JP5271149B2 - Paper sheet handling equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The paper sheet handling apparatus includes: a validator configured to validate each of paper sheets; a conveyor assembly arranged to convey the paper sheets in the paper sheet handling apparatus; a controller configured to control components of the paper sheet handling apparatus; and a storage unit arranged to store information on the paper sheets, wherein the controller controls the validator to determine a volume of each of the paper sheets passing through the validator in a first conveyance and store volume data of the paper sheet in correlation to a paper sheet conveying order in the first conveyance into the storage unit, wherein the first conveyance represents that the paper sheets conveyed by the conveyor assembly pass through the validator first time, and the controller controls the validator to determine a volume of a certain paper sheet passing through the validator in a second conveyance and comparing volume data of the certain paper sheet in the second conveyance with volume data of a corresponding paper sheet in the first conveyance, which is expected to be identical with the certain paper sheet based on the paper sheet conveying order, so as to verify consistency of number of paper sheets conveyed in the first conveyance with number of paper sheets conveyed in the second conveyance, wherein the second conveyance represents that the paper sheets conveyed by the conveyor assembly pass through the validator second time.

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet handling apparatus.

  In the paper handling equipment installed in automatic teller machines such as ATMs, banknotes inserted from the slot are counted (deposit counting process) and stored in a temporary storage, and the number of banknotes deposited is determined. After that, the banknotes stored in the temporary storage are counted again (payment storage processing) and stored in the storage (for example, Patent Document 1).

  In an automatic teller machine, generally, the number of banknotes in the deposit counting process and the deposit storing process is checked for strict cash management. However, conventionally, when there is a banknote whose denomination cannot be discriminated at the time of depositing and storing processing, there has been a problem that an exact number matching check cannot be performed. Such a problem is not limited to the deposit storage process, but is a problem common to all the counting processes in the paper sheet handling apparatus.

JP-A-6-9108

  An object of this invention is to provide the technique which improves the reliability of the process which counts paper sheets.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

[Application Example 1]
A paper sheet handling device,
A discriminator for discriminating paper sheets;
A transport unit for transporting paper sheets in the paper sheet handling apparatus;
A control unit for controlling each unit of the paper sheet handling apparatus;
A storage unit for storing information on paper sheets;
With
The paper transported by the transport unit passes through the determination unit for the first time as the first transport,
When the paper transported by the transport unit is the second transport that passes through the determination unit for the second time,
The controller is
The determination unit causes the volume of the paper sheet passing through the determination unit to be measured at the time of the first conveyance, and the volume information at the time of the first conveyance and the conveyance order are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit,
The discriminating unit is configured to measure the volume of the paper sheet passing through the discriminating unit during the second conveyance, and the paper sheet derived from the volume information at the time of the second conveyance of the paper sheet and the conveyance order. The paper sheets transported in the first transport and the second transport by comparing the volume information at the time of the first transport of the corresponding paper sheets estimated to be the same paper sheet as Paper sheet handling device that checks the number of sheets.

  According to this configuration, the first conveyance and the second conveyance are performed by comparing the volume information of the paper sheet at the time of the second conveyance and the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheet derived from the conveyance order. Since the number of paper sheets conveyed in the conveyance is checked, the reliability of the process of counting the paper sheets can be improved.

[Application Example 2]
A paper sheet handling apparatus according to Application Example 1,
In the second transport, when the paper sheet to be transported next to the corresponding paper sheet is defined as the next paper sheet,
In the comparison process, the control unit further includes:
When the volume information at the time of the second conveyance is larger than a value considering an error in the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheet,
Comparing the volume information at the time of the second conveyance with a value obtained by adding the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the next paper sheet to the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheet, When the volume information at the time of the second conveyance is within a predetermined range, a paper sheet handling apparatus that performs processing as if two sheets are overlapped in the second conveyance.

  According to this configuration, the volume information of the paper sheet at the time of the second conveyance, the value obtained by adding the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the next paper sheet to the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheet, If the volume information at the time of the second transport is within a predetermined range, the two sheets are overlapped in the second transport, so that two sheets are overlapped in the second transport. Even when the paper sheets are overlapped, the processing of counting the paper sheets can be performed. As a result, the reliability of the process of counting paper sheets can be improved.

  Note that the present invention can be realized in various modes. For example, the present invention includes a paper sheet handling apparatus, an automatic cash transaction apparatus equipped with a paper sheet handling apparatus, a system using a paper sheet handling apparatus, a paper sheet handling method, and functions of those methods or apparatuses. The present invention can be realized in the form of a computer program for realizing the above, a storage medium storing the computer program, and the like.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the external appearance of the automatic teller machine carrying the paper sheet handling apparatus as one Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of the internal structure of ATM. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of a banknote handling mechanism. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of an internal structure of a banknote handling mechanism. It is a schematic explanatory drawing about the structure of the thickness detection sensor provided in the banknote discrimination | determination part. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 1st example about the calculation method of the volume of a banknote. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd example about the calculation method of the volume of a banknote. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 3rd example about the calculation method of the volume of a banknote. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 4th example about the calculation method of the volume of a banknote. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 5th example about the calculation method of the volume of a banknote. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a money_receiving | payment count table. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of a money_receiving | payment storage table. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the banknote check process (FIG. 19: step S403) in a money_receiving | payment accommodation process. It is explanatory drawing about the volume comparison in a banknote check process. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the money_receiving | payment storage table in which the information of the banknote was registered. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the money_receiving | payment process in ATM. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a payment counting process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the banknote discrimination | determination process in a money_receiving | payment counting process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a money_receiving | payment accommodation process.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following order based on examples.
A. Example:
B. Variations:

