JPS62171095A - Self-inspection of paper money processor operation - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

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

This invention is a banknote discrimination/banknote processing device that is incorporated into a vending machine, an automatic money changer, etc. as a main part thereof.
This invention relates to a method in which the operation of a storage/dispensing device can be automatically self-inspected by the device itself.

[Prior art and its problems]

Recently, the products handled by vending machines have become increasingly expensive, and the prices of tickets sold by automatic ticket machines, for example, have become higher, and therefore payments are often made in 10,000 yen or 5,000 yen bills. It's here. Therefore, it became necessary to use 1,000 yen bills and coins as change. In the past, in many cases, all change was paid in coins, so if payment was made in 10,000 yen or 5,000 yen bills, a receiver was often not attached, and even if a receiver was attached, the customer This was not only time consuming but also extremely inconvenient. Therefore, in the case of paying with high-value banknotes as mentioned above, you can either have the money exchanged in 1,000 yen bills at a manned counter, or you can use the attached simple automatic machine that exchanges 10,000 yen bills or 5,000 yen bills with 1,000 yen bills. I was using a money exchange machine. Also, when dispensing multiple 1,000 yen bills as change as described above, it would be convenient to use the stacked 1,000 yen bills for dispensing and dispensing instead of preparing 1,000 yen bills exclusively for dispensing. It is. In other words, 1,000 yen banknotes will be recycled. This recycling of banknotes has already been carried out in automatic deposit and payment machines for banks since 3.4 years ago. Here, the range was expanded to include all denominations of banknotes. but,
The device was quite large and the cost was quite high. Therefore, vending machines that handle general high-value items and tickets,
Banknote processing equipment incorporated into automatic ticket vending machines or simple currency exchange machines,
In other words, distinguishing and storing the inserted banknotes. In particular, there is a growing market need for a device for dispensing □ by recycling 1,000 yen banknotes, and there is a strong demand for high reliability, low cost, and miniaturization. Moreover, the even stricter technical condition lies in the aspect of payout. In conventional money exchange or payment machines, the bills to be dispensed are arranged and stored in a predetermined position by a person. On the other hand, in this banknote processing device, the banknotes paid (inserted) by a person are stored in a stack mechanically, so the orderliness of the storage is inevitably poorer than when the banknotes are stored manually. At the same time, it is necessary that the device be constructed in such a way that the user can easily handle it, maintain it, and deal with failures up to a certain level. This problem is directly connected to the reliability of the device. It can be said that it is technically an extremely difficult task to achieve both the above-mentioned ease of handling, maintenance, and troubleshooting, and reduction in cost and size of the device. As mentioned above, 10,000 yen banknotes and 5,000 yen banknotes. Recently, there has been a particular increase in the market need for a banknote handling device that can classify and store the three denominations of 1,000 yen banknotes and allow the 1,000 yen banknotes to be used for dispensing. However, solving the issues of high reliability, low cost, and miniaturization, as well as equipment handling and maintenance. Unless troubleshooting is easy, there will be no possibility of full-fledged dissemination. The background and actual circumstances in which the device is used are as described above.
As a practical matter, the handling, maintenance,
After troubleshooting, etc., before starting normal operation, it is necessary to check whether the device is in a normal operating state. Moreover, this inspection and confirmation must be easy and simple. In the past, the operation inspection method was performed by personnel with relatively specialized skills, and it was not easy to do so.

[Purpose of the invention]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a method that eliminates the above-mentioned problems of conventional inspection methods and allows inspection of major items of device operation to be easily and easily performed by the device itself.

[Key points of the invention]

The gist of the present invention for achieving the above object is based on the following idea. That is, an operation signal for causing the banknote processing apparatus to perform its main operation is given, the banknote processing apparatus is actually operated for a predetermined period of time, and a check is carried out to confirm whether or not the operation is the predetermined operation. It also detects whether there is an abnormality in the banknote storage state. Then, the normality/abnormality of the inspection and detection results is displayed. Moreover, the series of processes described above are performed by the device itself, that is, by using the microcomputer built into the device. Therefore, the configuration should be as follows. (1) A gate that regulates the banknote transport direction, i.e. ■
Population gate in the discrimination department ■ Bill storage gates for each denomination of 110,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen ■ The switching gate to the reject banknote storage case side is switched in a predetermined passing direction for a predetermined period of time, and then returned to its original state. . (2) The banknote conveyance system, i.e. (1) Conveyance system for discrimination/accommodation (2) Conveyance system for dispensing including the dispensing mechanism section, is operated for a predetermined time and then stopped. (3) The bottom plate of the storage chamber for 1,000 yen bills as payout bills is raised and lowered for a predetermined period of time, and then stopped. (4) Excess storage state (“full” state) of banknotes of each denomination of 10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen (“full” state) and insufficient storage of only 1,000 yen banknotes as the payout banknotes below the set lower limit value situation(
"Empty" state) is detected. (5) In conclusion, display whether the results of this detection and the operation described above are normal or abnormal. The series of processes described above are automatically performed by a microcomputer built into the device. By performing the above processing, it is possible to check whether the main operations of the device are being performed reliably, and, moreover,
After inspection, the results are displayed in the form of normal or abnormal.

