JP3217883B2 - Paper sheet identification device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper discriminating apparatus used for an automatic depositing and dispensing machine, a vending machine, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a banknote is inserted by a customer in an automatic depositing / dispensing machine or a vending machine, a process for judging the denomination of the banknote and for judging the authenticity thereof is performed.
A bill validator is used as a paper validator for this purpose. This bill validator detects an optical pattern, such as reflected light or transmitted light, or a magnetic pattern of magnetic ink used to print the bill, from the pattern or figure of the inserted bill. This is compared with a reference value set in advance, and discrimination is performed based on the similarity or by combining this with the detection result of the external dimensions of the bill.

For example, in order to detect an optical pattern, an image sensor such as an LED (light emitting diode), a photodiode, a phototransistor, or a CCD is used.
A magnetic head or the like is used to detect a magnetic pattern. Since the sensitivity and the like of these sensors and magnetic heads fluctuate due to environmental changes such as temperature and changes over time, the detection signal is corrected by temperature compensating means and correcting means.

Incidentally, discrimination of the inserted bills is performed in two stages, namely, judgment of a denomination and judgment of authenticity. First, in the detected optical or magnetic pattern, for a portion having a large difference depending on the denomination, such as a position of a watermark, the denomination of the inserted bill is determined by comparing with a preset reference value. I do. Next, all the detected patterns are compared with a reference value set in advance for each denomination, and the authenticity is determined based on the magnitude of the similarity.

FIG. 2 shows a bill discriminating apparatus as a conventional paper sheet discriminating apparatus. The device shown in the figure comprises a detecting means 1, a temperature detecting means 2, a temperature compensating means 3, a storing means 4, a denomination determining means 5, and a true / false determining means 6. The detecting means 1 detects an optical pattern or a magnetic pattern such as a reflected light or a transmitted light from a pattern or a figure of a bill as an inserted medium and outputs a detection signal (detection pattern). It is. The temperature detecting means 2 is a means for detecting a temperature near the detecting means 1, and the temperature compensating means 3 converts an output signal (detection signal) of the detecting means 1 into a temperature detection result of the temperature detecting means 2. It has a function to perform temperature compensation based on the temperature.

[0006] The storage means 4 is a memory for temporarily storing the detection signal temperature-compensated by the temperature compensation means 3. Then, the denomination determining means 5 outputs from the storage means 4 (a detection signal of an optical or magnetic pattern of a bill).
Based on the optical or magnetic pattern, by comparing a portion having a large difference depending on the denomination, such as the position of the watermark, with a reference value set in advance,
This is a means for determining the denomination of the inserted bill. Also,
The authenticity judging means 6 is a means for judging the authenticity of the inserted bill by comparing all or a part of the detection signal with a preset reference value.
And the denomination judgment result of the inserted banknote by the denomination judgment means 5 are output to a higher-level device (not shown).

Next, the operation of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus having the above configuration will be described. First, the detecting means 1 detects an optical or magnetic pattern of the inserted bill, and outputs the detected pattern to the temperature compensating means 3. On the other hand, the temperature detecting means 2 detects a temperature near the detecting means 1 and outputs a temperature detection signal corresponding to the detected temperature to the temperature compensating means 3. The temperature compensating means 3 compensates the detection pattern input from the detecting means 1 according to the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 2, outputs the temperature-compensated detection pattern to the storage means 4, and stores this in the storage means. 4 memorizes.

The denomination judging means 5 determines, on the basis of the stored contents (detection pattern) of the storage means 4, a part of the detected pattern having a large difference depending on the denomination, such as a watermark position, based on a preset reference. By comparing the denomination with the value, the denomination of the inserted bill is determined, and the denomination determination result is output to the host device and the authenticity determination unit 6. Also,
Based on the denomination judgment result from the denomination judgment unit 5, the authenticity judgment unit 6 compares the reference value of the corresponding denomination with the storage result (detection pattern) of the storage unit 4, and based on the comparison result, the bill Is determined, and the result of the determination is output to the host device.

