NL8203492A - TUBE POSTING SYSTEM. - Google Patents

Description

N.0. 31256 1

Bulking mail system.

The invention relates to a pneumatic tube system comprising at least one sending station, at least one receiving station and a transport tube running between the stations.

Such a pneumatic tube system is known, for example, from Dutch patent application 74.00441. This known pneumatic tube system is used in particular for the transport of valuable objects, for instance money or securities, between a sending station and a receiving station. This known pneumatic tube system is used, for example, in bank buildings for transporting money or securities between a publicly accessible counter space and a central cash room, which is not open to the public and is generally located in another part of the building .

However, such pneumatic mail systems can also be used in night safe installations, where the transmission station is located in the outside wall of a bank building and is accessible to the user who wishes to deposit a cassette or cartridge in the night safe. The receiving station is located in the actual night safe area. In pneumatic mail systems of this type, it is desirable to take measures to prevent or detect intrusion on the transport tube in order to secure the path along which the cartridge or cartridge with its valuable contents travels between transmitting station and receiving station. Particularly in situations where the transport tube between the transmitting station and the receiving station passes through a space or spaces that are relatively easily accessible to a burglar without breaking into the night vault space itself, measures must be taken to protect the tube against intrusion. or at least attempt to detect intrusion highly recommended.

A similar situation can arise with pneumatic mail systems in, for example, department stores or other buildings in which money is transported, for instance between a number of sales outlets and a central greenhouse space, wherein the transport tube runs through a space or spaces that are used relatively little, so that the chance is not imaginary that an unauthorized person will try to enter one of these spaces j:! gaining access to the transport tube and thus being able to intercept cassettes or cartridges containing money or securities; ! 1 pen.

The object of the invention is now to indicate measures to improve the eliminate the aforementioned danger of breach of the transport pipe, at present substantially reduce it and in any case detect any attempted burglary at an early stage. Another object of the invention is to provide measures for checking the reception of each pattern sent in the sending station in the receiving station.

This objective is met with a pneumatic tube system of the aforementioned type, in that at least one signal conductor is arranged in or on the wall of the transport tube, one end of which is connected to a signal source and the other end is connected. with a signal receiver.

As long as the signal receiver receives a signal from the signal source via the signal conductor, it is certain that the transport tube has not been opened or broken at least at the location of the signal conductor.

If a number of signal conductors, for example distributed over the circumference, are embedded in the wall of the pipe or placed on the pipe wall, the chance that someone can make an opening in the pipe wall that is large enough to remove a cassette or cartridge from the pipe without breaking at least one of the signal conductors, in principle reduced to zero. Preferably, the distance between the signal conductors is smaller than the diameter of a pneumatic tube cartridge or cassette.

The various signal conductors can each have an end | connected to a signal source and connected to the other end to a signal receiver, but such a configuration requires a number of signal, sources and signal receivers corresponding to the number of signal conductors. It is therefore preferable to have a configuration in which the ends of the different signal conductors are coupled two by two to each other such that the signal conductors are connected in series, the signal source being connected to one end of the series circuit and the signal receiver being connected to the other end of the series circuit.

However, a configuration with a number of signal conductors is possible with a transport tube, which is built up from prefabricated loose; parts lead to cumbersome assembly, because the various signal conductors in the various prefabricated parts must then be correctly connected at the different connections. This disadvantage can be received, on the one hand, by zigzagging the signal coin for each separate part, so that in fact a configuration per part is obtained as indicated for the whole system in the above 40, but on the other hand this leads to i

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8203492 3 a much more difficult manufacturing process for the loose parts. These disadvantages of a conveyor tube made of parts can be considerably reduced without increasing the chance of intrusion into the tube by arranging a single signal conductor in a spiral around the tube. Preferably, the distance between the turns of this spiral signal conductor is smaller than the cross-section of a pneumatic tube cartridge or cassette. In this case, with a transport tube built up from loose parts, only a through-connection has to be realized at each connection location of the loose parts during the assembly of the transport tube.

The signal conductors may consist of electrically conductive wires, the signal source consisting, for example, of a voltage or current source and the signal receiver comprising a voltage or current detector. Any couplings between a plurality of signal conductors or signal conductor sections can be realized here by means of electrically conductive couplings or with resistance elements with a predetermined resistance value.

However, in order to reduce the chance that an unauthorized person successfully bridges the one or more signal conductors with a separate conductor section externally and then breaks the tube open between the terminals of this bridging conductor section, the signal conductor is preferably constructed as an electrical resistance wire with a predetermined resistance value per unit length, while the signal source is an electrical signal source and the signal receiver is capable of detecting these signals attenuated by the total resistance of the signal conductor. Preferably, the signal receiver is provided with a quiescent current monitoring circuit which also responds to small variations in the quiescent current level. If an unauthorized person now tries to short a signal conductor section, either with a good conducting wire or with a wire which has its own resistance, this will in all cases be detected by the quiescent current circuit.

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In a further embodiment of the invention, the signal conductor is constructed as a light-conducting glass fiber, the signal source 35 is designed as a light source and the signal receiver is provided with a light detector. Making a bridging on a glass fiber will be practically impossible, certainly without specialist equipment. In this case too, it is preferable to monitor not only the presence of a signal or the absence of a signal in the signal receiver, but also the level of a received signal;

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8203492 4 signal, so that any intervention in the signal conductor can also be detected with great certainty here, even when it is performed with specialist equipment.

In all cases the certainty is further increased and the detection possibilities are considerably increased if not only the transport tube is not only directly monitored for infringement, but also indirectly any infringement is detected by checking whether a pneumatic tube cartridge or cassette that is in the broadcasting station has actually been transported through the transport tube and has reached the receiving station. In the unlikely event, for example during the period when the pipe transport system was out of use, for example at night in the case of a pipe transport system in a department store or during the day in the case of a night vault system, the transport pipe was successfully violated, so that a burglar made a -15 can receive the cassette or tube, this infringement is evidenced by the fact that the receiving station does not receive a cassette or tube after it has been introduced into the transmitting station.

In order to realize this, a preferred embodiment of the pneumatic mail system is characterized in that a detector 20 is present in the sending station, which detects the input of the cartridge into the transport tube, that in the receiving station a detector is present, which outputs the cartridge from the transport tube. and that a control circuit is present which receives signals from both detectors.

In an embodiment of the invention, the detectors may consist of light banks, ie a combination of a light source and a photosensitive detector, which photosensitive detector outputs a signal to the control circuit. The control circuit can be arranged in or at one of the stations, preferably the receiving station, in which case the detector signal can be transferred to detector placed in the other station via the signal conductor mounted in or on the wall of the transport tube.

In order to reduce the possibility that a burglar, incidentally provided that the intrusion on the transport tube itself would already succeed without being detected, catches a cassette, removes the contents and then reinserts the empty cassette into the transport tube, it is preferable that a time measuring device is present with which the time is measured between the occurrence of the detector signal in the sending station and the occurrence of the detector signal in the receiving station. It should be noted that measures may need to be taken not to allow the quiescent level detector in the signal receiver to respond to the level change brought about by the detection signal.

To further eliminate the possibility that an intruder will catch the cassette and release an empty cassette almost simultaneously, which will then arrive at the receiving station within the time period determined by the time measuring device, it is preferable to provide each cassette or cartridge of code elements in which each station is provided with code scanning elements for scanning the code stored in these code elements can be read in the receiving station, the code read in the sending station being transferred as detector signal via the signal conductor to the receiving station and there on arrival of the cartridge it is compared with the code read there. If both codes are the same, it is almost 100% sure that the cassette, which was inserted in the sending station, will also receive in the receiving station within the set time period.

Preferably, the code elements consist of strips perpendicular to the direction of transport at least partly around the pattern, the length of which determines the code represented by these strips, while the scanning means for reading the code are provided with at least one series of detectors arranged in an annular manner around the transport tube, which are connected to a circuit with which, each time a code element is passed, the number of detectors from the series activated by this element is determined. In this manner, the length of each of the code elements can easily be determined without it being necessary to guide the cartridge along the code scanning elements in a certain preferred position.

