JPH0896168A - Paper feeding method and ticket vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a feeding method for ticket paper and a ticket vending machine which enable a ticket paper roll to be replaced in a short time and use the ticket paper without any waste. CONSTITUTION: The ticket vending machine 1 has a paper feeding part 4 equipped with the ticket paper roll formed by rolling the ticket paper and a ticket vending process part 6 which performs a specific ticket vending process for the ticket paper fed from the paper feeding part 4. The paper feeding part 4 has a 1st support shaft which holds the ticket paper roll at a 1st position and a 2nd support shaft which holds the ticket paper roll at a 2nd position. In the beginning of paper feeding, the ticket paper roll is mounted on the support shaft and 1st ticket paper is fed. When the 1st ticket paper nearly comes to the end, the rest of the roll R1' is shifted to the support shaft while supported at the ticket vending process part 6, and a 2nd ticket paper roll R2 is mounted on the support shaft 16. After the rest of the remaining roll R1' is used to the end, 2nd ticket paper begins to be fed from the 2nd ticket paper roll R2 mounted on the 1st support shaft.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding method for feeding a rolled paper sheet to a ticket issuing machine and a ticket issuing machine, and more particularly to a ticket issuing machine for issuing ordinary tickets or fixed-price tickets. The present invention relates to a paper feeding method for feeding roll paper and a ticket issuing machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a ticket issuing machine for feeding paper sheets from a rolled paper sheet roll to issue tickets, for example, ordinary tickets, commuter tickets, limited express tickets, etc. Ticketing machines that issue tickets are known.

This type of ticket issuing machine is provided with a paper roll which is rotatably mounted at a predetermined mounting position in the ticket issuing machine. The paper sheet wound around the paper sheet roll is held by a drawing roller or the like, drawn out in accordance with a user's instruction, and paper feeding is started. The paper sheet pulled out from the paper sheet roll is sent to the ticket issuing processing unit by a plurality of carrying guides, carrying rollers, guide rollers and the like via a carrying path defined at a predetermined position in the ticket issuing machine.

The ticket issuing processing section includes a cutter for cutting the paper sheet into a predetermined length, a print head for printing desired character information on the paper sheet cut into the predetermined length, and a desired magnetic field on the paper sheet. A magnetic head for recording information and confirming the magnetic information is provided along the transport path. Then, the paper sheet fed to the ticket issuing processing unit is cut into a predetermined length, the character information is printed, the magnetic information is recorded and confirmed, and then the ticket is issued through the ticket issuing port.

In such a ticket issuing machine, since the paper rolls are limited, it is necessary to supply new paper rolls when the paper rolls are exhausted. A sensor for monitoring the roll diameter of the paper roll is provided in order to determine an appropriate time for replenishing the paper roll. Then, when the roll diameter is reduced to a predetermined diameter or less, a replenishing operation of a new paper roll is performed.

When replenishing a paper roll, the operation of the ticket issuing machine is stopped and the paper on the conveying path is cut by a cutter. Next, the cover of the ticket issuing machine is opened to remove the paper sheet remaining in the conveyance path of the ticket processing unit, and the remaining paper sheet roll is removed from the ticket issuing machine and discarded. Then, a new paper roll is attached at a predetermined mounting position, the leading edge of the paper is held by a pull-out roller, and the paper is set to a paper feed standby state in which the paper can be fed.

[0007]

However, in the conventional paper feeding method of the ticket issuing machine, since the paper roll is replaced with a new paper roll at the time when the paper roll becomes the near end, the unused paper roll remains. There is a problem that the paper roll is wasted because the paper roll has to be discarded.

