JP6726580B2 - Banknote identification storage device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a banknote identification and storage device, and in particular, for example, a banknote identification storage for identifying the type of banknote inserted for the purchase of a product, transporting the identified banknote, and storing it in a different storage for each type. Regarding the device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, banknote and coin identification devices provided in vending machines and ATMs identify the type of inserted banknotes and coins based on images, weight and size.
In addition, after identifying the types of banknotes and the like, the identified banknotes and the like are stored in storage boxes provided for each type.
In order to store the banknotes by type, a passage sensor for detecting the banknotes passing through the banknote is arranged at a position on the banknote transport path and before the storage box. For example, if a passage sensor detects that a bill identified as a 1000-yen type has passed a predetermined position, it has been conveyed by opening a gate attached to a storage for 1000-yen bills. The 1000-yen bill was stored in a 1000-yen bill storage, and after confirming that the 1000-yen bill was stored in the 1000-yen bill storage, the gate that had been opened was closed. ..

Further, in Patent Document 1, as a transport path for transporting banknotes, a deposit/withdrawal port transport path for feeding the deposited banknotes into the apparatus, a first transport path connected to the deposit/withdrawal port transport path, and a first transport channel A second conveying path connected to the conveying path and having a discriminating unit arranged to discriminate bills is provided, and when the inserted bill is passed through the discriminating unit, the speed is higher than the speed at which the bill is paid out on the deposit/withdrawal port conveying route. By controlling the conveyance speed of the banknotes on the first conveyance path to be higher and the conveyance speed of the banknotes on the second conveyance path to be higher than the conveyance speed of the banknotes on the first conveyance path, the occurrence of bill breakage and jamming can be prevented. There has been proposed a banknote handling apparatus that prevents the banknotes and improves the transportation reliability.

JP, 2014-241168, A

However, in the conventional banknote identification device and the banknote handling device, even when a plurality of identical banknotes are continuously inserted, after the banknotes are fed out one by one and identified, each banknote is classified into the identified type. It has been performed to open a gate of a corresponding storage box to store a bill, and to close the gate after storing the bill.
For example, when two 10,000-yen banknotes are continuously inserted, after opening and closing the gate of the 10,000-yen banknote storage to store the first 10,000-yen banknote, 2 In order to store the first 10,000 yen bill, the same gate opening/closing operation was repeated again.

When the gate opening/closing operation is repeated for each banknote as described above, a delay time occurs in the physical opening/closing of the gate, and thus there is a limit to increasing the speed of the storing process.
In addition, when the conveyance interval of a plurality of banknotes is shortened, it is necessary to open/close the gate at a higher speed. However, if the gate opening/closing timing is shifted or delayed, the gate collides with the banknote and the banknote The paper jam may occur, and the bills may be erroneously stored.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and prevents paper jams of banknotes that occur when the inserted banknotes are stored in a specific storage box and conveys the banknotes. An object of the present invention is to provide a bill identifying and storing device that can increase the speed.

The present invention is arranged such that a banknote transport unit that guides an inserted banknote to a predetermined transport path and moves on the transport path, and a plurality of banknote types are arranged at different positions of the transport path and correspond to the banknote type in advance. A plurality of storage boxes attached, a storage gate that is openably and closably provided at the banknote entrance of each storage box, and a banknote identification unit that identifies the type of banknotes transported to a predetermined banknote identification area on the transport path. A storage control unit that opens a storage gate provided in a storage box corresponding to the type of the inserted banknotes and stores the input banknotes in the storage box of the opened storage gates. , The type of a plurality of continuously inserted banknotes identified by the banknote identification unit is the same type, in order to store the first inserted banknotes of the same type, the storage control unit, After opening the storage gate provided in the storage corresponding to the type, the opened storage gate is kept open at least until the last inserted bill of the same type is stored. The present invention provides a bill identifying and storing device.

Further, a bill whose type is identified by the bill identifying unit further includes a bill passage detecting unit that detects that the bill has passed a predetermined passage determination position on the transport path, and the bill with the identified type is the passage. When it is detected that the bill has passed the determination position, the storage control unit opens the storage gate provided in the storage box associated with the type of the bill that has passed the passage determination position. ..

Further, the passage determination position is between the banknote identification area and the plurality of storages, and the banknote passage detection unit detects that the leading edge of the banknote of which the type is identified has passed the passage determination position. In this case, the storage control unit opens the storage gate provided in the storage corresponding to the type of bill that has passed the passage determination position.

If the type of the newly inserted banknote identified by the banknote identification unit is different from the type of the banknote corresponding to the currently opened storage gate, the banknote passage detection unit detects the newly inserted banknote. When it is detected that the tip has passed the passage determination position, the storage control unit closes the currently opened storage gate, and then a storage box associated with the type of the newly inserted banknote. It is characterized by opening the storage gate provided in the.

Further, when the bill passage detection unit detects that the rear end of the bill of which the type has been identified has passed the passage determination position, it activates a passage timer for measuring the passage of a predetermined time, and the time If it is not detected that a new inserted banknote has passed the passage determination position before the passage, the storage control unit corresponds to the type of the banknote whose type has been identified after the time has elapsed. It is characterized in that the storage gate provided in the attached storage is closed.

Further, an image capturing unit that captures a bill identification area of the transport path is further provided, and the bill identification unit uses the image data of the captured bill identification area, and the type of bill that has been transported to the bill identification area. It is characterized by identifying.

In addition, a reference image of a plurality of banknotes to be identified is provided with a storage unit that stores in advance each banknote type, and the banknote identifying unit is conveyed from the image data of the photographed banknote identifying area to the banknote identifying area. An image of a banknote that has been acquired, among the reference image of the banknote stored in advance in the storage unit, the type of banknote corresponding to the reference image that can match the image of the acquired banknote, The feature is that it is judged as a type.

