JP4718281B2 - Paper sheet processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing apparatus that, for example, positions a paper sheet during conveyance.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an apparatus for stacking and paying out banknotes has been provided and incorporated in an apparatus for handling banknotes such as ATM.

There are several types of banknotes, and the sizes vary depending on the type. Therefore, when processing various types of banknotes, if it is intended to hold in a cassette suitable for the size for each type, it is necessary to adjust the position in the transport path so as to enter the cassette.

As a measure for performing such position adjustment, there has been proposed a medium processing apparatus that includes a straight conveyance roller at the center of the conveyance path and a skew conveyance roller that centers the banknote (medium) on both sides thereof (patent). Reference 1).

In this medium processing apparatus, when a banknote is conveyed by a central straight conveyance roller and the banknote is centered, the straight conveyance roller is retracted to bias a skew conveyance roller (for example, the right side), and the banknote is centered. To do.

However, there is a problem in that the stability of the processing is impaired because the banknotes are released freely without contacting any of the direct conveyance rollers and the oblique conveyance rollers when centering.

If the configuration is such that the straight conveyance roller is retracted after the oblique conveyance roller is energized, there is a problem that the bills are deformed by both rollers having different rotational directions and become jammed.

Further, since the skew conveying roller biases and shifts from the middle of the banknote being conveyed, there is a problem that the shift effective length is short with respect to the length of the banknote in the conveyance direction and the shift amount is small. there were.

In addition, since one skew conveying roller is used when centering, skew may occur when centering. In other words, the skew feeding roller has an appropriate width, but when it is urged against a bill, the urging force of one of the roller ends becomes strong due to mechanical accuracy, and the pressure is concentrated at one point. Sometimes skewed.

Furthermore, since there is no configuration for monitoring the banknote state after the shift correction is executed, whether or not the shift correction has been normally performed, a circulation type input / output having a function of causing trouble during storage or redrawing the banknote once stored. In the gold processing apparatus, there has been a problem that a feeding failure occurs due to incorrect shift correction.

Further, as another prior art for adjusting the position, a technique including a swinging conveyor belt has been proposed (see Patent Document 2). However, since the swinging conveyor belt has a large mass, it is difficult to obtain an accurate shift by feedback-controlling the shift mechanism while measuring the movement of the bill during shift correction.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-194081 JP-A-5-12529

An object of this invention is to propose the paper sheet processing apparatus which can shift the position of paper sheets stably in view of the above-mentioned problem.

The present invention includes a transport unit including a transport path for transporting paper sheets, an identification unit that determines the authenticity and denomination of the transported paper sheets, a holding unit that temporarily holds the paper sheets, The sheet processing apparatus includes a shift unit that shifts a position of the sheet in the conveyance width direction, and the shift unit is provided on a conveyance path that connects the holding unit and the identification unit.

By providing the shift means, when the banknotes are withdrawn, the banknotes determined to be normal by the identification unit can be transported to the withdrawal port (or deposit / withdrawal port). Alternatively, when banknotes are stored, the banknotes determined to be normal by the identification unit can be stored in the storage cassette in an aligned state.

Due to the effect of aligning banknotes as described above, for example, even when banknotes with different banknote widths are handled by mixing, the banknotes can be stacked in an aligned state at the target location.

  In addition, by providing a position detection unit in the conveyance width direction of the paper sheet conveyed to the identification unit, the storage destination of the paper sheet is distributed based on the result detected by the detection unit. When the received banknote is temporarily received by the temporary storage unit and stored therein, the shift means performs shift correction of the banknote, and the shift correction is correctly performed by the identification unit located downstream of the conveyance path. If it is determined that the correct correction has been made and the shift is determined to be incomplete or abnormal in the money storage box, the money is stored in the collection box in order to distribute the banknotes to the recovery box. The banknotes stored in the box are in an aligned state that can be re-delivered.

  Further, since the shift means is provided in the transport path located at the uppermost part of the paper sheet processing apparatus, even if shift correction is not normally performed by the shift means, the transport banknote is jammed during transport. Even when a conveyance failure occurs, the jammed banknote can be easily removed.

  The present invention also provides a conveying means for conveying the paper sheet, and a position in the conveyance width direction of the paper sheet contacting the paper sheet by rotating the paper sheet in an oblique direction with respect to the conveying direction. Displacement means for displacing, and displacement presence / absence switching means for switching between a displacement execution state in which the displacement of the paper sheet is executed by the displacement means and a displacement non-execution state in which the displacement is not executed, the displacement means being the paper sheet At least a part of the contact portion that contacts the surface of the paper is positioned on the displacement direction side from the transporting means having a transporting force even during the displacement, and the frictional force when the displacement means is displaced with respect to the paper sheet. The paper sheet processing apparatus is set to be stronger than the frictional force of the conveying means with respect to the paper sheet.

The transport means is a transport belt provided to face a fixed plate member having a slippery surface such as a metal plate or a resin plate, and a pair of transport belts that sandwich and transport paper sheets from both sides with a transport belt provided facing each other. A belt, a plurality of conveying rollers provided opposite each other in the conveying direction, and opposed to a conveying roller pair that conveys a paper sheet by holding it from both sides, or a fixed plate member having a slippery surface such as a metal plate or a resin plate And a means for conveying paper sheets such as a plurality of conveying rollers provided in the conveying direction.
In consideration of manufacturing costs, it is desirable to use a conveyor belt, and considering stability, it is desirable to use a pair of conveyor belts.

The displacement means includes forming with one or more rotating bodies. The rotating body includes a cylindrical roller, a disk, or a belt that rotates while being stretched around a plurality of rollers.
In addition, it is desirable to use a roller or a disk from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost and miniaturization, and it is desirable to use a roller from the viewpoint of preventing damage to paper sheets.

  The displacement presence / absence switching means presses the paper sheet conveyed by the displacement means with a necessary pressure in a displacement execution state, and reduces the pressing force of the displacement means to the paper sheet in a displacement non-execution state. A configuration in which the contact is lightly made so as not to be separated from or displaced.

  The conveyance speed of the conveyance means during displacement and the rotation speed of the conveyance direction component of the rotation of the displacement means are configured to be the same speed, the rotation speed of the displacement means is configured to be higher than the conveyance speed, or displaced from the conveyance speed. Including configuring the rotational speed of the means to be low.

  When the displacement means is formed by a single rotating body, it is desirable to prevent skew by configuring the rotational speed of the conveying direction component of the rotating body and the transport speed of the transport means to be the same.

  Further, when the displacement means is formed of two or more rotating bodies, the rotational speed of the component in the transport direction of the rotating body is set to be higher than the transport speed of the transport means so that the paper sheets being transported are extracted. It is desirable to displace.

  The conveying means having the conveying force even during the displacement includes a conveying means that continues the conveying operation in the same state as or close to the normal conveying state. Accordingly, the conveying means is constituted only by the conveying means having the conveying force even during the displacement, or in addition to this, the conveying means including the conveying means having no conveying force during the displacement by retreating only during the displacement or the like. Including.

  With the above configuration, when the position of the paper sheet being transported is displaced in the transport width direction, the transport means need not be separated from the paper sheet and can be stably displaced. That is, the conveying means continues to convey, and the displacement means can forcibly displace the paper sheets with a friction force stronger than that of the conveying means only during the displacement. It is possible to prevent paper sheets from becoming unstable due to a momentary release. Accordingly, it is possible to stably perform center alignment, right alignment, left alignment, or alignment to other positions.

As an aspect of the present invention, the conveying means can be formed by a conveying belt stretched around an appropriate rotating member and a drive unit that rotationally drives the rotating member.
Thereby, conveyance of paper sheets can be stabilized more and the unintended position shift during conveyance can be prevented.

As an aspect of the present invention, the displacement means can be formed of two or more rotating bodies arranged in parallel in the transport width direction.
Thereby, it is possible to prevent the paper sheets from being skewed when the paper sheets are displaced. Note that the skew means that the direction of the paper sheets is deviated, and the paper sheets that are processed by being conveyed in parallel in a straight line with the longitudinal direction of the bills directed in the conveyance width direction are beyond the range that does not cause a problem in the processing. Say that it is leaning.

  Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the conveying means having a conveying force even when the paper sheet is displaced can be disposed between the rotating bodies arranged side by side.

  As a result, the paper sheets being conveyed by the conveying means can be forcibly displaced by the juxtaposed rotating body, and the paper sheets can be bent, bent or skewed during the displacement. Can be prevented.

  That is, since the rotating bodies arranged side by side contact the paper sheets with a stronger frictional force than the conveying means, even if the conveying means is conveying the paper sheets, the left and right rotating bodies firmly hold the paper sheets at two points. It becomes a pressed state.

