Currency processing machine

Abstract

To provide a currency processing machine that is safe to operate and highly convenient, even if the user base changes. [Solution] The currency processing machine includes a banknote input / output slot 21, a shutter 21a that can be opened and closed between an open position op that opens an opening 21c allowing access to the banknote input / output slot 21 from outside the machine, and a closed position cp that closes the opening 21c, storage compartments 31-33 that store banknotes B in a dispenseable manner, a cassette 40 that stores banknotes B in a dispenseable manner, a transport unit that transports banknotes inside the machine, a second control unit that controls the machine according to the operating mode, a mode selection unit that accepts user operation to select an operating mode, and a standby position selection unit that allows selection for each operating mode whether the standby position of the shutter 21a when the transport unit is stopped is the open position op or the closed position cp.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to a currency processing machine.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a currency processing machine that can receive currency input from the outside and can pay out the currency stored inside (see, for example, Patent Document 1). There are various types of such currency processing machines depending on the installation location, usage, etc. For example, there are large machines such as automated teller machines (ATMs) and small machines that operate in conjunction with POS registers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in currency processing machines used by an unspecified number of users such as general customers of financial institutions and stores, it is common to provide a shutter that can be opened and closed at the transaction opening for depositing and withdrawing currency. In such a currency processing machine, when it is not necessary to open the transaction opening to prevent users from accidentally accessing the transaction opening, the shutter is closed to block the transaction opening. On the other hand, in currency processing machines used only by bank tellers at financial institutions or store clerks operating POS registers, there are some models in which a shutter for opening and closing the transaction opening is not provided at all in order to improve the convenience of bank tellers and the like.

[0005] However, as the installation location and usage of the currency processing machine change, the user group of the currency processing machine may change. Therefore, there is a need for a currency processing machine that can control the opening and closing of the shutter according to the new user group without compromising the safety of the users or the convenience of bank tellers and the like.

[0006] Therefore, a technical challenge arises that must be solved in order to provide a currency processing machine that can be operated safely and conveniently even when there is a change in the user base. The present invention aims to solve this challenge. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the currency processing machine according to the present invention comprises: a deposit / withdrawal section for depositing and withdrawing currency; a shutter that can be opened and closed between an open position that opens an opening allowing access to the deposit / withdrawal section from outside the machine and a closed position that closes the opening; a storage section provided inside the machine for storing the currency in a dispenseable manner; a cassette detachably arranged inside the machine for storing the currency in a dispenseable manner; a transport section for transporting the currency inside the machine; a control unit that controls the machine according to the operating mode; a mode selection unit that accepts a user's operation to select the operating mode; and a standby position selection unit that allows selection for each operating mode whether the standby position of the shutter when the transport section is stopped is the open position or the closed position, wherein the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position when the transport section is driven, regardless of the standby position in the operating mode. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The present invention provides a currency processing machine that can be operated safely and conveniently, even if there are changes in the user base. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] A perspective view showing the external appearance of a currency processing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a coin processing machine. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the configuration of a currency processing machine. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram showing the operating modes that can be performed by a currency processing machine. [Figure 5] A diagram showing the operation screen for selecting the shutter standby position. [Figure 6] A schematic diagram showing the deposit operation mode. [Figure 7] A schematic diagram showing the withdrawal operation mode. [Figure 8] A schematic diagram showing the cassette refill operation mode. [Figure 9] A schematic diagram showing the cassette retrieval operation mode and retrieval process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] A currency processing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. In the following, when referring to the number, numerical values, quantities, ranges, etc., of components, unless specifically indicated or clearly limited to a particular number in principle, the number is not limited to that particular number and may be greater than or less than that number.

[0011] Furthermore, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of constituent elements, unless otherwise explicitly stated or in cases where it is clearly not the case in principle, this includes things that are substantially similar or analogous to those shapes, etc.

[0012] Furthermore, drawings may exaggerate features by enlarging characteristic parts to make them easier to understand, and the dimensional ratios of components may not be the same as in reality. Also, in cross-sectional views, hatching of some components may be omitted to make the cross-sectional structure of the components easier to understand.

[0013] A currency processing machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the currency processing machine 1. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the currency processing machine 1. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the currency processing machine 1. The currency processing machine 1 is, for example, placed around a POS register to receive sales proceeds and dispense change, but it may also be an ATM or the like.

[0014] The currency processor 1 has a body 2 that is substantially rectangular parallelepiped in shape. The right side of the paper surface in FIG. 1 is the coin processing unit 10 that stores the deposited coins and ejects the stored coins as needed. The left side of the paper surface in FIG. 1 is the bill processing unit 20 that stores the deposited bills and ejects the stored bills as needed.

[0015] In the coin processing unit 10, a coin deposit port 11 into which coins are inserted is provided on the front surface of the body 2, and a coin payout port 12 for paying out the stored coins is provided below the coin deposit port 11. The coin payout port 12 also serves as a coin reject port through which rejected coins are fed out from inside the body 2. Since the coin processing unit 10 has a known configuration, a detailed description of the coin processing unit 10 will be omitted.

[0016] In the bill processing unit 20, a bill deposit / withdrawal port 21 into which bills are inserted in a stacked state is provided on the front surface of the body 2. The bill deposit / withdrawal port 21 also serves as a bill payout port for paying out the bills stored in the bill processing unit 20. A detection sensor (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of bills is provided at the bill deposit / withdrawal port 21.

[0017] A shutter 21a that can be opened and closed is provided at the bill deposit / withdrawal port 21. The shutter 21a is configured to be able to open and close between an open position op where the opening 21c of the bill deposit / withdrawal port 21 is opened by driving of a shutter motor 21b and a closed position cp where the opening 21c of the bill deposit / withdrawal port 21 is closed. When the shutter 21a is in the open position, the user can access the bill deposit / withdrawal port 21 through the opening 21c, and when the shutter 21a is in the closed position, the user cannot access the bill deposit / withdrawal port 21.

[0018] The bill processing unit 20 has, below the bill deposit / withdrawal opening 21, a bill deposit reject opening 22 as a retreat unit where bills that cannot be stored in the storage unit 30 (bills not subject to storage) described later during deposit processing are fed out from or returned to the inside of the machine body 2, and a bill withdrawal reject bin 23 as a storage unit that stores bills (bills not subject to withdrawal) that are inappropriate to be paid out of the machine body 2 via the bill deposit / withdrawal opening 21 when bills are fed out from the storage unit 30 described later during withdrawal processing so as not to be discharged outside the machine body 2.

[0019] On the front upper surface of the machine body 2, a display unit 3 and an input unit 4 used for operating the currency processor 1 are provided. The display unit 3 is a liquid crystal screen or the like, and displays various processes (operation modes) executable by the currency processor 1 or displays an operation screen for setting the operating conditions of the currency processor 1. The input unit 4 receives operation inputs to the currency processor 1 and is, for example, hardware keys such as arrow keys, enter keys, and cancel keys. When the input unit 4 receives an operation input by the user, it sends a signal corresponding to the input content to a management unit 6 or the like described later. Note that the display unit 3 and the input unit 4 may be, for example, a capacitive touch panel display.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the currency processor 1 includes a storage unit 30 and a cassette 40 that can each store bills B, and a transport unit 50 that transports the bills B inside the machine body 2.

[0021] The storage unit 30 includes three storage bins 31 to 33 arranged in order from the front to the rear of the machine body 2. The storage bins 31 to 33 are single-denomination storage stackers that store bills B of different denominations respectively. In the present embodiment, 10,000-yen bills are stored in the storage bin 31, 5,000-yen bills are stored in the storage bin 32, and 1,000-yen bills are stored in the storage bin 33. Note that the denominations of the bills B stored in the storage bins 31 to 33 can be arbitrarily changed, and multiple denominations of bills B can be stored in the same stacker, or bills B of the same denomination can be stored in multiple stackers. Also, the number of installed storage bins in the storage unit 30 is not limited to three, and may be two or less or four or more.

[0022] Storage compartments 31 to 33 each have the same configuration. Each storage compartment 31 to 33 has an opening at the top and is formed in a box shape, allowing banknotes B accumulated on the lifting stages 34 to 36 to be transferred to the transport section 50 by kick rollers 37 to 39, and the received banknotes B can be stored on the lifting stages 34 to 36 in a horizontal position with their longitudinal direction aligned with the left-right direction of the machine in the vertical direction.

[0023] Cassette 40 is located at the bottom of the banknote processing unit 20 inside the machine body 2. Cassette 40 is configured to store banknotes B from storage compartments 31 to 33 and to dispense the banknotes stored in cassette 40 toward the transport unit 50. Cassette 40 can transfer banknotes B accumulated on the lifting stage 41 to the transport unit 50 using kick rollers 42, and can store the received banknotes B on the lifting stage 41 in a horizontal position with their longitudinal direction aligned with the left-right direction of the machine body in the vertical direction.

[0024] Furthermore, if the cassette 40 is configured to be detachable from the machine 2, it is preferable that a shutter that can be closed is provided at the opening of the cassette 40 so that the shutter automatically opens when the cassette 40 is attached to the machine 2 and automatically closes when the cassette 40 is removed from the machine 2. The number of cassettes 40 installed can be changed as long as the number required for various processes can be secured.

[0025] The transport unit 50 includes a first transport path 51 connecting the banknote input / output slot 21 and the storage unit 30, and a second transport path 52 connecting the first transport path 51 and the storage compartments 31-33. Banknotes B are inserted into the banknote input / output slot 21 in a stacked state with their longitudinal direction aligned with the left-right direction of the machine body. A kick roller 24 provided in the banknote input / output slot 21 separates the banknotes B one by one from the banknote input / output slot 21 and feeds them onto the first transport path 51. The banknotes B fed onto the first transport path 51 are then transported within the machine body 2 while always maintaining this orientation.

[0026] Furthermore, the first transport path 51 includes a first main transport path 51a, one end of which is connected to the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21 and the other end of which is connected to the storage section 30; a first branch transport path 51b extending downward from the first main transport path 51a; a second branch transport path 51c, which branches off from the vicinity of the banknote deposit / reject opening 22 of the first branch transport path 51b and is connected to the banknote deposit / reject opening 22; and a third branch transport path 51d, which branches off from the vicinity of the banknote withdrawal / reject storage section 23 of the first branch transport path 51b and is connected to the banknote withdrawal / reject storage section 23.

[0027] Furthermore, the second transport path 52 includes a second main transport path 52a, one end of which is connected to the first transport path 51 and the other end of which is connected to the storage container 31; a fourth branch transport path 52b, which branches off from the vicinity of the storage container 32 of the second main transport path 52a and is connected to the storage container 32; and a fifth branch transport path 52c, which branches off from the vicinity of the storage container 33 of the second main transport path 52a and is connected to the storage container 33.

[0028] Furthermore, the transport unit 50 is equipped with a third transport path 53 that connects the first transport path 51 and the cassette 40. One end of the third transport path 53 is connected to the first branch transport path 51b, and the other end is connected to the cassette 40.

[0029] By opening and closing gates (not shown) provided at each branching point of the transport unit 50, the transport route through which the transport unit 50 transports the banknotes B can be arbitrarily switched.

[0030] The transport unit 50 is equipped with travel sensors 54a to 54g, which are provided at arbitrary intervals. The travel sensors 54a to 54g detect when a banknote B has reached a predetermined detection range. The travel sensors 54a to 54g are, for example, optical sensors or physical sensors.

[0031] Specifically, when a travel sensor 54a located near the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 detects the arrival of banknote B, it is determined that banknote B has been dispensed from the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 or returned to the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. Furthermore, when a travel sensor 54b located near the storage compartment 31 detects the arrival of banknote B, it is determined that banknote B has reached the vicinity of storage compartment 31. When a travel sensor 54c located near storage compartment 32 detects the arrival of banknote B, it is determined that banknote B has reached the vicinity of storage compartment 32. When a travel sensor 54d located near storage compartment 33 detects the arrival of banknote B, it is determined that banknote B has reached the vicinity of storage compartment 33. Furthermore, when a running sensor 54e located near the cassette 40 detects the arrival of banknote B, it is determined that banknote B has reached the vicinity of the cassette 40. When a running sensor 54f located near the banknote deposit reject slot 22 detects the arrival of banknote B, it is determined that banknote B has reached the vicinity of the banknote deposit reject slot 22. When a running sensor 54g located near the banknote withdrawal reject compartment 23 detects the arrival of banknote B, it is determined that banknote B has reached the vicinity of the banknote withdrawal reject compartment 23.

[0032] Furthermore, the travel sensors 54b to 54d can detect when banknote B has passed through their detection range, thereby enabling them to detect that banknote B has been stored in the storage compartments 31 to 33 or that banknote B has been dispensed from the storage compartments 31 to 33. Additionally, the travel sensor 54e can detect when banknote B has passed through its detection range, thereby enabling it to detect that banknote B has been stored in the cassette 40 or that banknote B has been dispensed from the cassette 40.

[0033] For example, when the transport unit 50 transports banknotes B along the deposit direction D1, and the travel sensor 54b detects the arrival of banknotes B and then stops detecting banknotes B, the travel sensor 54b considers that banknotes B have been stored in the storage compartment 31. Similarly, when the transport unit 50 transports banknotes B along the reversal direction D2, the travel sensor 54e can detect that banknotes B have been stored in the cassette 40 by detecting that banknotes B have passed through its detection range.

[0034] Furthermore, for example, when the transport unit 50 transports banknotes B along the reversal direction D2, and the travel sensor 54b detects the arrival of banknotes B and then stops detecting banknotes B, the travel sensor 54b considers that banknotes B have been dispensed from the storage compartment 31. Similarly, when the transport unit 50 transports banknotes B along the deposit direction D1, the travel sensor 54e can detect that banknotes B have been dispensed from the cassette 40 by detecting that banknotes B have passed through its detection range.

[0035] The transport unit 50 is configured such that the transport rollers 56 rotate when driven by transport motors 55a to 55c, and the transport direction of the banknotes B can be switched according to the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a to 55c to either the deposit direction D1, which transports the banknotes B toward the storage unit 30, or the reverse direction D2, which transports the banknotes B toward the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, the banknote deposit / reject slot 22, the banknote discharge / reject storage unit 23, or the cassette 40.

[0036] Specifically, the transport motor 55a drives the first transport path 51 in the forward direction according to the input direction D1, in the reverse direction according to the reversal direction D2, or stops it. The transport motor 55b drives the second transport path 52 in the forward direction according to the input direction D1, in the reverse direction according to the reversal direction D2, or stops it. In addition, the transport motor 55c drives the third transport path 53 in the forward direction according to the input direction D1, in the reverse direction according to the reversal direction D2, or stops it. In other words, the first transport path 51, the second transport path 52, and the third transport path 53 are controlled to move forward, move in the reverse direction, or stop independently of each other.

[0037] The transport motors 55a to 55c are, for example, DC brushless motors, AC motors, or stepping motors. The transport speed of the transport unit 50 may be approximately equal when transporting in the reversal direction D2 and when transporting in the deposit direction D1, but in order to prevent jamming, it is preferable that the transport speed when transporting in the reversal direction D2 is set slower than the transport speed when transporting in the deposit direction D1. Also, when there is no risk of jamming and the banknote B is not identified, the transport speed of the transport unit 50 may be set faster when transporting in the reversal direction D2 than when transporting in the deposit direction D1.

[0038] Each transport motor 55a to 55c is equipped with encoders 57a to 57c that detect the rotational state of each transport motor 55a to 55c. The encoders 57a to 57c can rotate in conjunction with the transport motors 55a to 55c, for example, and output pulse signals (for example, 4 pulses / mm) corresponding to the rotation. The number of pulse signals (number of pulses) output by the encoders 57a to 57c is stored in the second storage unit 27, described later, in a time-series manner, along with the detection or non-detection state of banknote B read by the travel sensors 54a to 54g.

[0039] The banknote processing unit 20 includes an identification unit 60 that identifies and counts banknotes B passing through the first transport path 51. Specifically, when a banknote B passes through, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the denomination, authenticity, damage (presence or absence of folds, cuts, tears, stains, etc.), and any transport abnormalities (presence or absence of skewed movement beyond a predetermined angle, presence or absence of multiple feeds, etc.) of the banknote B. If the identification unit 60 identifies banknote B as a genuine banknote, a valid banknote, and a banknote that has been transported normally, it stores that banknote B in the second storage unit 27 as a banknote to be stored in the storage unit 30. Banknote B that is not identified as a banknote to be stored by the identification unit 60 and is identified as unstorable is stored in the second storage unit 27 as an unstorable banknote.

[0040] For example, if the identification unit 60 identifies that the denomination of banknote B is one of the three denominations pre-assigned, then banknote B is stored in the second storage unit 27 as a banknote to be stored. If the identification unit 60 identifies that the denomination of banknote B is not one of the three pre-assigned denominations, then banknote B is stored in the second storage unit 27 as a banknote not to be stored. Furthermore, if the banknote processing unit 20 is set to dispense banknotes of a specific generation, then banknotes of that specific generation are treated as banknotes to be stored, and banknotes of other generations (older notes) are treated as banknotes not to be stored. In addition, if the storage compartments 31-33 where the denomination of banknote B identified by the identification unit 60 is stored are full and cannot be stored, then banknote B is stored in the second storage unit 27 as a banknote not to be stored.

[0041] The identification of banknote B by the identification unit 60 is not limited to based on the entire banknote B; it may also involve performing a preliminary identification based on the characteristics of a part of banknote B, followed by a final identification based on the characteristics of other parts of banknote B. This allows for early gate switching of the transport unit 50 according to the preliminary identification result, and makes the size of the banknote processing unit 20 more compact. If the preliminary identification result and the final identification result differ, after switching the gate according to the preliminary identification result, the transport direction of the transport unit 50 is switched to the reverse direction D2 according to the final identification result, and banknote B is transported to the banknote deposit reject slot 22. The part of banknote B that forms the basis for preliminary identification can be set to 1 / 2, 1 / 3, or 2 / 3 of the area relative to the entire banknote B, etc. The identification unit 60 is not limited to performing identification in two stages of preliminary and final identification; it may perform identification only once.

[0042] The operation of the banknote processing unit 20 is controlled by the control unit 25. The control unit 25 is, for example, a microcontroller composed of a CPU, memory, etc., and includes a second control unit 26 and a second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 controls each of the components that make up the banknote processing unit 20. The second storage unit 27 includes ROM, RAM, etc., and stores processing programs for controlling the components of the banknote processing unit 20. The functions of the control unit 25 may be realized by control using software or by operation using hardware.

[0043] The second storage unit 27 periodically updates and records the quantity of banknotes B stored in at least the storage compartments 31 to 33. The quantity of banknotes B in storage compartment 31 is increased when the travel sensor 54b detects the passage of banknotes B being transported along the deposit direction D1, and decreased when the travel sensor 54b detects the passage of banknotes B being transported along the reverse direction D2. Similarly, the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartment 32 is increased or decreased each time the travel sensor 54c detects the passage of banknotes B, and the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartment 33 is increased or decreased each time the travel sensor 54d detects the passage of banknotes B. The second storage unit 27 also records the quantity of banknotes B stored in the cassette 40. The quantity of banknotes B in the cassette 40 is deducted when the travel sensor 54e detects the passage of banknotes B being transported along the deposit direction D1, and added when the travel sensor 54e detects the passage of banknotes B being transported along the reverse direction D2. Alternatively, the quantity of banknotes B inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 may be recorded in the second storage unit 27. In this case, the quantity of banknotes B in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 is deducted when the travel sensor 54a detects the passage of banknotes B being transported along the deposit direction D1, and added when the travel sensor 54a detects the passage of banknotes B being transported along the reverse direction D2.

[0044] The second control unit 26 calculates the position of banknote B within the transport unit 50. When any of the travel sensors 54a to 54g detect the arrival of banknote B, the second control unit 26 sets the position of the travel sensor 54a to 54g that detected the arrival of banknote B as the position of banknote B. The second control unit 26 also calculates the distance (transport distance) that banknote B has been transported from the travel sensor 54a to 54g that detected the arrival of banknote B, based on the number of pulses of the pulse signals output by the encoders 57a to 57c after the travel sensors 54a to 54g detect the arrival of banknote B. By adding the transport distance starting from the travel sensor 54a to 54g that detected the arrival of banknote B, the second control unit 26 calculates the position of banknote B located between adjacent travel sensors 54a to 54g. In this way, the second control unit 26 calculates the position of the banknote B located between the travel sensors 54a to 54g based on the transport distance of the banknote B, thereby enabling accurate calculation of the banknote B's position even when the transport speed of the banknote B fluctuates. The position of the banknote B calculated by the second control unit 26 is stored in the second storage unit 27. Note that the second control unit 26 may also be configured to calculate the position of the banknote B located between the travel sensors 54a to 54g based on the transport time of the banknote B, instead of based on the transport distance of the banknote B.

[0045] The second control unit 26 includes a standby position selection unit 26a. The standby position selection unit 26a can select the position of the shutter 21a (standby position) when the transport unit 50 is stopped to either the open position op or the closed position cp.

[0046] The following describes the procedure for selecting the standby position of shutter 21a. Before shipping the currency processing machine 1, maintenance personnel select either the open position (op) or the closed position (cp) of shutter 21a, depending on the installation location and intended use of the currency processing machine 1.

[0047] The standby position selection unit 26a displays the selection screen S1 shown in Figure 4 on the display unit 3. The selection screen S1 is an operation screen for selecting whether the standby position of the shutter 21a when the transport unit 50 is stopped should be the open position op or the closed position cp. The selection screen S1 includes an icon G1 labeled "Open Position", an icon G2 labeled "Closed Position", and an icon G3 labeled "Confirm".

[0048] When a maintenance worker or the like selects either icon G1 or G2 via the input unit 4, and then selects the "Confirm" icon G3, the standby position of the shutter 21a is set to either the open position op corresponding to icon G1, or the closed position cp corresponding to icon G2, whichever is selected, and this information is stored in the second storage unit 27 as standby position information 27a.

[0049] The standby position of the shutter 21a may be selected to be different for the operational mode of the operational system and the operational mode of the management system, which will be described later. For example, in the former, the open position op may be selected so that the user can immediately access the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21, while in the latter, the closed position cp may be selected for security reasons.

[0050] Furthermore, the operation to select the standby position of the shutter 21a is not limited to being performed by maintenance personnel or others before the shipment of the currency processing machine 1; it may also be performed by an operator with management authority authenticated by the authentication unit 5. This allows for flexible changes to the standby position of the shutter 21a according to the changed user base, even if the installation location or use of the currency processing machine 1 changes after shipment.

[0051] The currency processing machine 1 is equipped with an authentication unit 5. When the authentication unit 5 receives a password input from a user via the input unit 4, it compares this password with operator authentication information 8a, which is authentication information of an operator with management authority and is pre-stored in the first storage unit 8. If the password entered by the user matches the operator authentication information 8a, the authentication unit 5 authenticates the user as an operator with management authority. Here, an operator with management authority is, for example, the manager of the financial institution or store where the currency processing machine 1 is installed. Note that operator authentication may also be performed using a physical key, magnetic authentication or IC authentication via a card held by the operator, or biometric authentication using the operator's fingerprint, vein, voice, face, or other biometric information.

[0052] The machine body 2 is equipped with a management unit 6 that controls the operation of the currency processing machine 1 in response to external instructions or input operations via the input unit 4. Alternatively, instead of the configuration in which the management unit 6 controls the entire currency processing machine 1 and the control unit 25 controls the banknote processing unit 20, the entire currency processing machine 1 may be controlled by a single control unit.

[0053] The control unit 6 is a computer composed of, for example, a CPU, memory, etc., and includes a first control unit 7 and a first storage unit 8. The first control unit 7 controls each of the components that make up the currency processing machine 1. The first storage unit 8 includes ROM, RAM, etc., and stores processing programs for controlling the components of the currency processing machine 1.

[0054] The first control unit 7 includes a mode selection unit 7a. The mode selection unit 7a displays a selection screen (not shown) on the display unit 3, which allows the user to select an operating mode to be executed by the currency processing machine 1, and controls the operation of the currency processing machine 1 to execute the operating mode selected by the user via the input unit 4.

[0055] The currency processing machine 1 can operate in any operating mode according to the user's classification. Figure 5 shows an example of an operating mode that can be performed by the currency processing machine 1.

[0056] The currency processing machine 1 can operate in any operational mode, regardless of the user's classification. These operational modes include a deposit mode for performing deposit operations and a withdrawal mode for performing withdrawal operations. The target users of these operational modes include a variety of users, such as general customers of financial institutions or stores where the currency processing machine 1 is installed, or bank tellers and POS register staff.

[0057] Furthermore, the currency processing machine 1 can operate in a management system operating mode when the authentication unit 5 authenticates the user as an operator with management authority. The management system operating modes include a deposit slot replenishment mode and a cassette replenishment mode for replenishing currency in storage units 31-33, a dispensing slot retrieval mode and a cassette retrieval mode for retrieving currency stored in storage units 31-33, a currency exchange mode for exchanging currency inserted into the banknote deposit / dispensing slot 21 for currency of other denominations, and an initialization mode for checking the operation of the transport unit 50. However, the operating modes that the currency processing machine 1 operates in are not limited to those described above. Furthermore, the currency processing machine 1 is equipped with a banknote input / output slot 21 that can be used for both input and output, instead of an input slot used only for input and an output slot used only for output. For example, in the input slot replenishment operation mode, the banknote input / output slot 21 is used as the input slot, and in the output slot retrieval operation mode, the banknote input / output slot 21 is used as the output slot.

[0058] Furthermore, the currency processing machine 1 can operate in either online or offline mode. Online mode means that the currency processing machine 1 is connected to a higher-level device, such as a POS register, and the management unit 6 controls the currency processing machine 1 based on instructions from the higher-level device. Offline mode is primarily for maintenance and management purposes, and the currency processing machine 1 performs various operations independently. The basic operation of the currency processing machine 1 is the same regardless of whether it is in online or offline mode.

[0059] Next, the various operating modes of the banknote processing unit 20 will be explained based on the diagram. In the following explanation, we will use the case where the open position op is selected as the standby position of the shutter 21a and the various operating modes are executed while the shutter 21a is waiting in the open position op as an example, but the standby position of the shutter 21a may also be the closed position cp.

[0060] <Operation System / Deposit Operation Mode> In "deposit operation mode," banknotes B inserted into the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21 are stored in storage compartments 31-33. Figure 6 shows the operation of the banknote processing unit 20 in "deposit operation mode."

[0061] When the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for the "deposit operation mode" via the input unit 4, or when it receives an instruction from a higher-level unit to perform the "deposit operation mode", it sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start the "deposit operation mode". In the case where the deposit amount is set in advance in the "deposit operation mode", the signal to start the "deposit operation mode" is issued after the operation to set the deposit amount has been performed.

[0062] The shutter 21a is in an open position (op) standby state even before the "deposit operation mode" is selected. When the second control unit 26 receives a signal to start the "deposit operation mode," the banknote processing unit 20 keeps the shutter 21a in the open position (op) and switches to a monitoring state, waiting for banknotes to be inserted into the banknote slot 21. Alternatively, since the standby position of the shutter 21a is the open position (op), the signal to start the "deposit operation mode" is received after banknotes have been inserted into the banknote slot 21.

[0063] Next, with banknotes inserted into the banknote slot 21, when the second control unit 26 receives an instruction to start counting via the input unit 4, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote slot 21. After that, the kick roller 24 is driven, and the banknotes B inserted into the banknote slot 21 are fed out one by one onto the first main transport path 51a. At the same time, the transport motors 55a and 55b are driven in the forward direction, and the banknotes B fed onto the first main transport path 51a are transported along the first main transport path 51a in the deposit direction D1.

[0064] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 also determines the destination of banknotes B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination of banknotes B may also be stored in the first storage unit 8.

[0065] The second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as the banknote to be stored is transported via the second transport path 52, which is in forward rotation, toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination, that is, toward storage compartment 31 if the banknote B is a 10,000 yen note, toward storage compartment 32 if the banknote B is a 5,000 yen note, and toward storage compartment 33 if the banknote B is a 1,000 yen note, thereby transporting the banknote B toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination along the deposit direction D1.

[0066] The banknotes B that have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 according to their denomination are stored in storage compartments 31 to 33. When the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect that the banknotes B have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33, the second control unit 26 determines that the banknotes B transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 are banknotes whose deposit into the currency processing machine 1 has been confirmed, and adds 1 to the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31 to 33 stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0067] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that banknotes B identified as banknotes not to be stored, i.e., counterfeit bills, damaged bills, banknotes with abnormal transport conditions, excess banknotes (overflow banknotes) whose destination is the full storage units 31-33, or banknotes of unspecified denominations such as 2,000 yen notes, are transported toward the banknote deposit rejection slot 22 via the first main transport path 51a, the first branch transport path 51b, and the second branch transport path 51c, and reverses the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a and 55b to transport the banknotes B toward the banknote deposit rejection slot 22 along the reverse direction D2. Furthermore, for banknotes B identified as damaged, over-stored, or of an unspecified denomination, etc., instead of transporting them toward the banknote deposit rejection slot 22, the gate of the transport unit 50 may be opened and closed to transport them via the first main transport path 51a, the first branch transport path 51b, and the third transport path 53 so that they can be stored in the cassette 40. The rotation direction of the transport motors 55a to 55c may also be reversed to transport the banknotes B toward the cassette 40 along the reverse direction D2.

