DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CLASSIFYING VALUE DOCUMENTS, IN PARTICULAR BANK NOTES, AND VALUE DOCUMENT PROCESSING SYSTEM

Abstract

An apparatus and method for classifying value documents includes least two sensor devices arranged to capture waves reflected on a front side and on a back side of a value document and to generate corresponding sensor data or to capture properties of the value document in at least two different regions of the value document by means of different measuring principles and to generate corresponding sensor data. At least one evaluation device is arranged to classify the value document with the aid of the sensor data generated by the at least two sensor devices, which sensor data relate to the waves reflected on the front side and back side of the value document or to the properties of the value document captured in the at least two different regions of the value document by means of different measuring principles.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. An apparatus for classifying value documents, in particular bank notes, having: at least two sensor devices which are arranged to capture waves, in particular electromagnetic waves, reflected on a front side and on a back side of a value document and to generate corresponding sensor data or to capture properties of the value document in at least two different regions of the value document by means of different measuring principles and to generate corresponding sensor data, and at least one evaluation device which is arranged to classify the value document with the aid of the sensor data generated by the at least two sensor devices, which sensor data relate to the waves reflected on the front side and back side of the value document or to the properties of the value document captured in the at least two different regions of the value document by means of different measuring principles.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one evaluation device has a memory unit for data storage and a control device is provided which is arranged to write the sensor data generated by the at least two sensor devices into the memory unit of the at least one evaluation device.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein at least two evaluation devices respectively having a memory unit are provided and the control device is arranged to write the sensor data generated by the at least two sensor devices into each memory unit of the at least two evaluation devices.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein each of the at least two sensor devices have an evaluation device assigned thereto.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the sensor devices which are configured for capturing electromagnetic waves reflected from the front side and back side of the value document have a first image sensor and a second image sensor, wherein the first image sensor is arranged to capture a remission image of the front side of the value document and to generate corresponding first image sensor data and the second image sensor is arranged to capture a remission image of the back side of the value document and to generate corresponding second image sensor data, and the evaluation device is arranged to classify the value document with the aid of the first image sensor data and the second image sensor data.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the evaluation device is arranged to ascertain the denomination of the value document with the aid of the first image sensor data and the second image sensor data.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the sensor devices which are configured for capturing properties of the value document in at least two different regions of the value document by means of different measuring principles have at least two different sensor types of the following sensor types: an optical sensor, in particular an image sensor, which is arranged to capture optical properties of the value document and to generate corresponding sensor data, an ultrasonic sensor which is arranged to capture reflection properties and/or transmission properties of the value document for ultrasound and to generate corresponding sensor data, a capacitive sensor which is arranged to capture dielectric properties of the value document and to generate corresponding sensor data, a magnetic sensor which is arranged to capture magnetic properties of the value document and to generate corresponding sensor data, and the evaluation device is configured to classify the value document with the aid of the sensor data generated by the at least two different sensor types, which sensor data relate to properties of the value document captured in the at least two different regions of the value document.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the evaluation device is arranged to check the authenticity of the value document with the aid of the sensor data generated by the at least two different sensor types, which sensor data relate to properties of the value document captured in the at least two different regions of the value document

19. A value-document processing system having an apparatus for classifying value documents according to claim 11, and a sorting apparatus which has different sorting pockets and is arranged to output the value documents into the different sorting pockets in dependence on the classifications effected with the aid of the sensor data.

20. A method for classifying value documents having the following steps: capturing waves, in particular electromagnetic waves, reflected on a front side and on a back side of a value document and generating corresponding sensor data or capturing properties of the value document in at least two different regions of the value document by means of different measuring principles and generating corresponding sensor data, classifying the value document with the aid of the generated sensor data which relate to the waves reflected on the front side and back side of the value document or to the properties of the value document captured in the at least two different regions of the value document by means of different measuring principles.

