Banknote processing device and automatic transaction device

Abstract

To reduce the size of a mounting space and prevent banknotes from being retained outside a collection area.SOLUTION: A banknote processor includes a roller and a lever that prevent collisions between banknotes transported from an upper part of a deposit / withdrawal slot, a wheel that transports the banknotes up to a collection area, and a pressure plate that keeps the banknotes transported into the collection area by the wheel, the roller and the lever in the collection area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a banknote processing device and an automatic transaction device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, automated teller machines used in financial institutions are equipped with a banknote handling device that includes a banknote deposit / withdrawal safe, a banknote validator, a temporary storage box, a rejected banknote safe, a recycle box, a banknote transport / diverter mechanism, and a banknote transport path.

[0003] The banknote deposit and withdrawal safe dispenses banknotes to be withdrawn by the user or feeds the deposited banknotes inserted by the user into the device one by one. The banknote discrimination unit discriminates the deposited and withdrawn banknotes. The temporary storage cabinet temporarily stores the deposited banknotes and, after the user has finished using them, moves them to the recycling cabinet or returns them to the deposit and withdrawal safe.

[0004] The rejected banknote vault stores rejected banknotes that are determined by the banknote validator not to meet the specified standards. The recycle vault stores the stored deposited banknotes and dispenses them as dispensing banknotes. The banknote transport and branching mechanism switches between multiple connection destinations to connect each vault to another. The banknote transport path has transport guides that guide banknotes. The banknote transport and branching mechanism is provided midway along the banknote transport path.

[0005] Conventionally, banknote deposit and withdrawal safes have a mechanism that either dispenses the banknotes inserted by the user one by one, or receives and retains the dispensed banknotes within the safe.The deposit and withdrawal safe is equipped with a mechanism that combines two or three types of rollers to dispense banknotes, and a mechanism that retains the banknotes that have been transported inside the safe.

[0006] When stacking transported banknotes, not only the roller combination mechanism described above but also stacking mechanisms using vane-shaped wheels have been disclosed, for example, as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-180732 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-26118 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In conventional banknote stacking mechanisms using impeller-shaped wheels, a transport path is set up to transport banknotes from above the wheel, and the transported banknotes are inserted into the impeller part to be clamped.By rotating the wheel by more than 90 degrees, the rear end of the clamped banknote is significantly retracted, preventing poor stacking due to collisions with subsequent banknotes.

[0009] Furthermore, pressure plates are often used in conjunction with a stacking mechanism that combines two or three types of rollers. The banknote transport path is set up so that banknotes are transported from the bottom of the stacking chamber, and the roller stacking mechanism is attached to it. Banknotes transported into the stacking chamber from the bottom by the roller stacking mechanism are moved to the stacking area using a pressure plate, and the trajectory of the pressure plate passes directly above the roller mechanism that feeds the banknotes.

[0010] However, a wheel stacking mechanism requires a considerable amount of space to rotate the wheel by more than 90 degrees, which increases the size of the mounting area and makes it easy for bills to fall out of the wheel during rotation.Falling bills end up staying in a location other than the bill stacking area.

[0011] In the conventional system, the pressure plate passes directly above the roller mechanism, and depending on the position of the trapped banknotes, they can be pushed into a location other than the range of the stacking area, making it difficult for the maintenance staff to find them, and it takes time to recover from the malfunction.

[0012] An object of the present invention is to reduce the mounting space and prevent banknotes from accumulating outside the stacking area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] One aspect of the banknote processing device of the present invention is a banknote processing device for transporting banknotes transported from the top of a deposit / withdrawal port via a transport path into an accumulation area, and is characterized by having rollers and levers for preventing collisions between the banknotes transported from the top of the deposit / withdrawal port, a wheel for transporting the banknotes to the accumulation area, and a pressure plate for retaining the banknotes transported into the accumulation area by the wheel, roller, and lever in the accumulation area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the mounting space and prevent banknotes from accumulating outside the stacking area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an automated teller machine. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the banknote processing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the schematic configuration of the mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a schematic configuration of a mechanism of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a banknote transport mechanism using wheels. [Figure 6A] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a banknote collision prevention mechanism using a lever and a roller. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a banknote collision prevention mechanism using a lever and a roller. [Figure 6C] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a banknote collision prevention mechanism using a lever and a roller. [Figure 6D] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a banknote collision prevention mechanism using a lever and a roller. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the pressing plate to the accumulation area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an automated teller machine. In Figure 1, an automated teller machine 100, which is an example of an "automated teller machine," internally comprises a banknote processing device 101, a card and receipt processing device 102, a passbook processing device 103, a user operation unit 104, and a main body control unit 105. The banknote processing device 101 receives banknotes from users and dispenses banknotes to users. The card and receipt processing device 102 processes a card inserted by a user, and prints and dispenses a transaction receipt.

