JP2004213560A - Symbolic code number reading device and method of paper money - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper money symbolic code number reading device capable of identifying precisely the symbolic code number by appropriately dropping out a background image every money kind without preparing many light sources different in luminous color even if a paper money is the one such as Euro bill in which the symbolic code number overlaps the background and a letter color of the symbolic code number and a background color are different from one money kind to another, and a paper money symbolic code number reading method. <P>SOLUTION: The paper money symbolic code number reading device identifies the money kind and a carrying direction of each paper money at a money kind identifying part 24 when the paper money passes the money kind identifying part 24 one by one, carries the paper money having passed the money kind identifying part 24 over to a temporary holding part 26. When the paper money is carried in a reverse direction from the temporary holding part 26 and passes a symbolic code number reading part 25, the symbolic code number reading part 25 selectively drives two light sources different in luminous color on the basis of information on the money kind and the direction of the paper money handed over by the money kind identifying part 24, performs reading scanning of a part, where the symbolic code number of the paper money being carried is printed, by an image sensor, thereby reads the symbolic code number of the paper money in accordance with the money kind of the paper money while selectively changing the luminous color of the light source. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a banknote serial number reading device and a banknote serial number reading method for reading a serial number printed on a banknote, specifically, a character number of a serial number, a banknote serial number whose background color is different for each banknote. The present invention relates to a banknote serial number reading device and a banknote serial number reading method capable of reading accurately.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Generally, when reading a serial number (character information of a predetermined digit consisting of an alphabet and a number) printed on a banknote, the banknote is conveyed, light is irradiated on a portion where the serial number is printed, and the reflected light is used as an image sensor. Character recognition, but depending on the relationship between the color of the irradiation light source, the color of the serial number character, and the color of the character background color, the difference between whether the serial number character can be read clearly or not can be determined. Occurs.
[0003]
For example, in the case of a euro bill, the serial number and the background overlap, and furthermore, the character color and the background color of the serial number differ for each denomination. In binarized data based on image data obtained by reading and scanning, the background of each denomination is different for each denomination due to the relationship with the color of the irradiation light source, and a serial number is clearly cut out from the binarized data. Was difficult.
[0004]
FIG. 17 is a table showing the relationship between the light source emission color, the gray image, the binarized image, and the determination result for the 20 euro bill and the 50 euro bill.
[0005]
In this case, since the green LED is used as the light source, in the binarized data based on the image data (gray image) obtained by reading and scanning each banknote, the background color of the 20 euro banknote is gray / blue. The serial number (X001138509354) appears clearly, and the serial number can be accurately recognized based on the binarized image data. However, in the 50 euro banknote, since the background color is brown, the background color remains and the serial number 2 Since the image overlaps with the binarized image, the serial number (V02238003184) cannot be accurately recognized based on the binarized data.
[0006]
By the way, as a measure for preventing a reduction in the recognition rate of character recognition due to a different background color, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-185872 discloses a light of the same color as the mesh pattern of the base of the lottery number. There is disclosed an apparatus and a method capable of accurately reading only a character portion (lottery number) by using a dropout color method of invalidating the color of a mesh pattern portion.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-185782 [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
As described above, conventionally, there has been a method of reading out information such as a lottery number by dropping out a background color using a dropout color method. When applying to the reading of banknotes such as euro banknotes in which the character color or background color of the number differs for each denomination, it is necessary to prepare a plurality of light sources having different emission colors for each banknote, which leads to an increase in cost. There was a problem.
[0008]
The present invention solves the above problems, the serial number and the background are overlapped, and even if the banknotes such as euro banknotes differ in the character color and background color of the serial number for each denomination, many light sources with different emission colors It is an object of the present invention to provide a banknote serial number reading device and a banknote serial number reading method capable of appropriately recognizing a serial number by appropriately dropping out a background image for each denomination without preparing a banknote.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is a bill serial number reading device for reading a serial number of a bill conveyed in a conveyance path, wherein the image includes at least two light sources having different emission colors and an image sensor. A reading unit, an identification unit for identifying a denomination and a direction of a banknote being transported in the transport path, and selectively driving the light source based on information on a denomination and a direction identified by the identification unit; Control means for controlling the image reading means so as to read and scan a portion on which the serial number of the bill is printed.
[0010]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a temporary holding unit that sequentially takes in a plurality of banknotes carried in from a transport passage and temporarily holds the banknotes, the identification unit for the banknotes, and the image reading. Means for transporting the banknotes in the reverse direction so as to pass the bills from the temporary holding means to the temporary holding means, and then pass the image reading means from the temporary holding means. The bill passing through the means is conveyed to the temporary holding means, and is conveyed in the reverse direction from the temporary holding means and controls the image reading means to read and scan the serial number of the bill when passing through the image reading means. It is characterized by doing.
[0011]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, first and second image reading means are disposed above and below a bill conveyance path, and the control means stores information on the denomination and direction. A control for selectively switching the light emission color of the light source of the first or second image reading means and each of the image reading means is performed.
[0012]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the serial number recognizing means for recognizing the serial number of the bill to be read / scanned based on the image data output from the image reading means by the reading / scanning. It is characterized by having.
[0013]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the fourth aspect, the serial number recognizing means includes a plurality of serial number recognizing units for retrieving image data of one bill and recognizing the serial number of the bill. Switching means for sequentially allocating the image data of one bill by the image reading means to each of the serial number recognition units.
[0014]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fifth aspect of the invention, the serial number recognizing unit is configured to specify a serial number designated based on the denomination and direction information from the image data output from the image reading means. An image processing means is provided which cuts out an area, converts it into binary data, and recognizes a serial number from the binary data.
[0015]
The invention according to claim 7 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the bill is a euro bill, and the light sources selectively driven are a red light source using a red LED and a green light source using a green LED. There is a feature.
[0016]
The invention according to claim 8 is a banknote serial number reading method for reading a serial number of a banknote conveyed in a conveying path, comprising: at least two light sources having different emission colors; and image reading means having an image sensor; The denomination and direction of the bill being transported are identified by the identification means provided therein, and the light source is selectively driven based on the information on the identified denomination and direction, and the serial number of the bill being transported is printed. The image reading means is controlled so as to read and scan the printed portion, and the serial number of the bill is read while selectively changing the emission color of the light source according to the denomination and direction of the bill.
[0017]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, there is provided a temporary holding means for sequentially taking in and temporarily holding a plurality of bills carried in from a transport path, and identifying the bills with the identification means and the image. The paper is conveyed to the temporary holding means via the reading means, and then the bills are sequentially conveyed in the reverse direction from the temporary holding means, and when the bill passes through the image reading means, the serial number of the bill is read and scanned. It is characterized by the following.
[0018]
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in the invention of the eighth aspect, first and second image reading means are arranged above and below a bill conveyance path, and the first or second image reading means is provided based on the denomination and direction information. It is characterized in that control is performed to selectively switch the emission color of the light source of the second image reading means and each of the image reading means.
[0019]
The invention according to claim 11 is the invention according to claim 8, wherein the bill is a euro bill, and the light sources selectively driven are a red light source using a red LED and a green light source using a green LED. There is a feature.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a banknote deposit machine 1 according to the present invention.
[0022]
The banknote deposit machine 1 performs, for example, euro banknote deposit processing, and includes a banknote processing unit 2, a banknote storage unit 3, and a control unit 4.
[0023]
The bill processing unit 2 includes a bill insertion slot 21, a reject holding unit 22, a feeding unit 23, a denomination identifying unit 24, a serial number reading unit 25, a primary holding unit 26, and a transport path (P1, to. P5) is provided with bill conveying means (not shown) for conveying bills.
[0024]
In the transport passage between the denomination identifying unit 24 and the serial number reading unit 25, the banknotes passing through the transport passage are branched into any of the later-described storage cassettes 301, 302, and 303 of the banknote storage unit 3 and are loaded. A branch 27 is provided.
[0025]
The banknote storage unit 3 includes, for example, storage cassettes 301 and 302 that store euro banknotes whose serial numbers have been read by the serial number reading unit 25 in groups of denominations, for example, and suspicious banknotes (hereinafter, suspicious banknotes). (Hereinafter referred to as a storage cassette).
[0026]
The banknote deposit machine 1 is stored in, for example, an ATM or the like, and receives commands from a higher-level control unit through communication, and executes processes such as taking in and storing and returning banknotes.
[0027]
The control unit 4 includes various elements for controlling the operation of the banknote deposit machine 1, an identification control unit 50 (see FIG. 2) for controlling the entire banknote deposit machine 1, and an external device outside the banknote deposit machine 1. An operation / display unit 51 (see FIG. 2) for inputting various kinds of information (for example, inputting information of a depositor) and displaying various kinds of information related to depositing banknotes by a touch panel or the like is provided.
[0028]
In the banknote deposit machine 1, a bundle of banknotes (in this example, euro banknotes) inserted from the banknote insertion slot 21 through a deposit operation at the operation / display unit 51 passes through the reject holding unit 22 and is in a bundle state. After being transported to the feeding section 23 as it is, the sheet is further fed one by one from the feeding section 23 to the further end thereof.
[0029]
The banknotes fed from the feeding unit 23 pass through the denomination identifying unit 24, further pass through the serial number reading unit 25, and are sent to the temporary holding unit 26. The temporary holding unit 26 has a tape winding type banknote holding mechanism, and temporarily holds a plurality of banknotes carried in from the serial number reading unit 25 while being sequentially sandwiched between tapes.
[0030]
In the process of transport from the feeding unit 23 to the temporary storage unit 26, the denomination identifying unit 24 recognizes the denomination and the transport direction of the banknote each time the banknote passes one by one, and determines the denomination and the transport direction. The information is managed in association with the bill order (ID).
[0031]
At this time, the banknotes for which the denomination could not be determined and the banknotes in which conveyance errors such as skewing and double feeding have occurred are sent to the reject holding unit 22.
[0032]
With respect to the information of the banknote ID, the denomination and the transport direction recognized by the denomination identifying unit 24, all of the bundled banknotes which have been deposited this time are fed out, and the denomination can be discriminated in the temporary holding unit 26. After the holding is completed, information on only the temporarily held banknotes is transferred to the serial number reading unit 25 and stored in a denomination / direction management table described later.
[0033]
Here, when the depositor authenticates the payment, the plurality of banknotes temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 26 are subsequently transferred to the temporary storage unit 26 (the order in which the banknotes pass through the denomination identification unit 24). ) Are conveyed one by one in the reverse order, and sent to the serial number reading unit 25.
[0034]
On the other hand, when the deposit is canceled, all the banknotes in the temporary holding unit 26 are sent to the reject holding unit 22, stacked, and bundle-transported to the banknote insertion slot 21.
[0035]
At the time of payment authentication, the identification control unit 50 (see FIG. 2) for controlling the entire banknote deposit machine 1 is provided with a path sensor provided in front of image reading means (line sensors 35a and 35b to be described later) of the serial number reading unit 25. Monitor output. Then, when the arrival of a bill is detected based on the output of the pass sensor, the serial number reading unit 25 is notified of the detection.
[0036]
When the serial number reading unit 25 is notified of the arrival of the bill by the identification control unit 50, the serial number reading unit 25 scans the incoming bill.
[0037]
Here, as described later, the serial number reading unit 25 has two image reading units each including at least two light sources having different emission colors and an image sensor, and each image reading unit is disposed above and below the bill passage. It has a configuration.
[0038]
Then, in reading scanning of the incoming bill, the denomination / direction management table storing the information of the bill ID, the denomination and the transport direction already acquired from the denomination identifying unit 24 is searched in the reverse order of the bill ID. The light source of the image reading means (the light source having a light emission color corresponding to the dropout color of the background image of the serial number) emits light in accordance with the denomination and direction of the incoming bill, and scanning is performed.
[0039]
Although the light source of the image reading unit is turned on for both sides of the banknote here, the light source that is not used (the side on which the serial number is printed does not pass) may be turned off.
[0040]
In the serial number reading unit 25, after the serial number recognizing units 41-1 to 41-4 (see FIG. 2) perform reading scanning of the image sensor for the entire banknote image (or a predetermined number of lines) in the manner described above. When the end of the reading scan is detected, the serial number recognition process is performed based on the image data read by the image sensor by the reading scan.
[0041]
On the other hand, the banknotes read and scanned by the serial number reading unit 25 are then branched by the branching unit 27 in accordance with a preset denomination group, and stored in the storage area of the corresponding denomination in the storage cassettes 301 and 302. Will be accommodated. The banknote branching control of the branching unit 27 is also performed by the identification control unit 50 based on the denomination information recognized by the denomination identifying unit 24.
[0042]
As described above, in the banknote deposit machine 1 according to the present invention, when the banknotes pass one by one through the denomination identifying unit 24, the denomination and the transport direction of each banknote are recognized by the denomination identifying unit 24, and When the banknote that has passed through the type identification unit 24 is transported to the temporary storage unit 26, and is conveyed in the opposite direction from the temporary storage unit 26 and passes through the serial number reading unit 25, the serial number reading unit 25 The two light sources having different emission colors are selectively driven based on the denomination and direction information (denomination / direction information) of the banknote passed from the identification unit 24, and the part on which the serial number of the banknote being transported is printed is displayed. By reading and scanning with the image sensor, the serial number of the bill is read while selectively changing the emission color of the light source according to the denomination of the bill.
[0043]
Next, the configuration and operation of the serial number reading unit 25 will be described.
[0044]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the serial number reading unit 25.
[0045]
The serial number reading unit 25 includes a timing sensor 31 including a light emitting element (LED) 31a and a light receiving element (phototransistor) 31b, a waveform shaping unit 32 for shaping an output of the light receiving element 31b, and reading based on an output of the waveform shaping unit 32. A read timing control unit 33 for performing timing control; a mechanical pulse generating unit 34 for generating a pulse indicating a transport amount of a bill to be read; line sensors (image reading means) 35a and 35b disposed above and below a bill transport path; A reading unit (U) 36 for reading image data from the line sensor 35b, a reading unit (L) 37 for reading image data from the line sensor 35b, and a one-line image memory for storing one line of image data sent from the reading unit 36 or 37. 38, one-line image data output from the one-line image memory 38 is stored in a first A switching gate 39 for switching to any one of the fourth serial number recognizing units 41-1, 41-2, 41-3, 41-4, and a serial number recognizing unit selection control unit for switching and controlling the switching gate 39; 40, first to fourth serial number recognizing units 41-1, 41-2, 41-3, 41-4, which take in image data switched and output from the switching gate 39 and recognize serial numbers, denomination identifying units 24, the line sensors 35a and 35b based on the denomination / direction information passed through the identification control unit 50 and the selection drive control of the light sources of the line sensors 35a and 35b, and the first to fourth serial number recognition units 41 -1, 41-2, 41-3, and 41-4 are provided with a serial number recognition control unit 42 that performs control necessary for serial number recognition, such as control for transferring denomination / direction information.
