JP7068022B2 - Print quality inspection system - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a print quality inspection system.

In the paper leaf processing apparatus, a step of inspecting the print quality of paper leaves, for example, banknotes may be provided. Such a paper leaf processing apparatus performs an inspection of print quality, for example, as follows.
First, the banknotes transported in the paper sheet processing device are imaged by a plurality of types of sensors (for example, a line camera), and each of the imaged sensor data (for example, image data) is interfaced (for example, a camera link). It is aggregated in the image aggregation device via. The image aggregation device outputs the sensor data to the arithmetic unit via the same interface as the interface in which the image data is fetched from the sensor. The arithmetic unit performs an operation related to a predetermined print quality based on the received sensor data. For example, if the sensor data is RGB (three primary colors) image data, it is calculated whether or not the printed image of the banknote retains a predetermined quality. In this way, the print quality of the banknote is inspected based on the calculation result executed by each arithmetic unit. Further, each arithmetic unit stores the arithmetic result in the storage apparatus provided in the arithmetic unit. It should be noted that the reason why the data of the plurality of types of sensors are aggregated in the image aggregation device is that the inspection may be performed using the data of the plurality of types. With this configuration, it is possible to increase the degree of parallelism by adding an arithmetic unit.
As a detection device, a technique is known in which a plurality of sensor units and a control unit connected to these sensor units by a low-speed serial transmission line are provided, and an extra path or device for data collection is not required. ..

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-121917

By the way, the image aggregation device has a limit on the number of ports that can input image data taken by a camera. For example, if the image aggregator has 4 ports, it is physically impossible to aggregate the sensor data of more than 4 sensors in the image aggregator because only 4 sensors can be connected at the maximum. .. For this reason, for example, the types of paper sheets processed by the paper sheet processing device increase, and even if it becomes necessary to add a new sensor to inspect the print quality, a specified number of sensors are already connected to the image aggregation device. If so, the new sensor could not be connected to the image aggregator and the sensor data could be acquired. As described above, in the print quality inspection system using the image aggregation device, there is a limit to the addition of sensors, and there is a limit to the scalability to increase the inspection target for paper sheets. Therefore, when increasing the number of inspection targets, it was necessary to redesign and develop the image aggregation device.

An object to be solved by the present invention is to provide a scalable print quality control system.

The print quality inspection system for inspecting the print quality of paper sheets according to an embodiment includes a plurality of sensors, a plurality of conversion devices, a plurality of arithmetic units, and a storage device. The plurality of sensors acquire data for inspecting print quality from the paper sheets. The plurality of conversion devices convert the data from the first interface for receiving the data to the second interface capable of transmitting the data via the network, and are associated with the plurality of sensors, respectively. The plurality of arithmetic units are connected to the conversion device via the network, and inspect the print quality of the paper sheets based on the data, and are associated with the plurality of conversion devices, respectively. The storage device is connected to the plurality of conversion devices via the network . Further, the plurality of conversion devices transmit the data received via the first interface to the storage device and the associated arithmetic unit via the second interface, and the storage device is the storage device. The data received from the plurality of conversion devices is stored, and the calculation results of the plurality of arithmetic units are stored.

The perspective view which shows typically an example of the structure of the paper leaf processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the inspection part which concerns on the same embodiment schematically. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the conversion apparatus which concerns on the same embodiment. A timing chart showing an example of data acquisition timing according to the same embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the structure of the arithmetic unit which concerns on the same embodiment. The image figure which shows an example of the control parameter which concerns on the same embodiment. The figure for demonstrating an example of the data flow at the time of inspecting the print quality which concerns on the said embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of the configuration of the paper leaf processing apparatus 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The paper leaf processing device 11 has a paper leaf processing unit 12 for taking in and processing banknotes P as paper sheets, and an operation display unit 13 for operating the paper sheet processing unit 12. It is composed of.

The paper leaf processing unit 12 has a supply unit 14 for setting a plurality of banknotes P in an accumulated state. On the supply side of the supply unit 14, there is provided a take-in unit 15 for taking in the bills P set in the supply unit 14 one by one from the one at the front end in the accumulation direction.
On the downstream side of the take-in section 15, a transport path 16 for transporting the banknotes P taken in by the take-in section 15 one by one is extended. A transport belt and a drive pulley (not shown) are arranged on the transport path 16, and the bill P is transported at a constant speed by running the transport belt by a transport motor (not shown).

