JP7697382B2 - Banknote Processing Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a banknote processing device.

In recent years, point-of-sale (POS) registers and other cash registers combined with change dispensers that process the deposit and withdrawal of banknotes and coins have become common as cash register change systems used at cashier counters in retail stores such as supermarkets, convenience stores, and gas stations, as well as in large-scale mass retailers such as discount shops.

The banknote deposit/withdrawal machine, which serves as a banknote processing device incorporated in this change machine, has, for example, a deposit/withdrawal unit that receives and delivers banknotes to and from users (such as cashiers and customers), a transport unit that transports the banknotes, a discrimination unit that discriminates the denomination and authenticity of inserted banknotes, and a banknote storage vault that stores reusable banknotes by denomination.

In addition, there is a banknote deposit and withdrawal machine of this type in which a number of accumulated banknotes are pushed forward all at once (i.e., in a bundle) through a payment port provided on the front of the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine so that the user can receive them (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-129135 A

However, when pushing multiple bills out of the dispensing port at once, the force of pushing the bills out could cause them to fly out of the dispensing port and fall to the floor, causing other problems.

One possible solution is to stack the dispensed banknotes on a tray with a wall at the front end to prevent them from flying out forward, and then push the tray forward through the dispensing port to allow the user to collect the dispensed banknotes stacked on the tray. However, while this method can prevent the dispensed banknotes from flying out, it also creates a new problem in that the wall at the front end of the tray gets in the way, making it difficult for the user to collect the dispensed banknotes.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to propose a banknote processing device that makes it easy to receive banknotes while preventing them from flying out.

In order to solve such problems, the banknote processing device of the present invention comprises an accumulation tray for accumulating banknotes, which moves in a first direction from a state stored inside the device to be exposed to the outside of the device, a banknote guide provided on the upper part of the accumulation tray for guiding the banknotes, and a banknote fly-out control section rotatably attached to the end of the banknote guide in the first direction and controls the banknotes accumulated in the accumulation tray from flying out in the first direction, and the end of the first direction of the banknote fly-out control section and the end of the first direction at the bottom of the accumulation tray have a nested shape that overlaps in the accumulation direction of the banknotes accumulated in the accumulation tray.

In this way, the nested shape formed by the end of the banknote fly-out restriction part in the first direction and the end of the stacking tray in the first direction can restrict the banknotes stacked in the stacking tray from flying out in the first direction. Also, by rotating the banknote fly-out restriction part, the banknote fly-out restriction part can be retracted so as not to interfere with the removal of banknotes.

The present invention makes it possible to realize a banknote processing device that prevents banknotes from flying out while making it easy to receive banknotes.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the banknote depositing and dispensing machine. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the banknote dispensing unit. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a stacking tray is pushed out from a banknote dispensing port of a banknote depositing and dispensing machine. FIG. 11A and 11B are side sectional views showing the operation of the accumulation tray and the door. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a stacking tray, a bill guide, and a bill fly-out prevention unit. FIG. 11A and 11B are a perspective view and a cross-sectional view showing a configuration around a contact portion between a tip of a bill fly-out restricting portion and a front end portion of a tray bottom. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a door lock mechanism. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the configuration around the door.

Below, the form for implementing the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiment) will be explained with reference to the drawings.

[1. Configuration of the banknote deposit/withdrawal machine]
1 shows the external configuration of a banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1. This banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 is incorporated as a banknote unit in a change dispenser (not shown) installed at the checkout counter of a retail store such as a supermarket, convenience store, gas station, etc. This banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 is connected to a cash register such as a POS register (not shown) and operates under the control of the cash register.

In addition, in this banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1, the side that a user (such as a cashier or a customer) faces is referred to as the front side, and the opposite side is referred to as the rear side, and further, the top, bottom, left and right sides as viewed from the user are referred to as the upper side, lower side, left side and right side, respectively.

The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 2, with a banknote deposit port 3 through which banknotes are inserted provided at the upper front of the housing 2, and a banknote withdrawal port 4 through which banknotes are ejected provided at the lower front. The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 takes in banknotes inserted by a user into the banknote deposit port 3 and stores them inside the housing 2, and ejects the banknotes stored inside from the banknote withdrawal port 4 as change.

Inside the housing 2 of this banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1, a banknote withdrawal unit 10 that discharges withdrawal banknotes from the banknote withdrawal port 4 is provided at the lower front side (i.e., at the back of the banknote withdrawal port 4). The configuration of this banknote withdrawal unit 10 will be described in detail below.

2. Configuration and operation of the banknote dispensing unit
Fig. 2 shows a side cross-sectional view of the banknote withdrawal unit 10 as seen from the right side. As shown in Fig. 2, the banknote withdrawal unit 10 is mainly configured with a stacking tray 11 that stacks the withdrawal banknotes BL, and a door 12 (see Fig. 1 in addition to Fig. 2) that covers the banknote withdrawal port 4 is provided in front of the stacking tray 11. Note that, as will be described in detail later, in the banknote withdrawal unit 10, as shown in Figs. 3(A), (B) and 4(A) to (C), the stacking tray 11 is slid forward from the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4(A) using the driving force of a motor (not shown), so that the stacking tray 11 is pushed out in front of the banknote withdrawal port 4 while opening the door 12.

