JP2005059995A - Bill carrying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an endless carrying belt type bill carrying device provided with a bendable carrying unit capable of surely bending and carrying a bill at an arbitrary angle by simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: This device is provided with a first frame having a bill guide, a second frame having a bill guide, a spindle provided with a downstream side end part of the first frame and an upstream side end part of the second frame at positions deviated from each of carrying passages to the same side to rotatably couple both of the frames, a first pulley rotatably provided in the spindle so that a part of a peripheral surface exists on an extended line of each of the carrying passages of both the frames to lay a carrying belt, and an elastic sheet having one end fixed to one end of the bill guide of the first frame and a part up to the other end extended along an internal surface of the bill guide of the second frame to make internal surfaces each other of the bill guides of both the frames continuous with curved surfaces having proper curvatures according to rotation angles of both the frames around the spindle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a banknote transport apparatus used in a game hall or the like, and more particularly to a banknote transport unit having a bendable banknote transport unit that constitutes a bent portion (including a curved portion) of a transport path.

  The form when viewed from the upper surface of the conventional amusement island was only linear. Therefore, it is installed in the gaming island so as to be continuous from one end to the other, and the bill inserted from the bill insertion slot of the ball lending machine provided between the gaming machines is installed at the other end of the gaming island. The banknote transport apparatus which transports to the banknote collection apparatus is also only having a linear transport path.

However, recently, as shown in an example in FIG. 9, for example, a pillar P or an air conditioner A or the like is used because of a growing demand for a variety of game hall layouts, or in accordance with the floor shape of the game hall. In order to avoid this, non-linear game islands PI3 and PI4 having bent portions C1, C2; C3 to C8 are provided, and accordingly, the banknote transport device provided in each game island is also non-linearly transported. What has a road came to be required. In addition, it is desired that the bending angle (including the bending angle) of the conveyance path can be arbitrarily set. In order to meet such a demand, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 have proposed a bendable banknote transport unit in which a bent portion is configured independently of a straight portion.
In addition, in order to avoid complication of drawing, the banknote conveying apparatus is not illustrated in FIG. Moreover, in FIG. 9, 1 is a game machine, 2 is a ball lending machine, 3 is a banknote collection | recovery apparatus, 4 is a chair.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-232046 JP 2002-114398 A JP 2003-99840 A

  However, each of the bendable banknote transport units described in the above documents can be applied to a banknote transport apparatus in which a banknote is sandwiched and transported by two left and right (total of four) transport belts. Yes, the first frame and the second frame are connected by a common support shaft so as to be rotatable around the support shaft, and among the plurality of pulleys supporting the left and right transport belts, the transport path is bent. For this reason, a pulley at a predetermined position is provided on the support shaft so that the left and right conveying belts can maintain a contact state regardless of the presence or absence of rotation for the purpose.

  Therefore, in the prior art, first, since a large number of pulleys need to be installed with a certain positional relationship, the design is not easy, and secondly, the number of components is large, and thirdly, two or Since the four conveyor belts are completed in the conveyor unit, it is necessary to design the pulley position so that tension can be maintained regardless of the bending angle.

  On the other hand, in the banknote transport device, a transport belt composed of one endless belt continuous from one end of the game island to the other end is rotated around a pulley provided at both ends of the island, and one side of the transport belt is transported by banknotes. The paper pressing rollers are extended along the direction, and the paper pressing rollers are brought into contact with the opposite side surfaces of the transport belt so as to be rotatable at intervals slightly shorter than the length of the banknote, and inserted from a banknote insertion opening provided at an arbitrary position in the banknote transport direction. The used bill is transported to a target position by the rotated transport belt and one of the rollers. It is obvious that a bendable transport unit using two or four independent transport belts according to the above prior art cannot be applied to the banknote transport apparatus of this form. In other words, it is very difficult to provide an independent conveyor belt in the middle of the structure in which the left and right banknote pressing rollers are in contact with one continuous conveyor belt, and the structure of the drive system is very complicated even if it is provided temporarily. It is not suitable for practical use.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the first problem can be applied to a banknote transport apparatus using a transport belt composed of one endless belt continuous from one end to the other end of the game island. Another object of the present invention is to provide a bendable banknote transport unit that is simple in structure and can bend and transport banknotes reliably.

  The second problem is to solve the problem of handling (handling) of the transport belt in the bent portion of the transport path, which is a problem peculiar to the banknote transport device using the transport belt composed of one continuous endless belt. .