An inspection unit 17 for detecting the print quality of the transported bill P is provided on the transport path 16 on the downstream side of the capture unit 15. The print quality inspection system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the inspection unit 17. The inspection unit 17 detects the characteristics of the bill P and inspects the type, stain damage, front and back, authenticity, etc. of the bill P. An example of the detailed configuration of the inspection unit 17 will be described later with reference to FIG.

For example, four gates 21 to 24 are sequentially arranged on the transport path 16 on the downstream side of the inspection unit 17. Each of the gates 21 to 24 is switched according to control by a control unit (not shown) based on the inspection result (inspection result) in the inspection unit 17, and guides the banknote P to a predetermined accumulation unit.

The gate 21 arranged immediately after the inspection unit 17 is a fake ticket determined to be not a legitimate banknote P through the inspection unit 17, a non-inspectable ticket that could not be inspected by the inspection unit 17, and a stack. It is switched to guide the excluded ticket such as the uninspectable ticket to the reject unit 25.

Further, the integrated portions 26 to 29 are arranged at the positions branched by the gates 22 to 24 provided along the transport path 16 on the downstream side of the gate 21, respectively. Only the regular banknotes P other than the exclusion ticket guided through the gate 21 are collected in the collection units 26 to 29.

Next, the inspection unit 17 will be described.
FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the configuration of the inspection unit 17. As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection unit 17 has a timing sensor 31, 41, 51, 61, a sensor 32, 42, 52, 62, a conversion device 33, 43, 53, 63, a hub 70, an arithmetic unit 34, 44, It includes 54, 64, a storage device 71, a gateway device (output device) 72, and an UPS (uninterruptible power supply) 73.

The sensors 32, 42, 52, and 62 are provided at predetermined positions where the banknotes P transported on the transport path 16 can be photographed. Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in the figure, the timing sensor 31, the sensor 32, the timing sensor 41, the sensor 42, the timing sensor 51, the sensor 52, the timing sensor 61, and the sensor 62 are upstream of the transport path 16 in this order. It is provided along the transport path 16 from the side. The sensors 32, 42, 52, 62 are, for example, line sensors, and their arrangement direction is arranged so as to be orthogonal to the transport direction of the banknote P indicated by the arrow in the figure. Since each of the sensors 32, 42, 52, 62 is a detection device that photographs the bill P and acquires the captured data, the front side of the bill P (upper side of the transport path) and the back side of the bill P (the upper side of the transport path). It may be arranged so as to photograph (the lower side of the transport path).

The timing sensors 31, 41, 51, 61 and the conversion devices 33, 43, 53, 63 are connected via I / O ports, respectively, and the sensors 32, 42, 52, 62 and the conversion devices 33, 43, 53 are connected. , 63 are connected by a camera link N1, respectively. Further, the conversion devices 33, 43, 53, 63, the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64, and the storage device 71 are each connected by the network N2 via the hub 70. Further, the storage device 71 is connected to the gateway device 72 and the UPS 73. In this embodiment, the network N2 is a local area network (LAN).

