Paper sheet processing equipment

Abstract

To achieve good versatility and reduce manufacturing costs.SOLUTION: A paper sheet processor identifies the authenticity of a paper sheet through identification means 111 while conveying the paper sheet fed through a feeding port (22, etc.) along a conveyance path 15, and stores the paper sheet identified as authentic by the identification means 111 in a storage compartment 121. A feeding unit having the feeding port is composed of alternatively selected one of: a first input part 21 removably provided in a rectangular body composition part 10 having the identification means 111 and the storage compartment 121, and having the first feeding port 22 facing a front side in a depth direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the body composition part 10 is the same as a vertical direction; and a second input part 31 having a second feeding port 32 facing the front side in the longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the body composition part 10 is the same as the depth direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as a paper sheet processing apparatus applied to, for example, a vending machine, the one proposed in Patent Document 1 is known. When a bill (paper sheet) inserted through an insertion port of a vending machine main body is inserted through an inlet, the conveyance path is conveyed by rotating a conveyance roller around its axis, and authenticity is identified by an identification means during the conveyance. And when it is identified as genuine, it is then stored in a storage. On the other hand, when it cannot be identified as genuine, the bill is conveyed again along the conveyance path toward the inlet and discharged from the inlet, whereby the bill is sent out from the above-mentioned insertion port.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the above-mentioned paper sheet processing apparatus is a so-called vertical paper sheet processing apparatus configured such that the vertical dimension is larger than the depth dimension due to the characteristics applied to a vending machine. Therefore, it is difficult to install in an installation space where the depth dimension is larger than the vertical dimension because it is necessary to provide the inlet on the front side, and it is necessary to newly develop a paper sheet processing apparatus suitable for such an installation space. That is, in the above-mentioned paper sheet processing apparatus, it does not have versatility, and there is a risk of increasing the manufacturing cost due to the need for development according to the installation space.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a paper sheet processing device that can be made more versatile and can reduce manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention is a paper sheet processing apparatus that transports paper sheets fed in through an input port along a transport path, identifies the authenticity of the paper sheets through an identification means, and stores the paper sheets identified as authentic by the identification means in a storage compartment, wherein the input unit having the input port is detachably provided to a rectangular main body component having the identification means and the storage compartment, and is configured by selectively selecting between a first input section having a first input port facing the front side in the depth direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the main body component coincides with the vertical direction, and a second input section having a second input port facing the front side in the longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the main body component coincides with the depth direction.

[0007] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned paper sheet processing apparatus, the input unit is attached to a frame member that constitutes the main body of the apparatus together with the main body component, and the frame member is detachably arranged in such a manner that it covers the front surface of the main body component, thereby enabling the input unit to be detachably attached to the main body component.

[0008] Furthermore, in the paper sheet processing apparatus described above, the present invention is characterized in that the second input unit has a transport roller that constitutes a transport path from the second input opening to the main body component, and rotates when a driving force is transmitted from a drive source provided in the main body component. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the input unit, which is detachably provided to a rectangular main body component having an identification means and a storage compartment, is composed of a first input section having a first input opening facing the front side in the depth direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the main body component coincides with the vertical direction, and a second input section having a second input opening facing the front side in the longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the main body component coincides with the depth direction. Therefore, when the input unit is composed of the first input section, the paper sheet processing device can be used as a so-called vertical paper sheet processing device, while when the input unit is composed of the second input section, the paper sheet processing device can be used as a so-called horizontal paper sheet processing device. Accordingly, the input unit can be selectively selected from the first input section and the second input section according to the installation space while the main body component is standardized, resulting in good versatility and the effect of reducing manufacturing costs. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing one embodiment of the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing one embodiment of the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet processing device according to the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet processing device according to the present invention. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view showing another embodiment of the paper sheet processing device according to the present invention. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a perspective view showing a cross-section of the paper sheet processing device shown in Figures 4 and 5. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the paper sheet processing device shown in Figures 4 and 5. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a cross section of the paper sheet processing apparatus in FIGS. 4 to 5. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional side view of the paper sheet processing apparatus in FIGS. 4 to 5. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] A preferred embodiment of the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0012] FIGS. 1 to 3 each show one form of the paper sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view. Hereinafter, the front-rear direction will be described as the depth direction.

[0013] The paper sheet processing apparatus exemplified here is used, for example, as a banknote processing machine called a so-called building validator of a vending machine, and is attached to the rear surface of a front door that constitutes the front surface of the vending machine, and includes a device main body 1.

[0014] The device main body 1 includes a main body component 10 and a first frame member 20. The main body component 10 has a rectangular shape composed of an identification unit 11 and a storage unit 12.

[0015] The first frame member 20 is detachably provided on the main body component 10 so as to cover the front surface of the main body component 10, and is installed on the rear surface of the front door. A first insertion portion 21 is attached to the first frame member 20.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, when the longitudinal direction of the main body component 10 coincides with the vertical direction, the first insertion portion 21 has a first insertion port 22 facing the front side in the front-rear direction (the front side in the depth direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction.

[0017] The banknotes inserted through the first insertion slot 22 are conveyed through the conveyance path 15 formed in the first insertion unit 21 and the main body component 10 by a plurality of conveyance rollers 14 and the like due to the forward rotation drive of the conveyance motor 13, as is conventionally well-known.

[0018] The identification unit 11 incorporates an identification means 111 for identifying the authenticity of the banknotes conveyed through the conveyance path 15. The identification means 111 is constituted by an optical sensor, a magnetic sensor, etc. provided at positions facing each other across the conveyance path 15, detects the features of the banknotes on a specific identification line of the conveyed banknotes, and processes the detected data to determine the denomination and authenticity of the banknotes.

[0019] The storage unit 12 includes a storage bin 121 for storing the banknotes whose denominations have been identified by the identification means 111 and which have been identified as genuine.

[0020] When the banknotes are not correctly identified by the identification means 111, the above-mentioned conveyance roller 14 has a function of conveying the banknotes toward the first insertion slot 22 by the reverse rotation drive of the conveyance motor 13, which is the drive source, and discharging them from the first insertion slot 22.

[0021] With respect to the above-mentioned main body component 10, after removing the first frame member 20, as shown in FIG. 4, the second frame member 30 can be detachably provided in a manner of covering the front surface of the main body component 10. This second frame member 30 is installed at a predetermined part of the applicable device and has a second insertion unit 31 attached thereto.

[0022] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, when the longitudinal direction of the main body component 10 coincides with the front-rear direction, the second insertion unit 31 has a second insertion slot 32 facing the front side in the front-rear direction (the front side in the depth direction).

[0023] This second input slot 32, like the first input slot 22 described above, is an opening for inserting or ejecting banknotes, and is provided with an input transport path 33 that communicates with the transport path 15 formed in the main body component 10. This input transport path 33 constitutes the banknote transport path 15, but the word "input" is added to distinguish it from the transport path 15 of the main body component 10.

[0024] The input conveying path 33 is equipped with an input conveying roller 34. As shown in Figure 7, this input conveying roller 34 is linked to a conveying roller 14 provided on the conveying path 15 of the main body component 10 via a plurality of transmission gears 35. When the conveying motor 13 is driven in the forward direction, the driving force is transmitted via the conveying roller 14 and the transmission gears 35, causing it to rotate around its own central axis and convey the banknotes.

[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, the forward rotation drive of the transport motor 13 is performed by a lever member 36, which is provided in the second input slot 32 so as to be able to swing around the central axis of a shaft (not shown) that extends in the left-right direction, and whose position is determined by a lever spring 36a, which is a biasing means. When banknotes are inserted from the second input slot 32, the lever member 36 swings counterclockwise when viewed from the left, against the biasing force of the lever spring 36a, causing the rear end portion 361 of the lever member 36 to block light from the optical sensor 37, thereby driving the motor for a predetermined time. After the banknotes inserted from the second input slot 32 have passed through the input transport path 33, the lever member 36 returns to the standby position due to the biasing force of the lever spring 36a, and the blocking of light from the optical sensor 37 is released.

[0026] In such a second input section 31, the cover member 38 that constitutes the upper edge of the second input opening 32 is provided so as shown in Figure 9 that it can swing along the vertical direction in a manner that moves toward and away from the lower edge 39 of the second input opening 32, around the central axis of a cover shaft (not shown) that extends along the left-right direction.

[0027] When the cover member 38 is swung upward in this manner, as shown in Figure 10, the rear end portion 361 of the lever member 36 engages with a part of the second input section 31, thereby maintaining the cover member 38 in an upward-swung position.

[0028] In the paper sheet processing apparatus having the above configuration, a first frame member 20 having a first input section 21 and a second frame member 30 having a second input section 31 are detachably attached to the main body component 10, and the selectively chosen first input section 21 and second input section 31 constitute the input unit of the present invention.

[0029] Furthermore, since the input unit is composed of one of the first input section 21 and the second input section 31, when the input unit is composed of the first input section 21, the paper sheet processing device can be used as a so-called vertical paper sheet processing device, while when the input unit is composed of the second input section 31, the paper sheet processing device can be used as a so-called horizontal paper sheet processing device.

[0030] Therefore, with the above-described paper sheet processing device, the main body components 10 can be standardized, and the input unit can be selectively selected from the first input unit 21 and the second input unit 31 according to the installation space, thereby improving versatility and reducing manufacturing costs.

[0031] Furthermore, with the above-described paper sheet processing device, when the input unit is composed of the second input section 31, the cover member 38 can be swung upward and maintained in an upward-swung position, so that jammed banknotes near the second input opening 32 can be removed and the cleaning of the second input opening 32 can be made easier.

[0032] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications can be made.

[0033] Although not specifically mentioned in the embodiments described above, the cover member constituting the second input section may have, for example, a light guide plate made of a light-transmitting material, and such a light guide plate may emit light by guiding light emitted from a light source such as an LED throughout its entire surface.

[0034] By having the light guide plate integrated into the cover component, the number of parts can be reduced and the overall size can be kept down compared to having a separate light guide plate in addition to the cover component. This allows for reduced manufacturing costs and space savings.

[0035] In the embodiments described above, banknotes were explained as paper sheets, but in the present invention, other monetary instruments such as banknotes can also be used as paper sheets. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1...Device body, 10...Body component, 11...Identification unit, 111...Identification means, 12...Storage unit, 121...Storage compartment, 13...Conveyor motor, 14...Conveyor roller, 15...Conveyor path, 20...First frame member, 21...First input section, 22...First input opening, 30...Second frame member, 31...Second input section, 32...Second input opening, 33...Input conveyor path, 34...Input conveyor roller, 35...Transmission gear, 36...Lever member, 36a...Lever spring, 361...Rear end portion, 37...Optical sensor, 38...Cover member, 39...Lower edge portion.

Claims

1. A paper sheet processing device that transports paper sheets fed in through an input opening along a transport path, identifies the authenticity of the paper sheets through an identification means, and stores the paper sheets identified as authentic by the identification means in a storage compartment, The paper sheet processing apparatus is characterized in that the input unit having the input opening is detachably provided to a rectangular main body component having the identification means and the storage compartment, and comprises a first input section having a first input opening facing the front side in the depth direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the main body component coincides with the vertical direction, and a second input section having a second input opening facing the front side in the longitudinal direction when the longitudinal direction of the main body component coincides with the depth direction, which is selectively selected from the two.

2. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the input unit is attached to a frame member that constitutes the main body of the apparatus together with the main body component, and the frame member is detachably arranged to cover the front surface of the main body component, thereby being detachably provided to the main body component.

3. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the second input section has a transport roller that forms a transport path from the second input opening to the main body component, which rotates when a driving force is transmitted from a drive source provided in the main body component.

Images