  Accordingly, the paper sheet being displaced is in a state where it is pulled at two points, the position is displaced while maintaining the posture against the frictional force of the conveying means during that time, and the paper sheet is not bent or bent. Skew can also be prevented.

  Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the conveying means having a conveying force during the displacement of the paper sheet can be disposed on the opposite side of the displacement direction by the rotating body from any of the two or more rotating bodies. .

  As a result, since the paper sheets being displaced are pulled by the conveying means, the conveying means can stably displace the paper sheets without hindering the positional displacement of the paper sheets. .

  Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the conveying means having a conveying force during displacement is used as the first conveying means, and the second conveying means is provided further on the displacement direction side than the rotating body on the displacement direction side. When the paper sheet is not displaced, the pressing force against the paper sheet is increased to convey the paper sheet together with the first conveying means, and when the paper sheet is displaced, the paper sheet is pushed. A pressing force switching means for lowering the pressure so as not to prevent displacement of the paper sheets can be provided.

  In the case where the pressing force switching means is constituted by a pair of conveying belts in which the second conveying means is stretched around an appropriate roller and the conveying belts are provided facing each other, a part or all of the rollers of one conveying belt are Including moving means for moving in the opposite direction to the other conveyor belt. At this time, it includes a state in which the opposite conveying belts are in contact with each other with a small pressing force, a state in which they are in light contact with no pressing force, or a state in which they are separated.

  With the above-described configuration, it is possible to stably convey the paper sheets so that they are not skewed during conveyance by a plurality of conveyance means, and to prevent the conveyance means in the displacement direction from interfering with the position displacement at the time of position displacement. Can do.

Further, as an aspect of the present invention, the conveyor belts are set up and down, the conveyor surfaces are brought into contact with each other to form a conveyor belt pair, and two conveyor belt pairs are arranged side by side in the conveyor width direction. And a pressing force switching means for switching the pressing force of the conveying surface, and the displacement means includes four rotating body pairs each having a rotating body facing up and down, with the rotating direction inclined inward with respect to the conveying direction. In addition, for each of the conveyor belt pairs, each rotating body pair is disposed at a position where the conveying belt pair is sandwiched between the two rotating body pairs in the conveying width direction. A displacement execution state in which the upper and lower rotators are moved close to each other and the upper and lower rotators are moved close to each other, and the upper and lower rotators are separated from each other and the displacement of the sheets is not performed. It is configured to switch between execution states,
When the paper sheets approaching the right side are moved to the center, the two rotating body pairs sandwiching the right side conveyor belt pair are switched to the displacement execution state, and the pressing force of the left side conveyor belt pair is lowered and the left side is approached. In the case of bringing the paper sheets to the center, it is possible to switch the two rotating body pairs sandwiching the left conveying belt pair to the displacement execution state and reduce the pressing force of the right conveying belt pair.

  This makes it possible to stably bring the paper sheet to be transported to the center regardless of whether the paper sheet is at the left or right position.

  According to the present invention, the position of the paper sheet in the conveyance width direction can be stably displaced.

According to the present invention, the position of the paper sheet in the conveyance width direction can be stably shifted.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, a cross-sectional plan view of the upper mechanism shown in FIG. 1, a cross-sectional plan view of the lower mechanism shown in FIG. 2, a partially enlarged plan view of the lower mechanism shown in FIG. 3, a cross-sectional right side view of the transport mechanism shown in FIG. 5 and the functional arrangement of the banknote handling machine shown in FIG. 22, the banknote path diagram of each process of the banknote handling machine shown in FIG. Will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the banknote handling machine (banknote unit provided in the ATM) accepts banknotes from the outside or deposits and withdraws banknotes accumulated inside to the outside. 108 (or deposit port), an identification unit 109 for identifying the authenticity and denomination of the accepted deposited banknote or withdrawal banknote, and a temporary storage unit 110 for temporarily retaining the regular banknote identified by the identification unit And storing the deposited banknotes held in the temporary storage unit in a denomination (or batch) or feeding out the banknotes accumulated in the denomination (or batch) as a withdrawal banknote through the deposit / withdrawal port 108. If the discriminating banknote is improper or cannot be discriminated at the discriminating portion when the cassette 111 (111a to 111d) and the storage cassette 111 (111a to 111d) are withdrawn from the storage cassette 111 And a reject collection box 112 and the like to recover the bill.

And this banknote processing machine is provided with the banknote shift apparatus 1 and it arrange | positions on the conveyance path between the withdrawal port 108 (or withdrawal port) and the temporary storage part 110 as shown in figure.
FIG. 23 is a view showing the conveyance path of banknotes at the time of deposit counting processing, deposit storage processing, and withdrawal processing executed by the bill processing machine, and each processing will be described below.

  First, control at the time of deposit will be described. FIG. 23A shows a conveyance path in the counting process at the time of deposit. The banknote inserted into the deposit / withdrawal port 108 is guided to the identification unit 109, and when the identification unit 109 determines that the banknote is a regular banknote, the banknote is conveyed to the temporary storage unit 110, and the banknote is temporarily stored. If the identification unit 109 does not determine that the bill is a regular bill, the bill is returned to the deposit / withdrawal port 108. When the banknote is returned to the deposit / withdrawal port 108, it passes through the banknote shift apparatus 1, but at the time of this processing, the banknote shift apparatus 1 does not perform any operation.

  Next, the control at the time of depositing and storing the banknote temporarily held in the temporary holding unit 110 in each cassette will be described. FIG. 23 (B) shows the transport path during storage. The banknote temporarily held by the temporary storage unit 110 passes through the banknote shift device 1 and is again recognized by the identification unit 109 and then conveyed to a storage cassette disposed in the subsequent stage (lower side in the drawing). At this time, banknotes that require shift correction when the banknotes pass through the banknote shift device 1 are shift-corrected, and the identification unit 109 provided in the subsequent stage determines whether or not the shift correction has been performed normally. When the shift correction is normally performed by the identification unit 109, the banknote is stored in the storage cassette. When it is determined that the shift correction is incomplete or abnormal, the banknote is sorted by the sorting mechanism 113a and rejected. 112 is configured to perform control to be stored in 112.

Since such a structure is provided, the banknotes stored in the denomination storage box are aligned so that they can be re-delivered. Even if the banknotes to be handled are a plurality of banknotes having different banknote widths, the banknotes are stored in the storage cassette 111 (11a to 111d) in an aligned state by this function, and can be redrawn when banknotes are dispensed. I can do it. Moreover, even if it is the structure provided with the banknote shift apparatus 1 in the back | latter stage of the identification part, since there is no possibility that the function itself of the banknote shift apparatus 1 may be impaired, it does not interfere.

  Next, control at the time of banknote withdrawal will be described. FIG. 23 (C) shows the conveyance path at the time of withdrawal. The banknotes accumulated in advance in the storage cassette 111 (111a to 111d) are conveyed to the identification unit 109, and the identification unit 109 determines whether the banknotes are inappropriate or cannot be identified. When the banknote is an improper banknote or cannot be identified, the banknote is collected in the reject collection box 112 by the sorting mechanism 113b. When the banknote is a regular banknote, the banknote is transferred to the banknote shift device 1. Banknotes that require shift correction in the banknote shift device 1 are shift-corrected and conveyed to the deposit / withdrawal port 108.

In this case, it is not determined whether or not the shift correction is normally performed, but it is only transported to the deposit / withdrawal port 108 and does not need to be paid out again. Therefore, the shift correction is not normally performed. Even if it does not cause any problems.

  As described above, in disposing the banknote shift device 1 in the banknote processing machine, (1) provided in the conveyance path on the way from the temporary holding unit 110 to the identification unit 109, (2) positioned at the top of the banknote processing machine. It has a structural feature that it is provided in the conveying path.

  According to (1), the posture of the banknote is not corrected by the identification result of the identification unit 109, but is corrected by detecting the posture (displacement) of the banknote with a unique sensor as described in the banknote shift device 1 described later. Therefore, the identification unit 109 can confirm the corrected result thereafter. Thereby, it is possible to switch the storage destination, that is, the transfer destination of whether or not to reject, and even if the banknote shift 1 fails to correct the banknote, the banknote can be stored in the reject collection box 12. is there.

  Moreover, according to (2), it is possible to easily remove the jam of the banknote. While the bill shift device 1 has a function of correcting the posture of the bill, it is a complicated mechanism as will be described later. Therefore, when correction of a banknote by the said mechanism fails, banknote jam will generate | occur | produce here. Therefore, by disposing the banknote shift device 1 at the top, even if a banknote jam occurs, the attendant can easily remove the jammed banknote.