Description

[0025] Further advantages, features and application possibilities of the present invention will result from the subsequent description in connection with the Figures. There are shown:

[0026] FIG. 1 an example of an apparatus for classifying value documents in a schematic representation;

[0027] FIG. 2 an example of a value document from which waves reflected on the front side and back side are captured; and

[0028] FIG. 3 an example of a value document whose properties are captured in different regions.

[0029] FIG. 1 shows an example of an apparatus 1 for classifying value documents having a first sensor device 2, a second sensor device 3, a first evaluation device 4, a second evaluation device 5, and a control device 6.

[0030] The first sensor device 2 and the second sensor device 3 are arranged to capture properties of a value document, for example the transmission and/or reflectivity of the value document with regard to electromagnetic waves or ultrasonic waves, magnetic or dielectric properties of the value document, and to convert these into corresponding sensor data 8, so-called raw data. The sensor devices 2, 3 are configured accordingly, e.g., as optical sensors, in particular image sensors, piezoelectric ultrasonic sensors, Hall probes or capacitors.

[0031] Preferably, the first and/or second sensor device 2, 3 can capture the properties of the value document in locally resolved fashion. For this, the sensor devices 2, 3 or at least a part of the sensor devices 2, 3 preferably have respectively a one- or two-dimensional array of sensors, for example semiconductor detectors for capturing electromagnetic waves or piezoelectric elements for capturing ultrasound. Alternatively or additionally, the sensor devices 2, 3 can be arranged to scan the value document or at least a region of the value document, while the value document and the respective sensor device 2, 3 are moved relative to each other.

[0032] The sensor data 8 respectively generated by the sensor devices 2, 3 are written into a first memory device 9 of the first evaluation device 4 and into a second memory device 10 of the second evaluation device 5 by the control device 6, which is indicated by the arrows.

[0033] Preferably, the control device 6 here controls the data flow in such a way that the sensor data 8 of the two sensor devices 2, 3 are written into each of the memory units 9, 10 of the evaluation devices 4, 5, so that each of the evaluation devices 4, 5 has direct access to the sensor data 8 generated by the two sensor devices 2, 3. This allows that each of the evaluation devices 4, 5 has the possibility to classify a value document not only with the aid of the raw data generated by only one sensor device 2 or 3, but to take into account here also the raw data generated by the other sensor device 3 or 2, respectively, e.g. by a suitable linkage of the raw data.

[0034] The results 11 of the classification made in the evaluation devices 4, 5, which results preferably relate to different classes, are transferred to a central instance 7. For example, the first evaluation device 4 can be arranged to classify the value document with regard to its denomination, while the second evaluation device 5 can be arranged to classify the value document with regard to its authenticity.

[0035] The central instance 7 is preferably arranged to control a further processing, in particular sorting of the value document according to the results 11 of the classification. For example, all the value documents of a first denomination which were classified as authentic are output into the first container, while all the value documents of a second denomination which were classified as authentic are output into the second container, etc.

[0036] If the central instance 7 needs only one result 11 with regard to a class, for example because value documents are to be sorted only with respect to their denomination regardless of their authenticity or their quality, it is also possible to do without some evaluation devices, for example the second evaluation device 5.

[0037] FIG. 2 shows an example of a front side 12 and a back side 13 of a value document 14 in a schematic representation for illustrating an advantageous application of the apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, for example the denomination separation.

[0038] The first and second sensor device 2, 3 (see FIG. 1) capture electromagnetic waves reflected, in particular remitted, on the front side 12 or on the back side 13, and generate corresponding first and second image sensor signals. Here, the first sensor device is preferably arranged to capture electromagnetic waves reflected in a first region 15 of the front side 12, while the second sensor device is arranged to capture electromagnetic waves reflected in a second region 16 and/or a third region 17 of the back side 13. For example, for this purpose, the first and second sensor device can be configured as image sensors, in particular as cameras, which capture the corresponding regions 15-17. Alternatively, the first image sensor can also be configured to capture the entire front side 12 of the value document 14 optically and to generate first image sensor data only with the aid of reflected electromagnetic waves captured in the first region 15. Accordingly, the second image sensor can be configured to capture the entire back side 13 of the value document 14 optically and to generate second image sensor data only with the aid of reflected electromagnetic waves captured in the second region 16 and in the third region 17.

