Printed materials

Abstract

In an anti-counterfeiting printed material in which a two-dimensional code that is easily readable under visible light illumination and difficult to read under near-infrared light illumination is formed to overlap with another two-dimensional code that is difficult to read under visible light illumination and easily readable under near-infrared light illumination, the present invention provides a configuration that makes it easier to read the two-dimensional code than in conventional configurations. [Solution] Position detection patterns 11a and 11b of at least one of the two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 are arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 and 4. With this configuration, it becomes less likely to make errors in identifying the brightness of cells in the position detection patterns 11a and 11b, which cannot be corrected, and thus reading the two-dimensional codes becomes easier compared to the conventional configuration.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to printed matter that requires anti-counterfeiting.

Background Art

[0002] In order to prevent counterfeiting of printed matter such as tickets, a printed matter is proposed in which a two-dimensional code (visible code) that is easy to read under visible light illumination and difficult to read under near-infrared light illumination overlaps with a two-dimensional code (infrared code) that is difficult to read under visible light illumination and easy to read under near-infrared light illumination (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The printed matter according to Patent Document 1 described above is configured to read the information of the visible code using an imaging image under visible light illumination and read the information of the infrared code using an imaging image under near-infrared light illumination. At this time, the pattern of the infrared code is reflected as noise in the imaging image under visible light illumination, and the pattern of the visible code is reflected as noise in the imaging image under near-infrared light illumination. Therefore, depending on the imaging conditions, during the binarization process for discriminating light and darkness in the imaging image, such noise may increase the discrimination error, resulting in failure to read the two-dimensional code or taking a long time.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object thereof is to provide a printed matter in which a visible code and an infrared code formed to overlap can be read more easily than in the conventional configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention relates to a printed material formed such that a first two-dimensional code, which is easily readable under visible light illumination and difficult to read under infrared light illumination in a predetermined band, and a second two-dimensional code, which is difficult to read under visible light illumination and easily readable under infrared light illumination in a predetermined band, overlap, wherein the first two-dimensional code and the second two-dimensional code are provided with a position detection pattern for optically detecting the position of each two-dimensional code, and at least 60% of the area of ​​the position detection pattern of at least one of the two-dimensional codes is arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code.

[0007] In two-dimensional codes such as QR codes (registered trademark), the position detection pattern is not subject to error correction. Therefore, in the binarization process when reading a two-dimensional code, if a light / dark discrimination error occurs in a part of the position detection pattern, there is a greater risk of reading failure or delay than if the light / dark discrimination error occurs in other parts. According to the inventor's research, if more than 60% of the area of ​​the position detection pattern is arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code, the readability of the two-dimensional code is improved compared to when the entire position detection pattern overlaps with the other two-dimensional code. Furthermore, if the entire position detection pattern is arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code, the readability of the two-dimensional code is significantly improved compared to a configuration in which the entire position detection pattern overlaps with the other two-dimensional code. Therefore, in such a configuration, the first two-dimensional code and the second two-dimensional code can be overlapped with each other, while reading the two-dimensional code becomes less troublesome than in the conventional configuration.

[0008] In the present invention, the first two-dimensional code and the second two-dimensional code are rectangular in shape, the position detection pattern is provided at three corners of each two-dimensional code, and the first two-dimensional code and the second two-dimensional code are arranged such that the corners where the position detection pattern is not provided overlap with the other two-dimensional code, while the entirety of each position detection pattern does not overlap with the other two-dimensional code.

[0009] With this configuration, the first and second two-dimensional codes can be superimposed on each other, and both the first and second two-dimensional codes can be read more quickly and reliably than with conventional configurations.

[0010] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is desirable that the first two-dimensional code overlaps with the area of ​​the second two-dimensional code by 7% or more, and more desirable that it overlaps with the area of ​​the second two-dimensional code by 30% or more.

