Devices, systems, and methods for optical validation

A currency validation (CVAL) device, comprising:

• an illumination subsystem for illuminating a currency item in a field of view, wherein the illumination subsystem has a plurality of light sources, wherein each light source has a different spectral profile;
• an imaging subsystem having an image sensor and a first optical assembly;
• and
• a processor communicatively coupled to the illumination subsystem and the imaging subsystem, wherein the processor is configured to:
• activate the plurality of light sources in the illumination subsystem in a predefined sequence to illuminate the currency item with different spectral profiles;
• control the imaging subsystem to capture a plurality of images of the currency item, wherein each image of the plurality of images is associated with an illumination of the currency item with a different spectral profile, and wherein each image of the currency item represents a spectral response of the currency item to a spectral profile of a respective light source of the plurality of light sources of the illumination subsystem;
• and
• process the plurality of images to validate the currency item in a currency validation mode, wherein the CVAL device is capable of operating in either an indicia-reading mode or the currency validation mode, and
• wherein, to adjust a mode of operation, the processor is configured to:
• analyze at least one captured image for an indicia item;
• detect the presence or absence of the indicia item within the at least one captured image;
• wherein if the indicia item is detected in the at least one captured image, operate the CVAL device in the indicia-reading mode, wherein images are automatically acquired and processed to read indicia;
• and
• wherein if the indicia item is not detected in the at least one captured image or the currency item is detected in the at least one captured image, operate the CVAL device in the currency validation mode, wherein the images are automatically acquired and processed to validate the currency item.