JP5984209B2 - Ballot sorting machine - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ballot paper sorter.

  As a voting paper sorter, the following Patent Document 1 proposes a paper sheet counting and sorting machine. The paper sheet counting and sorting machine includes a hopper on which voting paper is placed and a plurality of stackers on which voting paper is stacked. In the paper counting and sorting machine, the voting paper placed on the hopper Are sorted by type and conveyed to one of the stackers.

Japanese Patent No. 4732966

  In general, a ballot sorting machine is a heavy object that reaches several tens of kilometers. Nevertheless, unlike a bill processing machine that is used continuously once installed, the ballot sorting machine is installed and used on a desk or the like only during the counting of votes, and is used as a storage case during other periods. Stored and stored. Therefore, it is necessary to perform installation work and storage work of the voting paper sorter before and after the vote counting work. However, since the conventional ballot paper sorter is heavy, it places a heavy burden on the operator during installation work and storage work.

  The present invention has been made under such a background, and an object of the present invention is to provide a voting paper sorter capable of facilitating the work of installing for use and the work of storing after use.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a voting paper set unit for setting voting paper to be classified, reading means for sequentially reading the voting paper set in the voting paper setting unit, and voting paper passed through the reading means. A first reversing mechanism for reversing the conveying direction of the voting paper that is disposed in a part of the conveying path and is conveyed along the conveying path, A voting paper sorting machine that is disposed in part and includes a second reversing mechanism for reversing the front and back of the voting paper conveyed through the conveyance path, wherein the voting paper setting unit, the reading means, the conveyance path, The main unit provided with the first reversing mechanism and the second reversing mechanism is separable into at least two blocks, a first block including the first reversing mechanism and a second block including the second reversing mechanism. Oh it is, before In the state after the assembly of the main unit, the first block and the second block are stacked one above the other, and a guide rail is provided on the separation surface side of one of the first block and the second block. provided, on the separation surface side of the other block, the guided member movable is characterized that you have provided the guide along the rail during assembly and disassembly of the main unit, ballot sorter It is.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the separation surface of the one block has a pair of the guide rails and a raised portion between the guide rails, and the separation surface of the other block is 2. The voting paper sorter according to claim 1, wherein the ballot sorter is formed in a concave shape that is reversed and straddles the raised portion.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, an escape hole is formed in the guide rail, and the other block is positioned with respect to the one block by fitting the guided member into the escape hole. The voting paper sorter according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, at least one of the first block and the second block includes a plurality of mechanisms other than the first reversing mechanism and the second reversing mechanism, and each of the plurality of mechanisms can be individually divided. and characterized in that a ballot classifier according to any one of claims 1-3.

Invention 請 Motomeko 5 described has a plurality of accommodating portions for accommodating the ballot fed from said predetermined outlet, characterized in that it further comprises a couplable stacker unit to the main unit, wherein The voting paper sorter according to any one of Items 1 to 4.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the main body unit, the first reversing mechanism and the second reversing mechanism are relatively heavy, but the main body unit includes the first block including the first reversing mechanism and the second reversing mechanism. It can be separated into at least two or more blocks with a second block including a mechanism. Thereby, the main body unit can be easily assembled so that the burden of weight is not as much as possible by bringing the first block and the second block separately and then connecting them. Also, when storing (cleaning up) the main unit after using the voting paper sorter, it is easy to separate the main unit into multiple blocks and move them separately so that the burden of weight is not as much as possible. Can be stored. As a result, it is possible to facilitate the work of installing the ballot paper sorter for use and the work of storing it after use.

Further, since the first block and the second block can be moved separately, the advantage of ease of assembly is particularly great when the main unit is assembled by stacking these blocks vertically.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, each of a plurality of mechanisms provided in at least one of the first block and the second block is individually divided and separated from the block (at least one of the first block and the second block). By doing so, the block can be lightened, so that the convenience in moving the block can be improved .

According to the invention 請 Motomeko 5, wherein the ballot sorter, the main unit is not only separable into a first block and the second block, and the main unit and the stacker unit are separable. Therefore, since the voting paper sorting machine can be assembled after bringing the main unit and the stacker unit separately, the burden of weight in assembly can be reduced. Further, since the main unit and the stacker unit can be separated and moved separately after use of the voting paper sorter, the burden of weight in storing the voting paper sorter can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a voting paper classification system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is set on a desk 2 as viewed from the front side. FIG. 2 is a front view of the voting paper sorter 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the voting paper sorter 3. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the voting paper classification system 1. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control operation performed in the voting paper classification system 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the voting sheets H are stacked on the stacker unit 11. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a stacked state of the voting sheets H taken out from the stacker unit 11. FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the switchback reversing unit 48. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a main part of the switchback reversing unit 48. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a switchback reversing unit 48 according to a modification. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the main unit 10 of the voting paper sorter 3. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a part extracted from the exploded perspective view of the main unit 10. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 are combined. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the combined main unit 10 and stacker unit 11 as seen from the back side. FIG. 15 is a schematic plan sectional view of the voting paper sorter 3 in a completed state. FIG. 16 is a schematic front view showing a modification of the state in which the voting paper classification system 1 is set on the desk 2. FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the voting paper sorter 3 according to a modification. FIG. 18 is a plan view of one stacker 34 in the voting paper classification system 1.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a state in which a voting paper classification system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is set on a desk 2 as viewed from the front side.
A ballot paper classification system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is automatically set for each candidate (or for each political party).

  The voting paper classification system 1 includes a voting paper classification machine 3, a control PC 4 (identification means, overflow vote distribution means), and a printer 5. The voting paper sorter 3 actually performs the voting paper sorting work, and the control PC 4 is a so-called personal computer, and sets the classification conditions and the like in the voting paper sorter 3 and fills in the contents of the voting paper. The printer 5 outputs classification results and the like on paper. The control PC 4 may be regarded as a part of the voting paper sorter 3.

The ballot paper classification system 1 is set on the desk 2 such that the ballot paper sorting machine 3, the control PC 4, and the printer 5 are arranged in this order, for example. The control PC 4 is communicably connected to each of the voting paper sorter 3 and the printer 5 via a communication cable 6.
The outline of the flow of the balloting process for the ballots collected at the balloting office is as follows. First, after the voting is completed, the clerk brings the ballot box filled with the balloting paper to the balloting office and puts the ballot paper in the ballot box on the desk ( (It may be the desk 2 on which the ballot paper classification system 1 is set). Then, the clerk appropriately stacks the ballots on the desk to form a bundle, and sets the bundle in the ballot paper sorter 3. The voting paper sorter 3 takes voting paper one by one from the set bundle and reads the candidate names entered on the voting paper. The read candidate name is inspected (primary inspection) by the control PC 4. Thereafter, in the ballot paper classifier 3, the ballot paper is classified for each candidate name, and the ballot paper is totaled for each candidate name. Thereafter, the classified ballots are visually inspected (secondary inspection) by a staff member and then re-counted, and a series of vote counting operations is completed.

In addition, the voted ballots are classified into a confirmed vote and an undecided vote.
The final vote is a valid vote that can be added to the tabulation when the entered candidate name is normally read and the candidate name is correct. The final vote is subjected to the secondary inspection described above after completing the counting in the ballot paper sorter 3. The final vote includes an overflow vote. The overflow vote is a confirmation vote that is distributed to another storage unit because it cannot fit into the storage unit (stacker 34 described later) that should be stored.

An undecided vote is a voting form other than a confirmed vote, and is subdivided into a white vote, an invalid vote, a questionable vote, a prorated vote, and a defective conveyance vote.
A white vote is a blank ballot with no candidate name. An invalid vote has something to be entered, but a name other than one of the candidates (that is, the wrong candidate name) is entered, or extra information such as a letter of failure is entered in addition to the candidate name. It is a ballot paper.

Questionnaires are voting papers that require a judgment as to whether or not to make a valid vote because some of the entries (name of candidates here) are incorrect. Since the candidate name is not correctly entered in the questionnaire, the ballot paper classifier 3 cannot normally read (identify) the candidate name from the questionnaire.
The apportionment vote is a ballot that is ambiguous and you do not know which of the candidates you have selected. For example, if there are two candidates with the same surname, Ichiro Tanaka and Jiro Tanaka, the voting form in which only the last name “Tanaka” is entered is a prorated vote. In the case of a prorated vote, for example, the share of each candidate is set based on the current number of votes obtained for each of the corresponding multiple candidates, and one prorated vote is assigned to each of the multiple candidates. Divide and add to each candidate's acquisition vote. For example, if the previous Ichiro Tanaka got 1000 votes, and Jiro Tanaka finally got 500 votes, a prorated vote with only the last name “Tanaka” filled in was one vote. Suppose it came out. In this case, Ichiro Tanaka can multiply the value obtained by multiplying one vote by 1000 / (1000 + 500) as his share in the proportional vote, and Jiro Tanaka gives 500 / (1000 + 500 to the vote. ) Can be used as the share in the prorated vote.

Invalid votes, white votes, question votes, and apportioned votes are visually confirmed by an attendant (strictly, the examiner who operates the election) after the primary inspection by the ballot classification machine 3, but invalid votes and white votes , Can not be added to the total.
The defective conveyance sheet is conveyed in the voting sheet sorting machine 3 in a skewed state (a state inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to the traveling direction) or a double feed state (a state in which a plurality of voting sheets overlap). The ballot that was not read. Since the defective conveyance slip is not eliminated due to a problem with the entry itself, it is set again in the voting paper sorter 3.

Next, the details of the ballot paper classification system 1, particularly the ballot paper sorting machine 3, will be described.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the voting paper sorter 3.
In FIG. 2, the front side of the paper is the front side (front side) of the voting paper sorter 3, the back side of the paper is the back side (rear side) of the voting paper sorter 3, and the upper side of the paper is the upper side of the voting paper sorter 3. Yes, the lower side of the paper is the lower side of the voting paper classifier 3, the left side of the paper is the left side of the voting paper classifier 3, and the right side of the paper is the right side of the voting paper classifier 3. In the following, when specifying the postures of the voting paper sorter 3 and the components constituting the voting paper sorter 3, the front, rear, up, down, left and right directions are used.

  The voting paper sorter 3 includes a main unit 10 and a stacker unit 11. In FIG. 2, two stacker units 11 are shown. The main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 are both vertically long boxes, but the main unit 10 is wider than the single stacker unit 11 in the left-right direction. The main unit 10 takes in the voting paper, reads the entry items and classifies them for each candidate, and the stacker unit 11 divides and classifies the classified voting paper for each candidate. In this embodiment, the mass of one main unit 10 is about 60 kg, and the mass of one stacker unit 11 is about 30 kg.

  The stacker unit 11 is connected to the main unit 10 from the left side. Further, another stacker unit 11 can be connected to the stacker unit 11 connected to the main unit 10 from the left side. In the same procedure, a plurality of (up to eight in this embodiment) stacker units 11 can be connected to the main unit 10 in series from the left side. That is, in this voting paper sorter 3, the stacker units 11 can be freely added according to the number of candidates. A method for connecting the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 and a method for connecting the stacker units 11 will be described later.

The main unit 10 can be separated into a first block 12 that forms a substantially lower half and a second block 13 that forms a substantially upper half. Each of the first block 12 and the second block 13 has a box shape that is long on the left and right. A method of connecting the first block 12 and the second block 13 will be described later.
A rectangular door 62 is provided on the front (front side) of the first block 12. The door 62 can be opened and closed by pivoting about a pivot shaft extending left and right at the lower end thereof. FIG. 2 shows a state where the door 62 is closed. The door 62 can be opened by placing a hand on the handle 62A provided at the upper end of the door 62 and pulling it forward. When the door 62 is opened, the internal space of the first block 12 is exposed to the front side.

  A rectangular door 63 is provided in front of the second block 13. The door 63 can be opened and closed by pivoting about a pivot shaft extending vertically at the left end thereof. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the door 63 is closed. The door 63 can be opened by placing the hand on the handle 63A provided at the right end of the door 63 and pulling it forward. When the door 63 is opened, the internal space of the second block 13 is exposed to the front side.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the voting paper sorter 3.
Referring to FIG. 3, on the right side surface of the first block 12, an insertion port 14 and a rejection port 15 are provided adjacent vertically (thick broken line portion). The reject port 15 is located higher than the input port 14. The first block 12 includes a concave hopper 16 (voting paper set portion) that is recessed leftward from the insertion port 14 toward the inside of the first block 12, and the first block 12 continuously from the reject port 15. A concave reject tray 17 (storage portion, second special storage portion) that is recessed to the left side toward the inside is provided. A bottom surface 16 </ b> A of the hopper 16 (a surface facing upward in the hopper 16) is inclined and extended to the lower left side. On this bottom surface 16A, a large number of voting sheets H to be classified can be placed (set) in a state of being stacked one above the other. At this time, in order to prevent a conveyance failure such as a jam, the fold of the voting paper H is removed by an attendant. Since the hopper 16 is located near the desk 2 at the lower end of the right side surface of the first block 12, the voting paper H spread on the desk 2 can be easily set in the hopper 16.

In the hopper 16, an operation button 7 is provided at a position easily accessible from the outside. The operation button 7 is pressed by a staff member to start or stop the voting paper H classification process by the voting paper classification machine 3. (See FIG. 1).
In addition, the above-mentioned conveyance failure slip is discharged from the apparatus to the reject tray 17. Since the reject tray 17 is provided in the vicinity above the hopper 16, the reject tray 17 is in a position where it is easy to take out the defective conveyance sheet stored in the reject tray 17 and reset it in the hopper 16.

A main body conveyance path 18 (conveyance path) for conveying the voting paper H set in the hopper 16 is formed in the main body unit 10. The main body conveyance path 18 includes a first conveyance path 19 provided in the first block 12 and a second conveyance path 20 provided in the second block 13.
In the first block 12, the first conveyance path 19 extends substantially horizontally from the left end of the bottom surface 16A of the hopper 16 to the left side, bends in front of the left side wall of the first block 12, and extends substantially vertically upward. After being bent again and extending substantially horizontally to the right side, the upper surface of the first block 12 is reached after being bent in an approximately S-shape when viewed from the front.

  The second transport path 20 extends upward from a position continuous with the first transport path 19 on the lower surface of the second block 13 in the second block 13, and then bends substantially S-shaped in front view to the right side. After extending upward and curving and extending substantially horizontally to the left side, bending in front of the left side wall of the second block 13 and extending substantially vertically upward, bending again and bending to the left side, the second block 13 It has reached the left side.

  In such a main body conveyance path 18 (first conveyance path 19, second conveyance path 20), the side closer to the hopper 16 is the upstream side, and the side away from the hopper 16 (from the first conveyance path 19 to the second conveyance path 20). Side) is the downstream side. The downstream end 18 </ b> A of the main body conveyance path 18 serves as a predetermined outlet in the main body conveyance path 18 and is provided at the upper end portion of the left side surface of the second block 13. In the main body unit 10, various large and small transport rollers 24 (may be transport belts) that are rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) are provided at a plurality of positions facing the main body transport path 18. Further, in the first block 12, an intake roller 25 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) is provided so as to be partially exposed from the bottom surface 16 </ b> A of the hopper 16.

  The voting paper H set on the bottom surface 16A of the hopper 16 is taken into the first transport path 19 by the take-in roller 25 and then transported from the upstream side to the downstream side by the transport rollers 24 in the main body transport path 18. Is done. Although the main body conveyance path 18 is curved left and right and up and down, it is not formed so as to be biased in the front-rear direction, so that the voting paper H flowing in the main body conveyance path 18 is less likely to be jammed in the middle.

  The first block 12 is provided with a first reading sensor 31 (reading means) and a second reading sensor 32 (reading means). The first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 are disposed slightly downstream from the hopper 16 in a portion that extends substantially horizontally to the left side in the first conveying path 19, and the first reading sensor 31 is the first conveying sensor. The second reading sensor 32 faces the first conveyance path 19 from the bottom, with the path 19 facing from the top. When the voting paper H transported through the first transport path 19 passes directly below the first reading sensor 31, the first reading sensor 31 reads an image of the surface of the voting paper H facing upward. When the voting paper H transported through the first transport path 19 passes right above the second reading sensor 32, the second reading sensor 32 reads an image of the voting paper H facing down. The first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 may be arranged at the same position in the direction along the first conveyance path 19 or may be arranged so as to be shifted as shown in FIG.

In the main unit 10, a switchback transport path 21 (front / reverse reversing path), a reject transport path 22, and a spiral transport path 23 (front / back reversing path) are connected (bypassed) to a part of the main body transport path 18. ing. As a result, the switchback transport path 21, the reject transport path 22 and the spiral transport path 23 are part of the main body transport path 18.
The switchback transport path 21 is provided in the first block 12. The switchback transport path 21 branches upward from a portion extending substantially horizontally to the right side in the first transport path 19, and is approximately horizontal to the left side. Then, it extends to the upper right side so as to form a substantially V shape when viewed from the front, and joins the first conveyance path 19 (the portion on the downstream side of the position branched earlier). The portion described above that is substantially V-shaped in the switchback conveyance path 21 will be referred to as a reversal space 26. Strictly speaking, the reversal space 26 is a single space having a triangular cross-section that has a substantially V-shaped outline and narrows to the left in a front view. positioned. The left end of the inversion space 26 is referred to as the “back part” of the inversion space 26.

  In the first block 12, a hitting roller 27 is provided on the opposite side (right side) of the reverse portion 26 in the inversion space 26. The tapping roller 27 is a rotating body having a rotating shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of tapping rubbers 27A projecting radially outward are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface thereof. In the first block 12, an endless transport belt 28 is provided above the inversion space 26. The lower outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28 faces the inversion space 26 from the upper side. The conveyor belt 28 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the front by receiving a driving force from a motor (not shown). In the first block 12, a guide member 29 (adjusting means) is provided in the inner part of the inversion space 26. The guide member 29 defines the inner portion of the reversal space 26 and can be changed in position as described later (see broken line arrow). Further, the transport roller 24 described above is provided as appropriate at a position facing the switchback transport path 21.

The flow of the voting paper H in the switchback conveyance path 21 will be described later.
The reject conveyance path 22 is provided in the first block 12. The reject conveyance path 22 branches from the first conveyance path 19 and extends substantially horizontally to the right side at a position downstream of the position where the switchback conveyance path 21 joins the first conveyance path 19, and is connected to the reject tray 17. ing. Further, the transport roller 24 described above is appropriately provided at a position facing the reject transport path 22.

The flow of the voting paper H in the reject conveyance path 22 will be described later.
The spiral conveyance path 23 is provided in the second block 13. The spiral conveyance path 23 branches from the portion (upstream side) in front of the portion that extends substantially horizontally to the left side in the second conveyance path 20, then curves and extends to the left side, and the left wall of the second block 13. The second conveyance path 20 (the portion on the downstream side of the position branched earlier) is joined while curving upward. Further, the transport roller 24 described above is appropriately provided at a position facing the spiral transport path 23. A spiral mechanism 30 is provided in a portion extending to the left side in the middle of the spiral conveyance path 23. The spiral mechanism 30 is a mechanism that reverses 180 degrees around a virtual axis (not shown) extending in the left-right direction while conveying the voting paper H to the left side (downstream side) (see a white arrow). The spiral mechanism 30 and the spiral conveyance path 23 are described in detail as a front / back reversing device in Japanese Patent No. 4119664.

The flow of the voting paper H in the spiral conveyance path 23 will be described later again.
In addition, the conveyance destination of the voting paper H is switched to a position where the switchback conveyance path 21, the rejection conveyance path 22 and the spiral conveyance path 23 branch in the main body conveyance path 18 (first conveyance path 19 and second conveyance path 20). For this purpose, a switching member (triangular portion in FIG. 3) 33 is provided. The switching member 33 changes its posture by being driven by a solenoid (not shown), whereby the destination of the voting paper H flowing through the main body transport path 18 is changed to the main body transport path 18 (first transport path 19, second transport path). 20) or can be switched to any one of the switchback conveyance path 21, the reject conveyance path 22, and the spiral conveyance path 23.

  In the stacker unit 11, a plurality (eight in this case) of stackers 34 (housing units) are provided in a vertically aligned position at the left side. Each stacker 34 has a box shape, and has an outlet 35 on the front side, and the internal space of the stacker 34 is exposed to the front side from the outlet 35 (see FIG. 1). As a general rule, each stacker 34 is assigned a candidate name, and each stacker 34 stores the voting sheets H after classification in a stacked state. In this embodiment, the maximum number of voting sheets H stored in each stacker 34 is about 130, and can be set to an arbitrary upper limit (for example, 100) in normal operation.

  Here, referring to FIG. 2, a display lamp 36 composed of an LED or the like is provided on the front side of the stacker unit 11 on the left side of each stacker 34. Each display lamp 36 is turned off in a standby state in which nothing is contained in the corresponding (right adjacent) stacker 34. When at least one voting sheet H is stored in the corresponding stacker 34, the indicator lamp 36 lights up in blue, for example. When the stored number reaches the upper limit number, for example, it blinks in blue. Each display lamp 36 is lit in red when an error such as a jam occurs in the corresponding stacker 34. Therefore, the state of each stacker 34 can be grasped at a glance according to the state of the display lamp 36. In addition, in the stacker 34 where the number of stored sheets reaches the upper limit number, the internal voting paper H is quickly taken out by a staff member.

  Further, a vertically long rectangular door 64 is provided in an area on the right side of the front (front side) of the stacker unit 11 (an area on the right side of each stacker 34). The door 64 can be opened and closed by pivoting about a pivot shaft extending vertically at the right end thereof. FIG. 2 shows a state where the door 64 is closed. The door 64 can be opened by placing a hand on the handle 64A provided at the left end of the door 64 and pulling it forward. When the door 64 is opened, the internal space in the area on the right side of the stacker unit 11 is exposed to the front side.

Returning to FIG. 3, the stacker unit 11 is formed with a stacker conveyance path 37 that receives and conveys the voting paper H that has passed through the second conveyance path 20 (main body conveyance path 18) of the main body unit 10. The stacker conveyance path 37 includes a horizontal conveyance path 38, a vertical conveyance path 39 (conveyance path), and a branch path 40.
In the stacker unit 11, the horizontal conveyance path 38 is on the left side from the position continuous with the second conveyance path 20 (downstream end 18 </ b> A of the main body conveyance path 18) on the right side surface of the stacker unit 11 to the left side surface of the stacker unit 11. It extends substantially horizontally.

The vertical conveyance path 39 branches from the horizontal conveyance path 38 in the stacker unit 11 and extends substantially vertically downward at a position on the right side of the eight stackers 34. The lower end of the vertical conveyance path 39 is in front (upper) of the bottom surface of the stacker unit 11. Within each stacker unit 11, the upper and lower eight stackers 34 are arranged substantially vertically along a common vertical conveyance path 39.
The number of branch paths 40 is the same as that of the stackers 34 (eight in this case), and these branch paths 40 are arranged vertically at equal intervals. The seven branch paths 40 other than the lowermost end branch from the vertical conveyance path 39 and are connected to the stacker 34 located at the same position in the vertical direction from the right side. The lowermost branch path 40 is continuous from the lower end of the vertical conveyance path 39 and is connected to the lowermost stacker 34 from the right side.

In the stacker unit 11, various large and small conveyance rollers 41 (which may be conveyance belts) that are driven to rotate by a motor (not shown) are provided at a plurality of positions facing the stacker conveyance path 37.
Further, in the stacker conveyance path 37, the switching member 42 similar to the switching member 33 described above is provided at a position where the vertical conveyance path 39 branches from the horizontal conveyance path 38 or a position where each branch path 40 branches from the vertical conveyance path 39. Is provided.

The voting paper H transferred from the second conveyance path 20 to the stacker conveyance path 37 is conveyed along the horizontal conveyance path 38 by the rotating conveyance rollers 41. The voting paper H is conveyed as it is in the horizontal conveyance path 38, or after being conveyed to the vertical conveyance path 39, flows through one of the branch paths 40 and is stored in the stacker 34 to which the branch path 40 is connected. .
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the additional stacker unit 11 is connected to the stacker unit 11 connected to the main unit 10, the voting paper that has passed through the lateral conveyance path 38 is It is transferred to the horizontal conveyance path 38 of the stacker unit 11 and flows through the horizontal conveyance path 38 as it is, or is stored in the stacker 34 of the additional stacker unit 11.

Next, how the ballot paper H set in the hopper 16 flows in the ballot paper sorter 3 will be described. Here, in the voting paper H, a surface on which a candidate name (here, a candidate name “G”) is written is referred to as a front surface, and a surface opposite to the front surface is referred to as a back surface.
Voting paper H is set on the bottom surface 16A of the hopper 16 in a stacked state. At this time, the voting paper H is set so that the longitudinal direction is along the front-rear direction, but is set without aligning the front and back and the candidate names. Like the voting paper H with the symbol H1 in FIG. 3, the surface is facing up, and the candidate names on the surface are entered from the back side (the back side in FIG. 3) to the front side (the near side in FIG. 3). The correct posture is a posture that does not require any subsequent posture conversion.

