Document sensor for currency recycling automated banking machine

• US 6,241,244 B1
• Filed: 11/17/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Diebold Incorporated (Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated)
• Inventors: Modi, Al
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schlak, Daniel K.
• Application Number:
  US09/193,857
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 271/262, 271/258.04, 271/10.02, 271/10.03, 271/4.02, 271/4.03, 271/265.01, 271/265.02, 271/265.03, 271/265.04, 271/258.01, 271/258.02, 271/258.03, 271/259, 271/261, 209/586, 209/588, 209/577, 209/585, 731/59, 73/377, 738/665, 250/559.01, 250/559.16, 250/559.17, 250/559.19, 250/559.2
• US Class Current: 271/262
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/03 indicating an entity which is measured, estimated, evaluated, calculated or determined but which does not constitute an entity which is adjusted or changed by the control process per se
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/13 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/16 Irregularities, e.g. protuberances
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2553/412 in barrier arrangements, i.e. emitter facing a receptor element
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2553/416 Array arrangement, i.e. row of emitters or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2553/44 Involving light guide, e.g. optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/1912 Banknotes, bills and cheques or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 43/08 Photoelectric devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/125 sensing the double feed or separation without contacting the articles
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 11/10 Mechanical details
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/12 Visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/164 Thickness

Abstract

An automated banking machine (10) identifies and stores documents such as currency bills deposited by a user. The machine then selectively recovers such documents from storage areas and dispenses them to other users. The machine includes a sheet thickness detector (810) used for distinguishing single sheets from double sheets which pass through the machine. The thickness detector includes a radiation source (822). Radiation from the radiation source is directed by radiation guide (824) to a generally linear elongated radiation outlet (826) which extends transversely to the sheet path. A receiver (814) includes a radiation sensitive element (830) which is also transversely elongated relative to the sheet path. Sheets passing between the emitter and the receiver cause variations in the amount of radiation reaching the receiver. The transversely elongated surface of the sheet through which the transmission of radiation is sense enables accurately distinguishing single sheets from double sheets.

Claims

1. An automated banking machine apparatus comprising:

a sheet path in the machine wherein sheets travel along a sheet direction;

a sheet thickness detector sensing thickness of sheets in the sheet path, the thickness detector including an emitter on a first side of the sheet path and a receiver on an opposed side of the sheet path, wherein sheets moving in the sheet path extend between the emitter and the receiver;

the emitter including;

a radiation source;

a radiation guide for accepting light from the radiation source at a first end and for delivering light at a second end, the second end being substantially elongated and extending a first distance generally transversely to the sheet direction;

the receiver including;

a radiation sensitive element in aligned relation with the second end of the radiation guide, the element extending transversely to the sheet path the first distance, wherein the radiation sensitive element generates signals responsive to radiation reaching it from the radiation source, whereby the signals are usable by the machine to detect the thickness of sheets passing between the emitter and the receiver.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the emitter includes a housing having an aperture, and wherein the radiation source is removably positionable in the aperture.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the radiation source emits radiation generally in a first direction, and wherein the radiation guide delivers radiation at the second end in a direction generally perpendicular to the first direction.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the radiation guide comprises a fiber optic bundle.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the fiber optic bundle comprises a plurality of strands, and wherein the strands extend in generally linearly aligned relation in the transverse direction adjacent the second end.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the receiver includes a lens overlying the radiation sensing element, wherein the lens in cross section taken parallel to the sheet path is bounded by an arcuate surface adjacent to the sheet path.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the arcuate surface has an apex area and wherein the radiation sensitive element is disposed in the sheet direction away from the apex area.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the machine further comprises the storage area, wherein sheets are held in the storage area, and wherein a movable bin door overlies the storage area, and wherein the receiver is in supporting connection with the bin door.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the emitter and receiver are generally in transversely centered relation relative to the sheet path.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the sheets moving in the sheet path have a sheet width in a direction transverse to the sheet path and wherein the first distance is at least about ten percent of the sheet width.

11. Apparatus comprising:

a sheet moving mechanism, wherein the sheet moving mechanism is adapted to move the sheets in a sheet path, whereby the sheets move in the sheet path generally along a sheet direction, wherein sheets moving in the sheet path have a sheet width in a direction generally transverse to the sheet direction, and wherein the sheets include patterns of indicia thereon which patterns are generally nonuniform across each sheet;

a radiation emitter and a radiation receiver, wherein the emitter and receiver are positioned in generally aligned relation and on opposed sides of the sheet path such that sheets moving in the sheet path pass between the emitter and the receiver, wherein the receiver is operative to produce a signal responsive to the amount of radiation it receives from the emitter;

a device in operative connection with the receiver, wherein the device is operative to compare the signal to a threshold, wherein the threshold is indicative of more than one sheet extending between the emitter and the receiver; and

wherein the emitter and the receiver are both elongated in the transverse direction to an extent that indicia in the nonuniform patterns do not generally cause the signal to cross the threshold when a single sheet extends between the emitter and the receiver.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the emitter and the receiver each extend transversely across at least five percent of the sheet width.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the emitter and the receiver each extend transversely across at least ten percent of the sheet width.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 and further comprising a canister, wherein the canister includes a storage area established for holding sheets thereon, and further comprising a sheet dispensing machine, wherein the canister is removably mounted on the sheet dispensing machine, and wherein the canister includes a programmable memory in supporting connection therewith, and wherein the memory is operative to hold data corresponding to at least one of an intensity of the emitter or the threshold.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the canister includes a plurality of storage areas, and further comprising a plurality of emitters and receivers, wherein one emitter and one receiver comprises a pair, and wherein a pair is positioned in the sheet path adjacent to each storage area, and wherein the memory is operative to hold data corresponding to at least one of the intensity and the threshold for the respective emitter and receiver in each pair.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the emitter comprises a radiation source and a radiation guide, wherein the radiation source is releasibly movably mounted in operative connection with the guide.

17. A method of detecting thickness of sheets in an automated banking machine apparatus, comprising:

providing an automated banking machine apparatus having a sheet path, wherein sheets are adapted to travel along a sheet direction in the sheet path;

providing sheets, wherein each of the sheets have patterns of indicia thereon, wherein the patterns are generally nonuniform across each sheet, wherein the indicia affect transmissivity of radiation through the sheet, and wherein the sheets have a width in a direction generally transverse to the sheet path;

providing a sheet thickness detector to sense sheets in the sheet path, wherein the detector includes an emitter and a receiver,

wherein the emitter includes a radiation source and a radiation guide,

wherein the radiation guide accepts light from the radiation source at a first end and delivers light at a second end, the second end being substantially elongated and extending a first distance generally transversely to the sheet direction,

wherein the receiver includes a radiation sensitive element in aligned relation with the second end of the radiation guide, wherein the radiation sensitive element extends transversely to the sheet path the first distance and generates signals responsive to radiation reaching it from the radiation source;

placing the emitter on a first side of the sheet path and the receiver on an opposed side of the sheet path;

moving sheets generally one at a time in the sheet path between the emitter and the receiver, wherein sheets move generally along the sheet direction in the sheet path;

passing radiation from the radiation source through a portion of the width of each moving sheet, wherein the portion is sufficiently large that indicia in the nonuniform patterns do not substantially affect the total amount of radiation that passes through the portion of each single moving sheet relative to other single moving sheets;

generating signals responsive to radiation reaching the radiation sensitive element from the radiation source;

detecting the thickness of sheets passing between the emitter and the receiver based on the generated signals.