Cassette mounting detection apparatus and method for detecting mounting of a cassette

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9817043-B2
Application number	US-201514619789-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 11, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A cassette mounting detection apparatus may include a cassette mounting unit configured to include a plurality of slots on which a plurality of cassettes is mounted and the mounting detection circuits of the respective slots and a main control unit configured to include a plurality of signal output terminals and a plurality of voltage detection terminals and to detect that at least one of the plurality of cassettes is mounted on any of the plurality of slots based on an output signal output through at least one of the plurality of signal output terminals and cassette voltages detected through at least one of the plurality of voltage detection terminals.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cassette mounting detection apparatus, comprising:
a cassette mounting unit configured to comprise a plurality of slots on which multiple cassettes are respectively mounted, and comprising mounting detection circuits of the respective slots; and
a main control unit configured to comprise a plurality of signal output terminals and a plurality of voltage detection terminals and to detect whether a cassette of the multiple cassettes is mounted on a corresponding slot of the plurality of slots based on a cassette voltage detected through the voltage detection terminals,
wherein voltage levels of the cassette voltage vary depending on a combination of the signal output terminal and the voltage detection terminal to which the mounting detection circuit that corresponds to the slot being mounted by the cassette is connected.

2. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mounting detection circuit of each slot shares one of the signal output terminal or the voltage detection terminal along with the mounting detection circuits of other slots.

3. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the mounting detection circuits of the plurality of slots connected to the same signal output terminal are connected to different voltage detection terminals.

4. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 3 ,
wherein a maximum number of the mounting detection circuits of slots capable of being connected to one of the voltage detection terminals is identical with a number of the signal output terminals.

5. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cable configured to connect the cassette mounting unit and the main control unit,
wherein the main control unit comprises m signal output terminals and n voltage detection terminals, and the cassette mounting detection apparatus is capable of detecting a maximum of (m*n) cassettes using (m+n) cables.

6. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein a single voltage detection terminal is connected to at least one pull-down resistor, and
wherein the cassette voltage is determined at least based on a resistance value of a pull-down resistor of a voltage detection terminal to which the mounting detection circuit of each slot is connected and a resistance value of an internal resistor of the mounting detection circuit.

7. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 6 ,
wherein the resistance values of the pull-down resistor and the internal resistor are determined so that a resistance ratio calculated for each slot has a different value, and
wherein the resistance ratio is a ratio of the resistance value of the pull-down resistor to a sum of the resistance value of the pull-down resistor and the resistance value of the internal resistor.

8. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the mounting detection circuit of each slot comprises an internal resistor and a diode configured to prevent an output signal from flowing into a mounting detection circuit of another slot, and
wherein the diode is connected to the internal resistor.

9. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main control unit comprises:
a signal generation unit configured to generate an output signal and output the output signal to the cassette mounting unit through the signal output terminal;
a signal detection unit configured to detect the cassette voltage through the voltage detection terminal; and
a mounting detection unit configured to detect a slot on which a cassette has been mounted based on the detected cassette voltage,
wherein the signal generation unit outputs one of a high signal and a low signal as the output signal depending on the signal output terminal.

10. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 9 ,
wherein the signal generation unit outputs the high signal to the mounting detection circuit of a slot to be checked regarding whether a cassette has been mounted on the slot, and
wherein the mounting detection unit determines whether the cassette voltage of the slot to which the high signal has been output corresponds to a predetermined reference voltage and determines that a cassette has not been mounted on the slot if the cassette voltage is determined to correspond to the predetermined reference voltage and determines that a cassette has been mounted on the slot if the cassette voltage is determined to not correspond to the predetermined reference voltage.

11. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 9 ,
wherein the signal generation unit sequentially outputs the high signal to the plurality of signal output terminals, and
wherein the mounting detection unit detects the slot on which the cassette has been mounted based on the detected cassette voltage.

12. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the main control unit comprises:
a storage unit configured to store a cassette voltage corresponding to each slot; and
a mounting detection unit configured to compare a cassette voltage detected in response to the output signal with the cassette voltages stored in the storage unit and determine a slot on which a cassette has been mounted.

13. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the mounting detection unit determines that a cassette has not been mounted on a corresponding slot if a cassette voltage of the slot is a preset value or less.

14. The cassette mounting detection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the cassette detects a cassette voltage of a slot on which the cassette has been mounted and checks that the cassette has been mounted on which slot of among the plurality of slots of the cassette mounting unit based on the detected cassette voltage.

15. A method for detecting a mounting of a cassette, comprising:
generating an output signal;
outputting the output signal to at least one slot on which a cassette is mounted through at least one signal output terminal;
detecting a cassette voltage of a voltage detection terminal connected to the at least one slot through a cable;
comparing the detected cassette voltage with a preset cassette voltage; and
detecting a slot on which the cassette has been mounted of among a plurality of slots based on a result of the comparison;
wherein voltage levels of the cassette voltage vary depending on a combination of the signal output terminal and the voltage detection terminal to which the mounting detection circuit corresponding to the slot on which the cassette is mounted on is connected.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
determining that the cassette has been mounted on the slot on which a preset cassette voltage corresponding to the detected cassette voltage is set if the detected cassette voltage corresponds to at least one preset cassette voltage.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the outputting the output signal includes outputting a high signal to a signal output terminal connected to a slot to be checked regarding whether a cassette has been mounted on the slot.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
determining that a cassette has not been mounted on the slot if a cassette voltage of the voltage detection terminal connected to the slot corresponds to a predetermined reference voltage.

Assignees

• Lg Cns Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Hyo Wook
• Bang Young Sik

Classifications

• G01R19/1659 Primary

  to indicate that the value is within or outside a predetermined range of values (window) (G01R19/16514, G01R19/16519, G01R19/16528 and G01R19/16533 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01V3/00 Primary

  Electric or magnetic prospecting or detecting; Measuring magnetic field characteristics of the earth, e.g. declination, deviation · CPC title

• G07D11/22 Primary

  Means for sensing or detection · CPC title

• G07D13/00

  Handling of coins or of valuable papers, characterised by a combination of mechanisms not covered by a single one of groups G07D1/00 - G07D11/00 · CPC title