JP7567424B2 - Banknote Processing Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a banknote processing device, and more specifically, to a banknote processing device that is applied to, for example, an automatic change dispenser.

For example, in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores, point-of-sales (POS) terminals are connected to banknote processing devices that function as automatic change dispensers in order to ensure strict customer handling and cash management.

The banknote processing device identifies the authenticity and denomination of banknotes deposited in the deposit section, and then stores the banknotes in a storage unit according to their denomination.

When a dispensing instruction is given from a POS terminal, which is a request to dispense change, this banknote processing device feeds banknotes equivalent to the requested amount from the corresponding storage unit, transports them to the dispensing unit, and dispenses them (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In such banknote processing devices, it is known that a detection unit and a flapper member are provided in the dispensing unit.

The detection unit is, for example, composed of an optical sensor, and detects the presence or absence of banknotes in the dispensing unit. To explain in more detail, the detection unit has a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and in a light-projecting state in which the light-receiving element receives light emitted from the light-emitting element, it detects that there are no banknotes in the dispensing unit, whereas in a light-blocking state in which the light-receiving element cannot receive light emitted from the light-emitting element, it detects that there are banknotes in the dispensing unit.

The flapper member is provided in the dispensing section so that it can swing up and down, and is biased downward by a biasing means. This flapper member presses downward on the banknotes transported to the dispensing section to adjust their position. When no banknotes are transported to the dispensing section, this flapper member causes the detection section to emit light. On the other hand, when a banknote is transported to the dispensing section, the flapper member presses the banknote downward, but blocks light from the detection section at the portion of the banknote that is exposed from its end.

In the banknote processing device, when banknotes are transported to the dispensing section in response to a dispensing instruction, the pushing section pushes the banknotes out, and a portion of the pushed-out banknotes is exposed from the dispensing port, thereby dispensing the banknotes.

JP 2020-035401 A

In the banknote processing device, banknotes transported to the dispensing section may be pressed against the flapper member in a curled state. When banknotes become curled in this way, the banknotes are not exposed from the end of the flapper member, the detection section remains in the light-emitting state, and the banknotes are not transported to the dispensing section, so they are re-fed from the storage vault and transported to the dispensing section. This results in an erroneous dispensing of more banknotes than the intended amount.

In addition, in the above-mentioned banknote processing device, when multiple banknotes are transported to the dispensing section, some of them may become curled. In this case, the detection section is blocked by the exposed portion of the end of the flapper member of the banknote in a normal state that is not curled, so it is determined that the desired number of banknotes have been transported to the dispensing section, and the banknotes are pushed out by the pushing section.

When a bill is in a normal state, a portion of it is exposed from the dispensing port when pushed out by the pushing unit, and the bill is dispensed by the user. However, when a bill is curled, even when pushed out by the pushing unit, a portion of it is not exposed from the dispensing port, and the bill remains in the dispensing unit without being dispensed by the user.

In this case, the banknote processing device would determine that the banknotes had been dispensed normally when they were removed from the dispensing port, and would end the dispensing operation even if banknotes remained in the dispensing section, resulting in an erroneous dispensing of banknotes less than the intended amount.

In addition, during the next dispensing operation, the bills remaining in the dispensing section would go from their curved state to their normal state due to the bills being transported to the dispensing section, resulting in an erroneous dispensing of more bills than necessary to the user.

Note that while we have described cases where the bill is curled, it goes without saying that the same problem occurs even if only part of the bill is bent.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a banknote processing device that can reduce the occurrence of erroneous dispensing.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the banknote processing device of the present invention is a banknote processing device that takes in deposited banknotes and stores them in a plurality of storage containers according to denomination, and transports the banknotes from the corresponding storage containers to a dispensing unit in response to a dispensing instruction to dispense the banknotes, and is characterized by having a detection unit that is provided in the dispensing unit and detects the presence of banknotes in the dispensing unit even if the banknotes transported in response to the dispensing instruction are in a bent state.

The term "bent state" refers to a state in which the banknote is curled or bent in a dogleg shape. The term "normal state" refers to a state in which the banknote is flat and not bent in a dogleg shape or curled.

The present invention also provides the above-mentioned banknote processing device, in which the detection unit has a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, and is in a light-projecting state when the light-receiving element receives light emitted from the light-emitting element, but is in a light-blocking state when the light-receiving element cannot receive the light emitted from the light-emitting element; a detection unit that detects that there is no banknote in the dispensing section when the detection unit is in the light-projecting state, but detects that there is a banknote in the dispensing section when the detection unit is in the light-blocking state; and a flapper member that is provided so as to be able to swing up and down and presses downward the banknotes transported to the dispensing section, and that puts the detection unit in a light-projecting state in a normal state, but puts the detection unit in a light-blocking state by the transported banknote when the transported banknote is in a normal state, and is characterized in that the flapper member puts the detection unit in a light-blocking state by a light-blocking portion formed on itself when the transported banknote is in a bent state.

According to the present invention, the detection unit provided in the dispensing section detects the presence of banknotes in the dispensing section even when the banknotes transported in response to a dispensing instruction are in a bent state, so that the dispensing operation can be maintained without being terminated normally, and the occurrence of erroneous dispensing can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a banknote processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the banknote processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispensing section in the banknote processing device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the main components of the dispensing unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing main components of the dispensing unit shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispensing unit into which banknotes have been transported. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the main components of the dispensing unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing main components of the dispensing unit shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a side view showing the main components of the dispensing unit when the conveyed banknote is curled. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the main components of the dispensing section when the conveyed banknote is curled. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispensing unit, illustrating the operation of dispensing banknotes transported to the dispensing unit through a dispensing port.

The following describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the banknote processing device according to the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figures 1 and 2 each show a banknote processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the banknote processing device, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the banknote processing device.

The banknote processing device 1 illustrated here is used as an automatic change dispenser connected to a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal as a higher-level device in stores such as supermarkets and convenience stores.

In the front part of such a banknote processing device 1, a deposit port 10 for inserting banknotes and a withdrawal port 11 for dispensing stored banknotes as change are formed. The withdrawal port 11 is opened and closed by a shutter 12, and is normally closed by the shutter 12. In addition, the front part of a collection box 13 that is provided in a removable state is exposed at the bottom of the front part of the banknote processing device 1.

Such a banknote processing device 1 has a deposit unit 14 that introduces banknotes inserted through the deposit port 10, a withdrawal unit 15 that dispenses banknotes to the withdrawal port 11, a collection vault 13, a discrimination unit 16 that determines the authenticity and denomination of banknotes, and a storage vault 17 that stores banknotes of each denomination. The deposit unit 14, withdrawal unit 15, collection vault 13, discrimination unit 16, and storage vault 17 are connected by a banknote transport mechanism 18.

The banknote processing device 1 operates as follows. Banknotes deposited in the deposit port 10 are detected by a detection sensor (not shown) in the deposit section 14, and then transported to the discrimination section 16 by driving the banknote transport mechanism 18. If a banknote becomes jammed during transport or cannot be sufficiently discriminated in the discrimination section 16, the banknote transport mechanism 18 returns the banknote to the deposit port 10 via the deposit section 14.

When the validator 16 determines that a banknote is not genuine, the banknote transport mechanism 18 transports the banknote to the dispensing unit 15 and dispenses it from the dispensing port 11. On the other hand, when the validator 16 determines that a banknote is genuine, the banknote transport mechanism 18 stores the banknote in a storage unit 17 corresponding to the denomination.

On the other hand, when a withdrawal command is received from the higher-level device, banknotes of the corresponding denomination are fed from the storage 17 to the banknote transport mechanism 18, which transports them to the withdrawal section 15 and dispenses them from the withdrawal port 11.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dispensing unit 15 in the banknote processing device 1 shown in Figure 1, Figure 4 is a side view showing the main components of the dispensing unit 15 shown in Figure 3, and Figure 5 is a plan view showing the main components of the dispensing unit 15 shown in Figure 3. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, the dispensing unit 15 is configured to include an extrusion unit 20, an optical sensor 30, and a flapper member 40.

The push-out section 20 is a conventionally known device formed by processing sheet metal or the like. The push-out section 20 is slidable in the front-rear direction between a storage position, which is the rear end position, and a withdrawal position, which is the front end position (see FIG. 11).

The push-out unit 20 is linked to the push-out mechanism 21, and slides between the storage position and the dispensing position when the push-out mechanism 21 is driven by commands given by the control unit 50. The upper surface of the front end of the push-out unit 20 forms a placement surface 22 on which banknotes are placed.

Here, the control unit 50 comprehensively controls the operation of the banknote processing device 1 according to the programs and data stored in a memory unit (not shown).

The control unit 50 may be realized, for example, by having a processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) execute a program, i.e., by software, or may be realized by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware.

There are multiple optical sensors 30 (three in the illustrated example), two of which are provided on the left and right sides near the withdrawal port 11 in the withdrawal unit 15, and one is provided on the rear side of the withdrawal unit 15. Each optical sensor 30 is configured with a light-emitting element 31 and a light-receiving element 32 that are installed in an upper and lower pair, and is a detection unit that can be in a light-emitting state in which the light emitted from the light-emitting element 31 is received by the light-receiving element 32, or a light-blocking state in which the light emitted from the light-emitting element 31 cannot be received by the light-receiving element 32, and sends a signal of this state to the control unit 50.

When a signal is given from the optical sensors 30, the control unit 50 detects that there is no banknote in the dispensing unit 15 if all the optical sensors 30 are in a light-emitting state, but detects that there is a banknote in the dispensing unit 15 if any one of the optical sensors 30 is in a light-blocking state. In this way, the control unit 50 constitutes the detection unit of the present invention.

The flapper member 40, together with the optical sensor 30 and the control unit 50, constitutes the detection unit of the present invention. The flapper member 40 is a plate-shaped member made of, for example, a resin material, and has appropriate notches formed therein.

In the upper region of the push-out section 20, the flapper member 40 has a shaft-shaped portion 41a formed at the rear end 41, which is supported by a side wall (not shown) that constitutes the dispensing section 15, and the tip portion 42 is provided so as to be able to swing up and down around the axis of the shaft-shaped portion 41a. The flapper member 40 is biased downward by a biasing means (not shown), and presses downward the banknotes transported to the dispensing section 15.

The flapper member 40 is formed with a light-shielding portion 43. The light-shielding portion 43 is a plate-shaped portion provided at the left end of the right-side tip portion that constitutes the tip portion 42 of the flapper member 40.

In a normal state, that is, when no banknotes are being transported to the dispensing unit 15 as shown in Figures 4 and 5, such a flapper member 40 does not block the light from the light-emitting elements 31, causing all of the optical sensors 30 to emit light.

As shown in FIG. 6, when a banknote M is transported to the dispensing unit 15, the flapper member 40 presses the banknote M downward. When the banknote M is in a normal state, that is, flat without being bent or curled, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the flapper member 40 blocks light from all the light-emitting elements 31 with the banknote M, thereby blocking all the light sensors 30.

In this way, the flapper member 40, which presses the banknote M downward in the normal state, swings slightly upward from the normal state, but does not block the light from the light-emitting element 31.

When the banknote M transported to the dispensing unit 15 is curled as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 due to a step between the banknote transport mechanism 18 and the placement surface 22 of the push-out unit 20 or other factors, the flapper member 40 presses the banknote M in a curled state. In this case, the tip 42 of the flapper member 40 swings upward by about 15 mm from the normal state, and the swing angle is also about 10°.

When the flapper member 40 presses the bill M in a curled state in this manner, the light shielding portion 43 blocks the light from the light emitting element 31 constituting the optical sensor 30 on the right side near the withdrawal port 11, causing the optical sensor 30 to be in a light shielding state. This allows the control portion 50 to detect that a bill is present in the withdrawal portion 15.

In other words, the light-shielding portion 43 is formed in a position that allows the light sensor 30 on the right side near the withdrawal port 11 to enter a light-emitting state when the flapper member 40 is in the normal state, and allows the light sensor 30 on the right side near the withdrawal port 11 to enter a light-shielding state when the flapper member 40 is swung upward by approximately 10° from the normal state.

In the banknote processing device 1, when multiple banknotes M are transported to the dispensing unit 15 and pressed against the flapper member 40 in a state where normal banknotes M are stacked with curled banknotes M, the light-shielding portion 43 of the flapper member 40 blocks the light from the optical sensor 30 on the right side near the dispensing port 11, but all of the optical sensors 30 are already in a light-shielding state due to the banknotes M in a normal state.

When the desired number of banknotes M has been transported to the dispensing unit 15, the control unit 50 issues a command to the pushing mechanism 21 to slide the pushing unit 20 from the storage position to the dispensing position, as shown in FIG. 11. This causes the pushing unit 20 to press the shutter 12, swing it forward, and open the dispensing port 11, exposing the banknotes M in a normal state from the dispensing port 11. The user can remove the banknotes M exposed from the dispensing port 11.

On the other hand, the curled banknote M remains in the dispensing unit 15 without being exposed from the dispensing port 11. In this case, the flapper member 40 presses the banknote M to be curled downward, so it swings upward as shown in Figures 9 and 10, and the light blocking portion 43 keeps the light sensor 30 on the right side near the dispensing port 11 in a light blocking state. As a result, the control unit 50 can detect that there is a banknote in the dispensing unit 15, and maintains the dispensing operation without terminating normally.

As described above, according to the banknote processing device 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention, when the banknote M transported to the dispensing unit 15 is curled, the flapper member 40 causes one of the optical sensors 30 to be in a light-shielding state by the light-shielding portion 43 formed on the flapper member 40, so that the control unit 50 can detect that a banknote is present in the dispensing unit 15, and by maintaining the dispensing operation without terminating normally, subsequent dispensing operations are not accepted and the removal of the banknotes M remaining in the dispensing unit 15 is encouraged, thereby preventing the occurrence of erroneous dispensing.

The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.

In the above embodiment, a case where the banknote M transported to the dispensing unit 15 is curved in a curled shape has been described, but in the present invention, the case is not limited to a case where the banknote is curved in a curled shape. For example, the present presence of the banknote can also be detected when the banknote is bent in a dogleg shape. It is sufficient if the present presence of the banknote in the dispensing unit can be detected when the banknote transported to the dispensing unit is in a bent state.

In the above-described embodiment, the detection unit is made up of the optical sensor 30, the flapper member 40, and the control unit 50. However, in the present invention, it is sufficient if the detection unit can detect that a banknote is present in the dispensing section even if the banknote transported to the dispensing section is in a bent state. For example, the detection unit may detect that a banknote is present in the dispensing section when the magnitude of the swing angle of the flapper member is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

In the above-described embodiment, the light-shielding portion 43 of the flapper member 40 blocks the light from the light sensor 30 on the right side near the withdrawal port 11, but in the present invention, the light-shielding portion provided on the flapper member may be provided at a location that can block not only the light sensor but also the light sensor on the left side near the withdrawal port.

Although not mentioned in the above embodiment, when the detection unit detects the presence of a bill, the fact may be displayed or the like to notify the user.

1...banknote processing device, 10...deposit port, 11...withdrawal port, 13...collection box, 14...deposit section, 15...withdrawal section, 16...validation section, 17...storage box, 18...banknote transport mechanism, 20...pushing section, 30...optical sensor, 31...light emitting element, 32...light receiving element, 40...flapper member, 43...light shielding section, 50...control section, M...banknote.

Claims (1)

A banknote processing device that takes in deposited banknotes, stores them in a plurality of storage containers according to denomination, and conveys the banknotes from the corresponding storage containers to a dispensing unit in response to a dispensing instruction,
a detection unit that is provided in the dispensing unit and detects the presence of banknotes in the dispensing unit even when the banknotes conveyed in response to the dispensing instruction are in a bent state ;
The detection unit includes:
a detection unit having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element, the detection unit being in a light-projecting state when the light-receiving element receives light emitted from the light-emitting element, and being in a light-blocking state when the light-receiving element cannot receive the light emitted from the light-emitting element;
a detection unit that detects that no banknotes are present in the dispensing unit when the detection unit is in the light-emitting state, and detects that banknotes are present in the dispensing unit when the detection unit is in the light-blocking state;
a flapper member that is provided so as to be able to swing up and down and presses downward the banknotes transported to the dispensing section, and that causes the detection section to be in a light-emitting state in a normal state, while causing the detection section to be in a light-shielding state by the banknotes when the transported banknotes are in a normal state;
Equipped with
The banknote processing device, wherein the flapper member blocks light from the detection unit by a light-blocking portion formed on the flapper member when the transported banknote is in a folded state .

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