JP2002222450A - Medium issuing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the need to adjust and manage a sensor for medium detection and to improve the accuracy of near-end notice. SOLUTION: This medium issuing device having a stacker part 1, a conveyance path for taking a medium out of the stacker part 1 and issuing it, and a printing means is equipped with a 1st detection part 11 which detects no medium being left in the stacker part 1, and 2nd and 3rd detection parts 12 and 13 which detects whether a medium is present between two halfway points in the stacker part 1, and a medium monitor part 4 is equipped with a count part which checks the number of media between the 2nd and 3rd detection parts and a near-end count means which counts the number of media so as to give notice of a medium near-end state wherein the media in the stacker 1 decreases enough to request replenishment and calculates the number of media up to the medium end state according to the number of media between the two points and gives near-end notice according to the count result of the near- end count means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ATM (Autmatic Tellers Machine), which is installed in a store such as a bank or other financial institution, and performs transactions such as deposits and withdrawals based on customer operations.
The present invention is used in an automatic transaction apparatus such as a CD (Cash Dispencer) that performs a withdrawal transaction, and particularly relates to a medium issuing apparatus that issues various media such as a transaction passbook and a bank account in the automatic transaction apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional example will be described below. FIG.
Is an explanatory diagram of a conventional ATM, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional medium issuing device. Hereinafter, a conventional example will be described with reference to FIGS.

(1): Definition of terms The terms used in the following description are defined as follows.

[0004] "Medium" refers to a transaction passbook (also simply referred to as a "passbook"), an in / out table (a sheet for printing transaction information and the like at the time of customer transaction), and the like.

[0005] "Medium near-end" or simply "near-end" means that the number of remaining media in the stacker unit 1 (see FIG. 14) has started to decrease, so that a staff member is notified of the stacker unit 1
Refers to a state in which a request is made to replenish the medium.

In this case, the number of media determined to be near-end is determined before the start of normal operation, and the number is detected to detect near-end. The number of media determined to be near-end is, for example, 3 to 5 for a passbook, and 20 to 30 for an entry / exit table.

[0007] "media end" or simply "end"
Means that the medium in the stacker unit 1 has completely run out and is empty. At the end of the medium, transactions with customers (transactions involving medium issuance) become impossible, and it is necessary to stop the operation of the ATM 50 (see FIGS. 13 and 14).

(2): Specific Description of Conventional Example Conventionally, an automatic transaction device such as an ATM or a CD has been installed in a store of a financial institution such as a bank (hereinafter referred to as a “sales store”). In recent years, such automated teller machines have become increasingly unmanned, and the operating state of the automated teller machine is monitored by a monitoring device 52 in a remote monitoring center.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13, an ATM 50 is installed in each branch of a financial institution such as a bank.
The ATM 50 is provided with a main control unit 54 and a communication control unit 55 for performing various controls in the ATM 50. And
The main control unit 54 is connected via a communication line to a monitoring device 52 in a remote monitoring center via a communication control unit 55 so that they can communicate with each other.

Generally, a plurality of ATMs 50 are installed, and a plurality of ATMs 50 are connected to the monitoring device 52, respectively. By monitoring the ATM 50 from the monitoring center in this way, the unmanned ATM 50 is achieved.

[0011] In addition, A
A monitoring device 51 for monitoring the TM 50 is provided,
An ATM 50 or the like in a branch is connected to the monitoring device 51 by a communication line and monitored. Thus, the monitoring device 51 in the office and the monitoring device 5 in the monitoring center are
2, the operation status of various automatic transaction devices such as the ATM 50 is monitored.

In this case, for example, during business hours on weekdays,
The monitoring device 51 in the office monitors the ATM 50 and the like,
At nights other than the business hours, at holidays, and the like, the monitoring device 52 in the monitoring center monitors the ATM 50 and the like.

The ATM 50 includes, in addition to the communication control unit 55, a customer operation unit 56 for a customer to operate at the time of a transaction, a medium issuing device 58 for issuing a medium such as a passbook and an entry / exit table, and a maintenance / management unit. A staff operation unit 57 and the like for the staff to operate at the time of inspection are provided, and each is connected to the main control unit 54 and controlled by the main control unit 54.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the medium issuing device 58 has a stacker unit 1 for storing the medium to be issued.
A medium feeding unit 5 for feeding the medium in the stacker unit 1 to the transport path, a printing unit (not shown) for printing information on the issued medium, and detecting the end of the medium in the stacker unit 1 that has run out of media. A sensor unit 3 (near-end detecting unit) for detecting the near end in which the number of media in the stacker unit 1 has decreased to a predetermined number, and a stacker unit 1
When the medium near the end or the medium end is detected, the monitoring device 51 or the monitoring device 5 is monitored.
2 (hereinafter, referred to as “upper monitoring device”) including a near-end notification or an end notification.

