The present invention relates to a storing and issuing device for banknotes or other flexible documents.
More specifically, the invention relates to a storing and issuing device for banknotes and/or other flexible documents, for use in an equipment for the automatic processing of banknotes and/or documents, including a taking up roller, a motor for the taking up roller, at least one transport belt provided for wrapping on the taking up roller together with the banknotes and holding means actuatable for engaging an entering banknote and/or document to be stored with the transport belt.
An equipment for the automatic processing of banknotes and devices of storage and issuing of the above mentioned type are known from Italian Patent N. 1.285.312, assigned to CTS Cashpro S.p.A, and counterpart European Patent EP 795 842. Equipments and devices according to these patents are broadly installed and appreciated by the market, for flexibility, velocity and high reliability.
The devices for storing and issuing banknotes by means of taking up rollers and transport belts are normally arranged in respective drawers, which are detachably mounted in equipments for the automatic deposit and withdrawal of banknotes. The storage of the banknotes is substantially limited by the maximum diameter allowed for the full taking up roller and it determines the number of banknotes processable by the equipment in which the drawers are mounted. Therefore need of the market is to increase the capacity of the these devices, without increasing the overall dimensions of the drawers and without reducing other operative features.
Devices for storing and issuing banknotes with taking up rollers and transport belts are often used for temporarily filing banknotes, in equipments having drawers or box with different kind of storage. Also in this case, the quantity of banknotes which can be processed by the equipment is conditioned by the diameter of the full taking up roller used for the temporary filing.
Object of the present invention is to increase the capacity of storage of a banknote processing device with taking up roller and transport belt, by maintaining unchanged dimensions, functional features and reliability with respect to a corresponding processing device of standard capacity.
As a matter of fact, the devices of storage and issuing, of the type with transport belts, store the banknotes on the taking up roller, generally in the sense of the shortest dimension, together with the transport belt, for instance constituted by one or two thin belts in mylar, leaving a gap or space between the edges of the adjacent queued banknotes. In a mode of issuing of the device, the separation of the banknotes from the taking up roller is made easier by a stripping blades, generally in plastics, continually creeping on the transport belt wound together with the banknotes.
The queuing space between the adjacent banknotes is necessary for a reliable storage without jams of the banknotes and to discriminate a banknote, relatively to a following one. This space is function of various parameters of the operative components, as: differences of diameter of the taking up roller, inaccuracy of the motion, differences of height of the banknotes, variation of time which can pass between a banknote and the following one, etc. The spread of these parameters is rather large, mainly when the device provides servomechanisms of open loop type. Under these conditions and given maximum diameter of the taking up roller and thickness of the transport belt, the effective quantity of storable banknotes is 20÷30% less than the theoretical quantity.
Moreover, the queuing spaces between the banknotes of the taking up roller determine deformations with respect to the cylindrical outline of the spool formed by the banknotes and the transport belt. It is particularly evident in condition of almost full taking up roller, with a further increase of the general dimensions. The deformations of the belt on which operates the stripping blade are also cause of noisiness, dynamic instability and additional wears of the belt and the stripping blade, with reduction of the operative life of the device.
Also storage with partial superimposition of the banknotes determines irregularities on the external diameter of the spool belt-banknotes in the taking up roller, which can cause similar drawbacks regarding the life of the transport belt and the stripping blade.
The object of the invention is accomplished by a storing and issuing device for banknotes or other flexible documents, for use in an equipment for processing banknotes, comprising a taking up roller, a motor for the taking up roller, at least one transport belts, and holding means actuatable for the engagement of the banknote with the transport belt and in which the transport belt is provided for wrapping on the taking up roller together with the banknotes. The device includes an electronic unit for the holding means and the motor of the taking up roller, for causing the banknotes to be stored on the taking up roller with substantial contact between the input edge of an entering banknote and the output edge of a last stored banknote.
The substantial contact between the edges of the stored banknotes or documents optimizes the filling of the taking up roller, with increasing of the number of banknotes or storable documents processable by the equipment, without modifying the mechanics, with reduction of the noisiness and improvement of the reliability.
