JP7216587B2 - Paper sheet thickness detection device and paper sheet thickness detection device control method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet thickness detection device and a sheet thickness detection method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a paper sheet thickness detection apparatus and a paper sheet thickness detection method for collecting thickness data of paper sheets such as bills and comparing the thickness data with reference thickness data.

Automatic teller machines (ATMs) and other banknote processing devices detect banknote damage such as tears, holes, creases, wrinkles, tape attachment, etc. A banknote thickness detection device is generally provided to detect the banknotes that have been inserted. In such a banknote thickness detection device, the accuracy of detecting the thickness of the banknote may be degraded depending on the state of transport of the banknote.

On the other hand, in Patent Document 1, the thickness distribution data obtained from the thickness data of the banknote detected by the thickness detection mechanism is used to calculate the banknotes such as the transfer direction, the shift amount of the transfer position of the banknote, and the amount of skew. It is described that bill discrimination is performed after correcting based on the conveying posture of the bill.

Patent Document 2 discloses a method of detecting the transport position of a paper sheet being transported and switching a determination threshold value for thickness determination to an optimum value based on the detected transport position, and a method of actually detecting a thickness. It is described that erroneous determination due to variations in the conveying position of paper sheets is prevented by using a method of performing thickness determination after thickness information is corrected.

Patent No. 4387176 JP-A-6-329299

Banknote thickness detection devices are required to have improved thickness detection accuracy. On the other hand, in order to improve the performance of the banknote handling machine, it is being considered to provide a function that allows selection of the banknote transport speed in the banknote handling machine. The inventors of the present invention have found that in a banknote thickness detection device provided with a mechanical detection means, the detected value of the thickness fluctuates as the banknote transport speed is changed, resulting in a decrease in detection accuracy. Therefore, when a banknote processing apparatus is provided with a function that enables selection of a banknote transport speed, it has been required to prevent deterioration in accuracy of thickness detection by a banknote thickness detection device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned current situation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thickness detection method.

The present invention is a paper sheet thickness detecting device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet, comprising a reference roller and a displacement roller that are arranged opposite to each other. a thickness detector for detecting the thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes through; Thickness for judging the thickness of the paper sheet by comparing the detected thickness data with the reference thickness data using the storage unit for storing the information and the correction information according to the conveying speed of the paper sheet. and a determination unit.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above invention, the thickness determination section corrects the detected thickness data using the correction information.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above-described invention, the thickness determining section corrects the reference thickness data using the correction information.

Further, according to the present invention, in the above invention, the thickness determination unit determines the thickness of the paper sheet by comparing the result of comparison between the detected thickness data and the reference thickness data with the threshold value corrected by the correction information. It is characterized by being something to judge.

Further, in the present invention, in the above invention, the correction information corrects a detection abnormality of thickness data immediately after the paper sheet to be conveyed enters between the reference roller and the displacement roller. It is characterized by

Further, according to the present invention, in the above invention, the correction information is characterized in that a larger correction amount is set as the conveying speed of the paper sheet is higher.

The present invention also provides a paper sheet thickness detection device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet, comprising a reference roller and a displacement roller that are arranged opposite to each other, and a paper sheet between the reference roller and the displacement roller. A thickness detection unit that detects thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the sheet passes through, and stores a plurality of reference thickness data different for each true paper sheet conveying speed. and a storage unit that selects specific reference thickness data from the plurality of reference thickness data in accordance with the conveying speed of the paper sheet, and compares the selected specific reference thickness data with the detected thickness data. and a thickness determination unit configured to determine the thickness of the paper sheet by performing a thickness determination.

Further, the present invention is a control method for a paper sheet thickness detection device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet, wherein the control method is such that the paper sheet is positioned between a reference roller and a displacement roller that are arranged to face each other. Thickness data detected by using a thickness detection step of detecting the thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting the displacement amount of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes through, and correction information according to the conveying speed of the paper sheet and a thickness determination step of determining the thickness of the paper sheet by comparing with reference thickness data of a genuine paper sheet.

Further, the present invention is a control method for a paper sheet thickness detection device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet, wherein the control method is such that the paper sheet is positioned between a reference roller and a displacement roller that are arranged to face each other. a thickness detection step of detecting the thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes through; a thickness determination step of selecting thickness data and determining the thickness of the paper sheet by comparing the selected specific reference thickness data with the detected thickness data.