During normal operation, the medium monitoring unit 4
Although the medium in the stacker unit 1 is monitored, it is necessary to notify a staff member before the medium becomes empty and to urge the replenishment of the medium. Therefore, in the conventional ATM 50, the near-end notification is provided in advance at a position where the near-end notification is to be made.
(Near-end detection unit) is arranged to notify the near-end when the medium becomes low from that position, and to prompt the attendant to replenish the medium.

[0016]

The above-mentioned prior art has the following problems.

That is, conventionally, a sensor unit 3 for performing near-end detection is disposed in advance at a position where a near-end notification is to be made, and when the medium becomes less than that position, the near-end is notified, and a staff member is replenished with the medium. Was urged to do so. However, the external dimensions such as the thickness of the medium are uniquely set for each financial institution, and cannot be applied to all users' media if they are determined uniformly at the time of shipment from a manufacturer.

For example, the passbook of Bank A has a thickness of amm and B
Bank passbooks are bmm thick, bank C passbooks are cm
m, the number of sheets and the thickness of the passbook are often different. In addition, the number of media for performing the near-end notification may differ depending on the user. Therefore, it is necessary for the manufacturer to set the mounting position of the sensor unit 3 (near-end detecting unit) to a position corresponding to the size of the medium handled at the destination of the product and the number of media of the near-end notification, which is a troublesome adjustment. Work was needed. In addition, the number of media for performing the near-end notification may differ depending on the user.

The mounting position of the sensor unit 3 can be adjusted by the manufacturer before shipment of the product if there is media information obtained from the user in advance as described above. May not be obtained. In this case, it is necessary to perform the adjustment after the product is delivered to the user and before the normal operation is started, and the adjustment work of the sensor unit 2 becomes more difficult.

As described above, in the conventional automatic transaction apparatus, when managing the medium, the position of the near-end detecting unit (sensor unit 3) is determined according to the thickness of the medium actually operated, and the adjustment is performed. The work was difficult and it took time to adjust. In addition, it is difficult to adjust the position of the near-end detection unit with high accuracy, and the accuracy of the near-end notification is low.

An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, eliminate the need for adjusting and managing the medium detecting means, and improve the accuracy of near-end notification.

[0022]

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has the following constitution in order to achieve the above object.

(1): In a medium issuing apparatus provided with a stacker unit for storing a medium to be issued, a transport path for feeding out and issuing the medium of the stacker unit, and printing means for printing information on the issued medium. First detecting means for detecting the end of the medium in the stacker portion that has run out; and second and third means for detecting the presence or absence of the medium between two points in the stacker portion.
Detecting means, counting means for checking the number of media between the second and third detecting means, and near-end count for counting the number of media for notifying the media near-end that the number of media in the stacker unit has decreased to a number requiring replenishment Means for calculating the number of media up to the media end based on the number of media between the second points, and performing near-end notification based on the counting result of the near-end counting means.

(2) In a medium issuing apparatus having a stacker unit for storing a medium to be issued, a transport path for feeding out and issuing the medium in the stacker unit, and a printing unit for printing information on the issued medium, A first detecting means for detecting the end of the medium in which the medium in the stacker has run out; a second detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the medium in the middle of the stacker; Calculating means for calculating the number of mediums between the two detecting means, wherein the number of mediums issued from the second detecting means is checked and a near-end notification is made.

(Operation) The operation of the present invention based on the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

(A): In the above (1), based on the distances A and B between the detection positions of the first detection unit 11, the second detection unit 12, and the third detection unit 13, the third detection unit 13 and the second detection unit The number of media existing between the detection units 12 is checked, and the second detection unit 12 and the first detection unit 11 are checked.
The number of media existing in between is determined, and a near-end notification is made accurately.

According to this configuration, since the remaining amount of the medium is managed based on the measurement result of the medium thickness dimension, the near-end notification timing is accurate, and the mounting position of the detecting means (sensor) according to the medium is adjusted. By eliminating the need for
The operation can be performed without concern for the thickness of the issuing medium, and the convenience of the apparatus is improved.