As shown in the external perspective view of FIG. 5 in addition to FIG. 2, the stacking tray 11 has a tray bottom 11b, a tray rear wall 11r (omitted in FIG. 5) protruding upward from the rear end of the tray bottom 11b, and left and right tray side walls 11s (omitted in FIG. 2) protruding upward from both the left and right ends of the tray bottom 11b, and stacks the withdrawal banknotes BL on the tray bottom 11b. Here, the stacking tray 11 is configured to stack the withdrawal banknotes BL with the short side direction of the withdrawal banknotes BL as the front-to-rear direction. Note that, as will be described in more detail later, FIG. 5 shows the withdrawal banknotes BL being removed forward from the stacking tray 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tray bottom 11b is inclined so that the rear end is lower than the front end, and as shown in FIG. 5, the center part of the front end in the left-right direction (hereinafter referred to as the width direction) is cut out. In other words, the tray bottom 11b is concave-shaped when viewed from above. The cutout part 11n formed in the center part of the front end side of the tray bottom 11b is intended to make it easier to grasp the withdrawal banknotes BL when removing them from the stacking tray 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, above the rear end of the stacking tray 11 (above the tray rear wall 11r), the stacking roller 13 and the pressure roller 14 are arranged vertically facing each other with the stacking roller 13 on the bottom and the pressure roller 14 on the top. The stacking roller 13 and the pressure roller 14 rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows R1 and R2, respectively, to sandwich the withdrawal banknotes BL transported to the banknote dispensing unit 10 between the stacking roller 13 and the pressure roller 14 and release them onto the stacking tray 11 in front.

The rotation shaft of the accumulation roller 13 is further provided with an impeller 15 having multiple blades 15t, which rotates together with the accumulation roller 13. The impeller 15 strikes the rear of the withdrawal banknote BL discharged onto the accumulation tray 11 by the accumulation roller 13 and the pressure roller 14 from above with the blades 15t, and accumulates the withdrawal banknote BL on the tray bottom 11b by pressing it against the rear of the tray bottom 11b. At this time, the withdrawal banknote BL is accumulated by being pushed toward the tray rear wall 11r.

Furthermore, above the stacking tray 11, there is provided a bill guide 16 that guides the withdrawal bills BL discharged forward by the stacking roller 13 and the pressure roller 14 to the stacking tray 11 and forms a stacking space Sp for the withdrawal bills BL together with the stacking tray 11. As shown in FIG. 5, this bill guide 16 is fixed to the upper end portions of the left and right tray side walls 11s so as to be sandwiched between the left and right tray side walls 11s, and is disposed above and facing the tray bottom 11b.

2, the bill guide 16 extends from the rear end of the stacking tray 11 to near the front end, and is inclined so that the front end is lower than the rear end. In other words, the distance between the lower surface 16g, which is the guide surface of the bill guide 16, and the upper surface 11g, which is the stacking surface of the tray bottom 11b, becomes narrower as it moves from the rear end to the front end of the stacking tray 11 (i.e., toward the front). As shown in FIG. 5, the bill guide 16 has a shape in which the center of the width direction on the front end side is cut out (concave when viewed from above), similar to the tray bottom 11b. In other words, the bill guide 16 also has a cutout portion 16n formed in the center of the front end side to make it easier to grip the withdrawal bills BL stacked in the stacking tray 11.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 5, a banknote fly-out restriction section 17 is provided at the front end of each of one end (left end) and the other end (right end) in the width direction (left-right direction) of the banknote guide 16. The banknote fly-out restriction section 17 at one end (left end) extends forward from the front end of one end (left end) in the width direction of the banknote guide 16 toward the front end of the tray bottom 11b. Similarly, the banknote fly-out restriction section 17 at the other end (right end) also extends forward from the front end of the other end (right end) in the width direction of the banknote guide 16 toward the front end of the tray bottom 11b.

The two banknote fly-out regulating parts 17 are rotatably attached to the front end of the banknote guide 16 via a pivot 17a (see FIG. 2) that extends in the width direction (left-right direction) of the banknote guide 16. This allows the two banknote fly-out regulating parts 17 to rotate in a direction in which their respective tips (front ends) approach and move away from the front end of the tray bottom 11b. These two banknote fly-out regulating parts 17 are biased by their own weight in a direction in which their respective tips approach the front end of the tray bottom 11b, so that their respective tips come into contact with the front end of the tray bottom 11b.

2, when the bill ejection restricting portion 17 abuts against the tray bottom 11b, the lower surface 17g serving as the guide surface is substantially flush with the lower surface 16g serving as the guide surface of the bill guide 16. In other words, when the bill ejection restricting portion 17 abuts against the tray bottom 11b, the distance between the guide surface formed by the lower surface 17g of the bill ejection restricting portion 17 and the lower surface 16g of the bill guide 16 and the upper surface 11g serving as the stacking surface of the tray bottom 11b narrows from the rear end side to the front end side of the stacking tray 11. In other words, the space between the guide surface formed by the lower surface 17g of the bill ejection restricting portion 17 and the lower surface 16g of the bill guide 16 and the upper surface 11g of the tray bottom 11b is the stacking space Sp, and the stacking space Sp narrows in the height direction as it approaches the front.

Here, FIG. 6(A) shows an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the contact portion between the tip of the bill ejection restricting portion 17 at one end (left end) and the front end of the tray bottom 11b. Also, FIG. 6(B) shows a side cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the contact portion between the tip of the bill ejection restricting portion 17 at one end (left end) and the front end of the tray bottom 11b.