According to the paper sheet thickness detection device and the paper sheet thickness detection method of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the detection accuracy from deteriorating due to the conveyance speed of the paper sheet in detecting the thickness of the paper sheet.

It is a cross-sectional schematic diagram when the thickness detection sensor which concerns on embodiment is seen from the side. It is a perspective schematic diagram which shows the external appearance by the side of the detection block of the thickness detection sensor which concerns on embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is the figure which showed roughly the whole structure of the paper sheet thickness detection apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is the graph which showed an example of the output waveform of a displacement sensor when measuring the thickness of the banknote conveyed at low speed. It is the graph which showed an example of the output waveform of a displacement sensor when measuring the thickness of the banknote conveyed at high speed. It is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit and a storage unit connected to the thickness detection sensor according to the embodiment. It is a figure explaining the determination method of thickness abnormality of a banknote in the case of correct|amending the detected thickness data by correction information. It is a figure explaining the determination method of the thickness abnormality of a banknote in the case of correct|amending reference|standard thickness data by correction information. It is a figure explaining the determination method of thickness abnormality of a banknote in the case of correct|amending a threshold value by correction information. (a) is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the banknote processing apparatus according to the embodiment, and (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the outline of the structure inside the banknote processing apparatus according to the embodiment.

An embodiment of a paper sheet thickness detection device according to the present invention will be described below.

The paper sheet thickness detection device detects the thickness of the conveyed paper sheet. The paper sheet thickness detection device is preferably installed in a paper sheet processing apparatus having a mechanism for conveying paper sheets, and is more preferably used together with a paper sheet identification apparatus in the paper sheet processing apparatus. preferable. In addition to the paper sheet transport speed, information on the type and orientation of paper sheets obtained by the paper sheet identification device is used to improve the detection accuracy when detecting abnormalities in the thickness of multiple types of paper sheets. can improve.

The types of paper sheets are not particularly limited, and examples thereof include bills (banknotes), gift certificates, payment slips, checks, securities, card-like media, and the like. The present invention can be applied to the detection of the thickness of paper sheets, but the case where the paper sheets are banknotes will be described below as an example.

A paper sheet thickness detection device (banknote thickness detection device) includes a thickness detection section (thickness detection sensor). An example of the configuration of the thickness detection sensor will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the thickness detection sensor according to the embodiment when viewed from the side. The thickness detection sensor 10 includes a reference roller 11 and a displacement roller 12 that are opposed to each other, and detects the amount of displacement of the displacement roller 12 when the bill P passes between the reference roller 11 and the displacement roller 12, thereby detecting the bill P. thickness data.

As shown in FIG. 1, the thickness detection sensor 10 includes a reference roller 11 to which a rotating shaft 11a is fixed, a reference roller 11 that serves as a criterion for thickness determination, a displacement roller 12 that is provided in contact with the reference roller 11, and one end portion. A displacement roller 12 is provided at the center of the roller 12, and the other end thereof is rotatably fixed around a fulcrum shaft 14, and is rotatably displaced in the direction of the arrow according to the thickness of the banknote P passing between the reference roller 11 and the displacement roller 12. a holding block 15 for holding at least the fulcrum shaft 14 of the detecting block 13; is maintained, and the plate spring 16 is pushed upward and displaced according to the rotational displacement of the detection block 13 when the bill P passes between the reference roller 11 and the displacement roller 12, and the displacement of the plate spring 16 and a displacement sensor 17 for detecting the amount in a non-contact manner.

The principle of thickness detection will be briefly explained. When the banknote P is conveyed and enters between the reference roller 11 and the displacement roller 12, the displacement roller 12 is pushed upward by the thickness of the banknote P because the rotation shaft of the reference roller 11 is fixed. Since the detection block 13 to which the displacement roller 12 is fixed is rotatably fixed by the fulcrum shaft 14, when the displacement roller 12 moves upward, the detection block 13 also moves upward. The plate spring 16, which is always in contact with the detection block 13 and pushes down the detection block 13 with its elastic force, is displaced upward according to the movement of the detection block 13. As shown in FIG. The displacement sensor 17 outputs a change in the distance (d) between the leaf spring 16 and the displacement sensor 17 (the amount of displacement of the displacement roller 12) as an electrical signal. Note that the plate spring 16 is not limited to being made of metal, and may be made of resin. A distance sensor using a laser or the like may be used as the displacement sensor 17 when the plate spring 16 is made of resin.