Further, when replacing the paper roll, it is necessary to cut the paper after the near end is detected and remove the paper remaining in the transport path, which requires a lot of time for the paper supply work. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet feeding method and a ticket issuing machine which allow a paper sheet roll to be replaced in a short time and which can be used without waste. To provide.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, a sheet feeding method according to the present invention is a sheet feeding method of feeding a rolled sheet of paper to a ticket processing unit of a ticket issuing machine. , A first roll formed by winding a first paper sheet is mounted at a first attachment position, and the first paper sheet is fed from the first roll to the ticket processing unit. A paper process; a monitoring process for monitoring the roll diameter of the first roll;
A transfer step of transferring the first roll to the second mounting position while the first paper sheet is engaged with the ticket issuing processing portion when the roll diameter of the first roll is reduced to a predetermined diameter; Mounting step of mounting the second roll formed by winding the above-mentioned paper sheet at the above-mentioned first mounting position, and the first paper sheet to the above-mentioned ticket processing unit until the first paper sheet is exhausted from the above-mentioned first roll. And a third paper feeding step of feeding the second paper sheet from the second roll to the ticket issuing processing unit after the first paper sheet is exhausted. And are equipped with.

Further, in the ticket issuing machine according to the present invention, a ticket issuing processing section for applying a predetermined process to a ticket and issuing a ticket, and a first supporting section on which a new roll formed by winding the ticket is rotatably mounted And a monitoring means for monitoring the roll diameter of the roll mounted on the first support portion, and the remaining rolls used until the roll diameter is reduced to a predetermined roll diameter and removed from the first support portion are rotatably mounted. A second supporting portion, first feeding means for pulling out the paper sheet from the new roll mounted on the first supporting portion and sending it to a predetermined feeding position, and the predetermined feeding from the new roll. A second roll that sends the ticket paper sent to the paper position to the ticket issuing processing unit and sends the remaining rolls of paper paper transferred from the first supporting unit to the second supporting unit to the ticket issuing processing unit. And a sheet feeding unit.

[0012]

According to the paper sheet feeding method and the ticket issuing machine of the present invention, the rolled paper sheet is fed to the ticket issuing processing section to issue the tickets which have been subjected to the predetermined ticket issuing processing. At the time of paper feeding, first, the first paper roll is fed from the first roll mounted at the first mounting position to the ticket issuing processing unit. And the first
The diameter of the roll is monitored, and when the diameter of the roll is reduced to a predetermined diameter, the first roll is moved to the second mounting position while the first paper sheet is engaged with the ticket processing unit.

Next, the second roll formed by winding the second paper sheet is mounted at the first attachment position and set in the paper feed standby state. Then, the ticket is fed from the first roll mounted at the second mounting position to the ticket issuing processing section until the first ticket runs out, and at the same time when the first ticket runs out, the first roll exits the second roll. The feeding of the second ticket is started.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A ticket issuing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a ticket issuing machine 1 is provided with a housing 2, and in the housing 2, a paper feeding unit 4 for feeding a paper sheet from a paper roll wound in a roll shape, and this paper feeding unit. A ticket issuing processing unit 6 that performs a predetermined ticket issuing process on the paper sheets fed from the paper supply unit 4 is provided. Further, on the front upper part of the housing 2, a ticket issuing port 12 capable of issuing tickets such as a normal ticket and a commuter ticket, and a ticket issuing guide 11 for holding tickets issued from the ticket issuing port 12,
Is provided. A main transport path 14 extending from the paper feed section 4 to the ticket issuing slot 12 through the ticket issuing processing section 6 is formed in the housing 2.

It should be noted that the ticket paper is formed in a tape shape having a predetermined width, and has, for example, a surface on which character information such as a ticket issuing station name, an issue date, and a fee can be printed, and a magnetic coating capable of magnetically recording the corresponding information. And a back surface provided with.

The paper feed section 4 has a first support shaft 16 as a first support section for rotatably supporting the paper sheet roll at a first mounting position in the housing 2 and a second support shaft 16 in the housing 2. A second support shaft 18 as a second support portion that rotatably supports the paper roll is provided at the mounting position. First
As shown in FIG. 1, the support shaft 16 is provided with a paper roll R1 as a first roll formed by winding the first paper.

