JP2008015813A - Paper sheet handling equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

【Task】
The denomination used for the discrimination of paper sheets or the judgment value for authenticity judgment is appropriately changed.
[Solution]
During a time when the user does not trade, the paper sheets stored in the storage are fed out and identified, and a predetermined value obtained by performing a predetermined calculation from the discrimination result is stored in the memory. This predetermined value is cumulatively processed to create a frequency distribution, average value, and standard deviation value. In the maintenance mode of the paper sheet transaction apparatus, according to the operation of the maintenance staff, the denomination or authenticity determination value is changed while checking the information on the frequency distribution, average value, and standard deviation value that have been accumulated.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet handling apparatus, and more particularly, to a paper sheet handling apparatus and method for reading a print pattern of a paper sheet such as banknotes and securities, and determining the authenticity of the paper sheet from the read image data. .

Cash transaction devices, such as ATMs (automated cash deposit / withdrawal devices) that handle printed matter such as banknotes and securities, and window devices installed at financial institutions, have a discrimination function for judging the authenticity of banknotes and securities. I have.
For example, in banknote discrimination in ATM, a banknote conveyed in a predetermined direction is irradiated with light from a light source, scanned with a single sensor or a plurality of sensors, and image data of a banknote print pattern is read. And predetermined | prescribed calculation is given to the image data in the desired area | region of a banknote, and several statistics are calculated. It is checked whether or not this statistic (calculated value) is within an allowable range of, for example, an upper limit value and a lower limit value as preset determination values (parameters). As a result of the check, if it is within the set allowable range, it is determined to be genuine, and if not, it is determined to be fake. The upper limit value and the lower limit value are threshold values for the determination value. The statistics include, for example, an average density value and an integrated density value of image data in a desired area of the banknote.

  By the way, the image density level of the obtained banknote may vary due to the influence of disturbances such as unevenness of the light source of the discrimination unit, sensor sensitivity variation, temperature and humidity. In addition, the sensor output may fluctuate due to deterioration of the sensor over time, or the image density level may fluctuate with time due to fouling of used bills. If the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the determination value are set wide in consideration of these variations and temporal variations, the range of the allowable range is widened, and a fake is erroneously recognized as genuine. Therefore, the operator of the financial system may suffer a great deal of damage. On the other hand, if the allowable range is set narrow, there is a possibility that the genuine article may be mistakenly recognized as a fake, and the rate of returning the correct ticket to the user increases, resulting in poor user convenience.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-208955 (Patent Document 1) discloses a technique that enables a banknote to be discriminated by changing a judgment value serving as a discrimination reference in accordance with variations in sensors, environments, and the like. ing. In this technique, statistics for each transaction are displayed as a histogram, and an upper limit value and a lower limit value of determination values can be set from the histogram.

JP 2005-208955 A

  According to the technique of Patent Document 1, it is possible to easily set an optimum determination value by making it possible to refer to the frequency distribution of the average concentration distribution value stored at the time of each transaction when changing the determination value. . However, banknotes deposited by general customers include those that are dirty, wrinkled, or torn, and the average concentration distribution value obtained from these unique banknotes is used as the judgment value. Referencing when making a change results in an incorrect judgment value being returned. Further, since the maintenance staff determines and sets the determination value, it cannot be automatically changed by ATM.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet handling apparatus capable of automatically changing a judgment value for identifying paper sheets.

The paper sheet handling device according to the present invention is preferably a paper sheet handling device that determines the denomination or authenticity by comparing information obtained from a paper sheet pattern with a determination value. A discrimination unit having a sensor that detects and obtains image data of a paper sheet, a processing unit that performs a predetermined operation on the obtained image data to obtain a predetermined value, and stores a predetermined value obtained by the processing unit A storage unit, a calculation unit that calculates information used as a reference for a determination value for determining the denomination or authenticity of the paper sheet from a predetermined value stored in the storage unit, and reference information calculated by the calculation unit A display means for displaying, an input means for making an input for setting or changing the judgment value according to the reference information displayed on the display means, and a changing means for setting or changing the judgment value designated by the input means. The identification department is Accordance with the changed decision value by means configured as judged paper sheet handling apparatus of the denomination or authenticity of the paper.
In a preferred example, the calculation means calculates a frequency distribution, an average value, and a variance value relating to a paper sheet from a predetermined value stored in a storage unit, and the display means calculates the frequency distribution, average value, calculated by the calculation means, Display information about variance values as reference information.
Preferably, the paper sheet handling apparatus further includes a mechanism for performing an exchange for paying or depositing a paper sheet to a user according to a discrimination result of the discrimination unit, and an elapsed time from the end of the previous user's transaction. When there are conditions for measurement by the hibernation state measurement means and detection by the user detection means, the hibernation state measurement means for measuring the user and the user detection means for detecting whether there is a user in front of the device, The process proceeds to processing for obtaining a predetermined value by the processing means.
Preferably, the changing unit automatically sets a threshold value for determining the paper sheet so that the acceptance rate preset by the maintenance staff is obtained.
Preferably, the device is changed to a maintenance mode for maintaining the device, and when the mode is changed to the maintenance mode, either the automatic update mode for automatically changing the threshold value or the manual update mode for manually performing the change of the threshold value. It has a selection means which can select.
Preferably, the calculation unit obtains a cumulative average value and a cumulative deviation value as the reference information from a predetermined value stored in a storage unit, and the display unit generates a histogram created from the cumulative average value and the cumulative deviation value. In addition to displaying, an input item is displayed to change the upper limit value and / or lower limit value of the determination value.
Preferably, the processing means calculates a statistic including an average density value or an integrated density value of the paper sheet as a predetermined value.
Preferably, as the sensor, a first sensor for obtaining first image data of the paper sheet for determining the denomination of the paper sheet, and a second sensor of the paper sheet for determining the authenticity of the paper sheet. A plurality of first threshold values for determining the denomination of the paper sheet, and a plurality of second threshold values for determining the authenticity of the paper sheet. The change means independently changes the denomination determination threshold and the authenticity determination threshold.

The paper sheet handling method according to the present invention is preferably a paper sheet handling method in which the information obtained from the pattern of the paper sheet is compared with a judgment value to determine the denomination or authenticity. A step of detecting a leaf pattern to obtain image data of a paper sheet, a step of performing a predetermined operation on the obtained image data to obtain a predetermined value, and storing the obtained predetermined value in a storage unit A step, a calculation step for calculating information used as a reference for the determination value for determining the denomination or authenticity of the paper sheet from the predetermined value stored in the storage unit, and the calculated reference information displayed on the display A step of performing an input for setting or changing the judgment value according to the reference information displayed on the display unit, a step of setting or changing the judgment value designated by the input, and the changed judgment Accordingly configured as a paper sheet handling method and a determining denomination or authenticity of the paper.
In a preferred example, as a target for changing the determination value, a step of selecting a denomination of a paper sheet to be changed, a step of selecting a type of determination of a denomination determination or a true / false determination, At least one of a step of selecting a sensor corresponding to a target determination value, a step of selecting a type of calculation that defines how to obtain a threshold value, and a step of selecting a plurality of determination values to be changed including.
Preferably, the determination value is set or changed during a period in which the user does not trade the paper sheet.

According to the present invention, the determination value for determining the denomination or authenticity of the paper sheet can be automatically changed in the paper sheet handling apparatus, and a suitable determination value can be set.
Also, since the information is collected from the paper sheets that are actually stored in the paper sheet handling device using the time period when the user is not trading, it is used for setting or changing the judgment value. The judgment value can be managed based on realistic paper sheet information.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following example, banknotes are used as paper sheets.
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of an ATM as an example of a paper sheet handling apparatus. FIG. 2 is a control block diagram showing control related to the discrimination unit in the control unit 109 of FIG.

  The operation unit 101 is a part that is mainly operated by a user, and includes an input device and a display device. For example, it is configured by a touch panel integrated with a display unit such as a liquid crystal (LCD) or a CRT. On the display screen of the display device, a screen for selecting transactions such as deposit and withdrawal and a guidance screen at the time of transactions are displayed, and the user selects and operates keys on the screen according to the selection of transactions. Normally, various kinds of guidance and transaction items are displayed to the user on the display unit of the operation unit 101. By switching the switching key 115 to the maintenance mode, various information such as a maintenance message and operation guidance are displayed. Can be displayed. Setting and changing the threshold value of the discrimination unit, which will be described later, are also performed by operating the operation unit 101. Here, the switching key 115 is a key operated by the maintenance staff, and switches between the normal transaction mode and the maintenance mode.

  The operation unit 101 may be divided into a unit used by a user and a unit used by a bank clerk, maintenance staff, or the like (hereinafter simply referred to as maintenance staff). In that case, the above switching key is not mounted behind the ATM as shown in FIG. 1, but is mounted on a unit dedicated to maintenance personnel, and various settings for ATM maintenance can be performed by operating this dedicated unit. Can be changed.

  The ATM 100 includes a user detection sensor 116 that detects that the user has come before the ATM. The control unit 109 displays a guidance or message screen for prompting a transaction operation on the display unit of the operation unit 101 according to the detection result of the sensor 116. The user can deposit (deposit) or withdraw (pay) banknotes from the deposit / withdrawal port 103 in accordance with the user's transaction selection instruction in the operation unit 101. The control unit 109 controls each unit (also referred to as each unit) including the deposit and withdrawal of banknotes and the whole.

  When the deposit transaction is selected by an operation by the user of the operation unit 101, the banknote deposited in the deposit / withdrawal port 103 is conveyed into the apparatus through a conveyance path 107 including a conveyance roller 106 and a belt. A discrimination unit 104 having a sensor 105 is disposed on the conveyance path 107, and when the bill passes through the sensor 105, image data, magnetic data, and the like (referred to as bill data) of the bill are detected by the sensor 105. The detected banknote data is sent to the RAM 201 and stored therein. The identification unit 104 determines the denomination and authenticity of the banknote by comparing the detected banknote data with the standard pattern data of the banknote stored and prepared in advance in the RAM 201.

The banknote determined by the discrimination unit 104 is transported through the transport path 107 and is held by the temporary stacker 108. In this state, the bill counting result by the discrimination unit 104 is displayed on the display unit of the operation unit 101. When the confirmation of the user with respect to the display content is input from the input device of the operation unit 101, the banknotes held in the temporary stacker 108 are fed out from there to the transport path 107 and again identified by the discrimination unit 104, from the control unit 109. Are stored in the corresponding denomination storages 110 to 113 according to the identified denomination. Items that do not correspond to any denomination due to the state of the banknote at the time of deposit are handled as an abnormal ticket (reject ticket) and returned to the deposit / withdrawal port 103 or stored in the reject storage 114. .
When the user selects a withdrawal transaction from the operation unit 101, banknotes corresponding to the withdrawal amount are paid out from the storages 110 to 113, identified by the discrimination unit 104, and released to the deposit / withdrawal port 103. In addition, the loading collection | recovery store | warehouse | chamber 117 is loaded by a maintenance worker, replenishes banknotes to storages 110-113, or collects banknotes from these storage units.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 109 mainly includes a CPU 200, memories (RAM, ROM) 201 and 202, and a communication unit 203, and controls the entire ATM 100. The communication unit 203 includes a modem, and transmits and receives data to and from an external host computer (hereinafter simply referred to as a host) 205 via a communication line 204 such as a dedicated line or a telephone line.

  The control unit 109 controls each part of the ATM 100 in accordance with the operation of the user of the operation unit 101 and maintenance personnel, and performs various functions such as a conveyance function of banknotes inserted from the deposit / withdrawal port 103 and a discrimination function by the discrimination unit 104. Control execution. The control unit 109 also controls the RAM 201 to store the banknote image data 2011 read by the sensor 105 in the discrimination unit 104. Then, a calculated value (for example, a statistic such as an average density value or an integrated density value) used for the denomination or authenticity determination of the banknote is calculated from the banknote image data 2011, and the determination value stored in the RAM 201 in advance is calculated. The denomination and authenticity of the banknote are determined in comparison with threshold values (denomination determination threshold 2012, authenticity determination threshold 2013).

  These calculations and determinations are performed by the CPU 200 executing the discrimination device control program 2021, the authenticity determination control program 2023, and the denomination determination control program 2026 stored in the ROM 202. As a result of this determination, the denomination of the banknote and the determination result of true or false bills are obtained. In particular, a threshold value setting program (a determination value setting program in a broad sense) 2022 stored in the ROM 202 is executed to set or change a threshold value that is one of determination values used for denomination determination and authenticity determination described later. I do. The program stored in the RAM 201 and the ROM 202 and various related data will be described in detail later.

  In the deposit or withdrawal transaction, the discrimination unit 104 irradiates light from a light source provided in the discrimination unit with respect to the banknotes transported through the transport path 107, scans with one or a plurality of sensors 105, and performs control. Under the control of the unit 109, the image shading level of the printed pattern of the banknote is read. And the predetermined calculation is given to the image data in the predetermined area | region of a banknote, a some statistic is obtained, and the above-mentioned calculated value is calculated. As the sensor of the discrimination unit 104, an optical sensor that detects reflected light and / or transmitted light, and an optical sensor that uses visible light and ultraviolet light are generally used. In addition, various sensors such as a magnetic sensor that obtains magnetic information from banknotes using a predetermined calculation are included in the sensor of the discrimination unit. Of course, the calculated values are different depending on these various sensors, and the reference determination values are also different.

Next, the contents stored in the RAM 201 and ROM 202 will be described in detail.
As shown in FIG. 2, the ROM 202 has a threshold setting program 2022 for setting and changing a threshold value used for discrimination, a discrimination unit control program 2021 for controlling the discrimination unit 104, and a truth used for determining the authenticity of a bill. A fake determination control program 2023 and a denomination determination control program 2026 used for denomination determination of banknotes are stored. In addition to programs, initial values (that is, fixed parameters) 2025 and initial threshold values 2024 of parameters (determination values) used in these programs are also stored.

