Authenticity determination system and authenticity determination method

Abstract

To provide an authenticity determination technology that is easy to deploy.SOLUTION: An authenticity determination system comprises an irradiation section that applies excitation light to a detection marker containing a phosphor attached to a product, a detection section that detects the spectrum of light emitted by the phosphor when excited by the excitation light, and a determination section that determines the authenticity of the product based on the shape of the spectrum of light detected by the detection section.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an authenticity determining system and an authenticity determining method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for determining authenticity in which a light-emitting body is applied to an anti-counterfeiting medium. The anti-counterfeiting medium is a cash card, a membership card, a banknote made of a resin sheet, a data page of a passport, etc. The anti-counterfeiting medium includes a selectively transparent layer and two light-emitting layers arranged on either side of the selectively transparent layer. The selectively transparent layer is configured to transmit light of a first wavelength and not transmit light of a second wavelength. The two light-emitting layers have a light-emitting body that emits light when irradiated with light of either the first wavelength or the second wavelength. In the authenticity determination method, it is confirmed that the two light-emitting layers emit light when irradiated with light of the first wavelength, and that only the light-emitting layer on the irradiation source side emits light when irradiated with light of the second wavelength. If both confirmations are obtained, the anti-counterfeiting medium is determined to be genuine. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018 / 168742 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The authentication method described in Patent Document 1 requires the incorporation of multiple layers into the counterfeit prevention medium, which may require time and cost for preparation. The present disclosure provides an authentication technology that can be easily implemented. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present disclosure provides the following [1] to [5]. [1] An irradiation unit that irradiates an excitation light to a detection marker that is attached to a product and contains a fluorescent material; a detection unit that detects a spectrum of light emitted by the phosphor in response to the excitation light; a determination unit that determines the authenticity of the product based on the shape of the spectrum of the light detected by the detection unit; An authenticity determination system comprising: [2] The authenticity determination system described in [1], wherein the light emitted by the phosphor is infrared light. [3] The authenticity determination system according to [1] or [2], wherein the detection marker includes multiple types of phosphors having different light spectra. [4] A memory unit that stores a relationship between information about the product and a shape of the reference spectrum of the light, The authenticity determination system of any one of [1] to [3], wherein the determination unit determines the authenticity of the product based on the shape of the spectrum of light detected by the detection unit and the shape of the reference spectrum determined based on information about the product and the relationship stored in the memory unit. [5] Irradiating an excitation light to a detection marker that is attached to a product and contains a fluorescent substance; detecting a spectrum of light emitted by the phosphor in response to the excitation light; determining the authenticity of the product based on the shape of the spectrum of the detected light; The authenticity determination method includes: Effect of the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure provides an authenticity determination technology that can be easily implemented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management system including an authenticity determination system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the correspondence table. [Diagram 3] Each of (A) to (C) in FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a spectral shape. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for determining authenticity. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the authenticity determination system. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the authenticity determination system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated description will be omitted.

[0009] [Overview of the management system] Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management system equipped with an authenticity determination system according to an embodiment. The management system 100 shown in Fig. 1 includes an authenticity determination system 1 that determines the authenticity of a product 10. The product 10 is an item that is subject to anti-counterfeiting measures, and is not particularly limited as long as it is a tangible object. Examples of the product 10 include shoes, clothing, leather products, electrical appliances, perfumes, cosmetics, toys, watches, medicines, and food.

[0010] The management system 100 includes a terminal 20 and a server 30. The authenticity determination system 1 is included in the terminal 20. The terminal 20 includes, for example, a computer having a central processing unit (CPU) as a processor, a storage device including a memory and a hard disk drive (HDD), an input device including a keyboard and a microphone, a communication device, a speaker, and a display device, and a light source built-in spectroscopic device. The terminal 20 may include a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and a light source built-in spectroscopic device connectable to the mobile terminal. The server 30 is, for example, a computer including a CPU, a storage device, and a communication device. The authenticity determination system 1 exchanges information required for authenticity determination with the server 30 via communication, and performs authenticity determination by irradiating light on the product 10.

[0011] A detection marker 11 is affixed to the product 10. The detection marker 11 is an object to which light is irradiated when determining authenticity, and contains a fluorescent material. "Affixing" means that the product 10 and the detection marker 11 are associated with each other. The detection marker 11 may be directly attached to or incorporated into the product 10, or may be provided on an accessory of the product 10. An accessory of the product 10 may be, for example, a package, a sticker, a product label, a price tag, an exterior, etc.