The timing sensor 31 detects the bill P carried along the transport path 16. Then, while the bill P is being detected, the timing sensor 31 outputs an ON signal indicating a state in which the bill P is being detected to the conversion device 33. Further, the sensor 32 includes an irradiation unit (not shown) that irradiates a predetermined position of the transport path 16 with a predetermined wavelength (in the present embodiment, visible light), and a transport path that irradiates light of the predetermined wavelength. A light receiving unit (not shown) that receives the reflected light reflected from the 16 is provided, and image data acquired based on the amount of light received from the light receiving unit is output to the conversion device 33. The light receiving unit is provided with, for example, an RGB (three primary colors) color filter, and the sensor 32 can output RGB image data as image data to the conversion device 33. Further, the conversion device 33 outputs the image data received from the sensor 32 to the network N2 based on the ON signal received from the timing sensor 31. As a result, the conversion device 33 outputs the image data acquired from the sensor 32 to the network N2 as the image data D1 of the banknote P while the timing sensor 31 detects the banknote P. A detailed description of the output range for outputting the image data D1 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Similar to the timing sensor 31, the other timing sensors 41, 51, and 61 each output an ON signal indicating a state in which the banknote P is detected to the conversion devices 43, 53, 63 while the banknote P is being detected. do. Further, the other sensors 42, 52, 62 have an irradiation unit (not shown) that irradiates a predetermined position of the transport path 16 with light of a predetermined wavelength, and the reflected light reflected from the transport path 16 as in the sensor 42. It is provided with a light receiving unit (not shown) that receives light, and outputs image data acquired based on the amount of light received from the light receiving unit to the conversion devices 43, 53, 63. The wavelengths of light emitted by the sensors 42, 52, 62 are, for example, infrared rays, ultraviolet rays, etc., and in the present embodiment, the four sensors 32, 42, 52, 62 irradiate different wavelengths and reflect the light. Receives light. Further, the conversion devices 43, 53, 63 output the image data received from the sensors 42, 52, 62 to the network N2 based on the ON signals received from the timing sensors 41, 51, 61. As a result, while the conversion devices 43, 53, 63 detect the banknote P by the timing sensors 41, 51, 61, the image data to be acquired by the sensors 42, 52, 62 is the image data D2, D3, D4 of the banknote P. Is output to the network N2 respectively.

The conversion device 33 is a device that converts an interface for transmitting image data D1 acquired from the sensor 32 via the camera link N1 via the network N2. Further, the conversion device 33 outputs the image data D1 for the bill P to the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 via the network N2, and also outputs the image data D1 to the storage device 71. An example of the configuration of the conversion device 33 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Similarly, the conversion devices 43, 53, 63 convert the interface to transmit the image data D2, D3, D4 acquired from the sensors 42, 52, 62 via the camera link N1 via the network N2, respectively. It is a device to do. The conversion device 43 outputs the image data D2 for the above-mentioned banknote P to the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 via the network N2, and also outputs the image data D2 to the storage device 71. The conversion device 54 outputs the image data D3 for the above-mentioned banknote P to the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 via the network N2, and also outputs the image data D3 to the storage device 71. The conversion device 63 outputs the image data D4 for the above-mentioned banknote P to the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 via the network N2, and also outputs the image data D4 to the storage device 71.

As described above, when the bill P is conveyed in the transport path 16 in the inspection unit 17, different image data D1 to D4 are sequentially transmitted to, for example, the arithmetic unit 34 and the storage device 71. Further, for the bill P to be conveyed next, the image data D1 to D4 are transmitted to, for example, the arithmetic unit 44 and the storage device 17. One of the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 is determined for the bill P that is sequentially conveyed in this way, and the determined arithmetic unit executes the inspection of the bill P.
The arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 store an application that operates on the OS that determines whether or not the image data D1 to D4 are correct as the image data of the bill P, respectively. The applications that operate on the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, and 64 are the same application, and are, for example, applications for inspecting the printed image, color, stain, and the like of the banknote P. When the arithmetic unit 34 executes the processing for the image data D1 to D4 on the memory, the arithmetic unit 34 outputs the inspection result and the log to the storage device 71 via the network N2. Further, the arithmetic units 44, 54, 64 execute the processing for the image data D1 to D4 on the memory as in the case of the arithmetic unit 34, and output the inspection result and the log to the storage device 71 via the network N2. do. An example of the configuration of the arithmetic unit 34 will be described later with reference to FIG.

The storage device 71 is a storage device including an HDD (hard disk drive) and an SSD (solid state drive), and stores various data including inspection results of print quality of banknotes P. For example, the storage device 71 stores the image data D1, D2, D3, D4 received from the conversion devices 33, 43, 53, 63, and also stores the inspection results and logs received from the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64. Remember.

