SE447516B - PROCEDURE FOR READING A VALUE DOCUMENT, SELECTED VALUE DOCUMENT AND DEVICE FOR READING - Google Patents

Description

447 516 2 Known, s.k. Banknote machines are adapted to sense one or more banknote denominations in such a way that the size of the banknote and / or its light transmittance in different parts of the banknote are measured. Such systems mainly have the limitations that only one or two banknotes can be recognized by one and the same device and that e.g. the contamination of the banknote affects whether the device accepts the saddle or not.

The present invention offers a solution to the above problems and enables all the above stated wishes to be fulfilled.

The present invention thus relates to a method for reading a value document, which in its production is provided with at least one continuous or in the substrate of the value document, such as its paper, continuous optical fiber whose two end surfaces are both placed at the edge of the document and is characterized by the fact that light-emitting means are caused to illuminate the first resp. end surface and that light-sensitive means are caused to detect whether the other or fibers of the fiber or fibers end surface emits light, where illumination and reading take place at one or more predetermined places of the document, and by said light emitting means being emitted light of different intensity and / or wavelength in different fibers, and by said light sensitive means being detected by such light at the other end surface of each fiber.

Furthermore, the invention comprises a value document which is characterized in that it is provided with at least one wide or 1 optical document substrate, such as paper where applicable, continuous fiber, the two end surfaces of which are both placed at the edge of the document, each fiber being arranged to conduct light emitted. at the first end face of the fiber to its second end face and of the fact that for each type of document the first and second resp. end surfaces are placed with predetermined mutual distances or at predetermined places relative to the document.

In addition, the invention comprises a device for reading value documents, which in their production is provided with at least one wide or in the value of the value document, such as its paper, continuous optical fiber, the two end surfaces of which are both placed at the edge of the document and characterized by light - emitting means are provided to illuminate resp. one end surface of optical fibers and that light-sensitive means are provided arranged to sense light which is conducted via resp. fibers, and in that said light-emitting and said light-sensitive means are arranged to illuminate resp. sensing predetermined locations of the document, and that said light emitting means are arranged to emit light of different kmensüet and / or wavelength in different fibers and that rf ry 447 516 corresponding light sensitive means are arranged to detect the presence of such light at the respective fibers other end surface.

In the following, the present invention is described in more detail in part in connection with various embodiments of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing.

In this part, the invention is described so that value documents are exemplified with a banknote, but the embodiments of the invention should not be considered limited to one banknote, but any kind of value document may be in question.

In the accompanying drawing - figure 1-6 shows different examples of the placement of one or more optical fibers at or in a value document, - figure 7 schematically shows a reading device according to the invention.

Figures 1-6 show a value document 1-6 according to the invention exemplified by a banknote. The security document is provided with at least one non-whip fiber 7 running at or in the substrate of the security document. Figure 1-6 shows the fibers dashed because they have been chosen to be embedded in the banknote's substrate. By substrate is meant the material or one of the materials that the value document consists of. With regard to securities securities, the paper is thus referred to. Although the optical fiber of the invention can be placed and attached to, i.e. on one of the surfaces of the document, it is preferable to place the optical fiber embedded in the substrate. When in the production of the substrate the optical fiber is embedded in the substrate, it is extremely difficult or impossible to subsequently change the position of the fiber, introduce new fibers, or replace fibers to insert fibers with other optical properties.

The optical fibers may be of any suitable type known, such as glass fibers and especially optical plastic fibers.

The first 8 resp 8 of the optical fiber (s) 7, respectively. the other 9 end surfaces are placed at the edge of the document l-6. The fiber 7 is thereby arranged to direct light emitted at the first end surface 8 of the fiber 7 to its second end surface 9, where the emitted light can be detected as shown below. The end surfaces of the fiber 7 are thus not embedded in the substrate of the document.

According to a preferred embodiment exemplified in Figure 2, one or more fibers 10, 11 run between two different edges 12, 13 and 13, respectively. l2, lÅ of the document 2.

According to another preferred embodiment exemplified in Figure 3, one or more fibers 15, 16 run from an edge 17 of the document 3 back to 447 516, the same edge 17. This can of course be combined with a fiber as shown in Figure 3. l8 running between two opposite edges l7, l9 of the document 3.

