Paper sheet processing apparatus

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a paper sheet processing device capable of smoothly feeding paper sheets into a machine body. [Solution] A banknote processing device 1 that presses banknotes S placed on an intake unit 5 toward a feed roller 9 with a bill press 100 and takes the banknotes S into a machine body 4. The bill press 100 is equipped with: a main pressing unit 110 that is installed so as to be vertically movable within the intake unit 5 and is capable of pressing the approximate center of the banknotes S; and a first auxiliary pressing unit 120 and a second auxiliary pressing unit 130 that are installed independently of the main pressing unit 110 and are capable of pressing the region of the banknotes S excluding the approximate center.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] There is a paper sheet processing apparatus that accumulates paper sheets at the input unit of a base unit, takes in the accumulated paper sheets from the intake opening of the input unit, identifies and counts the taken-in paper sheets by an identification unit, and conveys the identified and counted paper sheets to a connection unit connected to the base unit, and the connection unit performs various processes (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Some input units of such paper sheet processing apparatuses are provided with a bill press that horizontally presses the accumulated paper sheets. Further, as paper sheets, as shown in FIG. 10, there are banknotes S that have fine convex portions B formed to identify the type by touching with a finger and prevent forgery and whose thickness is not uniform. When such banknotes S are accumulated in the input unit, the portion where the convex portions B overlap becomes higher than other portions, so that uneven hitting occurs where the bill press hits only the portion where the convex portions B of the banknote S overlap, and there is a risk that the banknote S cannot be accurately pressed and the banknote S cannot be smoothly fed into the machine body.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention provides a paper sheet processing apparatus capable of smoothly feeding paper sheets into the machine body.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention is a paper sheet processing apparatus that presses the paper sheets placed on the intake unit toward the feed roller with a build-up press and takes the paper sheets into the machine body. The build-up press is provided so as to be movable up and down in the intake unit, and includes a main pressing unit capable of pressing substantially the center of the paper sheets, and an auxiliary pressing unit provided independently of the main pressing unit and capable of pressing a region excluding substantially the center of the paper sheets.

[0007] According to this configuration, even when there is a height variation in which a portion where the convex portions overlap among the paper sheets accumulated in the intake unit becomes locally high, the main pressing unit presses substantially the center of the paper sheets, and the auxiliary pressing unit can press the paper sheets in a state of swinging according to the height of the paper sheets. As a result, uneven hitting where the build-up press hits only a part of the paper sheets is suppressed, so that the paper sheets are stably pressed toward the feed roller over a wide range, and thus the paper sheets can be smoothly fed into the machine body.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, since the paper sheets are stably pressed toward the feed roller over a wide range, the paper sheets can be smoothly fed into the machine body.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] A banknote processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following, when referring to the number of components, numerical values, amounts, ranges, etc., unless otherwise specifically stated or limited to a specific number in principle, it is not limited to that specific number, and it may be more or less than the specific number.

[0011] Also, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of components, etc., unless otherwise specifically stated or considered not to be so in principle, it includes those substantially similar or analogous to the shape, etc.

[0012] Also, the drawings may be exaggerated, such as by enlarging characteristic portions for easy understanding of the characteristics, and the dimensional ratios of components are not necessarily the same as the actual ones.

[0013] <Structure of Banknote Processing Apparatus> As shown in FIG. 1, the banknote processing apparatus 1 includes a base unit 2 and a connection unit 3. The connection unit 3 is configured by selecting at least one of the number and type from units having different functions and combining them with the base unit 2 in an appropriate order.

[0014] <Configuration of Base Unit> The base unit 2 identifies and counts the banknotes S inserted from outside the machine by the operator. The base unit 2 has a loading unit 5 on the right side surface 4a of the machine body 4 as viewed from the operator of the banknote processing apparatus 1.

[0015] The banknotes S are inserted into the loading unit 5 from outside the machine by the operator. The loading unit 5 includes a bottom surface portion 6 on which the banknotes S are placed, and a back wall surface portion 7 provided upward from the left end in the left - right direction of the bottom surface portion 6. The bottom surface portion 6 and the back wall surface portion 7 are formed in a substantially flat plane in the front - rear direction.

[0016] On the bottom surface portion 6, the banknotes S are stacked vertically with their short sides along the left - right direction and their long sides along the front - rear direction (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1). Also, the bottom surface portion 6 is provided so as to be inclined downward to the left with respect to the horizontal plane when viewed from the front of the machine body 4. The banknotes S stacked on the bottom surface portion 6 are each abutted against the back wall surface portion 7 along the inclination of the bottom surface portion 6 with their long sides, and are offset so that their positions in the short - hand direction are aligned.

[0017] Near the bottom surface portion 6, a loading port 8 penetrating the back wall surface portion 7 in the thickness direction is provided. The length of the loading port 8 in the front - rear direction is set to be longer than the long side of the banknote S.

