System and method for identifying a spatial code
First Claim
1. A system for identifying a spatial code applied to an object, where the spatial code includes a plurality of security tags having one or more characteristic emission spectral profiles, the system comprising:
- a beam source operable to illuminate said spatial code, to stimulate light emission from the security tags in the code, simultaneously from the entire code,a detector operable to record the light emission from the security tags, at each of a plurality of wavelengths, when the code is illuminated by said source, the detector further comprising (a) an image detector for recording a spatial image of light emission from the tags in the code, (b) an optical spectrometer for recording an emission profile of the tags in the code, and (c) a beam splitter for splitting emitted light from the code to both the image detector and the optical spectrometer; and
a processor, coupled to the detector and the beam source, which is operable to (i) cause the beam source to illuminate said spatial code in a sequence of a plurality of time-spaced illuminations, the beam source illuminating the spatial code with a different set of illumination wavelengths for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(ii) cause the detector to record a spatial image of light emissions from the security tags in the code for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(iii) cause the optical spectrometer to record the emission profile from the security tags for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(iv) decode a time-spaced spatial code for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations using the spatial image of light emissions for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(v) resolve the emission spectral profiles from the security tags for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations to derive spectral information for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations therefrom, by resolving the spectrum into a plurality of wavelengths; and
(vi) identify the spatial code on the basis of the combined time-spaced spatial codes and time-spaced spectral information.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method are provided for identifying a one- or multi-dimensional spatial code comprising a plurality of security tags with one or more characteristic emission profiles. The spatial codes are identified on the basis of the combined spatial and spectral information. The system for identifying such spatial codes is comprised of a beam source, a detector, and a processor. The method includes illuminating the code, recording the light emission at a plurality of wavelengths, decoding the spatial information, resolving the spectral profiles, and identifying the code based on the spatial and spectral information. The system and method are applicable to validating a spatial code.
-
Citations
22 Claims
-
1. A system for identifying a spatial code applied to an object, where the spatial code includes a plurality of security tags having one or more characteristic emission spectral profiles, the system comprising:
-
a beam source operable to illuminate said spatial code, to stimulate light emission from the security tags in the code, simultaneously from the entire code, a detector operable to record the light emission from the security tags, at each of a plurality of wavelengths, when the code is illuminated by said source, the detector further comprising (a) an image detector for recording a spatial image of light emission from the tags in the code, (b) an optical spectrometer for recording an emission profile of the tags in the code, and (c) a beam splitter for splitting emitted light from the code to both the image detector and the optical spectrometer; and a processor, coupled to the detector and the beam source, which is operable to (i) cause the beam source to illuminate said spatial code in a sequence of a plurality of time-spaced illuminations, the beam source illuminating the spatial code with a different set of illumination wavelengths for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(ii) cause the detector to record a spatial image of light emissions from the security tags in the code for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(iii) cause the optical spectrometer to record the emission profile from the security tags for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(iv) decode a time-spaced spatial code for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations using the spatial image of light emissions for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations;
(v) resolve the emission spectral profiles from the security tags for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations to derive spectral information for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations therefrom, by resolving the spectrum into a plurality of wavelengths; and
(vi) identify the spatial code on the basis of the combined time-spaced spatial codes and time-spaced spectral information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A method for identifying a spatial code applied to an object, where the spatial code includes a plurality of security tags having one or more characteristic emission spectral profiles, the method comprising:
-
(a) illuminating said spatial code with a beam source in a sequence of a plurality of time-spaced illuminations, each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations having a different set of illumination wavelengths, to stimulate light emission from the security tags in the code, simultaneously from the entire code; (b) recording a light emission from the security tags for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations, including (i) recording a spatial image of light emission from the tags in the code with an image detector for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations to derive spatial information for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations therefrom, (ii) recording the emission profile of the tags in the code with an optical spectrometer for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations to derive spectral-emission information for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations therefrom, and (iii) splitting emitted light from the code to both the image detector and the optical spectrometer with a beam splitter; (c) decoding a spatial code for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations using the spatial information for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations; (d) resolving the emission spectral profile(s) from the security tags for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations to derive spectral information for each of the plurality of time-spaced illuminations therefrom, by resolving the spectrum into a plurality of wavelengths; and (e) identifying the spatial code on the basis of the combined time-spaced spatial codes and time-spaced spectral information from (c) and (d). - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
Specification