SANITIZING BANKNOTES

DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes.

Specifically, the invention proposed here relates to a device designed to check the authenticity of banknotes and completely sanitize them.

There are currently various types of devices for checking the authenticity of banknotes, provided with various electronic components designed for carrying out one or more controls on banknotes to check their authenticity.

The aforementioned electronic components may comprise, for example, UV sensors for checking the presence and the positioning of ultraviolet inks, that is, UV markings, magnetic sensors for detecting the presence and the positioning of magnetic inks and metal wires, infrared sensors for checking the presence of inks sensitive to infrared rays and sensors (normally, pulsing LED transceivers and infrared sensors) for measuring the size and/or thickness of the banknotes.

The most sophisticated devices for checking banknotes are also able to measure the reaction of the various components of the banknote to the rays of different wavelengths emitted by the device itself.

Devices are also known for the sanitisation of banknotes, which however often do not allow an effective and complete sanitization of the banknotes processed to be achieved.

The aim of the invention is to provide a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes, which is particularly effective and convenient to use.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes, which has a safe and reliable operation, avoiding the occurrence of jams in the relative operation and damage to the processed banknotes. Another aim of the invention is to provide a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes which is versatile in terms of how it is used.

A further aim of the invention is to provide a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes which is relatively inexpensive.

The specific object of the invention is therefore a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes which comprises: a container where at least one opening is defined for inserting and extracting at least one banknote; moving means for transporting, in use, within the container according to at least one advancing direction at least one banknote which is inserted in said at least one opening; sensor means which are placed in the container and configured to detect at least one characteristic of said at least one banknote and ascertain whether said at least one banknote is genuine or counterfeit based on said at least one characteristic when said at least one banknote is transported by the moving means; at least one first UVC ray emitter, or at least one first ozone lamp, arranged in the container in such a way as to irradiate and sanitize, in use, the entire lower face of said at least one banknote when said at least one banknote is transported by the moving means within the container; and at least one second UVC ray emitter, or at least one second ozone lamp, arranged in the container in such a way as to irradiate and sanitize, in use, the entire upper face of said at least one banknote when said at least one banknote is transported by the moving means within the container.

Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

Characteristics and advantages will become more obvious from the following description of preferred but not exclusive embodiments illustrated, purely by way of non-limiting example, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an axonometric view of a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the device for checking and sanitising banknotes shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a cross-section view through the line A-A indicated in Figure 1, in a first phase of the operation of the aforementioned device for checking and sanitizing banknotes;

Figure 4 is a cross-section view through the line B-B of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a cross-section view through the line A-A indicated in Figure 1, in a second phase of the operation of the aforementioned device for checking and sanitizing banknotes;

Figure 6 is a cross- section view through the line C-C of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a cross-section view through the line A-A indicated in

Figure 1, in a third phase of the operation of the aforementioned device for checking and sanitizing banknotes;

Figure 8 is a cross-section view through the line D-D of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is an axonometric view of a device for checking and sanitizing banknotes according to a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 10 is an exploded view of the device for checking and sanitising banknotes shown in Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a cross-section view through the line E-E indicated in Figure 9, in a first phase of the operation of the device for checking and sanitizing banknotes;

Figure 12 is a cross-section view through the line F-F of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a cross-section view through the line E-E indicated in Figure 9, in a second phase of the operation of the device for checking and sanitizing banknotes;

Figure 14 is a cross-section view through the line G-G of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is a cross-section view through the line E-E indicated in Figure 9, in a third phase of the operation of the device for checking and sanitizing banknotes; and

Figure 16 is a cross-section view through the line H-H indicated in Figure 15.

With reference to Figures 1-8, a first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes according to a first embodiment of the invention is indicated in its entirety with the reference numeral 1.

The first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1 comprises an outer container 2 consisting of a concave base 3, in which a compartment 4 is defined, and a lid 5, that is, a cover element, that can be coupled under pressure to said base 3 in a removable way.

The aforementioned base 3 has, preferably but not limitedly, a substantially parallelepiped shape.

An inlet opening 6 and an outlet opening 7 are formed on two opposite sides of the base 3 to allow, respectively, the insertion of banknotes S to be processed and the extraction of processed banknotes S.

Inside the base 3 there is a first conveyor system 8 arranged adjacent to the inlet opening 6 and substantially at the same height as the latter.

