Automatic ticket vending machine

Abstract

To accumulate media stably.SOLUTION: An automatic ticket vending machine 1 comprises: a discharge opening 8 for discharging a ticket T in a discharge direction; an accumulation stacker 40 that is provided below the discharge opening 8, and that accumulates the ticket T which has been discharged from the discharge opening 8; and a conveyance guide 30 that is provided facing the discharge opening 8, and that has a conveyance guide surface 30Sb for guiding the tickets T discharged from the discharge opening 8 to the accumulation stacker 40. The conveyance guide 30 forms, between the accumulation stacker 40 and a lower end part of the conveyance guide on the accumulation stocker 40 side, a receiving opening 34 from which the ticket T accumulated in the accumulation stacker 40 can be removed, and the conveyance guide is arranged so that a virtual line L along the conveyance guide surface 30Sb intersects the accumulation stacker 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic ticket vending machine, and is suitable for application to, for example, an automatic ticket vending machine that issues tickets.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, in transportation facilities, there may be cases where an automatic ticket vending machine that issues media such as tickets and tickets to customers is installed. As this automatic ticket vending machine, for example, there is one having a head that prints on a roll paper, a cutter that cuts the roll paper, a ticket issuing port that discharges a ticket, a ticket storage chamber that is provided below the ticket issuing port and stores the ticket, and a cover that moves up and down to open and close the ticket storage chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In such an automatic ticket vending machine, it is desired to stably accumulate the printed and discharged media.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose an automatic ticket vending machine that can stably accumulate media.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve such problems, in the automatic ticket vending machine of the present invention, Depending on the strength of the curl formed at the distance from the center of the roll, when cut to a predetermined length, both ends in the front-to-back direction will bend upwards compared to the center. a discharge port that discharges the media in the discharge direction, provided below the discharge port, It has a projection that comes into contact with the medium discharged from the outlet, an accumulation unit that accumulates the media discharged from the discharge port, provided opposite to the discharge port, It is inclined so that the upper end is positioned towards the discharge port side in the vertical direction.A guide section is provided, which has a guide surface for guiding the medium discharged from the discharge port to the accumulation section. The guide section has a receiving opening between its lower end on the accumulation section side and the accumulation section from which the medium accumulated in the accumulation section can be removed, and is arranged so that a virtual line along the guide surface intersects with the accumulation section. The projection has a shape that includes a first contact portion provided on the rear surface of the projection, which contacts the front end of the medium having a curve that is such that its front end abuts against it, and a second contact portion which contacts the ticket surface near the front end of the medium having a curve that is such that its front end is raised to a position higher than the first contact portion. I did that.

[0007] This allows for stable accumulation of these media in the accumulation section without causing accumulation defects, even if the accumulation orientation of the media differs depending on the degree of curling. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, an automatic ticketing machine capable of stably accumulating media can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the external configuration of an automatic ticket vending machine. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view AA illustrating the configuration of an automatic ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This is the right side, which explains the curling tendency of the roll paper. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view AA in an automatic ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment, which issues tickets with a weak curl. [Figure 5] Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view AA in an automatic ticket vending machine according to the first embodiment, illustrating the state in which tickets with a strong curl are issued. [Figure 6] This is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an automated ticket vending machine in a comparative example. [Figure 7] This is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which tickets with a weak curl are issued in the automatic ticket vending machine of the comparative example. [Figure 8] This is a cross-sectional view showing the condition in which a ticket with a strong curl is issued in the automatic ticket vending machine of the comparative example. [Figure 9]Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view AA illustrating the configuration of an automatic ticket vending machine according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] The configuration of the transport guide and light source according to the second embodiment is shown, with (A) being a right side view and (B) being a front view. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Overall configuration of the automatic ticket vending machine] As shown in Figure 1, the automatic ticket vending machine 1 is mainly composed of a box-shaped casing 2 and is installed, for example, in transportation facilities such as airports, commercial facilities and public facilities, and is operated by customers (hereinafter also referred to as users) to issue tickets.

[0012] The housing 2 has an operation display unit 4 and an operation unit 6 positioned on its front side to facilitate ticket collection and touch panel operation while facing the user. The operation display unit 4 is configured as a so-called touch panel, with a touch sensor integrated into the surface of a display panel having a display function, such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel. Based on the control of a control unit (not shown), the operation display unit 4 displays various display screens and also receives touch operations from the user and notifies the control unit. The operation unit 6 is provided with a discharge port 8. The discharge port 8 is the part that discharges tickets with various contents printed on them to the stacking stacker 40. Inside the housing 2 behind the discharge port 8, there is a printer unit 10 as shown in Figure 2.

[0013] Hereinafter, the side of the ticket vending machine 1 facing the user is defined as the front side, the opposite side as the rear side, the left and right sides as the left side and the right side respectively when viewed from the user facing the front side, and the upper and lower sides are further defined for explanation. Also hereinafter, among the tickets handled by the ticket vending machine 1, the ticket with the longest length in the conveyance direction (front-rear direction), which is the direction in which the ticket is conveyed in the printer unit 10, is also called the longest ticket. In the ticket vending machine 1, the length of the longest ticket in the conveyance direction is set to, for example, 175 [mm].

[0014] [1-2. Configuration of Printer Unit] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 10 has a configuration similar to, for example, a general thermal printer, and includes a holder 12, a slack take-up roller 14, and a printer unit 16. The holder 12 rotatably holds a roll paper P in which a thermal paper is wound in a roll shape around the circumferential side surface of a winding core Pc. In the ticket vending machine 1, the roll paper P is wound with the printing surface printed in the printer unit 16 facing inward, that is, facing the winding core Pc side.

[0015] The slack take-up roller 14 is columnar and extends in the left-right direction, and is rotatably supported in front of the winding core Pc at a vertical position substantially the same as that of the winding core Pc. This slack take-up roller 14 contacts the lower surface of the roll paper P fed out from below the winding core Pc and directed obliquely upward forward to apply tension, thereby removing the slack of the roll paper P. The roll paper P held by the holder 12 is fed out from below the winding core Pc, pulled out obliquely upward forward, then passed over the slack take-up roller 14, folded back obliquely downward forward by the slack take-up roller 14, and reaches the printer unit 16.

[0016] The printer unit 16 is arranged on the front side of the sagging removal roller 14 and has a thermal head as a printing unit, which prints characters, graphics, etc. on the roll paper P by heat. Inside the printer unit 16, a sensor 18 and a cutter 20 are provided. The sensor 18 reads marks printed on the roll paper P at equal intervals. The cutter 20 as a cutter unit is provided at a position close to the discharge port 8 on the back side of the discharge port 8 and cuts the roll paper P.

[0017] In such a configuration, when the automatic ticket vending machine 1 issues a ticket in response to an operation by the user on the operation display unit 4 and the operation unit 6, it feeds out the roll paper P from the holder 12, passes it through the sagging removal roller 14, and performs printing on the roll paper P by the printer unit 16 to reach the discharge port 8. At this time, the printer unit 10 reads the marks printed on the roll paper P with the sensor 18, and when one ticket T reaches the length in the predetermined conveyance direction, it cuts the roll paper P with the cutter 20 and discharges the ticket T so that it falls from the discharge port 8. At this time, the ticket T is discharged from the discharge port 8 along the discharge direction such that it advances downward and forward in the horizontal direction due to its own weight.

[0018] At this time, depending on the type of the roll paper P, the automatic ticket vending machine 1 may convey the roll paper P slightly back in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction after finishing printing on the roll paper P by the printer unit 16 while feeding out the roll paper P forward from the discharge port 8, make one ticket T reach the length in the predetermined conveyance direction, and then cut the roll paper P with the cutter 20.

[0019] The automatic ticket dispenser 1, depending on the type of ticket T, primarily dispenses the ticket T from the discharge port 8 to the stacking stacker 40 with the longitudinal direction of the ticket T aligned with the transport direction (front-to-back direction) of the roll paper P and the short direction of the ticket T aligned with the transport width direction (left-to-right direction) of the roll paper P. The ticket T dispensed from the discharge port 8 is guided by the transport guide 30 and falls to the stacking stacker 40, where its forward movement is restricted when the vicinity of its front end comes into contact with a fall prevention projection 42 provided on the stacking stacker 40, and it is accumulated on top of the stacking stacker 40 or on top of the ticket T already accumulated in the stacking stacker 40.

[0020] [1-3. About Curly Hair] The printer unit 10 unwinds the roll paper P, which is wound around the core Pc, from near the bottom end, prints on it using the printer unit 16, and delivers it to the discharge port 8. At this time, when the ticket T is discharged from the discharge port 8, it retains at least some of the shape it had when the roll paper P was wound around the core Pc. Therefore, when the ticket T is discharged from the discharge port 8 and accumulated in the stacking stacker 40, when viewed from the left and right sides, it has a curled shape in which both ends in the front-to-back direction (i.e., the front and rear ends in the transport direction) are curved upwards compared to the center in the front-to-back direction (transport direction), compared to a straight shape.

[0021] Here, when the roll paper P is wound around the circumferential surface of the core Pc, a winding layer Pw is formed on the outer circumference of the core Pc, as shown in Figure 3. At this time, the apparent diameter of the core Pc is larger than when the roll paper P is not wound around it, which is the diameter of the core Pc plus the thickness of the winding layer Pw. Hereafter, this apparent diameter will be referred to as the roll paper diameter. For this reason, the outermost roll paper P wound around the core Pc has a smaller curvature as the roll paper diameter increases (i.e., as it moves further away from the core Pc in a right-side view), while the curvature increases as the roll paper diameter decreases (i.e., as it moves closer to the core Pc in a right-side view). Therefore, the tickets T discharged from the discharge port 8 have a larger curvature and stronger curl tendency the closer the roll paper P was wound around the core Pc, while the tickets T cut from a roll paper P wound further away from the core Pc have a smaller curvature and weaker curl tendency. In the following, tickets T that are cut from a roll of paper P wound near the core Pc and have a strong curl are also referred to as strongly curled tickets Ts, and tickets T that are cut from a roll of paper P wound far from the core Pc and have a weak curl are also referred to as weakly curled tickets Tw. Thus, the strength of the curl of the tickets T released from the discharge port 8 differs depending on the radial distance from the core Pc in the roll of paper P before the ticket T is cut.

[0022] [1-4. Configuration of the transport guide] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, below the discharge port 8, a space 22 is formed in the housing 2 so as to be recessed from the front to the rear, through which the ticket T released from the discharge port 8 passes as it falls. To the left and right of this space 22, opposite each other in the left-right direction, are the left transport guide surface 24L and the right transport guide surface 24R, which are flat surfaces that are part of the housing 2. The left transport guide surface 24L and the right transport guide surface 24R guide the left and right sides of the ticket T released from the discharge port 8, respectively. Above this space 22, an upper transport guide surface 24U is formed, which is a flat surface that is part of the housing 2, so as to be angled downwards. The upper transport guide surface 24U guides the upper side of the ticket T released from the discharge port 8.

[0023] Furthermore, a transport guide 30 is fixed to the housing 2 and provided in front of the discharge port 8, facing the discharge port 8 and the space 22 in the front-rear direction. The transport guide 30 has a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front, has a predetermined thickness in the front-rear direction, and the front user-facing surface 30Sf and the rear transport guide surface 30Sb are flat plate shapes. The transport guide 30 also extends in the vertical direction from the tip of the upper transport guide surface 24U to the upper side of the horizontal accumulation surface 40S2 (described later) of the accumulation stacker 40. As a result, the transport guide 30 forms a receiving opening 34 between the lower end, which is the end on the accumulation stacker 40 side, and the accumulation stacker 40, from which the user can retrieve the tickets T accumulated in the accumulation stacker 40. The transport guide 30 also extends in the left-right direction from the front end of the left transport guide surface 24L to the front end of the right transport guide surface 24R.

[0024] Furthermore, the transport guide 30 is inclined so that its upper end is positioned towards the rear in the vertical direction, and is almost flush and parallel to the front surface of the housing 2. As a result, the transport guide 30 brings its transport guide surface 30Sb into contact with the front end or the upper surface near the front end of the ticket T released from the discharge port 8 along the discharge direction which moves downward in the horizontal direction, and guides the ticket T downward so that its direction of travel is toward the accumulation surface 40S of the accumulation stacker 40.

[0025] Furthermore, the transport guide 30 is made of a transparent material. Therefore, the transport guide 30 is configured so that a user positioned in front of the transport guide 30 can see the ticket T located behind the transport guide 30.

[0026] [1-5. Configuration of the stacker] The stacking stacker 40 is located on the front of the housing 2, below the discharge port 8, and has an open top, allowing access from the front by the user. The stacking stacker 40 stacks the tickets T, which are discharged from the discharge port 8 and guided by the transport guide 30, on the stacking surface 40S in a vertical direction, with the paper surface (ticket surface) almost aligned horizontally. The stacking stacker 40 is set to stack up to a maximum of, for example, 30 tickets T.

[0027] The stacking surface 40S has a planar inclined stacking surface portion 40S1 in the rear half, which is inclined downwards towards the front and has a normal that points upwards towards the front. In the front half, a planar horizontal stacking surface portion 40S2 is formed, which is aligned horizontally and extends forward from the lower end of the inclined stacking surface portion 40S1. The inclined stacking surface portion 40S1 is inclined at, for example, about 45° with respect to the horizontal stacking surface portion 40S2. Therefore, when a ticket T that has fallen from the discharge port 8 comes into contact with the inclined stacking surface portion 40S1, the stacking stacker 40 changes the direction of movement of the ticket T toward the fall prevention projection 42 and moves it forward.

[0028] In the stacking stacker 40, a pair of left and right fall prevention protrusions 42 are spaced apart in the left-right direction and protrude upward to above the horizontal portion 40S2 of the stacking surface, in front of the front end of the stacking surface 40S. The fall prevention protrusions 42, as protrusions, have a curved upper end when viewed from the side. The fall prevention protrusions 42 primarily restrict the forward movement of the ticket T, which has been released from the discharge port 8 and guided forward by the transport guide 30 and the inclined portion 40S1 of the stacking surface, by causing the ticket T to come into contact with one of the locations extending from the upper end surface to the lower end of the rear end surface. Thus, the fall prevention protrusions 42 prevent the ticket T from flying out and falling from the stacking stacker 40. The user picks up the ticket T from the stacking stacker 40 by pinching it with their fingers on the underside of the ticket T, which is in contact with the fall prevention protrusions 42, using the space between the pair of left and right fall prevention protrusions 42, and their fingers on the upper side of the ticket T.

[0029] [1-6. Arrangement Relationships] The lower end of the transport guide 30 is located between the front and rear ends of the horizontal accumulation surface 40S2 in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the lower end of the transport guide 30 is located between the front and rear ends of the ticket T in the state where it is accumulated in contact with the fall prevention projection 42 in the front-rear direction.

[0030] Furthermore, if the imaginary line L along the transport guide surface 30Sb of the transport guide 30 is extended downward, the imaginary line L passes between the front and rear ends of the horizontal accumulation surface 40S2 (i.e., it intersects with the horizontal accumulation surface 40S2). Therefore, the imaginary line L passes between the front and rear ends of the ticket T in the state where it is accumulated in contact with the fall prevention projection 42. In other words, the imaginary line L intersects with the ticket T in the state where it is accumulated in contact with the fall prevention projection 42.

[0031] The tickets T released from the discharge port 8 are accumulated in the stacking stacker 40 with the lowest ticket T in contact with three points: the fall prevention projection 42, the horizontal portion 40S2 of the accumulation surface, and the inclined portion 40S1 of the accumulation surface. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, when subsequent strongly curled tickets Ts released from the discharge port 8 come into contact with the contact point C, which is the rear end of the accumulated strongly curled tickets Ts, the center of gravity of the subsequent strongly curled tickets Ts is positioned in front of the contact point C. Therefore, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 prevents subsequent strongly curled tickets Ts from falling below the accumulated strongly curled tickets Ts, and allows subsequent strongly curled tickets Ts to be accumulated in the gap between the accumulated strongly curled tickets Ts and the transport guide 30.

[0032] The automatic ticket dispenser 1 sets the front-to-back position of the transport guide 30, the inclination angle of the transport guide 30 with respect to the vertical direction, the vertical position of the horizontal section 40S2 of the stacking surface, and the inclination angle of the horizontal section 40S2 of the stacking surface with respect to the inclined section 40S1 of the stacking surface, so as to satisfy these conditions even when 30 tickets T, which is the set upper limit, are stacked in the stacking stacker 40.

[0033] Furthermore, the transport guide 30 extends from the discharge port 8 (i.e., the point where the roll paper P is cut by the cutter 20) to the lower end of the transport guide 30, with a transport guide length Lg of, for example, 200 [mm]. In the automatic ticket dispenser 1, the transport direction length Lt, which is the length in the transport direction of the longest ticket, is set to, for example, 175 [mm]. Therefore, even when the longest ticket is cut from the roll paper P during printing, at least before the cutting stage, the lower end of the roll paper P is located above the lower end of the transport guide 30. As a result, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 can keep the roll paper P in its pre-cut state inside (i.e., on the rear side) of the transport guide 30 and prevent it from sticking out below the lower end of the transport guide 30.

[0034] [1-7. Operation] As described above, the degree of curl of the tickets T released from the discharge port 8 varies depending on the radial distance from the core Pc in the roll paper P before the tickets T are cut. Therefore, the stacking position when the tickets are stacked in the stacking stacker 40 will differ depending on the degree of curl.

[0035] [1-7-1. If the curl is weak] If the ticket T released from the discharge port 8 is cut from a roll of paper P that was wound far from the core Pc and has a weak curl (i.e., a ticket Tw with a slight curl), as shown in Figure 4, the front end of the ticket Tw with a slight curl will hit the main rear surface of the fall prevention projection 42 of the stacking stacker 40 and be stacked. Here, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 sets the position of the horizontal stacking surface 40S2 of the stacking stacker 40 at a sufficiently low position relative to the discharge port 8, and restricts the direction of travel of the ticket Tw with a slight curl to downward with the transport guide 30. As a result, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 can sequentially stack the next ticket Tw with a slight curl on top of the ticket Tw with a slight curl that has already been stacked in the stacking stacker 40, and prevents the next ticket Tw with a slight curl from pushing forward and causing the already stacked ticket Tw to fall.

[0036] [1-7-2. If you have a strong tendency to curl your hair] On the other hand, if the ticket T released from the discharge port 8 is cut from a roll of paper P that was wound near the core Pc and has a strong curl (i.e., a strongly curled ticket Ts), as shown in Figure 5, the lower surface of the strongly curled ticket Ts rides up on the upper surface of the fall prevention projection 42 of the stacking stacker 40, and the strongly curled ticket Ts is stacked leaning against the fall prevention projection 42. Here, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 sets the position of the horizontal stacking surface portion 40S2 of the stacking stacker 40 at a sufficiently low position relative to the discharge port 8, and restricts the direction of travel of the strongly curled ticket Ts downwards with the transport guide 30. As a result, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 can sequentially stack the next strongly curled ticket Ts on top of the strongly curled ticket Ts already stacked in the stacking stacker 40, preventing the next strongly curled ticket Ts released from riding up on the rear end of the already stacked strongly curled ticket Ts, causing it to lose balance and fall.

[0037] [1-7-3. Regarding the points where the ticket comes into contact with the fall prevention protrusion] Here, if the curl of the ticket T is weak, the height to which the front end of the ticket T bends upward is low, so the front end of the ticket T (i.e., the ticket with a weak curl Tw) abuts against the rear surface of the fall prevention projection 42. On the other hand, if the curl of the ticket T is strong, the height to which the front end of the ticket T bends upward is high, so the ticket T (i.e., the ticket with a strong curl Ts) rides up onto the upper surface of the fall prevention projection 42, and its lower surface abuts against the upper surface of the fall prevention projection 42. Thus, depending on the strength of the curl of the ticket T, the part of the fall prevention projection 42 that the ticket T abuts against will differ. In other words, the fall prevention projection 42 can be said to have a shape that includes at least a first contact portion 42a, which is a part of the rear surface that can abut against the tip (front end) of the ticket T, and a second contact portion 42b, which is a part of the upper surface that can abut against the vicinity of the tip on the ticket surface (bottom surface) of the ticket T.

[0038] [1-8. Effects, etc.] Figure 6 shows a comparative example automatic ticket vending machine 1001, in which the same reference numerals are used for the components corresponding to those in Figure 1. Compared to automatic ticket vending machine 1, automatic ticket vending machine 1001 differs in that the accumulation stacker 1040 is located above the accumulation stacker 40, i.e., closer to the discharge port 8 in the vertical direction, and the transport guide 30 is not provided, but otherwise it is configured similarly.

[0039] In the automatic ticket dispenser 1001, in the case of a slightly curled ticket Tw, as shown in Figure 7, the front end of the slightly curled ticket Tw abuts against the rear surface of the fall prevention projection 1042 of the stacking stacker 1040, and is stacked. At this time, the gap between the rear ends of the stacked slightly curled tickets Tw opens due to the curling, and the next slightly curled ticket Tw released may get stuck between the already stacked slightly curled tickets Tw, potentially changing the order in which the slightly curled tickets Tw are discharged from the discharge port 8 and the order in which they are stacked in the stacking stacker 1040. In addition, the released slightly curled ticket Tw may collide its front end with the rear end of an already stacked slightly curled ticket Tw, potentially pushing the already stacked slightly curled tickets Tw out of the stacking stacker 1040 and causing them to fall, resulting in a stacking defect.

[0040] On the other hand, in the automatic ticket dispenser 1001, in the case of heavily curled tickets Ts, as shown in Figure 8, the front end of the heavily curled ticket Ts abuts against the rear surface of the fall prevention projection 42 of the stacking stacker 1040, and is stacked. At this time, the position of the rear end of the stacked heavily curled tickets Ts becomes higher due to the curling, and there is a possibility that stacking failures will occur, where the next heavily curled ticket Ts that is released rides on the rear end of the already stacked heavily curled tickets Ts, loses balance, and falls.

[0041] Thus, in the automatic ticket issuing machine 1001, the degree of curling of the tickets T varies depending on the radial distance from the core Pc of the roll paper P before the tickets T are cut. This can lead to unstable stacking in the stacking stacker 1040, potentially causing stacking defects such as tickets falling off.

[0042] In contrast, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 sets the position of the horizontal accumulation surface portion 40S2 of the accumulation stacker 40 at a sufficiently low position relative to the discharge port 8, and restricts the direction of travel of the tickets T downwards with the transport guide 30. As a result, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 can sequentially accumulate the next tickets T on top of the tickets T already accumulated in the accumulation stacker 40, preventing the next released ticket T from pushing the already accumulated tickets T forward and causing them to fall, and also preventing the next released ticket T from riding up on the rear end of the already accumulated tickets T, causing it to lose balance and fall.

[0043] In this way, the automatic ticketing machine 1 can stably accumulate tickets T in the stacking stacker 40 without causing accumulation defects, even if the accumulation orientation of the tickets T differs depending on the degree of curling of the tickets T. As a result, the automatic ticketing machine 1 can stably accumulate tickets T regardless of the position from which they are unwound and cut in the radial direction of the roll paper P in its wound state. This is particularly useful when printing and cutting on media that are long in the transport direction and prone to curling, such as airline tickets, rather than on media with a short transport direction, such as train tickets.

[0044] Furthermore, in the automatic ticket vending machine 1001, the roll paper P being printed in the printer unit 16 protrudes outward (i.e., forward) from the discharge port 8 beyond the housing 2. In this case, since the automatic ticket vending machine 1001 does not have a transport guide 30, there was a possibility that a user might pull on the roll paper P being printed while it was protruding forward from the housing 2, causing a printing defect.

[0045] In contrast, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 extends the transport guide 30 below the lower end of the roll paper P protruding from the discharge port 8 when the longest ticket is cut from the roll paper P protruding forward from the discharge port 8. Therefore, even when the ticket T to be cut from the roll paper P is the longest ticket, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 can keep the roll paper P inside (i.e., at the rear) of the transport guide 30, at least before cutting in the printer unit 16, for example, during printing. This allows the automatic ticket dispenser 1 to avoid touching or pulling the ticket T (i.e., the roll paper P) during printing until the ticket T is cut, thereby stabilizing the print quality.

[0046] Furthermore, the automatic ticket vending machine 1 is designed so that the transport guide 30 is made of a transparent material. This allows the user to see the ticket T located behind the transport guide 30, improving the visibility of the ticket T and making it easier to remove the ticket T from the stacker 40. The automatic ticket vending machine 1 also allows the user to see the ticket T located behind the transport guide 30 being printed and discharged from the discharge port 8, allowing them to confirm that the automatic ticket vending machine 1 is operating normally.

[0047] With the above configuration, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 includes a discharge port 8 for discharging tickets T as a medium in the forward direction, which is the discharge direction; a collection stacker 40 provided below the discharge port 8 for collecting the tickets T discharged from the discharge port 8; and a transport guide 30 provided opposite the discharge port 8 and having a transport guide surface 30Sb as a guide surface for guiding the tickets T discharged from the discharge port 8 to the collection stacker 40. The transport guide 30 has a receiving port 34 between its lower end on the collection stacker 40 side and the collection stacker 40, from which the tickets T collected in the collection stacker 40 can be retrieved, and is positioned so that a virtual line L along the transport guide surface 30Sb intersects with the collection stacker 40.

[0048] As a result, even if the stacking orientation of the tickets T differs depending on the degree of curling, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 can stably stack these tickets T in the stacking stacker 40 without causing stacking defects.

[0049] [2. Second Embodiment] [2-1. Overall configuration of the automatic ticket vending machine] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 9, which uses the same reference numerals for components corresponding to those in Figure 2, the automatic ticket vending machine 101 according to the second embodiment is configured similarly to the automatic ticket vending machine 1 according to the first embodiment, except that the transport guide 130 differs from the transport guide 30 and a light source 50 is added.

[0050] [2-2. Configuration of Light Source and Transport Guide] The light source 50 is composed of, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) and is positioned above the transport guide 130, irradiating light downward toward the upper end surface of the transport guide 130. As shown in Figure 10, the transport guide 130 has, for example, three fine recesses 130d that are recessed toward the rear on the user-facing surface 30Sf. The recesses 130d that act as light bending portions are, for example, triangular pyramidal in shape.

[0051] In this configuration, when the light source 50 emits light, the light emitted from the light source 50 and incident on the upper end surface of the transport guide 130 passes through the inside of the transport guide 130 and is emitted from the lower end surface toward the lower stacking stacker 40. As a result, the tickets T accumulated in the stacking stacker 40 are illuminated by the light emitted from the transport guide 130. In this way, the automatic ticketing machine 101 illuminates the stacking stacker 40 by emitting light from the light source 50 and using the transport guide 130 as a light guide plate. This allows the automatic ticketing machine 101 to improve the visibility of the tickets T.

[0052] Furthermore, light that passes through the inside of the transport guide 130 is reflected at the recessed portion 130d and emitted toward the front of the transport guide 130. As a result, the shape of the recessed portion 130d appears luminous to the user. When issuing a ticket T, the automatic ticket dispenser 101 illuminates the recessed portion 130d by shining light from the light source 50, thereby making the user aware that the ticket T is being accumulated in the stacking stacker 40 and guiding the user. In this way, the automatic ticket dispenser 101 can improve visibility for the user.

[0053] Furthermore, the automatic ticket vending machine 101 according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effects and advantages as the automatic ticket vending machine 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0054] [3. Other Embodiments] In the first embodiment described above, the automatic ticket vending machine 1 was described in the case where the transport guide 30 is in a flat plate shape. The present invention is not limited to this, and the automatic ticket vending machine 1 may have the transport guide 30 in various other shapes, such as by curving the transport guide surface 30Sb of the transport guide 30. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0055] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the automatic ticket dispenser 1 was described in a case where the entire transport guide 30 was made of a transparent material. The present invention is not limited to this, and the automatic ticket dispenser 1 may be made of various other materials that are not transparent, either in part or in whole, of the transport guide 30. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0056] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the automatic ticket vending machine 101 was described in which three recesses 130d are formed in the transport guide 130. The present invention is not limited to this, and the automatic ticket vending machine 101 may have various other numbers of recesses 130d formed in the transport guide 130.

[0057] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the automatic ticket vending machine 101 was described in which the recessed portion 130d is triangular pyramidal in shape. The present invention is not limited to this, and the automatic ticket vending machine 101 may have the recessed portion 130d in various other shapes.

[0058] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the automatic ticket vending machine 101 was described in which the recessed portion 130d is formed in the transport guide 130. The present invention is not limited to this, and the automatic ticket vending machine 101 does not need to have the recessed portion 130d formed in the transport guide 130.

[0059] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the automatic ticket dispenser 101 was described in which a recessed portion 130d is formed on the user-facing surface 30Sf. The present invention is not limited to this, and the automatic ticket dispenser 101 may also form a recessed portion 130d on the transport guide surface 30Sb, as long as it does not get caught on the falling ticket T.

[0060] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the automatic ticket dispenser 101 is configured to have the light source 50 positioned above the transport guide 130 and irradiate light downward toward the upper end surface of the transport guide 130. The present invention is not limited to this, and the automatic ticket dispenser 101 may, for example, have the light source 50 positioned to the right of the transport guide 130 and irradiate light to the left toward the right end surface of the transport guide 130, thereby changing the optical path downward within the transport guide 130 and irradiating light from the lower end surface of the transport guide 130 toward the lower stacking stacker 40.

[0061] Furthermore, the above-described embodiment described the case in which the present invention is applied to an automatic ticketing machine 1 or 101 that prints on a long roll of paper P, cuts it, and issues it as a ticket T. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to various other devices that cut a long roll of paper and issue it as a medium.

[0062] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and other embodiments. That is, the scope of the present invention extends to embodiments that arbitrarily combine some or all of the embodiments described above and other embodiments. In addition, the scope of the present invention also extends when a part of the configuration described in any embodiment among the embodiments described above and other embodiments is extracted and substituted or adapted for a part of the configuration of any embodiment among the embodiments described above and other embodiments, or when the extracted part of the configuration is added to any embodiment.

[0063] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, we have described a case in which an automatic ticket vending machine 1 is configured with a discharge port 8 as a discharge port, a stacking stacker 40 as a stacking section, and a transport guide 30 as a guide section. The present invention is not limited to this, and an automatic ticket vending machine may be configured with a discharge port, stacking section, and guide section having various other configurations. [Industrial applicability]

[0064] This invention can be used, for example, in an automatic ticket vending machine that issues tickets to users. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1, 101, 1001... Automatic ticket dispenser, 2... Housing, 4... Operation display unit, 6... Operation unit, 8... Discharge port, 10... Printer unit, P... Roll paper, Pc... Winding core, Pw... Winding layer, 12... Holder, 14... Slack removal roller, 16... Printer unit, 18... Sensor, 20... Cutter, 22... Space, 24R... Right side transport guide surface, 24L... Left side transport guide surface, 24U... Upper transport guide surface, 30, 13 0... Transport guide, 30Sb... Transport guide surface, 30Sf... User facing surface, 130d... Recessed part, 34... Receiving slot, 40, 1040... Accumulation stacker, 40S... Accumulation surface, 40S1... Accumulation surface inclined part, 40S2... Accumulation surface horizontal part, 42... Drop prevention projection, 42a... First contact part, 42b... Second contact part, T... Ticket, Ts... Severely coiled ticket, Tw... Slightly coiled ticket, 50... Light source, L... Imaginary line.

Claims

1. A discharge port that discharges a medium in the discharge direction in such a state that when it is cut to a predetermined length, both ends in the front-to-back direction are curved upwards above the center, depending on the strength of the curl that is formed according to the distance from the center of the roll, A collection section is provided below the aforementioned discharge port and has a projection that contacts the medium discharged from the discharge port, and collects the medium discharged from the discharge port, A guide portion is provided opposite the discharge port, is inclined so that its upper end is positioned towards the discharge port in the vertical direction, and has a guide surface that guides the medium discharged from the discharge port to the collection portion. It has, The aforementioned guide section is A receiving opening is formed between the lower end of the accumulation section and the accumulation section, allowing the medium accumulated in the accumulation section to be removed, and a virtual line along the guide surface is arranged to intersect with the accumulation section. The aforementioned protrusion is A first contact portion is provided on the rear surface of the projection and has a curvature such that the front end abuts against the front end of the medium, A second contact portion that contacts the ticket surface near the front end of the medium, having a curve that causes the front end to rise to a position higher than the first contact portion. It is a shape that includes An automatic ticket vending machine characterized by the following features.

2. The second contact portion is provided above and in front of the first contact portion. The automatic ticket vending machine according to feature 1.

3. The accumulation unit is A horizontal portion of a planar accumulation surface is formed at the position where the imaginary lines along the guide surface intersect, A collection surface inclined portion is formed behind the horizontal portion of the collection surface and rises toward the discharge port. It has, The first contact portion or the second contact portion, the horizontal portion of the accumulation surface, and the inclined portion of the accumulation surface hold the medium to be accumulated. The automatic ticket vending machine according to feature 2.

4. The accumulation section accumulates the medium on the horizontal accumulation surface such that it is stacked vertically along the horizontal direction. The automatic ticket vending machine according to feature 3.

5. At least a portion of the guide portion is formed of a transparent material that allows the medium discharged from the outlet to be seen from the outside. The automatic ticket vending machine according to feature 1.

6. A light source that irradiates light toward the guide portion and irradiates light to the accumulation portion through the inside of the guide portion. The automatic ticket vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

7. The aforementioned guide section is A light bending section is formed on the user-facing surface, which is the surface opposite to the guide surface, and bends the light emitted from the light source toward the user-facing surface. The automatic ticket vending machine according to claim 6, further comprising the features described above.

Images