Currency identification device and method for controlling currency identification device

Abstract

To provide a currency identification device and a method for controlling a currency identification device that can extend a period until inappropriate identification information identified in a storage unit that a currency is not appropriate is overwritten.SOLUTION: Currency identification devices 100, 110, 120 each include: a currency information acquisition unit 13, 25 that at least acquires currency information about a deposited currency; a storage unit 3 including a first storage area 31 and a second storage area 32 provided separately from the first storage area 31; and a control unit 4 that identifies propriety of the deposited currency based on the currency information and, in identification information 40 including an identification result of the propriety of the currency and the currency information, causes the first storage area 31 to store appropriate identification information 41 in which the identification result is appropriate, and causes the second storage area 32 to store inappropriate identification information 42 in which the identification result is not appropriate. A capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is set to be larger than a capacity based on an amount of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a currency identification device and a control method for a currency identification device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, currency identification devices have been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an automated teller machine including a banknote processing device (currency identification device). The automated teller machine includes a banknote processing unit for depositing and withdrawing banknotes. The banknote processing device includes a banknote processing unit and a control system of the automated teller machine. The banknote processing unit is provided with a banknote deposit slot. Banknotes conveyed from the banknote deposit slot are identified and counted by a banknote discrimination sensor as an identification unit. After being identified and counted by the banknote discrimination sensor, the banknotes are stored in a storage according to the denomination.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] Although not specified in the above Patent Document 1, after the deposited banknote is identified (discriminated) by a banknote discrimination sensor, the storage unit may store identification information including the discrimination result (identification result) and the information detected by the banknote discrimination sensor (currency information acquisition unit). However, since the capacity of the storage unit is limited, when the amount of information in the identification information exceeds a predetermined amount in the storage unit, the latest identification information is overwritten and stored in the oldest identification information. And when the oldest identification information is inappropriate identification information that has been identified as inappropriate for the banknote, the latest identification information is overwritten and disappears in this inappropriate identification information. Therefore, when the period until overwriting of the inappropriate identification information is short, it is not possible to conduct a detailed investigation of the inappropriate identification information important for improving the discrimination accuracy in the banknote processing apparatus. Therefore, it is required to extend the period until overwriting of the inappropriate identification information identified as inappropriate for the currency in the storage unit.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and one object of the present invention is to provide a currency discrimination apparatus and a control method for the currency discrimination apparatus capable of extending the period until overwriting of inappropriate identification information identified as inappropriate for the currency in the storage unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above object, a currency discrimination apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a currency information acquisition unit that acquires at least currency information of the deposited currency, a first storage area, and a storage unit including a second storage area provided separately from the first storage area, and discriminates the propriety of the deposited currency based on the currency information. Among the identification information including the discrimination result of the propriety of the currency and the currency information, appropriate identification information with an appropriate discrimination result is stored in the first storage area, and a control unit that stores inappropriate identification information with an inappropriate discrimination result in the second storage area, and the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit is set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of inappropriate identification information in the identification information.

[0008] In the currency discrimination device according to the first aspect of the present invention, as described above, the control unit discriminates the suitability of the currency deposited based on the currency information, and among the discrimination result of the suitability of the currency and the discrimination information including the currency information, the appropriate discrimination information with an appropriate discrimination result is stored in the first storage area, and the inappropriate discrimination information with an inappropriate discrimination result is stored in the second storage area which is set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of the inappropriate discrimination information in the discrimination information. By storing the inappropriate discrimination information in the second storage area, it is possible to prevent the old inappropriate discrimination information from being overwritten by the new appropriate discrimination information. Further, since the second storage area is set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of the inappropriate discrimination information in the discrimination information, compared with the case where the discrimination information including the appropriate discrimination information and the inappropriate discrimination information is stored in the storage unit in the acquisition order, the information amount of the inappropriate discrimination information with respect to the discrimination information that can be stored in the entire storage unit can be increased. For these reasons, the period until overwriting of the inappropriate discrimination information discriminated as inappropriate currency in the storage unit can be extended. Further, since a detailed investigation can be performed on the increased inappropriate discrimination information, the discrimination accuracy in the currency discrimination device can be further improved.

[0009] In the currency discrimination device according to the first aspect, preferably, when the amount of appropriate discrimination information in the first storage area exceeds a predetermined first amount of information, the control unit overwrites the acquired appropriate discrimination information and stores it in the first storage area, and when the amount of inappropriate discrimination information in the second storage area exceeds a predetermined second amount of information, the control unit overwrites the acquired inappropriate discrimination information and stores it in the second storage area. With this configuration, when the amount of appropriate discrimination information in the first storage area exceeds the predetermined first amount of information, the acquired appropriate discrimination information is overwritten and stored in the first storage area, so that it is possible to surely prevent the appropriate discrimination information from overwriting the inappropriate discrimination information stored in the second storage area. Also, the acquired inappropriate discrimination information can be stored in the second storage area until the amount of inappropriate discrimination information in the second storage area exceeds the predetermined second amount of information. In this specification, the "predetermined first amount of information" means the total amount of appropriate discrimination information that can be stored in the first storage area without overwriting new appropriate discrimination information. Also, the "predetermined second amount of information" means the total amount of inappropriate discrimination information that can be stored in the second storage area without overwriting new inappropriate discrimination information.

[0010] In the currency discrimination device according to the first aspect, preferably, the control unit acquires the ratio of inappropriate discrimination information, which is the amount of inappropriate discrimination information to the amount of discrimination information, for each predetermined number of discrimination times or each predetermined time of the propriety of the currency, and configures to adjust the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the acquired inappropriate discrimination information. With this configuration, based on the ratio of inappropriate discrimination information acquired by the control unit for each predetermined number of discrimination times or each predetermined time of the propriety of the currency, the capacity of the second storage area is adjusted by the control unit so as to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the acquired inappropriate discrimination information, so that the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit can be adjusted appropriately and easily.

[0011] In the currency discrimination device according to the first aspect, preferably, the control unit determines the level of reliability of the appropriate discrimination information, stores the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a low reliability in the first storage area, and is configured to discard the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a high reliability. Here, since the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a high reliability has a high probability of being appropriate, and the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a low reliability has a low probability of being appropriate, it is important to investigate in more detail the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a lower reliability than the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a high reliability. With the above configuration, since the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a low reliability is stored in the first storage area, the period until overwriting of the appropriate discrimination information determined to have a low reliability, which is important in the detailed investigation of the discrimination information, can be extended.

[0012] In this case, preferably, the control unit is configured to determine the level of reliability of the currency information in the appropriate discrimination information based on a predetermined feature amount of the currency included in the appropriate discrimination information and the distribution of the stored predetermined feature amounts. With this configuration, the level of reliability of the currency information in the appropriate discrimination information can be easily determined.

[0013] In the currency discrimination device according to the first aspect, preferably, the currency is a banknote, the currency information includes pixel values for each of a plurality of portions of the banknote, and the control unit stores the appropriate discrimination information in the first storage area and stores the inappropriate discrimination information in the second storage area among the discrimination information including the discrimination result identified based on the currency information including the pixel values. With this configuration, since the appropriateness of the banknote can be easily identified based on the currency information including the pixel values, the period until overwriting of the inappropriate discrimination information determined that the banknote is inappropriate in the storage unit can be easily extended.

[0014] In the currency discrimination device according to the first aspect described above, preferably, the currency information acquisition unit further acquires the currency information of the currency to be withdrawn, and the control unit discriminates the propriety of the currency to be withdrawn based on the currency information of the currency to be withdrawn, and among the discrimination results of the propriety of the deposited currency and the currency to be withdrawn and the discrimination information including the currency information of the deposited currency and the currency to be withdrawn, appropriate discrimination information is stored in the first storage area, and inappropriate discrimination information is stored in the second storage area. With this configuration, the propriety of both the deposited currency and the withdrawn currency is discriminated, and appropriate discrimination information is stored in the first storage area, and inappropriate discrimination information is stored in the second storage area. Therefore, in both the deposited currency and the withdrawn currency, the period until overwriting of the inappropriate discrimination information discriminated as inappropriate in the storage unit can be extended.

[0015] The control method of the currency discrimination device according to the second aspect of the present invention includes at least a step of acquiring the currency information of the deposited currency, discriminating the propriety of the deposited currency based on the currency information, and storing the appropriate discrimination information whose discrimination result is appropriate among the discrimination information including the discrimination result of the propriety of the currency and the currency information in the first storage area of the storage unit, and storing the inappropriate discrimination information whose discrimination result is inappropriate in the second storage area set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of the inappropriate discrimination information in the discrimination information of the storage unit.

[0016] In the method for controlling a currency discrimination device according to the second aspect of the present invention, as described above, the propriety of the currency deposited based on the currency information is discriminated, and among the discrimination result of the propriety of the currency and the discrimination information including the currency information, the appropriate discrimination information with an appropriate discrimination result is stored in the first storage area, and the inappropriate discrimination information with an inappropriate discrimination result is stored in the second storage area set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of the inappropriate discrimination information in the discrimination information. By storing the inappropriate discrimination information in the second storage area, it is possible to prevent the new appropriate discrimination information from overwriting the old inappropriate discrimination information. Further, since the second storage area is set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of the inappropriate discrimination information in the discrimination information, the capacity of the inappropriate discrimination information with respect to the discrimination information that can be stored in the entire storage unit can be increased as compared with the case where the discrimination information including the appropriate discrimination information and the inappropriate discrimination information is stored in the storage unit in the acquisition order. For these reasons, the period until overwriting of the inappropriate discrimination information discriminated as inappropriate currency in the storage unit can be extended. Further, since a detailed investigation can be performed on the increased inappropriate discrimination information, the discrimination accuracy in the currency discrimination device can be further improved.

Effects of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, as described above, it is possible to provide a currency discrimination device and a method for controlling a currency discrimination device capable of extending the period until overwriting of inappropriate discrimination information discriminated as inappropriate currency in the storage unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] [First Embodiment] (Configuration of Currency Identification Device) With reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, the currency identification device 100 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0021] The coin-changing machine 200 including the currency identification device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to a POS register device (not shown) in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores. The upper surface of the coin-changing machine 200 forms a flat surface, and a POS (point of sales) register device is arranged on this flat surface. The coin-changing machine 200 includes a bill processing unit 1, a coin processing unit 2, a storage unit 3 (see FIG. 2), a control unit 4 (see FIG. 2), an operation input unit 5, and a display unit 6. In the coin-changing machine 200, the coin processing unit 2 and the bill processing unit 1 are arranged adjacent to each other. The currency identification device 100 includes a plurality of bill detection sensors 13 (see FIG. 2) included in the bill processing unit 1, the storage unit 3, and the control unit 4. Note that the bill detection sensor 13 is an example of the "currency information acquisition unit" in the claims.

[0022] The bill processing unit 1 includes a bill deposit slot 10, a bill payout slot 11, a bill storage bin 12, and a plurality of bill detection sensors 13 (see FIG. 2). The bill deposit slot 10 is provided at the upper part of the front surface of the coin-changing machine 200 and is a deposit slot through which bills are deposited. The bill payout slot 11 is provided below the bill deposit slot 10 and is a payout slot through which bills are paid out. The bill storage bin 12 is provided inside the coin-changing machine 200 and is a storage bin for storing bills.

[0023] A plurality of banknote detection sensors 13 (see FIG. 2) are configured to detect the serial number, size, and pixel values of multiple parts of a banknote that is deposited through the banknote deposit slot 10 and withdrawn through the banknote withdrawal slot 11. That is, as an example, the plurality of banknote detection sensors 13 acquire banknote information including the serial number of the banknote, the size of the banknote, and the pixel values of multiple parts of the banknote for the banknote deposited through the banknote deposit slot 10 and the banknote withdrawn through the banknote withdrawal slot 11. Note that the banknote information is not limited to the above information, and other information may be added and included. The plurality of banknote detection sensors 13 include known sensors such as a visible light sensor 14 (see FIG. 2), an infrared sensor 15 (see FIG. 2), and a magnetic sensor 16 (see FIG. 2). The number and types of the plurality of banknote detection sensors 13 are not particularly limited. The plurality of banknote detection sensors 13 are provided inside the banknote processing unit 1. Note that the banknote information is an example of the "currency information" in the claims.

