JP2002279487A - Banknote discriminator with banknote center alignment device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To reliably center a bill in a transport passage by a bill discriminating apparatus having a simple structure. SOLUTION: A pair of movable pieces (15) arranged so as to be movable forward and backward on both sides of a transfer path (6), and a movable piece (15).
The bill discriminating apparatus is provided with a bill center aligning device (14) provided with a matching motor (30) for reciprocating the bill. After the bill is placed between the pair of movable pieces (15), the alignment motor (30) is driven to move the movable pieces (15) in a direction approaching each other, and the movable piece (1
The center of the bill whose side edge abuts on the movable piece (15) by the inward movement of (5) is aligned with the center of the transport path (6). When the center of the bill is aligned with the center of the transport path (6) and the deformation resistance of the bill becomes greater than the holding torque of the matching motor (30), the matching motor (30) steps out. Thereafter, the center-aligned banknote is moved to the inside of the transport path (6) by the transport device (8).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bill discriminating apparatus, and more particularly to a bill discriminating apparatus provided with a bill center aligning apparatus capable of discriminating bills after aligning the centers of bills of different sizes with the center of a transport passage.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a bill is inserted into a bill validator, insertion of the bill is detected by an insertion detection sensor, and a transport device is driven by a detection signal of the insertion detection sensor. The bill is moved along the transport passage by driving the transport device, and the discriminating sensor provided at a predetermined position in the transport passage scans a predetermined position on the bill to thereby provide optical characteristics or magnetic characteristics of the bill. Are detected. In order to scan a predetermined position of a bill, when bills of different sizes are inserted into the bill validator, a centering or centering operation for aligning the central axis in the longitudinal direction of the bill with the central axis of the transport passage is performed. Thus, a physical property of a banknote can be always detected by a discrimination sensor for a specific position even in a banknote of a different size.

For example, in US Pat. No. 5,368,147, a pair of movable pieces are held in an extended position by using the elasticity of a spring, and when a bill is inserted into a transport passage, the spring is moved. A bill discriminating apparatus for centering bills by bringing movable pieces close to each other against elasticity has been disclosed.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-149089 discloses that a pair of contact ends is held in an open position by the elasticity of a tension spring, and the lower transport unit moves downward by its own weight when a bill is inserted into an entrance. There is disclosed a bill handling device in which a pair of contact ends approach each other against the elasticity of a spring to center bills.

[0004]

However, the conventional bill validator has a defect that the centering mechanism is complicated, the number of parts is large, and maintenance and inspection must be performed frequently. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a bill discriminating apparatus which has a simple structure and which surely centers bills in a transport passage.

[0005]