[0009]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional sheet discriminating apparatus, the sensitivity change due to a change in temperature of a light emitting diode, a photodiode, a phototransistor, a magnetic head, etc. constituting the detecting means 1 is not affected. Temperature compensation can be performed so as to eliminate the change, but it is not possible to compensate for a change with time such as deterioration or wear of the detection element. For this reason, there is a problem that the variation of the detection pattern becomes large, and it is not possible to perform highly accurate bill discrimination. The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and is less susceptible to environmental fluctuations or changes over time such as the sensitivity and offset of a detection element (a photoelectric conversion element or a magnetoelectric conversion element) constituting a detection unit. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive and highly accurate paper sheet discriminating apparatus.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a paper sheet discriminating apparatus including a plurality of detecting means for detecting a physical pattern at a plurality of locations on a medium, and respectively outputting the outputs from the plurality of detecting means. In the paper sheet discriminating apparatus that performs correction and performs discrimination of a medium based on the values obtained by performing these corrections, one of the plurality of detection units is a specific detection unit, and the maximum value of the detection output of the specific detection unit is Maximum value searching means for detecting
A minimum value search unit that detects a minimum value of the detection output of the specific detection unit; and an output of the specific detection unit based on the maximum value and the minimum value detected by the maximum value search unit and the minimum value search unit. A first correction calculating means for correcting the value, and the above-described feature when a reference medium having a high reflectance is scanned in advance.
The detection output of the fixed detection means and the detection
Running on a reference medium with low ratio of detection output of
The detection output of the specific detection means when the
The ratio of the detection output of the detection means other than the detection means of
A correction value ratio storage means for storing the first and second correction value ratio, and the correction value ratio of the correction value ratio storage means, maximum and minimum detected by said maximum value retrieving means and the minimum value search means A second correction operation unit that corrects an output value of a detection unit other than the specific detection unit based on the value, the first correction operation unit, and a medium based on an output from the second correction operation unit. And a discriminating means for performing discrimination.

A paper sheet discriminating apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of detecting means for detecting physical patterns at a plurality of locations on a medium, and corrects outputs from the plurality of detecting means, respectively. In a paper sheet discriminating apparatus that discriminates a medium based on the value obtained by performing the maximum value search, one of the plurality of detecting means is a specific detecting means, and a maximum value of a detection output of the specific detecting means is detected. and means, based on the maximum value detected by said maximum value retrieving means, a first correction calculating means for correcting the output value of the particular detection means, advance counter
The specific detection method when scanning a reference medium having a high emissivity
Detection output of the stage and detection of detection means other than the specific detection means.
A correction value ratio storage means for storing a correction value ratio ratio of the output out, the correction value ratio of the correction value ratio storage means, based on the maximum value detected by said maximum value retrieving means, other than the particular detection means A second correction calculating means for correcting the output value of the detecting means, the first correction calculating means, and a discriminating means for discriminating the medium based on the output from the second correction calculating means. It is characterized by the following.

A paper sheet discriminating apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of detecting means for detecting physical patterns at a plurality of places on a medium, and corrects outputs from the plurality of detecting means, respectively, and corrects these corrections. In the paper sheet discriminating apparatus for discriminating a medium based on the value obtained by performing the above, one of the plurality of detecting means is used as a specific detecting means, and an integral value calculation for calculating an integrated value of a detection output of the specific detecting means is performed. Means, first correction operation means for correcting the output value of the specific detection means based on the value of the integral value operation means, and a reference medium having a high reflectance in advance.
The detection output of the specific detection means at the time of scanning and the characteristic
The ratio of the detection output of the detection means other than the fixed detection means is the correction value ratio.
Correction and the correction value ratio storage means for storing a correction value ratio of the correction value ratio storage means, on the basis of the integral value outputted from the integral value calculating means, the output value of the detection means other than the specific detector as And a discriminating means for discriminating the medium based on the output from the second correction calculating means.

[0013]

In the first invention, the output of the specific detecting means is corrected by the first correcting means, and the output of the other detecting means is corrected by the second correcting means. In the first correction unit, the maximum value search unit searches the maximum value of the output of the specific detection unit, and the minimum value search unit searches the minimum value. And
The first correction operation unit corrects the output of the specific detection unit based on the maximum value and the minimum value, and outputs the output to the second storage unit. On the other hand, the second correction means outputs the outputs of the detection means other than the specific detection means to the first and second correction value ratios respectively stored in the correction value ratio storage means and the maximum value by the maximum value search means. The correction is performed based on the minimum value and the minimum value by the minimum value search unit, and the value is output to the second storage unit. The denomination determining means performs a denomination of the banknote based on the value stored in the second storage means, and the authenticity determining means determines the value stored in the second storage means and the denomination by the denomination determining means. The authenticity of the bill is determined based on the seed determination result.

