CONTROL DEVICE FORNUMBERING MACHINE FOR SEQUENTIALLY NUMBERING OF BANKNOTES AND , GENERAALY, OF VALUABLE DOCUMENTS

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5 TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a control device for a numbering machine for sequentially numbering banknotes, lottery tickets, government papers, personal identification documents, or tickets and bills of any 0 other nature required to be sequentially numbered.

More particularly, the invention relates to a numbering machine control device characterised by an online vision system, that is to say, a visual inspection device with optical detectors mounted at the cylindrical platen and 5 downstream of the numbering unit.

The invention applies to the field of numbering machines for banknotes or sequentially numbered papers.

BACKGROUND ART It is known that the printing of sequence numbers on 0 banknotes, tickets and other papers is done by an automatic machine which, as shown in the schematic representation of Figure 1, basically consists of the following components and main assemblies mounted in three containment bodies labelled 10, 11 and 12: 5 13. sheet feeder;

14. sheet supervisor and double sheet detector;

15. sheet feed cylinder;

16. transfer cylinder;

17. cylindrical platen with two arc-shaped segments; 0 18. upper numbering cylinder;

19. lower numbering cylinder;

20. service compartment;

21. sheet outfeed chain;

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22. first outfeed pile of printed sheets;

23. second outfeed pile of printed sheets;

24. test and/or reject sheet outfeed station.

Prior art numbering machines of this kind, however, cannot be fitted with online vision systems such as scanners or matrix or linear cameras permitting online inspection of the finished product.

The absence of online inspections inevitably leads to the need to perform a second run solely for inspection purposes.

The immediate consequence of this absence of inspection is the possibility of producing large quantities of sheets with defective numbering owing to an incorrect sequence or illegible print. When sheets with incorrect numbering are produced, the operator is responsible for taking corrective action and the quality of the finished job will depend on his or her promptness and skill.

At present, numbering head controls come in two types: the first uses a special device designed to check whether the stop teeth (small reed-like devices for holding in position the wheels on which the individual digits to be printed are engraved) have been fed forward at the right moment. The second device consists of magnets mounted at each of the digits engraved on the wheels of the numbering head.

When the numbering head is fed forward correctly, the magnets are ^' positioned according to a predetermined pattern. ^■ . . . . Both these systems can check whether .a numbering unit has ■ been fed forward properly but neither of them checks the print quality or the consistency of the numbers printed.

Up to now, there is no record of an online number vision

system having ever been mounted at the area of contact with the cylindrical platen. Some research has, instead, been conducted to install an online vision system away from the platen. In this case, the inspection device is far away from the cylindrical platen and in the space between them there may be several incorrectly numbered sheets. Even in the event of prompt action by the system, there is still the risk of incorrectly numbering a relatively large numbers of sheets. This risk would be significantly reduced if the inspection device were mounted online downstream of the numbering cylinders and on the cylindrical platen itself.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention ^' proposes to install in a numbering machine an online vision system that can be applied in the vicinity of the cylindrical platen and downstream of the numbering unit, in such a way as to eliminate or at least reduce the above mentioned drawbacks. Another aim of the invention is to provide a control unit for numbering machines embodied by mounting a special device in an existing space, usually a service compartment. This is accomplished by a control device for numbering machines having the features described in the main claim. •The dependent claims describe advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The main -advantages of the invention, besides all those deriving from constructional- simplicity, lie .in the fact that it provides a device that is capable of checking the print quality as well as the consistency of the numbers printed. The device according to the invention comprises an

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inspection unit mounted just downstream of the numbering area and inside the compartment in such a way that its vision system starts reading the numbers as soon as they are printed. The system uses an optical inspection device to perform two types of check: a consistency check and a quality or legibility check.

The consistency check is designed to verify whether all the numbers printed on the sheet exactly match those in the set numbering sequence. Alphanumeric sequences can also be checked.