[0018] The bankbook processing device 103 records the transaction details in the bankbook inserted by the user. The user operation unit 104 displays operation guides to the user and accepts instructions input from the user. The main body control unit 105 monitors and controls each of these devices. Here, banknotes are an example of paper sheets. Below, we will explain the banknote handling device 101 that handles banknotes.

[0019] FIG. 2 is a side view of the banknote handling machine 101. As shown in FIG. The banknote handling machine 101 includes a deposit / withdrawal unit 70, a banknote discrimination unit 71, a temporary holding unit 72, a reject unit 73, a recycling unit 74, a banknote transport path 75, and a control unit 76. These elements 70 to 76 may also be called a unit.

[0020] The depositing / withdrawing unit 70 is a unit that feeds banknotes inserted by a user one by one onto the banknote transport path 75, and also accumulates the banknotes transported via the banknote transport path 75 and dispenses the banknotes so that the user can take them out. A mechanism for feeding and accumulating banknotes is, for example, a device made up of two or three types of rollers. This accumulation mechanism using rollers is installed below the depositing / withdrawing unit 70, and accordingly, the transport path 75 leading to the depositing / withdrawing unit 70 is also installed below the depositing / withdrawing unit 70.

[0021] Banknotes transported from the transport path 75 are transported from the bottom of the deposit / withdrawal unit 70 to a stacking area of the deposit / withdrawal unit 70 by this roller mechanism. Alternatively, banknotes deposited by a user are fed one by one to the transport path 75 by this roller stacking mechanism. There is also a wheel-based stacking mechanism (see FIG. 3), which will be described later, that only stacks transported banknotes. In this wheel-based stacking mechanism, the transport path 75 is installed above the deposit / withdrawal unit 70, and banknotes transported from the transport path 75 are transported from the top of the deposit / withdrawal unit 70 to the wheel stacking mechanism.

[0022] The bill validator 71 measures the optical and magnetic characteristics of bills to determine their denomination and authenticity. Based on the information from the validator 71, the bills are sorted into a recycle unit 74, a reject unit 73, or the like.

[0023] The temporary storage unit 72 temporarily stores the banknotes until the transaction is completed, and if the user approves the transaction, the banknotes are stored in the recycling unit 74. If the user does not approve the transaction, the banknotes are transported to the deposit / withdrawal unit 70 and returned to the user.

[0024] The reject unit 73 is a safe that stores banknotes for which a deposit transaction has been completed, and stores banknotes that have only been deposited and banknotes that are unsuitable for handling by the banknote handling device 101. Banknotes that are unsuitable for handling by the banknote handling device 101 are banknotes that have cuts or folds, and banknotes that have been transported at an angle.

[0025] The recycle unit 74 has a stacking / separating device that can be used for both depositing and dispensing banknotes. The stacking / separating device stores banknotes inserted by users, and feeds the stored banknotes to the banknote transport path 75 according to the transaction, and dispenses them to the user. Note that the banknote handling device 101 in Fig. 2 is an example in which one reject unit 73 and three recycle units 74 are installed. However, these reject units 73 and recycle units 74 can be combined freely, and the number of installed units can also be set freely.

[0026] The transport path 75 transports the banknotes to each unit. The transport path 75 has transport rollers and a direction switching gate, and the transport direction of the banknotes can be switched for each transaction operation.

[0027] The control unit 76 monitors and controls each unit. The control unit 76 is electrically connected to the main body control unit 105 of the automated teller machine 100. The control unit 76 controls the banknote handling device 101 in response to commands from the main body control unit 105, and also reports the state of the banknote handling device 101 to the main body control unit 105.

[0028] 3 and 4 are a side view and a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the wheel stacking mechanism 1 of the banknote processing device mounted in the depositing / dispensing unit 70. FIG.