According to a further preferred embodiment, the code elements consist of strips perpendicular to the direction of transport all around the pattern, the width of which as well as the mutual distance determine the code represented by these code elements, while the scanning means are provided with a detector which, during passage of the cartridge, scans the code elements, which detector is connected to a circuit with which the widths and the mutual distances of the elements can be determined. In that case, a considerable simplification of the required detector means is achieved. The code can for instance be an embodiment of the so-called barcode.

Preferably, the code elements have a color different from the background color of the pneumatic post cartridge and the detectors in the code scanning means consist of optical detectors. It is however

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8203492 6; it is also possible that the code elements consist of metal and that the tube-post cartridge consists, at least at the location of the code elements, of non-metal and that the detectors in the scanning means consist of detectors reacting to the metal.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the code elements consist of magnets, each of which is adjustablely arranged on one of a number of annular paths running around the cartridge, the scanning means being provided with at least a series of magnetic detectors placed annularly around the transport tube. coupled to a circuit which determines the relative position of each of the magnets relative to the front magnet in the conveying direction, which relative position determines the code represented by the magnets. This embodiment offers the user the possibility to set any code before entering the pneumatic post cartridge in the sending station. This code, which therefore cannot be known to any burglar, is now read in the sending station, transferred via the signal conductor to the receiving station and compared there on receipt of the cartridge with the code read in the receiving station. This embodiment offers a very high degree of certainty.

In all cases it is preferable, if an infringement on the transport tube has been found or if a cassette has not been received correctly in the receiving station, to send a signal to the sending station with which any subsequent users of this fact can be informed. In addition, in such a case, of course, a signal can be given to an alarm device or an external monitoring authority.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying figures.

Figure 1 illustrates part of a transport tube 1 for one! : pneumatic tube system, in the wall of which tube in this case two signal conductors 2 and 3 are inserted. The signal conductors 2 and 3 can be! consist of highly conductive copper wires or wires of another metal, or may consist of wires of a so-called resistance material, ie material having a certain resistance per unit length.

| Electric signals can be transmitted via such signal conductors. It is also possible to realize the signal conductors 2 and 3 with the aid of optical glass fibers along which light signals can be transmitted.

40; During the manufacture of tube 1, the signal conductors can be in cn ·· -; '·? /! o 8203492 7 be embedded in the pipe wall. However, it is also possible to apply the signal conductors 2 and 3 to the pipe wall after manufacture of the pipe, for example by means of gluing. This last embodiment offers the possibility of securing existing pneumatic mail transport systems within the scope of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a pneumatic postal system consisting of a transmitting station 11 and a receiving station 12, coupled via a transport tube 13. The transport tube 13 is provided in the manner shown in Figure 1 with a number of signal conductors 14, 15. In this embodiment the signal conductors are 14 and 15 in the transmitter station 11 coupled via a resistor 16 of predetermined resistance value. In the receiving station, one of the signal conductors, in this case the signal conductor 14, is connected to a signal source 17, while the other signal conductor, in this case the signal conductor 15, is connected to a signal receiver 18.

The signal source 17 can for instance consist of a voltage source or current source which ensures that a certain quiescent current, the value of which partly depends on the resistor 16, flows through the signal conductors. This quiescent current is detected by the signal receiver 18. If one of the signal conductors 14 or 15 is broken, it will be detected in the signal receiver as a drop in the quiescent current level to zero. In response to this drop, the signal receiver 18 may, for example, trigger an alarm circuit.

It is also possible to combine the signal source to the signal receiver in, for example, a Wheatstone bridge using the combination of the signal conductors 14 and 15 and the resistor 16 as one of the bridge branches.

In Figure 2, the signal source 17 and the signal receiver 18 are shown in one and the same station. It will be clear that configurations are also possible with the signal source 17 in one station and the signal source 18 in the other station.

