Patent Application
20120024944
This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0073594, filed on Jul. 29, 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a medium processing apparatus, a medium processing method, and a financial device.
Generally, a financial device is a device for processing a financial business desired by a user. The financial device can deposit or withdraw a medium or automatically transfer the medium. The financial device may comprise a medium processing apparatus for recognizing a medium.
The medium processing apparatus may determine the state of a transferred medium. As an example, a medium processing apparatus may detect the magnetic component of a medium to recognize the authenticity of the medium.
Embodiments provide a medium processing apparatus, a medium processing method, and a financial device, which accurately detect the state of a medium and thus can accurately determine the authenticity of the medium.
In one embodiment, a medium processing apparatus comprises: a magnetic resistance (MR) sensor comprising a plurality of detection elements configured to detect a magnetic component of a medium; one or more differential amplifiers configured to receive respective output signals of two detection elements among the plurality of detection elements to subtract and amplify the received signals; a storage configured to store various pattern information of a magnetic component signal for the medium; and a controller configured to compare the pattern information, stored in the storage, with magnetic component signals respectively outputted from the detection elements and a magnetic component signal outputted from the one or more differential amplifiers to determine authenticity of the medium.
In another embodiment, a financial device comprises: a transfer path for transfer of a medium; and a medium processing apparatus configured to recognize a medium which is transferred along the transfer path of the medium, wherein the medium processing apparatus comprises: an MR sensor comprising a plurality of detection elements for detecting a magnetic component of the medium; a signal processor configured to process signals respectively outputted from the detection elements; and a controller configured to determine authenticity of the medium by using magnetic component signals respectively outputted from the detection elements and the processed signals.
In further another embodiment, a medium processing method comprises: detecting a plurality of first magnetic component signals for a plurality of regions of a medium; detecting one or more second magnetic component signals by processing the detected signals; and comparing a pre-stored magnetic component signal for each medium with the plurality of first magnetic component signals and the one or more second magnetic component signals to determine authenticity of the medium.
The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Regarding the reference numerals assigned to the elements in the drawings, it should be noted that the same elements will be designated by the same reference numerals, wherever possible, even though they are shown in different drawings. Also, in the description of embodiments, detailed description of well-known related structures or functions will be omitted when it is deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the present disclosure.
Also, in the description of embodiments, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) or the like may be used herein when describing components of the present invention. Each of these terminologies is not used to define an essence, order or sequence of a corresponding component but used merely to distinguish the corresponding component from other component(s). It should be noted that if it is described in the specification that one component is “connected,” “coupled” or “joined” to another component, the former may be directly “connected,” “coupled,” and “joined” to the latter or “connected”, “coupled”, and “joined” to the latter via another component.
Referring to
The financial device according to embodiments is a device that performs financial businesses, i.e., medium processing comprising processing such as deposit processing, giro receipt, or gift certificate exchange and/or processing such as withdrawal processing, giro dispensing, or gift certificate dispensing by receiving various media such as, e.g., paper moneys, bills, giros, coins, gift certificates, etc. For example, the financial device may comprise an automatic teller machine (ATM) such as a cash dispenser (CD) or a cash recycling device. However, the financial device is not limited to the above-described examples. For example, the financial device may be a device for automatically performing the financial businesses such as a financial information system (FIS).
The medium processing apparatus 10 comprises a magnetic resistance sensor 100 (hereinafter referred to as an MR sensor) for detecting the magnetism of a medium. The MR sensor 100 is an electronic component that converts the variation of a magnetic flux to an electric signal.
The MR sensor 100 may be disposed in a region that is overlapped with a transfer path of a medium. For example, the MR sensor 100 may be disposed on/under a medium that is transferred along a transfer path. While the medium is being transferred, the MR sensor 100 may contact the medium.
The MR sensor 100 comprises a plurality of detection elements 101 to 106. Hereinafter, for convenience, the MR sensor 100 will be described as comprising six detection elements, but in the present invention, the number of detection elements is not limited thereto. When the MR sensor 100 comprises six detection elements, the number of channels for detecting the magnetic component of a medium is six. Hereinafter, therefore, a detection element and a channel are used as the same element, and depending on the case, the detection element and the channel may be used together.
Each of the detection elements 101 to 106 detects a magnetic component, and thus, the MR sensor 100 outputs six detection signals.
The medium processing apparatus 10 may further comprise a plurality of differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 for subtracting and amplifying signals respectively outputted from the detection elements 101 to 106. The differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 comprise first to third differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114. When an MR sensor comprises two detection elements, the medium processing apparatus 10 may comprise one differential amplifier.
Each of the first to third differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 subtracts and amplifies signals respectively outputted from adjacent detection elements among the detection elements 101 to 106. That is, each of the differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 subtracts and amplifies signals respectively outputted from a pair of detection elements. In the embodiment, the reason that each of the differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 subtracts and amplifies signals respectively outputted from a pair of detection elements is for minimizing the influence of external noise that occurs in a transfer motor for transferring a medium. That is, the differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 may be called a signal processor for processing a signal.
Each of the differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 outputs two signals. For example, when the first differential amplifier 110 is matched with the first and second detection elements 101 and 102, the first differential amplifier 110 subtracts a signal, outputted by the second detection element 102, from a signal outputted from the first detection element 101 and amplifies the subtracted signal. Also, the first differential amplifier 110 subtracts a signal, outputted by the first detection element 101, from a signal outputted from the second detection element 102 and amplifies the subtracted signal. Therefore, the total number of signals outputted from the differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 is six.
The medium processing apparatus 10 may further comprise a controller 120 that compares a signal, outputted from each of the detection elements 101 to 106, and signals outputted from each of the differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 to determine the authenticity of a medium.
A storage (or memory) 130 stores various pattern information of magnetic component signals for various factors such as the denomination of a transferred medium, the entry direction of the transferred medium, the left/right shift degree of the transferred medium, and the skew of the transferred medium. The pattern information is information for determining the authenticity of the medium.
For example, the pattern information may be classified by denomination of a medium, and entry direction based on the front or rear of the medium. Also, even when the same medium, the pattern information may be classified based on the left/right shift degree of the medium or the skew of the medium.
Since signals respectively outputted from the detection element and the differential amplifier differ according to the position of the medium in
Hereinafter, a method of determining the authenticity of a medium will be described in detail.
Referring to
That is, the first and second detection elements 101 and 102 may detect a magnetic component in the region a of the medium. The third detection element 103 may detect a magnetic component in the region b of the medium. The sixth detection element 106 may detect a magnetic component in the region c of the medium.
Referring to
In the waveform diagram of
The signals respectively outputted from the detection elements 101 to 106 are delivered to the controller 120 and the deferential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114. In this case, the signals respectively outputted from the first and second detection elements 101 and 102 are delivered to the first differential amplifier 110, the signals respectively outputted from the third and fourth detection elements 103 and 104 are delivered to the second differential amplifier 112, and the signals respectively outputted from the fifth and sixth detection elements 105 and 106 are delivered to the third differential amplifier 114.
The first differential amplifier 110 mutually subtracts and amplifies the two delivered signals. Thus, a magnetic component signal with noise removed therefrom is outputted from each of the first to third differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114.
A portion 1-2 of
The controller 120 compares information, stored in the storage 130, with the output signals of the respective detection elements 101 to 106 and the output signals of the respective differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 to determine the authenticity of a medium. The controller 120 may determine the denomination of a medium that is being transferred, the entry direction of the medium, the left/right shift degree of the medium, and the skew of the medium, on the basis of pattern information stored in the storage 130.
When the output signals of the respective detection elements 101 to 106 and the output signals of the respective differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 are matched with the information stored in the storage 130, the controller 120 determines the medium as being authorized.
In the embodiment, the signal outputted from each of the detection elements 101 to 106 may be referred to as a first signal, and the signal outputted from each of the differential amplifiers 110, 112 and 114 may be referred to as a second signal.
In the embodiment, furthermore, a differential amplifier mutually subtracts and amplifies signals outputted from a pair of detection elements to output two signals. On the contrary, a detection element may subtract and amplify another detection element to output one signal.
In the embodiment, moreover, signals respectively outputted from two adjacent detection elements are delivered to a differential amplifier, but signals respectively outputted from two nonadjacent detection elements may be delivered to a differential amplifier.
In the embodiment, the authenticity of a medium can be more accurately determine through the combination of combining an MR sensor and one or more other sensors. For example, the authenticity of a medium may be determined by using an MR sensor and an image sensor together. That is, the authenticity of a medium may be determined by comparing characteristic information for denomination of the medium, which has been detected by an MR sensor with a magnetic component signal, and characteristic information for denomination of the medium that has been detected by an image sensor using image information detected by the image sensor.
According to the above-described embodiments, the medium processing apparatus mutually subtracts and amplifies the two or more of a plurality of signals respectively outputted from a plurality of detection elements, and determines the authenticity of the medium with the mutually subtracted and amplified signal, more accurately determining the authenticity of the medium.
In the embodiments, the MR sensor has been described above as comprising six detection elements as an example, but the number of detection elements is not limited thereto. That is, an MR sensor comprising an appropriate number of detection elements may be applied in consideration of the size of a transfer path through which a medium is transferred, the size of the MR sensor, and the size of the detection element.
In the embodiments, moreover, a detection element is comprised as even number, and signals respectively outputted from adjacent detection elements are subtracted mutually. However, even when an MR sensor comprises an odd number of detection elements, the spirit and scope of the embodiments may be applied. In this case, a signal outputted from the last detection element may be delivered to a controller as-is. The last detection element may be disposed at a right portion or a left portion in an array of detection elements, or disposed at the center portion of the array.
Even though all the elements of the embodiments are coupled into one or operated in the combined state, the present disclosure is not limited to such an embodiment. That is, all the elements may be selectively combined with each other without departing the scope of the invention.
Furthermore, when it is described that one comprises (or comprises or has) some elements, it should be understood that it may comprise (or comprise or has) only those elements, or it may comprise (or comprise or have) other elements as well as those elements if there is no specific limitation. Unless otherwise specifically defined herein, all terms comprising technical or scientific terms are to be given meanings understood by those skilled in the art. Like terms defined in dictionaries, generally used terms needs to be construed as meaning used in technical contexts and are not construed as ideal or excessively formal meanings unless otherwise clearly defined herein.
Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the preferred embodiments should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, and also the technical scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments. Furthermore, is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being comprised in the present disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2010-0073594 | Jul 2010 | KR | national |
