JP5312430B2 - Ticket processing device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a ticket processing apparatus that is mounted on an automatic ticket vending machine that issues tickets and processes information, and performs ticketing processing.

Some ticket processing devices that are built in automatic ticket vending machines and perform ticketing processing can store a plurality of unprinted roll papers in parallel in the device and operate for a long time. . Conventionally, in this type of ticket processing apparatus, the first roll paper and the second roll paper are stored in parallel in the storage, and each roll paper can be fed out separately by driving the drive source. Yes.

At the time of ticketing, after the customer inputs information necessary for ticketing, such as the amount and type, from the operation screen provided in the automatic ticket vending machine, when the first roll paper is sent out to the first transport path, the leading edge of the roll paper However, it is cut into a ticket having a predetermined size by a cutter and issued from a ticket issuing slot. When the first roll paper runs out of paper due to ticketing, the second roll paper is fed out to a second transport path different from the first transport path, and ticket issuing processing is performed by the same procedure as the first roll paper, and automatic ticket sales are performed. The ticketing service for the machine will continue.

JP 2000-293713 A

In the above-described ticket processing apparatus, the first roll paper is fed out to the first conveyance path, and the second roll paper is fed out to another second conveyance path different from the first conveyance path. That is, in the case of this configuration, a structure in which the roll paper feeding mechanism and the roll paper storing the conveyance path are installed according to the number of roll papers and the equivalent mechanism is duplicated is adopted. Therefore, an extra mechanism is incorporated in the ticket processing apparatus, and the entire ticket processing apparatus is increased in size.

As one of the inventions for solving such problems, for example, the invention of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-293713 can be cited. In the present invention, the roll paper fed from the position shifted in the width direction of the transport path is rotated once around the platen to form a loop, and the roll paper is moved in the width direction along with the formation of the loop to join the transport path. Adopted a structure to let you.

However, in this configuration, if the distance between the roll paper feed position and the conveyance path is set smaller than the roll paper width, the side surfaces of the roll paper before and after forming the loop come into contact with each other, causing the roll paper to be damaged or jammed. The distance between the path and the roll paper feed position must be wider than the width of the roll paper, and there are many design limitations. In view of these problems, the object of the present invention is to allow the roll paper to be fed out to the common transport path without causing twisting of the roll paper, and further, the degree of freedom in designing the roll paper feed position and the transport path arrangement. The idea is to devise a roll paper feeding method that is expensive.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, in the present invention, the above-described ticket processing apparatus is provided with a path converting means for bending the fed roll paper into a substantially S shape, and the roll paper is made into a substantially S shape by the path converting means. Bend. By passing the roll paper bent to the path conversion unit, the roll paper is moved in the width direction and fed out to the conveyance path.

In the present invention, by forming the path conversion portion in a substantially S shape, the roll paper does not twist excessively, the bent roll paper itself does not contact each other, jam occurs in the roll paper, There will be no pain. Furthermore, with regard to the roll paper feeding position and the arrangement of the conveyance path, the degree of freedom in design is increased and the ticket processing apparatus can be downsized.

It is a schematic block diagram of the ticket processing apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the path | route conversion part of Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the path | route conversion part seen from the Y direction of Example 1 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the path | route conversion part of Example 2 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the path | route conversion part seen from the Y 'direction of Example 2 of this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the path | route conversion part of Example 3 of this invention. It is an arrangement plan of an aligner roller and a turn guide of Example 3 of the present invention.

  Embodiments of a ticket processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, a path conversion unit that bends in a substantially S shape when the roll paper loaded in the ticket processing apparatus is fed is provided, and the width is obtained by passing the roll paper through the path conversion unit. The roll paper was moved in the direction and fed out to the conveyance path.

(Constitution)
Next, the configuration of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a ticket processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. 1 is a ticket processing device, 2 is a ticket outlet for taking out tickets issued by customers, 3A is a first roll paper used for ticketing first, and 3B is a ticket issued after the first roll paper runs out. Second roll paper to be printed. The first roll paper 3A and the second roll paper 3B are stored in parallel in the storage, and can be separately fed by rotating by a driving source (not shown).