As shown in Figures 6(A) and 6(B), a rib 18 that protrudes downward from the bottom surface 17g is provided at the widthwise center of the tip of the bottom surface 17g of the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17. The rib 18 is generally trapezoidal in shape with the lower base shorter than the upper base when viewed in the widthwise direction. The widthwise length of this rib 18 is shorter than the widthwise length of the bottom surface 17g of the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17. The lower end of this rib 18 is the point that abuts against the tray bottom 11b.

On the other hand, a protrusion 19 protruding from the upper surface 11g is formed on the upper surface 11g of the tray bottom 11b at a location facing the rib 18 of the banknote ejection restriction section 17 (i.e., the front end of one end (left end) of the upper surface 11g in the width direction). This protrusion 19 is generally trapezoidal in shape with the lower base longer than the upper base when viewed in the width direction. The upper end of this protrusion 19 is the location that abuts against the rib 18 of the banknote ejection restriction section 17.

As shown in FIG. 6(A), the width of the protrusion 19 is shorter than the lower surface 17g of the banknote ejection control section 17 and longer than the rib 18, and both ends in the width direction are located outside both ends in the width direction of the rib 18. Furthermore, the upper surface 11g of the tray bottom 11b is provided with ribs 20 at both ends in the width direction of the protrusion 19, which protrude from the upper surface 11g with the protrusion 19 sandwiched therebetween.

The two ribs 20 are the same size and shape, and as shown in FIG. 6(B), are approximately trapezoidal, slightly larger than the protrusion 19 when viewed in the width direction. On the other hand, the protrusion 19 is sized and positioned so that the entire protrusion 19 fits inside the rib 20 when viewed in the width direction.

As shown in Figures 6(A) and (B), when the rib 18 of the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17 comes into contact with the protrusion 19 of the tray bottom 11b, the two ribs 20 of the tray bottom 11b are positioned outside both ends of the rib 18 in the width direction, sandwiching the rib 18 of the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17 therebetween. At this time, the two ribs 20 do not come into contact with the lower surface 17g of the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17, and form a predetermined gap between them.

That is, when the rib 18 of the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17 and the protrusion 19 of the tray bottom 11b come into contact with each other, the rib 18 of the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17 and the two ribs 20 of the tray bottom 11b form a nested shape that overlaps in the vertical direction (the direction in which the dispensed banknotes BL are accumulated in the accumulation tray 11) when viewed from the width direction. Note that, while the abutment portion between the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17 at one end (left end) and the front end of the tray bottom 11b has been described here using Figures 6(A) and (B), the abutment portion between the banknote fly-out restricting portion 17 at the other end (right end) and the front end of the tray bottom 11b has the same configuration.

In this way, when the rib 18 of the banknote ejection restriction section 17 and the protrusion 19 of the tray bottom 11b come into contact with each other, the banknote ejection restriction section 10 forms a nested shape in which the rib 18 of the banknote ejection restriction section 17 and the two ribs 20 of the tray bottom 11b overlap in the vertical direction (the direction in which the ejected banknotes BL are accumulated), so that the banknote ejection restriction section 17 blocks the front end side of the accumulation space Sp, and restricts the ejected banknotes BL accumulated in the accumulation tray 11 from jumping out forward.

By doing this, when the stacking tray 11 is slid forward together with the banknote guide 16 and the banknote ejection restriction section 17 and pushed forward from the banknote ejection port 4 as shown in Figures 4 (A) to (C), the banknote ejection section 10 can prevent the ejection banknote BL from being ejected forward due to excessive force from the stacking tray 11.

As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the stacking tray 11 is configured to stack, for example, up to 10 withdrawal bills BL. On the other hand, the height direction length of the stacking space Sp is greater than the thickness of the maximum number of withdrawal bills BL stacked even at the narrowest point at the front end. For this reason, when the withdrawal bills BL are stacked on the stacking tray 11, if there are no excessive folds or wrinkles on the withdrawal bills BL, the tip of the bill jump-out restricting portion 17 is pushed upward by the withdrawal bills BL to release the overlap, and the front end side of the stacking space Sp is not opened. In other words, since the bill jump-out restricting portion 17 is not a member that actively presses down the withdrawal bills BL from above, when the withdrawal bills BL are stacked on the stacking tray 11, the bill jump-out restricting portion 17 does not get in the way and cause a jam.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the rib 18 of the banknote ejection control unit 17 has a rear surface 18s on the side of the accumulation space Sp that is inclined upward toward the rear, and the angle θ1 between this rear surface 18s and the installation surface Is of the banknote withdrawal unit 10 is 45 degrees or less. On the other hand, the two ribs 20 of the tray bottom 11b have a rear surface 20s on the side of the accumulation space Sp that is inclined downward toward the rear, and the angle θ2 between this rear surface 20s and the installation surface Is of the banknote withdrawal unit 10 is 45 degrees or less. In other words, the angles θ1 and θ2 of the rear surfaces 18s and 20s of the ribs 18 and 20s of the ribs 20 with respect to the sliding direction (front-rear direction) of the accumulation tray 11 are each 45 degrees or less.

In other words, the rear end side of the nested shape formed by the rib 18 of the banknote ejection control section 17 and the two ribs 20 of the tray bottom 11b has a V-shaped tapered shape that narrows toward the front when viewed in the width direction.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, when a user grasps the widthwise center of a withdrawal bill BL accumulated in the accumulation tray 11 and attempts to pull it forward, the front end of the withdrawal bill BL comes into contact with the rear surface 18s of the rib 18 of the bill ejection restriction section 17 and the rear surfaces 20s of the two ribs 20 on the tray bottom 11b, pushing the tip of the bill ejection restriction section 17 upward and releasing the overlap. This opens up the front end side of the accumulation space Sp, allowing the withdrawal bill BL to be easily pulled out.

The banknote ejection restriction unit 17 has a rotation restriction member (not shown) that restricts the rotation range of the tip of the banknote ejection restriction unit 17 when it rotates in a direction (upward) away from the front end of the tray bottom 11b. This rotation range is set so that the withdrawal banknotes BL can be easily removed even when the maximum number of withdrawal banknotes BL are stacked in the stacking tray 11.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the protrusion 19 located between the two ribs 20 of the tray bottom 11b also has a rear surface 19s on the stacking space Sp side that slopes downward toward the rear, similar to the ribs 20, and the angle θ2 between this rear surface 19s and the installation surface Is of the banknote withdrawal unit 10 is 45 degrees or less. In this way, the protrusion 19 of the tray bottom 11b, like the ribs 20, prevents the front end of the withdrawal banknote BL from getting caught when the withdrawal banknote BL is removed.

In this way, the tip of the banknote ejection restriction section 17 is pushed upward by the force of the user attempting to remove the withdrawal banknote BL (i.e., the tip of the banknote ejection restriction section 17 rotates in a direction away from the tray bottom 11b), and the banknote withdrawal section 10 is able to retract the banknote ejection restriction section 17 so as not to interfere with the removal of the withdrawal banknote BL.

The weight of the banknote ejection control section 17 is selected so that it does not rotate even if the withdrawal banknote BL comes into contact with it when the stacking tray 11 is slid forward, but rotates when the withdrawal banknote BL comes into contact with it when the user removes the withdrawal banknote BL.

As shown in Fig. 7, the banknote dispensing unit 10 further includes a door lock mechanism 30 that locks the door 12 when the accumulation tray 11 is stored therein and unlocks the door 12 when the accumulation tray 11 is slid forward. Note that Fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the front end portion of the tray side wall 11s at the other end (right end) of the accumulation tray 11, and the door lock mechanism 30 is provided on the outside (right side) of the front end portion of the tray side wall 11s.

Before describing the door lock mechanism 30, the configuration of the door 12 will be described. As shown in Figures 1, 4, and 7, the door 12 has, as its main parts, a front part 12a, which is a rectangular plate-like member that covers the banknote withdrawal port 4 when viewed from the front and has a substantially L-shaped cross section when viewed in the width direction (left-right direction), and a pivot shaft 12b that is provided at a corner of the L shape located below the front part 12a and extends in the width direction.

The door 12 is rotatably attached to a frame (not shown) provided inside the housing 2 (see FIG. 1) via the pivot 12b. The door 12 is in a closed position where the front part 12a covers the bill withdrawal port 4 (position shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4(A)). The door 12 is opened by pivoting the front part 12a from the closed position so as to fall forward around the pivot 12b located on the lower side of the door 12. Here, the direction in which the door 12 opens (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2) is called the opening direction, and the direction in which the door 12 closes (clockwise direction in FIG. 2) is called the closing direction. When the door 12 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 2, the rear surface of the upper end of the front part 12a abuts against the front surface of the device panel 40 provided near the upper part of the bill withdrawal port 4, and the door 12 cannot be pivoted further in the closing direction.

Now, using Figure 7, we will explain the door lock mechanism 30 provided on the other end side (right end side) of the accumulation tray 11. This door lock mechanism 30 is composed of a torsion spring 31 attached to the pivot shaft 12b of the door 12, an arm portion 32 extending from the outer periphery of the pivot shaft 12b of the door 12 in a direction perpendicular to the pivot shaft 12b, a pivot portion 33 that abuts against the arm portion 32 and the tray side wall portion 11s on the other end side and pivots, a tray side abutment portion 34 provided on the outer surface 11sp of the tray side wall portion 11s and abuts against the pivot portion 33, and a coil spring 35 attached to the pivot portion 33.

The torsion spring 31 biases the door 12 in the closing direction. The arm portion 32 is a member that extends from the outer periphery of the other end (right end) of the pivot shaft 12b of the door 12 in a direction perpendicular to the pivot shaft 12b. When the door 12 is in the closed position shown in FIG. 2, this arm portion 32 extends rearward from the outer periphery of the pivot shaft 12b, and as the door 12 pivots in the opening direction, the rear end portion pivots upward together with the pivot shaft 12b.

The rotating part 33 is provided above the arm part 32 and on the outside of the tray side wall part 11s (on the outer surface 11sp side). This rotating part 33 is a member that can rotate around a rotation axis 33b that is parallel to the rotation axis 12b of the door 12, and is rotatably attached to a frame (not shown) provided inside the housing 2 (see FIG. 1) via the rotation axis 33b.

The rotating part 33 extends in one direction and the other direction perpendicular to the rotating shaft 33b with the rotating shaft 33b in between, and the tip part in one direction perpendicular to the rotating shaft 33b is a rotating part side first abutment part 33a that abuts against the arm part 32. In addition, the rotating part 33 is provided with a cylindrical rotating part side second abutment part 33t at the tip side in the other direction perpendicular to the rotating shaft 33b, which extends parallel to the rotating shaft 33b toward the outer surface 11sp of the tray side wall part 11s and abuts against a tray side abutment part 34 provided on the outer surface 11sp.

The tray side abutment 34 provided on the tray side wall 11s protrudes from the outer surface 11sp of the tray side wall 11s, and the front surface 34a is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear.

The rotating part 33 is arranged so that the rotating shaft 33b is located rearward of the front surface 34a of the tray side contact part 34, and the rotating part side second contact part 33t contacts the front surface 34a of the tray side contact part 34 from the front. Furthermore, the rotating part 33 is biased by the coil spring 35 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7 (i.e., in the direction pressing the rotating part side second contact part 33t against the front surface 34s of the tray side contact part 34).

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 7, when the stacking tray 11 is stored inside the banknote dispensing unit 10, the rotating unit 33 is held in a rotated position with the rotating unit second abutment portion 33t pressed against the upper part of the front surface 34s of the tray abutment portion 34. Also, at this time, as shown in FIG. 8(A), which is a side view of the door lock mechanism 30 at the other end side (right end side) viewed from the right side, the rotating unit first abutment portion 33a of the rotating unit 33, which is opposite the rotating unit second abutment portion 33t, is located near the upper part of the arm portion 32 of the door 12 in the closed position (within the rotation trajectory of the arm portion 32).

In this state, if the door 12 is forcibly opened by rotating it in the open direction, as shown in FIG. 8(B), after only a small amount of rotation, the upper end of the arm 32 comes into contact with the first abutment 33a on the rotating part side of the rotating part 33, and the door 12 is locked so that it cannot be opened any further. In this way, the door lock mechanism 30 locks the door 12.

However, due to manufacturing errors and the like, it is difficult to bring the arm portion 32 of the door 12 in the closed position into contact with the first abutment portion 33a on the rotating portion side of the rotating portion 33. For this reason, a gap is provided between the arm portion 32 of the door 12 in the closed position and the first abutment portion 33a on the rotating portion side of the rotating portion 33 to allow for play in order to absorb manufacturing errors and the like. However, if a gap is provided between the arm portion 32 of the door 12 in the closed position and the first abutment portion 33a on the rotating portion side of the rotating portion 33, as shown in FIG. 8B, the door 12 can be rotated from the closed position in the open direction by the amount of the gap (for example, an angle of about 5 degrees).

8(C) shows a side cross-sectional view of the periphery of the door 12, and a shielding portion 12p is provided on the upper part of the front part 12a of the door 12, extending rearward (i.e., toward the accumulation tray 11). This shielding portion 12p is a plate-shaped member whose width length is approximately the same as that of the front part 12a, and extends from the front part 12a of the door 12 to above the tip of the banknote ejection restriction portion 17 when the door 12 is closed. Even if the door 12 is opened a certain amount (for example, about 5 degrees) from the closed position, this shielding portion 12p is interposed between the upper part of the front part 12a of the door 12 and the upper part of the banknote ejection port 4, so that the inside of the banknote ejection portion 10 is not visible from the upper part of the banknote ejection port 4, and thus shields the inside of the banknote ejection portion 10.

Here, we will explain the operation of the banknote dispensing unit 10 when the user receives the dispensed banknotes BL. The banknote dispensing unit 10 first slides the stacking tray 11 forward.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, as the tray side wall 11s of the accumulation tray 11 moves forward, the second pivoting part 33t of the pivoting part 33, which is in contact with the front surface 34a of the tray side abutment part 34, is pushed diagonally downward and forward perpendicular to the front surface 34a of the tray side abutment part 34. As a result, the pivoting part 33 pivots counterclockwise in FIG. 7 about the pivot shaft 33b, and the first pivoting part 33a moves away from the upper part of the arm part 32 and out of the rotation trajectory of the arm part 32.

This allows the arm portion 32 to rotate counterclockwise in FIG. 7, and the door 12 is unlocked. In this way, the door lock mechanism 30 unlocks the door 12. When the door 12 is unlocked, as shown in FIGS. 4(A) to (C), the accumulation tray 11 sliding forward pushes the door 12 forward, causing the door 12 to rotate in the opening direction about the pivot shaft 12b, and the accumulation tray 11 is pushed outward from the banknote withdrawal port 4 (see also FIGS. 3(A) and (B)).

At this time, the second pivot-side contact portion 33t of the pivot portion 33 reaches the lower end of the front surface 34a of the tray-side contact portion 34, and then enters the groove 11sd (see FIG. 7) that extends rearward from the lower end of the front surface 34a, and moves toward the rear end of this groove 11sd. Therefore, in the banknote dispensing unit 10, the accumulation tray 11 can be slid forward even after the second pivot-side contact portion 33t of the pivot portion 33 reaches the lower end of the front surface 34a of the tray-side contact portion 34.

Then, the banknote withdrawal unit 10 stops the sliding of the accumulation tray 11 when the accumulation tray 11 has been pushed forward a predetermined amount from the banknote withdrawal port 4. At this point, as shown in FIG. 4(C), approximately the front half of the accumulation tray 11 is pushed out from the banknote withdrawal port 4, and together with the accumulation tray 11, the front portion of the withdrawal banknote BL accumulated in the accumulation tray 11 is pushed out from the banknote withdrawal port 4.

In this way, the user grasps the center portion of the withdrawal banknote BL that has been pushed out together with the accumulation tray 11 from the banknote withdrawal port 4 while it is accumulated on the accumulation tray 11, and pulls it out forward. As shown in FIG. 4(C), when the accumulation tray 11 is pushed out forward from the banknote withdrawal port 4 and stops, the front end of the accumulation tray 11 is positioned forward of the door 12. This ensures that the door 12 does not get in the way when grasping and pulling out the withdrawal banknote BL accumulated on the accumulation tray 11.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, in the banknote withdrawal unit 10, the tip of the banknote ejection restriction unit 17 is pushed upward by the force of the user attempting to remove the withdrawal banknote BL, causing the banknote ejection restriction unit 17 to retract, allowing the user to easily remove the withdrawal banknote BL.

When the banknote withdrawal unit 10 detects by a sensor or the like (not shown) that a withdrawal banknote BL has been removed from the accumulation tray 11, it slides the accumulation tray 11 backwards and stores it inside. At this time, the door 12 closes while rotating in the closing direction due to the biasing force of the torsion spring 31. Also at this time, in the banknote withdrawal unit 10, the door lock mechanism 30 performs the opposite operation to that performed when sliding the accumulation tray 11 forwards, thereby again locking the door 12. The operation of the banknote withdrawal unit 10 when allowing a user to receive a withdrawal banknote BL is as described above.

As described above, in the banknote dispensing unit 10, for example, a maximum of 10 dispensing banknotes BL are stacked in the stacking tray 11, and unless the dispensing banknotes BL have excessive folds or wrinkles, the tip of the banknote ejection restriction unit 17 will not be pushed upward by the dispensing banknotes BL, except when the dispensing banknotes BL are removed.

Conversely, if the dispensed banknote BL has excessive folds or wrinkles, the dispensed banknote BL may push the tip of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17 upward. If the tip of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17 is pushed up to the height of the shielding section 12p of the closed door 12, the tip of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17 will interfere with the shielding section 12p, making it impossible to open and close the door 12 smoothly.

As shown in FIG. 8(D), the banknote dispensing unit 10 is configured such that the rotation range of the banknote ejection control unit 17 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8(D) when the stacking tray 11 is stored inside the banknote dispensing unit 10 is restricted by a device panel 40 provided in the vicinity of the upper part of the banknote dispensing port 4.

Specifically, the device panel 40 extends rearward from near the top of the banknote withdrawal port 4, and is positioned above the banknote ejection control section 17 when the stacking tray 11 is stored inside the banknote withdrawal section 10. The device panel 40 is positioned above the shielding section 12p of the closed door 12, and extends rearward further than the shielding section 12p.

The device panel 40 restricts the range of rotation of the banknote ejection restricting section 17 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8 (D) by abutting the upper end of a portion of the device panel 40 that is located rearward of the tip of the banknote ejection restricting section 17 that has been pushed upward (the portion that protrudes upward from the tip) against the rear portion of the underside 40b of the portion that extends rearward (the portion beyond the rear end of the shielding section 12p).

In other words, the device panel 40 is configured to restrict the range of rotation of the banknote ejection restriction section 17 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 8 (D) so that the tip of the banknote ejection restriction section 17 is positioned below the shielding section 12p of the closed door 12.

By doing this, even if the tip of the banknote ejection restricting section 17 is pushed upward in the banknote dispensing section 10, the tip of the banknote ejection restricting section 17 can be prevented from interfering with the shielding section 12p of the closed door 12, and the door 12 can be opened and closed smoothly.

The lower surface 40b of the device panel 40 is an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the upper end of the banknote dispensing port 4, and also has the function of guiding the upper end of the pushed-up banknote ejection control section 17 to the upper end of the banknote dispensing port 4.

[3. Summary and Effects]
As explained so far, in this embodiment, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 as a banknote processing device is provided with an accumulation tray 11 for accumulating withdrawal banknotes BL which moves forward in a first direction from a state stored inside the device (i.e. inside the housing 2) to be exposed outside the device (i.e. outside the housing 2), a banknote guide 16 which is provided on the top of the accumulation tray 11 and guides the withdrawal banknotes BL, and a banknote jump-out control section 17 which is rotatably attached to the front end (tip) of the banknote guide 16 and controls the withdrawal banknotes BL accumulated in the accumulation tray 11 from jumping out forward.

The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 has a nested shape in which the tip of the banknote fly-out prevention section 17 and the front end (front end) of the tray bottom 11b of the accumulation tray 11 overlap in the accumulation direction (up and down direction) of the withdrawal banknotes BL accumulated in the accumulation tray 11, and when the withdrawal banknotes BL are removed forward from the accumulation tray 11 exposed to the outside of the housing 2, the tip of the banknote fly-out prevention section 17 is pushed by the removed withdrawal banknote BL and rotates in a direction away from the front end of the accumulation tray 11.

In this way, the nested shape formed by the tip of the banknote fly-out restriction unit 17 and the front end of the accumulation tray 11 can restrict the withdrawal banknotes BL accumulated in the accumulation tray 11 from flying out forward. In addition, the tip of the banknote fly-out restriction unit 17 is pushed by the withdrawal banknotes BL removed from the accumulation tray 11 and rotates in a direction away from the tip of the accumulation tray 11 (i.e. upward), so that the banknote fly-out restriction unit 17 can be retracted so as not to interfere with the removal of the withdrawal banknotes BL. In this way, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 can easily receive banknotes while preventing banknotes from flying out.

The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 also has a rib 18 at the tip of the banknote ejection control section 17 that protrudes toward the front end of the stacking tray 11 (i.e., downward), and the rib 18 forms a nested shape with the front end of the stacking tray 11. The rear surface 18s of the rib 18, which is the surface facing in the opposite direction (rearward) from the first direction, is an inclined surface that rises in the opposite direction (rearward) from the first direction.

As a result, in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1, when the dispensing banknote BL is withdrawn forward, the dispensing banknote BL does not get caught on the tip of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17, and the dispensing banknote BL can push the rear surface 18s of the rib 18 of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17, thereby pushing the tip of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17 upward.

The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 also has a rib 20 that protrudes toward the tip end (i.e., upward) of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17 at the front end of the upper surface 11g of the tray bottom 11b, which is the accumulation surface of the accumulation tray 11, and the rib 20 forms a nested shape with the tip end of the banknote fly-out restriction section 17. The rear surface 20s of the rib 20, which is the surface opposite to the first direction, is an inclined surface that slopes downward in the opposite direction (rearward) from the first direction.

As a result, in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1, when the withdrawal banknote BL is removed forward, the withdrawal banknote BL moves up the rear surface 20s of the rib 20 of the accumulation tray 11 without getting caught on the front end of the accumulation tray 11, and the tip of the banknote ejection control section 17 can be pushed upward.

The banknote deposit/withdrawal machine 1 further includes a banknote withdrawal port 4 in front of the accumulation tray 11 stored inside the housing 2, and a door 12 that covers the banknote withdrawal port 4. When the accumulation tray 11 stored inside the housing 2 moves forward, the accumulation tray 11 pushes the door 12, thereby opening the door 12.

By doing this, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 does not require a drive unit such as a motor to open and close the door 12, and the configuration can be simplified.

Furthermore, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 is provided with a door lock mechanism 30 that locks the door 12 when the accumulation tray 11 is stored inside the housing 2 and unlocks the door 12 as the accumulation tray 11 moves forward from inside the housing 2.

This door lock mechanism 30 has a rotating part 33 as an engagement part that engages with the accumulation tray 11 and the door 12. When the accumulation tray 11 is stored inside the housing 2, the rotating part 33 engages (abuts) with the accumulation tray 11 and the door 12 to hold the rotational position, thereby locking the door 12. When the accumulation tray 11 moves forward, the engaging (abutting) accumulation tray 11 moves and rotates in a direction that releases the engagement with the door 12, thereby unlocking the door 12.

By providing such a door lock mechanism 30, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 can lock and unlock the door 12 without providing a dedicated drive unit for operating the door lock mechanism 30.

Furthermore, in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1, a shielding portion 12p is provided on the upper portion of the door 12, which extends in the opposite direction (rearward) from the first direction, and when the door 12 rotates around the lower pivot shaft 12b to open slightly, the shielding portion 12p is interposed between the upper portion of the door 12 and the upper portion of the banknote withdrawal port 4. In this way, in the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1, even if the door 12 opens slightly, the inside of the housing 2 cannot be seen from the banknote withdrawal port 4.

The banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 is further provided with a device panel 40 as a restricting section that restricts the rotation range of the banknote ejection restricting section 17 to the range between the shielding section 12p of the closed door 12 and the front end of the tray bottom 11b of the stacking tray 11. This prevents the banknote ejection restricting section 17 from interfering with the shielding section 12p of the closed door 12, allowing the door 12 to be opened and closed smoothly.

4. Other embodiments
[4-1. Another embodiment 1]
In the above-described embodiment, a rib 18 protruding toward the front end of the stacking tray 11 (i.e. downward) is provided at the tip of the banknote fly-out prevention section 17, and a rib 20 protruding toward the tip end of the banknote fly-out prevention section 17 (i.e. upward) is provided at the front end of the upper surface 11g of the tray bottom 11b, which forms the stacking surface of the stacking tray 11, so that the rib 18 of the banknote fly-out prevention section 17 and the rib 20 of the stacking tray 11 form a nested shape that overlaps in the stacking direction (up and down) of the withdrawn banknotes BL.

Without being limited to this, by using another configuration, the tip of the bill fly-out regulating part 17 and the front end of the stacking tray 11 may form a nested shape overlapping in the stacking direction of the dispensed bills BL. For example, a rib protruding downward may be provided at the tip of the bill fly-out regulating part 17, while a recess into which the rib is inserted may be provided at the front end of the upper surface 11g of the tray bottom 11b, so that the rib and the recess form a nested shape. Conversely, a rib protruding upward may be provided at the front end of the upper surface 11g of the tray bottom 11b, while a recess into which the rib is inserted may be provided at the tip of the bill fly-out regulating part 17, so that the rib and the recess form a nested shape. Without being limited to this, for example, the tip of the bill fly-out regulating part 17 and the front end of the tray bottom 11b may be formed into a comb-tooth shape that meshes in the vertical direction to form a nested shape.

[4-2. Other embodiment 2]
In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a cutout portion 16n is formed in the widthwise central portion of the front end side of the banknote guide 16, and a banknote fly-out control portion 17 is rotatably attached to one end side and the other end side of the front end side in the widthwise direction.

