Banknote Validation Using Damage Segmentation and Feature Weighting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Self-service terminals face challenges in validating banknotes with damage, such as tears, holes, or graffiti, as these damages can contaminate security features, leading to the rejection of valid banknotes and making it difficult to enforce fitness definitions set by banking institutions or government authorities.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that analyze banknotes using image capture and processing, where damaged portions are identified and compared against fitness definitions, allowing for the extraction and validation of non-damaged security features, and determining if they meet the required standards, with a 'degree-of-belief' model to handle uncertainty in feature extraction and validation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional validation systems are used to detect damaged banknotes, then fraudulent activity can be combated, but valid banknotes with damage are incorrectly rejected

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalidation accuracyVSAvoidrejection of valid banknotes
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The validation system segments the banknote validation process into distinct stages: damage detection, damage classification, and security feature validation. By separating damage assessment from authenticity verification, the system can identify damaged regions and exclude them from security feature analysis, preventing false rejections of valid banknotes while maintaining fraud detection capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary damage detection and classification before conducting security feature validation. By identifying and mapping damaged portions upfront, the system can pre-determine which security features are compromised and which remain valid for verification, thereby avoiding rejection of banknotes where sufficient undamaged security features exist

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If strict fitness definitions are enforced to prevent fraud, then security is improved, but self-service terminals cannot process damaged banknotes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefraud preventionVSAvoidbanknote acceptance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality assessment by evaluating security features independently in different regions of the banknote. Instead of requiring all security features to be intact, the system assesses each feature's validity based on its local condition, allowing validation to proceed if sufficient undamaged features are present, thus accommodating damaged banknotes while maintaining security standards

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts validation parameters based on damage assessment. When damage is detected, the system modifies which security features are required for validation and adjusts acceptance thresholds accordingly, enabling flexible enforcement of fitness definitions that accommodates various damage scenarios while preventing fraud

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If damage detection is performed on all banknotes, then validation accuracy improves, but processing time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedamage detection accuracyVSAvoidvalidation system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs partial damage detection by focusing only on regions containing security features rather than analyzing the entire banknote. This selective approach maintains high validation accuracy for security-critical areas while reducing overall processing complexity and time, as the system only needs to assess damage in relevant zones to determine validation eligibility

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP3367347B1Validation of damaged banknotes
Publication Date: 2023.01.25 NCR VOYIX CORP
  • EP3367347B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3367347B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3367347B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Systems and methods for validation of a media object may include receiving the media object and detecting (302), using a sensor (204), a damaged portion of the media object. The media object may be validated against a standard (304). During the validation of the media object, the damaged portion of the media object may be given less weight.