The invention relates to banknote processing apparatus of the kind comprising an input hopper; two or more output hoppers; a transport system for transporting banknotes from the input hopper to one of the output hoppers; a processing device for monitoring the banknotes and for controlling the transport system to route the banknotes to a selected one of the output hoppers and to maintain a running count of the numbers of banknotes in each output hopper.

Such apparatus is well known and typically used to sort batches of banknotes according to denomination, fitness and/or authenticity. For example, a batch of banknotes may be sorted according to denomination with each output hopper receiving banknotes of a single, respective denomination.

Banknote processing apparatus of this kind typically operates at very high speed, for example 800 or more notes per minute. However, the output hoppers have a limited capacity and in addition it is often desired to operate the apparatus in batch mode in which each output hopper receives a batch of say 100 banknotes which must then be physically removed by an operator before the output hopper receives any more. WO-A-2005/11843 describes an example of a known banknote processing apparatus in which a numeric display is provided adjacent each output pocket. That display may be caused to flash when the output pocket is full.

At the high speeds involved, skilled operators are required to ensure optimum operation of the apparatus. They have to remove a batch of banknotes from an output hopper as soon as they can after the batch has been formed. If they do not, either the apparatus has to stop feeding banknotes altogether or feeds banknotes that should have been destined for that output hopper to a cull pocket or the like. Such culled notes would then need to be refed.

In accordance with the present invention, a banknote processing apparatus comprises an input hopper; two or more output hoppers; a transport system for transporting banknotes from the input hopper to one of the output hoppers; a processing device for monitoring the banknotes and for controlling the transport system to route the banknotes to a selected one of the output hoppers and to maintain a running count of the numbers of banknotes in each output hopper; and a visual indicator associated with each output hopper to provide a visual indication to an operator, each visual indicator being controlled by the processing device to vary the visual appearance of the visual indication in accordance with the number of banknotes in the associated output hopper, in addition to any indication of the number of banknotes itself.

With this invention, the apparatus is designed to provide the operator with a visual indication of the status of each output hopper in a convenient and easily noticeable manner so that the operator is ready to remove a batch of notes from an output hopper as soon as that batch has been completed. It is not unusual for there to be a visual display associated with each output hopper in the form of a numeric display providing the actual number of banknotes in each hopper. However, it is difficult for an operator to keep track of a number of such numeric displays while it also requires a degree of skill since the operator needs to know in advance how many banknotes are expected in each output hopper. With the invention, a different type of visual indication is provided, as will be explained below, which is readily understandable even by an untrained user and which can be seen and understood much more easily than a numeric display.

In some cases, the visual indicator is formed by a numeric display since this conveniently enables the numeric display to have more than one function. Alternatively, a separate visual indicator such as a light source adjacent the output hopper could be used or the visual indicator could illuminate the output hopper itself. In the latter case, a light source could be coupled with an optical fibre extending through the output hopper so as to provide a spread light curtain. There are various different types of variation in visual indication that the processing device can cause.

In the first example, the brightness of the visual indication is changed. In a very simple example, the visual indicator is simply off until the hopper is full at which point it switches on. In a second, more preferred approach, the visual indicator is held at a low brightness level before the output hopper is full and then switches to the full brightness when the hopper is full. This lower level could be an intermediate level with an even lower level of brightness at the beginning of the operation or the visual indicator could be off until the output hopper is nearing a full condition.

The decision that an output hopper will be considered "full" varies according to the operation of the apparatus. Thus, when operating in batch mode, the hopper will be full when a batch (say 100 notes) has been supplied to the output hopper. In other modes, the hopper will be full when some maximum number of banknotes has been supplied, e.g. 250, 500 or more depending on the size of the output hopper.

The use of an intermediate level or low level before the output hopper is completely full enables an operator to see that the full condition is approaching and so he can be ready to remove the batch of banknotes as soon as the output hopper is full.

In another option (which could be used in combination with the previous option), the processing device varies the colour of the visual indication. Thus, the colour could be red when the output hopper is full and green before then. In the preferred example, the colour is amber for a period prior to the output hopper being full so as to give a warning to the operator of the approaching full condition. For example, the amber indication could be given when the hopper reaches a 90% full condition (90 notes when stacking batches of 100).

In a further alternative, which again can be used in combination with either of the other alternatives, the processing device could cause the visual indication to flash. Thus, prior to reaching the full condition, the visual indication is flashed, typically the flashing frequency increasing as more notes are fed to the output hopper. When the hopper is full, preferably the visual indication is then maintained on continuously.

In an enhancement, the warning level (amber light, intermediate brightness level, flash frequency) could be initiated or controlled in dependence on the rate at which the output hopper is filling, based for example on an average rate for the previous M banknotes (M typically in the range 10-20). In the case of 100 note batches, the indication might be initiated at 98 notes for a slow fill rate but at 90 notes or even less for a fast fill rate. An example of banknote processing apparatus according to the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus;

Figure 2 is a side view of the apparatus with the side plate removed; Figure 3 is a block diagram of the control system of the apparatus; and,

Figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating operation of the warning system of the apparatus.

The apparatus to be described is based closely on the apparatus described in much more detail in WO-A-2005/118443 which is incorporated herein by reference. Apart from the description of the indicators associated with each output hopper and their method of control, the apparatus is exactly as described in this earlier specification.

Figure 1 illustrates the apparatus from the front where it can be seen that the apparatus 1 comprises a casing 2; an input hopper 4; a set of output pockets 5a,5b,5c; and a cull pocket 6.

Each of the output pockets 5a-5c has an associated counter display 8a- 8c and depending upon the function of the display, this can be formed by an LED or LCD display. Typically, this display will indicate the number, value or currency of banknotes that have been diverted into each of the output pockets 5a-5c but it will have a further function to be described below in accordance with the invention.

The cull pocket 6 has an associated cull pocket indicator 9, which may be an incandescent lamp or LED, and indicates the presence of banknotes in the cull pocket. Operating commands are issued to the banknote sorter 1 by means of a keypad 10 and information relating to the operation of the banknote sorting apparatus 1 is presented to a user via a display 11.

A stack of banknotes 103 is placed into the input hopper 4 from where they are fed singularly along a transport path 212 defined between belts 214. Each banknote passes a detector 300 which determines one or more of the denominations, fitness and authenticity of the banknotes (depending upon the mode of operation of the apparatus) and is then transported to a selected one of the hoppers 5a-5c and cull pocket 6 by suitable operation of diverters 20. In one mode, for example, the stack of banknotes 103 may be sorted in accordance with their denomination with a first denomination being sorted to an output pocket 5a, a second to output pocket 5b and a third to output pocket 5c while undefined denominations or unacceptable banknotes are fed to the cull pocket 6.

In this mode of denomination sorting, the banknotes may be fed in a batch form so that a predetermined number of banknotes of each denomination is fed to each output pocket, for example 100 banknotes. The operator would then remove that batch to allow further banknotes of the same denomination to be sorted into a further batch in the same output hopper.

The displays 8a-8c are numeric and display the actual number of banknotes in each output hopper.

As shown in Figure 3, a controller 50 is provided for controlling operation of the entire apparatus including the displays or visual indicators 8a-8c and 9. Only one such display 8a is shown in Figure 3. The controller 50 receives control input from the keypad 10 and provides information to the user via the display 11. The detector 300 is also coupled to a controller 50 while the controller outputs control signals to the various motors used to control the apparatus including the feed system and each of the diverters 20. In a first example of apparatus according to the invention, each of the displays 8a-8c comprises a variable intensity LED display whose intensity can be varied from a low value to a high value.

An example of one mode of operation will now be described with reference to Figure 4. The controller 50 monitors the number (N) of banknotes supplied to each of the hoppers 5a-5c (step 100). This can be done using information from the detector 300 or each pocket 5a-5c could have an individual note sensor 8b. Initially this number N is displayed in the appropriate display 8a-8c by causing the LEDs to emit light at a first, low brightness or intensity level. The number N of banknotes in each output hopper is regularly monitored

(step 100) and compared with an intermediate threshold (IT) and a maximum value (Max) (step 102). The value Max corresponds to the maximum number of banknotes to be stored in an output hopper, for example the batch total in the case of a batch processing operation. If the number N lies between IT and Max, this is indicative of the fact that the output hopper is approaching the Max value so that the operator should be ready to remove the bundle of notes from the hopper. Consequently, the brightness of the corresponding display is increased to an intermediate level (step 104). This visual change of brightness is readily detectable by an operator viewing the apparatus.

As soon as the number of banknotes in the output hopper N reaches the value Max (step 106), the display is controlled to display the numeric value of the number of banknotes at a maximum brightness level (step 108). This again is readily apparent to the operator who can then immediately remove the banknotes from that output hopper.

If the operator is efficient, he can remove the batch of banknotes such that the apparatus can continue operating without banknotes that should have been destined for the output hopper being redirected to the cull pocket 6. In a second example, the displays 8a-8c are defined by LED displays with multiple, different coloured LEDs so that the display can be controlled to display the numeric value in different colours depending upon the degree by which the output hopper has been filled. For example, initially the display may be a green display. Once the value N reaches the intermediate threshold IT, the display changes to an amber display, and then once the hopper is full, the display changes to a red display.

In a further example (not shown), an additional visual indicator can be provided in the form of respective optical fibres extending through each of the output pockets 5a-5c. The intensity of the light emitted by each of those optical fibres is then varied as the number of notes N reaches the intermediate threshold IT and the maximum value Max accordingly.

In a further alternative, the controller 50 can cause the displays 8a-8c to flash at a different rate depending upon the number of banknotes in the output hopper. For example, initially a steady display could be presented but when the number N reaches the intermediate threshold IT, the display flashes at a first rate and when the number N reaches the value Max, the display is continuous. In a modification, the flash rate could increase as the number of notes increases above the intermediate threshold IT. In some cases, the intermediate threshold IT is fixed but in other cases it can be varied in use according to the fill rate of the hopper concerned. For slow fill rates, IT will be higher than for fast fill rates.