Further, the bill passage detection unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light, and the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are the passage determination positions that are positions facing each other across the transport path. When the light receiving state of the light receiving unit changes from receiving light to not receiving, it is determined that the front end of the banknote has passed the passage determination position, and the light receiving state of the light receiving unit is It is characterized by further comprising a passing bill determination unit that determines that the trailing edge of the bill has passed the passage determination position when there is a change from none to reception.

According to the present invention, when the types of the continuously inserted banknotes identified by the banknote identification unit are the same type, the banknotes are provided in the storage corresponding to the type of the first inserted banknote of the same type. After opening the storage gate, the opened storage gate remains open until the last inserted bill of the same type is stored, so that the continuously inserted bills are stored in a specific storage box. It is possible to prevent the paper jam of the banknote that may occur in some cases and to increase the speed of carrying the banknote.

It is a block diagram of a configuration of an embodiment of the bill identifying and storing device of the present invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of one Example of the banknote identification and conveyance process of this invention. It is a schematic explanatory drawing of one Example of the banknote identification and conveyance process of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of the identification and storage process of a banknote when a banknote is thrown in continuously. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of the identification and storage process of a banknote when a banknote is thrown in continuously. It is explanatory drawing of one Example of the identification and storage process of a banknote when a banknote is thrown in continuously. It is a flowchart of one Example of the banknote sorting storage process in the banknote identification storage device of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments below.
The banknote identification storage device of the present invention guides the inserted banknote to a predetermined transport path, identifies the type of the banknote when the inserted banknote is moving on the transport path, and determines a predetermined value for each banknote type. Out of a plurality of storages arranged at different positions, the inserted banknotes are stored in storages that are associated in advance with the identified types of banknotes.

In the following embodiments of the present invention, Japanese banknotes will be described as objects to be identified and stored. However, as will be described later, a coin or the like may be identified and stored.
Further, in the following embodiments, four types of Japanese banknotes circulating in Japan will be described as targets to be identified. The types of banknotes to be identified are 1000 yen banknotes, 2000 yen banknotes, 5000 yen banknotes, and 10,000 yen banknotes. However, in order to simplify the description, the 2000-yen bill, which has a small circulation amount, will be mainly omitted.
Further, the bill is not limited to this, and for example, bills of other countries and bills used only in a specific store may be targets for identification.

<Structure of bill identifying and storing device of this invention>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the bill identifying and storing device of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the bill identifying and storing device of the present invention mainly includes a control unit 11, an image capturing unit 12, a bill recognizing unit 13, a bill passage detecting unit 14, a passing bill determining unit 15, a bill conveying unit 16, and a bill. An insertion detection unit 17, a storage control unit 18, a bill insertion slot 21, a storage gate 22, a storage box 23, and a storage unit 30 are provided.
Here, the image capturing unit 12 and the bill recognition unit 13 function as a discrimination sensor that determines the type of bill.

The control unit 11 is a unit that executes various functions of the bill identifying and storing apparatus of the present invention, and is mainly realized by a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I/O controller, a timer and the like, and is stored in the ROM and the like. Based on the program, the CPU organically operates various kinds of hardware to execute the bill identifying function, bill transporting function, bill sorting function, and the like of the present invention. The banknote recognition unit 13, the passing banknote determination unit 15, and the storage control unit 18 described above are mainly functional blocks that perform specific functions by software.

The image capturing unit 12 is a camera that mainly captures a predetermined banknote identification area in the middle of the transport path along which the inserted banknotes are transported. From the viewpoint of downsizing of the device and suppression of product price, etc., it is assumed that one camera captures the bill identifying area. However, a plurality of cameras may be provided, and the bill identification area may be photographed from multiple directions.
The bill identification area photographed by the camera 12 is arranged on the transport path on the upstream side of the position where a passage sensor described later is arranged. The bill identifying unit 13 identifies the type of bill, as will be described later, by using the image data captured by one camera.

Further, as the camera 12, a camera for still image shooting capable of continuous shooting at a predetermined time interval (for example, 100 milliseconds) may be used, or a video camera capable of shooting a moving image is used. Good.
The image captured by the camera 12 is mainly digitized by the solid-state imaging device, stored in the storage unit 30, and recognized by the bill identifying unit 13.

The camera 12 is arranged at a position as shown in FIG. 2, for example.
FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram of an embodiment of bill identification and conveyance processing, and is a view of a bill conveyance path L (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a conveyance path) that is long in the left-right direction of the paper viewed from the side.
In FIG. 2, the feeding direction of the inserted bill P1 is assumed to be from the left side to the right side of the paper surface.
The banknotes inserted from the banknote insertion slot (not shown) are delivered one by one, and are transported on the banknote transport path L by the transport belt.
FIG. 2A shows one inserted bill P1 conveyed to the bill conveyance path L before it reaches the bill discrimination area R.
FIG. 2B shows a case where the inserted bill P1 conveyed to the bill conveying path L is conveyed into the bill identifying area R which is a photographing range of the camera.

The banknote identification area R, which is the shooting range of the camera, is arranged relatively upstream of the banknote transport path L. Further, in the illustrated banknote transport path L, a passage sensor 14 to be described later is arranged on the downstream side of the banknote identification area R, and further on the downstream side, a 1000-yen storage box 23a and a 5000-yen storage box 23b are provided in order. It is assumed that the 10,000-yen storage box 23c is placed at the farthest downstream position. Although the 2000-yen storage is not shown, if the 2000-yen storage is provided, it may be arranged between the 1000-yen storage 23a and the 5000-yen storage 23b, for example.

In addition, in FIG. 2, a storage gate 22 for guiding the corresponding bill to the storage is provided above each storage. The storage gate 22 automatically opens and closes based on a predetermined opening/closing signal provided by the storage control unit 18.
When the banknote is not conveyed, each storage gate 22 is in a closed state (closed) as shown in FIG. When a bill is conveyed, only the storage gate corresponding to the bill is opened (opened), and the conveyed bill is stored in the storage box below the opened storage gate.