Near the first support shaft 16, there is provided a near-end detection sensor 21 as a monitoring means for monitoring the roll diameter of the paper roll R1.
Detects the near end of the paper roll R1 when the remaining amount of the paper roll R1 is less than a predetermined value. The near-end detection sensor 21 has a base end rotatably supported with respect to the housing 2 and a detection lever 21a pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the paper roll R1 by a biasing means (not shown). There is. Therefore, when the roll diameter of the paper roll R1 decreases as the paper is consumed, the detection lever 21
a is gradually rotated. Then, the near-end detection sensor 21 detects the near-end of the paper sheet roll R1 at the time when the rotation angle of the detection lever 21a reaches a predetermined angle, that is, when there is almost no remaining paper sheet.

A paper sheet is drawn from the paper sheet roll R1 onto the main conveyance path 14 for conveying the paper sheet wound on the paper sheet roll R1 and fed to a predetermined paper feed position via the main conveyance path 14. First
And a tension roller 24 provided in front of the first paper feed roller 22
And a leading edge detection sensor 25 that is provided on the main conveyance path 14 that continues to the first paper feed roller 22 and that detects the leading edge of the pulled out paper sheet.

A second paper feed roller 26 provided at a predetermined paper feed position is provided on the main conveyance path 14 following the leading edge detection sensor 25, and a paper sheet is provided in front of the second paper feed roller 26. End detection sensor 2 as end detection means for detecting the end of the
8 are provided. The second paper feed roller 26
Together with a drive roller 41a, which will be described later, constitute a second sheet feeding unit. In addition, the paper feed rollers 22 and 26 have
Guide rollers 23 and 27 are in rolling contact with each of the paper feed rollers so as to define a conveyance path. Further, a plurality of conveyance guides, conveyance rollers, guide rollers and the like (not shown) are provided on the main conveyance path 14 between the paper feed roller 22 and the paper feed roller 26, and the main conveyance path 14 is the second support shaft. 18
, So that it does not interfere with the ticket roller installed on the
The main transport path 14 is defined at a predetermined position, that is, a position outside the paper sheet roller.

On the other hand, the ticket issuing processing unit 6 prints desired character information on the cutter 32 which cuts the paper sheet fed from the paper feeding unit 4 into a predetermined length and the paper sheet cut by the cutter 32. A thermal head 34, a writing head 36 for writing desired magnetic information on a ticket printed with character information,
A read head 38 that reads the written magnetic information to confirm the magnetic information, that is, verify-read, and pinch rollers 35 and 37 that are in rolling contact with the heads 36 and 38 via the main conveyance path 14 are provided. . In addition, a scrap ticket processing unit 50 for scrapping a paper sheet in which a magnetic error has occurred due to the verify read is disposed on the scrap ticket conveying path 39 branched from the main conveying path 14 between the reading head 38 and the ticket issuing port 12. It is provided.

Driving rollers 41a and 41b are provided on one side of the main conveyance path 14 adjacent to the ticket issuing port 12, and driven rollers 41a and 41b are provided on the opposite sides of the magnetic heads 36 and 38. 41c and conveyor belt 42
Is wrapped around. A guide roller 43a and a tension roller 43b are in rolling contact with the drive rollers 41a and 41b from the other side of the main transport path 14 via a transport belt 42, respectively.

A conveyor belt 42 is provided on the other side of the main conveyor path 14.
A driven belt 44 interlocking with the driven belt 44 is provided.
Is wound around a plurality of driven rollers. Then, a part of the driven belt 44 extends along the scrap ticket conveyance path 39. The driven belt 44 is provided at a position outside the writing area of the writing head 36 and the reading area of the reading head 38.

It should be noted that such a transport mechanism has a main transport path 14
And a plurality of transport guides (not shown) provided along the scrap ticket transport path 39 and a large number of drive rollers, driven rollers,
The drive rollers provided with a guide roller and the transport paths 14 and 39 are driven by a drive motor (not shown) together with the drive rollers 41a and 41b.

At the branch point between the main transport path 14 and the scrap ticket transport path 39, a switching gate 46 for switching the transport path.
Is provided. The switching gate 46 causes the scrap paper processing unit 50 to discard the paper sheet in which the magnetic error has occurred due to the verify read.
It is provided to distribute to.

The scrap ticket processing unit 50 accommodates a drive roller 56 for guiding the scrap paper to the scrap ticket processing unit 50, a scrap ticket punch 52 for punching a punch hole in the scrap paper, and a punched paper sheet. And a scrapped ticket accommodation unit 54. Scrap ticket punch 52
A scrap ticket sensor 51 for detecting the passage of the scrap ticket is provided on the scrap ticket conveying path 39 on the upstream side of the sheet. When the scrap ticket sensor 51 detects the passage of the scrap ticket, a solenoid (not shown) is driven to scrap the scrap ticket. The ticket punch 52 is activated. Then, the scrap ticket having the punched holes is stored in the scrap ticket storage portion 54.

In addition to the above, the ticket issuing machine configured as described above is provided with a bill processing device for handling coins and bills. In addition, a customer service section is provided on the front of the ticket issuing machine, and the customer service section is provided with a display section for displaying the input amount of money, operating instructions, and a large number of operations for inputting information such as routes used and transit routes. And an operation unit having a key. Further, in the customer service section, below the operation section, an insertion slot for inserting coins and bills is provided.

Next, the control system of the ticket issuing machine 1 configured as described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the ticket issuing machine 1
The control system includes a CPU 60 as control means. The CPU 60, via the input interface 61, the operation unit 71, the near end detection sensor 21, and the leading end detection sensor 2 provided on the downstream side of the first paper feed roller 22.
5, the trailing edge detection sensor 28 provided on the upstream side of the second paper feed roller 26, and the waste ticket transport path 3 on the upstream side of the waste ticket punch 52.
A scrap ticket sensor 51 provided on the CPU 9 and a ROM 72 storing control data are connected.

A motor controller 73, a mechanical controller 74, and a print controller 75 are connected to the CPU 60 via an output interface 62. The motor controller 73 includes a first drive motor 77 that drives the first paper feed roller 22, a second drive motor 78 that drives the second paper feed roller 26 and the drive roller 41a, and a drive motor 56. A third drive motor 79 for driving is connected. Mechanical controller 74
The cutter 32, the gate 46, and the scrap ticket punch 5
Solenoids 81, 82, 83 for driving 2 are connected. Further, the thermal head 34 is connected to the print controller 75.

Further, an input / output interface 63 is connected to the CPU 60, and this input / output interface 63
A magnetic controller 76 for driving and controlling the magnetic heads 36, 38 is connected to the.

Next, the operation of the ticket processing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. In the customer service section of the ticket issuing machine, when a bill or coin of an amount corresponding to the boarding section or the like is inserted from the insertion slot and a desired ticket issuing command is input from the operation section 71, the second drive motor 78 is operated and The second paper feed roller 26 and the drive roller 41a are rotated, and the feeding of the first paper sheet from the paper feed unit 4 to the ticket issuing processing unit 6 is started.
When the drive roller 41a is biased, the conveyor belt 42
At the same time, the driven belt 44 is operated, and the paper sheet can be conveyed through the main conveyance path 14 and the waste ticket conveyance path 39.

At the same time, the solenoid 81 is operated and the cutter 32 is urged to the operating position. Then, the ticket is cut into a predetermined length by the cutter 32, desired character information is printed by the thermal head 34, desired magnetic information is written by the write head 36, and the written magnetic information is read by the read head 38. Then, the verification is read and the ticket is issued through the ticket issuing port 12.