[0012] The detection marker 11 is, for example, a film with a phosphor kneaded into it, and is attached directly to or incorporated into the product 10. For example, if the product 10 is a bag, the detection marker 11 is incorporated into the outside, handle, inside, bottom, inner pocket, metal fittings, etc. The detection marker 11 may also be attached to the bag's packaging, product label, price tag, exterior, etc.

[0013] The detection marker 11 may be printed on the product 10 with toner mixed with a fluorescent material. The detection marker 11 may be printed, for example, as a brand logo, washing instructions, size instructions, etc. of the product 10. The detection marker 11 may also be printed on an accessory of the product 10. When the detection marker 11 is printed, the detection marker 11 is provided on the product 10 without impairing the appearance and brand value of the product 10.

[0014] The phosphor contained in the detection marker 11 is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance that emits light when irradiated with excitation light. As an example, the light emitted by the phosphor is infrared light. Infrared light is light having a wavelength range longer than visible light, for example, having a wavelength range of 700 nm or more. The phosphor may be a near-infrared light-emitting phosphor, and may emit near-infrared light having a peak wavelength in the range of, for example, 700 nm to 2500 nm.

[0015] As described below, the authenticity determination system 1 performs authenticity determination based on the shape of the emission spectrum of the phosphor contained in the detection marker 11. The authenticity determination system 1 detects the characteristic emission spectrum shape derived from the material, and performs authenticity determination based on the detection result. The shape of the spectrum can be defined by the peak wavelength, half width, number of peaks, etc. In order to realize a more complex spectral shape, the detection marker 11 may include multiple types of phosphors having different light spectra from each other.

[0016] The terminal 20 functionally comprises an operation unit 21, a terminal communication unit 22, an irradiation unit 23, a detection unit 24, a determination unit 25, and an output unit 26. The authenticity determination system 1 is configured to comprise the irradiation unit 23, the detection unit 24, and the determination unit 25.

[0017] The operation unit 21 is configured to accept operations by a user of the authenticity determination system 1. The functions of the operation unit 21 are realized by the CPU, storage device, and input device of the terminal 20. The operation unit 21 accepts operations to instruct communication between the terminal 20 and the server 30, operations to instruct the operation of components of the terminal 20, and the like.

[0018] The terminal communication unit 22 is configured to establish communication with the server 30. The functions of the terminal communication unit 22 are realized by the CPU, the storage device, and the communication device of the terminal 20. The terminal communication unit 22 communicates with the server 30 based on a user operation accepted by the operation unit 21.

[0019] The terminal communication unit 22 inquires the server 30 about information on the detection marker 11 attached to the product 10 based on the user operation accepted by the operation unit 21. The inquiry only needs to include information that can identify the product 10, and may be an image of the product 10 if the server 30 has an image recognition function. The information on the detection marker 11 includes information on the shape of the light spectrum (hereinafter referred to as the basic spectrum) of the phosphor of the detection marker 11. The shape of the light spectrum may be a spectrum figure itself with the horizontal axis being the wavelength and the vertical axis being the intensity, or may be defined by characteristic parts of the shape of the spectrum, such as the peak wavelength, the half-width, and the number of peaks. The information on the detection marker 11 may include information on the position where the detection marker 11 is attached. The terminal communication unit 22 receives information on the detection marker 11 from the server 30 before authenticity determination. The user of the authenticity determination system 1 identifies the irradiation position of the excitation light based on the position of the detection marker 11 obtained from the server 30. The excitation light is light that causes excitation of the phosphor of the detection marker 11.

[0020] The irradiation unit 23 is configured to irradiate the detection marker 11 with excitation light. The function of the irradiation unit 23 is realized by the CPU, storage device, and light source built-in spectroscopic device of the terminal 20. The irradiation unit 23 irradiates the detection marker 11 with excitation light from the light source built-in spectroscopic device based on a user operation accepted by the operation unit 21.

[0021] The detection unit 24 is configured to detect the spectrum of light emitted by the phosphor in response to the excitation light. The function of the detection unit 24 is realized by the CPU, storage device, and light source built-in spectroscopic device of the terminal 20. The detection unit 24 separates the light from the phosphor of the detection marker 11 and detects the spectrum of the light.

[0022] The determination unit 25 determines the authenticity of the product 10 based on the shape of the spectrum of the light detected by the detection unit 24. The functions of the determination unit 25 are realized by the CPU and storage device of the terminal 20. The determination unit 25 determines the authenticity of the product 10 based on the shape of the fundamental spectrum and the shape of the spectrum of the light detected by the detection unit 24.

