Media conveyance device

Abstract

This bill depositing / dispensing machine comprises: a horizontal conveyance path along which a bill BL is conveyed; a conveyance belt provided along the horizontal conveyance path; a holding roller part arranged opposite from the conveyance belt, the outer peripheral part of the holding roller part overlapping the conveyance belt by an overlap amount OLa, and the holding roller part rotating and conveying the bill while holding the bill between the conveyance belt and the holding roller part; a holding roller part arranged opposite from the conveyance belt, the outer peripheral part of the holding roller part overlapping the conveyance belt by an overlap amount OLa, and the holder rolling part rotating and conveying the bill while holding the bill between the conveyance belt and the holding roller part; and a holding roller part arranged opposite from the conveyance belt between the aforementioned holding roller parts, the outer peripheral part of the holding roller part overlapping the conveyance belt by an overlap amount OLb greater than the overlap amount OLa, and the holding roller part rotating and conveying the bill BL while holding the bill between the conveyance belt and the holding roller part.

Description

Medium conveying device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a medium conveying device, and is suitably applied, for example, to an automatic teller machine (ATM) that allows a customer to insert a medium such as banknotes to perform a desired transaction.

[0002] Conventionally, in automatic teller machines and the like used in financial institutions, those that allow a customer to deposit cash such as banknotes and coins and dispense cash to the customer according to the content of transactions with the customer have been widely used. Such an automatic teller machine has been proposed, for example, which includes a control unit that controls the entire apparatus, a banknote deposit and withdrawal unit that transfers banknotes (medium) to and from a customer, a conveying unit that conveys inserted banknotes, a recognition unit that recognizes the denomination, authenticity and the like of banknotes, a temporary storage unit that temporarily holds banknotes, and a plurality of banknote storages that store banknotes for each denomination.

[0003] As such an automatic teller machine, one that conveys banknotes by clamping them between a belt and a roller in a conveying unit has been proposed (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2016-153331 (Patent Document 1)).

[0004] In such an automatic teller machine, it is desired to stably convey banknotes.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a medium conveying device capable of stably conveying banknotes.

[0006] To solve these problems, the media transport device of the present disclosure is provided with a transport path through which the media is transported, a transport belt provided along the transport path, a first roller positioned along the transport path and opposite to the transport belt, the outer circumference of which overlaps with the transport belt by a first overlap amount, and which grips the media between itself and the transport belt and rotates and transports it, a second roller positioned along the transport path and opposite to the transport belt, the outer circumference of which overlaps with the transport belt by a second overlap amount, and which grips the media between itself and the transport belt and rotates and transports it, and a third roller positioned along the transport path and opposite to the transport belt between the first roller and the second roller, the outer circumference of which overlaps with the transport belt by a third overlap amount greater than the first and second overlap amounts, and which grips the media between itself and the transport belt and rotates and transports it.

[0007] This disclosure prevents insufficient overlap between the conveyor belt and the third roller when a banknote is caught between the conveyor belt and the first roller, second roller, and third roller, and ensures that all of the first roller, second roller, and third roller and the conveyor belt are always in a state where they can be conveyed.

[0008] Furthermore, the media transport device of this disclosure includes a first transport path along which the media is transported along a first direction, a second transport path along which the media is transported along a second direction intersecting the first direction, a transport belt provided along the first transport path, a first roller having a boss portion that is the center of rotation and is positioned opposite the transport belt, and flange portions that protrude radially outward from the boss portion at both axial ends of the boss portion and are pressed against the media by the transport belt, the outer circumference of the flange portion overlapping with the transport belt and transporting the media between the transport belt and the transport belt in the first direction along the first transport path, a second roller that is cylindrical and rotates and is provided near the connection point between the first transport path and the second transport path, with the transport belt in between, a third roller that is cylindrical and is provided opposite the second roller with the transport belt in between, and rotates and transports the media between the transport belt and the second roller, with at least one of the second roller and the third roller biased toward the other.

[0009] This disclosure provides a conveyor belt and second rollers that have a greater conveying force than the conveyor belt and first rollers, which allows the conveying direction of banknotes to be switched from a first direction to a second direction with sufficient conveying force and conveyed to a first conveying path and a second conveying path.

[0010] According to this disclosure, a media transport device capable of stably transporting banknotes can be realized.

[0011] This is a perspective view showing the configuration of an automated cash transaction machine. This is a left side view showing the configuration of a banknote deposit and withdrawal machine. This is a left side view showing the configuration of the transport unit (1) according to the first embodiment. This is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Figure 3, showing the configuration of the transport unit (2) according to the first embodiment. This is a left side view showing how banknotes are transported in the transport unit according to the first embodiment. This is a left side view showing the configuration of the transport unit according to the second embodiment.

[0012] The embodiments for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Configuration of the Automated Cash Transaction Machine and Banknote Deposit / Withdrawal Machine] As shown in Figure 1, the Automated Cash Transaction Machine 1 is mainly composed of a box-shaped housing 2 and is installed in, for example, a financial institution to conduct cash-related transactions such as deposit and withdrawal transactions with customers. The housing 2 has a customer service section 3 on its front side, in a location that makes it easy for customers to insert banknotes and operate the touch panel while facing it.

[0014] The customer service section 3 is equipped with a card slot 4, a deposit / withdrawal slot 5, an operation display unit 6, a keypad 7, and a receipt issuing slot 8. It handles direct exchanges of cash and passbooks with customers, as well as providing transaction information and receiving operational instructions. The card slot 4 is where various cards, such as cash cards, are inserted or ejected. Behind the card slot 4 is a card processing unit (not shown) that reads account numbers and other information magnetically recorded on various cards. The deposit / withdrawal slot 5 is where banknotes deposited by customers are inserted and banknotes withdrawn to customers are ejected. The deposit / withdrawal slot 5 is opened or closed by driving a shutter. The operation display unit 6 integrates an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) that displays the operation screen during transactions and a touch panel for selecting the type of transaction and entering PINs and transaction amounts. The keypad 7 is a physical key that accepts input of numbers from "0" to "9" and is used when entering PINs, transaction amounts, etc. The receipt issuing slot 8 is the part that issues a receipt with the transaction details printed on it at the end of the transaction processing. Incidentally, a receipt processing unit (not shown) that prints the transaction details on the receipt is located behind the receipt issuing slot 8.

[0015] In the following, the side of the ATM 1 that the user faces will be referred to as the front, the opposite side as the rear, the left and right sides as viewed from the user facing the front, and the upper and lower sides will be defined and explained accordingly.

[0016] The enclosure 2 contains a main control unit 9 that centrally controls the entire automated cash transaction system 1, and a banknote deposit / withdrawal machine 10 that performs various processes related to banknotes. The main control unit 9 is centered around a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown) and controls various parts to perform various processes such as deposit and withdrawal transactions by reading and executing predetermined programs from ROM (Read Only Memory) or flash memory. The main control unit 9 also has a storage unit consisting of RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, or flash memory, and stores various information in this storage unit.

[0017] As shown in Figure 2, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 incorporates multiple parts 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 the approximate center in the vertical direction, and a lower unit 10L that occupies the portion below it.

[0018] The upper unit 10U is equipped with a banknote control unit 11 that provides overall control, a deposit / withdrawal unit 12 that receives banknotes from the user, 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 compartment 19 that stores banknotes.

[0019] The banknote control unit 11, like the main control unit 9, is centered around a CPU (not shown) and performs various processes such as determining the destination of banknotes and controlling the operation of each part by reading and executing predetermined programs from ROM, flash memory, etc. (not shown). The banknote control unit 11 also has a storage unit consisting of RAM and flash memory, etc., which stores various information and reads various information from the storage unit.