Further, when the banknote P has passed between the reference roller 11 and the displacement roller 12, the detection block 13 is pushed down by the elastic force of the plate spring 16, and the reference roller 11 and the displacement roller 12 come into close contact with each other again.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the thickness detection sensor 10 further includes a thin scraper 19 . The scraper 19 is screwed to the detection block 13 and is in contact with the displacement roller 12 substantially perpendicularly. Foreign matter adhering to the banknotes P may be transferred to the displacement roller 12, but the scraper 19 is provided so that the foreign matter adhering to the displacement roller 12 can be removed as the displacement roller 12 rotates.

FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the paper sheet thickness detection device according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper sheet thickness detection device includes a plurality of thickness detection sensors 10 arranged side by side in a direction (main scanning direction) perpendicular to the transport direction of the banknotes P shown in FIG. . The number of thickness detection sensors 10 is not particularly limited, and, for example, 12 are arranged. Each of the displacement sensors 17 included in the plurality of thickness detection sensors 10 is connected to the control unit 30, and the electric signal output by the displacement sensor 17 is processed by the control unit 30 to generate thickness data of the banknote P. . By comparing the detected thickness data with the reference thickness data stored in the storage unit 50, it is possible to detect damage to the banknote P such as tearing of the banknote P, defects such as holes, folds, wrinkles, and sticking of tape. , a plurality of banknotes P transported in an overlapping manner can be detected.

In addition to the reference thickness data, the storage unit 50 stores correction information corresponding to the transport speed of the banknotes P. As shown in FIG. By using the correction information, it is possible to maintain the detection accuracy of the paper sheet thickness detection device even when the paper sheet processing apparatus changes the paper money P conveying speed.

A brief description will be given of the relationship between the transport speed of the banknotes P and the thickness detection accuracy of the paper sheet thickness detection device. FIG. 4 is a graph showing an example of the output waveform of the displacement sensor when measuring the thickness of banknotes conveyed at low speed, and FIG. 3 is a graph showing an example of an output waveform of . The banknotes to be measured in FIG. 4 and the banknotes to be measured in FIG. 5 are the same, and are taped banknotes.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the banknote P to be transported passes between the reference roller 11 and the displacement roller 12, the displacement roller 12 moves upward, and the displacement sensor 17 detects the amount of displacement of the displacement roller 12 for a certain period of time. By doing so, the output waveform of the displacement sensor 17 is created. The output waveform of the displacement sensor 17 is the thickness data of the banknote P, and includes a component derived from the thickness of the banknote P and a component derived from the vibration of the displacement roller 12 caused by the impact of the banknote P entering.

The component derived from the thickness of the banknote P is an object to be originally detected by the paper sheet thickness detection device, and includes the height of unevenness present in the banknote P and the thickness T of the tape attached to the banknote P. On the other hand, the component originating from the vibration of the displacement roller 12 corresponds to the abnormal detection of the thickness data that occurs immediately after the bill P enters, and is unnecessary information (noise) that should be ignored in order to detect the thickness of the bill P. be. From the comparison between FIGS. 4 and 5 in which the same banknote P is measured, it can be seen that the higher the transport speed of the banknote P, the greater the component derived from the vibration of the displacement roller 12 . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the component derived from the thickness of the banknote P is extracted with high accuracy by removing the component derived from the vibration of the displacement roller 12 while taking into account the transport speed of the banknote P.

Next, a method for removing the component originating from the vibration of the displacement roller 12 will be specifically described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing configurations of the control unit 30 and the storage unit 50 connected to the thickness detection sensor according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a part related to the control of the paper sheet thickness detection device in the control section and the storage section provided in the paper sheet processing apparatus. That is, the control unit 30 and storage unit 50 of the paper sheet thickness detection apparatus may be part of the control unit and storage unit of the paper sheet processing apparatus.

The control unit 30 includes a thickness data generation unit 31 , a thickness determination unit 33 , an identification processing unit 35 and a transport control unit 37 .

The thickness data generator 31 performs processing such as amplification and A/D conversion (digitization) on the electrical signal output from the displacement sensor 17 to generate thickness data representing the thickness of the bill. Also, a process of storing the thickness data in the storage unit 50 is performed.

The thickness determination unit 33 determines the thickness of the bill by comparing the thickness data generated by the thickness data generation unit 31 with the reference thickness data 51 stored in the storage unit 50 . The reference thickness data 51 is selected based on information about the banknote type (denomination) and orientation obtained by the identification processing unit 35 . For the comparison, in addition to the reference thickness data 51, correction information 53 and a threshold value 55 corresponding to the bill transport speed are used. The correction information 53 is set based on information about the banknote type (hereinafter also referred to as “denomination”) and orientation obtained by the identification processing unit 35 and the transport speed data 57 .

The identification processing unit 35 compares banknote image data generated by an image sensor, a magnetic sensor, etc., with determination data including banknote templates, thresholds, etc. stored in the storage unit 50, and determines the denomination of the imaged banknote. , authenticity, fitness, etc.

The transport control unit 37 controls the transport mechanism 20, the branching mechanism, and the like. The transport mechanism 20 is a mechanism for controlling transport of banknotes, and specifically includes transport means such as rollers and belts, and a driving device such as a motor. Rollers, belts, and the like are driven to rotate by a driving device to move bills in the conveying path. The transport control unit 37 controls driving of the driving device in accordance with the set transport speed of the banknotes. The branching mechanism is provided in the transport path and switches the transport destination of the banknotes. The transport control unit 37 drives the branching mechanism according to the determination results of the thickness determination unit 33, the identification processing unit 35, etc., and selects the transport destination of the banknote.

The storage unit 50 stores reference thickness data 51, correction information 53, threshold values 55, conveying speed data 57, and the like. The reference thickness data 51 is data corresponding to the thickness of an authentic banknote. The correction information 53 is information for correcting the detected thickness data, the reference thickness data 51, the threshold value 55, and the like, in order to prevent the detection accuracy of the bill thickness from deteriorating due to the transport speed of the bill. The threshold value 55 is a reference value used to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the banknote thickness based on the degree of matching between the reference thickness data 51 and the detected thickness data.

In this embodiment, first, a thickness detection step of detecting the thickness data of a banknote by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the banknote (paper sheet) passes between the reference roller and the displacement roller which are arranged to face each other. is done. Subsequently, a thickness determination step is performed to determine the thickness of a banknote by comparing the detected thickness data with the reference thickness data 51 of an authentic banknote using the correction information 53 corresponding to the transport speed of the banknote. . That is, by using the correction information 53, it is possible to remove the component derived from the vibration of the displacement roller. The correction information 53 is for correcting the detection abnormality of the thickness data immediately after the banknote to be conveyed enters between the reference roller and the displacement roller. Specifically, when the thickness determination unit 33 compares the reference thickness data 51 with the detected thickness data, the detected thickness data, the reference thickness data 51, or the threshold value 55 is corrected using the correction information 53. be done.

The thickness determination unit 33 may correct the detected thickness data using the correction information 53 . FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of judging abnormal banknote thickness when the detected thickness data is corrected using correction information. Detected thickness data (A) shown in the upper part of FIG. There is an increased thickness portion 31c derived from the above. Here, based on the correction information 53, (A) correction is performed by subtracting the increased thickness portion 31a from the detected thickness data. In the reference thickness data (B) shown in the center of FIG. 7, there is an increased thickness portion 51b derived from unevenness existing on the banknote surface. The thickness of the increased thickness portion 51b is the same as the thickness of the increased thickness portion 31b. That is, it can be said that the increased thickness portion 31b reflects the unevenness existing on the surface of the genuine banknote and does not reflect the thickness of the banknote. (C) comparison result shown in the lower part of FIG. 7 is data obtained by subtracting (B) reference thickness data from (A) detected thickness data after correction. As shown, the increased thickness portion 31a is removed by (A) correction of the detected thickness data, and the increased thickness portion 31b is removed by (B) the reference thickness data. Only the thickened portion 31c originating from the tape that was applied is present. Therefore, the thickness of the increased thickness portion 31c is compared with the threshold value 55, and it is determined that the banknote has an abnormal thickness.

