JP2009129424A - Article management method and article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To manage an article which is difficult to be managed by an IC tag or cannot be managed by the IC tag. <P>SOLUTION: An article management method for managing a bolt 10 (article) is provided, wherein a digital watermark pattern 12 is directly drawn to the bolt 10 like a pattern in a visible form, and the article is managed using information embedded in the digital water mark pattern 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an article management method and an article.

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a technique related to inventory management using a non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) tag. This technique is a management method in which an IC tag is prevented from being damaged or reused by attaching the IC tag to a package that packs articles to be managed.

  The technique disclosed in Patent Document 2 is a technique for performing article management by fixing an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag in which a metal plate is provided on a nameplate attached to an article to the article. This technique solves the problem that eddy currents generated in a metal material cause a communication failure with a reader, and is a management method that enables reliable and easy article management.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-041485 (see FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2007-199867 (see paragraph [0018])

  As described above, an article management method using a non-contact type IC tag or RFID tag has been conventionally proposed. However, the non-contact type IC tag used in the above-described conventional article management method (including an RFID tag, but hereinafter unified as “IC tag” for convenience) has the following three problems.

  First, when a non-contact type IC tag cannot be directly attached to an article (for example, when the target article is small and it is difficult to attach the IC tag), the article is packed as disclosed in Patent Document 1 It will be attached to the box to be stored and the container to be stored. In such a method, it takes time and effort to manage the article, and the article and the non-contact type IC tag must always be integrated, and flexibility is lost. In addition, for example, when a medical instrument is rented or leased, the medical instrument is taken out from the package and used, so that the conventional article management method disclosed in Patent Document 1 can be adopted as it is. Can not.

  Secondly, when the target article is made of a metal material, it must be mounted on the target article with a non-contact type IC tag sandwiched between metal plates as disclosed in Patent Document 2. The target article cannot be easily managed. Further, an IC tag provided with such a metal plate is not flexible, and connects, for example, a metal round bar, a building, a roller coaster, etc. for manufacturing a constant velocity joint used for a drive shaft of an automobile. It is difficult to directly attach the IC tag to the bolt for this purpose. Furthermore, if such a special IC tag is manufactured and tried to cope with it, the manufacturing cost is excessive, and the conventional article disclosed in Patent Document 2 is used for a part using a metal material with a low unit price. Management methods cannot be easily adopted.

  Third, when producing and processing a plurality of component parts (hereinafter referred to as individual items) for constituting a single component, managing each of the components and individual items using the IC tag described above is possible. It is complicated. In addition, when an IC tag is attached to an individual product, the IC tag itself attached to the individual product may affect the work efficiency when the individual product is processed. For example, when producing and processing a metal round bar that is a raw material of a constant velocity joint used as a drive shaft of a car, the production and processing process of the individual product is managed by an IC tag separately from the car manufacturing process. That is very complicated. Also, if an IC tag is attached to a metal round bar, the conventional IC tag management method cannot be adopted because the IC tag itself interferes with processing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to enable management of articles that are difficult to manage with an IC tag or cannot be managed with an IC tag.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention is configured as follows.

  That is, the present invention is an article management method for managing an article, wherein a digital watermark pattern is visually and directly drawn on an article, and information embedded in the digital watermark pattern is used. It is characterized by managing articles.

  By adopting such an article management method, it is possible to easily manage an article even if the article is difficult to manage with an IC tag or cannot be managed with an IC tag.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the same information is repeatedly recorded in the digital watermark pattern, and is drawn on one or more of the uneven surface, curved surface, and glossy surface of the article. It is characterized by being.

  By adopting such an article management method, there is almost no dependence on the shape of the target article to be managed. Moreover, since the management information is not considered to be attached to such a place, the safety of the information is increased.

  Also, since the same information is repeatedly embedded in the digital watermark pattern, information can be acquired if a part of the digital watermark pattern recorded on the uneven surface, curved surface, and glossy surface of the article can be read. it can. Therefore, it is not necessary to be able to read the entire surface on which the digital watermark pattern is drawn.

  In another invention, in addition to the above-described invention, the article is an article configured by any one of a resin material, a metal material, a ceramic material, wood, paper, glass material, rubber material, or a combination thereof. It is characterized by that.

