US20250320075A1

US20250320075A1 - Paper sheet separation transport device and paper sheet handling device

Info

Publication number: US20250320075A1
Application number: US19/172,346
Authority: US
Inventors: Kenichi Ito
Original assignee: Japan Cash Machine Co Ltd
Current assignee: Japan Cash Machine Co Ltd
Priority date: 2024-04-12
Filing date: 2025-04-07
Publication date: 2025-10-16
Also published as: WO2025216067A1; JP2025161536A

Abstract

A paper sheet separation transport device and a paper sheet handling device. Disclosed is a set-out part, a separating part, a first motor M1 that drives these parts, a drawing transport part, and a storage transport route that is driven by a second motor M2. The drawing transport part includes at least two idle rollers that are supported about an axis at portions of a feed roller, and endless drawing belts that each form a curved drawing transport route with the idle rollers and that travel in a drawing direction to turn a first paper sheet in a direction intersecting with a direction of set-out by the set-out part in cooperation with the idle rollers and transport the paper sheet, and the drawing belts are driven by the second motor.

Description

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-064817, filed on Apr. 12, 2024, with the Japanese Patent Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention relate to a paper sheet separation transport device and a paper sheet handling device that include a separation function to prevent multi-feed.

BACKGROUND

A banknote separation transport device that takes out a banknote one by one from a bundle of banknotes set on a deposit part and that transports the banknote to be stored in a cashbox in the device is installed in a banknote handling device such as a banknote deposit machine, a banknote counting machine, or various types of automatic vending machines.
A multi-feed prevention mechanism is installed in the banknote separation transport device because accurate processing such as deposit processing and count processing including recognition is interrupted if multi-feed of banknotes occurs. One banknote having passed through the multi-feed prevention mechanism is subjected to judgment of authenticity, denomination, and the like by a recognition unit and a banknote that is judged to be acceptable is stored in the cashbox.
Japanese Patent No. 6427246 discloses a multi-feed prevention mechanism including a set-out roller that rotates in contact with a bottom part of a banknote bundle, a separation roller pair that blocks passing of second and subsequent banknotes when banknotes set out by the set-out roller are in a multi-feed state, and a drawing transport roller pair that draws and transports a first banknote that has a part remaining in a separating part.
However, since the set-out roller, the separation roller pair, and a drawing transport part are arranged substantially linearly along a flat transport surface, the length of the entire device in the transport direction is increased and downsizing of the device is difficult. Specifically, to downsize the device, the distance between a separating part and a drawing part in the drawing transport roller pair needs to be reduced as much as possible. However, there is a limitation in arranging these parts close to each other on a linear transport route in view of the diameter of each roller, a driving mechanism, and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490 discloses a configuration in which banknotes fed by a feeder pulley from a bundle of paper sheets on a paper feed bin are transported to an acceptor module through an S-shaped route that is formed by separation of the banknotes into one banknote by being turned over upward along the outer circumferential surface of a high friction wheel, and drawing transport of the banknote while the banknote is further turned over to the opposite direction along the outer circumferential surface of a reverse roller located immediately above the high friction wheel. An auxiliary roller that assists the drawing nips the reverse roller to form a drawing roller pair and a banknote is drawn and transported with a high frictional resistance of the nip part of this roller pair.
The separating part comprises a high friction wheel and a fixed belt that is fixedly placed in a state where a part thereof is in sliding contact with the outer circumferential surface of the high friction wheel. When a banknote fed by rotation of the feeder pulley enters the interface between the high friction wheel and the fixed belt, the banknote is transported upward by rotation of the high friction wheel. When two banknotes enter the interface, the second banknote is stopped by the frictional force of the fixed belt and only the first banknote is allowed to advance.
The leading edge of the banknote having passed through the separating part enters the nip part of the drawing roller pair described above and the drawing transport is performed. The fixed belt is stationary and is just tensioned, and does not have a function to draw a separated banknote.
That is, the fixed belt is obviously dedicated to separation and does not have a function of drawing transport. Since the fixed belt forms the curved separating part with the high friction wheel, the fixed belt becomes a high resistance to pulling transport by the drawing roller pair and is likely to become a cause of jam occurrence.
As proof of this, in a practical device to which the invention according to U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490 is applied, a plurality of rollers (bearings) with an extremely small diameter of about 2 to 3 mm are additionally arranged along the fixed belt to reduce adverse effects of the frictional resistance of the fixed belt and facilitate turnover transport at the time of separation.
Since advancement of multi-fed banknotes is blocked by a high frictional resistance of the fixed belt, the fixed belt becomes a large resistance also when one banknote passes the fixed belt. In order to transport a banknote under a large resistance of the fixed belt upward, the transport is facilitated by drawing the banknote with a large force of the drawing roller pair. This is because the fixed belt does not travel or move in the banknote transport direction and does not function to draw and transport a banknote.
In practical products, the frictional resistance between the high friction wheel and the fixed belt is too high. Therefore, a banknote cannot be smoothly drawn upward only with the drawing transport force of the drawing roller pair. Accordingly, a plurality of extremely small bearings are arranged along the fixed belt to reduce the transport resistance produced by the fixed belt.
However, in practice, realization of downsizing by upward transport of banknotes makes it impossible to provide a sufficient space or arrangement space to arrange the bearings. Therefore, to decrease the transport resistance, there is no other choice other than to arrange rollers with an extremely small diameter that are greatly downsized and that have a low function. As a result, it is possible that multi-fed banknotes are not separated causing a jam to occur.
At the time of drawing of a banknote immediately after separation, it is ideal that the banknote is quickly drawn with a large force by rotating the reverse roller at a higher speed than that of the high friction wheel. It is not impossible to create a difference in the speed by a mechanical structure such as gears using one drive source to realize such a difference in the transport speed. However, in such a case, when the drawing speed needs to be about 30% higher than the transport speed of the high friction wheel, for example, the speed difference can be realized only with adoption of a combination of many complicated gears. Therefore, the device cannot be downsized because the number of components is increased.
Furthermore, since the high friction wheel and the reverse roller for the drawing transport are driven by one motor, driving of the separating part and driving of the reverse roller cannot be independently controlled. Accordingly, the drawing operation interferes with the separating operation and the transport speed difference described above cannot be obtained. Therefore, quick drawing with a large force becomes difficult and the reliability of the separating operation decreases.
In the drawing roller pair, a banknote is drawn out by the nip part of the roller pair being a point. In order to realize this configuration, a large transport force needs to be produced by applying a significantly high pressure (grip weight) between the reverse roller and the auxiliary roller. Accordingly, drive load is increased, the durability of the components is decreased, and the robustness against environmental changes is lost.
Since the configuration described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490 realizes return processing of a banknote as well as deposit processing of a banknote, the separating part cannot be stopped at the time of a return operation. Therefore, there is a problem that adverse effects on a banknote to be returned due to interference of the separation roller and adverse effects on the durability of components such as the separation roller occur, which decreases reliability.
This problem similarly occurs also in devices that process other paper sheets such as securities, tickets, and ballot papers, as well as banknotes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention have been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a paper sheet separation transport device and a paper sheet handling device that solve various problems occurring due to downsizing.
In order to solve the above problems, a paper sheet separation transport device according to the embodiments of the present invention includes, a tray on which a paper sheet bundle is set, a set-out part that sets out paper sheets from a paper sheet bundle on the tray, a separating part that allows only a first paper sheet to pass and sends the paper sheet downstream and to block second and subsequent paper sheets from advancing when the paper sheets set out from the set-out part are in a multi-fed state, a first motor that drives the set-out part and the separating part, a drawing transport part that draws and transports the first paper sheet with a part thereof remaining in the separating part, a storage transport part that is driven by a second motor to receive the paper sheet discharged from the drawing transport part and to transport the paper sheet further downstream, and a controller that controls various control targets, wherein the separating part includes a feed roller that rotates on an axis of a feed roller shaft and that is brought into contact with a surface of a paper sheet set out by the set-out part to transport the paper sheet when rotating forward, and a frictional separation member that forms a separation nip part with the feed roller and that blocks advancement of second and subsequent paper sheets, the drawing transport part includes at least two idle rollers that are supported about an axis at portions of the feed roller shaft on both sides of the feed roller in an axial direction to be rotatable (be fixed in the axial direction), and endless drawing belts that each form a curved drawing transport route with (in contact with) a curved outer circumferential surface of an associated one of the idle rollers and that travel in a drawing direction to turn the first paper sheet in a direction intersecting with a direction of set-out by the set-out part in cooperation with the idle rollers and transport the paper sheet, and the drawing belts are driven by the second motor.
According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper sheet separation transport device and a paper sheet handling device that solve various problems occurring due to downsizing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exterior perspective view of one embodiment of a paper sheet separation transport device according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is an internal configuration diagram illustrating a state immediately before the start of driving motors in a state where a bundle of banknotes is set on a paper feed tray in the paper sheet separation transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where the set-out of banknotes is started according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3A is an internal configuration diagram illustrating a state where a feed roller rotates to start separation according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a banknote leading edge starts being transported toward a storage transport route according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4A is an internal configuration diagram illustrating a state where a banknote back edge has passed through a drawing transport part according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where recognition and judgment are performed according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a banknote is to be returned according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a specific configuration example of a set-out part, a separating part, and a drawing transport part according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are a front side perspective view of members constituting a drive transmission delay mechanism and an exploded perspective view thereof according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are a back side perspective view of the members constituting the drive transmission delay mechanism and an exploded perspective view thereof according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are a front view of constituent parts of a backlash formation mechanism, and a front view of the constituent parts in an assembled state according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are a back view of the constituent parts of the backlash formation mechanism and a back view of the constituent parts in an assembled state according to the embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for banknotes according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for banknotes according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will be described in detail below with embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

