JP2022183469A - Medium, system, and relevant method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a medium on which information such as a variable pattern that is hard to recognize with an ordinary camera or naked eyes can be printed by using laser light, and provide a system and relevant method for use in acquiring information written on the medium from shot image data produced by a near-infrared camera and utilizing the information for control.SOLUTION: A medium is characterized in that the medium at least partly includes a near-infrared absorptive material containing cesium tungsten oxide or 6-lanthanum boride and that, when laser light is irradiated to an object part of the medium containing the near-infrared absorptive material, the near-infrared absorbency of the object part at least over a predetermined wavelength range is degraded. A system and relevant method are used to acquire information written on the medium from shot image data produced by a near-infrared camera, and utilize the information for control.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 36

Description

The present invention relates to a medium on which characters, images, etc. that can be recognized by a near-infrared camera or the like can be printed or drawn (marked), a system using such a medium, and a related method.

In recent years, it has become an issue to improve the security of data pages, ID (identification) cards such as identification cards, cards such as credit cards and cash cards, and banknotes. has been proposed.

Patent Document 1 proposes a marking method in which an infrared absorbing pattern is formed by applying energy such as laser light to a substrate containing ytterbium oxide. However, the infrared absorption of ytterbium oxide is not sufficiently high, and there is also a problem in terms of ease of handling.

In addition, as in Patent Documents 2 to 7, techniques such as anti-counterfeiting using an infrared absorbing material have been proposed, but problems remain in all techniques. For example, in Patent Document 2, variable variable information is printed by a printing method, and the following disadvantages exist:
- When printed or transferred on the card surface, it is easily tampered with, resulting in low security. Durability such as abrasion resistance also deteriorates.
・When printing or transferring to the middle layer of the card, after printing (or issuing) personal information, press processing and card size finishing processing are performed, so it is considered difficult to issue locally. Furthermore, if something goes wrong during the processing process, the personal information will be different, so you will have to start over from the first printing.

There is also a demand for application and development of infrared-absorbing media for various uses, including the marking method for forming an infrared-absorbing pattern in Patent Document 1 and the like.

Patent No. 4323578 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-505444 JP 2005-246821 A JP 2008-162233 A Patent No. 6443597 Patent No. 6507096 Patent No. 6541400 Patent No. 6160830 Patent No. 5854329 WO2018/151238 Patent No. 6167803 Special Table No. 2006-518898 Patent No. 4391103 Patent No. 5644896

In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a medium on which information such as variable patterns that are difficult to recognize with a general camera or the naked eye can be printed with a laser beam, and to provide such a medium. An object of the present invention is to provide a system and a related method for acquiring written information from image data captured by a near-infrared camera and using it for control.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a medium at least partially containing a near-infrared absorbing material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride, wherein a target portion containing the near-infrared absorbing material of the medium is provided. A medium is provided wherein exposure to laser light reduces near-infrared absorption of a target portion at least in a predetermined wavelength range.

The above medium is a medium configured as a laminate comprising a substrate layer having near-infrared transparency or reflectivity and a near-infrared absorbing layer containing a near-infrared absorbing material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride. It's okay.

The medium includes a substrate layer, a first near-infrared absorbing layer containing a first near-infrared absorbing material that is a near-infrared absorbing material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride, and cesium tungsten oxide. and a second near-infrared absorbing layer comprising a second near-infrared absorbing material that is also different from lanthanum boride.

The medium may be configured as a laminate comprising a substrate layer and a near-infrared absorbing layer, wherein the near-infrared absorbing layer is a near-infrared absorbing material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride. A first zone comprising a near-infrared absorbing material and a second zone comprising a second near-infrared absorbing material different from cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride may be provided.

In the above medium, the second near-infrared absorbing material may include one or more of antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, and copper pyrophosphate.

The medium is configured as a laminate comprising a substrate layer, a near-infrared absorbing layer containing a near-infrared absorbing material containing tungsten cesium oxide or lanthanum hexaboride, and a near-infrared reflecting layer containing a near-infrared reflecting material. It may be a medium to be used.

The near-infrared reflective material may include one or more of titanium oxide, silicon oxide, tin oxide.

The present invention also provides a moving body, any one of the above-described media having a sheet shape and attached to the moving body, wherein information is written by irradiating a target portion with a laser beam; Provided is a system comprising a near-infrared camera, which is an imaging unit for imaging a part, and an information acquisition unit, which acquires information from a captured image (near-infrared image data) obtained by imaging with the near-infrared camera.

In the above system, the mobile object may be a plurality of connected vehicles, the information may include information on the number of the connected vehicles and the number of doors possessed by the connected vehicles. The infrared camera may be a near-infrared camera provided at a boarding area for boarding and alighting from a plurality of connected vehicles, and the system includes the number of the plurality of connected vehicles acquired by the information acquisition unit, It may further include a platform door opening/closing control unit that controls opening and closing of a plurality of platform doors provided in the platform based on information about the number of doors possessed by the plurality of connected vehicles.

In the above system, the mobile object may be a vehicle, the information may include vehicle information for identifying the vehicle, and the system includes a registered vehicle information database in which registered vehicle information for identifying registered vehicles is registered. a registered vehicle information storage unit for storing; a database reference unit for determining whether registered vehicle information corresponding to a vehicle identified by the vehicle information acquired by the information acquisition unit is registered in a registered vehicle information database; A gate opening/closing control unit for controlling opening/closing of the vehicle gate according to the result of determination by the reference unit may be further provided.

The gate opening/closing control unit opens the vehicle gate when the database reference unit determines that the registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle is registered in the registered vehicle information database, and the registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle is registered in the registered vehicle information database. The opening and closing of the vehicle gate may be controlled so that the vehicle gate is closed when the database reference unit determines that it is not registered, and the system receives the entry information of the vehicle entering the designated area through the opened vehicle gate. It may further include an entrance information storage unit for storing.

The system may further include an exit information storage unit that stores exit information for vehicles leaving the designated area through an open vehicle gate.

The registered vehicle information storage unit, the entry information storage unit, and the exit information storage unit may be configured by the same storage device.

The present invention also provides near-infrared absorption of a target portion by applying laser light to a target portion containing a near-infrared absorptive material in a medium that at least partially includes a near-infrared absorptive material comprising cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride. A method is provided, characterized by printing or drawing by changing absorption properties.

The present invention also provides a medium at least partially containing a near-infrared absorptive material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride, which has a sheet shape and is attached to a moving object. Acquisition of information expressed according to the absorption characteristics (also known as reflection characteristics) of the medium for near-infrared rays from the captured image (near-infrared image data) obtained by imaging with an infrared camera and imaging with a near-infrared camera. and obtaining.

In the above method, the moving object may be a plurality of connected vehicles, the information may include information about the number of the plurality of connected vehicles and the number of doors possessed by the plurality of connected vehicles. The near-infrared camera of the section may be a near-infrared camera provided at a boarding area for boarding and alighting from the plurality of connected vehicles, and the above method is obtained by the information acquisition section of the plurality of connected vehicles. The platform door opening/closing control unit may further include controlling the opening and closing of the plurality of platform doors provided in the platform based on the number of vehicles and the information on the number of doors possessed by the plurality of connected vehicles.

The mobile object may be a vehicle, the information may include vehicle information for identifying the vehicle, and the method is configured such that the registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle identified by the vehicle information acquired by the information acquisition unit is registered. a database reference unit determining whether or not registered vehicle information identifying the vehicle is registered in a registered vehicle information database stored in a registered vehicle information storage unit; The gate opening/closing control unit may further include controlling the opening/closing of the vehicle gate according to the result of determination by the database reference unit.

When the database reference unit determines that the registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle is registered in the registered vehicle information database, the vehicle gate is opened and the registered vehicle corresponding to the vehicle is controlled by the gate opening/closing control unit. The method may include controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle gate so that the vehicle gate is closed when the database reference unit determines that the information is not registered in the registered vehicle information database, and It may further comprise storing entry information for vehicles entering the designated area through the designated vehicle gate.

The method may further comprise the exit information store storing exit information for vehicles exiting the designated area through an open vehicle gate.

The registered vehicle information storage unit, the entry information storage unit, and the exit information storage unit may be configured by the same storage device.

According to the present invention, variable invisible identification information can be printed by changing the infrared absorption performance by exposing a medium containing a colorless or colored infrared absorbing material to laser light. . If the identification information and related information of a vehicle such as a train or a passenger car are printed on a medium and attached to the vehicle, such information can be read from the medium with an infrared camera or the like, and used to perform operations related to the vehicle (platform corresponding to the type of train). door opening/closing control, entry/exit management of passenger cars, etc.).
Effects resulting from the embodiments described later include the following.
・Printed information is invisible to the naked eye, or at least difficult to recognize, so it does not interfere with the field of vision.
・Because variable information can be printed, individual identification is possible.
・By reading invisible information with an infrared camera, it can be used in a variety of situations, such as interlocking control of platform door opening/closing, opening gates in parking lots and highways in advance, and identifying illegal vehicles.
・Reading with an infrared camera can be performed without being affected by window glass that has a heat shielding effect (contains near-infrared absorbing material or near-infrared reflecting material) and infrared absorbing items. .
・It reduces the influence of the background when visually recognizing, making it easier to see and read.

Observation image (visible light image ). A view showing a cross-sectional observation image (near-infrared image) of the medium in the first embodiment of the present invention, taken by a near-infrared camera (the outline of the medium is drawn for the purpose of making the figure easier to see. Also in other figures Similarly.). FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an observed image (visible light image) of the surface of the medium under visible light (the surface viewed in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 1; the same applies to other drawings) in the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an observation image (near-infrared image) of the surface of the medium according to the first embodiment of the present invention, obtained by a near-infrared camera. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing that the medium shown in FIG. 1 etc. is irradiated with laser light in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the medium hit by the laser light is lowered (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). FIG. 6 is a view showing an observed image of the surface when bar code information is written on the medium by irradiating it with a laser beam as shown in FIG. 5 (near-infrared image, surface view). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an observed image of the surface when two-dimensional code information is written on the medium by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. 5 (near-infrared image, surface view). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an observed image of the surface when numerical information is written on the medium by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. 5 (near-infrared image, surface view). FIG. 10 is a view showing a cross-sectional observation image (visible light image) of the medium (laminate) in the second embodiment of the present invention under visible light; The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the cross section by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 9 and the like is irradiated with laser light in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the medium hit by the laser light is reduced (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). Observation image (visible light image). The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the cross section by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the observation image (visible light image) of the surface (the surface seen in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 12. The same applies to other figures.) of the laminated body in 3rd Embodiment of this invention under visible light. The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the surface by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 12 and the like is irradiated with a laser beam in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser beam is lowered (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). FIG. 17 is a view showing an observed image of the surface when bar code information is written in the laminate by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. 16 (near-infrared image, surface view). The figure which shows the observation image (visible light image) of the cross section by the visible light of the laminated body in 4th Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the cross section by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 4th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 18 and the like is irradiated with a laser beam in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser beam is reduced (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). Observation image (visible light image). The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the cross section by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 5th Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the observation image (visible light image) of the surface (the surface seen in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 21. The same applies to other figures.) of the laminated body in 5th Embodiment of this invention under visible light. The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the surface by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 5th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 21 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 21 and the like is irradiated with a laser beam in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser beam is lowered (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an observed image of the surface when bar code information is written on the medium by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. 25 (near-infrared image, surface view). The figure which shows the observation image (visible light image) of the cross section by the visible light of the laminated body in 6th Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the cross section by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 6th Embodiment of this invention. 27 and the like is irradiated with a laser beam in the direction of arrow L, showing that the near-infrared absorptivity of a portion of the laminate hit by the laser beam is lowered (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). The figure which shows the observation image (visible light image) of the cross section by the visible light of the laminated body in 7th Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the cross section by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 7th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 31 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 30 and the like is irradiated with laser light in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser light is reduced (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). The figure which shows the observation image (visible light image) of the cross section by the visible light of the laminated body in 8th Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the cross section by the near-infrared camera of the laminated body in 8th Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 34 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 33 and the like is irradiated with a laser beam in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser beam is lowered (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view). The figure which shows the boarding/alighting place (platform) of a railroad vehicle (train). FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the device configuration of a near-infrared camera installed at the platform; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the device configuration of a platform door (platform door) storage section installed in the platform; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the device configuration of a control computer in the station premises; The figure which shows reading the information written in the medium by image|photographing (imaging) the medium adhering to the glass window of the vehicle door of a train with a near-infrared camera. The figure which shows reading the information written in the medium by image|photographing the medium which adhered to the windshield window of a train with a near-infrared camera. 4 is a flow chart of operations for controlling the opening and closing of a boarding door by reading information written on a medium attached to a train by photographing the medium with a near-infrared camera. The figure which shows the vehicle gate for managing the entrance/exit of the vehicle to a parking lot. The figure which shows the table structure of a registered vehicle information database. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the device configuration of a vehicle gate control unit; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control computer in a parking lot; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing that when a vehicle enters a parking lot, the medium attached to the vehicle is imaged by a (near) infrared camera and the information written on the medium is read. FIG. 10 illustrates raising the vehicle gate bar (opening the vehicle gate) when the vehicle information code read from the medium matches the code recorded in the pre-registered database. A flow chart of the operation (at the time of entry) of controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle gate by reading the vehicle information code written on the medium by photographing the medium attached to the vehicle with a near-infrared camera. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, the medium attached to the vehicle is imaged by a (near) infrared camera and the information written on the medium is read. 4 is a flow chart of the operation (at the time of leaving) of reading the vehicle information code written on the medium by photographing the medium attached to the vehicle with a near-infrared camera and controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle gate. The figure which shows roughly the structure of a laser marker apparatus. FIG. 2 shows a near-infrared image of a cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink and an ytterbium oxide-containing ink observed with an infrared camera, and a near-infrared image of a printed matter obtained by offset printing them on a base material, observed with an infrared camera. Reflectance in the visible light region to the near-infrared region (before laser printing) and the printed surface of printed matter printed on offset printed materials using cesium tungsten oxide-containing inks on various substrates before laser printing. On the other hand, a graph showing the results of measuring the reflectance in the visible light region to the near infrared region (after laser printing) in the laser-printed area (showing the results of measuring the reflectance on the printed surface side (ink side) (The same is true for other graphs.) A graph showing measurement results when PC (polycarbonate) is used as a base material in the graph of FIG. 54 . A graph showing measurement results when PET-G (amorphous polyester) is used as the base material in the graph of FIG. A graph showing measurement results when PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is used as the base material in the graph of FIG. 54 . Visible light region of the printed surface when offset printing is performed on high-quality paper as a base material using ink compositions with various contents of cesium tungsten oxide (expressed as a content percentage; unit is weight percent; weight percent) The graph which shows the result of having measured the reflectance of a near-infrared region. Reflectance (before laser printing) in the visible light region to the near-infrared region of the printed surface before laser printing in a printed matter obtained by offset printing using an ink containing lanthanum hexaboride on PC (polycarbonate) as a base material; 4 is a graph showing the results of measurement of reflectance (after laser printing) in the visible light region to the near-infrared region in a laser-printed region of a printed matter.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention, media, systems, and related methods, are described below with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that the medium, system, and related methods according to the present invention are not limited to the specific embodiments described below, and can be appropriately modified within the scope of the present invention. Individual functions, elements, etc. included in the embodiments described later can be appropriately deleted or changed within the scope of the present invention, and arbitrary functions, elements, etc. not included in the embodiments can be added within the scope of the present invention. It is also possible to combine each embodiment appropriately. For example, in the following embodiments, the substrate (substrate layer) is described as a transparent substrate or a transparent substrate containing a near-infrared absorbing material. ) may be used as The medium may be a medium consisting of a single layer such as a substrate containing a near-infrared absorbing material, or may have a multilayer structure. The medium taught by the present invention may be a medium in which near-infrared information that can be recognized by photographing with a near-infrared camera or the like is already written by writing by laser marking or the like, or a medium in which information is not yet written. It may be a medium for displaying information or for other purposes. Methods for forming a near-infrared absorbing layer on a base material layer, etc. include coating of near-infrared absorbing ink, offset printing using a near-infrared absorbing ink layer, silk screen printing, gravure printing, flexographic printing, inkjet printing, and the like. , can be any method. When forming a plurality of near-infrared absorption layers, they may be formed by the same method or by different methods. In the examples described later, it is shown that it is particularly effective to use a near-infrared (line) laser beam as the laser beam. However, the laser light that can be used in the present invention is not limited to this. That is, it is not essential to use near-infrared laser light from a near-infrared laser (e.g., Nd: YAG laser, _YVO4 laser, fiber laser, etc.) as the laser light, and ultraviolet laser (e.g., THG laser, etc.) or visible light. It is also possible to use laser light from a laser (eg, SHG laser, etc.), far-infrared laser (eg, CO ₂ laser), or the like.