The invention is also achievable as an electronic control module for use in storage devices of equipments for the automatic processing of banknotes and comprising a taking up roller, a stepping motor for the rotation of the taking up roller, at least one transport belt provided for wrapping on the roller together with the banknotes, holding means actuatable for causing the banknote to be engaged with the transport belt and a sensor of output for controlling the transit of the banknotes. The electronic module is pre-set for controlling the holding means and the motor of the taking up roller on the basis of physical parameters of the device, the height of the banknote and in response to signals from the sensor of output, so as to store the banknotes on the taking up roller with void space queuing providing substantial contact between the input edge of an entering banknote and the output edge of a last stored banknote.
Further characteristics and advantages of the storing and issuing device for banknotes or other flexible documents according to the invention will appear clear from the following description given purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
A device 11 for storing and issuing banknotes 12 or other flexible documents is illustrated, as an example and in schematic way in
The device 11 is for use in a system or equipment 13 (
The equipment 13 and the device 11 can process flexible documents, different from the banknotes, as checks and notes, and of which the dimensional characteristics are known. From here forward, the term banknotes will also designate these documents.
The upper body of the equipment 13 includes an input vane 15 to temporarily file and introduce the banknotes, two output vanes 16 for issuing the banknotes, an electronic control unit 19 and other mechanisms, not shown, which provide to move the banknotes between the vanes 15 or 16 and the opening 18. The safe 17 includes a plurality of lodgments 20 and a transport mechanism 21 controlled by the electronic unit 19, to further move the banknotes 12. Each lodgment 20 can accommodate a drawer 22 with a respective device 11 for the deposit of the banknotes 12, and in which each drawer is provided for storing a given denomination of banknotes. The drawers have identical mechanical structure, and the denomination of the banknotes processable by the drawer is defined by program.
In the mode of acquisition of banknotes by the equipment 13, the banknotes 12 are taken from the input vane 15, validated and distributed between the drawers 22 on the basis of the denominations; in the mode of issuing, the banknotes are moved from the drawers 22 toward the output vanes 16. The lodgments 20 are overlapped the one another, arranged according to two columns and in which the drawers 22 are accessible through a frontal door (not shown in the drawings). The transport mechanism 21 is provided to move the banknotes 12 along a vertical path 23 interposed between the two columns of lodgments 20 and aligned with the opening 18.
The transport mechanism 21 includes a stepping motor 24, a transmission belt 25 toothed on opposite faces, a pair of transport rollers 28 adjacent to the opening 18 and a pressure roller 29. The belt 25 substantially extends in vertical through the whole height of the safe 17, adjacent to the rear wall. A first branch of the belt extends between a return pulley 26 coaxial with the roller 29 and a tensioning pulley 27, while a second branch extends between the pulley 27 and a pulley of the motor 24. The rollers 28 are in mutual engagement, arranged by opposite sides with respect to the path 23 and connected in the rotation with the return pulley 26. The pressure roller 29 is keyed on the return pulley 26 and is arranged, on a side of the path 23 immediately underneath the rollers 28.
The drawers 22 are supported by guides of the lodgments 20 and are shiftable perpendicularly to the path 23 for the mounting and the removal. Moreover, the drawers 22 of a column are offset of few in height with respect to the drawers of the other column. Each drawer 22 includes, adjacent to an open side, a series of four transport rollers 30, 31, 32 and 33: the roller 31 has motor function and is interconnected in the rotation with the roller 33 by means of pulleys and toothed belts not shown in the drawings.
The rollers 3033 are bidirectionally motorized by the transport mechanism 21 of the system 13. To this end, each drawer 22 has a toothed pulley integral in the rotation with the roller 31 and engageable with the teeth of the belt 25, while the tensioning pulley 27 maintains in tension the belt, independently of the number of the drawers mounted on the equipment. The rollers 30, 31, 32 and 33 of a drawer 22 arranged on a side of the path 23 are engageable by pressure with respective rollers arranged, in offset way, on the opposite sides of the path 23: the rollers 31, 32 and 33 of the drawers of left are opposed by the rollers 30, 31 and 32 of the drawers of right, while the roller 30 of the first drawer of left, the highest in figure, is opposed by the pressure roller 29. Thus, when the drawers 22 are in the lodgments 20, all the rollers 3033 have the function of dragging for the banknotes 12, along the path 23, without solution of continuity.
Each drawer 22 includes a selection diverter 42 between the rollers 31 and 32, in an interface zone 44 (
In the mode of acquisition, the equipment 13 (
In the mode of issuing, the equipment 13 moves the banknotes 12 upwardly along the path 23, with clockwise sense of motion for the belt 25, counterclockwise sense for the rollers 30-33 of the drawers at left in figure and clockwise sense for the rollers of the drawers at right. Then, the actuation of the electromagnet 45, through the diverters 42, allows the device 11 of the drawer associated to the respective denomination of banknote, to issue the stored banknotes from the path 46 of the drawers toward the path 23.
The device of storage and issuing 11 (
In turn, the pinch rollers 53 and 54 are arranged below the path 46 and, respectively, above the path 46, at a side of the rollers 50 and 51. The motors 60 and 61 are stepping motors of known type, controlled as open-loop servomechanisms, which rotate the rollers 50 and 51 through suitable pulleys and toothed transmission belts.
The transport belt 52 is provided for wrapping and carrying out between the taking up roller 50 and the feeding roller 51 and cooperates with the pinch roller 53 having function of return member, tangent to the path 46. The belt 52 includes two thin belts, of transparent plastic material of high resistance, for instance mylar, arranged side by side. The taking up roller 50 is provided for storing in spool the banknotes 12 together with the two belts. The pinch rollers 53 and 54 are offset arranged along the path 46 included between the interface zone 44 and the taking up roller 50. Therefore, the path for each banknote 12 on the device 11 has a first portion, included between the interface zone 44 and the pinch rollers 53 and 54, which is limited by the diverter 42 and a second portion, between the rollers 53 and 54 and the taking up roller 50, which is delimited by the belt 52.
The pinch rollers 53 and 54 are provided for mutual shifting between a configuration of engagement with the banknotes 12 and a configuration of disengagement on control of the electromagnet 79. The pinch roller 54 has function of pressing member and is supported by a bridge, which is urged by spring toward the roller 53. The electromagnet 79, when de-energized, determines the configuration of engagement with engagement by pressure between the pinch rollers 53 and 54. When the electromagnet is energized, it determines the configuration of disengagement with the roller 54 spaced apart from the roller 53.
In the configuration of engagement, the pinch roller 54 presses on the belts supported by the portion of roller 53 which is tangent to the path 46, and the belts are provided to drag, by adherence, the banknote 12 interposed between the belts and the roller 54. In the configuration of disengagement, a banknote 12 can slide with low friction on the belts, underneath the roller 54.
First and second photoelectric sensors, conventionally Photo-Out 66 and Photo-In 67 detect the presence of the banknotes 12 in respective areas of detection, while an electronic unit, herein represented with 65, controls the actuation of the motors 60 and 61 and the electromagnets 45 and 79. The sensor 66 is interposed between the interface zone 44 and the pair of pinch rollers 53 and 54, while the sensor 67 is interposed between the pinch rollers 53 and 54 and the taking up roller 50. The sensors 66 and 67 are adapted to supply a signal PHOTO-OUT and, respectively, a signal PHOTO-IN, when a portion of a banknote 12 crosses the respective area of detection. A further sensor 70 is provided to recognize the passage of final portions of the belt, supplying a signal associated to a condition of taking up roller 50 full, and of taking up roller 50 empty.
The device 11 further includes an accompanying roller 74 supported by a pair of lever arms 75 and urged by spring toward the taking up roller 50 to cooperate with the most external coils of the spool of belt and banknotes wound on the roller. Specifically, the accompanying roller 74 presses the belts on the area of tangency of the spool with the section of belt 52 directed toward the roller 53. In the mode of storage of the device, it ensures a good adherence of the banknotes 12 with the spool for a whatsoever condition of filling of the taking up roller 50. Moreover, two stripping blades 77 cooperate with the external coils of the spool wound on the roller 50 in an area adjacent to the roller 74 to facilitate the separation of the banknotes 12 from the belts of the spool, in the mode of issuing of the device. After the separation, the blades 77 guide the banknotes to on the unwinding belts. The stripping blades 77 are in plastic material and are supported by a pair of lever arms 78 urged by spring.
A simplified view of the device 11 according to the invention is represented in
With reference to
The electronic unit 65 (
According to the invention, the electronic unit 65 controls the holding means for the engagement between banknote 12 and belt 52 and the motor 60 of the taking up roller 50 so as to store the banknotes on the taking up roller with void space queuing of the banknotes providing substantial contact between the leading or input edge of an entering banknote and the trailing or output edge of a last stored banknote.
For the storage of the banknotes 12 in the drawer 22, on control of the equipment 13 of
The cycle of storage of the device 11 starts-up with the covering of the sensor Photo-Out 66 (
By the (calculated) time of engagement of the banknote Bn(n) with the roller 54, the electronic unit 65 begins to count the steps of the motor 60, up to the uncovering of the sensor Photo-Out 66 (
In detail, the electronic unit 65 includes a non-volatile memory 111 to store specific information of the equipment 13 and the drawer 22, and the number of the banknotes contained in the same drawer 22 to be processed for obtaining the whished result. For instance, the following operative parameters are used:
The height HBn varies, for instance for the banknotes of the European system, between a minimum of 62 mm, for a banknote of 5 Euro, to a maximum of 82 mm for a banknote of 500 Euro. The minimum height is greater of the distance Dr1 and the distance Dr2: as example, these distances are about 60 mm. It can be applied for other monetary systems, providing that the distances Dr1 and Dr2 limits the minimum height of the denomination of banknote processable by the device 11.
The device 11 also uses, as fixed parameters:
On the basis of the stored information and the signals from the sensor Photo-Out 66, the electronic unit 65 updates a counter of banknotes of the drawer and calculates:
The number of steps StIn is calculated and not detected because the detection through the sensors 67 and 66, in the conditions of substantial contact between the banknotes, could be negatively affected by the last stored banknote. The velocity VIn is obtained as pulses of control of the motor 60, associated to the diameter of the taking up roller 50 stored in the memory and referred to the detections and the calculations effected on the last stored banknote of the drawer. The law of motion of the velocity Vin provides an initial ramp of acceleration, a constant section VI1÷VIj (
Conveniently, after the storage in the taking up roller 50 (
The de-energization time TeI is calculated by the microprocessor 80 on the basis of the height HBn of the banknote associated to the drawer, the velocity Vtr, the distance Dr1 and by subtraction of the latency time TIt.
The steps of the motor 60 are suitably counted and the number of steps between the starting-up of the motor and the uncovering of the sensor 66, as end of the signal PHOTO-OUT, is used together with the distance D2 and the distance D1 to calculate the number of steps StIn. In turn, the velocity VIn is calculated on the basis of the distance D2, the height HBn and the steps StIn. Moreover, the microprocessor 80 calculates the steps StSt through further calculations based on the stored parameters. With the end of the signal PHOTO-OUT, the data StIns, VIn and StSt are stored in the memory 111 for the positioning of a following banknote to be stored.
A simplified flow chart of a program for a cycle of storage of the device 11 is represented with 121 in
The banknote 12 Bn(ns) enters the drawer 22, block 122, while the electronic unit 65 actuates the electromagnet 79 in association with the actuation of the electromagnet 45 of the diverter 42, block 123, and the opening of the pinch rollers 53, 54. On the passage of the input edge of the banknote (time t1 of
In a block 127, the program reads in the memory the parameters HBn, Vtr, D1 and TIt and calculates the de-energization time TeI for the electromagnet 79. Moreover, beginning from the time TeI, the program counts the steps of the motor 60, in a block 128, to calculate the reference steps of the motor associated to the passages of the input edge and the output edge of the entering banknote Bn(n. It for putting in relation these steps with the known height Hbn to determine the current diameter of the roller 50. The rollers 53 and 54 engage the banknote Bn(n) at the time t2 of
The end of the signal PHOTO-OUT, decision box 129, is indicative of the passage of the output edge of the banknote Bn(n) through the sensor 66; it actuates, in the block 132, updated calculations for obtaining the void space queuing of the banknote. For this calculation, the program reads the steps of the motor 60, block 128, and the parameters D2 and D1 to determine StIn, re-calculate the velocity VIn and determine the steps StSt lacking to the arrest of the motor. The passage of the output edge occurs at the time t3 of
Thereafter, the velocity VIn progressively decreases up to the time t4 and the arrest of the banknote Bn(n) at the position PBn (
The storing and issuing device according to the invention accomplishes an exact cylindrical section for the spool of the banknotes 12 (
For the issuing of the banknotes, the electronic unit 65 controls the rotation of the feeding roller 61 and the rotation of the roller 50, if necessary, and the actuation of the holding means, so as to issue, in a spaced way, the banknotes 12, stored with void space queuing on the taking up roller 50.
