JP2007299189A - Image processing apparatus, image processing method, authenticity determination apparatus for printed matter, and authenticity determination method for printed matter - Google Patents

Abstract

At least one pattern can be made visible with respect to a design incorporating a surface pattern composed of two types of patterns that are extremely difficult to discriminate by a visual means printed on a printed material. Provided are an image processing apparatus and an image processing method capable of easily determining authenticity by visual observation.
A first pattern and a second pattern are formed of fine stripes, and each stripe of the first pattern and the second pattern is formed at an angle of approximately 90 degrees. The design is input as image data from a printed material having a design incorporating the surface pattern, and the input image data is moved in parallel to the stripe of one of the patterns by a distance approximately half the pitch of the stripe. The image data that has been processed and the image data that has not been subjected to the processing are overlapped to average the corresponding pixel values to generate new image data. The generated new image data Is displayed in a visible state.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention provides, for example, an image processing apparatus and an image which make at least one pattern visible with respect to a design incorporating a surface pattern composed of two types of patterns which are extremely difficult to discriminate by a visual means printed on a printed matter It relates to the processing method.

  In addition, the present invention provides, for example, a printed material authenticity determination apparatus and a printed material authenticity determination device that determine the authenticity of a printed material having a design incorporating a surface pattern composed of two types of patterns that are extremely difficult to determine by visual means. Regarding the method.

  In recent years, with the spread of color high-definition printers such as color copiers, color scanners, and inkjet printers, forgery cases such as securities such as high-value banknotes and gift certificates, and licenses frequently occur. For this reason, various forgery prevention measures are taken for banknotes, gift certificate securities, licenses, and the like.

  Holograms, which are light diffractive structures, are often used as anti-counterfeiting means because they require very advanced manufacturing techniques. However, improvements in manufacturing technology have made it possible to manufacture holograms that are close to the real one at first glance.

In order to check such a counterfeit product, a technique is disclosed in which a hidden pattern that is difficult to discriminate is incorporated into a hologram and used as a means for discriminating authenticity (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this known technique, a printed matter is a pattern with a light diffraction structure in which a surface pattern composed of a first hidden pattern and a second hidden pattern, each of which is formed of fine stripes so that the stripes form an angle of 90 degrees. It is something to apply to. According to this technique, it is possible to form a pattern that is extremely difficult to discriminate by visual means, and the effect of preventing forgery is great.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-344631

  However, the above-described known technique uses a special confirmation pattern as a means for visually discriminating a hidden pattern, and cannot be discriminated by image processing.

  Therefore, the present invention can make at least one pattern visible with respect to a design incorporating a surface pattern composed of two types of patterns that are extremely difficult to discriminate by visual means printed on printed matter. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image processing apparatus and an image processing method that can easily determine the authenticity of a printed matter visually.

  In addition, the present invention automatically determines the presence or absence of at least one pattern with respect to a printed matter having a design incorporating a surface pattern composed of two types of patterns that is extremely difficult to discriminate by visual means, and authenticates the printed matter. It is an object of the present invention to provide a printed matter authenticity discriminating apparatus and a printed matter authenticity discriminating method capable of easily discriminating a printed matter.

  The image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes a first pattern and a second pattern, each of which is composed of fine stripes, and each stripe of the first pattern and the second pattern is approximately 90 degrees. An image input means for inputting the design as image data from a printed matter having a design incorporating a surface pattern formed to form an angle, and the image data input by the image input means is approximately half the pitch of the stripes. The first processing means for performing the process of moving in parallel with the stripes of one of the patterns by the distance of, and the image data processed by the first processing means and the image data before the processing is superimposed. And a second processing means for performing processing for generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values.

  The printed matter authenticity determination device of the present invention includes a first pattern and a second pattern, each of which is composed of fine stripes, and each stripe of the first pattern and the second pattern. Is an image input means for inputting the design as image data from a printed matter having a design in which a surface pattern formed so as to form an angle of about 90 degrees is formed, and the image data input by the image input means is the stripes. First processing means for performing a process of moving the pattern parallel to one of the stripes by a distance approximately half the pitch of the image, image data processed by the first processing means, and an image before the processing is performed. A second processing means for performing processing for generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values by superimposing the data, and a new image data generated by the second processing means. And comprising a third processing means for performing processing to determine the authenticity of the printed material based on whether the other first pattern or the second pattern is present.