[0020] The deposit / withdrawal unit 12 is located in the front upper part of the upper unit 10U. This deposit / withdrawal unit 12 has a container 12A inside that stores banknotes received from the user and banknotes to be handed over to the user, and its top can be opened and closed by a shutter 12B. Multiple banknotes are stored in the container 12A in a stacked state with their paper faces facing forward and backward. This deposit / withdrawal unit 12 separates the banknotes in the container 12A one by one and hands them over to the transport unit 13, and also releases banknotes received from the transport unit 13 into the container 12A for accumulation.

[0021] 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-back direction. Inside this transport unit 13, transport guides for guiding banknotes and numerous rotating rollers (not shown) are appropriately arranged, forming a straight transport path that mainly transports banknotes in the front-to-back direction with the short side of the banknotes aligned with the direction of travel. The transport unit 13 also transports banknotes between the various parts of the banknote deposit / discharge machine 10 while appropriately switching the transport path of the banknotes based on the control of the banknote control unit 11.

[0022] The recognition unit 14 is incorporated into 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 multiple types of sensors, such as a thickness sensor, an image sensor, and a magnetic sensor, to acquire various information from the transported banknotes. Based on this information, it recognizes the denomination, authenticity, and condition (whether or not it is damaged) of the banknotes and notifies the banknote control unit 11 of the recognition result.

[0023] The temporary holding section 15 employs a so-called tape escrow system, storing banknotes by wrapping them together with tape around the circumferential surface of a cylindrical drum, and dispensing the banknotes by peeling them off together with the tape from this circumferential surface. At this time, the temporary holding section 15 dispenses the banknotes sequentially in the reverse order of storage.

[0024] The upper transport unit 18 is located near the rear end on the upper side of the transport unit 13 and transports banknotes from the lower end towards the upper front side. The upper storage compartment 19 is located towards the rear on the upper side of the transport unit 13 and is adjacent to the front side of the upper transport unit 18. The upper storage compartment 19 receives the banknotes transported by the upper transport unit 18 and stores them inside.

[0025] Incidentally, the upper storage compartment 19 is used, for example, as a counterfeit bill storage compartment that stores banknotes identified as counterfeit by the recognition unit 14 separately from other banknotes, as a rejected bill storage compartment that stores rejected banknotes (described later), or as a forgotten bill storage compartment that stores banknotes that users have forgotten to take out of the deposit / withdrawal unit 12.

[0026] The lower unit 10L is covered on all sides by a robust safe enclosure 10S. Inside this safe enclosure 10S, five banknote storage compartments 16 (banknote storage compartments 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D, and 16E) and a reject compartment 17 are provided, arranged from rear to front. Hereafter, banknote storage compartments 16A, 16B, 16C, 16D, and 16E will be collectively referred to as banknote storage compartment 16.

[0027] Incidentally, the lower unit 10L is provided with a loading section (not shown) having multiple slots for loading the banknote storage compartment 16 and the reject compartment 17 from above, and this loading section is attached to the safe housing 10S via a predetermined slide rail (not shown). Therefore, in the lower unit 10L, the banknote storage compartment 16 and the reject compartment 17 can be attached to and detached from this loading section while the loading section is slid in the front-to-back direction and pulled out to the outside of the safe housing 10S.

[0028] The banknote storage compartment 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. Each banknote storage compartment 16 has a predetermined denomination of banknotes to be stored inside. When the banknote storage compartment 16 receives banknotes from the transport unit 13, it accumulates and stores them inside. When the banknote storage compartment 16 receives an instruction from the banknote control unit 11 to dispense banknotes, it separates the accumulated banknotes one by one, dispenses them, and hands them over to the transport unit 13.

[0029] The reject compartment 17 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the vertical direction and has a space inside for accumulating and storing banknotes. When a rejected banknote, which is a 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 compartment 17 stores the rejected banknote inside.

[0030] [1-2. Configuration of the Conveying Section] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, which show a portion of the conveying section 13, the conveying section 13 is mainly composed of a frame (not shown), an upper guide 20, a lower guide 22 (lower guides 22f and 22b), a front guide 24 (front guides 24f and 24b), a rear guide 26 (rear guides 26f and 26b), pulleys 40 (pulleys 40A, 40B and 40C), a conveying belt 42, and a clamping roller section 50 (clamping roller sections 50A, 50B, 50C and 50D). Note that the upper guide 20 is not shown in Figure 4 and is omitted. Hereafter, the clamping roller sections 50A, 50B, 50C and 50D will be collectively referred to as the clamping roller section 50.

[0031] The transport section 13 has a horizontal transport path 28h and vertical transport paths 30vf and 30vb. The horizontal transport path 28h is a transport path that transports banknotes along the horizontal transport direction Dh, which is the front-to-back direction along the horizontal direction. The upper end of the vertical transport path 30vb is connected to the horizontal transport path 28h at the rear connection section 32b, which is the rear end of the horizontal transport path 28h, and is a transport path that transports banknotes along the vertical transport direction Dv, which is the vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal transport direction Dh. The lower end of this vertical transport path 30vb is connected to the banknote storage compartment 16A (Figure 2). The upper end of the vertical transport path 30vf is connected to the horizontal transport path 28h at the front connection section 32f, which is located in front of the vertical transport path 30vb, and is a transport path that transports banknotes along the vertical transport direction Dv. The lower end of this vertical transport path 30vf is connected to the banknote storage compartment 16B (Figure 2). Although not shown, the vertical transport paths 30vb and 30vf are also appropriately equipped with transport guides and numerous rotating rollers (not shown) to guide the banknotes, similar to the horizontal transport path 28h.

[0032] [1-2-1. Guide Configuration] The upper guide 20 is a plate-shaped member that extends in the front-rear direction from in front of the pulley 40B to the pulley 40A, and an upper guide surface 20S, which is a plane substantially aligned horizontally, is formed on its lower surface. The upper guide surface 20S appropriately contacts the upper surface of the banknote being transported along the horizontal transport path 28h, thereby guiding the upper side of the banknote being transported in the horizontal transport direction Dh. The upper guide 20 is provided with guide holes that allow the pulleys 40A, 40B, 40C and the transport belt 42 to protrude toward the horizontal transport path 28h, and also allow the blade 35 to be inserted above the upper guide 20.

[0033] Furthermore, the upper guide 20 has an upper guide inclined surface 20AS formed on the lower surface of its rear end. The upper guide inclined surface 20AS is a plane that inclins downward (i.e., downward transport direction Dv in the vertical transport direction Dv) as it moves backward (i.e., backward transport direction Dhb in the horizontal transport direction Dh), and by contacting the upper surface of the banknote being transported along the horizontal transport path 28h in the backward transport direction Dhb, it guides the upper side of the banknote and switches the transport direction of the banknote from the backward transport direction Dhb to the downward transport direction Dvd. At the same time, the upper guide inclined surface 20AS contacts the rear surface of the banknote being transported along the vertical transport path 30vb in the upward direction (i.e., upward transport direction Dvu in the vertical transport direction Dv), and guides the rear side of the banknote, switching the transport direction of the banknote from the upward transport direction Dvu to the forward direction (i.e., forward transport direction Dhf in the horizontal transport direction Dh).

