Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
AUTOMATIC BANKNOTE HANDLING SYSTEM
FIELD
[0001] The
present invention relates to a technique for an automatic banknote handling
system that transports and sorts banknotes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A
known automatic banknote handling system transports and sorts banknotes. For
example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 62-92095
(Patent
Literature 1) describes a cash handling apparatus incorporating an articulated
robot. The cash
handling apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 includes a banknote
receiving and aligning
unit, a banknote counting and sorting unit, a cash cassette unit, a banknote
counter unit, a
banknote dispenser unit, and a banknote transfer mechanism including the
articulated robot.
The banknote receiving and aligning unit receives and aligns banknotes, and
passes the
banknotes to a robot hand. The banknote counting and sorting unit receives the
banknotes
from the robot hand and counts and sorts the banknotes. The cash cassette unit
stores the
banknotes received from the robot hand in a container, and pulls and removes
the banknotes
from the container and passes the banknotes to the robot hand. The banknote
counter unit
receives the banknotes, verifies the count, and passes the banknotes to the
robot. The banknote
dispenser unit receives the banknotes from the robot and feeds the banknotes
to a dispensing
slot. The banknote transfer mechanism transfers the banknotes between these
units using the
articulated robot.
[0003]
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-31619 (Patent
Literature 2) describes a storage work device, a valuable medium storage
system, and a storage
work method. A work robot described in Patent Literature 2 captures an image
of the
appearance of a cassette with a camera mounted on the head of the work robot,
and identifies
the type of the cassette though image processing. The work robot opens the
cassette using a
tool and a procedure defined for the type of the cassette. The work robot then
captures an
image of the inside of the cassette, and detects any abnormality through image
processing.
1
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
The work robot also captures an image of a banknote sorter, and identifies
banknotes to be
removed through image processing. The work robot then removes the banknotes
from the
banknote sorter and stores the banknotes into the cassette. The work robot
closes the cassette
using a tool and a procedure defined for the type of the cassette.
[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-224664
(Patent
Literature 3) describes a valuable medium processing system and a valuable
medium processing
method. A banknote handling system described in Patent Literature 3 moves a
bundle of
banknotes tied with a currency strap, with a work robot holding the banknote
bundle, to a
position at which the bundle can be unstrapped by a bundle unstrapping unit.
The bundle
unstrapping unit cuts and removes the strap from the banknote bundle. The work
robot then
stores the bundle into the cassette. This system can use a bundle of banknotes
tied with a
currency strap to replenish the cassette, and thus efficiently stores
banknotes in the cassette.
CITATION LIST
PATENT LITERATURE
[0005] Patent Literature 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application
Publication No. 62-
92095
Patent Literature 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
2016-31619
Patent Literature 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
2016-
224664
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL PROBLEM
[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic
banknote handling
system that is easy to use.
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM
[0007] An automatic banknote handling system according to one aspect of
the present
invention includes a transporter that transports a banknote storage container
for storing
banknotes, a first arm that unlocks the banknote storage container and opens a
lid of the
2
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
banknote storage container, a banknote aligner that aligns the banknotes, a
banknote sorter that
sorts the banknotes placed in an entrance portion by denominations, a second
arm that removes
the banknotes stored in the banknote storage container, places the banknotes
on the banknote
aligner, and places the aligned banknotes in the entrance portion of the
banknote sorter, a
banknote strapper that straps the banknotes, and a third arm that passes a
predetermined number
of banknotes sorted by denominations to the banknote strapper, and removes a
strapped bundle
of banknotes from the banknote strapper and places the bundle at a
predetermined position.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS
[0008] The above aspect of the present invention provides an automatic
banknote handling
system that is easy to use.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0009]
Fig. 1 is a plan view of an automatic banknote handling system 1 according to
an
embodiment.
Fig. 2 is a front view of the automatic banknote handling system 1 according
to the
embodiment.
Fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of the automatic banknote handling system
1 according
to the embodiment.
Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure performed by the automatic banknote
handling
system 1 according to the embodiment.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a banknote storage container 10 according to
the embodiment
with a lid 11 being open.
Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram of the automatic banknote handling system
1 according
to a modification.
3
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with
reference to the
drawings. The same components are herein given the same reference numerals.
Those
components have the same names and functions, and will not be described
repeatedly.
First Embodiment
Overall Configuration of Automatic Banknote Handling System 1
[0011] As shown in Figs. Ito 3, an automatic banknote handling system 1
according to the
present embodiment mainly includes a controller 100, a transporter 200, a
first arm 300, a
second arm 400, a banknote aligner 500, a banknote sorter 600, a third arm
700, a banknote
strapper 800, and storage boxes 900. In the present embodiment, the
transporter 200, the first
arm 300, the second arm 400, the banknote aligner 500, the banknote sorter
600, the third arm
700, the banknote strapper 800, and the storage boxes 900 are mounted on a
base 50, and the
controller 100 is located under the base 50.
[0012] The controller 100 includes a memory 120, which stores various
programs and data,
a communication interface 160, which transmits and receives data to and from
the units
included in the automatic banknote handling system 1, or specifically the
transporter 200, the
first arm 300, the second arm 400, the banknote aligner 500, the third arm
700, and the banknote
strapper 800, and a central processing unit (CPU) 110, which controls the
controller 100 and
the units in the automatic banknote handling system 1 through the
communication interface 160
in accordance with programs.
[0013] The units in the automatic banknote handling system 1 associated
with transporting,
unlocking, and opening of the banknote storage container 10 and also removal
of banknotes
from the container, and so on, are collectively referred to as a banknote
storage container
handling system 2 or an unlocking system 2.
Operation Overview of Automatic Banknote Handling System 1
[0014] The operation of the automatic banknote handling system 1
according to the present
embodiment will now be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4.
[0015] The transporter 200 transports the banknote storage container 10
(refer to Fig. 5) in
response to a command from the controller 100 (step S102). The transporter 200
transports
4
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
the banknote storage container 10, which is brought into the room containing
the automatic
banknote handling system 1, to near the first arm 300. In the present
embodiment, the
transporter 200 includes a first conveyor 201, a second conveyor 202, a
reverser 210, a radio
frequency identification (RFID) antenna 220, and a transfer unit 230.
[0016] The controller 100 determines one surface of the banknote storage
container 10
having a keyhole 12, or the surface having a lid 11, based on data received
from the RFID
antenna 220 (step S104). As described in detail later, the banknote storage
container 10 in the
present embodiment has an RFID tag attached to its one surface having no
keyhole 12. When
the RFID antenna 220 detects an RFID tag, the controller 100 determines, based
on a signal
from the RFID antenna 220, that the lid 11 and the keyhole 12 are on the
surface opposite to
the RFID antenna 220, and directly passes the banknote storage container 10 to
the transfer unit
230.
[0017] In the present embodiment, the transfer unit 230, which includes
slides 231 and 232,
transports the banknote storage container 10 from the first conveyor 201 to
the second conveyor
202.
[0018] When the RFID antenna 220 detects no RFID tag, the controller 100
determines,
based on a signal from the RFID antenna 220, that the banknote storage
container 10 has the
lid 11 and the keyhole 12 on its surface facing the RFID antenna 220. The
controller 100 uses
the reverser 210 to turn the banknote storage container 10 to have the surface
with the lid 11
and the keyhole 12 facing the first arm 300 (step S106). The controller 100
passes the turned
banknote storage container 10 to the second conveyor 202.
[0019] The first arm 300 includes a key 310 for unlocking the lid 11 of
the banknote storage
container 10. As described later, the first arm 300 moves the key 310 front
and back, right
and left, and up and down or rotates the key 310 in response to a command from
the controller
100 and inserts the key 310 into the keyhole 12 of the banknote storage
container 10. In
response to a command from the controller 100, the first arm 300 rotates the
key 310 to unlock
the banknote storage container 10, and then opens the lid 11. In detail, the
controller 100 uses
data indicating the vertical position of the keyhole 12 obtained from a camera
and data
5
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
indicating the angle of rotation of the keyhole 12 to correct the angle of
rotation of the key 310
(by rotating the arm) before moving the first arm 300 to the keyhole 12.
[0020] The
second arm 400 includes a gripper 410 for picking banknotes. In response to
a command from the controller 100, the second arm 400 moves the gripper 410
front and back,
right and left, and up and down and picks banknotes stored in the banknote
storage container
10, removes the banknotes, or places the banknotes onto the banknote aligner
500.
[0021] The
controller 100 controls the first arm 300 to lock the banknote storage
container
10. The
controller 100 controls the second conveyor 202 of the transporter 200 to
transport
the empty banknote storage container 10 out of the room.
[0022] As described in detail later, the second arm 400 has a camera 420
mounted near the
gripper 410 in the present embodiment. The control described below is
performed. The
controller 100 operates the transporter 200 to move the banknote storage
container 10 to a
position near and facing the first arm 300. The controller 100 operates the
camera 420 on the
second arm 400 to capture an image of the front face of the banknote storage
container 10 (step
S108). The controller 100 determines the position of the keyhole 12 based on
the image data
(step S110). The controller 100 controls the first arm 300 to move the key 310
to the keyhole
12 and insert the key 310 into the keyhole 12. The controller 100 controls the
first arm 300 to
turn the key 310 (step S112). The controller 100 controls the first arm 300 to
open the lid of
the banknote storage container 10 (step S114). The controller 100 controls the
second arm
400 to move the gripper 410 into the banknote storage container 10. The
controller 100
controls the second arm 400 to pick the banknotes using the gripper 410. The
controller 100
controls the second arm 400 to pull and remove the banknotes (step S116). The
controller 100
controls the second arm 400 to turn the gripper 410 by 90 to allow the
banknotes to stand
upright on their edges. The controller 100 controls the second arm 400 to
place the banknotes
in the banknote aligner 500.
[0023] In
response to a command from the controller 100, the banknote aligner 500 aligns
the banknotes. More specifically, the banknote aligner 500 aligns the edges of
a bundle of
banknotes (step S118). More specifically, the banknote aligner 500 in the
present embodiment
uses a plate to laterally support the standing banknotes placed by the second
arm 400 to prevent
6
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
the banknotes from falling. The banknote aligner 500 then vibrates the
banknotes using a
vibrator (not shown) to align the lower edges and the lateral edges of the
standing banknotes.
The banknote aligner 500 in the present embodiment can also align the upper
edges of the
vibrating banknotes by pressing the banknotes with a plate above while the
banknotes are being
vibrated.
[0024] The controller 100 controls the second arm 400, which has been in
a standby state
during the aligning process, to pick the aligned banknotes again. The
controller 100 controls
the second arm 400 to place the aligned banknotes in an entrance slot of the
banknote sorter
600. In the present embodiment, the controller 100 controls the second arm 400
to push the
banknotes placed in the entrance slot inward with the tip of the gripper 410.
The banknote
sorter 600 sorts the banknotes from the second arm 400 by their denominations,
and stores the
banknotes separately for each denomination (step S120).
[0025] In the present embodiment, the banknote sorter 600 may reject an
unsorted banknote.
When the banknote sorter 600 rejects a banknote (Yes in step S122), the
controller 100 controls
the third aim 700 to pick a rejected banknote using the gripper 710. The
controller 100
controls the second arm 400 to receive the rejected banknote from the third
arm 700 using the
gripper 410. The controller 100 then places the banknote again in the entrance
slot of the
banknote sorter 600 (step S120).
[0026] In the present embodiment, the banknote sorter 600, when sorting
the banknotes,
displays the counts of banknotes stored for each denomination. The banknote
sorter 600 stops
sorting when the count of banknotes reaches a predetermined number for each
denomination,
for example, 100. In the present embodiment, the third arm 700 also has a
camera. Using
an image captured with the camera, the controller 100 obtains the count of
sorted banknotes for
each denomination. When the banknotes sorted for any denomination reach a
predetermined
count, the controller 100 controls the third arm 700 to pick the banknotes and
pass the banknotes
to the banknote strapper 800 using the gripper 710. The banknote aligner 500
may preferably
align the banknotes again before passing the banknotes to the banknote
strapper 800.
[0027] The banknote strapper 800 straps a bundle of a predetermined
number of banknotes
(step S124). The controller 100 controls the third arm 700 to pick the
strapped bundle of
7
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
banknotes and place the banknotes in one of the storage boxes 900. In the
present embodiment,
each storage box 900 receives banknotes of its corresponding denomination. The
controller
100 controls the third arm 700 to place banknotes of the same denomination
tied with a strap
into the corresponding storage box 900 intended for the denomination (step
S126).
[0028] As described above, the automatic banknote handling system 1
according to the
present embodiment automatically sorts banknotes stored in the locked banknote
storage
container 10 by their denominations into each strapped bundle of a
predetermined number of
banknotes of the same denomination. The automatic banknote handling system 1
thus allows
safer and more convenient handling of banknotes.
[0029] In the above embodiment, the third arm 700 has the camera, and the
controller 100
determines whether the count of banknotes of each denomination reaches a
predetermined
number using an image captured with the camera. However, the banknote sorter
600 may
transmit data indicating the count of banknotes sorted for each denomination
or a notification
that the banknote count reaches a predetermined number to the controller 100.
In this case,
the third arm 700 may have no camera.
[0030] In the above embodiment, the automatic banknote handling system 1
includes the
first arm 300 having the key 310 and the second arm 400 having the camera 420.
However,
the second arm 400 may have a key and the first arm 300 may have the gripper
410 for picking
banknotes.
[0031] The above embodiment may be modified. The function of each of the
units in the
above embodiment may be achieved by another unit. The function of a single
unit may be
achieved by a plurality of units, or the functions of a plurality of units may
be achieved by a
single unit. As shown in Fig. 6, for example, a controller in the first arm
300 or in the second
arm 400 may function as the controller 100. A CPU or a memory in the camera
420 or the
controller in the first arm 300 or another unit may perform the processing of
the controller 100.
Overview
[0032] An automatic banknote handling system 1 according to the above
embodiment
includes a transporter 200 that transports a banknote storage container 10 for
storing banknotes,
a first arm 300 that unlocks the banknote storage container 10 and opens a lid
11 of the banknote
8
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
storage container 10, a banknote aligner 500 that aligns the banknotes, a
banknote sorter 600
that sorts the banknotes placed in an entrance portion by denominations, a
second arm 400 that
removes the banknotes stored in the banknote storage container 10, places the
banknotes on the
banknote aligner 500, and places the aligned banknotes in the entrance portion
of the banknote
sorter 600, a banknote strapper 800 that straps the banknotes, and a third arm
700 that passes a
predetermined number of banknotes sorted by denominations to the banknote
strapper 800, and
removes a strapped bundle of banknotes from the banknote strapper 800 and
places the bundle
at a predetermined position.
[0033] Preferably, the automatic banknote handling system 1 further
includes a controller
100 that controls at least the second arm 400 and the third arm 700. The
controller 100
controls the third arm 700 to obtain an unsorted banknote from the banknote
sorter 600 and
pass the unsorted banknote to the second arm 400. The controller controls the
second arm 400
to place the banknote again in the entrance portion of the banknote sorter
600.
[0034] A method for automatically handling banknotes using an automatic
banknote
handling system 1 is provided according to the above embodiment. The method
includes
transporting a banknote storage container 10 for storing banknotes, unlocking
the banknote
storage container 10, opening a lid of the banknote storage container 10,
removing the
banknotes stored in the banknote storage container 10, aligning the banknotes,
sorting the
banknotes by denominations, and strapping the banknotes sorted by
denominations.
[0035] The embodiments disclosed herein are only illustrative in all
respects and should
not be construed to be restrictive. The scope of the invention is not defined
by the
embodiments described above but is defined by the appended claims, and all
changes that
come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to
fall within
the claims.
Reference Signs List
[0036]
1 system
10 banknote storage container
11 lid
9
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
CA 03088848 2020-07-03
50 base
100 controller
110 CPU
120 memory
160 communication interface
200 transporter
201 first conveyor
202 second conveyor
210 reverser
220 detector
300 first arm
310 key
400 second arm
410 gripper
420 camera
500 banknote aligner
600 banknote sorter
700 third arm
710 gripper
800 banknote strapper
900 storage box
Date Recue/Date Received 2020-07-03
