JPH11185093A - Method for setting examination reference value and discriminating reference coin use limit for coin processor, and coin processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately diagnose a set examination reference value by diagnosing the examination reference value set after a prescribed number of times of use based on the examination reference value set in the prescribed number of times of use of a reference coin and on the cumulative number of times of use. SOLUTION: Data representing a feature amount of a reference coin provided by an examination sensor are transferred to a personal computer(PC), which calculates a mean value and a standard deviation of the feature amount as examination reference data. The PC also calculates an upper limit value LmtH1 and a lower limit value LmtL1 of a threshold for examination reference diagnosis by substituting examination reference data Ref1 set at the time of first use of the reference coin and a set number (n) of times of the examination reference data into a prescribed function equation. When examination reference data Ref(n) set after the second time are within the range of the upper limit value LmtH1 and the lower limit value LmtL1, these examination reference data Ref(n) are discriminated normal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a money handling apparatus mounted on an automatic teller machine for automatically performing cash deposit / withdrawal transactions at various financial institutions such as bank offices, and an inspection thereof. The present invention relates to a reference value setting method and a reference money use limit determining method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A financial institution such as a bank office is provided with an automatic teller machine for handling money (cash) such as coins and bills. The automatic teller machine incorporates a money handling device that automatically performs coin deposit / withdrawal processing.

[0003] This money handling apparatus identifies the authenticity and denomination of coins to be inserted at the time of deposit, stores the deposited coins in the corresponding denomination safes according to the identification result, and outputs the coins from each denomination safe at the time of withdrawal. The required number of coins of the required denomination are taken out, the authenticity and the denomination are identified, and then the coins are paid out.

This type of money handling apparatus is provided with an inspection device for optically and magnetically identifying the characteristics of a coin to be inserted. In this inspection device, in consideration of variations in sensitivity characteristics of various sensors mounted thereon, after performing a predetermined adjustment with an adjustment volume of an adjustment circuit, about 100 reference coins are transported for each denomination, and the sensor Data (inspection reference data) serving as a reference for creating a table (judgment table) describing the optimum judgment conditions according to the characteristics is created.
The inspection reference data thus created is recorded in a non-volatile memory such as an E ² PROM, read out at the time of starting the apparatus, and the like, and the determination table is created based on this.

[0005] A reference coin or a reference medium used in setting such inspection reference data is subject to deterioration such as wear and dirt (oxidation) due to repeated use thereof, resulting in a difference in characteristic amount from a coin in the market. Gradually spread. Therefore, the threshold (upper / lower limit) of the inspection reference data is set in advance, the inspection reference data out of this range is invalidated, and the number of times of use as a guideline of the reference coin usage limit time is set in advance. In addition, countermeasures have been taken so far, such as exchanging reference coins that have reached the limit of use.

[0006]

However, a diagnostic method of inspection reference data based on a known fixed threshold (upper / lower limit value) is, for example, as shown in FIG.
In a region in which the inspection reference data Ref (n) fluctuates due to the deterioration of the reference coin or the reference medium due to an increase in the number of times of use, the fluctuation of the inspection reference data Ref (n) due to an improper adjustment of the inspection sensor or the like. When A occurs, there is a problem that the inspection reference data, which should be determined to be invalid, is determined to be valid, and a determination table including an incorrectly adjusted component is created.

In the method of exchanging the reference coin which has reached the use limit number, the degree of deterioration of the reference coin is different depending on the handling method of the reference coin for each worker even if the number of uses is the same. Lack of accuracy as a method of knowing the usage limit.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method of setting an inspection reference value of a money handling apparatus which can perform a diagnosis of a set inspection reference value with higher accuracy. And

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining a reference currency use limit of a currency handling apparatus, which can determine an optimal use limit time of a reference coin or a reference medium.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a money handling apparatus having a stable currency inspection accuracy.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above object, an inspection reference value setting method for a money handling apparatus according to the present invention comprises:
As described in claim 1, a step of detecting a feature amount of the reference money or the reference medium by the money handling apparatus and setting an inspection reference value based on the detected feature amount, and a step of determining the reference money or the reference medium. Diagnosing the inspection reference value set after the predetermined number of uses on the basis of the inspection reference value set at the number of uses and the cumulative number of uses.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for setting an inspection reference value of a money handling apparatus, wherein the money handling apparatus detects a feature amount of a reference currency or a reference medium and outputs the detected feature amount. A step of setting an inspection reference value based on the inspection reference value and the cumulative use count set at the first use of the reference money or the reference medium, and diagnosing the inspection reference value set after the first use. And a process. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the inspection reference value setting method of the money handling apparatus according to the second aspect, the diagnosing step may include setting the reference currency or the reference money. Assuming that the inspection reference value set at the first use of the medium is Ref1, the cumulative use count is n, and a and b are constants, respectively, the inspection reference value set after the first use is LmtH1 = Ref1.
* [1-Exp (-a / n)] + b and LmtL1 = Re
Diagnosis of the inspection reference value is performed based on whether or not the inspection reference value exists between f1 * [1-Exp (-a / n)]-b.

In the above invention, the inspection reference value set at a predetermined number of times of use of the reference money or the reference medium and the cumulative use number are diagnosed based on the inspection reference value, and thereafter, the inspection reference value is determined. Can be performed with higher accuracy, and in particular, the probability that an inspection reference value including an adjustment error component such as an inspection sensor can be diagnosed as an error is improved.

Further, according to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for setting an inspection reference value of a money handling apparatus, wherein the reference value is set when the reference money or the reference medium is used for the first time. The inspection reference value is compared with an inspection reference value set after the first use, and the inspection reference value used for the diagnosis is changed based on a result of the comparison.

According to this, if the inspection reference value set at the time of the first use includes a component that is not properly adjusted such as each sensor, the correct inspection reference value set thereafter is changed as the inspection reference value used for diagnosis. The diagnostic accuracy of the inspection reference value can be further improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for determining a reference currency usage limit of a currency handling apparatus, comprising the steps of: Based on the step of setting an inspection reference value, based on the inspection reference value set at the first use of the reference money or the reference medium and the inspection reference value set after the first use, the reference money or the reference medium And a determining step of determining a use limit of

Further, according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for determining a reference currency usage limit of a currency handling apparatus, wherein the currency processing apparatus detects a feature quantity of a reference currency or a reference medium and detects the feature quantity. Based on the step of setting an inspection reference value, based on the inspection reference value set at the first use of the reference money or the reference medium and the inspection reference value set after the first use, the reference money or the reference medium And a determining step of determining a use limit of

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for determining a reference money use limit of a money handling apparatus, wherein the determining step comprises: With the inspection reference information set at the first use of the reference money or the reference medium as Ref1 and c as constants, the inspection reference values set after the first use are LmtH2 = Ref1 + c and LmtL2 = Ref1-
c, the use limit of the reference money or the reference medium is determined based on whether or not the reference money exists.

According to these inventions, based on the inspection reference value set at the predetermined number of times of use of the reference money or the reference medium or at the first use, the reference money or the reference medium used for setting the inspection reference value thereafter is set. By determining the use limit, the use limit time of the reference money or the reference medium can be determined with higher accuracy.

Further, the present invention provides a reference money use limit determining method for a money handling apparatus, wherein the reference money use limit determining method for a money handling apparatus according to claim 6 or 7 is provided. The inspection reference value set at the first use of the reference money or the reference medium is compared with the inspection reference value set after the first use, and based on the result of the comparison, the inspection reference value used for the determination is changed. It is characterized by the following.

Thus, if the inspection reference value set at the time of the first use includes a component that is not properly adjusted such as each sensor, the correct inspection reference value set thereafter is changed as the inspection reference value used for diagnosis. This makes it possible to further enhance the accuracy of determining the usage limit of the reference currency.

Further, the money handling apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that
As described in, set based on the characteristic amount detected from the reference money or the reference medium, and based on the inspection reference value and the cumulative use number set at a predetermined number of uses of the reference money or the reference medium The present invention is characterized by having inspection means for inspecting money based on the inspection reference value diagnosed.

Further, according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a money handling apparatus which is set based on a feature amount detected from a reference money or a reference medium, and wherein the reference money or the reference medium is used for the first time. It is characterized by having inspection means for inspecting money based on the inspection reference value set at the time and the inspection reference value diagnosed based on the accumulated use count.

Since the money handling apparatus according to the present invention is configured as described above, the probability that an inspection reference value including a maladjustment component such as an inspection sensor is set can be suppressed, and the accuracy of money inspection can be improved. Can be planned.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a circulating coin processing apparatus mounted on an automatic teller machine (ATM) or the like.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a rotatable tray as a deposit / withdrawal port. At the time of deposit, coins of various mixed denominations to be processed are put in from the outside of the apparatus, and at the time of withdrawal, they are paid out of the apparatus. A coin of various denominations of various kinds is released. The tray 1 rotates when coins are inserted, and causes the coins to drop onto the upper feeding portion 2 of the centrifugal disk structure disposed vertically below. The upper feeding section 2 separates the coins dropped from the tray 1 by centrifugal force, and controls the coins by a height regulating guide (not shown) provided at the outlet of the disk 2a to feed coins one by one.

At a position adjacent to the outlet of the disk 2a of the upper feeding section 2, a pickup roller 3 is provided, and a conveying path 4 for forcibly conveying coins fed by the pickup roller 3 is provided. . The transport path 4 runs a transport belt 6 stretched between a pair of rollers 4a and 4b separated from each other by pressing the transport belt 6 against a substantially horizontal transport surface 5.
On one side of the transport path 4, that is, on the far side in the figure, a substantially horizontal transport surface 5 is provided.
A transport reference plane (not shown) extending perpendicularly to is formed. The pickup roller 3 is provided slightly inclined in a direction in which coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 are pressed against the transport reference plane. Therefore, the coins fed by the pickup roller 3 are pressed against the transport reference surface, are aligned on the transport surface 5, and are transported at a predetermined position.

The coins taken out of the transport path 4 are rotated by the rotation speed ratio between the pickup roller 3 and the transport path 4.
The sheets are transported one by one at a predetermined pitch.