(B): In the above (2), the second detecting unit 12
The processing is performed by omitting the counting of the number of media at the distance A between the first and third detection units 13 and specifying the thickness of the issuing medium and calculating the remaining number of the media at the distance B. In this case, the calculating means receives the designation of the thickness of the medium from the outside, calculates the number of mediums between the first and second detecting means, checks the number of mediums issued from the second detecting means, and gives a near-end notification.

With this configuration, since the remaining amount of the medium is managed based on the specification of the medium thickness dimension, the near-end notification timing becomes accurate, and the mounting position of the detecting means (sensor) according to the medium can be adjusted. By eliminating the necessity, the operation can be performed without concern for the thickness of the issuing medium, and the convenience of the apparatus is improved.

[0030]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 13 is the same as that of the conventional ATM shown in FIG. 13, and will be described with reference to FIG. Also, "medium" described below,
The definitions of "medium near end" (or near end) and "medium end" (or end) are the same as the definitions in the above-described conventional example. Furthermore, the number of media is "the number of books" in the case of a passbook,
In the case of an entry / exit table, it means "number of sheets".

§1: Outline of Medium Issuing Apparatus FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the medium issuing device is provided with a stacker unit 1 for storing a medium to be issued. The stacker unit 1 includes a first detecting unit 11 and a second detecting unit. 12, a third detection unit 13, a medium feeding unit 5, and the like. The medium issuing device is provided with a medium monitoring unit 4 for monitoring the state of the medium in the stacker unit 1.

The first detecting section 11 is a detecting means (first sensor) for detecting the end of the medium in the stacker section 1, and the second detecting section 12 notifies that the medium in the stacker 1 has reached the near end. The third detection unit 13 is a detection unit (second sensor) for starting counting.
It is a counting start detecting means (third sensor) for checking the thickness of the medium inside.

The medium monitoring unit 4 is based on detection signals (sensor signals) from the first detection unit 11, the second detection unit 12, and the third detection unit 13 and information such as distances A and B between the detection units. In addition, it has a function of monitoring the medium in the stacker unit 1 and sending a near-end notification or an end notification to a higher-level monitoring device when a medium near end or a medium end is detected. Note that the distance A is the distance between the second detection unit 12 and the third detection unit 13, and the distance B is the distance between the first detection unit 11 and the second detection unit 13.
This is the distance between the detection units 12.

In this case, the medium monitoring unit 4 includes the first detection unit 1
The number of media existing between the third detection unit 13 and the second detection unit 12 is checked from the distances A and B between the detection positions of the first, second detection unit 12 and the third detection unit 13, and the second detection unit The number of media existing between the first detection unit 12 and the first detection unit 11 is calculated, and a near-end notification is accurately performed. In this way, adjustment of the near-end notification is not required, and the accuracy of the near-end notification can be improved. The higher-level monitoring device corresponds to the monitoring device 51 in the branch office or the monitoring device 52 in the monitoring center shown in FIG.

§2: Detailed description of medium monitoring unit FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the medium monitoring unit. In FIG.
The first sensor signal, the second sensor signal, and the third sensor signal are:
The first detector 11 and the second detector 1 shown in FIG.
2. Detection signals from the third detection unit 13. The feed signal is a signal output in response to a medium issuing instruction from the main control unit 54, and is a pulse signal indicating that the medium in the stacker unit 1 has been fed out of the stacker unit 1 (conveyance path). is there.

As shown in FIG. 2, the medium monitoring unit 4 includes a medium counter 15, an operation unit 16,
, A near-end setting unit 18 and a comparison unit 19. The medium counter 15 includes a second detection unit 12 and a third detection unit 12.
This is a counter for examining the number of media between 13. The operation unit 1
6 denotes distances A and B between the sensors and second and third sensors 1
Based on the number of media between 2 and 13, the first and second sensors 11, 1
The number of media existing between the two is calculated and output.

The remaining amount counter 17 is connected to the second detector 12.
Is a counter that counts the remaining amount of the medium from a change point (change point from medium presence to absence) of the second sensor signal output from the second sensor signal.
2 is stored as a change point of the second sensor signal output from the second sensor signal, and thereafter, it is counted down every time the medium is fed, and the value is output.

The near end setting section 18 is for setting a value for notifying the near end in advance, and the comparing section 19 compares the setting information of the near end setting section 18 with the output information of the remaining amount counter 17. , (Remaining counter information)
When the relationship ≦ (setting information of the near-end setting unit) is satisfied, a near-end notification is issued.
Is output when the output signal is no medium (medium end), and when the second detection unit 12 has a medium, the issuance of the near end notification is prevented.

With the above configuration, the third detection unit 1
By sequentially feeding out the media exceeding the position of No. 3, the number of media between the third detection unit 13 and the second detection unit 12 is counted by the media counter 15, and the calculation unit 16 calculates the number of media between the second detection unit 12 and the second detection unit 12. The number of media existing between one detection unit 11 is calculated.

Then, the calculation result is stored in the remaining amount counter 1
7 and counts down from the value preset in the remaining amount counter 17 every time a feeding signal (pulse signal) is generated at the timing when there is no medium at the position of the second detection unit 12, and the value is compared. The information is transmitted to the unit 19. The comparison unit 19 compares the information with the near-end notification setting information set in the near-end setting unit 18 in advance, and performs a near-end notification when the comparison information is reached.

In this manner, the adjustment management for the near-end notification of the stacker unit 1 which has been conventionally performed becomes unnecessary. Further, even if the medium thickness is different, the near-end notification can be correctly performed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the manufacturability and the customer satisfaction.

§3: Description of Medium Issuing Apparatus by Specific Example (1): Description of Mechanism of Medium Issuing Apparatus FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of the mechanism of the medium issuing apparatus. The medium issuing device illustrated in FIG. 3 is an example of a device that issues a passbook or a bank entry / exit table used for a transaction. This medium issuing device includes a transport path 26
A passbook issuing unit is provided along, and the passbook issuing unit includes:
An issue stacker A that issues a passbook A, an issue stacker B that issues a passbook B, an issue stacker C that issues a passbook C, and an issue stacker D that issues an entry / exit table are arranged along the transport path 26. It is provided.

Each of the issuing stacker sections A to D stores media (passbooks A, B, C, and an entry / exit table) having different types and thicknesses. When these media are issued, Based on a medium issuing instruction from the main control unit 54 (see FIG. 13), the medium is sequentially fed to the transport path 26 from the medium feeding unit 5 (see FIGS. 1 and 14).
The issuing stacker units A, B, C, and D each correspond to the stacker unit 1.

Further, the medium issuing device is provided with a large number of transport rollers 27 for transporting the fed medium 31 along the transport path 26. Further, a platen 29 for printing various information such as transaction information on the issued medium 31 and a printing unit including a print head 28, and a suction / discharge port 25 for discharging the medium after printing to the outside are provided. is there. The suction / discharge port 25 is also used when sucking a passbook inserted from outside for printing transaction information.

When a medium is issued by this apparatus, first, the medium is fed to the transport path 26 from one of the stackers A to D. Then, the fed-out medium 31 is transported to the position of the platen 29 of the printing unit, where it temporarily stops.
In this state, information is printed at a predetermined location on the medium 31 by the print head 28. Thereafter, the printed medium 31 is transported on the transport path 26 by the transport rollers 27 and is discharged to the outside through the suction / discharge port 25.

(2): Description of the issue stacker section FIG. 4 is an explanatory view (No. 1) of the issue stacker section, FIG. 4A is a sectional view of the issue stacker section, and FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view (No. 2) of the issuing stacker unit, FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram of the presence or absence of an issuing medium, and FIG. The first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 are sensors corresponding to the first detection unit 11, the second detection unit 12, and the third detection unit 13 illustrated in FIG. 1, respectively. (Specific examples of each detection unit).

FIGS. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing the entirety of the issuance stackers A to D shown in FIG. 3. The issuance stackers A to D are respectively provided for feeding out a medium. A roller 30, a transport roller 27 for transporting the fed medium, a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor for detecting the presence or absence of an issued medium, a medium pressing plate 33 pressing the medium, and the medium pressing plate 33. Spring 3 to press
4, a drive motor (not shown) for driving the transport roller 27, the feed roller 30, and the like.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the medium pressing plate 33 is provided with an end detecting plate 36 which is movable about a fulcrum 35. This end detection plate 36
If there is an issuing medium in the stacker unit 1, the medium is retracted in the movable direction (the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 4B) by the medium, and if there is no issuing medium, as shown in FIG. ,
The first sensor is shielded.

FIGS. 5C and 5D show the presence or absence of an issuing medium. When there is no issuing medium in the stacker unit 1, the end detection plate 36 shields the first sensor, and when there is an issuing medium, the first sensor is in a transmission state. In addition, the second sensor and the third sensor first change from the shielded state to the transparent state as the remaining amount of the issuing medium decreases,
When the amount of the issuing medium further decreases, the second sensor changes from the shielding state to the transmission state.

