EP1834307A1

EP1834307A1 - Banknote system

Info

Publication number: EP1834307A1
Application number: EP05823988A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Dirk Brexel
Original assignee: Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH
Current assignee: Wincor Nixdorf International GmbH
Priority date: 2004-12-17
Filing date: 2005-12-02
Publication date: 2007-09-19
Also published as: DE102004061467A1; WO2006063555A1; US20080061127A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a banknote system for introducing and distributing banknotes and to a method for controlling said banknote system. The inventive system makes it possible to process a plurality of nominal values and is characterised by the space-saving construction thereof. In particular, the possibility to store the banknotes having at least two different nominal values in a single storage unit makes it possible to store the banknotes having different nominal values in an easy manner in a small space. A detection unit makes it possible to determine the nominal value of a banknote in such a way that the nominal value of a stored banknote is known. The determined nominal value of a banknote is preferably stored in a control unit in such a way that the nominal value of the sequence of stored banknotes is known for each storage unit. Thus, a separate case for each nominal value is not needed in the inventive banknote system.

Description

Banknote system

The invention relates to a banknote system for inputting and dispensing banknotes. Banknote systems are known in which banknotes to be paid out are taken from cassettes in which the banknotes are stored and fed into these cassettes upon deposit. Such banknote systems, in which banknotes are removed from a cassette and equivalently banknotes are returned to this cassette, are also referred to as recycling systems, since the banknotes supplied can subsequently be removed from the cassette again. As a result of these cassette-based recycling systems, in contrast to known roll storage arrangements, simple handling during filling and emptying of the banknote system is possible.

A further development of the invention relates to an extended inventory management of the banknotes located in a network of banknote systems.

In the case of a cassette-based banknote recycling system, it is necessary to provide a separate cassette for each different note value to be processed by the banknote system, or to limit the number of note values that can be processed in the banknote system to the number of existing cassettes. The note value of a banknote is the denomination in the currency of the banknote. However, cassettes of a suitable size, in which a sufficiently large number of banknotes can be stored, but require a lot of space, so that in conventional banknote systems not more than four to five cassettes can be arranged. However, the size of a banknote system, such as an ATM, is an important consideration The selection of these devices is to solutions should be sought to achieve a small size while maintaining the known range of functions or even expand. Furthermore, with the current systems, an analysis of the filling state of the cassettes is only possible to a limited extent since double deductions, paper jams, etc. can not be ruled out.

The object of the invention is to specify a banknote system for inputting and dispensing banknotes and a method for controlling a banknote system with which a multiplicity of nominal values can be processed and which is distinguished by a compact and cost-effective structure. In addition, the banknote system should be characterized by improved inventory management and an optimization of the payout profiles. In particular, it should be possible to dispense with a buffer for canceled deposit amounts in order to allow an even more compact design of the banknote system.

This object is achieved by a banknote system for the input and output of banknotes having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

By storing banknotes of at least two different denominations in a storage unit, a space-saving storage of banknotes with different denominations is carried out in a simple manner. This mixed storage is made possible by a detection unit for determining the denomination of a banknote when entering and outputting the banknote. The ascertained nominal value of a banknote is preferably stored in a data processing device, so that for each storage unit the order of the deposited banknotes in the With regard to their nominal value. Thus, a separate cassette does not have to be provided for each denomination in the banknote system according to the invention. Since the denomination of the banknote is again determined during the issue, it can be ensured that the desired total amount is paid out and no mis-payment is made.

An important aspect of the invention relates to the control of the cartridges by the control unit. Since the banknotes are checked by the registration unit in terms of their nominal value and the control unit then deposits the banknotes in one of the cassettes as a function of the determined nominal value and possibly the fill level of the respective cassettes, the sequence of the banknotes in the individual cassettes is stored in a memory of the cassettes. ereinheit deposited. If a certain total amount is to be output, an optimization algorithm in the control unit determines which banknote is withdrawn from which cassette in order to be able to offer the desired total amount. If the total amount can only be realized by withdrawing banknotes that are arranged behind banknotes which are not required, then those banknotes which are not required are likewise deducted and stored in a clipboard unit, from which they can then be transported back into the cassette.

