IE43996B1 - A sheet dispenser suitable for bank notes - Google Patents

Abstract

1513489 Sheet dispensing TRANSACCOMPAGNIE POUR LE DEVELOPPEMENT DES TRANSACTIONS AUTOMATIQUES SA 24 Nov 1976 [5 Dec 1975] 48899/76 Heading B8R A sheet dispenser, e.g. for bank-notes comprises a stack magazine, a sheet separator belt 6 and a sheet thickness detector 40 which controls a selector 23 for directing overthick or multiple sheets to a box 22 and acceptable sheets to an outlet slot 2. Sheets are removed from a clip 12 by anti-clockwise rotation of belt 6 causing a fold in the sheet and then clockwise movement takes the sheet between belts 6, 7 at 21 to slot 2 via counters 28, 29 which stop the dispenser until the sheet is removed. Selector 23 is moved by an electromagnet 24 and a further electromagnet 10 controls the feeding device. Stack 3 is maintained at constant height, by detector 36 controlling motor 30. Further detectors 11, 13, 27, 33 signal folds, stop feed of a second sheet, count sheets and detect that a magazine is present respectively.

Description

The present invention relates to a dispenser for dispensing sheets one by one from a stack of sheets.

It is particularly, but not exclusively directed to a bank note dispenser.

Bank note dispensers are known, but there remains room for improvement, especially in reliability of operation.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide bank note dispensers which have a reduced likelihood of accidentally issuing two or more bank notes simultaneously. They also provide easy loading and accounting.

The present invention provides a dispenser for dispensing sheets one by one from a stack of sheets, the I 5 dispenser comprising a housing having a sheet outlet slot and containing a magazine for holding a stack of sheets, a sheet separator device for removing sheets from the stack, means for conveying sheets removed from the stack towards the dispensing slot, means for detecting the thickness of the removed sheets and selector means responsive to the detection means for directing sheets of excessive thickness away from the dispensing slot and towards a reject sheet receiving means.

According to a preferred feature of the invention the means for conveying the sheets comprise two sets of belts extending over pulleys and actuated by a motor, the two sets of belts being contiguous along a part of their length. - 3 According to another preferred feature of tho invention the sheet separation device includes a roller driven by one of the sets of belts, and adapted to cause its driving belt to rub against the top of the stack, the axle of the roller being part of an electromagnetic assembly for moving the roller towards and away from the top of the stack.

The sheet separation device may also comprise a photoelectric detector for detecting the formation of a fold in the sheet placed at the top of the wad and causing the belt motor to reverse after a fold has been formed,thereby causing the sheet to be removed from the stack.

According to a further preferred feature of the invention, a sheet presence detector is placed in the vicinity of the outlet slot and controls the stopping of the motor when the trailing edge of the sheet is detected by the said detector.

According to a further preferred feature the distributor includes a circuit for counting the dispensed sheets said circuit comprising a counter incremented by a sheet presence detector placed in the vicinity of the outlet slot.

An embodiment of the invention for issuing bank notes is described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view in partial section of a bank note dispenser as a whole; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a sheet separator cliP’ Figure 3 Is a perspective view of a sheet separator 439 9® device in action; and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a bank note magazine.

Figure 1 shows a bank note dispenser including a 5 housing 1 provided with a dispensing slot 2. The bank notes to be dispensed are placed in a stack 3 in a magazine 4. The magazine is detachable and can be removed from the housing 1 when it is empty for replacement by a full magazine. The dispenser mechanism is to entirely contained within bhe housing. It comprises an electric motor 5 which drives two sets of belts 6 and 7 for removing bank notes from the stactc 3 and conveying them to the slot 2.

Removal of the bank notes one by one from the stack is ensured by means of a sheet separator device which comprises: a roller 8 driven by a set of belts 6 and carried by a bell-crank 9; an electromagnet 10; a detector unit 11 for detection of a fold in (he top bank note of the stack; and a sheet separator clip 12.

The motor 5 can rotate in either direction, of which a first direction,indicated by an arrow AR, is a sheet separation direction and a second direction indicated by an arrow, AV is a dispensing direction (see also figure 3).

The first set of belts 6 is guided by the roller 8 and by further rollers 14, 15, 16, 17 and 19. The roller 15 is directly actuated by the motor 5J the rollers 8, 14, 16 and 17 are idle; the roller 14 is carried by the bell-crank 9· The second set of belts 7 is guided - 5 by the roller 19 and a further roller 20; the roller 19 is driven by the motor 5 and the roller 20 is idle. The sets of belts 6 and 7 meet (at 21) over a part of their run i.e. that part which lies between the roller 19 and the rollers 16 and 20. A flap 23 is disposed near the rollers 16 and 20. It can assume two positions: one which directs bank notes towards the dispensing slot; and another which directs them towards a reject box 22. The flap positions are determined by energizing or not an electromagnet 24 which is disposed to attract an armature 25 integral with the flap 23 and which is biassed by a spring 20. Three photoelectric detectors 27, 28 and 29 whose function is explained below arc disposed near the flap 23.

The bank note dispenser operates as follows: The stack of bank notes is disposed on a lift plate 31 which maintains the top of the stack at a constant level by means of a lift motor 30 driving a worm screw 32 which is threaded through a support 32a of the plate 31.

The motor can operate only if a detector 33 ( a microswitch) detects the presence of the magazine 4· A microswitch 34 detects when the lift plate 31 is too low. A microswitch 35 detects the maximum upward travel of the lift plates 31.

The lift motor 30 is controlled by a detector 36 (photoelectric cell associated with a conventional electronic circuit for example).

When the level reached by the top of the stack of bank notes is too low, a light beam is not interrupted 3 9 9 S - 6 which causes the motor 30 to raise the plate 31· The motor 30 stops when the beam is interrupted. In actual fact, the beam of the detector 36 is so disposed as to be interrupted by the sheet separator clip 12.

Likewise, the microswitch 35 is also actuated by the sheet separator clip 12. The sheet separator clip 12 is a metal part which rests on the top of the stack of bank notes and v/hich moves with it. It has the shape shown in figure 2 and is constituted by a metal plate having a portion 12a which curves down from a generally horizontal plane to bear on the top of the stack and a vertical plane portion 12b which rests against the side of the stack.

With the stack of bank notes positioned at the right height, the bank note dispensing sequence may be broken down as follows: The belt-drive motor 5 operates in reverse (direction of the arrow AR) with the bell-crank 9 in the low position (the electromagnet 10 de-energized); the roller S causes the belt 6 to bear against the bank note placed at the top of the stack. This bank note is released from beneath the sheet separator clip 12 forming a fold (figure 3) which is detected by the detector 11 and thereby causes forward operation of the motor 5 i.e. in direction of the arrow AV). It should be observed that during reverse operation of the motor 5 the electromagnet 24 is energized and attracts the armature 25 which thereby places the flap 23 in the position for directing the bank notes towards the dis30 pensing slot 2.

The forward operation of the motor 5 in the direction of the arrow AV enables the bank note to be conveyed by the belts 6. When the bank note is sufficiently engaged in the dispenser, the electromagnet 10 - 7 is energized and attracts the crank 9 before the roller 8 picks up a second bank note. The electromagnet is controlled by means of a photoelectric detector 13 which detects the passing of the bank note.

The thickness of the sheet removed from the stack is checked by a detector 40 which makes it possible to check if two bank notes stuck to each other have not been conveyed simultaneously as a single sheet. Such a detector has been described in French patent application No. 73 1? 722 of 23rd May, 1973 published under No. 2 231 221 on 9th December, 1974, in the name of Compagnie Industrialle des telecommunications CITALCATEL and in the first certificate of addition thereto, No. 75 24 024 of 31st July, 1975, these applications being entitled A method and device for dispensing one by one sheets piled up in stacks. If the detector 40 detects an excess thickness, it causes the electromagnet 24 to be de-energized thereby positioning the flap 23 in the position for bank-note rejection towards the reject box 22.

If no excess thickness is detected, the dispensing operation continues. The bank note passes through the part 21 common to both of the belts and reaches the dispenser outlet zone.

When the trailing edge of the bank note reaches the beam of the photoelectric detector 29, the detector 29 stops the motor 5. The leading part of the bank note triggers the photoelectric detectors 27 and 28 by interrupting corresponding light beams. The bank note remains stationary, held by the belts 6 and 7, with its leading edge projecting out of the slot 2 of the dispenser. When the bank note is taken by the customer, the light beams of the photoelectric detectors 27 and 9 3 - 8 28 are no longer interrupted and thereby cause a counting element (not shown) to count once to check the number of bank notes dispensed. Two photodetectors and 28 have been provided so as to make counting more reliable. tf an extra thickness had been detected, the bank note would have followed the position 21 of the belts, but it would have been deviated by the flap 23 towards the reject box 22. It would not have passed in front of the detectors 27 and 28 and therefore would not have been taken into account in the counting of the bank notes dispensed.

But when its back edge passed in front of the detector 29, it would cause the motor 5 to stop as before.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the bank note magazine 2. This magazine is a substantially parallelpipedical box, having a cut-away bottom 41, three lateral faces 42, 43 and 44 delimiting a volume which is open on the side 45 of the fourth lateral face of the parallelpiped. The top part is open to allow the bank notes to be removed by the device described hereinabove.

A bank note dispenser as described allows increased operation reliability due to the following features: Ease of loading because of the detachable magazine; Reliability in dispensing the bank notes one by one because of the sheet separation and extra thickness detection systems; and 43896 Reliability in the counting of the bank notes dispensed due to the co-operation of the detectors with the selector flap.

Claims (8)

1. A dispenser for dispensing sheets one by one from a stack of sheets, the dispenser comprising a housing having a sheet outlet slot and containing a magazine 5 for holding a stack of sheets, a sheet separator device for removing sheets from the stack, means for conveying sheets removed from the stack towards the dispensing slot, means for detecting the thickness of the removed sheets and selector means responsive 10 to the detection means for directing sheets of excessive thickness away from the dispensing slot and towards a reject sheet receiving means.

2. A dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the means for conveying the sheets comprise two sets of 15 belts extending over pulleys and actuated by a motor, the two sets of belts being contiguous along a part of their length.

3. A dispenser according to claim -2, wherein the sheet separator device includes a roller driven by one 20 of the sets of belts, and adapted to cause its driving belt to rub against the top of the stack, the axle of the roller being part of an electromagnetic assembly for moving the roller towards and away from the top of the stack. 25

4. · A dispenser according to claim 3, wherein the sheet separation device also comprises a photoelectric detector for detecting bhe formation of a fold in the sheet placed at the top of the stack and causing the belt motor to reverse after a fold has formed, thereby 30 causing the sheet to be removed from the stack.

5. A dispenser according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein a sheet presence detector is placed in the vicinity of the outlet slot and controls the stopping of the motor when the trailing edge of a sheet is 35 detected by said sheet presence detector. 439 96

6. A dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to .5, including a circuit for counting the dispensed sheets said circuit comprising a counter incremented by a sheet presence detector placed in 5 the vicinity of the outlet slot.

7. A dispenser according to any one of claims 1 to 6, adapted to dispense sheets which are bank notes.

8. A dispenser for dispensing sheets one by one from a stack substantially as herein described with refer10 ence to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.