The invention relates to a stacking apparatus for stacking value documents, such as bank notes, checks, vouchers, tickets, cards, as well as a value-document processing apparatus comprising such a stacking apparatus and a method for stacking the value documents with the help of the stacking apparatus.
In value-document processing apparatuses in which the value documents are transported at high transport velocity, stacking wheels for stacking the value documents are usually used which have sheet slots distributed over the circumference for receiving respectively one value document to be stacked. The sheet slots in the stacking wheel have a substantially spiral-shaped pattern. With regard to small value-document processing apparatuses, such stacking wheels are disadvantageous because of their large space requirements.
Further known is the stacking of value documents to a deposit means without the aid of a stacking wheel. Here, the value documents are continued to be moved from the transport path until they leave the engagement of the transport elements, e.g. transport rollers, and then on account of the gravitational force fall on the deposit means below or into a value-document cassette. Where applicable, a pusher is employed for actively pressing down the value document in the direction of the deposit means. Disadvantageous with such stacking apparatuses is the fact that they are suitable only for low transport velocities. When increasing the transport velocity, the quality of the deposited value-document stack deteriorates considerably.
It is hence one object of the invention to state a stacking apparatus which is suitable for stacking value documents which are transported with high transport velocity, and which has a low space requirement.
The stacking apparatus is configured for stacking value documents which are individually transported by a transport system at a transport velocity to the stacking apparatus and comprises:
The braking device has a transport shaft and a braking shaft between which the respective value document is transported through. On the transport shaft there is mounted at least one driving roller, which is firmly mounted (i.e. not supported) on the transport shaft, and—axially offset to the driving roller—at least one rotatably supported roller on the transport shaft. Further, on the braking shaft there is mounted at least one cam roller, which is firmly mounted (i.e. not supported) on the braking shaft, and there is—axially offset to the cam roller—at least one eccentric roller, which has an eccentric core firmly mounted on the braking shaft in eccentric position and a rotatably supported eccentric roller on the eccentric core.
The rotatably supported roller mounted on the transport shaft and the cam roller mounted on the braking shaft lie directly opposite each other with regard to the transport path of the value documents. By the rotation of the braking shaft, the cam of the cam roller can electively be brought in engagement with the opposing rotatably supported driving roller, so a value document being transported therebetween is clamped between these, or be brought out of engagement with the opposing rotatably supported roller so that the value document being transported therebetween is not clamped between the cam of the cam roller and the opposing rotatably supported roller.
Also the driving roller mounted on the transport shaft and the eccentric roller mounted on the braking shaft lie directly opposite each other with regard to the transport path of the value documents. By a rotation of the braking shaft, the eccentric roller can electively be brought in engagement with the opposing driving roller so that a value document between these becomes clamped, or be brought out of engagement with the opposing driving roller so that the value document is not clamped between the driving roller and the eccentric roller.
By the eccentricity of the eccentric roller and its phasing relative to the cam of the cam roller, it is attained that the clamping of the value document is released between the driving roller and the eccentric roller on time, shortly before the clamping between the cam of the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller sets in. In extreme cases this can also take place simultaneously. Thus the value document which is driven by the driving roller with a high transport velocity can be braked down abruptly to the lower transport velocity which is pre-specified by the rotation of the braking shaft and is transferred to the value document by the cam of the cam roller. Since the eccentric rollers and the cam rollers are mounted on the same shaft (on the braking shaft), there results a very compact construction of the stacking apparatus according to the invention.
The transport shaft and the braking shaft are arranged—as viewed along the value document's transport path—at the same coordinate, however, on opposing sides of the transport path. In comparison to a braking shaft which lies along the transport path at a coordinate behind the last transport clamping, this has the advantage that the value document is driven up to the last-possible moment before the braking. Thereby it is ensured that the next value document cannot run onto the preceding value document. Thus a rapid succession of the value documents becomes possible, in spite of the braking, and therefore a high throughput of value documents is attained.