In a further development of the invention, banknotes having different denominations are optionally supplied to at least two storage units for secure storage. Preferably, banknotes of a first denomination and of the second denomination currency banknotes of at least a second and a third denomination are fed to the first storage unit for storage. With the aid of the detection unit, the nominal value of a banknote is determined and then forwarded to the data processing device. given. If a banknote supplied to the banknote system then has a first denomination, it is supplied, for example, to the first storage unit. Notes with a second or third denomination are fed to the second storage unit. Likewise, the denomination of the note taken from a storage unit and to be dispensed by the banknote system is recorded by means of the detection unit in order to avoid mis-payments.

Preferably, when using multiple cassettes in a bill system, one of the cassettes is filled sorted with banknotes of the lowest denomination, i. this cassette contains only banknotes with the same denomination. As a result, each amount divisible by this lowest nominal amount can be exactly spent. For example, each amount can be spent exactly 5 euros or 1 US $ exactly if the cassette with the lowest denomination notes contains 5-euro banknotes or 1-US $ banknotes. This ensures a precise output of a total amount by the method according to the invention.

Nevertheless, the processing and recycling of banknotes is possible with at least theoretically any number of different nominal amounts, since in the data processing device, the data on the filling state of a storage unit, such as the order of deposited banknotes are stored according to their nominal values, so that by means of a appropriate algorithm enables optimized inventory management. If a certain amount is to be output, the appropriate banknotes from the respective cassettes can be deducted on the basis of the known filling states of the storage units.

Another aspect of the invention relates to enhanced inventory management of a bill system network that includes consists of several banknote systems. The storage units are provided with a marking such as a memory chip and / or an RFID chip for identification and / or another control and Speiehereinheit. The fill level data of a storage unit is stored either on the memory chip or on a server, so that when changing the storage units, the swapped storage unit can be re-integrated into the inventory management of a banknote system.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawings, which are described in terms of specific terminology. It should be understood, however, that the scope of the invention should not be so limited since such changes and other modifications to the apparatus and method shown, as well as such other uses of the invention as heretofore, will be expected to be present or future Expertise of a competent person skilled in the art. In the drawing shows:

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a banknote system

FIG. 1 shows a banknote system 10 of an ATM. However, the banknote system can also be designed, for example, as an automatic cash vault in the banking sector or as an automatic cash drawer for trading companies. In principle, the invention described here can be used for any system with which banknotes can be entered and / or issued. Banknotes Tensystem 10 to be supplied and issued by the banknote system 10 banknotes are fed and removed via an input and output tray 12. However, it is also conceivable that the input tray and the output tray are arranged spatially separated from each other. A banknote supplied via the input and output compartment 12 is first fed to a banknote reader 14, which, inter alia, determines the nominal value of the banknote supplied. This denomination is also called denomination. The banknote reader 14 advantageously detects not only the denomination of a banknote supplied, but also the authenticity of the banknote supplied, and is also referred to as a banknote sensor. Subsequently, the banknote is fed to one of the storage units 16 to 22. Preferably, the storage units 16 to 22 are formed as cassettes.

The banknote system 10 shown here has four cassette-type storage units 16 to 22 in which banknotes are securely stored. The individual banknotes are preferably arranged standing in the storage units 16 to 22 as a banknote stack. The banknote stack is preferably arranged edgewise in the cassette. Alternatively, the banknote stacks may be arranged lying in the storage units 16 to 22. Preferably, the removal of the banknotes fed to a storage unit 16 to 22 takes place according to the last-in / first-out principle, whereby the last banknote fed into a storage unit 16 to 22 is withdrawn from this storage unit 16 to 22 again as the first.

The banknote reader 14 is connected to a data processing device 24, in which the value of each scanned and stored banknote is stored. Due to the storage of the sequence of the entered banknotes in a cassette, an administration of each individual banknotes are possible. Since the order of the entered banknotes is stored in a memory of the data processing device 24, an intelligent inventory management of the banknotes deposited in the cassettes is made possible by corresponding algorithms. If the banknotes are withdrawn from the storage units 16 to 22 again, they pass through the banknote reader 14. A major difficulty with cassette-based recycling systems is the guarantee of an exact banknote output, as double deductions or bankruptcy can not be ruled out. Therefore, the re-examination of the withdrawn banknotes is required to ensure an exact payout of the requested banknotes.