A. Example:
(A-1) Configuration of automatic teller machine:
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an external configuration of an automatic teller machine equipped with a paper sheet handling apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention. On the front surface of this automatic teller machine 1 (hereinafter also referred to as “ATM”), a card slot 101, a touch panel 201, and a deposit / withdrawal reception port 301 are provided. The card slot 101 is an insertion / discharge port for accepting insertion of various cards (for example, a credit card or a cash card). The touch panel 201 is an operation unit for displaying an operation guidance screen for the user and accepting the input operation. The deposit / withdrawal reception port 301 is an insertion / discharge port for receiving input of paper sheets (hereinafter also referred to as “banknote”) from the user and discharging the banknote to the user. Moreover, ATM1 is equipped with the safe housing | casing 3 and the banknote handling mechanism 300 inside the apparatus housing | casing 2 which covers the outer periphery. The safe housing 3 is formed more robustly than the device housing 2 and has a structure (for example, an iron plate having a thickness of about several tens of millimeters) that is more resistant to unauthorized access (such as wall destruction). doing. Details of the bill handling mechanism 300 will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of the ATM 1. The ATM 1 includes a card statement processing mechanism 100, a customer operation unit 200, a bill handling mechanism 300, an interface unit 400, a staff operation unit 500, a main body control unit 600, an external storage device 700, and a power supply unit 800. It has.

  The card statement processing mechanism 100 includes a card slot 101 and has a function of processing inserted cards and printing transaction statements. The customer operation unit 200 includes a touch panel 201 and has a function of receiving an operation from a user and transmitting the operation to the main body control unit 600. The bill handling mechanism 300 includes a deposit / withdrawal receiving port 301 and has functions of calculating deposit / withdrawal bills, depositing / withdrawing bills, and the like. The interface unit 400 has a function of communicating with a host computer (not shown). The clerk operation unit 500 has a function of receiving an operation from a clerk (for example, a bank clerk) and transmitting the operation to the main body control unit 600. The external storage device 700 is constituted by a data recording device such as a hard disk, a flash memory, or an optical disk. The main body control unit 600 is connected to the above-described units (100 to 700) via a bus and has a function of controlling the above-described units. The power supply unit 800 supplies power to each part of the ATM 1.

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the bill handling mechanism 300. The banknote handling mechanism 300 includes a deposit / withdrawal port 320, a banknote discriminating unit 330, a temporary storage 340, a forget-collecting store 360, a reject store 370, five recycle stores 380, and a transport unit 350 connecting them. It has. Among these, the reject store 370 and the recycle store 380 are stored in the safe housing 3. Of the transport unit 350, the transport unit 350 a located outside the safe housing 3 (upper side in the drawing) is also referred to as an “upstream transport unit”. Similarly, the transport unit 350b located on the inner side (lower side in the drawing) of the safe housing 3 is also referred to as a “downstream transport unit”.

  In the deposit / withdrawal slot 320 as the deposit slot, the bills inserted into the deposit / withdrawal receipt slot 301 are stored first. The temporary storage 340 is a storage for temporarily storing the bills inserted into the deposit / withdrawal port 320 until the transaction is completed. The banknote discrimination | determination part 330 as a discrimination | determination part has a function which discriminate | determines a banknote. Details will be described later. The forgetting collection box 360 is a storage box for collecting and storing banknotes that the user has forgotten at the time of deposit / withdrawal. A recycle box 380 as a storage box is a storage box for storing banknotes suitable for withdrawal. In this embodiment, five recycle boxes 380 are provided, but one or more arbitrary numbers may be used. A reject store 370 as a storehouse is a storehouse for storing banknotes inappropriate for dispensing. The banknote inappropriate for withdrawal is preferably, for example, a genuine note with excessive damage or contamination, or a counterfeit note (non-authentic note). The transport unit 350 has a function of transporting banknotes between the storage units. The bills to be transported move according to the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the transport route is switched as necessary.

  The deposit counting process is a counting process performed when deposit is received from the user. In the deposit counting process, the bills inserted from the deposit / withdrawal receiving port 301 (FIG. 1) are separated one by one and conveyed to the bill discriminating unit 330 by the transport unit 350. The banknote discriminating unit 330 determines the type of banknote, whether or not the banknote is authentic, and its volume. The banknote determined to be able to accept money is transported to the temporary storage 340 by the transport unit 350. On the other hand, the banknote determined to be unacceptable for depositing is transported to the deposit / withdrawal port 320 by the transport unit 350 and returned to the user. Examples of the banknote determined to be non-acceptable include banknotes that cannot be determined as banknotes by the banknote discriminating unit 330, and banknotes that are determined to have an abnormal inclination or interval between banknotes. As described above, in this embodiment, a bill inserted from the deposit / withdrawal receiving port 301 is conveyed from the deposit / withdrawal port 320 to the temporary storage 340 via the bill discriminating unit 330 as “first transport”. Call.