  A third problem is to be able to arbitrarily set the bending angle of the conveyance path of the bendable conveyance unit, and to facilitate fixing after the setting.

  In order to solve the first problem, the invention according to claim 1 is configured to convey one side of a conveyance belt composed of one endless belt wound and rotated between pulleys provided at positions separated in the conveyance direction. From the bill insertion port provided at an arbitrary position in the bill conveyance direction, with the roller for holding the bill press rotatably on the opposite side surfaces of the conveyance belt at intervals slightly shorter than the length of the bill. A banknote guide that forms a part of the transport path of a bendable banknote transport unit used in a banknote transport apparatus that transports an inserted banknote to a target position by the rotated transport belt and one of the rollers. A second frame having a banknote guide that forms part of a transport path adjacent to the transport path, a downstream end of the first frame, and an upstream end of the second frame And a support shaft that rotatably couples both the frames, and a part of the peripheral surface exists on an extension line of each conveyance path of the both frames. The first pulley for rotating the support belt and the other support shaft having a common axis with the support shaft, and one end of which is one end of the banknote guide of the first frame. The portion up to the other end is extended along the inner surface of the bill guide of the second frame, and the inner surfaces of the bill guides of both the frames are appropriately set according to the rotation angle around the support shaft of the both frames. It is characterized by comprising a continuous elastic sheet with a curved surface having a certain curvature.

  In order to solve the second problem, the invention according to claim 2 extends the supporting shaft supporting the first pulley of the bendable banknote transport unit of claim 1 downward, and returns the transport belt to the extended portion. The second pulley for hanging the part is provided rotatably.

  In order to solve the third problem, the invention of claim 3 is the banknote transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first frame and the second frame of the bendable transport unit are rotated around the support shaft. In order to fix the angle after the operation, a screw hole is provided in one frame of the first and second frames, an arc-shaped hole is provided in the other frame, and a butterfly bolt penetrating the arc-shaped hole is inserted into the screw hole. It is characterized by having fixing means that are screwed into and tightened.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the first frame and the second frame are coupled to each other by the support shaft so as to be rotatable around the support shaft, the conveyance path can be bent at an arbitrary angle. Since the first pulley is provided on the support shaft or another support shaft having a common axis with the support shaft so that a part of the outer periphery thereof exists on the extension line of the conveying path of both frames, Regardless of the situation, the conveyor belt is always held in tension in the center of the conveyor path. One end is fixed to the downstream end of the bill guide opposite to the first pulley with respect to the transport path of the first frame, and the portion up to the other end is opposite to the first pulley with respect to the transport path of the second frame. Extending along the inner surface of the bill guide, the inner surfaces of the bill guides opposite to the pulleys with respect to the conveyance path of both frames are continuously curved with a curved surface having an appropriate curvature according to the rotation angle around the support shaft of both frames. Since the elastic sheet is provided, the bill is smoothly guided along the conveyance path without detaching the bent portion of the conveyance path outward from the conveyance belt. A first pulley having a predetermined diameter for winding a conveying belt is provided on the supporting shaft or another supporting shaft having a common axis with the supporting shaft by connecting the two frames so as to be bent. Since the elastic sheet is provided on the opposite side of the first pulley with respect to the road, the structure is simple, and in the banknote transport apparatus using one endless belt as the transport belt, the banknote is reliably transported at the bent portion. Can be done.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the second pulley having the center of rotation at the center of curvature of the bent portion of the conveyance path is provided at the extension portion of the support shaft that supports the first pulley. Since the return part of the conveyor belt consisting of endless belts is wound, the feedback part of the conveyor belt can be held stably and easily regardless of the bending angle of the conveyor path, and it is transported separately from the conveyor unit. There is no need to add a complex arrangement for holding the return portion of the belt.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the screw hole is provided in one frame, the arc-shaped hole is provided in the other frame, and the butterfly bolt penetrating the arc-shaped hole is screwed into the screw hole. And the second frame can be rotated around the spindle at an arbitrary angle, and then the butterfly bolt can be tightened to easily and reliably fix the bending angle of the conveyance path.

Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 is a front view of a bendable banknote transport unit according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view thereof, FIG. 3 is a plan view showing states before and after bending, FIG. 4 is a bottom view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a front view of an elastic sheet that holds a banknote, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the main part along the line XX of FIG. 1 in a state where the conveyance path is bent. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the main part showing an example in which the bendable transport unit according to the present invention is incorporated in the bent portions C1 and C2 of the banknote transport device in Yugijima PI3 of FIG. Below, the conveyance unit used for the part C1 where the conveyance path of FIG. 8 bends to the right side will be described.