[Embodiments of the invention]

In the embodiment of the self-inspection method described below, the method of the present invention is applied to a banknote discrimination/accommodation/dispensing device as a banknote processing device. Before starting to explain the operation inspection method, the configuration and operation of this device will be explained in some detail. First, the entire structure of the target device will be schematically explained using a side view of FIG. 1 showing the arrangement of the main mechanical parts. 50 is a banknote discrimination mechanism; 20A, 20B, and 20C are respectively a 1,000-yen banknote storage area, a 10,000-yen banknote storage area, and a 5,000-yen banknote storage area; 40 is a banknote feeding mechanism; 60 is a take-out banknote storage mechanism; 81 is a reject banknote The storage case 90 is a power source storage section. And each banknote storage space 20A. 20B and 20C each have a common banknote storage mechanism 20 and a banknote storage bottom plate portion that is different only in the case of a 1,000 yen banknote as a payout banknote from that in the case of a 10,000 yen banknote or a 5,000 yen banknote. This banknote storage bottom plate portion will be described later. There are the following mechanical parts or members that serve to connect the respective mechanical parts. Banknote discrimination mechanism 50 and each banknote storage location 20A, 20B, 2
There is a banknote storage gate mechanism 19 between the banknote and 0C. this is,
This is to switch the conveyance path for feeding the banknotes sent from the banknote discrimination mechanism 50 to respective banknote storage locations according to their types. The banknote storage gate mechanism 19 stores the sent banknotes in each banknote storage location 20A, 2.
Switch to the direction of 0B or the direction of the next banknote storage location. In addition, each banknote storage location 2OA, 20B, 20C
A feed roller 28 is provided to connect the banknote inlets. Next, a bill position regulating lever 26 is provided between the thousand yen bill storage space 2OA and the bill feeding mechanism 40 that dispenses the thousand yen bills stored therein. This banknote position regulating lever 26 is used to block new banknotes in order to position them at a predetermined position when storing them, and to rotate clockwise around a predetermined axis to dispose new banknotes. The blocking state is released, and after the bill dispensing operation is completed, the bill returns to the counterclockwise direction and serves to push back the outstanding bills remaining in the bill dispensing mechanism section 40 to the original predetermined storage position. Here, the already mentioned banknote storage bottom plate section will be specifically described. In the 1,000 yen bill storage area 2OA, a bottom plate elevating mechanism 30 is installed to raise and lower stored bills to different positions when storing new bills and when dispensing new bills, and to ensure each operation. is provided at the bottom of the thousand yen bill storage mechanism 20. Storage area 2 for other 10,000 yen bills and 5,000 yen bills
0B and 20C are provided with a bottom plate portion having a simple structure with a leaf spring 98 provided on the lower surface. This is because only banknotes are stored here. Further, between the bill feeding mechanism 40, the take-out bill accommodating mechanism 60, and the reject bill accommodating case 81, there is a delivery roller 91 serving as a bill conveyance path. The conveyor belt 96 and the like, and the ejected banknote storage mechanism 60. A switching gate 76 for switching the conveying direction to each of the reject banknote storage cases 81 is provided. The configuration is outlined above. Next, the operation of this target device will be described based on FIG. 1 as well. ■ After the banknotes input into the banknote discrimination mechanism 50 from the direction are determined in this mechanism for their authenticity and denomination, the banknotes are usually
It is carried out in the direction. Under certain conditions, for example, if the banknotes are not recognized as genuine or if the customer withdraws his or her intention to make a transaction, the banknotes will be returned. In other words, it will be thrown out in the opposite direction from when it was thrown in. Now, the paper money is released from the bill validating mechanism 50 in the direction of arrow P.
The collected banknotes are sent to a banknote storage location corresponding to their denomination, and the switching of the conveyance path for this purpose is performed by a switching operation of the banknote storage gate mechanism 19 based on a denomination signal. That is, for example, in the case of a thousand yen bill, the bill storage gate mechanism 1 belonging to the bill storage location 20^
9 moves to the position indicated by the solid line as shown in the figure, and arrow J1
The conveyance path is switched in this direction and the banknotes are stored in the banknote storage mechanism 20. Conversely, if the bill is not a 1,000 yen bill, the bill storage gate mechanism 19 moves to the two-dot chain line position, and the bill is transported in the P direction to proceed to the next storage location. Note that when a thousand yen bill is stored, the bill position regulating lever 26 is in the position shown in the figure, and functions to stop the transported bill and determine the bill storage position. Similarly, in the case of a 10,000 yen bill, the bill storage gate mechanism 19 belonging to the storage location 208 moves to the position indicated by the solid line based on the denomination signal, and the bill is switched and stored in the J2 direction. In this case as well, the banknote storage position is determined by another blocking portion (not shown). In the case of a 5,000 yen bill, it is similarly transported and stored in the direction of arrow J3. Note that the feed roller 2 installed between each banknote storage mechanism 20
8 has the function of ensuring banknote conveyance during that time. The function of the bottom plate section for stacking and storing banknotes differs only for 1,000 yen banknotes from that for other banknotes. In other words, in the case of 1,000 yen banknotes, when storing the banknotes, the bottom plate is adjusted up and down to position the banknotes so that the surface of the stored banknotes does not come into at least strong contact with the conveyor belt of the storage mechanism. When being fed out, the banknotes are adjusted and positioned so that the surface of the stored banknotes is in strong contact with the conveyor belt.As described above, by changing the contact state of the surface of the stored banknotes with the conveyor belt, the banknote storage operation is controlled. The action of the bottom plate portion of the 10,000 yen banknote and 5,000 yen banknote is to prevent the surface of the stored banknote from being easily attached to the conveyor belt by the leaf spring 98 provided on the lower side. In this case, the banknotes are simply stacked and stored.The reason why the storage area for 10,000 yen banknotes is provided above that for 5,000 yen banknotes is that This is to shorten the transportation distance as much as possible since there are more in circulation.This concludes the explanation of how three denominations of banknotes are sorted and stacked and stored.Next, based on the dispensing command, 1,000 yen The operation of dispensing banknotes will be described below.As mentioned above, when there is a dispensing command,
First, the bottom plate elevating mechanism 30 is operated and positioned so as to strengthen the contact pressure between the conveyor belt of the storage mechanism and the surface of the stored banknotes. Next, the banknote position regulating lever 26 rotates counterclockwise to release the banknote block, and the banknote feeding mechanism 4
0 operates and sends out the banknotes one by one in the direction of the arrow. The bills sent out in this manner are sent downward by the delivery roller 91°, the conveyor belt 96, etc., advance in the direction of arrow M, and reach the take-out bill storage case 6 belonging to the take-out banknote storage mechanism 60.
1 or proceed in the direction of arrow N to reject banknote storage case 8.
It is stored separately in one category. Here, the removed banknotes are those when the delivered banknotes are in a normal state, and can be taken out by the customer as is. On the other hand, rejected banknotes are those in which the sent banknotes are in an irregular state, for example, multiple banknotes overlap for some reason, or banknotes that are supposed to come out at a predetermined interval come out at less than that interval. In short, it refers to banknotes that are sent out in a state where the denomination and number of banknotes to be paid out cannot be reliably redetected. Such banknotes are stored in a separate case, reject banknote storage case 81, as rejected banknotes, and collected later. of course,
The banknotes for payout will be sent out again. The switching between the ejected bill storage case 61 and the ejected bill storage case 81 is performed by the switching gate 76 that operates based on the bill detection signal. Also, 7
Reference numeral 7 denotes a guide lever whose function is to ensure that rejected banknotes are inserted into the storage case 81. The mechanism for accommodating the above two types of banknotes will be collectively referred to as a banknote temporary storage mechanism 80. Having described the general configuration and operation of the target device above, the main mechanical parts will now be described in more detail based on respective perspective views. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the banknote validating mechanism 50, in which the banknote validating function section is omitted and the banknote transport path is mainly illustrated. The banknote validating mechanism 50 is roughly divided into an upper validating part 50U above the banknote transport path and a lower validating part 50L below. Hereinafter, each component will be explained along the flow of power transmission for bill conveyance. First, power from a power source not shown is supplied to the belt pulley 51.
0 to axis 51. This shaft 51 is the lower discrimination section 50
It belongs to L. The power that has entered the shaft 51 is transferred to the belt pulley 52E by the belt pulley 51H attached to the other shaft end.
, 53E and the toothed belts hooked thereto to the shafts 52, 53. Further, belt pulleys 53D, 53F and belt pulley 54 attached to the shaft 53
Power is transmitted to the shafts 54, 55, and 56 through D, 55D, and 56D, and all of them are rotated in the direction of the arrow shown. The above shafts 52, 53, 54, 55, and 56 all belong to the lower discrimination section 50L. Conveying rollers 51A are provided on the shafts 51; 52; 54; 55; and 56, respectively. 518.5IC, 52A, 52B, 52G, . . . are attached. A pressing roller is provided in opposing contact with each of the above-mentioned conveyance rollers. The reference number for this holding roller is the same as the reference number for the conveyance roller, with lowercase letters added instead of uppercase letters. For example, the conveyance roller 51
The reference numeral 51a is the pressure roller that is in opposing contact with the roller 8. All of these pressing rollers are provided in the upper discrimination section 50U. However, there is no pressing roller that faces and contacts the conveyance roller of the shaft 56, and a banknote sensor (not shown) is provided at approximately the same position. Next, FIG. 3 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the bill validating mechanism 50. 5
8 is a lower guide plate, 59 is an upper guide plate, and banknotes are conveyed between these two guide plates. 10 is a magnetic sensor section which is the heart of this device, and 11 is an entrance gate which is rotatably arranged around a shaft 12 and is opened and closed by an actuator 13. The entrance gate 11 has a blocking surface 11a that blocks the movement of banknotes, and is positioned by a coil spring 14 and a stopper 15 without play. In this example, three (not shown) 11 are arranged. Note that the open/closed state of the entrance gate 11 is detected by a photoelectric sensor (not shown), such as a phototransistor. PH5I to PH54 are all sets of phototransistors as photoelectric sensors, and a light emitting diode as a light projecting section is installed on the lower guide plate 58 side, and a phototransistor as a light receiving section is installed on the upper guide plate 59 side. With the above configuration, when a banknote is inserted from the direction of the arrow
A, 52B, 52C and the press rollers 52a, 52b, 52c that are in opposing contact with these are sandwiched and conveyed. Similarly, the banknotes are conveyed in one direction by conveyance rollers attached to shafts 54, 55, and 51, respectively, and press rollers in contact with the conveyance rollers, and along the way, various banknote sensors (not shown) check the authenticity and denomination of the banknotes. The species is identified. Then, in the normal case, it is carried out in the direction of arrow P and moves on to the next stage. If the banknotes are determined to be inauthentic,
When the customer withdraws his or her intention to make a transaction, this mechanism performs a return operation and the bill is conveyed in the opposite direction of arrow I and returned to its original insertion slot. Furthermore, when a bill is inserted from the direction of arrow 1, the phototransistors PH5I arranged on both sides immediately behind the entrance are shielded from light, thereby detecting the insertion of the bill. At the same time, a transport motor (not shown) is activated, and the banknotes are fed into the interior by transport rollers 52A, 52B, and 52C shown in FIG. The leading edge of this bill is blocked by the blocking surface 11a of the entrance gate 11, which is still closed at this time, and
The skew of banknotes when inserted is corrected to some extent. Entrance gate 1
The actuator 13 that drives
After step 5), move upward to open the entrance gate 11 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the figure. Thus, the banknotes that were blocked by the blocking surface 11a begin to be conveyed. The phototransistor PH52 is used to detect overlapping banknotes, and this detection is based on the difference in intensity of transmitted light between one banknote and two or more banknotes. Further, the phototransistor pHS3 placed immediately next serves to determine the coordinates of various measurement data related to the direction of movement after the point where the tip of the banknote passes as the origin. The magnetic sensor section 10 detects magnetic characteristics of banknotes. When the bill finishes passing through the magnetic sensor section 10, the conveyance motor is turned off. At the same time, phototransistor P
H54 confirms the temporary hold state of the banknotes. Next, when the banknotes carried out from the banknote validation mechanism 50 are 1,000 yen banknotes, the manner in which these banknotes are stacked and stored in the banknote storage mechanism 20 and sent out for dispensing via the payout mechanism 40 based on a command will be explained. , will be explained with reference to the perspective view of FIG. 4, which shows the related mechanisms in a diffused exploded manner. Figure 4 shows
Generally, the banknote storage gate mechanism 19, the banknote storage mechanism 2
0, bill position regulation lever 26, bill storage bottom plate lifting mechanism 3
0, the banknote feeding mechanism 40 is shown. The general configuration and operation of the above main element mechanisms will be described below. Banknotes 10 carried in from the direction of arrow P are direction-changed to the storage side by the direction-change guide rail 11 of the banknote storage gate mechanism 19, and the direction of the banknote 10 is changed to the storage side by the direction-change guide rail 11 of the banknote storage gate mechanism 19.
The banknotes are conveyed to the banknote storage mechanism 20 by being sandwiched between a press roller 12 provided at one end of the banknote. In the banknote storage mechanism 20, the banknotes 10 are transferred to the conveyor belt 5.
The banknotes are conveyed in such a way that they are sandwiched between the belt pulleys 2 and 3 and the rotation guide plate 22, and their movement is prevented by the banknote position regulating lever 26. This blocked position is the storage position. Next, the rotation guide plate 22 rotates approximately 1/4 around the shaft 23, flipping up both side edges of the banknote 10 and dropping the banknote 10 onto the underside of the conveyor belt 5 between the belt pulleys 2 and 3. . This means that new stacking on the surface of the banknote 10 already stored has not been done. In order to smoothly stack the banknotes 10 on the surface of the stored banknotes 10A as described above, the banknote storage bottom plate elevating mechanism 30
works. 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 engaged with this rack 33,
This pinion 34 is further connected to a motor 37 via gears 36A and 36B. Based on the banknote storage command, this motor 37 first moves the bottom plate 2
5, and once it comes into contact with the conveyor belt 5 of the banknote storage mechanism 20, it stops, and immediately after that, it rotates slightly in the reverse direction again. Due to this operation, the contact pressure between the surface of the stored banknotes 10^ and the conveyor belt 5 becomes very small or zero. Zero means that there is no contact between the two. The former case occurs when there are many stored banknotes, and the latter case occurs when there are few. Under such contact pressure conditions, the banknotes 10 are transported smoothly. Next, the banknote feeding mechanism 40 is installed so as to fit into a part of the banknote storage mechanism 20. In other words, the banknote feeding roller 42
is located above the tip of the bill 10 in the storage position. 43.
Reference numeral 44 denotes a set of rollers for preventing the passage of multiple bills, and has the function of allowing only one bill to pass between the two. This banknote feeding roller 42. The multiple sheet passage prevention rollers 43 and 44 are driven by the drive shaft 41.
It is rotated in the direction of the arrow via belt pulleys 45A, 45B and toothed belt 45C. Banknote feeding roller 42. Multiple sheet passage prevention roller 43°44
A holding frame 49 that holds together the components is rotatably installed around a rotation shaft 41. Further, this holding frame 49 includes an electromagnetic actuator 46. A spring 47 and a push shaft 48 are provided. When a banknote feeding command is issued, first, the banknote storage bottom plate elevating mechanism 3
0 operates, the bottom plate 25 rises, and stops when the surface of the stored banknotes 10A and the conveyor belt 5 are in strong (contact) state.Then, the electromagnetic actuator 46 operates, and the holding frame 49 is rotated clockwise. The outer circumferential surface of the banknote feeding roller 42 is pressed against the surface of the stored banknote 10A.At the same time, the push shaft 48 provided in the holding frame 49 pushes one end of the banknote position regulating lever 26, causing the banknote position adjustment lever 26 to direction to release the blocked state of the front end of the stored banknotes 108. In this state, the banknote feeding roller 42 rotates a number of times according to the predetermined number of banknotes, and the rubber unevenness provided on the outer periphery of the banknote feeding roller 42 rotates. The stored banknotes 108 are fed out in order from the top in the direction of arrow Q due to the frictional force of the rollers 43 and 44.