  After the voting paper H is set on the bottom surface 16A, when the clerk presses the operation button 7 (see FIG. 1), the transport roller 24 and the take-in roller 25 rotate, and the voting paper H is sequentially moved from the side closer to the bottom surface 16A. The sheets are taken into the first transport path 19 one by one. At this time, the conveying direction of the voting paper H is along the short direction of the voting paper H. When the voting paper H flowing through the first conveyance path 19 passes through the first reading sensor 31, the upper surface image is read by the first reading sensor 31, and when passing through the second reading sensor 32, the lower surface image is read. Is read by the second reading sensor 32. That is, the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 sequentially read the images on both sides of the voting paper H (taken after being set in the hopper 16) one by one. The read image is transmitted to the control PC 4 (see FIG. 1).

  The control PC 4 determines from the received image whether or not the voting paper H from which the image has been read is the above-described final vote, and if it is not the final vote, any undecided vote (white vote, invalid vote, question vote) , Apportionment slip or defective transport slip). That is, the control PC 4 not only identifies a confirmed vote and an undecided vote, but also identifies at least one (here, all) of a white vote, a questionable vote, an invalid vote, and a prorated vote as an undecided vote.

  If only one candidate name for the current election is included in one of the upper and lower images read from the voting paper H, the control PC 4 determines that the voting paper H is a final vote. Identify. Since the control PC 4 stores entry examples (such as fonts and typefaces) assumed for candidate names for each candidate, there is some variation in the size and cleanliness of characters in the entered candidate names. Even if it exists, it can be identified whether or not a predetermined candidate name is entered.

  If the candidate name is not included in any of the upper surface image and the lower surface image read from the ballot paper H (if the candidate name is not described), the control PC 4 Is identified as a white vote. If any of the top and bottom images read from the ballot paper H contains matters other than the candidate names to be elected (except for those originally listed on the ballot paper H) The control PC 4 identifies that the voting form H (the voting form H with a name other than the candidate name or an extra description) is an invalid vote. If any description item is included in any one of the upper surface image and the lower surface image read from the voting sheet H but the description content cannot be identified, the control PC 4 determines that the voting sheet H is the questionnaire. Is identified. If any one of the upper surface image and the lower surface image read from the voting sheet H includes a confusing name that cannot be identified as one of a plurality of candidate names, the control PC 4 determines that the voting sheet H ( A plurality of candidates identify the ballot sheet H) to which the candidate corresponds as a prorated vote.

Of the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32, the reading sensor closer to the hopper 16 (here, the first reading sensor 31) reads the leading edge (edge) of the voting paper H about to pass. Thus, it is possible to detect that the voting paper H is conveyed in a skewed state, or to detect that the voting paper H is conveyed in a double feed state.
If it is normal, the leading edge of the voting paper H is in a horizontal line and should pass through the reading sensor (here, the first reading sensor 31) at the same time, but it takes time for the leading edge to pass through the reading sensor. The voting paper H is taken obliquely from the hopper 16 into the main body conveyance path 18 and is conveyed in a skew state.

On the other hand, when the leading edges of the plurality of voting sheets H pass through the reading sensor at a timing shorter than planned, the voting sheets H are taken into the main body conveyance path 18 in a state where a plurality of voting sheets H overlap each other. It is transported in a double feed state.
When the reading sensor detects that the voting paper H is being transported in a skewed state or a double feeding state (the voting paper H has been taken in), the reading sensor transmits the fact to the control PC 4 while The ballot paper H image is not read. When the control PC 4 receives the notification, the control PC 4 identifies that the voting sheet H passing through the reading sensor at that time is a defective conveyance slip. The trouble of taking in the voting paper H includes a state in which the skew feeding state and the double feeding state occur simultaneously in addition to the skew feeding state and the double feeding state. The double feed state may be detected by detecting the thickness and weight of the voting paper H. Here, the method of detecting the skew state and double feed state of the voting paper H by the reading sensor that reads the image of the voting paper H has been described. However, a skew detection sensor and a double feed detection sensor are provided separately from the reading sensor. You may do it.

  In this way, the control PC 4 receives the contents received from the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 (may be an image or not an image but a signal indicating that a capture failure has occurred). The type of voting paper H corresponding to this content is identified (whether it is a final vote or what type of undecided vote if it is not a final vote). Since the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 sequentially transmit the contents one by one from the one sent from the hopper 16 to the control PC 4, the control PC 4 is set in the hopper 16. The vote sheets H are sequentially identified one by one. The voting paper H identified by the control PC 4 through the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 is conveyed to the stacker 34 and the reject tray 17 by the main body conveyance path 18 and the stacker conveyance path 37. . Here, the voting paper H transported to the stacker 34 is transported to the downstream end 18A by the main body transport path 18 and then fed out from the downstream end 18A and transported to the predetermined stacker 34 via the stacker transport path 37. And stored in the stacker 34.

Further, as the control PC 4 sequentially identifies the ballot sheets H, the control PC 4 can count each of the finalized vote in which the same candidate name is entered and each type of undecided vote. The count result (voting result) is displayed on the display unit 8 provided in the control PC 4 or is output on paper by the printer 5 (see FIG. 1).
Further, the control PC 4 identifies the posture of the voting paper H from which the screen has been read, based on the two types of images received from the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 (the above-described top and bottom images). You can also Specifically, based on the above-described ballot H with the correct posture (see the ballot H1), the name of the candidate is entered from the rear side to the front side in the upper image, and the candidate name is displayed in the lower image. If not described, the control PC 4 identifies that the ballot H is in the correct posture. Conversely, if the control PC 4 identifies that the voting sheet H is not in the correct posture, the control PC 4 can determine how the voting sheet H can be in the correct posture. That is, if the control PC 4 reverses the voting paper H around the longitudinal axis (rotates 180 °), reverses it around the short axis, or performs both inversions, It is determined whether or not the ballot paper H can be in the correct posture.

The following description will be made on the assumption that the identified voting sheet H is a final vote (see FIG. 3).
As described above, the voting paper H (H1) set in the hopper 16 in the correct posture flows through the main body conveyance path 18 without branching to the switchback conveyance path 21, the rejection conveyance path 22, and the spiral conveyance path 23. The stacker unit 11 (including the added stacker unit 11) is transferred to the stacker conveyance path 37 and is stored in one of the stackers 34 (the corresponding candidate name stacker 34) as described above. The voting paper H stored in the stacker 34 (refer to the one attached with the symbol H2) is stored in the stacker 34 in the correct posture as when set in the hopper 16 (voting paper H1).

  When the voting paper H (H1) set on the hopper 16 in the correct posture branches to the switchback conveyance path 21, it enters the reversal space 26 and comes into contact with the back guide member 29, and then turns clockwise. It is struck upward by the tapping rubber 27A of the rotating tapping roller 27 and pressed against the conveying belt. As a result, the voting paper H is switched back and conveyed from the reversing space 26 to the right side by the conveying belt 28 that moves counterclockwise. At this time, the voting paper H is conveyed in the direction opposite to that when entering the inversion space 26, as indicated by reference numeral H3. The voting paper H that has been transported back by the switch then flows through the main body transport path 18 and is stored in the stacker 34. The voting paper H stored in the stacker 34 (refer to the one attached with the reference numeral H4) is different from the voting paper H1 when it is set on the hopper 16 (voting paper H1), and the voting paper H1 is reversed around the longitudinal axis. It is stored in the stacker 34 in the posture when it is done. In this way, the switchback transport path 21 can reverse the front and back of the voting paper H (transported through the main body transport path 18) and the transport direction (direction in the short direction).

  When the voting paper H (H1) set in the hopper 16 in the correct posture flows through the main body conveyance path 18 and reaches the upstream (upstream side) of the branch position between the second conveyance path 20 and the spiral conveyance path 23, The voting paper H viewed from the right side is given the symbol H5. When the voting paper H5 continues to flow through the main body conveyance path 18 and is stored in the stacker 34, the voting paper H5 is placed in the stacker 34 in the correct posture in the same manner as when it is set on the hopper 16 (voting paper H1) as indicated by reference numeral H2. Stored.

  On the other hand, when the voting paper H5 branches to the spiral conveyance path 23, the voting paper H5 is reversed about its own short axis by the spiral mechanism 30, and then merges with the main body conveyance path 18. The ballot paper H viewed from the right side after joining is denoted by reference numeral H6. In the ballot paper H6, the front and back are reversed compared to the ballot paper H5, and the direction of the candidate name “G” is also reversed. After that, when the voting paper H6 flows through the main body conveyance path 18 and is stored in the stacker 34, both the front and back sides and the direction of the candidate name “G” are reversed when set on the hopper 16 as indicated by reference numeral H7. It is stored in the stacker 34 in the posture. Thus, the spiral conveyance path 23 can at least reverse the front and back of the voting paper H (which is conveyed through the main body conveyance path 18).

Further, when the voting paper H3 switched back in the switchback transport path 21 passes through the spiral transport path 23 and then is stored in the stacker 34, when it is set in the hopper 16 so as to be denoted by reference numeral H8. Is stored in the stacker 34 in a posture in which only the direction of the candidate name “G” is reversed.
Thus, in this voting paper sorter 3, the voting paper H1 set on the hopper 16 is accommodated in the stacker 34 as it is (see the voting paper H2), or the switchback conveyance path 21 and the spiral conveyance path 23. By passing it through both or one of them, it can be accommodated in the stacker 34 in three different postures (see voting papers H4, 7, and 8) different from those set in the hopper 16.

Further, among the above-described unconfirmed votes, a predetermined type of unconfirmed vote is branched to the reject transport path 22 in the first transport path 19 and transported to the reject tray 17.
The above is the main flow of the voting paper H.
Next, the electrical configuration of the voting paper sorter 3 will be described.
Here, the internal structure of the main body unit 10 includes a feeding unit 45 (take-in means) provided in the first block 12, an image reading unit 46, a transport unit 47, and a switchback reversing unit 48 (front and back reversing mechanism, first reversing mechanism). Mechanism) and the reject unit 49 and a spiral reversing unit 50 (second reversing mechanism) provided in the second block 13. Further, the internal configuration of the stacker unit 11 is subdivided into a horizontal conveyance unit 51 and a vertical conveyance unit 52.

  The feeding portion 45 includes the hopper 16, a transport roller 24 and a take-in roller 25 (including a motor for rotating these rollers) around the hopper 16, and a part connected to the hopper 16 in the first transport path 19. . The image reading unit 46 performs first reading on the first reading sensor 31, the second reading sensor 32, the transport roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the transport roller 24) around these sensors, and the first transport path 19. A part of the periphery of the sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 is included. The conveyance unit 47 includes a portion continuing from the image reading unit 46 in the first conveyance path 19 and a conveyance roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the conveyance roller 24) around the portion.

  The switchback reversing unit 48 includes all the portions of the first conveyance path 19 that continue from the conveyance unit 47, the switchback conveyance path 21, the surrounding conveyance rollers 24, the hitting rollers 27, and the conveyance belt 28 (these rollers and belts are connected). Including a motor to be moved) and a guide member 29. The switchback reversing unit 48 further includes a switching member 33 (including a solenoid that moves the switching member 33) at a branch portion between each of the switchback transport path 21 and the reject transport path 22 and the first transport path 19. Therefore, the switchback reversing unit 48 is disposed in a part of the main body conveyance path 18 (the first conveyance path 19 and the switchback conveyance path 21).

The reject unit 49 includes the reject tray 17, the reject transport path 22, and a transport roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the transport roller 24) around the reject transport path 22.
In the first block 12, each of the feeding unit 45, the image reading unit 46, the conveying unit 47, the switchback reversing unit 48, and the rejecting unit 49 can be individually divided.

  The spiral reversing unit 50 includes a second conveyance path 20, a spiral conveyance path 23, a conveyance roller 24 (including a motor that rotates the conveyance roller 24) around these conveyance paths, a spiral mechanism 30, and a second conveyance path. It includes a switching member 33 (including a solenoid for moving the switching member 33) at a branch portion between the path 20 and the spiral conveyance path 23. Therefore, the spiral reversing unit 50 is disposed in a part of the main body conveyance path 18 (second conveyance path 20 and spiral conveyance path 23).

The horizontal conveyance unit 51 includes a horizontal conveyance path 38, a portion of the vertical conveyance path 39 that is connected to the horizontal conveyance path 38, and conveyance rollers 41 around the horizontal conveyance path 38 (including a motor that rotates the conveyance rollers 41). In addition, a switching member 42 (including a solenoid that moves the switching member 42) at a branch portion between the vertical conveyance path 39 and the horizontal conveyance path 38 is included.
The vertical conveyance unit 52 includes a vertical conveyance path 39, each branch path 40, a switching member 42 (including a solenoid that moves the switching member 42) at a branch portion between the vertical conveyance path 39 and each branch path 40, a vertical conveyance path 39 and a conveyance roller 41 (including a motor for rotating the conveyance roller 41) around each branch path 40.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the voting paper classification system 1.
Referring to FIG. 4, the main body unit 10 includes an overall control unit 55 (confirmed vote classification means, unconfirmed vote classification means, overflow vote distribution means, switchback transport means, adjustment means) constituted by a microcomputer or the like. Is provided. The overall control unit 55 includes electrical components of the feeding unit 45, the image reading unit 46, the conveying unit 47, the switchback reversing unit 48, the rejecting unit 49, and the spiral reversing unit 50 (the motor, solenoid, and first reading sensor 31 described above). And the second reading sensor 32). Further, the above-described operation button 7 is electrically connected to the overall control unit 55. The main body unit 10 is provided with an interface such as a USB hub 56, and the overall control unit 55 and the image reading unit 46 are connected to the control PC 4 via the USB hub 56. In addition, each display lamp 36 (see FIG. 2) described above is electrically connected to the overall control unit 55, and the overall control unit 55 controls the lighting pattern of each display lamp 36.

  Each stacker unit 11 is provided with a stacker control unit 57 composed of a microcomputer or the like, and the stacker control unit 57 has electric components (the motor and solenoid described above) of the horizontal conveyance unit 51 and the vertical conveyance unit 52. ). Further, the stacker control unit 57 of each stacker unit 11 is connected to the overall control unit 55 so as to be communicable.

  Further, the main unit 10 is provided with a power supply device 59 that receives power from the outside via a plug 58. From the power supply device 59, an overall control unit 55, a feeding unit 45, an image reading unit 46, a transport unit 47, a switch Electric power is supplied to each of the back inversion unit 48, the reject unit 49, and the spiral inversion unit 50. Further, when the stacker unit 11 is added, the power of the power supply device 59 is supplied to the four stacker units 11 connected in series to the main unit 10 (in FIG. 4, the second and third stacker units 11 are illustrated. The power is supplied from the power supply device 59 to each of the stacker control section 57, the horizontal transport section 51, and the vertical transport section 52 in each stacker unit 11. In this embodiment, when the fifth and subsequent stacker units 11 (FIG. 4 shows the fifth and sixth stacker units 11) are added from the outside via the plug 60. An additional power supply 61 for receiving power is separately provided, and power is supplied from the additional power supply 61 to the fifth and subsequent stacker units 11. Further, the stacker control units 57 of the fourth and fifth stacker units 11 can communicate with each other via the power supply device 61 for expansion.

  In the voting sheet classification system 1 in the stopped state, when the clerk presses the operation button 7 as described above, the overall control unit 55 causes the feeding unit 45, the transport unit 47, the switchback reversing unit 48, the rejecting unit 49, and the spiral reversing unit. The motor 50 is driven to rotate the transport roller 24 and the take-in roller 25, and the transport belt 28 is moved around. Thereby, in the feeding unit 45, the voting paper H set in the hopper 16 is sequentially fed out and taken into the main body conveyance path 18, and is conveyed downstream in the main body conveyance path 18. At this time, the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 of the image reading unit 46 read the contents (images) of the front and back of the voting paper H taken and sent by the feeding unit 45 and send it to the control PC 4. The control PC 4 identifies the type of the voting paper H and the attitude of the voting paper H from the received image. As a result of the identification, the control PC 4 determines the transport destination of the identified voting paper H (described later).

  The control PC 4 transmits the determined transport destination to the overall control unit 55. At this time, if it is necessary to change the posture of the voting paper H, an instruction on how to do it (whether one or both of the switchback conveyance path 21 and the spiral conveyance path 23 are passed) is transmitted to the overall control unit 55. To do. Based on the received content, the overall control unit 55 controls the solenoid described above so as to go to the determined transport destination to switch the direction of the switching members 33 and 42, so that the voting paper H is transported as determined. It is transported to the destination (stacker 34 or reject tray 17). The direction of the switching member 42 is switched by the stacker control unit 57 that receives an instruction from the overall control unit 55. Further, the overall control unit 55 switches the direction of the switching member 33 as necessary, passes the voting paper H in the middle of conveyance through one or both of the switchback conveyance path 21 and the spiral conveyance path 23, and performs the voting. Change the orientation of the paper H.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a control operation performed in the voting paper classification system 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the voting sheets H are stacked on the stacker unit 11. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a stacked state of the voting sheets H taken out from the stacker unit 11.
As described above, the control PC 4 can identify whether or not the voting paper H is a defective conveyance slip, or can identify the type of the voting paper H when it is not a defective conveyance slip.

  Referring to FIG. 5, the control PC 4 determines that the voting paper H is normal based on the content received from the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 regarding the voting paper H taken into the main body conveyance path 18. It is determined whether or not the sheet is being conveyed, that is, whether or not the above-described conveyance defect slip has been identified (step S1). When the control PC 4 identifies the defective conveyance slip (NO in step S1), the control PC 4 instructs the overall control unit 55 to convey the voting paper H identified as the defective conveyance slip to the reject unit 49 (step S2). Thereby, the classified conveyance failure slip is rejected to the reject tray 17 of the reject unit 49 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). In other words, the overall control unit 55 stores the voting paper H identified as an indeterminate vote (conveyance failure vote) due to a take-in defect in the reject tray 17.

  A conveyance failure vote due to a fetching defect is only identified as an unsettled vote due to a fetching defect, and it is highly likely that it is actually a confirmed vote. If they are separately stored in the reject tray 17, it is convenient that they can be taken out from the reject tray 17 and then set again on the hopper 16 for re-identification. In particular, the reject tray 17 is in the vicinity of the hopper 16 and is in a position where the voting paper H stored in the reject tray 17 can be taken out and easily reset to the hopper 16 (see FIG. 1). It is easy to reset the conveyance failure slip to 16. In addition, when only the defective conveyance slip is identified again, the time required for re-identification can be shortened compared to the case where the conveyance failure slip and other types of uncertain votes are identified again in a mixed state.

It should be noted that the storage location of the conveyance failure slip is not necessarily the reject tray 17 as long as it is close to the hopper 16. For example, in the stacker unit 11 directly connected to the main unit 10 (closest to the reject tray 17). Any one of the stackers 34 (for example, the lowermost stacker 34) may be used (see FIG. 2).
Further, when the control PC 4 does not identify the defective conveyance slip (YES in step S1), the control PC 4 reads the image based on the contents received from the first reading sensor 31 and the second reading sensor 32 (the image described above). It is identified whether or not the voting paper H is a final vote (step S3).

  When the control PC 4 identifies that the voting paper H is a final vote (YES in step S3), the control PC 4 identifies whether the voting paper H (final vote) is an overflow vote (step S4). As described above, since the control PC 4 counts the number of finalized votes for each candidate name, the control PC 4 grasps the current number of final confirmed votes stored in the stacker 34 as the storage destination. In the stacker 34, the number of sheets that can be stored is determined. Alternatively, up to a preset number (set number) of voting sheets H can be stored in the stacker 34. If the voting paper H corresponds to the voting paper H that does not exceed the storable number or the set number, the control PC 4 identifies that the voting paper H is not an overflow vote (NO in step S4). If the voting paper H corresponds to the voting paper H that exceeds the number of sheets that can be stored or set, the control PC 4 identifies that the voting paper H is an overflow vote (YES in step S4). ).

  If the control PC 4 identifies that the ballot H (final vote) is not an overflow vote (NO in step S4), the control PC 4 instructs the overall control unit 55 to convey the final vote to the candidate stacker 34 (step S5). The candidate stacker 34 is a stacker 34 assigned to the candidate name entered in the final vote, and there may be only one or a plurality. For example, if a candidate is expected to have a large number of votes before the vote is opened, more candidate stackers 34 are assigned than other candidates.

  As described above, the overall control unit 55 classifies the voting paper H identified as the final vote in the identification result of the control PC 4 in a predetermined mode (a mode in which each candidate is distributed to the candidate stacker 34). Referring to FIG. 6, it is assumed that there is a ballot paper H (final vote) in which the candidate name “A” is entered and a ballot paper H (final vote) in which the candidate name “B” is entered. . The final form with “A” entered is stacked and stored in the top stacker 34 in FIG. 6 in the above-described correct posture, and the final form with “B” entered is the upper form in FIG. The second stacker 34 is stacked and stored in the above-described correct posture.

  Referring to FIG. 5, if control PC 4 identifies that voting sheet H (final vote) is an overflow vote (YES in step S4), it instructs overall control unit 55 to use this overflow vote for overflow vote. It is conveyed to the stacker 34 (step S6). The overflow vote stacker 34 is the lowest stacker 34 in the same stacker 34 as the candidate stacker 34 that should have been stored when the final vote is not an overflow vote (see FIG. 2). In the processing of steps S4 and S6, the control PC 4 stores the number of voting papers H stored in the candidate stacker 34 (in the stacker unit 11) via the vertical conveyance path 39 in the candidate stacker 34. The total control unit 55 detects that the number of sheets that can be stored (the number of sheets that can be stored or the set number of sheets described above) has been exceeded, and in response to this detection, the overall control unit 55 vertically conveys the voting paper H that has exceeded the number of sheets that can be stored or the set number Sort to the overflow vote stacker 34 located at the end of the path 39.

  Therefore, when the voting paper H (confirmation vote) is stored in a candidate stacker 34, the number of voting papers H exceeds the number that can be stored in the candidate stacker 34 or the set number. The voting papers H are allocated to the overflow vote stacker 34 near the candidate stacker 34 as an overflow vote, so that the overflow vote and the voting paper H stored in the candidate stacker 34 are associated with each other. It is convenient to grasp.

In step S3, when the control PC 4 identifies that the voting sheet H (the image was read by the first reading sensor 31 or the second reading sensor 32) is not a final vote (NO in step S3), the voting sheet The type of H (unconfirmed vote) (a type other than the defective conveyance form) is identified (step S7).
When the control PC 4 identifies that the undecided vote is of a predetermined type (YES in step S7), the control PC 4 instructs the overall control unit 55 to perform a face-down process on the undecided vote (step S8). The predetermined type of undecided vote here is a proportional vote as an example. The face-down processing means that when the predetermined type of unconfirmed vote is finally stored in the stacker 34, the reverse of the unconfirmed form is faced up as necessary. This is to pass the unconfirmed slip through the switchback transport path 21 and the spiral transport path 23.

  Then, the control PC 4 instructs the overall control unit 55 to convey the unconfirmed vote to the unconfirmed vote stacker 34 (step S9). The unconfirmed vote stacker 34 is one of the stackers 34 in the stacker unit 11 (a stacker 34 other than the candidate stacker 34 and the overflow vote stacker 34). Alternatively, only one common stacker 34 may be provided regardless of the type of unconfirmed vote.

  When a plurality of unconfirmed vote stackers 34 are provided according to the type of unconfirmed vote, the overall control unit 55 causes the white vote, question vote, invalid vote, and apportioned vote that are the factors of the unconfirmed vote identified by the control PC 4. Accordingly, the unconfirmed votes are stored in different unconfirmed vote stackers 34, respectively. In other words, the overall control unit 55 stores the undetermined ballot paper H (undetermined vote) in the preset stacker 34 according to the undetermined factor identified by the control PC 4. In this case, since the undecided vote is stored in a separate predetermined undecided vote stacker 34 according to the factor (white vote, question vote, invalid vote, and apportioned vote), the undecided vote stacker For each 34, it is possible to see at a glance which factor of unconfirmed vote (white vote, question vote, invalid vote, and apportioned vote) is stored, and the confirmation work can be performed efficiently. . For example, if only white slips are stored together, the confirmation work is extremely simple.

  Further, in step S9, the overall control unit 55 sends the above-mentioned predetermined type of undecided vote (voting sheet H in which the factor of the unconfirmed vote identified by the control PC 4 is the divided vote) to the predetermined undecided vote. It is stored in the confirmation slip stacker 34 (first special storage section). Then, the overall control unit 55 applies other types of unconfirmed votes (indeterminate votes other than the prorated vote identified by the control PC 4 and at least one of a white vote, a question vote, and an invalid vote) to the predetermined You may store in the undecided vote stacker 34 (unconfirmed vote storage part) different from the undecided vote stacker 34. At this time, since the prorated vote has been subjected to the face-down process in step S8, the back surface (the surface on which nothing is described) faces upward when stored in the predetermined unconfirmed vote stacker 34. (Refer to the lowermost undecided vote stacker 34 in FIG. 6).

  As described above, the overall control unit 55 classifies the undecided ballot paper H that has not been identified as the final vote as a result of the identification by the control PC 4 as a final vote in a classification manner according to the undecided factor. . Therefore, the final vote is classified in a classification mode according to the undecided factor and is stored in the undecided vote stacker 34. Since it can be seen at a glance whether it is an undecided vote, subsequent undecided vote processing becomes easy. As a result, it is possible to improve the convenience related to the unconfirmed vote.

