JP5051923B2 - Banknote handling equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a banknote handling apparatus that is installed in a game arcade where pachinko machines, slot machines and the like (hereinafter collectively referred to as “game machines”) are installed, and can be disposed between the game machines.

  In general, in a game hall such as a pachinko hall, for the convenience of the player, pachinko balls and coins (in the area where many gaming machines are installed (also referred to as “islands”) between adjacent gaming machines ( A vertically long game medium lending device (also referred to as a sand device) for lending (game media) is installed. This gaming medium lending device is attached to a frame fixedly installed between each gaming machine, and by actually inserting banknotes, coins, prepaid cards, etc. through corresponding insertion ports, lending gaming media actually, A signal that prompts rental of game media is transmitted to the gaming machine. For example, if it is a banknote processing apparatus comprised so that a banknote can be processed, the banknote identification part which identifies the inserted banknote, and the banknote accommodating part (safe) which accommodates the banknote judged to be effective in a banknote identification part. I have.

  Moreover, in the said banknote processing apparatus, the mechanism for pushing the banknote inserted through the banknote insertion slot into the said banknote accommodating part is provided, for example, in patent document 1 and patent document 2, at least a pair of link member is provided. A pressing plate for pressing a bill is operated horizontally through a pantograph formed by crossing.

JP 2002-284368 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-21441

  By the way, in order to make effective use of the space, it is desired that a large number of gaming machines be efficiently installed. In connection with this, the banknote handling apparatus installed between the tables as described above is also included. Therefore, miniaturization is required as much as possible. That is, it is desired to narrow the interval between adjacent gaming machines and efficiently install the banknote handling apparatus at this interval.

  However, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above, both sides of the pressing plate are supported by a predetermined support via a pantograph, which is secured for installation and operation of the pantograph. The space that should be increased. For this reason, there is a problem that the bill processing apparatus itself is enlarged or that a space for installing other apparatuses (apparatus for processing coins and prepaid cards) is limited.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a compact bill processing apparatus.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a banknote processing device according to claim 1 is provided in a housing, a banknote insertion slot provided on a front surface of the casing, and capable of inserting a banknote, and inserted from the banknote insertion slot. Banknotes transported along the insertion direction and discharged toward the banknote pressing area located on the downstream side, and banknotes provided on one side of the housing and discharged into the banknote pressing area A banknote pressing mechanism that presses the banknote toward the other side, and a banknote storage section that includes a mounting plate for stacking and storing banknotes pressed by the banknote pressing mechanism. A support plate attached to the banknote, a pressing plate for pressing the banknotes discharged to the banknote pressing area toward the banknote storage part, one end of which is rotatably supported with respect to the support body, and others End is A movable member that engages with the pressing plate and rotates with respect to the support to move the pressing plate toward the bill housing part, and a driving unit that drives the moving member. The moving member and the driving means are arranged in the support body, the banknote accommodating part has a locking claw that can engage both edges in the longitudinal direction of the banknote, and the banknote discharged into the banknote pushing area is The pressing plate pushes over the locking claw and is loaded and accommodated on the mounting plate, and the pressing plate has a flange that can come into contact with the locking claw, and the flange is the locking plate. insertion amount of the pressing plate to the bill accommodating section is characterized Rukoto is regulated by the claw abutting.

According to the banknote processing apparatus described in claim 1, the pantograph as a link member as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above is not required, and the moving member and the moving member that move the pressing plate are used. Since the driving means for driving is disposed in the support (for example, see FIG. 4 of the present application), the bill processing apparatus can be downsized. Moreover, according to the banknote processing apparatus described in claim 1, when the pressing plate is moved by the moving member by the flange, the pressing plate comes into contact with the latching claw of the banknote storage unit and enters the banknote storage unit. Further insertion is restricted. In addition, by providing such a flange, the pressing plate is slightly inclined in the front-rear direction despite being supported only on one side by the link member or held parallel by the moving member. Even in this case, the contact between the flange and the locking claw finally becomes parallel to the support (banknote), and a uniform pressing force can be applied to the banknote along the longitudinal direction. That is, the entire banknote can be pressed evenly, and even if the banknote is bent or has a stiff banknote (due to an increase in the number of stacked sheets), the predetermined number of sheets is reliably stored in the banknote storage unit. It becomes possible.

Moreover, the banknote processing apparatus described in Claim 2 is the banknote processing apparatus described in Claim 1 , wherein the pressing plate is brought into contact with the support body by the flange and the locking claw coming into contact with each other. The inclination from the parallel position is corrected.

According to the banknote processing apparatus described in claim 2 , the same effect as that of the banknote processing apparatus described in claim 1 can be obtained, and the pressing plate despite the parallel holding by the moving member. Even if a slight tilt occurs in the front-rear direction, the tilt is corrected by the contact between the flange and the locking claw, so that the banknote depends on its state (eg, fold, bent, bent). Therefore, it can be securely stored in the bill storage part.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a compact banknote processing apparatus can be provided.

The perspective view which shows the whole structure of the banknote processing apparatus which concerns on this invention. The perspective view which shows the state which open | released the cover body shown in FIG. The top view which shows the internal structure of a banknote processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the structure of a banknote press mechanism, and is a figure which shows the state which open | released the press plate with respect to the cover body. The figure which shows the structure of a plate drive motor and its deceleration mechanism. The figure which shows the structure of the connection mechanism of the press plate with respect to a cover body. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows operation | movement of a press plate, (a) is a non-pressing state, (b) is a figure which shows a pressing state. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of a mounting tray, (a) is a figure which shows the state from which a banknote is discharged | emitted by the banknote pushing area | region, (b) is a figure which shows the state by which the banknote is laminated | stacked and accommodated. It is a figure explaining the pushing state of the banknote of the press plate with respect to a mounting tray, (a) is a figure which shows the state before pushing, (b) is a figure which shows the state in pushing, (c) is pushed in The figure which shows the state after. The figure which shows the structure of a mounting tray drive mechanism. The front view which shows the structure of a shutter mechanism and a lock mechanism. The perspective view which shows the structure of a shutter drive mechanism. (A) is a side view showing a locked state of the shutter mechanism, (b) is a side view showing a state in which the shutter mechanism is unlocked. The block diagram which shows the structural example of the control means which controls operation | movement of a banknote processing apparatus. The figure which shows the state which discharged | emitted the mounting tray. It is a figure which shows notionally the example of the inclination of the front-back direction which may arise in a press plate.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1-3 is a figure which shows the structure of the banknote processing apparatus which concerns on this embodiment, FIG. 1 is a perspective view which shows the whole structure, FIG. 2 is a figure which shows the state which open | released the cover body shown in FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the internal configuration.

  The banknote handling apparatus 1 is configured to be installed in a game medium lending device installed between game machines such as a pachinko machine (not shown), for example. In this case, in the game medium lending device, other devices (for example, a coin identification device, a recording medium processing device, a power supply device, etc.) are installed on the upper side or the lower side of the banknote processing device 1. May be integrated with these other devices or may be configured separately. Alternatively, the banknote handling apparatus 1 may be installed alone or together with the other apparatus in a space other than between the gaming machines. And if a banknote is inserted in such a banknote processing apparatus 1 and the validity of the inserted banknote is judged, the lending process of the game medium according to the banknote value, the write process to a recording medium, etc. will be performed. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the banknote handling apparatus 1 includes a casing 1a formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the casing 1a is attached to a locking portion of a game medium lending apparatus (not shown). . A bill processing area 3 is formed on the front surface (surface to be exposed) 1b of the housing 1a. The banknote processing area 3 has a slit insertion opening 3A into which a banknote P is inserted, and a stacking tray (banknote storage section) formed so as to be adjacent to the banknote insertion slot 3A and laminating and storing banknotes P. ) And a shutter 91 that can be opened and closed to allow 60 to be discharged. In this case, the bill P is inserted into the bill insertion slot 3 </ b> A along the direction of the arrow D <b> 1 with its short side in the vertical direction (standing state).

  As clearly shown in FIG. 3, a bill identifying unit 5 that identifies the validity of the inserted bill P and a bill transport mechanism 7 that transports the inserted bill P are provided in the housing 1 a. ing. The banknote recognition part 5 is installed in the vicinity position in the insertion direction D1 of 3 A of banknote insertion ports, and the banknote conveyance mechanism 7 is installed over the area | region along the insertion direction D1 from the banknote identification part 5. FIG. In this case, the banknote transport mechanism 7 has a function of transporting while inserting the inserted banknote P, and is an area shorter than the length of the banknote P in the longitudinal direction, preferably the vicinity of the banknote insertion slot 3A in the insertion direction D1. In the position, it is comprised in the magnitude | size which fits in the range below half of the length of the banknote P. As shown in FIG.

  Note that a banknote pushing area 10 is provided on the downstream side of the banknote transport mechanism 7 to slide the banknotes P discharged by the downstream roller pair of the banknote transport mechanism 7 as they are. The banknote pushing area 10 is configured so that the banknote P discharged from the pair of downstream rollers can be transferred as it is in the direction of the arrow D2 which is a direction orthogonal to the discharge direction without any restriction. It has the same size as the size. Thus, the banknote pushing area | region 10 is located in the downstream of the banknote conveyance mechanism 7, and this banknote pushing area | region 10 is pinched | interposed, and the banknote pressing mechanism 30 is mounted in the one side of the housing | casing 1a. A placement tray 60 is provided (see FIG. 2). That is, the banknote P discharged to the push-in area 10 by the transport drive of the banknote transport mechanism 7 is pressed as it is in the direction of the arrow D2 by the pressing plate of the banknote pressing mechanism 30 and is placed against the loading tray 60 as will be described later. Are sequentially stacked.

  In particular, as clearly shown in FIG. 3, the banknote transport mechanism 7 includes a pair of transport belts 17 a and 17 b that extend along the banknote insertion direction D <b> 1 and are installed at predetermined intervals. Each of the conveyor belts 17a and 17b is wound around tension rollers 18a and 18b attached to a support shaft 18 that is rotatably supported by the internal frame 1d on the banknote insertion slot 3A side. It is wound around tension rollers 19a and 19b attached to a support shaft 19 that is rotatably supported by the internal frame 1d on the back side of the bill recognition unit 5.

  The support shaft 19 is rotationally driven by a transport motor 20 disposed on the inner frame 1d. That is, the support shaft 19 is driven to rotate through a gear 20G fixed to the drive shaft of the transport motor 20 and a gear 19G meshing with the gear 20 and fixed to the end of the support shaft 19. It has become. The transport motor 20 is drive-controlled so as to rotate forward / reversely by a control unit described later, and has a function as a drive source of the banknote transport mechanism 7.