It is obvious that the variations regarding the placement of one or more fibers are infinite, which is why the placements shown in the figures are only exemplary.

According to a further embodiment, different kinds of the same type of document, such as banknotes of different denominations in a country, are provided with one or more fibers where the fibers resp. the first 8 and, respectively, other 9 end surfaces are placed with predetermined mutual distances, or predetermined placements relative to the document, showing the value of the banknote.

Examples include a Swedish ten-kronor banknote, a fifty-kronor banknote and a hundred-kronor banknote. Each of these can then be provided with, for example, two fibers which run across the width of the banknote as shown in Figure 1. In this case, the two fibers are placed, for example, mutually parallel, where the distance between the fibers is specific for a ten-kronor banknote, a fifty-kronor banknote. se- del resp. a hundred kronor note.

By illuminating resp. the first end surface of the fiber and place a photosensitive member at each of the places for the different banknotes for the second resp. end surface, the photosensitive members are affected depending on the mutual distance of the fibers of the banknote, i.e. depending on the denomination of the banknote.

Figures Ä-6 show another example where, for example, the document named Ä can be a ten kronor note, the document 5 a five micron note and the document 6 a hundred kronor note. In this case, the document Å contains only one fiber 20, the document 5 two fibers 21,22 and the document 6 three fibers 23,24,25. The fibers 20, 21 and 23 are placed at the same distance from the short side 26 of the respective document. The fibers 22 and 24 are also placed at the same distance from the said short side 26. Reading of such banknotes is exemplified below in connection with the description of the device according to figure 7.

Of course, all fibers can have exactly the same optical properties. However, according to one embodiment, different fibers are made with different properties with respect to light conductivity for light of different wavelengths and / or different luminous flux.

According to one embodiment, therefore, one or more fibers are dyed. In the use of colored fibers, the light-sensitive means in question are selected so that these are essentially only affected by light emitted from such a colored fiber. 447 516 According to another embodiment, the diameter of the light fibers is different, which means that different fibers are arranged to conduct different maximum light fluxes for a certain lighting source. Thus, the light emitted from different fibers will vary in terms of luminous flux. This is used so that the photosensitive elements are then arranged to emit an electrical signal which varies with the light flux of the light hitting the element in question, which signal is processed in a detector circuit # 0 in order to thereby determine whether the light flux of the received light is within a certain predetermined value or interval, which is given partly by the light intensity emitted from the light-emitting means to the first end surface of the fiber, partly by e.g. fiber diameter.

Depending on the application, the diameter of the fibers can be varied and adapted to a diameter suitable for each document. Thus, the diameter can be, for example, from 1/100 mm up to 1 mm.

The present invention also relates to a method for reading a value document of the above-mentioned type, which in its production is provided with at least one optical fiber running at or in the substrate of the value document.

According to. said method, light emitting means 27,28,29 are caused to illuminate the first resp. end surface 8 and light-sensitive means 30,3l, 32 are made to sense whether the other resp. end surface 9 emits light, where illumination and / or sensing takes place in one or more predetermined places of the document.

According to a preferred embodiment of the method, which connects to the above-mentioned embodiment of the value document according to which one or more fibers have different optical properties than other fibers, said light-emitting means are emitted light of different intensities and / or wavelengths into different fibers. Said light-sensitive means are thereby brought according to the method of detecting the presence of such light at resp. fibers other end surface.

The procedure according to The invention is explained in more detail in connection with a device, which is included in the invention, for reading value documents is described below.

Figure 7 shows very diagrammatically an exemplary embodiment of a device according to the invention. 447 516 In figure 7 a value document 5 is shown as a banknote which can correspond to the banknote shown in figure 5. This banknote 5 has two fibers 21,22 running across the banknote. The number 33 denotes an input device which can consist of two adjacent rollers, which drive the banknote 5 in the direction of the arrow 3Å. At a predetermined distance from the light emitting means 27-29 and the light sensitive means 30-32, which are located on either side of a banknote web, there is a positioning device, which may consist of photocells 35,36. When the banknote is advanced to such a position that the leading edge 37 of the banknote refracts the light paths of both photocells, which position is shown in Figure 7, it is indicated that the banknote then has a predetermined position relative to the device in general. The light emitting 27-29 and the light sensitive 30-32 means are positioned relative to the photocells 35,36 so that when the banknote is in the predetermined position they emit light resp. senses any light in predetermined places of the document, namely where fibers are present on a genuine document.

