JPH0377553B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a banknote device used in a vending machine, a money changer, etc.

[Prior Art] A banknote is equipped with a function of identifying whether the banknotes inserted through the banknote insertion slot are genuine or false, temporarily holding the accepted banknotes after identification, and refunding the banknotes as necessary or taking them into the stacking section. 2. Description of the Related Art Banknote devices have conventionally come in various structures. For example, a banknote device is known that includes a banknote identification unit, a stacker unit that stacks a large number of banknotes in a non-returnable state, and an escrow unit that holds a large number of banknotes wound on a drum so that they can be returned. Furthermore, a banknote device is also known which is composed of only a banknote recognition section and a stacker section and is capable of temporarily holding banknotes along a banknote transport path from the recognition section to the stacker section.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The former banknote device described above is advantageous when it is necessary to temporarily hold a large number of banknotes, but since an extra escrow section must be provided, the device as a whole tends to be bulky. It was hot. Further, in the latter banknote device, since the conveyance path from the identification unit to the stacker unit was linear, only about one banknote could be held, which was not sufficient.

This invention was made in view of the above points,
The present invention aims to provide a banknote device with a novel structure that can temporarily hold as many banknotes as possible while having a compact configuration.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A banknote device according to the present invention includes a vertically long casing;
A bill insertion slot provided in the middle of the longitudinal direction of the housing, a first U-shaped conveyance path provided in one half of the housing and connected to the bill insertion slot, and the other half of the housing. a second U-shaped conveyance path provided in the section and connected to the first U-shaped conveyance path; and a bill arranged in the first half of the first U-shaped conveyance path and inserted from the bill insertion slot. a reciprocating mechanism disposed at the latter half of the second U-shaped conveyance path to press the banknotes on the conveyance path in a direction across the conveyance path; a banknote stacking device including a banknote stacking box for storing banknotes pressed by a moving mechanism, and the first U-shaped conveyance path and the second U-shaped conveyance path are approximately S as a whole within the housing. It forms a letter-shaped conveyance path, and has dimensions that allow at least two banknotes to be lined up from the latter half of the first U-shaped conveyance path to the first half of the second U-shaped conveyance path, so that the banknotes At least two banknotes identified by the identification means can be temporarily held in the middle of the conveyance path from the latter half of the first U-shaped conveyance path to the first half of the second U-shaped conveyance path. That is.

[Function] A banknote insertion slot is provided at the middle position in the longitudinal direction of the vertically long housing, a first U-shaped conveyance path connected to the banknote insertion slot is provided in one half of the housing, and the housing is A second U-shaped conveyance path connected to the first U-shaped conveyance path is provided in the other half of the body, and the first U-shaped conveyance path and the second U-shaped conveyance path
The letter-shaped conveyance path is approximately S as a whole within the housing.
It is configured to form a letter-shaped conveyance path. In addition, a banknote identification means is arranged in the first half of the first U-shaped conveyance path, and as is commonly known, banknotes identified as counterfeit banknotes are returned, but banknotes identified as genuine banknotes are returned. The banknotes are further conveyed to reach the latter half of the first U-shaped conveyance path. Further, in the latter half of the second U-shaped conveyance path, there is a reciprocating mechanism for pressing the banknotes on the conveyance path in a direction across the conveyance path, and a banknote for storing the banknotes pressed by the reciprocating mechanism. A banknote stacking device including a stacking box is arranged. Here, the conveyance path from the second half of the first U-shaped conveyance path to the first half of the second U-shaped conveyance path has dimensions that allow at least two banknotes to be lined up. Thereby, at least two banknotes identified as genuine by the banknote identification means can be temporarily held in the middle of the conveyance path from the latter half of the first U-shaped conveyance path to the first half of the second U-shaped conveyance path. Become. In addition, in the embodiment, it is also possible to return the banknotes that have reached the position corresponding to the banknote stacking device in the latter half of the second U-shaped conveyance path, and in that case, at least 3 banknotes including the banknotes are temporarily held. You will get it.