The quality or legibility check, on the other hand, ensures that all the characters making up the numbers are legible. In the event of a number whose degree of legibility is low but acceptable to within specified parameters, the system accepts it but emits a warning signal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other features and advantages of the invention will become evident on reading the following description of one embodiment of the invention, given as a non- restricting example, with the help of the enclosed drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic representation ^" of a numbering machine designed to customary standards;

- Figure 2 is a schematic representation of an optical inspection device according to the invention mounted in the compartment under the cylindrical platen;

-.Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of the optical ^' inspection device illustrated in the previous figure;

- Figure 4 is another view of the optical inspection device;

- Figure 5 is a schematic enlarged view of a detail of

the optical inspection device .

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

With reference the accompanying drawings , the numbering machine for sequentially numbering banknotes , lottery tickets , government papers , personal identification documents , or tickets and bills of any other nature required to be sequentially numbered is made to customary design standards using known components . More specifically, the numbering machine comprises three containment bodies 10 , 11 and 12 . The first containment body 10 houses a sheet feeder 13 , a sheet supervisor and double sheet detector 14 . The second containment body 11 houses a sheet feeder cylinder 15 , a transfer cylinder 16, a cylindrical platen 17 with arc-shaped segments , an upper numbering cylinder 18 and a lower numbering cylinder 19 .

The outer casing of the containment body 11 has a door 20 providing access to a service compartment located under the cylindrical platen 17 for maintenance purposes . The third containment body 12 of the numbering machine normally comprises a sheet outfeed chain 21 which makes a first pile 22 of printed sheets and a second pile 23 of printed sheets . Near the outfeed end of the machine , there is a test and/or rej ect sheet outfeed station 24 . The main novelty offered by the invention is the possibility of installing a vision device , labelled 30 in its entirety in ^■ Figures 2 and 5 , online in the immediate vicinity of the cylindrical platen 17 and downstream of the ^' second numbering unit constituted by the cylinder 19 . The online vision device 30 is housed in an existing compartment in the containment body 11 of the machine which can be accessed through a service door 20 equipped with anti-intrusion devices .

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The service door 20 gives access to the following parts of the machine housed in the compartment located under the cylindrical platen 17 :

- the components of the inking unit forming part of the lower numbering unit, and in particular, to the mounting bracket of the removable washing tank 31 (Figure 5) ;

- the underside of the cylindrical platen 17;

- a shaft 32 equipped with tabs for protecting the sheet;

- a neon lamp for illuminating the service compartment itself.

The sheet feed chain 33 can also be accessed.

The main components of the optical inspection device are located partly in the service compartment and partly outside. The inspection device components located inside the compartment are matrix or linear cameras 34, mounted on mobile supports driven by electric motors 35, and two lamps 36.

The cameras 34 are mounted on appropriate guides 37 in such a way that they can be moved by the electric motors

35 to a position exactly at the number printed on the sheet.

The movement of the cameras is made possible by a pinion

38 mounted on the electric motor 35 and meshing with a rack 39 fixed to the central crossbar 40.

The camera lenses are protected by a special transparent guard 41, which prevents dirt from damaging the inspection device, and a blower 41' keeps dust off the vision system. The entire inspection device is mounted on two telescopic shafts 42 and 43.

This mounting assembly also enables the inspection device to be removed when the device itself or the numbering

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machine requires maintenance.

The components of the inspection device located outside the service compartment are the following:

- a processing device (computer with appropriate imaging software) for online or post-process checking of the printed numeric/alphanumeric sequences;

- a processing device (computer with operator interface) to permit overall control of the device and for driving the cameras; - a programmable logic controller (PLC) with software for controlling the camera drive motors and processing the image and error signals;

- an electric cabinet with appropriate power circuits for driving the inspection device, including safety and emergency stop devices;

- one or more encoders to be mounted at the top of the two numbering cylinders.

The installation of the online vision system does not in any way alter the normal operation of the numbering machine.

Below is a brief description of the inspection system and a normal operating cycle.

The operator places a pile of sheets under the margin setting control located under the sheet feeder 13. During a normal machine operating cycle,- the sheet is started along its feed path by the sheet feeder 13 and immediately checked by the sheet supervisor 14 which checks that it is correctly positioned and detects double sheets, if any. The sheet feeder 15 then feeds the sheet to the transfer cylinder 16 which delivers it to the grippers of the cylindrical platen 17.

