Method, apparatus, and article to facilitate evaluation of objects using electromagnetic energy

• US 8,081,304 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visualant, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Visualant, Inc.
• Inventors: Furness, Thomas A. III, Schowengerdt, Brian T., Melville, Ross D., Walker, Nicholas E., Sparks, Bradley E.
• Primary Examiner(s): STAFIRA, MICHAEL PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US11/831,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20090112101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,603 Days
• Field of Search: 356/71
• US Class Current: 356/71
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/0264 Electrical interface; User interface
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/10 Arrangements of light sources specially adapted for spectrometry or colorimetry
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/42 Absorption spectrometry; Double beam spectrometry; Flicker spectrometry; Reflection spectrometry beam switching arrangements G01J3/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/46 Measurement of colour; Colour measuring devices, e.g. colorimeters measuring colour temperature G01J5/60
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/463 Colour matching
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/50 using electric radiation detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 3/501 Colorimeters using spectrally-selective light sources, e.g. LEDs
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/255 Details, e.g. use of specially adapted sources, lighting or optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/27 using photo-electric detection G01N21/31 takes precedence; circuits for computing concentration logarithmic circuits G06G7/24; photometric circuits in general G01J
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06113 Coherent sources; lasers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/062 LED's
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/4833 of solid biological material, e.g. tissue samples, cell cultures tissue in vivo A61B5/00; cell suspensions G01N33/48735

Abstract

Spectral information may be employed in process control and/or quality control of goods and articles. Spectral information may be employed in process control and/or quality control of media, for example financial instruments, identity documents, legal documents, medical documents, financial transaction cards, and/or other media, fluids for example lubricants, fuels, coolants, or other materials that flow, and in machinery, for example vehicles, motors, generators, compressors, presses, drills and/or supply systems. Spectral information may be employed in identifying biological tissue and/or facilitating diagnosis based on biological tissue.

Claims

1. A method of verification, the method comprising:

during a first period, sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence;

during the first period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the first portion of the medium being evaluated that is indicative of both a portion of content and a portion of material of the medium being evaluated;

comparing the measured responses of the first period to a first set of reference responses;

after the comparing the measured responses of the first period to the first set of reference responses, varying a sequence of illumination used to determine whether the medium is authentic, the varying the sequence of illumination used to determine whether the medium is authentic including;

during a second period, sequentially illuminating at least the first portion of the medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a second sequence, the second sequence different from the first sequence;

during the second period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the first portion of the medium being evaluated; and

comparing the measured responses of the second period to a second set of reference responses; and

making a determination regarding authenticity of the medium being evaluated based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the first period to the first set of reference responses and based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the second period to the second set of reference responses.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during a different period from the first period, sequentially illuminating at least a second portion of the medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy;

during the different period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the second portion of the medium being evaluated;

comparing the measured responses of the different period to a third set of reference responses; and

determining whether the medium is authentic based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the different period to the third set of reference responses.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during a different period from the first period, sequentially illuminating at least a second portion of the medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in the first sequence;

during the different period, measuring a plurality of responses to the illumination from at least the second portion of the medium being evaluated;

comparing the measured responses of the different period to a third set of reference responses to illumination of a reference specimen of a reference medium; and

identifying the second portion of the medium being evaluated based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the different period to the third set of reference responses.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence includes sequentially illuminating at least the first portion of the medium being evaluated with electromagnetic energy from bands within a visible portion, an infrared portion or an ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence includes selectively turning respective ones of a plurality of sources ON and OFF in an order defined by the first sequence.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein selectively turning respective ones of the sources ON and OFF in an order defined by the first sequence includes selectively applying current to respective ones of the sources in the order defined by the first sequence.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein selectively turning respective ones of the sources ON and OFF in an order defined by the first sequence includes selectively applying current at a plurality of different levels to respective ones of the sources, where the order and the level is defined by the first sequence.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein selectively applying current at a plurality of different levels to respective ones of the sources, where the order and the level is defined by the first sequence includes selectively applying current at the plurality of different levels to respective ones of a plurality of light emitting diodes, at least some of the light emitting diodes having an emission spectra at a first current level that differs from an emission spectra of other of the light emitting diodes at the first current level.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

classifying the medium as a media type based at least in part on the comparison to the first set of reference responses.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the measured responses of the first period to a first set of reference responses includes comparing the measured responses of the first period to a set of reference responses to illumination of a reference specimen of a reference medium.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the measured responses of the first period to a first set of reference responses includes comparing the measured responses of the first period to a set of reference responses to illumination of the medium during a previous period that occurred before the first period.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence includes sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a financial instrument.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a financial instrument includes sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of at least one of a piece of currency, a check, a bond, money order, a security, a credit card, a debit card or a gift card.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence includes sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of an identity document.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of an identity document includes sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of at least one of a passport, an identity card, a driver'"'"'s license, a birth certificate or a permit.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of an identity document includes sequentially illuminating at least a first portion bearing a likeness of an individual identified by the identity document.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a medium being evaluated with a plurality of bands of electromagnetic energy in a first sequence includes sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a legal document.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a legal document includes sequentially illuminating at least a first portion of a license, an assignment, a deed, a will, a declaration, an oath, an agreement, a pleading, or a motion.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional data concerning the medium being evaluated, and wherein the making the determination regarding authenticity of the medium being evaluated based at least in part on the comparison of the measured responses of the medium being evaluated to the first set of reference responses is further based at least in part on the additional data.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving additional data concerning the medium being evaluated includes receiving data indicative of at least one of a measurable or observable characteristic of the medium being evaluated.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein receiving data indicative of at least one of a measurable or observable characteristic of the medium being evaluated includes receiving data indicative of at least one of a media type or a media security feature.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

providing a query for the additional data.