[0034] The lower guide 22 is composed of lower guides 22f and 22b, and is positioned below the upper guide 20 with a gap between them, thereby forming a horizontal transport path 28h that extends horizontally and in the front-rear direction between it and the upper guide 20. The lower guide 22f is a plate-shaped member that extends in the front-rear direction from the front of the pulley 40B to the front connection portion 32f, and a lower guide surface 22fS, which is a plane substantially aligned horizontally, is formed on its upper surface. The lower guide surface 22fS appropriately contacts the lower surface of the banknote being transported along the horizontal transport path 28h, thereby guiding the lower surface of the banknote being transported in the horizontal transport direction Dh. The lower guide 22f is provided with a guide hole that causes the clamping roller 50RD (described later) of the clamping roller portion 50D to protrude toward the horizontal transport path 28h.

[0035] The lower guide 22b is a plate-shaped member that extends in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the lower guide 22f, with a gap in the front-rear direction, to the rear connecting portion 32b, and a lower guide surface 22bS, which is a plane substantially aligned horizontally, is formed on its upper surface. The lower guide surface 22bS is substantially the same position in the vertical direction as the lower guide surface 22fS and is flush with it. This lower guide surface 22bS appropriately contacts the lower surface of the banknote being transported along the horizontal transport path 28h, thereby guiding the lower surface of the banknote being transported in the horizontal transport direction Dh. Guide holes are drilled in the lower guide 22b that cause the clamping roller 50RA of the clamping roller section 50A, the clamping roller 50RB of the clamping roller section 50B, the clamping roller 50RC of the clamping roller section 50C, and the blade 35 to protrude toward the horizontal transport path 28h.

[0036] The front guide 24f is a plate-shaped member that extends vertically from the rear end of the lower guide 22f to the vicinity of the banknote storage compartment 16B (Figure 2), and has a front guide surface 24fS that is substantially plane along the vertical direction formed on its rear surface. The front guide surface 24fS appropriately contacts the front surface of the banknote being transported along the vertical transport path 30vf, thereby guiding the front side of the banknote being transported in the vertical transport direction Dv. The front guide 24f is provided with a guide hole that causes the clamping roller 50RD (described later) of the clamping roller section 50D to protrude toward the vertical transport path 30vf.

[0037] The rear guide 26f is a plate-shaped member that extends vertically from the front end of the lower guide 22b to the vicinity of the banknote storage compartment 16A (Figure 2), and a rear guide surface 26fS, which is a plane substantially aligned in the vertical direction, is formed on its front surface. The rear guide 26f is positioned behind the front guide 24f with a gap between it and the front guide 24f, thereby forming a vertical transport path 30vf that extends vertically along the vertical direction between the rear guide 26f and the front guide 24f. The rear guide surface 26fS appropriately contacts the rear surface of the banknote being transported along the vertical transport path 30vf, thereby guiding the rear side of the banknote being transported in the vertical transport direction Dv. The rear guide 26f is provided with a guide hole that causes the blade 35 to protrude toward the vertical transport path 30vf.

[0038] The front guide 24b is a plate-shaped member that extends vertically from the rear end of the lower guide 22b to the vicinity of the banknote storage compartment 16A (Figure 2), and has a front guide surface 24bS that is substantially plane along the vertical direction formed on its rear surface. The front guide surface 24bS appropriately contacts the front surface of the banknote being transported along the vertical transport path 30vb, thereby guiding the front side of the banknote being transported in the vertical transport direction Dv. The front guide 24b is provided with a guide hole that causes the clamping roller 50RA (described later) of the clamping roller section 50A to protrude toward the vertical transport path 30vb.

[0039] The rear guide 26b is a plate-shaped member that extends vertically from the rear end of the upper guide 20 to the vicinity of the banknote storage compartment 16A (Figure 2), and a rear guide surface 26bS, which is a plane substantially aligned in the vertical direction, is formed on its front surface. The rear guide 26b is positioned behind the front guide 24b with a gap between it and the front guide 24b, thereby forming a vertical transport path 30vb that extends vertically along the vertical direction between the rear guide 26b and the front guide 24b. The rear guide surface 26bS appropriately contacts the rear surface of the banknote being transported along the vertical transport path 30vb, thereby guiding the rear side of the banknote being transported in the vertical transport direction Dv.

[0040] [1-2-2. Selector Configuration] The selector 34 is provided with multiple blades 35 that are rotatable around a pivot axis and aligned in the left-right direction. The pointed tips of the blades 35 face forward, and by rotating, the inclination direction of the blades 35 is changed to switch the banknote transport path in two ways. Specifically, the selector 34 switches between forming a transport path that connects the horizontal transport path 28h and the vertical transport path 30vf, or forming a transport path that connects the area in front of the blades 35 and the area behind the blades 35 in the horizontal transport path 28h. As a result, the selector 34 switches the transport path of banknotes that have been transported in the rear transport direction Dhb from the front to the front connection part 32f within the horizontal transport path 28h to the vertical transport path 30vf, or continues to transport them within the horizontal transport path 28h.

[0041] [1-2-3. Pulley Configuration] Pulleys 40A are located at the rear end of the conveying section 13, are cylindrical in shape, and are provided in pairs, side by side, at a position where they contact the conveying belt 42, so as to be rotatable around the shaft. These pulleys 40A are rotated by a drive unit (not shown), causing the conveying belt 42 to rotate. Pulleys 40B are located in front of pulleys 40A, are cylindrical in shape, and are provided in pairs, side by side, at a position where they contact the conveying belt 42, so as to be rotatable around the shaft. The pulleys 40B are rotated along with the rotation of the conveying belt 42.

[0042] The pulleys 40C are positioned between the clamping roller section 50C and the clamping roller section 50D in the front-rear direction. They are cylindrical in shape and rotatable around the shaft, with two pulleys arranged side-by-side at a position where they contact the conveyor belt 42. The pulleys 40C maintain the tension of the conveyor belt 42 by contacting the inner surface of the pulley along the horizontal direction with its outer surface on the lower part of the conveyor belt 42. The distance in the front-rear direction from the center of pulley 40A to the center of pulley 40C is the distance L1 between the pulleys.

[0043] [1-2-4. Configuration of Conveyor Belt] The conveyor belt 42 is formed of rubber, is wound around the outer circumferential surfaces of a pulley 40A and a pulley 40B, and extends in the front-rear direction with the outer circumferential surface (i.e., the lower surface and the front surface) in the lower portion along a substantially horizontal direction. The conveyor belt 42 is arranged from a position on the front side of the nipping roller portion 50D to a position on the rear side of the nipping roller portion 50A. In addition, the conveyor belt 42 conveys banknotes in the horizontal conveyance direction Dh by rotating while the banknotes are sandwiched between the conveyor belt 42 and each of the nipping roller portions 50 (nipping roller portions 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D). At this time, the conveyor belt 42 presses the banknote toward the roller boss portion 50RbA (described later) of the nipping roller 50RA in the nipping roller portion 50A. The same applies to the nipping roller portions 50B, 50C, and 50D.

[0044] [1-2-5. Configuration of Nipping Roller Portion 50A] The nipping roller portion 50A is composed of a nipping roller shaft 50SA and a nipping roller 50RA, and is arranged near the front side of the rear connection portion 32b. The nipping roller shaft 50SA has a cylindrical shape, extends along the left-right direction below the lower guide surface 22bS, and has its left and right ends fixed to the lower guide 22b so as not to move in the vertical direction.

[0045] Two nipping rollers 50RA are provided rotatably around the nipping roller shaft 50SA, arranged side by side on the left and right with an interval shorter than the length of the banknote in the long-side direction. The nipping roller 50RA is composed of a roller boss portion 50RbA and a roller flange portion 50RfA, and is brought into contact with the banknote conveyed by the conveyor belt 42 and rotates following the banknote.

[0046] The roller boss portion 50RbA is formed at the center in the left-right direction of the nipping roller 50RA, has a cylindrical shape, extends along the left-right direction, and has the nipping roller shaft 50SA penetrating therethrough. Therefore, the roller boss diameter y, which is the diameter of the roller boss portion 50RbA, is larger than the nipping roller shaft diameter x, which is the diameter of the nipping roller shaft 50SA. The upper end of this roller boss portion 50RbA is located below the lower guide surface 22bS. In addition, the center of the roller boss portion 50RbA in the left-right direction coincides with the center of the conveyor belt 42 in the left-right direction, and the width in the left-right direction is wider than the width of the conveyor belt 42 in the left-right direction.

[0047] The roller flange portion 50RfA is formed integrally with the roller boss portion 50RbA at both left and right end portions of the roller boss portion 50RbA (that is, both axial end portions). This roller flange portion 50RfA has a flat disc shape, protrudes from the roller boss portion 50RbA in a radial direction that is a direction from the central axis of the nipping roller shaft 50SA toward the outer peripheral surface, and has a radial height higher than that of the roller boss portion 50RbA. Therefore, the roller flange diameter z, which is the diameter of the roller flange portion 50RfA, is larger than the roller boss diameter y.

[0048] The nipping roller 50RA causes the outer peripheral surface of the roller flange portion 50RfA to protrude above the lower guide surface 22bS from a guide hole formed in the lower guide 22b. Further, in the nipping roller 50RA, the upper end of the roller flange portion 50RfA is positioned above the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42. Therefore, the roller flange portion 50RfA of the nipping roller 50RA overlaps above the lower surface of the conveyor belt 42 when viewed from the left-right direction.

[0049] As described above, the left-right centers of the roller boss portion 50RbA and the conveyor belt 42 coincide, and the width of the roller boss portion 50RbA in the left-right direction is wider than that of the conveyor belt 42. For this reason, the clamping roller 50RA positions the upper end of the left roller flange portion 50RfA to the left of the left end of the conveyor belt 42 and above the lower surface of the conveyor belt 42, and the upper end of the right roller flange portion 50RfA to the right of the right end of the conveyor belt 42 and above the lower surface of the conveyor belt 42. In other words, the clamping roller 50RA positions the conveyor belt 42 between the upper ends of the left and right roller flange portions 50RfA in the left-right direction. Here, the overlap amount OLa is defined as the overlap amount, which is the distance along the vertical direction as the overlap direction from the upper end of the roller flange portion 50RfA to the lower surface of the lower part of the conveyor belt 42. The overlap amount OLa can also be described as the distance between the end of the roller flange portion 50RfA on the conveyor belt 42 side and the surface of the conveyor belt 42 facing the horizontal conveying path 28h, with respect to the vertical direction perpendicular to the axial direction (left-right direction) of the roller boss portion 50RbA and the direction of travel of the conveyor belt 42.

[0050] Furthermore, the roller flange thickness b, which is the thickness of the roller flange portion 50RfA in the left-right direction, is sufficiently thin compared to the width of the entire clamping roller 50RA in the left-right direction. This roller flange thickness b is a thickness that is sufficient to maintain the strength of the roller flange portion 50RfA, and is determined by manufacturing constraints such as the wall thickness standard during injection molding, and does not have any excess width beyond that.

[0051] Furthermore, the clamping roller 50RA has its outer circumferential surface of the roller flange portion 50RfA protruding from the guide hole drilled in the front guide 24b to the rear side of the front guide surface 24bS.

[0052] Such a clamping roller section 50A holds banknotes between itself and the conveyor belt 42, and is carried around by the banknotes, thereby conveying the banknotes in the horizontal conveying direction Dh, and also conveying the banknotes while changing the conveying direction between the horizontal conveying path 28h and the vertical conveying path 30vb via the rear connecting section 32b.

[0053] [1-2-6. Configuration of the clamping roller section 50B] The clamping roller section 50B is composed of a clamping roller shaft 50SB and a clamping roller 50RB, similar to the clamping roller shaft 50SA and clamping roller 50RA of the clamping roller section 50A, and is positioned in front of the clamping roller section 50A. This clamping roller section 50B comes into contact with and is carried around by the banknotes being transported by the conveyor belt 42. The clamping roller 50RB is composed of a roller boss section (not shown) and a roller flange section 50RfB, similar to the roller boss section 50RbA and roller flange section 50RfA of the clamping roller 50RA.

[0054] Furthermore, the clamping roller portion 50B is located at the center (midpoint) between pulley 40A and pulley 40B in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the distance in the front-rear direction from the center of pulley 40A to the clamping roller portion 50B and the distance in the front-rear direction from the center of pulley 40B to the clamping roller portion 50B are half of the distance between pulleys L1 (pulley distance L1 / 2).

[0055] The clamping roller section 50B has the same configuration as the clamping roller section 50A, but its vertical position is different from that of the clamping roller section 50A. The clamping roller 50RB has the outer circumferential surface of the roller flange section 50RfB protruding above the lower guide surface 22bS from a guide hole drilled in the lower guide 22b. Furthermore, the upper end of the roller flange section 50RfB of the clamping roller 50RB is positioned above the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42. Therefore, when viewed from the left and right directions, the roller flange section 50RfB of the clamping roller 50RB overlaps above the lower surface of the conveyor belt 42. Here, the overlap amount OLb is defined as the distance along the vertical direction from the upper end of the roller flange section 50RfB to the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42. The overlap amount OLb is greater than the overlap amount OLa (i.e., overlap amount OLb > overlap amount OLa).

[0056] [1-2-7. Configuration of the clamping roller section 50C] The clamping roller section 50C is composed of a clamping roller shaft 50SC and a clamping roller 50RC, similar to the clamping roller shaft 50SA and clamping roller 50RA of the clamping roller section 50A, and is positioned in front of the clamping roller section 50B. This clamping roller section 50C comes into contact with and is carried around by the banknotes being transported by the conveyor belt 42. The clamping roller 50RC is composed of a roller boss section (not shown) and a roller flange section 50RfC, similar to the roller boss section 50RbA and roller flange section 50RfA of the clamping roller 50RA.

[0057] Furthermore, the clamping roller section 50C has the same configuration as the clamping roller section 50A, and its vertical position is also the same as that of the clamping roller section 50A. The clamping roller 50RC has the outer circumferential surface of the roller flange section 50RfC protruding above the lower guide surface 22bS from the guide hole drilled in the lower guide 22b. The upper end of the roller flange section 50RfC of the clamping roller 50RC is positioned above the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42. Therefore, when viewed from the left and right directions, the roller flange section 50RfC of the clamping roller 50RC overlaps above the lower surface of the conveyor belt 42. The overlap amount, which is the distance along the vertical direction from the upper end of the roller flange section 50RfC to the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42, is the same as the clamping roller section 50A, and is OLa.

[0058] [1-2-8. Configuration of the clamping roller section 50D] The clamping roller section 50D is composed of a clamping roller shaft 50SD and a clamping roller 50RD, similar to the clamping roller shaft 50SA and clamping roller 50RA of the clamping roller section 50A, and is positioned in the vicinity of the front of the front connection section 32f, which is in front of the clamping roller section 50C. This clamping roller section 50D comes into contact with and is carried around by the banknotes being transported by the conveyor belt 42. The clamping roller 50RD is composed of a roller boss section (not shown) and a roller flange section 50RfD, similar to the roller boss section 50RbA and roller flange section 50RfA of the clamping roller 50RA.

[0059] Furthermore, the clamping roller section 50D has the same configuration as the clamping roller section 50A, and its vertical position is also the same as that of the clamping roller section 50A. The clamping roller 50RD has the outer circumferential surface of the roller flange section 50RfD protruding above the lower guide surface 22fS from the guide hole drilled in the lower guide 22f. The upper end of the roller flange section 50RfD of the clamping roller 50RD is positioned above the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42. For this reason, the roller flange section 50RfD of the clamping roller 50RD overlaps above the lower surface of the conveyor belt 42 when viewed from the left and right directions. The overlap amount, which is the distance along the vertical direction from the upper end of the roller flange section 50RfD to the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42, is the same as the clamping roller section 50A, and is the overlap amount OLa.

[0060] Furthermore, the clamping roller 50RD has its outer circumferential surface of the roller flange portion 50RfD protruding from the guide hole drilled in the front guide 24f to the rear side of the front guide surface 24fS.

[0061] Such a clamping roller section 50D holds the banknotes between itself and the conveyor belt 42 and is carried around by the banknotes, thereby conveying the banknotes in the horizontal conveying direction Dh, and also conveying the banknotes while changing the conveying direction between the horizontal conveying path 28h and the vertical conveying path 30vf via the front connecting section 32f.

[0062] [1-2-9. Regarding the arrangement] Here, the distance in the front-to-back direction from the center of the clamping roller 50RA to the center of the clamping roller 50RB and the distance in the front-to-back direction from the center of the clamping roller 50RB to the center of the clamping roller 50RC are set to a clamping roller distance C1 that is equal to each other. The clamping roller distance C1 is less than or equal to the length of the short side of the banknote. Also, the distance in the front-to-back direction from the center of the clamping roller 50RC to the center of the clamping roller 50RD is also less than or equal to the length of the short side of the banknote. As a result, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can always maintain a state in which the banknote is clamped between one set of clamping rollers 50 and the conveyor belt 42 and the other set of clamping rollers 50 and the conveyor belt 42, and can maintain the banknote conveying performance.

[0063] [1-3. Operation and Effects, etc.] In this configuration, the banknote BL is transported and is held between the clamping roller 50RA and the transport belt 42, and between the clamping roller 50RC and the transport belt 42. In this state, the banknote BL is also held between the clamping roller 50RB and the transport belt 42. At this time, as shown in Figure 4, the transport belt 42 presses the banknote BL downward toward the roller boss portion 50RbA between the left and right roller flange portions 50RfA of the clamping roller 50RA, generating an upward reaction force on the banknote BL that tries to return it from its bent shape to its normal shape, and generating frictional force between the banknote BL and the transport belt 42. At this time, as the clamping roller 50RA rotates, the banknote BL is transported without slipping relative to the roller flange portion 50RfA. The same applies to the clamping roller 50RB and the clamping roller 50RC.

[0064] At this time, as shown in Figure 5, due to the rigidity of the banknote BL itself, the portion of the banknote BL that is clamped between the clamping roller 50RA and the conveyor belt 42, and the portion of the banknote BL that is clamped between the clamping roller 50RC and the conveyor belt 42, lift up. As a result, the banknote BL curves and lifts up in the front-rear direction, for example, the middle portion between the clamping roller 50RA and the clamping roller 50RC, i.e., the position of the clamping roller 50RB, which protrudes the highest, and the conveyor belt 42 is lifted in the same way. Therefore, the conveyor belt 42 deforms so that it moves upward away from the clamping roller 50RB.

[0065] Therefore, if the overlap amount OLb is small, equal to the overlap amount OLa, the force with which the banknote BL is pressed against the gripping roller 50RB by the conveyor belt 42 will be weaker. In this case, the frictional force between the banknote BL and the conveyor belt 42 will decrease and will not be sufficiently large compared to the frictional force between the banknote BL and the gripping roller 50RB, and there is a possibility that the banknote BL will not be transported properly even when the conveyor belt 42 is running.

[0066] In contrast, as described above, when no banknotes BL are being held, the overlap amount OLb of the clamping roller 50RB is set to be larger than the overlap amount OLa of the clamping rollers 50RA and 50RC. That is, the clamping roller 50RB is positioned above the clamping rollers 50RA and 50RC. Therefore, the conveying force of the conveyor belt 42 and the clamping roller 50RB is greater than the conveying force of the conveyor belt 42 and the clamping roller 50RA combined. As a result, even if the conveyor belt 42 is lifted away from the clamping roller 50RB in an upward direction, the banknote deposit / discharge machine 10 can maintain sufficient overlap of the clamping roller 50RB with respect to the conveyor belt 42 and maintain the feeding force. This prevents the banknote deposit / dispensing machine 10 from experiencing a decrease in frictional force between the banknote BL and the conveyor belt 42, maintaining a sufficiently large frictional force compared to the frictional force between the banknote BL and the gripping roller section 50, and enabling the banknote BL to be transported normally as the conveyor belt 42 moves.

[0067] Therefore, when the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 grips a banknote BL at three locations, with the transport belt 42 and the gripping rollers 50RA, 50RB, and 50RC, it prevents the overlap between the centrally located gripping roller 50RB and the transport belt 42 from becoming insufficient, and maintains a state where all gripping rollers 50 and the transport belt 42 can always transport the banknotes. In this way, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can improve the transport performance of banknotes BL and reduce malfunctions such as jams.

[0068] Furthermore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 made the distance between the clamping rollers C1 the same as the distance in the front-to-back direction from the center of the clamping roller 50RA to the center of the clamping roller 50RB and the distance in the front-to-back direction from the center of the clamping roller 50RB to the center of the clamping roller 50RC. In other words, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 positioned the clamping roller 50RB at the center (midpoint) between the clamping roller 50RA and the clamping roller 50RC. In this way, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 positioned the clamping roller 50RB at the center (midpoint) between the clamping roller 50RA and the clamping roller 50RC, where the conveyor belt 42 is most likely to curve and be lifted upwards. Therefore, compared to the case where the clamping roller 50RB is positioned at a location offset from the center (midpoint) between the clamping roller 50RA and the clamping roller 50RC, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 can more easily ensure an overlap amount of the clamping roller 50RB with respect to the conveyor belt 42.

[0069] Thus, the transport unit 13 has a first transport mechanism, which is a clamping roller section 50A and 50C, and a second transport mechanism, which is a clamping roller section 50B, that has a greater transport force for banknotes BL than the first transport mechanism, and the clamping roller section 50B has sufficient transport force for banknotes BL and transports banknotes BL stably.

[0070] According to the above configuration, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 of the ATM 1 comprises a horizontal transport path 28h on which banknotes BL as a medium are transported, a transport belt 42 provided along the horizontal transport path 28h, a clamping roller section 50A positioned opposite the transport belt 42, the outer circumference of which overlaps with the transport belt 42 by an overlap amount OLa as a first overlap amount, and which grips and rotates the banknotes BL between itself and the transport belt 42 for transport, and a section positioned opposite the transport belt 42, the outer circumference of which overlaps with the transport belt 42 by a second overlap amount The system includes a clamping roller section 50B that overlaps with the conveyor belt 42 by an overlap amount OLa, gripping the banknote BL between itself and the conveyor belt 42, and rotating and conveying it; and a clamping roller section 50C that is positioned between the clamping roller section 50A and the clamping roller section 50B, facing the conveyor belt 42, and whose outer circumference overlaps with the conveyor belt 42 by a third overlap amount OLb, which is larger than the overlap amount OLa, gripping the banknote BL between itself and the conveyor belt 42, and rotating and conveying it.

[0071] Therefore, when the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 grips a banknote BL between the conveyor belt 42 and the gripping rollers 50A, 50B, and 50C, it prevents the overlap between the conveyor belt 42 and the gripping rollers 50B from becoming insufficient, and maintains a state where all the gripping rollers 50A, 50B, and 50C and the conveyor belt 42 are always able to transport the banknotes.

[0072] [2. Second Embodiment] [2-1. Configuration of the Automatic Cash Transaction Device and Banknote Deposit / Withdrawal Machine] As shown in Figure 1, the Automatic Cash Transaction Device 101 according to the second embodiment differs from the Automatic Cash Transaction Device 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. As shown in Figure 2, the banknote deposit / withdrawal machine 110 according to the second embodiment differs from the banknote deposit / withdrawal machine 10 according to the first embodiment in that it has a transport unit 113 instead of the transport unit 13, but is otherwise configured similarly.

[0073] [2-2. Configuration of the Conveying Section] As shown in Figure 6, where the same reference numerals are used for the components corresponding to those in Figure 3, the conveying section 113 according to the second embodiment differs from the conveying section 13 according to the first embodiment in that it has a clamping roller section 150 (clamping roller sections 150A, 150B, and 150C) that replaces the clamping roller section 50 (clamping roller sections 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D), and a biased conveying section 52 (biased conveying sections 52A and 52B) is added, but otherwise it is configured similarly. Hereinafter, the clamping roller sections 150A, 150B, and 150C will be collectively referred to as the clamping roller section 150, and the biased conveying sections 52A and 52B will be collectively referred to as the biased conveying section 52.

[0074] [2-2-1. Configuration of the clamping roller section 150A] The clamping roller section 150A is positioned in front of the biasing conveying section 52A. This clamping roller section 150A has the same configuration as the clamping roller section 50A according to the first embodiment, and its vertical position is also the same as that of the clamping roller section 50A. The clamping roller 50RA of the clamping roller section 150A has the outer circumferential surface of the roller flange section 50RfA protruding above the lower guide surface 22bS from a guide hole drilled in the lower guide 22b. The upper end of the roller flange section 50RfA of the clamping roller 50RA is positioned above the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveying belt 42. The overlap amount, which is the distance along the vertical direction from the upper end of the roller flange section 50RfC to the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveying belt 42, is the same as the clamping roller section 50A, and is the overlap amount OLa.

[0075] [2-2-2. Configuration of the Clamping Roller Section 150B] The clamping roller section 150B is positioned in front of the clamping roller section 150A. The clamping roller section 150B has the same configuration as the clamping roller section 150A, and its vertical position is also the same as that of the clamping roller section 150A. The clamping roller 50RB of the clamping roller section 150B has the outer circumferential surface of the roller flange section 50RfB protruding above the lower guide surface 22bS from the guide hole drilled in the lower guide 22b. The upper end of the roller flange section 50RfB of the clamping roller 50RB is positioned above the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42. The overlap amount, which is the distance along the vertical direction from the upper end of the roller flange section 50RfB to the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42, is the same as the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 150A.

[0076] [2-2-3. Configuration of the clamping roller section 150C] The clamping roller section 150C is positioned in front of the biasing conveying section 52B. The clamping roller section 150C has the same configuration as the clamping roller section 150A, and its vertical position is also the same as that of the clamping roller section 150A. The clamping roller 50RC of the clamping roller section 150C has the outer circumferential surface of the roller flange section 50RfC protruding above the lower guide surface 22fS from a guide hole drilled in the lower guide 22f. The upper end of the roller flange section 50RfC of the clamping roller 50RC is positioned above the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveying belt 42. The overlap amount, which is the distance along the vertical direction from the upper end of the roller flange section 50RfC to the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveying belt 42, is the same as the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 150A.

[0077] [2-2-4. Configuration of the biased conveying section 52A] The biased conveying section 52A is composed of rollers 54A, a pulley 56A, and a spring 58A. The rollers 54A are cylindrical in shape and are positioned near the front of the rear connection section 32b. Two rollers are provided side by side at a position where they contact the conveying belt 42, and they are rotatable around a shaft. The shafts of the rollers 54A are cylindrical in shape and extend along the left-right direction below the lower guide surface 22bS. The left and right ends are fixed to the lower guide 22b so as not to move in the up-down direction. The outer surface of the rollers 54A protrudes above the lower guide surface 22bS from a guide hole drilled in the lower guide 22bS. The upper end of the outer surface contacts the outer surface (i.e., the bottom and top surfaces) of the lower part of the conveying belt 42, and the rollers 54A are in contact with the conveying belt 42 and are carried along by it. Therefore, even when no banknotes have arrived and the roller 54A is not in contact with any banknotes, it rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyor belt 42.

[0078] Unlike the clamping roller 50RA of the clamping roller section 150A, for example, the roller 54A does not have a roller boss section 50RbA and a roller flange section 50RfA (Figure 4), and is a flat cylindrical shape (hereinafter also referred to as a pure cylindrical shape) from one end to the other in the axial direction (left-right direction) along its entire circumference, regardless of the position viewed from in the circumferential direction of the outer surface.

[0079] The pulleys 56A have the pure cylindrical shape described above, and two are provided side by side, rotatably mounted on a shaft, so as to contact the conveyor belt 42 at a position opposite the roller 54 in the vertical direction, with the conveyor belt 42 in between. The shafts of the pulleys 56A are cylindrical in shape, extending along the left-right direction above the upper guide surface 20S, and their left and right ends are supported by the upper guide 20 so as to be movable in the vertical direction. The outer circumferential surface of the pulleys 56A protrudes below the upper guide surface 20S from a guide hole drilled in the upper guide 20, and the lower end of the outer circumferential surface contacts the inner circumferential surface (i.e., the upper surface) of the lower part of the conveyor belt 42, and is rotated in contact with the conveyor belt 42. For this reason, the pulleys 56A rotate along with the rotation of the conveyor belt 42 even when no banknotes have arrived and there are no banknotes between them and the roller 54A.

[0080] The spring 58A is a compression spring, with its upper end fixed to the frame (not shown) and its lower end fixed to the shaft of the pulley 56A, biasing the pulley 56A downward toward the roller 54A.

[0081] These rollers 54A and pulleys 56A, with the conveyor belt 42 in between, trap banknotes between them and are carried around by the conveyor belt 42, thereby transporting the banknotes in the horizontal transport direction Dh, and also transporting the banknotes while changing the transport direction between the horizontal transport path 28h and the vertical transport path 30vb via the rear connection part 32b.

[0082] Because the roller 54A has the pure cylindrical shape described above, it continuously contacts the lower surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42 from the right end to the left end of the conveyor belt 42, and when a banknote arrives, it continuously contacts the underside of the banknote from the right end to the left end of the roller 54. Similarly, because the pulley 56A has the pure cylindrical shape described above, it continuously contacts the upper surface of the lower portion of the conveyor belt 42 from the right end to the left end of the conveyor belt 42 and is biased toward the roller 54A by the spring 58A.

[0083] The clamping force between the pulley 56A (i.e., the conveyor belt 42) and the roller 54A that holds the banknotes is greater than the clamping force between the conveyor belt 42 and, for example, the clamping roller 50RA that holds the banknotes. In other words, the clamping force (conveying force) that holds the banknotes in the biased conveying section 52A is greater than the clamping force (conveying force) that holds the banknotes in each of the clamping roller sections 150A, 150B, and 150C.

[0084] [2-2-5. Configuration of the biased conveying section 52B] The biased conveying section 52B is composed of rollers 54B, pulleys 56B and springs 58B, similar to the rollers 54A, pulleys 56A and springs 58A of the biased conveying section 52A, and is positioned near the front of the front connection section 32f between the clamping roller section 150B and the clamping roller section 150C. Hereinafter, rollers 54A and 54B will be collectively referred to as roller 54, pulleys 56A and 56B will be collectively referred to as pulley 56, and springs 58A and 58B will be collectively referred to as spring 58.

[0085] These rollers 54B and pulleys 56B, with the conveyor belt 42 in between, trap banknotes between them and are carried around by the conveyor belt 42, thereby transporting the banknotes in the horizontal transport direction Dh, and also transporting the banknotes while changing the transport direction between the horizontal transport path 28h and the vertical transport path 30vf via the front connection part 32f.

[0086] Similar to the biased conveying section 52A, the gripping force (conveying force) for holding banknotes in the biased conveying section 52B is greater than the gripping force (conveying force) for holding banknotes in each of the gripping roller sections 150A, 150B, and 150C.

[0087] [2-2-6. Regarding the arrangement] Here, the distance in the front-rear direction from the center of pulley 56A and roller 54A to the center of clamping roller 50RA, the distance in the front-rear direction from the center of pulley 56B and roller 54B to the center of clamping roller 50RB, and the distance in the front-rear direction from the center of pulley 56B and roller 54B to the center of clamping roller 50RC are set to be equal to the clamping roller pulley distance L2.

[0088] Here, the portion of the conveyor belt 42 that is gripped by the pulley 56 and the roller 54 does not lift up much even when a banknote passes over it. In contrast, the portions of the conveyor belt 42 that are opposite to the gripping rollers 50RA, 50RB, and 50RC lift up when a banknote passes over them. This is because the distance between each of the gripping rollers 50RA, 50RB, and 50RC and the pulley 56 and roller 54 located immediately next to them is set to the same gripping roller-pulley distance L2. Therefore, the portions of the conveyor belt 42 that are opposite to the gripping rollers 50RA, 50RB, and 50RC lift up by approximately the same amount when a banknote passes over them. Therefore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 sets the overlap amount OLA to be the same for each of the clamping rollers 50RA, 50RB, and 50RC, which are all the same distance from the nearest pulley 56 and roller 54.

[0089] Furthermore, the distance in the front-to-back direction from the center of the clamping roller 50RA to the center of the clamping roller 50RB is set to the clamping roller distance C2. The clamping roller pulley distance L2 and the clamping roller distance C2 are less than or equal to the length of the banknote in the short side direction. As a result, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 can always maintain a state in which the banknote is clamped between one set of clamping rollers 150 and the conveyor belt 42, and another set of clamping rollers 150 and the conveyor belt 42, or roller 54 and the conveyor belt 42, thereby maintaining the banknote transport performance.

[0090] [2-3. Operation and Effects, etc.] In this configuration, banknotes are transported in the rearward transport direction Dhb, and the banknotes are held between the roller 54A of the biased transport unit 52A and the transport belt 42 which is biased toward the roller 54A by the pulley 56A. At this time, the clamping force (transport force) between the transport belt 42 and the roller 54A that holds the banknotes is set to be greater than the clamping force (transport force) between the transport belt 42 and the clamping rollers 50RA, 50RB, and 50RC, respectively. As a result, the biased transport unit 52A can switch the transport direction of the banknotes from the rearward transport direction Dhb to the downward transport direction Ddvd with sufficient transport force and transport them to the vertical transport path 30vb.

[0091] Furthermore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 is configured such that gripping roller sections 150A, 150B, and 150C are positioned in the horizontal transport path 28h at locations that are further away from the biasing transport section 52 than the front connection section 32f and the rear connection section 32b.

[0092] Here, it is conceivable that at least one of the clamping roller sections 150 could be configured like the biased conveying section 52. In the case of the biased conveying section 52, the rollers 54 and pulleys 56 rotate along with the rotation of the conveying belt 42 even when no banknotes have arrived and are not in contact with them, thus requiring bearings. In contrast, in the case of the clamping roller section 150, it only comes into contact with the banknotes and rotates when banknotes arrive, so the amount of rotation during long-term operation is less compared to the biased conveying section 52, and bearings are not required. Therefore, the clamping roller section 150 has a simpler configuration than the biased conveying section 52 and can reduce costs.

[0093] Therefore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 can be simplified and made less expensive compared to the case where the biasing transport section 52 is placed in a location in the horizontal transport path 28h where there is no need for transport force that would significantly change the transport direction of the banknotes, and the transport direction can be stably switched at the front connection section 32f and the rear connection section 32b.

[0094] Furthermore, it is conceivable to configure the biasing transport section 52A as a clamping roller section 150A. However, in that case, the portion of the banknote between the left roller flange section 50RfA and the right roller flange section 50RfA (Figure 4) is bent downwards relative to the rest of the banknote, so the banknote is not in a straight line from the left end to the right end. In this case, when the transport direction is switched, the banknote may deform, such as by buckling, and there is a possibility that the banknote will get stuck in the transport path.

[0095] In contrast, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 is designed so that the roller 54A is a flat cylindrical shape from one end to the other in the axial direction (left-right direction) along its entire circumference, regardless of the position on the outer surface viewed from. As a result, when the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 grips a banknote between the conveyor belt 42 and the roller 54A, the banknote can be arranged in a straight line from the left end to the right end.

[0096] As a result, the biased transport unit 52A can switch the transport direction of the banknotes from the rear transport direction Dhb to the downward transport direction Ddvd with sufficient transport force without deforming the banknotes, such as causing them to buckle, and transport them to the vertical transport path 30vb. The above has been described for the biased transport unit 52A, but the same applies to the biased transport unit 52B.

[0097] Thus, the transport unit 113 has a first transport mechanism consisting of clamping roller sections 150A, 150B, and 150C, and a second transport mechanism consisting of biasing transport sections 52A and 52B, which have a greater banknote transport force than the first transport mechanism. The biasing transport sections 52A and 52B have sufficient banknote transport force and transport banknotes stably.

[0098] According to the above configuration, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 of the ATM 101 has a horizontal transport path 28h as a first transport path along which banknotes as a medium are transported along a horizontal transport direction Dh as a first direction, a vertical transport path 30vb along which banknotes are transported along a vertical transport direction Dv as a second direction intersecting the horizontal transport direction Dh, a transport belt 42 provided along the horizontal transport path 28h, a roller boss portion 50RbA as a boss portion which is the center of rotation and is positioned opposite the transport belt 42, and roller flats which protrude radially outward from the roller boss portion 50RbA (Figure 4) at both axial ends of the roller boss portion 50RbA and are pressed against the banknotes by the transport belt 42 The clamping roller 150A has a clamping roller 50RA, the outer circumference of which overlaps with the conveyor belt 42, and clamps the banknotes between itself and the conveyor belt 42 and conveys them in the horizontal conveying direction Dh on the horizontal conveying path 28h. The clamping roller 54A is provided near the connection point between the horizontal conveying path 28h and the vertical conveying path 30vb, and is cylindrical in shape and rotates. The pulley 56A is provided opposite the roller 54A across the conveyor belt 42, and is cylindrical in shape, and clamps the banknotes between itself and the roller 54A via the conveyor belt 42, rotating and conveying them. At least one of the roller 54A and the pulley 56A is biased toward the other.

[0099] Therefore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 can use the conveyor belt 42 and roller 54A, which have a greater conveying force than the conveyor belt 42 and clamping roller section 150A, to switch the conveying direction of banknotes from the horizontal conveying direction Dh to the vertical conveying direction Dv and convey them from the horizontal conveying path 28h to the vertical conveying path 30vb with sufficient conveying force.

[0100] In other respects as well, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 according to the second embodiment can achieve the same effects and advantages as the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0101] [3. Other Embodiments] In the first embodiment described above, the banknote deposit / dispensing machine 10 was described in a case where the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 50A and the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 50B were the same value. The disclosure is not limited to this, and the banknote deposit / dispensing machine 10 may have different values ​​for the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 50A and the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 50B, as long as the overlap amount OLb is greater than the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 50A and the overlap amount OLa of the clamping roller section 50B. However, setting them to the same value allows for a simpler setup. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0102] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 is described in which the clamping roller 50RB is positioned at the center (midpoint) between the clamping roller 50RA and the clamping roller 50RC. The disclosure is not limited to this, and the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 10 may also position the clamping roller 50RB at a position offset from the center (midpoint) between the clamping roller 50RA and the clamping roller 50RC.

[0103] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 is described in which the pulley 56A is biased downward toward the roller 54A by a spring 58A in the biased transport section 52A. The disclosure is not limited to this, and the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 may also provide the roller 54A so as to be vertically movable, and provide a spring on the roller 54A instead of the spring 58A, or together with the spring 58A, and bias the roller 54A upward toward the pulley 56A by the spring. In addition, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 may also bias the pulley 56A toward the roller 54A by various other biasing members. The same applies to the biased transport section 52B.

[0104] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 is described in which the roller 54A and pulley 56A are flat cylindrical in shape from one end to the other in the axial direction (left-right direction) over the entire circumference, regardless of the position in the circumferential direction of the outer surface. The disclosure is not limited to this, and the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 may be described in which the roller 54A and pulley 56A are flat cylindrical in shape over the entire circumference, regardless of the position in the circumferential direction of the outer surface, over a range of at least from the left end to the right end of the conveyor belt 42.

[0105] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the present disclosure was applied to a transport section 13 that transports banknotes along the horizontal direction. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the present disclosure may be applied to various transport sections that transport banknotes along a direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. The present disclosure may also be applied to a transport section that transports banknotes along the vertical direction, in other words, a transport section corresponding to the transport section 13 that is provided in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine along the vertical direction.

[0106] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the present disclosure was applied to a transport section 113 of the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 having a horizontal transport path 28h that transports banknotes along the horizontal direction and vertical transport paths 30vb and 30vf that transport banknotes along a vertical direction perpendicular to the horizontal direction. The present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the present disclosure may be applied to various transport sections of the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 110 having a first transport path that transports banknotes along the horizontal direction or along a first direction inclined with respect to the horizontal direction, and a second transport path that transports banknotes along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The present disclosure may also be applied to a transport section of the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine that transports banknotes along the vertical direction, in other words, a transport section corresponding to the transport section 113 that is provided along the vertical direction in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine.

[0107] Furthermore, the first embodiment described above describes the application of this disclosure to a banknote deposit / withdrawal machine 10 of an automated cash transaction device 1 that processes transactions related to banknotes as a medium with customers. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and may also be applied to banknote processing devices used in the checkout counters or backrooms of retail stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, or to various devices that handle various paper-shaped media such as various gift certificates and securities, or admission tickets and train tickets as transaction objects. The same applies to the second embodiment.

[0108] Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above and other embodiments. That is, this disclosure also applies to embodiments that arbitrarily combine some or all of the embodiments described above and other embodiments. In addition, this disclosure also applies to embodiments in which a part of the configuration described in any embodiment among the embodiments described above and other embodiments is extracted and substituted or adapted for a part of the configuration of any embodiment among the embodiments described above and other embodiments, or to embodiments in which a part of the extracted configuration is added to any embodiment.

[0109] Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the banknote deposit / discharge machine 10 as a media transport device is configured with a horizontal transport path 28h as a transport path, a transport belt 42 as a transport belt, a clamping roller section 50A as a first roller, a clamping roller section 50B as a second roller, and a clamping roller section 50C as a third roller. The disclosure is not limited to this, and the media transport device may be configured with a transport path, a transport belt, a first roller, a second roller, and a third roller in various other configurations.

[0110] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, the banknote deposit / discharge machine 110 as a media transport device is configured with a horizontal transport path 28h as a first transport path, a vertical transport path 30vb as a second transport path, a transport belt 42 as a transport belt, a clamping roller 50RA of the clamping roller section 150A as a first roller, a roller 54A as a second roller, and a pulley 56A as a third roller. The disclosure is not limited to this, and the media transport device may be configured with a first transport path, a second transport path, a transport belt, a first roller, a second roller, and a third roller in various other configurations.

[0111] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-041368 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0112] All documents, patent applications, and technical standards described herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard were specifically and individually noted to be incorporated by reference.

[0113] This disclosure can be used, for example, in a banknote deposit / withdrawal machine incorporated into an automated cash transaction system that conducts deposit and withdrawal transactions involving banknotes with users.

Claims

1. A medium conveying device comprising: a conveying path through which a medium is conveyed; a conveying belt provided along the conveying path; a first roller positioned along the conveying path and opposite to the conveying belt, with its outer circumference overlapping the conveying belt by a first overlap amount, and rotating and conveying the medium while clamping it between itself and the conveying belt; a second roller positioned along the conveying path and opposite to the conveying belt, with its outer circumference overlapping the conveying belt by a second overlap amount, and rotating and conveying the medium while clamping it between itself and the conveying belt; and a third roller positioned along the conveying path and opposite to the conveying belt between the first and second rollers, with its outer circumference overlapping the conveying belt by a third overlap amount greater than the first and second overlap amounts, and rotating and conveying the medium while clamping it between itself and the conveying belt.

2. The medium conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the first roller, the second roller, and the third roller each have a boss portion which is the center of rotation, and flange portions which protrude radially outward from the boss portion at both axial ends of the boss portion and are pressed against the medium by the conveying belt.

3. The media conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the overlap amount is the distance between the end of the flange portion on the conveying belt side and the surface of the conveying belt facing the conveying path, with respect to the overlap direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the boss portion and the direction of travel of the conveying belt.

4. The media transport device according to claim 1, wherein the first overlap amount and the second overlap amount are equal.

5. The media conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the third roller and the first roller and the distance between the third roller and the second roller are the same.

6. A first transport path along which a medium is transported along a first direction; a second transport path along which the medium is transported along a second direction intersecting the first direction; a transport belt provided along the first transport path; a first roller positioned opposite the transport belt and having a boss portion which is the center of rotation, and flange portions which protrude radially outward from the boss portion at both axial ends of the boss portion and are pressed against the medium by the transport belt, the outer circumference of the flange portion overlaps with the transport belt and the medium is sandwiched between the transport belt and transported in the first direction along the first transport path; a second roller provided near the connection point between the first transport path and the second transport path, which is cylindrical and rotates; and a third roller provided opposite the second roller across the transport belt, which is cylindrical and rotates to transport the medium sandwiched between the second roller and the transport belt. A media conveying device in which at least one of the second roller and the third roller is biased toward the other.

7. The medium conveying device according to claim 6, wherein the conveying force of the conveying belt and the second roller conveying the medium is greater than the conveying force of the conveying belt and the first roller conveying the medium.

8. The media conveying device according to claim 6, wherein the outer periphery of the second roller and the third roller is flat over its entire circumference from one end to the other in the axial direction.

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