Printed matter for authentication

Abstract

To provide a printed matter for authentication which hardly gives a clue to counterfeiting, while utilizing fluorescent emission.SOLUTION: A printed matter 1 for authentication includes a core layer 10 having a light-emitting part 30, and a first printing part 41 and a second printing part 45 which are provided on one side of the core layer. The first printing part is formed so as to be visible under visible light, and the light-emitting part has a light guide plate, a plurality of light-emitting elements which are arranged on the end of the light guide plate, and emit light having mutually different wavelengths, and a dielectric coil connected to the plurality of light-emitting elements. The second printing part is provided at a position overlapped with the light guide plate, in plan view, and is configured to be visible by being excited with light emitted from any one of the plurality of light-emitting elements.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an authentication print. [Background technology]

[0002] Marks affixed to identification media, such as printed matter with financial value, such as securities, cards, and passes, certificates for authenticating individuals, such as driver's licenses, passports, and insurance cards, and stickers for authenticating goods, must always incorporate new anti-counterfeiting technologies to prevent them from being counterfeited or tampered with by third parties. At the same time, there is a demand for authenticity determination methods that can determine whether an identification medium is genuine or not.

[0003] As mark counterfeit prevention technologies for increasing security, technologies using holograms, micro characters, copy prevention patterns, infrared absorbing ink, fluorescent ink, etc. are widely used. Among these technologies, the means using fluorescent ink cannot be seen by the naked eye under normal visible light, but the mark can be detected by visual inspection or with a detector by irradiating it with ultraviolet or infrared light. Conventionally, irradiating black light or infrared light on driver's licenses, passports, ID cards, etc. has been used as a means of determining whether they are genuine.

[0004] In recent years, by holding a passport, ID card, credit card, etc. over a reader / writer, various types of data such as cryptographic keys, encrypted or signed information, transaction numbers, barcodes, expiration dates, qualification information, personalization data, etc. are optically output from the security medium, and at the same time, some devices display personal information such as the holder's facial image stored in memory, data reproduction, text information, or barcodes on the security medium using a visually recognizable display method such as electronic paper (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also known is a security medium in which functions (such as an illumination source and a magnifying lens) are built into the security medium itself (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5729614 [Patent Document 2] Special Publication No. 2005-530228 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The above-mentioned method using fluorescence cannot be authenticated unless a certain device such as a black light is available. In addition, the wavelength at which the fluorescent material has a peak can be easily determined by verifying the device, which can provide clues to counterfeiting.

[0007] In consideration of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an authentication printed matter that utilizes fluorescence and does not provide clues to counterfeiting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention is an authentication printed matter comprising a core layer having a light-emitting portion, and a first printed portion and a second printed portion provided on one side of the core layer. The first printed portion is formed so as to be visible under visible light. The light emitting section has a light guide plate, a plurality of light emitting elements arranged at an end of the light guide plate and emitting light of different wavelengths, and an induction coil connected to the plurality of light emitting elements. The second printed portion is provided at a position overlapping the light guide plate in a plan view, and is configured to become visible when excited by light emitted by any one of the plurality of light-emitting elements. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a printed matter for authentication that utilizes fluorescence and does not provide clues to counterfeiting. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an authentication printout according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the arrangement of each part in a core layer. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of determining whether the authentication print is genuine or not. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a light guide plate according to a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of an authentication printed matter 1 according to this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line II in Fig. 1. The authentication printed matter 1 according to this embodiment is an ID card.

[0012] The authentication printed matter 1 has a core layer 10, and a first surface layer 21 and a second surface layer 22 covering both sides of the core layer in the thickness direction. The first surface layer 21 constitutes the front surface of the authentication printed matter 1, and the second surface layer 22 constitutes the back surface of the authentication printed matter 1.

[0013] The core layer 10 has a colored base layer 11 and a light-emitting portion 30 provided on the base layer 11 . The base layer 11 is a sheet-like member, and is hollowed out at a location where the light-emitting unit 30 is to be disposed. Paper or synthetic resin can be used as the material for the base layer 11. Examples of synthetic resin include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyurethane (PU), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and the like. The base layer 11 may be a single layer made of these materials, or may be a laminate in which layers made of each material are laminated. The layers constituting the laminate may be formed of a mixture of multiple materials.

