Paper stacking apparatus
A bottom surface of a stacking and accommodating portion is structured such as to be sloped to be lower in accordance with moving away from a paper carry-in side, and a push plate is controlled so as to be moved in a direction moving close to a carry-in port of the paper by detecting a stack paper width determined on the basis of a product of a stacked number count information of the papers and a thickness information per one paper, and the papers are accommodated.
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The present application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/439,439, filed May 24, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,556,263, and claims priority from Japanese application JP2005-250519 filed on Aug. 31, 2005, the contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper stacking apparatus, and more particularly to a paper stacking apparatus which is suitable for stacking a lot of plural kinds of papers.
2. Description of Related Art
In accordance with a propagation of an automated teller machine (ATM) or the like, in a paper stacking apparatus stacking papers such as bank bills or the like, the needs of a smaller size, a lower cost, a less weight and the like are increased while securing conventional function and performance. Further, an apparatus which can process foreign bank bills in addition to domestic bank bills is required, levels of a fold and a break of the paper are deemed to be in a more adverse condition than the domestic one in view of distribution circumstances in the countries. Accordingly, an adverse effect is greatly applied to reservation of an accommodating number. Further, in most cases, the sizes of the papers are largely different in a direction of a long line and a direction of a short line. Accordingly, there is required that the paper stacking apparatus has a great capacity in the accommodating number of the paper while being in a compact size.
Conventionally, as this kind of paper stacking apparatus, there is a technique of controlling the stacked paper so as to move in a direction of moving away from a carry-in port by a pressing plate and a bottom surface belt in such a manner that the carried paper and the stacked paper are not interfered, in accordance with an increase of the stack paper to be stacked in the paper stacking apparatus (JP-A-2000-187752). Further, there is a technique of controlling a motion of the pressing plate and controlling so as to enlarge a stacking space on the basis of a leading end surface detection signal detecting a position of a leading end surface of the stacked paper, and preventing an excess gap from being generated between the stacked papers (JP-A-11-71055).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn JP-A-2000-187752, since the bottom surface belt or the like is arranged, a structure within the apparatus is complicated, and it is necessary to secure a space for a structure necessary for the control. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to reduce a number of the parts, and it is impossible to enlarge the stacking space for increasing an accommodating capacity. Further, in JP-A-11-71055, in the case that a lot of papers are continuously stacked, and the stacked papers become more bulky than the normal state due to an increase of the thickness caused by a wrinkle or a fold habit, a gap is generated between the stacked papers. Therefore, there is a problem that the accommodating number is reduced. Further, in the case of a vertical accommodating type, an aligning mechanism is independently required for aligning lower ends of the papers having different heights.
An object of the present invention is to provide a paper stacking apparatus which can increase an accommodating number of the papers sequentially carried and stacked on the basis of a simple structure, even in the case that a kind, a size and a state of the paper are different.
In order achieve the object mentioned above, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a paper stacking apparatus comprising:
a paper inlet to which a paper is input;
a stacking and accommodating portion sequentially stacking the carried paper;
a movable pressing plate mechanism; and
a pressing press mechanism portion controlling a position of the pressing plate,
wherein a bottom surface of the stacking and accommodating portion is sloped so as to become lower in accordance with moving away from the paper carry-in port side.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
A description will be in detail given below of an embodiment in accordance with the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First,
The control portion 35 is connected to the main body control portion 107 of the cash automated transaction apparatus via the bus 107a, and executes a control of the bank bill input and output machine 1 in correspondence to a command from the main body control portion 107 and a state detection of the bank bill input and output machine 1. Further, the control portion 35 transmits the state of the bank bill input and output machine 1 to the main body control portion 107 as occasion demands. Further, the control portion 35 is connected to a drive motor, an electromagnetic solenoid and a sensor of each of the units such as the money input and output port 20, the bank bill discriminating portion 30, the temporary storing box 40, the bank bill carrier path 50, the money input box (or the stacking box) 60, the sorting accommodating box 70, the recycle box 80 and the like in the bank bill input and output machine 1, and drives and controls each of actuators while monitoring the state by the sensor in correspondence to the transaction.