The note can be fed continuously. When the light paths of both photocells 35,36 are interrupted, they emit a signal to gate 38 which thereby gives a signal to a control circuit 39 arranged to light the light emitting elements 27-29. In the event that a fiber is present in front of a light-emitting element, this leads the emitted light to its second end surface, from where it is emitted towards the corresponding light-sensitive element. This then emits a signal to a detector circuit # 0 which is arranged to detect from which light-sensitive elements signal has been obtained. The detector circuit is also arranged to detect whether the signals obtained mean that the document had one or more fibers at predetermined locations or not. In the simplest case, this decision means that the banknote is considered genuine or not.

In another case, the signals emitted to the detector # 0 may also constitute information regarding the value of the banknote. Figure 7 shows the banknote 5, which has been said to be a fifty-kronor banknote. The detector then receives a signal according to the above by means of two fibers 21,22 from the elements 30 and -31 but not from the element designated 32. The detector is arranged to, upon receipt of these I signals and lack of signal from the element 32, output a signal to a device such as a computer Å1, a lamp or other viewing device a indicating that the banknote 5 was a fifty-kroner banknote. 447 516 In the event that the banknote denoted by the number Ä in figure Ä is entered, a corresponding signal will be obtained only from the element 30, the detector # 0 being arranged to output a signal to the computer Ål indicating that the banknote is a ten kronor banknote. Correspondingly, the banknote denoted by the number 6 in Figure 6 will give rise to a signal from all the elements 30-32, the detector being arranged to emit a signal to the computer Ål indicating that the banknote is a hundred kronor banknote.

A banknote that is fed which has no fiber that corresponds to the position of a light emitting resp. light-sensitive element when the light paths of the photocells 35,36 are refracted is indicated as a spurious banknote. Detector # 0 receives a signal from the control circuit 39 when it turns on the light emitting elements 27-29.

If the detector does not receive any signal from the light-sensitive elements, it is arranged to emit a signal to the computer Ål indicating that the banknote is considered to be spurious. This also applies if the signal is only obtained from fibers with a position corresponding to the position of the fibers 22,2Ä, 25.

According to a preferred embodiment, said light emitting means 27-29,39 are arranged to emit light of different intensities and / or wavelengths in different fibers, the corresponding light-sensitive means 30-32, 0 0, being arranged to detect the presence of such light at the respective said second end surface of fibers 9.

In terms of intensity, one or more light emitting elements 27-29 may be arranged to emit light of a higher intensity. In this case, the corresponding light-sensitive element can be arranged to emit an electrical signal to the detector # 0 only when light of sufficient intensity hits the element or alternatively the element can emit a signal to the detector Å0 depending on the light intensity, the detector # 0 in such a case being arranged to sense the amplitude of the signal and thereby determine if a sufficiently high intensity is present.

As regards wavelengths, the light emitting means may be arranged to emit light of wavelengths other than visible light, for example infrared light.

In this case, corresponding light-sensitive elements are arranged to emit a signal when they are struck by infrared light. According to an embodiment mentioned above, the fibers consist of a colored material. According to. In this embodiment, for example, the light emitting elements are arranged to emit visible white light. On the other hand, the light-sensitive means are arranged to emit a signal only when light which has assumed a special wavelength through the color of the fiber hits the light-sensitive element. This can be done by selecting light-sensitive elements of known type, which have greater sensitivity to one or more light wavelengths than to other light wavelengths. Alternatively, a filtering can take place of the light emitted from said second end surface of the fiber before it hits the light-sensitive element, by inserting a suitably known optical filter in front of the light-sensitive element.

In said light emitting means comprise light emitting elements such as LEDs or the like. Said light-sensitive means comprise phototransistors or corresponding light-sensitive semiconductors.

The device schematically shown in Figure 7 must of course be adapted with regard to the location of the light-emitting and light-sensitive elements to how the fibers are placed in the document. Examples of different locations are shown in Figures 1-6.

It is thus clear that not only can the authenticity of a banknote or other security document be determined mechanically using the present invention, but the invention also enables security documents to be identified with respect to a particular property, by utilizing a plurality of fibers and associated light emitting and light sensitive means. As a result, during an application, the device for reading can be included in a banknote machine, which analyzes the value of the banknote. Furthermore, the device can be used to sort banknotes or other security documents.

A reading device of the type in question can be designed for reading documents, one by one, such as, for example, passports. Thus, a number of fibers may be embedded in one or more blades of a passport, which when inserted into a reading device of the type indicated above indicate whether the passport can be considered genuine or not.

Furthermore, the mutual position of the fibers can be used as constituent

Claims (10)

447,516 Patent claims A method of reading a value document which, in its production, is provided with at least one continuous or in the substrate of the value document, such as its paper, continuous optical fiber, the two end surfaces of which are both located at the edge of the document, characterized in that light emitting means are brought to illuminate the first resp. end surface and by causing light-sensitive means to detect whether the other resp. end surface emits light, where illumination and reading take place at one or more predetermined places of the document, and by said light emitting means being emitted light of different intensity and / or wavelength in different fibers, and by said light sensitive means being detected by such light at the other end surface of each fiber. 2. A security document, characterized in that it is provided with at least one continuous optical fiber (7; 1Û; l5,16; 20-25) whose two end surfaces (8,9; ) both are placed at the edge of the document (1-6), each fiber being arranged to conduct light emitted at the first end surface (8) of the fiber to its second end surface (9), and by for each type of document the optical fiber (s) (7) ; 1G; 15, 16; 20 ~ 25) first and second resp. end surfaces (8,9) are placed at predetermined distances or at predetermined locations relative to the document (1-6). Value document according to claim 2, characterized in that each of the optical fibers (7; 10; 15,16; 20-25) is completely embedded in the substrate of the document (1-6) except for the two end surfaces (8 of the fiber). , 9). Value document according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that one or more fibers (7, 10; 20-25) run between two different edges (12,13; 17,19) of the document (2; 3). 5. Value documents according to claim 2, 3 or Ä, characterized in that one or more fibers (l5, l6) run from an edge (17) of the document (3) back to the same edge (17). '' 6. Value documents according to claim 2, 3, H or 5, characterized in that one or more fibers (7,10; 1S, 16; 20-25) have optical properties which differ from the properties of other fibers present in the substrate of the document with respect to its light conductivity for light of different wavelengths and / or different light fluxes for a given light source. 11 447 516 7. Value documents according to Claim 6, characterized in that one or more fibers (7, 10; 15, i6; 20-25) have a larger diameter than other fibers present in the substrate of the document, which coarser fibers are thereby arranged to conduct a greater luminous flux than thinner fibers. . 8. Value documents according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that one or more fibers (7, 10; 15, 16; 20-25) are made of a colored material. Device for reading value documents, which in their production are provided with at least one optical fiber (7; 10; 15,16; 20-25) running on or in the substrate of the value document, such as, where applicable, its paper. whose two end surfaces (8,9) are both placed at the edge of the document, it is known that light emitting means (27-29; 39) are arranged to illuminate resp. optical fibers (7; 10; 15,16; 20-25) one end surface and that light-sensitive means (30-32; ëü) are provided to sense light which is guided via resp. fibers, and in that said light-emitting and said light-sensitive means are arranged to illuminate resp. sensing predetermined locations of the document (1-6), and that said light emitting means (27-29,39) are arranged to emit light of different intensity and / or wavelength in different fibers (7,10; 15, i6; 20- 25) and in that corresponding light-sensitive means (30-32, h0) are arranged to detect the presence of such light at the other end surface (9) of the respective fiber. 10. Device according to claim 9, characterized in that said light emitting means comprises light emitting diodes (27-29) or the like and in that said light sensitive means comprises phototransistors (30-32) or the corresponding 'Vïlka'Vaf 0Ch one is connected to a detection circuit. (40) which is arranged to compare it from resp. phototransistor (30-32) obtained the signal with a predetermined value.