[0018] The loading unit 5 includes a feed roller 9 provided on the bottom surface portion 6, a loading roller 10 provided near the loading port 8, a separating roller 11 provided opposite to the loading roller 10, and a detection unit 12 for detecting the taken - in banknotes S and detecting the loading state.

[0019] The feed roller 9 is provided below the bottom surface portion 6 and partially protrudes upward from the bottom surface portion 6. The feed roller 9 separates one by one the banknotes S stacked on the bottom surface portion 6 starting from the lowermost layer and feeds them into the interior of the machine body 4 through the intake port 8. The intake roller 10 takes in the banknote S kicked out by the feed roller 9 and delivers it to the identification and conveyance unit 13. The separation roller 11 separates the banknotes S taken in by the intake roller 10 one by one. The banknote S is moved so that its short side is along the conveyance direction and fed out to the left side of the machine body 4, and in the banknote processing apparatus 1, it moves while maintaining a posture with its long side along the front-rear direction.

[0020] The intake section 5 includes a bill press 100 that is movable in the vertical direction along the rear wall surface portion 7. The bill press 100 presses the banknotes S stacked on the bottom surface portion 6 toward the feed roller 9 from above. Thereby, in the intake section 5, among the stacked banknotes S, the lowermost banknote S adheres to the feed roller 9 and is smoothly kicked out.

[0021] The base unit 2 includes an identification and conveyance unit 13 that receives and conveys the banknote S fed out from the intake section 5, and an identification unit 14 that identifies the banknote S being conveyed by the identification and conveyance unit 13. The identification and conveyance unit 13 extends horizontally from the intake section 5 toward the left side in the left-right direction and then extends upward in the vertical direction. The identification unit 14 is provided in a portion that extends above the identification and conveyance unit 13.

[0022] The base unit 2 includes a connection conveyance unit 15 that extends from the upper end portion of the identification and conveyance unit 13 toward the left side surface 4b of the machine body 4 and opens to the left side surface 4b. The connection conveyance unit 15 receives the banknote S identified as an object to be processed by the connection unit 3 in the identification unit 14 from the identification and conveyance unit 13 and conveys it from the base unit 2 toward the connection unit 3.

[0023] The base unit 2 includes a reject transport unit 17 that extends from the upper end of the identification transport unit 13 toward the right side and is connected to a reject unit 16 provided above the intake unit 5. The reject transport unit 17 transports the banknote S that has not been identified as a target to be processed by the connection unit 3 in the identification unit 14 to the reject unit 16.

[0024] The reject unit 16 accumulates the banknotes S fed out from the end of the reject transport unit 16 so that they can be taken out to the outside. The reject unit 16 drops the banknotes S fed out from the reject transport unit 17 toward the bottom surface 19 by the impeller 18, and the fed-out banknotes S are accumulated on the bottom surface 19 in a state where each long side abuts against the wall surface 20 along the inclination of the bottom surface 19 and is offset.

[0025] The base unit 2 includes a control unit 21 inside that controls the components constituting the base unit 2. The control unit 21 controls the entire base unit 2 and is also communicably connected to the connection unit 3 via an interface to output control commands.

[0026] In this way, the base unit 2 kicks out the banknote S inserted into the intake unit 5 by the feed roller 9 toward the intake port 8 side, and the intake roller 10 and the separation roller 11 separate the banknotes one by one and deliver them to the identification transport unit 13. Then, the identification transport unit 13 transports the banknote S while the identification unit 14 identifies and counts it. Then, the connection transport unit 15 transports the banknote S identified as a processing target by the identification unit 14 to the connection unit 3, and the reject transport unit 17 transports the banknote S not identified as a processing target by the identification unit 14 to the reject unit 16.

[0027] <Configuration of the connection unit> The connecting unit 3 receives the banknotes S conveyed by the connecting conveyance unit 15. The connecting unit 3 includes an accumulating unit 3a that performs an accumulating process of classifying the banknotes S according to the denominations and accumulating them so that they can be taken out of the machine, and a bundling unit 3b that performs a bundling process of accumulating the banknotes S in predetermined numbers (for example, 100 sheets) and winding them with a binding tape to form a bundle. Whether to execute either the accumulating process by the accumulating unit 3a or the bundling process by the bundling unit 3b can be arbitrarily selected by the operator.

[0028] The connecting unit 3 is not limited to including both the accumulating unit 3a and the bundling unit 3b, and may include only one of the accumulating unit 3a or the bundling unit 3b. Also, the number of installation bases of the accumulating unit 3a and the bundling unit 3b is not limited to one, and two or more units may be provided.