The first, second, and third sensors are optical sensors in which a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit are paired, and light from the light emitting unit is received by the light receiving unit. . The end detection plate 36 is rotatably provided between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit. Therefore, the blocking state is a state in which the light from the light emitting unit is blocked by the end detection plate 36 and cannot be received by the light receiving unit. In the transmission state, the light from the light emitting unit is not blocked by the end detection plate 36, and This is the state where light is received by the light receiving unit.

(3): Relationship between medium pressing plate and sensor FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram (part 1) of the relationship between the medium pressing plate and the sensor. FIG. 6A shows state 1 and FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of the relationship between the medium pressing plate and the sensor.
The figure shows state 3.

FIG. 6A shows the position where the third sensor has switched from the shielding to the transmission state, and FIG. 6B shows the position where the second sensor has switched from the shielding to the transmission state. Also,
FIG. 7C shows a position where the first sensor is switched from the shielding state to the transmission state.

According to the above configuration, the number of media (the number of books or the number of media) issued while the medium pressing plate 33 moves the distance A is determined, and the number of media located at the distance B is calculated. By subtracting the number of issued media from the position shown in FIG. 6b, a near-end notification is issued when the number of media has reached a predetermined number.

(4): Description of Near-End Notification Processing FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the medium monitoring unit. Hereinafter, the near-end notification process will be described with reference to FIG. As one specific example of the medium monitoring unit 4 shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG.
Is constituted by a medium counter 15, a remaining amount counter 17, a memory 22, and an MCPU (micro CPU) 20.

Various signals and the like are input to the MCPU 20. The first sensor signal, the second sensor signal, and the third sensor signal respectively correspond to the first detection unit 11, the second detection signal, and the second detection signal.
These are detection signals from the detection unit 12 and the third detection unit 13. Further, the near-end setting information is remaining amount information of the number of remaining media for issuing a near-end notification, and is information set in the near-end setting unit 18 in FIG. The distances A and B are
This is the distance shown in FIGS. 1, 6, and 7.

The near-end setting information and the distance A,
The value of B is temporarily stored in the memory 22 when given from outside, and is read out from the memory 22 and used when necessary.

The medium issuance instruction is issued by the main control unit 54 (FIG. 1).
3), and a pulse signal (delivery signal in FIG. 2) notifying that the medium in the stacker unit 1 has been fed out of the stacker unit 1 (conveyance path) in accordance with the issuing instruction.
Is issued. That is, the medium issuance instruction is a timing signal when the medium in the issuance stackers A to D is fed out of the stacker.

The near end notification and the end notification are based on the MCP
U20 to the higher-level monitoring device (monitoring device 5 shown in FIG. 13)
1 or a signal requesting the monitoring device 52) to replenish the medium. The medium counter 15 is a counter (counting means) that counts the number of media (the number of books or the number of sheets) between the second sensor and the third sensor.

The remaining amount counter 17 checks the count value of the medium counter 15 when the signal from the second sensor changes from the presence of the medium to the absence of the medium, determines the amount of the medium at the distance B, and issues a medium issuing instruction. This is a counter (counting means) that indicates the medium amount between the first sensor and the second sensor that counts down at the timing. The MCPU 20 checks the various input signals and checks the medium counter 15 and the remaining amount counter 1.
7 is a micro CPU (unit control means) of a unit for outputting a notification of a near end / end.

(5) Description of Control in Medium Issuing Apparatus Hereinafter, actual control at the time of medium issuance will be described. First, the operation of the medium replenishment amount to the issuing stacker unit is started from a state in which a large number of books (or the number of sheets) exceeding the third sensor are stacked. From this state, media issuance starts,
Receive issuance instruction timing. At this timing, the third
Wait for the sensor signal from the sensor to change from the presence of the medium to the absence of the medium.

Thereafter, when the detection signal from the third sensor changes to a state in which there is no medium, the medium counter 15 is initialized and counting is started. Then, it waits for the sensor signal from the second sensor to change from the presence of the medium to the absence of the medium while increasing the medium counter 15 at the medium issuance instruction timing. Subsequently, when the sensor signal from the second sensor becomes empty, the updating of the medium counter 15 is terminated, the content of the medium counter 15 is divided by the dimension A (distance A), and the result is counted down. Each time, it is compared with the near-end setting information.