By configuring the banknote transport path as described above, it is possible to form a transport path as long as possible within a compact housing, thereby increasing the number of banknotes that can be temporarily held in the middle of the transport path. can do.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a banknote device according to the present invention. The main body of this banknote device consists of a vertically long casing, and a banknote insertion slot 1 is provided in the middle of the front surface. A U-shaped bill conveyance path 2 is provided in the lower half, and a regular U-shaped bill conveyance path 3 is provided in the lower half. One end 2a of the inverted U-shaped conveyance path 2 in the upper half
is in communication with the insertion port 1, and the other end 2b is in communication with one end 3a of the regular U-shaped conveyance path 3 in the lower half via the communication part 4. In the first half of the inverted U-shaped conveyance path 2, there is provided a banknote identification means consisting of banknote sensors P _1L , P _1R , P _X and magnetic heads C _L , _CR . The two sensors P _1L and P _1R provided near the insertion slot 1 are arranged on the left and right corresponding to the width of the banknote, and are used to detect the insertion of a banknote and also to inspect the width of the banknote. be. The sensor _PX inspects watermarks on banknotes. The two magnetic heads C _L and _CR arranged side by side are for testing the magnetism of printing ink on banknotes. A non-return shutter 5 is provided at a position past the banknote identification means. The shutter 5 normally protrudes into the conveyance path 2, but when pushed by banknotes that are normally fed in the receiving direction, the shutter 5 automatically moves out of the conveyance path to allow the received banknotes to pass. The shutter switch SW3 consists of a photo interrupter, which is off when the shutter 5 is protruding into the aisle, but turns on when the shutter 5 exits. The shutter solenoid SOL1 is energized when returning banknotes, forcing the shutter 5 to exit the passage, and allowing the returned banknotes to pass back toward the insertion slot 1. The second half of the inverted U-shaped conveyance path 2, that is, from the shutter 5 to the end 2
The length up to b is long enough to hold one bill vertically, and the bill sensor is installed approximately in the middle.
_P2 is provided.

The inverted U-shaped conveyance path 2 includes a banknote conveyance belt 6 and a banknote conveyance motor M1 that drives this belt. R1 to R6 are belt drive pulleys,
R7 to R11 are rollers that pinch the banknotes from the opposite side of the belt 6 to assist in conveyance. When the conveyance path 2 is shown in cross section, it is as shown in FIG. 2, for example. That is, a pair of walls 7 and 8 are provided on both sides at intervals commensurate with the width of the banknote, and inside thereof a pair of belts 6 are connected to a pair of pulleys R6 at appropriate locations.
A pair of rollers R8 are provided on the opposite side. 9 shows a cross section of the banknote in the lateral direction.

Similarly, the U-shaped second conveyance path 3 also includes a banknote conveyance belt 10 and a motor M for driving this belt.
Contains 2. R12 and R13 are pulleys on which the belt 10 is hung, and the rotation of the motor M2 is transmitted to one pulley R13 via a transmission mechanism (not shown) to drive the belt 10. R14~R1
Reference numeral 6 designates rollers for pinching banknotes from the opposite side of the belt 10 to assist in conveyance. The first half straight portion and the second half direct portion of the second transport path 3 each have a length sufficient to hold one bill. A banknote stacking device is arranged in the latter half of the second conveyance path 3. This bill stacking device includes a reciprocating mechanism 11 provided on the side of the U-shaped inner space, sandwiching the straight portion 3b in the latter half of the U-shaped conveyance path 3, and a bill stacking box 12 provided on the opposite side. are doing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the banknote accumulation box 12 consists of two vertically long channel members 13a and 13b arranged vertically side by side with a predetermined interval slightly narrower than the width of the banknotes, and a banknote stacking box 12. The channel member 13a has a size somewhat wider than the surface size,
13b. Although the channel members 13a and 13b are fixed, the banknote compression plate 14 can be moved in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface, and the channel members 13a and 13b are always moved by the action of appropriately placed springs 15.
It is adapted to be pressed in the direction of 13b.

The reciprocating mechanism 11 includes a push plate 16 substantially parallel to the banknote compression plate 14, and links 17a and 17 for reciprocating the push plate 16 in accordance with the rotation of the motor M3.
b, 17c. One end of the link 17a rotates in accordance with the rotation of the motor M3, and in response, the other end of the link 17a reciprocates along the fixed elongated hole 18, and as a result, one end pivots on the other end of the link 17a. The supported link 17b moves, and in conjunction with this, the link 17c, which is pivotally supported by crossing the link 17b at the center, moves. The push plate 16 has links 17b, 1
7c, and as the links 17b and 17c move, the compression plate 14 is compressed in a direction perpendicular to the plate surface.
It moves back and forth in the direction of. In a normal state, the push plate 16 is at the farthest position from the accumulation box 12 as shown in the figure, and the push plate 16 and the channel member 1
3a and 13b is a passage for banknotes.
In addition, carrier switch SW is connected to motor M3.
1 is provided.

The vertical length of the push plate 16 approximately corresponds to the vertical length of the banknote, but the horizontal width is narrower than the horizontal width of the banknote.
Moreover, the distance is narrower than the distance between the two channel members 13a and 13b. Therefore, when the push plate 16 reciprocates, it can pass between the channel members 13a and 13b and move toward the compression plate 14.

