Arrangement and method for processing security documents

Abstract

An arrangement for processing of value documents at a preparation station, prior to their processing by means of a value document processing apparatus, involves inserting the value documents into a container divided into several storage regions. The value documents of the respective deposit are removed at the preparation station from delivery containers which respectively include a unique deposit identification. A monitoring device automatically captures into which storage region of the value document container the value documents are inserted. A protocol device connected to the monitoring device links the respective deposit identification to the container identification and to the respective storage region identification and transmits this linking information to a control device or to an accounting device, which assigns the value documents present in the respective storage region of the respective value document container to the respective deposit with the aid of the linking information transmitted by the protocol device.

Claims

1. A method for processing value documents, the method comprising: providing a value document container at a preparation station, the value document container comprising several storage regions for value documents, wherein each of the storage regions has assigned thereto a storage region identification, capturing a container identification of the value document container with one or more of a monitoring device, a first capture device, and a second capture device, capturing, by one or more of the monitoring device and the first capture device, a first deposit identification of a first deposit whose value documents are to be inserted into the value document container, removing the value documents of the first deposit from a delivery container of the first deposit and inserting the value documents of the first deposit into at least one first storage region of the value document container, automatically capturing, by the monitoring device, into which storage regions or into which one of the storage regions of the value document container the value documents of the first deposit are inserted, and linking the first deposit identification to the at least one storage region identification of the at least one first storage region and to the container identification as captured by said one or more of the monitoring device and the first capture device, capturing, by one or more of the monitoring device and the first capture device, a second deposit identification of a second deposit whose value documents are to be inserted into the value document container, removing the value documents of the second deposit from a delivery container of the second deposit and inserting the value documents of the second deposit into at least one second storage region of the value document container, automatically capturing, by the monitoring device, into which storage regions or into which one of the storage regions of the container the value documents of the second deposit are inserted, linking the second deposit identification to the at least one storage region identification of the at least one second storage region and to the container identification as captured by said one or more of the monitoring device and the first capture device, providing the value document container to a value document processing apparatus, deriving with which at least one storage region identification and with which container identification the first deposit identification is linked and with which at least one storage region identification and which container identification the second deposit identification is linked, and assigning the value documents removed from the respective storage region of the container to the first deposit or to the second deposit.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: providing an accounting of the value documents of the respective deposit on the basis of counting results of the value document processing apparatus for the value documents removed from the respective storage region and on the basis of the assignment of these value documents to the first deposit or the second deposit, and/or inputting the value documents of the first and second deposit into the value document processing apparatus and/or into a singling device of the value document processing apparatus in dependence on the assignment of the value documents to the first deposit or the second deposit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a camera.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a light barrier curtain made of a plurality of light barriers.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises at least one distance sensor.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first and/or second capture devices comprises at least one of a barcode reader, a QR code reader, and an RFID reader.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the container identification of the value document container comprises at least one of a barcode, a QR code, and an RFID.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first deposit identification comprises at least one of a barcode, a QR code, and an RFID.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second deposit identification comprises at least one of a barcode, a QR code, and an RFID.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein value document processing apparatus comprises a gripper.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Hereinafter, the invention will be explained by way of example with reference to the following figures. There are shown:

(2) FIG. 1a a value document container with four storage regions,

(3) FIG. 1b an apparatus for processing value documents, having an input module attached thereto,

(4) FIG. 1c the insertion of the value documents into a value document processing apparatus by an input module,

(5) FIG. 1d a preparation station for value documents,

(6) FIG. 2 an arrangement for processing value documents, having preparation station and value document processing apparatus,

(7) FIG. 3a-f bringing together value documents of the same deposit upon insertion, according to the first embodiment,

(8) FIG. 4a-e bringing together value documents of the same deposit upon feeding, according to the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

(9) FIG. 1a shows a value document container 100 (hereinafter only referred to as a container) for receiving value documents, in which the value documents 1 are inserted so as to stand on their longitudinal edges. The container 100 is subdivided by three separator elements 101 into four storage regions in which value documents are kept separated from each other. For removing the value documents, a gripper 9 is used, cf. FIG. 1c, which is lowered into the container 100 in order to remove the respective value document stack of a storage region. The container 100 includes an identification, which e.g. is coded in a barcode 11, by which the container is uniquely identifiable. Additionally or alternatively, the container 100 may include a data carrier as an identification, e.g. an RFID transponder, in which information about the value documents 1 contained in the container are stored. Said information comprises e.g. information about the depositor of the respective value document stack and, where applicable, about the number or the total value of the value documents.

