Self-service device and method for detecting a tampering device

Abstract

self-service device (1), in particular vending machine comprising - a case (7), - an opening (5) arranged in the housing (7) for dispensing banknotes, - wherein the opening (5) can be closed by a closure (9) in a first position of the closure (9) and can be released in a second position of the closure (9) for the dispensing of banknotes - at least one non-contact sensor (8) for detecting tampering devices placed in front of the opening (5), - wherein the self-service device (1) has a control circuit (10) with a component for distinguishing between stationary and moving objects based on the signals of the sensor (8), wherein the component is designed as a differentiator (13) which forms the time derivative of the signals of the sensor (8), wherein the control circuit (10) has an analog-to-digital converter (14) which is connected upstream of the component and the component is designed as software (15) which calculates the time derivative of the signals of the sensor (8).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-service device according to the preamble of claim 1 and to a method for detecting a manipulation device in front of an opening for dispensing notes of value in a self-service device.

[0002] Such self-service devices are known in a wide variety of designs, for example, in the form of vending machines, especially ATMs, or bank statement printers. The basic housing of such a self-service device is designed according to its specific purpose.

[0003] One of the components of such a self-service device is an opening for dispensing notes of value and / or bank statements, receipts, or the like. These openings are usually protected by a lock. One of the common types of manipulation is the installation of static projections in front of this note dispensing area to intercept the notes of value, such as banknotes, before they can be removed by a customer (so-called "cash trapping").

[0004] In order to detect such manipulation attempts, it is known to arrange a distance sensor in a frame surrounding the shutter, whereby the distance sensor is always arranged in front of the shutter, ie towards the outside of the device, and always scans the area in front of the shutter.

[0005] Such systems have proven themselves in practice. A problem arises when, for example, a person is standing very close to the ATM and the sensors interpret the person's body, or parts of it, as an object of manipulation. In such a case, the ATM aborts a cash withdrawal transaction due to this misinterpretation.

[0006] US 2008 / 0136657 A1 describes an ATM with a housing, a lockable opening that can be opened to dispense banknotes, at least one contactless sensor for detecting manipulation devices mounted in front of the opening, and a control circuit having a component for distinguishing between moving and stationary objects based on the signals generated by the sensor.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a self-service device and a method for detecting a manipulation device in front of an opening for dispensing notes of value of a self-service device, which enables an optimized detection of such manipulation devices.

[0008] This object is achieved by a self-service device having the features of claim 1 and by a method for detecting a manipulation device having the features of claim 6.

[0009] According to the invention, the self-service device comprises a control circuit with a component for distinguishing between stationary and moving objects. This allows, for example, a person's body parts to be reliably distinguished from objects mounted on the self-service device that remain statically in their position, since the person is generally not completely stationary.

[0010] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

[0011] The use of a differentiator, which forms the time derivative of the sensor signals, represents a reliable and cost-effective solution for detecting a moving object, both in the embodiment as a circuit component according to claim 2 and as a software solution according to claim 3.

[0012] By arranging at least one contactless sensor in the opening behind the closure, manipulation or damage to the sensor(s) is made difficult or even prevented.

[0013] The sensor(s) are positioned behind the shutter in such a way that the distance between the sensor and the closed shutter serves as a calibration distance for calibrating the sensor. Since the distance between the sensor and the closed shutter is known, the sensor can be continuously calibrated to compensate for temperature influences, for example.

[0014] According to the method according to the invention, the shutter is first opened, then a sensor signal is detected by the at least one sensor, and this sensor signal is subsequently evaluated. If an object is detected, at least one further sensor signal is detected and evaluated by the at least one sensor, and by comparing the sequentially detected sensor signals, it is determined whether the detected object has moved or not. This avoids transaction interruptions caused by objects accidentally passing briefly past the sensor(s).

