JP2014154093A - Ballot sorter, sorting method of ballot, and allocation method of ballot to storage destination - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ballot sorter capable of reducing the labor, duration, and cost for vote counting work of ballots when ballots of different forms are mixed, and to provide a sorting method of the ballots and an allocation method of ballots to storage destinations.SOLUTION: In a ballot sorter 3, ballots H set in a hopper 16 in a state in which different forms are mixed are fed one by one, and the forms are discriminated and identified. The ballots H are segmentalized into discriminated forms on the basis of the identification result, and allocated to any of a plurality of storage sections (rejection tray 17 or stacker 34).

Description

  The present invention relates to a voting paper sorting machine, a voting paper sorting method, and a voting paper storage destination assignment method.

As a voting paper sorter, Patent Document 1 below proposes a voting paper sorter. This ballot paper classification device includes a basic unit and a plurality of expansion units that are added to the basic unit. The ballot paper whose candidate name is read in the basic unit is provided in the basic unit and each additional unit. Each candidate name is stored in the classification pocket.
Also, in the paper sheet counting and sorting machine proposed in Patent Document 2 below, the paper sheets placed on the hopper are sorted by type and conveyed to any stacker.

  Next, in the case of using the paper sheet counting and sorting machine of Patent Document 2, the normal flow from voting of ballot paper to vote counting in one election will be briefly described. First, as an opening work, the ballot box is opened and the contents of the ballot are spread on the desk. These ballots are bundled in an appropriate number and then set in the hopper of the paper sheet counting and sorting machine. In the paper counting machine, the ballot set in the hopper is sorted into a stacker for each candidate name if it is a final vote (valid vote) that identifies a legitimate candidate. If it is a final vote, it is transported to a dedicated stacker. The undecided votes are individually examined by the election staff to determine whether they can be confirmed. The final vote is inspected and counted for each candidate name by an election official. Then, counting the counting results for each candidate name completes the vote counting operation.

JP 2011-18630 A Japanese Patent No. 4733217

  The form of the ballot (size, color, size and position of the entry frame, etc.) varies from election to election. Specifically, the ballot forms differ between the House of Representatives election and the House of Councilors election. In addition, even in the same election, for example, the ballot form for the voting date (the same day) may be different from the ballot form for voting before the due date. In the House of Representatives election and the House of Councilors election, the ballot forms are different for the electoral district and the proportional district.

Multiple types of elections may be held on the same day. In that case, conventionally, each polling place has to prepare a plurality of ballot boxes according to the type of election, which is troublesome and expensive. In particular, it is difficult to systematically prepare a plurality of ballot boxes, assuming that the House of Representatives election, whose implementation period varies, and other elections will be held on the same day.
Thus, it is assumed that a plurality of types of election ballots are voted together in one ballot box. In this case, there are concerns about the following problems. In the following, when the ballots for the constituency and the proportional ward of the House of Representatives are voted in one ballot box (one ballot box is mixed with each ballot for the constituency and the proportional ward) ) Is taken as an example.

  First, there are multiple ballot classification machines, and at the stage of the opening work, the ballots are manually divided into those for constituencies and proportional wards, and then each voting sheet for constituencies and proportional wards is used. , There are cases where they are classified by being set on a dedicated ballot paper classifier. In this case, it is troublesome to manually separate the ballots for the constituency and the proportional ward. In addition, since a plurality of ballot paper sorters must be prepared, there is a problem in terms of cost.

  However, if there is only one ballot classification machine, after setting and classifying one of the ballots for the electoral district and the proportional district into one ballot classification machine, the other Since it is necessary to set the voting papers in the voting paper classifier and classify them, it takes time to classify all the voting papers. In addition, it takes time and effort because it is necessary to change the settings for identifying and classifying voting paper in the voting paper sorting machine between the one voting paper and the other voting paper. If the settings are changed incorrectly, it will take more time.

  In addition, when there are multiple ballot classification machines, the ballots are not divided into those for constituencies and proportional wards at the stage of the opening work. There may be an operation of setting a dedicated ballot paper sorter for (here, the ballot for the constituency). In this case, in this ballot paper classifier, the ballots for the constituencies are classified for each type, but the ballots for the proportional wards that are not classified are rejected as reject votes. In other words, the voting paper sorter divides the voting paper into the voting district and the proportional district. Then, the rejected voting paper for proportional ward is set and classified in a dedicated voting paper classifier for the proportional voting paper. In this case, after classifying the first type of ballot (here, the ballot for the constituency), the remaining types of ballot (here, the ballot for the proportional ward) are classified. Is done. In other words, the work of setting and classifying the ballot on the ballot sorter is repeated twice for the ballot for the constituency and the ballot for the proportional ward. Takes time to classify.

  If there is only one ballot classification machine, if the ballot paper is not divided into one for the constituency and the proportional ward at the stage of the opening work, for example, in the ballot classification machine, On the other hand, the voting form for the proportional ward is rejected as a reject vote. The rejected proportional voting ballot is left aside until classification for all of the voting ballots for the constituency is completed. Then, after the voting paper sorter completes the classification of all the voting papers for the constituency, the voting paper for the proportional ward is set and classified in this voting paper sorter. This takes more time to classify the entire ballot. For example, if there are 10,000 ballots for the electoral district and the proportional district each (when there are 20,000 votes in total), the ballot classification machine will eventually identify 30,000 votes.

  The present invention has been made under such background, and a voting paper sorting machine, a voting paper classification method, and a voting paper classification method capable of reducing labor, time and cost in balloting work when different types of voting paper are mixed. The main purpose is to provide a method for allocating ballot storage.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a voting sheet to be classified can be set in a state where voting sheets of different styles are mixed, and a feeding means for feeding out the voting sheets set in the setting unit one by one Discriminating means for discriminating the form of the voting paper fed by the feeding means, identification means for identifying the voting paper fed by the feeding means, and for storing the voting paper identified by the identifying means A plurality of storage units, and a distribution unit that subdivides the voting paper according to the identification result by the identification unit and distributes the voting paper to any one of the plurality of storage units according to the style determined by the determination unit. This is a voting paper sorting machine.

The invention according to claim 2 is the voting paper sorter according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage units are different for each style of voting paper.
The invention according to claim 3 has a conveyance path through which the voting paper fed out by the feeding means is conveyed, and the discrimination means and the identification means are provided in association with the conveyance path, 3. The ballot paper sorter according to claim 1, wherein a sensor for discriminating and identifying ballot paper is shared.

The invention according to claim 4 is the voting paper sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the type of ballot form corresponds to the type of election.
In the invention according to claim 5, the identification means judges that a ballot with the same candidate name is valid for a ballot of a certain form, and invalid for a ballot of another form. It is judged as a vote or a questionnaire, It is a ballot classification machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the allocating means divides the unconfirmed vote other than the confirmed vote for which the regular candidate is specified according to the form of the voting paper. It is a voting paper sorter described in 1.
The invention according to claim 7 includes a reject unit that accepts a reject slip discharged due to a conveyance failure among unconfirmed slips in a mixed state, and the sorting means includes the set portion from the reject portion. 7. The ballot paper sorter according to claim 6, wherein the reject vote set in (2) is sorted again.

  The invention according to claim 8 is a step of feeding out one ballot paper set in a state where different forms are mixed, a step of discriminating a ballot paper style to be fed out, a step of identifying a ballot paper, and a ballot paper Categorizing according to the format according to the format discrimination result and the classification result, and allocating it to any one of the plurality of storage units.

The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the step of discriminating the form of the voting paper to be fed out and the step of identifying the voting paper are performed in the reverse order. It is.
The invention according to claim 10 includes a step of dividing the ballot paper for each style, a step of grouping the ballot paper for each style for each type, and a storage section for storing the ballot paper for each style and for each type. And a step of associating with a voting paper storage destination.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in this voting paper sorter, the voting papers set in the set unit while different styles are mixed are subdivided for each voting content (for example, for each candidate) by style. Are automatically distributed to any of the storage units. That is, one voting paper sorter can collectively collect and classify voting papers of different styles. In this case, at the stage of the opening work, it is not necessary to divide the ballots by style manually, so that time and effort in the vote opening work can be reduced. In addition, the number of people involved in the opening work can be reduced. Compared with the case where the ballots are sorted by style and set in the set section, it is not necessary to change the setting of the classification conditions (operation conditions) in the ballot classification machine, and different types of ballots are mixed. Even in the point that it only needs to be set once in the set part in the state as it is, it is possible to reduce labor and time in the vote-tapping work. And if this ballot paper sorter is adopted, ballots of different styles can be voted together in one ballot box, so not only the number of ballot paper sorters but also ballot boxes and ballots installed at polling places The number of sorting machines can also be kept small, and the polling place and counting place can be simplified.

As a result, it is possible to reduce labor, time, and cost in balloting work for ballots when different types of ballots are mixed.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of storage units stores the subdivided voting sheets for each voting content for each style. It is possible to prevent mistakes in distinguishing different ballots.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the discrimination means and the identification means can be easily configured by the common sensor for discriminating the form of the voting paper or identifying the voting paper.
According to the invention described in claim 4, in this ballot classification machine, even when ballots of different elections are mixed and set in the set unit, these ballots are subdivided for each type of ballot by election. Can be

According to the invention described in claim 5, even if ballots with the same candidate name are present in a plurality of forms, only in the case of a ballot with a form in which the candidates may be listed, Since it is judged, it is possible to accurately classify valid votes.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in this ballot paper classifier, the undecided votes are classified according to the styles of the ballot sheets, so that it is not necessary to manually separate the undecided votes according to the styles.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the reject vote that could not be subdivided by the previous process can be subdivided by style and for each type of voting paper.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the ballots in which different styles are mixed can be subdivided for each style (for example, for each candidate) and quickly distributed to any of the plurality of storage units. . Therefore, it is possible to reduce labor, time, and cost related to the balloting work of ballots when different styles of ballots are mixed.

Here, as in the invention described in claim 9, the step of discriminating the form of the voting paper to be fed out and the step of identifying the voting paper may be performed in the reverse order.
As in the invention described in claim 10, if voting paper is assigned to storage places for voting papers to be associated with storage units to be stored for each type and for each type, voting with different forms mixed together The paper can be subdivided for each type of voting paper (for example, for each candidate) by style, and can be quickly distributed to any of the plurality of storage units. Therefore, it is possible to reduce labor, time, and cost related to the balloting work of ballots when different styles of ballots are mixed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a voting paper classification system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is set on a desk 2 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a front view of the voting paper sorting machine 3 of the voting paper sorting system 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the voting paper sorter 3. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the voting paper classification system 1. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the ballot paper H (Ha, Hb) for the House of Representatives election. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the ballot paper H (Ha) for the Lower House election and the ballot paper H (Hc) for the national examination. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the ballot paper H (Hd, He) for the Upper House election. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the ballot paper H (Hf, Hg) for the mayoral election. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a setting screen 92 displayed on the display unit 8 of the control PC 4. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating setting contents according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating setting contents according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the setting contents according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the setting contents according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 14A is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control operation performed in the voting paper classification system 1. FIG. 14B is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control operation performed in the voting paper classification system 1.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a voting paper classification system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is set on a desk 2 as viewed from the front side.
A ballot paper classification system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is automatically classified for each candidate and / or for each political party, which is set at a balloting place in an election and collected from each balloting place to the balloting place. In the following, candidates and political parties are collectively referred to as “candidates”.