  Further, the image processing method of the present invention is composed of a first pattern and a second pattern each composed of fine stripes, and each stripe of the first pattern and the second pattern is approximately 90. A first step of inputting the design as image data by an image input means from a printed matter having a design in which a surface pattern formed to form an angle of degrees is incorporated, and the image data input by the first step A second process in which the first processing means performs a process of moving the pattern in parallel with any one of the stripes by a distance approximately half the pitch of the stripes, and the image data processed in the second process; A third step in which the second processing means performs a process of generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values by superimposing the image data before performing the process.

  Furthermore, the printed matter authenticity determination method of the present invention includes a first pattern and a second pattern, each of which is composed of fine stripes, and each stripe of the first pattern and the second pattern. Is a first step of inputting the design as image data by an image input means from a printed matter having a design in which a surface pattern formed so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees is incorporated, and the first step inputs the design. The second process in which the first processing means performs a process of moving the image data parallel to one of the stripes of the pattern by a distance approximately half the pitch of the stripes, and the second process. A third step in which the second processing means performs processing for generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values by superimposing the image data and the image data before the processing is performed; Fourth processing is performed by third processing means for determining whether the printed material is true or not based on whether or not the first pattern or the second pattern exists in the new image data generated in the third step. Process.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to make at least one pattern visible with respect to a design incorporating a surface pattern composed of two types of patterns that are extremely difficult to discriminate by a visual means printed on a printed matter. Thus, it is possible to provide an image processing apparatus and an image processing method that can easily determine the authenticity of a printed matter visually.

  In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically determine the presence or absence of at least one pattern for a printed material having a design in which a surface pattern composed of two types of patterns that is extremely difficult to determine by visual means is provided. It is possible to provide a printed matter authenticity discriminating apparatus and a printed matter authenticity distinguishing method capable of easily judging authenticity.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 schematically shows a printed matter according to the present invention. In FIG. 1A, a printed matter 1 is, for example, an identification card such as a license, on which an owner's face image 2, character information 3 such as personal information, a pattern 4 and the like are printed. The pattern 4 is one of anti-counterfeiting measures, and FIG. The pattern 4 includes a hexagonal first hidden pattern (first pattern) 5 having a horizontal line pattern as shown in the figure and a second hidden pattern of the letter “H” having a vertical line pattern as shown in the figure. (Second pattern) 6.

  That is, the pattern 4 includes a first hidden pattern 5 and a second hidden pattern 6 each composed of fine stripes, and each of the first hidden pattern 5 and the second hidden pattern 6 The stripe is a pattern in which a surface pattern formed so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees is incorporated.

  Here, the horizontal line pattern of the first hidden pattern 5 and the vertical line pattern of the second hidden pattern 6 are fine lines (fine stripes) equivalent to 1200 dpi, for example, and are holograms, so that it can be visually confirmed. Can not. For this reason, although the hexagonal pattern 4 is visible, the second hidden pattern 6 of the letter “H” in the hexagonal pattern 4 cannot be confirmed, making it difficult to forge, and the effect of preventing forgery is great. .

  In the present invention, the pattern 4 is composed of a hologram. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it may be, for example, a black thin line pattern that can be visually confirmed.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the pattern 4 in detail. FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the rectangular portion a indicated by the thick line of the pattern 4 in FIG. The pattern 4 is composed of black pixels and white pixels. The first hidden pattern 5 which is a hexagon is a horizontal line pattern 7 in which black pixels are arranged in the horizontal direction, and the second hidden pattern 6 of the letter “H” is a vertical line pattern in which black pixels are arranged in the vertical direction. It is eight.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows the configuration of the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. This image processing apparatus includes an image input unit 11 serving as an image input unit that inputs a pattern 4 on a printed material 1 as image data, a computer 12 serving as a processing unit that performs processing for making a pattern visible, and a pattern can be viewed. It is comprised from the display part 13 as a display means to display in a state.

  The image input unit 11 converts an image on a printed matter such as a scanner or a camera into digital data, and is a color scanner here. The computer 12 may be, for example, a dedicated CPU board or a personal computer, and is a personal computer here. The computer 12 includes a temporary storage memory 14 that temporarily stores input image data, a pattern restoration processing unit 15 that makes a pattern visible, and the like. The display unit 13 is, for example, a CRT display or a liquid crystal display.

  Next, the operation of the image processing apparatus with such a configuration will be described. The vicinity of the pattern 4 of the printed material 1 is read by a color scanner as the image input unit 11, converted into grayscale image data (digital data), and temporarily stored in the temporary storage memory 14 of the computer 12. Here, the image data obtained from the image input unit 11 is 8-bit (0 to 255) data.

  The image data temporarily stored in the temporary storage memory 14 is sent to the pattern restoration processing unit 15 by an instruction from the application of the computer 12. The pattern restoration processing unit 15 performs a hidden pattern restoration process, displays the processing result on the display unit 13, and ends a series of operations.