In the following embodiments, "near-infrared radiation" refers to electromagnetic waves having a wavelength of 780 nm to 2000 nm (according to "JIS Z 8117:2002 Far Infrared Terminology"). “Near-infrared laser light (near-infrared laser light)” is defined as laser light having a wavelength within the wavelength range of the near-infrared rays. Also, “visible light” is assumed to be an electromagnetic wave having a wavelength of 400 nm to 780 nm. Further, in the following embodiments, "near-infrared absorptivity" means the property of absorbing at least part of the irradiated near infrared rays, and "near-infrared permeability" means at least the irradiated near-infrared rays. The term "near-infrared reflective" means the property of reflecting at least part of the irradiated near-infrared rays. Similarly, in the following embodiments, "visible light absorption" means the property of absorbing at least part of the irradiated visible light, and "visible light transmissive" means the property of absorbing visible light irradiated. The term "visible light reflectivity" means a property of reflecting at least a portion of irradiated visible light. Further, in the following embodiments, "laser marking" on the near-infrared absorbing layer or the near-infrared absorbing substrate by laser light such as near-infrared laser light means the near-infrared absorbing layer or the near-infrared absorbing substrate By irradiating a laser beam to change the absorption characteristics of the near-infrared absorbing layer or the near-infrared absorbing substrate, some display content such as patterns, characters, and other information is displayed in the near-infrared absorbing layer , or to draw (or write) on a near-infrared absorbing substrate. Laser marking may be performed by irradiating a target portion with a laser beam in the direction of the arrow L in each figure, or in the opposite direction (medium, laminate, etc.) as long as the laser beam reaches the target portion. It may be performed by irradiating a laser beam in the direction opposite to the arrow L from the surface of the body 1 opposite to the arrow L side, or in any direction as long as the laser beam reaches the target part. Laser marking may be performed by irradiating laser light. It should be noted that like reference numerals indicate like elements in different drawings unless otherwise noted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is an observation image of a cross section of a medium in the first embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the AA' cross section cut along the AA' line in FIG. 3, etc.; the same applies to other figures). (Visible light image), FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (near infrared image) of the medium with a near-infrared camera, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the medium under visible light. It is a diagram showing an observation image (visible light image) of the surface (the surface seen in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 1; the same applies to other drawings), and FIG. It is a figure which shows an observation image (near-infrared image). The medium 1 is composed of a near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 containing a near-infrared absorbing material containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride. It is possible to write information on the medium 1 that is readable by a digital camera but is at least difficult to recognize with a visible light camera or the naked eye. The near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 is a transparent sheet ( Visible light transmittance, near infrared transmittance), using a resin added with a near-infrared absorbing material containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride, extruding or calendaring Such a near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 can be produced by a method of making a sheet such as molding. Another example is PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PET-G (amorphous polyester), PC (polycarbonate), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PP (polypropylene), transparent resin, etc., in a liquid state melted by heating. One or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride are added to a transparent material (having visible light transmittance and near infrared transmittance), mixed, and molded into the shape of the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 The near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 can be produced by pressing and hardening. The near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 preferably has a visible light transmittance of 50% or more and a near-infrared transmittance of 50% or more. You may

As the near-infrared absorbing material to be contained in the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2, cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride can be used as described above. As cesium tungsten oxide, cesium tungsten oxide represented by the chemical formula (general formula) Cs _x W _y O _z (x, y, z are positive real numbers) can be used. As an example, fine particles represented by Cs _0.33 WO ₃ having a hexagonal crystal structure described in Patent Document 8 (Japanese Patent No. 6160830) can be used. Fine particles represented by the chemical formula LaB ₆ can be used as lanthanum hexaboride. The content of cesium tungsten oxide in the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 is arbitrary, but as shown in the examples below, in one example, the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink is 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 6%. The cesium tungsten oxide content in the near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 may also be 0.5 wt% (weight percent) to 6 wt%, since it has good properties at the cesium tungsten oxide content of wt%. The content of lanthanum hexaboride in the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 is also arbitrary, and in one example, it may be 0.05% by weight (weight percent) to 6% by weight, as shown in the examples below. Since the lanthanum hexaboride-containing ink has good properties at a lanthanum hexaboride content of 0.3% by weight, the lanthanum hexaboride content in the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 is also 0.3% by weight. you can Even when the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 containing both cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride is used, the respective contents of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride are similarly arbitrary. It should be noted that the "content of cesium tungsten oxide (% by weight)" in the near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 as used herein means that the near-infrared absorptive substrate accounts for the total weight of the near-infrared absorptive substrate 2. 2 is the weight ratio of cesium tungsten oxide contained in
The content of cesium tungsten oxide in the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 (% by weight)={(weight of cesium tungsten oxide)/(whole weight of near-infrared absorbing substrate 2)}×100
is represented by
Similarly, the "lanthanum hexaboride content (% by weight)" in the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 is the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2, which accounts for the total weight of the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2. is the weight ratio of lanthanum hexaboride contained,
Content of lanthanum hexaboride in near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 (% by weight)={(weight of lanthanum hexaboride)/(whole weight of near-infrared absorptive substrate 2)}×100
is represented by

Such a near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 has visible light transmittance and near-infrared transmittance, and also has a certain degree of near-infrared absorptivity by containing a near-infrared absorptive material. Therefore, when the near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 is photographed with a near-infrared camera or the like, a darker near-infrared image can be obtained than a member made of only a transparent material. In addition, as will be described later using experimental results, cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride have the property of reducing their absorption of near-infrared rays when irradiated with (near-infrared) laser light. Near-infrared laser light is applied to a near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 containing at least one of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride so as to draw (write) images, characters, code information, etc. by laser marking. As a result, the near-infrared absorption characteristics of the drawn part change (because the near-infrared absorption decreases, the near-infrared transmittance in the part to be laser marked increases compared to before the laser beam is irradiated, and the near-infrared When photographed with an infrared camera, some of the near-infrared rays (from the light source of the near-infrared camera or from the surroundings) pass through the target area and are reflected from objects behind the target area. A near-infrared image that is brighter than before laser marking can be obtained), which is at least difficult to recognize with the naked eye or a visible light camera, but can be recognized with a near-infrared camera, etc. Information such as images, characters, code information, etc. can be displayed on the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 .

FIG. 5 shows a portion of the medium hit by laser light (referred to as “laser-irradiated portion 3”; the same applies to other drawings) when the medium shown in FIG. 1 and the like is irradiated with laser light in the direction of arrow L. It is a figure (near-infrared image, sectional drawing) which shows that near-infrared absorptivity fell. Arbitrary information can be written on the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 by laser marking using a laser marker device or the like. Examples of information that can be written are shown in FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram (near-infrared image, surface diagram) showing an observation image of the surface when bar code (one-dimensional code) information is written on the medium by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. 7 is a view (near-infrared image, surface view) showing an observation image of the surface when QR code (registered trademark) (two-dimensional code) information is written on the medium by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram (near-infrared image, surface diagram) showing an observed image of the surface when numerical information is written on the medium by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. It is impossible or at least difficult to recognize such information with the naked eye or with a visible light camera, but it is possible to acquire it by photographing with a near-infrared camera. By doing so, it becomes possible to manage the article or the like without impairing the design.

The near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 may be a paper substrate containing at least one of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride. In this case, the pulp (raw material) used in the papermaking process Adding a near-infrared absorbing material in advance and putting it into the papermaking process, or adding a near-infrared absorbing material in advance to the paint that is applied to the front side of the paper in the papermaking process. 9 to 12 shown as a second embodiment to be described later), etc., such a near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 can be produced. In view of the experimental results described later, tungsten cesium oxide or lanthanum hexaboride is contained in the same manner as when the substrate is printed with a near-infrared absorbing ink composition containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride. By applying a laser beam to the target portion of the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2, at least a predetermined wavelength range of the target portion (if the substrate contains cesium tungsten oxide, for example, near 780 nm to 2000 nm) It is believed that the near-infrared absorbance in the infrared region (for example, the near-infrared region of 780 nm to 1400 nm in the case of a substrate containing lanthanum hexaboride) is reduced. Therefore, the near-infrared absorptive substrate 2 is irradiated with a (near-infrared) laser beam so as to write (draw) images, characters, code information, etc., and laser marking is performed, and then photographed with a near-infrared camera. It is thought that images, characters, code information, etc. written (drawn) by laser marking can be confirmed by observing the near-infrared image. It should be noted that even if laser marking is performed by irradiating a laser beam from below the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 instead of the direction of the arrow L in FIG. 1 (from above the infrared absorbing substrate 2 in the medium 1), good.

(Second embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a view showing a cross-sectional observation image (visible light image) of the medium (laminate) in the second embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the surface view is the same as FIG. ” will be read as reference numeral “4”.), FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (near-infrared image) of the laminate in the second embodiment of the present invention by a near-infrared camera (the surface view is 4, but the reference number “2” is replaced with the reference number “4”.), and FIG. 11 shows that the laminate shown in FIG. It is a figure (near-infrared image, sectional drawing) which shows that the near-infrared absorptivity of the part fell. Unlike the medium 1 of the first embodiment, the layered product 1 of the second embodiment comprises a substrate layer 2 and a near-infrared absorption layer 4 .

The base material layer 2 is a transparent sheet ( It may be a paper substrate (high-quality paper, code paper, etc.) (having visible light reflectivity and near infrared reflectivity). The near-infrared absorbing layer 4 is a near-infrared absorbing layer containing a near-infrared absorbing material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride described above, and in one example, one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride. It can be formed by applying a near-infrared absorbing ink containing to the substrate layer 2, or by printing on the substrate layer 2 using such a near-infrared absorbing ink.