In the second invention, similarly to the first invention, the correction of the output of the specific detecting means is performed by the first correcting means, and the correction of the output of the other detecting means is performed by the second correcting means. Done in In the first correction means, the maximum value search means searches the maximum value of the output of the specific detection means, and the first correction calculation means corrects the output of the specific detection means based on this maximum value, Output to the second storage means. On the other hand, the second correction means corrects the output of the detection means other than the specific detection means, based on the correction value ratio stored in the correction value ratio storage means and the maximum value by the maximum value search means, The value is output to the second storage means. The denomination determining means performs a denomination of the banknote based on the value stored in the second storage means, and the authenticity determining means determines the value stored in the second storage means and the denomination by the denomination determining means. The authenticity of the bill is determined based on the seed determination result.

In the third invention, as in the first and second inventions, the output of the specific detecting means is corrected by the first correcting means, and the output of the other detecting means is corrected by the second correcting means. Correction means. The first correction means calculates the integrated value of the output of the specific detection means by the integrated value calculation means, and the first correction calculation means corrects the output of the specific detection means based on the integrated value, and Output to the second storage means. On the other hand, the second correction means corrects the output of the detection means other than the specific detection means based on the correction value ratio stored in the correction value ratio storage means and the integration value by the integration value calculation means, respectively. The value is output to the second storage means. The denomination determining means performs a denomination of the banknote based on the value stored in the second storage means, and the authenticity determining means determines the value stored in the second storage means and the denomination by the denomination determining means. The authenticity of the bill is determined based on the seed determination result.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. << First Embodiment >> FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of a paper sheet discriminating apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a bill validator, and the device shown in FIG.
(1-1 to 1-n), a plurality of first storage units 7 (7-1)
7-n), the first correction means 8, the second correction means 9 (9
-1 to 9-n), a second storage unit 10, a denomination determination unit 5, and a true / false determination unit 6.

The detecting means 1 is a means for detecting an optical or magnetic pattern such as reflected light or transmitted light from a pattern or a figure of the inserted bill and outputting a detection signal (detection pattern). The detection means 1 is constituted by a photoelectric conversion element such as a light emitting diode, a phototransistor, a photodiode, or a magnetoelectric conversion element such as a magnetic head. Further, a plurality of detection elements (photoelectric conversion elements or magnetoelectric conversion elements) constituting the detection means 1 are provided, each of which detects a physical pattern of a bill. 1-n. Further, in this embodiment, as one of the plurality of detecting means 1, the detecting means 1-1 is a specific detecting means.

The first storage means 7 (7-1 to 7-n)
The input side is a buffer memory connected to the output side of the detecting means 1 (1-1 to 1-n), respectively. The storage means 7 stores the output signal (optical pattern or magnetic Pattern) is temporarily stored. In the present embodiment, the first storage unit 7-1 is configured to store the output of the specific detection unit 1-1. The input side of the first correction means 8 is the first storage means 7-
1 is connected to the output side of the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n, and the second correction means 9 (9-1 to n) is connected to the output side of the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n. As well as
The correction means is connected to the output side of a maximum value search means 11 and a minimum value search means 12, which will be described later, provided in the first correction means 8. The second storage unit 10 is a memory whose input side is connected to the output side of the first correction unit 8 and the output side of the second correction unit 9, and stores the corrected detection pattern.

The denomination judging means 5 is, as in the prior art,
Part of the detection pattern (optical or magnetic pattern of the bill) stored in the second storage means 10 (for example, a part having a large difference depending on denomination such as a watermark position).
Alternatively, the denomination of the inserted bill is determined by comparing all of the bills with a preset reference value.
Further, the authenticity judging means 6 is a means for judging the authenticity of the inserted bill by comparing all or a part of the detection signal with a preset reference value. The authenticity judgment result of the inserted bill and the denomination judgment result of the inserted bill by the denomination judging means 5 are outputted to a host device (not shown).

The first correcting means 8 comprises a maximum value searching means 11, a minimum value searching means 12, and a first correction calculating means 13. The first correction means 8 receives the detection pattern from the first storage means 7-1 and outputs the corrected detection data from the first correction calculation means 13, the maximum value search means 11 and the minimum value search means 12, respectively. It outputs a pattern, a maximum value and a minimum value. Maximum value search means 1
1 and the minimum value search means 12 are stored in the first storage means 7-1.
And outputs the maximum value and the minimum value to the first correction calculation means 13 and the second correction calculation means 15 described later, respectively. First correction operation means 13
Inputs the detection pattern, the maximum value and the minimum value from the first storage means 7-1, the maximum value search means 11 and the minimum value search means 12, respectively, and outputs the corrected detection pattern to the second storage means 10. Things.

The second correction means 9 includes a correction value ratio storage means 1
4 (14-1 to 14-n) and the second correction calculating means 15
(15-1 to 15-n). The second correction unit 9 detects the detected pattern, the correction value ratio, and the maximum value from the first storage units 7-2 to 7-n, the correction value ratio storage unit 14, the maximum value search unit 11 and the minimum value search unit 12, respectively. The value and the minimum value are input, and the corrected detection pattern is output to the second storage means 10. The correction value ratio storage means 14
Is a non-volatile storage means for storing the correction value ratio obtained by the adjustment medium before the paper sheet discriminating apparatus according to the present invention is shipped. The determination of the correction value ratio will be described later.

The operation of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus configured as described above will be described. When the arrival of the bill is notified by an output from a bill detecting means (not shown) for detecting the arrival of the inserted bill, or by a signal from a higher-level device (not shown), the detecting means 1 enters an operating state. enter. Then, the detecting means 1 uses a plurality of arranged photoelectric conversion elements to transmit a pattern of transmitted light or reflected light that changes according to the density of the pattern or figure of the bill, every time the bill is transported by a certain distance,
Alternatively, the detection is performed in synchronization with a timing signal from a timing transmission means (not shown) for outputting a pulse at regular time intervals. Alternatively, a light and shade pattern (magnetic pattern) of the magnetic ink of the banknote is detected in synchronization with the timing signal by a plurality of magnetoelectric conversion elements (for example, a magnetic head or the like). Here, the transmitted light pattern and the magnetic pattern can be handled in the same manner as the reflected light pattern, so that the description of the transmitted light pattern and the magnetic pattern will be omitted below.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a reflected light pattern output from each detecting means 1. In FIG. 3, (a) shows the storage content of the first storage means 7-1, and shows the reflected light pattern p1i. (B) shows the first storage means 7-
The stored light contents of 2 to 7-n indicate the reflected light pattern p2i. The maximum value search means 11 and the minimum value search means 12 of the first correction means 8 search the maximum value p1max and the minimum value p1min of the reflected light pattern p1i stored in the first storage means 7-1, and Are output to the correction operation means 13 and the second correction operation means 15.

The reflected light pattern shown in FIG. 3 is a waveform obtained by sampling and quantizing the reflected light pattern when a bill is scanned in the direction of the arrow in the drawing at regular time intervals. Then, the first correction calculating means 13 performs correction as follows. That is, the calculation is performed by using the maximum value p1max and the minimum value p1min for the reflected light pattern p1i so that the maximum value p1max becomes 1 after the correction and the minimum value p1min becomes 0 after the correction. . Assuming that the corrected reflected light pattern is q1i (i = 1, 2,..., N), the corrected reflected light pattern q1i is obtained by the following equation (1). q1i = (p1i−p1min) / (i = 1, 2,..., n) (1) Note that the above equation (1) is theoretically q1i = (p1i−p1mi)
n) / (p1max-p1min), but with p1max
Since p1min is an extremely small value, p1
The above equation (1) is ignored, ignoring min.

The second correction operation means 15 includes a maximum value search means 11 and a minimum value search means 21 each having a maximum value p1.
When the maximum value and the minimum value p1min are output, the correction value ratios r2max and r2min stored in advance in the correction value ratio storage means 14 are read out, and the reflected light patterns p2i stored in the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n. Is corrected as in the following equation (2), and a corrected reflected light pattern q2i is output. q2i = (p2i− (r2min × p1min)) / (r2max × p1max) (2) FIG. 4 shows the result of correcting the detection pattern of FIG. That is, FIG. 4A shows a pattern output from the first correction operation unit 13, and FIG.
5 is a pattern output from FIG.

The correction value ratios r2max and r2min are values stored by the output of the adjusting medium when the paper sheet discriminating apparatus is assembled and shipped, and the specific detecting means 1-1.
And the output ratio of the other detection means 1-2 to 1-n. r2
max is a value obtained by an adjusting medium having a high reflectance, and is greatly affected by the sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion element constituting the detecting means 1. r2min is a value obtained by an adjusting medium having a low reflectance, and constitutes the detecting means 1. It is greatly affected by the dark current of the photoelectric conversion element.