  Next, the operation of the pattern restoration processing unit 15 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, the input image data is held in two arrays (step S1), the data in one array is rearranged (step S2), and then the average value of the same positions in the two arrays is calculated ( Step S3), processing for creating new image data is performed.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the pattern 4 (rectangular part a in FIG. 2) for explaining the operation of the pattern restoration processing unit 15 in detail. As shown in FIG. 5A, the input image data is arranged in the same element of two arrays. When the two arrays are D1 [i, j] and D2 [i, j], the equation D1 [i, j] = D2 [i, j] holds. Here, when the size of the image data is M × N (M and N are integers, M is the height of the image, and N is the width), i is an integer from 0 to M−1, and j is 0. It is an integer of ~ N-1.

  Next, the elements of one array are rearranged. In this embodiment, the pattern 4 is formed by a pattern in which black pixels are arranged vertically and horizontally at every other pixel pitch. This is realized by shifting by one pixel (one array element) in the horizontal direction as shown in 5 (b). When the rearranged array is D2 ′, D2 ′ [i, j] = D2 [i, j + 1] (i = 0 to M−1, j = 0 to N−2).

  Next, the average value of the arrays D1 and D2 'is calculated. When the new array is D3, D3 [i, j] = (D1 [i, j] + D2 ′ [i, j]) / 2 (i = 0 to M−1, j = 0 to N−2) ) To create new image data D3.

  Here, the effect of averaging will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 5A shows elements of the array D1, and FIG. 5B shows elements of D2 '. Since the vertical line pattern portion in the figure is shifted by one pixel in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the white pixel portion in FIG. 5B corresponds to the black pixel portion in FIG. 5A. For example, an element of m rows and n columns corresponds to this. The average value is half that of white and black pixels. Now, assuming that the value of the black pixel is “0” and the value of the white pixel is “255”, the value of the element of the m-th row and the n-th column of the new array D3 is “127”, and as an image, FIG. Becomes gray (shown by diagonal lines).

  On the other hand, even if the horizontal line pattern portion is shifted by one pixel in the horizontal direction, except for pixels adjacent to the horizontal line pattern, black pixels remain black pixels, white pixels remain white pixels, and the average value does not change. As a result, the new image data D3 has pixel values in which the horizontal line pattern portion is gray (indicated by diagonal lines) as shown in FIG.

  Next, by displaying the new image data D3 on the display unit 13, as shown in FIG. 6, the second hidden pattern 6 of the letter “H” becomes gray (indicated by hatching), and is in a state where it can be seen. can do. Here, for example, if the printed material 1 is forged, the second hidden pattern 6 is not displayed in gray. Thereby, it is possible to easily determine the authenticity of the printed matter 1 by visual observation.

Next, a second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 schematically shows a configuration of a printed matter authenticity determination apparatus according to the second embodiment. The printed matter authenticity discriminating apparatus according to the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment of FIG. 3 in that a pattern discrimination processing unit 16 is added in the computer 12, and the rest is the first implementation. Since the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted, and only the different pattern discrimination processing unit 16 will be described.

  FIG. 8 is an example of a flowchart for explaining the operation of the pattern discrimination processing unit 16. Hereinafter, the operation will be explained based on this flowchart. First, the image data D3 input from the pattern restoration processing unit 15 is binarized (step S11), and then the periphery of the second hidden pattern 6 is extracted (step S12). Next, new data (projection data) is created by adding the pixel values of the extracted data along a predetermined direction (step S13). Next, by comparing the created data with preset reference data (step S14), the authenticity of the printed material 1 is determined (step S15).

  Note that the pattern discrimination processing by the pattern discrimination processing unit 16 is not limited to the processing in FIG. 8, and general pattern recognition processing can be used.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the pattern discrimination processing unit 16 in detail. In the image data (array) D3 (FIG. 9A) input from the pattern restoration processing unit 15, as shown in FIG. 9B, the gray element is the white data d1, and the other elements are the black data d2. Binarization is performed so that Specifically, when the element value is 110 or more and 144 or less, white data (255) is set, and other element values are black data (0).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, data around white data is extracted. Next, as shown in FIG. 9D, the extracted data are added in the vertical direction to create a one-dimensional array (projection data) E1. Here, if the extracted data array is D4 [i, j], E1 [j] = ΣD4 [i, j].

