Device for transporting a value document

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for transporting individual value documents (12), in particular banknotes. Said device has an outer transport belt (16a, 16b) and an inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c), wherein the outer transport belt runs relative to the inner transport belt in such a way that a value document can be held and transported between the outer transport belt and the inner transport belt. The device also has a guide roller (20) for deflecting the transport belts from a first direction (R1) into a second direction (R2), wherein the guide roller is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation (62) and has a surface running parallel to the axis of rotation, in which surface at least one circumferential groove (66) is formed for only partially receiving the inner transport belt and on which the outer transport belt partially rests. Further provided is a guide element (22) having a guide surface (68) which has a curved portion (70), wherein the guide element has, at least along the curved portion, a recess (78a, 78b, 82a, 82b) in which the outer transport belt at least partially runs and is movable, wherein the guide element is designed and arranged such that the curved portion forms a gap (72) with the guide roller, in which gap the transport belts run.

Description

[0001] Device for transporting a valuable document

[0002] The invention relates to a device for transporting individual valuable documents.

[0003] The term "security documents" refers to sheet-like items that represent, for example, a monetary value or an entitlement and are therefore not intended to be easily produced by unauthorized persons. They thus possess security features that are not easily manufactured, especially copied, and whose presence is an indication of authenticity, i.e., production by an authorized entity. Important examples of such security documents are chip cards, coupons, vouchers, checks, and especially banknotes.

[0004] Such securities typically have a sheet-shaped substrate which may, for example, carry printed or foil elements as further elements of the security document.

[0005] Valuable documents, especially their substrates, can be made on the basis of paper and / or cotton substrate, for example banknote paper, polymer foils or films or a combination of paper, cotton substrate and polymer foils.

[0006] Verification of valuable documents, for example for authenticity and / or condition, is usually carried out automatically using document processing equipment, often with devices that enable high processing speeds. The valuable documents are transported individually along a transport path from a feeder to an output or storage device. Using one or more sensors arranged along the transport path, various physical properties of the transported valuable document are recorded during transport, generating measurement data. The measurement data from each sensor describes the physical property(ies) recorded by that sensor. If more than one sensor is used, they are designed to record different physical properties.Depending on the recorded measurement data, the valuable documents can then be classified, for example, with regard to their authenticity and / or condition. Based on the classification results, the valuable documents can then be transported to different sections of the filing system. Alternatively, only the measurement data can be recorded and stored beyond the duration of the inspection.

[0007] Endless conveyor belts can be used in such devices to transport valuable documents. These belts are designed and arranged to hold the documents between them. The endless conveyor belts are tensioned around pulleys and driven, moving the clamped documents along the transport path.

[0008] For space reasons, it may be advantageous for the transport path to be curved rather than straight. When using a belt conveyor, the conveyor belts must be redirected by means of rollers to achieve the desired belt path. At the points of redirection, the transported valuables are deformed accordingly.

[0009] Machine-tested documents are used not only for newly printed securities, but also, and especially, for documents already in circulation, which may be worn, frayed, torn, or partially folded. Such documents can cause transport disruptions, particularly jams, especially if they are deformed by the conveyor belts on individual or successive guide rollers. This can occur particularly with sections of a security document that are not caught by the conveyor belts.

[0010] Such transport disruptions or congestion can significantly reduce the throughput of document processing equipment if they lead to an interruption of processing by the document processing equipment.

[0011] The present invention therefore aims to create a device for transporting valuable documents in which transport disruptions are reduced, particularly in the area of ​​bends in the transport path. Preferably, interruptions in operation due to transport disruptions should be reduced.

[0012] The problem is solved by a device with the features of claim 1, and in particular a device for transporting individual valuable documents, especially banknotes, comprising an outer transport belt and an inner transport belt, a guide roller for redirecting the transport belts from a first direction to a second direction, and a guiding element. The outer transport belt runs relative to the inner transport belt in such a way that a valuable document can be held and transported between the outer and inner transport belts. The guide roller is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation and has a surface running parallel to the axis of rotation, in which at least one circumferential groove is formed for the partial reception of the inner transport belt, and on which the outer transport belt partially rests.The guide element has a guide surface with a curved section, wherein the guide element has a recess at least along the curved section in which the outer conveyor belt runs at least partially and is movable. The guide element is designed and arranged such that the curved section forms a gap with the guide roller in which the conveyor belts run.