Next, such correction value ratios r2max, r2
The method for obtaining min will be specifically described. The output of the detecting means 1-1 when scanning the adjustment medium having a high reflectance at the time of shipment is w1, and the output when scanning the adjustment medium having a low reflectance is b1. Assuming that the output of n is w2 and the output when the adjustment medium having a low reflectance is scanned is b2, the correction value ratios r2max and r2min are obtained by the following equations (3) and (4), respectively. r2max = w2 / w1 (3) r2min = b2 / b1 (4) Then, the correction value ratios r2max, r2 obtained in this manner.
min is stored in the correction value ratio storage means 14-1 to 14-n, respectively. Therefore, the correction value ratios stored in the respective correction value ratio storage means 14 correspond to the detection means 1 connected thereto.
2 shows the correction value ratios of −2 to 1−n.

As described above, the data of the reflected light pattern corrected by the first correction calculation means 13 and the second correction calculation means 15 is stored in the second storage means 10.
The reflected light pattern stored in the second storage means 10 is output to the denomination determining means 5 and the authenticity determining means 6, and the denomination determining means 5 first determines the position of the watermark in the detected and corrected reflected light pattern. By comparing a portion having a large difference between denominations with a reference value set in advance, the denomination of the inserted bill is determined, and the determination result is output to a higher-level device (not shown) and the authenticity determination means 6. . The authenticity judging means 6 compares all the detected and corrected reflected light patterns with a reference value set in advance for each denomination, judges the authenticity according to the magnitude of the similarity, and does not show the judgment result. Output to host device. In this manner, the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present embodiment can determine the denomination of the inserted banknote and its authenticity and output it to the host device.

As described above, in the first embodiment, first, the maximum value and the minimum value of a certain detection pattern are obtained, and then the correction operation of another detection pattern is corrected using the correction value ratio stored in advance. Although the operation has been described in the method of performing the calculation, if the dark current of the detection means for detecting the pattern is not easily affected by environmental fluctuations, aging, etc., the maximum value of one detection pattern is first obtained, and the other detection pattern is obtained. The same effect can be expected by a method of performing the correction operation using the correction value ratio in which the correction operation is stored in advance. This will be described next as a second embodiment.

<< Second Embodiment >> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus. In the figure, detection means 1 (1
-1 to 1-n), the first storage means 7 (7-1 to 7-)
n), the second storage means 10, the denomination determination means 5, and the authenticity determination means 6 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof will be omitted.

A first correction means 16 is connected to the first storage means 7-1, and the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n
Are connected to second correction means 17-1 to 17-n, respectively. The first correction means 16 is the maximum value search means 1
1 and a first correction operation means 18. The maximum value search means 11 has the same function as the maximum value search means 11 of the first embodiment, and searches for the maximum value from the reflected light pattern stored in the first storage means 7-1. It is.
The first correction operation unit 18 performs a correction operation of the reflected light pattern stored in the first storage unit 7-1 based on the maximum value searched by the maximum value search unit 11.

The second correction means 17 includes a correction value ratio storage means 19 (19-1 to 19-n) and a second correction operation means 2
0 (20-1 to 20-n). The correction value ratio storage means 19 includes a specific detection means 1-1 and other detection means 1-2.
1-n is a non-volatile memory for storing the output ratio, and the second correction calculating means 20 is configured to calculate the ratio between the correction value ratio storing means 19 and the output of the maximum value searching means 11,
The correction operation of the reflected light pattern stored in the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n is performed. The correction value ratio stored in the correction value ratio storage means 19 will be described later.

Next, the operation of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus having the above configuration will be described. First, the reflected light patterns of the bills are detected by the detecting means 1-1 to 1-n and stored in the first storage means 7-1 to 7-n, respectively, as in the first embodiment. It is.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a reflected light pattern output from each detecting means 1. In FIG. 6, (a) shows the storage content of the first storage means 7-1, and shows the reflected light pattern p3i. (B) shows the first storage means 7-
The stored light contents of 2 to 7-n indicate the reflected light pattern p4i. The maximum value search means 11 of the first correction means 16 and the reflected light pattern p3i stored in the first storage means 7-1.
Is retrieved and output to the first correction operation means 18 and the second correction operation means 20.