The gateway device 72 outputs, for example, the data stored in the storage device 71 to the outside. Here, the outside is, for example, outside the inspection unit 17. The data stored in the storage device 71 may be output to the outside of the paper sheet processing device 11 according to the operator's instruction via the operation display unit 13. This makes it possible for the inspection unit 17 to output all the data used for the inspection of the banknote P to the outside based on the operator's instruction. By the way, in the case where each of the plurality of arithmetic units is provided with a storage device, the data used for the inspection of the bill P is stored in each arithmetic unit, so that the gateway device is used for the inspection of the bill P from all the arithmetic units. The process of collecting the collected data and outputting it to the outside occurs. However, in the present embodiment, the gateway device 72 can output the data used for the inspection of the banknote P from the storage device 71 to the outside. Therefore, as compared with the case of the above configuration, the inspection unit 17 of the present embodiment can reduce the development process of the gateway device 72.

The UPS 73 supplies power to the storage device 71 when the power supplied to the paper sheet processing device 11 is cut off (for example, a power failure). In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 to be described later, each arithmetic unit 34, 44, 54, 64 is not configured to include a storage device for storing image data, but the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 and 1 are not provided. Since the storage device 71 is connected via the network N2, the UPS 73 is connected to the storage device 71. By the way, when each of the plurality of arithmetic units is provided with a storage device, it is necessary to install a UPS for each storage device on the assumption that the power supply to the paper sheet processing device 11 is cut off. .. Here, the UPS for industrial use (for example, the voltage is 200 V) has a large size. Therefore, when installing for each storage device, it is necessary to design in consideration of the space for storing the UPS. However, in the present embodiment, since the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, and 64 do not each have a storage device for storing the data used for the inspection of the bill P, the UPS 17 may be installed in the storage device 71. This makes it possible to reduce the size of the paper leaf processing apparatus 11 to a compact size.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the conversion device 33. Since the other conversion devices 43, 53, 63 have the same configuration as the conversion device 33, the configuration of the conversion device 33 will be described in this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 3, the conversion device 33 includes a timing sensor interface (I / F) 81, a first interface sensor interface (I / F) 82, a data acquisition unit 83, a memory 84, a LAN output unit 85, and a LAN output unit 85. A LAN interface (I / F) 86, which is a second interface, is provided.

The timing sensor I / F 81 receives an ON / OFF signal from the timing sensor 31 and outputs the ON / OFF signal to the data acquisition unit 83. Here, as described above, the ON signal is a signal output by the timing sensor 31 when the bill P is detected, and the OFF signal is output by the timing sensor 31 when the bill P is not detected. It is a signal. The sensor I / F 82 receives the image data from the sensor 32 and outputs the image data to the data acquisition unit 83. The data acquisition unit 83 acquires image data obtained by photographing the bill P based on the ON / OFF signal received from the timing sensor 31. Here, FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing an example of data acquisition timing.

In FIG. 4, the upper side shows the ON / OFF signal of the timing sensor 31, and the lower side shows the image data output by the sensor 32. In each case, the horizontal axis is time T. The timing sensor 31 is turned on at time t1, then continues in the ON state, and is turned off at time t2. Here, the time t1 is the timing at which the sensor 32 detects the tip of the banknote P transported along the transport path 16. The time t2 is the timing at which the sensor 32 detects the rear end of the bill P, in other words, the timing at which the bill P is no longer detected. As described above, while the signal of the timing sensor 31 is ON, the data acquisition unit 83 outputs the image data of the sensor 32 to the memory 84 as the image data D1. That is, the time from time t1 to time t2 is the time in the output range of the image data D1.

Returning to FIG. 3, the explanation will be continued. The image data D1 output to the memory 84 is output from the memory 84 to the LAN output unit 85. In this embodiment, an address on the network N2 is set as an output destination of the image data D1 of the LAN output unit 85. The addresses of the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 and the addresses of the storage device 71. Therefore, the image data D1 is output from the LAN output unit 85 to one of the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 and the storage device 71 via the LANI / F86 and the network N2, respectively. The address of the LAN output unit 85 can be set arbitrarily, and the output destination of the image data D1 can be set to three or more instead of two. Further, the LAN output unit of the conversion device 43, the LAN output unit of the conversion device 53, and the LAN output unit of the conversion device 63 are similarly set with the addresses of the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 and the addresses of the storage device 71. To. For one bill P, the address is switched from the conversion device 33, 43, 53, 63 so that the image data D1 to D4 are output to one of the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64, respectively. At the same time, the image data D1 to D4 are output to the storage device 71.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the arithmetic unit 34. Since the other arithmetic units 44, 54, and 64 have the same configuration as the arithmetic unit 34, the configuration of the arithmetic unit 34 will be described in this embodiment.
The arithmetic unit 34 includes a LAN interface (I / F) 91, a LAN input / output unit 92, a control unit 93, and a storage unit (software storage unit) 95. Further, the control unit 93 includes a control parameter unit 93a and a memory 94. The control unit parameter unit 93a stores the setting of the control parameter for inspecting the print quality of the banknote P. The memory 94 includes an area of the work memory 96 used for the work of various processes and an area of the log unit 97 for storing the work log. Further, the storage unit 95 includes an OS unit 98 that stores an operating system that operates the arithmetic unit 34, and an application unit 99 that stores an application.

When the LANI / F91 receives the image data D1 from the conversion device 33, the LANI / F91 outputs the received image data D1 to the work memory 96 via the LAN input / output unit 92. Further, the address of the storage device 71 is set as a data output destination in the LAN input / output unit 92, and the data (inspection result or log) received from the control unit 93 is stored via the LANI / F91 and the network N2. Output to device 71.

The control unit 93 reads the operation system stored in the OS unit 98 and the application stored in the application unit 99 into the work area, and operates the application. Here, the application is an application for inspecting the print quality of the banknote P. In the present embodiment, since the image data D1 is RGB image data, the application is assumed to be, for example, an application for inspecting whether or not the bill P is dirty. The log unit 97 stores logs such as application operation results and date / time.

The storage unit 95 is, for example, a storage device including an HDD or an SSD. The storage unit 95 includes an operation system stored in the OS unit 98 and an application stored in the application unit 99, that is, these softwares are read-only and cannot be rewritten. Therefore, since the arithmetic unit 34 does not need to perform the operation of writing data to the storage unit 95, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a failure or the like at the time of a power failure. Further, all the data including the inspection result used for the inspection of the bill P in the arithmetic unit 34 is configured to be output to the storage device 71. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the UPS 73 is connected to the storage device 71. It should be noted that the configuration of making the above-mentioned software read-only becomes possible by using, for example, a predetermined operation system.

FIG. 6 is an image diagram showing an example of control parameters stored in the control parameter unit 93a.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control parameters stored in the control parameter unit 93a can be set by the user using the operation display unit 13. In this embodiment, the case where the user sets the control parameters using the operation display unit 13 will be described, but the user sets the control parameters from a terminal device such as a PC (personal computer) connected to the network N2. It may be configured.
Image 93b shows an example of the control parameters of the banknote P. In the image 93b, the positions of the characters "thousand yen" and "1000", the width of the watermark, the area of the portrait, and the like can be set as control parameters (inspection items). As described above, in the present embodiment, the user can freely set the control parameters (inspection items). Therefore, the arithmetic processing time of the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 greatly fluctuates due to the change of the control parameter. Therefore, it is difficult to estimate (predict) the calculation processing time for the bill P. Therefore, it is very important to give the inspection unit 17 scalability.

Next, an example of the data flow when inspecting the print quality of the banknote P will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the flow of data when the inspection unit 17 inspects four banknotes from the banknote P1 to the banknote P4.
When the bill P1 is conveyed through the transport path 16 and enters the inspection unit 17, the image data P1-D1 is read by the timing sensor 31, the sensor 32, and the conversion device 33, and the conversion device 33 reads the image data P1-D1. Is output to the arithmetic unit 34 and the storage device 71 via the network N2. The arithmetic unit 34 inspects the print quality of the banknote P1 by executing the application using the image data P1-D1, and obtains the inspection result (calculation result) P1-ch1. The arithmetic unit 34 outputs the inspection result P1-ch1 to the storage device 71. As a result, the storage device 71 stores the inspection results P1-ch1 and the like of the image data P1-D1 and the image data P1-D1 output from the conversion device 33.

Further, when the bill P1 is conveyed along the transport path 16, the image data P1-D2 is sequentially read by the timing sensor 41, the sensor 42, and the conversion device 43, and the timing sensor 51, the sensor 52, and the conversion device are used. The image data P1-D3 is read by the 53, and the image data P1-D4 is read by the timing sensor 61, the sensor 62, and the conversion device 63. When the image data is read in this way, the conversion devices 43, 53, and 63 output the image data P1-D2, P1-D3, and P1-D4 to the arithmetic unit 34 and the storage device 71, respectively, via the network N2. The arithmetic unit 34 inspects the print quality of the banknote P1 by executing each application using the image data P1-D2, P1-D3, P1-D4, and inspects the inspection results P1-ch2, P1-ch3, P1-. Get ch4. The arithmetic unit 34 outputs the inspection results P1-ch2, P1-ch3, and P1-ch4 to the storage device 71, respectively. As a result, the storage device 71 stores the image data P1-D2, P1-D3, P1-D4 and the inspection results P1-ch2, P1-ch3, P1-ch4 output from the conversion device 34.

In this way, the print quality inspection of the banknote P1 is executed, and the image data used for the inspection is image data P1-D1, P1-D2, P1-D3, P1-D4 and the inspection results P1-ch1, P1-ch2. , P1-ch3, P1-ch4 are stored in the storage device 71.

Next, when the banknote P2 is transported through the transport path 16 in the inspection unit 17, the same processing as in the case of the banknote P1 is executed, but the arithmetic unit for calculating the print quality inspection is changed to the arithmetic unit 44. To. Therefore, the conversion devices 33, 43, 53, 63 output the image data P2-D1, P2-D2, P2-D3, P2-D4 read from the bill P2 to the arithmetic unit 44 and the storage device 71 via the network N2. do. Then, the arithmetic unit 44 obtains the inspection results P2-ch1, P2-ch2, P2-ch3, and P2-ch4, respectively, and the inspection results P2-ch1, P2-ch2, P2-ch3, and P2-ch4 are stored in the storage device 71, respectively. Output to. Similar processing is executed by the arithmetic unit 54 and the arithmetic unit 64 for the bills P3 and P4. It should be noted that the arithmetic unit 34 executes the same processing for the banknote P5 to be subsequently conveyed, and the arithmetic unit 44 executes the same processing for the next banknote P6. It will be repeated.

As a result, in the storage device 71, the image data P1-D1 to P1-D4, P2-D1 to P2-D4, P3-D1 to P3-D4, P4-D1 to P4-D4, and the inspection result P1-ch1 P1-ch4, P2-ch1 to P2-ch4, P3-ch1 to P3-ch4, P4-ch1 to P4-ch1 to P4-ch4 are stored.

According to the inspection unit 17 configured as described above, each conversion unit 33, 43, 53, 64 transmits the image data D1, D2, D3, D4 of the bill P received via the camera link N1 via the network N2. The image data D1, D2, D3, D4 are stored in the storage device 71 and the image data D1, D2, D3, D4 received from the conversion devices 33, 43, 53, 63, and the storage device 71 calculates. The inspection results of the devices 34, 44, 54, 64 are stored in P1-ch1 to P1-ch4, P2-ch1 to P2-ch4, P3-ch1 to P3-ch4, and P4-ch1 to P1-ch4. In this way, since the interface can be converted by the conversion devices 33, 43, 53, 64 so that the data acquired from the camera link N1 can be output to the network N2, there is no limit to the addition of sensors, and paper sheets are used. It becomes possible to cope with the scalability that increases the inspection target for. As a result, in the above embodiment, the burden of designing and developing again can be reduced as in the conventional case.

More specifically, in the present embodiment, as described above with reference to FIG. 7, in the inspection unit 17, the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64, 34, 44, ... The print quality is inspected for the bill P to be carried. Therefore, when the control parameter setting is changed by the user as described above with reference to FIG. 6, when the arithmetic processing time processed by one arithmetic unit becomes long, the four arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, At 64, it is assumed that the processing cannot keep up. In such a case, in the present embodiment, the arithmetic unit can be easily added to the network N2, and it is possible to avoid the situation where the arithmetic processing cannot catch up and the transport of the bill P is stopped.