[0029] The wheel accumulation mechanism 1 comprises an upper conveying guide 8 and a lower conveying guide 9 installed at the top of the accumulation mechanism, a blade-shaped wheel 2 that clamps banknotes conveyed in the direction of the arrow from a conveying path 75 composed of conveying rollers (not shown), a shuriken-shaped roller 3 and lever 5 that are mechanisms for preventing collisions between conveyed banknotes, and a pressure plate 4 that also functions as a conveying guide.

[0030] Beyond the wheel accumulation mechanism 1 are an accumulation area 7 and a partition plate 11 that moves according to the number of banknotes transported by the wheels 2. The two wheels 2 are attached to the same rotation shaft 2a.

[0031] The shuriken-shaped roller 3 is attached to the same roller boss as the transport path roller 6b. The roller boss is fitted onto a rotation shaft 3a fixed to a sheet metal part (not shown), and is structured so that it can rotate in any direction. The transport roller 6b is in contact with the transport roller 6a located below. Therefore, the transport roller 6b and the shuriken-shaped roller 3 rotate together in accordance with the rotation of the transport roller 6a.

[0032] Lever 5 is attached to an independent rotating shaft 5a, and is held in a protruding state from the surface of pressure plate 4 by a spring (not shown) when banknotes are not being transported. When banknotes are being transported, it is designed to move downward as the banknotes pass through. Pressure plate 4 is positioned so as to overlap rotating shaft 2a to which wheel 2 is attached and rotating shaft 6c to which transport roller 6a is attached, and also functions as a transport path for banknotes between transport roller 6a and wheel 2. Pressure plate 4 itself is fixed to a shaft (not shown), and is designed to move back and forth in accordance with the movement of this shaft.

[0033] The accumulation area 7 indicates the area where the transported banknotes are stored by the wheel accumulation mechanism 1, and the upper part is directly connected to the opening and closing port of the deposit / withdrawal unit 70. The partition plate 11 moves depending on the transaction content; for example, when depositing money, it moves toward the wheel accumulation mechanism to secure the deposit port, and when withdrawing money, it moves in the opposite direction to create a space where the withdrawn banknotes can accumulate.

[0034] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a bill transport mechanism using the wheel 2. The upper conveying guide 8 has an arc-shaped front portion that follows the outer periphery of the conveying roller 6a. As a result, the banknotes 12 conveyed from the conveying path 75 are sandwiched between the conveying roller 6a and the conveying roller 6b (not shown), change course in the direction in which the wheel 2 is installed so as to follow the arc shape of the upper conveying guide 8, and are conveyed to the wheel 2 so as to follow the surface of the pressure plate 4 attached at an angle.

[0035] Like the transport roller 6a, the wheel 2 also rotates when the banknotes 12 are transported, and this is controlled by the device's control unit 76. The banknotes 12 transported from the transport roller 6a are clamped one by one in the gaps between the blade-shaped parts of the wheel 2, and when the long part of the banknote 12 comes into contact with the bottom plate 10, it is separated from the wheel 2 and remains in the accumulation area 7 by the partition plate 11 installed in the accumulation area 7.

[0036] At this time, the partition plate 11 is controlled to move in the direction of the arrow in the figure according to the number of transported banknotes 12, thereby preventing the transported banknotes 12 from colliding with each other in the space between the wheel 2 and the partition plate 11.

[0037] While the wheel 2 transports the banknotes 12 from the transport rollers 6a and 6b to the accumulation area 7, the banknotes 12 are merely pinched between the blade-shaped portions of the wheel 2 and are therefore easily removed from the wheel 2.

[0038] Therefore, the longer the transport time by the wheel 2 (the larger the rotation angle of the wheel), the higher the risk of the banknotes 12 falling out along the way. In the conventional technology, the angle at which the banknotes 12 enter the wheel 2 is 90 degrees, so reducing this risk was an issue.

[0039] Therefore, in this embodiment of the present invention, the wheel 2, conveying roller 6a, and pressure plate 4 are arranged so that the plunge angle α of the banknotes 12 conveyed to the wheel 2 is a shallow angle of less than 90 degrees. As a result, the conveying time of the wheel 2 can be shortened, and it becomes possible to reduce stacking problems caused by banknotes 12 falling out during conveyance.