Immediately after this point, the upper numbering

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cylinder 18 starts printing numbers on the sheet and then the lower numbering cylinder 19 starts printing too. As soon as the lower numbering cylinder 19 has finished numbering the sheet, the vision device 30 located in the service compartment 20 starts reading the printed numbers.

The computer of the optical device, which is connected to the control computer, knows exactly what sequence should be printed on the sheet. Using the optical inspection device, the system performs two types of check: a consistency check and a quality or legibility check.

The consistency check is designed to verify whether all the numbers printed on the sheet exactly match those in the set numbering sequence. Alphanumeric sequences can also be checked.

The quality or legibility check, on the other hand, ensures that all the characters making up the numbers are legible, that is to say, that the amount of ink is correct. In the event of a number whose degree of legibility is low but acceptable to within specified parameters, the system accepts it but emits a warning signal. If all the digits forming part if the number are correctly printed, the sheet proceeds along its path and is fed by the outfeed chain 21 and placed on the first outfeed pile 22 of printed sheets or on the second outfeed pile 23 of printed sheets. Before checking starts on the first sheet, a second sheet is engaged by the grippers of the cylindrical platen 17. This means that when the check on one sheet has been completed, the upper numbering cylinder 18 has already started numbering the next sheet.

During normal operation, some of the numbered sheets are fed out onto the first outfeed pile 22 while others are fed out onto the second outfeed pile 23: the criteria to be followed by the system to place the sheets on one pile or the other are ^' selected by the operator.

During start-up or during normal operation, some test sheets or rejected sheets may proceed directly to the reject station 24. As regards the operating cycle and the management of errors, it should be stressed that during checking operations, the system, as mentioned above, uses the optical inspection device to perform two types of check: a consistency check and a quality or legibility check. The consistency check is designed to verify whether all the numbers printed on the sheet exactly match those in the set numbering sequence.

In the event of one or more incorrect numbers, the system generates an error signal. This error signal is applied to the machine immediately in order to temporarily stop the sheet feeder 13 from feeding other sheets.

The incorrectly numbered sheet and all the sheets upstream of it already in the machine are directed to the test and or rejected sheet outfeed station 24. The control computer records the operations performed and, through an operator control panel, displays the reasons for the error and the exact number that each numbering unit must have in order to resume the correct sequence. When the cause of the error has been eliminated and the numbering units correctly reset, the operator can resume normal operation.

The quality or legibility check, on the other hand, ensures that all the digits making up the numbers are

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legible, that is to say, that the amount of ink is correct. In the event of a number whose degree of legibility is low but acceptable to within specified parameters, the machine accepts it but emits a warning signal.

If one or more digits in a number have insufficient ink and are therefore illegible, the system generates an error signal. This error signal is applied to the machine immediately in order to temporarily stop the sheet feeder 13 from feeding other sheets.

The control computer records the operations performed and, through an operator control panel, displays the reasons for the error and the exact number that each numbering unit must have in order to resume the correct sequence.

When the cause of the error has been eliminated and the numbering units correctly reset, the operator can resume normal operation. Low but acceptable legibility can be corrected online during normal operation using the machine's ordinary controls. The system issues a quality alarm signal to alert the operator that legibility is low.

As will be appreciated, the system described above eliminates the risk of producing large quantities of sheets with defective numbering either in terms of incorrect sequence or print quality, since the vision system of the inspection device checks the numbering online. Thus, in the event of sheets with defective numbering, the operator is no . longer required to take immediate action and the quality of the finished job no longer depends on the promptness of his/her reaction since the system according to the invention controls all the stages

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of inspection fully automatically.

It should also be stressed that although the numbering unit in the embodiment described above comprises two cylinders 18 and 19, it might also consist of a single numbering unit or more than two numbering units.

The invention is described above with reference to a preferred embodiment of it. However, it will be understood that the invention may be modified and adapted in several ways without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.