JP7544556B2 - Paper handling equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing device that performs various processes such as transporting, reading information, storing, waiting, feeding, replenishing, and recovering paper sheets such as banknotes and cards.

A conventional paper sheet processing device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this conventional paper sheet processing device, a conveying unit conveys bundles or single sheets of paper (e.g., banknotes) between various processing units. In some cases, the conveyed paper sheets may become jammed in the conveying unit.

In the past, when a jam occurred, the mechanism of the conveying section was released (for example, by loosening the belt tension of the conveying belt) and the jammed paper sheets were pulled out of the conveying section. This method had the risk of damaging the conveying section or damaging the paper sheets.

In addition, conventionally, a paper removal location was set in an appropriate location in the transport section, and when a paper jam occurred, the jammed paper was moved to the removal location, and the paper was removed to the outside at the removal location. This method required the removal location for paper sheets to be set up within the transport section, which could lead to an increase in the size of the device.

JP 2012-242999 A

The present invention was made in consideration of the above problems with conventional devices, and aims to provide a paper sheet processing device that can easily clear jams in paper sheets without damaging the sheets, and that can be made compact.

The paper sheet processing device according to the present invention is a paper sheet processing device having a storage container for storing paper sheets and a paper sheet transport unit for transporting paper sheets around the storage container, the storage container being movable between an internal position that fits within the spatial area inside the paper sheet processing device and an external position that exits to the outside of the paper sheet processing device, the paper sheet transport unit having a movable transport unit that can be opened and closed between a closed position that forms a paper sheet transport path and an open position that opens the paper sheet transport path.

With this paper sheet processing device, the paper sheet transport path is largely open, so jams can be cleared without damaging the paper sheets. The space area for storing the storage unit can be utilized, so the paper sheet processing device can be made compact.

In the paper sheet processing device of the present invention, the paper sheet transport section has a drive side transport belt that is driven by a drive source to move in a circular motion, and the movable transport section has an endless movable part transport belt that is stretched over a pair of support rollers and can move in a circular motion freely, and the movable part transport belt is positioned opposite the drive side transport belt when the movable transport section is in the closed position, and cooperates with the drive side transport belt to form a paper sheet transport path.
According to this paper sheet processing apparatus, the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention can be formed simply and reliably.

In the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention, the drive source has a knob for manually rotating the drive-side transport belt.
According to this paper processing apparatus, paper sheets that are jammed in the wide transport path can be manually transported to a predetermined area.

In yet another aspect of the paper sheet processing device of the present invention, the movable part conveying belt can rotate around one of the pair of support rollers, which is the support roller that is downstream along the movement path of the storage cabinet when the storage cabinet moves from the internal position to the external position, and the movable part conveying belt rotates around the downstream support roller, causing the movable conveying part to open and close between the closed position and the open position.
According to this paper sheet processing apparatus, the movable transport unit can be opened and closed simply and reliably, and the paper sheet processing apparatus does not become large.

In yet another aspect of the paper sheet processing device of the present invention, the movable conveying unit is in the closed position in a natural state where no force is applied for opening or closing movement , and the storage unit moves between the internal position and the external position through an adjacent area of the movable conveying unit in the closed position.
According to this paper sheet processing apparatus, operability for the operator is improved.

In yet another aspect of the paper sheet processing device of the present invention, the movable conveying unit is in the open position in a natural state where no force is applied for opening or closing , and when the storage unit moves from the external position to the internal position, the movable conveying unit is pushed by the storage unit and moves to the closed position.
According to this paper sheet processing apparatus, operability for the operator is improved.

In yet another aspect of the paper sheet processing device of the present invention, a pair of spatial areas for storing the storage case are provided on both sides of the recognition unit, the paper sheet transport unit is provided between the pair of spatial areas, the paper sheet transport unit transports the paper sheets to the recognition unit, and the paper sheet transport unit has the movable transport unit in each of the portions facing the pair of spatial areas.
According to this paper sheet processing apparatus, the two locations for removing jammed paper sheets can be provided close to each other, so that the paper sheet processing apparatus can be made even more compact.

In yet another aspect of the paper sheet processing device of the present invention, the pair of spatial areas are provided above and below the recognition unit, and the movable conveying part facing the upper spatial area is in the closed position in a natural state where no force for opening and closing movement is applied , and the movable conveying part facing the lower spatial area is in the open position in a natural state where no force for opening and closing movement is applied .
According to this paper sheet processing apparatus, the paper sheet processing apparatus becomes even easier to handle.

According to the invention of claim 1, the transport path for paper sheets is opened widely, so jams of paper sheets can be cleared without damaging the paper sheets. The spatial area for storing the storage unit can be utilized, so the paper sheet processing device can be made compact.