The banknote reader 14 in conjunction with the data processing device 24, which may be connected to a server or host computer, is thus the basis for an intelligent inventory management, since each banknote passes through the banknote reader 14 and detects the value and, if appropriate, the authenticity of the banknote the data processing device 24 is stored. In addition, the serial number of a banknote can also be recorded so that each banknote can not only be identified by its value, but also as an individual banknote. Furthermore, an algorithm in the data processing device determines the cassette in which the banknote is to be stored or withdrawn.

Since the banknote passes through the reading device 14 both when it is placed in the cassettes and during the payout, precise inventory management of the money in the banknote system 10 is made possible. This allows both the realization of mixed storage in the cartridges, ie for the use of a cassette for multiple denominations, as well as an inventory optimization, since due to the known deposited filing profiles in the cassettes based on appropriate algorithms with respect to the banknote inventory in the cassette optimized output of a banknote bundle is possible.

In particular, by passing through the banknotes in the payment by the banknote reader 14 multiple deductions or misprints can be detected, so that false payments can be avoided. Advantageously, these error deductions are stored in a buffer or moved back into the cassettes. Instead of a temporary storage also a storage compartment can be used, in which the banknotes are stored. However, they are thus withdrawn from the money cycle in the device.

By a mixed storage of different denominations in a cassette, the number of cassettes required in an ATM can be reduced, so that overall the size can be reduced.

In addition, a provided in previous payment systems clipboard unit for cancellations of the deposited amount can be omitted, since in a cancellation of a deposit transaction, the paid money will be deducted again from the cartridges and can be made available to the customer. Since the deposited money is previously checked by a real money sensor, this is withheld when depositing counterfeit money by filing in a dedicated storage unit. If canceled, this money will not be returned. The banknotes, on the other hand, which prove to be genuine, can be returned from the cassettes.

Furthermore, a cartridge for faultily assembled bundles, for example, by double deductions or For bundles of money that are not taken by the customer by mistake and are recovered by the machine after a certain period of time, they are no longer needed because these bundles can be separated again and then returned to the cassettes. Since the single note passes through the banknote reader 24 again before being deposited in a cassette, the individual banknotes can again be included in the inventory management of the cartridges.

Since the sequence of the deposited banknotes in the individual cassettes is stored in an electronic memory of the data processing device 24, the data processing device 24 can determine an optimized control of the cassettes. Thus, for example, with a desired amount of 700.00 EURO in a cassette, there may already be an order of banknotes which gives this total amount. Thereby, the effort of the control unit 24 to provide the desired total amount can be reduced and the amount can be provided faster. Or it can be controlled multiple cassettes, the composition of a banknote bundle can be based on the deposited banknotes profiles in the cartridges and thus an inventory optimization of the cartridges is made possible by an intelligent control by appropriate algorithms. Overall, it is thus an intelligent inventory management of deposited banknotes in the individual cassettes, with which each individual banknotes can be administered and spent. Since the order of notes in the cassettes is known, an algorithm can determine in advance the notes that are to be paid to the cus- tomer. The repeated pass through the banknote system 14 serves as a target / actual comparison and avoids the payment of false payments. All in all, only the grades which are necessary for the Position of a banknote bundle are required. In particular, the composition of a banknote bundle from different denominations can be varied, for example, depending on the site of the device, the time of day or the customer profile.

The banknote system 10 preferably additionally contains a clipboard unit 30. If a specific payment amount can only be provided by withdrawing another banknote and the previously withdrawn banknote is not required, this banknote is transported to the clipboard unit 30. The clipboard unit 30 may be a roll store. From the clipboard unit 30, the bill can be put back into a cassette.