A bill discriminating apparatus provided with a bill center aligning device according to the present invention comprises a transport device (8) for transporting a bill inserted from an inlet (7) to the inside along a transport path (6). )
And a discrimination sensor (18, 19, 20) that converts a physical characteristic of a bill passing through the transport path (6) into an electric signal and generates a detection signal
And the detection signal of the discrimination sensor (18, 19, 20) to determine the authenticity of the bill, the transport device (8) based on the determination result
And a discrimination sensor (18, 19, 2)
(0) and a bill center aligning device that matches the center of the bill passing through the transport path (6) with the center of the transport path (6).
(14). The bill center aligning device (14) has a pair of movable pieces (15) arranged movably forward and backward on both sides of the transport path (6), and an alignment motor (30) for reciprocating the movable piece (15). And In this bill validator, after the bill is disposed between the pair of movable pieces (15), the matching motor (30) is driven to move the movable pieces (15) toward each other, and the movable piece (15 The center of the bill whose side edge abuts on the movable piece (15) by the inward movement of ()) is aligned with the center of the transport path (6). When the center of the banknote is aligned with the center of the transport path (6) and the deformation resistance of the banknote becomes larger than the holding torque of the alignment motor (30), the alignment motor (30) loses synchronism. The structure of the device becomes simple, the number of parts is small, and the device can be operated reliably. Thereafter, the center-aligned banknote is moved to the inside of the transport path (6) by the transport device (8).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the matching motor (30)
Is a stepping motor that loses synchronism when the deformation resistance of the bill becomes larger than the holding torque of the matching motor (30) .However, it is not always necessary to use a stepping motor, and another servomotor may be used. . Transfer device (8)
Are the belts (9, 11, 12) provided on the lower casing (3).
And a roller device (1) attached to the upper casing (4).
0), an entrance sensor (16) provided in front of the belt (9, 11, 12) and connected to the discrimination control device (60), and the belt (9,
And a transport motor (61) for driving (11, 12). The bill center alignment device (14) is provided near the belt (9, 11, 12) and is connected to the discrimination control device (60).
It has. The roller device (10) is a belt (9, 11, 12)
Rollers (40, 41, 42) that come into contact with the rollers. entrance
The bill inserted in (7) is detected by the entrance sensor (16) and the belt (9, 11, 12) is detected by the output of the discrimination control device (60).
Drive. When a bill is detected by the activation sensor (17), the engagement between the belts (9, 11, 12) and the bill is released, and the alignment motor (30) is driven to center the bill. Then, the transport device (8) is driven to transfer the bill to the transport path (6).
To move inside. The transfer device (8) is a lower casing (3)
And a pair of side belts (11, 12) arranged on both sides of the front belt (9).
The roller device (10) includes a front belt (9) attached to the lower casing (3) and a front roller (40) contacting the side belts (11, 12) and a pair of side rollers (41, 42). And a U-shaped holder (43), a shaft (44) attached to the holder (43) and supporting the front roller (40), and protruding from both sides of the holder (43) to rotate on the holder (43). A shaft (45) movably mounted and supporting the side rollers (41, 42);
5) a spring (46) that is wound up and applies elastic force when the holder (43) rotates around the shaft (45). When the transport motor (61) rotates forward, the roller device (10)
The front roller (40) and the pair of side rollers (41, 42) rotate while contacting the front belt (9) and the side belts (11, 12), respectively, and rotate the bill inserted from the entrance. Transport inside. When the transport motor (61) rotates in the reverse direction, the side rollers (41, 42) rotate in the reverse direction, and the holder (43) receiving the elastic force of the spring (46)
Shaft (45) due to friction caused by elastic force of spring (46)
With the holder (43) and the front roller (40).
Rotates around the shaft (45) in a direction away from the front belt (9) and is held in an inclined position. The pair of movable pieces (15) are reciprocated by the alignment motor (30) between an initial position wider than the width of the bill and an alignment position for centering the bill. When centering a bill, the alignment motor (30) is rotated forward, and then the alignment motor (30) is rotated reversely to move the movable piece (15).
To the initial position. A movable piece sensor (62) for detecting that the movable piece (15) is at the initial position may be provided. Identification sensor
(18, 19, 20) When the discrimination control device (60) for judging the authenticity of the banknote that has passed through determines that the bill is not a true bill, the discrimination control device (60) reverses the transport device (8). Front roller (4
0) away from the front belt (9),
(30) is reversed and the bill is returned to the entrance (7).

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a bill discriminating apparatus provided with a bill center aligning device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
Will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a bill validator (1) of the present invention comprises a lower casing (3) and a lower casing.
An upper casing (4) rotatably attached to (3) has a casing (2) formed of metal such as aluminum. The upper casing (4) is rotatably and detachably attached to the lower casing (3) by a shaft (5), and a transfer passage (6) is formed between the lower casing (3) and the upper casing (4). You. A stacker device (50) is provided in the lower casing (3) for storing bills passing through the transport path (6) and determined as bills.

[0008] Inlet for inserting bills into the front of the transport path (6)
(7) is formed, and a transfer device (8) is provided at the center of the transfer passage (6). The conveying device (8) includes a front belt (9) provided in the lower casing (3), a pair of side belts (11, 12) arranged on both sides of the front belt (9), and an upper casing. (Four)
And a roller device (10) attached to the
(8) transports the bill inserted from the entrance (7) to the inside along the transport path (6). A pair of movable pieces (15) constituting a bill center aligning device (14) are provided on both sides of a front portion of a support plate (13) constituting a bottom of the transport path (6).

[0009] Further, the input port is constituted by a photocoupler.
Entrance sensor (1) that detects the tip of the bill inserted from (7)
6) is provided on the support plate (13) of the transport path (6). The entrance sensor (16) detects the insertion of the bill and simultaneously with the transport device (8)
In order to drive the front belt (9), it is disposed diagonally forward of the front belt (9) and forward of the side belt (12). An activation sensor (17) for detecting the start point of the centering movement of the movable piece (15) is disposed diagonally forward of the front belt (9) and forward of the side belt (11). Behind the front belt (9), the physical characteristics of bills passing through the transport path (6) are converted into electrical signals to generate detection signals.
The discrimination sensors (18, 19, 20) are disposed, and the discrimination sensor (18) disposed between the pair of side belts (11, 12) is a magnetic head that detects a magnetic pattern printed on a bill. Or a photocoupler that detects reflected light or transmitted light of a bill. The discrimination sensor (19, 20) disposed outside the pair of side belts (11, 12) is an optical sensor such as a photocoupler that detects a light reflection pattern or a light transmission pattern of a bill. A back sensor (21) composed of a photocoupler that detects passage of a bill is disposed behind the discrimination sensor (20), and a bill removal prevention device (22) is provided behind the back sensor (21).

The bill center alignment device (14) is provided with a discrimination sensor (18,
The center of the bill that is disposed at the front of the transport path (19, 20) and passes through the transport path (6) is aligned with the center of the transport path (6). The bill center alignment device (14) includes a pair of movable pieces (15) that are movably arranged on both sides of the transport path (6) so as to be movable forward and backward, and a movable piece (1).
5) a matching motor (30) for reciprocating. As shown in FIG. 4, each movable piece (15) of the bill center alignment device (14)
Is formed in a groove-shaped cross section that forms the concave portion (23), and the engaging portion (2
The leg (24) formed with 5) is provided on the bottom. Support plate (1
A pair of support walls (29) are provided on the bottom surface of 3), and the support walls (29)
The screw shaft (27) is supported by the bearing (26) attached to the shaft.
A pair of screws (28) formed at both ends of the screw shaft (27) are formed in opposite directions, and each screw (28) is fitted with an engaging portion (25) of each movable piece (15). . Therefore, when the screw shaft (27) rotates forward, the pair of movable pieces (15) are rotated from the initial position shown in FIG. 10 by the rotation of the screw (28) into which the engaging portion (25) is fitted. When the screw shafts (27) reversely move toward the alignment position shown in FIG. 11 and the screw shaft (27) reverses, the pair of movable pieces (15) move in a direction away from each other from the alignment position toward the initial position. Is done. As shown in FIG. 3, the movable piece (1
5) is provided with an arm (63) projecting downward, and the arm (6
A movable piece sensor (62) for detecting the initial position of the movable piece (15) is provided adjacent to the lower end of (3). Since the pair of movable pieces (15) move symmetrically with respect to the center axis of the transport path (6), by detecting the position of one of the movable pieces (15),
(15) is located symmetrically with respect to the central axis.

The alignment motor (3) mounted on the support wall (29)
The pinion (32) is fixed to the output shaft (31) of (0),
(32) meshes with an intermediate gear (33) rotatably mounted on a shaft (39) supported by the support wall (29). Also, intermediate gear
(33) meshes with a gear (34) fixed to the screw shaft (27). As shown in FIG. 5, the outer ends (35a, 36) of the guide rods (35, 36) slidably disposed in the through holes (37, 38) of the support wall (29).
a) is fixed to the bottom surface of each movable piece (5). Therefore, when the aligning motor (30) rotates forward or backward and the movable pieces (5) move forward and backward with respect to each other, as shown in FIGS.
(5) is guided by the guide rods (35, 36) and performs a predetermined reciprocating motion. As shown in FIG. 1, the lower casing (3)
When the upper casing (4) is closed, the roller device (10) attached to the upper casing (4) is, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a front belt (3) attached to the lower casing (3). 9) and a roller device (10) having a front roller (40) contacting the side belts (11, 12) and a pair of side rollers (41, 42) are provided with a U-shaped holder (43). , Holder (43)
Shaft mounted on and supporting the front roller (40)
(44), a shaft (45) projecting from both sides of the holder (43) and rotatably attached to the holder (43) and supporting the side rollers (41, 42), and wound on the shaft (45). Shaft (4
A spring (46) for applying elastic force when the holder (43) rotates around 5). Also the front belt
(9) and the side belts (11, 12) have corresponding rollers (47, 48,
49), and each roller (47, 48, 49) is a transport motor (61) capable of normal rotation and reverse rotation which constitutes a transport device (8) (FIG. 12).
Mounted on a shaft (not shown) driven by When the transport motor (61) rotates forward, as shown in FIG.
The front roller (40) of the roller device (10) and a pair of side rollers (4
1,42) are the front belt (9) and the side belt (11,1
It rotates in contact with 2) and conveys the bill inserted from the entrance to the inside. When the transport motor (61) rotates in the reverse direction, the side rollers (4
The holder (43) receiving the elastic force of the spring (46) rotates in the opposite direction together with the shaft (45) due to the friction caused by the elastic force of the spring (46). Therefore, in the direction in which the front roller (40) separates from the front belt (9),
The (43) rotates around the shaft (45), abuts against a stopper (not shown), and is held at the inclined position shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, an entrance sensor (16), an activation sensor (17), a discrimination sensor (18, 19, 20), a movable piece sensor
(62) is connected to each input terminal of the discrimination control device (60) constituted by a microcomputer, and the matching motor (30) and the transport motor (61) are connected to each output terminal of the discrimination control device (60). You. The discrimination control device (60) detects the bill inserted into the entrance (7), drives the alignment motor (30), performs centering of the bill, and outputs the detection signal of the discrimination sensor (18, 19, 20). The authenticity of the received bill is determined, and the transport device (8) is driven based on the determination result. The transport motor (61) and the alignment motor (30) are operated according to the operation sequence shown in the flowchart of FIG.

Step 1 from the start of Step 100
Proceeding to 01, the discrimination control device (60) determines whether or not the inserted bill has been detected based on the output of the entrance sensor (16). When the entrance sensor (16) detects the insertion of a bill, step 10 is executed.
Proceeding to 2, the discrimination control device (60) rotates the transport motor (61) forward by the output of the entrance sensor (16), and the front belt (9) and the side belts (11, 12) are driven, Front belt
The front roller (40) and the side rollers (41, 42) that come into contact with (9) and the side belts (11, 12) roll. Therefore, the front end of the bill is sandwiched between the front belt (9) and the front roller (40),
It is transported inward along the transport path (6). When the leading end of the bill reaches the activation sensor (17), the discrimination control device (60) receives the detection signal of the activation sensor (17) in Step 103,
In step 104, the discrimination control device (60) reversely drives the transport motor (61) for a fixed time, for example, one second. For this reason,
Since the front belt (9) and the side belts (11, 12) are reversed, the front end of the bills sandwiched between the side belts (11, 12) and the side rollers (41, 42) enter the entrance. (7) While being returned to the side,
Since the holder (43) rotates upward and the front roller (40) is held at a position separated from the front belt (9), the bills disposed between the pair of movable pieces (15) are It is completely released from the transport device (8).

Next, at step 105, the discrimination control device (6
When the alignment motor (30) is driven to rotate forward by the output of (0), the screw shaft (27) rotates forward, so that the engaging portion (25) is moved inward along the screw (28). Therefore, the movable pieces (15) move inward from the initial position shown in FIG. 10 toward the alignment position shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, for this reason, centering (centering) is performed with the center of the bill (70) in the longitudinal direction aligned with the center of the transport path (6). When the centering of the banknote (70) is completed, the banknote (7
A resistance is applied to the movable piece (15) urged inward by the waist of (0), and this resistance is applied to the movable piece (1) by the matching motor (30).
5) The pressing force is overcome, and the alignment motor (30) loses synchronism or slips. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a clutch mechanism, and it can be configured with a simple structure.

In step 106, the discrimination control device (60)
It is determined whether or not the aligning motor (30) has been driven for a predetermined time, for example, 1 second. When the aligning motor (30) is driven for a predetermined time, the aligning motor (30) is reversed in step 107, so that the movable piece (15) The position is returned to the initial position shown in FIG. Thereafter, in step 108, the discrimination control device (60)
When (61) rotates forward, the front roller (40) is moved to a position where it contacts the front belt (9), and the centered bill is transported into the transport path (6) by the transport device (8). You. When the bill passes the discrimination sensor (18, 19, 20), the physical characteristics of the bill are collected by the discrimination sensor (18, 19, 20) and sent to the discrimination control device (60) (step 109). Thereafter, based on the detection signal from the back sensor (21), the discrimination control device (60) determines whether or not the rear end of the bill has passed the back sensor (21). In step 110, the discrimination control device (60) judges whether or not it has passed the back sensor (21).
1) is stopped, and the discrimination control device (60) proceeds to step 11
In step 2, the authenticity of the bill is determined. When the bill is not determined to be a true bill, the process proceeds to step 113, in which the aligning motor (30) is reversed, the movable piece (15) is securely moved to the initial position, and the movable piece sensor (62) is turned on. Therefore, in Step 114, the movable piece sensor (62) detects the return position of the movable piece (15),
In step 115, the matching motor (30) is stopped. Thereafter, the transport motor (61) is reversed in step 116, and it is determined in step 117 whether a predetermined time has elapsed. When the predetermined time has elapsed, in step 118, the transport motor (61)
Is stopped, and it is detected in step 119 whether or not the bill is pulled out from the entrance (7) by the output of the entrance sensor (16).
After the bill is removed by the output of the entrance sensor (16), the process proceeds to step 120.

When it is determined in step 112 that the bill is a true bill, in step 121, the transport motor (61) is rotated forward, and in step 122, the bill is passed through the back sensor (21) and the bill removal prevention device (22). After the bill is sent to the stacker device (50) and the transport motor (61) is stopped in step 123,
Proceed to step 120.

[0017]

As described above, in the bill discriminating apparatus according to the present invention, the structure of the bill center aligning device is simplified, the number of parts is small, and it can be operated reliably. Further, the bill center alignment device can be reduced in weight.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bill validator according to the present invention showing an upper casing opened.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the bill validator according to the present invention, showing a state in which an upper casing is closed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bill center alignment device mounted on the bill discriminating device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the bill center alignment device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bill center alignment device.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the bill center alignment device moved to the alignment position.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a roller device.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the roller device.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the roller device in a state where the transport device is reversed.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the bill center alignment device.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the bill center alignment device showing a state in which bills are inserted.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the electrical connection of the bill validator.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an operation sequence of the determination control device.

[Explanation of symbols]

(3) ... lower casing, (4) ... upper casing,
(6) ··· Conveyance path, (7) ··· Inlet, (8) ··· Conveying device, (9) ··· Fore belt, (10) · Roller device,
(11, 12) ・ ・ Side belt, (14) ・ ・ Bill center alignment device, (15) ・ ・ Movable piece, (16) ・ ・ Inlet sensor, (18,
(19, 20) ・ ・ Differential sensor, (30) ・ ・ Matching motor, (4
0, 41, 42)-Roller, (43)-Holder, (44)-
Shaft, (46) · · Spring, (60) · · · discrimination control device, (61) · · · transport motor, (62) · · · movable piece sensor,

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Toru Seki 1-9-15-1 Kanumadai, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Sagamihara Research Laboratories of Japan Cash Machine Co., Ltd. 3E040 AA01 BA20 DA04 FA02 FG03 FG15 FG17 3E041 AA03 BA01 BA11 CB06 DA01 EA02 EA04 EA05 3F049 AA02 BB07 DA04 LA08 LB04 3F102 AA15 AB03 BA02 BB04 CA03 CB01 EA11 EA14 EC00 FA02

Claims (7)

[Claims] A transport device that transports a bill inserted from an entrance along an inside of the transport path, a discrimination sensor that converts a physical characteristic of the bill passing through the transport path into an electric signal and generates a detection signal, A discrimination control device that receives the detection signal of the discrimination sensor to determine the authenticity of the banknote and drives the transport device based on the determination result, and conveys the center of the banknote that is disposed at the front of the discrimination sensor and passes through the conveyance path. A bill center aligning device that matches the center with the passage, wherein the bill center aligning device is a pair of movable pieces arranged to be movable forward and backward on both sides of the transport passage, and an alignment motor that reciprocates the movable piece. In the bill validator provided with: after the bill is disposed between the pair of movable pieces, the matching motor is driven to move the movable pieces in a direction approaching each other, and the movable piece is moved closer to the movable piece by the inner movement. Edge touches That the center of the bill is aligned with the center of the conveying path, and the center of the bill matches the center of the conveyance path, when the deformation resistance force of the bill is greater than the holding torque of the aligning motor,
A banknote discriminating apparatus provided with a banknote center aligning device, wherein the aligning motor loses synchronism, and thereafter, the centrally aligned banknote is moved to the inside of the transport path by the transport device. 2. The bill discriminating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the matching motor is a stepping motor that steps out when the deformation resistance of the bill becomes larger than the holding torque of the matching motor. 3. The conveyor device drives a belt provided in a lower casing, a roller device attached to an upper casing, an entrance sensor provided in front of the belt and connected to a discrimination control device, and a belt. A transport motor; a bill center alignment device; a start sensor provided near the belt and connected to the discrimination control device; a roller device including a roller abutting on the belt; and a bill inserted into the entrance. The belt is driven by the output of the discrimination control device, detected by the entrance sensor, and when the banknote is detected by the activation sensor, the engagement between the belt and the banknote is released, and the alignment motor is driven to center the banknote. The bill discriminating apparatus provided with the bill center aligning device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bill is moved to the inside of the carrying passage by driving the carrying device. 4. A transport device comprising: a front belt provided on a lower casing; and a pair of side belts disposed on both sides of the front belt, and the roller device includes a front belt attached to the lower casing. And a front roller and a pair of side rollers abutting on the side belt, a U-shaped holder, a shaft attached to the holder and supporting the front roller, and protruding to both sides of the holder so as to be rotatable by the holder. A shaft that is attached and supports the side rollers, and a spring that is wound on the shaft and provides an elastic force when the holder rotates around the shaft. The front roller and the pair of side rollers rotate while contacting the front belt and the side belt, respectively, to convey the bill inserted from the entrance to the inside, and when the conveyance motor rotates reversely. Then, the side rollers are reversed, and the holder receiving the elastic force of the spring rotates in the opposite direction together with the shaft due to the friction due to the elastic force of the spring, and the holder moves the shaft in the direction in which the front roller is separated from the front belt. A bill discriminating device provided with the bill center aligning device according to claim 3, which rotates around and is held at an inclined position. 5. A pair of movable pieces are reciprocated by an alignment motor between an initial position wider than the width of the banknote and an alignment position for centering the banknote. When the banknote is centered, the alignment motor is rotated forward. ,
A banknote discriminating apparatus provided with the banknote center aligning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the aligning motor is reversed to return the movable piece to the initial position. 6. A bill discriminating apparatus provided with a bill center aligning device according to claim 1, further comprising a movable piece sensor for detecting that the movable piece is at an initial position. 7. A discrimination control device for judging authenticity of a bill passing through a discrimination sensor, when the discrimination control device determines that the bill is not a true bill, the discrimination control device reverses the transport device to separate the front roller from the front belt. A bill discriminating device provided with the bill center aligning device according to claim 4, wherein the billing device is rotated in reverse, and the bill is returned to the entrance.