Banknote handling apparatus and money handling apparatus

Abstract

To easily remove remaining paper money and to prevent the paper money from falling.SOLUTION: The banknote handling device includes a movable transport guide that forms a transport path for transporting banknotes and is provided to be capable of opening the transport path by rotating about a rotation axis extending in a width direction of the transport path orthogonal to a transport direction of the transport path, a transport roller that transports banknotes along the transport path, and a covering member that is provided on an opposite side of the movable transport guide from the transport path side and covers at least a part of a gap generated between the movable transport guide and the transport roller when the movable transport guide is rotated to open the transport path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a banknote processing device and a currency handling device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Currency handling devices used in financial institutions and the like include banknote handling devices that perform processes related to depositing and dispensing banknotes, for example. The banknote handling devices have transport paths connecting each section, and are configured to transport banknotes to each section along the transport paths.

[0003] The conveying path is formed, for example, between two conveying guides arranged opposite each other with a predetermined gap between them. One of the conveying guides is provided with a conveying roller that partially protrudes into the conveying path, and the other conveying guide is also provided with a conveying roller that partially protrudes into the conveying path. The two conveying rollers are arranged opposite each other so as to abut against each other in the conveying path, and banknotes are conveyed sandwiched between them.

[0004] In conventional banknote handling devices, one of the transport guides is an openable / closable transport guide to make it easier to remove banknotes remaining in the transport path in the event of a malfunction, etc. Here, the openable / closable transport guide is called a movable transport guide, and the other fixed transport guide is called a fixed transport guide.

[0005] In other words, in conventional banknote processing devices, for example, when transporting banknotes, the movable transport guide is closed relative to the fixed transport guide, thereby positioning the fixed transport guide and the movable transport guide opposite each other and blocking the transport path, and when a fault occurs, the movable transport guide is opened relative to the fixed transport guide to open the transport path.

[0006] In this way, when the movable conveying guide is opened, the conveying path is opened, making it easier to remove banknotes remaining in the conveying path, but the movable conveying guide loses its ability to hold the banknotes, making it easier for banknotes remaining in the conveying path to fall.

[0007] For this reason, in conventional banknote processing devices, when the movable conveying guide is opened, banknotes remaining in the conveying path are clamped by conveying rollers or conveying belts, or a contact member is provided that contacts banknotes sliding down the inclined movable conveying guide to prevent the banknotes from falling (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0008] On the other hand, for example, in the case where the conveying path R extends in the vertical direction as shown in Figure 9(A) and the movable conveying guide 101 opens and closes by rotating the upper end of the movable conveying guide 101 in a direction away from and towards the fixed conveying guide 103 around a rotation axis 102 provided on the lower end side of the movable conveying guide 101, in order to make it easier to remove banknotes remaining in the conveying path R, it is necessary to increase the opening angle of the movable conveying guide 101 and to secure space near the rotation axis 102 as shown in Figure 9(B). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0009] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-206312 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-34242 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] However, when the opening angle of the movable conveying guide 101 is increased and space is secured near the rotation axis 102, a gap Sp occurs between the lower end of the movable conveying guide 101 and the conveying roller 104 located on the lower end side of the movable conveying guide 101, and banknotes BL may fall through this gap Sp.

[0011] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a bill processing device and a currency handling device that can easily remove remaining bills and prevent bills from falling. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve this problem, the banknote processing device of the present invention has a movable transport guide that forms a transport path for transporting banknotes and is arranged to be able to open the transport path by rotating around a rotation axis that extends in the width direction of the transport path perpendicular to the transport direction of the transport path, transport rollers that transport banknotes along the transport path, and a covering member that is arranged on the opposite side of the movable transport guide from the transport path side and covers at least a part of the gap that occurs between the movable transport guide and the transport roller when the movable transport guide is rotated to open the transport path.

[0013] A currency handling machine according to the present invention includes the above-described banknote handling machine and a coin handling machine.

[0014] This allows the opening angle of the movable conveying guide to be increased and space to be secured near the rotation axis, and also prevents banknotes from falling through the gap that forms between the movable conveying guide and the conveying roller when the movable conveying guide is opened. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a banknote processing device and a currency handling device that can easily remove remaining banknotes and prevent banknotes from falling. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of a cash processing device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a banknote handling machine according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the configuration of a transport path according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of a transport path according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a left side view showing the configuration of a transport path according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view showing the configuration of a transport path according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a left side view showing the configuration of a transport path according to a third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the configuration of a transport path according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the configuration of a conventional conveying path. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] 1. First Embodiment [1-1. Appearance of cash handling device] Figure 1 shows the external configuration of a cash processing device 10 as a currency handling device according to a first embodiment. This cash processing device 10 is installed in, for example, a financial institution, and is a device for carrying out cash-related transactions such as deposit transactions and withdrawal transactions with users. Here, the front side facing the user is defined as the front side of the cash processing device 10, the opposite side is defined as the rear side of the cash processing device 10, and the upper, lower, left and right sides as viewed from a user facing the front of the cash processing device 10 are defined as the upper, lower, left and right sides of the cash processing device 10, respectively.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the cash processing device 10 has a banknote processing device 11 arranged on the right side of the cash processing device 10, a coin processing device 12 arranged on the left side, a wrapping device 13 arranged above the banknote processing device 11, and a receipt printer 14 arranged on the right side of the wrapping device 13.

[0020] The banknote processing device 11 is a device for performing banknote deposit transactions, withdrawal transactions, etc., and has a banknote deposit / withdrawal port 11a on the front. The banknote deposit / withdrawal port 11a is an insertion port for banknotes in deposit transactions, and also a receiving port for banknotes to be returned when a deposit is canceled, banknotes rejected during a deposit, and banknotes in withdrawal transactions.

[0021] The coin processing device 12 is a device for performing coin deposit and withdrawal transactions, and has a coin deposit port 12a on the top surface and a coin withdrawal port 12b on the front surface. The coin deposit port 12a is an insertion port for coins in deposit transactions. The coin withdrawal port 12b is an acceptance port for coins in withdrawal transactions.

[0022] The wrapping device 13 is a device that wraps banknotes into bundles, and has a small bundle outlet 13a provided on the front side. The small bundle outlet 13a discharges banknotes that have been wrapped into bundles by the wrapping device 13 (referred to as small bundle banknotes).

[0023] Furthermore, above the front of the sealing device 13 (i.e., above the small bundle dispensing port 13a) are provided a card reader unit 15 and an operation display unit 16. The card reader unit 15 has a function for reading IC cards, ID cards, etc., and performs identity authentication by reading an IC card or ID card that is touched at the start of a transaction, for example. The operation display unit 16 is composed of, for example, a touch panel and operation keys, and displays an operation screen, transaction details, etc., and accepts various operations related to the displayed operation screen, transaction details, etc.

[0024] The receipt printer 14 prints transaction details and the like on a receipt and ejects the receipt. The external configuration of the cash processing device 10 is as described above.

[0025] [1-2. Internal structure of cash processing device (banknote processing device)] Next, the internal configuration of the cash processing device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Here, the internal configuration of the banknote processing device 11 out of the internal configuration of the cash processing device 10 will be described.

[0026] Fig. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the banknote processing device 11 as seen from the left side. As shown in Fig. 2, the banknote processing device 11 has a substantially box-shaped housing 20. The interior of the housing 20 is roughly divided into an upper part 20U that occupies the entire upper part, and a lower part 20L that occupies the entire lower part.

[0027] The upper part 20U of the housing 20 is provided with a deposit / withdrawal section 21, an upper front conveyance section 22, a discrimination section 23, an upper rear conveyance section 24, a temporary holding section 25, a rejected bill storage section 26, and a forgotten bill storage section 27. The lower part 20L of the housing 20 is provided with a lower conveyance section 28 and a plurality of (for example, four) banknote storage boxes 29 (29A to 29D). The upper part 20U and lower part 20L of the housing 20 are further provided with a conveyance path R connecting each section and a frame 30 supporting each section. In FIG. 2, the conveyance path R is indicated by a thick line.

[0028] The deposit / withdrawal unit 21 is a section that allows users to deposit and withdraw banknotes by receiving and sending banknotes to and from the user. The deposit / withdrawal unit 21 is configured to store banknotes, and the front upper end thereof forms an opening that connects to the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 11a (FIG. 1). The deposit / withdrawal unit 21 opens and closes the opening that connects to the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 11a by means of a shutter (not shown).

[0029] In addition, the deposit / withdrawal section 21 is connected by a conveying path R to an upper front conveying section 22 located below the front side of the deposit / withdrawal section 21, and is also connected to an upper rear conveying section 24 located behind the deposit / withdrawal section 21.

[0030] The upper front conveyance section 22 is connected to the deposit / withdrawal section 21, the discrimination section 23, and the lower conveyance section 28 of the lower part 20L by a conveyance path R, and conveys banknotes along the conveyance path R.

[0031] The validator 23 is located below the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 and behind the upper front conveying unit 22. The validator 23 is connected to the upper front conveying unit 22 and the upper rear conveying unit 24 by a conveying path R. While conveying banknotes along the conveying path R, the validator 23 determines the denomination, authenticity, fitness (whether damaged or not) of the banknotes based on the detection results obtained from multiple sensors, recognizes the conveying status, and sends these as validation results to a control unit (not shown).

[0032] The upper-rear conveying unit 24 is located behind the depositing / withdrawing unit 21 and the discriminating unit 23. This upper-rear conveying unit 24 is connected to the depositing / withdrawing unit 21, the discriminating unit 23, the temporary holding unit 25, the rejected bill storage unit 26, the forgotten bill storage unit 27, and the lower conveying unit 28 of the lower part 20L by a conveying path R, and conveys banknotes along the conveying path R. The upper-rear conveying unit 24 is also connected to the banding device 13 provided above the banknote processing device 11 by the conveying path R, and can convey banknotes to the banding device 13 along the conveying path R.

[0033] The temporary holding unit 25 is, for example, a tape type, and stores the banknotes transported from the upper and rear transport unit 24 by wrapping the banknotes together with the tape around the circumferential side of the drum. When the temporary holding unit 25 feeds out the banknotes, it peels the banknotes together with the tape from the circumferential side of the drum and hands them over to the upper and rear transport unit 24.

[0034] The reject box 26 is a section for storing rejected banknotes that have been determined to be too damaged to be dispensed, and stores rejected banknotes that are transported from the upper and rear transport section 24.

[0035] The forgotten bill storage 27 is a section for storing the bills that the user forgets to take from the deposit / withdrawal section 21, and stores the forgotten bills when they are transported from the upper and rear transport section 24.

[0036] The lower conveying section 28 is located at the upper end of the lower portion 20L and is connected to the upper front conveying section 22, the upper rear conveying section 24, and each banknote storage container 29 (29A to 29D) by a conveying path R, and conveys banknotes along the conveying path R.

[0037] The four banknote storage vaults 29 (29A to 29D) are located below the lower transport section 28 and are arranged side by side in the front-to-rear direction. The four banknote storage vaults 29 (29A to 29D) are similarly configured and are rectangular parallelepipeds that are long in the vertical direction. Each banknote storage vault 29 is capable of storing and feeding banknotes, and when storing banknotes, it accumulates banknotes transported from the lower transport section 28 inside. When feeding banknotes, each banknote storage vault 29 separates the banknotes accumulated inside one by one and delivers them to the lower transport section 28. Each banknote storage vault 29 is set with a denomination of banknotes to be stored therein.

[0038] The conveying path R is formed by a conveying guide (omitted in Fig. 2). Further, conveying rollers (omitted in Fig. 2) are provided on the conveying path R, and the banknotes are conveyed by the conveying rollers. Furthermore, switching blades 31 are provided at branching points where the conveying path R branches into two or more directions, and the switching blades 31 can switch the conveying direction of the banknotes. Note that Fig. 2 shows the switching blade 31 provided at one of the branching points, and the switching blades 31 provided at the other branching points are omitted. The internal configuration of the banknote handling device 11 is as described above.

[0039] [1-3. Operation of banknote processing device during deposit and withdrawal transactions] Here, we will briefly explain the operation of the banknote processing device 11 during a deposit transaction and during a withdrawal transaction. First, we will explain the operation during a deposit transaction. During a deposit transaction, the banknote processing device 11 performs a deposit counting process in which it counts the number of banknotes while validating the denominations, etc., of the banknotes deposited by the user, and then performs a deposit storage process in which it transports each banknote to an appropriate storage location and stores it.

[0040] Specifically, the banknote processing device 11 starts a deposit counting process when it receives an operation instruction to perform a deposit transaction from a user via the operation and display unit 16 (FIG. 1). When the deposit counting process starts, the banknote processing device 11 opens the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal unit 21, and closes the shutter when the user inserts banknotes into the deposit / withdrawal unit 21. The banknote processing device 11 then separates the banknotes inserted into the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 one by one and transports them to the discrimination unit 23 via the upper front transport unit 22. Here, the banknote processing device 11 transports banknotes that have been determined to be valid banknotes based on the discrimination result of the discrimination unit 23 from the discrimination unit 23 via the upper rear transport unit 24 to the temporary holding unit 25 for storage. On the other hand, banknotes that are determined to be rejected banknotes and are not suitable for deposit based on the results of the classification by the classification unit 23 are transported from the classification unit 23 to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 via the upper and rear transport unit 24, and are stored in the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 separately from the banknotes that have been inserted, and are returned to the user after all the banknotes that have been inserted into the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 have been dispensed.

[0041] The banknote processing device 11 completes the deposit counting process when it has finished feeding out all of the banknotes inserted into the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 and there are no deposit-rejected banknotes stored in the deposit / withdrawal unit 21. Thereafter, the banknote processing device 11 calculates the deposit amount based on the counted results of the denominations and numbers of banknotes taken in from the deposit / withdrawal unit 21, and displays a predetermined operation instruction screen on the operation display unit 16 (FIG. 1), presents the deposit amount to the user, and allows the user to select whether or not to continue the deposit transaction.

[0042] Here, if the user instructs the banknote processing device 11 to cancel the deposit transaction, the banknote processing device 11 returns all banknotes stored in the temporary holding unit 25 to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 via the upper / rear conveying unit 24 and returns them to the user. On the other hand, if the user instructs the banknote processing device 11 to continue the deposit transaction, the banknote processing device 11 starts the deposit storage process. When the deposit storage process starts, the banknote processing device 11 sequentially feeds out banknotes stored in the temporary holding unit 25 (i.e., normal banknotes), transports them via the upper / rear conveying unit 24 to the discrimination unit 23, and identifies their denominations. Then, the banknote processing device 11 transports the banknotes whose denominations have been identified from the discrimination unit 23, sequentially via the upper / front conveying unit 22 and the lower conveying unit 28, to the banknote storage vault 29 corresponding to the identified denomination, and stores them therein. When all banknotes stored in the temporary holding unit 25 have been stored, the banknote processing device 11 ends the deposit storage process. The operation of the banknote processing device 11 during a deposit transaction is as described above.

[0043] Next, the operation of the banknote processing device 11 during a withdrawal transaction will be described. In a withdrawal transaction, it is possible to select between loose withdrawal, in which banknotes are dispensed individually, and bundle withdrawal, in which banknotes are dispensed in a sealed bundle. First, the operation when loose withdrawal is selected will be described. When loose withdrawal is selected in a withdrawal transaction, the banknote processing device 11 performs loose withdrawal processing, in which banknotes of a denomination and number corresponding to the amount specified by the user are dispensed individually.

[0044] Specifically, the banknote processing device 11 starts the bulk dispensing process when it receives an operation instruction from a user via the operation display unit 16 (FIG. 1) to perform a bulk dispensing as a dispensing transaction and to specify the dispensing amount. When the bulk dispensing process starts, the banknote processing device 11 determines the denomination and number of banknotes according to the specified dispensing amount. Then, the banknote processing device 11 feeds out banknotes one by one from each banknote storage vault 29 according to the determined denomination and number, and conveys them to the discrimination unit 23 via the lower conveying unit 28 and the upper front conveying unit 22 in that order.

[0045] Here, in the banknote processing device 11, banknotes that are determined to be normal banknotes based on the validation result of the validator 23 are transported from the validator 23 to the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 via the upper and rear conveying unit 24 and stacked. On the other hand, banknotes that are determined to be withdrawal-rejected banknotes based on the validation result of the validator 23 are transported from the validator 23 to the reject vault 26 via the upper and rear conveying unit 24 and stored therein. Then, when the banknote processing device 11 has stored the banknotes equivalent to the withdrawal amount in the deposit / withdrawal unit 21, it opens the shutter of the deposit / withdrawal unit 21 to allow the user to remove the banknotes, and ends the loose withdrawal process. The operation when loose withdrawal by the banknote processing device 11 is selected is as described above.

[0046] Next, the operation when bundle dispensing is selected will be described. When bundle dispensing is selected in a dispensing transaction, the banknote processing device 11 performs a bundle dispensing process in which banknotes according to the denomination and number of bundles specified by the user are dispensed in a sealed bundle.

[0047] Specifically, the banknote processing device 11 starts the bundle dispensing process when it receives an operation instruction from a user via the operation display unit 16 (FIG. 1) to perform a bundle dispensing as a withdrawal transaction and to specify the denomination and number of bundles. When the bundle dispensing process starts, the banknote processing device 11 determines the denomination and number of banknotes (e.g., 100 per bundle) according to the specified denomination and number of bundles. Then, the banknote processing device 11 feeds out banknotes one by one from each banknote storage vault 29 according to the determined denomination and number, and transports them to the discrimination unit 23 via the lower transport unit 28 and the upper front transport unit 22 in that order.

[0048] Here, the banknote processing device 11 transports banknotes that are determined to be normal banknotes based on the validation result of the validator 23 from the validator 23 to the banding device 13 via the upper and rear conveying unit 24. On the other hand, banknotes that are determined to be withdrawal-reject banknotes that are not suitable for withdrawal based on the validation result of the validator 23 are transported from the validator 23 to the reject vault 26 via the upper and rear conveying unit 24 and stored therein. When, for example, one bundle of banknotes is transported from the banknote processing device 11, the banding device 13 bands the banknotes into a bundle and discharges them from the small bundle dispensing port 13a as a small bundle of banknotes for the user to receive. Then, when the banknote processing device 11 has finished discharging the small bundle of banknotes of the specified denomination and number from the banding device 13, it ends the bundle dispensing process. The operation when bundle dispensing by the banknote processing device 11 is selected is as described above.

[0049] [1-4. Transport path configuration] Next, the configuration of the conveying path R will be described with reference to Fig. 3(A) and Fig. 4(A). Fig. 3(A) is an enlarged left side view of a portion of the conveying path R in the upper / rear conveying section 24 (the portion within the range Ar1 shown in Fig. 2, which is connected to the strapping device 13). Fig. 4(A) is a front view of the portion within the range Ar1, as seen from the front side. As shown in Fig. 3(A) and Fig. 4(A), within the range Ar1, the up-down direction is the conveying direction of the conveying path R, the left-right direction is the width direction of the conveying path R, and the front-rear direction is the thickness direction of the conveying path R. Furthermore, on the conveying path R, banknotes are conveyed with the short edge direction of the banknotes as the conveying direction.

[0050] As shown in Fig. 3(A), within range Ar1 (see Fig. 2), the conveying path R extends linearly in the vertical direction and is formed by a front conveying guide 40 and a rear conveying guide 41 that are arranged facing each other in the front-to-rear direction at a predetermined distance that is larger than the thickness of the thickest banknote among the banknotes handled by the banknote processing device 11. Although not shown in Figs. 3(A) and 4(A), side conveying guides that extend in the vertical direction are provided at one end (left end) and the other end (right end) in the width direction of the conveying path R.

[0051] The rear transport guide 41 is a generally plate-shaped member that extends in the vertical direction and has a thickness in the front-to-rear direction, with the front surface (i.e., the surface on the transport path R side) serving as a guide surface. The rear transport guide 41 is a fixed transport guide that is fixed to a frame (not shown). Therefore, the rear transport guide 41 will be referred to as the rear fixed transport guide 41 here.

[0052] On the other hand, the front transport guide 40 is composed of a front movable transport guide 40U that is openable and closable relative to the rear fixed transport guide 41, and a front fixed transport guide 40L that is fixed to a frame 42 shown in Fig. 4(A), with the front movable transport guide 40U disposed on the upper side and the front fixed transport guide 40L disposed on the lower side. Although not shown in Fig. 4(A), side transport guides are provided at the rear of the left and right frames 42.

[0053] The front movable transport guide 40U is a generally plate-shaped member that extends in the vertical direction, and is provided substantially parallel to the rear fixed transport guide 41, with its rear surface serving as a guide surface.

[0054] This front movable transport guide 40U is supported by a rotation shaft 43 that is located at the lower end side of the front movable transport guide 40U and extends in the width direction (left and right direction) of the transport path R, and is rotatable around the rotation shaft 43. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the front movable transport guide 40U can open the transport path R by rotating from a state (closed state) in which it is approximately parallel to the rear fixed transport guide 41 to a state in which the upper end side of the front movable transport guide 40U rotates in a direction away from the rear fixed transport guide 41 and opens.

[0055] Furthermore, the front movable transport guide 40U can close the transport path R by rotating from an open state so that the upper end of the front movable transport guide 40U approaches the rear fixed transport guide 41 and closes until it becomes substantially parallel to the rear fixed transport guide 41. As shown in FIG. 4A, the rotation shaft 43 is provided in front of the front fixed transport guide 40L and is supported by the frame 42.

[0056] In this way, the front movable transport guide 40U is openable and closable, and when opened, it opens the transport path R. This front movable transport guide 40U can be opened and closed manually, for example. The front movable transport guide 40U may be biased in the closing direction by a biasing member (not shown), and after being manually opened, it may be automatically closed by the biasing force of the biasing member. By having such a front movable transport guide 40U, the banknote processing device 11 is able to open the front movable transport guide 40U to open the transport path R and remove banknotes remaining in the transport path R in the event of a fault or the like.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4A, the front movable transport guide 40U has protrusions 40Up protruding downward (toward the rotation shaft 43) at one and the other widthwise ends of the lower end 40Ub on the front side opposite the transport path R, and both protrusions 40Up are supported by the rotation shaft 43. While FIG. 4A shows the protrusions 40Up supported by the rotation shaft 43 on the inner axial side of the frame 42, the protrusions 40Up may be supported by the rotation shaft 43 on the outer axial side of the frame 42. The lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U is positioned between the one and the other widthwise ends of the front movable transport guide 40U and has a comb-like shape with concave and convex portions alternately provided in the widthwise direction. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U is tilted forward as it approaches downward when closed.

[0058] On the other hand, the front fixed transport guide 40L is a substantially plate-shaped member that extends in the vertical direction, and is provided substantially parallel to the rear fixed transport guide 41, with its rear surface serving as a guide surface.

[0059] 4A, the front fixed transport guide 40L has an upper end 40Lu facing the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U, which has a comb-like shape with concave and convex portions alternately provided in the width direction, and the convex portions of the front fixed transport guide 40L fit into the concave portions of the front movable transport guide 40U, and the convex portions of the front movable transport guide 40U fit into the concave portions of the front fixed transport guide 40L, forming a nest. In other words, the connecting portion between the front movable transport guide 40U and the front fixed transport guide 40L has a nested shape.

[0060] 3A, the upper end 40Lu of the front fixed transport guide 40L is inclined forward as it extends upward. In other words, when the front movable transport guide 40U is closed, the connecting portion between the front movable transport guide 40U and the front fixed transport guide 40L has a recessed shape resembling an upside-down V-shape.

[0061] Furthermore, the conveying path R is provided with conveying rollers 44 (44A to 44D) arranged opposite to each other in the front-rear direction with the conveying path R in between.

[0062] Specifically, a transport roller 44A is provided in front of the front fixed transport guide 40L so that a portion of the transport roller 44A protrudes into the transport path R through a hole (not shown) provided in the front fixed transport guide 40L. The transport roller 44A is attached to a rotation shaft 43 provided in front of the front fixed transport guide 40L. If the direction from the bottom end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U toward the top end on the opposite side (the upward direction in FIG. 3A) is defined as a first direction, the bottom end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U is spaced apart in the first direction from the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A and the rotation shaft 43.

[0063] Furthermore, a transport roller 44B is provided behind the lower part of the rear fixed transport guide 41 so that a part of the transport roller 44B protrudes into the transport path R from a hole (not shown) provided in the rear fixed transport guide 41. The transport roller 44B is attached to a rotation shaft 45 provided behind the rear fixed transport guide 41.

[0064] The transport rollers 44A and 44B are arranged facing each other in the front-to-rear direction with the transport path R in between, and are in contact with each other within the transport path R. A plurality (for example, two) of transport rollers 44A are arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43 (width direction of the transport path R), and similarly, a plurality (for example, two) of transport rollers 44B are arranged at intervals in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 45.

[0065] A transport roller 44C is provided in front of the upper portion of the front movable transport guide 40U so that a portion of the transport roller 44C protrudes into the transport path R through a hole (not shown) provided in the front movable transport guide 40U. The transport roller 44C is attached to a rotation shaft 46 supported on the front side of the front movable transport guide 40U. In other words, the transport roller 44C is attached to the front side of the front movable transport guide 40U.

[0066] Furthermore, a transport roller 44D is provided behind the upper part of the rear fixed transport guide 41 so that a portion of the transport roller 44D protrudes into the transport path R from a hole (not shown) provided in the rear fixed transport guide 41. The transport roller 44D is attached to a rotation shaft 47 provided behind the rear fixed transport guide 41.

[0067] When the front movable transport guide 40U is closed, the transport rollers 44C and 44D are arranged to face each other in the front-to-rear direction across the transport path R and come into contact within the transport path R. Furthermore, a plurality (for example, two) of transport rollers 44C are provided at intervals in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 46 (width direction of the transport path R), and similarly, a plurality (for example, two) of transport rollers 44D are also provided at intervals in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 47.

[0068] When the front movable transport guide 40U opens, the transport roller 44C moves away from the transport roller 44D together with the front movable transport guide 40U, and when the front movable transport guide 40U closes, the transport roller 44C comes into contact with the transport roller 44D.

[0069] In addition, the distance between the contact point between the lower conveying roller 44A and the conveying roller 44B and the contact point between the upper conveying roller 44C and the conveying roller 44D is shorter than the short-side length (length in the conveying direction) of the banknote handled by the banknote processing device 11 that has the smallest short-side length (length in the conveying direction).

[0070] In the conveying path R within the range Ar1 (see FIG. 2), banknotes are conveyed sandwiched between the lower conveying rollers 44A and 44B, and between the upper conveying rollers 44C and 44D.

[0071] As described above, in the banknote processing device 11, in the event of a fault or the like, the front movable transport guide 40U is opened to open the transport path R, making it possible to remove banknotes remaining in the transport path R. Here, in order to make it easier to remove banknotes remaining in the transport path R, as shown in FIG. 3(B), it is necessary to increase the opening angle θ of the front movable transport guide 40U and ensure space near the rotation shaft 43 (i.e., to increase the distance L1 between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U and the rear fixed transport guide 41).

[0072] Specifically, for example, it is desirable that the opening angle θ of the front movable conveying guide 40U be 45 degrees or more, and the distance L1 between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the rear fixed conveying guide 41 be 20 mm or more, which is large enough for an operator's fingers to fit in when removing banknotes.

[0073] In order to increase the opening angle θ of the front movable transport guide 40U and secure space near the rotation shaft 43, it is necessary to widen the gap between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U and the rotation shaft 43. In this case, however, when the front movable transport guide 40U is opened, a gap Sp is generated between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U and the transport roller 44A, and banknotes BL may fall through this gap Sp. If banknotes fall through this gap Sp, they may get inside the banknote processing device 11 and become difficult to remove.

[0074] Therefore, in this embodiment, a fall prevention rib 50 for preventing banknotes from falling through the gap Sp is provided on the front side of the front movable transport guide 40U (that is, on the opposite side from the transport path R).

[0075] 3A, the fall prevention rib 50 is composed of a first portion 50A extending forward (i.e., projecting toward the side opposite to the conveying path R) from the bottom of the front surface 40Us (i.e., the surface opposite to the conveying path R) of the front movable conveying guide 40U, and a second portion 50B extending downward (in a second direction opposite to the first direction) from the front end of the first portion 50A. In other words, when the front movable conveying guide 40U is closed, the fall prevention rib 50 has an L-shaped shape rotated 180 degrees clockwise when viewed from the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43. Note that the fall prevention rib 50 may be formed as a separate part from the front movable conveying guide 40U and attached to the front movable conveying guide 40U, or may be formed integrally with the front movable conveying guide 40U.

[0076] As shown in Fig. 4A, the fall prevention rib 50 is provided between the two conveyance rollers 44A in the width direction (left-right direction) of the front movable conveyance guide 40U. Also, as shown in Fig. 3A, when the front movable conveyance guide 40U is closed, the second portion 50B of the fall prevention rib 50 passes near the front end of the rotation shaft 43 and extends to near the lower end of the rotation shaft 43 when viewed from the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43.

[0077] Furthermore, when the front movable transport guide 40U is closed, the lower end of the second portion 50B of the fall prevention rib 50 is positioned inside the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A (i.e., between the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A and the rotary shaft 43) on the front side (opposite the transport path R side) of the rotary shaft 43, as viewed from the axial direction of the rotary shaft 43. In other words, the fall prevention rib 50 and the transport roller 44A are arranged with a shift in position in the width direction (left-right direction) of the transport path R, and further, the fall prevention rib 50 and the transport roller 44A overlap in the transport direction (up-down direction) of the transport path R.

[0078] Here, the fall prevention rib 50 rotates around the rotation axis 43 together with the front movable transport guide 40U (i.e., it follows the opening and closing of the front movable transport guide 40U), so as shown in Figures 3(A) and (B), when the front movable transport guide 40U opens and closes, the lower end of the second part 50B is always inside the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A.

[0079] 4(B), the fall prevention rib 50 is nested with the two conveyance rollers 44, thereby covering the gap Sp. The gap Sp occurs from one end to the other in the width direction (left-right direction) of the conveyance path R. In this case, the fall prevention rib 50 does not cover the entire gap Sp, but covers a part of the gap Sp (i.e., the part located between the two conveyance rollers 44A in the width direction of the gap Sp) so that the uncovered part in the width direction (left-right direction) of the gap Sp is sufficiently narrower than the longitudinal length of the banknote with the smallest longitudinal length among the banknotes handled by the banknote processing device 11.

[0080] By doing this, as shown in Figures 3(B) and 4(B), even if a banknote BL gets into the gap Sp that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U and the transport roller 44A when the front movable transport guide 40U is opened, the anti-fall rib 50 can catch the banknote BL, thereby preventing the banknote BL from falling through this gap Sp.

[0081] [1-5. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the first embodiment, the banknote processing device 11 is provided with a conveying path R for conveying banknotes, a front movable conveying guide 40U which is an example of a movable conveying guide that is arranged outside the conveying path R and is capable of opening the conveying path R by rotating around a rotation axis 43 that extends in the width direction of the conveying path R, and conveying rollers 44A that convey banknotes along the conveying path R, and further with a covering member and a fall prevention rib 50 which is an example of a first covering member on the opposite side (front side) of the front movable conveying guide 40U from the conveying path R, which covers at least a part of the gap Sp that occurs between the lower end 40Ub, which is one end of the front movable conveying guide 40U, and the conveying roller 44A when the conveying path R is opened.

[0082] By doing this, in the banknote processing device 11 of the first embodiment, the opening angle θ of the front movable conveying guide 40U can be increased and space can be secured near the rotation axis 43, and further, when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, banknotes can be prevented from falling through the gap Sp that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the conveying roller 44A.

[0083] Thus, the banknote handling apparatus 11 of the first embodiment can easily remove banknotes remaining on the transport path R and can prevent the banknotes from falling.

[0084] In addition, in the banknote processing device 11 of the first embodiment, the fall prevention rib 50 extends toward the rotating shaft 43 (i.e., extends in a second direction that is the opposite direction to the first direction from the lower end 40Ub side of the front movable conveying guide 40U toward the opposite side), and when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43 (the width direction of the conveying path R), it fits between the outer periphery of the conveying roller 44A and the rotating shaft 43, forming a nest with the conveying roller 44A.

[0085] In this way, in the banknote processing device 11 of the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent banknotes from falling through the gap Sp that occurs between the front movable conveying guide 40U and the conveying roller 44A, and it is also possible to avoid a situation in which banknotes become pinched between the fall prevention rib 50 and the conveying roller 44A and cannot be removed.

[0086] 2. Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment will be described. In this second embodiment, a fall prevention rib 60 (see FIG. 5(A)) different from the fall prevention rib 50 of the first embodiment is provided on the front movable transport guide 40U. This second embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment except for the provision of the fall prevention rib 60, so here, the fall prevention rib 60 will be mainly described.

[0087] [2-1. Configuration of fall prevention ribs] 5(A), the fall prevention rib 60 is composed of a first portion 60A extending forward from the lower portion of the front surface 40Us of the front movable transport guide 40U (protruding toward the opposite side from the transport path R), a second portion 60B extending downward (the second direction described above) from the front end of the first portion 60A, and a third portion 60C extending diagonally downward and rearward (toward the transport path R side of the front movable transport guide 40U) from the lower end of the second portion 60B. In other words, the fall prevention rib 60 has a configuration in which the third portion 60C is added to the fall prevention rib 50, and has a substantially U-shape when viewed from the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43 when the front movable transport guide 40U is closed.

[0088] 6(A), the fall prevention rib 60 is provided at three locations in the width direction (left-right direction) of the front movable transport guide 40U: between the two transport rollers 44A, to the left of the left transport roller 44A, and to the right of the right transport roller 44A. Also, as shown in FIG. 5(A), when the front movable transport guide 40U is closed, the fall prevention rib 60 has a second portion 60B that passes near the front end of the rotation shaft 43 and extends below the rotation shaft 43, and a third portion 60C that passes near the bottom end of the rotation shaft 43 and extends to near the rear end of the rotation shaft 43.

[0089] That is, the fall prevention rib 60 is provided so that the second portion 60B and the third portion 60C surround the front end and the bottom end of the rotation shaft 43.

[0090] Furthermore, when the front movable transport guide 40U is closed, the lower end of the second portion 60B of the fall prevention rib 60 is positioned inside the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A (i.e., between the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A and the rotary shaft 43) on the front side (opposite the transport path R) of the rotary shaft 43, as viewed in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 43. Also, the third portion 60C is positioned inside the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A (i.e., between the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A and the rotary shaft 43) on the lower side of the rotary shaft 43 (i.e., on the side farther from the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U).

[0091] Here, the fall prevention rib 60 rotates around the rotation shaft 43 together with the front movable transport guide 40U (i.e., follows the opening and closing of the front movable transport guide 40U). Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, when the front movable transport guide 40U opens and closes, the lower end of the second portion 50B and the third portion 60C are always positioned inside the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A. Furthermore, when the front movable transport guide 40U opens, the fall prevention rib 60 is configured so that the lower end of the second portion 50B and the third portion 60C are inclined in a V-shape and surround the lower part of the rotation shaft 43 when viewed from the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43. Note that, although the lower end of the second portion 50B and the third portion 60C are positioned inside the outer periphery of the transport roller 44A, this is not limiting, and only one of them may be positioned inside.

[0092] 6(B), the fall prevention rib 60, like the fall prevention rib 50 of the first embodiment, is configured to form a nest with the two conveying rollers 44, thereby covering the gap Sp1 (gap Sp in the first embodiment) that occurs between the lower end portion 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the conveying roller 44A. In this way, the fall prevention rib 60, like the fall prevention rib 50, can prevent banknotes from falling through the gap Sp1.

[0093] Furthermore, the fall prevention ribs 60 are provided at three locations (i.e., locations where no conveying rollers 44A are provided in the width direction of the gap Sp1): between the two conveying rollers 44A, to the left of the left conveying roller 44A, and to the right of the right conveying roller 44A), and at these three locations, when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, the gap Sp2 that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the rotation shaft 43 is covered by the second part 50B and the third part 60C.

[0094] By doing this, as shown in Figures 5(B) and 6(B), when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, even if a paper sheet PL such as a receipt or ticket (torn banknote) that is smaller than a banknote gets into the gap Sp2 that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the rotating shaft 43 at three locations: between the two conveying rollers 44A, to the left of the left conveying roller 44A, and to the right of the right conveying roller 44A, the anti-fall rib 60 (specifically, the V-shaped part formed by the lower end of the second part 50B and the third part 60C) can catch the paper sheet PL, thereby preventing the receipt, ticket, or other paper sheet PL from falling through the gap Sp2.

[0095] Furthermore, when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, the lower end of the second part 50B of the fall prevention rib 60 and the third part 60C form a V-shape, and the third part 60C slopes upward toward the rear, preventing paper sheets PL that enter through the gap Sp2 from climbing over the third part 60C and falling.

[0096] As shown in Figure 6(B), gaps Sp2 occur in the three locations mentioned above. At this time, the fall prevention rib 60 does not cover the entire gap Sp2, but covers at least a portion of the gap Sp2 in the width direction (left-right direction). In this way, even if only a portion of the gap Sp2 is covered, it is possible to sufficiently prevent paper sheets PL such as receipts and tickets from falling through the gap Sp2.

[0097] Furthermore, in order to more reliably prevent the falling of various sizes of paper sheets PL, it is desirable to make the width (left and right) size of the fall prevention rib 60 as large as possible without it coming into contact with the conveying roller 44A.

[0098] [2-2. Summary and Effects] As described above, in the second embodiment, a fall prevention rib 60, which is an example of a covering member, is provided on the opposite side (front side) of the front movable transport guide 40U from the transport path R when the transport path R is opened, to cover at least a portion of the gap Sp1 that occurs between the front movable transport guide 40U and the transport roller 44A, and to cover at least a portion of the gap Sp2 that occurs between the front movable transport guide 40U and the rotating shaft 43 at a location in the width direction of the gap Sp1 where the transport roller 44A is not provided.

[0099] By doing this, in the banknote processing device 11 of the second embodiment, the opening angle θ of the front movable conveying guide 40U can be increased and space can be secured near the rotation axis 43, and further, when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, banknotes can be prevented from falling through the gap Sp1 that occurs between the front movable conveying guide 40U and the conveying roller 44A.

[0100] Furthermore, in the banknote processing device 11 of the second embodiment, when the front movable transport guide 40U is opened, it is possible to prevent paper sheets PL such as receipts and cut tickets that are smaller in size than banknotes from falling through the gap Sp2 that occurs between the front movable transport guide 40U and the rotating shaft 43.

[0101] Thus, the banknote handling apparatus 11 of the second embodiment makes it easier to remove banknotes and paper sheets remaining on the transport path R, and can prevent the banknotes and paper sheets from falling.

[0102] 3. Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment will be described. In this third embodiment, the lower conveying rollers 44A and 44B are omitted from the configuration of the first embodiment, and a fall prevention rib 70 (see FIG. 7A) is provided in front of the front fixed conveying guide 40L. This third embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, except that the conveying rollers 44A and 44B are omitted and the fall prevention rib 70 is provided in front of the front fixed conveying guide 40L, so here we will mainly describe the fall prevention rib 70.

[0103] [3-1. Configuration of fall prevention ribs] As shown in Figures 7(A) and 8(A), in the third embodiment, the conveying roller 44A that was provided in front of the front fixed conveying guide 40L and the conveying roller 44B that was provided behind the lower part of the rear fixed conveying guide 41 are omitted.

[0104] In such a location where there is no conveying roller 44A, as shown in Figure 7(B), when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, a gap Sp3 occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the upper end 40Lb of the front fixed conveying guide 40L, and banknotes may fall through this gap Sp3.

[0105] Therefore, in the third embodiment, a fall prevention rib 50 is provided on the front side (i.e., the opposite side from the conveying path R) of the front movable conveying guide 40U, and a fall prevention rib 70 is provided on the front side (i.e., the opposite side from the conveying path R) of the front fixed conveying guide 40L.

[0106] 7(A), the fall prevention rib 70 is composed of a first portion 70A extending forward from the front surface 40Ls of the front fixed transport guide 40L (i.e., the surface opposite to the transport path R), and a second portion 70B extending upward from the front end of the first portion 70A. In other words, the fall prevention rib 70 has an L-shaped shape rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise when viewed from the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43.

[0107] As shown in Fig. 8(A), the fall prevention ribs 70 are provided on the left and right sides of the fall prevention rib 50 in the width direction (left-right direction) of the front fixed transport guide 40L (i.e., at the locations where the two transport rollers 44A were provided). Also, as shown in Fig. 7(A), when viewed from the axial direction of the rotating shaft 43, the first portion 70A of the fall prevention rib 70 passes near the lower end of the rotating shaft 43 and extends to the front of the rotating shaft 43, and the second portion 70B passes near the front end of the rotating shaft 43 and extends to the vicinity of the upper end of the rotating shaft 43.

[0108] That is, the fall prevention rib 70 is provided so that the first portion 70A and the second portion 70B surround the lower end and front end of the rotation shaft 43.

[0109] As shown in Figure 8(B), in the third embodiment, a fall prevention rib 60 provided on the front movable transport guide 40U and two fall prevention ribs 70 provided on the front fixed transport guide 40L form a nested structure, and the fall prevention rib 60 and the two fall prevention ribs 70 cover the gap Sp3 that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U and the upper end 40Lb of the front fixed transport guide 40L.

[0110] The gap Sp3 occurs from one end to the other end in the width direction of the transport path R. At this time, the fall prevention ribs 50 and 70 do not cover the entire gap Sp3, but cover a part of the gap Sp3 (i.e., the central part in the width direction of the gap Sp3) so that the uncovered part in the width direction (left-right direction) of the gap Sp3 is sufficiently narrower than the longitudinal length of the banknote with the smallest longitudinal length among the banknotes handled by the banknote processing device 11.

[0111] By doing this, as shown in Figures 7(B) and 8(B), even if a banknote BL gets into the gap Sp3 that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the upper end 40Lb of the front fixed conveying guide 40L when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, the banknote can be received by the fall prevention rib 50 and the fall prevention rib 70, thereby preventing the banknote from falling through this gap Sp3.

[0112] Furthermore, the width of at least one of the fall prevention ribs 50 and 70 may be increased so that the fall prevention ribs 50 and 70 cover almost the entire gap Sp3.

[0113] [3-2. Summary and Effects] As explained so far, in the third embodiment, the banknote processing device 11 is provided with a conveying path R for conveying banknotes, a front movable conveying guide 40U which is an example of a movable conveying guide that is arranged outside the conveying path R and is capable of opening the conveying path R by rotating around a rotation axis 43 that extends in the width direction of the conveying path R, and a front fixed conveying guide 40L which is an example of a fixed conveying guide that is connected to the rotation axis 43 side of the front movable conveying guide 40U.

[0114] Furthermore, on the opposite side (front side) of the front movable transport guide 40U from the transport path R, a fall prevention rib 50, which is an example of a first covering member that covers at least a portion of the gap Sp3 that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable transport guide 40U and the upper end 40Lb of the front fixed transport guide 40L when the transport path R is opened, is provided, and on the opposite side (front side) of the front fixed transport guide 40L from the transport path R, a fall prevention rib 70, which is an example of a second covering member that covers at least a portion of the gap Sp3, is provided.

[0115] By doing this, in the banknote processing device 11 of the third embodiment, the opening angle θ of the front movable conveying guide 40U can be increased and space can be secured near the rotation axis 43, and further, when the front movable conveying guide 40U is opened, banknotes can be prevented from falling through the gap Sp3 that occurs between the lower end 40Ub of the front movable conveying guide 40U and the upper end 40Lb of the front fixed conveying guide 40L.

[0116] In other words, in the banknote processing device 11 of the third embodiment, even if a conveying roller is not provided on the rotation axis 43 side of the front movable conveying guide 40U, the fall prevention rib 50 of the front fixed conveying guide 40L and the fall prevention rib 70 of the front fixed conveying guide 40L can prevent banknotes from falling through the gap Sp3.

[0117] Thus, the banknote handling apparatus 11 of the third embodiment can easily remove banknotes remaining on the transport path R and can prevent the banknotes from falling.

[0118] In the banknote handling machine 11 of the third embodiment, the fall prevention rib 50 and the fall prevention rib 70 are nested.

[0119] In this way, in the banknote processing device 11 of the third embodiment, it is possible to prevent banknotes from falling through the gap Sp3 that occurs between the front movable conveying guide 40U and the front fixed conveying guide 40L, and it is also possible to avoid a situation in which banknotes become pinched between the fall prevention rib 50 and the fall prevention rib 70 and cannot be removed.

[0120] 4. Other Embodiments [4-1. Other embodiment 1] In the first embodiment described above, a fall prevention rib 50 is provided on the front movable transport guide 40U, in the second embodiment, a fall prevention rib 60 is provided on the front movable transport guide 40U, and in the third embodiment, a fall prevention rib 50 is provided on the front movable transport guide 40U and a fall prevention rib 70 is provided on the front fixed transport guide 40L.

[0121] Here, the first to third embodiments may be combined as appropriate. For example, the first embodiment may be combined with the third embodiment, with the fall prevention rib 50 provided between the two left and right conveyance rollers 44A, and the fall prevention rib 70 provided at two locations, on the left side of the left conveyance roller 44A and on the right side of the right conveyance roller 44A.

[0122] Furthermore, for example, the second embodiment and the third embodiment may be combined to provide the fall prevention rib 60 on the front movable transport guide 40U, and the transport roller 44A may be omitted and the fall prevention rib 70 may be provided on the front fixed transport guide 40L. In this case, for example, the fall prevention rib 60 may be provided in only one location between the two left and right fall prevention ribs 70, or in three locations: between the two left and right fall prevention ribs 70, to the left of the left fall prevention rib 70, and to the right of the right fall prevention rib 70.

[0123] In this way, the fall prevention ribs 50, 60, 70 and the transport roller 44A may be provided in appropriate combination.

[0124] [4-2. Other embodiment 2] In the first embodiment described above, the front movable transport guide 40U and the transport roller 44A are rotated around the same rotation shaft 43, but this is not limiting, and the rotation shaft of the front movable transport guide 40U and the rotation shaft of the transport roller 44A may be provided separately. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0125] [4-3. Other embodiment 3] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the front movable transport guide 40U can be opened manually, but this is not limiting, and the front movable transport guide 40U may be opened and closed automatically by providing a drive unit for opening and closing the front movable transport guide 40U. The same applies to the second and third embodiments.

[0126] [4-4. Other embodiment 4] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, two transport rollers 44A are provided spaced apart in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 43 (width direction of the transport path R), but this is not limiting, and one transport roller 44A or three or more transport rollers 44A may be provided. Also, a transport roller wider than the transport roller 44A may be provided. When one transport roller 44A is provided, fall prevention ribs 50 may be provided on the left and right sides of the transport roller 44A. Furthermore, when three or more transport rollers 44A are provided, the number of fall prevention ribs 50 may be increased accordingly. The same applies to the second embodiment, where one transport roller 44A or three or more transport rollers 44A may be provided, and the number of fall prevention ribs 60 may be increased accordingly.

[0127] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, three fall prevention ribs 60 are provided spaced apart in the width direction of the front movable transport guide 40U, but for example, the first parts 60A of these three fall prevention ribs 60 may be connected to form a single fall prevention rib 60.

[0128] [4-5. Other embodiment 5] Furthermore, in the third embodiment described above, the rotation shaft 43 of the front movable transport guide 40U extends in the width direction of the transport path R. However, this is not limiting, and instead of the rotation shaft 43, a rotation shaft supported by the left frame 42 and shorter than the rotation shaft 43, and a rotation shaft supported by the right frame 42 and shorter than the rotation shaft 43 may be provided, and these two rotation shafts may be used as the rotation shafts of the front movable transport guide 40U.

[0129] [4-6. Other Embodiment 6] Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments described above, the present invention is applied to a portion (a straight portion extending in the vertical direction) of the conveying path R in the upper and rear conveying unit 24, but is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to other portions of the conveying path R in the banknote processing device 11. For example, the present invention can be applied to portions extending in directions other than the vertical direction, and can also be applied to curved portions instead of straight portions. For example, when the present invention is applied to a portion of the conveying path R extending in the front-rear direction, if the lower conveying guide of the conveying path R is a movable conveying guide, providing this movable conveying guide with a fall prevention rib can prevent banknotes from falling through a gap that occurs between the end of the movable conveying guide on the rotation axis side and the conveying roller when the movable conveying guide is opened.

[0130] [4-7. Other Embodiments 7] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to the banknote processing device 11, which is an example of a banknote processing device, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to a banknote processing device with a different configuration from the banknote processing device 11, as long as it is a banknote processing device with a transport path. For example, the present invention can be applied to a banknote processing device that handles only deposit transactions or only withdrawal transactions. Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the present invention is applied to the cash processing device 10, which is an example of a money handling device, but is not limited to this, and can be applied to a money handling device with a different configuration from the cash processing device 10, as long as it is a money handling device with at least a banknote transport path.

[0131] [4-8. Other Embodiment 8] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments, and the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments and other embodiments are combined in part or in whole, or in which only a part of the above-described embodiments is extracted. [Industrial Applicability]

[0132] The present invention can be used in a variety of devices having a transport path for banknotes. [Explanation of symbols]

[0133] 10...cash processing device, 11...banknote processing device, 40...front transport guide, 40L...front fixed transport guide, 40U...front movable transport guide, 41...rear fixed transport guide, 43, 45, 46, 47...rotating shaft, 44A to 44D...transport rollers, 50, 60, 70...fall prevention rib, 101...movable transport guide, 102...rotating shaft, 103...fixed transport guide, 104...transport roller, BL...banknote, PL...paper sheets, R...transport path, Sp, Sp1, Sp2, Sp3...gaps.

Claims

1. a movable conveyance guide that forms a conveyance path for conveying banknotes and is provided so as to be able to open the conveyance path by rotating about a rotation axis that extends in a width direction of the conveyance path perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the conveyance path; a conveying roller for conveying the banknotes along the conveying path; a covering member that is provided on the side of the movable transport guide opposite to the transport path side and that covers at least a part of a gap that is generated between the movable transport guide and the transport roller when the movable transport guide is rotated to open the transport path; A banknote processing device characterized by:

2. the movable transport guide is configured such that, when the movable transport guide rotates to open the transport path, the gap is generated between one end of the movable transport guide, which is an end of the movable transport guide on the rotation shaft side, and the transport roller; The covering member is The movable conveying guide has a first end and a second end, and the second end covers at least a part of the gap between the first end and the conveying roller. The banknote processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The one end of the movable transport guide is The movable conveying guide is positioned between one end and the other end in the width direction thereof. The direction from the one end side to the opposite side of the movable transport guide is defined as a first direction, and the movable transport guide is spaced apart from the rotation shaft in the first direction.

3. The banknote processing device according to claim 2.

4. The conveying roller is attached to the rotating shaft, The one end of the movable transport guide is A distance from the outer periphery of the conveying roller in the first direction, The covering member is the roller is provided at a position different from the conveying roller in the axial direction of the rotation shaft, Furthermore, the covering member The second direction extends in a second direction opposite to the first direction, and when viewed from the axial direction of the rotary shaft, the second direction extends between the outer periphery of the conveying roller and the rotary shaft to form a nest with the conveying roller.

4. The banknote processing device according to claim 3.

5. The covering member is The movable transport guide is configured with a first portion that protrudes toward the side opposite to the transport path side of the movable transport guide, and a second portion that extends from the first portion in the second direction, and the second portion is inserted between the outer periphery of the transport roller and the rotary shaft when viewed from the axial direction of the rotary shaft. The banknote processing device according to claim 4 .

6. The covering member is The second portion is located between the outer periphery of the conveying roller and the rotating shaft on the side of the rotating shaft opposite to the conveying path side. The banknote processing device according to claim 5 .

7. The covering member is The movable transport guide is configured with a first portion that protrudes toward the opposite side from the transport path side of the movable transport guide, a second portion that extends from the first portion in the second direction, and a third portion that extends from the second portion toward the transport path side of the movable transport guide, and at least one of the second portion and the third portion is inserted between the outer periphery of the transport roller and the rotation shaft when viewed in the axial direction of the rotation shaft. The banknote processing device according to claim 4 .

8. The covering member is The second portion is positioned between the outer periphery of the transport roller and the rotary shaft on the side of the rotary shaft opposite to the transport path side, and the third portion is positioned between the outer periphery of the transport roller and the rotary shaft on the side of the rotary shaft farther from the one end of the movable transport guide. The banknote processing device according to claim 7 .

9. The covering member is A plurality of the movable conveying guides are provided at intervals in the width direction of the movable conveying guides.

9. The banknote processing device according to claim 1, wherein the banknote processing device is a banknote processing device.

10. the covering member of the movable conveying guide is a first covering member, a fixed conveying guide connected to the one end of the movable conveying guide; a second covering member that is provided on the opposite side of the fixed transport guide from the transport path side and that covers at least a part of a gap that is generated between the movable transport guide and the transport roller when the movable transport guide is rotated to open the transport path; The banknote processing device according to any one of claims 2 to 8.

11. A banknote processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and a coin processing device. A currency handling device characterized by:

Images