JPH0464990B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] [Technical field to which the invention pertains]

This invention relates to an apparatus for handling banknotes, such as an automatic deposit machine or an automatic money changer, in which the banknotes stacked and stored between the storage section conveyor belt and the bottom plate of the storage chamber can also be used for dispensing the banknotes. The present invention relates to a method in which a banknote storage bottom plate is raised and positioned in response to a command, and then coupled to a banknote payout mechanism, in order to smoothly perform a banknote payout operation.

[Prior art and its problems]

In order to implement the method described above, the following problems need to be solved. In other words, in the case of paying out banknotes, it is necessary to reliably pay out the stored banknotes in order from the first one, using a relatively strong force. Contact must be made with strong pressure.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a method for smoothly and reliably dispensing banknotes stored in a stack for dispensing.

[Key points of the invention]

The main points of the present invention to achieve the above objects are as follows:
The bottom plate of the banknote storage chamber can be raised and lowered in parallel,
The degree of this lifting and lowering is adjusted to achieve a contact pressure that meets the purpose. That is, for example, a support is attached at right angles to the surface of the bottom plate, and this support is supported by guide rollers so that it can move up and down. On the other hand, a rack is provided on one of the supports, and the pinion attached to the motor is engaged with this rack. In other words, the bottom plate is raised and lowered by the rotation of the motor. The degree of elevation of the bottom plate is adjusted by the following motor operation. That is, in the case of bill dispensing, the motor is rotated in the forward direction for a limited period of time to raise the bottom plate. Then, within that time, at least the bottom plate reaches its upper limit, and the motor is stopped by the contact pressure between the banknotes and the storage conveyor belt. In other words, the external load applies a brake to the motor shaft. Then, at the said time, the motor is stopped. In this way, the stored banknote surface is in relatively strong contact with the storage section conveyor belt surface, in other words, it is positioned at a substantially constant position. The above motor control is performed, for example, by a combination of a microcomputer and a non-contact sequence circuit.

[Embodiments of the invention]

