Currency processing device

Abstract

To provide a currency processing device that prevents suspension of recounting processing.SOLUTION: A currency processing device includes: an identification unit; a pool cassette; a denomination-specific cassette; a mixture cassette; recounting means; and a recountable balance set so as to ensure storage of currencies for the number of currencies delivered from the denomination-specific cassette and the mixture cassette and stored in the pool cassette. Before recounting processing is started, the number of currencies stored in the denomination-specific cassette and the recountable balance are compared. When the number of currencies in the denomination-specific cassette is larger, part of the currencies in the denomination-specific cassette is first transferred to the pool cassette, and then all the currencies retained in the pool cassette are stored in the mixture cassette. Thereafter, the denomination-specific cassette and the mixture cassette are sequentially subjected to the recounting processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a currency processing device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a currency processing device having a function called re-verification or self-audit that identifies the denomination and number of banknotes when all the banknotes in a denomination cassette are once moved into a pool cassette and then returned to the original denomination cassette.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the re-verification operation, in the process of moving all the banknotes in the denomination cassette into the pool cassette at once, the capacity of the pool cassette may become full, and it may not be possible to move all the banknotes in the denomination cassette into the pool cassette, resulting in the re-verification process stopping.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a currency processing device that solves the above-described problems.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a currency processing device includes an identification unit that identifies and counts currency, a pool cassette that holds and can dispense the currency counted by the identification unit, a denomination cassette that stores and can dispense currency, a recounting means that executes a recounting process of identifying and counting all the currency in the denomination cassette by the identification unit after dispensing all the currency stored in the denomination cassette and holding it in the pool cassette, and then dispensing all the currency held in the pool cassette and storing it in the denomination cassette, a recountable balance that is a value set to ensure the storage of the currency and represents the maximum number of currency that can be dispensed from the denomination cassette and stored in the pool cassette, a pre-check means that determines whether the recounting process by the recounting means can be executed based on the recountable balance, and a notification means that, when the pre-check means determines that the recounting process cannot be executed, notifies that a predetermined number of currency in the denomination cassette should be collected outside the machine if the number of currency stored in the denomination cassette is greater than the recountable balance before the recounting means starts the recounting process. A plurality of the denomination cassettes are provided, and the recoverable balance is also set individually for each of the denomination cassettes. It is characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the process from stopping during the recounting process after starting the recounting process.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 11

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Figure 13

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] <Embodiment> (Configuration) Next, the re-verification process according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. FIG. 1 shows a teller machine that handles banknotes, coins, etc. This teller machine is installed in a store of a financial institution such as a bank and manages the currency processing of the entire store. The teller machine performs, for example, transaction processing such as deposit and withdrawal by a staff member for large customers, withdrawal processing of the money taken out to a foreign-related destination by the staff member, deposit processing of the money brought back from a foreign-related destination, and further, closing management of the deposit and withdrawal situation of the entire financial institution store after business hours. The teller machine includes a banknote processing device 11 according to this embodiment that performs deposit and withdrawal processing of banknotes, a new banknote processing device 12 that performs withdrawal processing of new banknotes in particular, and a coin processing device 13 that performs deposit and withdrawal processing of coins, which are arranged side by side on the left and right. An operation unit 14 for making an operation input by an operator and a display unit 15 for displaying to the operator are provided above the coin processing device 13.

[0010] Next, the overall configuration of the banknote processing device 11 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The banknote processing device 11 is provided with a deposit / withdrawal unit (deposit unit, withdrawal unit) 21 at the upper part of its front side, into which loose banknotes are inserted from outside the machine and from which loose banknotes for withdrawal are fed out from inside the machine. The deposit / withdrawal unit 21 is provided such that the placement plate 22 constituting its bottom can be lifted and lowered in a posture inclined backward and downward, and the supporting surface 23 on the back side is inclined backward and upward so as to be orthogonal to the placement plate 22. Banknotes will be accumulated on the placement plate 22 in a posture with their length direction along the left-right direction, and the rear edge of the banknote will contact the supporting surface 23 due to the inclination of the placement plate 22. A feeding unit 21a is provided at the rear side of the upper part of the deposit / withdrawal unit 21, which separates the loose banknotes accumulated on the placement plate 22 one by one from the top and feeds them into the machine at a predetermined interval, and also feeds the banknotes from inside the machine to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21.

[0011] Below the deposit / withdrawal section 21, at the front position of the banknote processing device 11, a deposit reject section 26 is provided where deposit reject banknotes identified as unacceptable for acceptance are fed out from inside the machine. The deposit reject section 26 holds the fed-out banknotes in a stacked manner from bottom to top so that they can be taken out of the machine. At the rear side of the deposit / withdrawal section 21 and the deposit reject section 26, a withdrawal reject section 27 is provided for storing withdrawal reject banknotes identified as unacceptable for withdrawal, and an identification section 28 for identifying banknotes is provided at the lower part behind the withdrawal reject section 27. The withdrawal reject section 27 also stores the fed-out banknotes in a stacked manner from bottom to top.

[0012] Also, at the upper part behind the withdrawal reject section 27, an alignment section 30 is provided for aligning banknotes and sequentially stacking them from bottom to top in a predetermined number of bound sheets. At the upper part of this alignment section 30, a bundling section 31 is provided for winding a bundling tape around the banknotes in a predetermined number of bound sheets stacked by the alignment section 30 to bundle them into small bundles of banknotes. In front of this bundling section 31, a bundle withdrawal section 32 is provided for feeding out the small bundles of banknotes created by the bundling section 31 so that they can be withdrawn outside the machine. The bundle withdrawal section 32 can stack a plurality of small bundles of banknotes bundled by the bundling section 31 in the front-rear direction of the machine body, and is configured to withdraw a plurality of small bundles of banknotes outside the machine at once.

[0013] Also, at the lower part of the banknote processing device 11, in order from the back side, a denomination-specific cassette 35 for storing unbound banknotes of a predetermined single denomination after deposit confirmation in a stacked state up and down, a similar denomination-specific cassette 36, a similar denomination-specific cassette 37, a mixed cassette 38 for storing unbound banknotes after deposit confirmation in a stacked state up and down, and a pool cassette 39 for temporarily storing (holding) unbound banknotes of mixed denominations before deposit confirmation in a stacked state up and down are arranged in a parallel state in a row with their positions aligned vertically and horizontally.

[0014] The mixed cassette 38 stores non-denominated loose banknotes other than those stored in the plurality of denomination-specific cassettes 35 to 37, overflow banknotes that cannot be fully stored in the denomination-specific cassettes 35 to 37, and defective banknotes that are damaged or soiled. For example, the denomination-specific cassette 35 stores 1,000-yen notes, the denomination-specific cassette 36 stores 10,000-yen notes, the denomination-specific cassette 37 stores 5,000-yen notes, and the mixed cassette 38 stores the overflow banknotes of these denominations and 2,000-yen notes. The pool cassette 39 is an area where banknotes are temporarily stored in the depositing process and the storing process of depositing the deposited banknotes into the denomination-specific cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38. For example, at the time before the execution of the re-verification process according to the present embodiment, the pool cassette 39 is empty.

[0015] On the upper part of the denomination-specific cassette 35, a feeding part 35a is provided for feeding out banknotes inside and separating and feeding out the internal banknotes one by one from the uppermost one. Similar feeding parts 36a are provided on the upper part of the denomination-specific cassette 36, similar feeding parts 37a are provided on the upper part of the denomination-specific cassette 37, similar feeding parts 38a are provided on the upper part of the mixed cassette 38, and similar feeding parts 39a are provided on the upper part of the pool cassette 39, respectively.

[0016] Inside the banknote processing device 11, a banknote conveyance path 41 is provided so as to appropriately connect each part. The banknote conveyance path 41 extends upward and backward from the feeding part 21a, then extends downward and backward, further extends vertically downward, then extends to one end on the front side, then turns back to the rear side at the lower side, extends backward, bends convexly upward in the middle, passes through the identification part 28 and extends slightly downward, which is a conveyance path 41A, a conveyance path 41B that extends slightly downward on the lower side continuously with the conveyance path 41A and then extends forward and extends slightly downward from the front end, and a conveyance path 41C provided in the pool cassette 39 so as to be continuous with the conveyance path 41B.

[0017] In addition, the banknote conveyance path 41 includes a conveyance path 41D that branches off from the middle of the conveyance path 41B, a conveyance path 41E provided in the denomination cassette 35 so as to be continuous with the conveyance path 41D, a conveyance path 41F that branches off from the conveyance path 41B on the side of the pool cassette 39 further than the conveyance path 41D, a conveyance path 41G provided in the denomination cassette 36 so as to be continuous with the conveyance path 41F, a conveyance path 41H that branches off from the conveyance path 41B on the side of the pool cassette 39 further than the conveyance path 41F, a conveyance path 41I provided in the denomination cassette 37 so as to be continuous with the conveyance path 41H, a conveyance path 41J that branches off from the conveyance path 41B on the side of the pool cassette 39 further than the conveyance path 41H, a conveyance path 41K provided in the mixed cassette 38 so as to be continuous with the conveyance path 41J, a conveyance path 41L that branches off from the conveyance path 41B on the side of the pool cassette 39 further than the conveyance path 41J and extends upward, and a conveyance path 41M that is connected to the conveyance path 41L, bends and extends rearward, and is connected between the deposit / withdrawal section 21 and the identification section 28 of the conveyance path 41A.

[0018] In addition, the banknote conveyance path 41 includes a conveyance path 41N that branches off from a position between the branch position of the conveyance path 41J and the branch position of the conveyance path 41L of the conveyance path 41B and extends upward, a conveyance path 41O that is connected to the conveyance path 41N and extends upward and is connected to an intermediate position of the conveyance path 41M, a conveyance path 41P that branches off from a position between the connection position of the conveyance path 41O and the connection position to the conveyance path 41A in the conveyance path 41M and is connected to the deposit reject section 26, a conveyance path 41Q that branches off from a position between the connection position of the conveyance path 41M and the deposit / withdrawal section 21 in the conveyance path 41A and extends forward and is connected to an intermediate position of the conveyance path 41P, and a conveyance path 41R that branches off upward from a position between the connection position of the conveyance path 41Q and the deposit reject section 26 in the conveyance path 41P and extends upward and backward and is connected to the withdrawal reject section 27.

[0019] In addition, the banknote conveyance path 41 includes a conveyance path 41S that connects a position between the deposit / withdrawal section 21 and the branch position of the conveyance path 41Q in the conveyance path 41A and a position between the connection position of the conveyance path 41M and the identification section 28, and a conveyance path 41T that branches off rearward from a position between the connection position of the conveyance path 41S and the deposit / withdrawal section 21 in the conveyance path 41A and is connected to the alignment section 30. A front-back inversion section 43 for inverting the front and back of the banknote is provided in the conveyance path 41S.

[0020] Here, the above-described conveyance paths 41A to 41M can convey banknotes in both forward and reverse directions, and the conveyance paths 41N to 41T can convey banknotes only in one direction.

[0021] Also, the banknote processing apparatus 11 includes a control unit 50. The control unit 50 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer equipped with a CPU or the like, and includes a storage unit 51 such as a flash memory. The control unit 50 controls the entire banknote processing apparatus 11. For example, the control unit 50 controls the operations of the feeding units 35a to 38a and the like, and while conveying banknotes between the denomination cassettes 35 to 37, the mixed cassette 38, and the pool cassette 39, controls the recounting process of causing the identification unit 28 to identify and count the banknotes. The control unit 50 determines whether the recounting process can be executed, or displays a message on the display unit 15 to prompt the collection of banknotes when the recounting process cannot be started. In the storage unit 51, various data such as programs for causing the banknote processing apparatus 11 to execute various arithmetic processes and determination threshold values are stored in advance. Also, the storage unit 51 stores the number of banknotes identified and counted by the identification unit 28 and the like.

[0022] The deposit / withdrawal unit 21, the deposit rejection unit 26, the withdrawal rejection unit 27, the identification unit 28, the alignment unit 30, the bundling unit 31, the bundled withdrawal unit 32, the front / back inversion unit 43, and the conveyance paths 41A, 41M, 41O to 41T, and the control unit 50 are arranged in the main body 45. The conveyance paths 41B, 41D, 41F, 41H, 41J, 41L, 41N at the lower part thereof are arranged in a drawer body 46 that can be pulled out from the front side of the main body 45. Further, the conveyance path 41E is arranged in the denomination cassette 35 that can be attached to and detached from the drawer body 46, the conveyance path 41G is arranged in a similar denomination cassette 36, the conveyance path 41I is arranged in a similar denomination cassette 37, the conveyance path 41K is arranged in a similar mixed cassette 38, and the conveyance path 41C is arranged in a similar pool cassette 39, respectively.

[0023] Note that the coin-type cassettes 35 to 37, the mixed cassette 38, and the pool cassette 39 may be provided with sensors for detecting a full state. The control unit 50 can detect the full state of each cassette based on the content detected by this sensor (full detection means by hardware). Alternatively, the control unit 50 may detect the full state of each cassette based on the number of banknotes counted and identified by the identification unit 28 (full detection means by software).

[0024] (Forward route of the re-verification process) The thick lines in Fig. 3 indicate the forward route of the re-verification process for self-verifying the banknotes stored in the coin-type cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38 based on an operation instructing the execution of the re-verification process input to the operation unit 14 (identifying the denominations of the banknotes and counting the number of banknotes by denomination). That is, in the re-verification process, as shown by the thick solid line in Fig. 3, the banknotes stored in one of the set coin-type cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38 are fed out from the uppermost ones by the corresponding ones of the feeding parts 35a to 38a, and the fed-out banknotes are conveyed to the identification unit 28 by the corresponding ones of the conveying paths 41D to 41K and the conveying paths 41B and 41A. While being identified and counted by the identification unit 28, they are conveyed to the pool cassette 39 via the conveying paths 41M, 41L, 41B, and 41C. Then, all the banknotes stored in one of the set coin-type cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38 are fed out and conveyed to the pool cassette 39. During this conveyance, for the banknotes identified as double-fed or the like by the identification unit 28, they are conveyed to the outgoing reject unit 27 by the conveying paths 41A, 41Q, 41P, and 41R and stored in the outgoing reject unit 27 as shown by the thick broken line in Fig. 3. This conveying operation and the identification unit 28 are controlled by the control unit 50. The value identified and counted by the identification unit 28 is notified to the control unit 50, and the control unit 50 records this value in the storage unit 51.

[0025] (Return route of the re-verification process) The thick line in Fig. 4 indicates the return route of the above-described recount process. The banknotes once transferred to the pool cassette 39 as described above are conveyed to the identification unit 28 by the conveying paths 41C, 41B, 41L, 41M, 41A as shown by the thick solid line in Fig. 4, identified and counted by the identification unit 28, and based on the identification result of the identification unit 28, they are stored in the corresponding ones of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38 via the corresponding ones of the conveying paths 41B, 41D to 41K. During this conveyance, for the banknotes identified as double-fed or the like by the identification unit 28, they are conveyed to the payout reject unit 27 by the conveying paths 41B, 41N, 41O, 41M, 41P, 41R as shown by the thick broken line in Fig. 9 and stored in the payout reject unit 27. This conveyance operation, the identification and counting by the identification unit 28, and the storage of banknotes in the appropriate cassettes are controlled by the control unit 50. The value identified and counted by the identification unit 28 is notified to the control unit 50, and the control unit 50 records this value in the storage unit 51.

[0026] As described above, the counting result of the identification unit 28 will match the number of banknotes stored in those that have undergone the recount process for the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38. Such a recount process will be performed individually for each of the set ones among the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38. As will be described later, in the recount process of this embodiment, for example, all the banknotes stored in the denomination cassette 35 are conveyed to the pool cassette 39 and then conveyed back to the denomination cassette 35 again. Next, the same operation is performed for the denomination cassette 36, and finally, the same operation is performed for the denomination cassette 37. After the recount process for the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 is completed, all the banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 are conveyed to the pool cassette 39 and then conveyed back to the mixed cassette 38 again, thereby performing the recount process for the mixed cassette 38.

[0027] (Recount Process) Next, the operation of the re-verification process will be described. In the re-verification process according to this embodiment, in order to prevent an interruption during the re-verification process after it starts, (A) the free capacities of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38 are checked in advance. If the free capacity is not sufficient, the operator is prompted to collect the banknotes, and the re-verification process is started after ensuring the free capacity. (B) Also, in the re-verification process, the banknotes are first transported in the order of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and then the mixed cassette 38, and the banknotes are identified and counted.

[0028] (A) Pre-check First, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8, the process of (A) pre-check will be described. FIG. 5 shows an example of the storage state of banknotes in denomination-specific cassettes 35 to 37, a mixed cassette 38, and a pool cassette 39 before the recount process. The full number TH2 in FIG. 5 indicates the maximum number of banknotes that can be stored in each cassette. Although the capacities of the denomination-specific cassettes 35 to 37, the mixed cassette 38, and the pool cassette 39 may be different, for the sake of convenience, here it is assumed that the capacities of all cassettes are the same, that is, the full number TH2 is the same. During the recount process, if the number of banknotes to be stored in a certain cassette exceeds the full number TH2, an overflow will occur. When an overflow occurs, the recount process stops halfway. Also, even if the number of banknotes stored in the cassette is less than the full number TH2, an overflow may occur depending on the accumulation state of the banknotes, the curl of the banknotes, or the creased state such as V-folds. In such cases as well, the recount process stops halfway. To prevent the recount process from stopping halfway, in this embodiment, a recountable available height TH1 is set. The recountable available height TH1 in FIG. 5 is a threshold value for determining whether the recount process can be executed, in other words, whether an overflow occurs during the recount process. For the recountable available height TH1, a value is set such that an overflow does not occur during the recount process with respect to the number of banknotes stored in each cassette before the recount process. For example, in the recount process of this embodiment, the banknotes to be recounted are once stored in the pool cassette 39. However, depending on the accumulation situation in the pool cassette 39 of the banknotes with curls or creases, etc., the full number of the pool cassette 39 may be less than the full number TH2. The limit number of banknotes that can ensure storage even under such adverse conditions is set for the recountable available height TH1 based on experimental data, etc. The set value of the recountable available height TH1 is recorded in the storage unit 51.

[0029] As an example, assume that the full number TH2 is 2,400 sheets and the recountable available height TH1 is 2,000 sheets. At the time of depositing money, the identification unit 28 identifies and counts various banknotes, and the storage unit 51 records the number of banknotes stored in each cassette 35 to 39. For example, it is assumed that there are 2,200 thousand-yen bills in the denomination cassette 35, 1,100 ten-thousand-yen bills in the denomination cassette 36, 2,200 five-thousand-yen bills in the denomination cassette 37, 1,300 overflow banknotes and the like in the mixed cassette 38, and 0 banknotes are stored in the pool cassette 39.

[0030] In the pre-check of (A), two checks are performed to prevent overflow during the re-verification process. (A-1) The control unit 50 compares the storage count of the mixed cassette 38 with the re-verifiable available height TH1. If the number of banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 exceeds the re-verifiable available height TH1, the re-verification process is determined to be impossible. (A-2) The control unit 50 compares the total count obtained by adding the surplus counts of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the storage count of the mixed cassette 38 with the re-verifiable available height TH1. If the total count exceeds the re-verifiable available height TH1, the re-verification process is determined to be impossible. Here, the surplus counts of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 refer to the number of banknotes stored in each cassette exceeding the re-verifiable available height TH1. In the example of Fig. 5, since the storage counts of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 are 2,200, 1,100, and 2,200 respectively, the surplus count of the denomination cassette 35 is 200, the surplus count of the denomination cassette 36 is 0, and the surplus count of the denomination cassette 37 is 200. If the control unit 50 determines that the re-verification process is impossible in either of the determinations of (A-1) and (A-2), it does not start the re-verification process and prompts the operator to collect the banknotes. If it is not determined that the re-verification process is impossible in both of the determinations of (A-1) and (A-2), the control unit 50 determines that the re-verification process is possible.

[0031] The determination regarding the storage counts illustrated in Fig. 5 is as follows. (A-1) Since 2,000 sheets (re-verifiable available height TH1) > 1,300 sheets (mixed cassette 38), the execution of the re-verification process is possible. (A - 2) 2000 pieces (re - verification possible high TH1)> 1300 pieces (mixed cassette 38)+200 pieces (surplus number of denomination - specific cassette 35)+200 pieces (surplus number of denomination - specific cassette 37), so the re - verification process can be executed. Since the control unit 50 determines that the re - verification process is not impossible in either the determination of (A - 1) or (A - 2), it starts the re - verification process. The method of the re - verification process will be described later.

[0032] Examples of cases where the re - verification process is determined to be impossible are shown in FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. 6 shows an example of the case where, for (A - 1), the banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 exceed the re - verification possible high TH1. Since the storage number of the mixed cassette 38 is 2100 pieces and the re - verification possible high TH1 is 2000 pieces, the control unit 50 determines that the re - verification process is impossible in the determination of (A - 1). In this case, the control unit 50 prompts the operator to collect the banknotes from the mixed cassette 38.

[0033] FIGS. 7 and 8 show examples of the case where, for (A - 2), the total of the number of banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 and the surplus numbers of the denomination - specific cassettes 35 to 37 exceeds the re - verification possible high TH1. FIGS. 7(a) and 8(a) show an example of the banknote storage state. However, for the determination of (A - 1), in any case, the storage number of the mixed cassette 38 is less than the re - verification possible high TH1. On the other hand, FIGS. 7(b) and 8(b) show the determination results for the determination of (A - 2). In the example of FIG. 7(b), since the number of banknotes in the mixed cassette 38 is 1800 pieces and the surplus numbers of both the denomination - specific cassettes 35 and 37 are 200 pieces, their total of 2200 pieces exceeds the re - verification possible high TH1 of 2000 pieces. In the example of FIG. 8(b), since the number of banknotes in the mixed cassette 38 is 900 pieces and the surplus numbers of the denomination - specific cassettes 35 to 37 are all 390 pieces, their total of 2070 pieces exceeds the re - verification possible high TH1 of 2000 pieces. In these cases, the control unit 50 determines that the re - verification process is impossible in the determination of (A - 2).

[0034] As will be described in detail later, in the present embodiment, the surplus (banknotes exceeding the recoverable balance TH1) of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 are first conveyed to the mixed cassette 38, and then the recoverability process is performed in the order of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38. At this time, when the surplus banknotes are conveyed from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the mixed cassette 38, an overflow of the mixed cassette 38 may occur. Also, even if the number of banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 is less than the full number TH2, an overflow may occur depending on the state of folding of the banknotes. As described above, the same applies to the pool cassette 39. Therefore, the recoverable balance TH1 is set so that an overflow does not occur even considering the accumulation state and folding of the banknotes, and the determinations in (A-1) and (A-2) are made based on this value. This prevents an overflow from occurring in the mixed cassette 38 during the recoverability process.

[0035] Also, when it is determined that re-verification is impossible in either (A-1) or (A-2), the banknotes that may cause an overflow are collected outside the banknote processing apparatus 11 to reduce the number of banknotes, and then the (A) pre-check is performed again. The collection of banknotes is carried out by the corresponding ones of the feeding units 35a to 38a by the necessary number from the targeted ones among the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38. The fed banknotes are transported to the discrimination unit 28 by the corresponding ones of the transport paths 41D to 41K and the transport paths 41B and 41A. Then, based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 28, those that do not require front-back inversion are transported to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 through the transport path 41A, and those that require front-back inversion are inverted front-back by the front-back inversion unit 43 via the transport path 41S and then transported to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 by the transport path 41A. In the collection of banknotes from the mixed cassette 38 or the denomination cassettes 35 to 37, such collection by feeding and transporting to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 is performed, but this feeding and transporting takes time. Therefore, it is preferable that the number of targets for collection is small. Thus, the total surplus number of banknotes in each of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 is compared with the stored number of the mixed cassette 38. When the stored amount of the mixed cassette 38 is less, for example, all the banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 are collected (collected until the stored number becomes zero). On the contrary, when the total surplus number of banknotes in each of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 is less, a part of the banknotes is collected from any one of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37. For example, the control unit 50 may collect, in order from the denomination cassette with the largest surplus number, the surplus number or the surplus number plus an additional number by feeding and transporting until the condition of (A-2) is satisfied (that is, the stored number of the mixed cassette 38 and the total surplus number of banknotes in each of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 become equal to or less than the re-verifiable stored amount TH1). Thereby, the stored state of the banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38 can be made into a state where it is determined that re-verification processing is possible in the (A) pre-check.

[0036] (B) Re-verification processing (A) When it is determined in the preliminary check that the recount process is possible, the control unit 50 starts the recount process. The operation of the recount process will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. First, the control unit 50 conveys the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the mixing cassette 38. The surplus banknotes refer to the banknotes among those stored in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixing cassette 38 that exceed the recountable balance TH1. For example, if 2,200 thousand-yen bills are stored in the denomination cassette 35 and the recountable balance TH1 is set at 2,000 bills, the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassette 35 are 200 bills. The control unit 50 conveys 200 surplus thousand-yen bills to the mixing cassette 38 via the pool cassette 39. In the configuration shown in FIG. 3 etc., since banknotes cannot be directly conveyed from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the mixing cassette 38, as shown in FIG. 9(a), first, the surplus is moved from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the pool cassette 39. Then, as shown in FIG. 9(b), the surplus banknotes are conveyed from the pool cassette 39 to the mixing cassette 38. For example, the control unit 50 controls the feeding unit 35a etc. to convey the surplus thousand-yen bills to the pool cassette 39 via the routes (conveying paths 41E, 41D, 41B, 41A, 41M, 41L, 41B, 41C) shown by thick lines in FIG. 3, and conveys them from the pool cassette 39 to the mixing cassette 38 via the routes (conveying paths 41C, 41B, 41L, 41M, 41A, 41B, 41J, 41K) shown by thick lines in FIG. 4. Similarly, the control unit 50 controls the feeding unit 37a etc. to convey the surplus five-thousand-yen bills in the denomination cassette 37 to the mixing cassette 38 via the pool cassette 39. The order of conveyance may be such that the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassette 35 are conveyed to the mixing cassette 38 via the pool cassette 39 first and then the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassette 37 are conveyed to the mixing cassette 38 via the pool cassette 39, or the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 and 37 are conveyed to the pool cassette 39, and then the banknotes in the pool cassette 39 are conveyed to the mixing cassette 38. During this time, in at least one (both may be) of the forward route and the return route, the identification unit 28 performs identification counting of the conveyed banknotes and notifies the control unit 50 of the result. The control unit 50 records the result of the identification counting of the banknotes conveyed to the mixing cassette 38 in the storage unit 51.Since the determination of (A-2) has been passed, no overflow will be detected in the mixing cassette 38 or the pool cassette 39 during this conveyance operation.

[0037] When the conveyance of the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the mixing cassette 38 is completed (Fig. 9(b)), the control unit 50 executes a recount process for each of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 one by one. Here, refer to Fig. 10. Here, it is assumed that the recount process is performed in the order of the denomination cassettes 35, 36, and 37. First, the control unit 50 conveys the 1000-yen banknotes in the denomination cassette 35 to the pool cassette 39 via the route of the forward path indicated by the thick line in Fig. 3. The storage state of the banknotes in each cassette after the conveyance is shown in Fig. 10(a). Next, the control unit 50 conveys the 1000-yen banknotes in the pool cassette 39 to the denomination cassette 35 via the route of the return path indicated by the thick line in Fig. 4. The storage state of the banknotes in each cassette after the conveyance is shown in Fig. 10(b). During this period, in at least one of the forward path route and the return path route, the identification unit 28 performs identification counting of the conveyed 1000-yen banknotes and notifies the result to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 records the result of the identification counting of the conveyed 1000-yen banknotes in the storage unit 51. By the process described in Fig. 9, the number of banknotes to be conveyed is equal to or less than the recountable upper limit TH1. Therefore, no banknote overflow occurs in either the denomination cassette 35 or the pool cassette 39. The control unit 50 similarly executes a recount process for the denomination cassette 36 and then executes a recount process for the denomination cassette 37. Note that the order in which the recount process is executed for the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 may be arbitrary. For example, it may be executed in the order of the denomination cassettes 37, 36, and 35.

[0038] When the re-verification process for the currency type cassettes 35 to 37 is completed, the control unit 50 executes the re-verification process for the mixed cassette 38. Here, refer to FIG. 11. First, the control unit 50 conveys various banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 to the pool cassette 39 via the route of the forward path indicated by the thick line in FIG. 3. The banknote storage states of the cassettes after conveyance are shown in FIG. 11(a). Next, the control unit 50 conveys the various banknotes in the pool cassette 39 to either the currency type cassettes 35 to 37 or the mixed cassette 38 according to the type of banknote via the route of the return path indicated by the thick line in FIG. 4. For example, the thousand-yen notes and five-thousand-yen notes that were conveyed to the mixed cassette 38 as surplus through the process shown in FIG. 9 performed prior to the re-verification process are conveyed to the currency type cassette 35 and the currency type cassette 37, respectively. The banknote storage states of the cassettes after conveyance are shown in FIG. 11(b). During this period, in at least one of the forward path route and the return path route, the identification unit 28 performs identification counting of the conveyed various banknotes and notifies the control unit 50 of the result. The control unit 50 records the result of the identification counting of the various banknotes in the storage unit 51. In the return path operation in the mixed cassette 38, defective notes are stored in the original mixed cassette, but for the banknotes stored as overflow notes, they may be stored in the corresponding currency type cassette on the condition that the currency type cassettes 35 to 37 are not full. In this case, if thousand-yen notes or five-thousand-yen notes are mixed in the overflow notes stored in the mixed cassette 38 before the start of the re-verification process (FIG. 4), there is a possibility that they will be conveyed to and stored in the currency type cassette 35 or the currency type cassette 37. Then, depending on the number of banknotes originally stored in the currency type cassette 35 or the currency type cassette 37 and the bend of the banknotes, there is a possibility of causing an overflow. However, for example, after the currency type cassette 35 becomes full, the remaining thousand-yen notes are conveyed not to the currency type cassette 35 but to the mixed cassette 38 and are controlled by the control unit 50 to be stored in the mixed cassette 38. Thereby, the mid-stop of the re-verification process due to overflow is avoided, and the re-verification process is executed until the end. This operation is shown in FIG. 12.

[0039] (Operation) Referring to FIG. 13, the flow of the re-verification process according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the re-verification process according to the embodiment. In the storage unit 51, the stored number of banknotes stored in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37, the mixed cassette 38, and the pool cassette 39, the re-verifiable balance TH1, and the full number TH2 are recorded. Regarding the detection of the full state of the cassette, instead of the determination based on the full number TH2, sensors for detecting the full state of banknotes are provided in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38, and the control unit 50 may detect whether each cassette is in the full state by these sensors.

[0040] When an operation instructing the start of the re-verification process for the operation unit 14 is performed, or when the automatic re-verification mode is activated during standby or the like, the control unit 50 executes the following process. First, the control unit 50 reads out the stored number of the mixed cassette 38 and the re-verifiable balance TH1 from the storage unit 51, and determines whether the stored number of the mixed cassette 38 is greater than the re-verifiable balance TH1 (step S10). This determination corresponds to the determination of (A-1) above. When the stored number of the mixed cassette 38 is greater than the re-verifiable balance TH1 (step S10; Yes), the control unit 50 urges the collection of banknotes from the mixed cassette 38 (step S15). For example, the control unit 50 displays a caution message indicating that an operation to collect some banknotes from the mixed cassette 38 outside the machine or that full collection is required on the display unit 15.

[0041] When the number of banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 is less than or equal to the recoverable upper limit TH1 (step S10; No), the control unit 50 calculates the surplus number of banknotes for each denomination cassette 35 to 37 (step S11). The control unit 50 reads out the number of banknotes stored in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 from the storage unit 51, subtracts the recoverable upper limit TH1 from each value, and calculates the surplus number of banknotes for each of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37. Next, the control unit 50 totals the number of banknotes in the mixed cassette and the surplus number of banknotes for each denomination cassette 35 to 37 (step S12). The control unit 50 reads out the number of banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 from the storage unit 51, and adds up all the surplus numbers of banknotes of the denomination cassettes 35 to 38 calculated in step S11 to the read value. Next, the control unit 50 determines whether the value obtained by subtracting the total of the number of banknotes stored in the mixed cassette 38 calculated in step S12 and the surplus number of banknotes for each denomination cassette 35 to 38 from the recoverable upper limit TH1 is less than 0 (step S13). This determination corresponds to the determination in (A-2) above.

[0042] If the value obtained by subtracting the total calculated in step S12 from the re-verifiable high TH1 is less than 0 (step S13; Yes), the control unit 50 determines whether the number of stored banknotes in the mixed cassette 38 is greater than or equal to the total of the surplus numbers of banknotes in each denomination cassette 35 to 37 (step S14). This determination is to determine which cassette is more efficient to collect banknotes from. If the number of stored banknotes in the mixed cassette 38 is larger (step S14; Yes), the control unit 50 urges the collection of banknotes from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 (step S16). For example, the control unit 50 displays a message prompting the collection of banknotes from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 outside the machine on the display unit 15. If the total value of the surplus numbers of banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 is larger (step S14; No), the control unit 50 (notification means) urges the collection of banknotes from the mixed cassette 38 (step S15). For example, the control unit 50 displays a message prompting the full collection of banknotes from the mixed cassette 38 on the display unit 15 (notification). The operator performs an operation on the operation unit 14 to instruct the collection of banknotes from the cassette urged according to these displays. The control unit 50 performs the feeding and conveyance of banknotes from the designated cassette to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21. As a result, the number of stored banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixed cassette 38 becomes a state where the re-verification process can be executed.

[0043] If the value obtained by subtracting the total calculated in step S12 from the re-verifiable high TH1 is 0 or greater (step S13; No), the control unit 50 determines that the execution of the re-verification process is possible and performs the processes after step S17. First, the control unit 50 determines whether there are denomination cassettes 35 to 37 with a surplus quantity greater than 0 (step S17). If such denomination cassettes 35 to 37 exist (step S17; Yes), the surplus is stored in the mixed cassette 38 (step S18). The control unit 50 controls the feeding units 35a to 39a, etc. for the cassettes among the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 with a surplus quantity greater than 0 calculated in step S11, and conveys the surplus of the banknotes stored in that denomination cassette to the pool cassette 39 via the forward route shown in FIG. 3, and then conveys it from the pool cassette 39 to the mixed cassette 38 via the return route shown in FIG. 4. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the control unit 50 performs this operation for all the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 with a surplus quantity greater than 0.

[0044] Next, the control unit 50 (re-verification means) executes the re-verification process for the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 (step S19). For example, as described with reference to FIG. 10, the control unit 50 performs the re-verification process for the banknotes in the denomination cassette 35 while reciprocating the banknotes between the denomination cassette 35 and the pool cassette 39. Identification counting is performed by the identification unit 28 either on one or both of the forward route and the return route. The control unit 50 records the result of the identification counting in the storage unit 51. The control unit 50 processes the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 one by one.

[0045] Next, the control unit 50 (re-verification means) executes the re-verification process of the mixing cassette 38 (step S20). For example, as described with reference to FIG. 11, the control unit 50 performs the re-verification process of the mixing cassette 38 in the process of transferring the banknotes in the mixing cassette 38 to the pool cassette 39 and then distributing them from the pool cassette 39 to other cassettes according to the denomination. Identification counting is performed by the identification unit 28 on either one or both of the forward route and the return route. The control unit 50 records the result of the identification counting in the storage unit 51. When the banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 are stored up to the full number TH2 (or when the full state is detected by the sensor), the control unit 50 conveys the banknotes that cannot be completely stored as described with reference to FIG. 12 to the mixing cassette 38. Thereby, the re-verification process is completed.

[0046] (Effect) As described above, according to the currency processing apparatus (banknote processing apparatus 11) of the present embodiment, (A) in the case where there is a risk that the re-verification process has to be stopped midway by the pre-check, the risk can be detected in advance, and the situation where the re-verification process has to be stopped midway can be avoided by collecting the banknotes outside the machine. Specifically, when the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 are conveyed to the mixing cassette 38, the situation where the mixing cassette 38 becomes full and the re-verification operation has to be stopped can be avoided. During the re-verification process of the banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 and the mixing cassette 38, the situation where the pool cassette 39 becomes full during the forward operation and the re-verification operation has to be stopped can be avoided. Further, even if the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 become full during the return operation, the excess can be switched to the mixing cassette 38 as the storage destination, so that the midway stop of the re-verification process can be prevented. As a result, after starting the re-verification process, it is found that the re-verification process cannot be continued, the re-verification process is stopped midway, and after performing the necessary measures (collecting a part of the banknotes in the denomination cassette outside the machine to reduce the storage number), the re-verification process is started again, thus being liberated from the complicated work.

[0047] <Modification Example 1> In the above-described embodiment, the bill processing apparatus 11 is configured to include the mixing cassette 38. However, for example, even in a cassette configuration that does not include the mixing cassette 38, such as a change dispenser, the above-described re-verification process can be applied. In this case, since there is no destination for the overflow bills, "the re-verifiable balance TH1 < the number of bills in the denomination cassette" is set as the non-re-verifiable condition in the (A) pre-check. Before starting the re-verification process, compare the number of bills stored in the denomination cassette with the re-verifiable balance TH1. If the number of bills stored in the denomination cassette is larger, display a message to collect a predetermined number of bills from the denomination cassette outside the machine. Then, when the operator collects the necessary amount of bills from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37, the re-verification process can be started.

[0048] An operation example of the re-verification process in the case of a cassette configuration without the mixing cassette 38 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 13. First, in step S10, instead of the height of the mixing cassette 38, compare the storage count of each denomination cassette 35 to 37 with the re-verifiable balance TH1. If the storage count of any of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 exceeds the re-verifiable balance TH1, execute the process of step S16 instead of step S15. That is, the control unit 50 displays a message prompting the collection of bills from the denomination cassette. If the height of each of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 is less than or equal to the re-verifiable balance TH1, perform the re-verification process of the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 in step S19 without performing the processes of steps S11, S12, S13, S14, S17, and S18. In the re-verification process, the bills stored in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 are conveyed to the pool cassette 39 according to the forward route of FIG. 3 and then conveyed from the pool cassette 39 to the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 according to the return route of FIG. 4. Then, identification counting is performed by the identification unit 28 either on the forward route, the return route, or both. Step S20 is not executed.

[0049] In the above-described embodiment, a configuration example including three denomination-specific cassettes has been described. However, the denomination-specific cassette may have a configuration in which only one dedicated to a single denomination is provided. Further, the pool cassette 39 may be a detachable cassette that not only simply pools the banknotes identified by counting but also allows loading / collection.

[0050] <Modification Example 2> In the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the capacities of the denomination-specific cassettes 35 to 37, the mixed cassette 38, and the pool cassette 39 are the same. However, the capacities of the respective cassettes may not be the same and may be cassettes of different sizes. In that case, the recoverable remaining height TH1 is individually set according to the size of each cassette. Also, for example, even in a configuration where a sealed note (new note) is set in the denomination-specific cassette for 10,000 yen banknotes like a currency exchange machine, since the recoverable remaining height TH1 can be individually set, although the sealed note (new note) has a thinner paper thickness and a larger full capacity than the circulating note, it can be dealt with by setting a larger value for the recoverable remaining height TH1 than when storing the circulating note, for example. Further, for example, if the capacities of the mixed cassette 38 and the pool cassette 39 are small, the recoverable remaining height TH1 corresponding to their capacities is set, and also in the denomination-specific cassettes 35 to 37, by performing (A) a pre-check based on this recoverable remaining height TH1, it is possible to prevent the interruption during the recovery process.

[0051] <Modification Example 3> In the above embodiment, due to the structure of the conveyance path 41, it is possible to convey from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the pool cassette 39, but it is not possible to directly convey banknotes from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the mixed cassette 38. By adopting a structure of the conveyance path that enables conveyance from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the mixed cassette 38, the surplus banknotes in the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 may be directly conveyed to the mixed cassette 38. For example, a configuration may be adopted such that the pool cassette 39 and the mixed cassette 38 can communicate with each other via the conveyance path 41B, and a fully circular conveyance path (from each cassette to the conveyance path 41B, it can be taken in and out in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction) is formed. In this way, in the operation of step S18, banknotes may be moved from the denomination cassettes 35 to 37 to the mixed cassette 38 without passing through the pool cassette 39.

[0052] <Modification Example 4> In the above examples, the case of processing loose banknotes has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the control of the present embodiment can also be applied to the re-verification process for coins, banknote bundles, and coin bars.

[0053] In addition, within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately replace the constituent elements in the above-described embodiments with well-known constituent elements. Further, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0054] 11 Banknote processing apparatus 12 New note processing apparatus 13 Coin processing apparatus 14 Operation unit 15 Display unit 35 - 37 Denomination cassettes 38 Mixed cassette 39 Pool cassette 41 Conveyance path 45 Main body 46 Draw-out body 50 Control unit 51 Storage unit

Claims

【Claim 1】 An identification unit that identifies and counts currency; A pool cassette that holds and can dispense the currency counted by the identification unit; A denomination cassette that stores and can dispense currency; Re-verification means for executing a re-verification process of identifying and counting all the currency with the identification unit in the process of dispensing all the currency stored in the denomination cassette, retaining it in the pool cassette, and then dispensing all the currency retained in the pool cassette and storing it in the denomination cassette; A re-verifiable on-hand amount that is a value set to guarantee the storage of the currency, which is the limit number of sheets of the currency dispensed from the denomination cassette and stored in the pool cassette; Pre-check means for determining whether or not to execute the re-verification process by the re-verification means based on the re-verifiable on-hand amount; When it is determined by the pre-check means that the execution of the re-verification process is impossible, before the re-verification process is started by the re-verification means, further compare the number of sheets of the currency stored in the denomination cassette with the re-verifiable on-hand amount, and if the number of sheets of the currency stored in the denomination cassette is larger, notification means for notifying that a predetermined number of sheets of the currency in the denomination cassette are to be collected outside the machine; Comprising; The currency processing apparatus, characterized in that a plurality of the denomination cassettes are provided, and the re-verifiable on-hand amount is also individually set for each of the denomination cassettes.

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