Figure 3 shows a pneumatic tube transport system consisting of a transmitting station 21, a receiving station 20 and a transport tube 22 extending between these stations. The transport tube 22 is provided on or in its tube wall with a signal conductor 23. The end of this signal conductor 23 in the transmitting station 21 is connected to a signal source 25, for example a voltage source, and the end of the signal conductor 23 in the receiving station 20 is connected to a signal receiver 26, for example a voltage meter. When the signal conductor 23 is broken, the voltage on the voltage meter 26 40 will drop out and this voltage meter will then give a detection signal to

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8203492 8 an alarm circuit 30.

As can be seen from Figure 3, an optical detector 27 is further arranged in the transmitting station 21, the output of which is coupled to the signal conductor 23. In the receiving station, a further optical detector 28 is provided, the output of which is coupled to a comparator circuit 29 The other input of the comparator circuit is connected to the signal conductor 23.

There is a code on the pneumatic post cartridge 31, in this case in the form of strips 32, the color of which differs from the background color of the pneumatic post cartridge 31. For example, the strips may have a different width and the spacing of the strips may also vary such that for example, a bar code is represented by these strips. It will be clear, however, that other forms of coding using colored strips can also be used within the scope of the invention.

When the pneumatic mail cartridge 31 starts to move from the transmitter station 21 to the transport tube 22, the code elements 32 will be scanned by the optical detector 27. The output signal supplied by the optical detector 27 is applied to the signal conductor 23 and 20 and is transferred via this signal conductor to a comparator circuit 29. The other input of this comparator circuit 29 is connected to the output of the further optical detector 28 present in the receiving station 20. When the cartridge 31 has been transported through the tube 22 and arrives at the receiving station 20, the code 32 on the pneumatic tube cartridge 31 will be read by this optical detector 28 which in turn supplies an output signal to the comparator circuit 29. In the comparator circuit 29 the signals from both optical detectors 27 and 28 compared. If an inequality is determined, the comparator circuit 29 outputs an output 30 signal to the alarm circuit 30.

In this embodiment of the pneumatic tube system according to the invention; A further safeguard has been realized with the aid of the time measuring circuit 24. The code scanning signal i supplied by the detector 27 is also supplied from the line 23 to the first input of this time measuring circuit 24. The electrical supplied by the optical detector 28 code signal is supplied to the other input of this time measuring circuit 24. The time measuring circuit begins to measure a time period upon receipt of the signal from the optical detector 27 and terminates the time measuring process upon receipt of the signal from the optical detector 28. When the measured time period exceeds a predetermined OKom.c 8203492 9 threshold period, the time measuring circuit 24 supplies a trigger signal to the alarm circuit 30.

In this known pneumatic tube system, when the signal conductor 23 is broken in an attempt to breach the transport tube 22, the state of rest detector 26 will issue a trigger signal to the alarm circuit 30. Should a breach succeed itself without the state of state detector 26 giving a trigger signal, then a burglar theoretically has the ability to receive a cartridge in the transport tube 22 and remove it from the transport tube. In that case, however, the predetermined transport time period will be overwritten and the time measuring circuit 24 started by the optical detector 27 will not be stopped within this predetermined period of time and therefore will trigger a trigger signal to the alarm circuit 30. When an intruder succeeds burglary in which the signal conductor 23 is not broken or at least the circuit 26 has not reacted, intercepts an arriving pneumatic tube and at the same time discharges another pneumatic tube towards the receiving station 20, it is very unlikely that this pneumatic tube introduced by the burglar cartridge the same code is present as on the cartridge scooped by the burglar. The optical detector 28 will therefore read a different code from the optical detector 27, and this fact is detected in the comparator circuit 29, on which the comparator circuit 29 outputs a trigger signal to the alarm circuit 30.

It will be clear that when using several signal conductors 23, these signal conductors can be connected in series in the manner already described above, so that the signal source 25 can also be accommodated in the receiving station 20.