Reference numeral 8A denotes a conveyance path connecting the first roll paper storage to the ticketing slot 2, and a cutter 4, a print head 5, and a magnetic light head 6 are arranged on the conveyance path. The cutter 4 cuts the first roll paper 3A and the second roll paper 3B into a ticket size. Further, the print head 5 prints predetermined information corresponding to the tickets, for example, the issue station name, the issue date, the money amount, and the ticket number, on the surface of the tickets manufactured by cutting the roll paper with the cutter 9. The magnetic write head 6 writes and issues, for example, an issuing station name, an issue date, an amount, a ticket number, and the like, which are necessary information for a boarding ticket, on a magnetic track portion provided on the back surface of the conveyed tickets. is there.

Reference numeral 8B denotes a conveyance path that connects the storage of the second roll paper to the path conversion unit 7. Reference numeral 7 denotes a path converting unit that converts the second roll paper 3B from the transport path 8B to the transport path 8A, and includes a substantially S-shaped transport path 13 formed by connecting one end to the transport path 8A and the other end to the transport path 8B. Built-in.

Next, the configuration of the path conversion unit 7 according to the first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the path conversion unit 7. The path conversion unit 7 includes two guide members 9 and 10. The guide members 9 and 10 are both formed with a substantially S-shaped curved surface facing each other, and a substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 is formed between the guide members by being combined with each other. The substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 between the guide members 9 and 10 has an interval of about several millimeters so that the second roll paper 3B can move smoothly. In FIG. 2, the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 is shown to be orthogonal to the paper surface, but the second roll paper is smoothly provided in the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 by being inclined in a direction not orthogonal to the paper surface. It becomes easy to be guided to. The rotation radii R1 and R2 of the curved surface portion of the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 can be arbitrarily set according to the strength of the roll paper used.

A medium insertion port 15 is provided below the path conversion unit 7, and the second roll paper 3B conveyed on the conveyance path 8B is sandwiched and rotated in front of the medium insertion port 15, and the roll paper is used as a medium. Conveying rollers 11a and 11b having a driving source (not shown) for feeding into the substantially S-shaped conveying path 13 from the insertion port 15 are installed. Further, there is a medium discharge port 16 above the path conversion unit 7, and the second roll paper 3 </ b> B bent and conveyed in the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 is sandwiched and rotated downstream of the medium discharge port 16. In addition, transport rollers 12a and 12b are provided for drawing the roll paper from the medium discharge port 16 and feeding it to the transport path 8A. A rotation shaft 14 is provided at the upper end of the guide member 10. When the guide member 10 is pulled up in the direction of the arrow X by hand, the guide member 10 is separated from the guide member 9 and rotated around the rotation shaft 14. Thus, the path conversion unit 7 can be opened, and the roll paper staying in the substantially S-shaped transport path 13 due to the jam can be taken out.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the configuration of the path conversion unit 7 according to the first embodiment when viewed from the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 2, and the state of the second roll paper 3B inside the path conversion unit 7 viewed from the direction is indicated by a broken line. Show. Dashed lines SL and SR indicate side edges of the second roll paper. Actually, the broken lines SL and SR are bent along the curved surface of the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13, but are shown as straight lines for convenience of explanation.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. In FIG. 2, the second roll paper 3 </ b> B is fed out of the storage case and conveyed through the conveyance path 8 </ b> B, and then reaches the medium insertion port 15 of the path conversion unit 7. Then, the second roll paper 3B is fed into the substantially S-shaped transport path 13 by the rotation of the transport rollers 11a and 11b. The second roll paper 3 </ b> B bends and moves in a substantially S shape while changing its direction in the order of A to E along the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 by the feeding force of the conveyance rollers 11 a and 11 b and reaches the medium discharge port 16.

FIG. 3 is a view of the movement of the second roll paper 3B as viewed from the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. In addition, each arrow of AE shown in FIG. 2 respond | corresponds to each arrow of AE of FIG. When the movement of A to E of the second roll paper is seen from the Y direction, it moves substantially linearly in the oblique direction from the medium insertion port 15 to the medium discharge port 16 as shown by A to E in FIG. As a result, the feeding position of the leading edge of the second roll paper 3B is moved and fed by the amount of movement H corresponding to the height difference between the conveying path 8A and the conveying path 8B and the amount of movement W corresponding to the shift amount in the width direction. It becomes. The leading end portion of the second roll paper fed out from the path conversion unit 7 and joined to the transport path 8A is then subjected to predetermined ticketing processing by the cutter 4, the print head 5, and the magnetic light head 6, and the ticket is issued from the ticketing slot 2. Issued as

In the ticket processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention, a path conversion unit is configured by combining two guide members and two guide rollers, and the roll paper is bent and conveyed in an approximately S-shape. .

