JP2009227460A - Paper sheet processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper sheet processing device capable of reducing a double feed ratio without staining and damaging a paper sheet and the like and capable of enhancing an operation ratio of the device. <P>SOLUTION: The paper sheet processing device 10 is provided with: a taking-out mechanism 30 for contacting tip ends of a plurality of postal objects P in an overlapping direction; a main transport passage 4 for transporting the postal objects P taken out on the transport passage 2 to a processing part at a rear step; a suction transport mechanism 60 for directing the postal objects P transported via the transport passage 2 to the main transport passage 4 curving toward the taking-out mechanism 30 side; and an auxiliary transport passage extending straight from the transport passage 2. The suction transport mechanism 60 arranged for an inner side of the curve of the main transport passage 4 has a suction transport belt 68 for travelling in a curved manner while sucking the transported postal object P and directs the transported postal object P to the curved main transport passage 4. The following postal objects P including the second one of the double feeded postal objects P are transported straight to the auxiliary transport passage 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing apparatus that takes out and transports a plurality of stacked paper sheets one by one on a transport path.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for processing a plurality of sheet-like articles, a sorting device is known that continuously transports a plurality of cut plywood plates on a conveyor and selectively sorts and transports an arbitrary plywood plate upward. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). This sorter has an endless perforated conveying belt adjacent to the upper part of the conveyor, and the plywood selected for sorting is attracted to the perforated conveyer belt and transferred to another conveyor located above.

  On the other hand, as a device for processing paper sheets such as postal items, a plurality of paper sheets are stacked and put in, and a take-out roller that is in contact with the paper sheets at the leading end in the stacking direction is rotated to rotate the paper sheets. There is known an apparatus for taking out a piece one by one on a conveyance path. In this type of apparatus, since the take-out roller is brought into contact with the overlapped end paper sheet and rotated, the next paper sheet that overlaps the end paper sheet may be taken out. . For this reason, in this type of apparatus, a separation mechanism is provided on the downstream side of the take-out roller, and the second and subsequent sheets taken out by the first sheet are returned in the reverse direction (or its To keep it separate).

  However, since this type of separation mechanism generates separation torque in the direction opposite to the original transport direction to separate the second and subsequent multi-feed paper sheets, each sheet is subjected to undesired stress, Prone to fouling problems. In addition, in an apparatus using this type of separation mechanism, the multi-feed paper sheets separated from the first paper sheet are often processed without being excluded, and three or more paper sheets overlap. In such a case, it may not be sufficiently separated and may be transported as double feed.

If a plurality of paper sheets are conveyed to the downstream processing unit while being double-fed in this way, for example, a jam occurs at the gate portion that switches the paper sheet conveyance direction, or the paper sheets are conveyed. If the posture is disturbed to the extent that it cannot be controlled, or paper sheets that are overlapped for some reason are separated on the way, the processing must be interrupted, and the operating rate of the apparatus is lowered.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-41226 (FIG. 1)

  An object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet processing apparatus capable of reducing the double feed rate without increasing the waste rate of the paper sheet and increasing the operating rate of the apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an input unit that stacks and inputs a plurality of paper sheets, and stacks a plurality of input paper sheets by moving them in the stacking direction. A feeding mechanism that feeds the first paper sheet at the leading end of the direction to the take-out position, and a position facing the first paper sheet that is supplied to the take-out position and in contact with the first paper sheet, A take-out mechanism for taking out the first paper sheet onto the carrying path by rotating in the direction, a carrying mechanism for carrying the first paper sheet taken out onto the carry path by the take-out mechanism, and the carrying extending from the take-out position A main conveyance path in which the path is curved to the side on which the take-out mechanism is disposed, and a first negative sheet conveyed via the conveyance path from the inside of the main conveyance path to a predetermined negative pressure lower than atmospheric pressure. Negative pressure that is directed to the main transport path by applying pressure A raw mechanism, and a sub-passage for branching the second paper sheet second and subsequent sheets which taken out in a state of overlapping the first sheet this led to the main conveying path.

  According to the above invention, by applying a negative pressure from the inside of the main conveyance path curved to the same side as the take-out mechanism, the first paper sheet conveyed through the conveyance path is directed to the curved main conveyance path. I made it. When double feeding occurs to the first paper sheet, that is, when the second and subsequent second paper sheets are taken out to the first paper sheet, the first paper sheet No negative pressure acts on the second paper sheets that overlap the back side. For this reason, the second and subsequent second paper sheets advance straight due to their own inertia and rigidity, are separated from the first paper sheets, and are branched to the sub-transport path.

  That is, according to the above-described invention, the multi-feed paper sheets can be separated without applying the separation torque in the direction opposite to the paper sheet conveyance direction as in the prior art, and separated from the first first paper sheet. The second and subsequent second sheets are not transported to the main transport path. In other words, the second paper sheet that has been multifed can be reliably separated from the first paper sheet without causing undesired stress on the paper sheet and without causing a problem of disposal loss. The probability that the paper sheet will be conveyed can be extremely low, and the probability that the paper sheet will be conveyed while being double-fed (double feed rate) can be reduced.

