JP2000163629A - Paper money cleaning mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper money cleaning mechanism which can sufficiently exhibit satisfactory paper money smoothing-out and sterilizing effects at a sterilizing temperature which is maintained as low as possible while paper money is carried as quickly as possible in accordance with the state of the carried paper money regardless of the state. SOLUTION: A paper money cleaning mechanism is provided with a dimension detecting section 7 for paper money, a thickness detecting section 7 for paper money, a wrinkled-state detecting section 9 for paper money, stain detecting section 10 for paper money, and heating and sterilizing section 11 set up above a paper money conveyance path 4 and the dimension, thickness, wrinkled state, and stains of paper money carried on the path 4 are respectively detected by means of the sections 7, 8, 9, and 10 and the optimum carrying speed of the path 4 and the sterilizing temperature of the paper sterilizing section 11 are decided based on the information from the sections 7, 8, 9, and 10 or their combination. Therefore, the paper money cleaning mechanism can exhibit paper note smoothing-out and sterilizing effects which meet all states of paper money.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a banknote cleaning mechanism having a heat sterilizing section for performing wrinkle stretching and sterilization on a banknote to be conveyed, and more particularly, to a banknote size, thickness, wrinkle degree, and dirt depending on the banknote. The present invention relates to a banknote clean mechanism in which a banknote transport speed in a heat sterilization section and a temperature of the heat sterilization section are adjusted and controlled so that banknotes in various states have an appropriate wrinkle extension and sterilization effect.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, banknotes are handled in various places by various people in various ways, and therefore have various states. For this reason, various techniques related to wrinkle elongation and sterilization of banknotes have been conventionally proposed. A typical example is a bill cleaning mechanism that sterilizes and expands wrinkles by heating. As a device which performs sterilization and wrinkle expansion by heating, for example, there is a device described in JP-A-04-114652. What is described in this publication is a banknote sterilizing means for sterilizing and wrinkling the banknotes on the banknote transport path, that is, heating the heating roller and the heat-resistant belt wound around it to a high temperature, and passing the banknotes between them. Sterilizing means is provided to sterilize and wrinkle the banknotes being conveyed. However, what is proposed in this publication is to control at a predetermined constant conveying speed and heat sterilization temperature, and to control various states of the bill (size, thickness, degree of wrinkles, dirt, etc.). It is not considered at all to adjust / change the transport speed or the heat sterilization temperature to the optimum for the combination of these various states) and banknotes. It was not possible to obtain a sterilizing or wrinkle elongation effect.

[0003]

As described above, in the case of the conventional system in which the heating roller and the heat-resistant belt wound therearound are heated to a high temperature and the banknotes are passed between them to sterilize the banknotes, there are various methods. A predetermined constant transport speed irrespective of the size of the banknote, the thickness of the banknote, the degree of wrinkling of the banknote, and the determination result of the contamination of the banknote, and regardless of various combinations of these determination results. In addition, since a certain sterilization temperature is used, there is a problem that it is not possible to perform a uniform wrinkle elongation or a uniform sterilization effect on various states of individual bills. The present invention solves these problems, regardless of the state of the bill being conveyed, in any state, in accordance with the state, as fast as possible at a high conveyance speed, as low as possible sterilization temperature sufficiently satisfactory wrinkle elongation. It is another object of the present invention to provide a banknote clean mechanism capable of obtaining a sterilizing effect.

[0004]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a bill transport path (4) for transporting at least bills, and a heating roller (4) for heating bills during the transport of bills. A heat sterilization unit 11), a heat-resistant belt provided so as to be in pressure contact with the heating roller, and holding and transporting the banknotes to the heat sterilization unit configured between the heat roller and the heat sterilization unit. Temperature detecting means (temperature detecting section 20) for detecting the temperature of the heating section 11 and a heating means for heating the heat sterilizing section (11) according to the temperature information obtained by the temperature detecting means (temperature detecting section 20). In the banknote clean mechanism having the heating roller drive motor 12 and the heater ON / OFF unit 19, dimension detecting means (7) for detecting the size of the banknote transported to the banknote transport path (4), and transporting the banknote to the banknote transport path. Paper Thickness detecting means (8) for detecting the thickness of the paper money, wrinkle detecting means (9) for detecting the degree of wrinkles of the paper money conveyed to the paper money conveyance path, detecting dirt on the paper money conveyed to the paper money conveyance path And at least one of the dirt detecting means (10), which is detected by the dimension detecting means (7), the thickness detecting means (8), the wrinkle detecting means (9), and the dirt detecting means (10). The transfer speed and the temperature in the heat sterilizing section (11) are determined based on the information.

The size detecting means (7), thickness detecting means (8), wrinkle detecting means (9), and dirt detecting means (1)
0), and the transport speed and the temperature in the heat sterilizing section (11) are determined based on two or more types of information detected by the information. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain a sufficient effect of extending the wrinkles and sterilizing the bill even in various states of the bill.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, taking an example in which the invention is applied to a bill payment apparatus. First, each drawing will be briefly described. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a bill payment apparatus equipped with a bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention, FIG.
Is a block diagram showing a system configuration when the bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention is applied to a bill payment device connected to a higher-level device, FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a bill size detecting unit of the bill cleaning mechanism, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a bill thickness detecting unit of the banknote clean mechanism, FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a banknote dirt detection unit of the banknote clean mechanism, and FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the dimension of a banknote, the thickness of a banknote, the degree of the wrinkle of a banknote, the contamination of a banknote, the set conveyance speed appropriate at that time, and the sterilization temperature.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing one embodiment of a processing procedure when the present invention is applied to a bill payment apparatus connected to a higher-level device. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a conveying speed value and a sterilization temperature according to the size of a bill. Flow chart for setting values, FIG.
Is a flowchart for setting the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value according to the thickness of the banknote, FIG. 11 is a flowchart for setting the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value according to the degree of wrinkling of the banknote, and FIG. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for setting the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value in accordance with FIG. 13. FIG. 13 sets the optimal transport speed and sterilization temperature according to the determination results of the bill size, the bill thickness, the degree of wrinkles of the bill, and the stain on the bill. It is a flowchart.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the bill payment apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the contents of each memory area (memory area for banknote judgment by judgment control) allocated to No. 2;
It is a figure which shows the determination result of the banknote shown by the graph of FIG. 7, and the relationship between the conveyance speed value and the sterilization temperature value which become appropriate at that time.

Here, the contents of the banknote determination memory 22 shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 will be briefly described.
As shown in FIG. 14, the banknote determination memory 22 is roughly divided into four sections: a section related to banknote dimensions, a section related to banknote thickness, a section related to the degree of wrinkling of a banknote, and a section related to banknote dirt. In FIG. 14, a “banknote size” area is an area in which a value obtained by calculating the banknote size of one sheet that has actually passed is stored, and a “total thickness” area is a “banknote passage count” to be described later. Is the area where the total value of the thickness of the banknotes extracted for each sampling of the number of times indicated by is stored, and the "amount of wrinkles" area calculates the degree of wrinkles of one banknote that has actually passed The “banknote permeation amount” area is a value obtained by calculating the banknote permeation amount of one banknote that has actually passed (the permeation amount decreases if the banknote is dirty). Is an area where is stored.

The "judgment bill size" area is an area in which a reference dimension value, for example, the longitudinal dimension of a bill of 76 mm (10,000 yen bill) is set, and the "judgment thickness amount" area is
The thickness amount of the reference bill, for example, 0 in the case of a bill thickness of 10,000 yen.
The area where the value of 11 mm is stored, the “wrinkle degree for judgment” area is an area where the amount of wrinkles of the reference bill is stored, and the “permeation amount of judgment bill” area is the transmission of the reference bill. This is the area where the quantity is stored.

Further, the "transportation speed / sterilization temperature table for each bill size" area includes the bill size (L1 to L
n) transport speed values (S1 to Sn) and sterilization temperature values (T1)
~ Tn) is stored, and the "transport speed / sterilization temperature table by banknote thickness" area is the transport speed (S1 to Sn) and sterilization for each banknote thickness (A1 to An) in FIG. The area where the temperatures (T1 to Tn) are stored, and the “transport speed / sterilization temperature table according to the amount of wrinkles” area is the transport speed (S1) for each wrinkle level (W1 to Wn) in FIG.
1 to Sn) and the sterilization temperature (T1 to Tn) are stored. The “transportation speed / sterilization temperature table for each banknote transmission amount” area is a banknote stain (permeation amount D1 to D1) in FIG.
Dn) transport speed (S1 to Sn) and sterilization temperature (T1 to
Tn) is an area in which Tn) is stored.

The "Bill size judgment result conveyance speed" area is an area for acquiring and storing the conveyance speed corresponding to the detected bill size with reference to FIG. The “speed” area is an area for acquiring and storing the transport speed corresponding to the detected bill thickness with reference to FIG. 5, and the “wrinkle degree method determination result transport speed” area is an area for detecting the wrinkle. The transport speed corresponding to the degree of the banknote is acquired and stored with reference to FIG. 5, and the “banknote transmission amount determination result transport speed” area indicates the transport speed corresponding to the detected banknote transmission amount in FIG. Is an area for acquiring and storing by referring to.

Further, the "Bill Size Judgment Result Sterilization Temperature" area shows the sterilization temperature corresponding to the detected bill size in FIG.
The "sterilization temperature of banknote thickness determination result" area is acquired and stored with reference to FIG. 5, and the sterilization temperature corresponding to the detected thickness of the banknote is acquired with reference to FIG. The “sterilization temperature judgment result of wrinkle degree method” area indicates the sterilization temperature corresponding to the detected wrinkle degree.
Is an area in which the sterilization temperature corresponding to the detected amount of permeation of the bill is acquired and stored with reference to FIG. 5. It is. In addition, the “number of times of bill passage” area is an area in which the number of times of extracting a thickness value (sampling number) during detection of one bill is stored.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the bill size, the bill thickness, the degree of wrinkles, and the amount of permeation, and the transport speed and sterilization temperature that are appropriate at that time. , Reference banknote thickness As, reference wrinkle degree W
s or the reference transport speed S when the reference transmission amount Ds.
s, the standard sterilization temperature Ts, and the transport speed Sm and the standard sterilization temperature Tm when the banknote size Lm, the standard banknote thickness Am, the standard wrinkle amount Wm, or the standard transmission amount Dm. Is shown.

In FIG. 15, the size relationship of banknote dimensions (L) is L1 <Ls <Lm <Ln, the size relationship of banknote thickness (A) is A1 <As <Am <An, and the degree of wrinkles (W) Are set to W1 <Ws <Wm <Wn. The banknote stain is associated with the transmission amount D, and the magnitude relationship of the transmission amount (D) is D1>Ds>Dm> Dn. The larger the transmission amount D is, the smaller the dirt is, and the smaller the transmission amount is. It is very dirty.
Also, the magnitude relation of the transport speed (S) is S1 <Ss <Sm <S
n, the relationship between the sterilization temperatures is T1 <Ts <Tm <Tn.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described specifically. First, an outline of a bill payment apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in the figure, the bill dispensing device includes denomination boxes 1, 2, 3 in which bills of each denomination are stored, and bills for transporting bills separated from the denomination boxes 1, 2, 3. The transport path 4, a pulse motor 5 serving as a drive source for moving bills on the banknote transport path 4, a banknote clean mechanism 6 for performing heat sterilization and wrinkle expansion of the banknotes transported on the banknote transport path 4, heat sterilization and the like. It is configured with a dispensing port 13 for dispensing a bill that has been wrinkled or the like to a user. Furthermore, the bill cleaning mechanism 6 mainly includes the bill transport path 4.
A size detector 7 for detecting the dimensions of the bills transported on the bill transport path 4, a thickness detector 8 for detecting the thickness, a wrinkle degree detector 9 for detecting the degree of wrinkles, A dirt detection unit 10 for detecting dirt, a heat sterilization unit (heating roller) 11 for applying heat and pressure to the banknotes to sterilize and expand wrinkles, and a heating roller drive motor 12 for driving the heat sterilization unit (heating roller) 11 Be composed.

Next, the configuration of the bill payment apparatus 14 will be described in more detail with reference to a block diagram showing the system configuration of the bill payment apparatus of FIG. The bill cleaning mechanism 6 is shown in FIG.
Dimension detection unit 7, thickness detection unit 8, wrinkle degree detection unit 9, dirt detection unit 10, heat sterilization unit (heat roller) 1 described in 1.
1, in addition to the heating roller drive motor 12, is further coupled to the heating roller drive motor 12 to
, A heating roller driving mechanism 21 for controlling the temperature control unit 1, a temperature detection unit 20 for detecting the temperature of the heat sterilization unit 11, and a temperature detection unit 2
A heater ON / OFF unit 19 for turning ON / OFF the heater according to the temperature information detected at 0, the dimension detection unit 7, the thickness detection unit 8, the wrinkle degree detection unit 9, and the dirt detection unit 10 have been detected. It has a banknote determination memory 22 for managing the detection state of banknotes.

The bill dispensing device 14 also includes another mechanism unit for disposing one bill from the denomination boxes 1, 2 and 3.
The bill separator 18 for separating sheets one by one, the pulse motor 5
And a control unit 16 that controls the operation of each unit according to a program stored in the banknote transport mechanism 17 that moves the banknotes on the banknote transport path 4 using the as a drive source.
The control unit 16 controls the operation of each mechanism part according to the number of bills for each denomination box received from the higher-level device 15 and reports the number of bills dispensed for each denomination box to the higher-level device 15.

Next, based on the flowchart of FIG.
An outline of a series of operations of the bill cleaning mechanism including a bill payment operation will be described. In the following description, the denominations stored in the denomination boxes 1, 2, 3 are respectively different banknotes, and the payment operation request of the banknote requested by the host device 15 is the denomination box 1, 2, 2, Assume that one is paid out from three.

First, the "reference transport speed (Ss)" shown in FIG. 15 is stored in the "banknote size determination result transport speed" area allocated to the banknote determination memory 22 and the "banknote thickness determination result transport". Speed area, wrinkle degree determination result transport speed area, and bill transmission amount determination result transport speed area are set (step 100). This processing is to set as an initial value when the transport speed is the same as the reference transport speed value in each determination result. Then, the “reference sterilization temperature value (Ts)” also shown in FIG. 15 is assigned to the “banknote size determination result sterilization temperature” area allocated to the banknote determination memory 22 and the “banknote thickness determination result sterilization temperature”. Area, a "wrinkle degree determination result sterilization temperature" area, and a "banknote permeation amount determination result sterilization temperature" area, respectively (step 101). This process is also for the same reason (set as an initial value) as the above-described setting of the reference transport speed value.

