JP5039213B2 - Paper sheet counting and sorting machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper sheet counting and sorting machine that counts paper sheets such as voting paper, gift certificates, and questionnaire papers by type and sorts them into a plurality of stackers.

  In the conventional paper sheet counting and sorting machine, the number of stackers is fixed to, for example, 4 or more and 6 or less. Therefore, when sorting paper sheets having more types than the number of stackers, the sorting process is performed a plurality of times. That is, the types of paper sheets that are likely to be large are sequentially set to be sorted into stackers, and the remaining types of paper sheets are set to be sorted into one remaining stacker. As a result, after the first sorting operation is completed, unmixed paper sheets that have not been sorted are set in the hopper again, and as in the first time, the stacker sorting is set, and the sorting operation as described above is performed. Do. By repeating such operations, paper sheets of many types are sorted by type (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-9-62753

  In the conventional technique as described above, when a plurality of types of paper sheets are sorted, it is necessary to carry out sorting operations a plurality of times as described above when the number of stackers is smaller than the types of paper sheets to be sorted. Therefore, there is a problem that work efficiency is poor and work time becomes long.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet counting and sorting machine in which a stacker can be easily added and workability can be improved.

The present invention includes an airframe,
A hopper provided on the machine body, on which a plurality of types of paper sheets can be placed;
A feeding means for feeding out the paper sheets placed on the hopper;
Reading means for reading information on the paper sheet fed by the feeding means;
A stacker provided in the machine body for collecting paper sheets;
The paper sheets are stacked, and an expansion stacker provided to be able to be added to the machine body so as to open in the same direction as the stacker,
A display unit provided in the stacker and the extension stacker;
Conveying means for conveying paper sheets from the feeding means to the stacker and the additional stacker;
Control means for sorting information into any one of the stacker and the extension stacker based on the information read by the reading means and displaying information on the paper sheets accumulated in the display unit; This is a paper sheet counting and sorting machine.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the control means changes the display form of the display unit based on the fact that the number of sheets sorted into the stacker and the extension stacker has reached a predetermined number or full. To do.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the control means changes the display form between when the paper sheets sorted into the stacker and the additional stacker reach a predetermined number or full, and when there is a remainder. And

  Further, according to the present invention, the control means is different from a display form when the paper sheets sorted into the stacker and the additional stacker are approaching a predetermined number or full, when the paper reaches the remaining stacker and when there is a residual. It is characterized by making it.

  Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the additional stacker is provided in a lateral direction of the airframe.

  According to the present invention, even if paper sheets cannot be sorted into each stacker due to a small number of stackers or a small stacker stack space, other stackers can be added to the fuselage. By doing so, it can be sorted into another added stacker. Therefore, the number of stackers that can be sorted and the number of sheets that can be sorted can be increased.

  Furthermore, the operator can visually recognize whether or not the paper sheet has reached a predetermined amount by the display unit.

1 is a perspective view showing a paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 in a state where a first additional stacker unit 3 and a second additional stacker unit 4 are added is shown. It is a perspective view simplified and shown. It is a perspective view which shows the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1, Comprising: It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 in the state where the 1st expansion stacker unit 3 and the 2nd expansion stacker unit 4 are not added. is there. It is a side view which simplifies and shows the internal structure of the paper sheet counting and sorting machine. It is a block diagram which shows the electrical structure of the paper sheet counting and sorting machine. 3 is a plan view showing a simplified lower Z2 portion constituting the first direction changing unit 20. FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a simplified upper Z1 portion constituting the first direction changing unit 20. It is a side view which simplifies and shows the 1st direction conversion part. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the 1st extension stacker unit. 3 is a side view showing a simplified internal configuration of a first extension stacker unit 3. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a first extension stacker unit 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a lower Z2 portion constituting the second direction conversion unit 33 in a simplified manner. It is a flowchart which shows a count sorting process.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a paper sheet counting apparatus in a state where a first additional stacker unit 3 and a second additional stacker unit 4 are added. It is a perspective view which simplifies and shows the sorter. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1, and the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1 in a state where the first additional stacker unit 3 and the second additional stacker unit 4 are not added is simplified. It is a perspective view shown. The paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 has a state where the first extension stacker unit 3 and the like are added, and a state where the first extension stacker unit 1 is used alone.

  A single paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 includes a hopper 5 on which paper sheets are placed, a stacker unit 6 on which paper sheets are stacked, and a machine body 9 on which these are provided. The first extension stacker unit 3 is connected to one side surface 9b (see FIG. 2) of the machine body 9 and includes a first extension stacker unit 7 in which sheets are stacked. The second extension stacker unit 4 is connected to one side surface 50c (see FIG. 8) of the first extension stacker unit 3 and includes a second extension stacker unit 8 in which sheets are stacked.

  The single paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 sorts the paper sheets placed on the hopper 5 for each type and conveys them to the stacker unit 6 or the first additional stacker unit 3. The first extension stacker unit 3 sorts the paper sheets conveyed from the machine body 9 for each type and conveys them to the first extension stacker unit 7 or the second extension stacker unit 4. The second extension stacker unit 4 sorts the sheets conveyed from the first extension stacker unit 3 for each type, and conveys them to the second extension stacker unit 8. As described above, the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 sorts the paper sheets placed on the hopper 5 for each type and conveys them to the stacker unit 6, the first additional stacker unit 7, or the second additional stacker unit 8. To do.

  The paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 is electrically connected to an electronic device (not shown) for controlling the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 via a cable or the like. The operator can perform various settings of the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 by operating the electric device. First, the single sheet counting / sorting machine 1 will be described, and the first extension stacker unit 3, the second extension stacker unit 4, and the electronic device will be described in order.

  FIG. 3 is a side view showing the internal configuration of the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1 in a simplified manner. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1. The single sheet counting and sorting machine 1 includes a machine body 9, a hopper 5 provided on the front surface 9 a of the machine body 9, and a stacker unit 6 provided on the front surface 9 a of the machine body 9. The single sheet counting / sorting machine 1 further includes a sensor unit 14, a feeding unit 15, a reading unit 16, a discrimination unit 17, a classification unit 18, a first transport unit 19, a communication unit 21, and a control unit 22. Is done. The paper sheets to be sorted are first placed on the hopper 5 and, when sorted, are collected in the stacker unit 6. The machine body 9 is a casing for housing each component constituting the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 and is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped box, for example.

  Hereinafter, the vertically long direction of the machine body 9 shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as the vertical direction Z1, Z2. Of the directions perpendicular to the vertical direction Z1 and Z2 of the body 9, the direction in which the additional stacker units 3 and 4 are added is referred to as the left and right directions X1 and X2. The direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z1, Z2 and the horizontal direction X1, X2 of the body 9 is referred to as the front-rear direction Y1, Y2. The paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 is preferably arranged so that the vertical directions Z1 and Z2 are substantially parallel to the vertical direction when installed in a predetermined installation location.

  One of the vertical directions Z1 and Z2 in which the hopper 5 is provided is referred to as a lower Z2, and the other is referred to as an upper Z1. One of the front and rear directions Y1 and Y2 in which the hopper 5 and the stacker unit 6 are provided is referred to as a front Y1, and the other is referred to as a rear Y2. Of the left and right directions X1 and X2, the right side is referred to as the right side X2 and the left side is referred to as the left side X1 when the body 9 is viewed from the front Y1.