A first embodiment of the present invention together with its related parts
This will be described in detail with reference to the perspective view of the figure. In FIG. 1, the entire device for storing banknotes schematically includes a banknote storage gate mechanism 19, a banknote storage mechanism 20, a banknote position regulation lever 26, and a banknote storage bottom plate elevating mechanism 30, which is the direct object of the present invention.
and a banknote feeding mechanism 40. The general structure and operation of the above-mentioned main elemental mechanisms will be described. The banknotes 10 carried in from the direction of arrow R are turned to the storage side by the direction change guide rail 11 of the banknote storage gate mechanism 19, and the banknotes 10 are transferred to the storage side by the belt 5 and the pressing roller 12 provided at the end of the direction change guide rail 11.
The banknotes are conveyed to the banknote storage mechanism 20 by being sandwiched between the banknotes and the banknotes. Next, the banknote feeding mechanism 40 is connected to the banknote storage mechanism 20.
It is installed in such a way that it enters a part of the In other words, the bill feeding roller 42 is located above the leading end of the bill 10 in the storage position. Reference numerals 43 and 44 refer to a set of rollers for preventing the passage of multiple bills, each having the function of allowing only one bill to pass between them. The banknote feeding roller 42 and multiple sheet passage prevention rollers 43, 44 are rotated by the drive shaft 41 in the direction of the arrow via belt pulleys 45A, 45B and toothed belt 45C. Bill feeding roller 42, multiple bill passage prevention roller 4
A holding frame 49 that holds together the parts 3 and 44 is rotatably installed around a rotation shaft 41. In addition, this holding frame 4
9 is provided with an electromagnetic actuator 46, a spring 47, and a push shaft 48. Note that the bill feeding roller 42, the multiple-sheet passage prevention roller 43, and the push shaft 48 are schematically illustrated with two-dot chain lines to show how they are actually incorporated into the bill storage mechanism 20. When a bill payout command is issued, first, the bill storage bottom plate elevating mechanism 30 is activated, the bottom plate 25 rises, and stops with the surface of the stored bill 10A in strong contact with the conveyor belt 5. Next, the electromagnetic actuator 46 operates to rotate the holding frame 49 clockwise to move the outer circumferential surface of the banknote feeding roller 42 to the stored banknotes 10.
Press it onto the surface of A. At the same time, holding frame 4
A push shaft 48 provided at the banknote 9 pushes one end of the banknote position regulating lever 26 and rotates it clockwise to release the blocked state of the front end surface of the stored banknote 10A. In this state, the banknote feeding roller 42 rotates a number of times corresponding to the predetermined number of banknotes, and the stored banknotes 10A are fed out in order from the top in the direction of the arrow S by the frictional force of the rubber unevenness provided on the outer periphery. Furthermore, the passage of only one banknote 10 is allowed by the multiple-sheet passage prevention rollers 43 and 44. When a predetermined number of sheets have been fed out, the electromagnetic actuator 46 is turned off based on a command, and the holding frame 49 is rotated counterclockwise by the spring 47.
In this way, the outer circumferential surface of the banknote feeding roller 42 separates from the surface of the stored banknote 10A. At the same time, the banknote position regulation lever 26 is released from the push shaft 48,
It is rotated counterclockwise by the spring 28 and returns to the original bill blocking position. During the return operation process of this banknote position regulating lever, if multiple sheets pass prevention roller 43,
If there are banknotes stuck at 44, the banknotes are pushed back to the normal storage position, that is, the position is adjusted. The banknote storage bottom plate elevating mechanism 30 functions to smoothly feed out the stored banknotes 10A from the surface as described above. That is, a support post 31 provided on the bottom plate 25 is guided and supported by guide rollers 32 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and a rack 33 is attached to this support post 31. A pinion 34 is meshed with this rack 33, and this pinion 34 is further connected to a motor 37 through gears 36A and 36B. The motor 37 first rotates so as to raise the bottom plate 25 based on the bill feeding command, and comes into contact with the conveyor belt 5 of the bill storage mechanism 20 and stops. Next, the operation of the motor 37 will be described in more detail. That is, the motor 37 is activated by the dispensing command signal.
The motor rotates forward for the set time and then stops. At this time, the surface of the banknotes 10A stacked and stored on the bottom plate 25 is in a state of strong contact pressure with the conveyor belt 5. Therefore, the banknote feeding roller 42 releases the banknote 10A during operation.
to ensure reliable contact with the surface and ensure reliable dispensing operation. Note that control of the motor 37 will be explained in detail later. Next, the bill position regulating lever 26 and the bill dispensing mechanism 40, which are closely related to the bill dispensing operation, will be explained in detail with reference to FIG. 2. Second
The figure shows its side view. First, the configuration of this mechanism will be explained. Second
In the figure, banknotes 10 are stored in a stacked manner in sequence on a bottom plate 25 of the storage chamber. 26 is a banknote position regulation lever; 27 is a rotation shaft that rotatably supports this position regulation lever 26; 28 is a spring;
48 is a push shaft fixed to the holding frame 49 of the banknote feeding mechanism 40, 42 is a roller for feeding banknotes,
A part of its circumference is provided with a rubber uneven part. Reference numerals 43 and 44 are a well-known set of rollers for preventing multiple bills from passing as described above. The one above this multiple sheet passage prevention roller 4
3 has three thin disks arranged at a certain interval in the axial direction. Similarly, in the lower part 44, two discs having a smaller diameter than the above-mentioned discs are arranged between the above-mentioned discs. The outer peripheries of both disks are arranged so as to touch with a slight spacing between them. This interval is adjustable. Also, usually the larger disk is made of a metal material, and the smaller disk is made of a softer material at least on its outer periphery. The upper multiple sheet passage prevention roller 43 is connected to the drive shaft 41
It is attached to the banknote feeding roller 42.
They are connected in the same direction and at the same linear velocity at the outer periphery. Further, the lower multiple-sheet passage prevention roller 44 has a built-in one-way clutch so that it cannot rotate in the dispensing direction but can rotate in the opposite direction. Mainly the feed roller 42, the multiple bill passage prevention roller 43, and the frame 49 that holds these.
constitutes the banknote feeding roller unit. The drive shaft 41 rotates only clockwise in the figure. The holding frame 49 of the banknote feeding mechanism 40 is rotatably supported coaxially with the drive shaft 41. Further, the holding frame 49 is connected to a movable part of the electromagnetic actuator 46. Further, a spring 47 is attached to the holding frame 49 to apply a rotational force to the holding frame 49 in a counterclockwise direction. A stopper 47A for preventing rotation of the holding frame 49 is provided on the frame (not shown). Note that FIG. 1a is a perspective view of the arrangement of each of the above-mentioned members, so that the relative positions thereof can be clearly understood. That is, there are three banknote feeding rollers 42 and two sets of multiple banknote passage prevention rollers 43 and 44.
and are arranged alternately in the axial direction. Next, for the sake of convenience, the operation of this mechanism will be explained separately for the case of storing banknotes and the case of dispensing banknotes. First, in the case of banknote storage, the solid line in FIG. 2 corresponds to the case. In other words, the stored banknotes 10A
The outer circumferential surface of the banknote feeding roller 42 is separated from the surface of the banknote feeding roller 42 . At the same time, the banknote position regulation lever 26 is also located at the position indicated by diagonal lines, and the regulation surface 26a at the tip thereof blocks the front surface (left side surface in the figure) of the banknote 10A. Next, when a bill payout command is issued, the movable part of the electromagnetic actuator 46 operates upward based on the command signal, and the holding frame 49 is rotated clockwise about the drive shaft 41. At the same time,
A push shaft 48 fixed to the holding frame 49 pushes the upper edge of the banknote position regulating lever 26, and the lever 26
rotates clockwise and moves to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure. At the same time, the outer peripheral surface of the bill feeding roller 42 comes into contact with the surface of the bill 10. In the above state, the bill feeding roller 42 is moved to the drive shaft 4.
1, the banknotes are rotated clockwise together with the multiple banknote passage prevention roller 43, and the stored banknotes are sequentially fed out one by one. Then, the fed bills are reliably passed one by one by a set of multiple bill passage prevention rollers 43 and 44. In other words, if two bills are passed through the multiple bill passage prevention roller 43,
Even if the banknotes on the lower side try to pass through the gap 44, because of the large friction with the rubber surface of the roller 44, the banknotes on the lower side separate from the banknotes on the upper side and remain in that position. These passed banknotes are sent out through between a sending roller 51 shown in FIG. 2 and a pressing roller (not shown) installed opposite thereto. Naturally, the drive shaft 41 is commanded to rotate at a speed corresponding to the number of sheets to be dispensed, and the electromagnetic actuator 46 performs a suction operation only during the period of dispensing. When the payout command is completed, the operation of the electromagnetic actuator 46 is canceled and each part of the banknote payout mechanism returns to the solid line display position. The push shaft 48 then moves to the shaded position. At the same time as this movement,
The banknote position regulation lever 26 is rotated counterclockwise by the spring 28 to a position where it hits the push shaft 48 and returns to its original position (the position indicated by diagonal lines). If there is a banknote stuck at the multiple-sheet passage prevention rollers 43 and 44, the banknote position regulating lever 26 is operated to return the banknote to push it back to the normal storage position. In this way, it becomes possible to store banknotes. Note that 52 is a bill delivery detector, and 53 is a bill overlap detector, which are arranged side by side on the delivery surface of the delivery roller 51, respectively. The bill delivery detector 52 literally detects that a bill has been sent out, and consists of a combination of a light emitting diode as a light emitting part and a phototransistor as a light receiving part, and detects the passage of a bill by a decrease in the intensity of the received light. . The bill overlap detector 53 also consists of a combination of a light emitting diode as a light emitting part and a phototransistor as a light receiving part, and depending on the intensity level of transmitted light when the bill passes, it detects whether one or more bills overlap. Detect whether there is a person. Next, regarding the control of the motor 37, FIG.
This will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows the main circuit including motor 37, which is a capacitor motor. The forward and reverse rotation of the motor 37 is performed by replacing the two wires of the reinforcing coil. MCB is a circuit breaker, THR is a thermal relay heater, and MCa and MCb are electromagnetic switches for forward and reverse rotation, respectively. The above-mentioned opening/closing control of the main circuit is performed by a microcomputer in which the program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 is written in the storage device ROM, and the non-contact logic circuit shown in FIG. 5 connected thereto. First, the operation of the microcomputer will be explained based on the flowchart shown in FIG. Based on the bill dispensing command, the dispensing motor is activated in step S1. Next, in step S2, a signal Sa is output.
This signal Sa causes the motor 37 to rotate normally in order to raise the banknote storage bottom plate at voltage level L (0V). That is, the signal Sa turns on the forward rotation electromagnetic switch MCa through an output circuit as described later. In step S3, it is determined whether the forward rotation of the motor continues for a preset time Ta. Note that the time Ta is approximately 500 to 600 ms. If NO, forward rotation will continue. YES
If so, a signal Sc, that is, a stop signal of voltage level L, is output in step S4. Next, in step S5, the solenoid for pressing the banknote feed roller onto the banknote surface is turned on.
be done. In this manner, the banknotes are fed out, and then a plurality of banknotes are passed through the passage prevention roller and sent out for dispensing. In step S6, it is determined whether the banknote has been sent out. The delivery of banknotes is detected by the banknote delivery detector 52, which is the photoelectric switch described above. If YES, it is further determined in step S7 whether only one banknote or two or more banknotes are stacked. This is detected by the bill overlap detector 53. If the result is YES, the determination is repeated in step S8 until the number of coins to be sent out reaches the number of coins to be issued. Then, when the number of bills to be commanded to be dispensed is reached, the bill dispensing solenoid is turned off in step S9.
Then, in step S10, the banknote feeding motor is activated.
It is turned OFF and the program ends. On the other hand, if the number of sheets to be sent out is two or more at step S7, the signal Sr is output at step S13, and the process ends. This signal Sr is called a reject signal, and due to this signal, the bills sent out at this time are placed in a specific container in the device as unsuitable for dispensing to customers due to the risk of miscounting. It will be contained and later recovered. If it is determined in step S6 that the banknote has not been delivered, it is determined in step S11 whether or not the time Ts has elapsed. In other words, if no banknotes are fed out even after waiting for a certain predetermined time Ts, it is assumed that the banknotes were not fed out by the feeding roller, or even if they were fed out, they remained at the passage prevention roller. Take measures. In addition, the time Ts is
It is about 200-300ms. This means is the subroutine of step S12,
This is "adjustment process of contact pressure between banknotes and feeding rollers".
The purpose of this subroutine is to assume that the cause of bill not being fed out is inappropriate contact pressure between the bill and the delivery roller, and to carry out adjustment processing accordingly. After this process, repeat the steps.
Return to ON of S5 banknote feeding solenoid. Regarding this adjustment process of the contact pressure between banknotes and the feeding roller,
A supplementary explanation will be given with reference to FIG. 7 showing the operation of the feeding roller. Note that FIGS. 7a to 7d are schematic diagrams showing the feeding operation in the order of each step. Figure a is a side view of the main parts before being fed out. The upper surface of the banknotes 10 stacked and stored on the bottom plate 25 is in slight contact with the lower horizontal portion of the conveyance level 5. Note that the banknotes 10 to be stored are conveyed along the right slope of the conveyor belt 5 and further along the upper surface of the uppermost stacked banknote, and are stopped and positioned at the storage position by a stopper (not shown). be done. At the stage before feeding, the conveyor belt 5 is stopped, and the feeding roller 42 is separated from the upper surface of the stored banknote 10 due to the OFF state of the electromagnetic actuator 46 and the biasing force of the spring 47, as shown in the figure.
Note that the bottom plate 25 is driven up and down by a motor 37, and the feeding of the banknotes 10 is detected by a detector 52. FIG. 1B is a side view in the preparation stage for feeding, in which the stored banknotes 10 are driven upward together with the bottom plate 25 for a predetermined period of time by a motor (not shown), and are raised by H, so that the upper surface of the stored banknotes 10 is placed on the conveyor belt. 5 and stops in equilibrium with the motor drive torque. Therefore, the pressing force at this time is a constant value corresponding to the driving torque of the motor. Figure c is a side view of the feeding stage, showing the feeding roller 4.
2 presses the top surface of the stored banknotes 10 by turning on an electromagnetic actuator (not shown here),
As the banknotes 10 rotate, the banknotes 10 are fed out one by one starting from the highest banknote, and are detected by the detector 52. Although the conveyor belt 5 is stopped during this feeding operation, since the outer peripheral surface of the feeding roller 42 is positioned so as to protrude below the lower surface of the conveying belt 5, when the number of sheets fed is small, The banknote 10 will be reliably fed out as it is. FIG. d is a side view when feeding is not possible. Figure c
In this case, depending on the elasticity of the stored banknotes 10 in the stacking direction, it is possible to feed up to a certain number of banknotes, but if this is exceeded, the pressing force of the feeding roller 42 against the upper surface of the stored banknotes 10 decreases beyond the limit. It becomes impossible to feed out. In other words, when the number of coins dispensed in one payout process increases and it becomes impossible to dispense them, the step is stopped based on the non-detection signal of the detector 52.
The process of S12 is carried out, and the steps b and c in the same figure are skipped again to increase the pressing force of the feeding roller 42 against the banknote 10 so that the banknote 10 is fed out. If it is still impossible to feed out for some reason, repeat the steps b and c in the same figure a predetermined number of times, for example, up to 4 times, until the impossible state is resolved.
If the problem remains unresolved, it is considered abnormal. Next, a non-contact logic circuit and its operation will be explained based on FIG. This circuit is a combination of two AND circuits each having an L active input terminal and an output terminal, and flip-flop circuits FF1 and FF2, as shown in the figure. This is a motor forward/reverse rotation circuit that uses a so-called parallel priority circuit to provide functions. As described above, as outputs of the microcomputer, the motor normal rotation signal Sa at the L level, the same reverse rotation signal Sb, and the stop signal Sc are input to this circuit. By the signal Sa, the flip-flop circuit
At the same time that the output Q1 of FF1 becomes level H, the signal Sb is no longer applied due to the priority function. Similarly,
When the output Q2 of the flip-flop circuit FF2 is at level H due to the signal Sb, the signal Sa is no longer applied. Furthermore, since it is a reset priority flip-flop circuit, a priority function operates between the set and reset inputs, and the outputs Q1 and Q2 become L in response to the stop signal Sc. Note that the outputs Q1 and Q2 are power amplified through an output circuit (not shown) shown in the dotted line in the figure, and are connected to the electromagnetic switches MCa and MCa for forward and reverse rotation of the motor.
These are input to coils MC1 and MC2 of MCb, respectively. In conclusion, a time chart showing the operation of the circuit is shown in FIG. 6A shows the signal Sa, FIG. 6B shows the signal Sc, and FIG. 6C shows the ON/OFF states of the excitation coil MC1 of the electromagnetic switch MCa. The electromagnetic switch coil MC1 is excited by the L level signal Sa, and the electromagnetic switch MCa shown in Fig. 3 is activated.
When turned on, the motor is driven in normal rotation and raises the banknote storage bottom plate. Then, after a preset time Ta has elapsed, the coil MC1 is demagnetized by the L level signal Sc, the electromagnetic switch MCa is turned off, and the motor is stopped. In other words, the bill storage bottom plate is in a state of having strong contact pressure with the bill storage conveyance belt.

【Effect of the invention】

Due to the configuration and operation described above, the present invention has the following excellent effects. (1) In the case of bill dispensing, prior to the dispensing operation, the stored bill surface and the storage unit conveyor belt surface are brought into a strong contact pressure state.In other words, the bill is positioned at a substantially constant position relative to the opposing dispensing roller, so that the bill is dispensed. Operations are performed smoothly and reliably. (2) According to an embodiment, said adjustment of the contact pressure comprises:
This is done by raising and lowering the bottom plate of the banknote storage chamber using simple forward and reverse rotation control of the motor.
It is advantageous not only in terms of operation reliability but also in terms of cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view including related parts of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the bill dispensing mechanism, and FIG.
The figure is a main circuit diagram including the control motor of this embodiment, Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the motor control microcomputer program, and Figure 5 is non-contact logic for forward and reverse rotation of the motor using a parallel priority circuit. FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the circuit operation, and FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the feeding roller. Symbol explanation, Ta...Setting time for raising the bottom plate,
5... Conveyor belt, 10, 10A... Banknote, 25
...Banknote storage bottom plate, 30...Banknote storage bottom plate lifting mechanism, 37...Motor, 40...Banknote feeding mechanism, 4
2...Banknote feeding roller, 43...Multiple bill passage prevention roller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A method for dispensing banknotes stacked and stored on a banknote storage bottom plate after being conveyed to a storage position via a conveyance belt for dispensing based on a command, comprising: (a) based on a command; a first step of driving the bottom plate upward to bring the contact pressure between the conveyor belt and the banknotes stacked and stored on the bottom plate to a substantially predetermined value (predetermined contact pressure); (b) after the first step; A second step of pressing a banknote feeding roller against the stacked banknote surface based on another command, sequentially feeding out the banknotes, and releasing the pressure of the feeding roller against the banknote surface after the completion of the step. Characteristic banknote feeding method. 2. In what is stated in claim 1,
A bill dispensing method characterized in that the drive source for raising the bottom plate is a motor that is controlled to rotate in forward and reverse directions. 3. A bill dispensing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined contact pressure corresponds to a force capable of blocking the bottom plate upward driving force. 4. In the item described in claim 1 or 2, the predetermined contact pressure corresponds to a predetermined transmission force limit value of a power transmission section interposed between the bottom plate lifting drive source and the bottom plate. A banknote storage method characterized by: 5. In the product according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the bottom plate in the first step receives a lifting driving force for at least the time set to the time required for lifting the entire storage chamber. A method for dispensing banknotes, characterized in that: