System and method for authenticating an optical pattern

• US 8,848,973 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2013
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
• Original Assignee: Correlated Magnetics Research, LLC
• Inventors: Evans, Robert Scott, Fullerton, Larry W., Roberts, Mark D.
• Primary Examiner(s): BARRERA, RAMON M
• Application Number:
  US13/928,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20130284807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/217, 382/218, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 18/00 Testing or calibrating apparatus or arrangements provided for in groups G01D1/00 - G01D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 5/00 Methods or arrangements for verifying the correctness of markings on a record carrier; Column detection devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 13/003 Methods and devices for magnetising permanent magnets permanent magnets H01F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0242 Magnetic drives, magnetic coupling devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 7/0284 using a trimmable or adjustable magnetic circuit, e.g. for a symmetric dipole or quadrupole magnetic field

Abstract

A system for authenticating an optical pattern created by exposing a magnetically sensitive material to one or more magnetic field sources. The system includes illumination sources configured to illuminate the optical pattern, sensors configured to generate sensed optical characteristic data when the optical pattern is illuminated, a memory configured to store a reference optical data associated with a reference optical pattern, and a processor configured to access the memory and compare the reference optical data to the sensed optical characteristic data in order to authenticate the optical pattern.

Claims

1. A system for authenticating, said system comprising:

one or more illumination sources configured to illuminate an optical pattern of a magnetically sensitive material, said optical pattern having physical attributes resulting from said magnetically sensitive material having been exposed to a magnetic field during a curing process of said magnetically sensitive material, said magnetic field having been produced by a magnetizable material having been magnetically printed with one or more magnetic field sources;

one or more sensors configured to generate sensed optical characteristic data when the optical pattern is illuminated;

a memory configured to store a reference optical data associated with a reference optical pattern created by exposing a reference magnetically sensitive material to a reference magnetic field during a curing process of said reference magnetically sensitive material, said reference magnetic field having been produced by a reference magnetizable material having been printed with one or more reference magnetic field sources, said reference optical data corresponding to data generated by one or more reference sensors when the reference optical pattern is illuminated by one or more reference illumination sources; and

a processor configured to access said memory and compare the reference optical data to the sensed optical characteristic data in order to authenticate the optical pattern.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical characteristic data corresponds to at least one of:

1) physical attributes of the optical pattern created on the magnetically sensitive material;

2) illumination attributes of the one or more illumination sources;

3) magnetic attributes of the one or more magnetic field sources

4) an orientation of at least one of the one or more illumination sources; and

5) an orientation of at least one of the one or more reference sensors.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the magnetic attributes of the one or more magnetic field sources comprise at least one of a position of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources relative to a reference coordinate, a size of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources, a shape of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources, a polarity of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources, a field strength of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the physical attributes of the optical pattern are associated with one or more lattice structures of magnetically sensitive particles suspended in the magnetically sensitive material.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the physical attributes of the optical pattern are associated with a dichroic characteristic of the magnetically sensitive material.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the magnetically sensitive material comprises at least one of a dichroic paint, a colloidal nanocrystal structure, or superparamagnetic photonic crystals.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the illumination attributes of the one or more illumination sources include at least one of an intensity, a propagation direction, a frequency, a wavelength, a polarization or an illumination angle.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of a photodetector, a photocell, photodiode, a fiber optic, a pyrometer, a proximity detector, or an infrared sensor.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical pattern is created by at least one of curing the magnetically sensitive material, fixing the magnetically sensitive material, or setting the magnetically sensitive material.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical pattern is created by magnetically printing on a surface area of said magnetizable material and applying the magnetically sensitive material to the surface area, wherein the surface area comprises the one or more magnetic field sources.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the magnetic field sources are arranged in a pattern in accordance with a code.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the code is at least one of a Barker code, a Gold code, a Kasami code, a Costas code, or a pseudorandom code.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the surface area comprises at least one of overlapping magnetic field sources or magnetic field sources separated by non-magnetized regions.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more magnetic field sources comprise at least one of electromagnets or electro permanent magnets.

15. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one of the magnetic attributes of the one or more magnetic field sources is varied over time for demodulating information conveyed by the optical pattern.

16. A method for authenticating, said method comprising:

illuminating an optical pattern of a magnetically sensitive material using one or more illumination sources, said optical pattern having physical attributes resulting from said magnetically sensitive material having been exposed to a magnetic field during a curing process of said magnetically sensitive material, said magnetic field having been produced by a magnetizable material having been magnetically printed with one or more magnetic field sources;

generating optical characteristic data associated with optical characteristics sensed when the optical pattern has been illuminated by one or more sensors; and

comparing the sensed optical characteristic data to reference optical data in order to authenticate the optical pattern, wherein the reference optical data is associated with a reference optical pattern created by exposing a reference magnetically sensitive material to a reference magnetic field during a curing process of said reference magnetically sensitive material, said reference magnetic field having been produced by a reference magnetizable material having been printed with one or more reference magnetic field sources, said reference optical data corresponding to data generated by one or more reference sensors when the reference optical pattern is illuminated by one or more reference illumination sources.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the optical characteristic data corresponds to at least one of:

1) physical attributes of the optical pattern created on the magnetically sensitive material;

2) illumination attributes of the one or more illumination sources;

3) magnetic attributes of the one or more magnetic field sources

4) an orientation of at least one of the one or more illumination sources; and

5) an orientation of at least one of the one or more reference sensors.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the magnetic attributes of the one or more magnetic field sources comprise at least one of a position of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources relative to a reference coordinate, a size of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources, a shape of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources, a polarity of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources, a field strength of at least one of the one or more magnetic field sources.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the physical attributes of the optical pattern are associated with one or more lattice structures of magnetically sensitive particles suspended in the magnetically sensitive material.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the physical attributes of the optical pattern are associated with a dichroic characteristic of the magnetically sensitive material.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the magnetically sensitive material comprises at least one of a dichroic paint, a colloidal nanocrystal structure, or superparamagnetic photonic crystals.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the illumination attributes of the one or more illumination sources include at least one of an intensity, a propagation direction, a frequency, a wavelength, a polarization or an illumination angle.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the optical pattern is created by at least one of curing the magnetically sensitive material, fixing the magnetically sensitive material, or setting the magnetically sensitive material.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the optical pattern is created by magnetically printing on a surface area of a magnetizable material and applying the magnetically sensitive material to the surface area, wherein the surface area comprises the one or more magnetic field sources.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the magnetic field sources are arranged in a pattern in accordance with a code.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the surface area comprises at least one of overlapping magnetic field sources or magnetic field sources separated by non-magnetized regions.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more magnetic field sources comprise at least one of electromagnets or electro permanent magnets.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the magnetic attributes of the one or more magnetic field sources is varied over time for demodulating information conveyed by the optical pattern.