JP4569219B2 - Automatic transaction equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic transaction apparatus that is installed in a financial institution and can detect a state of taking in money.

  In an automatic transaction apparatus (ATM) of a financial institution, a currency counter, and a postal sorting apparatus that handles postcards and the like, paper sheets to be input are taken into the apparatus and various processes are performed. Among these paper sheets, there are those that determine whether the banknotes are not hindered in transport before being taken into the apparatus due to fatigue or aging, and also attachments such as tapes (for example, Patent Document 1). This expresses the state of wrinkles and folds, the degree of fatigue and aging, hardness, the presence or absence of deposits such as tapes, wetness, tears, etc. A calculation method is disclosed.

In addition, banknotes are discharged to the banknote dispensing port during a change transaction using an automatic ticket vending machine of a transportation facility or an ATM of a financial institution. There are some which take a picture of the banknote outlet with a camera and display the image on a customer operation screen or record it on a recording device (for example, Patent Document 2). In particular, when a part of the dispensed banknote remains, the banknote is taken into the apparatus as a “forgetting banknote”, but naturally there is a cash mismatch. In order to prevent crimes that deliberately cause these actions, a camera is provided and a video at the time of withdrawal is displayed on the screen. Furthermore, monitoring the accumulation state of banknotes with a CCD camera is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 3).
As described above, it is considered to monitor using a camera image in the deposit / withdrawal processing of banknotes handled by an ATM of a financial institution.
JP 2003-44897 A (page 4, paragraph 0012) JP 2003-331339 A (second page, paragraphs 0005 to 0009) JP-A-9-128595 (pages 7-8, paragraphs 0066-0075)

  It is used to monitor whether the trouble caused by the insertion of foreign objects or the trouble related to cash shortage is a problem on the equipment side or due to customer operation, but it is disclosed about camera photography, especially lighting means. Absent. In some ATMs, the banknote outlet is brightened to guide customer operations, but these illumination means are not considered for camera photography. In other words, when the banknote outlet is closed, the previous illumination is unnecessary and the light is turned off. Therefore, it is necessary to use an expensive camera such as an infrared camera to take a picture in this dark state. is there.

In addition, if four folded banknotes or foreign objects (such as receipts) are thrown into the banknotes to be handled, there are many cases where they cannot be identified by an optical sensor, and there is a possibility of equipment failure when taking in. These measures can be improved by using a lot of sensors, but there is a problem that the circuit parts increase and the price increases.
The present invention has been conceived to solve such a problem, and uses an illuminating means for guiding a customer operation when collecting a camera image, and detects an abnormality as a result of collecting and analyzing the camera image. An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic transaction apparatus that can automatically perform an optimal treatment according to the event.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a customer service unit that takes in a medium for dealing with a customer, an image acquisition unit that can acquire an image inside the customer service unit, and the medium does not exist in the customer service unit. A storage unit for storing the state as initial information, and in a state where the medium can be taken into the customer service unit, the image obtaining unit is operated to obtain the state of taking in the medium, and the initial information and When it is determined that there is an abnormality as a result of comparison, a control unit is provided for instructing optimum processing for each abnormal event.

  In an automatic transaction apparatus having a customer service unit for receiving deposit money and collecting money to be delivered to a customer, in the vicinity of the customer service unit, an image acquisition unit capable of acquiring video in the customer service unit, and A storage unit is provided in the customer service unit for storing the state in which the money does not exist as initial information, and the image acquisition unit is operated according to the progress of the transaction, and the information acquired by the image acquisition unit is compared with the initial information. And a control unit for determining the acceptance of money, the accumulation of money, and the delivery state.

  The present invention has an effect that an inexpensive camera can be employed because the inside of the apparatus can be photographed using visible light. In addition, since the receipt of money, the accumulation of money, the delivery state, and the like are determined from the camera image, and the optimum processing is performed for each event, there is an effect that equipment failure and cash trouble can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external view of the automatic transaction apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the mechanism of the automatic transaction apparatus of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an automatic transaction apparatus (hereinafter referred to as ATM), which is connected to a host computer managed and maintained by a financial institution via a communication line. Further, the host computer (not shown) has a storage device (not shown) in which customer information such as the user's account number, name and deposit / savings balance information is stored. ATM1 is installed in sales offices, convenience stores, gas stations, supermarkets, etc. of financial institutions.

  Reference numeral 11 denotes a customer operation display unit, which includes a transaction guide display unit 11a for a customer to input a transaction operation and a touch panel 11b for operation input. Reference numeral 12 denotes a money deposit / withdrawal section (hereinafter referred to as a banknote deposit / withdrawal section), which authenticates, counts, conveys, and conveys the money (hereinafter referred to as banknote M) as a medium deposited by the customer. The bill M stored in the cassette unit or paid to the customer is fed out from the denominated cassette unit. A card processing unit 13 reads the information from a customer identification card (hereinafter referred to as a cash card) in which customer information such as a code (number) for each financial institution, a user account number, and a name is stored. Have A cash card is inserted through a card insertion / return port connected to the front side of the card processing unit 13 and returned at the end of the transaction.

  Reference numeral 14 denotes a numeric keypad, which is a part where the customer inputs a password, for example, in accordance with a transaction progress screen instruction displayed on the customer operation display unit 11. This numeric keypad 14 may be provided on the customer operation display unit 11, but since the customer operation display unit 11 is inclined as shown in the figure, it is difficult to read a password from the customer behind. It is set to be almost horizontal and behind the customer's body. A receipt processing unit 15 prints transaction details and issues a receipt issued to a customer.

