JP3721171B2 - Paper sheet feeder - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a paper sheet feeding device used in, for example, an optical character reading device or an optical image reading device.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As this type of paper sheet feeding device, there is known a paper hopper that has a hopper for loading paper sheets, takes out the sheets one by one from the hopper, and feeds them to an optical character reader or the like. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
[0003]
By the way, there is a case where a medical receipt is fed as a paper sheet, but when the description is full, additional receipts are attached in order. The number of additional receptors to be attached varies depending on the thing, but increases as the dosing period increases.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 4-276833
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, there has been a problem in feeding a so-called long-length receptor on which a number of additional receptors are attached. That is, when a long receptor is placed on the hopper, there is a possibility that the additional receptor on the rear end side in the paper feeding direction hangs down from the hopper and the receptor falls due to its weight.
[0006]
For this reason, conventionally, an operator has to feed paper while supporting an additional receptor on the rear end side in the paper feeding direction from the lower side, which is very troublesome.
[0007]
Therefore, it is considered to prevent the receipt from dropping by supporting the additional receptacle hanging from the hopper with the tray. However, in this case, the tray is required for exclusive use, and there is a problem that the cost is increased. is there.
[0008]
The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to support and feed well without using a dedicated tray even when feeding long paper sheets. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet feeder capable of paper.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that a first paper feeding unit that places a paper sheet on a placement unit and feeds the paper sheet placed on the placement unit; , provided in the sheet feeding direction downstream side of the mounting portion of the first sheet feeding means, feeding the paper sheet elongated sheet to large the length of the sheet feed direction than by manual feed A second paper feeding means for paper, and the second paper feeding means has an inclined hopper that is inclined so that a leading end of the long paper sheet in the manual feed direction is lowered. The rear end portion is positioned higher than the placement portion of the first paper feed means, and is provided so as not to overlap the placement portion in the vertical direction, and is manually fed to the second paper feed means. The long paper sheet is supported at its rear end in the paper feeding direction by the placing portion of the first paper feeding means.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an internal configuration of a paper sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and this paper sheet processing apparatus includes an optical reading device 1 and a sorter device 2. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the optical reader 1.
[0011]
The reading apparatus 1 has an apparatus main body 3, and a hopper table 4 as a mounting portion is provided on one side upper side of the apparatus main body 3. On the hopper table 4, a large number of medical receipts 6 of various sizes as paper sheets are placed in an upright state. The receptor 6 is placed in an inclined state so that its upper end side is inclined rearward.
[0012]
On the hopper table 4, a guide body 5 that supports the receptor 6 is provided slidably along the delivery direction of the receptor 6. A first feeder section 7 for feeding the receptor 6 into the apparatus main body 3 is provided on the delivery side of the receptor 6 of the hopper table 4. The first feeder unit 7 includes a pickup roller 8, a delivery roller 9, and a separation roller 10. Further, the hopper table 4 is provided with a detection switch 61 as a first discriminating means for discriminating the presence or absence of the receptor 6. The hopper table 4 and the first feeder unit 7 constitute a first paper feeding unit 11 as a first paper feeding unit.
[0013]
On the upper side in the apparatus main body 3, a main conveyance path 12 that conveys the receptor 6 sent out from the first feeder unit 7 is provided. A large number of transport roller pairs 13, detection sensors 14, and the like are arranged in the main transport path 12 over the transport direction of the receptor 6.
[0014]
In addition, a manual paper feed unit 17 as a second paper feed unit for manually feeding a long-size receptor (long paper sheet) to be described later is provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 3. The manual paper feed unit 17 includes an inclined hopper 21 on which a manually inserted long receptor is placed, and a guide path 18 that guides the placed long receptor toward the main transport path 12. The inclined hopper 21 is provided with a detection switch 20 as a second discriminating unit for discriminating the presence or absence of a manually inserted long receptor. A paper feed roller pair 19 is provided in the guide path 18 as a second feeder section.
[0015]
A reading unit 22 that optically reads information recorded in the receipt is provided on the downstream side in the receipt conveyance direction of the junction between the guide path 18 and the main conveyance path 12. The reading unit 22 receives a pair of illumination lamps 23 and 24 that irradiate light to the receptor, first and second reflecting mirrors 26 and 27 that guide light reflected from the receptor in a predetermined direction, and receives the reflected light. And a light receiving sensor 28 for reading information. A numbering 29 for recording a number on the receipt is provided on the downstream side of the reading unit 22 in the receipt conveyance direction.
[0016]
The terminal end side of the main transport path 12 in the receipt transport direction is bent approximately 90 degrees downward along the inner surface of the apparatus body 3 and connected to the transport path 31 of the sorter apparatus 2.
The first and second branch conveyance paths 33 and 34 are connected to a portion bent substantially 90 degrees below the main conveyance path 12, and the first and second branch conveyances are received near the connection portion. First and second branch gates 36 and 37 for selectively guiding the paths 33 and 34 are provided.
[0017]
The first branch transport path 33 is provided horizontally along the main transport path 12, and a plurality of transport roller pairs 40 and detection sensors 41 are arranged in the first branch transport path 33 across the transport direction of the receptor. Has been. A stacking device 43 for stacking, for example, A3 size receptors is provided below the first branch transport path 33. The stacking device 43 includes a plurality of stacking units 43 a to 43 c arranged along the first branch transport path 33 with a predetermined interval.
[0018]
The first branch conveyance path 33 and the plurality of stacking units 43a to 43c are connected via guide paths 44a to 44c. Branch gates 45a and 45b are provided in the vicinity of the connecting portion between the first branch conveyance path 33 and the guide paths 44a and 44b, and the reception is selectively performed by turning the branch gates 45a and 45b. 43c is guided and accumulated.
[0019]
The second branch conveyance path 34 extends obliquely downward, and is connected to the long stacking device 51. A plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers 47 and detection sensors 48 are arranged in the second branch conveyance path 34 in the receipt conveyance direction. The long stacking device 51 is provided horizontally along the lower side of the stacking units 43a to 43c.
[0020]
On the other hand, the sorter device 2 described above is provided adjacent to the other side surface of the optical reader 1. The sorter device 2 includes a plurality of trays 53 arranged in the vertical direction, and for example, A4 size receptors are separately stored in these trays 53. As described above, the sorter device 2 has the conveyance path 31 connected to the terminal end of the main conveyance path 12 of the optical reading apparatus 1, and this conveyance path 31 is constituted by the horizontal conveyance path 31a and the vertical conveyance path 31b. ing. A plurality of transport roller pairs 55 are arranged in the horizontal transport path 31a and the vertical transport path 31b with a predetermined interval in the transport direction of the receipt. The vertical conveyance path 31b and the plurality of trays 53 are connected via a plurality of branch guide paths 57.
[0021]
Next, the receipt processing operation will be described.
First, a large number of receptors 6 are placed on the hopper table 4 in a standing position, and the first feeder unit 7 is operated. As a result, the pickup roller 8, the delivery roller 9 and the separation roller 10 are rotated, and the receptors 6 are separated one by one and sent out to the main conveyance path 12. The receptor 6 is nipped and conveyed along the main conveyance path 12 by the rotation of the conveyance roller pairs 13. Then, the size of the receptor 6 is detected by the detection sensor 14 during the conveyance, and after this detection, information is optically read by the reading unit 22. After this reading, the receipt 6 is further conveyed and sent to the numbering 29 where the number is recorded.
[0022]
When the size of the receipt 6 on which the number is recorded is, for example, A4 size, it is transported along the main transport path 12 and then sent to the transport path 31 of the sorter device 2. The receptor 6 sent to the transport path 31 is transported along the horizontal transport path 31a, then transported upward along the vertical transport path 31b, and a plurality of trays via a plurality of branch guide paths 57. 53 ... are collected on top of each other.
[0023]
Further, when the size of the receptor 6 is, for example, A3 size, it is sent to the first branch transport path 33 by the operation of the first branch gate 36 without being sent to the sorter device 2, and the stacking device 43 are accumulated in the respective accumulation units 43a to 43c.
Further, when the receipt 6 is long (for example, 1 m in length) manually fed from the manual paper feeding unit 17, the second branch gate 37 is operated to send it to the second branch conveyance path 34. And accumulated in the long accumulation device 51.
[0024]
By the way, the above-described manual sheet feeding unit 17 is provided on the downstream side in the sheet feeding direction of the first sheet feeding unit 11 as shown in FIG. 3, and a long receptor 6a as shown in FIG. 5 is manually inserted. It has become so.
The long receipt 6a is composed of a main slip (receipt) 6b and a follow-up paper (additional receipt) 6c that is sequentially attached to the main slip 6b.
[0025]
When the items described in the long slip 6a are full on the long receipt 6a, the continuation sheets 6c are pasted in order. However, there are several pasting patterns of the continuous paper 6c, and those relating to the present invention are of the type in which the continuous paper 6c is pasted one after another, and the broken line portion in the figure is the glued portion 6d.
[0026]
As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, this type of long receptor 6a is usually folded in the continuous paper 6c, and the number of the continuous paper 6c applied varies depending on the type, but increases as the dosing period increases.
[0027]
The manual sheet feeder 17 has an inclined hopper 21 on which the long receptor 6a to be manually inserted is placed as described above. The inclined hopper 21 descends toward the front end side in the manual feed direction of the long receptor 6a. The rear end side in the manual feed direction is at a position higher than the hopper table 4 of the first paper feeding unit 11.
[0028]
As a result, as shown in FIG. 4, when the long receptor 6 a is manually inserted along the inclined hopper 21 of the manual sheet feeder 17, the connection at the rear end side in the manual feed direction that protrudes from the manual sheet feeder 17. The paper 6 c is supported by the hopper table 4 of the first paper supply unit 11. Therefore, the continuous paper 6c of the long receptor 6a does not hang down and can be reliably prevented from falling.
[0029]
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the drive control system of the first paper feed unit 11 and the manual paper feed unit 17 as the second paper feed unit.
Presence / absence of the first discriminating means (detection switch) 61 for discriminating the presence / absence of the receptor 6 on the hopper table 4 of the first paper feeder 11 and the long receptor 6a on the inclined hopper 21 of the manual paper feeder 17. The second discriminating means (detection switch) 20 for discriminating is connected to the control device 63 via a transmission circuit. The control device 63 is connected to the first feeder section 7 of the first sheet feeding section 11 and the second feeder section (sheet feeding roller pair) 19 of the manual sheet feeding section 17 through a control circuit. The operation is controlled based on the discrimination results of the first and second discrimination means 61 and 20.
[0030]
Next, the above-described receipt sheet feeding operation will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
[0031]
When there is a reading start command (step S1), the presence or absence of the long receptor 6a on the inclined hopper 21 of the manual sheet feeder 17 is determined (step S2). If it is determined that there is a long receptor 6a on the inclined hopper 21, the second feeder portion 19 is operated to take in the long receptor 6a on the inclined hopper 21 (step S3).
[0032]
If it is determined in step S2 that there is no long receptor 6a on the inclined hopper 21, the presence or absence of the receptor 6 on the hopper table 4 of the first paper feeder 11 is determined (step S4). If it is determined that there is a receptor 6 on the hopper table 4, the first feeder section 7 is operated to take in the receptor 6 on the hopper table 4 (step S5).
[0033]
If it is determined in step S4 that there is no receptor 6 on the hopper table 4, the reading operation is stopped (step S6).
The long receptors 6a and 6 taken in Step 3 and Step 5 are sent to the reading unit 22 and information is read (Step S7). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the next receipt should be taken in (step S8). If it is judged that the next receipt should be taken, the process returns to step S2 and the above steps are repeated to continue the reading operation. . If it is determined in step 8 that it should not be taken in, the reading operation is stopped (step S9).
[0034]
As described above, according to this embodiment, the manual sheet feeding unit 11 as the second sheet feeding unit that feeds paper by manually feeding the long receptor 6 a is used as the sheet feeding direction of the first sheet feeding unit 11. In order to support the continuous paper 6c on the rear end side in the paper feeding direction of the long receptor 6a that is provided on the downstream side and is manually inserted into the manual paper feeder 17, the long receptor 6a is supported by the hopper table 4 of the first paper feeder 11. There is an advantage that the tray can be prevented from falling without requiring a separate tray for supporting the continuous paper 6c on the rear end side in the paper feeding direction, and the cost can be reduced.
[0035]
Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention supports the rear end side in the sheet feeding direction of the long sheets manually fed to the second sheet feeding unit by the placement unit of the first sheet feeding unit. In addition, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the long receipt from falling without requiring a dedicated tray and to reduce the cost.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram illustrating a paper sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing the optical character reader according to the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a first sheet feeding unit and a manual sheet feeding unit according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which a long receptor is manually inserted into the manual sheet feeder according to the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a long receptor read in the embodiment.
6 is a plan view showing a state in which an additional receptor of the long receptor of FIG. 5 is folded. FIG.
7 is a perspective view showing a state in which an additional receptor of the long receptor of FIG. 5 is folded. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a drive control system of a first paper feed unit and a manual paper feed unit according to the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a receipt paper feeding operation according to the embodiment;
[Explanation of symbols]
4 ... Hopper table (mounting part), 6 ... Receptacle (paper sheet), 6a ... Long-length receptor (long paper sheet), 6b ... This vote, 6c ... Continuation paper (additional receipt), 11 ... No. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 sheet feeder (1st sheet feeder), 17 ... Manual sheet feeder (2nd sheet feeder), 20 ... Detection switch (2nd discrimination means), 21 ... Inclined hopper, 63 ... Controller (Control means) 61... Detection switch (first discrimination means)

Claims (4)

A first paper feeding means for placing paper sheets on the placement section and feeding the paper sheets placed on the placement section;
The first paper feeding unit is provided on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction of the loading unit, and feeds paper by manually feeding a long paper sheet having a length in the paper feeding direction larger than that of the paper sheet. Second sheet feeding means
The second paper feeding means has an inclined hopper that inclines so that the leading end of the long paper sheet in the manual feed direction is lowered, and a rear end portion of the inclined hopper is mounted on the first paper feeding means. It is located higher than the placement part and is provided so as not to overlap the placement part in the vertical direction,
The long paper sheets manually fed to the second paper feeding means are supported at the rear end side in the paper feeding direction by the placing portion of the first paper feeding means. Paper device.   2. The paper sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the placement section of the first paper feeding means and the inclined hopper of the second paper feeding means are disposed along the paper feeding direction of the paper sheets.   First determination means for determining the presence / absence of paper sheets in the placement portion of the first paper supply means, and second determination for determining presence / absence of paper sheets in the inclined hopper of the second paper supply means 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to control a sheet feeding operation of the first sheet feeding unit and the second sheet feeding unit based on determination results of the first and second determination units. Paper sheet feeder.   The paper sheet feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the long paper sheet includes a receptor and a plurality of additional receptors added to the receptor.

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