In a further development of this embodiment, the alarm circuit 30 communicates via a separate line with indication means 31 for the user that can be observed in the transmitter station 21, for example an alarm light or acoustic signal transmitter. These indication means indicate to the user that with the pneumatic tube system: something is wrong.

Although not shown, it will furthermore be clear that by means of the alarm circuit 30 signals can be supplied to the further control circuits of the tube transport system in order to further block the operation of the tube transport system, so that, for example, it is no longer possible to enter the cartridge in the transmitter station. and optionally the passage between the transport tube 22 and the receiving station 20 is I | 40 locks. :

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Details regarding the optical detectors 27, 28, the time measuring circuit 24, the comparator circuit 29, the voltage meter 26 and the alarm circuit 30 are not given since various embodiments of these circuits and components are possible, all of which are within the scope of one skilled in the art are supposed.

Figure 4 shows a pneumatic tube sleeve on which another embodiment of a coding is applied. In this case, strips 41 and 42 are positioned on the pneumatic tube tube perpendicular to the direction of transport and extend only over a part of the circumference of the transport tube 40. In this case, the length of each of the strips determines the lengths determined by these strips. represented code.

Figure 5 shows a section through a transport tube 50 at the location of a detector unit consisting of a series of scanning elements 51 arranged in an annular manner around the transport tube.

Figure 6 shows a view of the same transport tube 50 with the scanning elements 51 placed in an annular manner around it. In this figure a second series of scanning elements 52, likewise positioned, is shown.

In the embodiment of Figures 4, 5 and 6, the code-20 elements consist, for example, of metal strips and the scanning elements 51 and 52 are designed as metal-detecting scanning elements, which are for instance commercially available in the form of so-called "proximity switches".

As the non-metal pneumatic tube 40 on which the adjustable length metal strips 41 and 42 are mounted moves through the pneumatic tube 50 and passes along the sensing elements 51, 52, some of these sensing elements will be activated by the metal strips 41, 42. The number of activated sensing elements depends on the length of the strips 41, 42. The outputs of the sensing elements 51, 52 are connected to a circuit in which it is determined how many of the sensing elements have supplied an output signal. All scanning elements 51 are for instance connected to the inputs of a scanning circuit in which the scanning elements are examined one by one for whether or not a signal is present. If a signal is present, a counter circuit is increased by 1. In this way, when all the output signals of the scanning elements have been evaluated by the scanning circuit, the counter circuit will indicate how many of the scanning elements were activated during the scanning process. If the scanning process cannot be performed fast enough, memory circuits can be connected between the scanning elements 51 and the scanner, for example in the

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8203492 11 in the form of flip-flops are included to temporarily store the output signals from the sensing elements 51.

It will be clear that in principle a single series of scanning elements, for example the series 51, is sufficient to determine both the length of the strip 42 and that of the strip 41. In that case, the circuit determining the number of activated sensing elements must, of course, be modified appropriately. Within the scope of the application it has been assumed that the actual design of the circuit for determining the number of activated elements is within the scope of the expert.

Finally, figure 7 shows a further possibility for applying code elements to the pneumatic tube. The pneumatic tube 60, of which only one end is illustrated in the figure, is provided with a number of rings 61, 62, each provided with a magnet 63, 64. A further magnet 65 is arranged in a fixed place on the pneumatic post cartridge 60, for example on the front guide filtering 66. The rings 61 and 62 can be moved by the user by rotation such that the magnets 63 and 64 assume a position arbitrarily adjustable by the user relative to the magnet 65. The scanning means in the transmitting and receiving stage in this case consist of a ring of magnetic detectors arranged around the transport tube. When passing the front magnet 65, one of these detectors will be energized and in a memory circuit the number | of this detector. Each of the subsequent magnets 63 and 64 will energize one of the other detectors and the number of these detectors will also be recorded in the memory circuit. Subsequently, the "distances" between the magnet 65 on the one hand and the magnets 63 and 64 on the other hand are determined by subtracting. These distances represent the code determined by the magnets.