  In particular, in this embodiment, in the case of a prorated vote, the overall control unit 55 uses the switchback conveyance path 21 and the spiral conveyance path 23 to transfer the indeterminate vote (that is, the prorated vote) of a predetermined uncertain factor. Are classified so as to be stored in the predetermined undecided vote stacker 34 (see the lowermost undecided vote stacker 34 in FIG. 6). In this case, it can be seen at a glance that the predetermined unconfirmed vote stacker 34 contains a prorated vote, and the other undetermined vote stackers 34 contain non-determined votes. This is convenient because it can be seen at a glance. Further, the unconfirmed vote stored in the predetermined unconfirmed vote stacker 34 with the back side facing upward is an undecided vote of an unconfirmed factor (that is, a proportional vote), a confirmed vote Since it is possible to grasp the difference between the apportioning vote and the prorated vote at a glance, it is convenient to reduce mistakes in handling the vote.

Here, the face-down process is performed only on the prorated vote, but the type of unconfirmed vote that is stored in the dedicated unconfirmed vote stacker 34 by performing this process can be arbitrarily selected.
In addition, when a confirmation vote with the same candidate name is stored in the candidate stacker 34 or the overflow vote stacker 34, a predetermined number (for example, 100) of confirmation votes may or may not be turned face down. May be. That is, a confirmation vote that performs the face-down process and a confirmation vote that does not perform the face-down process are repeatedly generated for each predetermined number of sheets. In that case, as shown in FIG. 7, in the final vote (voting sheets H) taken out from the stacker 34 and stacked on the desk, all the final votes are face-up in a predetermined number of bundles T (candidate names in FIG. 7). On the other hand, in the upper and lower adjacent bundles T (bundles T with dots), as shown in FIG. It is face down. In this case, in the stack of final vote sheets taken out from the stacker 34 and stacked on the desk, the front-facing bundle T and the back-facing bundle T are alternately arranged. After stacking, it is easy to understand the delimiter for each predetermined number of the final vote in the laminate. In this way, the clerk counts the number of bundles T, and the value obtained by multiplying the count value by the predetermined number (in this case, 100) is the number of confirmation votes in the laminate, so Counting is easy.

Of course, when a plurality of candidate name confirmation votes are stored in the same stacker 34, the confirmation vote of a candidate may be face up and the confirmation vote of another candidate may be face down.
It should be noted that storing the voting paper H in the front direction or the back side according to the type of the voting paper H in this way can also be applied to storing banknotes, for example. For example, a correct banknote is stored face up, and a non-performing banknote is stored face down.

Next, the switchback reversing unit 48 will be described in more detail.
FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the switchback reversing unit 48.
Here, it is assumed that the above-described overall control unit 55 is a part of the switchback inversion unit 48.
Referring to FIG. 8, the switchback reversing unit 48 includes, for example, a box-shaped frame 65 that forms the casing. In the frame 65, an inlet 66 is formed at a position on the left side of the lower surface, and an outlet 67 is formed at a position on the right side of the upper surface. Between the inlet 66 and the outlet 67, the portion disposed in the switchback reversing unit 48 in the main body transport path 18 (first transport path 19) described above is connected. Here, the above-described reject conveyance path 22 is not considered.

  The first transport path 19 extends downstream from the inlet 66 to the outlet 67 as indicated by a thick solid arrow, and is connected to the second transport path 20 (see FIG. 3) at the outlet 67. Specifically, the first transport path 19 extends upward from the inlet 66, then curves to the right and extends substantially horizontally to the right, extends to the left while curving upward in front of the right wall of the frame 65, and further upwards. It extends to the right side while being curved, and then curved upward to be connected to the outlet 67.

  An endless transport belt 28A that is appropriately curved along the first transport path 19 is disposed in the frame 65, and a transport roller that defines the shape of the transport belt 28A is disposed around the transport belt 28A. A plurality of 24 are arranged. The rotation direction of each conveyance roller 24 is the direction illustrated in each conveyance roller 24. As each conveyance roller 24 rotates in this way, the conveyance belt 28A rotates in a clockwise direction, and the first conveyance roller 24A rotates. Conveyance of the ballot paper H from the entrance 66 to the exit 67 in the path 19 is achieved. That is, the first transport path 19 can receive the voting paper H from the upstream side at the entrance 66 and transport it to the exit 67, and can discharge the voting paper H out of the switchback reversing unit 48 from the exit 67.

  An endless conveyance belt 28B is disposed on the left side portion (portion on the inlet 66 side) of the conveyance belt 28A so as to ride from above. The outline of the conveyor belt 28B has a “h” shape, and three conveyor rollers 24 are arranged side by side on the inner side of the conveyor belt 28B so that the outline is maintained. Of these three transport rollers 24, the middle transport roller 24 is disposed above the remaining two transport rollers 24. The lower peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28B faces the upper peripheral surface of the left portion of the conveyor belt 28A from above, and the first conveyor near the inlet 66 is between the lower peripheral surface and the upper peripheral surface. It is road 19. The rotation direction of each conveyance roller 24 inside the conveyance belt 28B is the direction illustrated in each conveyance roller 24, and the conveyance belt 28B rotates counterclockwise by rotating the conveyance roller 24 in this way. Move around.

  In the switchback conveyance path 21 described above, the portion connected to the conveyance belt 28A in the conveyance roller 24 at the right end of the conveyance belt 28B starts from the start point (the branch point B from the first conveyance path 19), as indicated by the thick dashed arrow. , Toward the downstream side, extending to the left side while curving upward, extending to the right side through the reversing space 26 described above, and joining the first conveyance path 19 on the outlet 67 side. At the branch point B, the aforementioned switching member 33 (see FIG. 3) is provided. The joining position of the switchback transport path 21 and the first transport path 19 is denoted by reference symbol G.

In the frame 65, a conveying belt 28C (switchback conveying means) that is long in the left and right and flat in the upper and lower directions is provided. The conveyor belt 28 referred to in the description of FIG. 3 is the conveyor belt 28C. In order to maintain the contour of the conveyor belt 28C, three conveyor rollers 24 are arranged side by side on the inner side of the conveyor belt 28C.
The lower peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28C is disposed above the conveyor belts 28A and 28B so as to straddle both the conveyor belts 28A and 28B. The right side portion of the lower peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28C is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28A from above. Between the right side portion of the lower peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28C and the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28A, a portion that extends to the right before the outlet 67 in the first conveyance path 19 is defined. The left part of the lower peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28C is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28B (the part of the conveyor belt 28B that is wound around the right two conveyor rollers 24) from above. A reversal space 26 is formed between the left side portion of the lower peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28C and the outer peripheral surface of the conveyor belt 28B.

  As described above, the inversion space 26 is one space having a triangular cross-section that narrows toward the left side when viewed from the front (a hatched portion with a broken line), and its left end is the back of the inversion space 26. Part. Further, as described above, in the reversing space 26, the guide member 29 is provided in the back portion, and the hitting roller 27 is provided on the side opposite to the back portion (right side). The hitting roller 27 rotates clockwise as indicated by an arrow attached to the hitting roller 27 in FIG.

  The portion of the lower peripheral surface of the transport belt 28C that is on the right side of the hitting roller 27 and not in contact with the transport belt 28A is the switchback transport path 21 on the outlet 67 side. The rotation direction of each conveyance roller 24 inside the conveyance belt 28 </ b> C is the direction illustrated in each conveyance roller 24, and the conveyance belt 28 </ b> C is rotated counterclockwise by the rotation of each conveyance roller 24 in this way. Thus, the voting paper H is conveyed on the switchback conveyance path 21 on the downstream side of the reversing space 26.

  The portion from the entrance 66 to the branch point B (with the switchback transport path 21) in the first transport path 19 and the portion from the branch point B to the reversal space 26 in the switchback transport path 21 are the entrance-side transport path 68. Is configured. The entrance-side transport path 68 is connected to the entrance 66 and transports the voting paper H received from the entrance 66. Further, a portion from the junction point G to the outlet 67 with the switchback conveyance path 21 in the first conveyance path 19 and a portion from the reversing space 26 to the junction point G in the switchback conveyance path 21 are the outlet-side conveyance path 69. Is configured. The exit-side transport path 69 is connected to the exit 67 and is for transporting the voting paper H transported by the entrance-side transport path 68 to the exit 67.

The inversion space 26 is located between the entrance-side transport path 68 and the exit-side transport path 69 and relays these transport paths 68 and 69. Further, the back portion (left end portion) of the reversing space 26 is on the opposite side to the entrance-side transport path 68 side (the right side connected to the entrance-side transport path 68).
As described above, when the voting paper H branches into the switchback conveyance path 21 (that is, when the voting paper H flows through the entrance-side conveyance path 68 as it is), the voting paper H enters the reversal space 26 toward the left side. It abuts against the guide member 29 at the back and cannot enter further. In other words, the guide member 29 is brought into contact with the voting paper H (received by the reversing space 26 from the entrance-side conveyance path 68) in the inner part of the reversing space 26, whereby the voting paper H enters the reversing space 26. The approach distance X (in the left-right direction) is defined as a predetermined distance. The approach distance X is the depth of the reversal space 26 and is the shortest straight distance from the guide member 29 to the pulley of the hitting roller 27 (portion other than the hitting rubber 27A).

  The voting paper H that has come into contact with the guide member 29 and can no longer enter the inside of the reversing space 26 is struck upward by the tapping rubber 27A of the tapping roller 27 that rotates clockwise and pressed against the conveying belt 28C. Then, the voting paper H is switched back from the reversing space 26 to the right side by the conveyor belt 28 that circulates counterclockwise and is delivered to the outlet-side conveyance path 69.

  In other words, the reversal space 26 is for receiving and inverting the voting paper H transported in the entrance side transport path 68 and then delivering it to the exit side transport path 69. Further, the conveyance belt 28 </ b> C and the overall controller 55 (see FIG. 4) that controls the driving of the voting paper H received in the reversal space 26 are reversed from the inlet-side conveyance path 68 toward the outlet-side conveyance path 69. It is conveyed in the opposite direction (right side) to the receiving direction (left side) into the space 26.

  Here, the size of the voting paper H is not always constant for each election, and there is a small voting paper H or a large voting paper H. If the small voting paper H enters the deep part of the reversing space 26, the hitting rubber 27A of the hitting roller 27 may not reach the voting paper H and may stay in the reversing space 26. The large ballot paper H cannot fit in the reversal space 26, the hitting rubber 27A hits the portion of the ballot paper H that protrudes from the reversal space 26, and the portion is bent, and jamming occurs in the subsequent conveyance. May occur.

  Therefore, the switchback reversing unit 48 can adjust the aforementioned approach distance X according to the size of the voting paper H. When the approach distance X is adjusted in accordance with the size of the voting paper H so as to coincide with the short-side dimension of the voting paper H, the inverting space 26 is in a state where the voting paper H is completely contained in the reversing space 26. When hitting the inner part, the hitting rubber 27A of the hitting roller 27 reaches the ballot paper H sufficiently (can be hit).

In order to adjust the approach distance X, the switchback reversing unit 48 is provided with a position adjusting mechanism 70 (adjusting means) that adjusts the position of the guide member 29 in the reversing space 26 according to the size of the voting paper H. ing.
The position adjustment mechanism 70 mainly includes a base 71 that supports the guide member 29, a rack 72 that is connected to the base 71 and extends to the left and right, and a pinion 73 that meshes with the rack 72. The rotation axis of the pinion 73 extends in the front-rear direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 8) of the switchback reversing unit 48 (voting paper sorter 3). As the pinion 73 rotates clockwise or counterclockwise, the rack 72 slides left and right with the base 71. Thereby, the guide member 29 also slides left and right, and the approach distance X is adjusted.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a main part of the switchback reversing unit 48.
The position adjustment mechanism 70 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. In FIG. 9, the position adjustment mechanism 70 and its peripheral parts are seen from the back side of the voting paper sorter 3.
In addition to the base 71, the rack 72 and the pinion 73, the position adjustment mechanism 70 includes a connecting portion 74, a detected portion 75, a position detection sensor 76, a slide shaft 77, a base shaft 78, a base pinion 79, and a main body rack 80. Yes.

The base 71 has a plate shape that is long in the front-rear direction, and its cross-section (cross-section perpendicular to the front-rear direction) is substantially L-shaped. A plurality (six in this case) of vertically long claw-shaped guide members 29 are connected to the left end edge (in FIG. 9) of the base 71 in a state of being spaced apart in the front-rear direction.
The rack 72 has a block shape that is long on the left and right, and gear teeth 72A are formed on the lower surface thereof.

  In relation to the pinion 73, the switchback reversing unit 48 includes a stepping motor 81 (adjusting means, drive mechanism). A pinion 73 is attached to an output shaft (not shown) of the stepping motor 81 and meshes with the gear teeth 72A of the rack 72 from below. The driving of the stepping motor 81 is controlled by the above-described overall control unit 55 (see FIG. 4). When the stepping motor 81 is driven, the pinion 73 rotates as described above, and the rack 72 slides left and right.

In addition, the switchback reversing unit 48 includes a rotary encoder 82 for detecting step-out of the stepping motor 81. Another pinion 83 is attached to a rotary shaft (not shown) of the rotary encoder 82, and meshes with the gear teeth 72A of the rack 72 from below on the right side (in FIG. 9) of the pinion 73. .
The connecting portion 74 is bent in a crank shape in plan view and is laid between the rack 72 and the base 71. The connecting portion 74 extends from the rack 72 to the front side (the right back side in FIG. 9), then bends to the right side (in FIG. 9), and further bends to the front side to return the rear end of the base 71 (on the left front side in FIG. 9). End). Thereby, the base 71 (including the guide member 29), the rack 72, and the connecting portion 74 are integrated. Therefore, when the stepping motor 81 is driven and the pinion 73 rotates, the guide member 29, the base 71, the rack 72, and the connecting portion 74 are integrally slid left and right.

The detected part 75 has a plate shape protruding upward from the upper surface of the connecting part 74 and is integrated with the connecting part 74, so that it can slide to the left and right together with the connecting part 74.
The position detection sensor 76 is, for example, a photo interrupter, and includes a light emitting element 76A and a light receiving element 76B that are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The detection light emitted by the light emitting element 76A is received by the light receiving element 76B. The detected part 75 moves so as to cross between the light emitting element 76A and the light receiving element 76B when sliding left and right. The guide member 29 is moved left and right from a predetermined neutral position, but the position detection sensor 76 detects the detected part 75 (whether the detection light is shielded by the detected part 75). Whether or not the guide member 29 is in the neutral position is detected depending on whether or not it is present. The detection result by the position detection sensor 76 is input to the overall control unit 55.

  The slide shaft 77 is a shaft body extending in the left-right direction, and both end portions thereof are fixed to the frame 65 (see FIG. 8) of the switchback reversing portion 48 via attachment stays 84. The connecting portion 74 is provided with a plurality of (here, two) support plates 85 protruding from the upper surface thereof toward the slide shaft 77 side. A slide shaft 77 is inserted into a through hole 85A provided in each support plate 85, and the slide shaft 77 is supported by each support plate 85 so as to be slidable to the left and right. The slide shaft 77 guides the left and right slides of the connecting portion 74 (that is, the guide member 29) in the support plate 85.

  The base shaft 78 extends in parallel with the base 71 and is supported by the base 71. The base shaft 78 can slide left and right together with the base 71. The base shaft 78 protrudes from the base 71 to both the front and rear sides, and one base pinion 79 is attached to each end of the base shaft 78. The base pinion 79 is rotatably supported by a base shaft 78 via a bearing.

  The main body rack 80 has a left and right longitudinal block shape, and gear teeth 80A are formed on the lower surface thereof. One main body rack 80 is provided above each base pinion 79. The main body rack 80 is fixed to the frame 65. Each base pinion 79 meshes with the gear teeth 80A of the main body rack 80 directly above the base pinion 79 from below. When the base 71 slides to the left and right together with the guide member 29, each base pinion 79 moves to the left and right while rotating while meshing with the gear teeth 80A of the main body rack 80 directly above the base pinion 79. As a result, the base 71 and the guide member 29 can be moved to the left and right in a stable state maintaining the level.

In the position adjusting mechanism 70 of this embodiment, the guide member 29 can move from the left end to the right end by 22 mm so as to be compatible with the voting paper H having a short side dimension of 76 mm to 98 mm. Therefore, the approach distance X described above can be adjusted within a range of 22 mm. For example, it is assumed that the above-described neutral position is for a voting paper H having a short-side dimension of 80 mm.
In the case where the short dimension of the ballot paper H handled in this election is smaller than 80 mm, the clerk must move the guide member 29 from the neutral position by the difference from 80 mm to the entrance side conveyance path 68 side (the right side in FIG. The operation unit 9 (see FIG. 1) provided in the control PC 4 is operated so as to approach the left side in FIG. Then, the overall control unit 55 (see FIG. 4) receiving the command from the control PC 4 drives the stepping motor 81 and rotates the pinion 73 counterclockwise in FIG. 9 until the guide member 29 moves by the difference. Let Thereby, the approach distance X is adjusted so as to become smaller according to the size of the current ballot H.

  On the other hand, if the size in the short direction of the ballot paper H handled in this election is larger than 80 mm, the clerk will take the difference from 80 mm as the guide member 29 from the neutral position to the side opposite to the entrance side conveyance path 68 (in FIG. 8). The operation unit 9 of the control PC 4 is operated so as to move to the left side (right side in FIG. 9). Then, the overall control unit 55 that has received a command from the control PC 4 drives the stepping motor 81 and rotates the pinion 73 clockwise in FIG. 9 until the guide member 29 moves by the difference. Thereby, the approach distance X is adjusted so as to increase according to the size of the current ballot paper H.

Here, the stepping motor 81 gives a driving force to the position adjusting mechanism 70 so as to adjust the position of the guide member 29.
As described above, according to the size of the voting paper H, the adjusting means (in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the overall control unit 55, the guide member 29, the position adjusting mechanism 70 and the stepping motor 81) The approach distance X of the voting paper H received in the reversing space 26 from the reversing space 26 is adjusted. Therefore, regardless of the size of the voting paper H, the voting paper H can be reliably switched back and conveyed by being surely reversed in the reversing space 26 and then being transferred to the exit side conveyance path 69.

In particular, by adjusting the position of the guide member 29 that defines the entry distance X to a predetermined distance by the position adjustment mechanism 70 according to the size of the voting paper H, the entry distance X can be freely adjusted. .
Further, in the voting paper sorter 3 having such a switchback reversing unit 48, the voting paper H can be reliably switched back regardless of the size of the voting paper H.

  In the above description, the position of the guide member 29 is automatically adjusted electrically. However, it may be manually adjusted. For example, in the position adjustment mechanism 70, a lever-like operation unit 86 as shown by a dotted line is attached to the base 71. Then, when the clerk accesses the switchback reversing part 48 in the first block 12 and grasps the operation part 86 and moves it to the left and right, the guide member 29 moves to the left and right. That is, the position of the guide member 29 can be adjusted by manually operating the operation unit 86.

  Further, the guide member 29 may be provided with a plurality of types that are attached to the base 71 in the left-right direction, and may be detachable from the base 71. For example, the guide member 29 is of a type that can be attached to the right end edge of the base 71 in addition to the type that is attached to the left end edge of the base 71 as shown in FIG. There is. When the guide member 29 is selectively incorporated into the switchback reversing unit 48 for each type, the aforementioned approach distance X can be adjusted stepwise according to the type of the guide member 29. That is, as described above, the guide member 29 regulates the approach distance X to a predetermined distance, but a plurality of the predetermined distances are set, and a plurality of types are provided in the guide member 29 according to each predetermined distance. The member 29 may be replaced as appropriate. In this case, the approach distance X can be freely adjusted by exchanging the guide member 29.

A configuration in which the approach distance X is adjusted without using the guide member 29 is also conceivable.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a switchback reversing unit 48 according to a modification.
In the switchback reversing unit 48 shown in FIG. 10, the inlet 66, the outlet 67, the first transport path 19, the switchback transport path 21, the branch point B and the junction point G of these transport paths, the inlet-side transport path 68, and the outlet side A transport path 69 is shown. Further, the hitting roller 27 and the reversal space 26 (portion surrounded by a dotted line) are also illustrated. The approach distance X in this case is assumed to be the shortest straight line distance from the pulley of the hitting roller 27 to the back of the reversing space 26 (left end in FIG. 10).

  The switchback reversing unit 48 is provided with a pair of take-in rollers 87 (switchback conveying means and adjusting means) and a motor 88 (adjusting means) that rotationally drives the take-in rollers 87. The pair of take-in rollers 87 are vertically aligned with the rotating shaft extending in the front-rear direction, and are in contact with each other. The contact portions of the pair of take-in rollers 87 are exposed in the reversal space 26. The driving of the motor 88 is controlled by the overall control unit 55.

  In FIG. 10, the voting paper H that has entered the entrance-side conveyance path 68 from the entrance 66 enters the reversal space 26 from the right side, and the leading end (left end) enters between a pair of take-in rollers 87. The rotating take-in roller 87 is dragged into the reverse space 26 (left side). Thereafter, since the take-in roller 87 rotates in the reverse direction, the voting paper H is conveyed in the opposite direction to the right and moves to the right side, and the leading end side (right side) is struck up by the tapping roller 27 to be conveyed on the outlet side. Passed to Road 69 and heads for Exit 67. That is, the take-in roller 87 receives the voting paper H received in the reversal space 26 toward the exit-side transport path 69 from the entrance-side transport path 68 to the reversal space 26 according to the instruction from the overall control unit 55. Transport in the opposite direction.

  In this modification, the timing until the reverse rotation of the take-in roller 87 after the voting paper H enters between the pair of take-in rollers 87 (in other words, the take-in roller 87 is in the reversing space 26). The timing at which the voting paper H is conveyed toward the exit-side conveyance path 69 is adjusted. That is, this timing is set in advance in the control PC 4 in accordance with the size of the voting paper H, and the control PC 4 starts the reverse rotation of the take-in roller 87 at the set timing with respect to the overall control unit 55. To instruct. For this reason, the overall control unit 55 adjusts the timing to be earlier if the ballot is small, and adjusts the timing to be late if the ballot is large.

In this case, the approach distance X can be adjusted according to the size of the voting paper H by adjusting the timing at which the voting paper H in the reversing space 26 is transported toward the exit-side transport path 69.
Note that the switchback reversing unit 48 that can adjust the approach distance X described above can be applied not only to the voting paper sorter 3 but also to an apparatus that transports paper such as a banknote handling machine.

Next, assembly of the voting paper sorter 3 will be described. Incidentally, since the ballot paper sorter 3 has the following configuration, it can be assembled by one person.
FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the main unit 10 of the voting paper sorter 3. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a part extracted from the exploded perspective view of the main unit 10.
With reference to FIG. 11, first, assembly of the main unit 10 will be described.

  As described above, the main unit 10 can be separated into the lower first block 12 and the upper second block 13. FIG. 11 shows a state where the first block 12 and the second block 13 are separated. In the first block 12, for convenience of explanation, illustration of internal mechanisms (the feeding unit 45, the image reading unit 46, the transport unit 47, the switchback reversing unit 48, and the reject unit 49) is omitted. In the second block 13, the door 63 (see FIG. 1) and the internal mechanism (spiral reversing part 50) are not shown for convenience of explanation.

On the upper surface of the first block 12, strip-shaped guide rails 89 extending horizontally over substantially the entire region in the left-right direction are provided at both front and rear ends, and between the pair of front and rear guide rails 89 swelled upward. A cover 90 is provided.
One axial positioning pin 91 that protrudes upward is provided at the right end of each of the front and rear guide rails 89, and an escape hole 92 that is recessed downward in an arc shape is formed slightly to the left of the positioning pin 91. Has been. Further, screw holes 93 extending downward are formed one by one at the left end portion and the right end portion of the upper surface of the rear guide rail 89.

  Although not shown in FIG. 11, a long plate-like connector cover 106 is provided on the left and right at the upper end of the rear side surface of the first block 12 (see FIG. 14). A hinge 107 (see FIG. 14) is attached to the lower end portion of the connector cover 106, and the connector cover 106 can be opened and closed by rotating about a shaft extending left and right at the lower end portion. By opening the connector cover 106, the rear guide rail 89 can be accessed from the rear.

  The upper cover 90 has a box shape that is flat vertically. The upper cover 90 is formed with an opening 140 that continuously cuts out substantially the entire upper surface and a part of the right side, and the internal space can be accessed from the opening 140 to the first block 12. Therefore, the internal mechanism of the first block 12 can be removed or incorporated from the opening 140. One screw hole 94 extending to the rear side is formed on the right end portion side and the left end portion (portions where the opening portion 140 is not formed) on the front side surface of the upper cover 90.

