JPH0142214Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed explanation of the invention] [Industrial application field] This invention distinguishes the authenticity of banknotes, and as a result, determines the authenticity of banknotes.
The present invention relates to a banknote validating device that temporarily holds banknotes that have been determined to be banknotes and allows the banknotes to be returned as necessary, and more specifically, to a spiral storage mechanism that can temporarily hold a plurality of banknotes. [Prior Art] This type of storage mechanism includes a storage device for paper sheets disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-67452, in which a plurality of spirals are arranged, and paper sheets are stored in accordance with the rotation of these spirals. A spiral method is known in which paper sheets are temporarily held in a spiral groove (escrow) and the paper sheets held in the groove are returned or stored. This spiral storage mechanism can temporarily store multiple sheets of paper depending on the number of spirals, and is also small and lightweight, so it can be used in vending machines, where the price of products sold has been increasing rapidly in recent years. It is extremely effective as a banknote storage device installed inside the machine. However, since conventional storage devices were configured separately from the banknote validation device, they required a separate installation space, and when viewed as a comprehensive device related to banknotes (validation device and storage device), , it is undeniable that it is still large.
Furthermore, since the discrimination device and the storage device must each be provided with a conveyance mechanism composed of a banknote conveyance motor, a pulley, a conveyance belt, etc., there is a problem in that they are relatively expensive. [Problems that the invention aims to solve] Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned points in recent years, a spiral-type storage mechanism has been installed to eliminate the need for a separate storage device and achieve overall miniaturization and weight reduction. Research and development of banknote identification equipment is underway. To be more specific, in conventional banknote validating devices, only one side of the conveyance mechanism (one of the parts stretched between the pulleys of the conveyor belt) is used when conveying banknotes. By focusing on the other side of the traditional conveyance mechanism and arranging a spiral storage mechanism in the space concerned so that both sides of the conveyance mechanism can be used, the banknote validator is provided with a storage mechanism. This is what is being planned. That is, one side of the conveyance mechanism is used for ``discrimination'' to convey banknotes to the discrimination sensor section, and the other side is used for ``holding'' to guide the validated banknotes into a spiral groove for temporary retention. However, when providing a banknote storage section consisting of a spiral storage mechanism in a discriminating device, a smaller storage mechanism is required because the installation space on the side of the conveyance mechanism is limited. On the other hand, as the products sold become more expensive, the chances of inserting a large number of banknotes at once have increased, and there is a strong desire to increase the number of banknotes that can be stored. In view of the above-mentioned points, the present invention provides a storage mechanism in a banknote validating device that does not hinder the storage and return operations of banknotes even when the pitch of the spiral is narrowed to reduce the size or increase the number of banknotes that can be stored. The purpose is to provide [Means for solving the problem] A conveyance path for discriminating the authenticity of inserted banknotes, conveying the genuine banknotes to the storage section, and returning the stored banknotes, and a conveyance path near the exit of the conveyance path. a spiral provided in the storage section for guiding the transported banknotes into the groove, storing a plurality of banknotes in the groove by forward rotation, and returning the stored banknotes to the conveyance path by reverse rotation; In the storage mechanism for a banknote validating device, the groove width at the end of the spiral is formed wider than the passage width at the outlet of the conveyance path, and the banknotes are stored at the end surface of the spiral at a position rotated approximately 180 degrees in the wide part. A protrusion is provided for guiding the bill to the outlet of the conveyance passage, and when the banknote is introduced into the groove, the wide part faces the outlet of the conveyance passage, and when the stored banknote is returned, the protrusion is directed to the outlet of the conveyance passage. It is characterized by the fact that it is made to appear in front of the viewer. [Function] In the present invention, when introducing banknotes into the groove of the spiral for storing banknotes, the wide part provided at the end faces the exit of the conveyance path, and when returning the stored banknotes, the wide part provided at the end face of the spiral. Since the protrusion faces the outlet of the conveyance path, even if the pitch of the spiral is narrowed, banknotes can pass through the outlet of the conveyance path without any hindrance during both storage and return. [Example] Next, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 indicates a banknote validating device, 2 a guide port for capturing banknotes, and 3
a, 3b are pulleys, 4 is a conveyor belt stretched between the pulleys, 5 is a drive roller, 6a, 6b, and 7 are pressers inscribed in the conveyor belt 4 to stabilize the transport of the conveyor belt 4. rollers, 8a, 8b,
8c and 8d are drive rollers 5 or conveyor belts 4
a presser roller that is in pressure contact with and rotates in conjunction with the driving of the drive roller 5 or the conveyor belt 4; 9 is a discrimination sensor unit for detecting the characteristics of the banknote; 10
is a spiral, 11 is a drive part of the spiral 10,
12 is a banknote holding plate. When a sensor (not shown) provided near the entrance of the conveyance path Pa detects a banknote inserted through the guide port 2, the banknote validating device 1 starts the conveyance motor and, for example, pulley 3a and drive roller connected to the motor. 5 and the drive roller 5 and presser roller 8 respectively by rotating them in the directions of the arrows.
A and a, the banknotes are held between them and taken into the path, and the banknotes are conveyed along the conveyance path Pa in accordance with the movement of the conveyance belt 4. Then, the characteristics of the banknote are detected by the identification sensor section 9 disposed in the middle of the conveyance path Pa, and based on the detected data, the control circuit section (not shown) of the verification device distinguishes the authenticity of the banknote. The banknotes determined to be "true" (hereinafter referred to as "true banknotes") are also conveyed along the conveyance path Pa and guided to the storage section formed between the conveyance belt 4 and the presser plate 12, '' (hereinafter referred to as counterfeit banknotes) are returned through the guide port 2 by rotating the conveyance motor in the reverse direction. Note that a sensor (not shown) is disposed near the presser roller 8d, and drives the conveyor motor until the rear end of the banknote is released from between the conveyor belt 4 and the presser roller 8d and the banknote is reliably fed into the storage section. Continue. In the storage section, two spirals are arranged in parallel on both sides of the conveyor belt, and the spiral 10 shown in FIG. When viewed from the side, a portion of the groove defined by the spiral ridgeline is called a "groove"). FIGS. 2a and 2b are a side view and a front view showing the shape of the spiral 10. FIG. In the spiral 10, a part of the groove is formed wide, and in the standby state, the groove 101 is a conveyance path Pa indicated by a dashed line.
The groove 101 is stopped at a position where the groove width D of the portion facing the conveyance passage Pa is wider than the passage width d at the passage outlet. In addition, the groove portion 10
A protrusion 102 is provided on the circumferential portion of the end face P outside the groove, which is rotated approximately 180 degrees from the position 1. Then, the conveyor belt 4 (indicated by the two-dot chain line) is connected to the conveyor path.
It is stretched so as to intersect with a ridge 103 of the spiral 10 that protrudes from Pa and partitions the groove 101 (a portion of the ridge line that partitions the groove is referred to as a "ridge"). Hereinafter, the operation of temporarily holding banknotes guided into the storage section of the banknote validating device 1 will be explained based on FIG. 2. The banknotes follow the conveyor belt 4 moving in the direction of the arrow from the conveyance path Pa to the groove 10 of the spiral 10.
1, and the end is connected to the ridge 103 of the spiral 10.
is pushed upward along the wall. At this time, since the end of the banknote is pressed against the wall surface of the ridge 103 and is in pressure contact with the conveyor belt 4, the rear end of the banknote is moved from the presser roller 8d provided at the outlet of the conveyance path Pa (not shown in this figure). Even if it comes off, it will follow the conveyor belt 4 and rise. After the rear end of the banknote passes the position of a sensor (not shown) disposed near the presser roller 8d, the conveyance motor is controlled to be stopped after a certain time delay, and the banknote is moved above the bottom 13 of the storage section. Pull up and hold. After the conveyor belt 4 has stopped, the spiral drive unit 11 is started and the spiral 10 is rotated once in the I direction in Fig. b, and the banknotes held in the groove 101 are transferred to the spiral 10.
It is pushed by the wall surface of the groove 101 and moves to the groove 104 one pitch to the right, where it is temporarily held. Then, the banknotes subsequently conveyed to the storage section, like the banknotes described above, follow the conveyor belt 4 and rise, and after being held in the groove 101 of the spiral 10, the banknotes are rotated by the rotation of the spiral 10. 1 in direction
It will be transferred and temporarily put on hold. In this way, the banknote validating device 1 temporarily stores the banknotes conveyed to the storage unit one by one in the groove of the spiral 10 (in the embodiment, five banknotes can be held), and the banknotes are taken out from the control circuit unit of a vending machine or the like. Prepare for refund orders. Note that the banknotes held in the groove of the spiral 10 are sequentially transferred one pitch to the right each time a new banknote is temporarily held, and eventually come off the groove of the spiral 10 and are deposited between the spiral 10 and the presser plate 12. It will be stored. Next, a case where the banknotes temporarily reserved in the spiral 10 are returned in response to a refund command will be described below. When the spiral 10 temporarily holds the banknotes in the groove and receives a refund command from the control circuit of a vending machine or the like while the banknotes are in the standby position shown in FIG. Then, the spiral 10 is rotated one and a half revolutions in the O direction in FIG. 2b, and then stopped in the states shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b. At this time, the banknotes temporarily held in the groove 101 of the spiral 10 are sent out of the groove and the spiral 1
The lower end is pushed out from the bottom 13 of the storage section by the protrusion 102 provided on the end surface P of
Guided to the exit section of Pa. After the spiral drive unit 11 is stopped, the conveyance motor is activated to move the conveyance belt 4 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Refund. If only one bill is to be refunded, after confirming that the bill has been paid out and stopping the conveyance motor, the spiral drive unit is started and rotates the spiral 10 half a turn in the I direction in FIG. Return to position.
In addition, if you wish to refund another bill in succession,
After the conveyance motor has stopped, the spiral drive unit is driven in the opposite direction again to rotate the spiral 10 once in the O direction in FIG. 3b. That is, the spiral drive unit 11 is rotated so that the spiral 10 makes one and a half rotations in the O direction from the standby position shown in FIG. 2 when refunding the first ticket, and one rotation in the O direction from the position shown in FIG. control. Similarly to the first bill, the second and subsequent bills are conveyed through the passage by the conveyor belt 4 after the spiral drive unit 11 stops, and are refunded from the guide port, and when the payout is completed, the spiral 10 is Return to the standby position shown in Figure 2. In this way, the spiral 10 is formed so that a part of the groove is wide, and in the standby state, the groove 101 is communicated with the conveyance path Pa, and the groove D of the portion of the groove 101 facing the conveyance path Pa is wider than the passage width d at the outlet of the passage. Since the conveyor belt 4 is stopped at a position where it becomes wider and the ridge portion 103 is moved out from the passage exit portion, the conveyor belt 4
The paper books sent out from the conveyance path Pa following the can be smoothly guided into the groove. Therefore, even if the thickness of the spiral is reduced by narrowing the groove width of the portion other than the groove portion (the portion for temporarily holding banknotes), the banknotes can be easily guided into the groove. In other words, if the groove part facing the conveyance path Pa is sufficiently wide, by narrowing the groove width in the part where banknotes are temporarily held, it is possible to temporarily hold many banknotes even in a spiral of a limited size. This makes it possible to hold the container, which is extremely useful for downsizing the storage section. In addition, as mentioned above, the conveyance path Pa
If the spiral is made smaller by widening the width of the groove facing the bank and reducing the pitch of the spiral, when the temporarily held banknotes are refunded, the spiral 10 rotates once in the O direction in FIG. moves to the wider groove 101, but since the lower end thereof is still on the bottom 13 of the storage section, if conveyance is started at this point, jamming (that is, bill jamming) will occur. Therefore, by further rotating the spiral 10 by half a rotation, the banknote is completely sent out from the groove of the spiral 10, and the lower end of the banknote is pushed out from the bottom part 13 by the protrusion 102 provided on the end surface P. Therefore, the banknotes are reliably guided to the transport path Pa following the transport belt 4. In addition, when making a refund, the spiral 10 will be moved more than the standby position.
By rotating in the direction, the banknotes are brought into further pressure contact with the conveyor belt 4, increasing the frictional force with the belt, and the advantage is obtained that the banknotes follow the conveyor belt 4 well. By the way, if the rotation of the spiral 10 at the time of refund is increased, it is possible to push out the lower end of the bill from the bottom by the end face P without providing the protrusion 102, but at this time, as the spiral pitch is reduced, the ridge Because the thickness of the plate has also decreased, the ridge may move to the exit of the conveyance path due to assembly errors, etc., and be held in the adjacent groove that is unrelated to the refund.
There is a risk that the second banknote may be guided to the conveyance path Pa. Therefore, if the banknotes are pushed out from the bottom of the storage section using a protrusion provided on the wall of the ridge as in the present invention, the refund operation will be more reliable, and the spiral rotation position during assembly will be more stable. This has the advantage of eliminating the need for fine adjustments and simplifying assembly work. In addition, in the embodiment, a protrusion was provided at a position such that when the spiral makes one and a half rotations during refunding, the lower end of the banknote is pushed out from the bottom of the storage section, but the present invention is limited to the embodiment with such a configuration. It is not something that will be done.
That is, depending on the shape of the spiral (helical pitch), the number of revolutions of the spiral at the time of return can be increased or decreased to a certain extent around the above-mentioned one and a half revolutions, and the position and shape of the protrusion change accordingly.
Moreover, it is not necessary to send out the banknotes from the spiral groove when refunding, and there is no problem even if the banknotes are still interposed in the groove, and similarly there is no need for protrusions to be provided on the end faces of the spiral. Furthermore, the present invention can achieve similar effects even when applied to conventional storage devices. [Effects of the invention] According to the invention as described above, the wide part of the groove at the end of the spiral faces the exit of the conveyance path when stored, and the protrusion provided on the end face of the spiral faces the exit of the conveyance path when returned. In this way, even if the pitch of the spiral is narrowed, there is no problem with the storage operation and return operation, so it is possible to reduce the size of the spiral or increase the number of sheets that can be stored by narrowing the pitch of the spiral.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing the schematic configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, Figs. 2 a and b are side and front views showing the shape of the spiral, and Figs. 3 a and b are the spiral shape when refunding banknotes. They are a side view and a front view showing the state. 1 ...Banknote validation device, 3a, 3b...Pulley,
4...Transport belt, 10...Spiral, 10
1,104...Groove, 102...Protrusion, 103...
...ridge.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A transport path for discriminating the authenticity of the inserted banknotes, transporting the genuine banknotes to the storage unit, and returning the stored banknotes; A storage mechanism in a banknote validating device, comprising: a spiral for guiding a banknote into a groove, storing a plurality of banknotes in the groove by forward rotation, and returning the stored banknotes to the conveyance path by reverse rotation; The groove width at the end of the spiral is formed wider than the passage width at the outlet of the conveyance path, and a protrusion for guiding stored banknotes to the outlet of the conveyance path is formed on the end face of the spiral at a position rotated by approximately 180 degrees of the wide part. The wide part faces the exit of the conveyance path when the bill is introduced into the groove, and the protrusion faces the exit of the conveyance path when the stored banknote is returned. A storage mechanism in a banknote validating device.