| abstract |
A device and method of authenticating currency, using a currency authenticator having a plurality of sensitivity settings. Characteristic information from a bill to be authenticated is obtained using a characteristic detector, and an output signal is generated. One of a plurality of sensitivity settings is selected, and the output signal is compared to reference information associated with the selected sensitivity setting; the reference information being stored in a memory of the authenticator. The memory which stores reference information is associated with each of the sensitivity settings for each of a plurality of denominations. An indication that the bill is counterfeit is provided if the output signal does not satisfactorily compare with the reference information. |