The present invention provides an invisible-feature detection device capable of easily detecting a serial number with an invisible feature at low cost, a sheet recognition device, a sheet handling device, a print inspection device, and an invisible-feature detection method.

A method for detecting staining on a media item, the method comprising: capturing (22) a digital image of the media item, the digital image comprising a plurality of pixels representing colour information of the media item; comparing (30) the captured digital image to a reference image, wherein comparing the captured digital image to the reference image comprises: generating a histogram for each of a plurality of kernel patches of the captured digital image, wherein each of the plurality of kernel patches of the captured digital image covers an area of the captured digital image, such that the entire captured digital image is covered by the plurality of kernel patches; comparing (40) the histogram for each of the plurality of kernel patches of the captured digital image to a histogram of a corresponding kernel patch of the reference image to generate a distance metric; and based on the generated distance metrics, determining if staining is present on the media item.

A light source may illuminate a scene with pulsed light that is pulsed non-periodically. The scene may include fluorescent material that fluoresces in response to the pulsed light. The pulsed light signal may comprise a maximum length sequence or Gold sequence. A lock-in time-of-flight sensor may take measurements of light returning from the scene. A computer may, for each pixel in the sensor, perform a Discrete Fourier Transform on measurements taken by the pixel, in order to calculate a vector of complex numbers for the pixel. Each complex number in the vector may encode phase and amplitude of incident light at the pixel and may correspond to measurements taken at a given time interval during the pulsed light signal. A computer may, based on phase of the complex numbers for a pixel, calculate fluorescence lifetime and scene depth of a scene point that corresponds to the pixel.

A security element comprising a first and a second pattern formed in or on a substrate is described, the first pattern (105; 205) being formed by discrete elements (105a-105g; 205a-205c) of a first material that are distributed over a first region (101) of the substrate (100; 200), the second pattern (106; 206) being formed by discrete elements (106a-106i; 206a-206c) of a second material that are distributed over a second region (102) of the substrate (100; 200), said second material being different from said first material, said first and second regions of the substrate overlapping, wherein the discrete elements of at least one of the first and second patterns are distributed randomly, a part of the discrete elements of the first pattern (105; 205) overlap with a part of the discrete elements of said second pattern (106; 206), and the security element is defined by the first pattern (105; 205), the second pattern (106; 206) and a third pattern (107; 207) associated with the overlap of some or all of the discrete elements of said first and second patterns.

A mobile communication device connected currency, receiving, accepting, capturing, verifying, and rejecting apparatus, and, more particularly, to a mobile communication device connected currency apparatus comprising a monetary storage area therein, a currency denomination discriminator interfacing the monetary storage area, comprising at least one sensor for sensing at least one physical characteristic of currency passing therethrough for discriminating monetary denominations of currency. A device controller interfaces a mobile communication device interface and the denomination discriminator. In use, the device controller is configured for establishing communication with the mobile communication device, detecting a denomination using at least one physical characteristic of currency and transmitting the denomination to the mobile communication device.

An image processing method corrects an image acquired from a medium exposed to ultraviolet light and makes parts printed with UV ink easily recognizable. A control device acquires a first image captured by an image sensor from a check exposed to visible light, and acquires a second image captured by the image sensor from the check when exposed to ultraviolet light. The control device generates a first edge image by applying an image processing filter that extracts edges in the first image, and generates a second edge image by applying an image processing filter that extracts edges in the second image. The control device then finds common edges where a first edge extracted in the first edge image and a second edge extracted in the second edge match each other, removes the common edges from the second edge image, and outputs a second image from which the common edges are removed.

In one implementation, a processor: (1) receives an image of a candidate mark from an image acquisition device, (2) uses the image to measure one or more characteristics at a plurality of locations on the candidate mark, resulting in a first set of metrics, (3) removes, from the first set of metrics, a metric having a dominant amplitude, resulting in a trimmed first set of metrics, (4) retrieves, from a computer-readable memory, a second set of metrics that represents one or more characteristics measured at a plurality of locations on an original mark, (5) removes, from the second set of metrics, a metric corresponding to the metric removed from the first set of metrics, resulting in a trimmed second set of metrics, (6) compares the trimmed first set of metrics with the trimmed second set of metrics, and (7) determines whether the candidate mark is genuine based on the comparison.

A system comprising: a document holder; an image sensor directed toward the document holder; a polarized filter between the image sensor and the document holder; a filter motor configured to rotate the polarized filter; one or more processors; and at least one memory having stored thereon computer program code that, when executed by the one or more processors, instructs the one or more processors to: control the filter motor to rotate the polarized filter; control the image sensors to capture a plurality of images of a document within the document holder, the plurality of images corresponding to a respective relative orientations of the polarized filter to the document; identify a feature of the document; and output, in response comparing respective visual characteristics of the feature of the document to corresponding expected visual characteristics of the first feature for the document, an indication of a verification of the document.

A light source may illuminate a scene with amplitude-modulated light. The scene may include fluorescent material. The amplitude modulation may be periodic, and the frequency of the amplitude modulation may be swept. During the sweep, a time-of-flight sensor may take measurements of light returning from the scene. A computer may calculate, for each pixel in the sensor, a vector of complex numbers. Each complex number in the vector may encode phase and amplitude of light incident at the pixel and may correspond to measurements taken at a given frequency in the sweep. A computer may, based on phase of the complex numbers for a pixel, calculate fluorescence lifetime and scene depth of a scene point that corresponds to the pixel.

A light source may illuminate a scene with pulsed light that is pulsed non-periodically. The scene may include fluorescent material that fluoresces in response to the pulsed light. The pulsed light signal may comprise a maximum length sequence or Gold sequence. A lock-in time-of-flight sensor may take measurements of light returning from the scene. A computer may, for each pixel in the sensor, perform a Discrete Fourier Transform on measurements taken by the pixel, in order to calculate a vector of complex numbers for the pixel. Each complex number in the vector may encode phase and amplitude of incident light at the pixel and may correspond to measurements taken at a given time interval during the pulsed light signal. A computer may, based on phase of the complex numbers for a pixel, calculate fluorescence lifetime and scene depth of a scene point that corresponds to the pixel.