Paper sheet handling equipment

Abstract

To provide a paper sheet processing device which can perform counting work of paper sheets efficiently with as little stopping as possible, while maintaining compactness of the entire device.SOLUTION: A paper sheet processing device includes a double stacker mode in which, after storing a set number of normal paper sheets at a normal paper storage part as a first stacker, a set number of succeeding normal paper sheets can be stored in an abnormal paper storage part as a second stacker, so as to perform in a continuous motion, without stopping the device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing device, and mainly to a paper sheet processing device that counts a large number of paper sheets such as ballot papers and tickets, or counts up to a set number of sheets. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, various methods have been proposed to improve the efficiency of counting sheets using a sheet processing device, as disclosed in the following Prior Art Example 1 (Patent Document 1) and Prior Art Example 2 (Patent Document 2).

[0003] Among paper processing devices, Patent Document 1 describes a conventional example 1 of a paper counting device for counting ballots and other papers. This conventional example 1 includes a paper feed unit, a transport unit, and a paper recovery unit. It is configured to feed a large number of papers one by one from the paper feed unit to the transport unit, count the number of papers during transport, and recover them in the paper recovery unit. In such paper counting devices, transporting papers in a multi-feed or chained state (two sheets misaligned) must be avoided at all costs, as this can lead to an incorrect count and impair the basic functionality of the counting device. To address the multi-feed or chained state, the conventional example 1 employs a transmissive optical sensor or the like in the transport unit to detect multi-feed or chained papers. When a multi-feed is detected, the device is configured to brake one of a pair of transport rollers, for example, to shift the multi-feed papers apart and eliminate the multi-feed state.

[0004] Furthermore, in contrast to Prior Art 1, which separates double-fed sheets and the like during counting as described above, a sheet counting device (Prior Art 2) has been developed that, in order to maintain high-speed counting, includes a main conveyance section connected to a paper feed section, and a normal paper conveyance section and an abnormal paper conveyance section branching off from the conveyance terminal end of the main conveyance section via a switching mechanism, and when a sheet is identified as normal, it ejects the normal sheet to the normal paper conveyance section, and when it is identified as abnormal, it switches to the abnormal paper conveyance section and ejects the abnormal sheet to the abnormal paper conveyance section. As described in Patent Document 2, the switching mechanism of Prior Art 2 is configured to operate a switching gate member by a combination of an electromagnetic solenoid valve and a return spring. [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-157103 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 1-237781 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in a configuration like the above-mentioned conventional example 1, where overlapping or chained sheets of paper are separated within the conveying section during counting, time and space are required for the separation work, and therefore the conveying path of the conveying section must be extended or the conveying speed of the conveying section must be set slower, which inevitably increases the size of the entire device and reduces work efficiency. In particular, in tasks that require high-speed and accurate counting, such as ballot papers, these may not be able to fully meet the requirements.

[0006] Furthermore, as in the above-mentioned conventional example 2, if a configuration is adopted in which normal sheets sent from the paper feed unit are discharged to the normal paper transport unit and abnormal sheets are discharged to the abnormal paper transport unit via a switching mechanism, the operation can be continued without stopping the device even when abnormal sheets are identified, thereby increasing the efficiency of the paper sheet counting operation. However, if the paper sheet storage unit in either the normal paper transport unit or the abnormal paper transport unit is full, or if the set number of sheets in the paper sheet storage unit in the normal paper transport unit has been reached, the device must be stopped and the operation must be suspended.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet processing apparatus that can efficiently perform the counting of paper sheets with as little interruption as possible while maintaining the compactness of the entire apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the Paper sheet handling equipment a sheet processing apparatus comprising a paper feed unit that supplies paper sheets of approximately the same shape one by one, a main transport unit that transports the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed unit and counts the paper sheets, an identification mechanism that identifies whether the paper sheets in the main transport unit are normal or abnormal, a normal paper transport unit and an abnormal paper transport unit connected to a transport end of the main transport unit via a switching mechanism, a normal paper storage unit that stores paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport unit, and an abnormal paper storage unit that stores paper sheets transported by the abnormal paper transport unit, wherein when a paper sheet is identified as normal by the identification mechanism, the normal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit, and when a paper sheet is identified as abnormal, the abnormal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit, the switching mechanism comprises a gate member that can be displaced between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit, and a drive mechanism that drives the gate member, The counting modes for counting the number of paper sheets include a standard mode in which normal paper sheets, which are paper sheets identified as normal and transported by the normal paper transport section, are stored in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, and abnormal paper sheets, which are paper sheets identified as abnormal and transported by the abnormal paper transport section, are stored in the abnormal paper storage section; and a double stacker mode in which, after storing the normal paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, the gate member is displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device continues to operate without stopping, and subsequent normal paper sheets are transported by the abnormal paper transport section and stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the preset number of sheets. death, a paper sheet presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of paper sheets stored in the normal paper storage section and the abnormal paper storage section, In the double stacker mode, if an operator removes the paper sheets in the normal paper storage section that have reached the set number before the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the set number, and a state in which there are no paper sheets in the normal paper storage section is detected, the gate member is again displaced to the normal paper identification position so that the device can operate continuously without stopping after the abnormal paper storage section reaches the set number, and the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section by the set number, Furthermore, at that time, if the operator removes the paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section that have reached the set number before the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section by the set number, and it is detected that there are no paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section, the gate member is again displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device can continue to operate without stopping after the normal paper storage section reaches the set number, and the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the set number. It is characterized by the following.

[0009] The invention described in claim 2 is a paper sheet processing apparatus comprising: a paper feed unit that supplies paper sheets of approximately the same shape one by one; a main transport unit that transports the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed unit and counts the paper sheets; an identification mechanism that identifies whether the paper sheets in the main transport unit are normal or abnormal; a normal paper transport unit and an abnormal paper transport unit that are connected to a transport end of the main transport unit via a switching mechanism; a normal paper storage unit that stores the paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport unit; and an abnormal paper storage unit that stores the paper sheets transported by the abnormal paper transport unit, wherein when the paper sheets are identified as normal by the identification mechanism, the normal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit, and when the paper sheets are identified as abnormal, the abnormal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit; the switching mechanism comprises a gate member displaceable between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism that drives the gate member; a standard mode as a counting mode for counting the number of sheets, in which normal sheets, which are sheets identified as normal and transported by the normal sheet transport unit, are stored in the normal sheet storage unit until a preset number is reached, and abnormal sheets, which are sheets identified as abnormal and transported by the abnormal sheet transport unit, are stored in the abnormal sheet storage unit; a double stacker mode configured such that the normal paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section are stored in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, and then the gate member is displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device continues to operate without stopping, and subsequent normal paper sheets are transported by the abnormal paper transport section and stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the preset number of sheets, In the double stacker mode, when the identification mechanism identifies a sheet fed from the sheet feed unit as abnormal, the conveyance of the sheet identified as abnormal is stopped in the main conveyance unit in an emergency, and a warning is displayed to the operator. The present invention is characterized in that the Paper sheet handling equipment is.

[0010] The invention described in claim 3 is a paper sheet processing apparatus comprising: a paper feed unit that supplies paper sheets of approximately the same shape one by one; a main transport unit that transports the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed unit and counts the paper sheets; an identification mechanism that identifies whether the paper sheets in the main transport unit are normal or abnormal; a normal paper transport unit and an abnormal paper transport unit that are connected to a transport end of the main transport unit via a switching mechanism; a normal paper storage unit that stores the paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport unit; and an abnormal paper storage unit that stores the paper sheets transported by the abnormal paper transport unit, wherein when the paper sheets are identified as normal by the identification mechanism, the normal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit, and when the paper sheets are identified as abnormal, the abnormal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit; the switching mechanism comprises a gate member displaceable between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism that drives the gate member; a standard mode as a counting mode for counting the number of sheets, in which normal sheets, which are sheets identified as normal and transported by the normal sheet transport unit, are stored in the normal sheet storage unit until a preset number is reached, and abnormal sheets, which are sheets identified as abnormal and transported by the abnormal sheet transport unit, are stored in the abnormal sheet storage unit; a double stacker mode configured such that the normal paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section are stored in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, and then the gate member is displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device continues to operate without stopping, and subsequent normal paper sheets are transported by the abnormal paper transport section and stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the preset number of sheets, The normal paper storage unit receives the paper sheets discharged from the normal paper transport unit by aligning them on a paper receiving tray using a blade wheel, and the abnormal paper storage unit receives the paper sheets discharged from the abnormal paper transport unit directly on the paper receiving tray without using a blade wheel, The apparatus further includes a control means for controlling the abnormal paper transport unit and the normal paper transport unit so that, in the double stacker mode, the discharge speed of the normal paper sheets when the normal paper sheets are discharged from the abnormal paper transport unit and stored in the abnormal paper storage unit by the set number of sheets is slower than the discharge speed of the normal paper sheets when the normal paper sheets are discharged from the normal paper transport unit and stored in the normal paper storage unit by the set number of sheets. characterized by Paper sheet handling equipment is.

[0011] The invention described in claim 4 is a paper feed unit that supplies paper sheets one by one; a main conveyance unit that conveys the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed unit and counts the paper sheets; an identification mechanism for identifying whether the paper sheets in the main transport section are normal or abnormal; a normal paper transport unit and an abnormal paper transport unit connected to a transport terminal end of the main transport unit; a normal paper storage unit for storing normal paper sheets identified as normal by the identification mechanism; an abnormal paper storage unit for storing abnormal paper sheets identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism; a sheet presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of sheets stored in the abnormal sheet storage section, The counting mode for counting the number of paper sheets is a standard mode in which the normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section and the abnormal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section; and a double stacker mode in which, after the normal paper sheets have been stored in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets has been reached, if the paper sheet presence / absence detection means detects that there are no paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section, subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section. characterized by Paper sheet handling equipment is. The invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that, in the paper sheet processing device described in claim 4, it is provided with a switching mechanism arranged at the transport end of the main transport section, and the switching mechanism is provided with a gate member that can be displaced between a normal paper identification position that connects the normal paper transport section to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position that connects the abnormal paper transport section to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism that drives the gate member. The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that, in the paper sheet processing device described in claim 4 or claim 5, it is provided with a paper sheet presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of paper sheets stored in the normal paper storage section, and in the double stacker mode, if the normal paper sheets in the normal paper storage section are removed by an operator before a preset number of normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section, and the paper sheet presence / absence detection means detects that there are no normal paper sheets in the normal paper storage section, after the normal paper sheets stored in the abnormal paper storage section reach the set number, the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section. The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that, in the paper sheet processing device described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 6, in the double stacker mode, when a paper sheet supplied from the paper feed unit is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, the transport of the paper sheet identified as abnormal is stopped within the main transport unit. The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that, in the paper sheet processing device described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 7, in the double stacker mode, when a paper sheet supplied from the paper feed unit is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, a warning is displayed to the operator. The invention of claim 9 is the paper sheet processing device of any one of claims 1, 2, and 4 to 8, wherein the normal paper storage unit receives the paper sheets discharged from the normal paper transport unit by a blade wheel, and the abnormal paper storage unit receives the paper sheets discharged from the abnormal paper transport unit without using the blade wheel, The double stacker mode is characterized by the provision of a control means for controlling the discharge speed of the normal paper sheets from the abnormal paper transport section to the abnormal paper storage section to be slower than the discharge speed of the normal paper sheets from the normal paper transport section to the normal paper storage section. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 1, In double stacker mode, the device can be operated continuously without stopping by repeating the operation of alternately removing paper sheets from the normal paper storage section that has become full (reaching the set number of sheets) and the abnormal paper storage section that has also become full (reaching the set number of sheets). can be done.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 2, in the double stacker mode, When a sheet fed from the paper feed section is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, the conveyance of the identified sheet is stopped in the main conveyance section and a warning is displayed to the operator. This prevents abnormal sheets from being mixed in, and allows for efficient counting of normal sheets using the two storage sections. It is possible.

[0014] According to the invention described in claim 3, The normal paper storage unit, which receives discharged paper sheets aligned on the paper receiving tray by a blade wheel, aligns the paper sheets stacked on the paper receiving tray better than the abnormal paper storage unit, which receives discharged paper sheets directly on the paper receiving tray without using a blade wheel. Therefore, by controlling the discharge speed of normal paper sheets when normal paper sheets are discharged from the abnormal paper transport unit and stored in the abnormal paper storage unit by the set number of sheets to be slower than the discharge speed of normal paper sheets when normal paper sheets are discharged from the normal paper transport unit and stored in the normal paper storage unit by the set number of sheets, the alignment of paper sheets stacked on both paper receiving trays is stabilized overall. do.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 4, After storing normal paper sheets in the normal paper storage section until the set number of sheets is reached, if the paper sheet presence / absence detection means detects that there are no paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section, the machine has a double stacker mode in which subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section, so that when there are no paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section, it can be used to store normal paper sheets, allowing for efficient counting of normal paper sheets. According to the invention of claim 5, by providing a gate member that can be displaced between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism that drives the gate member, it is possible to easily switch between the normal paper transport section and the abnormal paper transport section. According to the invention described in claim 6, in double stacker mode, when the paper sheet presence / absence detection means detects that the normal paper sheets stored in the normal paper storage section have been removed by an operator, after the number of normal paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section reaches a set number, the subsequent normal paper sheets can be stored in the normal paper storage section. According to the invention described in claim 7, when a paper sheet supplied from the paper feed unit is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, the transport of the paper sheet identified as abnormal is stopped within the main transport unit.Therefore, even if the normal paper storage unit reaches the set number of sheets and the abnormal paper storage unit also contains normal paper sheets, and the identification mechanism identifies the paper sheet as abnormal, the abnormal paper sheet is transported to and stored in the abnormal paper storage unit, so that the abnormal paper sheet will not be mixed in with the normal paper sheets already stored in the abnormal paper storage unit. According to the invention described in claim 8, when a paper sheet supplied from the paper feed unit is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, a warning is displayed to the operator, so that the operator can understand that the paper sheet has been identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism in a situation where there is a possibility that the normal paper sheet will be stored in the abnormal paper storage unit. According to the invention described in claim 9, a normal paper storage section that receives paper sheets using a blade wheel aligns the paper sheets better than an abnormal paper storage section that receives the paper sheets without using a blade wheel, and by controlling the control means to slow down the discharge speed to the abnormal paper storage section, the abnormal paper storage section can align the paper sheets to the same extent as a normal paper storage section. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of an embodiment of a paper processing apparatus according to the present invention, which is a paper counting apparatus for counting ballot papers and the like. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the paper sheet counting device of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a side view similar to FIG. 2, showing the case cover in an open state. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the paper sheet counting device of FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 . [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main part of the separating mechanism of FIG. 4. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of the switching mechanism showing the state of the normal paper identification position. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional side view of the switching mechanism showing the state of the abnormal paper identification position. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the device. [Figure 11]10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation in a double stacker mode. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation in a double stacker mode. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation in a double stacker mode. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the attachment relationship of two friction members to a separating roller, as another embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a side view showing another embodiment in which an elastic member is installed between the impeller and the stopper. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The accompanying drawings show an example of a paper sheet processing device to which the present invention is applied, namely, a paper counting device used to count election ballots, and one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to these drawings.