  In addition, the pinch rollers 21a and 21b and the pinch rollers 22a and 22b are in contact with the tension rollers 18a and 18b and the tension rollers 19a and 19b, respectively (see FIG. 2). That is, the banknote P inserted into the banknote insertion slot 3A is transported while being sandwiched between the transport belts 17a, 17b and the pinch rollers 21a, 21b and 22a, 22b, and finally the pinch rollers 22a, It is discharged to the bill pushing area 10 through a nip portion between 22b and the conveyor belts 17a and 17b.

  The bill recognition unit 5 includes a sensor substrate 5A, and a bill insertion sensor 25 is provided on the sensor substrate 5A at a portion closer to the bill insertion slot 3A than the support shaft 18. This banknote insertion sensor 25 is comprised by the optical sensor, for example, and detects that the banknote P was inserted in 3 A of banknote insertion ports. And if insertion of the banknote P is detected by the banknote insertion sensor 25, the control means mentioned later rotates the conveyance motor 20 in a banknote feeding direction (forward rotation drive).

  In addition, a bill recognition sensor 26 is provided between the support shaft 18 and the support shaft 19 on the sensor substrate 5A. The banknote identification sensor 26 is constituted by an optical sensor so as to irradiate light to the banknote P transported by the banknote transport mechanism 7. The banknote identification sensor 26 is installed in multiple places along the direction orthogonal to the banknote insertion direction D1, and sends the detection data obtained by the reflected light and transmitted light from the banknote P to CPU of the control means mentioned later. And CPU compares the data about the regular banknote previously memorize | stored in ROM, and the said detection data, and judges about the effectiveness of a banknote.

  As described above, the banknote pressing mechanism 30 is provided on one side of the housing 1 a with respect to the banknote pressing area 10. The bill pressing mechanism 30 is provided with a lid 31 as a support attached to the casing 1a so as to be openable and closable, and provided on the lid 31 and the lid 31 is closed with respect to the casing 1a. When the banknote P is located in the banknote pressing area 10, a plate-like pressing plate 32 that presses the banknote P in the direction of the arrow D2 and a plate drive motor 33 that drives the pressing plate 32 are provided.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the bill pressing mechanism 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. In these drawings, FIG. 4 is a view showing a state in which the pressing plate 32 is opened with respect to the lid 31, FIG. 5 is a view showing the configuration of the plate drive motor 33 and its speed reduction mechanism 37, and FIG. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams showing the operation of the pressing plate 32, and FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are diagrams showing the configuration of the coupling mechanism of the pressing plate 32 with respect to the lid 31. (A) is a non-pressing state, (b) is a figure which shows a pressing state.

  The pressing plate 32 has substantially the same size as the banknote P, and is linked in the direction of the arrow D2 by the link member 35 that connects the back surface on one end side of the pressing plate 32 and the back surface on the other end side of the lid 31. It is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to the lid 31 so as to be movable toward the head (see FIG. 6). Both end portions of the link member 35 are pivotally supported via support shafts 31 </ b> A and 32 </ b> A provided on the lid body 31 and the pressing plate 32 (that is, the pressing plate 32 is on one side of the lid body 31. The pressing plate 32 is supported by such a link member 35 so as to be close to / separated from the lid 31 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the plate driving motor 33 is installed on the back surface of the lid 31, and the pressing plate 32 is moved to an arrow by rotating the plate driving motor 33 and rotating a push-down arm 38 described later. It is driven to reciprocate in the D2 direction.

  Specifically, the back surface of the lid 31 is rotationally driven by a speed reduction mechanism (gear train) 37 that reduces the rotation of the plate drive motor 33 and transmits it to the pressing plate 32 side, and a final gear 37 a of the speed reduction mechanism 37. A push-down arm 38 is provided as a moving member (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The push-down arm 38 is rotationally driven around the base end portion by attaching the final gear 37a to the base end portion, and an engagement protrusion 38a is attached to the tip end portion thereof. ing. The engaging protrusion 38a is engaged with a long groove 32b formed in the protruding member 32a attached to the back surface of the pressing plate 32, and the push-down arm 38 is driven to rotate around the base end portion. When the engagement protrusion 38a is displaced along the long groove 32b, the pressing plate 32 is driven to reciprocate while being kept parallel along the arrow D2. In order to maintain the parallel reciprocating motion of the pressing plate 32, the push-down arm 38 that presses the pressing plate 32 at one place is prevented from rotating more than 45 °. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the protruding member 32 a is exposed through an opening 35 a formed in the link member 35, and is installed so as not to interfere with the operation of the link member 35. The speed reduction mechanism 37 is configured by meshing a large number of small gears, whereby the speed reduction mechanism 37 is reduced in size.

  The pressing plate 32 has a shape that hangs a predetermined length in the pressing direction (D2 direction), and flanges (stretches) 32c are formed along the longitudinal direction on both sides thereof. As a result, when the pressing plate 32 is driven in the pressing direction by the pressing arm 38, the pressing plate 32 enters an opening portion of the mounting tray 60 which will be described later, and both flanges 32c will be described later when the pressing plate 32 enters the opening portion to some extent. It abuts against the locking claw 61c of the mounting tray 60, and can no longer enter the opening of the mounting tray 60 (see FIG. 9). Also, by providing such a flange 32c, the pressing plate 32 is finally supported by the contact between the flange 32c and the locking claw 61c, although only one side is supported by the link member 35. A uniform pressing force can be applied to the bill P along the longitudinal direction in parallel with the bill P, and a slight inclination that can occur in the front-rear direction despite the parallel holding by the push-down arm 38 is corrected. The bills P can be reliably stored in the loading tray 60 regardless of the state (eg, folds, folds, bends, etc.).

  As can be seen from the above, in this embodiment, the pressing plate 32 is supported only on one side with respect to the lid body 31 via the link member 35, so that the pressing plate 32 is moved back and forth regardless of the parallel holding by the pressing arm 38. Some tilt may occur in the direction. Two examples of such cases are conceptually shown in FIGS. 16 (a) and 16 (b), respectively, but when such a state (a state in which the pressing plate 32 is inclined in the front-rear direction) occurs. Even in this case, the flange is used in the present embodiment so that the pressing plate 32 is finally parallel to the banknote P (lid 31) and a uniform pressing force can be applied to the banknote P along the longitudinal direction. 32c and a locking claw 61c are provided.

  In the present embodiment, a control circuit board (which constitutes a control means) 40 that controls driving of various drive mechanisms in the banknote handling apparatus 1 is mounted on the back surface of the lid 31. The control circuit board 40 is connected with an optical sensor (rotation detection sensor) 42 for detecting the amount of rotation of the push-down arm 38 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). When the pressing amount of the pressing plate 32 reaches a predetermined threshold value, the driving of the plate driving motor 33 is controlled to stop. This prevents unnecessary loads from acting on the plate drive motor 33.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a loading tray 60 is provided on the other side of the housing 1 a with respect to the bill pushing area 10. The loading tray 60 is configured to sequentially stack and receive banknotes P pressed by the pressing plate 32. Hereinafter, the configuration of the loading tray 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

  The mounting tray 60 has a main body 61 including a bottom wall 61a and side walls 61b formed on both sides of the bottom wall 61a. Between the both side walls 61 b of the main body 61, a mounting plate 62 for mounting a banknote bundle is provided, and this mounting plate 62 is installed between the bottom wall 61 a of the main body 61 and an urging spring 63. It is pressed by. A pair of locking claws 61c extending along the longitudinal direction of the banknote P to be accommodated are formed inwardly at the opening side end portions of the both side walls 61b. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, these locking claws 61 c are housed in the main body 61 and the banknotes discharged to the banknote pushing area 10 via the banknote transport mechanism 7. It has a function of sorting between bill bundles. That is, when the banknote P discharged to the banknote pressing area 10 is pressed by the pressing plate 32, the banknote P is placed on the mounting plate 62 while the center is bent by the locking claw 61c as shown in FIG. 8 and is placed on the placement plate 62 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 63 as shown in FIGS. 8B and 9C. When the pressing plate 32 returns to the initial position, the banknote bundle stacked and accommodated on the mounting plate 62 is applied to the pair of locking claws 61c at both ends thereof by the biasing force of the biasing spring 63. It is done. As a result, a gap R is formed between the uppermost banknote stacked and accommodated on the mounting plate 62 and the pressing plate 32 as shown in FIG. The gap R is for receiving the banknote P discharged after that through the banknote transport mechanism 7, and the banknote P fed into the gap R is pressed at the initial position as described above. The plates 32 are stacked and accommodated in the mounting tray 60 by driving.

  Note that if the gap R is too wide, a jam occurs when the banknote P has a wrinkle or the like, and if it is too narrow, the banknote P cannot be stably fed. Specifically, a preferable dimension range of the gap R is about 3 to 5 mm, and the banknote pressing mechanism 30 and the loading tray 60 are arranged so that such a gap R is formed in the banknote pressing area 10. It is preferable to keep it.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the banknote P stacked and accommodated in the main body 61 of the mounting tray 60 is held by the mounting plate 62 and the locking claws 61c that are pressed and biased. According to the configuration, the front end side of the banknote bundle is exposed (see FIG. 8B). For this reason, as will be described later, when the loading tray 60 is driven and its front end protrudes from the front surface 1b of the housing 1a, the leading end of the banknote bundle stacked and accommodated on the loading plate 62 is exposed. Thus (see FIG. 15), the operator can easily withdraw the banknote bundle and perform the collection operation.

  Specifically, the length in the longitudinal direction of the main body 61 (the placement plate 62) (the length of the bill placement surface) is shorter than the length of the bill P to be inserted, as shown in FIG. It is preferable that Thus, since the banknote bundle currently stacked and accommodated in the stacking plate 62 is reduced in length, the top end side of the upper surface and the front end side of the lower surface are exposed. The bundle can be easily picked and pulled out. Further, with this configuration, the operator does not make his / her finger touch the mounting plate 62 made of metal such as SUS, and the safety during the collection operation can be improved. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a concave portion 62a may be formed at the center of the leading edge of the mounting plate 62. Even in such a configuration, the banknote bundle can be easily grasped, and the above-described effects are obtained. Can be obtained.

  In addition, a cutout portion 61d extending in the bill insertion direction is formed over a predetermined range at a portion facing the housing 1a on the front end side of both side walls 61b of the main body 61. By forming such a notch 61d, when the shutter 91 is opened by a shutter mechanism, which will be described later, and the loading tray 60 is driven in the protruding direction, the interference between the shutter 91 and the main body 61 in the opened state. Can be eliminated, and space efficiency can be effectively improved. Note that the loading tray 60 may be provided with a bill detection sensor 128 (see the block diagram of FIG. 14) on the loading plate 62 for detecting the presence of the bill P.

  Next, the mounting tray drive mechanism 70 that drives the mounting tray 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 10.

  The loading tray driving mechanism 70 includes a tray driving motor 71 fixed to the inner frame 1 d of the housing 1 a and a driving shaft (worm shaft) 72 that is rotationally driven by the tray driving motor 71. The drive shaft 72 is rotatably supported by the internal frame 1d so as to extend in the bill insertion direction (D1 direction), and a male screw 72a is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. One end side of the drive shaft 72 is connected to the output shaft of the tray drive motor 71 through a gear train 73.

  A connecting piece 66 is formed at the rear end portion of the main body 61 of the loading tray 60, and a sliding member 75 disposed so as to surround the drive shaft 72 is connected to the connecting piece 66. . The sliding member 75 is formed with a female screw portion (not shown) that is screwed with the male screw portion 72a of the drive shaft 72. When the drive shaft 72 is rotationally driven, the sliding member 75, that is, The mounting tray 60 can be driven back and forth along the axial direction. In order to prevent the sliding member 75 from rotating during the reciprocating motion, the sliding member 75 is inserted through a guide rod 76 disposed in parallel with the drive shaft 72.

  Further, the loading tray driving mechanism 70 is provided with a movement amount detecting means 80 capable of detecting the movement amount of the loading tray 60. This movement amount detection means 80 is, for example, a disc-shaped rotating body 81 mounted on the opposite output shaft of the tray drive motor 71 and a rotation amount disposed so as to sandwich the rotating body 81 with a predetermined gap. The detection sensor (light sensor) 82 can be used. The rotating body 81 is formed as an encoder 81a provided with a plurality of detection openings at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction thereof, and the encoder 81a (the rotating body 81) rotates as the tray drive motor 71 rotates. Then, a pulse corresponding to the rotation amount can be obtained by the rotation amount detection sensor 82. Therefore, the amount of movement of the loading tray 60 can be grasped from the number of pulses. By providing such movement amount detection means 80, it is possible to accurately control the stop position of the loading tray 60 in the protruding direction, and it is possible to reduce the load on the tray drive motor 70.

  Further, the loading tray driving mechanism 70 is further provided with position detecting means 85 capable of detecting the storage position of the mounting tray 60 (a position at which banknotes can be stored; a storage position). For example, such a position detecting means 85 is provided with a locking piece (not shown) on the sliding member 75 that drives the loading tray 60, and this locking piece abuts / separates to turn on / off. A limit switch 86 that is turned off can be mounted on the internal frame 1d. By providing such a position detection means 85, it is possible to grasp the state of the loading tray 60 (whether it is in the storage position or the collection position). 60 can be appropriately driven.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the banknote P stacked and accommodated in the loading tray 60 can be recovered by opening the shutter mechanism 90 disposed so as to be adjacent to the banknote insertion slot 3 </ b> A in the banknote processing area 3. It has become. Hereinafter, the configuration of the shutter mechanism 90 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 11 to 13.

  The shutter mechanism 90 includes a shutter (shielding plate) 91 that closes a rectangular opening formed in the banknote processing area 3 and a shutter drive mechanism 92 that rotationally drives the shutter 91. The shutter 91 is configured as a substantially rectangular plate material, and a base end portion thereof is fixed to a support shaft 91a that is rotatably supported by the internal frame 1d of the housing 1a.

  The shutter drive mechanism 92 includes a shutter drive motor 95. The shutter drive motor 95 includes a gear train 96 that constitutes a speed reduction mechanism connected to the drive shaft 95a, and an arm shape that is sequentially connected to the gear train 96. The link members 97a and 97b are connected to the support shaft 91a. Therefore, when the shutter drive motor 95 is driven and the drive shaft 95 a is rotationally driven, the rotational driving force is decelerated via the gear train 96. A support shaft of a link member 97a is connected to the output gear 96a of the gear train 96, and the link member 97a is moved from the state shown in FIG. It is rotationally driven to the state shown in (b). The link member 97a is connected to a distal end portion of a link member 97b whose base end portion is connected to the support shaft 91a. The link member 97a is rotationally driven as shown in the drawing, so that the shutter 91 is moved. Through the link member 97b, it is rotated about 90 ° from the vertical state toward the inside of the housing.

  The shutter drive mechanism 92 is provided with a rotation amount detection unit 100 that can detect the rotation amount of the shutter 91. For example, the rotation amount detection means 100 forms an encoder by providing a plurality of detection openings 101 at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction on the surface of the input gear 96b of the gear train 96, and rotates the encoder. A rotation amount detection sensor (reflection type optical sensor) 102 for detecting the amount can be provided. By providing such a rotation amount detection means 100, it is possible to accurately control the stop position when the shutter 91 is rotated and the rotation angle becomes approximately 90 °, and the shutter is driven. The load on the motor 95 can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, a lock mechanism 110 that locks the shutter 91 when the shutter 91 is in the closed state is provided in association with the shutter mechanism 90.

  The lock mechanism 110 is supported by the unevenness 112 continuously formed along the longitudinal direction at the front end edge of the shutter 91 that is driven to open and close, and the inner frame 1d of the housing 1a (specifically, the housing 1a). A lock plate 113 movable in the longitudinal direction (arrow direction) of the shutter 91, and a driving means for moving the lock plate 113 along the longitudinal direction (longitudinal direction of the shutter 91), For example, a solenoid 116 is used.

  Also, the lock plate 113 is formed with unevenness 114 corresponding to the unevenness 112, and the lock plate 113 is always urged by the urging spring 117 so that the unevenness 112, 114 does not match. (See FIG. 12). Then, when the solenoid 116 is driven to collect the banknote P, the lock plate 113 moves against the urging force of the urging spring 117, so that the concaves and convexes 112 and 114 coincide with each other (see FIG. 11). ). Thereby, the locked state of the shutter 91 is released, and the shutter 91 can be rotated toward the inside of the housing 1a via the shutter driving mechanism 92 so that the loading tray 60 can be discharged.

  FIG. 14 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control unit for controlling the operation of the banknote handling apparatus 1.

  As described above, the control means includes the control circuit board 40 that is attached to the back surface of the lid 31 and controls the operation of the various actuators described above. The control circuit board 40 includes a CPU 130 having control operation functions of various drive devices such as the transport motor 20, the plate drive motor 33, the tray drive motor 71, the shutter drive motor 95, the solenoid 116, and the various drive devices described above. It comprises a ROM 131 that stores an operation program, detection data related to regular banknotes, and the like, and a control RAM 132.

  The CPU 130 is connected to the motor drive circuits 140 to 143 for driving the various motors described above via the I / O port 135, and each drive motor is driven by a control signal from the CPU 130 in accordance with an operation program. Operation (forward, reverse, stop) is controlled. In addition, the CPU 130 receives a signal for detecting insertion of a banknote from the banknote insertion sensor 25 via the I / O port 135, a detection signal for discrimination of the banknote from the banknote identification sensor 26, and a signal from the rotation detection sensor 42 to the pressing plate 32. A detection signal related to the pressing position, a detection signal related to the position of the mounting tray 60 from the rotation amount detection sensor 82, a detection signal indicating whether or not the mounting tray 60 is in the storage position from the limit switch 86, and a shutter 91 from the rotation amount detection sensor 102. Detection signals relating to the rotational position of the motor are input, and based on these detection signals, the above-described transport motor 20, plate drive motor 33, tray drive motor 71, shutter drive motor 95, and solenoid 116 are controlled. The drive is controlled.

  Further, the CPU 130 is connected to a control circuit 200 that executes a gaming process arranged in a gaming machine main body (not shown), and gaming value information corresponding to the value of the inserted banknote is given to the gaming machine side. It is supposed to be sent.

  Further, the CPU 130 of the control circuit board 40 described above is supplied with a release signal for releasing the lock state (driving the solenoid 116) in the lock mechanism 110 described above. The signal transmission means 300 for transmitting the release signal can be configured as a part of the function of a management server that is connected via the communication network 400 and manages the island facility, for example, thereby enabling, for example, a collection operation At this time, it is possible to release the shutters 91 of the banknote handling apparatus in the island facility in a lump.

  Next, operation | movement of the banknote processing apparatus 1 of the said structure is demonstrated.

First, a procedure for sequentially stacking and storing banknotes P in the loading tray 60 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, when the banknote P is inserted into the banknote insertion slot 3 </ b> A in a standing state in which the short piece side is erected vertically, the insertion is detected by the banknote insertion sensor 25. When the banknote insertion sensor 25 detects the insertion of the banknote P, the transport motor 20 is driven to rotate forward, and the banknote P is transported by the transport belts 17a and 17b constituting the banknote transport mechanism 7 and the pinch rollers 21a, 21b, and 22a that are in contact therewith. , 22b and conveyed to the inside of the housing 1a.

  When the banknote P is conveyed into the housing 1a, the banknote identification sensor 26 detects the banknote P, and its effectiveness is determined by the control means described above. In this case, when the banknote identification sensor 26 cannot determine the validity of the banknote P, the transport motor 20 is driven in reverse, and the banknote P in the middle of being loaded is subjected to a reversing action and is discharged as it is from the banknote insertion slot 3A. .

  When the validity of the banknote P is determined, the transport motor 20 is rotationally driven until the rear end of the banknote P passes through the nip portion between the transport belts 17a and 17b and the pinch rollers 22a and 22b. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 9A, the banknote P is a pressing plate 32 in the banknote pressing area 10 located on the downstream side of the transport belts 17a and 17b and the pinch rollers 22a and 22b. Is discharged into the gap R between the pressing surface and the plane including the locking claw 61c of the loading tray 60. As described above, the gap R is set in a range in which a jam or the like does not occur.

  When the bill P passes through the nip portion and is positioned in the pushing area 10, the forward drive of the transport motor 20 is stopped and the plate drive motor 33 is rotationally driven. Thus, the pressing plate 32 is driven in the pressing direction by the pressing arm 38, and the lower surface thereof presses the bill P (see FIG. 9B). The bill P pressed by the pressing plate 32 eventually gets over the pair of engaging claws 61 c of the mounting tray 60 and is pressed against the urging force of the urging spring 63 on the mounting plate 62. The pressing plate 32 has a different pressing force with respect to the bill direction depending on the support position of the link member 35, but the flanges (tensions) 32c formed on both sides of the pressing plate 32 are applied to the locking claws 61c. A substantially uniform pressing force acts on the banknote P along the longitudinal direction. That is, it becomes possible to hold down the entire banknote evenly, and even if the banknote is bent or a banknote that is stiff (by increasing the number of stacked sheets), a predetermined number of sheets can be reliably stored. Become. Note that the position of the push-down arm 38 is detected by the rotation detection sensor 42, and when it is in an appropriate position (when the flange 32c of the pressing plate 32 is brought into contact with the locking claw 61c), The drive is stopped. Then, after a predetermined pressing force is applied to the pressing plate 32 and the flange (tension) 32c comes into contact with the locking claw 61c, the plate driving motor 33 is driven in the reverse direction, and the pressing plate 32 is returned to the initial position. At this time, the placing plate 62 is urged toward the locking claw 61c by the urging force of the urging spring 63, and the uppermost banknote P is applied to the locking claw 61c as shown in FIG. 9 (c). At the same time, sorting is performed between the bills to be carried in next. And by repeating the operation | movement mentioned above, the banknote P is laminated | stacked and accommodated stably on the mounting plate 62 of the mounting tray 60. FIG.

Next, a procedure for collecting banknotes P stored in the loading tray 60 will be described.
When collecting the bills P, for example, a signal for releasing the lock mechanism 110 is transmitted to each bill processing device 1 installed on the island from the management server (signal transmission means 300) side that manages the entire hall. To do. In this case, for example, the management server may control to release the lock mechanism 110 of the banknote processing device 1 of the entire island, or control to release the lock mechanism 110 of the banknote processing device 1 in a row of islands. May be. When the bill processing apparatus 1 receives this release signal, the solenoid 116 is driven, and the lock plate 113 is driven in the longitudinal direction of the shutter 91 against the biasing force of the biasing spring 117. Thereby, the unevenness 114 of the lock plate 113 and the unevenness 112 formed on the shutter 91 coincide with each other, and in this state, the shutter 91 is opened by rotating the shutter drive motor 95 (FIG. 13 ( b)). Note that the rotation amount of the shutter drive motor 95 is detected by the rotation amount detection sensor 102, and the drive is stopped at an appropriate position (a position at which the shutter drive motor is lying down approximately 90 °).

  When the shutter drive motor 95 is driven to stop, the tray drive motor 71 is driven to rotate, and the loading tray 60 is ejected from the front side of the housing 1a. As described above, the front end side of the main body 61 of the loading tray 60 is discharged without interfering with the shutter 91 in the lying state because the cutout portions 61c are formed in the both side walls 61b. The rotation amount of the tray drive motor 71 is detected by the rotation amount detection sensor 82, and the loading tray 60 is stopped and driven at an appropriate position.

  In the state where the loading tray 60 is driven to stop, the banknote bundle placed on the placement plate 62 is held so that the front end side is exposed as shown in FIG. The banknote bundle being picked can be picked and pulled out as it is, and the banknote collection operation can be performed efficiently. In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the length of the placement plate 62 on which the bill P is placed is formed to be shorter than the length of the bill P, and the leading edge of the placement plate 62 Since the recess 62a is formed in the center of the banknote, when the loading tray 60 protrudes, the banknote bundle in a stacked and accommodated state can be easily picked at the tip portion, and the banknote P is collected. It becomes easy.

  When the banknote detection sensor 128 detects that the banknote P does not exist on the placement plate 62 during the collection operation of the banknote P (when the collection operation is completed), after the predetermined time has elapsed, The reverse process is performed. That is, the tray drive motor 71 is driven in reverse to return the loading tray 60 to the accommodation position, and when the limit switch 86 detects the presence of the loading tray 60, the shutter driving motor 95 is driven in reverse to move the shutter 91. The lock plate 113 is returned to the initial position by operating the lock mechanism 110 by turning the solenoid 116 to the closed state and then deactivating the solenoid 116.

  As described above, when it is detected that there is no bill on the placing plate 62, the lock mechanism 110 is automatically operated. Therefore, the operator only has to perform the bill collection operation, and perform other operations. This eliminates the need to carry out the bills and makes it possible to efficiently collect banknotes. In addition, according to such a configuration, it is possible to reliably prevent forgetting to lock the shutter 91 (artificial mistake) during the banknote collection operation, so that security can be improved.

  Note that the control unit described above may be configured so as not to release the lock mechanism 110 if the bill P does not exist on the placement plate 62 when a signal for releasing the lock mechanism 110 is received. That is, in the state where the bills P are not present, the lock mechanism 110 is maintained as it is without driving the loading tray 60, so that forgetting to lock can be reliably prevented.

  Release of the locking mechanism 110 described above may be performed by a dedicated portable terminal carried by the operator. For example, each banknote processing apparatus 1 is provided with an infrared light receiving unit 500 (see FIGS. 1 and 14), and the lock mechanism 110 is received when a predetermined unlock signal is received from the portable terminal via the infrared light receiving unit. May be canceled. That is, according to such a structure, it becomes possible to perform a collection | recovery operation | work by canceling | releasing a locking mechanism separately with respect to many banknote processing apparatuses. Or you may comprise so that such cancellation | release operation may be collectively performed via a management server by a portable terminal. In other words, the lock mechanism may be released in a lump for the entire island or for each row of islands by operating the mobile terminal.

As described above, according to the banknote handling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the banknote pressing mechanism 30 uses the lid body 31 as a support attached to the housing 1 a and the banknotes discharged to the banknote pressing area 10. A pressing plate 32 for pressing toward the loading tray 60 which is a bill storage part, one end of which is rotatably supported with respect to the lid 31 and the other end engages with the pressing plate 32 and the lid. Since it includes a push-down arm 38 as a moving member that moves the pressing plate 32 toward the mounting tray 60 by rotating with respect to the motor 31, a motor 33 that drives the push-down arm 38, and a speed reduction mechanism 37. A pantograph or the like as a link member is not required, and a push-down arm 38 for moving the push plate 32 and a mode for driving the push-down arm 38 are used. Since the motor 33, the deceleration mechanism 37 is arranged at the inner lid 31 (see FIG. 4), it is possible to reduce the size of the bill processing apparatus. In particular, in the banknote handling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment including the link member 35, the pressing plate 32 for pressing the banknote P toward the loading tray 60 is only on one side of the lid 31 via the link member 35. Since it is supported, the space which should be ensured for installation and operation | movement of the banknote press mechanism 30 containing the press plate 32 and the link member 35 can be made small, and, as a result, size reduction of banknote processing apparatus 1 itself can be achieved. it can. Moreover, according to the banknote processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the pressing arm 32 that moves the pressing plate 32 toward the mounting tray 60 while being held in a state substantially parallel to the lid 31 is provided. The instability of the pressing plate 32 by supporting the plate 32 only on one side of the lid 31 can be eliminated, and a uniform pressing force can be applied to the banknote P along the longitudinal direction. That is, the banknote P can be efficiently and reliably accommodated in the loading tray 60 with a small space.

  Moreover, according to the banknote processing apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, when the pressing plate 32 is moved by the push-down arm 38 by the flange 32c, the pressing plate 32 comes into contact with the locking claw 61c of the mounting tray 60, and the inside of the mounting tray 60 Further insertion into is restricted. Further, by providing such a flange 32c, the pressing plate 32 is slightly inclined in the front-rear direction regardless of being supported by the link member 35 only on one side or being held in parallel by the push-down arm 38. Even when the flange 32c and the locking claw 61c come into contact with each other, it finally becomes parallel to the lid body 31 (banknote P) and a uniform pressing force is applied to the banknote P along the longitudinal direction. Can act. That is, the entire banknote can be pressed evenly, and even if the banknote is bent or a banknote that is stiff (by increasing the number of stacked sheets), a predetermined number of sheets can be reliably placed in the loading tray 60. It can be accommodated.

  Further, according to the banknote handling apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, even when the pressing plate 32 is slightly inclined in the front-rear direction despite being held in parallel by the pressing arm 38, the inclination is related to the flange 32c. Since the correction is made by the contact with the pawl 61c, it is possible to securely store the banknote P in the mounting tray 60 regardless of its state (eg, fold, bent, bent).

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the various drive mechanisms and sensors such as sensors disposed in the housing described above are merely examples, and the specific configuration thereof can be performed as long as the same processing and operation can be performed. It can be modified as appropriate. Moreover, the mounting tray 60 should just be what hold | maintains a banknote bundle so that the front-end | tip of a banknote bundle can be picked out when it protrudes from a housing | casing, About the structure, it can deform | transform suitably. . Furthermore, the system for releasing the lock mechanism of the banknote processing apparatus may be performed for each banknote processing apparatus without using an external management server or the like. That is, you may comprise so that collection | recovery operation | work may be performed separately for every banknote processing apparatus.

  In addition to being installed between various gaming machines, the banknote handling apparatus of the present invention can be installed in various devices that handle banknotes, for example, external devices such as various vending machines.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Banknote processing apparatus 1a Housing | casing 1b Front 3A Banknote insertion slot 7 Banknote conveyance mechanism 10 Banknote pressing area 30 Banknote pressing mechanism 31 Lid (support body)
32 Pressing plate 32c Flange 35 Link member 38 Pressing arm (moving member)
60 Loading tray (banknote storage part)
61c Locking claw

Claims (2)

A housing,
A bill insertion slot provided on the front surface of the housing and into which a bill can be inserted;
A banknote transport mechanism that transports the banknotes inserted from the banknote insertion slot along the insertion direction and discharges the banknotes toward the banknote pressing area located on the downstream side,
A banknote pressing mechanism that is provided on one side of the housing and presses the banknote discharged to the banknote pressing area toward the other side;
A banknote storage unit including a mounting plate for stacking and storing banknotes pressed by the banknote pressing mechanism;
With
The banknote pressing mechanism includes a support body attached to the housing, a press plate for pressing the banknotes discharged to the banknote pressing area toward the banknote accommodating portion, and one end of the banknote pressing mechanism with respect to the support body. A movable member that is pivotally supported and has the other end engaged with the pressing plate and rotating with respect to the support to move the pressing plate toward the bill housing part, and the moving member And driving means for driving
The moving member and the driving means are disposed within the support ;
The banknote accommodating part has a locking claw that can engage both edges in the longitudinal direction of the banknote, and the banknote discharged to the banknote pushing area gets over the locking claw by the pressing force of the pressing plate. Loaded on the mounting plate,
The pressure plate has the locking pawl and can abut the flange, characterized Rukoto insertion amount of the pressing plate to the bill accommodating section by the flange comes into contact with the locking pawl is restricted A bill processing apparatus. Pressing plates, by said flange and said locking pawl abuts, the banknote handling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclination from a position parallel to the support is corrected.

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