In the present invention, one side of a conveyor belt composed of one endless belt that is rotated is extended along the banknote conveyance direction, and a banknote-pressing roller is placed on opposite sides of the conveyor belt at a slightly shorter interval than the banknote length. In the middle of the conveyance path of the banknote transport apparatus that transports the banknote inserted from the banknote insertion slot provided at an arbitrary position in the banknote transport direction to the target position by the transport belt and one of the rollers. The present invention is characterized by having a bendable conveyance unit as follows. The bendable transport unit U includes a first frame F1 positioned on the upstream side in the banknote transport direction and a second frame F2 also positioned on the downstream side as basic components. The first frame F1 has a rectangular tube-shaped outer shell member 11 that covers the outer peripheral surface of the banknote transport path, and a portion that applies a transport force to the banknote of the transport belt described later at the center of the hollow portion of the outer shell member. However, the upper and lower portions of the banknote N conveyed in a horizontally long standing posture are guided along the conveying direction to the upper and lower portions of the hollow portion by the opposite side surfaces of the conveying belt Bf. Upper bill guides 12U ₁ and 12U ₂ having bill guide grooves and lower bill guides 12L ₁ and 12L ₂ are arranged at the center of the hollow portion of the outer shell member, that is, at both sides of the transport belt travel position. Then, the bill guide 12U _1, 12U ₂ up and down opposite; bill transport path is formed on both sides of the conveyor belt by 12L _1, 12L _2. This banknote guide 12 (generally using a sign of 12 when no individual banknote guide is designated) may have a length that extends over the entire length of the first frame F1 in the banknote transport direction. As described above, it may have a required length in the downstream portion of the first frame F1.

  In a preferred embodiment, a groove 13 is provided in the lower part of the banknote transport path of the first frame F1 for running the return part Bb of the transport belt.

  A connecting member 14 is fixed to the downstream end of the first frame F1. The connecting member 14 is provided for providing support plates 15U and 15L extending laterally with respect to the conveyance path at the upper and lower portions of the first frame F1, and in the illustrated example, the connecting member 14 is connected to the first frame F1. The support plate 15U and 15L are integrally formed by bending the upper and lower end portions at right angles in the same direction and integrally forming the support plate and attaching to the frame. To make it easier.

  The second frame F2 is substantially symmetrical with the first frame F1 when the transport unit U is viewed from the front, and the banknote transport path and transport belt formed by the same outer shell member 11E and banknote guide 12E. And a connecting member 14E provided with upper and lower support plates 15UE, 15LE. In FIG. 2, the outer shell member 11 of the first frame is shown in a partially broken state in order to show a first pulley 23 and a roller 25 described later.

  However, one of the upper support plate 15U of the first frame F1, the upper support plate 15UE of the second frame F2, the lower support plate 15L of the first frame, and the lower support plate 15LE of the second frame is one above the other. Alternatively, the upper support plates and the lower support plates are overlapped with each other so as to be able to match the holes provided at one end of each support plate. In the illustrated example, the support plates 15U-15L of the first frame are provided so as to overlap the upper and lower surfaces of the support plates 15UE and 15LE of the second frame, respectively. Then, the first support shafts 16U, 16L configured by screws or the like are screwed into the matched holes of the upper support plates 15U, 15UE of both frames and the matched holes of the lower support plates 15L, 15LE of both frames, respectively. Thus, both the frames F1, F2 are coupled so as to be rotatable about the axes of the first support shafts 16U, 16L.

  As means for facilitating the rotation of the first frame F1 and the second frame F2 around the support shaft and fixing the angle after the rotation, the lower support plate is present on the inner side, in the example shown, the second frame A screw hole is provided at a position away from the support shaft 16L of the support plate 15LE, and the screw hole exists outside the lower support plate, in the illustrated example, the support shaft 16L of the support plate 15L of the first frame F1. It is matched with the circular arc hole 18 provided at a position away from the center and having the support shaft 16L as the center of curvature, and the butterfly bolt 19 is screwed into the screw hole. After loosening the butterfly bolt, both frames F1 and F2 are rotated around the first support shafts 16U and 16L in an arbitrary direction, and the bill conveyance paths of both frames are required as illustrated in FIG. 3B. The conveyance direction can be arbitrarily changed within the range of the bending angle of FIG. 4 to a maximum of 45 degrees by bending at an angle and fastening the butterfly bolt 19 again. If the arc angle of the arc hole 18 is 90 degrees, the conveyance direction can be changed by 90 degrees at the maximum.