As described later with experimental results, a near-infrared absorptive ink composition containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride can be exposed to near-infrared laser light to at least absorb near-infrared rays in a predetermined wavelength range. is reduced (reflectance is increased), and letters, images ( By applying near-infrared laser light to draw code information, etc. (laser marking), the near-infrared absorption characteristics of the drawn part change. Characters, images, code information, etc., which can be recognized using the are formed. For example, if the near-infrared absorption layer 4 is laser-marked so as to draw a bar code, a two-dimensional code, or numeric information, information similar to that shown in FIGS. (The reference number "2" in FIGS. 6 to 8 is read as the reference number "4"). When the substrate layer 2 is a substrate layer having near-infrared permeability such as a transparent substrate, the direction of arrow L in FIG. ), laser marking may be performed by irradiating the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 with a laser beam from the side of the substrate layer 2 .

As the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink composition, an ink containing cesium tungsten oxide represented by the chemical formula (general formula) Cs _x W _y O _z (x, y, z are positive real numbers) can be used. . As an example, an ink containing fine particles represented by Cs _0.33 WO ₃ having a hexagonal crystal structure, described in Patent Document 8 (Japanese Patent No. 6160830), can be used. As the lanthanum hexaboride-containing ink composition, an ink containing fine particles represented by the chemical formula LaB ₆ can be used. The near-infrared absorbing ink contains, in addition to cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride, dispersants, monomers, synthetic resins, auxiliaries, and the like. The content of cesium tungsten oxide in the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink is arbitrary, but in one example, a content of 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 6% by weight exhibits good characteristics in Examples described later. shown. The content of lanthanum hexaboride in the lanthanum hexaboride-containing ink is also arbitrary, and in one example may be from 0.05 wt% (weight percent) to 6 wt%, but at a content of 0.3 wt% Good properties are demonstrated in the examples below. Even when a near-infrared absorbing ink containing both cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride is used, the content of each of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride is similarly arbitrary. In any case, the preferable content can be changed depending on the printing density (height) or the like. The "content of cesium tungsten oxide (% by weight)" as used herein is the ratio of the weight of cesium tungsten oxide contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink.
Content of cesium tungsten oxide in ink (% by weight) = {(weight of cesium tungsten oxide)/(weight of entire ink)} × 100
is represented by
Similarly, the "lanthanum hexaboride content (% by weight)" is the ratio of the weight of lanthanum hexaboride contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink,
Content of lanthanum hexaboride in ink (% by weight)={(weight of lanthanum hexaboride)/(weight of entire ink)}×100
is represented by

(Third Embodiment)
FIG. 12 is an observation of a cross section of the laminate in the third embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the AA' cross section cut along the AA' line in FIG. 14, etc.; the same applies to other drawings). FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an image (visible light image), FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (near-infrared image) of the laminate with a near-infrared camera, and FIG. It is a diagram showing an observation image (visible light image) of the surface under light (the surface visible in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 12. The same applies to other figures.), and FIG. It is a figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the surface by a camera. In addition, regarding the surface view of FIG. 15, when the area of the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 is photographed with a near-infrared camera, not only the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 but also the second near-infrared absorbing layer below it 5 also absorbs the near-infrared rays, a near-infrared image that is actually darker than when the first near-infrared absorption layer 4 is photographed alone is obtained (in the surface view of FIG. 17 described later, the first The same applies to the area of the near-infrared absorbing layer 4).

The laminate 1 of the third embodiment includes a second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 between the substrate layer 2 and the (first) near-infrared absorbing layer 4 . The substrate layer 2 may be the same transparent sheet as in the second embodiment, or a paper substrate, or the like. Although it is a layer formed using a near-infrared absorbing ink containing one or both of lanthanum, the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 is a near-infrared absorbing material that is different from cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride. It is a near-infrared absorption layer containing.

In one example, the second near-infrared absorption layer 5 is made of antimony tin oxide (ATO), indium tin oxide (ITO), copper pyrophosphate (Cu ₂ P ₂ O ₇ ), etc., which has a near-infrared absorption effect. The second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 contains one or more near-infrared absorbing materials that are not significantly affected by application, and the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 is formed using a near-infrared absorbing ink containing such a near-infrared absorbing material. It can be formed by printing on the material layer 2 or by coating the substrate layer 2 with such a near-infrared absorbing ink. The near-infrared absorbing ink used for the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 includes a near-infrared absorbing material (powder, etc.) such as antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, copper pyrophosphate, dispersant, monomer, synthetic Including resins, auxiliaries, etc. The content of antimony tin oxide in the antimony tin oxide-containing ink is arbitrary, but in one example it may be from 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 6% by weight. The content of indium tin oxide in the indium tin oxide-containing ink is arbitrary, but in one example may be from 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 6% by weight. The content of copper pyrophosphate in the copper pyrophosphate-containing ink is arbitrary, but in one example it may be from 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 6% by weight. Even when a near-infrared absorbing ink containing two or more of antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, and copper pyrophosphate is used, the respective contents of antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, and copper pyrophosphate are similarly arbitrary. be. In any case, the preferable content can be changed depending on the printing density (height) or the like. The term "antimony tin oxide content (% by weight)" as used herein refers to the weight ratio of antimony tin oxide contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink.
Content of antimony tin oxide in ink (% by weight)={(weight of antimony tin oxide)/(weight of entire ink)}×100
is represented by
Similarly, the "indium tin oxide content (% by weight)" is the ratio of the weight of indium tin oxide contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink.
Content of indium tin oxide in ink (% by weight)={(weight of indium tin oxide)/(weight of entire ink)}×100
is represented by
Similarly, the "copper pyrophosphate content (% by weight)" is the ratio of the weight of copper pyrophosphate contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink.
Content of copper pyrophosphate in ink (% by weight)={(weight of copper pyrophosphate)/(weight of entire ink)}×100
is represented by

The laminate 1 shown in FIG. 12 and the like is printed on the substrate layer 2 using a near-infrared absorbing ink containing antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, copper pyrophosphate, etc. A near-infrared absorbing ink is applied onto the substrate layer 2 to form a second near-infrared absorbing layer 5, and one of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride is applied onto the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5. Alternatively, printing using a near-infrared absorbing ink containing both, or applying such a near-infrared absorbing ink on the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 to form the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 It can be produced by

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 12 and the like is irradiated with laser light in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser light is reduced (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view ), and FIG. 17 is a view (near-infrared image, surface view) showing an observed image of the surface when bar code information is written in the laminate by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. The first near-infrared absorption layer 4 containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride has the property that the near-infrared absorption decreases when exposed to near-infrared laser light. By performing laser marking on the near-infrared absorption layer 4, it is possible to write information that is at least difficult to recognize with a visible light camera or the naked eye, but can be recognized with a near-infrared camera. In addition, when the substrate layer 2 is a substrate layer having near-infrared permeability such as a transparent substrate, and the second near-infrared absorption layer 5 transmits at least a portion of the near-infrared rays, the arrow L in FIG. Even if laser marking is performed by irradiating the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 with a laser beam from the base layer 2 side instead of the direction (from the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 side in the laminate 1) good.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (visible light image) of the laminate in the fourth embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the surface view is the same as FIG. 14, but refer to reference numeral "5") 19 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (near-infrared image) of the laminate obtained by a near-infrared camera (the surface view is the same as FIG. 15, but the reference numeral "5" is read as reference numeral "2", and the oblique lines in that portion indicate the second near-infrared absorption layer 5 under the base material layer 2.), FIG. FIG. 17 is a view (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view) showing that the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate irradiated with laser light is reduced (the surface view is the same as FIG. 17, but the reference numeral "5 ' is read as reference numeral '2', and the oblique lines in that portion indicate the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 under the base material layer 2.).

In the laminate 1 of the fourth embodiment, the stacking order of the base material layer 2 and the second near-infrared absorption layer 5 is reversed compared to the laminate 1 of the third embodiment, but other than that may be the same as in the third embodiment, and as shown in FIG. 20, by performing laser marking on the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4, near-infrared rays, which are at least difficult to recognize with a visible light camera or the naked eye, Information can be written that can be recognized by the camera. When the substrate layer 2 is a substrate layer having near-infrared transmittance such as a transparent substrate, and the second near-infrared absorption layer 5 transmits at least a portion of the near-infrared rays, the direction of arrow L in FIG. Laser marking is performed by irradiating the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 with laser light from the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 side (not from the first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 side in the laminate 1). may The laminate 1 shown in FIG. 18 and the like is printed on the substrate layer 2 using a near-infrared absorbing ink containing antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, copper pyrophosphate, etc. Near-infrared absorbing ink is applied on the substrate layer 2 to form the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5, and the surface of the substrate layer 2 opposite to the surface on which the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 is formed is printed using a near-infrared absorbing ink containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride, or such a near-infrared absorbing ink is applied to the substrate layer 2 as a second near-infrared The first near-infrared absorbing layer 4 can be formed by coating the surface opposite to the surface on which the absorbing layer 5 is formed.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 21 is an observation of the cross section of the laminate in the fifth embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the AA' cross section cut along the AA' line in FIG. 23, etc.; the same applies to other drawings). FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an image (visible light image) of the laminate, FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (near infrared image) of the laminate with a near-infrared camera, and FIG. It is a diagram showing an observation image (visible light image) of the surface under light (the surface visible in the direction of arrow L in FIG. 21. The same applies to other figures.), and FIG. It is a figure which shows the observation image (near-infrared image) of the surface by a camera.

In the laminate 1 of the fifth embodiment, the near-infrared absorption layer on the substrate layer 2 (which may be a transparent sheet similar to the second embodiment, or a paper substrate, etc.) is the first near-infrared It is divided into two zones, an absorption zone 6 and a second near-infrared absorption zone 7 . The first near-infrared absorbing region 6 is a layer containing a near-infrared absorbing ink composition containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride, similar to the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 in the second embodiment. It is formed, and near-infrared absorptivity is reduced by irradiation with near-infrared laser light. As with the second near-infrared absorbing layer 5 in the third embodiment, the second near-infrared absorbing region 7 is different from cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride, such as antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, and copper pyrophosphate. is formed as a layer containing one or more near-infrared absorptive materials whose near-infrared absorption effect is not significantly affected by exposure to a near-infrared laser. The laminated body 1 shown in FIG. 21 and the like contains one or both of the cesium tungsten oxide and the lanthanum hexaboride in the portion corresponding to the first near-infrared absorbing region 6 on the base layer 2. printing with an infrared absorbing ink or applying such a near infrared absorbing ink to form a first near infrared absorbing area 6 of the near infrared absorbing layer; The part corresponding to the second near-infrared absorbing area 7 is printed with a near-infrared absorbing ink containing antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, copper pyrophosphate, or the like, or such a near-infrared absorbing ink is printed. It can be produced by applying ink to form the second near-infrared absorbing region 7 of the near-infrared absorbing layer.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing that the laminate shown in FIG. 21 and the like is irradiated with laser light in the direction of arrow L, and the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser light is reduced (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view) ), and FIG. 26 is a diagram (near-infrared image, surface diagram) showing an observation image of the surface when bar code information is written on the medium by irradiating laser light as shown in FIG. When the base material layer 2 is a base material layer having near-infrared permeability such as a transparent base material, the direction of the arrow L in FIG. Laser marking may be performed by irradiating the first near-infrared absorbing region 6 with a laser beam from the layer 2 side.

(Sixth embodiment)
FIG. 27 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (visible light image) of the laminate in the sixth embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the surface view is the same as FIG. 3, but refer to reference numeral "2" 28 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (near-infrared image) of the laminate obtained by a near-infrared camera (the surface view is the same as FIG. 4, but the reference numeral "2" is read as reference numeral "4".), FIG. 29 shows that the laminate shown in FIG. (The surface view is the same as FIGS. 6 to 8, but the reference number "2" is replaced with the reference number "4".) FIG.

In the laminate 1 of the sixth embodiment, the near-infrared reflective layer 8 is formed on the substrate layer 2 (which may be a transparent sheet similar to the second embodiment, or a paper substrate or the like). A near-infrared absorbing layer 4 (a layer similar to the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 of the second embodiment and containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride) is formed on the reflective layer 8. there is

In one example, the near-infrared reflective layer 8 has near-infrared reflective properties such as titanium oxide (titanium (IV) oxide: TiO ₂ ), silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), tin oxide (tin (IV) oxide: SnO ₂ ), and the like. A near-infrared reflective layer 8 containing one or more near-infrared reflective materials is printed on the substrate layer 2 using a near-infrared reflective ink containing such a near-infrared reflective material, or printed on the substrate. It can be formed by applying such a near-infrared reflective ink to the material layer 2 . The near-infrared reflective ink used for the near-infrared reflective layer 8 includes a near-infrared reflective material (powder, etc.) such as titanium oxide, silicon oxide, and tin oxide, as well as dispersants, monomers, synthetic resins, auxiliaries, and the like. including. The content of titanium oxide in the titanium oxide-containing ink is arbitrary, but in one example, the content may be from 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 30% by weight. The content of silicon oxide in the silicon oxide-containing ink is arbitrary, but in one example the content may be from 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 30% by weight. The tin oxide content in the tin oxide-containing ink is arbitrary, but in one example it may be from 0.5% by weight (weight percent) to 30% by weight. Even when a near-infrared reflective ink containing two or more of titanium oxide, silicon oxide, and tin oxide is used, the content of each of titanium oxide, silicon oxide, and tin oxide is similarly arbitrary. In any case, the preferable content can be changed depending on the printing density (height) or the like. The term "titanium oxide content (% by weight)" as used herein refers to the ratio of the weight of titanium oxide contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink.
Content of titanium oxide in ink (% by weight)={(weight of titanium oxide)/(weight of entire ink)}×100
is represented by
Similarly, the "silicon oxide content (% by weight)" is the ratio of the weight of silicon oxide contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink.
Content of silicon oxide in ink (% by weight)={(weight of silicon oxide)/(weight of entire ink)}×100
is represented by
Similarly, the "tin oxide content (% by weight)" is the ratio of the weight of tin oxide contained in the ink to the total weight of the ink.
Content of tin oxide in ink (% by weight)={(weight of tin oxide)/(weight of entire ink)}×100
is represented by 27 and the like may be colored (visible light absorbing) or colorless (visible light transmissive) (the same applies to other drawings).

