JP4463143B2 - Medium transport mechanism and information processing apparatus including the medium transport mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a medium transport mechanism for transporting a single-cut medium, and an information processing apparatus including the medium transport mechanism.

  Payment systems using checks are widely used, mainly in Europe and the United States. In this payment system, various payments and remittances are performed by sending and receiving checks. The used check is finally brought into the bank for deposit and cashing.

  A large amount of checks are processed in a short period of time at each bank branch office. The bank clerk in charge checks the check itself, checks the date, verifies the signature, etc., then deposits and cashes, endorses the check, and issues a receipt as necessary. In addition, the bank employee asks the customer (check user) to present his / her license and ID card to verify his / her identity, and if necessary, obtain a copy of this license and ID card with a copier or check with a scanner. Read the images and keep them. In addition, when making check settlement between banks, the check actual product is physically transported for settlement processing.

  In recent years, attempts have been made to electromagnetically read and process checks to increase the efficiency of check processing. As part of this, attempts have been made to perform electromagnetic reading of checks at bank counters, and attempts to perform check settlement between banks using check image data instead of check actual item processing, which can be installed at counters. A small check processing device has also been proposed.

  This type of check processing apparatus normally reads information recorded on a check transport path for transporting a check to be processed, and on a check that has been transported on the check transport path. A first conveyance roller unit that is provided on the upstream side of the check conveyance path from the information reading unit and sends a check to the information reading unit, and a check that is provided on the downstream side of the check conveyance path from the information reading unit and reaches the information reading unit And a second transport roller section for feeding the ink further downstream.

  The information reading unit includes, for example, a scanner equipped with a CIS (contact image sensor) that captures an image of a check and a MICR (magnetic ink character reading) equipped with a magnetic head that reads character information recorded with magnetic ink. Device).

  In order to simplify the operation of putting a check into and out of the check processing apparatus, it has been proposed that the paper feed port and the paper discharge port are arranged on the front surface of the device and the check conveyance path is configured in a U shape. Further, in order to facilitate maintenance in the case of a paper jam or the like, it has been proposed that the check conveyance path is configured to convey the check in a vertical position. Further, it has been proposed that the first and second transport roller sections are configured to hold the lower region of the vertically-stuck check between the feed roller and the presser roller in order to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  Further, in order to improve the reading accuracy in the information reading unit, it has been proposed that the check is pressed against the reading surface of the scanner or magnetic head with a pressing roller or pressing pad.

  By the way, each roller of the first and second transport roller portions is a cylindrical roller having a rotating shaft directed vertically, and attention is paid to the mounting accuracy so that the check can be transported accurately horizontally. However, as described above, since the portion where these transport roller portions hold the check is biased to the lower region of the check, the transported check is transported in an inclined posture even with a slight error in component mounting accuracy. Skew is likely to occur. When the skew occurs, there is a possibility that an image or character read by the scanner or the magnetic head may be distorted or may be out of the readable range, which in turn causes a decrease in reading accuracy.

  Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which the information reading unit is provided with a skew correction unit that corrects the skew of the paper being conveyed separately from the first and second conveyance roller units (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The skew correction unit includes a plurality of skew rollers arranged to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the transport direction.

JP 2000-233853 A

  However, when the information reading unit is equipped with a skew roller, which is a dedicated skew correction component, there is a problem that the number of components increases, leading to an increase in size and cost of the apparatus.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent the skew of the processing medium such as a check in the information reading unit without providing the information reading unit with a dedicated skew correction unit (attitude control unit). The present invention is to provide a medium transport mechanism capable of realizing a compact apparatus and cost reduction by simplifying the configuration of the information reading unit by omitting the posture control means, and an information processing apparatus including the medium transport mechanism. .

  In order to achieve the above object, the medium transport mechanism of the present invention comprises:
  A transport path for transporting the medium;
  Sandwiching a device for acquiring information from the medium, first and second transport roller pairs disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the transport path, respectively,
  A sliding guide surface provided between the first conveyance roller pair and the second conveyance roller pair, capable of abutting on one side edge of the medium, and guiding the medium along the conveyance path And
  The device includes a reading unit that reads image information of the medium, and a pressing member that presses the medium against the reading unit,
  The roller shaft of the first conveying roller pair is biased so that the side far from the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the conveying direction, and the front end of the medium is in contact with the sliding guide surface,
  The roller shaft of the second transport roller pair is biased so that the side closer to the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the transport direction side and the rear end of the medium is brought into contact with the sliding guide surface,
  When the image information of the medium is read by the inclination, the medium is conveyed so as to contact the sliding guide surface.

  In this way, the upstream first conveyance roller pair exerts a force pressing the leading edge of the medium against the sliding guide surface, and the downstream second conveyance roller pair causes the trailing edge of the medium to be By applying a force that presses against the sliding guide surface, it is possible to realize conveyance without skew with a simple structure.

  In this case, the first roller pair and the second roller pair are arranged so that their rotation axes are inclined with respect to the transport path (transport direction), so that one end edge and one rear end side of the medium are aligned. The side edge can be pressed against the sliding guide surface. That is, the roller shaft of the first roller pair is inclined toward the conveying direction side on the side far from the sliding guide surface, and the roller shaft of the second roller pair is on the side closer to the sliding guide surface. It is good to incline to the conveyance direction side.

  Of the first and second feed rollers and the first and second pressing rollers, which are constituent elements of the first and second roller pairs, at least the first and second feed rollers are tapered rollers. By doing so, it is possible to press the leading edge side edge and the trailing edge side edge of the medium against the sliding guide surface.

  Of the first and second feed rollers and the first and second pressing rollers, which are constituent elements of the first and second roller pairs, the first and second feed rollers have a plurality of different diameters. By arranging the roller, the one end edge on the front end side and the one end edge on the rear end side of the medium can be pressed against the sliding guide surface. The roller shafts of the plurality of rollers are preferably connected by universal joints.

  An information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes the medium transport mechanism described above.

  The information processing apparatus of the present invention
  A transport path for transporting the medium;
  A read head provided in a reading unit for reading information recorded on the medium;
  A first feed roller provided near the upstream side of the read head;
  A second feed roller provided near the downstream side of the read head;
  A sliding guide surface that is provided between at least the first feed roller and the second feed roller and guides one side edge of the medium transported through the transport path;
  The reading unit includes a pressing member that presses a medium against the reading head;
  The roller shaft of the first feed roller is biased so that the side far from the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the transport direction side and the tip of the medium is brought into contact with the sliding guide surface,
  The roller shaft of the second feed roller is biased so that the side closer to the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the conveyance direction side and the rear end of the medium is brought into contact with the sliding guide surface,
  When the image information of the medium is read by the inclination, the medium is conveyed so as to contact the sliding guide surface.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a medium carrying mechanism according to the invention and an information processing apparatus including the medium carrying mechanism will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The information processing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is suitable as a check processing apparatus having a function of reading image information and magnetic character information recorded on a single sheet 90 such as a check or a slip. The information processing apparatus 10 includes a paper feed unit 11 into which a paper sheet 90 is inserted, a U-shaped transport path 12 through which the paper sheet 90 delivered from the paper feed unit 11 is transported, and a discharge port 14 through which the paper sheet 90 is discharged. It has.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, the information processing apparatus 10 includes an ID card and a license in addition to a conveyance path 12 for conveying a medium (paper 90) made of a material that can be easily folded, such as a check. A linear conveyance path 13 is provided for conveying a medium (not shown) made of a material that is difficult to bend. The upper part of the straight portion between the pair of curved portions of the conveyance path 12 also functions as the conveyance path 13.

  A paper detection sensor 21, a first transport roller pair 15, an information reading unit 41, a second transport roller pair 17, a third transport roller pair 18 and the like are provided along the transport path 12 in order from the paper feeding unit 11 side. Yes.

  The information reading unit 41 includes two image reading units 24 and 26 including a magnet 23, CIS, and the like, a pressing roller 25 and a pressing device 27 that press the paper 90 against the image reading units 24 and 26, a conveying roller pair 16, and a conveying roller pair. 16 includes a MICR head 28 provided below 16 and a pressing pad (not shown) that presses the sheet 90 against the MICR head.

  The first conveyance roller pair 15 is disposed on the upstream side of the information reading unit 41, and feeds the paper sheet 90 to the information reading unit 41, and the second conveyance roller pair 17 is disposed on the downstream side of the information reading unit 41. The sheet 90 sent to the information reading unit 41 is sent to the third conveying roller pair 18 on the discharge port 14 side. The third conveyance roller pair 18 is disposed in the vicinity of the discharge port 14 and discharges the paper sheet 90 from the discharge port 14.

  The two image reading units 24 and 26 are arranged to face each other with the conveyance path 12 interposed therebetween, one of which reads an image on the first surface of the sheet 90 and the other of which is the second surface (the first surface of the sheet 90). The image on the opposite side) can be read.

  In FIG. 2 (a), only four transport roller pairs 15 to 18 are shown for simplicity of explanation, but a feed roller for taking the paper sheet 90 into the transport path 12 is further provided. 11 may be provided in the vicinity of 11.

  Further, an information recording device (for example, a printing mechanism) may be provided on the conveyance path 12 between the MICR head 28 and the discharge port 14 so that information can be written (for example, printed) on the paper sheet 90. good.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the transport path 12 includes transport walls 12a and 12b that restrict the sheet 90 from both sides, and the sheet 90 is transported through the gap between the two transport walls 12a and 12b. It has become.

  In the transport path 12, a linear range from the paper feed unit 11 to the first transport roller pair 15 and a straight line from the front (downstream side) of the second transport roller pair 17 to the discharge port 14. In the shape range, the height of the transport walls 12 a and 12 b is set to be approximately half of the height dimension K of the paper 90. Thereby, even if a paper jam occurs, the paper 90 can be easily taken out.

  When the paper 90 is inserted from the paper supply unit 11 into the conveyance path 12, the paper detection sensor 21 detects the paper 90, and the detection signal of the paper detection sensor 21 is used as a trigger to feed rollers (not shown) and each conveyance. The operation of the roller pairs 15-18 is started. In addition, the image reading units 24 and 26, the MICR head 28, and the like are sequentially operated, and processing such as image reading and magnetic character reading of the sheet 90 conveyed on the conveyance path 12 is executed.

  When the paper 90 is a check or the like and there is recording information by magnetic ink characters, the magnetic ink characters are magnetized by the magnet 23 disposed on the downstream side of the first conveying roller pair 15 during conveyance, thereby causing MICR. Reading by the head 28 becomes possible.

  Each of the conveying roller pairs 15 to 18 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the conveying path 12 and is driven to rotate by a driving source (motor) (not shown), and the outer peripheral side of the conveying path 12. And presser rollers (driven rollers) 15b to 18b that press the paper 90 against the feed rollers 15a to 18a. Each of the conveying roller pairs 15 to 18 holds the sheet 90 between the feeding rollers 15a to 18a and the pressing rollers 15b to 18b, and moves the sheet 90 in the conveying direction H (horizontal) according to the rotation of the feeding rollers 15a to 18a. Direction).

  Next, image information reading processing in the image reading units 24 and 26 will be described.

  The first image reading unit 24 is attached to the outer peripheral conveyance wall 12b of the conveyance path 12 with the reading surface facing the conveyance path 12 side. A pressing roller 25 that presses the sheet 90 against the reading surface of the first image reading unit 24 is provided on the inner peripheral conveying wall 12 a of the conveying path 12 facing the first image reading unit 24.

  The second image reading unit 26 is attached to the inner peripheral conveyance wall 12a downstream of the first image reading unit 24 with the reading surface facing the conveyance path 12 side. A pressing device 27 that presses the sheet 90 against the reading surface of the second image reading unit 26 is provided on the outer peripheral conveying wall 12 b of the conveying path 12 facing the second image reading unit 26.

  Accordingly, the sheet 90 conveyed on the conveyance path 12 is read when the image information on the outer peripheral surface is read when passing in front of the first image reading unit 24 and is read when passing in front of the second image reading unit 26. Image information on the circumferential surface is read.

  In the space between the first and second conveyance rollers (image reading area) in the conveyance path 12, the height of the conveyance walls 12 a and 12 b is set higher than the height dimension K of the paper 90. For this reason, the sheet 90 being conveyed in the image reading area is completely covered by the conveying walls 12a and 12b and hidden in the conveying path 12.

  FIG. 3 shows the feed roller 15a of the first conveyance roller pair 15, the pressing roller 25 for the first image reading unit 24, the second image reading unit 26, the MICR head 28, the conveyance, which are arranged on the inner circumferential conveyance wall 12a. The arrangement state of the feed roller 16a of the roller pair 16 and the feed roller 17a of the second transport roller pair 17 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a horizontal sliding guide surface 43 with which one side edge (lower end edge) of the sheet 90 abuts is conveyed below the inner peripheral conveyance wall 12a corresponding to the image reading area of the conveyance path 12. It extends along the direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the first transport roller pair 15 is arranged in a state where the roller rotation shaft 15 c is tilted forward by an angle θ <b> 1 in the transport direction H from the perpendicular direction of the sliding guide surface 43. Therefore, the direction of the feed force F1 of the first transport roller pair 15 and the perpendicular direction of the slide guide surface 43 are not 90 degrees, and the feed force F1 of the first transport roller pair 15 is There is a perpendicular component. One side edge (lower edge) of the leading end side of the sheet 90 to be conveyed is pressed against the sliding guide surface 43 by the perpendicular component of the sliding guide surface 43 of the feeding force F1 of the first conveying roller pair 15. In addition, about the 1st conveyance roller pair 15, the state in which the upper side inclines in the conveyance direction is expressed as the forward inclination.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the second conveying roller pair 17 is disposed in a state where the roller rotation shaft 17c is inclined backward by an angle θ2 from the direction perpendicular to the sliding guide surface 43 to the side opposite to the sheet conveying direction. ing. Therefore, the direction of the feeding force F2 of the second conveying roller pair 17 and the perpendicular direction of the sliding guide surface 43 are not 90 degrees, and the feeding force F2 of the second conveying roller pair 17 is There is a perpendicular component. The leading end side of the sheet 90 to be conveyed is urged upward by the perpendicular component of the sliding guide surface 43 of the feeding force F2 of the second conveying roller pair 17, and thereby the trailing edge side edge (lower side) of the sheet 90 is lowered. Edge) is pressed against the sliding guide surface 43. In addition, about the 2nd conveyance roller pair 17, the state in which the upper side inclines in the direction opposite to a conveyance direction is expressed as the back inclination.

  In this embodiment, the roller rotation shafts 15c and 17c of the first and second transport roller pairs 15 and 17 arranged so as to sandwich the first and second image reading units 24 and 26 are slid. The sheet 90 is disposed so as to be tilted forward or backward with respect to the direction of the vertical direction of the moving guide surface 43, and the sheet 90 is always urged against the sliding guide surface 43 and conveyed along the sliding guide surface 43. In a state where even a part of the roller exists between the first and second conveying roller pairs 15 and 17, no skew is generated.

In addition, when the amount of lifting from the sliding guide surface 43 at the front end of the sheet 90, which is expected when the first conveying roller pair 15 independently conveys the sheet 90 horizontally, is x, the amount of time until the sheet 90 reaches the reading start position is assumed. In order to prevent the occurrence of skew by correcting the floating amount x to 0, the first image reading unit 24 starts from the horizontal position of the roller rotation shaft 15c (the intersection of the roller rotation axis and the extended line of the sliding guide surface). When the horizontal distance to the reading position 24a (the length in the transport direction) is L1, the inclination angle θ1 of the roller rotation shaft 15c is preferably set in a range that satisfies the following expression (1).
θ1 ≧ tan-1 (x / L1) (1)

  By determining θ1 in this way, when the leading edge of the sheet 90 reaches the first image reading unit 24, the sheet 90 is guided in parallel with the sheet conveyance direction by the sliding guide surface 43.

In order to prevent the occurrence of skew by reducing the slippage of the paper 90 on the feed roller 16a that is expected when the second transport roller pair 17 transports the paper 90 alone, the second transport roller The horizontal distance from the center position of the pair 17 roller rotation shaft 17c to the reading position 28a by the MICR head 28 is L2x, the vertical distance from the operating point Fc on the feed roller 16a to the MICR head 28 is Lm, and the action on the feed roller 16a. When the vertical distance from the point Fc to the rollers 17a and 17b is L2y and the frictional force acting on the sheet 90 by a pressing pad (not shown) for pressing the sheet 90 against the MICR head 28 is Fm, the roller rotation shaft 17c is inclined. The angle θ2 may be set within a range that satisfies the following expression (2). The action point Fc is determined by the relationship between the feed roller 16a and the pressing roller 16b, and is the position shown in FIG. 4 in the present embodiment.
L2x · F2sinθ2 + L2y · F2cosθ2 ≧ Lm · Fm (2)

  As described above, in the paper transport mechanism of the information processing apparatus 10, the first transport roller pair 15 is generated on the paper sheet 90 whose leading end in the transport direction has reached the first transport roller pair 15, as shown in FIG. The feed force F1 inclined in the direction toward the sliding guide surface 43 ensures that the side edge (lower edge) of the tip is in a forward inclined posture that contacts the sliding guide surface 43 and enters the information reading unit 41. The side edge region that abuts on the guide surface 43 gradually increases with entry and is conveyed in parallel to the sliding guide surface. Therefore, according to the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, there is no occurrence of skew, and the paper 90 can be fed into the information reading unit 41.

  When the leading edge of the sheet 90 sent to the information reading unit 41 by the first conveying roller pair 15 reaches the second conveying roller pair 17 as shown in FIG. 6 as the conveyance proceeds, the first conveying roller pair 15. And the second conveying roller pair 17 are conveyed. The sheet 90 whose leading edge has reached the second conveying roller pair 17 is now caused by a feeding force F2 inclined in a direction away from the sliding guide surface 43 generated by the second conveying roller pair 17 at the rear edge (lower edge). ) Is reliably biased to the sliding guide surface 43 so as to be biased in a backward tilting posture, so that the conveyance further proceeds, and as shown in FIG. , The trailing end of the sheet 90 from which the feeding force by the first conveying roller pair 15 is released is prevented from being separated from the sliding guide surface 43, and as before, Until the sheet 90 finishes passing through the area of the information reading unit 41, the side edges of the sheet 90 properly abut against the sliding guide surface 43, and a state in which the sheet 90 is satisfactorily conveyed without skew is maintained.

  That is, in the paper transport mechanism according to the present embodiment, the first transport roller pair 15 and the second transport roller pair 17 disposed on both sides of the information reading unit 41 can realize good transport without skew. it can.

  Therefore, even if the information reading unit 41 is not equipped with a dedicated skew correction unit, it is possible to prevent the processing medium such as the paper 90 in the information reading unit 41 from being skewed, and the information reading unit can be read by omitting the dedicated skew correction unit. The device can be made compact and the cost can be reduced by simplifying the configuration of the unit 41.

  The configuration in which the first conveying roller pair 15 and the second conveying roller pair 17 generate the feed forces F1 and F2 inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the sliding guide surface 43 is the same as the roller rotation shaft shown in the above embodiment. It is not restricted to the structure made to incline.

  For example, the roller rotation axis may be a vertical direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the paper 90, and as shown in FIG. 8A, the feed rollers 15a and 17a may be tapered rollers whose outer peripheral surfaces are inclined. As shown in the figure, the feed roller 15a has a large roller diameter at the top and a small diameter at the bottom. Although not shown, the feed roller 17a has a large roller diameter at the bottom and a small diameter at the top. However, not only the feed rollers 15a and 17a but also the press rollers 15b and 17b may be tapered rollers.

  Alternatively, the roller rotation shaft is set in a vertical direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the sheet 90, and a plurality of feed rollers are provided in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. There may be. In this case, if the roller rotation shafts of a plurality of feed rollers are connected by a universal joint, the driving force can be easily transmitted with a simple structure. As illustrated, the roller diameter of the feed roller 15a is such that the upper roller has a larger diameter than the lower roller. Although not shown in the drawings, the roller diameter of the feed roller 17a is larger at the lower roller than at the upper roller.

  Further, the medium transport mechanism of the above embodiment has a structure for transporting the paper sheet 90 in a vertical posture, but the present invention can also be applied to a structure for transporting the paper sheet 90 in a horizontal posture.

  The medium transport mechanism of the present invention can also be applied to a paper transport mechanism such as a printer or a copying machine, and is not limited to a check processing apparatus.

1 is an external perspective view of an embodiment of an information processing apparatus that employs a medium transport mechanism according to the present invention. (A) is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the information processing apparatus, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I of (a). FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a main part of a medium transport mechanism. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an inclination of a rotation shaft of a pair of conveyance rollers provided in the medium conveyance mechanism. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a leading end of a sheet is fed into a first conveying roller pair of a medium conveying mechanism and a sheet is conveyed only by the first conveying roller pair. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet is sandwiched between both a first conveyance roller pair and a second conveyance roller pair of the medium conveyance mechanism, and the sheet is conveyed by the cooperation of both conveyance roller pairs. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the trailing edge of the sheet is removed from the first conveying roller pair of the medium conveying mechanism and the sheet is conveyed only by the second conveying roller pair. It is explanatory drawing which showed the other Example of the 1st conveyance roller pair of a medium conveyance mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Information processing apparatus, 11 Paper feed part, 12 Conveyance path, 14 Discharge port, 15 1st conveyance roller pair, 17 2nd conveyance roller pair, 15a, 17a Feed roller, 15b, 17b Press roller, 15c, 17c Roller rotating shaft , 24 1st image reading part, 25 Pressing roller, 26 2nd image reading part, 27 Pressing device, 28 MICR head, 41 Information reading part, 43 Sliding guide surface, 90 sheets.

Claims (3)

A transport path for transporting the medium;
Sandwiching a device for acquiring information from the medium, first and second transport roller pairs disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the transport path, respectively,
A sliding guide surface provided between the first conveyance roller pair and the second conveyance roller pair, capable of abutting on one side edge of the medium, and guiding the medium along the conveyance path And
The device includes a reading unit that reads image information of the medium, and a pressing member that presses the medium against the reading unit,
The roller shaft of the first conveying roller pair is biased so that the side far from the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the conveying direction, and the front end of the medium is in contact with the sliding guide surface ,
The roller shaft of the second transport roller pair is biased so that the side closer to the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the transport direction side and the rear end of the medium is brought into contact with the sliding guide surface ,
Wherein the inclination, when reading the image information of the medium, the medium is the sliding, characterized in that the guide surface Ru is transported so as to abut the medium transport mechanism. The information processing apparatus having a media transport mechanism of claim 1. A transport path for transporting the medium;
A read head provided in a reading unit for reading information recorded on the medium;
A first feed roller provided near the upstream side of the read head;
A second feed roller provided near the downstream side of the read head;
A sliding guide surface that is provided between at least the first feed roller and the second feed roller and guides one side edge of the medium transported through the transport path;
The reading unit includes a pressing member that presses a medium against the reading head;
The roller shaft of the first feed roller is biased so that the side far from the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the transport direction side and the tip of the medium is brought into contact with the sliding guide surface ,
The roller shaft of the second feed roller is biased so that the side closer to the sliding guide surface is inclined toward the conveyance direction side and the rear end of the medium is brought into contact with the sliding guide surface ,
The more inclined, when reading the image information of the medium, the information processing apparatus, wherein said medium is Ru is transported to contact with the sliding guide surface.

Images