[Descriptions of Basic Configuration]

FIG. 1 is an exterior perspective view of one example of a paper sheet separation transport device according to the embodiments of the present invention.
FIGS. 2 to 5 are front views illustrating an internal configuration of the paper sheet separation transport device, and separation transport, storing, and return operations thereof. FIG. 2A is an internal configuration diagram illustrating a state immediately before an inlet sensor detects a banknote and starts driving motors in a state where a bundle of banknotes is set on a paper feed tray, and FIG. 2B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where set-out of banknotes is started. FIG. 3A illustrates a state where a feed roller rotates to start separation, and FIG. 3B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a banknote leading edge starts being transported toward a storage transport route (a banknote storing part). FIG. 4A illustrates a state where a banknote back edge has passed through a drawing transport part, and FIG. 4B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a banknote is stopped at an escrow position to perform recognition and judgment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state where a banknote is to be returned. FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating a specific configuration example of the set-out part, the separating part, and the drawing transport part according to one embodiment of the present invention.
While banknotes are mainly described as one example of paper sheets in the present specification, the present device is also applicable to separation and transport of paper sheets other than banknotes. The paper sheets also include sheets made of a resin or other materials as well as sheets made of paper.
A banknote separation transport device 1 is a unit that is installed in or provided along with a banknote handling device, such as a banknote deposit machine, an automatic vending machine or a game media dispensing machine in a game hall, to perform processing of receiving banknotes and discharging rejected banknotes. The banknote separation transport device 1 is described in detail below.
The banknote separation transport device 1 schematically includes a first module Md1 including a deposit processing unit U1 and a storage unit U2, a second module (including a cashbox CB) Md2 removably coupled to the first module Md1, a controller (CPU, MPU, ROM, RAM, and the like) 1000 that controls various control targets, and the like.
The deposit processing unit U1 is a unit that receives a deposited banknote to transport the banknote to the storage unit U2 or discharges a rejected banknote returned from the storage unit U2 to outside the device.
The deposit processing unit U1 includes a housing H, a paper feed tray (a tray, a deposit part) 10 that is removably attached to the front surface of the housing H and on which banknotes before being supplied into the housing H are mounted in a stacked state, a set-out part (a set-out roller 30 and a pick pusher 70) 20 that takes out a banknote one-by-one from the topmost part of a banknote bundle on the paper feed tray to supply the banknote into the housing H, a separating part (a feed roller 110 and a brake roller 130) 100 that allows only a first banknote B1 to pass sending the banknote downstream and blocks second and subsequent banknotes from advancing when banknotes set out by the set-out part 20 are in a multi-fed state, a drawing transport part 250 that is located close to the feed roller 110 constituting the separating part 100 to form a drawing transport route 260 and that draws out one banknote B1 having a part remaining in the separating part 100 sending the banknote downstream (to the storage unit U2) by rotating forward, and a first motor M1 that drives various driven members constituting the set-out part 20 and the separating part 100 (a set-out and separation mechanism (separation unit) 15).
The drawing transport route 260 is a curved contact travel region formed by idle rollers 257 and drawing belts 270 illustrated in FIG. 6 while being in contact with each other. A banknote having passed through the drawing transport route 260 and having been transported upward is transported in the upward direction by being further lifted by the drawing belts 270 and guided by a transport guide member 300. Second reverse rollers 267, that each reverse the associated drawing belt 270 at an upper part in the clockwise direction, guide a banknote to the side of a storage transport route 400 in the storage unit U2 by rotating in the clockwise direction (rotating forward).
A flapper 500 serves to switch the banknote transport direction. The flapper 500 is a sort unit that guides a banknote having been transported to the position of the second reverse rollers 267 by the drawing belts 270 toward the storage transport route 400, and that guides a banknote transported reversely from the storage transport route 400 toward a return transport route 510. The flapper 500 is supported by a pivot shaft 500 a on the axis to be capable of rotationally moving in an upper-lower direction to close a passage from the drawing transport route 260 toward the storage transport route 400 by lowering a right end part (a leading edge part) by the own weight balance of the flapper 500 in normal times (an initial attitude). At the time of passing of a banknote, lifted by the drawing belts 270, the right end part is pushed up by the banknote and the flapper 500 allows the banknote to move to the right. When the back edge of the banknote passes the right end part of the flapper 500, the flapper 500 returns to the initial attitude.
When a banknote once having moved into the storage transport route 400 is judged by a recognition unit 450 to be unacceptable, the controller 1000 causes motors M2 and M3 to reversely rotate transport members 410 and 420 constituting the storage transport route 400, thereby transporting the banknote reversely toward the flapper 500. Since the flapper 500 is in the initial attitude at this stage, the rejected banknote passes on the flapper 500 from the back edge part to enter the return transport route 510. A return roller pair (transport members) 512 is arranged on the return transport route 510 and is driven by the second motor M2 in a direction to discharge a banknote. A return banknote storage tray 11 is placed at the terminal end part of the return transport route 510 and discharged return banknotes are sequentially stored therein.
The return transport route 510 is arranged above and substantially parallel to a set-out route from the set-out part toward the separating part 100, and the return banknote storage tray 11 is arranged above and substantially parallel to the paper feed tray 10. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first motor M1 drives the set-out and separation mechanism (the separation unit) 15 and the second motor M2 drives the transport member 512. Therefore, these components do not interfere with each other and a stable separating operation and a stable return transport operation can be realized.
The storage unit U2 includes the storage transport route (a storage transport mechanism, a storage transport part) 400 that receives a banknote B transported by the drawing belts 270 constituting the drawing transport part 250 to transport the banknote to the inside, the recognition unit 450 that judges the denomination, the authenticity, and the like of a banknote transported downstream on the storage transport route 400 by combined use of an optical or magnetic sensor, and the like. A banknote judged to be acceptable as a result of the recognition is transported downstream to be stored in the cashbox CB included in the second module Md2, and a banknote (a rejected banknote) judged to be unacceptable is transported reversely to be discharged to the return banknote storage tray 11 through the deposit processing unit U1. The storage unit U2 further includes the second motor M2 that drives the transport members (such as a gear and a roller) 410 located upstream of the storage transport route 400 and the return roller pair 512, and the third motor M3 that drives the transport members (such as a gear and a roller) 420 located downstream of the storage transport route 400.
One characteristic configuration of the embodiments of the present invention is that the drawing transport part 250 is driven by the second motor M2 included in the banknote storage unit U2. That is, the second motor M2 drives the drawing transport part 250 and the return roller pair 512 as well as the transport rollers 410 located upstream of the storage transport route 400.
The third motor M3 drives the transport roller group 420 located from a midstream part to a downstream part of the storage transport route 400. A transport roller pair 420 a located at the most downstream part of the storage transport route 400 is a unit that discharges a banknote to the cashbox CB.
Configurations and operations of the set-out part 20, the separating part 100, and the drawing transport part 250 are described next.
As illustrated in FIG. 6 , the set-out roller 30 constituting the set-out part 20 is fixed to a shaft part 32 that rotates by drive from the first motor M1, and a downstream timing pulley 33 is coaxially fixed to the set-out roller 30 on the side of one surface thereof. The downstream timing pulley 33 receives the drive from the first motor M1 via a timing belt 35 provided endlessly in a tensioned manner between the downstream timing pulley 33 and an upstream timing pulley 60 provided on the side of the feed roller.
The separating part 100 includes a feed roller shaft 101 driven by the first motor M1, the feed roller 110 that is supported by the feed roller shaft 101 to be rotatable on the axis thereof, and that is brought into contact with a surface of a first banknote set out by the set-out part 20 to transport the first banknote when rotating forward, and the brake roller (a frictional separation member) 130 that forms a separation nip part N1 with the feed roller 110 to block second and subsequent banknotes from advancing. The feed roller 110 may have a configuration in which the axis thereof is fixed to the feed roller shaft 101 to enable both to rotate together. However, in a case where a drive transmission delay mechanism D described later is adopted, the feed roller 110 is not necessarily directly fixed to the feed roller shaft 101.
The drawing transport part 250 includes at least two idle rollers (freely rotating members) 257 that are supported about an axis (unfixed in the rotation direction and fixed in the position in the axial direction) at feed roller shaft 101 portions on both sides of the feed roller 110 in the axial direction to be rotatable, and endless drawing belts 270 that are each in contact with the curved outer circumferential surface of an associated idle roller 257 to form the curved drawing transport route (a drawing nip part) 260 and that rotate (rotate forward) in the drawing direction to turn a first banknote in a direction (obliquely upward) intersecting with the direction of set-out by the set-out part (the direction in which the banknote passes the separation nip part N1) in cooperation with the idle rollers 257 to transport the banknote.
Each of the drawing belts 270 is endlessly provided in a tensioned manner by a first reverse roller (a driven roller) 265 that is arranged to form the drawing transport route 260 with the outer circumferential surface of the associated idle roller 257, and the second reverse roller (a driving roller) 267. The first reverse rollers 265 form a banknote introducing part 260 a of the drawing transport route 260 between the drawing belts 270 and the associated idle rollers 257. The second reverse rollers 267 reverse the associated drawing belts 270 to cause a banknote introduced from the banknote introducing part 260 a to be transported toward the storage transport route 400 after passing through a downstream end part (a paper sheet discharge part) 260 b of the drawing transport route 260. Each of the first reverse rollers 265 has an axis rotatably supported in a free unfixed state by a first shaft 280 that is rotationally driven by the first motor M1. That is, the first reverse rollers 265 are driven rollers that do not rotate to follow the rotation of the first shaft 280. The drawing belts 270 are driven by the rotation of the associated second reverse rollers 267 functioning as driving rollers.
The feed roller 110 and the idle rollers 257 are coaxially assembled on the feed roller shaft 101 and the outer circumferential surfaces thereof are located at substantially the same positions in the radial direction. Therefore, while the feed roller 110 is slightly in contact with a central portion of a banknote, there is no positive grip and a large transport resistance is not produced.
The drawing belts 270 draw up a banknote having passed through the separation nip part N1 and the feed roller 110 is rotationally driven by a minimum necessary angle only at the time of separation. Accordingly, the feed roller 110 is not involved with the operation of drawing up a banknote after the separation and does not have a function to draw up a banknote. Even when the feed roller 110 is rotated to follow the drawing belts 270 with a banknote interposed therebetween by an action of the drive delay transmission mechanism D described later, the members that draw up the banknote are the drawing belts 270.
In one embodiment, the circumferential surfaces of the idle rollers 257 are low friction such that slip occurs between the circumferential surfaces and a banknote. The circumferential surfaces of the drawing belts 270 are higher in friction so that slip is unlikely to occur between the circumferential surfaces and a banknote.
The idle rollers 257 serve to bring the drawing belts 270 into contact with a banknote, and a banknote is pressed against the outer circumferential surfaces of the low frictional resistance of the idle rollers 257 due to the tension applied to the drawing belts 270, and produces a transport grip force in cooperation with the frictional resistances of the drawing belts 270.
The idle rollers 257 should be made of a rigid material that is not flexibly deformed by pressure from the drawing belts 270. In one embodiment, the width of the outer circumferential surface of each of the idle rollers 257 is substantially the same as that of the associated drawing belt 270 in the form of a narrow band or wider than the width of the drawing belt 270.
While being a direction upward by about 90 degrees in FIG. 6 , the “direction intersecting with the direction of set-out by the set-out part” widely includes directions bent or curved upward (non-parallel directions) with respect to the surface direction of banknotes set out on the paper feed tray 10.
The banknote introducing part 260 a of the drawing transport route 260 is formed at a portion where the drawing belt 270, having been turned to the upper direction by the first reverse roller 265 rotating in the clockwise direction, is first brought into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the idle roller 257. One banknote having passed through the separation nip part N1 is brought into contact with the drawing belt 270 surface (a portion inclined to the obliquely upper right direction in FIG. 2 and other figures) before the banknote introducing part 260 a, so that the banknote is smoothly drawn obliquely upward to be immediately drawn into the banknote introducing part 260 a.
The banknote having passed through the paper sheet discharge part 260 b is transported upward between the drawing belt 270 and the transport guide member 300, and is subsequently introduced to the inlet of the storage transport route 400 along a reverse route between the outer circumferences of the second reverse rollers 267 and a transport guide member 300.
The idle rollers 257, held by the tension of the drawing belts 270, idle with respect to the feed roller shaft 101 and accordingly are not dependent on the driving or the rotation speed of the feed roller shaft 101. While the feed roller 110 and the idle rollers 257 are arranged on the same feed roller shaft 101, these rollers are arranged at different positions in the axial direction, whereby the separation nip part N1 as a separation point and the drawing transport route 260 (the banknote introducing part 260 a) as a pull-out point can be separated. Furthermore, because of configuring the drawing transport route 260 with the traveling drawing belts 270, the distance between the separation nip part N1 and the banknote introducing part 260 a in the side surface view can be freely set to any minimum necessary value. Specifically, great reduction of the distance, for example, to be smaller than the diameter or the radius of the feed roller 110 is possible.
The pick pusher 70 has a base end part fixedly supported by the first shaft 280, thereby lifting the distal end and pushing upward the banknote bundle on the paper feed tray 10 toward the set-out roller 30 to bring the banknote bundle into contact with the set-out roller 30 when the first shaft 280 rotationally moves clockwise. When the first shaft 280 is reversely rotated, the pick pressure descends. A torque limiter (not illustrated) is placed between the pick pusher 70 and the first shaft 280 and is slipped to prevent the banknote bundle from being pushed up with an excessive force.
Each of the second reverse rollers (driving rollers) 267 has an axis fixedly supported by a second shaft 290 arranged above and in parallel to the first shaft 280, and a transmission gear 292 is fixed on the second shaft 290 at an intermediate position between the two second reverse rollers 267. The transmission gear 292 is connected to mesh with a gear group 294 that transmits a rotational drive force from the second motor M2. Therefore, the drawing transport part 250 is driven by the second motor M2 that drives upstream transport members of the storage transport route 400.
As described above, according to the embodiments of the present invention, the set-out part 20 and the separating part 100 are driven by the first motor M1 while the drawing transport part 250 is driven by the second motor M2 via the transmission gear 292 and gear group 294. Therefore, the set-out and separating operation and the drawing transport operation can be driven and controlled independently.
Since the transport by the drawing belts 270 that travel endlessly is adopted to pull out a banknote by the drawing transport part 250, a nonlinear transport path where the drawing transport part 250 is bent (curved) upward with respect to the transport direction of the set-out part and the separating part 100 can be formed to realize downsizing. Also, in this downsized configuration, the flexibility in arrangement of components can be increased, and reliable banknote separation and drawing transport can be performed.
Even in such a nonlinear downsized device configuration where the banknote transport route is bent or curved in a substantially L-shaped manner, the set-out and separation mechanism 15 and the drawing transport part 250 can be independently controlled in the speed and the operation by driving the drawing transport part 250 with the second motor M2 that drives another driving mechanism adjacent thereto, that is, the upstream transport member 410 of the storage transport route 400, and a reliable separation and drawing transport operation can be performed.
In order to reliably draw out a banknote separated by the separating part 100, the transport speed (drive force) at the time of drawing needs to be higher (larger) than the transport speed (drive force) at the time of separation. This transport speed difference can be realized by a mechanical structure such as gears using one drive source, without provision of individual drive sources. However, in such a case, for example, when the drawing speed of the drawing transport part 250 is to be 30% higher than the transport speed of the separation part 100, this speed difference cannot be realized unless a combination of many complicated gears is adopted. In contrast thereto, with the embodiments of the present invention, the separating part 100 and the drawing transport part 250 are predetermined to be driven by the motors M1 and M2 independent of each other. Therefore, control of the speed difference can be executed more easily and freely without complicating the mechanical configuration or increasing the number of components. Furthermore, the second motor M2 is not a motor arranged in the deposit processing unit U1 but a motor arranged in the adjacent different banknote storage unit U2. Therefore, an increase in the size of the deposit processing unit U1 is prevented.
Further explaining this configuration, when the drawing transport part 250 is constituted of a roller pair and a banknote is drawn out by a nip part being a point of the roller pair as in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490, a significantly high pressure (grip weight) needs to be applied between the rollers to produce a large transport force. On the other hand, when a drawing transport drive using a movable traveling belt is adopted, as with the embodiments of the present invention, the shape of the drawing grip part can be configured not as a point, but as a surface. Therefore, the grip weight can be set to low, drive load can be decreased to enhance the durability, and the robustness against environmental changes can be provided. Particularly, with the embodiments of the present invention, the separation nip part N1 is configured as a grip in a manner of a small point with a low resistance. Accordingly, the drive load can be decreased by combined use of a large drawing force provided by the drawing grip part in the form of a surface.
As described above, the drawing belts 270 are of an unfixed type, that is, movable belts provided endlessly in a tensioned manner and that travel in both the forward direction and the reverse direction. In this respect, the drawing belts 270 are significantly different from the prior art, including the structure and the function. Of the unit disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490. Furthermore, the fixed belt disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490 is not a unit that draws up a banknote, but a separating unit that separates banknotes between the belt and the high friction roller.

[Drive Transmission Delay Mechanism D]

Next described is a drive transmission delay mechanism D that delays a rotation start of the feed roller 110 by a predetermined timing with respect to a set-out timing of the set-out part.
While smooth separating operation and drawing operation can be realized without adoption of the drive transmission delay mechanism D where the device is downsized in the banknote separation transport device 1, one embodiment in which the drive transmission delay mechanism D is incorporated into the separating part 100 is described below.
FIGS. 7A and 7B comprise a front side perspective view of members constituting the drive transmission delay mechanism D and an exploded perspective view thereof, respectively. FIGS. 8A and 8B comprise a back side perspective view of the members constituting the drive transmission delay mechanism and an exploded perspective view thereof, respectively. FIGS. 9A and 9B are a front view of constituent parts of a backlash formation mechanism A, and a front view of the constituent parts in an assembled state, respectively. FIGS. 10A and 10B are a back view of the constituent parts of the backlash formation mechanism A, and a back view of the constituent parts in an assembled state, respectively.
The drive transmission delay mechanism D includes the feed roller shaft 101, the upstream timing pulley (an upstream transmitting member) 60, a timing clutch (a clutch member) 50, and the feed roller 110 that rotates on the axis of the feed roller shaft 101 and are sequentially arrayed along the axial direction to be adjacent to each other, and the backlash formation mechanism A that has a first relative rotation zone 40 between the upstream timing pulley 60 and the timing clutch 50 and has a second relative rotation zone 45 between the timing clutch 50 and the feed roller 110 to delay (connect or disconnect) transmission of a drive force.
In the separating part 100, including the drive transmission delay mechanism D, the feed roller 110 is not fixed to the feed roller shaft 101 and is relatively rotatable with respect to the feed roller shaft 101.
The upstream timing pulley 60, the timing clutch 50, and the feed roller 110 are configured to rotate on the common feed roller shaft 101 and to be relatively rotatable with each other within a range of a predetermined circumferential backlash. The upstream timing pulley 60 is fixed to the feed roller shaft 101 to rotate together while the timing clutch 50 and the feed roller 110 are supported on the axis of the feed roller shaft 101 to be rotatable independently of each other and relatively with respect to each other.
The upstream timing pulley 60 has an engaging part 62 that is provided in a protruded manner on the back surface (a surface facing the timing clutch 50) of a torus-shaped body 61.
The timing clutch 50 has a first engaging part 52 that is provided in a protruded manner on the front surface (a surface facing the upstream timing pulley 60) of a torus-shaped body 51, and a second engaging part 53 that is provided in a protruded manner on the back surface (a surface facing the feed roller 110) of the body 51.
The feed roller 110 includes engaged parts 113 in a protruded manner, which are provided on an inner part of a cylindrical recessed part 112 that is provided on the front surface of a torus-shaped body 111. In the assembled state illustrated in FIG. 7A, a major part of the timing clutch 50 and a part of the upstream timing pulley 60 are in the recessed part 112.
The backlash formation mechanism A comprises the engaging part 62, provided on the upstream timing pulley 60, the first and second engaging parts 52 and 53 provided on the timing clutch 50, the engaged parts 113 provided on the feed roller 110, and the like.
The first relative rotation zone 40 is a backlash space (an idling zone) formed between the engaging part 62 and the first engaging part 52 and extending in the circumferential direction, whereby the backlash space is the largest when the upstream timing pulley 60 and the timing clutch 50 are in an initial circumferential positional relation illustrated in FIG. 9B. The backlash space formed in the first relative rotation zone 40 elongates or shortens in the process where the timing clutch 50 relatively rotates with respect to the upstream timing pulley 60.
The second relative rotation zone 45 is a backlash space (an idling zone) formed between the second engaging part 53 and the engaged parts 113 and extending in the circumferential direction, whereby the backlash space is the largest when the timing clutch 50 and the feed roller 110 are in an initial circumferential positional relation illustrated in FIG. 10B. The backlash space formed in the second relative rotation zone 45 elongates or shortens in the process where the feed roller 110 relatively rotates with respect to the timing clutch 50.
While the drive force from the feed roller shaft 101 is transmitted sequentially to the upstream timing pulley 60, the timing clutch 50, and the feed roller 110, the drive of the upstream timing pulley 60 is not immediately transmitted to the feed roller 110 and is transmitted with a delay of predetermined timing because the backlash formation mechanism A is interposed.
The backlash formation mechanism A enables the circumferential positional relation between the upstream timing pulley 60 and the timing clutch 50 to be relatively turned between an initial positional relation and a terminal positional relation, and the upstream timing pulley 60 has a configuration not to transmit the drive force to the timing clutch 50 when the positional relation of the timing clutch 50 with respect to the upstream timing pulley 60 is from the initial positional relation until the terminal positional relation and to transmit the drive force after the positional relation has reached the terminal positional relation.
The backlash formation mechanism A also enables the circumferential positional relation between the timing clutch 50 and the feed roller 110 to be relatively turned between an initial position relation and a terminal positional relation, and the timing clutch 50 has a configuration not to transmit the drive force to the feed roller 110 when the positional relation of the feed roller 110 with respect to the timing clutch 50 is from the initial positional relation until the terminal positional relation and to transmit the drive force after the positional relation has reached the terminal positional relation.
The presence of the first relative rotation zone 40 and the second relative rotation zone 45 prevents the drive force from the first motor M1 to the upstream timing pulley 60 from being transmitted to the timing clutch 50 and the feed roller 110 directly with no delay. That is, the drive force is transmitted intermittently and with a delay through the idling zone (a backlash zone where the drive force is not transmitted) set by each of the relative rotation zones 40 and 45. Accordingly, the feed roller 110 starts rotating with a delay of a predetermined time after the set-out roller 30 rotates forward with the forward rotation of the upstream timing pulley 60.
When a bundle of banknotes having leading edges not aligned is set or when banknotes fed from a bundle of banknotes are of different lengths of countries across the world are to be separated, the second or subsequent banknote is likely to enter the separation nip part N1 earlier than the first banknote and cause multi-feed. Also, in this case, the first banknote needs to be reliably moved first and be set out to the separating part. In order to prevent this multi-feed, it is effective that the feed roller 110 is not driven until set-out of a banknote with a predetermined amount of rotation of the set-out roller 30 terminates.
The drive transmission delay mechanism D solves the problems described above with the mechanical structure and enables appropriate switching of the driving timings of the set-out roller 30 and the feed roller 110 only with one motor.
Other advantages of the drive transmission delay mechanism D are set forth below.
In one embodiment, when the first motor M1 is stopped while a part of the banknote is being nipped in the separation nip part N1 as in FIG. 3A, and the drawing by the drawing transport part 250 is continued using the second motor M2, the feed roller 110 rotates together with the banknote such that the transport load generated at the separation nip part N1 is eliminated. Furthermore, the circumferential backlashes in the relative rotation zones 40 and 45 lost by previous operations are recovered.
Moreover, drive force transmission from the banknote to the feed roller 110 and the like due to the following rotation ends at the same time the back edge of the banknote passes through the separation nip part N1. That is, the feed roller 110 that starts forward rotating with the banknote transport force continues to rotate (idle) with respect to the timing clutch 50 in a stopped state within the range of the second relative rotation zone 45, so that the feed roller 110 and the timing clutch 50 return to the initial positional relation illustrated in FIG. 10B. Subsequently, the drive force from the timing clutch 50 is transmitted to the upstream timing pulley 60 in a stopped state within the range of the first relative rotation zone 40, so that the upstream timing pulley 60 resumes the forward rotation and the timing clutch 50 and the upstream timing pulley 60 return to the initial positional relation illustrated in FIG. 9B. Even when a part of the banknote is nipped by the separation nip part N1, this does not become load at the time of drawing by the drawing transport part 250 because the feed roller 110 rotates in the forward direction.
A processing operation for banknotes by the banknote separation transport device 1 is described below.

Operation Procedure in Embodiment with Drive Transmission Delay Mechanism Installed (First Embodiment)

An embodiment where the drive transmission delay mechanism D is interposed between the feed roller 110 and the feed roller shaft 101 is described herein with reference to FIGS. 2 to 10 and FIG. 11 being a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure for banknotes.
First, FIG. 2A illustrates a stopped state immediately before the controller 1000 starts forward rotation driving of the motors M1, M2, and M3 upon detection of a banknote by the inlet sensor S1 in a state where a banknote bundle is set on the paper feed tray (the deposit part) 10. In the flowchart of FIG. 11 , as the first sensor S1 is ON, the processing proceeds to FIG. 2B (Steps S1 and S2).
In FIG. 2B, the first shaft 280 starts being rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 6 by the first motor M1, whereby the pick pusher 70 lifts the front end to push upward the bottom surface of the banknote bundle toward the set-out roller 30. At the same time, the set-out roller 30 rotates in the counterclockwise direction to set out a first banknote B1 toward the separating part. The drive force transmission to the set-out roller 30 is performed via the timing belt (a relay transmission member) 35 that is wound around the upstream timing pulley 60. However, by an action of backlash formation in the circumferential direction by the backlash formation mechanism A, the feed roller 100 does not immediately rotate. Accordingly, alignment of the leading edges of banknotes is performed at the separation nip part N1 being a contact point with the brake roller 130.
At that time, the remaining motors M2 and M3 also start rotating forward. With driving of the second motor M2, movable components constituting the drawing transport part 250 also rotate forward (Step S3).
Since all the motors are rotating forward in FIG. 3A, the feed roller 110 and the drawing belts 270 rotate, so that the separating work and the drawing work are started in parallel. While the drive force is transmitted from the first motor M1 to the feed roller shaft 101 at the stage shown in FIG. 2B, the feed roller 110 does not rotate immediately due to the action of the circumferential backlash formation by the drive transmission delay mechanism D (the backlash formation mechanism A). Since the circumferential backlash between the components constituting the backlash formation mechanism A is lost at the stage shown in FIG. 3A, the feed roller 110 starts rotating (Steps S4 and S5).
The brake roller 130 is stopped as for the take-in direction, and a banknote separated at the nip part N1 reaches a tracking sensor S2 located immediately before the flapper 500 while being pulled out with a large force by the drawing transport route 260. FIG. 3B illustrates a state where the banknote leading edge starts being transported toward the storage transport route 400 (the storage unit U2). When it is judged that the banknote leading edge has been transported, based on detection information of the tracking sensor S2, and passed over the flapper 500 by a predetermined distance, the first motor M1 is stopped. That is, the controller 1000 stops the first motor M1 at a point of time when the count of pulses of the first motor M1 has reached a predetermined value after detection by the tracking sensor S2. This prevents transmission of the drive force to the feed roller 110. Meanwhile, the drawing by the drawing belts 270 is continued (Steps S6 and S7).
However, to avoid an increase in the resistance during the drawing because of a situation where part of the banknote remains in the nip part N1 while the first motor M1 is stopped, the backlash formation mechanism A idles the feed roller 110 during a period when the drawing by the drawing belts 270 is performed (Step S8). That is, during a period when a banknote is drawn between the circumferential surfaces (low in frictional resistance) of the idle rollers 257 and the circumferential surfaces (high in frictional resistance) of the associated drawing belts 270 after the first motor M1 is stopped as shown in FIG. 3B, the banknote remains in the separation nip part N1. Therefore, the feed roller 110 is rotated to follow the banknote by the remaining length of the banknote located before the separation nip part N1. That is, since the feed roller 110 idles by a predetermined angle in the transport direction by the action of the drive transmission delay mechanism D, the feed roller 110 does not become a resistance at the time when the banknote is turned over and transported upward. Due to idling of the feed roller 110, the backlash of the backlash formation mechanism A lost at Step S5 starts being recovered (Steps S9 and S10).
After the leading edge of the banknote B1 proceeds beyond the reverse position by the second reverse rollers 267 to enter the storage transport route 400, the banknote is taken inside sequentially by the transport rollers 410 and 420. According to this configuration, since the second motor M2 being the drive source for the drawing transport part 250 to draw a separated banknote is different from the first motor M1 being the drive source for the separating part, the reliability of the separating operation is enhanced. That is, with this configuration, only the separating operation can be stopped at an appropriate time after the separating operation, and accordingly the rotation of the feed roller 110 in a state where there is no banknote on the paper feed tray 10 can be reduced. To decrease wear on the feed roller 110, the rotation of the separation rollers in a state where there is no banknote needs to be avoided as much as possible.
FIG. 4A illustrates a state where a banknote back edge has passed through the separating part 100 and the drawing transport route 260. At this point of time, the first motor M1 is stopped and the banknote B1 is transported further inside by the transport rollers 410 and 420 that are driven by the second motor M2 and the third motor M3. As described above, at this stage, the feed roller 110 has recovered the backlash by the following rotation with the banknote and is in a state being capable of addressing the separating work for subsequent banknotes (Steps S11 and S10).
FIG. 4B illustrates a state where the entire length of the banknote has completely entered the storage transport route 400 and the motors M2 and M3 are stopped to perform recognition and judgment after the banknote is transported to an escrow position. An acceptable banknote is transported to the cashbox CB in the second module Md2 by driving of the transport rollers 420 with the third motor M3. An unacceptable banknote is returned by a return operation illustrated in FIG. 5 (Steps S11, S12, and S13).
When banknotes are successively sent from the deposit processing unit U1, a first banknote is taken into the storage transport route 400 by the second motor M2 and the third motor M3 and the second motor is thereafter stopped as illustrated in the figures, so that a second banknote can be blocked from successively entering the storage unit U2. That is, the second motor M2 can be used as a shutter to prevent occurrence of a jam and the like in the storage transport route 400.
FIG. 5 illustrates a state where a banknote is to be returned. When a rejected banknote, that is judged to be unacceptable by the recognition unit 450 at the stage shown in FIG. 4B, is to be discharged (returned) to the return banknote storage tray 11, the controller 1000 checks the tracking sensor S2 located near the branch part between the storage transport route 400 and the return transport route 510. When there is no subsequent banknote being an obstacle to return, the controller 1000 reversely rotates the transport rollers 410 and 420 with the motors M2 and M3 and rotates the drawing belts 270 and the return rollers 512 in the return direction with the second motor M2 (Step S13).
The drawing belts 270 are reversely rotated at the time of return because the drawing belts 270 are driven by the second motor M2. Since the upper part of the drawing belts 270 is positioned on the passage of the return banknote, the return banknote is smoothly moved by reverse rotation of the drawing belts 270. Since the feed roller 110 and the drawing belts 270 are different in the axial position and do not interfere with each other, the stopped feed roller 110 does not hinder the drawing belts 270 even when the drawing belts 270 are reversely rotated for return.
The driving of the separating part by the first motor M1 is stopped at the time of the return operation. Accordingly, reliable return processing can be performed without interference between the separating part with the return operation. The return operation stops by stopping the motors M2 and M3 when a return port sensor S3 is turned OFF.

Operation Procedure in Embodiment without Drive Transmission Delay Mechanism Installed (Second Embodiment)

FIG. 12 is a flowchart related to an operation procedure in a case where the drive transmission delay mechanism is not installed.
Describing with reference also to FIGS. 2 to 6 , the separation and the drawing operations are the same except for the delay in the timing of the rotation start of the feed roller 110 by the drive transmission delay mechanism D and the effect of reduction of the transport load due to idling of the feed roller 110.
First, when the first sensor S1 is turned ON in FIG. 2A illustrating a stopped state immediately before the controller 1000 starts forward rotation driving of the motors M1, M2, and M3, the processing proceeds to FIG. 2B (Steps S21 and S22).
When the first motor M1, the second motor M2, and the third motor M3 start rotating at the same time in FIG. 2B, the set-out roller 30 rotates to set out a first banknote B1 toward the separating part and subsequently the feed roller 110 performs the separating work (Step S23). Further, the movable components constituting the drawing transport part 250 and the storage transport route 400 also rotate forward.
In FIG. 3A, the separating work by the feed roller 110 and the drawing work by the drawing belts 270 are started. A banknote separated at the separation nip part N1 reaches the tracking sensor S2 located immediately before the flapper 500 while being pulled out with a large force by the drawing transport route 260.
In FIG. 3B, because of detection of reach of the banknote leading edge to the tracking sensor S2, the first motor M1 is stopped thereby stopping the feed roller 110, and the drawing by the drawing belts 270 is continued (Steps S24 and S25). After the leading edge of the banknote B1 proceeds beyond the reverse position by the second reverse rollers 267 to enter the storage transport route 400, the banknote is taken inside sequentially by the transport rollers 410 and 420.
Since the second motor M2 is different from the first motor M1 like in first embodiment, the reliability of the separating operation is enhanced. In FIG. 4A, the banknote back edge has passed through the separating part 100 and the drawing transport route 260 and the banknote is transported further inside by the transport rollers 410 and 420 driven by the second motor M2 and the third motor M3.
In FIG. 4B, the entire length of the banknote has completely entered the storage transport route 400 and the motors M2 and M3 are stopped to perform recognition and judgment. An acceptable banknote is transported to the cashbox CB in the second module Md2 by driving of the transport rollers 420 with the third motor M3 (YES at Step S26, and Step S27). An unacceptable banknote is returned by the return operation of FIG. 5 (NO at Step S26, and Step S28).
When banknotes are successively sent from the deposit processing unit U1, a first banknote is taken into the storage transport route 400 by the second motor M2 and the third motor M3 and the second motor is thereafter stopped, so that a second banknote can be blocked from successively entering the storage unit U2. That is, the second motor M2 can be used as a shutter to prevent occurrence of a jam and the like in the storage transport route 400.
FIG. 5 illustrates a state where a banknote is to be returned. The processing operation at the time of banknote return is substantially the same as that in the case of the configuration example including the drive transmission delay mechanism D. That is, since driving of the separating part by the first motor M1 is stopped at the time of the return operation, the separating part does not interfere with the return operation and reliable return processing can be performed.

Action and Effect Common to First and Second Embodiments of Operation Procedure

In the first and second embodiments of the operation procedure, the advantages described above are achieved by separately driving the drawing belts 270 with a different drive source from the drive source for the feed roller 110.
Furthermore, the two endless drawing belts 270 are configured to be arranged bilaterally symmetrically at non-interfering positions that are different in the axial position from the feed roller 110 to draw a banknote. Accordingly, the banknote introducing part 260 a as the drawing point can be arranged at the closest possible position to the separation point (the separation nip part N1). The layout of the banknote introducing part 260 a can also be freely selected and the drawing point can be arranged at any position, so that the design flexibility can be enhanced.
In an embodiment where the unit that draws out a banknote is a roller pair, the grip part that grips the banknote becomes a point. A large force is required to pull out a banknote nipped at the separating part. For example, the device detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490 produces a large drawing force by increasing the nip pressure of the roller pair. Accordingly, load is applied to an actuator and the rollers, and the durability is lowered. In order to resolve this problem, bearings need to be placed within the separation route. However, it is difficult to provide a space for arranging the bearings having such a size that produces a sufficient effect.
With the embodiments of the present invention, the grip force for drawing out a banknote can be increased by forming the drawing transport route 260 in the manner of a surface without an increase in the pressure from the drawing belts 270 (even with a low pressure), and the need to be concerned about a decrease in the durability of the motor or the belts is eliminated. Furthermore, since the separating nip part N1 in the embodiments of the present invention is a grip part being a point and not a separating part, a small force suffices to draw a nipped banknote.

Summary of Configuration, Action, and Effect of the Embodiments of the Present Invention

A paper sheet separation transport device according to a first embodiment includes a tray 10 on which a paper sheet bundle B is set, a set-out part 20 that sets out paper sheets from the paper sheet bundle on the tray, a separating part 100 that allows only a first paper sheet to pass and sends the paper sheet downstream and to block second and subsequent paper sheets from advancing when the paper sheets set out from the set-out part are in a multi-fed state, a first motor M1 that drives the set-out part and the separating part, a drawing transport part 250 that draws and transports the first paper sheet with a part thereof remaining in the separating part, a storage transport route 400 that is driven by a second motor M2 to receive the paper sheet discharged from the drawing transport part 250 and transport the paper sheet further downstream, and a controller 1000 that controls various control targets. The separating part 100 includes a feed roller 110 that is supported by a feed roller shaft 101 to be rotatable on an axis thereof and that is brought into contact with a surface of a paper sheet set out by the set-out part to transport the paper sheet when rotating forward, and a frictional separation member 130 that forms a separation nip part N1 with the feed roller 110 and that blocks advancement of second and subsequent paper sheets. The drawing transport part 250 includes at least two idle rollers 257 that are supported about an axis at portions of the feed roller shaft 101 on both sides of the feed roller 110 in an axial direction to be rotatable (be fixed in the axial position), and endless drawing belts 270 that each form a curved drawing transport route 260 with (in contact with) a curved outer circumferential surface of an associated one of the idle rollers 257 and that travel in a drawing direction to turn the first paper sheet in a direction intersecting with a direction of set-out by the set-out part (a direction in which the paper sheet passes through a set-out path and a separation nip part N1) in cooperation with the idle rollers 257 and transport the paper sheet, and the drawing belts 270 are driven by the second motor M2.
In an embodiment, where a banknote transport route is bent or curved in a substantially L-shaped manner to downsize a banknote separation transport device 1 including a separating part and a drawing part that draws a banknote from the separating part, if the separating part and the drawing part are driven by one motor, the separating part and the drawing part are inevitably driven at the same speed and it is difficult to provide a sufficient drawing force. Therefore, it is difficult to keep the separating performance and the performance to draw a banknote at an appropriate level to provide reliability of banknote transport. Even if bearings that guide a banknote are arranged to enhance the transport force at the separating part and the drawing part and prevent a malfunction and occurrence of a jam, the bearings that can be arranged in a small space need to be extremely small and furthermore the arrangement place is limited. Therefore, the function to prevent a malfunction and jam occurrence cannot be exerted.
If a motor for the separating part and a motor for the drawing part are simply placed side by side and are independently controlled, it is obvious that the number of the motors is increased, and that the device configuration is increased in the size.
With the embodiments of the present invention, the drawing part is driven by the second motor M2 of a different unit (the second unit U2) including the recognition unit 450, so that the separation part and the drawing part are driven by different drive sources and can be individually controlled without an increase in the number of motors. Accordingly, the feed roller 110 contributes to only the separation and does not interfere with the drawing. That is, since the separating operation can be stopped during the drawing operation, secondary effects such as a banknote jam that is likely to occur at the time of single driving can be suppressed. Of course, it is also possible to reduce load of the motor for the separating part to enhance the durability.
As described above, while being a small separation transport device including a bent or curved substantially L-shaped transport route, the device can enhance the operation reliability and can decrease a malfunction and jam occurrence although being small in the size. The device can be downsized while the drives for the separating operation and the drawing operation can be separated.
In the paper sheet separation transport device according to a second embodiment, each of the drawing belts 270 is provided in a tensioned manner by a first reverse roller 265 and a second reverse roller 267 that are arranged to form the drawing transport route 260 with an associated one of the idle rollers 257, the first reverse rollers 265 each form a paper sheet introducing part 260 a of the drawing transport route 260 between an associated one of the drawing belts 270 and an associated one of the idle rollers 257, and the second reverse rollers 265 reversely rotate the associated drawing belts 270 to cause the paper sheet introduced from the paper sheet introducing part to be transported toward the storage transport route 400 after the paper sheet has passed through a downstream end part (a paper sheet discharge part) 260 b of the drawing transport route 260.
With adoption of the endless thin drawing belts in the drawing transport part 250 and positioning of the feed roller 110 and the drawing belts 270 to be different in the axial direction, the feed roller 110 and the drawing belts 270 are always in a non-contact state. Accordingly, the paper sheet introducing part 260 a of the drawing part can be located the closest possible to the separation point N1. This is a characteristic structure of the embodiments of the present invention which cannot be realized by a configuration in which a roller pair is used as the drawing part as in U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490.
Since the drawing transport route 260 is formed in a curved contact travel region between the drawing belts 270 having flexibility and the outer circumferential surfaces of the idle rollers 257, grip not in the form of a point but in the form of a surface is obtained. Therefore, even on a drawing transport route 260 bent or curved in an L-shaped manner with respect to the paper feed route extending from the set-out part, drawing transport can be performed stably with a large force.
The paper sheet separation transport device according to a third embodiment includes a recognition unit 450 that is located at a position along the storage transport route 400 enabling forward and reverse transport and that judges whether a paper sheet is acceptable, and a return transport route 510 that is located close to and in parallel to a set-out route from the set-out part and that discharges a return paper sheet judged to be unacceptable by the recognition unit 450 and having been reversely transported on the storage transport route 400, and a transport member 512 constituting the return transport route 510 is driven by the second motor M2.
Since the drive of the separating part by the first motor M1 is stopped during the return operation, reliable return processing can be performed without interference of the separating part with the return operation driven by the second motor. Accordingly, the problems of the prior art including the device of U.S. Pat. No. 8,662,490 in which pickup, separation, drawing, and return are all performed by one motor can be resolved.
A paper sheet handling device according to a fourth embodiment includes the paper sheet separation transport device according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3 above.
This paper sheet handling device can realize separation drive that is high in the operation reliability while being small in the size, and can decrease the occurrence rate of a jam by being applied to a paper sheet handling device such as a banknote deposit machine, a banknote counting machine, or various type of automatic vending machines.
Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to several embodiments, additional variations and modifications exist within the scope and spirit of the invention as described and defined in the following claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A paper sheet separation transport device comprising:

a set-out part comprising a set-out roller and a pick pusher, the set-out part configured to take a paper sheet one-by-one from a bundle of paper sheets on a paper feed tray;

a separating part comprising a feed roller and a brake roller, the separating part configured to allow only a first paper sheet from the bundle of paper sheets to advance downstream while preventing second and subsequent multi-fed paper sheets from advancing downstream;

first motor for driving the set-out part and separating part;

a drawing transport part comprising at least two idle rollers supported about an axis about a feed roller shaft associated with a feed roller, and at least two drawing belts;

a storage transport part to receive the paper sheet discharged from the drawing transport part and to transport the paper sheet further downstream;

a second motor for driving the drawing transport part and the storage transport part; and

a controller for controlling the first motor and second motor.

2. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 1 wherein said set-out part takes a topmost paper sheet off the bundle of paper sheets on the paper feed tray.

3. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 1 further comprising transport rollers driven by the second motor and a third motor, the transport rollers located from a midstream section to a downstream section of a storage transport route.

4. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 1 further comprising a recognition unit that judges a denomination and authenticity of paper sheets transported downstream on the storage transport route.

5. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 1 further comprising a drive transmission delay mechanism interposed between the feed roller and the feed roller shaft.

6. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 1 wherein the feed roller is supported by the feed roller shaft so as to be rotatable on an axis thereof; and wherein the feed roller is configured to contact a surface of a paper sheet set out by the set-out part to transport the paper sheet.

7. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 6 further comprising a frictional separation member that forms a separation nip part with the feed roller to block advancement of second and subsequent paper sheets.

8. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 1 wherein the feed roller and the drawing belts are always in a non-contact state.

9. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 1 wherein circumferential surfaces of the idle rollers are lower in frictional resistance than the surfaces of the associated drawing belts.

10. A paper sheet separation transport device comprising:

a set-out part that sets out paper sheets from a paper sheet bundle on a tray;

a separating part that allows only one paper sheet from the paper sheet bundle to pass and sends the one paper sheet downstream and blocks other paper sheets from the paper sheet bundle from advancing downstream;

a first motor for driving the set-out part and the separating part, a drawing transport part that draws and transports the one paper sheet;

a storage transport part to receive the paper sheet transported by the drawing transport part and to transport the one paper sheet more downstream, the storage transport part being driven by a second motor; and

a controller that controls various control targets, wherein:

the separating part includes a feed roller that rotates on an axis of a feed roller shaft and that is brought into contact with the one paper sheet set out by the set-out part to transport the one paper sheet when rotating forward, and a frictional separation member that forms a separation nip part with the feed roller and that blocks the other paper sheets from the paper sheet bundle from advancing downstream;

the drawing transport part includes at least two idle rollers supported about an axis of a feed roller shaft on both sides of the feed roller in an axial direction so as to be rotatable, and drawing belts that each form a curved drawing transport route with a curved outer circumferential surface of an associated one of the idle rollers and that travel in a drawing direction to turn the one paper sheet in a direction intersecting with a direction of set out by the set-out part and transport the one paper sheet, and

the second motor for driving the drawing belts.

11. The paper sheet separation transport device according to claim 10, wherein

each of the drawing belts is provided in a tensioned manner by a first reverse roller and a second reverse roller that are arranged to form the drawing transport route with an associated one of the idle rollers;

the first reverse rollers each form a paper sheet introducing part of the drawing transport route between an associated one of the drawing belts and an associated one of the idle rollers, and

the second reverse rollers reversely rotate the associated drawing belts to cause the paper sheet introduced from the paper sheet introducing part to be transported toward the storage transport part after the paper sheet has passed through a downstream end part of the drawing transport route.

12. The paper sheet separation transport device according to claim 10, including a recognition unit that is located at a position along the storage transport part enabling forward and reverse transport and that judges whether a paper sheet is acceptable, and a return transport route that is located in parallel to a set-out route from the set-out part and that discharges a return paper sheet judged to be unacceptable by the recognition unit and having been reversely transported on the storage transport part, wherein

a transport member constituting the return transport route is driven by the second motor.

13. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 10 wherein said set-out part takes a topmost paper sheet off the bundle of paper sheets on the paper feed tray.

14. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 10 further comprising transport rollers driven by the second motor and a third motor, the transport rollers located from a midstream section to a downstream section of a storage transport route.

15. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 10 further comprising a recognition unit that judges a denomination and authenticity of paper sheets transported downstream on the storage transport route.

16. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 10 further comprising a drive transmission delay mechanism interposed between the feed roller and the feed roller shaft.

17. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 10 wherein the feed roller is supported by the feed roller shaft so as to be rotatable on an axis thereof; and wherein the feed roller is configured to contact a surface of a paper sheet set out by the set-out part to transport the paper sheet.

18. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 17 further comprising a frictional separation member that forms a separation nip part with the feed roller to block advancement of second and subsequent paper sheets.

19. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 10 wherein the feed roller and the drawing belts are always in a non-contact state.

20. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 10 wherein circumferential surfaces of the idle rollers are lower in frictional resistance than the surfaces of the associated drawing belts.

21. A paper sheet separation transport device comprising:

a separating part comprising a feed roller and a brake roller, the separating part configured to allow only a first paper sheet from the bundle of paper sheets to advance downstream while preventing second and subsequent multi-fed paper sheets from advancing downstream via a frictional separation member that forms a separation nip part with the feed roller to block advancement of second and subsequent paper sheets;

first motor for driving the set-out part and separating part;

a controller for controlling the first motor and second motor.

22. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 21 wherein said set-out part takes a topmost paper sheet off the bundle of paper sheets on the paper feed tray.

23. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 21 further comprising transport rollers driven by the second motor and a third motor, the transport rollers located from a midstream section to a downstream section of a storage transport route.

24. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 21 further comprising a recognition unit that judges a denomination and authenticity of paper sheets transported downstream on the storage transport route.

25. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 21 further comprising a drive transmission delay mechanism interposed between the feed roller and the feed roller shaft.

26. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 21 wherein the feed roller is supported by the feed roller shaft so as to be rotatable on an axis thereof; and wherein the feed roller is configured to contact a surface of a paper sheet set out by the set-out part to transport the paper sheet.

27. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 21 wherein the feed roller and the drawing belts are always in a non-contact state.

28. The paper sheet separation transport device of claim 21 wherein circumferential surfaces of the idle rollers are lower in frictional resistance than the surfaces of the associated drawing belts.