[0046]
The serial number recognition control unit 42 has an external interface, and is connected to, for example, an identification control unit 50 provided outside the serial number reading unit 25.
[0047]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the first serial number recognizing unit 41-1 (the serial number recognizing units 41-2, 41-3, and 41-4 have the same configuration) in FIG.
[0048]
The serial number recognition unit 41-1 includes a frame buffer (U) 411 that stores image data (image data corresponding to one side and one side of a bill) input from the reading unit 36 via the switching gate 39, and the reading unit 37. From a frame buffer (L) 412 storing image data (image data corresponding to one side of a banknote and one side of a banknote) input through the switching gate 39, and from the frame buffer 411 or 412. Data storage section 413 for storing the image data (image data of the serial number area), and storing the cut-out address information for storing the image memory address used for extracting the image data of the serial number area for each denomination and direction information of the bill. A font information storage unit 414 for storing font information for each denomination for recognizing cut-out image data 15. A denomination / direction information buffer 416 for storing denomination / direction information provided from the serial number recognition control unit 42, and includes a recognition unit 417, which comprises a CPU, a program, and a work memory, and performs serial number recognition processing. It is composed.
[0049]
Here, before controlling the operation of the serial number reading unit 25 as a whole, the configuration of the line sensors 35a and 35b and the bill conveyance mode in the conveyance path between the line sensors 35a and 35b will be described.
[0050]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an arrangement of the line sensors 35a and 35b in the serial number reading unit 25. Here, FIG. 4A is a conceptual side view near the arrangement position of the line sensors 35a and 35b, and FIG. 4B is a conceptual top view of FIG.
[0051]
As shown in FIG. 4, the serial number reading section 25 includes one line sensor 35a and one line sensor 35 above and below the bill transport passage.
[0052]
More specifically, the line sensor 35a has a reading surface facing the upper portion of the transport passage, and reads the upper surface of the bill conveyed in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow at the time of reading the serial number. The reading surface faces the lower part of the bill, and reads the lower surface of the bill conveyed in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow when reading the serial number.
[0053]
As shown in FIG. 4B, the line sensors 35a and 35b are arranged in an offset relationship with each other, and the effective reading range is set for each of the bills conveyed in the direction indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. Have been.
[0054]
FIG. 5 is a conceptual side view showing the configuration of the upper line sensor 35a in FIG.
[0055]
The line sensor 35a has a red LED 351 having a red light emission color (for example, wavelength λ = 655 nm) and a green LED E352 having a green light emission color (for example, wavelength λ = 525 nm) as light sources used for reading and scanning bills. .
[0056]
In addition, the line sensor 35a includes a rod lens array 353 for condensing irradiation light (indicated by a dotted line) from the LED light source on a bill reading surface (including a serial number area), and reflected light from the bill reading surface. Is provided with a photodiode (line sensor) 354 that receives light.
[0057]
As described above, the upper line sensor 35a is arranged such that the reading surface of the photodiode 354 faces the upper side of the bill conveyed in the conveyance path.
[0058]
The lower line sensor 35b has the same configuration as the upper line sensor 35a, except that the reading surface of the photodiode 354 faces the lower side of the banknote conveyed along the banknote conveyance path.
[0059]
With the above structure and arrangement in the line sensors 35a and 35b in mind, the relationship between the bill reading area that can be read by the line sensors 35a and 35b and the direction of the bill to be read will be described with reference to FIG. .
[0060]
FIG. 6A shows the state in FIG. 4B in which, for example, the serial number reading unit 25 is in a state where the serial number of the 10 euro bill is printed on the back side and the number indicating the amount of money is upright. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state when the vehicle passes through a transfer passage of FIG.
[0061]
When the banknote is viewed in the state shown in FIG. 6A, there is a serial number area where a serial number is printed on the lower left portion and the upper right portion of the banknote. Hereinafter, the lower left and upper right of the banknote will be defined based on the state shown in FIG.
[0062]
Assuming that the banknote transport direction (toward the temporary holding unit 26) shown in FIG. 6A is A1, the banknote in the transport direction A1 is transported in the opposite direction (indicated by the dotted arrow) when reading the serial number, and Passes the reading position. Accordingly, at this time, the area including the serial number at the lower left of the bill can be read by the upper line sensor 35a.
[0063]
FIG. 6 (b) shows a state where the serial number of the 10 euro bill is printed on the back side and the number indicating the amount is upside down from FIG. 6 (a) in FIG. 4 (b). FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a state when the robot passes through a transport passage in the serial number reading unit 25 in an inverted state.
[0064]
Assuming that the banknote transport direction (toward the temporary holding unit 26) shown in FIG. 6B is B1, the banknote in the transport direction B1 is transported in the opposite direction (indicated by a dotted arrow) at the time of reading the serial number. Passes the reading position. Therefore, at this time, the area including the serial number at the upper right of the bill can be read by the upper line sensor 35a.
[0065]
FIG. 6C shows a state in which the 10 euro banknote passes through the transport passage in the serial number reading unit 25 in the state shown in FIG. FIG.
[0066]
Assuming that the banknote transport direction (toward the temporary holding section 26) shown in FIG. 6C is A2, the banknote in the transport direction A2 is transported in the opposite direction (indicated by a dotted arrow) when reading the serial number, and Passes the reading position. Therefore, at this time, the area including the lower left serial number of the bill can be read by the lower line sensor 35b.
[0067]
FIG. 6D illustrates a state in which the 10 euro banknote passes through the transport passage in the serial number reading unit 25 in the state shown in FIG. FIG.
[0068]
Assuming that the banknote transport direction (toward the temporary holding section 26) shown in FIG. 6D is B2, the banknote in the transport direction B2 is transported in the opposite direction (indicated by a dotted arrow) when reading the serial number, and Passes the reading position. Therefore, at this time, the area including the serial number at the upper right of the bill can be read by the lower line sensor 35b.
[0069]
Similarly, for the euro banknotes other than the 10 euro banknote, the corresponding area is read by the upper line sensor 35a and the lower line sensor 35b according to the banknote transport directions A1, B1, A2, and B2 as described with reference to FIG. be able to.
[0070]
However, the euro bill has a feature that the color of the serial number at the lower left and the serial number at the upper right of the bill, and the color of the background image of each serial number are different for each bill.
[0071]
In order to improve the reading accuracy of the serial number of the euro bill having such features, the serial number reading unit 25 of the banknote deposit machine 1 of the present invention uses two LED light sources (red LED 351) on the line sensors 35a and 35b as shown in FIG. , Green LED 352), and the scanning is performed by selectively switching the emission color of the LED light sources of the line sensors 35a and 35b according to the serial number color and the color of the background image.
[0072]
The LED light source driven to emit light at the time of the serial number reading scan is a side of the red LED 351 and the green LED 352 having a luminescent color capable of dropping out the background image of the serial number.