Advantageously, the banknote system is not operated with entirely mixed cassettes, but there are cassettes filled with only one denomination and there are cassettes having mixtures of two or three denominations. For example, in the first storage unit 16 banknotes with the nominal value of EUR 5, -, in the second storage unit 18 banknotes with denominations EUR 10, - and EUR 20, -, in the third storage unit 20 banknotes with the denomination EUR 50, - and in the fourth storage unit mixed banknotes with the denominations EUR 100, -, EUR 200, - and EUR 500, - are kept. The denomination of the banknote detected by the registration unit 14 is forwarded to a control unit 24 which controls the unillustrated conveyors of the banknote system 10 such that this banknote is supplied to the storage unit 16 to 22 provided for this denomination. The currency and the denominations are just examples. Of course, the POS system 10 can also be used with other currencies and other de- nominations are operated. Several currencies can also be processed simultaneously by the banknote system 10, whereby at least two storage units are preferably provided for each currency.

Overall, the cassettes are designed so that they are suitable for various denominations and currency rates.

In a further development of the invention, the cassettes can be equipped with a storage medium such as a memory chip in which the stored note profile can be stored, so that a change of a cassette from one banknote system to another is possible, especially if a banknote system primarily serves as a deposit device and another is used as a payout device. The prerequisite for this is that the cassettes can be used compatibly in various banknote systems. When inserting the filled cassette in the banknote system used primarily as a payout device, the data can be read from the memory chip and the cassette can be integrated into the inventory management of the respective banknote system.

However, it is also possible that the cassettes are equipped with dog tags such as RFID tags. When changing cartridges from one system to another, the specific cartridge is then identifiable. The sequence of the deposited banknotes of the cassette is stored in this variant advantageously on a central server, so that in turn the stock management of the banknotes in the cassette is made possible via the server. Overall, a single cassette can be used to create a technology platform for managing the cash holdings in a network of different banknote systems. As a result, the logistics costs for cartridges to be used are considerably reduced, since, within the banknote systems, preferably of a bank, the cartridges of a payment banknote system can in turn be used for a deposit banknote system. The use of an external money management center such as a central bank can be circumvented, since a closed cash cycle, for example, within a financial institution is possible. As a result, the cost of the money handling can be significantly reduced, since the counting, sorting and managing the paid-in money is handled by the banknote systems themselves. Through the use of optimization algorithms for the filled cassettes, the payers and depositors can be determined whose cassettes should preferably be exchanged for one another.

When withdrawing banknotes from the cassettes for the assembly of a banknote bundle, problems always arise when complete inventory management is not possible because notes get stuck in the banknote system. This can be done by paper jams or double prints. Therefore, the reader 14 is the essential control medium to perform a target / actual comparison can. In addition to the reader 14, however, a further sensor system, such as devices for measuring thickness and / or light barriers in the banknote system, is advantageously used. Furthermore, a separating device is provided with which double copies of banknotes can be separated again. In addition, these problems can be solved by analyzing the subsequently subtracted notes, since the order of the discarded notes is stored in the cassettes. In a further development of the invention can be provided to equip the cassette itself with other sensor elements to determine how many notes were removed or fed.

For outputting a desired total amount, the control unit 24 controls the conveying devices of the banknote system 10 in such a way that a banknote is taken from a storage unit 16 to 22 and fed to the banknote detection unit 14 on the conveying path 26 illustrated by means of a solid line for determining the nominal value of the banknote becomes. The determined nominal value is transmitted to the control unit 24. After it has been checked again that the denomination of the withdrawn from the storage unit bill corresponds to the stored denomination, the bill is transported from the bank note detection unit 14 to the input and output tray 12 on. Advantageously, the banknote system 10 further includes an alignment station 28 to enable precise transport and orderly storage of the banknotes in the cassettes.

In the following, further exemplary populations of cassettes in a banknote system 10 are shown. For example, the cassette 16 with banknotes of the nominal value EUR 10, -, the cassette 18 with banknotes of the nominal value EUR 20, -, the cassette 20 with banknotes of the nominal value EUR 50, - is filled and an empty deposit cassette is available. Banknotes of the nominal value of EUR 5, - will be delivered to the cassette with banknotes of EUR 10, -. A disbursement of EUR 10, - is made either by two banknotes of the nominal value of EUR 5, - or by the disbursement of a banknote of the nominal value of EUR 10, -. Because either two banknotes of EUR 5, - in the cassette are present or a banknote with the value EUR 10, -, a maximum of one banknote must be stored in a cache.

However, it can also be provided that a sorted cassette with banknotes of denomination EUR 5, - is available and deposited notes of EUR 10, - in the cassette with the EUR 20, - notes is stored. Or a cassette with a mixed storage of notes of denominations EUR 5, -, EUR 10, - and EUR 20, - can be provided.

In addition to a sorted basic equipment, a mixed basic equipment can be realized together with a mixed storage. In this case, all cassettes 16 to 20 are equipped with all denominations and a temporary storage cassette 22 is provided for the storage of banknotes which are not suitable for the intended bundle composition, but must be deducted, because only the subsequent banknote is suitable.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

Banknote system

Input and output compartment

acquisition unit

- 22 storage unit

Data processing unit

conveying

aligning

Intermediate storage unit

Claims

claims

1. banknote system for entering and dispensing banknotes of different denominations,

with at least one storage unit (16), which can be fed to respectively secure banknotes and from which the banknotes can be removed again,

with a detection unit (14) for determining the denomination of a banknote,

a data processing device (24) for storing the denominations of the banknotes deposited in the storage unit (16) and for controlling the input and output of the banknotes,

with a clipboard unit (30) for depositing banknotes,

wherein banknotes of different denominations can be stored in the storage unit (16),

wherein the detection unit (14) acquires the denomination of the banknotes fed to the storage unit (16) and the denomination of the banknotes withdrawn from the storage unit (16) and transmits it to the data processing device (24), and

wherein in the data processing device (24) the denomination of the deposited banknotes and the order of storage in the storage unit (16) are stored.

2. System according to claim 1, characterized in that on the basis of in the data processing device (24) stored nominal values of stored in the storage unit (16) banknotes inventory management of the filling state of the storage unit (16) is feasible.

3. System according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least two storage units (16, 18) are provided.

4. System according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least a third and a fourth storage unit (20, 22) are provided.

5. System according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the storage units (16 to 22) are constructed as a separate units of a cassette.

6. System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the banknotes are stacked in the storage units (16 to 22).

7. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage units (16 to 22) are equipped with a storage and control device.

8. System according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage units (16 to 22) are equipped with an RFID chip.

9. System according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the clipboard unit (30) is designed as a roller storage.

10. System according to one of claims 1 to 8, character- ized in that the clipboard unit (30) as

Cassette is formed.

11. Use of the banknote system according to one of claims 1 to 10 for an automatic cash vault system.

12. Method for controlling a banknote system for inputting and outputting,

in which the nominal value of a banknote is determined by means of a registration unit (14) when the banknote is entered into the banknote system and when it is issued from one of the storage units (16 to 22),

and in which the denomination of the deposited bill is forwarded and stored to a data processing device (24), and

in which the banknotes for secure storage are optionally supplied to one of the storage units (16, 18, 20, 22), the storage being controlled by the data processing device (24) in dependence on the detected denomination of the banknote, and

in which for the delivery of a banknote bundle with a certain total amount the removal of the banknotes from the storage units (16, 18, 20, 22) by the data processing device (24) by means of an inventory management algorithm based on the knowledge of the order of the stored banknotes in the storage units (16, 18, _2. 0, 22) is controlled.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the storage units (16 - 22) are provided with a storage medium in which the data on the filling state of the storage units (16 - 22) are stored as the sequence of the deposited banknotes.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the data on the filling state of a storage unit (16 - 22) are deposited on a server.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that when changing a storage unit (16 to 22) from a first banking system to a second banking system, the data on the filling state of the storage unit (16 - 22) from the storage medium readable or by a server based on a marking of the storage unit (16

22) and thus a stock management of a banknotesystem comprising several banknote systems network is feasible.

16. A method for controlling the dispensing of banknotes from a banknote system, in particular according to one or more of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the data processing device (24) is stored in the storage units (16-22) on the basis of the sequence stored in a memory. deposited banknotes an optimized composition of a dispensed banknote bundle with banknotes from the storage units (16 - 22) determined and by appropriate activation of the storage units (16

- 22) the desired total amount by deduction of Provides banknotes of matching denominations from the storage units (16-22).

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the denomination of the withdrawn banknotes of the detection unit (14) is determined to avoid FehlausZahlungen.