[0039] The position and/or size of the first, second and/or third region 15-17 is preferably chosen such that there the value document has reflection properties which are characteristic for the denomination of the value document 14. For example, in the regions 15-17 the printed image of the value document 14 has certain features 15-17, in particular in the form of a numeral and/or a pattern, with the aid of which the denomination of the value document 14 can be ascertained, for example whether it is a 5-euro bank note or 10-euro bank note.

[0040] The first and second sensor data, in the described example, are image sensor data whichas already explained in more detail in connection with FIG. 1together are written into the memory device 9 of the first evaluation devices 4 and are linked with each other upon classification of the value document 14. This allows the classification of the value document 14 with regard to the denomination to be executed alone by the first evaluation device 4.

[0041] Due to the fact that in the first evaluation device the value document 14 can be classified with the aid of merged image sensor data, only one result of the classification, i.e. the denomination of the value document 14, must be transferred to the central instance 7. Further, in this case, the second evaluation device 5 for the classification of the value document 14 with regard to its denomination can be saved or be used for a classification with regard to a different class, as for example soiling.

[0042] The preceding explanations regarding the example shown in FIG. 2 also apply accordingly to electromagnetic waves which are transmitted by the value document 14 and are captured in the region of the front side 12 and back side 13 respectively by means of a sensor device. The explanations also apply accordingly to ultrasonic waves which are reflected and/or transmitted on the front side and back side of the value document 14 and are respectively recaptured by means of a suitable sensor device.

[0043] FIG. 3 shows an example of a value document 14 whose properties are captured with different sensor types in different regions 15-17. In the present example, the properties are captured with three different sensor types in three different regions of the value document. Depending on the case of application, only two, where applicable, but also more than three different sensor types may be utilized.

[0044] The different sensor types capture properties of the value document 14 with different measuring principles. For example, in the present example, this can be an image sensor, for example a camera, a dielectric or capacitive sensor, for example a capacitor, as well as an ultrasonic sensor, for example an array of piezoelectric elements. The sensors are preferably arranged to capture the respective properties of the value document 14 in locally resolved fashion, so that the accordingly generated sensor data respectively correspond to an optical, capacitive or ultrasonic image of the three different regions 15-17.

[0045] In the first region 15, the image sensor preferably captures an optical security feature 15 of the value document 14, for example a specified pattern. In the second region 16, the dielectric or capacitive sensor captures a dielectric security feature 16 of the value document 14, for example, a dielectric number of a security strip. In the third region 17, the ultrasonic sensor captures a security feature 17 of the value document 14 which is only capturable with the aid of ultrasonic waves, for example a varying thickness of the value document 14. Accordingly, these sensor data characterize the authenticity of the value document 14.

[0046] The sensor signals generated by the three different sensor types are written e.g. into the first memory device 9 of the first evaluation device 4 (see FIG. 1, for illustrative reasons, a third sensor device or a third sensor type is not represented there). This allows the sensor signals to be merged or jointly evaluated by the first evaluation device 4 in order to efficiently and reliably classify or check the value document 14 with respect to its authenticity.

[0047] For example, the first evaluation device 4 can be configured to evaluate the image points of the images corresponding to the three different regions 15-17 with regard to one or several, in particular three, threshold values.

[0048] Due to the fact that in the first evaluation device 4 the value document 14 is classified with the aid of merged sensor data, only one result of the classification, in the present example with regard to authenticity, of the value document 14 must be transferred to the central instance 7. The instance 7 itself does not need to perform a classification, but only controls the further processing, in particular sorting of the value document depending on the ascertained class. Thus, a second evaluation device 5 or any further evaluation devices (not represented in FIG. 1) for the classification of the value document 14 with regard to authenticity can be saved or be used for the classification with regard to a different class, as for example damages, soiling or limpness.