(10) In FIG. 1b there is represented an apparatus 60 for processing value documents, at the input side of which an input module 10 is attached. The input module 10 is configured for the input of value documents, e.g. bank notes, into an input pocket 61 of the apparatus 60 and for this purpose includes a gripper 9 which removes a stack of value documents from a container and inserts this into an input pocket 61 of the apparatus. The value documents 1 inputted into the input pocket are subsequently transported to the singling device 63 by means of a feeding device 65, 66, cf. FIG. 1c. The apparatus 60 transports the singled value documents, checks and, where applicable, sorts them and places them down in one or several output pockets of the apparatus 60. The input module 10 may be configured to receive one or several containers 100.

(11) The input module 10 contains a gripper 9 in order to remove value documents 1 in stacks from a storage region of the container 100 and to insert these into the input pocket 61 of the apparatus 60. For this purpose, the container 100 was manually or automatically inserted into a container receiving means 7 of the input module 10. The container receiving means 7 may be equipped with an identification device 4 to determine the identification of the container 100. The identification device 4 transmits the identification of the respective container 100 to a control device 8 of the input module 10. The control device 8 is connected to a protocol device 3 from which it can obtain linking information about the respective container having the container identification ascertained by the identification device 4 and, where applicable, about further containers, cf. FIG. 2. The gripper 9 is driven by the control device 8 such that it removes the value documents 1 of a first deposit and value documents 2 of a second deposit from the container 100 and inserts them separately from each other into the input pocket 61 of the value document processing apparatus 60. In doing so, the value documents 1 of the first deposit (e.g. ID16) and value documents 2 of the second deposit (e.g. ID17) are placed on two different rakes 65, 66 of the feeding device. The motion of the rakes 65, 66 is controlled by a different control device 18 which may likewise be connected to the protocol device 3, cf. FIG. 2.

(12) The control device 18 controls the value document feeding device 65, 66 such that the value documents of the first and second deposit are fed separately from each other to the singling device 63 of the value document processing apparatus. The value document feeding device is preferably controlled such that between the singling of the last value document of the first deposit and the singling of the first value document of the second deposit, a pause is taken in which no value document is fed to the singling device. In this way, a secure separation of the two deposits is achieved. The pause is preferably at least 5 times the duration of the time interval between the singling of two immediately successive value documents of the same deposit.

(13) As an alternative to an input module 10, a robot may be intended which includes a gripper 9 to automatically remove the value documents from containers 100 and insert them into the input pocket 61 of the apparatus 60 (not shown). The robot can be autonomous or a part of the apparatus 60. The containers 100 loaded with value documents can be transported by means of a transport apparatus to the apparatus 60 into the capture region of the robot gripper, and the empty containers can be transported away from the robot after the value document removal and, where applicable, transported to a preparation station.

(14) In FIG. 1d, a preparation station is shown at which an operator 50 has removed value documents 1 of a deposit from a delivery container 16 in order to insert them into a container 100. The operator 50 reads in, with the aid of a capture device 6 (e.g. barcode scanner) the deposit identification ID16 of the delivery container 16 and the container identification B1 of the container 100, see FIG. 1. For the container having the container identification B1, the protocol device 3 can ascertain (on the basis of information lodged in its software for that container) that it includes 4 storage regions and the location of the respective storage region along the container. In addition to the insertion, further steps can be taken at the preparation station to prepare the value documents for their machine processing.

(15) The capture device 6 is connected (e.g. wirelessly) to the protocol device 3 and informs it of the deposit identification and the container identification B1 respectively read in. The operator can insert the value documents of the deposit ID16 into any of the four storage regions of the container 100. The insertion of the value documents of the deposit into the container 100 is monitored by means of a monitoring device 15 which is connected to the protocol device 3. In this example, the monitoring device 15 includes a light barrier curtain with eight light barriers. In the example shown, for each storage region two light barriers are intended. However, one single light barrier per storage region may also be sufficient. The container 100 is inserted in a slanted container receiving means which includes a light-reflecting plate on the side opposite the light barriers. Due to the slant, the inserted value documents slide downward due to gravity so that they are aligned along the lower side edge. A capture device 14 for capturing the container identification of the container 100 is mounted to the container receiving means. Alternatively, the container identification can also be captured by means of the barcode scanner 6.

(16) Upon the manual insertion of the value documents into the container 100, the respective light barriers are interrupted and the monitoring device 15 transmits to the protocol device 3 which of the light barriers was/were interrupted. Taking into account the location of the storage regions along the container, the protocol device 3 can thus determine in which of the storage regions of the container the respective value documents were inserted. The protocol device 3 then links the deposit identification ID16 previously read in to the storage region identification AB1 of that storage region for which the monitoring device 15 has registered the insertion of the value documents and to the container identification B1. The protocol device 3 transmits this linking information to the control device 18 and/or to the accounting device 19, which stores the transmitted linking information V and uses it later to assign the value documents removed from the respective storage region of the respective container to the respective deposit.

