CN105528827B

CN105528827B - Paper sheet handling apparatus

Info

Publication number: CN105528827B
Application number: CN201510564586.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 水岛庆克; 柴田晋辅
Original assignee: Glory Ltd
Current assignee: Glory Ltd
Priority date: 2014-10-16
Filing date: 2015-09-07
Publication date: 2020-10-09
Anticipated expiration: 2035-09-07
Also published as: CN105528827A; JP2016081283A

Abstract

The application discloses a paper sheet processing device. The paper sheet handling apparatus can database information on paper sheets containing specific graffiti. A paper sheet processing apparatus (paper money processing apparatus (100)) comprises an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image of a paper sheet; a recognition unit (3) configured to recognize the sheet by using the image acquired by the image acquisition unit; and a storage unit (131) configured to store at least the image acquired by the image acquisition unit. A recognition unit (3) detects specific graffiti contained in a sheet based on a preset standard which violates a social rule, and when the recognition unit (3) detects the specific graffiti, a storage unit (131) associates and stores an image of the sheet with information showing that the sheet contains the specific graffiti.

Description

Paper sheet handling apparatus

Technical Field

The technology disclosed herein relates to a paper sheet handling apparatus.

Background

Patent document 1 describes a paper sheet handling apparatus including a detection unit for detecting whether or not a banknote inserted into the apparatus is a bad graffiti. The bad graffiti includes paper tickets which have unpleasant characters and which make a third person feel unpleasant. Specifically, in an apparatus such as an ATM (Automated teller machine) into which cash is inserted by a user, when a bad graffiti is detected, information on the user who inserted the bad graffiti and an image of the bad graffiti are stored, and the bad graffiti is returned to the user.

Patent document 1 Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2013-246771

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the paper sheet handling apparatus described in patent document 1, although it is possible to record the case where the bad graffiti ticket is inserted into the apparatus and the user who inserted the bad graffiti ticket by storing the information on the user, it is not possible to manage and use the information on the bad graffiti ticket by making a database. Moreover, the entered bad graffiti is returned to the user in the same processing manner as the rejected coupon.

In contrast, there is a demand for a paper sheet handling apparatus that can manage and use information on paper sheets containing specific graffiti that violate the customs of public order in a database. Further, it is also required that the paper sheet handling apparatus can accept paper sheets containing specific graffiti, rather than returning the paper sheets containing the specific graffiti to the user by the same handling method as the reject ticket.

The technique disclosed herein has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to enable a paper sheet handling apparatus to create a database of information relating to paper sheets containing specific graffiti.

Means for solving the problems

The disclosed technology relates to a paper sheet processing device, which comprises a conveying part, a paper sheet processing part and a paper sheet processing part, wherein the conveying part is configured to convey paper sheets one by one; an image acquisition unit configured to acquire an image of the paper sheet while the paper sheet is being conveyed by the conveyance unit; a recognition unit configured to recognize the paper sheet by using the image acquired by the image acquisition unit; and a storage unit configured to store at least the image acquired by the image acquisition unit.

The identification unit detects a specific scribble included in the paper sheet based on a preset standard against a public order good custom, and when the identification unit detects the specific scribble, the storage unit associates and stores an image of the paper sheet with information showing that the paper sheet includes the specific scribble.

Herein, "common order and good customs" refers to public order and good customs, and the public order may refer to general interests of the national society and the good customs may refer to general moral concepts of the society. The reference of "a predetermined rule violating the common denominations" is appropriately set depending on the country in which the paper sheet handling apparatus is used.

According to the above configuration, the sheet recognizing section of the sheet processing apparatus recognizes the sheet when the sheet is being conveyed. The identification is performed using the image of the sheet acquired by the image acquisition unit. The recognition unit may acquire various information on the paper sheet and perform recognition using the information, instead of performing recognition using only the image of the paper sheet. The identification unit may be configured to identify the type of paper, the authenticity of paper, and the integrity of paper.

In the above configuration, a reference is set in advance for a specific scribble which violates a custom of public order, and the identifying unit detects the specific scribble included in the paper sheet based on the reference. The specific graffiti detection is performed separately from the identification of the type of paper, the authenticity of paper, and the integrity of paper.

When the recognition unit detects the specific scribble, the storage unit associates and stores the image of the sheet with information showing that the sheet contains the specific scribble. In this way, a database relating to a sheet containing specific graffiti (hereinafter, this sheet may be referred to as a specific sheet) can be created. By using this database, various processes and analyses can be performed on the paper sheet containing the specific graffiti.

The paper sheet handling apparatus may further include an image processing unit configured to create a partial image of the paper sheet by processing the partial image using the entire image acquired by the image acquiring unit, and the storage unit may store the entire image of the paper sheet acquired by the image acquiring unit or the partial image of the paper sheet processed by the image processing unit in association with information indicating that the specific graffiti is included in the paper sheet.

The amount of information related to the sheet included in the entire image of the sheet is large, but the storage capacity occupied when storing the image in the storage unit is also large. On the other hand, although the amount of information related to the paper sheet included in the partial image of the paper sheet is relatively small, the storage capacity occupied when the partial image is stored in the storage portion is also small. The partial image of the paper sheet may be, for example, an image that can be used to specify a size portion of the paper sheet, and when the paper sheet is a banknote, the partial image of the paper sheet may be an image of a portion on which a serial number is printed, for example.

The storage unit associates and stores the whole image or the partial image with information showing that the paper sheet includes the specific graffiti. Therefore, when storing the entire image, it is possible to store a large amount of information on the specific paper sheet (for example, information including what kind of graffiti the specific graffiti is, where the specific graffiti is drawn on the paper sheet, and what size, in addition to information for specifying the paper sheet), but the storage capacity of the storage unit occupied increases. In contrast, when storing the partial image, relatively less information is stored for a specific sheet, but the storage capacity of the storage unit occupied thereby also decreases. If the user is configured to be able to select whether the image to be stored in the storage unit is a whole image or a partial image, the user's convenience increases.

The paper sheet handling apparatus may further include an output unit configured to output, when the specific scribble is detected by the identification unit, the image of the paper sheet and information indicating that the specific scribble is included in the paper sheet to an external apparatus.

In this way, the image of the sheet and the information showing that the sheet includes the specific graffiti can be associated and stored in another external apparatus other than the sheet processing apparatus. That is, a database in which information on a specific sheet is accumulated can be created in another external apparatus other than the sheet processing apparatus. The external device may be, for example, an upper-level device that manages one or more sheet processing devices.

The paper sheet handling apparatus may further include a search unit configured to search for the paper sheet containing the specific graffiti from the information stored in the storage unit.

By creating a database in which information on a specific paper sheet is accumulated as described above, it is possible to search for various information on a specific paper sheet using the database.

The paper sheet handling apparatus may further include a processing unit configured to perform processing related to the paper sheet based on a recognition result of the recognition unit; and a setting unit configured to allow a user to set a content of the processing performed by the processing unit, wherein the setting unit is configured to allow the user to switch whether the processing unit processes a specific sheet including the specific graffiti as a defective note or processes the sheet as a rejected note.

The determination of whether or not a sheet contains specific graffiti is performed separately from the determination of whether or not the sheet is a complete or defective sheet or a rejected sheet. By enabling the user to switch between handling the specific paper sheet as a defective note and handling the specific paper sheet as a reject note, the handling method of the specific paper money can be set arbitrarily, and user convenience increases. This is effective particularly in the case where the paper sheet handling apparatus is a cashier counter or the like provided in a financial institution such as a bank and is intended for use by an operator of the financial institution. When the operator uses the paper sheet handling apparatus, it is possible to handle the specific paper sheet containing the specific graffiti as a defective note without handling the specific paper sheet containing the specific graffiti as a reject note, unlike the case of the ATM used by the customer described in patent document 1. That is, even if the specific paper sheet is accepted, the specific paper sheet can be managed later differently from other paper sheets by storing the information on the specific paper sheet.

The paper sheet handling apparatus may further include a plurality of transport destinations to which the paper sheet identified by the identification unit is transported, and the processing unit may transport the specific paper sheet to a transport destination to which a defective note is transported when handling the specific paper sheet as a defective note.

When the paper sheet is a banknote and the specific paper sheet is handled as a defective note, the processing unit may be configured to count the specific paper sheet for each denomination.

When the paper sheet containing the specific graffiti is handled as a reject banknote, the processing unit may convey the paper sheet containing the specific graffiti to a reject unit to which the reject banknote is conveyed.

The paper sheet handling apparatus may further include:

a band bundling section configured to bundle the collected paper sheets with a band; and

a collecting section for collecting the paper sheets to be bundled by the band bundling section,

the setting unit is configured to allow the user to switch between bundling a bundle of sheets including the sheet including the specific graffiti with the tape or bundling a bundle of sheets including the sheet including the graffiti without using the tape when the processing unit conveys the sheet including the specific graffiti to the accumulating unit.

In this way, the user can select whether or not to bundle the specific paper sheets, which increases the convenience of the user.

Effects of the invention

According to the paper sheet handling apparatus, a database in which information on paper sheets containing specific graffiti is accumulated can be created.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an external view of a banknote handling apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the structure of the bill handling device.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing the structure of the banknote handling apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a table showing the combination of banknotes stacked in the stacker.

Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the structure of a bill handling system including a bill handling apparatus.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a bill handling system different from that of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining a full-face captured image and a partial captured image.

Fig. 8 shows an example of the configuration of the database.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a transition state of a screen related to a process setting related to a specific scribble.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a banknote deposit and withdrawal machine to which the technology disclosed herein can be applied.

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an appearance structure of a switch machine to which the technology disclosed herein can be applied.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a paper money finisher to which the technology disclosed herein can be applied.

Fig. 13 is a diagram illustrating an external configuration of a discharged banknote sorting and bundling apparatus to which the technology disclosed herein can be applied.

Description of the symbols

17-touch screen (setting unit); 100-banknote handling device (paper sheet handling device); 120-a control unit (processing unit, search unit); 131-a storage section; 132-input/output unit (output unit); 140-upper level devices (external devices); 1001-banknote deposit and withdrawal machine (paper sheet handling device); 1002-changer (paper sheet handling apparatus); 1003-paper money collator (paper sheet handling device); 1004-banknote sorting and bundling apparatus (paper sheet handling apparatus); 3-a recognition section (image processing section); 31-line sensor (image acquisition section); 4-bundling and stacking boxes (conveying destinations, gathering parts); 5-non-bundled stacker (delivery destination); 6-reject stacking box (reject part); 7-a first conveying section (conveying section); 9-bundling part (tape bundling part).

Detailed Description

The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Brief structure of paper money processing device

Fig. 1 is an external view of a banknote handling apparatus 100 as a paper sheet bundling apparatus, and fig. 2 is a schematic view of the banknote handling apparatus 100.

The banknote handling apparatus 100 is provided, for example, at a cashier's counter of a bank for use by an operator. The banknote handling apparatus 100 takes in banknotes that are not bundled, collects predetermined types of banknotes, bundles the banknotes by a predetermined number of bundles, and then throws out the banknotes.

