Banknote storage device

Abstract

This banknote storage device is provided with: a first roller core that is cylindrical in shape and onto an outer peripheral surface of which banknotes are rolled; a second roller core that is cylindrical in shape and onto an outer peripheral surface of which banknotes are rolled; a first conveyance path through which banknotes are conveyed; a second conveyance path through which banknotes are conveyed between one end section of the first conveyance path and the first roller core; a third conveyance path through which banknotes are conveyed between the one end section of the first conveyance path and the second roller core; and a control unit that causes an elimination action to be performed in which the banknotes rolled onto the first roller core are inverted front-to-back to eliminate rolling curl. The elimination action is an action in which the banknotes rolled onto the first roller core are passed through the second conveyance path and the third conveyance path and rolled onto the second roller core, the banknotes rolled onto the second roller core are passed through the third conveyance path and made to be received by the first conveyance path, and the banknotes that have been received by the first conveyance path are passed through the second conveyance path and rolled onto the first roller core.

Description

Banknote storage device

[0001] The present invention relates to a banknote storage device that stores banknotes.

[0002] In a banknote storage device for storing banknotes, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, banknotes deposited through a deposit port are stored by being wound around the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical winding core.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-101676

[0004] When banknotes are wound around a winding core, they tend to return to the shape they were in when wound around the outer periphery of the winding core. In a banknote storage device, stored banknotes may be dispensed through a dispensing port. If banknotes are dispensed while still having a curled curl, there is a risk that the banknotes may jam on the path to the dispensing port, or that banknotes that have been dispensed due to the curled curl may collide with other banknotes being dispensed later, causing the banknotes to fall out of the dispensing port.

[0005] The disclosed technology has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a banknote storage device that can eliminate the winding tendency of banknotes wound around a winding core.

[0006] One aspect of the banknote storage device disclosed in the present application includes a first winding core having a cylindrical shape and around which banknotes are wound, a second winding core having a cylindrical shape and around which banknotes are wound, a first transport path along which banknotes are transported, a second transport path along which banknotes are transported between one end of the first transport path and the first winding core, a third transport path along which banknotes are transported between one end of the first transport path and the second winding core, and a storage device for storing the banknotes wound around the first winding core. and a control unit that performs a elimination operation to turn the banknotes over and eliminate the winding tendency of the banknotes, the elimination operation being an operation in which the banknotes wound on the first winding core are wound onto the second winding core through the second conveying path and the third conveying path, the banknotes wound onto the second winding core are transferred to the first conveying path through the third conveying path, and the banknotes transferred to the first conveying path are wound onto the first winding core through the second conveying path.

[0007] According to one aspect of the banknote storage device disclosed in the present application, it is possible to eliminate the winding tendency of banknotes wound around the winding core.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a banknote storage device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a curl elimination operation in the banknote storage device. FIG. 3 is a partial enlarged view of a banknote storage unit portion of the banknote storage device, and is a diagram for illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 4 is a partial enlarged view of a banknote storage unit portion of the banknote storage device, and is a diagram for illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of a banknote storage unit portion of the banknote storage device, and is a diagram for illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 6 is a partial enlarged view of a banknote storage unit portion of the banknote storage device, and is a diagram for illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged view of a banknote storage unit portion of the banknote storage device, and is a diagram for illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 8 is a partial enlarged view of a banknote storage unit portion of the banknote storage device, and is a diagram for illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 9 is a partial enlarged view of a banknote storage unit portion of the banknote storage device, and is a diagram for illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of a banknote storage unit of a banknote storage device, illustrating the curl elimination operation. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating criteria for determining the strength of a banknote curl. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the time elapsed since the banknote was wound around the winding core and the strength of the banknote curl. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the time elapsed since the first side and the second side of a banknote that had been wound around the winding core for 15 hours were reversed and wound around the winding core, and the curl. FIG. 14 is a diagram for comparing the likelihood of curl formation depending on the longitudinal length of the banknote. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the material of the banknote and the curl diameter. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of setting the time interval for the curl elimination operation when the first, second, and third judgment criterion examples are combined.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the banknote storage device disclosed in the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the banknote storage device disclosed in the present application is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a banknote storage device according to an embodiment. The banknote storage device 1 includes a housing 2, a deposit / withdrawal port-side transport path 3, a winding core 4, a storage unit-side transport path 5, a banknote recognition unit 6, a control unit 7, and a memory unit 8.

[0011] The housing 2 forms the outer shell of the banknote storage device 1. The interior of the housing 2 is partitioned into a banknote transport unit 21 and a banknote storage unit 22.

[0012] The banknote transport unit 21 is formed with a deposit unit 21a which serves as an inlet for banknotes and a withdrawal unit 21b which serves as an outlet for banknotes. Openings are formed in the deposit unit 21a and the withdrawal unit 21b to communicate the inside and outside of the banknote transport unit 21. A deposit / withdrawal port side transport path 3 is provided inside the banknote transport unit 21 to transport banknotes inserted from the deposit unit 21a and banknotes discharged from the withdrawal unit 21b.

[0013] One end 3a of the deposit / withdrawal port-side transport path 3 is connected to the deposit unit 21a and the withdrawal unit 21b. The other end 3b of the deposit / withdrawal port-side transport path 3 extends to the banknote storage unit 22. In the deposit / withdrawal port-side transport path 3, banknotes are transported from the one end 3a to the other end 3b, and banknotes are transported from the other end 3b to the one end 3a. More specifically, in the deposit / withdrawal port-side transport path 3, banknotes deposited from the deposit unit 21a are transported toward the banknote storage unit 22, and banknotes received from the banknote storage unit 22 are transported toward the withdrawal unit 21b.

[0014] The banknote storage unit 22 accommodates a first winding core 41 and a second winding core 42. In the following description, the first winding core 41 and the second winding core 42 may be simply referred to as winding core 4 without distinction. The banknote storage unit 22 is divided into a first banknote storage unit 22a that accommodates the first winding core 41 and a second banknote storage unit 22b that accommodates the second winding core 42. The first banknote storage unit 22a and the second banknote storage unit 22b are separated by a wall.

[0015] The first winding core 41 and the second winding core 42 have a cylindrical outer shape and are rotatable about the central axis of the cylinder. The first winding core 41 and the second winding core 42 hold banknotes by having banknotes wound around their outer circumferential surfaces. The banknote storage device 1 is provided with a drive device that rotates the first winding core 41 and a drive device that rotates the second winding core 42, but these are not shown in the drawings and are not described in detail.

[0016] The storage unit side transport path 5 is provided inside the banknote storage unit 22. The storage unit side transport path 5 transports banknotes inside the banknote storage unit 22. The storage unit side transport path 5 has a first transport path 51, a second transport path 52, and a third transport path 53.

[0017] One end 51a of the first conveying path 51 is connected to the other end 3b of the deposit / withdrawal port side conveying path 3 provided in the banknote conveying section 21, and banknotes are transferred between the first conveying path 51 and the deposit / withdrawal port side conveying path 3.

[0018] One end 52a of the second transport path 52 is connected to the other end 51b of the first transport path 51, and banknotes are transferred between the first transport path 51 and the second transport path 52. The other end 52b of the second transport path 52 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the first winding core 41, and banknotes are transferred between the second transport path 52 and the first winding core 41.

[0019] One end 53a of the third transport path 53 is connected to the other end 51b of the first transport path 51 and one end 52a of the second transport path 52. Banknotes are transferred between the first transport path 51 and the third transport path 53. Banknotes are also transferred between the second transport path 52 and the third transport path 53. The other end 53b of the third transport path 53 is connected to the outer peripheral surface of the second winding core 42, and banknotes are transferred between the third transport path 53 and the second winding core 42.

[0020] The methods of transporting banknotes in the deposit / withdrawal port side transport path 3 and the storage section side transport path 5, and the method of selectively transferring banknotes may be well-known methods, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0021] The banknote recognition unit 6 recognizes the type of banknote inserted through the deposit unit 21a and transported along the deposit / withdrawal port-side transport path 3. The banknote recognition unit 6 transmits information on the recognized type of banknote to the control unit 7. The type of banknote may be, for example, the type of denomination or the type of currency.

[0022] The control unit 7 controls the deposit / withdrawal port side conveying path 3, the storage section side conveying path 5, and the winding core 4 based on various information such as type information, and controls the storage of banknotes deposited from the deposit section 21a and the withdrawal of stored banknotes from the withdrawal section 21b.

[0023] The storage unit 8 stores the time during which the banknotes are wound around the winding core 4 and the denomination information of the banknotes wound around the winding core 4.

[0024] <Regarding delivery of banknotes to and from the winding core> The first winding core 41 rotates counterclockwise (in the direction indicated by the arrow X1) on the paper surface of Fig. 1 to wind and hold the banknotes delivered from the second transport path 52 around its outer periphery. The first winding core 41 rotates clockwise (in the direction indicated by the arrow Y1) on the paper surface of Fig. 1 to deliver the banknotes that have been wound and held around its outer periphery to the second transport path 52.

[0025] 1 (the direction indicated by the arrow X2), the second winding core 42 winds and holds the banknotes delivered from the third transport path 53 around its outer periphery. The second winding core 42 rotates clockwise (the direction indicated by the arrow Y2) on the paper in FIG. 1, thereby delivering the banknotes that were wound and held around its outer periphery to the third transport path 53.

[0026] <Operation when depositing money> In this embodiment, the first banknote storage unit 22a serves as a main storage that continuously stores banknotes, and the second banknote storage unit 22b serves as a temporary storage that temporarily stores banknotes. Note that multiple storage units that serve as main storage units are provided, and different types of banknotes are stored in each main storage unit. In this embodiment, for ease of understanding, an example in which there is one main storage unit will be described.

[0027] When a user of the banknote storage device 1 deposits banknotes through the deposit unit 21a, the control unit 7 controls the deposit / withdrawal port side transport path 3, the first transport path 51, and the third transport path 53 to transport the deposited banknotes to the other end 53b of the third transport path 53. Next, the control unit 7 transfers the banknotes from the third transport path 53 to the second winding core 42 while rotating the second winding core 42 counterclockwise, whereby the banknotes are wound around and held on the outer peripheral surface of the second winding core 42.

[0028] All banknotes deposited by a user are wound and held on the second winding core 42. The banknotes are temporarily stored on the second winding core 42 until the depositing operation is completed.

[0029] When the user completes the deposit operation, the control unit 7 rotates the second winding core 42 clockwise to transfer the banknotes wound around the second winding core 42 to the third transport path 53. The control unit 7 controls the second transport path 52 and the third transport path 53 to transfer the banknotes transferred to the third transport path 53 to the second transport path 52. The control unit 7 transfers the banknotes from the second transport path 52 to the first winding core 41 while rotating the first winding core 41 counterclockwise, thereby winding and holding the banknotes around the outer peripheral surface of the first winding core 41. The holding by the first winding core 41 constitutes regular storage, which continues even after the deposit operation is completed.

[0030] Completion of the deposit operation is confirmed, for example, when the user performs an operation indicating completion of the deposit operation on an operation unit (not shown).

[0031] <Regarding the curling tendency of banknotes> In the banknote storage unit 22, banknotes are wound and held around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical first winding core 41, and therefore, over time, the banknotes will develop a curling tendency. The curling tendency is a tendency that occurs when a banknote, which was initially flat before being stored in the banknote storage unit 22, is wound around the winding core 4, and does not return to a flat shape after being released from the winding, but instead curls back to a cylindrical shape. In the following description, a banknote that has developed a tendency to return to a shape closer to the state it was in when wound around the winding core 4 after being released from the winding is referred to as having a strong curling tendency, and a banknote that has developed a shape closer to a flat shape is referred to as having a weak curling tendency.

[0032] <Problems with banknotes becoming curled> When banknotes are dispensed from the banknote storage device 1, the banknotes that have been wound around the first winding core 41 and stored are dispensed from the dispensing unit 21b. If the banknotes are dispensed while still curled, there is a risk that the banknotes may become jammed in the transport path to the dispensing unit 21b, or that banknotes that have been dispensed and have become curled due to the curled banknotes may collide with other banknotes being dispensed later, causing the banknotes to fall out of the dispensing unit 21b.

[0033] <Regarding Eliminating Curves of Banknotes> In the banknote storage device 1, the control unit 7 performs an elimination operation for eliminating curls that have developed on banknotes while they are being wound around the winding core 4. Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the elimination operation of the banknote storage device. Figs. 3 to 10 are partial enlarged views of the banknote storage section of the banknote storage device, and are diagrams for explaining the elimination operation of the banknote.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 3, it is assumed that the banknotes 10 are already wound around the first winding core 41. First, as shown in Fig. 4, the control unit 7 rotates the first winding core 41 clockwise to transfer the banknotes 10 to the third transport path 53 via the second transport path 52 (step S1).

[0035] 5 and 6, the control unit 7 rotates the second winding core 42 counterclockwise to wind the banknotes 10 onto the second winding core 42 (step S2). Next, as shown in Fig. 7, the control unit 7 rotates the second winding core 42 clockwise to transfer the banknotes 10 to the third transport path 53 (step S3).

[0036] 8, the control unit 7 drives the third transport path 53 and the second transport path 52 to transfer the banknotes 10 to the first transport path 51 (step S4). Here, the banknotes 10 are not transferred from the third transport path 53 to the second transport path 52, but are transferred to the first transport path 51 first.

[0037] Next, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the control unit 7 rotates the first winding core 41 counterclockwise to wind the banknotes 10 onto the first winding core 41 via the second transport path 52 (step S5).

[0038] By delivering the banknote 10 to the first transport path 51 in step S4, when the banknote 10 is wound around the first winding core 41 in the subsequent step S5, the front and back of the banknote 10 will be reversed from when it was wound around the first winding core 41 in Fig. 3. Therefore, when the operation to eliminate the curl is completed, the curl direction of the banknote 10 wound around the first winding core 41 will also be reversed, and the curl will be eliminated.

[0039] <Regarding the timing of performing the operation to eliminate the curl> In the banknote storage device 1, it is preferable that the operation to eliminate the curl is performed at a timing that allows the curl to be eliminated more effectively. Examples of criteria for determining the timing to perform the operation to eliminate the curl are shown below.

[0040] <First Example of Judgment Criterion> A first example of a criterion for determining the timing for performing the curl elimination operation is the time the banknote 10 has been wound around the winding core 4. Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating the criteria for determining the strength of the curl of a banknote. Fig. 11 shows the banknote 10 as viewed along the short edge direction. Fig. 11 also shows the banknote 10 in a state where the curl has formed such that the first surface 10a is concave.

[0041] The strength of the curl of the banknote 10 is determined based on the curl diameter A. The curl diameter A is defined as the diameter of a circle that includes the curled banknote 10 as an arc. If the curl is formed so that the second surface 10b is concave in the opposite direction to the warp direction shown in Figure 11, the curl diameter A is indicated by a negative sign.

[0042] 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the time elapsed since the banknote was wound around the winding core and the strength of the curl of the banknote. As shown in FIG. 12, the longer the elapsed time, the stronger the curl of the banknote becomes.

[0043] Fig. 13 shows the relationship between the curl and the time elapsed after a banknote that had been wound around a winding core for 15 hours was wound around the winding core with its first and second sides reversed. As shown in Fig. 13, after 6 hours, the curl has been reversed, resulting in a curl with the second side 10b becoming concave. The banknotes used in the experiments of Figs. 12 and 13 had a longitudinal length of 156 mm.

[0044] From the above, according to the first judgment criterion, it is preferable to perform the curl elimination operation every three hours after the banknote 10 is wound around the first winding core 41. For example, the time when the banknote 10 is deposited is stored in the memory unit 8, and the control unit 7 calculates the time the banknote 10 has been wound from the time of deposit and the current time. Furthermore, the control unit 7 executes the curl elimination operation according to the calculated time.

[0045] <Second Example of Judgment Criterion> A second example of the criterion for determining the timing to perform the curl-removing operation is the longitudinal length of the banknote 10. The longer the longitudinal length of the banknote 10, the larger the curl diameter A is likely to be. Therefore, in order to compare the tendency for curling to occur between banknotes 10 of different lengths, the ratio of the curl diameter A to the diameter when the longitudinal ends are brought into contact to form a circle is calculated, and the tendency for curling to occur is compared based on the magnitude of this ratio. If the diameter when the longitudinal ends are brought into contact to form a circle is B and the ratio is C, then C = B / A. The larger the ratio C, the stronger the curl is determined to be.

[0046] Fig. 14 is a diagram for comparing the likelihood of curling depending on the longitudinal length of the banknote. As shown in Fig. 14, the ratio C increases as the longitudinal length of the banknote 10 increases. In other words, it can be seen that the longer the longitudinal length of the banknote 10, the more likely it is that the banknote 10 will curl. Therefore, by shortening the time interval between the curl elimination operations as the longitudinal length of the banknote 10 increases, it is possible to effectively eliminate the curl.

[0047] The first and second example judgment criteria may be combined to perform the curl elimination operation. That is, a reference length in the longitudinal direction of the banknote 10 is determined in advance, and the curl elimination operation is performed on banknotes 10 of the reference length at time intervals determined by the first example judgment criteria. Then, the curl elimination operation is performed on banknotes 10 whose longitudinal length is shorter than the reference length at time intervals longer than the reference time interval. On the other hand, the curl elimination operation is performed on banknotes whose longitudinal length is longer than the reference length at time intervals shorter than the reference time interval. This allows for more effective curl elimination tailored to the size of the banknote 10.

[0048] It should be noted that the types of banknotes 10 stored in the banknote storage device 1 are generally determined in advance. Furthermore, since the longitudinal length of each banknote 10 is determined depending on the type of banknote 10, it is possible to determine the time interval for performing the curl elimination operation for each type of banknote 10.

[0049] <Third Example of Determination Criterion> A third example of the determination criterion for determining the timing to perform the curl elimination operation is the material of the banknote 10. Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the material of the banknote and the curl diameter. Fig. 15 shows the curl diameter when banknotes 10 of the same size but made of different materials, polymer and paper, are wound around the winding core 4 for the same time.

[0050] 15, it can be seen that polymer banknotes 10 tend to have stronger curling than paper banknotes 10. Therefore, by performing the curl elimination operation at shorter time intervals for polymer banknotes 10 than for paper banknotes 10, it is possible to effectively eliminate the curling.

[0051] The operation for eliminating the curl may be performed by combining the first, second, and third example criteria. Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of setting the time interval for the operation for eliminating the curl when the first, second, and third example criteria are combined.

[0052] As shown in Figure 16, the time interval for the curl elimination operation may be increased or decreased depending on the material of the banknote 10 in addition to the longitudinal length of the banknote 10. In Figure 16, the banknote shown in the first example of judgment criteria, i.e., the paper banknote 10 whose results were shown in Figures 12 and 13, is used as the reference banknote (1). If the longitudinal length is shorter than that of the banknote (1), the time interval for the curl elimination operation is set longer, and if it is longer, the time interval for the curl elimination operation is set shorter. Furthermore, if the material is different from that of the banknote (1) and made of polymer, the time interval for the curl elimination operation is set shorter.

[0053] In this way, by increasing or decreasing the time interval for performing the eliminating operation depending on the size and material of the banknote 10, it is possible to eliminate the curl more efficiently.

[0054] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Banknote storage device 2 Housing 3 Deposit / withdrawal port side transport path 3a One end 3b Other end 4 Winding core 5 Storage section side transport path 6 Banknote recognition section 7 Control section 8 Memory section 10 Banknote 10a First surface 10b Second surface 21 Banknote transport section 21a Deposit section 21b Dispensing section 22 Banknote storage section 22a First banknote storage section 22b Second banknote storage section 41 First winding core 42 Second winding core 51 First transport path 51a One end 51b Other end 52 Second transport path 52a One end 52b Other end 53 Third transport path 53a One end 53b Other end

Claims

1. A device comprising: a first winding core having a cylindrical shape and around which banknotes are wound; a second winding core having a cylindrical shape and around which the banknotes are wound; a first transport path along which the banknotes are transported; a second transport path along which the banknotes are transported between one end of the first transport path and the first winding core; a third transport path along which the banknotes are transported between one end of the first transport path and the second winding core; and a control unit that performs an elimination operation to turn over the banknotes wound around the first winding core to eliminate any curling tendency of the banknotes, The dissolution operation is an operation of a banknote storage device in which the banknote wound around the first winding core is wound around the second winding core through the second conveying path and the third conveying path, the banknote wound around the second winding core is transferred to the first conveying path through the third conveying path, and the banknote transferred to the first conveying path is wound around the first winding core through the second conveying path.

2. The banknote storage device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the eliminating operation to be performed at predetermined time intervals.

3. A banknote storage device according to claim 2, wherein the time interval is shorter as the banknote is longer in the longitudinal direction.

4. A banknote storage device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the time interval varies depending on the material of the banknote.

Images