The laminate 1 shown in FIG. 27 and the like is printed on the substrate layer 2 using a near-infrared reflective ink containing titanium oxide, silicon oxide, tin oxide, or the like, or is printed with such a near-infrared reflective ink. A near-infrared reflective layer 8 is formed by applying a thermal ink on the base material layer 2, and a near-infrared absorbing layer containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride is applied on the near-infrared reflective layer 8. The near-infrared absorbing layer 4 can be formed by printing with ink or applying such a near-infrared absorbing ink on the near-infrared reflecting layer 8 .

As in the second embodiment and the like, the near-infrared absorption layer 4 containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride has the property that the near-infrared absorption decreases when exposed to near-infrared laser light. By performing laser marking on the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 so as to draw a barcode (because the near-infrared reflecting layer 8 is present, as shown by the arrow L in FIG. It is preferable to irradiate an infrared laser beam), and information that is at least difficult to recognize with a visible light camera or the naked eye but can be recognized with a near-infrared camera can be written.

(Seventh embodiment)
FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (visible light image) of the laminate in the seventh embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the surface view is the same as FIG. 3, but refer to reference numeral "2" 31 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (near-infrared image) of the laminate obtained by a near-infrared camera (the surface view is the same as FIG. 4, but the reference numeral "2" is read as reference numeral “4”.), FIG. 32 shows that the laminate shown in FIG. (The surface view is the same as FIGS. 6 to 8, but the reference number "2" is replaced with the reference number "4".) FIG.

In the laminate 1 of the seventh embodiment, the stacking order of the base material layer 2 and the near-infrared reflective layer 8 is reversed compared to the laminate 1 of the sixth embodiment, but the other configuration is It may be the same as the sixth embodiment, and by performing laser marking on the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 as shown in FIG. (Because of the presence of the near-infrared reflective layer 8, it is possible to irradiate the near-infrared laser beam from the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 side of the laminate 1 as indicated by the arrow L in FIG. preferable). The laminate 1 shown in FIG. 30 and the like is printed on the substrate layer 2 using a near-infrared reflective ink containing titanium oxide, silicon oxide, tin oxide, or the like, or is printed with such a near-infrared reflective ink. A near-infrared reflective layer 8 is formed by applying a thermal ink on the substrate layer 2, and cesium tungsten oxide and hexaboride are applied to the surface of the substrate layer 2 opposite to the surface on which the near-infrared reflective layer 8 is formed. lanthanum, or near-infrared absorbing ink containing one or both of lanthanum, or such a near-infrared absorbing ink on the side opposite to the surface of the substrate layer 2 on which the near-infrared reflecting layer 8 is formed. It can be produced by coating the surface to form the near-infrared absorption layer 4 .

(Eighth embodiment)
FIG. 33 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional observation image (visible light image) of the laminate in the eighth embodiment of the present invention under visible light (the surface view is the same as FIG. 3, but refer to reference numeral "2" 34 is a view showing a cross-sectional observation image (near-infrared image) of the laminate obtained by a near-infrared camera (the surface view is the same as in FIG. 4, but the reference numeral "2" is read as reference numeral "9", and the oblique lines in that portion indicate the near-infrared absorption layer 4 under the wear-resistant hard coat layer 9.), FIG. FIG. 8 is a view (near-infrared image, cross-sectional view) showing that the near-infrared absorptivity of the portion of the laminate hit by the laser light is reduced by irradiating the laser light in the direction of the arrow L (the surface views are FIGS. 6 to 8. , except that the reference number "2" is replaced with the reference number "9", and the oblique lines in that portion indicate the near-infrared absorption layer 4 under the wear-resistant hard coat layer 9).

The laminate 1 of the eighth embodiment includes, in order from the top in the paper surface of FIG. A film 11 is provided.

The wear-resistant hard coat layer 9 (having visible light transmittance and near-infrared transmittance) is, for example, a layer excellent in wear resistance formed by applying an acrylic resin. The near-infrared absorbing layer 4 is a layer formed using a near-infrared absorbing ink containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride, as in the second embodiment. The near-infrared reflective layer 8 is a layer containing a near-infrared reflective material such as titanium oxide, silicon oxide, or tin oxide, as in the sixth embodiment. The base material layer 2 is formed as a transparent base material such as a transparent sheet having visible light transmittance and near-infrared transmittance, or any non-transparent base material, as in the second embodiment. As described in paragraph [0046] of Patent Document 13, the adhesive layer 10 is an example of an elastomer such as natural rubber, recycled rubber, and SBR, and a low-molecular-weight or medium-molecular-weight tackifier, antioxidant, or the like. It is formed by a pressure-sensitive adhesive using a mixture in a solution state. Thermoplastic elastomers can be applied in the molten state. Materials such as acrylate copolymers and polyisobutylene can be used when resistance to light and oxidation is required. A hot melt type heat sealing agent may be used. As described in paragraphs [0072] to [0073] of Patent Document 14, the release film 11 is, for example, water-soluble resins, hydrophilic resins, waxes, silicone resins, fluorine resins, aminoalkyd resins, melamine. It can be produced by applying a release agent such as a resin, polyester resin, or acrylic resin to a film using a polyester resin or polycarbonate resin. Examples of polyester-based resins include polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polybutylene naphthalate, polyarylate, and polytetramethylene terephthalate. In particular, polyethylene terephthalate is preferable from the viewpoint of ease of handling, cost, and the like. In one example, after peeling off the release film 11 from the laminate 1, the adhesive layer 10 of the laminate 1 (a laminate without the release film 11 is also referred to as "laminate 1") is attached to a window glass of a vehicle or the like. Thereby, the laminate 1 can be attached to an object such as a window glass. Although the wear-resistant hard coat layer 9 has the effect of being scratch resistant, it is not always necessary.

In the laminate 1 of the eighth embodiment, as in the laminate 1 of the second embodiment, laser marking is performed on the near-infrared absorption layer 4, so that it is at least difficult to recognize with a visible light camera or the naked eye. Information that can be recognized by a near-infrared camera can be written (because of the presence of the near-infrared reflective layer 8, as indicated by the arrow L in FIG. It is preferable to irradiate with a near-infrared laser beam). In one example, the laminate 1 shown in FIG. 33 and the like is
(1) The substrate layer 2 is printed with a near-infrared reflective ink containing titanium oxide, silicon oxide, tin oxide, or the like, or the substrate layer 2 is coated with such a near-infrared reflective ink. to form a near-infrared reflective layer 8 by coating on the
(2) applying a near-infrared absorbing ink containing one or both of cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride onto the near-infrared reflecting layer 8, or using such a near-infrared absorbing ink; Forming the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 by printing on the near-infrared reflecting layer 8,
(3) forming an abrasion-resistant hard coat layer 9 by applying an abrasion-resistant resin to the surface of the near-infrared absorbing layer 4 opposite to the near-infrared reflecting layer 8;
(4) forming the adhesive layer 10 by applying the adhesive material to the surface of the substrate layer 2 opposite to the side on which the near-infrared reflective layer 8 is formed;
(5) The release film 11 can be attached to the surface of the adhesive layer 10 opposite to the substrate layer 2 .

(Ninth embodiment)
Next, as a specific example of a system for acquiring information by imaging the medium 1 or laminate 1 in each of the above-described embodiments with a near-infrared camera, a platform door (platform) installed at a station A system for controlling the opening and closing of doors) will be explained.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing a boarding/disembarking place (platform) for a railway vehicle (train). Platform doors 24 to 33 are installed in a platform 40 of a railway station. Open and close by Near-infrared cameras 37 to 39, which are imaging units held by columnar members 34 to 36 fixed to the ceiling of the platform 40, are provided to photograph the vehicles (trains) 12 and 13. (Although moving images are captured here, the near-infrared cameras 37 to 39 may be configured to capture still images at appropriate timings). Cars 12 and 13 are coupled and travel on track 41 in the direction of arrow T to arrive at the station as shown. When arriving at the station, a crew member in one of the cars 12 and 13 presses a button for opening the car door in the cockpit inside the car, and selects one of the car doors 14 to 21 to be opened (Fig. 36). In the example of 1) the vehicle doors 16, 17, 20, 21) are opened. When the crew presses the above button to open the vehicle door, a radio signal indicating that the vehicle door is to be opened is sent from the communication circuit of one of the vehicles 12 and 13 via the communication antenna to the control computer 67 ( A communication circuit and a communication antenna are provided as the communication unit 81. The signal is transmitted to the communication antenna of FIG. A signal is sent through the cable to indicate the opening. The platform door storage units 24A to 34A open the platform doors corresponding to the platform doors 24 to 33 as necessary. At this time, the processing circuit and the opening/closing control circuit (see FIG. 38, which will be described later) of the platform door housing units 24A to 34A appropriately open and close the platform door according to whether the platform door corresponding to itself should be opened. However, in this judgment, information is already written by laser marking on the above-mentioned medium 1, laminate 1 (near-infrared absorbing substrate 2, or (first) near-infrared absorbing layer 4) It is possible to use the information obtained by photographing an object with a near-infrared camera.

FIG. 37 is a block diagram showing the device configuration of a near-infrared camera installed at the platform. The near-infrared camera 38 (the near-infrared cameras 37 and 39 also have the same device configuration) includes an infrared camera lens 42, a sensor unit 43, a memory 44, a processing circuit 45, and a cable 47 to a control computer in the station premises. It includes a communication unit 46 and a power supply system 48 that are communicably connected.

The infrared camera lens 42 is a lens capable of refracting at least near-infrared rays and guiding them to the infrared sensor section 43 . The infrared sensor unit 43 may be a thermal infrared sensor such as a bolometer type, a quantum infrared sensor such as an InGaAs type, or another type of infrared sensor. Also prepare. The memory 44 is a memory device such as RAM (Random Access Memory). , or a hard disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive), or the like, as appropriate. The processing circuit 45 is a processing circuit including an A/D (analog/digital) converter that converts the near-infrared image detected by the infrared sensor unit 43 from analog information to digital data, a processor that performs various data processing, and the like. The communication unit 46 transmits digital data (which is appropriately stored (recorded) in the memory 44) obtained by conversion by the A/D converter of the processing circuit 45 to the communication unit of the control computer 67 in the station via the cable 47, for example. 81 (and a communication antenna if necessary, such as when performing wireless communication). The power supply system 48 includes a battery such as a lithium ion battery, a circuit for supplying power to the processing circuit 45 and the like, and the like. The near-infrared camera 38 (37, 39) also includes other elements such as various buttons. will be omitted as appropriate).

FIG. 38 is a block diagram showing the device configuration of a platform door (platform door) storage unit installed in the platform. Platform door storage units 24A and 25A (for convenience, redefine reference numerals 49 and 58) for controlling the opening and closing of the platform door 24 (having a platform door left portion 24-1 and a platform door right portion 24-2). ) will be described as an example, but the other boarding/alighting door accommodation units 26A to 34A shown in FIG. 36 also have similar device configurations.

The platform door accommodating portion 49 includes a communication portion 50 (a communication circuit, a communication antenna, etc.; the same applies to other “communication portions”) connected to a cable 56, a processing circuit 51, a memory 52, and an opening/closing control circuit 53. , a drive unit 54 , and a power supply circuit 55 connected to a power cable 57 . The platform door accommodation unit 58 includes a communication unit 59 connected to a cable 65, a processing circuit 60, a memory 61, an opening/closing control circuit 62, a driving unit 63, and a power supply circuit 64 connected to a power cable 66. Prepare.

The communication unit 50 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the station control computer 67 and the near-infrared cameras 37 to 39 via the cable 56, and a communication antenna for wireless communication. The processing circuit 51 includes an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an embedded system, a microcomputer, or a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and includes a control computer 67 and near-infrared cameras 37-39. It is a circuit that processes command signals, various data, etc. received from the The memory 52 is a memory device such as RAM, and includes a hard disk, SSD, etc., as necessary. The opening/closing control circuit 53 is a circuit for controlling opening/closing of the boarding/alighting door 24 according to a command signal or the like from the control computer 67 in the station premises, and transmits an opening/closing control signal to the drive unit 54 . The driving unit 54 includes a motor, a mechanical mechanism, and the like for controlling the opening and closing of the boarding place door 24, and opens and closes the boarding place door according to the opening/closing control signal received from the opening/closing control circuit 53. (In one example, the drive unit 54 of the boarding field door housing unit 49 drives the boarding field door left part 24-1, and the driving unit 63 of the boarding field door housing part 58 drives the boarding field door right part 24-2. Accordingly, the drive unit 54 and the drive unit 63 cooperate to drive the platform door 24). The power supply circuit 55 is connected to an external power supply by a power cable 57 and supplies power to each element such as the processing circuit 51 .