[0014] The color of the base layer 11 can be appropriately set to a color other than colorless and transparent, but from the viewpoint of visibility of the print formed on the surface, white is preferable. A white base layer can be realized by including an extender pigment such as titanium oxide or by being made porous. The thickness of the core layer 10 can be, for example, not less than 400 μm and not more than 700 μm, and is preferably not less than 500 μm and not more than 600 μm.

[0015] The light-emitting section 30 includes a light guide plate 31 and a plurality of light-emitting elements. The light-emitting section 30 of the present embodiment includes two light-emitting elements, a first light-emitting element 32 and a second light-emitting element 33. A typical light-emitting element is a light-emitting diode, but is not limited to this, and various known light-emitting elements such as organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), inorganic electroluminescence (IEL), electrochromic (EC), electrowetting, etc. can be used. The first light emitting element 32 and the second light emitting element 33 emit light of different ultraviolet wavelengths. In this embodiment, the first light emitting element 32 emits light of a wavelength of 375 nm, and the second light emitting element 33 emits light of a wavelength of 450 nm.

[0016] The light guide plate 31 is a transparent member made of synthetic resin etc. There are no particular limitations on the synthetic resin as long as it can function as a light guide, and for example, the same materials as those exemplified as the material of the core layer 10 can be used. The dimensions and shape of the light guide plate 31 in a plan view can be appropriately set based on the mode of the second printed portion described later. The thickness of the light guide plate 31 can be, for example, 600 μm or less.

[0017] The first light emitting element 32 and the second light emitting element 33 are connected to different induction coils 35 and 36, respectively. Fig. 3 shows the arrangement of each part in the core layer. The induction coils 35 and 36 are arranged separately on the base layer 11, and are connected to the first light-emitting element 32 and the second light-emitting element 33 by wiring (not shown), respectively. The first light-emitting element 32 and the second light-emitting element 33 are arranged on one of the side surfaces corresponding to the end in the plan view of the light guide plate 31 shown in Fig. 3. There is no particular limitation on the positional relationship between the induction coils 35, 36 and the base layer 11. Therefore, the induction coils may be used on either the front side or the back side of the base layer, or may be disposed between multiple layers constituting the base layer 11, so that the induction coils are disposed at the middle part of the base layer 11 in the thickness direction. The induction coil may be connected to the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element via a switching circuit. This switching circuit may be connected to a logic circuit that is driven by the power of the induction coil. In this case, the switching circuit switches the power supply to each light-emitting element on and off by a signal from the logic circuit. The signal may be an open collector or a pulse. With this circuit configuration, the lighting and illumination intensity of each light-emitting element can be controlled. The illumination intensity of each light-emitting element can be controlled by PWD control (pulse width modulation control) using the switching circuit.

[0018] The induction coils 35 and 36 are coil-shaped and include a conductor, such as aluminum, copper, or silver. Examples of methods for forming an induction coil include arranging a wire made of a conductor, etching a thin layer made of a conductor into a coil shape, and printing a material containing a conductor into a coil shape.

[0019] The first surface layer 21 and the second surface layer 22 are both sheet-like members and can be formed of the same material as the base layer 11. At least the area of ​​the first surface layer 21 corresponding to the light-emitting section 30 is transparent or semi-transparent and configured to be able to transmit light. Such a first surface layer 21 is -Paste a transparent sheet over the hole in a piece of paper - A background color printing layer is formed on a transparent sheet, excluding some areas. The light-transmitting portion of the first surface layer 21 overlaps with the light guide plate 31 of the light-emitting unit 30 in a plan view of the authentication printed matter 1. There are no particular limitations on the form of second surface layer 22, but it is preferable to make the portion corresponding to light-emitting section 30 opaque, since this can prevent light from the light-emitting section from leaking to the back side.

[0020] On the surface of the authentication print 1 constituted by the first surface layer 21, two types of prints, a first print section 41 and a second print section 45, are formed. Various information that must be displayed at all times as an ID card, such as a photo, name, nationality, and date of birth, is printed on the first printed portion 41, and is configured to be visible under visible light. The first printed portion 41 can be formed using inks of various common colors.

[0021] Information for determination used to determine whether the authentication print is genuine or not is printed on the second printing section 45. There are no particular limitations on the information for authentication, and a part of the information printed on the first printing section 41 may be used. The second printed section 45 is provided at a position overlapping the light guide plate 31 of the light-emitting section 30 in a plan view of the authentication printed matter 1. The second printed section 45 is printed with ink containing a fluorescent substance, and is excited and visible only when light is emitted from the light-emitting section 30. The second printed section 45 according to this embodiment has print A and print B formed with different inks. Print A is formed with ink containing a fluorescent substance that uses the light emitted by the first light-emitting element 32 as excitation light. Print B is formed with ink containing a fluorescent substance that uses the light emitted by the first light-emitting element 32 as excitation light.

[0022] Examples of fluorescent substances that are excited by irradiation with ultraviolet light and emit light in the visible light region include inorganic fluorescent pigments and organic fluorescent pigments. Known inorganic fluorescent materials include materials activated with rare earth metals, and various materials such as thulium-activated yttrium vanadate, thulium-activated calcium tungstate, and europium-activated yttrium vanadate are known. Examples of organic fluorescent materials include coumarins, benzoxazine derivatives, and europium complexes, but other materials than those listed above can also be used. Other examples include CaWO4, Zn2SiO4:Mn, Y2O3:Eu, Mg6As2O 11 : Mn, Y3Al5O 12 Inorganic fluorescent pigments such as :Ce, ZnS:Ag, ZnO:Zn, Gd2O2S:Tb, Y2O2S:Eu, SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy, etc., as well as organic fluorescent dyes and organometallic complexes such as benzoxazine derivatives and europium complexes, etc., can be used. As a phosphor excited by long-wavelength ultraviolet light and short-wavelength visible light (350 nm to 420 nm), BaMg2Al 16 O 27 :Eu,(Sr,Ca,Ba)5(PO4)3Cl:Eu, green BaMg2Al 16 O 27 :Eu,Mn,Zn2GeO4:Mn, and red Y2O2S:Eu and 3.5MgO·0.5MgF2·GeO2:Mn. The excitation light of the second printing unit 45 is not limited to ultraviolet light, and infrared light or visible light can also be used. Examples of fluorescent materials that convert infrared light into visible light include photostimulable phosphors. Examples of photostimulable phosphors include infrared photostimulable phosphors (CaS:Eu,Sm) in which europium (Eu) and samarium (Sm) are added to calcium sulfide (CaS). In addition, by using an up-conversion type fluorescent material in which multiple photons act on one active ion and the material is excited to a higher energy level, light emission in the visible light region with a shorter wavelength than the irradiated light can be obtained by irradiation with infrared light. Examples of such up-conversion type fluorescent materials include pigments obtained by adding metal elements such as Mn, Zn, Ag, Cu, Sb, Pb, or rare earth elements such as lanthanides as an activator and firing the resulting material.

[0023] Since the contents of the first printed section 41 and the second printed section 45 are different for each sheet, a printing method that does not use a plate, such as thermal transfer using a thermal head, is suitable for forming them. In the case of thermal transfer using a thermal head, it is preferable to use a transfer ribbon having multiple types of fluorescent regions in addition to the usual three primary colors or four colors including black, because both the first printed section 41 and the second printed section 45 can be formed in one step.

[0024] The operation of the authentication print 1 according to this embodiment configured as above when it is used will be described. The authentication print 1 normally functions as an ID card that indicates the owner's affiliation and the like by the display on the first print portion 41.

[0025] When determining whether the authentication printed item 1 is genuine or not due to entering a restricted area, etc., the authentication printed item 1 is brought close to a non-contact communication device. Examples of the non-contact communication device include an RF (Radio Frequency) terminal and an NFC (Near Field Communication) transceiver module. When the induction coils 35, 36 approach the non-contact communication device, electromagnetic induction occurs due to electromagnetic waves emitted from the non-contact communication device, and the light emitting elements 32, 33 connected thereto emit light due to the generated power.

[0026] When the verifier brings the part of the authentication printed matter 1 where the induction coil 35 is located close to the non-contact communication device, the first light-emitting element 32 emits light. The emitted light travels while being reflected within the light guide plate 31, and is emitted from the upper surface of the light guide plate 31 to the front side of the authentication printed matter 1. As a result, the fluorescent material contained in the print A is excited, making the print A visible. The verifier checks the presence or absence of the print A and its contents to perform the first stage of authenticity determination.

[0027] Next, the verifier brings the part where the induction coil 36 is located closer to the non-contact communication device. This cuts off the power supply to the first light-emitting element 32, making the print A invisible. Meanwhile, the second light-emitting element 33 emits light, and the emitted light is emitted from the upper surface of the light guide plate to the front side of the authentication printed matter 1. As a result, the fluorescent material contained in the print B is excited, making the print B visible. The verifier checks the presence or absence of the print B and its contents, and performs the second stage of authenticity determination. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the above-mentioned judgment. Only the authentication print 1 that passes both the first and second stages of authenticity judgment is judged to be authentic, and the rest are judged to be not authentic.

[0028] As described above, according to the authentication printed matter 1 of this embodiment, the second printed portion 45 can be made visible and authenticity can be determined by simply bringing it close to a non-contact communication device without using a separate light source such as a black light. In addition, since the first light-emitting element 32 and the second light-emitting element 33 that emit excitation light are built into the authentication printed matter 1, it is difficult to obtain information on the excitation light wavelength of the second printed portion 45. As a result, it is difficult to obtain clues to counterfeiting, making counterfeiting difficult and suppressing it.

[0029] In this embodiment, the example in which the multiple light-emitting elements of the light-emitting unit are connected to different induction coils has been described, but the multiple light-emitting elements may be connected to a common induction coil. In this case, basically, all the light-emitting elements light up at the same time when brought close to a non-contact communication device, but by incorporating a control chip into the circuit, the light-emitting state of the light-emitting elements can be appropriately controlled, for example, to light up repeatedly and alternately. This makes it possible, for example, to give movement to the display when the second printing unit 45 is excited. The control chip can be composed of a logic circuit and a switching circuit. That is, the light-emitting elements such as LEDs are supplied with power from the switching circuit. The switching circuit is supplied with power from an induction coil. The switching circuit can be controlled by a signal from the logic circuit. In this way, for example, if the logic circuit judges it to be OK, an LED with a fluorescent excitation light wavelength that emits blue light is turned on, and if it is NG, an LED with a fluorescent excitation light wavelength that emits red light is turned on, thereby intuitively displaying whether the authentication printout is OK or NG. Alternatively, the light-emitting elements can be repeatedly blinked to intuitively indicate that the authentication process is in progress.

[0030] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and configuration changes and combinations that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention are also included.

[0031] For example, the number of light-emitting elements provided in the light-emitting section is not limited to two as described in the embodiment, and may be three or more. Furthermore, in this case, a disk-shaped light guide plate 31A may be used as shown in FIG. 5. When a plurality of light-emitting elements 101, 102, 103, etc. are arranged on the outer peripheral surface corresponding to the end portion in a plan view of the light guide plate 31A, the distance between the center of the light guide plate 31A in a plan view and each light-emitting element becomes approximately the same. As a result, the emission mode of light from the light-emitting section can be made similar for all the light-emitting elements. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 1 Authentication printout 10 Core Layer 11 Base material layer 21 First surface layer 22 Second surface layer 30 Light emitting part 31, 31A light guide plate 32 First light emitting element 33 Second light-emitting element 35, 36 Inductive coil 41 First Printing Department 45 Second Printing Department A, B (second printing section) printing

Claims

1. A core layer having a light emitting portion; A first printed portion and a second printed portion provided on one side of the core layer; Equipped with The first printed portion is formed to be visible under visible light, The light emitting unit includes: A light guide plate; A plurality of light emitting elements are disposed at an end of the light guide plate and emit light of different wavelengths; an induction coil connected to the plurality of light emitting elements; The second printing unit is The light guide plate is provided at a position overlapping the light guide plate in a plan view. The light emitting element is configured to be visible when excited by light emitted by any one of the plurality of light emitting elements. Authentication printout.

2. A surface layer is further provided covering one side of the core layer, the surface layer is configured so that a portion overlapping the light guide plate in a plan view can transmit light; The first printed portion and the second printed portion are provided on the surface layer. The authentication print according to claim 1.

3. The plurality of light-emitting elements emit light having a wavelength in the ultraviolet region. The authentication print according to claim 1.

4. The light emitting unit includes a plurality of the induction coils, The plurality of light emitting elements are each connected to a different induction coil. The authentication print according to claim 1.

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