Further, in the above embodiment, the sensors 32, 42, 52, 62 have described the case where the bill P is irradiated with light having a different wavelength and receives the reflected light, but the type of the sensor is limited to these. Instead, it may be a sensor that acquires data for inspecting the print quality of the banknote P. For example, a sensor for inspecting the size of the banknote P transported along the transport path 16 and a conversion device for converting the sensor data acquired by the sensor so that the sensor data can be output to the network N2 may be provided. Further, for example, when the banknote P is magnetically printed, a magnetic sensor is added to read the magnetically printed content from the banknote P conveyed along the transport path 16, and the read sensor data is used as the network N2. A conversion device or the like may be provided to convert the data so that it can be output to the magnet. When the sensor is added to the inspection unit 17 in this way, the application of the arithmetic unit that processes the read sensor data is also added to the inspection unit 17. As a result, the paper sheet processing device 11 can control the quality of the banknote P based on the sensor data acquired by the added sensor. Further, the inspection unit 17 can be added not only with a sensor for reading the image, size, and magnetic printing of the banknote P, but also with various sensors, a conversion device, and an arithmetic unit for reading information from the banknote P.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where one conversion device outputs image data to one arithmetic unit is described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the arithmetic unit stores an application for inspecting a bill P using two sensor data, the arithmetic unit may receive image data from the two conversion units and perform the inspection. good. As described above, the conversion unit and the arithmetic unit do not have to have a one-to-one correspondence configuration as shown in FIG.

In the conventional system, the sensor and the image aggregation device, and the image aggregation device and the arithmetic unit are connected by a camera link, respectively. The camera link has a short communication distance limit of, for example, about 5 m. On the other hand, in the above embodiment, the conversion devices 33, 43, 53, 63 and the arithmetic units 34, 44, 54, 64 are communicably connected by the network N2, respectively. The network N2 is, for example, a LAN, and has a very long communication distance as compared with a camera link. Therefore, in the above embodiment, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in designing in the paper leaf processing apparatus 11.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

11 ... Paper leaf processing device, 12 ... Paper leaf processing unit, 13 ... Operation display unit, 17 ... Inspection unit, 31, 41, 51, 61 ... Timing sensor, 32, 42, 52, 62 ... Sensor, 33, 43, 53, 63 ... Conversion device, 34, 44, 54, 64 ... Arithmetic device, 70 ... Hub, 71 ... Storage device, 72 ... Gateway device, 73 ... UPS (uninterruptible power supply), 82 ... Sensor interface, 86 ... LAN interface, D1 to D4 ... image data, N1 ... camera link, N2 ... network

Claims (7)

It is a print quality inspection system that inspects the print quality of paper sheets.
Multiple sensors that acquire data for inspecting print quality from the paper sheets, and
A plurality of conversion devices associated with the plurality of sensors, which convert the data from the first interface for receiving the data to the second interface capable of transmitting the data via the network.
A plurality of arithmetic units associated with the plurality of conversion devices, which are connected to the conversion device via the network and inspect the print quality of the paper sheets based on the data.
A storage device connected to the plurality of conversion devices via the network .
The plurality of conversion devices transmit the data received via the first interface to the storage device and the associated arithmetic unit via the second interface.
The storage device is a print quality inspection system that stores the data received from the plurality of conversion devices and stores the calculation results of the plurality of arithmetic units. The storage device is provided with an uninterruptible power supply that supplies power in the event of a power failure.
The print quality inspection system according to claim 1. Further comprising an output device for outputting the data stored in the storage device to the outside.
The print quality inspection system according to claim 1. The arithmetic unit includes a software storage unit that stores software that executes a process of inspecting the print quality of the paper sheets.
The software stored in the software storage unit is set to read-only.
The print quality inspection system according to claim 1. One of the above-mentioned data is data obtained by irradiating the paper sheets with any of ultraviolet rays, infrared rays, and visible light and reflecting the reflected light.
The print quality inspection system according to claim 1. One of the above-mentioned data is the data obtained by reading the magnetic printing printed on the paper sheets.
The print quality inspection system according to claim 1. The arithmetic unit is associated with a plurality of the conversion units.
The arithmetic unit uses a plurality of data received from each of the plurality of conversion devices via the network to perform calculations related to inspection of print quality of the paper sheets.
The print quality inspection system according to claim 1.

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