On control of the equipment 13, the cycle of issuing of the banknotes is preceded by a preparatory step (
The current diameter of the taking up roller 50 is calculated on the information from the sensors Photo-In and Photo-Out at the moment of issuing of the first banknote. For the following banknotes, wound at substantial contact, the diameter is calculated according to an algorithm of issuing based on the diameter regarding the last banknote, the number of the banknotes issued after the first one and the height of the same banknotes.
When the trailing edge of the issuing banknote uncovers the sensor Photo-Out 66, the program decrements the counter of the issuing banknotes, for updating the count of the diameter of the taking up roller 50 on the basis of the algorithm of issuing. At the end of the cycle of issuing, the program executes a cycle of final preset on the basis of information from the sensors Photo-In and Photo-Out, with actuation of the motor 60 of the taking up roller to position the edge of the last stored banknote at the corresponding position PBn.
In detail, the electronic unit 65 stores in the non-volatile memory 111, as operative parameters for the issuing, the number of the banknotes contained in the drawer 22 and the following information:
On the basis of the stored information and the signals from the sensors Photo-In 66 and Photo-Out 67, the electronic unit 65 updates the counter of banknotes of the drawer and calculates:
A simplified flow chart of the cycle of issuing is represented with 139 in
The cycle of issuing begins with a preparation step, block 141, in which the program starts up the motor 60 of the taking up roller 50, block 142, to rewind of few the last stored banknote, up to uncover the sensor Photo-In 67, decision box 143 (See also
The program proceeds, in block 149, to store the steps of the motor 61 for calculating the steps StOut and Vout and actuates the electromagnet 79 for the predetermined time, functional to the releasing of the banknote, block 151. At the detection of the passage of the trailing edge, decision box 152, the program, block 153, reads in the memory the velocity VOut for the motor 61 of the feeding roller 51 on the basis of the stored parameters.
To the block 153 follows block 154, of arrest for the motor 61 of the feeding roller and for a cycle of preset for a following state of the device.
Naturally, the principle of the invention remaining the same, the embodiments and the details of construction of the device for the storage and the issuing of banknotes can be widely varied with respect to what has been described and illustrated, by way of non-limitative example, without by this departing from the ambit of the present invention.
For example, position encoders for the roller 54 or optic sensors of position for the belt 52 can be provided, with simplification of the controls, in front of higher cost. Instead of a single transport belt, the wrapping of the banknotes can be effected through two overposed transport belts which engage the banknotes on both the faces. Viceversa, single belt which engages the central portion of the banknotes can be provided.
The device 11 can also be used for storing, with void space queuing, more denominations of banknotes in a single taking up roller. In this case, the device can provide, at the input, a sensor 161 (
The electronic unit can be accomplished, as electronic control module, for devices of storage and issuing already existing for use in equipments for the automatic processing of banknotes, in substitution or addition of the electronic unit of the existing devices.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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TO2007A0018 | Jan 2007 | IT | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2008/050261 | 1/10/2008 | WO | 00 | 1/19/2010 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2008/087095 | 7/24/2008 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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6647328 | Walker | Nov 2003 | B2 |
6834808 | Satou et al. | Dec 2004 | B2 |
20020113160 | Niioka et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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0 795 842 | Sep 1997 | EP |
1 405 808 | Apr 2004 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100133737 A1 | Jun 2010 | US |