The reflected light pattern shown in FIG. 6 is a waveform obtained by sampling and quantizing the reflected light pattern when a bill is scanned in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure at regular time intervals. And
The first correction calculating means 18 performs correction as follows. That is, the correction is performed by performing an operation so that the maximum value p3 max becomes 1 after the correction for the reflected light pattern p3i. Assuming that the corrected reflected light pattern is q3i (i = 1, 2,..., N), the corrected reflected light pattern q3i is obtained by the following equation (5). q3i = p3i / p3max (i = 1, 2,..., n) (5)

When the maximum value searching means 11 outputs the maximum value p3 max, the second correction calculating means 20 reads out the correction value ratio r4 stored in advance in the correction value ratio storage means 19, and reads the first storage means 7 The reflected light pattern p4i stored in -2 to 7-n is corrected as in the following equation (6), and the corrected reflected light pattern q4i is output. q4i = p4i / (r4 × p3max) (6) FIG. 7 shows the result of correcting the detection pattern of FIG. That is, FIG. 7A shows a pattern output from the first correction operation unit 18, and FIG.
This is a pattern output from 0.

The correction value ratio r4 is a value stored by the output of the adjustment medium when the sheet discriminating apparatus is assembled and shipped. That is, r4 is a value obtained by an adjustment medium having a high reflectance, and is greatly affected by the sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion element constituting the detection unit 1. The method of obtaining such a correction value ratio r4 is as follows. First, the output of the detecting means 1-1 when the adjustment medium having a high reflectance is scanned at the time of shipment is represented by w3,
Assuming that the outputs of the detecting means 1-2 to 1-n are w4, the correction value ratio r4 is obtained by the following equation (7). r4 = w4 / w3 (7) Then, the correction value ratio r4 obtained in this way is stored in the correction value ratio storage means 19-1 to 19-n. Therefore, the correction value ratio stored in each correction value ratio storage means 19 indicates the correction value ratio for the connected detection means 1-2 to 1-n.

As described above, the data of the reflected light pattern corrected by the first correction calculation means 18 and the second correction calculation means 20 is stored in the second storage means 10.
The reflected light pattern stored in the second storage means 10 is output to the denomination judgment means 5 and the authenticity judgment means 6, and the denomination judgment and the authenticity judgment are carried out. Since this is the same as the example, the description is omitted here.

In the first and second embodiments, in order to correct the change in the sensitivity of the detection means, the maximum value of a certain detection pattern is first focused on (or the maximum value of a certain detection pattern). (Minimum value), and then the correction calculation of other detection patterns is performed using the correction value ratio stored in advance. However, it is also possible to correct the change in sensitivity by focusing on the entire detection pattern. This will be described below as a third embodiment.

<< Third Embodiment >> In the third embodiment, first, an integral value of a certain detection pattern is obtained, and then a correction operation of another detection pattern is performed using a correction value ratio stored in advance. Is what you do. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus according to the present invention. In the figure, detection means 1 (1-1 to 1-n), first storage means 7
(7-1 to 7-n), the second storage unit 10, the denomination determination unit 5, and the authenticity determination unit 6 are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, and thus description thereof will be omitted. I do.

The first storage means 7-1 is connected to the first correction means 21, and the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n
Are connected to second correction means 22-1 to 22-n, respectively. The first correction means 21 is an integral value calculation means 2
3 and first correction calculating means 24. The integrated value calculating means 23 receives the detection pattern from the first storage means 7-1 and outputs the integrated value to the first correction calculating means 24 and the second correction calculating means 26. The first correction operation unit 24 performs a correction operation of the reflected light pattern stored in the first storage unit 7-1 based on the integrated value calculated by the integration value operation unit 23.

The second correction means 22 includes a correction value ratio storage means 25 (25-1 to 25-n) and a second correction operation means 2
6 (26-1 to 26-n). The correction value ratio storage unit 25 includes a specific detection unit 1-1 and another detection unit 1-2.
Is a non-volatile memory that stores the ratio of the outputs to 1-n, and the second correction calculating means 26 calculates the ratio of the outputs of the correction value ratio storing means 25 and the output of the integral value calculating means 23, respectively.
The correction operation of the reflected light pattern stored in the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n is performed. The correction value ratio stored in the correction value ratio storage means 25 will be described later.