[0018] [Overall overview of the device] Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view of the paper counting device, Fig. 2 is a side view of the paper counting device, Fig. 3 is a side view of the paper counting device with the main transport unit open, and Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the paper counting device. For convenience of explanation, as shown in the figures, the paper feed side is referred to as the "front" of the device, and the side where the operation panel 11 is provided is referred to as the "right side" of the device.

[0019] 1, the paper counting device has a paper feed section 2 at the front upper end of device case 1, a normal paper storage section 3 at the rear lower end, an abnormal paper storage section 7 at the front lower end, a roughly U-shaped main transport section 4 common to both paper feed section 2 and normal paper storage section 3 and between paper feed section 2 and abnormal paper storage section 7, an operation panel 11 below the center of device case 1, and warning panels 21 and 22 below normal paper storage section 3 and above abnormal paper storage section 7. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, within device case 1, at the transport terminal end (rear end) of main transport section 4, there are a normal paper transport section 8 and an abnormal paper transport section 9 extending downward via a switching mechanism 10, and a separating mechanism 12 is provided between the front end of main transport section 4 and paper feed section 2.

[0020] As shown in Figure 1, the paper feed unit 2, main transport unit 4, normal paper storage unit 3, and abnormal paper storage unit 7 all have openings 201, 301, 401, and 701 on one side, i.e., the front side, through which the inside of the device can be accessed. On the other hand, the other side, i.e., the back side, of the paper feed unit 2, main transport unit 4, normal paper storage unit 3, and abnormal paper storage unit 7 all come to a dead end at a wall formed by the central frame of the device.

[0021] [Basic operation of the entire device] Next, the basic operation of the entire device will be briefly explained, divided into three counting modes (standard mode, high-speed mode, and double stacker mode). (1) Standard mode First, let's consider the standard mode. In Figure 4, a large number of papers (e.g., ballot papers) N of approximately the same shape are loaded in the paper feeder 2. The bottommost paper is fed one by one via the sorting mechanism 12 into the main transport section 4. While the paper is being transported through the main transport section 4, the abnormal paper identification sensor S2 determines whether the paper is abnormal. If the paper is identified as normal, it is sent to the normal paper transport section 8, counted by the normal paper transport path sensor S5, and collected in the normal paper storage section 3. On the other hand, if the paper is identified as abnormal, a reject function is provided, which ejects the abnormal paper to the abnormal paper storage section 7 via the abnormal paper transport section 9. When the number of papers collected in the normal paper storage section 3 reaches a set number, the device automatically stops. The transport path for feeding paper N to the normal paper transport section 8 and the abnormal paper transport section 9 is switched by a gate member 91 of the switching mechanism 10. (2) High-speed mode Next, the high-speed mode is a counting mode that prioritizes high-speed processing, in which normal paper is sent to the normal paper transport section 8 at high speed without activating the reject function that ejects the abnormal paper. The normal paper transport path sensor S5 counts the paper and collects it in the normal paper storage section 3. When the number of sheets collected in the normal paper storage section 3 reaches a set number, the device automatically stops. If the paper is identified as abnormal, the device immediately stops. (3) Double stacker mode Next, we will explain the double stacker mode, which is a characteristic feature of the present invention. In double stacker mode, the abnormal paper storage section 7 is used alternately with the normal paper storage section 3 as a second normal paper storage section. First, normal paper is collected into the normal paper storage section 3 in high-speed mode. When the set number of sheets of paper collected in the normal paper storage section 3 is reached, the gate member 91 of the switching mechanism 10 switches, and normal paper continues to be collected into the abnormal paper storage section 7 at the standard speed in standard mode. This eliminates the need to take out the paper from the machine (collection section), and allows the counting operation to continue without stopping the device. The operation in double stacker mode will be described in detail later.

[0022] [Detailed configuration of the paper feed unit] 1, abutment guide 26 is disposed at the rear end of paper feed unit 2. A pair of left and right paper feed rollers 27 protrude from below bottom surface 2a of paper feed unit 2, and as shown in FIG. 4, paper feed roller 27 has a notch in part of its outer circumferential surface, and this notch is provided with a rubber friction member 27a that increases the frictional force with paper N. Although not shown, paper feed roller 27 is operatively connected to first drive motor 61, and first drive motor 61 is electrically connected to control unit 70.

[0023] As the paper feed roller 27 rotates once in the paper feed direction, it moves the stack of paper sheets N on the bottom surface 2a up and down, and the friction member 27a comes into contact with the bottommost paper sheet, and the large frictional force between the paper sheet and the friction member 27a causes the bottommost paper sheet to be sent to the sorting mechanism 12. In this way, the paper sheets are periodically sent out at regular intervals.

[0024] [Detailed configuration of the main transport unit and handling mechanism] In FIG. 4, the U-shaped main conveying section 4, which is located between the sorting mechanism 12 and the switching mechanism 10, is provided with a triple roller 44 extending from the beginning to the end of the U-shape, and a triple roller 45 at the bottom of the U-shape.

[0025] The triplet of rollers 44 is made up of a large-diameter drive roller 44a and small-diameter driven rollers 44b and 44c provided on either side of the drive roller 44a, with both sides of the drive roller 44a being nipped by the driven rollers 44b and 44c with a predetermined pressure, forming a triplet of rollers. By driving the drive roller 44a, the triplet of rollers 44 can transport paper N guided to the main transport section 4 downstream in the paper transport direction (transport direction A).