The bill handling apparatus 100 includes a hopper (hopper) section 2 for receiving bills and placing them; a recognition unit 3 for recognizing the banknotes; a bundling and stacking box 4 for bundling paper money as a bundling object; a non-binding stacking box 5 for stacking banknotes to be non-bound; a reject stacker 6 for stacking the reject banknotes; a first transport unit 7 that transports the banknotes that have been taken in from the input unit 2 to the recognition unit 3, the bundled stacker 4, the unbound stacker 5, and the reject stacker 6; a second transport unit 8 for transporting the banknotes stacked in the bundling and stacking cassette 4 to a predetermined position; a bundling unit 9 for bundling the banknotes transported by the second transport unit 8; a third transport section 10 that transports bundled banknotes (hereinafter referred to as "bundle banknotes"); a throw-out part 11 for throwing out the bundle of paper money; and a box-shaped body 12 for housing the identification unit 3, the bundling and stacking box 4, the non-bundling and stacking box 5, the reject and stacking box 6, the first conveying unit 7, the second conveying unit 8, the bundling unit 9, and the third conveying unit 10.

The inside of the machine body 12 is divided into a first processing unit 126 and a second processing unit 127, the first processing unit 126 performs processing related to recognition and sorting of banknotes, and the second processing unit 127 performs processing related to bundling of banknotes to be bundled. The second processing portion 127 is disposed above the first processing portion 126. The first processing unit 126 includes the input unit 2, the recognition unit 3, the non-bundled stack box 5, and the reject stack box 6. The second processing unit 127 includes the bundling and stacking box 4, the second conveying unit 8, the bundling unit 9, and the third conveying unit 10. Most of the first conveyance section 7 is included in the first processing section 126.

The bundling stack 4 includes two stacks of a first bundling stack 4A and a second bundling stack 4B. The first bundling and stacking box 4A and the second bundling and stacking box 4B each accumulate banknotes to be bundled. The banknote to be bundled can be appropriately set. The bundling and stacking box 4 includes a door 43 (see fig. 1), and the door 43 opens and closes a first take-out port 47 opened in a side surface of the body 12.

The non-bundled stacked box 5 includes two stacked boxes of a first non-bundled stacked box 5A and a second non-bundled stacked box 5B. The first unbounded stacked box 5A and the second unbounded stacked box 5B are arranged substantially horizontally in the first processing unit 126. The non-binding stacker 5 is opened on the side of the body 12.

The input part 2 comprises a loading platform 21 for loading paper money; two

guide portions

22, 22 for guiding the banknotes placed on the loading table 21; a take-in roller 23; a receiving port 24 for receiving banknotes; and a bill sensor 25 for detecting bills on the carriage 21. In the present embodiment, the banknotes are placed in the insertion section 2 in a state in which the banknotes can be inserted in the short-side direction.

The bill sensor 25 is disposed near the intake port 24. The bill sensor 25 has an emitting portion that emits light and a receiving portion that receives light, and detects the presence of a bill by blocking light that has been emitted from the emitting portion and then reaches the receiving portion. In addition, the passage sensor 74 described below has the same structure. The bill sensor 25 is arranged to intercept a bill whose light is placed on the carriage 21. That is, the bill sensor 25 can detect that the bill is placed on the placing table 21 by blocking the light.

The first conveying unit 7 is constituted by a conveyor belt or the like. The first conveying section 7 includes a main conveying path 71; first to fourth branched paths 72a to 72d branched from the main conveyance path 71; a distribution mechanism 73 provided at a branching portion of the main conveyance path 71; and a plurality of passage sensors 74 for detecting passage of the banknotes. The first transport unit 7 transports the banknotes in the short side direction of the banknotes.

The recognition unit 3 is provided on the upstream side of the first branch 72a in the main conveyance path 71. The recognition unit 3 is configured to recognize the denomination, authenticity, and integrity of a single paper money being transported. Specifically, the recognition part 3 has a line sensor (linesensor)31 and a magnetic sensor (magnetic sensor)32 to acquire the characteristics of the bill. The recognition unit 3 recognizes the denomination, authenticity, and completeness by determining whether or not the characteristics of the bill match those of the stored various bills. The recognition unit 3 also detects whether or not the banknotes contain specific graffiti, and the specific case will be described below.

The bundling unit 9 bundles the stacked banknotes. The bundling unit 9 forms a band loop L, and tightens the band after the banknotes are fed into the band loop L, thereby bundling the banknotes with the band.

The second transport unit 8 catches the banknotes stacked in the bundling and stacking cassette 4 and transports the banknotes toward the band loop L. The second conveying section 8 has a gripping unit 81 for gripping the banknotes by an upper arm 81a and a lower arm 81 b; a first horizontal movement mechanism that moves the grip unit 81 in a horizontal direction, which is a short-side direction of the bill; a second horizontal movement mechanism that moves the grip unit 81 in the horizontal direction, which is the long-side direction of the bill; and an up-down moving mechanism that moves the grip unit 81 in the up-down direction.

The third transport unit 10 transports the bundle of banknotes to the ejection unit 11. The third conveying section 10 has an upper grip 101; a lower grip portion 102; and a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the upper grip 101 and the lower grip 102 in the horizontal direction, which is the short-side direction of the bill.

As shown in fig. 1, a touch panel 17 is provided on a side surface of the machine body 12, and the touch panel 17 is an operation unit for inputting information to the banknote processing apparatus 100 and a display unit for displaying information of the banknote processing apparatus 100. The touch panel 17 is a man-machine interface portion for an operator who operates the banknote handling apparatus 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, the binding unit 9 includes a tape supply unit 91 for supplying a tape; a belt loop making section 92 for making a belt loop L from a belt; a heater 95 for engaging respective portions of the tape with each other in a state where the tape is wound around the paper money; a cutter 96 that cuts the tape at a position where the tape is not wound around the paper money; a printing section 97 that prints on the tape; and a seal portion 98 for sealing the tape.

The tape supply part 91 has a tape barrel 911 on which a tape is wound on a reel; and a tape feeding unit 912 for feeding the tape drawn out from the tape cartridge 911. The tape transport section 912 transports a tape along a predetermined transport path. The tape feeding section 912 has a guide section and a plurality of pairs of rollers, but is omitted from the drawing and not shown.

As shown by broken lines in fig. 2, the band making section 92 makes the band L of the band by a tape which is tightened after the accumulated bills are placed in the band L to wind the tape around the bills.