[0011] Two-dimensional codes such as QR codes have error correction capabilities and can read recorded information even when partially obscured. Therefore, if the overlapping area of ​​two two-dimensional codes is small, there is a risk that the recorded information of the second two-dimensional code may be read under visible light illumination. This is undesirable for printed materials intended to prevent counterfeiting. Since the error correction rate of two-dimensional codes such as QR codes is 7-30%, in order to prevent the reading of the second two-dimensional code under visible light illumination, the first two-dimensional code must overlap the area of ​​the second two-dimensional code by at least 7%. Furthermore, if the first two-dimensional code overlaps the area of ​​the second two-dimensional code by 30% or more, even codes with high error correction capabilities will become unable to correct errors, thus reliably preventing the reading of the second two-dimensional code under visible light illumination.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is proposed that 60% or more of the area of ​​the position detection pattern of the second two-dimensional code is arranged so as not to overlap with the first two-dimensional code, and that the second two-dimensional code is formed by alternately arranging on a substrate a first solid printing layer formed of an ink or toner having infrared light absorption characteristics in a predetermined band and a second solid printing layer of substantially the same color as the first solid printing layer, formed of an ink or toner not having infrared light absorption characteristics in a predetermined band.

[0013] In this configuration, the second two-dimensional code becomes almost the same color as the background under visible light illumination and does not appear in the captured image under visible light illumination. Therefore, with this configuration, even if the second two-dimensional code overlaps the first two-dimensional code, the first two-dimensional code can be reliably read from the captured image under visible light illumination. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] As described above, the printed material of the present invention makes it easier to read the visible code and infrared code formed on the printed material in an overlapping manner than in conventional configurations. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] (A) is a front view of the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 of an embodiment, as captured under white light illumination. (B) is a front view of the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 of an embodiment, as captured under near-infrared light illumination. [Figure 2] This is an exploded perspective view of the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 of the embodiment. [Figure 3] (A) is a front view of the ticket machine paper 30 for the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1. (B) is a front view of the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 of Example 1. [Figure 4] (A) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of Visible Code 3. (B) is an explanatory diagram showing each area of ​​Visible Code 3 divided into patterns according to function. [Figure 5] (A) is an image of the two-dimensional code printing unit 6 of the embodiment, captured under white light illumination. (B) is an image of the two-dimensional code printing unit 6 of the embodiment, captured under near-infrared light illumination. [Figure 6] This is an explanatory diagram showing a modified arrangement of visible code 3 and infrared code 4. [Figure 7] This is an explanatory diagram showing a modified arrangement of visible code 3 and infrared code 4. [Figure 8] This is an exploded perspective view of the modified anti-counterfeiting ticket 1. [Figure 9]The anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 of the modification example, (A) is a surface view imaged under white light illumination, and (B) is a surface view imaged under near-infrared light illumination. [Figure 10] It is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the visible code 3 and the infrared code 4 in Test Specimens 1 to 4 and Comparative Specimen 1. [Figure 11] It is a chart showing the results of the evaluation test.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the following examples. In the following examples, the first two-dimensional code according to the present invention corresponds to the visible code 3, and the second two-dimensional code according to the present invention corresponds to the infrared code 4. In addition, the infrared light in a predetermined band according to the present invention corresponds to near-infrared light (wavelength 750 nm or more and less than 1000 nm).

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1(A), the printed matter of this example is the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 for railways. On the two-dimensional code printing section 6 on the front side of the base material 2, two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 for confirming the validity of the ticket are printed. In addition, character information 5 indicating ticket information is printed on the portion other than the two-dimensional code printing section 6. Although illustration is omitted, the back side of the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 is plain white.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1(A), two types of two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 are printed on the two-dimensional code printing section 6 so as to overlap each other. One two-dimensional code records information by a pattern of the reflectance of visible light such as white light, and is a visible code 3 that is easy to read under illumination of visible light such as white light and difficult to read under illumination of near-infrared light. The other two-dimensional code records information by a pattern of the reflectance of near-infrared light, and is an infrared code 4 that can be read under illumination of near-infrared light.