[0013] The device is used to transport individual valuable documents by means of transport belts. It has at least one outer and at least one inner transport belt for this purpose. These are arranged to be movable in the longitudinal direction.

[0014] Preferably, the transport belts are endless belts that are guided and tensioned by means of other elements of the device, for example, rollers, such as deflection pulleys. The inner and outer transport belts are oriented such that a valuable document can be held between them and transported by moving the belts. The valuable document is held at least partially between the outer and inner transport belts, which may be offset from each other with respect to a plane of the valuable document.

[0015] The device transports a valuable document from one direction to a second, different direction. These directions are determined by other elements that guide the transport belts and are based on the destination of the document; they are therefore considered predetermined. The device includes a guide roller that redirects the transport belts from the first direction to the second. The guide roller is rotatably mounted around the axis of rotation and has a surface parallel to it on which the transport belts rest. This surface has at least one circumferential groove that partially accommodates the inner transport belt.The groove and the inner transport belt are designed to work together so that a section of the inner transport belt extends beyond the surface of the groove and remains in contact with the valuable document as it is transported around the guide roller. The outer transport belt rests partially on the surface. If no valuable document is present, it rests directly on the surface; otherwise, it presses the valuable document onto the surface of the guide roller, thus resting indirectly on the surface. This allows the valuable document to be held and transported, at least partially, between the inner and outer transport belts and within the area of ​​the guide roller's surface. As the transport belts redirect, any transported valuable document is also bent around the guide roller, which can cause parts of the document to be bent away from the transport belts or, if not bent, to stick out.

[0016] The device further comprises a guide element with a guide surface having a curved section. The guide element is designed and, in particular, fixedly arranged relative to the guide roller, such that the curved section of the guide surface forms a gap with the guide roller, specifically at least a section of the guide roller's surface. The inner and outer transport belts run through this gap, and a valuable document held by transport belts is transported through it. The guide surface, more precisely the curved section, covers the outer transport belt. This prevents parts of a transported valuable document from bending away from the guide roller in the area of ​​the guide surface during transport and causing transport malfunctions due to the laterally protruding part.Furthermore, the guide element has a recess along the curved section in which the outer transport belt runs at least partially and is movable. The recess is also formed in the guide surface. This allows the gap to be narrower. It also prevents a section of a transported valuable document from being bent over the outer transport belt and thus causing disruptions during further transport. The recess is preferably dimensioned such that an outer transport belt running at least partially within it does not touch the walls of the recess. The width and, if applicable, the depth of the recess are particularly preferably larger than the corresponding dimensions of the outer transport belt. In principle, it may suffice for the device to have only an inner and an outer transport belt.Preferably, the device has at least one further outer transport belt which runs parallel to the outer transport belt at least in the area of ​​the guide element and rests on the surface of the guide roller, and the guide surface particularly preferably has at least one further recess which runs parallel to the recess and in which the further outer transport belt runs at least partially and is movable. The use of at least two outer transport belts has the advantage that a transported valuable document can be held with only minor deformations transverse to the transport direction and that the forces necessary for transport can be transmitted more evenly to the valuable document, so that twisting is avoided in particular.

[0017] Furthermore, the device can have at least one additional inner conveyor belt which runs parallel to the inner conveyor belt at least in the area of ​​the guide roller, wherein the guide roller has at least one further groove running parallel to the groove for only partially receiving the additional inner conveyor belt. This has advantages that are analogous to the advantages of using at least two outer conveyor belts.

[0018] In both cases, the statements regarding the properties of the groove or recess in relation to the inner or outer transport belt apply accordingly to the further groove or recess and the further inner or outer transport belt.