System structure of paper money processing device

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the banknote handling apparatus 100.

The banknote handling apparatus 100 includes a control unit 120 based on a well-known microcomputer, for example. The input unit 2, the recognition unit 3, the bundling and stacking box 4, the non-bundling and stacking box 5, the reject stacking box 6, the first conveying unit 7, the second conveying unit 8, the bundling unit 9, the third conveying unit 10, and the touch panel 17 are connected to the control unit 120 so as to be able to transmit and receive signals to and from the control unit 120. Note that the banknote sensor 25 and the passage sensor 74 are connected to the control unit 120, and detection signals of these sensors are input to the control unit 120. The storage unit 131 and the input/output unit 132 are connected to the control unit 120. The storage unit 131 stores various kinds of information, and the input/output unit 132 inputs and outputs signals to and from the upper layer device 140 as described later. Various signals are input to and output from the control unit 120, the storage unit 131, and the input/output unit 132. The control unit 120 generates a control signal based on an input signal from the touch panel 17, detection signals from various sensors, and the like, and outputs the control signal to the input unit 2 and the like. The input unit 2 and the like operate in response to the control signal.

Explanation of working condition of paper money processing apparatus

Next, the deposit process of the banknote handling apparatus 100 will be described. In the deposit process, the banknotes in an unbundled state are sorted and then stacked in a predetermined stack box, and further predetermined banknotes are bundled. Hereinafter, the same bundling process will be described in which a predetermined kind of banknotes to be bundled are alternately stacked in the first bundling and stacking unit 4A and the second bundling and stacking unit 4B in a predetermined number of sheets, and then the predetermined number of stacked banknotes are sequentially bundled by the bundling unit 9.

First, the operator receives banknotes to be deposited from the customer in an unbundled state, and inserts the banknotes into the input unit 2. At this time, even if plural kinds of banknotes are mixed in the banknotes that are not bundled, the plural kinds of banknotes are put into the insertion section 2 without sorting the plural kinds of banknotes. The operator adjusts the guide 22 according to the size of the bill. Next, the operator operates the touch panel 17 to start taking in the banknotes. Further, it is also possible that the banknote handling apparatus 100 automatically starts the taking in of banknotes when the banknote sensor 25 detects that the banknotes are placed in the insertion section 2.

By operating the intake roller 23, the banknotes placed in the input unit 2 are taken into the machine body 12 from the intake port 24 one by one. The banknotes taken in are transported by the first transport unit 7 and pass through the recognition unit 3. The recognition unit 3 acquires the banknote type of the passing banknote, and notifies the control unit 120 of the banknote type.

The control unit 120 determines a transport destination corresponding to the banknote according to the banknote type. Specifically, when the banknote is a banknote of a predetermined denomination as a bundling target and is a complete banknote, the control unit 120 sets the transport destination to the bundling and stacking box 4 (any one of 4A and 4B). When the banknote is a banknote of a predetermined denomination to be bundled and is a defective banknote, the control unit 120 sets the transport destination to the first non-bundled stacker 5A. When the banknote is a banknote of a denomination other than the predetermined denomination, the control unit 120 sets the transport destination to the second non-binding stacker 5B. When the banknote is a reject banknote, the control unit 120 sets the transport destination as the reject stacker 6.

The banknotes to be fed into the bundling and stacking box 4 are fed toward one bundling and stacking box 4 of the two bundling and stacking boxes 4. When the number of banknotes stacked in one bundling and stacking cassette 4 reaches a predetermined number of bundling sheets (for example, 100), the following banknotes are fed to the other bundling and stacking cassette 4. Here, it is assumed that the banknotes are first sent to the first bundling and stacking box 4A.

When the number of banknotes stacked in the first bundling and stacking cassette 4A reaches the number of bundled banknotes, the control unit 120 controls the second transport unit 8 to grasp the banknotes in the first bundling and stacking cassette 4A by the grasping unit 81 and transport the banknotes to the bundling unit 9. Then, the control unit 120 controls the bundling unit 9 to bundle the banknotes with the tape.

When the banknotes stacked in the first bundling and stacking box 4A reach the bundling number, the following banknotes are stacked in the second bundling and stacking box 4B. Thereafter, when the banknotes stacked in the second bundling and stacking box 4B reach the bundling number, the following banknotes are stacked in the first bundling and stacking box 4A again. Before that, since the banknotes in the first bundling stack box 4A are transported to the outside, the first bundling stack box 4A is empty. By providing two bundling and stacking boxes 4 in this way, it is possible to perform bundling while continuously stacking banknotes.

Next, the control unit 120 controls the third transport unit 10 to eject the bundle of banknotes from the ejection port 111.

The banknotes of the predetermined denomination and defective banknotes are fed into the first non-binding stacker 5A. In this way, banknotes of a predetermined denomination and defective banknotes are stacked in the first non-binding stacker 5A. Similarly, banknotes of a denomination other than the predetermined denomination are fed into the second non-binding stacker 5B, and are stacked in the second non-binding stacker 5B. The rejected banknotes are sent to the reject stacker 6 and stacked in the reject stacker 6.

The above process is continued until all the banknotes placed in the input section 2 are processed. The presence or absence of a bill in the insertion section 2 can be detected by the bill sensor 25.

When the processing of the banknotes placed in the input unit 2 is completed, the rejected banknotes are again taken in and recognized. That is, the operator takes out the rejected banknotes from the reject stacking cassette 6, puts them in the input unit 2, and takes them in again. The reject banknote is a banknote that is not recognized as a normal banknote for some reason, and therefore, the taking in and recognition of the banknote is attempted again. Even the banknotes recognized as reject banknotes are accumulated again in the reject stacker 6. The operator returns the re-accumulated bills to the customer.

Note that the banknotes stacked in the first non-binding stacker 5A and the second non-binding stacker 5B are not taken in again.

When the processing of the banknotes placed in the input unit 2 and the reprocessing of the rejected banknotes are completed in this way, the same bundling process is completed, and the counting and sorting of the banknotes to be deposited delivered by the customer are completed. The counted amount is displayed on the touch screen 17. When the operator receives the customer's approval of the amount or confirms that the amount matches the amount on the receipt written by the customer, the operator performs a determination operation for determining the deposit amount using the touch panel 17. When the determination operation is performed, the determined deposit amount is notified to the upper layer device 140 (see fig. 5 and 6), and the deposit process is terminated.

After the deposit process is completed, the operator takes out the bundle of banknotes deposited in the deposit unit 11, the banknotes stacked in the bundling stack box 4, and the banknotes stacked in the non-bundling stack box 5 and places them in a predetermined storage position.

After the above-described processing, the banknotes in the unbundled state in which the plural kinds of banknotes are mixed are classified into the full banknotes of the predetermined denomination, the defective banknotes of the predetermined denomination, the banknotes of the denominations other than the predetermined denomination, and the reject banknotes, and the full banknotes of the predetermined denomination are bundled up every time the number of bundled banknotes reaches the number of banknotes.

Settings for individual stacker

In the above description, banknotes of a predetermined denomination and full notes are stacked in the first bundling stack box 4A and the second bundling stack box 4B, banknotes of a predetermined denomination and defective notes are stacked in the first non-bundling stack box 5A, and banknotes of a denomination other than the predetermined denomination are stacked in the second non-bundling stack box 5B.

However, the banknote handling apparatus 100 can appropriately set the banknotes stacked in the first bundling stack box 4A and the second bundling stack box 4B and the first non-bundling stack box 5A and the second non-bundling stack box 5B. An example of a combination of banknotes stacked in the stacker (that is, a stacker mode) is shown in fig. 4. Note that, in fig. 4, "new/old" refers to stacking of one of the new and old banknotes in the stacker, and "old/new" refers to stacking of the other of the new and old banknotes in the stacker. "front/back" refers to the stacking of banknotes with one of the front and back faces facing upward in the stacking cassette, and "back/front" refers to the stacking of banknotes with the other of the front and back faces facing upward in the stacking cassette. "front/rear" refers to stacking of banknotes in the stacking cassette in which the direction of printing coincides with the transport direction or banknotes in which the direction of printing is opposite to the transport direction, and "rear/front" refers to stacking of banknotes in the stacking cassette in which the direction of printing coincides with the transport direction or banknotes in which the direction of printing coincides with the transport direction. In fig. 4, the banknotes stacked in the stacker where the contents of the banknotes are not indicated can be set as arbitrary banknotes. The banknotes stacked in the first bundling stack box 4A and the second bundling stack box 4B can be exchanged. Similarly, the banknotes stacked in the first non-binding stacker 5A and the second non-binding stacker 5B may be exchanged. Fig. 4 is merely an example, and other combinations may be used.

Storage and management of notes containing specific graffiti

The banknote handling apparatus 100 is configured to detect whether or not a banknote contains a specific scribble that violates a custom of public order, and when the banknote contains the specific scribble (hereinafter, the banknote containing the specific scribble may be referred to as a specific banknote), store and manage information relating to the banknote. This will be described in detail below.

Fig. 5 illustrates the structure of a banknote processing system including the above-described banknote processing apparatus 100. The upper device 140 is connected to the banknote handling device 100 via a wireless or wired communication line 142. The communication line 142 here includes a network such as a LAN or WAN. As described above, the banknote handling apparatus 100 includes the storage unit 131. Here, the storage unit 131 stores information relating to the bill containing the specific graffiti and an image relating to the bill in association with each other. The specific details of this case are explained below. The storage unit 131 is configured by various memory cards such as a hard disk having a magnetic disk, an SSD (Solid State Drive) having a flash memory, or an SD card. The storage unit 131 may be configured to be detachably connected to the main body of the banknote handling device 100 in a so-called external manner. Thus, when the storage capacity of the storage unit 131 is insufficient, the storage unit can be easily replaced with a new storage unit 131.

As described above, the banknote handling apparatus 100 includes the control unit 120, and specifically, the control unit 120 includes the hardware control board 1202 that mainly controls hardware components such as conveyance of banknotes in the banknote handling apparatus 100; and a software control board 1203 that mainly controls software components such as display and operation of the touch panel 17 of the banknote handling apparatus 100, and storage and retrieval of information for specific banknotes, which will be described later. The recognition unit 3 has a recognition board 34 different from the hardware control board 1202 and the software control board 1203. The recognition board 34 is connected to the hardware control board 1202 and the software control board 1203, respectively. As described below, the recognition substrate 34 provides the hardware control substrate 1202, the software control substrate 1203 with the recognition information, information related to the specific graffiti, and provides an image. The hardware control board 1202 supplies information related to the banknotes to the software control board 1203. The software control board 1203 supplies information to the storage section 131, and receives information supplied from the storage section 131. The software control substrate 1203 also provides information to the upper layer device 140 through the input/output section 132.

The recognition unit 3 recognizes the banknotes and reads the serial numbers. The reading of the serial number is performed using the whole image of the bill acquired by the line sensor 31. Specifically, as shown in fig. 7, the line sensor 31 acquires an overall image (i.e., a full-face captured image) of the bill under conveyance. The entire captured image is a grayscale (gray) image of a prescribed gray level (gradation).

The recognition unit 3 acquires the entire captured image, and then specifies the printing position of the serial number on the bill based on the entire captured image and the bill type information obtained from the recognition result. The recognition unit 3 creates an area image by cutting out a predetermined area including the print position from the entire captured image based on the print position of the specified number, and creates a binary image of the area image. The recognition unit 3 also cuts out a segment of each character included in the number from the binarized area image to create a binarized segment image. The region image and the segment image are sometimes collectively referred to as a partially captured image (that is, a partial image of the bill).

After the binarized segment image is created in this manner, the recognition unit 3 performs OCR (optical character recognition) processing on the binarized segment image. Each character is recognized by the OCR processing, and the serial number printed on the bill is read. The recognition unit 3 is an example of an image processing unit.

The identification substrate 34 also detects whether a particular scribble is on the note based on the entire captured image. That is, the detection of the specific bill is performed. This detection is performed in accordance with a reference stored in advance in the recognition substrate 34. The reference is a preset reference against the public order and can be set appropriately according to the country in which the banknote handling apparatus 100 is used. The term "graffiti" as used herein includes, in addition to graffiti written on the front or back surface of a paper money by handwriting, graffiti printed on the front or back surface of a paper money by a printer, graffiti covered on the front or back surface of a paper money by a stamp, or the like. In terms of size of graffiti, various sizes of graffiti are included in the graffiti. The criteria associated with a particular graffiti stored in the identification substrate 34 can be updated by updating the firmware. In this way, it is possible to detect the specific graffiti of various forms that newly appear next to each other, and it is possible to maintain high detection accuracy.

The recognition board 34 outputs the recognition result (information on the denomination, authenticity, and integrity of the bill), the serial number, and information on the specific bill to the hardware control board 1202. The hardware control board 1202 determines the transport destination of the banknotes being transported in accordance with the above-described stacker mode based on the recognition result and the information on the specific banknotes, and controls the dispensing mechanism 73 so that each banknote is transported to a predetermined transport destination. The control unit 120 constitutes a processing unit.

The recognition substrate 34 also outputs the captured image, the recognition result, the number, and information relating to the specific bill to the software control substrate 1203. Since it takes a processing time to capture an image, it cannot be immediately output during conveyance of each bill. For this reason, the recognition substrate 34 outputs the captured image together with information relating to the specific bill to the software control substrate 1203, not to the hardware control substrate 1202.

For each banknote received by the banknote processing apparatus 100 other than the reject banknote, the software control board 1203 outputs the captured image and the banknote-related information to the storage unit 131, and the storage unit 131 associates and stores the captured image and the banknote-related information. The "information on banknotes" includes the identification result, the serial number, and information on a specific banknote.

Fig. 8 illustrates a data structure stored in the storage section 131. In the example of the figure, a transaction number, a serial number of a bill, a currency, integrity or not, a captured image are stored in association with a serial number, and various information on whether there is a specific graffiti or not is stored. In the example of the figure, the note with serial number 3 stored contains information of a particular graffiti. Here, the captured image stored in the storage section 131 may be any one of a full-area captured image and a partial captured image. The user (the user may be an operator who performs a deposit process using the banknote handling apparatus 100 or a manager who operates the banknote handling apparatus 100) may arbitrarily select whether to store the entire captured image or the partial captured image in the storage unit 131. The timing of storing in the storage unit 131 may be when the banknote handling apparatus 100 is performing the deposit process, or after the deposit process is completed.

The software control board 1203 also outputs the captured image and information related to the bill to the upper layer apparatus 140 via the input/output section 132. The upper layer device 140 includes a memory portion similar to the memory portion 131, but is not illustrated. In this storage unit, a database having a structure as shown in fig. 8 is created. For example, when the storage capacity of the storage section of the upper device 140 is relatively large, the entire captured image may be stored in the upper device 140, and a partial captured image may be stored in the storage section 131. It should be noted that the user may arbitrarily set the case where the database is created only in the storage unit 131; building a database only in the upper device 140; a database is established in both the storage section 131 and the upper layer apparatus 140. The timing of output to the upper layer apparatus 140 may be when the banknote handling apparatus 100 is performing the deposit process, or may be after the completion of the deposit process.

In this way, as the banknote processing apparatus 100 performs processing, a database relating to specific banknotes can be created. By using the database of the storage unit 131 and/or the upper apparatus 140, it is possible to specify a transaction including a specific banknote and specify a customer related to the transaction by searching the database using, for example, "specific banknote" as a search key. Also, the captured image of the specific bill can be confirmed. In addition, various analyses relating to the specific banknotes, such as counting the number of specific banknotes in a predetermined period, can be performed using the database. Thus, the convenience of the user can be increased. Specifically, the control unit 120 refers to the database of the storage unit 131 and displays the designated information on the touch panel 17 in accordance with the operation of the touch panel 17. Therefore, the control unit 120 constitutes a search unit.

Fig. 6 shows another structure of the banknote handling apparatus 100. In this configuration, the recognition unit 3 includes an option board 35 in addition to the recognition board 34, which is different from the banknote handling apparatus 100 shown in fig. 5. The option substrate 35 is a substrate on which processing related to capturing an image is performed. By providing the option substrate 35 in addition to the recognition substrate 34, the process performed in the recognition unit 3 can be shared by two substrates, and the processing speed can be increased. The option board 35 outputs the captured image, the recognition result, the number, and information about the specific banknote to the software control board 1203. On the other hand, the recognition board 34 outputs the recognition result, the serial number, and information on the specific banknote to the hardware control board 1202.

Processing settings for notes containing specific graffiti

The banknote handling apparatus 100 is also configured so that the user can arbitrarily set the contents of processing performed on a specific banknote including specific graffiti. The touch panel 17 of the banknote handling apparatus 100 can display a setting screen for performing various settings related to handling of specific banknotes under the control of the control unit 120. The touch panel 17 constitutes a setting unit. Next, with reference to the display screen of the touch panel 17 shown in fig. 9, the setting regarding the processing content of the banknotes including the specific graffiti will be described. Note that each screen in fig. 9 is an example.