  The voting paper classification system 1 includes a voting paper classification machine 3, a control PC 4, and a printer 5. The voting paper sorter 3 actually performs the voting paper sorting work, and the control PC 4 is a so-called personal computer, and sets the classification conditions and the like in the voting paper sorter 3 and fills in the contents of the voting paper. The printer 5 outputs classification results and the like on paper. The control PC 4 may be regarded as a part of the voting paper sorter 3.

The ballot paper classification system 1 is set on the desk 2 such that the ballot paper sorting machine 3, the control PC 4, and the printer 5 are arranged in this order, for example. The control PC 4 is communicably connected to each of the voting paper sorter 3 and the printer 5 via a communication cable 6.
The outline of the flow of the balloting process for the ballots collected at the balloting office is as follows. First, after the voting is completed, the clerk brings the ballot box filled with the balloting paper to the balloting office and puts the ballot paper in the ballot box on the desk ( (It may be the desk 2 on which the ballot paper classification system 1 is set). Then, the clerk appropriately stacks the ballots on the desk to form a bundle, and sets the bundle in the ballot paper sorter 3. The ballot paper sorter 3 takes ballots one by one from the set bundle and reads candidate names (candidate names and political party names) entered on the ballot paper. The read candidate name is recognized by the control PC 4. Thereafter, in the ballot paper classifier 3, the ballot paper is classified for each candidate name, and the ballot paper is totaled for each candidate name. After that, when the classified ballots are re-calculated after being visually inspected by a staff member, a series of vote counting operations is completed.

In addition, the voted ballots are classified into a confirmed vote and an undecided vote.
The final vote is a ballot that selects regular candidates (that is, officially registered in the election) (identical candidates are identified), and the candidate name entered is read correctly and the candidate It is a valid vote that can be added to the tabulation without a mistake in the name. The final vote is checked by an attendant after completing the counting by the ballot paper sorter 3.

An undecided vote is a voting form other than a confirmed vote, and is mainly subdivided into a white vote, an invalid vote, an other matters description vote, a question vote, a distribution vote, and a reject vote (conveyance defect vote).
A white vote is a blank voting sheet on which nothing is written other than preprinted contents. An invalid vote is a ballot with a name other than one of the candidates (that is, an incorrect candidate name) or a graffiti, although there is some entry. The other matter description vote is a ballot on which extra items other than the candidate name are entered in addition to the candidate name.

  Questionnaires cannot be identified by the ballot paper classifier 3 because some of the entries (candidate names here) are incorrect or unclear, and people are It is ballot that needs to be judged by (person in charge). Since the candidate name is not correctly entered in the questionnaire, the ballot paper classifier 3 cannot normally read (identify) the candidate name from the questionnaire.

  The apportionment vote is a ballot that is ambiguous and you do not know which of the candidates you have selected. For example, if there are two candidates with the same surname, Ichiro Tanaka and Jiro Tanaka, the voting form in which only the last name “Tanaka” is entered is a prorated vote. In the case of a prorated vote, for example, the share of each candidate is set based on the final number of votes obtained for each of the corresponding multiple candidates, and one prorated vote is assigned to each share of the multiple candidates. Divide and add to each candidate's acquisition vote. For example, if Ichiro Tanaka finally got 1000 votes and Jiro Tanaka finally got 500 votes, a prorated vote with only the last name “Tanaka” filled in was one vote. Suppose it came out. In this case, Ichiro Tanaka can multiply the value obtained by multiplying one vote by 1000 / (1000 + 500) as his share in the proportional vote, and Jiro Tanaka gives 500 / (1000 + 500 to the vote. ) Can be used as the share in the prorated vote.

Invalid vote, white vote, other matters description vote, question vote, and apportionment vote are classified by the ballot paper classification machine 3 and then visually confirmed by a staff member (strictly, the examiner who operates the election), but the invalid vote And white votes cannot be added to the tabulation.
In the ballot paper sorter 3, the reject vote is in a skew state (a state inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to the advancing direction), a state in which the preceding ballot paper or the subsequent ballot paper is abnormally approached, or a multi-feed state (multiple sheets) The voting paper is not read due to being conveyed in a state where the voting papers of the two are overlapped). The reject vote is not removed due to a problem with the entry itself, and is therefore set again in the ballot paper sorter 3.

Next, the details of the ballot paper classification system 1, particularly the ballot paper sorting machine 3, will be described.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the voting paper sorter 3.
In FIG. 2, the front side of the paper is the front side (front side) of the voting paper sorter 3, the back side of the paper is the back side (rear side) of the voting paper sorter 3, and the upper side of the paper is the upper side of the voting paper sorter 3. Yes, the lower side of the paper is the lower side of the voting paper classifier 3, the left side of the paper is the left side of the voting paper classifier 3, and the right side of the paper is the right side of the voting paper classifier 3. In the following, when specifying the postures of the voting paper sorter 3 and the components constituting the voting paper sorter 3, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions are used.

  The voting paper sorter 3 includes a main unit 10 and a stacker unit 11. In FIG. 2, two stacker units 11 are shown (the illustration of the third and subsequent units is omitted. The same applies to FIG. 3 described later). The main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 are both vertically long boxes, but the main unit 10 is wider than the single stacker unit 11 in the left-right direction. The main unit 10 takes in the voting paper, reads the entry items and classifies them for each candidate, and the stacker unit 11 divides and classifies the classified voting paper for each candidate.

  The stacker unit 11 is connected to the main unit 10 from the left side. Further, another stacker unit 11 can be connected to the stacker unit 11 connected to the main unit 10 from the left side. In the same procedure, a plurality of (up to eight in this embodiment) stacker units 11 can be connected to the main unit 10 in series from the left side. That is, in this voting paper sorter 3, the stacker units 11 can be freely added according to the number of candidates.

The main unit 10 can be separated into a first block 12 that forms a substantially lower half and a second block 13 that forms a substantially upper half. Each of the first block 12 and the second block 13 has a box shape that is long on the left and right.
A rectangular door 62 is provided on the front (front side) of the first block 12. The door 62 can be opened and closed by pivoting about a pivot shaft extending left and right at the lower end thereof. FIG. 2 shows a state where the door 62 is closed. The door 62 can be opened by placing a hand on the handle 62A provided at the upper end of the door 62 and pulling it forward. When the door 62 is opened, the internal space of the first block 12 is exposed to the front side.

  A rectangular door 63 is provided in front of the second block 13. The door 63 can be opened and closed by pivoting about a pivot shaft extending vertically at the left end thereof. FIG. 2 shows a state where the door 63 is closed. The door 63 can be opened by placing the hand on the handle 63A provided at the right end of the door 63 and pulling it forward. When the door 63 is opened, the internal space of the second block 13 is exposed to the front side.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the voting paper sorter 3.
Referring to FIG. 3, on the right side surface of the first block 12, an insertion port 14 and a rejection port 15 are provided adjacent vertically (thick broken line portion). The reject port 15 is located higher than the input port 14. The first block 12 includes a concave hopper 16 (a set portion) that is recessed leftward continuously from the insertion port 14 toward the inside of the first block 12, and the interior of the first block 12 continuously from the reject port 15. A concave reject tray 17 (housing portion) is provided which is recessed toward the left side. A bottom surface 16 </ b> A of the hopper 16 (a surface facing upward in the hopper 16) is inclined and extended to the lower left side. On this bottom surface 16A, a large number of voting sheets H to be classified can be placed (set) in a state of being stacked one above the other. At this time, in order to prevent a conveyance failure such as a jam, the fold of the voting paper H is removed by an attendant. Since the hopper 16 is located near the desk 2 at the lower end of the right side surface of the first block 12, the voting paper H spread on the desk 2 can be easily set in the hopper 16.

In the hopper 16, an operation button 7 is provided at a position easily accessible from the outside. The operation button 7 is pressed by a staff member to start or stop the voting paper H classification process by the voting paper classification machine 3. (See FIG. 1).
In the reject tray 17, the above-described reject vote (voting paper H classified as a reject vote) is discharged from the machine and stored. Since the reject tray 17 is provided in the vicinity above the hopper 16, the reject tray 17 is located at a position where the reject slip stored in the reject tray 17 can be easily taken out and reset in the hopper 16.

A main body conveyance path 18 (conveyance path) for conveying the voting paper H set in the hopper 16 is formed in the main body unit 10. The main body conveyance path 18 includes a first conveyance path 19 provided in the first block 12 and a second conveyance path 20 provided in the second block 13.
In the first block 12, the first conveyance path 19 extends substantially horizontally from the left end of the bottom surface 16A of the hopper 16 to the left side, bends in front of the left side wall of the first block 12, and extends substantially vertically upward. After being bent again and extending substantially horizontally to the right side, the upper surface of the first block 12 is reached after being bent in an approximately S-shape when viewed from the front.

  The second transport path 20 extends upward from a position continuous with the first transport path 19 on the lower surface of the second block 13 in the second block 13, and then bends substantially S-shaped in front view to the right side. After extending upward and curving and extending substantially horizontally to the left side, bending in front of the left side wall of the second block 13 and extending substantially vertically upward, bending again and bending to the left side, the second block 13 It has reached the left side.

  In such a main body conveyance path 18 (first conveyance path 19, second conveyance path 20), the side closer to the hopper 16 is the upstream side, and the side away from the hopper 16 (from the first conveyance path 19 to the second conveyance path 20). Side) is the downstream side. The downstream end 18 </ b> A of the main body conveyance path 18 serves as an outlet in the main body conveyance path 18 and is provided at the upper end portion of the left side surface of the second block 13. In the main body unit 10, various large and small transport rollers 24 (may be transport belts) that are rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) are provided at a plurality of positions facing the main body transport path 18. Further, in the first block 12, an intake roller 25 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) is provided so as to be partially exposed from the bottom surface 16 </ b> A of the hopper 16.

  The voting paper H set on the bottom surface 16A of the hopper 16 is taken into the first transport path 19 by the take-in roller 25 and then transported from the upstream side to the downstream side by the transport rollers 24 in the main body transport path 18. Is done. Although the main body conveyance path 18 is curved left and right and up and down, it is not formed so as to be biased in the front-rear direction, so that the voting paper H flowing in the main body conveyance path 18 is less likely to be jammed in the middle.

  Further, the first block 12 is provided with a first reading sensor 31 and a second reading sensor 32. The first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 are disposed slightly downstream from the hopper 16 in a portion that extends substantially horizontally to the left side in the first conveying path 19, and the first reading sensor 31 is the first conveying sensor. The second reading sensor 32 faces the first conveyance path 19 from the bottom, with the path 19 facing from the top. That is, the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 are provided in association with the first transport path 19. When the voting paper H transported through the first transport path 19 passes directly below the first reading sensor 31, the first reading sensor 31 reads an image of the surface of the voting paper H facing upward. When the voting paper H transported through the first transport path 19 passes right above the second reading sensor 32, the second reading sensor 32 reads an image of the voting paper H facing down. The first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 may be arranged at the same position in the direction along the first conveyance path 19 or may be arranged so as to be shifted as shown in FIG.

In the main unit 10, a switchback transport path 21, a reject transport path 22, and a spiral transport path 23 are connected (bypassed) to a part of the main body transport path 18. As a result, the switchback transport path 21, the reject transport path 22 and the spiral transport path 23 are part of the main body transport path 18.
The switchback transport path 21 is provided in the first block 12. The switchback transport path 21 branches upward from a portion extending substantially horizontally to the right side in the first transport path 19, and is approximately horizontal to the left side. Then, it extends to the upper right side so as to form a substantially V shape when viewed from the front, and joins the first conveyance path 19 (the portion on the downstream side of the position branched earlier). The portion described above that is substantially V-shaped in the switchback conveyance path 21 will be referred to as a reversal space 26. Strictly speaking, the reversal space 26 is a single space having a triangular cross-section that has a substantially V-shaped outline and narrows to the left in a front view. positioned. The left end of the inversion space 26 is referred to as the “back part” of the inversion space 26.

  In the first block 12, a hitting roller 27 is provided on the opposite side (right side) of the reverse portion 26 in the inversion space 26. The tapping roller 27 is a rotating body having a rotating shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of tapping rubbers 27A projecting radially outward are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface thereof. In the first block 12, an endless transport belt 28 is provided above the inversion space 26. The lower outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28 faces the inversion space 26 from the upper side. The conveyor belt 28 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the front by receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown). In the first block 12, a guide member 29 is provided in the inner part of the inversion space 26. The guide member 29 defines the inner portion of the reversal space 26 and can change its position according to the size of the voting paper H (see broken line arrow). Further, the transport roller 24 described above is provided as appropriate at a position facing the switchback transport path 21.

  The reject conveyance path 22 is provided in the first block 12. The reject conveyance path 22 branches from the first conveyance path 19 and extends substantially horizontally to the right side at a position downstream of the position where the switchback conveyance path 21 joins the first conveyance path 19, and is connected to the reject tray 17. ing. Further, the transport roller 24 described above is appropriately provided at a position facing the reject transport path 22.

  The spiral conveyance path 23 is provided in the second block 13. The spiral conveyance path 23 branches from the portion (upstream side) in front of the portion that extends substantially horizontally to the left side in the second conveyance path 20, then curves and extends to the left side, and the left wall of the second block 13. The second conveyance path 20 (the portion on the downstream side of the position branched earlier) is joined while curving upward. Further, the transport roller 24 described above is appropriately provided at a position facing the spiral transport path 23. A spiral mechanism 30 is provided in a portion extending to the left side in the middle of the spiral conveyance path 23. The spiral mechanism 30 is a mechanism that reverses 180 degrees around a virtual axis (not shown) extending in the left-right direction while conveying the voting paper H to the left side (downstream side) (see a white arrow). The spiral mechanism 30 and the spiral conveyance path 23 are described in detail as a front / back reversing device in Japanese Patent No. 4119664.

  In addition, the conveyance destination of the voting paper H is switched to a position where the switchback conveyance path 21, the rejection conveyance path 22 and the spiral conveyance path 23 branch in the main body conveyance path 18 (first conveyance path 19 and second conveyance path 20). For this purpose, a switching member (triangular portion in FIG. 3) 33 is provided. The switching member 33 changes its posture by being driven by a solenoid (not shown), whereby the destination of the voting paper H flowing through the main body transport path 18 is changed to the main body transport path 18 (first transport path 19, second transport path). 20) or can be switched to any one of the switchback conveyance path 21, the reject conveyance path 22, and the spiral conveyance path 23.

  In the stacker unit 11, a plurality (eight in this case) of stackers 34 (housing units) are provided in a vertically aligned position at the left side. Each stacker 34 has a box shape, and has an outlet 35 on the front side, and the internal space of the stacker 34 is exposed to the front side from the outlet 35 (see FIG. 1). In principle, each stacker 34 is assigned a candidate name (candidate name or political party name), and each voting sheet H is stored in a stacked state in each stacker 34.

  In this embodiment, the maximum number of voting sheets H stored in each stacker 34 is 130. However, the upper limit number of voting sheets H that can be stored in the stacker 34 can be set to a predetermined number of batches according to convenience. The operation of storing the voting sheets H in each stacker 34 for each batch is referred to as “batch operation”. In the case of batch operation, only one candidate voting sheet H is collected for each batch. Since the number of batches is a good (intelligible) number such as 100 (or 50), the total number of voting sheets H (the number of bundles) can be calculated by counting the number of voting sheets H for each batch number. The number obtained by multiplying the number by the batch number S) can be quickly grasped.

Here, referring to FIG. 2, a display lamp 36 composed of an LED or the like is provided on the front side of the stacker unit 11 on the left side of each stacker 34. That is, the display lamp 36 is provided for each stacker 34. Each stacker 34 is provided with a sensor 65 (see FIG. 4) for detecting the presence or absence of the voting paper H inside.
Each display lamp 36 is turned off in a standby state (state in which the sensor 65 does not detect the voting paper H) in which nothing is contained in the corresponding (right adjacent) stacker 34, and the voting paper is sent to the corresponding stacker 34. When even one H is stored (when the sensor 65 detects the voting paper H), it lights up in blue, for example.

The display lamp 36 of the stacker 34 without batch operation blinks in blue, for example, when the number of voting sheets H stored reaches the near full number close to the maximum stored number. In this case, even when the stored number reaches the maximum stored number, the display lamp 36 continues to flash in blue.
On the other hand, the display lamp 36 of the stacker 34 in which the batch operation is performed lights up in blue when the number of stored sheets reaches the near full number near the number of batches, and blinks in blue when the stored number of sheets reaches the number of batches. In this case, when the number of stored sheets is changed from 0 (zero) to 1 (when the voting paper H is stored in the empty stacker 34) in the first stage before reaching the near full number, the display lamp 36 is blue. It should be lit in a color other than.

Each display lamp 36 blinks red when an error such as a jam occurs in the corresponding stacker 34. The blinking interval in error is shorter than the blinking interval in other cases.
Thus, the state of each stacker 34 can be grasped at a glance according to the state of the display lamp 36. In the stacker 34 in which the number of stored sheets reaches the upper limit number (the maximum number of stored sheets when there is no batch operation and the number of batches when there is a batch operation), the internal ballot paper H is quickly taken out by the staff. ing. Therefore, regardless of whether or not the batch operation is performed, the clerk who sees the blue flashing display lamp 36 can quickly grasp that it is necessary to take out the voting paper H of the stacker 34 corresponding to the display lamp 36. In the case of batch operation, the staff member who has seen the blue display lamp 36 quickly grasps that the number of sheets of voting paper H stored in the stacker 34 corresponding to the display lamp 36 is about to reach the batch number. it can.

  Further, a vertically long rectangular door 64 is provided in an area on the right side of the front (front side) of the stacker unit 11 (an area on the right side of each stacker 34). The door 64 can be opened and closed by pivoting about a pivot shaft extending vertically at the right end thereof. FIG. 2 shows a state where the door 64 is closed. The door 64 can be opened by placing a hand on the handle 64A provided at the left end of the door 64 and pulling it forward. When the door 64 is opened, the internal space in the area on the right side of the stacker unit 11 is exposed to the front side.

Returning to FIG. 3, the stacker unit 11 is formed with a stacker conveyance path 37 that receives and conveys the voting paper H that has passed through the second conveyance path 20 (main body conveyance path 18) of the main body unit 10. The stacker conveyance path 37 includes a horizontal conveyance path 38, a vertical conveyance path 39, and a branch path 40.
In the stacker unit 11, the horizontal conveyance path 38 is on the left side from the position continuous with the second conveyance path 20 (downstream end 18 </ b> A of the main body conveyance path 18) on the right side surface of the stacker unit 11 to the left side surface of the stacker unit 11. It extends substantially horizontally.

The vertical conveyance path 39 branches from the horizontal conveyance path 38 in the stacker unit 11 and extends substantially vertically downward at a position on the right side of the eight stackers 34. The lower end of the vertical conveyance path 39 is in front (upper) of the bottom surface of the stacker unit 11. Within each stacker unit 11, the upper and lower eight stackers 34 are arranged substantially vertically along a common vertical conveyance path 39.
The number of branch paths 40 is the same as that of the stackers 34 (eight in this case), and these branch paths 40 are arranged vertically at equal intervals. The seven branch paths 40 other than the lowermost end branch from the vertical conveyance path 39 and are connected to the stacker 34 located at the same position in the vertical direction from the right side. The lowermost branch path 40 is continuous from the lower end of the vertical conveyance path 39 and is connected to the lowermost stacker 34 from the right side.

In the stacker unit 11, various large and small conveyance rollers 41 (which may be conveyance belts) that are driven to rotate by a motor (not shown) are provided at a plurality of positions facing the stacker conveyance path 37.
Further, in the stacker conveyance path 37, the switching member 42 similar to the switching member 33 described above is provided at a position where the vertical conveyance path 39 branches from the horizontal conveyance path 38 or a position where each branch path 40 branches from the vertical conveyance path 39. Is provided.

The voting paper H transferred from the second conveyance path 20 to the stacker conveyance path 37 is conveyed along the horizontal conveyance path 38 by the rotating conveyance rollers 41. The voting paper H is conveyed as it is in the horizontal conveyance path 38, or after being conveyed to the vertical conveyance path 39, flows through one of the branch paths 40 and is stored in the stacker 34 to which the branch path 40 is connected. .
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the additional stacker unit 11 is connected to the stacker unit 11 connected to the main unit 10, the voting paper that has passed through the lateral conveyance path 38 is It is transferred to the horizontal conveyance path 38 of the stacker unit 11 and flows through the horizontal conveyance path 38 as it is, or is stored in the stacker 34 of the additional stacker unit 11.

Next, how the ballot paper H set in the hopper 16 flows in the ballot paper sorter 3 will be described. Here, in the ballot paper H, a surface on which a candidate name (here, a candidate name “G”) is written is referred to as a front surface, and a surface opposite to the front surface is referred to as a back surface.
Voting paper H is set on the bottom surface 16A of the hopper 16 in a stacked state. At this time, the voting paper H is set so that the longitudinal direction is along the front-rear direction, but is set without aligning the front and back and the direction of the candidate names. Like the voting paper H attached with the symbol H1 in FIG. 3, the front side is facing up, and the candidate names of the surface are entered from the rear side (the back side in FIG. 3) to the front side (the front side in FIG. 3). Is the correct posture that does not require subsequent posture conversion.

  After the voting paper H is set on the bottom surface 16A, when the clerk presses the operation button 7 (see FIG. 1), the transport roller 24 and the take-in roller 25 rotate, and the voting paper H is sequentially moved from the side closer to the bottom surface 16A. The sheets are taken into the first transport path 19 one by one. At this time, the conveying direction of the voting paper H is along the short direction of the voting paper H. When the voting paper H flowing through the first conveyance path 19 passes through the first reading sensor 31, the upper surface image is read by the first reading sensor 31, and when passing through the second reading sensor 32, the lower surface image is read. Is read by the second reading sensor 32. That is, the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 sequentially read the images on both sides of the voting paper H (taken after being set in the hopper 16) one by one. The read image is transmitted to the control PC 4 (see FIG. 1).

  The control PC 4 (strictly speaking, the control unit 70 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later) recognizes the received image (description contents of the voting paper H), and the voting paper H from which the image has been read is used as the confirmation vote described above. And if it is not a final vote, it is identified whether it is an unconfirmed vote (white vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, question vote, apportionment vote, or reject vote). That is, the control PC 4 not only identifies the confirmed vote and the undecided vote, but also at least one (here, all) of the white vote, the invalid vote, the other matters description vote, the question vote, the proportional vote, and the reject vote. Identify in undecided votes.

  If only one candidate name for the current election is included in one of the upper and lower images read from the voting paper H, the control PC 4 determines that the voting paper H is a final vote. Identify. Since the control PC 4 stores a plurality of pattern entry examples (such as fonts and typefaces) assumed for candidate names for each candidate, there is some variation in the size and cleanliness of characters in the entered candidate names. Even if it exists, it can be identified whether or not a predetermined candidate name is entered.

  If neither the upper surface image nor the lower surface image read from the voting paper H includes a candidate name or the like (if no candidate name is described), the control PC 4 Identify it as a white vote. The name of the candidate and the name of the political party other than the candidate names to be elected are listed on either the top or bottom image read from the ballot paper H (excluding items originally printed on the ballot paper H) Is included, the control PC 4 identifies that the ballot paper H is an invalid vote. Even if the names of candidates and political parties to be elected are listed in either the top image or bottom image read from the ballot paper H, there are extra matters other than those described. If it is included, the control PC 4 identifies that the voting form H is an other matter description slip. If any description item is included in any one of the upper surface image and the lower surface image read from the voting sheet H but the description content cannot be identified, the control PC 4 determines that the voting sheet H is the questionnaire. Is identified. If any one of the upper surface image and the lower surface image read from the voting paper H includes a confusing name that cannot be identified as one of a plurality of candidate names, the control PC 4 determines that the voting paper H (multiple Is identified as a proportional vote.

  Of the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32, the reading sensor closer to the hopper 16 (here, the first reading sensor 31) has a leading edge and a trailing edge of the voting paper H to be passed ( By reading (edge), it is possible to detect that the voting paper H is conveyed in a skewed state, or to detect that the voting paper H is conveyed in an abnormally close state.

If it is normal, the leading edge of the voting paper H is in a horizontal line and should pass through the reading sensor (here, the first reading sensor 31) at the same time, but it takes time for the leading edge to pass through the reading sensor. The voting paper H is taken obliquely from the hopper 16 into the main body conveyance path 18 and is conveyed in a skew state.
When the distance between the trailing edge of the preceding ballot paper H and the leading edge of the subsequent ballot paper H is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the preceding ballot paper H and the following ballot paper H are “abnormally approached”. It is determined that the sheet is being conveyed. “Abnormal approach” is also a type of conveyance failure, and a voting sheet H that has abnormally approached is rejected as a conveyance failure vote.

On the other hand, the “double feed state” in which a plurality of voting sheets H are rolled out is detected by a double feed detection sensor (not shown) provided separately from the reading sensor. The “double feed state” is also a type of conveyance failure, and the voting paper H in the double conveyance state is rejected as a conveyance failure vote.
The reading sensor (including the above-described double feed detection sensor) detects that the voting paper H is being conveyed in a skewed state, an abnormally approaching state, or a multi-feed state (the voting paper H has been taken in). Then, the fact is transmitted to the control PC 4 while the image of the ballot paper H is not read. When receiving the notification, the control PC 4 identifies that the voting paper H passing through the reading sensor at that time is a reject vote. In addition to the skew state, the abnormal approach state, and the double feed state, the take-in trouble of the voting paper H includes a state in which the skew state, the abnormal approach state, and the double feed state occur simultaneously. The double feed state may be detected by detecting the thickness and weight of the voting paper H. Here, the method of detecting the skew state and abnormal approach state of the voting paper H by the reading sensor that reads the image of the voting paper H has been described, but a skew detection sensor and an abnormal approach detection sensor are provided separately from the reading sensor. You may do it.

  Further, in the voting paper sorter 3, when a sudden stop occurs due to an error or the like during operation, the voting paper sorter 3 is operated so as to be idle when restarting after the error is released. During the idling operation, when the reading sensor closer to the hopper 16 (here, the first reading sensor 31) detects the voting paper H, it transmits the detection result (that the voting paper H has been detected) to the control PC 4. On the other hand, the image of the ballot paper H is not read. When receiving the detection result, the control PC 4 identifies that the voting paper H passing through the reading sensor at that time is a reject vote.

  As described above, the control PC 4 receives the content received from the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 (there may be an image, not an image, but a signal indicating that a capture failure has occurred, or during idling operation) The type of voting paper H corresponding to this content (whether it is a final vote or what type of undecided vote is not a final vote) is identified. Since the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 sequentially transmit the contents one by one from the one sent from the hopper 16 to the control PC 4, the control PC 4 is set in the hopper 16. The vote sheets H are sequentially identified one by one. The voting paper H identified by the control PC 4 through the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 is conveyed to the stacker 34 and the reject tray 17 by the main body conveyance path 18 and the stacker conveyance path 37. . Here, the voting paper H transported to the stacker 34 is transported to the downstream end 18A by the main body transport path 18 and then fed out from the downstream end 18A and transported to the predetermined stacker 34 via the stacker transport path 37. And stored in the stacker 34.

Further, as the control PC 4 sequentially identifies the ballots H, the control PC 4 can count each of the finalized vote in which the same candidate name is entered and each type of unconfirmed vote. The count result (voting result) is displayed on the display unit 8 provided in the control PC 4 or is output on paper by the printer 5 (see FIG. 1).
Further, the control PC 4 identifies the posture of the voting paper H from which the screen has been read, based on the two types of images received from the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 (the above-described top and bottom images). You can also Specifically, based on the above-described ballot H with the correct posture (see the ballot H1), the candidate name is written from the rear side to the front side in the upper image, and the candidate name is written in the lower image. If not, the control PC 4 identifies that the ballot H is in the correct posture. Conversely, if the control PC 4 identifies that the voting sheet H is not in the correct posture, the control PC 4 can determine how the voting sheet H can be in the correct posture. That is, if the control PC 4 reverses the voting paper H around the longitudinal axis (rotates 180 °), reverses it around the short axis, or performs both inversions, It is determined whether or not the ballot paper H can be in the correct posture.

The following description will be made on the assumption that the identified voting sheet H is a final vote (see FIG. 3).
As described above, the voting paper H (H1) set in the hopper 16 in the correct posture flows through the main body conveyance path 18 without branching to the switchback conveyance path 21, the rejection conveyance path 22, and the spiral conveyance path 23. Then, the stacker unit 11 (including the added stacker unit 11) is transferred to the stacker conveyance path 37 and stored in one of the stackers 34 (the corresponding candidate name stacker 34) as described above. The voting paper H stored in the stacker 34 (refer to the one attached with the symbol H2) is stored in the stacker 34 in the correct posture as when set in the hopper 16 (voting paper H1).

  When the voting paper H (H1) set on the hopper 16 in the correct posture branches to the switchback conveyance path 21, it enters the reversal space 26 and comes into contact with the back guide member 29, and then turns clockwise. It is struck upward by the tapping rubber 27A of the rotating tapping roller 27 and pressed against the conveying belt. As a result, the voting paper H is switched back and conveyed from the reversing space 26 to the right side by the conveying belt 28 that circulates counterclockwise. At this time, the voting paper H is conveyed in the direction opposite to that when entering the inversion space 26, as indicated by reference numeral H3. The voting paper H that has been transported back by the switch then flows through the main body transport path 18 and is stored in the stacker 34. The voting paper H stored in the stacker 34 (refer to the one attached with the reference numeral H4) is different from the voting paper H1 when it is set on the hopper 16 (voting paper H1), and the voting paper H1 is reversed around the longitudinal axis. It is stored in the stacker 34 in the posture when it is done. In this way, the switchback transport path 21 can reverse the front and back of the voting paper H (transported through the main body transport path 18) and the transport direction (direction in the short direction).

  When the voting paper H (H1) set in the hopper 16 in the correct posture flows through the main body conveyance path 18 and reaches the upstream (upstream side) of the branch position between the second conveyance path 20 and the spiral conveyance path 23, The voting paper H viewed from the right side is given the symbol H5. When the voting paper H5 continues to flow through the main body conveyance path 18 and is stored in the stacker 34, the voting paper H5 is placed in the stacker 34 in the correct posture in the same manner as when it is set on the hopper 16 (voting paper H1) as indicated by reference numeral H2. Stored.

  On the other hand, when the voting paper H5 branches to the spiral conveyance path 23, the voting paper H5 is reversed about its own short axis by the spiral mechanism 30, and then merges with the main body conveyance path 18. The ballot paper H viewed from the right side after joining is denoted by reference numeral H6. In the ballot paper H6, the front and back are reversed compared to the ballot paper H5, and the direction of the candidate name “G” is also reversed. Thereafter, when the voting sheet H6 flows through the main body conveyance path 18 and is stored in the stacker 34, both the front and back sides and the direction of the candidate name “G” are reversed when set on the hopper 16 as indicated by reference numeral H7. It is stored in the stacker 34 with the posture. Thus, the spiral conveyance path 23 can at least reverse the front and back of the voting paper H (which is conveyed through the main body conveyance path 18).

Further, when the voting paper H3 switched back in the switchback transport path 21 passes through the spiral transport path 23 and then is stored in the stacker 34, when it is set in the hopper 16 so as to be denoted by reference numeral H8. Is stored in the stacker 34 in a posture in which only the direction of the candidate name “G” is reversed.
As described above, in this voting paper sorter 3, the voting paper H1 set on the hopper 16 is stored in the stacker 34 with the posture (see the voting paper H2) as it is, or the switchback conveyance path 21 and the spiral conveyance path 23. By passing it through both or one of them, it can be stored in the stacker 34 in three different postures (see voting papers H4, 7, and 8) different from those set in the hopper 16.

By properly using these four transport patterns, the voting paper H set in the hopper 16 without being aligned can be stored in the stacker 34 with the same orientation. Hereinafter, aligning the orientation of the voting paper H in this way is referred to as “orientation correction processing”.
In addition, among the above-described unconfirmed votes, a predetermined type of unconfirmed vote (for example, a reject form) is branched to the reject transport path 22 in the first transport path 19 and transported to the reject tray 17.

The above is the main flow of the voting paper H.
Next, the electrical configuration of the voting paper sorter 3 will be described.
Here, the internal configuration of the main body unit 10 includes a feeding unit 45 (feeding unit), an image reading unit 46, a conveying unit 47, a switchback reversing unit 48, and a rejecting unit 49 provided in the first block 12. The two blocks 13 are subdivided into spiral reversing sections 50 provided. Further, the internal configuration of the stacker unit 11 is subdivided into a horizontal conveyance unit 51 and a vertical conveyance unit 52.

  The feeding portion 45 includes the hopper 16, a transport roller 24 and a take-in roller 25 (including a motor for rotating these rollers) around the hopper 16, and a part connected to the hopper 16 in the first transport path 19. . The image reading unit 46 performs first reading on the first reading sensor 31, the second reading sensor 32, the transport roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the transport roller 24) around these sensors, and the first transport path 19. A part of the periphery of the sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 is included. The conveyance unit 47 includes a portion continuing from the image reading unit 46 in the first conveyance path 19 and a conveyance roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the conveyance roller 24) around the portion.

  The switchback reversing unit 48 includes all the portions of the first conveyance path 19 that continue from the conveyance unit 47, the switchback conveyance path 21, the surrounding conveyance rollers 24, the hitting rollers 27, and the conveyance belt 28 (these rollers and belts are connected). Including a motor to be moved) and a guide member 29. The switchback reversing unit 48 further includes a switching member 33 (including a solenoid that moves the switching member 33) at a branch portion between each of the switchback transport path 21 and the reject transport path 22 and the first transport path 19. Therefore, the switchback reversing unit 48 is disposed in a part of the main body conveyance path 18 (the first conveyance path 19 and the switchback conveyance path 21).

The reject unit 49 includes the reject tray 17, the reject transport path 22, and a transport roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the transport roller 24) around the reject transport path 22.
In the first block 12, each of the feeding unit 45, the image reading unit 46, the conveying unit 47, the switchback reversing unit 48, and the rejecting unit 49 can be individually divided and removed during maintenance or the like.

  The spiral reversing unit 50 includes a second conveyance path 20, a spiral conveyance path 23, a conveyance roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the conveyance roller 24) around these conveyance paths, a spiral mechanism 30, and a second conveyance path. It includes a switching member 33 (including a solenoid for moving the switching member 33) at a branch portion between the path 20 and the spiral conveyance path 23. Therefore, the spiral reversing unit 50 is disposed in a part of the main body conveyance path 18 (second conveyance path 20 and spiral conveyance path 23).

The horizontal conveyance unit 51 includes a horizontal conveyance path 38, a portion of the vertical conveyance path 39 that is connected to the horizontal conveyance path 38, and conveyance rollers 41 around the horizontal conveyance path 38 (including a motor that rotates the conveyance rollers 41). In addition, a switching member 42 (including a solenoid that moves the switching member 42) at a branch portion between the vertical conveyance path 39 and the horizontal conveyance path 38 is included.
The vertical conveyance unit 52 includes a vertical conveyance path 39, each branch path 40, a switching member 42 (including a solenoid that moves the switching member 42) at a branch portion between the vertical conveyance path 39 and each branch path 40, a vertical conveyance path 39 and a conveyance roller 41 (including a motor for rotating the conveyance roller 41) around each branch path 40.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the voting paper classification system 1.
Referring to FIG. 4, the main body unit 10 of the voting paper sorter 3 is provided with an overall control unit 55 composed of a microcomputer or the like. The overall control unit 55 includes electrical components of the feeding unit 45, the image reading unit 46, the conveying unit 47, the switchback reversing unit 48, the rejecting unit 49, and the spiral reversing unit 50 (the motor, solenoid, and first reading sensor 31 described above). And the second reading sensor 32). Further, the above-described operation button 7 is electrically connected to the overall control unit 55. The main body unit 10 is provided with an interface such as a USB hub 56, and the overall control unit 55 and the image reading unit 46 are connected to the control PC 4 via the USB hub 56. In addition, each display lamp 36 (see FIG. 2) described above is electrically connected to the overall control unit 55, and the overall control unit 55 controls the lighting pattern of each display lamp 36.

  Here, the control PC 4 is provided with a control unit 70 constituted by a microcomputer or the like. In addition to the control unit 70 and the display unit 8 described above, the control PC 4 includes an operation unit 9 (also see FIG. 1) configured by a keyboard and the like, and a storage unit 71 for storing various information. Each of the display unit 8, the operation unit 9, and the storage unit 71 is electrically connected to the control unit 70. In the control PC 4, the control unit 70 is communicably connected to the overall control unit 55 and the image reading unit 46 of the voting paper sorter 3 via the USB hub 56.

  Each stacker unit 11 is provided with a stacker control unit 57 composed of a microcomputer or the like, and the stacker control unit 57 has electric components (the motor and solenoid described above) of the horizontal conveyance unit 51 and the vertical conveyance unit 52. ). The stacker controller 57 is electrically connected to a sensor 65 (described above) that detects the presence or absence of the voting paper H in each stacker 34 of the stacker unit 11. Further, the stacker control unit 57 of each stacker unit 11 is connected to the overall control unit 55 so as to be communicable. Each stacker unit 11 is a stacker unit 11 to which the own machine (self) is connected (from the main unit 10 side) by communicating with the main unit 10 directly or via another stacker unit 11. Can be determined and stored.

  Further, the main unit 10 is provided with a power supply device 59 that receives power from the outside via a plug 58. From the power supply device 59, an overall control unit 55, a feeding unit 45, an image reading unit 46, a transport unit 47, a switch Electric power is supplied to each of the back inversion unit 48, the reject unit 49, and the spiral inversion unit 50. Each stacker unit 11 has a power connector 86 on the receiving side to which a relay cable 85 for receiving power from a unit (the main unit 10 or the stacker unit 11) on the upstream side (the side close to the main unit 10) is connected. And a power supply connector 87 on the feed side for supplying power to the stacker unit 11 on the downstream side (the side far from the main unit 10). As for the communication line, similarly to the power line, each stacker unit 11 is provided with a communication connector 88 on the receiving side and a communication connector 89 on the sending side. Further, when the stacker unit 11 is added, the power of the power supply device 59 is supplied to the four stacker units 11 connected in series to the main unit 10 (in FIG. 4, the second and third stacker units 11 are illustrated. The power is supplied from the power supply device 59 to each of the stacker control section 57, the horizontal transport section 51, and the vertical transport section 52 in each stacker unit 11. In this embodiment, when the fifth and subsequent stacker units 11 (FIG. 4 shows the fifth and sixth stacker units 11) are added from the outside via the plug 60. By connecting the extension power supply 61 that receives power to the fifth stacker unit 11, power is supplied from the extension power supply 61 to the fifth and subsequent stacker units 11. Further, the stacker control units 57 of the fourth and fifth stacker units 11 can communicate with each other via the power supply device 61 for expansion.

  Further, all the stacker units 11 have the same configuration, and the relay-side cable 85 with the upstream unit or the cable 90 of the additional power supply device 61 is connected to the power-supply connector 86 on the receiving side. In this example, the cable 90 of the additional power supply device 61 is connected to the fifth stacker unit 11, and therefore the fifth stacker unit 11 is connected to the power connector 86 on the receiving side. It is determined whether or not the connected cable is the cable 90 of the power supply unit 61 for extension, and if it is wrong, a warning is issued. On the other hand, the stacker units 11 other than the fifth issue a warning when the cable 90 of the additional power supply device 61 is connected. As a warning method, the display lamp 36 (see FIG. 1) of the stacker unit 11 that issues a warning is blinked in red, or a warning screen is displayed on the display unit 8 of the main unit 10 or the control PC 4. With this function, even when all the stacker units 11 have the same configuration, it is possible to avoid a situation where power shortage occurs due to the cable 90 of the additional power supply device 61 being connected to the wrong stacker unit 11.

  In the ballot paper classification system 1 in the stopped state, when the clerk presses the operation button 7 as described above, the overall control unit 55 of the ballot paper sorting machine 3 performs the feeding unit 45, the image reading unit 46, the transport unit 47, the switchback. The motors of the reversing unit 48, the rejecting unit 49, and the spiral reversing unit 50 are driven to rotate the conveying roller 24 and the take-in roller 25, and to move the conveying belt 28 around. As a result, the voting sheets H set in the hopper 16 are sequentially fed out one by one by the feeding unit 45 and taken into the main body transport path 18 and transported in the main body transport path 18 to the downstream side. At this time, the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 of the image reading unit 46 read the contents (images) of the front and back of the voting paper H taken and sent by the feeding unit 45 and send it to the control PC 4. The control unit 70 of the control PC 4 recognizes the image received from the first reading sensor 31 or the second reading sensor 32 (which may not be an image as described above), and then identifies the type of the voting paper H. At the same time, the posture of the ballot paper H is identified. As a result of identification, the control unit 70 determines the transport destination (reject tray 17 or stacker 34 storing the voting paper H) of the identified voting paper H.

  The control unit 70 of the control PC 4 transmits the determined transport destination to the overall control unit 55 of the voting paper sorter 3. At this time, if it is necessary to change the attitude of the voting paper H, the control unit 70 gives instructions on how to do it (whether or not one or both of the switchback conveyance path 21 and the spiral conveyance path 23 are allowed to pass). It transmits to the control part 55. Based on the received content, the overall control unit 55 controls the solenoid described above so as to go to the determined transport destination to switch the direction of the switching members 33 and 42, so that the voting paper H is transported as determined. It is transported to the destination (stacker 34 or reject tray 17). The direction of the switching member 42 is switched by the stacker control unit 57 that receives an instruction from the overall control unit 55. Further, the overall control unit 55 switches the direction of the switching member 33 as necessary, passes the voting paper H in the middle of conveyance through one or both of the switchback conveyance path 21 and the spiral conveyance path 23, and performs the voting. Change the orientation of the paper H.

The voting paper sorter 3 can classify the voting papers H of different styles for each style, and also sort the voting paper of each style by the type (final vote and any unconfirmed vote). Any)) can be classified.
Here, the ballot paper H has various forms. Here, the “style” refers to the paper size, color (ground color), form of the entry frame (position, size, number, etc. of entry frame), pre-printing (Printed description content, description position, font and color of characters, etc.). If pre-printing is performed on the back side of the voting paper H (the side opposite to the side on which the entry frame is printed), the contents of the pre-printing on the back side are also included in the “style” here. The presence / absence of pre-printing is also included in the “style” of the voting paper H.

  FIG. 5 schematically shows a ballot H for the House of Representatives (House of Representatives) election. In the case of the ballot H for the House of Representatives election, the ballot Ha for the constituency (small constituency) (see Fig. 5 (a)) and the ballot Hb for the proportional ward (for proportional representative) (see Fig. 5 (b)). ) And the style is different. Specifically, as the difference in style, the ground color of the voting paper H (the voting paper Ha for the constituency is entirely colored) and the size of the entry frame (the voting paper Hb for the proportional ward is better. There are differences in the contents of the pre-print (headings and notes).

  FIG. 6 shows a ballot Ha (see FIG. 6A) for the constituency of the House of Representatives election and a ballot Hc for the national review of the Supreme Court judge held at the time of the general election of the House of Representatives (FIG. 6). (B) is schematically shown. The style of the ballot Ha for the constituency of the House of Representatives election is different from that of the ballot Hc for national examination. Specifically, as the difference in style, the paper size of the voting paper H (the voting paper Hc for national examination in FIG. 6 is larger) and the ground color (the voting paper Ha for the constituency is colored as a whole) Also, there are differences in the format, size, and number of entry frames (National referendum ballot Hc has a smaller entry frame but more in number) and pre-print contents (headings and notes) .

  FIG. 7 schematically shows a voting paper H for the Upper House election. In the case of the ballot H for the Upper House election, the ballot Hd (see Fig. 7 (a) for the electoral district (in the case of Fig. 7 (a), Tokyo) and the proportional ball (He) 7 (b)), the style is different. Specifically, as the difference in style, the ground color of the voting paper H (the voting paper Hd for the constituency is entirely colored) and the size of the entry frame (the voting paper He for the proportional ward is better. There are differences in the contents of the pre-print (headings and notes).

In each of FIGS. 5 to 7, it can be seen that the style type of the ballot paper H corresponds to the type of election (the electoral district and proportional district in the House of Representatives election and the Upper House election). In this case, in this ballot paper classification machine 3, even if ballots H for different elections are mixed and set in the hopper 16, these ballots H can be subdivided for each type of ballot H for each election.
FIG. 8 schematically shows a voting paper Hf (see FIG. 8A) for the same election (for example, mayoral election) and a voting paper Hg for pre-date voting (see FIG. 8B). ing. For example, the voting paper Hf for the day is a symbolic voting paper H in which ○ “maru” is entered in the entry frame of the candidate to be voted among the entry frames provided on each candidate name printed in advance. is there. On the other hand, the ballot Hg for voting before due date is a self-form ballot H in which a candidate name to be voted is written by hand in spite of the same election. The voting paper Hf for the day is different from the voting paper Hg for voting before the due date. Specifically, as the difference in style, the paper size of the voting paper H (the voting paper Hf for the day in FIG. 8 is larger) and the ground color (the voting paper Hg for pre-date voting is colored as a whole. ), The format, size, and number of entry frames (the voting paper Hf for the day has a smaller number of entry frames, but the number is larger), and the contents of the pre-print (headings and notes) Can be mentioned.

  Specific contents (the paper size, color, entry frame mode, etc. and the difference from other forms) about the style of each voting paper H are stored in the storage unit 71 (see FIG. 4) of the control PC 4 as style information. Has been. Further, the control unit 70 of the control PC 4 determines the style of the voting paper H based on the images read by the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 from the front and back surfaces of the voting paper H and the style information. be able to. Here, the first reading sensor 31, the second reading sensor 32, and the control unit 70 (including the control unit 100 described later) constitute discrimination means for discriminating the format of the voting paper H fed out by the feeding unit 45. And identifying means for identifying the voting sheet H (specifically, the type of valid vote or which type of undecided vote). The discriminating means and the discriminating means share the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 which are sensors for discriminating the style of the voting paper H and identifying the voting paper H (type of the voting paper H). doing. Thereby, a discrimination | determination means and an identification means can be simply comprised by a common sensor.

Next, as an example of the classification process by the ballot paper classifier 3 for the ballot paper H of different styles, the ballot paper Ha for the constituency in the House of Representatives election (see FIG. 5A) and the ballot paper Hb for the proportional ward ( The case of classifying (see FIG. 5B) will be described.
When the ballot paper H having a different style is to be processed by the ballot paper sorter 3, the clerk operates the operation unit 9 of the control PC 4 to display the setting screen 92 shown in FIG. 9 on the display unit 8 of the control PC 4. Display. Note that the data constituting the setting screen 92 is stored in advance in a storage medium such as a CD or USB, and is installed in the control PC 4 or downloaded online to the control PC 4 when preparing a counting place.

The setting screen 92 mainly includes a stacker number display column 93, a target election selection column 94, an election-report name-group number correspondence table 95, and a group number in an area below the heading “setting screen”. A stacker number correspondence table 96 and a group number-display name correspondence table 97 are displayed.
In the stacker number display column 93, the total number of stackers (reject tray 17 and stacker 34) existing in the current voting paper sorter 3 is displayed. In the case of FIG. 9, there are 33 stackers. In the following description, a separate stacker number is assigned to each of the reject tray 17 and the stacker 34 described above to distinguish each of the reject tray 17 and the stacker 34. The stacker number of the reject tray 17 is “0”. Further, the stacker number of the stacker 34 becomes a lower number as the stacker 34 of the stacker unit 11 closer to the main unit 10, and the upper stacker 34 within the same stacker unit 11 becomes a lower number.

  The target election selection fields 94 are provided in the same number (for example, two in this case) as the types of elections that can be processed at one time by the ballot paper sorter 3. In each target election selection field 94, the type (name) of the election (target election) to be processed by the ballot paper sorter 3 is displayed. In FIG. 9, “XX Ward House of Representatives Election Zone” is displayed in the upper target election selection column 94 as the first target election (target election 1), and the second target election selection column 94 “XX Ward House of Representatives Proportional Ward” is displayed as the election (target election 2). The clerk can change the type of election displayed in the target election selection field 94 by operating a selection button 98 provided on the right side of each target election selection field 94. In the state of FIG. 9, in the case where it is desired to change the setting so that the ballot paper Ha of “XX District of the Houses of Elections” and the ballot paper Hc of the national examination can be processed at once by the ballot paper sorter 3, The selection button 98 of the lower target election selection field 94 in FIG. 9 is operated by the operation unit 9 to display, for example, “national examination” in the lower target election selection field 94.

  Regarding the Election-Report Name-Group Number Correspondence Table 95, the report name is the name of the registered candidate (candidate 1 etc.) and the name of the political party (party 1 etc.). Names such as reject vote, question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, and prorated vote are assigned as notification names. In the election-report name-group number correspondence table 95, report names are listed for each type of election (here, the House of Representatives district or the House of Representatives proportional district). In the election-report name-group number correspondence table 95, a group number (numbers 0 to 20 under the heading “Group”) is assigned to each report name for each election. The clerk can arbitrarily change the group number assigned to each notification name by operating the selection button 98 on the right side of each group number by the operation unit 9. Reject votes are not distinguished for each type of election, and a common group number 0 (zero) is assigned to each reject vote. Also, in FIG. 9, the notification names that are assumed to have a small number of votes, such as political parties 5 to 10, are grouped into “other political parties” and assigned one group number (here, 20). Yes.

  Then, the group number as described above can be assigned to each stacker number by operating the operation unit 9 of the control PC 4 by the staff. In the group number-stacker number correspondence table 96, the final correspondence between each stacker number and the group number is summarized. In the case of FIG. 9, for example, the stacker with the stacker number 0 (reject tray 17) stores the reject slip with the group number “0”. Further, the stacker 34 with the stacker numbers 1 and 2 stores the final vote of the candidate 1 with the group number 6. The clerk operates each stacker by operating the selection button 98 on the right side of each group number (numbers 0 to 20 under the heading “Grape”) in the group number-stacker number correspondence table 96 by the operation unit 9. The assignment of group numbers to numbers (numbers 0 to 32 under the heading “Stacker”) can be arbitrarily changed. It should be noted that by displaying “unused” in the corresponding group number column as the stacker numbers 11 and 27, nothing can be stored in the stacker of the stacker number.

The group number-display name correspondence table 97 includes each group number and display name (election-notification name-group as a result of setting in the election-report name-group number correspondence table 95 and the group number-stacker number correspondence table 96. The relationship between the types of elections in the number correspondence table 95 and the reported names) is displayed.
In this way, on the setting screen 92, the ballots H are divided into styles (here, elections), and the ballots H for each style are grouped into types (voting contents) (election-report name-group number correspondence). Table 95), by correlating the ballots H with the storage units (stackers) to be stored for each type and for each type (group number-stacker number correspondence table 96), A storage location can be assigned.

  FIG. 10 shows, as a first example of the setting result on the setting screen 92, a correspondence relationship between each stacker number and the name of the voting sheet (display name described above) stored in the stacker of each stacker number. Yes. FIG. 10 shows, as described above, one voting paper sorter 3 for voting paper Ha (see FIG. 5 (a)) and proportional voting paper Hb (FIG. 5 (b)) in the House of Representatives election. An example of a setting result in the case of classifying (reference) is shown. In this case, for example, four stacker units 11 (A to D) are connected to the main unit 10 in alphabetical order. In the main unit 10, the reject slip is stored in a stacker (reject tray 17) having a stacker number of 0. In the first stacker unit 11A, the final vote of each of the candidates 1 to 4 in the constituency is separately stored for every two adjacent stackers 34 having the stacker numbers 1 to 8. In the second stacker unit 11B, the final vote of the candidate 5 for the electoral district is stored for the stacker 34 having the stacker number 9-10, and the electoral district for the stacker 34 having the stacker number 12-16. Each of the question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, and prorated vote is stored separately in a separate stacker 34. In the third stacker unit 11 </ b> C, the confirmation votes of the political parties 1 to 4 in the proportional ward are separately stored for each two adjacent stackers 34 having the stacker numbers 17 to 24. In the fourth stacker unit 11D, the final vote of the other party in the proportional zone is stored for the stacker 34 with the stacker number 25 to 26, and the proportional zone for the stacker 34 with the stacker number 28 to 32 is stored. Each of the question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, and prorated vote is stored separately in a separate stacker 34. An unused stacker 34 is provided between the final vote and the final vote (in FIG. 10, the stacker 34 with stacker numbers 11 and 27). Mixing is prevented (the same applies to FIGS. 11 to 13 below). Further, an unused stacker 34 is provided between a ballot stacker 34 for one election and a ballot stacker 34 for another election so that the ballot stacks 34 for different elections are not physically continuous. Alternatively, the stacker unit 11 as the storage destination may be separated by a ballot for one election and a ballot for another election (the same applies to FIGS. 11 to 13 below).

  In addition, FIG. 11 shows a correspondence relationship between each stacker number and the name (display name) of voting paper stored in the stacker of each stacker number as a second example of the setting result on the setting screen 92. Yes. FIG. 11 shows a voting paper Ha for constituencies in the House of Representatives election (see FIGS. 5A and 6A) and a national examination ballot Hc (FIG. 6B). An example of a setting result in the case of classifying (reference) is shown. In this case, for example, three stacker units 11 (A to C) are connected to the main unit 10 in alphabetical order. In the main unit 10, the reject slip is stored in a stacker (reject tray 17) having a stacker number of 0. In the first stacker unit 11A, the final vote for each of the candidates 1 to 4 in the constituency (own format) is divided into two adjacent ones in the stacker 34 having the stacker numbers 1 to 8. Stored. In the second stacker unit 11B, the final vote of the candidate 5 for the electoral district is stored for the stacker 34 having the stacker number 9-10, and the electoral district for the stacker 34 having the stacker number 12-16. Each of the question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, and prorated vote is stored separately in a separate stacker 34. In each stacker 34 in the third stacker unit 11C. Contains the ballot Hc for national examination. Here, in the case of national examination, in the past results, there are most white votes in which no x (cross) is entered in any column in the ballot paper Hc. The second most common is a finalized vote (referred to as “single vote”) in which “x” is entered in only one column. The third most common type is a finalized vote (called “all entries”) with “x” in all fields. Therefore, in the stacker unit 11C, the white vote with the largest number of votes is assigned to the stacker 34 with the stacker numbers 17 to 18, the single vote is assigned to the stacker 34 with the stacker number 20, and the stacker number is 21. All entries are assigned to the stacker 34. Since the single vote is collectively stored in the stacker 34 having the stacker number 20, the work for classifying each candidate (judgment) marked with “x” becomes easy in the subsequent process. It is not necessary to further classify all the entry slips collected and stored in the stacker 34 having the stacker number 21 in the subsequent process, and the number of Xs may be added equally for all candidates. Note that the remaining final vote (that is, final vote that is entered in two or more columns but not entered in all columns) is collected as “Other” and the stacker number is 22 ( One) stacker 34. Since the number of “other” final votes is originally small, the subsequent classification work does not take much time. On the other hand, the questionnaire for national examination is stored for the stacker 34 with the stacker number 24. Therefore, the questionnaires will be confirmed one by one by the staff later.

  FIG. 12 shows, as a third example of the setting result on the setting screen 92, a correspondence relationship between each stacker number and the name of the voting sheet (display name described above) stored in the stacker of each stacker number. Yes. FIG. 12 shows, as described above, one voting paper sorter 3 for the voting paper Hd (see FIG. 7A) for the Upper House election and the voting paper He for the proportional ward (FIG. 7B). An example of a setting result in the case of classifying (reference) is shown. It should be noted that either the name of a candidate or the name of a political party can be described on the ballot He for the proportional ward of the Upper House election. In the case of FIG. 12, for example, six stacker units 11 (A to F) are connected to the main unit 10 in alphabetical order. In the main unit 10, the reject slip is stored in a stacker (reject tray 17) having a stacker number of 0. In the first stacker unit 11A, the final vote of each of the candidates 1 to 4 in the constituency is separately stored for every two adjacent stackers 34 having the stacker numbers 1 to 8. In the second stacker unit 11B, the final vote of the candidate 5 for the electoral district is stored for the stacker 34 having the stacker number 9-10, and the electoral district for the stacker 34 having the stacker number 12-16. Each of the question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, and prorated vote is stored separately in a separate stacker 34. In the third stacker unit 11 </ b> C, the confirmation votes of the political parties 1 to 8 in the proportional ward are separately stored in separate stackers 34 with respect to the stacker 34 having the stacker numbers 17 to 24. In the fourth stacker unit 11D, for the stacker 34 having a stacker number of 25 to 32, the respective district vote candidates 1 to 7 and the other party's final vote are separately stored in separate stackers 34. The In the fifth stacker unit 11E, with respect to the stacker 34 having the stacker numbers 33 to 40, the respective confirmation votes of the proportional district candidates 8 to 11 and the candidates of the proportional district's rows to the next row respectively. Are confirmed and stored in separate stackers 34. In the sixth stacker unit 11F, with respect to the stacker 34 having the stacker numbers 41 to 48, the line of the proportional zone is the final vote of each row candidate and the candidates of the row candidates. The final vote and the questionable vote, the invalidity vote, the other matters description vote, the white vote, and the prorated vote are stored separately in the stacker 34. In addition, the final vote of each candidate in the A line to the W line in the proportional ward is later classified for each individual candidate by the manual operation or the ballot paper classifier 3.

  FIG. 13 also shows, as a fourth example of the setting result on the setting screen 92, a correspondence relationship between each stacker number and the name (display name) of the voting paper stored in the stacker with each stacker number. Yes. FIG. 13 shows a symbolic ballot Hf for voting on the same day in the same election by one ballot sorter 3 (see FIG. 8A) and a self-form ballot Hg for pre-date voting (FIG. 8B). An example of a setting result in the case of classifying (reference) is shown. In this case, for example, three stacker units 11 (A to C) are connected to the main unit 10 in alphabetical order. In the main unit 10, the reject slip is stored in a stacker (reject tray 17) having a stacker number of 0. In the first stacker unit 11A, for each of two adjacent stackers 34 having stacker numbers 1 to 8, there is a confirmation vote for each of the candidates 1 to 4 (for voting on the day). Separately stored. In the second stacker unit 11B, with respect to the stacker 34 having the stacker number 9 to 10, each of the question mark and the white vote in the symbolic expression is stored separately in the separate stacker 34, and the stacker numbers 12 to 16 are stored. In the stacker 34, finalized votes (for pre-date voting) of the respective candidates 1 to 5 are stored separately in the stacker 34. In the third stacker unit 11C, for the stacker 34 with stacker numbers 20 to 24, the question form, invalidity form, other matters description form, white form and prorated form in the own format are divided into separate stackers 34. Stored.

  Each setting result as described above is stored in the storage unit 71 (see FIG. 4) of the control PC 4 as storage location information for each type of voting paper H. Here, the storage destinations are set as in the first to fourth examples described above, as in the voting paper sorter 3 (a maximum of 65 = 8 stackers 34 in one stacker unit 11 × 8). This is possible because it has a stacker of one table + reject tray 17). Further, according to the first to fourth examples, the plurality of storage units (reject tray 17 and stacker 34) are different for each style of the voting paper H (the contents of the storage unit are distinguished so as to be divided for each style). ), It can be seen that voting sheets H of different styles are not stored together in the same storage unit. As a result, each of the plurality of storage units stores the divided voting sheets H of each voting content separately for each style. It is possible to prevent mistakes in distinguishing.

Next, in one voting paper sorting machine 3, a plurality of styles of voting paper H (here, the voting paper Ha for the constituency of the House of Representatives election and the voting paper Hb for the proportional ward) are collectively classified. An example will be described with reference to the setting results in FIG. 10 (storage destination information for each type of voting paper H) and the flowcharts in FIGS. 14A and 14B.
Here, in this embodiment, the ballot paper sorter 3 and the control PC 4 are separate devices, and in the ballot paper sorter 3, the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 are separate devices. Therefore, when viewed from the whole ballot paper classification system 1, any one of the control unit 70 of the control PC 4, the overall control unit 55 of the main unit 10 and the stacker control unit 57 of each stacker unit 11 becomes the main. Control operation. However, there may be a configuration in which the control PC 4 is incorporated in the voting paper sorter 3. Therefore, in the following, the control PC 4 is incorporated in the voting paper sorter 3, and each stacker control unit 57 is made a part of the overall control unit 55, and further, the control unit 70, the overall control unit 55, and each stacker. The control unit 57 will be described as one control unit 100 (sorting means) included in the voting paper sorter 3 (see FIG. 4).

  In the standby state of the ballot classification machine 3, the hopper 16 in a state where the ballot Ha for the constituency and the ballot Hb for the proportional ward (the ballots H of different styles used for plural kinds of elections) are mixed by the staff. And the operation button 7 (see FIG. 1) is pressed. Then, the control part 100 (overall control part 55) drives the motor (not shown) mentioned above, and starts the classification | category of the ballot paper H (step S1).

As a result, the voting paper H set in the hopper 16 is fed out one by one by the feeding unit 45, flows through the main body conveyance path 18, and passes through the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 (FIG. 3 and FIG. 3). 4).
The control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines that the voting paper H corresponds to the reject vote depending on whether or not the voting paper H loading failure has occurred from the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32. It is determined whether or not to perform (step S2). When the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) receives that the voting paper H has been taken in, the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines that the voting paper H corresponds to the reject vote (YES in step S2). As a result, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) uses the stacker number assigned to the rejection vote in the setting result stored in the storage unit 71 of the control PC 4 (see FIG. 10). It is conveyed to the stacker (reject tray 17) ("0" in FIG. 10) (step S3). The reject tray is transported to the reject tray 17 in a state where different forms are mixed. The reject tray 17 (in other words, the reject unit 49) is configured so that the reject slips transported in this way (that is, reject slips discharged due to poor transport among unconfirmed slips) in a mixed state. accept.

  When the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 receive images read from the front and back surfaces of the voting sheet H, the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines that the voting sheet H does not correspond to the reject vote. (NO in step S2), on the basis of the image and the style information, it is determined which of the voting paper H is the voting paper / proportional ward (step S4). That is, the control unit 100 (control unit 70) applies the specific contents (difference for each format) about the format of each voting sheet H stored in the storage unit 71 of the control PC 4 to the image, and the feeding unit 45 The form of the voting paper H fed out is determined.

  If the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines in step S4 that the voting paper H is the voting paper Ha in the constituency, whether or not the voting paper is a valid vote based on the previous image. Is identified (step S5). If this voting sheet H is a valid vote (YES in step S5), the control unit 100 (control unit 70) becomes the destination of this valid vote candidate based on the previous setting result (see FIG. 10). A stacker number (in the case of FIG. 10, one of 1 to 10 stacker numbers) is determined. The control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) conveys the valid vote to the stacker 34 (valid vote stacker) having the determined stacker number (step S6).

  On the other hand, in step S5, if this voting sheet H is not a valid vote (NO in step S5), the control unit 100 (control unit 70) determines any undetermined voting sheet H based on the previous image. It is also identified whether it is a vote (that is, whether it is a question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, or prorated vote). That is, in step S5, the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) selects the type of the voting paper H (determined to be for constituency) (valid vote or any unconfirmed vote) as the first reading sensor 31. Identification is performed based on the image transmitted from the second reading sensor 32. In the case of a questionnaire, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) uses this question sheet as the stacker 34 (question number) of the stacker number ("12" in FIG. 10) assigned to the questionnaire in the constituency in the previous setting result. It is conveyed to a vote stacker (step S7). In the case of an invalid vote, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) uses this invalid vote as the stacker 34 of the stacker number ("13" in FIG. 10) assigned to the invalid vote of the constituency in the previous setting result. It is conveyed to (invalid vote stacker) (step S8). In the case of the other event description slip, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) displays the other event description slip as a stacker number assigned to the other event description vote in the constituency in the previous setting result (in FIG. 10, “ 14 ”) is transferred to the stacker 34 (other matter description slip stacker) (step S9). In the case of a white vote, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) assigns this white vote to the stacker 34 (white vote stacker) of the stacker number ("15" in FIG. 10) assigned to the white vote of the constituency in the setting result. ) (Step S10). In the case of the apportionment vote, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) assigns the apportionment vote to the stacker 34 of the stacker number ("16" in FIG. 10) assigned to the apportionment vote of the constituency in the previous setting result. It is conveyed to (apportioned sheet stacker) (step S11).

  If the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines in step S4 that the voting paper H that is the target of the style determination is the proportional voting paper Hb, referring to FIG. 14B, the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) is based on the previous image. Then, it is identified whether or not this ballot is a valid vote (step S12). If the voting sheet H is a valid vote (YES in step S12), the control unit 100 (control unit 70) determines the validity based on the setting result (see FIG. 10) stored in the storage unit 71 of the control PC 4. A stacker number (any of 17 to 26 stacker numbers in the case of FIG. 10) is determined as a vote candidate transport destination. The control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) conveys the valid vote to the stacker 34 (valid vote stacker) having the determined stacker number (step S13).

  On the other hand, in step S12, if this voting sheet H is not a valid vote (NO in step S12), the control unit 100 (control unit 70) determines which voting sheet H is unconfirmed based on the previous image. It is also identified whether it is a vote (that is, whether it is a question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, or prorated vote). That is, the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines the type of the voting paper H (determined to be for the proportional ward) (valid vote or any unconfirmed vote) in step S12 as the first reading sensor 31. Identification is performed based on the image transmitted from the second reading sensor 32. In the case of a questionnaire, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) assigns this question sheet to the stacker 34 (question number) of the stacker number ("28" in FIG. 10) assigned to the proportional questionnaire in the previous setting result. It is conveyed to a vote stacker (step S14). In the case of an invalid vote, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) uses this invalid vote as a stacker 34 with the stacker number ("29" in FIG. 10) assigned to the invalid vote in the proportional zone in the previous setting result. It is conveyed to (invalid vote stacker) (step S15). In the case of an other event description slip, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) displays the other event description slip as a stacker number (in FIG. 10, “ 30 ") stacker 34 (other matter description slip stacker) (step S16). In the case of a white vote, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) assigns this white vote to the stacker 34 (white vote stacker) of the stacker number ("31" in FIG. 10) assigned to the white vote in the proportional section in the previous setting result. ) (Step S17). In the case of the apportioned vote, the control unit 100 (overall control unit 55) assigns this apportioned vote to the stacker 34 of the stacker number ("32" in FIG. 10) assigned to the proportional apportioned vote in the setting result. It is conveyed to (apportioned sheet stacker) (step S18).

  As described above, when the control unit 100 determines the format of the voting sheet H (step S4), the control unit 100 subdivides the voting sheet H according to the determined format in accordance with the identification results in steps S5 and S12, and stores a plurality of storages. Assigned to one of the units (stacker 34). That is, in this voting paper sorter 3, the voting paper H set in the hopper 16 with different styles mixed is classified by voting paper H for each type of voting paper H (for each candidate or for each type of undetermined vote). And is automatically and promptly distributed to any one of the plurality of stackers 34. Therefore, one voting paper sorter 3 can collectively receive and classify voting papers H of different styles. In this case, since it is not necessary to divide the ballots H by style manually at the stage of the opening work until the ballots H are taken out from the ballot box and set in the ballot sorter 3, Save time. In addition, the number of people involved in the opening work can be reduced. Further, in this voting paper sorter 3, the classification conditions need only be set once on the setting screen 92 (see FIG. 9). Therefore, compared with the case where the voting paper H is sorted for each style and set in the hopper 16 in turn, it is not necessary to change the setting of the classification conditions (operation conditions) in the voting paper sorting machine 3, and the voting paper H Even in the point that it only needs to be set once in the hopper 16 without worrying about the difference in style, it is possible to reduce labor and time in the vote-tapping work. And if this ballot paper sorter 3 is adopted, ballot papers H of different styles can be voted together in one ballot box, so that not only the number of ballot paper sorters 3 but also ballot boxes installed at the polling place The number of voting paper sorting machines 3 can also be reduced, and the voting place and the counting place can be simplified.

As a result, it is possible to reduce labor, time, and cost in the balloting work of the ballot paper H when the ballot papers H of different styles are mixed. In order to obtain such an effect, in the setting screen 92 described above, the storage location of the voting paper H may be allocated so as to associate the voting paper H with the storage units to be stored for each type and for each type. is important.
Further, the control unit 100 divides unconfirmed votes (question vote, invalid vote, other matters description vote, white vote, apportionment vote) other than the final vote according to the style of the ballot paper H (steps S7 to S11). And S14 to S18). Therefore, in this ballot paper classification machine 3, since the undecided vote is divided according to the style of the ballot paper H, it is not necessary to manually separate the undecided vote according to the style.

Note that the voting paper H that is not in the above-described correct posture may be subjected to the above-described orientation correction process in the middle of conveyance to the storage stacker.
Here, when an undecided vote is identified as an invalid vote if it is not a valid vote (NO in each of steps S5 and S12), the candidate name (party name) to be entered in the proportional voting form Hb is the election district There may be cases where the name of the candidate is listed on the ballot paper Ha, or the candidate name to be written on the ballot paper Ha of the constituency is written on the ballot paper Hb of the proportional ward (the same applies to the case of the Upper House election). In this case, the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines the voting paper Ha in the constituency in which the candidate names to be described in the voting paper Hb in the proportional ward and the candidate names to be described in the voting paper Ha in the constituency are selected. All the ballots Hb in the described proportional districts are identified as invalid votes. Therefore, when all of the ballots H of different styles are ballots with the same candidate selected (the same candidate name is listed), the candidate name is listed on the ballot paper H of a certain style If it is only valid, the control unit 100 (the control unit 70) determines that the ballot paper H is in a certain format as a valid ballot, and if it is a ballot paper H in another format, it is an invalid ballot (or question card). But it ’s okay). Thereby, it is possible to accurately identify an entry error between the ballots H of different forms. In addition, even if the ballot paper H with the same candidate name is present in multiple forms, the ballot paper H is determined to be valid only in the case of the ballot paper H in a form in which the candidate may be written. An accurate classification of the votes becomes possible.

Further, the reject slips stored in the reject tray 17 are reset in the hopper 16 as described above, and are sorted again by the processing of steps S1 to S18 by the control unit 100. In this case, the reject vote that could not be subdivided by the previous process can be subdivided by style and for each type of voting paper H.
The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.

  For example, in the processing in FIGS. 14A and 14B, step S4 for determining the form of the voting paper H to be fed out and steps S5 and S12 for identifying the voting paper H may be performed in the reverse order. That is, after identifying the previous voting sheet H, after determining its format, the voting sheet H is subdivided by format and type and conveyed to the storage stacker 34 (reject tray 17 if necessary). May be. Further, in the above-described embodiment, a case where the two types of ballots H, that is, the ballot paper Ha for the constituency of the House of Representatives election and the ballot paper Hb for the proportional ward is collectively classified by one ballot paper sorter 3 will be described. However, if there is room in the storage destination (stacker 34), three or more styles of ballots H may be collectively classified by one ballot sorter 3.

In the embodiment described above, the form of the voting paper H is determined using the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32. Instead of this, if a sensor that detects the time taken for the ballot H to pass through a predetermined section is used, the style of the ballot that differs depending on the size can be determined according to the time difference. .
The number of reject trays 17 can be arbitrarily changed. When a plurality of reject trays 17 are provided, reject votes can be stored in one reject tray 17 and voting sheets H other than reject tickets can be stored in other reject trays 17.

Further, the classification process by the ballot paper classifier 3 is started by pressing the operation button 7 by an attendant, but may be automatically started when the attendant sets the vote paper H in the hopper 16.
The ballot paper sorter 3 may be provided with a mechanism capable of preventing or eliminating the double feed state and the skew state of the ballot paper H.

  Note that the ballot paper classification system 1 only needs to include at least the ballot paper sorting machine 3 and the control PC 4, and therefore the printer 5 described above may be appropriately discarded. Further, as described above, a configuration in which the voting paper sorter 3 and the control PC 4 are integrated (a configuration in which the control PC 4 is incorporated in the voting paper sorter 3) may be employed. In this configuration, the display unit 8 and the operation unit 9 of the control PC 4 are arranged in the voting paper sorter 3, and the control unit 70 and the overall control unit 55 of the control PC 4 are integrated.

In addition, among the factors (unconfirmed) in the unconfirmed vote, it is useless to assign a factor with an extremely low occurrence frequency to the individual stacker 34. Therefore, the unconfirmed votes of a plurality of factors are combined into one stacker. 34 may be set to be distributed.
In addition, the control PC 4 identified all of the reject vote, question vote, invalid vote, white vote, stacker full vote, and prorated vote as undecided votes, but at least one or more of these was undecided according to circumstances. It may be identified on a vote.

  As for the switchback reversing unit 48 and the spiral reversing unit 50, other methods described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-212699 may be adopted as long as the direction of the voting paper H can be similarly converted. Good.

3 Voting paper sorter 16 Hopper 17 Reject tray 18 Main body conveyance path 31 First reading sensor 32 Second reading sensor 34 Stacker 45 Feeding part 49 Rejecting part 55 Overall control part 57 Stacker control part 70 Control part 100 Control part H Voting paper

Claims (10)

A set part that can set ballots to be classified in a state where ballots of different styles are mixed,
A feeding means for feeding the voting sheets set in the set section one by one;
Discriminating means for discriminating the form of the ballot paper fed out by the feeding means;
Identification means for identifying the ballot paper fed out by the feeding means;
A plurality of storage units for storing the ballots identified by the identification means;
For each style determined by the determination means, the voting paper is subdivided according to the identification result by the identification means, and is distributed to any of the plurality of storage units;
A voting paper sorter characterized by including:   The voting paper sorter according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage units are different for each style of voting paper. Having a conveyance path for conveying the voting paper fed out by the feeding means;
The determination unit and the identification unit are provided in association with the conveyance path, and share a sensor for determining a voting sheet format or identifying a voting sheet. 2. Ballot classification machine according to 2.   The ballot paper sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the type of ballot form corresponds to the type of election.   The identification means shall determine a ballot with the same candidate name as a valid vote in the case of a ballot of one form, and an invalid or questionable vote in the case of a ballot of another form. The voting paper sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein   The voting paper sorter according to claim 1, wherein the allocating unit divides an unconfirmed vote other than a confirmed vote for which a regular candidate is specified according to a form of the voting paper. Includes a reject section that accepts rejected slips due to poor transport among undecided slips in a mixed state
7. The voting paper sorter according to claim 6, wherein the allocating unit re-sorts the reject vote set in the set unit from the reject unit. A step of feeding out ballots set with different styles one by one;
Determining the form of the ballot to be dispensed;
Identifying a ballot,
Subdividing the voting paper into different forms according to the form discrimination results and the identification results, and allocating them to any of a plurality of storage units;
A method for classifying ballots, comprising:   9. The method for classifying a ballot paper according to claim 8, wherein the step of determining the form of the ballot paper to be fed and the step of identifying the ballot paper are performed in the reverse order. Separating the ballots by style,
Grouping the ballots for each form by type,
Associating a ballot with a storage section to be stored by style and by type;
A method for assigning a storage location for ballot paper, comprising:

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