  The deposit storage process is a count process performed when the result of the deposit counting process is presented to the user and confirmation is input from the user. In the deposit storage process, the banknotes stored in the temporary storage 340 are separated one by one and transported to the banknote determination unit 330 by the transport unit 350. The banknote discriminating unit 330 determines whether or not the banknote is suitable for recycling (withdrawal) as well as determining the type and volume of the banknote as in the deposit counting process. The banknote determined to be suitable for withdrawal here is transported by the transport unit 350 to a recycle box 380 provided for each denomination. On the other hand, the banknote determined to be unsuitable for withdrawal is transported to the reject box 370 by the transport unit 350. Examples of banknotes that are not suitable for withdrawal include banknotes that are severely damaged. As described above, in the present embodiment, the banknotes stored in the temporary storage 340 are conveyed from the temporary storage 340 to the reject storage 370 or the recycle storage 380 via the banknote determination unit 330 as “second”. Also called “conveyance”.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of the internal configuration of the bill handling mechanism 300. The banknote handling mechanism 300 includes a banknote handling control unit 310 and a storage unit 315 in addition to the units (320 to 380) described in FIG. The banknote handling control unit 310 as a control unit controls each unit described in FIG. The bill handling control unit 310 is connected to the main body control unit 600 via a bus. The storage unit 315 stores information on banknotes determined by the banknote determination unit 330. Details will be described later.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of the configuration of the thickness detection sensor provided in the banknote discriminating unit 330. The bill discriminating unit 330 includes three thickness detection sensors 20R, 20C, and 20L in a direction perpendicular to the bill conveyance direction. The thickness detection sensor 20R includes a magnetic sensor 23, an upper roller 21, a lower roller 22, an upper shaft 25, and a lower shaft 26.

  The upper roller 21 includes a metal pipe 21a and a rubber member 21b. The metal pipe 21a is a hollow cylindrical metal member. The upper roller 21 is configured such that an elastic rubber member 21b is inserted between the metal pipe 21a and the upper shaft 25. The lower roller 22 is a cylindrical metal member and is fixed to the lower shaft 26. The upper shaft 25 and the lower shaft 26 are rotatably attached, and at least one of them is rotated by a motor (not shown). The upper roller 21 is disposed so as to press the lower roller 22 with an appropriate pressure. The magnetic sensor 23 outputs a voltage corresponding to the distance between the upper roller 21 and the surface of the metal pipe 21a. As the magnetic sensor 23 in this embodiment, a sensor whose output voltage increases as the distance from the metal pipe 21a decreases is used.

  With this configuration, when a banknote is conveyed between the upper roller 21 and the lower roller 22, the upper roller 21 is displaced in the vertical direction depending on the thickness of the banknote. And since the magnetic sensor 23 outputs the voltage according to the distance with the surface of the metal pipe 21a of the upper roller 21, it becomes possible to measure the thickness of a banknote based on this voltage value. Also, the thickness detection sensors 20C and 20L have the same configuration as the thickness detection sensor 20R. The thickness detection sensor 20C measures the thickness of the central part of the bill, and 20R and 20L measure the thickness of both ends of the bill. Each of these sensors can measure the thickness of a bill independently.

(A-2) Calculation method of banknote volume:
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first example of a bill volume calculation method. FIG. 6A shows a banknote transport pattern in the first example. In this example, the bills BL are transported in a normal state with no inclination, overlap, breakage, or the like. A control unit (not shown) in the bill discriminating unit 330 first causes the photographing device 10 to acquire an image of the bill BL. A control part calculates | requires the area of banknote BL by processing this image. As shown in the figure, this area is preferably obtained by dividing the area into three parts (SR, SC, SL) corresponding to the position of the thickness detection sensor 20. In this way, as will be described later, the volume of the banknote BL can be determined more strictly. Note that the control unit can also determine the type of banknote and whether or not the banknote is authentic from the image pattern of the banknote BL.

6B, 6C, and 6D show output voltage waveforms of the thickness detection sensors 20R, 20C, and 20L. Since the banknote BL in the first example is in a normal state, the output voltage detection start timing (TR1, TC1, TL1) and detection end timing (TR2, TC2, TL2) are substantially the same in all thickness detection sensors. It is. The output voltage values (VR, VC, VL) are almost the same. A control part calculates | requires the thickness of three places of banknote BL from these three output voltage values. Specifically, the thickness d1 of the SR portion of the bill BL is obtained from the output voltage value shown in FIG. Similarly, the thickness d2 of the SC portion from the output voltage value shown in FIG. 6 (C), determine the thickness d3 of the SL moiety from the output voltage value shown in FIG. 6 (D). The calculation of the thicknesses (d1, d2, d3) can be realized, for example, by preparing in advance a table showing the correspondence between the output voltage value and the thickness in the control unit.

Next, the control part of the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 calculates | requires the volume E of the banknote BL using the area (SR, SC, SL) calculated as mentioned above, and thickness (d1, d2, d3).
Volume E = (SR × d1) + (SC × d2) + (SL × d3)

  FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a second example of a bill volume calculation method. FIG. 7A shows a banknote transport pattern in the second example. In this example, two banknotes BL1 and BL2 are transported in a state where they are shifted and overlapped in the transport direction CC. First, the control part of the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 processes the image by the imaging device 10, and calculates | requires the area of each part (SR, SC, SL) similarly to the 1st example.

Also in the second example, the output voltage detection start timing and detection end timing are substantially the same. On the other hand, the banknotes BL1 and BL2 in the second example are in a state where they are shifted and overlapped, so that the output voltage value for the part where the banknotes BL1 and BL2 overlap is high (FIGS. 7B to 7D). )). Thus, when there is variation in the output voltage value of the thickness detection sensor 20, the thickness of the banknote is calculated after obtaining the average output voltage value. This average output voltage value can be obtained, for example, as follows.
Average output voltage value = area of a portion (shaded portion in the figure) formed from the output waveform / length between TR1 and TR2

  A control part calculates | requires the thickness of three places of banknote BL based on the average output voltage value calculated | required by the said Formula. Then, a control part calculates | requires the volume E of the banknote BL using these areas (SR, SC, SL) and thickness (d1, d2, d3). The formula for obtaining the volume E is as described in the first example.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a third example of a bill volume calculation method. FIG. 8A shows a banknote transport pattern in the third example. In this example, it is conveyed in the state where four corners of the bill BL are broken. Also in the third example, the control unit obtains the volume E after obtaining the area (SR, SC, SL) and the thickness (d1, d2, d3) of the bill BL. In the case of the third example, the thickness d2 can be obtained by the same method as in the first example. On the other hand, the thicknesses d1 and d3 can be obtained by the same method as in the second example.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a fourth example of the bill volume calculation method. FIG. 9A shows a banknote transport pattern in the fourth example. In this example, the bills BL are conveyed in a state where both ends of the bill BL are broken. Also in the fourth example, the control unit obtains the volume E after obtaining the area (SR, SC, SL) and the thickness (d1, d2, d3) of the bill BL. In the case of the fourth example, the thickness d2 can be obtained by the same method as in the first example. On the other hand, the thicknesses d1 and d3 can be obtained by the same method as in the second example.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a fifth example of a bill volume calculation method. FIG. 10A shows a banknote transport pattern in the fifth example. In this example, the bills BL are transported in a skewed state with respect to the transport direction CC. First, the control part of the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 processes the image by the imaging device 10, and calculates | requires the area of each part (SR, SC, SL) similarly to the 1st example.

In the fifth example, since the bill BL is skewed, the output voltage detection start timing and the detection end timing are different. On the other hand, since the bill BL is not broken, the output voltage value is substantially constant (FIGS. 10B to 10D). In the case of the fifth example, the interval L ′ between the detection start time TR1 and the detection end time TR2 of the output voltage is larger than the interval L shown in the first example. This is because the bills BL are skewed. The relationship between L ′ and L can be expressed as follows.
L ′ = L / cos θ

  A control part calculates | requires the thickness of three places of banknote BL similarly to a 1st example. Then, a control part calculates | requires the volume E of the banknote BL using these areas (SR, SC, SL) and thickness (d1, d2, d3). The formula for obtaining the volume E is as described in the first example.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the deposit counting table 901. The deposit counting table 901 is a table for storing information on banknotes acquired in the deposit counting process, and is provided in the storage unit 315. The deposit counting table 901 includes banknote number TA, denomination information TM, reflux information TR, and volume information TV. The banknote number TA is an identification number for identifying a banknote, and an arbitrary one can be determined. In this embodiment, a natural number is used as the value of the banknote number TA field, and every time data is stored, it is counted up by one. If it does in this way, it is preferable in the point which can relate a conveyance order and the information of a banknote. The denomination information TM is a bill type. In this embodiment, a natural number is used as the value of the denomination information TM field, 0 is unknown, 1 is a thousand yen bill, 2 is a five thousand yen bill, and 3 is a 10,000 yen bill. The reflux information TR field stores information indicating whether or not the bill is a bill suitable for recycling (withdrawal). The volume information TV field stores the volume of the banknote obtained by the method described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the deposit storage table 902. The deposit storage table 902 is a table for storing information on banknotes acquired in the deposit storage process, and is provided in the storage unit 315. The deposit storage table 902 includes a banknote number DA, denomination information DM, reflux information DR, and volume information DV. Each item is as described in FIG.

(A-3) Bill check processing:
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the banknote check process (FIG. 19: step S403) in the deposit storage process. The control subject in this process is the bill handling control unit 310. First, the banknote handling control unit 310 initializes an internal counter TD for storing the transport order (step S501). And the banknote handling control part 310 confirms whether there exists a stop instruction | indication of the banknote check process from the main body control part 600 (step S502). If there is an instruction to stop the banknote check process (step S502: YES), the process ends. If there is no instruction to stop the banknote check process (step S502: NO), it is confirmed whether or not a banknote has been conveyed to the banknote determination unit 330 (step S503). When the banknote is conveyed (step S503: YES), the banknote is determined (step S504). Specifically, when the bill currently being processed is a bill NB, the type of the bill NB, whether or not the bill NB is authentic, and its volume are determined. The method of calculating the volume of the bill is the same as described in FIGS. 6-10.

  Next, the banknote handling control unit 310 registers information on the banknote NB in the deposit storage table 902 (FIG. 12) (step S505). Specifically, the value of the internal counter TD is stored in the banknote number DA field. Similarly, a natural number representing the type (denomination) of the banknote is stored in the denomination information DM field, and information indicating whether the banknote is a banknote suitable for recycling (withdrawal) is stored in the return information DR field. . Furthermore, the volume information DV field stores information on the volume of the bill. Thus, the banknote handling control part 310 as a control part makes the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 measure the volume of the banknote which passes the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 in the case of 2nd conveyance, and the volume information and conveyance at the time of 2nd conveyance The order is associated and stored in the deposit storage table 902 of the storage unit 315.

  When the banknote NB can be correctly determined by the banknote determination unit 330 (that is, when the banknote NB cannot be determined as a banknote by the photographing device 10 or when the inclination of the banknote NB is determined to be abnormal / step S506: YES) Adds 1 to the internal counter TD (step S507), and proceeds to step S502.

When the banknote NB cannot be correctly determined by the banknote discriminating unit 330 (step S506: NO), it is determined whether or not the volumes of the banknotes are substantially matched (step S508). This determination is performed as follows.
Procedure 1-1) The volume SA1 of the banknote NB at the time of the first transport is searched from the deposit counting table 901 (FIG. 11). Specifically, a record in which the value of the banknote number TA field in the deposit counting table 901 is the same as that of the internal counter TD is extracted, and the value of the volume information TV field of the record is referred to. The banknote information registration process in the deposit counting table 901 will be described later.
Procedure 1-2) The volume SD of the banknote NB calculated in step S504 is compared with the volume SA1. In this comparison process, it is preferable to consider a volume measurement error by the banknote handling control unit 310. For example, when the volume SD satisfies the following expression, it can be determined that “substantially match”.
SA1-α1 ≦ SD ≦ SA1 + α1
Α1 is an error, and can be, for example, 10% of SA1. If the volume of the banknotes is substantially the same (step S508: YES), 1 is added to the internal counter TD (step S50 9 ), and the process proceeds to step S502.

  On the other hand, when it cannot be determined that the volume of the banknotes substantially match (step S508: NO), it is determined whether or not the volume SD is smaller than the volume SA1 (step S510). When the volume SD is smaller than the volume SA1 (step S510: YES), there is a possibility that a part of the banknote NB is torn or the like and is stopped in the transport unit 350. (Step S511).

When the volume SD is not smaller than the volume SA1 (step S510: NO), it is determined whether or not the banknote NB is a stacked banknote (step S512). This determination is performed as follows.
Procedure 2-1) The volume SA1 of the banknote NB at the time of the first transport and the volume SA2 of the banknote NB2 to be transported next to the banknote NB are searched from the deposit counting table 901. Specifically, a record having the same banknote number TA field value as the internal counter TD in the deposit counting table 901 and a record having the same banknote number TA field value as the value obtained by adding 1 to the internal counter TD are extracted. The value of the volume information TV field of one record is referred to.
Procedure 2-2) The volume SD of the banknote NB calculated in step S504 is compared with the value obtained by adding the volumes SA1 and SA2. For example, when the volume SD satisfies the following formula, it can be determined that “two sheets overlap”.
SA1 + SA2-α2 ≦ SD ≦ SA1 + SA2 + α2
Α2 is an error. α2 is preferably slightly larger than α1. When two banknotes overlap (step S512: YES), 2 is added to the internal counter TD (step S513), and the process proceeds to step S502.

  When it cannot be determined that two banknotes are stacked (step S512: NO), it is determined whether or not the volume SD is smaller than the value obtained by adding the volumes SA1 and SA2 (step S514). Also in this case, since there is a possibility that a part of the banknote NB is torn or the like and stays in the transport unit 350, the abnormality determination is made and the process is terminated (step S515).

When the volume SD is not smaller than the value obtained by adding the volume SA1 and the volume SA2 (step S514: NO), it is determined whether or not the banknote NB is a stacked banknote (step S516). This determination is performed as follows.
Step 3-1) Deposit the volume SA1 of the banknote NB at the time of the first transport, the volume SA2 of the banknote NB2 to be transported next to the banknote NB, and the volume SA3 of the banknote NB3 to be transported next to the banknote NB2. Search from the count table 901.
Procedure 2-2) The volume SD of the banknote NB calculated in step S504 is compared with the value obtained by adding the volumes SA1 to SA3. For example, when the volume SD satisfies the following formula, it can be determined that “three sheets overlap”.
SA1 + SA2 + SA3-α3 ≦ SD ≦ SA1 + SA2 + SA3 + α3
Α3 is an error. α3 is preferably slightly larger than α2. When three banknotes are stacked (step S516: YES), 3 is added to the internal counter TD (step S517), and the process proceeds to step S502. When it cannot be determined that three banknotes are stacked (step S516: NO), the volume is too large, and an abnormality determination is made and the process is terminated (step S518).

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of volume comparison in the banknote check process. When the volume SD of the banknote NB is in the range indicated by the oblique lines in the figure, the banknote NB can be processed as normal and the processing can be continued.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a deposit storage table 902 in which bill information is registered. FIG. 15A shows a state of the deposit storage table 902 when two banknotes are transported in an overlapping manner. The record PL1 indicates a record when it is determined in step S512 in FIG. 13 that two banknotes are overlapped. In this way, when it is determined that two banknotes are overlapped, 0 indicating unknown is stored in the denomination information DM field for the banknotes. In addition, in the reflux information DR field, “impossibility” indicating that reflux is not possible is stored. Furthermore, 3 is stored in the banknote number DA field of the record PL2 in which the information of the next banknote is stored. FIG. 15B shows a state of the deposit storage table 902 when three banknotes are transported in an overlapping manner. The same applies to the case where three banknotes are stacked and conveyed.