The bill discriminating unit 13 is a portion for discriminating the type of bill conveyed to a predetermined bill discriminating region R on the conveying path. In particular, as described above, the image data of the bill identifying area R captured by the camera 12 is used to identify the type of the bill conveyed in the bill identifying area R.
When a banknote is not transported, the captured image data only captures the transport path and the transport belt that moves, but since the banknote is generally rectangular, the inserted banknote is the banknote identification area R. It is recognized that there is a rectangular object in the image data while being transported inside.
Therefore, the image of the banknote conveyed in the banknote recognition area R is acquired from the imaged image data of the banknote recognition area R. For example, when the image data includes a rectangular image, it is determined that the bill has been conveyed to the bill identifying area R, and the rectangular image is cut out as a bill image.

The type of banknote is identified from the acquired image of the banknote.
For example, the acquired banknote image is compared with a plurality of banknote reference images (banknote determination information 32) stored in advance in the storage unit 30 described later.
Among the reference images of the plurality of banknotes (banknote determination information 32) stored in advance in the storage unit 30, if there is an image that can match the acquired image of the banknote, it is associated with the reference image that can match. The type of banknote is determined to be the type of banknote currently conveyed to the banknote identification area R.

The banknote passage detection unit 14 is a unit that detects that the banknote whose type has been identified by the banknote identification unit 13 has passed a predetermined position on the transport path. This predetermined position is called a passage determination position. The passage determination position is between the banknote identification area and the plurality of storage boxes.
When the banknote passage detection unit 14 detects that the banknote of which the type is identified has passed the passage determination position, the storage control unit 18 corresponds to the type of the banknote that has passed the passage determination position, as described later. The storage gate provided in the attached storage is opened.

As the bill passage detection unit 14, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, a passage sensor including a light emitting unit 14a that emits light and a light receiving unit 14b that receives the light is used. An infrared sensor that emits and receives infrared light may be used as the passage sensor.
The light emitting unit 14a and the light receiving unit 14b are arranged at the passage determination position, which is a position facing each other with the banknote transport path L substantially in the center, and when the banknote is not transported to the facing position, the light emitting unit 14a emits The infrared rays thus generated are arranged to be received by the light receiving section 14b.

When the infrared light is received by the light receiving unit 14b, an electric signal indicating that the infrared light is received by the light receiving unit, that is, an electric signal indicating that the banknote does not pass through the facing position (passage determination position), is output. By confirming the signal, it is detected that the bill has not passed the facing position (passage determination position).
On the other hand, when the light receiving section 14b does not receive infrared rays, this electric signal is not output. That is, by confirming that this electric signal is not output, it is detected that the banknote is currently passing through the facing position (passage determination position).
FIG. 3A shows a state in which the bill has passed the passage determination position.

The passing bill determination unit 15 determines whether the bill detected by the bill passage detection unit 14 has entered a predetermined position (pass determination position) or has exited from a predetermined position (pass determination position). Is.
Advancement/retreat to the passage determination position can be determined by a change in the light receiving state of infrared rays detected by the light receiving unit 14b.

For example, when the light receiving state of the light (infrared ray) of the light receiving unit changes from the presence of light to the absence of light, it is determined that the bill has entered the passage determination position. That is, it is determined that the leading edge of the bill has passed the passage determination position. As a result, it is recognized that the bill has been conveyed to the passage determination position.
In particular, when the banknote passage detection unit 14 detects that the leading edge of the banknote whose type has been identified has passed the passage determination position, the storage control unit 18 is associated with the type of the banknote that has passed the passage determination position. Open the storage gate provided in the storage cabinet.

Conversely, when the light receiving state of the light (infrared ray) of the light receiving unit changes from no light receiving to light receiving, it is determined that the banknote has exited the passage determination position. That is, it is determined that the trailing edge of the bill has passed the passage determination position. As a result, it is recognized that the entire bill has passed the passage determination position.
When the banknote passage detector 14 detects that the rear end of the banknote of which the type has been identified has passed the passage determination position, the banknote passes in order to determine the timing of closing the storage gate, as described later. After that, a timer (called a passage timer) that measures the elapse of time T is started.
If it is not detected that a new inserted bill has passed the passage determination position before this time T has passed, after the time T has passed, the type has been associated with the identified type of bill. Close the storage gate provided in the storage.

However, in the present invention, the storage gate once opened is not closed until the time preset in the passage timer elapses.
Further, even when bills of the same type are continuously conveyed during activation of the passage timer, the storage gate corresponding to the bills is kept open without being closed. That is, when the types of a plurality of continuously inserted banknotes identified by the banknote identification unit 13 are the same, the storage control unit 18 stores the first inserted banknotes of the same type. After opening the storage gate provided in the storage corresponding to the type, keep the opened storage gate open and do not close it until at least the last inserted banknote of the same type is stored. To do so.
This prevents the operation of opening and closing the storage gate from being repeated when banknotes of the same type are continuously conveyed, and can prevent paper jams of banknotes. The bill storage speed can be increased.

On the other hand, when the time set in advance for the passage timer has passed without the passage of the next banknote being detected, and when it is detected that the next different type of banknote has been conveyed, it is conveyed next. The open storage gate is closed to store the incoming banknotes.
That is, when the type of the newly inserted banknote identified by the banknote identification unit 13 is different from the type of the banknote corresponding to the currently opened storage gate, the banknote passage detection unit 14 detects the newly inserted banknote. When it is detected that the leading edge has passed the passage determination position, the storage control unit 18 closes the storage gate that is currently open, and then stores the storage bank associated with the type of the newly inserted banknote. Make sure that the storage gate provided is open.