  Reference numeral 16 denotes a housing shutter as an external shutter provided at the insertion and withdrawal operation port of the banknote M, and is provided on the housing side of the ATM 1 so as to be opened and closed. The housing shutter 16 can be opened and closed by rotating in the direction of arrow A by a motor (not shown). Reference numeral 17 denotes a banknote machine shutter as an internal shutter equipped in the banknote depositing / dispensing section 12 and restricts the insertion and withdrawal operations of the banknote M. The banknote shutter 17 can be opened and closed by moving substantially horizontally in the direction of arrow B by a motor (not shown). In addition, the banknote shutter 17 is divided into two parts from the center part, and the example which can be moved and opened in the left-right direction shown in the figure is described. In addition, sensors (not shown) that detect the opening / closing positions of the housing shutter 16 and the banknote shutter 17 are arranged.

  Reference numeral 18 denotes a customer service section that receives and separates the banknotes M inserted by the customer, takes them into the banknote deposit / withdrawal section 12, and functions as a delivery port that accumulates the banknotes M withdrawn to the customer and enables the banknotes to be taken out. Needless to say, when the banknote M is inserted into the customer service section 18 and the banknote M is picked up, it is necessary to open the housing shutter 16 and the banknote shutter 17 described above. Reference numeral 19 denotes a recognition unit for authenticating and counting the banknote M to be deposited and the banknote M to be withdrawn, and 20 is a cassette unit as a storage for the above-described denomination. 21 is a temporary storage part which temporarily stores the banknote M to be deposited / withdrawn. Reference numeral 22 denotes a transport path of the bill M transported between the above-described parts, and has a transport direction switching means (not shown) at the branch point, but the description is omitted because it is not related to the invention.

  Reference numeral 23 denotes a control unit for controlling each of the above units, and a memory unit 23a as a storage unit configured by a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk or the like in which a control program is stored, and an interface that is a connection port with a host computer It also has a part. Reference numeral 24 denotes an approach detector which can detect that a customer has approached ATM1. In addition, in order to provide the function of ATM1, there are a number of other functions and configurations including a power supply unit that supplies power to each unit, but the description is omitted because it is not related to the present invention.

  The structure of the customer service part of this invention shown in FIG. 4 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 4A, the customer service section 18 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape (six sides), and at least one side (the upper side in the figure) is in an open state so that the bill M can be inserted and removed. Yes. Separating means for separating the banknote M and taking it into the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 12 is configured on the other surface, for example, the bottom surface. The other wall surface constitutes a bill guide body. Reference numeral 2 denotes a camera as an image acquisition unit, which is provided at a position where the inside of the customer service unit 18 can be photographed. Reference numeral 3 denotes an illumination LED as an illuminating means, which is a white visible light source capable of illuminating the inside of the customer service portion 18 as shown in FIG. The camera 2 and the illumination LED 3 have a lens and a light irradiation surface corresponding to a hole or a notch provided in the side wall of the customer service portion 18, and do not interfere when the banknote shutter 17 is opened or closed.

  Reference numeral 28 denotes a feeding roller for feeding out the inserted banknotes one by one, and presses the banknote M into which the backup 29 is inserted against the feeding roller 28 with a predetermined pressing force. Reference numeral 30 denotes a feed roller, which is a transport roller for taking in the bill M fed by the feeding roller 28 into the apparatus. Reference numeral 31 denotes a separation roller arranged to face the feed roller 30, and is a roller for preventing a plurality of bills M from being taken in at a time, and is controlled not to rotate when taken into the apparatus. . A medium pressing unit is configured by pressing the backup 29 against the feeding roller 28.

  Reference numeral 4 a denotes a first hand detector, which is an optical sensor arranged at a position not affected by the opening / closing operation of the housing shutter 16. The first hand detector 4a is provided with the light emitting element and the light receiving element facing each other, and the output of the light receiving element is changed by blocking the optical axis generated between the elements by a customer's hand or banknote, Detects “with hand”. Reference numeral 4 b denotes a second hand detector, which is an optical sensor disposed on the top of the banknote shutter 17. 4c is a banknote receipt detector, and detects at least that the customer has performed a sampling operation by detecting an ON / OFF signal in the process of extracting the banknote M to be dispensed. 4d is the 1st residual detector, Comprising: It arrange | positions so that an optical axis may pass through the approximate center part of the banknote M so that it may show in figure. 4e is a 2nd residual detector, and is arrange | positioned so that an optical axis may pass the lower end part of the banknote M. FIG. Each detector 4c, 4d, 4e is also an optical sensor similar to the first hand detector 4a.

Next, the depositing operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a depositing operation, which will be described with reference to process diagrams of the customer service section shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and an explanatory diagram of a screen display example shown in FIG. S represents a step.
When a customer who desires a deposit transaction by ATM1 approaches, the proximity detector 24 detects this and switches the customer operation display unit 11 from the standby screen to the transaction selection screen. When the customer presses a “deposit” button (not shown), the control unit 23 enters the deposit transaction mode. The control unit 23 makes the bill deposit / withdrawal unit 12 and the card processing unit 13 operable.

S1. When the deposit process is selected, the control unit 23 opens the banknote shutter 17 as an internal shutter.
S2. Subsequently, the illumination LED 3 is turned on to brighten the inside of the customer service section 18.
S3. The control unit 23 starts photographing with the camera 2 as an image acquisition unit after the illumination LED 3 is turned on. The control unit 23 continuously stores images taken by the camera 2 in the memory unit 23a. At the same time, the control unit 23 starts capturing and analyzing images.
S4. Open the housing shutter 16 as an external shutter. This state is shown in FIG.
S5. When the banknote M to be deposited by the customer is inserted into the customer service section 18 (in the direction of arrow C), the first residual detector 4d and the second residual detector 4e receive the banknote M as shown in FIG. To detect.
S6. The control unit 23 waits for the first hand detector 4a and the second hand detector 4b to be turned off. That is, it is monitored that the hand holding the banknote M turns on the first hand detector 4a and the second hand detector 4b, and then turns off when the hand that has released the banknote M is pulled out.