As a result, when the value of the remaining amount counter 17 becomes the same value as the near-end setting information, a near-end notification is made. Thereafter, when the sensor signal from the first sensor indicates that there is no medium, the near end notification is terminated and the end notification is output.

§4: Description of a medium issuing device according to another specific example This example is another example (modification) of the above specific example. In the specific example described above, the second sensor also serves as the counting of the number of media of the distance A and the start of the near-end count. In other examples (modifications), this is performed separately. In this case, the processing is performed by omitting the counting of the number of media at the distance A, specifying the thickness dimension of the issuing medium, and calculating the remaining number of the media at the distance B.

Therefore, in another example (modification), the configuration of the medium management unit 4 (the configuration of the medium management unit 4 shown in FIG. 2 or the configuration of the medium management unit 4 shown in FIG. 8) Although it is substantially the same as the specific example, the input signal and internal processing are different.

That is, in another example (modification), the sensor signal from the third sensor is not used (the third sensor need not be provided), and the sensor signal from the first sensor and the signal from the second sensor are not used. The sensor signal is used. And calculating means for calculating the number of media between the first and second sensors in response to designation of the thickness of the medium from the outside, checking the number of media from the second sensor, and reducing the number to a predetermined number. A near-end notification is made when the detected near-end state is detected. The detailed processing will be described later.

§5: Description of processing of medium monitoring unit by flowchart FIG. 9 is a processing flowchart of the medium monitoring unit (part 1), and FIG. 10 is a processing flowchart of the medium monitoring unit (part 2). Hereinafter, the processing of the medium monitoring unit will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, S1 to S15 indicate each processing step. The following processing is performed by the MCPU 20 shown in FIG.
Is a process realized by executing a program stored in advance in a storage means such as a ROM (not shown).

First, the MCPU 20 starts a medium management process (S1), and determines whether or not there is a medium issuing instruction (S1).
2). As a result, if there is no medium issuance instruction, the process proceeds to S1. If there is a medium issuance instruction, whether or not there is a third sensor medium (whether or not the third sensor is detecting the medium).
Is determined (S3).

As a result, if the third sensor medium is present, the counter and the notification information are initialized (S4). That is, the near-end notification is turned off (the notification state is released), and the end notification is set to O
FF (release notification state), ON while monitoring is enabled (notification state), and clears the medium counter 15 (counter value = 0). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S1.

On the other hand, if the third sensor medium is not present in the process of S3, it is determined whether or not the second sensor medium is present (whether or not the medium is detected by the second sensor) (S5). Second
If there is a sensor medium, the medium counter 15 is increased (+
1) Do (S6). Next, the calculation result of the calculation unit 16 is set in the remaining amount counter 17 (S7), and the process proceeds to S1.

If it is determined in step S5 that there is no second sensor medium, that is, if the second sensor 12 has not detected a medium, the medium counter 15 is decreased (-1) (S8). Next, it is determined whether (counter) ≦ (near-end setting) (S9). That is, the comparing unit 19 determines whether the counter value of the remaining amount counter 17 is
Is compared with the set value, and it is determined whether or not it has reached the near end set value.

As a result, if the value has not reached the near-end set value, the process proceeds to S1. If the set value has been reached, the near-end notification is turned ON (near-end notification state) (S10), and the first sensor medium is turned off. It is determined whether or not the medium is detected by the first sensor (S11).

As a result, if there is no first sensor medium,
The process proceeds to S1. If there is no first sensor medium (the medium is not detected by the first sensor 11), there is no medium in the stacker unit 1, so the near-end notification is turned off (S12) and the end The notification is turned on (S13), the monitoring is turned off during the active state (S14), and the monitoring process is terminated (S13).
15) The process proceeds to S1. By repeating the above processing, the processing of Example 1 is performed.

§6: Description of Processing of Another Example of Medium Monitoring Unit FIG. 11 is a processing flowchart of another example of the medium monitoring unit (part 1), and FIG. 12 is a processing flowchart of another example of the medium monitoring unit (part 1). 2) is shown. Hereinafter, processing of another example of the medium monitoring unit will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that S21
S33 indicate each processing step. The following process is a process realized by the MCPU 20 illustrated in FIG. 8 executing a program stored in a storage unit such as a ROM in advance.

First, the medium management process is started (S21),
It is determined whether or not there is a medium issuing instruction (S22). As a result, if there is no medium issuance instruction, the process proceeds to S21. If there is a medium issuance instruction, it is determined whether or not the second sensor medium is present (whether or not the medium is detected by the second sensor). Is determined (S23).