1 is a front view of an embodiment of a banknote processing device which is an example of a paper sheet processing device according to the present invention. 2 is a diagram showing a structure of a banknote transport system inside the banknote processing device of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a left side view of the banknote processing device according to the arrow A in FIG. 1 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of banknotes during deposit and deposit rejection processing. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of banknotes in the cancellation and return process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of banknotes in a withdrawal and withdrawal rejection process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of banknotes in the replenishment and replenishment rejection processes. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of banknotes in the collection and collection rejection process. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the flow of banknotes in the forgotten banknote collection process. 3 is an enlarged view of the intermediate conveying section 9b in FIG. 2, showing a state in which the movable conveying section is in a closed state. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the structure of the bottom side of the banknote transport unit according to the arrow E in FIG. 10 . FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable conveying part is in an open state.

The paper sheet processing device according to the present invention will be described below based on an embodiment. It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Also, in the drawings attached to this specification, the components may be shown at different ratios than in actuality in order to clearly show the characteristic parts.

<Overview of banknote processing device>
Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show a banknote processing device which is one embodiment of a paper sheet processing device according to the present invention. Fig. 1 shows a state in which a metal frame is attached to each component part that constitutes the banknote processing device. Fig. 2 shows main components inside the banknote processing device with the metal frame removed from the structure shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a left side view of the banknote processing device according to the arrow A in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a front view of the banknote processing device according to the arrow B in Fig. 3.

In FIG. 1, the up-down direction of the figure is the vertical direction in the space, and the left-right direction is the horizontal direction. The height of the banknote processing device 1 of this embodiment is, for example, H = 690 mm, the width is, for example, W = 122 mm, and the depth is, for example, D = 705 mm.

The banknote processing device 1 is used, for example, as a component of a ticket vending machine. The banknote processing device 1 of this embodiment is configured to accept four denominations of 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 10,000 yen, and mainly transport three denominations of 1,000 yen, 2,000 yen, and 5,000 yen in a circulating state as change notes. However, it is also configured to transport 10,000 yen notes in a circulating state.

The banknote processing device 1 is usually installed so that its bottom surface is horizontal. The banknote processing device 1 has various processing units. Specifically, the banknote processing device 1 has a deposit port 2, a deposit unit 3, a withdrawal port 4, and a withdrawal unit 5. The banknote processing device 1 also has an upper transport unit 9a, a middle transport unit 9b, a lower transport unit 9c, and a recognition unit 10. The banknote processing device 1 also has a 10,000 yen container 13a that is a container for storing 10,000 yen bills, a 1,000 yen container 13b that is a container for storing 1,000 yen bills, a 2/5,000 yen container 13c that is a container for storing 2,000 yen bills and 5,000 yen bills, and a resupply and recovery container 14. The banknote storage containers are basically set up for each denomination, and 2,000 yen and 5,000 yen bills are mixed and stored in one banknote storage container.

The banknote processing device 1 also has a rejection section 17. The rejection section 17 has a withdrawal rejection box 18a, a refill rejection box 18b, and a left-behind collection box 18c. The banknote processing device 1 also has a shelter section 19.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper transport unit 9a is provided at the top of the banknote processing device 1. The upper transport unit 9a extends in a substantially vertical direction. The upper transport unit 9a mainly transports banknotes from the supply/recovery storehouse 14 to the middle transport unit 9b for replenishing them. The upper transport unit 9a also transports banknotes transported from each storage unit 13a, 13b, 13c to the middle transport unit 9b to the supply/recovery storehouse 14 or the reject unit 17.

The lower conveying section 9c is provided at the bottom of the banknote processing device 1. The lower conveying section 9c extends in a substantially vertical direction. The lower conveying section 9c mainly conveys banknotes that have passed through the middle conveying section 9b for storage in each storage box 13a, 13b, 13c. The lower conveying section 9c also conveys banknotes held in each storage box 13a, 13b, 13c to the middle conveying section 9b in the return process. The lower conveying section 9c also conveys banknotes dispensed from each storage box 13a, 13b, 13c to the middle conveying section 9b in the recovery process. The lower conveying section 9c also conveys banknotes dispensed from each storage box 13a, 13b, 13c to the middle conveying section 9b in the withdrawal process.

The middle conveying unit 9b is provided between the upper conveying unit 9a and the lower conveying unit 9c. The recognition unit 10 is provided at the rear of the banknote processing device 1. The middle conveying unit 9b conveys banknotes to the recognition unit 10 from both the upper conveying unit 9a and the lower conveying unit 9c. The middle conveying unit 9b also conveys banknotes that have been rejected for deposit to the withdrawal unit 5.

Each of the transport units 9a, 9b, 9c and other necessary transport units provided within the banknote processing device 1 has a transport belt 22, transport rollers 23, and a transport path switching claw 24. Note that a large number of transport belts 22, transport rollers 23, and transport path switching claws 24 are provided within each transport unit within the banknote processing device 1, and in FIG. 2, only a representative number is given to some of them. In addition, each transport unit is equipped with a banknote detector (i.e., a sensor) and a drive means as necessary. The drive means is, for example, an electric motor for belt transport or an electromagnetic solenoid for the transport path switching claw.

The above-mentioned processing units and transport paths clamp the banknotes at two points on both sides extending in the longitudinal direction (i.e., both sides perpendicular to the short side) and transport the banknotes along the longitudinal direction. The processing speed performed by each processing unit is about 4 sheets per second. The maximum number of sheets that can be transported in a bundle on the transport path is, for example, 21 sheets. The transport speed of the bundle of banknotes on the transport path is slower than the transport speed of banknotes during deposit operations in the 10,000 yen storehouse 13a, the 1,000 yen storehouse 13b, the 2/5,000 yen storehouse 13c, and the supply and recovery storehouse 14.

<Constituent devices of the banknote processing device 1>
(Deposit slot 2)
1 and 2, the deposit port 2 is a portion that draws inserted banknotes into the device all at once, i.e., in a bundle. One or more banknotes can be inserted into the deposit port 2. A maximum of 50 banknotes can be inserted into the deposit port 2 at once. Banknotes are inserted vertically into the deposit port 2.

(Deposit section 3)
The deposit unit 3 separates the multiple bills inserted at once into individual bills. The bills drawn into the deposit unit 3 are not visible from the deposit port 2. If the bills cannot be separated, they are returned from the deposit port 2.

(Recognition unit 10)
The recognition unit 10 recognizes and counts banknotes. The recognition unit 10 can recognize and count the type of banknotes when the banknotes are transported in either the forward or return direction. Banknotes that cannot be recognized at the time of deposit, i.e., banknotes whose denomination cannot be determined, are returned. Banknotes that cannot be recognized at the time of withdrawal or collection are transported to the withdrawal reject vault 18a. Banknotes that cannot be recognized at the time of replenishment are transported to the shelter 19.

(Supply Collection Depot 14)
The resupply/recovery box 14 is a storage box in which banknotes to be resupplied to the storage boxes 13a, 13b, 13c of each denomination are set, and in which banknotes collected by denomination from the storage boxes 13a, 13b, 13c of each denomination are stored. Resupplied banknotes and collected banknotes pass through the recognition unit 10. Management of banknotes for the various banknote storage boxes 13a, 13b, 13c in the banknote processing device 1 can be performed via this resupply/recovery box 14. By providing this resupply/recovery box 14 inside the banknote processing device 1, it is possible to replenish and collect banknotes from each banknote storage box 13a, 13b, 13c without pulling out the entire banknote processing device 1 from the ticket vending machine.

(Refuge section 19)
The sheltering section 19 reserves the 22nd and subsequent 10,000 yen bills when more than 21 10,000 yen bills are deposited. It is also possible to set denominations other than 10,000 yen bills. The maximum number of bills that can be reserved in the sheltering section 19 is 20. This setting corresponds to the maximum number of bills that can be transported in a bundle by the transport path being 20 bills. After the transaction is confirmed, the bills in the sheltering section 19 are transported in a bundle to the 10,000 yen vault 13a.

(Payment unit 5)
The dispensing unit 5 is a part that collectively sends the banknotes dispensed from each of the storage vaults 13a, 13b, 13c to the dispensing port 4. The dispensing unit 5 collectively sends out the banknotes toward the dispensing port 4 when dispensing change, when returning banknotes when a transaction is canceled, when returning banknotes that could not be recognized by the recognition unit 10 when deposited, etc. The maximum number of banknotes that can be reserved in the dispensing unit 5 is 50.

(Withdrawal port 4)
The withdrawal port 4 is a portion that holds the banknotes in a "standby state for removal" by partially discharging the banknotes collected in the withdrawal unit 5 to the outside in a bundle state. The withdrawal port 4 is capable of discharging a maximum of 50 banknotes to the outside at a time.