The communication unit 59 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the station control computer 67 and the near-infrared cameras 37 to 39 via the cable 65, and a communication antenna for wireless communication. The processing circuit 60 is a circuit that includes an ASIC, an embedded system, a microcomputer, or a CPU, and processes command signals and various data received from the control computer 67 and the near-infrared cameras 37-39. The memory 61 is a memory device such as RAM, and includes a hard disk, SSD, etc., as necessary. The opening/closing control circuit 62 is a circuit for controlling opening/closing of the boarding/alighting door 24 according to a command signal or the like from the control computer 67 in the station premises, and transmits an opening/closing control signal to the drive unit 63 . The driving unit 63 includes a motor, a mechanical mechanism, and the like for controlling the opening and closing of the boarding place door 24, and opens and closes the boarding place door according to the opening/closing control signal received from the opening/closing control circuit 62. . The power supply circuit 64 is connected to an external power supply by a power cable 66 and supplies power to each element such as the processing circuit 60 .

FIG. 39 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control computer in the station premises. The station control computer 67 includes a processing section 68 , a temporary memory 73 , a storage section 74 , a communication section 81 , a power supply circuit 83 and an input/output section 85 .

The processing unit 68 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU of the processing unit 68 uses near-infrared image data, which is a captured image of the medium 1 (or laminate 1; hereinafter simply referred to as "medium 1") received from the near-infrared cameras 37 to 39 (near-infrared image The data is appropriately stored in the storage unit 74 as near-infrared camera photographed data 79.), and the processing unit 68 executes the image processing program 75 (stored in the storage unit 74; the same applies to other programs). The CPU functions as an image processing unit 69 . The image processing unit 69 processes the near-infrared image data to perform keystone correction on the near-infrared image of the medium 1 in the near-infrared image, as will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Extract individual identification information codes from near-infrared images of The CPU of the processing unit 68 functions as the code information processing unit 70 by executing the code information processing program 76 using the extracted individual identification information code. The code information processing unit 70 processes the individual identification information code, as will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG. and read the door number information. Further, the CPU of the processing unit 68 functions as a platform door opening/closing control unit 71 by executing a platform door opening/closing control program 77 using the read train set number and door number information. The platform door opening/closing control unit 71 processes information on the number of train cars and the number of doors, as will be described later with reference to the flowchart of FIG. and determining which landing door should be kept closed and sending a signal to the landing door receptacle corresponding to the landing door determined to be open to command the landing door to be opened. , is transmitted through the communication unit 81, and the boarding/alighting field door housing part corresponding to the boarding/alighting field door determined to be kept closed is instructed to keep the boarding/alighting field door closed. A signal is transmitted through the communication unit 81 . Further, the CPU of the processing unit 68 functions as various control units 72 by executing various control programs 78 (OS: operating system, etc.) using various data 80 stored in the storage unit 74, and performs various controls. Section 72 controls the overall operation of control computer 67 in the station premises. The temporary memory 73 is a memory device such as RAM, and temporarily stores data used for processing by the CPU of the processing unit 68 .

The storage unit 74 is a storage (recording) device including a hard disk drive, an SSD, etc., and includes an image processing program 75, a code information processing program 76, a platform door opening/closing control program 77, various control programs 78, and near-infrared camera data 79. , various data 80 are stored. The communication unit 81 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the near-infrared cameras 37 to 39, which are imaging units, the boarding hall door accommodation units 24A to 34A, etc. via the cable 82, and a communication antenna for wireless communication. The power supply circuit 83 is connected to an external power supply by a power cable 84 and supplies power to each element such as the processing unit 68 . The input/output unit 85 includes an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard for inputting commands and data to the control computer 67 in the station premises by station staff, administrators, etc. as necessary, a display device, and, if necessary, and an output device such as a speaker for outputting audio.

FIG. 40 is a diagram showing how information written on a medium is read by photographing (imaging) the medium adhering to the glass window of the vehicle door of a train with a near-infrared camera. FIG. 41 is a diagram showing how information written on a medium is read by photographing the medium attached to the windshield of a train with a near-infrared camera. The medium 1 may be attached to any of the vehicles 12 and 13, or to any part of the vehicle. In the following example, as shown in FIG. (see FIG. 36), the medium 1 is pasted on the glass window 89 of the vehicle door right portion 17-2 (the adhesive layer 10 as in the eighth embodiment may be pasted on the glass window 89). However, it may be attached by any other method such as attaching the medium 1 using a transparent tape that is transparent to visible light and near infrared rays). The near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 of the medium 1 (when using the medium 1 of the first embodiment), or the (first) near-infrared absorbing layer 4 (the medium (laminate) 1 of the second to eighth embodiments) use), the individual identification information code is written in advance by laser marking.

FIG. 42 is a flow chart of the operation of controlling the opening and closing of the platform door by reading the information written on the medium by photographing the medium attached to the train with a near-infrared camera. The near-infrared camera 38 continuously captures moving images as near-infrared images. acquire a near-infrared image of (step S101). The near-infrared camera 38 transmits the near-infrared image data obtained by photographing the medium 1 from the communication section 46 via the cables 47 and 82 to the communication section 81 of the control computer 67 in the station premises. The image processing unit 69 of the control computer 67 in the station premises performs keystone correction (image processing for correcting a distorted image to a rectangle or the like so as to facilitate processing of the received near-infrared image data. This is well known and will not be described in further detail. ) and (step S102), it is determined by image processing whether an individual identification information code (one-dimensional code, two-dimensional code, numeric information, etc., as described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8) exists ( step S103). If the individual identification information code exists (“Yes” in the conditional branch), the image processing unit 69 extracts the individual identification information code from the near-infrared image data after trapezoidal correction (step S104). If the individual identification information code does not exist (“No” in the conditional branch), the platform door opening/closing control unit 71 determines that all the platform doors 24 to 33 should remain closed, and the platform doors are accommodated. A signal instructing the units 24A to 34A to keep the corresponding hall door closed (the hall door housing units 24A to 34A receiving such a signal close the corresponding hall door). Since the doors 24 to 33 do not open, all the doors 24 to 33 remain closed (step S109).

In step S104, when the image processing unit 69 extracts the individual identification information code from the near-infrared image data after trapezoidal correction, the code information processing unit 70 decodes the extracted individual identification information code. After processing, information on the number of train cars and the number of doors is read from the code (step S105). In one example, by decoding an individual identification information code such as a one-dimensional code, two pieces of numerical information representing the number of train cars and the number of doors can be obtained. In another example, the code information processing unit 70 decodes the individual identification information code to obtain the vehicle type information representing the vehicle type of the vehicles 12 and 13, and the various vehicle type information and the set vehicle corresponding to the various vehicle type information. The code information processing unit 70 refers to the vehicle type database (assumed to be included in the "various data 80") that stores information on the number of doors and the number of doors in association with each other. It is possible to read information on the number of train cars and the number of doors. In the example of FIG. 40, it is assumed that a numerical value of "2" is read as the number of train cars and a numerical value of "2" is read as the number of doors information.

When the code information processing unit 70 reads the number of vehicles in the formation and the information on the number of doors, the platform door opening/closing control unit 71 next processes the number of vehicles in the formation "2" and the information on the number of doors "2". 33, the landing doors 24, 26, 29, 31 should be opened and the other landing doors should be kept closed The platform door opening/closing control unit 71 creates a target platform door database (assumed to be included in the "various data 80") that associates and stores a "group of number information" and a corresponding "group of platform doors to be opened". By referring to this, the platform door opening/closing control unit 71 can determine the platform door to be opened.), the platform door opening/closing control unit 71 selects the platform door 24 for the platform door accommodating units 24A and 25A. A signal for commanding to open is transmitted, a signal for commanding the boarding/alighting door accommodating units 26A and 27A to open the boarding/alighting door 26 is transmitted, and a signal for commanding the boarding/alighting door accommodation units 29A and 30A to open the boarding/alighting door is transmitted. 29, and transmits a signal to open the platform door 31 to the platform door storage units 31A and 32A. Upon receiving the command signal to open the corresponding hall door, each hall door accommodation unit processes the command in its own processing circuit and operates its own driving unit under the control of its own opening/closing control circuit. to open the boarding place door corresponding to itself (in the case of the boarding place door 24, the boarding place door left part 24-1 slides in the direction of the arrow O-1 in FIG. 38, and the landing door right portion 24-2 is slid in the direction of the arrow O-2 in FIG. As a result, the platform doors 24, 26, 29 and 31 are opened (step S106).

After that, when a certain period of time elapses, for example, a station attendant or the like inputs an instruction via the input/output unit 85 to close the door of the boarding/alighting area (a crew member in one of the cars 12 and 13 operates the inside of the car). Synchronously with closing the vehicle door (vehicle doors 16, 17, 20, 21 in the example of FIG. 36) to be closed among the vehicle doors 14 to 21 by pressing a button for closing the vehicle door in the room. , the station staff or the like inputs the above command via the input/output unit 85.) The platform door opening/closing control unit 71 again processes the number of train cars "2" and the door number information "2" (step S107). , the platform doors 24, 26, 29 and 31 out of the platform doors 24 to 33 should be closed. A signal instructing to close the door 24 is transmitted, a signal instructing the boarding/alighting door storage units 26A and 27A to close the boarding/alighting door 26 is transmitted, and a signal to command the boarding/alighting door storage units 29A and 30A to close is transmitted. A signal instructing to close the platform door 29 is transmitted, and a signal instructing the platform door 31 to be closed is transmitted to the platform door accommodation units 31A and 32A. Upon receiving the command signal to close the corresponding hall door, each hall door accommodation unit processes the command in its own processing circuit and operates its own drive unit under the control of its own opening/closing control circuit. closes the boarding place door corresponding to itself (in the case of the boarding place door 24, the boarding place door left part 24-1 slides in the direction of the arrow C-1 in FIG. 38, and the landing door right portion 24-2 slides in the direction of arrow C-2 in FIG. As a result, the platform doors 24, 26, 29 and 31 are closed (step S108). By using the medium 1 in such a manner,
- The medium 1 does not block the view of passengers or the like, or at least does not block it easily.
・The medium 1 (information obtained from it) can be recognized by a near-infrared camera even in a dark environment.
・A heat shielding effect is also obtained by the near-infrared absorption effect of the medium 1.
・It is possible to deal with differences in the number of train cars and the number of doors.
and other advantageous effects can be obtained.

(Tenth embodiment)
Next, as a specific example of a system for acquiring information by imaging the medium 1 or the laminate 1 in each of the above-described embodiments with a near-infrared camera that is an imaging unit, opening/closing control of a vehicle gate installed in a parking lot is performed. A system for

FIG. 43 is a diagram showing a vehicle gate for managing entry and exit of vehicles to and from a parking lot. When the vehicle 92 is about to enter the parking lot, it needs to be determined whether or not the vehicle 92 is a pre-registered vehicle at a vehicle gate position having a vehicle gate bar 95 and a vehicle gate control unit 96. and Whether or not a certain vehicle has been pre-registered can be determined from a registered vehicle information database (as shown in FIG. 46, which will be described later) having data on pre-registered vehicles in the form of a table shown in FIG. 105 stored in the storage unit 113). Each data (record) in the table shown in FIG. 44 has four data elements (fields) of vehicle ID, vehicle type, contract type, and remarks. The vehicle ID is an identification number or the like for uniquely identifying a certain vehicle, the vehicle type is a code or the like indicating the vehicle type of the vehicle, and the contract type is the agreement between the business operator that operates the parking lot and the owner of the vehicle. It is a code or the like indicating the type of contract exchanged between the parties, and the remarks are additional information about the vehicle. When a vehicle owner signs a contract for the use of a parking lot with a parking lot operator, the parking lot operator operates a control computer in the parking lot premises to A record corresponding to the vehicle is added to the information database, and the information indicating the vehicle ID of the vehicle is laser marked (in one example, encoded into a bar code or the like). The substrate 2 or (first) near-infrared absorbing layer 4) is written on and the medium 1 is given to the owner of the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle attaches the received medium 1 to the windshield or the like of the contracted vehicle. When the vehicle enters the parking lot, the operator's system captures the medium 1 attached to the vehicle with a near-infrared camera, and extracts the (encoded) vehicle ID from the obtained near-infrared captured image. Then, by determining whether or not a record having the extracted vehicle ID exists in the registered vehicle information database, it is determined whether or not the vehicle has been pre-registered.

A near-infrared camera 93 in FIG. 43 and a near-infrared camera 130 shown in FIG. 50 which will be described later are assumed to have the apparatus configuration shown in FIG. 37, like the near-infrared cameras 37 to 39 of the ninth embodiment. The near-infrared camera 93 is fixed by a columnar member 94 fixed to the roof of the entrance/exit of the parking lot, and the near-infrared camera 130 is also fixed by a columnar member (not shown). In FIG. 43, the vehicle gate control unit 96 drives the vehicle gate bar 95 to open and close according to a command received from the control computer 105 in the parking lot premises, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle gate. FIG. 45 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the vehicle gate control unit. The vehicle gate control unit 96 includes a communication unit 97 (a communication circuit, a communication antenna, etc.; the same applies to other “communication units”) connected to the cable 103 , a processing circuit 98 , a memory 99 , and an opening/closing control circuit 100 . , a drive unit 101 and a power supply circuit 102 connected to a power cable 104 .