(Constitution)
Next, the configuration of the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the path conversion unit 7 of this embodiment. In FIG. 4, reference numerals 21 and 22 denote guide members made of sheet metal or the like. Reference numerals 23 and 24 denote guide rollers. The guide roller 23 is disposed opposite to the guide member 21 and the guide roller 24 is opposed to the guide member 22. Each of the guide members 21 and 22 has a curved surface on the surface facing the guide roller. Reference numeral 27 denotes a substantially S-shaped conveyance path formed by the guide rollers 23 and 24 and the guide members 21 and 22. The substantially S-shaped conveyance path 27 has an interval of about several millimeters so that the second roll paper 3B can move smoothly. The guide roller 23 and the guide member 21 constitute an upper unit 29. The guide roller 24 and the guide member 22 constitute a lower unit 30.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the path conversion unit 7 of this embodiment as viewed from the Y ′ direction of FIG. In FIG. 5, the upper unit 29 and the lower unit 30 are configured to be separable from each other, and can be combined while being shifted in the width direction by a movement amount W described later. Thus, by adjusting the movement amount W according to the specifications of the ticket processing apparatus 1, it is possible to freely adjust the discharge position of the second roll paper 3B in the width direction.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of the second embodiment will be described. First, a description will be given with reference to FIG. After the second roll paper 3B is unwound from the storage and transported through the transport path 8B, the second roll paper 3B reaches the medium insertion port 25 of the path conversion unit 7. At this time, when the leading edge of the second roll paper 3B is detected by a sensor (not shown), the guide rollers 23 and 24 start to rotate. Then, the second roll paper 3 </ b> B is fed into the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 27 by the rotation of the guide roller 24. The second roll paper 3 </ b> B bends and moves in a substantially S-shape along the substantially S-shaped transport path 27 in the order of A <b> 1 to E <b> 1 and reaches the medium discharge port 26.

The above contents will be further described with reference to FIG. Due to the rotation of the guide roller 24, the second roll paper 3B is taken into the substantially S-shaped transport path 27 from the front to the front in the figure. Following the rotation of the guide rollers 23 and 24, the second roll paper 3B moves linearly toward the medium discharge port 26 obliquely upward in the directions A1 to E1. Finally, the sheet moves by a movement amount W corresponding to the displacement in the width direction between the transport paths 8A and 8B in the width direction of the roll paper and reaches the medium discharge port 26. The second roll paper fed out from the medium discharge port 26 joins and is transported to the transport path 8A, and a predetermined ticketing process is performed by the cutter 4, the print head 5, and the magnetic light head 6.

In the second embodiment described above, the interval between the two transport rollers 23 and 24 is assumed to be an interval corresponding to the thickness of the roll paper as shown in FIG. However, the distance between the two transport rollers may be widened as long as the roll paper can be bent substantially in an S shape. By doing so, the height difference between the conveying paths 8A and 8B is not limited by the position of the conveying roller, and the degree of freedom in design is increased. In this embodiment, the rotation speeds and the rotation timings of the two transport rollers are set to be the same. However, it is not always necessary to do so, and it may be freely controlled in consideration of the quality of the roll paper.

In the above-described first embodiment, while the second roll paper is being transported in the path conversion unit, the second roll paper may move in a direction away from the travel reference plane on the side surfaces of the transport paths 8A and 8B, which may cause a jam. The third embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that an aligner roller is provided instead of the conveying roller of the first embodiment in order to solve this problem. With the aligner roller of this embodiment, the second roll paper is brought close to the travel reference plane of the transport paths 8A and 8B while the path is being changed. A turn guide is provided at a bending point in the substantially S-shaped conveyance path so that the roll paper can be bent smoothly.

(Constitution)
Next, the configuration of the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 shows a configuration diagram of the path conversion unit 7 of the present embodiment. The path conversion unit 7 is composed of guide members 9 and 10, and a substantially S-shaped transport path 13 is formed between the guide members by being combined with each other. There is a medium insertion port 15 below the path conversion unit 7, and in front of the medium insertion port 15, the second roll paper 3B that has been conveyed is in contact with and supported by the lower part of the conveyance path 8B to rotate the roll paper. A conveyance roller 11b that feeds into the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 is provided.