As a result, if the second sensor medium is present, the counter and the notification information are initialized (S24). That is, the near-end notification is turned off (notification state is released), the end notification is turned off (notification state is released), the monitoring is on (ON) (notification state), and the medium counter 15 is cleared (counter value = 0). Thereafter, based on the given medium size and distance B, the calculation unit 16 performs a calculation of (medium thickness size) × B, sets the calculation result in the remaining amount counter 17 (S25), and proceeds to the processing of S21. Transition.

On the other hand, if the second sensor medium is not present in S23, the remaining amount counter is decremented, that is, the count value of the remaining amount counter 17 is decremented by one (S26). next,
It is determined whether (counter) ≦ (near-end setting) (S27). That is, the comparison unit 19 sets the remaining amount counter 1
It is determined whether the counter value of 7 has reached the set value of the near-end setting unit 18.

As a result, if the near end set value has not been reached, the process proceeds to step S21. If it has reached the near end set value, the near end notification is turned ON (near end notification state) (S2
8) It is determined whether or not the first sensor medium is absent (whether or not the medium is detected by the first sensor) (S29).

As a result, if there is no first sensor medium,
The process proceeds to S21. If the first sensor medium is not present (the medium is not detected by the first sensor), there is no medium in the stacker unit 1, so the near-end notification is turned off (S30), and the end notification is made. Is turned on (S31), while monitoring is enabled, it is turned off (S32), and the monitoring process is terminated (S31).
33), the process proceeds to S21. Another processing example is performed by repeating the above processing.

§7: Description of Recording Medium and Program The processing performed by the medium monitoring unit 4 is performed by the MCPU 20 executing a program stored in the internal ROM, but is not limited to such an example. It is also possible for the CPU or MPU in the medium monitoring unit 4 to execute the program stored in the hard disk device in the ATM 50 by executing the program. In this case, the program is stored in the hard disk device by the following method.

A program (program data created by another device) stored in a flexible disk (floppy disk) is read by a floppy disk drive of the ATM 50 and stored in a recording medium (hard disk) of the hard disk device.

: Magneto-optical disk or CD-ROM
The data stored in a storage medium such as is read by a drive device (such as a CD-ROM drive) provided in the ATM 50 and stored in a disk of the hard disk device.

The ATM 50 receives a program transmitted from another device via a communication line such as a LAN via the communication control unit 55, and stores the data in a recording medium of the hard disk device.

§8: Addendum The following configuration is added to the above description.

(Supplementary Note 1) In a medium issuing apparatus provided with a stacker section for storing a medium to be issued, a transport path for feeding out and issuing the medium in the stacker section, and a printing unit for printing information on the issued medium, A first detecting means for detecting the end of the medium in which the medium in the stacker has run out, a second and a third detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the medium between two points in the stacker, and the second and the third detecting means. Counting means for checking the number of media in the stacker, and near-end counting means for counting the number of media for notifying the media near end in which the number of media in the stacker unit has decreased to the number required for replenishment, wherein the number of media between the two points is provided. The medium issuing device calculates the number of media up to the media end based on the number of media and notifies the near end based on the counting result of the near end counting means.

(Supplementary Note 2) In a medium issuing apparatus provided with a stacker unit for storing a medium to be issued, a transport path for feeding and issuing the medium of the stacker unit, and a printing unit for printing information on the issued medium, First detecting means for detecting the end of the medium in which the medium in the stacker has run out, second detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a medium in the middle of the stacker,
When the thickness dimension of the medium is specified from outside, the first and second
A medium issuing device, comprising: a calculating means for calculating the number of media between the detecting means, and checking the number of issued media from the second detecting means and performing near-end notification.

(Supplementary Note 3) A first procedure for checking the number of media between the second and third detecting means and a medium for notifying the computer of a medium near end in which the number of media in the stacker has been reduced to a number requiring replenishment. A second procedure for counting the number of mediums, based on the number of media between two points examined in the first procedure, calculating the number of media up to the end of the medium that has run out of media, the second procedure And a computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing a near-end notification process based on the counting result.

(Supplementary Note 4) The computer has a procedure for calculating the number of media between the first and second detecting means in response to designation of the thickness of the medium from the outside, and determining the number of media issued from the second detecting means. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for executing a process of checking and performing near-end notification.