  Moreover, according to the said invention, a heavy paper sheet and a hard paper sheet can be branched to a sub conveyance path. In other words, by adjusting the curvature of the main conveyance path, the magnitude of the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generation mechanism, the conveyance speed of the paper sheets, etc. to appropriate values, the paper sheets of the weight and hardness that are to be excluded by the device are removed. It is possible to prevent directing to the main transport path. For example, when a hard paper sheet is taken out, if the curvature of the main transport path is small or the negative pressure by the negative pressure generation mechanism is small, the paper sheet cannot be directed to the main transport path, and the paper The leaves are branched to the sub-transport path. Alternatively, when heavy paper sheets are taken out, the inertial force increases, so the straightness of the paper sheets increases, and the curvature of the main transport path is small or the negative pressure by the negative pressure generating mechanism is small. The paper sheets are branched to the sub-transport path. In other words, when the apparatus of the present invention is used, heavy paper sheets and hard paper sheets are not taken out on the main transport path, and these heavy paper sheets and hard paper sheets are detected on the main transport path. There is no need to provide a detection device, and an elimination conveyance path and a sorting gate for branching these heavy paper sheets and hard paper sheets from the main conveyance path become unnecessary.

  Since the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, the multifeed rate can be reduced without causing fouling loss on the paper sheet, and the operating rate of the apparatus can be increased.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a paper sheet processing apparatus 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as processing apparatus 10) according to the first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system that controls the operation of the processing apparatus 10. In the following description, a case where a plurality of mail pieces P (paper sheets) having different lengths along the transport direction are processed together will be described. However, when other paper sheets such as banknotes and various cards are processed. The present invention can also be applied to.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 10 includes an input unit 12 that stacks a plurality of mail items P in a lump. The operator puts a plurality of pieces of mail P to be processed and puts them in the input unit 12 in a standing state. At this time, as shown in the figure, it is desirable that the front ends (upper end portions in the drawing) of the mail items P are aligned and inserted. The lower end side of each postal matter P put up in a standing position is brought into contact with the upper surface of the floor belt 14 (see FIG. 2) extending in the stacking direction of the postal matter P (left and right in the figure).

  The floor belt 14 at the bottom of the input unit 12 is moved toward one end in the stacking direction of the postal matter P by the motor 16 (FIG. 2), and the lower end side of each postal matter P is moved to the left in FIG. That is, the direction from the right end to the left end in the stacking direction of the mail items P in FIG.

  A back-up that presses the postal matter P in the supply direction by contacting the surface of the postal matter P at the other end in the stacking direction at the other end in the stacking direction of the postal matter P put into the input unit 12, that is, at the rear end side in the supply direction. A plate 18 (FIG. 2) is provided. The backup plate 18 is attached in a standing state substantially parallel to the postal matter P, and is simply connected to the floor belt 14 described above. For this reason, the backup plate 18 is moved in the stacking direction of the mail items P in synchronization with the floor belt 14.

  That is, the floor belt 14 and the backup plate 18 described above function as the supply mechanism 20 of the present invention together with the motor 16. The plurality of postal items P input to the input unit 12 are moved leftward in FIG. 1 by the supply mechanism 20, and the postal items P at the leading end in the supply direction are sequentially supplied to the take-out position 22. When the postal matter P at the takeout position 22 is taken out, the supply mechanism 20 is operated to supply the next postal matter P to the takeout position. In this way, the supply mechanism 20 is operated each time the postal matter P is taken out, and continues to supply the postal matter P to the take-out position 22 until all the postal items P that have been put in are gone.

  A take-out mechanism 30 is provided at a position in contact with the surface on the right side of the postal matter P supplied to the take-out position 22 in the drawing. The take-out mechanism 30 has an endless take-out belt 32 that runs along the postal matter P at the take-out position 22 in the surface direction (take-out direction) (arrow T direction). As shown in FIG. 3, the take-out belt 32 has a plurality of suction holes 32a over its entire length. The take-out belt 32 is wound around a plurality of pulleys 34 including a tension pulley 34 a and a drive pulley 36, and is rotated at a constant speed by a motor 38 (FIG. 2) connected to the drive pulley 36. It travels in the direction of the arrow shown.

  Further, a negative pressure chamber 31 is provided at a position facing the extraction position 22 inside the extraction belt 32. An opening 33 for applying a negative pressure to the postal matter P at the take-out position 22 through a plurality of suction holes 32 a of the take-out belt 32 is provided at a portion where the negative pressure chamber 31 faces the back surface of the take-out belt 32. Yes. Further, a pump 35 (FIG. 2) is connected to the negative pressure chamber 31, and an electromagnetic valve 37 is attached in the middle of a pipe connecting the pump 35 and the negative pressure chamber 31.

  Thus, when the take-out belt 32 is run and the electromagnetic valve 37 is opened to generate a negative pressure in the opening 33 of the negative pressure chamber 31, the postal matter P at the take-out position 22 is adsorbed on the surface of the take-out belt 32, and the take-out belt The postal matter P at the take-out position 22 is taken out onto the transport path 2 by the travel of 32. At this time, the second and subsequent mail items P (second paper sheets) overlapped on the back side opposite to the take-out mechanism 30 of the first mail material P (first paper sheets) taken out from the take-out position 22. ) May be taken along with the first mail piece P. A state in which a plurality of postal items P are taken out in this manner is referred to as “double feeding”.

  The conveyance path 2 extending downstream from the extraction position 22 in the extraction direction is defined on both sides by two endless conveyance belts 42 and 52 wound around a plurality of pulleys 41 and 51, respectively. . That is, the conveyor belt 42 wound around the drive pulley 46 rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow by the motor 44 (FIG. 2) is disposed on the left side in the figure, and rotated by the motor 54 (FIG. 2) in the direction indicated by the arrow. A conveying belt 52 wound around the driving pulley 56 is disposed on the right side of the conveying path 2 in the figure.