(17) Instead of a light barrier curtain, the monitoring device can also include a distance sensor 25, cf. FIG. 1a, which can determine the distance of an object that has entered its capture region, e.g. the operator's hand or the value document stack. On the basis of the distance, the protocol device can determine the respective storage region in which the respective value documents are inserted.

(18) In the upper part of FIG. 2, a preparation station is shown where a container 100 is filled with value documents by an operator 50. At the beginning, the operator 50 reads in the container identification B1 of the container 100 with the aid of a capture device 6 (e.g. barcode scanner) which transmits the container identification B1 to a protocol device 3. If containers of different types are employed at the preparation station, the protocol device 3 can ascertain, on the basis of the container identification, the locations of the storage regions defined for this container. The value documents of two different deposits are brought to the preparation station in delivery containers 16, 17, in which the value documents were inserted by the respective depositor. FIG. 2 shows two safebags 16, 17 (single-use containers for value documents) as delivery containers, which contain the value documents of two different deposits. The operator 50 first picks up the safebag 16 and reads the deposit identification ID16 thereof with the aid of the same capture device 6. The operator then opens the safebag 16, removes the value documents of the first deposit contained therein and places them the first storage region AB1 of the container 100. The operator 50 then picks up the safebag 17, reads the deposit identification ID17 thereof with the aid of the capture device 6, opens the safebag 17. In this example, the value documents of the second deposit contained therein are inserted into the second storage region AB2 and in the third storage region of the container 100. Value documents of a further deposit ID18, whose delivery container is not shown, are inserted into the fourth storage region AB4 of the container 100. Alternatively, other delivery containers can also be used, e.g. value document cassettes with unique identification used as deposit identification.

(19) The insertion of the value documents of the first and second deposit into the container 100 is monitored by means of a monitoring device 5, which in this example includes a (photo or video) camera. The monitoring device 5 may additionally be adapted to capture the container identification of the container 100 and/or the deposit identification ID16, ID17 of the delivery containers 16,17, which, where applicable, can be held towards the camera 5 by the operator for this purpose. The capture device 6 can then be omitted.

(20) The camera 5 is directed to the container 100 and the region thereabove from obliquely above and captures images at different points in time during the value document preparation, e.g. respectively before and after the insertion of value documents into the container 100 by the operator 50. For example, by the capture of the deposit identification ID1 of the first delivery container by means of the capture device 6 the camera 5 is triggered to take a first image of the container 100 in certain and to take a respective further image of the container 100 at time intervals therefrom, in order to take an image thereof respectively before and after the insertion of the value documents into the container. The images taken by the camera 5 are subjected to a difference image analysis, in which the respective difference of the further images to the first image is determined. However, also the difference between two images taken consecutively can always be established. On the basis of the respective image difference, it is ascertained in which of the receiving regions AB1, AB2, AB3 or AB4 the value documents of the respective deposit were inserted. If containers with different storage regions are used at the preparation station, the location of the storage regions of the respective container 100 is taken into account when determining into which storage region value documents are currently inserted.

(21) The control of the image recording of the camera 5 and the difference image comparison are carried out by a control and evaluation device 13 which is connected to the camera 5 and to the protocol device 3. If during the difference image comparison a difference is ascertained in the image detail of a storage region AB1, AB2, AB3 and/or AB4 of the container 100, which indicates that value documents were inserted into one of the storage regions of the container 100, the control and evaluation device 13 establishes the storage region identification assigned to the respective storage region and transmits this to the protocol device 3. The protocol device 3 links the storage region identification established by the control and evaluation device 13 to the deposit identification previously captured by the capture device 6 and to the previously captured container identification B1 of the container 100. In the present example, based on this image comparison, the deposit identification ID16 of the first deposit is linked to the storage region identification AB1 of the first storage region and to the container identification B1. And the deposit identification ID17 of the second deposit is linked to the storage region identifications AB2 and AB3 of the second and third storage region and to the container identification B1. And the deposit identification ID18 of the d deposit is linked to the storage region identifications AB4 of the fourth storage region and to the container identification B1. An example of the linking information V generated by the protocol device is represented in FIG. 2 on the right.

