JP2021015178A - Label with symbol code - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a label with a symbol code with high accuracy in decoding.SOLUTION: A label with a symbol code is formed by printing the content and a symbol code on the adhesive surface. The content is printed with paint which exhibits color under a light source of a visible region and is colorless under the light source of a predetermined invisible region. The symbol code is printed with the paint which exhibits the color under the light source of a predetermined invisible region and is colorless under the light source of the visible region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a label having a symbol code represented by a QR code (registered trademark) or the like (hereinafter referred to as "label with symbol code"), and is particularly used for transparently reading a transparent material such as glass. It is about a label with a symbol code.

The QR code (registered trademark) described in Patent Document 1 is widely used as a means for giving information from printed matter to a computer. A symbol code is generated by calculating (encoding) arbitrary information according to a predetermined procedure, and this symbol code is printed on a printed matter (for example, a label). In a computer, the original information can be obtained by optically imaging the symbol code and analyzing (decoding) the image obtained by this by a predetermined calculation.

In using such a symbol code, the symbol code is printed on the surface to which the label is attached (the surface coated with glue), the label is attached to a transparent surface such as glass, and the glass or the like is transparent. There are cases where the symbol code is optically imaged. For example, by attaching a label to the window from the inside of a car provided with a glass window, the symbol code inside the car can be imaged from the outside without unlocking the door of the car.

JP-A-7-254037

However, when the symbol code is imaged through the glass, the quality of the image may be lower than that when the symbol code is directly imaged due to the influence of refraction and polarization by the glass. If the quality of the image is low, it becomes difficult for the computer to properly recognize and decode the symbol code, and as a result, an event in which the desired information cannot be obtained is likely to occur.

In order to improve the accuracy of imaging, it is possible to expand the printing area of the symbol code, but in general, it is required to print information on characters and figures that can be recognized by humans in addition to the symbol code on such labels. It is difficult to print a symbol code that is large enough within a label of finite size.

Under these circumstances, a label having a symbol code that is imaged through glass or the like has a problem that it is difficult to secure sufficient accuracy when reading information from the symbol code. there were.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems and the like, and an object of the present invention is to provide a label with a symbol code that can ensure sufficient reading accuracy even when imaging through glass or the like. To do.

The label with a symbol code of the present invention has an adhesive surface coated with glue, and the content recognized by human eyes and the symbol code imaged by a predetermined device are printed so as to be recognizable from the adhesive surface side. The content is configured so that when the glue is attached to a transparent object, the content is recognized or the symbol code is imaged through the object. It is printed by a paint that is colored under a light source in the visible region and colorless under a light source in a predetermined invisible region, and the symbol code is colored under the light source in the predetermined invisible region. It is characterized in that it is printed by a paint that is colorless under a light source in the visible range.

Further, the light source in the predetermined invisible region may be a light source in a wavelength region belonging to infrared rays, and the symbol code may be colored under a light source in a wavelength region belonging to infrared rays.

Further, the symbol code may hold information indicating the authenticity of the content.

According to the label with the symbol code of the present invention, when observing a transparent object through a transparent object, the content is colored under visible light, so that the content can be recognized by human vision. On the other hand, the symbol code is colorless with respect to visible light, but is colored with respect to predetermined invisible light. Therefore, by observing with the invisible light, the symbol code is independent of the existence of the content. , It is possible to image the symbol code. From this, when the symbol code is arranged on the substrate, it can be printed in a wide area regardless of the existence of the content. If the symbol code is sufficiently large, even when the symbol code is imaged through an object, it is possible to reduce errors due to refraction or the like and acquire (decode) information from the symbol code. Therefore, according to the label with the symbol code of the present invention, there is an effect that information can be decoded with high accuracy from the symbol code even when the transparent object is transmitted.

Further, by defining infrared light as a predetermined invisible light for imaging the symbol code, a widely available imaging device can be used, and an environment for using the label with the symbol code of the present invention can be constructed at low cost. It has the effect of being able to do it.

In addition, if the information indicated by the symbol code is used as information indicating the authenticity of the content, unauthorized duplication or forgery of the content or the like can be detected with the information without making the observer aware of the information, so that the information can be transmitted more accurately. It has the effect of being able to do it.

(A) is a schematic view showing a mode in which the label 2 of the present invention is attached to glass 1, and (b) is a schematic view showing a mode of glass 1 viewed from the direction of arrow A in the figure in (a). (A) shows the printed contents on the label 2 sticking surface, (b) observes the mode when the label 2 sticking surface is observed with visible light, and (c) observes the label 2 sticking surface with infrared light. It is a schematic diagram which shows the mode in each case.

Hereinafter, Label 2 which is an embodiment of the invention according to the present application (hereinafter referred to as “the present invention”) will be described. The label 2 displays predetermined information, and glue is applied to one side of a substantially white paper (hereinafter referred to as "sticking side"). As shown in FIG. 1A, the label 2 is attached to the glass 1 by the glue applied to the attachment surface. The details will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2, but the QR code (registered trademark) 3 and the content 4 are printed on the sticking surface of the label 2.

FIG. 1 (b) shows a view in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1 (a). With the label 2 attached to the glass 1, the QR code 3 or the content 4 described above is observed / observed through the glass 1 in the direction of the arrow B in the drawing.

Next, printing on the sticking surface of the label 2 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2A, the QR code 3 and the content 4 (the character string indicated by "ABC" in the area occupied by the broken line in the figure) are printed so as to overlap each other on the sticking surface of the label 2. For the sake of explanation, the area of the content 4 is shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, but the broken line is not actually printed.

Content 4 is colored (meaning a color that can be distinguished from the paper (white) of label 2 by absorbing all or part of light having a wavelength belonging to visible light, and includes achromatic colors such as black and gray. The same) is exhibited, and light having a wavelength belonging to infrared light is printed with a paint having the property of transmitting most of the light. On the other hand, the QR code 3 is printed with a paint that is colored by absorbing all or part of the light belonging to infrared light and that transmits most of the light belonging to visible light.

In a state where the label 2 configured in this way is attached to the glass 1, for example, when a human observes the label 2 with the eyes 5 under visible light, the label 2 is observed in the manner shown in FIG. 2 (b). That is, the content 4 printed with the paint that exhibits color under visible light is perceived by the human vision, while the QR code 3 printed with the paint that transmits most of the visible light is the human vision (eye 5). ) Is hardly recognized. In other words, the printed portion of the QR code 3 in this case is perceived as reflecting visible light on the paper surface of the label 2, and thus exhibits "colorlessness" in human vision. Therefore, the observer can recognize only the content 4 by ignoring the existence of the QR code 3.

At this time, even if the QR code 3 can be optically observed even if it is thin due to the presence of the paint, it only appears in an extremely light color as compared with the content 4, so that the QR can be observed by normal human vision. Code 3 is rarely noticed. Therefore, as a paint for printing the QR code 3, it is not always necessary to completely transmit all visible light, and it is transmitted to the extent that it is perceived by human vision as being transmitted through the paper surface of label 2. All you have to do is select what you want to do.

When the label 2 is imaged by the infrared camera 6, the label 2 is imaged in the manner shown in FIG. 2 (c). That is, the QR code 3 printed with the paint that exhibits color under infrared light appears in the image obtained by imaging, but the content 4 printed with the paint that transmits most of the infrared light appears in the image. Does not appear. In other words, the printed portion of the content 4 at this time is observed as being reflected by the infrared light on the paper surface of the label 2 with respect to the infrared camera 6, and thus exhibits "colorlessness". Therefore, from the image captured by the infrared camera 6, only the QR code 3 is accurately recognized and extracted without being affected by the existence of the content 4, and the information encoded in the QR code 3 is acquired. be able to.

It is possible that the image captured by the presence or absence of paint includes the influence of the content 4, but the appearance of the content 4 printed with the paint that transmits most of the infrared light is weak and noise. QR code 3 can be recognized and extracted with extremely high accuracy by using known image processing techniques such as removal and binarization with an appropriate threshold value. Therefore, the paint for printing the content 4 does not have to completely transmit infrared light, and may transmit infrared light to the extent that it can be equated with the surface reflection of the paper of label 2. It's enough.

As described above, the label 2 is printed in a state where the QR code 3 and the content 4 are overlapped with each other (FIG. 2A), but the content 4 is excluded so that only the QR code 3 can be imaged. I have to. Therefore, since the QR code 3 can be printed over almost the entire printable range (that is, the area of the sticking surface) on the label 2, the print area of the QR code 3 can be sufficiently large.

If the size of the QR code 3 is sufficient, even if the QR code 3 is imaged and is affected by optical effects such as refraction by glass or the like, the effect is the overall size of the QR code 3 or the cell (QR). (Meaning one of the substantially square elements constituting the code 3) The size of each one is relatively negligible, and as a result, the QR code 3 is sufficient for a computer (not shown) or the like. Can be recognized and analyzed (decoded) with accuracy.

In this embodiment, the QR code 3 is configured so that it can be imaged using infrared light as invisible light. According to this, since a device (camera) for imaging using infrared light is widely available on the market, a mechanism for acquiring information from the QR code 3 of the label 2 of the present invention can be constructed at low cost.

In this label 2, it is particularly meaningful to include information indicating the authenticity of the label 2 or the content 4 as the information to be encoded in the QR code 3. Since the content 4 is visually recognizable print information, it can be forged relatively easily. However, the QR code 3 printed by the paint that is colorless under visible light is provided with confidential information indicating the authenticity of the label 2 or the content 4 (for example, encrypted information that can be decrypted by the content 4 by a predetermined procedure). Therefore, the issuer of the label 2 can easily identify whether or not the label 2 has been properly issued by confirming the confidential information. Therefore, by operating so as to trust only the properly issued label 2, the information transmission by the label 2 can be made more accurate.

Although the label with the symbol code has been described above with reference to the examples, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and each configuration may be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Of course it is possible.

For example, in the embodiment, the QR code 3 and the content 4 are printed on one label 2, but the QR code 3 is printed on the transparent base material, the content 4 is printed on the white base material, and the contents are transparent. Of course, it is also possible to form a single information display (label) as a whole by laminating the base material and the white base material on glass or the like in this order.

1 Glass 2 Label 3 QR code (symbol code)
4 Content

Claims (3)

It has an adhesive surface coated with glue, and the content recognized by human eyes and the symbol code imaged by a predetermined device are printed so as to be recognizable from the adhesive surface side, and the glue is transparent. In a label with a symbol code configured so that when the object is affixed to the object, the content is recognized or the symbol code is imaged through the object.
The content is printed with a paint that is colored under a visible light source and colorless under a predetermined invisible light source.
The symbol code is a label with a symbol code, which is printed by a paint which is colored under a light source in a predetermined invisible region and is colorless under a light source in a visible region. The predetermined invisible light source is a light source in a wavelength range belonging to infrared rays.
The label with a symbol code according to claim 1, wherein the symbol code exhibits a color under a light source in a wavelength range belonging to the infrared ray. The label with a symbol code according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the symbol code holds information indicating the authenticity of the content.

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