[0029] The accumulating unit 3a includes a connecting conveyance unit 22a connected to the connecting conveyance unit 15, and a processing conveyance unit 22b that branches from an intermediate position of the connecting conveyance unit 22a and extends downward. The connecting conveyance unit 22a receives and conveys the banknotes S from the connecting conveyance unit 15. The accumulating unit 3a can be connected to another accumulating unit 3a on the side opposite to the base machine 2. In that case, the connecting conveyance unit 22a conveys the banknotes S to this other accumulating unit 3a.

[0030] The processing conveyance unit 22b includes a main conveyance part 22c that receives the banknotes S from the connecting conveyance unit 22a and conveys them downward, and a branching part 22d to 22g that branches into four from the main conveyance part 22c.

[0031] The accumulating unit 3a includes accumulating parts 23a to 23d that respectively perform an accumulating process of receiving and accumulating the banknotes S fed out from the main conveyance part 22c. The accumulating parts 23a to 23d are arranged on the right sides of these corresponding to the branching parts 22d to 22g, and are provided side by side in the vertical direction with their positions in the left-right direction substantially coinciding.

[0032] The stacking unit 23a includes a bottom surface 24a that slopes slightly downward to the lower right with respect to the horizontal, a wall plate portion 24b disposed vertically above the bottom surface 24a, and a blower wheel 24c disposed on the left portion of the bottom surface 24a that abuts the banknote S fed out from the branching portion 22d against the bottom surface 24a and pushes it out toward the wall plate portion 24b. Note that the stacking units 23b to 23d also have the same structure as the stacking unit 23a.

[0033] Further, the stacking units 23a to 23d are open to the front surface of the stacking unit 3a, and the banknote S can be taken out from the front surface to the outside. That is, the stacking unit 23a accumulates the banknote S fed out from the branching portion 22d so that it can be taken out to the outside, the stacking unit 23b accumulates the banknote S fed out from the branching portion 22e so that it can be taken out to the outside, the stacking unit 23c accumulates the banknote S fed out from the branching portion 22f so that it can be taken out to the outside, and the stacking unit 23d accumulates the banknote S fed out from the branching portion 22g so that it can be taken out to the outside.

[0034] Inside the stacking unit 3a, a control unit 25 is provided that receives a control command from the control unit 21 and controls the stacking unit 3a.

[0035] In this way, the stacking unit 3a conveys the banknote S received from the base unit 2 to the stacking units 23a to 23d by the connecting conveyance unit 22a and the processing conveyance unit 22b. Then, the stacking units 23a to 23d perform the stacking process of the banknote S identified as the processing target.

[0036] The bundling unit 3b includes a connecting conveyance unit 26a connected to the connecting conveyance unit 22a, and a processing conveyance unit 26b that branches from an intermediate position of the connecting conveyance unit 26a and extends downward. The connecting conveyance unit 26a receives and conveys the banknote S from the connecting conveyance unit 22a. Another bundling unit 3b can be connected to the bundling unit 3b on the side opposite to the stacking unit 3a. In that case, the connecting conveyance unit 26a conveys the banknote S to this other bundling unit 3b.

[0037] The processing and conveying unit 26b includes a main conveying unit 26c that receives the banknotes S from the connected conveying unit 26a and conveys them downward, and a branching unit 26d that branches from the main conveying unit 26c.

[0038] An alignment and stacking unit 27a is provided at the end of the main conveying unit 26c, and an alignment and stacking unit 27b is provided at the end of the branching unit 26d. The alignment and stacking units 27a and 27b perform an alignment and stacking process of receiving the banknotes S fed out from the processing and conveying unit 26b, aligning them in a horizontal posture in the vertical direction in a predetermined bundling unit number, and stacking them.

[0039] The bundling unit 3b includes a bundling part 28 that bundles the banknotes S by stacking them in predetermined numbers. The bundling part 28 includes a downward conveying unit 29 that places the stacked banknotes S sent out in a horizontal state from the alignment and stacking units 27a and 27b and conveys them downward in the vertical direction. Further, the bundling part 28 includes a bundling mechanism part 30 below the alignment and stacking unit 27a. The bundling mechanism part 30 bundles the stacked banknotes S that have been conveyed downward by the downward conveying unit 29 and sent out in a horizontal state from the downward conveying unit 29 with a bundling tape, thereby producing bundled banknotes in which the loose banknotes S are bundled together in a predetermined bundling unit number and integrated with the bundling tape.

[0040] Furthermore, the bundling part 28 includes an external discharge unit 31 below the bundling mechanism part 30 that discharges the bundled banknotes produced by the bundling mechanism part 30 outside the machine. The external discharge unit 31 is, for example, capable of receiving the bundled banknotes and can be pulled out from the front surface of the machine body 32 of the bundling unit 3b. Note that the external discharge unit 31 may be provided on the front side of the bundling mechanism part 30 and configured to convey the bundled banknotes to a bundled banknote discharge port (not shown) provided on the front surface of the machine body 32 and discharge the bundled banknotes outside the machine from the bundled banknote discharge port.

[0041] Inside the bundling unit 3b, a control unit 33 is provided that receives a control command from the control unit 21 and controls the bundling unit 3b.

[0042] In this way, the bundling unit 3b conveys the banknote S received from the integrating unit 3a to the alignment and integration units 27a and 27b by the connecting conveyance unit 26a and the processing conveyance unit 26b, and conveys the banknote S from the alignment and integration units 27a and 27b to the bundling unit 28 by the downward conveyance unit 29. Then, the bundling unit 28 performs a bundling process on the banknote S identified as the processing target.

[0043] <Configuration of the intake unit> As shown in FIG. 2, on the front surface 34 of the base unit 2, there is provided a touch panel type operation display unit 35 for operation input by the operator and for displaying information to the operator. Further, the base unit 2 is provided with a gesture sensor 36 for detecting the movement of the operator.

[0044] The feed roller 9 includes a pair of roller bodies 9a provided at a predetermined interval from each other in the front-rear direction. The pair of roller bodies 9a are adapted to rotate around the same axis along the front-rear direction. In the intake unit 5, a residual sensor 37 for detecting the residue of the banknote S on the bottom surface 6 is provided between the pair of roller bodies 9a.

[0045] On the rear wall surface portion 7, a pair of guide grooves 38 extending in the vertical direction of the bottom surface 6 are formed. The pair of guide grooves 38 are arranged at equal intervals in the front and rear with respect to the central position in the front-rear direction of the rear wall surface portion 7.

[0046] A remaining amount sensor 39 is provided at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the bottom surface 6 between the pair of guide grooves 38. The remaining amount sensor 39 detects whether the height of the banknote S placed on the bottom surface 6 is equal to or higher than the position of the remaining amount sensor 39 or lower than the position of the remaining amount sensor 39. Hereinafter, the quantity of the banknote S corresponding to the height of the banknote S that can be detected by the remaining amount sensor 39 is referred to as the "detectable quantity".

[0047] The intake unit 5 is configured to be able to change the distance between them in a plurality of steps, and includes a pair of guide members 40 and 41 for positioning the banknote S placed on the bottom surface 6 in the front-rear direction.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the guide member 40 includes a flat guide wall portion 40a, a flat mounting portion 40b that extends in the thickness direction of the guide wall portion 40a, and a flat extension portion 40c that extends obliquely with respect to the guide wall portion 40a. A plurality of long-hole-shaped mounting holes (not shown) are formed in the mounting portion 40b.

[0049] The guide wall portion 40a is formed in a substantially L shape with its upper part protruding to the left in the left-right direction from the mounting portion 40b, thereby forming an opening 40d through which the end portion of the building press 100 is inserted.

[0050] The guide member 41 has a configuration substantially the same as that of the guide member 40, except that it is formed with different sizes and is symmetric about the left and right. The guide member 41 includes a flat guide wall portion 41a, a flat mounting portion 41b that extends in the thickness direction of the guide wall portion 41a, and a flat extension portion 41c that extends obliquely with respect to the guide wall portion 41a. A plurality of long-hole-shaped mounting holes (not shown) are provided in the mounting portion 41b so as to align the positions in the front-rear direction with the plurality of mounting holes in the mounting portion 40b.

[0051] The guide wall portion 41a is formed in a substantially L shape with its upper part protruding to the left in the left-right direction from the mounting portion 41b, thereby forming an opening 41d through which the end portion of the building press 100 is inserted.

[0052] On the bottom surface portion 6, four lower guide positioning openings 42 for attaching the lower end of the guide wall portion 40a are provided near the front end portion in the front-rear direction. Further, on the bottom surface portion 6, four lower guide positioning openings 43 for attaching the lower end of the guide wall portion 40a are provided near the rear end portion in the front-rear direction. The lower guide positioning openings 42 and 43 are through holes penetrating the bottom surface portion 6 or concave groove portions recessed from the bottom surface portion 6. The lower guide positioning openings 42 and 43 are respectively arranged symmetrically about the center of the bottom surface portion 6 in the front-rear direction.

[0053] FIG. 3 illustrates a state in which the guide wall portions 40a and 41a are respectively attached to the innermost one of the four lower guide positioning openings 42 and 43, and FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the guide wall portions 40a and 41a are respectively attached to the outermost one of the four lower guide positioning openings 42 and 43.

[0054] The intake portion 5 includes a front standing wall 44 that rises to the right in the left - right direction from the front edge portion in the front - rear direction of the back wall surface portion 7, and a rear standing wall 45 that rises to the right in the left - right direction from the rear edge portion in the front - rear direction of the back wall surface portion 7. The front standing wall 44 and the rear standing wall 45 are formed perpendicular to the bottom surface portion 6 and the back wall surface portion 7.

[0055] A guide attachment portion 46 for attaching the attachment portion 40b is provided on the front standing wall 44. The guide attachment portion 46 extends forward in the front - rear direction from the right edge portion in the left - right direction of the front standing wall 44. A plurality of screw holes (not shown) are formed in the guide attachment portion 46. In a state where the attachment portion 40b is overlapped with the guide attachment portion 46, the guide member 40 is attached to the guide attachment portion 46 by fastening the attachment hole of the attachment portion 40b and the screw holes of the guide attachment portion 46 with attachment screws (not shown).

[0056] Also, a guide attachment portion 47 for attaching the attachment portion 41b is provided on the rear standing wall 45. The guide attachment portion 47 extends forward in the front - rear direction from the right edge portion in the left - right direction of the rear standing wall 45. The guide attachment portion 47 is provided with a plurality of screw holes (not shown) formed in alignment with the plurality of screw holes of the guide attachment portion 46 in the front - rear direction. In a state where the attachment portion 41b is overlapped with the guide attachment portion 47, the guide member 41 is attached to the guide attachment portion 47 by screwing the attachment hole of the attachment portion 41b and the screw holes of the guide attachment portion 47 with attachment screws (not shown).

[0057] In this way, the distance between the guide members 40 and 41 attached to the lower guide positioning openings 42 and 43 can be appropriately adjusted according to the longitudinal dimension of any of the banknotes S that can be processed by the banknote processing apparatus 1, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Note that the upper ends of the guide wall portions 40a and 41a are respectively supported by upper guide positioning openings 48 and 49 (see FIG. 9) formed in the back wall surface portion 7.

[0058] <Building Press 100> Next, the configuration of the building press 100 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the building press 100 includes a main pressing portion 110, a first auxiliary pressing portion 120, and a second auxiliary pressing portion 130. The main pressing portion 110 includes a cover 111 that covers the frame 112.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the main pressing portion 110 includes a frame 112 and a weight 113 that is detachably attached to the frame 112. A pair of support arms 114 project from the left end in the left-right direction of the frame 112. The support arms 114 pass through a pair of guide grooves 38 and are connected to a pressing drive mechanism (not shown) in the base unit 2. The pressing drive mechanism slides the building press 100 up and down along the back wall surface portion 7 by driving the pair of support arms 114 to move up and down.

[0060] A support roller 115 that can rotate on the back wall surface portion 7 is provided on the back surface of the frame 112. The support roller 115 is rotatably supported around a rotation axis 115a along the front-rear direction. The bottom surface 116 of the frame 112 is formed to be substantially flat and can contact the approximate center of the banknote S. In this embodiment, the approximate center of the banknote S means a region including the center of the banknote S when the banknote S is evenly divided into three regions in the longitudinal direction, but it is not limited thereto.

[0061] The first auxiliary pressing portion 120 and the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 are respectively provided on opposite sides in the front-rear direction with the main pressing portion 110 interposed therebetween. The proximal ends of the first auxiliary pressing portion 120 and the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 are each supported such that both ends are pivotally supported by the frame 112 and are swingable about a rotation axis 117 extending in the left-right direction.

[0062] The first auxiliary pressing portion 120 exhibits a substantially flat wing shape formed such that the width gradually narrows from the center in the front-rear direction toward the front side. The first auxiliary pressing portion 120 is formed in an L-shaped cross section from the center to the middle, and a bending portion 121 for improving the strength is formed at the right end in the left-right direction. A tip portion 122 having a width that allows passage through the opening 40d is provided at the tip of the first auxiliary pressing portion 120. The bottom surface 123 of the first auxiliary pressing portion 120 is formed substantially flat and can contact the front region of the banknote S. In this embodiment, the front region of the banknote S means the front region in the front-rear direction when the banknote S is evenly divided into three regions in the longitudinal direction, but is not limited thereto.

[0063] The second auxiliary pressing portion 130 exhibits a substantially flat wing shape formed such that the width gradually narrows from the center in the front-rear direction toward the rear side. The second auxiliary pressing portion 130 is formed in an L-shaped cross section from the center to the middle, and a bending portion 131 for improving the strength is formed at the right end in the left-right direction. A tip portion 132 having a width that allows passage through the opening 41d is provided at the tip of the second auxiliary pressing portion 130. The bottom surface 133 of the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 is formed substantially flat and can contact the rear region of the banknote S. In this embodiment, the rear region of the banknote S means the rear region in the front-rear direction when the banknote S is evenly divided into three regions in the longitudinal direction, but is not limited thereto.

[0064] The length in the front - rear direction from the tip 122 of the first auxiliary pressing part 120 to the tip 132 of the second auxiliary pressing part 130 is set to be substantially the same as the interval between the front standing wall 44 and the rear standing wall 45. The length in the front - rear direction from the front end of the bending part 121 of the first auxiliary pressing part 120 to the rear end of the bending part 131 of the second auxiliary pressing part 130 is set to be substantially the same as the minimum interval of the guide members 40 and 41.

[0065] When the building press 100 is in standby, the first auxiliary pressing part 120 and the second auxiliary pressing part 130 are configured to maintain a horizontal posture during standby by their own weights or a downward biasing force in the vertical direction by a coil spring (not shown). At this time, the bottom surfaces 116, 123, and 133 are substantially flush.

[0066] On the other hand, when an upward force acts on the bottom surface 123, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the first auxiliary pressing part 120 swings clockwise in the plane of the paper of FIG. 8 about the rotation axis 117. Also, when an upward force acts on the bottom surface 1 3 3, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the second auxiliary pressing part 130 swings counter - clockwise in the plane of the paper of FIG. 8 about the rotation axis 117.

[0067] In this embodiment, the first auxiliary pressing part 120 and the second auxiliary pressing part 130 are arranged side by side in the front - rear direction in order to stably press a long bill S in the front - rear direction over a wide range. However, when it is possible to stably press the bill S with only one of the first auxiliary pressing part 120 or the second auxiliary pressing part 130 for a bill S or the like having a relatively short longitudinal dimension, the other of the first auxiliary pressing part 120 or the second auxiliary pressing part 130 may be omitted.

[0068] <Operation> Next, the operation of the banknote processing apparatus 1 will be described. First, according to the width dimension of the banknote S to be taken into the connecting unit 3, the interval between the guide members 40 and 41 is adjusted.

[0069] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tip portion 122 extends to the vicinity of the front standing wall 44 without interfering with the guide member 40 through the opening 40d, and the tip portion 132 extends to the vicinity of the rear standing wall 45 without interfering with the guide member 41 through the opening 41d. That is, the main pressing portion 110, the first auxiliary pressing portion 120, and the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 are provided so as to cover the bottom surface portion 6 in the front-rear direction when viewed from the plane.

[0070] The building press 100 is arranged at a predetermined retracted position located substantially in the middle in the vertical direction of the back wall surface portion 7 during standby. At this time, each of the bottom surfaces 116, 123, and 133 is located above the remaining amount sensor 39.

[0071] When the banknote S to be processed is placed in an accumulated state between the guide members 40 and 41 and on the bottom surface portion 6 by the operator, the banknote S is positioned substantially at the center in the front-rear direction within the taking-in portion 5 by the guide members 40 and 41.

[0072] Next, when an unillustrated "up / down" button displayed on the operation display unit 35 is pressed by the operator, the control unit 21 causes the remaining amount sensor 39 to detect the number of banknotes S placed in the taking-in portion 5 on the condition that the residual sensor 37 detects the banknote S and the gesture sensor 36 detects that the position of the operator's hand has moved away from the gesture sensor 36 by a predetermined distance.

[0073] When the number of banknotes S is less than the detectable number, the control unit 21 moves the building press 100 downward by an unillustrated pressing drive mechanism and presses the banknote S with the building press 100. At this time, when the banknotes S are stacked substantially horizontally, the main pressing portion 110, the first auxiliary pressing portion 120, and the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 abut on the banknote S with the flush bottom surfaces 116, 123, and 133 and press the banknote S uniformly downward.

[0074] However, as shown in FIG. 10, when fine protrusions B for identifying the type and preventing forgery are formed at the longitudinal ends of the banknote S and the banknotes S with non-uniform thickness are stacked, as shown in FIG. 9, height variations occur where the portions where the protrusions B overlap among the stacked banknotes S (the right side of the paper surface in FIG. 9) become locally higher.

[0075] Therefore, the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 swings around the rotation shaft 117 according to the height variations of the stacked banknotes S. As a result, while the main pressing portion 110 and the first auxiliary pressing portion 120 press the banknote S in a horizontal posture, the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 presses the banknote S in an inclined posture, so that the banknote S is pressed over the entire surface in the front-rear direction.

[0076] On the other hand, when the number of banknotes S is equal to or more than the detectable quantity, the control unit 21 does not cause the bill press 100 to perform pressing and keeps the bill press 100 in the retracted position.

[0077] Next, when an unillustrated "start" button displayed on the operation display unit 35 is pressed by the operator, the control unit 21 causes the banknotes S stacked in the taking-in unit 5 to be taken in from the taking-in port 8 by the feed roller 9, the taking-in roller 10, and the separating roller 11.

[0078] At this time, when the number of banknotes S is less than the detectable quantity, the control unit 21 causes the banknotes S to be taken in while pressing the banknotes S toward the bottom surface portion 6 by the bill press 100. The control unit 21 lowers the bill press 100 by a pressing drive mechanism as the taking-in of the banknotes S progresses.