  The connecting members 14 and 14E of both the frames F1 and F2 are cut into a U-shape so that the openings are opposed to each other at substantially the intermediate position in the height direction of the bill conveyance path on the front side, and upper cutouts 20U and 20UE are formed. In addition, lower cutouts 20L and 20LE are formed in portions extending downward from the bill conveyance path of the connecting members 14 and 14E so that the openings are opposed to each other, and upper cutouts 20U and 20LE are formed. On the upper side of 20UE and the lower side of lower notches 20L and 20LE, support plates 21U and 21L that protrude in a direction away from the transport path are provided in one frame, in the illustrated example, connection member 14 of first frame F1. A second support shaft 22 having an axis on a vertical line common to the first support shafts 16U and 16L is fixed to the upper and lower support plates, and the second support shaft 22 is connected to the upper notches 20U and 20UE. The first pulley 23 fitted with the portion is rotatably held. In this case, the diameter of the first pulley 23 is such that a part of the outer peripheral surface of the first pulley 23 exists on the extension line of the bill conveyance path of the first frame F1 and on the extension line of the bill conveyance path of the second frame F2. Designed.

  A second pulley 24 partially fitted into the lower notches 20L and 20LE is rotatably held on the second support shaft 22. The diameter of the second pulley 24 is equal to that of the outer peripheral surface. The part is set so as to exist on the extension line of the groove 13 that travels the return part Bb of the conveying belt of both the frames F1, F2.

  The overall length of the transport unit U is generally larger than the length of the banknote. Therefore, in order to ensure the conveyance of banknotes by one endless belt, at least one of the first frame F1 and the second frame F2, the conveyance belt Bf is connected to the conveyance belt on the opposite side of the first pulley 23. It is desirable to provide a roller 25 that contacts and presses the bill. The roller 25 is rotatably held by a roller holder 26 fixed to the frame F1. When the lengths of the frames F1 and F2 are large, one or a plurality of rollers 25 are provided on both frames.

  As illustrated in FIG. 9, the transport unit U configured as described above has the upstream portion of the first frame F1 continuous with the end of the straight transport path S1 on the upstream side of the banknote transport apparatus, and the first The downstream portion of the second frame F2 is installed continuously to the start end of the downstream straight conveyance path S2, and the conveyance portion Bf of the conveyance belt is a banknote of the first frame F1 and the second frame F2, as shown in FIG. It passes through the center position of the transport path and is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the first pulley 23 facing the transport path. Further, the return portion Bb of the conveyor belt wound around the end pulley (not shown) of the game island and turned back toward the start pulley (not shown) of the island is the second frame F2 and the second frame F2 in the conveyor unit U. It passes through the groove 13 of the one frame F <b> 1 and comes into contact with a portion facing the groove 13 on the outer periphery of the second pulley 24.

    When the conveyance path is bent in the conveyance unit U, the butterfly bolt 19 is loosened and rotated around the support shafts 16U and 16L. When the angle between both frames reaches a desired angle, the butterfly bolt 19 Tighten again to fix the bending angle.

When the conveyance path of the conveyance unit having the above structure is bent, it is necessary to prevent the banknote from coming out from the gap generated between the ends of the banknote guides of both frames. This request for preventing escape is a problem peculiar to a bendable transport unit for a banknote transport apparatus using a single endless belt. The present invention solves this problem as follows. That is, the banknote guide may have a length equal to the total length of each frame, but the banknote guide 12 shown in FIGS. It is a comparatively short thing provided in the near part. Then, one end of an elastic sheet 27 made of a polyester sheet as an example is bonded to the upstream frame, that is, the banknote guides 12U ₁ , 12L ₁ ; 12U ₂ , 12L ₂ of the first frame F1, and the elastic sheet 27 Is inserted into a downstream frame, that is, a banknote transport path of the banknote guide 12E of the second frame F2. The elastic sheet 27 is preferably provided on both sides of the banknote transport surface for each banknote transport path in order to achieve smooth banknote guidance when each banknote transport path is bent. The front shape is arbitrary as long as it does not interfere with the bill guiding property, and a plurality of strip-like ones such as the elastic sheet 27S of FIG. 1 may be provided, but the elastic sheet provided at the furthest position from the first pulley 23. For ease of manufacture and prevention of wear by the conveyor belt, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the vertical portion is formed in a wide roll U shape or E shape, and is bonded to the bill guide at the upper and lower ends. It has become.