As shown in
The lower bank bill mechanism 1b is constituted by the money input box (the stacking box) 60, the sorting accommodating box 70, the recycle box 80 and an openable carrier path 90 arranged in a front face of each of the accommodating boxes. Further, the lower bank bill mechanism 1b is mounted in a safe casing 104 constituted by a thick iron plate having a thickness of about 50 mm, and a carrier path 501g of the upper bank bill mechanism 1a and a carrier path 901a of the lower bank bill mechanism 1b are connected by a coupling carrier path 501h.
The coupling carrier path 501h is arranged within a slit provided in an upper iron plate portion of the safe casing 104 surrounding the lower bank bill mechanism 1b and at a position where the carrier path 501g of the upper bank bill mechanism 1a and the carrier path 901a of the lower bank bill mechanism 1b are coupled. The slit formed in the upper iron plate portion has a length for passing the bank bill therethrough and a width of a carrier roller attached in such a manner as to pinch the bank bill carried to the slit so as to deliver. When the upper bank bill mechanism 1a is directly mounted on the lower bank bill mechanism 1b in the case of employing the structure in which the lower bank bill mechanism 1b is not surrounded by the safe casing, the slit is not necessarily provided. The drive source of the carrier path 50, for example, a motor may be independently provided in the carrier path of the upper bank bill mechanism and the carrier path of the lower bank bill mechanism, or a driving force may be transmitted by a gear provided between the carrier paths 501g-501h-901a by using a single drive source.
Further, the bank bill carrier path 50 passes through the bank bill discriminating portion 30 in both directions, and connects the money input and output port 20, the temporary storing box 40, the money input box (the stacking box) 60, the recycle box 80 and the sorting accommodating box 70 via carrier paths shown by arrows 501a to 501h and 901a to 901e.
In the bank bill carrier path 50, five bank bill carrier paths 901a to 901e positioned in front portions of the money input box (the stacking box) 60, the recycle box 80 and the sorting accommodating box 70 in the lower bank bill mechanism 1b constitute an open and close carrier path 90 structured such as to be integrally opened and closed, and the attendant can execute the operation of the money input box (the stacking box) 60, the recycle box 80 and the sorting accommodating box 70 by opening the open and close carrier path 90.
A description will be given below of a structure example and an operation of the bank bill accommodating apparatus.
Further, a stacked bank bill stacking and accommodating space 608 is constituted by a ceiling 609, a lower carrier guide 610 and a push plate 611. The lower carrier guide 610 is structured such as to be lower in accordance with being away from the paper carry-in side. The push plate 611 corresponds to a push plate which can stack the fed bank bill in a left side in the drawing and can move right and left and is driven by a drive source (for the push plate) (not shown. The push plate 611 executes a movement control on the basis of the carry of the bank bill. In this case, the push plate 611a corresponds to the push plate 611 existing at a retracted position to the lower limit.
A fill detecting sensor 612 corresponds to a light sensor detecting a dark on the basis of a shield of the push plate 611 at a time when the stacking space is filled. A leading end detecting sensor 613 corresponds to a light sensor which is shielded on the basis of a rotation of the stack guide 606 and detects the dark. Further, a bank bill inlet 614 is provided in a front side of the entrance roller 601. An empty detecting sensor 617 corresponds to a light sensor detecting the dark on the basis of the shield of the push plate 611 at a time when the stacking space is empty.
A carrier belt 901 is driven by a drive source (not shown), is arranged in a relatively facing position, and pinches and carries the bank bill. A pinched bank bill 904 is carried in a downward direction in the drawing. A switch gate 903 rotates around a shaft 905 by a drive source (not shown).
Next, a description will be given of a motion of the bank bill in the bank bill stacking operation. The bank bill 904 pinched and carried by the carrier belt 901 is guided to the bank bill stacking apparatus 60 by the switch gate 903, is carried in a direction of an arrow 902a, and is fed in a portion between the rotating entrance roller 601 and the pinch roller 602. The bank bill fed in the portion between the entrance roller 601 and the pinch roller 603 is fed in a portion between the stack roller 603 and the stack pinch roller 604. Next, the bank bill goes along the stack guide 606 on the basis of a feeding force by the stack roller 603 and the stack pinch roller 604, is brought into contact with the ceiling 609, is scraped down at a rear end by the sheet roller 605, and is stacked one by one in front of the already stacked bank bill. The bank bill 618 moving forward into the bank bill stacking and accommodating space 608 is stacked by being moved in a direction A on the basis of an empty weight of the bank bill 618 and the force generated by the sheet roller 605 scraping down the rear end of the bank bill.
Since the lower carrier guide 610 is structured such as to become lower in accordance with moving away from the paper carry-in side, it is easy to suppress a forward collapse of the stacked bank bills and to align the lower ends of the bank bills having different heights. In other words, if an angle θ of slope of the lower carrier guide 610 with respect to a perpendicular line is small, the forward collapse tends to be generated, and if the angle of slope is large, a width of the bank bill stacking and accommodating space 608 to enter into the limit height of the stocking box is limited to be narrow. Accordingly, an accommodating efficiency becomes lowered. In the case of a horizontal accommodating system such as the conventional stacking box, the belt is provided below the accommodating box, and the bank bill is compressed by driving the roller. Further, in the case of the conventional vertical accommodating system, it is impossible to align the lower ends of the bank bills having the different heights. However, since it is possible to prevent the forward collapse by forming the stacking and accommodating portion diagonal, it is possible to omit the belt in the lower portion corresponding to an extra structure, and it is possible to simplify the structure. Therefore, it is possible to form the bank bill stacking and accommodating space 608 wide.
Next, a description will be given of a push plate position control operation during the bank bill accommodating operation of the bank bill input and output machine 1 by using
As shown in
Just before starting the bank bill accommodating operation, the push plate 611 moves backward to a position at which the leading end detecting sensor 613 detects the switch point from the dark to the light on the basis of the shield of the stack guide 606m as shown in
Further, the stack guide 606 is energized by a stack guide spring 615 in such a manner as to press the bank bill at the switch point of the leading end detecting sensor 613. The load is set in such a manner that even in the case that the bank bill is compressed by the push plate 611, the fed bank bill can enter into a portion between the stack guide 606 and the stacked bank bill 607 with no resistance, and the switching operation between the dark and the light of the leading end detecting sensor 613 can be securely executed. In the case that the load of the stack guide spring 615 is made large, the pressure between the stacked bank bill 607 compressed by the push plate 611 and the stack guide 606 becomes high. Accordingly, the fed bank bill yields to the pressure and can not enter into the accommodating space. Alternatively, since the fed bank bill is pinched between the stacked bank bill 607 and the stack guide 606, the sheet roller 605 can not scrape down the fed bank bill, and a resistance against the next fed bank bill is generated. Therefore, the next fed bank bill easily enters into the stacking box by setting the load of the stack guide spring 615 weaker than the load necessary for the moving operation of the push plate.
Next, if the bank bill accommodating operation is started so as to start accommodating the bank bill sequentially, the push plate 611 moves backward at 0.2 mm per one accommodated bank bill as shown in
Finally, the push plate 611 moves forward to a position shown by
In this case, the bank bill includes a new bill having no fold line and no wrinkle, a distributed bill having a small fold line and wrinkle due to the distribution, a fold habit bill having a strong fold line and curl habit, a wizened wrinkle bill and the like. In the case of laminating and accommodating the bank bills mentioned above, the stack height becomes minimum about 0.1 mm/sheet in the case that the new bills are laminated. The stack height becomes about 0.11 to 0.15 mm/sheet in the distributed bills, about 0.2 to 0.5 mm/sheet in the wrinkle bills, and maximum about 20 mm/sheet in the fold habit bills. However, the laminated bank bills come close to the original thickness of the bank bills by being crushed. In order to stably secure the increase of the accommodating number with respect to the bank bills, it is necessary to push back the bank bills to the real stacking space required for stacking at the original thickness of the bank bills at the stacked paper width obtained by detecting the stacked bank bills, that is, at the original thickness of the bank bills having a reduced wrinkles and fold habit, by controlling so as to move the push plate in a direction moving close to the carry-in port, on the basis of the stacked bank bill width determined by the product of the count information and the thickness information per one bank bill.
In this case, the thickness information per one bank bill can be variably set in correspondence to the thickness of the processed bank bill, and the thickness information of the processed bank bill may be previously set and stored before being made use. Further, it is possible to achieve a control better corresponding to the actual bank bill thickness by using the thickness information per one bank bill obtained by forming a bank bill thickness detecting portion in the bank bill discriminating portion 30 or the like and measuring the thickness.
Further, in the case of accommodating the bank bill carried in by the next transaction, the push plate 611 moves backward to the position where the leading end detecting sensor 613 detects the switch point from the dark to the light on the basis of the shield of the stack guide 606, in such a manner that the fed bank bill can enter into the portion between the stack guide 606 and the stacked bank bill 607 with no resistance, as the accommodation preparation.
Further, in the state in
In accordance with the present embodiment, since the bottom surface (the push plate 611) of the stacking and accommodating portion is structured such as to be sloped so as to be lower in accordance with moving away from the bank bill carry-in side, the bank bill moves in a direction of moving away from the carry-in port on the basis of the empty weight of the bank bill, and moves in the direction of the bottom surface of the stacking and accommodating portion. Accordingly, it is possible to increase the accommodating number on the basis of the pressing of the bank bill itself, and it is unnecessary to control such that the fed bank bill and the stacked bank bill are interfered. Further, even if the bank bills having the different sized in the height direction are carried in, the lower ends of the bank bills can be aligned. Accordingly, it is possible to simplify the structure within the apparatus on the basis of the reduction of the number of the constituting parts, it is easy to secure the space for increasing the accommodating space more, and it is possible to provide the paper stacking apparatus having a small size, a low cost and a reduced weight.
It should be further understood by those skilled in the art that although the foregoing description has been made on embodiments of the invention, the invention is not limited thereto and various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. A bank bill input and output machine comprising:
- a plurality of stacking boxes, including a money input box accommodating a bank bill which is not used for recycle;
- a recycle box accommodating a bank bill which is used for recycle in a horizontal direction;
- a bank bill inlet to which said bank bill enters;
- a movable push plate installed within said stacking and accommodating space of said money input box; and
- a control portion controlling a position of said movable push plate, wherein:
- said plurality of stacking boxes are provided with a bank bill stacking and accommodating space accommodating a bank bill in inner portions of said stacking boxes,
- the bank bill stacking and accommodating space of said money input box is formed diagonally with respect to said money input box in such a manner as to become lower in accordance that a bottom face of said bank bill stacking and accommodating space is away from a bank bill carry-in side,
- the bank bill stacking and accommodating space of said recycle box is formed horizontally with respect to said recycle box,
- said money input box and said recycle box have a common casing outer shape and are attachable so as to be replaceable with each other,
- the money input box further comprises a memory means for storing a stack number count information corresponding to the number of bank bills accommodated in said stacking and accommodating space, and a thickness information per one of said bank bills,
- said control portion detects a stack width of stacked bank bills on the basis of the count information and the thickness information per one bank bill stored in said memory means,
- said control portion calculates a stack width of bank bills accommodated in said stacking and accommodating portion, on the basis of a product of the count information and the thickness information per one bank bill stored in said memory means, and
- said control portion calculates a moving distance of said movable push plate and executes a control of moving said push plate by subtracting said stack width from the accommodation width of said stacking and accommodating space.
2. A bank bill input and output machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the case that the other bank bills are further carried in under a state in which the bank bills are accommodated in said stacking and accommodating portion of said money input box, said control portion executes a control of moving said movable push plate in a direction moving away from said bank bill inlet.
3. A bank bill input and output machine as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a fill detecting sensor detecting that said money input box is filled with the bank bills in the case that said movable push plate moves in the direction moving away from said bank bill inlet.
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Type: Grant
Filed: May 29, 2009
Date of Patent: Apr 12, 2011
Patent Publication Number: 20090236797
Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions, Corporation (Tokyo)
Inventors: Naofumi Kitagawa (Seto), Shinji Shibata (Nagoya), Minoru Kadowaki (Toyota)
Primary Examiner: Stefanos Karmis
Assistant Examiner: Luis Gonzalez
Attorney: McDermott Will & Emery LLP
Application Number: 12/474,734
International Classification: B65H 31/04 (20060101); B65H 31/10 (20060101);