[0079] On the other hand, when the number of banknotes S is equal to or more than the detectable quantity, the control unit 21 first causes the banknotes S to be taken in from the taking-in port 8 with the bill press 100 located at the retracted position not pressing the banknotes S, and then, when the number of banknotes S placed on the bottom surface portion 6 becomes less than the detectable quantity, the control unit 21 moves the bill press 100 downward by a pressing drive mechanism and causes the banknotes S to be taken in from the taking-in port 8 while pressing the banknotes S with the bill press 100.

[0080] Then, the control unit 21 cooperates with the control units 25 and 33 to cause the identification and counting unit 14 to identify and count the banknotes S taken into the interior of the banknote processing apparatus 1 while being conveyed by the identification conveyance unit 13, and convey the identified and counted banknotes S that are to be processed by the connection unit 3 to the connection unit 3 by the connection conveyance unit 15, and cause the connection unit 3 to perform stacking processing or bundling processing. On the other hand, banknotes S other than those to be processed by the connection unit 3 are conveyed to the reject unit 16 by the reject conveyance unit 17.

[0081] In addition, when the banknote S is reinserted (additional inserted) into the intake unit 5, when the control unit 21 detects by the gesture sensor 36 that the operator's hand is within a predetermined distance from the gesture sensor 36, the bill press 100 is moved upward by a predetermined distance by the pressing drive mechanism.

[0082] When the banknote S is reinserted (additional inserted) into the intake unit 5 by the operator, the banknote processing apparatus 1, in the same procedure as described above, the control unit 21 causes the remaining amount sensor 39 to detect the quantity of the banknotes S placed on the intake unit 5 on the condition that the residual sensor 37 detects the banknotes S and the gesture sensor 36 detects that the position of the operator's hand has moved away from the gesture sensor 36 by a predetermined distance.

[0083] And, when the quantity of the banknotes S is less than the detectable quantity, the bill press 100 is moved downward by the pressing drive mechanism, and the banknotes S are pressed against the bottom surface portion 6 side by the bill press 100.

[0084] On the other hand, when the quantity of the banknotes S is equal to or more than the detectable quantity, the pressing of the banknotes S by the bill press 100 is not performed, and the bill press 100 is disposed at the retracted position. In addition, when reinserting the banknote S while the banknote S is being taken into the intake unit 5, it is performed without temporarily stopping the intake of the banknote S. When the intake of the banknote S in the intake unit 5 proceeds and the residual sensor 37 no longer detects the banknote S, the control unit 21 moves the bill press 100 upward by the pressing drive mechanism to return it to the retracted position.

[0085] In this way, the banknote processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is a banknote processing apparatus 1 that presses the banknote S placed on the intake unit 5 toward the feed roller 9 with the bill press 100 and takes the banknote S into the machine body 4. The bill press 100 is provided so as to be movable up and down within the intake unit 5, and includes a main pressing unit 110 capable of pressing the approximate center of the banknote S, and a first auxiliary pressing unit 120 and a second auxiliary pressing unit 130 that are provided independently of the main pressing unit 110 and capable of pressing a region excluding the approximate center of the banknote S.

[0086] With such a configuration, even when there is a height variation in the banknotes S in which the convex portions B of the banknotes S overlap and are accumulated in the intake unit 5, the main pressing unit 110 presses the approximate center of the banknote S, and the first auxiliary pressing unit 120 and the second auxiliary pressing unit 130 can press the banknote S in a state of swinging according to the height of the banknote S. As a result, uneven hitting where the bill press 100 hits a part of the banknote S is suppressed, and the banknote S is stably pressed toward the feed roller 9 over a wide range. Therefore, the banknote S can be smoothly fed into the machine body 4.

[0087] Further, the banknote processing apparatus 1 is configured such that the first auxiliary pressing unit 120 and the second auxiliary pressing unit 130 are respectively arranged in the front-rear direction along the longitudinal direction of the banknote S with respect to the main pressing unit 110.

[0088] With such a configuration, since the first auxiliary pressing unit 120 and the second auxiliary pressing unit 130 are arranged on both sides in the front-rear direction of the main pressing unit 110, the banknote S that is long in the front-rear direction can be stably pressed over a wide range. Therefore, the banknote S can be smoothly fed into the machine body 4.

[0089] Further, the banknote processing apparatus 1 is configured such that the first auxiliary pressing unit 120 and the second auxiliary pressing unit 130 are connected to the main pressing unit 110 via a rotating shaft 117 provided along the left-right direction, and are configured to be movable up and down within the intake unit 5 in conjunction with the main pressing unit 110 and to be swingable around the rotating shaft 117.

[0090] With such a configuration, the first auxiliary pressing portion 120 and the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 can move up and down in the taking-in portion 5 in conjunction with the main pressing portion 110 and swing around the rotation shaft 117 according to the height of the banknote S. As a result, uneven hitting of the bill press 100 can be suppressed with a simple configuration, and the banknote S can be smoothly fed into the machine body 4.