[0015] According to claim 10, if an object is detected after a first signal detection, the lock of the value note dispenser is closed and then opened again, then at least one further sensor signal is detected and evaluated by the at least one sensor. Subsequently, by comparing the sensor signals, it is determined whether the object has moved. By closing and reopening the lock in this way, a person who inadvertently covers the sensor(s) during the transaction, e.g. by placing their hands in the area of ​​the sensors, can be caused to move as a result of the lock closing. When the signal is subsequently detected for a second time, the person's hands are most likely in a different position relative to the sensors, thus preventing an undesired transaction abort.

[0016] In the following, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a schematic front view of a self-service device in the form of a value note dispenser, Fig. 2 a schematic perspective detailed view of a note dispensing opening with the closure open, Fig. 3 the opening Fig. 2 with closed closure and Fig. 4 a schematic block diagram of a control circuit of a self-service device.

[0017] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic view of a self-service device 1 in the form of a security note dispenser. Arranged in the housing 7 of the security note dispenser are a screen 2 for displaying information for a user, an input / output device 3 of a magnetic card reader for reading a magnetic card, e.g., a bank card, a receipt dispensing slot 4, and an opening 5 for dispensing security notes.

[0018] The opening 5 is provided with a preferably motor-driven closure 9, which closes the opening 5 in a first position, as shown in Fig. 2 and in a second position (see Fig. 3) opens the opening for the dispensing of notes of value. This closure 9 is often also referred to as a "shutter". Notes of value (banknotes) to be dispensed are presented to the customer for removal when the shutter 9 is open through the then exposed cash dispensing opening 5. To protect this opening 9 from the ingress of water or dust, the opening 9 is surrounded by a cover frame 6 which protrudes outwards on the housing 7 of the self-service device 1 opposite the opening 5. Manipulation devices which are arranged on the self-service device 1 with fraudulent intent are preferably mounted in or on the cover frame 6 in front of the opening 5, preferably in the form of a specially prepared dummy closure.

[0019] As in Fig. 2, are located on the right and left in the opening 5 behind the shutter 9 (as the comparison with Fig. 3, in which the closure 9 is closed), contactless sensors 8 are arranged. Each of these sensors 8 scans a measuring space 19 in front of the respective sensor 8. Detection of manipulation devices mounted in front of the opening 5 is thus only possible when the closure 9 is open. The sensors 8 are preferably designed as optical sensors. It is also conceivable for the sensors 8 to be designed as acoustic sensors, in particular as ultrasonic sensors.

[0020] The sensors 8 provide a distance-dependent signal, regardless of the surface condition of the object being measured. Signal evaluation of the sensor signals includes the recording and evaluation of the distance-dependent sensor signals and their change over time (see Fig. 4). Objects detected at a specific measurement angle and within a specific distance range are classified as static and dynamic, i.e., objects with variable distances. If static attachments are installed within the measurement range of all 8 sensors, these are detected as manipulation devices. Moving objects, such as a person's hand, are detected by signal analysis, i.e., by the temporal change of the signals, and do not lead to an abort of the transaction. The temporal change is evaluated in such a way that magnitudes within the range of measurement errors are disregarded.

[0021] The sensors 8 are preferably arranged in the opening behind the shutter 9 such that the distance between the sensor 8 and the closed shutter 9 serves as a calibration distance for calibrating the sensor 8. Continuous calibration with the shutter 9 closed effectively minimizes potential sources of error, such as temperature fluctuations, which could impair signal detection.