When a magnetic error occurs due to the verify read, the solenoid 82 is operated to switch the gate 46, and the main transport path 14 is connected to the scrap ticket transport path 39. As a result, the waste paper is processed by the waste ticket processing unit 5 via the waste ticket transport path 39.
Sent to 0. When the scrap ticket sensor 51 detects the passage of the paper sheet, the solenoid 83 is activated and the scrap ticket punch 5
2 punches a hole in the ticket. The scrap ticket having the punched holes is stored in the scrap ticket storage portion 54.

When the above ticket issuing operation is repeated, the first paper sheet wound around the paper sheet roll R1 is consumed and the roll diameter of the paper sheet roll R1 is reduced. When the roll diameter becomes smaller than the predetermined diameter, the near end detection sensor 21 causes the CPU 6
0 is issued and the near end of the paper roll R1 is recognized.

When the near end is detected, the station staff or the like replenish the ticket rolls. Hereinafter, the supply operation of the paper roll will be described. When the near end is detected, the ticket issuing operation of the ticket issuing machine is stopped and the cover of the ticket processing apparatus 1 in the ticket issuing machine is opened. Then, the remaining roll R1 'after the near end detection is transferred from the first support shaft 16 to the second support shaft 18 as shown in FIG. in this case,
The first ticket paper wound on the remaining roll R1 ′ is the ticket issuing processing unit 6
The remaining roll R1 'in a state of being engaged with the sheet, that is, in a state of being held between the second paper feed roller 26 and the guide roller 27.
Will be relocated.

Next, a second roll around which the second paper sheet is wound, that is, a paper sheet roll R2 as a new roll is mounted on the first support shaft. Then, the leading edge of the second paper sheet is supplied between the first paper feed roller 22 and the guide roller 23,
The ticket roll R2 is set to the paper feed standby state. By providing a mechanism for automatically aligning the leading edge of the second paper sheet between the rollers 22 and 23, the paper sheet roll R2
It is possible to automatically set the paper sheet roll R2 to the paper feed standby state at the same time as mounting.

When the paper sheet rolls R1 'and R2 are mounted as described above (state shown in FIG. 2), the ticket issuing operation of the ticket issuing machine is restarted and the first paper sheet is fed from the remaining roll R1'. . Then, the feeding is continued until the end of the first paper sheet passes the end detection sensor 28.

When the trailing edge of the first paper sheet passes through the trailing edge detection sensor 28, the first paper feed roller 22 is energized in synchronization with this, and the second paper sheet is wound around the paper feed roll R2. Paper feeding starts. At the same time, the unnecessary portion at the end of the first paper sheet is conveyed through the main conveyance path 14 and the waste ticket conveyance path 39, and is discharged to the waste ticket processing unit 50. The leading edge detection sensor 25 detects the leading edge of the second paper sheet that has been fed, and passes through the main transport path 14 to the second feeding roller 26.
Be led to. The second paper feed roller 26 is operated by driving the second drive motor 78 after a lapse of a predetermined time after the front end detection sensor 25 detects the front end of the second paper sheet, and then the second paper feed roller 26 is operated. Paper sheet is fed to the ticket processing unit 6.
The first paper feed roller 22 is stopped after the second paper feed roller 26 is operated.

Further, when the near end of the paper sheet roll R2 mounted on the first supporting shaft 16 is detected and the paper sheet roll is replenished, first, the paper sheet remaining on the second supporting shaft 18 is wound. The unrolled paper roll is removed, and then the paper roll is replenished by the paper feeding method described above.

As described above, by moving the paper sheet roll R1 from the first mounting position to the second mounting position together with the near end detection, the first paper sheet wound on the remaining roll R1 'is finished to the end. It can be used and waste of ticket paper can be reduced. Further, as in the conventional case, the ticket issuing processing unit 6 is used at the time of replenishing the ticket.
Since it is not necessary to remove the remaining paper sheet, the paper sheet refilling work can be facilitated and the work time can be shortened.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be variously modified without exceeding the scope of the invention. For example, in this embodiment, the paper sheet roll R1 is moved to the second support shaft 18 after the near end detection, but it may be moved before the near end detection. As a result, the timing for replenishing the paper roll can be arbitrarily selected, and the operation stop timing of the ticket issuing machine can be selected.