The communication unit 97 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the control computer 105 (see FIG. 46 described later) and the near-infrared cameras 93 and 130 (see FIGS. 47 and 50 described later) via the cable 103 in the parking lot premises, and A communication antenna is provided for wireless communication. The processing circuit 98 is a circuit that includes an ASIC, an embedded system, a microcomputer, or a CPU, and processes command signals, various data, and the like received from the control computer 105 and the near-infrared cameras 93 and 130 . The memory 99 is a memory device such as RAM, and includes a hard disk, SSD, or the like as necessary. The opening/closing control circuit 100 is a circuit for controlling the opening/closing of the vehicle gate bar 95 in accordance with command signals or the like from the control computer 105 in the parking lot, and transmits opening/closing control signals to the drive unit 101 . The drive unit 101 includes a motor, a mechanical mechanism, and the like for controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle gate bar 95, and opens the vehicle gate bar 95 in response to an opening/closing control signal received from the opening/closing control circuit 100 (see the figure below). 48) and closes (see FIG. 43). The power supply circuit 102 is connected to an external power supply by a power cable 104 and supplies power to each element such as the processing circuit 98 .

FIG. 46 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control computer in a parking lot. The control computer 105 in the parking lot includes a processing section 106 , a temporary memory 112 , a storage section 113 , a communication section 124 , a power supply circuit 125 and an input/output section 128 .

The processing unit 106 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The CPU of the processing unit 106 uses the near-infrared image data of the medium 1 (or the laminate 1; hereinafter simply referred to as "medium 1") received from the near-infrared cameras 93 and 130 (near-infrared image data may be stored as near-infrared camera photographed data 120 in the storage unit 113), and the image processing program 114 (stored in the storage unit 113; the same applies to other programs). It functions as the processing unit 107 . The image processing unit 107 processes the near-infrared image data to perform trapezoidal correction on the near-infrared image of the medium 1 in the near-infrared image, as will be described later with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. A vehicle information code is extracted from the near-infrared image of the medium 1 . The CPU of processing unit 106 functions as code information processing unit 108 by executing code information processing program 115 using the extracted individual identification information code. The code information processing unit 108 processes the vehicle information code and reads the vehicle information (vehicle ID) from the vehicle information code, as will be described later with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 49 and 51 . Also, the CPU of the processing unit 106 functions as a database management unit 109 by executing the database management program 116 . The database management unit 109 manages the registered vehicle database 119 stored in the storage unit 113, and in the flow charts of FIGS. It is determined whether or not a record matching the value of the vehicle information (vehicle ID) exists in the registered vehicle information database 119 . Also, the CPU of the processing unit 106 functions as the gate opening/closing control unit 110 by executing the gate opening/closing control program 117 . 49 and 51, the gate opening/closing control unit 110 changes the read vehicle information (vehicle If a record matching the value of the vehicle ID exists in the registered vehicle information database 119, it is determined that the vehicle gate should be opened, and the vehicle ID field value is the value of the vehicle information (vehicle ID) read above. If no matching record exists in the registered vehicle information database 119, the communication unit determines that the vehicle gate should remain closed and sends a signal to command whether to open or remain closed. 124. The CPU of the processing unit 106 functions as various control units 111 by executing various control programs 118 (such as an OS) using various data 123 stored in the storage unit 113. control the overall operation of computer 105 . It is assumed that the various control units 111 also perform general data processing such as recording and reading of entry information data 121 and exit information data 122, which will be described later. A temporary memory 112 is a memory device such as a RAM, and temporarily stores data used for processing by the CPU of the processing unit 106 .

The storage unit 113 is a storage (recording) device including a hard disk drive, SSD, etc., and stores an image processing program 114, a code information processing program 115, a database management program 116, a gate opening/closing control program 117, various control programs 118, and registered vehicles. An information database 119, near-infrared camera image data 120, entrance information data 121, exit information data 122, and various data 123 are stored. The entry information data 121 is data in which the vehicle ID and information on the date and time of entering the parking lot are associated with each other, and the exit information data 122 is associated with the information on the date and time of leaving the parking lot and the vehicle ID. The data it contains. By determining the length of time (parking time) during which a vehicle corresponding to a certain vehicle ID has been parked in the parking lot from the entry information data and the exit information data, the operator of the parking lot can The owner can be charged for parking according to the parking time (and contract type, etc., if necessary). The communication unit 124 includes a communication circuit for communicating with the near-infrared cameras 93 and 130, the vehicle gate control unit 96 and the like via the cable 126, and a communication antenna for wireless communication. The power supply circuit 125 is connected to an external power supply via a power cable 127 and supplies power to each element such as the processing unit 106 . The input/output unit 128 includes an input device such as a mouse and a keyboard for inputting commands and data to the control computer 105 in the parking lot premises, a display device, and, if necessary, an operator who operates the parking lot. and an output device such as a speaker for outputting audio in response.

FIG. 47 is a diagram showing that the information written on the medium is read by photographing the medium attached to the vehicle with a (near) infrared camera when the vehicle enters the parking lot, and FIG. FIG. 49 is a diagram showing raising the vehicle gate bar (opening the vehicle gate) when the vehicle information code registered matches the code recorded in the pre-registered database; FIG. It is a flowchart of the operation|movement (at the time of entrance) which reads the vehicle information code written in the medium by imaging|photography by , and controls opening and closing of a vehicle gate. The operation of the system when the vehicle (automobile 92) enters the parking lot 129 will be described below with reference to these figures.

The near-infrared camera 93 continuously captures moving images as near-infrared images. acquire a near-infrared image (step S201). The near-infrared camera 93 transmits near-infrared image data obtained by photographing the medium 1 from the communication unit 46 (for convenience, the near-infrared cameras 93 and 130 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 126 to the communication unit 124 of the control computer 105 in the parking lot. The image processing unit 107 of the control computer 105 in the parking lot performs trapezoidal correction on the received near-infrared image data (step S202), and then converts the vehicle information code (as described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8) by image processing. , one-dimensional code, two-dimensional code, numeric information, etc.) exists (step S203). If a vehicle information code exists (“Yes” in conditional branching), the image processing unit 107 extracts the vehicle information code from the near-infrared image data after trapezoidal correction (step S204). If the vehicle information code does not exist (“No” in the conditional branch), the gate opening/closing control unit 110 determines that the vehicle gate should remain closed, and instructs the vehicle gate control unit 96 to close the vehicle gate. (The vehicle gate control unit 96 receiving such a signal does not open the vehicle gate, i.e., does not raise the vehicle gate bar 95, so that the vehicle gate remains closed.) Step S210 (see also FIG. 43).

In step S204, when the image processing unit 107 extracts the vehicle information code from the near-infrared image data after the keystone correction, the code information processing unit 108 performs processing such as decoding the extracted vehicle information code. Then, the vehicle information is read from the code (step S205). In one example, the vehicle ID is obtained by decoding a vehicle information code such as a one-dimensional code.

When the code information processing unit 108 reads the vehicle ID as the vehicle information, the database management unit 109 then performs a reference inquiry to the registered vehicle information database 119 using the obtained vehicle ID as key information, and obtains the near-infrared image data of the medium 1. It is determined whether or not a record having a vehicle ID value matching the vehicle ID value obtained as described above exists in the registered vehicle information database 119 ("match with pre-registered database", step S206). . When a record having a vehicle ID value that matches the vehicle ID value obtained from the near-infrared image data of the medium 1 exists in the registered vehicle information database 119 (“Yes” in the conditional branch), the various control units 111 The value of the matching vehicle ID and the entry date/time information (current time) to the parking lot are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 113 as the entry information data 121 to record the entry (step S208). If there is no record in the registered vehicle information database 119 that has a vehicle ID value that matches the vehicle ID value obtained from the near-infrared image data of the medium 1 (“No” in the conditional branch), the gate opening/closing control unit 110 , determines that the vehicle gate should remain closed, and transmits a signal to the vehicle gate control unit 96 to command the vehicle gate to remain closed (the vehicle gate that receives such a signal). Since the control unit 96 does not open the vehicle gate, that is, does not raise the vehicle gate bar 95, the vehicle gate remains closed (step S210, see also FIG. 43). In step S208, when the entry record is taken by the various control units 111, the gate opening/closing control unit 110 determines that the vehicle gate should be opened, and commands the vehicle gate control unit 96 to open the vehicle gate. Send a signal. The vehicle gate control unit 96 receives the signal to open the vehicle gate, processes the command signal in the processing circuit 98, transmits the driving signal from the opening/closing control circuit 100 to the driving unit 101, and the driving unit 101 opens the vehicle. The vehicle gate is opened by driving and raising the gate bar 95 (step S209; see also FIG. 48).

FIG. 50 is a diagram showing that the medium attached to the vehicle is photographed with a (near) infrared camera and the information written on the medium is read when the vehicle leaves the parking lot, and FIG. It is a flowchart of the operation|movement (at the time of exit) which reads the vehicle information code written in the medium by imaging|photographing the medium which carried out with a near-infrared camera, and controls opening and closing of a vehicle gate. Hereinafter, the operation of the system when the vehicle (automobile 92) leaves the parking lot 129 will be described with reference to these figures.

The near-infrared camera 130 continuously captures moving images as near-infrared images. acquire a near-infrared image (step S301). The near-infrared camera 130 transmits near-infrared image data obtained by photographing the medium 1 from the communication section 46 to the communication section 124 of the control computer 105 in the parking lot via cables 47 and 126 . The image processing unit 107 of the control computer 105 in the parking lot performs trapezoidal correction on the received near-infrared image data (step S302), and determines whether or not the vehicle information code exists by image processing (step S303). If a vehicle information code exists (“Yes” in conditional branching), the image processing unit 107 extracts the vehicle information code from the near-infrared image data after trapezoidal correction (step S304). If the vehicle information code does not exist (“No” in the conditional branch), the gate opening/closing control unit 110 determines that the vehicle gate should remain closed, and instructs the vehicle gate control unit 96 to close the vehicle gate. (The vehicle gate control unit 96 receiving such a signal does not open the vehicle gate, i.e., does not raise the vehicle gate bar 95, so that the vehicle gate remains closed.) Step S310 (see also FIG. 43).

In step S304, when the image processing unit 107 extracts the vehicle information code from the near-infrared image data after the keystone correction, the code information processing unit 108 performs processing such as decoding the extracted vehicle information code. Then, vehicle information is read from the code (step S305). In one example, the vehicle ID is obtained by decoding a vehicle information code such as a one-dimensional code.

When the code information processing unit 108 reads the vehicle ID as the vehicle information, the various control units 111 then compare the read vehicle ID with the entry information data 121 stored in the storage unit 113 (step S306). Then, it is determined whether or not entry information data including a vehicle ID value that matches the read vehicle ID value exists in the entry information data 121 stored in the storage unit 113 (step S307). If entry information data including a vehicle ID value that matches the read vehicle ID value exists in the entry information data 121 stored in the storage unit 113 (“Yes” in the conditional branch), the control unit 111 associates the matching vehicle ID value with the exit date/time information (current time) from the parking lot, and records the exit by storing them as exit information data 122 in the storage unit 113 (step S308). If the entrance information data including the vehicle ID value that matches the vehicle ID value obtained by reading does not exist in the entrance information data 121 stored in the storage unit 113 (“No” in the conditional branch), the gate is opened/closed. Controller 110 determines that the vehicle gate should remain closed and sends a signal to vehicle gate control 96 commanding the vehicle gate to remain closed. The vehicle gate control unit 96 that has received the information does not open the vehicle gate, that is, does not raise the vehicle gate bar 95, so the vehicle gate remains closed (step S310, see also FIG. 43). In step S308, when the exit record is taken by the various control units 111, the gate opening/closing control unit 110 determines that the vehicle gate should be opened, and commands the vehicle gate control unit 96 to open the vehicle gate. Send a signal. The vehicle gate control unit 96 receives the signal to open the vehicle gate, processes the command signal in the processing circuit 98, transmits the driving signal from the opening/closing control circuit 100 to the driving unit 101, and the driving unit 101 opens the vehicle. The vehicle gate is opened by driving and raising the gate bar 95 (step S309; see also FIG. 48).

When the vehicle 92 enters and exits the parking lot 129 according to the normal flow according to the system control shown in the flow charts of FIGS. As the information data 121, the vehicle ID of the vehicle 92 and the entry date/time information are stored in correspondence, and as the exit information data 122, the vehicle ID of the vehicle 92 and the exit date/time information are stored in correspondence. there is The operator who operates the parking lot determines the length of time (parking time) during which the vehicle 92 was parked in the parking lot 129 from such entry information data and exit information data, and informs the owner of the vehicle 92. parking fee corresponding to the parking time (and, if necessary, the contract type, etc.). may go). By using the medium 1 in such a manner,
- The field of view of the driver or the like is not obstructed by the medium 1, or at least not obstructed.
・A heat shielding effect is also obtained by the near-infrared absorption effect of the medium 1.
・By the near-infrared absorption effect of the medium 1, it is possible to prevent peeping inside the car by a night-vision camera (near-infrared camera).
・When using the medium 1 for vehicle entrance/exit management in a parking lot or vehicle traffic management on a highway, the near-infrared camera recognizes the medium 1 (information obtained from it) from a distance, and opens the gate in advance. By managing it, it is possible to smoothly pass through the gate without slowing down the speed of the car.
・Violation vehicles can be easily identified by surveillance cameras.
and other advantageous effects can be obtained.

FIG. 52 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a laser marker device for performing laser marking (drawing, printing, etc.) described so far. The laser marker device 131 includes a control section 132, a storage section 133, a driving (scanning) section 134, a laser beam irradiation section 135, and the like. While the head of the laser light irradiation unit 135 is driven by the driving unit 134, the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2 is irradiated with near-infrared laser light from the head to the near-infrared absorbing layer or to the laser coloring layer. , the (first) near-infrared absorption layer 4, or if there are other substrates, layers, etc. to be laser-marked, the above-described laser marking is performed. In the operation of the laser marker device 131, a controller 132 equipped with various control circuits such as a CPU or a built-in control circuit (a separate computer outside the laser marker device 131 acts as the controller 132). The driving unit 134, which is a driving device equipped with a motor or the like, is directed toward the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2, the (first) near-infrared absorbing layer 4, etc., as already described. While driving the head of the laser light irradiation unit 135 (moving (scanning) the head), the laser light irradiation unit 135 (in one example, a Nd:YAG laser which is a device for generating laser light with a laser wavelength of 1064 nm and a laser beam irradiation device including various devices for irradiating a target with a laser beam, such as a head. Infrared laser light (which may be a near-infrared laser beam) is applied. A storage unit 133 having a storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk stores characters, images, etc. to be drawn by laser marking, which are read by the control unit 132 as appropriate and used to control the operation of the laser marker device 131. Various data are stored, and the laser marker device 131 draws characters, images, etc. stored in the storage unit 133 on the near-infrared absorbing substrate 2, the (first) near-infrared absorbing layer 4, and the like. Since there are many known laser marking devices, they will not be described in further detail here.

(Example of near-infrared absorbing ink)
Experimental results of various laminates (offset printed matter) produced using cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink and lanthanum hexaboride-containing ink as near-infrared absorbing inks that can be used in the present invention are shown below as comparative examples. The results will be described in comparison with experimental results of offset printed matter produced using ytterbium-containing ink.

(Comparative example 1)
Ytterbium (III) oxide, 3N5 powder and an ink medium containing monomers, synthetic resins, and other non-infrared absorbing materials are mixed so that the weight ratio of ytterbium oxide to ink medium is 25:75, and oxidation is performed. An ink was prepared with a ytterbium content of 25% by weight. Using the ytterbium oxide-containing ink prepared in this manner, printing was performed on a partial area of the woodfree paper that was the substrate with an offset printing machine (offset printability tester IGT C1 (manufactured by IGT Testing Systems)). rice field. The resulting printed matter was used as the laminate of Comparative Example 1, and photographed with an infrared visualization device VSC8000 (manufactured by Foster and Freeman) with a filter that cuts off light with a wavelength of 925 nm or less attached to the camera lens of the device. .

(Example 1)
A dispersion containing cesium tungsten oxide Cs _0.33 WO ₃ and the same ink medium as in Comparative Example 1 containing monomers, synthetic resins, and other non-infrared absorbing materials were added to the weight of cesium tungsten oxide and all other components. An ink with a cesium tungsten oxide content of 2% by weight was prepared by mixing in a ratio of 2:98. Using the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink prepared in this manner, printing was performed on a partial area of the woodfree paper that was the substrate with an offset printing machine (offset printability tester IGT C1 (manufactured by IGT Testing Systems)). gone. The obtained printed matter was used as the laminate of Example 1, and photographed with an infrared visualization device VSC8000 (manufactured by Foster and Freeman) with a filter that cuts off light with a wavelength of 925 nm or less attached to the camera lens of the device. .

Infrared photographs of the ytterbium oxide-containing ink and the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink prepared in Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 were taken with the above-mentioned infrared camera, and the printed matter was offset-printed as described above using each ink. FIG. 53 shows an infrared photograph taken by the infrared camera. From the photographs of the inks, it can be understood that both the ytterbium oxide-containing ink and the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink exhibit near-infrared absorptivity. I couldn't. On the other hand, in printed matters obtained by offset printing with ink containing cesium tungsten oxide, which has a low content, the difference in brightness between the unprinted area and the printed area can be visually recognized, and the printed area is near-infrared absorbing. was found to have

The above experimental results are summarized in the following table.

In the above table, "film thickness" is the film thickness of the ytterbium oxide-containing ink layer or the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink layer formed by offset printing. It is a reference value assuming a typical film thickness to be formed. The film thickness formed by offset printing in each example described later is also estimated to be about 1 μm to about 3 μm. All the examples in this specification are tested under the same conditions such as print density, and theoretically, the film thicknesses are considered to be the same. In addition, the "infrared absorption rate" in Example 1 means the reflectance measured using a JASCO V-670 UV-visible near-infrared spectrophotometer (manufactured by JASCO Corporation) (the irradiated light is reflected on the surface of the printed matter. It is the ratio of the intensity of the reflected light from the surface of the target printed matter to the intensity of the reflected light from the reference base material surface (reference portion). (Absorptance (%)=100-Reflectance (%)).

Next, offset printing was performed on various base sheets using a near-infrared absorbing ink with a cesium tungsten oxide (Cs _0.33 WO ₃ ) content (content rate) of 2% by weight. Then, laser marking was performed using a laser marker device, and the reflectance of electromagnetic waves in the visible to near-infrared wavelength range was measured for the marked and non-marked portions. As in Example 1, the “reflectance” in the following examples is the ratio of the intensity of the reflected light when the irradiated light is reflected on the surface of the printed matter, and is the reference substrate surface ( It is the ratio of the intensity of the reflected light from the surface of the target printed matter to the intensity of the reflected light from the reference part) (obtained by measurement using a JASCO V-670 UV-visible near-infrared spectrophotometer (manufactured by JASCO Corporation) value.).
The "reflectance" in Example 1 above and Examples 2-11 below can be generally defined by the following equation.
Reflectance (%) of target portion (target surface)={(intensity of reflected light from target portion (target surface))/(intensity of reflected light from reference portion (reference surface))}×100

を用い、波長１０６４ｎｍのＮｄ：ＹＡＧレーザーによるレーザー光によって上記印刷面にレーザー印字を行った。 レーザー印字された部分の、波長４００ｎｍ～２０００ｎｍにおける可視光～近赤外線の反射率を、ＪＡＳＣＯ Ｖ－６７０ 紫外可視近赤外分光光度計（日本分光株式会社製）を用いて測定した。 (Example 2)
By mixing a dispersion containing cesium tungsten oxide Cs _0.33 WO ₃ with monomers, synthetic resins, auxiliaries, etc. so that the weight ratio of cesium tungsten oxide to all other components is 2:98. , an ink containing 2% by weight of cesium tungsten oxide was prepared. Using the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink thus produced, printing was performed on a PC (polycarbonate) sheet as a base material by an offset printing machine (offset printability tester IGT C1 (manufactured by IGT Testing Systems)). . The resulting printed matter was used as the laminate of Example 2, and the reflectance of visible light to near infrared light at a wavelength of 400 nm to 2000 nm on the printed surface before laser printing was measured with a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet visible near infrared spectrophotometer (Japan Spectroscopy Co., Ltd.). Furthermore, as a laser marker device,

was used to perform laser printing on the printed surface with laser light from an Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm. Visible to near-infrared reflectance at wavelengths of 400 nm to 2000 nm of the laser-printed portion was measured using a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer (manufactured by JASCO Corporation).

を用い、波長１０６４ｎｍのＮｄ：ＹＡＧレーザーによるレーザー光によって上記印刷面にレーザー印字を行った。 レーザー印字された部分の、波長４００ｎｍ～２０００ｎｍにおける可視光～近赤外線の反射率を、ＪＡＳＣＯ Ｖ－６７０ 紫外可視近赤外分光光度計（日本分光株式会社製）を用いて測定した。 (Example 3)
By mixing a dispersion containing cesium tungsten oxide Cs _0.33 WO ₃ with monomers, synthetic resins, auxiliaries, etc. so that the weight ratio of cesium tungsten oxide to all other components is 2:98. , an ink containing 2% by weight of cesium tungsten oxide was prepared. Using the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink prepared in this manner, printing is performed on a PET-G (copolyester) sheet as a substrate by an offset printing machine (offset printability tester IGT C1 (manufactured by IGT Testing Systems)). did The obtained printed matter was used as the laminate of Example 3, and the reflectance of visible light to near infrared rays at a wavelength of 400 nm to 2000 nm on the printed surface before laser printing was measured with a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet visible near infrared spectrophotometer (Japan Spectroscopy Co., Ltd.). Furthermore, as a laser marker device,

was used to perform laser printing on the printed surface with laser light from an Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm. Visible to near-infrared reflectance at wavelengths of 400 nm to 2000 nm of the laser-printed portion was measured using a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer (manufactured by JASCO Corporation).

を用い、波長１０６４ｎｍのＮｄ：ＹＡＧレーザーによるレーザー光によって上記印刷面にレーザー印字を行った。 レーザー印字された部分の、波長４００ｎｍ～２０００ｎｍにおける可視光～近赤外線の反射率を、ＪＡＳＣＯ Ｖ－６７０ 紫外可視近赤外分光光度計（日本分光株式会社製）を用いて測定した。 (Example 4)
By mixing a dispersion containing cesium tungsten oxide Cs _0.33 WO ₃ with monomers, synthetic resins, auxiliaries, etc. so that the weight ratio of cesium tungsten oxide to all other components is 2:98. , an ink containing 2% by weight of cesium tungsten oxide was prepared. Using the cesium tungsten oxide-containing ink prepared in this way, printing is performed on a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) sheet as a substrate by an offset printing machine (offset printability tester IGT C1 (manufactured by IGT Testing Systems)). gone. The obtained printed matter was used as the laminate of Example 4, and the reflectance of visible light to near infrared light at a wavelength of 400 nm to 2000 nm on the printed surface before laser printing was measured with a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet visible near infrared spectrophotometer (Japan Spectroscopy Co., Ltd.). Furthermore, as a laser marker device,

was used to perform laser printing on the printed surface with laser light from an Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm. Visible to near-infrared reflectance at wavelengths of 400 nm to 2000 nm of the laser-printed portion was measured using a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer (manufactured by JASCO Corporation).

FIG. 54 shows the results of reflectance measurements performed in Examples 2 to 4 above. 55 shows the reflectance measurement results of Example 2, FIG. 56 shows the reflectance measurement results of Example 3, and the reflectance measurement results of Example 4 are shown in FIG. 57 are extracted from the graph of FIG. In the graphs of FIGS. 54 to 57, the value on the horizontal axis is the wavelength (nm) of the electromagnetic wave, and the value on the vertical axis is the reflectance of the electromagnetic wave at the wavelength indicated by the value on the horizontal axis on the printed surface or laser-printed portion. (%).

As is clear from the graphs of FIGS. 54 to 57, laser printing increases the reflectance (decreases the absorptance) in the near-infrared region, regardless of which base material is used. The width of the increase varies depending on the wavelength on the horizontal axis, but in the near infrared region of 780 nm to 2000 nm, the reflectance is increased by at least 5% or more, generally 10% to 15%, or more due to laser printing. Readable. As a general trend, the change in reflectance before and after laser printing in the visible light wavelength region is smaller than the change in reflectance before and after laser printing in the near-infrared region. It is thought that it is possible to draw characters, images, etc., which are relatively difficult to see with a typical camera.

Next, on woodfree paper as a base sheet, 6 types of near-infrared absorption having different cesium tungsten oxide (Cs _0.33 WO ₃ ) contents (content rates) from 0.5 wt% to 6 wt% Offset printing was performed using a polar ink, and the reflectance of electromagnetic waves in the visible to near-infrared wavelength region of the printed surface (near-infrared absorbing ink layer) of each printed matter was measured. The definition of reflectance and the equipment used for reflectance measurement are the same as those in Examples 1 to 4 described above.

(Examples 5-10)
A dispersion liquid containing cesium tungsten oxide Cs _0.33 WO ₃ , monomers, synthetic resins, auxiliaries, etc., is prepared so that the weight ratio of cesium tungsten oxide to all other components is:
(Example 5) 0.5:99.5
(Example 6) 1:99
(Example 7) 1.3: 98.7
(Example 8) 2:98
(Example 9) 3:97
(Example 10) 6:94
Six kinds of inks having a cesium tungsten oxide content of 0.5% by weight to 6% by weight were prepared by mixing so as to have the following values. Using each of the cesium tungsten oxide-containing inks prepared in this manner, an offset printing machine (offset printability tester IGT C1 (manufactured by IGT Testing Systems)) is applied to the above fine paper sheet as a base material. was printed by The resulting six types of printed matter were used as laminates of Examples 5 to 10, and the reflectance of visible light to near infrared light at wavelengths of 400 nm to 2000 nm was measured using a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet-visible near-infrared spectrophotometer (Jasco Corp. (manufactured).

FIG. 58 shows the results of reflectance measurements performed in Examples 5 to 10 above. In the graph of FIG. 58, the value on the horizontal axis is the wavelength (nm) of the electromagnetic wave, and the value on the vertical axis is the reflectance (%) of the electromagnetic wave of the wavelength indicated by the value on the horizontal axis on the printed surface. It can be seen that, at least in the near-infrared wavelength region, the reflectance at the same wavelength decreases as the content of tungsten cesium oxide increases. A similar tendency can be read in the visible light wavelength range. That is, as the content of cesium tungsten oxide in the ink is increased, the image or the like printed by offset printing using the ink becomes easier to recognize using a near-infrared camera or the like. Since the rate is also low, the possibility of being visible with the naked eye or a general camera increases, and it is considered preferable to select an appropriate content of cesium tungsten oxide from the viewpoint of security.

Next, offset printing was performed on PC (polycarbonate) as a base material sheet using a near-infrared absorbing ink having a lanthanum hexaboride (LaB ₆ ) content (content rate) of 0.3% by weight. Laser marking was performed on the printed matter using a laser marker device, and the reflectance of electromagnetic waves in the visible to near-infrared wavelength range was measured for the marked and non-marked portions. Also in this embodiment, the reflectance is the ratio of the intensity of the reflected light when the irradiated light is reflected on the surface of the printed material, and It is the ratio of the intensity of reflected light from the surface of the target printed material (value obtained by measurement using a JASCO V-670 UV-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer (manufactured by JASCO Corporation)).

を用い、波長１０６４ｎｍのＮｄ：ＹＡＧレーザーによるレーザー光によって上記印刷面にレーザー印字を行った。 レーザー印字された部分の、波長４００ｎｍ～２０００ｎｍにおける可視光～近赤外線の反射率を、ＪＡＳＣＯ Ｖ－６７０ 紫外可視近赤外分光光度計（日本分光株式会社製）を用いて測定した。 (Example 11)
A dispersion liquid containing lanthanum hexaboride (LaB ₆ ), monomers, synthetic resins, auxiliaries and the like were mixed so that the weight ratio of lanthanum hexaboride to all other components was 0.3:99.7. An ink having a lanthanum hexaboride content of 0.3% by weight was prepared by mixing so that the contents were equal to each other. Using the lanthanum hexaboride-containing ink thus produced, printing was performed on a PC (polycarbonate) sheet as a substrate by an offset printing machine (offset printability tester IGT C1 (manufactured by IGT Testing Systems)). rice field. The obtained printed matter was used as the laminate of Example 11, and the reflectance of visible light to near infrared rays at a wavelength of 400 nm to 2000 nm on the printed surface before laser printing was measured with a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet visible near infrared spectrophotometer (Japan Spectroscopy Co., Ltd.). Furthermore, as a laser marker device,

was used to perform laser printing on the printed surface with laser light from an Nd:YAG laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm. Visible to near-infrared reflectance at wavelengths of 400 nm to 2000 nm of the laser-printed portion was measured using a JASCO V-670 ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared spectrophotometer (manufactured by JASCO Corporation).

FIG. 59 shows the results of reflectance measurement performed in Example 11 above. In the graph of FIG. 59, the value on the horizontal axis is the wavelength (nm) of the electromagnetic wave, and the value on the vertical axis is the reflectance (%) of the electromagnetic wave of the wavelength indicated by the value on the horizontal axis on the printed surface or laser-printed portion. is.

As is clear from the graph of FIG. 59, laser printing increases the reflectance (decreases the absorptivity) in the near-infrared region. Although the amount of increase varies depending on the wavelength on the horizontal axis, it can be seen that the reflectance increases by approximately 5% to 14% in the near-infrared region of 780 nm to 1400 nm due to laser printing. As an overall trend, the change in reflectance before and after laser printing in the visible light wavelength range is smaller than the change in reflectance before and after laser printing in the near-infrared region of about 800 nm to 1200 nm. Therefore, it is thought that characters, images, etc., which are relatively difficult to see with the naked eye or with a general camera, can be drawn.

(Example of use)
In each of the above-described embodiments, specific examples of the medium and laminate of the present invention, and systems and methods using the medium and laminate of the present invention include opening/closing control of doors at train stations and opening/closing of vehicle gates in parking lots. Although the system and method for performing control have been described, the medium and laminate of the present invention are not limited to the specific examples described above, and the medium and laminate of the present invention can be used for applications other than the specific uses described. can also be used for In one example, the medium and laminate of the present invention can be produced as a heat shield film for window attachment by providing a layer having a heat shielding property on the medium and laminate of the present invention. Examples of uses of the medium and laminate of the present invention include brand protection, information display of PET bottles, ID cards, data pages, and the like.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a wide range of industrial applications, such as opening/closing control of train station doors and car gates in parking lots, brand protection, information display of PET bottles, ID cards, and data pages.

1 laminate or medium 2 substrate layer or near-infrared absorbing substrate 3 portion irradiated with laser light 4 (first) near-infrared absorbing layer 5 second near-infrared absorbing layer 6 first near-infrared absorbing region 7 second near-infrared absorbing region 8 near-infrared reflecting layer 9 abrasion-resistant hard coat layer 10 adhesive layer 11 release films 12, 13 vehicle (train)
14-21 Vehicle door 16-1 Vehicle door left part 16-2 Vehicle door right part 17-1 Vehicle door left part 17-2 Vehicle door right part 22 Front (front) glass window 23 Rear (rear) glass window 24- 33 Platform doors (platform doors)
24A to 34A Boarding place door housing part 24-1 Boarding place door left part 24-2 Boarding place door right part 25-1 Boarding place door left part 25-2 Boarding place door right part 26-1 Boarding place door left part 26- 2 Right part of the boarding area door 34-36 Columnar member (fixed to the ceiling part of the boarding area)
37-39 near-infrared camera (imaging unit)
40 platform
41 Track (Rail)
42 Infrared camera lens 43 Infrared sensor (including cooler, etc.)
44 memory (storage device)
45 processing circuit (A/D converter, etc.)
46 communication unit 47 cable (communication signal line)
48 Power supply system (battery, power supply circuit, etc.)
49 platform door storage unit 50 communication unit 51 processing circuit 52 memory 53 opening/closing control circuit 54 driving unit (motor, etc.)
55 Power supply circuit 56 Cable (communication signal line)
57 power cable 58 platform door storage unit 59 communication unit 60 processing circuit 61 memory 62 opening/closing control circuit 63 drive unit (motor, etc.)
64 Power supply circuit 65 Cable (communication signal line)
66 power supply cable 67 station control computer 68 processing unit 69 image processing unit 70 code information processing unit 71 platform door opening/closing control unit 72 various control units 73 temporary memory 74 storage unit 75 image processing program 76 code information processing program 77 platform door opening/closing Control program 78 Various control programs 79 Near-infrared camera image data 80 Various data 81 Communication unit 82 Cable (communication signal line)
83 power circuit 84 power cable 85 input/output unit (display device, keyboard, mouse, etc.)
86 to 89 glass windows 90, 91 boarding area door housing part 92 automobile 92-1 windshield window 93 infrared camera (imaging part)
94 Columnar member (fixed to the roof of the parking lot entrance)
95 vehicle gate bar 96 vehicle gate control unit 97 communication unit 98 processing circuit 99 memory 100 opening/closing control circuit 101 driving unit (motor, etc.)
102 power supply circuit 103 cable (communication signal line)
104 Power cable 105 Control computer 106 in parking lot premises Processing unit (CPU etc.)
107 Image processing unit 108 Code information processing unit 109 Database management unit 110 Gate opening/closing control unit 111 Various control units 112 Temporary memory 113 Storage unit (HDD, SSD, etc.)
114 Image processing program 115 Code information processing program 116 Database management program 117 Gate opening/closing control program 118 Various control programs (OS etc.)
119 Registered vehicle information database 120 Near-infrared camera data 121 Entrance information data 122 Exit information data 123 Various data 124 Communication unit 125 Power supply circuit 126 Cable (communication signal line)
127 power cable 128 input/output unit (display device, keyboard, mouse, etc.)
129 parking lot 130 near-infrared camera (imaging unit)
131 laser marker device 132 control unit 133 storage unit 134 driving (scanning) unit 135 laser irradiation unit

Claims (20)

A medium comprising at least a portion of a near-infrared absorbing material comprising cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride, wherein said object is obtained by applying a laser beam to a portion of said medium containing said near-infrared absorbing material. A medium characterized in that the portion has reduced near-infrared absorption in at least a predetermined wavelength range. a substrate layer having near-infrared transparency or reflectivity;
and a near-infrared absorbing layer containing the near-infrared absorbing material containing the cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride. a substrate layer;
a first near-infrared absorbing layer containing a first near-infrared absorbing material that is the near-infrared absorbing material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride;
and a second near-infrared absorbing layer comprising a second near-infrared absorbing material different from cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride. a substrate layer;
configured as a laminate comprising a near-infrared absorbing layer and
The near-infrared absorption layer is
a first section comprising a first near-infrared absorbing material that is the near-infrared absorbing material comprising the cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride;
and a second region comprising a second near-infrared absorbing material that is different from cesium tungsten oxide and lanthanum hexaboride. 5. The medium of claim 3 or 4, wherein the second near-infrared absorbing material comprises one or more of antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, copper pyrophosphate. a substrate layer;
a near-infrared absorbing layer containing the near-infrared absorbing material containing the cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride;
2. The medium of claim 1, configured as a laminate comprising a near-infrared reflective layer comprising a near-infrared reflective material. 7. The medium of claim 6, wherein the near-infrared reflective material comprises one or more of titanium oxide, silicon oxide, tin oxide. a mobile object;
8. The medium according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which has a sheet shape and is attached to the moving body, wherein information is written by applying the laser beam to the target portion. ,
an imaging unit that images the target portion with a near-infrared camera;
and an information acquisition unit that acquires the information from an image captured by the near-infrared camera. The mobile body is a plurality of connected vehicles,
The information includes information regarding the number of the plurality of connected vehicles and the number of doors possessed by the plurality of connected vehicles;
The near-infrared camera is a near-infrared camera provided in a boarding area for boarding and alighting the plurality of connected vehicles,
opening and closing a plurality of boarding area doors provided at the boarding area based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit regarding the number of the plurality of connected vehicles and the number of doors possessed by the plurality of connected vehicles; further comprising a platform door opening/closing control unit that controls the
9. System according to claim 8. the moving body is a vehicle,
the information includes vehicle information that identifies the vehicle;
The system includes:
a registered vehicle information storage unit that stores a registered vehicle information database in which registered vehicle information for identifying registered vehicles is registered;
a database reference unit that determines whether registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle identified by the vehicle information acquired by the information acquisition unit is registered in the registered vehicle information database;
a gate opening/closing control unit that controls opening/closing of the vehicle gate according to the result of the determination by the database reference unit;
9. System according to claim 8. The gate opening/closing control unit opens the vehicle gate when the database reference unit determines that registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle is registered in the registered vehicle information database, and controls registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle. controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle gate so that the vehicle gate is closed when the database reference unit determines that the vehicle gate is not registered in the registered vehicle information database;
The system further comprises an entrance information storage unit that stores entrance information of the vehicle entering the designated area through the opened vehicle gate.
11. System according to claim 10. The system further comprises an exit information storage unit that stores exit information of the vehicle exiting the designated area through the opened vehicle gate,
12. The system of claim 11. 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said registered vehicle information storage unit, said entrance information storage unit, and said exit information storage unit are configured by a single storage device. A medium at least partially containing a near-infrared absorptive material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride is irradiated with a laser beam to determine the near-infrared absorption characteristics of the target portion. A method characterized by printing or drawing by changing. a medium at least partially containing a near-infrared absorptive material containing cesium tungsten oxide or lanthanum hexaboride, wherein the medium has a sheet shape and is attached to a moving body, and is imaged with a near-infrared camera;
and an information acquisition unit acquiring, from an image captured by the near-infrared camera, information represented by an absorption characteristic of the medium with respect to near-infrared rays. The mobile body is a plurality of connected vehicles,
The information includes information regarding the number of the plurality of connected vehicles and the number of doors possessed by the plurality of connected vehicles;
The near-infrared camera is a near-infrared camera provided in a boarding area for boarding and alighting the plurality of connected vehicles,
opening and closing a plurality of boarding area doors provided at the boarding area based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit regarding the number of the plurality of connected vehicles and the number of doors possessed by the plurality of connected vehicles; is controlled by the platform door opening/closing control unit,
16. The method of claim 15. the moving body is a vehicle,
the information includes vehicle information that identifies the vehicle;
The registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle identified by the vehicle information acquired by the information acquisition unit is stored in a registered vehicle information database in which registered vehicle information identifying a registered vehicle is registered, and in the registered vehicle information storage unit. a database reference unit determining whether or not the vehicle is registered in the stored registered vehicle information database;
a gate opening/closing control unit controlling the opening/closing of the vehicle gate according to the result of the determination by the database reference unit;
16. The method of claim 15. The control of opening and closing of the vehicle gate by the gate opening/closing control unit opens the vehicle gate when the database reference unit determines that registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle is registered in the registered vehicle information database. and controlling the opening and closing of the vehicle gate so as to close the vehicle gate when the database reference unit determines that the registered vehicle information corresponding to the vehicle is not registered in the registered vehicle information database,
The method further comprises an entry information storage unit storing entry information for the vehicle entering the designated area through the opened vehicle gate.
18. The method of claim 17. The exit information storage unit stores the exit information of the vehicle exiting the designated area through the opened vehicle gate,
19. The method of claim 18. 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said registered vehicle information storage unit, said entrance information storage unit, and said exit information storage unit are configured by the same storage device.

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