JP2019204377A - Thickness detection device and medium transaction device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve thickness detection performance while maintaining conveyance performance of paper sheets.SOLUTION: A thickness detection unit 62 includes a reference roller 56 that abuts on a paper-like medium conveyed through a predetermined conveyance path and rotates around a reference axis in a width direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction of the medium, a thickness detection roller 58 that is arranged to face the reference roller 56 while sandwiching the conveyance path therebetween and rotates around a detection roller shaft 68 approximately parallel to the reference axis by being brought into contact with the reference roller 56, a displacement sensor 59 detecting a displacement amount of the thickness detection roller 58 with respect to a contact/separation direction in that the thickness detection roller 58 brought into contact with or separates from the reference roller 56, springs 74, 74 and elastic members 75, 75 energizing the thickness detection roller 58 toward the center of the reference roller 56. When a medium is not sandwiched therebetween, the springs 74, 74 are in a compressed state and the elastic members 75, 75 are in a natural state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a thickness detection apparatus and a medium transaction apparatus, and in particular, a paper sheet identification unit used in an automatic banknote deposit / withdrawal machine, a passbook / book entry machine, a ticket issuing machine, a printer, etc. The present invention relates to a thickness detection sensor.

  Conventionally, in an automatic cash transaction apparatus or the like used in a financial institution or a store, for example, the customer is allowed to deposit cash such as banknotes and coins according to the transaction contents with the customer, and the cash is withdrawn to the customer. Has been made. As an automated teller machine, for example, a banknote deposit / withdrawal unit that exchanges banknotes with customers, a discrimination unit that discriminates the denomination and authenticity of inserted banknotes, and temporarily holds inserted banknotes There is a thing which has a temporary storage part which performs, a conveyance part which conveys a bill, and a bill storage which stores a bill for every denomination.

  By the way, some banknotes have different thicknesses, for example, by being partly bent or by attaching a foreign substance such as an adhesive tape. Therefore, as a discrimination unit, it is proposed to detect various characteristics with optical sensors, magnetic sensors, etc. and detect the thickness, and then determine the type and authenticity of banknotes by combining the detection results. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the conventional thickness detection unit includes a reference roller 56 that is rotationally driven, and a thickness detection roller 58 that is pressed against the reference roller 56 and is driven to rotate. A plurality of thickness detection rollers 58 are arranged in the axial direction of the reference roller 56, and each thickness detection roller 58 is constrained in a movable range in the front-rear direction by a plate 69 provided correspondingly. A contact surface between the reference roller 56 and the thickness detection roller 58 is the conveyance path 32. The displacement sensor 59 reads the upward displacement of the thickness detection roller 58 when the conveyed paper sheet is nipped and conveyed by the reference roller 56 and the thickness detection roller 58, whereby a thickness output of the paper sheet is obtained.

  On the upper portion of the plate 69, springs 74 are arranged in a positional relationship at equal intervals from the central axis of the thickness detection roller 58. The springs 74 and 74 are arranged like a balance so that an equal load is applied to the plate 69 from both ends. Therefore, the thickness detection roller 58 is pressed toward the center of the reference roller 56 by the elastic force of the springs 74 and 74, and the thickness detection roller 58 comes into close contact with the paper sheet when nipping and conveying the paper sheet.

JP2015-215845A

  As shown in FIG. 10, the conventional thickness detection unit holds the paper sheet in close contact with the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56, and the displacement sensor 59 detects the displacement of the thickness detection roller 58 at that time. The leaf thickness output is obtained. At that time, the conveyance performance of the paper sheet is guaranteed so that the medium of the conveyed paper sheet is not jammed. However, in a state where the thickness detection roller 58 is not in close contact with the paper sheet, information different from the thickness output of the paper sheet to be originally obtained is obtained. Specifically, the thickness detection roller 58 jumps due to an impact when a paper sheet enters the roller clamping portion, or unevenness or wrinkles on the surface of the paper sheet, so that it looks thicker than the actual thickness. As the thickness detection roller 58 vibrates due to fine dust or the like attached to the surface of the roller 56, the reference point output becomes large, and the sheet thickness appears to be relatively thinner than the actual thickness. It is done.

  In order to correct these erroneous outputs, it is necessary to take a measure for pressing the thickness detection roller 58 against the reference roller 56 with a larger force. However, by taking such measures, the thickness detection roller 58 is not lifted up when the deformed medium whose paper sheet tip is turned up or rounded is sandwiched and transported, and the thickness detection unit is jammed. This causes the problem of deterioration of the conveyance performance.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to improve the thickness detection performance while maintaining the conveyance performance of paper sheets.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a reference roller that abuts on a sheet-like medium conveyed on a predetermined conveyance path and rotates around a reference axis along a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the medium. A thickness detecting roller that is disposed to face the reference roller across the conveyance path and rotates around a shaft substantially parallel to the reference axis by contacting the reference roller, and the thickness detecting roller includes the reference roller A displacement sensor for detecting a displacement amount of the thickness detection roller with respect to a contact / separation direction to / from the roller, and supports the thickness detection roller so that the thickness detection roller can be separated from / contacted with the reference roller, A first urging member that urges toward the center, and a second urging member that urges the thickness detection roller toward the center of the reference roller. of Located energizing member compressed state, wherein the second biasing member is in the natural state, it is the thickness detecting apparatus according to claim.

  Moreover, this invention is a medium transaction apparatus provided with the said thickness detection apparatus.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the thickness detection performance while maintaining the paper sheet conveyance performance.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the automatic teller machine of this embodiment. It is a left view which shows the structure of a banknote depositing / withdrawing machine. It is a left view which shows the structure of a discrimination part. It is a left view of the thickness detection unit of 1st Embodiment. It is a front view of the thickness detection part of 1st Embodiment. It is a left view of the thickness detection unit of 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view of the thickness detection part of 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view of the thickness detection unit of 3rd Embodiment. It is a left view of the thickness detection unit of 4th Embodiment. It is a side view of the thickness detection part of a prior art.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
Each figure is only schematically shown so that the invention can be fully understood. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example. In the present embodiment, descriptions of configurations not directly related to the present invention and known configurations may be omitted. In addition, in each figure, about the same component or the same component, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and those overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

<< First Embodiment >>
[Configuration of automatic teller machine]
As shown in FIG. 1, the automatic teller machine 1 is configured around a box-shaped housing 2, and is installed in a financial institution, for example, for a deposit transaction or a withdrawal transaction with a customer. To deal with cash. In the housing 2, the customer service section 3 is provided at a location where it is easy to insert a bill (paper sheet medium) or operate with a touch panel while the customer is facing the front side.

  The customer service section 3 is provided with a card entry / exit port 4, a deposit / withdrawal port 5, an operation display unit 6, a numeric keypad 7 and a receipt issuance port 8. Receives information and accepts operation instructions. The card entry / exit 4 is a portion into which various cards such as a cash card are inserted or ejected. A card processing unit (not shown) for reading account numbers and the like magnetically recorded on various cards is provided on the back side of the card slot 4. The deposit / withdrawal port 5 is a portion where a bill to be deposited by a customer is inserted and a bill to be dispensed to the customer is discharged. The deposit / withdrawal port 5 is opened or closed by driving a shutter. The operation display unit 6 is integrated with an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays an operation screen at the time of transaction and a touch panel for selecting a transaction type, inputting a personal identification number, transaction amount, and the like. The numeric keypad 7 is a physical key that accepts input of numbers such as “0” to “9”, and is used at the time of input operation such as a password or transaction amount. The receipt issuing port 8 is a part that issues a receipt on which transaction details are printed at the end of transaction processing. Incidentally, a receipt processing unit (not shown) for printing transaction contents and the like on the receipt is provided on the back side of the receipt issuing port 8.

  In the housing 2, a main control unit 9 that performs overall control of the entire automatic cash transaction apparatus 1, a banknote depositing and dispensing machine 10 that performs various processes related to banknotes, and the like are provided. The main control unit 9 is mainly configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and a storage unit (not shown) including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, a flash memory, and the like. ) To read out and execute a predetermined program to control each unit to perform various processes such as deposit transactions and withdrawal transactions.

  In the following, the side of the automated teller machine 1 facing the customer is the front side, the opposite is the rear side, the left and right sides are the left side and the right side as viewed from the customer facing the front side, and the upper side and the lower side. Is defined and explained.

[Internal configuration of banknote deposit and withdrawal machine]
As shown in FIG. 2, the banknote depositing / dispensing machine 10 is configured such that the control unit 12 includes each unit (a banknote depositing / dispensing unit 16, a transport unit 24, a discrimination unit 18, a temporary storage unit 20, a bill storage unit 26, a reject storage unit 28, and a forgetting to remove it. The collection box 22) is controlled in an integrated manner. The control unit 12 is mainly configured by a CPU (not shown), and by reading and executing a predetermined program from a storage unit such as a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk drive, or a flash memory, the control unit 12 controls each unit to perform a payment transaction. Various processes such as withdrawal transactions are performed.

  Inside the banknote depositing / dispensing machine 10, a banknote depositing / dispensing unit 16 on the upper side, a discrimination unit 18 for judging the denomination and authenticity of the banknote, a temporary holding unit 20 for temporarily retaining deposited banknotes, and a customer at the time of transaction A forgotten collection box 22 for collecting and storing banknotes forgotten from the banknote deposit and withdrawal unit 16 is provided.

  The banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 16 separates banknotes input from customers one by one and feeds them to the transport unit 24. The transport unit 24 transports rectangular banknotes in the short direction along a transport path indicated by a thick line in the drawing by a roller, a belt, or the like (not shown). The transport unit 24 transports banknotes so that the discrimination unit 18 is inserted in the front-rear direction, and connects the rear side of the discrimination unit 18 to the temporary storage unit 20, the forgotten collection box 22, and the banknote deposit / withdrawal unit 16. ing. Moreover, the conveyance part 24 has connected the front side of the discrimination part 18, the banknote depositing / withdrawing part 16, the banknote storage 26, and the rejection store | warehouse 28. FIG.

  The discriminating unit 18 discriminates the denomination and authenticity of the banknote, the degree of damage (correctness), etc. using the optical element, the magnetic detection element, etc. while conveying the banknote, and the discrimination result is obtained. Notify the control unit 12. In response to this, the control unit 12 determines the transport destination of the banknote based on the acquired discrimination result.

  The temporary holding unit 20 temporarily holds the banknotes that the customer has inserted into the banknote depositing / withdrawing unit 16 at the time of depositing, and temporarily holds the normal banknotes identified as depositable by the discrimination unit 18 until the deposit is confirmed. The reject banknotes identified as being non-payable are discharged to the banknote deposit and withdrawal unit 16 by so-called last-in first-out.

  Moreover, inside the banknote depositing / dispensing machine 10, a banknote storage 26 according to denomination, a banknote discriminated from a banknote (so-called damaged banknote) damaged in the discrimination section 18, and 5000, 2000, etc. A reject box 28 for storing denominated banknotes that are not refluxed is provided. The banknote storage 26 is configured to take in and store the banknotes transported from the transport unit 24 by a storage and discharge mechanism, and to discharge the stored banknotes and supply them to the transport unit 24.

  In this configuration, in the automatic teller machine 1, the main control unit 9 and the control unit 12 control each unit based on the banknote discrimination result by the discrimination unit 18, and the banknote depositing process, the storing process and the dispensing process are performed. Do.

  That is, in the automatic teller machine 1, when a deposit transaction is selected by the user via the operation display unit 6 and a bill is inserted into the deposit / withdrawal port 5 at the time of deposit transaction, the bill is inserted into the bill deposit / withdrawal unit. Each sheet is conveyed from 16 to the discrimination unit 18. Here, the automatic teller machine 1 conveys the banknote determined to be depositable based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 18 to the temporary storage unit 20 and temporarily stores it. On the other hand, the automatic teller machine 1 returns the banknote determined to be unsuitable for depositing to the banknote depositing / dispensing unit 16 and returns it to the user by opening the shutter. Thereafter, when the deposit amount is confirmed by the user, the automatic teller machine 1 conveys the banknotes stored in the temporary holding unit 20 to the discrimination unit 18 to obtain a discrimination result. Here, the automatic teller machine 1 conveys and stores the banknotes determined to be storable based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 18 to each banknote storage 26 according to the denomination. On the other hand, the automatic teller machine 1 conveys the banknote determined to be unsuitable for storage to the rejection store 28.

  On the other hand, at the time of withdrawal transaction, when the withdrawal transaction is selected by the user via the operation display unit 6 and the withdrawal amount is input by the user, the automatic teller machine 1 determines the required denomination depending on the withdrawal amount. Recognizing the number of banknotes, the banknotes are paid out from each banknote storage 26 according to the number of banknotes for each denomination and conveyed to the discrimination unit 18 to obtain the discrimination result identification result. Here, the automatic teller machine 1 conveys the banknote determined to be withdrawable based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 18 to the banknote deposit and withdrawal unit 16. On the other hand, the automatic teller machine 1 conveys the banknote determined to be unsuitable for withdrawal to the temporary storage unit 20 and temporarily stores it. And when the banknote for the moneys withdrawn is integrated | stacked on the banknote depositing / withdrawing part 16, the automatic teller machine 1 will open a shutter. Thereby, it will be in the state which can receive the banknote currently accumulated in the banknote depositing / withdrawing part 16, and a user receives this banknote. Then, the automatic teller machine 1 conveys the banknote accommodated in the temporary storage part 20 to the rejection store | warehouse | chamber 28, and stores it.

[Configuration of the identification section]
As shown in FIG. 3, the discrimination unit 18 controls the control unit 12 while running the bills forward or backward along a substantially horizontal conveyance path 32 in the rectangular parallelepiped discrimination unit housing 30. Based on this, the bills are identified. Incidentally, for convenience of explanation, FIG. 3 schematically shows each internal component by omitting the left side plate of the discrimination unit housing 30 and the like.

  The conveyance path 32 includes an upper conveyance guide 34U and a lower conveyance guide 34D, drive rollers 38, 40 and 42, driven rollers 44, 46 and 48, a reference roller 56, a thickness detection roller 58, and a magnetic gap roller 54. It is comprised by. The drive rollers 38, 40, and 42 and the magnetic gap roller 54 are made of rubber-based elastic members, and have a high frictional force against bills. The driven rollers 44, 46 and 48 and the thickness detection roller 58 are made of metal, resin, rubber-based elastic member, or a combination thereof. The reference roller 56 is made of a predetermined metal material. The upper transport guide 34U and the lower transport guide 34D each have a planar upper transport surface 34AU and a lower transport surface 34AD that face the paper surface of the bill BL, and a bill transport path between the respective transport surfaces. 32 is formed. In the discrimination unit 18, modules such as a magnetic detection unit 50, an optical detection unit 53, and a thickness detection unit 60 are sequentially arranged so as to go from the rear side to the front side in the discrimination unit housing 30.

  In the lower conveyance guide 34D, the driving rollers 38, 40 and 42, the reference roller 56, and the magnetic gap roller 54 have the central axis in the left-right direction, that is, the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction (surface direction) of the bills BL. So that it is rotatably mounted. Further, the drive rollers 38, 40 and 42, the reference roller 56, and the magnetic gap roller 54 are configured such that a part of the peripheral side surface of the lower conveyance guide 34D is formed in the conveyance path 32 from a hole formed in the lower conveyance surface 34AD. It is exposed to the side. Further, the driving rollers 38, 40 and 42, the reference roller 56, and the magnetic gap roller 54 are actively rotated by a driving force transmitted from an actuator (not shown).

  On the other hand, the driven rollers 44, 46 and 48 and the thickness detection roller 58 are rotatable about the central axis in the left-right direction at locations facing the driving rollers 38, 40 and 42 and the reference roller 56 in the upper conveyance guide 34U. Is attached. The driven rollers 44, 46 and 48 and the thickness detection roller 58 are pressed against the driving rollers 38, 40 and 42 and the reference roller 56 by compression springs (not shown), respectively. For this reason, the driven rollers 44, 46 and 48 and the thickness detection roller 58, when the bill BL is transported along the transport path 32, are transferred to the drive rollers 38, 40 and 42 and the reference roller 56, respectively. Press. The drive rollers 38, 40 and 42, the magnetic gap roller 54, and the reference roller 56 convey the bill BL in the front-rear direction along the conveyance path 32 by transmitting the rotational force to the bill BL.

  In the magnetic detection unit 50, a magnetic sensor 52 is disposed on the upper side of the conveyance path 32. The bills BL are printed using magnetic ink that is locally magnetic. Therefore, the magnetic detection unit 50 detects the magnetism of the bill BL conveyed on the conveyance path 32 by the magnetic sensor 52 and sends the detection result to the control unit 12. In response to this, the control unit 12 determines the authenticity or denomination of the banknote using the magnetic detection result of the banknote BL acquired from the magnetic sensor 52.

  The optical detection unit 53 includes an upper reflection / transmission sensor unit 53U located on the upper side and a lower reflection / transmission sensor unit 53D located on the lower side. The optical detection unit 53 detects the reflection pattern and the transmission pattern of the banknote BL, and sends the detection result to the control unit 12. In response to this, the control unit 12 uses the reflection pattern and the transmission pattern of the bill BL acquired from the optical detection unit 53 to determine the authenticity and denomination of the bill BL, the degree of damage (loss), and the like.

  The thickness detection unit 60 uses the position when the thickness detection roller 58 contacts the reference roller 56 as a reference, detects the relative displacement amount of the thickness detection roller 58 by the displacement sensor 59, and the detection result is the control unit 12. To send. In response to this, the control unit 12 compares the detection result with a thickness reference value stored in advance to determine whether the displacement corresponds to one bill or a plurality of bills. Then, it is determined whether there is any bending or foreign matter sticking.

[Configuration of thickness detection unit]
In the thickness detection unit 60, a plurality of thickness detection units 62 configured in the same manner are arranged in a line along the left-right direction, that is, the left-right direction that is the width direction orthogonal to the bill conveyance direction. It has a configuration. FIG. 4 shows a side view of the thickness detection unit. FIG. 5 shows a front view of the thickness detector. Between these thickness detection units 62, ribs (not shown) are formed on the upper conveyance guide 34U (FIG. 3) to prevent bills from entering between the thickness detection units 62. .

  As shown in FIG. 4, the thickness detection unit 62 is configured around a reference roller 56 disposed below the conveyance path 32 and a thickness detection roller 58 disposed above the conveyance path 32. . There are a pair of thickness detection rollers 58, 58 on both sides of the plate 69. FIG. 4 shows the thickness detection roller 58 on the left side.

The reference roller 56 is made of a predetermined metal material, is formed in a cylindrical shape facing the thickness detection roller 58, and is penetrated in the left-right direction by an elongated columnar reference roller shaft 64 (reference shaft). The reference roller shaft 64 is rotatably supported by a box-shaped thickness detector housing 66 (FIG. 3) via a bearing (not shown). The reference roller shaft 64 is rotationally driven by a driving unit (not shown) and rotates integrally with the reference roller 56.
The reference roller 56 abuts on the bill BL transported through the transport path 32 and rotates around a reference roller shaft 64 along a width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the bill BL.

Thickness detection rollers 58 and 58 are passed through the detection roller shaft 68 at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction above the reference roller 56. The thickness detection roller 58 has a cylindrical shape and is configured in the same manner as a so-called ball bearing, and smoothly rotates the outer ring with respect to the inner ring fixed to the detection roller shaft 68 (shaft). Both ends of the detection roller shaft 68 in the left-right direction are larger in diameter than the center portion of the detection roller shaft 68 in the left-right direction, and prevent the thickness detection rollers 58, 58 from falling off.
The thickness detection roller 58 is arranged to face the reference roller 56 with the conveyance path 32 interposed therebetween, and rotates around a detection roller shaft 68 substantially parallel to the reference roller shaft 64 by contacting the reference roller 56.

  A plate-like plate 69 is in contact with the upper outer peripheral surface of the detection roller shaft 68 between the thickness detection rollers 58 and 58. As a result, the thickness detection rollers 58, 58 rotate smoothly without contacting each other while maintaining a gap.

  The plate 69 has a rectangular shape whose length in the front-rear direction is larger than that of the thickness detection roller 58 in a side view, and has a shape that is cut into a substantially inverted V shape that presses the detection roller shaft 68 at the center in the front-rear direction. A shaft pressing portion 69A to be presented is formed. Therefore, the plate 69 can hold the thickness detection roller 58 using a bearing as a roller.

  In addition, at the front end and the rear end of the top plate of the plate 69, spring insertion portions (not shown) into which the lower ends of the springs 74 and 74 are respectively fitted are formed. These spring insertion portions are formed at the same distance from the center of the detection roller shaft 68. Further, elastic member fitting portions (not shown) into which the lower ends of the elastic members 75 and 75 are fitted are formed at the front end and the rear end of the top plate of the plate 69, respectively. These elastic member insertion portions are formed at positions spaced from each other at the same interval from the center of the detection roller shaft 68 and at positions farther from the center of the detection roller shaft 68 than the spring insertion portion. A cylindrical position restraining pin 76 passes through the hole provided in the front end portion of the plate 69 along the left-right direction, and protrudes from the left and right side surfaces of the plate 69 leftward and rightward, respectively. . The position restricting pin 76 is slidably fitted into a plate movement restricting groove (not shown) which is a groove formed to extend in the vertical direction by the upper conveyance guide 34U (FIG. 3).

  Although the plate 69 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction by the plate movement restriction groove and the position restricting pin 76, the plate 69 is movable in the up-down direction. As a result, the thickness detection roller 58 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction because the detection roller shaft 68 is in contact with the plate 69, but is virtually connected to the center of the displacement sensor 59 and the reference roller shaft 64. It is possible to move vertically (that is, displace) so that the center of the detection roller shaft 68 passes on a straight line.

  A stainless spring 74 (first biasing member) made of a coil spring is not compressed between the top plate of the plate 69 (the spring fitting portion formed on the plate 69) and the contact member 36. It is attached in a compressed state from a natural state where no restoring force is generated. The contact member 36 is a plate material positioned above the spring 74, and the contact member 36 that contacts the upper end of the spring 74 is, for example, the top plate portion of the thickness detection unit housing 66 (FIG. 3). However, it is not limited to this. The spring 74 presses the top plate of the plate 69 downward against the contact member 36 by applying a restoring force to the natural state. As a result, an equal load is applied from the front and rear ends toward the center of the detection roller shaft 68 of the thickness detection roller 58. Since the plate 69 is equally loaded from both front and rear ends and the position restricting pin 76 is fitted in a plate movement restricting groove (not shown), the top plate of the plate 69 remains horizontal, that is, in a side view. The plate 69 moves up and down so as not to rotate.

  In this way, the spring 74 passes through the plate 69 along the thickness direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the bill conveyance direction and the width direction (toward the center of the reference roller 56), and the detection roller shaft 68 of the thickness detection roller 58. Energize. The detection roller shaft 68 is pressed toward the center of the reference roller shaft 64 by a shaft pressing portion 69 </ b> A formed on the plate 69. Accordingly, the thickness detection roller 58 is pressed downward, that is, toward the reference roller 56.

Elastic members 75 and 75 (second urging members) are attached in an uncompressed natural state between the top plate of the plate 69 (the elastic member fitting portion formed therein) and the contact member 36. It has been. The elastic members 75 and 75 are compressed when the bill BL is transported and the thickness detection roller 58 is displaced upward, and causes the thickness detection roller 58 to generate a load in the central axis direction of the reference roller 56.
The elastic members 75, 75 can urge the thickness detection roller 58 toward the center of the reference roller 56 along the thickness direction (vertical direction) orthogonal to the bill conveyance direction and the width direction.

  Displacement sensors 59 and 59, which are eddy current displacement sensors, are provided above the thickness detection rollers 58 and 58 in the thickness detector housing 66, respectively. FIG. 4 shows the left displacement sensor 59. The displacement sensor 59 detects the relative displacement amount of the surface area of the top of the outer peripheral surface of the thickness detection roller 58 with reference to the position when the thickness detection roller 58 contacts the reference roller 56, and the detection result is obtained. The data is sent to the control unit 12. In other words, the displacement sensor 59 detects the amount of displacement of the thickness detection roller 58 with respect to the contact / separation direction (thickness direction) in which the thickness detection roller 58 contacts / disconnects the reference roller 56. The displacement sensor 59 can detect the amount of displacement using the bearing curved surface of the thickness detection roller 58 having a bearing as a roller as a detection surface.

  The control unit 12 compares the detection result with the reference value of the thickness stored in advance to determine whether the displacement amount corresponds to one bill or a plurality of bills. The presence or absence of pasting of etc. is judged.

  With this configuration, in the thickness detection unit 60, the thickness detection roller 58 is brought into contact with the reference roller 56 by the action of the spring 74 when nothing is conveyed on the conveyance path 32. As a result, the thickness detection roller 58 receives the rotational driving force from the reference roller 56 and rotates in accordance with the rotation of the reference roller 56. At this time, the thickness detection unit 60 detects that the thickness detection roller 58 is positioned at a reference height by the displacement sensor 59 and sends the detection result to the control unit 12. On the other hand, in the thickness detection unit 60, when the bill BL is transported to the transport path 32, the bill BL is sandwiched between the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56. Thus, the thickness detection roller 58 is displaced upward, and the detection roller shaft 68 pushes the plate 69 upward. At this time, the thickness detection unit 60 detects the amount of displacement of the thickness detection roller 58 by the displacement sensor 59 and sends the detection result to the control unit 12.

  Further, when the bill BL is transported and the thickness detection roller 58 is displaced upward and the plate 69 is pushed upward, the elastic member 75 is compressed and a load in the direction of the central axis of the reference roller 56 is generated. That is, when the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56 are in close contact (when the medium is not nipped), only the load generated by the spring 74 works, and the thickness detection roller 58 is lifted while holding the bill BL. In addition, the load generated by the elastic member 75 is added to the load generated by the spring 74. Therefore, the thickness detection roller 58 can be pressed against the reference roller 56 with a greater force when the bill BL is conveyed.

  In contrast, when the medium is held, the spring 74 may have a biasing force that is the minimum necessary for the contact between the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56, and in an initial state (when the medium is not held). The load can be reduced. For this reason, it is possible to reduce the resistance when the banknote BL whose tip is deformed enters the sandwiching portion between the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56, and the medium clogging in the thickness detection portion 60 does not occur. There is no need to take conventional measures such as increasing the biasing force of the spring 74 in the initial state to strengthen the close contact between the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56 in order to avoid the medium jam.

  According to the first embodiment, it is possible to improve the thickness detection performance while maintaining the paper sheet conveyance performance.

As described above, the generated load (the urging force of the spring 74) when the roller is in close contact (when the medium is not nipped) is reduced, and the generated load when the bill is conveyed (the resultant force of the urging force of the spring 74 and the urging force of the elastic member 75) ) Is increased, the generated load per unit variable of the thickness detection roller 58 of the elastic member 75 is preferably larger than that of the spring 74. Specifically, the elastic member 75 is preferably a silicon rubber block (silicon rubber block). The spring constant of the elastic member 75 is preferably larger than the spring constant of the spring 74.
A silicon rubber block may be used for the first biasing member corresponding to the spring 74, and a coil spring may be used for the second biasing member corresponding to the elastic member 75.

<< Second Embodiment >>
In the description of the second embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  The thickness detection unit 62 (FIG. 4) of the first embodiment was able to improve the thickness detection performance while maintaining the paper sheet conveyance performance. However, when the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56 are in close contact (when the medium is not nipped), the load of the elastic member 75 is not generated, and the load of the elastic member 75 is only applied when the thickness detection roller 58 is lifted during bill conveyance. In order to make it generate | occur | produce, it is necessary to make the elastic member 75 closely_contact | adhere in the height direction between the plate 69 and the contact member 36, and to make it the state which is not compressed.

  There are several methods for realizing such a state. The first method is a method in which a rubber agent is enclosed and cured as it is while maintaining the positional relationship between the plate 69 and the contact member 36 at a position where the thickness detection roller 58 is in close contact with the reference roller 56. The second method is a method in which elastic block parts are arranged and shim parts are added to adjust the heights in order to absorb various dimensional tolerances such as the height of the elastic block and the position of the plate 69. .

  However, in the first method, the rubber agent shape varies depending on the sealing condition of the rubber agent such as the discharge amount, the temperature condition, and the curing time, so that the characteristic variation occurs, and the skill level is high to eliminate the characteristic variation. There was a need for technology that required Further, the second method requires a technique that requires a high level of skill, such as fitting in an assembly operation while checking the dimensions. Further, in either case of the first method or the second method, it is not possible to absorb variations in characteristics due to fluctuations in the hardness and density of the elastic part, and a technique requiring a high level of skill is required to obtain a desired generated load. It had been. In addition, when the bill conveyance speed is increased for the purpose of increasing the processing speed per deposit / withdrawal transaction, the paper sheets are gaining momentum in the roller clamping portion of the thickness detection roller 58 arranged in the axial direction of the reference roller 56. In the case of frequent rushing, the thickness detecting roller 58 having a pressing load that is less than a desired value due to variations in the generated load of each thickness detecting roller 58 has a large bounce when the paper sheet enters. As a result, the thickness of the paper sheet cannot be detected correctly, and it has been a problem to achieve both the thickness detection processing speed and the detection performance.

  In FIG. 6, the side view of the thickness detection unit of 2nd Embodiment is shown. Moreover, the front view of the thickness detection unit of 2nd Embodiment is shown in FIG. Compared with the first embodiment, the thickness detection unit 62A of the second embodiment is different in that it includes two screws 80, 80 (pressing members) corresponding to the elastic members 75, 75.

  The screws 80, 80 are disposed above the elastic members 75, 75, are in contact with the upper ends of the elastic members 75, 75, and can press the elastic members 75, 75. Since the elastic members 75 and 75 are disposed at the same interval (with the reference roller 56 interposed) from the center of the detection roller shaft 68 (or from the center of the reference roller shaft 64), the screws 80 and 80 are also They are arranged from the center of the detection roller shaft 68 (or from the center of the reference roller shaft 64) at the same interval (with the reference roller 56 interposed). The contact member 36 is formed with a tap hole penetrating vertically through which the screws 80 are inserted. On the peripheral surface of the tap hole, a screw groove that allows the screws 80 and 80 to be tightened in the vertical direction is formed. When the screws 80, 80 are rotated in the screwing direction, the elastic members 75, 75 can be compressed downward. Further, the amount of pressing against the elastic members 75 and 75 can be adjusted by the amount of tightening of the screws 80 and 80.

  A case portion (not shown) that surrounds the elastic member 75 and restricts movement of the elastic member 75 to the outside (horizontal direction) is disposed with respect to the elastic member 75. The case portion can prevent the elastic member 75 from tilting even if the elastic member 75 is compressed due to the screw tightening of the screw 80. The case portion extends a predetermined amount upward from the top plate of the plate 69 on which the elastic member 75 is disposed, and may or may not reach the upper surface of the elastic member 75.

  In the first embodiment, the elastic member 75 is attached in an uncompressed natural state in the initial state (when the medium is not held). However, in the second embodiment, the elastic member 75 is more or less constantly compressed by the screw 80. For this reason, it is desirable to use silicon rubber or the like that is less affected by compression set as the material of the elastic member 75.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of thickness detection rollers 58 may be arranged along the axial direction of the reference roller 56. Further, only one thickness detection roller 58 may be arranged (in a spot manner) in accordance with the size of the measurement object (paper sheet or the like). That is, the thickness detection roller 58 may or may not be disposed over the entire left and right direction of the bill to be conveyed.

  The behavior of the thickness detection roller 58 with respect to the banknote conveyance of the second embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. The second embodiment is configured to hold the elastic member 75 between the screw 80 and the plate 69. With such a configuration, the elastic member 75 can be held tightly regardless of the dimensional variation of the elastic member 75 itself and the dimensional variation of the plate 69 in the height direction. Further, the compression amount of the elastic member 75 can be changed according to the screw tightening amount of the screw 80. Therefore, the thickness detection roller 58 generates a load on the elastic member 75 when the thickness detection roller 58 is separated from the reference roller 56 by the thickness of the conveyed paper sheet. Regardless of the variation, the amount of tightening of the screw 80 can be controlled.

  According to the second embodiment, the elastic member 75 is held between the plate 69 and the distal end portion of the screw 80, so that the elastic member 75 is in close contact with the height direction and is not compressed. Can be produced. Therefore, when the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56 are in close contact, the load of the elastic member 75 is not generated, and the load of the elastic member 75 is generated only when the thickness detection roller 58 is lifted up when the paper sheet is sandwiched. Can be configured. As a result, even with deformed paper sheets, the thickness detection performance can be improved while maintaining the conveyance performance.

  In addition, since the compression amount of the elastic member 75 can be changed according to the screw tightening amount of the screw 80, the thickness detection roller 58 is set to the reference roller 56 by a predetermined amount regardless of the physical property value variation and the dimensional variation of the elastic member 75. It is possible to control the generated load when separated from the. As a result, the generated load of the elastic member 75 required to suppress the bounce of the thickness detection roller 58 when the paper sheet enters the clamping portion between the thickness detection roller 58 and the reference roller 56 (described above) It can be reproduced by the screw tightening amount of the screw 80 (instead of the first and second methods).

  Even if the thickness detection rollers 58 are arranged on the line in the axial direction of the reference roller 56, variation in detection performance of the individual thickness detection rollers 58 can be reduced by controlling the screw tightening amount of the screws 80. I was able to do it. Furthermore, even if the paper conveyance speed differs depending on the automatic teller machine including a unit equivalent to the thickness detection unit 62A, the generated load of the elastic member can be changed by the amount of screw tightening. It became possible to apply to the device.

<< Third Embodiment >>
In the description of the third embodiment, differences from the first and second embodiments will be mainly described.

  FIG. 8 shows a front view of the thickness detection unit of the third embodiment. The thickness detection unit 62B of the third embodiment is provided at the top of each end portion of the detection roller shaft 68 extending in the direction of the rotation axis of the thickness detection rollers 58, 58 arranged in close contact with the reference roller 56. The elastic members 75 and 75 and the springs 74 and 74 are disposed so as to be targets with the thickness detection rollers 58 and 58 interposed therebetween, respectively. That is, the elastic members 75 and 75 and the springs 74 and 74 of the thickness detection unit 62A of the second embodiment are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction, whereas the thickness detection unit 62B of the third embodiment is elastic. The difference is that the members 75 and 75 and the springs 74 and 74 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Further, the thickness detection unit 62B of the third embodiment does not include the plate 69 (FIG. 4 and the like).

  In the thickness detection unit 62B, the thickness detection roller 58 is urged toward the center of the reference roller 56 by elastic members 75 and 75 and springs 74 and 74 via the detection roller shaft 68. The screws 80, 80 are disposed above the elastic members 75, 75. The screws 80, 80 are inserted into the tap holes provided in the contact member 36 and rotated in the screw tightening direction, whereby the elastic members 75, 75 are moved downward. Can be compressed. The elastic member 75 is restricted in its outward movement range by a case portion (not shown) surrounding the elastic member, and does not tilt even when compressed by the screw 80. The case portion extends a predetermined amount upward from the top of both ends of the detection roller shaft 68 where the elastic member 75 is disposed, and may not reach the upper surface of the elastic member 75 or reach. You may do it.

The paper sheet is nipped and conveyed by the reference roller 56 and the thickness detection roller 58, and the displacement sensor 59 detects a displacement (upward) displacement of the thickness detection roller 58 during the conveyance.
The behavior of the thickness detection roller 58 of the third embodiment during paper sheet conveyance is the same as that of the second embodiment.

  According to the third embodiment, similarly to the second embodiment, the compression amount of the elastic member 75 can be varied according to the screw tightening amount of the screw 80. Therefore, the generated load when the thickness detection roller 58 is separated from the reference roller 56 by a predetermined amount can be controlled regardless of the physical property value variation and dimensional variation of the elastic member 75. In addition, since the elastic members 75 and 75 and the springs 74 and 74 are arranged in the left-right direction (not the front-rear direction), the thickness detection unit 62B can take a shorter configuration in the front-rear direction. As a result, the thickness detector can be mounted on a smaller device.

<< Fourth Embodiment >>
In the description of the fourth embodiment, differences from the first to third embodiments will be mainly described.

  In FIG. 9, the left view of the thickness detection unit of 4th Embodiment is shown. Compared to the thickness detection unit 62A of the second embodiment, the thickness detection unit 62C of the fourth embodiment differs in that only one screw 80 exists. It is assumed that the screw 80 is disposed above the elastic member 75A (same as the elastic member 75), and there is no screw corresponding to the elastic member 75B (same as the elastic member 75).

  In the thickness detection unit 62 </ b> C of the fourth embodiment, the thickness detection roller 58 disposed in close contact with the reference roller 56 is urged toward the center of the reference roller 56 by the springs 74 and 74 via the plate 69. ing. The elastic members 75A and 75B are disposed on the upper surface of the plate 69. The screw 80 disposed above the elastic member 75A is inserted into the tap hole of the contact member 36, and can be compressed downward by rotating in the screw tightening direction.

  In a state where there is a predetermined amount of gap between the elastic member 75B and the abutting member 36 above the elastic member 75B, and there is no downward compression of the elastic member 75A due to screwing of the screw 80, The elastic member 75B is not in close contact with the contact member 36. The elastic member 75 </ b> A is restricted in its outward movement range by a case portion (not shown) surrounding the elastic member 75 </ b> A, and does not tilt even when compressed by the screw 80. The case portion for the elastic member 75A extends upward by a predetermined amount from the top plate of the plate 69 on which the elastic member 75A is disposed, and may or may not reach the upper surface of the elastic member 75A. It may be.

  When the elastic member 75A is pushed down by tightening the screw 80, the elastic member 75A moves downward, so that the plate 69 tilts clockwise around the detection roller shaft 68 in the plane of FIG. As a result, the elastic member 75 </ b> B disposed at the rear upper surface of the plate 69 moves upward and abuts against the contact member 36. The load on the elastic members 75A and 75B is generated only when the elastic member 75B hits the contact member 36. The inclination of the plate 69 in the clockwise direction is an inclination that does not hinder the vertical movement by the position restricting pin 76 and the plate movement restriction groove (not shown).

  The elastic member 75B is restricted in its outward movement range by a case portion (not shown) surrounding the elastic member 75B, and does not tilt even if it hits the contact member 36 through the inclination of the plate 69 and is compressed. The case portion for the elastic member 75B extends a predetermined amount upward from the top plate of the plate 69 on which the elastic member 75B is disposed, and may or may not reach the upper surface of the elastic member 75B. It may be.

  The behavior of the thickness detection roller 58 of the fourth embodiment during paper sheet conveyance is the same as that of the first to third embodiments. The elastic member 75B may abut on the abutting member 36 via the inclination of the plate 69 around the detection roller shaft 68 according to the screw tightening amount of the screw 80 when the paper sheet is not conveyed. However, it may not be in contact. During the conveyance of the paper sheet, the elastic member 75B comes into contact with the contact member 36 and is compressed through the inclination of the plate 69 around the detection roller shaft 68.

  According to the fourth embodiment, the configuration in which the generated load at a predetermined position is controlled by tightening the two screws 80, 80 in the second embodiment can be realized by only one screw tightening. it can. This makes it possible to reduce the man-hour for adjusting the generated load. Further, since the plate 69 can rotate like a balance around the detection roller shaft 68, the elastic members 75 </ b> A disposed at equal intervals with respect to the reference roller 56, even with one screw tightening, The generated load of 75B can be made the same.

≪Others≫
In the first embodiment, it has been described that the elastic members 75 and 75 on the top plate of the plate 69 are disposed farther than the springs 74 and 74 with respect to the center of the detection roller shaft 68. However, for example, the elastic members 75 and 75 may be disposed at a position closer to the center of the detection roller shaft 68 than the springs 74 and 74. The elastic members 75 and 75 may be disposed in the hollow portions of the coiled springs 74 and 74. The same applies to the second and third embodiments. The same applies to the elastic members 75A and 75B of the fourth embodiment. Further, the elastic member 75 (75A, 75B) may present a columnar body extending in the vertical direction or a tubular body.

  Further, in the second to fourth embodiments, the pushing amount of the tip portion of the elastic member such as a bolt or a hollow cap (set screw) is changed with respect to the screw 80 for changing the compression amount of the elastic member. A possible member can be used instead.

  Further, in the second and third embodiments, the elastic members 75 and 75 with which the screws 80 and 80 abut are arranged at equal intervals from the thickness detection roller 58 (or the reference roller 56). However, the amount of tightening of each of the screws 80 and 80 is changed so that the generated load of the elastic members 75 and 75 at the time of bill conveyance is the same, and the elastic members 75 and 75 are connected to the thickness detection roller 58 (or the reference roller 56). ) May be arranged at unequal intervals.

  In the fourth embodiment, one screw 80 is disposed above the elastic member 75A, but may be disposed above the elastic member 75B.

  The paper-like medium conveyed for thickness detection is not limited to banknotes, but also includes ticket issuing, bankbooks, and white paper for printers.

  In addition, the features described in the first to fourth embodiments can be appropriately combined.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cash automatic transaction apparatus 32 Conveyance path 36 Contact member 56 Reference roller 58 Thickness detection roller 59 Displacement sensor 60 Thickness detection part 62, 62A, 62B, 62C Thickness detection unit 64 Reference roller axis (reference axis)
68 Detection roller shaft (shaft)
69 Plate 74 Spring (first biasing member)
75, 75A, 75B Elastic member (second biasing member)
80 screw (pressing member)

Claims (10)

A reference roller that abuts on a paper sheet medium conveyed through a predetermined conveyance path and rotates around a reference axis along a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the medium;
A thickness detecting roller that is arranged to face the reference roller across the conveyance path and rotates around a shaft substantially parallel to the reference axis by contacting the reference roller;
A displacement sensor that detects a displacement amount of the thickness detection roller with respect to a contact / separation direction in which the thickness detection roller contacts / separates the reference roller;
A first urging member for supporting the thickness detection roller in a detachable manner with respect to the reference roller and urging the thickness detection roller toward the center of the reference roller;
A second urging member that urges the thickness detection roller toward the center of the reference roller,
When the medium is not held, the first biasing member is in a compressed state, and the second biasing member is in a natural state.
A thickness detection apparatus characterized by the above. A spring constant of the second urging member is larger than a spring constant of the first urging member;
The thickness detection apparatus according to claim 1. A pressing member that presses the second urging member in a direction that urges the thickness detection roller toward the center of the reference roller, and enables adjustment of the pressing amount;
The thickness detection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above. The first urging member is two members arranged at equal intervals in the transport direction with the reference roller in between.
The second urging member is two members arranged in the transport direction across the reference roller.
The thickness detection apparatus according to claim 3. The first urging member is two members arranged at equal intervals in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the separation / contact direction across the reference roller,
The second urging member is two members arranged in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction and the separation / contact direction across the reference roller.
The thickness detection apparatus according to claim 3. The pressing member presses one of the two members serving as the second urging member, and the pressing amount can be adjusted.
The thickness detection apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, wherein The pressing member is a screw, bolt, or enamel cap.
The thickness detection apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein The first urging member and the second urging member are coil springs or silicon rubber blocks.
The thickness detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The first biasing member is the coil spring, and the second biasing member is the silicon rubber block.
The thickness detection apparatus according to claim 8.   A medium transaction apparatus provided with the thickness detection apparatus of any one of Claims 1-9.

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