  The conveyor belt 42, the plurality of pulleys 41 and 46 around which the conveyor belt 42 is wound, and the drive pulley 46 constitute the left-side conveyor mechanism 40, and the conveyor belt 52 and the plurality of pulleys 51, 56 around which the conveyor belt 52 is wound, The drive pulley 56 constitutes the right transport mechanism 50. The left side transport mechanism 40 and the right side transport mechanism 50 function as the transport mechanism of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, on the left side of the conveyance path 2, that is, on the further downstream side (upward in the drawing) of the left conveyance mechanism 40 disposed on the same side as the take-out mechanism 30, the postal matter P conveyed through the conveyance path 2 is mainly used. A suction conveyance mechanism 60 (negative pressure generation mechanism) for directing in the direction toward the conveyance path 4 is disposed. Further, a rear end suction mechanism 70 for sucking the rear end side of the postal matter P taken out on the transport path 2 is provided on the right side of the transport path 2 in FIG. 1 and between the input unit 12 and the transport belt 52. Is provided.

  The rear end suction mechanism 70 includes a curved guide plate 72 facing the conveyance path 2, a suction chamber 74 communicating with the suction port 72 a of the guide plate 72, and a pump 76 (FIG. 2) that sucks the suction chamber 74. Have. An electromagnetic valve 78 is attached in the middle of the pipe 75 connecting the pump 76 and the suction chamber 74. The rear end suction mechanism 70 applies a negative pressure to the postal matter P taken out and transported on the transport path 2 from the side opposite to the takeout mechanism 30 and overlaps with the first postal matter P. It functions to brake the second and subsequent mail items P that are taken out.

  The conveyance path 2 extending from the take-out position branches in two directions along the way. The main conveyance path 4 extends continuously in a leftward direction in FIG. A suction conveyance mechanism 60 is provided on the curved inner side of the main conveyance path 4. The sub-transport path 6 extends substantially straight continuously downstream of the transport path 2. The postal matter P transported with speed through the transport path 2 tends to go straight by its inertial force. That is, when no external force is applied to the postal matter P transported on the transport path 2, almost all postal matter P goes straight as it is and is guided to the sub-transport path 6.

  The suction conveyance mechanism 60 disposed on the curved inner side of the main conveyance path 4, that is, on the same side as the take-out mechanism 30, is left in FIG. 1 along the main conveyance path 4 curved to the take-out mechanism 30 side after the conveyance path 2. The conveyance guide 62 is curved in the direction. The conveyance guide 62 has a mesh structure. A negative pressure chamber 64 is provided on the back surface side of the conveyance guide 62 away from the main conveyance path 4. A pump 66 (FIG. 2) is connected to the negative pressure chamber 64.

  Further, the suction conveyance mechanism 60 has an endless suction conveyance belt 68 that travels along the surface of the conveyance guide 62 in the conveyance direction of the postal matter P. As shown in FIG. 4, the suction conveyance belt 68 includes suction hole groups 61 that are spaced apart at a predetermined pitch D along the traveling direction. The adsorption hole group 61 is formed by collecting a plurality of adsorption holes 61a.

  The length L of the suction hole group 61 (suction area) along the traveling direction of the suction transport belt 68 is the shortest postal matter (hereinafter referred to as the length along the transport direction) of the postal matter P processed by the processing apparatus 10. , Referred to as the minimum mail piece Pmin). Further, the pitch D of the suction hole group 61 is equal to or greater than the length of the longest postal matter (hereinafter referred to as the longest postal matter Pmax) along the transport direction among the postal matter P processed by the processing apparatus 10. Is set.

  The suction conveyance belt 68 is wound around two pulleys 63 and a drive pulley 65 and stretched. The outer peripheral surface of the suction conveyance belt 68, that is, the surface of the suction conveyance belt 68 functions as the suction surface of the present invention curved along the conveyance guide 62. The suction conveyance belt 68 is driven by rotating the driving pulley 65 in the direction of the arrow by a motor 67.

  In particular, the motor 67 has a suction conveyance belt 68 at a timing at which the conveyance direction downstream end of the suction hole group 61 of the adsorption conveyance belt 68 coincides with the conveyance direction front end of the postal matter P conveyed through the conveyance path 2. Rotate. That is, the suction conveyance belt 68 is intermittently accelerated and decelerated in accordance with the conveyance timing of the postal matter P under the control of the control unit 100 described later.

  Thus, when the suction conveyance belt 68 is run and the negative pressure chamber 64 is evacuated by the pump 66 and the suction hole group 61 faces the conveyance guide 62, the mesh structure through the conveyance guide 62 and the suction holes 61a. A negative pressure is generated on the surface of the suction conveyance belt 68. At this time, as described above, when the suction conveyance belt 68 is run in synchronization with the conveyance timing of the postal matter P, the postal matter P is adsorbed on the surface of the suction conveyance belt 68, and the postal matter P is curved while being curved. Guided to the transport path 4.

  As described above, the processing apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment inputs a plurality of mail items P through the input unit 12 in a state where they are stacked, and takes them out one by one on the conveyance path 2. If the friction is large, double feeding may occur. A plurality of postal items P conveyed by double feeding approach the conveyance guide 62 of the suction conveyance mechanism 60 in the state shown in FIG. That is, in this case, the first mail piece P1 closest to the suction conveyance mechanism 60 sucked by the pick-up belt 32 of the pick-up mechanism 30 and taken out from the loading unit 12 precedes the second mail piece P2, and The second mail piece P2 is in a state preceding the third mail piece P3.