[0073]
FIG. 7 is a table showing the correspondence between the denominations of the euro bill, the serial number printing position (serial number position), the color of the background image (background color), and the emission color (light source) from which the background image can be dropped out. .
[0074]
According to the table shown in FIG. 7, for example, in the case of the 10 euro banknote illustrated in FIG. 6, a dark red serial number is printed on a gray / red background at the lower left, while a black serial number is printed on the upper right. The serial number is printed on a red background. When reading the lower left serial number, scanning is performed using a green luminescent color (green LED 352), and when reading the upper right serial number, red light is emitted. It can be understood that the background image can be dropped out by reading and scanning using the color (red LED 351).
[0075]
With respect to other bills, a light emission color (dropout color) suitable for reading the serial number at the lower left and reading the serial number at the upper right can be determined from the table of FIG.
[0076]
Further, in the actual reading scan in the serial number reading unit 25, whether to read the lower left serial number or the upper right serial number of each bill is determined as described with reference to FIG. Is uniquely determined by the transport direction A1, B1, A2, B2 of the bill.
[0077]
FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the transport directions A1, B1, A2, and B2 and the readable line sensors 35a and 35b described in FIG. 6, and the case where the lower left serial number shown in the table of FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a light source selection table prepared in, for example, a serial number recognition control unit 42 (see FIG. 2) of the serial number reading unit 25 based on a relationship with an emission color (dropout color) suitable for reading a number. is there.
[0078]
The light source selection table 251 is prepared in advance in, for example, a storage unit of the serial number recognition control unit 42 (see FIG. 2) of the serial number reading unit 25.
[0079]
On the other hand, in the serial number reading unit 25, as described above, after the banknotes are transported to the temporary storing unit 26 and temporarily stored, the banknotes are sequentially transported one by one in the direction of the serial number reading unit 25. In advance, the serial number recognition control unit 42 receives the denomination / direction information of each bill from the denomination identification unit 24 and stores the information in the denomination / direction management table.
[0080]
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a denomination / direction management table 422 in the serial number recognition control unit 42.
[0081]
In the denomination / direction management table 422, the ID numbers (ID1, ID2, ID3,...) Are the delivery and conveyance order of the bills, and the denomination is the denomination of the number of euro bills corresponding to the delivery number. And the transport direction is information indicating any one of A1, B1, A2, and B2 described with reference to FIG.
[0082]
In the serial number reading unit 25, the serial number recognition control unit 42 checks the light source selection table 421 prepared in advance each time each banknote conveyed in the reverse direction from the temporary holding unit 26 at the time of feeding comes to the reading position. Based on the denomination / direction management table 422 constructed based on the denomination / direction information transferred from the denomination identification unit 24, the red LED 351 or the green LED of the line sensor 35a, 35b according to the denomination and the transport direction of the banknote. One of the LEDs 352 is selectively driven to perform a scanning scan of a bill, and control is performed so as to recognize a serial number from information obtained by the scanning.
[0083]
Here, returning to FIG. 2, the operation of the entire serial number reading unit 25 will be described.
[0084]
In the serial number reading section 25, the timing sensor 31 detects that the light emitted from the light emitting element 31a emits the bill when the bills reversely conveyed one by one from the temporary holding section 26 pass between the light emitting element 31a and the light receiving element 31b. Monitoring that the light-receiving output of the light-receiving element 31b disappears to detect the arrival of the bill.
[0085]
The detection output of the timing sensor 31 is subjected to waveform shaping by the waveform shaping section 32 and sent to the read timing control section 33.
[0086]
The detection output of the timing sensor 31 may be managed by the identification control unit 50 provided outside the unit of the serial number reading unit 25, and a trigger may be given to the serial number reading unit 25 from outside as an interrupt process. .
[0087]
On the other hand, the mechanical pulse generator 34 generates a pulse using the rotary encoder in accordance with the movement of the transport belt for transporting bills, and inputs the pulse to the readout timing controller 33. The portion for detecting the output pulse of the mechanical pulse generation section 34 may be provided outside the unit of the serial number reading section 25.
[0088]
The read timing control unit 33 monitors and measures the movement amount of the bill based on the pulse input from the mechanical pulse generation unit 34, and recognizes the arrival of the bill based on the detection output of the timing sensor 31, and then moves the bill for a predetermined distance. The reading operation is started when the sheet is transported.
[0089]
Further, the serial number recognition unit 41 sends an end signal to the serial number recognition control unit 42 when the data of the predetermined length of the bill (for the bill length) has been read, and the read timing control unit 33 and the read unit ( U) (L) Also sent to 36,37. This control is repeatedly performed each time each bill arrives.
[0090]
As described above, the serial number recognition control unit 42 is provided with the light source selection table 421 (see FIG. 8) in advance, and passes from the denomination identification unit 24 before a series of bills to be read this time arrives. A denomination / direction management table 422 (see FIG. 9) is constructed based on the denomination / direction information thus obtained.
[0091]
Then, when receiving a signal to start the reading operation from the reading timing control unit 33, one of the line sensors 35a and 35b is selected as a side for reading the bill based on the tables 421 and 422, and the selected line is selected. Control for selectively driving either the red LED 351 or the green LED 352 of the sensor 35a or 35b to perform a reading scan of a bill (LED color designation lighting control) is performed.
[0092]
Here, the LED refers to a spot light source, an LED array in which individual LEDs are linear, and a light source using LEDs as a light source using a light guide.
[0093]
After receiving the signal for starting the reading operation from the reading timing control unit 33, the reading unit 36 and the reading unit 37 transmit the signals from the upper line sensor 35a and the lower line sensor 35b, respectively, with the LED color designation lighting control. The output image of one bill is read and scanned line by line, and read and stored in the one-line image memory 38.
[0094]
The image data for one line stored in the one-line image memory 38 is sequentially transmitted to the first to fourth serial number recognition units 41-1, 41-2, 41-3, 41-4 via the switching gate 39. And stored as image data of one side of one bill.
[0095]
The serial number recognizing unit selection control unit 40 reads the image data read in each line and stores the image data stored in the one-line image memory 38 each time the first to fourth serial number recognizing units 41-1, 41-2, 41-2. In transmitting the data to 41-3 and 41-4, the switching gate 39 is instructed to which serial number recognition unit to transmit. Which serial number recognition unit is used is managed by the serial number recognition control unit 42, for example.
[0096]
The switching gate 39 selects the designated serial number recognizing unit based on the instruction from the serial number recognizing unit selection control unit 40, and transfers the image data for one line from the one-line image memory 38 to the serial number recognizing unit. Forward.
[0097]
In the serial number reading unit 25 of the present invention, the serial number recognition unit selection control unit 40 includes, for each bill, the first serial number recognition unit 41-1 to the fourth serial number recognition unit 41-4 ( The first serial number recognizing section 41-1 is preferentially assigned to the serial number recognizing section (during standby). It should be noted that the first serial number recognition section 41-1, the second serial number recognition section 41-2, the third serial number recognition section 41-3, and the fourth serial number recognition section 41-4 are sequentially switched. Is also good.
[0098]
In addition to the LED color designation lighting control described above, the serial number recognition control unit 42 controls the denomination of the banknote sent from the denomination identification unit 24 via the identification control unit 50 that controls the entire banknote deposit machine 1. The direction information is received in advance for the number of all bills before the transport of the bills is started, and stored in the memories of the serial number recognition units 41-1 to 41-4. That is, control for transferring information of ID, denomination, and direction to the serial number recognition unit 41 (41-1, 41-2, 41-3, 41-4) every time one bill is conveyed. Also do.