The first conveyor system 8 comprises a pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b, with synchronous movement, spaced apart and parallel to each other and positioned so as to be parallel to the advancement direction D of the banknotes S inside the first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1.

The conveyor belts of the pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b are wound on a first shaft 10 and a second shaft 11 mounted, parallel to each other, inside the base 3 in a rotatable way around their respective axis and in an orthogonal direction to the aforementioned advancement direction D.

The first conveyor system 8 also comprises a pair of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b, with synchronous movement, in a parallel direction to the advancement direction D of the banknotes S and arranged at the same distance existing between the lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b.

The conveyor belts of the aforementioned pair of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b are, furthermore, wound on a third shaft 13 and a fourth shaft 14 mounted, parallel to each other, inside the base 3 in a rotatable way around their respective axis and in an orthogonal direction to the advancement direction D of the banknotes S inside the device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1.

This pair of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b is arranged above the aforementioned pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b at a distance such as to allow the introduction, through the inlet opening 6, and the passage of a banknote S in fully extended configuration, in the space between them.

In particular, the two conveyor belts 12a, 12b of the aforementioned pair of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b are arranged in such positions as to match, respectively, the underlying conveyor belts 9a, 9b of the pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b.

Downstream of the first conveyor system 8, i.e. between this and the outlet opening 7, a second conveyor system 15 is provided.

The second conveyor system 15 also comprises a pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b, with synchronous movement, parallel to each other and oriented in a parallel direction to the aforementioned advancement direction D.

The lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b of the second conveyor system 15 are wound on the aforementioned second shaft 11 , in the space between the lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b of the first conveyor system 8, and on a fifth shaft 17 mounted, parallel to the second shaft 11, inside the base 3 in a rotatable manner around its axis and directed orthogonally to the advancement direction D of the banknotes S inside the device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1.

Specifically, the first shaft 10, the second shaft 11 and the fifth shaft 17 are located inside the base 3 substantially at the same height; this means that the upper surfaces of the pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b of the first conveyor system 8 and of the pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b of the second conveyor system 15 are substantially coplanar.

The second conveyor system 15 also comprises a pair of upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b, with synchronous movement, in a parallel direction to the advancement direction D of the banknotes S and arranged at the same distance existing between the respective lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b underlying them.

Furthermore, the upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b of the second conveyor system 15 are wound on the aforementioned fourth shaft 14, in the space between the upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b of the first conveyor system 8, and on a sixth shaft 19 mounted, parallel to the fourth shaft 14, inside the base 3 in a rotatable manner around its axis and directed orthogonally to the aforementioned advancement direction D of the banknotes S.

This pair of upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b of the second conveyor system 15 is arranged above the related pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b at a distance such as to allow the passage of a banknote S, in a fully extended configuration, in the space between them and the extraction of the banknote S through the outlet opening 7.

In particular, the upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b of the second conveyor system 15 are arranged in such positions as to match the underlying lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b of the same conveyor system 15, respectively.

The third shaft 13, the fourth shaft 14 and the sixth shaft 19 are located inside the base 3 substantially at the same height; this means that the lower surfaces of the pair of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b of the first conveyor system 8 and of the pair of upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b of the second conveyor system 15 are substantially coplanar.

Based on the above, the pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b and the pair of upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b of the second conveyor system 15 are staggered horizontally, according to respective horizontal axes (i.e. parallel to the conveying plane of the banknote S) orthogonal to the aforementioned advancement direction D, with respect to the pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b and the pair of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b of the first conveyor system

8.

In particular, when the banknote S is conveyed from the inlet opening 6 to the outlet opening 7 by means of the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15, the banknote S follows a path, that is, a trajectory, which is substantially rectilinear.

To drive the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15, a motor 20 is provided, arranged in proximity to the outlet opening 7 and connected, by means of a transmission belt 21, to the fifth shaft 17 to allow the rotation of this shaft on its own axis and therefore the sliding, i.e. the forward feeding according to the aforementioned advancement direction D, of the pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b of the first conveyor system 8 and of the pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b of the second conveyor system 15.

To transfer the drive from the two pairs of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b, 16a, 16b to the two pairs of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b, another transmission belt 22 is provided, mounted on the second shaft 11 and on the fourth shaft 14, so as to transmit rotation from said second shaft 11 to said fourth shaft 14 when the former rotates on its respective axis.

