JP2006202075A - Device and method for identifying banknote - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a banknote identifying device for preventing erroneous determination, that a real banknote is regarded as a false one since a difference between an output pattern and a standard output pattern is excessively detected in a part where the light quantity of reflection light or transmission light is extremely large, etc., such as the watermark, fold, and white part of the banknote, and preventing probability from being higher concerning the erroneous determination, that the false banknote is regarded as the real one since the permission margin of determination is largely set to evade the former erroneous determination. <P>SOLUTION: The device comprises: a light receiving part 38 for receiving the reflection light obtained by reflecting light source light on the banknote 16 or the transmission light obtained by transmitting the light source light through the banknote 16, so as to convert the light into an electric signal and to output it; a detecting part 34 for detecting the output pattern of the electric signal being unique to the banknote, which is output from the light receiving part 38 in scanning the banknote 16; a determining part for comparing the output pattern with the previously stored standard output pattern, so as to identify the banknote 16; an area specifying means for specifying a prescribed area such as the watermark and fold positioned on a part to be scanned in the banknote 16; and an output correcting means for correcting the output pattern in the prescribed area. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention has a light receiving portion that receives reflected light reflected from a bill or light transmitted through the bill, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. The banknote is obtained by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance, and a detection unit that detects an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal output from the light receiving unit when scanning The present invention relates to a banknote identification device including a determination unit for identifying a banknote and a banknote identification method in the banknote identification device.

  Conventionally, a bill having a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected from a bill or light transmitted through the bill, converts the light into a electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. A detection unit that detects an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal that is output from the light receiving unit when scanned, and the output pattern detected by the detection unit are compared with a standard output pattern of genuine bills that is stored in advance. Thus, various banknote identification devices including a determination unit that identifies the authenticity of the banknote have been developed.

As an example, the banknote recognition apparatus described in patent document 1 is mentioned.
Patent Document 1 uses the fact that the amount of transmitted light in a watermark area of a banknote is different from that in a portion other than the watermark area, and the change in the transmittance of light inside and outside the watermark area during the recognition of the banknote. The banknote recognition apparatus provided with the means which detects the formation position and shape of this and makes it a part of banknote recognition information is described.

Here, the example of the determination method of the banknote in the conventional banknote identification device is demonstrated.
First, the detection unit detects an output pattern of an electrical signal unique to a banknote output from the light receiving unit when the banknote transported by the transport unit is scanned. FIG. 6 shows a graph representing an example of the output pattern a. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis represents the scanning position on the banknote, and the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the electrical signal output from the light receiving unit. In this example, the electrical signal output is configured to increase as the amount of light received by the light receiving unit increases.

The determination unit compares the output pattern a with a standard output pattern of genuine bills stored in the storage unit in advance. In FIG. 7, a graph indicated by a solid line indicates the output pattern a, and a graph indicated by a broken line indicates the standard output pattern b. The determination unit calculates a difference between the output pattern a and the standard output pattern b (hatched portion in FIG. 8), and determines that the bill is a genuine note if the sum of the differences is equal to or less than a predetermined allowable margin. If the margin is greater than or equal to the margin, the bill is determined to be a voucher.
JP-A-1-223589

In FIG. 8, the part where the electrical signal output is high as a whole in the central part of the graph represents the electrical signal output in the watermark part provided in the central part of the banknote.
The inventor of the present application changes the amount of transmitted light while the watermark portion has an extremely high electrical signal output from the light receiving unit due to the large amount of transmitted light and reflected light received by the light receiving unit. It was found that the electrical signal output corresponding to the watermarked image drawn by, fluctuates extremely greatly at the boundary where the amount of light transmission changes. Therefore, in the watermark portion, for example, even if the peak of the electric signal output output from the light receiving unit is slightly shifted in the scanning direction, the difference from the standard output pattern (hatched portion in FIG. 8) tends to become extremely large. It has been found that the difference from the standard output pattern is likely to be large due to the fact that the signal output is likely to vary in size.

  For this reason, in the conventional banknote recognition device, the inventor of the present application detects that the difference between the output pattern and the standard output pattern is excessively detected in the watermark portion, so that the genuine note is erroneously determined as a voucher, or the erroneous determination is made. In order to avoid this problem, the above-mentioned margin is set large, and the problem of increasing the probability of misjudging a voucher as a genuine note has been conceived.

  In addition, since the amount of light received by the light receiving unit becomes extremely large and the fluctuation amount of the electric signal output becomes extremely large, the problem that adversely affects the identification of the banknote is not limited to the watermark part, but the white part of the banknote In addition, the inventors of the present application have confirmed that it can also be seen in the folds of banknotes. In addition, it is thought that the amount of light received by the light receiving unit increases at the fold portion of the banknote because the distance between the banknote surface and the light source or the light receiving unit is short.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the object of the present invention is an output pattern and a standard output pattern in a portion where the amount of reflected light or transmitted light is extremely large, such as a banknote watermark, a crease or a white portion. If the difference is excessively detected and the genuine note is misjudged as a voucher, or the probability of misjudging a voucher as a real voucher is increased by taking a large allowable margin to avoid this misjudgment. It is providing the banknote identification device and banknote identification method which do not end.