  By adopting such an article management method, there is almost no dependence on the material of the article to be managed. In addition, even if the article to be managed is an article composed of any one of resin material, metal material, ceramic material, wood, paper, glass material, rubber material or a combination of these, a digital watermark pattern is used. Since drawing is possible, it is possible to manage articles that are difficult to manage with IC tags or that cannot be managed with IC tags.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above-described invention, the information drawn as the electronic watermark pattern includes the serial number, the manufacturing lot number, the manufacturing date, the manufacturing location, the manufacturing equipment, the manufacturing person in charge, the authenticity determination It is characterized by being at least one of information or identification information associated with these.

  By adopting such an article management method, according to the management purpose desired by the article manager, the serial number, production lot number, production date, production location, production equipment, production person in charge, authenticity determination The article can be easily managed by embedding at least one of the information or identification information associated with the information as a digital watermark pattern.

  Yet another invention is characterized in that it is an article in which a digital watermark pattern is drawn on the surface in a visible pattern.

  By directly drawing the digital watermark pattern in this way, the digital watermark pattern is semi-permanently attached to the article. Therefore, since it is not a precision device such as an IC tag attached to a conventional article, the article can be easily managed without worrying that the IC tag is damaged due to the influence of the external environment in which the article is managed. be able to.

  Still another invention is characterized in that, in addition to the above-described invention, the digital watermark pattern is an article in which the same information is repeatedly recorded and marked in such a way that the surface is uneven.

  By marking the watermark pattern in this way, even if part of the watermark pattern becomes rusted and scratched over the years, and it gets dirty so that it can not be read, it was embedded from the watermark pattern of other parts Information can be read.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to manage an article that is difficult to manage with an IC tag or cannot be managed with an IC tag.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows an article according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram in which a digital watermark pattern 12 is drawn on substantially the entire upper surface (lower side in FIG. 1) of a head 11 of a bolt 10 that is an article. is there. The electronic watermark pattern 12 is directly drawn on the upper surface of the head 11 in a slightly visible form and in a pattern. Dozens of the same information is repeatedly arranged in the digital watermark pattern 12. Each of dozens of the same information is embedded in a very small area.

  In this way, the digital watermark pattern 12 is drawn on substantially the entire surface of the head 11, and the information of the digital watermark pattern 12 is used as production management information, so that it can be managed by a conventional IC tag or QR code (registered trademark). Inventory management of the bolt 10 which was difficult can be performed. In addition, when the information of the digital watermark pattern 12 is information indicating durability such as the date of manufacture or the limit date of use, it is possible to perform safety quality management of the building or the device itself in which the bolt 10 is used.

  Also, a method for generating irregularities on the digital watermark pattern 12 on the head 11 of the bolt 10 using a laser marker having a laser oscillator that oscillates a YAG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser or a CO2 laser. It is drawn with. For this reason, the digital watermark pattern 12 is semi-permanently attached to the bolt 10. Therefore, even if some scratches, dirt, and rust occur on the bolt 10 over time, the remaining part can maintain the initial state, and the part has a dedicated CCD (Charge Coupled Device). It can be read by a reader.

  Further, as described above, the digital watermark pattern 12 is engraved so that the laser marker is uneven. For this reason, in order to duplicate the bolt 10 or falsify the digital watermark pattern 12, it is required to create and duplicate the same mold engraved with the digital watermark pattern 12. It is almost impossible to duplicate or falsify information recorded in the digital watermark pattern 12. A method for marking the digital watermark pattern 12 will be described later.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an article according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A shows an electronic watermark pattern 22 on a part of an uneven surface 21 of a bone file 20 that is an article (medical instrument). In the drawing, (B) is an enlarged view of a part of the uneven surface 21 on which the digital watermark pattern 22 is drawn. The digital watermark pattern 22 is also drawn in a pattern and directly in a slightly visible form on the surface of the bone shaving file 20 in the same manner as the digital watermark pattern 12. Similarly to the digital watermark pattern 12, the digital watermark pattern 22 is formed by unevenness and the same information is repeatedly included in the digital watermark pattern 22.

  Thus, the digital watermark pattern 22 can be drawn on a part of the uneven surface 21 of the bone cutting file 20. This is because the same information is repeatedly recorded in the digital watermark pattern 22, and therefore, even if it can be partially read by a device with a CCD function or the like, it can be read even on an uneven surface. Of course, the digital watermark pattern 22 may be drawn on a portion of the handle 23 of the bone cutting file 20.

  By adopting such a management method, the same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained. In addition, for example, even when the bone cutting file 20 is rented or leased, the information in the digital watermark pattern 22 is any one of the serial number, the manufacturing lot number, the manufacturing date, the manufacturer, and the delivery destination of the bone cutting file 20 A company that rents or leases one or more can secure the traceability of the bone file 20.

  When the digital watermark pattern 22 is drawn on a part of the handle 23 of the bone shaving file 20, it is preferable that the surface irregularities are drawn with a depth of 0.1 to 0.5 microns. Since the bone shaving file 20 is used by a doctor wearing thin gloves, if the depth at which the digital watermark pattern 22 is drawn is within the above range, there is no risk of breaking the gloves and the preservation of drawing is improved. Because.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an article according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3A is a diagram in which a digital watermark pattern 32 is drawn on a part of a curved surface 31 of a reamer 30 that is an article (cutting tool). FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of a portion where the digital watermark pattern 32 is drawn on a part of the curved surface 31. The reamer 30 is a cutting tool (article) that enlarges a hole formed in a metal plate with a drill or the like or adjusts the shape. The digital watermark pattern 32 is also drawn in a pattern and directly on the surface of the reamer 30 in the same manner as the digital watermark patterns 12 and 22. Similarly to the digital watermark patterns 12 and 22, the digital watermark pattern 32 is formed by unevenness and the same information is repeatedly included in the digital watermark pattern 32.

  Although the surface of the reamer 30 is polished and is coated with titanium or the like and is often glossy, the digital watermark pattern 32 can be drawn even in such a portion. Of course, the digital watermark pattern 32 may be drawn on a portion other than the curved surface 31 of the reamer 30, for example, the blade 33 of the reamer 30.

  By adopting such a management method, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4)
4A and 4B are views showing an article according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4A is a view of an antique 40 as an article as viewed from the front, and FIG. It is a figure by which the pattern 42 is drawn. Thus, the electronic watermark pattern 42 can be drawn without deteriorating the aesthetics even if the article is produced as a single product or limitedly produced. The digital watermark pattern 42 is also drawn in a pattern and directly on the surface of the antique 40 in the same manner as the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, and 32. In addition, as in the case of the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, and 32, the digital watermark pattern 42 is formed by unevenness and the same information is repeatedly included in the digital watermark pattern 42.

  By adopting such a management method, the same effects as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained, and the information of the digital watermark pattern 42 includes 1 such as a serial number, a producer name, a supplier name, and a manufacturing date. By embedding one or more, it is possible to immediately and easily determine the authenticity of whether or not it is a genuine antique, without seeking human judgment with specialized knowledge.

  Further, for example, an antique dealer who sells an antique 40 can ensure traceability as well as management of antique articles by knowing the producer, the supplier, the date of manufacture, and the like.

  Next, a method for drawing a digital watermark pattern according to each embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

(About digital watermark pattern image generation device)
FIG. 5 is a functional conceptual diagram of the digital watermark pattern image generating device 50 for generating images of the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, 32, and 42 for marking the articles shown in FIGS.

  The digital watermark pattern image generation device 50 includes, as information processing functions implemented by software, a digital watermark information amount control unit 51, a digital watermark information acquisition unit 52, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) encoding unit 53, and an ECC. (Error Check and Correct: error correction check) An encoding unit 54, a repetitive code generation unit 55, a digital watermark embedding unit 56, and the like.

  The digital watermark pattern image generation device 50 is a general von Neumann computer, and includes, as hardware, a control unit, a storage unit, an output unit, and an input unit (not shown).

  The control unit is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The storage unit is, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read On Memory). The output unit is, for example, a display. The input unit is, for example, a keyboard or a mouse. These are connected to each other via a bus.

  The digital watermark pattern image generation device 50 embeds a digital watermark pattern sequence generated by repeatedly generating a digital watermark information sequence in a content image by causing the information processing function realized by the software described above to cooperate with hardware resources. It should be noted that the digital watermark pattern sequence is repeatedly embedded in the content image, and correction code data and error correction data are added to the digital watermark information, thereby preventing erroneous detection when reading the digital watermark information.