[0026] Similarly, the triplet of rollers 45 is made up of a large-diameter drive roller 45a and small-diameter driven rollers 45b and 45c provided on either side of the drive roller 45a, forming a triplet of rollers in which both sides of the drive roller 45a are nipped by the driven rollers 45b and 45c with a predetermined pressure. By driving the drive roller 45a, the triplet of rollers 45 can transport the paper N guided to the main transport section 4 downstream in the sheet transport direction (transport direction A).

[0027] The paper N sent from the separating mechanism 12 to the main transport section 4 is further transported from the main transport section 4 to the switching mechanism 10 by these triplet rollers 44 and 45.

[0028] The drive rollers 44a, 45a are linked together by a drive belt mechanism (not shown) so as to rotate synchronously, and are also linked to a second drive motor 62, which is electrically connected to the control unit .

[0029] Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of Fig. 4 taken along the line VV, and Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a main portion of Fig. 4, each showing details of the separation mechanism 12. In Figs. 5 and 6, the separation mechanism 12 is composed of a pair of left and right separation rollers 50, a central roller 51 disposed between the left and right separation rollers 50, a paper sheet separating member 52 disposed above the left and right separation rollers 50, a spoon-shaped weight 53 disposed on the central roller 51 so as to be able to swing up and down, and a roller 54. The roller 54 is made of resin or rubber. The spoon-shaped weight 53 abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the central roller 51 due to its own weight, and the roller 54 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the central roller 51 via a support member 59 due to the lifting force of a spring 58. Friction members 50a, 51a are provided on parts of the outer peripheral surfaces of the left and right separation rollers 50 and the central roller 51. The paper sheet separating member 52 is made of a friction material such as urethane rubber, and the roller surface 501 of the separating roller 50 forms a circular arc surface with a concave cross section around the entire circumference, with a separating surface 521 of the paper sheet separating member 52 arranged to face this roller surface 501. This separating surface 521 forms a circular arc surface with a convex cross section, and the convex and concave circular arc surfaces are arranged to face each other with a gap of one sheet thickness to be counted. The separating roller 50 and the central roller 51 are connected to the paper feed roller 27 of the paper feed unit 2 by a drive belt or the like (not shown) so as to drive in synchronization with the rollers, and are also connected to a first drive motor 61.

[0030] When the left and right separating rollers 50 and the central roller 51 rotate, the friction members 50a, 51a on their outer circumferential surfaces send the paper N into the main transport section 4, but if two or more sheets of paper are sent into the separating mechanism 12 at a time from the paper feed roller 27, the paper separating member 52 and the spoon-shaped weight 53 separate and stop the uppermost sheet from the lowermost sheet, and send only the lowermost sheet into the main transport section 4. In other words, in Figure 5, the paper N passes between the left and right separating rollers 50 and the paper separating member 52, and between the central roller 51 and the spoon-shaped weight 53 and roller 54, coming into contact with each roller and spoon-shaped weight 53, and undulating in the paper width direction, thereby being subjected to the separating action.

[0031] [Normal paper transport section and abnormal paper transport section] 7 and 8 are enlarged vertical cross-sectional side views of the normal paper transport section 8, the abnormal paper transport section 9, and the switching mechanism 10. FIG. 7 shows the switching mechanism 10 in the normal paper identification position, and FIG. 8 shows the switching mechanism 10 in the abnormal paper identification position. The switching mechanism 10 comprises a gate member 91 that rotates around a gate shaft 911, a gate solenoid 65 (see FIG. 10), and a drive mechanism using a spring (not shown). The gate member 91 is pulled upward by the spring, and when the gate solenoid 65 is turned off, the spring force holds the gate member 91 in the normal paper identification position. When the gate solenoid 65 is turned on, the plunger of the gate solenoid 65 attached to the gate member 91 rotates the gate member 91 downward against the pulling force of the spring so that the gate member 91 is in the abnormal paper identification position.

[0032] In Figure 7, at the transport end (rear end) of the main transport unit 4, the large-diameter drive roller 44a and the small-diameter driven roller 44c of the triplet of rollers 44 are arranged so that they come into contact with each other, and a gate member 91 of the switching mechanism 10 is arranged near the rear of the contact point between the transport rollers 44a and 44c, and below the rear end of the gate member 91, the normal paper transport unit 8 is arranged so as to face the outer circumferential surface of the driven roller 44c. The normal paper transport unit 8 extends downward to the normal paper storage unit 3. Meanwhile, above the rear end of the gate member 91, the abnormal paper transport unit 9 is arranged so as to face the outer circumferential surface of the driven roller 44a. The abnormal paper transport unit 9 extends downward to the abnormal paper storage unit 7.

[0033] The drive roller 44a is interlocked with the second drive motor 62 via a drive belt mechanism (not shown) or the like, and rotates in synchronization with the second drive motor 62.

[0034] [Normal paper storage compartment] 4, the normal paper storage section 3 is composed of a bottom plate 3a arranged in a downward-sloping manner, a rotatable impeller 75 with multiple blades 75a on its outer circumferential surface, and a transparent stopper 77 erected at the rear end of the bottom plate 3a. The blades 75a are arranged at equal intervals around the circumference and extend radially outward in a curved manner.

[0035] Normal paper sheets discharged from the normal paper transport unit 8 are inserted between the blades 75a one by one or several sheets at a time, and are sent rearward by the rotation of the impeller 75, and are then placed in a stack against the stopper 77. The impeller 75 is operatively connected to a third drive motor 68 (not shown), and the third drive motor 68 is electrically connected to the control unit 70.

[0036] [Abnormal paper storage section] In Figure 4, the abnormal paper storage section 7 is composed of a bottom plate 7a that extends forward from the upper end of the abnormal paper transport section 9 in a downward direction, and a pressure guide 81 that slopes from above the abnormal paper storage section 7 to the bottom plate 7a and is supported via a hinge section so that it can swing freely up and down.

[0037] The abnormal paper conveyed upward through the abnormal paper conveying section 9 is sent to the abnormal paper storage section 7 while being guided by the pressure guide 81, and due to the friction with the pressure guide 81, it does not jump out too far forward and is piled up on the bottom plate 7a.

[0038] [Jam Clearance] The U-shaped main transport section 4, which is disposed between the separation mechanism 12 and the switching mechanism 10, is covered by case covers 86a and 86b in a state in which the paper N being transported can be seen from the outside, as shown in Fig. 2. Each case cover 86a and 86b is rotatably supported by a hinge 88, and an unlock button 89 is provided on the device body. When a jam occurs, pressing the unlock button 89 unlocks each case cover 86a and 86b from the closed state shown in Fig. 2, allowing them to be opened as shown in Fig. 3. As a result, the gap in the main transport section 4 is widened, allowing the operator to easily clear the jam.

[0039] [Various sensors] In Figure 4, a paper feed sensor (reflective sensor) S1 and an abnormal paper storage section sensor S8 are arranged on the bottom plate 2a of the paper feed section 2 and the bottom plate 7a of the abnormal paper storage section 7, respectively, to detect the presence or absence of paper in the paper feed section 2 and the presence or absence of abnormal paper in the abnormal paper storage section 7, and the abnormal paper storage section sensor S8 is arranged with a light-emitting section S8a on the bottom (towards the bottom plate 7a) facing a light-receiving section S8b on the top. The normal paper storage section 3 has a normal paper storage section sensor S6 that detects the presence or absence of paper in the normal paper storage section 3, and is provided with a light emitting section S6a on the front side and a light receiving section S6b on the rear side facing each other.