The thickness determination unit 33 may correct the reference thickness data 51 using the correction information 53 . FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a method of judging abnormal banknote thickness when the reference thickness data is corrected using correction information. Detected thickness data (A) shown in the upper part of FIG. There is an increased thickness portion 31c derived from the above. In the reference thickness data (B) shown in the center of FIG. 8, there is an increased thickness portion 51b derived from unevenness existing on the surface of the banknote. Here, based on the correction information 53, the (B) reference thickness data is corrected by adding the increased thickness portion 53a. (C) comparison results shown in the lower part of FIG. 8 are data obtained by subtracting (B) reference thickness data after correction from (A) detected thickness data. As shown in the figure, the thickened portions 31a and 31b are removed by the corrected (B) reference thickness data, so the (C) comparison result shows only the thickened portion 31c derived from the tape attached to the bill. Existing. Therefore, the thickness of the increased thickness portion 31c is compared with the threshold value 55, and it is determined that the banknote has an abnormal thickness.

The thickness determination unit 33 may determine the thickness of the banknote by comparing the result of comparison between the detected thickness data and the reference thickness data 51 with the threshold value corrected by the correction information 53 . FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a method of judging an abnormal banknote thickness when the threshold value is corrected using correction information. Detected thickness data (A) shown in the upper part of FIG. There is an increased thickness portion 31c derived from the above. In the reference thickness data (B) shown in the center of FIG. 9, there is a thickened portion 51b derived from unevenness existing on the banknote surface. (C) comparison results shown in the lower part of FIG. 9 are data obtained by subtracting (B) reference thickness data from (A) detected thickness data. As shown in the figure, since the thickened portion 31b is removed by (B) the reference thickness data, the thickened portion 31a resulting from the vibration of the displacement roller and the tape attached to the banknote are removed in the (C) comparison result. There is an increased thickness portion 31c originating from. Here, based on the correction information 53, only the portion corresponding to the thickness data acquired immediately after the banknote enters is corrected by adding the increase in thickness by the thickness increasing portion 31a to the threshold value 55 of the thickness data. As a result, the thickness of the increased thickness portion 31a is less than the corrected threshold value 55, so it is not determined that the banknote is abnormal in thickness. It will be determined that there is

As described above, by using the correction information 53, even when the component derived from the vibration of the displacement roller becomes large due to the high-speed conveyance of the bill, the thickened portion 31a derived from the vibration of the displacement roller is not affected by the bill. It is possible to prevent the thickness abnormality from being determined. In addition, since it is possible to prevent confusion between the increased thickness portion 31a resulting from the vibration of the displacement roller and the increased thickness portion 31c resulting from the tape attached to the banknote, the setting of the threshold value 55 is made stricter, improving the detection accuracy of tape defects. It is also possible to

The correction information 53 is preferably set with a plurality of correction amounts that differ according to transport conditions such as the banknote type (denomination), front/back orientation, direction of travel, and transport speed. For example, in consideration of the direction of the front and back of the bill, the correction amount may be different depending on whether the front surface of the conveyed bill is on the reference roller side or on the displacement roller side. Further, taking into consideration the traveling direction of the banknotes, the correction amount may be different between the case where one end of the conveyed banknote enters first and the case where the other end enters first. Further, a specific method for changing the correction amount in consideration of the bill conveying speed is not particularly limited. is preferred. Since the vibration of the displacement roller increases as the bill transport speed increases, by setting a larger correction amount as the bill transport speed increases, the component originating in the vibration of the displacement roller can be accurately detected. can be removed. The bill transport speed is appropriately set to obtain the desired performance. For example, there is a low speed mode in which the image sensor performs highly accurate image recognition, and a high speed mode in which priority is given to speeding up processing. In that case, the correction amount for the high speed mode may be larger than the correction amount for the low speed mode.

Further, the correction information 53 is set for at least a part of the banknote. The correction portion and correction amount are stored in the storage unit.
(1) A plurality of thickness data of the entire banknote are prepared for each transport condition such as denomination, direction of front and back, direction of travel, transport speed, and the like.
(2) Principal component analysis is performed on the thickness data of the entire banknote, and the position where the variation in thickness is large depending on the transport speed is calculated. For example, the positions where the first, second, third, and fourth principal components are equal to or greater than a certain value may be defined as positions where the thickness varies greatly depending on the conveying speed.

[Modification]
In the above embodiment, the correction information corresponding to the conveying speed is stored in the storage unit, and the correction information is used when comparing the detected thickness data and the reference thickness data. Instead of storing it in the storage unit, a plurality of reference thickness data different for each conveying speed may be stored in the storage unit. A plurality of reference thickness data different for each transport speed corresponds to the reference thickness data corrected by the correction information of the above embodiment.

That is, a paper sheet thickness detecting device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet is provided with a reference roller and a displacement roller that are arranged opposite to each other, and the paper sheet passes between the reference roller and the displacement roller. a thickness detection unit for detecting the thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the displacement roller is displaced, and a storage unit for storing a plurality of reference thickness data different for each true paper sheet conveying speed. selects specific reference thickness data from among the plurality of reference thickness data according to the conveying speed of the paper sheet, and compares the selected specific reference thickness data with the detected thickness data to obtain the paper A paper sheet thickness detection device including a thickness determination unit that determines the thickness of the leaf is also an aspect of the present invention.

Further, in a paper sheet thickness detection method for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet, the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes between a reference roller and a displacement roller that are arranged to face each other is determined. a thickness detection step of detecting thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting; selecting specific reference thickness data from among a plurality of reference thickness data according to the conveying speed of the paper sheet; A thickness determination step of determining the thickness of the paper sheet by comparing the thickness data with the detected thickness data is also an aspect of the present invention.

The paper sheet thickness detection devices according to the above embodiments and modifications can be installed in a paper sheet processing apparatus. Paper sheet processing apparatuses include, for example, banknote processing apparatuses and banknote inspection apparatuses.

(Configuration of banknote processing device)
An example of the configuration of the banknote processing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . The banknote processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 10 includes a hopper 110 on which a plurality of banknotes can be placed, a transport path 111 for transporting the banknotes placed on the hopper 110, a banknote recognition device 112 for performing banknote recognition processing, It is provided with a stacking unit 113 that stacks banknotes identified by the banknote identification device 112 and a rejecting unit 114 that stacks banknotes that meet predetermined conditions separately from other banknotes.

The bill validator 112 includes a thickness detection sensor. By incorporating the banknote identification device 112 into the banknote processing apparatus and using it, it is possible to continuously process a plurality of banknotes and separate banknotes that have been determined to be counterfeit, unfit, or uncertain. The banknote identification device 112 has, for example, a configuration in which a first photosensor, an image sensor, a thickness detection sensor, a magnetic sensor, and a second photosensor are arranged side by side along the banknote transport path 111 .

The first photosensor detects banknotes successively conveyed to the banknote validator and generates a banknote detection signal for determining the timing of starting detection of banknotes in the banknote validator. On the other hand, the second photosensor detects the passage of bills. It should be noted that when the banknotes are conveyed in the opposite direction, the second photosensor detects the arrival of the banknotes, and the first photosensor detects the passage of the banknotes. As the first and second photosensors, light reflection type or light transmission type photosensors are used. Instead of the first and second photosensors, a sensor for mechanically detecting passage of bills may be provided. The bill detection signal can be used as a starting point for controlling the illumination of the light sources in the image sensor.

The image sensor includes, for example, a light source such as an LED, an imaging element such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor, and a rod lens array (an array of transparent cylindrical condensing lenses) for guiding light to the light source or imaging element. and a light guide. The type of image data captured by the image sensor is not particularly limited. A reflection image with light, a reflection image with purple light, a reflection image with far-infrared light, and the like can be used.