Next, the operation of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus having the above configuration will be described. First, the reflected light pattern of a bill is detected by the detecting means 1-1 to 1-n, and the reflected light pattern is stored in the first storage means 7-1 to 7-n, respectively. Same as the example.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a reflected light pattern output from each detecting means 1. In FIG. 9, (a) shows the storage contents of the first storage means 7-1, and shows the reflected light pattern p5i. (B) shows the first storage means 7-
The stored light contents of 2 to 7-n indicate the reflected light pattern p6i. The reflected light pattern shown in FIG. 9 is a waveform obtained by sampling and quantizing the reflected light pattern when a banknote is scanned in the direction of the arrow shown in the drawing at regular time intervals. The first correction calculating means 24 performs correction as follows. That is, the calculation is performed on the reflected light pattern p5i so that the integrated value p5int becomes 1 after the correction, and the correction is performed. Assuming that the corrected reflected light pattern is q5i (i = 1, 2,..., N), the corrected reflected light pattern q5i is obtained by the following equation (8). q5i = p5i / p5int / n (i = 1, 2,..., n) (8)

The second correction calculating means 26 reads out the output of the integral value p5int from the integration value calculating means 23 and the correction value ratio r6 stored in the correction value ratio storage means 25 in advance.
The reflected light pattern p6i stored in the first storage means 7-2 to 7-n is corrected as in the following equation (9), and the corrected reflected light pattern q6i is output. q6i = p6i / (r6 × p5int / n) (9) FIG. 10 shows the result of correcting the detection pattern of FIG. That is, FIG. 10A shows a pattern output from the first correction operation unit 24, and FIG. 10B shows a pattern output from the second correction operation unit 26.

The correction value ratio r6 is a value stored by the output of the adjusting medium when the paper sheet discriminating apparatus is assembled and shipped. That is, r6 is a value obtained by an adjustment medium having a high reflectance, and is greatly affected by the sensitivity of the photoelectric conversion element constituting the detection unit 1. The method of obtaining such a correction value ratio r6 is as follows. First, the output of the detecting means 1-1 when the adjustment medium having a high reflectance is scanned at the time of shipment is set to w5,
Assuming that each output of the detecting means 1-2 to 1-n is w6, the correction value ratio r6 is obtained by the following equation (10). r6 = w6 / w5 (10) Then, the correction value ratios r6 obtained in this way are stored in the correction value ratio storage means 25-1 to 25-n, respectively. Therefore, the correction value ratio stored in each correction value ratio storage means 25 indicates the correction value ratio for the connected detection means 1-2 to 1-n.

As described above, the data of the reflected light pattern corrected by the first correction calculation means 24 and the second correction calculation means 26 is stored in the second storage means 10.
The reflected light pattern stored in the second storage means 10 is output to the denomination judgment means 5 and the authenticity judgment means 6, and the denomination judgment and the authenticity judgment are performed. Since it is the same as the second embodiment, the description here is omitted.

In the third embodiment, the value integrated over a certain detection pattern is used as a reference.
Sample timing i = reflection light pattern p5i
The same effect can be obtained by a method based on a value obtained by integrating a part of a certain detection pattern, such as an integral value of a pattern in the range of 10 to 20, for example.

In each of the above embodiments, it is clear that the components of each section are constituted by a logic circuit, but it is also apparent that the components can be constituted by a combination of a program and a logic circuit by a microcomputer.
Furthermore, in each of the embodiments described above, a bill discriminating apparatus in which the medium is a bill has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is applicable to a bill discriminating apparatus that discriminates a sheet other than a bill.

[0050]

As described above, according to the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the first invention, the maximum value and the minimum value of the output of the specific detecting means for detecting the physical pattern of the medium are obtained. Based on the maximum value and the minimum value, and corrects the output value of the specific detection means. The outputs of the other detection means are corrected by a correction value ratio calculated in advance and the specific detection means. The correction calculation is performed based on the maximum value and the minimum value of the output of the detection means, so that it is hardly influenced by environmental fluctuations and aging such as sensitivity and offset of the detection element constituting the detection means. And truth determination can be performed with high accuracy.

According to the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the second invention, the maximum value is searched for the output of the specific detecting means for detecting the physical pattern of the medium, and based on the maximum value, In addition to correcting the output value of the specific detection unit, the correction calculation is performed on the output of the other detection units based on the correction value ratio calculated in advance and the maximum value of the output of the specific detection unit. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, when the dark current of the detection unit is not easily affected by environmental changes or aging, the configuration of the device can be simplified and cost can be reduced. it can.