Normally, since the upper feeding section 2 has a higher coin feeding ability than the pickup roller 3, coins are connected almost continuously before the pickup roller 3. The following coin (outer diameter: Dia) is driven at the rotation speed of the pickup roller 3, and the coin taken out earlier is driven at the transport speed of the downstream transport path 4 during the time that the coin advances by its own diameter. The transport pitch Xint is as follows: Xint = (V2 · Dia) / V1 V1: Upstream drive rotation speed (the rotation speed of the pickup roller 3) V2: Downstream drive rotation speed (the rotation speed of the transport path 4)

The conveying path 4 forcibly conveys coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 while pressing the coins onto the conveying surface 5 by the conveying belt 6, and sends the coins to an inspection section 7 arranged downstream. The inspection unit 7 discriminates the characteristics (authentication, type, etc.) of the conveyed coin optically and magnetically.

The coins passing through the inspection unit 7 are transported again to the transport path 4.
Is forcibly conveyed further downstream, and sent to the sorting unit 8 disposed downstream. The sorting unit 8 sorts coins transported by the transport path 4 into denominations (by type) based on the identification result of the inspection unit 7. The sorting unit 8 is, for example, laid horizontally by well-known opposed gates 9,..., And selectively sorts coins by denomination by selectively opening and closing these gates 9,.

The coins sorted by the sorting unit 8 are denominated safes (denomination stacking units) 10,.
It is put into the store, and it is sorted and accumulated according to the denomination.

The coins or retry coins identified as rejected coins by the inspection unit 7 pass through the sorting unit 8 and pass through the U-turn transport path 11 provided on the downstream side of the denomination safe 10. It is guided to the downstream transport path 12 and is returned to the tray 1 by the downstream transport path 12.

When the denomination safe 10 is full, an overflow box 13 for storing excess coins is provided in the inspection unit 7.
Coins are inserted through a well-known opposed gate 14 or the like.

When the overflow box 13 is full, for example, the safe 15 provided downstream of the sorting unit 8
The excess coins are collected by a well-known facing gate 16 or the like. It should be noted that when refilling coins from outside the apparatus, refill coins are inserted into the safe 15.

When a predetermined number of coins are not stored in the cash-type safe 10, the safe 15
, A replenishment operation to the denomination safe 10 is performed. That is, a coin dispensing section (not shown) constituted by a reciprocating picker or the like provided at the lower portion of the safe 15 takes out a specified number of coins from the safe 15 and feeds the lower portion disposed below the denomination safe 10. Put into the unit 17. Lower feeding section 17
Has a centrifugal disk structure similar to that of the upper feeding section 2.

The lower feeding section 17 feeds out coins thrown out of the safe 15 one by one and sends them to a sandwich type vertical conveyor 18 composed of a flat belt or the like.
The coins are conveyed to the upper feeding section 2 via. Upper feeding section 2
The coins conveyed to the coins are fed out one by one in the same manner as described above, conveyed on the conveyance path 4, and after the authenticity and the type are identified by the inspection unit 7, the coins are sorted by the sorting unit 8 and are sent to the predetermined denomination safe 10 Is stored.

The above is the description of the deposit processing system for performing coin deposit processing. Next, the dispensing processing system for performing coin dispensing processing will be described. Withdrawal processing is cash type safe 1
Take out the coin from 0 and pay it out to saucer 1. That is,
Specified amount of coins is output from each denomination safe 10, by a coin dispensing unit 19,... Constituted by a reciprocating picker and the like arranged at the lower part of each denomination safe 10,. .., And a lower feed-out portion 17 disposed below each denomination safe 10,.
Throw in

The lower pay-out section 17 is provided with a cash-type safe 10,.
The coins thrown out of the conveyor are fed out one by one and the vertical conveyor 1
Send to 8. The coins are conveyed to the upper feeding section 2 via the vertical conveyor 18. The coins conveyed to the upper feeding section 2 are:
As described above, the sheet is fed out one by one and conveyed on the conveyance path 4.
After checking the type and quantity in the inspection unit 7, the sheet is conveyed to the lowermost stream by the number of dispensed instructions, guided to the downstream conveyance path 12 via the U-turn conveyance path 11, and discharged to the tray 1 by the downstream conveyance path 12. It is.

Incidentally, reference numeral 20 denotes a temporary holding unit for temporarily holding a dispensed coin, a retry coin, and the like, and reference numeral 21 denotes a foreign matter collection box for collecting foreign matter. The coins held temporarily are placed in the counter gate 2
By selectively opening and closing Oa, the temporary holding unit 20 is guided.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the appearance of the inspection unit (inspection sensor) 7. The inspection sensor 7 is detachably attached to the transport surface 5 and the transport belt 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, the inspection sensor 7 has a transport surface 7a for transporting coins, and a transport surface perpendicular to the transport surface 7a and along the coin transport direction (the direction of arrow a in the figure). It has a sensor reference surface 7b (reference surface) extended to one side of 7a. The inspection sensor 7 is provided on the transfer surface 7.
a is disposed at substantially the same height as the transport surface 5 of the transport path 4,
In addition, the sensor reference surface 7b is slightly outside the not-shown transfer reference surface of the transfer path 4, for example, about 0.3 from the transfer reference surface.
mm.
When the inspection sensor 7 is positioned in this way, the coin passing through the inspection sensor 7 is moved with the end thereof separated from the sensor reference surface 7b by a predetermined distance (about 0.3 mm).
a (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

The inspection sensor 7 is a side jagged detection sensor for optically detecting the concavo-convex shape of the coin side surface, for example, a jagged pattern (50 yen, 100 yen) or a mark (500 yen) from the upstream side in the coin transport direction. 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as a “giza sensor 30”), an outer diameter detection sensor 40 (hereinafter simply referred to as a “diameter sensor 40”) for optically detecting the outer diameter of a coin, and a transmitted magnetic flux amount for magnetically detecting the material of the coin. A detection type material detection sensor 60 (hereinafter simply referred to as a material sensor 60) is provided. Hereinafter, each sensor 3 of the inspection sensor 7
0, 40, and 60 will be described in detail.

The knurled sensor 30 is accurately positioned with respect to the sensor reference surface 7b at a position outside the sensor reference surface 7b and close to the sensor reference surface 7b. In other words, the tooth sensor 30 is accurately positioned so that its focal point is located a predetermined distance, for example, 0.3 mm inward from the sensor reference plane 7b.

The sensor reference surface 7b is formed with an opening 31 through which light from the knurled sensor 30 can pass on the transport path. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the giza sensor 30 emits light to the side surface of the coin C passing near the opening 31 (the focal position of the giza sensor) (a light emitting diode, a semiconductor laser, or the like). 32, this light emitting element 32
A condenser lens 33 for condensing light emitted from the coin C on the side surface of the coin C, a condenser lens 34 for taking in reflected light generated on the side surface of the coin C, and a light receiving element (for example, (Photodiode) 35, opening 31
And a transparent guide 36 such as a glass that transmits light. The optical axis on the light emitting side and the optical axis on the light receiving side are each set at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the sensor reference plane 7b. In addition, the transparent guide 36 provided in the opening 31 is provided to prevent intrusion of dust that is undesirably accumulated on the transport surface 7a of the indentation sensor 30. Thus, the light emitted from the light emitting element 32 is condensed on the side of the coin C conveyed on the conveying surface 7a by the condensing lens 33, and the reflected light from this side is transmitted through the condensing lens 34. The light is received by the light receiving element 35. By the way, in order to increase the detection accuracy of the tooth sensor 30, it is necessary to accurately transport coins at a transport position separated by a predetermined distance from the sensor reference surface 7b. That is, it is necessary to convey the coin so that the end of the coin passes through a position 0.3 mm away from the sensor reference surface 7b.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a processing circuit for processing a signal (light reflected from the side surface of the coin C) detected by the indentation sensor 30. The analog signal reflected by the side surface of the coin C and received by the light receiving element 35 is
After being amplified to a predetermined level by the amplifier circuit 37, the DC component is cut off and converted into a digital signal by a comparator or the like. The digitalized output signal is input to the timer / counter controller 38, where the number of irregularities on the coin side surface (for example, the number of irregularities for each irregular width) is detected. The irregular width of the digital signal is detected by the timer / counter controller 38,
By detecting the number of irregularities for each irregularity width, the irregularities on the side surface of the coin can be detected in more detail.

A part of the analog signal amplified by the amplifier circuit 37 is taken into an inspection CPU, which will be described later, via an A / D converter 39, and the level of the output signal from the jagged sensor 30 is detected. .

FIG. 6 shows an example of an analog signal output and a digital signal output by the jagged sensor 30 when the coin C has a jagged pattern on the side surface (for example, a 50-yen coin or a 100-yen coin). An example of an analog signal output and a digital signal output by the giza sensor 30 when a mark is provided on the side surface (500 yen coin) is shown. As is clear from FIGS. 6 and 7, the coin C
Can be easily detected, and the type of the coin C can be specified by comparing the number of irregularities and the irregularity width with a reference value prepared in advance. The diameter sensor 40 has a transport surface 41 as shown in FIG. The transport surface 41 forms a transport surface of the inspection sensor 7 together with the transport surface 7a,
It is formed of a transparent and strong sapphire glass disposed in the same plane as the transfer surface 7a. The transport surface 41 made of sapphire glass extends to a material sensor 60 described later.

The diameter sensor 40 has an open portion 40a on one side along the width direction of the transfer surface 41.
(Light emitting diode) array 42 as a light source disposed along the transport surface width direction above the
A printed wiring board 43 to which the D array 42 is attached;
An optical slit 44 for guiding light from the LED array 42 to the transport surface 41, an optical slit 45 disposed below the transport surface 41, a self-fox lens for condensing light passing through the optical slit 45, and the like. A condensing lens 46, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type line sensor 47 for receiving light through the condensing lens 46, a printed wiring board 48 to which the line sensor 47 is attached, and the like are provided.

The opening 40 a is used for attaching and detaching the conveyor belt 6. Between the back side of the transport surface 41 and the condenser lens 46, the transport belt 6 is masked, and
A guide member 49 is provided to prevent the detection accuracy from deteriorating due to the vibration. Due to the presence of the guide member 49, the optical slit 45 is divided into two along the width direction of the transport surface 41.

The optical slit 45, the condenser lens 46, and the line sensor 47 constitute a photoelectric conversion unit that receives the light emitted from the LED array 42 through the transport surface 41 and converts the light into an electric signal. Further, guide members 51 and 52 that guide the transfer of the coin C and form an effective detection area are provided at both ends in the width direction of the transfer surface 41. The inner surfaces of the guide members 51 and 52 facing each other are coins C.
In particular, the inner surface of the guide member 51 acts as a sensor reference surface 51a disposed in the same plane as the above-described sensor reference surface 7b.

The transport surface 4 is transported by the transport belt 6.
When the coin C is forcibly conveyed over the coin 1, the light emitted from the LED array 42 is blocked by the coin C, and a light / dark signal due to the shadow of the coin generated at that time is detected by the line sensor 47. The outer diameter of the coin C can be detected by optically measuring the length of the shadow portion. Also, by measuring the length from the effective area defined by the guide member 51 to the shadow end of the coin,
The transfer position of the coin C, that is, the coin C from the sensor reference surface 51a
(Hereinafter, referred to as a width shift amount) can be detected. Here, a method for measuring the outer diameter and the width shift amount of the coin C will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In the (a) CCD output signal corresponding to one scan of the line sensor 47, the shadow area caused by the coin C is High, and the other areas are Low. 1
Only the reference clock corresponding to the pixel and the effective detection area corresponding to the area between the guide members 51 and 52 are Hig.
(c) An effective pixel area signal is prepared in advance, and a logical product of the (b) reference clock and the (c) effective pixel area signal and the above (a) CCD output signal is obtained. (D) An effective clock corresponding to the length of the light shielding area can be obtained. The diameter of the coin C can be measured by counting the number of effective clocks by a counter described later and obtaining the maximum value.

A reference clock (passing position clock) from the sensor reference plane 51a (at the beginning of the effective pixel area) to the end of the shadow area of the coin C (at the beginning of the CCD output signal) is counted by a counter described later. e) By determining the minimum value of the passing position clock, the width of the coin C can be measured.

The material sensor 60 is, as shown in FIG.
A wide primary core 61 having an open portion 60 a on one side along the width direction of the transport surface 41 and extending below the transport surface 41 in the width direction of the transport path, and wound around the primary core 61. Primary coil 62 for excitation, and this primary coil 62
Secondary coil 63, which is wound around and receives electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62, a wide secondary core 64 extending along the transport path width direction above the transport surface 41, and A second secondary coil 65 is provided around the core 64 and receives electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62. The primary coil 62 is excited by a sine wave signal emitted from a sine wave oscillator 66.

Outputs from the first and second secondary coils 63 and 65 are respectively amplified to a predetermined level through an amplifier circuit 67, and then a DC component is cut by a DC component cut path 68 comprising a capacitor and the like. The signal is subjected to full-wave rectification by a full-wave rectifier circuit 69, and an LPF (low-pass filter) 70
, And supplied to the arithmetic circuit 71 as a first secondary coil rectified output V21 and a second secondary coil rectified output V22.

In the arithmetic circuit 71, these rectified outputs V21
The output signal Vout is calculated in accordance with the following formula based on Vout and V22. Here, AMP1, AMP2, and AMP3 are constants.

Vout = AMP1 * [AMP2 * V21−AMP3 * V22] Then, this output signal Vout is supplied to the A
The signal is input to the / D converter 73, where it is periodically converted to a digital signal and output as an output signal of the material sensor 60. And the maximum value (peak) of this output signal
Is detected, the material of the coin C passing through the material sensor 60 is measured.

The jaw sensor 3 in the inspection sensor 7
The arrangement order of 0, the diameter sensor 40, and the material sensor 60 can be appropriately set.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control system in the coin processing apparatus of the present embodiment.

As shown in the figure, the control system of this coin processing device is a CPU of a higher control system for controlling the operation of the entire device.
(Hereinafter referred to as upper CPU) 80 and inspection sensor 7
(Hereinafter, referred to as an inspection CPU) 90.

The upper CPU 80 and the inspection CPU 90 have ROMs 81 and 91 storing programs, respectively.
RAMs 82 and 92 for temporarily storing processing data and the like,
Also, ICUs (interruption controllers) 83 and 93 for controlling mutual interruption operations are connected. Top CP
Communication between the U80 and the inspection CPU 90 is performed in parallel via the dual port RAM 85.

On the other hand, the inspection CPU 90 includes the inspection sensor 7
Counter 95 for counting the number of clocks and irregularities detected by the inner diameter sensor 40 and the indentation sensor 30
And an A / D converter 73 for digitizing an output signal from the material sensor 60. Each of the sensors 40, 30, and 60 in the inspection sensor 7 can be adjusted by an adjustment circuit 84 for offset adjustment and gain (sensitivity) adjustment.

The inspection CPU 90 has a parallel I / O
A key input section 98 and a display section 97 for the worker are connected through O96. In addition, inspection CPU
A non-volatile memory (E ² PROM) 100 in which inspection reference data obtained by inspecting a reference medium (reference coin) by the inspection sensor 7 is connected to 90.

The inspection reference data recorded in the E ² PROM 100 is obtained as follows.

First, a predetermined number of reference media (reference coins), for example, 100, are prepared for each denomination. The reference medium or the reference coin is, for example, a medium or a set of coins in which the distribution of feature amounts such as abrasion and dirt is similar to that of a coin in the market.

The setting of the inspection reference data is performed, for example, by setting the PC (personal computer) 10 of the shipping source or the manufacturer.
1 and an external interface (I / O) 102
The key input unit 98 and the display unit 97 are connected via the
This is done using

FIG. 12 shows the key input unit 98 and the display unit 97.
Is shown. As shown in FIG.
It has an 8-bit dip switch S1 that can be switched on / off, two rotary switches S2 and S3 that can be switched at four positions A to D along the circumference, and a push switch S4. This key input section 98
, A display unit 97 having 7-segment LEDs for displaying the switching state of each switch is provided.

FIG. 13 shows a procedure for setting inspection reference data.

Before the inspection of the reference coin, the offset adjustment (output at no load) and the sensitivity adjustment of each sensor 30, 40, 60 in the inspection sensor 7 are performed (step 13).
-1). After the adjustment of each sensor is completed, the key input unit 98
Bit 1 of the DIP switch S1 is turned on (n =
1) (Step 13-2). This notifies the inspection CPU 90 that a reference coin of 1 yen is to be played.

Next, 100 one-yen reference coins are inserted into the receiving tray 1 from the deposit / withdrawal port, and are fed one by one to the transport path 4 by the upper feeding unit 2 and the pickup roller 3 to pass the inspection sensor 7. (Step 13-3). The data representing the characteristic amount of the reference coin obtained by the inspection sensor 7 is the inspection CP
The U 90 notifies the upper CPU 80, and is further transferred from the upper CPU 80 to the PC 101.

When the PC 101 obtains the feature values of all 100 1-yen reference coins, the PC 101 calculates the average value and the standard deviation of the feature values as inspection reference data (step 13).
-4), diagnosis of the calculated inspection reference data and determination of the use limit of the reference coin are performed (step 13-5), and if there is no problem in this diagnosis, the inspection reference data is output to the coin processing device. The upper CPU 80 of the coin processing device is a PC 1
The inspecting reference data that has been sent from 01 E ² PROM1
A command is issued to the inspection CPU 90 to record the data at 00. As a result, the inspection standard data of the 1 yen standard coin is stored in the E ² PROM.
100 is recorded (set) (step 13-6).

If it is determined in the above diagnosis that there is a problem with the inspection reference data or the usage limit of the reference coin, an error is displayed (step 13-7). This error display can be performed on the display unit 97, for example.
When the recording of the inspection reference data of the one-yen reference coin in the E ² PROM 100 is completed, the bit 1 of the dip switch S1 is turned off.

Thereafter, bit 2 of the dip switch S1
Is turned on, and the same procedure is repeated for the reference coin of 5 yen, and thereafter, the bits after bit 3 of the dip switch S1 are turned on in order, whereby 10 yen, 50 yen,
Inspection reference data is similarly set for reference coins of 100 yen and 500 yen. Thus, the setting of the inspection reference data for all types of coins is completed (step 13).
-8).

[0076] coin processing device, for example, at the time of start-up, E ²
The inspection reference data is read from the PROM 100, and a determination table for coin inspection is set based on the inspection reference data.

Here, the inspection reference data is 1 for each denomination.
It consists of the average value and the standard deviation of the feature values of the 00 reference coins. Therefore, for example, a determination table is set which has a content of the average value ± 3 × σ (where σ is a standard deviation) as a normal distribution of the denomination coins. In this case, the reject rate of the regular hard disk is 0.
3%. FIG. 14A shows an example of the created determination table for material detection, and FIG. 14B shows an example of the determination table for diameter detection. Next, performed on the PC 101,
Each operation of setting and diagnosing the inspection reference data and determining the usage limit of the reference coin will be described.

Here, the inspection reference data set when the reference coin or the reference medium is used for the first time is referred to as specific inspection reference data.

First, the specific inspection reference data (Ref1) and the set number (n) of the inspection reference data are substituted into a predetermined function formula, and the upper limit value (LmtH1) and the lower limit value (LmtL1) of the threshold value for the inspection reference diagnosis. ) Is calculated respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the upper limit value (LmtH1) and the lower limit value (Lmt) of the threshold that follow the fluctuation of the inspection reference data with the increase in the number of times the reference coin is used.
L1) is set.

Further, a value obtained by adding a predetermined value to the specific inspection reference data (Ref1) and a value obtained by subtracting the predetermined value are respectively referred to as an upper limit value (LmtH2) and a lower limit value (LmtL2) of a threshold value for use limit determination of a reference coin. Set as Here, the addition value and the subtraction value for the specific inspection reference data (Ref1) may be the same, or may be an arbitrarily set value instead of the same.

Next, with respect to the inspection reference data Ref (n) set for the second and subsequent times, the inspection reference data Ref (n)
(N) is compared with a threshold for inspection reference diagnosis to check whether or not the inspection reference data exists between the upper limit (LmtH1) and the lower limit (LmtL1) of the threshold. If the inspection reference data Ref (n) is within the range between the upper limit value (LmtH1) and the lower limit value (LmtL1) of the threshold, it is determined that the inspection reference data Ref (n) is normal and out of the above range. Is determined, the inspection reference data Ref (n) is determined to have a problem. Further, for the inspection reference data Ref (n) set for the second and subsequent times, the inspection reference data Ref (n) is compared with a threshold for determining the limit of use of the reference coin, and the inspection reference data Ref (n) is It is checked whether the threshold value is between the upper limit value (LmtH2) and the lower limit value (LmtL2). When the inspection reference data Ref (n) is within the range between the upper limit (LmtH2) and the lower limit (LmtL2) of the threshold, it is determined that the reference coin or the reference medium has not reached the use limit time, If it is outside the above range, it is determined that the reference coin has reached the use limit time.

Here, when it is determined that the inspection reference data is abnormal or that the reference coin has reached the use limit time, a corresponding error code is displayed on the display unit 97, for example, and the operator is notified. .

The coin processing device according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, so that the following effects can be obtained.

As shown in FIG. 15, in a region where the inspection reference data fluctuates due to the deterioration of the reference coin or the reference medium due to an increase in the number of times of use, the fluctuation A of the inspection reference data due to an improper adjustment of the inspection sensor or the like. Consider the case where In this case, in the conventional method using a fixed threshold, as shown in FIG. 16, the inspection reference data that should be determined to be invalid is determined to be valid, and the determination table including the maladjusted component is actually determined. In this embodiment, the upper limit value (Lmt) of the threshold for the inspection reference diagnosis that follows the fluctuation of the inspection reference data accompanying the increase in the number of times of use of the reference coin is adopted in the money inspection.
Since H1) and the lower limit (LmtL1) are set, the probability that the inspection reference data including the maladjustment component can be determined to be abnormal can be increased.

The upper limit (LmtH2) of the threshold for determining the use limit of the reference coin is determined by adding and subtracting a predetermined value to and from the specific inspection reference data for the first time and the like. And the lower limit (LmtL
By setting each as 2), the conditions for determining the use limit time of the reference coin are standardized, and the optimal replacement time of the reference coin or the reference medium is determined for each worker in terms of how to handle the reference coin or the reference medium. It is possible to know accurately without being influenced by differences.

Next, a specific setting method of the threshold for the inspection reference diagnosis will be described.

Assuming that the number of times the reference coin or the reference medium has been used, the number of times the inspection reference data has been set is n, the inspection reference data for the first time or the like is Ref1, a and b are constants, and the upper limit (LmtH1) and the lower limit of the first threshold Value (LmtL1)
LmtH1 = Ref1 * [1-Exp (-a / n)] +
b LmtL1 = Ref1 * [1-Exp (-a / n)]-
Set b.

Then, the inspection reference data indicates that the upper limit value (LmtH1) and the lower limit value (LmtL)
1) is checked to see if it is present, and the upper limit (LmtH
If the value falls within the range between 1) and the lower limit (LmtL1), the inspection reference data is determined to be normal. If the value falls outside the above range, the inspection reference data is determined to be abnormal.

Next, a specific setting method of the threshold for determining the reference coin will be described.

Assuming that the number of times of setting the inspection reference data, which is the number of times of use of the reference coin or the reference medium, is n, the inspection reference data such as the first time is Ref1, and c is a constant, the upper limit value (LmtH2) and the lower limit value (LmtL2) Are respectively set as LmtH2 = Ref1 + c LmtL2 = Ref1-c.

Then, the inspection reference data includes the upper limit value (LmtH2) and the lower limit value (LmtL) of the threshold.
2) to determine whether it exists between them and determine the upper limit (LmtH
If the value falls within the range between 2) and the lower limit (LmtL2), it is determined that the reference coin or the reference medium has not reached the use limit time, and if it is outside the above range, the reference coin or the reference medium has reached the use limit. It is determined that the time has been reached.

In the above embodiment, the inspection reference data set at a predetermined number of times of use, such as the first use of the reference coin or the reference medium, is used as the specific inspection reference data for the subsequent diagnosis of the inspection reference data and the use of the reference coin. Although it is used to determine the limit, there is no guarantee that the inspection reference data set at the predetermined number of times of use is normal data that does not necessarily include an adjustment failure component. Therefore, the inspection reference data after the specific inspection reference data is set is monitored, and an abnormal step with the specific inspection reference data, for example, a step larger than a predetermined step width is detected, and thereafter, ( If a large step is not detected (during the set period of the predetermined number of inspection reference data), the initially set specific inspection reference data is invalidated, and instead,
The inspection reference data after the occurrence of the step is reset as correct specific inspection reference data.

Thus, the accuracy of diagnosis of the inspection reference data and the accuracy of determining the use limit time of the reference coin can be further improved.

In the above, the coin processing apparatus having the coin inspection sensor according to the present invention has been described.
The present invention can be similarly applied to a coin processing device having a sensor for inspecting bills.

[0095]

As described above, according to the inspection reference value setting method of the money handling apparatus of the present invention, the inspection reference value and the cumulative use number set at the predetermined use number of the reference money or the reference medium are used. By diagnosing the inspection reference value set thereafter, the diagnosis of the inspection reference value can be performed with higher accuracy. In particular, the inspection reference value including a maladjusted component such as an inspection sensor is diagnosed as an error. The probability of being able to do so increases.

Further, according to the inspection reference value setting method of the money handling apparatus of the present invention, if the inspection reference value set at the time of the first use includes a maladjustment component such as each sensor, it is set thereafter. The correct inspection reference value can be changed as an inspection reference value used for diagnosis, and the diagnostic accuracy of the inspection reference value can be further improved.

Further, according to the reference money use limit judging method of the present invention, the reference money or reference medium is used for the setting of the subsequent inspection reference value based on the inspection reference value set at the predetermined number of uses or the first use. By determining the use limit of the reference money or the reference medium, the use limit time of the reference money or the reference medium can be determined with higher accuracy.

Further, according to the reference currency usage limit judging method of the present invention, when the inspection reference value set at the time of the first use includes a maladjustment component of each sensor or the like, the correct inspection set thereafter is set. The reference value can be changed as an inspection reference value used for diagnosis, and the accuracy of determining the usage limit of the reference money can be further improved.

Further, according to the money handling apparatus of the present invention,
The probability that an inspection reference value including an adjustment error component such as an inspection sensor is set can be suppressed, and the accuracy of money inspection can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a coin processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an inspection unit detachably incorporated in the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a jaw sensor incorporated in the inspection unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the tooth sensor of FIG. 3 in a see-through manner;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a processing circuit for processing an output signal from the tooth sensor of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of a digital signal waveform detected by a jagged sensor when a coin having a jagged pattern on a side surface (a 50-yen coin or a 100-yen coin) is conveyed together with an analog waveform at that time.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of a digital signal waveform detected by a giza sensor when a coin (500 yen coin) having a stamp on a side surface is conveyed, together with an analog waveform at that time.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing a diameter sensor incorporated in the inspection unit of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a timing chart for explaining an operation of detecting a diameter and an approach amount of a coin by the diameter sensor of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a material sensor incorporated in the inspection unit of FIG. 2 together with its signal processing circuit.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a key input unit on which an input operation is performed by a worker.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a procedure for setting inspection reference data.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a determination table for material detection and a determination table for diameter detection.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in inspection reference data with respect to the set number of inspection reference data, an example of a threshold level for inspection reference data diagnosis, and an example of a threshold level for use limit determination of reference coins in the present invention. .

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a conventional example of a change in inspection reference data with respect to the set number of inspection reference data, and a threshold level for inspection reference data diagnosis.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 ...... inspecting sensor 30 ...... Gizasensa 40 ...... diameter sensor 60 ...... material sensor 80 ...... upper CPU 90 ...... inspecting ^{CPU 100 ...... E 2 PROM 101 ......} PC ( personal computer)

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A step of detecting a characteristic amount of a reference currency or a reference medium by a currency processing device and setting an inspection reference value based on the detected characteristic amount; Diagnosing the inspection reference value set after the predetermined number of uses on the basis of the set inspection reference value and the accumulated number of times of use. 2. A step of detecting a feature amount of a reference money or a reference medium in a money handling apparatus and setting an inspection reference value based on the detected feature amount, wherein the inspection reference value is set when the reference money or the reference medium is used for the first time. A diagnostic step of diagnosing an inspection reference value set after the first use based on the inspection reference value and the cumulative number of times of use. 3. The inspection reference value setting method for a money handling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the diagnosing step sets the inspection reference value set at the first use of the reference money or the reference medium to Ref1, and sets the cumulative use count to n. , A and b as constants, respectively, the inspection reference value set after the first use is LmtH1 = Ref1 *
[1-Exp (-a / n)] + b and LmtL1 = Ref
1 * [1-Exp (-a / n)]-b. The inspection reference value setting method of the money handling apparatus, wherein the diagnosis reference value is diagnosed based on whether or not the inspection reference value exists. 4. The inspection reference value setting method for a money handling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inspection reference value set when the reference currency or the reference medium is used for the first time and the inspection reference value set after the first use. A method for setting an inspection reference value of the money handling apparatus, wherein the inspection reference value used for the diagnosis is changed based on a result of the comparison. 5. A step of detecting a feature amount of a reference money or a reference medium in a money handling apparatus and setting an inspection reference value based on the detected feature amount; A step of determining a use limit of the reference money or the reference medium based on the set inspection reference value and the inspection reference value set after the predetermined number of times of use, the reference money of the money processing apparatus, Usage limit determination method. 6. A step of detecting a characteristic amount of a reference currency or a reference medium by a currency processing device and setting an inspection reference value based on the detected characteristic amount; and setting the inspection reference value at the first use of the reference currency or the reference medium. Based on an inspection reference value and an inspection reference value set after the first use, a judgment step of judging a use limit of the reference money or the reference medium, a reference money use limit judgment of the money handling apparatus, Method. 7. The reference money use limit judging method for a money handling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the judging step sets inspection reference information set at the first use of the reference money or the reference medium as Ref1, c as constants. The inspection reference value set after the first use is L
A reference money use limit determination method for a money handling apparatus, wherein a use limit of the reference money or the reference medium is determined based on whether or not the reference money exists between mtH2 = Ref1 + c and LmtL2 = Ref1-c. 8. The reference money use limit determining method for a money handling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein an inspection reference value set when the reference money or the reference medium is used for the first time and an inspection set after the first use. A reference money use limit judging method for a money handling apparatus, comprising: comparing an inspection reference value used for the judgment based on a result of the comparison with a reference value. 9. Diagnosis is made based on a feature amount detected from a reference money or a reference medium, and based on an inspection reference value and an accumulated use number set at a predetermined number of uses of the reference money or the reference medium. A money processing apparatus comprising inspection means for inspecting money based on the inspection reference value obtained. 10. An inspection set based on a feature amount detected from a reference currency or a reference medium, and an inspection diagnosed based on an inspection reference value and an accumulated use count set at the first use of the reference currency or the reference medium. A money processing apparatus comprising inspection means for inspecting money based on a reference value.