The banknote transport unit 16 is a part that guides the inserted banknotes to a predetermined banknote transport path and moves on the banknote transport path. In the banknote transport path L, for example, a transport belt is installed.
The conveyor belt is driven in one direction by a motor or the like at a constant speed to move the banknotes mounted on the conveyor belt in a predetermined conveying direction.
The banknote transport path L for transporting banknotes may be a straight line as shown in FIG. 2, but is not necessarily a straight line.
The banknote transport path L may be a transport path having a curved portion in part, or may be a meandering transport path, and a banknote identification area R and a passage determination position are arranged in the middle of the banknote transport path L. I wish I could.

The bill insertion detection unit 17 is a portion that detects that a bill has been inserted from the bill insertion port 21.
The banknote insertion slot 21 is an entrance for inserting banknotes, similar to that provided in a vending machine, a POS terminal, or the like, and immediately after the banknote insertion slot, the banknote inserted into the banknote insertion slot has passed. A switch or sensor for detection is provided as the bill insertion detection unit 17.
For example, the switch may be arranged so that the contact is closed when the inserted bill passes, and when the contact is closed, it detects that the bill has been inserted. Alternatively, as the sensor, an infrared sensor including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit is used, and the infrared sensor is arranged so that the inserted bill passes between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit, and the light emitting unit is directed toward the light receiving unit. When the emitted infrared rays are shielded by the passing bills, it is detected that the bills have been inserted.

The storage controller 18 is a part for storing the conveyed banknotes in the storage box 23 corresponding to the type of the banknotes, and is mainly a part for opening and closing the storage gate 22.
For example, the storage gate 22 provided in the storage corresponding to the type of the inserted banknote is opened, and the inserted banknote is stored in the storage of the opened storage gate.
As shown in FIG. 2 and the like, a plurality of storage boxes 23 are arranged at different positions of the banknote transport path L for different types of banknotes at predetermined intervals, and each storage box 23 is a banknote type. Has been previously associated with. A storage gate 22 that can be opened and closed is provided at a portion of each storage box 23 that serves as a bill entrance. Each storage case 23 is arrange|positioned corresponding to three banknotes, for example, as shown in FIG.
During normal times, such as when no banknote has been inserted, all the storage gates 22 are closed to prevent banknotes from being stored in the storage.

Further, when the leading edge of the inserted bill passes the passage determination position, the storage control unit 18 stores the inserted bill in a storage box associated with the type of the bill.
Specifically, when a banknote whose type has been identified by the banknote identifying unit 13 is to be stored in the storage box 23 associated with that type, when the leading edge of the banknote passes the passage determination position, the banknote is stored in the storage box 23. The storage gate 22 provided is opened.
When the banknotes are further conveyed with the storage gate 22 opened, the banknotes are stored in the storage box 23 at the position where the storage gate 22 is open, as shown in FIG. 3B.

Even after the bills have been stored, the storage gate 22 remains open until the time set by the passage timer elapses or the passage of the next inserted bill of a different type is detected. To do.
For example, if 10 1000-yen banknotes are continuously inserted, after opening the storage gate of the 1000-yen storage to store the 1st 1000-yen banknote, the 10th 1000-yen banknote The storage gate of the 1000-yen storage will remain open until it is stored. After that, if it is detected that a different type of 5000 yen bill has passed the passage determination position on the 11th sheet, the storage gate of the 1000 yen storage is closed.

The storage unit 30 is a unit that stores information and programs required to execute each function of the bill identifying and storing apparatus of the present invention, and is mainly a semiconductor storage element such as ROM, RAM, or flash memory, HDD, SSD. And other storage media such as a CD-ROM.
The storage unit 30 stores, for example, the passage timer value 31, the bill determination information 32, the input image data 33, the initial bill type 34, the current pass bill type 35, and the like.

The passage timer value 31 is a time T preset in a passage timer that measures the elapsed time after one banknote passes through the passage determination position. When the passage banknote determination unit 15 detects that the trailing edge of one banknote has passed the passage determination position, the passage timer is activated and counting of a preset passage timer value T is started.
When one banknote P1 passes the passage determination position, the storage gate of the storage corresponding to the banknote P1 is opened, but the passage timer value 31 indicates that the next banknote P2 passes the passage determination position. Corresponding to the waiting time T, the storage gate of the storage corresponding to the banknote P1 is closed when the next banknote P2 does not pass the passage determination position and the time T set in the passage timer value elapses.

The banknote determination information 32 (hereinafter, also referred to as a reference image) is image data of a plurality of banknotes to be identified, which are stored in advance for each banknote type. This is information used as a comparative image.
For example, for each of the four types of Japanese banknotes, a reference image file is stored in advance in association with the type of banknote.
If it is a 1000-yen bill, the image data on the front surface of the 1000-yen bill and the image data on the back surface of the 1000-yen bill are stored as a reference image file.
Further, as the reference image 32, not only the four types of banknotes of Japan, but also other banknotes (banknotes of other countries, special banknotes used only in a specific store, etc.) depending on the store used and the usage situation. The image file may be stored.

The input image data 33 is image data captured by the camera 12.
As described above, the input image data 33 is obtained by photographing the inside of the bill identifying area R, and the image data when the bill enters the bill identifying area R is used for identifying the bill.
Further, the input image data 33 may be a still image continuously shot at a predetermined time interval or a moving image.
At least, after the first bill is inserted, the storage of the input image data 33 is started, and then the input image data 33 is kept stored until a fixed period (for example, 10 seconds) elapses. Alternatively, the input image data 33 is stored until the storage of banknotes in the storage is completed.
Further, the stored input image data 33 may be deleted after a specific event process such as change payment process is completed.

The initial banknote type 34 stores the banknote type identified by the banknote identifying unit 13 after the first banknote has been inserted in a state in which the banknote has not been inserted for a predetermined time or more and the banknote transport process has not been performed. This is the information. For example, when a 1000-yen bill is inserted as the first bill and it is identified that the type of the bill is 1000 yen, information of 1000 yen is stored as the initial bill type 34.
The initial bill type 34 is used to determine whether the second and subsequent bills are the same type as the first bill.
In the case where the bills are not inserted for a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) or more and the bills are not conveyed, the information stored in the initial bill type 34 may be erased.

The current-passage banknote type 35 is information that stores the types of banknotes that have been successively conveyed to the banknote identification area R after the first banknote type has been identified.
Each time a new banknote is conveyed to the banknote identification area R and the type of the banknote is identified, the current passing banknote type 35 is rewritten. That is, the current passage banknote type 35 stores the types of banknotes that have recently passed through the banknote identification area R, and the types of inserted banknotes of the second and subsequent sheets are sequentially stored.
The current passing banknote type 35 is a second or subsequent inserted banknote and is used to determine whether or not the type of the banknote that has recently passed through the banknote identification area R is the same as the first banknote.

For example, the current passing banknote type 35 and the initial banknote type 34 are compared, and if they match, it is determined that the type of the banknote that has recently passed through the banknote identification area R is the same as the first type of the banknote. On the other hand, as a result of the comparison between the currently passed banknote type 35 and the initial banknote type 34, if they do not match, it is determined that the type of the banknote that has recently passed through the banknote identification area R is different from the first banknote type.

By the above determination, if the type of bill that has recently passed through the bill identification area R is determined to be the same type as the first bill, the storage gate of the storage corresponding to the first bill, the first bill is stored. Even after it is stored in, it remains open instead of being closed.
On the other hand, when it is determined that the type of the banknote that has recently passed through the banknote identification area R is not the same type as the first banknote, the storage control unit 18 closes the storage gate of the storage box corresponding to the first banknote.
In the case where the bill has not been inserted for a predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes) or more and the bill conveyance process has not been performed, the information stored in the current passing bill type 35 may be erased.

<Banknote identification and storage processing>
FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 are explanatory diagrams of an embodiment of bill identification and storage processing when bills are continuously inserted.
FIG. 4 shows the process of identifying the type of bill for the first inserted bill P1 and storing the bill in the corresponding storage.
FIG. 5 shows a case in which the type of the second inserted banknote P2 of the same type as the first inserted banknote P1 is identified and the banknote is stored in the corresponding storage.
FIG. 6 shows the types of bills of the third thrown bill P3 different from the first thrown bill P1 until the bill type is identified and stored in the corresponding storage.
It should be noted that, in these figures, for ease of explanation, the banknote transport paths to the storages of 1000 yen and 5000 yen are shown, and the banknotes to be inserted are also 1000 yen and 5000 yen.

First, in FIG. 4A, if the first inserted banknote P1 is conveyed to the banknote identification region R, as in FIG. 2B, the image capturing unit 12 captures the input image data of the inserted banknote P1. Then, the bill identifying unit 13 identifies the type of the inserted bill P1 using the input image data.
The type of the inserted bill P1 is stored in the storage unit 30 as the initial bill type 34. For example, when the input banknote P1 is a 1000-yen banknote, information of 1000 yen is stored in the initial banknote type 34.
Further, in FIG. 4A, since the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the passage sensor is received by the light receiving portion of the passage sensor, a signal indicating that the light is received is output from the light receiving portion.

Next, in FIG. 4B, the first inserted banknote P1 is conveyed to a position (passage determination position) where the passage sensor 14 that is the banknote passage detection unit is arranged, and light is emitted to the leading end portion of the inserted banknote P1. If so, the light does not reach the light receiving portion of the passage sensor. That is, the signal indicating that the light is received is not output from the light receiving unit.
At this time, when the passing bill determining unit 15 detects that the signal output from the light receiving unit changes from the presence of light to the absence of light, it is determined that the leading edge of the first inserted bill P1 has reached the passage determining position.

As a result, the control unit 11 confirms the type of the first inserted bill P1 by the initial bill type 34, and then issues an instruction to the storage control unit 18 to open the storage gate of the storage box corresponding to the type of the bill P1. .. Based on this instruction, the storage control unit 18 opens the storage gate of the storage corresponding to the type of banknote P1.
As shown in FIG. 4C, when the type of the first inserted bill P1 is 1000 yen, the storage gate of the storage container for 1000 yen is opened. Even while the storage gate is open, the first inserted bill P1 is conveyed rightward.

After that, when the first inserted banknote P1 is conveyed to the right, the trailing edge of the first inserted banknote P1 passes through the passage determination position, as shown in FIG. 4(d).
In this state, the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the passage sensor is received by the light receiving portion of the passage sensor. That is, since the light reaches the light receiving portion of the passage sensor, a signal indicating that light has been received is output from the light receiving portion.
At this time, when the passing bill determination unit 15 detects that the signal output from the light receiving unit has changed from no light reception to light reception, it is determined that the trailing edge of the first inserted bill P1 has passed the passage determination position. To do.
When it is determined that the rear end of the bill P1 has passed the passage determination position, the passage timer setting value 31 stored in the storage unit is set in the passage timer, and the timer is activated.

After that, when the first inserted bill P1 continues to be conveyed in the right direction, as shown in FIG. 4(e), the first inserted bill P1 is conveyed to the position of the opened storage gate, and the opened storage gate is opened. It is stored in the storage below. When the type of the first inserted banknote P1 is 1000 yen, it is stored in the storage box of 1000 yen as shown in FIG. 4(e).
In addition, when the second inserted bill P2 is continuously inserted after the first inserted bill P1, the second inserted bill P2 is conveyed onto the bill conveyance path L.

Next, in FIG. 5A, the first inserted banknote P1 is completely stored in the storage box, but the storage gate of the storage box for the banknote P1 is still open.
If the second inserted banknote P2 is conveyed to the banknote identification area R, the image capturing unit 12 captures the input image data of the inserted banknote P2, and the banknote identification unit 13 uses the input image data. Thus, the type of the inserted bill P2 is identified.

Next, in FIG. 5B, assuming that the second inserted banknote P2 is conveyed to the passage determination position where the passage sensor 14 is arranged and the tip portion of the banknote P2 is irradiated with light, FIG. Similarly, the light does not reach the light receiving portion of the passage sensor, so that the signal indicating that the light is received is not output from the light receiving portion.
As a result, when the passing banknote determining unit 15 detects that the signal output from the light receiving unit has changed from receiving light to not receiving light, it is determined that the leading edge of the second inserted banknote P2 has reached the passage determination position. To do.
Further, the control unit 11 acquires the type of the banknote P2 identified by the banknote identifying unit 13, and the inserted banknote P2 is not the first inserted banknote, so the acquired type of the inserted banknote P2 is stored in the storage unit 30. It is stored in the passing bill type 35. For example, when the second inserted bill P2 is a 1000-yen bill, the current passing bill type 35 stores information of 1000 yen.

Further, the initial bill type 34 and the current passing bill type 35 stored in the storage unit 30 are compared. When the initial banknote type 34 and the current passing banknote type 35 are the same, the storage gate of the storage box for the inserted banknote P1 that is currently open is left open.
As shown in FIG. 5(c), if the type of the second inserted banknote P2 is 1000 yen, which is the same as that of the first inserted banknote P1, even if the banknote P2 is conveyed to the right, a storage room of 1000 yen Leave the storage gate of opened.

After that, when the second inserted banknote P2 is conveyed rightward, the rear end of the second inserted banknote P2 passes through the passage determination position, as shown in FIG. 5D.
In this state, the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the passage sensor is received by the light receiving portion of the passage sensor, so that a signal indicating that the light has been received is output from the light receiving portion.
Therefore, as in FIG. 4D, when the passing bill determination unit 15 detects that the signal output from the light receiving unit has changed from no light reception to light reception, the rear end of the second inserted banknote P2 is detected. However, it is determined that the vehicle has passed the passage determination position, the passage timer set value 31 stored in the storage unit is reset to the passage timer, and the timer is restarted.

After that, when the second inserted bill P2 continues to be conveyed in the right direction, as shown in FIG. 5(e), the second inserted bill P2 is conveyed to the position of the storage gate which is still open. , It is stored in the storage box below the opened storage gate. When the type of the second inserted banknote P2 is 1000 yen, which is the same as the type of the first inserted banknote P1, the second inserted banknote P2 is stored in the storage box of 1000 yen as shown in FIG. 5(e). It is stored.
In addition, when the third banknote P3 is continuously inserted, the third banknote P3 is conveyed onto the banknote conveyance path L.

As described above, as shown in FIGS. 4(c) to 5(e), when two banknotes of the same type are continuously conveyed, it is confirmed that the first inserted banknote P1 has passed. After that, since the storage gate of the storage for the first inserted bill P1 is kept open until the second inserted bill P2 is stored, the first inserted bill P1 and the second inserted bill P2 are conveyed. Even if the interval is quite short, the second inserted bill P2 does not cause a paper jam.
That is, it is possible to prevent paper jams and shorten the transportation interval for the same type of banknotes that are continuously inserted.

Next, in FIG. 6A, the second inserted bill P2 is completely stored in the storage box, but the storage gates of the storage boxes for the banknotes P1 and P2 are still open.
If the third inserted banknote P3 is conveyed to the banknote identification area R, the image capturing unit 12 captures the input image data of the inserted banknote P3, and the banknote identification unit 13 uses the input image data. Then, the type of the inserted bill P3 is identified.
If the input banknote P3 is 5000 yen, the type of the input banknote P3 is identified as 5000 yen.

Next, in FIG. 6B, if the third inserted bill P3 is conveyed to the passage determination position where the passage sensor 14 is arranged and light is irradiated to the leading end portion of the bill P3, FIG. Similarly, the light does not reach the light receiving portion of the passage sensor, so that the signal indicating that the light is received is not output from the light receiving portion.
As a result, when the passing banknote determining unit 15 detects that the signal output from the light receiving unit has changed from receiving light to not receiving light, it is determined that the leading edge of the third inserted banknote P3 has reached the passing determination position. To do.
Further, the control unit 11 acquires the type of the banknote P3 identified by the banknote identification unit 13, and the inserted banknote P3 is not the first inserted banknote, so the acquired type of the inserted banknote P3 is stored in the storage unit 30. It is stored in the passing bill type 35. For example, if the third inserted banknote P3 is a 5000 yen banknote, the current banknote type 35 stores information of 5000 yen.

Further, the initial bill type 34 and the current passing bill type 35 stored in the storage unit 30 are compared. If the initial banknote type 34 and the current passing banknote type 35 are not the same, the storage gate of the storage box for the currently opened input banknote P1 is closed.
When 1000 yen is stored in the initial banknote type 34 and 5000 yen is stored in the current passing banknote type 35, the type of the third inserted banknote P3 is different from the type of the first inserted banknote P1. As shown in (b), the storage gate of the 1000-yen storage box for the first inserted bill P1 is closed.

Also, since the type of the third inserted banknote P3 is different from the type of the first inserted banknote P1, in order to regard the third inserted banknote P3 as a new first inserted banknote, the type of the inserted banknote P3 Is stored in the initial bill type 34 of the storage unit 30.
Further, the control unit 11 confirms the type of the inserted banknote P3 regarded as the first inserted banknote by the initial banknote type 34, and then causes the storage control unit 18 to set the storage gate of the storage box corresponding to the type of the banknote P3. Based on the instruction, the storage control unit 18 opens the storage gate of the storage box corresponding to the type of the banknote P3.
As shown in FIG. 6C, when the type of the inserted bill P3 is 5000 yen, the storage gate of the storage container of 5000 yen is opened. The inserted banknote P3 is conveyed rightward even while the storage gate is open.

After that, when the inserted bill P3 is conveyed rightward, the rear end of the inserted bill P3 passes through the passage determination position, as shown in FIG. 6(d).
In this state, the light emitted from the light emitting portion of the passage sensor is received by the light receiving portion of the passage sensor, so that a signal indicating that the light has been received is output from the light receiving portion.
At this time, when the passing bill determination unit 15 detects that the signal output from the light receiving unit has changed from no light reception to light reception, it is determined that the rear end of the inserted bill P3 has passed the passage determination position.
When it is determined that the rear end of the inserted bill P3 has passed the passage determination position, the passage timer setting value 31 stored in the storage unit is set again in the passage timer, and the timer is restarted.

After that, when the inserted bill P3 continues to be conveyed in the right direction, as shown in FIG. 6(e), the inserted bill P3 is conveyed to the position of the opened storage gate, and under the opened storage gate. It is stored in the storage. When the type of the inserted banknote P3 is 5000 yen, which is different from the type of the first inserted banknote P1, the inserted banknote P3 passes through the storage box of 1000 yen and the storage gate is opened as shown in FIG. 6(e). It is stored in the open 5000 yen storage.

After FIG. 6(e), if there is no new bill inserted, the passage timer has been restarted, so the storage gate of the 5000 yen storage box will remain until the restarted passage timer times out. , Remains open.
Further, the storage gate of the 5000 yen storage that has been opened is closed after the time set in the passage timer setting value 31 has passed without the insertion of new bills.

<Banknote identification and storage processing>
FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of an embodiment of banknote sorting and storing processing in the bill identifying and storing apparatus of the present invention.
Here, the banknote type identification process by the banknote identification unit 13 is executed as a process different from the banknote sorting storage process, and the banknote type identified by the identification process is used in the sorting storage process. I shall.

In step S1 of FIG. 7, the bill insertion detection unit 17 performs a bill insertion detection process to check whether a bill has been inserted into the bill insertion slot 21.
In step S2, if a bill has been inserted, the process proceeds to step S3, and if not, the process returns to step S1.

In step S3, the passing banknote determining unit 15 uses the signal obtained from the banknote passing detecting unit 14 to perform the banknote passing detection process. Here, the presence or absence of a change in the signal acquired from the passage sensor which is the bill passage detection unit 14 is checked to detect whether the leading edge of the inserted bill has entered the passage determination position. Specifically, as described above, it is checked by the signal output from the light receiving unit whether or not the state of receiving light is changed from the state of receiving light to the state of not receiving light. , It is determined that the leading edge of the inserted bill has entered the passage determination position (the leading edge of the bill has passed the passage determination position).
If it is detected in step S4 that the leading edge of the inserted bill has passed the passage determination position, the process proceeds to step S5, and if not, step S3 is repeated.

In step S5, the type of the banknote whose passage is detected is acquired from the identification result of the banknote identification unit 13, and the type of the first inserted banknote is stored in the initial banknote type 34 of the storage unit.
In step S6, the storage control unit 18 opens the storage gate of the storage corresponding to the type of the first inserted banknote based on the initial banknote type 34.

In step S7, the passed banknote determination unit 15 uses the signal obtained from the banknote passage detection unit 14 to perform the banknote passage detection process.
Here, unlike step S3, the presence/absence of a signal acquired from the passage sensor, which is the bill passage detection unit 14, is checked to detect whether or not the rear end of the inserted bill has exited from the passage determination position. To do. Specifically, as described above, the signal output from the light receiving unit is used to check whether or not the light has changed from the state of no light reception to the state of light reception. , It is determined that the rear end of the inserted bill has withdrawn from the passage determination position (the rear end of the bill has passed the passage determination position).
If it is detected in step S8 that the trailing edge of the inserted bill has passed the passage determination position, the process proceeds to step S9, and if not, step S7 is repeated.

In step S9, the passage timer value 31 stored in the storage unit is set as the initial value of the passage timer, and the passage timer T is activated.
In step S10, the passing banknote determination unit 15 performs the next banknote passing detection process.
Here, it is detected whether or not the leading edge of the banknote that has been continuously inserted after the first inserted banknote has entered the passage determination position, as in step S3.
If it is detected in step S11 that the leading edge of the next inserted bill has passed the passage determination position, the process proceeds to step S14, and if not, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S12, it is checked whether or not the time set in the passage timer T has elapsed, and if this set time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S13. If it has not elapsed, the process returns to step S10, and the passage of the leading edge of the next inserted bill is checked again.
In step S13, the passage of the leading edge of the next inserted banknote was not detected even after the lapse of a predetermined set time, so the storage bank opened in step S6, and the type of the first inserted banknote The storage gate of the currently open storage cabinet corresponding to is closed.
Then, it returns to step S1.

In step S14, as in step S5, the current type of banknote for which passage is detected is acquired from the identification result of the banknote identification unit 13. Then, the acquired banknote type is stored in the current passing banknote type 35 of the storage unit,
In step S15, the initial bill type 34 stored in the storage unit 30 and the current passing bill type 35 are compared.
As a result of the comparison in step S16, if the two are coincident with each other and the type of the currently detected banknote and the first inserted banknote are the same, the process returns to step S7. In this case, the storage gate of the first banknote storage currently opened is not closed.

On the other hand, as a result of the comparison between the initial banknote type 34 and the current passing banknote type 35, if the two do not match and the type of the currently detected banknote and the first inserted banknote are different, the process proceeds to step S17.
In step S17, similarly to step S13, the storage gate of the storage corresponding to the type of the first inserted bill opened in step S6 is closed.
Then, it returns to step S5. As a result, the banknote whose current passage has been detected is regarded as the first banknote, the type of banknote whose current passage has been detected is stored in the initial banknote type 34, and the processing described above is repeated.

<Other embodiments>
(Other Embodiment 1)
In the above embodiment, using a camera for capturing an image, the image data of the inserted banknote captured by the camera and the reference image stored in advance were compared to identify the type of the inserted banknote. It is not limited.
For example, when the size and shape of each banknote are different, the size and shape of the banknote that serves as a reference for each banknote type are stored in the storage unit 30 in advance, and the size and shape of the inserted banknote and the stored standard are stored. The type of the inserted bill may be identified by comparing the size and the shape of the bill.
Further, the type of the inserted bill may be identified using a magnetic sensor or the like.