Magnetic sensors are used to detect magnetic information contained in banknotes. The magnetic sensor preferably has a plurality of magnetic detection elements (magnetic heads) arranged in a line. As the magnetic detection element, one that outputs changes in magnetic flux density as fluctuations in a signal (differential magnetic detection element) is preferably used. element), magnetic impedance (MI element), and the like. The magnetoresistive element (MR element) may be an anisotropic magnetoresistive element (AMR element), a giant magnetoresistive element (GMR element), a tunnel magnetoresistive element (TMR element), or the like. Further, the magnetic detection element may output the intensity (absolute value) of the magnetic flux density, and for example, a Hall element or the like may be used.

Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the above embodiments and modifications. Each configuration described in the embodiments and modifications may be appropriately deleted, added, changed, or combined without departing from the gist of the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present invention relates to a paper sheet thickness detection apparatus and a paper sheet thickness detection method having a function of collecting thickness data of paper sheets such as banknotes, and thickness data used for identification processing of paper sheets. It is a useful technique in that it can collect with high accuracy.

10 thickness detection sensor 11 reference roller 11a rotating shaft 12 displacement roller 13 detection block 14 fulcrum shaft 15 holding block 16 plate spring 17 displacement sensor 19 scraper 20 transport mechanism 30 control section 31 thickness data generation section 31a, 31b, 31c thickness increase section 33 Thickness determination unit 35 Identification processing unit 37 Conveyance control unit 50 Storage unit 51 Reference thickness data 51b Thickness increase unit 53 Correction information 53a Thickness increase unit 55 Threshold value 57 Conveyance speed data 100 Bill processing device 110 Hopper 111 Conveyance path 112 Bill identification device 113 Accumulation Part 114 Rejection part P banknote

Claims (9)

A paper sheet thickness detection device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet,
A reference roller and a displacement roller are provided facing each other, and the thickness data of the paper sheet is detected by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes between the reference roller and the displacement roller. a thickness detector;
a storage unit that stores genuine reference thickness data of paper sheets and correction information according to the conveying speed of the paper sheets;
a thickness determination unit that determines the thickness of the paper sheet by comparing the detected thickness data with the reference thickness data using the correction information according to the conveying speed of the paper sheet;
A paper sheet thickness detection device comprising: 2. The paper sheet thickness detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness determination unit corrects the detected thickness data with the correction information. 2. The paper sheet thickness detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thickness determination unit corrects the reference thickness data with the correction information. The thickness determination unit determines the thickness of the paper sheet by comparing the result of comparison between the detected thickness data and the reference thickness data with a threshold value corrected by the correction information. The paper sheet thickness detection device according to claim 1. The correction information is for correcting a detection error in thickness data immediately after a paper sheet to be conveyed enters between the reference roller and the displacement roller. Item 5. The paper sheet thickness detection device according to any one of Items 1 to 4. 6. The paper sheet thickness detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction information is such that the higher the paper sheet conveying speed, the larger the correction amount set. A paper sheet thickness detection device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet,
A reference roller and a displacement roller are provided facing each other, and the thickness data of the paper sheet is detected by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes between the reference roller and the displacement roller. a thickness detector;
a storage unit that stores a plurality of reference thickness data that are different for each genuine sheet conveying speed;
Specific reference thickness data is selected from the plurality of reference thickness data in accordance with the conveying speed of the paper sheet, and the selected specific reference thickness data and the detected thickness data are compared to obtain the paper sheet. A thickness determination unit that determines the thickness of the kind,
A paper sheet thickness detection device comprising: A control method for a paper sheet thickness detection device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet, comprising:
The control method is
a thickness detection step of detecting the thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes between the reference roller and the displacement roller that are arranged to face each other;
a thickness determination step of determining the thickness of a paper sheet by comparing the detected thickness data with reference thickness data of a genuine paper sheet using correction information according to the paper sheet conveying speed;
A control method for a paper sheet thickness detection device, comprising: A control method for a paper sheet thickness detection device for detecting the thickness of a conveyed paper sheet, comprising:
The control method is
a thickness detection step of detecting the thickness data of the paper sheet by detecting the amount of displacement of the displacement roller when the paper sheet passes between the reference roller and the displacement roller that are arranged to face each other;
Specific reference thickness data is selected from among a plurality of reference thickness data according to the conveying speed of the paper sheet, and the selected specific reference thickness data and the detected thickness data are compared to obtain the paper sheet. a thickness determination step of determining the thickness of
A control method for a paper sheet thickness detection device, comprising:

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