[0024] The coin processing unit 2 is configured to handle the insertion and withdrawal of coins. The coin processing unit 2 includes a coin deposit slot 20, a coin withdrawal slot 21, a tray 22, a coin return slot 23, and a coin storage 24. The coin deposit slot 20 is provided at the center of the front upper surface of the automatic change machine 200 and is the deposit slot through which coins are deposited. The coin withdrawal slot 21 is provided on the left side of the front surface of the automatic change machine 200 and is the withdrawal slot through which coins are withdrawn. The tray 22 is provided below the coin withdrawal slot 21 and receives the coins discharged from the coin withdrawal slot 21. The coin return slot 23 is provided at the center of the front surface of the automatic change machine 200 main body and is the return slot through which the coins deposited through the coin deposit slot 20 are returned. The coin storage 24 is provided inside the automatic change machine 200 and is a storage for storing coins.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 3 includes a first storage area 31 and a second storage area 32 provided separately from the first storage area 31. The capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40 described later. Specifically, the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is set to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42, which is the amount of inappropriate identification information 42 to the amount of the identification information 40. The storage unit 3 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory or an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), or a volatile memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). Details of the storage unit 3 will be described later.

[0026] The control unit 4 includes a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The control unit 4 is configured to identify the propriety of the deposited banknotes and the banknotes to be withdrawn based on the banknote information. Among the identification information 40 including the identification result of the propriety of the banknote and the banknote information, the control unit 4 stores the appropriate identification information 41 with an appropriate identification result in the first storage area 31, and stores the inappropriate identification information 42 with an inappropriate identification result in the second storage area 32. Specifically, the control unit 4 determines the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information 41, stores the appropriate identification information 41a determined to have a low reliability in the first storage area 31, and discards the appropriate identification information 41 determined to have a high reliability.

[0027] Further, when the amount of information of the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 exceeds a predetermined first amount of information, the control unit 4 is configured to overwrite the acquired appropriate identification information 41 and store it in the first storage area 31. Further, when the amount of information of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32 exceeds a predetermined second amount of information, the control unit 4 is configured to overwrite the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 and store it in the second storage area 32.

[0028] The operation input unit 5 is an input device for performing input operations of various types of information. The display unit 6 is a display device for displaying various types of information.

[0029] (Banknote information) Banknote information includes, as an example, the serial number of the banknote, the size of the banknote, and the pixel values of a plurality of portions of the banknote, for the banknotes deposited from the banknote deposit slot 10 and the banknotes withdrawn from the banknote payout slot 11.

[0030] The pixel values of a plurality of portions of the banknote are, as an example, the pixel values of a plurality of portions along the short side direction of the banknote. The plurality of banknote detection sensors 13 include a visible light sensor 14 and an infrared sensor 15. The deposited banknotes and the withdrawn banknotes are alternately irradiated with visible light and infrared light from one side, and the pixel values of a plurality of portions along the short side direction on the other side opposite to one side of the deposited banknotes and the withdrawn banknotes are acquired by the visible light sensor 14 and the infrared sensor 15. As an example, 100 pixel values of portions along the short side direction on the other side opposite to one side of the banknote are acquired by the visible light sensor 14 and the infrared sensor 15.

[0031] Note that the pixel value acquisition part is not limited to the above, and it may be a part along the longitudinal direction on the other side opposite to one side of the banknote, or it may be other parts of the banknote. Also, the pixel values of a plurality of parts of the banknote do not necessarily have to be acquired by both the visible light sensor 14 and the infrared sensor 15. For example, it may be configured such that the pixel values of a plurality of parts of the banknote are acquired by either the visible light sensor 14 or the infrared sensor 15. Further, the number of acquired pixel values is not limited to the above, and it may be 50, or it may be 200, and is not particularly limited.

[0032] (Identification and identification information of banknotes based on banknote information) The control unit 4 acquires banknote information including the serial number of the banknote, the size of the banknote, and the pixel values of a plurality of parts of the banknote for the banknote deposited from the banknote deposit slot 10 and the banknote withdrawn from the banknote withdrawal slot 11, which are detected by the plurality of banknote detection sensors 13.

[0033] The control unit 4 acquires the denomination of the banknote based on the serial number and the size of the banknote acquired by the plurality of banknote detection sensors 13.

[0034] Further, for the pixel values of a plurality of portions acquired by the visible light sensor 14 and the infrared sensor 15, for each of a plurality of regions divided along the short side direction of the banknote, the control unit 4 obtains average pixel values for each of the plurality of divided regions by averaging and compressing the plurality of pixel values included in the plurality of divided regions. As an example, the control unit 4 averages the five pixel values acquired by the visible light sensor 14 included in each of the 20 regions divided along the short side direction of the banknote to obtain average pixel values for each of the plurality of regions, and also averages the five pixel values acquired by the infrared sensor 15 included in each of the 20 regions divided along the short side direction of the banknote to obtain average pixel values for each of the plurality of regions. By averaging a plurality of pixel values to obtain average pixel values, identification information 40 including the average pixel values as compressed pixel value data can be stored in the storage unit 3. That is, data of a plurality of pixel values with a large amount of information can be compressed into average pixel values with a small amount of information and stored in the storage unit 3. Note that the number of regions divided along the short side direction of the banknote is not limited to 20, and may be 10, may be 40, or is not particularly limited.

[0035] Then, the control unit 4 obtains the orientation of the deposited banknote and the withdrawn banknote based on the type of the acquired banknote, the plurality of average pixel values based on the acquired visible light sensor 14, and the plurality of average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15. The orientation of the banknote is the orientation (front / back, up / down) with respect to the banknote deposit slot 10 of the deposited banknote and the orientation (front / back, up / down) with respect to the banknote withdrawal slot 11 of the withdrawn banknote.

[0036] Then, the control unit 4 determines the validity of the banknote deposited from the banknote deposit slot 10 and the banknote withdrawn from the banknote withdrawal slot 11 based on the plurality of average pixel values based on the acquired visible light sensor 14 and the plurality of average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15, and the plurality of reference average pixel values based on the visible light sensor 14 and the plurality of reference average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15, which are stored in advance and correspond to the type of the acquired banknote and the orientation of the acquired banknote.

[0037] Then, the control unit 4 acquires identification information 40. The identification information 40 includes information on the identification result of the validity of the banknote, banknote information including the serial number and size of the identified banknote, information on a plurality of average pixel values based on the visible light sensor 14 and information on a plurality of average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15 in the identified banknote, and information on the orientation of the banknote in the identified banknote. The identification information 40 includes appropriate identification information 41 with an appropriate identification result and inappropriate identification information 42 with an inappropriate identification result.

[0038] Note that when the deposited banknote is identified as appropriate by the control unit 4, the banknote is accepted by the automatic change dispenser 200. When the deposited banknote is identified as inappropriate by the control unit 4, the banknote is not accepted by the automatic change dispenser 200 and is returned from the banknote payout slot 11. Also, when the banknote paid out as change is identified as appropriate by the control unit 4, the banknote is paid out from the banknote payout slot 11. When the banknote paid out as change is identified as inappropriate by the control unit 4, the banknote is not paid out from the banknote payout slot 11 and is stored inside the automatic change dispenser 200.

[0039] (Inappropriate identification information stored in the second storage area) Among the identification information 40 including the identification result of the validity of the banknote and the banknote information, the appropriate identification information 41 is stored in the first storage area 31, and the inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the second storage area 32. When the amount of information of the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 exceeds a predetermined first amount of information, the acquired appropriate identification information 41 is overwritten and stored in the first storage area 31. When the amount of information of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32 exceeds a predetermined second amount of information, the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is overwritten and stored in the second storage area 32.

[0040] The capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is preset to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40. As an example, when it is estimated that the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40 is 1% based on the predicted deposit and withdrawal history, the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is preset to be larger than 1% of the capacity of the storage unit 3.

[0041] As a specific first embodiment in this case, as shown in FIG. 3, the storage unit 3 can store, as an example, identification information 40 for 100 banknotes for deposited banknotes and withdrawn banknotes. Also, the capacity of the second storage area 32 is set to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40. As an example, the capacity of the second storage area 32 is set to be 4% of the storage unit 3, which is larger than the capacity based on the ratio (1%) of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40. That is, the second storage area 32 is set to be able to store inappropriate identification information 42 for 4 banknotes. Therefore, the first storage area 31 is set to be able to store appropriate identification information 41 for 96 banknotes. For the sake of convenience in explanation, it is assumed that 100 banknotes are identified per day as the deposited banknotes and the withdrawn banknotes. Note that the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40 is not limited to 1%, and it may be 2% or 0.5%. Also, the capacity of the second storage area 32 is not limited to 4% of the storage unit 3, and if it is larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40, it may be 2% of the storage unit 3, 8% of the storage unit 3, or is not particularly limited.

[0042] According to the first embodiment, while the control unit 4 is identifying the first to the 100th banknotes, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the area of the first banknote in the second storage area 32. Also, while the control unit 4 is identifying the 101st to the 200th banknotes, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the area of the second banknote in the second storage area 32. Also, while the control unit 4 is identifying the 201st to the 300th banknotes, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the area of the third banknote in the second storage area 32. Also, while the control unit 4 is identifying the 301st to the 400th banknotes, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the area of the fourth banknote in the second storage area 32. Note that while the control unit 4 is identifying the 401st to the 500th banknotes, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 overwrites the area of the first banknote in the second storage area 32, so that the oldest inappropriate identification information 42 disappears.

[0043] That is, in the first embodiment, while the fourth round is overwritten in the first storage area 31, only the first round is stored in the second storage area 32. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the inappropriate identification information 42 for four banknotes stored in the second storage area 32 is stored in the second storage area 32 for four days without being overwritten.

[0044] On the other hand, in the case of a comparative example where the storage unit 3 does not include the first storage area 31 and the second storage area 32, as shown in FIG. 4, during the identification of the first to 100th banknotes by the control unit 4, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 (the inappropriate identification information 42 of the first banknote) is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 (the inappropriate identification information 42 of the first banknote) is stored in the indefinite area of the storage unit 3. Also, during the identification of the 101st to 200th banknotes by the control unit 4, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 (the inappropriate identification information 42 of the second banknote) is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 (the inappropriate identification information 42 of the second banknote) is stored in the indefinite area of the storage unit 3. Here, during the identification of the 101st to 200th banknotes by the control unit 4, the identification information 40 acquired during the identification of the 101st to 200th banknotes by the control unit 4 overwrites the inappropriate identification information 42 of the first banknote. Therefore, in the case of the comparative example, the inappropriate identification information 42 for one banknote stored in the second storage area 32 can be stored in the storage unit 3 for only one day.

[0045] (Appropriate identification information stored in the first storage area) As shown in FIG. 3, among the appropriate identification information 41 acquired by the control unit 4, the appropriate identification information 41a (see FIG. 2) determined by the control unit 4 to have a low reliability is stored in the first storage area 31. On the other hand, among the appropriate identification information 41 acquired by the control unit 4, the appropriate identification information 41 determined by the control unit 4 to have a high reliability is discarded without being stored in the first storage area 31.

[0046] The control unit 4 is configured to determine the level of reliability of appropriate identification information 41 with an appropriate identification result. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 4 is configured to determine the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 based on a predetermined feature amount of the banknote included in the appropriate identification information 41 and the distribution of the stored predetermined feature amounts. Specifically, the control unit 4 determines the level of reliability of the banknote information based on one or more feature amounts of the banknote included in the appropriate identification information 41 and the distribution of the corresponding one or more stored feature amounts. In the first embodiment, as an example, the control unit 4 uses, among the information on a plurality of average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15 as a feature amount of the banknote included in the appropriate identification information 41, the average pixel value in a predetermined one area, and based on the distribution of the average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15 in the corresponding predetermined one area shown in FIG. 5 that is stored in advance, determines the level of reliability of the banknote information.

[0047] In the banknote identified as having an appropriate identification result, the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 in a predetermined one area in the appropriate identification information 41 is such that banknotes with the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 varying in the direction of relatively increasing and banknotes with the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 varying in the direction of relatively decreasing are generally evenly distributed (generally following a normal distribution). In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the magnitude of the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15, and the vertical axis indicates the number (frequency) of banknotes having the corresponding average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15.

[0048] The appropriate identification information 41 including the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 close to the average value μ (middle) in FIG. 5 has a high reliability, and the appropriate identification information 41 including the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 far from the average value μ (middle) in FIG. 5 has a low reliability. When the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 included in the acquired appropriate identification information 41 is within a predetermined range R in the distribution of the average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15 shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 4 determines that the reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 including this average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 is high. Also, when the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 included in the acquired appropriate identification information 41 is not within the predetermined range R in the distribution of the average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15 shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 4 determines that the reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 including this average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 is low.

[0049] In the first embodiment, when the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 is within the range of ±1.18σ (μ - 1.18σ to μ + 1.18σ), the control unit 4 determines that the reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 is high and discards this appropriate identification information 41 without storing it in the first storage area 31. When the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor 15 is not within the range of ±1.18σ (μ - 1.18σ to μ + 1.18σ), the control unit 4 determines that the reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 is low and stores this appropriate identification information 41a in the first storage area 31. Therefore, in the appropriate identification information 41, the probability of being determined to have a high reliability is about 76%, and the probability of being determined to have a low reliability is about 24%. Therefore, compared with the case where all the appropriate identification information 41 is stored in the first storage area 31 without determining the high or low reliability of the appropriate identification information 41, the period until overwriting of the appropriate identification information 41a determined to have a low reliability in the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 can be extended about four times.

[0050] (Control of storage in the storage unit of identification information) Referring to FIG. 6, the control of storing the identification information 40 in the storage unit 3 will be described. Note that the order of the processing steps can be interchanged or executed simultaneously as long as they do not conflict with each other. Note that when the amount of appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 exceeds a predetermined first amount of information, the control unit 4 overwrites the obtained appropriate identification information 41a with low reliability and stores it in the first storage area 31, and when the amount of inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32 exceeds a predetermined second amount of information, the control unit 4 overwrites the obtained inappropriate identification information 42 and stores it in the second storage area 32.

[0051] In step S1, the banknote detection sensor 13 acquires banknote information of the banknotes deposited from the banknote deposit slot 10 and the banknotes withdrawn from the banknote withdrawal slot 11. Then, the process proceeds to step S2.

[0052] In step S2, the control unit 4 acquires the denomination and orientation of the banknote based on the banknote information, and also acquires a plurality of average pixel values based on the visible light sensor 14 and a plurality of average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15. Then, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0053] In step S3, the control unit 4 determines the propriety of the banknotes deposited from the banknote deposit slot 10 and the banknotes withdrawn from the banknote withdrawal slot 11 based on the plurality of average pixel values based on the acquired visible light sensor 14 and the plurality of average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15, and a plurality of reference average pixel values based on the visible light sensor 14 and a plurality of reference average pixel values based on the infrared sensor 15 stored in advance. Then, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0054] In step S4, the control unit 4 acquires identification information 40 including information on the identification result of the propriety of the banknote. Then, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0055] In step S5, when the identification information 40 acquired by the control unit 4 is inappropriate identification information 42 with an inappropriate identification result (Yes in step S5), the process proceeds to step S6. When the identification information 40 acquired by the control unit 4 is appropriate identification information 41 with an appropriate identification result (No in step S5), the process proceeds to step S7.

[0056] In step S6, the control unit 4 stores the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32 of the storage unit 3. Then, the process ends.

[0057] In step S7, the control unit 4 determines the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information 41. When it is determined that the reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 is low (Yes in step S7), the process proceeds to step S8. When it is determined that the reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 is high (No in step S7), the process proceeds to step S9.

[0058] In step S8, the control unit 4 stores the appropriate identification information 41a, for which it has determined that the reliability is low, in the first storage area 31 of the storage unit 3. Then, the process ends.

[0059] In step S9, the control unit 4 discards the appropriate identification information 41 for which it has determined that the reliability is high. Then, the process ends.

[0060] (Effect of the First Embodiment) In the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0061] In the currency discrimination device 100 of the first embodiment and the control method of the currency discrimination device 100, as described above, while discriminating the propriety of the currency deposited based on the banknote information, among the discrimination result of the propriety of the banknote and the discrimination information 40 including the banknote information, the appropriate discrimination information 41 with an appropriate discrimination result is stored in the first storage area 31, and the inappropriate discrimination information 42 with an inappropriate discrimination result is stored in the second storage area 32 set to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate discrimination information 42 in the discrimination information 40. By storing the inappropriate discrimination information 42 in the second storage area 32, it is possible to prevent the old inappropriate discrimination information 42 from being overwritten by the new appropriate discrimination information 41. Further, since the second storage area 32 is set to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate discrimination information 42 in the discrimination information 40, compared with the case where the discrimination information 40 including the appropriate discrimination information 41 and the inappropriate discrimination information 42 is stored in the storage unit 3 in the acquisition order, the information amount of the inappropriate discrimination information 42 with respect to the discrimination information 40 that can be stored in the entire storage unit 3 can be increased. For these reasons, the period until overwriting of the inappropriate discrimination information 42 discriminated as inappropriate banknotes in the storage unit 3 can be extended. Further, since a detailed investigation can be performed on the increased inappropriate discrimination information 42, the discrimination accuracy in the currency discrimination device 100 can be further improved.

[0062] Also, in the first embodiment, as described above, when the amount of information of the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 exceeds a predetermined first amount of information, the control unit 4 overwrites the acquired appropriate identification information 41 and stores it in the first storage area 31. When the amount of information of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32 exceeds a predetermined second amount of information, the control unit 4 is configured to overwrite the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 and store it in the second storage area 32. Thereby, when the amount of information of the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 exceeds the predetermined first amount of information, the acquired appropriate identification information 41 is overwritten and stored in the first storage area 31. Thus, it is possible to reliably prevent the appropriate identification information 41 from overwriting the inappropriate identification information 42 stored in the second storage area 32. Also, the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 can be stored in the second storage area 32 until the amount of information of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32 exceeds the predetermined second amount of information.

[0063] Also, in the first embodiment, as described above, the control unit 4 determines the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information 41, stores the appropriate identification information 41a determined to have a low reliability in the first storage area 31, and discards the appropriate identification information 41 determined to have a high reliability. Here, since the appropriate identification information 41 determined to have a high reliability has a high probability of being appropriate, and the appropriate identification information 41a determined to have a low reliability has a low probability of being appropriate, it is important to investigate the appropriate identification information 41a determined to have a lower reliability in more detail than the appropriate identification information 41 determined to have a high reliability. By configuring as described above, since the appropriate identification information 41a determined to have a low reliability is stored in the first storage area 31, it is possible to extend the period until overwriting of the appropriate identification information 41a determined to have a low reliability, which is important in the detailed investigation of the identification information 40 in the storage unit 3.

[0064] Also, in the first embodiment, as described above, the control unit 4 is configured to determine the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information 41 based on the predetermined feature amount of the currency included in the appropriate identification information 41 and the distribution of the stored predetermined feature amounts. Thereby, it is possible to easily determine the level of reliability of the banknote information in the appropriate identification information 41.

[0065] Also, in the first embodiment, as described above, the currency is a banknote, the banknote information includes pixel values for each of a plurality of portions of the banknote, and the control unit 4 stores the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 among the identification information 40 including the identification result identified based on the banknote information including the pixel values, and stores the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32. Thereby, since it is possible to easily identify whether a banknote is appropriate based on the banknote information including the pixel values, it is possible to easily extend the period until overwriting of the inappropriate identification information 42 identified as inappropriate in the storage unit 3.

[0066] Also, in the first embodiment, as described above, the banknote detection sensor 13 further acquires the banknote information of the banknote to be withdrawn, and the control unit 4 identifies whether the banknote to be withdrawn is appropriate based on the banknote information of the banknote to be withdrawn, and stores the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 among the identification information 40 including the identification results of whether the deposited banknote and the banknote to be withdrawn are appropriate and the banknote information of the deposited banknote and the banknote to be withdrawn, and stores the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32. Thereby, it is possible to identify whether both the deposited banknote and the banknote to be withdrawn are appropriate, and to store the appropriate identification information 41 in the first storage area 31 and the inappropriate identification information 42 in the second storage area 32. Therefore, in both the deposited banknote and the banknote to be withdrawn, it is possible to extend the period until overwriting of the inappropriate identification information 42 identified as inappropriate in the storage unit 3.

[0067] [Second Embodiment] Next, referring to FIGS. 7 to 8, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the currency discrimination device 110 in the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, an example will be described in which the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is adjusted by the control unit 4 so as to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the acquired inappropriate discrimination information 42. For the same configuration as in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are given and the description thereof is omitted.

[0068] (Second storage area) The control unit 4 is configured to acquire the ratio of the inappropriate discrimination information 42 in the discrimination information 40 every predetermined number of discrimination times of the propriety of banknotes, and to adjust the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 so as to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the acquired inappropriate discrimination information 42.

[0069] The capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is preset as an initial setting so as to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate discrimination information 42 in the discrimination information 40. As an example, based on the predicted deposit and withdrawal history, the ratio of the inappropriate discrimination information 42 in the discrimination information 40 is estimated to be 1%, and the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is preset to 4% of the capacity of the storage unit 3. As an example, the storage unit 3 can store the discrimination information 40 for 100 banknotes as the deposited banknotes and the withdrawn banknotes, and the second storage area 32 is set to be able to store the inappropriate discrimination information 42 for 4 banknotes, and the first storage area 31 is set to be able to store the appropriate discrimination information 41 for 96 banknotes. It is assumed that 100 banknotes are discriminated per day as the deposited banknotes and the withdrawn banknotes. That is, it is the same as the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3.

[0070] In terms of the number of times of identifying the propriety of the deposited banknotes and the banknotes to be withdrawn, as an example, the control unit 4 selects 100 pieces of identification information 40 in order from the newest every 100 identification times, and obtains the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the selected 100 pieces of identification information 40. Then, the control unit 4 adjusts the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the obtained inappropriate identification information 42.

[0071] As a specific second embodiment in this case, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the selected 100 pieces of identification information 40 is 2%. The control unit 4 sets the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 to be 8% of the storage unit 3, which is larger than the capacity based on the ratio (2%) of the obtained inappropriate identification information 42. Specifically, the control unit 4 discards the appropriate identification information 41 for 4 banknotes in the first storage area 31 in order from the oldest, and changes the area of the appropriate identification information 41 for the 4 discarded banknotes to the second storage area 32. Thereby, the second storage area 32 is adjusted to be able to store the inappropriate identification information 42 for 8 banknotes, and the first storage area 31 is adjusted to be able to store the appropriate identification information 41 for 92 banknotes.

[0072] According to the second embodiment, after adjusting the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 and after the identification information 40 stored in the storage unit 3 by the serviceman is recovered and the identification information 40 is not stored in the first storage area 31 and the second storage area 32 of the storage unit 3, when one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired during the identification of 50 banknotes by the control unit 4, the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the area of the first banknote in the second storage area 32. Thereafter, during the identification of the 401st banknote to the 450th banknote by the control unit 4, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is overwritten in the area of the first banknote in the second storage area 32, so that the oldest inappropriate identification information 42 disappears. That is, also in the second embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, while the fourth round is overwritten in the first storage area 31, only the first round is stored in the second storage area 32. Therefore, the inappropriate identification information 42 stored in the second storage area 32 is stored in the second storage area 32 for four days without being overwritten. And in the second embodiment, the inappropriate identification information 42 for eight banknotes stored in the second storage area 32 is stored in the second storage area 32.

[0073] Also, as a third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, assume that the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the selected 100 pieces of identification information 40 is 0.5%. The control unit 4 sets the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 to 2% of the storage unit 3, which is larger than the capacity based on the ratio (0.5%) of the acquired inappropriate identification information 42. Specifically, the control unit 4 changes the areas of the inappropriate identification information 42 of the third banknote to the fourth banknote in the new order, in which the inappropriate identification information 42 is not yet stored, in the second storage area 32 to the first storage area 31. Thereby, the second storage area 32 is adjusted to be able to store the inappropriate identification information 42 for two banknotes, and the first storage area 31 is adjusted to be able to store the appropriate identification information 41 for 98 banknotes.

[0074] According to the third embodiment, after adjusting the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 and after the identification information 40 stored in the storage unit 3 by the serviceman is recovered and the identification information 40 is not stored in the first storage area 31 and the second storage area 32 of the storage unit 3, when one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired during the identification of 200 banknotes by the control unit 4, the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the area of the first banknote in the second storage area 32. Thereafter, during the identification of the 401st to 600th banknotes by the control unit 4, one piece of inappropriate identification information 42 is acquired, and the acquired inappropriate identification information 42 is overwritten in the area of the first banknote in the second storage area 32, so that the oldest inappropriate identification information 42 disappears. That is, also in the third embodiment, similar to the first and second embodiments, while the fourth pass is overwritten in the first storage area 31, only the first pass is stored in the second storage area 32. Therefore, the inappropriate identification information 42 stored in the second storage area 32 is stored in the second storage area 32 for four days without being overwritten. And in the third embodiment, the inappropriate identification information 42 for two banknotes stored in the second storage area 32 is stored in the second storage area 32.

[0075] Other configurations of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0076] (Effect of the Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

[0077] In the second embodiment, as described above, the control unit 4 acquires the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40 every predetermined number of times of identifying the propriety of the currency, and adjusts the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 to be larger than the capacity based on the acquired ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42. Thereby, based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 acquired by the control unit 4 every predetermined number of times of identifying the propriety of the banknote, the capacity of the second storage area 32 is adjusted by the control unit 4 so as to be larger than the capacity based on the acquired ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42. Therefore, the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 can be adjusted appropriately and easily.

[0078] Note that other effects of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

[0079] (Modification example) It should be considered that the embodiments disclosed this time are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the description of the above embodiments but by the claims, and further includes all changes (modification examples) within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0080] For example, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the banknote detection sensor 13 acquires banknote information of the deposited banknotes and the banknotes to be withdrawn, and the control unit 4 identifies the propriety of the deposited banknotes and the banknotes to be withdrawn based on the banknote information. Among the identification information 40 including the identification result of the propriety of the banknotes and the banknote information, the appropriate identification information 41 is stored in the first storage area 31, and the inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the second storage area 32. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a coin detection sensor 25 is further provided. The coin detection sensor 25 acquires coin information of the deposited coins and the coins to be withdrawn, and the control unit 4 identifies the propriety of the deposited coins and the coins to be withdrawn based on the coin information. Among the identification information 40 including the identification result of the propriety of the coins and the coin information, the appropriate identification information 41 is stored in the first storage area 31, and the inappropriate identification information 42 is stored in the second storage area 32. Note that the coin detection sensor 25 is an example of the "currency information acquisition unit" in the claims, and the coin information is an example of the "currency information" in the claims.

[0081] In this case, a plurality of coin detection sensors 25 are provided in the coin processing unit 2. The plurality of coin detection sensors 25 are configured to detect the material, size, weight, etc. of the coins deposited from the coin deposit slot 20 and the coins withdrawn from the coin payout slot 21. That is, the plurality of coin detection sensors 25 acquire coin information including the material, size, and weight of the coins deposited from the coin deposit slot 20 and the coins withdrawn from the coin payout slot 21. The plurality of coin detection sensors 25 include known sensors such as a magnetic sensor, a weight sensor, and a visible light sensor. The number and type of the plurality of coin detection sensors 25 are not particularly limited.

[0082] Coin information includes, for example, the material, size, and weight of the coins deposited from the coin deposit slot 20 and the coins withdrawn from the coin payout slot 21. The control unit 4 acquires the denomination of the coin and identifies the validity of the coin based on the coin information acquired by the plurality of coin detection sensors 25. Then, the control unit 4 acquires identification information 40 including the information on the identification result of the validity of the coin and the coin information. The coin identification information 40 also includes appropriate identification information 41 with an appropriate identification result and inappropriate identification information 42 with an inappropriate identification result.

[0083] Also, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the banknote detection sensor acquires banknote information of the deposited banknotes and the withdrawn banknotes, and the control unit identifies the validity of the deposited banknotes and the withdrawn banknotes based on the banknote information, and stores the appropriate identification information among the identification information including the identification result of the validity of the banknotes and the banknote information in the first storage area, and stores the inappropriate identification information in the second storage area. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the banknote detection sensor may acquire only the banknote information of the deposited banknotes without acquiring the banknote information of the withdrawn banknotes, and the control unit may identify the validity of the deposited banknotes based on the banknote information, and without identifying the validity of the withdrawn banknotes, store the appropriate identification information among the identification information including the identification result of the validity of the banknotes and the banknote information in the first storage area, and store the inappropriate identification information in the second storage area.

[0084] Also, in the above-described first and second embodiments, when the amount of information of the appropriate identification information in the first storage area exceeds a predetermined first amount of information, the acquired appropriate identification information is overwritten and stored in the first storage area, and when the amount of information of the inappropriate identification information in the second storage area exceeds a predetermined second amount of information, the acquired inappropriate identification information is overwritten and stored in the second storage area. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the amount of information of the appropriate identification information exceeds a predetermined first amount of information and when the amount of information of the inappropriate identification information exceeds a predetermined second amount of information, the acquired appropriate identification information and inappropriate identification information may be discarded.

[0085] In addition, in the above-described first and second embodiments, an example is shown in which the control unit sets and adjusts the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information obtained. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit may be configured such that the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit is set and adjusted to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of inappropriate identification information in the amount of identification information.

[0086] In addition, in the above-described first and second embodiments, an example is shown in which the control unit adjusts the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information obtained. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at the time of the work of collecting the identification information stored in the storage unit by a service technician, it may be configured to be adjusted by the service technician to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information.

[0087] Note that the work of collecting the identification information stored in the storage unit may be executed by a service technician at predetermined intervals, or may be configured to be executed by a management server (not shown) communicably connected via a network such as the Internet and a currency identification device at predetermined intervals.

[0088] Also, in the above-described second embodiment, the control unit 4 obtains the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information for each predetermined number of times of identifying the propriety of banknotes, and adjusts the capacity of the second storage area 32 to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 obtained. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the control unit may be configured to obtain the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40 every predetermined time, and adjust the capacity of the second storage area 32 to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 obtained. As an example, the control unit 4 may be configured to obtain the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 in the identification information 40 every 24 hours, and adjust the capacity of the second storage area 32 to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 obtained. Note that the predetermined time is not limited to 24 hours, and may be 12 hours, 48 hours, or is not particularly limited. Thereby, based on the ratio of the inappropriate identification information 42 obtained by the control unit 4 every predetermined time, the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 is adjusted by the control unit 4 so as to be larger than the capacity based on the ratio of the obtained inappropriate identification information 42. Therefore, the capacity of the second storage area 32 in the storage unit 3 can be adjusted appropriately and easily.

[0089] Also, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the control unit determines the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information, stores the appropriate identification information determined to have low reliability in the first storage area, and discards the appropriate identification information determined to have high reliability. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in the first modification example, the control unit may be configured to store the obtained appropriate identification information in the first storage area without determining the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information.

[0090] As shown in FIG. 10, in the currency discrimination device 120 according to the first modification, the control unit 4 is configured to store the acquired appropriate discrimination information 41 in the first storage area 31 of the storage unit 3 without determining the level of reliability of the appropriate discrimination information 41. The first storage area 31 of the storage unit 3 is configured to store appropriate discrimination information 41 in which the discrimination result is appropriate among the discrimination information 40 including the discrimination result of the validity of banknotes and banknote information.

[0091] Also, in the above first and second embodiments, an example is shown in which the level of reliability of banknote information is determined based on the average pixel value in a predetermined one region among the information of a plurality of average pixel values based on the infrared sensor as a feature amount of banknotes included in the appropriate discrimination information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to determine the level of reliability of banknote information based on a plurality of average pixel values based on an infrared sensor as a feature amount of banknotes, or may be configured to determine the level of reliability of banknote information based on one or a plurality of average pixel values based on a visible light sensor as a feature amount of banknotes. Alternatively, it may be configured to determine the level of reliability of banknote information based on a plurality of average pixel values based on an infrared sensor and a plurality of average pixel values based on a visible light sensor as feature amounts of banknotes, or may be configured to determine the level of reliability of banknote information based on one or a plurality of other information as feature amounts of banknotes.

[0092] Also, in the above first and second embodiments, an example is shown in which when the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor is not within the range of ±1.18σ (μ - 1.18σ to μ + 1.18σ), it is determined that the reliability of the appropriate discrimination information is low and it is stored in the first storage area. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the range in which it is determined that the reliability of the appropriate discrimination information is low may be a range where the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor is greater than ±1.18σ, or may be a range where the average pixel value based on the infrared sensor is less than ±1.18σ. Also, the range in which it is determined that the reliability of the appropriate discrimination information is low may be configured to be adjustable.

Explanation of Signs

[0093] 3 Memory unit 4 Control unit 13 Banknote detection sensor (currency information acquisition unit) 25 Coin detection sensor (currency information acquisition unit) 31 First memory area 32 Second memory area 40 Identification information 41 Appropriate identification information 41a Appropriate identification information with low reliability 42 Inappropriate identification information 100, 110, 120 Currency identification device

Claims

1. A currency information acquisition unit that acquires at least currency information of the deposited currency; A storage unit including a first storage area and a second storage area provided separately from the first storage area; A control unit that identifies the propriety of the deposited currency based on the currency information, and stores appropriate identification information including the identification result of the propriety of the currency and the currency information in the first storage area, and stores inappropriate identification information including the identification result of the propriety of the currency and the currency information in the second storage area, where the appropriate identification information is appropriate and the inappropriate identification information is inappropriate; A currency identification device, wherein the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit is set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of the inappropriate identification information in the identification information.

2. The control unit is configured to overwrite and store the acquired appropriate identification information in the first storage area when the amount of the appropriate identification information in the first storage area exceeds a predetermined first information amount, and to overwrite and store the acquired inappropriate identification information in the second storage area when the amount of the inappropriate identification information in the second storage area exceeds a predetermined second information amount. The currency identification device according to claim 1.

3. The control unit is configured to acquire a ratio of the inappropriate identification information, which is the amount of the inappropriate identification information to the amount of the identification information, for each predetermined number of identifications or at each predetermined time of the propriety of the currency, and to adjust the capacity of the second storage area in the storage unit to be larger than the capacity based on the acquired ratio of the inappropriate identification information. The currency identification device according to claim 1.

4. The control unit is configured to determine the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information, store the appropriate identification information determined to have a low level of reliability in the first storage area, and discard the appropriate identification information determined to have a high level of reliability. The currency identification device according to claim 1.

5. The control unit is configured to determine the level of reliability of the appropriate identification information based on a predetermined feature amount of the currency included in the appropriate identification information and a distribution of the stored predetermined feature amount. The currency identification device according to claim 4.

6. The currency is a banknote, The currency information includes pixel values for each of a plurality of parts of the banknote. The control unit stores the appropriate identification information in the first storage area and stores the inappropriate identification information in the second storage area among the identification information including the identification result identified based on the currency information including the pixel value, for the currency identification device according to claim 1.

7. The currency information acquisition unit further acquires the currency information of the currency to be withdrawn. The control unit identifies the propriety of the currency to be withdrawn based on the currency information of the currency to be withdrawn, and stores the appropriate identification information in the first storage area and stores the inappropriate identification information in the second storage area among the identification information including the identification result of the propriety of the deposited currency and the currency to be withdrawn and the currency information of the deposited currency and the currency to be withdrawn, for the currency identification device according to claim 1.

8. A step of acquiring at least the currency information of the deposited currency; A step of identifying the propriety of the deposited currency based on the currency information, and storing the appropriate identification information, for which the identification result is appropriate, among the identification information including the identification result of the propriety of the currency and the currency information, in the first storage area of the storage unit, and storing the inappropriate identification information, for which the identification result is inappropriate, in the second storage area set to be larger than the capacity based on the amount of the inappropriate identification information in the identification information of the storage unit, for a control method of a currency identification device.

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