The transmission belt 21 can be replaced with a gear, that is, with a pair of gear wheels mutually meshed and respectively mounted on the motor shaft 20 and on the fifth shaft 17.

Similarly, the further transmission belt 22 can also be replaced with a gear, that is, with a pair of gear wheels mutually meshed and respectively mounted on the second shaft 11 and on the fourth shaft 14.

Alternatively, the further transmission belt 22 may also not be provided in the event that a pressing system is employed to push down the two pairs of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b; in this case, during the operation of the first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1, the two pairs of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b would still move together with the underlying two pairs of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b, 16a, 16b due to the friction existing between said four pairs of conveyor belts.

On the inner side of the bottom 23 of the base 3, near the inlet opening 6, a first group of sensors 24 is provided arranged at the empty space existing between the two conveyor belts of the pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b of the first conveyor system 8.

Similarly, on the inner side of the lid 5 there is a second group of sensors 25 opposite the aforementioned first group of sensors 24.

The first group of sensors 24 and the second group of sensors 25 are configured in such a way as to cooperate with each other to detect one or more characteristics of the banknote S as it passes in the space between the first group of sensors 24 and the second group of sensors 25 (see Figs. 5 and 6).

Specifically, the aforementioned characteristics are characteristics that make it possible to establish whether the S banknote is genuine or counterfeit.

The aforementioned sensors 24, 25 may comprise, for example, magnetic sensors for detecting the presence of magnetic inks and/or metal wires in the banknotes S, and/or sensors which use ultraviolet rays (UV), normally composed of a transmitter and a receiver of UV radiation, for detecting any inks with fluorescent phosphors in the banknotes T, and/or sensors which use infrared rays (IR), normally composed of a transmitter and a receiver of IR rays, for detecting in the banknotes S both the inks that reflect the infrared light and those that instead absorb said light becoming black, and/or sensors that use the reflected white light, for identifying the details of the printing not conforming to the original, and the transmitted white light for checking the presence of the normal components of the banknote S visible only with backlight.

The sensors of the first group 24 and of the second group 25 may also include detectors capable of subjecting the banknote S to a wide spectrum of electromagnetic radiation and detecting how the various components thereof react to the various wavelengths emitted, thus making it possible to accurately identify the composition of the various substances present in the banknote S itself.

The sensors of the first group 24 and of the second group 25 may also comprise devices for detecting one or more surface dimensions (for example, length, width and/or diagonal) and/or the thickness of the banknotes S, in order to check their authenticity.

On the inner side of the bottom 23 of the base 3 a first plurality of UVC ray emitters 26, i.e. ultraviolet rays of type C, is also provided, arranged in a row between the first group of sensors 24 and the outlet opening 7.

Specifically, the first plurality of UVC ray emitters 26 is arranged on said bottom 23 in such a way as to be overlain by at least a part (that is, at least one section) of the first conveyor system 8 and by at least a part (that is, at least one section) of the second conveyor system 15.

The first plurality of UVC ray emitters 26 faces the two pairs of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b, 16a, 16b in such a way as to irradiate the exposed lower surfaces of the banknotes S passing through the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15, that is, the lower surfaces of the same banknotes S not covered by said lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b, 16a, 16b.

Likewise, on the inner side of the lid 5 there is a second plurality of UVC ray emitters 27, that is, ultraviolet rays of type C, arranged in a row between the second group of sensors 25 and the edge of the lid 5 intended to reach the outlet opening 7 when the same lid 5 is coupled to the base 3.

Specifically, the second plurality of UVC ray emitters 27 is fixed on said lid 5 in such a way as to be above at least a part (that is, at least a section) of the first conveyor system 8 and at least a part (that is, at least a section) of the second conveyor system 15.

The second plurality of UVC ray emitters 27 face the two pairs of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b when the lid 5 is coupled to the base 3, in such a way as to irradiate the exposed upper surfaces of the banknotes S passing through the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15, that is, the upper surfaces of the same banknotes S not covered by said upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b.

As can be seen from the accompanying drawings, when the banknote S is transported by the first conveyor system 8 according to the advancement direction D after passing through the area affected by the first group of sensors 24 and by the second group of sensors 25, the same banknote S is irradiated, above and below, at its exposed central longitudinal strip, that is, not covered by the pair of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b and by the pair of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b.

When, on the other hand, the same banknote S is conveyed by the second conveyor system 15, it is irradiated, from above and below, at two lateral longitudinal strips (externally to the pair of upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b and to the pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b of the second conveyor system 15) and at a central longitudinal strip (comprised between the pair of upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b and the pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b of the second conveyor system 15), i.e. at the strips not covered by the pair of upper conveyor belts 18a, 18b and the pair of lower conveyor belts 16a, 16b of the second conveyor system 15 (see Figs. 7 and 8).

In order to expand on the concept explained above, the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15 are configured in such a way as to allow the transport of banknotes S from the inlet opening 6 to the outlet opening 7 by making contact with, and therefore covering, different longitudinal areas or strips of the banknotes S in such a way that during the passage of each banknote S through the first conveyor system 8 at least one upper longitudinal strip and the underlying at least one lower longitudinal strip of this banknote S are irradiated and that during its passage through the second conveyor system 15 at least all the remaining upper and lower longitudinal strips of the banknote S are irradiated, so as to obtain a total irradiation thereof, that is, of all the surfaces of the banknote S.

Optionally, a third plurality of UVC ray emitters 28 and a fourth plurality of UVC ray emitters 29 are provided on the inner faces of the two opposite sides of the base 3 not affected by the inlet opening 6 and the outlet opening 7, respectively, both facing the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15 and therefore also the side edges of the banknote S passing through them.

At the inlet opening 6 there is an inlet sensor 30 (for example a presence sensor) suitable for detecting the insertion of the banknotes S through the same inlet opening 6 and operatively connected to the motor 20, to the first group of sensors 24 and to the second group of sensors 25 and to the aforementioned four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29, so that when a banknote S is inserted through the inlet opening 6 (see Figs. 3 and 4), this inlet sensor 30 transmits a signal for automatically controlling the activation of the motor 20 and of the first group of sensors 24 and of the second group of sensors 25 and the switching on of the four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29 to carry out, in sequence, the checking of authenticity of the banknote S by means of the first group of sensors 24 and the second group of sensors 25, and the complete irradiation of the same banknote S during the relative transit from the inlet opening 6 to the outlet opening 7.

At the outlet opening 7 there is, on the other hand, an outlet sensor 31 (for example a presence sensor) designed for detecting the arrival of the banknote S at the outlet opening 7 and it is also operatively connected to the motor 20, to the first group of sensors 24 and to the second group of sensors 25 and to the aforementioned four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29, so that the same outlet sensor 31 transmits a signal for automatically controlling the deactivation of the motor 20 and of the first group of sensors 24 and of the second group of sensors 25 and the switching off of the four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29 when the banknote S reaches the outlet opening 7.

Optionally, a timer can be provided that is operatively connected to the output sensor 31 and operating in such a way as to control, in any case, the switching off of the four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29 should the output sensor 31 not detect the presence of a banknote or similar item within a certain period of time from detection by the inlet sensor 30.

Ozone lamps can be provided in place of or in addition to the first plurality of UVC ray emitters 26 and the second plurality of UVC ray emitters 27, and the possible third plurality of UVC ray emitters 28 and fourth plurality of UVC ray emitters 29.

To improve the transport of the banknotes S through the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15, it is possible to provide a pressing system (not shown in the accompanying drawings), for example a plurality of springs, acting on the two pairs of lower conveyor belts 9a, 9b, 16a, 16b and/or on the two pairs of upper conveyor belts 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b, to help the adhesion of the banknotes S to said conveyor belts and therefore their transport.

Inside the outer container 2 there is also an electronic control board for controlling and coordinating the operation of the input sensor 30, the output sensor 31 , the motor 20, the first group of sensors 24 and the second group of sensors 25 and the four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29.

For this reason, the input sensor 30, the output sensor 31, the motor 20, the first group of sensors 24 and the second group of sensors 25 and also the four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29 are electrically and operationally connected, directly or indirectly, to the aforementioned electronic control board.

According to a variant of the aforementioned first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1, the aforementioned outlet opening 7 can operate as an inlet opening for inserting banknotes S to be processed, and the aforementioned inlet opening 6 can, on the other hand, act as an outlet opening for extracting processed banknotes S.

According to this same variant, the aforementioned output sensor 31 will operate as an input sensor to detect the insertion of a banknote, while the aforementioned input sensor 30 will function as an output sensor to detect when the processed banknote reaches the opening intended to allow the extraction of the banknote.

