Media processing equipment

Abstract

Ensure that the media can be captured in the appropriate state. [Solution] The control unit of the media processing device moves the blocking portion to a first position, and then transports the media by the transport roller, causing the media to abut against the blocking portion to align the media. After that, with the blocking portion moved to a second position, the aligning media is transported by the transport roller. The control unit also controls the pressing force change unit so that when the blocking portion is in the first position and when the blocking portion is in the second position, both or either the pressing force applied by the opposing roller facing the transport roller against one side of the media and the pressing force applied by the transport roller against the other side of the media are changed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium processing apparatus. [Background Art]

[0002] One type of medium processing apparatus is a banknote processing apparatus that handles banknotes. A conventional banknote processing apparatus comprises: a deposit / withdrawal unit that transfers banknotes between the apparatus and a user; a conveyance unit that conveys banknotes; a discrimination unit that discriminates the denomination and authenticity of banknotes; and a storage that stores banknotes for each denomination (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Inside such a banknote processing apparatus, for example, conveyance and stacking are performed with the short sides of banknotes oriented parallel to the conveyance direction. If the short side of a banknote is greatly inclined relative to the conveyance direction, there is a risk of causing failures such as jamming.

[0004] For this reason, some conventional banknote processing apparatuses have an aligner mechanism for taking in banknotes inserted into a deposit slot after aligning them in an proper orientation. In the aligner mechanism, for example, with an obstacle protruding into the banknote conveyance path so as to block the conveyance path, the conveyance roller conveys the banknote, which is nipped between the conveyance roller and a counter roller, toward the obstacle, and the long side of the banknote is abutted against the obstacle, thereby aligning the banknote in the proper orientation. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023-102019 (Figure 2) [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] However, conventional aligner mechanisms transport banknotes by holding them between a transport roller and an opposing roller. Therefore, if the pressure applied by the transport roller and opposing roller to the banknotes during the banknote alignment process is too strong, the banknotes cannot be turned even when they come into contact with an obstacle, and thus cannot be aligned in the correct orientation. Furthermore, if the pressure is too strong, the force with which the banknotes come into contact with the obstacle may be too strong, potentially causing deformation or damage to the part of the banknote that is in contact with the obstacle.

[0007] On the other hand, conventional aligner mechanisms have weak pressing forces on the transport rollers and opposing rollers in order to satisfactorily perform the alignment function. As a result, they may not be able to obtain adequate transport force when transporting and taking in aligned banknotes, which could lead to a decrease in transport capacity.

[0008] This invention was made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a media processing apparatus that can capture media in an appropriate state. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, the media processing apparatus of the present invention includes, in a transport path through which a sheet of paper-shaped medium is transported in the transport direction, a first guide facing one surface of the medium, a second guide facing the other surface of the medium opposite to the one surface in the transport path, a transport roller provided on the second guide that rotates in contact with the other surface of the medium to transport the medium in the transport direction, a counter roller provided on the first guide at a position opposite to the transport roller that contacts one surface of the medium and clamps the medium between itself and the transport roller, and a blocking portion provided downstream of the transport roller in the transport path in the transport direction, which is movable between a first position that blocks the transport path and a second position that opens the transport path. The system includes a pressure changing unit that changes both or one of the pressure applied by the opposing roller against one side of the medium and the pressure applied by the conveying roller against the other side of the medium, and a control unit that controls the rotation of the conveying roller, the movement of the blocking unit, and the operation of the pressure changing unit. The control unit moves the blocking unit to the first position, conveys the medium with the conveying roller to bring the medium against the blocking unit and align the medium, then moves the blocking unit to the second position, and conveys the aligned medium with the conveying roller. The control unit also controls the pressure changing unit so that both or one of the pressure applied by the opposing roller against one side of the medium and the pressure applied by the conveying roller against the other side of the medium are changed depending on whether the blocking unit is in the first position or the second position.

[0010] The present invention allows for obtaining appropriate pressing forces during media alignment and media intake by changing both or one of the pressing forces applied by the transport rollers and the pressing forces applied by the opposing rollers when the media is brought into contact with the blocking section to align it, and when the aligned media is transported and taken in. In this way, the present invention can align the media in the correct orientation without deforming or damaging it, and can reliably transport the aligned media. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, a media processing apparatus capable of capturing a medium in an appropriate state can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a cash processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing a part of the external configuration of a banknote processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a left side view showing the configuration of the deposit section according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a plan view showing the configuration of the deposit unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a left side view showing a state where the deposit port guide of the deposit unit according to the first embodiment is rotated to a weak pressing force position. [Figure 6] It is a left side view showing a state where the deposit port guide of the deposit unit according to the first embodiment is rotated to a closed position. [Figure 7] It is a left side view showing the configuration of the deposit unit according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] It is an enlarged view enlarging a part of the deposit unit shown in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] It is a left side view showing a state where the deposit port guide of the deposit unit according to the third embodiment is rotated to a weak pressing force position. [Figure 10] It is a left side view showing a state where the deposit port guide of the deposit unit according to the third embodiment is rotated to a closed position. [Figure 11] It is a left side view showing a state where the blocking lever of the deposit unit according to the fourth embodiment is rotated to a blocking position. [Figure 12] It is a left side view showing a state where the blocking lever of the deposit unit according to the fourth embodiment is rotated to an advance allowing position. [Figure 13] It is a left side view showing a state where the blocking lever of the deposit unit according to the fifth embodiment is rotated to a blocking position. [Figure 14] It is a left side view showing a state where the blocking lever of the deposit unit according to the fifth embodiment is rotated to an advance allowing position. [Figure 15] It is a left side view showing the configuration of the banknote processing unit according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 16] It is a left side view showing a configuration similar to that of the banknote processing unit according to the sixth embodiment. [Figure 17] It is a left side view showing the configuration of a cover provided in a deposit unit according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Configuration of Cash Processing Apparatus] As shown in the schematic external view in FIG. 1, the cash processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has an overall control device 3, a banknote processing device 5, and a coin processing device 6 incorporated in a housing 2, and a display operation unit 8 is provided on the upper side thereof.

[0015] This cash processing apparatus 1 is operated by staff of a retail store, the customer, or the like (hereinafter also referred to as a user) when, for example, the customer settles payment for products to be purchased at a checkout counter (a so-called register) of a retail store such as a supermarket or a convenience store. In the following description, the side facing the user and the opposite side are defined as the front surface and the rear surface, respectively, and left, right, top, and bottom are defined as viewed from the user.

[0016] The overall control device 3 is mainly configured by a CPU (Central Processing Unit, not shown in the drawings), and comprehensively controls the cash processing apparatus 1 and performs various processes such as deposit transaction and withdrawal transaction by reading and executing various programs such as a change dispensing program from a change storage unit (not shown in the drawings) that stores various types of information.

[0017] The banknote processing device 5 is a section that performs various processes related to banknotes. It delivers and receives banknotes to and from the user, performs authentication processing, counting processing and the like on the banknotes, and stores the banknotes separately by denomination. The coin processing device 6 is a section that performs various processes related to coins. It delivers and receives coins to and from the user, performs authentication processing, counting processing and the like on the coins, and stores the coins separately by denomination.

[0018] The display operation unit 8 is configured as a touch panel, comprising a display unit, such as a liquid crystal display, and an operation unit, such as a touch sensor, which is superimposed on the liquid crystal display. The display operation unit 8 displays various information on the liquid crystal display and detects operation instructions from the user using the touch sensor, and notifies the central control unit 3.

[0019] [1-2. Configuration of a banknote processing device] As shown in Figure 1, the banknote processing device 5 is mostly covered by a box-shaped banknote processing device housing 10, and various mechanisms are incorporated inside it.

[0020] The banknote processing device housing 10 is configured as a relatively long rectangular parallelepiped in the vertical direction. As shown in Figure 2, which is an enlarged view of the upper front of the banknote processing device housing 10, the portion extending from the front to the top of the upper front is open, and the deposit section 12 and the dispensing section 13, which will be described later, are exposed through this open portion.

[0021] Inside the banknote processing device housing 10, in addition to the banknote control unit 11, deposit unit 12, and dispensing unit 13, there are also a transport unit (not shown), an authentication unit, and multiple banknote storage compartments.

[0022] The banknote control unit 11 is the part that comprehensively controls the entire banknote processing device 5. This banknote control unit 11 is mainly composed of a CPU (not shown) and performs various processes such as deposit and withdrawal processing by reading predetermined programs from ROM (Read Only Memory) and flash memory (not shown) and executing them. The banknote control unit 11 also has a storage unit inside, which consists of RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, and flash memory, and stores various information in this storage unit.

[0023] The deposit section 12 is located at the front upper end of the banknote processing device housing 10, and is the part into which one or more banknotes (BL) (see Figure 2) are inserted by the user. When banknotes are inserted by the user in the direction of the arrow Y1 shown in Figure 2, the deposit section 12 separates the inserted banknotes one by one, takes them in, and hands them over to the transport section at the rear (details will be described later).

[0024] The dispensing section 13 is located below the deposit section 12 within the banknote processing device housing 10, and stores banknotes that are returned as banknotes that cannot be deposited during the deposit process, or banknotes that are to be dispensed during the dispensing process, and makes them available to the user.

[0025] The transport unit consists of transport guides (not shown), transport rollers, transport belts, and transport motors, and transports banknotes along a transport path formed to connect the various parts. The authentication unit authenticates the denomination, degree of damage, and authenticity of the banknotes. The banknote control unit 11 appropriately determines the destination of the banknotes based on the authentication results from the authentication unit. The banknote storage unit receives the banknotes transported by the transport unit, stores them internally, separates the stored banknotes one by one, and hands them over to the transport unit.

[0026] Incidentally, each part of the banknote processing device 5, namely the deposit unit 12 and the transport unit, etc., is configured on the premise that the banknotes will be transported in the correct orientation, with the short side of the banknote parallel to the transport direction, as shown in Figure 2. For this reason, the banknote processing device 5 has an aligner mechanism for taking in banknotes inserted into the deposit unit 12 in the correct orientation (i.e., with the short side parallel to the transport direction). The aligner mechanism will be described in more detail later.

[0027] Furthermore, the banknote processing device 5 has a margin provided for the correct orientation, and the correct orientation is defined as being within a predetermined angular range (for example, within ±3° or within +2mm in distance) based on the orientation in which the short side of the banknote is parallel to the transport direction. In other words, the correct orientation of a banknote in the banknote processing device 5 is the orientation in which the short side of the banknote is approximately parallel to the transport direction. In the banknote processing device 5, if the banknotes are aligned in this correct orientation, they can be transported smoothly without causing jams or other problems due to the orientation of the banknotes.

[0028] [1-3. Configuration of the deposit section] Next, the configuration of the deposit section 12 will be explained with reference to Figure 3, etc. Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing the deposit section 12 as seen from the left side. For the sake of explanation, some parts are omitted or simplified in Figure 3, or their cross-sections are shown to illustrate the internal structure and the relationships between the parts. The same applies to the following figures.

[0029] In this deposit section 12, a deposit transport path W12 is formed along a direction that is slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal, such that the rear side is pulled down relative to the front side. Various components are arranged above and below this deposit transport path W12. Figure 4 is a schematic plan view showing the portion of the deposit section 12 below the deposit transport path W12 as seen from above.

[0030] The deposit transport path W12 represents the path for transporting banknotes, and it is assumed that banknotes inserted by the user at the front will be transported from the front towards the rear and downward. For this reason, below, the rear and downward direction will also be referred to as the transport direction, the opposite front and upward direction will also be referred to as the reverse transport direction, and the left and right directions perpendicular to the transport direction will also be referred to as the width direction. Furthermore, the front and upper side of the deposit transport path W12 will also be referred to as the upstream side, and the rear and lower side will also be referred to as the downstream side.

[0031] In the deposit section 12, it is assumed that banknotes, which are a sheet of paper and rectangular in shape, will be inserted by the user with their long sides generally facing forward and backward, their short sides generally facing left and right, and their paper faces generally facing upward and downward. When banknotes are inserted in the orientation assumed by the user, the deposit section 12 uses an aligner mechanism (described later) to align the banknotes so that their short sides are approximately parallel to the transport direction, and then transports each banknote along the deposit transport path W12 to collect them.

[0032] Furthermore, in the deposit section 12, each part provided within the deposit transport path W12 is configured to be approximately symmetrical with respect to a virtual center line LV1 (Figure 4), which is a virtual center line in the left-right direction.

[0033] [1-3-1. Structure of each guide] In the deposit section 12, a deposit floor guide 21 is provided below the deposit transport path W12, and a deposit upper guide 22 and a deposit slot guide 23 are provided above the deposit transport path W12. In other words, in the deposit section 12, the space formed between the deposit floor guide 21 and the deposit upper guide 22 and deposit slot guide 23 constitutes the deposit transport path W12.

[0034] The deposit floor guide 21 has an upper surface, the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S, which is generally flat, but a part of it is curved. The front part of the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S is designed to support the banknotes inserted (i.e., deposited) by the user, and faces one side of the banknote (i.e., the bottom side).

[0035] The deposit floor guide 21 incorporates multiple rollers, optical sensors, and other components (details will be provided later). As shown in Figure 4, the top surface 21S of the deposit floor guide is appropriately provided with holes for exposing parts of the various rollers (described later) and holes for passing various detection lights.

[0036] The deposit upper guide 22 is positioned opposite the rear portion of the deposit floor guide 21, with the deposit transport path W12 in between. The deposit upper guide lower surface 22S, which is the lower surface of the deposit upper guide 22, is generally flat, but is curved as appropriate so that it is separated from the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S by a nearly constant distance.

[0037] The deposit upper guide 22 incorporates multiple rollers and optical sensors, similar to the deposit floor guide 21 (details will be provided later). The lower surface 22S of the deposit upper guide, similar to the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide, is appropriately provided with holes for exposing parts of the various rollers (described later) and holes for passing various detection lights. Furthermore, the front surface of the deposit upper guide 22 has a portion formed in a generally vertical plane, and is appropriately provided with holes for inserting the protrusion 23H (described later) located on the rear side of the deposit slot guide 23, and holes for passing various detection lights.

[0038] The deposit slot guide 23 has a shape such that, in terms of its overall vertical length, the front side is shorter (thinner) than the rear side, that is, it is roughly wedge-shaped when viewed from the left-right direction, and is positioned in front of the deposit upper guide 22. In the following, the portion of the deposit slot guide 23 facing the deposit floor guide 21 in the state shown in Figure 3 will be referred to as the deposit slot guide surface 23S. This deposit slot guide surface 23S is generally flat and planar, and is almost parallel to the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S.

[0039] In the following, the gap formed between the front end of the deposit slot guide 23 and the deposit floor guide 21, that is, the part that is at the very front (upstream) of the deposit transport path W12, will be referred to as the inlet section 12N.

[0040] The deposit slot guide 23 incorporates multiple rollers, optical components, and other elements (details will be provided later). The deposit slot guide surface 23S is also appropriately provided with holes to expose parts of the various rollers (details will be provided later) and holes to allow various detection lights to pass through.

[0041] Furthermore, a projection 23H is provided at the center of the vertical direction on the rear side of the deposit slot guide 23, and this projection 23H is inserted into the deposit upper guide 22. In addition, the tip of the projection 23H of the deposit slot guide 23 is rotatably supported by a deposit slot guide pivot shaft X23 provided in the deposit upper guide 22, so that the deposit slot guide as a whole can rotate (i.e., move) in the direction away from and towards the deposit floor guide 21 around the deposit slot guide pivot shaft X23.

[0042] Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the deposit slot guide 23 is rotatable between a closed position in which the deposit slot guide surface 23S is approximately parallel to the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S, and an open position (where the deposit slot guide surface 23S is perpendicular to the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S) which is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the closed position in the figure.

[0043] Furthermore, a sector-shaped gear 23G is attached to the tip of the protrusion 23H of the deposit slot guide 23. This sector-shaped gear 23G is mounted so that its center of rotation coincides with the deposit slot guide pivot axis X23.

[0044] On the other hand, a motor 60 is incorporated inside the deposit upper guide 22 behind the deposit slot guide pivot shaft X23, and the shaft of this motor 60 and the sector gear 23G of the deposit slot guide 23 are driven together via a circular gear 61.

[0045] As a result, the deposit unit 12 can drive the motor 60 to rotate the deposit slot guide 23 to any rotational position between the closed position and the open position. The drive control of the motor 60 is performed, for example, by the banknote control unit 11. In the following, the configuration of each part will be explained, focusing on the case when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position (Figure 3).

[0046] In the deposit section 12, it is assumed that a relatively small number of banknotes, approximately 10 or less, will be inserted from the entrance section 12N with the deposit slot guide 23 in the closed position (Figure 3).

[0047] The side guides 24L and 24R (Figure 4) are provided on the left and right sides of the deposit floor guide 21, deposit upper guide 22, and deposit slot guide 23, respectively, and restrict the range of movement of banknotes in the left-right direction as they are transported within the deposit transport path W12. In other words, the side guides 24L and 24R (hereinafter collectively referred to as side guides 24) define the range of the deposit transport path W12 in the left-right direction.

[0048] [1-3-2. Configuration and arrangement of each roller] As shown in Figure 3, the deposit section 12 is equipped with four types of rollers: a picker roller 25, a picker opposing roller 26, a feed roller 27, and a feed opposing roller 28, which are located on the lower and upper sides of the deposit conveying path W12.

[0049] The Pikka Roller 25 is incorporated inside the deposit floor guide 21, at a location below the deposit slot guide 23. The Pikka Roller 25 is formed in a cylindrical or disc shape with its central axis aligned in the left-right direction, and a high-friction member with relatively high frictional force is attached only to a portion of its outer circumference.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4, the deposit section 12 has a total of four picker rollers 25 scattered within approximately one-third of the central area in the left-right direction. Each picker roller 25 is inserted through its central portion onto a long, slender cylindrical or rod-shaped picker roller rotation shaft X25 that runs in the left-right direction.

[0051] The picker roller rotation axis X25 is supported by the deposit floor guide 21 so that it can rotate freely and rotates together with the four picker rollers 25. In addition, only a portion of the vicinity of the upper end of each picker roller 25 protrudes above the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide.

[0052] The picker opposing roller 26 is incorporated inside the deposit slot guide 23, above the picker roller 25, and in a position opposite to the picker roller 25. In addition, the deposit section 12 is provided with four picker opposing rollers 26 at four locations, each separated to the left and right, opposite to the four picker rollers 25.

[0053] Each picker opposing roller 26 is inserted through a slender cylindrical or rod-shaped picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 that runs in the left-right direction at its central portion, and is capable of freely rotating relative to the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. In addition, only a portion of the lower end of each picker opposing roller 26 protrudes below the deposit slot guide surface 23S.

[0054] Furthermore, the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 is supported by a bearing portion 23B that is long in a generally vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as the direction perpendicular to the guide surface) perpendicular to the deposit slot guide surface 23S, allowing it to rotate and move in the direction perpendicular to the guide surface. A spring S26 is inserted within the bearing portion 23B between the upper end of the bearing portion 23B and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. One end of the spring S26, the upper end, is fixed to the upper end of the bearing portion 23B, and the other end, the lower end, is fixed to the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26.

[0055] In the deposit section 12, when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position shown in Figure 3, the spring S26 is compressed, biasing the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26 toward the picker roller 25. As a result, in the deposit section 12, when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position, the picker opposing roller 26 comes into contact with the picker roller 25 within the deposit transport path W12. Also in the deposit section 12, when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position and there are banknotes in the deposit transport path W12, the picker opposing roller 26 presses against the top surface of the banknote (the top banknote if there are multiple banknotes), thereby gripping the banknote between the picker roller 25 and the picker opposing roller 26.

[0056] Furthermore, as the deposit slot guide 23 is rotated counterclockwise from the closed position to open it, the deposit slot guide 23 moves away from the deposit floor guide 21, and as the amount of the picker opposing roller 26, which is biased by the spring S26, protrudes from the deposit slot guide surface 23S increases, the spring S26 also stretches.

[0057] As the spring S26 extends in this way, the pressing force exerted by the picker opposing roller 26 against the top surface of the banknote weakens. When the deposit slot guide 23 is rotated to the position where the spring S26 reaches its natural length, the biasing force applied by the spring S26 to the picker opposing roller 26 disappears. In other words, at this point, the top surface of the banknote is subjected to a pressing force mainly due to the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26. If the deposit slot guide 23 is rotated further from here, the picker opposing roller 26 moves away from the top surface of the banknote.

[0058] Furthermore, in the deposit section 12, the bearing section 23B restricts the movement of the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 in the direction perpendicular to the guide surface, thereby restricting the movement of the picker opposing roller 26 in the direction perpendicular to the guide surface.

[0059] Specifically, the picker opposing roller 26 is restricted from moving generally downward so that, for example, once it has protruded from the deposit slot guide surface 23S to a predetermined length slightly longer than its natural length, it will not protrude any further. In addition, the picker opposing roller 26 is restricted from moving generally upward so that, for example, the entire roller does not enter the deposit slot guide 23 (i.e., at least a portion of its lower end protrudes below the deposit slot guide surface 23S).

[0060] The feed roller 27 is incorporated inside the deposit floor guide 21, behind the picker roller 25. The feed roller 27 is formed in a cylindrical shape with its central axis aligned in the left-right direction, and, like the picker roller 25, a high-friction member is attached only to a portion of its outer circumference.

[0061] As shown in Figure 4, the deposit section 12 has two feed rollers 27 spaced apart within approximately one-third of the central area in the left-right direction. Each feed roller 27 is inserted through its central portion onto an elongated cylindrical or rod-shaped feed roller rotation shaft X27 that runs in the left-right direction.

[0062] The feed roller rotation axis X27, like the picker roller rotation axis X25, is supported by the deposit floor guide 21 so that it can rotate freely and rotates together with the two feed rollers 27. Also, like the picker roller 25, only a portion of each feed roller 27 near its upper end protrudes above the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide.

[0063] The feed opposing roller 28 is incorporated inside the deposit upper guide 22, above the feed roller 27, and in a position opposite to the feed roller 27. In addition, the deposit section 12 is provided with two feed opposing rollers 28 at two locations spaced apart in the left-right direction, opposite each of the two feed rollers 27.

[0064] Each feed opposing roller 28 is inserted through its central portion onto an elongated cylindrical or rod-shaped feed opposing roller rotation shaft X28 that runs in the left-right direction. The feed opposing roller rotation shaft X28 is supported by the deposit upper guide 22 so as to be able to rotate freely and rotates together with the two feed opposing rollers 28. In addition, only a portion of the lower end of each feed opposing roller 28 protrudes below the lower surface 22S of the deposit upper guide.

[0065] Therefore, in the deposit section 12, the feed opposing roller 28 is brought into contact with or very close to the feed roller 27 within the deposit transport path W12, so that if there is a banknote in the deposit transport path W12, the banknote can be held between the feed roller 27 and the feed opposing roller 28.

[0066] Furthermore, the deposit section 12 incorporates, for example, a deposit drive unit (not shown) consisting of a motor inside the deposit floor guide 21, and transmits the driving force of the deposit drive unit to the picker roller rotation shaft X25 and the feed roller rotation shaft X27, respectively, via a transmission mechanism (not shown) consisting of multiple gears.

[0067] When the deposit unit 12 transports banknotes in the transport direction using the picker roller 25, etc., it drives the deposit drive unit based on the control of the banknote control unit 11 (Figure 2), thereby rotating the picker roller 25 and the feed roller 27 in the counterclockwise direction as shown in Figure 3.

[0068] [1-3-3. Configuration and arrangement of the blocking lever] In addition to these configurations, the deposit section 12 (Figure 3) is provided with three blockage levers 30 (30A, 30B, 30C) as the aforementioned aligner mechanism, located at three points separated in the left-right direction within the deposit floor guide 21.

[0069] As shown in Figure 4, the left-side blocking lever 30A is located slightly to the left of the feed roller 27 and the picker roller 25 in the left-right direction. In other words, when viewed from the virtual center line LV1, which is a virtual center line in the left-right direction, the blocking lever 30A is located outside (i.e., farther away from) the feed roller 27 and the picker roller 25.

[0070] The central blocking lever 30B is located on the virtual centerline LV1, that is, between the two feed rollers 27. The right-side blocking lever 30C is positioned symmetrically to the blocking lever 30A, with the virtual centerline LV1 as the axis of symmetry.

[0071] Furthermore, the blocking levers 30A, 30B, and 30C are constructed similarly to each other, differing only in their position in the left-right direction. For this reason, they will be described collectively as the blocking lever 30 below.

[0072] As shown in Figure 3, the blocking lever 30 has a shape like a long, slender rectangular bar curved into an arc (a semicircular arc), and is incorporated inside the deposit floor guide 21 with one end in the longitudinal direction facing forward and the other end facing backward, bulging downward. In the following, the front end of the blocking lever 30 will be referred to as the base and the rear end as the tip.

[0073] As shown in Figure 4, three holes are provided on the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide, slightly forward of the feed roller rotation axis X27, for inserting the tip (rear end) of the blocking lever 30, with a portion of the tip protruding above the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide, i.e., into the deposit transport path W12 (Figure 3).

[0074] In the following, the points on the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide (Figure 4) where the blocking levers 30A, 30B, and 30C protrude into the deposit transport path W12 will be referred to as blocking points P30A, P30B, and P30C, respectively, and these will be collectively referred to as blocking point P30.

[0075] Furthermore, the blocking lever 30 is provided with a pivot shaft 34 at its base, and can rotate within a relatively narrow range around this pivot shaft 34, thereby displacing its tip in a generally vertical direction.

[0076] Specifically, when the blocking lever 30 is rotated to its maximum extent clockwise as shown in Figure 3, a portion of its tip protrudes above the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide and the deposit slot guide surface 23S, as shown in Figure 3, blocking the movement of banknotes within the deposit transport path W12. Hereinafter, this position will be referred to as the blocking point. In other words, at this point, the blocking lever 30 blocks the deposit transport path W12 at the blocking point P30.

[0077] On the other hand, when the blocking lever 30 is rotated as far as it will be in the counterclockwise direction as shown in Figure 3, its tip is retracted below the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide, as shown in Figure 6, and it is in a position that does not obstruct the movement of banknotes within the deposit transport path W12. Hereafter, this position will be referred to as the movement-allowing position. In other words, at this time, the blocking lever 30 is in a state that opens the deposit transport path W12.

[0078] Furthermore, the deposit section 12 incorporates, for example, a blockage drive unit 62, which is composed of a motor or the like, inside the deposit floor guide 21, and transmits the driving force of the blockage drive unit 62 to the blockage lever 30 via a transmission mechanism (not shown) composed of multiple gears or the like.

[0079] The deposit unit 12 rotates the blocking lever 30 to the blocking position or the allowable position by driving the blocking drive unit 62 based on the control of the banknote control unit 11 (Figure 2).

[0080] Furthermore, the blocking lever 30 is positioned such that, for example, even if the smallest banknote among those handled by the banknote processing device 5 (referred to as the smallest banknote to be handled) is mistakenly inserted with its long side parallel to the transport direction, the short side of the smallest banknote to be handled will hit it and block it.

[0081] In the deposit section 12, if the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position (Figure 3), the blocking lever 30 is rotated in advance to the blocking position (Figure 3) to block newly inserted banknotes. Then, with the blocking lever 30 in the blocking position, the deposit section 12 rotates the picker roller 25 to transport the inserted banknotes while they are held between the picker roller 25 and the picker opposing roller 26, and brings them against the blocking lever 30.

[0082] In this way, the deposit unit 12 is able to align the inserted banknotes in the correct orientation along the blocking lever 30 by pressing them against the blocking lever 30. Subsequently, when the deposit unit 12 determines that the banknotes are aligned in the correct orientation and can be taken in by the sensors described later, it rotates the blocking lever 30 to the permissible position (Figure 6) and takes in the banknotes (details will be described later).

[0083] [1-3-4. Configuration and placement of each sensor] Furthermore, the deposit section 12 is equipped with a withdrawal monitoring sensor 40, three insertion detection sensors 50 (50A, 50B, 50C), etc. The configuration and arrangement of each of these sensors, as well as their respective roles, will be described below.

[0084] [1-3-4-1. Configuration and placement of incoming monitoring sensors] The receiving sensor 40 (Figure 3) consists of a light-emitting unit 41 and a light-receiving unit 43 located within the deposit floor guide 21, and a prism 42 located within the deposit slot guide 23. The light-emitting unit 41 is located in front of the picker roller rotation axis X25 within the deposit floor guide 21, and slightly to the left of the center in the left-right direction, and emits detection light diagonally upward and backward.

[0085] This detection light passes through a through-hole provided on the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide and a through-hole provided on the deposit slot guide surface 23S, respectively, and enters the prism 42. Hereinafter, the location of the said through-hole provided on the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide will be referred to as the deposit monitoring location P40A (Figure 4).

[0086] The prism 42 is configured as a rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the left-right direction. It reflects the detection light incident on its left end and directs it to the right end, and then reflects the detection light that has proceeded to the right end and directs it diagonally downward from the right end. In this way, the detection light reflected by the prism 42 passes through the through holes provided in the deposit slot guide surface 23S and the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S, respectively, and proceeds into the deposit floor guide 21. Hereinafter, the location of the through hole provided in the deposit floor guide upper surface 21S will be referred to as the deposit monitoring location P40B (Figure 4).

[0087] The light receiving unit 43 is located in front of the pick-up roller rotation axis X25 within the deposit floor guide 21, and slightly to the right of the center in the left-right direction, and receives the detection light reflected by the prism 42. The light receiving unit 43 also generates a light receiving signal according to the amount of light of the received detection light and notifies the banknote control unit 11 of this signal.

[0088] In response, the banknote control unit 11 determines that the detected light has been blocked at at least one of the incoming monitoring locations P40A and P40B if the signal level of the received light signal is below a predetermined threshold, and recognizes that a portion of the banknote is located at at least one of the incoming monitoring locations P40A and P40B. Hereinafter, the state in the incoming monitoring sensor 40 where the detected light is blocked and the signal level of the received light signal is below a predetermined threshold will be expressed as "on," and conversely, the state where the detected light is not blocked will be expressed as "off." The same expression will be used for each of the other sensors.

[0089] In the deposit section 12, based on the control of the banknote control unit 11, when the pull-in monitoring sensor 40 is turned on while no banknotes have been deposited and the Piccara Roller 25 etc. are stationary, it is recognized that a new banknote has been inserted into the entrance section 12N by the user.

[0090] [1-3-4-2. Configuration and arrangement of insertion detection sensors] The three insertion detection sensors 50 (50A, 50B, and 50C) are configured similarly to each other and are installed at three locations separated from each other in the left-right direction. Hereafter, the insertion detection sensors 50 will also be simply referred to as the detection unit.

[0091] The left insertion detection sensor 50A is positioned slightly to the left of the feed roller 27, picker roller 25, and blocking lever 30A in the left-right direction. In other words, the insertion detection sensor 50A is located outside (i.e., farther away from) the feed roller 27, picker roller 25, and blocking lever 30A when viewed from the virtual center line LV1 in the left-right direction.

[0092] The central insertion detection sensor 50B is located on the virtual center line LV1 in the left-right direction, that is, between the two feed rollers 27. The right-side insertion detection sensor 50C is positioned symmetrically to the insertion detection sensor 50A with respect to the virtual center line LV1 as the axis of symmetry.

[0093] Furthermore, the insertion detection sensors 50A, 50B, and 50C are configured similarly to each other, differing only in their position in the left-right direction. For this reason, they will be described collectively as the insertion detection sensor 50 below.

[0094] The insertion detection sensor 50 consists of a light-emitting unit 51 located inside the deposit floor guide 21 and a light-receiving unit 52 located inside the deposit upper guide 22. The light-emitting unit 51 is positioned in front of the feed roller rotation axis X27 within the deposit floor guide 21 and, like the light-emitting unit 41 of the retraction monitoring sensor 40, emits detection light in a diagonally upward and rearward direction.

[0095] This detection light passes through a passage hole provided on the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide and travels through the deposit transport path W12. Hereinafter, the location of the passage hole provided on the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide will be referred to as the insertion detection location P50 (P50A, P50B, and P50C).

[0096] Next, the detection light passes through a passage hole provided on the front of the deposit upper guide and enters the light receiving unit 52 provided inside the deposit upper guide 22, where it is received. The light receiving unit 52, like the light receiving unit 43 of the retraction monitoring sensor 40, generates a light receiving signal corresponding to the amount of light of the received detection light and notifies the banknote control unit 11 of this signal.

[0097] In response, the banknote control unit 11 determines, for example, that the detection light has been blocked at insertion detection point P50A if the signal level of the received light signal notified from insertion detection sensor 50A is below a predetermined threshold (on), and recognizes that a portion of the banknote is located at insertion detection point P50A. The banknote control unit 11 can also independently recognize whether a portion of the banknote is located at insertion detection points P50B and P50C based on the received light signals notified from insertion detection sensors 50B and 50C, respectively.

[0098] These insertion detection points P50A, P50B, and P50C are located between the picker roller 25 and the blocking lever 30 in the transport direction, and are in the vicinity of the blocking lever 30.

[0099] In the deposit section 12, based on the control of the banknote control unit 11, the blocking lever 30 is in the blocked position (Figure 3) and the pick roller 25 etc. are rotating in response to the insertion of banknotes, and the banknote detection status is confirmed by each insertion detection sensor 50.

[0100] Here, if at least two of the three insertion detection sensors 50A, 50B, and 50C, which are spaced apart in the width direction of the deposit transport path W12, are turned on, it is considered that the banknotes are aligned in the correct orientation, with the long side of the banknotes approximately parallel to the width direction of the deposit transport path W12 and the short side of the banknotes approximately parallel to the transport direction. For this reason, when at least two of the insertion detection sensors 50A, 50B, and 50C are turned on, the banknote control unit 11 determines that the banknote detection status is in the alignment complete state, and the deposit unit 12 retracts the blocking lever 30 to the allowable position (Figure 6) and starts taking in the banknotes (details will be described later).

[0101] [1-4. Banknote Collection] Next, the banknote insertion process by the deposit unit 12 will be explained using Figures 3, 5, and 6. Note that the banknote insertion process by the deposit unit 12, as described below, is controlled by the banknote control unit 11.

[0102] First, the deposit unit 12 is stationary (standby) with the deposit slot guide 23 in the closed position and the blocking lever 30 in the blocked position (Figure 3). When a user inserts a banknote BL into the entrance 12N formed between the deposit floor guide 21 and the deposit slot guide 23, the deposit unit 12 detects the insertion of the banknote BL by turning on the insertion monitoring sensor 40.

[0103] When the insertion of a banknote BL is detected, the deposit section 12 drives the motor 60 to rotate the circular gear 61 clockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y2), as shown in Figure 5, thereby rotating the sector gear 23G counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y3). This causes the deposit slot guide 23 to rotate from the closed position counterclockwise (i.e., the opening direction shown by arrow direction Y4) by a predetermined amount. The amount of rotation at this time (i.e., the predetermined amount) is set in advance to the amount by which the spring S26 reaches approximately its natural length.

[0104] Furthermore, the amount of rotation of the deposit slot guide 23 required for the spring S26 to reach its natural length varies slightly depending on the number of banknotes held between the picker roller 25 and the picker opposing roller 26. Also, the natural length of the spring S26 itself changes due to repeated expansion and contraction. For this reason, it is difficult to precisely control the spring S26 to reach its natural length. For these reasons, in this embodiment, it is sufficient that the spring S26 reaches approximately its natural length by rotating the deposit slot guide 23 by a predetermined amount from the closed position.

[0105] In other words, when the deposit slot guide 23 is rotated by a predetermined amount in the opening direction from the closed position, the spring S26 reaches approximately its natural length, and the biasing force applied from the spring S26 to the picker opposing roller 26 becomes almost zero. At this time, in the deposit section 12, the pressing force exerted by the picker opposing roller 26 against the upper surface of the banknote BL becomes weaker compared to when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position. Therefore, in the following, the rotational position of the deposit slot guide 23 at this time (i.e., the rotational position when rotated by a predetermined amount in the opening direction from the closed position) will be referred to as the weak pressing force position.

[0106] In this way, in the deposit section 12, by rotating the deposit slot guide 23 from the closed position to the weak pressure position, the pressure applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the upper surface of the banknote BL can be reduced compared to when it is in the closed position.

[0107] The deposit section 12 then rotates the picker roller 25 counterclockwise in the diagram (arrow direction Y5) while holding the deposit slot guide 23 in a weak pressure position to transport the banknotes BL in the transport direction, and performs an alignment operation to bring the banknotes BL against the blocking lever 30 and align them.

[0108] Here, in the deposit section 12, when the deposit slot guide 23 is in a weak pressure position, the spring S26 and the like are selected so that the pressure applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the upper surface of the banknote BL is suitable for when the banknote BL is brought against the blocking lever 30 to change the orientation of the banknote BL (i.e., when aligning the banknotes).

[0109] Therefore, in the deposit section 12, by holding the deposit slot guide 23 in a position with weak pressure while aligning the banknotes, the banknotes can be aligned in the correct orientation more reliably without deforming or damaging the banknotes due to excessive pressure.

[0110] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 6, the deposit unit 12 terminates its alignment operation when the detection status of the banknotes, as determined from the detection result of the insertion detection sensor 50, indicates that the banknotes BL have been aligned in the correct orientation. The deposit unit 12 then drives the motor 60 to rotate the circular gear 61 counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y6), thereby rotating the sector gear 23G clockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y7), and thereby rotating the deposit slot guide 23 by a predetermined amount clockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y8), from the weak pressure position to the closed position. At this time, the deposit unit 12 also retracts the blocking lever 30 to the allowable position.

[0111] Then, the deposit unit 12, with the deposit slot guide 23 in the closed position, rotates the picker roller 25 and the feed roller 27 in a counterclockwise direction (arrow direction Y5 and arrow direction Y9) in the figure, respectively, to transport the banknotes BL in the transport direction and separates and takes them in one by one.

[0112] Here, when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position, the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 against the top surface of the banknote BL is stronger than when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the weak pressing force position, because the biasing force from the compressed spring S26 is applied to the picker opposing roller 26.

[0113] Furthermore, in the deposit section 12, when the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position, the pressing force applied by the picker-facing roller 26 to the upper surface of the banknote BL is selected to be an appropriate pressing force when transporting and taking in the aligned banknotes BL in the transport direction (i.e., when taking in banknotes).

[0114] Therefore, in the deposit section 12, by performing the banknote BL (Banknote BL) intake operation while holding the deposit slot guide 23 in the closed position, the banknote BL can be transported with appropriate transport force without the pressing force being too weak, making it difficult for the banknote BL to be transported, thus ensuring more reliable intake.

[0115] [1-5. Summary and Effects] As explained above, in the first embodiment, the deposit section 12 of the banknote processing device 5, which is an example of a media processing device, is provided with a deposit transport path W12, which is an example of a transport path through which a banknote, an example of a paper-leaf medium, is transported in the transport direction, and includes a deposit slot guide 23, which is an example of a first guide, facing the upper surface, which is one side of the banknote; a deposit floor guide 21, which is an example of a second guide, facing the lower surface, which is the other side of the banknote, in the deposit transport path W12; a picker roller 25, which is provided on the deposit floor guide 21 and is an example of a transport roller that transports the banknote in the transport direction by rotating in contact with the lower surface of the banknote in the deposit transport path W12; and a picker opposing roller 26, which is provided on the deposit slot guide 23 at a position opposite to the picker roller 25 and is an opposing roller that contacts the upper surface of the banknote in the deposit transport path W12 and holds the banknote between itself and the picker roller 25.

[0116] Furthermore, the deposit section 12 includes a blocking lever 30, which is an example of a blocking part that can move between a blocking position as a first position that blocks the deposit transport path W12 or a position that allows movement as a second position that opens the deposit transport path W12, at a blocking point P30 located downstream of the picker roller 25 in the transport direction of the deposit transport path W12; a motor 60 that moves the deposit slot guide 23 in a direction away from and towards the deposit floor guide 21 as a pressing force changing part that changes the pressing force that the picker opposing roller 26 presses against the top surface of the banknotes; and a banknote control unit 11, which is an example of a control unit that controls the rotation of the picker roller 25, the movement of the blocking lever 30, and the driving of the motor 60 (i.e., the movement of the deposit slot guide 23).

[0117] The banknote control unit 11 then moves the blocking lever 30 to the blocking position, transports the banknotes using the Piccara Roller 25, and aligns the banknotes by making them abut against the blocking lever 30. After that, with the blocking lever 30 moved to the permissible position, the Piccara Roller 25 transports and takes in the aligned banknotes.

[0118] Furthermore, the banknote control unit 11 drives the motor 60 to move the deposit slot guide 23, thereby changing the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes when the blocking lever 30 is moved to the blocking position and when the blocking lever 30 is moved to the allowable position.

[0119] In other words, when the banknote control unit 11 moves the blocking lever 30 to the blocking position to align the banknotes, it moves the deposit slot guide 23 away from the deposit floor guide 21, thereby reducing the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes compared to when the blocking lever 30 is moved to the permissible position to transport and take in the aligned banknotes.

[0120] As a result, the banknote processing device 5 can obtain appropriate pressing force at the picker-facing roller 26 during both banknote alignment, when aligning the banknotes, and during banknote capture, when transporting and taking in the aligned banknotes. In this way, the banknote processing device 5 can align the banknotes in the correct orientation without deforming or damaging them, and can reliably transport the aligned banknotes. Thus, according to the banknote processing device 5 of the first embodiment, banknotes can be taken in an appropriate state.

[0121] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. This second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in a part of the configuration of the deposit unit 12 (specifically, the mechanism that changes the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes). Therefore, the following will mainly describe the parts of the configuration of the deposit unit 12 that differ from the first embodiment. Also, to distinguish it from the first embodiment, the deposit unit 12 of the second embodiment will be referred to as the deposit unit 200.

[0122] [2-1. Configuration of the deposit section] Figure 7 is a schematic side view showing the deposit section 200 as seen from the left side, and the same parts as in the deposit section 12 (Figure 3) of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The explanation of the same parts is omitted.

[0123] This deposit unit 200 omits the fan-shaped gear 23G, motor 60, and circular gear 61 used to rotate the deposit slot guide 23 from the deposit unit 12. Furthermore, the deposit unit 200 is equipped with a locking mechanism (not shown) that can lock (hold) the deposit slot guide 23 in the closed position.

[0124] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, which is an enlarged view of the deposit slot guide 23 and its surrounding area, the deposit section 200 is provided with a bearing section 201 in place of the bearing section 23B, with the upper end of the bearing section 23B open. In addition, a plate-shaped spring restricting guide 202 is fixed to the upper end of the spring S26 in the deposit section 200. Furthermore, an actuator 203 is incorporated into the upper end side of the bearing section 201 in the deposit section 200, and this actuator 203 allows the spring restricting guide 202 to move within the bearing section 201 in a direction perpendicular to the guide surface (direction Y11 of the double arrows).

[0125] In other words, the deposit unit 200 is configured to change the amount of compression (i.e., deformation) of the spring S26 by moving the spring restricting guide 202 in a direction perpendicular to the guide surface using the actuator 203. Specifically, with the deposit slot guide 23 locked in the closed position, the deposit unit 200 can weaken or strengthen the pressing force with which the picker opposing roller 26 presses the upper surface of the banknote BL by moving the spring restricting guide 202 to a position where the spring S26 is approximately at its natural length (i.e., a position where the amount of compression of the spring S26 is almost 0), or to a position where the spring S26 at approximately its natural length is compressed by a predetermined amount. The deposit unit 200 is configured in this way.

[0126] [2-2. Banknote Collection] Next, we will briefly explain the process of receiving banknotes by the deposit unit 200. Note that the banknote receiving process by the deposit unit 200, as described below, is controlled by the banknote control unit 11.

[0127] First, the deposit section 200 is stationary with the deposit slot guide 23 locked in the closed position and the blocking lever 30 in the blocking position (see Figure 7). At this time, the deposit section 200 also has the spring regulating guide 202 in a position where the spring S26 is approximately at its natural length. As mentioned in the first embodiment, it is difficult to precisely control the spring S26 to be at its natural length. Therefore, the position of the spring regulating guide 202 at this time is set to a position where the spring S26 is approximately at its natural length.

[0128] Here, when the deposit unit 200 detects the insertion of a banknote BL by the activation of the pull-in monitoring sensor 40, it rotates the picker roller 25 counterclockwise in the diagram to transport the banknote BL in the transport direction and performs an alignment operation to bring the banknote BL against the blocking lever 30 and align it. At this time, since the spring S26 is approximately at its natural length, the pressing force exerted by the picker opposing roller 26 against the upper surface of the banknote BL is weaker than when the spring S26 is compressed, resulting in a pressing force suitable for aligning the banknotes. Therefore, the deposit unit 200 can more reliably align the banknote BL in the correct orientation without the pressing force being too strong and deforming or damaging the banknote BL.

[0129] Subsequently, when the banknote detection status, as determined from the detection result of the insertion detection sensor 50, is in a state of alignment completion, the deposit unit 200 terminates its alignment operation and moves the spring regulating guide 202 by a predetermined amount toward the lower end of the bearing unit 201, thereby compressing the spring S26 by a predetermined amount.

[0130] In this state, the deposit unit 200 rotates the picker roller 25 and feed roller 27 in a counterclockwise direction in the diagram to transport the banknotes BL in the transport direction, separating and taking them in one by one.

[0131] At this time, the pressing force exerted by the picker opposing roller 26 against the top surface of the banknote BL is stronger than when the spring S26 is at its natural length, resulting in a pressing force suitable for taking in the banknote BL. Therefore, in the deposit section 200, the pressing force is not too weak, making it difficult to transport the banknote BL, and the banknote BL can be transported with an appropriate transport force and taken in more reliably.

[0132] [2-3. Summary and Effects] As explained above, in the second embodiment, the deposit section 200 is equipped with an actuator 203 that changes the amount of compression (deformation) of a spring S26 that biases the picker opposing roller 26 toward the picker roller 25, as a pressing force changing section that changes the pressing force with which the picker opposing roller 26 presses the upper surface of the banknote.

[0133] The banknote control unit 11 then drives the actuator 203 to change the amount of compression of the spring S26 while the deposit slot guide 23 is in the closed position, thereby changing the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes when the blocking lever 30 is moved to the blocking position and when the blocking lever 30 is moved to the allowable position.

[0134] In other words, when the banknote control unit 11 moves the blocking lever 30 to the blocking position to align the banknotes, the actuator 203 reduces the amount of compression of the spring S26 (specifically, reduces the amount of compression to almost zero), thereby weakening the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes compared to when the blocking lever 30 is moved to the allowable position to transport and pick up the aligned banknotes.

[0135] As a result, the deposit unit 200 of the second embodiment can take in banknotes in the appropriate state, similar to the first embodiment. Furthermore, in this second embodiment, even if the deposit slot guide 23 cannot be rotated automatically, as in the deposit unit 200, the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes can be changed. On the other hand, this second embodiment also has the advantage of not causing any discomfort to the user because the deposit slot guide 23 does not rotate when aligning banknotes.

[0136] Furthermore, in the deposit section 200 of the second embodiment, the amount of compression of the spring S26 is changed by the actuator 203, which has the advantages of having fewer moving parts and being less prone to failure, as well as having lower power consumption, compared to the first embodiment.

[0137] [3. Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. This third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in a part of the configuration of the deposit unit 12 (specifically, the mechanism that changes the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes). Therefore, the following will mainly describe the parts of the configuration of the deposit unit 12 that differ from the first embodiment. Also, to distinguish it from the first embodiment, the deposit unit 12 of the third embodiment will be referred to as the deposit unit 300.

[0138] [3-1. Configuration of the deposit section] Figure 9 is a schematic side view showing the deposit section 300 as seen from the left side, and the same parts as in the deposit section 12 (Figure 3) of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The explanation of the same parts is omitted.

[0139] This deposit unit 300 omits the fan-shaped gear 23G, motor 60, and circular gear 61 used to rotate the deposit slot guide 23 from the deposit unit 12.

[0140] Furthermore, the deposit section 300 is provided with a deposit slot guide 301 instead of the deposit slot guide 23. The deposit slot guide 301 differs from the deposit slot guide 23 in that it has a claw portion 302 that protrudes backward at its rear lower end (i.e., below the protruding portion 23H).

[0141] The claw portion 302 is inserted into the deposit upper guide 22, and is positioned so that when the deposit slot guide 301 is in the closed position, the tip of the claw portion 302 is located on the movement trajectory of the tip (rear end) of the blocking lever 30. In other words, as the blocking lever 30 rotates from the permissible movement position (see Figure 10) to the blocking position, the claw portion 302 comes into contact with the tip of the blocking lever 30 as it enters the deposit upper guide 22, and is pushed upward by the tip of the blocking lever 30 until the blocking lever 30 reaches the blocking position.

[0142] As the deposit slot guide 301 rotates from the closed position to the closed position, the tip of the blocking lever 30 pushes the claw portion 302 upward, causing the entire deposit slot guide to rotate a predetermined angle counterclockwise from the closed position around the rotation axis X23 in the figure.

[0143] Furthermore, the deposit section 300 is provided with three blocking levers 30A, 30B, and 30C. However, the claw section 302 only needs to be pushed up by at least one of these three blocking levers 30A, 30B, and 30C. Therefore, there may be three claws in total to match the three blocking levers 30A, 30B, and 30C, or there may be one or two claws.

[0144] Figure 9 shows the rotational position of the deposit slot guide 301 when the blocking lever 30 is rotated to the blocking position, and this rotational position is the same as the position of the deposit slot guide 23 with weak pressure in the first embodiment.

[0145] As shown in Figure 10, when the blocking lever 30 rotates from the blocking position to the allowable position, the tip of the blocking lever 30 comes out of the deposit upper guide 22 and moves away from the claw portion 302, causing the deposit slot guide as a whole to rotate clockwise around the deposit slot guide pivot axis X23 and return to the closed position.

[0146] [3-2. Banknote Collection] The process of receiving banknotes by the deposit section 300 is the same as in the first embodiment, except that the deposit slot guide 301 is rotated by a blocking lever 30 instead of a motor 60, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0147] [3-3. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the third embodiment, in the deposit section 300, when the blocking lever 30 rotates from the allowable position to the blocking position, the blocking lever 30 engages with the deposit slot guide 301 and rotates the deposit slot guide 301 in the direction of opening.

[0148] In other words, in the deposit section 300, the blocking lever 30 is given not only the function of aligning banknotes, but also the function of rotating the deposit slot guide 301 (that is, it functions as a pressure changing unit that rotates the deposit slot guide 301 to change the pressure applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes).

[0149] As a result, in the deposit section 300 of the third embodiment, a dedicated motor for rotating the deposit slot guide 301 is not required, and despite its simple configuration, banknotes can be taken in in an appropriate state, similar to the first embodiment.

[0150] [4. Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. This fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in a part of the configuration of the deposit unit 12 (specifically, the mechanism that changes the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes). Therefore, the following will mainly describe the parts of the configuration of the deposit unit 12 that differ from the first embodiment. Also, to distinguish it from the first embodiment, the deposit unit 12 of the fourth embodiment will be referred to as the deposit unit 400.

[0151] [4-1. Configuration of the deposit section] Figure 11 is a schematic side view showing the deposit section 400 as seen from the left side, and the same parts as in the deposit section 12 (Figure 3) of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanation of the same parts is omitted. Note that in Figure 11, the pull-in monitoring sensor 40 and insertion detection sensor 50 shown in Figure 3 are omitted to avoid making the diagram too complex.

[0152] This deposit section 400 omits the spring S26 that biases the picker opposing roller 26 from the deposit section 12, the fan-shaped gear 23G for rotating the deposit slot guide 23, the motor 60, and the circular gear 61. Furthermore, the deposit section 400 is equipped with a locking mechanism (not shown) that allows the deposit slot guide 23 to be locked (held) in the closed position.

[0153] Furthermore, inside the deposit floor guide 21 of the deposit section 400, a blocking lever 401 is provided instead of the blocking lever 30. This blocking lever 401 consists of a first part 401A, which has a similar shape to the blocking lever 30, and a second part 401B, which branches downward from the front end (root) of the first part 401A. Since the first part 401A has a similar shape to the blocking lever 30, its description is omitted.

[0154] Furthermore, inside the deposit floor guide 21, a motor 402 is incorporated in front of the blocking lever 401, and a link gear 403 is connected to the shaft of this motor 402.

[0155] The second portion 401B of the blocking lever 401 has a hole at its tip, into which a cylindrical shaft 403A protruding from one side of the link gear 403 is inserted, thereby connecting it to the link gear 403.

[0156] As a result, as shown in Figure 11, when the link gear 403 rotates clockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y21) due to the drive of the motor 402, the blocking lever 401 rotates from the permitted position to the closed position, with the second part 401B connected to the link gear 403 being pushed upward. The motor 402 is provided in the deposit section 400 as a replacement for the blocking drive unit 62. When the blocking lever 401 rotates to the closed position, the tip of the first part 401A of the blocking lever 401 protrudes from the deposit floor guide 21 and enters the deposit upper guide 22, reaching behind the lower rear end of the deposit slot guide 23.

[0157] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 12, when the link gear 403 rotates counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y22) due to the drive of the motor 402, the blocking lever 401 rotates from the closed position to the permitted position as the second part 401B connected to the link gear 403 is pulled downward.

[0158] Furthermore, a pressure switching plate 404, a spring 405, and a spring fixing plate 406 are provided inside the deposit slot guide 23 of the deposit section 400. The pressure switching plate 404 is a member formed by bending a long, narrow plate-shaped member into a crank shape, and consists of a front part 404A extending in the front-rear direction, a rear part 404B extending in the front-rear direction, and a central part 404C extending in the vertical direction that connects the rear end of the front part 404A and the front end of the rear part 404B, such that the rear part 404B is one step lower than the front part 404A.

[0159] The pressure switching plate 404 is provided such that the front end of the front portion 404A is located in front of the picker opposing roller 26, the approximate center of the front portion 404A is located above the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26, and the central portion 404C is located behind the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26.

[0160] This pressure switching plate 404 rotates within a relatively narrow range around a pivot shaft 407 provided at the front end of the front part 404A, and as a result, the entire unit can be displaced roughly in the vertical direction.

[0161] Furthermore, a spring fixing plate 406 is provided inside the deposit slot guide 23, above the rear 404B of the pressure switching plate 404. The upper end of the spring 405 is fixed to the spring fixing plate 406, and the lower end is fixed to the rear 404B of the pressure switching plate 404.

[0162] This spring 405 is provided in a compressed state between the spring fixing plate 406 and the rear portion 404B of the pressure switching plate 404, and is designed to bias the rear portion 404B of the pressure switching plate 404 downward by the reaction force.

[0163] Furthermore, the rear end of the rear portion 404B of the pressing switching plate 404 protrudes rearward from below the rear end of the deposit slot guide 23 and is inserted into the deposit upper guide 22, and is positioned on the movement trajectory of the tip of the first portion 401A of the blocking lever 401.

[0164] In other words, the rear portion 404B of the pressing switching plate 404 comes into contact with the tip of the first portion 401A of the blocking lever 401 as it rotates from the permissible position (see Figure 12) to the blocking position, and is pushed upward by the tip of the blocking lever 401 until the blocking lever 401 reaches the blocking position.

[0165] When the blocking lever 401 rotates from the allowable forward position to the blocking position, the rear portion 404B of the pressing switching plate 404 is pushed upward by the tip of the first portion 401A of the blocking lever 401, causing the entire plate to rotate a predetermined angle clockwise around the pivot axis 407 in the figure. At this time, the front portion 404A of the pressing switching plate 404 moves upward away from the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26.

[0166] Furthermore, although the deposit section 400 is provided with three blocking levers 401, the pressure switching plate 404 only needs to be pushed up by at least one of these three blocking levers 401. Therefore, there may be three blocking levers 401, or there may be one or two.

[0167] As shown in Figure 12, when the blocking lever 401 rotates from the blocking position to the allowable position, the rear portion 404B of the pressing switching plate 404 moves away from the tip of the first portion 401A of the blocking lever 401. As a result, the compressed spring 405 biases the rear portion 404B downward (arrow direction Y23), causing the entire plate to rotate counterclockwise around the pivot axis 407 in the figure. At this time, the front portion 404A of the pressing switching plate 404 contacts the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26, pressing the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26 toward the picker roller 25.

[0168] [4-2. Banknote Collection] Next, we will briefly explain the process of receiving banknotes by the deposit unit 400. Note that the banknote receiving process by the deposit unit 400, as described below, is controlled by the banknote control unit 11.

[0169] First, the deposit section 400 is stationary with the deposit slot guide 23 locked in the closed position and the blocking lever 401 in the blocking position (see Figure 11). At this time, the pressure switching plate 404 of the deposit section 400 is separated from the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. Also at this time, the picker opposing roller 26 is in contact with the picker roller 25, and the picker opposing roller 26 and the weight of the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 are pressing against the picker roller 25.

[0170] Here, when the deposit unit 400 detects the insertion of banknotes BL (omitted in Figures 11 and 12) by the activation of the inlet monitoring sensor 40, it rotates the picker roller 25 counterclockwise in the figure to transport the banknotes BL in the transport direction and performs an alignment operation to bring the banknotes BL against the blocking lever 401 and align them. At this time, the picker opposing roller 26 presses against the top surface of the banknotes BL with the pressing force due to the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. The pressing force at this time is a relatively weak pressing force due only to the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26, and is suitable for aligning banknotes. Therefore, the deposit unit 400 can more reliably align the banknotes BL in the correct orientation without the pressing force being too strong and deforming or damaging the banknotes BL.

[0171] Subsequently, when the banknote detection status, as determined from the detection result of the insertion detection sensor 50, is in a state of alignment completion, the deposit unit 400 terminates the alignment operation and rotates the blocking lever 401 from the blocking position to the allowable position (see Figure 12). At this time, as the blocking lever 401 separates from the pressure switching plate 404, the compressed spring 405 biases the pressure switching plate 404 downward (arrow direction Y23), and consequently the pressure switching plate 404 presses the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 toward the picker roller 25. As a result, the picker opposing roller 26 presses the upper surface of the banknote BL.

[0172] In this state, the deposit unit 400 rotates the picker roller 25 and feed roller 27 in a counterclockwise direction in the figure to transport the banknotes BL in the transport direction, separating and taking them in one by one.

[0173] The pressing force exerted by the picker opposing roller 26 against the top surface of the banknote BL at this time is stronger than the pressing force exerted solely by the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 (i.e., the pressing force during banknote alignment), and is suitable for taking in the banknote BL. Therefore, in the deposit section 400, the pressing force is not too weak, making it difficult to transport the banknote BL, and the banknote BL can be transported with an appropriate transport force and taken in more reliably.

[0174] [4-3. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, the deposit section 400 is provided with a pressure switching plate 404 that engages with a blocking lever 401 and is rotatable (i.e., movable) to change the pressing force at which the picker opposing roller 26 presses the upper surface of the banknote, and which presses the picker opposing roller 26 toward the picker roller 25 by the reaction force of a compressed spring 405.

[0175] In other words, in the deposit section 400, the blocking lever 401 is given the function of not only aligning the banknotes, but also the function of engaging with the pressure switching plate 404 and rotating the pressure switching plate 404 (that is, it functions as a pressure changing unit that rotates the pressure switching plate 404 to change the pressure applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes).

[0176] In the deposit section 400, when the banknote control unit 11 moves the blocking lever 401 to the blocking position, the movement of the blocking lever 401 rotates the pressure switching plate 404 to a position away from the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26, thereby preventing the pressure switching plate 404 from pressing against the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26.

[0177] Furthermore, in the deposit section 400, when the banknote control unit 11 moves the blocking lever 401 to the allowable position, the movement of the blocking lever 401 rotates the pressure switching plate 404 to a position where it contacts the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26, so that the pressure switching plate 404 presses the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 with the reaction force of the compressed spring 405.

[0178] Thus, when the deposit section 400 moves the blocking lever 401 to the blocking position to align the banknotes, the pressing switching plate 404 is moved away from the picker opposing roller rotation axis X26. This reduces the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes compared to when the blocking lever 401 is moved to the allowable position to transport and take in the aligned banknotes.

[0179] As a result, in the deposit unit 400 of the fourth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, an appropriate pressing force can be obtained both when aligning banknotes and when taking in banknotes, so that banknotes can be taken in in an appropriate state. Furthermore, in this fourth embodiment, even if the deposit slot guide 23 cannot be rotated automatically, as in the deposit unit 400, the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes can be changed. On the other hand, in this fourth embodiment, since the deposit slot guide 23 does not rotate when aligning banknotes, it has the advantage of not causing any discomfort to the user.

[0180] Furthermore, in the deposit section 400, the driving force of the motor 402 is used to rotate the deposit blocking lever 401 and the pressure switching plate 404. As a result, the deposit section 400 can take in banknotes in the appropriate state, similar to the first embodiment, with a simple configuration, without the need for a dedicated actuator to rotate the pressure switching plate 404.

[0181] Furthermore, a sensor (not shown) for detecting the rotational position of the pressure switching plate 404 may be provided inside the deposit slot guide 23, and the banknote control unit 11 may, based on the detection result of this sensor, detect when the pressure applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes has been switched to a weaker pressure during banknote alignment.

[0182] [5. Fifth Embodiment] Next, the fifth embodiment will be described. In the first to fourth embodiments, the picker opposing roller 26 is biased toward the picker roller 25, thereby changing the pressing force of the picker opposing roller 26. Conversely, in the fifth embodiment, the picker roller 25 is biased toward the picker opposing roller 26, thereby changing the pressing force of the picker roller 25. Therefore, the following will mainly describe the parts of the deposit section 12 that differ from the first embodiment. Also, to distinguish it from the first embodiment, the deposit section 12 of the fifth embodiment will be referred to as the deposit section 500.

[0183] [5-1. Configuration of the deposit section] Figure 13 is a schematic side view showing the deposit section 500 as seen from the left side, and the same parts as in the deposit section 12 (Figure 3) of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Explanation of the same parts is omitted. Note that in Figure 13, the pull-in monitoring sensor 40 and insertion detection sensor 50 shown in Figure 3 are omitted to avoid making the diagram too complex.

[0184] This deposit section 500 omits the spring S26 that biases the picker opposing roller 26 from the deposit section 12, the fan-shaped gear 23G for rotating the deposit slot guide 23, the motor 60, and the circular gear 61. Furthermore, the deposit section 500 is equipped with a locking mechanism (not shown) that allows the deposit slot guide 23 to be locked (held) in the closed position.

[0185] Furthermore, the deposit section 500 has a rotating shaft support section 501 attached to the feed roller rotating shaft X27, which is provided within the deposit floor guide 21, to support the picker roller rotating shaft X25. This rotating shaft support section 501 consists of a first part 501A that extends forward from the feed roller rotating shaft X27 along the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide, and a second part 501B that extends downward from the front end of the first part 501A perpendicular to the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide, and as a whole it has a hook shape like an L that has been rotated after being reversed left and right.

[0186] The rear end of the first part 501A of the rotating shaft support section 501 is rotatably supported by the feed roller rotating shaft X27. In other words, the rotating shaft support section 501 as a whole is rotatable around the feed roller rotating shaft X27. Furthermore, the rotating shaft support section 501 rotatably supports the picker roller rotating shaft X25 at the corner between the first part 501A and the second part 501B. Therefore, when the rotating shaft support section 501 rotates, the picker roller 25 moves along with the picker roller rotating shaft X25 in a direction that is roughly perpendicular to the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide (hereinafter referred to as the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the guide). Strictly speaking, the movement trajectory of the picker roller 25 is arc-shaped, but since the movement trajectory of the picker roller 25 is an arc that is close to a straight line, it is described here as moving in the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the guide.

[0187] Furthermore, the picker roller rotation shaft X25 is rotatably supported by a bearing portion 502 that is long in a generally vertical direction (hereinafter referred to as the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the guide) perpendicular to the upper surface 21S of the deposit floor guide, and its movement in the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the guide is restricted, thereby restricting the movement of the picker roller 25 in the direction perpendicular to the upper surface of the guide. In addition, by restricting the movement of the picker roller rotation shaft X25 in this way, the rotation of the rotation shaft support portion 501 is also restricted.

[0188] Furthermore, a spring 503 is attached to the lower end of the second portion 501B of the rotating shaft support portion 501. The upper end of the spring 503 is fixed to the lower end of the second portion 501B, and the lower end of the other end is fixed to a plate-shaped contact portion 504. The contact portion 504 is the part that comes into contact with the pressing portion 505, which will be described later.

[0189] Furthermore, the deposit portion 500 is provided with a pressing portion 505 below the contact portion 504. This pressing portion 505 is provided on one surface of the sector gear 506. The sector gear 506 is rotatable in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions in the figure, around a sector gear pivot shaft 507 located diagonally below and behind the contact portion 504.

[0190] Furthermore, inside the deposit floor guide 21, a motor 508 is incorporated in front of the sector gear 506, and the shaft of this motor 508 and the sector gear 506 are driven and connected via a link gear 509 and an idler gear 510. Specifically, the link gear 509 is connected to the shaft of the motor 508, the idler gear 510 is connected to the link gear 509, and the sector gear 506 is connected to the idler gear 510. In other words, in the deposit section 500, the sector gear 506 can be rotated by driving the motor 508.

[0191] Here, as shown in Figure 13, assume that the pressing portion 505 is separated downward from the contact portion 504. At this time, the picker roller rotation shaft X25 is in contact with the lower end of the bearing portion 502 due to the weight of the picker roller 25 and the picker roller rotation shaft X25 itself.

[0192] From this state, by driving the motor 508 to rotate the link gear 509 counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y31 in Figure 14) and the idler gear 510 clockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y32), the sector gear 506 is rotated counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y33), causing the pressing portion 505 attached to one surface of the sector gear 506 to approach the contact portion 504 and come into contact with the contact portion 504. If the sector gear 506 is rotated further counterclockwise in the figure, as shown in Figure 14, the pressing portion 505 pushes up the contact portion 504, compressing the spring 503. At this time, the rotating shaft support portion 501 rotates counterclockwise in the figure as the second portion 501B is pushed upward by the reaction force from the compressed spring 503.

[0193] As the rotating shaft support 501 rotates counterclockwise in the figure, the picker roller rotating shaft X25 is pushed upward (in the direction of the arrow Y34) and moves away from the lower end of the bearing 502, and the picker roller 25 is also pushed upward.

[0194] Furthermore, the deposit section 500 is provided with a blocking lever 512 instead of the blocking lever 30. This blocking lever 512 consists of a first part 512A, which has a similar shape to the blocking lever 30, and a second part 512B, which branches downward from the front end (root) of the first part 512A. Since the first part 512A has a similar shape to the blocking lever 30, its description is omitted.

[0195] The second part 512B has a hole at its tip, into which a cylindrical shaft 509A protruding from one side of the link gear 509 is inserted, thereby connecting it to the link gear 509.

[0196] As a result, as shown in Figure 13, when the link gear 509 rotates clockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y35) due to the drive of the motor 508, the blocking lever 512 rotates from the allowable position to the closed position, with the second part 512B connected to the link gear 509 being pushed upward. At this time, the idler gear 510 rotates counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y36) and the sector gear 506 rotates clockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y37), causing the pressing part 505 to move downward from the contact part 504, and the picker roller 25 sinks downward (arrow direction Y38) until the picker roller rotation shaft X25 contacts the lower end of the bearing part 502.

[0197] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 14, when the link gear 509 rotates counterclockwise in the figure (arrow direction Y31) due to the drive of the motor 508, the second part 512B connected to the link gear 509 is pulled downward, causing the blocking lever 512 to rotate from the closed position to the permitted position. At this time, the picker roller 25 is pushed upward (arrow direction Y34) in conjunction with the rotation of the blocking lever 512. The motor 508 is provided in the deposit section 500 as a replacement for the blocking drive unit 62.

[0198] [5-2. Banknote Collection] Next, we will briefly explain the process of receiving banknotes by the deposit unit 500. Note that the banknote receiving process by the deposit unit 500, as described below, is controlled by the banknote control unit 11.

[0199] First, the deposit section 500 is stationary with the deposit slot guide 23 locked in the closed position and the blocking lever 512 in the blocking position (see Figure 13). At this time, the deposit section 500 is stationary because the pressing section 505 is separated from the contact section 504, causing the picker roller 25 to sink down to a position where the picker roller rotation shaft X25 contacts the lower end of the bearing section 502. At this time, the picker opposing roller 26 is in contact with the picker roller 25 and is pressing the picker roller 25 due to its own weight.

[0200] Here, when the deposit unit 500 detects the insertion of banknotes BL (omitted in Figures 13 and 14) by the activation of the inlet monitoring sensor 40, it rotates the picker roller 25 counterclockwise in the figure to transport the banknotes BL in the transport direction and performs an alignment operation to bring the banknotes BL against the blocking lever 512 and align them. At this time, the picker opposing roller 26 presses against the top surface of the banknotes BL with the pressing force due to the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. The pressing force at this time is a relatively weak pressing force due only to the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26, and is suitable for aligning banknotes. Therefore, the deposit unit 500 can more reliably align the banknotes BL in the correct orientation without the pressing force being too strong and deforming or damaging the banknotes BL.

[0201] Subsequently, when the banknote detection status, as determined from the detection result of the insertion detection sensor 50, is in a state of alignment completion, the deposit unit 500 terminates its alignment operation and rotates the blocking lever 512 from the blocking position to the allowable position (see Figure 14). At this time, as the blocking lever 512 rotates, the deposit unit 500 uses the reaction force of the compressed spring 503 to push the Pikka Roller 25 upward as the pressing part 505 pushes the contact part 504 upward.

[0202] The reaction force of the spring 503 at this time is set to be greater than the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. As a result, the picker opposing roller 26 is pushed upward as the picker roller 25 is pushed upward, until the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 contacts the upper end of the bearing portion 23B. At this time, the picker roller 25 presses against the upper surface of the banknote BL with the pressing force due to the reaction force of the spring 503.

[0203] In this state, the deposit unit 500 rotates the picker roller 25 and feed roller 27 in a counterclockwise direction in the diagram to transport the banknotes BL in the transport direction, separating and taking them in one by one.

[0204] The pressing force exerted by the Pikka Roller 25 against the underside of the banknote BL at this time is stronger than the pressing force exerted solely by the weight of the Pikka Opposing Roller 26 and the Pikka Opposing Roller Rotating Shaft X26 (i.e., the pressing force during banknote alignment), and is suitable for taking in the banknote BL. Therefore, in the deposit section 500, the pressing force is not too weak, making it difficult to transport the banknote BL, and the banknote BL can be transported with appropriate transport force and taken in more reliably.

[0205] [5-3. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the fifth embodiment, the deposit section 500 is equipped with a motor 508 that changes the amount of compression (deformation) of a spring 503 that biases the picker roller 25 toward the picker opposing roller 26, as a pressing force changing section that changes the pressing force that the picker roller 25 uses to press the lower surface of the banknote and the pressing force that the picker opposing roller 26 uses to press the upper surface of the banknote.

[0206] Then, with the deposit slot guide 23 in the closed position, the banknote control unit 11 drives the motor 508 to change the amount of compression of the spring 503, thereby changing the pressing force that the picker roller 25 exerts on the bottom surface of the banknote and the pressing force that the picker opposing roller 26 exerts on the top surface of the banknote when the blocking lever 512 is moved to the blocking position and when the blocking lever 512 is moved to the allowable position.

[0207] In other words, when the banknote control unit 11 moves the blocking lever 512 to the blocking position to align the banknotes, the motor 508 reduces the compression amount of the spring 503 to zero, thereby eliminating the pressing force that the picker roller 25 exerts on the bottom surface of the banknotes, and allowing the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 alone to press on the top surface of the banknotes.

[0208] Subsequently, when the blocking lever 512 is moved to the permissible position to transport and take in the aligned banknotes, the motor 508 compresses the spring 503, causing the reaction force of the spring 503 to cause the picker roller 25 to press against the bottom surface of the banknotes. At the same time, the picker opposing roller 26 is pushed up and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26 is pressed against the upper end of the bearing portion 502, thereby eliminating the pressing force that the picker opposing roller 26 exerts on the top surface of the banknotes.

[0209] As a result, in the deposit unit 500 of the fifth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, an appropriate pressing force can be obtained both when aligning banknotes and when taking in banknotes, so that banknotes can be taken in in an appropriate state. Furthermore, in this fifth embodiment, even if the deposit slot guide 23 cannot be rotated automatically, as in the deposit unit 500, the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes can be changed. On the other hand, in this fifth embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, the deposit slot guide 23 does not rotate when aligning banknotes, which has the advantage of not causing discomfort to the user.

[0210] Furthermore, in the deposit section 500, the driving force of the motor 508 is used to rotate the deposit blocking lever 512 and change the amount of compression of the spring 503. As a result, the deposit section 500 can take in banknotes in an appropriate state, similar to the first embodiment, with a simple configuration, without the need for a dedicated actuator to change the amount of compression of the spring 503.

[0211] [6. Sixth Embodiment] Next, the sixth embodiment will be described. In the first to fifth embodiments, a picker roller 25 is positioned on the lower side of the deposit transport path W12, and a picker opposing roller 26 is positioned on the upper side, and an example was described in which the bottom banknote is taken in by rotating the lower picker roller 25. In the sixth embodiment, however, the opposite is true, with a picker roller positioned on the upper side of the transport path and a picker opposing roller on the lower side, and an example in which the top banknote is taken in by rotating the upper picker roller. The banknote processing unit according to this sixth embodiment will be described below. Note that detailed explanations of the main parts such as the picker roller and the picker opposing roller were explained in the first to third embodiments, so detailed explanations of the main parts will be omitted here as appropriate.

[0212] [6-1. Structure of the Banknote Processing Section] Figure 15 is a schematic side view of the banknote processing unit 600 according to the sixth embodiment, viewed from the left side, and is a simplified diagram. This banknote processing unit 600 is used, for example, in the banknote storage compartment of the banknote processing device 5 and is controlled by the banknote control unit 11.

[0213] As shown in Figure 15, the banknote processing unit 600 has an upper guide 601 on the upper side and a lower guide 602 on the lower side of the transport path W600 formed along the front-to-back direction. A picker roller 603 is provided in front of the upper guide 601, and a feed roller 604 is provided behind the picker roller 603 on the upper guide 601. The picker roller 603 and the feed roller 604 are provided so that only a portion of their lower ends protrudes into the transport path W600.

[0214] Furthermore, a blocking lever 605 extending in the vertical direction is provided between the picker roller 603 and the feed roller 604 of the upper guide 601. This blocking lever 605 is movable in the vertical direction (direction Y41 of the double arrows), and can move to a blocking position where its lower end protrudes into the transport path W600 to block the transport path W600, or to a position where the entire lever retracts into the upper guide 601 to open the transport path W600 and allow for movement.

[0215] On the other hand, the lower guide 602 is provided with a stage 606 below the picker roller 603, which can move vertically by a driving force transmitted from a drive unit such as a motor (not shown). The lower guide 602 is also provided with a feed opposing roller 607 at a location opposite to the feed roller 604.

[0216] The stage 606 is provided with a picker-opposing roller 608 at a location opposite to the picker roller 603. The picker-opposing roller 608 is provided so that only a portion of its upper end protrudes upward from the top surface of the stage 606. Furthermore, this picker-opposing roller 608 is provided so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the top surface of the stage 606, and is biased toward the picker roller 603 by a spring S608. In addition, the banknote processing unit 600 is provided with a top surface detection sensor 609 that detects the top surface position of the banknote BL.

[0217] [6-2. Banknote Collection] In this banknote processing unit 600, with the blocking lever 605 in the blocking position (Figure 15), the stage 606 on which the banknotes BL are placed on the upper surface is raised by driving a drive unit (not shown). At this point, the upper surface detection sensor 609 turns on when the banknotes BL placed on the stage 606 reach a position suitable for alignment. Here, the position suitable for alignment is the position where the banknotes BL placed on the stage 606 come into contact with the upper picker roller 603 and are held between the picker roller 603 and the picker opposing roller 608.

[0218] When the top surface detection sensor 609 is turned on, the banknote processing unit 600 stops the stage 606. At this time, the banknote BL on the stage 606 is held between the picker roller 603 and the picker opposing roller 608. At the same time, the picker opposing roller 608 presses the bottom surface of the banknote on the stage 606 (the bottom banknote if there are multiple banknotes) with the spring S608.

[0219] In this state, the banknote processing unit 600 rotates the Piccara roller 603 to transport the banknotes BL on the stage 606 toward the blocking lever 605 and performs an alignment operation to bring them into contact with the blocking lever 605 and align them.

[0220] After the alignment operation is complete, the banknote processing unit 600 raises the stage 606 by a predetermined amount, thereby increasing the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 608 against the underside of the banknote BL compared to the alignment operation. The banknote processing unit 600 also moves the blocking lever 605 to the position where it is permitted to proceed.

[0221] The banknote processing unit 600 then rotates the pick-up roller 603 to transport the banknotes BL on the stage 606 to the rear, separating and taking them in one by one.

[0222] [6-3. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the sixth embodiment, the banknote processing unit 600 holds the banknote between a picker roller 603 provided on the upper guide 601 and a picker opposing roller 608 provided on the stage 606 located below the picker roller 603. The banknote processing unit 600 moves the stage 606 vertically by driving a drive unit (not shown) which acts as a pressing force changing unit, thereby changing the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 608 to the banknote when the blocking lever 605 is moved to the blocking position and when the blocking lever 605 is moved to the movement-allowing position.

[0223] As a result, the banknote processing unit 600 can obtain an appropriate pressing force at the picker-opposing roller 608 during banknote alignment and during banknote intake, transporting and taking in the aligned banknotes, thereby achieving the same effects as in the first embodiment.

[0224] Furthermore, as a structure similar to the banknote processing unit 600, a banknote processing unit 700 can also be considered, as shown in Figure 16, in which the picker opposing roller 608 is movable only by rotation relative to the stage 606 and cannot move in the direction perpendicular to the top surface of the stage, while the picker roller 603 is movable in the direction perpendicular to the top surface of the stage and is biased toward the stage 606 by a spring (not shown).

[0225] In this banknote processing unit 700, when the stage 606 rises while the Pikka Roller 603 and the banknote BL placed on the stage 606 are in contact, the Pikka Roller 603 is pushed upward by the banknote BL placed on the stage 606.

[0226] This banknote processing unit 700 has a position detection sensor (not shown) that detects the position of the picker roller 603 instead of the top surface detection sensor 609. In the banknote processing unit 700, the higher the position of the picker roller 603, the more compressed the spring (not shown) becomes, and the stronger the pressing force that the picker roller 603 exerts on the top surface of the banknote BL.

[0227] In this banknote processing unit 700, based on the detection results of the position detection sensor, the stage 606 on which the banknote BL is placed is raised until the pick-up roller 603 reaches a position where an appropriate pressing force is obtained when the banknote is taken in, and then the stage 606 is lowered by a predetermined amount. As a result, the pressing force that the pick-up roller 603 applies to the top surface of the banknote BL becomes weaker than the appropriate pressing force when the banknote is taken in, and becomes the appropriate pressing force when the banknote is aligned.

[0228] In this state, the banknote processing unit 700 performs a banknote alignment operation. Once the banknote alignment operation is complete, the stage 606 is raised by a predetermined amount, so that the pick-up roller 603 is raised again until it reaches a position where an appropriate pressing force can be obtained when taking in banknotes, and the banknote taking operation is performed. The same effects as in the sixth embodiment can be obtained with a banknote processing unit 700 of this structure.

[0229] [7. Other Embodiments] [7-1. Other Embodiments 1] In the first embodiment described above, the deposit slot guide 23 is opened upward when banknotes are aligned. However, this may cause anxiety or discomfort to users who are unaware of why the deposit slot guide 23 opens. Therefore, as shown in Figure 17, a cover 800 may be added to the deposit section 12 that covers the upper front part of the deposit upper guide 22 and the entire upper surface of the deposit slot guide 23, as well as the front of the deposit slot guide 23.

[0230] The cover 800 is composed of, for example, a first portion 800A that covers the upper front of the deposit upper guide 22 and the upper surface of the deposit slot guide 23, and a second portion 800B that covers the front surface of the deposit slot guide 23. The cover 800 is provided so that there is a sufficient gap between the first portion 800A and the upper surface of the deposit slot guide 23. Therefore, when the deposit slot guide 23 opens to a weak pressure position, the first portion 800A does not come into contact with the deposit slot guide 23, and the cover 800 does not hinder the rotation of the deposit slot guide 23. In other words, the cover 800 covers the deposit slot guide 23, thereby concealing from the outside that the deposit slot guide 23 is in motion.

[0231] Furthermore, the cover 800 is designed so that the second part 800B does not block the entrance N12, and covers the front of the deposit slot guide 23. Therefore, the cover 800 does not obstruct the insertion of banknotes into the entrance N12.

[0232] Furthermore, since a gap will be left between the lower end of the second portion 800B and the front surface of the deposit slot guide 23, a member to fill this gap may be provided on the rear surface of the second portion 800B (i.e., the surface facing the front surface of the deposit slot guide 23). In addition, to prevent the deposit slot guide 23 from being damaged even if it comes into contact with the front surface of the deposit slot guide 23, a flexible material such as mohair or rubber is preferred as the member to fill the gap.

[0233] The cover 800 may also be made rotatable around the rear end portion of the first part 800A so that it can be opened and closed manually or automatically. Similarly, in the third embodiment, for example, a cover 800 may be added.

[0234] [7-2. Other Embodiments 2] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the deposit slot guide 23 was rotated by a motor 60, a circular gear 61, and a sector gear 23G. However, the invention is not limited to this, and the deposit slot guide 23 may be rotated using other drive systems. For example, the deposit slot guide 23 may be rotated using an actuator such as a solenoid.

[0235] In the fifth embodiment described above, the blocking lever 512 is rotated and the picker roller 25 is moved by the motor 508, link gear 509, idler gear 510, and sector gear 506. However, the invention is not limited to this, and other drive systems may be used to rotate the blocking lever 512 and move the picker roller 25. For example, separate drive systems may be used for the rotation of the blocking lever 512 and the movement of the picker roller 25, and in this case, the picker roller 25 may be moved by an actuator. Similarly, in the fourth embodiment, the blocking lever 512 and the pressure switching plate 404 may be rotated using a drive system separate from the motor 402 and link gear 403, and separate drive systems may be used for the rotation of the blocking lever 512 and the rotation of the pressure switching plate 404.

[0236] [7-3. Other Embodiments 3] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the deposit unit 12 waits with the deposit slot guide 23 in the closed position, and when it detects the insertion of banknotes BL, it rotates the deposit slot guide 23 from the closed position to the weak pressure position to perform a banknote alignment operation, and when the banknote alignment is complete it returns the deposit slot guide 23 to the closed position to perform a banknote intake operation.

[0237] The deposit unit 12 may, for example, wait with the deposit slot guide 23 in a weak pressure position, and when it detects the insertion of banknotes BL, it may perform a banknote alignment operation, and when the banknote alignment is complete, it may rotate the deposit slot guide 23 to the closed position and perform a banknote intake operation. The same applies to the third embodiment.

[0238] [7-4. Other Embodiments 4] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, when the deposit slot guide 23 is rotated to the weak pressure position, the spring S26 extends to approximately its free length, so that the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes becomes only the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. However, the amount of rotation of the deposit slot guide 23 from the closed position can be arbitrarily changed to arbitrarily change the pressing force applied by the picker opposing roller 26 to the banknotes.

[0239] Specifically, for example, the deposit slot guide 23 may first be rotated to a weak pressure position, and then the banknote alignment operation may be performed. If the banknote alignment is not completed at this point, the deposit slot guide 23 may be rotated to a predetermined rotation position closer to the closed position than the weak pressure position, the pressing force of the picker opposing roller 26 may be slightly increased, and the banknote alignment operation may be retried. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0240] [7-5. Other Embodiments 5] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the actuator 203 moves the spring restricting guide 202 to change the amount of compression of the spring S26, thereby changing the pressing force of the picker opposing roller 26. However, this is not the only option; for example, a mechanism to move the picker opposing roller 26 may be provided instead of the spring restricting guide 202, and the pressing force of the picker opposing roller 26 may be changed by moving the picker opposing roller 26 and changing the amount of compression of the spring S26.

[0241] [7-6. Other Embodiments 6] Furthermore, in the fifth embodiment described above, the deposit unit 500 reduces the pressing force of the picker roller 25 to almost zero during the banknote alignment operation, while the pressing force of the picker opposing roller 26 is reduced to a weak pressing force due to the weight of the picker opposing roller 26 and the picker opposing roller rotation shaft X26. When the aligned banknotes are taken in, the spring 503 is compressed to make the pressing force of the picker roller 25 a strong pressing force due to the reaction force of the spring 503.

[0242] This is not limited to this, but for example, the picker opposing roller 26 may be supported by the deposit slot guide 23 in a state where it can only rotate, and during the banknote alignment operation, the pressing part 505 compresses the spring 503 by a predetermined amount so that the pressing force of the picker roller 25 is the reaction force of the spring 503, and when the aligned banknotes are taken in, the pressing part 505 compresses the spring 503 further so that the pressing force of the picker roller 25 is stronger than during the banknote alignment operation.

[0243] In other words, when moving the blocking lever 512 to the blocking position to align the banknotes, the amount of compression of the spring 503 may be reduced to weaken the pressing force applied by the Piccara Roller 25 to the banknotes compared to when moving the blocking lever 512 to the allowable position to transport and take in the aligned banknotes.

[0244] [7-7. Other Embodiments 7] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the deposit slot guide 23 is configured to be rotatable relative to the deposit upper guide 22. However, it is not limited to this, and for example, the deposit slot guide 23 may be fixed to the deposit upper guide 22 so that it is always in the closed position. The same applies to the fourth and fifth embodiments.

[0245] [7-8. Other Embodiments 8] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, a spring S26 was used as an example of an elastic member that biases the picker opposing roller 26 toward the picker roller 25. However, the spring S26 is not the only elastic member that has the property of returning to its original state when deformed by an applied force, like the spring S26, and can be used instead. Specifically, elastic members such as compression springs, leaf springs, and rubber can be used. The same applies to other springs.

[0246] [7-9. Other Embodiments 9] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the blocking lever 30 is rotated to the blocking position to block the deposit transport path W12. In this first embodiment described above, only a portion of the width of one row of the deposit transport path W12 is blocked, but it is not limited to this, and the entire width of one row of the deposit transport path W12 may be blocked. In other words, blocking the deposit transport path W12 with the blocking lever 30 includes both blocking a portion of the width of one row of the deposit transport path W12 and blocking the entire width of one row of the deposit transport path W12.

[0247] [7-10. Other Embodiments 10] Furthermore, the embodiments described above describe how the present invention is applied to the deposit section 12, etc., of a banknote processing device 5 incorporated into a cash processing device 1 used by retail store staff or customers. The present invention is not limited to these, and may also be applied to various devices that exchange banknotes with users, such as banknote processing devices used by financial institution staff at the counter of a financial institution, or automated teller machines (ATMs).

[0248] Furthermore, in each of the embodiments described above, the present invention was described in terms of applying it to the deposit section 12, etc., of the banknote processing unit 5 in the cash processing unit 1, which trades banknotes as a medium with the user. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may also be applied to the part of various devices that trade various paper-shaped media with the user, such as various gift certificates, securities, or vouchers and admission tickets, where the device receives the media from the user.

[0249] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above or any other embodiments. That is, the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments that arbitrarily combine some or all of the embodiments described above and any other embodiments described above, as well as embodiments that extract some of them. [Industrial applicability]

[0250] This invention can be used, for example, in the deposit section of a banknote processing device that handles banknotes. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0251] 1...Cash processing unit, 5...Banknote processing unit, 11...Banknote control unit, 12...Deposit unit, 12N...Inlet unit, 13...Discharge unit, 21...Deposit floor guide, 21S...Top surface of deposit floor guide, 22...Deposit upper guide, 22S...Bottom surface of deposit upper guide, 23...Deposit slot guide, 23B...Bearing unit, 23G...Fan-shaped gear, 23H...Protruding part, 23S...Deposit slot guide guide surface, 25...Picker roller, 26...Picker opposing roller, 30...Blocking lever, 60...Motor, 61...Circular gear, 62...Blocking drive unit, 200...Deposit unit, 201...Bearing unit, 202...Spring regulating guide, 203...Actuator, 300...Deposit unit, 301...Deposit slot guide, 302...Claw unit, 400...Deposit unit, 401...Blocking lever, 402...Motor, 403...Link gear, 404...Pressure switching Plate, 405... Spring, 500... Deposit section, 501... Rotating shaft support section, 502... Bearing section, 503... Spring, 504... Contact section, 505... Pressing section, 506... Sector gear, 507... Sector gear rotating shaft, 508... Motor, 509... Link gear, 510... Idler gear, 512... Blocking lever, 600... Banknote processing section, 601... Upper guide, 602... Lower guide, 603... P 605... Blocking lever, 606... Stage, 608... Picker opposing roller, 700... Banknote processing section, 800... Cover, BL... Banknote, N12... Entrance section, P30... Stopping point, S26... Spring, S608... Spring, W12... Deposit transport path, W600... Transport path, X23... Deposit slot guide rotation axis, X25... Picker roller rotation axis, X26... Picker opposing roller rotation axis.

Claims

1. In a transport path in which a paper-like medium is transported in the transport direction, a first guide facing one side of the medium, In the aforementioned transport path, a second guide is provided that faces the other side of the medium opposite to one side, A conveying roller provided on the second guide, which rotates in contact with the other surface of the medium to convey the medium in the conveying direction, An opposing roller is provided in the first guide at a position opposite to the conveying roller, and contacts one surface of the medium to sandwich the medium between itself and the conveying roller, A blocking section provided downstream of the conveying roller in the conveying path in the conveying path is provided, and the blocking section is movable to a first position that blocks the conveying path and a second position that opens the conveying path. A pressing force changing unit that changes both or one of the pressing force applied by the opposing roller to one side of the medium and the pressing force applied by the conveying roller to the other side of the medium, A control unit that controls the rotation of the conveyor roller, the movement of the blocking part, and the operation of the pressing force changing part. Equipped with, The control unit, With the blocking portion moved to the first position, the medium is transported by the transport roller and the medium is brought into contact with the blocking portion to align the medium, and then with the blocking portion moved to the second position, the aligned medium is transported by the transport roller. Furthermore, the control unit, The pressing force changing unit is controlled to change both or one of the pressing force applied by the opposing roller against one side of the medium and the pressing force applied by the conveying roller against the other side of the medium, depending on whether the blocking unit is in the first position or the blocking unit is in the second position. A media processing apparatus characterized by the following:

2. The first guide is, It is movable in a direction away from and towards the second guide, The aforementioned pressing force changing section is By moving the second guide, the pressing force applied by the opposing roller against one surface of the medium is changed. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, By controlling the pressing force changing unit, when the blocking portion is in the first position, the first guide is moved further away from the second guide than when the blocking portion is in the second position, thereby reducing the pressing force with which the opposing roller presses one surface of the medium compared to when the blocking portion is in the second position. The media processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The system further includes a cover that conceals the movement of the first guide from the outside by covering the first guide. A media processing apparatus according to any one of the features 1 to 3.

5. The opposing roller is It is movable in a direction away from and towards the conveyor roller, and is biased by an elastic member in the direction toward the conveyor roller. The aforementioned pressing force changing section is By changing the amount of deformation of the elastic member, the pressing force applied by the opposing roller against one surface of the medium is changed. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The control unit, By controlling the pressing force changing section, when the blocking portion is in the first position, the amount of deformation of the elastic member is reduced compared to when the blocking portion is in the second position, thereby weakening the pressing force applied by the opposing roller to one surface of the medium compared to when the blocking portion is in the second position. The media processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The aforementioned conveyor roller is It is movable in a direction away from and towards the opposing roller, and is biased by an elastic member in the direction toward the opposing roller. The aforementioned pressing force changing section is By changing the amount of deformation of the elastic member, the pressing force applied by the conveyor roller against the other side of the medium is changed. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The control unit, By controlling the pressing force changing section, when the blocking section is in the first position, the amount of deformation of the elastic member is reduced compared to when the blocking section is in the second position, thereby weakening the pressing force with which the conveyor roller presses the other side of the medium compared to when the blocking section is in the second position. The media processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The first guide is, It is movable in a direction away from and towards the second guide, The aforementioned sealing portion is, The opposing roller functions as a pressure-changing unit that changes the pressure applied by the opposing roller against one surface of the medium by engaging with the first guide and moving the first guide away from the second guide when moving from the second position to the first position, and moving the first guide towards the second guide when moving from the first position to the second position. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The control unit, By controlling the pressing force changing unit, when the blocking portion is in the first position, the first guide is moved further away from the second guide than when the blocking portion is in the second position, thereby reducing the pressing force with which the opposing roller presses one surface of the medium compared to when the blocking portion is in the second position. The media processing apparatus according to feature 9.

11. The opposing roller is It is movable in a direction away from and towards the aforementioned conveyor roller. The aforementioned pressing force changing section is The system includes a pressure switching member that presses the opposing roller rotation axis, which is the rotation axis of the opposing roller, in a direction toward the conveyor roller, and by moving the pressure switching member to a position where it contacts the opposing roller rotation axis and presses the opposing roller rotation axis toward the conveyor roller, or to a position where it is separated from the opposing roller rotation axis and does not press the opposing roller rotation axis, the pressure applied by the opposing roller to one surface of the medium is changed. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

12. The aforementioned sealing portion is, The pressing force changing unit engages with the pressing force changing member and, when moving from the second position to the first position, moves the pressing force changing member to a position away from the opposing roller rotation axis, and when moving from the first position to the second position, moves the pressing force changing member to a position in contact with the opposing roller rotation axis, thereby changing the pressing force applied by the opposing roller to one surface of the medium. The media processing apparatus according to feature 11.

13. The aforementioned pressing force changing section is When the blocking portion is in the first position, only the opposing roller presses against the medium, and when the blocking portion is in the second position, only the conveyor roller presses against the medium. The control unit, The pressing force changing unit is controlled to reduce the pressing force exerted by the opposing roller on the medium when the blocking unit is in the first position, compared to the pressing force exerted by the conveying roller on the medium when the blocking unit is in the second position. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

14. The first guide is, A stage for placing the medium is provided below the second guide, and the first guide is further provided with a stage that is movable in a direction away from and towards the second guide, The opposing roller is It is provided on the stage and is in contact with the lower surface of the medium placed on the stage, The aforementioned pressing force changing section is By moving the stage while the medium placed on the stage is sandwiched between the transport roller and the opposing roller, the pressing force applied by the opposing roller against the lower surface of the medium is changed. The media processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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