  The banknote handling control unit 310 matches the information of the deposit counting table 901 (FIG. 11) registered during the first transport with the information of the deposit storage table 902 (FIG. 12) registered during the second transport. A sheet number coincidence check (FIG. 19: step S410) can be performed. Specifically, if the largest value in the banknote number TA field of the deposit counting table 901 and the largest value in the banknote number DA field of the deposit storage table 902 are the same, the number of banknotes is considered to be the same. be able to. At this time, the number of coins for each denomination may be checked using the denomination information TM and DM information DM. Further, for banknotes determined to overlap, it is possible to check the number of coins by volume information using information of denomination information TM, denomination information DM, volume information TV, and volume information DV. .

(A-4) Deposit processing:
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a procedure of deposit processing in ATM1. The control subject in this process is the main body control unit 600. First, the main body control unit 600 displays a guidance such as a deposit limit amount to the user (step S101). Next, the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal acceptance port 301 is opened, and it is waited for a bill to be inserted (step S102). When it is determined that a bill has been inserted (step S103), the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal receiving port 301 is closed (step S104). Thereafter, the main body control unit 600 performs a deposit counting process (step S105). Details of the deposit counting process will be described later.

When it is determined that the deposit counting process is interrupted (step S10 6 : YES), the banknotes are extracted from the deposit / withdrawal port 320 and guidance for prompting resetting is displayed (step S121). Note that when the deposit counting process is interrupted, for example, a failure of the banknote handling mechanism 300 is detected, or the inserted banknote is jammed. Next, the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal acceptance port 301 is opened (step S122), and the banknotes are awaited to be removed (step S123). When it is detected that the banknote has been extracted, the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal reception port 301 is closed (step S124). Then, when accepting re-insertion of banknotes (step S125: YES), the process proceeds to step S101. When re-insertion of banknotes is not accepted (step S125: NO), the process proceeds to step S107.

  On the other hand, when the deposit counting process is normally completed (step S107: NO), guidance such as the number of banknotes counted in the deposit counting process is displayed on the touch panel 201 (step S107). When the confirmation of the user is obtained (step S108: YES), communication with the host computer is performed (step S109), and then the deposit storage process is performed (step S110). Details of the deposit storage process will be described later.

  If the user confirmation cannot be obtained (step S108: NO) and cancel is not selected (step S111: NO), the process of step S107 is performed again. When the user confirmation cannot be obtained (step S108: NO) and cancellation is selected (step S111: YES), the banknotes stored in the temporary storage 340 are conveyed to the deposit / withdrawal port 320 ( Step S112). Thereafter, the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal reception port 301 is opened (step S113), and the banknotes are awaited to be extracted (step S114). When it is detected that the banknote has been extracted, the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal reception port 301 is closed (step S115). Thereafter, when re-insertion of banknotes is accepted (step S116: YES), the process proceeds to step S101. When re-insertion of banknotes is not accepted (step S116: NO), the process is terminated.

(A-5) Deposit counting process:
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the deposit counting process. The control subject in this process is the bill handling control unit 310. First, the banknote handling control unit 310 drives the upstream transport unit 350a in preparation for transporting banknotes (step S201). Next, a deposit slot separation process (step S202), a banknote discrimination process (step S203), and a gate process (step S204) are started. In the deposit port separation process, banknotes inserted into the deposit / withdrawal port 320 are separated one by one and sent to the transport unit 350. Details of the bill discriminating process will be described later. The gate process is a transfer path switching process that is performed in order for the transport unit 350 to transport and separate the banknotes to each part of the banknote handling mechanism 300.

  If all the banknotes in the deposit / withdrawal port 320 have not been sent to the transport unit 350 (step S205: NO) and the reject box 370 is not full (step S206: NO), the processing is continued. If all the banknotes in the deposit / withdrawal slot 320 have not been sent to the transport unit 350 (step S205: NO) and the reject box 370 is full (step S206: YES), the deposit / withdrawal separation process is stopped. And it waits for the banknote of the rejection store | warehouse | chamber 370 to be collect | recovered (step S207), and the process after step S208 is continued.

  On the other hand, when all the banknotes in the deposit / withdrawal port 320 have been sent to the transport unit 350 (step S205: YES) and all the banknotes have passed through the banknote determination unit 330 (step S208: YES), the banknote determination The process (step S209) and the gate process (step S210) are stopped. Thereafter, the upstream conveyance unit 350a is stopped and the process is terminated (step S211).

  FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a procedure of banknote discrimination processing in the deposit counting process. The control subject in this process is the bill handling control unit 310. First, the banknote handling control unit 310 initializes an internal counter TA for storing the conveyance order (step S301). And the banknote handling control part 310 confirms whether there exists a stop instruction | indication of the banknote discrimination | determination process from the main body control part 600 (step S302). If there is an instruction to stop the bill discrimination process (step S302: YES), the process is terminated. If there is no instruction to stop the banknote discrimination process (step S302: NO), it is confirmed whether or not the banknote has been conveyed to the banknote discrimination unit 330 (step S303). When the bill is conveyed (step S303: YES), the bill is determined (step S304). Specifically, as described above, the type of banknote, whether or not the banknote is authentic, and the volume thereof are determined. In addition, the calculation method of the volume of a banknote is as having demonstrated in FIGS.

  When the banknote is correctly determined by the banknote discriminating unit 330 (that is, when it is determined that the deposit can be accepted / step S305: YES), the banknote information is registered in the deposit counting table 901 (FIG. 11) (step S306). ). Specifically, the value of the internal counter TA is stored in the banknote number TA field. The other fields are as described in FIG. Thereafter, the banknote handling control unit 310 adds 1 to the internal counter TA (step S307). On the other hand, when a banknote cannot be correctly determined (step S305: NO), specifically, it is determined that the banknote to be determined cannot be determined as a banknote by the photographing device 10, or that the inclination of the banknote to be determined is abnormal. In that case, the process proceeds to step S302, and the next bill is determined. At this time, the banknote that could not be determined is returned to the user.

  In this way, in the deposit counting process, banknotes that could not be correctly determined by the banknote discriminating unit 330 are returned to the user, so that the deposit counter table 901 can hold highly reliable banknote information. It becomes. Further, when the banknote is correctly determined, the internal counter TA is counted up, and the value of the internal counter TA is set as the value of the banknote number TA field. For this reason, banknote number TA has shown the conveyance order of the banknote about the banknote which could be determined correctly. Thus, the banknote handling control part 310 as a control part makes the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 measure the volume of the banknote which passes the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 in the case of 1st conveyance, and the volume information and conveyance at the time of 1st conveyance The order is associated and stored in the deposit counting table 901 of the storage unit 315.

(A-6) Deposit storage processing:
FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the deposit storage process. The control subject in this process is the bill handling control unit 310. First, the banknote handling control unit 310 drives the upstream transport unit 350a and the downstream transport unit 350b in preparation for transporting banknotes (step S401). Next, temporary storage separation processing (step S402), bill check processing (step S403), and gate processing (step S404) are activated. In the temporary storage case separation process, banknotes stored in the temporary storage case 340 are separated one by one and sent to the transport unit 350. For more information about the bill check process Ru as Der described in FIG 13. The gate processing is as described in FIG.

If all the banknotes in the temporary storage 340 have not been sent out to the transport unit 350 (step S405: NO), or if all banknotes have not passed through the banknote discrimination unit 330 (step S406: NO), the processing is continued. To do. On the other hand, when all the banknotes in the temporary storage 340 are sent to the transport unit 350 (step S405: YES) and all banknotes pass through the banknote determination unit 330 (step S406: YES), the banknote determination process ( Step S407) and the gate processing (step S408) are stopped. Thereafter, the upstream transport unit 350a and the downstream transport unit 350b are stopped (step S409) , and the number of banknotes in the deposit counting process and the deposit storage process is checked (step S410). Details of the sheet number coincidence check are as described above.

  Thus, in a present Example, the banknote handling control part 310 as a control part makes the banknote discrimination | determination part 330 measure the volume of the banknote at the time of 1st conveyance and 2nd conveyance, and the information of the said volume and conveyance order Are stored in the storage unit. And by comparing the volume information at the time of the second transport and the volume information at the time of the first transport of the corresponding banknote estimated to be the same banknote as the banknote derived from the transport order (in other words, Using volume information and transport order), verify the number of bills. As a result, it is possible to improve the reliability of the process of counting banknotes. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the volume information at the time of the second transport is larger than the value considering the error in the volume information at the time of the first transport of the corresponding banknote, the volume information at the time of the second transport and the corresponding banknote After comparing the volume information at the time of the first conveyance with the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the next banknote, it is possible to process the two banknotes as overlapping. For this reason, even if it is a case where the two banknotes have overlapped in the 2nd conveyance, the processing which counts a banknote can be performed. As a result, the reliability of the process of counting banknotes can be further improved.

B. Variations:
The present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and embodiments, and can be implemented in various modes without departing from the gist thereof. For example, the following modifications are possible.

B1. Modification 1:
In the said Example, although demonstrated taking the banknote in an automatic teller machine as an example, it is realizable also in the apparatus which handles not only a banknote but various paper sheets (for example, stock certificates, securities, etc.). Moreover, in the said Example, although the money_receiving | payment counting process at the time of 1st conveyance was demonstrated as what performs a money_receiving | payment accommodation process at the time of 2nd conveyance, these are an illustration to the last. For example, the bill counting process may be performed by the method described above for the counting process at the time of withdrawal or the counting process at the time of scrutiny.

B2. Modification 2:
In the said Example, after dividing a banknote into three, it was set as the structure which calculates | requires the volume E using three thickness detection sensors. However, the present invention is not limited to the above configuration, and various configurations can be adopted. For example, after dividing a banknote into n pieces (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1), it is good also as a structure which detects the thickness of a banknote using n thickness detection sensors, and calculates | requires the volume E. If it does in this way, it is preferable in the point which can obtain | require the volume of a banknote more strictly.

B3. Modification 3:
In the above-described embodiment, the order in which banknotes are paid out from the deposit / withdrawal port in the first transport is the same as the order in which banknotes are fed out from the temporary storage in the second transport (that is, the first transport is performed in the first transport). Banknotes are described as being first fed out in the second conveyance). However, for example, the order in which banknotes are paid out from the deposit / withdrawal port in the first transport and the order in which banknotes are fed out from the temporary storage in the second transport may be reversed. Specifically, when it is assumed that there are n banknotes, the banknote first fed out in the first transport is fed out nth in the second transport. In this case, initialization is performed with TD = n in step S501 of FIG. 13, and subtraction is performed instead of addition in steps S507, S509, S513, and S517.

B4. Modification 4:
In the said Example, although it described as what can process until the case where three banknotes overlap, the above is an illustration to the last and arbitrary aspects can be employ | adopted. For example, it can be set as the structure which can be processed even if four or more banknotes overlap. In this case, it can be realized by diverting the processing when three sheets are overlapped.

B5. Modification 5:
In the said Example, an example of the structure of the money_receiving | payment count table and the money_receiving | payment storage table was shown. However, it is not limited to the configuration shown in the above embodiment, and any configuration can be adopted for these tables. For example, instead of the volume information TV (DV) or together with the volume information TV (DV), a field for storing the area and thickness information of the banknote may be provided. It is also possible to provide fields other than those shown in FIGS.

B6. Modification 6:
In the said Example, the structure and function of each part of ATM and banknote handling mechanism were demonstrated. However, the modes shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and various modes can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the shape or the like of members constituting each part may be changed, or functions not described above (for example, a voice guidance part, a state display part, etc.) may be provided.

1 ... Automatic cash transaction equipment (ATM)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Imaging device 20 ... Thickness detection sensor 21 ... Upper roller 21a ... Metal pipe 21b ... Rubber member 22 ... Lower roller 23 ... Magnetic sensor 25 ... Upper shaft 26 ... Lower shaft 100 ... Card statement slip processing mechanism 101 ... Card slot 200 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Customer operation part 201 ... Touch panel 300 ... Banknote handling mechanism 301 ... Deposit / withdrawal acceptance port 310 ... Banknote handling control part 315 ... Memory | storage part 320 ... Deposit / withdrawal port 330 ... Banknote discrimination | determination part 340 ... Temporary storage box 350 ... Conveyance part 350a ... Upstream Transport unit 350b ... Downstream transport unit 360 ... Forget collection store 370 ... Reject store 380 ... Recycle store 400 ... Interface unit 500 ... Staff operation unit 600 ... Main body control unit 700 ... External storage device 800 ... Power supply unit 901 ... Deposit counting table 902 ... Payment storage table

Claims (4)

A paper sheet handling device,
A discriminator for discriminating paper sheets;
A transport unit for transporting paper sheets in the paper sheet handling apparatus;
A control unit for controlling each unit of the paper sheet handling apparatus;
A storage unit for storing information on paper sheets;
With
The paper transported by the transport unit passes through the determination unit for the first time as the first transport,
When the paper transported by the transport unit is the second transport that passes through the determination unit for the second time,
The controller is
The determination unit causes the volume of the paper sheet passing through the determination unit to be measured at the time of the first conveyance, and the volume information at the time of the first conveyance and the conveyance order are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit,
The discriminating unit is configured to measure the volume of the paper sheet passing through the discriminating unit during the second conveyance, and the paper sheet derived from the volume information at the time of the second conveyance of the paper sheet and the conveyance order. The paper sheets transported in the first transport and the second transport by comparing the volume information at the time of the first transport of the corresponding paper sheets estimated to be the same paper sheet as Paper sheet handling device that checks the number of sheets. The paper sheet handling apparatus according to claim 1,
In the second transport, when the paper sheet to be transported next to the corresponding paper sheet is defined as the next paper sheet,
In the comparison process, the control unit further includes:
When the volume information at the time of the second conveyance is larger than a value considering an error in the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheet,
Comparing the volume information at the time of the second conveyance with a value obtained by adding the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the next paper sheet to the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheet, When the volume information at the time of the second conveyance is within a predetermined range, a paper sheet handling apparatus that performs processing as if two sheets are overlapped in the second conveyance. A method for handling paper sheets,
(A) a step of conveying paper sheets;
(B) a step of discriminating paper sheets;
(C) storing paper sheet information;
Including
Of the step (a), the case where the step (b) is performed for the first time is the first transfer,
Among the steps (a), when the step (b) is performed for the second time as the second transport,
In the step (b) at the time of the first conveyance, the volume of the paper sheet at the time of the first conveyance is measured, and in the step (c), the volume information at the time of the first conveyance is associated with the conveyance order. Remember,
In the step (b) at the time of the second transport, the volume of the paper sheet at the time of the second transport is measured, and the volume information at the time of the second transport of the paper sheet and the transport order are derived. By comparing the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheet that is estimated to be the same paper sheet as the paper sheet, the paper sheet was conveyed in the first conveyance and the second conveyance. A method for handling paper sheets that verifies the number of paper sheets. A computer program installed in a paper sheet handling device,
A transport function for transporting paper sheets,
A discrimination function for discriminating paper sheets;
A memory function for storing paper sheet information;
Is a computer program that causes a computer to realize
Of the transfer functions, the first transfer is performed when the determination function is executed for the first time,
Among the transfer functions, when the determination function is executed for the second time as the second transfer,
The determination function at the time of executing the first conveyance measures the volume of the paper sheet at the time of the first conveyance, and the storage function stores the volume information at the time of the first conveyance and the conveyance order in association with each other,
The discriminating function at the time of executing the second conveyance measures the volume of the paper sheet at the time of the second conveyance, and the paper sheet derived from the volume information at the time of the second conveyance of the paper sheet and the conveyance order. Paper sheets conveyed in the first conveyance and the second conveyance by comparing the volume information at the time of the first conveyance of the corresponding paper sheets presumed to be the same as the paper sheet A computer program that checks the number of items.

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