Clearly, in this case, the inserted banknote is first sanitized by means of the aforementioned plurality of UVC ray emitters 26, 27, 28, 29 and/or the aforementioned ozone lamps and subsequently subjected to authenticity checking by means of the aforementioned first group of sensors 24 and second group of sensors 25.

According to a further technical variant of the first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1 described above, only one opening can be provided in the outer container 2 to allow both insertion and withdrawal of the banknotes; therefore, in this case, only one opening would be provided between the inlet opening 6 and the outlet opening 7.

In the latter case, each banknote, after having been inserted into the inlet and outlet opening and having been processed (that is, subjected to authenticity checking and then sanitized, or vice versa) by the device in question, would return to the same inlet and outlet opening thanks to the reversal of the motion operated by the motor 20.

With reference on the other hand to Figures 9-16, a second device for checking and sanitizing banknotes according to a second embodiment of the invention is indicated in its entirety with the reference numeral 101.

The second device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 101 comprises an outer container 102 consisting of a concave base 103, in which a compartment 104 is defined, and a lid 105, that is, a cover element, that can be coupled under pressure to the base 103 in a removable way. The aforementioned base 103 has, preferably but not limitedly, a substantially parallelepiped shape.

An inlet opening 106 and an outlet opening 107 are formed on two opposite sides of the base 103 to allow, respectively, the insertion of banknotes S’ to be processed and the extraction of processed banknotes S’.

Inside the base 103 there is a conveyor system 108 for transporting each banknote S’ from the inlet opening 106 to the outlet opening 107.

More in detail, the conveyor system 108 comprises an upper drive kinematic mechanism 108a which includes, in turn, a first upper drive roller 109, a second upper drive roller 110 and a third upper drive roller 111 mounted inside the base 103 in respective fixed positions and rotatably on themselves around respective mutually parallel and coplanar axes of rotation.

The upper drive kinematic mechanism 108a also includes a first upper transmission belt 112 for transmitting rotational motion from the first upper drive roller 109 to the second upper drive roller 110, and a second upper transmission belt 113 for transmitting rotational motion from the second upper drive roller 110 to the third upper drive roller 111.

The conveyor system 108 further comprises a lower drive kinematic mechanism 108b which includes, in turn, a first lower drive roller 114, a second lower drive roller 115 and a third lower drive roller 116 also mounted inside the base 103 in respective fixed positions, respectively below the first upper drive roller 109, the second upper drive roller 110 and the third upper drive roller 111.

The first lower drive roller 114, the second lower drive roller 115 and the third lower drive roller 116 are also rotatable on themselves about respective mutually parallel and coplanar axes of rotation.

The same lower drive kinematic mechanism 108b also includes a first lower transmission belt 117 for transmitting the rotary motion from the first lower drive roller 114 to the second lower drive roller 115, and a second lower transmission belt 118 for transmitting rotary motion from the second lower drive roller 115 to the third lower drive roller 116.

The conveyor system 108 also comprises a further transmission belt 119 for transmitting the rotary motion from the first lower drive roller 114 to the first upper drive roller 109, a motor 120 located at the outlet opening 107 and a further transmission belt 121 for transmitting the rotary motion from the motor 120 to the first lower drive roller 114 and from this to all the other components of the conveyor system 108 indicated above.

By activating the motor 120, the conveyor system 108 will then be operated in such a way as to determine the advancement of each banknote S’ from the inlet opening 106 to the outlet opening 107 according to the advancement direction D’.

The transmission belt 121 associated with the motor 120 can be replaced with a gear, that is, with a pair of gear wheels mutually meshed and respectively mounted on the shaft of the motor 120 and on the axis of the first lower drive roller 114.

Similarly, the other transmission belt 119 can also be replaced with a gear, that is, with a pair of gear wheels mutually meshed and respectively mounted on the axis of the first lower drive roller 114 and on the axis of the first upper drive roller 109.

Alternatively, this same transmission belt 119 can also be omitted in the case that a pressing system is provided to push downwards the first 109, the second 110 and the third 111 upper drive rollers; in this case, during the operation of the second device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 101, the first 109, second 110 and third 111 upper drive rollers would still move together with the underlying first 114, second 115 and third 116 lower drive rollers due to the friction existing between said six drive rollers.

Furthermore, between the upper drive kinematic mechanism 108a and the lower drive kinematic mechanism 108b a slotted upper plate 122 and a slotted lower plate 123 are provided, mounted in a fixed manner inside the base 103 and mutually opposed and spaced so as to allow the banknote S’ to pass through the space between them, preventing the banknote S’ from falling downwards.

A first opening 124, a second opening 125 and a third opening 126 are formed in the slotted upper plate 122 shaped in such a way as to allow their partial crossing, respectively, by the first upper drive roller 109, the second upper drive roller 110 and the third upper drive roller 111 so that these three rollers can come into contact with the upper surface of the banknote S’ allowing their driving and therefore the advancement according to the advancement direction D’.

Similarly, a first opening 127, a second opening 128 and a third opening 129 are also formed in the slotted lower plate 123 shaped in such a way as to allow their partial crossing, respectively, by the first lower drive roller 114, the second lower drive roller 115 and the third lower drive roller 116 so that these three rollers can come into contact with the lower surface of the banknote S’ allowing their driving and therefore the advancement according to the advancement direction D’ in cooperation with the first upper drive roller 109, the second upper drive roller 110 and the third upper drive roller 111.

Optionally, the conveyor system 108 may comprise a first plurality of upper idle rollers 130 and a second plurality of upper idle rollers 131, rotatable about themselves in an idle manner, respectively arranged between the first upper drive roller 109 and the second upper drive roller 110 and between the latter and the third upper drive roller 111, to facilitate the advancement of the banknote S’ according to the advancement direction D’.

In order to allow contact between the first 130 and the second 131 plurality of upper idle rollers and the upper surface of the banknote D’, a first plurality of openings 132 and a second plurality of openings 133 are provided in the slotted upper plate 122.

The conveyor system 108 may also comprise a first plurality of lower idle rollers 134 and a second plurality of lower idle rollers 135, rotatable about themselves in an idle manner, respectively arranged between the first lower drive roller 114 and the second lower drive roller 115 and between the latter and the third lower drive roller 116, to facilitate the advancement of the banknote S’ according to the advancement direction D’.

In order to allow contact between the first 134 and the second 135 plurality of lower idle rollers and the lower surface of the banknote D’, a first plurality of openings 136 and a second plurality of openings 137 are provided in the slotted lower plate 123.

At least one upper opening 138 between the aforementioned second opening 125 and third opening 126 of the slotted upper plate 122, and at least one lower opening 139 between the aforementioned second opening 128 and third opening 129 of the slotted lower plate 123 are also made, respectively, in the slotted upper plate 122 and in the slotted slit plate 123; wherein said at least one lower opening 139 substantially matches, in use, with the aforementioned at least one upper opening 138.

The function performed by the at least one upper opening 138 and the at least one lower opening 139 will be explained below.

First upper transversal windows 140 and second upper transversal windows 141 are also provided in the slotted upper plate 122, between the relative second opening 125 and first opening 124, each composed of three respective windows (i.e. openings) arranged side by side according to a direction substantially orthogonal to the advancement direction D’.

In particular, the three windows (i.e. openings) of the first upper transversal windows 140 are separated from each other by a first upper pair of longitudinal strips of material 142, 143, directed parallel to the advancement direction D and forming part of the same slotted upper plate 122.

The three windows (i.e. openings) of the second upper transversal windows 141 are also separated from each other by a second upper pair of longitudinal strips of material 144, 145, directed parallel to the advancement direction D and forming part of the same slotted upper plate 122.

In particular, the two strips of the second upper pair of longitudinal strips of material 144, 145 are offset with respect to the two strips of the first upper pair of longitudinal strips of material 142, 143 according to a horizontal direction orthogonal to the advancement direction D for the reasons highlighted below.

According to a variant of the invention, instead of the first upper transversal windows 140 and the second upper transversal windows 141, a first full upper transversal opening (i.e. without windows) and a second full upper transversal opening (i.e. without windows) can be respectively provided, possibly blocked by a respective plate of transparent material and of complementary shape to the relative opening, arranged flush with the latter to avoid any possible risk that the processed banknote may get stuck or entangled when passing below said first full upper transversal opening and second full upper transversal opening.

Likewise, first lower transversal windows 146 and second lower transversal windows 147 are provided in the slotted lower plate 123, between the relative second opening 128 and first opening 127, each composed of three respective windows (i.e. openings) arranged side by side according to a direction substantially orthogonal to the advancement direction D’.