(22) In addition to the linking information V for the container 100 having the container identification B1, also the linking information V for a further container having the container identification B2 is contained therein by way of example. For the further container (not shown) having the container identification B2, the protocol device was able to ascertain (on the basis of information lodged in the software) that this includes five storage regions and the location of the respective storage region along the container. For the container with the container identification B2, it was ascertained by means of the difference image comparison that the deposit ID30 was inserted in the storage regions AB1 and AB2, and the deposit ID5 in the storage region AB3, AB4 and AB5. The protocol device 3 generates therefrom for B2 the linking information shown in FIG. 2 and transmits it to the control device 8 or 18 and/or to the accounting device 19, which stores the transmitted linking information V.

(23) The control device 8 or 18 and/or the accounting device 19 includes software which, on the basis of the container identification which has been transmitted to it by the identification device, for the respective container having the respective container identification, finds linking information V associated with the respective container and, on the basis of the linking information V, ascertains for each storage region of the respective container to which deposit identification the individual storage region identifications of the respective container are linked, respectively. Thus, the control device 8 or 18 and/or the accounting device 19 assigns the value documents present in the respective storage region of the respective container to the respective deposit.

(24) The arrangement may also include a transport device with which the container containing the value documents of the first deposit and of the second deposit in different storage regions, and where applicable further containers, can be transported from the preparation station 70 (via a transport path 80) to an input module 10 of the value document processing apparatus 60. Alternatively, the respective container can also be transported directly to the value document processing apparatus 60 (without input module).

(25) At the value document processing apparatus, the value documents are removed from the container 100 and fed to the value document processing apparatus 60. In one embodiment, the value documents of the different storage regions are fed separately to the singling device 63, without taking into account their deposit association, i.e. without bringing together the value documents of the same deposit which were removed from different storage regions. And the value document processing apparatus 60 then establishes upon checking the value documents the value W of the value documents removed therefrom individually for each storage region and transmits these values W to the accounting device 19, cf. FIG. 1d. From the linking information V, the accounting device 19 derives which storage regions belong to the same deposit and sums up for each deposit the individual values W of all those storage regions which contained value documents of the respective deposit, which values were established by the value document processing apparatus. Thus, based on the counting results of the value document processing apparatus 60 and based on the linking information, the accounting device 19 can respectively carry out an accounting of the value documents of the respective deposit.

(26) FIGS. 3a-f show a first preferred embodiment for the procedure of feeding the value documents, and FIGS. 4a-e show a second preferred embodiment. To simplify the representations in FIG. 3b-f and FIG. 4b-e, the control devices 8,18 and their connection to the protocol device 3 are only shown in FIG. 3a, 4a. In the upper part of the input pocket 61 there is located a singling device 63, by which value documents are drawn individually one after the other from the respective value document stack in order to check, count and, where applicable, sort them by the value document processing apparatus 60.

(27) In the embodiment of FIGS. 3a-f, the gripper 9 is controlled by the control device 8 of the input module 10 in such a way that it carries out the placing of the value documents on the two rakes 65, 66 in dependence on the linking information V. The value documents 1 of the first deposit ID16 removed from the first storage region AB1 of the container 100 are placed on the upper rake 65. From the second storage region AB2 of the container 100 a first subset of value documents 2a of the second deposit ID17 is removed and placed on the lower rake 66. From the third storage region AB3 of the container 100, the gripper 9 removes a second subset 2b of value documents of the second deposit ID17 and places it on the first subset of value documents 2a of the second deposit ID17, which is already on the lower rake 66, cf. FIG. 3a. Upon being placed on the lower rake 66, the value document stacks 2a, 2b removed from different storage regions of the container 100 are brought together and combined into one single value document stack 2, cf. FIG. 3b. During the insertion of the value documents 2a, 2b, the value documents 1 of the first deposit ID16 can already be singled by means of the singling device 63. After it has been combined, the value document stack 2 is transported upward to the singling device 63 with the aid of the rake 66, see FIG. 3c. Based on the linking information V transmitted to it, the control device 18 of the feeding device knows that it must wait with the upward transport of the lower rake 66 until the insertion of the substacks 2a, 2b of the second deposit ID17 on the lower rake 66 is completed. The control device 18 moreover ensures that the feed of the second value document stack 2 to the singling device 63 is delayed until the last value document of the first value document stack 1 has been drawn from the upper rake 65 and the upper rake 65 has been taken away from the singling device 63, cf. FIG. 3d. This is then transported back to the lower region of the input pocket 61 (cf. FIG. 3e), where it is again available for inserting the further value document stack of the further deposit ID18, cf. FIG. 3f.

(28) The value documents belonging to different deposits are not brought together but inserted separately from each other. Thus, the value documents 1 of the first deposit ID16 were placed on the upper rake 65 and the value documents 2 of the second deposit ID17 on the lower rake 66. This causes that upon singling the value documents by means of the singling device 63 there arises a time gap between the two deposits, i.e. between drawing off the last value document of deposit ID16 and drawing off the first value document of the second deposit ID17. Due to this time gap, the value document processing apparatus 60 can securely separate the two deposits from each other.

(29) In the embodiment of FIGS. 4a-e, the value document stacks 2a, 2b of the second deposit ID17 removed from different storage regions of the container 100 are not brought together and combined into one single value document stack 2 when the gripper 9 places them onto the lower rake 66. Instead, the value document stacks 2a, 2b of the second deposit ID17 are brought together and combined into one single value document stack 2 with the aid of the two rakes 65, 66 only later, after they were inserted separately from each other. In FIG. 4a, the gripper 9 has placed the first substack of value documents 2a of the second deposit ID17, which it has removed from the storage region AB2, on the upper rake 65 and is in the act of placing the second substack of value documents 2b of the second deposit ID17, which it has removed from the storage region AB3, onto the lower rake 66 (FIG. 4b). In FIG. 4c, the lower rake 66 with the substack 2b has approached the underside of the upper rake 65. The upper rake 65 is then pulled out so that the substack 2a of the upper rake 65 is placed down onto the substack 2b of the lower rake 66 and the two substacks 2a, 2b of the second deposit ID17 are combined into one single stack 2, cf. FIG. 4d. Combining the two substacks 2a, 2b can be carried out before or at the same time as value documents are singled from the upper side of the substack 2a by the singling device 63. For no value documents being pulled along sideways upon pulling out the upper rake 65, a retaining element can be used (not shown) or the value documents are retained by the side wall of the input pocket 61, which has a corresponding opening for the upper rake 65 to dive through.

(30) The upper rake 65 is then transported back to the lower region of the input pocket 61 and is available there again for inserting the value documents of the further deposit ID18, cf. FIG. 4e.

(31) The control device 18 of the feeding device includes software which controls the two rakes 65, 66 of the feeding device such that the substacks 2a, 2b of the second deposit ID17, which were removed from different storage regions of the container, are combined in the feeding device into one single value document stack. The control device 18 decides, on the basis of the linking information V, whether the value documents placed on the two rakes 65, 66 are to be fed to the singling device separately from each other or together (i.e. as a combined value document stack). The two value document stacks placed on the two rakes here are only brought together and combined into one single value document stack if they belong to the same deposit. Due to the bringing together into one single value document stack, the value document processing apparatus 60 can process the second deposit more quickly.

(32) Value document stacks which belong to different deposits are not brought together and combined into one single value document stack. If value document stacks of different deposits are placed on the two rakes 65, 66, in the procedure of FIG. 4a-e the pulling out of the upper rake 65 is carried out simply at a later point in time, only after the last value document of the value document stack located on the upper rake 65 has been drawn off by the singling device 63. This causes a pause between the two deposits upon singling, i.e. between drawing off the last value document of the upper rake 65 and drawing off the first value document of the lower rake 66 (which belongs to a different deposit). Due to this pause, the value document processing apparatus 60 can securely separate the two deposits from each other.

(33) In a further embodiment (not shown), the feeding device includes—instead of the two rakes 65, 66—only one single receiving means (e.g. rake, plate, lifting floor) for receiving the value document stacks inserted with the gripper 9. Here too, bringing together the substacks 2a, 2b of the same deposit upon placing them down onto the receiving means is possible, as it is shown in FIG. 3a,b upon placing the value document stacks 2a,b down on the rake 66. In this embodiment, the structure of the feeding device is simpler. However, it is necessary to wait for the insertion of the value documents and feeding of the inserted value document stack to the singling device 63, before the singling can be started. Then, it is not possible that already value documents of a second deposit are inserted simultaneously with the singling of a first deposit.

(34) As an alternative to the embodiments shown—instead of drawing off the topmost value document from the respective value document stack (as in FIGS. 3a-f and 4a-e)—a singling device positioned at the lower end of the input pocket 61 can be used, which draws off the bottommost value document of a value document stack inserted into the input pocket 61. Bringing together the substacks 2a, 2b of the same deposit into one combined substack 2 is then carried out at the upper side of the substack 2a inserted first which is singled first. Here too, bringing together the two substacks of the same deposit can be effected already upon insertion (analogous to FIG. 3a, 3b), or only after the insertion of the two substacks (analogous to FIG. 4c, 4d) by pulling out a rake located between the two substacks 2a, 2b.