Next, the heat sterilizing section 11 is previously heated to a sterilizable temperature. Waiting in this state, the heat sterilizing unit 11
In order to keep the sterilizing temperature, the heating means (electric heater, heater ON / OFF unit 19) keeps the sterilizing temperature and waits for bills to be dispensed. When the control unit 16 in the bill payment device 14 receives the number of sheets to be paid out for each banknote denomination from the host device 15, the control unit 16
Is determined by the temperature detection unit 20 as to whether or not it is a sterilizable temperature (step 102). If the temperature is the sterilizable temperature (Step 102: Y), the pulse motor 5 is started (Step 103), and the banknote transport speed of the banknote transport path 4 is set to the reference speed "Ss" in the transport speed / sterilization temperature table diagram of FIG. (Pp
s; pulse per second: the number of pulses per second of the encoder) (step 104). When the transport speed of the banknote transport path 4 reaches the reference speed “Ss” (pps) (Step 104: Y), the banknote separator 18 from one of the designated denomination boxes 1, 2, 3 One bill is separated (step 105).

The separated banknotes are conveyed to the banknote conveying path 4 to execute a "banknote size control process" (see FIG. 9) (step 106). After the "banknote size control process" is completed, a "banknote thickness control process" (see FIG. 10) is executed (step 107). "Bill thickness control processing"
Is completed, then the "bill wrinkle degree control processing"
(See FIG. 11) is executed (step 108). After the "banknote wrinkle degree control process" is completed, a "banknote dirt control process" (see FIG. 12) is executed (step 1).
09).

Each of the four determination processes: "bill note size control process (step 106)", "bill note thickness control process (step 107)", "bill wrinkle degree control process (step 108)", "bill note Soil control processing (Step 10
9) is completed, a “transport speed / sterilization temperature setting process” (see FIG. 13) is performed based on the four determination results (step 110). When the “transport speed / sterilization temperature setting process” is completed, the banknote passes through the heat sterilization unit 11, and the banknote is wrinkled and sterilized (step 111). The banknote on which the banknote has been wrinkled and sterilized is conveyed to the dispensing port 13.

Next, it is determined whether the dispensing operation has been performed for all denominations (step 112). If the dispensing operation has not been performed for all denominations (step 112:
N), the denomination boxes 1, 2 and 3 to be dispensed next are set (step 115), and the process returns to step 100 in which the reference transport speed value is set in each of the four determination result transport speed memories (step 100). , Next denomination box 1,2,3
Starts a withdrawal operation.

When the dispensing operation is completed from all the denomination boxes 1, 2 and 3 (step 112: Y), the pulse motor 5 is stopped by the bill conveying mechanism 17 (step 113), and the heating roller driving mechanism 21 To stop the heating roller drive motor 12 (step 114). When the dispensing operation from all the denomination boxes 1, 2, 3 is completed, the result of the dispensed number is reported to the host device 15, and the control is terminated.

Next, based on the block diagram of the bill payment apparatus of FIG. 1, the block diagram of the bill size detecting unit of FIG. 3, and the bill size control processing flowchart of FIG. The setting of the temperature value will be described. Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, the banknote size detection unit 7 in the block diagram showing the system configuration of the banknote payment device in FIG.
It is composed of a bill detection sensor 23. As described above, the contents of the memory for the banknote size control of the banknote determination memory 22 include the “banknote size” area, the “determination banknote size” area, the “transport speed / sterilization temperature table by banknote size”, and the “banknote size”. A “size determination result conveyance speed” area and a “bill size determination result sterilization temperature” area are assigned (see FIG. 14).

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, when the "note size control process" is executed (step 106),
In the "determination bill size" area allocated in the bill determination memory 22, the reference dimension value "Ls" in the bill size in the "transport speed / sterilization temperature table" area in FIG.
(Mm) "is set (step 120).

Next, in the description of the control flow chart of FIG. 8, the bills separated from the designated denomination boxes 1, 2, 3 by the bill separating section 18 (step 105), , Bill detection sensor 2
3 (step 121). When the arrival of the bill is detected, the dimension counting is started (step 12).
2). Here, the pulse count value (1) of the pulse motor 5 at the time when one bill is detected is referred to. Then, it is determined whether one banknote has passed through the banknote detection sensor 23 (step 123). If one bill is still passing through the bill detection sensor 23, the process waits until the passage is completed.

When one bill has passed through the bill detecting sensor 23, the dimension counting is terminated (step 124). Here, the pulse count value (2) of the motor pulse 5 at the time when the detection of one bill is completed is referred to.
Then, by subtracting the pulse count value (1) from the pulse count value (2), the bill size for one sheet is calculated (step 125). Note that the calculation formula is banknote size =
((Pulse counter value (2) -pulse counter value (1)) / 1 pulse count length value).

Next, the calculated bill size is set in the "bill size" area of FIG. 14, and the value of the "bill size" area is compared with the value of the "decision bill size" area previously set. It is determined whether they match (step 12).
6). If the result of the determination is a mismatch (step 12
6: N), based on the “banknote size” area value, refer to the “transportation speed / sterilization temperature table” (transportation speed / sterilization temperature table in FIG. 15) set in the banknote determination memory 22 (FIG. 15). Step 127). According to FIGS. 7 and 15, for example, the calculated value of the “banknote size” area is “Lm
(Mm) ", the corresponding transport speed value is associated with" Sm (pps) "and the sterilization temperature value is associated with" Tm (° C.). "The transport speed value corresponding to this table, and The sterilization temperature value is extracted, and the "Bill size judgment result conveyance speed" area and the "Bill size judgment result sterilization temperature"
It is set in each area (step 128, step 129). Then, the “banknote size control process” ends.

Next, based on the block diagram of the bill payment apparatus of FIG. 1, the block diagram of the bill thickness detecting section of FIG. 4, and the bill thickness control flowchart of FIG. The setting of the value and the sterilization temperature value will be described. Note that the bill thickness detecting unit 8 in the block diagram showing the system configuration of the bill payment apparatus in FIG. 2 includes a bill presence / absence detection sensor 24 and a bill presence / absence detection sensor for determining the presence / absence of a bill shown in FIG. The thickness of the bill is set at the same position as that of 24 and is converted into a vertical change amount. The thickness detection roller 25 and the thickness sensor 26 for detecting the change amount are configured.

The thickness detector is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.
Any configuration may be used as long as the thickness can be detected. Here, a specific configuration example of the thickness detecting roller 25 and the thickness sensor 26 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 41, the thickness detecting unit according to the present embodiment includes a thickness detecting roller 25 and the thickness detecting roller 25.
A cam that is pressed by a spring so as to be in contact with and moves up and down depending on the thickness of the bill being conveyed, and a thickness sensor that detects the thickness of the bill by blocking the light between the light emitting portion and the light receiving portion by the up and down of the cam 26 and a plurality (n) of them. Then, the thickness sensors 26 are disposed in such a manner that the positions of the thickness sensors 26 are slightly shifted in the vertical direction according to the thickness of banknotes required for classification, and the thickness sensor 26 that blocks light and the thickness that does not block light. By recognizing the sensor 25, the thickness of the bill is detected. Further, in the above configuration, the plurality of thickness sensors 26 are fixed at a horizontal position with respect to the thickness detection roller 25, and the shape of the cam is changed little by little according to the thickness of the bill required for classification. Thus, the thickness of the bill may be detected.

As described above, the contents of the areas for the banknote thickness control in the banknote determination memory 22 include the "total thickness amount" area, the "determination thickness amount" area, and the "conveyance speed by banknote thickness". A "sterilization temperature table" area, a "note thickness judgment result transfer speed" area, a "note thickness judgment result sterilization temperature" area, and a "note number passage" area are allocated.

In FIG. 8, "Bill thickness control process"
Is executed (step 107), the "reference thickness amount" in the banknote thickness of the transport speed / sterilization temperature table in FIG. 15 is stored in the "determination thickness amount" area allocated in the banknote determination memory 22. As "(mm) is set (step 140). Next, in the description of the control flowchart of FIG. 8, the bills separated from the designated denomination boxes 1, 2 and 3 by the bill separating unit 18 (step 105), It waits for the arrival at the detection sensor 24 (step 141). When the arrival of the bill is detected, it is extracted by the bill thickness sensor 26, converted into a digital value, and added to the "total thickness" area of the bill (step 142). This is the total value of the thickness change in the vertical direction in the number of times that one bill crosses the bill detection sensor 24 at regular intervals. The larger the vertical amount of the cam, the thicker the bill. Then, "0" is set in this "total thickness" area before this control is started.

Next, one is added to the "banknote passage number" area value (step 143). This is the same as the timing for adding to the “total thickness” area, and the “total thickness”
This is the count number for calculating the average value of the thickness with respect to the value of the area. Similarly, “0” is set in this “banknote passage number” area before this control is started. Then, it is determined whether one banknote has passed through the banknote presence / absence detection sensor 24 (step 144).

One banknote is still present in the banknote detection sensor 2
If the vehicle is passing through No. 4, the operations of Step 142, Step 143, and Step 144 are repeated. When one banknote has passed through the banknote presence / absence detection sensor 24, the value of the added "total thickness" area is divided by the value of the "number of times of banknote passage" area, and the average thickness of the entire banknote is calculated. It is calculated (step 145). Then, the value of the “thickness amount for determination” area set last time is compared with the average thickness amount, and it is determined whether or not both values match (step 146).

If the value of the previously determined "thickness for determination" area does not match the average thickness (step 1)
46: N), that is, if the thickness is not the set thickness, the banknote determination memory 2 is used based on the value of the average thickness.
The transfer speed / sterilization temperature table (the transfer speed / sterilization temperature table in FIG. 15) set in 2 is referred to (step 147). From FIG. 15, for example, if the value of the average thickness amount calculated last time is “Am (mm)”, the corresponding transport speed value is “Sm (pps)”, and the sterilization temperature value is “Tm ( ° C) ". And
Extract the transfer speed value and sterilization temperature value from this table,
It is set in the “Bill Thickness Judgment Result Conveyance Speed” area and the “Bill Thickness Judgment Result Sterilization Temperature” area, respectively (steps 148 and 149). Then, the "note thickness control process" ends.

Next, based on the block diagram of the bill payment apparatus of FIG. 1, the block diagram of the wrinkle degree detecting section of FIG. 5, and the flowchart for controlling the degree of wrinkle of the bill of FIG. The setting of the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value according to the above will be described. In addition, the wrinkle degree detection part 9 of the banknote of the block diagram which shows the system configuration of the banknote payment apparatus of FIG.
The banknote presence / absence detection sensor 27 for judging the presence / absence of a banknote shown in FIG. 5, the wrinkles for setting the degree of wrinkles of the banknote up and down in the same position as the banknote presence / absence detection sensor 27. It comprises a degree detecting roller 28 and a thickness sensor 29 for detecting the amount of vertical change of the roller.
A specific configuration example of the thickness sensor 29 may be the same as that shown in FIG.

The contents of the area of the banknote judgment memory 22 for controlling the degree of wrinkles of the banknote are as described above.
"Wrinkle amount" area, "Wrinkle amount for judgment" area,
A “transport speed / sterilization temperature table by wrinkle degree amount” area, a “wrinkle degree judgment result conveyance speed” area, and a “wrinkle degree judgment result sterilization temperature” area are assigned (see FIG. 14).

In FIG. 8, when “wrinkle degree control of bills” is executed (step 108), the conveyance speed of FIG. 15 is stored in the wrinkle degree area for determination allocated in the memory 22 for bill determination. Set a reference amount "Ws (mm)" for the degree of wrinkling in the sterilization temperature table (step 160). Next, in the description of the control flowchart of FIG.
3 is separated by the bill separator 18 (step 10).
5) Wait for the banknotes passing through the banknote transport path 4 to arrive at the banknote detection sensor 27 (step 161).
When the arrival of the bill is detected, the value of the "wrinkle degree" area is set to "0" (step 162). That is, it is set as an initial value. As in the case of the thickness detection unit 8, the degree of wrinkles is extracted (the larger the wrinkles, the larger the thickness is detected) and converted into a digital value.

Next, the value extracted this time and the "wrinkle degree"
By comparing the values of the areas, it is determined whether or not the value extracted this time is greater than the value of the “wrinkle degree” area (step 164). If the value extracted this time is larger than the value of the “wrinkle degree” area, that is, if the degree of wrinkles extracted this time is larger than the previous value (step 164: Y),
The extracted value is rewritten to the "wrinkle degree" area (step 165). That is, the maximum value of the amount of wrinkle (the value of the highest wrinkle) is always stored in the wrinkle amount area. Conversely, if the value extracted this time is smaller than the value in the “wrinkle amount” area,
The value of the area is not rewritten. Then, it is determined whether one banknote has passed through the banknote detection sensor 27 (step 166). If one bill is still passing through the bill detection sensor 27, that is, while one bill is crossing the bill detection sensor 27 (step 166: N), steps 163 and 164 are performed. , The processing of step 165 is repeated according to the conditions.

When one bill has passed through the bill presence / absence detection sensor 27 (step 166: Y), the value of the "wrinkle degree" area and the value of the "wrinkle degree for determination" area previously set are equal. Determine whether they match (step 16
7). If the determination is NO, that is, if they do not match (step 167: N), the transport speed / sterilization set in the banknote determination memory 22 based on the value of the "wrinkle amount" area. Temperature table (transfer speed /
The disinfection temperature table is referred to (step 168). From FIG. 15, for example, if the value of the “wrinkle degree” area calculated last time is “Wm (mm)”, the corresponding transport speed value is “Sm (pps)”, and the sterilization temperature value is “ Tm (° C.) ”. Then, the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value are extracted from this table and set in the “wrinkle degree determination result transport speed” area and the “wrinkle degree determination result sterilization temperature” area, respectively (step 1).
69, step 170). Then, the “wrinkle degree control processing of the bill” is ended.

Next, based on the block diagram of the bill payment apparatus of FIG. 1, the block diagram of the banknote stain detection unit of FIG. 6, and the banknote stain control flowchart of FIG. The setting of the temperature value will be described. In addition, the banknote detection part 10 of the block diagram which shows the system configuration of the banknote payment apparatus of FIG. 2 is the same as the banknote presence / absence detection sensor 30 and the banknote presence / absence detection sensor 30 for determining the presence / absence of a banknote shown in FIG. It is configured with a transmission type sensor 31 that is set at a position and detects a transmission amount of a bill. Also,
As described above, the contents of the area for controlling the dirt of the banknote in the banknote determination memory 22 include the banknote permeation amount area, the banknote dirt amount area, the conveyance speed / sterilization temperature table for each banknote transmission,
A banknote dirt determination result transport speed area and a banknote dirt determination result sterilization temperature area are allocated (FIG. 14).
reference).

In FIG. 8, when the "dirt control process for banknotes" is executed (step 108), the transport speed and sterilization shown in FIG. 15 are stored in the banknote dirt amount area allocated in the banknote determination memory 22. A reference transmission amount value [Ds (%)] for banknote contamination in the temperature table is set (step 180). Next, in the description of the control flowchart of FIG. 8, the bills separated from the designated denomination boxes 1, 2 and 3 by the bill separating unit 18 (step 105), It waits for the arrival at the detection sensor 30 (step 181). When the arrival of the bill is detected, the value of the "bill penetration amount" area is set to "0" (step 182). That is, it is set as an initial value. Next, the transmission amount of the bill is extracted by the transmission sensor 31 (step 183), and is converted into a digital value. The lower the permeation amount, the heavier the banknote is.

Next, by comparing the transmission amount extracted this time with the value in the "banknote transmission amount" area, it is determined whether or not the transmission amount extracted this time is smaller than the value in the "banknote transmission amount" area. (Step 184). If the transmission amount extracted this time is smaller than the value in the “banknote transmission amount” area (step 18)
4: Y), the extracted value is rewritten into the “banknote transmission amount” area (step 185). In other words, the minimum transmission amount of the banknote (the worst value of dirt) is always entered in this banknote transmission amount area. If the transmission amount extracted this time is larger than the value of the bill transmission amount area (step 184:
N), the value of the “bill transmission amount” area is not rewritten. Then, it is determined whether one bill has passed through the bill detection sensor 30 (step 186). When one bill is still passing through the bill detection sensor 30,
That is, while one bill crosses the bill detection sensor 30 (step 186: N), the process of step 185 is repeated according to the conditions of step 183, step 184, and condition.

When the bill has passed through the bill detecting sensor 30 (step 186: Y), it is determined whether or not the value of the previously set bill dirt amount area and the value of the bill penetration amount area match (step 187). ). When the determination is NO, that is, when they do not match, the transport speed / sterilization temperature table (the transport speed in FIG. 15) set in the banknote determination memory 22 based on the value of the banknote transmission amount area. Refer to (sterilization temperature table) (step 188).
From FIG. 15, for example, if the value of the bill transmission amount area calculated this time is a Dm (%) value, the corresponding transport speed value is “Sm (pps)”, and the sterilization temperature value is “Tm”.
(° C) ”. The transport speed / sterilization temperature value is extracted from this table, and the“ banknote transmission amount determination result transport speed ”area and the“ banknote transmission amount determination result sterilization temperature ”area are respectively set. Set (Step 189,
Step 190). Then, the "dirt control process for banknotes" is terminated.

Next, based on the block diagram of the bill dispensing apparatus in FIG. 1 and the flowchart for controlling the setting of the conveying speed and sterilization temperature in FIG.
Control of the sterilization temperature will be described. To ensure that the banknotes that have been transported have a wrinkle-stretching and sterilizing effect,
The four determination result transport speed areas (shown in FIG. 15) determined in “Bill size control process”, “Bill thickness control process”, “Wrinkle degree control process”, and “Bill dirt control process” "Bill judgment result conveyance speed" area, "Bill thickness judgment result conveyance speed" area, "Wrinkle degree judgment result conveyance speed" area, "Bill penetration amount judgment result conveyance speed"
The lowest transport speed value is extracted from the area (step 200).

Next, a "banknote size control process", a "banknote thickness control process", a "wrinkle degree control process", and a "banknote" so that the banknotes conveyed in the same manner always have a wrinkle stretching and sterilizing effect. Soil control processing ”, the four sterilization temperature areas (the“ sterile temperature sterilization result of banknotes ”area, the“ thickness sterilization temperature of banknotes ”area, and the“ wrinkles ”shown in FIG. 15). Degree judgment result sterilization temperature "area and" banknote permeation amount judgment result sterilization temperature "area)
The highest sterilization temperature value is extracted (step 201). Then, it is determined whether or not the currently set transport speed matches the sterilization temperature (step 202).

If the transport speed and the sterilization temperature are set (step 202: Y), the transport speed and the sterilization temperature are not reset, and the "transport speed / sterilization temperature setting process" ends. If the currently set transport speed and sterilization temperature do not match the transport speed value and sterilization temperature value extracted this time, the extracted transport speed value (step 2).
(00), the transport speed of the bill transport mechanism 17 is changed, and the transport speed of the bill transport path 4 is changed by the pulse motor 5 (step 203). Similarly, the transfer speed to be changed is set for the heating roller drive mechanism 21 and the speed of the heating drive motor 11 is changed (step 20).
4).

Next, it is determined whether the sterilization temperature value extracted from the table is lower than the currently set sterilization temperature value (step 205), and the currently set sterilization temperature is extracted from the table. If the temperature is lower than the sterilization temperature, the heater is turned on by the heater ON / OFF unit 19 (step 206). If the current sterilization temperature is higher than the temperature set this time, heating is not performed. Then, it is determined whether the speed value of the pulse motor 5 and the speed value of the heating roller 11 have reached the set values, or whether the speed value has reached or exceeded the set sterilization temperature. Wait until it reaches (step 207). When the set transport speed and sterilization temperature value are reached, the heater is turned off by the heater ON / OFF section 19 (step 208), and the "transport speed / sterilization temperature setting process" is terminated.

As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described.
In the four determination results, the transport speed value is set to the minimum transport speed, and the sterilization temperature value is set to the maximum sterilization temperature. However, for example, the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value of the four determination results are set. Extract and set the average value,
Various values can be used for the determination result. It is also possible to change the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value (for example, the transport speed / sterilization temperature of the banknote size determination result) calculated based on the specified determination result among the four determination results. Although the present invention has been described by combining all four determination contents, it goes without saying that one to four determination contents can be freely selected and combined.

[0052]

According to the present invention, in a bill dispenser or the like having a sterilizing function, each state of the bill is completely controlled with respect to the size of the bill to be dispensed, the thickness of the bill, the degree of wrinkling of the bill, and the contamination of the bill. The wrinkles of the banknotes to be filled and the sterilization effect of the banknotes are obtained. Furthermore, by taking into account the processing speed and power consumption, the transport speed and the sterilization temperature are made variable, and as much as possible according to the size of the banknote, the thickness of the banknote, the degree of wrinkling of the banknote, and the contamination of the banknote. The desired effect can be obtained at a high transport speed and as low a sterilization temperature as possible, which has a remarkable effect on improving the service to customers.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a bill payment apparatus equipped with a bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a system configuration in a case where the bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention is applied to a bill payment device connected to a host device.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a bill size detecting unit 7 of the bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a bill thickness detecting unit 8 of the bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a banknote wrinkle degree detection unit 9 of the banknote clean mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a banknote stain detection unit 10 of the banknote clean mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the size of a banknote, the thickness of the banknote, the degree of wrinkling of the banknote, the contamination of the banknote, the set conveyance speed, and the set sterilization temperature.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a processing procedure when the bill cleaning mechanism according to the present invention is applied to a bill payment apparatus connected to a higher-level device.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for setting a transport speed value and a sterilization temperature value according to the size of a bill.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for setting a transport speed value and a sterilization temperature value according to the thickness of a bill.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for setting a transport speed value and a sterilization temperature value according to the degree of wrinkles of a bill.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for setting a transport speed value and a sterilization temperature value in accordance with soiling of a banknote.

FIG. 13 is a control flowchart for setting an optimal transport speed and a sterilization temperature based on each determination result of a bill size, a bill thickness, a bill wrinkle degree, and a bill stain.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the contents of a banknote determination area for each determination control allocated to the banknote determination memory 22 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the relationship between the transport speed and the sterilization temperature indicated by the transport speed value and the sterilization temperature value based on the banknote determination result from FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 2, 3 ... denomination box, 4 ... banknote transport path, 5 ... pulse motor, 6 ... banknote clean mechanism, 7 ... banknote size detection unit, 8 ... banknote thickness detection unit, 9 ... banknote wrinkles Degree detection unit, 10: banknote stain detection unit, 11: heat sterilization unit, 12
... Heat roller drive motor, 13 ... Payout port, 14 ... Bill payment device, 15 ... Host device, 16 ... Control unit, 17 ... Bill transfer mechanism, 18 ... Bill separation unit, 19 ... Heater ON / O
FF section, 20: temperature detecting section, 21: heating roller driving mechanism, 22: memory for bill determination, 23, 23, 27, 30
... Billage detection sensor, 25 ... Thickness detection roller, 2
8: Roller for detecting the degree of wrinkles, 26, 29: thickness sensor, 31: transmission type sensor.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme coat ゛ (reference) // A61L 2/04 A61L 2/04 Z F term (reference) 3E040 AA01 BA01 EA10 FG03 FG11 FL10 3E041 AA02 AA05 BA01 BA04 BA06 BA10 BB02 BB10 BC05 CA09 CB08 DA03 EA02 3F048 AA06 AB03 BA11 BB02 BB05 CA02 EB29 4C058 AA30 BB02 CC02 CC04 CC05 DD01 DD02 DD03 DD04 DD13 EE16 EE23 EE26

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A bill transport path for transporting at least bills, a heating roller for heating bills during the transport of the bills, and a pressure roller provided so as to surround the heating rollers. A heat-resistant belt that sandwiches and transports the banknotes to the heat sterilization unit formed between the heat sterilization unit, a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the heat sterilization unit, and the heating according to the temperature information obtained by the temperature detection unit. In a banknote clean mechanism having a heating unit for heating a sterilizing unit, a size detecting unit that detects a size of a banknote transported to the banknote transport path, a thickness that detects a thickness of a banknote transported to the banknote transport path. And at least one of wrinkle detecting means for detecting the degree of wrinkles of the bills conveyed to the bill transport path, and dirt detecting means for detecting dirt on the bills transported to the bill transport path. The size detecting means, the thickness detecting means, wrinkle detection means, banknote clean mechanism and determines the conveying speed and the temperature in the heat sterilization section based on the detected information by the contamination detection means. And a heating roller for heating the bills during the transportation of the bills, and a heating roller for heating the bills during the transportation of the bills. A heat-resistant belt for nipping and transporting the banknotes to the heat sterilization unit formed between the heat sterilization unit, a temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the heat sterilization unit, and the heating according to the temperature information obtained by the temperature detection unit. In a banknote clean mechanism having a heating unit for heating a sterilizing unit, a size detecting unit that detects a size of a banknote transported to the banknote transport path, a thickness that detects a thickness of a banknote transported to the banknote transport path. At least two of: a wrinkle detecting means, a wrinkle detecting means for detecting the degree of wrinkles of the bills conveyed to the bill conveying path, and a dirt detecting means for detecting dirt on the bills conveyed to the bill conveying path. A transport speed and a temperature in the heat sterilizing unit are determined based on two or more types of information detected by the size detecting unit, the thickness detecting unit, the wrinkle detecting unit, and the dirt detecting unit. Clean mechanism.