In particular, the three windows (i.e. openings) of the first lower transversal windows 146 are separated from each other by a first lower pair of longitudinal strips of material 148, 149, directed parallel to the advancement direction D’ and forming part of the same slotted lower plate 123.

Similarly, the three windows (i.e. openings) of the second lower transversal windows 147 are separated from each other by a second lower pair of longitudinal strips of material 150, 151, directed parallel to the advancement direction D’ and forming part of the same slotted lower plate 123. More in detail, in use, the first lower transversal windows 146 and the second lower transversal windows 147 substantially match, respectively, the first upper transversal windows 140 and the second upper transversal windows 141.

According to a variant of the invention, instead of the first lower transversal windows 146 and the second lower transversal windows 147, a first full lower transversal opening (i.e. without windows) and a second full lower transversal opening (i.e. without windows) can be respectively provided, possibly blocked by a respective plate of transparent material and of complementary shape to the relative opening, arranged flush with the latter to avoid any possible risk that the processed banknote may get stuck or entangled when passing above said first full lower transversal opening and second full lower transversal opening.

A first group of sensors 153 arranged at the space between the second lower drive roller 115 and the third lower drive roller 116 is provided on the inner side of the bottom 152 of the base 103.

Similarly, a second group of sensors 154 opposite and facing the aforementioned first group of sensors 153 is arranged on the inner side of the lid 5, such that both these groups of sensors 153, 154 are also facing the at least one upper opening 138 and the at least one lower opening 139, thus allowing the correct transmission of signals between the aforementioned groups of sensors 153, 154.

The first group of sensors 153 and the second group of sensors 154 are configured in such a way as to cooperate with each other to detect one or more characteristics of the banknote S’ as it passes in the space between the first group of sensors 153 and the second group of sensors 154 (see Figs. 13 and 14).

Specifically, the aforementioned characteristics are characteristics that make it possible to establish whether the S’ banknote is genuine or counterfeit. With regard to the possible types of sensors which can be used for the first group of sensors 153 and the second group of sensors 154 mentioned above, reference is made to what is described above in relation to the first group of sensors 24 and the second group of sensors 25 of the first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1.

On the inner side of the bottom 152 of the base 103, at the space between the first lower drive roller 114 and the second lower drive roller 115, a first lower group of UVC ray emitters 155 are also provided, alongside each other according to a direction orthogonal to the advancement direction D’ and facing the first lower transversal windows 146 and the first upper transversal windows 140, and a second lower group of UVC ray emitters 156 are provided, alongside each other according to a direction orthogonal to the advancement direction D’ and facing the second lower transversal windows 147 and the second upper transversal windows 141.

Similarly, on the inner side of the lid 5, at the space between the first lower drive roller 114 and the second lower drive roller 115, a first upper group of UVC ray emitters 157 are provided, alongside each other according to a direction orthogonal to the advancement direction D’ and facing the first upper transversal windows 140 and the first lower transversal windows 146, and a second upper group of UVC ray emitters 158 are provided, alongside each other according to a direction orthogonal to the advancement direction D’ and facing the second upper transversal windows 141 and the second lower transversal windows 147.

For this reason, when the banknote S’ passes between the first upper transversal windows 140 and the first lower transversal windows 146, the banknote S’ is completely irradiated above and below, respectively, by the first upper group of UVC ray emitters 157 and the first lower group of UVC ray emitters 155, with the exception of two longitudinal strips of the banknote S’ corresponding to the positions of the strips of the first upper pair of longitudinal strips of material 142, 143 and of the strips of the first lower pair of longitudinal strips of material 148, 149.

These two longitudinal strips of the banknote S’ not irradiated, either above or below, during the passage in the space between the first upper group of UVC ray emitters 157 and the first lower group of UVC ray emitters 155, are irradiated, together with other already parts already irradiated of the banknote S’, by the second upper group of UVC ray emitters 158 and by the second lower group of UVC ray emitters 156 when the banknote S’ passes in the space between these two groups of emitters 158, 156.

Optionally, on the upper side of the slotted upper plate 122, at the first upper transversal windows 140 and the second upper transversal windows 141, first upper deflector elements 140’ and second upper deflector elements 141’ may be provided, respectively, to direct on the upper surface of the banknote S’ the rays emitted by the first upper group of UVC ray emitters 157 and the second upper group of UVC ray emitters 158.