S7. The control unit 23 loads and analyzes the image as the loading state information loaded in the customer service unit 23 with the bill M inserted. A different part can be extracted as compared with an initial image (also referred to as an initial template) as initial information collected in advance. The analysis is advanced centering on the different parts, and it is determined whether or not the difference image is within the expected banknote size and is a banknote image. That is, the inserted state of the banknote M is analyzed as the final image.
S8. If there is no abnormality as a result of the analysis, the process proceeds to step S9, and if there is an abnormality, the process proceeds to step S10. The abnormality here means that all or part of the inserted banknote M is slanted, is folded into two banknotes Ma as shown in FIG. 5C, and further contains foreign matter N (such as a shopping receipt). Etc. are assumed. Even if it is recognized as normal, even if, for example, two folded banknotes Ma or corner folded banknotes Mb are mixed in the plurality of banknotes M, they may not be recognized from the image from the camera 2. However, it may be abnormal, for example, when there is a degree of swelling or a gap between banknotes.
S9. When it is determined that the banknotes M inserted by the customer are not irregular and are not broken and can be taken into the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 12, the housing shutter 16 is closed.

S10. If it is determined that there is “abnormal” in step S8, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), it is informed to realign due to inconsistency, and guidance is given to correct and correct the input. . In FIG. 7A, the wording 110, the customer service image 111, and the banknote alignment chart 112 are displayed. The customer service section image 111 at this time may be a real image, but is a CG (computer graphic) image in the figure.
While waiting for the customer to remove the abnormal banknote, an alarm or the like is generated if it is not resolved even after a predetermined time has elapsed. As this alarm, as shown in FIG. 6A, the LED 3 for illumination blinks to be noticed. Then, the image capture and analysis by the camera 2 is performed again. Since what is necessary is just what guide | induces customer operation other than blinking LED3 for illumination, displaying a word on the transaction guidance display part 11a, carrying out voice guidance, etc. are used together.

S11. As shown in FIG. 6B, the banknote shutter 17 is closed, the backup 29 is operated, and the banknote M is pressed against the feeding roller 28.
S12. As shown in FIG. 6C, a not-shown motor or the like is rotated, and the bill M is taken in the direction of the arrow G by the feeding roller 28 and the feed roller 30. The banknotes M are separated one by one and taken into the transport path 22, the denomination and authenticity are discriminated by the recognition unit 19 and stored in the temporary storage unit 21, and the first residual detector 4 d and the second residual Continue until the detector 4e no longer detects the banknote M.

S13. When the banknote M is no longer in the customer service unit 18, the control unit 23 terminates the separation and feeding operation.
S14. The control unit 23 turns off the illumination LED 3.
S15. Shooting by the camera 2 is terminated.
In addition, when the banknote M separated and conveyed by step S13 and having passed through the recognition unit 19 is determined to be a damaged or fake ticket, the banknote M is returned to the customer service unit 18. In this case, after all the inserted banknotes M have been taken in, the customer is informed that a banknote that cannot be handled as a returned banknote has been mixed, and is guided to be removed or corrected and then reinserted. .

  As described above, the inside of the customer service section is illuminated and guided in the insertion operation and withdrawal operation of the deposited banknote, but the casing shutter and the banknote shutter are closed by turning on the illumination LED even when photographing the camera. Appropriate illuminance can be obtained even in such a state. Therefore, it is not necessary to employ an expensive infrared camera or the like.

Next, the dispensing operation in the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the dispensing operation. The screen display example shown in FIG. 7 and the process chart of the customer service section shown in FIGS. Incidentally, S means a step, which is the same as the deposit operation.
When a customer who desires a withdrawal transaction by ATM1 approaches, the proximity detector 24 detects this and switches the customer operation display unit 11 from the standby screen to the transaction selection screen. When the customer presses a “drawer” button (not shown), the control unit 23 sets each unit in the withdrawal transaction mode and puts the bill deposit / withdrawal unit 12 and the card processing unit 13 into an operable state.

When the customer account is specified from the information of the cash card inserted in the card processing unit 13, the identity is confirmed by the personal identification number, and the withdrawal amount is input, and when it is determined that the withdrawal is within the deposit balance, The metal part 12 starts operating. In this state, it goes without saying that the housing shutter 16 and the banknote shutter 17 are closed.
S21. The control unit 23 moves the backup 29 to the withdrawal start position, feeds the banknote M from the cassette unit 20 in which the banknote (denomination) to be withdrawn is stored, and the recognition unit 19 makes the denomination, true Make a false decision. The banknote M determined by the recognition unit 19 to be able to withdraw money to the customer is sent to the customer service unit 18.
S22. When the feeding of the banknote M is started, the control unit 23 turns on the lighting LED 3 to brighten the inside of the customer service unit 18.
S23. The control unit 23 starts photographing by the camera 2 in parallel with the bill feeding operation from the cassette unit 20. Images taken by the camera 2 are continuously stored in the memory unit 23a.

S24. The control unit 23 captures an image every time at least one bill is taken into the customer service unit 18, and compares and analyzes it with a template stored at the time of bill accumulation. By this analysis, for example, a banknote to be stacked in a standing position as shown in FIG. 9 (a) has been folded (Mb), and as shown in FIG. 9 (b), a banknote is folded half (Ma). Further, it is possible to recognize an event such as the occurrence of the occurrence of the occurrence of the trouble and the fact that it is accumulated obliquely like the Mc portion shown in FIG.
S25. In this way, all banknotes M to be paid from the cassette unit 20 are taken into the customer service unit 18. The backup 29 is controlled to move in the direction of arrow F by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the ten bills every time ten bills M are stacked.
S26. As described above, the analysis result (comparison result with the template) of the image of the banknote M accumulated in the customer service unit 18 is compared with a predetermined determination value.

S27. For example, the control unit 23 determines that the folded banknote Mb in the corner of FIG. 9 (a) is “withdrawal”, and proceeds to step S36 described later when contacting the banknote shutter 17 in FIG. 9 (c). Moreover, even if the half-folded banknote Ma in FIG. 9 (b) has no problem in payment to the customer, will it become an obstacle if the customer forgets to take it into the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 12? Whether or not to make a withdrawal is determined experimentally in advance, and “no withdrawal” is set.
S28. Open the banknote shutter 17 as an internal shutter.
S29. Open the housing shutter 16 as an external shutter. At this point in time, the illumination LED 3 is lit, and the screen display shown in FIG. 7B is performed.

S30. When a sensor (not shown) detects the open state of the housing shutter 16, tracking of the change of the image of the camera 2 is started. Furthermore, the control unit 23 monitors the withdrawal of the accumulated banknotes M.
S31. When the customer's hand pulls out the banknote M, it is monitored that the first hand detector 4a and the second hand detector 4b are turned on and turned off by the banknote removal. When the customer grasps the banknote M, the optical axis of the banknote receipt detector 4c is blocked when the hand and the banknote M run out, so that it can be recognized that the banknote M has been extracted. Further, when the hand is inserted and retracted, the banknote M remains in the customer service portion 18, so that the first residual detector 4d and the second residual detector 4e continue to detect the banknote M. ing.

S32. The housing shutter 16 is closed. If it is not possible to detect that the housing shutter 16 is closed by a sensor (not shown), it is processed as a shutter failure. In this case, the apparatus is stopped as a failure occurs, but the image of the camera 2 at this time is stored in the memory unit 23a.
S33. When the sensor (not shown) detects that the housing shutter 16 is closed, the banknote shutter 17 is closed.
S34. The control unit 23 ends the photographing by the camera 2.
S35. Turn off the LED 3 for illumination.

Next, the case where “abnormal” is determined in step S27 will be described.
For example, the banknotes to be dispensed are uneven, and when the banknote machine shutter 17 is opened, the banknote M may be drawn and a banknote intrusion accident may occur. These are simple abnormalities and are determined to be correctable.
S36. In this case, as a first method, the press and release by the backup 29 are repeated several times to give vibrations to the stacked banknotes M and align them. As a second method, the banknote shutter 17 is opened while the banknote M is pressed against the feeding roller 28 side by the backup 29.
S37. If it is determined that there is no problem even when the banknote shutter 17 is opened, that is, it has been recovered, the process proceeds to step S28. When there is a problem, the control unit 23 stores the final image in the memory unit 23a as a failure during the withdrawal operation, and stops the transaction. At this point, the maintenance department is contacted and the camera image is transmitted. The customer operation display unit 11 displays "I'm sorry, I can't do business, please use another ATM because I'll give you a card." The card processing unit 13 returns the cash card to the customer.

In step S30, when the banknote M is not extracted within a predetermined time, the screen display of FIG. 7C is performed for a predetermined time, and the removal of the residue is monitored by the image from the camera 2. Then, it is determined that the banknote M has been forgotten.
The control unit 23 performs a blinking display on the customer operation display unit 11 “There is a banknote forgotten”. Further, the lighting LED 3 shown in FIG. Moreover, it is confirmed by the proximity detector 24 whether the customer is away from ATM1. Here, when the proximity detector 24 is turned off, that is, when it is detected that the customer is away from the ATM 1, the control unit 23 determines that the forgetfulness has occurred.

  Since the customer has moved away from the ATM 1, the controller 23 closes the housing shutter 16 as shown in FIG. When a sensor (not shown) detects that the housing shutter 16 is closed, time information and the like are added to the image so far and stored in the memory unit 23a. Analyzing this recorded image, for example, may recognize that it is a pocket tissue paper, envelope, pamphlet, etc. In such a case, the transaction is canceled, but the transaction of the customer who performed those acts is recorded Is done. When it is not a foreign object, the control unit 23 operates the backup 29 in the direction of arrow E as shown in FIG.

  As described above, the inside of the customer service unit is monitored by a camera image, and the inserted state of bills and the accumulated state of dispensed bills are analyzed. At this time, since the LED for illumination is used as illumination means for camera photography other than customer operation guidance, no dedicated illumination means is required. Therefore, there is an effect that the apparatus is not enlarged and the cost is not increased. Furthermore, external light is inserted due to the opening of the housing shutter and the banknote shutter, but since the illumination LED is illuminated in the same direction, the influence of shadows and changes in brightness can be reduced. The image information stored in the memory unit may be deleted except when it is abnormal. However, it is preferable to store the image information for a certain period of time under conditions such as problematic customers and expensive transactions.

Next, a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the first embodiment described above, the camera 2 is disposed on the side of the customer service portion 18 as shown in FIG. In the second embodiment, the camera 2 is rotatably attached. For example, it is attached to a housing shutter 16 as an external shutter, and will be described according to an explanatory diagram of a modification shown in FIG.
The camera 2 is attached to the housing shutter 16 and can rotate in a pendulum shape around the upper rotation fulcrum. Although the illumination LED 3 is not particularly described, it is not an essential constituent requirement because it can reflect outside light by using the surface side 16a as a mirror surface.

