Paper sheet alignment device and method for aligning direction of paper sheet

Abstract

To provide a paper sheet alignment device that reduces vibrations during operation.SOLUTION: A paper sheet alignment device 1 comprises: a paper sheet arraying part 20 which has a bottom surface part 21 connecting an entrance part 22 and an exit part 23, and slides and conveys a paper sheet 90 between the entrance part 22 and exit part 23; and a stacker part 70 which is connected to the exit part 23 of the paper arraying part 20, and stores the paper sheet 90 sent out of the exit part 23 of the paper sheet arraying part 20. The paper sheet arraying part 20 is provided such that one end part is lower than the other end part in a direction crossing the direction extending from the entrance part 22 to the exit part 23, and also provided with a second side wall part 25 at the one end part, the paper sheet 90 has a long-side part 91 and a short-side part 92, and the second side wall part 25 aligns the direction of the paper sheet 90 by friction against the paper sheet 90 fed to the paper sheet arraying part 20 so that the long-side part 91 of the paper sheet 90 faces a fixed direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a paper sheet aligning device and a method for aligning the orientation of paper sheets.

Background Art

[0002] As a conventional paper sheet aligning device, for example, a paper sheet aligning device described in Patent Document 1 is known. This paper sheet aligning device includes a hopper formed in a tapered shape toward the hopper outlet, and a shooter that receives the paper sheets discharged from the hopper outlet. When a plurality of rectangular paper sheets are loaded into the hopper, the hopper swings, so that the orientations of the paper sheets loaded into the hopper are aligned in a certain orientation, and the paper sheets in the aligned state are discharged from the hopper outlet and accommodated in the paper sheet shooter.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the paper sheet aligning device shown in Patent Document 1, since the hopper swings to align the orientations of the paper sheets, there is a problem that the vibration generated by the paper sheet aligning device is large.

[0005] This invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a paper sheet aligning device with reduced vibration during operation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the paper sheet aligning device according to the present invention has an inlet portion, an outlet portion, and a bottom surface portion connecting the inlet portion and the outlet portion, and includes a paper sheet aligning portion that slides and conveys paper sheets between the inlet portion and the outlet portion, and a stacker portion connected to the outlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion and accommodating the paper sheets sent out from the outlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion. The paper sheet aligning portion is provided such that one end portion is lower than the other end portion in a direction intersecting with the direction extending from the inlet portion to the outlet portion, and a side wall portion is provided at one end portion. The paper sheet has a long side portion and a short side portion, and the side wall portion aligns the orientation of the paper sheet so that the long side portion of the paper sheet faces in a certain direction due to friction with the paper sheet introduced into the paper sheet aligning portion.

[0007] Further, a direction changing portion may be provided in the paper sheet aligning portion to push the long side portion of the paper sheet in the paper sheet aligning portion to change the orientation so that the long side portion of the paper sheet faces in a certain direction. Further, the direction changing portion has a disk-shaped member, a contact member provided on the circumferential portion of the disk-shaped member, and a motor for rotating the disk-shaped member. The rotation axis of the disk-shaped member is provided perpendicular to the bottom surface portion of the paper sheet aligning portion, the disk-shaped member rotates around the rotation axis, and the contact member may push the long side portion of the paper sheet. Further, the contact member may be a pin. Further, the direction changing portion further has a blade member provided on the disk-shaped member, at least one of the blade members includes the contact member, and the direction changing portion may blow air radially outward by the blade member when the disk-shaped member rotates around the rotation axis. Further, the direction changing portion has a plate-shaped member, a contact member provided on the outer peripheral portion of the plate-shaped member, and a motor for rotating the plate-shaped member. The rotation axis of the plate-shaped member is provided parallel to the bottom surface portion of the paper sheet aligning portion and intersects with the direction extending from the inlet portion to the outlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion. The plate-shaped member rotates around the rotation axis, and the contact member may push the long side portion of the paper sheet. Further, the bottom surface portion may include a portion formed in a mesh shape on the surface. Further, the side wall portion may include a portion formed in a mesh shape on the surface. Also, at least one of the inlet portion and the outlet portion of the paper sheet alignment portion may have a paper sheet conveying roller portion including an upper conveying roller and a lower conveying roller having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface portion. Also, the paper sheet conveying roller portion may be configured to be able to widen the interval between the upper conveying roller and the lower conveying roller. Also, in the paper sheet conveying roller portion, either the upper conveying roller or the lower conveying roller may have a blade-shaped member provided so as to extend along the radial direction, and the tip of the blade-shaped member may contact the paper sheet. Also, it may have a door that covers the upper surface of the paper sheet alignment portion and an interlock switch that stops the operation of the direction changing portion when the door is opened. Also, it may include a paper sheet insertion port connected to the inlet portion of the paper sheet alignment portion, and the side wall portion of the paper sheet insertion port may be formed to taper toward the inlet portion of the paper sheet alignment portion. Also, it includes a rectangular parallelepiped base on which the paper sheet alignment portion is attached, a support member that supports the base and is foldable, and a case in which the folded support member can be stored. The stacker portion is detachably connected to the base, the support member is detachably connected to the base, and the stacker portion is removed from the base, the support member is removed from the base and folded and stored in the case, and the base and the case are connected to form a storage form. Also, the outlet portion of the paper sheet alignment portion may have an eccentric roller provided with a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface portion and intersecting the direction extending from the inlet portion to the outlet portion of the paper sheet alignment portion.

[0008] Also, in order to solve the above problems, the method for aligning the orientation of paper sheets according to the present invention includes: an inlet section, an outlet section, a bottom section connecting the inlet section and the outlet section, and a side wall section provided at the other end that is lower than one end in a direction intersecting the direction extending from the inlet section to the outlet section. The method includes the steps of starting conveyance by sliding the paper sheets between the inlet section and the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section; aligning the orientation of the paper sheets so that the long side portions of the paper sheets being conveyed face a certain direction due to the friction between the side wall section and the paper sheets; and accommodating the paper sheets sent out from the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section in a stacker section connected to the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] The paper sheet aligning device according to the present invention includes a paper sheet alignment section that slides and conveys paper sheets between an inlet section and an outlet section, and a stacker section connected to the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section for accommodating the paper sheets sent out from the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section. The paper sheet alignment section is provided such that one end is lower than the other end in a direction intersecting the direction extending from the inlet section to the outlet section, and a side wall section is provided at one end. The paper sheets have a long side portion and a short side portion, and the side wall section aligns the orientation of the paper sheets so that the long side portions of the paper sheets face a certain direction due to the friction with the paper sheets introduced into the paper sheet alignment section, and thus vibrations during the operation of the paper sheet aligning device can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Embodiment 1. Hereinafter, Embodiment 1 of this invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of the paper sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 1. The paper sheet aligning device 1 has a support base 80 installed on a plane such as a desk, and a base 10 supported by the support base 80. The support base 80 has a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped support base portion 81 installed on a desk or the like, and a tilt bar 82 provided on the support base portion 81. The tilt bar 82 can be folded and stored inside the base 10. Further, in a state where the tilt bar 82 is deployed, the base 10 can be supported. FIG. 1 shows a state where the tilt bar 82 is deployed and supports the base 10. In the following description, the X - Y - Z directions shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 are directions orthogonal to each other. Specifically, the Z direction is the vertical direction, and the X direction and the Y direction are horizontal directions orthogonal to the vertical direction. The Z direction will be referred to as the height direction, the higher side in the Z direction will be referred to as the upper side, and the lower side in the Z direction will be referred to as the lower side for explanation. Further, the support base portion 81 constitutes a case, and the tilt bar 82 constitutes a support member.

[0012] The base 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has a top plate 13 parallel to the bottom plate 14 attached to the tilt bar 82. On the top plate 13, a paper sheet alignment portion 20 extending along the longitudinal direction of the top plate 13 is provided from the inlet portion 22 to the outlet portion 23. The paper sheet alignment portion 20 has a bottom surface portion 21, and a first side wall portion 24 and a second side wall portion 25 that are adjacent to the bottom surface portion 21 and extend along the longitudinal direction of the top plate 13. The first side wall portion 24 and the second side wall portion 25 are both side walls of the paper sheet alignment portion 20, and are formed parallel to each other and perpendicular to the bottom surface portion 21. As will be described in detail later, the paper sheet alignment portion 20 is a chute-shaped portion that conveys the paper sheet downward by gravity, and the paper sheet introduced from the inlet portion 22 passes over the bottom surface portion 21 between the first side wall portion 24 and the second side wall portion 25 and is led out from the outlet portion 23. Also, in FIG. 1, for convenience of explanation, the door of the paper sheet alignment portion 20, which will be described in detail later, is not shown. In the following description, the side of the top plate 13 of the base 10 where the paper sheet alignment portion 20 is provided is referred to as the upper surface side, and the side of the top plate 13 of the base 10 close to the bottom plate 14 is referred to as the lower surface side.

[0013] The base 10 is supported by the tilt bar 82 so as to be inclined obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction such that the outlet portion 23 is located lower than the inlet portion 22 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20, and is also supported so as to be inclined obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction such that the second side wall portion 25 is located lower than the first side wall portion 24.

[0014] A mesh sheet formed of a metal material such as stainless steel in a mesh shape is attached to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. A mesh sheet formed of a metal material such as stainless steel in a mesh shape is attached to approximately half of the second side wall portion 25 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 on the side close to the inlet portion 22 in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the base 10, and a side wall mesh sheet portion 26 is formed. Note that the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 constitutes a portion formed in a mesh shape.

[0015] At the inlet portion 22 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20, an inlet side conveying roller unit 40 is connected. To the inlet side conveying roller unit 40, a resin paper sheet inlet 30 is connected. The paper sheet inlet 30 is a tray for feeding rectangular paper sheets into the paper sheet aligning device 1. The side surface portion of the paper sheet inlet 30 closer to the first side wall portion 24 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 has a tapered portion 31 that tapers as it approaches the inlet side conveying roller unit 40. Also, ribs 32 for preventing the paper sheets from sticking are formed on the bottom of the paper sheet inlet 30. The width of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 is formed longer than the long side of the paper sheet. That is, the width of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 is formed to be a width through which the short side and the long side of the paper sheet can pass.

[0016] The inlet side conveying roller unit 40 conveys the paper sheets fed from the paper sheet inlet 30 to the inlet portion 22 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 by rollers. Also, the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 has an inlet side conveying roller door 40a provided on the upper surface side so as to be openable and closable. The inlet side conveying roller door 40a has an inlet side door lever 40b by operating which the inlet side conveying roller door 40a can be opened. An interlock switch (not shown) is provided inside the inlet side door lever 40b. The interlock switch is in an on state when the inlet side conveying roller door 40a is closed, and in the on state, a power source (not shown) is connected to the drive units of the respective parts of the paper sheet aligning device 1 to be described in detail later, and the drive units can be driven. Also, the interlock switch is in an off state when the inlet side conveying roller door 40a is open, and in the off state, the power source is not connected to the drive units of the respective parts of the paper sheet aligning device 1, and the drive units stop.

[0017] At a position adjacent to the second side wall portion 25 in the middle portion between the inlet portion 22 and the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20, a roller 27 with rubber vanes is provided that rotates in a direction to convey the paper sheets from the side of the inlet portion 22 to the side of the outlet portion 23 by a motor (not shown) connected to a power source (not shown).

[0018] An outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 is connected to an outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20. The outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 conveys the paper sheets introduced from the outlet portion 23 side by rollers. The width of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 is formed to be slightly longer than the short side of the paper sheet. That is, the width of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 is formed such that the short side of the paper sheet can pass through, and the long side of the paper sheet cannot pass through.

[0019] The outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 has an outlet-side conveying roller door 50a provided on the upper surface side so as to be openable and closable. The outlet-side conveying roller door 50a has an outlet-side door lever 50b that can open the outlet-side conveying roller door 50a by operating it. An interlock switch (not shown) is provided inside the outlet-side door lever 50b. The interlock switch is in an on state when the outlet-side conveying roller door 50a is closed, and in the on state, a power source (not shown) is connected to the drive units of each part of the paper sheet aligning device 1 described in detail later, and the drive units can be driven. Also, the interlock switch is in an off state when the outlet-side conveying roller door 50a is open, and in the off state, the power source is not connected to the drive units of each part of the paper sheet aligning device 1, and the drive units stop.

[0020] A stacker unit 70 is connected to the side of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 opposite to the side where the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 is connected. The stacker unit 70 is a box-shaped stacker that houses paper sheets, and is attached to the side surface portion of the base 10 so as to be able to receive the paper sheets conveyed by the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50. Also, the stacker unit 70 has a sloped stack guide 71. This stack guide 71 is provided such that when the base 10 is placed horizontally, the side closer to the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 is located above the side farther from the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50. Also, an openable and closable stacker door 72 is provided on the side surface of this stacker unit 70.

[0021] In the following description, the side closer to the paper sheet insertion port 30 at the location where the paper sheets of the paper sheet aligning device 1 are conveyed is referred to as the upstream, and the side closer to the stacker unit 70 is referred to as the downstream.

[0022] On the side of the first side wall portion 24 of the outlet portion 23 of the sheet alignment portion 20, a rotating plate 60 is provided. The distance between the rotating plate 60 and the second side wall portion 25 is formed to be slightly longer than the short side of the sheet. That is, the distance between the rotating plate 60 and the second side wall portion 25 is formed to have a width through which the short side of the sheet can pass and the long side of the sheet cannot pass. The rotating plate 60 rotates at a constant speed during the operation of the sheet aligning device 1 and is provided to push the long side portion of the sheet on the sheet alignment portion 20 to rotate the sheet. Further, on the upper side of the rotating plate 60, a cover 65 made of a transparent material such as an acrylic plate is provided. Note that the rotating plate constitutes a direction changing portion.

[0023] On the upper side of the entrance side conveying roller portion 40 of the top plate 13 of the base 10, a main power switch 16 for switching on / off the power supply to the motors provided at various places of the sheet aligning device 1 is provided.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a front view when the door of the sheet aligning device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is closed. On the outside of the second side wall portion 25, a door frame member 12 for attaching the door 11 is provided, and on the outside of the first side wall portion 24, a door opening / closing lever 15 is provided. The door 11 is provided to close the upper side of the sheet alignment portion 20. Further, the door 11 is provided to be openable / closable by rotating about the door frame member 12 as a fulcrum. An interlock switch (not shown) is provided inside the door opening / closing lever 15. The interlock switch is in an on state when the door 11 is closed, and in the on state, a power supply (not shown) is connected to the drive portions of the respective parts of the sheet aligning device 1, which will be described in detail later, so that the drive portions can be driven. Also, the interlock switch is in an off state when the door 11 is open, and in the off state, the power supply is not connected to the drive portions of the respective parts of the sheet aligning device 1, and the drive portions stop.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a right side view of the sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The tilt bar 82 of the support base 80 supports the base 10 obliquely with respect to the support base base 81 installed horizontally. The angle R2 between the support base base 81 installed horizontally and the base 10 when the sheet aligning device is viewed from the right side view, that is, the angle R2 between the Y direction which is the horizontal direction and the base 10 may be an appropriate angle of 0° or more and less than 90°, preferably the angle R2 is 35° or more and 75° or less, and more preferably the angle R2 is 45° or more and 65° or less. Further, the inclination angle R1 of the base 10 shown in FIG. 1 with respect to the horizontal X direction may be an appropriate angle of 0° or more and less than 90°, preferably the angle R1 is 25° or more and 65° or less, and more preferably the angle R1 is 35° or more and 55° or less.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 shown in FIG. 1. On the upstream side close to the sheet inlet 30 of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40, a resin roller 41 is provided on the upper side and a first rubber roller 44 is provided on the lower side. On the side far from the sheet inlet 30 of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40, a reverse roller 45 is provided on the upper side and a second rubber roller 47 is provided on the lower side. The resin roller 41 and the first rubber roller 44 are provided to face each other, and the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 are provided to face each other. The resin roller 41, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, and the second rubber roller 47 are provided to convey the sheet 90 that has moved and been input in the direction of arrow A from the sheet inlet 30 on the upstream side to the downstream side in the direction of arrow D.

[0027] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 shown in FIG. 4, taken along line L-L. For the sake of convenience of explanation, in FIG. 5, descriptions of the top plate 13, the first rubber roller 44, the second rubber roller 47, etc. are omitted. With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the configurations of the resin roller 41 and the reverse roller 45 will be described. The resin roller 41 has a rotating shaft 41a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24, and rubber vanes 42 provided at equal angular intervals from the rotating shaft 41a so as to protrude in the radial direction. The reverse roller 45 has a rotating shaft 45a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24. The reverse roller 45 is mechanically connected to a motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of arrow C by the motor.

[0028] The rotating shaft 41a of the resin roller 41 is connected to one end of the first swing arm 48, and the rotating shaft 45a of the reverse roller 45 is connected to the other end of the first swing arm 48. The rotating shaft 45a is connected to one end of the second swing arm 100, and the other end of the second swing arm 100 is connected to a fulcrum member 102 provided on the side bracket 101 of the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40. By the second swing arm 100 rotating about the fulcrum member 102 and the first swing arm 48 rotating about the rotating shaft 41a, the resin roller 41 and the reverse roller 45 are configured to be movable in the direction of arrow V (i.e., upward) away from the first rubber roller 44 and the second rubber roller 47. A tension spring 103 for biasing the first swing arm 48 so that the resin roller 41 rotates downward is provided on the first swing arm 48, and a compression spring 46 for biasing the reverse roller 45 downward is provided. Note that the rubber vanes 42 constitute vane-shaped members.

[0029] The first rubber roller 44 has a rotating shaft 44a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet aligning portion 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24, and uneven portions 44b provided on the outer diameter portion. The first rubber roller 44 is connected to a motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of arrow C by the motor. The uneven portions 44b of the first rubber roller 44 slightly protrude to the upper surface side of the top plate 13. The second rubber roller 47 has a rotating shaft 47a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet aligning portion 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24, and uneven portions 47b provided on the outer diameter portion. The second rubber roller 47 is mechanically connected to a motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of arrow C by the motor. The motors connected to the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, and the second rubber roller 47 are connected to a power source (not shown).

[0030] When the resin roller 41 and the first rubber roller 44 are closest to each other, the outer peripheral portion of the resin roller 41 is in contact with the uneven portions 44b of the first rubber roller 44. Therefore, when the first rubber roller 44 rotates in the C direction, the resin roller 41 rotates in the direction of arrow B. When the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 are closest to each other, the outer peripheral portion of the reverse roller 45 and the uneven portions 47b of the second rubber roller 47 are not in contact with each other, and they are arranged so that a minute gap exists.

[0031] A pressing frame 43, which is a plate-shaped paper sheet pressing member, is provided at an end portion of the inlet side conveying roller portion 40 that extends substantially parallel to the direction in which the paper sheet 90 is conveyed. The pressing frame 43 is formed so as to be positioned between the top plate 13 and the rotating shaft 41a of the resin roller 41.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 shown in FIG. 1. On the upstream side near the outlet 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50, a resin roller 51 is provided on the side closer to the upper side, and a feed roller 54 is provided on the side closer to the lower side. On the downstream side far from the outlet 23 of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50, a reverse roller 55 is provided on the side closer to the upper side, and a drum roller 57 is provided on the side closer to the lower side. The resin roller 51 and the feed roller 54 are provided opposite to each other, and the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 are provided opposite to each other. A speed-up roller 58 is provided on the downstream side of the drum roller 57. The resin roller 51, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, and the speed-up roller 58 are provided to convey the paper sheet 90 that has moved and been input in the direction of arrow E from the outlet 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20, which is the upstream side, to the downstream side in the direction of arrow F.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 shown in FIG. 6 cut along the line M-M. For the sake of convenience of explanation, in FIG. 7, the description of the top plate 13, the feed roller 54, the drum roller 57, etc. is omitted. The configurations of the resin roller 51 and the reverse roller 55 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. The resin roller 51 has a rotating shaft 51a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24, and rubber vanes 52 provided at equal angular intervals in the radial direction from the rotating shaft 51a. The reverse roller 55 has a rotating shaft 55a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24. The reverse roller 55 is mechanically connected to a motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of arrow G by the motor.

[0034] The rotating shaft 51a of the resin roller 51 is connected to one end of the third swing arm 59, and the rotating shaft 55a of the reverse roller 55 is connected to the other end of the third swing arm 59. The rotating shaft 55a is connected to one end of the fourth swing arm 105, and the other end of the fourth swing arm 105 is connected to a fulcrum member 107 provided on a side bracket 106 of the outlet-side conveying roller section 50. When the fourth swing arm 105 rotates about the fulcrum member 107 and the third swing arm 59 rotates about the rotating shaft 51a as a fulcrum, the resin roller 51 and the reverse roller 55 are configured to be movable in the direction of arrow V (i.e., upward) away from the feed roller 54 and the drum roller 57. A tension spring 108 for biasing the third swing arm 59 so that the resin roller 51 rotates downward is provided on the first swing arm 48, and a compression spring 56 for biasing the reverse roller 55 downward is provided. Note that the rubber vanes 52 constitute vane-shaped members.

[0035] The feed roller 54 has a rotating shaft 54a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment section 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24, and uneven portions 54b provided on the outer diameter portion. The feed roller 54 is connected to a motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of arrow G by the motor. The uneven portions 54b of the feed roller 54 slightly protrude to the upper surface side of the top plate 13. The drum roller 57 has a rotating shaft 57a provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment section 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24, and uneven portions 57b provided on the outer diameter portion. The drum roller 57 is connected to a motor (not shown) and rotates in the direction of arrow G by the motor. The speed-up roller 58 is connected to a motor (not shown) and rotates at a higher speed than the feed roller 54 and the drum roller 57 in the direction of arrow G by the motor. The motors connected to the resin roller 51, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, and the speed-up roller 58 are connected to a power source (not shown).

[0036] At the back of the feed roller 54 (in the depth direction of FIG. 6), there is a roller having the same diameter as the feed roller 54. When this roller and the resin roller 51 are closest to each other, the outer peripheral portion of the resin roller 51 is in contact with the uneven portion 54b of the feed roller 54. Therefore, when the feed roller 54 rotates in the G direction, the resin roller 51 rotates in the direction of arrow H. When the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 are closest to each other, the outer peripheral portion of the reverse roller 55 and the uneven portion 57b of the drum roller 57 are not in contact with each other, and they are positioned so that a minute gap exists.

[0037] At an end portion of the exit-side conveying roller unit 50 that extends substantially parallel to the direction in which the paper sheet 90 is conveyed, a pressing frame 53, which is a plate-shaped paper sheet pressing member, is provided. The pressing frame 53 is formed so as to be positioned between the top plate 13 and the rotation shaft 51a of the resin roller 51.

[0038] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the rotating plate shown in FIG. 1. The rotating plate 60 has a disk portion 61, a plurality of pins 62 protruding from the lower surface side of the outer peripheral portion of the disk portion 61, an intrusion prevention guide 63 provided to protrude from the lower surface side of the disk portion 61, and a rotating plate motor 64 connected to the rotation shaft of the disk portion 61 and configured to rotate the disk portion 61. Four pins 62 are provided in total at the outer peripheral portion of the disk portion 61 at equal angular intervals of 90°. The intrusion prevention guide 63 is a columnar guide that protrudes from the disk portion 61 to the lower surface side coaxially with the rotation shaft of the disk portion 61 and has an open lower surface side, and the length of the side surface is substantially the same as that of the pin 62. The intrusion prevention guide 63 is provided to prevent the paper sheet 90 from entering the rotation shaft side of the disk portion 61. The rotating plate motor 64 is connected to a power source (not shown).

[0039] In the first embodiment, the motors that rotate the disk portion 61 of the roller 27 with rubber vanes, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed-up roller 58, and the rotary plate 60 are connected to a power source (not shown) via the main power switch 16 for operating the paper sheet aligning device 1 and the interlock switches provided on the door opening / closing lever 15, the inlet side door lever 40b, and the outlet side door lever 50b, respectively. No microcomputer or control board for controlling each motor and the power source is provided. Therefore, if the main power switch 16 and each interlock switch are in the ON state, each motor is driven and the roller 27 with rubber vanes, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed-up roller 58, and the disk portion 61 rotate.

[0040] Next, the operation of the paper sheet aligning device according to the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3, the paper sheet aligning device 1 is supported by a tilt bar 82 assembled to the support base 81 of the support base 80 in a state tilted by an angle R2 such that the paper sheet insertion port 30 is on the upper side and the stacker portion 70 is on the lower side, and is installed in a state tilted by an angle R1 such that the first side wall portion 24 is on the upper side and the second side wall portion is on the lower side as shown in FIG. 1.

[0041] Next, when aligning a plurality of rectangular sheets such as voting papers in the same direction by the sheet aligning device 1, as shown in FIG. 2, the operator closes the door 11, the inlet side conveying roller door 40a, and the outlet side conveying roller door 50a respectively. As a result, the interlock switch of the door opening / closing lever 15 of the door 11, the interlock switch of the inlet side door lever 40b, and the interlock switch of the outlet side door lever 50b are each turned on. Next, when the operator turns on the main power switch 16, power is supplied to each motor of the sheet aligning device 1 to drive it, and the roller 27 with rubber vanes, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed increasing roller 58, and the disk portion 61 rotate in their respective predetermined directions.

[0042] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the first step of the operation of aligning the orientation of the sheets of the sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Also, FIG. 9 and FIGS. 10 to 12, which will be described in detail later, are partial views of the sheet alignment portion 20 of the base 10 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface portion 21. When a plurality of rectangular sheets 90 are inserted into the sheet insertion port 30, due to the inclination of the sheet aligning device 1, each sheet 90 slides down the sheet insertion port 30 by gravity and moves toward the inlet side conveying roller portion 40. At this time, since the tapered portion 31 is formed in the sheet insertion port 30, the sheets 90 gather at the inlet side conveying roller portion 40. Further, since the rib 32 is formed on the bottom surface portion of the sheet insertion port 30, the friction between the bottom surface portion of the sheet insertion port 30 and the sheets 90 is small, and the possibility that the sheets 90 are stuck to the bottom surface portion of the sheet insertion port 30 due to static electricity is reduced. As a result, each sheet 90 is smoothly inserted into the inlet side conveying roller portion 40.

[0043] Next, the operation of the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. The paper sheet 90 with the fold 94 moves in the direction of arrow A due to gravity and is fed into the resin roller 41 and the first rubber roller 44. The first rubber roller 44 rotates in the direction of arrow C, which is the direction of conveying the paper sheet 90 downstream. Since the rubber blades 42 provided on the resin roller 41 that are in contact with the first rubber roller 44 rotate in the direction of arrow B, which is the direction of conveying the paper sheet 90 downstream, the paper sheet 90 in contact with the rubber blades 42 of the resin roller 41 rotating in the direction of arrow B and the first rubber roller 44 is drawn in, and the paper sheet 90 passes under the pressing frame 43 and is conveyed to the downstream reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47. Further, the fold 94 of the paper sheet 90 is spread by the rubber blades 42 and made flat.

[0044] At this time, if a large number of paper sheets 90 enter between the rubber blades 42 and the first rubber roller 44, since the rubber blades 42 and the resin roller 41 are provided via the rotating shaft 41a so as to be movable in the direction of arrow V (upward) by the first swing arm 48, they move in the direction of arrow V due to the thickness of the large number of paper sheets 90. As a result, since the rubber blades 42 and the first rubber roller 44 are separated, the rotation of the rubber blades 42 stops. Then, the paper sheets 90 are sequentially conveyed by the first rubber roller 44 to the downstream reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 starting from those in contact with the first rubber roller 44. As described above, when the rubber blades 42 move in the direction of arrow V, the possibility of jamming of the paper sheets 90 between the rubber blades 42 and the first rubber roller 44 is reduced.

[0045] When the paper sheet 90 between the rubber blades 42 and the first rubber roller 44 is conveyed, the resin roller 41 moves in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow V (downward) due to the biasing force of the compression spring 46, and when the rubber blades 42 and the first rubber roller 44 come into contact, the rubber blades 42 rotate in the direction of arrow B.

[0046] When the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 are closest to each other, the outer peripheral portion of the reverse roller 45 and the uneven portion 47b of the second rubber roller 47 are not in contact with each other and are arranged so that a minute gap exists. Since the second rubber roller 47 is rotating in the C direction, which is the direction in which the paper sheet 90 is conveyed downstream, the paper sheet 90 conveyed to the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 is conveyed one by one in the direction of arrow D on the downstream side by the second rubber roller 47. Also, when the paper sheets 90 are stacked and the thickness of the paper sheet 90 is greater than the gap between the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47, the paper sheet 90 that does not contact the second rubber roller 47 contacts the reverse roller 45. Since the reverse roller 45 is rotating in the direction of arrow C, which is the direction of pushing the paper sheet 90 back upstream, the paper sheet 90 that has contacted the reverse roller 45 is pushed back upstream. The paper sheet 90 pushed back upstream is pressed by the pressing frame 43 so as not to be wound up by the rubber blades 42 of the resin roller 41.

[0047] Also, if a large number of paper sheets 90 enter between the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47, the reverse roller 45 is connected to the second swing arm 100 via the rotary shaft 45a and is provided so as to be movable in the direction of arrow V (upward). Therefore, due to the thickness of the large number of paper sheets 90, it moves in the direction of arrow V. As a result, since the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 are separated from each other, the paper sheet 90 is sequentially conveyed in the direction of arrow D on the downstream side by the second rubber roller 47 starting from the one that is in contact with the second rubber roller 47. Also, the paper sheet 90 that is in contact with the reverse roller 45 is pushed back upstream. As described above, when the reverse roller 45 moves in the direction of arrow V, the possibility of jamming of the paper sheet 90 between the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 is reduced.

[0048] When the paper sheet 90 between the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 is conveyed, the reverse roller 45 moves to the side opposite to the direction of arrow V (downward) by the biasing force of the compression spring 46.

[0049] Next, the operation of the sheet alignment unit 20 that aligns the orientation of the sheet 90 conveyed by the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12. As shown in FIG. 9, the sheets 90 sequentially conveyed downstream by the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 are introduced into the inlet portion 22 of the sheet alignment unit 20. The sheet 90 introduced into the inlet portion 22 is conveyed in the direction of the outlet portion 23 while sliding on the sheet alignment unit 20 by gravity due to the inclination of the base 10. At this time, as shown in FIG. 3, since the base 10 is provided at an angle of angle R2 with respect to the Y direction, the second side wall portion 25 is located on the lower side. Referring to FIG. 7 again, the sheet 90 moves while sliding in the direction of arrow I1 while contacting the second side wall portion 25 and the bottom surface portion 21 of the sheet alignment unit 20.

[0050] Since the bottom surface portion 21 of the sheet alignment unit 20 has a mesh sheet made of a metal material such as stainless steel attached thereto, the friction between the paper surface of the sheet 90 and the bottom surface portion 21 is small, and the adhesion due to static electricity between the sheet 90 and the bottom surface portion 21 can be suppressed, so that the movement of the sheet 90 while sliding is not hindered. Further, on the inlet portion 22 side of the second side wall portion 25, a side wall mesh sheet portion 26 having a mesh sheet made of a metal material such as stainless steel attached thereto is configured. Therefore, the sheet 90 moves downstream while either the long side portion 91 or the short side portion 92 of the sheet 90 and the corner portion 93 contact the side wall mesh sheet portion 26.

[0051] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second step of the operation of aligning the orientation of paper sheets of the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. When the orientation of the paper sheet 90 is such that the short side portion 92 is in contact with the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25, compared to the case where the long side portion 91 is in contact with the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25, since the contact range with the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 is small, the paper sheet 90 is unstable and is likely to rotate so that the long side portion 91 comes into contact with the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25. Also, in the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, the corner portion 93 of the paper sheet 90 is likely to be caught in the mesh. Therefore, when the short side portion 92 is in contact with the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, friction is generated when the lowermost corner portion 93 is caught in the mesh of the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, and the paper sheet 90 rotates in the direction of arrow I2 around the lowermost corner portion 93.

[0052] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a third step of the operation of aligning the orientation of paper sheets of the paper sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The paper sheet 90 with the corner portion 93 caught in the mesh of the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 moves in the direction of the outlet portion 23, which is the downstream direction, while rotating in the direction of arrow I3 around the caught corner portion 93.

[0053] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a fourth step of the operation of aligning the orientation of paper sheets of the paper sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The rotated paper sheet 90 moves while sliding in the direction of arrow I4 by gravity while being in contact with the second side wall portion 25 and the bottom surface portion 21 with the long side portion 91 in contact with the second side wall portion 25. A roller 27 with rubber vanes is provided upstream of the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. Since the roller 27 with rubber vanes rotates in the direction in which the rubber vanes convey the paper sheet 90 to the downstream side by a motor, the paper sheet 90 in contact with the roller 27 with rubber vanes is conveyed to the downstream side, and the occurrence of stagnation of the paper sheet 90 is prevented upstream of the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. The paper sheet 90 conveyed to the downstream side has the long side portion 91 in contact with the second side wall portion 25, and the short side portion 92 facing in the direction of arrow I4 can pass between the second side wall portion 25 and the rotating plate 60, and reaches the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20.

[0054] Next, the operation of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 6. The paper sheet 90 (see FIG. 12) conveyed to the outlet portion 23 moves in the direction of arrow E by gravity and is introduced into the resin roller 51 and the feed roller 54. The feed roller 54 rotates in the direction of arrow G, which is the direction of conveying the paper sheet 90 downstream. The rubber blades 52 provided on the resin roller 51, which are in contact with the feed roller 54, rotate in the direction of arrow H, which is the direction of conveying the paper sheet 90 downstream. Therefore, the paper sheet 90 in contact with the rubber blades 52 of the resin roller 51 rotating in the direction of arrow H and the feed roller 54 is drawn in, and the paper sheet 90 passes under the pressing frame 53 and is conveyed to the downstream reverse roller 55 and drum roller 57. Further, the rubber blades 52 spread the folded portion 94 of the paper sheet 90, making it flat.

[0055] At this time, if a large number of paper sheets 90 enter between the rubber blades 52 and the feed roller 54, the rubber blades 52 and the resin roller 51 are movably provided in the direction of arrow V (upward) by the third swing arm 59 via the rotating shaft 51a. Therefore, they move in the direction of arrow V due to the thickness of the large number of paper sheets 90. As a result, since the rubber blades 52 and the feed roller 54 are separated, the rotation of the rubber blades 52 stops. Then, the paper sheets 90 are sequentially conveyed by the feed roller 54 to the downstream reverse roller 55 and drum roller 57 from those in contact with the feed roller 54. As described above, when the rubber blades 52 move in the direction of arrow V, the possibility of jamming of the paper sheets 90 between the rubber blades 52 and the feed roller 54 is reduced.

[0056] When the paper sheet 90 between the rubber blades 52 and the feed roller 54 is conveyed, the resin roller 51 moves in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow V (downward) by the biasing force of the compression spring 56. When the rubber blades 52 and the feed roller 54 come into contact, the rubber blades 52 rotate in the direction of arrow H.

[0057] When the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 are closest to each other, the outer peripheral portion of the reverse roller 55 and the uneven portion 57b of the drum roller 57 are not in contact with each other, and they are arranged so that a minute gap exists. Since the drum roller 57 is rotating in the G direction, which is the direction of conveying the paper sheet 90 downstream, the paper sheet 90 conveyed to the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 is conveyed one by one in the downstream arrow F direction by the drum roller 57. Also, when the paper sheets 90 are stacked and the thickness of the paper sheet 90 is greater than the gap between the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57, the paper sheet 90 that does not contact the drum roller 57 contacts the reverse roller 55. Since the reverse roller 55 is rotating in the arrow G direction, which is the direction of pushing the paper sheet 90 back upstream, the paper sheet 90 that has contacted the reverse roller 55 is pushed back upstream. The paper sheet 90 pushed back upstream is pressed by the pressing frame 53 so as not to be wound up by the rubber blades 52 of the resin roller 51.

[0058] Also, when a large number of paper sheets 90 are placed between the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57, the reverse roller 55 is provided so as to be movable in the arrow V direction (upward) by the fourth swing arm 105 via the rotating shaft 55a. Therefore, due to the thickness of the large number of paper sheets 90, it moves in the arrow V direction. As a result, since the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 are separated, the paper sheets 90 are sequentially conveyed in the downstream arrow G direction by the drum roller 57 starting from those in contact with the drum roller 57. Also, the paper sheet 90 in contact with the reverse roller 55 is pushed back upstream. As described above, when the reverse roller 55 moves in the arrow V direction, the possibility of jamming of the paper sheets 90 between the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 is reduced.

[0059] When the paper sheet 90 between the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 is conveyed, the reverse roller 55 moves in the direction opposite to the arrow V direction (downward) by the biasing force of the compression spring 56.

[0060] The paper sheet 90 conveyed in the direction of arrow F on the downstream side by the drum roller 57 comes into contact with the speed-up roller 58. Since the speed-up roller 58 rotates at a higher speed than the feed roller 54 and the drum roller 57, the paper sheet 90 is speeded up and conveyed in the direction of arrow F on the downstream side. As a result, the paper sheet 90 sent out from the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 is sent out with an increased interval with respect to the subsequent paper sheets 90 that are sequentially conveyed.

[0061] Referring again to FIG. 12, the paper sheets 90 sent out from the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 are sequentially stacked on the stacker unit 70. The paper sheets 90 stacked on the stacker unit 70 move while sliding inside the stacker unit 70 along the slope-shaped stack guide 71, and are stacked at the stacker corner 73 located at the lowermost side of the base 10 with the corners 93 of the paper sheets 90 aligned. Further, due to the speed-up roller 58 (see FIG. 6) of the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50, the paper sheets 90 are sent into the stacker unit 70 with an increased interval with respect to the subsequent paper sheets 90, so that the paper sheets 90 do not overlap the subsequent paper sheets 90 and are smoothly stacked on the stacker unit 70. The paper sheets 90 stacked on the stacker unit 70 are taken out with their orientations aligned by the operator opening the stacker door 72. Since the stacker door 72 is provided on the side surface of the stacker unit 70, the paper sheets 90 can be taken out from the stacker unit 70 even when the paper sheets 90 are being stacked on the stacker unit 70.

[0062] Next, when the orientation of the paper sheet 90 is such that the short side portion 92 contacts the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25, and the paper sheet 90 does not rotate sufficiently at the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 and the orientation of the paper sheet 90 does not change to the orientation where the long side portion 91 contacts the second side wall portion 25, the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1 will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the fifth step of the operation of aligning the orientation of the paper sheets of the paper sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Also, FIG. 13 and FIGS. 14 to 15, which will be described in detail later, are enlarged views of the rotating plate 60 portion of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 of the base 10 shown in FIG. 12. When the orientation of the paper sheet 90 does not change to the orientation where the long side portion 91 contacts the second side wall portion 25, since the width of the paper sheet 90 facing the outlet portion 23 exceeds the length of the short side portion 92, it is impossible for the paper sheet 90 to pass between the second side wall portion 25 and the rotating plate 60, and the long side portion 91 of the paper sheet 90 contacts the rotating plate 60.

[0063] Pins 62 are provided on the disc portion 61 of the rotating plate 60 at equal angular intervals of 90°, and the disc portion 61 is rotated at a constant speed in the direction of arrow K by a rotating plate motor 64 (see FIG. 8). That is, the disc portion 61 of the rotating plate 60 is provided between the inlet portion 22 and the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 so that the pin 62 moves from the outlet portion 23 side (downstream side) to the inlet portion 22 (upstream side). As a result, the long side portion 91 of the paper sheet 90 that contacts the rotating plate 60 is pushed by the pin 62 and moves upstream. Due to the friction between the corner portion 93 of the paper sheet 90 and the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, the corner portion 93 has difficulty sliding on the second side wall portion 25. As a result, the paper sheet 90 rotates in the direction of arrow J1 around the corner portion 93.

[0064] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the sixth step of the operation of aligning the orientation of the paper sheets of the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. When the paper sheet 90 is rotating in the direction of arrow J1 due to the momentum pushed by the pin 62, the adjacent corner portion 95 contacts the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 at the corner portion 93 that was at the center. Due to the friction between this corner portion 95 and the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, the corner portion 95 has difficulty sliding on the second side wall portion 25. Therefore, the paper sheet 90 further rotates in the direction of arrow J2 around this corner portion 93.

[0065] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a seventh step of the operation of aligning the orientation of paper sheets of the paper sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The paper sheet 90 rotates until the long side portion 96 contacts the second side wall portion 25, and is conveyed in the downstream arrow J3 direction by the roller 27 with rubber vanes. In this state, since the short side portion 92 of the paper sheet 90 faces the outlet portion 23, the paper sheet 90 can pass between the second side wall portion 25 and the rotating plate 60, and the paper sheet 90 is conveyed to the outlet side conveying roller portion 50. The subsequent conveying operation by the outlet side conveying roller portion 50 and the operation of stacking the paper sheet 90 on the stacker portion 70 are the same as the operations described above.

[0066] Also, even if the paper sheet 90 that contacts the rotating plate 60 and is pushed by the pin 62 does not rotate as illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 13 and is pushed back to the inlet portion 22 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 so that the short side portion 92 of the paper sheet 90 contacts the second side wall portion 25, as described above with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10, due to the friction between the corner portion 93 of the paper sheet 90 and the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25, the long side portion 91 of the paper sheet 90 easily rotates so as to contact the second side wall portion 25. Therefore, the orientation of the paper sheet 90 is aligned in the paper sheet alignment portion 20.

[0067] Next, the intrusion prevention guide 63 provided on the rotating plate 60 will be described. The intrusion prevention guide 63 shown in FIG. 6 is provided to prevent the paper sheet 90 from entering near the rotation axis of the disk portion 61 when the rotating plate 60 stops. If there is no intrusion prevention guide 63 on the rotating plate 60, as shown in FIG. 11, when the paper sheet 90 is in contact with the rotating plate 60 and the main power switch 16 or any of the interlock switches is turned off and the rotation of the rotating plate 60 stops, the paper sheet 90 may stop in a state where it deeply enters between adjacent pins 62 of the rotating plate 60 up to the vicinity of the rotation axis of the disk portion 61. In this state, when the main power switch 16 and the interlock switch are turned on and the disk portion 61 of the rotating plate 60 rotates, the paper sheet 90 that has entered between the pins 62 may be sent to the first side wall portion 24 side by the rotation of the rotating plate 60 in the arrow K direction, and there may occur a problem that it is pinched between the first side wall portion 24 and the rotating plate 60 or the like.

[0068] On the other hand, since the rotating plate 60 according to the first embodiment is provided with the intrusion prevention guide 63, even when the main power switch 16 or any of the interlock switches is turned off and the rotation of the rotating plate 60 stops while the paper sheet 90 is in contact with the rotating plate 60, the paper sheet 90 is stopped by the intrusion prevention guide 63, so that it is possible to suppress the paper sheet 90 from deeply entering between adjacent pins 62 up to the vicinity of the rotation axis of the disk portion 61. Therefore, when the main power switch 16 and the interlock switch are turned on, the possibility of a problem that the paper sheet 90 that has entered between the pins 62 of the rotating plate 60 is sent to the first side wall portion 24 side by the rotation of the rotating plate 60 in the arrow K direction and is pinched between the first side wall portion 24 and the rotating plate 60 or the like can be reduced.

[0069] Next, the installation positions of the pins 62 on the rotating plate 60 will be described. Each pin 62 on the rotating plate 60 was provided at equal angular intervals of 90°. However, the angular intervals between the pins 62 may be provided at any suitable intervals in consideration of the size of the paper sheet 90 and the force required to push back the paper sheet 90. Specifically, the wider the angular interval between the pins 62, the deeper the paper sheet 90 can enter closer to the rotation axis of the disk portion 61, and the easier the force for pushing back the pin 62 is transmitted to the paper sheet 90. Conversely, the narrower the angular interval between the pins 62, the more difficult it is for the paper sheet 90 to enter closer to the rotation axis of the disk portion 61, and the shallower the entry, so that the force for pushing back the pin 62 is less likely to be transmitted to the paper sheet 90.

[0070] As described above, when the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to the first embodiment moves with the paper sheet alignment unit 20 while the paper sheet 90 slides, the direction of the paper sheet 90 is aligned so that the long side portion 91 contacts the second side wall portion 25 due to the friction between the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25 and the corner portion 93 of the paper sheet 90. If the direction of the paper sheet 90 does not become such that the long side portion 91 contacts the second side wall portion 25 even by the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, the direction of the paper sheet 90 is aligned so that the long side portion 91 contacts the second side wall portion 25 by pushing the paper sheet 90 with the rotating plate 60 rotated by the motor. Further, the rollers of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40, the roller 27 with rubber blades, and the outlet side conveying roller unit 50 provided in the paper sheet aligning device 1 are each rotationally driven by a motor.

[0071] Therefore, compared with the conventional paper sheet aligning device in which the orientation of the paper sheets fed into the hopper is aligned in a fixed orientation by the swinging of the hopper, the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to the first embodiment has the advantage that the vibration and driving noise of the entire device are small. Further, in the conventional paper sheet aligning device, since the hopper swings, it is necessary to secure a large installation space so that the hopper does not contact the surrounding equipment or the like. However, the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to the first embodiment does not include a swinging mechanism, and thus has the advantage that the required installation space can be reduced. Further, in the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to the first embodiment, an inlet side conveying roller unit 40 for conveying the paper sheets 90, a roller 27 with rubber vanes, and an outlet side conveying roller unit 50 are provided. Since the rubber vanes 42 of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 and the rubber vanes 52 of the outlet side conveying roller unit 50 spread the folded paper sheets 90, there is an advantage that the possibility of the paper sheets 90 clogging the paper sheet alignment unit 20 can be reduced.

[0072] Further, the rubber vanes 42 of the resin roller 41 of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 and the rubber vanes 52 of the resin roller 51 of the outlet side conveying roller unit 50 according to the first embodiment spread the folded portion 94 of the paper sheets 90. However, the rubber vanes 42 and the rubber vanes 52 can also fold the paper sheets 90 having the folded portion 94 along the folded portion 94. As a result, since the thickness of the paper sheets 90 becomes smaller, the paper sheets 90 are easily taken into the gap between the reverse roller 45 and the second rubber roller 47 of the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 and the gap between the reverse roller 55 and the drum roller 57 of the outlet side conveying roller unit 50, and the possibility of the paper sheets 90 clogging in the inlet side conveying roller unit 40 and the outlet side conveying roller unit 50 can be reduced.

[0073] Next, the operation of the interlock switch of the sheet aligning device 1 will be described. During the operation of the motors that drive the rubber vane roller 27, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed increasing roller 58, and the disk portion 61 of the sheet aligning device 1, if any one of the doors of the door 11, the inlet side conveying roller door 40a, and the outlet side conveying roller door 50a is opened, and any one of the interlock switch of the door opening / closing lever 15 of the door 11, the interlock switch of the inlet side door lever 40b, and the interlock switch of the outlet side door lever 50b is in the off state, all the motors that drive the rubber vane roller 27, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed increasing roller 58, and the disk portion 61 will stop. This can prevent an operator, articles such as tools, and equipment from coming into contact with the rubber vane roller 27, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed increasing roller 58, and the disk portion 61 that are in operation during the opening of the door.

[0074] FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing the storage state of the sheet aligning device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. When not in use, the sheet aligning device 1 of Embodiment 1 can be stored in a trunk-like storage form with the base 10 on the lower side and the support base portion 81 attached as a lid on the upper side.

[0075] FIG. 17 is a perspective view for explaining the storage state of the sheet aligning device 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The sheet aligning device 1 is in a state where the support base portion 81 has been removed from FIG. 14. On the base 10, a top plate 13 is provided so as to be openable and closable by a hinge. Inside the lower side of the top plate 13, that is, inside the base 10, a sheet inlet 30, a stacker portion 70, and a tilt bar 82 removed from the base 10 are accommodated. The tilt bar 82 is accommodated inside the base 10 by being folded.

[0076] As described above, the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to the first embodiment has an inlet portion 22, an outlet portion 23, and a bottom surface portion 21 connecting the inlet portion 22 and the outlet portion 23. The paper sheet aligning device 1 includes a paper sheet aligning portion 20 that slides and conveys the paper sheets 90 between the inlet portion 22 and the outlet portion 23, and a stacker portion 70 that is connected to the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet aligning portion 20 and accommodates the paper sheets 90 sent out from the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet aligning portion 20. The paper sheet aligning portion 20 is provided such that one end portion is lower than the other end portion in a direction intersecting with the direction extending from the inlet portion 22 to the outlet portion 23. A second side wall portion 25 is provided at one end portion. The paper sheets 90 have a long side portion 91 and a short side portion 92. The second side wall portion 25 aligns the orientation of the paper sheets 90 so that the long side portion 91 of the paper sheets 90 faces in a certain direction due to the friction with the paper sheets 90 introduced into the paper sheet aligning portion 20, and can reduce the vibration during the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1.

[0077] Further, the paper sheet aligning portion 20 is provided with a rotating plate 60 that presses the long side portion 91 of the paper sheets 90 within the paper sheet aligning portion 20. The rotating plate 60 aligns the orientation of the paper sheets 90 so that the long side portion 91 of the paper sheets 90 faces in a certain direction by pressing the long side portion 91 of the paper sheets 90, and can also align the orientation of the paper sheets 90 that did not rotate due to the friction between the corner portion 93 of the paper sheets 90 and the side wall mesh sheet portion 26.

[0078] 。 Further, since the bottom surface portion 21 includes a mesh sheet portion on the surface, the friction between the bottom surface portion 21 and the paper sheets 90 is reduced, and the paper sheets 90 are prevented from being attached to the bottom surface portion 21 by static electricity, so that the paper sheets 90 can move smoothly while sliding through the paper sheet aligning portion 20.

[0079] Further, since the second side wall portion 25 includes the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, due to the friction between the corner portion 93 of the paper sheets 90 and the side wall mesh sheet portion 26, the long side portion 91 of the paper sheets 90 is likely to rotate in a direction contacting the second side wall portion 25, and the orientation of the paper sheets 90 can be aligned.

[0080] In addition, an inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 including a resin roller 41, a reverse roller 45, a first rubber roller 44, and a second rubber roller 47 having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 is provided at the inlet portion 22 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20, and an outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 including a resin roller 51, a reverse roller 55, a feed roller 54, and a drum roller 57 having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 is provided at the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. Therefore, the paper sheets can be smoothly fed into the paper sheet alignment portion 20 and the paper sheets 90 can be smoothly discharged from the paper sheet alignment portion 20.

[0081] In addition, the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 is configured such that the distance between the resin roller 41 and the reverse roller 45 and the distance between the first rubber roller 44 and the second rubber roller 47 can be widened, and the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 is configured such that the distance between the resin roller 51 and the reverse roller 55 and the distance between the feed roller 54 and the drum roller 57 can be widened. Therefore, jamming of the paper sheets 90 in the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 and the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 can be prevented.

[0082] In addition, the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 has rubber vanes 42 provided such that the resin roller 41 extends along the radial direction, and the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50 has rubber vanes 52 provided such that the resin roller 51 extends along the radial direction. Since the tip portions of the rubber vanes 42 and the rubber vanes 52 come into contact with the paper sheets 90, the rubber vanes 42 and the rubber vanes 52 can push open the folded portion 94 of the paper sheets 90 or fold the paper sheets 90 along the folded portion 94, thereby reducing the possibility of jamming of the paper sheets 90 in the inlet-side conveying roller unit 40 and the outlet-side conveying roller unit 50.

[0083] In addition, since it has a door 11 that covers the upper surface of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 and an interlock switch that stops the operation of the rotary plate 60 when the door 11 is opened, it is possible to prevent articles and equipment such as operators and tools from coming into contact with the rotary plate 60 and the roller 27 with rubber vanes during driving.

[0084] Further, it is provided with a paper sheet inlet 30 connected to the inlet 22 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20. Since the side wall of the paper sheet inlet 30 is formed with a tapered portion 31 so as to be tapered toward the inlet 22 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20, the paper sheets 90 introduced into the paper sheet inlet 30 can be smoothly introduced into the inlet 22.

[0085] Also, it includes a rectangular parallelepiped base 10 to which the paper sheet alignment unit 20 is attached, a tilt bar 82 that supports the base 10 and is foldable, and a support base portion 81 capable of storing the folded tilt bar 82. The stacker unit 70 is detachably connected to the base 10, the tilt bar 82 is detachably connected to the base 10. By removing the stacker unit 70 from the base 10, removing the tilt bar 82 from the base 10, folding it, and connecting the base 10 and the support base portion 81 in a state where it is stored inside the base 10, it can be put into a storage form, so the storage and transportation of the paper sheet aligning device 1 are easy.

[0086] Further, the method for aligning the orientation of paper sheets according to Embodiment 1 includes a step of starting the conveyance by sliding the paper sheets 90 between the inlet 22 and the outlet 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20, which includes the inlet 22, the outlet 23, the bottom surface portion 21 connecting the inlet 22 and the outlet 23, and a second side wall portion 25 provided at the other end so as to be lower than one end in a direction intersecting the direction extending from the inlet 22 to the outlet 23; a step of aligning the orientation of the paper sheets 90 so that the long side portions 91 of the paper sheets 90 during conveyance face a certain direction by the friction between the second side wall portion 25 and the paper sheets 90; and a step of accommodating the paper sheets 90 sent out from the outlet 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 into the stacker unit 70 connected to the outlet 23 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20. Therefore, the vibration during the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1 can be reduced.

[0087] Note that the mesh sheet attached to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20 according to the first embodiment and the mesh sheet attached to the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25 were formed of a metal material such as stainless steel, but are not limited to those formed of a metal material. For example, a mesh sheet formed of a resin such as a fluororesin may be used as the mesh sheet attached to the bottom surface portion 21 and the side wall mesh sheet portion 26.

[0088] Further, the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to the first embodiment had a rotating plate 60, but when the orientation of the paper sheets 90 can be sufficiently aligned by the side wall mesh sheet portion 26 of the second side wall portion 25 of the paper sheet alignment unit 20, the rotating plate 60 may not be provided.

[0089] Further, the paper sheet aligning device 1 according to the first embodiment did not have a microcomputer or a control board for controlling each motor for rotating the rubber blade roller 27, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed increasing roller 58, and the disk portion 61 of the rotating plate 60 and the power supply, but is not limited thereto, and a microcomputer or a control board for controlling each motor for rotating the rubber blade roller 27, the first rubber roller 44, the reverse roller 45, the second rubber roller 47, the feed roller 54, the reverse roller 55, the drum roller 57, the speed increasing roller 58, and the disk portion 61 of the rotating plate 60 may be provided.

[0090] Further, the paper sheets 90 aligned by the paper sheet aligning device 1 in the first embodiment were rectangular voting papers, but for example, paper sheets other than voting papers such as receipts may be aligned, or such paper sheets may be aligned to align the orientations of the sides of square paper sheets.

[0091] Further, the shape of the storage state of the paper sheet aligning device 1 in the first embodiment is merely an example, and it may be stored in a storage state of another shape. Also, the paper sheet aligning device 1 may not be able to be put into a storage state.

[0092] Embodiment 2 Next, a sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIGS. 1 to 17 are the same or similar components, and thus detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted. The telescopic joint according to Embodiment 2 is obtained by changing the configuration of the rotating plate with respect to Embodiment 1. FIG. 18 is a front view of the sheet aligning device according to Embodiment 2. For convenience of explanation, the description of the door 11 is omitted in FIG. 18. A rotating plate 110 made of resin is provided on the side of the first side wall portion 24 of the outlet portion 23 of the sheet alignment portion 20 of the sheet aligning device 1a. The distance between the rotating plate 110 and the second side wall portion 25 is formed to be slightly longer than the short side of the sheet. That is, the distance between the rotating plate 110 and the second side wall portion 25 is formed to have a width through which the short side of the sheet can pass and through which the long side of the sheet cannot pass. The rotating plate 110 rotates in the direction of arrow K at a constant speed during the operation of the sheet aligning device 1a by a motor (not shown), and a cover 111 made of a transparent material such as an acrylic plate is provided above the rotating plate. The cover 111 is provided with an air inlet 115 composed of a plurality of round holes. Note that the rotating plate 110 constitutes a direction changing portion.

[0093] FIG. 19 is a front view of the rotating plate 110 shown in FIG. 18, and FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the rotating plate 110 shown in FIG. 18. The rotating plate 110 is provided with a disk portion 112 having a rotating shaft 112a, a large blade member 113, and a small blade member 114. A total of three large blade members 113 are provided on the plane of the disk portion 112 at equal angular intervals of 120°, and a total of 15 small blade members 114 are provided on the plane of the disk portion 112, five between each pair of the large blade members 113. Each of the large blade members 113 and each of the small blade members 114 are provided along a part of a virtual spiral line segment extending from the rotating shaft of the rotating plate 110 to the outer peripheral portion, and constitute a turbo fan. An outer diameter side end portion 113a of the large blade member 113 is formed at the outer diameter portion of the disk portion 112. This outer diameter side end portion 113a constitutes a contact member. The small blade member 114 is shorter in length than the large blade member 113, and one end portion 114a is formed to be located radially inward with respect to the outer diameter side end portion 113a of the large blade member. When the rotating plate 110 rotates in the direction of arrow K, air is blown in the direction of arrow N on the outer side in the radial direction. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0094] Next, the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1a according to the second embodiment will be described. During the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1a shown in FIG. 18, the rotating plate 110 rotates about the rotating shaft 112a in the direction of arrow K by a motor. As shown in FIG. 19, when the rotating plate 110 rotates in the direction of arrow K, since the large blade member 113 and the small blade member 114 constitute a turbo fan, air is blown from between the large blade member 113 and the small blade member 114 in the direction of arrow N on the outer side in the radial direction of the rotating plate 110. Referring to FIG. 18 again, due to the air blown in the direction of arrow N, the air hits the paper sheets 90 overlapping in the paper sheet alignment portion 20, and the sticking of the paper sheets 90 to each other is suppressed.

[0095] Since an outer diameter side end portion 113a, which has the same configuration as the pin 62 of the rotating plate 60 in the first embodiment, is provided at the outer peripheral portion of the rotating plate 110, the long side portion 91 of the paper sheet 90 is pushed by the outer diameter side end portion 113a and rotates in the direction of arrow J1, and the orientation of the paper sheet 90 is aligned such that the long side portion 91 contacts the second side wall portion 25.

[0096] Since the cover 111 is provided with an air inlet 115, the air blown in the direction of arrow N by the rotating plate 110 is smoothly sucked in from the air inlet 115, and the air blowing in the direction of arrow N is stably performed. Further, since one end 114a of the small blade member 114 of the rotating plate 110 is formed radially outside the outer diameter side end 113a of the large blade member 113, the paper sheet 90 is prevented from deeply entering near the rotation axis of the disk portion 112 of the rotating plate 110, and the same effect as the intrusion prevention guide 63 of the rotating plate 60 in the first embodiment is produced.

[0097] As described above, the rotating plate 110 further includes a large blade member 113 and a small blade member 114 provided on the disk portion 112. The large blade member 113 includes an outer diameter side end 113a. When the disk portion 112 of the rotating plate 110 rotates about the rotation axis 112a, the large blade member 113 and the small blade member 114 blow air radially outward, so that sticking of the paper sheets 90 to each other is suppressed and the alignment of the paper sheets 90 on the rotating plate 110 is more reliably performed.

[0098] Note that the shapes and numbers of the large blade member 113 and the small blade member 114 of the rotating plate 110 in the second embodiment of the present invention are not limited thereto, and may be appropriately changed according to the dimensions of the paper sheet 90 and the air volume required to suppress sticking of the paper sheet 90.

[0099] Embodiment 3. Next, Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. Embodiment 3 of the present invention is provided with a rotating plate having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 instead of the rotating plate 60 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 21 is a front view of a paper sheet aligning device 1b according to Embodiment 3. For convenience of explanation, the description of the door 11 is omitted in FIG. 21 and FIG. 23 which will be described in detail later. On the side of the first side wall portion 24 of the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 of the paper sheet aligning device 1b, a vertical rotating plate 120 formed of resin is provided. Note that the vertical rotating plate 120 constitutes a direction changing portion.

[0100] FIG. 22 is a side view of the vertically rotating plate 120 shown in FIG. 21. The vertically rotating plate 120 has a circular portion 121, a rotating shaft 122 located at the center of the circular portion 121, and a total of three protruding portions 123 protruding from the circular portion 121 at equal angular intervals of 120° about the rotating shaft 122. The rotating shaft 122 of the vertically rotating plate 120 is mechanically connected to a motor (not shown), and the vertically rotating plate 120 rotates about the rotating shaft 122 in the direction of arrow O so that the protruding portion 123 moves from the downstream side (the outlet portion 23 side) to the upstream side (the inlet portion 22 side), that is, in the direction opposite to the direction of arrow E in which the paper sheet 90 flows. When the protruding portion 123 is located on the upper side, it protrudes above the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. Further, on the side facing the upstream side when the protruding portion 123 is located on the upper side, a contact portion 123a extending in the tangential direction of the circular portion 121 is formed. Note that the protruding portion 123 constitutes a contact member. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0101] Next, the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1b according to the third embodiment will be described. During the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1b shown in FIG. 21, the vertically rotating plate 120 rotates in the direction of arrow O by a motor. FIG. 23 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 of the paper sheet aligning device 1b shown in FIG. 21. As shown in FIG. 23, when the vertically rotating plate 120 rotates in the direction of arrow O and the protruding portion 123 passes through the groove portion 124 formed in the outlet portion 23, the contact portion 123a presses the long side portion 91 of the paper sheet 90 that has approached the outlet portion 23, and rotates the direction of the paper sheet 90 indicated by arrow J1 so that the long side portion 91 contacts the second side wall portion 25. Thereby, the long side portion 91 of the paper sheet 90 is aligned with the second side wall portion 25.

[0102] As described above, the vertically rotating plate 120 has a circular portion 121, a protruding portion 123 provided on the outer peripheral portion of the circular portion 121, and a motor for rotating the circular portion 121. The rotation axis 122 of the circular portion 121 is provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 and intersecting the direction extending from the inlet portion 22 to the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. The circular portion 121 rotates about the rotation axis 122, and since the protruding portion 123 presses the long side portion 91 of the paper sheet 90, it is possible to reduce the vibration during the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1b in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0103] Embodiment 4. Next, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described. Embodiment 4 of the present invention is provided with an eccentric roller having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 at the bottom surface portion 21 of the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 of Embodiment 1. FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a paper sheet aligning device 1c according to the fourth embodiment. This paper sheet aligning device 1c has two cylindrical resin eccentric rollers 130 in parallel at the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. In FIG. 24, the description of the door 11 is omitted for convenience of explanation.

[0104] FIG. 25 is a cross-sectional view of the eccentric roller 130 shown in FIG. 24. In FIG. 24, a cross-sectional view of one of the eccentric rollers 130 is shown. The eccentric roller 130 has a rotation axis 131 provided parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 and perpendicular to the first side wall portion 24. The rotation axis 131 is arranged at a position different from the center of the eccentric roller 130, that is, the rotation axis 131 of the eccentric roller 130 is eccentric. The two eccentric rollers 130 share the rotation axis 131, and the two eccentric rollers 130 are formed such that the eccentric states of the rotation axis 131 are the same. The rotation axis 131 is mechanically connected to a motor (not shown), and the rotation axis 131 and each eccentric roller 130 rotate in the direction of arrow G by the drive of the motor.

[0105] Next, the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1c according to the fourth embodiment will be described. During the operation of the paper sheet aligning device shown in FIG. 24, as shown in FIG. 25, the eccentric roller 130 rotates in the direction of arrow G. The large-diameter portion 130a having a large diameter from the rotation axis 131 of the eccentric roller 130 is located below the bottom surface portion 21, and the small-diameter side 130b having a small diameter is located above the bottom surface portion 21. Here, the paper sheet 90 stays at the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20. Further, at this time, since the small-diameter side 130b is separated from the staying paper sheet 90 located above the bottom surface portion 21, the paper sheet 90 is in contact with the bottom surface portion 21.

[0106] FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view when the eccentric roller 130 rotates 180° in the direction of arrow G with respect to FIG. 25. The small-diameter side 130b having a small diameter from the rotation axis 131 of the eccentric roller 130 is located below the bottom surface portion 21, and the large-diameter portion 130a having a large diameter is located above the bottom surface portion 21. The large-diameter portion 130a comes into contact with the staying paper sheet 90 located above the bottom surface portion 21, and the paper sheet 90 lifted by the large-diameter portion 130a is separated from the bottom surface portion 21.

[0107] During the operation of the paper sheet aligning device 1c, as the eccentric roller 130 rotates in the direction of arrow G, the state where the staying paper sheet 90 shown in FIG. 25 is in contact with the bottom surface portion 21 and the state where the staying paper sheet 90 shown in FIG. 26 is lifted from the bottom surface portion 21 and separated occur alternately, and the paper sheet 90 moves up and down along the direction of arrow V1 which is the vertical direction with respect to the bottom surface portion 21. As a result, a gap is generated between the paper sheets 90 and the sticking is reduced, and the conveyance of the paper sheet 90 to the outlet-side conveyance roller portion 50 is smoothly performed.

[0108] In this way, since the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20 has the eccentric roller 130 whose rotation axis is parallel to the bottom surface portion 21 and intersects the direction extending from the inlet portion 22 to the outlet portion 23 of the paper sheet alignment portion 20, the conveyance of the paper sheet 90 from the paper sheet alignment portion 20 to the outlet-side conveyance roller portion 50 can be smoothly performed.

[0109] In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the paper sheet aligning device 1c was provided with the rotating plate 60 having the pins 62 used in the first embodiment. Instead of this, the large vane member 113 and the small vane member 114 used in the second embodiment may be used with the rotating plate 110 constituting a turbo fan. By using the rotating plate 110, when the paper sheets 90 move up and down by the eccentric roller 130, the air blown by the rotating plate 110 enters the gap generated between the paper sheets 90, and the effect of reducing the sticking of the paper sheets 90 to each other is improved. Further, instead of the rotating plate 60 of the paper sheet aligning device 1c in the fourth embodiment, the vertically rotating plate 120 used in the third embodiment may be used.

[0110] Also, in the fourth embodiment, the eccentric roller 130 was made of resin, but it may be formed of other materials. However, the material preferably forming the eccentric roller 130 is a material with low frictional force such as resin or metal, and more preferably a material with low frictional force such as hard resin. When the material of the eccentric roller 130 is a material with low frictional force, when the paper sheet 90 is a ballot paper, it is possible to reduce the possibility of problems such as impairing the readability of the items described on the paper sheet 90 due to the friction between the eccentric roller 130 and the paper sheet 90.

[0111] Note that the components included in the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention and the components included in the modified examples thereof can be used in appropriate combinations.

[0112] Although the preferred embodiments and the like have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the like, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments and the like without departing from the scope described in the claims.

[0113] Hereinafter, various aspects of the present disclosure will be collectively described as appendices. (Appendix 1) It has an inlet portion, an outlet portion, and a bottom surface portion connecting the inlet portion and the outlet portion, and a paper sheet aligning portion that slides and conveys paper sheets between the inlet portion and the outlet portion. A stacker unit that is connected to the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit and accommodates the paper sheets sent out from the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit and includes The paper sheet alignment unit is provided such that one end is lower than the other end in a direction intersecting the direction extending from the inlet to the outlet, and a side wall portion is provided at the one end The paper sheets have a long side portion and a short side portion The side wall portion is a paper sheet aligning device that aligns the orientation of the paper sheets so that the long side portion of the paper sheets faces in a certain direction by friction with the paper sheets introduced into the paper sheet alignment unit (Appendix 2) The paper sheet aligning device according to Appendix 1, provided in the paper sheet alignment unit, and including an orientation changing unit that presses the long side portion of the paper sheets in the paper sheet alignment unit to change the orientation so that the long side portion of the paper sheets faces in a certain direction (Appendix 3) The orientation changing unit a disk-shaped member a contact member provided on the circumferential portion of the disk-shaped member a motor for rotating the disk-shaped member and has The rotation axis of the disk-shaped member is provided perpendicular to the bottom surface of the paper sheet alignment unit, the disk-shaped member rotates about the rotation axis, and the contact member presses the long side portion of the paper sheets. The paper sheet aligning device according to Appendix 2 (Appendix 4) The contact member is a pin. The paper sheet aligning device according to Appendix 3 (Appendix 5) The orientation changing unit further has a wing member provided on the disk-shaped member At least one of the wing members includes the contact member When the disk-shaped member rotates about the rotation axis, the orientation changing unit blows air radially outward by the wing members. The paper sheet aligning device according to Appendix 3 (Appendix 6) The orientation changing unit a plate-shaped member a contact member provided on the outer peripheral portion of the plate-shaped member a motor for rotating the plate-like member and has The rotation axis of the plate-like member is provided parallel to the bottom surface of the paper sheet alignment unit and intersects the direction extending from the inlet of the paper sheet alignment unit to the outlet. The plate-like member rotates about the rotation axis, and the contact member presses the long side of the paper sheet. The paper sheet aligning device according to appended note 2. (Appended note 7) The bottom surface includes a portion formed in a mesh shape on the surface. The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of appended notes 1 to 6. (Appended note 8) The side wall portion includes a portion formed in a mesh shape on the surface. The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of appended notes 1 to 7. (Appended note 9) The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of appended notes 1 to 8, having a paper sheet conveying roller portion including an upper conveying roller and a lower conveying roller having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface at at least one of the inlet and the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit. (Appended note 10) The paper sheet aligning device according to appended note 9, wherein the paper sheet conveying roller portion is configured to be able to widen the distance between the upper conveying roller and the lower conveying roller. (Appended note 11) The paper sheet aligning device according to appended note 9 or 10, wherein one of the upper conveying roller and the lower conveying roller of the paper sheet conveying roller portion has a blade-shaped member provided so as to extend along the radial direction, and the tip of the blade-shaped member contacts the paper sheet. (Appended note 12) The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of appended notes 1 to 11, having a door covering the upper surface of the paper sheet alignment unit and an interlock switch that stops the operation of the direction changing unit when the door is opened. (Appended note 13) comprises a paper sheet inlet connected to the inlet of the paper sheet alignment unit, The side wall portion of the paper sheet inlet is formed to be tapered toward the inlet of the paper sheet alignment unit. The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of appended notes 1 to 12. (Appended note 14) A rectangular parallelepiped base to which the paper sheet alignment unit is attached, A support member that supports the base and is foldable, A case capable of storing the folded support member and comprising The stacker unit is detachably connected to the base, The support member is detachably connected to the base, The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 13, which is in a storage form by connecting the base and the case with the stacker unit removed from the base, the support member removed from the base, folded, and stored in the case. (Supplementary Note 15) The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 14, having an eccentric roller provided at the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit with the rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface and intersecting the direction extending from the inlet to the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit. (Supplementary Note 16) An inlet, an outlet, a bottom surface connecting the inlet and the outlet, and a side wall portion provided at the other end that is lower than one end in a direction intersecting the direction extending from the inlet to the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit. A step of starting conveyance by sliding the paper sheet between the inlet and the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit, A step of aligning the orientation of the paper sheet so that the long side of the paper sheet being conveyed faces in a certain direction by the friction between the side wall portion and the paper sheet, A step of accommodating the paper sheet sent out from the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit in a stacker unit connected to the outlet of the paper sheet alignment unit and including a method for aligning the orientation of the paper sheet.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0114] 10 base, 11 door, 20 sheet alignment section, 21 bottom section, 22 entrance section, 23 exit section, 25 second side wall section, 26 side wall mesh sheet section, 30 sheet insertion opening, 31 tapered section, 40 entrance side conveying roller section, 41 resin roller, 41a rotating shaft, 42 rubber blade, 44 first rubber roller, 44a rotating shaft, 45 reverse roller, 45a rotating shaft, 47 second rubber roller, 47a rotating shaft, 50 exit side conveying roller section, 51 resin roller, 51a rotating shaft, 52 rubber blade, 54 feed roller, 54a rotating shaft, 55 reverse roller, 55a rotating shaft, 57 drum roller, 57a rotating shaft, 60 rotating plate (orientation changing section), 61 disc section (disc-shaped member), 62 pin, 70 stacker section, 81 support base (case), 82 tilt bar (support member), 90 sheet, 91 long side section, 110 rotating plate (orientation changing section), 112 disc section (disc-shaped member), 113 large blade member (blade member), 114 small blade member (blade member), 120 vertical rotating plate (orientation changing section), 130 eccentric roller.

Claims

1. It has an inlet section, an outlet section, and a bottom section connecting the inlet section and the outlet section, and a paper sheet alignment section that slides and conveys paper sheets between the inlet section and the outlet section. A stacker section connected to the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section and accommodating the paper sheets sent out from the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section. It is provided with The paper sheet alignment section is provided such that one end is lower than the other end in a direction intersecting the direction extending from the inlet section to the outlet section, and a side wall section is provided at the one end. The paper sheet has a long side section and a short side section. The side wall section is a paper sheet alignment device that aligns the orientation of the paper sheet so that the long side section of the paper sheet faces a certain direction due to friction with the paper sheet introduced into the paper sheet alignment section.

2. The paper sheet alignment device according to claim 1, further comprising an orientation changing section provided in the paper sheet alignment section and changing the orientation of the long side section of the paper sheet in the paper sheet alignment section by pushing the long side section of the paper sheet so that the long side section of the paper sheet faces a certain direction.

3. The orientation changing section has a disk-shaped member, a contact member provided on the circumferential portion of the disk-shaped member, and a motor for rotating the disk-shaped member. It has The rotation axis of the disk-shaped member is provided perpendicular to the bottom section of the paper sheet alignment section, the disk-shaped member rotates around the rotation axis, and the contact member presses the long side section of the paper sheet. The paper sheet alignment device according to claim 2.

4. The paper sheet alignment device according to claim 3, wherein the contact member is a pin.

5. The orientation changing section further has a wing member provided on the disk-shaped member. At least one of the wing members includes the contact member. The orientation changing section blows air radially outward by the wing member when the disk-shaped member rotates around the rotation axis. The paper sheet alignment device according to claim 3.

6. The orientation changing section has a plate-shaped member, a contact member provided on the outer peripheral portion of the plate-shaped member, and a motor for rotating the plate-shaped member. It has The rotation axis of the plate-shaped member is provided parallel to the bottom section of the paper sheet alignment section and intersecting the direction extending from the inlet section to the outlet section of the paper sheet alignment section. The plate-shaped member rotates around the rotation axis, and the contact member presses the long side section of the paper sheet. The paper sheet alignment device according to claim 2.

7. The paper sheet alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the bottom section includes a portion formed in a mesh shape on the surface.

8. The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the side wall portion includes a portion formed in a mesh shape on the surface.

9. The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a paper sheet conveying roller unit including an upper conveying roller and a lower conveying roller having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface at at least one of the inlet portion and the outlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion.

10. The paper sheet aligning device according to claim 9, wherein the paper sheet conveying roller unit is configured to be able to widen the distance between the upper conveying roller and the lower conveying roller.

11. The paper sheet aligning device according to claim 9, wherein either the upper conveying roller or the lower conveying roller of the paper sheet conveying roller unit has a blade-shaped member provided to extend along the radial direction, and a tip portion of the blade-shaped member contacts the paper sheet.

12. A door that covers the upper surface of the paper sheet aligning portion, The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an interlock switch that stops the operation of the direction changing portion when the door is opened.

13. The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a paper sheet insertion port connected to the inlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion, The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a side wall portion of the paper sheet insertion port is formed to be tapered toward the inlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion.

14. A rectangular parallelepiped base on which the paper sheet aligning portion is mounted, A support member that supports the base and is foldable, A case in which the folded support member can be stored And comprising The stacker portion is detachably connected to the base, The support member is detachably connected to the base, The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in a state where the stacker portion is removed from the base, the support member is removed from the base, folded, and stored in the case, and the base and the case are connected to form a storage form.

15. The paper sheet aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an eccentric roller having a rotation axis parallel to the bottom surface and intersecting the direction extending from the inlet portion to the outlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion is provided at the outlet portion of the paper sheet aligning portion.

16. A step of starting conveyance by sliding a paper sheet between the inlet portion and the outlet portion of a paper sheet alignment unit including an inlet portion, an outlet portion, a bottom surface portion connecting the inlet portion and the outlet portion, and a side wall portion provided at the other end portion that is lower than one end portion in a direction intersecting the direction extending from the inlet portion to the outlet portion; A step of aligning the orientation of the paper sheet so that the long side portion of the paper sheet being conveyed faces in a certain direction by the friction between the side wall portion and the paper sheet; A step of accommodating the paper sheet sent out from the outlet portion of the paper sheet alignment unit into a stacker unit connected to the outlet portion of the paper sheet alignment unit; A method for aligning the orientation of a paper sheet, including the above steps.

Images