Mitsubishi Electric announced today two models of contact image sensors (CIS) for the Japanese and overseas markets. Used chiefly to enable banking machines to read banknotes, these products are the first in the world to detect special luminous ink that reacts only to ultraviolet (UV) light. A recent increase in extremely sophisticated counterfeit bills have stimulated the need for countermeasures such as inscribing information on bills with special luminous ink that glows only under UV light. This light, however, damages the sensor materials and deteriorates performance, and previous CISs in banking machines had difficulty detecting special luminous ink since previous models had no UV light source.
The new Mitsubishi CISs for highly efficient banking machines detect special luminous ink and withstand long-term exposure of UV light. With a 370-nanometer wavelength light emitting diode, the new CIS products can detect information printed in special luminous ink that glows under UV light.
Sales will begin from the end of May 2008.