  As shown in FIG. 11A, in the state where the housing shutter 16 is open as the first position, the camera 2 displays an image of approximately half the range in the customer service section 18 and approximately half of the numeric keypad section 14. Remember. At this position, the range of movement of the hand by the customer can be photographed. Therefore, if a hand that grabs and inserts a deposited banknote is pulled out without holding, it is a normal insertion operation, or a hand that grabs the banknote M by approaching without holding anything when pulling out a withdrawal banknote. If the bill M is photographed and the bill M is not present in the customer service section 18, it can be determined that the normal sampling operation is performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), an image from the customer's hand toward the human abdomen can be taken during the rotating operation of the housing shutter 16. In the position shown in FIG. 11C, that is, in the state where the housing shutter 16 is closed as the second position, images from the customer's abdomen toward the upper body can be taken as a continuous image. Therefore, it can be used as an evidence image when a part of the banknote is forgotten or a foreign object is inserted.

  Moreover, if the monitoring by the camera 2 is always performed in the state shown in FIG. 11C, the proximity detector 24 can be substituted. Thus, it is not an essential requirement to attach the camera 2 to a rotating member such as the casing shutter 16, and an independent rotation support structure may be used.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the first embodiment described above, optical sensors such as a banknote receipt detector and a residual detector are provided, but in the second embodiment, the function of the optical sensor described above is also included in the analysis by the camera image. . For the sake of simplicity, the customer service section will be described using an example in which only a single shutter is used.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of customer service control in the automatic transaction apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a conceptual perspective view of the customer service section, and the drawing direction is approximately 90 degrees different from FIG. 4A of the first embodiment.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a camera as an image acquisition unit, which is provided at a position where the inside of the customer service unit 25 can be photographed. Reference numeral 4 denotes various sensors, which detect the opening / closing of a shutter, which will be described later, and the operation status of the backup 29. Reference numeral 5 denotes various actuators, which are a motor serving as a drive source for moving the shutter, a motor, a solenoid, etc. for performing operations such as backup. Reference numeral 6 denotes an analysis unit, which is a part that analyzes an image in the customer service section taken by the camera 2. Reference numeral 7 denotes an image recording unit as a storage unit for recording an image taken by the camera 2, and stores an operation program and initial information in the customer service unit. Reference numeral 8 denotes a recognition unit for authenticating and counting the bills to be deposited and withdrawn. Reference numeral 9 denotes a control unit that controls the above-described units.

  The customer service unit 25 has a shutter 26 disposed on the upper surface, and is operated in the direction of the arrow HJ by the actuator 5. FIG. 13 shows a state where the shutter 26 is moved in the arrow H direction and opened. In this state, the bill M is inserted from the upper bill insertion slot 27. Moreover, it is also a site | part which accumulate | stores the banknote M to withdraw. Reference numeral 28 denotes a feeding roller for feeding banknotes M inserted from the banknote insertion slot 27 one by one, and the banknotes M inserted by the backup 29 are pressed against the feeding roller 28 with a predetermined pressing force. Reference numeral 30 denotes a feed roller, which is a transport roller for taking in the bills M fed by the feeding roller 28 into the apparatus. A separation roller 31 is disposed so as to be opposed to the feed roller 30, and is a roller for preventing a plurality of bills M from being taken in at a time, and is controlled so as not to rotate at the time of taking. Since the backup moving mechanism and the like are known from Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 8-335282 and 10-69562, the description thereof is omitted.

Next, a conceptual diagram of the camera image shown in FIG. 14 will be described.
FIG. 14A is an image in the customer service section stored in the image recording section 9 and shows an initial state in which no banknote is present and the shutter 26 is open. As shown in the figure, there is a bottom surface 32 at the bottom, and the separation roller 31 is located at the end (right side in the figure) with a part of the outer periphery protruding. Further, the feeding roller 28 is located on the wall surface with a part of the outer periphery protruding. The backup 29 is stationary at the standby position on the left wall surface shown in the figure. The upper surface of the figure is shown with the bill insertion slot 27 open. Note that the drawing is conceptual, and in reality there are irregularities due to the shapes of various mechanical parts, but they are omitted.

FIG. 14B is also an image in the customer service section stored in the image recording section 9 and shows an initial state in which no banknote is present and the shutter 26 is closed. The two screens shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B are stored in advance as initial information. Each wall surface is appropriately provided with a guide means for moving the backup 29, a hole for removing foreign matter, etc., but is omitted as described above.
When the banknote M is inserted (in the direction of arrow C) from the banknote insertion slot 27, an image as shown in FIG. When an image comparison between FIG. 14C in which the banknote M is inserted and FIG. 14A as the initial information is performed, only the portion where the banknote M exists is different. By comparing this difference with a banknote image acquired in advance, it is recognized that the inserted object is a “banknote”.

Next, the depositing operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the depositing operation, which will be described with reference to the process chart of the customer service section shown in FIG. S represents a step.
When a customer who desires a deposit transaction using ATM1 approaches, an approach detector (not shown) detects this and switches the customer operation display unit from the standby screen to the transaction selection screen. When the customer presses a “deposit” button (not shown), the ATM 1 enters a deposit transaction mode. The ATM control unit makes the bill deposit / withdrawal unit and the card processing unit operable.

S51. When the deposit process is selected, the control unit 9 opens the shutter 26.
S52. When the sensor 4 detects “open” of the shutter 26, shooting by the camera 2 is started.
S53. The control unit 9 causes the image recording unit 7 to continuously store images taken by the camera 2. At the same time, the analysis unit 6 shifts to image capture and analysis. The initial information shown in FIG. 14A is compared with the collected image information by the analysis program.
S54. When the customer inserts the banknote M, pulls out the hand, and the banknote M is inserted, only the part where the banknote M is placed becomes inconsistent.
S55. Analysis is advanced centering on the mismatched portion, and it is determined whether or not the image is within the expected banknote size and is a banknote image.

S56. The analysis unit 6 continues the image analysis from the camera 2 and proceeds to the next step when it is confirmed that there is no customer's hand in the screen.
S57. The control unit 9 causes the analysis unit 6 to analyze the inserted state of the banknote M as the final image.
S58. If there is no abnormality as a result of the analysis, the process proceeds to step S59, and if there is an abnormality, the process proceeds to step S64. The abnormality here is assumed that all or a part of the inserted banknotes is slanted, is a folded banknote, or is mixed with foreign matter (such as a shopping receipt). Even if it is recognized as normal, even if, for example, two folded banknotes or corner folded banknotes are mixed in the plurality of banknotes M, they may not be recognized from the camera image. However, it may be abnormal, such as when there is a bulge or a gap between banknotes.

S59. If it is determined that the banknotes M inserted by the customer are not uneven and are not broken and can be taken into the banknote deposit / withdrawal part, the shutter 26 is closed by the actuator 5.
S60. The closed state of the shutter 26 is recognized from the camera image. This is when the state shown in FIG. 14C is changed to the state shown in FIG.
S61. When the shutter 26 is closed, the backup 29 is operated to press the bill M against the feeding roller 28. Then, the banknote M is taken in by the feeding roller 28 and the feed roller 30 by rotating a motor or the like in the actuator 5.
S62. The banknotes are separated one by one and taken into the transport path, and the operation of discriminating the authenticity and authenticity by the recognition unit 8 and storing it in the temporary storage unit is continued until the image of the camera 2 becomes no banknote.
S63. When the banknote M is no longer in the customer service unit 25, the control unit 9 ends the separation and feeding operation and ends the photographing by the camera 2.

  S64. If it is determined in step S58 that there is an abnormality, the customer is informed that a bill that cannot be handled has been mixed, and is guided to be re-inserted after removal or correction. In this case, the customer waits for the abnormal banknotes to be removed, but an alarm or the like is generated when the predetermined time has not passed after the acquisition and analysis of the camera image. As this alarm, any alarm may be used as long as it guides the customer operation. For example, a wording display or voice guidance is provided on the customer operation display unit. In this case, the camera image is stored in the image recording unit 7.

  When the banknote M that has been separated in step S61 and passed through the recognition unit 8 is determined to be a damaged or fake ticket, the banknote is returned to the customer service unit 25. In this case, after all the inserted banknotes have been taken in, the camera 2 analyzes the image as if there are returned banknotes, notifies the customer that banknotes that cannot be handled were mixed, and removed, corrected, replaced, etc. Guide you to go and re-enter. In this way, there is an effect that even if it is a half-long folded bill or a four-fold bill, the image is detected and can be handled if it is corrected.

Next, a dispensing operation in the second embodiment will be described.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the withdrawal operation, and the process diagram of the customer service section shown in FIG. 16 will also be described. Note that S means a step, which is the same as the description of the deposit operation.
When a customer who desires a withdrawal transaction by ATM1 approaches, the proximity detector detects this and switches the customer operation display unit from the standby screen to the transaction selection screen. When the customer presses a “draw” button (not shown), the ATM 1 sets each part in the withdrawal transaction mode, and makes the bill deposit / withdrawal part, the card processing part, and the customer service part 25 operable.

When the customer account is identified from the cash card inserted in the card processing unit, the identity is confirmed by the personal identification number, the withdrawal amount is input, and it is determined that the withdrawal is within the deposit balance, the banknote depositing / withdrawing unit Start operation.
S71. ATM1 pays out banknotes from a cassette unit in which banknotes (denominations) to be withdrawn are stored, and the recognition unit 8 determines the denomination, authenticity, and the like. The banknote M determined by the recognition unit 8 to be able to withdraw money to the customer is sent to the customer service unit 25. Specifically, this operation is performed by the feed roller 30 and the separation roller 31 to enter the customer service section 25 from the bottom surface 32 side.
S72. The control unit 9 starts photographing with the camera 2 in parallel with the bill feeding operation from the cassette unit. Images taken by the camera 2 are continuously stored in the image recording unit 7.

S73. Every time at least one bill is taken into the customer service unit 25, the control unit 9 takes an image into the analysis unit 6 and compares and analyzes it with a template stored in advance. As a result of this analysis, for example, a banknote to be stacked in a standing position has collapsed, a fold has occurred in the corner of the banknote, and further, an event such as being stacked diagonally and hitting the shutter 26 can be observed. Can be recognized.
S74. In this way, all banknotes M to be paid are taken into the customer service section 25.
S75. As described above, the analysis result of the image of the banknote M accumulated in the customer service unit 25 is compared with a predetermined determination value (template). For example, it is assumed that a corner break is “withdrawal permitted” and that the contact with the shutter 26 is an error. This is because there is a possibility that the banknote M is caught by the opening operation of the shutter 26. Moreover, even if a broken banknote or the like has no problem in payment to the customer, it is experimentally determined in advance depending on whether or not it becomes an obstacle even if the customer forgets to take in the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit.

S76. It should be noted that the image monitoring by the camera 2 is also performed during the stacking of the bills M in step S74, and if a stacking jam or the like occurs, the process proceeds to step S77. When the banknotes are left in an uneven position due to the banknote transport skew, that is, when the banknotes are easy, stacking is advanced, and final determination is made after all banknotes have been stacked (step S75). However, if a jam occurs at the feed roller 28 during stacking one sheet at a time, the next banknote cannot be taken in, so it stops immediately.
S77. The controller 9 stores the final image and cancels the transaction as a failure during the withdrawal operation. The customer operation display section displays "I'm sorry, I can no longer do business, please use another ATM because I will return the card". Return the cash card to the customer.

S78. When the analysis unit 6 analyzes the camera images of the banknotes accumulated in step S75, the process proceeds to step S79 if determined to be “abnormal”, and proceeds to step S77 described above if “abnormal”.
S79. When there is no abnormality, the shutter 26 is opened.
S80. When the open state of the shutter 26 is detected from the camera image, the process shifts to monitoring for waiting for the insertion of the customer's hand from the change in the image of the camera 2.
S81. The control unit 9 monitors the removal of the accumulated banknotes M. First, it waits for a predetermined time until the customer's hand is inserted into the bill insertion slot 27 in order to remove the bill M. When the customer grabs the banknote M, the hand and the banknote M disappear, so the same image as the initial information shown in FIG. Further, when the hand is inserted and retracted, the banknote M remains in the customer service section 25.

S82. If there is no bill in the customer service section 25, the process proceeds to step S83, but if it is determined that there is a bill, a bill forgetting signal is generated.
S83. If there is no bill, the shutter 26 is closed.
S84. If the image from the camera 2 is analyzed to be the same as that in FIG. 14B, it is determined that the shutter 26 is closed, and the withdrawal is completed.
S85. The control unit 9 ends the photographing by the camera 2.
S86. When it is not possible to determine from the image from the camera 2 that the shutter 26 is closed, it is processed as a shutter failure. In this case, the apparatus is stopped as a failure occurs, but the image of the camera 2 is stored in the image recording unit 7. Further, the failure is notified to the maintenance department. At this time, image information is also transmitted.

Next, the case where it is determined in step S82 that the banknote has been forgotten will be described.
S87. The control unit 9 performs a flashing display on the customer operation display unit indicating that “the banknote has been forgotten”. Note that voice guidance means can be provided and used together.
S88. ATM1 confirms whether the customer is away from ATM1 by the proximity detector. Here, when the proximity detector is turned off, that is, when it is detected that the customer is away from ATM1, forgetting occurs. Further, when the proximity detector is in the ON state and the customer's hand is inserted within a predetermined time, it is determined from the image from the camera 2 in step S81.

S89. Since the customer has moved away from the ATM 1, the control unit 9 closes the shutter 26 on the assumption that the withdrawal of the withdrawal banknote has occurred. When shutter closing is analyzed from the camera image, time information and the like are added to the previous image and stored in the image recording unit 7.
S90. The controller 9 operates the backup 29 to take the banknote M to the forgetting take-in portion by the feeding roller 28, the feed roller 30 and the separation roller 31. It is confirmed from the image from the camera 2 that there is no bill in the customer service section 25. If there is no remaining bill, the process proceeds to step S85 described above.
When foreign matter N (pocket tissue paper or pamphlet) or the like as a residue is detected as shown in FIG. 16 (c), a jam or the like may occur even before and during the capture operation. Stop because it is possible.

Next, the forgetting-and-taking operation will be described with reference to the operation flowchart shown in FIG.
S91. All the banknotes M to be withdrawn are accumulated in the customer service unit 25. When the control unit 9 determines that the accumulation state is good and there is no problem in the payment operation, the shutter 26 is opened and timer monitoring (for example, 60 seconds) is performed. Start. Needless to say, image monitoring of the camera 2 is also performed.
S92. The control unit 9 analyzes the image from the camera 2 at a predetermined timing, and monitors within the timer period until the analysis unit 6 recognizes that the customer's hand is inserted.

S93. While the timer is being monitored, the proximity detector is used to monitor that the customer is not away from ATM1, and if not, the timer monitoring is continued.
S94. The control unit 9 analyzes the timer monitoring and hand insertion (image) and detects that the customer is not separated from the ATM 1 by the proximity detector, and continues until the timer monitoring time (60S) ends.
S95. The control unit 9 waits to recognize that the customer's hand has been extracted from the image from the camera 2.
S96. When the customer's hand is removed, it is next checked whether there is any residue in the customer service section 25. As described above, this confirmation recognizes a portion that is different from the initial information shown in FIG.

S97. In steps S95 and S96, monitoring is performed until the time until the removal of the hand is detected and the time when the residue is present reach a predetermined value. For example, if a timeout occurs after waiting for 30 seconds, the process proceeds to step S98.
S98. The controller 9 gives an instruction to close the shutter 26. It is confirmed from the image from the camera 2 that the shutter 26 is closed. The case where there is a banknote M or a residue due to time-out or information from the proximity detector is also included.
S99. The control unit 9 determines whether what remains in the customer service unit 25 is a bill M or a foreign object N. Even if the banknote M can be recognized, it is treated as “foreign matter” without being taken in when it is recognized that it is folded in two.
S100. When it can be recognized that what remains in the customer service section 25 is the banknote M, the backup 29 is operated, and the banknote M is taken in one by one by the feeding roller 28, the feed roller 30, and the separation roller 31.

S101. The denomination, authenticity and counting are performed by the recognition unit 8 and conveyed to the forgotten banknote storage.
S102. This operation is continuously performed until the moment when it is recognized from the camera image that the banknote M in the customer service section 25 is lost. Specifically, the feeding roller 28 and the backup 29 are directly in pressure contact after the moment when the banknote M pressed by the backup 29 disappears on the feeding roller 28. If the feeding roller 28 is rotated under this phenomenon, it causes wear and the like, which is not preferable. Therefore, the number of pieces of information is subtracted for each take-in from the information on the number of dispensed banknotes, and control is performed to stop at the last take-in operation.
S103. When all the banknotes M have been taken in, the control unit 9 totals the counting results (the number of money types) and stores it in the image recording unit 7 together with the camera image. Here, there is a problem when there is a difference between the count value and the number of banknotes to be dispensed (total number of money types). Next, the case will be described.