  As the fixed parameter 2025, an identification number of a discrimination unit that can be identified (specified) on the host side, an identification number of the denomination determination control program 2026, and the authenticity determination control program 2023, and the like are stored. For example, when a fraudulent ticket is deposited, the denomination determination program and the authenticity determination control program are rewritten after increasing the number of desired areas of the banknote or considering a new statistic. In order to identify and manage whether it is currently used, the program identification (Revision) number is stored.

  On the other hand, the RAM 201 stores a currently executed program and a determination value (parameter) serving as a determination reference, that is, a true / false determination threshold 2012 and a denomination determination threshold 2013. Furthermore, the image data 2011 of the banknote read by the sensor 105 of the discrimination unit 104 and a value (calculated value) detected and calculated by another sensor such as a magnetic sensor are also stored. In the following example, image data detected by an optical sensor is used as a sensor, and an upper limit value and a lower limit value of threshold values that are easily understood conceptually are used as parameters.

  Information stored in the RAM 201 is preferably stored in the host 205 via the communication unit 203. This is because even with an optical sensor as an example, in the calculated value (statistical amount) calculated from the banknote image data, the data capacity of the calculated values of all the banknotes deposited or withdrawn becomes considerably large. Note that only one banknote image data 2011 can be stored, and when the first banknote has been identified, the image data of the next conveyed banknote is overwritten and stored. desirable.

  Also, the judgment value stored in the RAM 201 is stored in the memory of the host 205 rather than being stored in the RAM 201 in the ATM for crime prevention, and when the ATM is turned on, that is, when the ATM is opened, the host 205 It is desirable that the determination value held in the data is acquired by the ATM 100 via the communication unit 203 and stored in the RAM 201. When closing the ATM, it is preferable to transmit the contents of the RAM 201 of the ATM 100 to the host 205 and delete the judgment value stored in the RAM 201. Thereby, even if the ATM is stolen, the determination value (parameter) is not stored in the RAM, which is preferable for crime prevention.

  Here, parameters used in the bill denomination and authenticity determination program will be described. The parameter is also referred to as a determination value because it is a standard value used for determining the denomination and authenticity of the calculated values obtained from the various sensors of the discrimination unit 104. For example, a threshold value in a predetermined range of an upper limit value and a lower limit value is set as the determination value, and if there is a calculated value between the upper limit value and the lower limit value, it is determined as a genuine note, and the calculated value is higher than the upper limit value. When the calculated value is larger or smaller than the lower limit value, it is determined as a fraudulent ticket. Moreover, although the denomination and authenticity of the banknote are determined even with a determination value other than the threshold value, since it leads to illegal ticket circulation, further explanation is omitted, but as described above, there are various values for this determination value. There is. In this embodiment, threshold values for which an upper limit and a lower limit are determined are used as determination values (parameters). FIG. 2 also shows the threshold value.

  These thresholds include a non-rewritable threshold (initial threshold 2024) stored in advance in the ROM 202 at the beginning of ATM introduction, and a rewritable threshold (denomination determination threshold 2013, authenticity determination) stored in the RAM 201. Threshold 2012). The latter threshold is a sensor output change after the introduction of ATM, for example, when the allowable range of the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the threshold value is set to be narrow in order to prevent fraudulent payment, or when the sensor 105 of the discrimination unit 104 deteriorates over time. This is a threshold that can be sequentially changed when the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the threshold value are broadly set because the return rate of the genuine note has increased. It is also a threshold used when an ATM is opened, that is, when an actual transaction is made.

  On the other hand, the former initial threshold value 2024 is used when the threshold value that has been rewritten several times after the introduction of ATM and stored in the RAM is reset to the initial threshold value (initial threshold value 2024) of the ATM introduction. Since the threshold value is an important factor that determines the denomination and authenticity of the banknote, the maintenance staff can always return to the initial value by pressing the reset key provided on the operation unit 101, and the reason why the denomination cannot be determined. Useful for investigation. Note that at the beginning of ATM introduction, the same threshold value as the threshold value (initial threshold value) stored in the ROM 202 is also stored in the RAM 201.

  Further, the threshold includes a denomination determination threshold 2013 and a true / false determination threshold 2012, each having a plurality of different thresholds. Although the discrimination part 104 finally discriminates the authenticity of the banknote, the sensor used for the denomination determination is different from the sensor used for the authenticity determination. This is because the denominations and true / false values are different from each other because the areas in which the features of the banknotes are different or the algorithms for judging are different.

Furthermore, in denomination determination and authenticity determination, a predetermined calculation is performed on the image data in a predetermined area of the banknote to calculate a plurality of statistics, and the plurality of statistics (calculated values) are used. Then, the denomination and authenticity are specified by comparing and determining with a plurality of thresholds for finally determining the denomination and authenticity of the banknote. Therefore, a plurality of threshold values for denomination determination and a plurality of threshold values for authenticity determination are also stored in the ROM and RAM.
Therefore, when setting or changing the threshold, first select which denomination to set and change, then select the denomination determination threshold or true / false determination threshold, and finally It is desirable to select which threshold value to set and change from among a plurality of determination values.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, a data accumulation processing operation for automatically updating the banknote threshold value in the ATM will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure when the threshold value is automatically updated.
First, when the ATM is activated, power is supplied to each unit of the ATM, and startup processing is executed according to the startup sequence of each unit (S301). When the control unit 109 starts up, the control unit 109 first determines whether the automatic update function is ON (S302). If it is in the automatic update mode, it is subsequently determined whether the accumulated value is valid / invalid (S303). The determination whether the accumulated value is valid or invalid is made by confirming whether the accumulated number of banknotes is a predetermined number or more. If the accumulated value is valid, a determination value update process is executed under conditions set in advance by maintenance personnel (S304), and threshold values of various determination values are updated. Setting conditions performed by maintenance personnel will be described later.

  Thereafter, initialization processing for the entire ATM is executed (S305), and processing in the normal operation mode is started (S306). While the ATM is operating, it self-determines whether the ATM is in a dormant state by a periodic timer interrupt (S307). Whether or not the ATM is suspended is determined, for example, by a built-in timer included in the control unit 109 to determine whether the user has visited for 30 minutes since the previous transaction. Further, it is simultaneously monitored whether or not the power is cut off (S308), and when the power is cut off, the termination process is executed (S309), and the ATM function is stopped.

  Next, a process performed during a period when the ATM is in a dormant state (in the case of S307: Y) will be described. In the present embodiment, the calculation information based on the banknote discrimination result in the discrimination unit 109 is accumulated using the ATM idle period, that is, the period during which no transaction is made by the user. The accumulated information is used to change the determination value of the discrimination unit 109. This will be described later with reference to FIG.

  First, it is confirmed whether or not a bill is contained in the loading / recovery box 117 (S310), and at the same time, it is confirmed by the detection sensor 116 whether the user is in front of the ATM (S311). If there is no user, one banknote is paid out from the loading / collecting box 117 (S312), and the discrimination unit 104 performs the discrimination process (S313). As a result of the discrimination process, it is confirmed whether there is no abnormality due to conveyance and the discrimination process has been completed normally (S314). If the discrimination process is completed normally, the calculated value calculated in the discrimination process is accumulated (S315) and accumulated. The result is stored in the memory (RAM 109) (S316). Here, the accumulation process is to calculate an average value of various calculated values, a variance value, and a frequency number. Thereafter, the processing operations from S310 to S316 are repeatedly executed until the loading / collecting storage 117 becomes empty or the user visits the ATM.

  Even if there is no loading / recovery storage 117, it is possible to check whether the storage 110-113 is set in the ATM by the maintenance staff or not by monitoring the increase / decrease of banknotes in the storage 110-113. Since it is possible to discriminate whether the banknote is originally stored in the storages 110 to 113, it is possible to perform the accumulation process even when the loaded collection storage 117 is not included in the configuration in the ATM.

  Next, according to the flowchart of FIG. 4, a process for setting and changing a threshold by an optical sensor that determines the authenticity of a bill and an operation procedure will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. This process is performed by the CPU 200 of the control unit 109 executing the threshold setting program 2022. In the following example, various guidance screens (FIGS. 5 and 6) are cited. Information on these screens is prepared by storing in advance in a storage device (not shown) such as the RAM 201 or HDD of the control unit 109. Suppose that The following example is a process for setting and changing the threshold value by the optical sensor, but it goes without saying that it can also be applied to setting, changing or determining values (parameters) other than the threshold value other than the optical sensor.

  When the threshold value used by the maintenance staff in the discrimination unit 104 is set or changed, the switching key 115 of the ATM 100 is switched from the “normal transaction mode” to the “maintenance mode” (S401). The “normal transaction mode” is a state in which the user can deposit and withdraw bills, and the “maintenance mode” is a state in which threshold setting and change and sensor inspection are performed. When the maintenance engineer switches from the “normal transaction mode” to the “maintenance mode” with the switching key 115, the control unit 109 detects this and displays a maintenance screen (screen A in FIG. 5) on the operation unit 101. . Screen A is also referred to as a judgment value selection screen.

  Before displaying screen A, it is preferable to display a guidance screen for allowing maintenance personnel to input a password so that maintenance of ATM 100 cannot be performed by general users. Further, since maintenance includes various maintenance such as a storage box, a conveyance path, and a card mechanism in addition to the discrimination unit 104, a guidance screen for selecting a target unit to be maintained is displayed before screen A is displayed. Also good.

Screen A is an example of a screen for maintaining the discrimination unit 104, and the maintenance staff presses the “5. Determination value update” key on the display screen (S402). The control unit 109 detects a key press from the operation unit 101, and displays a determination value update selection menu screen (screen B) for selecting a mode to automatically update the determination value or to select a maintenance person manually. ) Is displayed on the operation unit 101 (S403).
Here, when the maintenance staff presses the “1. Automatic update mode” key, the control unit 109 detects that the key is pressed, and displays a screen (screen C) of the “denomination selection menu” to be performed next (screen C) ( S404). This is because the threshold for denomination determination or authenticity determination varies depending on the denomination of the banknote as described above.

  Next, when the “10,000 yen” key on the screen C is pressed, for example, a denomination true / false selection screen (selecting whether to change the denomination determination threshold or the true / false determination threshold) FIG. 6, screen D) is displayed on the operation unit 101 (S405). When “1. denomination determination” is selected on this screen D, the control unit 109 reads out the threshold value used for denomination determination from the RAM 201 and ROM 202 and displays it. When “2. Authenticity determination” is selected, the control unit 109 reads out the threshold values used for the authenticity determination from the RAM 201 and the ROM 202 and displays them. Furthermore, since the threshold value varies depending on the type of sensor included in the discrimination unit 104, a sensor type selection screen (screen E) for specifying the type of sensor is displayed (S406). In addition, since the threshold value varies depending on how the threshold value is calculated (calculation method), it is preferable to display the calculation type selection screen (screen F) for the calculation method on the operation unit 101 (S407).

Here, the threshold value setting program 2022 operates the determination value setting and change screen shown in FIG. 7 in order to perform selection in the denomination specifying process (S404) and the determination type selection process (S405). Displayed on the unit 101.
FIG. 7 is an example of a screen displayed when “authentication determination” is selected on the screen D. As shown in the figure, the upper limit value and lower limit value of the threshold corresponding to each determination value are displayed at the bottom of the graph. Visually displayed by a certain bar (71, 72). In the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the threshold, an “initial threshold value” stored in advance in the ROM 202 at the beginning of introduction of the ATM, that is, the threshold upper limit value and the threshold lower limit value are displayed. On the other hand, a threshold upper limit value and a threshold lower limit value, that is, an upper limit value and a lower limit value used at the time of the current transaction are displayed as “authenticity determination threshold values” stored in the RAM 201. The maintenance staff inputs the judgment value number displayed on the display screen in order to select which judgment value threshold value to set or change from among a plurality of judgment values (S408). For example, when the maintenance person presses the “determination value TS1” on the screen G (FIG. 6) as the determination value number, the control unit 109 detects this and displays the display screen of FIG. . That is, a display screen including the initial threshold value 71 for the determination value number selected in step S408 and the currently used threshold value 72 is displayed.

  The maintenance staff selects from the menu 73 at the bottom of the screen how to set the lower limit and the upper limit from this screen. The displayed graph 74 displays a histogram from the latest accumulated average value and accumulated deviation value if the accumulated result is stored in the RAM 201, but if not stored in the RAM 201, the accumulated average value at the initial setting is displayed. The histogram is displayed from the accumulated deviation value.

Here, items (loose, standard, and strict) in the menu are a plurality of values calculated so as to obtain a preset acceptance rate from the cumulative average value and the cumulative variance value. As an example, “loose” is set to the rejection rate 10 ⁻³ , “standard” is set to the rejection rate 10 ⁻² , and “strict” is set to the rejection rate 10 ⁻¹ . As shown in FIG. 7, when “standard” is selected for both the upper limit value and the lower limit value, the interval between b and e is overwritten and stored in the authenticity determination threshold 2012 of the RAM 201 as a new threshold ( S410). Next, it switches to "normal transaction mode" with the switch key 115 (S411). Thereafter, in transactions such as deposits and withdrawals at ATMs, the discrimination unit 104 determines the denomination and authenticity of the banknote based on the “authentication determination threshold” and “denomination determination threshold” newly stored in the RAM 201. judge.

  In an area where there is a problem with a fraudulent ticket or the like, there is a possibility that a fraudulent ticket may be accepted in the setting by automatic update. In this case, “2. Manual update mode” is selected from the judgment value update selection menu on screen B (FIG. 5). At the time of manual update, unlike the above-described automatic update, a screen as shown in FIG. At the time of manual update, in addition to the cumulative average value, an average value graph of fraudulent tickets is also displayed at the same time, and it can be set not to capture fraudulent tickets. In addition, the judgment value selection items can be input with specific numbers, not explicitly such as “loose”, “standard”, and “strict”. Here, it is assumed that only the lower limit value may be manually set by maintenance personnel and only the upper limit value may be set to the automatic update mode.

  Further, in the above embodiment, when setting or changing the threshold value from the operation unit 101, the maintenance staff switches the switching key 115 of the ATM 100 to the “maintenance mode”. However, in a configuration in which an external host or server is connected via the communication unit 203 of the ATM 100, it is possible to switch to the “maintenance mode” by remote operation from these external devices without operating the switch key 115. .

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, a specific determination value is selected from various determination values such as a determination value for a denomination used for bill discrimination and a determination value for authenticity. However, in the embodiment, for authenticity determination, it is possible to provide means for individually and independently setting and changing the upper limit and lower limit values as threshold values in the case of using the image sensor. This makes it possible to perform suitable bill discrimination while dealing with variations in each sensor of the discrimination section due to disturbance of the light source, fluctuation in sensor output, influence of disturbance due to temperature or humidity, variation in statistics due to bill defacement, etc. be able to.

  Further, the denomination and authenticity determination program is stored in a read-only memory, and the determination value used in the program is stored in a readable memory. When it turns out that a fraudulent note has been deposited in an ATM, the denomination and authenticity determination method (algorithm) is usually reviewed by increasing the number of desired areas of the banknote, and the denomination written in the ROM, Although it is desirable to rewrite and update a true / false program, it takes a very long time to perform this review and rewrite / update of a program. In the meantime, if the operation of the ATM is stopped in order to prevent the fraudulent bill from being deposited again in the ATM, it will cause a great inconvenience to the user. Further, if the ATM continues to operate, there is a risk that fraudulent tickets will be deposited again. Therefore, by changing the determination value (upper limit value or lower limit value) stored in the RAM without changing the program stored in the ROM, provisional fraudulent bill payment can be prevented.

  In addition, the determination values for denomination and authenticity are separately stored in the memory. Paying attention to the different denominations and authenticity of banknotes, and setting or changing either or both of the judgment values, depending on the situation where an incorrect bill is deposited or the situation where ATMs are installed Differentiating bills that can be flexibly handled is possible.

  Further, when a threshold value is selected as the determination value, the upper limit value and the lower limit value can be set and changed individually and independently. This can be achieved by fixing the upper limit and changing only the lower limit. Furthermore, when setting and changing the judgment value, it is possible to provide a means for displaying a graph of the statistical amount of banknotes obtained so far simultaneously with the setting screen. This allows the maintenance staff to know at a glance how much level it is desirable to adjust the judgment value.

Moreover, the statistical amount of a banknote is obtained by calculating the characteristic matters provided for each banknote by a predetermined calculation, and in the above embodiment, these statistical quantities are stored in a storage unit in the ATM. However, as an alternative, these statistics may not be stored in the storage unit in the ATM, but may be stored in a host device, such as a host or server storage unit, electrically connected to the ATM. According to this, it is safer and the limited capacity of the storage unit in the ATM can be used efficiently.
When managed by the host device, the timing of transmitting the features (statistics, calculated values) of the banknotes taken in by the ATM discrimination unit to the host device is desirable every time one transaction ends, and there is room in the storage unit in the ATM. If there is, it may be when the ATM is closed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to automatically change the determination value for denomination and authenticity determination of banknotes in ATM, and set an optimal determination value. In other words, when the return rate of genuine bills is increasing, the judgment value for discriminating between genuine bills and fraudulent bills can be automatically changed from the average density distribution value of banknotes with obvious features. , It is possible to operate a stable ATM suitable for the banknotes in the area where the ATM is installed.
In addition, although the example applied to ATM was described in the said Example, this invention is not limited to ATM, For example, other than ATM, such as an automatic teller machine, a bank counter device, a check handling device, a lottery automatic cashing device, etc. It can be applied to a paper sheet handling device.

The figure which shows the structure of ATM to which one Example is applied. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control part 109 of ATM by one Example. The figure which shows the operation | movement flowchart at the time of the accumulation process of the banknote data in one Example. The figure which shows the operation | movement flowchart at the time of the setting of the threshold value in one Example, and a change. The figure which shows the display screen at the time of the setting of the threshold value in one Example, and a change. The figure which shows the display screen at the time of the setting of the threshold value in one Example, and a change. The figure which shows the threshold value setting at the time of the automatic update in one Example, and the example of a change screen. The figure which shows the threshold value setting at the time of the manual update in one Example, and the example of a change screen.

Explanation of symbols

100: ATM, 101: operation unit, 103: deposit / withdrawal port, 104: discrimination unit, 105: sensor, 106: transport roller, 107: transport path, 108: temporary stacker, 109: control unit, 110 to 113: storage , 114: Reject box, 115: Switch key, 116: User detection sensor, 117: Load collection box, 200: CPU, 201: RAM, 202: ROM, 203: Communication unit, 204: Communication line, 205: Host computer .

Claims (11)

In the paper sheet handling apparatus that determines the denomination or authenticity by comparing the information obtained from the pattern of the paper sheet with the judgment value,
A discrimination unit having a sensor that detects a paper sheet pattern and obtains image data of the paper sheet, a processing unit that performs a predetermined operation on the obtained image data and obtains a predetermined value, and a processing unit that obtains the predetermined value A storage unit that stores the predetermined value, and a calculation unit that calculates, from the predetermined value stored in the storage unit, information serving as a reference for a determination value for determining the denomination or authenticity of the paper sheet; Display means for displaying the reference information calculated by the calculation means, input means for making an input for setting or changing the judgment value according to the reference information displayed on the display means, and designated by the input means Change means for setting or changing the determination value, and the discrimination unit determines the denomination or authenticity of the paper sheet according to the determination value changed by the change means. Handling equipment. The calculation means calculates a frequency distribution, average value, and variance value relating to a paper sheet from the predetermined value stored in the storage unit, and the display means calculates the frequency distribution, average value, calculated by the calculation means, 2. The paper sheet handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information relating to a dispersion value is displayed as the reference information. The paper sheet handling apparatus further includes a mechanism for performing a transaction process of paying or depositing a paper sheet to a user according to a discrimination result of the discrimination unit, and a pause for measuring an elapsed time from the end of the previous user's transaction. A state measuring means and a user detecting means for detecting whether there is a user in front of the device, and when the conditions for the measurement by the hibernation state measuring means and the detection by the user detecting means are satisfied, 3. The paper sheet handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit shifts to a process for obtaining the predetermined value. The paper sheet handling system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the changing unit automatically sets a threshold value for determining a paper sheet so that a reception rate preset by a maintenance staff is obtained. apparatus. A means for changing to a maintenance mode for maintaining the device, and an automatic update mode for automatically changing the threshold when the maintenance mode is changed, or a manual update mode for manually changing the threshold is selected. 5. The paper sheet handling apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a selection unit that can perform the selection. The calculation means obtains a cumulative average value and a cumulative deviation value as the reference information from a predetermined value stored in the storage unit, and the display means displays a histogram created from the cumulative average value and the cumulative deviation value. 6. The paper sheet handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an input item is displayed for changing an upper limit value and / or a lower limit value of the determination value. 7. The paper sheet handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing means calculates a statistical quantity including an average density value or an integrated density value of the paper sheet as the predetermined value. As the sensor, a first sensor that obtains the first image data of the paper sheet to determine the denomination of the paper sheet, and a second image data of the paper sheet to determine the authenticity of the paper sheet. A second sensor; and the storage unit stores a plurality of first threshold values for determining the denomination of the paper sheet and a plurality of second threshold values for determining the authenticity of the paper sheet, 8. The paper sheet handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the changing means independently changes the threshold for denomination determination and the threshold for determination of authenticity. In a paper sheet handling method for determining the denomination or authenticity by comparing information obtained from a paper sheet pattern with a determination value, and detecting a paper sheet pattern by a sensor to obtain paper sheet image data; From the processing step of performing a predetermined calculation on the obtained image data to obtain a predetermined value, storing the determined predetermined value in a storage unit, and the predetermined value stored in the storage unit, A calculation step for calculating information used as a reference for a determination value for determining the denomination or authenticity of the paper sheet, a step for displaying the calculated reference information on a display, and a reference displayed on the display A step of performing an input for setting or changing the determination value according to the information; a step of setting or changing the determination value designated by the input; and a denomination of the paper sheet according to the changed determination value Or truth Paper sheet handling method characterized by having a determining. As a target for changing the determination value, a step of selecting a denomination of a paper sheet to be changed, a step of selecting a type of determination of a denomination determination or a true / false determination, and a determination of a change target Including at least one of a step of selecting a sensor corresponding to the value, a step of selecting a type of calculation that defines how to obtain the threshold value, and a step of selecting a plurality of determination values to be changed. The paper sheet handling method according to claim 9. 11. The paper sheet handling method according to claim 9, wherein the determination value is set or changed during a period in which the user does not trade the paper sheet.

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