Conveyance device, conveyance method, conveyance control program

Abstract

To provide a conveyance device, a conveyance method, and a conveyance control program that are capable of calculating an allowable acceleration value and preventing stacked paper sheets from collapsing.SOLUTION: A conveyance device comprises includes: a conveyance mechanism that has a placement surface on which a plurality of paper sheets are placed, and conveys the plurality of paper sheets; and a controller that has a number detection part for detecting the number of the plurality of paper sheets, and a storage part for storing a friction coefficient of the plurality of paper sheets, and that controls the driving of the conveyance mechanism. The conveyance device calculates an allowable value of acceleration when conveying the plurality of sheets, which satisfies an equation of F(i-1)i / N(i-1)i≤μ and an equation of xi≥0, and drives the conveyance mechanism at an acceleration equal to or less than the allowable value.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a conveying device, a conveying method, and a conveying control program.

Background Art

[0002] A paper sheet processing apparatus takes out a plurality of paper sheets input to a take-out unit one by one and processes the taken-out paper sheets. As a method of inputting paper sheets to the take-out unit, there is a method of conveying paper sheets stacked in an unbound state by a conveying mechanism such as a conveyor and inputting them to the take-out unit. When conveying paper sheets by the above-described method, the higher the number of stacked sheets, the higher the possibility of collapse of the stacked paper sheets.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An object of the present embodiment is to provide a conveying device, a conveying method, and a conveying control program capable of suppressing collapse of stacked paper sheets.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] A conveying device according to an embodiment includes a placement surface on which a plurality of stacked paper sheets are placed, a conveying mechanism that conveys the plurality of paper sheets, a number detection unit that detects the number of the plurality of paper sheets, and a storage unit that stores a coefficient of friction of the plurality of paper sheets, and includes a controller that controls driving of the conveying mechanism. In a state where the plurality of sheets of paper are stacked on the placement surface, F (i-1)i : The force acting on the lower surface of the (i + 1)-th sheet of paper from the bottom, which is the force in the direction along the lower surface, N (i-1)i : The force acting on the lower surface, which is the force in the direction orthogonal to the lower surface, μ: The coefficient of friction of one sheet of the paper, x i : From one end in the conveyance direction of the lower surface to the point of application of the force N (i-1)i When the distance to is defined as, The controller calculates an allowable value of the acceleration when conveying the plurality of sheets of paper that satisfy the expressions F (i-1)i / N (i-1)i ≦μ and x i ≧0, and drives the conveyance mechanism at an acceleration equal to or lower than the allowable value.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the disclosure is merely an example, and those that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art with appropriate modifications while maintaining the gist of the invention are naturally included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, for the sake of clarity of the drawings and the description, the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part may be schematically represented compared to the actual state, but it is merely an example and does not limit the interpretation of the present invention. Also, in this specification and each figure, the same reference numerals may be assigned to the same elements as those described above with respect to the previously shown figures, and detailed descriptions may be appropriately omitted. Hereinafter, a conveying device according to an embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0008] First, the configuration of the conveying device 20 according to an embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a conveying device 20 according to an embodiment. Note that FIG. 1 also shows a paper sheet processing device 10. First, the first direction X, the second direction Y, and the third direction Z shown in FIG. 1 will be defined. The first direction X is the conveying direction in which the paper sheets P are conveyed. The second direction Y is the stacking direction in which the paper sheets P are stacked. The third direction Z is a direction orthogonal to the first direction X and the second direction Y.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1, the conveying device 20 includes a conveying mechanism 22, a height sensor 30, a controller 32, and an operation unit 40. The conveying mechanism 22 has a conveying belt 24, a pair of rotating shafts 26a, 26b, and an actuator 28. The conveying belt 24 is an endless belt formed to extend in the first direction X, and a placement surface 24a on which the paper sheets P can be placed is provided on the outer surface.

[0010] The pair of rotating shafts 26a, 26b are formed to extend in the third direction Z, are located inside the conveying belt 24, and are provided at intervals in the first direction X. The conveying belt 24 is wound around the pair of rotating shafts 26a, 26b and rotates in synchronization with the rotating shafts 26a, 26b. The actuator 28 is connected to the rotating shaft 26a and can drive the rotating shaft 26a. In one example, the actuator 28 is a motor capable of rotating the rotating shaft 26a. When the rotating shaft 26a is driven by the actuator 28, the paper sheets P stacked on the placement surface 24a are conveyed in the first direction X.

[0011] The height sensor 30 detects the height H of the stacked paper sheets P (the stacking height from the placement surface 24a to the upper surface of the uppermost paper sheet P). In one example, the height sensor 30 is composed of a light source 30a and a light receiving unit 30b. The light source 30a and the light receiving unit 30b are arranged to face each other with the conveying mechanism 22 (more specifically, the conveying belt 24) interposed therebetween in the third direction Z. The light source 30a emits a laser beam LZ toward the conveying belt 24. The light receiving unit 30b receives the laser beam LZ that is not blocked by a plurality of paper sheets P among the emitted laser beams LZ. The height sensor 30 detects the height H of the stacked paper sheets P based on the emitted laser beam LZ and the received laser beam LZ.

[0012] The controller 32 includes a storage unit 34, a sheet number detection unit 36, and a calculation unit 38. The controller 32 is connected to the actuator 28, the height sensor 30, and the operation unit 40. The controller 32 is configured as a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a RAM (Random-Access Memory), etc., and controls the overall operation of the conveying device 20, such as the respective operations of the conveying mechanism 22 and the height sensor 30, by executing a program stored in the ROM.

[0013] The controller 32 can store information (parameters) regarding the stacked paper sheets P in the storage unit 34 based on an operation of an operator via the operation unit 40. The information regarding the stacked paper sheets P described above is, for example, the ticket type, length L, thickness T, mass m, friction coefficient μ, etc. in each paper sheet P. The controller 32 (sheet number detection unit 36) detects the stacked number n of the paper sheets P based on the thickness T and the height H. When the stacked number n is known in advance, it may be stored in the storage unit 34 by the operation of the operator via the operation unit 40. The controller 32 (calculation unit 38) can calculate the allowable value of the acceleration when transporting the stacked paper sheets P based on the information regarding the paper sheets P.

[0014] The paper sheet processing apparatus 10 includes a take-out unit 12. The paper sheet processing apparatus 10 is located on the downstream side of the transport mechanism 22, and the paper sheets P transported by the transport mechanism 22 are put into the take-out unit 12. The paper sheet processing apparatus 10 takes out the plurality of paper sheets P put into the take-out unit 12 one by one, performs inspection and sealing processes on the paper sheets P, and accumulates the processed paper sheets P. As described above, the paper sheet processing apparatus 10 and the transport apparatus 20 are configured.

[0015] Next, the process of calculating the allowable value of the acceleration by the calculation unit 38 of the transport apparatus 20 will be described. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a part of the stacked paper sheets P, and is a view showing a state where the stacked paper sheets P are being transported with acceleration. FIG. 3 is a view showing the (i + 1)-th paper sheet P from the bottom in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, n paper sheets P are stacked, and a state where the speed of the stacked paper sheets P is increasing is shown. Also, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outline when the paper sheets P are not crushed is shown by a two-dot chain line.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, when the speed of the stacked paper sheets P is increasing in the first direction X, an inertial force in the direction opposite to the transport direction (the first direction X) acts on each of the paper sheets P. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the stacked paper sheets P are inclined in the direction opposite to the transport direction by the inertial force, and the end on the side opposite to the transport direction is crushed. For example, the second paper sheet P2 from the bottom is inclined clockwise by an angle θ1 with respect to the placement surface 24a, and the end E2 is crushed by a crushing amount C2.

[0017] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the (i + 1)-th sheet P of paper from the bottom i+1 is inclined clockwise by an angle Σθ i with respect to the virtual plane VS parallel to the placement surface 24a, and the end E i+1 is crushed by a crushing amount C i+1 . Note that the angle Σθ i is the sum of the inclinations (from the angle θ1 to the angle θ i ) from the lowermost sheet P1 of paper to the i-th sheet P of paper from the bottom. i ) In the state of FIG. 3, when m i is defined as the mass, a as the acceleration in the conveyance direction, and g as the gravitational acceleration, the force mg due to its own weight and the inertial force ma i act on the sheet P of paper. i i+1

[0018] Furthermore, the following forces act on the sheet P of paper. i+1 F (i-1)i : A force acting on the lower surface BS i+1 of the sheet P of paper, which is a force in the direction along the lower surface BS i+1 i+1 N (i-1)i : A force acting on the lower surface BS i+1 of the sheet P of paper, which is a force in the direction orthogonal to the lower surface BS i+1 i+1 F (i+1)i : A force acting on the upper surface TS i+1 of the sheet P of paper, which is a force in the direction along the upper surface TS i+1 i+1 N (i+1)i : A force acting on the upper surface TS i+1 of the sheet P of paper, which is a force in the direction orthogonal to the upper surface TS i+1 i+1

[0019] In the state of FIG. 3, the balance of the forces in the direction orthogonal to the lower surface BS i+1 of the sheet P of paper can be expressed by Equation (1), and the balance of the forces in the direction along the lower surface BS i+1 can be expressed by Equation (2). i+1

Number

Number

[0020] When applying Formula (1) and Formula (2) to the second sheet P2 from the bottom (that is, i + 1 = 2) of the sheets, it can be expressed as follows. N 01 = m1·g·cosθ1 - m1·a·sinθ1 + N 21 cosθ2 + F 21 sinθ2 F 01 = m1·g·sinθ1 + m1·a·cosθ1 - N 21 sinθ2 + F 21 cosθ2 Furthermore, when applying to the third sheet P3 from the bottom (that is, i + 1 = 3) of the sheets, it can be expressed as follows. N 12 = m2·g·cos(θ1 + θ2) - m1·a·sin(θ1 + θ2) + N 32 cosθ3 + F 32 sinθ3 F 12 = m2·g·sin(θ1 + θ2) + m2·a·cos(θ1 + θ2) - N 32 sinθ3 + F 32 cosθ3 By repeatedly calculating Formula (1) and Formula (2) up to the nth sheet P from the bottom as described above, the force F and the force N are expressed by formulas with unknowns only from the angle θ1 to the angle θ n only.

[0021] Here, the distances x i , x i+1 are defined as follows. x i : The distance from one end (corner A1 i+1 ) in the conveyance direction of the lower surface BS i+1 of the sheet P i+1 to the acting points of the force F (i-1)i and the force N (i-1)i is defined as the distance xi+1 : Paper sheet P i+1 Upper surface TS i+1 One end in the conveying direction (corner A2 i+1 ) to force F (i+1)i and force N (i+1)i Distance to the acting point In the state of FIG. 3, for the paper sheet P i+1 the balance of the moment about the corner A1 i+1 can be expressed by Equation (3).

Equation

[0022] Here, assuming that the distance from the center of the upper surface TS i+1 to the acting point of the force N (i+1)i is in a proportional relationship with the inclination (angle θ i+1 ) of the paper sheet P, when the coefficient is K, the following Equation (4) holds. i+1 ) is in a proportional relationship, and when the coefficient is K, the following Equation (4) holds.

Equation

[0023] By solving Equation (4) for the distance x and substituting the force N, the distance x is expressed by an equation with only the unknowns being the angles from θ1 to θ n only. By substituting N, F, and x, which have only the unknowns being the angles from θ1 to θ n only, into Equation (3), Equation (3) becomes an equation with only the unknowns being the angles from θ1 to θ n only. By formulating the above-mentioned equations for each case from when there is 1 paper sheet P to when there are n stacked sheets, n equations with n unknowns are generated. By solving the above-mentioned n equations with the controller 32 (arithmetic unit 38), the numerical solutions of the angles θ1 to θ n can be calculated.

[0024] The calculated angle θ iAmong (i = 1 to n), an angle θ that does not satisfy the following formulas (5) and (6) i If there exists such an angle θ, the acceleration a at that time is determined to be the acceleration at which the stacked paper sheets P collapse. Note that formula (5) is a conditional formula for the paper sheets P not to slip, and formula (6) is a conditional formula for the paper sheets P not to topple over. Also, let the friction coefficient of the paper sheets P be μ.

Number

Number

[0025] The controller 32 (arithmetic unit 38) calculates, as an allowable value at which the stacked paper sheets P do not collapse, an acceleration a that satisfies formulas (5) and (6) for all the calculated angles θi. That is, the controller 32 calculates, as an allowable value, an acceleration a that satisfies formulas (5) and (6) for all the stacked paper sheets P. Then, the controller 32 controls the transport mechanism 22 (actuator 28) so that the paper sheets P are transported at an acceleration a equal to or less than the allowable value. At this time, the controller 32 may control the transport mechanism 22 so that the paper sheets P are transported at an acceleration a obtained by multiplying the allowable value by a safety factor.

[0026] Next, a procedure for calculating an allowable value of the acceleration a when transporting the paper sheets P and controlling the transport mechanism 22 so that the paper sheets P do not collapse will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of processing performed when transporting the paper sheets P by the transport device 20 according to the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, when the process of calculating the allowable value of the acceleration a and controlling the transport mechanism 22 is started, first, the operator inputs parameters (such as the type of ticket, thickness T, length L, friction coefficient μ, etc.) via the operation unit 40 (S1). Next, the operator places the stacked plurality of paper sheets P on the placement surface 24a (S2).

[0027] Subsequently, the controller 32 detects the height H of the paper sheets P with the height sensor 30 (S3), and detects the number of stacked paper sheets P, n, based on the height H and the thickness T (S4). After that, the controller 32 sets an arbitrary value as the acceleration a (S5), and calculates the angles θ i (i = 1 to n) (S6). Next, the controller 32 determines whether or not the expressions (5) and (6) are satisfied for all the θ i values (S7).

[0028] If the expressions (5) and (6) are not satisfied for all the θ i values (S7), the controller 32 returns to step S5 and re-sets the value of the acceleration a. At this time, the value of the acceleration a is a value different from the previously set value and is smaller than the previously set value. If the expressions (5) and (6) are satisfied for all the θ i values (S7), the controller 32 sets the value of the acceleration a set in step S5 as the allowable value, drives the transport mechanism 22 with an acceleration a equal to or less than the allowable value, and transports the paper sheets P (S8). As described above, when the number of the paper sheets P is known in advance, the operator can input the number of stacked sheets n via the operation unit 40. In this case, in step S1, the number of stacked sheets n may be input, and steps S3 and S4 do not have to be performed.

[0029] The effects of the present embodiment will be described. According to the transport device 20 according to the present embodiment, the controller 32 calculates an allowable value of the acceleration a that satisfies the expressions (5) and (6), and transports the plurality of paper sheets P stacked and placed on the placement surface 24a with an acceleration a equal to or less than the allowable value. By satisfying the expression (5), slipping between the paper sheets P is prevented, and by satisfying the expression (6), tipping of the paper sheets P is prevented. That is, a transport device 20 capable of suppressing load collapse during transport can be obtained.

[0030] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described, the above embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. The above embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0031] 10... Sheet processing apparatus, 20... Conveyor, 22... Conveying mechanism, 24... Conveyor belt, 24a... Placing surface, 30... Height sensor, 32... Controller, 34... Storage unit, 36... Sheet number detection unit, 38... Arithmetic unit, 40... Operation unit, A1, A2... Corner portions, E... End portion, P... Sheets, TS... Upper surface, BS... Lower surface.

Claims

1. It has a placement surface on which a plurality of stacked sheets of paper are placed, a transport mechanism for transporting the plurality of sheets of paper, a number detection unit for detecting the number of the plurality of sheets of paper, and a storage unit for storing the coefficient of friction of the plurality of sheets of paper, and a controller for controlling the driving of the transport mechanism. In a state where the plurality of sheets of paper are stacked on the placement surface, F （ｉ－１）ｉ : A force acting on the lower surface of the (i + 1)-th sheet of paper from the bottom, which is a force in the direction along the lower surface. N （ｉ－１）ｉ : A force acting on the lower surface, which is a force in a direction perpendicular to the lower surface. μ: Coefficient of friction of one sheet of the paper x ｉ : The distance from one end in the conveyance direction of the lower surface to the acting point of the force N （ｉ－１）ｉ and When the controller, for all of the plurality of sheets of paper, F （ｉ－１）ｉ / N （ｉ－１）ｉ ≤ μ formula and x ｉ ≥ 0 formula, calculate the allowable value of the acceleration when conveying the plurality of sheets of paper that satisfy the formula, and drive the conveying mechanism at an acceleration equal to or less than the allowable value Transport device.

2. It further includes a height sensor for detecting the height of the plurality of sheets of paper stacked on the placement surface, the controller stores the thickness of one sheet of the paper in the storage unit, and calculates the number of the plurality of sheets of paper by the number detection unit based on the height and the thickness. The transport device according to claim 1.

3. The controller stores the thickness, length, and mass of one sheet of the paper materials in the storage unit, and based on the thickness, the length, and the mass, calculates force F （ｉ－１）ｉ and force N （ｉ－１）ｉ to calculate The transport device according to claim 1.

4. N （ｉ＋１）ｉ : A force acting on the upper surface of the (i + 1)-th sheet of paper from the bottom, the force being in a direction orthogonal to the upper surface. X ｉ＋１ : The distance from one end in the conveyance direction of the upper surface to the point of action of the force N （ｉ＋１）ｉ until θ ｉ＋１ : The angle of the upper surface with respect to the lower surface L: Length of one sheet of the paper in the transport direction K: Coefficient When the controller 【Number 1】 Based on the formula, the force F （ｉ－１）ｉ and the force N （ｉ－１）ｉ are calculated. The transport device according to claim 3.

5. It further includes an operation unit capable of outputting a command to the controller to store the coefficient of friction, the thickness, the length, and the mass in the storage unit, when the command is input, the controller stores the coefficient of friction, the thickness, the length, and the mass in the storage unit. The transport device according to claim 3.

6. A method for transporting sheets of paper using a transport device having a placement surface on which a plurality of stacked sheets of paper are placed and a transport mechanism for transporting the plurality of sheets of paper, detecting the number of the plurality of sheets of paper, in a state where the plurality of sheets of paper are stacked on the placement surface, F （ｉ－１）ｉ : A force acting on the lower surface of the (i + 1)-th sheet from the bottom, which is a force in the direction along the lower surface. N （ｉ－１）ｉ : A force acting on the lower surface, which is a force in a direction orthogonal to the lower surface. μ: Coefficient of friction of one sheet of the paper x ｉ : The distance from one end in the conveyance direction of the lower surface to the acting point of the force N （ｉ－１）ｉ and When for all of the plurality of sheets of paper F （ｉ－１）ｉ / N （ｉ－１）ｉ ≤ μ formula and x ｉ ≥ 0 formula, calculates the allowable value of the acceleration when conveying the plurality of sheets of paper that satisfy the formula, and drives the conveying mechanism at an acceleration equal to or less than the allowable value. A method for conveying sheets of paper.

7. A transport control program executed by a computer of a transport device having a placement surface on which a plurality of stacked sheets of paper are placed and a transport mechanism for transporting the plurality of sheets of paper, to the computer, a first procedure for detecting the number of the plurality of sheets of paper, in a state where the plurality of sheets of paper are stacked on the placement surface, F （ｉ－１）ｉ : A force acting on the lower surface of the (i + 1)-th sheet of paper from the bottom, which is a force in the direction along the lower surface. N （ｉ－１）ｉ : A force acting on the lower surface, which is a force in a direction perpendicular to the lower surface. μ: Coefficient of friction of one sheet of the paper x ｉ : The distance from one end in the conveyance direction of the lower surface to the point of action of the force N （ｉ－１）ｉ up to When for all of the plurality of sheets of paper F （ｉ－１）ｉ / N （ｉ－１）ｉ ≤ μ formula and x ｉ ≥ 0 formula, and a second procedure for calculating an allowable value of acceleration when transporting the plurality of sheets satisfying the formula a third procedure for driving the transport mechanism at an acceleration equal to or less than the allowable value, A transport control program for causing the above to be executed.

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