[0019] The transport belts run in a direction parallel to the surface of the guide roller and transverse to the transport direction, offset from each other; in particular, inner and outer transport belts can be arranged alternately or in an alternating fashion.

[0020] The conveyor belts can, in principle, have any cross-section. Preferably, the inner and / or outer conveyor belt(s) have a round, preferably circular, cross-section. However, the use of flat belts with an at least approximately rectangular cross-section would also be possible.

[0021] The inner and outer transport belts are preferably identical. Particularly preferably, all transport belts can be identical. In the guide element, the curved section of the guide surface can preferably be cylindrical, with one axis of the cylinder at least approximately coinciding with the axis of rotation of the guide roller. This has the advantage that the gap between the guide surface and the surface of the guide roller has at least approximately the same width. This allows for particularly good guidance of a transported valuable document. Particularly preferred is an angle enclosed by the guide surface in a plane perpendicular to a cylinder axis, less than or equal to an angle formed by the first and second directions, and in particular less than 180 degrees.Preferably, a tangent to the first end of the curved section runs parallel to the first direction, and a tangent to the second end of the curved section runs parallel to the second direction. This design also allows for close and precise guidance of the security document or its protruding parts.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the guide surface of the device can have a feed section that is formed in the transport direction in front of the curved section and inclined towards the outer and inner transport belts. In particular, the inclination can be selected such that the distance between the feed section and the outer transport belt decreases in the transport direction. This embodiment has the advantage that, depending on the degree of deformation, protruding parts of a valuable document can easily be guided into the gap formed by the curved section and the guide roller without causing a jam. Optionally, the guide surface can also have a guide section arranged between the curved section and the feed section, which runs essentially parallel to the outer and inner transport belts.

[0023] Furthermore, the guide surface of the guide element in the device can have a, preferably straight, drainage section that runs parallel to the transport belts and has a recess or further recesses running parallel to the transport belts, so that the outer transport belt(s) can at least partially run in the recess(s) and be moved within it, even in the area of ​​the drainage section. The drainage section of the guide surface can, in particular, run parallel to the second direction. This embodiment offers the advantage that even after passing the curved section, slightly protruding parts of a transported valuable document cannot easily be bent, for example, by air resistance, to one side of the outer transport belt opposite the inner transport belt.

[0024] The advantage is particularly evident in an embodiment of the device where, in the transport direction, the device has a deflection roller after the guide roller. This deflection roller redirects the outer transport belt in a direction opposite to that of the inner transport belt, i.e., opposite to the direction in which the guide roller deflects the transport belts. Preferably, the discharge section then extends to the deflection roller. Without the discharge section, a section of a valuable document bent over the outer transport belt could become trapped between the deflection roller and the outer transport belt during further transport, causing a jam.

[0025] Furthermore, the device preferably has at least one deflecting surface on the guide surface at the end of the recess where the outer transport belt enters the recess. This deflecting surface is inclined away from the recess and against the direction of transport. This has the advantage that any protruding sections of the valuable document that may be present when reaching the recess are deflected away from the recess and can get between the guide surface and the outer transport belt, potentially causing a transport malfunction.

[0026] In this device, the guide surface can preferably be wider in a direction transverse to the recess than the extent of the valuable documents to be transported transverse to the direction of transport. This allows for the guidance of any protruding sections of a transported valuable document.

[0027] Furthermore, the guide surface of the device can have ribs running parallel to the transport belts. This can reduce any friction that may occur between a transported valuable document and the guide surface, thus protecting the document and helping to prevent abrasion. Additionally, any static charges that may arise from the friction can be reduced or avoided. In a preferred embodiment, the guide element of the device can have at least one opening that extends through the guide element in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the transport belts and orthogonal to or inclined relative to the guide surface. The opening can be arranged such that, in one installation position of the device, dust or foreign matter can fall through it. Dust or foreign matter are therefore removed from the transport path and are less disruptive.

