System and method for evaluating a stream of sensor data for value documents

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9846670-B2
Application number	US-201314650816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2013
Priority date	Dec 13, 2012
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A system for evaluating a stream of sensor data formed by means of at least one sensor for a plurality of value documents includes at least two evaluation units and a data bus. Each of the evaluation units has first and second interfaces for receiving or transferring the sensor data stream with the sensor data, a third interface for receiving and transferring evaluation data, a working memory, at least one processor connected to the working memory for evaluating the sensor data in the working memory, and a relaying device connected to the first and the second interfaces and to the working memory for receiving a sensor data stream received via the first interface, at least partial relaying to the second interface and to storage of at least part of the data of the sensor data stream in the working memory, with the data bus being connected to the third interface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for evaluating a stream of sensor data that have been formed by means of at least one hardware sensor disposed within a value-document processing system for a plurality of value documents and describe physical properties of the value documents in real time, comprising at least two evaluation units and a data bus;
with each of the evaluation units having:
a first interface for receiving at least part of the sensor data stream with the sensor data;
a second interface for transferring at least part of the sensor data stream;
a working memory;
at least one processor connected to the working memory for evaluating the sensor data in the working memory to generate evaluation data;
a third interface being connected to the processor and/or the working memory; and
a relaying device connected to the first and the second interfaces and directly or indirectly to the working memory, said relaying device being configured to receive the sensor data stream received via the first interface, to at least partially relay to the second interface the received sensor data stream and to at least partially relay to the processor the received sensor data stream and/or to store the at least part of the sensor data of the received sensor data stream in the working memory;
with the data bus being connected respectively to the third interface, the third interface being configured to receive or transmit evaluation data via the data bus.

2. The evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is connected to the relaying device via a control connection in order to control it.

3. The evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the evaluation units has a fourth interface connected to the processor for transferring control data to a sensor.

4. The evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the evaluation units has a fifth interface connected to the processor and/or the working memory for receiving and/or transferring evaluation data.

5. The evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the interfaces has an attachment element for a plug connection.

6. The evaluation system according to previous claim 1 , wherein the evaluation units are identically adapted except for program code stored therein.

7. The evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein the second interface is adapted for receiving part of the sensor data stream or another sensor data stream, and the relaying device is so actuatable or programmable that sensor data received via the second interface are relayed at least partly to the processor and/or to storage in the working memory.

8. A sensor system for examining value documents having
a sensor for capturing physical properties of the value documents and forming a stream of sensor data which describe the physical properties of the value documents, and an evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor, for transferring the stream of sensor data, is connected to the first interface of a first one of the evaluation units, and the first interface of one, in each case, of the other evaluation units to a second interface of another one of the evaluation units.

9. The sensor system according to claim 8 , wherein at least two of the evaluation units are so adapted, preferably programmed, that they ascertain another value-document property, in each case, upon evaluating on the basis of the sensor data of the sensor data stream, with the value-document properties preferably being selected from the group comprising degree of soiling, damage, authenticity and value-document identifier.

10. The sensor system according to claim 8 , wherein the evaluation system has altogether N subgroups each with at least one evaluation unit, and wherein the sensor data stream successively has sensor data for consecutive value documents,
wherein the evaluation units are so adapted that the sensor data for one value document are evaluated by evaluation units of only one subgroup in each case, and preferably each subgroup evaluates the sensor data for value documents spaced by N value documents in each case.

11. A sensor system for capturing physical properties of a value document having
a first sensor for capturing first physical properties of the value document, a second sensor for capturing second physical properties of the value document, and an evaluation system according to claim 1 , wherein the first interface of a first one of the evaluation units is connected to the first sensor for transferring a first sensor data stream with first sensor data of the first sensor, and the first interface of a second one of the evaluation units to the second sensor for transferring a second sensor data stream with second sensor data of the second sensor, and at least the first evaluation unit is adapted for at least partly evaluating the sensor data of the first sensor, and at least the second evaluation unit for at least partly evaluating the sensor data of the second sensor.

12. The sensor system according to claim 11 , wherein the first physical properties are pre-specified physical properties on a first side of the value document, and the second physical properties are the pre-specified physical properties on a second side of the value document opposing the first side.

13. The sensor system according to claim 11 , which has two subsystems, with a first subsystem comprising the first one of the evaluation units and a second subsystem the second one of the evaluation units, with at least one of the subsystems having at least one further evaluation unit whose third interface is connected to the data bus and whose first interface is connected to the second interface of another or the other evaluation unit of the same subsystem.

14. The sensor system according to claim 11 , wherein the evaluation system is adapted such that the second interface is adapted for receiving part of the sensor data stream or another sensor data stream, and the relaying device is so actuatable or programmable that sensor data received via the second interface are relayed at least partly to the processor and/or to storage in the working memory, and a second interface of an evaluation unit of the first subsystem is connected to a second interface of an evaluation unit of the second subsystem, with the relaying device of the evaluation unit of the second subsystem being adapted for relaying sensor data received from the first interface to the processor and/or to storage of at least part of the sensor data of the sensor data stream in the working memory of the same evaluation unit.

15. The sensor system according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the evaluation units and at least one other one of the evaluation units are so programmed that the at least other one of the evaluation units receives evaluation data from the other one of the evaluation units, via the data bus.

16. The sensor system according to claim 8 , wherein at least one of the evaluation units and at least one other one of the evaluation units are connected via the fifth interfaces and so programmed that the at least other one of the evaluation units receives evaluation data from the other one of the evaluation units, via the fifth interfaces.

17. The sensor system according to claim 8 , which has a further sensor for capturing further physical properties of the value document, and wherein the evaluation system is adapted such that the second interface is adapted for receiving part of the sensor data stream or another sensor data stream, and the relaying device is so actuat

Assignees

• Giesecke & Devrient Gmbh
• Giesecke & Devrient Currency Technology Gmbh

Inventors

• Rohrl Wolfgang
• Hartmann Oliver

Classifications

• G06F13/4027 Primary

  using bus bridges (G06F13/4022 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G07D7/121

  Apparatus characterised by sensor details · CPC title

• G06F13/4221

  being an input/output bus, e.g. ISA bus, EISA bus, PCI bus, SCSI bus · CPC title

• G07D7/00

  Testing specially adapted to determine the identity or genuineness of valuable papers or for segregating those which are unacceptable, e.g. banknotes that are alien to a currency · CPC title

• G07D7/08

  Acoustic waves · CPC title