  If it is a normal withdrawal transaction, the residue is a banknote. However, a malicious customer or a customer who thinks of mischief may insert a foreign matter N such as a pamphlet or pocket tissue paper provided in the vicinity of an ATM when supplying a transaction statement slip or as equipment when extracting a bill. . In some cases, the transaction processing is terminated by intentionally leaving several withdrawal banknotes. At this time, the ATM collects the banknote as “forgetting”. Later, when a malicious customer makes a “forget-notification” requesting full payment of the withdrawal amount, the camera image is reproduced to convince.

FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram of an operation screen of the customer operation display unit, and FIG. 20 is a conceptual diagram of a camera image at the time of forgetting capture processing. Image reproduction will be described with reference to these drawings.
The clerk performs an operation for image reproduction by an operation (not shown). At this time, it is advisable to ask for the attendance of other staff, guards, etc., including the customer. First, when a customer's account number or the like is input on the forgetting / retrieving operation screen, the control unit 9 confirms whether or not the forgetting / retrieving process exists as a history in the transaction for the account number. If it exists, an image display screen as shown in FIG. 19 is displayed.

  In the presence of the customer, the clerk first presses the confirmation button 115 to display the image stored in the image recording unit 7 in the image display frame 116 as a still image. When the forward button 117 is pressed, the image in the image recording unit 7 is reproduced and displayed. When the stop button 118 is pressed, the operation stops at the current image. When the return button 119 is pressed, the image is returned and reproduced. Thereafter, when the confirmation button 115 is pressed, the image display is terminated. Note that the counter display 120 is convenient when the reproduced image is confirmed several times, and becomes a scale such as the passage of time. In this way, since a live-action image can be shown, it is possible to analyze everything from a customer's misunderstanding to a malicious customer's operation. Therefore, mischief and the like can be suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 20A, the feeding roller 28 rotates in the direction of the arrow K, and the bills M are taken down one by one (in the direction of the arrow G). And when the last one is taken in, as shown in FIG.20 (b), it will disappear from a banknote image. Further, when the number of handled sheets is large, it is difficult to count the banknotes by visually observing the image. Therefore, the count counter display may be incremented for each fetch. It should be noted that the image is preferably played back as a moving image, but it goes without saying that fast-forwarding, slow-playing, or frame-by-frame playback can be performed except for the main part. In particular, since the bills are taken in at a high speed, it is desirable that the bills be taken at a high speed and reproduced at a low speed. Since these concepts are well known in the reproduction technology such as video, the detailed description is omitted.

  Although the above Example demonstrated centering on the deposit / withdrawal transaction in an automatic transaction apparatus, it is not limited to this. For example, it becomes possible to confirm the insertion direction of a cash card or passbook with a camera image, or to generate an alarm from a camera image when it is determined that the object is dangerous (for example, a fired cigarette is inserted). . Furthermore, it becomes possible for an automatic transaction apparatus to detect damages in the customer service section, which can contribute to a reduction in maintenance costs.

It is a flowchart which shows the money_receiving | payment operation | movement in Example 1 of this invention. It is an external view of the automatic transaction apparatus in Example 1 of this invention. It is a general | schematic mechanism side view of the automatic transaction apparatus in Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the customer service part of the automatic transaction apparatus in Example 1 of this invention. It is process drawing which shows operation | movement of the customer service part in Example 1 of this invention. It is process drawing which shows operation | movement of the customer service part in Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a transaction guidance screen display of the automatic transaction apparatus in Example 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the payment operation | movement in Example 1 of this invention. It is process drawing which shows operation | movement of the customer service part in Example 1 of this invention. It is process drawing which shows operation | movement of the customer service part in Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the customer service part in the modification of Example 1 of this invention. It is a customer-facing part control block diagram in the automatic transaction apparatus of Example 2 of this invention. It is a perspective view of the customer service part in the automatic transaction apparatus of Example 2 of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the camera image in the automatic transaction apparatus of Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the money_receiving | payment operation | movement of Example 2 of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the camera image in the automatic transaction apparatus of Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the payment operation | movement in Example 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the taking-in operation | movement in Example 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a screen display of the automatic transaction apparatus in Example 2 of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the camera image in the automatic transaction apparatus of Example 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Automatic transaction equipment (ATM)
2 Image acquisition unit (camera)
3 LED for lighting
6 Analysis unit 7 Image recording unit 9,18 Customer service unit 16 External shutter (housing shutter)
17 Internal shutter (banknote shutter)
23 Control unit 23a Storage unit 26 Shutter 29 Backup
M Medium (banknote)

Claims (3)

A customer service department that captures media for dealing with customers;
A shutter that is rotatable between a first position and a second position;
An image acquisition unit fixed to the shutter and capable of acquiring an image inside the customer service unit;
The said image acquisition part acquires the image inside the said customer service part in a 1st position, and images the outside of the said customer service part in a 2nd position, The automatic transaction apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. A customer service department that captures media for dealing with customers;
An image acquisition unit capable of acquiring an image inside the customer service unit;
A storage unit that stores, as initial information, a state in which the medium does not exist in the customer service unit;
In a state where the medium can be taken into the customer service section,
Activating the image acquisition unit, acquiring the medium capture state information,
When it is determined that there is an abnormality compared to the initial information, an optimum process is instructed for each abnormal event.
A control unit,
The image acquisition unit is fixed to a shutter that can rotate between the first and second positions, the initial information is acquired at the first position, and the outside of the customer service unit can be photographed at the second position. An automatic transaction apparatus characterized by that. The image acquisition unit acquires an image even while the shutter is rotating.
Automatic transaction equipment.

Images