(Rejection unit 17)
In this embodiment, the reject unit 17 is provided at an upper part on the rear side of the banknote processing device 1. The reject unit 17 has a withdrawal rejected banknote storage 18a, a replenishment rejected banknote storage 18b, and a left-behind banknote collection storage 18c.
(Withdrawal Reject Vault 18a)
The withdrawal rejected banknotes vault 18a is a section for storing banknotes that could not be recognized by the recognition unit 10 at the time of withdrawal or collection. The maximum number of banknotes that can be stored in the withdrawal rejected banknotes vault 18a is 100.
(Refill reject storehouse 18b)
When replenishing, banknotes that are discriminated by the recognition unit 10 as being of a denomination other than the replenishing denomination are reserved.

(Forgotten item collection box 18c)
A customer may forget to take the change that is partially sticking out of the withdrawal port 4. The left-behind recovery box 18c is a section for recovering such forgotten banknotes. Specifically, the banknotes dispensed in a lump sum are first held in a "standby state for removal" at the withdrawal port 4. Then, if no banknotes are removed within a certain period of time, they are recovered in the left-behind recovery box. The maximum number of banknotes that can be recovered in the left-behind recovery box 18c is 20. If 21 or more banknotes are left behind, the forgotten banknotes are taken into the withdrawal unit 5, and then it is determined that an error has occurred and the operation of the banknote processing device 1 is stopped.

(Control unit, etc.)
The side indicated by the arrow C in Fig. 3 is the back side of the banknote processing device 1, which is the side opposite to the front side of the banknote processing device 1 shown in Fig. 1. A machine frame 27 on the back side of the banknote processing device 1 is provided with an electric motor (e.g., a servo motor) (not shown) as a drive source, wiring (not shown), power transmission means (e.g., a power transmission belt, etc.) (not shown), etc., and a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of various devices.

The control unit is configured using, for example, electronic components, a microcomputer, a sequencer, etc. This control unit, for example, transmits the recognition results and counting results at the time of deposit performed by the recognition unit 10 in FIG. 2 to a display unit (not shown), and performs a withdrawal process based on a withdrawal amount command (i.e., a denomination command). The control unit also controls the state of the banknote processing device 1, such as the mode being processed, the occurrence of an error, the opening and closing of the door, etc., and performs communication to notify of these states.

(Overview of Operation of Banknote Processing Device 1)
The banknote processing device 1 performs the following process.
(Deposit and deposit rejection processing)
Banknotes inserted into the deposit port 2 in Fig. 2 are taken into the banknote processing device 1 in a lump, i.e., in a bundle, as shown in Fig. 4. The taken-in banknotes are sequentially fed backward one by one by the deposit unit 3, and are recognized and further counted by the recognition unit 10. After processing, the banknotes are reserved according to their denomination in the reservation section Q of the 1,000 yen storehouse 13a, the reservation section Q of the 1,000 yen storehouse 13b, or the reservation section Q of the 2/5,000 yen storehouse 13c.

A banknote storage section S is provided inside each storage vault 13a, 13b, 13c above the retention section Q. The banknotes retained in the retention section Q as described above are retained in a primary retention state (i.e., in a state in which banknotes with problems can be removed before the transaction is finalized) separated from the banknotes already stored in the banknote storage section S. Note that banknotes that cannot be identified by the recognition section 10 are transported to the withdrawal section 5 and discharged from the withdrawal port 4 in a bundled state to be returned to the customer.

The primarily held bills are placed in a secondary held state when the transaction is finalized, such as when the item to be transacted is provided to the customer. In the secondary held state, the bills cannot be removed from the holding section Q, and the customer cannot cancel the transaction. Once the transaction is finalized and the change dispensing process is complete, the bills that are placed in a secondary held state are stored in the bill storage section S when the next customer begins a purchasing action. Here, the next customer's purchasing action refers to pressing the first-account button, inserting coins (i.e., depositing money), inserting a card, inserting a settlement ticket, etc.

(Deposit processing of 41 10,000 yen bills)
In this embodiment, there is a case where 41 10,000 yen bills are deposited as the maximum amount set for a commuter pass. In FIG. 4, when 22 or more 10,000 yen bills are inserted into the deposit port 2 of the bill processing device 1, the first 21 of the 10,000 yen bills are deposited in the deposit section Q of the 10,000 yen box 13a, and the 22nd and subsequent bills are deposited in the shelter section 19. Then, when the transaction is confirmed and the cancellation and return are invalidated, the 21 bills in the deposit section Q of the 10,000 yen box 13a are stored in the bill storage section S, and then the bills are transported in a bundle from the shelter section 19 to the deposit section Q of the 10,000 yen box 13a and are deposited in a secondary deposit state. Then, when the next customer performs a purchase start operation (e.g., deposit), the bills that were secondary deposited in the deposit section Q are transferred to the bill storage section S and stored in the bill storage section S.

In this embodiment, when transporting banknotes from the evacuation section 19 to the 10,000 yen vault 13a, the banknotes are first moved to the top of the lower transport section 9c, and then switched back (i.e., the transport direction is reversed) and transported to the holding section Q of the 10,000 yen vault 13a.

(Cancellation and return process)
In Fig. 4, the banknotes temporarily reserved in the retention section Q in the storage vaults 13a, 13b, and 13c of each denomination are returned to the customer as the inserted actual banknotes as shown in Fig. 5 if the customer wishes to cancel the transaction. In this case, the returned banknotes are fed from the retention section Q to the transport path in an accumulated state (i.e., a bundle). The maximum number of banknotes that can be in a bundle is 21. Specifically, the returned banknotes are transported from the retention section Q to the withdrawal section 5, where they are bundled with notes of other denominations and returned to the customer through the withdrawal port 4.

(Withdrawal and Withdrawal Rejection Processing)
The amount of change is determined by the difference between the amount of coins inserted and the amount of the item to be purchased. The change is determined by the required denomination of bills depending on the amount of change. The change is paid out through the dispensing port 4 in FIG. 6.

A banknote dispensing unit R is provided above the banknote storage unit S in each storage unit 13a, 13b, 13c for each denomination. Change bills are fed one by one onto the transport path by the banknote dispensing unit R for the corresponding denomination, the denomination is identified by the recognition unit 10, the amount is calculated by the control unit's calculation processing, and the bills are transported to the dispensing unit 5. When the dispensing unit 5 has completed holding the banknotes, the banknotes are dispensed in a lump sum through the dispensing port 4. Banknotes that could not be identified by the recognition unit 10 are transported to the dispensing reject vault 18a. The banknotes dispensed in a lump sum are held at the dispensing port 4 in a waiting state for removal. If the customer does not remove the banknotes within a certain period of time, the banknotes are taken into the left-behind recovery vault 18c for recovery.

In this embodiment, because bills are inserted in a lump, the amount inserted may exceed the purchase amount. In this case, if the amount of excess insertion exceeds 1,000 yen, the amount equivalent to the excess insertion amount is paid out in bills in the same manner as for paying out change.

(Replenishment and Replenishment Rejection Processing)
7, the resupply/recovery storehouse 14, like the storage storehouses 13a, 13b, and 13c of each denomination, has a retention section Q, a banknote storage section S, and a banknote dispensing section R. Banknotes fed from the banknote dispensing section R of the resupply/recovery storehouse 14 are identified by the recognition section 10, and further counted by the control section, and are reserved in the retention section Q of the corresponding denomination-specific storage storehouses 13a, 13b, and 13c. Then, at an appropriate timing, they are transferred to the banknote storage section S within that storage storehouse.

In the case of this type of resupply process, the banknotes are first held in the holding section Q, but are not secondarily held (i.e., held to prevent removal of the banknotes after the transaction has been confirmed). Banknotes that cannot be recognized by the recognition section 10 are transported to the evacuation section 19. The banknotes transported to the evacuation section 19 proceed from the route to the middle conveyance section 9b for the cancellation and return process (FIG. 5) to the upper conveyance section 9a, where they are sorted and transported together to the resupply reject storage 18b in the rejection section 17 at the top of the banknote processing device 1.

(Recovery and Rejection Processing)
8, banknotes fed from the banknote dispensing unit R of each storage unit 13a, 13b, 13c of each denomination are transported to the resupply/recovery storehouse 14 via the recognition unit 10. The banknotes sent to the resupply/recovery storehouse 14 are stored in the banknote storage unit S via the retention unit Q. Banknotes that cannot be recognized by the recognition unit 10 are transported to the withdrawal rejected storehouse 18a.

(Recovery of forgotten items)
9, the banknotes dispensed in a lump sum at the dispensing port 4 are held in a state waiting to be removed at the dispensing port 4. If the banknotes in this state are not removed for a certain period of time, they are transported to the left-behind recovery box 18c and collected. If the number of banknotes that have not been removed is 21 or more, these banknotes are transported to the dispensing unit 5 and collected. After being collected, it is determined that an error has occurred and the operation of the banknote processing device 1 is stopped.

<Configuration and operation of intermediate conveying section>
The intermediate transport section 9b in the banknote processing device 1 will now be described.
FIG. 10 shows an enlarged view of the intermediate conveying section 9b. The intermediate conveying section 9b is driven by a first motor, which is an electric motor.
The conveyor includes a servo motor 30a and a second servo motor 30b as an electric motor. The first servo motor 30a drives the conveyor belt in the upper conveyor section 9a and the conveyor belt in the middle conveyor section 9b in Fig. 2 to make them rotate. The second servo motor 30b drives the conveyor belt in the lower conveyor section 9b to make them rotate.

Knobs 32, 32 are attached to the output shafts 30c and 30d of the first and second servo motors 30a and 30b. When the first servo motor 30a is stopped, an operator can manually turn the knob 32 of the first servo motor 30a to manually move the conveyor belts in the upper conveyor section 9a and the middle conveyor section 9b in a circular motion. When the second servo motor 30b is stopped, an operator can manually turn the knob 32 of the second servo motor 30b to manually move the conveyor belt in the lower conveyor section 9b in a circular motion.

In FIG. 10, an upper movable conveying section 33a is provided above the servo motors 30a and 30b. A lower movable conveying section 33b is provided below the servo motors 30a and 30b. The upper movable conveying section 33a has two driven rollers 34a and 34b and a driven conveying belt 35a stretched across these rollers. The lower movable conveying section 33b has two driven rollers 34c and 34d and a driven conveying belt 35b stretched across these rollers.

Figure 11 shows the driven conveyor belt 35b of the lower movable conveyor section 33b as viewed in the direction of arrow E in Figure 10. As shown in the figure, two driven conveyor belts 35b are provided so as to extend parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the banknote F to be conveyed. These driven conveyor belts 35b are adapted to abut against both left and right side portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the banknote F. The driven conveyor belt 35a of the upper movable conveyor section 33a in Figure 10 is provided on the rear side indicated by arrow G in Figure 11. Like the driven conveyor belt 35b, two driven conveyor belts 35a are provided so as to extend parallel to each other along the longitudinal direction of the banknote F.

In addition, reference numeral 39 in FIG. 11 indicates the structure of a drive system for moving various components of the banknote processing device 1 of this embodiment. This drive system includes, for example, a power transmission belt, an electric motor for driving the belt, a mechanism for operating a claw member for switching the banknote transport path, and an electromagnetic solenoid for driving the claw switching mechanism. This drive system is attached to the side plate on the opposite side to the front side of the banknote processing device 1 shown in FIG. 1 (i.e., the side indicated by arrow C in FIG. 3).

In FIG. 10, the supply/recovery storehouse 14 provided above the middle conveying section 9b is supported by a guide mechanism 38a. The supply/recovery storehouse 14 is guided by the guide mechanism 38a and can move linearly back and forth in parallel between the internal position shown in FIG. 10 and the external position shown in FIG. 12 as indicated by the arrows D-D'. In addition, the 1,000 yen storehouse 13b provided below the middle conveying section 9b in FIG. 10 is supported by a guide mechanism 38b. The 1,000 yen storehouse 13b is guided by the guide mechanism 38b and can move linearly back and forth in parallel between the internal position shown in FIG. 10 and the external position shown in FIG. 12 as indicated by the arrows D-D'.

The internal position of the resupply/recovery storehouse 14 shown in FIG. 10 is the position where the resupply/recovery storehouse 14 is inside the spatial area K1 (see FIG. 12) of the banknote processing device 1. The external position of the resupply/recovery storehouse 14 is the position where the resupply/recovery storehouse 14 is outside the spatial area K1. The internal position of the 1,000 yen storehouse 13b shown in FIG. 10 is the position where the 1,000 yen storehouse 13b is inside the spatial area K2 (see FIG. 12) of the banknote processing device 1. The external position of the 1,000 yen storehouse 13b is the position where the 1,000 yen storehouse 13b is outside the spatial area K2.

In FIG. 12, the upper movable conveying part 33a can be swung and rotated (i.e., can be opened and closed) as shown by the arrow H-H' as a whole around the central axis of the driven roller 34b between the closed position shown in FIG. 10 and the open position shown in FIG. 12. This swung and rotated is performed manually by an operator. In a natural state where no force for opening and closing is applied , the upper movable conveying part 33a is placed in the closed position shown in FIG. 10. In this closed position, a pin 40 protruding from the side surface of the upper movable conveying part 33a fits into a claw member 42 as an engagement member provided on the machine frame 41 of the banknote processing device 1. This determines the position of the upper movable conveying part 33a. When the upper movable conveying part 33a is in the closed position, in FIG. 2, a banknote conveying path is formed by the driven conveying belt 35a and the first conveying belt 31a on the driving side, and by the driven conveying belt 35a and the second conveying belt 31b on the driving side. Specifically, an appropriate gap is formed between the driven transport belt 35a and each of the drive side transport belts 31a, 31b so that a single bill and a bundle of bills can be transported.

In Fig. 12, the lower movable conveying part 33b can be swung and rotated as shown by the arrow J-J' (i.e., can be opened and closed) as a whole around the central axis of the driven roller 34d between the closed position shown in Fig. 10 and the open position shown in Fig. 12. In addition, in a natural state where no force for opening and closing movement is applied, the lower movable conveying part 33b is placed in the open position shown in Fig. 12 by its own weight. Then, when the 1000 yen box 13b is moved from the external position shown in Fig. 12 to the internal position shown in Fig. 10, the lower movable conveying part 33b is pushed up by the upper tip of the 1000 yen box 13b and is automatically set to the closed position shown in Fig. 10. In this closed position, a conveying path for banknotes is formed by the driven conveying belt 35b and the first conveying belt 31a on the driving side, and the driven conveying belt 35b and the second conveying belt 31b on the driving side.

In addition, in FIG. 11, a plurality of (three in this embodiment) switching claws 43 for switching the transport path are provided between the two driven transport belts 35b, 35b. In FIG. 2, these switching claws 43 switch between a banknote transport path using the first transport belt 31a and a banknote transport path using the second transport belt 31b. The structure for operating the switching claws 43 can be freely determined as necessary.

Since the intermediate conveying unit 9b according to this embodiment is configured as described above, when the switching claws 43, 43 are set to the side using the first conveying belt 31a in FIG. 2, a single banknote or a bundle of banknotes can be conveyed without passing through the recognition unit 10. On the other hand, when the switching claws 43, 43 are set to the side using the second conveying belt 31b, a single banknote can be fed to the recognition unit 10.

When the banknote processing device 1 of this embodiment is operated, banknotes may unintentionally become jammed in the middle transport section 9b. In that case, for example, in FIG. 12, the worker pulls out the supply and recovery box 14 to the external position as shown by the arrow D. Then, the upper movable transport section 33a is manually lifted to the open position as shown by the arrow H' and opened. This widely opens the banknote transport path in the upper part of the middle transport section 9b, so that the worker can easily remove the banknotes jammed in the upper part of the middle transport section 9b and clear the jam. Moreover, since the banknote transport path is widely opened, there is no risk of damaging the banknotes. Furthermore, since the spatial area K1 after the supply and recovery box 14 is pulled out can be effectively used, the banknote processing device 1 can be made smaller than when a dedicated area for removing banknotes is secured inside the banknote processing device 1.

On the other hand, the worker can pull out the 1,000 yen box 13b to an external position as shown by arrow D in FIG. 12. In this case, the lower movable transport section 33b automatically lowers to the open position as shown by arrow J' due to its own weight. This widely opens up the banknote transport path below the middle transport section 9b, allowing the worker to easily remove banknotes jammed in the lower part of the middle transport section 9b and clear the jam. Moreover, because the banknote transport path is widely opened, there is no risk of damaging the banknotes. Furthermore, because the spatial area K2 after the supply recovery box 14 is pulled out can be effectively utilized, the banknote processing device 1 can be made smaller than when a dedicated area for removing banknotes is secured inside the banknote processing device 1.

When clearing a jammed banknote, an operator can manually rotate the knob 32 of the first servo motor 30a and/or the knob 32 of the second servo motor 30b in FIG. 10 to manually move the first conveyor belt 31a, the second conveyor belt 31b, and other conveyor belts in the vicinity thereof in FIG. 2. This allows the jammed banknote near the middle conveyor section 9b to be transported to the spatial area K1 or K2, where it can be cleared.

12, an abutting member 44 is provided at the top of the tip of the 1,000-yen box 13b. The abutting member 44 is made of resin. This makes it possible to reduce the impact between the 1,000-yen box 13b and the lower movable transport part 33b when the 1,000-yen box 13b is stored in the spatial area K2.
Instead of using the contact member, the lower movable conveying part 33b may be simply brought to the closed position by using a magnet or the like. In this case, the lower movable conveying part 33b is manually rotated from the closed position by an operator, but the lower movable conveying part 33b will naturally be in the open position unless the operator returns it to the closed position or stores a thousand-yen coin in it.

(Clearing a jammed banknote using the control unit)
A plurality of bill detectors (e.g., photoelectric sensors) (not shown) are arranged in appropriate positions in the upper conveying section 9a, middle conveying section 9b, lower conveying section 9c in Fig. 2, and other conveying sections as necessary. The control section receives output signals from the bill detectors online or via wireless communication. The control section detects conveying abnormalities by monitoring signals from the bill detectors. The control section is also connected to a host computer, and notifies an attendant of the conveying abnormality by displaying the conveying abnormality on the display section of the host computer. Specifically, a message indicating that the conveying abnormality has occurred and the position where the conveying abnormality has occurred are displayed on the display section.

The attendant pulls out the banknote storage units, such as the resupply recovery unit 14 and the 1,000 yen unit 13b, to the outside of the banknote processing device 1. This allows the movable transport units 33a and 33b to be opened. The attendant can manually move the transport belts of each transport unit in a circular motion by turning the knobs 32 and 32 in FIG. 12. The attendant can then refer to the information displayed on the display unit to determine where the jam has occurred, and can then operate the knobs 32 and 32 to transport the jammed banknote to the spatial area K1 or K2 in FIG. 12.

Typically, the banknotes are moved to one of spatial areas K1 and K2, whichever is closer to the transport section where the banknote jam problem occurred, but if a banknote storage vault is stored in the closer spatial area beforehand, the banknotes can also be moved to the farther spatial area. After the attendant removes the banknotes from the banknote transport path in spatial areas K1 and K2, the attendant operates a confirmation button installed in an appropriate location in the banknote processing device 1, and the banknote processing device 1 performs an initial operation and transitions to normal processing.

Other Embodiments
Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and can be modified in various ways within the scope of the invention described in the claims.
For example, the present invention can be applied to paper sheets other than banknotes. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the intermediate transport section 9b of the banknote processing device 1, but it can also be applied to a transport section other than the intermediate transport section 9b.

1: banknote processing device (paper sheet processing device), 2: deposit port, 3: deposit section, 4: withdrawal port,
5: Dispensing section, 9a: Upper conveying section, 9b: Middle conveying section, 9c: Lower conveying section, 10: Recognition section, 13a: 10,000 yen container, 13b: 1,000 yen container, 13c: 2/5,000 yen container, 14: Supply and recovery container, 17: Reject section, 18a: Dispensing rejected container, 18b: Supply and reject container, 18c: Forgotten container recovery container, 19: Waiting section, 22: Conveyor belt, 23: Conveyor roller, 24: Conveyor path switching claw, 27: Machine frame, 30a: First servo motor (electric motor), 30b: Second servo motor (electric motor), 30c: Output shaft, 30d: Output shaft, 31a: First conveying belt, 31b: Second conveying belt, 32: Knob, 33a: Upper movable conveying section, 33b: Lower movable conveying section, 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d: driven rollers, 35a, 35b: driven conveyor belts, 38a, 38b: guide mechanism, 39: drive system structure, 40: pin, 41: machine frame, 42. claw member (engagement member), 43. switching claw, 44. contact member, K1, K2: spatial area, Q: storage section, S: banknote storage section, H: height, D: depth, W: width

Claims (6)

A storage unit for storing paper sheets;
a paper sheet transport unit that transports paper sheets around the storage,
The storage container is movable between an internal position where the storage container fits into a spatial region inside the paper sheet processing device and an external position where the storage container extends outside the paper sheet processing device,
The paper sheet transport unit has a movable transport unit,
the movable transport unit is movable between a closed position at which the paper sheet transport path is formed and an open position at which the paper sheet transport path is opened;
The paper sheet transport unit has a drive-side transport belt that is driven by a drive source to move in a circular motion,
The movable conveying portion has an endless movable conveying belt that is stretched around a pair of support rollers and can freely move around,
the movable conveyor belt is disposed at a position facing the drive-side conveyor belt when the movable conveyor is in the closed position, and cooperates with the drive-side conveyor belt to form a paper sheet conveying path;
The drive source has a knob for manually rotating the drive-side conveyor belt.
A paper sheet processing apparatus comprising: the movable portion conveying belt can rotate about one of the pair of support rollers, the support roller being located downstream along a path of movement of the storage container when the storage container moves from the internal position to the external position;
2. The paper processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable transport belt rotates about the downstream support roller, thereby opening and closing the movable transport section between the closed position and the open position. the movable conveying part is in the closed position in a natural state in which no force for opening or closing movement is applied ,
3. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit moves between the internal position and the external position through an area adjacent to the movable transport unit that is in the closed position. the movable conveying part is in the open position in a natural state in which no force for opening or closing movement is applied ,
3. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable transport unit is pushed by the storage case to move to the closed position when the storage case moves from the external position to the internal position. The machine has a recognition unit that recognizes and counts paper sheets,
A pair of spatial regions for accommodating the storage container are provided on both sides of the identification unit,
the paper sheet transport unit is provided between the pair of spatial regions, and the paper sheet transport unit transports the paper sheets to the recognition unit;
5. The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the paper sheet transport section has the movable transport section in each of portions facing the pair of spatial regions. The pair of spatial regions are provided above and below the identifier,
the movable conveying portion facing the upper spatial region is in the closed position in a natural state in which no force for opening/closing movement is applied thereto ;
The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the movable transport section facing the space below is in the open position in a natural state where no force for opening/closing movement is applied thereto.

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