[0022] To dispense notes of value from a self-service device, the closure 9 is first opened. In order to detect a manipulation device mounted in front of the opening 5 for dispensing notes of value, a sensor signal is subsequently detected by at least one sensor 8. This sensor signal is then evaluated by the control circuit 10. For this purpose, as in Fig.4, a signal present at the output of sensor 8 is first picked up by a preamplifier 11 in the case of a high-impedance output or small amplitudes. Based on the signal level, a decision is made as to whether or not an object is in front of the sensor. For this purpose, the signal level is compared by the comparator 16 with a threshold value. If an object is present, the circuit distinguishes between a moving object (e.g. a person's hand) and a stationary object such as the manipulation device designed as a shutter front assembly. In a first embodiment, this differentiation is made by feeding the output signal of the preamplifier 11 to a differentiator 13, which forms the time derivative of the signal. If there is a stationary object in front of the sensor, its output signal is constant over time and the output signal of the differentiator is therefore approximately zero.If the object moves in front of the sensor, the output signal of differentiator 13 changes. This movement can be detected by a window comparator 18 or a measuring rectifier 16 followed by a comparator 17. In this case, the output level changes. Changes in the output signal that are greater than expected disturbances are considered movement.

[0023] In an alternative embodiment, the signal from sensor 8, pre-amplified by preamplifier 11, is fed to an analog / digital converter 14 for subsequent evaluation via software. Alternatively, the signal from differentiator 13 can also be fed to the analog / digital converter 14 for further evaluation via software 15.

[0024] Depending on the result of the evaluation, the dispensing transaction is continued or aborted if a manipulation device is detected at the banknote dispensing opening 5. Reference symbol 1 self-service device 2 screens 3 Input and output device for magnetic card 4 receipt dispensing slots 5 Opening for issuing vouchers 6 frame 7 housings 8 Sensor 9 Closure 10 Control circuit 11 preamplifiers 12 Comparator 13 Differentiators 14 analog / digital converters 15 Software 16 measuring rectifiers 17 Comparator 18 Window comparator 19 Measuring room

Claims

[1] Self-service device (1), in particular a value note machine, comprising - a housing (7), - an opening (5) arranged in the housing (7) for dispensing notes of value, - wherein the opening (5) can be closed by a closure (9) in a first position of the closure (9) and can be released in a second position of the closure (9) for issuing notes of value - at least one contactless sensor (8) for detecting manipulation devices mounted in front of the opening (5), - wherein the self-service device (1) has a control circuit (10) with a component for distinguishing between stationary and moving objects on the basis of the signals from the sensor (8), wherein the component is designed as a differentiator (13) which forms the time derivative of the signals from the sensor (8), wherein the control circuit (10) has an analog-digital converter (14) which is connected upstream of the component and the component is designed as software (15) which calculates the time derivative of the signals from the sensor (8). [2] Self-service device (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the at least one contactless sensor (8) is arranged in the opening (5) behind the closure (9), so that detection of manipulation devices arranged in front of the opening (5) is only possible when the closure (9) is open. [3] Self-service device (1) according to claim 2, characterized bythat the at least one contactless sensor (8) is arranged in the opening (5) behind the closure (9) in such a way that the distance between the sensor (8) and the closed closure is designed as a calibration distance for calibrating the sensor (8). [4] Self-service device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the at least one contactless sensor (8) is designed as an optical sensor. [5] Self-service device (1) according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized by that the at least one contactless sensor (8) is designed as an acoustic sensor, in particular as an ultrasonic sensor. [6] Method for detecting a manipulation device in front of an opening (5) for dispensing notes of value of a self-service device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising the following steps: a. Opening the lock (9), b. detecting at least one sensor signal by the at least one sensor (8), c. detecting at least one further sensor signal by the at least one sensor (8) if an object has been detected, d. feeding the sensor signals to an analog-digital converter (14), e. feeding an output signal of the analog-digital converter (14) to a software-based differentiator (13), f. Formation of a derivative of the output signal by the differentiator (13) g. Determination of the object's movement by evaluating the derivative. [7] A method according to claim 6, comprising the following step: h. Calibrating at least one sensor with the shutter closed (9). [8] A method according to claim 6 or 7, comprising the following step: i. Closing the shutter (9) if an object has been detected, j. Reopening the shutter (9), k. detecting at least one further sensor signal by the at least one sensor (8), 1. Evaluation of the sensor signal, m. Determining the movement of the object by comparing the sensor signals.

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