Screen S1 in fig. 9 is an example of a screen for selecting whether a banknote containing specific graffiti is to be handled as a defective note or a rejected note. The setting screen includes a selection button for "defect ticket" and a selection button for "reject". The user can select either the "defect ticket" or the "reject" selection button. When "defective note" is selected, specific banknotes containing specific graffiti are treated as defective notes, and when "reject" is selected, specific banknotes are treated as reject banknotes. When the process as a defective note is selected, the specific banknote becomes a defective note and becomes a counting target for each denomination when the deposit process is performed. That is, in this transaction, the specific banknote is an acceptable banknote. On the other hand, when the reject banknote processing is selected, the specific banknote is transported to the reject stacker 6 when the deposit processing is performed. Therefore, in this transaction, the specific banknote is an unacceptable banknote and is returned to the customer.

When "reject" is selected on the screen S1 in fig. 9, the setting screen ends because there are no further setting items.

On the other hand, when the "defective note" is selected on the screen S1, a screen S2 for designating a conveyance destination of the specific banknote handled as the defective banknote is displayed on the touch panel 17. As an example, the destination designation screen S2 includes three selection buttons, that is, "stack by stack mode", "reject stack", and "designated destination". When the "stack mode is selected," the banknote processing apparatus 100 conveys the specific banknotes to be processed as defective banknotes in accordance with a preset stack mode, as shown in fig. 4. That is, the specific banknote is conveyed to a conveyance destination (the bundling stacker 4 or the non-bundling stacker 5) to which a defective note of the same denomination as the specific banknote is conveyed.

When the "reject stacker" is selected on the screen S2, the specific banknotes handled as defective notes are conveyed to the reject stacker 6. When "designated conveyance destination" is selected on the screen S2, the user can arbitrarily set the conveyance destination of the specific banknote, which is different from the set stacker mode. When this "designated conveyance destination" is selected, a new screen S3 for specifically designating the conveyance destination of the specific banknote is displayed on the touch panel 17.

The screen S3 is provided with four selection buttons, i.e., "first bundling stack box", "second bundling stack box", "first non-bundling stack box", and "second non-bundling stack box". The user can set the transport destination of the specific banknote to a desired transport destination by selecting any one of the selection buttons.

When the "stack mode is selected in the screen S2 and the specific banknote is transported to the bundling and stacking box 4, or when the" first bundling and stacking box "or the" second bundling and stacking box "is selected in the screen S3 and the specific banknote is transported to the bundling and stacking box 4, a new screen S4 for setting whether or not bundling is to be performed is displayed on the touch panel 17. In this screen S4, it is set whether or not the banknotes including the specific banknote are bundled with a tape or not (that is, the banknotes are returned to the operator with the door 43 opened without bundling). The screen S4 includes two selection buttons, i.e., a selection button for "to bundle" and a selection button for "not to bundle". The user can set whether to perform bundling by pressing any one of the selection buttons.

In this way, in the banknote handling apparatus 100, it is possible to change the handling of the specific banknotes including the specific graffiti as the defective banknotes or the reject banknotes, and to select the destination of the specific banknotes from the first bundling and stacking cassette 4A, the second bundling and stacking cassette 4B, the first non-bundling and stacking cassette 5A, the second non-bundling and stacking cassette 5B, and the reject stacking cassette 6. In this way, the processing contents of the specific banknotes can be changed, and the banknote processing apparatus 100 can be flexibly operated, thereby increasing convenience.

When a specific banknote is handled as a defective note, the specific banknote can be set as a counting target for each denomination. Since the banknote handling apparatus 100 is installed in the counter of the cashier of the bank as described above and is used by the operator instead of being directly operated by the customer, it is possible to receive the specific banknote as a defective banknote without handling the specific banknote as a reject banknote. When a specific banknote exists, the specific banknote can be quickly found out according to the setting of the transport destination of the specific banknote.

When the specific banknotes are set to be transported to the bundling and stacking box 4, it can be set whether or not the banknotes including the specific banknotes are to be bundled. In the case where it is set that the banknotes including the specific banknote are not bundled, if the specific banknote is conveyed into the bundling and stacking box 4, the stacked banknotes are not bundled, and if the specific banknote is not conveyed into the bundling and stacking box 4, the banknotes are bundled. When the bundle of banknotes is present, the door 43 is opened, and the banknotes in the bundling stack 4 can be taken out, so that the specific banknotes can be easily removed from the taken-out banknotes. In this way, since whether or not bundling is to be performed can be arbitrarily set by the user, processing relating to the specific banknote can be smoothly performed.

In a case where the specific banknotes are set to be transported to the bundling and stacking box 4 and the banknotes are not bundled, the banknotes may not be bundled regardless of whether the specific banknotes are transported to the bundling and stacking box 4.

Note that, as shown in fig. 4, the bundling and stacking cassette 4 is generally set to stack only banknotes of the same denomination. This is because the size of the banknotes may vary depending on the denomination, and if banknotes of different sizes are stacked, bundling cannot be performed. However, if a setting is made such that a specific banknote is fed into the bundling and stacking box 4 and bundling is not performed, it is also possible to feed banknotes of different denominations into the bundling and stacking box 4.

Other embodiments

As described above, the above-described embodiments are explained as technical examples disclosed in the present application. However, the technique disclosed in the present application is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, and the like are appropriately made. Further, each of the constituent elements described in the above embodiments may be combined to form a new embodiment. In addition, the components described in the drawings and the detailed description include not only components necessary for solving the technical problems but also components not necessary for solving the technical problems in order to exemplify the above-described technology. Therefore, it is not intended that these unnecessary components be construed as essential since they are described in the drawings and detailed description.

The above embodiment may have the following configuration.

In the above embodiment, the banknote handling apparatus 100 has been described as an example of the sheet handling apparatus, but the sheet handling apparatus is not limited thereto. The technology disclosed herein can be applied to various paper sheet handling apparatuses.

Fig. 10 shows a banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1001 as an example of the paper sheet handling apparatus. The banknote deposit and withdrawal device 1001 is configured to execute at least a deposit process and a withdrawal process of banknotes. The banknote deposit and withdrawal device 1001 includes a deposit section 1001a into which banknotes to be deposited are inserted and two withdrawal sections 1001b from which banknotes to be withdrawn are dispensed, and a recognition section for recognizing banknotes and a plurality of storage sections for storing the banknotes, respectively, are provided in the device. In such a banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1001, when a process of receiving banknotes into the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1001 through the deposit section 1001a, such as a process of depositing banknotes or a process of replenishing banknotes into the storage section, is performed, the recognition section detects whether or not a specific scribble is present, and stores the captured image and information relating to the specific banknotes in the storage section in association with each other.

Fig. 11 shows a switch 1002 as an example of the paper sheet handling apparatus. The changer 1002 is configured to allow a customer to exchange, for example, high-value bills into small-value bills or coins. The changer 1002 includes a bill input port 1002a for inputting bills, a bill output port 1002b for taking bills, a loose coin input port 1002c for inputting loose coins, a loose coin output port 1002d for taking loose coins, and a coin package output port 1002e for taking coin packages, and the changer 1002 is provided with a discriminating portion and a plurality of storage portions for storing coins and bills. In such a changer 1002, a practice is adopted in which, when a bill is received into the apparatus through the bill deposit port 1002a, the recognition section detects whether there is a specific graffiti, and then associates and stores the captured image with information relating to the specific bill in the storage section.

Fig. 12 shows a banknote sorting machine 1003 as an example of the paper sheet handling apparatus. The banknote sorting machine 1003 is configured to sort and count a plurality of banknotes that are input according to preset sort contents. The banknote sorting machine 1003 includes an input unit 1003a for inputting banknotes, two reject units 1003b for outputting rejected banknotes, and four stacking units 1003c for stacking banknotes, and a recognition unit is provided inside the banknote sorting machine 1003. In such a banknote sorting machine 1003, a method is adopted in which when banknotes are received into the apparatus by the insertion section 1003a, the recognition section detects whether there is specific graffiti, and then associates and stores the captured image and information relating to the specific banknotes in the storage section.

Fig. 13 shows a banknote sorting and bundling apparatus 1004 as an example of the paper sheet handling apparatus. The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus 1004 is configured to sort and collect the banknotes that have been input for each of the collection categories and banknote categories, and bundle the sorted and collected banknotes for each of the collection categories and banknote categories with a tape, when performing the deposit process. The banknote sorting and bundling device 1004 includes an input unit 1004a into which banknotes are input, a plurality of stacking units 1004b that stack the banknotes, respectively, and an output unit 1004c that outputs the bundled banknotes, and a recognition unit is provided in the banknote sorting and bundling device 1004. In such a banknote sorting and binding apparatus 1004, a method is employed in which, when banknotes are received into the apparatus by the input unit 1004a, the recognition unit detects whether or not there is a specific scribble, and then associates and stores the captured image with information relating to the specific banknotes in the storage unit.

Note that, although the description has been given of the example in which the paper sheet is a banknote, the paper sheet is not limited to a banknote, and may be a voucher such as a gift certificate.

Claims

1. A banknote processing device, characterized in that:

the banknote handling device includes:

a conveying unit configured to convey banknotes one by one;

a recognition unit configured to acquire an image of the bill conveyed by the conveyance unit and recognize the bill by using the acquired image;

a storage unit configured to store at least a part of the image acquired by the recognition unit; and

a control unit configured to perform control related to banknote processing based on a recognition result of the recognition unit,

the identification unit identifies whether the bill of the acquired image is a specific bill containing specific graffiti according to a preset criterion of violation of the custom of the public order, and identifies whether the bill of the acquired image is a complete bill or a defective bill according to a preset criterion of completeness,

when the specific bill is recognized by the recognition unit, the storage unit associates and stores information relating to the specific bill with an image of the specific bill,

the control unit controls the transport unit to transport the banknotes recognized as the specific banknotes and the banknotes recognized as the defective sheets to the same stacking unit for each denomination, and controls the transport unit to count the banknotes recognized as the specific banknotes and the banknotes recognized as the defective sheets that are transported to the same stacking unit together.

2. The banknote handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the recognition unit is configured to acquire an entire image of the banknote, and create a partial image of the banknote by processing the acquired entire image,

when the specific banknote is recognized by the recognition unit, the storage unit associates and stores the entire image of the specific banknote or the partial image of the specific banknote acquired by the recognition unit with information on the specific banknote.

3. The banknote handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the banknote handling apparatus further includes an output unit configured to output information relating to the specific banknote and an image of the specific banknote to an external apparatus when the specific banknote is recognized by the recognition unit.

4. The banknote processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:

the control unit is configured to retrieve information related to the specific banknote from the information stored in the storage unit.

5. The banknote handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the identification unit identifies whether the bill conveyed by the conveyance unit is a defective bill or a rejected bill,

the banknote handling device further includes:

a setting unit for a user to perform setting relating to the banknote processing performed by the control unit,

the control unit is configured to be capable of switching between processing the specific banknote as a defective banknote and processing the specific banknote as a rejected banknote based on the setting of the setting unit.

6. The banknote handling apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the bill handling apparatus includes a plurality of transport destinations to which the bills identified by the identifying section are transported,

when the specific banknote is handled as a defective note, the control unit conveys the banknote identified as the specific banknote and the banknote identified as the defective note to a conveyance destination to which the banknote identified as the defective note is conveyed.

7. The banknote handling apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein:

the banknote handling device further includes:

a band bundling unit configured to bundle the stacked banknotes with a band; and

a collecting section for collecting the banknotes to be bundled by the band bundling section,

the setting unit is configured to allow the user to set either one of bundling banknotes including the specific banknotes transported to the stacking unit with the tape or bundling banknotes including the specific banknotes transported to the stacking unit without using the tape.