  Next, a method for generating images of the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, 32, and 42 using the digital watermark pattern image generation device 50 will be described in detail.

  FIG. 6 is a flow chart for generating the digital watermark pattern images 12, 22, 32, and 42 for marking the articles shown in FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bit string of digital watermark information generated by the digital watermark pattern generation apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7A is a diagram illustrating a minimum bit string of the digital watermark information string. B) shows a bit string of the digital watermark pattern string.

  First, information to be embedded as electronic watermark information and a content image to be embedded are determined (START). The digital watermark information can be, for example, alphanumeric characters consisting of 10 digits. The content image is, for example, a character image that is a basis for generation as a digital watermark pattern image or a logo image including a company name. Note that a content image is not necessary when the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, 32, and 42 are drawn on the articles according to the first to fourth embodiments. Instead of the content image, the range and shape of the drawing area of the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, 32, and 42 are instructed.

  As described above, this content image is only specific shape information (dummy image) unlike the conventional one. In the conventional case, information of an image constituting a character or a logo is required, but in this embodiment, since the information is not embedded in the pixels in the content image, the digital watermark pattern itself is displayed like a pattern. Such information, ie pixel data inside the content image, is not required. However, an image having internal data in addition to the outer shape may be used as a content image as in the past. Note that the information to be embedded and the content image to be embedded are recorded in a storage unit (not shown) of the digital watermark pattern image generation device 50 as the above-described digital watermark information.

First, variables and information amounts used for explaining the flowchart of FIG. 6 will be described.
H is the total amount of information that can be embedded in the content image.
m is the amount of information to be embedded as digital watermark information.
c: Information amount of information to be embedded as CRC code data.
p: Information amount of information to be embedded as ECC code data.
N is a variable indicating the information amount of the digital watermark information sequence (N = m + c + p).
t is a variable indicating the number of information to be embedded as digital watermark information.
C: A variable indicating the total number of digital watermark information strings embedded in the content image.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the digital watermark pattern image generation apparatus 30 is configured to have N bits (N = m + c + p) composed of m-bit digital watermark information, c-bit CRC code data, and p-bit ECC code data. ) Is first generated. Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the N-bit digital watermark information sequence is repeated a predetermined number of times (C) to finally generate an N * C-bit digital watermark pattern sequence. When there are a plurality of m-bit digital watermark information, for example, when there are two pieces (t = 2) of information A (N1 bit) and information B (N2 bit) to be embedded, The total amount of information in the digital watermark pattern sequence is not N * C bits, but N1 * C / t + N2 * C / t bits, which are generated. A generation processing method for embedding digital watermark information when t = 1 will be specifically described below.

  The digital watermark information amount control unit 51 controls the information amount in which the digital watermark pattern is embedded mainly from the information amount that can be embedded in the content image.

  The digital watermark information amount control unit 51 first acquires the information amounts of m, c, and p by the digital watermark information acquisition unit 52 and substitutes the information amount of the digital watermark information sequence for N (step S100). The digital watermark information amount control unit 51 also acquires an information amount H that can be embedded from the content image. It is assumed that the number of bits used for m, c, and p is predetermined.

  Next, the digital watermark information amount control unit 51 sets the number C (C is a positive integer multiple) to be embedded in the N-bit digital watermark information sequence (step S101). Note that C can be forcibly set when a value is designated by an input from an input unit (not shown) of the digital watermark pattern image generation apparatus 50 or when there are a plurality of pieces of digital watermark information to be embedded.

  Subsequently, the digital watermark information amount control unit 51 compares the information amount H that can be embedded from the content image with the total information amount of the digital watermark information to be embedded by C * N bits, and determines how many times the digital watermark information is embedded repeatedly. Perform (step S102).

  If the digital watermark information amount control unit 51 determines in step S102 that the total information amount C * N bits of the digital watermark information is larger than the information amount H that can be embedded in the content image (Yes), the content image 1 is subtracted from C so that the amount of information can be embedded in the digital watermark information, and the total information amount C * N bits of the digital watermark information is controlled to be smaller than the information amount H that can be embedded (step S103).

  When there is a plurality of pieces of digital watermark information N1, N2, N3... Nt, the digital watermark information amount control unit 51 fixes the total count of the digital watermark information embedded in the content image as C, It is possible to embed C / t watermark information.

  In this case, the digital watermark information amount control unit 51 obtains the number t of information to be embedded as digital watermark information and the number of times C / t of duplication of each digital watermark information based on the information amount of each digital watermark information. Perform processing.

  The CRC encoding unit 53 performs CRC encoding according to the generated polynomial method in order to detect an error with respect to the m-bit digital watermark information (step S104).

  The CRC encoding unit 53 performs a process of subtracting 1 from C every time c bits are added to m-bit digital watermark information, and continues the encoding process until the condition of 1 ≦ C is not satisfied. The CRC encoding unit 53 passes c bits to the ECC encoding unit 54 and the iterative code generation unit 35 as CRC code data generated as shown in FIG.

  The ECC encoding unit 54 performs error correction encoding on the c-bit CRC code data (step S105).

  The ECC encoding unit 54 performs a process of subtracting 1 from C every time p bits are added to the m + c-bit digital watermark information, and continues the encoding process until the condition of 1 ≦ C is not satisfied. Note that the ECC encoding unit 54 repeatedly passes p bits to the code generation unit 55 as parity check data generated as shown in FIG.

  The repetitive code generation unit 55 receives the m-bit digital watermark information, the c-bit CRC code data, and the p-bit parity check data, respectively, and N-bit digital watermark information composed of these data. The digital watermark pattern sequence is generated by repeating the sequence by C and connecting them (step S106).

  The repetition code generation unit 55 passes the N * C-bit digital watermark pattern sequence to the digital watermark embedding unit 56 (step S107). Upon receiving the digital watermark pattern sequence, the digital watermark embedding unit 56 embeds the digital watermark pattern sequence in a predetermined range of the content image (step S107).

  In addition, regarding the embedding process of the digital watermark pattern sequence in the content image, the content image is converted into DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform: Discrete Cosine Transform), DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform: Discrete Fourier Transform), DWT (Discrete Wavelet Transform), etc. The digital watermark pattern sequence may be embedded in the area subjected to the spatial frequency conversion by.

  Note that the CRC encoding unit 54 and the ECC encoding unit 55 may have optional configurations depending on the accuracy required for error detection and error correction. In that case, both error detection and error correction data may not be generated, or only one of them may be generated and generated as a digital watermark information sequence.

  Note that the above-described image generation methods for the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, 32, and 42 are merely examples, and other digital watermark pattern image generation algorithms are used without departing from the scope of the present invention. can do.

(Regarding the means for marking digital watermark patterns)
Images of the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, 32, and 42 are marked on the article by the marking unit through the above-described generation method. In the following, each article of the first to fourth embodiments is generalized and indicated as “article X”, and images of the digital watermark patterns 12, 22, 32, and 42 are generalized as “digital watermark pattern images”. Show.

  A laser marker will be described as one specific example of the marking means. The marking means may be a printer capable of UV (UC / tra Violet) printing, in addition to a laser marker having a YAG laser oscillator or a CO2 laser oscillator.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of a laser marker 60 for marking an article X with a digital watermark pattern image. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the head unit 61 and the controller 62 of the laser marker 60 shown in FIG.

  The laser marker 60 includes a head unit 61 and a controller 62. As shown in FIG. 9, the head unit 61 incorporates a laser oscillator 61A, a scanner 61B, and a half mirror 61D. The head unit 61 is installed so as to face the article X to be marked.

  The laser oscillator 61A is constituted by a CO2 laser or a YAG laser, and outputs a laser beam L for performing a marking process by locally heating or cutting the surface of the article X serving as an information holding tool.

  The scanner 61B includes a horizontal deflection device 61B1 that deflects the laser beam L output from the laser oscillator 61A and passed through the half mirror 61D in the horizontal direction, and a vertical deflection device 61B2 that deflects the laser beam L in the vertical direction. The laser beam L output from the laser oscillator 61A reaches the surface of the target article X through the half mirror 61D and the scanner 61B. The spot of the laser beam L moves on the surface of the article X along the locus on which the digital watermark pattern should be marked by the function of the scanner 61B.

  The controller 62 includes a microprocessor 62A for controlling the laser oscillator 61A and the scanner 61B, a communication port (COM) 62B for transmitting and receiving commands and data to the head unit 61, and a memory 62C. The controller 62 calculates the optimum locus of the laser beam L according to the digital watermark pattern image recorded in the memory 62C, and controls the laser oscillator 61A and the scanner 61B based on the locus.

  The memory 62C includes a ROM and a RAM for storing a processing program executed by the microprocessor 62A and data.

  The microprocessor 62A controls the laser oscillator 61A and the scanner 61B in accordance with a command given from the controller 62 via the communication port 62B. For example, the scanner 61B is controlled to move the laser beam L according to the digital watermark pattern image. Further, during the pause period, the laser oscillator 61A is controlled so as to stop the output of the laser beam L. A configuration may be adopted in which a microprocessor 62A is mounted on the head unit 61, and a driving circuit for driving the laser oscillator 61A and the scanner 61B in accordance with a signal from the controller 62 is mounted.

  Next, the marking process by the laser marker 60 will be specifically described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart for marking an electronic watermark pattern image on the article X by the laser marker 60 shown in FIG.

  First, the microprocessor 62A reads the data of the digital watermark pattern image described above from the memory 62C (step S200).

  Then, the microprocessor 62A determines the marking order of the marking code string (hereinafter referred to as “marking content”) of the data of the digital watermark pattern image (step S201). The microprocessor 62A determines the optimum order so that the deflection angle (movement of the beam spot) of the laser beam L by the scanner 61B is as small as possible.

  Then, the microprocessor 62A determines the spot locus of the laser beam L (step S202). The microprocessor 62A determines the spot locus so as to be as short as possible in accordance with the determined order and the read marking contents. The microprocessor 62A also determines a period (timing) in which the laser output should be stopped.

  Then, the microprocessor 62A converts the determined spot trajectory of the laser beam L into time-series coordinate data, and sequentially stores the data in a FIFO (First In First Out) memory included in the memory 62C (step S203).

  Then, the microprocessor 62A sequentially reads time-series coordinate data from the FIFO memory, and converts the coordinate data into a voltage to be applied to the scanner 61B (step S204). As described above, the scanner 61B has a horizontal deflection device that deflects the laser beam L in the horizontal direction and a vertical deflection device that deflects the laser beam L in the vertical direction, and both deflection devices are deflected in proportion to a given voltage. It has a function of deflecting the laser beam L at an angle.

  Then, the microprocessor 62A controls the scanner 61B and the laser oscillator 61A to perform marking processing on the surface of the article X (step S205).

(About information to be embedded in a digital watermark pattern)
The information embedded in the digital watermark pattern in each of the above-described embodiments is associated with the product X or the production lot number, date, production location, production equipment, production person in charge, authentication information, or these associated with the product X It can be one or more of the identification information. The identification information associated here may be, for example, information composed of 10-digit alphanumeric characters.

  Further, the article X other than the above-described embodiments may be an article configured by any one of a resin material, a ceramic material, wood, paper, glass material, rubber material, or a combination thereof. .

  As mentioned above, although each embodiment of this invention was described, this invention can be variously implemented unless it deviates from the summary.

  For example, the article management method according to the management purpose may be obtained by drawing digital watermark pattern images in which different management information is embedded in a plurality of places of the article X. For example, while drawing an electronic watermark pattern in which authentication information is embedded in a pattern of a logo mark stamped on the article X for the purpose of authenticity determination, other management information is provided for the purpose of ensuring traceability on the bottom surface of the article. For example, an embedded digital watermark pattern is drawn.

  Further, for example, it is assumed that the article X is a bolt 10 and the related equipment or building is a building using the bolt 10. Each bolt 10 is individually assigned a serial number, and each information is recorded in a DB server (DataBase, hereinafter referred to as “DB server”). At the same time, the DB server records the building year information and the contractor information of the building where the bolt 10 is used, and other information related to the building (hereinafter referred to as building-related information). The serial numbers of the bolts 10 and the building-related information are defined and associated so as to be uniquely identifiable on the DB server and recorded.

  By constructing such an article management system, for example, a third party can read the digital watermark pattern 12 from the bolt 10 used in the building by using a device with a CCD function, It is possible to accurately know whether there is a contractor or who the contractor is by checking the DB server, and it is possible to discover the disguise of the contractor, the false display of the building age, and the like. In addition, by knowing such an article management system, it is also possible to expect a deterrent effect such as disguise of a contractor or false display of building age.

  For example, it is assumed that the article X is the bolt 10 and the related equipment and building are a roller coaster. Each bolt 10 is individually assigned a serial number, and each information is recorded in the DB server. At the same time, the DB server is recorded with inspection information (hereinafter referred to as safety inspection related information) such as the date and inspection period of the periodic inspection of the roller coaster in which the bolt 10 is used. Then, the serial number of the bolt 10 and the safety inspection related information are defined so as to be uniquely identifiable on the DB server, and recorded in association with each other.

  By constructing such an article management system, for example, a third party can read a digital watermark pattern 12 from a bolt 10 used in the roller coaster using a device with a CCD function, and collate with a DB server. Information related to safety inspections can be known accurately, and it can be confirmed whether the manager of the roller coaster is properly performing safety management. In addition, since such an article management system is known, it is possible to expect an effect of suppressing accidents caused by negligence or mistakes of the roller coaster manager.

  The present invention can be applied to all management of articles. Further, when it is complicated or difficult to manage with a conventional IC tag, for example, even if the managed article is a metal material, the article can be managed.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an article according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram in which a digital watermark pattern is drawn on substantially the entire upper surface (lower side in FIG. 1) of a bolt head that is an article. It is a figure which shows the articles | goods which concern on 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (A) is the figure which drew the digital watermark pattern in a part of uneven | corrugated surface of the file for bone cutting which is an article | item (medical instrument), ) Is an enlarged view of a part of the uneven surface on which the digital watermark pattern is drawn. It is a figure which shows the article | item concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention, (A) is the figure which drawn the digital watermark pattern in a part of curved surface of the reamer which is an article (cutting tool), (B) is a curved surface. It is the figure which expanded the part by which the electronic watermark pattern is drawn in part. It is a figure which shows the article | item concerning 4th Embodiment of this invention, (A) is the figure which looked at the antiques which are articles | goods from the front, (B) is a digital watermark pattern drawn in a part of back surface FIG. FIG. 5 is a functional conceptual diagram of a digital watermark pattern image generation apparatus for generating an image of a digital watermark pattern that marks an article shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart for generating an image of a digital watermark pattern that marks the article shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a bit string of digital watermark information generated by the digital watermark pattern generation apparatus illustrated in FIG. 5, wherein (A) is a diagram illustrating a bit string of a minimum unit of the digital watermark information string, and (B) is an electronic It is the figure which showed the bit sequence of the watermark pattern sequence. It is a schematic diagram of the laser marker which marks a digital watermark pattern on the articles | goods shown in FIGS. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the head part of a laser marker shown in FIG. 8, and a controller. It is a flowchart figure which draws electronic watermark pattern image data on an article | item with the laser marker shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10 bolts (goods)
11 Head 12 Digital watermark pattern 20 Bone cutting file (article)
21 Uneven surface 22 Digital watermark pattern 30 Reamer (article)
31 curved surface 32 digital watermark pattern 40 antiques (article)
41 Back 42 Digital watermark pattern

Claims (6)

  An article management method for managing an article, wherein a digital watermark pattern is drawn in a visible pattern directly on the article, and the article is managed using information embedded in the watermark pattern. An article management method characterized by the above.   2. The digital watermark pattern, wherein the same information is repeatedly recorded therein, and is drawn on any one or a plurality of uneven surfaces, curved surfaces, and glossy surfaces of the article. Item management method according to the above.   3. The article according to claim 1, wherein the article is an article configured by any one of a resin material, a metal material, a ceramic material, wood, papers, a glass material, and a rubber material, or a combination thereof. Item management method according to the above.   The information drawn as the electronic watermark pattern is at least one of the article or serial number, manufacturing lot number, manufacturing date, manufacturing place, manufacturing equipment, manufacturing person in charge, authentication information related to the article, or these The article management method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the identification information is associated with the identification information.   An article characterized in that a digital watermark pattern is drawn on the surface in a visible and patterned manner.   6. The article according to claim 5, wherein the electronic watermark pattern is marked in such a manner that the same information is repeatedly recorded therein and irregularities are formed on the surface.

Images