Conveying guide driving mechanism, paper conveying device, control method of paper conveying device and paper processing device

Abstract

The present invention provides a conveyance guide drive mechanism, a paper conveyance device, a control method thereof, and a paper processing apparatus, and relates to a conveyance guide drive mechanism for a paper conveyance device having a large-width conveyance surface which can be commonly used for paper sheets of different width dimensions. The present invention prevents deformation and damage while continuously and non-intermittently conveying, and corrects to a normal conveying state. The conveying guide driving mechanism is provided with conveying guides (310) which are oppositely arranged along the two side edges of the conveying surface (11) in the width direction and guide the two side edges of the conveyed paper respectively; an advancing and retreating mechanism (350) that synchronously advances and retreats the conveyance guides in a predetermined direction; stoppers (440) that define respective protruding positions at which the conveyance guides (310) protrude to the maximum extent from the conveyance surface (11) and retreat positions at which the conveyance guides (310) retreat to the conveyance surface side from the protruding positions; and a DC motor (450) that drives the advancing / retreating mechanism (350).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying guide driving mechanism for driving a conveying guide member for correcting and eliminating conveying defects related to the conveying position of paper in a paper conveying device for conveying paper such as banknotes, a paper conveying device and a control method thereof, and a paper processing device. Background Art

[0002] The banknote conveying device installed in various vending machines, exchange machines, automatic teller machines, and other various banknote processing devices that provide goods or services to users by accepting inserted banknotes is equipped with a centering device or a skew correction device. When the banknote inserted with the short side as the starting point is deviated from the central axis of the conveying path or causes conveying defects such as skew, it is corrected to a standard position and posture.

[0003] The centering device and the skew correction device correct the conveying position or conveying posture of the banknotes on the conveying channel to a state suitable for reading and judging by the identification device located on the downstream side. In addition, the centering device etc. prevents the dimensional change of the alignment state of the banknotes stacked in the coin deposit box located further downstream of the identification device from complicating various subsequent processes, such as preventing the complication of the alignment work before the banknote stack is placed on the sorting machine or the totaling device, and further preventing the occurrence of paper jams when the banknote stack in a poorly aligned state is placed on the sorting machine etc. for processing.

[0004] Next, the banknotes issued by countries and regions around the world can be roughly divided into small-width banknotes and large-width banknotes. The small-width banknotes are banknotes with the maximum dimension of the short side (maximum width dimension) less than 72mm, such as the United States, Canada, Australia, etc.; the large-width banknotes are banknotes with a maximum width dimension of 72mm or more and less than 86mm, such as Japan, Europe, Macau, China, etc.

[0005] However, when a banknote conveying device manufacturer manufactures a banknote conveying device for a country where narrow-width banknotes are circulated and another country where wide-width banknotes are circulated, the disadvantage is that the manufacturer manufactures devices of different specifications for each country. That is, the obvious disadvantage of preparing two types of banknote conveying devices in advance that have no structural difference except for the width difference of the conveying path, and manufacturing and shipping them according to orders is that the manufacturing cost and inventory management expenses increase.

[0006] In order to deal with this disadvantage, a countermeasure is adopted in which only one type of machine with a wide conveying path capable of conveying wide-width banknotes is prepared, which can be used together with small-width banknotes. In particular, when an image sensor is used as a mechanism for identifying the denomination, authenticity, etc. of banknotes, since it can be identified with high precision even if there are dimensional changes in the conveying posture and position of the banknotes, there is no need for centering and skew correction functions when conveying small-width banknotes. However, if small-width banknotes are continuously conveyed without correcting the conveying position or correcting the posture, they will obviously become misaligned when accumulated and stored in the coin deposit box. As long as the banknote stacks taken out of the coin deposit box are not aligned well to a certain degree by manual operation, it will become a cause of paper jam when placed in the subsequent sorting machine or counting machine for processing. Therefore, the labor of increasing the degree of man-hours for aligning the banknotes cannot be ignored, which becomes a cause of significantly reduced operating efficiency.

[0007] Therefore, in the prior art, in order to enable a small-width banknote to be transported along a certain track by a banknote transport device having a large-width transport path, transport guides corresponding to the small-width banknotes are bonded and fixed along the two side walls of the large-width transport path, thereby enabling lateral pushing and skew correction. That is, a banknote transport device of only one type with a large transport surface capable of transporting large-width banknotes is prepared, and it is used for countries using large-width banknotes. On the other hand, for countries using small-width banknotes, transport guides for small-width banknotes are bonded and fixed to the two side edges of the transport surface for large-width banknotes of the same type to face each other. By fixing the transport guides for small-width banknotes in a state in which the two side edges of the large-width transport surface are facing each other, the two side edges in the width direction of the small-width banknotes passing through the two transport guides can be horizontally pushed toward the central axis of the transport surface.

[0008] However, the work of bonding the conveyance guide for narrow-width banknotes actually causes a decrease in productivity, and improvement in this point is desired.

[0009] In addition, the conveying guide for narrow-width banknotes functions effectively when receiving and conveying, but becomes a cause of a malfunction that causes poor conveying when the recognition device on the downstream side determines that the banknote is NG (not acceptable) and performs a return operation. That is, there is a report of a malfunction in which the conveying guide for narrow-width banknotes collides with the conveying guide for narrow-width banknotes during reverse conveying to return narrow-width banknotes that are determined to be NG during conveying, causing paper jams and stopping the operation of the device.

[0010] As a banknote conveying device that can handle banknotes of different widths, in Patent Document 1, a pair of movable pieces are provided along the width direction of the conveying path at equal distances and synchronously and freely to push the deposited and conveyed banknotes one by one toward the central axis of the conveying path. In the initial state, the two movable pieces are located in the standby position with the farthest distance, and the conveying of the banknotes is temporarily stopped during the horizontal pushing. In this state, the two movable pieces are moved toward the central axis by the force of the spring, and the horizontal pushing operation is performed to make the central axis of the banknotes consistent with the central axis of the conveying path. After the two movable pieces are opened by the motor gear drive, the conveying is restarted, and the identification is performed with high precision.

[0011] However, since the conveyance needs to be temporarily stopped for each banknote lateral pushing operation, there are problems of increasing the processing time and increasing the number of parts and enlarging the size of each part.

[0012] Prior art literature

[0013] Patent Literature

[0014] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6855329 Summary of the invention

[0015] Problems to be solved by the invention

[0016] The present invention is made in view of the above, and its purpose is to provide a conveying guide drive mechanism, a paper conveying device and its control method, and a paper processing device that can convey papers inserted from various positions or angles continuously without interruption and correct them to a normal conveying state, can handle papers of different width sizes together, and can prevent the conveying guide from becoming the cause of paper jam when returning paper.

[0017] Means for solving problems

[0018] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the conveying guide driving device involved in the present invention comprises: a conveying surface, which guides one side of the paper; a conveying guide member, which is arranged opposite to each other along the width direction of the conveying surface and guides the two side edges of the conveyed paper respectively; an advance and retreat mechanism, which makes the respective conveying guide members advance and retreat synchronously in a specified direction; a stopper, which respectively specifies a protruding position where each conveying guide member protrudes most from the conveying surface and a retreat position where the respective conveying guide member retreats toward the conveying surface side relative to the protruding position; and a DC motor, which drives the advance and retreat mechanism, and the advance and retreat mechanism comprises: a gear mechanism, which is driven by the DC motor to make the respective conveying guide members advance and retreat between the protruding position and the retreat position; and an inertia absorption mechanism, which absorbs and mitigates the inertia moment of the DC motor transmitted from the output shaft of the DC motor to the gear mechanism when the DC motor stops at the moment when the respective conveying guide members stop at the protruding position and the retreat position respectively by the stopper.

[0019] Effects of the Invention

[0020] According to the present invention, in a paper conveying device having a wide conveying surface (conveying path) that can be used in common for paper of different width sizes, a technology is provided for preventing deformation and damage and correcting the paper to a normal conveying state while continuously and non-intermittently conveying the paper. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a side longitudinal sectional view which simplifiedly shows a paper conveyance path and a friction conveyance device of a paper conveyance device having a conveyance guide mechanism according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 (a) and (b) are simplified top views showing a portion of the lower unit in cross section.

[0023] Figure 3 (a) and (b) are perspective views showing an example of a transport guide mechanism.

[0024] Figure 4 (a) and (b) are still other perspective views showing an example of the transport guide mechanism.

[0025] Figure 5 (a) and (b) are side views showing the structure of the conveying guide mechanism.

[0026] Figure 6 (a-1) and (a-2) are a front view of the conveying guide when it is in the most descended position, and a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the stopper when it is descended. Figure 6 (b-1) and (b-2) are a front view when the conveying guide is in the most raised position, and a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the stopper when raised.

[0027] Figure 7 (a) is a perspective view showing a part of the structure of the advance and retreat mechanism including the inertia absorbing mechanism. Figure 7 (b) is a structural diagram of one side of the driving side gear. Figure 7 (c) is a structural diagram of one side of the intermediate gear.

[0028] Figure 8 (a) is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of two conveying guides. Figure 8 (b) is a BB cross-sectional view and a B'-B' cross-sectional view of (a).

[0029] Fig. 9 (a) is a perspective view showing each conveying guide of the small-width banknote guide section in cross section, Fig. 9 (b) is a perspective view showing each conveying guide of the wide-width banknote guide portion in cross section. Fig.10 (a) to (e) are diagrams for explaining a process of moving the conveying guide located at the most descended position to the most ascended position.

[0030] Fig.11 (a) to (e) are diagrams for explaining a process of moving the conveying guide located at the most raised position to the most lowered position.

[0031] Fig.12 This is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of switching between the transport modes.

[0032] Fig.13 This is a flowchart related to the return operation in each transport mode.

[0033] Fig.14 This is a front view of the main parts of the friction conveyor.

[0034] Fig.15 (a) and (b) are stereoscopic views of the main parts of the device.

[0035] Fig.16 (a) to (e) are plan views of the main parts showing a skew correction procedure when the conveyance guide and the driving mechanism thereof of the present invention are applied to a banknote conveyance path.

[0036] Fig.17 (a) to (e) are plan views of the main parts showing another skew correction procedure when the conveyance guide and the driving mechanism thereof of the present invention are applied to the banknote conveyance path.

[0037] Explanation of symbols

[0038] 1: banknote (paper) conveying device; 2: friction conveying device; 3: lower unit; 3a: shaft; 4: upper unit; 10: banknote (paper) conveying path; 10G: paper conveying space; 11: banknote (paper) conveying surface; 11a: entrance side conveying surface; 11b: middle conveying surface; 11c: deep conveying surface; 15: paper sensing sensor (entrance sensor); 16a, 16b: conveying rollers; 17: identification sensor; 20: drive side unit; 22: shaft; 25: driving roller; 30: swing arm; 32: arm member; 35: gear support member; 40: elastic force member; 50: input gear; 50a: swing shaft; 52: output gear; 55: stop member; 60: driving motor; 62: drive transmission member; 100: driven side unit; 102: driven roller; 103: holding member; 106: shaft; 107: elastic member; 200: control mechanism; 300: output Feed guide drive mechanism; 310: conveying guide; 310L: conveying guide; 310R: conveying guide; 312: conveying guide body; 314: leg; 316: rack; 320: small width paper guide; 321: upper wall; 322: middle wall; 325: inner depth surface; 325a: flat guide surface; 325b, 325c: tapered guide surface; 330: large width paper guide; 331: lower wall; 335: inner Side depth surface; 335a: flat guide surface; 350: advance and retreat mechanism; 360: gear mechanism; 370: each small gear; 375: drive shaft; 380: drive gear; 381: recess; 383a: push plate; 383b: push plate; 390: intermediate gear; 391a: pushed plate; 400: inertia absorption mechanism; 405: elastic component; 440a: stopper when descending; 440b: stopper when ascending; 450: DC motor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0040] [Basic structure and operating principle of banknote conveying device]

[0041] Hereinafter, the basic structure and operation principle of the banknote transport device having the transport guide drive mechanism of the present invention will be described.

[0042] Figure 1 is a side longitudinal sectional view showing in simplified form a paper conveying path and a friction conveying device of a paper conveying device of a conveying guide mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 (a) and (b) are simplified top views showing a portion of the lower unit in cross section.

[0043] in addition, Figure 3(a) and (b) are perspective views showing an example of a conveying guide mechanism. Figure 4 (a) and (b) are other perspective views showing an example of a conveying guide mechanism. Figure 5 (a) and (b) are side views showing the structure of the conveying guide mechanism. Figure 6 (a-1) and (a-2) are the front view of the conveying guide when it is in the most descending position and the cross-sectional view of the periphery of the stopper when descending, and (b-1) and (b-2) are the front view of the conveying guide when it is in the most ascending position and the cross-sectional view of the periphery of the stopper when ascending. Figure 7 (a) is a perspective view showing a part of the structure of the advance and retreat mechanism including the inertia absorption mechanism, (b) is a structural view of one side of the drive side gear, and (c) is a structural view of one side of the intermediate gear. Figure 8 (a) is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of two conveying guides, (b) is a BB cross-sectional view and a B'-B' cross-sectional view of (a), Fig. 9 (a) is a perspective view showing each conveying guide of the narrow-width banknote guide portion in cross section, and (b) is a perspective view showing each conveying guide of the wide-width banknote guide portion in cross section.

[0044] In this specification, the banknote handling device refers to a wide range of devices including various automatic vending machines, money changers, automatic teller machines, and other devices that provide goods or services to users by accepting inserted banknotes (paper).

[0045] In the following embodiments, banknotes are shown as an example of paper, but the present apparatus can also be applied to paper other than banknotes, such as securities, bills, etc., for lateral pushing and skew correction during transportation.

[0046] <Banknote conveying device>

[0047] The banknote (paper) conveying device 1 is installed in the main body of the banknote (paper) processing device (not shown) for use. The banknotes received by the banknote conveying device 1 are stored one by one in a banknote accumulation unit such as a coin deposit box in the main body of the banknote processing device after the authenticity and denomination of the banknotes are identified by the identification sensor. If the banknotes conveyed in the banknote conveying device 1 are offset or skewed in the conveying position, poor recognition or paper jam will occur, or the alignment of the banknotes stored in the coin deposit box in a stacked state will deteriorate, which will become a cause of deterioration in the workability of the subsequent banknote processing. For this reason, the banknotes introduced into the banknote conveying device 1 are required to be conveyed in a fixed position and conveying posture or within an allowable range.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the banknote transport device 1 comprises: a lower unit 3; and an upper unit 4, which is freely openably and closably supported on the lower unit 3 by a shaft portion not shown in the figure, such as Figure 1 As shown, when the units are closed, a banknote conveying path (conveying path space) 10 is formed between the units.

[0049] The banknote conveying device 1 generally comprises: a friction conveying device 2, which conveys the banknote P inserted into the banknote conveying path 10 (banknote conveying surface 11) in the depth direction; a movable conveying guide 310, which can jointly guide large-width banknotes with a maximum short side dimension (maximum width dimension) of not less than 72 mm and less than 86 mm and small-width banknotes with a maximum width dimension less than 72 mm; and a conveying guide drive mechanism 300, which switches the distance that the conveying guide protrudes from the conveying surface according to the difference in the width dimension of the conveyed banknotes to achieve conveying and lateral pushing under optimal conveying conditions.

[0050] By reducing the conveying clamping force through the friction conveying device 2, the conveying guide 310 pushes the banknotes that are free to move to the extent that they can slide horizontally (slip with the driving roller), thereby effectively pushing horizontally. In addition, since the conveying guide is adjacent to the small-width banknote guide 320 and the large-width banknote guide 330 in an up-down position relationship, the banknotes to be conveyed can be switched by only moving the conveying guide forward and backward the shortest distance in the direction orthogonal to the conveying surface. That is, by using the banknote conveying device 1 as a type of machine, it is possible to simultaneously push horizontally corresponding to two or more banknotes with different short side sizes.

[0051] The friction transport device 20 illustrated in the drawings is an example, and any other transport mechanism that can reduce the transport clamping force can be applied to the banknote transport device 1 .

[0052] <Friction conveyor device>

[0053] like Fig.14 , Fig.15 As shown, the friction conveying device 2 generally comprises: a driving side unit 20, which transmits the conveying driving force to the side of the banknote P that is conveyed while making one side (the bottom) contact with the top (banknote conveying surface 11) of the banknote conveying path (conveying path) 10; a driving source (driving motor) 60, which supplies the driving force to the driving side unit; a driving transmission component 62, which transmits the driving force from the driving source to the driving side unit 20 or the like as a driven object; a driven roller 102 (driven side unit 100), which is arranged opposite to the driving side unit and is in contact with the other side of the banknote for driven rotation; a conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA, which makes the conveying clamping force between the driving roller and the banknote described later variable; and a control mechanism 200, which controls various control objects.

[0054] like Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown in the figures, the banknote conveying path 10 is configured with: a banknote conveying surface 11, which guides the bottom of the banknote P through the upper surface; an entrance sensor (banknote sensing sensor) 15, which is composed of a light sensor, etc., which senses the entry of the inserted banknote; a lower conveying roller 16a, which is configured to expose the circumferential surface from the opening of the banknote conveying surface 11 (deep conveying surface 11c) provided on the downstream side of the friction conveying device 2; an upper conveying roller 16b, which is arranged on the side of the upper unit 4 facing the conveying roller 16a; and an identification sensor 17, which is composed of an optical sensor, etc.

[0055] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the banknote conveying surface 11 is a substantially horizontal surface, the banknote conveying surface is used as a reference to refer to the upper side and the lower side, but the banknote conveying surface is not limited to a horizontal surface. In the case where the banknote conveying surface is not a horizontal surface, the "upper side" corresponds to one side of the banknote conveying surface, that is, the "front side", and the "lower side" corresponds to the other side of the banknote conveying surface, that is, the "back side".

[0056] The driving-side transport roller 16 a , the driving-side unit 20 , and other driven objects are driven by the driving motor 60 via the driving transmission member 62 .

[0057] The control mechanism 200 conveys the first banknote along the banknote conveying path 10 to the inner side and deeper part by driving the drive side unit 20, and stops the drive side unit 20 when the rear end of the banknote passes through the identification sensor 17. Therefore, even if the second banknote is inserted into the gap between the driving roller and the driven roller, it is not conveyed. After the drive side unit stops, the first banknote is also conveyed to the coin deposit box by driving the conveying rollers 16a and 16b after the identification sensor. When the coin deposit box storage sensing mechanism senses that the banknote is stored in the coin deposit box, the control mechanism 200 temporarily stops the driving motor 60. The control mechanism 200 transfers to a state where the second banknote can be conveyed after the control mechanism 200 senses that the storage of the first banknote in the coin deposit box is completed. That is, the drive side unit 20 restarts driving by sensing that the second banknote is inserted into the entrance of the banknote conveying path by the entrance sensor 15.

[0058] like Figure 1 As shown, the drive transmission mechanism DM for transmitting the driving force from the drive motor 60 to the drive roller 25 constituting the conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA includes the drive side unit 20, the conveying roller 16, etc. A drive transmission member 62 such as a gear, a transmission belt, and a pulley (not shown) is arranged between the drive motor 60 and the drive roller 25 to transmit the driving force from the drive motor to the drive roller 25 and each conveying roller 16a, 16b.

[0059] A discharge port communicating with a coin deposit box (not shown) is provided at the terminal end of the banknote conveyance path 10 .

[0060] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the banknote conveying surface (conveying surface) 11 has a large width dimension suitable for conveying large-width banknotes with a width dimension of less than 86 mm over the entire length of the conveying direction. The banknote conveying surface 11 has: an entrance side conveying surface 11a, which is close to the entrance 10a as the banknote insertion port; an intermediate conveying surface 11b, which is located at the depth side of the entrance side conveying surface 11a; and a depth conveying surface 11c, which is located at the maximum depth. That is, in the present invention, a small width conveying surface for conveying small width banknotes is not provided.

[0061] An entrance side wall 12 is erected on both sides of the entrance conveying surface 11a, and a depth side wall 14 is erected on both sides of the depth conveying surface 11c. Conveying guides 310L and 310R are disposed in openings 11b' formed along both side edges of the intermediate conveying path 11b so as to be freely accessible.

[0062] The friction conveyor 2 is arranged within the middle conveying surface 11b in this example to prevent or eliminate the banknotes P introduced from the inlet 10a from being subjected to a reaction force due to contact with the conveying guide 310, causing the top corners to be strongly pressed by the conveying guide and deformed or distorted.

[0063] The friction conveying device 2 is a mechanism that allows the user to insert the banknotes P from the entrance 10a of the conveying path 10 in various positions, angles, directions and in various irregular postures so as to come into contact with the side walls of the conveying path (the conveying guide 310), and to continuously and non-intermittently introduce and convey the banknotes P subjected to a reaction force in a direction different from the standard conveying direction (i.e., the prescribed conveying direction) into the inner depth of the conveying path. In this process, the introduction posture and conveying posture are corrected in a manner consistent with the center axis CL of the conveying path or the conveying guide.

[0064] The specific structure and operation of the friction conveying device 2 will be described later.

[0065] <Conveyor guide drive mechanism>

[0066] The conveying guide driving mechanism 300 generally comprises: a conveying path 10 having a conveying surface 11 for guiding a banknote; conveying guide members 310 (310R, 310L) arranged opposite to each other at both side edges in the width direction of the conveying surface and guiding both side edges of the conveyed paper; an advance and retreat mechanism 350 which enables each conveying guide member to advance and retreat (in and out) in an integral manner (synchronously) in a height (thickness) direction orthogonal to the conveying surface; a stop member (stop member, refer to Figure 6) 440a, 440b, which define the upper limit position (protruding position) and lower limit position (retracted position) of each conveying guide (so that each conveying guide stops at the starting position); and a DC motor (conveying guide lifting motor) 450, which drives the advance and retreat mechanism 350.

[0067] like Figure 3 As shown in the figures, each conveying guide 310 (310R, 310L) comprises: a small-width banknote guide (small-width banknote guide groove) 320, which advances and retreats in a direction orthogonal (crossing) to the conveying surface 11, and is arranged to face each other with a gap between the two side edges of a small-width banknote with a small width dimension; and a large-width banknote guide (large-width banknote guide groove) 330, which is arranged adjacent to the upper or lower side (lower side in this example) of the small-width banknote guide 320, and is arranged to face each other with a gap between the two side edges of a large-width banknote with a large width dimension. Each conveying guide involved in this embodiment is not integrated in structure, but is synchronously advanced and retreated as a whole by an advancing and retreating mechanism 350. The conveying guide 310R on one side and the conveying guide 310L on the other side have: a conveying guide body 312, which has each guide part 320, 330 and is slender along the conveying direction; two legs 314, which protrude downward from the two end edges in the length direction of the bottom of each conveying guide body 312; and racks 316, which are respectively arranged on the facing surfaces of each leg.

[0068] In the present embodiment, the narrow-width bill guide 320 is arranged at the upper side, and the wide-width bill guide 330 is arranged at the lower side, but the upper and lower positions may be reversed.

[0069] The narrow-width banknote guide 320 is a concave portion (groove) formed between the upper wall 321 and the middle wall 322 parallel to each other and elongated along the conveying direction, and its inner side deep surface 325 is shaped in a manner suitable for contacting with both side edges of the narrow-width banknote in the width direction and guiding (sliding contact) the narrow-width banknote while pushing it laterally toward the central axis of the conveying path. That is, in this example, Fig. 9 As shown in (a), the inner depth surface 325 has: a flat guide surface 325a, which is located in the center of the length direction and parallel to the banknote conveying direction; and tapered guide surfaces 325b and 325c as inclined surfaces, which are respectively connected to the upstream side (near front side) and the downstream side (depth side) of the flat guide surface 325a. The flat guide surface 325a is located at the position closest to the central axis of the conveying path, and the tapered guide surfaces 325b and 325c extend obliquely from both ends of the length direction of the flat guide surface 325a to the side (in the direction away from the central axis of the conveying surface).

[0070] The small-width banknote inserted from the entrance 10a in a state where it is offset from the central axis of the conveying surface is first guided by the tapered guide surface 325b on the upstream side to the two side edges in the width direction and is pushed horizontally toward the center during this process. When the two side edges of the banknote pass through the flat guide surface 325a, their own central axis is completely consistent with the central axis of the conveying surface.

[0071] Each large width banknote guide 330 is a concave portion elongated along the conveying direction formed between the parallel intermediate wall 322 and the lower wall 331, and its inner side deep surface 335 is shaped in a manner suitable for guiding the width direction side edges of the large width banknote while pushing it horizontally toward the central axis of the conveying path. That is, in this example, Fig. 9 As shown in (b) of FIG. 1 , the inner depth surface 335 forms a flat guide surface 335 a which is flat over the entire length and parallel to the conveying direction.

[0072] A wide banknote inserted from the entrance 10a in a state of being offset from the central axis of the conveying surface is guided by the inner depth surfaces 335 to the two side edges in the width direction and its posture is corrected in the process. When the two side edges of the banknote pass through the inner depth surfaces 335, their own central axis is completely consistent with the central axis of the conveying surface.

[0073] In this embodiment, when each conveying guide 310 is located Figure 2 (a) Figure 3 (a) Figure 4 (a) Figure 5 In the retreat position (lower limit position) shown in (a), the small-width banknote guide 320 located on the upper side is located at a height position suitable for receiving and guiding the width direction side edges of the small-width banknotes (width dimension less than 72 mm) conveyed on the conveying surface 11. At this time, since the large-width banknote guides 330 are located below the conveying surface 11 and are blocked, they cannot contact (receive) the banknotes on the conveying surface.

[0074] On the other hand, when the conveying guide 310 is located Figure 2 (b) Figure 3 (b) Figure 4 (b) Figure 5 When the protruding position (upper limit position) shown in (b) is reached, each large width banknote guide 330 is located at a height position suitable for receiving and guiding the wide banknotes (width dimension of 72 mm or more and less than 86 mm) conveyed on the conveying surface 11. At this time, since each small width banknote guide 320 is located upwardly away from the conveying surface 11, it cannot contact (receive) the banknotes on the conveying surface.

[0075] The advance and retreat mechanism 350 includes: a gear mechanism (drive transmission mechanism) 360, which is driven by a DC motor 450 to advance and retreat each conveying guide 310 between a retreat position that is the farthest retreated (descended) from the conveying surface and a protruding position that protrudes a specified distance above the conveying surface from the retreat position; a descent stopper 440a and an ascending stopper 440b, which are fixedly arranged at appropriate positions of the device body in order to cause each conveying guide to be respectively locked and stopped at the retreat position and the protruding position; and an inertia absorption mechanism 400, which absorbs and mitigates the inertia torque of the motor to be transmitted from the output shaft of the DC motor 450 to the gear mechanism 360 after the motor stops (when stopped) at the moment when each conveying guide is stopped at the retreat position and the protruding position respectively by each stopper.

[0076] The stopper 440 includes: a descending stopper 440a, which contacts a portion of each conveying guide when each conveying guide reaches the most descending position to prevent further descending; and an ascending stopper 440b, which contacts another portion of each conveying guide when each conveying guide reaches the most ascending position to prevent further ascending (see Figure 6 (a-2)(b-2)).

[0077] The gear mechanism 360 comprises: a rack 316, which is arranged on two leg portions 314 extending downward from the bottom of each conveying guide body 312 constituting each conveying guide 310; a pinion 370, which makes each conveying guide advance and retreat simultaneously by meshing with each rack and driving it to rotate; two driving side gears 380 (380R, 380L), whose shaft cores are respectively fixed to a driving shaft 375 arranged along the width direction of the conveying path and are driven to rotate as a whole by the driving force from a DC motor; and an intermediate gear 390 (390R, 390L), which is coaxial with respect to one side surface (outer side surface) of each driving side gear, and is supported by the driving shaft 375 so as to be rotatable relative to each driving side gear, and is always meshed with each pinion 370.

[0078] In addition, in the present embodiment, each intermediate gear 390 meshes with a rack 316 different from the rack 316 meshed with each pinion 370. Therefore, the driving force from the DC motor is transmitted from each driving side gear 380 and each intermediate gear 390 to the rack 316 provided on each leg 314, so that each conveying guide 310 is synchronously raised and lowered integrally. Since the two legs 314 are raised and lowered at the same time, it is easy to achieve balance when the two conveying guides are moved in parallel.

[0079] Moreover, the gear mechanism 360 has: an output gear 451 of the DC motor 450; a spur gear 452a, which meshes with the output gear 451; a worm 452b, which is coaxially integrated with the spur gear 452a; a worm wheel 453a, which meshes with the worm 452b; and a transmission gear 453b, which is coaxially integrated with the worm wheel 453a.

[0080] <Inertia Absorption Mechanism>

[0081] like Figure 7 As shown, the inertia absorption mechanism 400 generally comprises: each driving side gear 380; each intermediate gear 390; and an elastic component (inertia absorption spring) 405, which is respectively arranged between each driving side gear 380 and each intermediate gear 390, and absorbs and mitigates the inertia torque generated when the DC motor stops during the process of advancing and retreating each conveying guide 310.

[0082] The elastic member 405 constituting the inertia absorbing mechanism 400 is a mechanism (compression spring) which is arranged between the driving side gear 380 and the intermediate gear 390 in an arc shape and applies force to the intermediate gear 390 and the driving side gear 380 in the circumferential direction. That is, the driving side gear 380 has an annular recess 381 on the surface facing the intermediate gear 390, and the elastic member 405 composed of a coil spring is arranged in an arc shape in the recess 381. Both ends of the elastic member 405 are locked by push pieces (locking protrusions) 382a, 382b and 383a, 383b which protrude radially from the inner wall of the recess 381 of the driving side 380. The push pieces 382a, 382b and 383a, 383b are respectively protruded from the inner wall on the inner diameter side and the inner wall on the outer diameter side of the recess 381 so as to interfere with both ends of the elastic member 405. The pushing plates 382a, 382b and 383a, 383b not only lock the two ends of the elastic component, but also play the role of pushing one end of the elastic component on one side of the passive plates 391a, 391b arranged on the intermediate gear 390 in the circumferential direction by the other end of the elastic component through pushing one end of the elastic component by one pushing plate (pair).

[0083] A gap G is formed between the inner diameter side pressing piece 382a and the outer diameter side pressing piece 382b and between the inner diameter side pressing piece 383a and the outer diameter side pressing piece 383b. Reference numeral 385 denotes a center hole of the driving side gear.

[0084] The elastic member 405 can expand and contract in the arc-shaped expansion and contraction space formed by the recessed portion 381 and the push pieces 382a, 382b and 383a, 383b, but cannot expand beyond the push pieces (pairs).

[0085] On the other hand, on the facing surface of the intermediate gear 390 disposed opposite to the elastic member 405, the pushed pieces 391a and 391b are protrudingly provided at intervals of 180 degrees. When the driving side gear 380 and the intermediate gear 390 are coaxially assembled, the pushed pieces 391a and 391b are in a positional relationship (non-interference positional relationship) that can be fitted into the recess 381 of the driving side gear and pass through the gap G between the two pushing pieces disposed opposite to each other in the radial direction. That is, the positional relationship between each pushing piece 382a, 382b, 383a, 383b and the pushed pieces 391a and 391b enables the pushed pieces to pass through G during the relative rotation of the driving side gear 380 with respect to the intermediate gear 390.

[0086] In addition, the elastic member 405 disposed in the arc-shaped telescopic space formed by the recessed portion 381, the pushing pieces 382a, 382b, 383a, 383b, has one end pushed and compressed by the pushing piece during the relative rotation of the driving side gear 380 with respect to the intermediate gear 390 in the stopped state, and pushes a pushed piece by the other end, so that the intermediate gear rotates. In other words, the intermediate gear 390 rotates by pushing the operated pieces 391a, 391b by the elastic member 405.

[0087] [Description of the operation of the conveying guide drive mechanism]

[0088] <Description of rising action>

[0089] Fig.10 (a) to (e) are diagrams for explaining the stroke of moving the conveying guide located at the most descending position (retracted position) to the most ascending position (protruding position). In other words, the diagram is a diagram for explaining the ascending process from the state where the small-width banknote guide 320 is in a height position (guideable position = starting position) where the small-width banknote guide can guide the small-width banknote to the state where the large-width banknote guide 330 is in a height position (guideable position = starting position) where the large-width banknote guide can guide the large-width banknote. In addition, Fig.12 This is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for switching the conveyance mode between the narrow-width banknote conveyance mode and the wide-width banknote conveyance mode.

[0090] In addition, in order to simplify the description below, the expression "each" marked on each conveying guide, each driving side gear, each pinion gear, each intermediate gear, etc. is omitted in principle, and only conveying guide, driving side gear, pinion gear, intermediate gear, etc. are expressed.

[0091] In the banknote conveying device 1, the initial conveying mode is automatically switched to the narrow-width banknote conveying mode or the wide-width banknote conveying mode by software pre-installed according to the country of shipment of the product. For example, when software is installed for the United States, where only narrow-width banknotes with a maximum width of 65 mm are circulated, the initial conveying mode is automatically set to the narrow-width conveying mode. In addition, when software is installed for EUR, where the maximum width is 62 to 82 mm, the wide-width banknote mode is always automatically set.

[0092] When the initial conveying mode of the banknote conveying device 1 is set to the small width banknote conveying mode, Fig.10 As shown in (a), the banknote conveying device 1 is operated with the narrow-width banknote guide 320 positioned at the starting position (the height position communicating with the conveying path space 10G). On the other hand, when the wide-width banknote conveying mode is set, the control mechanism 200 rotates the DC motor forward, and the conveying guide is raised in the order of (b) to (e), so that the wide-width banknote guide 330 moves to the starting position (the height position communicating with the conveying path space 10G).

[0093] In addition, Fig.10 In order to facilitate the illustration, the recess 381, the pushing pieces 382a, 382b, 383a, 383b, the elastic component 405, and the pushed pieces 391a, 391b are shown with solid lines on the near front side of the driving side gear 380, but in fact these components are located on the back side of the driving side gear 380 and should not be visually confirmed. However, in order to facilitate the understanding of the positional relationship of each component while explaining the operation of each component, this illustration method is adopted. This also applies to Fig.11 .

[0094] first, Fig.10 (a)( Figure 6 (a-1)) shows a standby state at a height position (lower limit position = retreat position) where the narrow-width banknote guide 320 can guide the narrow-width banknote, in which the elastic member 405 is compressed to absorb the pressure when the DC motor 450 is in the last descending action (use Fig.11 The amount of inertia generated when the conveyor stops (which will be described later) (the amount of compression is shown by the arrow diagram). The symbol 10G in the figure represents the conveying path space, that is, the space where the banknotes pass. Banknotes can be received and conveyed only when the conveying path space 10G is connected to the narrow-width banknote guide 320 in a consistent state. Fig.10 In the state (a), the narrow-width banknote guide 320 is aligned with and communicates with the conveyance path space 10GG.

[0095] In this standby state, the conveying guide 310 is at the most descended position, and the DC motor 450 is stopped. Figure 6 (a-2)) contacts and cannot go down further.

[0096] At this time, each small-width banknote guiding section 320 is consistent with the conveying path space 10G. In this state, if the small-width banknote is inserted into the entrance 11a and the friction conveying device 20 is driven in the receiving direction, the small-width banknotes are guided by each small-width banknote guiding section to enter the small-width banknote guiding sections 320 in a state offset from the central axis position of the conveying surface, and are conveyed while being pushed horizontally toward the central axis of the conveying path.

[0097] In addition, when the friction conveying device 20 is subjected to a reaction force due to the contact between the narrow-width banknote and the conveying guide, the conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA is activated by the reaction force to reduce the conveying clamping force of the driving roller 25 and the driven roller 102. Therefore, the narrow-width banknote can slide sideways in the gap between the two rollers to freely change its conveying position and conveying posture. Therefore, the narrow-width banknote can be corrected for conveying position and conveying posture by the guide surfaces 325a, 325b, and 325c in the narrow-width banknote guide 320 so that its own central axis is consistent with the central axis of the conveying path.

[0098] exist Fig.10 In the state (a), since the lower end of the elastic component 405 is pushed and compressed in the counterclockwise direction by the lower pushing pieces 383a, 383b, the upper end of the elastic component pushes the upper pushed piece 391a (stopped in the non-rotatable state) in the same direction.

[0099] Symbol 340 is a sensing component that is lifted and lowered integrally with the conveying guide 310. On the lifting path of the sensing piece 340a provided on the sensing component 340, a first sensor S1 for sensing the starting position of the small-width banknote guide and a second sensor S2 for sensing the starting position of the large-width banknote guide are arranged in a vertical position relationship. Fig.10 In the state (a), the first sensor S1 is turned off and the second sensor is turned on, and it is sensed that the narrow-width banknote guide is in the home position.

[0100] In this state, when the control for switching to the wide-width bill conveying mode is started, the DC motor 450 rotates forward and the conveying guide starts to rise.

[0101] Next, according to Fig.12 The flow chart shows the switching sequence of the delivery mode.

[0102] When the power of the banknote conveying device 1 is turned on (step S1), it is confirmed in step S3 whether the wide-width banknote conveying mode is selected, and when the wide-width banknote conveying mode is selected, the outputs of the sensors S1 and S2 are confirmed (steps S5 and S7). In step S7, when the first sensor S1 is turned off and the second sensor S2 is turned on, the conveying guide 310 is in the lowered position, so the conveying guide 310 starts to rise by rotating the DC motor forward (steps S9 and S11).

[0103] Fig.10 (b) shows the state after the DC motor 450 starts to rotate forward (the state in which the deformation of the elastic component is eliminated). By rotating the transmission gear 453b in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction) indicated by the arrow by a required angle, the drive side gear 380 rotates in the clockwise direction, and the push of the elastic component by the lower push pieces 383a and 383b is released. That is, the compression of the elastic component compressed in the state of (a) of 10 is eliminated and the original shape is restored. In this state, since the driving force that causes the conveying guide 310 to rise is not transmitted to the pinion 370, the height position of the conveying guide does not change, and the output states of the sensors S1 and S2 do not change from (a) (step S13 is).

[0104] Fig.10 (c) shows a state in which the pushed piece 391b on the lower side of the intermediate gear 390 starts to rotate clockwise by being pushed by the elastic member 405, thereby transmitting the driving force from the intermediate gear to the pinion 370 and causing the conveying guide to start to rise. That is, the upper end of the elastic member is pushed clockwise by the pushing pieces 382a and 382b on the upper side of the driving side gear, so that the lower end of the elastic member pushes the pushed piece 391b (intermediate gear 390) on the lower side in the clockwise direction.

[0105] At this point in time, although each conveyance guide 310 has risen from the height position of (b), the wide-width banknote guide 330 is still in the middle position that has not reached the conveyance path space 10G.

[0106] Since the conveyance guide has risen to the front of the maximum raised position, the first sensor S1 which was off until then is turned on, and the second sensor S2 is kept on (step S15: Yes).

[0107] Fig.10 (d) shows a state where the conveying guide reaches the maximum raised position (HP) and stops due to further rotation of the driving side gear 380. The conveying guide is prevented from further rising by abutting against the rising stopper 440b.

[0108] As the driving side gear 380 rotates further, the upper push pieces 382a and 382b push the upper end of the elastic member further clockwise, so the lower end of the elastic member pushes the lower pushed piece 391b clockwise to further rotate the intermediate gear 390. Therefore, the intermediate gear rotates the pinion 370 counterclockwise to further raise the conveying guide. When the conveying guide reaches the maximum raised position and stops rising, the intermediate gear and the pinion stop rotating.

[0109] At this point in time, the wide-width banknote guide 330 reaches the conveyance path space 10G (HP).

[0110] At this time point, the second sensor S2 that was previously turned on is turned off, and the first sensor S1 remains turned on (senses that the wide-width banknote guide has reached the starting position. Step S17 is). By turning off the second sensor S2, the power supply to the DC motor 450 is disconnected, and braking begins (step S19). As is well known, even if the power supply to the DC motor is disconnected, the driving force from the output gear 451 will not stop immediately, but the driving force will be transmitted to the gear mechanism 360 by inertia. On the other hand, since each conveying guide 310 cannot rise beyond the position shown in the figure due to contact with the stopper 440b during the rise, the pinion 370 and the intermediate gear 390 are locked. Therefore, if the inertia of the DC motor is not absorbed and mitigated, locking and wear between the gears will occur, resulting in loss and reduction in durability of the parts constituting the gear mechanism and the DC motor itself. In addition, the conveying guide will also cause shaking due to the reaction force of the banknotes passing through the conveying guide that has never been stationary. Therefore, the guiding function of the banknotes implemented by the conveying guide is unstable.

[0111] Next, if other disadvantages are listed when the inertia absorption mechanism is not provided, they are as follows. That is, first, even if the DC motor can be gradually decelerated by PWM control to suppress inertia and stopped without being locked at the starting position, the operation time will increase by the time required for deceleration by PWM control, thereby reducing the overall processing speed and processing efficiency. In addition, when the DC motor is stopped without being locked, there will be looseness between the gears, which may cause the conveying guide to loosen.

[0112] Fig.10 (e) shows the state where the inertia absorption mechanism 400 operates to absorb inertia or the state where absorption is completed. At this time point, the wide-width banknote guide 330 reaches the conveyance path space 10G (starting position) and completes the transition to the wide-width banknote conveyance mode (steps S21 and S23).

[0113] In this embodiment, by absorbing inertia using the inertia absorbing mechanism 400, the gear mechanism on the downstream side can be stopped reliably without causing a delay (shift) in timing without causing the above-mentioned failure and without damaging the gear parts or the DC motor when the DC motor stops.

[0114] exist Fig.10 In (d), since the driving side gear 380 continues to rotate relative to the middle gear 390 which stops rotating while compressing the elastic component 405, the upper push pieces 382a and 382b continue to push the upper end of the elastic component in the clockwise direction. At this time, since the lower end of the elastic component is stopped by the pushed piece 391b which is in a stopped state, the elastic component is compressed. The amount of the elastic component compressed becomes the energy to absorb inertia. Therefore, the driving force from the motor is eliminated by the inertia absorption mechanism 400, preventing damage to the middle gear, pinion or DC motor in advance.

[0115] If it is described in further detail, when the conveying guide 310 that is rising contacts the stopper 440b during rising and stops, the second sensor S2 senses this, and the control mechanism 200 stops the DC motor. However, even if the DC motor is powered off, it does not stop immediately, and the driving force is transmitted from the output gear 451 to the gear mechanism 360. When the conveying guide stops at the maximum rising position, the pinion 370 and the intermediate gear 390 are locked, but the worm gear 453a, the transmission gear 453b, and the driving side gear 380 continue to rotate due to the inertia from the DC motor. By making the driving side gear 380 rotate relative to the intermediate gear 390, the elastic member 405 can be compressed to absorb the inertia.

[0116] If the driving side gear 380 does not rotate relative to the intermediate gear 390, when the conveying guide stops at the maximum ascending position and the DC motor stops, not only the driving side gear 380 but also the other gears 453a, 453b, 452a, 452b located on the upstream side thereof are locked, and the DC motor is also locked. In this case, the DC motor fails due to overload, or the gears are damaged.

[0117] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned problems are solved by using the inertia absorbing mechanism 400 to eliminate the locking of the driving gear 380 when the conveying guide is stopped and when the DC motor is stopped.

[0118] exist Fig.10In the state (e), if a wide-width banknote is inserted into the entrance 11a and the friction conveying device 20 is driven in the receiving direction, the wide-width banknote conveyed by the wide-width banknote guide 330 can be guided by the wide-width banknote guide to correct the skew while conveying the banknote. That is, in the skew correction, the position, angle, and posture of the banknote are corrected to obtain a conveying state in a state consistent with the side wall (or the center axis CL) of one side. For example, when a banknote with a width of 60 mm is inserted into the wide-width banknote guide 330 with a width of 86 mm, it is conveyed along the side wall instead of the center of the conveying path.

[0119] If the answer is NO in step S7 , that is, when the first sensor S1 is turned on and the second sensor S2 is turned off, the switching to the wide-width banknote conveyance mode is completed (steps S65 and 67 ).

[0120] If the answer is NO in step S65 , that is, when both the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2 are turned on, the conveyance guide is located at the intermediate position, and therefore the DC motor is reversed (step S61 ).

[0121] The case where the conveyance guide is located in the middle position is assumed to be a state immediately after the product is assembled or a result of an abnormality.

[0122] <Description of descending action>

[0123] then, Fig.11 (a) to (e) are diagrams for explaining the stroke of moving the conveying guide member in the most elevated position to the most descended position. In other words, the diagrams are diagrams for explaining the descending process from the state where the wide-width banknote guide 330 can guide the wide-width banknote (the guideable position) to the state where the narrow-width banknote guide 320 can guide the narrow-width banknote (the guideable position).

[0124] When in wide width banknote transport mode Fig.11 As shown in (a), the banknote conveying device 1 operates in a state where the wide-width banknote guide 330 is positioned at the starting position. On the other hand, when switching to the narrow-width banknote conveying mode, the control mechanism 200 reverses the DC motor 450 and rotates the DC motor 450 according to the rotation of the DC motor 450. Fig.11 The conveying guide is lowered in the order of (b) to (e) and the small-width banknote guide 330 is moved to the starting position.

[0125] first, Fig.11 (a) shows a standby state in which the wide-width banknote guide 330 is in a height position (upper limit position) capable of guiding wide-width banknotes, in which the elastic member 405 is compressed to absorb the pressure when the DC motor 450 is in use. Fig.10The amount of inertia generated when the last ascending operation was stopped (the amount of compression is shown by the arrow). As shown in the standby state of (a), the wide bill can be received only when the space 10G and the wide bill guide 330 are connected in a consistent state.

[0126] In this standby state, the conveyance guide 310 is located at the most elevated position, and the DC motor 450 is stopped. The conveyance guide 310 abuts against the ascending stopper 440b and cannot be further elevated.

[0127] At this time, each large width banknote guiding section 330 is consistent with the conveying path space 10G. In this state, if a wide-width banknote is inserted into the entrance 10a and the friction conveying device 20 is driven in the receiving direction, the wide-width banknotes are guided by the large width banknote guiding sections 330 into the large width banknote guiding sections on both side edges in the width direction, thereby being pushed horizontally toward the center axis of the conveying path, or being conveyed while correcting their posture.

[0128] At this time, since the upper end of the elastic component 405 is pushed and compressed in the clockwise direction by the upper pushing pieces 382a, 382b, the lower end of the elastic component pushes the lower pushed piece 391b (stopped in a non-rotatable state) in the same direction.

[0129] If based on Fig.12 The lowering action is explained by referring to the flowchart of FIG. 1 . In step S3, when the wide-width banknote conveying mode is not selected, the narrow-width banknote conveying mode is selected (step S3, no, step S31). When the narrow-width banknote conveying mode is selected, the outputs of the sensors S1 and S2 are confirmed (steps S33 and S35). In step S35, when the first sensor S1 is turned on and the second sensor S2 is turned off, the conveying guide 310 is in the ascending position, so the conveying guide 310 starts to be lowered by reversing the DC motor (steps S37 and S39).

[0130] exist Fig.11 In (a), the first sensor S1 is turned on and the second sensor S2 is turned off, and it is sensed that the wide-width banknote guide 330 is located at the home position.

[0131] Fig.11 (b) shows the state after the DC motor 450 starts to reverse (the deformation of the elastic component is eliminated), and the transmission gear 453b is rotated in the reverse direction (clockwise) indicated by the arrow by a required angle, thereby driving the side gear 380 to rotate counterclockwise, and releasing the push of the elastic component by the upper push pieces 382a and 382b. Fig.11In the state (a), the compression of the elastic component is eliminated and the original shape is restored. In this state, since the driving force that causes the conveying guide 310 to descend is not transmitted to the pinion 370, the height position of the conveying guide does not change, and the output states of the sensors S1 and S2 are the same as Fig.11 (a) does not change (step S41).

[0132] Fig.11 (c) shows a state in which the upper pushed piece 391a of the intermediate gear 390 starts to rotate counterclockwise by being pushed by the elastic member 405, thereby transmitting the driving force from the intermediate gear to the pinion 370 and causing the conveying guide to start to descend. That is, the lower end of the elastic member is pushed counterclockwise by the lower pushing pieces 383a and 383b of the driving side gear, so that the upper end of the elastic member pushes the upper pushed piece 391a counterclockwise.

[0133] At this point in time, although each conveyance guide 310 has descended from the height position of (b), the narrow-width banknote guide 330 has not yet reached the conveyance path space 10G.

[0134] Since the conveyance guide has descended to a position immediately before the most descended position, the second sensor S2 which was previously off is turned on, and the first sensor S1 is kept on (step S43: Yes).

[0135] Fig.11 (d) shows the state where the conveying guide reaches the most descended position and stops due to further rotation of the driving side gear 380. The conveying guide is prevented from further descending by contacting the descending stopper 440a, and the DC motor is also stopped by cutting off the first sensor S1 (step S45 is, S47).

[0136] In (d), the lower push pieces 383a and 383b push the lower end of the elastic member further counterclockwise as the driving side gear 380 rotates further, so the upper end of the elastic member pushes the upper pushed piece 391a counterclockwise to further rotate the intermediate gear 390. Therefore, the intermediate gear rotates the pinion 370 clockwise to further lower the conveying guide. When the conveying guide reaches the maximum descending position and stops descending, the intermediate gear and the pinion stop rotating.

[0137] At this point in time, the narrow-width banknote guide 320 reaches the conveyance path space 10G (start position).

[0138] At this point in time, the first sensor S1 that was previously on is turned off, and the second sensor S2 remains on (senses that the small-width banknote guide has reached the starting position) (step S45 is). By turning off the first sensor S1, the power to the DC motor 450 is disconnected, and braking begins (step S47). Even if the power to the DC motor is disconnected, the driving force from the output gear 451 will not stop immediately, but the driving force will be transmitted to the gear mechanism 360 by inertia. On the other hand, since each conveying guide 310 cannot descend beyond the position shown in the figure due to abutment with the stopper 440a during descent, the pinion 370 and the intermediate gear 390 are locked. As shown in Fig.10 As explained in , if the inertia of the DC motor is not absorbed and mitigated, various failures may occur.

[0139] That is, in (d), since the driving side gear 380 continues to rotate relative to the middle gear 390 that stops rotating while compressing the elastic component 405, the lower pushing pieces 383a and 383b continue to push the lower end of the elastic component in the counterclockwise direction. At this time, since the upper end of the elastic component is stopped by the pushed piece 391a that is in a stopped state, the elastic component is compressed. The amount of the elastic component compressed becomes the energy to absorb inertia. Therefore, the driving force from the motor is eliminated by the inertia absorption mechanism 400, preventing damage to the middle gear, pinion or DC motor in advance ((e) of the figure).

[0140] (e) shows the state where the inertia absorbing mechanism 400 operates to absorb inertia or the state where absorption is completed. At this point in time, the narrow-width bill guide 320 reaches the conveyance path space 10G (starting position) and the transition to the narrow-width bill conveyance mode is completed (steps S49 and S51).

[0141] If it is described in further detail, when the conveying guide 310 that is descending contacts the stopper 440a during descent and stops, the first sensor S1 senses this, and the control mechanism 200 stops the DC motor. However, even if the DC motor is powered off, it does not stop immediately, and the driving force is transmitted from the output gear 451 to the gear mechanism 360. When the conveying guide stops at the most descending position, the pinion 370 and the intermediate gear 390 are locked, but the worm gear 453a, the transmission gear 453b, and the drive side gear 380 continue to rotate due to the inertia from the DC motor. By causing the drive side gear 380 to rotate relative to the intermediate gear 390, the elastic member 405 can be compressed to absorb the inertia.

[0142] Assume that a fault occurs in which the driving side gear 380 does not rotate relative to the intermediate gear 390. Fig.10 As described in.

[0143] In this embodiment, the above-mentioned problems are solved by using the inertia absorbing mechanism 400 to eliminate the locking of the driving side gear 380 when the conveying guide and the DC motor are stopped.

[0144] In this embodiment, by absorbing inertia using the inertia absorbing mechanism 400, the gear mechanism on the downstream side can be stopped reliably and without time delay without causing the above-mentioned failure and without damaging the gear parts or the DC motor when the DC motor stops.

[0145] exist Fig.11 In the state (e), if a small-width banknote is inserted into the entrance 10a and the friction conveying device 20 is driven in the receiving direction, the small-width banknote guiding unit 320 guides the two side edges in the width direction of the conveyed small-width banknote, and the paper can be conveyed while correcting the skew and pushing it horizontally toward the center of the conveying path.

[0146] In addition, in this embodiment, the small-width banknote guide 320 is arranged on the upper side of the conveying guide 310, and the large-width banknote guide 330 is arranged on the lower side, but this structure can also be reversed. Fig.10 , Fig.11 The order of operations.

[0147] If the answer is NO in step S35 , that is, when the first sensor S1 is turned off and the second sensor S2 is turned on, the switching to the narrow-width bill conveyance mode is completed (steps S57 and S59 ).

[0148] If the answer is NO in step S57 , that is, when both the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2 are turned on, the conveyance guide is located at the intermediate position, and therefore the DC motor is rotated forward (step S55 ).

[0149] The case where the conveyance guide is located in the middle position is assumed to be a state immediately after the product is assembled or a result of an abnormality.

[0150] <Return Order in Each Banknote Transport Mode>

[0151] Next, combine the reference Fig.13 The process Figure 1 The switching between the conveying modes and the return operation in each conveying mode are described. In addition, the present invention is characterized by the operation of the conveying guide for preventing a paper jam from occurring during the return conveying in the narrow-width bill conveying mode.

[0152] The banknote conveying device 1 of the present invention switches the banknote conveying mode by switching the software used according to the difference in the destination country. As a result, it is possible to stably convey banknotes of different width sizes while performing horizontal pushing and skew correction. That is, for example, when conveying small-width banknotes with a maximum width size of less than 72 mm, the banknote conveying device is switched to the small-width banknote conveying mode, and when conveying large-width banknotes with a maximum width size of more than 72 mm and less than 86 mm, it is switched to the large-width banknote conveying mode.

[0153] Furthermore, when returning the narrow-width banknote being received and conveyed, the height position of the conveyance guide is automatically switched (switched from the guide section 320 to the guide section 330 ) by software control.

[0154] That is, in the small width banknote conveying mode, e.g. Figure 6 (a-1), Fig.10 As shown in (a) and the like, since the small-width banknote guide portion 320 of the conveying guide is located in the conveying path space 10G, when the small-width banknote is conveyed in the receiving direction, the tapered guide surface 325b and the flat guide surface 325a can cooperate to perform lateral pushing and skew correction.

[0155] When the power is turned on, it is confirmed whether the narrow-width banknote corresponding software is set (steps S71 and S73). Fig.12 The switching action of the narrow width banknote conveying mode described in the above is performed (step S75). In this state, when the entrance sensor 15 senses the insertion of the banknote (step S77 is), the control mechanism starts to rotate the conveying motor forward (step S79).

[0156] When the banknote passes through the recognition sensor 17, the conveyance motor is temporarily stopped (step S81), and the determination of acceptance by the recognition sensor is waited for (step S83).

[0157] When the recognition sensor 17 determines that the bill cannot be accepted, the DC motor 450 starts to rotate forward (step S83 Yes, S85), and after step S87, the conveyance guide is switched to the wide-width bill conveyance mode, and then operations for returning the bill are sequentially performed.

[0158] After the rear end of the narrow-width banknote passes through the conveying guide 310, in step S83, if the recognition sensor 17 determines that the narrow-width banknote cannot be accepted, the control mechanism 200 reverses the friction conveying device 20 to start the return, and stops the conveying motor 60 after the return is completed. However, it is pointed out that when the narrow-width banknote guide 320 is located in the conveying path space 10G during the return, it is possible that the returned banknote is caught on the inner depth surface 325 and a paper jam occurs.

[0159] Therefore, when a small-width banknote that is judged as unacceptable by the recognition sensor is reversely conveyed and returned to the entrance 10a, the DC motor 450 is rotated forward in step S85 to move the conveying guide from the front to the back. Fig.10 The maximum descending position (a) of the figure is moved to the maximum ascending position (e) of the figure. That is, in the next step S87, the control mechanism 200 stops the DC motor on the condition that the first sensor S1 is turned on and the second sensor S2 is turned off, and then the friction conveying device 20 (conveyance motor 60) starts to reverse (steps S89, S91). That is, the completion of the movement of the conveying guide to the maximum ascending position is determined by turning on the first sensor S1 and turning off the first sensor S2. Fig.10 In (e), since the wide-width banknote guide 330 is located in the conveying path space 10G, the narrow-width banknotes that are returned and conveyed by the friction conveying device starting to reverse will not get caught in the wide-width banknote guide, but will be returned through the entrance 10a. That is, the friction conveying device 20 starts to reverse, and the conveying motor is stopped at the time when the entrance sensor 15 senses the paper discharge (steps S91 to S95).

[0160] Next, the control mechanism 200 starts forward rotation of the DC motor to return to the narrow-width bill conveying mode, and determines that the transition to the narrow-width bill conveying mode is completed when the first sensor S1 is turned off and the second sensor S2 is turned on (steps S97 and S99: Yes).

[0161] Thereafter, when the entrance sensor 15 senses the insertion of the subsequent small-width banknote, the friction conveying device starts normal rotation and starts receiving and conveying the banknote (step S103: Yes, step S105).

[0162] In step S83, when the recognition sensor determines that the coin can be received, the receiving and conveying is restarted and the coin is stored in the coin deposit box (step S107).

[0163] In addition, when a portion of the banknotes received as narrow-width banknotes is determined to be returned at the stage of being located in the narrow-width banknote guide 320, the receiving and conveying of the friction conveying device is temporarily stopped and then switched to reverse conveying, and the banknotes are returned to the entrance 10a in a state where the narrow-width banknote guide is located in the conveying path space 10G. This is because, assuming that the conveying guide is lowered (or raised) when the banknote is located in the narrow-width banknote guide, the banknote may be broken. In addition, compared with the case where the banknote is reversely conveyed after the rear end of the banknote passes through the narrow-width banknote guide 320, the case where the banknote is reversely conveyed while remaining in the narrow-width banknote guide reduces the probability of paper jams.

[0164] In addition, the case where it is determined that the narrow-width banknote should be returned at the stage where a part of the narrow-width banknote is located in the narrow-width banknote guide 320 is when the banknote is too long or too short, and is clearly determined not to be a banknote without identification. In this case, if the banknote is not conveyed to the downstream side of the identification sensor but returned in advance, there is an advantage of reducing the risk of paper jams on the downstream side.

[0165] Next, if the result of the determination in step S73 is negative, that is, if the software for supporting small-width banknotes is not set when the power is turned on, that is, if the software for supporting large-width banknotes is set, a switching operation to the large-width banknote conveying mode is implemented in step S111. In the large-width banknote conveying mode, if Figure 6 As shown in (b-2), the conveying action is performed with the wide-width banknote guide 330 of the conveying guide positioned in the conveying path space 10G not only during receiving conveyance but also during returning conveyance. This is because the wide-width banknote will not get caught on the inner depth surface 335 of the wide-width banknote guide 330 during returning.

[0166] In step S111, when it is determined that the wide-width banknote conveying mode (the wide-width banknote guide is located in the conveying path space) is in place, when the entrance sensor 15 senses the insertion of a banknote (step S113 is), the friction conveying device 20 (conveyance motor 60) starts to rotate forward (step S115). When the rear end of the banknote passes through the identification sensor 17, the conveyance motor is temporarily stopped (step S117). During the acceptance and conveying of wide-width banknotes, when the identification sensor determines that it cannot be accepted, the friction conveying device is stopped and reversed (steps S119 is, S121). When the entrance sensor 15 senses the discharge of the banknote, the friction conveying device is stopped (steps S123 is, S125). Afterwards, when the insertion of the subsequent banknote is sensed, the friction conveying device is rotated forward and the acceptance and conveying is restarted (steps S127 is, S129).

[0167] In step S119, when the recognition sensor 17 determines that the coin is acceptable, the coin is continuously transported and stored in the coin deposit box (step S131).

[0168] As described above, in the present invention, the mode switching between the small-width banknote conveying mode and the large-width banknote conveying mode by raising and lowering a pair of conveying guides provided in a large-width conveying path capable of conveying large-width banknotes is realized by control performed by software. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of machine models having conveying paths of different widths according to the difference in the size of the short side of the banknote. That is, it is possible to merge the existing two machine models into one machine model without performing complicated software control.

[0169] In addition, since the banknotes can be pushed sideways while being transported without interrupting the transport of the banknotes, the processing speed of each banknote will not be reduced. Furthermore, the risk of paper jams when returning narrow-width banknotes can be reduced.

[0170] In addition, since the inertia absorption mechanism is provided, it is possible to eliminate the damage to the drive transmission mechanism or the DC motor caused by the inertia moment generated when the DC motor stops when the DC motor is driven to raise or lower the conveying guide, and the conveying guide that is performing the raising or lowering action stops accurately and without delay when it stops at the protruding position and the retreating position, respectively. That is, it is possible to achieve a significant cost reduction by using a DC motor, and to achieve accurate and stable stop and restart driving in the same manner as driving by a stepping motor.

[0171] [Operation of the friction conveyor]

[0172] Fig.14 This is the main view of the friction conveyor. Fig.15 (a) and (b) are three-dimensional diagrams of the main parts of the device. Figure 3 Provide explanation.

[0173] As described above, the friction conveying device 2 generally comprises: a driving side unit 20, which transmits the conveying driving force to one side of the banknote P conveyed on the banknote conveying path 10; a driving motor (conveying motor) 60; a driven roller 102 (driven side unit 100), which is connected to the other side of the banknote and rotates drivenly; a conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA, which makes the conveying clamping force between the driving roller 25 and the banknote variable; and a control mechanism 200, which controls various control objects.

[0174] The minimum necessary condition for the friction conveyor device used in the banknote conveying device 1 of the present invention is that the conveying clamping force is weak enough to allow the banknote to be conveyed and pushed sideways during reception. If this condition is met, the friction conveyor device may have any structure.

[0175] The drive side unit 20 comprises: a driving roller 25, which is supported to rotate freely around an axis portion 22 extending in a direction perpendicular to (intersecting) the standard banknote conveying direction; a swing arm 30, which supports the axis portion 22 of the driving roller through a part of the axis, and supports the other part through a swing shaft 50a in such a way that the distance from the driven roller 102 is changed by swinging the driving roller, thereby changing the conveying clamping force; an elastic force applying member 40, which elastically applies force to the driven roller 102 via the swing arm; and a drive transmission mechanism DM ( Figure 3 ) which transmits the driving force from the driving motor 60 to the driving roller.

[0176] The conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA is configured to reduce the conveying clamping force and move the driving roller away from the driven roller (the banknote conveying surface 11) in order to overcome the elastic force of the elastic force member 40 when an external force (such as a reaction force from the side wall) exceeding a specified value other than the standard conveying direction is applied to the banknote conveyed in the conveying path 10 by the forward rotation of the driving motor 60 (when the conveying load applied from the banknote to the driving roller exceeds a specified value). The driving roller changes its distance from the driven roller by swinging the swing arm 30 with the swing shaft 50a as the center while maintaining a distance of radius r.

[0177] The driving force from the driving motor 60 is transmitted to the input gear 50 via the intermediate gear group, the transmission belt, the pulley and other driving transmission components 62, and the input gear 50 rotates the driving roller by meshing with the output gear 52 formed integrally with the driving roller in a coaxial shape. In addition, the swing arm 30 has a structure that can swing in the vertical direction (forward direction and reverse direction) around the swing shaft 50a as the rotation axis of the input gear 50. The swing arm 30 and the input gear 50 are in a relative rotation relationship.

[0178] When the transport load applied from the banknote to the drive roller does not exceed the prescribed value during the transport of the banknote in the receiving direction, the swing arm maintains the state (initial state, initial position) of being pressed against the stopper 55 by the elastic urging member 40, because the circumferential speeds of the input gear 50 and the output gear 52 are maintained the same, and the swing arm does not swing. On the other hand, when the transport load from the banknote applied to the drive roller 25 exceeds the prescribed value, the circumferential speed of the output gear is lower than the circumferential speed of the input gear, so the swing arm swings by the amount of the circumferential speed difference (departs from the initial position).

[0179] The drive transmission mechanism DM includes a drive transmission member 62 that transmits the drive force from the drive motor 60, an input gear 50 that rotates in response to the drive force transmitted from the drive transmission member, and an output gear 52 that meshes with the input gear coaxially formed integrally with the drive roller 25 and receives the drive force.

[0180] The swing arm 30 , the elastic urging member 40 , the drive transmission mechanism DM, and the stopper member 55 as a mechanism for regulating the upper limit position (forward rotation limit position) of the swing arm constitute a conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA.

[0181] The transport nip force adjustment mechanism GA is configured to change the friction force between the driving roller 25 and the banknote P (hereinafter referred to as transport nip force) according to the value of the load from the banknote passing between the driving roller and the driven roller and the direction of the load (transport condition).

[0182] That is, the conveying path 10 has side walls and a conveying guide 310, and the conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA operates as follows: when the banknote is conveyed in the receiving direction along the conveying path and is subjected to an external force exceeding a specified value other than a standard banknote conveying direction due to contact with the side walls and the conveying guide, the conveying clamping force is reduced by moving the driving roller 25 in a direction away from the driven roller 102.

[0183] The value of the conveying clamping force during reduction is a value that changes in the direction of eliminating the external force from the side wall by eliminating or reducing the constraint of the banknote by the gap between the two rollers 25 and 102, and utilizing the synergy with the side wall. In other words, it is a value that can correct the banknote in a poor conveying state to a conveying posture parallel to the standard banknote conveying direction, or to move the banknote in the width direction relative to the standard conveying position, so that the banknote can slide sideways between the driving roller and the driven roller (including rotation and sliding in other directions).

[0184] [Application Examples of Embodiments]

[0185] (Application Example 1)

[0186] Fig.16 (a) to (e) are top views of the main parts showing the skew correction sequence when the conveying guide (small-width banknote guide 320) and its driving mechanism of the present invention are applied to a wide and fixed-width banknote conveying path. In addition, this figure shows a state where the small-width banknote guide 320 is located at the starting position.

[0187] exist Fig.16 In the example, the width dimension L1 of the banknote conveyance path 10 is 86 mm, and the width dimension L2 of the banknote to be conveyed is 66 mm.

[0188] By applying the conveyance guide 310 and the friction conveyance device 2 to the banknote conveyance path 10 , the position, angle, and posture of the obliquely inserted banknote can be corrected to obtain a conveyance state in a state consistent with one side wall (or the central axis CL).

[0189] When the Fig.16 When a banknote P is inserted into the friction conveying device 2 in the standby state of (a), as shown in (b) of the figure, the entrance sensor 15 senses the insertion and turns on, and the drive motor 60 drives the drive roller 25 in the forward direction. When the inserted banknote is skewed in the clockwise direction at a specified angle as shown in (b) and (c), the left end edge Pb of the banknote P contacts the entrance side end 11d and receives a reaction force fb. The left end edge Pb of the banknote receives a reaction force fb from the entrance side end 11d, and the conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA is activated to weaken the conveying clamping force between the drive roller and the banknote, causing the banknote to slide sideways. The banknote P that begins to slide sideways is as shown in (b) and (c). Fig.16 As shown in (c), (d), and (e), the skew correction operation can be efficiently performed by cooperating with the left and right conveyance guides 310L and 310R while rotating counterclockwise around the contact portion between the left edge Pb of the banknote and the inlet-side end 11d.

[0190] That is, in Fig.16 In (d), the top portion of the left end edge Pb of the banknote P is brought into contact with the corner 325A of the tapered guide surface 325b and the flat guide surface 325a of the left conveying guide 310L, and the right end edge Pa is brought into contact with the tapered guide surface 325b and the flat guide surface 325a of the right conveying guide 310R in sequence, while the posture is corrected while moving forward.

[0191] exist Fig.16 In the state (e), the reaction force generated at the contact point between the corner 325A and the left edge Pb of the banknote causes the banknote to rotate counterclockwise while advancing due to the force in the rotation direction indicated by the arrow fc, thereby correcting the conveying posture. Fig.16 As shown by the dashed line in (e), the side edges Pa and Pb are conveyed toward the inner depth portion in a forward posture parallel to the flat guides 325a of the two conveying guides.

[0192] (Application Example 2)

[0193] then, Fig.17 (a) to (e) are plan views of the main parts showing another skew correction procedure when the conveyance guide (wide-width banknote guide 330) and its driving mechanism of the present invention are applied to a wide and fixed-width banknote conveyance path.

[0194] exist Fig.17 In the example, the width dimension L1 of the banknote conveyance path 10 is 86 mm, and the width dimension L2 of the banknote to be conveyed is 66 mm.

[0195] Fig.17 The wide bill guide 330 is in the home position. In this state, the inner depth surface 335 (flat guide surface 335 a ) of the wide bill guide 330 is flush with the side walls 11A and 11B of the bill transport path 10 (no level difference).

[0196] By applying the conveyance guide 310 and the friction conveyance device 2 to the banknote conveyance path 10 , the position, angle, and posture of the obliquely inserted banknote can be corrected, and a conveyance state in which the banknote is aligned with one side wall 11A or 11B can be obtained.

[0197] When the Fig.17When the friction conveying device 2 in the standby state (a) inserts the banknote P, as shown in FIG. Fig.17 As shown in (b), the entrance sensor 15 senses the insertion and turns on, and the drive motor 60 drives the drive roller 25 to start driving in the forward direction. Fig.17 When the banknote is skewed in the clockwise direction at a predetermined angle as shown in (b), the left side edge Pb of the banknote P contacts the inlet side end 11d and receives a reaction force fb. The left side edge Pb of the banknote receives a reaction force fb from the inlet side end 11d, and the conveying clamping force adjustment mechanism GA is actuated to weaken the conveying clamping force between the drive roller and the banknote, so that the skew correction operation can be efficiently performed by rotating the banknote in the counterclockwise direction around the contact portion between the left side edge of the banknote and the inlet side end while sliding the banknote sideways.

[0198] In this example, the modified banknote P is Fig.17 As shown by the solid line in (e), the banknote is conveyed toward the inner deep portion in a forward posture while the left side edge Pb of the banknote is aligned with the left side wall 11B of the conveyance path 10 .

[0199] During the skew correction process, the inner depth surface 335 (flat guide surface 335a) of the wide-width banknote guide 330 does not protrude from the two side walls 11A, 11B of the banknote conveyance path 10 but is flush with the banknote conveyance path 10, so that the skew can be smoothly corrected for banknotes of various widths.

[0200] [Summary of the structure, function and effect of the present invention]

[0201] The first conveying guide drive mechanism 300 involved in the present invention includes: a conveying surface 11, which guides one side of the paper P; a conveying guide 310, whose two side edges in the width direction of the conveying surface are respectively arranged opposite to each other and guide the two side edges of the conveyed paper respectively; an advance and retreat mechanism 350, which makes each conveying guide member advance and retreat (in and out) in a specified direction as a whole (synchronously); a stopper 440, which respectively specifies the protruding position of each conveying guide member 310 at which it protrudes most from the conveying surface 11 and the retreat position at which it retreats toward the conveying surface side than the protruding position; and a DC motor 450, which drives the advance and retreat mechanism 350.

[0202] The advance and retreat mechanism 350 includes: a gear mechanism (drive transmission mechanism) 360, which is driven by a DC motor to advance and retreat each conveying guide between a protruding position and a retracted position; and an inertia absorption mechanism 400, which absorbs and mitigates the inertia torque of the DC motor transmitted from the output shaft of the DC motor to the gear mechanism after the DC motor stops (when stopped) at the moment when each conveying guide stops at the protruding position and the retracted position respectively by a stopper.

[0203] According to the present invention, by having a wide conveying path and a movable conveying guide that can be used for both small-width and large-width paper, it is possible to convey paper of different widths while stably pushing and skew-correcting it. This is because the obvious disadvantage of preparing two types of paper money conveying devices that have no structural difference except for the width difference of the conveying path in advance and manufacturing and shipping them according to orders is that the manufacturing cost and inventory management expenses are increased. In addition, according to the return sequence of the present invention, it is also possible to prevent paper jams caused by the conveying guide that are easy to occur when returning small-width paper.

[0204] The DC motor, which is much cheaper than the stepping motor, realizes the stable in-and-out movement of the conveying guide. The various faults caused by the continuous output of inertia when the power is turned off, which is a disadvantage of the DC motor, are eliminated by the inertia absorption mechanism. The inertia absorption mechanism is a simple structure with only an elastic component arranged between the drive side gear and the intermediate gear.

[0205] In the conveying guide drive mechanism 200 involved in the second present invention, the gear mechanism 360 has: a rack 316, which is arranged on each conveying guide member 310; a pinion 370, which makes each conveying guide member advance and retreat simultaneously by meshing with each rack and rotatingly driving; two driving side gears 380, whose shaft cores are respectively supported (fixed) on a driving shaft 375 arranged parallel to the width direction of the conveying path 10 and are rotated by the driving force from the DC motor 450; and an intermediate gear 390, which is coaxial along one side surface of each driving side gear, and is supported by the driving shaft so as to rotate relative to each driving side gear, and is always meshed with each pinion gear.

[0206] The inertia absorbing mechanism 400 includes an elastic member 405 disposed between each driving gear 380 and each intermediate gear 390 and absorbing and relaxing the inertia moment generated when the DC motor stops due to each conveying guide 310 reaching the protruding position and the retracted position.

[0207] At the time when the conveying guide 310 rises or falls and contacts the stopper 440, the sensors S1 and S2 that sense the starting position are activated to stop the DC motor 450. However, the DC motor does not stop immediately and generates inertia. Originally, the gears constituting the drive transmission mechanism 360 are locked by inertia, but in the present invention, the elastic member 405 is activated, and the driving side gear 380 rotates relative to the stopped intermediate gear 390 while deforming the elastic member. The amount of deformation of the elastic member becomes the amount of inertia absorption (moment of inertia of the motor).

[0208] Therefore, the conveyance guide and the stopper can be stationary at the respective protruding positions and the retracted positions without delay or rattling at the time when the conveyance guide and the stopper come into contact.

[0209] In the conveying guide drive mechanism 300 involved in the third present invention, each conveying guide 310 has: a small-width paper guide part 320, which advances and retreats in a direction perpendicular to the conveying surface 11, so as to be arranged opposite to each other with a spacing between the two side edges of a small-width paper with a small width dimension being suitable for guiding; and a wide-width paper guide part 330, which is arranged adjacent to the top or bottom of the small-width paper guide part, so as to be arranged opposite to each other with a spacing between the two side edges of a wide-width paper with a large width dimension being suitable for guiding.

[0210] By controlling the advance and retreat mechanism 350 driven by the DC motor, the conveying guide disposed on the wide conveying surface can be advanced and retreated, and the narrow-width paper guide and the wide-width paper guide can be selectively stopped at the starting position. The conveying guide is permanently provided, and there is no need to perform time-consuming operations such as pre-attaching the conveying guide according to the size of the banknotes of the country of shipment of the paper conveying device and the paper handling device.

[0211] The fourth present invention involves a paper conveying device 1 comprising: the conveying guide drive mechanism 300; a friction conveying device 2, which reduces the conveying clamping force to convey the paper when the paper is subjected to a reaction force in a direction different from the standard conveying direction during the process of conveying the paper along the conveying surface 11; and a control mechanism 200.

[0212] As the friction conveying device, any structure can be applied as long as the conveying clamping force is weakened to the extent that the banknotes can be conveyed and pushed sideways when received.

[0213] In the control method of the paper conveying device 1 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the control mechanism 200 stops the narrow-width paper guide 320 at a starting position capable of guiding both side edges of the narrow-width paper conveyed along the conveying surface 11 in the narrow-width paper conveying mode for conveying narrow-width paper, and stops the wide-width paper guide 330 at a starting position capable of guiding both side edges of the wide-width paper conveyed along the conveying surface in the wide-width paper conveying mode for conveying wide-width paper. In addition, in the narrow-width paper conveying mode, when the narrow-width paper that has temporarily passed through each conveying guide is to be returned, the advance and retract mechanism is operated to move the wide-width paper guide to the starting position, and then the return operation is performed.

[0214] According to this control method, a paper jam that is likely to occur when a narrow-width paper that is received and conveyed by the narrow-width paper guide is returned can be effectively prevented through a simple operation.

[0215] According to the conveyance guide drive mechanism of the present invention, the rate of paper jams during return can be reduced.

[0216] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a paper processing device including the paper conveying device 1 .

Claims

1. A conveying guide drive mechanism, comprising: The conveying surface is the side that guides the paper; Conveying guides, which are disposed opposite to each other at both side edges in the width direction of the conveying surface and guide both side edges of the conveyed paper respectively; An advance and retreat mechanism that causes each of the conveying guides to advance and retreat synchronously in a specified direction; a stopper that defines a protruding position at which each conveying guide protrudes most from the conveying surface and a retracted position at which each conveying guide is retracted toward the conveying surface side from the protruding position; and A DC motor drives the advance and retreat mechanism, The conveying guide drive mechanism is characterized in that: The advance and retreat mechanism has: a gear mechanism that is driven by the DC motor to move each of the conveying guides forward and backward between the protruding position and the retracted position; as well as The inertia absorbing mechanism absorbs and alleviates the inertia moment of the DC motor transmitted from the output shaft of the DC motor to the gear mechanism when the DC motor stops at the timing when the conveying guides are stopped at the protruding position and the retracted position by the stopper.

2. The conveying guide drive mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gear mechanism has: a rack provided on each of the conveying guides; A pinion gear meshes with each of the racks and is rotationally driven to cause each of the conveying guides to simultaneously advance and retreat; two driving side gears, the shaft cores of which are respectively supported by driving shafts and are rotationally driven by the driving force from the DC motor, wherein the driving shafts are arranged parallel to the width direction of the conveying surface; and an intermediate gear, the intermediate gear being coaxially supported by the drive shaft along one side surface of each of the drive side gears and being rotatable relative to the drive side gears, and the intermediate gear being always meshed with each of the pinion gears, The inertia absorbing mechanism includes an elastic member disposed between each of the driving side gears and each of the intermediate gears, and absorbing and relaxing an inertia moment generated when the DC motor stops due to each of the conveying guides reaching the protruding position and the retreating position and stopping.

3. The conveying guide drive mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Each of the conveying guides has: A narrow-width paper guide portion that advances and retreats in a direction perpendicular to the conveying surface and is disposed facing each other at a distance suitable for guiding both side edges of narrow-width paper having a small width dimension; and The wide-width paper guide is disposed adjacent to or below the narrow-width paper guide and is disposed facing each other at a distance suitable for guiding both side edges of wide-width paper having a large width dimension.

4. A paper conveying device, characterized in that: have: The conveying guide drive mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3; a friction conveying device that, when the paper is conveyed along the conveying surface and receives a reaction force in a direction different from a predetermined conveying direction, reduces a conveying clamping force to convey the paper while receiving the reaction force; and Control agency.

5. A control method for a paper conveying device, the paper conveying device being the paper conveying device according to claim 4, wherein the control method is characterized in that: The control mechanism stops the narrow-width paper guide at a starting position capable of guiding both side edges of the narrow-width paper conveyed along the conveying surface in a narrow-width paper conveying mode for conveying narrow-width paper. The control mechanism stops the wide-width paper guide at a starting position capable of guiding both side edges of the wide-width paper conveyed along the conveying surface in a wide-width paper conveying mode for conveying wide-width paper. In the narrow-width paper conveying mode, when returning the narrow-width paper that has temporarily passed through each conveying guide, the advancing and retracting mechanism is operated to move the wide-width paper guide to the home position, and then the returning operation is performed.

6. A paper processing device, characterized in that: A paper conveying device according to claim 4.

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