Magnetic Security Element Detection Using Dual Magnetization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for distinguishing high-coercive, low-coercive, and combined magnetic areas in security elements are inefficient, as combined areas produce a reduced magnetic signal that is difficult to differentiate from high- and low-coercive areas, and require weak magnetic fields oriented parallel to the transport plane, which are hard to achieve with conventional magnets.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a document with security elements having high-coercive, low-coercive, and combined magnetic areas, where the document is magnetized by a strong field aligning high-coercive areas and a weaker field antiparallel to the first direction for low-coercive areas, allowing for distinct magnetic signals to be detected and analyzed to differentiate between the areas, using conventional magnets for both fields.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a magnetic field oriented parallel to the transport plane and perpendicular to the transport direction is used to remagnetize low-coercive magnetic areas, then the low-coercive magnetic areas can be aligned perpendicular to the transport direction, but the magnetic field strength is limited to relatively low values when using conventional magnets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the orientation of the magnetic field from parallel to the transport plane to perpendicular to the transport plane. This dimensional change allows the use of conventional magnets to generate sufficiently strong magnetic fields while achieving the required alignment of low-coercive magnetic areas perpendicular to the transport direction.
2Adaptability or versatility
If combined magnetic areas containing both high-coercive and low-coercive magnetic materials are used in the security element, then the security encoding is enhanced, but the combined areas produce a reduced magnetic signal that is difficult to distinguish from high-coercive and low-coercive magnetic areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a preliminary strong magnetic field perpendicular to the transport plane before detection to uniformly magnetize both high-coercive and low-coercive magnetic areas in the combined magnetic regions. This preliminary action ensures that the magnetic materials are properly aligned, enabling the magnetic detector to clearly distinguish combined magnetic areas from pure high-coercive or low-coercive areas based on their respective magnetic signals.
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
This method reliably distinguishes high-coercive, low-coercive, and combined magnetic areas by generating distinct magnetic signals, enabling accurate identification and reducing the need for strong antiparallel magnetic fields, thus improving the detection process.
Implementation Method 1
The document of value or the security element is magnetized by a first magnetic field whose magnetic field strength is greater than the first and than the second coercive field strength
Implementation Method 2
The magnetic areas include at least one high-coercive magnetic area made of a high-coercive magnetic material with a first coercive force and at least one low-coercive magnetic area made of a low-coercive magnetic material with a second coercive field strength
Implementation Method 3
The document of value or the security element is then magnetized by a second magnetic field, the magnetic field strength of which is less than the first coercive field strength but greater than the second coercive field strength. The second magnetic field is oriented such that the magnetization of the low-coercive magnetic material is aligned anti-parallel to the first direction of magnetization
Implementation Method 4
The magnetic field strength of the second magnetic field is lower than the first coercive field strength, so the high-coercive magnetic material is not remagnetized by the second magnetic field
Implementation Method 5
After the first and second magnetization, first magnetic signals of the security element are detected by a first magnetic detector and then second magnetic signals of the security element are detected by a second magnetic detector
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3a~3b
AI summary
The invention relates to the checking of value documents which have a security element with a plurality of magnetic areas, including a high-coercivity magnetic area, a low-coercivity magnetic area and a combined magnetic area, which contains both the high-coercivity and the low-coercivity magnetic material. When all magnetic areas have been magnetized in a first direction, second magnetization is performed, which involves only the low-coercivity magnetic material being remagnetized parallel to the first magnetization in the opposite direction, but the high-coercivity magnetic material remaining oriented in the first direction of magnetization. Next, first magnetic signals from the security element are detected using a first magnetic detector, and second magnetic signals are detected using a second magnetic detector. The magnetic signals are used to identify each magnetic area of the security element as a high-coercivity, a low-coercivity or a combined magnetic area.