Moreover, in the 1st block 12, the handle 104 is attached to the right and left both sides of the front-back both ends of the lower surface. In FIG. 11, only the two front handles 104 are shown. Each handle 104 is U-shaped, and its two free ends are connected to the first block 12.
In the second block 13, almost the entire lower surface is opened downward. At both the front and rear ends of the lower surface of the second block 13, elongated plate-like support frames 95 that extend horizontally from side to side are provided. Each support frame 95 is installed between the lower ends of the left and right side walls of the second block 13. At the front end edge of the front support frame 95, the right end portion is cut out in a substantially L-shape, whereby a step 96 is formed at the right end portion of the front support frame 95. A similar step 96 is also formed at the right end of the rear support frame 95.

  Assuming that the left-right distance between the positioning pin 91 and the escape hole 92 in each guide rail 89 is referred to as the distance Y, the roller is located at the left side from the step portion 96 by the distance Y in the region on the right side in each support frame 95. One 97 is provided. The roller 97 is rotatable about a rotating shaft extending in the front-rear direction and is rotatably supported by a bearing member 98 attached to the support frame 95. In the support frame 95 on the front side, the roller 97 is located on the rear side of the support frame 95 and partially protrudes downward from the support frame 95. In the rear support frame 95, the roller 97 is located in front of the support frame 95 and partially protrudes downward from the support frame 95. On the rear support frame 95, on the left end side and the right end side of the portion on the left side of the step portion 96, one through hole 99 penetrating vertically through the support frame 95 is formed.

  In the second block 13, one installation frame 100 is provided between the left and right support frames 95. Each installation frame 100 extends slightly upward from the front support frame 95, then bends substantially at a right angle and extends horizontally to the rear side, and bends substantially at a right angle directly above the rear support frame 95. The support frame 95 is connected from above. Therefore, each installation frame 100 has a concave shape that is upside down when viewed from the left-right direction. Also, the lower end portion of the second block 13 has a concave shape that is upside down when viewed from the right side so as to match the shape of the erection frame 100 (see FIG. 12). On the front side walls (the part extending upward from the front support frame 95) of the left and right installation frames 100, one through hole 101 penetrating the front side wall in the front-rear direction is formed.

  Although not shown in FIG. 11, a long plate-like connector cover 108 is provided on the left and right at the lower end portion of the rear side surface of the second block 13 (see FIG. 14). A hinge 109 (see FIG. 14) is attached to the upper end portion of the connector cover 108, and the connector cover 108 can be opened and closed by rotating around a shaft extending left and right at the upper end portion. By opening the connector cover 108, the rear support frame 95 can be accessed from the rear.

Further, in the second block 13, a hole-like handle 102 for placing a hand is formed in the rear region of the right side surface, and a hole-like handle 103 for placing a hand in the lower region of the left side surface. Is formed.
In order to place the main unit 10 on the desk 2 as shown in FIG. 1, first, the clerk first handles the handles 104 of the first block 12 (for example, front and rear ones arranged diagonally). The main unit 10 is lifted by holding the handle 104) and placed on the desk 2 while maintaining the posture of FIG.

Next, the hand is placed on the handles 102 and 103 of the second block 13, and the second block 13 is moved to the upper left position of the first block 12 (on the desk 2) (the position of the second block 13 shown in FIG. 11). ) And then horizontally moved to the right side (see thick arrow) so as to approach the first block 12.
Then, when viewed from the right side, the second block 13 is in a state of straddling the upper cover 90 of the first block 12 from the front and rear and the upper side (see FIG. 12). In this state, the second block 13 is further moved horizontally to the right side. Let

After a while, the front and rear rollers 97 in the second block 13 roll on the guide rails 89 on the same side in the front and rear in the first block 12.
When each roller 97 rolls on the (corresponding) guide rail 89 and the second block 13 is further moved horizontally to the right, the step 96 of each support frame 95 of the second block 13 is moved back and forth. The roller 97 comes into contact with the positioning pin 91 at the right end of the guide rail 89 on the same side from the left side, and each roller 97 fits into the relief hole 92 of the guide rail 89. As a result, the second block 13 is slightly lowered while stopping the horizontal movement, and each support frame 95 comes into contact with the guide rail 89 on the same side in the front and rear directions from above, so that the second block 13 becomes the first block. 12 is positioned (temporarily assembled).

  In the state immediately after the temporary assembly, the first transport path 19 of the first block 12 and the second transport path 20 of the second block 13 are connected to complete the main body transport path 18 (see FIG. 3). . In this state, the left and right through-holes 101 on the front side of the second block 13 correspond to the corresponding one of the left and right screw holes 94 on the front side of the first block 12 (one that is in the same position on the left and right). On the other hand, it faces from the front side. In addition, the left and right through holes 99 on the rear side of the second block 13 correspond to the corresponding one of the left and right screw holes 93 on the rear side of the first block 12 (the same position on the left and right). It faces from the upper side.

  Therefore, in the through hole 101 and the screw hole 94 that are opposed to each other at the two left and right positions, a knurled screw (a screw that is knurled on the head and can be manually rotated) 105 is inserted into the through hole 101. Assemble to the screw hole 94. The knurled screw 105 can be assembled by hand without using a tool such as a screwdriver. When the knurled screw 105 is assembled in the screw hole 94, the door 63 (see FIG. 1) of the second block 13 is opened.

  As in the case of the through hole 101 and the screw hole 94, the knurled screw 105 is inserted into the through hole 99 in the through hole 99 and the screw hole 93 that are opposed to each other at the two left and right positions, and then into the screw hole 93. Assemble. When the knurled screw 105 is assembled in the screw hole 93, the connector cover 106 of the first block 12 and the connector cover 108 (see FIG. 14) of the second block 13 are opened.

  As described above, the first block 12 and the second block 13 that have been temporarily assembled are completely connected (cannot be detached). And after performing the process which connects wiring (not shown) in the part exposed from the rear side of the 1st block 12 and the 2nd block 13 by opening the connector cover 106 and the connector cover 108 (refer FIG. 14), The connector cover 106 and the connector cover 108 are closed. Then, the first block 12 and the second block 13 are connected not only mechanically but also electrically, and the main unit 10 is completed. In the main body unit 10 in a state after completion (after assembly), the first block 12 and the second block 13 are stacked one above the other so that the second block 13 is disposed on the first block 12 ( FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).

In the case where the main unit 10 is disassembled and the first block 12 and the second block 13 are separated, a procedure reverse to the procedure described above may be taken.
In the main unit 10, the switchback reversing unit 48 and the spiral reversing unit 50 are relatively heavy, and as described above, the mass of one main unit 10 is about 60 kg. Therefore, in this embodiment, the main unit 10 includes at least a first block 12 (mass is about 30 kg) including the switchback reversing unit 48 and a second block 13 (mass is about 30 kg) including the spiral reversing unit 50. It can be separated into two or more blocks. Thereby, by bringing the first block 12 and the second block 13 separately and connecting them, the main unit 10 can be easily assembled by one person so that the burden of weight is not as much as possible. Further, when the main unit 10 is stored (tidy up) after the voting paper sorter 3 is used, the main unit 10 is separated into a plurality of blocks and then moved separately so that the burden of weight is minimized. And can be easily stored. As a result, it is possible to facilitate the work of installing the voting paper sorter 3 for use and the work of storing it after use.

Here, since the 1st block 12 and the 2nd block 13 can be moved separately, when these blocks are piled up and down and the main body unit 10 is assembled, the advantage of an assembly ease is especially large.
Further, each of a plurality of mechanisms (the feeding unit 45, the image reading unit 46, the conveying unit 47, and the rejecting unit 49) provided in at least one of the first block 12 and the second block 13 (here, the first block 12) is provided. Can be divided individually. Thereby, since the 1st block 12 can be made light by separating the said mechanism from the 1st block 12, the improvement in the convenience at the time of moving the 1st block 12 can be aimed at.

Next, a combination procedure of the completed main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 will be described.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 are combined. FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the combined main unit 10 and stacker unit 11 as seen from the back side. FIG. 15 is a schematic plan sectional view of the voting paper sorter 3 in a completed state.

FIG. 13 shows a state in which the left side surface of the main unit 10 and the right side surface of the (first) stacker unit 11 are separated while rotating around the upper and lower virtual axes on the back side (rear side). ing.
Although not described above, in the main unit 10, an opening 110 that exposes the internal space is formed on the left side surface of the second block 13, and a connection frame 111 that partitions the lower end edge of the opening 110 is provided. ing. The connection frame 111 has a thin plate shape in the left-right direction, and is connected to the support frame 95 and the erection frame 100 (see FIG. 11). In the connection frame 111, the above-described handle 103 (see FIG. 11) is formed as a through-hole in the front upper region, and two round positioning holes 112 are formed in the front and rear side in the region below the handle 103. One screw hole 113 is formed in a region in front of these positioning holes 112.

  Further, in the second block 13, one recess 114 that is recessed to the right side is formed in a region behind the opening 110. Further, one similar concave portion 114 is formed below the concave portion 114 of the second block 13 on the left side surface of the first block 12 in the completed main body unit 10 (the same position in the front-rear direction as the concave portion 114). . In each of the first block 12 and the second block 13, a connecting groove 115 extending vertically while being recessed forward is formed in a portion defining the front side surface of the recess 114 (see FIG. 15).

  The right end of the horizontal transport path 38 in the stacker transport path 37 is exposed at the upper end of the right side surface of the stacker unit 11. Two positioning projections 116 having a shaft shape protruding rightward are provided at the front and rear of the stacker unit 11 at the substantially vertical center of the right side surface (the same position in the vertical direction as the positioning hole 112 and the screw hole 113 of the main unit 10). The insertion holes 117 are provided in a line, and are provided in front of these positioning projections 116. The insertion hole 117 is a round hole penetrating the right side wall of the stacker unit 11 left and right, and is exposed to the inside of the stacker unit 11 (the left surface of the right side wall) when the door 64 of the stacker unit 11 is opened. The Therefore, when the door 64 is opened, the insertion hole 117 can be accessed from the portion (the right side opening 118) opened from the door 64 in the stacker unit 11.

On the right side surface of the stacker unit 11, in the region adjacent to the positioning projection 116, a vertically long recess 119 is formed that is recessed to the left. The position adjacent to the recess 119 from the rear side is vertically Two longitudinal storage grooves 131 are formed side by side.
Here, the voting paper sorter 3 includes a connecting member 132 for connecting the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11. The connecting member 132 is integrally provided with a rectangular piece-like base portion 132A and a pair of claw portions 132B bent substantially at right angles from both longitudinal ends of the base portion 132A in the same direction. The entire cross section of the connecting member 132 is substantially U-shaped. A through hole 133 is formed in the base portion 132A (see FIG. 15).

  The connecting member 132 is attached to the right side surface of the stacker unit 11 in a stored state. Specifically, in the connecting member 132, a screw 136 (or a knurled screw as described above) may be used in a state where one claw portion 132B is fitted in one storage groove 131 from the right side and the other claw portion 132B is received in the recess 119. Is inserted into the through-hole 133 and assembled to the right side wall of the stacker unit 11 (strictly speaking, a screw hole formed on the right side surface of the stacker unit 11). Since two storage grooves 131 are formed on the right side surface of the stacker unit 11, the two connecting members 132 can be stored. When it is desired to use the stored connecting member 132, the screw 136 may be removed from the right side wall of the stacker unit 11 and the connecting member 132 may be pulled off from the right side wall of the stacker unit 11.

  In addition, two connecting grooves 134 (see FIG. 15) extending vertically are formed vertically on the right end portion and the left end portion of the rear surface of the stacker unit 11 (see FIG. 14). Of the two upper and lower connecting grooves 134, the upper connecting groove 134 is at the same position vertically as the connecting groove 115 (see FIG. 15) in the recess 114 on the upper side (second block 13) of the main body unit 10. The connecting groove 134 is at the same position as the connecting groove 115 in the recess 114 on the lower side (first block 12) of the main unit 10. At the right end of the rear surface of the stacker unit 11, one screw hole 135 is formed between the upper and lower connecting grooves 134 and the right end edge of the rear surface of the stacker unit 11 (see FIG. 15).

When combining the main unit 10 (in a completed state) and the stacker unit 11, first, the stacker unit 11 is set to the left of the main unit 10 already set on the desk 2 (see FIG. 1). Before and after this, the two connecting members 132 stored on the right side surface of the stacker unit 11 are removed.
Then, the two connecting members 132 are assembled to the right end portion of the rear side surface of the stacker unit 11. Specifically, one claw portion 132B of one connecting member 132 is fitted into the upper connecting groove 134 at the right end portion of the rear side surface of the stacker unit 11 from the rear side, and a screw 136 is attached to the base portion 132A of the connecting member 132. It passes through the through-hole 133 and is assembled into the screw hole 135 on the rear surface of the stacker unit 11 (see FIG. 15). Then, in the (upper) connecting member 132, the remaining claw portion 132B protrudes from the right side surface of the stacker unit 11. Similarly, one claw portion 132B of the other connecting member 132 is fitted into the lower connecting groove 134 from the rear side, and the screw 136 is passed through the through hole 133 of the base portion 132A and assembled to the lower screw hole 135. Then, even in the lower connecting member 132, the remaining claw portion 132B protrudes from the right side surface of the stacker unit 11. The state at this time is shown in FIG. In addition, if the through hole 133 is formed at a position shifted from the longitudinal center of the base portion 132A, in the connecting member 132, the claw portion 132B on the side close to the through hole 133 is fitted into the connecting groove 134. The claw portion 132B on the side far from the through-hole 133 protrudes from the right side surface of the stacker unit 11. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 13 also shows the connecting member 132 in a storage state.

  Next, the stacker unit 11 is moved and brought into contact with the right side surface of the stacker unit 11 facing the left side surface of the main unit 10. At this time, the claw portions 132B of the two upper and lower connecting members 132 protruding from the right side surface of the stacker unit 11 are inserted into the concave portions 114 at the same position in the vertical direction in the main body unit 10 (see the broken line arrows), It fits into the connecting groove 115 on the unit 10 side from the rear side (see FIG. 15). At the same time, the two positioning protrusions 116 on the right side surface of the stacker unit 11 are inserted from the left side into the positioning hole 112 on the left side surface of the main unit 10 at the same position in the front-rear direction (see solid arrows), Further, the insertion hole 117 of the stacker unit 11 is opposed to the screw hole 113 of the main body unit 10 from the left side (see a one-dot chain line arrow). Thereby, the stacker unit 11 is positioned (temporarily assembled) with respect to the main unit 10. In this state, the main body transport path 18 of the main body unit 10 and the stacker transport path 37 (lateral transport path 38) of the stacker unit 11 are connected (see FIG. 3).

  In the temporarily assembled stacker unit 11, the door 64 is opened, and the screw 137 (which may be the knurled screw described above) from the inside of the stacker unit 11 (left side of the right side wall of the stacker unit 11) is indicated by a one-dot chain line arrow. It is inserted into the insertion hole 117 and assembled to the screw hole 113 of the main unit 10 (see FIG. 15). Then, the main body unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 in the temporarily assembled state are completely (non-detachable) connected as shown in FIGS. 1 and 14, and the basic configuration of the voting paper sorter 3 (to the main body unit 10). A configuration in which one stacker unit 11 is connected) is completed. If it is desired to separate the main body unit 10 and the stacker unit 11, a procedure reverse to the procedure described above may be taken.

  When it is desired to add the stacker unit 11 to the basic configuration, as shown in FIG. 15, the stacker unit 11 to be added (dotted line portion) is set to the left of the stacker unit 11 that is already connected to the main unit 10. To do. Then, in the left and right stacker units 11, one pair of claw portions 132 </ b> B in one connecting member 132 are fitted one by one into two connecting grooves 134 adjacent to the left and right (upper and lower two places), and screws 136 are inserted. After being inserted into the through-hole 133 of the connecting member 132 (attached), it is assembled into the screw hole 135 of the stacker unit 11. Thereby, the stacker unit 11 to be added can be connected to the stacker unit 11 that is already connected to the main unit 10. A plurality of stacker units 11 can be added in the same procedure. If it is desired to remove the added stacker unit 11, a procedure reverse to the procedure described above may be taken.

  Thus, in the voting paper sorter 3, not only the main unit 10 can be separated into the first block 12 and the second block 13, but also the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 can be separated. Therefore, since the voting paper sorting machine 3 can be assembled after bringing the main body unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 separately, the burden of weight in assembly can be reduced. Further, since the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 can be separated and moved separately after the use of the voting paper sorter 3, the burden of weight in storing the voting paper sorter 3 can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the contents of the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims.
For example, the classification process by the voting paper sorter 3 is started by pressing the operation button 7 by the clerk, but may be automatically started when the clerk sets the voting paper H in the hopper 16.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ballot paper classifier 3 (the ballot paper classification system 1) is installed on the desk 2 prepared in advance, but there may be an installation pattern as shown in FIG. As a premise, in the ballot paper sorter 3 in the disassembled state, each of the first block 12 and the second block 13 of the main unit 10 and the stacker unit 11 is provided in a separate storage case 138 (such as a duralumin case with a caster 141). It is stored. Each storage case 138 has at least the same dimension in the height direction. When the voting paper sorter 3 is installed, first, the storage cases 138 from which the contents (the first block 12, the second block 13, and the stacker unit 11) are taken out are arranged on the left and right sides and straddle the upper surfaces of these storage cases 138. Thus, one flat plate 139 is placed on the upper surface of all the storage cases 138. As a result, the instant desk 2 is completed, and if the contents are placed on the desk 2 and connected, the voting paper sorter 3 is completed. In this case, the storage case 138 also serves as the desk 2, which is convenient.

  In the above-described embodiment, the main unit 10 can be separated into two blocks, ie, the first block 12 and the second block 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 11). On the other hand, the main unit 10 shown in FIG. 17 has a first block 12 having a switchback reversing unit 48, a second block 13 having a spiral reversing unit 50, and other than the switchback reversing unit 48 and the spiral reversing unit 50 ( It may be separable into two or more blocks (here, three blocks) called a third block 153 having a feeding unit 45, an image reading unit 46, a conveying unit 47, and a rejecting unit 49). In this case, in the main body unit 10 in the completed state, the first block 12 and the second block 13 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) while being stacked on the third block 153. The 1st block 12 and the 2nd block 13 can be separated into right and left, and each of the 1st block 12 and the 2nd block 13 and the 3rd block 153 can be separated up and down. In addition, the internal configuration of each of the first block 12, the second block 13, the third block 153, and the stacker unit 11 is appropriately changed according to the layout of the first block 12, the second block 13, and the third block 153. . When the main unit 10 of FIG. 17 is installed, the third block 153 is placed on the desk 2, and the first block 12 and the second block 13 are installed on the third block 153. It should be noted that when the main unit 10 is stored, the reverse procedure to that for installation is performed. Thus, if each block of the main unit 10 is individually installed and stored, the burden on the operator who performs the installation and storage can be reduced as compared with the case where the main unit 10 is installed and stored together. In particular, if the first block 12 and the second block 13 are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, the work can be facilitated as compared with the case where one of the first block 12 and the second block 13 is stacked on the other. Can do.

  Further, a drawer tray 120 as shown in FIG. 18 may be provided on the bottom surface of each stacker 34 (see FIG. 2) of the stacker unit 11. The drawer tray 120 has a flat plate shape that is slightly smaller than the bottom surface of the stacker 34 in plan view, and has a flat upper surface and is placed on the bottom surface of the stacker 34. In the drawer tray 120, a stick-like handle 121 extending outward from the outlet 35 is integrally provided at an end of the stacker 34 on the outlet 35 side (lower side in FIG. 18). Further, one end of a biasing member 122 such as a spring is attached to the end of the drawer tray 120 on the side opposite to the handle 121 side (upper side in FIG. 18). The other end of the urging member 122 is fixed to the back surface (back surface) of the stacker 34, and the urging member 122 urges the drawer tray 120 toward the back side of the stacker 34 (upper side in FIG. 18). ing.

In addition, three linear grooves 123 extending in the front-rear direction (up and down in FIG. 18) are formed in the left region of the bottom surface of the stacker 34 that is not covered by the drawer tray 120. These grooves 123 extend in parallel at equal intervals. A partition plate 124 that is long in the front-rear direction can be fitted into any of the grooves 123 from above.
As described above, the voting paper H conveyed from the stacker conveyance path 37 is placed on the upper surface of the drawer tray 120 in the stacker 34 from the right side in FIG. Here, according to the size of the voting paper H, the position of the partition plate 124 is adjusted in advance. That is, when the voting paper H is small, the partition plate 124 is set in the right groove 123, and when the voting paper H is large, the partition plate 124 is set in the left groove 123.

  If the voting paper H is small, it may not be possible to put the hand into the narrow stacker 34 and take out the voting paper H. In this case, the handle 121 is held and the drawer tray 120 is moved to the near side (lower side in FIG. 18). To the side). Then, since the drawer tray 120 on which the voting paper H is placed is pulled out from the outlet 35 of the stacker 34 (see the drawer tray 120 indicated by a dotted line), the voting paper H can be easily taken out. When the force for gripping the handle 121 is released after removal, the drawer tray 120 automatically returns to the original position in the stacker 34 by the urging force of the urging member 122.

Although the drawer tray 120 can be pulled out manually as described above, it is of course possible to automatically pull out the drawer tray 120 using a driving device such as a motor and retract it to the original position.
The ballot paper sorter 3 may be provided with a mechanism capable of preventing or eliminating the double feed state and the skew state of the ballot paper H.

Further, the switchback reversing unit 48 and the spiral reversing unit 50 are not limited to the configuration described above, and various configurations can be applied. For example, a mechanism described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 03-58984 may be used as the spiral inversion unit 50.
In the above-described embodiment, the candidate name (or party name) is entered in the ballot paper H. For example, the names of all candidates are described in advance, and the voter can select the ballot paper H. In the above, the candidate name (to be selected) may be circled by “circle” or may be circled near the candidate name.

  Further, in the main body unit 10, the first block 12 includes a plurality of mechanisms (a feeding unit 45, an image reading unit 46, a conveying unit 47, and a rejecting unit 49) other than the switchback reversing unit 48 and the spiral reversing unit 50. Although the second block 13 includes only the spiral reversing unit 50, the layout of each mechanism can be arbitrarily set. For example, the second block 13 may include a reject unit 49 and a plurality of other mechanisms in addition to the spiral inversion unit 50.

Note that the ballot paper classification system 1 only needs to include at least the ballot paper sorting machine 3 and the control PC 4, and therefore the printer 5 described above may be appropriately discarded. Alternatively, the ballot paper sorter 3 and the control PC 4 may be integrated.
In addition, four types of undecided votes (white vote, question vote, invalid vote, and apportioned vote) have been distributed to different stackers 34. However, it may be determined that the vote is undecided based on other factors. Good. In addition, among the factors (unconfirmed) in the unconfirmed vote, it is useless to assign a factor with an extremely low occurrence frequency to the individual stacker 34. Therefore, the unconfirmed votes of a plurality of factors are combined into one stacker. 34 may be set to be distributed.

  Further, the control PC 4 has identified all of the white vote, the question vote, the invalidity vote, and the apportioned vote as undecided votes, but may identify at least one or more of these as undecided votes for convenience. In addition to the apportionment vote, at least one of the white vote, the question vote, and the invalid vote may be identified as an undecided vote.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Voting paper sorter 10 Main body unit 11 Stacker unit 12 1st block 13 2nd block 16 Hopper 18 Main body conveyance path 18A Downstream end 31 1st reading sensor 32 2nd reading sensor 34 Stacker 45 Feeding part 46 Image reading part 47 Conveyance Section 48 Switchback reversing section 49 Reject section 50 Spiral reversing section 153 Third block H Voting paper

Claims (5)

A ballot set section for setting ballots to be classified;
Reading means for sequentially reading the voting paper set in the voting paper setting unit;
A conveyance path for conveying the voting paper passed through the reading means to a predetermined exit;
A first reversing mechanism disposed in a part of the transport path and configured to reverse the transport direction of voting paper transported through the transport path;
A second reversing mechanism that is disposed in a part of the transport path and reverses the front and back of the voting paper transported through the transport path;
Voting paper sorting machine including
The main body unit provided with the voting paper set unit, the reading unit, the conveyance path, the first reversing mechanism and the second reversing mechanism includes a first block including the first reversing mechanism and a second block including the second reversing mechanism. separable der into at least two blocks with is,
In the state after the assembly of the main unit, the first block and the second block are stacked one above the other,
Of the first block and the second block, a guide rail is provided on the separation surface side of one block, and the guide rail is provided on the separation surface side of the other block when the body unit is assembled and disassembled. guided member movable is characterized that you have provided along, ballot sorters. The separation surface of the one block has a pair of the guide rails, and a raised portion between the guide rails,
2. The ballot classification machine according to claim 1, wherein the separation surface of the other block is formed in a concave shape that is upside down and straddles the raised portion. The guide rail is formed with a relief hole,
3. The voting paper sorter according to claim 1, wherein the other block is positioned with respect to the one block by fitting the guided member into the escape hole. At least one of the first block and the second block includes a plurality of mechanisms other than the first reversing mechanism and the second reversing mechanism,
The voting paper sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein each of the plurality of mechanisms can be divided individually.   5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stacker unit that has a plurality of storage units for storing voting paper fed out from the predetermined outlet and is connectable to the main unit. Ballot paper sorting machine.

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