[0091] <Modification Example> Further, the bill press 100 is not limited to the above-described configuration, and may be any configuration as long as it can locally press the banknote S according to the height of the banknote S when the height of the stacked banknotes S is not uniform.

[0092] For example, the first auxiliary pressing portion 120 and the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 are not limited to being connected to the main pressing portion 110 via the rotation shaft 117 and moving up and down in the taking-in portion 5 in conjunction with the main pressing portion 110, and may be configured to be able to move up and down in the taking-in portion 5 independently of the main pressing portion 110. Such first auxiliary pressing portion 120 and second auxiliary pressing portion 130 may be configured, for example, in the same manner as the main pressing portion 110, to be connected to a pressing drive mechanism (not shown) and slide up and down along the back wall surface portion 7.

[0093] According to this configuration, since the first auxiliary pressing portion 120 and the second auxiliary pressing portion 130 move up and down in the taking-in portion 5 independently of the main pressing portion 110, it is possible to cope with the height variation of the banknotes S stacked in the taking-in portion 5, and thus the banknote S can be accurately fed into the machine body 4.

[0094] Also, when processing a banknote S having a convex portion B formed at the end in the short side direction, a third auxiliary pressing portion may be provided on the right side in the left-right direction along the short side direction of the banknote S with respect to the main pressing portion 110. At this time, the left end portion of the third auxiliary pressing portion is supported by the frame 112 so as to be swingable around a rotation shaft (not shown) along the front-rear direction, and the third auxiliary pressing portion maintains a horizontal posture during standby by its own weight or a downward biasing force in the vertical direction by a coil spring (not shown). When the right side in the left-right direction of the stacked banknotes S is locally high, a configuration such as locally pressing the right side in the left-right direction of the banknote S can be considered.

[0095] According to this configuration, the third auxiliary pressing part arranged on the right side in the left-right direction of the main pressing part 110 can stably press the banknote S formed at the end in the short side direction and smoothly feed it into the machine body 4.

[0096] In addition, the present invention can make various modifications other than those described above as long as it does not depart from the spirit of the present invention, and it is natural that the present invention extends to the modified ones. Furthermore, any of the above-described embodiments and modified examples may be combined, or all of them may be combined.

[0097] The object to be processed by the sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to an apparatus for processing all kinds of sheets such as commodity vouchers, checks, promissory notes, etc., in addition to banknotes and other valuable securities.

Explanation of Signs

[0098] 1: Banknote processing apparatus 2: Base machine 3: Connecting unit 4: Machine body 5: Taking-in part 6: Bottom surface part 7: Rear wall surface part 8: Taking-in port 9: Feed roller 100: Bill press 110: Main pressing part 111: Cover 112: Frame 113: Weight 114: Support arm 115: Support roller 116: Bottom surface 117: Rotation shaft 120: First auxiliary pressing part 121: (Bending part of the first auxiliary pressing part) 122: (Tip part of the first auxiliary pressing part) 123: (Bottom surface of the first auxiliary pressing part) 130: Second auxiliary pressing part 131: (Bending part of the second auxiliary pressing part) 132: Tip (of the second auxiliary pressing part) 133: Bottom surface (of the second auxiliary pressing part)

Claims

1. A paper sheet processing apparatus that presses paper sheets placed on a loading unit toward a feed roller with a building press and takes the paper sheets into the machine body, wherein the building press is provided so as to be movable up and down within the loading unit, and includes a main pressing portion capable of pressing substantially the center of the paper sheets, and an auxiliary pressing portion provided on the main pressing portion and capable of pressing a region excluding substantially the center of the paper sheets, and is configured such that the auxiliary pressing portion is connected to the main pressing portion via a rotating shaft, is configured to be movable up and down within the loading unit in conjunction with the main pressing portion, is provided so as to be swingable around the rotating shaft, and is configured to maintain a horizontal posture when the building press is on standby, the bottom surface of the main pressing portion and the bottom surface of the auxiliary pressing portion are formed flat, and when the building press is on standby, the bottom surface of the main pressing portion and the bottom surface of the auxiliary pressing portion are substantially flush with each other. A paper sheet processing apparatus characterized by this.

2. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary pressing portions are respectively arranged in the front-rear direction along the longitudinal direction of the paper sheets with respect to the main pressing portion.

3. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotating shaft is provided along the left-right direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

4. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the auxiliary pressing portions are arranged in the left-right direction along the short-side direction of the paper sheets with respect to the main pressing portion.

5. further comprising a loading port for taking the paper sheets placed on the loading unit into the machine body, and the paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary pressing portion is provided on the side opposite to the loading port within the loading unit with respect to the main pressing portion in the left-right direction along the short-side direction of the paper sheets.

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