[0040] Here, the entry angle α of the banknotes 12 conveyed to the wheel 2 is preferably 10 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less, for example, 30 degrees.

[0041] 6A to 6D are schematic diagrams of a banknote collision prevention mechanism using a lever 5 and a shuriken-shaped roller 3. The banknote collision that this mechanism aims to solve is a collision between the rear end of a banknote located in front and the front end of a banknote following that banknote. When this banknote collision occurs, the banknotes accumulate around the collision point, causing an obstruction. This banknote collision prevention mechanism will be explained below.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6A, the lever 5 is attached to an independent rotation shaft 5a (see FIG. 3) and a spring (not shown), and is positioned so as to protrude from the surface of the pressure plate 4 until the banknote is transported.

[0043] Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, when the banknote 12 transported from the transport path 75 passes through the lever 5, the force applied from the banknote 12 causes it to move counterclockwise around the rotation axis 5a, so that it follows the surface of the banknote 12.

[0044] Next, as shown in Figure 6C, the shuriken-shaped roller 3 is attached to the same rotation axis as a transport roller 6b (not shown) which is in contact with the transport roller 6a, and when the rear end of the banknote 12 passes over the lever 5, the restoring force of the spring attached to the lever 5 causes the lever 5 to return to the state shown in Figure 6A. At that time, the rear end of the banknote 12 is lifted in accordance with the movement of the lever 5.

[0045] 6D, the rear end of the banknote 12 is raised relative to the front end. The rear end of the banknote 12, which has been raised by the restoring force of the lever 5, is further raised by the tip of the shuriken-shaped roller 3 which continues to rotate, and is then transported to the wheel 2.

[0046] The trailing edge of the succeeding banknote is also lifted by the lever 5 and the shuriken-shaped roller 3. This series of operations prevents collision with the leading edge of the succeeding banknote, reducing banknote accumulation problems.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the movement of the pressure plate. During the transport of banknotes, the pressure plate 4 is installed so as to overlap the rotation axis of the wheel 2 and the rotation axis of the transport roller 6a. After the transport of the banknotes is completed, as shown in FIG. 7, the pressure plate 4 moves across the wheel 2 to the position of the partition plate 11. Specifically, the pressure plate 4 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow, as shown from 4a to 4b. As the pressure plate 4 moves from its original position to the position of the partition plate 11, the pressure plate 4 transports the banknotes remaining in the accumulation area 7 to the partition plate 11.

[0048] In conventional stacking mechanisms, a roller equivalent to wheel 2 that transports banknotes to the stacking area is attached to the bottom of the deposit / withdrawal unit. Because of this, the pressure plate can only pass directly above the roller, and banknotes that are not properly transported to the stacking area (for example, banknotes that are tilted, banknotes that have been damaged due to aging, or banknotes with reduced rigidity) can be pushed out of the stacking area by the pressure plate and cause problems.

[0049] However, as in the present invention, by moving the pressure plate 4 across the wheel 2 that accumulates the banknotes transported from above, it is possible to transport banknotes that are stuck in the wheel 2 or banknotes that have not been transported correctly and are stuck between the wheel 2 and the partition plate 11. As a result, banknotes that have not been transported correctly will no longer be pushed out of the accumulation area, which helps ensure quality.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the stacking device for stacking transported banknotes comprises a vane-shaped wheel 2 that transports the banknotes transported from the top of the device to the stacking area, a shuriken-shaped roller 3 to prevent the transported banknotes from colliding with each other, a lever 5 with a mechanism that bounces up the edges of the banknotes with the restoring force of a spring attached to an independent movable shaft, and a pressure plate 4 that moves across the wheel and discharge port to keep the banknotes transported into the stacking space within the space.

[0051] According to the above embodiment, by setting the positional relationship between the wheel 2 and the conveying path so that the angle of the banknotes entering the wheel is shallower than 90 degrees, it is possible to reduce the required wheel rotation angle and the conveying space that must be secured during rotation, leading to a more compact device.

[0052] According to the above embodiment, by using the shuriken-shaped roller 3 and lever 5 to bounce up the rear ends of banknotes, collisions between banknotes when the wheel 2 transports the banknotes can be reduced.

[0053] According to the above embodiment, the pressure plate 4 can move across the wheel 2 and the discharge port, so that any accumulated banknotes can be kept within the accumulation area, thereby reducing the occurrence of problems caused by losing track of abnormally accumulated banknotes.

[0054] In this way, according to the above embodiment, wheel stacking can be used to achieve compactness. Furthermore, because the pressure plate traverses the wheel, even if a banknote pops out, which is unavoidable with wheel stacking, the banknote remains within the stacking area, ensuring quality and reducing recovery time.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various modifications.

[0056] For example, the relative positions of the conveying path 75 and the wheel 2 may be changed to a shallower angle depending on the space available for installation. This reduces the angle at which the wheel 2 rotates, further reducing the risk of banknotes becoming detached during transport.

[0057] For example, the number of protrusions on the outer periphery of the shuriken-shaped roller 3 may be increased or decreased depending on the space available for installation. Also, the shape may be changed so that the lever 5 functions as a conveyance guide. This is expected to simplify the configuration and improve functionality.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the roller 3 is shaped like a shuriken, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other shapes or members may be used as long as they can prevent collisions between banknotes.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, a vane-shaped wheel 2 was used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other shapes or components may be used as long as they can transport the transported banknotes to the accumulation area. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Wheel accumulation mechanism 2 wheels 3 Shuriken-shaped roller 4 pressure plate 5 Lever 6a Conveyor roller 6b Conveyor roller 7. Accumulation Areas 8 Upper transport guide 9 Lower transport guide 10 Bottom plate 11 Divider 12 Transporting banknotes

Claims

1. A banknote processing device for carrying banknotes transported from an upper portion of a deposit / withdrawal port through a transport path into a stacking area, a roller and a lever for preventing collisions between the banknotes conveyed from the upper part of the deposit / withdrawal port; a wheel for transporting the banknotes to the stacking area; a pressure plate for retaining the banknotes in the stacking area after being transported into the stacking area by the wheel, the roller, and the lever; and The pressing plate is a movable mechanism that is movable so as to cross the discharge port of the conveying path and the wheel, The movable mechanism includes: The retained banknotes are retained in the accumulation area, The device further includes a partition plate that moves in accordance with the number of banknotes conveyed by the wheel, The pressing plate is After the conveyance of the banknotes is completed, the separator moves to the position of the separator so as to cross the wheel, A banknote processing device, characterized in that the banknotes remaining in the accumulation area are transported to the partition plate while the banknote processing device is moving to the position of the partition plate.

2. The wheel is The banknote processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a vane wheel shape capable of holding the banknotes.

3. The roller is a shuriken-shaped device that can lift the rear end of the bill; 2. The banknote processing device according to claim 1, further comprising an independent rotation shaft that follows the movement of the banknotes being transported.

4. The lever is a mechanism having an independent axis and springing up the rear end of the banknote by the restoring force of an attached spring; The banknote processing device according to claim 3, wherein the lever and the roller operate in cooperation to prevent collisions between the banknotes.

5. The banknote processing device according to claim 4, wherein the trailing ends of the banknotes are raised via the roller and the lever, thereby preventing the banknotes from colliding with each other when the banknotes are being transported on the wheel.

6. The banknote processing device according to claim 4, wherein the lever and the roller operate in cooperation to prevent a collision between the banknotes, such as a collision between the rear end of a leading banknote located in front and a front end of a following banknote following the leading banknote.

7. When the trailing end of the preceding banknote passes over the lever, the trailing end of the preceding banknote is lifted in accordance with the movement of the lever by the restoring force of the spring, The banknote processing device according to claim 6, characterized in that the rear end of the lifted preceding banknote is further lifted by the tip of the rotating roller, thereby preventing collision between the rear end of the preceding banknote and the front end of the following banknote.

8. The wheel and the conveying path are 2. The banknote processing device according to claim 1, wherein the positional relationship is set such that an angle at which the banknote enters the wheel is shallower than 90 degrees.

9. The bill entry angle is 9. The banknote processing device according to claim 8, wherein the angle is between 10 degrees and 60 degrees.

10. An automatic transaction device comprising the banknote processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The banknote processing device includes:

11. The automated teller machine according to claim 10, wherein the banknotes are deposited by a user and the banknotes are dispensed to the user.

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