ITTO960185A1 - ACQUISITION AND / OR ISSUE DEVICE FOR BANKNOTES - Google Patents

Abstract

An acquisition and/or issuing device (11) comprises a taking-up roll (50) and a feeding roll (51) adapted to rotate around fixed axes, a transport belt (52) and a pair of pinch rollers (53, 54). The taking-up roll (50) can store banknotes (12) or other flexible documents in a spool (57) together with the transport belt (52) and one of the pinch rollers (53, 54) is moved by an electromagnet (79). Electronic means (69) control the electromagnet and the rotation of the taking-up and feeding rolls, and associate the engagement and disengagement configuration of the pinch rollers (53, 54) with a banknote (12) to the revealing of the banknote by two sensors (66, 67). An accompanying roller (74) makes easier the winding of the banknotes (12) in the spool (57). <IMAGE>

Description

of the industrial invention entitled: "Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes"

DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to an acquisition and / or release device for banknotes or other flexible documents.

Pi? specifically, the invention relates to an acquisition and / or release device for banknotes or other flexible documents comprising a collection roller, a feed roller, at least one conveyor belt capable of winding and unwinding between said rollers and a pair of rollers the pick-up roller being able to store the banknotes in a reel together with said belt.

From US patent 4,337,864 an acquisition and / or release device of the aforementioned type, included in an ATM system for dispensing and depositing banknotes, is known. The banknote? moved by conveyor belts motorized by the system, while the collection and feeding rollers and the pick rollers of the device are part of a removable cartridge. These rollers are adjacent to a passage slot of the cartridge and the banknotes are moved through the slot for the joint engagement of the gripping rollers and the transport belts. The ATM system rotates one of the pick-up rollers having a return function and the collecting or feeding roller for acquiring or releasing the banknotes. At the same time, the system brakes the non-motorized pick-up or feed roller so as to keep the conveyor belt under tension.

In this known device, the necessary synchronism between the kinematic components of the system and those of the cartridge requires major constraints. There? creates serious problems when you want to create banknote treatment systems that use simultaneously more? acquisition and / or collection devices.

Purpose of this invention? to realize an improved, fast and highly reliable acquisition and / or release device for banknotes, which is of limited size and independent of the constraints of the system in which? office worker.

This object is achieved according to the invention with an acquisition and / or release device for banknotes of the type specified above, which? characterized by there? that the pick-up rollers are mutually movable between an engagement configuration for the banknotes on the conveyor belt and a disengagement configuration. The device comprises first and second sensors arranged in the path for the banknotes respectively between an interface zone and the pair of pick-up rollers and between the pair of rollers and the collecting roller and actuation means for the engagement and disengagement configurations. of the pick rollers. Electronic means control the actuation means and the rotation of the collecting and feeding rollers, associating the engagement and disengagement configurations with a banknote detected by the first or second sensor means and with the direction of rotation of the collecting and feeding rollers.

This device allows to obtain an asynchronous handling of the banknotes with respect to that of the system, which achieves, at reduced costs, a high tolerance for possible conditions of different speeds. between the different elements of the system.

According to another feature, the device comprises step motors for the rotation of the collecting and feeding rollers, probing means arranged in the path of the banknotes to detect the passage of a banknote through a given detection zone; and electronic means for controlling said stepper motors. These electronic means include counting and processing means, conditioned by the probing means for detecting a number of reference steps of one of the motors, associated with the passage of a banknote of predefined height, and means conditioned by the counting and processing means to define steps of the motor associated with the handling of a subsequent banknote.

Further characteristics and advantages of the device according to the invention will appear from the following detailed description, made with reference to the attached drawings, provided purely by way of non-limiting example, in which:

figure 1? a diagram showing an acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to the invention;

figure 2? a plan diagram of the device of Figure 1;

figure 3? a scheme of a system for the automation of activities? cash desk, which uses some of the devices of Figure 1, in a first configuration;

figure 4? a diagram of the system of Figure 3, which uses some of the devices of Figure 1, in a second configuration;

figure 5? an electrical block diagram of the acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to the invention;

figure 6? an operating diagram of the device according to the invention;

figure 7? a diagram showing an embodiment of the acquisition and / or release device, for banknotes according to the invention, in a working condition; And

figure 8? a diagram showing the device of figure 7 in another working condition.

Figure 1 illustrates, by way of example and in the form of a diagram, an acquisition and / or release device 11 for banknotes 12 or other flexible documents. Such a device? usable in a system 13 (Figs. 3 and 4) for the automation of activities? case, comprising a bodywork-safe 14.

Specifically, the body 14 has an upper body with an entrance compartment 15 for depositing the banknotes and two exit compartments 16 for their release. The lower part ? consisting of a real safe 17, having a central opening 18 in its upper part. In the upper part are also housed a unit? control electronics 19 and of the mechanisms not shown that handle the banknotes between the compartments 15 or 16 and the opening 18.

. The safe 17 includes internally a series of housings 20 and a mechanism 21 controlled by the unit. electronics 19, for handling banknotes 12. Each housing 20? adapted to contain a drawer 22, with a relative device 11 for depositing banknotes 12.

During the acquisition phase, the banknotes are withdrawn from the entrance compartment 15 and distributed among the drawers 22 and, during the release phase, the banknotes are conveyed from the drawers 22 towards the compartments 16.

The safe 17 provides, by way of example, six superimposed housings 20, arranged according to two columns of three housings per side. The drawers 22 are accessible through a front door of the safe 17, not shown in the drawings. Mechanism 21? adapted to move the banknotes 12 along a vertical path 23 arranged between the two columns of housings 20, aligned with the opening 18.

The mechanism 21 comprises a stepping motor 24 fixed on a bottom wall of the safe 17 and having a toothed pulley in engagement with a toothed belt 25. This belt has a branch which extends substantially along the path 23: upwards for the engagement with a return pulley 26 adjacent to the opening 18 and at the bottom for engagement with a tensioning pulley 27.

The mechanism 21 also comprises a pair of drive rollers 28 adjacent to the opening 18. The rollers 28 are in mutual engagement in the path 23 and are connected in rotation with the pulley 26 by means of an intermediate gear. The mechanism 21 also comprises a contrast roller 29, keyed on the return pulley 26, on one side of the path 23 immediately below the rollers 28.

The drawers 22 are parallelepiped in shape and include two support sides, left and right, and an open side, facing the path 23 for accessing the device 11. Each drawer 22? supported by guides of the housings 20 and by means of slots which allow it to be approached and removed perpendicularly to the path 23. The three drawers 22 of a column are also slightly offset in height with respect to the drawers of the other column.

With regard to the path of the banknotes 12, the drawers 22 can be positioned between a disengagement condition in which the side open? away from route 23 and a condition of commitment, in which the open flank? adjacent to the path 23. The disengagement condition allows the removal and insertion of the drawers 22, transversely to the guides of the housings 20. The condition of engagement? the working one for the device 11 and in which the drawers can be stably locked in the housings 20 by a mechanism not shown in the figures.

Each drawer 22 comprises, adjacent to the open side, a series of four rollers 30, 31, 32 and 33, arranged along parallel and equidistant axes and lying on a plane parallel to that of the open side. The roll 31 has a driving function and? interconnected in rotation with the roller 33 by pulleys and toothed belts not visible in the figures.

The rollers 30-33 are bidirectionally motorized by the mechanism 21 of the system 13. For this purpose, the belt 25? toothed also in the surface opposite to that engaged by the pulleys 26 and 27. Each drawer 22 has, externally to the right or left side facing the back wall, a toothed pulley 034 integral in rotation with the roller 31 and engageable with the external toothing of the belt 25.

At each housing 20, the belt 25 has a rectilinear course, when the drawer 22? absent or? in the condition of disengagement, how? shown in figure 4. In the engaged condition of the drawer 21, its toothed pulley 34 imposes a deviated "V" trend on the belt 25. The tension pulley 27? capable of maintaining tension in the branch of the belt arranged along the path 23 and of ensuring an adequate tension to cause the motion to be transferred from the belt itself to the pulleys 34 of the drawers 22, regardless of the number of mounted drawers.

The rollers 30, 31, 32 and 33 of a drawer 22 arranged on one side of the path 23 are engageable by pressure with the same number of rollers arranged on the opposite side of the path 23. To offset the drawers of the two columns, the rollers 31, 32 and 33 of the three left drawers are contrasted by rollers 30, 31 and 32 of the three right drawers. The roll 30 of the first drawer on the left, more? tall in the picture? opposed by the contrast roller 29 of the mechanism 21 and the rollers 30 of the second and third left drawer are contrasted by the rollers 33 of the first and second right drawer. In this way, when the drawers 22 are in their engagement conditions, all the rollers 30-33 are able to drag the banknotes 12 along the path 23, without interruption.

Each drawer 22 comprises a deflector 42 between the rollers 31 and 32, in an interface area 44 (Fig. 1) corresponding to an engagement area of a roll 31, with the contrast roll 29 of the mechanism 21 or with roller 30 or 32 of the drawer of the other column. The deflector 42? pivoted on an axis 43 and? it can be positioned between two positions by an electromagnet 45, realizing a deviation for the banknotes 12 from the path 23 to a path 46 inside the drawer, with an approximately horizontal course.

This structure? common to drawers 22 (Fig. 3) of the two columns. Their only difference? due to the location of the toothed pulley 34: on a left side for the drawers intended for the left housings 20 and on a right side for the drawers intended for the right housings. Such a difference can? be canceled if the drawers 22 are equipped with two pulleys 34 for the rollers 31, both on the right side and on the left side.

The insertion of the drawers 22 and their motorization are thus particularly easy. Furthermore, the mechanism 21 is devoid of couplings for the motorization of the device 11.

In the acquisition phase, the system 13? adapted to move the banknotes 12 in the direction directed from top to bottom along the path 23, imparting to the motor 21 a direction of counterclockwise motion for the belt 25 which gives? causes a clockwise motion to the rollers 30-33 of the left drawers in the figure and a counterclockwise motion to the rollers 30-33 of the right drawers.

System 13? able to recognize the types of banknotes handled and to position the deflectors 42 to selectively distribute them from the path 23 to the various drawers 22 on the basis of their type, to be acquired by the relative devices 11.

Similarly, the system 13? adapted to move the banknotes 12 in the direct direction from the bottom upwards along the path 23, imparting a clockwise motion to the motor 21 for the belt 25 which gives? causes a counterclockwise motion to the rollers 30-33 of the left drawers in the figure and a clockwise motion to the rollers 30-33 of the right drawers. The activation of an electromagnet 45 then allows the relative device 11, when it is operative, to release the banknotes from the drawer 22 towards the path 23.

With reference to the diagram of Figures 1 and 2, the device 11? mounted between the sides 48 and 49 of the drawer 22 and comprises a roller 50 for collecting the banknotes 12, a feeding roller 51, at least one conveyor belt 52, a pair of pick-up rollers 53 and 54, a guide plate 55 and motorization means 56 for the collecting and feeding rollers.

The rollers 50 and 51 are capable of rotation around parallel axes, fixed between the sides 48 and 49 of the drawer 22 and which, in use, lie at different heights, respectively above and below the path 46 for the banknotes 12. The pick-up rollers 53 and 54 also rotate on parallel axes, respectively below and above the path 46, to one side of the rollers 50 and 51.

The conveyor belt 52? susceptible of winding and unwinding between the collecting roller 50 and the feeding roller 51 and cooperating with the pick roller 53 having a return function. By way of example, the tape 52 comprises two thin strips of high-strength transparent plastic material, acting in parallel. These strips are achievable in mylar and have respective ends? opaque? fixed on rollers 50 and 51.

The pickup roller 50? suitable for storing the banknotes 12 in a reel designated by 57 together with the two bands that make up the belt 52. The pick-up rollers 53 and 54 are rotatable about parallel axes and are arranged facing each other in the path 23 for the banknote, comprised between the interface area 44 and the collection roller 50.

The motorization means 56 comprise two stepper motors 60 and 61, to rotate the collecting roller 50 and the feeding roller 51 respectively, for the intermediation of pulleys and toothed belts.

With this structure, the path 46 for each banknote 12 has a first section, comprised between the interface zone 44 and the pick rollers 53 and 54 and a second section, comprised between the rollers 53 and 54 and the collection roller 50, bounded by tape 52.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the rollers of the pair of pick rollers 53 and 54 are susceptible of reciprocal displacement between a configuration of pressure engagement with the banknotes 12 and a disengagement configuration.

By way of example, roll 53 with return function? rotatable on a rotatable axis between the sides 48 and 49 and, in its upper part, is tangent to the path 46. The roller 54 acts as a pressure roller and? supported by a bridge 62, pivoted on an axis 63 and spring-loaded towards the roller 53.

In the engagement configuration, the roll 54? adapted to engage the belt 52 resting on the roller 53, in the part of tangency with the path 46. In this way, the belt 52? adapted to drag with it, by adherence, a banknote interposed between the belt itself and the roller 54.

In the disengagement configuration, the roller 54? away from the roller 53. In this way, a banknote 12, interposed between the roller 53 and the tape 52,? able to slide with low friction relative to the belt 52 and the tile 55.

Conveniently, the device 11 comprises first and second banknote presence sensors 66 and 67, actuation means 68 for the engagement and disengagement configurations of the pick rollers and electronic means 69 for controlling the motorization means 56 and actuation means 68.

The sensors 66 and 67 are of the photoelectric type, and comprise for example an LED and a phototransistor arranged above and below the path for the banknotes 12, at a short distance from it. Sensor 66? arranged between the interface area 44 and the pair of pick-up rollers 53 and 54 and the sensor 67? arranged between the pair of rollers 53 and 54 and the collecting roller 50. The sensors 66 and 67 are adapted to provide a PHOTO-OUT signal and, respectively, a PHOTO-IN signal when any part of the banknote 12? interposed between the LED and the phototransistor, in a respective detection area.

A further sensor 70 is also provided for detecting the passage of a stretch 71 of the end of the belt, providing a PHOTO-END signal. Are the sections 71 located in the vicinity? of the extremities? of the ribbon 52 fixed on the rollers 50 and 51. The sensor 70? it is also of the photoelectric type and comprises an LED and a phototransistor arranged above and below one of the mylar strips that make up the tape 52.

The portions 71 consist of the opaque end parts of the strip probed by the sensor 71. The PHOTO-END signal is therefore associated both with a condition of full roll 50 and with an empty roll 50 condition, as will it be? described below.

The device 11 further comprises an accompanying roller 74, supported by a pair of lever arms 75 and pushed by spring towards the roller 50 to cooperate with the smaller coils. of the reel 57 of ribbon and banknotes wound on the roller 50. The roller 74 presses in particular on the tangent area of the reel 57 with the portion of ribbon 52 directed towards the roller 53. it allows, during the acquisition phase, a good adhesion of the banknotes 12 to the reel 57 wound on the roller 50, for any filling condition of the roller 50.

The device 11 further has a stripping lamina 77 for each strip constituting the strip 52, supported by a pair of lever arms 78. The two laminae are able to collaborate with the outer coils of the reel 57 wound on the roller 50, in an area adjacent to the roller 74 and on the opposite side with respect to the belt 52.

Each lamina 77 has its terminal edge in pressure engagement with the roller 50, extends for a certain distance along the path 46 and facilitates, in the release phases, the detachment of the banknotes 12 from the reel 57, laying them on the belt 52. lever arms 78 are also shaped so as to facilitate, during the acquisition phases, the winding of the banknotes on the reel 57.

The actuation means 68 comprise, by way of example, an electromagnet 79 which, when? deactivated, ensures the pressure engagement configuration for the rollers 53 and 54. When the electromagnet 79? activated, it ensures the disengagement configuration, spacing the roller 54 from the roller 53 through the bridge 62.

With reference to Figure 5, the electronic means 69 comprise a microprocessor 81 connected in input with the sensors 66, 67 and 70 and with a line 82, in turn connected with the unit? electronics 19 of the system 13. At the output, the electronic means 69 are connected, by means of piloting circuits or drivers 83, 84, 85 and 86, with the motors 60 and 61 of the drive means 56 and with the electromagnets 45 and 79.

The electronic means 69 are such as to associate the engagement or disengagement configuration of the pick rollers 53 and 54 with the presence of a banknote 12 detected by the sensor 66 or 67 and with the direction of movement imposed on the motors 60 and 61 of the motorization means 56 .

The electronic means 69 comprise a non-volatile memory 89 for selectively storing a data HBN relating to the height of the banknotes 12 to be wound and a data GAP relating to the mutual distance at which the banknotes 12 are to be arranged in succession along the belt 52 and on the reel. 57. In memory 89? the acquisition state IN and the release state OUT of the device 11 can be memorized, even after it has been switched off. Furthermore, the memory 89 pu? memorize in BN the number of banknotes 12 both incoming and outgoing.

The means 69 further comprise a memory 90 in which data relating to the speed are permanently stored. peripheral VTR of the rollers 31, at the distance D1 along the paths 23 and 46, between the first sensor means 66 and the interface zone 44, and at the distance D2 between the first and second sensor means. In memory 90? also memorized a number of PWMIN steps, associated with a number of steps still allowed to the motor 60 to further unwind the belt 52 from the feeding roller 51, when the PHOTO-END signal is detected by the sensor 70, to accept banknotes in transit in the system 13.

The electronic means 69 control a series of operations suitable for effecting incremental movements of the banknotes 12 along the path 46, by means of suitable activations of the motors 60 and 61 which take into account the number of variable steps, which are necessary for these movements and which depend on the diameter. current of the coil 57 wound on the roll 50. For this purpose, the microprocessor 81? programmed to perform the functions identified in figure 6 such as time determination 92, step detection 94, and step calculation 95.

For the timing function 92, the microprocessor? able to determine, on the basis of the data stored in 89 or 90 and relative to the height of the HBN banknotes, to the speed? VTR, and at distance D2, a time interval T1 necessary for a banknote of height HBN passing through the sensor 66 to leave the interface area 44 and to be taken over by the rollers 53 and 54.

For the step detection function 94, the microprocessor 81? able to detect for each banknote a number of PMIS steps performed by the motor 60, which are necessary for the passage of the banknote queue between sensors 66 and 67 and corresponding to the time elapsing between the cessation of the FOTO-OUT signal and the cessation of the signal PHOTO-IN. The variable PMIS value naturally depends on the current diameter of the reel 57 of tape and banknotes wound on the collecting roller 50.

For the time calculation function 95, the microprocessor 81 has a proportionality constant in the memory 90. K between the HBN height of the banknote and the GAP distance and the distances between the interface zones 44, roller 50 and the distance between sensors 66 and 67.

Does the microprocessor use PMIS together with the proportionality constant? K to calculate the number of steps, denominated with PULT, necessary for the motor 60 to make a banknote 12 pass beyond the sensor 67 in order to guarantee the predetermined distance GAP between the tail of the last acquired banknote and the front of the next banknote.

In memory 90 (Fig. 5) are also stored data VIN1-VIN4 and VOUT1-VOUT4 for motors 60 and 61, which can be selected selectively to obtain different levels of speed. angular, associated with different diameters of the rollers 50 and 51 and identified by the detected values of PMIS. They are designed to limit variations in speed? of the belt 52, associated with the differences in diameter in the rollers 50 and 51 depending on the quantity? of existing banknotes on reel 57 of roller 50.

The microprocessor 81? also programmed to determine the condition of empty and full roll 50, associated with the detection of the end of tape 96. In particular, in the acquisition step IN detected in the memory 89, the circuit 96? able to count forward and backward the PW2 steps performed by the motor 61, starting from the detection of the PHOTO-END signal and to compare them with the PWMIN value of the memory 90.

MODE OF OPERATION

The device 11 operates cyclically both for the acquisition of the banknotes and for their release. At a cycle of acquisition or release of a banknote can? indifferently follow a release or acquisition cycle. How to operate the device 11? the following:

Acquisition of banknotes

A banknote 12 (Figs. 1-6) dragged along the path 23 by the rollers 18 and by the rollers 30-33 of the various trays 22, engaging in the rollers 31, can? be intercepted by the deflector 42, piloted on the indication of the unit? control 19, to enter the drawer selected on path 46.

With the banknote moving along the path 46, the sensor 66 detects the passage of its front edge, with the PHOTO-OUT signal for the function 92. The microprocessor 81 activates the electromagnet 79 in the program step 91 to disengage the roll. 54 from roller 53, starting in function 92 the count of the Tpl insertion time of the same banknote, in program step 93.

The rollers 31 drag the banknote 12, bringing its leading edge beyond the rollers 53 and 54, with support and sliding on the belt 52 stretched between the roll 53 and the collection roll 50. This sliding continues until the rollers 31 do not lose their grip on the same banknote 12.

This event ? recognized by the microprocessor 81 from the entry time Tpl which has reached the value T1. The microprocessor deactivates the electromagnet 79 in the program step 96 and, in sequence, activates the motor 60 for a clockwise rotation of the web 52 on the collection roller 50. The banknote 12 is taken between the belt 52 and the roller 54, adhering to the belt 52 in turn pulled by roller 50.

The microprocessor 81 advances the motor 60 bringing the banknote beyond the sensor 66. With the cessation of the PHOTO-OUT signal, the microprocessor 81 accesses the function for detecting the steps 94. For this purpose, the counting of the steps of the motor 60 starts. a program step 97. When the tail of the banknote 12 leaves the detection zone of the sensor 67, canceling PHOTO-IN, the microprocessor stores in 89 the number of steps measured PMIS. It then starts function 95 and calculates the number of PULT steps, using PMIS and the constant K, stored in 90.

The next banknote will come? then positioned on the belt 52 at the predetermined distance GAP from the previous banknote. There? I can? to be obtained both with the motor 60 in motion and with the motor stopped, depending on the flow of banknotes 12 at the entrance to the interface area 44. At the end of the acquisition cycle, the banknote will be? almost completely wound on the roller 12.

Release of banknotes

The electronic means 69 release the banknotes 12, activating the motor 61 for a rewinding rotation of the roller 51. The belt 52 drags with it? the banknote 12, unwinding it from the roller 50 past the sensors 67 and 66 and in the interface area 44, where it is gripped between the rollers 31, with a traction action prevalent over the dragging action of the belt 52. The last banknote acquired sar? the first released.

The complete passages of the banknotes, detected by the sensor 66, are counted and recorded in the memory 89. On the basis of the banknotes requested by the system 13, the device 11 proceeds with their release until the quantity? issued is equal to the required number.

The microprocessor 81 stops the motor 61, when the sensor 66 detects the front of the banknote 12 contiguous to the last one released. The microprocessor then performs a partial acquisition cycle, activating the motor 60. The contiguous banknote is rewound almost completely on the roller 50 and its trailing edge is positioned with respect to the rollers 53 and 54, preparing the separation space GAP from the edge of a banknote that should be subsequently acquired. In this way, the device 11 is ready to proceed indifferently to any subsequent acquisition or release operation.

Against the movements

In accordance with the invention, the speeds? motors 60 and 61 are selectable according to predetermined levels according to the diameter of the reel 57 of tape and banknotes wound on the collecting roller 50 or the diameter of the reel 57 wound on the feeding roller 51.

How ? previously described, the indication of the instantaneous diameter of the rollers 50 or 51? function of the number of PMIS motor steps necessary to make the queue of a banknote 12 pass between sensors 66 and 67. This information for the last acquired banknote, stored in 89, is used to control the speed? to move a subsequent banknote.

The microprocessor 81 controls the rotations of the stepper motors 60 and 61 through the driving circuits 83 and 84. In particular, on the basis of the current PMIS value, for an acquisition cycle, the microprocessor 81 recalls from the memory 90 the data VIN1-VIN4 associated with it to activate the driving circuit 83 with a switching frequency corresponding to it. Furthermore, the microprocessor 81 predisposes the driving circuit 84 to short-circuit the windings of the motor 61, exerting a braking action on this motor, such as to keep the bands constituting the belt 52 under tension.

Similarly, in the release phase, the microprocessor 81 recalls from the memory 90 the data VOUT1-VOUT4 associated with the PMIS value to activate the driving circuit 84 with a corresponding switching frequency. It also prepares the driving circuit 83 to short-circuit the windings of the motor 60, exerting the braking action on this motor.

Both incoming and outgoing banknotes 12 are detected by the sensor 66 and counted by the microprocessor 81 on the basis of the PHOTO-0UT signals. In particular, the completion of the transit of the banknote 12 enables its counting. The state of presence of the banknote can? be requested by the system 13 at any time and the BN value remains recorded in the non-volatile memory 89 when the device is turned off, by means of a specific command. protection to limit manipulations to authorized personnel only.

End of tape check

The circuit 96 recognizes the PHOTO-END signal of the sensor 70 as being near the end of the tape. Depending on what there? is found in the acquisition phase or in the release phase of the banknotes, there? ? indicative of a state of full roll 50 or, respectively, empty roll 50.

In particular, the opaque section 71, adjacent to the extremity? fixed on the roller 51 it extends for a length such as to allow the acquisition of other banknotes. course, before disabling the device.

To avoid ambiguities? in the meaning of the PHOTO-END signal, in an initialization phase of the device 11, the tape 52 is completely wound onto the roller 51 and the detection of the opaque portion 71 is associated with the condition of empty roller and with the release state OUT.

The microprocessor 81 also detects the establishment of blocking conditions in the movement of the banknotes, checking the transit times of the banknotes on one of the sensors 66, 67, the transit time of an entrance front between the two sensors 66 and 67 and , in the banknote release phase, the time between one banknote and another or the birth of the PHOTO-IN signal of the first banknote, after the release command.

The settings for the HBN height of the banknotes can be made from the unit? electronics 19 of the system 13 or by codes read automatically on the box 22.

Implementation example

In Figures 5 and 6? illustrated a drawer 101, similar to the drawers 22, having an acquisition and / or release device according to the invention, designated with 102 and in which the components having a similar function retain the same numbering as those of the device 11 of figure 1.

In the device 102 the take-up roller 50? pi? forward towards the rollers 30-033 with respect to the feed roll 51. In Figure 5? a condition of almost empty roller 50 is shown and, in Figure 6,? a condition of almost full roll 50 is shown.

The lever arms 75 which support the accompanying roller 74 are part of a support structure 104, pivoted as a bridge on the axis 43. This structure comprises a plate 105 on which a spring 106 operates which urges it clockwise in the figure towards roller 50.

The lever arms 75 also rotatably support the roller 53. Furthermore, the structure 104 supports the electromagnet 79 with the bridge 62 and the sensors 66 and 67. The path of the banknotes 12, indicated here with 107, is variously inclined around the axis 43 between a position of minimum inclination of Figure 5, with the collection roller 50 empty, to a position of maximum inclination of Figure 6, with the roller 50 full.

Device 102? controlled electronic means 69 already? described and its mode of operation? completely analogous to that of device 11. The variations in inclination of the path 107 do not in fact modify the kinematic conditions of the various components. The device 102 is of limited size and has a short and direct path 107 for the banknotes 12.

Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the embodiments and details of construction may be widely varied, with respect to what? has been described and illustrated purely by way of non-limiting example, without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims (16)

CLAIMS 1. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes or other flexible documents, comprising a collecting roller, a feeding roller, at least one conveyor belt capable of winding and unwinding between said rollers and a pair of pick-up rollers, said roller collection being adapted to store the banknotes in reels together with said belt, characterized by this? that the pick-up rollers are mutually movable between an engagement configuration for the banknotes on the conveyor belt and a disengagement configuration, said device comprising first and second sensors arranged in the path for the banknotes respectively between an interface zone and said pair of rollers and between the pair of rollers and the collecting roll; actuation means for the engagement and disengagement configurations of the pick rollers; And electronic means for controlling the actuation means and the rotation of the collecting and feeding rollers, associating the engagement and disengagement configurations with a banknote detected by the first or second sensor means and with the direction of rotation of said rollers. 2. Acquisition and / or release device according to claim 1, characterized by ci? that said pair of rollers? arranged along a path for the banknotes comprised between an interface zone and the collection roller, one of the aforesaid rollers being in return engagement for the conveyor belt. 3. Acquisition and / or release device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that? that the collecting and feeding rollers are rotatable on axes arranged at different heights and in which said pair of rollers? arranged on one side of the aforesaid rollers at an intermediate height between the axes of the aforesaid rollers. 4. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that? that said pick-up and feed rollers are driven by step motors and from there? that said electronic means determine the number of steps associated with each banknote in response to information from said sensor means and to the height of said banknotes. 5. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that? that said banknotes can be displaced in the interface area by a drawing mechanism comprising drawing rollers and selection deflectors adjacent to said pick-up rollers. 6. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that? that said banknotes are available in said collection roller so as to be separated from each other by a predefined distance and in which said electronic means condition the operation of said actuation means at said predefined distance. 7. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to claims 4 and 6, characterized in that? that said electronic means are adapted to memorize the steps associated with the passage of a banknote and comprise processing means for determining the number of steps necessary to separate one banknote from the next, in proportion to the ratio between the aforementioned separation distance and the height of the banknote. 8. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes or other flexible documents, comprising a collecting roller, a feeding roller, at least one conveyor belt capable of winding and unwinding between the feeding roller and the collecting roller, and a pair of pick rollers and in which the take-up roller? suitable for storing banknotes in reels together with the conveyor belt, characterized by what? that the collecting and feeding rollers are rotatable on fixed axes, arranged at different heights and in which said pair of rollers? arranged on one side of said rollers at an intermediate height between the axes of said rollers, said device comprising an accompanying roller capable of moving perpendicularly to its axis between the feeding roller and the collecting roller to keep the banknotes adherent to the conveyor belt on the collecting roller; a common support structure for said pair of pick-up rollers and for said accompanying roller and capable of oscillation to follow the variations in diameter in said pick-up roller; And means for keeping said accompanying roller in pressure engagement with the conveyor belt in the zone of tangency with the collecting roller. 9. Acquisition and / or release device according to claim 8, characterized by that that said pick-up rollers are capable of reciprocal movement between a pressure engagement configuration for the banknotes on the conveyor belt and a disengagement configuration, and in which said device further comprises first and second sensors arranged in the path for the banknotes, respectively comprised between the interface zone and said pair of rollers and between the pair of rollers and the collection roll; and actuation means for the engagement configuration and the disengagement configuration of the pair of pinch rollers. 10. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to claim 8 or 9, characterized by that that said banknotes are displaceable in said interface zone by an interface drag mechanism comprising drag rollers and selection deflectors adjacent to said pick rollers. 11. Acquisition and / or release device according to claim 9, characterized by that that said actuation mechanism comprises an electromagnet mounted on said oscillating structure. 12. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes or other flexible documents, comprising a collecting roller, a feeding roller, at least one conveyor belt capable of winding and unwinding between said rollers and a pair of pick-up rollers, said roller collection being adapted to store the banknotes in reels together with said belt, characterized by this? that said collecting and feeding rollers are driven by stepper motors and in which said device comprises probing means arranged in the path of the banknotes to detect the passage of a banknote through a given detection zone; And electronic means for controlling said stepper motors including counting and processing means, conditioned by the aforementioned probing means for detecting a number of reference steps of one of the aforementioned motors, associated with the passage of a banknote of predefined height, and means conditioned by the aforesaid counting and processing means for defining steps of the aforesaid motor associated with the movement of a subsequent banknote. 13. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to claim 12, characterized by that that said electronic means comprise memory means in which data associated with predetermined speeds are stored. angles of the aforesaid step motors and in which circuit means are provided for associating one of the aforesaid data to said number of motor steps to limit the speed variations? of the banknotes due to the different quantity? of banknotes wrapped on the collection roller. 14. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes, comprising a plurality of of housings, each suitable for accommodating a corresponding deposit box for banknotes, characterized by a safe in which said overlapping and opposite housings are made to accommodate said cassettes according to two columns, said safe including a mechanism for moving the banknotes along a predetermined path between said locations and in which said mechanism comprises a double toothed belt located between the columns of the drawers and in which each drawer? susceptible of displacement in said housings relative to said belt, each drawer comprising a toothed pulley adapted to collaborate with said belt to take motion therefrom, when? in a condition of engagement, and dragging rollers adapted to be rotated by the aforesaid pulley. 15. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes according to claim 14, characterized by this that said drawer comprises a selection deflector adjacent to said dragging rollers for diverting banknotes moved by the safe mechanism. 16. Acquisition and / or release device for banknotes substantially as described and illustrated, and for the specified purposes.