  At this time, if the suction conveyance belt 68 is controlled so that the end in the moving direction of the suction hole group 61 of the suction transport belt 68 overlaps the front end of the first mail piece P1, the first mail The front end of the transport direction P1 is attracted to the suction transport belt 68 while being directed in the direction of the main transport path 4 (in the direction of the arrow T1 in the figure), and is curved along the transport guide 62 as shown in FIG. Led to.

  On the other hand, since the negative pressure by the suction conveyance mechanism 60 does not act on the second and third mail pieces P2 and P3 that overlap the back side of the first mail piece P1, the second and subsequent mail pieces P2 and P3 are separated from the first mail piece P1 and are transported in the direction toward the sub-transport path 6 (in the direction of the arrow T2 in the figure) by its own inertial force.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a peeling mechanism 80 is disposed at a branch position between the main transport path 4 and the sub transport path 6. The peeling mechanism 80 of the present embodiment has a firing nozzle 84 (air nozzle) connected to a blower 82 (FIG. 2). That is, the peeling mechanism 80 blows air from the downstream side of the transport path 2 toward the branch position via the whirling nozzle 84 and the first mail P1 directed to the main transport path 4 and the two mails. It functions to form a gap between the front end of the mail piece P2 in the transport direction. This prevents the second and subsequent mail items P2, P3 from being directed to the main transport path 4 together with the first mail object P1 directed to the main transport path 4.

  As described above, according to the processing apparatus 10 having the above-described structure, the postal matter P that has been normally taken out by only one piece is guided to the main transport path 4 and taken out in a state where it overlaps the first postal matter P. The second and subsequent mail items P are guided to the auxiliary transport path 6. In addition, the postal matter P that cannot be directed to the main transport path 4 due to the negative pressure applied from the suction transport mechanism 60, for example, the heavy postal matter P or the hard postal matter P, is also guided to the sub transport path 6.

Hereinafter, the operation by the control unit 100 of the processing apparatus 10 will be described in more detail.
On the conveyance path 2, four sensors 91, 92, 93, and 94 are provided for detecting signals that trigger the operation of each mechanism. Each sensor 91, 92, 93, 94 has a light emitting part and a light receiving part that face each other across the conveyance path 2, and detects that the postal matter P blocks the optical axis between them to detect the passage of the postal matter P. To do.

  The sensor 91 located on the most upstream side along the conveyance path 2 has a pick-up position 22 and a portion N (hereinafter referred to as a belt N) where the conveyance belt 42 of the left conveyance mechanism 40 and the conveyance belt 52 of the right conveyance mechanism 50 overlap each other and are wound around the pulley 41a. This portion is referred to as a conveyance nip N) and is disposed at a position where the optical axis passes through the conveyance path 2. The sensor 92 is arranged at a position where the optical axis passes immediately after the transport nip N along the transport direction of the postal matter P. The sensor 93 is disposed downstream of the position where the transport path 2 is branched into the main transport path 4 and the sub transport path 6 and at a position where the optical axis passes through the main transport path 4 and the sub transport path 6. Further, the sensor 94 is disposed at a position where the optical axis passes slightly downstream of the conveyance nip 98 in which the conveyance belts on both sides of the main conveyance path 4 are overlapped and wound around the pulley 96.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation of the take-out mechanism 30 when taking out a plurality of postal items P thrown in via the throw-in unit 12 onto the transport path 2.
When starting taking out the postal matter P, the control unit 100 first energizes the motor 38 to cause the take-out belt 32 to travel at a constant speed. Further, the control unit 100 operates the pump 35 to evacuate the negative pressure chamber 31. In this state, the control unit 100 opens the electromagnetic valve 37 to generate a negative pressure on the surface of the running take-out belt 32, and the postal matter P at the take-out position 22 is attracted to the take-out belt 32 and the postal matter. P is taken out onto the conveyance path 2 (FIG. 7, step 1).

  Thereafter, the control unit 100 monitors the output of the sensor 92 downstream of the conveyance nip N, and closes the electromagnetic valve 37 using the output of the sensor 92 as a trigger (step 2; YES) ( Step 3). At this time, since the leading end of the postal matter P in the transporting direction is held and restrained by the transporting nip N, the transporting force for the postal matter P is given by the left and right transporting mechanisms 40 and 50, and There is no need to give the article P a conveying force.

  On the contrary, if a negative pressure is always generated on the surface of the take-out belt 32 after that, the postal matter P in the input section 12 is taken out in a connected state. In other words, after the first postal matter P is taken out onto the transport path 2, the first postal matter P and the second postal matter must be removed if the suction force by the take-out belt 32 is not lost at an appropriate timing. A gap cannot be formed with P.

  After closing the electromagnetic valve 37 in step 3, the control unit 100 looks at the output of the sensor 91 disposed between the take-out position 22 and the transport nip N, and changes the optical axis of the sensor 91 to the postal matter P. When the rear end in the transport direction has passed (step 4; YES), counting by a timer (not shown) is started. When a predetermined time has elapsed after the rear end in the transport direction of the first mail piece P preceding the optical axis of the sensor 91 has passed (step 5; YES), the control unit 100 controls the electromagnetic valve 37. Opening (step 6), taking out the second mail piece P is started. Thereby, a gap is formed between the two mail items P.