When taking banknotes into the stacking box 12, the banknotes to be taken in are positioned on the straight portion 3b in the latter half of the regular U-shaped conveyance path 3. In this position, the banknotes are lined up parallel to the push plate 16. And motor M3
is rotated to make the push plate 16 reciprocate once. When the pushing plate 16 approaches the compression plate 14, it passes between the channel members 13a, 13b while pushing the banknote (at this time, the banknote passes through the channel members 13a, 13b while being bent).
b), the compression plate 14 is moved in the direction of arrow A against the force of the spring 15 while pressing the banknote against the compression plate 14. Channel members 13a, 13b
A space is created between and the compression plate 14, and the pressed bill enters the space. When the push plate 16 returns to its original position, the compression plate 14 is pushed toward the channel members 13a, 13b by the force of the spring 15, and when both sides of the banknote contact the channel members 13a, 13b, the compression plate 14 is The movement stops and members 13a and 13b
The banknotes are compressed and held between the compression plate 14 and the compression plate 14.
The push plate 16 returns to its original position, leaving behind the held banknotes. In this way, channel members 13a, 13b
A large number of banknotes 19 are stacked between the compression plate 14 and the compression plate 14 .

The inclined communication section 4 between the terminal end 2b of the first conveyance path 2 and the start end 3a of the second conveyance path 3 is not particularly provided with a banknote conveyance driving means, and a passage space is formed at the end. It consists of only walls 4a and 4b. A banknote sensor P ₃ is provided at the end of the communication section 4 closer to the first conveyance section 2, and a banknote sensor _P4 is provided at the end closer to the second conveyance path 3. These two sensors P ₃ and P ₄ independently detect banknotes entering and exiting both transport paths 2 and 3, respectively, and control the driving of both transport paths 2 and 3 asynchronously when accepting or returning banknotes. , which is useful for efficient banknote transport and temporary holding control. Further, a banknote sensor _P5 is provided in front of the linear portion 3b in the latter half of the second conveyance path 3, and detects banknotes entering and exiting the linear portion 3b. The distance between sensors P ₄ and P ₅ is longer than the vertical length of the banknote to some extent. Note that the sensors P _1L to _{P 5} are photo sensors.

With the above configuration, a maximum of three banknotes can be temporarily held in the middle of the banknote transport paths 2 and 3. That is, one sheet is placed in the second half of the first conveyance path 2, and one sheet is conveyed in the first half of the second conveyance path 3.
There is one sheet in the latter half (straight portion 3b). The conveyance motors M1 and M2 are capable of forward and reverse rotation, and rotate forward when accepting banknotes and reverse when returning banknotes. When returning the banknotes temporarily held in the latter half of the first conveyance path 2, it can be returned to the insertion slot 1 by reversing only the motor M1, and the banknotes can be returned to the insertion slot 1 in the first half of the second conveyance path 3. The banknotes temporarily reserved in the second half can be returned to the insertion slot 1 by reversing the rotation of the motors M2 and M1.

The accumulation box 12 can be tilted rearward about a shaft 20 provided at the bottom as a fulcrum, as shown by a two-dot chain line 12' in FIG. Thereby, the banknotes 19 accumulated inside can be easily collected. A safety switch SW2 is provided in connection with this box 12.
2' detects that it has been removed from the main body,
During that time, driving of motors M1 and M2 is prohibited to prohibit bill insertion (or, when a bill is inserted, motor M1 is reversed to prohibit insertion).

Further, each member constituting each of the conveyance paths 2 and 3 is partially removable, so that each of the conveyance paths 2 and 3 can be opened. That is, if the collection box 12 is tilted as indicated by 12' as described above,
The rear half 3b of the second conveyance path 3 can be opened. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the mechanism block including the reciprocating mechanism 11 can be tilted rearward using the axis of the pulley R13 as a fulcrum, thereby opening the first half of the second conveyance path 3. I can do it. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the member block 22 on one side of the rear half of the first conveyance path 2 can be tilted using the shaft 21 as a fulcrum, thereby allowing the rear half of the first conveyance path 2 to tilt. Can be opened. Furthermore, the transport driving member block 23 in the U-shaped space of the first transport path 2 can be tilted about the axis of the pulley R1, thereby opening the front half of the transport path 2. I can do it. Since the entire area of the conveyance paths 2 and 3 can be opened in this way, when a banknote jam occurs, it can be easily removed.

Next, an example of temporary hold control when genuine banknotes are accepted will be explained. This control is performed mainly according to the states of the exit sensor P ₃ of the first transport section 2 and the entrance sensor P ₄ of the second transport path 3. When the first genuine banknote is inserted, the motor M1 is rotated in the normal direction to normally feed the banknote, and the tip of this banknote is detected by the sensor _P3.
When it reaches this point, the second motor M2 is rotated in the normal direction to receive it into the second conveyance path 3. Finally, Figure 5a
The motor is stopped at the position where the rear end of the first banknote 24 touches the sensor _P4 , and the banknote is held. When the second genuine banknote 25 is inserted in succession, only the motor M1 is initially rotated in the normal direction, and when the tip of this banknote reaches the sensor _P3 , the motor M2 is rotated in the normal direction and the first banknote is inserted. 24 into the latter half of the transport section 3, and the second banknote 25 into the first half of the transport section 3.
As shown in Figure b, the motor is stopped at the position where the rear end of the banknote 24 touches the sensor _P4 , and the two banknotes 24, 2
5 are held in the second conveyance path 3, respectively. 3 in a row
When the first genuine banknote 26 is inserted, the motor M1
When the banknote 26 reaches the position of the sensor _P3 as shown in FIG. 5c, the motor is stopped, and the three banknotes are held in this state. Of course, an appropriate counting means is provided so that the number of inserted banknotes can be counted. As mentioned above, the sensor
By controlling the feed according to the outputs of P ₃ and P ₄ , the intervals between continuously inserted banknotes are approximately the same as those of sensors P _{3 and} P 4.
The interval is controlled to _P4 , which can prevent bills from overlapping. When returning temporarily held banknotes, as described above, the motor M1 or M2 or both are reversed to return only the required number of banknotes. At this time, the number of returned tickets is counted using the outputs of sensors P ₃ , P _{4 ,} etc., so that only the required number can be refunded.

When the stored banknotes are taken into the collection box 12, the motor M2 is rotated in the normal direction until the rear end of the banknotes passes the sensor _P5 .
After inserting the banknotes into the bank, the motor M3 is rotated to make the push plate 16 reciprocate once as described above. In addition, in order to prevent the banknotes from being inserted and deviated during banknote loading,
If the entrance sensors P _1L and P _1R detect an inserted banknote while the motor M3 is rotating, the motor M1 is preferably reversed to automatically return the banknote. However, as shown in FIG.
4 into the box 12, the motor M1 should not be rotated in the reverse direction, and the motor M1 should not be rotated in the normal direction even if the sensors P _1L and P _1R detect the inserted banknote.

When the banknote collection box 12 becomes full of banknotes, it is no longer possible to take in banknotes, so it is preferable to prohibit the insertion of banknotes. For this purpose, some kind of fullness detection means may be provided to prohibit rotation of the motors M1 and M2 when fullness is detected, or when the entrance sensors P _1L and P _1R detect the inserted bill, the motor M1 will be reversed to automatically return the bill.
It is better to do this. Possible fullness detection means include providing a sensor at a predetermined fullness detection position within the box 12, or detecting overload of the motor M3 of the reciprocating mechanism 11 to detect when the accumulated amount has reached the maximum. It will be done. An overload on the motor M3 can be detected when the carrier switch SW1 continues to be turned on for a predetermined period of time or more. That is, since the accumulation amount has reached the limit, the compression plate 14 no longer moves in the direction of arrow A, and the motor M3
This is because the rotation stops midway.

Of course, it is more preferable if a warning display or the like is displayed externally when the insertion is prohibited as described above.

When a plurality of tickets are temporarily held and a part of them needs to be refunded as change, it is preferable to do so before taking the remaining part into the collection box 12. For example, if you have 3 tickets on hold as shown in Figure 5c, and want to refund 1 ticket and collect 2 tickets, first move the motor M.
1 is reversed and banknote 26 is refunded, and then banknote 2 is refunded.
4 and 25 are preferably taken into the collection box 12. This is because it takes some time for the collection operation, so it is better to give priority to refunds in terms of customer service.

A power outage may occur when the inserted bill is somewhere in the middle of the conveyance paths 2 and 3. In order to avoid trouble in such a case, it is preferable to perform an appropriate initial process when the power is restored, that is, when the power is turned on, so that all banknotes on the conveyance paths 2 and 3 are automatically returned. As an example,
Such initial processing assumes all possible states of random banknotes on the transport paths 2 and 3, determines which of them satisfies the situation based on the output signals of sensors P ₂ , P ₃ , P ₄ , and P ₅ , and then To accurately locate banknotes and automatically return them by efficiently rotating motors M1 and M2 in the reverse direction or, at times, in the forward direction as appropriate. In order to locate the banknotes with a small number of sensors, it is effective to rotate the motors M1 and M2 forward and reverse as appropriate using the sensor output as an index. Alternatively, the number of reserved tickets may be counted without automatically returning them.
It is also possible to return only the required number of change without automatically returning all the change. To do this, store the number of temporarily held coins and the number of coins to be paid out as change in battery backup memory or non-volatile memory, and when the initial process when the power is restored, as described above, locate the held number of coins, and then use this information as necessary. All you have to do is return only the number of sheets.

Note that the banknote device of the present invention may not be vertically elongated, but may be horizontally elongated. However, in that case, the insertion port 1 faces upward, so when used outdoors, sufficient measures must be taken to prevent rainwater from flowing in.
In this respect, in the vertical structure shown in FIG. 1, the insertion port 1 is oriented horizontally, so the inflow of rainwater is relatively slow. Note that 27 is a cover for the insertion slot 1, the upper side of which is hinged, and the cover 27 is lifted upward by hand to insert bills. This cover 27 helps prevent rainwater from flowing in.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, an insertion opening is provided in the middle of a long housing, and U-shaped conveyance paths are provided in one half and the other half of the housing, so that both conveyance The structure has a structure in which the banknote stacking device is arranged in the latter half of the second U-shaped conveyance path near the end, and the start end is connected to the insertion slot, so the structure is compact as a whole, but a relatively large number of banknotes can be stored. Banknotes can be temporarily held on the conveyance path. Furthermore, since the banknotes stopped on the conveyance path are returned, failures are less likely to occur compared to the case where banknotes once stored in the storage device are returned, which helps prevent trouble.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing one embodiment of the banknote device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of the structure of the banknote conveyance path in the same embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the banknote stacking device, FIG. 4 is a view showing the banknote device of FIG. 1 with the movable part removed and the banknote conveyance path opened, and FIG. 5 is a view of banknotes in the same embodiment. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a temporary hold state of. 1... Bill insertion slot, 2... Inverted U-shaped first bill conveyance path, 3... Regular U-shaped second bill conveyance path,
4...Communication part, _P1L , _P1R , _PX , _P2 , _P3 , _P4 , _P5
...Banknote sensor, C _L , _CR ...Magnetic head for banknote identification, M1, M2...Motor for banknote conveyance,
6, 10...Banknote conveyance belt, 11...Reciprocating mechanism, 12...Banknote accumulation box, 16...Press plate, 14...Banknote compression plate, 9, 19, 24-26
……bill.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A vertically long housing; a banknote insertion slot provided in the middle of the housing in the longitudinal direction; and a banknote insertion slot provided in one half of the housing and connected to the banknote insertion slot. a second U-shaped transport path provided in the other half of the housing and connected to the first U-shaped transport path, and the first U-shaped transport path a banknote identification means arranged in the first half of the second U-shaped conveyance path for identifying authenticity of the banknotes inserted from the banknote insertion slot; A banknote stacking device including a reciprocating mechanism for pressing in a direction across the conveyance path and a banknote accumulation box for storing the banknotes pressed by the reciprocating mechanism, the first U-shaped conveyance path and the first U-shaped banknote 2 U
The letter-shaped conveyance path is approximately S as a whole within the housing.
It forms a letter-shaped conveyance path, and has dimensions that allow at least two banknotes to be lined up from the latter half of the first U-shaped conveyance path to the first half of the second U-shaped conveyance path, so that the banknotes The banknotes identified by the identification means are transferred from the latter half of the first U-shaped conveyance path to the second
1. A banknote device capable of temporarily holding at least two bills in the middle of the first half of the U-shaped transport path. 2. The reciprocating mechanism in the bill stacking device is arranged in a U-shaped space of the second U-shaped conveyance path, and the bill stacking box
The banknote device according to claim 1, wherein the banknote device is provided on the opposite side of the reciprocating mechanism across the latter half of the letter-shaped transport path. 3. The banknote device according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the members around each of the U-shaped conveyance paths is removable, thereby making it possible to open each conveyance path. 4. The banknote device according to claim 1, wherein the banknote accumulation box can be tilted rearward when taking out the banknotes. 5 The first U-shaped conveyance path is provided with a first banknote conveyance belt, the second U-shaped conveyance path is provided with a second banknote conveyance belt, and the first banknote conveyance belt and the second banknote conveyance belt are driven by separate drive sources, and the first and second bill conveyor belts are driven by separate drive sources.
2. The banknote device according to claim 1, wherein the communication portion between the U-shaped conveyance path and the second U-shaped conveyance path is a banknote passage space having no banknote conveyance belt.