JP4312887B2 - Paper stack unit - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper sheet stack unit for sequentially storing paper sheets such as banknotes in a predetermined stack portion, and particularly relates to a paper sheet stack unit that can appropriately store paper sheets at high speed with a compact configuration.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, for example, in the distribution industry such as convenience stores, supermarkets, superstores, etc., it is comprehensively conducted by security companies for the purpose of ensuring the safety of automatic sales totalization, remittance, cash transport processing, reduction of total cost, etc. Managed banknote depositing devices are widely used.
[0003]
When a banknote is inserted into a banknote depositing device from a predetermined slot, the inserted banknote is first sorted into denominations, and a true / false discrimination is made by a discrimination / counting unit for each denomination. It is counted one by one. At this time, the banknote determined to be “true banknote” is sent to the stack unit through a predetermined transport path and temporarily stored therein. Moreover, the banknote determined to be a “fake banknote” or “a banknote that is significantly damaged” is discharged to the banknote reject unit. For example, the operator (user) determines whether the total amount of bills actually inserted matches the total amount counted by the device based on the display content on a predetermined display. Select switch or deposit cancellation switch is operated selectively. When the operator operates the deposit cancellation switch, the front door of the stack unit is opened, from which the operator can take out the inserted fake banknotes and the like. On the other hand, when the operator operates the deposit determination switch, the shutter plate of the stack unit and the lid of the safe unit detachably attached to the downstream side thereof are opened. The banknote temporarily stored is sent out to the safe unit for the denomination and finally stored therein. The stack unit used in such a banknote depositing apparatus is called “temporary stacker” in the field.
Thereafter, the safe unit storing the banknotes of the respective denominations is collected, for example, by a staff member of the contracted security company and is replaced with a new empty safe unit.
[0004]
By the way, as this kind of banknote depositing apparatus, there is an apparatus that sequentially transports individual banknotes in the longitudinal direction (that is, in the longitudinal direction in which the long sides of the banknotes are parallel to a predetermined transport path). As illustrated, each banknote B transported in the vertical direction in this way is introduced into the banknote guide 3 provided in the stack unit 2 and temporarily locked there after the above-described discrimination / counting process. The stack guide part 3 includes a pair of guide rails 3a as shown in the drawing parallel to the banknote transport direction, and the main function thereof is to stack each banknote B transported along the transport path as a stack part S. To prevent the banknotes B transported to the stack unit 2 via the guide rail 3 from interfering with the first banknote B that has already been temporarily stored in the stack unit 2. Example For example, each newly arrived banknote B conveyed to the stack unit 2 is first taken into the stack guide portion 3 so that both side edges of the lower surface are placed on the upper surface of the guide rail 3a. Even when there is a deformed part such as folding or cutting, each new banknote B is temporarily locked in a state of being reliably separated from the first banknote B without contacting and interfering with the first banknote B. Such a stack guide part 3 can minimize the possibility that each newly arrived banknote B will be jammed due to its fold, cut or other deformed part.
[0005]
The banknote B introduced into the stack guide portion 3 as described above is pressed on one surface (front surface or back surface) by the pusher 4 that operates via a driving means such as a solenoid, and thus is bent in an arc shape. However, it is pushed out from the bill guide with a certain degree of rigidity (waist) and is pushed against the support plate 6 biased by the spring in the stack unit 2. Such introduction and pressing operations by the stack guide portion 3 and the pusher 4 are repeated for each banknote B conveyed one by one. As a result, a plurality of banknotes B are sequentially transferred to the support plate 6 as shown in the figure. Can be temporarily stored in the stack unit 2.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the stack unit in the banknote depositing apparatus of the type as shown in FIG. 3, the pair of guide rails 3 a as the locking bodies are fixedly provided, and the banknotes are moved by the movement of the pusher 4. Since it is the structure which extrudes B to the vicinity of the support plate 6 or the banknote B temporarily stored previously, the stroke of the said pusher 4 became long, As a result, speeding-up of the process was difficult. Moreover, in order to ensure the operation space according to the said long stroke, the size of the banknote deposit apparatus was also large.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet stack unit that can appropriately store paper sheets at high speed with a compact configuration.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a paper sheet stack unit according to the present invention is provided with a stack part for temporarily storing a plurality of paper sheets in a stacked state, and immediately upstream of the stack part. An insertion pocket portion for receiving each newly arrived paper sheet conveyed along the conveyance path, and a temporary engagement in the insertion pocket portion in a state where the newly arrived paper sheet is separated from the paper sheets already stored in the stack portion. A locking body rotatable between a locking position for stopping and a release position for releasing the newly arrived paper sheet temporarily locked in the insertion pocket portion toward the stack portion. A stack guide portion, a first position for retreating from the insertion pocket portion to allow the newly arrived paper sheet to be received in the insertion pocket portion via any drive means; and the insertion pocket. A pusher member provided so as to be able to rotate between a second position for pushing the received newly arrived paper sheet toward the stack portion by entering the portion, and the pusher member via the drive means. The locking body rotates to the release position in response to the rotation to the second position, and the locking body rotates to the first position in response to the pusher member rotating to the first position. The drive means, the locking body, and a connecting mechanism that connects the pusher member so as to rotate to the locking position are provided.