[0019] The base material 2 of the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 is plain white thermal paper made by coating the front side of a paper base material body 21 with a heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20. As shown in Figure 2, the visible code 3 is formed by using a thermal printer to heat-develop the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 to black in the dark cell areas. The text information 5 is also formed by heat-developing the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 to black. On the other hand, the infrared code 4 is formed by printing infrared light-absorbing ink 22, which has near-infrared light absorption characteristics, on top of the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 of the base material 2.

[0020] The infrared code 4 is printed before issuing the anti-counterfeit ticket 1, and the visible code 3 is printed when issuing the anti-counterfeit ticket 1. The infrared code 4 may contain common information used for authenticity determination. On the other hand, the visible code 3, which is printed when issuing the ticket, may contain variable information that differs for each ticket, such as the travel section and expiration date. For example, as shown in Figure 3(A), if a printing company manufactures a ticket machine paper 30 with only the infrared code 4 printed on it, then, as shown in Figure 3(B), the ticket machine can efficiently issue the anti-counterfeit ticket 1 simply by thermal printing the visible code 3 and text information 5 onto the ticket machine paper 30.

[0021] Visible Code 3 is a general QR code (registered trademark) that conforms to the standard (JIS X 0510). Here, the structure of a general QR code will be explained based on Visible Code 3. As shown in Figure 4(A), Visible Code (QR Code) 3 consists of square cells 10, which are colored either light (white) or dark (black), arranged in a matrix in both vertical and horizontal directions. As shown in Figure 4(B), Visible Code 3 is broadly divided into two areas: a functional pattern 7 and an encoding area 8.

[0022] Functional pattern 7 is an area where the color scheme pattern of cell 10 is predetermined, and consists of a position detection pattern 11, a separation pattern 12, a timing pattern 13, an alignment pattern 14, etc., which assist in the optical reading of the visible code 3. The position detection pattern 11 is a concentric square pattern provided at the three corners of the visible code 3: the upper left corner, the lower left corner, and the upper right corner. This position detection pattern 11 allows the reader to easily detect the visible code 3 from an image captured under illumination of visible light such as white light. The separation pattern 12 is a pattern of light-colored cells 10 surrounding the position detection pattern 11, and this separation pattern 12 allows the position detection pattern 11 to be separated and identified from its surroundings. The timing pattern 13 is a pattern in which light-colored and dark-colored cells 10 appear alternately in one row each in the vertical and horizontal directions. This timing pattern 13 allows the center coordinates of each cell 10 to be identified in an image of the visible code 3. The alignment pattern 14 is a concentric square pattern located in the lower right corner of the visible code 3. This alignment pattern 14 makes it possible to correct the distortion of the visible code 3 in the captured image.

[0023] The encoding area 8 is an area that records data based on the color scheme pattern of cell 10, and consists of a data code area 15 for recording messages and a format information code area 16 for recording QR code format information and model number information. The information recorded in the encoding area 8 includes error correction codes, so that even if the brightness of cell 10 is slightly misidentified during the binarization process when reading the two-dimensional code, the error can be corrected and the correct information can be decoded.

[0024] Infrared Code 4 is also a two-dimensional code that basically conforms to the QR code standard (JIS X 0510). However, while the common QR code, Visible Code 3, is composed of a pattern of 10 cells of light and dark colors, Infrared Code 4 is composed of a pattern of high-reflectance cells with high reflectivity to near-infrared light and low-reflectance cells with low reflectivity to near-infrared light.

[0025] The infrared light absorbing ink 22 that forms the infrared code 4 is a yellowish-green ink that transmits the underlying color and is solid-printed on the high-reflectance cell portion of the infrared code 4. As shown in Figure 5(A), under white light illumination, the portion 22a that overlaps with the white uncolored portion 20a of the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 exhibits a bright yellowish-green color (shown as gray in the figure) due to mixing with the underlying color (white), while the portion 22b that overlaps with the black color-developed portion 20b of the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 exhibits black due to mixing with the underlying color (black).

[0026] In the two-dimensional code printing section 6, the infrared code 4 (infrared light absorbing ink 22) is printed so that it overlaps the visible code 3. However, as shown in Figure 5(A), under white light illumination, regardless of the presence or absence of the infrared light absorbing ink 22, the black colored areas 20b (dark cells of the visible code 3) of the thermal coloring layer 20 appear dark (black), while the white, uncolored areas 20a of the thermal coloring layer 20 appear light (white or bright yellowish-green). Therefore, in images captured under white light illumination, the pattern of the visible code 3 appears clearly with high contrast on the two-dimensional code printing section 6. Consequently, the pattern of the visible code 3 can be easily read based on images captured under visible light illumination such as white light.

[0027] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5(A), in images captured under visible light illumination, it is difficult to determine whether or not infrared light absorbing ink 22 is printed in the black colored portion 20b of the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20. Therefore, it is difficult to read all patterns of infrared code 4 based on images captured under visible light illumination. In other words, infrared code 4 is concealed and difficult to read under visible light illumination by being superimposed on visible code 3.

[0028] On the other hand, the infrared code 4 is printed on the two-dimensional code printing section 6 so as to overlap with the visible code 3. As shown in Figures 1(B) and 5(B), in images captured under near-infrared light illumination, regardless of whether the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 is color-developed or not, the printed portion of the infrared light-absorbing ink 22 (the low-reflectance cell of the infrared code 4) appears dark, and the unprinted portion of the infrared light-absorbing ink 22 appears light. This is because both the uncolored portion 20a and the color-developed portion 20b of the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 of the substrate 2 have high reflectivity to near-infrared light. Therefore, in images captured under near-infrared light illumination, the pattern of the infrared code 4 appears clearly with high contrast on the two-dimensional code printing section 6. Thus, the pattern of the infrared code 4 can be easily read based on the image captured under near-infrared light illumination.

[0029] Thus, as shown in Figure 5(A), the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 of this embodiment displays the pattern of the visible code 3 with high contrast in an image taken under illumination of visible light such as white light, allowing the recorded information of the visible code 3 to be read based on the captured image. On the other hand, as shown in Figure 5(B), the pattern of the infrared code 4 displays with high contrast in an infrared image taken of the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 under illumination of near-infrared light, allowing the recorded information of the infrared code 4 to be read based on the infrared image.

[0030] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the visible code 3 and the infrared code 4 are printed so as to overlap on the two-dimensional code printing section 6, there is an advantage in that the area of ​​the two-dimensional code printing section 6 and the imaging range when reading the two two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 can be reduced.

[0031] Furthermore, the anti-counterfeiting ticket 1 of this embodiment is superior to tickets with only visible code 3 printed on them because the infrared code 4 is difficult to read in images taken under visible light illumination, and the pattern of infrared code 4 is difficult to reproduce with the ink of a typical printer.

[0032] The configuration of the main parts of the present invention will be described below. In this embodiment, the two-dimensional code printing section 6 is formed so that the visible code 3 and the infrared code 4 overlap. However, as shown in Figure 5, the visible code 3 and the infrared code 4 do not completely overlap, and their respective position detection patterns 11a and 11b are arranged so that they do not overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 or 4. Specifically, since the position detection patterns of the QR code are provided in the three corners of the upper left, lower left, and upper right, the visible code 3 and the infrared code 4 are oriented 180° opposite to each other, and are arranged so that the lower right and central parts, where the position detection patterns 11a and 11b are not provided, overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 or 4.

[0033] In this way, by arranging the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4, the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 can be read more quickly and reliably compared to the conventional configuration. That is, from the standpoint of preventing counterfeiting, it is desirable to overlap the visible code 3 and infrared code 4, but if the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 are overlapped, the pattern of infrared code 4 will appear as noise in the image captured under visible light illumination (see Figure 5(A)), and the pattern of visible code 3 will appear as noise in the image captured under near-infrared light illumination (see Figure 5(B)), making it easy to misidentify brightness and darkness in the captured image due to this noise. In particular, if a misidentification of brightness and darkness in cell 10 occurs in the position detection patterns 11a and 11b, there is a greater risk of reading failure or delay than if it occurs in other parts. As mentioned above, with QR codes, even if there is a slight error in the identification of brightness in cell 10 in the encoding area 8, it is possible to correct it. However, with position detection patterns 11a and 11b, it is not possible to correct errors in the identification of brightness. Therefore, as in this embodiment, if all of the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 are arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4, it becomes less likely to fail or be troubled when reading the visible code 3 or infrared code 4, even if the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 are arranged in overlapping positions.

[0034] On the other hand, since the visible code 3 and the infrared code 4 are arranged so that their parts other than the position detection patterns 11a and 11b overlap, in an image captured under visible light illumination, the pattern of the infrared code 4 is obscured by the pattern of the visible code 3, making it difficult to read (see Figure 5(A)). Although QR codes cannot correct errors of up to 30%, in this embodiment, since the visible code 3 overlaps with more than 30% of the area of ​​the infrared code 4, the recorded information of the infrared code 4 cannot be read by the error correction function.

[0035] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the configurations of the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0036] For example, the printed materials of the present invention can be applied not only to train tickets, but also to various other types of identification documents that require protection against counterfeiting, such as admission tickets to facilities, certificates, and permits.

[0037] Furthermore, the arrangement of the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 can be modified in the above embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Specifically, in the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 6(A), the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 are arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 and 4. However, the present invention includes arrangements such as the one in which only the position detection pattern 11a of the visible code 3 is not overlapped with the infrared code 4, as shown in Figure 6(B), and the one in which only the position detection pattern 11b of the infrared code 4 is not overlapped with the visible code 3, as shown in Figure 6(C). Although the effect is inferior to the case in which neither of the respective position detection patterns 11a and 11b overlaps with the other two-dimensional code 3 and 4, a certain effect can be obtained compared to the conventional configuration even when one of the position detection patterns 11a and 11b does not overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 and 4. In addition, in the present invention, as shown in Figures 6(B) and 6(C), one of the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 may be made larger than the other.

[0038] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, as shown in Figure 6(A), the entirety of the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of the two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 are arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 and 4. However, the present invention includes, as shown in Figure 7(A), a configuration in which at least 60% of the area of ​​the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of at least one of the two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 is arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 and 4. This is because if at least 60% of the position detection patterns 11a and 11b do not overlap with the other two-dimensional code 3 and 4, a certain effect can be obtained compared to the conventional configuration.

[0039] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, one visible code 3 and one infrared code 4 are superimposed, but as shown in Figure 7(B), the printed material of the present invention includes a material in which multiple two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 are superimposed on one of the two-dimensional codes 3 and 4.

[0040] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the base material 2 is plain white, but the surface of the base material 2 may be colored or have a pattern formed on it.

[0041] Furthermore, although the visible code 3 in the above embodiment is thermally printed on the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20, the substrate 2 may be made of non-thermal paper, and the visible code 3 may be printed with ink or toner that has high transmittance of near-infrared light. Also, the visible code 3 is not limited to black, but may be formed in a color similar to black.

[0042] Furthermore, while the infrared code 4 in the above embodiment is printed on the substrate 2 with infrared light absorbing ink 22, the infrared code 4 may also be formed by offset printing of infrared light absorbing ink 22 and infrared light transmitting ink 23, as shown in Figure 8. Specifically, in Figure 8, the infrared light absorbing ink 22 is solid-printed on the surface of the substrate 2 in the high-reflectance cell portion of the infrared code 4, and the infrared light transmitting ink 23 is solid-printed over the entire area excluding the printed portion of the infrared light absorbing ink 22. Here, both the infrared light absorbing ink 22 and the infrared light transmitting ink 23 are the same color (yellow-green) inks that transmit the underlying color, and the solid-printed layer formed by the infrared light absorbing ink 22 and the solid-printed layer formed by the infrared light transmitting ink appear as substantially the same color on the surface of the substrate 2. In this configuration, as shown in Figure 9(A), under visible light illumination, the pattern of infrared code 4 becomes almost the same color as the background color and is difficult to distinguish. Therefore, when reading the visible code 3 using an image captured under visible light illumination, the pattern of infrared code 4 does not appear as noise. On the other hand, since the solid printing layer of infrared light-transmitting ink 23 transmits near-infrared light, in this configuration, as shown in Figure 9(B), in an image captured under near-infrared light illumination, similar to the above embodiment, regardless of whether the heat-sensitive color-developing layer 20 develops color or not, the printed portion of infrared light-absorbing ink 22 (the low-reflectance cell of infrared code 4) appears dark, and the unprinted portion of infrared light-absorbing ink 22 appears light.

[0043] Furthermore, the printed material of the present invention may be coated with a coating layer that does not hinder the reading of the infrared code 4 or the visible code 3 over the two-dimensional code printing section 6.

[0044] Furthermore, the printed material of the present invention may have one or both of the visible code 3 and the infrared code 4 formed by a two-dimensional code other than a QR code.

[0045] To evaluate the present invention, the following test samples and comparative samples were prepared. <Test sample 1> A printed material was prepared by forming a visible code and an infrared code on the surface of a substrate under the following conditions, and this printed material was designated as Test Sample 1. 1. Base material Material: Plain white thermal paper Reflectance density (OD value measured with white light) Uncolored areas (white): 0.02~0.11 Colored area (black): Approximately 1.3 2. Visible Code Format: QR code (version 6) Size: 2cm (height) x 2cm (width) (1 cell is approximately 0.5mm square) Printing method: Thermal printing in black onto the heat-sensitive color-developing layer. 3. Infrared Code Format: QR code (version 1) Size: 1cm (height) x 1cm (width) (1 cell is approximately 0.5mm square) Printing method: Solid printing with yellow-green infrared light absorbing ink. Reflectance density (OD value measured with white light) Printing area on uncolored (white) areas: approximately 0.3 Printing area on the color-developing part (black): Approximately 1.3 4. Placement of the QR code Visible code 3 and infrared code 4 were printed in the same orientation, with their centers overlapping. As shown in Figure 10(A), in this test sample 1, the position detection pattern 11b of infrared code 4 completely overlaps with visible code 3, while the position detection pattern 11a of visible code 3 does not overlap with infrared code 4 at all.

[0046] Except for changing the placement of the two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 from Test Sample 1 as follows, printed materials similar to Test Sample 1 were produced and designated as Test Samples 2, 3, and 4, and Comparative Samples 1 and 2, respectively. <Test sample 2> Visible code 3 and infrared code 4 were printed in the same orientation, with their lower right corners overlapping. As shown in Figure 10(B), in this test sample 2, the position detection pattern 11b of infrared code 4 completely overlaps with visible code 3, while the position detection pattern 11a of visible code 3 does not overlap with infrared code 4 at all. <Test sample 3> Visible code 3 and infrared code 4 were placed upside down and printed so that their respective lower right corners overlapped. As shown in Figure 10(C), in this test sample 3, the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of visible code 3 and infrared code 4 do not overlap at all with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4. <Test sample 4> Visible code 3 and infrared code 4 were placed upside down and printed so that their upper left corners overlapped. As shown in Figure 10(D), in this test sample 4, two out of three position detection patterns 11a and 11b of visible code 3 and infrared code 4 (2 / 3 of the total) do not overlap at all with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4. <Comparison Item 1> The infrared code 4 was made the same size as the visible code 3, printed in the same orientation as the visible code 3, and printed so as to completely overlap with the visible code 3. As shown in Figure 10(E), in this comparative sample 1, the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 both overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4. <Comparison item 2> Visible code 3 and infrared code 4 were printed side-by-side in the same orientation, without any overlap. In other words, in comparative sample 2, the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of visible code 3 and infrared code 4 do not overlap at all with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4.

[0047] <Evaluation Test> For test samples 1-4 and comparative samples 1 and 2, the two-dimensional code printing section 6 was imaged under white light illumination and near-infrared light illumination, respectively. Then, using a "QR checker" manufactured by Denso Wave, the ease of detection of the visible code 3 position detection pattern 11a was evaluated based on the image captured under white light illumination, and the ease of detection of the infrared code 4 position detection pattern 11b was evaluated based on the image captured under near-infrared light illumination. Specifically, the ease of detection of position detection patterns 11a and 11b was evaluated by calculating the difference in the width of the "1:1:3:1:1" light and dark patterns of the designed position detection patterns 11a and 11b in the image, and then evaluating it in the following four stages according to the largest calculated difference. The results are shown in Figure 11. ◎: 20% or less ○: 20-35% □: 35~50% △: 50-70% ×: 70% or more

[0048] As shown in Figure 11, the ease of detection of the position detection pattern 11a of the visible code 3 was rated low ("△") in comparison product 1, where all position detection patterns 11a overlapped with the infrared code 4; rated high ("○") in test product 4, where 1 / 3 of the position detection patterns 11a overlapped with the infrared code 4; and rated highest ("◎") in test products 1-3 and comparison product 2, where the position detection patterns 11a did not overlap with the infrared code 4 at all. On the other hand, the ease of detection of the position detection pattern 11b of the infrared code 4 was rated medium ("□") in test products 1, 2 and comparison product 1, where all position detection patterns 11b overlapped with the visible code 3; rated high ("○") in test product 4, where 1 / 3 of the position detection patterns 11b overlapped with the visible code 3; and rated highest ("◎") in test product 3 and comparison product 2, where the position detection patterns 11b did not overlap with the visible code 3 at all. These results suggest that by arranging the position detection patterns 11a and 11b of the visible code 3 and infrared code 4 so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4, the overlapping visible code 3 and infrared code 4 can be read quickly and reliably. Furthermore, even arranging just two of the three position detection patterns 11a and 11b so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 improves the readability of the two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 compared to a configuration where all of the position detection patterns 11a and 11b overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4. Moreover, arranging all three position detection patterns 11a and 11b so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 significantly improves the readability of the two-dimensional codes 3 and 4 compared to a configuration where all of the position detection patterns 11a and 11b overlap with the other two-dimensional codes 3 and 4. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1. Anti-counterfeiting train ticket (printed material) 2 Base material 3. Visible code (first two-dimensional code) 4. Infrared code (second two-dimensional code) 5-character information 6. Two-dimensional code printing section 7 Functional Patterns 8 Coding area 10 cells 11,11a,11b Position detection patterns 12 Separation Patterns 13 Timing Patterns 14 Alignment Patterns 15. Data Code Area 16. Format information code area 20. Heat-sensitive color-developing layer 21 Base material body 22 Infrared light absorbing ink 23 Infrared light transmitting ink 30 Ticket machine paper

Claims

1. A first two-dimensional code that is easily readable under visible light illumination and difficult to read under infrared light illumination in a predetermined band, A second two-dimensional code that is difficult to read under visible light illumination and easy to read under infrared light illumination in the predetermined band, A printed material formed in such a way that overlaps, The first two-dimensional code and the second two-dimensional code are, It is equipped with a position detection pattern for optically detecting the position of each two-dimensional code, A printed material characterized in that at least 60% of the area of ​​the position detection pattern of at least one of the two-dimensional codes is arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code.

2. The first two-dimensional code and the second two-dimensional code are rectangular in shape. The position detection pattern is provided at the three corners of each of the two-dimensional codes. The first two-dimensional code and the second two-dimensional code are, The corner where the position detection pattern is not provided is superimposed with the other two-dimensional code, The printed material according to claim 1, characterized in that the entirety of each position detection pattern is arranged so as not to overlap with the other two-dimensional code.

3. The printed material according to claim 2, characterized in that the first two-dimensional code overlaps with the area of ​​the second two-dimensional code by 7% or more.

4. More than 60% of the area of ​​the position detection pattern of the second two-dimensional code is arranged so as not to overlap with the first two-dimensional code. The second two-dimensional code is, A first solid printing layer formed with an ink or toner having infrared light absorption characteristics in the predetermined band, A second solid print layer, which is substantially the same color as the first solid print layer, is formed with an ink or toner that does not have the infrared light absorption characteristics of the predetermined band. A printed article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is formed by arranging the elements on a substrate in a die-cut manner.

Images