To attain a controlled transporting and braking, the cam of the cam roller and the driving rollers are preferably equipped on their surface with a material with increased friction, e.g. rubber.
For realizing the invention it can suffice if there is mounted on the transport shaft only one driving roller and on the braking shaft correspondingly only one eccentric roller, and/or on the braking shaft only one cam roller and on the transport shaft correspondingly only one rotatably supported roller. If only one respective roller is employed, this is configured preferably a little wider (roller-shaped). In an embodiment example, however, several driving rollers and several rotatably supported rollers on the transport shaft are mutually axially offset and several eccentric rollers and several cam rollers on the braking shaft are mutually axially offset.
In a first angle range of the braking shaft rotation, the respective value document is urged against (clamped to) the opposing driving roller by the eccentric roller in order for the value document to be further transported by the driving roller. During the engagement of the respective eccentric roller with the respective driving roller, the cam of the cam roller is not in engagement with the respectively opposing rotatably supported roller so that the value document is not clamped between the cam of the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller. In the first angle range of the braking shaft rotation, there exists a distance between the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller in which the respective value document is not urged against/clamped to the rotatably supported roller by the cam of the cam roller, but rather is movable relative to the cam roller. The distance between the cam of the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller is so large in the first angle range of the braking shaft rotation that the respective value document is movable relative to the cam roller, but is not urged against/clamped to the rotatably supported roller by the cam of the cam roller.
In a second angle range of the braking shaft rotation, which does not overlap with the first angle range, the cam of the cam roller is brought in engagement with the opposing rotatably supported roller so that the value document can be clamped between these and can be braked—relative to the driving roller—by the cam. During the engagement of the cam of the respective cam roller with the respective rotatably supported roller, the respective eccentric roller is not in engagement with the opposing driving roller so that the value document is not clamped between the driving roller and the eccentric roller, but is brakable relative to the driving roller. The distance between the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller is in the second angle range of the braking shaft rotation zero or so small that the value document is clamped between these and can be braked relative to the driving roller.
The cam of the cam roller and the eccentric core of the eccentric roller are so mounted at a mutual angular offset on the braking shaft that for that angle range of the braking shaft rotation in which the eccentric roller is urged onto the opposing driving roller, the cam of the cam roller is not in engagement with the opposing rotatably supported roller, but rather there remains a space between cam of the cam roller and the opposing rotatably supported roller. In that angle range in which the cam of the cam roller is in engagement with the opposing rotatably supported roller, the eccentric roller is not in engagement with the opposing driving roller, but rather there remains a space between the eccentric roller and the driving roller in which the respective value document is not urged against the driving roller, but rather is brakable relative thereto.
Preferably there is attached on that shaft of the braking device which is arranged below the value-document transport path (hereinafter designated as a lower shaft)—this can be the braking shaft (if this is below) or the transport shaft (if this is below)—at least one auxiliary element which is firmly mounted on the lower shaft. In the angle range of the cam, the auxiliary element protrudes radially beyond the cam. For example, the auxiliary element can have the form of a hook, however, it can also be a straight element oriented radially toward the braking shaft.
With the auxiliary element the rearward end of the value document can be urged in the direction of the stack deposit means upon rotating the braking shaft. The auxiliary element is so mounted on the lower shaft that upon rotation the braking shaft it urges the rearward end of the value document in the direction of the stack deposit means, after the trailing edge of the value document has left the clamping between the cam and the rotatably supported roller. Upon the rotation of the braking shaft, the auxiliary element touches the value document only after the cam of the cam roller has begun clamping the value document. The auxiliary element can be configured rigidly or flexibly. Preferably several auxiliary elements are arranged mutually axially offset on the lower shaft, e.g. distributed over the width of the value document. A controlled depositing of the value document with further improved stacking quality is attained by one or several such auxiliary elements.
The stacking apparatus according to the invention has further a control device which is configured to carry out the stacking of the value documents as described.