[0009]
In the standby state, the pusher member is in the first position, and the locking body is in the locking position. Moreover, the said arbitrary drive means which consists of solenoids, for example is in an OFF state, for example. In this state, the paper sheet (new paper money) sent along the transport path is received in the insertion pocket portion of the stack guide portion, and temporarily locked in the pocket portion by the locking body. Thus, when the arbitrary driving means is turned on, the pusher member rotates to the second position and pushes the newly arrived paper sheet from the pocket portion toward the stack portion. Simultaneously with the rotation of the pusher member to the second position, the locking member rotates to the release position via the coupling mechanism, and opens the pocket portion with respect to the stack portion. In this way, the newly arrived paper sheet can be sent to the stack unit, and then stacked together with the first paper sheet on the stack unit. As described above, the pusher member rotates to the second position to push out the paper sheet, and at the same time, the locking body rotates to the release position to open the pocket portion with respect to the stack portion, Since the pushing operation of the paper sheet by the pusher member is facilitated and assisted, the paper sheet pushing stroke by the pusher member can be shortened, and the size of the stack unit and therefore the apparatus to which the stack unit is applied is compact ( It is possible to reduce the size) and to store paper sheets properly at a higher speed.
[0010]
Preferably, the coupling mechanism includes a coupling member that couples the driving unit and the pusher member to rotate the pusher member to the second position by a driving force of the driving unit, and the locking body. And a protrusion that pushes the locking body toward the release position in response to the pusher member rotating to the second position.
[0011]
The present invention is particularly effective when applied to a stack unit in which paper sheets are dropped from the stack guide portion to the stack portion. That is, in this case, the sheet is conveyed in the vertical direction in which the one side is in contact with the base surface of the conveyance path and the long side thereof is parallel to the conveyance path, and remains in the horizontal direction. It is received in the insertion pocket part of the stack guide part. And the said latching body consists of a pair of latching member which can be rotated in the width direction of the said paper sheet provided corresponding to the left and right longitudinal edge part of the said paper sheet, and the said pusher member is the said paper The leaf is rotatable in the longitudinal direction of the leaf, and is released toward the stack portion by the rotation of the pusher member to the second position and the rotation of the locking body to the release position. The paper sheet falls to the stack part by attractive force. With such a configuration, the size of the apparatus can be made more compact, and paper sheets can be stored in an orderly manner at a higher speed.
[0012]
Further preferably, the stack unit of the present invention further includes a pair of impellers each having a plurality of flexible blades rotating in opposite directions to each other on the downstream side of the stack guide portion. Yes. The pair of impellers rotate by rotating the pusher member to the second position and rotating the locking member to the release position via the flexible blades. The paper sheet released toward the stack part is pulled out from the insertion pocket part and fed toward the stack part. The configuration including such an impeller can further enhance the effect of the present invention when applied to a method of dropping the paper sheet as described above from the stack guide portion to the stack portion.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment described below, the principle of the present invention is applied to a stack unit of a banknote depositing apparatus.