The banknote identification device according to the present invention has the following configuration in order to solve the above problems. That is, the conveyance means which conveys a banknote along a conveyance path, the light source which irradiates light to the said banknote, the reflected light which the light source light from this light source reflected on the said banknote, or the transmitted light which the light source light permeate | transmitted the banknote And detecting the output pattern of the electrical signal specific to the banknote output from the light receiving section when the banknote transported by the transport means is scanned. A banknote identification apparatus comprising: a banknote identification device for identifying the banknote by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection section with a standard output pattern stored in advance; and positioned on a scanned portion of the banknote A region specifying unit for specifying a predetermined region such as a watermark or a fold, and a comparison target exclusion unit for excluding the predetermined region from a comparison target by the determination unit.
According to this, because the comparison exclusion means excludes a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease from the comparison target with the standard output pattern by the determination unit, and determines the banknote based on the output pattern other than the predetermined area. An excessively large difference in output pattern in a watermark, a crease or the like does not adversely affect the determination of the determination unit.
Here, the output pattern is an electric signal itself, a circuit output corrected by an electric circuit so as to become an output similar to the electric signal, a calculated value obtained by correcting the output of the electric signal with a predetermined function as a parameter, or these Is temporarily stored in the memory, and the value read from the memory after the banknote operation is indicated. The standard output pattern is set to a value corresponding to these output patterns.

Moreover, the conveyance means which conveys a banknote along a conveyance path, The light source which irradiates light to the said banknote,
The light source light from the light source has reflected light reflected from the banknote, or the light source light receives the transmitted light transmitted through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. A detection unit that detects an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal that is output from the light receiving unit when the banknote being scanned is scanned, and the output pattern detected by the detection unit and a standard output pattern that is stored in advance And a determination unit for identifying the banknote in the banknote identification apparatus, the area specifying means for specifying a predetermined area such as a watermark or a fold located on the scanned portion of the banknote, and the output pattern in the predetermined area is corrected. And an output correcting means.
According to this, the output correction means can correct the output pattern so that the difference between the output pattern and the standard output pattern does not become extremely large in a watermark, a crease or the like.

Further, the area specifying unit specifies the predetermined area based on a predetermined control value or a detection value that changes in accordance with a conveyance distance of the banknote by the conveyance unit.
According to this, it is possible to specify a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease corresponding to the transport distance of the banknote.
Examples of the predetermined control value or detection value include a detection value of an encoder provided in the transport unit, a control value of the number of steps of the stepping motor employed in the transport unit, and a motor employed in the transport unit. The detection value of the transport operation time is included.

Furthermore, the area specifying means is a distance of n / N of the banknote length (N = 2, 3 or 4, and n = 1, 2 or 3, and n <N) from the banknote end in the transport direction. The vicinity of the position corresponding to is specified as the predetermined area.
According to this, the vicinity of the fold of the banknote folded in 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 can be specified as the predetermined region.

In addition, the area specifying unit is configured to scan the bill in which the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit at the time of scanning is a value indicating that the reflected light or the transmitted light is larger than a predetermined light amount. The upper area is specified as the predetermined area.
According to this, on the scanned portion, a portion where the amount of reflected light or transmitted light is large can be specified as the predetermined region. Further, the area specifying means can be configured at low cost without the need for adding a hardware configuration such as an encoder.

The output correction unit may change the correction characteristic of the output pattern in accordance with the output of an electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning.
Moreover, the conveyance means which conveys a banknote along a conveyance path, the light source which irradiates light to the said banknote, the reflected light which the light source light from this light source reflected on the said banknote, or the transmitted light which the light source light permeate | transmitted the banknote And detecting the output pattern of the electrical signal specific to the banknote output from the light receiving section when the banknote transported by the transport means is scanned. A bill discriminating apparatus comprising: a discriminating unit that discriminates the bill by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance. Output correction means for correcting the output pattern by changing correction characteristics according to the output of the electrical signal is provided.

According to this, the correction characteristic can be changed in accordance with the output of the electric signal from the light receiving unit, for example, by increasing the correction amount of the corresponding output pattern for the output representing a large light amount.
In addition, according to this, for example, the output pattern corresponding to a large amount of light is corrected, and the output variation is insensitive to a large change. The correction characteristics can be changed accordingly.
As a specific example, a configuration in which weighted averaging is performed so that the weight of the difference becomes lighter as the output represented by the output pattern a becomes larger (that is, the weighted average value becomes difficult to update and becomes dull with respect to change) is adopted. (It may be used when taking the sum of the differences (hatched portions) in FIG. 8). In addition, for example, a coefficient determined by a function that decreases to 1.0 or less as the amount of light (output pattern output) increases is stored in advance, and the coefficient is read according to the output pattern and is output to the output pattern. A large change output at the time of output representing a large amount of light can be made a small change.

Further, the output correcting means outputs the output when the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit at the time of scanning becomes a value indicating that the reflected light or the transmitted light is larger than a predetermined light amount. , By correcting the value corresponding to the output of the output pattern by correcting to an impossible value as the output from the detection unit, the determination unit, the portion of the output value in the impossible value, It excludes from the object of the comparison.
According to this, the part which detected the reflected light or transmitted light larger than the predetermined light quantity is excluded from the comparison target with the standard output pattern by the determination unit, and the banknote is determined based on the output pattern other than the predetermined area. Therefore, an excessively large difference in output pattern in a portion where the amount of light is large does not adversely affect the determination of the determination unit.

In addition, the output correction unit outputs the output so that the light amount represented by the output is corrected to be smaller as the light amount of the reflected light or the transmitted light represented by the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning is larger. A portion corresponding to the output of the output pattern is corrected by correcting by multiplying by a small coefficient.
According to this, the output representing a large amount of light is corrected by multiplying the coefficient so that the amount of light represented by the corresponding output pattern is small, so that the influence of the portion with the large amount of light can be suppressed to a small value.

The determination unit may change an allowable margin in the coincidence comparison between the output pattern and the standard output pattern according to the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning.
According to this, for example, the determination is made by increasing the allowable margin in a portion where the light amount represented by the output of the electric signal is large, and the determination is performed separately by increasing the allowable margin in a small portion. Appropriate determination can be made accordingly.

  In addition, a standard output correction unit that corrects the standard output pattern according to an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning is provided.

Moreover, the conveyance means which conveys a banknote along a conveyance path, the light source which irradiates light to the said banknote, the reflected light which the light source light from this light source reflected on the said banknote, or the transmitted light which the light source light permeate | transmitted the banknote And detecting the output pattern of the electrical signal specific to the banknote output from the light receiving section when the banknote transported by the transport means is scanned. And a determination unit that identifies the banknote by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance. According to the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit, an allowable margin in the matching comparison between the output pattern and the standard output pattern is changed.
According to this, for example, a determination is made by increasing the allowable margin in a portion where the amount of light represented by the output of the electric signal is large, and a determination is performed by increasing the allowable margin in a small portion. Appropriate decisions can be made.

Further, the image processing apparatus further comprises region specifying means for specifying a predetermined region such as a watermark or a fold located on the scanned portion of the banknote, and the determination unit changes the allowable margin only in the predetermined region. .
According to this, the allowable margin can be adjusted only in a predetermined region such as a portion where the light amount is high.

  Moreover, the conveyance means which conveys a banknote along a conveyance path, the light source which irradiates light to the said banknote, the reflected light which the light source light from this light source reflected on the said banknote, or the transmitted light which the light source light permeate | transmitted the banknote And detecting the output pattern of the electrical signal specific to the banknote output from the light receiving section when the banknote transported by the transport means is scanned. A bill discriminating apparatus comprising: a discriminating unit that discriminates the bill by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance. Standard output correction means for correcting the standard output pattern according to the output of the electrical signal is provided.

Further, the standard output correcting unit scans the scanning signal when the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning is a value indicating that the reflected light or the transmitted light is larger than a predetermined light amount. The portion of the standard output pattern corresponding to the position is corrected to a value that cannot be output as the output from the detection unit, and the determination unit determines that the portion of the standard output pattern that is not possible is the object of the comparison It is excluded from.
According to this, the part which detected the reflected light or transmitted light larger than the predetermined light quantity is excluded from the comparison target with the standard output pattern by the determination unit, and the banknote is determined based on the output pattern other than the predetermined area. Therefore, an excessively large difference in output pattern in a portion where the amount of light is large does not adversely affect the determination of the determination unit.

In addition, the standard output correction unit may be configured such that the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning represents a greater light amount than the output represented by the portion corresponding to the scanning position of the standard output pattern. The portion of the standard output pattern is corrected to a value representing a larger light amount, and the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning is more than the output represented by the portion corresponding to the scanning position of the standard output pattern. When a small amount of light is represented, the portion of the standard output pattern is corrected to a value representing a smaller amount of light.
According to this, in many cases, for a light receiving unit that outputs an electric signal larger than the value indicated by the standard output pattern, the output indicated by the standard output pattern is gradually corrected so as to increase, and conversely, In this case, for the light receiving unit that outputs an electric signal smaller than the value indicated by the standard output pattern, the output indicated by the standard output pattern is gradually corrected so as to become smaller. Therefore, the standard output pattern is corrected so as to match the sensitivity of the light receiving unit, and the variation in sensitivity of the light receiving unit can be gradually absorbed.

In addition, the standard output correction means is a value smaller than the difference between the output represented by the portion of the standard output pattern and the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit at the scanning position corresponding to the portion. It is characterized by correcting.
According to this, a rapid change in the standard output pattern can be suppressed by setting the correction amount to a value smaller than the difference. That is, for example, when a ticket is scanned, the standard output pattern does not immediately change according to the ticket.

In addition, the image forming apparatus includes an area specifying unit that specifies a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease located on the scanned portion of the banknote, and the standard output correction unit includes the standard output pattern only in a part corresponding to the predetermined area. Correction is performed.
According to this, the standard output pattern can be adjusted only in a predetermined region such as a portion where the light amount is high.

Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, the banknote identification method which concerns on this invention is equipped with the following structures. That is, the light source light from the light source is reflected by the bill, or the light source light is transmitted by the transport means using the light receiving unit that receives the transmitted light that has passed through the bill, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it. The banknote which identifies the banknote by detecting the output pattern of the electric signal intrinsic | native to the banknote output from a light-receiving part when scanning a banknote, and comparing the said output pattern with the standard output pattern previously memorize | stored in the memory | storage part In the identification method, a predetermined region such as a watermark or a fold located on a scanned portion of the banknote is specified, and the predetermined region is excluded from comparison targets.
According to this, since a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease is excluded from the comparison target with the standard output pattern by the determination unit, and the banknote is determined based on the output pattern other than the predetermined area, the output in the watermark or the fold is performed. An excessively large difference in patterns does not adversely affect the determination of the determination unit.
Here, the output pattern is an electric signal itself, a circuit output corrected by an electric circuit so as to become an output similar to the electric signal, a calculated value obtained by correcting the output of the electric signal with a predetermined function as a parameter, or these Is temporarily stored in the memory, and the value read from the memory after the banknote operation is indicated. The standard output pattern is set to a value corresponding to these output patterns.

Moreover, the light source light from the light source is reflected by the bill, or the light source light is transmitted by the transport means using a light receiving unit that receives the transmitted light that has passed through the bill, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it. The banknote which identifies the banknote by detecting the output pattern of the electric signal intrinsic | native to the banknote output from a light-receiving part when scanning a banknote, and comparing the said output pattern with the standard output pattern previously memorize | stored in the memory | storage part In the identification method, a predetermined region such as a watermark or a fold located on the scanned portion of the banknote is specified, and the output pattern in the predetermined region is corrected.
According to this, it is possible to correct the output pattern so that the difference between the output pattern and the standard output pattern does not become extremely large in a watermark, a crease or the like.

Moreover, the light source light from the light source is reflected by the bill, or the light source light is transmitted by the transport means using a light receiving unit that receives the transmitted light that has passed through the bill, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it. The banknote which identifies the banknote by detecting the output pattern of the electric signal intrinsic | native to the banknote output from a light-receiving part when scanning a banknote, and comparing the said output pattern with the standard output pattern previously memorize | stored in the memory | storage part In the identification method, the output pattern is corrected by changing a correction characteristic according to an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning.
According to this, the correction characteristic can be changed in accordance with the output of the electric signal from the light receiving unit, for example, by increasing the correction amount of the corresponding output pattern for the output representing a large light amount.

Moreover, the light source light from the light source is reflected by the bill, or the light source light is transmitted by the transport means using a light receiving unit that receives the transmitted light that has passed through the bill, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it. The banknote which identifies the banknote by detecting the output pattern of the electric signal intrinsic | native to the banknote output from a light-receiving part when scanning a banknote, and comparing the said output pattern with the standard output pattern previously memorize | stored in the memory | storage part In the identification method, an allowable margin in matching comparison between the output pattern and the standard output pattern is changed in accordance with an output of an electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning.
According to this, for example, a determination is made by increasing the allowable margin in a portion where the amount of light represented by the output of the electric signal is large, and a determination is performed by increasing the allowable margin in a small portion. Appropriate decisions can be made.

Moreover, the light source light from the light source is reflected by the bill, or the light source light is transmitted by the transport means using a light receiving unit that receives the transmitted light that has passed through the bill, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs it. The banknote which identifies the banknote by detecting the output pattern of the electric signal intrinsic | native to the banknote output from a light-receiving part when scanning a banknote, and comparing the said output pattern with the standard output pattern previously memorize | stored in the memory | storage part In the identification method, the standard output pattern is corrected according to an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning.
It should be noted that, here, the above-mentioned correction values for correcting the output pattern, correction values for correcting the standard output pattern, and allowable margin change values correspond to the characteristics of the plurality of types of light projecting units and light receiving units with respect to the light quantity. For example, it may be converted into a function so as to change gradually and linearly according to the output of the output pattern, or the output of the output pattern may be divided into a plurality of values and different values may be applied to the respective sections. Good.

  According to the banknote identification device and the banknote identification method according to the present invention, the difference between the output pattern and the standard output pattern at a portion where the amount of reflected light or transmitted light is extremely large, such as a banknote watermark, a crease, or a white portion. Is detected excessively, and the genuine note is misjudged as a voucher, or in order to avoid this misjudgment, the probability of mistaking a voucher as a genuine voucher is increased by increasing the allowable margin of the decision. There is nothing.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the bill identifying apparatus and the bill identifying method according to the present invention will be described.

First, the structure of the banknote identification device 10 is demonstrated using FIG.
Inside the apparatus main body 12, as a conveying means for conveying the banknote 16 inserted from the insertion port 14 provided in the apparatus main body 12 along the conveyance path A to the stocker 18 also provided in the apparatus main body 12. The transport mechanism 20 is provided.

The outline of an example of the transport mechanism 20 will be described. The feed belt 22 is arranged in two rows in parallel between the first pulley 24 on the insertion port 14 side and the second pulley 26 disposed on the back side of the apparatus main body 12. It is stretched over. The second pulley 26 is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown).
A receiving roller 28 is disposed between the first pulley 24 and the second pulley 26 so as to be rotatable about the axis. The first pulley 24 and the receiving roller 28 are respectively opposed to pressing rollers 30a and 30b. Between the pressing roller 30a and the first pulley 24, between the pressing roller 30b and the receiving roller 28, The feed belt 22 is clamped.
A reversing guide 32 having a semicircular cross section is disposed in a state where a gap is formed between the second pulley 26 and the side surface of the second pulley 26 facing the back side of the device main body 12 so that the bill 16 can enter. Has been.

  The stocker 18 is for accommodating the banknote 16 sent into the banknote identification device 10.

The detection unit 34 is disposed on the inspection surface 16a side of the bill 16 conveyed along the conveyance path A, and receives the reflected light from the light source 36 and the inspection surface 16a that irradiates light to the inspection surface 16a and converts it into an electrical signal. It has the light-receiving part 38 to convert. And the detection part 34 has the function to scan the test | inspection surface 16a of the banknote 16, and to detect the output pattern of the electric signal intrinsic | native to the banknote 16. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the light source 36 can be composed of, for example, a light emitting diode 36 a and a transistor 36 b as a driving unit for causing a current to flow through the light emitting diode 36 a. With this configuration, by controlling the base current supplied to the transistor 36b, the current flowing to the collector side of the transistor 36b, that is, the current flowing to the light emitting diode 36a can be controlled, and the light amount of the light emitting diode 36a can be controlled. Note that a semiconductor element such as an FET can be used instead of the transistor 36b.
As shown in FIG. 2, the light receiving unit 38 amplifies a photosensor 38a and an electric signal output from the photosensor 38a as an example, and converts the level of the electric signal to that of an A / D (analog / digital) converter at the subsequent stage. A first amplifier 38 b that matches the input voltage range, and an A / D converter 38 c that converts an electrical signal as an analog signal input from the first amplifier 38 b into digital data and outputs the digital data to the bus 40. it can.

The reference reflector 42 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed on the non-inspection surface 16b side of the bill 16 in the transport path A inside the apparatus main body 12, and reflects the light from the light source 36 to the light receiving unit 38 when the bill 16 is not present. It has the function to do.
The adjustment unit 44 illustrated in FIG. 2 has a function of adjusting the light amount of the light source 36.
Specifically, as an example, a D / A (digital / analog) converter 44a that receives digital data from the bus 40 and outputs an analog signal at a level corresponding to the content of the data, and a D / A converter 44a output The second analog amplifier (or buffer) 44b amplifies the analog signal to be driven so that the transistor 36b can be driven.

  The CPU 46 shown in FIG. 2 operates according to a firmware program stored in the storage unit 48 in advance, and functions as a control unit that performs overall control of the banknote recognition apparatus 10. Specifically, the controller 44, the detector 34, and the transport mechanism 20 are controlled via the bus 40 to read / write data from / to the storage unit 48.

