Laser Personalization Device with Adaptable Intensity Profiles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing document personalization methods, such as laser engraving, allow for subsequent manipulation of applied graphics, making it difficult to detect alterations or forgery.

Innovation Solution

A personalization device with a beam source and optical arrangement that generates laser pulses with adaptable intensity profiles to create pixels of specific geometric shapes, allowing for the detection of subsequent manipulation by varying the geometric shape of pixels in the graphic.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If laser engraving is used to apply graphics to documents, then the graphic can be applied to the document, but subsequent manipulation or alteration of the graphic becomes possible and difficult to detect

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument securityVSAvoiddetection of manipulation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by giving each pixel a specific geometric shape that is consistent throughout the graphic. This local characteristic (geometric shape) serves as a quality marker that can be verified to detect manipulation. The uniform application of geometric shapes across all pixels creates a detectable pattern that would be disrupted by any alteration attempts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary action by embedding geometric shape information into the pixels during the initial graphic application process. This preliminary encoding of geometric characteristics allows for later detection of manipulation without requiring additional processing at the time of application. The geometric shapes are predetermined and consistent, enabling future verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If standard laser pulses are used to create pixels, then the pixels can be applied efficiently, but all pixels have the same geometric shape making manipulation undetectable

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegraphic application efficiencyVSAvoidmanipulation detection capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent resolves this contradiction by assigning a specific geometric shape to pixels, creating a local quality characteristic that maintains productivity while enabling reliability. The geometric shape is applied consistently across all pixels during the initial application, maintaining efficiency, but provides a verifiable characteristic for detecting subsequent manipulation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If geometric shapes are varied among pixels to enable manipulation detection, then reliability improves, but device complexity increases due to additional optical arrangement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanipulation detectionVSAvoidoptical arrangement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent addresses device complexity by implementing a consistent geometric shape across all pixels rather than varying shapes individually. This approach maintains reliability for manipulation detection while avoiding the need for complex optical arrangements that would be required to create and control varied pixel geometries. The simplicity of the optical arrangement is preserved while still achieving the reliability goal through uniform geometric encoding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables the generation of pixels with defined geometric shapes that can be easily identified, facilitating the detection of any subsequent manipulation or forgery attempts during visual inspection.

Implementation Method 1

a beam source for generating laser pulses

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser: Laser

Implementation Method 2

The optical arrangement is designed to adapt the transverse intensity profile of the laser pulse to the respective geometric shape of the pixel

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOptical focusing and intensity profile adaptation: Focusing

Implementation Method 3

Laser engraving has proven to be a proven technique for applying graphics to documents. In this process, color pigments or pigments of various shades of gray are created in the document blank by bombarding a photosensitive material with laser light. A material transformation takes place in the photosensitive material, allowing individual pixels to be created at the point of laser impact.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLaser ablation: Laser Ablation

Data Source

PatentEP3291994B1Personalization device and method for personalizing a document
Publication Date: 2019.07.03 BUNDESDRUCKEREI GMBH
  • EP3291994B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3291994B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2c
  • EP3291994B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a personalization device (200) with an optical arrangement (204) and a beam source (202) for generating laser pulses in order to personalize a document (102) by means of a graphic (100). The personalization device (200) further contains an electronic storage means for storing the graphic (100). The graphic (100) includes a plurality of pixels (106). The personalization device (200) is designed to generate the pixels (106) of the graphic (100) on the document (102) by supplying the laser pulses to a photosensitive layer of the document (102). A first sub-quantity of pixels (106) of the plurality of pixels (106) has a first geometric shape. At least one other sub-quantity of pixels (106) of the plurality of pixels (106) has a geometric shape which differs from the first geometric shape. The personalization device (200) is designed to deflect laser pulses generated by the beam source (202) onto the position of a pixel (106) by means of the optical arrangement (204), and the optical arrangement (204) is designed to adapt the transversal intensity profile of the laser pulse to the respective geometric shape of the pixel (106).