Accordingly, only one banknote 10 is allowed to pass. When a predetermined number of sheets have been fed out, the electromagnetic actuator 46 is turned off based on the command, and the holding frame 4 is turned off by the spring 47.
9 rotates back counterclockwise. 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 regulating lever 26 is released from the push shaft 48, rotated counterclockwise by the spring 28, and returned to the original banknote blocking position. During the return operation process of the banknote position regulation lever, if there are multiple banknotes stuck at the passage prevention rollers 43 and 44, those banknotes are pushed back to the normal storage position, that is, the position is adjusted. It is. Next, each banknote storage mechanism 20 and storage bottom plate section will be described based on the perspective view of FIG. 5 when the banknotes discharged from the banknote discrimination mechanism 50 are 10,000 yen banknotes or 5,000 yen banknotes. The banknote storage gate mechanism 19 and the banknote storage mechanism 20 are almost the same as those for the 1,000 yen banknote. Further, a leaf spring 98 is provided below the bottom plate 25, and the bottom plate 25 is in weak contact with the conveyance belt of the opposing banknote storage mechanism. Other than the above, since it is the same as the case of the 1,000 yen bill described above, further explanation will be omitted. In conclusion, the banknote temporary storage mechanism 80 mainly consisting of the ejection banknote storage mechanism 60 and the eject banknote storage case 81 will be explained based on the perspective view of FIG. 6. Note that FIG. 6 shows only the left half of the banknote temporary storage mechanism 80. A banknote conveyance path is formed by feed rollers 92, 94, m-feed belt 96, and the like. A thin fan-shaped switching gate 76 and a guide lever 77 are both attached to the shaft 75 at one end thereof. Furthermore, the switching gate 76 is fixed to the shaft 75, and the guide lever 77 is rotatably fitted to the shaft 75 and at the same time via a weak torsion spring 78. Therefore, when a bill is not being conveyed, the tip of the guide lever 77 is lightly pressed and in contact with the shaft to which the feed roller 92 is attached. Reference numeral 60 denotes a removed banknote storage mechanism, and a detailed explanation of its structure will be omitted, and only the removed banknote storage case 61 will be shown here. Moreover, 81 is a reject banknote storage case. Since the configuration is as described above, its operation is as follows. The banknotes fed out from the banknote feeding mechanism 40 (FIG. 4) are fed between the conveyance heald 96 and the feed roller 94. If the sent banknotes are in normal condition,
Due to the command, the guide lever 76 is in the position shown in solid lines. Therefore, the banknote passes over the left side surface of the guide lever 76 and is thrown into the storage case 61 of the takeout banknote storage mechanism 60. At the same time, the housing case 61 is rotated so as to open the outlet to the outside. In this state, the customer can take out the paid bills. Of course, once the customer finishes taking out banknotes, the storage case will automatically return to its original position and the exit will be housed inside the device. On the other hand, when the banknotes sent as described above are reject banknotes, the switching gate 76 is opened in two directions by the rotation of the shaft 75.
Move to the position indicated by the dotted chain line. Therefore, the banknotes are guided on the right side of the switching gate 76, are held between the conveyance belt 96 and the right side of the guide lever 77, and are fed into the reject banknote storage case 81 with a conveying force. Note that since the torsion spring 78 is weak, the guide lever 7
The force with which the banknotes are pushed by the banknotes 7 is weak, and there is no fear that the banknotes will be dented at the contact area. Now, inside this target device, as shown in FIG.
to form y-y, zz. can. The banknote conveying path surface XX provided inside the banknote validating mechanism 50 is completely exposed by rotating the upper validating section 50U upwardly about the axis Do near the front surface until it becomes perpendicular to the direction of the arrow V. can do. Further, the transport path Y-Y leading from the banknote outlet of the two-banknote discriminating mechanism 50 to the banknote inlet of each banknote storage mechanism rotates the rear part of the device including the feed roller 28 at right angles in the direction of the arrow U centering on the axis Vo at the lower part of the back. It can be completely exposed by moving.
Furthermore, a surface Z-Z leading from the bill dispensing surface to the respective vicinity of the removed bill accommodating case 61 and the reject bill accommodating case 81 is connected to the ejected bill accommodating case 61°, the reject bill accommodating case 81, and the bill dispensing mechanism 40.
The mechanical section including the conveyance path from to both storage cases 61 and 81 can be completely exposed by rotating it forward about the axis -0 at the lower end of the front surface until it becomes perpendicular to the direction of arrow W. . In addition, by exposing the three banknote conveyance surfaces or the surfaces near the conveyance path, it is possible to approach each mechanical section located near these conveyance paths. Therefore, almost all the mechanical parts can be accessed without removing any of the mechanical parts, and the banknotes can be handled simply. This makes it much easier to perform not only maintenance and troubleshooting but also general tasks. Next, a method for inspecting the operation of the target device will be explained in the following order: operation items to be self-inspected and their contents, standards for the inspection method, display items for inspection results, and specific examples of the self-inspection method. First, the operational items that should be self-inspected and their contents are as follows. (11 Preliminary operation Closing of the front mechanism section (abbreviation: FR) and associated processing procedures, etc. (2) Operation of the discrimination mechanism Starting and stopping the bill conveyance motor (BMI) for discrimination and storage) Opening and closing of the (IG) Operation (3) 10,000 yen bill storage operation Opening/closing operation of 10,000 yen bill storage gate (SG) Detection of excessive storage state of 10,000 yen bill storage chamber (ST) (4) 5,000 yen bill storage operation 5,000 yen bill storage operation Storage game) (SG) opening/closing action 5,000 yen paper 7
, Detection of excessive storage in the storage chamber (ST) (5) 1,000 yen bill storage operation (1,000 yen bill storage game) (SG) opening/closing operation 1,000 yen bill storage chamber bottom plate drive motor (SM) raising/lowering operation Detection of excess/deficiency storage status of thousand yen bill storage chamber (ST) (6) Thousand yen bill dispensing operation Opening/closing operation of switching gate (RG) to reject side Bill R feeding motor for dispensing (8M2) Starting and stopping of the raising operation of the 1,000 yen bill storage chamber bottom plate drive motor (SM) (7) Result display Operation normal/abnormal lamp lighting Next, the standards of the inspection method will be described. fil Operation signals such as starting and stopping various drive motors and opening and closing various gates are continuously output for a preset time. (2) Movement of mechanical parts such as various gates must be detected using position sensors to confirm whether there are any operational abnormalities. Furthermore, the display items of the inspection results are as follows. (Abnormal opening/closing operation of the 11N separate mechanism input log gate (2) Abnormal opening/closing operation of the 10,000 yen bill storage gate Abnormal opening/closing operation of the 5,000 yen bill storage gate Abnormal opening/closing operation of the 1,000 yen bill storage gate Switching to the reject banknote storage case side Abnormal gate opening/closing operation (3) Excess storage of 10,000 yen banknotes Excessive storage of 5,000 yen banknotes Excessive storage of 1,000 yen banknotes (4) Insufficient storage of 1,000 yen banknotes An example of the inspection will be explained in detail based on a flowchart showing the program. First, preliminary operations such as closing of the front mechanism section FR and associated processing procedures are inspected. That is, as shown in FIG.
In step S1 of a), it is determined whether the front mechanism section FR is open. This front mechanism section is shown in Figure 1.
Takeout banknote storage case 61. Reject banknote storage case 8
1 and the bill dispensing mechanism 40 to the reaccommodating case 61.
This refers to the mechanism section including the conveyance path up to 81. In addition, the front mechanism part FI? The determination of "r open" is based on a signal from a position sensor provided at this location. If the determination in step S1 is YES, the "rFR open" flag is set in step S2. In the next step S3, it is determined again whether the PR is closed, and if NO, the process returns to the previous step S1, and if YES, the process proceeds to the next step S4, where the "rFR OPEN" flag is cleared. In other words, it is confirmed that the front mechanism part PR, which was initially opened for some reason, is closed between step S1 and step S3. Note that if NO in step S1, in step S5,
The presence or absence of the "rFR OPEN" flag is determined, and if YES, that is, the flag is present, the process moves to before step S3. NO in step S5
In other words, if there is no check, the process moves to step S6, and it is determined whether the self-check switch (SC-SW) is turned on. And if no, that means "self-inspection"
The SC switch is not switched on the side, and it is "normally operating"
If it is on the side, the presence or absence of the "abnormal" flag is determined in the next step S7. If YES, return to the first step, N
If it is o, it is determined in step S8 whether or not banknotes have been inserted. If NO, the process returns to the first stage; if YES, a series of subroutines of discrimination processing, storage processing, and dispensing processing in steps 89 to 11 are performed, and then the process returns to before step S1. Returning to the previous step, if YES in step S6, that is, if the SC switch has been switched to the "self-inspection" side, the process moves to after step S4. Now, from step S21, a self-inspection of the operation of the discrimination mechanism begins. That is, in step S21, it is determined whether or not a bill has been inserted, and if there is, the process returns to the original state and waits for the inserted bill to be manually removed. In short, after confirming that no banknotes have been inserted, a timer is activated in step S22, and a activation signal for the discrimination banknote transport motor BMI is output in step S23. In step S24, after a preset time T1 (approximately 300 m5) has elapsed, the timer is cleared, and in the next step S26, a signal to open the entrance gate G is output. In other words, the time T after outputting the start signal of the motor BMI
1, a signal is output to open the entrance gate ■G. Next, in step S27 of FIG. 7(b), the timer is started again, and cleared after a preset time T2 (200 ms) has elapsed through steps S28 and S29. After a time T2 after outputting the IG open signal, it is checked in step S30 whether the entrance gate rG is opened as commanded. Note that the determination of "ZGr open" is based on a signal from a position sensor provided at this location. If YES, the process immediately goes to step 531D, and after setting the ``rlG abnormality'' flag in step 531D, the process moves to the next step. In the next step S32, a timer is started, and in step S33
．． After time T3 (300 ms), a BMI stop signal is output in step S35, and a signal to close the entrance gate G is output in step S36. Then, in step S37, the player actually enters the game G.
is checked to see if it is closed. If YES, go to the next step immediately; if No, go to step 338
After setting the "abnormal" flag, each step moves to the next step. This completes the inspection of the operation of the banknote discrimination mechanism. From step 541 in FIG. 7(C), the 10,000 yen bill storage operation is inspected. First, in step S41, the 10,000 yen bill storage gate SG
A signal indicating that the switch is not opened is output, and then a timer is started using the steering knob S42. After the preset time T4 (500ms) has elapsed through steps S43 and 44, in step S45, the 10,000 yen bill storage gate SG
is checked to see if it is open. If it is open, a timer is started immediately in step S47, and conversely, if it is not open, the timer is started in step S47 after setting the "10,000 yen bill storage gate SG abnormality" flag of the stay knob S46. Subsequently, through steps 34B and 49,
After a preset time T5 (300 ms) has elapsed, in step S50, a signal to close the 10,000 yen bill storage gate SG is output. Then, in step 551, 1
Check whether the ten thousand yen banknote storage gate SG is closed, and if it is closed, directly, or vice versa, step S52
After setting the "10,000 yen bill storage gate SG abnormality" flag in step S53, the process moves to the next step S53. In this step S53, it is determined whether the 10,000 yen bill storage chamber ST is in an excessive storage state, that is, in a "full" state. ”, step S5
After setting the "10,000 yen bill storage room ST full" flag in step 4, the process moves to the next step. Note that whether the 10,000 yen bill storage chamber ST is in the "full" state depends on a signal from a sensor that detects the position of the 10,000 yen bill storage chamber bottom plate. This concludes the inspection of the 10,000 yen bill storage operation and the 10,000 yen bill storage chamber being in the "full" state, and then moves on to the inspection of the 5,000 yen bill. In FIG. 7(d), step S6 in the case of a 5,000 yen bill
1 to 74 are steps S41 to 74 in the case of the 10,000 yen bill.
54, the set time T4 becomes T6, and the same < T5 becomes T7, so in practice, T4=T6; T5=T
7, so the content is exactly the same. Next, we will move on to an explanation of operation inspections related to 1,000 yen banknotes based on FIGS. In step S81 of FIG. 7(e), a signal to open the thousand yen bill storage gate SG is output, and then in step S82, a timer is activated, and through steps S83 and 84, the elapsed time of the set time T8 (500 ms) is determined. Afterwards, step S84,
1,000 yen bill storage game) It is confirmed whether the SG is actually open. If YES, the process continues to the next step; if NO, the process moves to the next step after setting the "1000 yen bill storage game SG abnormality" flag in step S86. Next, in steps 387 to 89, the set time T9 (30
0ms), in step S90, the 1,000 yen bill storage chamber bottom plate lifts/lowers morph S? Outputs a signal that starts I in the upward direction. Then, in steps 391 to 93, after the set time TIO (300 ms) has elapsed, in step S94, it is checked whether the stored banknotes in the thousand yen banknote storage chamber ST are less than a predetermined number, that is, in the "empty" state. ”, if the state is “empty”, then in step S95, the flag “thousand yen bill storage room ST empty” is set, and then the next step is performed. Note that whether or not the 1,000 yen bill storage chamber is "empty" is detected by a position sensor on the bottom plate of the storage chamber. Next, in step S96 of FIG. 7(f), it is determined whether the 1,000 yen bill storage chamber ST is in an excessive storage state, that is, a "full" state. If NO, continue as is; if YES, proceed to
After setting the "thousand yen bill storage room ST full" flag in step S97, the process moves to the next step. Next, in step S98, a signal to close the thousand yen bill storage gate SG is output, and in step S99, it is determined whether or not this thousand yen bill storage gate SG is closed. If it is closed, go to the next step, and if it is not closed, go to step 5.
After setting the [thousand yen bill storage gate SG abnormality] flag in step 100, the process moves to the next step. In step 5101, a rising stop signal for the 1,000 yen bill storage chamber lifting motor SM is output, and subsequently, in step 5102, a descending start signal for the 1,000 yen bill storage chamber lifting motor SM is output. After steps 3103 to 105, the set time T11 (
After 500 ms), in step 5105, a signal is output to switch the switching game 1-RG between the removed banknote storage case side and the ejected banknote storage case side to the latter side. continue,
After steps 5107 to 109, the set time T12 (2
00ms), it is determined in step 5110 of FIG. 7(g) whether the switching gate RG has actually opened;
If YES, the process continues to the next step; if NO, the "switching gate I?G abnormality" flag is set in step 5111, and then the process moves to step 5112. Note that the switching day 1-RG open in step 5106 is a measure to be taken in case there are banknotes in the dispensing conveyance system. That is, in step 5112, bill dispensing conveyance motor B
Output a signal to activate M2, followed by step 5113
Then, a signal is output for activating the bill dispensing mechanism BP, that is, pressing the dispensing roller of the dispensing mechanism against the surface of the stored 1,000 yen bill. Then, steps 5114-1
After the set time T13 (500 ms) has elapsed in step 16, a signal is outputted to stop the banknote feeding mechanism BF, that is, to release the feeding roller of the feeding mechanism from the surface of the stored 1,000 yen banknote. After steps 3118 to 120, the set time T14 (
ioorrlS), at step 5121 in FIG.
2 to 124, and after a set time T15 (300ms), in step 5125, a signal to stop the banknote dispensing conveyance motor SM is output, and then in step 3126, the rising direction of the 1,000 yen banknote storage chamber elevating motor needle is output. A signal to stop the rotation is output, and subsequently, in step 5127, a signal is output to close the switching gate RG, that is, to switch to the side of the removed banknote storage case. And the next step 3128
Then, it is determined whether the switching gate 1-RG is closed or not. If it is closed, the process continues to the next step, and if it is not closed, the process goes to step 5129, where the "switching gate RG abnormality" flag is set, and then the process moves to the next step. With the above, the entire series of operation inspections has been completed with respect to the last 1,000 yen bill. Finally, we move on to the stage of displaying the results of the operation inspections so far. That is, in step 5130, it is determined whether there is an abnormality flag so far, and if NO, step 5131 is performed.
In step 5132, a "normal lamp lighting" signal is output, and if YES, an "abnormal lamp lighting" signal is output in step 5132, and the above series of apparatus operation inspection programs are ended.

【Effect of the invention】

As mentioned above, the main point of this invention is to give the banknote processing device an operation signal to make it perform its main operation, make it actually operate for a predetermined period of time, and check whether it is the predetermined operation or not. 1 check. It also detects whether there is an abnormality in the banknote storage state. and,
The normality/abnormality of the inspection result is displayed in this manner. Moreover, the series of processes described above are performed by the device itself, that is, by using the microcomputer built into the device. Therefore, according to the present invention, there are the following excellent effects. (11) Necessary items for equipment operation can be inspected, so after handling, maintenance, troubleshooting, etc. carried out by the user, it is possible to confirm the normal operation of the equipment before moving on to regular operation, and prevent accidents from occurring. (2) Since the equipment operation can be inspected automatically, even relatively non-specialist personnel on the user side can reliably perform high-level inspection work without any hindrance. (3) ) If an abnormal result is found, the details of the abnormality are displayed, allowing quick and accurate response. (4) Useful for technical training of user personnel.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a mechanical layout diagram showing the entire structure of the target device, Fig. 2 is a perspective view mainly showing the banknote conveyance path of the banknote discrimination mechanism, Fig. 3 is a side sectional view of the banknote discrimination mechanism, and Fig. 4 is a side sectional view of the banknote discrimination mechanism. Bill storage gate structure for dispensing 1 Bill storage mechanism 1
Bill storage bottom plate lifting mechanism 1 Bill position regulation mechanism. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of the banknote storage mechanism other than for dispensing and the bottom plate; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the banknote temporary storage mechanism; FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the method of the present invention. 2 is a flowchart of a microcomputer program showing an automatic inspection operation. Code explanation 19: Bill storage gate mechanism, 20: Bill storage mechanism, 30
: Bill storage bottom plate elevating mechanism, 40: Bill feeding mechanism, 50:
Banknote discrimination mechanism, 60: Takeout banknote storage mechanism, 76: Switching gate, 77: Guide lever, 80: Banknote temporary storage mechanism, 81: Reject banknote storage case, 91: Delivery roller,
96: Conveyor belt. Ren,〉7 people,Tonoer,,ly 口通PH5I
~PH54: Book Y) Ranjis Y Water ec Each Confucian group 11 sets have mutual Q

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) In addition to distinguishing the inserted banknotes and classifying and storing them by denomination, this method determines whether or not the operation of a device that dispenses only banknotes of a specific denomination based on a command is normal. In a method of self-inspection by the device itself, (a) a gate that regulates the banknote transport direction is switched to a predetermined direction for a predetermined time and then returned; (b) a banknote transport system is operated for a predetermined time and then returned to its original state; (c) raising and lowering the bottom plate of the banknote storage chamber for banknotes of a specific denomination for a predetermined period of time and then stopping; (d) storing the banknotes in excess of the set upper limit for each denomination banknote and the above-mentioned specified Operation of a banknote processing apparatus characterized by being configured to detect an insufficient storage state of banknotes of only one denomination below a set lower limit, and (e) display the normality or abnormality of the result of this detection and the operation. self-inspection method. 2) In the method described in claim 1, the gate that regulates the conveyance of banknotes is the entrance gate of the discrimination section, each storage gate that switches and guides the banknotes to each denomination storage chamber, and the gate that regulates the banknotes that are abnormally sent out. A method for self-inspecting the operation of a banknote processing apparatus, characterized in that the gate is used to switch the direction of conveyance of the banknotes in order to accommodate the banknotes separately from the discharged banknotes. 3) A method for self-inspecting the operation of a banknote processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the banknote transport system is a discrimination/accommodation transport system and a dispensing transport system. 4) In the method set forth in claim 3, the dispensing conveyance system includes a dispensing mechanism unit that contacts and presses the stored banknote surface based on a command, and a dispensing mechanism unit that carries the bills to be dispensed from the dispensing mechanism unit to a predetermined location. 1. A self-inspection method for the operation of a banknote processing apparatus, characterized in that the method is configured to include a sending-out conveying section for sending out and conveying.