[0068] Furthermore, if banknote B, which has been identified as an ineligible banknote, is ejected into the banknote deposit reject slot 22, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit reject slot 22 may be illuminated or flashed to notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may also notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22.

[0069] Then, when all the banknotes B inserted into the banknote slot 21 have been dispensed, the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a and 55b, thereby stopping the transport unit 50. After that, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, which is the open position op, and the banknote slot 21 is opened.

[0070] Thus, in the "deposit operation mode," the shutter 21a is continuously in the open position op, which is the standby position, before the transport unit 50 starts operation (while it is stopped), in the closed position cp, while the transport unit 50 is operating, and in the open position op, which is the standby position, after the transport unit 50 starts operation (while it is stopped).

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, the transport unit 50 is stopped and the shutter 21a is moved to the standby position, the open position op, when all the banknotes B inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 have been dispensed, completing the deposit operation. However, for example, if, after all the banknotes B initially inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 have been dispensed, the transport unit 50 has stopped, and the shutter 21a has been temporarily moved to the open position op, and then additional banknotes B are inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 within a certain period of time, such as by transferring the banknotes B that were transported to the banknote deposit / reject slot 22 to the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, and an operation to instruct the start of counting is received, the above operation will be repeated. On the other hand, if no additional banknotes B are inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 within a certain period of time, the deposit operation may be considered complete, and the status may be changed to set the shutter 21a, which is already in the open position op, to the standby position. In this case, the status of the shutter 21a is changed without the shutter 21a opening or closing, while the banknote slot 21 remains open.

[0072] <Operation System / Withdrawal Operation Mode> In "withdrawal mode," banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31-33 are dispensed into the banknote input / output slot 21. Figure 7 shows the operation of the banknote processing unit 20 in "withdrawal mode."

[0073] When the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for the "withdrawal operation mode" via the input unit 4, or when it receives an instruction from a higher-level unit to perform the "withdrawal operation mode", it sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start the "withdrawal operation mode". Note that the operation to set the withdrawal amount in the "withdrawal operation mode" may be performed in parallel with the timing when the mode selection unit 7a sends the signal to start the "withdrawal operation mode", or one may precede the other. In addition, the shutter 21a is in a standby state in the open position op even before the "withdrawal operation mode" is selected.

[0074] Next, when the second control unit 26 receives an operation to instruct the start of dispensing via the input unit 4, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote input / output slot 21. After that, the kick rollers 37-39 are driven, and the banknotes B stored in the storage compartments 31-33 are fed out onto the second transport path 52. Specifically, if the banknotes B to be dispensed are 10,000 yen notes, the kick roller 37 is driven to feed out the banknotes B stored in storage compartment 31; if the banknotes B to be dispensed are 5,000 yen notes, the kick roller 38 is driven to feed out the banknotes B stored in storage compartment 32; and if the banknotes B to be dispensed are 1,000 yen notes, the kick roller 39 is driven to feed out the banknotes B stored in storage compartment 33. Furthermore, the transport motors 55a and 55b are driven in reverse, and the banknotes B that have been fed onto the second transport path 52 are transported along the second transport path 52 and the first main transport path 51a in the reverse direction D2. When the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect that banknotes B have been fed out from the storage compartments 31 to 33, the second control unit 26 subtracts one banknote from the number of banknotes B stored in the storage compartments 31 to 33 stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0075] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 then determines the destination of banknotes B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The second storage unit 27 stores both the identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination of banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 refers to whether the banknotes dispensed from the storage unit 30 are banknotes that are unsuitable for dispensing outside the machine 2 via the banknote input / output slot 21, such as banknotes of a different denomination (for example, if banknotes dispensed from the storage compartment 31 are identified as a denomination other than a 10,000 yen note), counterfeit banknotes, damaged banknotes, or banknotes with abnormal transport conditions, or whether they are banknotes suitable for dispensing without any such abnormalities.

[0076] Furthermore, the second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as the banknote to be dispensed is transported toward the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21 via the first transport path 51 which is being driven in reverse, and transports the banknote B toward the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21 along the reverse direction D2. When the travel sensor 54a detects that the banknote B has been transported to the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21, the second control unit 26 adds one banknote to the number of banknotes of denomination B accumulated in the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21, which is stored in the second storage unit 27. When the number of banknotes B accumulated in the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21 reaches the number of banknotes of the denomination for which a dispensed banknote has been instructed to be dispensed, the dispensed banknote of that denomination is terminated, and if there is a dispensed banknote of another denomination, the dispensed banknote of the next denomination is dispatched.

[0077] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 transports the banknote B, which has been identified as a banknote not eligible for withdrawal, to the vicinity of the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21, then transports the banknote B along the deposit direction D1 (switchback), and subsequently controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 to transport the banknote B along the reverse direction D2 toward the banknote reject storage unit 23.

[0078] Specifically, if a banknote B is identified as a banknote that is not eligible for withdrawal, and an attempt is made to quickly switch the transport route of banknote B, which is located on the first main transport path 51a, from the first main transport path 51a to the first branch transport path 51b, there is a risk that the gate installed at the branching point between the first main transport path 51a and the first branch transport path 51b will not be able to switch in time.

[0079] First, banknote B, which has been identified as a banknote not to be stored, is transported towards the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 via the first main transport path 51a along the reversal direction D2. Next, when the travel sensor 54a detects the arrival of banknote B, the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a and 55b and then reverses the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a and 55b so that banknote B is transported towards one of the storage compartments 31 to 33 via the first main transport path 51a and the second transport path 52 along the deposit direction D1. Next, when the identification unit 60 or any of the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect the arrival of banknote B, which is a banknote not eligible for withdrawal, the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a and 55b, and then controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 to transport banknote B toward the banknote withdrawal rejection box 23 along the reverse direction D2 via the second transport path 52, the first main transport path 51a, the first branch transport path 51b, and the third branch transport path 51d, and reverses the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a and 55b. Note that, in order to simplify the control, the transport motors 55a and 55b may be controlled uniformly. In this way, banknote B, which has been identified as a banknote not eligible for withdrawal, is transported to the banknote withdrawal rejection box 23. Furthermore, if, at the moment banknote B is identified as a banknote not eligible for withdrawal, there is enough time to switch the gate that switches the transport route of banknote B, which is located on the first main transport path 51a, from the first main transport path 51a to the first branch transport path 51b, then the above-mentioned switchback may be omitted, and banknote B may be transported directly to the banknote withdrawal reject storage 23.

[0080] Then, when the dispensing of banknotes B for all denominations for which dispensing has been instructed has been completed, the second control unit 26 stops the kick rollers 37-39 and the transport motors 55a and 55b, thereby stopping the transport unit 50. Subsequently, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, the open position op, thereby opening the banknote deposit / dispensing slot 21. This allows the user to access the banknote deposit / dispensing slot 21 and take out the banknotes B inside it.

[0081] Furthermore, when banknotes B remain in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 may be illuminated or flashed to notify the user that banknotes B remain in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may also notify the user that banknotes B remain in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21.

[0082] Thus, in the "withdrawal operation mode," the shutter 21a is in the open position op, which is the standby position, before the transport unit 50 is in operation (while it is stopped), in the closed position cp, while the transport unit 50 is in operation, and in the open position op, which is the standby position, after the transport unit 50 is in operation (while it is stopped).

[0083] In the embodiment described above, the transport unit 50 is stopped and the shutter 21a is moved to the standby position, the open position op, after the dispensing of banknotes B is completed. However, for example, after stopping the transport unit 50 and temporarily moving the shutter 21a to the open position op, if a detection sensor (not shown) provided in the banknote deposit / dispensing slot 21 detects that all banknotes B dispensed into the banknote deposit / dispensing slot 21 have been removed, the status of the shutter 21a, which is already in the open position op, may be changed to the standby position, indicating that the dispensing operation is complete. In this case, the status of the shutter 21a is changed without any opening or closing operation of the shutter 21a, while the banknote deposit / dispensing slot 21 remains open.

[0084] Furthermore, if the number of banknotes of the specified denomination B to be withdrawn exceeds the number of banknotes of the specified denomination stored in storage compartments 31-33, the machine may substitute with banknotes of the specified denomination B. For example, if the number of 10,000 yen bills to be withdrawn exceeds the number of 10,000 yen bills stored in storage compartment 31, the machine will dispense 5,000 yen bills from storage compartment 32 equivalent to the amount of the insufficient 10,000 yen bills to be withdrawn. Note that the option to perform substitute withdrawals in the "withdrawal operation mode" can be switched at will.

[0085] <Management system / Deposit port replenishment operation mode> In the "deposit slot replenishment mode," banknotes of denominations B whose storage quantity is running low are inserted through the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21 to replenish the storage compartments 31-33. Note that the operation of the banknote processing unit 20 in the "deposit slot replenishment mode" is performed with the denominations and quantities of banknotes B to be replenished already known, so it differs from the "deposit operation mode" in that the denominations of banknotes B to be deposited are known in advance, but the basic operation is the same as the "deposit operation mode" shown in Figure 6.

[0086] After the authentication unit 5 authenticates the operator, the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode" via the input unit 4, or receives an instruction from a higher-level machine to perform the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode," and sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode." If the replenishment amount is set in advance in the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode," the signal to start the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode" is issued after the operation to set the replenishment amount has been performed.

[0087] The shutter 21a is in an open position (op) standby state even before the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode" is selected. When the second control unit 26 receives a signal to start the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode," the banknote processing unit 20 keeps the shutter 21a in the open position (op) and switches to a monitoring state, waiting for banknotes to be inserted into the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21. Alternatively, since the standby position of the shutter 21a is the open position (op), after banknotes are inserted into the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21, the authentication unit 5 authenticates the operator and receives a signal to start the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode."

[0088] Next, with banknotes inserted into the banknote slot 21, when the second control unit 26 receives an instruction to start counting via the input unit 4, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote slot 21. After that, the kick roller 24 is driven, and the banknotes B inserted into the banknote slot 21 are fed out one by one onto the first main transport path 51a. At the same time, the transport motors 55a and 55b are driven in the forward direction, and the banknotes B fed onto the first main transport path 51a are transported along the first main transport path 51a in the deposit direction D1.

[0089] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 also determines the destination for transporting the banknotes B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination for transporting the banknotes B may also be stored in the first storage unit 8.

[0090] The second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as the banknote to be stored is transported via the second transport path 52, which is in forward rotation, toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination, that is, toward storage compartment 31 if the banknote B is a 10,000 yen note, toward storage compartment 32 if the banknote B is a 5,000 yen note, and toward storage compartment 33 if the banknote B is a 1,000 yen note, thereby transporting the banknote B toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination along the deposit direction D1.

[0091] The banknotes B that have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 according to their denomination are stored in storage compartments 31 to 33. When the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect that the banknotes B have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33, the second control unit 26 determines that the banknotes B transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 are banknotes whose deposit into the currency processing machine 1 has been confirmed, and adds 1 to the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31 to 33, which is stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0092] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as an unacceptable banknote is transported toward the banknote deposit rejection slot 22 via the first main transport path 51a, the first branch transport path 51b, and the second branch transport path 51c, and reverses the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a and 55b to transport the banknote B toward the banknote deposit rejection slot 22 along the reverse direction D2. For example, if the banknote B stored in storage unit 31 is a 10,000 yen note, and the banknotes B stored in storage units 32 and 33 are both 1,000 yen notes, then when a 5,000 yen note is inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, the 5,000 yen note is discharged to the banknote deposit rejection slot 22 as an unacceptable denomination that also serves as an unacceptable banknote.

[0093] Furthermore, if banknote B, which has been identified as an ineligible banknote, is ejected into the banknote deposit reject slot 22, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit reject slot 22 may be illuminated or flashed to notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may also notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22.

[0094] Then, when all the banknotes B inserted into the banknote slot 21 have been dispensed, the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a and 55b, thereby stopping the transport unit 50. After that, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, which is the open position op, and the banknote slot 21 is opened.

[0095] Thus, in the "deposit slot replenishment operation mode," the shutter 21a is continuously in the open position op, which is the standby position, before the transport unit 50 starts operation (while it is stopped), in the closed position cp, while the transport unit 50 is operating, and in the open position op, which is the standby position, after the transport unit 50 starts operation (while it is stopped).

[0096] In the above-described embodiment, the transport unit 50 is stopped and the shutter 21a is moved to the standby position, the open position op, to complete the deposit replenishment operation once all the banknotes B inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 have been dispensed. However, if, for example, after all the banknotes B initially inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 have been dispensed, the transport unit 50 has stopped, and the shutter 21a has been temporarily moved to the open position op, and then additional banknotes B are inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 within a certain period of time, such as by transferring banknotes B that have been transported to the banknote deposit / reject slot 22 to the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, and an operation to instruct the start of counting is received, the above operation will be repeated. On the other hand, if no additional banknotes B are inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 within a certain period of time, the deposit replenishment operation will be considered complete, and the status of the shutter 21a, which is already in the open position op, may be changed to the standby position. In this case, the status of the shutter 21a is changed without the shutter 21a opening or closing, while the banknote slot 21 remains open.

[0097] <Management System / Cassette Refill Operation Mode> In "cassette replenishment mode," for example, the banknotes B stored in cassette 40 are replenished all at once into the empty storage compartments 31-33 after they have been fully recovered. Figure 8 shows the operation of the banknote processing unit 20 in "cassette replenishment mode." Note that in "cassette replenishment mode," banknotes may also be replenished into storage compartments 31-33 that are not empty.

[0098] First, the authentication unit 5 authenticates the operator, then the second control unit 26 unlocks the lock that restricts the drawing of the cassette 40, and the cassette 40 containing the banknotes B to be replenished in storage compartments 31-33 is loaded into the machine 2 by the operator. Note that this unlocking and loading of the cassette 40 may be performed after the "cassette replenishment operation mode," which will be described later, is selected.

[0099] Subsequently, if the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for "cassette replenishment operation mode" via the input unit 4, or if it receives an instruction from a higher-level unit to perform "cassette replenishment operation mode", it sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start "cassette replenishment operation mode".

[0100] The shutter 21a is in an open position op and in standby mode even before the "cassette replenishment operation mode" is selected, and the second control unit 26 monitors whether or not there is work to replace the cassette 40, and also monitors whether or not a signal to start the "cassette replenishment operation mode" has been received. In this embodiment, the case in which the "cassette replenishment operation mode" is started from a state in which the storage compartments 31-33 and cassette 40 are empty is described, but if it is not necessary to check whether or not there is work to replace the cassette 40, for example, if the "cassette replenishment operation mode" is started from a state in which banknotes to be replenished are already loaded in cassette 40, the second control unit 26 only needs to monitor whether or not a signal to start the "cassette replenishment operation mode" has been received.

[0101] Next, when the second control unit 26 receives an operation to instruct the start of counting via the input unit 4, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. After that, the kick roller 42 is driven, and the banknotes B stored in the cassette 40 are fed out one by one into the third transport path 53. The transport motors 55a to 55c are driven in the forward direction, and the banknotes B fed into the third transport path 53 are transported along the deposit direction D1 along the third transport path 53 and the first branch transport path 51b.

[0102] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 then determines the destination for transporting the banknotes B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The second storage unit 27 stores both the identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination for transporting the banknotes B.

[0103] The second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as the banknote to be stored is transported via the second transport path 52, which is in forward rotation, toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination, that is, toward storage compartment 31 if the banknote B is a 10,000 yen note, toward storage compartment 32 if the banknote B is a 5,000 yen note, and toward storage compartment 33 if the banknote B is a 1,000 yen note, thereby transporting the banknote B toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination along the deposit direction D1.

[0104] The banknotes B that have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 according to their denomination are stored in storage compartments 31 to 33. When the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect that the banknotes B have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33, the second control unit 26 determines that the banknotes B transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 are banknotes that have been confirmed to be replenished to the currency processing machine 1, and adds 1 to the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31 to 33, which is stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0105] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as an unstored banknote is transported toward the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21 via the first main transport path 51a and the first branch transport path 51b, and reverses the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a to 55c to transport the banknote B toward the first main transport path 51a along the reversal direction D2. For example, if the banknote B stored in storage unit 31 is a 10,000 yen note, and the banknotes B stored in storage units 32 and 33 are both 1,000 yen notes, then when a 5,000 yen note is dispensed from cassette 40, the 5,000 yen note is discharged to the banknote deposit / discharge opening 21 as an unspecified denomination banknote that also serves as an unstored banknote.

[0106] Furthermore, if banknote B, which has been identified as an ineligible banknote, is ejected from the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 may be illuminated or flashed to notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may also notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21.

[0107] Then, when all the banknotes B stored in the cassette 40 have been dispensed and there are no banknotes B identified as non-stored banknotes to be ejected into the banknote slot 21, the "cassette replenishment operation mode" is considered to have completed without problems, and the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a to 55c and stops the transport unit 50. After that, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, the open position op, thereby opening the banknote slot 21.

[0108] Thus, in the "cassette replenishment operation mode," the shutter 21a remains in the open position op (standby position) before the transport unit 50 is activated (while stopped), in the closed position cp (closed position) while the transport unit 50 is activated, and in the open position op (standby position) after the transport unit 50 is activated (while stopped). Furthermore, in the "cassette replenishment operation mode," when the transport unit 50 is driven, the shutter 21a is in the closed position cp (closed position), which suppresses the driving noise of the transport unit 50 from leaking outside the machine through the banknote input / output slot 21.

[0109] Incidentally, when dispensing banknotes B stored in cassette 40, banknotes B identified as not being intended for storage may be ejected into the banknote input / output slot 21. In this case, when transport control for banknotes B identified as not being intended for storage and ejected into the banknote input / output slot 21 continues to be performed, the status of shutter 21a remains in "cassette replenishment operation mode," and shutter 21a remains in the closed position cp.

[0110] In addition to designated banknotes and overflow banknotes, other reasons why banknote B may be identified as an ineligible banknote include transport errors. Transport errors can be broadly categorized into those that can be correctly identified after recounting, such as double feeding and near feed, and those that cannot be identified even after recounting, such as corner-folded banknotes unsuitable for withdrawal. In the former case, banknote B, which has been ejected into the banknote inlet / outlet slot 21 as an ineligible banknote, can be re-identified and replenished in the storage units 31-33, which were originally intended to be transported there.

[0111] For example, after all the banknotes B stored in the cassette 40 have been dispensed, the second control unit 26 drives the kick roller 24 to dispense the banknotes B identified as banknotes not intended for storage, which have been ejected to the banknote input / output slot 21, one by one, into the first main transport path 51a. The transport motors 55a and 55b are then driven in the forward direction, and the banknotes B dispensed into the first main transport path 51a are transported along the input direction D1.

[0112] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts banknote B again. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 also determines the destination for transporting banknote B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The second storage unit 27 stores both the identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination for transporting banknote B.

[0113] Furthermore, the second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknotes B identified as banknotes to be stored by re-identification are transported towards storage compartments 31 to 33 according to their denomination, that is, to storage compartment 31 if the banknotes B are 10,000 yen notes, to storage compartment 32 if the banknotes B are 5,000 yen notes, and to storage compartment 33 if the banknotes B are 1,000 yen notes, via the second transport path 52 which is being driven in the forward direction, and transports the banknotes B along the deposit direction D1 towards storage compartments 31 to 33 according to their denomination.

[0114] The banknotes B that have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 according to their denomination are stored in storage compartments 31 to 33. When the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect that the banknotes B have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33, the second control unit 26 determines that the banknotes B transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 are banknotes whose deposit into the currency processing machine 1 has been confirmed, and adds 1 to the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31 to 33, which is stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0115] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as an unacceptable banknote by re-identification is transported toward the banknote deposit rejection slot 22 via the first main transport path 51a, the first branch transport path 51b, and the second branch transport path 51c, and reverses the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a and 55b to transport the banknote B toward the banknote deposit rejection slot 22 along the reverse direction D2.

[0116] Furthermore, if banknote B, which has been identified as an ineligible banknote through re-identification, is ejected into the banknote deposit reject slot 22, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit reject slot 22 may be illuminated or flashed to notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may also notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22.

[0117] Then, once all of the banknotes B that were identified as non-storage banknotes and ejected into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 have been dispensed, the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a and 55b to stop the transport unit 50. After that, the second control unit 26 considers the "cassette replenishment operation mode" to be finished and drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, the open position op, thereby opening the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. More specifically, the "cassette replenishment operation mode" may also be considered finished when the banknotes B ejected into the banknote deposit / reject slot 22 have been removed from the banknote deposit / reject slot 22.

[0118] In the above-described embodiment, when a banknote B identified as an unstored banknote is ejected to the banknote slot 21, transport control for the banknote B ejected to the banknote slot 21 is continued. However, for example, the banknote slot 21 can be opened by positioning the shutter 21a to the open position op so that the unstored banknote ejected to the banknote slot 21 can be immediately recovered from the machine. Subsequently, when a detection sensor (not shown) provided in the banknote slot 21 detects that all unstored banknotes ejected to the banknote slot 21 have been removed, the cassette replenishment operation is considered complete, and the status of the shutter 21a, which is already in the open position op, is changed to the standby position. In this case, the status of the shutter 21a is changed without opening or closing the shutter 21a, while the open state of the banknote slot 21 is maintained.

[0119] <Management System - Cash Dispensing Outlet Collection Operation Mode> In the "cash dispenser collection mode," at the end of business hours of the store where the currency processing machine 1 is installed, all banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31-33, or all banknotes B except for some banknotes B that are change for the next day, are discharged into the banknote input / output slot 21. The operation of the banknote processing unit 20 in the "cash dispenser collection mode" is the same as in the "cash dispensing mode" shown in Figure 7.

[0120] After the authentication unit 5 authenticates the operator, the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for the "cash dispenser retrieval operation mode" via the input unit 4, or receives an instruction from a higher-level machine to perform the "cash dispenser retrieval operation mode," and sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start the "cash dispenser retrieval operation mode." Note that the shutter 21a is in the open position op, in standby mode, even before the "cash dispenser retrieval operation mode" is selected.

[0121] Next, when the second control unit 26 receives an operation to instruct the start of collection via the input unit 4, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21. Subsequently, the banknotes B are collected in the order of 10,000 yen notes, 5,000 yen notes, and 1,000 yen notes.

[0122] Specifically, first, the kick roller 37 is driven, and the banknotes B in the 10,000 yen bills stored in the storage compartment 31 are fed out onto the second transport path 52. Then, the transport motors 55a and 55b are driven in reverse, and the banknotes B fed onto the second transport path 52 are transported along the second transport path 52 and the first main transport path 51a in the reverse direction D2. When the travel sensor 54b detects that the banknotes B have been fed out of the storage compartment 31, the second control unit 26 subtracts one banknote from the number of banknotes B stored in the storage compartment 31, which is stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0123] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 then determines the destination for transporting the banknotes B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The second storage unit 27 stores both the identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination for transporting the banknotes B.

[0124] The second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as a banknote to be collected is transported toward the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 via the first transport path 51 which is being driven in reverse, and transports the banknote B toward the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 along the reverse direction D2. When the travel sensor 54a detects that the banknote B has been transported to the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, the second control unit 26 adds 1 to the number of banknotes B accumulated in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0125] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 transports banknote B, which has been identified as a banknote not to be collected, to the vicinity of the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, then transports banknote B along the deposit direction D1 (switchback), and subsequently transports banknote B along the reversal direction D2 toward the banknote dispensing reject storage unit 23. The procedure for discharging banknote B, which has been identified as a banknote not to be collected, into the banknote dispensing reject storage unit 23 is the same as in the "dispensing operation mode".

[0126] When the number of banknotes B accumulated in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 reaches a predetermined number (full), the second control unit 26 stops the kick roller 37 and transport motors 55a and 55b to temporarily suspend the collection of banknotes B, and then drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, which is the open position op. At this time, although the shutter 21a is temporarily in the standby position, this is an opening operation for intermediate collection due to the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 reaching full during the "discharge slot collection operation mode," and is different from an opening operation to the standby position due to the end of the "discharge slot collection operation mode." As a result, the operator can take out the banknotes B from the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. Alternatively, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 may be lit or blinked to notify the user to take out the banknotes B from the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may notify that banknotes B remain in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. When a detection sensor (not shown) detects that banknotes B have been removed from the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, closing the opening 21c of the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, and drives the kick roller 37, transport motors 55a and 55b to resume the retrieval of banknotes B. In other words, it terminates the opening operation of the shutter 21a for intermediate retrieval and continues the "discharge slot retrieval operation mode".

[0127] Once all the banknotes B in the storage compartment 31 have been dispensed, the second control unit 26 stops the kick roller 37 and the transport motors 55a and 55b, and then drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the open position op, which is the standby position, in the same manner as described above. This allows the operator to take out the banknotes B from the banknote input / output slot 21. When a detection sensor (not shown) detects that the banknotes have been taken out from the banknote input / output slot 21, the collection of the 10,000 yen bills ends.

[0128] Next, in the same manner as the collection of 10,000 yen bills, the 5,000 yen bills stored in storage compartment 32 and the 1,000 yen bills stored in storage compartment 33 are collected in that order. After all the banknotes B in storage compartments 31 to 33 have been collected, the second control unit 26 terminates the "dispensing slot collection operation mode" and maintains the shutter 21a in the standby position, which is the open position op.

[0129] Furthermore, the order in which banknotes B are collected is not limited to 10,000 yen notes, 5,000 yen notes, and 1,000 yen notes; for example, they may be collected starting with 1,000 yen notes. Also, the collection of banknotes B is not limited to each denomination; depending on the capacity of the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, two or more denominations of banknotes B may be collected together. Moreover, if banknotes B of the same denomination are stored in two or more of the storage compartments 31-33, it is preferable to collect them according to a predetermined order.

[0130] Thus, in the "cash dispenser retrieval operation mode," the shutter 21a is in the open position op, which is the standby position, before the transport unit 50 is in operation (while it is stopped), in the closed position cp, while the transport unit 50 is in operation, and in the open position op, which is the standby position, after the transport unit 50 is in operation (while it is stopped).

[0131] <Management System - Cassette Recovery Operation Mode> In "cassette retrieval operation mode," at the end of business hours of the store where the currency processing machine 1 is installed, all banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31-33, or all banknotes B except for some banknotes B that are change for the next day, are collected into cassette 40. Figure 9 shows the operation of the banknote processing unit 20 in "cassette retrieval operation mode."

[0132] First, when the authentication unit 5 authenticates the operator, the second control unit 26 unlocks the lock that restricts the withdrawal of the cassette 40, and the operator loads the cassette 40 into the machine 2. It is preferable that the cassette 40, from which all the banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31-33 are ejected, be empty, but it is not necessarily required to be empty. If it is clear that the cassette 40 is empty, the unlocking of the cassette 40's withdrawal lock and the replacement loading of an empty cassette 40 can be omitted.

[0133] Subsequently, if the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for the "cassette retrieval operation mode" via the input unit 4, or if it receives an instruction from a higher-level unit to perform the "cassette retrieval operation mode", it sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start the "cassette retrieval operation mode".

[0134] The shutter 21a is in an open position op and in standby mode even before the "cassette retrieval operation mode" is selected, and the second control unit 26 monitors whether or not there is a cassette 40 replacement operation, and also monitors whether or not a signal to start the "cassette replacement operation mode" has been received. In this embodiment, the case in which the "cassette retrieval operation mode" is started from a state where the cassette 40 is empty is described, but if it is not necessary to check whether or not there is a cassette 40 replacement operation, for example, if the "cassette replacement operation mode" is started from a state where it is known in advance that the cassette 40 is empty, the second control unit 26 only needs to monitor whether or not a signal to start the "cassette retrieval operation mode" has been received.

[0135] Next, when the second control unit 26 receives an operation to instruct the start of collection via the input unit 4, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21. Subsequently, the banknotes B are collected in the order of 10,000 yen notes, 5,000 yen notes, and 1,000 yen notes.

[0136] Specifically, first the kick roller 37 is driven, and the banknotes B in the 10,000 yen bills stored in the storage compartment 31 are fed out onto the second transport path 52. Then the transport motors 55a to 55c are driven in reverse, and the banknotes B fed onto the second transport path 52 are transported along the second transport path 52 and the first main transport path 51a in the reverse direction D2.

[0137] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies banknote B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 then determines the destination for transporting banknote B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The second storage unit 27 stores both the identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination for transporting banknote B.

[0138] The second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as a banknote to be collected is transported toward the cassette 40 via the first transport path 51 and the third transport path 53, which are being driven in reverse, and transports the banknote B toward the cassette 40 along the reverse direction D2. When the travel sensor 54e detects that the banknote B has been transported to the cassette 40, the second control unit 26 adds 1 to the number of banknotes B stored in the cassette 40 in the second storage unit 27.

[0139] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 transports the banknote B identified as a banknote not to be collected to the vicinity of the cassette 40, then transports the banknote B along the deposit direction D1 (switchback), and subsequently transports the banknote B along the reversal direction D2 toward the banknote rejection compartment 23. The procedure for ejecting the banknote B identified as a banknote not to be stored into the banknote rejection compartment 23 is the same as in the "discharge operation mode". Alternatively, the banknote not to be collected may be transported directly toward the banknote rejection compartment 23 along the reversal direction D2 without switching back.

[0140] When the number of banknotes B accumulated in cassette 40 reaches a predetermined number (full), the second control unit 26 stops the kick roller 37 and transport motors 55a to 55c to temporarily suspend the collection of banknotes B, and then releases the lock that restricts the withdrawal of cassette 40. When the full cassette 40 is replaced and loaded into an empty cassette 40, the second control unit 26 drives the kick roller 37 and transport motors 55a to 55c to resume the collection of banknotes B.

[0141] Once all the banknotes B in storage compartment 31 have been dispensed, the second control unit 26 collects the 5,000 yen notes stored in storage compartment 32, followed by the 1,000 yen notes stored in storage compartment 33, in the same manner as collecting the 10,000 yen notes.

[0142] Then, after all the banknotes B in the storage compartments 31-33 have been collected, the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a-55c and stops the transport unit 50. After that, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the open position op, which is the standby position.

[0143] Furthermore, the order in which banknotes B are collected is not limited to 10,000 yen notes, 5,000 yen notes, and 1,000 yen notes; for example, they may be collected starting with 1,000 yen notes. Also, the collection of banknotes B is not limited to each denomination; depending on the capacity of cassette 40, two or more denominations of banknotes B may be collected together. Moreover, if banknotes B of the same denomination are stored in two or more of the storage compartments 31-33, it is preferable to collect them according to a predetermined order.

[0144] Thus, in the "cassette retrieval operation mode," the shutter 21a is in the open position op, which is the standby position, before the transport unit 50 is operated (while it is stopped), in the closed position cp, while the transport unit 50 is operating, and in the open position op, which is the standby position, after the transport unit 50 is operated (while it is stopped). Furthermore, when the transport unit 50 is driven in the "cassette retrieval operation mode," the shutter 21a is in the closed position cp, which suppresses the driving noise of the transport unit 50 from leaking outside the machine through the banknote input / output slot 21.

[0145] <Management System - Currency Exchange Operation Mode> In "currency exchange mode," the system dispenses banknotes of the same denomination as the banknotes B inserted into the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, along with banknotes B of a different denomination.

[0146] The exchange of banknote B generally involves exchanging one high-denomination banknote for at least one or more lower-denomination banknotes. For example, if one 10,000 yen note is deposited, ten 1,000 yen notes will be dispensed, or one 5,000 yen note and five 1,000 yen notes will be dispensed. The combination of denominations and quantities dispensed during the exchange may be configured so that the operator can select any combination from a predetermined list.

[0147] Furthermore, in "currency exchange mode," it is permissible to perform so-called reverse exchange, where multiple low-denomination bills are exchanged for one or more high-denomination bills. In reverse exchange, for example, if ten 1,000-yen bills are deposited, one 10,000-yen bill will be dispensed, and if a large number of coins are inserted, an equivalent amount of bills B will be dispensed.

[0148] When the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for the "currency exchange operation mode" via the input unit 4, or when it receives an instruction from a higher-level unit to perform the "currency exchange operation mode", it sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start the "currency exchange operation mode".

[0149] The shutter 21a is in an open position (op) standby state even before the "currency exchange operation mode" is selected. When the second control unit 26 receives a signal to start the "currency exchange operation mode," the banknote processing unit 20 keeps the shutter 21a in the open position (op) and switches to a monitoring state, waiting for banknotes to be inserted into the banknote slot 21. Alternatively, since the standby position of the shutter 21a is the open position (op), the signal to start the "currency exchange operation mode" is received after banknotes have been inserted into the banknote slot 21.

[0150] Next, with banknotes inserted into the banknote slot 21, when the second control unit 26 receives an operation to instruct the start of counting via the input unit 4, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote slot 21. After that, the kick roller 24 is driven, and the banknotes B inserted into the banknote slot 21 are fed out one by one onto the first main transport path 51a. The transport motors 55a and 55b are driven in the forward direction, and the banknotes B fed onto the first main transport path 51a are transported along the first main transport path 51a in the deposit direction D1.

[0151] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 then determines the destination for transporting the banknotes B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The second storage unit 27 stores both the identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination for transporting the banknotes B.

[0152] The second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as the banknote to be stored is transported via the second transport path 52, which is in forward rotation, toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination, that is, toward storage compartment 31 if the banknote B is a 10,000 yen note, toward storage compartment 32 if the banknote B is a 5,000 yen note, and toward storage compartment 33 if the banknote B is a 1,000 yen note, thereby transporting the banknote B toward the storage compartments 31 to 33 according to the denomination along the deposit direction D1.

[0153] The banknotes B that have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 according to their denomination are stored in storage compartments 31 to 33. When the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect that the banknotes B have been transported to storage compartments 31 to 33, the second control unit 26 determines that the banknotes B transported to storage compartments 31 to 33 are banknotes whose deposit into the currency processing machine 1 has been confirmed, and adds 1 to the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31 to 33 stored in the second storage unit 27.

[0154] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as an unacceptable banknote is transported toward the banknote deposit reject slot 22 via the first main transport path 51a and the first branch transport path 51b, and reverses the rotation direction of the transport motors 55a and 55b to transport the banknote B toward the first branch transport path 51b along the reversal direction D2.

[0155] Furthermore, if banknote B, which has been identified as an ineligible banknote, is ejected into the banknote deposit reject slot 22, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit reject slot 22 may be illuminated or flashed to notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may also notify the user that banknote B remains in the banknote deposit reject slot 22.

[0156] Then, once all the banknotes B inserted into the banknote slot 21 have been dispensed, the second control unit 26 drives the kick rollers 37-39 to dispense the banknotes B stored in the storage compartments 31-33 onto the second transport path 52. At this time, instead of immediately moving on to dispensing the banknotes B stored in the storage compartments 31-33 after the banknotes B inserted into the banknote slot 21 have been dispensed, the shutter 21a may be opened temporarily to allow for the insertion of additional banknotes B. In other words, if the denomination for which exchange is instructed is a 10,000 yen note, the kick roller 37 is driven and banknotes B stored in storage compartment 31 are dispensed; if the denomination for which withdrawal is instructed is a 5,000 yen note, the kick roller 38 is driven and banknotes B stored in storage compartment 32 are dispensed; if the denomination for which withdrawal is instructed is a 1,000 yen note, the kick roller 39 is driven and banknotes B stored in storage compartment 33 are dispensed; the transport motors 55a and 55b are driven in reverse, and the banknotes B dispensed into the second transport path 52 are transported along the second transport path 52 and the first main transport path 51a in the reverse direction D2. When the travel sensors 54b to 54d detect that banknotes B have been dispensed from storage compartments 31 to 33, the second control unit 26 subtracts one banknote from the number of banknotes B stored in storage compartments 31 to 33 stored in the second memory unit 27.

[0157] Next, the identification unit 60 identifies and counts the banknotes B. The identification result of the identification unit 60 is stored in the second storage unit 27. The second control unit 26 then determines the destination for transporting the banknotes B according to the identification result of the identification unit 60. The second storage unit 27 stores both the identification result of the identification unit 60 and the destination for transporting the banknotes B.

[0158] The second control unit 26 controls the opening and closing of the gate of the transport unit 50 so that the banknote B identified as the banknote to be dispensed during currency exchange is transported toward the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 via the first transport path 51 which is being driven in reverse, and transports the banknote B toward the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 along the reverse direction D2. When the travel sensor 54a detects that the banknote B has been transported to the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, the second control unit 26 adds 1 banknote to the number of banknotes B accumulated in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 stored in the second storage unit 27. When the number of banknotes B accumulated in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 reaches the number of banknotes of the denomination to be dispensed during currency exchange, the dispensing of that denomination is terminated, and if there is an instruction to dispense other denominations during currency exchange, the dispensing of the next denomination is started. Note that in some cases, instead of exchanging banknotes for banknotes to be dispensed during currency exchange, it may be possible to exchange coins to be dispensed during currency exchange, but this explanation is omitted here. Similarly, the explanation for exchanging coins for banknotes will be omitted.

[0159] Meanwhile, the second control unit 26 transports banknote B, which has been identified as a banknote not eligible for withdrawal during currency exchange, to the vicinity of the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21, then transports banknote B along the deposit direction D1 (switchback), and subsequently transports banknote B along the reversal direction D2 toward the banknote rejection compartment 23. The procedure for ejecting banknote B, which has been identified as a banknote not eligible for withdrawal during currency exchange, into the banknote rejection compartment 23 is the same as in the "withdrawal operation mode".

[0160] Then, when the dispensing of banknotes B for all denominations for which dispensing was instructed during the exchange has been completed, the second control unit 26 stops the kick rollers 37-39 and the transport motors 55a and 55b to stop the transport unit 50. After that, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, the open position op, thereby opening the banknote input / output slot 21. In addition, similar to the "dispensing operation mode", when the dispensing of banknotes B has been completed, the transport unit 50 is stopped, the shutter 21a is temporarily set to the open position op for the removal of the exchanged banknotes, and the banknote input / output slot 21 waits for the removal of banknotes B. When a detection sensor (not shown) provided in the banknote input / output slot 21 detects that all banknotes B have been removed from the banknote input / output slot 21, the second control unit 26 may change the status of the shutter 21a to the standby position. In this case, the status of the shutter 21a is changed without the shutter 21a opening or closing, while the banknote slot 21 remains open.

[0161] Furthermore, when banknotes B remain in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21, an LED (not shown) located near the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21 may be illuminated or flashed to notify the user that banknotes B remain in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21. Similarly, a higher-level machine connected to the currency processing machine 1 may also notify the user that banknotes B remain in the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21.

[0162] Thus, in the "currency exchange operation mode," the shutter 21a is in the open position op, which is the standby position, before the transport unit 50 is in operation (while it is stopped), in the closed position cp, while the transport unit 50 is in operation, and in the open position op, which is the standby position, after the transport unit 50 is in operation (while it is stopped).

[0163] <Management System - Initialization Mode> In "initialization mode," only the transport unit 50 is driven for a certain period of time when the currency processing machine 1 is powered on and started up, or when it is confirmed that the transport error has been resolved after recovery work to fix a transport abnormality in the currency processing machine 1.

[0164] When the mode selection unit 7a receives a selection operation for "initialization mode" via the input unit 4, or when it receives an instruction from a higher-level unit to perform "initialization mode", it sends a signal to the banknote processing unit 20 to start "initialization mode".

[0165] In the "initialization mode" when the currency processing machine 1 is powered on, regardless of the setting of the standby position of the shutter 21a, the shutter 21a is opened and closed for an operation check. After the operation check is successfully completed, the shutter motor 21b is controlled to move the shutter 21a to the open position op based on the standby position setting.

[0166] On the other hand, in the "initialization mode," which is selected when confirming that a transport error has been resolved, transport errors generally occur when the shutter 21a is in the closed position cp. Furthermore, depending on the nature of the recovery work, the shutter 21a is not necessarily in the closed position cp. Therefore, in the restart operation after recovery work, the shutter 21a is first opened and closed, similar to the "initialization mode" at startup. After the operation check is successfully completed, the shutter motor 21b is controlled to move the shutter 21a to the open position op based on the standby position setting.

[0167] Next, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to position the shutter 21a in the closed position cp, thereby closing the opening 21c of the banknote insertion / dispensing slot 21. After that, the transport motors 55a to 55c are driven, and the transport unit 50 is driven.

[0168] Then, once it is confirmed that no banknotes B remain in the first transport path 51, the second transport path 52, and the third transport path 53, the second control unit 26 stops the transport motors 55a to 55c and stops the transport unit 50. After that, the second control unit 26 drives the shutter motor 21b to set the shutter 21a to the standby position, the open position op, thereby opening the banknote input / output slot 21.

[0169] Thus, in "initialization mode," the shutter 21a is in the open position op, which is the standby position, before the transport unit 50 is operated (while it is stopped), in the closed position cp, while the transport unit 50 is operating, and in the open position op, which is the standby position, after the transport unit 50 is operated (while it is stopped). Furthermore, when the transport unit 50 is driven in "initialization mode," the shutter 21a is in the closed position cp, which suppresses the driving noise of the transport unit 50 from leaking outside the machine through the banknote input / output slot 21.

[0170] In this way, the currency processing machine 1 according to this embodiment includes a banknote input / output slot 21 through which banknotes B are inserted and withdrawn, a shutter 21a that can be opened and closed between an open position op that opens an opening 21c that allows access to the banknote input / output slot 21 from outside the machine, and a closed position cp that closes the opening 21c, storage compartments 31-33 provided inside the machine for storing banknotes B in a dispenseable manner, a cassette 40 that is detachably arranged inside the machine for storing banknotes B in a dispenseable manner, a transport unit 50 for transporting banknotes inside the machine, and an operating mode The system includes a second control unit 26 that controls the machine accordingly, a mode selection unit 7a that accepts user input for selecting an operating mode, and a standby position selection unit 26a that allows the user to select whether the standby position of the shutter 21a when the transport unit 50 is stopped is the open position op or the closed position cp, for each operating mode. The second control unit 26 is configured to set the shutter 21a to the closed position cp when the transport unit 50 is driven, regardless of the standby position of the shutter 21a in the operating mode.

[0171] With this configuration, even if the installation location or use of the currency processing machine 1 changes and the user base changes, the standby position of the shutter 21a can be selected for each operating mode according to the changed user base. Furthermore, when the transport unit 50 is driven, the shutter 21a is set to the closed position cp regardless of the standby position of the shutter 21a, thus providing a safe and convenient currency processing machine 1. In addition, since the transport unit 50 is driven with the shutter 21a closed, the driving noise of the transport unit 50 can be suppressed from leaking outside the machine through the banknote input / output slot 21.

[0172] Furthermore, in the currency processing machine 1 according to this embodiment, the second control unit 26 is configured to set the shutter 21a to the closed position cp when the transport unit 50 is driven in an operating mode in which the open position op is selected as the standby position of the shutter 21a.

[0173] With this configuration, when the transport unit 50 is stopped, the shutter 21a is in the open position op, allowing the user to access the banknote insertion / discharge slot 21. When the transport unit 50 is driven, the shutter 21a is in the closed position cp, preventing the user from inadvertently accessing the banknote insertion / discharge slot 21.

[0174] Furthermore, the currency processing machine 1 according to this embodiment further includes an identification unit 60 that identifies and counts the banknotes B transported by the transport unit 50, and the second control unit 26 is configured to set the shutter 21a to the closed position cp when the identification unit 60 is performing the counting process in which it identifies and counts the banknotes B.

[0175] With this configuration, when the transport unit 50 is driven during the identification process by the identification unit 60, the shutter 21a is in the closed position cp, thus preventing the user from inadvertently accessing the banknote deposit / withdrawal slot 21.

[0176] Furthermore, the currency processing machine 1 according to this embodiment further includes an authentication unit 5 that authenticates whether the user is an operator with management authority, and a second storage unit 23 that stores in advance whether the standby position of the shutter 21a should be the open position op or the closed position cp for each operating mode when the user is authenticated as an operator or when the user is not authenticated as an operator. The second control unit 26 is configured to set the shutter 21a to the closed position cp even if the standby position setting of the shutter 21a is the open position op in the operating mode when the user is not authenticated as an operator.

[0177] With this configuration, when an unspecified number of users other than the operator use the currency processing machine 1, even if the standby position setting of the shutter 21a is the open position op, the shutter 21a will be in the closed position cp, thus preventing an unspecified number of users other than the operator from inadvertently accessing the banknote deposit / discharge slot 21.

[0178] Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above, as long as it does not deviate from the spirit of the invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention extends to such modified forms.

[0179] In the embodiments described above, the opening and closing control of the shutter 21a in various operating modes performed by the banknote processing unit 20 was explained. However, if the coin processing unit 10 is equipped with a shutter that opens and closes the opening of the coin deposit slot 11, that shutter may be controlled to open and close in the same manner as in the embodiments described above. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0180] 1: Coin processing machine, 2: Machine body, 3: Display unit, 4: Input unit, 5: Authentication unit, 6: Management unit, 7: First control unit, 7a: Mode selection unit, 8: First storage unit, 10: Coin processing unit, 11: Coin deposit slot, 12: Coin dispensing slot, 20: Banknote processing unit, 21: Banknote deposit / dispensing slot (deposit / dispensing unit), 21a: Shutter, 21b: Shutter motor, 21c: Opening, 22: Banknote deposit / reject slot, 23: Banknote dispensing / rejection compartment, 26: Second control unit, 26a: Standby position selection unit, 27: Second storage unit, 30: Storage unit, 31-33: Storage compartment, 40: Cassette, 50: Transport unit, 60: Identification unit, B: Banknote, cp: Closed position, op: Open position

Claims

1. The deposit and withdrawal section where money is deposited and withdrawn, A shutter that can be opened and closed between an open position that opens the opening allowing access to the deposit / withdrawal section from outside the machine, and a closed position that closes the opening, A storage compartment is provided inside the aircraft for storing the aforementioned currency in a dispenseable manner, A cassette is detachably positioned inside the aircraft and stores the aforementioned currency in a dispenseable manner, A transport unit for transporting the aforementioned currency inside the aircraft, A control unit that controls the aircraft according to the operating mode, A mode selection unit that accepts the user's operation to select the aforementioned operating mode, A standby position selection unit that allows selection for each operating mode whether the standby position of the shutter when the transport unit is stopped is the open position or the closed position, Equipped with, The currency processing machine is characterized in that the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position when the transport unit is driven, regardless of the standby position in the operating mode.

2. The currency processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position when the transport unit is driven in the operating mode in which the standby position is set to the open position.

3. The aforementioned operating mode includes a cassette replenishment operation mode in which the transport unit transports the coins dispensed from the cassette to the storage unit. The currency processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position when the transport unit is driven in the cassette replenishment operation mode.

4. The aforementioned operating mode includes a cassette retrieval operation mode in which the transport unit transports the coins dispensed from the storage unit to the cassette. The currency processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position when the transport unit is driven in the cassette retrieval operation mode.

5. The aforementioned operating modes include an initialization mode in which the transport unit is driven without transporting the currency. The currency processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position when the transport unit is driven in the initialization mode.

6. The transport unit further comprises an identification unit for identifying and counting the coins being transported, The currency processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position when the identification unit performs a counting process in which it identifies and counts the currency.

7. An authentication unit that authenticates whether the user is an operator with administrative privileges, A storage unit that stores in advance whether the standby position should be the open position or the closed position for each of the operating modes when the user is authenticated as the operator or when the user is not authenticated as the operator, Furthermore, The currency processing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit sets the shutter to the closed position regardless of the standby position in the operating mode when the user is not authenticated as the operator.

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