[0099]
In the serial number recognizing unit 41 (41-1, 41-2, 41-3, 41-4), the image of one bill is read from the reading unit 36 or the reading unit 37 via the one-line image memory 38 and the switching gate 39. The data is fetched and stored, and from the image data, the image data of the serial number area is cut out based on the denomination / direction information sent from the serial number recognition control unit 42, and the serial number is recognized. .
[0100]
This serial number recognition processing will be described with reference to the configuration of the serial number recognition unit 41-1 shown in FIG. The other serial number recognizing units 41-2, 41-3, and 41-4 also perform the same serial number recognizing process as the serial number recognizing unit 41-1.
[0101]
In FIG. 3, image data corresponding to one side and one side of the banknote read by the reading unit 36 and the reading unit 37 is supplied from the switching gate 39 to the frame buffers 411 and 412 of the serial number recognizing unit 41-1. Entered and stored.
[0102]
The denomination / direction information buffer 416 stores denomination / direction information sent from the serial number recognition control unit 42.
[0103]
The recognizing unit 417 first converts one of the image data stored in the frame buffer 411 or 412 based on the denomination / direction information stored in the denomination / direction information buffer 416 into the current banknote to be recognized. Is specified as image data corresponding to.
[0104]
Next, based on the denomination / direction information stored in the denomination / direction information buffer 416, the recognition unit 417 reads the image memory address of the serial number corresponding to the denomination / direction information from the cutout address information storage unit 414. Read out.
[0105]
Then, based on the image memory address, the image data (serial number area) of the area corresponding to the address is cut out from the image data of one of the frame buffers 411 and 412 specified previously, and The data is converted into value data and stored in the cutout data storage unit 413.
[0106]
Next, the recognition unit 417 sequentially cuts out image data corresponding to each digit of the serial number area in the image data (binarized data) stored in the cutout data storage unit 413, extracts a feature amount, Pattern matching is sequentially performed with the font information stored in the information storage unit 415.
[0107]
Then, the font information (character information) having the matched pattern is stored in the order of each digit of the serial number, and the character string held when pattern matching of all digits is completed is recognized as the serial number recognition result. Output to the control unit 42.
[0108]
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of the entire serial number reading operation of the serial number reading unit 25 including the serial number recognition process in the serial number recognition unit 41 described above.
[0109]
As shown in FIG. 10, in the serial number reading unit 25, during the banknote deposit operation of the banknote deposit machine 1, the serial number recognition control unit 42 monitors whether or not a stop command has been received (step S101). While not being received (step S101 NO), it is monitored whether or not a detection output from the path sensor 31 (a signal from the reading timing control unit 33 instructing the start of the reading operation) is received (step S102).
[0110]
Note that the stop command is used to advance the serial number reading operation based on the bill ID, the denomination, and the direction information received from the denomination identifying unit 24 by the higher-order identification control unit 50 at the time of the deposit processing of one bundle of bills. When the serial number reading of the one bundle of banknotes is completed, the banknote is sent from the identification control unit 50 to the serial number recognition control unit 42.
[0111]
In step S102, when the detection output from the path sensor 31 is received, that is, when each banknote conveyed from the temporary holding unit 26 in the opposite direction to that at the time of feeding is arrived at the reading position (step S102 YES), the serial number recognition is performed. The control unit 42 receives the transfer from the denomination identifying unit 24 via the identification control unit 50 during the previous bill feeding / conveying operation and stores the denomination / direction constructed based on the denomination / direction information. The denomination / direction information corresponding to the ID of the banknote that has arrived this time is read from the management table 422 (step S103).
[0112]
Next, the serial number recognition control unit 42 searches only a necessary light source (red LED 351 or green LED 352) by searching the light source selection table 421 prepared in advance using the information of the denomination and the direction as a key (ON). In this state (step S105), scanning is performed for reading the length of one bill that has arrived this time (step S106).
[0113]
By this reading scan, the image data output from the line sensors 35a and 35b is transmitted from the corresponding reading unit 36 or reading unit 37 to the first to fourth serial number recognition units 41-1 and 41 selected by the switching gate 39. -2, 41-3, and 41-4.
[0114]
Here, for example, in the serial number recognizing unit 41-1 in which one image data is stored, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the serial number area is cut out from the image data, A binarization process is performed on the image data of the area, a process of extracting characters corresponding to each digit from the binarized data, a feature value extraction process, and a pattern matching process (step S107). (A character string corresponding to the serial number) is output (step S108).
[0115]
The processes from step S101 to step S108 are performed each time one bill arrives. When a stop command is received from the identification control unit 50 (step S101 YES), a series of serial number reading operations is performed. finish.
[0116]
According to the LED color designation lighting control (steps S102 to S106) in the serial number reading unit 25 performed according to the flowchart of FIG. 10, for example, with respect to the 10 euro bill shown in FIG. FIG. 6 (a)] shows that when the bill is conveyed in the reverse direction from the temporary holding unit 26 and passes through the reading position, the upper line sensor 35a turns green based on the light source selection table 421 (see FIG. 8). By causing the LED 352 to emit light, irradiating the bill, and reading and scanning the reflected light with the photodiode 354, an area including the serial number at the lower left of the bill is read.
[0117]
Similarly, in the case of the transport direction A2 (see FIG. 6C), based on the light source selection table 421 (see FIG. 8), the lower line sensor 35b emits only the green LED 352 to irradiate the bill. By reading and scanning the reflected light with the photodiode 354, an area including the serial number at the lower left of the bill is read.
[0118]
In the above case, since the color of the serial number at the lower left of the 10 euro bill is dark red and the background color is gray / red (see FIG. 7), the background image is dropped out by setting the emission color to green. The serial number can be accurately recognized in the subsequent image processing (step S107 in FIG. 10).
[0119]
In the case of the transport direction B1 (see FIG. 6B), based on the light source selection table 421 (see FIG. 8), the upper line sensor 35a causes only the red LED 351 to emit light, irradiates the bill, and reflects the bill. Is read and scanned by the photodiode 354, an area including the serial number at the upper right of the bill is read.
[0120]
In the case of the transport direction B2 (see FIG. 6D), based on the light source selection table 421 (see FIG. 8), the lower line sensor 35b causes only the red LED 351 to emit light, irradiates the bill, and reflects the bill. By reading and scanning the light with the photodiode 354, an area including the serial number at the upper right of the bill is read.
[0121]
In the above case, the color of the serial number at the upper right of the 10 euro bill is black and the background color is red (see FIG. 7), so that the background image can be dropped out by setting the emission color to red. Then, the serial number can be accurately recognized in the subsequent image processing (FIG. 10, step S107).
[0122]
Similarly, by reading and scanning the other bills while selectively changing the emission color of the irradiation light source according to the information on the denomination and direction of the bills, the lower left or upper right serial number (alphabet) (A 12-digit character consisting of a number and a number) can be dropped out of the background image, and the serial number can be accurately recognized in the subsequent image processing.
[0123]
As an example, FIG. 11 shows a light source emission color, a gray image, a binarized image, and its determination when reading a serial number based on the banknote serial number reading method of the present invention for a 20 euro bill and a 50 euro bill. A table showing the relationship between the results is disclosed.
[0124]
In this case, for a 20 euro banknote (see FIG. 7) whose background color is gray / blue (lower left) or light blue (upper right) with respect to a black serial number, only green is used as a light source (green LED 352 lighting control). ) Is used, in the binarized data based on the image data (gray image) obtained by reading and scanning the bill, the background color is dropped out and the serial number appears clearly. The serial number can be accurately recognized based on the.
[0125]
On the other hand, for a 50 euro banknote with a background color of dark brown (lower left) or black (upper right) with a background color of gray / yellow or brown (see FIG. 7), only red is used as a light source (red LED 351 lighting control). Therefore, in the binarized data based on the image data (gray image) obtained by reading and scanning the bill, the background color is dropped out and the serial number appears clearly, and the binarized data is written based on the binarized image data. Recognize numbers accurately.
[0126]
The LED light source in the description may be an LED array in which individual LEDs are linearly arranged, a light source using a light guide capable of irradiating uniform light, or a single spot-type LED light source.
[0127]
That is, the LED light source used in the present invention (in this example, a red light source using a red LED and a green light source using a green LED) is an LED light source as long as it is configured using an LED having a corresponding emission color. An array, an LED light source using a light guide, a single spot type LED light source, and the like are not limited.
[0128]
In addition, the driving method of the light source may be such that both lights are usually turned off and one lamp is turned on when necessary, or both lights are turned on when necessary and one light is turned off when necessary.
[0129]
Similarly, the photodiode may be a photodiode array and a light receiver using a single spot type photodiode.
[0130]
Next, the serial number recognition processing in step S107 in FIG. 10 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.
[0131]
Here, FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the serial number recognition process, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the transition of the signal corresponding to the flow of the serial number recognition process (when the extraction process is successful).
[0132]
In the serial number recognizing process shown in FIG. 12, the serial number recognizing unit 41 (41-1, 41-2, 41-3, 41-4) firstly outputs the image data stored in either the frame buffer 411 or 412. From the inside, a serial number area (see FIG. 13A) is cut out based on the denomination / direction information stored in the denomination / direction information buffer 416, and a binarization threshold [FIG. Reference] is calculated, and the serial number area image data is binarized using the binarization threshold (step S121).
[0133]
Next, a horizontal histogram is calculated in the horizontal direction from the binarized data (see FIG. 13C) in the serial number area (step S122), and a height area of the serial number area is calculated from the horizontal histogram (step S122). Along with step S123), a vertical histogram is calculated in the vertical direction in the calculated height region (step S124).
[0134]
Next, scanning of this vertical histogram (see FIG. 13D) is started from the left end of the frame, and the coordinates of the block where the black pixel exists are calculated (step S125).
[0135]
Next, for example, the number of characters corresponding to the block width is calculated from the character width and character space information stored in the font information storage unit 415 in advance. Here, when the block width is equivalent to two or more characters, it is determined that the influence is due to graffiti, dirt, or the like, and the result is a predetermined character (error character) indicating that the error recognition is predetermined, for example, “? "Is stored for the corresponding number of characters (step S126).
[0136]
Next, it is checked whether or not the scanning has been completed up to the end of the frame (step S127). If the scanning has not been completed (NO in step S127), the scanning in step S125 and the character calculation process in step S126 are continued, and the processing is continued until the end of the frame. When the scanning is completed (step S127 YES), the number of characters in the frame is calculated (step S128).
[0137]
Next, it is checked whether or not the regular number of characters of the serial number stored for the banknote of the denomination matches the calculated number of characters (step S129). If the number of characters matches (step S129 YES), Extracts the characteristic amount of each character by the method described above (step S130), performs pattern matching (step S131), recognizes each character, and outputs the recognition result.
[0138]
The above is the flow of the character recognition process in the case where the serial number has no graffiti or dirt and the cutout process has succeeded.
[0139]
In this case, as shown in FIG. 13, after the scanning of the vertical histogram (see FIG. 13D) is completed, it is determined that the number of characters in the frame matches the number of characters stored corresponding to the identified banknote denomination. , The serial number of the regular character (for example, 12 digits: the serial number of a US dollar bill is 10 digits including the alphabet and the number, but here, the serial number of a euro bill is 12 digits) [FIG. 13 (e) Reference] is recognized, and this is output as a recognition result.
[0140]
Next, the flow of the character recognition process in the case where the cutout process is successful but the serial number has graffiti or dirt will be described.
[0141]
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the relationship between the serial number original image and the vertical histogram at the time of serial number recognition processing when there is a graffiti in the serial number (FIG. 14A) and the recognition result (FIG. 14B). .
[0142]
In this example, as shown in FIG. 14A, there is a graffiti straddling between "3" and "2" of the serial number "X03265591277", and a black pixel block {3} corresponding to two or more characters is displayed. A vertical histogram composed of black pixel blocks (character blocks) <1>, <2>, <4> to 11 (circled numbers) for each other character is generated.
[0143]
In the case of image data having such a vertical histogram, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12, in steps S125 to S127, the vertical histogram is scanned in the direction shown in FIG.
[0144]
During this time, in step S126, of the blocks (1) to 11 (circled numbers) in which black pixels exist, block (3) is recognized as corresponding to two or more characters, and the recognition result for the two characters is determined in advance. Is replaced with the error character "?"
[0145]
Thereafter, in step S128, the number of characters in the frame is calculated as "12", and in step S129, it is determined that the number of characters matches the stored number of characters "12" (YES in step S129). (S130), the recognition result is output through the pattern matching processing step (S131) (step S108).
[0146]
At this time, the serial number recognizing unit 41 recognizes a character from each of the character blocks except the character block replaced with the error character “?” As described above, and separates the recognized character and the error character “?” From each other. The recognition result is generated by synthesizing according to the digits.
[0147]
In the case of the image data having the vertical histogram shown in FIG. 14, since the width of the block (3) corresponds to “2 characters + 1 character interval” in the above-described character spacing check processing (step S144), two characters exist. And the result of the block of two characters is replaced as an error character “??”. Then, in step S108, the recognition result as shown in FIG. As a result, “X0 ?? 65591277” is output.
[0148]
Next, the flow of the character recognition process in the case where the serial number has graffiti or dirt and the extraction process has failed will be described.
[0149]
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the relationship between the serial number original image and the vertical histogram at the time of serial number recognition when there is a graffiti other than on the serial number (FIG. 16A) and the recognition result thereof (FIG. 16B). is there.
[0150]
In this example, as shown in FIG. 16A, there is a stain on the right side of the serial number “X03265591277”, and a vertical histogram composed of black pixel blocks (character blocks) {circle around (1)} to 13 (circled numbers) is generated. ing.
[0151]
In the case of image data having such a vertical histogram, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12, in steps S125 to S127, the vertical histogram is scanned in the direction shown in FIG.
[0152]
Thereafter, in step S128, the number of characters in the frame is calculated as "13", and in step S129, it is determined that the number of characters does not match the stored number of characters "12" (step S129 NO). It transits to S141.
[0153]
In step 141, the serial number recognizing unit 41 determines whether or not the entire length of the block is shorter than the normal length of the entire serial number (the length corresponding to the number of normal characters of the serial number).
[0154]
Here, if the entire length of the block is shorter than the normal length of the entire serial number (step S141 YES), the process proceeds to the frame error processing after step S142, and the entire length of the block is greater than the normal length of the entire serial number. If it is not short (NO in step S141), the process proceeds to the character spacing check process in step S144.
[0155]
In the case of the image data having the vertical histogram shown in FIG. 16, in step S141, it is determined that the entire length of the block is not shorter than the regular length of the entire serial number (step S141 NO), and the character spacing check processing (step S144) Proceed to.
[0156]
In step S144, the serial number recognizing unit 41 checks the character spacing from the character blocks at the left and right ends, and finds that the character spacing of blocks (in this example, block 13 (circular numbers)) considered to be background or noise is over. The number of characters (one character) is deleted.
[0157]
After that, the serial number recognition unit 41 outputs the recognition result “X0326559277” through the feature amount extraction processing step (S130) and the pattern matching processing step (S131) described above (step S108).
[0158]
Next, the flow of character recognition processing when a frame error has occurred will be described.
[0159]
FIG. 15 shows the relationship between the original serial number image and the vertical histogram at the time of serial number recognition processing when a frame error in which a part of the serial number protrudes from the reading frame (frame buffer 411, 412) occurs. ] And the recognition result [FIG. 2 (b)].
[0160]
In this example, as shown in FIG. 15A, two characters from the left of the serial number “X03265591277” protrude from the reading frame, and the black pixel blocks {1} to 10 (circled numerals) corresponding to the remaining 10 characters And a vertical histogram composed of blocks corresponding to the background to the right of the vertical histogram.
[0161]
In the case of image data having such a vertical histogram, in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12, in steps S125 to S127, the vertical histogram is scanned in the direction shown in FIG. Blocks (1) to 10 (circled numbers) are recognized as each corresponding to one character.
[0162]
Next, in step S128, the number of characters in the frame is calculated as "10", and in step S129, it is determined that the number of characters does not match the stored number of characters "12" (step S129 NO). It transits to S141.
[0163]
In the case of the image data having the vertical histogram shown in FIG. 15, in step S141, it is determined that the entire length of the block is shorter than the normal length of the entire serial number (step S141 YES), and the process proceeds to the frame error process (step S142). .
[0164]
In step S142, the serial number recognition unit 41 first calculates the distance from the end of the frame to the first character block on each of the left and right sides.
[0165]
Next, the serial number recognizing unit 41 compares the calculated left and right distances, recognizes that a frame error has occurred on the shorter side (in this example, the left end), and corrects the error by the number of missing characters (the same two characters). The character "?" Is added (step S143).
[0166]
Thereafter, the serial number recognition unit 41 outputs a recognition result through the above-described feature amount extraction processing step (S130) and pattern matching processing step (S131) (step S108).
[0167]
At this time, the serial number recognizing unit 41 recognizes the character as described above from each of the character blocks except for the character block to which the error character “?” Is added, and converts the recognized character and the error character “?” Into each digit. Are combined to generate the above recognition result.
[0168]
In the case of the image data having the vertical histogram shown in FIG. 15, the distances [A] and [B] from the outer digit to the frame are measured in the above-described frame error processing (steps S142 and S143) [FIG. ), And the short distance [A] is recognized as a frame error, and the number of missing characters (two characters) is added to the left side of the character string as an error character “??”.
[0169]
Thereby, in step S108, the recognition result "??" for the two characters at the left end of the character string and the recognition result for the other one block are combined together with the recognition result "as shown in FIG. ?? 3256551277 "is output.
[0170]
The recognition result of the serial number recognition unit 41 described above is sent to the serial number recognition control unit 42, and further sent from the serial number recognition control unit 42 to the identification control unit 50 (see FIG. 2).
[0171]
The identification control unit 50 compares the recognition result sent from the serial number identification control unit 42 with the information of the depositor at this time (for example, the account number or transaction serial number of the depositor sent from the higher-level control unit). It is stored in association with the serial number / registrant information.
[0172]
In order to realize this, in the banknote deposit machine 1, at the start of the above-described deposit, the information of the depositor is input from an operation / display unit 51 including a touch panel or the like provided outside the banknote deposit machine 1 at the start of the deposit. It has a function to make it work.
[0173]
The serial number recognized from the deposited banknote is stored in correspondence with the information of the depositor because the serial number of the stolen banknote (accident banknote) is notified to the financial institution that owns the banknote deposit machine 1. This is a measure to enable the identification of the depositor based on the serial number of the banknote in the event that the banknote is found to be fake or later.
[0174]
That is, when the serial number of the accident banknote is known, the serial number / registrant information stored in the identification control unit 50 is keyed using, for example, an external information processing terminal or the like. , It is possible to identify a depositor (a suspicious person considered to be involved in the accident bill) corresponding to the serial number. This search function can be provided in the banknote deposit machine 1 itself.
[0175]
In the serial number recognition unit 41 of the banknote deposit machine 1, among the characters of the serial number, characters that could not be recognized due to graffiti, dirt, or frame errors (see FIG. 14), or characters that could not be recognized due to frame errors. (See FIG. 15) is also recognized by replacing it with an error character “?”, And the recognition result is stored in the identification control unit 50 in association with the information of the payer at this time.
[0176]
For this reason, at the time of the above-described search, a recognition result in which the serial number of the accident bill matches the number other than the error character “?” Also hits the search, and the depositor corresponding to the recognition result is also specified. be able to.
[0177]
For example, when the serial number of the accident banknote is “X032655591277”, the search result of “X0 ?? 65591277” shown in FIG. 14B is hit, and the information of the depositor corresponding to the recognition result is searched. be able to.
[0178]
Based on the search result, the financial institution finds a banknote (in-kind) corresponding to a number other than “?” In the identification result “X0 ?? 65591277”, and the serial number of this banknote is the accident banknote. In this case, the depositor at this time can be specified as the depositor of the accident bill.
[0179]
In the banknote deposit machine 1 according to the present invention, when the serial number of the accident banknote is known in advance, the serial number is stored so that the serial number corresponding to the serial number is recognized during the payment processing. In such a case, it is also possible to operate such that the corresponding bill is collected.
[0180]
In this case, for example, the serial number of the accident bill is stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown) of the identification control unit 50. Then, when a certain depositor makes a deposit to the banknote deposit machine 1 through a deposit operation on the operation / display unit 51 described above, the identification control unit 50 recognizes the recognition result of the serial number of the bill deposited at this time. It is received from the serial number recognition unit 41 and stored in association with the information of the payer at this time. The storage location of these pieces of information may be a host controller, for example, an ATM, or a center computer.
[0181]
At that time, the identification control unit 50 checks the recognition result received from the serial number recognition unit 41 with the serial number of the accident banknote stored in advance, and when the recognized serial number matches the serial number of the accident banknote, By controlling the switching of the branching unit 27, the banknote after the serial number reading by the serial number reading unit 25 is completed is controlled to be collected in the fake bill storage cassette 302.
[0182]
In the banknote deposit machine 1, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, a recognition result in which an unrecognizable character is replaced with an error character “?” Can be obtained. For the recognition result including the digit replaced with the error character "?", The character string is collated with the character string of the serial number of the accident bill for each digit, and characters other than "?" Then, by controlling the switching of the branching unit 27, the banknote after the completion of the serial number reading by the serial number reading unit 25 is controlled to be collected in the storage cassette 302 for the counterfeit banknote as a candidate for the accident banknote.
[0183]
Thereby, during the deposit processing in the banknote deposit machine 1, the banknote having the serial number corresponding to the serial number of the accident banknote registered in advance and the serial number of the accident banknote And some of the digits match, and the banknote whose remaining digits are recognized as "?" Is collected.
[0184]
Therefore, the financial institution can then determine whether the collected banknote is an accident banknote by matching the banknote (in-kind) collected in the storage box 32 with the serial number of the accident banknote. If the collected bill is an accident bill, the depositor can be specified from the information of the depositor stored corresponding to the bill.
[0185]
In addition, in the banknote deposit machine 1, when the false banknote described above is received, the fact that the candidate for the accident banknote has been received is communicated with the serial number recognized from the pseudo banknote and the information of the depositor corresponding to the banknote. It may be configured to notify the department in charge.
[0186]
In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and can be appropriately modified and implemented within the scope of the gist of the present invention.
[0187]
For example, the banknote serial number reading device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described banknote deposit machine 1 that handles euro banknotes, but can also be applied to other banknote deposit machines such as US (US) dollar banknotes.
[0188]
Further, in the banknote serial number reading device according to the present invention, the number of light sources having different emission colors is three or more (cost) according to the serial number color and background color of the various banknotes to be read. (Within a range allowed by the law).
[0189]
The banknote serial number reading device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described banknote deposit machine 1, but is generally used to store information and serial numbers of depositors at the time of deposit, and to later identify the depositor from the serial numbers. Applicable.
[0190]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a bill is read and scanned by selectively using light sources having different emission colors based on information on a denomination and a direction of a banknote. In this way, the binarized image of the serial number can be clearly cut out, and the serial number can be accurately recognized for each denomination using the binarized image data.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a banknote deposit machine according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a serial number reading unit in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a first serial number recognition unit in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of line sensors in a serial number reading unit.
FIG. 5 is a conceptual side view showing the configuration of the line sensor in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a bill reading area that can be read by upper and lower line sensors and a direction of the bill to be read;
FIG. 7 is a table showing the correspondence between denominations, serial number positions, background colors, and luminescent colors from which background images can be dropped out of euro bills.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a light source selection table in a serial number recognition control unit.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a denomination / direction management table in a serial number recognition control unit.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the entire serial number reading operation of the serial number reading unit.
FIG. 11 is a table showing a relationship between a light source light emission color, a gray image, a binarized image, and a determination result when reading serial numbers of a 20 euro bill and a 50 euro bill.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of a serial number recognition process.
FIG. 13 is a transition diagram of signals corresponding to the flow of the serial number recognition process (when the extraction process is successful) in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a relationship between a serial number original image and a vertical histogram and a recognition result thereof at the time of serial number recognition processing when a serial number has graffiti.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a relationship between a serial number original image and a vertical histogram and a recognition result thereof in a serial number recognition process when a frame error occurs.
FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a relationship between a serial number original image and a vertical histogram in a serial number recognition process when a character-to-character specified value exceeds, and a recognition result thereof.
FIG. 17 is a table showing a relationship between a light source emission color, a gray image, a binarized image, and a determination result regarding a 20 euro bill and a 50 euro bill.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 banknote deposit machine 2 banknote processing unit 21 banknote insertion slot 22 reject holding unit 23 feeding unit 24 denomination identification unit 25 serial number reading unit 31 timing sensor 32 waveform shaping unit 33 reading timing control unit 34 mechanical pulse generation units 35a, 35b line sensors 36, 37 Readout unit 38 One-line image memory 39 Switching gate 40 Serial number recognition unit selection control unit 41, 41-1, 41-2, 41-3, 41-4 Serial number recognition unit 42 Serial number recognition control unit 421 Light source Selection table 422 Denomination / direction management table 26 Temporary holding unit 27 Branching unit 3 Banknote storage units 301, 302 Banknote storage cassettes 303 by type of banknotes False banknote storage cassette 4 Control unit 50 Recognition control unit 51 Operation / display unit

Claims (11)

In a bill serial number reading device that reads a serial number of a bill transported in a transport path,
Image reading means having at least two light sources having different emission colors, and an image sensor;
Identification means for identifying the denomination and direction of the bill being transported in the transport path,
Control means for selectively driving the light source based on the information on the denomination and direction identified by the identification means, and controlling the image reading means to read and scan a portion on which the serial number of the bill being transported is printed; And a bill serial number reading device. Temporary holding means for sequentially taking in a plurality of banknotes carried in from the transport passage and temporarily holding the banknotes,
The bill is transported to the temporary storage unit through the identification unit and the image reading unit, and then, the banknote transport unit that transports the banknote in the reverse direction so as to pass through the image reading unit from the temporary storage unit. The control means, the bill passing the identification means is conveyed to the temporary holding means, when the bill is conveyed in the reverse direction from the temporary holding means and passes through the image reading means, the serial number of the bill 2. The banknote serial number reading device according to claim 1, wherein the image reading unit is controlled to perform scanning. First and second image reading means are arranged above and below a bill conveyance path, and the control means controls the first or second image reading means and the respective image reading means based on the information on the denomination and direction. 2. The banknote serial number reading device according to claim 1, wherein control for selectively switching the emission color of the light source is performed. The banknote serial number reading device according to claim 1, further comprising a serial number recognizing unit that recognizes a serial number of the banknote to be read and scanned based on image data output from the image reading unit by the reading scan. . The serial number recognizing means, a plurality of serial number recognizing units that capture image data of one bill and recognize the serial number of the bill,
5. The banknote serial number reading device according to claim 4, further comprising switching means for sequentially allocating image data of one banknote by the image reading unit to each of the serial number recognition units. The serial number recognizing unit cuts out a serial number area designated based on the denomination and direction information from the image data output from the image reading means, converts the area into binary data, and converts the binary data into binary data. The banknote serial number reading device according to claim 5, further comprising an image processing means for recognizing the serial number from the banknote. The bill serial number reading device according to claim 1, wherein the bill is a euro bill, and the light sources selectively driven are a red light source using a red LED and a green light source using a green LED. In a banknote serial number reading method for reading a serial number of a banknote conveyed in a conveying path,
Equipped with image reading means having at least two light sources having different emission colors, and an image sensor,
Identify the denomination and direction of the banknote being transported by the identification means provided in the transport path,
Selectively driving the light source based on the information of the identified denomination and direction, controlling the image reading means to scan and scan the portion where the serial number of the bill being transported is printed,
A bill serial number reading method, wherein a serial number of a bill is read while selectively changing a light emission color of a light source according to a denomination and a direction of the bill. A temporary holding unit that sequentially takes in a plurality of banknotes carried in from the transport passage and temporarily holds the banknotes,
The bill is transported to the temporary holding unit via the identification unit and the image reading unit,
The banknote storage device according to claim 8, wherein the banknotes are sequentially conveyed from the temporary holding unit in the reverse direction, and when the banknotes pass through the image reading unit, a serial number of the banknotes is read and scanned. Number reading method. First and second image reading means are arranged above and below a bill conveyance path,
9. The banknote note according to claim 8, wherein control is performed to selectively switch the emission color of the light source of the first or second image reading means and each of the image reading means based on the information on the denomination and direction. Number reading method. 9. The banknote serial number reading method according to claim 8, wherein the banknote is a euro banknote, and the light sources selectively driven are a red light source using a red LED and a green light source using a green LED.

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