  In addition, as described above, banknote deposit processing includes deposit count and deposit storage. And the banknote shift apparatus 1 is correcting the banknote only by money_receiving | payment accommodation. Thereby, the optimal apparatus for recycling of a banknote can be provided and the banknote jam more than necessary can be avoided.

The ATM includes a control unit for performing various control processes, a touch monitor having a display function and an input operation function, a passbook processing unit for processing a passbook, a card processing unit for processing a magnetic card, authenticity determination and denomination of coins. A coin processing unit that performs discrimination, a banknote processing unit that performs banknote authenticity determination and denomination discrimination, a statement slip processing unit that issues a statement slip, a journal processing unit that records the same information as the statement slip, and communicates with the center A center communication processing unit, a remote monitoring device communication processing unit that communicates with a remote monitoring device (CRMC) to perform failure recovery, and a staff panel processing unit that allows recovery by a staff member. Moreover, you may provide the banknote shift apparatus 1 in other apparatuses which handle banknotes, such as not only an ATM (transaction processing apparatus) but a change machine, a ticket vending machine, a medal vending machine, or a goods vending machine.

As shown in FIG. 1, the banknote shift device 1 is provided with two left and right transport belts 15 and 17 (a part of the upper side is not shown). As shown in FIG. 4, the conveyor belts 15 and 17 have rollers 21 (21a, 21b), 23, 25 (25a, 25b), 27 (27a, 27n), 29 (29a) whose surfaces are formed of rubber members. 29b), 31, 33 (33a, 33b), 35 (35a, 35b), and is configured to rotate in the transport direction by obtaining the rotational force of a motor M3 (FIG. 13) described later. Yes.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, each roller is provided in a bilaterally symmetrical manner by being rotatably attached to a shaft or the like as appropriate. That is, the rollers 21a and 21b are provided on the shaft 22 as shown in FIG. The rollers 25 a and 25 b are provided on the shaft 26. The rollers 33 a and 33 b are provided on the shaft 34. The rollers 35 a and 35 b are provided on the shaft 36. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the rollers 23 and 23 are provided on the shaft 24. The rollers 31 and 31 are provided on the shaft 32.

The rollers 27a and 27b and the rollers 29a and 29b are directly attached to the casing so as to freely rotate as shown by the shaded lines in FIG. More specifically, the casing is provided with a cover (not shown) for forming a conveyance path by opening holes in necessary portions such as the conveyance belts 15 and 17 and various sensors (detection means). Rollers 27a and 27b and rollers 29a and 29b are attached to this cover.

These rollers 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, and 35 are provided with their positions fixed so as to rotate at fixed positions. As shown in FIG. 4, the roller 27 and the roller 29 are horizontally provided so as to have the same height. Further, the roller 25 and the roller 33 are provided horizontally so as to have the same height, and the rollers 25 and 33 are provided with a step so as to be slightly lower than the height of the rollers 27 and 29.

Further, the upper mechanism shown in FIG. 1 includes a skew execution roller 43 (43a, 43b) and a skew execution roller 47 (47a, 47b) whose surface is formed of a rubber member.

The skew execution roller 43 is rotatably provided at the tip of each arm 42 (42a, 42b) fixed to the shaft 41. The skew execution roller 43 is positioned so as to be lateral to the roller 27, and the discharge side (downward in FIG. 1) is on the inner side (FIG. 1) with respect to the transport direction (from top to bottom in FIG. 1). In this case, the rotation direction is inclined so as to be on the left side. The inclinations of the two skew execution rollers 43a and 43b are set to the same angle, and the rotation directions of both are parallel.

Further, the skew running rollers 43a and 43b are arranged side by side so as to sandwich the left and right sides of the right conveyance belt 17. A solenoid S2 is connected to the shaft 41. As a result, the solenoids S2 are configured to simultaneously move the arms 42 and 42 in the vertical direction in conjunction with each other by the same distance, thereby causing the skew execution roller 43 to simultaneously move in the vertical direction in conjunction with the same distance.

The skew execution roller 47 is provided at the tip of an arm 46 (46a, 46b) fixed to the shaft 45 so as to freely rotate. The skew execution roller 47 is positioned so as to be lateral to the roller 29, and the discharge side (downward in FIG. 1) is on the inner side (FIG. 1) with respect to the transport direction (from top to bottom in FIG. 1). In the right side), the rotation direction is inclined. The inclinations of the two skew execution rollers 47a and 47b are set to the same angle, and the rotation directions of both are parallel.

Further, the skew running rollers 47a and 47b are arranged side by side so as to sandwich the left and right sides of the left conveyor belt 15. A solenoid S1 is connected to the shaft 45. As a result, the solenoids S1 simultaneously move the arms 46 and 46 in the vertical direction in conjunction with each other by the same distance, thereby causing the skew running rollers 47a and 47b to simultaneously move in the same distance and up and down. Yes.

In the position above the conveyance path of the upper mechanism, the bill detection LED 11a, the skew detection LED 12a, and the shift execution light projecting units (61a, 62a, 66a, 67a), a left shift end LED group 68a and a right shift end LED group 63a are provided in this order.

The shift execution light projecting unit includes a right shift start LED group 61a and a left shift start LED group 66a symmetrically in the vicinity of the side wall of the conveyance path, and a left shift stop LED group 62a and a right shift inside thereof. The stop LED groups 67a are provided symmetrically and are arranged in a horizontal row.

The right shift start LED group 61a and the left shift stop LED group 62a are provided on the left side of the transport path, and the right shift stop LED group 67a and the left shift start LED group 66a are paired on the right side of the transport path. The right shift start LED group 61a, the left shift stop LED group 62a, the left shift start LED group 66a, and the right shift stop LED group 67a all have three LEDs arranged side by side. Forming.

The left shift end LED group 68a is disposed at the right lateral position of the skew execution roller 43, and three LEDs are arranged side by side in the same position as the left displacement start LED group 66a in the transport width direction. Formed.

The right shift end LED group 63a is disposed at the left lateral position of the skew execution roller 47, and three LEDs are arranged side by side in the same position as the right displacement start LED group 61a in the conveyance width direction. Formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower mechanism of the banknote shift device 1 includes two left and right conveying belts 16 and 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the conveyor belts 16 and 18 have rollers 71 (71a, 71b), 73, 75 (75a, 75b), 77 (77a, 77b), 79 (79a) whose surfaces are formed of rubber members. 79b), 81, 83 (83a, 83b), 85, and is configured to rotate in the transport direction by obtaining the rotational force of a motor M4 (FIG. 13) described later.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, each roller is provided in a bilaterally symmetrical manner by being rotatably attached to a shaft or the like as appropriate. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the rollers 71 a and 71 b are provided on the shaft 72. The rollers 75 a and 75 b are provided on the shaft 76. The rollers 77a and 77b are provided on the shaft 78. The rollers 79a and 79b are provided on the shaft 80. The rollers 83 a and 83 b are provided on the shaft 84. As shown in FIG. 4, the rollers 73 and 73 are provided on the shaft 74. The rollers 81 and 81 are provided on the shaft 82. The rollers 85 and 85 are provided on the shaft 86.

The rollers 71, 73, 81, 83, and 85 are provided with their positions fixed so as to rotate at fixed positions. The rollers 75, 77, and 79 are configured such that the height can be changed by the same distance at the same time by tilting the shafts 76, 78, and 80 connected to the coupling guide 122 as will be described later, and the rollers 75, 77, and 79 function as vertical movement rollers. . Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the rollers 75, 77, 79 are provided in parallel so as to have the same height.

In this embodiment, the connection guide 122 is provided with three rows of rollers 75, 77, and 79. However, the connection guide 122 is constituted by two or more rows, such as two rows or four or more rows. May be.

As shown in the enlarged plan view of FIG. 3, the lower mechanism is provided with skew feeding rollers 93 (93a, 93b) and skew feeding rollers 97 (97a, 97b) whose surfaces are formed of rubber members. .

The skew conveying rollers 93 a and 93 b are arranged in parallel on the left and right of the conveying belt 18, and gears 94 and 94 inserted into the respective rotating shafts are connected via a gear 85. A rotation shaft 91 is connected to the rotation shaft of the left skew conveying roller 93a via screw gears 92 and 92. Thus, in response to the rotational force of a motor M1 (FIG. 13), which will be described later, connected to the rotary shaft 91, the skew conveying rollers 93a and 93b are simultaneously rotated in the same direction at the same speed.

The rotational speeds of the skew conveying rollers 93a and 93b are set to be faster than the rotational speeds of the conveying belts 15, 16, 17, and 18 and are shifted so as to remove the bills being conveyed.

The skew conveying rollers 97 a and 97 b are arranged side by side on the left and right of the conveying belt 16, and gears 98 and 98 inserted on the respective rotation shafts are connected via a gear 99. A rotating shaft 96 is connected to the rotating shaft of the right skew conveying roller 97b via screw gears 100,100. Thus, in response to the rotational force of a motor M2 (FIG. 13), which will be described later, connected to the rotary shaft 96, the skew conveying rollers 97a and 97b are simultaneously rotated at the same speed in the same direction.

The rotational speeds of the skew conveying rollers 97a and 97b are set to be faster than the rotational speeds of the conveyor belts 15, 16, 17, and 18, and are shifted so as to remove the bills being conveyed.

As shown in FIG. 5, the skew feeding roller 93 is provided so as to face a position below the skew feeding roller 43. Similarly, the skew feeding roller 97 is provided so as to face the lower position of the skew running roller 47.

Note that the skew feeding rollers 43 and 47 and the skew feeding rollers 93 and 97 described above are configured so that the frictional force between the banknotes during the skew feeding is the frictional force between the transport belts 15 and 17 and the banknotes generated by the transport belts 16 and 18. It is configured to be stronger.

In this configuration, a material having a higher friction coefficient than the conveyor belts 15, 17, 16, 18 is used as the surface material of the skew feeding rollers 43, 47 and the skew conveying rollers 93, 97, or the conveyor belts 15, 17 are used. , 16, and 18 to increase the pressing force for sandwiching the banknotes by the skew running rollers 43 and 47 and the skew feeding rollers 93 and 97, or to increase the friction coefficient and the pressing force. It would be better to do both things.

As shown in FIG. 2, the billet detecting phototransistor 11b, the skew detecting phototransistor 12b, and the skew detecting phototransistor 12b The shift execution light receiving section (61b, 62b, 66b, 67b) and the left shift end phototransistor groups 68b, 63b are provided in this order.

The shift execution light-receiving unit includes a right shift start phototransistor group 61b and a left shift start phototransistor group 66b symmetrically in the vicinity of the side wall of the transport path, and a left shift stop phototransistor group 62b inside thereof. The right shift stop phototransistor group 67b is provided symmetrically, and these are arranged in a horizontal row.

The right shift start phototransistor group 61b and the left shift stop phototransistor group 62b are provided on the left side of the transport path, and the right shift stop phototransistor group 67b and the left shift start phototransistor group 66b are paired. The right shift start phototransistor group 61b, the left shift stop phototransistor group 62b, the left shift start phototransistor group 66b, and the right shift stop phototransistor group 67b, which are provided on the right side of the conveyance path, are all three photo Transistors are formed side by side in parallel.

The left shift end phototransistor group 68b is disposed at the right lateral position of the skew conveying roller 93, and the three phototransistors are arranged side by side at the same position as the left shift start phototransistor group 66b in the transport width direction. They are formed side by side.

The right shift end phototransistor group 63b is disposed at the left lateral position of the skew conveying roller 97, and the three phototransistors are arranged side by side at the same position as the right shift start phototransistor group 61b in the transport width direction. They are formed side by side.

With the above configuration, paper sheets can be sandwiched and transported between the transport belt 15 and the transport belt 16, and the transport belt 17 and the transport belt 18. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, since the heights of the vertices of the rollers 75, 77, 79 are slightly higher than the height of the bottom surfaces of the rollers 27, 29, the transport belts 15, 17 and the transport belt 16 , 18 are slightly waved in contact with each other, and a sufficient pressing force is obtained at the contact portion.

Accordingly, it is possible to securely hold the banknotes to be transported, and it is possible to stably transport the banknotes to be transported stably at a high speed so that the banknotes to be transported cannot be seen with an ordinary human eye and the afterimage can be barely recognized.

Further, since the skew execution rollers 43 and 47 can be moved up and down, when the banknote to be conveyed is skewed and the lateral position is shifted, either the skew execution roller 43 or the skew execution roller 47 is used. Can be moved downward and pressed against the opposing skew feeding roller 93 or the skew feeding roller 97 to be biased.

As a result, the banknotes are held between the skew running rollers 43 and 47 and the skew feeding rollers 93 and 97 having a stronger frictional force than the transport belts 15, 16, 17 and 18, and the banknotes are skewed and transported as described later. In addition, the lateral position can be shifted.

Note that the distance between the rollers 25, 77, 29, 79, 33 is shorter than or closer to the length in the conveyance direction of the smallest banknote to be processed (that is, the length in the short side direction of the banknote). It is preferable to set to.

Next, together with the right side view shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and the front view shown in FIG. 8, the shafts 76, 78, and 80 are switched between the horizontal state and the inclined state to hold the banknotes of the transport belts 15, 16, 17, and 18. The structure of the belt inclination drive part 90 which changes force is demonstrated.

FIG. 6 shows the shape of the belt tilt drive unit 90 provided on the right side of the banknote shift device 1 in the shift non-execution state, and the shafts 76, 78, and 80 can be moved up and down while regulating the left and right. In this manner, the end is inserted into the lower portion of the drive plate 118 through the vertically long hole 120.

A pivot shaft 117 is attached to the central portion of the drive plate 118, and the pivot shaft 117 is pivotally attached to the connection guide 122.

A U-shaped groove 116 is provided on the upper portion of the drive plate 118, and a pivot 113 provided on the lower left portion of the drive plate 111 is engaged with the groove 116.

The lower part of the drive plate 111 is pivotally attached to the pivot 117, and the upper part of the drive plate 111 is inserted through shafts 41, 45, 49 (FIGS. 1 and 6), respectively.

The drive plate 111 to which the shaft 41 is inserted has a solenoid coupling plate 126 fixed and connected to the upper part.

A connection plate 125 that connects the solenoid S3 to the helical spring 128 is connected to the upper part of the solenoid coupling plate 126 by a pivot 127.

With the above configuration, while the solenoid S3 is powered off, the solenoid coupling plate 126 and the drive plate 111 are slightly rotated in the clockwise direction in the figure by the elastic force of the helical spring 128 with the shafts 41, 45, 49 as pivots. Stop at position. Accordingly, the drive plate 118 stops at a position slightly rotated counterclockwise, and the shafts 76, 78, and 80 stop at the upper position.

When the solenoid S3 is turned on, the solenoid coupling plate 126 and the drive plate 111 rotate counterclockwise about the shafts 41, 45, and 49 as shown in the belt tilt drive unit 90 in the shift execution state shown in FIG. Turn slightly. Accordingly, the drive plate 118 is slightly rotated clockwise, and the shafts 76, 78, and 80 are stopped at the lower position.

The belt inclination driving unit 90 is provided symmetrically on both ends of the shafts 76, 78, and 80. Accordingly, in the normal transport state, the banknotes are transported so that the shafts 76, 78, and 80 are positioned at the upper positions of both the belt tilt driving units 90.

When shifting is performed, the solenoid of one belt inclination driving unit 90 is turned on, and one end of the shafts 76, 78, 80 is moved downward as shown in the front view of FIG. 78, 80 are inclined.

As a result, of the rollers 75, 77, 79 provided on the shafts 76, 78, 80, the rollers 75b, 77b, 79b (FIG. 2) provided on the side moved downward (right side in the illustrated example) are lowered. The position of the conveyor belt stretched on the lower side is also lowered.

More specifically, in a normal state in which both ends of the shafts 76, 78, 80 are moved upward, as shown in the right side view of FIG. 9A, among the conveyor belts 17, 18, the rollers 25b, 27b, 29b. The portions stretched by the rollers 75b, 77b, and 79b are in a state of being waved by these rollers.

That is, in this state, as shown in the enlarged right side view of FIG. 10A (A), from the position of the lowermost point of the rollers 25b, 27b, 29b from the position below the thickness of the conveyor belts 17, 18, The position of the uppermost point of the rollers 75b, 77b, 79b is located above.

For this reason, the conveyor belts 17 and 18 are slightly bent by the rollers 25b, 27b, and 29b and the rollers 75b, 77b, and 79b, and the tension of the conveyor belts 17 and 18 is applied to the bent portions to securely hold the banknotes. Can be pressed and conveyed.

From this state, as described above, when one end of the shafts 76, 78, and 80, in this example, the short part on the right side, is moved downward, as shown in the right side view of FIG. The rollers 75b, 77b, and 79b are lowered downward, and the conveying belts 17 and 18 between the rollers 25b and 33b are straightened.

In other words, in this state, as shown in the enlarged right side view of FIG. 10B, the rollers 75b, 75b, The positions of the uppermost points 77b and 79b are located below.

For this reason, although the conveyance belts 17 and 18 between the rollers 25b and 33b are in contact with each other, there is no portion bent by the rollers in the middle, and there is no portion where the tension of the belts 17 and 18 is strongly applied. . Accordingly, the paper sheets sandwiched between the conveyor belts 17 and 18 can be freely moved in the horizontal direction between the rollers 25b and 33b with a small force.

In this manner, the shafts 76, 78, and 80 are inclined at the upper position, in the state inclined to the lower right, and to the lower left by the belt inclination driving units 90 provided on the left and right sides of the banknote shift device 1. It is possible to switch to three states.

In addition, the arrow in FIG. 9 has shown the conveyance direction of the banknote. Further, the left rollers 75a, 77a, 79a and the left conveyor belts 15, 16 are not shown.

With the above configuration, the bills can be stably transported by the transport belts 15, 16, 17, and 18 when the bills are transported. When banknotes are shifted, the shafts 76, 78, and 80 can be inclined to move any one of the vertically movable rollers 75a, 77a, and 79a or the rollers 75b, 77b, and 79b downward. Thereby, it is possible to loosen the pressing force of one of the shift-side transport belts 15 and 16 or the transport belts 17 and 18 so as not to prevent the shift.

Further, the rollers 75a, 77a, 79a or the rollers 75b, 77b, 79b on the side not to be moved downward also move slightly downward due to the inclination of the shafts 76, 78, 80. However, since the conveyor belts 15 and 16 or the conveyor belts 17 and 18 are still in a wavy state, the pressing force is slightly weaker than that in the normal state, but has a sufficient pressing force for transporting and can transport bills. . At this time, the pressing force is slightly reduced while having a conveying force, thereby facilitating shifting.

Next, with reference to the explanatory diagram shown in FIG. 11, the structure of the skew feeding rollers 43 and 47 for shifting the position of banknotes will be described.

In the normal conveyance state, as shown in the enlarged right side view of FIG. 5A, the arms 42 and 46 are in a horizontal state and lift the skew execution rollers 43 and 47 to the upper position. This lifting is realized by pulling up the solenoids S1 and S2 (FIG. 1) with the elastic force of an appropriate spring.

When the right banknote is brought to the center, as shown in (B), the skew execution roller 43 sandwiching the right conveyor belts 17 and 18 is lowered to a lower position. This operation is performed by slightly turning the arm 42 by turning on the solenoid S2 (FIG. 1).

At this time, the above-described shafts 76, 78, 80 are inclined downwardly to the left, and the conveyance belts 17, 18 shown in FIG. The belts 15 and 16 are in a horizontal state.

When the left banknote is brought to the center, as shown in (C), the skew execution roller 47 sandwiching the left conveyor belts 15 and 16 is lowered to a lower position. This operation is performed by slightly turning the arm 46 by turning on the solenoid S1 (FIG. 1).

At this time, the above-described shafts 76, 78, and 80 are inclined downwardly to the right, the illustrated transport belts 17 and 18 are in a horizontal state, and the transport belts 15 and 16 that are not illustrated are in a normal transport state. It is almost the same undulating state.

With the above structure, it is possible to bring small banknotes leaning to the left and right into the center and appropriately store them in a small-sized cassette.

Next, the relationship between the sensor position and the cassette size will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram shown in FIG.

In this figure, the # 9 cassette which is the smallest cassette and the # 8 cassette which is the next smallest cassette, the small size right shift start sensor 613, the small size left shift stop sensor 623 corresponding thereto, The relationship between the size right shift stop sensor 673 and the small size left shift start sensor 663 will be described.

Here, the small-size right shift start sensor 613 includes three right side LEDs as a right shift start LED group 61a (FIG. 1), and a right shift start phototransistor group 61b (FIG. 2). As a phototransistor at the right end of the LED provided side by side.

The small-size left shift stop sensor 623 includes three LEDs as the left shift stop LED group 62a (FIG. 1) and the rightmost LED of the LEDs provided side by side, and the left shift stop phototransistor group 62b (FIG. 2). It is composed of a phototransistor at the right end of the LED provided side by side.

The small size right shift stop sensor 673 includes three right side LEDs as a right shift stop LED group 67a (FIG. 1) and three right side stop phototransistor groups 67b (FIG. 2). It is composed of a phototransistor at the right end of the LED provided side by side.

The small-size left shift start sensor 663 includes three LEDs as the left shift start LED group 66a (FIG. 1), the rightmost LED of the LEDs provided side by side, and the left shift start phototransistor group 66b (FIG. 2). It is composed of a phototransistor at the right end of the LED provided side by side.

Cmax is the distance from the left end of the bill position range assuming centering to the small size right shift stop sensor 673 (same as the distance from the right end of the bill position range to the small size left shift stop sensor 623), This Cmax is set slightly smaller than the width of the # 9 cassette.

The banknote position range is set to be the same as or slightly wider than the width of the banknote discharge port of the temporary storage unit, and is set to be narrower than the transport frame width of the banknote shift device 1. This is because a margin is provided in the transport frame width, but the position of the banknote released from the temporary storage section is transported without shifting, so that it falls within the banknote position range. .

The distance from the small size right shift start sensor 613 to the small size right shift stop sensor 673 (same as the distance from the small size left shift start sensor 663 to the small size left shift stop sensor 623) is defined as Bmax. Is set slightly narrower than Cmax.

The Bmax is set slightly longer than the length in the longitudinal direction of the type of bills stored in the # 8 cassette which is the larger cassette.

The small size right shift start sensor 613 and the small size left shift start sensor 663 are provided slightly outside the positions of both side ends of the larger cassette # 8. The shift distance may be adjusted by providing it at the same position as the inner width position of the # 8 cassette or by providing it slightly inside.

The small-size left shift stop sensor 623 and the small-size right shift stop sensor 673 are provided on the inner side of the positions on both sides of the # 9 cassette, which is a small cassette.

With the above position setting, the small size right shift start sensor 613, the small size left shift stop sensor 623, the small size right shift stop sensor 673, and the small size left shift start sensor 663 are stored. It becomes possible to securely store banknotes in the intended # 9 cassette and # 9 cassette.

That is, the small size right shift start sensor 613 is ON, the small size left shift stop sensor 623 is ON, the small size right shift stop sensor 673 is OFF, and the small size left displacement start sensor 663 is OFF. Then, it can be understood that the size is stored in the # 8 cassette or the # 9 cassette, and can be right-justified and centered.

Similarly, the small size left shift start sensor 663 is ON, the small size right shift stop sensor 673 is ON, the small size left shift stop sensor 623 is OFF, and the small size right shift start sensor 613 is OFF. Then, it can be understood that the size is stored in the # 8 cassette or the # 9 cassette, and can be left-justified and centered.

If the ON / OFF status of each sensor is a pattern other than this, the banknote is a banknote or state that is not a center-aligned object, such as a large banknote or a banknote skewed. do not do. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the banknotes in an abnormal state from being centered and causing clogging.

Next, the structure of the banknote shift apparatus 1 is demonstrated with the block diagram shown in FIG. The banknote shift device 1 is connected to the control unit 10 to detect a bill interval sensor 11, a skew detection sensor 12, a right shift start sensor 61, a left shift stop sensor 62, a right shift end sensor 63, and a left shift start sensor. A sensor 66, a right shift stop sensor 67, a left shift end sensor 68, solenoids S1 to S4, and motors M1 to M4 are provided.

The control unit 10 includes a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and executes various control operations. As this control operation, the conveyance speed of the banknotes by the conveyor belts 15, 16, 17, and 18 is set to about 7 seconds when there is no banknote that needs to be centered in the temporary storage part, and the centering of the temporary storage part is necessary. When there is a correct bill, control is performed to reduce the transport speed as about 5 sheets per second.

The bill detection sensor 11 includes a bill detection LED 11a (FIG. 1) and a bill detection phototransistor 11b (FIG. 2). The inter-tag detection LED 11a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the inter-card detection phototransistor 11b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The skew detection sensor 12 includes a skew detection LED 12a (FIG. 1) and a skew detection phototransistor 12b (FIG. 2). The skew detection LED 12a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the skew detection phototransistor 12b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The right shift start sensor 61 is a right shift start LED group 61a (FIG. 1) formed by three LEDs arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and a right shift start sensor formed by three phototransistors arranged in the horizontal direction. The phototransistor group 61b (FIG. 2) is used.

Each LED and one phototransistor correspond to each other, and the small size right shift start sensor 613 (FIG. 12), the medium size right shift start sensor 612 (FIG. 16), and the large size right are sequentially arranged from the inside of the conveyance path. The shift start sensor 611 (FIG. 16) is configured.

The right shift start LED group 61a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the right shift start phototransistor group 61b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The left shift stop sensor 62 includes a left shift stop LED group 62a (FIG. 1) formed by three LEDs arranged in the horizontal direction and a left shift stop sensor formed by three phototransistors arranged in the horizontal direction. The phototransistor group 62b (FIG. 2) is used.

Each LED and one phototransistor correspond to each other, and the small size left shift stop sensor 623 (FIG. 12), the medium size left shift stop sensor 622 (FIG. 16), and the large size left are sequentially arranged from the inside of the conveyance path. The shift stop sensor 621 (FIG. 16) is configured.

The left shift stop LED group 62a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the left shift stop phototransistor group 62b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The right shift end sensor 63 includes a right shift end LED group 63a (FIG. 1) formed by three LEDs arranged in the horizontal direction and a right shift end sensor formed by three phototransistors arranged in the horizontal direction. The phototransistor group 63b (FIG. 2) is used.

Each LED and one phototransistor correspond to each other, and the small size right shift end sensor 633 (FIG. 16), the middle size right shift end sensor 632 (FIG. 16), and the large size right side in order from the inside of the transport path. The shift end sensor 631 (FIG. 16) is configured.

The right shift end LED group 63a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the right shift end phototransistor group 63b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The left shift start sensor 66 includes a left shift start LED group 66a (FIG. 1) formed by three LEDs arranged in the horizontal direction and a left shift start sensor formed by three phototransistors arranged in the horizontal direction. The phototransistor group 66b (FIG. 2) is used.

Each LED and one phototransistor correspond to each other, and the small size left shift start sensor 663 (FIG. 12), the medium size left shift start sensor 662 (FIG. 16), and the large size left are sequentially arranged from the inside of the conveyance path. The shift start sensor 661 (FIG. 16) is configured.

The left shift start LED group 66a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the left shift start phototransistor group 66b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The right shift stop sensor 67 is a right shift stop LED group 67a (FIG. 1) formed by three LEDs arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and a right shift stop sensor formed by three phototransistors arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The phototransistor group 67b (FIG. 2) is used.

Each LED and one phototransistor correspond to each other. Small size right shift stop sensor 673 (FIG. 12) and medium size right shift stop sensor 672 (FIG. 16) reference number: O63459 Application No. 2004-266241 Date of submission: September 14, 2004 14, and large size right shift stop sensor 671 (FIG. 16).

The right shift stop LED group 67a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the right shift stop phototransistor group 67b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The left shift end sensor 68 is a left shift end LED group 68a (FIG. 1) formed by three LEDs arranged side by side in the horizontal direction and a left shift end sensor formed by three phototransistors arranged side by side in the horizontal direction. The phototransistor group 68b (FIG. 2) is used.

Each LED and one phototransistor correspond to each other, and the small size left shift end sensor 683 (FIG. 16), the medium size left shift end sensor 682 (FIG. 16), and the large size left are sequentially arranged from the inside of the conveyance path. The shift end sensor 681 (FIG. 16) is configured.

The left shift end LED group 68a emits light according to the light projection signal from the control unit 10, the left shift end phototransistor group 68b detects the light projection, and transmits the detection signal to the control unit.

The solenoid S1 is a driving unit that moves the skew execution roller 47 (FIG. 11) up and down, and is turned ON / OFF by a drive signal from the control unit 10.

The solenoid S2 is a drive unit that moves the skew execution roller 43 (FIG. 11) up and down, and is driven ON / OFF by a drive signal from the control unit 10.

The solenoid S3 is a drive unit that lowers the shafts 76, 78, and 80 (FIG. 11) to the right, and is turned ON / OFF by a drive signal from the control unit 10.

The solenoid S4 is a driving means that lowers the shafts 76, 78, and 80 (FIG. 11) to the left, and is turned ON / OFF by a drive signal from the control unit 10.

The motor M1 is a driving unit that rotationally drives the skew conveying roller 93 (FIG. 2), and is rotated / stopped by a driving signal from the control unit 10.
The motor M2 is a driving unit that rotationally drives the skew conveying roller 97 (FIG. 2), and is rotated / stopped by a driving signal from the control unit 10.

The motor M3 is a driving unit that rotationally drives the conveyor belts 15 and 17 (FIG. 1), and is rotated / stopped by a driving signal from the control unit 10.
The motor M4 is a driving unit that rotationally drives the conveyor belts 16 and 18 (FIG. 2), and is rotated / stopped by a driving signal from the control unit 10.

With the above configuration, banknotes can be transported by the transport belts 15, 16, 17, and 18. Further, it is possible to determine whether the center shift is necessary by the right shift start sensor 61, the left shift stop sensor 62, the left shift start sensor 66, and the right shift stop sensor 67.

Further, execution of centering by the skew running rollers 43, 47 and the skew feeding rollers 93, 97 and the right of the shafts 76, 78, 80 so that the transport belts 15, 16, 17, 18 do not interfere with the centering. Lowering or lowering left can be performed. The right shift end sensor 63 and the left shift end sensor 68 can detect the completion of the required amount of position shift, stop the position shift, and adjust the shift amount.

Next, the operation | movement which the banknote shift apparatus 1 shifts a banknote is demonstrated with the process flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part 10 shown in FIG.

The bill detection sensor 11 detects whether the bill interval is normal, that is, whether the bill is being conveyed at a conveyance speed of 5 sheets per second (step n1). If there is an abnormality between the bills, it is transported as it is without being centered.

If the bill interval is normal, the skew detection sensor 12 detects whether the bill being conveyed is skewed (step n2).

If it is skewed, it is transported as it is without being centered. If it is not skewed (including the case where the skew is within an allowable range), it is determined whether the center alignment condition is satisfied (step n3).

Here, the center alignment condition is set to satisfy either the right shift condition or the left shift condition.

The right shift condition is that the right shift start sensor 61 is ON and the right shift stop sensor is a sensor corresponding to the size of the bill being conveyed (for small size, medium size, or large size). 67 is set to OFF.

The left shift condition is that the left shift start sensor 66 is ON and the left shift stop sensor is a sensor corresponding to the size of the bill being conveyed (for small size, medium size, or large size). 62 is set to be OFF.

In addition to the above conditions, the right shift condition may be set such that the left shift stop sensor 62 is ON or / and the left shift start sensor 66 is OFF. In addition to the above conditions, the left shift condition may be set such that the right shift stop sensor 67 is ON or / and the right shift start sensor 61 is OFF.

When set in this way, it is possible to detect that the banknote being conveyed is in an abnormal state, and it is possible to prevent clogging by not performing position shift in such an abnormal case.

If the center alignment condition is not satisfied in step n3, the sheet is conveyed as it is without center alignment. When the center alignment condition is satisfied, center alignment by position shift is executed (step n4).

In the case of a right shift in which the center shift is performed from the left to the right, the solenoid S3 is turned on to lower the pressing force of the right conveyor belts 17 and 18, and the solenoid S1 is turned on to perform the right shift skew. The execution roller 47 is lowered and the motor M2 is rotated to rotate the skew feeding roller 97 for right shift.

Also, in the case of a left shift centered from right to left, the solenoid S4 is turned on to lower the pressing force of the left conveyor belts 15 and 16, and the solenoid S2 is turned on to turn the skew execution roller for left shift. 43 is lowered and the motor M1 is rotated to rotate the skew conveying roller 93 for left shift.

When the shift is executed as described above, as shown in the timing chart of FIG. 15, the solenoid is instantaneously moved from the determination timing t <b> 1 at which the center alignment is determined. The rotation of the skew feeding roller 93 or the skew feeding roller 97 also reaches the rotation speed (maximum speed) set in a very short time. Therefore, the banknotes that have passed the sensors (61, 62, 66, 67) for determining whether or not the shift is necessary at the determination timing t1 pass through the transport time t2, and the skew rollers (43, 47, 93, 97), at the arrival timing t3, the preparation for the shift is completed, and the shift is started immediately after the end of the bill comes into contact with the skew roller.

During the execution of the shift, the conveyor belts 15, 16, 17, and 18 are all rotated along the rollers at the same speed in the conveyance direction as before the execution of the shift.

The center shift is continued until the left shift end sensor 68 or the right shift end sensor 63 once detects the banknote until it is not detected (step n5). Is finished (step n6).

To end the center shift, when the right shift is finished, the solenoid S3 is turned off to increase the pressing force of the right transport belts 17 and 18, the solenoid S1 is turned off and the skew execution roller 47 for the right shift is turned on. Retracting upward, the rotation of the skew feeding roller 97 for shifting right is stopped by stopping the rotation of the motor M2.

When the left shift is finished, the solenoid S4 is turned off to increase the pressing force of the left conveyor belts 15 and 16, and the solenoid S2 is turned off to retract the left shift skew execution roller 43 upward. Then, rotation of the motor M1 is stopped to stop the rotation of the skew feeding roller 93 for left shift.

As shown in FIG. 15, the shift end process is performed at the end timing t5 when the predetermined time t4 has elapsed from the state in which the left shift end sensor 68 or the right shift end sensor 63 no longer detects the banknote. Turn off and stop the skew feeding roller. When the separation time t6 elapses from here, the skew execution rollers 43 and 47 are separated from the banknote. Thus, by adjusting the time by the predetermined time t4 and ending the shift, the shift distance in the conveyance width direction of the bill is adjusted and the position is adjusted.

That is, when the width of the cassette is slightly larger than the banknote, the banknote is not stored with the banknote slightly shifted to the right or left, but can be stably stored as close to the center as possible. .

At this time, the solenoid is switched to a state in which the shift is not performed when the power is turned off. Therefore, the switching can be performed in a shorter time than a configuration in which the solenoid is turned on and the shift is not performed when the solenoid is turned on. Can do.

With the above operation, the banknotes that are approaching to the right or left can be centered and appropriately stored without clogging the cassette corresponding to the size of the banknotes.

Here, together with the plan view of FIG. 16, in detail with an example of the bill (small) stored in the # 9 cassette, the bill (small) transported from the upper side to the lower side of the figure is first detected between the bills detection sensor 11. , And the skew detection sensor 12 detects the skew.

Next, the bill (small) satisfies the centering condition because the small size right shift start sensor 613 is shielded from light and the small size left shift start sensor 663 is not shielded.

Accordingly, the right shift is executed in the above-described centering process in step n4 (FIG. 14), and the right shift roller pair 107a, which includes the right shift skew execution rollers 47a and 47b and the skew feed rollers 97a and 97b, The banknote is skewed to the right by 107b.

During this time, the small size right shift end sensor 633 detects the bill (small), and if no bill (small) is detected, the right shift is finished after a predetermined time. Then, a banknote (small) is conveyed straight in the position after a shift, and a banknote (small) is accommodated in # 9 cassette in a back | latter stage.

In this manner, the position can be shifted by a distance necessary for appropriately storing the banknote in the cassette according to the size of the banknote and the position in the transported state.

In addition, since a large bill does not need to be centered, it can be detected and transported as it is.

Moreover, since the skewed banknote does not shift, generation | occurrence | production of the jam of a banknote can be prevented. In particular, in an ATM or the like configured to reject a skewed banknote at a subsequent identification unit, it is not necessary to center the skewed banknote, so that unnecessary processing can be eliminated to increase efficiency.

As shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 17A by the presence or absence of a coating pattern, the banknotes are transported by the left transport belt pair 19a (15 and 16 pair) and the right transport belt pair 19b (17 and 18 pair). ) Can be stably conveyed so that the longitudinal direction of the banknote is parallel to the width direction of the conveyance path.

When the bill is shifted to the center by shifting to the left, the pressing force of the conveying belt pair 19a is lowered as shown in FIG. 5B, and the left shift roller pair 103a (43a, 93a), 103b (43b, 93b) is made effective. By doing so, it can be centered stably.

That is, the banknotes are strongly pressed and shifted by the left shift roller pair 103a, 103b on the left and right of the right conveyance belt pair 19b, so that the banknote is not folded or wrinkled between the left shift roller pair 103a, 103b. Further, the conveyance belt pair 19a does not prevent the left shift.

Moreover, even if the pressing force is concentrated on one point of the roller width due to the manufacturing accuracy of each roller, the banknotes are pressed by the two left shift roller pairs 103a and 103b, so that the banknotes can be prevented from skewing during the shift. .

Moreover, since the right conveyance belt pair 19b can convey banknotes even during the left shift, the banknotes being conveyed can be shifted without being released, and the banknotes can be immediately shifted to the right side without being released even after the shift is completed. It can be transported by the transport belt pair 19b. Therefore, the banknote is always pinched, and can be stably switched between conveyance, shift, and conveyance.

Even when the bill is shifted to the right and centered, as shown in (C), the above-described effects can be obtained by performing a symmetrical operation with the above.

Moreover, after a banknote is no longer detected by the shift end sensors 63, 68, the position of the banknote after the shift can be accurately adjusted by ending the shift after a predetermined time has elapsed. The predetermined time may be set to 0 seconds, and even in this case, since the detection of the shift end sensors 63 and 68 is used, the position of the banknote after the shift can be accurately adjusted.

In addition, the distance from the sensors (61, 62, 66, 67) for determining necessity of shifting to the closer skew rollers (43, 93) is set to a predetermined distance. For this reason, it is possible to complete the operation necessary for the shift from when the bill passes through the sensors until it reaches the skew roller, and the shift can be performed stably and accurately.

In particular, by securing a distance necessary for the response of the solenoid as the predetermined distance, the skew rollers (43, 93) come in contact from the front end portion in the banknote conveyance direction, and the banknote is short in the short direction. It is possible to shift by making full use of the width in the (conveying direction).

In the above embodiment, the conveying belt pairs 19a and 19b are not limited to two pairs, and may be configured in an appropriate arrangement with an appropriate logarithm. Further, the left shift roller pair 103a, 103b is configured by arranging two roller pairs with upper and lower rollers arranged side by side in the conveyance width direction. You may comprise in an appropriate arrangement | positioning by the number of these.

Specifically, as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 18, the left shift roller pair 103a and 103b and the right shift roller pair 107a and 107b may be provided between the two transport belt pairs 19a and 19b. .

In this case, the operations of the conveying belt pair 19a, 19b, the left shift roller pair 103a, 103b, and the right shift roller pair 107a, 107b may be the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

Further, as shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 19, three transport belt pairs 19a, 19b, 19c are used, and the central transport belt pair 19c is used as a left shift roller pair 103a, 103b and a right shift roller pair 107a, 107b. It is good also as a structure pinched by.

In this case, the central conveyance belt pair 19c may always have a pressing force to convey bills and switch the pressing forces of the left and right conveyance belt pairs 19a and 19b.

In this embodiment, the conveying belt pairs 19a and 19b at both ends are rotated in the conveying direction at the same speed as the central conveying belt pair 19c, and the pressing force on the banknote is always lowered, and the pressing force is applied at the time of shifting. It is good also as a structure which does not prevent a shift, without switching.

Further, as shown in FIG. 20, only one pair of transport belts 19c may be used, and the pair of transport belts 19c may be sandwiched between the left shift roller pairs 103a and 103b and the right shift roller pairs 107a and 107b. In this case, there is no need to change the pressing force of the conveying belt pair.

Further, as shown in FIG. 21, two pairs of conveying belts 19a and 19b may be provided side by side, and a left shift roller pair 103a and a right shift roller pair 107a may be disposed therebetween.

In this case, the shift conveyance speed of the component in the conveyance direction when the banknotes are shifted by the left shift roller pair 103a and the right shift roller pair 107a may be set to be the same as the conveyance speed of the conveyance belt pairs 19a and 19b.

The skew running rollers 43 and 93 and the skew feeding rollers 93 and 97 are all formed by rollers having appropriate widths, but may be formed by a thin disk-shaped rotating body. Even in this case, the configuration of the above-described embodiment can prevent the banknote from being skewed during the shift, and can also obtain other effects.

Further, instead of the transport belts 15, 16, 17, and 18, a plurality of pairs of rollers each having a pair of rollers in the vertical direction may be arranged in the transport direction and transported by the roller pairs.

In this case, although the number of rollers is increased as compared with the case of using the transport belt, the position of the banknote can be stably shifted by the arrangement and control of the above-described embodiment.

In addition, the shift is center-aligned, but may be configured to be right-justified or left-justified. In this case, it may be realized by adjusting the detection by the right shift end sensor 63 and the left shift end sensor 68 and adjusting the time until the end of the shift after no bill is detected.
Thereby, not only center alignment but a banknote can be appropriately shifted to a desired position.

In addition, the number of LEDs and phototransistors of the sensors (61, 62, 66, 67) for determining necessity of shifting is configured by a combination of pairs smaller than the number of cassettes to be distributed according to the banknote size. You may comprise by a pair. Further, the number of LEDs and phototransistors of the sensors (61, 62, 66, 67) for determining necessity of shift may be configured as a pair.

Further, the sensors (61, 62, 66, 67) for determining whether shift is necessary or / and the sensors (63, 68) for determining shift completion are not a combination of an LED and a phototransistor, but an image of a CCD or the like. It is good also as a detection means by the image process comprised by the means.

In this case, the imaging means includes one each for left shift start, left shift stop, right shift start, right shift stop, left shift end, and right shift end, or left shift start The left shift stop may be combined into one, and the right shift start and right shift stop may be combined into one, or one in total.

As described above, according to the imaging means, a range can be detected linearly instead of a point like an LED, and when a corresponding banknote is switched from a domestic banknote to a foreign banknote, it can be handled only by changing the software.

Further, for example, by using an elastic member such as a rubber member for the bearing portion of the rotation shaft of the skew running rollers 43 and 47, a pressing force is equally applied to the pressing surface with the skew feeding rollers 93 and 97. You may comprise as follows.

In this case, the left shift roller pair 103b and the right shift roller pair 107a are omitted, and the shift can be performed without skew by one shift roller pair (103a or 107b).

In this case, the types of shift distance that can be adjusted can be increased. Accordingly, even if the inner width of the cassette is configured to be closer to the length in the longitudinal direction of the banknote to be stored than in the above embodiment, it is possible to reliably set the banknote.

In correspondence with the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the paper sheet processing apparatus of the present invention corresponds to the banknote shift apparatus 1 of the embodiment, and similarly, the shift presence / absence switching means is configured by steps n1 to n3. The conveying belt pair corresponds to the conveying belt pair 19a, 19b, the conveying means corresponds to the conveying belt pair 19a, 19b, 19c, and the first conveying means is a right shift. The second conveying means corresponds to the conveying belt pair 19a in the case of the left shift, the conveying belt pair 19b in the case of the left shift, and the conveying belt pair 19c in the case of both the right shift and the left shift. 19a, corresponding to the conveying belt pair 19b in the case of right shift, the rotating members are rollers 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35 and rollers 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 85, the shift means, the contact portion, and the rotating body correspond to the skew running rollers 43 and 47 and the skew feeding rollers 93 and 97, the pressing force switching means corresponds to the belt tilt driving unit 90, The rotating body pair corresponds to the left shift roller pair 103a, 103b and the right shift roller pair 107a, 107b, the drive unit corresponds to the motor M1, M2, the paper sheet corresponds to the banknote, and the shift direction side is Although corresponding to the center side in the transport width direction, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

The cross-sectional top view of the upper side mechanism of a banknote shift apparatus. The cross-sectional top view of the lower side mechanism of a banknote shift apparatus. The partial enlarged plan view of the lower side mechanism of a banknote shift apparatus. The cross section right view of the conveyance mechanism of a banknote shift apparatus. The cross section right view of the shift mechanism of a banknote shift apparatus. The right view of a belt inclination drive part. The right view of a belt inclination drive part. The front view of a belt inclination drive part. Explanatory drawing by the right view explaining the change of the pressing force of a conveyance belt. Explanatory drawing by the enlarged right view explaining the change of the pressing force of a conveyance belt. Explanatory drawing by the enlarged right view explaining operation | movement of a skew execution roller. Explanatory drawing explaining the relationship between the position of a sensor and cassette size. The block diagram of a banknote shift apparatus. The processing flowchart which shows operation | movement of a control part. The timing chart figure which shows the operation timing of a banknote shift apparatus. The top view for description explaining the shift of a banknote. Explanatory drawing by the enlarged plan view explaining conveyance and shift of a banknote. Explanatory drawing of another Example. Explanatory drawing of another Example. Explanatory drawing of another Example. Explanatory drawing of another Example. Functional layout of a bill processing machine. The banknote path | route figure of each process of a banknote processing machine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Bill shift apparatus, 10 ... Control part, 15, 16, 17, 18 ... Conveyor belt, 19a, 19b, 19c ... Conveyor belt pair 21,23,25,27,29,31,33,35,71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83, 85 ... rollers, 43, 47 ... skew feeding rollers, 93, 97 ... skew feeding rollers, 90 ... belt tilt drive units, 103a, 103b ... left shift roller pairs, 107a, 107b ... right shift roller pair, M1, M2 ... motor, 108 ... deposit / withdrawal port, 109 ... identification part, 110 ... temporary storage part, 111a, 111b, 111c, 111d ... storage cassette, 112 ... reject collection box, 113a , 113b ... distribution mechanism

Claims (12)

Deposit / withdrawal port for depositing / withdrawing paper sheets, transport means for transporting paper sheets, an identification unit for determining the authenticity and denomination of the transported paper sheets, and the identification unit A temporary holding unit that temporarily holds a paper sheet determined to be a paper sheet, a storage unit that stores the paper sheet, and a shift unit that shifts a position in the conveyance width direction of the paper sheet, The shift means is provided on a conveyance path connecting the temporary holding unit and the identification unit ,
The shift means corrects the shift of the paper sheet determined to be the regular paper sheet conveyed from the temporary storage unit,
The paper sheet processing apparatus , wherein the identification unit checks a correction result of the corrected paper sheet . The paper sheets deposited from the deposit / withdrawal port are identified by the identification unit , and the paper sheets determined to be regular paper sheets are temporarily held in the temporary storage unit , and are determined to be regular paper sheets. A deposit counting process for returning paper sheets that are not to be returned to the deposit / withdrawal port , and a deposit storage process for storing, in the storage unit, paper sheets that are determined to be the regular paper sheets conveyed from the temporary storage unit; Have
2. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shift unit corrects the shift of the paper sheet only by the deposit storage process among the deposit counting process and the deposit storage process. 3. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shift unit is provided on a conveyance path positioned at an uppermost portion of the paper sheet processing apparatus. The identification unit includes a position detection unit in the conveyance width direction of the paper sheet conveyed via the shift unit, and distributes the storage destination of the paper sheet based on a result detected by the detection unit. Item 3. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to any one of Items 1 and 2 . The shift means is configured to shift the position in the transport width direction of the paper sheet that is rotated in an oblique direction with respect to the transport direction of the paper sheet and contacts the paper sheet,
Shift presence / absence switching means for switching between a shift execution state in which the shift of the paper sheets is performed by the shift means and a shift non-execution state in which the shift is not performed;
At least a part of the contact portion where the shift means contacts the surface of the paper sheet is positioned on the shift direction side with respect to the transport means having a transport force even during the shift, and the shift means of the shift means for the paper sheet The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a frictional force at the time of shifting is set to be stronger than a frictional force of the conveying unit with respect to the paper sheet. 6. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the conveying means is formed of a conveying belt stretched around an appropriate rotating member and a drive unit that rotationally drives the rotating member. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the displacing means is formed of two or more rotating bodies arranged in parallel in the conveyance width direction. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the transport unit having a transport force during the displacement of the paper sheet is disposed between the rotating bodies arranged side by side. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the transport unit having a transport force during the displacement of the paper sheet is disposed on the opposite side of the displacement direction by the rotating body from any of the two or more rotating bodies. . The conveying means having the conveying force during displacement is the first conveying means,
The second conveying means is further provided on the displacement direction side than the rotating body on the displacement direction side, and the second conveying means is configured to increase the pressing force on the paper sheets when the paper sheets are not displaced. Claims: When the paper sheets are transported together with the transport means, and when the paper sheets are displaced, there is provided a pressing force switching means for lowering the pressing force on the paper sheets so as not to prevent the displacement of the paper sheets. Item 6. A paper sheet processing apparatus according to Item 5 . A pair of conveyor belts are formed by placing the conveyor belts vertically and bringing the conveying surfaces into contact with each other,
Two such conveyor belt pairs are arranged side by side in the conveyance width direction,
Each conveying belt pair is provided with a pressing force switching means for switching the pressing force of the conveying surface,
The displacing means includes four rotator pairs each having a rotator facing up and down with the rotation direction inclined inward with respect to the transport direction, and
For each of the pair of conveyor belts, each pair of rotating bodies is disposed at a position where the pair of conveyor belts is sandwiched between two pairs of rotating bodies in the conveyance width direction,
The displacement presence / absence switching means includes a displacement execution state in which the upper and lower rotating bodies are brought close to each other and the upper and lower rotating bodies are separated from each other for each pair of rotating bodies sandwiching the conveyance belt pair. It is configured to switch between a displacement non-execution state that does not execute the displacement of the paper sheet,
When the paper sheets approaching the right side are moved to the center, the two rotating body pairs sandwiching the right conveyance belt pair are switched to the displacement execution state, and the pressing force of the left conveyance belt pair is lowered,
When the paper sheets approaching the left side are moved to the center, the two rotating body pairs sandwiching the left conveying belt pair are switched to the displacement execution state, and the pressing force of the right conveying belt pair is reduced. Item 6. A paper sheet processing apparatus according to Item 5 . A plurality of the conveying means are juxtaposed in the conveying width direction of the paper sheet,
When the shifting means shifts the paper sheets, the pressing force of the conveying means arranged in the direction of shifting the paper sheets is set to the pressing force of the conveying means arranged behind the direction of shifting the paper sheets. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper sheet processing apparatus is further lowered.

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