[0088]

As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

(1) In the first aspect, the medium existing between the third detection unit and the second detection unit is determined based on the distance between the detection positions of the first detection unit, the second detection unit, and the third detection unit. The number is checked, the number of media existing between the second detection unit and the first detection unit is determined, and a near-end notification is made accurately.

In this way, since the remaining amount of the medium is managed based on the measurement of the medium thickness, the near-end notification timing becomes accurate, and the mounting position of the detecting means (sensor) according to the medium is adjusted. By eliminating the need for
The operation can be performed without concern for the thickness of the issuing medium, and the convenience of the apparatus is improved.

(2): In claim 2, counting of the number of media of the distance between the second detection unit and the third detection unit is omitted, and the first detection unit and the second detection unit are designated by specifying the thickness dimension of the issuing medium. The processing is performed by calculating the remaining number of sheets of the distance between sets. In this case, the arithmetic means receives the designation of the thickness dimension of the medium from the outside, and
The number of media between the detection means is calculated, the number of media issued from the second detection means is checked, and a near-end notification is made.

In this way, since the remaining amount of the medium is managed based on the specification of the medium thickness dimension, the near-end notification timing becomes accurate, and the mounting position of the detecting means (sensor) according to the medium is adjusted. By eliminating the need for
The operation can be performed without concern for the thickness of the publishing medium, and the convenience of the apparatus is improved.

(3): In Appendix 3, since the remaining amount of the medium is managed based on the measurement of the medium thickness, the near-end notification timing is accurate, and the mounting position of the detecting means (sensor) according to the medium is set. By eliminating the need for adjustment of
The operation can be performed without concern for the thickness of the issuing medium, and the convenience of the apparatus is improved.

(4): In Appendix 4, since the remaining amount of the medium is managed based on the specification of the medium thickness dimension, the near-end notification timing is accurate, and the mounting position of the detecting means (sensor) according to the medium. By eliminating the need for adjustment of
The operation can be performed without concern for the thickness of the publishing medium, and the convenience of the apparatus is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a medium monitoring unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a mechanism of a medium issuing device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are explanatory diagrams (part 1) of an issuing stacker unit according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the issuing stacker unit;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view (No. 2) of the issuing stacker unit in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 5C is an explanatory diagram of the presence / absence of an issuing medium; FIG.

6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams (part 1) of a relationship between a medium pressing plate and a sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A shows state 1 and FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (part 2) of a relationship between a medium pressing plate and a sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a medium monitoring unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart (part 1) of a process performed by a medium monitoring unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart (part 2) of a process performed by the medium monitoring unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a processing flowchart (part 1) of another example of the medium monitoring unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a process flowchart (part 2) of another example of the medium monitoring unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional ATM.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional medium issuing device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Stacker part 2 Sensor part 3 Sensor part 4 Medium monitoring part 5 Medium feeding part 11 1st detection part 12 2nd detection part 13 Third detection part 15 Medium counter 16 Operation part 17 Remaining amount counter 18 Near end setting part 19 Comparison part 20 MCPU (micro CPU) 22 memory 25 suction / discharge port 26 transport path 27 transport roller 28 print head 29 platen 30 feed roller 31 medium 33 medium pressing plate 34 spring 35 fulcrum 36 end detection plate 50 ATM 51 monitoring device 52 monitoring device 54 main control unit 55 Communication control unit 56 Customer operation unit 57 Staff operation unit 58 Medium issuing device

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A medium issuing apparatus comprising: a stacker unit for storing a medium to be issued; a transport path for feeding and issuing the medium of the stacker unit; and a printing unit for printing information on the issued medium. First detecting means for detecting a medium end in which the medium has run out, second and third detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a medium between two points in the stacker, and a medium between the second and third detecting means. Counting means for checking the number of media, and near-end counting means for counting the number of media for notifying the media near-end that the number of media in the stacker unit has decreased to the number required for replenishment, based on the number of media between the two points. Wherein the number of media up to the media end is calculated, and a near end notification is made based on the counting result of the near end counting means. 2. A medium issuing apparatus comprising: a stacker unit for storing a medium to be issued; a transport path for feeding and issuing the medium of the stacker unit; and a printing unit for printing information on the issued medium. First detecting means for detecting the end of the medium in which the medium has run out, second detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a medium in the stacker section, and receiving the designation of the thickness of the medium from the outside to receive the first and second media.
A medium issuing device, comprising: computing means for calculating the number of media between detecting means, and checking the number of issued media from the second detecting means and performing near-end notification.