JP2008213954A - Paper sheet conveying device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper sheet conveying device in which banknotes can be reliably conveyed with a simple constitution, and an installation place for the device is hardly limited by reducing an occupied space necessary for the installation. <P>SOLUTION: The paper sheet conveying device comprises a conveying passage 20 for conveying paper sheets 10, a friction member 35 abutted on the paper sheets 10, and a conveying means 5 for guiding and moving the friction member 35 along the conveying direction of the conveying passage 20. The conveying passage 20 has projecting bar parts 17a, 18a extending along the conveying direction of the paper sheets 10. The friction member 35 has a working unit 36 formed so as to be engaged with the projecting bar parts 17a, 18a in an opposing manner via a space 38. The paper sheets 10 are held from both sides by the projecting bar parts 17a, 18a and the working unit 36 of the friction member 35, and the paper sheets 10 are conveyed along the conveying passage 20 by guiding and moving the friction member 35 by the conveying means 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet transport apparatus that transports paper sheets along a predetermined transport path with a simple configuration. This device, for example, collects banknotes thrown into a plurality of gaming medium lending machines such as pachinko balls arranged between a plurality of gaming machines such as pachinko machines arranged side by side in a game hall, and the gaming machine row It is utilized for the banknote collection | recovery conveying apparatus which conveys the banknote to banknote accommodating parts, such as a change machine provided in one side end.

  As this type of conventional paper sheet conveying apparatus, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-114396 (Patent Document 1) previously published and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-306262 filed and published by the present applicant. Those described in (Patent Document 2) are known. Here, the paper sheet conveying device described in Patent Document 1 urges the pressing member outwardly of the outer link plate of the endless chain that circulates on a predetermined track so as to contact the outer link plate. Thus, the outer surface of the outer link plate is made of a friction material having friction properties, and the banknotes sandwiched between the outer link plate and the pressing member are transported as the chain travels. And this provides the apparatus which collect | recovers the banknote supplied from the outside with a simple structure, and conveys it reliably to a predetermined | prescribed storage part.

Moreover, as for the conveyance apparatus of the paper sheets of patent document 2, the banknote thrown into the acceptance part of the banknote provided in multiple places is each hold | maintained at the temporary storage part at the exit side after discrimination, and those In an apparatus in which reserved banknotes are collected and stored in a predetermined storage unit, an endless transfer unit that connects each temporary hold unit and the storage unit and circulates in one direction, and protrudes from an outer edge of the transfer unit It is provided upright, circulates by its conveying means, holds a banknote held there when passing through each temporary holding section, and releases the banknote and stores it in the storage section when passing through a predetermined storage section. Gripping and collecting means. And the collection | recovery apparatus of the banknote which can collect | recover the banknote which each receiving part received highly reliably by the holding | grip collection means comprised in this way is provided.
JP 2002-114396 A JP 2003-306262 A

  By the way, in the banknote conveying apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the banknote is nipped and conveyed by the friction member supplemented to the outer link plate of the endless chain and the pressing member biased so as to come into contact therewith. However, when the banknotes are not sandwiched between them, the chain travels while they are in contact with each other, so that they may be worn out and the conveyance force of the banknotes may be reduced, resulting in a conveyance failure. In addition, as a means for guiding the travel of the endless chain along a predetermined track, a rail for mounting the chain is provided, and this rail mounts a bush that covers the connecting pin of the chain, and has inner rails on both sides thereof. Since the link body is formed to straddle, when the chain width is narrow, the chain on the rail is inclined and the bill cannot be properly clamped by the friction material and the pressing member attached to the outer link plate. There was a problem of poor conveyance.

  Moreover, in the banknote collection | recovery apparatus described in patent document 2, the holding | grip collection | recovery means which hold | grips a banknote in the standing state is arrange | positioned so that it may protrude from the outer edge of the circulating endless conveying means, Since a space where the means circulates is specially required at the outer edge of the conveying means, the occupied space necessary for the operation of the device is larger than that of the main body of the device, and only in a place where a large space necessary for the operation can be secured. There was a problem that the installation of the apparatus was limited.

  In order to cope with such a problem, the present invention can reliably transport bills with a simple configuration, and by reducing the occupied space necessary for installation, the cost is low and the reliability is high. It is another object of the present invention to provide a paper sheet transport device in which the installation location of the device is not easily limited.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a conveyance path that conveys a paper sheet, a friction member that generates a frictional force in contact with the paper sheet, and the friction member along the conveyance path. Conveying means for guiding and moving, wherein the conveying path has a protruding portion extending along the conveying direction of the paper sheet, and the friction member faces the protruding portion and has a gap therebetween. An action portion formed so as to be engaged with each other through the sheet, and the paper sheet is sandwiched so as to be pressed from both sides by the protrusion portion and the action portion of the friction member in the conveyance path, and the conveyance means The paper sheet is transported along the transport path by guiding and moving the friction member.

According to this, the paper sheet is securely transported by sandwiching the paper sheet so as to be bitten by the protruding portion and the action portion of the friction member, and pressing the friction member against the paper sheet. It can be transported along the road. Further, when the paper sheet is not sandwiched between the protruding portion and the action portion of the friction member, since they do not contact each other, they are not worn by friction.
Further, the invention according to claim 2 is the paper sheet transport device according to claim 1, wherein the transport means connects a plurality of links each having a mounting portion for detachably mounting the friction member, An endless chain provided with guide rollers rotatably on both sides of the link, and a cross section formed in a substantially square shape. The guide rollers on both sides of the link are enclosed from the outside, and the guide rollers are guided by the inner surfaces of the sides in the transport direction. The friction member is mounted on the link mounting portion with the action portions disposed on both sides of the rail member, and the conveying path is provided on both sides of the rail member along the rail member. It is extended.

  According to this, the paper sheets can be transported along the transport path disposed on both sides of the rail member. Further, the paper sheets can be conveyed simultaneously on both sides of the rail member.

  As described above, according to the invention according to claim 1, for example, a paper sheet such as a banknote can be pinched by the protruding portion and the action portion of the friction member so as to be reliably conveyed along the conveyance path. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable paper sheet transport device. Also, when paper sheets such as banknotes are not sandwiched between the protrusions and the action part of the friction member, since they do not come into contact with each other, they do not wear due to friction. An apparatus can be provided.

  Moreover, according to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, since paper sheets, such as a banknote, can be conveyed along the conveyance path arrange | positioned in the side of the rail member which guides a chain, compared with an apparatus main body. The space required for the operation of the paper sheet is not particularly large in the vertical direction, and it is possible to provide a paper sheet conveying apparatus in which the installation location of the apparatus is difficult to be limited. Further, since the paper sheets can be simultaneously transported on both sides of the rail member that guides the chain, the paper sheets can be efficiently collected and transported to a predetermined storage portion with a simple configuration.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an application of a paper sheet conveying apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of game media (pachinko machines) arranged between a plurality of game machines (pachinko machines, etc.) 75 arranged side by side in a game hall. So-called amusement island equipped with a device for collecting banknotes thrown into the lending machine 70 and transporting the banknotes to a banknote storage unit (exchange machine etc.) 76 provided at one end of the 75 rows of gaming machines It is a perspective view which shows 80 typically. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the game island 80. In the gaming island 80 configured as described above, the bill inserted into the bill insertion slot 71 (FIG. 1) of the game medium lending machine 70 is identified by a bill discriminator (not shown) provided therein, and the like. If it is determined to be appropriate, it is sent to the bill introduction section 50 (FIG. 2) on the back side. The banknotes sent to the banknote introduction unit 50 are taken into the banknote transport path 3 of the paper sheet transport device 1 extending on the back side along the 75 rows of gaming machines, and one end side of the gaming machines 75 rows. Are conveyed and stored toward the banknote storage section 76 provided in the storage.

  FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a schematic structure of the banknote transport path 3 extending on the back side along the 75 rows of gaming machines, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing a schematic structure of the same banknote transport path 3. . An endless chain 5 that circulates in one direction is disposed inside the banknote transport path 3 at a substantially central portion of its width. The endless chain 5 is wound around a drive sprocket 6 provided on one end side of the game island 80 and a pair of driven sprockets 7 arranged on the other side apart from the drive sprocket 6. Here, the pair of driven sprockets 7 are rotatably attached to a guide member 8 that is slidably provided. The guide member 8 is further moved to the other side by a spring 9 provided inside the endless chain 5. It is energized. As a result, the endless chain 5 is installed between the drive sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 without looseness. Then, the drive sprocket 6 is driven to circulate in one line (in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4).

  The banknote transport path 3 includes a main frame 11 having upper and lower guide rail portions 12 and 13 to guide an endless chain 5 and an upper side of the main frame 11 disposed in parallel therewith. A banknote passage 20 that is formed in a substantially square shape by a frame 15 and a pair of passage side plates 17 and 18 provided on both sides of the frame 15 and sandwiches them, and that transports banknotes along the inside of the passage side plates 17 and 18 on both sides. Is formed on both sides.

  The main frame 11 includes an upper structure portion 11a, a lower structure portion 11b, a connection plate portion 11c that connects these, and the like. The upper structural portion 11a is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape in cross section, and a guide rail portion 12 having a substantially square cross section for guiding the endless chain 5 is provided on the upper portion thereof, and passage side plates 17 and 18 are provided on both sides thereof. A side plate mounting portion 22 to be mounted and a rib portion 23 forming a lower end surface of the banknote passage 20 for transporting the banknote 10 are provided. The lower structure portion 11b is provided with a guide rail portion 13 which is symmetrical in the vertical direction with the guide rail portion 12 of the upper structure portion 11a, and covers the endless chain 5 and the like traveling on the guide rail portion 13 on its side portion. A cover mounting portion 24 for mounting the cover member 26 is provided. In addition, joint guide portions 25 for attaching the main frame 11 to the base of the game island 80 via a transport path support member or the like are provided on both sides of the connecting plate portion 11c that connects the upper structure portion 11a and the lower structure portion 11b. Is provided.

The cross section of the upper frame 15 is formed in a substantially rectangular tube shape, mounting portions 28 for attaching the passage side plates 17 and 18 are provided on both sides of the upper frame 15, and rib portions 29 that form the upper end surface and the upper side surface of the banknote passage 20 below the upper frame 15. , 30 are provided. A joint guide rib 31 is provided at the upper end of the upper frame 15 to attach it to the base of the game island 80 or the like.
The passage side plates 17 and 18 on both sides of the bill conveyance path 3 are provided so as to face each other with the main frame 11 and the upper frame 15 sandwiched therebetween, and a plurality of ridge portions 17a and 18a are formed on the inner wall so as to protrude into the bill passage 20. It is extended along the conveyance direction of a banknote. Further, one of the protrusions 17a and 18a is disposed so as to mesh with an action portion 36 of a friction member 35 described later via a gap 38, and the bill 10 conveyed through the bill passage 20 is pressed from both sides. And functions so as to be conveyed in contact with the action portion 36 of the friction member 35 stably.

  5A and 5B show the link 40 constituting the endless chain 5 that circulates in the banknote transport path 3 in one direction. FIG. 5A is a front view thereof, and FIG. 5B is a plan view thereof. As shown in the figure, the link 40 constituting the chain 5 is formed in a catamaran shape by connecting a pair of link plates 41. A hook portion 41 a is formed at one end portion of the link plate 41. A bush roller 43 that meshes with the drive sprocket 6 and the driven sprocket 7 is disposed between the link plates 41 at the other end portion, and guide rollers 45 are disposed at both outer ends thereof, and these support shafts are supported on the support shaft. 46 is rotatably supported. Then, as indicated by solid lines and two-dot chain lines in the figure, adjacent links 40 and 40 are connected in a loop shape by engaging the respective hook portions 41a and the support shaft 46. In addition, a mounting portion 48 having a recess 47 and protruding is provided on the upper surface of the coupling portion 42 in the center of the link 40a. And the connection part 37 provided in the convex shape of the below-mentioned friction member 35 is attached to the recessed part 47 of this mounting part 48 so that attachment or detachment is possible. In addition, you may use the link 40 which does not equip the friction member 35 with the mounting part 48 not provided.

  The endless chain 5 configured as described above is stretched in the bill conveyance path 3 by forming an elongated loop having the horizontal direction as the longitudinal direction. The elongated loop of the endless chain 5 is supported and guided by guide rail portions 12 and 13 provided on the upper structure portion 11a and the lower structure portion 11b of the main frame 11 at the upper portion and the lower portion thereof, respectively. The both end portions are constructed so as to mesh with the drive sprocket 6 and the pair of driven sprockets 7. The endless chain 5 smoothly travels in the guide rail portions 12 and 13 when the guide rollers 45 of the links 40 are guided by the inner surfaces of the side portions of the guide rail portions 12 and 13 and roll. .

  FIG. 6 shows the friction member 35 attached to the link 40 of the endless chain 5, (a) is a front view thereof, (b) is a side view thereof, and (c) is a bottom view thereof. The friction member 35 is provided with an action portion 36 on both sides and is formed in a substantially U shape, and a convex portion inserted into a recess portion 47 provided in a mounting portion 48 of a link 40 constituting the endless chain 5 at the center portion thereof. A connecting portion 37 is provided. Then, the friction member 35 is detachably mounted on the link 40 by inserting the connecting portion 37 into the recess 47 of the link 40 and engaging the claw portions 37a on both sides thereof with the outside of the mounting portion 48 of the link 40. The In addition, the support | pillar part 39 provided in convex shape on the other side of the center part with the connection part 37 is a guide part for hold | maintaining the space | interval of the action part 36 of the friction member 35, and the link 40 appropriately.

  The action portions 36 on both sides of the friction member 35 are made of a friction material such as urethane rubber that abuts on the bill 10 conveyed through the bill passage 20 and generates a frictional force, and the groove portion 36a formed in the center thereof is formed on the passage side plates 17 and 18. The protrusions 17a and 18a are formed so as to face each other via a gap 38. That is, according to such a configuration, when the bill 10 conveyed through the bill passage 20 is sandwiched between the action portion 36 and the protrusions 17a and 18a and deformed into a corrugated shape, the bill 10 is pressed by the action portion 36. The frictional force generated thereby can be stabilized and the banknote 10 can be reliably conveyed. The friction member 35 is attached to the link 40 of the endless chain 5 at a predetermined interval shorter than the length of the conveyed banknote.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional plan view showing the structure of the bill introduction part 50 in which the bill inserted into the game medium lending machine 70 is judged to be appropriate by a bill discriminator (not shown) inside and sent out. As shown in the figure, the banknote introduction part 50 is arranged side by side with the passage side plate 18 (17) and constitutes the side wall of the banknote path 20, and the introduction part cover 52 provided on the outside thereof. Equally, a bill introduction passage 55 is formed between the introduction portion main body 51 and the introduction portion cover 52 to guide the bill 10 delivered from the game medium lending machine 70 to the bill passage 20. The banknote introduction passage 55 changes the direction of the banknote sent out from the game medium lending machine 70 to a substantially right angle along the banknote path 20 and guides the banknote 10 to join the banknote path 20. Further, in the vicinity of the junction between the bill introduction passage 55 and the bill passage 20, there is provided a detection lever 56 that protrudes in these passages and is rotatable in the conveyance direction of the bill 10, and the bill 10 passes through its position. When the bill lever 10 is pushed by the bill 10 and rotates in the transport direction, a bill transport detection sensor 53 for detecting the passage of the bill 10 is arranged.

  Moreover, the banknote introduction part 50 is provided with an introduction protrusion 51a so as to extend corresponding to the protrusion 18a (17a) provided on the passage side plate 18 (17). And in this predetermined | prescribed area which goes to a banknote conveyance direction from the junction part of the banknote introduction channel | path 55 and the banknote channel | path 20, this introduction rib part 51a is the height of the rib part 18a (17a) of the channel | path side board 18 (17). An introductory standby part 51b formed lower than is provided. Here, in the banknote transport path 3, when the banknote 10 determined to be appropriate by the banknote identification machine of the game medium lending machine 70 and sent to the banknote introduction unit 50 is in an escrow (returnable) state, The tip is located in a range where the introduction standby portion 51b is formed and is configured to be temporarily held. And when the front-end | tip of the banknote 10 sent to the banknote introduction part 50 from the game medium lending machine 70 is located in the introduction waiting | standby part 51b in this way, the front-end | tip part of the banknote 10 introduce | transduces with the action part 36 of the friction member 35. Although it is sandwiched between the standby portions 51b and generates a conveyance force in the conveyance direction, the conveyance force of the introduction ridge 51a formed at the same height as the ridge 18a (17a) of the passage side plate 18 (17). Less than what happens to the bills in position. Therefore, the banknote 10 can be easily held at that position by being sandwiched with a force corresponding to this relatively small transport force by, for example, the banknote holding roller 70a provided in the main body of the game medium lending machine 70. Further, when the banknote is further fed into the banknote passage 20 and the holding by the banknote holding roller 70a is canceled (that is, the escrow state is released), the banknote 10 is gradually moved in the transport direction by the relatively small transport force generated in the banknote 10. Be transported. And when it reaches the position of the introduction protrusion 51a formed at the same height as the protrusion 18a (17a) of the passage side plate 18 (17), its conveying force increases and becomes relatively large and conveys the banknote 10. Can be performed reliably. That is, with such a configuration, it is possible to provide a banknote introduction apparatus according to a highly reliable banknote transport apparatus that has a simple structure, is inexpensive, and can reliably introduce banknotes into the transport path 20.

  In the gaming island 80 provided with the banknote transport device 1 as described above, the banknote 10 inserted into the banknote insertion slot 71 of the game medium lending machine 70 is identified by the banknote identification machine provided therein. When it is determined as appropriate, it is sent to the bill introduction part 50 on the back side and temporarily held in an escrow state. When a game medium such as a pachinko ball is lent out from the game medium lending machine 70, the escrow state of the banknote 10 is released, and the banknote 10 temporarily held in the banknote introduction unit 50 is placed on the back surface along the 75 rows of game machines. It is taken in by the friction member 35 into the banknote passage 20 of the banknote conveyance path 3 extended to the side. Furthermore, the banknote 10 taken into the banknote path 20 is conveyed toward one end of the gaming machine 75 row, and is stored in the banknote storage section 76 such as a money changer provided at the end. In this way, the banknotes 10 thrown into a plurality of gaming medium lending machines 70 such as pachinko balls arranged between a plurality of gaming machines 75 such as pachinko machines arranged side by side in the game hall are collected, and the game The banknote is conveyed and stored in a banknote storage section 76 such as a money changer provided at one end of the machine 75 row.

  As described above, according to the paper sheet transport device 1 of the present invention, the paper strips such as banknotes are provided with the protrusions 17a and 18a of the passage side plates 17 and 18 constituting the banknote transport path 3, and the endless shape. The frictional member 35 attached to the chain 5 is pinched so as to be bitten by the action part 36, thereby stably holding the frictional force generated by the contact between the bill 10 and the action part 36, and securely feeding the bill 10 into the bill passage 20. Therefore, it is possible to provide a highly reliable paper sheet transport device. Further, when paper sheets such as banknotes are not sandwiched by the protrusions 17a and 18a of the passage side plates 17 and 18 and the action part 36 of the friction member 35, they are not in contact with each other, and therefore, they may be worn by friction. Therefore, it is possible to provide a paper sheet conveying apparatus that is less frequently replaced and that can be easily maintained and inspected.

  Moreover, since the paper sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention can convey paper sheets such as banknotes along the banknote path 20 disposed on the side of the guide rail 12 that guides the chain 5, In comparison, the space required for the operation of the apparatus is not particularly large in the vertical direction, and it is possible to provide a paper sheet transport apparatus in which the installation location of the apparatus is difficult to be limited. Moreover, since the banknote 10 can be simultaneously conveyed on both sides of the guide rail 12 that guides the chain 5, the paper sheets can be efficiently collected and conveyed to the predetermined storage unit 76 with a simple configuration.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the apparatus shown in this embodiment mode, and application changes can be made within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. For example, the groove part 36a provided in the action part 36 of the friction member 35 and the protrusions 17a and 18a of the passage side plates 17 and 18 meshing with the groove part 36a via the gap 38 are not limited to one place and may be provided in a plurality. Further, the shape of the friction member 35 and the like is not limited to that shown in this embodiment.

A plurality of game media (pachinko balls, etc.) lending machines to which the paper sheet conveying device of the embodiment of the present invention is applied and arranged between a plurality of game machines (pachinko machines, etc.) arranged side by side in a game hall It is a perspective view which shows typically what is called a game island provided with the device which collects the bill thrown in and conveys the bill to the bill storage part (exchange machine etc.) provided in the one end side of the gaming machine row. is there. It is a schematic plan view which shows the structure of the amusement island to which the paper sheet conveying apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a sectional side view which shows the structure of the banknote conveyance path extended in the back side along the gaming machine row | line | column in the paper sheet conveying apparatus of embodiment of this invention. It is a front view which shows the banknote conveyance path extended in the back side of the game machine row | line | column in the paper sheet conveying apparatus of embodiment of this invention. The link which comprises the endless chain which circulates the inside of a banknote conveyance path in one direction in the conveyance apparatus of paper sheets of embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is the front view, (b) is the top view. It is. FIG. 2 shows a friction member attached to a link of an endless chain in the paper sheet conveying apparatus of the embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a front view thereof, (b) is a side view thereof, and (c) is a side view thereof. It is the bottom view. In the paper sheet conveying apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the structure of the banknote introduction part in which the banknote inserted into the banknote insertion slot of the game medium lending machine is determined to be appropriate by the banknote identification machine inside and sent out. FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Paper transport device
3 Banknote transport path 5 Chain 10 Banknote (paper sheets)
12 Guide rail (rail member)
17 passage side plate 17a ridge 18 passage side plate 18a ridge 20 banknote passage (conveyance passage)
35 friction member 36 action part 36a groove part
40 link 45 guide roller 48 mounting part 50 banknote introduction part 70 game medium lending machine 75 game machine 76 banknote storage part 80 game island

Claims (2)

A conveyance path that conveys the paper sheet, a friction member that generates a frictional force in contact with the paper sheet, and a conveyance unit that guides and moves the friction member along the conveyance path,
The conveyance path has a ridge extending along the conveyance direction of the paper sheet, and the friction member is formed to face the ridge and engage with the ridge through a gap. By holding the paper sheet in the conveying path so as to be pressed from both sides by the protruding portion and the acting part of the friction member, and guiding and moving the friction member by the conveying means. The paper sheet transporting apparatus transports the paper sheet along the transport path.   The transport means includes a link having a plurality of mounting portions for detachably mounting the friction member, an endless chain provided with guide rollers rotatably on both sides of the link, and a substantially square cross section. A rail member that surrounds the guide rollers on both sides of the link from the outside and guides the guide rollers in the transport direction by inner surfaces of the respective sides, and the friction members are provided on the both sides of the rail member, respectively. 2. The paper sheet transport device according to claim 1, wherein the transport path is extended to both sides of the rail member along the rail member.

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