Similarly, on the lower side of the slotted lower plate 123, at the first lower transversal windows 146 and the second lower transversal windows 147, first lower deflector elements 146’ and second lower deflector elements 147’ may be provided, respectively, to direct on the lower surface of the banknote S’ the rays emitted by the first lower group of UVC ray emitters 155 and the second lower group of UVC ray emitters 156.

An input sensor 159 (for example, a presence sensor) is provided at the input opening 106, designed to detect the insertion of the banknotes S’ through the input opening 106 and operatively connected to the motor 120, to the first group of sensors 153 and to the second group of sensors 154 and to the aforementioned four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158, in such a way that upon insertion of a banknote S’ through the input opening 106 (see Figs. 11 and 12) the input sensor 159 transmits at least one signal for automatically commanding the activation of the motor 20 and of the first group of sensors 153 and of the second group of sensors 154 and the switching on of the four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158 to carry out, in sequence, the checking of authenticity of the banknote S’ by means of the first group of sensors 153 and the second group of sensors 154, and the complete irradiation of the banknote S’ during the relative passage through the aforementioned four transversal windows 140, 141, 146, 147 by the four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158.

At the outlet opening 107 there is, on the other hand, an outlet sensor 160 (for example a presence sensor) designed for detecting the arrival of the banknote S’ at the outlet opening 107 and it is also operatively connected to the motor 120, to the first group of sensors 153 and to the second group of sensors 154 and to the aforementioned four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158, so that the same outlet sensor 160 transmits at least one signal for automatically controlling the deactivation of the motor 120 and of the first group of sensors 153 and of the second group of sensors 154 and the switching off of the four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158 when the banknote S’ reaches the outlet opening 107.

Inside the outer container 102 there is also an electronic control board for controlling and coordinating the operation of the input sensor 159, the output sensor 160, the motor 120, the first group of sensors 153 and the second group of sensors 154 and the four pluralities of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158.

For this reason, the input sensor 159, the output sensor 160, the motor 120, the first group of sensors 153 and the second group of sensors 154 and also the four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158 are electrically and operationally connected, directly or indirectly, to the aforementioned electronic control board.

Optionally, a timer can be provided that is operatively connected to the output sensor 160 and operating in such a way as to control, in any case, the switching off of the four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158 should the output sensor 160 not detect the presence of a banknote within a certain period of time from detection by the inlet sensor 159.

In place of or in addition to the four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158 indicated above, ozone lamps may be provided.

According to a variant of the aforementioned second device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 101, the outlet opening 107 can operate as an inlet opening for inserting banknotes S’ to be processed, and the aforementioned inlet opening 106 can, on the other hand, act as an outlet opening for extracting processed banknotes S’.

According to this same variant, the aforementioned output sensor 160 will operate as an input sensor to detect the insertion of a banknote, while the aforementioned input sensor 159 will function as an output sensor to detect when the processed banknote reaches the opening intended to allow the extraction of the banknote.

Clearly, in this case, the inserted banknote is first sanitized by means of the aforementioned four groups of UVC ray emitters 155, 156, 157, 158 and/or the aforementioned ozone lamps and subsequently subjected to authenticity checking by means of the first group of sensors 153 and the second group of sensors 154.

According to a further technical variant of the second device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 101 described above, only one opening can be provided in the outer container 102 to allow both insertion and withdrawal of the banknotes; therefore, in this case, only one opening would be provided between the inlet opening 106 and the outlet opening 107.

In the latter case, each banknote, after having been inserted into the inlet and outlet opening and having been processed (that is, subjected to authenticity checking and then sanitized, or vice versa) by the device in question, would return to the same inlet and outlet opening thanks to a reversal of the motion operated by the motor 120.

The device for checking and sanitizing banknotes according to the invention allows to operate, jointly, on each banknote to be processed, the checking of authenticity and a complete and effective sanitization, made possible thanks to the irradiation of the entire upper surface and the entire lower surface of the banknote.

Furthermore, with particular reference to the first device for checking and sanitizing banknotes 1, it should be noted that thanks to the use of the first conveyor system 8 and the second conveyor system 15 described above, any possible risk of jamming or wrinkling of the banknote during the relative transit inside the device is avoided, since during the entire transit at least one longitudinal strip (complete) of the banknote is constantly in contact, above and below, with conveyor belts.

It is understood that the above has been described by way of nonlimiting example, so that any construction variations should be considered as falling within the scope of the present technical solution, as described above and claimed below.