JPH0440756B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a foreign matter intrusion prevention device at a paper sheet entrance/exit in a vending machine or the like.

(Prior Art) In recent years, the number of vending machines that handle not only coins but also banknotes and coupons has been increasing. A problem with this type of vending machine is the intrusion of foreign objects, such as rainwater and dust, through the bill opening of the bill receiving device. In other words, vending machines are usually installed outdoors or under eaves, and even though they are installed under eaves, leaving the banknote entrance open prevents rainwater and dust from entering during heavy rain or strong winds. I can't. For this reason, a cover plate 54 is usually provided at the banknote entrance/exit, as shown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIG. 2, this bill accepting device is provided with a bill detector 52, a drive roller 55 for bill conveyance, and a pinch roller 53 near a bill entrance/exit 51. The drive roller 55 is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown), and the drive mechanism is controlled by a control device that performs control operations based on a bill detection signal from the bill detector 52. That is, the banknote detector 52
When it is detected that a bill has been inserted into the bill slot 51, the drive roller 55 is driven in the direction of drawing in the bill (clockwise in the figure). As a result, if the leading edge of the bill reaches between the drive roller 55 and the pinch roller 53, the bill can be drawn into the device. Of course, the drive roller 55 is controlled so as to stop with the trailing end of the bill interposed between the drive roller 55 and the pinch roller 53.

Subsequently, a banknote validator (not shown) checks whether the drawn-in banknotes are genuine or not. If the banknotes are not genuine, a return switch is turned on and the drive roller 55 is driven in a direction to return (discharge) the banknotes.
Note that the control device ignores the bill detection signal from the bill detector 52 accompanying the return of the bill.

A cover plate 54 made of a transparent plate is rotatably supported on the bill slot 51 so that it can be easily rotated by pinching it with fingers.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, since the above-mentioned cover plate 54 is rotatable, it will be flipped up by wind pressure during heavy rain or strong winds, and rainwater, dust, etc. will enter through the bill slot 51. . This causes rusting, clogging, and malfunction inside the bill accepting device.

On the other hand, it is conceivable to bias the cover plate 54 in the closing direction by a spring or the like, but this will cause problems when the banknotes once inserted are returned. That is, if the inserted banknote is a fake, the banknote will be returned. Moreover, even if the inserted banknote is genuine, there are many cases where the banknote validator does not work properly and the banknote is returned, and the banknote is accepted after repeated insertion two or three times. During such a return operation, if the cover plate 54 is closed in a state where it is biased in the closing direction, the returned banknotes will become jammed in the conveyance path in a balled state. To take it out and reinsert it, the wrinkles that have formed on the banknote must be smoothed out, which is very troublesome.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a foreign matter intrusion prevention device that is highly effective in preventing the intrusion of foreign matter such as rainwater and dust.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A foreign matter intrusion prevention device according to the present invention includes a detector that is provided inside an entrance for paper sheets and outputs a detection signal when it detects the insertion of paper sheets, and a detector that is located near the entrance for paper sheets and outputs a detection signal when it detects the insertion of paper sheets. A conveyance mechanism for the paper sheets is a combination of a drive roller, a pinch roller, and a drive motor provided inside the device, and the authenticity of the paper sheets drawn in by the conveyance mechanism is identified. A recognition device outputs an identification signal indicating the paper sheet, and a forward/reverse control of the drive motor is performed based on the signals from the detector and the recognition device to move the drive roller in the paper sheet drawing direction (hereinafter referred to as normal rotation). In the paper sheet receiving device, the paper sheet receiving device is equipped with a control device that drives the paper sheets once drawn in in the ejection direction (hereinafter referred to as reverse direction), and the paper sheet receiving device has a control device that drives the paper sheets once drawn in in the ejection direction (hereinafter referred to as reverse direction). A cover plate is provided so as to be rotatable between an open position in which the entrance is closed and a closed position in which the entrance is closed, and a roller is interposed between the pinch roller and the rotation axis of the cover plate. The cover plate is held open or closed by the frictional force between the cover plate and the cover plate, and
The rotational force of the pinch roller is transmitted to the rotating shaft of the cover plate, and the frictional force is such that the cover plate can be opened and closed manually, and the control device When receiving the detection signal from the detector, the driving roller is rotated in the normal direction to drive the cover plate in the closing direction via the pinch roller and the roller, while the identification device detects whether the paper sheet is false or not. When receiving an identification signal indicating , the drive roller is reversely driven to drive the cover plate in the opening direction via the pinch roller and the roller, and after a predetermined period of time, the drive roller is rotated forward to open the cover. It is characterized in that the plate is driven in the closing direction.