[0014]
In this banknote depositing apparatus, when a banknote is inserted from a predetermined insertion slot, the inserted banknote has, for example, its long side (longitudinal) while its one surface (front surface or back surface) is in contact with the base surface of the transport passage. (Direction) is conveyed in the so-called “longitudinal longitudinal direction” parallel to the conveyance path. As in the prior art, the inserted banknotes are first sorted into denominations on the uppermost stream side of the transport path, and authenticity discrimination is made for each denomination and counted one by one. Banknotes determined as “true banknotes” are sent to the stack unit of the present invention through the conveyance path and temporarily stored therein, and then stored in a detachable safe for each denomination.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a stack unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the stack unit indicated as a whole by reference numeral 10, each banknote B sent along a predetermined transport path is inserted into the stack guide portion 14 of the stack unit 10 and temporarily locked there. The main function of the stack guide part 14 is to temporarily lock each banknote B conveyed along the transport path immediately upstream of the stack part S, and to the stack part S, as in the conventional case. It is to prevent interference with the first-arrival banknote B that is temporarily stored. That is, even when there is a deformed part such as a cut or a cut in the bill B, each new bill B is stacked in a state of being reliably separated from the first bill B without contacting and interfering with the first bill B. The guide portion 14 can be temporarily locked. Therefore, such a stack guide part 14 can reliably remove the possibility that a jam or the like is caused by a deformed portion such as a fold or a cut of each newly arrived bill B.
[0016]
More specifically, the stack guide portion 14 is composed of a fixed plate 15 opposed at a distance sufficiently larger than the thickness of one bill B, and a pair of left and right locking members 16 constituting a bill locking body. And these. An insertion pocket portion P for receiving the bill B is formed between the fixed plate 15 and the locking body 16. The fixed plate 15 and the locking member 16 extend in the longitudinal direction of the transport passage, and thus in the length direction of the bills B that are transported vertically along the transport passage. The pair of locking members 16 are provided corresponding to both sides (left and right side portions) in the width direction of the newly arrived banknote B, and rotate to the outside of the fixed plate 15 to move the insertion pocket portion P downstream. It is configured to open to the stack portion S on the side. Each bill B that is sent enters the insertion pocket P between the fixed plate 15 and the locking member 16 and is placed on the locking member 16. The drive mechanism 17 pushes the newly arrived bill B temporarily locked on the locking member 16 of the stack guide portion 14 from the stack guide portion 14 to the stack portion S below (downstream side). For example, a front pusher 18 and a rear pusher 19 are provided to push the front part and the rear part, respectively. Each of the pushers 18 and 19 extends generally along the longitudinal direction of the bill B, and is fixed at a rear end thereof so as to be rotatable with respect to a predetermined frame (not shown) via shafts 18a and 19a. Furthermore, it is connected to a solenoid 20 as a driving means at a location slightly spaced from the rear end side shafts 18a, 19a.
[0017]
The solenoid 20 has a piston rod 20 a that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction of the bill B. In the illustrated example, the rear end of the rear pusher 19 is directly connected to the piston rod 20 a, and the rear end of the front pusher 18 is connected to the piston rod 20 a via a connecting member 22. Thus, as the solenoid 20 is turned on and the piston rod 20a contracts and moves in the direction of arrow A, the pushers 18 and 19 rotate downward (in the direction of arrow B) about the shafts 18a and 19a. Thus, at the front end, the banknote B that has been temporarily locked on the pair of locking members 16 is pushed downward toward the stack S while being bent downward. For example, the drive mechanisms 17 may be provided symmetrically one by one on the left and right sides of the stack guide portion 14, that is, on the left and right sides of the bill B. Accordingly, the bills B may be pushed out by a total of four front and rear pushers 18 and 19 provided symmetrically by two. FIG. 1 shows only one set of the front and rear pushers 18 and 19 and the drive mechanism 17 provided in correspondence with the left and right sides of the bill B in this way. However, the number of the drive mechanism 17 and the pushers 18 and 19 may be arbitrarily selected as long as the newly arrived bill B can be reliably pushed downward toward the stack portion S. In particular, by extending the connecting member 22 in the left-right direction, a configuration including only one drive mechanism 17 can be achieved.
[0018]
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1. In particular, the front and rear pushers 18 and 19 (only the front pusher 18 is shown in FIG. 2) pushes the bill B downward, The structure for the right and left locking members 16 constituting the locking body to open outwardly to drop the bills B is shown. As shown in the figure, each locking member 16 is normally maintained at a position (banknote locking position) that is spaced apart from and parallel to the lower surfaces of the left and right side portions of the fixed plate 15. It can be placed and locked on the top surface. In addition, each locking member 16 is formed integrally with the rotating member 25 at least at a part of the outer side edge portion thereof, or is integrally connected via an appropriate connecting member. Each of the locking members 16 and the rotating member 25 is located outward from the front and rear pushers 18 and 19.
[0019]
In the example shown in FIG. 2, the left turning member 25 has a substantially L shape, and the right turning member 25 has a substantially inverted L shape. Each rotating member 25 is fixed at its upper end portion so as to be rotatable with respect to a predetermined frame (not shown) via a shaft 21. That is, both the rotating members 25 can rotate in the width direction (arrow C direction) of the fixed plate 15, and hence the bill B, via the shaft 21. In response to the pivoting of the pivoting member 25 laterally outward, the left and right locking members 16 are retracted laterally outward.
[0020]
Further, in each of the rotating members 25, it extends forward (toward the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 2) slightly inward from the shaft 21, that is, adjacent to the outer surface of the corresponding pusher 18, 19. A protrusion 25a is formed. Further, in each of the pushers 18 and 19 (in the illustrated example, only the left and right front pushers 18 are shown), the side of the rotating member 25 that extends outwardly from the outer surface is ahead of the shaft 21. A protrusion (only the protrusion 18 a of the front pusher 18 is shown in the illustrated example) is formed, and the side protrusion 18 a of each pusher 18, 19 is in contact with the protrusion 25 a of the corresponding rotating member 25. Yes. The side protrusion 18a, the protrusion 25a of the rotating member 25, and the connecting member 22 constitute a connecting mechanism.
[0021]
Furthermore, according to a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, on the right side of the stack guide portion 14 above the stack portion S, left and right rotating in opposite directions. An impeller 23 is provided. More specifically, each impeller 23 includes a plurality of blades 23a each made of a synthetic resin and having flexibility and spaced apart in the rotation direction. In the illustrated example of FIG. 2, the left impeller 23 rotates in the clockwise direction and the right impeller 23 rotates in the counterclockwise direction at all times or only when necessary. These impellers 23 are rotated by the respective blades 23a, and the stack guides are caused by the joint action of the pressing by the pushers 18 and 19 as described above and the outward rotation of the locking member 16. It acts on the upper surface of the banknote B pushed out from the part 14, the banknote B is pulled out from the pocket part P, and the banknote B can be pushed out more positively toward the stack part S.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the stack unit according to the above embodiment will be described.
As shown by the solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the standby state before the bill B is sent, the solenoid 20 of the drive mechanism 17 is in an off state, for example, and its piston rod 20a is in a fully extended state. Therefore, the front and rear pushers 18 and 19 are retreated from the insertion pocket portion so that the newly-arrived banknote B can freely enter the insertion pocket portion between the fixed plate 15 and each locking member 16. In position. Further, both the locking members 16 are maintained at the banknote locking position in a state of being separated in parallel and directly below the fixed plate 15.
[0023]
When a new banknote B enters the insertion pocket portion and is appropriately placed on the upper surfaces of both the locking members 16, the piston rods 20a contract by turning on the solenoids 20. In response to the contraction of the piston rod 20a, the pushers 18 and 19 rotate downward to the second position around the respective shafts 18a and 19a (in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1), and at the front end, the new bill B Press down. At the same time, in accordance with the downward rotation of the pushers 18 and 19, the side protrusions 18a and 19b provided on the rear end side press the protrusion 25a of the corresponding rotation member 25 downward, Thereby, the said rotation member 25 rotates to the side outward centering on the axis | shaft 21 (arrow C direction of FIG. 2). Therefore, with the rotation of the rotating member 25, both the locking members 16 are pivoted outward to the bank release position. Due to the pressing operation by the pushers 18 and 19 and the rotation of the locking member 16 laterally outward, the banknote B that has been placed on the locking members 16 until then is 14 is pushed out.
[0024]
Thus, the upper surface of the bill B pushed out of the stack guide portion 14 is also pushed by the flexible blade 23a of the rotating impeller 23. As a result, the bill B can be more reliably fed into the lower stack portion S.
[0025]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made. In the present invention, a plurality of banknotes are collectively inserted into the insertion port portion in a state where one long side of each banknote B is in contact with the bottom surface of the insertion port portion, and further, this standing state is maintained. The individual banknotes B may be applied to the stack unit in the banknote depositing apparatus of the “standing vertical direction” conveyance system in which the banknotes B are sequentially conveyed in the longitudinal direction. It will be apparent that the configuration in this case is the same as that when the sectional side view of FIG. 1 is regarded as a sectional plan view. That is, in this case, the pushers 18 and 19 rotate in the left-right direction, both the locking members 16 rotate in the vertical direction, and the banknote B is pushed out from the stack guide portion 14 toward the stack portion S on the side. It will be. In this case, the pushing out of the bills B does not use attraction, so it is an essential condition to provide the impellers 23 as described above corresponding to the upper and lower sides of the bills B.
[0026]
In the drive mechanism 17, a motor or other appropriate means may be used instead of the solenoid. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to banknotes, and may be applied to stack units for other paper sheets.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, at the same time that the pusher member rotates to the second position and pushes out the paper sheet, the locking body rotates to the bill release position and the pocket portion becomes the stack portion. In contrast, the pusher member facilitates and assists the paper sheet pushing operation by the pusher member. As a result, according to the present invention, the paper sheet extrusion stroke by the pusher member can be shortened, the size of the stack unit, and thus the apparatus to which the stack unit is applied, can be made compact, and the paper sheet can be made at a higher speed. There is an excellent effect that it can be stored in an orderly manner.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a paper sheet stack unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a stack unit in a conventional banknote deposit and withdrawal device.
[Explanation of symbols]
B Bill 14 Stack guide portion 16 Locking member P Insert pocket portion 17 Drive mechanism 18, 19 Pusher 20 Sonoid 22 Connecting member

Claims (3)

A stack part for temporarily storing a plurality of paper sheets in a stacked state; and
An insertion pocket portion that is provided immediately upstream of the stack portion and receives each newly arrived paper sheet conveyed along a predetermined conveying path, and the newly arrived paper sheet is already stored in the stack portion. A locking position for temporarily locking in the insertion pocket part in a state separated from the paper sheet, and a releasing position for releasing the newly arrived paper sheet temporarily locked in the insertion pocket part toward the stack part. A stack guide portion including a locking body rotatable between
A first position where the newly arrived paper sheet being conveyed is retracted from the insertion pocket so as to be received in the insertion pocket via an arbitrary driving means, and is received by entering the insertion pocket. A pusher member provided so as to be rotatable between a second position for pushing out the newly arrived paper sheet toward the stack portion,
As the pusher member rotates to the second position via the driving means, the locking body rotates to the release position, and the pusher member rotates to the first position. A connecting mechanism that connects the driving means, the locking body, and the pusher member so that the locking body rotates to the locking position according to the operation ;
A pair of impellers provided on the downstream side of the stack guide portion, each having a plurality of flexible blades and rotating in opposite directions, and the flexible blades are rotated by the rotation; Pulling out the paper sheet, thereby releasing the paper sheet released toward the stack portion by the rotation of the pusher member to the second position and the rotation of the locking member to the release position. A paper sheet stack unit comprising a pair of impellers for feeding toward the stack portion . The coupling mechanism is
A connecting member connecting the driving means and the pusher member so as to rotate the pusher member to the second position by the driving force of the driving means;
The pusher member is provided so as to contact a part of the locking body, and pushes the locking body to rotate to the release position in response to the pusher member rotating to the second position. The paper sheet stack unit according to claim 1, comprising a protrusion. The paper sheet is conveyed in the horizontal and vertical directions with its long side parallel to the conveyance path while one surface of the paper sheet is in contact with the base surface of the conveyance path, and the insertion pocket of the stack guide portion extends in the horizontal and vertical directions. The locking body is formed of a pair of locking members that are provided corresponding to the left and right longitudinal edges of the paper sheet and are rotatable in the width direction of the paper sheet. ,
The paper sheet released toward the stack portion by the rotation of the pusher member to the second position and the rotation of the locking body to the release position falls to the stack portion by an attractive force. The paper sheet stack unit according to claim 1, wherein the paper sheet stack unit is configured as described above.

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