Further, the present invention is not limited to a ticket issuing machine for issuing a normal ticket or a regular ticket, but can be applied to other ticket processing apparatuses. Further, it goes without saying that the target tickets are not limited to ordinary tickets and regular tickets, but can be applied to other tickets.

[0042]

As described above, according to the paper feeding method for feeding a ticket to the ticket issuing machine of the present invention, and the ticket issuing machine, the ticket roll can be replaced in a short time and the ticket can be used without waste. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a ticket issuing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where a new paper roll is supplied to the ticket issuing machine of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control system of the ticket issuing machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ticket issuing machine, 2 ... Housing, 4 ... Paper feeding part, 6 ... Ticketing processing part, 12 ... Ticketing opening, 14 ... Main conveyance path, 21 ... Near end detection sensor, 22 ... First paper feeding roller, 25 ... Tip Detection sensor, 26 ... Second paper feed roller, 28 ... End detection sensor, 32 ... Cutter, 34 ... Thermal head, 36 ...
Write head, 38 ... Read head, 39 ... Waste ticket transport path, 41a, 56 ... Driving roller, 50 ... Waste ticket processing section, 5
1 ... Abandoned ticket sensor, 52 ... Abandoned ticket punch, 54 ... Abandoned ticket accommodating section, R1, R2 ... Paper roll, R1 '... Remaining roll.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A paper feeding method for feeding a rolled paper sheet into a ticket processing unit of a ticket issuing machine, wherein a first roll formed by winding a first paper sheet is placed at a first mounting position. A first paper feeding step of mounting and feeding the first ticket from the first roll to the ticket issuing processing section; a monitoring step of monitoring the roll diameter of the first roll; A transfer step of transferring the first roll to the second mounting position while the first paper sheet is engaged with the ticket issuing processing unit when the roll diameter of the roll is reduced to a predetermined diameter; A mounting step of mounting a second roll formed by winding a paper sheet at the first mounting position, and the first paper sheet to the ticket processing unit until the first paper sheet runs out of the first roll. The second paper feeding step of feeding the paper, and after the first ticket is exhausted, the ticket issuing processing unit is operated from the second roll. A third sheet feeding step of feeding the above-mentioned second ticket to the sheet feeding method. 2. A detecting step of detecting an end of the first paper sheet, and a discharge for discharging the first paper sheet remaining in the ticket processing unit when the end of the first paper sheet is detected. The sheet feeding method according to claim 1, further comprising: a step of starting the third sheet feeding step in synchronization with detection of the end of the first paper sheet. 3. A ticket-issuing processing section for performing a predetermined processing on ticket paper to issue a ticket, a first support portion on which a new roll formed by winding the ticket paper is rotatably mounted, and the first support portion. A monitoring means for monitoring the roll diameter of the roll mounted on the second roll, and a second roll that is used until the roll diameter decreases to a predetermined roll diameter and the remaining roll removed from the first support part is rotatably mounted.
Support section, first sheet feeding means for pulling out the ticket from the new roll mounted on the first supporting section and sending it to a predetermined sheet feeding position, and feeding the sheet from the new roll to the predetermined sheet feeding position. Second paper feeding means for sending the obtained ticket paper to the ticket issuing processing unit, and for sending the remaining rolled paper sheet transferred from the first supporting unit to the second supporting unit to the ticket issuing processing unit. A ticket-issuing machine equipped with ,. 4. A trailing end detecting means for detecting a trailing end of the paper sheet sent from the remaining roll, and a second paper feeding means for driving the remaining paper from the ticket issuing processing portion when the trailing end is detected. A control means for driving the first paper feeding means at the same time as ejecting the rolled paper sheets to feed the new rolled paper sheets mounted on the first supporting portion to the predetermined paper feeding position. The ticket issuing machine according to claim 3, wherein: