JPH09202492A - Duplicate feed detecting device of paper - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely treat the duplicated feed of letters by easily detecting it. SOLUTION: A pair of taper rollers 19a, 19b whose taper direction is opposite to each so as to more surely detect the duplicate feed, and a letter shape measuring means 14 are provided. By holding the duplicated letters between the taper rollers and passing them therethrough, the duplicated letters are deviated in the opposite width direction to each other as the taper rollers are rotated, and the deviation of the letters to be duplicated after passing through the taper rollers.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device that is applied to a conveying device that sorts paper sheets such as postal items and that detects overlapping conveyed items.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a paper sheet conveying apparatus, the separated and conveyed paper sheets, for example, postcards such as postcards and envelopes, can be reliably processed.
Must be separated one by one. However, in addition to the wide variety of postal letters such as thickness, weight, and size, the letters may rub against each other to generate static electricity, and multiple letters may be conveyed with the letters attached. It is said that it is difficult to separate them. Therefore, conventionally, as a method of detecting a double-feed and a method of eliminating a double-delivery letter, a plurality of double-delivered mail items are adsorbed and separated using a vacuum chamber, or disclosed in JP-A-7-10322. As described above, there is a method in which the speeds of the two conveyor belts holding the postal matter are different and the double-fed letter is shifted in the conveying direction to be detected. However, the method of adsorbing the letters in the vacuum chamber can effectively separate the overlapping letters when the overlapping portions of the two letters are large, but the two letters are largely displaced in the transport direction. However, when there are few overlapping portions, two sheets are adsorbed at the same time, so it is impossible to completely remove the double feed. Also, the latter shifts the double-fed letter in the transport direction, so the interval between the double-fed letter and the next letter may be narrowed, and the letter may overlap with the next letter. I had to do it.

[0003]

As described above, the conventional means and means for removing the double-fed mail cannot remove the double-fed mail efficiently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a double-feed detection device that can easily detect the double-feed of mail and reliably process it.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is designed to detect double feed more reliably.
A pair of taper rollers whose taper inclination directions are opposite to each other and a letter shape measuring means are provided, and the letters overlapped between the taper rollers are sandwiched and passed, and the multi-feed letter is mutually passed in the width direction as the taper roller rotates. By shifting in the opposite direction to emphasize the misalignment of overlapping letters, double feeding can be easily detected.

[0006]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, paper sheets will be described using postcards such as postcards and sealed letters.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a supply means capable of holding a plurality of letters 2 in an upright position, and 3 is supported along the supply means 1 so as to be movable in the arrow A direction at equal intervals. It is a transfer means that can move the letter 2 in the direction of arrow a. Denoted at 4 is a separating means capable of separating only the rightmost one of the letters 2 placed on the supply means 1 and conveying it downward. Such a letter separating means is generally a suction type using a vacuum suction belt, and the vacuum chamber 5 is made to have a negative pressure to suck the letter 2 to the suction belt 6, and the suction belt 6 is used, for example, like an electric motor. By rotating using the drive means, only the rightmost one of the letters 2 can be separated and conveyed.

Reference numeral 7 is a conveying means capable of conveying the letter 2. The conveying means 7 conveys the letter 2 separated by the separating means 4, for example, by sandwiching the front and back sides with a belt. 8
Is a posture correction means capable of correcting the position and inclination of the letter. Reference numeral 9 is a reading means for reading classification information such as a bar code which is given to the letter 2 in advance.
Reference numeral 11 denotes a stacking unit that stacks the letters 2 from which the classification information has been read, and is installed in the vicinity of and above the supply unit 1. The inside of this stacking means 11 is divided into, for example, 16 stacking sections, and the letter 2 can be held substantially upright in each stacking section. Denoted at 13 is a sorting unit that sorts the letters 2 into one of the stacking units of the stacking unit 11 according to the sorting information read by the reading unit 9 and inserts them. 17 is a collecting means 11
It is a reject collection box that collects letters 2 that have not been collected in. Numeral 10 is a double-fed letter detecting means, and taper rollers 19a and 19b for shifting the overlapped letters in a direction in which it is easy to detect, and a letter shape measuring means 14 for counting the width of the letter and the number of corners before and after passing the taper roller. ，
It consists of 15.

FIG. 2 shows the details of the double feed detecting means 10. The taper rollers 19a and 19b are provided with a taper in the rotation axis direction of the rollers, and the taper directions of the rollers are arranged so as to contact each other in opposite directions. The taper roller is driven at the number of revolutions at which the letter transport speed is slightly higher than the letter transport speed. When the letters that are overlapped and conveyed pass through between the two taper rollers, the letters advance while shifting to the side where the diameter of the taper roller is smaller. Therefore, the letter 22a advances while curving toward the side with a smaller diameter of the taper roller 19a (direction of arrow C), and the letter 22a
The curve b moves in a direction opposite to the letter 22a on the smaller diameter side of the taper roller 19b (direction of arrow B) while bending. Therefore, the letters 22a and 2 after passing through the taper roller
The way 2b is overlapped is different from the way letters are overlapped before passing. The difference in the overlapping manner is measured by the letter shape measuring means 14 before passing the taper roller and by the letter shape measuring means 15 after passing the taper roller, and the double feeding of letters can be detected by comparing. Also, when only one letter is sent between the taper rollers, the offset force of the letter by the taper roller cancels out between the two rollers, and the letter advances straight in the direction in which it is conveyed without bending.
It does not hinder the transportation.

FIG. 3 shows the shape of the taper roller.
The rollers 19a and 19b are tapered with a diameter a and a diameter b, and are arranged such that the two rollers have opposite taper directions. The material of the surface of the taper roller is preferably a material having a high friction coefficient such as rubber. The amount of bending of the letter greatly depends on the taper angle of the taper roller, and the greater the difference between the diameter a and the diameter b, the greater the deviation of the letter when passing through the rubber roller. Further, the taper rollers 19a and 19b have a mechanism in which a constant contact force is always maintained even when the thickness of a passing letter changes.

Next, a method of detecting a letter overlap before passing the taper roller will be described. When the letter is conveyed, first, the width of the letter is measured by the letter shape measuring unit 14 described above before passing through the taper roller. When there is no skew when a letter is sent as a single letter or when letters of the same size are completely overlapped, there is no change in the width of the letter depending on the position in the transport direction as shown in the graph of FIG. It will always be constant. Even when there is a skew between the letter conveyance direction and the leading edge of the letter and there is a skew, the letter width is constant near the center of the position in the conveyance direction as shown in FIG. FIG.
When the overlapping letters are shifted in the transport direction as in the above, the width of the letters does not become constant but changes, and thus it can be seen that the letters are multi-fed. When a letter having the same width is displaced in the transport direction, the length of the letter in the transport direction is measured as shown in FIG.

Letter shape measuring means 1 before passing the taper roller
If the conveyed letter is not detected as a double feed in 4, the double feed is determined from the measurement result of the letter shape measuring unit 15 after passing the taper roller. As described above, when the double-fed letter passes through the taper roller, the overlapping letters are shifted in opposite directions as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, and a part of the letter sticks out from the end. Width is not constant, and a swelling like α occurs. Whether or not the letter is double-fed can be determined based on the presence or absence of this rise α. As a result, it is possible to detect double feeding with higher accuracy than ever.

FIG. 10 shows a flow chart of double feed detection based on the width of a letter. When the double feed detection is started, the presence or absence of a letter is determined at 24, it is confirmed that the letter has been conveyed, and the width A of the letter before passing the taper roller is measured. Then, after passing the taper roller, the width B of the letter is measured with 27,
At 28, the letter widths A and B are compared. If A and B are not equal, it is determined that the letter is a double feed, and the detection ends. Although not described here, the length of the multi-feed letter in the transport direction is measured along with the width of 25 letters. If the length exceeds the specified dimension, the multi-feed letter is sent by the determination unit of 29. To determine.

Next, in addition to the method of detecting the double feeding by measuring the width of the letter, the number En of the corners of the letter En is counted as shown in FIG. The method is also good. (A) is the case of one letter, En is 4
It is. Therefore, when En is 4, it is not judged as a double feed. Hereinafter, (B) to (D) show examples of determination in the case of double feeding. In (B), En is 5 when the overlapping letters are displaced in the transport direction. In (C) and (D), the overlapping letters are displaced in the width direction, the En of (C) is 5, and the (D) is En8, and it is determined that the multi-feeding has occurred.

FIG. 12 shows a flow chart of double feed detection by the number of corners of a letter. When double feed detection starts,
At 32, the presence or absence of a letter is determined, it is confirmed that the letter has been conveyed, and the number Ea of corners of the letter before passing the taper roller is counted. At 34, it is determined whether or not the number of letter corners is 4, and when Ea is 4, the letter corner Eb is counted again at 36 after passing the taper roller. Also, E
If a is not 4, the determination unit 38 determines that the sheet is a double feed.
After counting Eb at 36, at 37 the number of corners on the letter is 4
If not, the letter is determined to be a double feed and the double feed detection is ended.

Further, in the present invention, since the double-fed letter advances while passing through the taper roller, the width of the letter or the number of corners is measured while passing the taper roller, and if the measured value changes during the letter passage, It can be determined that the letter has been multifed. In this case, only one means for measuring the width of the letter or the number of corners is required, so that the cost can be reduced. FIG. 13 shows a flowchart of double feed detection during passage of the double feed taper roller. When the double feed detection is started, it is determined at 41 whether the letter has been conveyed and pinched between the taper rollers. Whether or not there is a letter at this time is, for example, the letter shape measuring means before passing the taper roller,
It is detected by the vertical movement of the taper roller when a letter is sandwiched between the taper rollers. Next, at 42, the width of the letter or the number of corners while passing the taper roller is measured, and at 43, it is determined whether the width of the letter or the number of corners has changed while passing the taper roller. If there is a change, it is determined at 44 that the letter is double-fed, and if there is no change, double-feed detection is terminated.

According to the present embodiment, the double-delivery letter can be detected more accurately by passing the double-delivery letter between the pair of taper rollers to shift the letter in the width direction. By not transporting to any of the stacking units 16 of the stacking means 11 of FIG. 1 but transporting to the reject stacking box 17 and stacking, the mail can be more reliably sorted. Note that the reject stacking box 17 may be arranged anywhere such as at the rear end of the stacking unit 11 or immediately after the double-feed detection unit 10 as long as the double-feed detection is completed.

[0018]

According to the present invention, the overlapped conveyed mail items are displaced in the width direction of the mail items by the taper roller, so that the double feed can be easily detected and the multi-fed letter can be efficiently removed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a paper sheet sorting apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration of a double feed detection unit of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of the outer shape of the taper roller of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of measuring the shape of a letter.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of measuring the shape of a letter.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of measuring the shape of a double-delivery letter.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a second embodiment of shape measurement of a double-delivery letter.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a third embodiment of measuring the shape of a double-delivery letter.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a fourth embodiment of measuring the shape of a double-delivery letter.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of double-feed detection based on the width of a letter.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing a fifth embodiment of shape measurement of a double-delivery letter.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a flow of double-feed detection based on the number of corners of a letter.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a flow of double-feed detection by changing the width of a letter or the number of corners while passing a taper roller.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Supplying means, 2 ... Letters, 3 ... Transfering means, 4 ... Separating means, 5 ... Vacuum chamber, 6 ... Suction belt, 7 ... Conveying means, 8 ... Posture correcting means, 9 ... Reading means, 10 ... Double feed detection Means, 11 ... Stacking means, 12 ... Bottom plate, 13 ... Sorting means, 14, 15 ... Letter shape measuring means, 16 ... Stacking section, 17 ... Reject stacking box, 18 ... Base, 19a,
19b ... Tapered roller.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A paper sheet transporting device comprising a paper sheet supply means and a stacking means, and a transport means for transporting the paper sheet from the supply means to the stacking means, wherein an outer peripheral surface is tapered. A pair of rollers provided with a large outer diameter and a small outer diameter are arranged in contact with each other so that the inclination directions of the taper are opposite to each other. And a means for measuring the width or the number of corners of the paper sheets before, after, or during the passage of the taper roller. A double-feed detection device for paper sheets, which is characterized in that