1 to 12. 14. The code reader utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance according to claim 1, further comprising at least one probe. 15. A nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon which is applied to an article and includes a substance in which the content of an atom having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in a constituent material in the article. A forgery prevention code to be read using
An anti-counterfeiting code which is read using a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon, wherein the anti-counterfeiting code includes two or more kinds of substances having different nuclear magnetic resonance frequencies in the same environment. 16. A nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon, which includes a substance to be imparted to an article, wherein the content of atoms having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in a constituent material in the article. A forgery prevention code to be read using
^An anti-counterfeit code read by utilizing a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon characterized in that the content of ¹³ C is controlled to a value different from the natural isotope abundance, and which contains any of graphite, fullerene and diamond. 17. A nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon which is applied to an article and includes a substance in which the content of an atom having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in a constituent material in the article. A forgery prevention code to be read using
^An anti-counterfeit code read by utilizing a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon, characterized by including a synthetic resin whose content of ¹³ C is controlled to a value different from the natural isotope abundance. To 18. A nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon, which includes a substance to be imparted to an article, wherein the content of atoms having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atom in a constituent material in the article. A forgery prevention code to be read using
Forgery reading using a nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon characterized by including at least one fiber in which the content of atoms having a magnetic moment is controlled to a value different from the content of the atoms in the constituent material in the article. Prevention code.