The CPU 46 also functions as a determination unit that identifies the banknote 16 by reading the output pattern detected by the detection unit 34 via the bus 40 and comparing it with a standard output pattern measured in advance and stored in the storage unit 48. . In addition, you may make it comprise a control part and a determination part with a separate circuit element.
In FIG. 1, the adjustment unit 44, the CPU 46, and the storage unit 48 are combined and displayed as a control unit.

This standard output pattern creation (determination) technique scans a number of banknotes to be identified, statistically processes each output pattern of these banknotes, and sets an average output pattern as a standard output pattern.
Further, an allowable margin for determining good is determined in consideration of variations in output patterns and the like.

  In addition, the control unit operates according to the firmware program stored in the storage unit 48 in advance, thereby specifying an area specifying unit for specifying a watermark or a fold position as a predetermined area on the scanned portion of the bill 16, Comparison target excluding means for excluding the positions of watermarks and folds from the comparison target by the determination unit, output correction means for correcting the output pattern of the electric signal output from the light receiving unit 38, and electricity from the light receiving unit 38 during scanning It also functions as standard output correction means for correcting the standard output pattern in accordance with the output of the signal.

The area specifying means is a means for specifying the watermark or fold position as a predetermined area located on the scanned portion of the bill 16 to be scanned. The scanned portion of the banknote 16 is a portion scanned by the detection unit 34 on the inspection surface 16a of the banknote 16, and in the present embodiment, in the conveyance direction of the banknote 16 on the inspection surface 16a. It becomes a part along a parallel straight line.
The area specifying unit specifies the position of the watermark or crease based on a predetermined control value or detection value that changes in accordance with the transport distance of the banknote 16 by the transport mechanism 20. Examples of the predetermined control value or detection value include a detection value of an encoder provided in the transport mechanism 20, a control value of the number of steps of a stepping motor employed in the transport mechanism 20, and a transport mechanism 20. For example, the detected value of the transporting operation time of the electric motor.

The position of the watermark is determined for each type of banknote. The recognition of the type of banknote 16 is performed at the time when a part of the inspection surface 16a is scanned in the initial stage of scanning of the banknote 16, and a part of the output pattern obtained by scanning by the determination unit and the type of each banknote. Is compared with a part of each standard output pattern corresponding to, and a standard output pattern similar to the similar output pattern is selected.
The area specifying means corresponds to the type of the bill 16 being scanned from the control value or the detection value that is stored in advance in the storage unit 48 and represents the transport distance corresponding to the watermark position corresponding to the type of each bill. The value to be read is read to specify the watermark position (the previous control value or detection value corresponding to the watermark position).

Further, the crease is located at a distance of ½ the banknote length from the end of the banknote in the conveyance direction when the banknote is folded in half, and similarly 1/3 and 2/3 of the banknote length when the banknote is folded in three. In the case of being folded in four, it is also formed in the vicinity of the positions of 1/4, 2/4, and 3/4 of the bill length. In general, the fold when the banknote is folded into N is formed in the vicinity of the position of the n / N distance of the banknote length from the banknote end in the transport direction (n and N are both natural numbers, and n <N).
The area specifying means represents the transport distance corresponding to the position of the n / N distance of the banknote length from the banknote end in the transport direction according to the banknote length corresponding to the type of each banknote stored in the storage unit 48 in advance. The position of the fold is specified based on the control value or the detection value.

Next, the identification operation of the banknote identification apparatus 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG.
In addition, each function of the comparison object exclusion unit, the output correction unit, and the standard output correction unit realized by the control unit will be described below along the identification operation of the banknote identification device 10.

  When the banknote 16 is inserted into the insertion slot 14, the control unit detects the insertion of the banknote 16 via an insertion detection sensor (not shown) to operate the transport mechanism 20, and the banknote 16 inserted into the insertion slot 14 is inserted. While conveying to the inside of the apparatus main body 12, the banknote 16 is scanned by the detection part 34, and the output pattern intrinsic | native to the banknote 16 is extract | collected.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an outline of a bill recognition process executed by the control unit at the time of a pulse edge IN interrupt of a stepping motor that performs transport driving of the transport mechanism 20.
First, the control unit reads an electric signal output from the light receiving unit 38 when the light receiving unit 38 receives the reflected light reflected from the bill 16 by the light source light from the light source 36 (S1).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the current scanning position is the position of the watermark or fold (predetermined area) of the bill 16 by the area specifying means of the control unit (S2). In the initial stage of the banknote recognition operation, the banknote type is specified by unconditionally comparing the output pattern with the standard output pattern without performing this determination. Hereinafter, processing after the area specifying unit recognizes the watermark position and the fold position of the banknote 16 by specifying the banknote type will be described.

  In S2 of the flowchart of FIG. 3, if the scanning position is not a watermark or a crease position, a difference between the light receiving unit output and the standard output value corresponding to the scanning position of the standard output pattern is calculated, and the difference is calculated. Cumulative addition is performed to a predetermined storage area of the storage unit 48 (S4).

Subsequently, the determination unit determines whether or not the difference cumulatively added to the predetermined storage area exceeds the allowable margin (S5). If not, the determination unit performs processing S6 (described later) related to the standard output correction unit. ). Then, based on the control value or the detection value corresponding to the transport distance, it is determined whether or not the bill 16 has been scanned (S8). If it is not completed, the interruption process is terminated. Controls the transport mechanism 20 to further transport the banknote 16 in the back direction of the apparatus main body 12 and finally store it in the stocker 18 (banknote storage process S9).
On the other hand, when it is determined that the cumulatively added difference in S5 exceeds the allowable margin, the bill 16 is reversed and discharged from the insertion slot 14 in the bill return processing S7.
The above is the outline of the operation of the banknote recognition apparatus 10.

Then, the detail of operation | movement of the banknote identification device 10 is demonstrated for every step of the flowchart of FIG.
If it is determined in step S2 that the scanning position is within the predetermined area, the output read from the light receiving unit 38 is corrected by the output correcting means (S3).
As an example of this output correction means, the output is such that the greater the amount of reflected light or transmitted light represented by the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit 38 during scanning, the smaller the amount of light represented by the output. Correct by multiplying by a small coefficient. That is, this coefficient is determined so as to change the correction characteristic in accordance with the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit 38 during scanning. For example, as shown in the graph of FIG. 4, this coefficient may be determined by a function that approaches 1 when the light amount represented by the light reception output is small and approaches 0 when the light amount represented by the light reception output is large.

In S4 described above, the difference between the light receiving unit output corrected by the processing of the output correction unit in S3 and the standard output is calculated.
Note that the standard output pattern corresponding to the vicinity of the watermark or crease is calculated in advance by multiplying the above-described coefficient (FIG. 4) according to the amount of light indicated by the standard output at each scanning position.

  By the processing of the output correction means in S3, for example, the portions corresponding to the output pattern of the banknote 16 and the watermark of the standard output pattern shown in FIG. 8 are corrected as shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to prevent the difference (hatched portion) from the standard output pattern from becoming extremely large in the watermark portion, and the influence of the watermark portion is excessive in banknote identification, so that the genuine note is erroneously determined as a voucher. In order to avoid this erroneous determination, it is possible to prevent an increase in the probability of erroneously determining a voucher as a genuine note by taking a large allowable margin for determination.

  The area specifying unit is not limited to a configuration that specifies a predetermined area (a watermark part, a crease part, or the like) based on a control value or a detection value that represents a conveyance distance. For example, an electric signal from the light receiving unit 38 at the time of scanning is used. The area on the scanned portion of the banknote 16 where the output of the reflected light or the transmitted light has a value indicating that it is larger than the predetermined light quantity may be specified as the predetermined area.

Further, the configuration of the output correction means is not limited to the above configuration.
For example, the corrected output value corrected by the output correcting means is expressed by the following equation: “corrected output value = average value of light receiving unit output until previous time × (1−P) + light receiving unit output × P” (0 ≦ P ≦ 1). You may comprise so that it may require | require. The value of the coefficient P is configured to approach 1 as the light receiving unit output decreases, and to approach 0 as the light receiving unit output increases. According to this, when the light receiving unit output is small, the correction output value is substantially equal to the light receiving unit output, and when the light receiving unit output is large and large correction is required, the correction output value is the value of the light receiving unit output up to the previous time. Correction is made to approach the average value.

Further, as another example of the output correction means, when the output of the electric signal from the light receiving unit 38 at the time of scanning becomes a value indicating that the reflected light or the transmitted light is larger than a predetermined light amount, that is, a watermark. By correcting the output to a value that is not possible as an output from the detection unit 34 (for example, the allowable margin is the maximum value in order to determine that all are within the allowable margin), The portion corresponding to the output of the output pattern may be corrected, and the determination unit may be configured to exclude the portion of the impossible value in the output pattern from the comparison target. According to this, the part which detected the reflected light or transmitted light larger than the predetermined light quantity is excluded from the comparison target with the standard output pattern by the determination unit, and the banknote is determined based on the output pattern other than the predetermined area. Therefore, an excessively large difference in output pattern in a portion where the amount of light is large does not adversely affect the determination of the determination unit.
In place of the configuration in which the output pattern is not possible, the value of the standard output pattern corresponding to the scanning position at which the reflected light or the transmitted light has a value indicating that it is larger than a predetermined light amount is temporarily set. (For example, the same value as reflected light or equivalent light, it may be said that the minimum unit does not always match) (a form of standard output correction means), and the determination unit Even if the portion of the impossible value in the standard output pattern is excluded from the comparison target, the same effect can be obtained.

Further, in place of the output correction means, comparison target exclusion means for excluding the watermark or fold position (predetermined area) from the comparison target by the determination unit may be employed. As shown by a broken line 50 in FIG. 3, the comparison target exclusion unit is configured not to perform the determination process by the determination unit when the scanning position is a predetermined region such as a watermark or a crease by the region specifying unit (S2). Good.
Also with this configuration, since the banknote is determined based only on the output pattern other than the predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease, an excessively large difference in the output pattern in the predetermined area does not adversely affect the determination of the determination unit.

  Further, instead of the output correction means, the allowable margin in the predetermined area (watermark or crease portion) is made larger than that in the other areas, and the comparison between the accumulated value of the difference and the allowable margin (S5) is performed. It is also possible to adopt means for performing separately in each region.

Next, the process of S6 in the flowchart of FIG. 3 relating to the standard output correcting means will be described.
The standard output correction means corrects the standard output pattern stored in advance in the storage unit in accordance with the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit 38 during scanning. More specifically, the standard output correcting means, when the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit 38 at the time of scanning represents a larger light amount than the output represented by the portion corresponding to the scanning position of the standard output pattern, The relevant part of the standard output pattern is corrected to a value representing a larger light quantity. In addition, when the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit 38 represents a smaller light amount than the output represented by the portion corresponding to the scanning position of the standard output pattern, the portion of the standard output pattern is represented by a smaller light amount. Is corrected to a value representing.

In the present embodiment, as shown in S6 of FIG. 3, the correction amount of the standard output pattern is the output value represented by the standard output pattern corresponding to the scanning position from the output value of the light receiving unit 38 at the scanning position. A value obtained by multiplying the subtracted difference by K = 0.001 (an arbitrary value).
Each time a bill is scanned by the standard output correction means, the standard output pattern is gradually corrected. Even if the same light quantity is input to the light receiving unit 38 due to quality variations, the output value of the electrical signal may be higher or lower for each solid. According to the standard output correction means, for example, for the light receiving unit 38 with high sensitivity and large output, the output indicated by the standard output pattern is gradually corrected so as to become larger. On the other hand, for the light receiving unit 38 with low sensitivity and small output, the output indicated by the standard output pattern is gradually corrected so as to be smaller. Therefore, the standard output pattern is gradually corrected so as to match the sensitivity of the light receiving unit 38, and variations in sensitivity of the light receiving unit 38 can be gradually absorbed. Further, the amount of correction by the standard output correction means is set to a small value compared to the difference (for example, a value of 1/1000 of the difference when K = 0.001), so that the standard output pattern changes rapidly. Can be suppressed. That is, for example, when a ticket is scanned, the standard output pattern does not immediately change according to the ticket.

In this embodiment, for each pulse edge interrupt of the stepping motor of the transport mechanism 20, the difference between the output from the light receiving unit 38 and the output value at the scanning position indicated by the standard output pattern is cumulatively added. Although the configuration for determining the authenticity of the banknote based on the cumulatively added value is adopted, the method of comparing the output pattern output from the detection unit and the standard output pattern is not limited to the present embodiment.
For example, instead of accumulatively adding the difference between the output (output pattern) from the light receiving unit 38 and the output value at the scanning position indicated by the standard output pattern, each of the instantaneous values in step S5 is omitted in step S4. You may comprise so that it may determine with a ticket when a predetermined tolerance margin is exceeded for every difference.
Alternatively, the entire output pattern output from the detection unit by scanning the entire banknote is temporarily stored in the memory, and the stored output pattern is compared with the standard output pattern after the banknote scanning is completed. May be.
Further, it is not necessary to determine whether or not the predetermined area is the watermark or crease in step S2 when the watermark or crease is completely corrected by the output correction in step S3. Such various selections as described above are selected according to the sensor characteristics of various light projecting / receiving units.
The method of performing comparison after storing the entire output pattern has the advantage that it can be configured to accurately compare differences in a portion of the output pattern.
On the other hand, in the method according to the present embodiment, since the determination is performed only by the accumulated value of the difference, a large difference in a part can be absorbed by an allowable margin. For example, it is sensitive when a part of the banknote has a stain such as a stain. It can be suppressed that the genuine note is determined to be a securities by the determination. Further, when the bill is a voucher, it is possible to complete the determination of the bill (determination of the voucher) before scanning the entire bill, and there is an advantage that the bill can be identified quickly.
In the case of adopting a method of performing comparison after storing the entire output pattern, the output correction means and the standard output correction means are configured to correct the correction pattern or the entire standard output pattern.

It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the mechanical structure of the banknote identification device which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the electrical structure of FIG. It is a flowchart for demonstrating identification operation | movement of a banknote identification apparatus. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the output of a detection part, and the coefficient by which an output correction means multiplies an output value in order to correct | amend the output of a detection part. It is a graph for demonstrating the output pattern correct | amended by the output correction means. It is a graph which shows the output pattern which scans a banknote and is detected by the detection part. It is the graph (solid line) which shows the output pattern detected by a detection part by scanning a banknote, and the graph (broken line) which shows a standard output pattern. It is a graph which shows the difference (hatching part) of the output pattern detected by a detection part by scanning a banknote, and a standard output pattern.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Banknote identification apparatus 12 Apparatus main body 14 Insertion slot 16 Banknote 18 Stocker 20 Conveyance mechanism (conveyance means)
34 detector 36 light source 38 light receiver A transport path a output pattern b standard output pattern

Claims (23)

Transport means for transporting banknotes along the transport path;
A light source for irradiating the bill with light;
The light source light from the light source has reflected light reflected from the banknote, or the light source light receives the transmitted light transmitted through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. A detection unit for detecting an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal output from the light receiving unit when the banknote being scanned is scanned;
In a bill discriminating device comprising: a judgment unit that identifies the bill by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance.
Area specifying means for specifying a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease located on the scanned portion of the bill;
A banknote recognition apparatus comprising: a comparison object exclusion unit that excludes the predetermined area from a comparison object by the determination unit. Transport means for transporting banknotes along the transport path;
A light source for irradiating the bill with light;
The light source light from the light source has reflected light reflected from the banknote, or the light source light receives the transmitted light transmitted through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. A detection unit for detecting an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal output from the light receiving unit when the banknote being scanned is scanned;
In a bill discriminating device comprising: a judgment unit that identifies the bill by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance.
Area specifying means for specifying a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease located on the scanned portion of the bill;
A bill identifying apparatus comprising: an output correcting unit that corrects the output pattern in the predetermined area.   The said area | region specific means specifies the said predetermined area | region based on the predetermined | prescribed control value or detection value which changes corresponding to the conveyance distance of the said banknote by the said conveyance means. Banknote recognition device.   The area specifying means corresponds to the distance of the bill length n / N (N = 2, 3 or 4, and n = 1, 2 or 3, and n <N) from the bill edge in the transport direction. The bill identifying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a vicinity of a position to be identified is specified as the predetermined area.   The area specifying unit is configured to output an electric signal from the light receiving unit at the time of scanning on a scanned portion of the bill in which the reflected light or the transmitted light has a value indicating that the light amount is larger than a predetermined light amount. The bill identifying apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an area is specified as the predetermined area.   3. The banknote identification apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the output correction unit changes the correction characteristic of the output pattern in accordance with an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning. Transport means for transporting banknotes along the transport path;
A light source for irradiating the bill with light;
The light source light from the light source has reflected light reflected from the banknote, or the light source light receives the transmitted light transmitted through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. A detection unit for detecting an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal output from the light receiving unit when the banknote being scanned is scanned;
In a bill discriminating device comprising: a judgment unit that identifies the bill by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance.
A bill discriminating apparatus comprising: an output correction unit that corrects the output pattern by changing a correction characteristic according to an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning. The output correcting unit detects the output when the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning is a value indicating that the reflected light or the transmitted light is larger than a predetermined light amount. By correcting to a value that is not possible as an output from the part, the part corresponding to the output of the output pattern is corrected,
The banknote identification device according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit excludes a portion having the impossible value in the output pattern from the comparison target.   The output correction means is small in the output so that the larger the amount of reflected light or transmitted light represented by the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning, the smaller the amount of light represented by the output is corrected. The bill identifying apparatus according to claim 2 or 7, wherein a portion corresponding to the output of the output pattern is corrected by multiplying by a coefficient.   8. The determination unit according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit changes an allowable margin in the coincidence comparison between the output pattern and the standard output pattern in accordance with an electrical signal output from the light receiving unit during the scanning. The bill identification device described.   The standard output correction means for correcting the standard output pattern according to an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning is provided. Banknote identification device. Transport means for transporting banknotes along the transport path;
A light source for irradiating the bill with light;
The light source light from the light source has reflected light reflected from the banknote, or the light source light receives the transmitted light transmitted through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. A detection unit for detecting an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal output from the light receiving unit when the banknote being scanned is scanned;
In a bill discriminating device comprising: a judgment unit that identifies the bill by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance.
The banknote discriminating apparatus, wherein the determination unit changes an allowable margin in the coincidence comparison between the output pattern and the standard output pattern in accordance with an output of an electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning. Comprising an area specifying means for specifying a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease located on the scanned portion of the bill;
The banknote identification device according to claim 12, wherein the determination unit changes the allowable margin only in the predetermined area. Transport means for transporting banknotes along the transport path;
A light source for irradiating the bill with light;
The light source light from the light source has reflected light reflected from the banknote, or the light source light receives the transmitted light transmitted through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. A detection unit for detecting an output pattern of a bill-specific electrical signal output from the light receiving unit when the banknote being scanned is scanned;
In a bill discriminating device comprising: a judgment unit that identifies the bill by comparing the output pattern detected by the detection unit with a standard output pattern stored in advance.
A bill identifying device, comprising: a standard output correcting unit that corrects the standard output pattern in accordance with an output of an electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning. The standard output correcting means is arranged at the scanning position when the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning becomes a value indicating that the reflected light or the transmitted light is larger than a predetermined light amount. The corresponding part of the standard output pattern is corrected to an impossible value as an output from the detection unit,
The banknote identification device according to claim 14, wherein the determination unit excludes the portion of the impossible value in the standard output pattern from the comparison target. The standard output correcting means is
When the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit at the time of scanning represents a larger light quantity than the output represented by the portion corresponding to the scanning position of the standard output pattern, the portion of the standard output pattern is Correct it to a value that represents a larger amount of light,
When the output of the electrical signal from the light receiving unit at the time of scanning represents a light amount smaller than the output represented by the portion corresponding to the scanning position of the standard output pattern, the portion of the standard output pattern is The banknote identification device according to claim 14, wherein the bill recognition device corrects the value to a smaller light quantity.   The standard output correction unit corrects the portion of the standard output pattern by a value smaller than a difference between an output represented by the portion and an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit at a scanning position corresponding to the portion. The banknote identification device according to claim 16. Comprising an area specifying means for specifying a predetermined area such as a watermark or a crease located on the scanned portion of the bill;
15. The banknote identification apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the standard output correction unit corrects the standard output pattern only in a portion corresponding to the predetermined area. The banknotes transported by the transport means are received by using a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected from the light source from the light source or transmitted light transmitted from the light source light through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. Detecting the output pattern of bill-specific electrical signals output from the light receiving unit when scanned,
In the bill identifying method for identifying the bill by comparing the output pattern with a standard output pattern stored in advance in a storage unit,
Identify a predetermined area such as a watermark or fold located on the scanned part of the banknote,
The banknote identification method, wherein the predetermined area is excluded from comparison targets. The banknotes transported by the transport means are received by using a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected from the light source from the light source or transmitted light transmitted from the light source light through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. Detecting the output pattern of bill-specific electrical signals output from the light receiving unit when scanned,
In the bill identifying method for identifying the bill by comparing the output pattern with a standard output pattern stored in advance in a storage unit,
Identify a predetermined area such as a watermark or fold located on the scanned part of the banknote,
A bill identifying method, wherein the output pattern in the predetermined area is corrected. The banknotes transported by the transport means are received by using a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected from the light source from the light source or transmitted light transmitted from the light source light through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. Detecting the output pattern of bill-specific electrical signals output from the light receiving unit when scanned,
In the bill identifying method for identifying the bill by comparing the output pattern with a standard output pattern stored in advance in a storage unit,
A bill identifying method, wherein the output pattern is corrected by changing a correction characteristic according to an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning. The banknotes transported by the transport means are received by using a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected from the light source from the light source or transmitted light transmitted from the light source light through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. Detecting the output pattern of bill-specific electrical signals output from the light receiving unit when scanned,
In the bill identifying method for identifying the bill by comparing the output pattern with a standard output pattern stored in advance in a storage unit,
A bill identifying method, wherein an allowable margin in matching comparison between the output pattern and the standard output pattern is changed according to an output of an electric signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning. The banknotes transported by the transport means are received by using a light receiving unit that receives reflected light reflected from the light source from the light source or transmitted light transmitted from the light source light through the banknote, converts it into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal. Detecting the output pattern of bill-specific electrical signals output from the light receiving unit when scanned,
In the bill identifying method for identifying the bill by comparing the output pattern with a standard output pattern stored in advance in a storage unit,
The banknote identification method, wherein the standard output pattern is corrected according to an output of an electrical signal from the light receiving unit during the scanning.

Images