An aligner roller 32 that brings the second roll paper 3B toward the side travel reference surface 34 is provided at a position facing the transport roller 11b in the upper portion of the transport path 8B. Further, there is a medium discharge port 16 above the path conversion unit 7, and the second roll paper 3B that has been conveyed is sandwiched and rotated from the lower part of the conveyance path 8A downstream of the medium discharge port 16 to draw out the roll paper. A conveyance roller 12b is installed. Further, an aligner roller 33 that brings the second roll paper 3B toward the side conveyance reference surface 35 is provided at a position facing the conveyance roller 12b at the upper part of the conveyance path 8A. Both aligner rollers 32 and 33 have a structure in which two conical rollers are connected by a shaft, and are freely attached to the conveyance paths 8A and 8B.

Thereby, the aligner rollers 32 and 33 rotate following the movement of the second roll paper 3B. FIG. 7 is a view of the state of the second roll paper 3B inside the path conversion unit 7 according to the third embodiment as viewed from above. As shown in the drawing, the aligner rollers 32 and 33 cross the center line of the second roll paper 3B in a state where the second roll paper 3B is brought close to the travel reference surfaces 34 and 35, and are positioned at the center of the roll paper. Is arranged. Also, 36 and 37 in the figure are turn guides, which are plate-like auxiliary members made of a metal block or the like. The turn guides 36 and 37 are attached to a portion where the second roll paper of the substantially S-shaped conveyance path starts to turn.

(Operation)
Next, the operation of the third embodiment will be described. When the second roll paper 3B that has been transported through the transport path 8B reaches the vicinity of the medium insertion opening 15, the transport roller 11b feeds the second roll paper and is simultaneously brought closer to the travel reference surface 34 by the aligner roller 32. The second roll paper 3B is taken into the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 by the rotation of the conveyance roller 11b. The second roll paper 3B bends and moves in a substantially S shape while changing the direction from A to E and reaches the medium discharge port 16. At the position A, the turn guide 36 supports the side surface of the second roll paper 3B. To do. Thereby, it becomes easy to bend smoothly by making the second roll paper 3B bend.

Similarly, at the position C, the turn guide 37 supports the side surface of the second roll paper 3B so that the second roll paper 3B can be bent smoothly, thereby making it easier to bend smoothly. The transport roller 12 b pulls out the second roll paper and is brought closer to the travel reference surface 35 by the aligner roller 33.

In the above-described configuration of the third embodiment, the description has been given of the configuration in which both the aligner roller and the turn guide are provided, but only one of them may be attached to the path conversion unit.

As described above, in the first to third embodiments, the case where the second roll paper is brought from the conveyance path 8B side to the conveyance path 8A has been described. On the contrary, the first roll paper is drawn from the conveyance path 8A side to the conveyance path 8B. In this case, it goes without saying that the width-shifting direction of the substantially S-shaped conveyance path 13 described above is provided in the opposite direction.
Also, the first roll paper and the second roll paper are arranged in an overlapping manner, and a substantially S-shaped transport path is provided on both of the transport paths 8A and 8B so that the shifting directions are closer to each other, so that one transport path is provided. It is also possible to provide between the conveyance paths 8A and 8B. This makes it possible to provide a transport path at the center of the ticket processing apparatus regardless of the roll paper arrangement, and facilitates mounting of the ticket processing apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ticket processing apparatus 3A 1st roll paper 3B 2nd roll paper 9 Guide member 13 Substantially S-shaped conveyance path 24 Guide roller 30 Aligner roller 36 Turn guide

Claims (4)

In a ticket processing apparatus that issues roll paper and issues a ticket,
The roll paper is formed in a substantially S shape by a substantially S-shaped conveyance path formed by a plurality of conveyance rollers and a curved surface facing the conveyance rollers and formed by the conveyance rollers and the curved surface. Having a path changing part to be bent;
The ticket processing apparatus, wherein the roll paper is moved in the width direction and fed out by passing the roll paper through the path conversion unit. The pair of transport rollers and the guide member facing each other constitute a first unit, the other pair of transport rollers and the guide member constitute a second unit, and the first unit is the second unit. The ticket processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unit is arranged so as to be shifted in a width direction of the roll paper with respect to the unit. The ticket processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first unit and the second unit are separable. The ticket processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of transport rollers are spaced apart from each other by an interval corresponding to a thickness of the roll paper in the vertical direction. .

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