[0028] The device can also include a light barrier or a light sensor, wherein the at least one opening in the guide element and the light barrier or light sensor are arranged such that the beam path of the light barrier or light sensor passes through the openings. This design has the advantage that transport monitoring in the area of ​​the guide element is enabled in a space-saving and simple manner using the light barrier or light sensor.

[0029] The guide element can be composed of several parts. Preferably, the guide element is formed in one piece, and particularly preferably manufactured as an injection-molded part. A one-piece design allows for simple manufacturing and, in particular, simple installation in the device, since only the guide element as a whole needs to be aligned. Manufacturing by injection molding is particularly cost-effective. As an alternative to manufacturing by injection molding, however, manufacturing by means of 3D printing, for example, is also possible.

[0030] A device according to the invention preferably comprises a drive unit by means of which the inner and / or the outer conveyor belt can be driven. It is configured to drive the inner and / or the outer conveyor belt. Furthermore, it can include guide rollers for guiding and / or tensioning each of the conveyor belts. The drive unit can, in particular, include the guide roller and / or drive at least one of the guide rollers for driving the conveyor belts. For example, a motor can be provided as the drive unit, which drives the guide roller and / or at least one of the guide rollers.

[0031] According to one embodiment, the feed section of the guide surface can extend in a direction that forms a secant through the curved section of the guide surface. It is noted that the secant is formed by a line that extends parallel to and along the feed section and beyond it into the curved section. In other words, an angle is formed between the line parallel to the feed section and a tangent at the end of the curved section adjacent to the feed section. The angle between the line and the tangent can be less than 180 degrees.

[0032] According to a further embodiment, the device can also have an additional guide element. This additional guide element can be arranged on the transport belt such that it is positioned opposite the feed section of the guide surface. The arrangement of the feed section of the guide surface and the additional guide element can be designed to form a kind of funnel leading to the gap formed between the guide roller and the curved section of the guide surface. When a valuable document is fed between the transport belts toward the guide roller, parts of the document may be bent and protrude away from the transport belts. These parts of the document are aligned by the funnel and inserted in a desired manner into the gap between the guide roller and the curved section of the guide surface.In general, the device may also have additional guiding elements which, in particular in front of deflection rollers or a guide roller, align parts of a valuable document in such a way as to prevent snagging or buckling.

[0033] The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings show:

[0034] Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of an example of a device for transporting valuable documents in a side view.

[0035] Fig. 2 shows a schematic sectional view through a valuable document transported by the transport belts of the device in Fig. 1 and of the transport belts holding the valuable document.

[0036] Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the valuable document transported by the conveyor belts of the device in Fig. 2 and the conveyor belts of the device; Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of a section of the device in Fig. 1 with a guide roller and a guide element and conveyor belts and a sensor device.

[0037] Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the guide element of the device in Figs. 1 and 4.

[0038] Fig. 6 shows a top view of the guide element of the device in Figs. 1 and 4.

[0039] Fig. 7 shows a representation corresponding to Fig. 2 of the position of the transport belts and a transported valuable document in the area of ​​the guide roller of the device in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, and

[0040] Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the guide element of the device in Figs. 1 and 4 from a different direction than in Fig. 5 and a light barrier.

[0041] Fig. 1 schematically shows an example of a device 10 for transporting individual valuable documents 12 (not shown here), in this example banknotes, from a first direction RI to a second direction R2 to a sensor device 14 for detecting at least one physical property of an individual valuable document 12 that has been transported from the device 10 to the sensor device 14. Fig. 4 shows a section of the device 10 in Fig. 1 in more detail.

[0042] The device 10 comprises outer transport belts 16a, 16b and inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c, which are arranged so that a transported valuable document can be held and transported between them, a rotatably mounted guide roller 20, on which the transport belts are deflected from a first direction RI to a second direction R2, and a guide element 22 opposite the guide roller 20. Not shown in Fig. 1, a light barrier 24 is also provided for monitoring the transport of the valuable document.

