Media handling device

Abstract

This media handling device includes: a storage container that has an opening through which media can pass and stores the media in a stacked state; a conveyance path that is connected to the opening and allows conveyance of the media; a stacking roller that feeds the media toward the storage container along the conveyance path in a conveyance direction; an impeller that is provided on the conveyance path downstream of the stacking roller in the conveyance direction, is provided with blades in a part of the entire circumference, and drops the media to be stacked to the bottom of the storage container; a stacking sensor that is provided between the impeller and the stacking roller in the conveyance path, and detects the media; a conveyance roller that feeds the media to the stacking roller; and a conveyance sensor that is provided on the conveyance path upstream of the conveyance roller in the conveyance direction, and detects the media.

Description

Media Processing Device

[0001] This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-022053, filed February 16, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This disclosure relates to a media processing device, and is applicable to, for example, an automatic teller machine (ATM) that allows a customer to insert media such as banknotes and performs a desired transaction.

[0002] Conventionally, automated teller machines (ATMs) used in financial institutions and the like have been widely used to deposit cash such as banknotes and coins from customers and to dispense cash to customers depending on the content of transactions with the customers. As such automated teller machines, for example, those having a control unit for overall control, a banknote deposit and withdrawal unit for transferring banknotes (medium) to and from customers, a transport unit for transporting inserted banknotes, a recognition unit for recognizing the denomination and authenticity of the banknotes, etc., a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing banknotes, and a plurality of banknote storage vaults for storing banknotes by denomination have been proposed.

[0003] Some of these automated teller machines rotate a tongue mechanism (also called a vane wheel mechanism) made up of blades, and use the blades to strike banknotes discharged from the transport path of the transport unit into the banknote storage vault, causing the banknotes to fall to the bottom of the banknote storage vault. Proposed tongue mechanisms include a fixed tongue with blades provided on a portion of its circumference that rotates together with a rotating shaft, and a movable tongue with blades provided on a portion of its circumference that can rotate about the rotating shaft (see, for example, JP 2009-132519 A).

[0004] However, in the case of a tongue mechanism that combines a fixed tongue and a movable tongue, the structure is complicated and the number of parts increases.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a medium processing device that can store banknotes in a storage container with a simple configuration.

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is a media processing device comprising: a storage container having an opening through which media can pass and storing media in a stacked state; a transport path connected to the opening and along which the media is transported; an accumulation roller that sends the media along the transport path in a transport direction toward the storage container; an impeller that is located on the transport direction side of the accumulation roller on the transport path and has blades on part of its circumference that strike the accumulated media and drop the media to the bottom of the storage container; an accumulation sensor that is located between the impeller and the accumulation roller on the transport path and detects the media; a transport roller that sends the media to the accumulation roller; and a transport sensor that is located on the opposite side of the transport direction from the transport roller on the transport path and detects the media.

[0007] In the above aspect, a control unit may be provided that is configured to stop the accumulation roller and impeller to stop the preceding medium when the accumulation sensor detects the preceding medium and the impeller reaches a predetermined initial rotation position, and to resume operation of the accumulation roller and impeller to send the preceding medium to a storage container and have the impeller strike the edge of the medium when the transport sensor detects the following medium that follows the preceding medium.

[0008] The present disclosure adjusts the timing of restarting the motor so that the impeller is expected to strike the end of the media in the payout direction when the media is sent into the storage container, making it possible to strike the end of the media in the payout direction during accumulation even in an impeller that has blades only on part of its circumference.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, by adjusting the timing of restarting the motor so that the impeller is expected to strike the end of the medium in the payout direction when the medium is fed into the storage container, even an impeller with blades only on part of its circumference can strike the end of the medium in the payout direction during accumulation, thereby realizing a media processing device that can store banknotes in a storage container with a simple configuration.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an automated teller machine; FIG. 2 is a left side view showing the configuration of a banknote deposit and withdrawal machine; FIG. 3 is a left side view showing the configuration of a banknote storage vault and a transport path according to a first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a left side view showing operation (1) during accumulation; FIG. 5 is a left side view showing operation (2) during accumulation; FIG. 6 is a left side view showing operation (3) during accumulation; FIG. 7 is a left side view showing operation (4) during accumulation; FIG. 8 is a left side view showing operation (5) during accumulation; FIG. 9 is a left side view showing operation (6) during accumulation; and FIG. 10 is a left side view showing operation (7) during accumulation.

[0011] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the disclosure (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1, an automated teller machine 1 is configured around a box-shaped housing 2, and is installed in, for example, a financial institution, etc., to carry out cash-related transactions such as deposit transactions and withdrawal transactions with customers. The housing 2 has a customer service unit 3 at the front, in a position facing the customer to easily insert banknotes and operate the touch panel.

[0013] The customer service area 3 is equipped with a card slot 4, a cash slot 5, an operation and display unit 6, a numeric keypad 7, and a receipt issuing slot 8. It directly exchanges cash, bankbooks, and other items with customers, and also notifies them of transaction-related information and accepts their operational instructions. The card slot 4 is where various cards, such as cash cards, are inserted and ejected. A card processing unit (not shown) is located at the back of the card slot 4 and reads account numbers and other information magnetically recorded on various cards. The cash slot 5 is where customers insert banknotes to be deposited and where banknotes to be withdrawn are ejected. The cash slot 5 is opened and closed by operating a shutter. The operation and display unit 6 integrates an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays the operation screen during a transaction and a touch panel for selecting the transaction type and inputting the PIN and transaction amount. The numeric keypad 7 is a physical keypad that accepts the input of numbers "0" through "9" and is used to input the PIN and transaction amount. The receipt issuing port 8 is a section that issues a receipt with transaction details and other information printed on it at the end of a transaction process. A receipt processing section (not shown) that prints transaction details and other information on a receipt is provided at the back of the receipt issuing port 8.

[0014] In the following description, the side of the automated teller machine 1 that the user faces will be referred to as the front side, the opposite side as the rear side, the left and right sides as seen from the user facing the front side as the left side and right side, respectively, and the upper side and lower side will be further defined and explained.

[0015] The housing 2 contains a main control unit 9 that controls the entire automated teller machine 1, a banknote deposit / withdrawal machine 10 that performs various processes related to banknotes, and the like. The main control unit 9 is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and reads and executes predetermined programs from a ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, etc. to control each unit and perform various processes such as deposit transactions and withdrawal transactions. The main control unit 9 also has a storage unit composed of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, flash memory, etc., and stores various information in this storage unit. The main control unit 9 can be composed of a processor, and the CPU is an example of a processor.

[0016] 2, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 incorporates a plurality of units that perform various processes related to banknotes as a medium. The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 is broadly composed of an upper unit 10U that occupies the portion above approximately the center in the vertical direction, and a lower unit 10L that occupies the portion below the upper unit 10U.

[0017] The upper unit 10U is provided with a banknote control unit 11 that controls the entire system, a deposit / withdrawal unit 12 that receives and delivers banknotes to and from users, a transport unit 13 and an upper transport unit 18 that transport banknotes to each unit, a recognition unit 14 that recognizes banknotes, a temporary holding unit 15 that temporarily stores banknotes, and an upper storage cabinet 19 that stores banknotes.

[0018] Like the main control unit 9, the banknote control unit 11 is configured around a CPU (not shown), and by reading and executing predetermined programs from ROM, flash memory, etc. (not shown), it performs various processes such as determining the destination of banknotes and controlling the operation of each unit. The banknote control unit 11 also has an internal memory unit made up of RAM, flash memory, etc., and stores various information in this memory unit and reads various information from this memory unit.

[0019] The deposit / withdrawal unit 12 is located at the upper front of the upper unit 10U. This deposit / withdrawal unit 12 has a receptacle 12A therein that stores banknotes received from users and banknotes to be delivered to users, and the top of the receptacle 12 can be opened and closed by a shutter 12B. Multiple banknotes are stored in the receptacle 12A in a stacked state with their faces facing forward and backward. This deposit / withdrawal unit 12 separates the banknotes in the receptacle 12A one by one and delivers them to the transport unit 13, and also releases banknotes received from the transport unit 13 into the receptacle 12A for stacking.

[0020] The transport unit 13 is located at the lower end of the upper unit 10U and has an overall shape that is thin in the vertical direction and elongated in the front-to-rear direction. Transport guides for guiding banknotes and numerous rotating rollers (not shown) are appropriately arranged within the transport unit 13, forming a linear transport path that transports banknotes primarily in the front-to-rear direction with the short sides of the banknotes aligned with the traveling direction. The transport unit 13 also transports banknotes between various parts of the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 while appropriately switching the transport path for the banknotes based on the control of the banknote control unit 11.

[0021] The recognition unit 14 is incorporated within the transport unit 13, and is located on the banknote transport path between the deposit / withdrawal unit 12 and the temporary holding unit 15. The recognition unit 14 incorporates several types of sensors, such as a thickness sensor, an image sensor, and a magnetic sensor, and acquires various information from the transported banknotes, and based on this information, recognizes the denomination, authenticity, fitness (whether or not the banknotes are damaged), etc. of the banknotes, and notifies the banknote control unit 11 of the recognition results.

[0022] The temporary holding unit 15 employs a so-called tape escrow system, in which banknotes are stored by wrapping them together with tape around the circumferential surface of a cylindrical drum, and then dispensed by peeling the banknotes together with the tape from the circumferential surface. At this time, the temporary holding unit 15 dispenses the banknotes sequentially in the reverse order of when they were stored.

[0023] The upper transport unit 18 is disposed near the rear end on the upper side of the transport unit 13, and transports banknotes from the lower end to the upper front side. The upper storage cabinet 19 is provided at a location near the rear on the upper side of the transport unit 13, adjacent to the front side of the upper transport unit 18. The upper storage cabinet 19 receives the banknotes transported by the upper transport unit 18 and stores them therein.

[0024] Incidentally, the upper storage cabinet 19 is used, for example, as a counterfeit bill storage cabinet that stores bills that have been determined to be counterfeit (forged banknotes) by the recognition unit 14, distinguishing them from other banknotes, a rejected bill storage cabinet that stores rejected banknotes (described later), or a forgotten bill storage cabinet that stores banknotes that users have forgotten to remove from the deposit / withdrawal unit 12.

[0025] The lower unit 10L has all its peripheral sides covered by a sturdy safe housing 10S. Inside this safe housing 10S, from the rear to the front, there are provided five banknote storage vaults 16 (banknote storage vaults 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D, and 16E) and a reject vault 17. Hereinafter, the banknote storage vaults 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D, and 16E will also be collectively referred to as banknote storage vaults 16.

[0026] Incidentally, the lower unit 10L is provided with a loading section (not shown) having a plurality of slots for loading the banknote storage vault 16 and the reject vault 17 from above, and this loading section is attached to the safe housing 10S via predetermined slide rails (not shown). Therefore, in the lower unit 10L, the banknote storage vault 16 and the reject vault 17 can be attached to and detached from this loading section by sliding the loading section back and forth and pulling it out to the outside of the safe housing 10S.

[0027] The banknote storage vault 16 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the vertical direction, and has a space inside for accumulating and storing banknotes. Furthermore, the denominations of banknotes to be stored in each banknote storage vault 16 are preset. When the banknote storage vault 16 receives banknotes from the transport unit 13, it accumulates and stores them inside. Furthermore, when the banknote storage vault 16 receives an instruction to feed banknotes from the banknote control unit 11, it separates the accumulated banknotes one by one, feeds them, and hands them over to the transport unit 13.

[0028] The reject vault 17 is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in the vertical direction, and has a space inside for accumulating and storing banknotes. When a rejected banknote that has been determined by the recognition unit 14 and the banknote control unit 11 to be too damaged to be reused is transported by the transport unit 13, the reject vault 17 stores the rejected banknote inside.

[0029] [1-2. Configuration of Banknote Storage Vault and Conveyance Path] As shown in FIG. 3 , the banknote storage vault 16 has a storage case 30 formed into a vertically long box shape by combining, for example, six metal plates. The storage case 30 is provided with a banknote storage section 32 that is a vertically long space for storing banknotes, and an opening 34 that connects the banknote storage section 32 to the outside is formed at the upper rear side of the storage case 30. The banknote storage section 32 is also provided with a flat plate-shaped stage 36. The stage 36 holds multiple banknotes in a stacked manner and moves up and down within the banknote storage section 32 by a drive mechanism (not shown). Behind the opening 34, a transport path 38 of the transport unit 13 is provided along a front-to-rear direction that is approximately perpendicular to the up-down direction, which is the accumulation direction of the banknotes placed on the stage 36, and is composed of guides that guide the upper and lower sides of banknotes transported along the transport direction.

[0030] Although Figures 3 to 10 differ from Figure 2 in some areas in terms of the arrangement and orientation of the conveying path 38 and the banknote storage vault 16, they are merely schematic diagrams for explaining the flow of operations during accumulation in this disclosure.

[0031] The transport path 38 is provided with first drive rollers 40 that face each other in the vertical direction with the transport path 38 between them. The first drive rollers 40 are rotated by being driven by a first drive motor (not shown), and grip banknotes on the transport path 38 and transport them in a stacking direction Di, which is a direction toward the banknote storage vault 16, or a payout direction Do, which is a direction in which the banknotes are paid out from the banknote storage vault 16. Specifically, when banknotes transported from the transport path 38 are stacked in the banknote storage unit 32, the rollers above the transport path 38 rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 3 and the rollers below the transport path 38 rotate clockwise in FIG. 3, thereby transporting the banknotes on the transport path 38 in the stacking direction Di and sending them to the second drive rollers 42 toward the banknote storage unit 32. Although not shown, multiple sets of rollers similar to the first drive roller 40 are provided on the conveying path 38 closer to the payout direction Do than the first drive roller 40, and these rollers rotate when driven by a first drive motor (not shown), clamping the banknotes on the conveying path 38 and transporting them in the stacking direction Di or the payout direction Do.

[0032] Further, second drive rollers 42 are provided on the transport path 38 closer to the banknote storage vault 16 than the first drive roller 40, facing each other in the vertical direction with the transport path 38 interposed therebetween. The second drive rollers 42 are driven to rotate by a second drive motor (not shown), which is a motor different from the first drive motor, and grip and transport banknotes on the transport path 38 in the stacking direction Di or the pay-out direction Do. Specifically, during stacking, the rollers of the second drive rollers 42 above the transport path 38 rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 3 and the rollers below the transport path 38 rotate clockwise in FIG. 3, thereby transporting the banknotes on the transport path 38 in the stacking direction Di and sending them to the feed rollers 50 and reverse rollers 62 towards the banknote storage unit 32.

[0033] Furthermore, a transport sensor 44 is provided near the transport path 38 on the side of the first drive roller 40 in the payout direction Do. The transport sensor 44 is, for example, an optical sensor, and is composed of a light-emitting unit that emits detection light and a light-receiving unit that receives the detection light. The transport sensor 44 notifies the banknote control unit 11 of the detection result of receiving the detection light. Specifically, when a banknote crosses the detection light, the transport sensor 44 notifies the banknote control unit 11 of the detection result (i.e., ON state) indicating that the detection light is blocked by the banknote and the detection light is not received. On the other hand, when a banknote does not cross the detection light, the transport sensor 44 notifies the banknote control unit 11 of the light-receiving result (i.e., OFF state) indicating that the detection light is received. The banknote control unit 11 recognizes the position of the banknote transported on the transport path 38 based on this detection result, and detects that the banknote on the transport path 38 has reached the vicinity of the first drive roller 40 on the side of the payout direction Do during stacking.

[0034] Furthermore, an accumulation sensor 46 is provided on the conveyance path 38 between the second drive roller 42 and the feed roller 50 and reverse roller 62. The accumulation sensor 46 is an optical sensor like the conveyance sensor 44, and supplies the detection result to the banknote control unit 11. Based on this detection result, the banknote control unit 11 detects that, for example, during accumulation, a banknote on the conveyance path 38 has passed the first drive roller 40 and reached a position where it can be conveyed by the second drive roller 42.

[0035] A picker roller 48 is rotatably supported on a shaft at a location above the banknote storage unit 32 facing the stage 36. A feed roller 50 is rotatably supported on a shaft behind the picker roller 48 and above the opening 34, and is driven by a second drive motor (not shown) so as to be rotatable clockwise and counterclockwise in FIG.

[0036] A rotating shaft 60 extends in the left-right direction below the opening 34 at a location facing the feed roller 50, and a reverse roller 62 is attached to the rotating shaft 60 at a location facing the feed roller 50 so as to be rotatable clockwise in FIG. 3 when driven by a second drive motor (not shown). Both ends of the rotating shaft 60 are attached to the storage case 30 via a one-way clutch (not shown). The one-way clutch allows the rotating shaft 60 to rotate only clockwise in FIG. 3 relative to the storage case 30, and restricts counterclockwise rotation. The feed roller 50 and the reverse roller 62 mesh together in a non-contact manner, with the reverse roller meshing portion fitting into a feed roller groove (not shown).

[0037] 3, the feed roller 50 rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 3, and the reverse roller 62 rotates clockwise in Fig. 3, thereby clamping banknotes on the transport path 38 and discharging them to the banknote storage unit 32. On the other hand, when banknotes are fed out from the banknote storage unit 32, the feed roller 50 rotates clockwise in Fig. 3 together with the picker roller 48, and the reverse roller 62 does not rotate, thereby separating the banknotes in the banknote storage unit 32 one by one and sending them out to the transport path 38.

[0038] In the following, the counterclockwise rotation direction of the feed roller 50 in Figure 3 during accumulation, the clockwise rotation direction of the rotating shaft 60, reverse roller 62 and partial tongue piece 64 in Figure 3, the counterclockwise rotation direction of the rollers of the first drive rollers 40 above the conveying path 38 in Figure 3, the clockwise rotation direction of the rollers of the first drive rollers 40 below the conveying path 38 in Figure 3, the counterclockwise rotation direction of the rollers of the second drive rollers 42 above the conveying path 38 in Figure 3, and the clockwise rotation direction of the rollers of the second drive rollers 42 below the conveying path 38 in Figure 3 are also referred to as accumulation rotation directions ri.

[0039] A partial tongue 64 is fixed to the rotating shaft 60. Therefore, as the rotating shaft 60 rotates, the partial tongue 64 rotates in the accumulation rotation direction ri in synchronization with the reverse roller 62, which rotates in the accumulation rotation direction ri. As described above, the rotating shaft 60 is configured to be rotatable only in the accumulation rotation direction ri. Therefore, the partial tongue 64 is configured to be rotatable only in the accumulation rotation direction ri together with the rotating shaft 60. The partial tongue 64 is formed by implanting, on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical main body (not shown) of the rotating shaft 60, a plurality of elastic, rectangular blades, for example, four blades, protruding radially at predetermined equal intervals within a predetermined angular range of 180 degrees or less. Furthermore, the partial tongue 64 rotates together with the reverse roller 62 in the accumulation rotation direction ri during accumulation, thereby knocking down the end of the banknote on the payout direction Do side of the banknote discharged by the feed roller 50 and the reverse roller 62 to the banknote storage unit 32 downward. Incidentally, a groove or hole or the like is provided on the front side of the storage case 30, which allows the tip of the blade of the partial tongue 64 to enter into the banknote storage section 32 when the partial tongue 64 rotates. The rotating shaft 60 and the partial tongue 64 attached thereto are sometimes called an impeller in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains.

[0040] A tongue position sensor 66 is provided near the partial tongue 64. The tongue position sensor 66 is an optical sensor like the transport sensor 44, and supplies the detection result to the banknote control unit 11. Based on this detection result, the banknote control unit 11 detects the rotational position (rotation angle) of the partial tongue 64, and controls the position of the partial tongue 64 by driving the second drive motor to rotate the rotation shaft 60.

[0041] As a result, the banknote control unit 11 retracts the partial tongue 64 to a predetermined retracted position during dispensing so that the partial tongue 64 does not protrude into the transport path 38 and interfere with the transport of banknotes. As described above, the rotating shaft 60 is configured to be rotatable only in the accumulation rotation direction ri by a one-way clutch (not shown). Therefore, even if the second drive motor (not shown) rotates so as to rotate the partial tongue 64 in the direction opposite to the accumulation rotation direction ri during dispensing, the partial tongue 64 does not rotate in the direction opposite to the accumulation rotation direction ri but is held in the predetermined retracted position.

[0042] For convenience of explanation, the transport path 38 is divided into a first drive region ARc and a second drive region ARs. The second drive region ARs is the region from the position where the feed roller 50 and the reverse roller 62 mesh with each other to between the first drive roller 40 and the second drive roller 42. The first drive region ARc is the region closer to the feed direction Do than the second drive region ARs.

[0043] When the end of a banknote on the payout direction Do side is located on the accumulation direction Di side of the boundary between the second drive area ARs and the first drive area ARc, the banknote is sandwiched between the second drive roller 42. Therefore, when the second drive roller 42 rotates due to the driving force of the second drive motor, the banknote is transported by the second drive roller 42, but because the banknote is not sandwiched between the first drive roller 40, it is not transported by the first drive roller 40 even when the first drive roller 40 rotates.

[0044] On the other hand, if the end of the banknote on the stacking direction Di side is located on the pay-out direction Do side of the boundary between the second drive area ARs and the first drive area ARc, the banknote is pinched by rollers on the conveying path 38, such as the first drive roller 40. Therefore, when the first drive roller 40 rotates due to the driving force of the first drive motor, the banknote is conveyed by the first drive roller 40, but since the banknote is not pinched by the second drive roller 42, it is not conveyed by the second drive roller 42 even when the second drive roller 42 rotates.

[0045] [1-3. Stacking Operation] When, for example, a deposit transaction is carried out with a user, the automated teller machine 1 carries out a stacking operation in which the deposited banknotes are transported along the transport path 38 and stacked in the banknote storage vault 16 according to their denominations. Prior to carrying out the stacking operation, and before starting to stack the banknotes in the banknote storage vault 16, the banknote control unit 11 rotates the partial tongue 64 while monitoring the detection result from the tongue position sensor 66, and moves it to a predetermined rotation position which serves as the initial position among the retracted positions as shown in Figure 3 .

[0046] Here, the initial position is the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 when the banknote control unit 11 detects that banknote BL1 of the banknotes BL has reached the second predetermined position on the transport path 38 based on the detection result of the accumulation sensor 46, as shown in Fig. 6, and stops the second drive motor. The second predetermined position is the position where, when the second drive motor is subsequently started again, the partial tongue 64 rotates from the initial position in the accumulation rotation direction ri, and banknote BL1 at the second predetermined position is transported as is to the banknote storage vault 16 in synchronization with this, and the end of banknote BL1 on the pay-out direction Do side is expected to be struck by the partial tongue 64 during accumulation, as shown in Fig. 8. In other words, based on the positional relationship between the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 and the banknote BL1 at the moment when the end of the banknote BL1 on the payout direction Do side is struck by the partial tongue piece 64 as shown in Figure 8, the partial tongue piece 64 is rotated in the opposite direction to the accumulation rotation direction ri while the banknote BL1 is moved in the payout direction Do in synchronization with this, and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 when the banknote BL1 is positioned at the second predetermined position becomes the initial position.

[0047] Specifically, the second predetermined position is not limited to the position at the moment when the leading edge of the banknote BL being transported in the accumulation direction Di on the accumulation direction Di side crosses the detection light of the accumulation sensor 46, but is set to a position where the banknote BL reliably crosses the detection light of the accumulation sensor 46, the leading edge of the banknote BL in the payout direction Do is located in the second drive area ARs, and the leading edge of the banknote BL in the accumulation direction Di does not enter the banknote storage section 32.

[0048] When the stacking operation is started, the banknote control unit 11 starts the first drive motor to rotate rollers on the conveyance path 38, including the first drive roller 40, in the payout direction Do relative to the first drive roller 40 in the stacking rotation direction ri, thereby conveying banknote BL1, which is the first banknote BL to be stacked on the conveyance path 38, in the stacking direction Di, as shown in Fig. 4. At this time, the banknote control unit 11 does not yet start the second drive motor.

[0049] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, when it is detected based on the detection result of the transport sensor 44 that the banknote BL1 has reached the first predetermined position, the banknote control unit 11 activates the second drive motor to rotate the second drive roller 42 in the accumulation rotation direction ri.

[0050] Here, the first predetermined position is a position where, when the partial tongue 64 rotates from the initial position in the accumulation rotation direction ri while the banknote BL is at the first predetermined position, and the banknote BL at the first predetermined position is transported to the banknote storage vault 16 in synchronization with the rotation, the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side is expected to be struck by the partial tongue 64 during stacking, as shown in Fig. 8 . In other words, based on the positional relationship between the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 and the banknote BL at the moment the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side is struck by the partial tongue 64 as shown in Fig. 8 , the partial tongue 64 is rotated in the direction opposite to the accumulation rotation direction ri while the banknote BL is moved in the payout direction Do in synchronization with the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 when the banknote BL is positioned at the first predetermined position, and the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 is the initial position. This first predetermined position is determined by the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 at the initial position and the transport speed of the banknote BL. Therefore, the banknote control unit 11 can adjust the relationship between the position of the leading end of the banknote BL in the pay-out direction Do and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 by adjusting the start timing of the second drive motor.

[0051] 6, when it is detected that the banknote BL1 has reached the second predetermined position based on the detection result of the accumulation sensor 46, the banknote control unit 11 stops the second drive motor. At this time, the banknote control unit 11 detects that the partial tongue 64 has reached the same rotational position as the initial position based on the detection result of the tongue position sensor 66. As a result, the banknote BL1 is retained within the second drive area ARs.

[0052] Meanwhile, because the first drive motor continues to operate, banknote BL2, the second succeeding banknote BL located further to the payout direction Do than banknote BL1, approaches the second drive region ARs from the first drive region ARc. At this time, banknote BL1 has left the first drive region ARc and reached the second drive region ARs, so even if the first drive motor operates, the relationship between the position of banknote BL1 and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 remains unchanged.

[0053] 7, when it is detected based on the detection result of the transport sensor 44 that banknote BL2 has reached the first predetermined position, similar to banknote BL1, the banknote control unit 11 starts the second drive motor again. At this time, similar to banknote BL1, the relationship between the position of the tip end of banknote BL2 on the pay-out direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 is adjusted so that if banknote BL2 is transported as is to the banknote storage vault 16, the end of banknote BL2 on the pay-out direction Do side is expected to be struck by the partial tongue 64 during stacking.

[0054] When the second drive motor is started again, the banknote BL1 already in the second drive region ARs is clamped between the feed roller 50 and the reverse roller 62 and released from the opening 34 into the banknote storage unit 32, as shown in Fig. 8. At this time, as described above, the relationship between the position of the end of the banknote BL1 on the pay-out direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 is maintained, so the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can strike the end of the banknote BL1 on the pay-out direction Do side with the partial tongue piece 64 during accumulation.

[0055] 9, when it is detected that banknote BL2 has reached the second predetermined position based on the detection result of the accumulation sensor 46, the banknote control unit 11 stops the second drive motor. At this time, the banknote control unit 11 detects that the partial tongue 64 has reached the same rotational position as the initial position based on the detection result of the tongue position sensor 66. As a result, banknote BL2 is retained within the second drive area ARs.

[0056] Meanwhile, because the first drive motor continues to operate, banknote BL3, the third banknote BL following banknote BL and located further in the payout direction Do than banknote BL2, approaches the second drive region ARs from the first drive region ARc. At this time, banknote BL2 has left the first drive region ARc and reached the second drive region ARs, so even if the first drive motor operates, the relationship between the position of banknote BL2 and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 remains unchanged.

[0057] 10 , when it is detected based on the detection result of the transport sensor 44 that banknote BL3 has reached the first predetermined position, similar to banknote BL2, the banknote control unit 11 starts the second drive motor again. At this time, similar to banknote BL2, the relationship between the position of the tip end of banknote BL3 on the pay-out direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 is adjusted so that if banknote BL3 is transported as is to the banknote storage vault 16, the end of banknote BL3 on the pay-out direction Do side is expected to be struck by the partial tongue 64 during stacking.

[0058] When the second drive motor is started again, banknote BL2 already in the second drive region ARs is clamped by the feed roller 50 and the reverse roller 62 (not shown) and released from the opening 34 into the banknote storage unit 32. At this time, as described above, the relationship between the position of the end of banknote BL2 on the payout direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 is maintained, so the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can hit the end of banknote BL2 on the payout direction Do side with the partial tongue piece 64 during accumulation.

[0059] Thereafter, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 repeats the above-described procedure. For this reason, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 intermittently operates the second drive motor, and adjusts the relationship between the position of the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 every time a banknote BL is transported. In this way, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can always strike the end of all banknotes BL on the payout direction Do side with the partial tongue piece 64, even if, for example, the spacing between the transported banknotes BL varies.

[0060] Furthermore, if the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 detects that the banknote BL has reached the second predetermined position based on the detection result of the accumulation sensor 46 and stops the second drive motor, and even if a certain amount of time has passed since then and no subsequent banknote BL is detected based on the detection result of the transport sensor 44, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 starts the second drive motor again and releases the banknote BL from the opening 34 to the banknote storage section 32, because it was the last banknote BL in the accumulation operation or the accumulation operation was for only one banknote BL in the first place.

[0061] If the distance between the leading banknote (BL) and the following banknote (BL) during deposit transport falls below a certain threshold, the following banknote will reach the first predetermined position based on the detection result of the transport sensor 44 before the timing for stopping the second drive motor for the leading banknote arrives, and the timing for restarting the second drive motor for the leading banknote arrives, resulting in a loss of control. In this case, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 may become clogged with banknotes BL, causing a jam, so it is necessary to temporarily stop the accumulation operation and have an operator remove both the leading and following banknotes.

[0062] [1-4. Effects, etc.] In the above configuration, when the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 of the automated teller machine 1 detects that the banknote BL1 has reached the first predetermined position based on the detection result of the transport sensor 44, as shown in FIG. 5 , it starts the second drive motor to rotate the second drive roller 42 in the accumulation rotation direction ri.

[0063] 6 , when the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 detects that the banknote BL1 has reached the second predetermined position based on the detection result of the accumulation sensor 46, it stops the second drive motor and causes the banknote BL1 to remain in the second drive area ARs. At this time, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 detects that the partial tongue 64 has reached the same rotational position as the initial position based on the detection result of the tongue position sensor 66. Therefore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can adjust the relationship between the position of the end of the banknote BL1 on the payout direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue 64 so that when the second drive motor is subsequently started again to feed the banknote BL1 into the banknote storage unit 32, the partial tongue 64 is expected to be able to strike the end of the banknote BL1 on the payout direction Do side.

[0064] 7, when the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 detects that banknote BL2 has reached the first predetermined position based on the detection result of the transport sensor 44, it starts the second drive motor again and rotates the second drive roller 42, the feed roller 50 and the reverse roller 62 in the accumulation rotation direction ri, thereby discharging banknote BL1 into the banknote storage unit 32. At this time, because the relationship between the position of the end of banknote BL1 on the pay-out direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 is maintained as described above, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can hit the end of banknote BL1 on the pay-out direction Do side with the partial tongue piece 64 during accumulation, as shown in FIG.

[0065] The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 repeats the above-described procedure for subsequent banknotes BL, thereby adjusting the timing of restarting the second drive motor to adjust the relationship between the position of the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side and the rotational position of the partial tongue piece 64 so that it is expected that the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side will be struck by the partial tongue piece 64 when the banknote BL is fed into the banknote storage unit 32. Therefore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can strike the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side with the partial tongue piece 64 for all subsequent banknotes BL as well when they are stacked.

[0066] Here, we consider a comparative example of a conventional tongue mechanism that combines a fixed tongue and a movable tongue, but simply removes the movable tongue and uses only the fixed tongue. In the comparative example, the fixed tongue simply has multiple blades formed at predetermined intervals within a predetermined angular range of 180 degrees or less, making it easy to retract the fixed tongue from the conveying path 38 during dispensing. Therefore, compared to conventional tongue mechanisms, the comparative example of a tongue mechanism can simplify the structure and reduce the number of parts while retaining the retraction function. However, in the comparative example of a tongue mechanism, because the blades of the fixed tongue are formed only within a predetermined angular range of 180 degrees or less, depending on the timing of the arrival of banknotes BL during stacking, the fixed tongue may not be able to strike the end of the banknote BL in the payout direction Do, which could cause the following banknote to collide with the preceding banknote and result in a jam. This could disrupt the stacking function and prevent the tongue mechanism from fully fulfilling its intended role.

[0067] In contrast, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 maintains the same accumulation function as the conventional tongue mechanism that combines a fixed tongue and a movable tongue, while simplifying the mechanism for retracting from the conveying path 38, thereby reducing the number of parts and costs.

[0068] According to the above-mentioned configuration, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 of the automated teller machine 1 includes the storage case 30 that stores banknotes BL as media in a stacked state, the second drive roller 42 that feeds the banknotes BL on the transport path 38 toward the storage case 30 in the stacking direction Di, the partial tongue piece 64 that has a blade on a part of its circumference and strikes the stacked banknotes BL to drop the banknotes BL to the bottom of the storage case 30, the stacking sensor 46 that is provided between the storage case 30 and the second drive roller 42 on the transport path 38 and detects the banknotes BL, the first drive roller 40 that feeds the banknotes BL to the second drive roller 42, and the first drive roller 42 on the transport path 38. The system is provided with a transport sensor 44 that is provided in the pay-out direction Do, which is the opposite side of the accumulation direction Di from the moving roller 40, and that detects the banknote BL, and a banknote control unit 11 that, when the accumulation sensor 46 detects a leading banknote that is the banknote BL and the partial tongue piece 64 reaches an initial position as a predetermined initial rotation position, stops the second drive roller 42 and the partial tongue piece 64 to stop the leading banknote, and when the transport sensor 44 detects a following banknote that is the banknote BL following the leading banknote, resumes operation of the second drive roller 42 and the partial tongue piece 64, sends the leading banknote to the storage case 30, and causes the partial tongue piece 64 to strike the end of the banknote BL.

[0069] Therefore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 adjusts the timing of restarting the second drive motor so that when a banknote BL is sent into the storage case 30, it is expected that the partial tongue 64 will be able to strike the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side, so that even if the partial tongue 64 has a blade on only part of its circumference, it can strike the end of the banknote BL on the payout direction Do side during accumulation.

[0070] 2. Second embodiment 2-1. Configuration of automated teller machine and banknote deposit / withdrawal machine As shown in FIG. 1, an automated teller machine 101 according to the second embodiment differs from the automated teller machine 1 according to the first embodiment in that it has a banknote deposit / withdrawal machine 110 instead of the banknote deposit / withdrawal machine 10, but is otherwise configured similarly.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 2, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 according to the second embodiment differs from the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 according to the first embodiment in that it has a banknote control unit 111 instead of the banknote control unit 11, but is otherwise configured in the same manner. Like the banknote control unit 11, the banknote control unit 111 is configured mainly by a CPU (not shown), and performs some processing that differs from that of the banknote control unit 11 by reading and executing predetermined programs from a ROM, flash memory, etc. (not shown). Also, like the banknote control unit 11, the banknote control unit 111 has an internal memory unit in which various types of information are stored.

[0072] 11 , in which the same reference numerals are assigned to components corresponding to those in FIG. 3 , the banknote control unit 111 adjusts the initial position of the partial tongue 64 before the start of the stacking operation to a position where the blades arranged at the ends of the partial tongue 64 in the opposite direction to the stacking rotation direction ri enter the banknote storage unit 32 and press down on the upper surfaces of the banknotes BL stacked on the stage 36. Furthermore, based on the detection results from the sensors provided in the banknote storage unit 32, the banknote control unit 111 adjusts the position of the stage 36 so that the upper surfaces of the stacked banknotes BL on the stage 36 are always at a constant vertical position, regardless of the number of banknotes BL stacked on the stage 36. Note that a groove or hole or the like is provided on the front side of the storage case 30 to allow the blade tips to enter the banknote storage unit 32 when the partial tongue 64 rotates.

[0073] Therefore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 can prevent the banknotes BL that have been stacked on the stage 36 from floating up while the partial tongue piece 64 is not rotating. This makes it possible for the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 to prevent the banknotes BL that have been released into the banknote storage unit 32 from colliding with the stacked banknotes BL that have been stacked on the stage 36 and floating up, thereby causing a jam.

[0074] Here, even if the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 adjusts the initial position of the partial tongue piece 64 to a position where the blade presses down on the top surface of the banknote BL that has been accumulated on the stage 36, in order to maintain the accumulation function, when the second drive motor is started again, the partial tongue piece 64 needs to strike the end of the banknote BL released into the banknote storage section 32 in the payout direction Do.

[0075] In contrast to this, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 is configured such that, in the initial position, the blades arranged at the end of the partial tongue piece 64 in the opposite direction to the accumulation rotation direction ri press down on the upper surfaces of the banknotes BL that have been accumulated on the stage 36. Therefore, compared to when, in the initial position, the blades arranged at the end of the partial tongue piece 64 on the accumulation rotation direction ri side, for example, press down on the upper surfaces of the banknotes BL that have been accumulated on the stage 36, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 can more easily make the blades of the partial tongue piece 64 reach a position where they will strike the end of the banknotes BL released into the banknote storage unit 32 on the payout direction Do side when the second drive motor is started again.

[0076] In other respects as well, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effects as the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0077] [3. Other Embodiments] In the first embodiment described above, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 has been described as having the second drive roller 42, the feed roller 50, and the reverse roller 62 driven and rotated by the second drive motor. The present disclosure is not limited to this, and the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 may have the second drive roller 42, the feed roller 50, and the reverse roller 62 driven and rotated by different drive motors. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0078] Furthermore, in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 of the first embodiment described above, the second drive roller 42 may be omitted. In that case, the stacking rollers that feed the banknotes BL in the stacking direction Di on the transport path 38 toward the storage case 30 are the feed roller 50 and the reverse roller 62. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0079] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 has been described as pressing down the upper surfaces of the banknotes BL accumulated on the stage 36 with the blades arranged at the ends of the partial tongue pieces 64 in the opposite direction to the accumulation rotation direction ri. The present disclosure is not limited to this, and the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 may press down the upper surfaces of the banknotes BL accumulated on the stage 36 with various other blades of the partial tongue pieces 64, as long as the blades of the partial tongue pieces 64 can reach a position where they strike the ends of the banknotes BL released into the banknote storage unit 32 in the payout direction Do when the second drive motor is started again while maintaining the requirement of the second predetermined position.

[0080] Furthermore, in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 of the first embodiment described above, the present disclosure may be applied to the accumulation operation in various numbers of banknote storage vaults 16 out of the multiple banknote storage vaults 16, and further, as long as the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 has a tongue mechanism, the present disclosure may be applied to the accumulation operation in various other locations within the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10, such as the deposit and withdrawal unit 12. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0081] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 has been described as having the banknote control unit 11 ( FIG. 2 ) controlling each operation such as the stacking operation. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 may have the banknote control unit 11 controlling each operation such as the stacking operation in cooperation with the main control unit 9 ( FIG. 1 ), for example. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0082] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the present disclosure has been described as being applied to the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 of the automated teller machine 1 that processes transactions involving banknotes as a medium between customers. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and may be applied to various devices that have a tongue mechanism and handle various paper-like media such as various coupons, securities, admission tickets, and train tickets as transaction objects. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0083] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments. That is, the present disclosure also applies to embodiments in which the above-described embodiments are combined in part or in whole with the other embodiments. The present disclosure also applies to embodiments in which a part of the configuration described in any of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments is extracted and substituted or diverted with a part of the configuration of any of the above-described embodiments and other embodiments, or an embodiment in which a part of the extracted configuration is added to any of the above-described embodiments.

[0084] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the banknote deposit and dispensing machine 10 as a medium processing device is configured by the storage case 30 as a storage container, the second drive roller 42 as a stacking roller, the partial tongue piece 64 as a blade wheel, the accumulation sensor 46 as an accumulation sensor, the first drive roller 40 as a transport roller, the transport sensor 44 as a transport sensor, and the banknote control unit 11 as a control unit. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the medium processing device may be configured by a storage container, an accumulation roller, a blade wheel, an accumulation sensor, a transport roller, a transport sensor, and a control unit having various other configurations.

[0085] The present disclosure can be used, for example, in a banknote deposit / withdrawal device incorporated in an automated teller machine that performs deposit and withdrawal transactions involving banknotes with users.

Claims

1. A media processing device having: a storage container having an opening through which media can pass and which stores the media in a stacked state; a transport path connected to the opening and along which the media is transported; a collection roller which sends the media along the transport path in a transport direction towards the storage container; an impeller which is provided on the transport path on the transport direction side of the collection roller and has blades on part of its circumference which strike the accumulated media and cause them to fall to the bottom of the storage container; a collection sensor which is provided on the transport path between the impeller and the collection roller and detects the media; a transport roller which sends the media to the collection roller; and a transport sensor which is provided on the transport path on the opposite side of the transport direction from the transport roller and detects the media.

2. The media processing device of claim 1, further comprising a control unit configured to: detect the preceding media using the accumulation sensor; when the impeller reaches a predetermined initial rotation position, stop the accumulation roller and the impeller to stop the preceding media; and when the transport sensor detects the following media, resume operation of the accumulation roller and the impeller to send the preceding media to the storage container and have the impeller strike the edge of the media.

3. The media processing device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to: detect the preceding medium with the transport sensor; when the preceding medium reaches a predetermined position, start the rotation of the accumulation roller and the impeller to transport the preceding medium from the transport roller toward the accumulation roller; detect the preceding medium with the accumulation sensor; when the impeller reaches the initial rotation position, stop the accumulation roller and the impeller to stop the preceding medium; and when the transport sensor detects the following medium, resume operation of the accumulation roller and the impeller to send the preceding medium to the storage container and cause the impeller to strike the edge of the medium.

4. The media processing device of claim 2, further comprising a rotational position sensor that detects the rotational position of the impeller, wherein the control unit is configured to: detect the preceding medium with the transport sensor; when the preceding medium reaches a predetermined position, start rotation of the accumulation roller and the impeller to transport the preceding medium from the transport roller toward the accumulation roller; detect the preceding medium with the accumulation sensor; rotate the impeller to the initial rotation position based on the detection result of the rotational position sensor, and stop the accumulation roller and the impeller to stop the preceding medium; and when the transport sensor detects the following medium, resume operation of the accumulation roller and the impeller to send the preceding medium to the storage container and have the impeller strike the edge of the medium.

5. A media processing device as described in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the predetermined position is a position where the conveying roller conveys the medium to the accumulation roller, the accumulation roller and the impeller then stop, and then the operation of the accumulation roller and the impeller resumes, causing the impeller to start rotating from the initial rotation position, and the medium is sent to the storage container, and the impeller can strike the edge of the medium.

6. The media processing device according to claim 2, wherein the initial rotation position is a rotation position at which the accumulation roller and the impeller stop, and then the operation of the accumulation roller and the impeller resumes, causing the impeller to start rotating from the initial rotation position, and when the media is sent to the storage container, the impeller can strike the edge of the media.

7. The media processing device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit is configured to set the rotational position of the impeller to a rotational position where the blades abut against the upper surface of the media accumulated in the storage container before starting to transport the media to the storage container.

8. The media processing device according to claim 2, wherein the accumulation roller and the impeller are configured to be driven by the same driving source.

9. The media processing device according to claim 1, wherein the impeller has blades only on a portion of its circumference.

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