The rotation of the braking shaft is effected not at constant velocity, but rather according to a velocity profile which will run through periodically exactly once for every value document to be braked. The velocity profile is so chosen that the braking shaft at first does not rotate as long as the leading edge and the leading portion (e.g. the front half) of the value document are being transported past the braking device. At a time point while the trailing part (e.g. the back half) of the value document is transported past the braking device, the rotation of the braking shaft is begun and the angular velocity of the cam roller is accelerated to a braking velocity, which is substantially lower than the transport velocity with which the transport shaft is (constantly) rotated. The rotation of the braking shaft with the braking velocity will be maintained for a braking period, at least until the trailing edge of the value document leaves the clamping between the cam of the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller. The rotation of the braking shaft is then accelerated to an angular velocity for which the angular velocity of the cam is higher than the angular velocity of the driving rollers, and is then again stopped and paused until the next value document is to be braked.
Preferably the rotation of the braking shaft is coordinated with the arrival time of the leading edge and trailing edge of the value documents so that the engagement between the cam of the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller begins at a place on the value document which lies in the trailing half of the value document. Along the circumference of the cam roller the cam is so long that this engagement remains at least until the trailing edge of the value document leaves the clamping between the cam of the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller.
The transport shaft is rotated with a constant velocity, which is preferably so chosen that the circumferential velocity of the driving roller corresponds (at least approximately) to the transport velocity at which the value documents are being transported by the transport system to the braking device. Thus an unwanted compression of the value document is avoided upon arrival at the braking device.
Moreover, the braking device can be configured to straightly align value documents transported obliquely. For this purpose the braking device can have two mutually parallel, coaxial braking shafts which are axially spaced apart and rotatable independently from each other. The two braking shafts are arranged at laterally opposing sides of the value document.
For aligning the value document, both braking shafts are rotated with a mutual time offset and/or rotated at different velocities in that angle range in which the value document is clamped between the cam roller and the rotatably supported roller. For example, the braking shaft rotation is started earlier for that braking shaft at which the value document arrives earlier than for the other braking shaft, so that the value document on the side of the braking shaft started earlier is brought in engagement with the cam of the cam roller at an earlier stage than with the other braking shaft. To determine the extent of the value document's oblique position and therefrom—with the help of the value-document velocity—the required time delay of the braking shafts, the braking device preferably has two laterally offset light barriers which register respectively the leading edge and/or trailing edge of the relevant lateral side of the value document.
The rotation of the braking shaft with the braking velocity will be maintained until the trailing edge of the value document leaves the clamping between the cam and the rotatably supported roller, is then accelerated to an angular velocity at which the circumferential velocity of the cam is higher than the circumferential velocity of the driving rollers, is thereafter again stopped and paused until the next value document is to be braked.
Moreover, the invention relates to a value-document processing apparatus which has the stacking apparatus according to the invention. The braking device is connectable to the transport system of the value-document processing apparatus to individually take over, i.e. to further transport, brake and stack, value documents being transported by the transport system. The value-document processing apparatus is, e.g., a value-document sorting machine which is configured for checking the value documents and for this purpose has corresponding sensors along the transport path of the value documents and, where applicable, also for the transporting of the value documents to different deposit means or stacking apparatuses.
Further advantages of the present invention are to be found in the following description of embodiments examples. There are shown:
The transport shaft 2 is rotated—in contrast to the braking shaft 4—at constant velocity. For example, it is rotated so fast that the circumferential velocity of the driving rollers corresponds to the transport velocity at which the value documents 10 are being transported by the transport roller pair 1, 3 to the braking device 20. This can be attained with the help of a mechanical coupling of the transport shaft 2 with the driven shaft 1 of the upstream transport shaft pair 1, 3, e.g. by means of a belt 7.
In this example, the driving rollers 11 and the rotatably supported rollers 12 are mounted alternately on the transport shaft, correspondingly also alternately the eccentric rollers 13 and the cam rollers 14 on the braking shaft. All eccentric rollers 13 are mounted at the identical angular position on the braking shaft 4. And all cam rollers 14 are also mounted in the same angular position on the braking shaft 4, however, in other angular position than the eccentric rollers 13.