[0043] In principle, only one outer and one inner conveyor belt are required. However, in this example, several outer and inner conveyor belts 16a, 16b and 18a, 18b and 18c, respectively, are provided, arranged alternately in a direction transverse to the conveyor direction TR, so that one of the outer conveyor belts is positioned between each pair of adjacent inner conveyor belts. In this example, two outer and three inner conveyor belts 16a, 16b and 18a, 18b, 18c, respectively, are provided, as shown schematically in Figures 2, 3, and 4.

[0044] The outer and inner conveyor belts 16a, 16b and 18a, 18b, 18c, respectively, are endless and are guided and tensioned by rotatably mounted deflection pulleys 40 to 58 and the guide pulley 20, thus determining their path. A drive unit 60 serves to drive at least one of the deflection pulleys and thus the inner and / or the outer conveyor belt.

[0045] The inner and outer conveyor belts, approaching from different directions, are deflected at the deflection pulley 40 into the common first direction RI. In the subsequent transport direction TR, the parallel conveyor belts are deflected by the guide roller 20 into the second direction R2 and run parallel in a straight line until they reach the end deflection rollers 42 and 44, where they are deflected in opposite directions. The sections between the deflection roller 40 and the guide roller 20, and between the guide roller 20 and the end deflection rollers 42 and 44, form conveyor sections in which a valuable document 12 can be transported by means of the conveyor belts.

[0046] Figures 2 and 3 show a valuable document 12 held between the transport belts in a sectional view and a top view, respectively. In Figure 3, the outer transport belts 16a and 16b, which run below the valuable document 12 in Figure 3, are shown with dashed lines. As can be seen in Figures 2 and 3, the outer and inner transport belts 16a, 16b and 18a, 18b, 18c, respectively, are arranged alternately transversely to the direction of transport and run parallel to each other in the transport sections, i.e., between the deflection roller 40 and the end deflection rollers 42 and 44, such that a valuable document 12 can be held and transported between the outer transport belts 16a, 16b and the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, and 18c. As shown in Figure 3,As schematically illustrated in Figure 2, a valuable document is held between the inner and outer transport belts during transport, such that the inner transport belts run along one side of the valuable document 12 and the outer transport belts along the other side (see Figures 2 and 3). In this example, the transport belts have a circular cross-section. Figure 7 schematically shows, in a sectional view, among other things, the course of the transport belts in the area of ​​the guide roller 20. The guide roller 20 is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation 62. Circumferential grooves 66 are formed in a circular cylindrical surface 64 of the guide roller 20, which runs parallel to the axis of rotation 62, for the partial engagement of each of the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c.In this example, several parallel grooves of the same dimensions are formed, corresponding to the number of inner transport belts. Their position relative to each other, and in particular their distance from each other, corresponds to that of the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c. The depth of the grooves in this example is less than the diameter of the inner transport belts, so that the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c project from the grooves 66 beyond the surface 64. Because the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c project from the grooves 66 beyond the surface 64, they remain in contact with a transported valuable document 12 as it is moved around the guide roller 20. For this reason, these transport belts are also referred to as inner transport belts. The outer transport belts 16a, 16b partially rest on the surface 22 when no valuable document is present.If a valuable document 12 is located in the area of ​​the guide roller 20, the outer transport belts 16a, 16b press the valuable document 12 onto the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c and the surface 64 of the guide roller 20, which is why they are also referred to as outer transport belts. In this way, a valuable document 12 held between the transport belts can be transported around the guide roller 20.

[0047] As can be seen in Fig. 4, the deflection rollers 40 to 58 also have parallel circumferential grooves in which the conveyor belts partially run and are guided. The position and number of grooves in the deflection rollers correspond to the position and number of conveyor belts resting on the respective deflection rollers.

[0048] The device 10 further comprises the guide element 22 with a guide surface 68. The guide element 22 is designed and arranged such that a curved section 70 of the guide surface 68 forms a gap 72 with the guide roller 20, in which the transport belts 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c run and through which a valuable document 12 held by the transport belts can be moved. The guide element 22, shown in more detail in particular in Figures 5, 6 and 8, serves to guide sections of a transported valuable document 12 that may project away from the guide roller 20 in one direction within the area of ​​the guide roller 20.

[0049] The guide element 22 has a guide surface 68. In the transport direction TR, the guide surface 68 successively comprises a feed section 75, the curved section 70, which forms the gap 72 with the guide roller 20, and an outlet section 76. In this example, the curved section 70 is circularly cylindrical and forms a segment of a circular cylinder. The circular cylinder is concentric with the guide roller 20. The axis of the corresponding circular cylinder runs at least approximately along the axis of rotation 62 of the guide roller 20. The diameter of the curved section 70, or of the circular cylinder, is larger than that of the guide roller 20. The surface 64 of the guide roller 20 therefore forms the gap 72 with the curved section 70, with a width of at least approximately constant width.

[0050] The curved section 70 is designed such that a tangent to a first of the ends of the curved section 70 runs parallel to the first direction RI and a tangent to the second of the ends of the curved section 70 runs parallel to the second direction R2.

[0051] As illustrated particularly in a perspective view in Fig. 5 and in a top view in Fig. 6, the guide element 22 or the guide surface 68 has, at least along the curved section 70, a number of recesses 78a and 78b corresponding to the number of outer transport belts 16a, 16b, running parallel to the transport direction, in which one of the outer transport belts 16a or 16b runs at least partially and is movable. The depth and width of the recesses 78a and 78b and the distance between the guide roller 20 and the curved section 70 or the width of the gap 72 are selected such that the outer transport belts 16a, 16b preferably do not contact the walls of the recesses 78a or 78b. As shown schematically in Fig. 7, a transported valuable document 12 can still be reliably held between the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c respectively while passing the guide roller 20.The surface 64 of the guide roller 20 and the outer transport belts 16a, 16b are held and transported. The diameter of the circular cylinder or the diameter of the curved section 70 and the distance between the guide roller 20 and the curved section 70 are selected such that the outer transport belts 16a, 16b, which rest on the surface 64 of the guide roller 20, partially run in the respective recesses 78a and 78b.

[0052] As can be seen in Fig. 5, on the guide surface 68 at the end of the recesses 78a, 78b in the curved section 70 where the outer transport belts 16a and 16b enter the recesses 78a and 78b, at least one deflection surface 80a and 80b is formed next to the recess 78a and 78b, respectively. These deflection surfaces are inclined away from the respective recess and opposite to the transport direction TR. They deflect any deformations of the document 12 at the corners, such as dog-eared pages, away from the area of ​​the recesses 78a and 78b in order to prevent possible transport malfunctions.

[0053] In addition to the curved section 70, the guide surface has the feed section 75, which is formed in the transport direction TR in front of the curved section 70 and is inclined towards the outer transport belts 16a, 16b. In particular, the feed section 75 forms an acute angle with the first direction RI, i.e., the direction of the transport belts in front of the guide roller 20. A section of a transported security document 12, which may project in a direction away from the guide roller 20, can thus be reliably inserted into the gap 72 between the curved section 70 and the surface 64 of the guide roller 20. Optionally, the guide surface 68 can additionally have a guide section 74 arranged between the curved section 70 and the feed section 75, and which runs substantially parallel to the outer and inner transport belts 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c.

[0054] Furthermore, the guide surface 68 of the guide element 22 has the discharge section 76, which runs parallel to the outer conveyor belts 16a, 16b and thus to the second direction R2. The discharge section 76 has a number of recesses 82a, 82b corresponding to the number of outer conveyor belts 16a, 16b, running parallel to the outer conveyor belts 16a, 16b. These recesses are designed and arranged such that the outer conveyor belts 16a, 16b can at least partially run within and move in one of the respective recesses 82a, 82b, even within the discharge section 76. In particular, the cross-section of the recesses 82a, 82b corresponds to that of the recesses 78a, 78b in the curved section 70. Furthermore, the recesses 82a, 82b in the drainage section 76 are arranged and designed such that the recesses 38a, 38b of the curved section 70 open into the corresponding recesses 382a, 82b of the drainage section 76.This creates continuous gaps overall.

[0055] The discharge section 76 extends from the end of the curved section 70 to at least approximately the end deflection roller 42 for the outer transport belts 16a, 16b, which deflects the outer transport belts 16a, 16b away from the inner transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c or which deflects the outer transport belts 16a, 16b in a direction opposite to the direction in which the guide roller 20 deflects the transport belts 16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c.

[0056] Because the surfaces of the outer transport belts 16a, 16b, which point away from the guide roller 20, are positioned in the respective recesses 78a, 78b by appropriately selecting the distance between the curved section 70 and the surface 64 of the guide roller 20, and are thus covered by the guide surface 68, any part of a transported security document 12 that may protrude in a corresponding direction cannot be bent over this surface of the outer transport belts 16a, 16b, which would lead to transport malfunctions. In particular, the recesses in the discharge section 76 prevent such protruding parts from being trapped between the end deflection roller 42 and the outer transport belts 16a, 16b and causing a significant transport malfunction.

[0057] As can be seen in Fig. 5, the guide element 22 has ribs 84 running parallel to the recesses 78a, 78b and thus to the transport direction of a valuable document in the area of ​​the curved section 70, in order to keep the potential contact area between a transported valuable document 12 and the guide surface 68 small and to reduce or eliminate any friction that may occur at the contact surface between the guide surface 68 and the valuable document 12. Wear and / or static charge caused by friction can thus be reduced or even avoided.

[0058] As can be seen particularly in Fig. 6, the guide element 30 has several through openings 86 in its lowest section in an installation position. These openings extend through the guide element 22 in a direction orthogonal to the guide surface 68. In a suitable installation position, interfering abrasion particles can fall downwards through these openings and thus be guided out of the area of ​​the device.

[0059] In this example, the guide element 22 is formed in one piece and manufactured as an injection-molded part. In other embodiments, however, the guide element can also be formed from several parts. In particular, a part could be provided for each of the sections.

[0060] As shown in Figs. 4 and 8, the device 10 in this example, but otherwise optionally, has a light barrier 24 for monitoring the transport of the transported valuable document 12. A beam path of the light barrier 24 crosses a transport plane parallel to a transport plane running through the conveyor belts in the area of ​​the light barrier. This light barrier 24 is not shown in Fig. 1 for clarity, but only in Figs. 4 and 8. The guide element 22 has at least one further opening 88, in particular two openings 88, through which the beam path of the light barrier 24 passes between a transmitter 90a of the light barrier and a receiver 90b of the light barrier arranged opposite the transmitter 90a with respect to the guide element 22. The guide element 22 and its further opening 88 and the light barrier 24 are thus arranged such that a beam path of the light barrier 24 passes through the opening 86.This enables monitoring of the transport of the valuable document 12 in the area after the guide roller 20 and in front of the sensor device 14 by means of the light barrier 24, while maintaining a compact and simple design. Reference mark.

[0061] 10 Device

[0062] 12 valuable documents

[0063] 14 Sensor device 16a, 16b outer transport belts 18a, 18b, 18c inner transport belts 20 Guide roller

[0064] 22 Guide element

[0065] 24 light barriers

[0066] 40 pulley

[0067] 42 Pulley

[0068] 44 Pulley

[0069] 46 Pulley

[0070] 48 Pulley

[0071] 50 pulley

[0072] 52 Pulley

[0073] 60 drive unit

[0074] 62 Rotation axis

[0075] 64 surface

[0076] 66 grooves

[0077] 68 guide surface

[0078] 70 curved section 72 gap

[0079] 74 Guide section 75 Feed section

[0080] 76 Drainage section 78a, 78b Recesses

[0081] 80a, 80b Deflection surfaces

[0082] 82a, 82b cutouts

[0083] 84 ribs

[0084] 86 openings dust

[0085] 88 Opening light barrier 90a Transmitter

[0086] 90b Receiver RI first direction R2 second direction TR transport direction

Claims

Patent claims 1. Device for transporting individual valuable documents (12), in particular banknotes, wherein the device comprises: an outer transport belt (16a, 16b) an inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c), wherein the outer transport belt (16a, 16b) runs relative to the inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c) in such a way that a valuable document (12) can be held and transported between the outer transport belt (16a, 16b) and the inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c), a guide roller (20) for deflecting the transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c) from a first direction (RI) into a second direction (R2), wherein the guide roller (20) is rotatably mounted about an axis of rotation (62) and has a surface running parallel to the axis of rotation (62) in which at least one circumferential groove (66) is formed for only partially receiving the inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c), and on which the outer transport belt (16a, 16b) partially rests, and, a guide element (22) with a guide surface (68) having a curved section (70), wherein the guide element has a recess (78a, 78b, 82a, 82b) at least along the curved section (70) in which the outer transport belt runs at least partially and is movable, wherein the guide element is designed and arranged such that the curved section (70) forms a gap (72) with the guide roller (20) in which the transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c) run.

2. Device according to claim 1, comprising at least one further outer transport belt (16a, 16b) which runs parallel to the outer transport belt (16a, 16b) at least in the region of the guide element (22) and rests on the surface of the guide roller (20), and in which the guide surface (68) preferably has a further recess (78a, 78b, 82a, 82b) which runs parallel to the recess (78a, 78b, 82a, 82b) and in which the further outer transport belt (16a, 16b) runs at least partially and is movable, and / or which has at least one further inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c) which runs parallel to the inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c) at least in the area of ​​the guide roller (20), wherein the guide roller (20) has at least one further groove (66) running parallel to the groove (66) for the partial reception of the further inner transport belt (18a, 18b, 18c).

3. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved section (70) is shaped like a circular cylinder, preferably having a tangent to a first of the ends of the curved section (70) parallel to the first direction (RI) and a tangent to the second of the ends of the curved section (70) parallel to the second direction (R2).

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide surface (68) has a feed section (75) which is formed in the transport direction (TR) in front of the curved section (70) and is inclined towards the outer and inner transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c), wherein the guide surface (68) in particular has a guide section (74) arranged between the curved section (70) and the feed section (75) and which is substantially parallel to the outer and inner transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c).

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide surface (68) of the guide element (22) has a drain section (76) which runs parallel to the transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c) and which has a recess or further recesses (82a, 82b) running parallel to the transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c) so that the outer transport belt (16a, 16b) or the outer transport belts (16a, 16b) can run at least partially in the area of ​​the drain section (876) and can be moved therein.

6. Device according to claim 5, which in the transport direction (TR) after the guide roller (20) has a deflecting roller (44) by which the outer transport belt (16a, 16b) is deflected in a direction opposite to the direction in which the guide roller (20) deflects the transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c), and in which the discharge section (76) preferably extends to the deflecting roller.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which at least one deflection surface (80a, 80b) is formed on the guide surface (68) at the end of the recess (78a, 78b) where the outer transport belt (16a, 16b) enters the recess (78a, 78b), which is inclined away from the recess (78a, 78b) and against the transport direction (TR).

8. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide surface (68) is wider in a direction transverse to the recess(s) (78a, 78b, 82a, 82b) than the extent of the valuable documents (12) to be transported transverse to the transport direction (TR).

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide element (22) has at least one opening (86, 88) extending through the guide element (22) in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the transport belts (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c) and orthogonal to or inclined relative to the guide surface (68), wherein the device preferably further comprises a light barrier (24) or a light sensor, wherein the at least one opening (88) in the guide element (22) and the light barrier (24) or the light sensor are arranged such that a beam path of the light barrier (24) or the light sensor passes through the openings (88).

10. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the guide element is formed in one piece and is preferably manufactured as an injection-molded part.

11. Device according to one of the preceding claims 1, comprising a drive unit (60) by means of which the inner and / or outer transport belt(s) (16a, 16b, 18a, 18b, 18c) are driven.

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