[0040] The main transport path 35 in the front half of the main transport unit 4 is equipped with an abnormal paper identification sensor S2 as an identification mechanism for identifying whether paper in the main transport unit 4 is normal or abnormal. The abnormal paper identification sensor S2 is arranged with a light-emitting unit S2a at the bottom facing a light-receiving unit S2b at the top, across the main transport path 35. Downstream of this, first and second main transport path sensors S3 and S4 are arranged with light-emitting units S3a and S4a at the bottom, across the main transport path 35, and light-receiving units S3b and S4b at the top facing the light-emitting units S3a and S4a, respectively. The normal paper transport unit 8 is equipped with a normal paper detection sensor S5, with a light-emitting unit S5a at the front, across the normal paper transport path 8, and a light-receiving unit S5b at the rear facing the light-emitting unit S5a. The abnormal paper transport section 9 has an abnormal paper transport path sensor S7, with a light-emitting unit S7a located below the abnormal paper transport path 9 and a light-receiving unit S7b located above it so as to face the light-emitting unit S7a. The normal paper transport path sensor S5 detects the presence or absence of paper and its passage, and at the same time, as a function of the device main body, it has the role of counting the number of normal sheets of paper that have passed. The abnormal paper transport path sensor S7 also detects the presence or absence of paper and its passage, and at the same time, it has the role of counting the number of abnormal sheets of paper that have passed.

[0041] The abnormal paper identification sensor S2 is a transmissive optical sensor. When light passing between the light-emitting element S2a and the light-receiving element S2b is blocked by paper, the amount of light received by the light-receiving element S2b changes, thereby determining whether the paper is overlapping. In other words, when paper with a transmittance of less than 100% passes through, the amount of light received by the sensor decreases in accordance with the decrease in transmittance. If paper is overlapping, the light transmittance is lower than when there is only one sheet, and the amount of light received by the sensor also decreases. Therefore, a first threshold value (upper limit) R1 is set between the amount of light received by the sensor when no paper is passing and the amount of light received by the sensor when one sheet passes. By comparing the amount of light received by the sensor T with this first threshold value R1, it can be determined that paper is present at the sensor position. In other words, if the amount of light received by the sensor T is smaller than the first threshold value R1, it can be determined that paper is present at the sensor position. Furthermore, a second threshold value (lower limit value) R2 is set between the amount of sensor light received when there is one sheet of paper L1 and the amount of sensor light received when there are two sheets of paper L2, and by comparing the amount of sensor light received T with this second threshold value R2, it can be determined whether the sheets are overlapping. In other words, if the amount of sensor light received T is smaller than the second threshold value R2, it can be determined that the sheets are overlapping.

[0042] Furthermore, the length of the paper in the transport direction can be detected by the amount of light received by the sensor T and the pulse signal from the pulse encoder 62a provided on the second drive motor 62. In other words, if the pulse signal is counted when the passage of the paper is detected by the amount of light received by the sensor T, the count value corresponds to the length.

[0043] The first and second main transport path sensors S3 and S4, located at the rear of the main transport section 4, not only detect the presence or absence of paper passing through the main transport path 35, but can also detect the passage of the starting end and the trailing end of the paper.

[0044] Also, in Figure 3, open detection sensors S9 and S10 (see Figure 10) are provided on the front and rear case cover parts 86a and 86b, respectively, to detect whether each case cover part 86a and 86b is open, and are electrically connected to the control unit 70.

[0045] In the above embodiment, S2 to S8 use transmissive optical sensors, but reflective sensors may be used instead. Also, while two open detection sensors, S9 and S10, are used for detection, a single open detection sensor may be used to detect the movement of the unlock button. Alternatively, a switch such as a microswitch may be used instead of the sensors.

[0046] [Operation Panel] 9(a) is an enlarged view of the entire operation panel 11. The operation panel 11 is provided with a liquid crystal display unit 11a at the lower left, a switch unit (mode switch 113, paper feed switch 114, and bill stack switch 112) at the upper left, and a switch unit (start / stop switch 125) at the lower right.

[0047] FIG. 9(b) shows an enlarged view (display example) of the liquid crystal display 11a when the counting mode is the "standard mode" or "high-speed mode." In FIG. 9(b), the upper part of the liquid crystal display 11a is provided with a ballot bundle setting display section 110 that displays the desired ballot bundle setting number up to three digits, an automatic / manual switching display section 115, and a mode switching display section 120. The lower part of the liquid crystal display 11a is provided with a counting display section 111 that displays the number of ballots being counted up to three digits. FIG. 9(c) shows an enlarged view (display example) of the liquid crystal display 11a when the counting mode is the "double stacker mode." 9(c) shows an enlarged view (example of display) of the liquid crystal display unit 11a in the "mode", and in FIG. 9(c) there are provided at the top of the liquid crystal display unit 11a a ballot bundle setting display unit 110 which displays the desired number of ballot bundles to three digits, an automatic / manual switching display unit 115, and a mode switching display unit 120, and at the bottom left of the liquid crystal display unit 11a there is provided a counting display unit 111L which displays the number of ballots being counted to three digits, and at the bottom right of the liquid crystal display unit 11a there is provided a counting display unit 111R which displays the number of ballots being counted to three digits.

[0048] The mode switch 113 corresponds to a mode switching display section 120 on the liquid crystal display section 11a directly below it, and each time the mode switch 113 is pressed, the counting mode is changed in a cyclical manner, for example, in the order high speed → standard → double.

[0049] The paper feed switch 114 corresponds to an automatic / manual changeover display 115 on the liquid crystal display 11a directly below it, and each time the paper feed switch 114 is pressed, for example, the mode alternates between automatic and manual. When the counting mode is set to "standard mode" or "high-speed mode," if the automatic mode is selected, once the set number of sheets has been counted and all the paper has been removed from the normal paper storage compartment 3, the normal paper storage compartment sensor S6 detects that it is empty and the next counting operation starts automatically. On the other hand, if there is no paper in the normal paper storage compartment 3 or the set number of sheets has not been reached, and paper is placed in the empty paper feed compartment 2, the paper feed compartment sensor S1 detects the presence of paper and the next counting operation starts automatically. If the manual mode is selected, after all the paper has been removed from the normal paper storage compartment 3, pressing the start / stop switch 125 again will start the counting operation.

[0050] When the counting mode is "double stacker mode," the only difference is that in "double stacker mode," the abnormal paper storage section 7 is used as a second normal paper storage section, alternating with the normal paper storage section 3; even when set to the automatic mode or manual mode, the basic operation is the same as in the "standard mode" and "high-speed mode," so explanations will be omitted here.

[0051] The ballot bundle switch 112 corresponds to the ballot bundle setting display section 110 on the liquid crystal display section 11a directly below it, and each time the ballot bundle switch 112 is pressed, the set number is changed in a cyclical manner, for example, in the order 100 → 200 → 20 → 50 → 100.

[0052] The start / stop switch 125 can be pressed after the power is turned on to start the counting operation, and can also be pressed to stop the counting at any time during the counting operation. By pressing the start / stop switch 125 again, the device can be started again and the count can be added.

[0053] [Warning Panel] In FIG. 2, the device case 1 is provided with two warning panels: a warning panel 21 provided below the normal paper storage section 3, and a warning panel 22 provided above the abnormal paper storage section 7. The warning panel 21 has a counting completion lamp 211, a counting in progress lamp 212, and an error display lamp 213, and the warning panel 22 has a counting completion lamp 221, a counting in progress lamp 222, and an error display lamp 223. Table 1 shows an example of their operation, and the counting completion lamps 211 and 221 are green counting completion lamps that light up when counting has been completed successfully for the set number of sheets. The counting in progress lamps 212 and 222 are green counting in progress lamps that light up. Of the warning panels 21, 22, the one corresponding to the collection unit (3, 7) during counting will flash. The error indicator lamps 213, 223 are red error indicator lamps that flash when an error that cannot be fixed by itself occurs, such as residual paper or a jam in the main transport path 35, normal paper transport unit 8, or abnormal paper transport unit 9, or when there is a sensor or motor abnormality. In more detail, as shown in Table 1, the display operation of the warning panel and warning lamps differs depending on the counting mode (standard mode, high-speed mode, double stacker mode).

[0054] It is also possible to add a "reject" indicator lamp to the warning panel 22, and configure it so that when counting is completed in standard mode and there is paper in the abnormal paper storage section 7, the "reject" indicator lamp flashes red. Also, when clearing a jam, it is possible to configure it so that when the unlock button 89 is pressed and the case cover sections 86a and 86b are opened, the error indicator lamps 213 and 223 light up red.

[0055] In the above-described embodiment, the warning panels 21 and 22 are configured such that indicator lamps such as LEDs directly emit light. However, the indicator lamps may be built into a lamp house to diffuse the emitted light, so that the entire panel portion of the lamp house emits light. [Table 1]

[0056] [Control System] 10, the control unit 70 has a CPU, memory, etc., and is connected to the first, second, and third drive motors 61, 62, 68 and their encoders 61a, 62a, 68a, gate solenoid 65, operation panel 11, warning panels 21, 22, etc. Also connected to the control unit 70 are the paper feed unit sensor S1, abnormal paper storage unit sensor S8, normal paper storage unit sensor S6, abnormal paper identification sensor S2, each path sensor S3, S4, normal paper detection S5, abnormal paper transport path sensor S7, open detection sensor S9 for front case cover portion 86a, and open detection sensor S10 for rear case cover portion 86b.

[0057] [Double stacker mode operation] Next, the operation of the double stacker mode, which is a feature of the present invention, will be explained based on the flowcharts shown in Figures 11 to 13. Figures 11 to 13 are flowcharts illustrating a simplified example of the flow from turning on the power to processing the double stacker mode. Note that the double stacker mode is a mode in which the abnormal paper storage unit 7 is used alternately with the normal paper storage unit 3 as a second normal paper storage unit, so in the explanation of the flow charts below, the normal paper storage unit 3 will be referred to as the "first stacker" and the abnormal paper storage unit 7 will be referred to as the "second stacker."

[0058] Figure 11 shows a main routine for controlling the basic operation in double stacker mode. Figure 12 shows a subroutine in the double stacker mode (first stacker counting process). Figure 13 shows a subroutine in the double stacker mode (second stacker counting process).

[0059] In step 1 of Figure 11, when the power switch of the device is turned on, the subroutine (POW·ON processing) of step 2 is executed. In the POW·ON processing, when the power switch is turned on, it checks whether there is any paper remaining in both the first stacker and the second stacker, and if there is paper remaining in at least one of them, an error is displayed and counting operation is not performed until the error is cleared. Note that the flow diagram of the POW·ON processing is omitted. After the subroutine (POW·ON processing) is executed, processing moves to step 3.

[0060] Next, it is checked whether or not a counting start command has been issued, depending on the setting status of the automatic mode or manual mode described above (Step 3). If a counting start command has not been issued (Step 3; N), the process waits until a counting start command is issued. If a counting start command has been issued (Step 3; Y), it is checked whether or not there are any papers loaded in the first stacker (Step 4). If there are papers loaded in the first stacker (Step 4; N), counting is stopped (Step 8), and the process ends. If there are no papers loaded in the first stacker (Step 4; Y), the process proceeds to the subroutine (first stacker counting process) in Figure 12 (Step 5).

[0061] Next, it is checked whether or not there is paper stacked in the second stacker (step 6). If there is paper loaded in the second stacker (step 6; N), counting stops (step 8) and processing ends. If there is no paper loaded in the second stacker (step 6; Y), processing proceeds to the subroutine (second stacker counting processing) in Figure 13 (step 7). After executing the subroutine (second stacker counting processing), processing returns to step 4.

[0062] After returning to step 4, steps 4 to 7 are processed in order as described above. That is, before both the first and second stackers reach the set number of sheets, the operator can alternately remove the sheets from the stacker that is not being counted while either the first or second stacker is in the counting process (an operation that results in "stacker empty"), allowing the device to operate continuously without stopping. Note that if both the first and second stackers reach the set number of sheets, counting stops (step 8) and processing ends.

[0063] Next, a case where each of the two subroutines is selected in the main routine of FIG. 11 will be described.

[0064] First, a description will be given of the case where the subroutine (first stacker counting process) in Fig. 12 is selected. In step 10, the gate member 91 is placed in the first stacker identification position (normal paper identification position). Next, it is confirmed whether or not counting of the set number of sheets in the first stacker has been completed (step 11). If counting of the set number of sheets has not been completed (step 11; N), the process waits until counting of the set number of sheets has been completed. If counting of the set number of sheets has been completed (step 11; Y), the process returns to the main routine in Fig. 11 (RET).

[0065] Next, a case where the subroutine (second stacker counting process) in Fig. 13 is selected will be described. In step 20, the gate member 91 is placed in the second stacker identification position (abnormal paper identification position). Next, it is confirmed whether or not counting of the set number of sheets in the second stacker has been completed (step 21). If counting of the set number of sheets has not been completed (step 21; N), the process waits until counting of the set number of sheets has been completed. If counting of the set number of sheets has been completed (step 21; Y), the process returns to the main routine in Fig. 11 (RET).

[0066] As explained above using the flowchart, in the double stacker mode, normal paper transported by the normal paper transport section 8 is stored in the normal paper storage section 3 (first stacker) until a preset number of sheets is reached, and then the gate member 91 is displaced to the abnormal paper identification position (second stacker identification position) so that the device can operate continuously without stopping, and subsequent normal paper is transported by the abnormal paper transport section 9 and stored in the abnormal paper storage section 7 (second stacker) up to the set number of sheets.

[0067] According to this, after a set number of normal sheets are stored in the normal sheet storage section 3 as the first stacker, the subsequent set number of normal sheets can be stored in the abnormal sheet storage section 7 as the second stacker so that the device can continue to operate without stopping, thereby making it possible to efficiently count the normal sheets.

[0068] In the double stacker mode, the device has paper presence / absence detection means S6 and S8 for detecting the presence or absence of paper stored in the normal paper storage section 3 (first stacker) and the abnormal paper storage section 7 (second stacker), respectively. If the operator removes the paper in the normal paper storage section 3 that has reached the set number before the set number of subsequent normal papers are stored in the abnormal paper storage section 7, and detects that there is no paper in the normal paper storage section 3, the device moves the gate member 91 again to the normal paper identification position (first stacker identification position) so that the device can continue to operate without stopping after the abnormal paper storage section 7 reaches the set number of sheets. ), and the set number of subsequent normal sheets are stored in normal paper storage section 3, and further, at this time, if the operator removes the paper sheets in abnormal paper storage section 7 that have reached the set number before the set number of subsequent normal sheets are stored in normal paper storage section 3 and it is detected that there is no paper in abnormal paper storage section 7, then after normal paper storage section 3 reaches the set number of sheets, the device continues to operate without stopping, and the set number of subsequent normal sheets is stored in abnormal paper storage section 7.

[0069] According to the above, by repeating the operation of alternately removing paper from the normal paper storage section that has become full (reaching the set number of sheets) and the abnormal paper storage section that has also become full (reaching the set number of sheets), the device can be operated continuously without stopping. Note that when counting is complete, if paper has been removed from one of the storage sections and it is empty after both storage sections are full, paper does not necessarily have to be discharged alternately, but paper may be discharged continuously to the empty storage section. If both storage sections are empty, it is preferable to configure the device to discharge paper preferentially from the normal paper storage section.

[0070] In addition, in double stacker mode, when paper supplied from paper feed unit 2 is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism (S2), the transport of the paper identified as abnormal is stopped in the main transport unit and a warning is displayed to the operator.

[0071] According to the above, when paper supplied from the paper feed section is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, the transport of the paper identified as abnormal is stopped urgently within the main transport section and a warning is displayed to the operator, so that abnormal paper does not get mixed in the first or second stacker, and the counting of normal paper sheets using the two storage sections can be carried out efficiently.

[0072] In addition, in double stacker mode, the normal paper storage section 3 receives the paper discharged from the normal paper transport section 8 by aligning it on the paper receiving tray 302 using the impeller 75, and the abnormal paper storage section 7 receives the paper discharged from the abnormal paper transport section 9 directly on the paper receiving tray 702 without going through the impeller 75, and is equipped with a control section 70 that controls the abnormal paper transport section 9 and the normal paper transport section 8 so that the discharge speed of the normal paper when the normal paper is discharged from the abnormal paper transport section 9 and stored in the abnormal paper storage section 7 in the set number of sheets is slower than the discharge speed of the normal paper when the normal paper sheets are discharged from the normal paper transport section 8 and stored in the normal paper storage section 3 in the set number of sheets.

[0073] According to the above, the normal paper storage section, which uses a blade wheel to align the discharged paper onto the paper receiving tray, has better alignment of the paper stacked on the paper receiving tray than the abnormal paper storage section, which receives the discharged paper directly onto the paper receiving tray without using a blade wheel.Therefore, by controlling the discharge speed of normal paper when normal paper sheets are discharged from the abnormal paper transport section and stored in the abnormal paper storage section in the set number of sheets, to be slower than the discharge speed of normal paper when normal paper sheets are discharged from the normal paper transport section and stored in the normal paper storage section in the set number of sheets, the alignment of the paper stacked on both paper receiving trays is stable overall.

[0074] [Other embodiments] (1) The above-described separating roller 50 has one friction member 50a attached to its outer circumferential surface, but it may also be configured to have two friction members 50a attached to its outer circumferential surface as shown in Fig. 14. This is expected to further improve separating performance and conveying force, and can solve the problem of, for example, when the timing of separating the sheets is delayed in the sheet separating section, the separated sheet cannot be sent all the way to the next conveying roller.

[0075] (2) As shown in Figure 15, an elastic member 78 such as a resin sheet is installed between the impeller 75 and the stopper 77, and the paper discharged from the impeller 75 is stacked upright, with the elastic member 78 bending and approaching the stopper 77 according to the amount of paper loaded. This makes the distance from the paper discharge position of the impeller 75 to the elastic member 78 acting as a paper receiving guide member approximately constant. This results in good paper alignment. Alternatively, instead of the elastic member, a stacker guide may be configured that is biased toward the impeller 75 by a spring or the like and retracts against the biasing force according to the amount of paper loaded.

[0076] (3) The paper counting device of the present invention can be powered by a battery in addition to a commercial AC 100V power supply. In this case, it is preferable to configure the counting by further slowing down and controlling each drive motor in consideration of battery life.

[0077] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to counting devices that count the number of ballots, tickets, etc., but can be applied to various paper processing devices, such as devices that simply separate foreign paper from normal paper, and devices that process sheets other than paper.

[0078] Furthermore, it is clear that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment, and that within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, the present embodiment may be appropriately modified in ways other than those suggested in the present embodiment. Furthermore, the number, position, shape, etc. of the components are not limited to the present embodiment, and the number, position, shape, etc. of the components may be any number, position, shape, etc. that is suitable for implementing the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] F Conveying direction N Paper 1 Device case 2 Paper feed section 3. Normal paper storage area (example of normal paper sheet storage area) 4 Main conveyor 7. Abnormal paper storage area (example of abnormal paper storage area) 8 Normal paper transport unit (an example of a normal paper sheet transport unit) 9. Abnormal paper transport unit (an example of an abnormal paper sheet transport unit) 10 Switching mechanism 12 Handling mechanism 27 Paper feed roller 35 Main transport route 50 Slicing Roller 51 Central roller 52 Paper sheet separating member 53 Spoon-shaped weight 61 first drive motor 62 Second drive motor 68 Third drive motor 75 Impeller 91 Gate material

Claims

1. a paper sheet processing apparatus comprising: a paper feed unit that supplies paper sheets of approximately the same shape one by one; a main transport unit that transports the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed unit and counts the paper sheets; an identification mechanism that identifies whether the paper sheets in the main transport unit are normal or abnormal; a normal paper transport unit and an abnormal paper transport unit that are connected to a transport end of the main transport unit via a switching mechanism; a normal paper storage unit that stores the paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport unit; and an abnormal paper storage unit that stores the paper sheets transported by the abnormal paper transport unit, wherein when the paper sheets are identified as normal by the identification mechanism, the normal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit, and when the paper sheets are identified as abnormal, the abnormal paper transport unit is connected to the main transport unit; the switching mechanism comprises a gate member displaceable between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism for driving the gate member; a standard mode as a counting mode for counting the number of sheets, in which normal sheets, which are sheets identified as normal and transported by the normal sheet transport unit, are stored in the normal sheet storage unit until a preset number is reached, and abnormal sheets, which are sheets identified as abnormal and transported by the abnormal sheet transport unit, are stored in the abnormal sheet storage unit; a double stacker mode configured such that the normal paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section are stored in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, and then the gate member is displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device continues to operate without stopping, and subsequent normal paper sheets are transported by the abnormal paper transport section and stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the preset number of sheets, a paper sheet presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of paper sheets stored in the normal paper storage section and the abnormal paper storage section, In the double stacker mode, if an operator removes the paper sheets in the normal paper storage section that have reached the set number before the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the set number, and a state in which there are no paper sheets in the normal paper storage section is detected, the gate member is again displaced to the normal paper identification position so that the device can operate continuously without stopping after the abnormal paper storage section reaches the set number, and the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section by the set number, Furthermore, in this case, if the operator removes the paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section that have reached the set number before the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section by the set number, and if it is detected that there are no paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section, the gate member is again displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device can operate continuously without stopping after the normal paper storage section reaches the set number, and the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the set number.

2. A paper sheet processing device comprising: a paper feed section that supplies paper sheets of approximately the same shape one by one; a main transport section that transports the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed section and counts the paper sheets; an identification mechanism that identifies whether the paper sheets in the main transport section are normal or abnormal; a normal paper transport section and an abnormal paper transport section that are connected to the transport terminal section of the main transport section via a switching mechanism; a normal paper storage section that stores paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section; and an abnormal paper storage section that stores paper sheets transported by the abnormal paper transport section, wherein the identification mechanism connects the normal paper transport section to the main transport section when the paper sheets are identified as normal, and connects the abnormal paper transport section to the main transport section when the paper sheets are identified as abnormal, the switching mechanism comprises a gate member displaceable between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism for driving the gate member; a standard mode as a counting mode for counting the number of sheets, in which normal sheets, which are sheets identified as normal and transported by the normal sheet transport unit, are stored in the normal sheet storage unit until a preset number is reached, and abnormal sheets, which are sheets identified as abnormal and transported by the abnormal sheet transport unit, are stored in the abnormal sheet storage unit; a double stacker mode configured such that the normal paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section are stored in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, and then the gate member is displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device continues to operate without stopping, and subsequent normal paper sheets are transported by the abnormal paper transport section and stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the preset number of sheets, In the double stacker mode, when a sheet supplied from the paper feed unit is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, the transport of the sheet identified as abnormal is stopped in the main transport unit and a warning is displayed to the operator.

3. A paper sheet processing device comprising: a paper feed section which supplies paper sheets of approximately the same shape one by one; a main transport section which transports the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed section and counts the paper sheets; an identification mechanism which identifies whether the paper sheets in the main transport section are normal or abnormal; a normal paper transport section and an abnormal paper transport section which are connected to the transport terminal section of the main transport section via a switching mechanism; a normal paper storage section which stores the paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section; and an abnormal paper storage section which stores the paper sheets transported by the abnormal paper transport section, wherein when the paper sheets are identified as normal by the identification mechanism, the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and when the paper sheets are identified as abnormal, the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section the switching mechanism comprises a gate member displaceable between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism for driving the gate member; a standard mode as a counting mode for counting the number of sheets, in which normal sheets, which are sheets identified as normal and transported by the normal sheet transport unit, are stored in the normal sheet storage unit until a preset number is reached, and abnormal sheets, which are sheets identified as abnormal and transported by the abnormal sheet transport unit, are stored in the abnormal sheet storage unit; a double stacker mode configured such that the normal paper sheets transported by the normal paper transport section are stored in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, and then the gate member is displaced to the abnormal paper identification position so that the device continues to operate without stopping, and subsequent normal paper sheets are transported by the abnormal paper transport section and stored in the abnormal paper storage section by the preset number of sheets, The normal paper storage unit receives the paper sheets discharged from the normal paper transport unit by aligning them on a paper receiving tray using a blade wheel, and the abnormal paper storage unit receives the paper sheets discharged from the abnormal paper transport unit directly on the paper receiving tray without using a blade wheel, This paper sheet processing apparatus is characterized in that it is equipped with a control means for controlling the abnormal paper transport unit and the normal paper transport unit so that in the double stacker mode, the discharge speed of the normal paper sheets when they are discharged from the abnormal paper transport unit and stored in the abnormal paper storage unit by the set number of sheets is slower than the discharge speed of the normal paper sheets when they are discharged from the normal paper transport unit and stored in the normal paper storage unit by the set number of sheets.

4. A paper feed unit that supplies paper sheets one by one; a main conveyance unit that conveys the paper sheets supplied from the paper feed unit and counts the paper sheets; an identification mechanism for identifying whether the paper sheets in the main transport section are normal or abnormal; a normal paper transport unit and an abnormal paper transport unit connected to a transport terminal end of the main transport unit; a normal paper storage unit for storing normal paper sheets identified as normal by the identification mechanism; an abnormal paper storage unit for storing abnormal paper sheets identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism; a sheet presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of sheets stored in the abnormal sheet storage section, The counting mode for counting the number of paper sheets is a standard mode in which the normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section and the abnormal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section; and a double stacker mode in which, after storing the normal paper sheets in the normal paper storage section until a preset number of sheets is reached, if the paper sheet presence / absence detection means detects that there are no paper sheets in the abnormal paper storage section, the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section.

5. A switching mechanism is provided at the end of the conveyance of the main conveyance section, The switching mechanism includes a gate member that can be displaced between a normal paper identification position where the normal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section and an abnormal paper identification position where the abnormal paper transport section is connected to the main transport section, and a drive mechanism that drives the gate member.

5. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

6. A paper sheet presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence or absence of paper sheets stored in the normal paper storage section, 6. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein in the double stacker mode, if the normal paper sheets in the normal paper storage section are removed by an operator before a preset number of normal paper sheets are stored in the abnormal paper storage section, and the paper sheet presence / absence detection means detects that there are no normal paper sheets in the normal paper storage section, after the normal paper sheets stored in the abnormal paper storage section reach a preset number, the subsequent normal paper sheets are stored in the normal paper storage section.

7. A paper sheet processing device as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 6, characterized in that in the double stacker mode, when a paper sheet supplied from the paper feed unit is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, the transport of the paper sheet identified as abnormal is stopped within the main transport unit.

8. A paper sheet processing device as described in any one of claims 1, 3 to 7, characterized in that, in the double stacker mode, when a paper sheet supplied from the paper feed unit is identified as abnormal by the identification mechanism, a warning is displayed to an operator.

9. The normal paper storage section receives the paper sheets discharged from the normal paper transport section by a blade wheel, the abnormal paper storage unit is configured to receive the paper sheets discharged from the abnormal paper transport unit without passing through a blade wheel, The discharge speed of the normal paper sheets from the abnormal paper conveying section to the abnormal paper storage section in the double stacker mode is 9. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control means for controlling the normal paper sheets to be discharged from the normal paper transport section to the normal paper storage section at a speed slower than the normal paper sheet discharge speed.

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