RU2574482C1 - Carrier processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: machine building.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to processing of flat articles and can be used in automatic teller machines. The carrier processing device contains the drum, the tape, the detection unit and the controller. The drum is rotated around the central shaft in the centre of the round cylinder. The tape is reeled up on circumferential surface of the drum together with the carrier. Around the circumferential direction of the drum the groove section is formed. Between two sides of the groove section the crossbars are located. The crossbars are located in discrete locations around the circumferential direction of the drum. The detection unit radiates light and receives light which passed through gaps between crossbars. The controller identifies the presence of the reeled-up carrier on the drum.

EFFECT: improvement of accuracy of the carrier processing is provided.

8 cl, 16 dwg

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a media processing device, that is, for example, is well suited for use in automatic cash registers (ATM, Automatic Teller Machine) when entering media such as banknotes to carry out the required transactions.

State of the art

Currently, automatic cash registers, such as those used by financial institutions, allow the client to pay in cash, such as coins or banknotes, as well as pay cash to the client in accordance with the content of the transaction carried out by the client.

An example of the technology proposed for such an automatic cash register includes a banknote payment / payout port that receives banknotes from a customer and issues banknotes to a customer, a classification section that determines the value and authenticity of inserted banknotes, a temporary holding section that temporarily holds inserted banknotes, and banknote cassettes that store banknotes of each denomination (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2011-2921 (FIG. 1).

In this automatic cash register, when a customer inserted banknotes into a payment / payment port using banknotes during a payment transaction, inserted banknotes are classified in the classification section. After that, the automatic cash register holds banknotes classified as normal in the temporary holding section, and banknotes classified as unsuitable for use in the transaction are placed in the payment / payment port using banknotes and returned to the client. Then, when the customer has confirmed the payment amount, the automatic cash register will reclassify the banknotes held in the temporary holding section at the face value in the classification section, and the banknotes are stored in the respective banknote cassettes in accordance with their determined face value.

As an example of such a temporary holding section, a technology-based section is provided in which one end of a long and narrow tape is secured to a circumferential lateral surface of a circular cylindrical drum, wherein the drum rotates in a predetermined direction to wind and hold banknotes on the circumferential lateral surface of the drum together with tape (see, for example, Fig. 1 in the application JP-A No. 2010-095340). In this temporary holding section, the drum rotates in the opposite direction to release banknotes.

The temporary holding section is required to issue all held notes at the end of each transaction, as a result of which the notes held during processing of the next transaction are not mixed with other notes.

Accordingly, a technology is proposed in which, as shown in FIG. 14A, groove portions are created in the temporary holding section in the circumferential direction of the drum 625, and the sensors determine whether a predetermined detection light passes into the groove portions 654. In such a temporary storage section, the sensor can accurately determine that there is not a single thin banknote left.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Technical problem

However, in such a temporary holding section, when, for example, the tape is manually wound during a maintenance operation, the position of the winding of the tape 631 in the width direction of the drum 625 may shift, as shown in FIG. 14B.

In particular, when the position of the winding of the tape 631 is shifted by a large amount, the tape 631 can slip into the groove portions 654, as shown in FIG. 14C. Then the problem arises that processing of banknotes while holding in the temporary holding section cannot continue further due to tangling or gripping of the tape.

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a media processing device that can improve processing accuracy while holding the media in the form of a paper sheet wound on a drum.

Solution

In order to solve the above problems, the carrier processing device of the present invention includes: a drum made essentially in the form of a round cylinder that rotates around a central shaft, in the center of this round cylinder; a tape that is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum together with the carrier in the form of a paper sheet; a groove portion that is created in the circumferential direction of the drum; a plurality of web portions that extend between two sides of the groove portions at discrete locations around the circumferential direction of the drum; a detection unit that emits detection light in the direction of the groove portion and which receives detection light transmitted through the open hole portion, which is the gap between the jumper portions in the groove portion; and a controller that determines whether or not the medium is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum based on the result of receiving light for the detection light by the detection unit.

In the medium processing device of the present invention, the controller is accordingly configured to determine whether or not the medium is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum based on whether the detection unit is capable of receiving detection light that has passed through the portion of the open hole. The jumper portions of the carrier processing device of the present invention are furthermore configured to prevent the tape from slipping into the groove portion even when the tape has shifted from the initial position of the winder, thereby preventing damage to the tape.

Advantages of the Invention

According to the present invention, the controller is configured to determine whether the medium is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum based on whether the detection unit is capable of receiving detection light that has passed through the portion of the open hole. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the web portions can prevent the tape from slipping into the groove portion even when the tape is displaced from the starting position of the winder, thereby preventing damage to the tape. That is, the present invention allows to create a media processing device capable of improving processing accuracy while holding the medium in the form of a paper sheet wound on a drum.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of an automatic cash register.

In FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating a design of a banknote payment / payout device.

In FIG. 3 schematically shows the structure (1) of the temporary holding section.

In FIG. 4 schematically shows the structure (2) of the temporary holding section.

In FIG. 5 is a sectional view illustrating the construction of a drum and a detection unit.

In FIG. 6 schematically shows the aspect ratio in the circumferential direction between the web portions and the banknote.

In FIG. 7 schematically shows a ratio of width dimensions between web portions and a banknote in a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 8 schematically shows the construction of a round plate block.

In FIG. 9 schematically shows the construction of a temporary holding section according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 10 schematically shows the construction of a detection unit according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 11 schematically shows the construction of a detection unit according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 12 schematically shows the construction of a temporary holding section according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 13 schematically shows the construction of a drum and a detection unit in another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 14A is a general view (top) and section (bottom) illustrating slipping of a tape into a groove portion in the corresponding temporary holding section.

In FIG. 14B is a perspective view (top) and section (bottom) illustrating slipping of a tape into a groove portion in the corresponding temporary holding section.

In FIG. 14C is a perspective view (top) and a cross section (bottom) illustrating slipping of a tape into a groove portion in the corresponding temporary holding section.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment

The following is a description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

The first sample option

General design of an automatic cash register

As shown in the general view of FIG. 1, an automatic cash register 1, serving as an example of a media processing device, includes a box-shaped body 2. An automatic cash register 1 is installed, for example, in a financial institution and is configured to carry out cash transactions by a client, for example, payment transactions and payment transactions.

The housing 2 is made with a diagonal bevel at a location that provides easy insertion of a banknote BL (see Fig. 6), which serves as an example of a medium, and easy operation with the touch panel of a client standing on the front side of the housing 2, namely, in the area passing from the front upper portion to the upper surface of the housing 2. The housing 2 is provided with a client interface 3 in the area passing from the front upper portion to the upper surface of the housing 2.

The client interface 3, for example, is configured to directly carry out transactions by the client using cash and a bank book, as well as issue information related to the transaction and receive instructions for the operation. The client interface 3 is provided with a card insertion / deletion port 4, a payment / payout port 5, an operation display section 6, a numeric keypad 7, and a receipt issuing port 8.

The card insertion / deletion port 4 is an area for inserting and returning various cards, for example, “cash cards”. A card handler (not shown in the drawings) is installed behind the port 4 for inserting / removing cards, which reads, for example, the account numbers available on various cards in the form of magnetic recordings.

The payment / payment port 5 is an area in which the customer inserts BL banknotes for payment and from which BL banknotes for payment are issued to the client. Port 5 payment / payment opens / closes by actuating the curtains. Banknotes BL are made, for example, in the form of a rectangular paper sheet.

The operation display section 6 is equipped with a liquid crystal display (LCD), on which the operation windows are displayed during the transaction, and a touch panel with which, for example, the selected transaction type, personal identification number (PIN) and the transaction amount are entered.

The numeric keypad 7 is a physical keyboard with which numbers from 0 to 9, and the like, are entered. Numeric keypad 7 is used during PIN and transaction amount input operations.

The receipt issuing port 8 is an area through which a receipt with printed transaction details and the like is issued. at the end of transaction processing. Behind the port 8 of the receipt of the receipt is located the receipt processor (not shown in the drawings), which prints, for example, transaction details, etc. on the receipt.

In the following description of the automatic cash register 1, the front side is defined as the side facing the customer, and the rear side is defined as the side opposite to the front side. In addition, when describing an automatic cash register 1, the left side, the right side, the upper side and the lower side are determined as they are seen by the client facing the front side.

Inside the housing 2, a main controller 9 is installed, which performs general control of the entire automatic cash register 1, and a banknote payment / payment device 10 that performs various processing related to banknotes BL.

The main controller 9 includes a central processing unit (CPU), not shown in the drawings. The main controller 9 reads predetermined programs, for example, from read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory (not shown in the drawings) and executes these programs to perform various processing, for example, payment transactions and payment transactions.

Inside the main controller 9, there is a data storage section 9A based on, for example, random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive or flash memory. The main controller 9 in the data storage section 9A stores various data.

In the region of the circumferential lateral surfaces, for example, on the front side or the rear side of the housing 2, doors are arranged to open and close. Namely, as shown in FIG. 1, during the execution of customer transactions related to cash transactions, the corresponding doors are closed, as a result of which the banknotes BL stored inside the payment / payment device 10 are protected by the housing 2. At the same time, during the maintenance operation performed by the operator, the corresponding doors in the housing 2 are open as necessary, making it possible to easily perform tasks associated with each inner area.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 2, the banknote payment / disbursement device 10 consists of a combination of a plurality of sections that perform various processing associated with banknotes BL. Each section of the banknote payment / payment device 10 is controlled by the banknote controller 11.

The banknote controller 11 includes a central processing unit (CPU), not shown in the drawings, similarly to the main controller 9 (see Fig. 1). The banknote controller 11 reads predetermined programs, for example, from ROM or flash memory not shown in the drawings, and executes these programs to perform various processing, for example, to determine the destination location when transporting the banknote BL.

Inside the banknote controller 11 is a data storage section 11A (see FIG. 1) formed, for example, by RAM, flash memory or the like. The banknote controller 11 in the data storage section 11A stores various data.

For example, during a payment transaction in which a customer pays with BL banknotes, after receiving the input of predetermined transaction information using the operation display section 6, the banknote controller 11 opens the shutter of the pay / pay port 5 to allow the customer to insert BL banknotes in the payment / pay section 12 payouts.

When the banknotes BL are inserted into the receiver 12A, the payment / payment section 12 closes the shutter of the payment / payment port 5 and picks up the banknotes BL from the receiver 12A one sheet at a time, directing the banknotes BL to the conveyance section 13. The conveying section 13 transports the banknotes BL, which are rectangular paper sheets, into the classification section 14, while the direction of the short edge of the banknotes coincides with the direction of movement.

As the BL banknotes are transported within the classification section 14, for example, optical devices or magnetic detection devices, BL banknotes are classified, for example, in accordance with the denomination, authenticity and degree of wear. In addition, the classification section 14 reports the classification results of the BL banknotes to the banknote controller 11. The banknote controller 11 determines the destination location when transporting the banknote BL based on the received classification results.

Once the transportation destination has been determined, the transportation section 13, for example, transports BL banknotes, which the classification section 14 classified as normal banknotes, into the temporary holding section 15, where they are temporarily held. The transportation section 13 transports any rejected banknotes classified as unsuitable for use during the transaction to the payment / payment section 12. Rejected banknotes are then returned to the customer.

Next, the banknote controller 11 asks the client to confirm the payment amount using the operation display section 6, and the transportation section 13 transports the banknotes BL held in the temporary holding section 15 into the classification section 14. After that, the banknote controller 11 requests, from the classification section 14, the classification of the banknotes BL according to, for example, the face value or the degree of wear and receives the banknote BL.

The banknote controller 11 uses the conveyance section 13 to transport the BL banknotes with a high degree of wear to save deviations in the cartridges 16 and 18 as BL banknotes that are not suitable for reuse. In addition, the banknote controller 11 uses the conveying section 13 to transport banknotes BL with a small degree of wear, which must be stored in the banknote cassettes 17 according to the face value of banknotes BL, like banknotes BL for reuse.

Design of the temporary holding section

As shown in FIG. 3, the temporary holding section 15 consists of corresponding components attached to the frame 20. In FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the temporary holding section 15 when viewed from the left, with some components, such as an engine and gears, not shown to facilitate description.

The temporary holding section 15 is fully controlled by the controller 21. The controller 21 includes a central processing unit (CPU), not shown in the drawings, similarly to the main controller 9 and the banknote controller 11 (see Fig. 1). Working in conjunction, for example, with the banknote controller 11, the controller 21 reads predetermined programs from ROM, flash memory or the like that are not shown in the drawings, and executes these programs to perform various processing, such as controlling the rotation of the drum and the movement of the tape , as well as determining the presence or absence of banknotes.

Inside the controller 21 is a data storage section (not shown in the drawings), consisting of, for example, RAM and flash memory. The data storage section stores various data.

The temporary holding section 15 directs the banknotes to and from the conveying section 13 (see FIG. 2) using the direction section 22 provided in the front upper portion of the frame 20. The temporary holding section 15 uses a direction sensor 23 located at the rear of the direction section 22 to determine if there is a banknote BL, and notifies the controller 21.

In the immediate vicinity of the center, inside the frame 20 of the temporary holding section 15, a drum having a substantially circular cylinder shape is mounted. A shaft 25X passes through the drum 25, having the form of a long and thin round rod, which extends from left to right and serves as an example of a central shaft. The drum 25 rotates with the shaft 25X in the direction of R1 take and the unwinding direction R2 under the control of the controller 21.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rotation of the shaft 25X, which serves as the rotation shaft, is controlled by the drum drive controller 21A included in the controller 21.

In the rear region of the frame 20 of the temporary holding section 15 (see FIG. 3), the outer coil 32 is located on top and the inner coil 34 is located on the bottom. The outer tape 31 is located on the outer coil 32. The inner tape 33 is located on the inner coil 34. Note that the outer tape 31 and inner tape 33 are examples of tape.

Both the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 are in the form of a thin film of a predetermined polymer material. The outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 are of sufficient length, while their width is much smaller than the size of the long edge of the banknote BL.

The inner tape 33 is taken from the inner coil 34, moves inside the frame 20 in the forward direction and goes upward by the roller 37, and then goes up and back by the roller 38, which is located behind the direction sensor 23. The front edge of the inner tape 33 is attached to the circumferential side surface of the drum 25.

The outer tape is taken from the outer coil 32, moves inside the frame 20 in the forward direction and goes down and back by the roller 35, which is located behind the sensor 23 direction. The front edge of the outer tape 31 is attached to the circumferential side surface of the drum 25 and superimposed on the front edge of the inner tape 33.

Thus, if the drum 25 of the temporary holding section 15 rotates in the take direction R1 in a state where the banknote BL is taken by the direction section 22, the banknote BL is clamped between the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 as the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 are respectively pulled from the outer reel 32 and the inner reel 34. Thus, the temporary holding section 15 is configured to wind the outer tape 31, the inner tape 33 and the banknote BL around the circumferential side surface of the drum 25 in this situation tion.

In the following description, the outer tape 31, the inner tape 33, the outer coil 32, the inner coil 34, and the various rollers with which they are moved are collectively referred to as the belt movement system.

Drum design

As shown in FIG. 4, the drum 25 does not have the shape of a round cylinder with a constant radius, but consists of several sections extending along the shaft 25X.

Namely, the drum 25 includes sections 51A, 51B, 51C in the form of short circular cylinders that extend along the shaft 25X, with gaps between them.

The outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 described above are attached to the circumferential side surface of the circular cylindrical portion 51B located in the center. When the drum 25 is rotated, the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 are wound.

The shaft 25X connects the circular cylindrical section 51A with the circular cylindrical section 51B and the circular cylindrical section 51B with the circular cylindrical section 51C, between which there are gaps that can be considered to be in the form of groove sections when viewed from the side of the respective circumferential side surfaces. In the following description, the gap between the circular cylindrical section 51A and the circular cylindrical section 51B is called the groove section 52A, and the gap between the circular cylindrical section 51B and the circular cylindrical section 51C is called the groove section 52B.

That is, the drum 25 is provided with groove portions 52A and 52B extending along the shaft 25X that are located on both sides of the location of the winding of the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33.

In the groove portion 52A, several plate-shaped web portions 53A are secured so that they extend between the circular cylindrical portion 51A and the circular cylindrical portion 51B in close proximity to the circumferential side surface of the drum 25.

In FIG. 5 is a section through the plane D1-D2 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, along the outer circumferential direction of the drum 25, six separate jumper portions 53A are created at equal intervals between them. Between adjacent jumper portions 53A, open hole portions 54A are created.

The open hole portions 54A communicate with each other in space within the jumper portions 53A. In particular, two open hole portions 54A are arranged with each other, located opposite one another on both sides of this particular open hole portion 54A (i.e., two open hole portions located through one open hole portion 54A). As a result, light can pass in a straight line through these two open-hole portions 54A.

Similar to the groove portion 52A, the groove portion 52B is provided with six jumper portions 53B extending between the circular cylindrical portions 51B and 51C, wherein the jumper portions 53B are arranged in a circumferential direction and open hole portions 54B are created between them (see FIG. 4).

Thus, the drum 25 has several jumper portions 53A and 53B extending in the groove portions 52A and 52B that are created between the respective circular cylindrical portions 51A, 51B and 51C.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, guide plates 55A and 55B are attached to the shaft 25X on the outside of the circular cylindrical sections 51A and 51C, namely, on the opposite side of the circular cylindrical section 51A with respect to the groove portion 52A and on the opposite side of the circular cylindrical portion 51C with respect to the groove portion 52B. The guide plates 55A and 55B are made in the form of round plates, larger in diameter than the circular cylindrical sections 51A and 51C, and the banknotes BL are sent.

The guide plates 55A and 55B guide the banknotes BL when winding these banknotes around the circumferential side surface of the drum 25. As a result, the banknotes BL are wound between the guide plates 55A and 55B, namely in the region extending from the circular cylindrical portion 51A to the circular cylindrical portion 51C.

In the immediate vicinity of the drum 25, from left to right, in positions corresponding to the groove portions 52A and 52B, detection units 26A and 26B are provided which determine the presence or absence of the banknote BL.

The detection units 26A and 26B, respectively, include light emitting portions 27A and 27B that emit drum detection light LD, and light receiving portions 28A and 28B that receive the drum detection light LD. The light emitting portions 27A and 27B and the light receiving portions 28A and 28B are respectively located opposite each other from different sides of the drum 25, as shown in FIG. 5.

The light emitting sections 27A and 27B, respectively, emit drum detection light LD in the direction of the groove sections of the drum 25, sections 52A and 52B, under the control of the signal processing unit 21B (see FIG. 4) of the controller 21.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light emitting sections 27A and 27B are arranged so that the drum detection light paths LD extend inside the groove sections 52A and 52B (see FIG. 4), this location being closer to the shaft 25X compared to the outer periphery of the circular cylindrical sections 51A, 51B and 51C (see FIG. 4)

The drum detection light LD reaches the opposite side of the drum 25 when this light passes through the open hole portions 54A when the drum 25 is rotated. On the other hand, the passage of the drum detection light LD is blocked when it illuminates the jumper portions 53A.

The light receiving portions 28A and 28B receive drum detection light LD emitted from the light emitting portions 27A and 27B that passed through the corresponding groove portions 52A and 52B (namely, the one that passed through the open hole portions 54A and 54B). The light receiving portions 28A and 28B generate and transmit light receiving signals to the signal processing unit 21B (see FIG. 4) in accordance with the light receiving results.

The controller 21 determines whether the drum detection light LD is received at its receiving portions 28A and 28B based on the received light receiving signals.

Namely, the controller 21 determines that the portions 54A of the open hole 54A are not blocked by the banknote BL when the drum detection light LD is received even for a very short time, passing through this open hole section 54A. The controller 21 determines that the open hole portions 54A and 54B are blocked by the banknote BL if any of the open hole portions 54A and 54B are blocked even when these open hole portions are not blocked both at the same time.

The jumper portions 53A and 53B pass through the groove portions 52A and 52B of the reel 25, respectively, and the banknotes BL are wound around the circumferential side surfaces of the circular cylindrical portions 51A, 51B and 51C together with the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33.

The drum detection units 26A and 26B 25 respectively emit the drum detection light LD in the direction of the groove portions 52A and 52B and receive the drum detection light LD. The controller 21 determines the presence or absence of the banknote BL based on the results of receiving light.

Conditions for jumper sections

The following describes the conditions for detecting the presence or absence of a banknote BL when a single banknote BL is wound around the periphery of the drum 25, the conditions in the circumferential direction and the width direction are separately described.

Circumstances

As shown in FIG. 6, the size of the banknote BL in the short edge direction, namely, the size of the banknote BL in the circumferential direction of the drum 25, is designated as the size S of the banknote in the short edge. Note that in FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a circumferential lateral surface of the drum 25 deployed in a plane, wherein the bridge portions 53A are shaded with diagonal lines to distinguish them from the open hole portions 54A.

The size of one adjacent jumper portion 53A and the open hole portion 54A (hereinafter referred to as the jumper portion block U) in the circumferential direction of the drum 25 is a value reflecting the cycle of the jumper portions 53A in the circumferential direction, hereinafter referred to as the jumper portion loop A.

Here, a case is considered where a banknote BL is detected as a result of blocking the drum detection light LD in the open hole portion 54A of the jumper portion block U2, which is located in the center of the successive blocks U1-U3.

Assume that the leading edge BLS of the banknote BL is at a predetermined position within the block U1 of the jumper portion. The condition for blocking the open-hole portion 54A of the jumper portion block U2 is that the trailing edge BLE of the banknote BL will never be within the jumper portion block U2, i.e., this BLE edge will be in some position in the jumper portion block U3 or further.

In the range satisfying this condition, the required size S along the short edge of the shortest banknote is such that the leading edge BLS of the banknote BL is located at the upper edge of the block U1 and the trailing edge BLE is located at the upper edge of the block U3 of the web section.

Namely, in order to satisfy this condition, the size S of the banknote on the short edge must be equal to two cycles A of the jumper section or more. The expression of the relationship with cycle A of the jumper section in the form of an equation leads to the following equation (1):

Now consider the relationship between the number of blocks U of the jumper sections created on the roller 35 (hereinafter referred to as the number N of jumper sections) and equation (1). Note that, as described above, the real number N of jumper sections in the drum 25 is six, however we will consider the generalized "number N of jumper sections".

If the radius of the drum is designated as R, then when using the number π, the size of the drum in the circumferential direction is 2πR. On the other hand, the size of the drum 25 in the circumferential direction can also be expressed in terms of the cycle length A of the web section multiplied by the number N of web sections. Accordingly, the drum 25 satisfies the following equation (2);

The substitution of equation (2) in equation (1) and the reorganization in terms of the number N of sections of the jumper gives the following equation (3);

That is, for the size in the circumferential direction of the drum 25, setting the number N of the web sections so that it satisfies equation (3), using the radius R and the size S of the banknote at the short edge, makes it possible to reliably detect the presence or absence of the banknote BL.

Conditions in the direction of the width

As shown in FIG. 7, the size of the banknote BL along the long edge (i.e., the length of the banknote BL along the shaft 25X), which is the size in the direction along the width of the drum, is designated as the size B of the banknote along the long edge.

The long-edge banknote size B is the smallest long-banknote size B in cases where several types of BL banknotes with different long-banknote sizes B are processed in the temporary holding section 15 (see FIG. 2).

In the drum 25, the size from the inner surfaces of the guide plates 55A and 55B to the nearest corresponding drum detection light path LD is designated as a direction interval W1. The interval between the light paths LD of the drum detection is designated as the detection interval W2.

The width of the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 is indicated as the width C of the tape. The width C of the tape is smaller than the size B of the banknote along the long edge, as described above.

Here, a case is considered where the banknote BL in the temporary holding section 15 is offset relative to the center in the direction of the guide plate 55A (see FIG. 4). In this case, the banknote BL is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum 25 with the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33, and it is necessary that the following equation (4) is satisfied to block the drum detection light LD;

Reorganization of equation (4) from the point of view of the interval W1 directions gives the following equation (5);

In order to detect a banknote using at least one of two beams of light of the drum detection LD, it is necessary to set the detection interval W2 to be smaller than the size B of the banknote along the long edge, and also to set the detection interval W2 to be larger than the width C of the tape. If expressed in the form of an equation, this relationship satisfies the following equation (6);

That is, reliable detection of the presence or absence of a banknote BL can be carried out while satisfying equation (5) and equation (6) from the point of view of the respective sizes: the banknote size B along the long edge, the tape width C, the spacing interval W1 and the separation interval W2 in the direction drum width 25.

Round plate block design

As shown in FIG. 4, the temporary holding section 15 is provided with a round plate unit 60 (wherein the shaft 25X is common to this unit and the drum 25), which is an example of a jumper portion detection unit.

The round plate unit 60 includes a round plate 61 having the form of a thin plate. The circular plate 61 is attached to the shaft 25X outside the guide plate 55 B (at a distance when viewed from the circular cylindrical portion 51 B), while the axis of the circular plate 61 coincides with the axis of the shaft 25X.

Accordingly, the circular plate 61 rotates synchronously with the jumper portions 53A and 53B and the open portions of the drum 25 portions 54A and 54B during rotation of the shaft 25X.

As shown in FIG. 8, the circular plate 61 is provided with light blocking portions 63 at six locations by creating slots 62 located at six locations at equal intervals around the circumference.

As shown in FIG. 4, the round plate unit 60 is provided with a sensor 65. The sensor 65 is formed by a combination of the light emitting portion 65A for the round plate and the light receiving portion 65B for the round plate. The light emitting portion for the round plate 65A emits light LC for detecting the round plate on one side of the round plate 61. The light receiving portion 65B for the round plate receives LC light for detecting the round plate on the opposite side of the round plate 61.

The circular plate detection light LC reaches the light receiving portion 65 V for the circular plate when this circular plate detection light LC emitted by the circular plate light emitting portion 65A passes through the slots 62 (see FIG. 8), which are examples of through sections. The circular plate detection light LC does not reach the light receiving portion 65 V for the circular plate when blocked by the light blocking portions 63.

Similarly to the light receiving sections 28A and 28B, the sensor 65 generates and transmits to the signal processing unit 21B a reception signal for the round plate in accordance with the results of receiving light LC of detecting the round plate of the light receiving section 65B for the round plate.

The position and shape of the slots 62 (see Fig. 8) in the round plate 61 is set so that they coincide with the corresponding positions of sections 54A and 54B of the open hole of the drum 25.

That is, the cycles and phases of the round plate unit 60 are selected so that the round plate detection light LC emitted by the light emitting portion 65A for the round plate in the sensor 65 passes through the slots 62 when the drum detection light LD emitted by the light emitting sections 27A and 27B passes through open hole portions 54A and 54B.

As described above, the drum detection light LD is respectively blocked by each of the jumper portions 53A and 53B, or by the banknote BL, depending on the rotation angle of the drum 25 and the winding state of the banknote BL.

On the other hand, the round plate unit 60 is located farther outward compared to the guide plate 55B, and the light emitting portion 65A for the round plate and the light receiving portion 65B for the round plate of the sensor 65 are very close to each other. As a consequence, the likelihood that the circular plate detection light LC is blocked by anything other than the light blocking portions 63 is very low.

The controller 21 determines that the drum detection light LD is blocked by the jumper portions 53A and 53B when neither the drum detection light LD nor the circular plate detection light LC are received. The controller 21 determines that the drum detection light LD is blocked by the banknote BL when the drum detection light LD is not received, but the circular plate detection light LC is received.

Thus, the temporary holding section 15 uses the results of the reception of the LC light of the detection of the circular plate in addition to the results of the detection of light LD of the detection drum to determine whether the banknote BL is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum 25.

Work and benefits

With the above construction, in the temporary holding section 15 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the jumper portions 53A and 53B extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X through the groove portions 52A and 52B of the drum 25 at a plurality of distinct locations in the circumferential direction.

The jumper portions 53A and 53B of the temporary holding section 15, respectively, can prevent the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 from slipping into the groove portion 52A or the groove portion 52B even when the outer tape 31 and / or the inner tape 33 are shifted in the width direction during winding winding these tapes onto the circumferential lateral surface of the circular cylindrical portion 51B.

That is, in the temporary holding section 15, the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 can be wound on a circumferential side surface equivalent to the circular cylindrical portion 51B, which prevents damage to the outer tape and the inner tape caused by slipping of these tapes into the groove portion 52A or the groove portion 52B.

In addition, in the temporary holding section 15, damage to the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 can be prevented by slipping these tapes into the groove portion 52A or the groove portion 52B even when the winding position of the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 has shifted due to poor tension during performing a maintenance operation for removing banknotes BL wound on the drum 25, or manually winding the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 on the drum 25.

In addition, the jumper portions 53A and 53B of the temporary holding section 15 are discrete in the circumferential direction of the drum 25 to create open hole portions 54A and 54B. The temporary holding section 15 is also configured such that the detection units 26A and 26B emit drum detection light LD in the direction of the groove portions 52A and 52B, while the drum detection light LD passes through the open hole portions 54A and 54B.

Accordingly, the temporary holding section 15 is capable of determining the presence or absence of the banknote BL based on the results of receiving the drum detection light LD.

The design of the drum jumper portions 53A and 53B causes the light detection LD to block the drum detection during rotation of the drum 25.

The section 15 is provided with a block 60 of a circular plate with slots 62 in a circular plate 61, which rotates synchronously with the drum 25 with coincidence in the cycle and phases of sections 54A and 54B of the open hole. The temporary holding section 15 determines the presence or absence of slots 62 in the sensor 65 using the circular plate detection light LC.

The temporary holding section controller 21 uses the results of receiving the drum detection light LD in combination with the detection results of the LC light of the detection of the circular plate from the circular plate unit 60 to determine the presence or absence of the banknote BL.

Thus, the temporary holding section 15 is able to accurately determine whether the jumper portions 53A and 53B are the cause of the blocking of the detection light LD, or if there is another reason (i.e., the banknote BL). As a result, the temporary holding section 15 can reliably eliminate false detection of the banknote BL caused by the jumper portions 53A and 53B.

Instead of filling the groove portions 52 with a transparent material that allows drum detection light LD to pass through it, the drum 25 is provided with open hole portions 54A and 54B, which are empty spaces in the circumferential gaps between the jumper portions 53A and 53B, allowing light to pass through them LD drum detection.

Accordingly, the temporary holding section 15 is able to very accurately determine the presence or absence of a BL banknote, since it is possible to efficiently eliminate problems that may occur when transparent material is used in this section, for example, a drop in detection accuracy due to refraction or reflection of light of a drum detection LD, or false detection of the banknote BL due to the fact that the light LD of the detection drum is blocked by a foreign object, such as dust or dirt, adhered to the surface.

In addition, the relationship between the size in the circumferential direction and the number N of the jumper sections 53A and 53B is set to satisfy equation (3), and the size of the jumper sections 53A and 53B in the width direction is set to satisfy equation (5) ) and equation (6).

Thus, at least one of the open portions 54A and 54B of the open hole of the temporary holding section 15 can be reliably blocked by the banknote BL even when the winding position of the banknote BL has shifted in the width direction or in the circumferential direction.

Accordingly, in the temporary holding section 15, at least one of the two beams of light of the drum detection LD can be reliably blocked by the banknote BL within a maximum of one revolution of the drum 25, regardless of the position of the banknote BL on the circumferential side surface of the drum 25.

As a result, the temporary holding section 15 is able to reliably determine the presence of the banknote BL based on the results of receiving the drum detection light LD even when only one banknote BL is wound on the drum.

According to the construction described above, in the temporary holding section 15 of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the jumper portions 53A and 53B extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X through the groove portions 52A and 52B of the drum 25 at a plurality of distinct locations in the circumferential direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 from slipping into the groove portions 52A and 52B in the temporary holding section 15, thereby preventing damage to the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33. As before, the temporary holding section 15 is able to accurately determine the presence or absence of a banknote BL based on the light detection results LD of detecting a drum that the blocks 26A and 26B emit in the direction of the groove portions 52A and 52B and which passes through the open hole portions 54A and 54B.

The second sample option

Design of the temporary holding section

In FIG. 9 elements corresponding to those shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numbers. As shown in FIG. 9, the temporary holding section 115 according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention differs from the temporary holding section 15 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention in that there are respectively two outer tapes and two inner tapes, that is, there are two tape conveyance systems.

The temporary holding section 115 includes a drum 125 instead of a drum 25, so that two belt transfer systems can be accommodated.

The temporary holding section 115 includes outer tapes 31A and 31B and inner tapes 33A and 33B, respectively, having a structure similar to outer tape 31 and inner tape 33 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Note that, although this is not shown in the drawings, in the temporary holding section 115 for creating two tape transfer systems, structural components of the respective tape transfer system are provided, including external coils 32 and internal coils 34.

Drum design

As shown in FIG. 9, the drum 125 is created by adding an additional step in the width direction to the drum 25 of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

That is, the drum 125 is provided with a circular cylindrical section 51D through which the shaft 25X passes, similarly to the circular cylindrical sections 51A, 51B and 51C. Between the circular cylindrical section 51C and the circular cylindrical section 51D, a groove section 52C is created.

In the drum 125, the outer tape 31A and the inner tape 33A are wound around a round cylindrical section 51B, and the outer tape 31B and the inner tape 33B are wound around a round cylindrical section 51C.

Similarly to the groove portions 52A and 52B, six plate-shaped web portions are created discretely and at equal intervals in the groove portion 52C so that they extend between the circular cylindrical portions 51C and 51D. An open hole portion 54C is created between the respective jumper portions 53C.

In addition to the detection units 26A and 26B that correspond to the groove portions 52A and 52B, a detection unit 26C that corresponds to the groove portion 52C is provided in close proximity to the drum 125. The detection unit 26C includes a light emitting portion 27C that corresponds to the light emitting portions 27A and 27B, and a light receiving portion 28C that corresponds to the light receiving portions 28A and 28B.

The drum detection light LD emitted by the light emitting portion 27C in the direction of the groove portion 52C is received by the light receiving portion 28C when it passes through the open hole portion 54C.

The controller 21 determines whether drum detection light LD is detected based on the light receiving signals received from the light receiving portions 28A, 28B, and 28C. In this case, the controller 21 considers that the light was blocked by the banknote BL when at least one location is blocked, even if not all of the open hole portions 54A, 54B and 54C are blocked.

In addition, the drum 125 satisfies the same conditions in the circumferential direction and the width direction as the drum 25 of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention to detect whether the banknote BL is wound on the circumferential side surface.

That is, in the circumferential direction, the number N of the web portions, the radius R, and the short edge size S of the banknote for the drum 125 are set so that they satisfy the above equation (3). In the direction along the width of the drum 125, the long-edge banknote size B, the tape width C, the direction interval W1 and the detection interval W2 are set so that they satisfy the above equation (5) and equation (6).

In order to be able to accommodate two belt transfer systems, the bridge sections 53A, 53B and 53C respectively pass through the three groove sections 52A, 52B and 52C. In addition, the detection units 26A, 26B and 26C for the drum 125 are configured to emit and receive drum detection light LD.

Work and benefits

In the temporary holding section 115 of the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, made as described above, the corresponding jumper sections 53A, 53B and 53C extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X through the drum groove sections 52A, 52B and 52C in several separate circumferential locations.

Thus, in the temporary holding section 115, when the outer tape 31A and the inner tape 33A are wound on the circumferential side surface of the round cylindrical portion 51B and the outer tape 31B and the inner tape 33B are wound on the circumferential side surface of the round cylindrical portion 51C or during a maintenance operation, even if the position of the winding of the outer tape 31A and the inner tape 33A, the outer tape 31B and the inner tape 33B is shifted in the width direction while the outer tape 31B and the inner tape 33B are wound around On the side surface of the circular cylindrical portion 51C or during the maintenance operation, the bridge sections 53A, 53B and 53C can prevent the outer tape 31A and the inner tape 33A, the outer tape 31B and the inner tape 33B from slipping into the groove sections 52A, 52B and 52C.

In addition, similarly to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the jumper portions 53A, 53B and 53C are created so that the circumferential dimension and the number N of the jumper portions respectively satisfy equation (3), and so that the corresponding dimensions in the direction in terms of width they satisfied equation (5) and equation (6).

As a result, at least one of the open hole portions 54A, 54B, and 54C in the temporary holding section 115 can be reliably locked by the banknote BL, even if the position of the winding of the banknote BL on the drum 125 is shifted in the width or circumferential direction.

Accordingly, in the temporary holding section 115, at least one of the three beams of light of the drum detection LD can be reliably blocked by the banknote BL within a maximum of one revolution of the drum 125, regardless of the position of the banknote BL on the circumferential side surface of the drum 125.

As a result, the temporary holding section 115 is able to reliably determine the presence of the banknote BL based on the results of receiving the drum detection light LD even if only one banknote BL is wound on the drum, similarly to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The temporary holding section 115 also allows for operation and advantages similar to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention in other respects.

According to the construction described above, in the temporary holding section 115 according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the jumper portions 53A, 53B and 53C extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X in the groove portions 52A, 52B and 52C of the drum 125 in a plurality of separate locations in the circumferential direction. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent slipping of the outer tapes 31A and 31B and the inner tapes 33A and 33B into the groove portions 52A, 52B and 52C in the temporary holding section 115. Accordingly, the temporary holding section 115 can prevent damage to the outer tapes 31A and 31B and the inner tapes 33A and 33B. In the temporary holding section 115, the respective drum detection light beams LD emitted in the direction of the groove portions 52A, 52B and 52C pass through the open hole portions 54A, 54B and 54C. Based on the detection results, the temporary holding section 115 is still able to accurately determine the presence or absence of a BL banknote.

Third exemplary option

Design of the temporary holding section

In FIG. 10 elements that correspond to those shown in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numbers. As shown in FIG. 10, the temporary retention section 215 corresponding to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention is significantly different from the temporary retention section 15 of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention in that the number of light emitting portions and the number of light receiving portions are increased for several light paths.

In the temporary holding section 215 in left-to-right positions that correspond to the groove portions 52A and 52B, a detection unit 226A and a detection unit 226B (not shown in the drawings) corresponding to the detection units 26A and 26B are created.

The detection unit 226B is similar in construction to the detection unit 226A, therefore, the following description focuses on the detection unit 226A, with some portion of the description of the detection unit 226B being omitted. In FIG. 10, when viewed in a clockwise direction, six open hole portions 54A are sequentially created, serving as examples of through sections, such as open hole portions 54A1, 54A2, 54A3, 54A4, 54A5 and 54A6.

The detection unit 226A is provided with light emitting portions 227A, 237A and 247A in addition to the light emitting portion 27A, and is also provided with light receiving portions 228A, 238A and 248A in addition to the light receiving portion 28A.

Similar to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting portion 27A and the light receiving portion 28A are opposed to each other on opposite sides of the drum 25 at positions where the drum detection light LD1 sequentially passes through the open hole portions 54A6 and 54A4.

The light emitting portion 227A and the light receiving portion 228A are opposed to each other on opposite sides of the drum 25 at positions where the drum detection light LD2 successively passes through the open hole portions 54A1 and 54A3. That is, the light emitting portion 227A and the light receiving portion 228A are arranged so that the path of the drum detection light LD2 is substantially parallel to the path of the drum detection light LD1.

The light emitting portion 237A and the light receiving portion 238A are opposed to each other on opposite sides of the drum 25 at positions where the drum detection light LD3 successively passes through the open hole portions 54A1 and 54A5. That is, the light emitting portion 237A and the light receiving portion 238A are arranged so that the path of the light detection drum LD3 creates an angle of approximately 60 degrees with respect to the paths of light LD1 and LD2 of the detection drum.

The light emitting section 247A and the light receiving section 248A are located opposite each other on opposite sides of the drum 25 in positions where the drum detection light LD4 sequentially passes through the open hole portions 54A2 and 54A4. That is, the light emitting portion 247A and the light receiving portion 248A are arranged so that the path of the drum detection light LD4 is substantially parallel to the path of the drum detection light LD3 and creates an angle of approximately 60 degrees with the drum detection paths LD1 and LD2.

In the detection unit 226A, one or two of the drum detection light paths LD1-LD4 respectively pass through the corresponding open portions 54A1-54A6 of the open hole of the groove portion 52A.

Accordingly, the controller 21 determines that at least one of the open hole portions 54A1-54A6 is blocked by the banknote BL when one of the drum detection light beams LD1-LD4 cannot be detected by the respective light receiving portions 28A, 228A, 238A and 248A. That is, the controller 21 is able to determine that one or more banknotes BL are wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum 25.

In the detection unit 226A, the points at which light beams LD1-LD4 pass through the outer peripheral surface of the drum 25 are located at precisely 1/6 intervals in the circumferential direction.

In the temporary holding section 215, the detection unit 226A emits four beams of drum detection light LD1-LD4 at the same time, which allows to determine the presence or absence of blocking by the banknote BL simultaneously in six sections 54A1-54A6 of the open hole.

Work and benefits

Similarly to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in the temporary holding section 215 corresponding to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which has the construction described above, the jumper portions 53A and 53B respectively extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X through the portions 52A and 52B, the grooves of the drum 25 at a plurality of individual locations in the circumferential direction.

Similar to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in the temporary holding section 215 corresponding to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which has the structure described above, the bridge sections 53A and 53B can prevent the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 from slipping into the groove section 52A or the 52B section grooves, even if the position of the winding of the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 has shifted in the width direction while winding the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 to round ilindrichesky circumferential portion 51B side surface or during maintenance operations.

In addition, in the groove portion 52A of the temporary holding section 215, the light emitting sections 27A, 227A, 237A and 247A of the detection unit 226A emit respective beams of the drum detection light LD1-LD4 simultaneously. The light receiving portions 28A, 228A, 238A, and 248A of the temporary holding section 215 simultaneously receive drum detection light beams LD1-LD4 that respectively passed through six portions of the open hole 54A1-54A6.

Setting the number N of the jumper portions in the drum 25 to six allows the beams of the drum detection light to be emitted LD1-LD4 through one of the open hole portions 54A1-54A6 within a maximum of approximately 1/6 of a revolution, even when the jumper portions 53A block.

The temporary holding section 215 makes it possible to determine whether the drum detection light beams LD1-LD4 are blocked in any of the open hole portions 54A1-54A6, within approximately 1/6 of the rotation of the drum 25. Thus, the temporary holding section 215 makes it possible to determine whether the banknote BL is wound .

Accordingly, by using the temporary holding section 215, it is possible to achieve a significant reduction in the time period required to determine, compared with the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which up to approximately one revolution of the drum 25 is required to determine the presence or absence of the BL banknote.

In other respects, the temporary holding section 215 is furthermore capable of providing operation and advantages similar to those of the temporary holding section 215 of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

According to the construction described above, in the temporary holding section 215 according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, respective jumper sections 53A and 53B of the drum 25 extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X through the groove sections 52A and 52B at a plurality of distinct locations in the circumferential direction . Accordingly, the temporary holding section 215 prevents the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 from slipping into the groove portions 52A or 52B, thereby preventing damage to the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33. In the temporary holding section 215, drum detection light beams LD1-LD4 that are simultaneously emitted in the direction section 52A grooves, pass through sections 54A1-54A6 open holes. Based on the detection results of the drum detection light rays LD1-LD4, the temporary holding section 215 is accordingly able to accurately determine the presence or absence of the banknote BL in a very short period of time.

Fourth Example

Design of the temporary holding section

In FIG. 11 elements corresponding to those shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numbers. As shown in FIG. 11, the temporary holding section 315 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention differs significantly from the temporary holding section 215 according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention in that the number of light emitting portions and light receiving portions is reduced and there are mirrors.

In the temporary holding section 315 from left to right in positions corresponding to the groove portions 52A and 52B, a detection unit 326A and a detection unit 326B (not shown in the drawings) corresponding to the detection units 26A and 26B are created.

Note that the detection unit 326B has a design similar to the detection unit 326A, therefore, the following description focuses on the detection unit 326A, with some description section of the detection unit 326B being omitted.

Block 326A includes: a light emitting portion 327A instead of a light emitting portion 27A, a light receiving portion 28A, and six mirrors M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 and M6 that reflect drum detection light LD.

The light emitting section 327A is located at the position of the light emitting section 237A of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention and emits the drum detection light LD in the direction of the drum groove portion 52A. The drum detection light LD travels a path similar to the path of the drum detection light LD3 of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention passing through the open hole section 54A1 and the open hole section 54A5 to fall on the mirror M1.

The mirror M1 is located at a position similar to that of the light receiving portion 238A of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and is adjusted so that its reflective surface is approximately halfway between the light emitting portion 327A and the mirror M2. As a result, after passing through the open hole portions 54A1 and 54A5, the drum detection light LD emitted by the light emitting portion 327A is reflected by the mirror Ml and passes in the direction of the mirror M2.

The mirror M2 is located in a position similar to the position of the light receiving portion 248A according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and is set so that its reflective surface is located approximately halfway between the mirror M1 and the mirror M3. The drum detection light LD reflected by the mirror M1 is respectively reflected by the mirror M2 and passes sequentially through the open hole portions 54A4 and 54A2, passing a path similar to the drum detection light LD4 of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, but in the opposite direction, and incident on the mirror M3.

The mirror M3 is located in a position similar to the position of the light emitting section 247A according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and is set so that its reflective surface is located approximately halfway between the mirror M2 and the mirror M4. After passing sequentially through the open hole portions 54A4 and 54A2, the drum detection light LD reflected by the mirror M2 is respectively reflected by the mirror M3 and passes in the direction of the mirror M4.

The mirror M4 is located in a position similar to the position of the light receiving portion 228A according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and is set so that its reflective surface is approximately halfway between the mirror M3 and the mirror M5. The drum detection light LD reflected by the mirror M3 is respectively reflected by the mirror M4 and passes sequentially through the open hole portions 54A3 and 54A1, passing a path similar to the drum detection light LD2 of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, but in the opposite direction, and incident on the mirror M5.

The mirror M5 is located in a position similar to the position of the light emitting portion 227A according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and is set so that its reflective surface is approximately halfway between the mirror M4 and the mirror M6. After passing sequentially through the open hole portions 54A3 and 54A1, the drum detection light LD reflected by the mirror M4 is respectively reflected by the mirror M5 and incident on the mirror M6.

The mirror M6 is located in a position similar to the position of the light-emitting section 27A of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and is set so that its reflective surface is located approximately halfway between the mirror M5 and the light-receiving section 28A. The drum detection light LD reflected by the mirror M5 is respectively reflected by the mirror M6 and travels the same way as the drum detection light LD1 of the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, passing sequentially through the open hole portions 54A6 and 54A4 before receiving the light receiving portion 28A.

In the detection unit 326A, the drum detection light LD emitted by the light emitting portion 327A is respectively reflected sequentially by the mirrors M1-M6. In the detection unit 326A, one beam LD of the drum detection light, respectively, passes paths similar to the paths of the drum detection light rays LD1-LD4 of the third embodiment of the present invention to be received by the light receiving portion 28A.

That is, after the light emitting portion 327A is emitted, the drum detection light LD is reflected by the mirrors M1-M6, and then it enters the light receiving portion 28A after passing through an open hole sequentially through each of the portions 54A1-54A6.

Work and benefits

Similarly to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in the temporary holding section 315 corresponding to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention having the structure described above, the jumper portions 53A and 53B respectively extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X through the portions 52A and 52B, the grooves of the drum 25 at a plurality of individual locations in the circumferential direction.

Similarly to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in the temporary holding section 315, the jumper portions 53A and 53B can respectively prevent the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 from slipping into the groove portion 52A or the groove portion 52B, even if the winding position of the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 has shifted in the width direction during winding of the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 on the circumferential side surface of the circular cylindrical portion 51B or during a maintenance operation.

In the temporary holding section 315 to the groove portion 52A, the drum detection light LD is emitted by the light emitting portion 327A of the detection unit 326A. In the temporary holding section 315, the drum detection light LD is successively reflected by the mirrors M1-M6 and received by the light receiving section 28A after passing through each of the open hole sections 54A1-54A6.

In the temporary holding section 315, similarly to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, it can be determined whether the drum detection light LD is blocked by a banknote in any of the six open hole portions 54A1-54A6 when the drum 25 rotates by only about 1/6 of a turn. That is, the temporary holding section 315 is able to determine whether the banknote BL is wound.

In particular, in the temporary holding section 315, only one light-emitting section 327A and one light-receiving section 28A are used, but it determines whether or not any of the open-hole sections 54A1-54A6 is closed with a banknote BL similar to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in which a total of four light-emitting sections and light-receiving sections.

Since the controller 21 can determine the presence or absence of the banknote BL with a single light receiving signal generated by the light receiving portion 28A, there is no need to process a plurality of light receiving signals, as in the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Although the detection path 326A of the drum detection light LD is longer than the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention, since the drum detection light LD moves at the speed of light, in practice there is no delay problem.

Thus, the temporary holding section 315 makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of relatively expensive light emitting and light receiving regions as compared to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the temporary holding section 315 also makes it possible to significantly reduce the length of the wires and the number of signals that require processing in the controller, which greatly simplifies the design while obtaining equivalent benefits. Accordingly, component and manufacturing costs can be kept low.

In other respects, the temporary holding section 315 provides operation and advantages as the temporary holding section 15 of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In the temporary holding section 315 of the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which has the construction described above, the jumper portions 53A and 53B extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X through the groove portions 52A and 52B of the drum 25 at a plurality of distinct locations in the circumferential direction. Accordingly, section 315 can prevent the outer tape 31 and inner tape 33 from slipping into groove portions 52A or 52B, thereby preventing damage to the outer tape 31 and inner tape 33. In addition, in the temporary holding section 315, drum detection light LD that is emitted in the direction of the portions 52A of the groove is reflected sequentially by the mirrors M1-M6, whereby the drum detection light LD passes through each of the open hole portions 54A1-54A6. Thus, it is possible to accurately determine the presence or absence of the BL banknote in a very short period of time using a simple design based on the light detection results of the drum detection LD.

Fifth Example

Design of the temporary holding section

In FIG. 12 elements corresponding to those shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numbers. As shown in FIG. 12, the temporary holding section 415 corresponding to the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention is significantly different from the temporary holding section 15 in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention in the construction of the drum and the placement of the light-emitting portions and the light-receiving portions in the detection unit.

Namely, the temporary holding section 415 includes a drum 425 and detection units 426A and 426B in place of the drum 25 and detection units 26A and 26B of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Drum 425 includes a circular cylindrical portion 451 with a uniform circular cylindrical shape and is not provided with groove portions 52A and 52B or jumper portions 53A and 53B (see FIG. 4). In this case, reflective sections 452A and 452B are created in the form of strips that reflect light and pass around the circumference of the drum 425 at locations equivalent to the groove sections 52A and 52B (see FIG. 4).

Note that the reflection sections 452A and 452B, for example, are created by gluing the reflection tape to the outer peripheral surface of the circular cylindrical section 451.

The detection units 426A and 426B, respectively, include light emitting portions 427A and 427B that emit drum detection light LD, and light receiving portions 428A and 428B that receive the drum detection light LD.

The position and direction of the light emitting portion 427A are set so that it emits drum detection light LD in the direction of the reflecting portion 452A. The light receiving portion 428A is located symmetrically to the light emitting portion 427A with respect to the reflecting portion 452A when viewed in the direction of the shaft 25X.

That is, the detection unit 426A is configured such that the drum detection light LD emitted by the light emitting portion 427A is reflected by the reflecting portion 452A, and the reflected drum detection light LD is received by the light receiving portion 428A.

The detection unit 426B has a structure similar to that of the detection unit 426A, wherein the drum detection light LD is reflected by the reflection portion 452B.

In the temporary holding section 415, the reflection sections 452A and 452B are closed when a bill BL is wound on the drum 425, whereby the detection light LD of the drum cannot be reflected. When this happens, the light receiving portions 428A and 428B of the detection units 426A and 426B are no longer able to receive drum detection light LD.

Accordingly, the controller 21 determines that there are no banknotes BL wound on the drum 425 when the light receiving portions 428A and 428B are capable of receiving the drum detection light LD continuously for approximately one revolution of the drum 425. The controller 21 determines that the banknote BL is wound when at least , one of the light receiving portions 428A and 428B becomes temporarily unable to receive light.

Accordingly, in the temporary holding section 415, the drum detection light LD is reflected by the reflecting portions 452A and 452B of the drum 425. In the temporary holding section 415, the presence or absence of the banknote BL is determined in accordance with the reception of the reflected drum detection light LD by the light receiving portions 428A and 428B.

Work and benefits

According to the construction described above, in the temporary holding section 415 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the reflecting portions 452A and 452B in the form of a strip on the drum 425 reflect the emitted light of the detection drum of the respective detection units 426A and 426B.

Accordingly, the temporary holding section 415 is able to determine whether the banknote BL is wound around the drum 425 based on whether the detection light reflected from the drum detection unit 426A and 426B is received.

That is, since the banknotes BL are made of paper and generally have low light reflectance, even one banknote BL wound on the drum 425 can reliably stop the reflection of the detection light LD of the drum in the region of the reflecting portions 452A and 452B. Accordingly, the temporary holding section 415 may use the fact that the banknotes BL do not reflect drum detection light LD in order to accurately determine the presence of the banknote BL.

Drum 425 does not include groove portions 52A and 52B (see FIG. 4) of drum 25 of the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, for the drum 425, the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 will not slip even when the winding position of the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 is shifted in the width direction, as a result of which, in principle, the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33 cannot be damaged.

In addition, there was no need for components 425 in the drum 425 such as groove portions 52A and 52B, jumper portions 53A and 53B, and a round plate unit 60 (see FIG. 4), which allows a simpler construction than drum 25 of the first an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The simple manufacture of drum 425 can significantly reduce, for example, the manufacturing cost of this drum.

The drum 425 of the temporary holding section 415 according to the fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention having the construction described above is provided with reflective sections 452A and 452B in the form of a strip. In the temporary holding section 415, the drum detection light LD emitted by the respective detection units 426A and 426B is reflected by the reflection portions 452A and 452B. Accordingly, the temporary holding section 415 is able to determine whether the banknote BL is wound on the drum 425 based on whether the detection light reflected from the drum detection unit 426A and 426B is received.

Other sample options

Note that in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered where the number N of the web portions of the drum 25 is six.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the number N of jumper portions may be five or less, or equal to seven or more. In such cases, the banknote BL can be reliably detected as long as the radius R and the size S of the banknote at the short edge satisfy equation (3). This also applies to exemplary second through fourth embodiments of the present invention.

In the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered where the groove portions 52A and 52B are created on the drum 25 at two locations and the jumper portions 53A and 53B pass through the respective groove portions 52A and 52B.

However, the present invention is not limited to such a design, and, for example, the groove portion 52B and the jumper portion 53B can be omitted, and there are only the groove portion 52A and the jumper portion 53A. This also applies to exemplary second through fourth embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which one outer tape and one inner tape are used.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two outer tapes and two inner tapes can be used, as described in the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Alternatively, three or more corresponding outer tapes and inner tapes can be used in the present invention. In such cases, the groove portions may extend in the same direction as the shaft 25X, between all or some of the respective tapes and on both sides of these tapes. This also applies to exemplary third through fifth embodiments of the present invention.

In the above-described first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a case is considered in which the positions of the portions of the open hole 54A of the drum 25 are determined based on the positions of the slots 62 created on the round plate 61 of the block 60 of the round plate.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the round plate unit 60 may be omitted. For example, it may be considered that there is a banknote BL when the drum detection light LD cannot be detected for more than 1/6 of the revolution of the drum 25. Although it will take longer than using the round plate unit 60, the presence or absence of a banknote can be determined BL. This also applies to exemplary second through fourth embodiments of the present invention.

In the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which a circular plate 61 of a circular plate unit 60 and a drum 25 are mounted on a common shaft 25X.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the circular plate 61 may, for example, be attached to a component that rotates synchronously with the rotation of the drum 25, for example, to a gear shaft that is engaged with the shaft 25X. In such cases, it is sufficient that the rotation cycle coincides with the phases of the drum 25 and the round plate 61. This also applies to exemplary second through fourth embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the drum 25, a plurality of web sections 53A of the same size are arranged.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, the jumper portions 53A may vary in size. Alternatively, in the present invention, the jumper portions 53A may be located at unequal intervals. In such cases, the shape of the slots 62 created on the circular plate 61 can be set in accordance with the position and size of the open hole portion 54A, which makes it possible to accurately determine whether the blocking portion 53A or the banknote BL is responsible for blocking the light of the drum detection LD. This also applies to exemplary second through fourth embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, in the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which the jumper portions 53A and 53B are created when there is a shaft 25X inside the groove portions 52A and 52B.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, which corresponds to FIG. 10, the shaft 25X (see FIG. 5) can be omitted in the groove portion 52A of the drum 525 in a structure in which the circular cylindrical portions 51A, 52B are connected only by the jumper portions 53A. In particular, in such cases, it is possible for the drum detection light LD to pass through the center of the drum 525. In addition, the three beams of the drum detection light LD can respectively move between the three light emitting portions 527A, 537A and 547A and the three light receiving portions 528A, 538A and 548A, which reduces the number of light-emitting sections and light-receiving sections. This also applies to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which case the number of mirrors can be reduced.

In addition, in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which the radius R, the banknote size S on the short edge and the number N of web portions satisfy the equation (3) in the circumferential direction of the drum 25. In the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the dimensions each section in the direction along the width of the drum satisfy equation (5) and equation (6).

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other conditions can be satisfied in the circumferential direction and the direction along the width of the drum 25. In such cases, it is sufficient to reliably determine whether one banknote BL is wound. This also applies to exemplary second through fourth embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which the controller 21 determines the presence or absence of the banknote BL based on the light receiving signals from the light receiving portions 28A and 28B.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, the banknote controller 11, the main controller 9, or the banknote controller 11 or the main controller 9, working together with the controller 21, can determine the presence or absence of the banknote BL based on the light receiving signals from the light receiving portions 28A and 28B.

In addition, in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which two tapes are used - the outer tape 31 and the inner tape 33, and in which the banknote BL is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum 25 in the state of its location between the outer tape 31 and inner tape 33.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, the inner tape 33 can be eliminated, while the banknote BL is pressed against the circumferential side surface of the drum 25 only by the outer tape 31. This also applies to the exemplary second to fifth embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, there is considered a case in which a banknote medium BL is held in a temporary holding section 15 of an automatic cash register 1 that performs a cash transaction for a customer, for example, in a financial institution.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and, for example, it can be applied to the temporary holding section, which is part of the accounting system used by the cashier to perform various cash processing, for example, in a financial institution. The present invention can also be applied to various devices that hold paper media, such as purchase vouchers, cashier checks, or entry tickets. This also applies to exemplary second through fifth embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, in the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a case is considered in which the temporary holding section 15, serving as an example of a media processing device, comprises: a drum 25, serving as an example of a drum, an outer tape 31 and an inner tape 33, serving as an example of tapes, groove portions 52A and 52B serving as an example of groove portions, jumper portions 53A and 53B serving as an example of jumper portions, detection units 26A and 26B serving as an example and the detection units, and the controller 21, serving as an example of the controller.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a media processing device can be created using various other types of drum, tape, groove portion, jumper portion, detection unit, and controller.

Industrial applicability

The present invention can be used in various devices that temporarily hold a paper carrier, such as a banknote wound on a drum with a tape.

The description of Japanese patent application No. 2012-073996 by this reference is included in the text of this description in its entirety. All cited documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are included in the text of this description to the same extent as if the individual cited document, patent application, or technical standard were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims (8)

1. A media processing device, comprising:
- a drum, which is made essentially in the form of a round cylinder and which rotates around a central shaft in the center of a round cylinder;
- a tape that is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum together with the carrier in the form of a paper sheet;
- a section of a groove that is formed around a circumferential direction of the drum;
- a plurality of jumper sections that extend between two sides of the groove section at discrete locations around the circumferential direction of the drum;
- a detection unit that emits detection light in the direction of the groove portion and which receives detection light that has passed through the open hole portion, which is the gap between the jumper portions in the groove portion; and
- a controller that determines whether or not the medium is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum based on the result of receiving light for detecting light by the detection unit. 2. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the media processing device further comprises a unit for detecting the position of the jumper portions, which detects the positions of the jumper portions in which the jumper portions are formed on the drum, and
the controller determines whether or not the medium is wound on the circumferential side surface of the drum based on the light reception result for detecting light and the detection result for the positions of the jumper portions. 3. The media processing device according to claim 2, in which:
block determining the position of the sections of the jumper contains:
- a circular plate that rotates synchronously with the rotation of the drum,
- through portions that are formed at locations on the round plate corresponding to locations on the drum, in which the jumper portions are not formed and which allow the predetermined detection light of the round plate to pass through them,
- a light emitting portion of the circular plate that emits detection light of the circular plate in the direction of the circular plate; and
a light receiving portion of the round plate that receives detection light of the round plate through the round plate; and
the controller determines the positions in which jumper portions are formed on the drum based on the result of receiving light for the detection light of the round plate. 4. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit comprises a plurality of light emitting portions that emit detection light, and a plurality of light receiving portions that receive detection light, and transmits a plurality of detection light rays through all portions of the open hole in parallel. 5. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit comprises one light emitting portion that emits detection light, one light receiving portion that receives detection light, and a plurality of mirrors that reflect the detection light, and uses the light receiving portion to receive detection light emitted by the light-emitting portion after the detection light has passed through all portions of the open hole upon sequential reflection by the mirrors. 6. The media processing device according to claim 1, in which the equation N≥4πR / S is satisfied, where S is the length of the medium in the circumferential direction, R is the radius of the drum and N is the number of sections of the jumper in the circumferential direction of the drum. 7. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the drum is formed with portions of a groove located respectively on two sides of the location of the winder where the tape is wound, and contains guide plates that guide the carrier in both end portions in a widthwise direction along the central shaft ; and the jumper sections satisfy the condition W1 <B-C, where B is the length of the carrier in the direction along the central shaft, C is the length of the tape in the direction along the central shaft, and W1 is the interval from the guide plate to the location of the light emitting detection in the nearest of the groove sections. 8. The media processing device according to claim 7, in which the jumper portions satisfy the condition C <W2 <B, where W2 is the interval between the locations of the light emitting detection in the portions of the grooves respectively formed on two sides of the location of the tape winding.

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