  Thereafter, the control unit 100 repeats the above-described steps 2 to 6 until all the mail items P input to the processing apparatus 10 through the input unit 12 are taken out (step 7; NO). The postal matter P is taken out on the conveyance path 2 with a certain gap.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation of the rear end suction mechanism 70 described above.
The control unit 100 closes the electromagnetic valve 78 of the rear end suction mechanism 70 while waiting for the above-described extraction operation by the extraction mechanism 30 (FIG. 8, step 1). When the removal of the postal matter P is started, the control unit 100 looks at the output of the sensor 92 arranged downstream of the transporting nip N, and the front end in the transporting direction of the postal matter P taken out on the transporting path 2 is a sensor. When the optical axis 92 is blocked (step 2; YES), the electromagnetic valve 78 is opened (step 3).

  When the electromagnetic valve 78 is opened in step 3, the front end of the postal matter taken out on the transport path 2 is held and restrained by the transport nip N. Even if it attracts | sucks, conveyance of the said postal matter P is not prevented. Also, if there is a second or subsequent mail piece P that is taken out by being overlapped with the postal matter P by generating a negative pressure through the rear end suction mechanism 70 at this timing, this double-posted postal matter P can be absorbed by the rear end suction mechanism 70 and braked.

  Thereafter, the control unit 100 looks at the output of the sensor 91 disposed between the take-out position 22 and the transport nip N, and after the transport direction of the first mail piece P preceding the optical axis of the sensor 91. When the end has passed (step 4; YES), the electromagnetic valve 78 is closed to eliminate the negative pressure (step 5). And the control part 100 repeats the process of the above-mentioned step 2-step 5 until all the mails P input into the processing apparatus 10 via the input part 12 are taken out (step 6; NO).

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation of the suction conveyance mechanism 60 described above.
The control unit 100 determines the timing at which the postal matter P transported through the transport path 2 is transported to the suction transport mechanism 60 based on the outputs of the two sensors 91 and 92 located upstream in the transport direction from the suction transport mechanism 60. Is acquired (FIG. 9, step 1), and the suction conveyance belt 68 is caused to travel in accordance with the conveyance timing (step 2). At this time, as described above, the control unit 100 drives and controls the suction conveyance belt 68 at a timing when the downstream end in the movement direction of the suction hole group 61 of the suction conveyance belt 68 coincides with the front end in the conveyance direction of the postal matter P. To do.

  As a result, the postal matter P transported through the transport path 2 is attracted to the suction transport belt 68 and directed to the main transport path 4. At this time, if there is a postal matter P that is transported in a state of being overlapped with the postal matter P, the second and subsequent postal items P that have been fed forward proceed straight according to their own inertia, and the first postal matter. It is separated from P and transported to the sub transport path 6. At this time, air is blown between the first mail piece P and the second mail piece P by the peeling mechanism 80, and a plurality of mail pieces P in an overlapped state are spread.

  Alternatively, when the postal matter P transported through the transport path 2 is heavier than a certain weight or is harder than a certain hardness, such a non-regular postal matter P is also transferred to the sub transport path. It is conveyed to 6. That is, all unprocessable postal matter P other than one postal matter P that can be processed by the processing unit in the subsequent stage is all transported to the sub transport path 6. The postal matter P guided to the sub-transport path 6 is collected in an exclusion stacking unit (not shown) and processed separately.

  After directing the postal matter to the main transport path 4 in step 2, the control unit 100 monitors the output of the sensor 94 provided near the transport nip 98 of the main transport path 4 to transport the postal matter P. It is determined whether or not the front end of the direction is clamped and restrained by the transport nip 98 (step 3). When the output of the sensor 94 becomes dark (step 3; YES), the control unit 100 determines that the postal matter P is guided to the main transport path 4 and is held and restrained by the transport nip 98, and then The preparation operation for the postal matter P that is conveyed to is started (step 4).

  This preparatory operation is a preparatory operation for matching the front end of the postal matter P to be transported next with the downstream end of the suction hole group 61 of the suction transport belt 68, and the movement of the suction hole group 61. This includes an operation of stopping the suction conveyance belt 68 at a predetermined position before the end portion on the downstream side in the direction approaches the conveyance guide 62. However, in the process of step 4, it is not always necessary to stop the suction conveyance belt 68, and it is sufficient to decelerate at least.

  When the suction conveyance belt 68 is stopped (or decelerated) at the timing described above, there is a possibility that the postal matter P does not pass through the suction conveyance mechanism 60, but the front end of the postal matter P in the transport direction is the transport nip 98. Therefore, the suction conveyance mechanism 60 in a stopped state does not prevent the postal matter P from being conveyed. Rather, after the postal matter P is guided to the main transport path 2, by stopping the suction transporting belt 68, if there is another postal matter P that is overlapped with the postal matter P, this double feed The suction conveyance mechanism 60 functions so as to apply a negative pressure to the postal matter P and apply a brake.

  After starting the preparatory operation in step 4, the control unit 100 monitors the output of the sensor 93 arranged near the branch position of the main transport path 4 and the sub transport path 6, and sends the mail guided to the main transport path 4. It is determined whether or not the rear end in the transport direction of the object P has passed the optical axis of the sensor 93 (step 5). Then, after the sensor output becomes bright (step 5; YES), the control unit 100 starts running of the suction conveyance belt 68 in accordance with the conveyance timing of the mail P to be conveyed next (step 6). .

  In this case, if the postal matter P is transported to the main transport path 4 by only one mail, the postal matter P to be transported next is called the second postal matter P. In the case where the second and subsequent mail items P overlap with each other, the mail item P whose rear end passage is detected via the sensor 93 becomes the second and subsequent mail items P.

  That is, for example, when the first mail piece P is conveyed to the main conveyance path 4 and the second mail piece P is separated and conveyed to the sub conveyance path 6, the second mail piece P is conveyed. After the direction rear end passage is detected by the sensor 93, the suction conveyance belt 68 starts to be driven in Step 6 for the third mail piece P. After that, the control unit 100 repeats the above-described processing of Step 3 to Step 6 until there is no more mail piece P to be conveyed (Step 7; NO).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the main transport path 4 is curved on the same side as the take-out mechanism 30 facing the take-out position 22 of the postal mail P that has been stacked and placed, and the suction transport mechanism 60 is arranged on the curved inner side. As shown in FIG. 6, even if a plurality of mail items P are conveyed in a double feed state, only the mail item P previously taken out of the mail items P shifted in a sashimi shape as shown in FIG. As a result, the second and subsequent mail items P can be easily separated into the sub-transport path 6. In particular, in this case, separation torque in the direction opposite to the transport direction is not applied to the multi-fed postal matter P, so that no undesired stress is applied to the postal matter P and no fouling loss occurs. For this reason, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably separate the postal matter P that has been double-feeded without causing a loss of fouling in the postal matter P, to reduce the double-feed rate, and to increase the operating rate of the apparatus.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, a heavy postal matter P and a hard postal matter P that are not defined can be branched to the sub-transport path 6. For example, when the hard postal matter P is taken out, if the curvature of the main transport path 4 is small or the negative pressure by the suction transport mechanism 60 is small, the hard postal matter P cannot be directed to the main transport path 4. The postal matter P is branched to the sub-transport path 6. Alternatively, when a heavy postal matter P is taken out, the inertial force increases, so the straightness of the heavy postal matter P increases, the curvature of the main transport path 4 is small, and the negative pressure by the suction transport mechanism 60 is small. If this happens, the postal matter P is branched to the sub-transport path 6.

  In other words, according to the present embodiment, since the heavy postal matter P and the hard postal matter P are not taken out to the main transport path 4, these heavy postal matter P and the hard postal matter P are disposed downstream of the main transport path 4. It is not necessary to provide a detection device for detecting the mail, and an elimination conveyance path and a sorting gate for branching these heavy mail items P and hard mail items P from the main conveyance path 4 are also unnecessary.

  In the present embodiment, the length L (FIG. 4) along the belt traveling direction of the suction hole group 61 of the suction conveyance belt 68 is set to be shorter than the shortest postal matter Pmin, and the suction hole group 61 is moved downstream in the moving direction. Since the suction conveyance belt 68 is made to travel so that the end portion and the front end of the postal matter P in the conveyance direction coincide with each other, there is a problem that a plurality of postal items P are simultaneously adsorbed by one suction hole group 61. No. Further, in the present embodiment, the pitch D (FIG. 4) of the suction hole group 61 is set to be equal to or longer than the longest postal matter Pmax. The other postal matter P, which is only adsorbed and overlapped, is branched to the sub-transport path 6 side.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 10, the paper sheet processing apparatus 110 (hereinafter simply referred to as the processing apparatus 110) according to the second embodiment is disposed on the right side of the conveyance path 2 extending from the take-out position 22 in the drawing. The structure of the right transport mechanism 50 ′ is different from that of the first embodiment described above. Since other structures are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment described above, the same reference numerals are given to components that function in the same manner, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the conveyance belt 112 of the right conveyance mechanism 50 'has a plurality of suction holes 112a over its entire length. Further, the right transport mechanism 50 ′ has a negative pressure chamber 114 inside the transport belt 112 at a position facing the suction transport mechanism 60 described above across the part where the transport path 2 communicates with the sub transport path 6. . The negative pressure chamber 114 is attached such that its opening 114 a faces the back surface of the conveyor belt 112. A pump (not shown) is connected to the negative pressure chamber 114, and an electromagnetic valve 116 is attached in the middle of a pipe connecting the negative pressure chamber 114 and the pump. The conveyor belt 112, the negative pressure chamber 114, the pump, and the electromagnetic valve 116 function as a peeling mechanism of the present invention and also function as a tip suction mechanism.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation of the right transport mechanism 50 ′ described above.
First, the control unit 100 monitors the output of the sensor 93 arranged near the branch position of the main transport path 4 and the sub transport path 6 and waits for the postal matter P to reach the front end. When the front end of the postal matter P in the transport direction blocks the optical axis of the sensor 93 (FIG. 12, step 1; YES), the control unit 100 performs the transporting speed of the postal matter P and the time when the sensor output is dark. Based on this, the length along the conveyance direction of the mail P passing through the optical axis of the sensor 93 is calculated.

  When the control unit 100 determines that the length of the postal matter P exceeds the length of the longest postal matter Pmax, the control unit 100 determines that the postal matter P is a double feed (step 2; YES). The electromagnetic valve 116 is opened (step 3). As a result, the leading end in the transport direction of the second and subsequent postal items P transported in a sashimi-like manner with respect to the postal matter P is sequentially attracted to the transport belt 112 of the right side transport mechanism 50 ′ to the main transport path 4. It is pulled away from the postal matter P being conveyed.

  After opening the electromagnetic valve 116 in step 3, the control unit 100 sets the electromagnetic valve 116 at an appropriate timing so as not to attract the postal matter P to be conveyed next to the conveyance belt 112 of the right conveyance mechanism 50 ′. Close. That is, at this time, the control unit 100 monitors the output of the sensor 93, and triggers that the sensor output becomes bright (step 4; YES), and closes the electromagnetic valve 116 (step 5). And the control part 100 repeats the process of step 1 to step 5 until there is no postal matter P conveyed (step 6; NO).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to being able to achieve the same effects as those of the first embodiment described above, the second and subsequent mail pieces that are double-fed to the first mail piece P are provided. P can be adsorbed to the conveyance belt 112 of the right conveyance mechanism 50 ′, and the leading end of the second and subsequent mail items P in the conveyance direction can be reliably directed in the direction toward the sub-conveyance path 6. Thereby, the multi-feed mail P can be more reliably separated.

Next explained is the third embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 13 is a plan view of a main part of a paper sheet processing apparatus 120 (hereinafter simply referred to as the processing apparatus 120) according to the third embodiment. The processing device 120 has substantially the same structure as the processing device 110 of the second embodiment described above except that a hitting wheel 122 is provided near the branch position of the main transport path 4 and the sub transport path 6. For this reason, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the component which functions similarly to the processing apparatus 110 mentioned above here, and the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. The hitting wheel 122 is disposed between the main conveyance path 4 and the sub conveyance path 6 that are curved leftward in the figure, and always rotates counterclockwise in the figure. The tapping wheel 122 functions as a peeling mechanism of the present invention.

  FIG. 14 shows a partially enlarged perspective view of the hitting wheel 122 and its surrounding structure. The hitting wheel 122 includes a rotating body 124 that rotates in a counterclockwise direction (in the direction of arrow R in the drawing), and a plurality of blades 126 that extend radially from the outer peripheral surface of the rotating body 124. By rotating the tapping wheel 122 in the counterclockwise direction, the leading end in the transport direction of the second and subsequent mail items P that are about to be transported to the main transport path 4 in a state of being overlapped with the first mail material P. It can be struck in the direction of the sub-transport path 6 and separated from the first mail piece P.

  As described above, also in the present embodiment, the same effects as those of the first and second embodiments described above can be obtained, and the leading ends of the second and subsequent mails P that have been double-fed are sprinkled. It can be forcibly separated by tapping with 126, and the postal matter P that has been multifed can be more reliably separated.

  In addition, the hitting wheel 122 not only functions to separate the multi-feed postal matter P but also effectively acts on the postal matter P directed to the main transport path 4. That is, by hitting the leading end in the transport direction of the postal matter P that has been separated from the suction transport belt 68 while being sucked by the suction transport belt 68 and transported toward the main transport path 4, in the direction of the sub transport path 6. , Postal matter P that is likely to cause jamming can be excluded to the sub-transport path 6.

  Next, a modified example 130 of the processing apparatus 110 according to the second embodiment described above will be described. FIG. 15 is a plan view of the processing apparatus 130 in which the structure of the suction conveyance mechanism is changed, and FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the changed suction conveyance mechanism 140. This processing apparatus 130 has substantially the same structure as the processing apparatus 110 of the second embodiment described above except that it includes a suction conveyance mechanism 140 having a different structure. Therefore, here, the same reference numerals are given to components that function in the same manner, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The suction conveyance mechanism 140 includes a substantially cylindrical suction conveyance sleeve 148 having a suction hole group 146 formed by a plurality of suction holes 146a on the outer periphery of a substantially cylindrical shaft body 144 having a negative pressure chamber 142 therein. ing. The suction conveyance sleeve 148 is coaxially attached to the rotation shaft 154 of the motor 152. The motor 152 is fixed to the motor base 162. On the other hand, the shaft body 144 is fixed to the roller base 164 using a flange plate 158 and a screw 159. The shaft body 144 is fixed to the roller base 164 so that the opening 142 a of the negative pressure chamber 142 formed therein faces the main transport path 4.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the length L along the rotation direction of the suction hole group 146 of the suction transfer sleeve 148 is set to be equal to or shorter than the length of the minimum postal matter Pmin, and the pitch of the suction hole group 146 is the longest. It is set to be longer than the length of the postal matter Pmax. In this modification, since one suction hole group 146 is provided along the rotation direction of the suction conveyance sleeve 148, the outer peripheral length of the suction conveyance sleeve 148 is set to be longer than the length of the longest postal matter Pmax.

  When the suction conveyance mechanism 140 having a roller structure is employed as described above, the curvature of the main conveyance path 4 is determined depending on the outer diameter of the adsorption conveyance sleeve 148. That is, in order to set the curvature degree of the main conveyance path 4 to a desired curvature, it is necessary to appropriately select the outer diameter of the adsorption conveyance sleeve 148. For this reason, when the outer diameter is made relatively large and the curvature radius is increased, two or more suction hole groups 146 may be provided along the rotation direction of the suction conveyance sleeve 148.

  In any case, the suction conveyance mechanism 140 described above functions in the same manner as the suction conveyance mechanism 60 of the first and second embodiments. That is, the control unit 100 acquires the transport timing of the postal matter P transported through the transporting path 2, and the downstream side in the rotational direction of the transporting direction front end of the postal matter P and the suction hole group 146 of the suction transport sleeve 148. The motor 152 is driven and controlled to rotate the suction conveyance sleeve 148 at the timing when the end coincides. A suction pump (not shown) is connected to the negative pressure chamber 142 inside the shaft body 144, and a negative pressure is always generated through the opening 142 a of the negative pressure chamber 142.

  As described above, the processing apparatus 130 according to this modification can also achieve the same effect as the processing apparatus 110 of the second embodiment described above, and applies undesired stress to the double-fed mail piece P. Separation can be ensured without giving, and the double feed rate can be reduced.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, you may delete some components from all the components shown by embodiment mentioned above. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the postal matter P is processed as paper sheets has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is applied to an apparatus that processes other paper sheets such as banknotes and various cards. May be.

The top view which shows the paper sheet processing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the control system which controls operation | movement of the paper sheet processing apparatus of FIG. The elements on larger scale which expand partially and show the taking-out belt of the taking-out mechanism integrated in the paper sheet processing apparatus of Drawing 1. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a partially enlarged suction conveyance belt of a suction conveyance mechanism incorporated in the paper sheet processing apparatus of FIG. 1. Operation | movement explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement by a suction conveyance mechanism. Operation | movement explanatory drawing for demonstrating operation | movement by a suction conveyance mechanism. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement by the taking-out mechanism. The flowchart for demonstrating the operation | movement by a rear end adsorption | suction mechanism. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement by a suction conveyance mechanism. The top view which shows the paper sheet processing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view illustrating a partially enlarged transport belt of a right transport mechanism incorporated in the paper sheet processing apparatus of FIG. 10. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement by the right side conveyance mechanism. The principal part top view which shows the paper sheet processing apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The partial expansion perspective view which expands partially and shows the tapping wheel and its peripheral structure of the paper sheet processing apparatus of FIG. The top view which shows the modification of the paper sheet processing apparatus of FIG. The fragmentary sectional view of the adsorption conveyance mechanism built in the paper sheet processing device of Drawing 15. The figure for demonstrating the structure of the suction hole group formed in the suction conveyance sleeve of the suction conveyance mechanism of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 ... Conveyance path, 4 ... Main conveyance path, 6 ... Sub conveyance path, 10 ... Paper sheet processing apparatus, 12 ... Input part, 20 ... Supply mechanism, 30 ... Extraction mechanism, 40 ... Left conveyance mechanism, 50 ... Right conveyance Mechanism: 60 ... Adsorption conveyance mechanism, 61 ... Adsorption hole group, 61a ... Adsorption hole, 62 ... Conveyance guide, 64 ... Negative pressure chamber, 66 ... Pump, 68 ... Adsorption conveyance belt, 70 ... Rear end adsorption mechanism, P ... Mail Goods, Pmin ... shortest mail, Pmax ... longest mail.

Claims (10)

A loading section for stacking a plurality of paper sheets;
A supply mechanism for moving a plurality of input paper sheets in the stacking direction and supplying the first paper sheet at the leading end in the stacking direction to the take-out position;
A take-out mechanism that is disposed at a position facing the first paper sheet supplied to the take-out position and takes out the first paper sheet onto the conveyance path by contacting the first paper sheet and rotating in the surface direction; ,
A transport mechanism for transporting the first paper sheet taken out onto the transport path by the take-out mechanism;
A main conveyance path that curves the conveyance path extending from the extraction position to the side where the extraction mechanism is disposed;
A negative pressure generating mechanism that applies a predetermined negative pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure to the first paper sheet conveyed through the conveyance path from the inside of the curve of the main conveyance path and directs it toward the main conveyance path;
A sub-transport path for branching the second and subsequent second sheets taken out in a state of being overlapped with the first sheets guided to the main transport path;
A paper sheet processing apparatus comprising:   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sub-transport path is extended from the main transport path by extending the transport path substantially straight.   The negative pressure generating mechanism has a curved suction surface that moves along the paper conveyance direction inside the curve of the main conveyance path, and generates negative pressure on the suction surface to adsorb the paper sheets. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper sheet is guided to the main conveyance path.   The suction surface has at least one suction region that sucks and applies a negative pressure to the paper sheet, and the length of the suction region along the moving direction of the suction surface is processed by the paper sheet processing apparatus. Of the paper sheets, the length along the transport direction is equal to or shorter than the shortest paper sheet length, and the pitch along the moving direction of the suction area is the paper sheet processed by the paper sheet processing apparatus. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a length along the conveying direction is equal to or longer than a longest paper sheet.   The apparatus further comprises a control unit that moves the suction surface at a timing at which a leading end in the transport direction of the paper sheet transported through the transport path and a downstream end of the suction region in the moving direction overlap each other. Item 5. A paper sheet processing apparatus according to Item 4.   The leading end in the transport direction of the second paper sheet provided at the branch position between the main transport path and the sub transport path and directed to the first paper sheet directed to the main transport path is the first transport path. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a peeling mechanism that peels the paper from the paper and directs the paper toward the sub-transport path.   The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the peeling mechanism includes an air nozzle that blows air from the downstream side of the conveyance path toward the branch position.   The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the peeling mechanism includes a tapping wheel that taps a leading end of the second paper sheet in a direction toward the sub-transport path.   The peeling mechanism is provided at a position facing the negative pressure generating mechanism across a portion where the conveyance path communicates with the sub conveyance path, and a leading end of the second paper sheet in the conveyance direction is separated from the first paper sheet. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a tip suction mechanism that sucks in a direction away from the sheet. The transport mechanism has a nip that receives a leading end in the transport direction of the first paper sheet taken out from the take-out position and applies a transport force to the first paper sheet,
The second paper sheet is provided on the opposite side of the take-out mechanism across the transport path between the take-out position and the nip, and after the leading end of the first paper sheet in the transport direction is received by the nip. The sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a rear end suction mechanism that applies a negative pressure to the first sheet to suck away from the first sheet.

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