As described above, one end of the elastic sheet is fixed to the banknote guides 12U ₁ , 12L ₁ ; 12U ₂ , 12L ₂ on the upstream side on both sides of each banknote transport path, and the other end is in the banknote transport path of the banknote guide on the downstream side. When the conveyance path is bent due to the insertion, the gaps having different sizes depending on the bending angle are generated between the bill guides, but the gap is always shielded by the elastic sheet 27. And since a part of the outer periphery of the first pulley 23 is in contact with the bent portion of the banknote transport path, banknotes transported from the upstream side are effectively prevented from escaping from the gap, and It is transported smoothly and reliably to the downstream side of the transport unit.

  In the said Example, the attachment structure with respect to the flame | frame of support plate 15U, 15L; 15UE, 15LE is arbitrary, and is not restrict | limited to the example of illustration. Whether or not the connecting members 14 and 14E are used is arbitrary, and the upper and lower support plates can be directly provided on each frame. Further, the upper and lower first support shafts 16U and 16L can be made continuous, the second support shaft 22 can be eliminated, and the first and second pulleys 23 and 24 can be held on the first support shaft (16) that is continuous vertically. . Further, the means for fixing both the frames and the angle after the rotation is not limited to the illustrated example. However, it is preferable to use an arc hole 18 and a wing bolt 19 because the operation is easy.

  The conveyance unit used for the portion C2 bent to the left in FIG. 8 is realized by making each of the above components symmetrical.

  The present invention is not limited to banknote transport on amusement islands, but can be applied to banknote transport to a predetermined position in an apparatus that receives banknotes at a plurality of locations such as a vending machine group.

The front view of the conveyance unit which can be bent concerning the present invention. Similarly rear view. It is a top view similarly, Comprising: (a) shows the state before bending, (b) shows the state after bending. Similarly bottom view. Similarly left side view. The front view of the elastic sheet which presses a banknote. The principal part sectional view along the XX line of FIG. 1 in the bent state. The top view of the principal part which shows an example which incorporated the bending | flexible conveyance unit which concerns on this invention in bending part C1, C2 of the banknote conveying apparatus in Yu-Gijima PI3 of FIG. The top view which shows an example of the layout of amusement islands.

Explanation of symbols

U transport unit F1 first frame F2 second frame 11, 11E outer shell member 12, 12E bill guide 13, 13E groove 14, 14E connecting member 15U, 15UE; 15L, 15LE support plate 16U, 16L first support shaft 22 second Support shaft 23 First pulley 24 Second pulley 25 Bill pressing roller 27, 27S Elastic sheet Bf, Bb Conveying belt Bf Conveying part Bb Return part

Claims (3)

Extend one side of the conveyor belt consisting of one endless belt that is wound and rotated between pulleys provided at positions separated in the conveying direction along the banknote conveying direction, and press the banknote holders on opposite sides of the conveying belt. A roller for contact with a roller at a slightly shorter interval than the length of the banknote, and a banknote inserted from a banknote insertion port provided at an arbitrary position in the banknote transport direction is placed on either side of the rotated transport belt. In the banknote transport device that transports to a target position by a roller
A first frame having a bill guide constituting a part of the transport path, a second frame having a bill guide constituting a part of the transport path adjacent to the transport path, and a downstream end of the first frame; The upstream end of the second frame is provided at a position that is biased to the same side from the respective conveyance paths, a support shaft that rotatably couples the both frames, and a part of the peripheral surface of the two frames. A first pulley that is rotatably provided on the support shaft or another support shaft having an axis common to the support shaft so as to exist on an extension line of each transport path, and one end of which is wound around the transport belt The bill guide of the first frame is fixed to one end of the bill guide, and the portion up to the other end is extended along the inner surface of the bill guide of the second frame. Suitable for the rotation angle around the axis Paper money transport device, characterized in that it comprises a bendable carrier unit having an elastic sheet for continuously with a curved surface with a such curvature.   2. The bill conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a supporting shaft supporting the first pulley of the bendable conveying unit is extended downward, and a second pulley for wrapping the return portion of the conveying belt around the extended portion. A bill transporting device provided rotatably.   3. The banknote transport apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one of the first and second frames is fixed to fix an angle after the first frame and the second frame of the bendable transport unit are rotated around the support shaft. A bill conveying apparatus comprising: a screw hole in the frame; an arc-shaped hole in the other frame; and a fixing means for screwing a butterfly bolt penetrating the arc-shaped hole into the screw hole. .

Images