[0023] The determination unit 25 compares the shape of the fundamental spectrum with the shape of the spectrum of the light detected by the detection unit 24, and determines whether the two shapes are the same. For example, if the peak wavelength and half width of both are within a predetermined range and the number of peaks of both are the same, the determination unit 25 determines that the two shapes are the same. The determination unit 25 may determine whether the two shapes are the same using a machine learning model that inputs the shapes of both spectra and outputs whether they are the same. If the determination unit 25 determines that the two shapes are the same, it determines that the product 10 is genuine. If the determination unit 25 determines that the two shapes are not the same, it determines that the product 10 is a counterfeit product.

[0024] The output unit 26 is configured to output the authenticity determination result of the determination unit 25. The functions of the output unit 26 are realized by the CPU, the storage device, and the speaker or display device of the terminal 20. As an example, the output unit 26 displays the authenticity determination result of the product 10 on the display device.

[0025] Functionally, the server 30 includes a server communication unit 31, a search unit 32, and a storage unit 33. The server communication unit 31 is configured to establish communication with the terminal 20. The functions of the server communication unit 31 are realized by the CPU, storage device, and communication device of the server 30. The server communication unit 31 receives an inquiry for information on the detected marker 11 from the terminal 20.

[0026] The search unit 32 refers to a correspondence table 330 stored in the memory unit 33 based on information capable of identifying the product 10 included in the inquiry for information on the detection marker 11, and searches for information on the detection marker 11 corresponding to the product 10. The correspondence table 330 stores the relationship between information on the product 10 and the shape of the reference spectrum of light. By using this relationship, once the information on the product 10 is determined, the shape of the reference spectrum can be determined. The functions of the search unit 32 are realized by the CPU and storage device of the server 30, and the functions of the storage unit 33 are realized by the storage device of the server 30.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence table. As shown in FIG. 2, the correspondence table 330 stores a product identifier, a product name, a position of a detection marker, and a spectral shape in association with each other. For example, a product identifier "100000", a product name "a shirt of company A", a position of a detection marker "tag", and a spectral shape "pattern A" are stored in association with each other. Similarly, a product identifier "100001", a product name "a bag of company A", a position of a detection marker "brand logo", and a spectral shape "pattern B" are stored in association with each other. A product identifier "100002", a product name "a bag of company B", a position of a detection marker "tag", and a spectral shape "pattern C" are stored in association with each other. A product identifier "100003", a product name "a shirt of company C", a position of a detection marker "pocket part", and a spectral shape "pattern D" are stored in association with each other. The product identifier "100004", the product name "D Company's Shoes", the position of the detection marker "brand logo", and the spectral shape "Pattern E" are stored in association with each other. The product identifier "100005", the product name "D Company's Cosmetics", the position of the detection marker "brand logo", and the spectral shape "Pattern F" are stored in association with each other. In this manner, the server 30 manages the position and reference spectrum of the detection marker 11 attached to the product 10 using the correspondence table 330 or the like. The search unit 32 can acquire the position and the spectral shape of the detection marker 11 based on the product identifier or product name of the product 10 included in the inquiry for information on the detection marker 11 by referring to the correspondence table 330.

[0028] Each of (A) to (C) of FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a spectral shape. The shapes of "Pattern A" and "Pattern B" shown in FIG. 2 are defined by, for example, a peak wavelength, a half-width, and the number of peaks. For example, the shape pattern shown in (A) of FIG. 3 is defined by one peak wavelength P1 and its half-width. The shape pattern shown in (B) of FIG. 3 is defined by two peak wavelengths P2 and P3 and their half-widths. The shape pattern shown in (C) of FIG. 3 is defined by three peak wavelengths P4, P5, and P6 and their half-widths. In this way, the spectral shape pattern can be defined by the wavelength and half-width of each peak.

[0029] When the search unit 32 acquires the position and spectral shape of the detection marker 11, the server communication unit 31 transmits the position and spectral shape of the detection marker 11 to the terminal 20. In this way, the terminal 20 can acquire the position of the detection marker 11 and the shape of the basic spectrum from the server 30, and therefore can determine the authenticity of the product 10.

[0030] [Outline of authenticity determination method] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of an authenticity determination method. The flowchart shown in Fig. 4 starts when the operation unit 21 of the terminal 20 accepts a user operation to start processing. As shown in Fig. 4, first, the terminal communication unit 22 of the terminal 20 inquires of the server 30 about information on the detection marker 11 in step S10. For example, the terminal communication unit 22 transmits an inquiry including a product identifier to the server 30.