For example, the notch 16n of the bill guide 16 may be eliminated, so that the bill guide 16 is rectangular rather than concave when viewed from above, and a single bill ejection restriction part 17 with a widthwise length approximately equal to that of the bill guide 16 may be rotatably attached to the front end of the bill guide 16. In this case, forming a notch in the widthwise center part of the front end side of the bill ejection restriction part 17 makes it easier for the user to grasp the dispensed bill BL.

[4-3. Other embodiment 3]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the banknote fly-out control section 17 is configured to be biased by its own weight in a direction such that each tip portion approaches the front end portion of the tray bottom 11b, but this is not limited to the above, and the banknote fly-out control section 17 may be biased using a biasing member such as a torsion spring.

[4-4. Other embodiment 4]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 is provided with a door lock mechanism 30 that locks the door 12 when the accumulation tray 11 is stored inside the housing 2 and unlocks the door 12 as the accumulation tray 11 moves forward from inside the housing 2, but this is not limited to the above, and the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 may be provided with a door lock mechanism having a different configuration from the door lock mechanism 30.

[4-5. Other embodiment 5]
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to the banknote deposit and withdrawal machine 1 that allows a user to receive the dispensed banknotes BL by exposing the stacking tray 11 on which the dispensed banknotes BL are stacked to the outside of the housing 2, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to various banknote processing devices that allow a user to receive the banknotes by exposing the stacking tray on which the banknotes are stacked to the outside. For example, the present invention can be applied to a banknote dispensing machine that is only compatible with dispensing banknotes.

In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a banknote deposit/dispensing machine 1 that is incorporated as a banknote unit into a change machine (not shown) installed at the checkout counter of a retail store such as a supermarket, convenience store, or gas station, but the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to a banknote deposit/dispensing machine incorporated into a device other than a change machine.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and other embodiments. In other words, the scope of application of the present invention extends to embodiments in which the above-mentioned embodiments are combined in part or in whole with any of the above-mentioned other embodiments. Furthermore, the scope of application of the present invention extends to cases in which a part of the configuration described in any of the above-mentioned embodiments and other embodiments is extracted and replaced or diverted with a part of the configuration of any of the above-mentioned embodiments and other embodiments, or a part of the extracted configuration is added to any of the embodiments.

The present invention can be used in various banknote processing devices that eject banknotes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Banknote deposit and withdrawal machine, 2...Housing, 4...Banknote withdrawal port, 10...Banknote withdrawal section, 11...Stacking tray, 12...Door, 12b...Pivoting shaft, 12p...Shielding section, 16...Banknote guide, 17...Banknote fall-out prevention section, Banknote storage space, 16...Rejected banknote storage section, 17...Recovered banknote storage section, 18, 20...Ribs, 18s, 20s...Rear surface, 30...Door lock mechanism, 31...Torsion spring, 32...Arm section, 33...Pivoting section, 34...Tray side abutment section, 35...Coil spring, 40...Device panel, BL...Withdrawn banknotes, Sp...Stacking space.

Claims (11)

a stacking tray for stacking banknotes, the stacking tray being exposed to the outside of the device by moving in a first direction from a state where the stacking tray is stored inside the device;
a bill guide provided on an upper portion of the stacking tray for guiding the bills;
a banknote jump-out regulation section that is rotatably attached to an end of the banknote guide in the first direction and regulates the banknotes stacked in the stacking tray from jumping out in the first direction,
a first end of the banknote fly-out regulating section and a first end of the bottom of the stacking tray have a nested shape that overlaps in the stacking direction of the banknotes stacked in the stacking tray. The banknote processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the banknote is removed in the first direction from the stacking tray exposed to the outside of the device, the end of the banknote fly-out control portion is pushed by the removed banknote and rotates in a direction away from the end of the stacking tray. The banknote processing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a rib is provided at the end of the banknote fly-out regulating portion so as to protrude toward the end of the stacking tray, and the rib forms a nested shape with the end of the stacking tray. The banknote processing device according to claim 3 , wherein a surface of the rib of the banknote fly-out restricting portion opposite to the first direction is an inclined surface that rises in the opposite direction to the first direction. The banknote processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a rib is provided at the end of the stacking tray so as to protrude toward the end of the banknote fly-out regulating portion, and the rib forms a nested shape with the end of the banknote fly-out regulating portion. The banknote processing device according to claim 5 , wherein a surface of the rib of the stacking tray facing the opposite direction to the first direction is an inclined surface that slopes downward in the opposite direction to the first direction. The banknote processing device according to claim 2, characterized in that a direction perpendicular to the first direction and the banknote stacking direction is defined as a width direction, and the banknote fly-out control unit is rotatably attached to one end side and the other end side of the end of the banknote guide in the width direction. a bill dispensing port provided in front of the stacking tray housed inside the device;
a door for covering the banknote dispensing port,
The banknote processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that when the accumulation tray stored inside the device moves in the first direction and is exposed to the outside of the device through the banknote withdrawal port, the accumulation tray pushes the door, thereby opening the door. The banknote processing device according to claim 8, further comprising a door lock mechanism that locks the door when the accumulation tray is stored inside the device and unlocks the door as the accumulation tray stored inside the device moves in the first direction. The banknote processing device according to claim 9, characterized in that the door is opened and closed by rotating about a rotation axis provided on a lower side of the door, and a shielding part extending in a direction opposite to the first direction is provided on an upper part of the door. The banknote processing device according to claim 10, further comprising a restricting portion that restricts a rotation range of the banknote fly-out restricting portion to a range between the shielding portion of the closed door and the end portion of the stacking tray.

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