In the shown example, the transport shaft 2 is above and the braking shaft 4 below the transport path of the value documents 10. Conversely, however, it is also possible to arrange the transport shaft 2 below and the braking shaft 4 above the transport path of the value documents 10. However, in any case the auxiliary elements 17, if present, are on that of the two shafts which is arranged under the transport path of the value documents.
At the time of
The rotating of the braking shaft 4 is so controlled that—at the beginning of the clamping between cam rollers 14 and rotatably supported rollers 12—the value document 10 has passed the braking device 20 already by at least half. The right starting time for the braking shaft rotation can be determined with the help of one or several light barriers 29 which are arranged along the transport path of the value documents 10 before the braking device (and, where applicable, also before the pair of transport rollers 1, 3). For this purpose the stacking apparatus has a control device 30, e.g. a microprocessor which is devised for this purpose, e.g. is accordingly programmed to carry out the stacking of the value documents as described. The control device 30 receives the trailing edge signal of the light barrier 29 and starts the motor 6 of the braking shaft 4 accordingly on time.
Up to the time points shown in the
In the time window lying between t2 and t3, the value document is braked with the help of the friction between the cams 24 of the cam rollers 14 and the rotatably supported rollers 12. Between the eccentric rollers 13 and their opposing driving roller 11 there remains in this time window such a large distance 21 that the respective value document is not urged against the driving roller, but rather is brakable relative to the driving roller. At the time point t3, the trailing edge of the value document 10 leaves the clamping between the cams 24 of the cam rollers 14 and the rotatably supported rollers 12. Depending on the extension of the value document in transport direction, the time point t3 can also be moved somewhat on the time axis in the direction of t2 or t4.
At the time point t4, the end of the cam 24 leaves the engagement with respectively opposing rotatably supported roller 12. The braking shaft 4 is accelerated to a higher angular velocity VM>VB up to the time point t5. This angular velocity VM of the braking shaft 4 is also higher in this example than the (constant) angular velocity VT of the transport shaft 2. Thus it is attained that the eccentric rollers 13 are available on time in order to take over the next value documents 10 transported there by the pair of transport rollers 1, 3, i.e. to clamp it between the eccentric roller 13 and the driving rollers 11 so that said value document is further transported with the high transport velocity VT (to thereafter be braked like the preceding value document). The high rotating velocity VM is maintained up to the time point t6 and thereafter the rotation of the braking shaft 4 is braked. At the time point t7, the rotation of the braking shaft 4 is stopped again and the braking shaft 4 stands still up to the time point t0 of the next period.
In
Each of the two braking shafts 4a, 4b has its own motor 6a or 6b. The independent rotation of both braking shafts 4a, 4b enables—in addition to stacking—the aligning of the transported value documents 10, e.g. a straight alignment, if these are transported obliquely. Thus by a time-delayed braking of the two lateral sides of a value document 10, its oblique alignment can be corrected.
To determine the time delay by which the rotation of both braking shafts 4a, 4b should begin offset, the arrival time of the leading edge and/or trailing edge of the respective value document is measured, e.g. with the help of two light barriers. The reflective light barrier 19 having the appurtenant reflector 15 is associated with the braking shaft 4a, the reflective light barrier 18 having the appurtenant reflector 16 with the braking shaft 4b, cf.
Due to the fact that for the value document 10 shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2014 012 867 | Aug 2014 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/EP2015/001751 | 8/27/2015 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2016/030018 | 3/3/2016 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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4364552 | Besemann | Dec 1982 | A |
Number | Date | Country |
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3007435 | Oct 1981 | DE |
01192661 | Aug 1989 | JP |
07223764 | Aug 1995 | JP |
H08198493 | Aug 1996 | JP |
Entry |
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German Search Report for corresponding German Application No. 102014012867.9, dated May 6, 2015. |
International Search Report for corresponding International PCT Application No. PCT/EP2015/001751, dated Jan. 4, 2016. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170275109 A1 | Sep 2017 | US |