  Next, whether or not E1 [j] has the same shape by comparing with a reference pattern (reference data) of the character “H” created in advance, which is stored in the temporary storage memory 14 of the computer 12. Is checked, a determination result of “true” is output if the shape is the same, and “false” is output if the shape is different, and the series of processing ends. By displaying the determination result of the pattern determination processing unit 16 on the display unit 13, it is possible to automatically determine the authenticity of the printed matter 1 automatically.

The schematic diagram which shows schematically the printed matter concerning this invention. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating in detail the design printed on printed matter. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of an image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of a pattern restoration process part. The principal part enlarged view of the symbol for demonstrating the operation | movement of a pattern restoration process part in detail. The figure explaining a pattern restoration result. The block diagram which shows schematically the structure of the authenticity determination apparatus of the printed matter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart explaining operation | movement of a pattern discrimination | determination process part. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating in detail the operation | movement of a pattern discrimination | determination processing part.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printed matter, 2 ... Face image, 3 ... Character information, 4 ... Design, 5 ... 1st hidden pattern (1st pattern), 6 ... 2nd hidden pattern (2nd pattern), 7 ... Horizontal line pattern 8 ... Vertical line pattern, 11 ... Image input unit (image input unit), 12 ... Computer (processing unit), 13 ... Display unit (display unit), 14 ... Temporary holding memory, 15 ... Pattern restoration processing unit, 16 ... Pattern discrimination processing unit.

Claims (12)

Each of the stripes of the first pattern and the second pattern was formed so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees, each consisting of a first pattern and a second pattern each composed of fine stripes. Image input means for inputting the design as image data from a printed matter having a design with a surface pattern incorporated therein;
First processing means for performing a process of moving the image data input by the image input means in parallel with the fringes of one of the patterns by a distance approximately half the pitch of the fringes;
Second processing means for performing processing for generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values by superimposing the image data processed by the first processing means and the image data before the processing is performed. When,
An image processing apparatus comprising:   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising display means for displaying the new image data generated by the second processing means in a visible state.   The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is formed of a light diffraction structure. Each of the stripes of the first pattern and the second pattern was formed so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees, each consisting of a first pattern and a second pattern each composed of fine stripes. Image input means for inputting the design as image data from a printed matter having a design with a surface pattern incorporated therein;
First processing means for performing a process of moving the image data input by the image input means in parallel with the fringes of one of the patterns by a distance approximately half the pitch of the fringes;
Second processing means for performing processing for generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values by superimposing the image data processed by the first processing means and the image data before the processing is performed. When,
Third processing means for performing processing for determining whether the printed matter is true or not based on whether or not the first pattern or the second pattern exists in the new image data generated by the second processing means;
An apparatus for determining authenticity of printed matter, comprising:   5. The authenticity determination apparatus for printed matter according to claim 4, further comprising display means for displaying the determination result of the third processing means in a visible state.   5. The authenticity determination apparatus for printed matter according to claim 4, wherein the pattern is formed by a light diffraction structure. Each of the stripes of the first pattern and the second pattern was formed so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees, each consisting of a first pattern and a second pattern each composed of fine stripes. A first step of inputting the design as image data by an image input means from a printed matter having a design incorporating a surface pattern;
A second step in which the first processing means performs a process of moving the image data input in the first step in parallel with the stripes of one of the patterns by a distance approximately half the pitch of the stripes;
Processing for generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values by superimposing the image data processed in the second step and the image data before the processing is performed is performed by the second processing means. A third step;
An image processing method comprising:   8. The image processing method according to claim 7, further comprising a fourth step of displaying the new image data generated by the third step in a state where the new image data can be viewed by a display unit.   The image processing method according to claim 7, wherein the pattern is formed by a light diffraction structure. Each of the stripes of the first pattern and the second pattern was formed so as to form an angle of approximately 90 degrees, each consisting of a first pattern and a second pattern each composed of fine stripes. A first step of inputting the design as image data by an image input means from a printed matter having a design incorporating a surface pattern;
A second step in which the first processing means performs a process of moving the image data input in the first step in parallel with the stripes of one of the patterns by a distance approximately half the pitch of the stripes;
Processing for generating new image data by averaging the corresponding pixel values by superimposing the image data processed in the second step and the image data before the processing is performed is performed by the second processing means. A third step;
Fourth processing is performed by third processing means for determining whether the printed material is true or not based on whether or not the first pattern or the second pattern exists in the new image data generated in the third step. And the process of
A method for determining the authenticity of printed matter, comprising:   The printed matter authenticity determination method according to claim 10, further comprising a fifth step of displaying the determination result of the fourth step in a state where the determination result is visible by a display unit.   The method of determining authenticity of a printed matter according to claim 10, wherein the design is formed by a light diffraction structure.

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