(Function) With the above configuration, under normal conditions, the frictional force between the pinch roller and the roller acts on the cover plate as a holding force in the open or closed state. When inserting paper sheets, the cover plate is opened with fingers, and when paper sheets are inserted into the entrance/exit, a detection signal is output from the detector. Once the cover plate is opened, the drive roller is rotated in the normal direction by the control device that receives the detection signal, and the cover plate is rotated in the closing direction as paper sheets are drawn in by the normal rotation of the drive roller. On the other hand, when the identification device outputs a signal indicating that the paper sheet is false, the control device reverses the drive roller in order to return the paper sheet. When paper sheets are returned in this way, the pinch roller and the roller rotate in the opposite direction as the drive roller reverses, thereby rotating the cover plate in the opening direction. The cover plate opened at the time of return is rotated in the closing direction by the control device rotating the drive roller in the normal direction after a predetermined period of time.

(Example) Referring to FIG. 1, an example of the present invention will be described by applying it to a bill receiving device of a vending machine. A bill detector 52 for detecting insertion of a bill is provided near the bill entrance/exit 11 as in the conventional case. Cover plate 1 covering banknote entrance/exit 11
A roller 15 is fixed to the rotating shaft of 4. The banknotes are transported by the output shaft of the drive motor 18 and the belt 19.
This is performed by a drive roller 13 and a pinch roller 17, which are driven by being connected via a drive roller 13 and a pinch roller 17. Therefore, the drive roller 13, the pinch roller 17, the drive motor 18, and the belt 19 function as a sheet conveyance mechanism. In this embodiment, the roller 15 is brought into contact with the pinch roller 12 so that the rotational force of the pinch roller 17 is transmitted to the roller 15 via the pinch roller 12. In the figure, the position of the cover plate 14 indicated by a solid line indicates a closed position, and the position indicated by a chain double-dashed line indicates an open position.
5 and the pinch roller 12 by the locking force generated by the frictional force.

The frictional force between the roller 15 and the pinch roller 12 is set to such an extent that when the cover plate 14 is rotated with fingers or the like, the cover plate 14 can be opened and closed by sliding. Furthermore, a conventional banknote validating machine (not shown) is disposed inside the apparatus to determine whether the banknotes drawn in by the transport mechanism are genuine or false. This banknote validating machine identifies whether the drawn banknote is genuine or fake and outputs a signal representing the determination. The signals of the banknote detector 52 and the banknote validator are as follows:
It is supplied to a control device such as a microcomputer that controls the entire vending machine.

Here, only the operation of the control device related to the bill accepting device will be explained. When the control device receives a detection signal from the bill detector 52, the control device drives the drive motor 18 to move the drive roller 13 in the bill drawing direction ( (normal rotation). In this case, the cover plate 14 covers the pinch rollers 12, 17 and the roller 1.
5 to rotate in the closing direction. On the other hand, when receiving a signal indicating that the banknote is true from the banknote validator, the control device rotates the drive roller 13 in the normal direction again to convey the banknote to the storage section. Further, when receiving a signal indicating that the banknote is a fake, the control device rotates the drive roller 13 in the banknote discharge direction (reverse direction). In this case, the cover plate 14 is rotated in the opening direction by the pinch rollers 12, 17 and the roller 15. The control device further includes:
It has a built-in timer, and when a predetermined period of time elapses after the operation for discharging banknotes, the drive roller 1
Rotate 3 forward. In this way, the cover plate 14 that has been opened for bill ejection is closed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the transition of the operation of the banknote accepting device.

When inserting banknotes, press the cover plate 1 with your fingers.
4, the roller 15 and pinch roller 12
The cover plate 14 can be opened because of the slippage between the cover plate 14 and the cover plate 14, and can be held in the open state by the frictional force described above. In this state, when a bill is inserted into the bill slot 11 and detected by the bill detector 52 (step S1), the drive motor 18 rotates forward based on a drive signal from a control device such as a microcomputer. When the roller 13 rotates normally (step S2) and the leading edge of the bill reaches between the drive roller 13 and the pinch roller 17, the bill is drawn into the device. At the same time, the cover plate 14 is closed by the rotation of the roller 15 via the pinch roller 12, and the holding force due to friction prevents the cover plate 14 from opening due to wind or the like.

Next, the bill drawn into the device is identified by a bill validating machine as in the past to determine whether it is genuine or fake (step S3), and if it is genuine, a signal from the bill validating machine indicating this is sent. Then, the control device shifts to normal sales operation (S4). In this case, the drive roller 13 rotates normally, but the pinch roller 12 idles relative to the cover plate 14 which is already in the closed state. If the banknote is a fake, the control device performs a return operation in response to a signal from the banknote validator indicating this. In the bill return operation, the drive motor 18 is reversed based on a drive signal from the control device, so that the drive roller 13 is reversed (step S5), and the pinch roller 12 moves the roller 15 in the direction in which the cover plate 14 is opened. rotate it,
The cover plate 14 opens. Thereby, when the banknotes are returned to the outside of the device from the banknote entrance/exit 11, they are not obstructed.

The control device uses a built-in timer to monitor a predetermined time that is sufficient for the banknote to be pulled out by hand after it is returned outside the device (step S6), and when this predetermined time has elapsed, the drive motor 18 is rotated in the forward direction. The drive roller 13 is rotated in the normal direction until the cover plate 14 is closed (step S7). In this way, the cover plate 14 can be kept closed even after the bill is returned.

By the way, as a banknote detector, there are optical type (for example, a combination of a light emitting diode and a photo sensor),
Any mechanical type (for example, micro switch) may be used.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, it is possible to prevent foreign matter such as rainwater and dust from entering through the bill slot. This eliminates problems such as rust and clogging of the paper sheet receiving device, reduces troubles in product sales, and extends the life of the device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a conventional example, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 11 is a banknote entrance, 12 and 17 are pinch rollers, 13 is a drive roller, 14 is a cover plate, 1
5 is a roller, 18 is a drive motor.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A detector that is installed inside the paper sheet entrance/exit 11 and outputs a detection signal when it detects the insertion of a paper sheet, and a drive roller 13, a pinch roller 17, and a drive motor that are installed inside the device near the entrance/exit. 18
a conveyance mechanism for the paper sheets in combination with the above-mentioned paper sheet conveyance mechanism; a discriminator that identifies the authenticity of the paper sheets drawn in by the conveyance mechanism and outputs an identification signal indicating the authenticity; the detector; By performing forward/reverse control of the drive motor based on the signal from the discriminator, the drive roller is driven in the paper sheet drawing direction (hereinafter referred to as normal rotation), and the paper once drawn in is rotated. In a paper sheet receiving device equipped with a control device that drives leaves in a discharge direction (hereinafter referred to as reverse direction), the doorway has an open position in which the doorway is opened and a closed position in which the doorway is closed. A cover plate 14 is provided rotatably between the pinch roller and the rotating shaft of the cover plate, and a roller 12 is interposed between the pinch roller and the rotating shaft of the cover plate, so that the cover plate is opened by the frictional force between the pinch roller and the rotation axis of the cover plate. Alternatively, the closed state is maintained, and the rotational force of the pinch roller is transmitted to the rotating shaft of the cover plate, and the frictional force is such that the cover plate cannot be opened and closed manually. When the control device receives the detection signal from the detector, the control device rotates the drive roller in the normal direction to drive the cover plate in the closing direction via the pinch roller and the roller, On the other hand, when an identification signal indicating that the paper sheet is a fake is received from the identification device, the drive roller is reversed to drive the cover plate in the opening direction via the pinch roller and the roller, and for a predetermined period of time. A foreign matter intrusion prevention device at a paper sheet entrance/exit, characterized in that the cover plate is driven in a closing direction by subsequently rotating the drive roller in the normal direction.