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Claims (16)

A pneumatic tube system, provided with at least one transmitting station, at least one receiving station and a transport tube extending between the stations, characterized in that at least one signal conductor is arranged in or on the wall of the tube 5, one end of which is connected to a signal source and the other end is connected to a signal receiver. 2. Pneumatic tube system according to claim 1, characterized in that a number of signal conductors are arranged in or on the wall of the tube, wherein the distance between these signal conductors is smaller than the diameter of a pneumatic tube cartridge or cassette. 3. Pneumatic tube system according to claim 2, characterized in that the ends of the different signal conductors are coupled to each other two by two, such that the signal conductors are connected in series, the signal source being connected to one end of the series circuit and the signal receiver is connected to the other end of the series circuit. 4. Pneumatic tube system according to claim 1, characterized in that a single signal conductor is arranged spirally around the tube in or on the wall of the tube, wherein the distance between the turns is smaller than the diameter of a pneumatic tube cartridge or cassette. A pneumatic tube system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each signal conductor is constructed as an electrical resistance wire with a predetermined resistance value per unit length, the signal source consisting of a source of electrical signals and the signal receiver consisting of a receiver capable of detecting these signals attenuated by the total resistance of the signal conductor. 6. Pneumatic tube system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each signal conductor consists of a light-conducting glass fiber, that the signal source is formed by a light source and the signal receiver is provided with a light detector. A pneumatic tube system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a detector is present in the sending station that detects the input of the cartridge into the transport tube, that in the receiving station there is a detector that detects the output of the cartridge from the transport tube. and that a control circuit is provided which receives the signals from both detectors. A pneumatic tube system according to claim 7, characterized in that a 40. time measuring device is provided for measuring the time between the occurrence of the detector signal in the sending station and the occurrence of the detector signal in the receiving station. Tubular mail system according to claim 8, characterized in that each cassette or cartridge is provided with code elements, that each station: 5 is provided with code scanning means for scanning the code stored in these code elements, which the code read by the transmitting station as a detection signal is transmitted via the signal conductor to the receiving station and there, on arrival of the cassette or cartridge, is compared by means of comparison means with the code read at the receiving station. 10. Pneumatic postal system according to claim 9, characterized in that the code elements consist of strips perpendicular to the direction of transport, at least partly around the pattern, the length of which determines the code represented by these strips, while the scanning means are provided with at least a series of detectors arranged in an annular manner around the transport tube, connected to a circuit with which the number of detectors from the series activated by this element is determined each time a code element is passed. 11. A pneumatic postal system according to claim 9, characterized in that the code elements consist of strips perpendicular to the conveying direction all around the pattern, the width of which, as well as the mutual distance, determine the code represented by these code elements, while the spacing is spaced apart, the scanning means are provided with a detector which, during passage of the cartridge, scans the code elements, which detector is connected to a detector with which the widths and the mutual distances of the elements can be determined. 12. Pneumatic mail system according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the code elements have a color different from the background color of the pneumatic mail cartridge and the detector or detectors in the scanning means consist of optical detectors. Pneumatic tube system according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the code elements consist of metal and at least the pneumatic tube cartridge; at the location of the code elements does not consist of metal and that the detectors in the scanning means consist of metal-reacting detectors. 14. Pneumatic tube system according to claim 9, characterized in that the code elements consist of magnets each adjustable on one of a number of annular paths extending around the cartridge and in that the scanning means are provided with at least a series of magnetic elements placed annularly around the transport tube. detectors coupled to a circuit 8203492 r which determines the relative position of each of the magnets relative to the magnet in the conveying direction, which relative position determines the code represented by the magnets. Pneumatic tube system according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an alarm circuit is triggered upon detection of breakage in one of the signal conductors or upon detection of an incorrect code in the receiving station or upon exceeding of the transport time between the sending and receiving station. asked. Pneumatic tube system according to claim 15, characterized in that the transmitting station is provided with user-detectable indicia which can be activated by the alarm circuit. ************ 0: ·. · * '··. ·: 8203492