(Other Embodiment 2)
In the above-described embodiment, as the bill passage detection unit 14, the passage sensor including the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit provided at the passage determination position is used to detect the passage of the inserted bill, but the present invention is not limited to this.
As the passage sensor, a magnetic sensor or the like may be used instead of the infrared sensor.
When a video camera that captures a moving image is used as the image capturing unit 12, the moving state of the banknote can be captured in almost real time. Therefore, the functions of the image capturing unit 12 and the banknote discriminating unit 13 allow the banknote passing detection unit 14 to operate. It is also possible to realize a function equivalent to the bill passage detection performed by.
In the banknote identification area R, after the entire image of the inserted banknote is captured by the image capturing unit 12, the inserted banknote is no longer captured, and the trailing end of the inserted banknote passes through the banknote identification area R to store the banknote. Since it can be determined that the banknote has been conveyed in a certain direction, the storage gate of the storage box corresponding to the identified type may be opened immediately after the banknote discriminating unit 13 completes the discrimination of the type of the inserted banknote. ..
In this case, the passage sensor 14 may not be provided if the distance between the banknote identification region R and the position of the first storage is set in consideration of the time required to identify the type of banknote. Therefore, by omitting the passage sensor, it is possible to reduce the size and cost of the device.

(Other Embodiment 3)
In the above embodiment, four types of banknotes in Japan have been described as identification targets, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, banknotes of other countries, banknotes used only in a specific store, or coins such as play coins may be used as the identification target.
The identification target may be a gift certificate, a ticket, or an object whose type can be identified by image data taken by a camera, in addition to a bill.
Further, the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for distinguishing a good product from a defective product of a certain product according to the appearance, and further to an apparatus for reading and sorting certain information on an object to be conveyed, the invention of the present invention. A device may be utilized.

11 control part, 12 image photographing part, 13 banknote discriminating part, 14 banknote passage detecting part, 15 passing banknote determining part, 16 banknote transporting part, 17 banknote insertion detecting part, 18 storage control part, 21 banknote inserting port, 22 storage gate , 23 storage, 30 storage section, 31 passage timer setting value, 32 banknote determination information (reference image), 33 input image data, 34 initial banknote type, 35 current banknote type

Claims (7)

A banknote transport unit that guides the inserted banknotes to a predetermined transport path and moves on the transport path,
A plurality of storages that are arranged at different positions of the transport path for each type of banknotes, and are associated in advance with the type of banknotes,
A storage gate that can be opened and closed at the bill entrance of each storage box,
A banknote identification unit for identifying the type of banknote transported to a predetermined banknote identification region on the transport path,
A bill whose type is identified by the bill identifying unit is a bill passage detecting unit that detects that the bill has passed a predetermined passage determination position on the transport path,
A storage control unit that opens the storage gate provided in the storage corresponding to the type of the inserted banknotes and stores the input banknotes in the storage of the opened storage gates;
If the types of a plurality of continuously inserted banknotes identified by the banknote identification unit are the same type, in order to store the first inserted banknote of the same type, the storage control unit determines the type of the banknote. After opening the storage gate provided in the storage associated with, at least until the last inserted bill of the same type is stored, the opened storage gate is kept open,
When the banknote passage detection unit detects that the rear end of the banknote of which the type is identified has passed the passage determination position, the next banknote passes the passage determination position, and the next banknote is the passage determination position. Start a passage timer that measures the passage of time to wait to pass, before the time has elapsed, if it is not detected that a new inserted banknote has passed the passage determination position, the time After the lapse of time, the storage control unit closes a storage gate provided in a storage box associated with the type of banknote of which the type has been identified, and a banknote identification storage device. When the bill passage detection unit detects that the bill of which the type has been identified has passed the passage determination position, the storage control unit associates it with the type of bill that has passed the passage determination position. The banknote identification storage device according to claim 1, wherein a storage gate provided in the stored storage is opened. The passage determination position is between the banknote identification area and the plurality of storages,
When the bill passage detection unit detects that the leading edge of the bill of which type has been identified has passed the passage determination position, the storage control unit is associated with the type of bill that has passed the passage determination position. The banknote identification and storage device according to claim 1 , wherein a storage gate provided in the storage box is opened. If the type of newly inserted banknote identified by the banknote identification unit is different from the type of banknote corresponding to the currently open storage gate,
When the bill passage detection unit detects that the tip of the newly inserted bill has passed the passage determination position, the storage control unit closes the storage gate that is currently open, The banknote identification and storage device according to claim 3, wherein a storage gate provided in a storage box corresponding to the type of banknote inserted into the banknote is opened. Further comprising an image capturing unit that captures a bill identification area of the transport path,
The bill identifying portion, by utilizing the image data of the captured bill identification field, from claim 1, wherein the identifying the type of the conveyed bills in the bill validator region 4 according to any one Banknote identification and storage device. A reference image of a plurality of banknotes to be identified is provided with a storage unit that stores in advance each banknote type,
The bill identifying unit acquires an image of the bill conveyed to the bill identifying region from the image data of the photographed bill identifying region, and acquires the one of the reference images of the bill stored in advance in the storage unit. The banknote identification and storage device according to claim 5 , wherein the banknote type corresponding to the reference image that can be matched with the banknote image is determined as the type of the transported banknote. The bill passage detection unit includes a light emitting unit that emits light and a light receiving unit that receives the light,
The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged at the passage determination position, which is a position facing each other across the transport path,
When the light receiving state of the light receiving unit changes from receiving light to not receiving light , it is determined that the leading edge of the bill has passed the passage determination position, and the light receiving state of the light receiving unit changes from not receiving light to receiving light. The banknote identification and storage device according to claim 1 , further comprising a passed banknote determination unit that determines that the rear end of the banknote has passed the passage determination position when the banknote changes to.