  The hopper 5 is provided at the lower part of the front surface 9a, which is the lower Z2 of the front surface 9a of the body 9. The hopper 5 forms a placement space 10a on which a plurality of types of paper sheets can be placed, and opens the placement space 10a to the front Y1. For example, 500 paper sheets can be placed in the placement space 10a.

  The stacker unit 6 is provided on the front surface 9 a of the machine body 9 and includes a plurality of stackers 11. A plurality of stackers 11 are arranged in the upper Z <b> 1 of the hopper 5. Each stacker 11 forms an accumulation space 10b in which a plurality of types of paper sheets can be accumulated, and opens the accumulation space 10b to the front Y1. The accumulation space 10b can accumulate, for example, 100 sheets of paper. As described above, the hopper 5 and the stacker unit 6 are provided on the same surface 9 a of the body 9. The stacker unit 6 includes a plurality of stackers 11 in the present embodiment. Among the plurality of stackers 11, at least one of the stackers 11, for example, the lowermost stacker 11 is set exclusively for rejecting in which invalid paper sheets and unreadable paper sheets are accommodated.

  Each stacker 11 includes a cover unit 12 and a display unit 13. Each stacker 11 has the same configuration, and the configuration of one stacker 11 will be described, and the description of the configuration of the other stackers 11 will be omitted.

  The cover portion 12 can be opened and closed, and is configured to open the front Y1 portion of the accumulation space 10b in the open state and close the front Y1 portion of the accumulation space 10b in the closed state. Specifically, the cover portion 12 can swing in the vertical directions Z1 and Z2, and restricts the displacement of the paper sheets stacked in the stacking space 10b to the front Y1 and the upper Z1 in a natural state. The cover portion 12 is pressed toward the lower Z2 by a pressing means (not shown) such as a spring member, and the cover portion 12 is angularly displaced toward the upper Z1 against the pressing force. Can be allowed to be displaced from the accumulation space 10b. Therefore, the operator can extract the paper sheets that are sorted and conveyed to the accumulation space 10b by angularly displacing the cover portion 12 upward Z1. Thus, the paper sheets sorted and conveyed to the front Y1 are accumulated in the accumulation space 10b by the cover unit 12 without being undesirably discharged to the front Y1 and the upper Z1.

  The display unit 13 displays information related to paper sheets accumulated in each stacker 11. The information on the paper sheet displayed by the display unit 13 is, for example, the state of paper sheet accumulation. The display unit 13 is realized by, for example, a light emitting diode (abbreviated as LED). The display unit 13 is controlled by the control unit 22 so as to change the display form when the number of paper sheets is predetermined or full. Specifically, the display unit 13 is turned on when the sheets stacked in the corresponding stacker 11 are full or approaches the specified number of batches, flashes when the sheets are full or reach the number of batches, and is turned off in the remaining state. To be controlled. Further, the display unit 13 may be configured by a liquid crystal display so as to display the type of paper sheet and information described in the paper sheet by character information or the like.

  The sensor unit 14 includes a plurality of sensors, in the present embodiment, including at least a first sensor 14a to a fifth sensor 14e. The first sensor 14 a is a sensor for detecting whether or not there is a sheet to be fed out to the hopper 5. The second sensor 14b is a sensor for detecting that the paper sheet is fed out by the feeding unit 15 and conveyed to the reading unit 16, and for measuring the length of the paper sheet. The third sensor 14 c is a sensor for detecting paper sheets that have passed through the reading unit 16. The fourth sensor 14 d is a sensor that is provided in each stacker 11 and counts the number of sheets conveyed to each stacker 11. The fifth sensor 14e is a sensor that is provided in each stacker 11 and detects whether or not paper sheets are present in each stacker 11. Although only five sensors are shown here for easy understanding, the remaining sensors other than the five sensors are also used as appropriate according to the purpose.

  The feeding unit 15 is a feeding unit that feeds a plurality of types of paper sheets placed on the hopper 5 one by one.

  The reading unit 16 is a reading unit, and reads at least part of information on the paper sheet fed by the feeding unit 15. The reading unit 16 includes an image sensor 16a that reads an image of a paper sheet, and when the second sensor 14b detects that the paper sheet has been fed, the entire fed paper sheet is read and read by the image sensor 16a. The obtained image information is given to the determination unit 17.

  The determination unit 17 has a function as a determination unit, and determines the type of the paper sheet based on the image information given from the reading unit 16. For example, when the paper sheet is voting paper, the determination unit 17 determines that the type of the voting paper is different when the information written on the voting paper by the voter is different. The candidate name or party name is discriminated from the image, and the candidate or party to which the selection mark given by the voter is attached is discriminated.

  The first transport unit 19 is a transport unit, and the paper sheets fed from the hopper 5 by the feeding unit 15 remain in the same first transport direction as the feed direction, and any one of the stackers 11 is stacked. And 90 degrees from the first conveyance direction, and can be discharged to the left X1 in the left and right directions X1 and X2 of the body 9 and in the present embodiment. Here, the first transport direction is a feeding direction in which the paper sheet is fed by the feeding unit 15 and is a direction viewed from the paper sheet. Therefore, when the paper sheets are rectangular, for example, and the longitudinal direction thereof is arranged in the hopper parallel to the left and right directions X1 and X2, the feeding direction is the short direction of the paper sheets. Therefore, the first transport direction is always the short direction of the paper sheet. Therefore, the paper sheet that has been transported in the short direction of the paper sheet is transported in the longitudinal direction of the paper sheet by changing the direction by 90 degrees from the first transport direction.

  The first transport unit 19 includes a plurality of transport paths, and each transport path is configured to reach any one stacker 11 of the first additional stacker unit 3 or the plurality of stackers 11. The first transport unit 19 is controlled by the classification unit 18 and any one transport path is selected.

  The first transport unit 19 includes a first direction changing unit 20. The first direction conversion unit 20 changes the direction of the paper sheet fed from the hopper 5 by the feeding unit 15 by 90 degrees from the first transport direction, and discharges it to the left X1. Accordingly, the first direction changing unit 20 conveys the paper sheets to the first additional stacker unit 3 connected to the surface 9b of the left side X1.

  The classification unit 18 has a function as a control unit, and when a paper sheet arrives at the third sensor 14c according to the determination result in the determination unit 17, the paper sheet is transferred to the corresponding stacker 11 or 51. The 1st conveyance part 19 is controlled to convey. The corresponding stackers 11 and 51 include a first extension stacker 51 provided in the first extension stacker unit 3 and a second extension stacker 51 provided in the second extension stacker unit 4.

  The communication unit 21 is a communication unit, and communicates control information for sorting paper sheets with the first extension stacker unit 3 and the second extension stacker unit 4. The control information for sorting the paper sheets is, for example, information based on the determination result of the determination unit 17 and information based on the determined number of paper sheets.

  The control unit 22 has a function as a control unit, and controls the whole sheet counting and sorting machine 1 and counts the number of sheets sorted into each stacker 11 based on the fourth sensor 14d.

  Next, the first direction conversion unit 20 will be described. FIG. 5 is a plan view schematically showing a lower Z2 portion that constitutes the first direction changing unit 20. FIG. 6 is a plan view schematically showing the upper Z1 portion that constitutes the first direction changing unit 20. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the first direction changing unit 20 in a simplified manner. In FIG. 5 to FIG. 7, a part of the airframe 9 is omitted for easy understanding.

  The first direction conversion unit 20 is provided above the machine body 9 at the upper side Z1, changes the direction of paper sheets conveyed from the hopper 5 along the first conveyance direction by 90 degrees, and conveys the sheet to the left side X1 of the machine body 9. To do. The first direction conversion unit 20 includes a sheet detection unit 23a to 23c, a pair of first conveyance rollers 24, a pair of second conveyance rollers 25, a pair of first auxiliary conveyance rollers 59, and a pair of second auxiliary conveyance rollers 26. And a switching unit 27.

  A pair of first auxiliary transport rollers 59 (hereinafter simply referred to as “first auxiliary transport rollers 59”) has two axes in which each first auxiliary transport roller 59 is orthogonal to the first transport direction and parallel to each other. It can rotate around L59a and L59b, respectively, and is configured to be able to hold paper sheets. A plurality of first auxiliary transport rollers 59 are provided in the present embodiment. Of the pair of first auxiliary conveyance rollers 59, one conveyance roller 59a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable around the first auxiliary lower axis L59a. Of the pair of first auxiliary conveying rollers 59, the other conveying roller 59b is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the upper Z1 side of the one conveying roller 59a, and is rotatable around the first auxiliary upper axis L59b. . The first auxiliary conveyance roller 59 is provided on the rear Y2 side of the first conveyance roller 24, and conveys the paper fed from the hopper 5 to the first conveyance roller 24 in the first conveyance direction toward the front Y1. To do.

  A pair of first transport rollers 24 (hereinafter simply referred to as “first transport rollers 24”) can rotate around two axes L1a and L1b that are orthogonal to the first transport direction and parallel to each other. The paper sheets are configured to be displaceable with respect to each other in a sandwiched state and a non-pinch state. A plurality of first conveying rollers 24, two in the present embodiment, are provided and are arranged so as to stably convey the paper sheets. Of the pair of first transport rollers 24, one transport roller 24a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable about the first lower axis L1a. The other transport roller 24b is provided on the upper Z1 side of the one transport roller 24a and is rotatable about the first upper axis L1b. The other transport roller 24b is provided so as to be displaceable with respect to the one transport roller 24a in a sandwiched state where a sheet is sandwiched and a non-nipped state where a sheet is not sandwiched. The first transport roller 24 transports the paper sheets in the sandwiched state, thereby transporting the paper sheets transported to the front Y1 by the first auxiliary transport roller 59 toward the front Y1 in the first transport direction. .

  A pair of second transport rollers 25 (hereinafter simply referred to as “second transport rollers 25”) are two axes L2a and L2b which are orthogonal to the axes L1a and L1b of the first transport roller 24 and parallel to each other. The paper sheets can be rotated around each other, and can be displaced with respect to each other in a sandwiched state and a non-clamped state. In the present embodiment, a plurality of the second transport rollers 25 are provided, and three second transport rollers 25 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction X1, X2. Of the pair of second transport rollers 25, one transport roller 25a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable about the second lower axis L2a. The other transport roller 25b is provided on the upper Z1 side of the one transport roller 25a and is rotatable around the second upper axis L2b. The other transport roller 25b is provided so as to be displaceable with respect to the one transport roller 25a in a sandwiched state where a paper sheet is sandwiched and a non-clamped state. The second conveying roller 25 is provided on the front Y1 side of the first conveying roller 24, and conveys the paper sheet in the nipped state, thereby allowing the first conveying roller 24 to convey the paper sheet conveyed to the front Y1 to the left. Transport toward the direction X1. The second transport roller 25 is chamfered at the periphery of the rear Y 2, and the front end in the transport direction of the paper sheet transported to the front Y 1 by the first transport roller 24 is smooth without being caught by the second transport roller 25. It is configured to move onto the second transport roller 25.

  A pair of second auxiliary conveyance rollers 26 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “second auxiliary conveyance rollers 26”) are respectively arranged around two axes L26a and L26b parallel to the respective axes L2a and L2b of the second conveyance roller 25. It is configured to be rotatable and to be able to sandwich paper sheets. A plurality of second auxiliary transport rollers 26 are provided in the present embodiment. Of the pair of second auxiliary conveyance rollers 26, one conveyance roller 26a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable about the second auxiliary lower axis L26a. The other transport roller 26b is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the upper Z1 side of the one transport roller 26a, and is rotatable about the second auxiliary upper axis L26b. The second auxiliary conveyance roller 26 is provided on the left X1 side of the second conveyance roller 25, and further conveys the paper sheet conveyed to the left X1 by the second conveyance roller 25 to the left X1. The machine body 9 is formed with a first insertion hole 38 (see FIG. 2) penetrating in the left and right directions X1 and X2 at a position corresponding to the second auxiliary transport roller 26. The leaves pass through the first insertion hole 38 and are discharged to the left X1 of the body 9. One conveyance roller 24a of the first conveyance roller 24, one conveyance roller 25a of the second conveyance roller 25, one conveyance roller 59a of the first auxiliary conveyance roller 59, and one conveyance roller 26a of the second auxiliary conveyance roller 26 are The rotation is always transmitted via one belt 28 and is configured to rotate synchronously.

  The paper sheet detection units 23a to 23c are sensors that detect whether or not the paper sheet transported by the first transport unit 19 has passed a predetermined passing position. The paper sheet detection units 23 a to 23 c include a plurality of first detection units 23 a to third detection units 23 c in the present embodiment. The first detection unit 23 a is a sensor that is provided in the vicinity of the first conveyance roller 24 and detects paper sheets conveyed by the first conveyance roller 24. The second detection unit 23 b is a sensor that is provided in the vicinity of the second conveyance roller 25 and detects paper sheets conveyed by the second conveyance roller 25. The third detection unit 23 c is a sensor that is provided in the vicinity of the second auxiliary conveyance roller 26 and detects paper sheets conveyed by the second auxiliary conveyance roller 26.

  The switching unit 27 engages with the first conveyance roller 24 and the second conveyance roller 25, the first conveyance state in which the first conveyance roller 24 is in the nipping state, and the second conveyance roller 25 is in the non-nipping state; The switching operation is performed over the second conveyance state in which the first conveyance roller 24 is in the non-nipping state and the second conveyance roller 25 is in the nipping state. The switching unit 27 includes a support 29, a link member 30 that supports the support 29 so as to be swingable around a predetermined support axis L30, and a solenoid 31 that swings the link member 30 about the support axis L30. .

  The support body 29 rotatably supports the other transport roller 24b of the first transport roller 24 and the other transport roller 25b of the second transport roller 25. The support 29 supports each of the other transport rollers 24b and 25b at intervals in the front-rear directions Y1 and Y2.

  The link member 30 can swing around a support axis L30 extending along the left and right directions X1 and X2, and is provided integrally with the support 29. The second transport roller 25 is disposed on the front Y1 side of the link member 30, and the first transport roller 24 is disposed on the rear Y2 side of the link member 30. Accordingly, the link member 30 is disposed between the first transport roller 24 and the second transport roller 25 in the front-rear direction Y1, Y2.

  The solenoid 31 is controlled by the control unit 22, and in a demagnetized state where the solenoid 31 is demagnetized, the plunger 31 a of the solenoid 31 is arranged to project to a predetermined second transport position in the front Y <b> 1. In the excited state in which the solenoid 31 is excited, the solenoid 31 is pulled toward the rear Y2 and the plunger 31a is disposed at the first transport position. Therefore, the plunger 31a can be displaced across the first transport position and the second transport position along the front-rear direction Y1, Y2.

  The plunger 31 a is provided by being connected to the link member 30. The plunger 31a swings the link member 30 about the support axis L30 by being displaced in the front-rear direction Y1, Y2. Since the link member 30 is provided integrally with the support body 29, the support body 29 swings around the support axis L30 of the link member 30 when the link member 30 is pulled by the plunger 31a.

  In the state where the plunger 31a is disposed at the first transport position, the first transport roller 24b is the other transport roller 24b of the first transport roller 24 so that the first transport roller 24 is sandwiched and the second transport roller 25 is not sandwiched. And the other conveyance roller 25b of the 2nd conveyance roller 25 is each arrange | positioned. In the state where the plunger 31a is disposed at the second transport position, the other transport roller of the first transport roller 24 is such that the second transport roller 25 is in the nipping state and the first transport roller 24 is in the non-nip state. The other conveyance roller 25b of 24b and the 2nd conveyance roller 25 is each arrange | positioned. FIG. 7 shows a case where both the first conveyance roller 24 and the second conveyance roller 25 are sandwiched for easy understanding. However, as described above, the first conveyance roller 24 and the second conveyance roller are actually used. When one of the rollers 25 is in a non-nipping state, the other is in a nipping state. Since the switching unit 27 is configured in this way, the switching unit 27 can perform a switching operation between the first transport state and the second transport state described above.

  The control unit 22 controls the timing at which the switching unit 27 switches between the first conveyance state and the second conveyance state based on the detection information detected by the paper sheet detection units 23a to 23c. Therefore, the control unit 22 controls the timing of switching between the demagnetized state and the excited state of the solenoid 31, and controls the timing of switching between the first transport state and the second transport state. Such timing is based on detection information detected by the paper sheet detection units 23a to 23c, that is, information based on whether or not the paper sheet transported by the first transport unit 19 has passed a predetermined passing position. Be controlled. For example, when the control unit 22 detects the paper sheet by the first detection unit 23a in the second transport state, the control unit 22 sets the first transport state, and detects the paper sheet by the second detection unit 23b in the first transport state. The switching unit 27 is controlled so as to be in the second transport state. As a result, the sheet conveyed to the front Y1 by the first conveying roller 24 can be conveyed to the left X1 by the second conveying roller 25.

  Next, the first extension stacker unit 3 will be described. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the first extension stacker unit 3 in a simplified manner. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the internal configuration of the first extension stacker unit 3 in a simplified manner. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the first extension stacker unit 3. The configuration of the first extension stacker unit 3 is similar to that of the single sheet counting / sorting machine 1 described above, and different configurations will be described, and description of similar configurations may be omitted. Referring to FIG. 1, the first extension stacker unit 3 is characterized in that the first extension stacker unit 3 is composed of a remaining portion excluding the hopper 5 from a single paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1. The first extension stacker unit 3 is characterized in that it sorts and conveys paper sheets conveyed from the machine body 9 to the first extension stacker unit 7 or the second extension stacker unit 4.

  The first extension stacker unit 3 includes a first extension machine body 50 and a first extension stacker unit 7. The first extension stacker unit 3 is configured such that the right side X2 surface 50b of the first extension body 50 and the left side X1 surface 9b of the body 9 can be connected. The first extension stacker unit 7 is provided on the front surface 50 a of the first extension machine body 50 and includes a plurality of first extension stackers 51. A plurality of the first extension stackers 51 are arranged on the front surface 50a of the first extension machine body 50 along the vertical directions Z1 and Z2. Each first extension stacker 51 has the same configuration as the stacker 11, forms an accumulation space 10b in which a plurality of types of paper sheets can be accumulated, and opens the accumulation space 10b to the front Y1. The first extension stacker unit 7 includes a plurality of first extension stackers 51 of eight stages in the present embodiment. Any one of the first additional stackers 51 may be set exclusively for rejecting.

  Further, the first extension stacker unit 3 is a second insertion hole 52 (see FIG. 8) that is a right side X2 surface 50b of the first extension machine body 50 and penetrates in the left and right directions X1 and X2. ) Is formed. The second insertion hole 52 is formed at a position corresponding to the first insertion hole 38 (see FIG. 2) formed in the machine body 9 in a state where the first additional stacker unit 3 is connected. As a result, when the paper sheets are conveyed to the left X1 by the first direction changing unit 20 and pass through the first insertion hole 38, the paper sheets pass through the second insertion hole 52, and the inside of the first extension machine body 50. It is conveyed to.

  Further, the first extension stacker unit 3 is a surface 50c on the left side X1 of the first extension machine body 50, and penetrates in the left and right directions X1 and X2 to insert a paper sheet (see FIG. 8). ) Is formed. The third insertion hole 53 is open to the left side X1 surface 50c of the second expansion body 58 of the second expansion stacker unit 4 in a state where the second expansion stacker unit 4 is connected to the first expansion stacker unit 3. It is formed in the position to do. As a result, the sheets can be discharged to the outside of the left X1 of the first additional stacker unit 3 through the third insertion hole 53, and the sheets can be conveyed to the second additional stacker unit 4.

  The first extension stacker unit 3 further includes an extension sensor part 54, an extension classification part 55, a second transport part 32, an extension communication part 56, and an extension control part 57. The extension sensor unit 54 includes the third sensor 14c to the fifth sensor 14e included in the sensor unit 14 described above. The third sensor 14 c is a sensor for detecting paper sheets conveyed to the first extension stacker 51. The fourth sensor 14 d is a sensor that is provided in each first extension stacker 51 and counts the number of sheets conveyed to each first extension stacker 51. The fifth sensor 14 e is a sensor that is provided in each first extension stacker 51 and detects whether paper sheets are present in each first extension stacker 51. The extension sensor unit 54 shows only three sensors here for easy understanding, but the remaining sensors other than the three sensors are also used appropriately according to the purpose.

  The second transport unit 32 constitutes a transport unit together with the first transport unit 19, and is transported by the first transport unit 19 through the second insertion hole 52 of the first additional machine body 50 into the first additional machine body 50. The sheet is conveyed to any one of the plurality of first extension stackers 51 among the plurality of first extension stackers 51 and outside the first extension machine body 50 in the left and right directions X1 and X2. Then, it can be released to the left side X1. The second transport unit 32 includes a plurality of transport paths, and each transport path is configured to reach either one of the second additional stacker unit 4 or the plurality of first additional stackers 51. Is done. The second transport unit 32 is controlled by the expansion classification unit 55, and any one transport path is selected.

  The second transport unit 32 further includes a second direction conversion unit 33. The second direction conversion unit 33 converts the direction of the paper sheets inserted from the second insertion holes 52 by 90 degrees and conveys the paper sheets to the first additional stacker unit 7 provided in the lower Z2.

  The extension communication unit 56 is an extension communication unit, and its configuration is similar to that of the communication unit 21, and communicates control information for sorting paper sheets with the communication unit 21 and the second extension stacker unit 4.

  The expansion classification unit 55 has a function as an expansion control means, and the configuration thereof is similar to that of the classification unit 18, and a sheet is stored in the third sensor 14 c according to the control information received by the expansion communication unit 56. At this point, the second transport unit 32 is controlled so as to transport paper sheets to the corresponding first extension stacker 51. Therefore, the extension classification unit 55 performs control to sort the paper sheets to any one of the plurality of first extension stackers 51 according to the received control information, and sets the paper sheets to the first extension stacker 51. The second transport unit 32 is controlled so as to be sorted out of the first extension machine body 50.

  The extension control unit 57 has a function as an extension control means, and its configuration is similar to that of the control unit 22. The extension control unit 57 controls the entire first extension stacker unit 3, and the paper sorted to each first extension stacker 51. The number of leaves is counted based on the fourth sensor 14d.

  Next, the second direction conversion unit 33 will be described. FIG. 11 is a plan view schematically showing a lower Z2 portion constituting the second direction conversion unit 33. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, a part of the first additional machine body 50 is omitted for easy understanding. The configuration of the second direction conversion unit 33 is similar to that of the first direction conversion unit 20 described above, different configurations will be described, and description of similar configurations may be omitted. In particular, the portion of the upper Z1 that constitutes the second direction conversion unit 33 is similar to the portion of the upper Z1 in the first direction conversion unit 20 described above, and thus illustration thereof is omitted. The second direction conversion unit 33 is characterized in that it is configured to convey a paper sheet given from the right side X2 to either the front Y1 or the left side X1.

  The second direction conversion unit 33 is provided on the upper Z1 side of the first extension machine body 50, and is fed by the first direction conversion unit 20 from the right side X2 via the second insertion hole 52 and conveyed. Are transported to the left X1 or the front Y1 of the first extension machine body 50. Therefore, the second direction conversion unit 33 converts the direction in which the paper sheet is conveyed by 90 degrees or conveys the paper sheet without conversion.

  Accordingly, when the paper sheet is rectangular, for example, and its longitudinal direction is arranged in the hopper 5 in parallel with the left and right directions X1 and X2, it is conveyed from the machine body 9 to the first additional machine body 50 in the longitudinal direction of the paper sheet. Is done. When the direction in which the sheet is conveyed is changed by 90 degrees, the sheet conveyed in the longitudinal direction of the sheet is conveyed in the short direction of the sheet by the second direction conversion unit 33. The When the direction is not changed, the sheet is conveyed as it is in the longitudinal direction of the sheet by the second direction changing unit 33 and is conveyed to the left X1 of the first extension machine body 50.

  The second direction conversion unit 33 includes the additional paper sheet detection units 23d and 23e, the pair of third conveyance rollers 34, the pair of fourth conveyance rollers 35, the pair of first expansion auxiliary conveyance rollers 60, and the pair of second expansion auxiliary. The conveyance roller 36 and an extension switching unit (not shown) are included.

  A pair of third transport rollers 34 (hereinafter simply referred to as “third transport rollers 34”) has two axes that are orthogonal to the discharge direction in which the first transport unit 19 discharges paper sheets and are parallel to each other. Each of them can be rotated around L3, and is configured to be displaceable between a sandwiched state in which a sheet is sandwiched by a third transport roller 34 and a non- sandwiched state in which the sheet is not sandwiched. Each axis L3 of the third transport roller 34 is an axis parallel to the respective axes L2a and L2b of the second transport roller 25 described above. There are a plurality of third conveying rollers 34 in the present embodiment, and three third conveying rollers 34 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction X1, X2. Of the pair of third transport rollers 34, one transport roller 34a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable about the third lower axis L3. The other transport roller (not shown) is provided on the upper Z1 side of the one transport roller 34a, and is rotatable about a third upper axis (not shown). The other transport roller is provided so as to be displaceable with respect to the one transport roller 34a in a sandwiched state in which a sheet is sandwiched and a non-clamped state in which the sheet is not sandwiched. The 3rd conveyance roller 34 conveys the paper sheet conveyed by the 1st direction conversion part 20 from the paper sheet counting sorter 1 in the clamping state as it is toward the left X1.

  A pair of fourth transport rollers 35 (hereinafter simply referred to as “fourth transport rollers 35”) rotate around two axes L4 that are orthogonal to the respective axes L3 of the third transport rollers 34 and parallel to each other. This is possible, and is configured to be displaceable between a sandwiched state in which the paper sheet is sandwiched and a non-clamped state in which the paper sheet is not sandwiched. In the present embodiment, a plurality of fourth transport rollers 35 are provided, and two fourth transport rollers 35 are disposed so as to stably transport paper sheets. Of the pair of fourth transport rollers 35, one transport roller 35a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable about the fourth lower axis L4. The other transport roller (not shown) is provided on the upper Z1 side of the one transport roller 35a, and is rotatable about a fourth upper axis (not shown). The other transport roller is provided so as to be displaceable with respect to the one transport roller 35a in a sandwiched state in which a paper sheet is sandwiched and a non-clamped state in which the sheet is not sandwiched. The 4th conveyance roller 35 is provided in the front Y1 side of the 3rd conveyance roller 34, and conveys the paper sheets conveyed to the left X1 by the 3rd conveyance roller 34 toward the front Y1 in the clamping state. The fourth transport roller 35 is chamfered at the periphery of the rear Y2, and the front end in the transport direction of the paper sheet transported to the left X1 by the third transport roller 34 is not caught by the fourth transport roller 35. It is configured to smoothly move onto the fourth transport roller 35.

  A pair of first additional auxiliary conveying rollers 60 (hereinafter simply referred to as “first additional auxiliary conveying rollers 60”) can rotate around two axes L60 parallel to the respective axes L4 of the fourth conveying roller 35. And is configured to be able to hold paper sheets. A plurality of first extension auxiliary conveyance rollers 60 are provided in the present embodiment. Of the pair of first additional auxiliary conveying rollers 60, one of the conveying rollers 60a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable around the first additional auxiliary lower axis L60. The other transport roller (not shown) is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the upper Z1 side of the one transport roller 60a, and is rotatable about a first extension auxiliary upper axis (not shown). The first additional auxiliary conveyance roller 60 is provided on the front Y1 side of the fourth conveyance roller 35, and further conveys the paper sheet conveyed to the front Y1 by the fourth conveyance roller 35 to the front Y1. As a result, the direction of the paper sheet is changed by 90 degrees, and the paper sheet is conveyed to the corresponding first extension stacker 51.

  A pair of second additional auxiliary conveying rollers 36 (hereinafter simply referred to as “second additional auxiliary conveying rollers 36”) can rotate around two axis L36 parallel to each axis L3 of the third conveying roller 34. Yes, and can be configured to hold paper sheets. In the present embodiment, one second additional auxiliary conveyance roller 36 is provided. Of the pair of second additional auxiliary conveying rollers 36, one of the conveying rollers 36a is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the lower Z2 side and is rotatable around the second additional auxiliary lower axis L36. The other transport roller (not shown) is fixedly provided at a predetermined position on the upper Z1 side of the one transport roller, and is rotatable about a second extension auxiliary upper axis (not shown). The second additional auxiliary conveyance roller 36 is provided on the left X1 side of the third conveyance roller 34, and further conveys the paper sheet conveyed to the left X1 by the third conveyance roller 34 to the left X1. A third insertion hole 53 (see FIG. 8) penetrating in the left and right directions X1 and X2 is formed in the first expansion machine body 50 at a position corresponding to the second expansion auxiliary conveyance roller 36, and the second expansion auxiliary conveyance is formed. By the roller 36, the paper sheets pass through the third insertion hole 53 and are discharged to the left X 1 of the first extension machine body 50. One transport roller 34a of the third transport roller 34, one transport roller 35a of the fourth transport roller 35, one transport roller 60a of the first additional auxiliary transport roller 60, and one transport roller of the second additional auxiliary transport roller 36 The rotation 36a is always transmitted via one belt 37 and is configured to rotate synchronously.

  The expanded paper sheet detection units 23d and 23e are similar in configuration to the paper sheet detection units 23b and 23c, and the conveyed paper sheet passes through a predetermined passing position in the second direction conversion unit 33. It is a sensor that detects whether or not it has been performed. The paper sheet detection units 23d and 23e include a plurality of fourth detection units 23d and a fifth detection unit 23e in the present embodiment. The fourth detection unit 23 d is a sensor that is provided in the vicinity of the fourth conveyance roller 35 and detects paper sheets conveyed by the fourth conveyance roller 35. The fifth detection unit 23 e is a sensor that is provided in the vicinity of the second additional auxiliary transport roller 36 and detects paper sheets that are transported by the second additional auxiliary transport roller 36.

  The extension switching unit (not shown) is similar in structure to the switching unit 27, engages with the third transport roller 34 and the fourth transport roller 35, the third transport roller 34 is in a sandwiched state, The switching operation is performed between a third conveyance state in which the fourth conveyance roller 35 is in a non-nipping state and a fourth conveyance state in which the third conveyance roller 34 is in a nipping state and the fourth conveyance roller 35 is in a non-nipping state. Such an extension switching unit is realized by the same configuration as the switching unit 27 described above.

  The expansion control unit 57 determines the third conveyance state and the fourth conveyance state of the expansion switching unit based on the detection information detected by the expansion paper sheet detection units 23d and 23e and the control information given from the expansion communication unit 56. Control the switching timing. When the conveyance direction is changed by 90 degrees based on the control information, for example, when the paper sheet is detected by the fourth detection unit 23d in the third conveyance state, the expansion control unit 57 sets the fourth conveyance state to the fourth conveyance state. In the state, when the paper sheet is not detected by the fourth detection unit 23d, the extension switching unit is controlled to enter the third transport state. As a result, the sheet conveyed to the left X1 by the third conveyance roller 34 can be conveyed to the front Y1 by the fourth conveyance roller 35 and the first additional auxiliary conveyance roller 60.

  Further, the extension control unit 57 detects the paper sheets by the fourth detection unit 23d in the third transport state, for example, when the transport direction is not changed based on the control information, that is, when transported to the left X1 as it is. The extension switching unit is controlled so as to maintain the third conveyance state. Thus, the paper sheet conveyed to the left X1 by the third conveyance roller 34 can be further conveyed to the left X1 by the second additional auxiliary conveyance roller 36.

  Next, the second extension stacker unit 4 will be described. The second extension stacker unit 4 can be realized by the same configuration as the first extension stacker unit 3 described above. The second extension stacker unit 4 is characterized in that the sheets conveyed from the first extension stacker unit 3 are sorted and conveyed to the second extension stacker unit 8.

  The second extension stacker unit 4 includes a second extension machine body 58 and a second extension stacker unit 8. The second extension machine body 58 has the same configuration as the first extension machine body 50. Referring to FIG. 1, the right side X2 surface 50b of the second extension machine body 58 and the left side X1 of the first extension machine body 50 are the same. The surface 50c is configured to be connectable. The second extension stacker unit 8 has the same configuration as the first extension stacker unit 7 and includes a plurality of second extension stackers 51. Since the first extension stacker 51 and the second extension stacker 51 have the same configuration, the same reference numerals are assigned.

  When the second extension stacker unit 4 is described with reference to FIG. 8, similarly to the first extension stacker unit 3, a second insertion hole 52 is formed in the surface 50 b on the right side X <b> 1. The second insertion hole 52 is formed at a position corresponding to the third insertion hole 53 formed in the first extension stacker unit 3 when the second extension stacker unit 4 is connected to the first extension stacker unit 3. Is done. As a result, the paper sheet is transported to the left X1 by the second transport unit 32 of the first extension stacker unit 3 and passes through the third insertion hole 53 of the first extension stacker unit 3, so that the paper sheet becomes the second extension. It passes through the second insertion hole 52 of the stacker unit 4 and is conveyed into the second additional machine body 58. Since the remaining configuration of the second extension stacker unit 4 is the same as that of the first extension stacker unit 3, the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

Next, an electronic device (not shown) will be described. In this embodiment, the electronic device is realized by a personal computer (abbreviated as Personal Computer: PC). On the display of the PC, various settings, progress of tabulation, and tabulation results are displayed. Specifically, the display is a batch setting of each stacker 11, each first extension stacker 51, and each second extension stacker 51 (hereinafter, these stackers may be collectively referred to as “stackers 11, 51”, for example). Displays the number of copies. The display also displays, for example, the type names of the paper sheets assigned to the stackers 11 and 51 and the total number of sorted paper sheets.

  Various settings can also be made by operating input means such as a keyboard or mouse of a PC. For example, the types of paper sheets to be sorted into the stackers 11 and 51 can be set. When such a setting is made, it may be set so that different types of paper sheets are sorted into the respective stackers 11 and 51, and the same type of paper sheets are sorted into the plurality of stackers 11 and 51. May be set. Further, for example, it is possible to switch between a counting mode for performing simple counting and a sorting mode for performing sorting. Further, the number of batches as one counting unit can be set to an appropriate number, for example, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100. Since each stacker 11, 50 is fully accommodated, the number of batches is set to 100, for example. Further, after all the paper sheets of the hopper 5 are counted, it is possible to select whether or not to perform the subsequent cumulative addition.

  Next, the operation of the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 will be described using a flowchart. The operation of the flowchart is performed by the control unit 22 of the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the counting / sorting process by the control unit 22 of the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1. Here, addition is turned on and the number of batches is set to 100. In addition, the paper sheets are voting paper having candidate names or party names and selection mark entry fields for these names in advance. This flowchart is started in a power-on state, and proceeds to step a1.

  In step a1, it is determined whether or not the voting paper is placed on the hopper 5 by the first sensor 14a. If the voting paper is placed, the process moves to step a2, and if not, step a1 is repeated. In step a2, when a ballot is detected, it is determined whether or not a start operation has been performed. If a start operation has been performed, the process proceeds to step a3. If not, step a2 is repeated.

  In step a3, since the start operation has been performed, the feeding unit 15 starts feeding the voting paper placed on the hopper 5, and the process proceeds to step a4. In step a4, the reading section 16 reads the content entered in the voting paper that has been fed out, and the process proceeds to step a5. In step a5, the entry content is discriminated by the discriminating unit 17, and the process proceeds to step a6.

  In step a6, sorting and counting are performed based on the determination result of the determination unit 17, and the process proceeds to step a7. That is, in step a6, the classification unit 18 performs control for sorting and transporting the voting paper to the corresponding stackers 11 and 50 according to the entered contents based on the determination result of the determination unit 17. In step a6, control is performed to count the number of voting sheets sorted into the corresponding stackers 11 and 51 based on the determination result of the determination unit 17. This counted information is given to the PC. Further, when the number of voting sheets sorted into the stackers 11 and 51 approaches a full value or approaches the number of batches, control for turning on the LED of the corresponding stacker 11 and 51 is performed.

  If the stackers 11 and 51 that are the voting paper sorting destinations are the stackers 11 of the single sheet counting and sorting machine 1 according to the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 17 described above, the first transport unit 19 applies the stacker 11 to the corresponding stacker 11. Control for conveying the ballot is performed.

  Further, according to the determination result of the determination unit 17 described above, when the stackers 11 and 51 as the voting paper sorting destinations are the first additional stacker 51 of the first additional stacker unit 3, the voting paper is conveyed to the first additional stacker 51. Control is performed. First, the communication unit 21 transmits control information to the extension communication unit 56 of the first extension stacker unit 3. The first transport unit 19 transports the voting paper to the first extension stacker unit 3. Next, based on the received control information, the first extension stacker unit 3 transports the conveyed voting paper to the corresponding first extension stacker 51 by the second transport unit 32 of the first extension stacker unit 3.

  Further, according to the determination result of the determination unit 17 described above, when the voting paper sorting destination stackers 11 and 51 are the second additional stacker 51 of the second additional stacker unit 4, the voting paper is conveyed to the second additional stacker 51. Control is performed. First, the communication unit 21 transmits control information to each additional communication unit 56 of the first additional stacker unit 3 and the second additional stacker unit 4. The first transport unit 19 transports the voting paper to the first extension stacker unit 3. Next, the first additional stacker unit 3 transports the voting paper to be transported to the second additional stacker unit 4 by the second transport unit 32 of the first additional stacker unit 3 based on the received control information. Next, based on the received control information, the second expansion stacker unit 4 applies the voting paper conveyed from the first expansion stacker unit 3 to the corresponding second conveyance section 32 of the second expansion stacker unit 4. Transport to the extension stacker 51.

  The discriminating unit 17 determines that the ballot is valid when only one mark is entered on the ballot, and other marks, for example, a mark x is entered on the ballot, or the marks are displayed at a plurality of positions. If it is filled in, it is determined that it is invalid, and control for conveying the voting paper to the reject-only stackers 11 and 51 is performed. Also, when the ballot is a ballot that fills in the name of a candidate or a party, it is transported to the corresponding stacker 11 or 51 based on the determined character, and the character cannot be determined or the character is not filled in. Is determined to be invalid, and the paper sheets are conveyed to the reject-only stackers 11 and 51.

  In step a7, it is determined whether or not any of the stackers 11 and 51 reaches the number of batches, or if it reaches the full number, the process proceeds to step a11 if it reaches, and the process proceeds to step a8 if it does not. Further, when it is set to sort the voting sheets having the same entry contents into the plurality of stackers 11 and 51, when all the set stackers 11 and 51 reach the batch number or when the batches are full, the step is performed. Move to a8. In step a8, it is determined whether or not the inside of the hopper 5 is empty. If it is empty, the process proceeds to step a9, and if it is not empty, the process returns to step a3. Therefore, when the hopper 5 is not empty, the feeding operation is continued by returning to step a3 unless a stop operation is performed.

  In step a9, the feeding operation is stopped and the process proceeds to step a10. Accordingly, when the hoppers 5 are empty while the stackers 11 and 51 are not full and the number of batches has not been reached, the feeding is automatically stopped. In step a10, the counting result is displayed on the display of the PC, and this flow is finished. When voting paper is added to the hopper 5, this flow is started again from step a1. When such a ballot is added, the displayed count value is accumulated.

  In step a11, the feeding operation is stopped and the process proceeds to step a12. Accordingly, in step a11, since any one of the stackers 11 and 51 is full or the number of batches has been reached, the feeding is automatically stopped. When the payout is stopped, the type of voting paper that is being conveyed and is sorted into the stackers 11 and 51 that have reached the full or batch number has reached the full or batch number. Therefore, it is transported to the reject stackers 11 and 51. In addition, voting papers that are being transported and are classified into the stackers 11 and 51 that are not full or have not reached the number of batches are transported to the corresponding stackers 11 and 51, respectively. Further, the voting paper that could not be discriminated due to the sudden stoppage of feeding is conveyed to the reject-only stackers 11 and 51. In step a12, the full stackers 11, 51 or the LEDs 13 included in the stackers 11, 51 that have reached the batch number are blinked, and the process proceeds to step a13. Thus, the operator can visually recognize the stackers 11 and 51 reaching a predetermined amount by the LED 13.

  In step a13, it is determined whether or not the voting paper has been removed from the stackers 11 and 51 in which the LED 13 is blinking. If it is removed, the process proceeds to step a14. If not removed, the process in step a13 is repeated. Accordingly, in step a13, it is detected whether or not the voting paper has been removed from the corresponding stacker 11 or 51 by the operator in response to the blinking of the LED 13 of the stacker 11 or 51. In step a14, since the voting paper is pulled out from the corresponding stacker 11, 51, the LED 13 of the corresponding stacker 11, 51 is turned off, and the process returns to step a3. Accordingly, the feeding is resumed.

  Note that when the operator stops the hopper 5 for some reason even when the hopper 5 is not empty, the feeding is stopped and when the start operation is performed, the feeding is resumed.

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 12 described above, the paper sheets are voting paper having a candidate name or a party name and a selection mark entry field for them in advance, but the paper sheets are filled with a candidate name and a party name, for example. It may be a ballot with an entry field. Even with such a ballot, the same processing can be performed by discriminating and classifying candidate names and political party names.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, a plurality of types of paper sheets placed on the hopper 5 are fed one by one by the feeding unit 15, and information on the fed paper sheets is read by the reading unit 16. Read. The discriminating unit 17 discriminates the type of the paper sheet based on the information read by the reading unit 16, and the control unit 22 selects any one stacker 11 among the plurality of stackers 11 according to the discrimination result. Or the 1st conveyance part 19 is controlled so that it sorts out of the body 9, and the number of the paper sheets sorted out of each stacker 11 and the body 9 is counted. Therefore, a plurality of types of paper sheets placed on the hopper 5 can be sorted based on the type, and the number of sheets can be obtained for each sorted paper sheet.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the hopper 5 and the stackers 11 and 51 form a placement space 10a on which a plurality of types of paper sheets can be placed and an accumulation space 10b on which the sheets can be accumulated, respectively. 10b is configured to open to the front Y1. Accordingly, the operator can easily place and take out the paper sheets from the hopper 5 and can easily take out the paper sheets accumulated in the stackers 11 and 51. The hopper 5 is provided at the lower part of the front surface 9 a of the body 9. The plurality of stackers 11 are arranged on the front surface 9 a of the body 9 and above the hopper 5 in an array. Thus, since the hopper 5 and each stacker 11 are both provided on the front surface 9a of the body 9, the operator's work can be performed rather than the configuration in which the hopper 5 and each stacker 11 are provided on different surfaces as in the prior art. Space can be reduced. Thus, the worker can easily perform the work of placing the paper sheets on the hopper 5 and taking out the paper sheets sorted into each stacker 11 even in a small work space. As a result, the work efficiency of the worker can be improved. Further, since each stacker 11, 51 is provided on the front surface 9 a of the machine body 9, when an operator takes out the paper sheets sorted into each stacker 11, 51, the paper sheets sorted into each stacker 11, 51. Is easy to see. Thereby, work efficiency can be improved.

  The paper sheet fed from the hopper 5 by the feeding unit 15 is transported by the first transport unit 19 and transported to any one of the plurality of stackers 11. Further, the first transport unit 19 can transport the paper sheet fed from the hopper 5 to the left side X1 and discharge it to the outside of the left side X1 of the machine body 9. As a result, even if the number of stackers 11 is small or the stacking space 10b of the stacker 11 is small, the sheets are discharged to the left side X1 of the body 9 even when the sheets cannot be sorted into the stackers 11. can do. Therefore, by adding the first extension stacker unit 3 functioning as the first extension stacker 51 on the left side X1 side of the machine body 9, the first transport unit 19 allows the sheets to be sorted as described above to be first added. It can be conveyed to the stacker unit 3 and sorted. Therefore, the number of stackers 11, 51 that can be sorted and the number of sheets to be sorted can be increased.

  Further, since the paper sheets are discharged to the left side X1, it is possible to easily secure the installation space and to improve the workability as compared with the configuration in which the paper sheets are discharged to the upper Z1 and another stacker is added to the upper Z1. Can be prevented from decreasing. Further, when another stacker is added to the upper Z1, the amount of vertical movement of the operator increases, and an operation such as standing and sitting is necessary, but the first extension stacker 51 provided in the front Y1 in the left and right directions X1 and X2. Can be added, so that the worker can perform sorting work while sitting.

  As described above, in the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 according to the present embodiment, the stackers 11 and 51 can be added as appropriate, and the installation space is small and the workability can be improved as described above. Therefore, the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 can be suitably used for sorting and counting paper sheets that have a large number of types and the number of types varies depending on the place of use.

  Further, by providing the hopper 5 at the lower part of the front surface 9 a of the airframe 9, a relatively heavy structure is disposed at the lower part of the airframe 9, and the center of gravity can be arranged on the lower side of the airframe 9. Therefore, the airframe 9 can be stabilized.

  In the present embodiment, control information can be communicated with other devices by the communication unit 21, so information such as the number of sorted paper sheets is transmitted to the PC using the control information. Can be managed for each type. Further, when the first extension stacker unit 3 or the like is added, the control information can be given to the first extension stacker unit 3 using the communication unit 21. Thus, the first extension stacker unit 3 given the control information controls each component so as to sort the sheets into one of the plurality of first extension stackers 51 according to the control information. be able to. As a result, even when the first extension stacker unit 3 is connected, the sheets can be sorted and counted without deteriorating the workability, and convenience is improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the first direction conversion unit 20 can instantaneously change the direction in which the paper sheet is conveyed by 90 degrees by switching to the conveyance state while the paper sheet is being conveyed. . Moreover, since the 1st direction conversion part 20 can be implement | achieved by the above simple structures, it can be reduced in size and, thereby, the single paper sheet counting sorter 1 can be reduced in size. Similarly, since the second direction conversion unit 33 can be realized with the simple configuration as described above, the second direction conversion unit 33 can be reduced in size, and thereby the first extension stacker unit 3 and the second extension stacker unit 4 can be reduced in size. Can be

  In addition, when the first and second extension stacker units 3 and 4 are added to the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1, it can be classified into 20 types at the maximum including rejects. Can be set arbitrarily. As described above, since the first extension stacker unit 3 and the second extension stacker unit 4 have the same configuration, an arbitrary number of extension stacker units having the same configuration can be added continuously. For example, when there are 25 candidates, by adding one additional stacker unit having the same configuration as the first and second additional stacker units 3 and 4 to the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1 described above. Since a total of 28 stackers 11 and 51 are present in the paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1, it is possible to sort the voting papers of 25 candidates at a time for each candidate.

  In the present embodiment, the first and second extension stacker units 3 and 4 are configured to be added to the left X1 side, but the present invention is not limited to the left X1 side, but is added to the right X2 side. You may comprise. Further, the first and second extension stacker units 3 and 4 may be added to both the left and right directions X1 and X2, respectively.

  In this embodiment, the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1 can be operated by a PC connected to the outside. However, such an operation unit may be integrated with the paper sheet counting / sorting machine 1. In the present embodiment, the airframe 9 is a rectangular parallelepiped box, but is not limited to this, and may be any shape as long as each stacker 11 and the hopper 5 are provided on the same surface.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the extension stacker units 3 and 4 are added, the extension control unit 57 of the extension stacker units 3 and 4 and the control unit 22 of the single sheet counting and sorting machine 1 communicate with each other for sorting. Although the control is performed, the present invention is not limited to this, and all sorting control may be performed by the control unit 22 included in the single paper sheet counting and sorting machine 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Paper sheet counting and sorting machine 3 1st extension stacker unit 4 2nd extension stacker unit 5 Hopper 9 Airframe 10a Loading space 10b Stacking space 11 Stacker 15 Feeding part 16 Reading part 17 Discriminating part 18 Sorting part 19 First conveying part 20 1st direction conversion part 21 Communication part 22 Control part 23 Paper sheet detection part 24 1st conveyance roller 25 2nd conveyance roller 27 Switching part 32 2nd conveyance part 33 2nd direction conversion part 50 1st extension machine body 51 1st addition Stacker 58 second expansion body

Claims (5)

The aircraft,
A hopper provided on the machine body, on which a plurality of types of paper sheets can be placed;
A feeding means for feeding out the paper sheets placed on the hopper;
Reading means for reading information on the paper sheet fed by the feeding means;
A stacker provided in the machine body for collecting paper sheets;
The paper sheets are stacked, and an expansion stacker provided to be able to be added to the machine body so as to open in the same direction as the stacker,
A display unit provided in the stacker and the extension stacker;
Conveying means for conveying paper sheets from the feeding means to the stacker and the additional stacker;
Control means for sorting information into any one of the stacker and the extension stacker based on the information read by the reading means and displaying information on the paper sheets accumulated in the display unit; Paper sheet counting and sorting machine characterized by that.   2. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit changes a display form of the display unit on the basis of a predetermined number of sheets or a full sheet being sorted into the stacker and the additional stacker. The paper sheet counting and sorting machine described.   3. The display unit according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes a display form between when the paper sheets sorted into the stacker and the additional stacker reach a predetermined number or full and when there is a remaining sheet. The paper sheet counting and sorting machine described in 1.   The control means is characterized in that when the paper sheets to be sorted into the stacker and the extension stacker are approaching a predetermined number of sheets or full, the display mode is different from the display mode when the paper reaches the remaining stacker. The paper sheet counting and sorting machine according to claim 3.   The paper sheet counting and sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein the additional stacker is provided in a lateral direction of the machine body.

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