Further, according to the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the third invention, an integral value is calculated with respect to the output of the specific detecting means for detecting the physical pattern of the medium, and based on this integral value. In addition to correcting the output value of the specific detecting means, the output of the other detecting means is corrected based on the correction value ratio calculated in advance and the integrated value of the output of the specific detecting means. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the first aspect, even when a value equal to or more than the original maximum value is output due to a temporary abnormality of the detection element of the specific detection means or the like, the influence of this maximum value is small. In addition, more accurate discrimination can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of a paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a conventional paper sheet discriminating apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a detection pattern before correction by a detection unit in the first embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a corrected detection pattern of the detecting means in the first embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a detection pattern before correction of a detection unit in a second embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a corrected detection pattern of the detection means in the second embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a third embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a detection pattern before correction by a detection unit in a third embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a corrected detection pattern of the detection means in the third embodiment of the paper sheet discriminating apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1-1 to 1-n detecting means 5 denomination determining means 6 authenticity determining means 8, 16, 21 first correcting means 9-1 to 9-n, 17-1 to 17-n, 22-1 to 22
-N Second correction means 11 Maximum value search means 12 Minimum value search means 13, 18, 24 First correction calculation means 14-1 to 14-n, 19-1 to 19-n, 25-1
25-n, correction value ratio storage means 15-1 to 15-n, 20-1 to 20-n, 26-1
26-n, second correction operation means

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of detection means for detecting physical patterns at a plurality of locations on the medium, each of the outputs from the plurality of detection means being corrected, and discrimination of the medium based on the corrected values. In the paper sheet discriminating device to be performed, one of the plurality of detecting means is a specific detecting means, a maximum value searching means for detecting a maximum value of a detection output of the specific detecting means, and a detection of the specific detecting means. A minimum value search unit that detects a minimum value of an output, and a first value that corrects an output value of the specific detection unit based on a maximum value and a minimum value detected by the maximum value search unit and the minimum value search unit. Correction calculating means, the specific medium when a reference medium having a high reflectance is scanned in advance.
The detection output of the detection means and the detection means other than the specific detection means
Scan the ratio of the detection output of the stage and the reference medium with low reflectivity.
The detection output of the specific detection means and the specific detection
The ratio of the detection output of the detection means other than the output means
Correction value ratio storage means for storing the correction value ratio and second correction value ratio , first and second correction value ratios of the correction value ratio storage means, and the maximum value search means and the minimum value search means. A second correction operation unit that corrects an output value of a detection unit other than the specific detection unit based on the maximum value and the minimum value, an output from the first correction operation unit, and an output from the second correction operation unit And a discriminating means for discriminating the medium on the basis of the information. 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of detecting means for detecting physical patterns at a plurality of positions on the medium, correcting outputs from the plurality of detecting means, and discriminating the medium based on the corrected values. In the paper sheet discriminating apparatus to be performed, one of the plurality of detection units is a specific detection unit, and a maximum value search unit that detects a maximum value of a detection output of the specific detection unit; A first correction operation unit that corrects an output value of the specific detection unit based on the maximum value, and the specific correction unit that scans a reference medium having a high reflectance in advance.
The detection output of the detection means and the detection means other than the specific detection means
A correction value ratio storage means for storing the ratio of the detection output of the stage as a correction value ratio, and the correction value ratio of the correction value ratio storage means, based on the maximum value detected by said maximum value retrieving means, the particular detection A second correction operation unit that corrects an output value of the detection unit other than the unit, the first correction operation unit, and a discrimination unit that discriminates a medium based on an output from the second correction calculation unit. A paper sheet discriminating apparatus characterized in that: 3. A plurality of detecting means for detecting a physical pattern at a plurality of positions on a medium, each of the outputs from the plurality of detecting means being corrected, and discrimination of the medium is performed based on the corrected values. In the paper sheet discriminating apparatus to be performed, one of the plurality of detecting means is a specific detecting means, an integral value calculating means for calculating an integral value of a detection output of the specific detecting means, and a value of the integral value calculating means Based on the first correction operation means for correcting the output value of the specific detection means, and the specific correction means when scanning the reference medium having a high reflectance in advance
The detection output of the detection means and the detection means other than the specific detection means
Based correction value ratio storage means for storing the ratio of the detection output of the stage as a correction value ratio, and the correction value ratio of the correction value ratio storage means, on the integral value outputted from the integral value calculating means, the particular detection A second correction operation unit that corrects an output value of the detection unit other than the unit, the first correction operation unit, and a discrimination unit that discriminates a medium based on an output from the second correction calculation unit. A paper sheet discriminating apparatus characterized in that: