JP2024068768A - Paper sheet conveyance device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a paper sheet conveyance device with a simplified structure capable of separating and recovering a conveyance auxiliary body moving in a conveyance pipe under the action of an air flow and the paper sheet pushed and conveyed by the conveyance auxiliary body at the end of the conveyance pipe, and sending out the recovered transport auxiliary body again from a starting end of the conveyance pipe.SOLUTION: A paper sheet conveyance device includes: a separation part 50 that is provided at an end of a conveyance pipe 12, and allows a paper sheet to pass downstream and stops a conveying auxiliary body 16 by contacting the conveying auxiliary body ; a falling passage 71 for falling the conveyance auxiliary body 16 stopped in the separation part 50 downward; and a sending out part 70 that is provided at a starting end of the conveyance pipe 12, and receives the conveyance auxiliary body 16 that falls through the falling passage 71, and sends out the received conveyance auxiliary body 16 into the conveyance pipe 12 by action of an air flow, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 is kept waiting in the separation part 50, when the paper sheet is next conveyed, the conveyance auxiliary body 16 waiting in the separation part 50 is moved to the send out part 70, and then the air flow is generated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a paper sheet transport device that transports paper sheets by using air flow.

Inside the gaming machine island, which houses multiple sets of gaming ball dispensing machines that receive inserted banknotes and dispense gaming balls (such as pachinko balls) to players, and gaming machines such as pachinko machines, a banknote transport device is installed along the length of the gaming machine island to transport the banknotes inserted into each gaming ball dispensing machine to a safe installed at the end of the gaming machine island.

Some paper sheet transport devices for transporting paper sheets such as banknotes use airflow generated inside a transport tube. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a paper sheet transport device that transports paper sheets by pushing them from behind using a transport auxiliary body that moves in response to the airflow inside the transport tube.

In the paper sheet transport device disclosed in Patent Document 1, a paper sheet intake device is provided in the middle of the transport path to take in the paper sheets to be transported into the transport tube. When collecting the taken-in paper sheets, a transport auxiliary body insertion device provided at the starting end of the transport tube sends out the transport auxiliary body into the transport tube, and a separation and collection device provided at the end of the transport tube separates and collects the paper sheets and the transport auxiliary body. In this paper sheet transport device, the transport tube is configured to go around the desired collection route (for example, in the case of an amusement machine island, it is configured with an outward path from one end of the island to the other end, a U-shaped return part, and a return path from the other end of the island back to the one end), the starting end and the end of the transport tube are brought close to each other, and the transport auxiliary body collected by the separation and collection device provided at the end is moved to the transport auxiliary body insertion device at the starting end for repeated circulation. The collected paper sheets are stored in a safe or the like.

JP 2012-82062 A

The transport auxiliary body insertion device and separation and recovery device disclosed in Patent Document 1 have a complex structure. In detail, the separation and recovery device receives and recovers the transport auxiliary body that pushes the paper sheets from behind in a U-shaped separation section, and passes the paper sheets through a slit in the separation section to a downstream passage section, where airflow is sucked in from behind a conveyor belt installed on the side wall, and the paper sheets that pass through the slit in the separation section are conveyed by sticking them to the conveyor belt, and are then carried out from an outlet at the rear end of the passage section to be separated from the airflow.

Paper sheets that leave the passage are further transported to the safe by a belt-type transport device. The transport auxiliary captured in the separation section is moved to the side of the transport path together with the separation section. When the separation section is moved to a position where a hole in the bottom of the separation section is connected to the drop passage, the transport auxiliary held in the separation section falls naturally through this drop passage into the waiting chamber of the transport auxiliary insertion device. The transport auxiliary insertion device sends the transport auxiliary into the transport path by moving the waiting chamber where the transport auxiliary is waiting into the transport path together with the separation section, into which it is waiting.

The transport auxiliary body insertion device and separation and recovery device disclosed in Patent Document 1 have such a complex structure that there is a risk of paper sheets or transport auxiliary bodies becoming clogged, and there are problems with the cost of the device increasing.

The present invention seeks to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a simplified paper sheet transport device that can separate and collect the transport auxiliary body that moves inside the transport tube due to the action of the air flow and the paper sheets that are pushed and transported by it at the end of the transport tube, and can send the collected transport auxiliary body out again from the start of the transport tube.

The gist of the present invention to achieve this objective lies in the following inventions:

[1] A paper sheet transport device that transports paper sheets by pushing them from behind with a transport auxiliary body that moves within a transport pipe in response to an air flow within the transport pipe,
a separation section provided at the end of the conveying tube, for passing the conveyed paper sheets downstream and for stopping the paper sheets by contacting the conveying auxiliary body;
a drop passage for dropping the transport auxiliary body stopped at the separation section downward;
a sending section provided at the beginning of the conveying pipe for receiving the conveying auxiliary body that has fallen through the falling passage and for sending the received conveying auxiliary body into the conveying pipe by the action of an air flow;
having
a conveying auxiliary body that is kept waiting in the separation section, and when the next paper sheet is to be conveyed, the conveying auxiliary body that is waiting in the separation section is moved to the delivery section, and then the air flow is generated.

1 is a plan view showing an outline of a gaming machine island including a paper sheet transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 2 is a front view showing the schematic configuration of a paper sheet transport device provided on the gaming machine island. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a transport auxiliary body pushes a banknote in a transport tube from the rear end side of the banknote. FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the conveying pipe in the straight portion (the outward and return portions). FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a conveying pipe in a straight portion. 1A and 1B are plan and front views of a transport aid; 1 is a cross-sectional view passing through the central axis of a conveying auxiliary body when the conveying auxiliary body is inserted into a conveying tube. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a turn portion. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the separation, recovery, and sending device with the door of the storage box open. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the separation, recovery, and sending device with the door of the storage box open. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a main unit of the separation, recovery and delivery device with the storage box removed. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the main unit of the separation, recovery, and delivery device. FIG. 2 is a front view of a main unit of the separation, recovery, and delivery device. FIG. 2 is a left side view of a main unit of the separation, recovery, and delivery device. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing, in a partially simplified manner, the AA cross section of the main unit of the separation, recovery, and delivery device in FIG. 14. 1 is a perspective view showing a main unit of the separating, collecting, and sending out device with a door of a storage section open. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the separation section and the delivery section when the opening/closing rib is closed. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the separation section and the delivery section with the opening/closing rib open; FIG. 13 is a front view showing the separation section and the delivery section with the opening/closing rib closed. FIG. 13 is a front view showing the separation section and the delivery section in a state where the opening/closing rib is in a closed state and the transport auxiliary body is captured. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the separation section and the delivery section (cross-section BB in FIG. 20). FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing an entrance of a recovery passage as viewed from a separation section. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a horizontal cross section of a separation portion (opening/closing rib open state) and a recovery passage with some parts omitted. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a horizontal cross section of a separation section (opening/closing rib closed state) and a recovery passage with some parts omitted. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a horizontal cross section of the separation section (opening/closing ribs in a closed state, with the transport auxiliary body supplemented) and the recovery passage with some parts omitted. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing one wall surface of the delivery section with the check valve in the hanging position. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one wall surface of the delivery section with the check valve in a closed position. 21 is a cross-sectional view (cross-section B-B in FIG. 20) of the separation section and the delivery section, showing a state in which the transport auxiliary body is falling through the fall passage. FIG. 13 is a diagram (viewed from above) showing the positional relationship between a transport auxiliary body falling through a falling passage and a guide roller. FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view (cross-section BB in FIG. 20) of the separating section and the sending section, showing a state in which the transport auxiliary body is in a standby position in the sending section. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the separation section and the delivery section (cross-section B-B in FIG. 20), showing the state in which the transport auxiliary body is delivered from the standby position toward the transport pipe (delivery start). 20 is a cross-sectional view of the separation section and the delivery section (cross-section B-B in FIG. 20), showing the state in which the transport auxiliary body is being delivered from the standby position toward the transport tube (in the middle of being delivered). FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view (cross-section BB in FIG. 20) of the separation section and the delivery section, showing how the transport auxiliary body is delivered from the standby position toward the transport pipe (delivery completed). FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a safe unit. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a storage assembly. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of a pressure assembly. FIG. FIG.

See Figure 41.
13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a banknote is sandwiched between the end of the collection passage and the end plate of the connection duct when measures such as providing the abutting member with unevenness are not taken. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a bill is pushed from the collection passage into a storage unit (a state in which a bill to be pushed is present in the collection passage). FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which banknotes are pushed from a collection passage into a storage unit. FIG. FIG. 45 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which banknotes are pushed from the collection passage into the storage section (continuation of FIG. 44). 13A and 13B are diagrams showing the state in which the door of the storage box of the separation, recovery, and sending-out device is opened to the right and to the left. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which two storage boxes of the separation, recovery, and delivery device are arranged adjacent to each other. 4A to 4C are explanatory diagrams showing various positional relationships between the storage box and the main unit. 13 is a perspective view showing how the connection duct can be reconfigured between a right-hand specification and a left-hand specification. FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the process of converting a safe unit from a right-hand specification to a left-hand specification. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of changing the pressing assembly from a right-hand type to a left-hand type. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of changing the guide member of the storage section from a right-hand specification to a left-hand specification. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a process of changing the pressure plate of the storage section from a right-hand specification to a left-hand specification. FIG. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the reconfiguration of the full-state detection assembly from right-side specification to left-side specification. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an airflow enhancement unit. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the airflow enhancement unit. FIG. 57 is a cross-sectional view (cross-section AA in FIG. 56) showing the airflow enhancing unit. 57 is a cross-sectional view (cross-section B-B in FIG. 56) showing the airflow enhancing unit with the shutter plate in a closed and open state. 1A and 1B are front and DD cross-sectional views of the movable wall. 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating various aspects of the inclined surface portion.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

1 is a plan view showing an outline of a gaming machine island 2 including a paper sheet transport device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the paper sheet transport device 10 provided on the gaming machine island 2. In this embodiment, the gaming machine island 2 accommodates multiple sets of gaming media lending machines 3, which receive inserted banknotes and lend gaming media such as gaming balls (pachinko balls) to players, and gaming machines 4, such as pachinko machines, back-to-back on the front and back sides. The paper sheet transport device 10 is provided on the gaming machine island 2, and serves the function of taking in banknotes 6 discharged from the back of each gaming media lending machine 3, transporting them to a safe (storage unit) in a separation, recovery and delivery device 40 provided at one end of the gaming machine island 2, and storing them therein.

The paper sheet transport device 10 generates an air flow in the transport tube 12, which serves as the transport path for banknotes (paper sheets), and inserts a transport auxiliary 16, which receives the air flow and moves within the transport tube 12, into the transport tube 12 upstream of the banknote 6 to be transported. The transport auxiliary 16 pushes the banknote 6 in the transport tube 12 from behind and transports it downstream. In this embodiment, the banknote 6 is transported in the transport tube 12 in a landscape orientation with the paper face upright, as shown in FIG. 3.

The paper sheet transport device 10 has a transport tube 12 and a separation, recovery and sending device 40 provided at one end of the gaming machine island 2. The transport tube 12 is composed of an outgoing path 12a that extends from the separation, recovery and sending device 40 provided at one end of the gaming machine island 2 to the other end of the gaming machine island 2, a turn section 12b that turns back in a U-shape at the other end, and a return path 12c that turns back at the turn section 12b and then extends above the outgoing path 12a along the outgoing path 12a to the separation, recovery and sending device 40.

The outbound path 12a and return path 12c of the transport pipe 12 are divided into units of a predetermined length, for example, a length corresponding to the width of one set of gaming machines 4 and gaming media lending machines 3 housed side by side on the gaming machine island 2, and by connecting the required number of these with a connecting unit, the path length can be adjusted according to the longitudinal length of the gaming machine island 2. Also, at the construction site, the transport pipe 12 is cut to the required length on the spot for use.

The paper sheet conveying device 10 further has an intake device 13 that is inserted in the middle of the return path 12c of the conveying tube 12 to take in the banknotes 6 discharged from the game media lending machine 3 into the conveying tube 12. The intake devices 13 are provided in pairs, with one taking in the banknotes 6 from the game media lending machine 3 arranged on the front side of the game machine island 2 and the other taking in the banknotes 6 from the game media lending machine 3 arranged on the back side of the game machine island 2. The intake device 13 is interposed between the conveying tubes 12 and 12 that make up the return path 12c to connect them, and also functions as a conveying tube that forms part of the return path 12c.

An airflow enhancing unit 14 is inserted at an appropriate location in the transport pipe 12 to enhance the airflow in the transport pipe by merging the airflow from the auxiliary blower. Here, the airflow enhancing unit 14 is provided in the return path 12c, downstream of the intake device 13. The airflow enhancing unit 14 may also be located in the outgoing path 12a.

The separation, recovery and sending device 40 performs the functions of sending an air flow into the conveying tube 12, sending the conveying auxiliary 16 from the start of the conveying tube 12 into the conveying tube 12, separating the banknotes 6 conveyed by the conveying auxiliary 16 from the conveying auxiliary 16 at the end of the conveying tube 12, moving the separated conveying auxiliary 16 to the start of the conveying tube 12 for reuse in the next sending, and storing the separated banknotes 6 in a safe (storage section). Details of the separation, recovery and sending device 40 will be described later.

In the paper sheet transport device 10, the banknotes 6 taken into the return path 12c of the transport tube 12 from the take-in device 13 stay at the take-in completion position in a landscape orientation with the paper face upright as shown in Figure 3. The separation, recovery and delivery device 40 generates an air flow in the transport tube 12 to transport the banknotes 6 to the separation, recovery and delivery device 40 at the island end and recover them.

The action of this air flow causes the separation, recovery and delivery device 40 to send the transport aid 16 into the transport tube 12, where it moves along the outbound path 12a to the turn section 12b, makes a U-turn at the turn section 12b, and then moves further along the inbound path 12c toward the terminal end. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, the transport aid 16 pushes the banknote 6 in the transport tube 12 from the rear end side of the banknote 6, so that the banknote 6 is transported toward the terminal end of the transport tube 12 (in the transport direction F in the figure).

In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 moves in response to the action of the air flow, and the banknote 6 is pushed and transported from its rear end by this transport auxiliary body 16, so the banknote 6 itself does not need to receive the air flow to obtain propulsive force. Therefore, the banknote 6 can be transported by the air flow without taking measures such as folding the banknote 6 to receive the air flow. Also, the transport auxiliary body 16 can obtain propulsive force from the air flow more efficiently than the banknote 6, so the banknote 6 can be transported efficiently.

Next, we will explain in detail the shape of the conveying tube 12 and the conveying aid 16.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the conveying tube 12 in the straight portion (the outward path 12a and the return path 12c), and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the extension direction F of the conveying tube 12 in the same portion (= the conveying direction F of the banknotes = the direction in which the air flows). The conveying tube 12 is made of resin with a thickness of about 1.5 mm. The conveying tube 12 is formed, for example, by extrusion molding.

The cross-sectional shape of the straight section of the conveying tube 12 perpendicular to the extension direction F is a rectangular shape in which the central parts of the left and right side walls of a vertically long rectangle expand outward. In detail, the conveying tube 12 has upper and lower wall parts 31, left and right side wall parts 32, and an expansion part 33 that protrudes outward in a rectangular shape at the central parts of the left and right side wall parts 32 in the vertical direction. The short side direction of the approximately rectangular cross section perpendicular to the extension direction (conveying direction F) of the conveying tube 12 is the X direction (or width direction, left and right direction), and the long side direction is the Y direction (or height direction, up and down direction). The directions toward the center of the conveying tube 12 in the X direction and Y direction are called the inside, and the directions from the center to the inner wall are called the outside. In this embodiment, the conveying tube 12 is used with the long side in the cross section facing up and down, but it may be used with the short side facing up and down. In this case, the banknotes 6 are conveyed in a landscape orientation with the paper surface facing up and down.

The expansion section 33 is divided into two sections, upper and lower, by a separation wall 34 erected toward the inside of the conveying tube 12. The entire conveying tube 12, including the separation wall 34, has an integrated structure. The expansion section 33 is provided with a position control rib 36 that protrudes toward the inside of the conveying tube 12 in the center of each area divided into two by the separation wall 34. The position control rib 36 functions to control the position of the conveying auxiliary body 16 in the X direction within the conveying tube 12.

The side wall portion 32 has multiple ribs 35 extending in the conveying direction and protruding toward the inside of the conveying tube 12. In this example, the ribs 35 protruding inward of the conveying tube 12 are formed along the conveying direction at the boundary between the side wall portion 32 and the expansion portion 33. The separation wall 34 is at the same height as the ribs 35, and the top of the separation wall 34 functions as a rib. Hereinafter, when the separation wall 34 is treated as a rib, it will also be referred to as rib 34.

The side walls 32 are a pair of inner walls that face the paper surface of the transported banknote 6. The banknote 6 is rectangular and is transported inside the transport tube 12 with its long side oriented in the transport direction F. In other words, the paper surface faces the side walls 32 of the transport tube 12, and the banknote 6 is transported with one short side facing the leading edge of the transport direction and the other short side facing the trailing edge.

The distance Dy between the upper and lower wall portions 31 of the transport tube 12 is slightly longer than the short side of the banknote 6. The distance Dx between the left and right side wall portions 32 (portions (reference plane portions) where the ribs 35, extension portions 33, and separation wall 34 are not formed) is set to about 21 mm. The extension portions 33 provided on the left and right side wall portions 32 each extend about 7.5 mm outward from the side wall portion 32 (reference plane portion). The tops of the ribs 35 and separation wall 34 are about 2 mm high inward from the side wall portion 32 (reference plane portion). The height of the ribs 35 may be set as appropriate.

Figure 6 shows the top and front views of the transport aid 16. The transport aid 16 is a columnar shape with a circular cross section and different diameters at each part. The transport aid 16 moves inside the transport pipe with its axis oriented perpendicular to the transport direction. Here, the transport aid 16 is inserted into the transport pipe 12 so that the central axis of the cylinder is in the Y direction (height direction) of the transport pipe 12. The transport aid 16 is symmetrical from top to bottom and is composed of, from the top, a head 16a, a neck 16b with a slightly smaller diameter than the head, a large diameter part 16c with a larger diameter than the head 16a, a constricted part 16d with the same diameter as the neck 16b and located in the center from top to bottom, the large diameter part 16c, the neck 16b, and the head 16a.

The shapes of the conveying tube 12 and the conveying auxiliary body 16 are not limited to this. The outer shape of the conveying auxiliary body 16 corresponds to the inner shape of the conveying tube 12, and has irregularities corresponding to the ribs 34, 35 protruding inward from the side wall portion 32.

The transport aid 16 is lightweight and durable, and is hollow inside and made of, for example, plastic. However, it may also be made of polystyrene foam or extruded polystyrene foam, etc., as long as it is lightweight and durable.

Figure 7 shows a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction F and passing through the central axis of the transport auxiliary 16 when the transport auxiliary 16 is inserted into the transport tube 12. The diameter of each part of the transport auxiliary 16 corresponds to the inner edge shape of the transport tube 12. In other words, the cross-sectional shape passing through the central axis of the transport auxiliary 16 corresponds to the inner edge shape of the transport tube 12 in a cross section perpendicular to the extension direction F, and is shaped to almost completely block the inside of the transport tube 12 with a specified clearance between it and the inner wall.

The Y-direction position of the transport auxiliary 16 in the transport tube 12 is regulated by the upper or lower surface of the large diameter portion 16c abutting against the rib 35 or the separation wall 34. These also regulate the inclination of the axis of the transport auxiliary 16. The X-direction position of the transport auxiliary 16 in the transport tube 12 is regulated by the outer periphery of the head 16a contacting the side wall portion 32, or the outer periphery of the large diameter portion 16c contacting the inside of the expansion portion 33.

In this way, the transport auxiliary body 16 has a shape that corresponds to the inner edge shape of the transport pipe 12 (almost the same shape with some clearance) and blocks almost the entire cross section of the transport pipe 12, so it can move efficiently under the action of the air flow. Furthermore, the transport auxiliary body 16 prevents the air flow from upstream from reaching the downstream side of the transport auxiliary body 16, and plays a role in suppressing turbulence of the air flow on the downstream side.

When acted upon by the air flow inside the conveying tube 12, the bill 6 tends to stick to the side wall 32. In other words, the distance between one side of the bill 6 and the opposing side wall 32 and the distance between the other side of the bill 6 and the opposing side wall 32 are rarely equal, and when one of the distances is narrower than the other, the air flow speed is faster on the narrower side than on the wider side, so the air pressure on the narrower side is lower than on the wider side, and this air pressure difference causes the bill 6 to be attracted to and pressed against the side wall 32 on the narrower side. When this happens, the distance on the narrower side becomes even narrower, causing the bill 6 to stick to and be attracted to the side wall 32.

If the banknotes 6 stick strongly to the side wall portion 32, it becomes difficult for the transport aid 16 to push and transport the banknotes 6. However, as described above, the transport aid 16 acts to block (reduce) the air flow downstream, so the force with which the banknotes 6 stick and adhere is reduced, and smooth transport is achieved.

The two large diameter portions 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 engage with two expansion portions 33 separated by a separation wall 34 of the transport tube 12. In this example, the expansion portion 33 is separated into two by the separation wall 34, and these expansion portions 33 are provided toward the center of the transport tube 12 in the Y direction, so that the transport auxiliary 16 can be moved while maintaining a stable posture. In addition, because the posture of the transport auxiliary 16 is stable, the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 can be appropriately abutted against the rear end of the banknote 6 to provide a stable transport force. In addition, the banknote 6 is less likely to become entangled between the transport tube 12 and the transport auxiliary 16.

In addition, by providing the large diameter portion 16c, the area of the portion of the transport aid 16 that is affected by the air flow is increased, and the force required for movement can be received efficiently. Also, since the large diameter portion 16c is provided to efficiently receive the action of the air flow, the diameter of the head portion 16a can be reduced accordingly. By reducing the diameter of the head portion, the distance (width (Dx)) between a pair of opposing side wall portions 32 inside the transport tube 12 can be narrowed, and the banknotes 6 can be prevented from falling over.

Furthermore, the presence of multiple ribs 35 on the side wall portion 32 prevents the bills 6 from sticking tightly to the side wall portion 32. In other words, the contact area between the bills 6 and the side wall portion 32 is reduced, reducing friction and suppressing the generation of static electricity. Even if the bills 6 stick to the side wall portion 32, the bills 6 are supported by the tips of the ribs 35, so that a gap is secured between the side wall portion 32 and the bills 6 around the ribs 35, and the sticking force is kept small. The bills 6 are supported by the separation wall 34, so the bills 6 are prevented from falling into the recesses of the expansion portion 33.

The multiple ribs 35 protruding inward from the side wall 32 and the tops of the separation walls 34 serve to make the effective passage width W of the banknotes 6 in the width direction (X direction) of the transport tube 12 narrower than the distance Dx between the reference flat surfaces. This makes it difficult for the banknotes 6 to tip sideways inside the transport tube 12, and the position of the banknotes 6 is maintained along the Y direction. In particular, by providing multiple ribs 35, the banknotes 6 are appropriately prevented from tipping over and are effectively prevented from sticking to the side wall 32. Note that Dx can be increased by the amount of the ribs 35 provided, which increases the cross-sectional area of the transport tube 12 and makes the transport auxiliary body 16 more susceptible to the action of airflow.

In the case of the transport aid 16 according to this embodiment, the diameter of the large diameter portion 16c is the largest, so as shown in FIG. 3, this large diameter portion 16c comes into contact with the rear end of the banknote 6 and pushes it.

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the turn portion 12b, and Figure 9 is a perspective view of the turn portion 12b. The turn portion 12b has a shape in which the conveying pipe 12 is extended to draw a 90-degree arc with the Y direction as the radial direction, a straight portion 12bc, and a 90-degree arc portion 12bb are connected, and the course of the conveying auxiliary 16 is changed by 180 degrees. The turn portion 12b also has ribs 35 and an expansion portion 33, but the separation wall 34 is not provided so that the conveying auxiliary 16 does not get caught when moving in an arc along the arc portion 12bb, and the ribs 35 and the expansion portion 33 are allowed to escape (the clearance is larger than that of the straight portion) in the part that overlaps with the trajectory of the conveying auxiliary 16 when passing through the turn portion 12b. This makes it possible to reduce the turning radius of the turn portion 12b at the arc portion 12bb. The length of the straight section 12bc may be determined appropriately according to the distance required between the outgoing path 12a and the return path 12c, depending on the size of the separation, recovery, and delivery device 40 and the intake device 13. Two ribs 12ba are provided on the expansion section 33 of the turn section 12b in correspondence with the large diameter section 16c of the transport auxiliary body 16, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is positioned toward the center in the X direction.

Next, we will explain the separation, recovery and sending device 40.

Figure 10 is a front view of the separation, recovery, and sending device 40 with the door 46 of the storage box 41 open, and Figure 11 is a perspective view of the separation, recovery, and sending device 40 with the door 46 of the storage box 41 open. Figure 12 is a perspective view of the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery, and sending device 40 with the storage box 41 removed, Figure 13 is a right side view of the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery, and sending device 40, Figure 14 is a front view of the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery, and sending device 40, Figure 15 is a left side view of the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery, and sending device 40, and Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view of the main unit 42 taken along line A-A in Figure 14, with some simplification.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the main unit 42 of the separating, collecting, and sending device 40 is stored in a storage box 41. A control unit 43 that controls the operation of the entire paper sheet transport device 10, including the separating, collecting, and sending device 40, is attached to the upper inside part of the storage box 41. The control unit 43 is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), etc.

As shown in FIG. 12, the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery and delivery device 40 is fixed to the end plate 18 of the gaming machine island 2 with screws separately from the storage box 41. The back of the storage box 41 is open, and it is attached to the end plate 18 with screws separately from the main unit 42 so as to cover the main unit 42. This makes it possible to arbitrarily adjust the relative positions of the main unit 42 and the storage box 41 depending on the installation location. This will be described in detail later.

As shown in Figures 13 to 16, the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery and sending device 40 is provided at the beginning of the outward path 12a of the conveying tube 12 and includes a sending section 70 that sends out the conveying auxiliary body 16 into the conveying tube 12, a separating section 50 that is provided at the end of the return path 12c of the conveying tube 12 and passes the banknotes 6 conveyed by the conveying auxiliary body 16 and receives the conveying auxiliary body 16 that has pushed it and separates them, and a storage section 90 that serves as a safe for storing a large number of banknotes. The system is configured with a recovery section 110 that receives and stops the banknotes 6 that have passed through the separation section 50 downstream of the separation section 50 in the recovery passage 111 and moves the stopped banknotes 6 into the storage section 90 for storage, an air flow generating device 130 that sends an air flow to the delivery section 70, and a connection duct 140 that sucks in the air flow discharged from the end of the conveying tube 12 through the separation section 50 and the recovery passage 111 of the recovery section 110, and returns it to the air intake port of the air flow generating device 130 for circulation. The air flow generated by the air flow generating device 130 is sent into the beginning of the conveying tube 12 through the delivery section 70.

As shown in Figures 15 and 18, the main unit 42 is integrated by attaching each part, such as the sending section 70 and the separation section 50, to the support frame 45.

Figure 17 shows the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery and delivery device 40 with the door 91 of the storage section 90 that stores the banknotes 6 open.

In the separation, recovery, and delivery device 40, the separation section 50 is located directly above the delivery section 70, and the transport auxiliary body 16 captured by the separation section 50 is dropped into the delivery section 70 through a drop passage 71 (see cross-sectional view in Figure 16), and the dropped transport auxiliary body 16 is used for the next delivery, allowing the transport auxiliary body 16 to be circulated.

The start end of the outward path 12a of the conveying pipe 12 is connected to the conveying pipe connection port 72 of the delivery section 70, and the end of the return path 12c of the conveying pipe 12 is connected to the conveying pipe connection port 51 of the separation section 50 (see Figure 16).

Next, the configuration of the separation unit 50 will be described.

Figure 18 is a perspective view showing the separation section 50 and the delivery section 70 below it when the opening/closing rib 52 described below is closed, and Figure 19 is a perspective view showing the separation section 50 and the delivery section 70 below it when the opening/closing rib 52 is open. Figure 20 is a front view showing the separation section 50 and the delivery section 70 below it when the opening/closing rib 52 is closed, and Figure 21 is a front view showing the separation section 50 and the delivery section 70 below it when the opening/closing rib 52 is closed and the transport auxiliary body 16 is captured. Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view (cross-section B-B in Figure 20) of the separation section 50 and the delivery section 70. Figure 23 is an exploded perspective view of the separation section 50.

As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 23, the separation section 50 includes a pair of left and right passage walls 56, a pair of left and right opening and closing ribs 52, and a pair of left and right contact sections 64.

The pair of left and right passage walls 56 are symmetrical and include a vertically oriented flat side wall 57, a ceiling wall 58 extending horizontally from the upper end of the side wall 57, and a bottom wall 59 extending horizontally from the lower end of the side wall 57 in the same direction as the ceiling wall 58. By combining the left and right walls so that the ceiling wall 58 and the bottom wall 59 are butted together, a vertically elongated rectangular passage (separation passage 56a) is formed with an external shape corresponding to the conveying pipe 12. Five ribs 61 (61a-61e) are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction on the side wall 57 in about half the area (upstream area) on the upstream side of the separation passage 56a, which protrude horizontally into the inside of the passage and extend in the length direction of the passage.

The top and bottom ribs 61a, 61e function as corresponding to the side wall portion 32 of the conveying pipe 12 (see FIG. 7), and their horizontal protrusion height is set to a height that creates a gap between the opposing ribs equivalent to Dx in FIG. 7 when the left and right passage walls 56 are combined to form the separation passage 56a. The three ribs 61b to 61d, excluding the top and bottom, correspond to the ribs 34 of the conveying pipe 12 (rib 35 and separation wall 34, see FIG. 7). These are provided at vertical positions that correspond to the neck portion 16b and the constricted portion 16d of the conveying auxiliary body 16. Their horizontal protrusion height is set to a height that creates a gap between the opposing ribs equivalent to the passage width W in FIG. 7 when the left and right passage walls 56 are combined to form the separation passage 56a.

In the downstream region (downstream area) of the pair of left and right passage walls 56, the ribs 61 present in the upstream area are not present, and instead, long slits 62 (62a-62e) are provided in the same vertical position as the ribs 61a-61e and in the direction of the passage length. In addition, the downstream area does not have the bottom wall 59 present in the upstream area, and the bottom is open when the pair of left and right passage walls 56 are combined to form the separation passage 56a.

The opening/closing rib 52 comprises a flat side wall 53 in a vertical position, five ribs 54 (54a to 54e) that are erected so as to protrude horizontally from the side wall 53 toward the inside of the passage, and a bottom plate 55. The arrangement of the five ribs 54 (54a to 54e) corresponds to the slits 62 (62a to 62e). Each rib 54 of the opening/closing rib 52 is inserted into each slit 62 of the passage wall 56 from the outside of the passage wall 56. The bottom plate 55 is at a height that connects flatly with the bottom wall 59 of the passage wall 56 when each rib 54 of the opening/closing rib 52 is inserted into each slit 62 of the passage wall 56, and when each rib 54 is inserted all the way into the slit 62 (the position where the side wall 53 abuts against the outer surface of the side wall 57), the left and right bottom plates 55 abut and are connected.

The state where the ribs 54 (54a to 54e) of the opening/closing ribs 52 are inserted all the way into the slits 62 (62a to 62e) of the passage wall 56 in the closed position is called the closed state of the opening/closing ribs 52 (see Figures 18, 20, and 21), and the state where the pair of left and right opening/closing ribs 52 are retracted outward (widened apart) until the ribs 54 (54a to 54e) of the opening/closing ribs 52 are pulled out of the slits 62 (62a to 62e) (until the bottom plate 55 is not in the separation passage 56a) is called the open state of the opening/closing ribs 52 (see Figure 19). The separation section 50 is equipped with an opening/closing drive unit 68 that displaces the left and right opening/closing ribs 52 between the open state and the closed state (see Figures 18, 20, etc.). The separation section 50 has an opening/closing drive unit 68 that displaces the opening/closing ribs 52 between the open state and the closed state. The opening/closing drive unit 68 is configured with a motor or a solenoid as a drive source.

The pair of left and right abutment sections 64 allow the banknotes 6 arriving from the end of the transport tube 12 due to the air flow to pass, while the transport auxiliary body 16 that has been pushing the banknotes 6 comes into contact with them from the downstream side to receive and stop them. The abutment sections 64 are equipped with a number of abutment claws 66 (66a-66f) that come into contact with the large diameter section 16c of the transport auxiliary body 16, and a support plate 65 that supports the abutment claws 66 by aligning them vertically at a specified interval. The left and right abutment sections 64 are symmetrical in shape, and are arranged with a specified gap between them that allows the banknotes to pass through.

The abutment claw 66 of the right abutment portion 64 of the pair when viewed from downstream has a concave arc-shaped inner shape that abuts from the downstream side against the outer periphery of the downstream right half of the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16. The abutment claw 66 of the left abutment portion 64 of the pair when viewed from downstream has a concave arc-shaped inner shape that abuts from the downstream side against the outer periphery of the downstream left half of the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16.

Each abutment claw 66 is inserted between the ribs 54 on the opening/closing rib 52 side. In detail, the uppermost abutment claw 66a is inserted between the ceiling wall 58 of the passage wall 56 and the adjacent rib 54a below, and the abutment claw 66b is inserted between the rib 54a and the second rib 54b from the top. The abutment claw 66c is inserted between the rib 54b and the third rib 54c from the top, and the abutment claw 66d is inserted between the rib 54c and the fourth rib 54d from the top. The abutment claw 66e is inserted between the rib 54d and the fifth rib 54e from the top, and the abutment claw 66f is inserted between the rib 54e and the bottom plate 55 of the opening/closing rib 52. Each abutment claw 66 is inserted to a position where the support plate 65 of the abutment portion 64 abuts against the end face of the passage wall 56.

Figure 24 is a perspective view showing the entrance to the collection passage 111 as viewed from the separation section 50. As shown in Figure 24, the storage section 90 and the collection section 110 form an integrated safe unit 150. The abutment section 64 of the separation section 50 is attached to the entrance to the collection passage 111 of the collection section 110, and when the separation section 50 and the safe unit 150 are attached to the support frame 45 and assembled into the main unit 42, each abutment claw 66 of the abutment section 64 is inserted into the aforementioned position and engages with each rib 54 of the separation section 50.

Figures 25 to 27 show the horizontal cross section of the separation unit 50 and the recovery passage 111 of the recovery unit 110 arranged downstream of the separation unit 50, with some parts omitted. Figure 25 shows the open state of the opening/closing rib 52, Figure 26 shows the open state of the opening/closing rib 52, and Figure 27 shows Figure 26 with the addition of the transport auxiliary body 16 captured in the separation unit 50 and the banknote 6 stopped in the recovery passage 111.

The ribs in the conveying pipe 12 connected to the conveying pipe connection port 51 of the separation section 50, the ribs 61 in the upstream area of the separation section 50, the ribs 54 of the opening and closing rib 52 in the closed state, and the contact claws 66 of the contact section 64 are connected in a stepwise manner from upstream to downstream (the peak of the downstream rib is lower than the peak of the upstream rib (outside the passage)) (see Figure 26).

Each rib 54 of the opening/closing rib 52 protrudes slightly higher toward the inside of the passage near its downstream end. Specifically, it is raised slightly so as to fit along the outer periphery of the head 16a (or neck 16b or constricted portion 16d) of the captured transport auxiliary 16 (see FIG. 27). This not only keeps the posture of the captured transport auxiliary 16 in the correct position, but also narrows the distance between the left and right ribs 54 in the closed state as it approaches the downstream end, so that banknotes 6 arriving at the separation section 50 are guided between the left and right abutment sections 64, allowing the banknotes 6 to proceed smoothly into the recovery passage 111 (see FIGS. 26 and 27).

As shown in FIG. 27, when the opening/closing rib 52 is closed, the separation section 50 receives and captures the transport auxiliary body 16 with the abutment claws 66 of the abutment section 64. The joint between the rib 54 of the opening/closing rib 52 and the rib 61 in the upstream area of the separation section passage 56a is a forward step from the rib 61 toward the rib 54, so that when the captured transport auxiliary body 16 is viewed in the direction returning to the upstream area of the separation section passage 56a, it is a reverse step. Therefore, the transport auxiliary body 16 captured by the abutment section 64 can be maintained in a stable posture in the captured position.

Directly below the captured transport auxiliary body 16 is a drop passage 71, as shown in Figures 19, 22, 25, etc. When the opening/closing rib 52 is opened, the bottom of the downstream area of the separation passage 56a is opened, and the transport auxiliary body 16 falls into the drop passage 71.

In this way, the opening/closing rib 52 is normally in a closed state, and is displaced to an open state when the captured transport auxiliary body 16 is dropped, so that when the banknote 6 passes through the separation section 50, the opening/closing rib 52 is in a closed state. Therefore, when the banknote 6 passes through, the entire path from the end of the transport tube 12 through the separation section passage 56a of the separation section 50 to the recovery passage 111 of the recovery section 110 is in a state where the ribs are connected, just like inside the transport tube 12, and the posture of the banknote 6 is maintained by the ribs, making it possible to prevent the banknote 6 from clogging.

Even if, for example, the rib 54 of the opening/closing rib 52 is not provided and only the bottom plate 55 is opened and closed, it is possible to receive and capture the transport auxiliary body 16 coming from upstream with the abutment portion 64, and to open the bottom plate 55 at the appropriate time to drop the transport auxiliary body 16 through the drop passage 71 to the sending section 70. However, since there is no rib in the downstream area of the separation section passage 56a even when the bottom plate 55 is closed, the posture of the banknote 6 when passing through here becomes unstable, and the banknote 6 is likely to become jammed. In addition, it becomes difficult to maintain the captured transport auxiliary body 16 in the correct posture, and when the bottom plate 55 is opened, the transport auxiliary body 16 does not fall because it does not enter the drop passage 71 properly, or the falling posture becomes unstable, which causes problems in moving the transport auxiliary body 16 to the sending section 70.

When the opening/closing rib 52 is closed, the separation unit 50 according to this embodiment has ribs equivalent to those in the conveying tube 12 along the entire path from the end of the conveying tube 12 to the recovery passage 111 of the recovery unit 110, so that the ribs can maintain the position of the banknotes 6 and prevent the banknotes 6 from clogging. In addition, when the opening/closing rib 52 is closed, the conveying auxiliary body 16 can be held in the correct position, so that when the opening/closing rib 52 is opened, the conveying auxiliary body 16 can be dropped appropriately and moved to the sending unit 70.

The separation unit 50 has a sensor 68a that detects whether the transport auxiliary body 16 is in a position captured by the abutment portion 64, located on the upper surface of the separation passage 56a and directly above the falling passage 71 (see Figures 18 and 19). In addition, a sensor 68b that detects the passage of banknotes 6 is provided on the side of the upstream area of the separation passage 56a (see Figure 13). If the sensor 68b detects a banknote 6 and then changes to undetected after a predetermined time required for the banknote to pass, the control unit 43 determines that the banknote 6 has passed normally, and if the detection state continues for a certain period of time or more, the control unit 43 determines that the banknote 6 is jammed at the sensor 68b. The separation unit 50 has an opening/closing sensor 68c that detects the opening/closing rib 52 (see Figure 13).

Next, the delivery section 70 will be described with reference to Figures 18 to 22 and Figures 28 to 35. The delivery section 70 has a cylindrical delivery passage 73 with a vertically long rectangular cross section. The downstream end of the delivery passage 73 is a conveying pipe connection port 72 to which the beginning end of the conveying pipe 12 is connected. The upstream end of the delivery passage 73 is an air flow intake port 73a from the air flow generating device 130, to which the air duct from the air flow generating device 130 is connected. A fall passage 71 is provided on the upper surface near the upstream end of the delivery passage 73. The fall passage 71 is connected to the inside of the delivery passage 73. The position directly below the fall passage 71 is a standby position where the conveying auxiliary body 16 that has fallen through the fall passage 71 waits for the next delivery.

The delivery section 70 is equipped with a check valve 75 as a cover member that opens and closes the opening at the lower end of the drop passage 71, a pair of left and right guide rollers 76 for correcting the posture of the transport auxiliary body 16, posture guide members 77 (a-c) for stably maintaining the posture of the transport auxiliary body 16 in the standby position, and ribs 78 (a-c).

Figures 28 and 29 are perspective views showing one side wall of the delivery passage 73 and the check valve 75. Figure 28 shows the check valve 75 in the hanging position, and Figure 29 shows the check valve 75 in the closed position.

Figure 30 shows the state in which the transport auxiliary body 16 is falling from the separation section 50 through the fall passage 71 into the delivery section 70, and Figure 32 shows the state in which the transport auxiliary body 16 is in the standby position in the delivery section 70. Figures 33 to 35 chronologically show how the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out from the standby position toward the beginning of the transport tube 12.

The check valve 75 is a plate-like member that is pivoted at its upper end by a shaft 75c (see Figures 28 and 29) in the passage width direction of the delivery passage 73 at a position adjacent to the upstream side (upstream side in terms of the air flow during delivery) of the opening at the lower end of the drop passage 71 and can swing. When hanging down, it is in a position (hanging position) that blocks the air flow intake from the air flow generating device 130, and when the air flow generating device 130 generates an air flow, it rotates downstream due to the action of the air flow to close the opening at the lower end of the drop passage 71. The rotation range of the check valve 75 ranges from the hanging position (see Figure 28) where it abuts against the intake port to the closing position (see Figure 29) where it blocks the opening at the lower end of the drop passage 71.

A weight may be attached to the check valve 75 so that it quickly returns to the hanging position when the airflow generating device 130 stops, and does not prevent the conveying aid 16 from falling. The weight may be attached to the tip of the check valve 75.

The check valve 75 in the hanging position functions as one of the side walls (the upstream side wall) that regulates the position of the transport auxiliary 16 so that the transport auxiliary 16 that has fallen through the fall passage 71 is stably held in an appropriate position at the waiting position (see Figures 30 and 32). In this function, the weight mentioned above plays a role in stabilizing the check valve 75 in the hanging position (the position that acts as a wall regulating the position) when the air flow is stopped.

As shown in Figures 28 and 29, the check valve 75 has a lid 75a that closes the opening at the lower end of the drop passage 71, and an extension 75b that extends from the lid 75a. In this embodiment, the extension 75b of the check valve 75 is long enough that when the check valve 75 is in a hanging position in front of the air flow inlet, the tip of the extension 75b reaches the center of the lower large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary body 16 waiting in the waiting position (see Figure 32).

The extension 75b has a length and shape suitable for pushing the transport auxiliary 16 in the standby position in the delivery direction with the tip of the extension 75b when the check valve 75 rotates from a hanging position to a blocking position where it blocks the opening at the lower end of the drop passage 71 due to the action of air flow. Figure 33 shows the state in which the transport auxiliary 16 is pushed out by the tip of the check valve 75 at the start of delivery. When pushing out the transport auxiliary 16, the position where the tip of the extension 75b first comes into contact with the transport auxiliary 16 is preferably at least below the center of the transport auxiliary 16 in the axial direction.

The guide roller 76 is a circular rotating body that rotates on an axis perpendicular to a plane including the sending direction and falling direction of the transport auxiliary body 16. It is supported on the axis downstream of the sending direction of the outlet of the drop passage, in a position where it contacts the side of the transport auxiliary body 16 as it falls from the outlet, and contacts the transport auxiliary body 16 from above as it is being sent into the transport pipe, and regulates the position of the transport auxiliary body 16 as it falls and is sent out.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 28, the guide roller 76 is a circular plate-shaped member several mm thick, and is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 76a that is vertically installed on the side wall of the delivery passage 73. As shown in FIG. 31, the pair of left and right guide rollers 76 are supported at a position where they abut from the downstream side in the delivery direction on the side of the outer circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 that falls through the fall passage 71, and at a position where the lowest point of the guide roller 76 contacts from above the upper surface of the upper large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 that is delivered from the standby position toward the transport pipe 12, as shown in FIG. 33. As a result, the guide roller 76 functions to regulate the posture and fall position of the transport auxiliary 16 that falls through the fall passage 71, and to correct the posture of the transport auxiliary 16 when it is delivered from the standby position.

A posture guide member 77 is attached to the side wall of the delivery passage 73 to stably maintain the posture of the transport auxiliary 16 in the standby position (see Figure 29). The posture guide member 77a abuts against the outer periphery of the large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 in the standby position to regulate the posture. The posture guide member 77b abuts against the underside of the lower large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 from below to regulate the posture. The posture guide member 77c abuts against the outer periphery of the lower head portion 16a of the transport auxiliary 16 to regulate the posture.

Rib 78 corresponds to ribs 34, 35 (see Figures 5 and 7) of conveying pipe 12. As shown in Figure 32, the lowest rib 78c starts near conveying auxiliary body 16 in the standby position (position connected to posture guide member 77b) and extends to the downstream end of delivery passage 73. At the start of rib 78c, the top surface slopes downward toward the tip, and at the joint with posture guide member 77b, a step is formed where the top surface of the start of rib 78c is lower than the top surface of posture guide member 77b.

The starting end of rib 78b is set directly below the rotation axis of guide roller 76. The starting end of rib 78a is set slightly downstream of rib 78b, and is located just before it comes into contact with the circumferential surface of guide roller 76 from the upstream side.

A sensor 79 is provided on the wall of the delivery passage 73 to detect whether or not the transport aid 16 is present in the standby position (see Figure 18).

The paper sheet transport device 10 is in the initial state shown in FIG. 21, in which the separation section 50 with the opening/closing rib 52 closed captures the transport auxiliary body 16. When recovering the banknotes 6 discharged from the intake device 13 into the transport tube 12, it operates as follows.

In the initial state, the airflow generating device 130 is stopped, and the transport auxiliary body 16 is waiting while being captured by the separation section 50. First, when the intake device 13 detects a bill 6 discharged from the back of the game media lending machine 3, it takes in the bill 6 and inserts it into the transport tube 12. The control unit 43 periodically monitors the status of each intake device 13 by polling, and when it recognizes that a bill 6 has been taken in, it changes the opening/closing rib 52 of the separation section 50 from the closed state to the open state, and causes the transport auxiliary body 16 to fall through the fall passage 71 to the sending section 70.

As shown in Figures 30 and 31, when the transport auxiliary body 16 comes out from the lower end of the drop passage 71, its position is restricted from three directions by the left and right side walls of the delivery passage 73 (and the posture guide members 77 provided on the side walls) and the check valve 75 in the hanging position, and its position is restricted in the remaining one of the four directions by the guide roller 76, so that it falls to the delivery section 70 while maintaining the correct posture (a posture that is almost vertical without being tilted beyond a certain level). Since the guide roller 76 is a rotating body, even if the transport auxiliary body 16 comes into contact with it while falling, it rotates with the transport auxiliary body 16 and lets the transport auxiliary body 16 escape downward, preventing the transport auxiliary body 16 from getting caught on the guide roller 76.

When the control unit 43 recognizes through detection by the sensor 79 that the transport auxiliary 16 has moved normally to the delivery unit 70, it closes the opening and closing rib 52 and then activates the airflow generating device 130 to generate an airflow. Then, in response to the airflow sent in from the intake port, the check valve 75 of the delivery unit 70 begins to rotate toward the closed position. The transport auxiliary 16, which is in the standby position, begins to move toward the beginning of the transport pipe 12 due to the action of the airflow flowing in from the intake port and being pushed by the tip of the extension part 75b of the check valve 75 that has begun to rotate (see Figure 33).

At this time, the position of the transport auxiliary 16 is restricted by the rib 78c provided on the side wall of the delivery passage 73 and the guide roller 76, and the transport auxiliary 16 begins to move without tilting forward or backward more than a certain amount. For example, if the transport auxiliary 16 moves downstream and tries to float up, the upper surface of the upper large diameter portion 16c of the transport auxiliary 16 comes into contact with the guide roller 76 and the position is restricted. When the transport auxiliary 16 comes into contact with the guide roller 76, the guide roller 76 rotates to move the transport auxiliary 16 forward, so the transport auxiliary 16 can be sent out smoothly without getting caught and its position corrected.

When the transport aid 16 moves to the position shown in FIG. 34, it is then guided by ribs 78a to 78c and enters the transport pipe 12 in the correct position. The check valve 75 is acted upon by the air flow and moves to a closing position that closes the opening at the lower end of the drop passage 71 (FIG. 35), and remains in the closing position as long as the air flow continues, preventing the air flow from flowing back through the drop passage 71 to the separation section 50.

The transport auxiliary body 16 sent out from the sending section 70 transports the bills 6 on the way while pushing them from behind, and reaches the separation section 50. Since the opening and closing rib 52 of the separation section 50 is in a closed state, the transported bills 6 are guided by the rib 61 in the separation section passage 56a and the rib 54 and abutment claw 66 of the opening and closing rib 52, and pass through the separation section passage 56a in the correct posture, and further pass between the left and right abutment parts 64 and enter the recovery passage 111 of the recovery section 110, and stop when it hits the end of the recovery passage 111 (see FIG. 27). When the sensor 68a detects that the transport auxiliary body 16 has stopped by abutting against the abutment claw 66 of the abutment part 64 of the separation section 50, the control section 43 stops the air flow generating device 130. After that, the operation of storing the bills 6 in the recovery passage 111 in the storage section 90 is performed, and the initial state is returned to.

By performing the above operation each time a banknote 6 is collected, one transport auxiliary 16 is used cyclically. Note that, on the condition that no banknotes 6 have been taken into the take-in device 13 (no banknotes 6 have been taken into the transport tube 12), the transport auxiliary 16 waiting in the separation section 50 may be moved to the sending section 70, and then the air flow generating device 130 may be operated to execute an air flow generating device operation confirmation mode for confirming that the transport auxiliary 16 has returned to the separation section 50. The air flow generating device operation confirmation mode may be executed when the paper sheet transport device 10 is started, or may be executed at regular intervals (for example, every 30 minutes), or may be executed as a confirmation operation after an error such as a jam has been cleared.

Furthermore, the airflow generating device 130 may be operated while the transport auxiliary body 16 is waiting in the separation section 50, and it may be confirmed whether a signal indicating that the airflow generating device 130 has operated normally has been output. In this way, it is possible to prevent a situation in which the airflow generating device 130 does not operate and the transport auxiliary body 16 is unable to recover the banknotes even though the banknotes have been taken into the take-in device 13 and the transport auxiliary body 16 has fallen from the separation section 50.

In the separation section 50, the conveying auxiliary body 16 has a step in the direction in which it enters the separation section passage 56a, so that the step is reversed in the direction in which the captured conveying auxiliary body 16 tilts or moves toward the end of the conveying path, and the conveying auxiliary body 16 can be held in a stable position at the captured position. On the other hand, in the sending section 70, which sends out the conveying auxiliary body 16 that has fallen from the falling passage 71 to the beginning of the conveying tube 12, the step is in the sending direction so that the conveying auxiliary body 16 can be sent out smoothly without getting caught. Guide rollers 76 and the like are also provided. Therefore, in order to maintain the conveying auxiliary body 16 in a stable position for a long time, the separation section 50 is more suitable than the sending section 70.

In the paper sheet transport device 10 according to this embodiment, the transport auxiliary 16 is kept waiting in the separation section 50, and when the next paper sheet is transported, the transport auxiliary 16 waiting in the separation section 50 is moved to the delivery section 70 and an air flow is then generated, so that the transport auxiliary 16 can be held in a stable position in the separation section 50 until just before the next delivery. In addition, the air flow is generated after the transport auxiliary 16 falls from the separation section 50 to the delivery section 70 through the fall passage 71, so the fall is not impeded.

Furthermore, it is also possible to send only an air flow into the transport tube 12 while the transport aid 16 is still captured in the separation section 50, which can be used to resolve some obstacles. For example, if the transport aid 16 is held in the separation section 50, even if the position of the transport aid 16 becomes distorted while being held, an air flow can be generated for a short period of time before it falls, allowing the transport aid 16 to be returned to the correct captured position before it falls.

In addition, when the transport aid 16 is first set in the separation section 50, the airflow generator 130 can be used to blow air for a short period of time (e.g., about 10 seconds) to correct the position of the transport aid 16 to the correct position.

Next, we will explain the storage section 90 and the collection section 110.

As shown in Figures 24 and 36, the collection section 110 and the storage section 90 are integrated into a safe unit 150. Figure 36 is a perspective view showing the entrance of the collection passage 111 as viewed from the separation section 50 side. The collection section 110 is provided with a collection passage 111 that receives and stops the banknotes 6 that have passed through the separation section 50 (see Figure 27). The collection passage 111 is a hollow passage with a vertically long rectangular cross section. The collection passage 111 receives the banknotes 6 in a horizontally long position with the paper face upright. The passage length is slightly longer than the long side of the banknotes 6, and the end is an outlet 112 for the air flow that flows in from the separation section 50. The outlet 112 is provided with a stopper member 113 that abuts against the banknotes 6 arriving from the separation section 50 and stops them in the collection passage 111.

As shown in FIG. 16, one end of a connection duct 140 is connected to the exhaust port 112 at the end of the recovery passage 111, and the other end of the connection duct 140 is connected to the air supply port of the air flow generating device 130. In this example, the abutting member 113 is provided on the side of the connection duct 140 that is connected to the exhaust port 112 (see FIG. 41). In detail, the end of the connection duct 140 that is connected to the end of the recovery passage 111 is a terminal plate 142 equipped with an air flow suction port 141. The connection duct 140 is connected to the recovery passage 111 by aligning the positions of the suction port 141 and the exhaust port 112 and making the terminal plate 142 contact the end of the recovery passage 111. The abutting member 113 is provided on the terminal plate 142 so as to cross the suction port 141.

The abutment member 113 provided on the end plate 142 is provided so as to cross the exhaust port 112 at the end of the recovery passage 111 in the passage width direction at a position approximately in the center of the height direction of the recovery passage 111 when the connection duct 140 is connected to the recovery passage 111. Here, two abutment members 113 are provided at a predetermined interval in the height direction of the recovery passage 111.

27 and 41, the surface (contact surface) of the abutting member 113 against which the banknote 6 abuts has multiple protrusions spaced apart in a direction across the paper surface of the paper sheet (direction across the paper surface vertically or diagonally). Specifically, the unevenness is provided so that it undulates with the passage width direction as the wavelength direction. When the banknote 6 that has entered the collection passage 111 from the separation section 50 abuts against the abutting member 113, the leading edge of the banknote 6 fits into one of the recesses, preventing the leading edge of the banknote 6 from sliding in the passage width direction upon impact and stabilizing the stopping position of the banknote 6.

The height of the protrusions should be 0.5mm to 1mm, preferably 1mm, so long as the leading edge of the banknote is caught. The spacing between the protrusions should be 3mm to 5mm, preferably 4mm, and the width of the protrusions should be as small as possible while still ensuring strength. Note that the height, spacing, and width of the protrusions are not limited to these. Furthermore, the direction in which the multiple protrusions cross the discharge outlet 112 at the end of the recovery passage 111 is not limited to straight across, but may be diagonal or zigzag, etc., as long as they are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the passage.

One side wall of the recovery passage 111 (first side wall 115) forms the boundary with the storage section 90 and is composed of an upper first side wall 115a and a lower first side wall 115b separated vertically, with an opening 115c between them for pushing the banknotes 6 in the recovery passage 111 into the storage section 90 (see Figures 37, 40, and 44). Figure 37 is a perspective view showing a storage assembly 152 in which the storage section 90 and the first side wall 115 of the recovery passage 111 are integrated.

Figure 38 is a perspective view showing the pressing assembly 151, and Figure 39 is a perspective view showing a part of the pressing assembly 151 disassembled. The other side wall (second side wall 117) of the recovery passage 111 includes a movable wall 117a that can be displaced to be able to advance into the storage section 90 through the opening 115c, a fixed rod-shaped upper second side wall 117b with a rectangular cross section that constitutes the second side wall 117 above the movable wall 117a, and a fixed rod-shaped lower second side wall 117c with a rectangular cross section that constitutes the second side wall 117 below the movable wall 117a (see Figures 38, 39, and 44).

Figure 59 shows the front and D-D cross section of the movable wall 117a. The movable wall 117a is composed of multiple ribs 118b standing on a base plate 118a parallel to the first side wall 115. The ribs 118b stand vertically from the base plate 118a toward the inside of the recovery passage 111 and extend long in the passage length direction of the recovery passage 111 (over the entire length of the second side wall 117). The multiple ribs 118b are arranged parallel to each other at intervals in the passage height direction, forming grooves between them. The height of the ribs 118b from the base plate 118a is zero at the start end on the entrance side of the recovery passage 111, and the height gradually increases from the start end to the terminal end in a predetermined range (near the entrance of the recovery passage 111, for example, within a range of about 5 cm from the entrance), and then extends to the terminal end at a constant height. The part where the height gradually increases is called the increased height area.

The height of the rib 118b (the height of the part that extends to the end at a certain height) is about 10 mm, the thickness is about 2 mm, and the width of the groove is about 10 mm. The height of the rib 118b is preferably 9 mm to 10 mm, the thickness of the rib 118b is preferably 1.5 mm to 2 mm, and the width of the groove is preferably 5 mm to 6 mm.

A groove between the ribs 118b near the entrance of the recovery passage 111 is provided with a sloped surface 119 that bends the airflow flowing in from the separation section 50 side so that it faces the paper surface of the bill in the passage. When the airflow flowing in from the separation section 50 hits the sloped surface 119, it changes its course from a direction flowing downstream along the paper surface to a direction flowing diagonally downstream toward the paper surface. The flow of the airflow and the bill are added to the cross-sectional view of Figure 59. Here, the sloped surface 119 is provided between the ribs 118b in the height increase region and is not allowed to go beyond the top of the rib 118b to the inside of the passage. In the embodiment, the sloped surface 119 is provided in a range of about 1/4 of the end side of the height increase region of the rib 118b, and is a slope that starts at zero height and is inclined at an angle that becomes the same height as the top of the rib 118b near the end of the height increase region.

The number, position, range, and angle of inclination of the sloped portions 119 are not limited to the above, and may be any as long as the effect of bending the path of the airflow flowing into the recovery passage 111 so that the airflow is directed toward the paper surface of the bill in the recovery passage is obtained. For example, the sloped portions 119 may be provided in any range within the height-increasing region. The start of the sloped portions 119 may be the start of the recovery passage 111, as with the rib 118b, or may be downstream from that. In addition, the end of the sloped portions 119 is not limited to the end of the height-increasing region, and may end closer to the start. Furthermore, the sloped portions 119 may be curved or flat. Figure 60(a) illustrates a sloped portion 119 with a gentler slope than that of Figure 59.

The sloped surface 119 may be provided downstream of the height increase area, or may be provided downstream from the height increase area. The sloped surface 119 is not limited to being provided near the entrance of the recovery passage 111, but may be provided downstream of the entrance of the recovery passage 111, or, as shown in FIG. 60(b), another sloped surface 119b may be provided downstream of the sloped surface 119 provided near the entrance of the recovery passage 111.

Also, as shown in FIG. 60(c), the rib 118b and the sloped portion 119 may be integrated, for example, so that the entire height-increasing region is the sloped portion 119. The sloped portion 119 may be provided on the first side wall 115 side near the entrance of the recovery passage 111, or on both side walls.

The sloped portion 119 has the effect of guiding the banknote 6 to the end of the recovery passage 111. If the sloped portion 119 is not provided, the banknote 6 that has entered the recovery passage 111 from the separation section 50 may not reach the end of the recovery passage 111. In this state, if the movable wall 117a is advanced to store the banknote 6 in the storage section 90, the rear end of the banknote 6 will not enter the opening 115c properly and will be folded.

In other words, when the transport auxiliary body 16 is captured by the separation section 50, the banknote 6 is no longer pushed by the transport auxiliary body 16, and must directly receive the force moving downstream from the air flow. However, since the air flow is parallel to the surface of the banknote 6, it is difficult for the banknote 6 to receive force from the air flow.

In particular, when the transport aid 16 is trapped in the separation section 50, the transport aid 16 impedes the flow of air, weakening the air flow in the recovery passage 111 downstream of the separation section 50, making the above-mentioned obstructions more likely to occur.

When the inclined surface 119 is provided, the path of the airflow flowing in from the separation unit 50 side is bent from a direction flowing parallel to the paper surface of the banknote to a direction toward the paper surface (diagonally downstream direction), so that the diagonally downstream airflow hits the paper surface of the banknote 6 and moves the banknote 6 downstream. This movement is a few centimeters until the leading edge of the banknote 6 reaches the abutment member 113 at the end of the recovery passage 111, and it is sufficient to move the banknote 6 forward little by little. The inclined surface 119 is provided at a position where the banknote 6 can be moved downstream until the leading edge of the banknote reaches the abutment member 113. Specifically, it is preferable to provide the inclined surface 119 so that the rear end of the banknote whose leading edge has reached the abutment member 113 is upstream of the end of the inclined surface 119 (the end on the abutment member 113 side).

A sensor may be provided to directly confirm that the leading edge of the banknote 6 has reached the abutment member 113 at the end of the recovery passage 111, but it may also be possible to estimate that the leading edge of the banknote 6 has reached the abutment member 113 at the end of the recovery passage 111 by waiting a predetermined time after the sensor detects that the transport auxiliary 16 has reached the separation section 50. In the embodiment, the operation of storing the banknote from the recovery passage 111 to the storage section 90 is controlled to start 2 to 3 seconds after the sensor 68c detects that the transport auxiliary 16 has reached the separation section 50.

Also, as shown in Figure 59, if a slope 119 with a slope greater than the slope of the rib 118b is provided in the groove between the ribs 118b in the height-increasing region, even if the banknote 6 sticks to the top of the rib 118b, air flows in the groove between the ribs 118b, and the air flow changes direction at the slope 119 and hits the paper surface of the banknote 6. Therefore, the slope of the above configuration can more appropriately ensure the conveying force by the air flow compared to a slope of the configuration shown in Figure 60 (c) (configuration without a groove) in which the rib 118b and the slope 119 are integrated.

In addition, even in the area downstream of the height increase area, the grooves formed between the multiple ribs 118b ensure an air flow path on the movable wall 117a side of the paper surface of the banknote 6 in the recovery passage 111 (an air flow path is ensured even if the banknote sticks to the rib 118b). Therefore, air flows on both sides of the paper surface of the banknote 6, allowing the banknote 6 to be smoothly guided to the end of the recovery passage 111. Furthermore, providing the rib 118b reduces the contact area between the movable wall 117a and the banknote 6, reducing resistance and making it easier to bring the banknote 6 to the end of the recovery passage 111.

The ribs 118b and the sloped surface 119 need only be provided on a wall surface facing the paper surface of the paper sheets in the collection passage 111, and are not limited to the movable wall 117a. For example, they may be formed on a fixed wall surface, rather than a moving wall surface like the movable wall 117a.

The recovery section 110 further has a displacement mechanism 120 that displaces the movable wall 117a. The displacement mechanism 120 is composed of a motor and a link that converts its rotation into a linear reciprocating motion that moves the movable wall 117a forward and backward. The movable wall 117a moves forward and backward in the passage width direction of the recovery passage 111, thereby displacing between the storage position shown in Figures 38 and 43 and a pushed-in position (see Figure 44(c)) where it has advanced into the storage section 90 through the opening 115c.

The length of the movable wall 117a in the height direction of the recovery passage 111 is slightly shorter than the length of the opening 115c in the height direction of the recovery passage 111, and the center position of the movable wall 117a in the height direction of the recovery passage coincides with the center position of the opening 115c in the height direction of the recovery passage.

The pressing assembly 151 shown in FIG. 38 is an assembly that integrates the second side wall 117 of the recovery passage 111 of the recovery section 110 with the displacement mechanism section 120, and FIG. 39 is a perspective view showing the movable wall 117a separated from the upper second side wall 117b and lower second side wall 117c of the second side wall 117 in FIG. 38. FIG. 40 shows the portion (guide member 157) of the recovery passage 111 that is attached to the storage section 90 side. The guide member 157 is a member that forms the first side walls 115a, 115b and the upper and lower walls 126, 127 of the recovery passage 111.

Of the second side walls 117, the upper second side wall 117b and the lower second side wall 117c, which are shaped like a rectangular rod in cross section, extend beyond the abutting member 113 and into the suction port 141 provided in the end plate 142 of the connection duct 140, as shown in Figures 16, 27, and 41. This prevents the leading end of the bill 6 from getting between the end of the recovery passage 111 and the end plate 142 of the connection duct 140. Figure 41 is a perspective view showing the connection duct 140, with the upper second side wall 117b and the lower second side wall 117c noted.

Even if the manufacturing precision is improved, a gap will inevitably occur between the end of the recovery passage 111 and the end plate 142 on the connection duct 140 side. Therefore, if the abutting member 113 is not provided with any unevenness and the upper second side wall 117b and the lower second side wall 117c are terminated at or just before the end of the recovery passage 111 as shown in FIG. 42, when the banknote 6 collides with the abutting member 113, the leading edge of the banknote 6 may slip on the abutting surface of the abutting member 113 that has no unevenness, and may enter the gap between the end of the recovery passage 111 and the end plate 142 of the connection duct 140 and be pinched.

In the separation, recovery, and delivery device 40 according to this embodiment, the unevenness of the abutting member 113 prevents the leading end of the bill 6 from sliding sideways on the contact surface, and the upper second side wall 117b and the lower second side wall 117c are extended beyond the abutting member 113 into the suction port 141 of the connection duct 140, so that the leading end of the bill 6 that abuts against the contact surface of the abutting member 113 is blocked by the upper second side wall 117b and the lower second side wall 117c and does not enter and become pinched in the gap between the end of the recovery passage 111 and the end plate 142 of the connection duct 140.

As shown in FIG. 27, the start end (end on the separation section 50 side) of the second side wall 117 (117a-117c) of the recovery passage 111 is located outside the passage width direction of the banknote 6 passing area formed between the pair of left and right abutment claws 66 of the separation section 50, and the connection with the adjacent abutment claw 66 on the upstream side is a step in the passage width direction. The second side wall 117 is inclined in a direction approaching the first side wall 115 in a predetermined range of the start end, and when the wall surface approaches the center of the passage width (the center position in the passage width direction of the passing area between the pair of left and right abutment claws 66), it becomes parallel to the passage length direction and extends to the end. In other words, the second side wall 117 narrows the actual passage width of the recovery passage 111 to approximately half that of the first side wall 115 side, suppressing the inclination of the vertical posture of the banknote 6.

The start ends (ends on the separation section 50 side) of the upper first side wall 115a and the lower first side wall 115b constituting the first side wall 115 are located outside the passage width direction of the banknote 6 passing area formed between the pair of left and right abutment claws 66, and the connection with the adjacent abutment claws 66 on the upstream side is a step in the passage width direction. The first side wall 115 is inclined so as to approach the second side wall 117 side in a small range of the start end, and when the wall surface approaches a position closer to the center until it is slightly outside the passage area, it then becomes parallel to the passage length direction and extends to the end. The wall surface position in the passage width direction of the first side wall 115 in the part parallel to the passage length direction is the same as the tip of the rib 61 formed on the side wall 57 on the same side as the first side wall 115 of the separation section passage 56a. The first side wall 115, like the second side wall 117, narrows the effective passage width of the recovery passage 111 to suppress the inclination of the vertical posture of the banknote 6.

As shown in FIG. 17, FIG. 37, etc.,
The storage unit 90 has a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape for storing banknotes 6, and the front is an opening/closing door 91. The storage unit 90 and the recovery passage 111 are adjacent to each other and integrated via a first side wall 115 of the recovery passage 111 (one side wall of the recovery passage facing one side of the stopped paper sheets). The side of the storage unit 90 on the recovery passage 111 side is open, and the boundary between the storage unit 90 and the recovery passage 111 is the first side wall 115 on the recovery passage 111 side, and the storage unit 90 and the recovery passage 111 communicate with each other via an opening 115c of the first side wall 115.

Figure 43 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the recovery passage 111 and the storage unit 90 at a position corresponding to line C-C in Figure 13. Inside the storage unit 90, there is provided a pressing plate 92 for pressing the side of the stored banknote 6 toward the first side wall 115 of the recovery passage 111, and a spring 94 for biasing the pressing plate 92 toward the first side wall 115 of the recovery passage 111.

A rubber plate 96 is attached to the surface of the first side wall 115 (upper first side wall 115a, lower first side wall 115b) of the recovery passage 111 facing the storage section 90. The pressure plate 92 has a base 92a pressed by a spring 94, an upper pressure part 92b that extends diagonally upward and forward from the upper part of the base 92a (forward: recovery passage 111 side) and has a tip part abutting on the rubber plate 96 of the upper first side wall 115a, and a lower pressure part 92c that extends diagonally downward and forward from the lower part of the base 92a and has a tip part abutting on the rubber plate 96 of the lower first side wall 115b. The other end of the spring 94 is attached to the side wall of the storage section 90. As shown in FIG. 37, a U-shaped notch 92d is provided at both ends of the base 92a of the pressure plate 92 in the passage length direction of the recovery passage.

Figures 44 and 45 are explanatory diagrams showing an outline of the operation when banknotes 6 stopped in the collection passage 111 of the collection unit 110 are stored in the storage unit 90. Like Figure 43, Figures 44 and 45 show an outline of a cross section of the collection passage 111 and storage unit 90 at a position corresponding to line C-C in Figure 13.

Figure 44 (a) shows a state in which several bills 6 have been stored in the storage unit 90 and the next bill 6 to be stored has arrived at the recovery passage 111. When the bill 6 in the recovery passage 111 is stored in the storage unit 90, the movable wall 117a advances into the storage unit 90, and when it reaches the push-in position shown in Figure 44 (c), it starts to retreat and returns to the storage position shown in Figure 45 (a), completing the series of operations.

As shown in FIG. 44(b), when the banknote 6 is pushed by the movable wall 117a and passes through the opening 115c of the first side wall 115, the upper and lower ends of the banknote 6 come into contact with the upper first side wall 115a and the lower first side wall 115b, causing the banknote 6 to curve, and when the banknote 6 has passed through, the curve returns to its original state and becomes flat (FIG. 44(c)). After that, when the movable wall 117a retreats from the pushing position toward the storage position, the pressing plate 92 pressed by the spring 94 moves toward the recovery passage 111 together with the movable wall 117a while sandwiching the banknote 6 between the movable wall 117a and the pressing plate 92.

As shown in FIG. 45(a), the movable wall 117a passes through the opening 115c and returns to the storage position, and the bill 6, which has returned to its flat state and has no bent shape, comes into contact with the rubber plate 96 on the upper first side wall 115a and the rubber plate 96 on the lower first side wall 115b at both its upper and lower ends, and is sandwiched between the first side wall 115 (115a, 115b) and the pressure plate 92.

When an operator removes the bills 6 stored in this manner from the storage unit 90, the operator opens the door 91 of the storage unit 90 and uses the notch 92d provided in the pressure plate 92 to pinch the bills 6 with his/her fingers and remove them. If one or more bills 6 are stored, as shown in FIG. 44(a) and FIG. 45(a), the opening 115c of the first side wall 115 of the recovery passage 111 is blocked by the bills 6 sandwiched between the pressure plate 92 and the rubber plate 96, so that the airtightness of the boundary between the recovery passage 111 and the storage unit 90 is ensured even if the pressure plate 92 has the notch 92d. Therefore, the suction force of the airflow generating device 130 when sucking in the airflow from the end of the recovery passage 111 can be maintained high, and the transport auxiliary body 16 and the bills 6 can be transported at high speed and stably.

After the storage position shown in FIG. 45(a) is reached, the movable wall 117a may be advanced again to the position shown in FIG. 45(b) to define the end position of the storage operation. If the state shown in FIG. 45(a) is defined as the end of the storage operation, when opening the door 91 of the storage unit 90 to remove the banknotes 6, the fingers (the fingers on the side opposite the notch 92d) will hit the wall member at the boundary between the recovery passage 111 and the storage unit 90, making it difficult to remove the banknotes 6. If the storage operation is ended in the position shown in FIG. 45(b), there is nothing to obstruct the fingers removing the banknotes 6, making it easy to remove the banknotes 6.

As described above, when the air flow is discharged from the discharge port 112 at the end of the recovery passage 111, the banknotes 6 that have entered the recovery passage 111 are stopped by abutting against the abutting member 113, and the air flow is then stopped, thereby recovering the banknotes 6 and separating them from the air flow, so that the banknotes 6 can be separated from the air flow and recovered with a simple configuration.

In addition, the paper surface of the banknote 6 stopped in the collection passage 111 is pushed and moved in the passage width direction by the movable wall 117a, so that the banknote is stored directly from the stopped position into the storage section 90. This simplifies the storage mechanism compared to when the banknote is transported to the safe using a belt transport or the like, and reduces the causes of breakdowns and banknote jams.

As shown in FIG. 43, the height of the recovery passage 111 is greater than the height of the banknotes 6 to allow for clearance, and the banknotes 6 stopped in the recovery passage 111 are biased downwards with their lower edges touching the bottom surface of the recovery passage 111 due to their own weight, so there is a misalignment between the height center of the recovery passage 111 and the height center of the banknotes 6 in the passage.

However, in order for the banknote 6 to be pushed from the recovery passage 111 into the storage section 90 through the opening 115c of the first side wall 115, it is desirable that the center position in the height direction of the banknote 6 coincides with the center position in the height direction of the opening 115c of the first side wall 115. For this reason, the length in the passage height direction of the upper first side wall 115a is made longer than the length in the passage height direction of the lower first side wall 115b.

The upper pressing portion 92b and the lower pressing portion 92c of the pressing plate 92 are sized and shaped to correspond to the upper first side wall 115a and the lower first side wall 115b on which the rubber plate 96 that they come into contact with is provided.

Next, we will explain the flexibility of installing the separation, recovery and delivery device 40.

As shown in Figure 46, the door 46 of the storage box 41 of the separation, recovery and sending device 40 can be used to open either to the right or to the left by inverting it up and down with respect to the main body of the storage box 41. In either case, the window 46a is provided at a position symmetrical with respect to the center of the door from the top to the bottom and the center of the door from the left to the right so that the display of the control unit 43 can be seen. The window 46a that is not used is covered with a cover member.

Also, as shown in FIG. 47, two separation, recovery and delivery devices 40 may be used side by side, with two storage boxes 41 placed adjacent to each other. In this case, too, the periphery of the door 46 is chamfered to form a 45-degree inclined surface so that the door 46 can be opened up to 90 degrees.

In addition, by changing the orientation and assembly method of some parts, the main unit 42 of the separation, recovery, and delivery device 40 can be used in both a right specification in which the storage section 90 is located on the right side of the recovery section 110 (see Figures 48(a) and (b)), and a left specification in which the storage section 90 is located on the left side of the recovery section 110 (see Figure 48(c)).

The separation, recovery and delivery device 40 is composed of a storage box 41 and a main unit 42, which are separate entities and are attached to the end plate 18 individually. The main unit 42 can also be changed to a right- or left-handed version, allowing for a variety of installation methods, as shown in Figure 48.

Figure 48(a) shows a storage box 41 with the door 46 opening to the right, with the right-hand specification main unit 42 attached to the left side. Figure 48(b) shows a storage box 41 with the door 46 opening to the left, with the right-hand specification main unit 42 attached to the right side. Figure 48(c) shows a storage box 41 with the door 46 opening to the left, with the left-hand specification main unit 42 attached to the right side.

For example, if the separating, recovering, and sending device 40 shown in FIG. 48(c) is installed adjacent to the left side of the separating, recovering, and sending device 40 shown in FIG. 48(a), the two conveying pipes 12 connected to these two separating, recovering, and sending devices 40 can be installed as close to each other as possible, making it possible to reduce the island width of the gaming machine island 2 that is configured to have two banknote conveying paths side by side.

The right and left specifications can be recombined as follows:

As shown in FIG. 49, the connection duct 140 is formed by combining a lower duct 144, an upper duct 145, upper and lower connection plates 146, and an end plate 142. The lower duct 144 is a duct that extends downward from one end of a rectangular first opening 144a facing upward, then bends 90 degrees to reach a second opening 144b at the other end that is connected to the air intake port of the airflow generating device 130. The upper duct 145 is a duct with a rectangular cross section, one end closed and the other end open, with one side open, and the end plate 142 is fitted into the open side to combine them.

The upper and lower connecting plates 146 are plate-like members that cover the first opening 144a of the lower duct 144, and have a rectangular cutout 146a at one corner that corresponds to the opening at the lower end of the upper duct 145 combined with the end plate 142, and the lower end of the combined end plate 142 and upper duct 145 are screwed in place with the cutout 146a aligned with the opening at the lower end.

The end plate 142 is a rectangular plate-like member with a rectangular cutout 142a at one corner, which serves as the suction port 141 that connects to the end of the recovery passage 111, and is equipped with an abutment member 113 that protrudes into the cutout 142a. The abutment member 113 has projections (protrusions) formed on both the front and back sides.

For the right-side connection duct 140, the upper and lower connection plates 146 are turned over and the position of the notch 146a is reversed between left and right, and combined with the lower duct 144, and the end plate 142 is turned over and combined with the upper duct 145 with the position of the notch 142a reversed between left and right, and the upper duct 145 side and the lower duct 144 side are connected to form the left-side connection duct 140.

Figure 50 shows an overview of the process of reassembling the safe unit 150 from a right-hand specification to a left-hand specification. Figure 50(a) shows the assembled state of the right-hand specification safe unit 150, (b) shows the disassembled state of the right-hand specification safe unit 150, (c) shows the disassembled state of the left-hand specification safe unit 150, and (d) shows the assembled state of the left-hand specification safe unit 150.

<First step>
The safe unit 150 is disassembled into a pressing assembly 151 in which the second side wall 117 of the collection unit 110 and the displacement mechanism unit 120 are integrated, and a storage assembly 152 in which the first side wall 115 side of the collection unit 110 and the storage unit 90 are integrated. In addition, a fullness detection assembly 153 consisting of a sensor that detects whether the storage unit 90 is full of banknotes 6 and its support member, and a lock mechanism assembly 154 for locking the door 91 of the storage unit 90 are removed from the storage assembly 152 (see FIG. 50(b)).

<Second step>
(1) Reassembling the pressing assembly 151 from right-hand use to left-hand use As shown in Fig. 51, the second side wall 117 (the movable wall 117a, the upper second side wall 117b, and the lower second side wall 117c) are removed from the pressing assembly 151 (Fig. 51(b)), and are reassembled to the pressing assembly 151 in the reversed order (Fig. 51(c)). In addition, the clamp 155 attached to the mounting position for the right-hand use is removed, and is assembled to the mounting position for the left-hand use.

(2) Reassembling the storage assembly 152 from right-hand to left-hand specifications. As shown in FIG. 52, the guide members 157 such as the first side wall 115 attached to the storage section 90 side of the recovery passage 111 are removed, and the assembly is reassembled by turning it upside down.

As shown in FIG. 53, the pressure plate 92 of the storage unit 90 is temporarily removed, reassembled from the right-hand specification to the left-hand specification, and then reassembled in the storage unit 90. Specifically, the detection plate 158 that is the detection target of the full-pack detection sensor that was attached in the right-hand specification position and the handle 159 for manually moving the pressure plate 92 are temporarily removed from the pressure plate 92, and these are then attached in the left-hand specification position, after which the pressure plate 92 is reassembled in the storage unit 90.

As shown in FIG. 54, the full detection assembly 153 is reassembled from the right specification (FIG. 54(a)) to the left specification (FIG. 54(b)). Specifically, the sensor 153b attached to the support member 153a is temporarily removed, and the sensor 153b is returned to the left specification position and reassembled to the support member 153a.

<Third step>
As shown in FIG. 50(c), the storage assembly 152 is inverted up, down, left and right with respect to the right-hand specification orientation, and a full detection assembly 153 and a locking mechanism assembly 154 that have been modified to the left-hand specification are attached to it, and further a pressing assembly 151 that has been inverted left and right with respect to the right-hand specification orientation is attached.

As a result of the above, the left specification will be changed as shown in Figure 50 (d).

Next, we will explain the airflow enhancement unit 14.

Figure 55 is a perspective view showing the airflow enhancement unit 14, Figure 56 is a top view of the airflow enhancement unit 14, Figure 57 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 56, and Figure 58 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in Figure 56.

The airflow enhancing unit 14 is provided midway along the straight conveying pipe 12. The airflow enhancing unit 14 has a passage section 171 that is connected between the conveying pipes 12 and forms part of the conveying path, and a junction section 172 that is erected from the upper surface of the passage section 171 at an incline in the upward diagonal upstream direction (upstream direction of the conveying direction) and introduces the airflow from the auxiliary blower into the passage section 171. The junction section 172 is connected to the inside of the passage section 171, and has a junction base 172a that is a rectangular cross-sectional tube that extends from the middle of the passage section 171 at an incline in the upward diagonal upstream direction, and a cylindrical hose connection section 172b that is erected from the upper end of the junction base 172a at an incline further upward diagonally in the upstream direction. The hose connection section 172b is connected to an air blowing hose from the auxiliary blower.

As shown in FIG. 57, a shutter plate 173 that opens and closes to close the internal air passage below the hose connection part 172b is provided inside the junction base 172a. One end of the shutter plate 173 is rotatably supported on a shaft 174 provided upstream of the internal air passage in the conveying direction of the banknotes 6 in the passage part 171, and is biased by a spring in the direction to close the air passage. The shutter plate 173 opens when the air flow generated by the auxiliary blower is blown in from the hose connection part 172b.

The shutter plate 173 does not open to an angle where its bottom end is directly below the pivot shaft 174, and its rotation range is restricted so that the limit of its opening is an angle at which the bottom end of the shutter plate 173 is inclined from the pivot shaft 174 downstream in the conveying direction. When the shutter plate 173 receives the airflow flowing in from the hose connection part 172b, it takes on an inclined position when opened to its limit position, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 57, and guides the incoming airflow downstream in the conveying direction.

A passage sensor 175 is provided on the side wall of the passage 171 to detect the passage of the transport aid 16.

To make effective use of the space within the amusement facility, it is desirable to reduce the thickness of the gaming machine island 2, and there is little room in the thickness direction inside the gaming machine island. Since the airflow enhancement unit 14 blows air from above the passage portion 171, the air blower hose connected to the hose connection portion 172b is also connected from above, and the installation space in the thickness direction of the gaming machine island 2 can be reduced compared to when the air blower hose is connected from the side.

In addition, the airflow enhancing unit 14 blows the airflow into the passage 171 from above in a diagonal downstream direction (downstream in the conveying direction), so that the airflow can be efficiently amplified toward the downstream direction of the conveying pipe 12. Note that the airflow enhancing unit 14 may be configured, for example, to blow the airflow into the passage 171 from below in a diagonal downstream direction.

The merging of the airflow into the transport pipe by the airflow enhancement unit 14 is not limited to merging diagonally downstream from the top (or bottom) of the transport path. Airflow inlets may be provided on the left and right sides of the transport pipe 12, and the airflow from the auxiliary blower may be introduced from the side of the transport pipe to merge. Furthermore, the airflow inlet may be formed to straddle the top and side of the transport pipe 12, and the inlet may be provided at any point on the outer periphery of the transport pipe.

As shown in FIG. 58, the airflow enhancing unit 14 has ribs 176 similar to the ribs 34, 35 of the conveying tube 12 along the entire length of the passage section 171. The airflow enhancing unit 14 has a junction section 172 in the center of the entire length of the passage section 171, and the passage section 171 in the front and rear portions has the same shape as the conveying tube 12. The junction base 172a of the junction section 172 has the same inner shape as the conveying tube 12 in the portion corresponding to the expansion section 33 of the conveying tube 12 and the portion below it, and has the same air passage width as the expansion section 33 of the conveying tube 12 above the portion corresponding to the expansion section 33, and has a pair of partition walls 177 on the inside of the air passage that correspond to the left and right side wall portions 32 of the conveying tube 12.

The pair of partition walls 177 extend to the height of the shutter plate 173 in the closed position. The shutter plate 173 has notches 173a at locations corresponding to the pair of partition walls 177 to avoid this. When the shutter plate 173 is in the closed position, the notches 173a are blocked by the partition walls 177 to prevent air from leaking.

When the shutter plate 173 is opened, the outer portions of the pair of notches 173a come into contact with the inner wall of the junction base 172a, restricting the maximum opening angle.

The airflow enhancing unit 14 provides a pair of partition walls 177 within the junction base 172a of the junction 172, so that the inside of the banknote passage has the same inner shape as the inside of the conveying tube 12 over its entire length, allowing the banknotes 6 and conveying auxiliary body 16 to pass through while maintaining their proper posture.

The intake device 13 connected to the middle of the transport tube 12 has an opening for taking in banknotes 6, so even if a lid that opens only when taking in banknotes is provided, the air flow inside the transport tube is likely to leak out from the intake device 13. Therefore, it is preferable to provide the air flow enhancement unit 14 downstream of the intake device 13, preferably adjacent to the downstream side of the intake device 13. In addition, it is possible to install multiple air flow enhancement units 14 (for example, up to five units) in the middle of the transport tube 12.

The control of the operation of the airflow enhancement unit 14 is explained.

The auxiliary blower is activated when the passage of the transport auxiliary 16 is detected by the passage sensor 175. More specifically, the time required for the transport auxiliary 16 to reach the corresponding air flow enhancement unit 14 after being sent out from the sending section 70 is measured, and the required time plus α is preset as the mask time. If there are no obstructions such as clogging, the transport auxiliary 16 will pass through the corresponding air flow enhancement unit 14 before the mask time has elapsed after being sent out.

After the transport auxiliary body 16 is sent out, the air flow amplifying unit 14 operates the auxiliary blower to merge the air flows on the condition that the passage sensor 175 detects the passage of the transport auxiliary body 16 and the mask time has elapsed since the transport auxiliary body 16 was sent out.
・After the mask time has elapsed, or when passage is detected, the auxiliary blower is started either after passage is detected or when the mask time has elapsed.

The mask time serves to prevent the auxiliary blower from being activated when the passing sensor 175 of the air flow amplifying unit 14 detects the banknote 6 taken in by the take-in device 13, which may move in the conveying direction due to the action of the air flow, before the banknote 6 passes through the conveying auxiliary body 16.

The airflow enhancing unit 14 stops the auxiliary blower when it receives a stop command from the control unit 43 of the separation, recovery and sending device 40. For example, when the separation, recovery and sending device 40 detects the arrival of the transport auxiliary body 16, the control unit 43 transmits a stop command to each airflow enhancing unit 14.

The timing for stopping the auxiliary blower is not limited to this. For example, if multiple air flow amplification units 14 are provided along the conveying path, the auxiliary blower of the first air flow amplification unit 14 may be stopped on the condition that the second air flow amplification unit 14 downstream (one or more downstream) of the first air flow amplification unit 14 has started its auxiliary blower.

In addition, when a transport retry is performed after a transport error occurs, the auxiliary blower is operated when the mask time has elapsed, regardless of whether or not passage is detected. This is intended to move the banknote 6 and the transport auxiliary 16 to the end of the transport tube by blowing air from the auxiliary blower, even if an event occurs in which the passage sensor 175 of the air flow enhancement unit 14 cannot detect passage (the transport auxiliary 16 is transported at high speed).

The airflow enhancing unit 14 operates the auxiliary blower to blow in an airflow after the transport auxiliary 16 has passed, so when the bills 6 and transport auxiliary 16 pass, the shutter plate 173 is in a position to block the air inlet and does not impede the passage of the bills 6 and transport auxiliary 16. Also, when airflow is not being blown from the auxiliary blower, the shutter plate 173 blocks the air passage at the junction 172, preventing the airflow in the transport tube 12 from leaking out of the junction 172.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to that shown in the embodiment, and the present invention includes modifications and additions that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention.

The shape of the transport aid 16 is not limited to that exemplified in the embodiment. The shape of the transport tube 12 is also not limited to that exemplified in the embodiment. The inner shape may be any shape that corresponds to the shape of the transport aid 16.

In the embodiment, the paper sheet transport device 10 collects the banknotes 6 within the gaming machine island 2 to the separation, recovery and delivery device 40 at the end of the island, but this is not limited to this and the device may be used as a device that collects paper sheets from a wider area. For example, the device may be configured as a transport device for collecting the banknotes 6 from the safes of each gaming machine island 2 in an amusement center to the main safe in the office. Furthermore, the place of use is not limited to an amusement center and can be applied to any facility.

The separation, recovery, and sending device 40 may be configured as a separate device by extracting some of its functions. For example, in a paper sheet transport device that transports paper sheets by the action of air flow without using the transport auxiliary body 16, the separation unit 50 is unnecessary, and a device may be configured using the recovery unit 110 and storage unit 90 to separate the air flow from the paper sheets and store the paper sheets in a safe.

The gaming machine island 2 is not limited to the configuration accommodating the gaming machines 4 and gaming media lending machines 3 illustrated in the embodiment, but may be an gaming machine island accommodating medal lending machines and slot machines, etc. The paper sheets to be transported are not limited to banknotes.

2...Amusement machine island 3...Amusement media lending machine 4...Amusement machine 6...Banknote 10...Paper sheet transport device 12...Transport tube 12a...Outward path 12b...Turn section 12c...Return path 13...Intake device 14...Air flow enhancement unit 16...Transportation auxiliary body 16a...Head section 16b...Neck section 16c...Large diameter section 16d...Constricted section 18...End plate 31...Upper and lower wall sections 32...Side wall section 33...Expansion section 34...Separation wall (rib)
35...Rib 40...Separation, recovery and delivery device 41...Storage box 42...Main unit 43...Control unit 45...Support frame 46...Door 46a...Window 50...Separation unit 51...Transport pipe connection port 52...Opening and closing rib 53...Side wall 54 (a to e)...Rib 55...Bottom plate 56...Passage wall 56a...Separation unit passage 57...Side wall 58...Ceiling wall 59...Bottom wall 61 (a to e)...Rib 62 (a to e)...Slit 64...Abutment portion 65...Support plate 66 (a to f)...Abutment claw 68...Opening and closing drive unit 68a...Sensor (detects transport auxiliary body at supplementary position)
68b...sensor (banknote passage detection)
68c...Opening/closing sensor 70...Sending section 71...Dropping passage 72...Conveying pipe connection port 73...Sending passage 73a...Air flow intake port 75...Backflow prevention valve 75a...Cover section 75b...Extension section 75c...Axis 76...Guide roller 76a...Rotating shaft 77(a-c)...Posture guide member 78(a-c)...Rib 79...Sensor (for detecting conveying auxiliary body in standby position)
Description of the Related Art 90...Storage section 91...Door 92...Press plate 92a...Base 92b...Upper pressing section 92c...Lower pressing section 92d...Notch 94...Spring 96...Rubber plate 110...Collection section 111...Collection passage 112...Discharge port at end 113...Abutment member 115...First side wall 115a...Upper first side wall 115b...Lower first side wall 115c...Opening 117...Second side wall 117a...Moveable wall 117b...Upper second side wall 117c...Lower second side wall 118a...Base plate 118b...Rib 119...Slope section 120...Displacement mechanism section 126, 127...Upper and lower wall sections 130...Air flow generating device 140...Connecting duct 141...Suction port 142...End plate 142a...Notch portion 144...Lower duct 144a...First opening 144b...Second opening 145...Upper duct 146...Upper and lower connection plates 146a...Notch portion 150...Safe unit 151...Pressing assembly 152...Storage assembly 153...Full detection assembly 153a...Support member 153b...Sensor (full detection)
154... Lock mechanism assembly 155... Clamp 157... Guide member 158... Detection plate 159... Handle 171... Passage section 172... Junction section 172a... Junction base section 172b... Hose connection section 173... Shutter plate 173a... Notch 174... Shaft 175... Passage sensor 176... Rib 177... Partition wall Dx... Distance between reference flat sections of conveying pipe Dy... Inner dimension of conveying pipe in Y direction F... Extension direction of conveying pipe W... Passage width X... Passage width direction of conveying pipe Y... Height direction of conveying pipe

Claims (1)

A paper sheet conveying device that conveys paper sheets by pushing them from behind with a conveying auxiliary body that moves within the conveying pipe in response to an air flow within the conveying pipe,
a separation section provided at the end of the conveying tube, for passing the conveyed paper sheets downstream and for stopping the paper sheets by contacting the conveying auxiliary body;
a drop passage for dropping the transport auxiliary body stopped at the separation section downward;
a sending section provided at a start end of the conveying pipe for receiving the conveying auxiliary body that has fallen through the falling passage and for sending the received conveying auxiliary body into the conveying pipe by the action of an air flow;
having
a conveying auxiliary body that is kept waiting in the separation section, and when the next paper sheet is to be conveyed, the conveying auxiliary body that is waiting in the separation section is moved to the delivery section, and then the air flow is generated.