[0031] Next, at Step S12, the server communication unit 31 of the server 30 receives the inquiry. Then, at Step S14, the search unit 32 of the server 30 searches for the position and spectral shape of the detected marker 11. When the search unit 32 acquires the position and spectral shape of the detected marker 11, the server communication unit 31 transmits the position and spectral shape of the detected marker 11 to the terminal 20 at Step S16.

[0032] In step S18, the terminal communication unit 22 of the terminal 20 receives the position and spectral shape of the detection marker 11. Then, the user checks the acquired position of the detection marker 11 and aims the irradiation unit 23 of the terminal 20. In step S20, the irradiation unit 23 irradiates the detection marker 11 with excitation light based on a user operation.

[0033] In step S22, the detection unit 24 of the terminal 20 detects the spectrum of the light emitted by the phosphor. Then, in step S24, the determination unit 25 of the terminal 20 determines the authenticity of the product 10 based on the spectral shape of the detected light. When step S24 ends, the flowchart shown in Fig. 4 ends. In this manner, the terminal 20 and the server 30 cooperate to perform the authenticity determination.

[0034] [Summary of the embodiment] According to the authenticity determination system 1, the detection marker 11, which is attached to the product 10 and contains a phosphor, is irradiated with excitation light. Then, the spectrum of light emitted by the phosphor by the excitation light is detected, and the authenticity of the product 10 is determined based on the shape of the spectrum of the detected light. In this way, since the authenticity is determined based on the shape of the spectrum of the light, it is not necessary to give a pattern or the like to the product for authenticity, and a complex structure such as a selective transmission layer is not required. Therefore, the authenticity determination system 1 can be easily introduced. In addition, since the authenticity determination system 1 determines authenticity based on the shape of the spectrum, which can be designed in various shapes, it is more difficult to prepare a copy of the detection marker 11 than when authenticity is determined based on color alone. This improves the reliability of the authenticity determination.

[0035] According to the authenticity determination system 1, the emitted light is near-infrared light, so that the emission of the detection marker 11 cannot be seen. According to the authenticity determination system 1, the detection marker 11 contains multiple types of phosphors having different spectral shapes, so that the spectral shape can be made complex, thereby further improving the difficulty of duplication and the credibility of the authenticity determination. Furthermore, according to the authenticity determination system 1, the reference spectrum is acquired by the correspondence table 330 stored in the memory unit 33, so that the authenticity of multiple products can be determined with one terminal 20.

[0036] Although exemplary embodiments have been described above, various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without being limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0037] For example, in the management system 100, the server 30 may perform the authenticity determination. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the authenticity determination system. The management system 100A shown in FIG. 5 is the same as the management system 100 of FIG. 1 except that the determination unit 25 is not present in the terminal 20 and the determination unit 25A is present in the server 30. In this case, the determination unit 25A of the server 30 performs the authenticity determination based on the shape of the spectrum of the light detected by the terminal 20. The logic of the authenticity determination of the determination unit 25A is the same as that of the determination unit 25. Even in this case, the authenticity determination system 1A can be easily introduced.

[0038] Moreover, the management system 100 does not have to include the server 30. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the authenticity determination system. The management system 100B shown in Fig. 6 is the same as the management system 100 in Fig. 1 except that the search unit 32B and the storage unit 33B are present in the terminal 20 and the server 30 itself is not included. In this case, the processing is completed in the terminal 20, so the authenticity determination system 1B can perform authenticity determination without communication. [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 1, 1A, 1B...authenticity determination system, 10...product, 11...detection marker, 23...irradiation unit, 24...detection unit, 25, 25A...determination unit, 33, 33B...storage unit.

Claims

1. an irradiation unit that irradiates an excitation light onto a detection marker that is attached to a product and contains a fluorescent material; a detection unit that detects a spectrum of light emitted by the phosphor in response to the excitation light; a determination unit that determines the authenticity of the product based on the shape of the spectrum of the light detected by the detection unit; An authenticity determination system comprising:

2. The authenticity determining system according to claim 1 , wherein the light emitted by the phosphor is infrared light.

3. The authenticity determination system according to claim 1 , wherein the detection marker includes a plurality of types of phosphors having different light spectra.

4. A storage unit that stores a relationship between information about the product and a shape of the reference spectrum of the light, 3. The authenticity determination system of claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination unit determines the authenticity of the product based on a shape of the spectrum of the light detected by the detection unit and a shape of the reference spectrum determined based on information about the product and the relationship stored in the memory unit.

5. A step of irradiating an excitation light onto a detection marker that is attached to a product and contains a fluorescent substance; detecting a spectrum of light emitted by the phosphor in response to the excitation light; determining the authenticity of the product based on the shape of the spectrum of the detected light; A method for determining authenticity, comprising:

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