阅读说明：本技术 自动纸币处理系统 (Automatic paper money processing system ) 是由 上沟顺亮 上田贵司 于 2020-06-16 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种自动纸币处理系统(1),包括：臂(300),用于从存储纸币MT的存储容器(400)取出纸币；以及纸币输送装置(500),用于输送臂(300)取出的纸币(MT)。臂(300)以保持从存储容器(400)取出的纸币(MT)的水平方向的朝向的状态移动到纸币输送装置(500)。(The invention provides an automatic banknote handling system (1) comprising: an arm (300) for taking out a bill from a storage container (400) storing the bill MT; and a bill transport device (500) for transporting the bill (MT) taken out by the arm (300). The arm (300) moves to the bill conveying device (500) in a state of keeping the horizontal direction of the bills (MT) taken out of the storage container (400).)

1. An automated banknote handling system comprising:

an arm for taking out the paper money from a storage container storing the paper money; and

a paper money conveying device for conveying the paper money taken out by the arm,

wherein the arm moves to the bill conveying device in a state of maintaining the orientation of the bill taken out from the storage container in the horizontal direction.

2. An automated banknote handling system comprising:

an arm for taking out the paper money from a storage container storing the paper money; and

a paper money conveying device for conveying the paper money taken out by the arm,

wherein the arm moves to the bill conveying device in a state of holding a posture of the bill taken out from the storage container.

3. The automatic banknote handling system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the transport device transports the banknotes in a posture taken out by the arm.

4. The automatic banknote processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the conveying device comprises:

a bill housing section into which the bills taken out by the arm are put; and

and a guide rail for linearly sliding the bill receiving section in a direction away from the storage container.

5. The automatic banknote processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the paper money sorting device further comprises a sorting mechanism for sorting the conveyed paper money in a state of being accommodated in the conveying device.

6. The automatic banknote processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein,

the paper money conveying device further comprises a mechanism for preventing the paper money of the conveying device from flying out of the conveying device during or after the conveying.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a technology of an automatic paper money processing system for conveying and arranging paper money.

Background

Conventionally, "a banknote handling apparatus to which an articulated robot arm with a robot (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as a" hand-equipped arm ") is applied has been proposed (for example, japanese patent application laid-open No. 62-92095). In such a banknote handling apparatus, a banknote bundle stacked in a banknote stacking unit is held by a manipulator having a hand arm and conveyed to a banknote counting/banknote confirming unit by an articulated robot arm, and the banknote bundle is sorted by denomination by the banknote counting/banknote confirming unit and the number of banknotes per denomination is counted. Then, the bundle of banknotes classified into each denomination is transported to a prescribed position by another arm with hand according to the denomination.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 62-92095.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The technical problem of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-use automatic banknote handling system.

Means for solving the problems

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic banknote handling system comprising: an arm for taking out the paper money from a storage container storing the paper money; and a paper money conveying device for conveying the paper money taken out by the arm. The arm moves to the bill conveying device while maintaining the orientation of the bills taken out of the storage container in the horizontal direction.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an easy-to-use automatic banknote handling system.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the overall structure of an automatic banknote handling system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a right side view showing the entire structure of the automatic banknote handling system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a bill storage container according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a first arm of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a side view of a second arm of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a robot hand according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a side view of a robot of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a side view showing the banknote storage container and the robot in a state where the front cover of the banknote storage container according to the embodiment of the present invention is opened.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view showing a banknote storage container and a robot hand in a state where the robot hand is inserted into the banknote storage container according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a side sectional view showing a banknote storage container and a robot hand in a state where the robot hand is inserted into the banknote storage container according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a side view showing a conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a plan view showing a conveying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a first side view schematically showing the operation of the transport apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a first side view schematically showing the operation of the transport apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a plan view showing the case and the third arm of the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 16 is a side view of a third arm of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 18 is a diagram showing container kind data of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram showing each container data of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating lock data according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description thereof will not be repeated.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the automatic banknote handling system 1 according to the present embodiment mainly includes a BOX transport device 800, a BOX sensor 850, a reversing device 860, a first arm 200, a second arm 300, a banknote transport device 500, a printer 600, a fourth arm 700, a third arm 100, an imaging device 150, a storage unit 190, and a control device for controlling these devices. In the present embodiment, these devices are mounted on the stage 50. More specifically, the control device is housed under the table 50, and an operation unit 930 and a display unit 940 are disposed on the table 50.

A conveyor 800 is disposed in front of the table 50. The first arm 200 is disposed on the left side of the rear of the transport apparatus 800. The second arm 300 is disposed on the right side of the rear of the transport apparatus 800. A fourth arm 700 is disposed behind the first arm 200, and the printer 600 is disposed behind the fourth arm 700. The third arm 100 is disposed behind the second arm 300, and the accommodating portion 190 is disposed behind the third arm 100. Further, the banknote transport device 500 is disposed from between the first arm 200 and the second arm 300 to between the fourth arm 700 and the third arm 100.

The functions, structures, operations, and the like of the respective parts constituting the automatic banknote handling system 1 will be described below. For the sake of description, hereinafter, the direction from the third arm 100 to the second arm 300 is referred to as the front direction, the direction from the second arm 300 to the third arm 100 is referred to as the rear direction, the direction from the first arm 200 to the second arm 300 is referred to as the right direction, the direction from the second arm 300 to the first arm 200 is referred to as the left direction, the plumb direction is referred to as the up direction, and the plumb direction is referred to as the down direction. In other words, the upper side in fig. 1 is referred to as the front of each device, the lower side in fig. 1 is referred to as the rear of each device, the right side in fig. 1 is referred to as the right side of each device, the left side in fig. 1 is referred to as the left side of each device, the direction near the front of the paper surface in fig. 1 is referred to as the upper side of each device, and the direction near the rear of the paper surface in fig. 1 is referred to as the lower side of each device.

< BOX transport device 800 >

First, the structure of the BOX transport apparatus 800 will be described. The bill storage container 400 shown in fig. 3 is placed on the end (upper side in fig. 1) of the transport device 800 by a shop worker. The bills are stacked and accommodated in the bill storage container 400. The transport device 800 transports the bill storage container 400 to the vicinity of the first arm 200.

In the present embodiment, an IC tag or the like for storing information on the banknote storage container 400 is embedded in a surface of the lock hole of the banknote storage container 400 or a back side of the front cover. For example, various information related to the banknote storage container 400, such as the type of the banknote storage container 400 and identification information of the set device, is stored in the IC tag. Then, the kind of the bill storage container 400 is determined by imaging the bill storage container 400 with the camera 851 near the transport device 800. Further, the BOX sensor 850 in the vicinity of the transport apparatus 800 performs communication by an optical sensor and communication by RFID, thereby reading various information of the IC tag. In the present embodiment, the control device 900 (see fig. 17) acquires the type, size, position of the lock hole, and angle of the lock hole of the target banknote storage container 400 based on data from the BOX sensor 850 and an image from the imaging unit 350 attached to the second arm 300, and transmits the information to the first arm 200 and the second arm 300.

When the direction of the lock hole is not on the first arm 200 side, the control device 900 changes the orientation of the bill storage container 400 by the reversing device 860.

Note that the BOX sensor 850 may be configured to read various information related to the banknote storage container 400 by using infrared rays or the like, and is not limited to the banknote storage container 400 in which an IC tag is embedded. For example, the BOX sensor 850 preferably has an IC sensor, an infrared sensor, a barcode sensor, a proximity sensor, or the like.

< first arm 200 >

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, the first arm 200 has a key 210 for unlocking the front cover 420 of the bill storage container 400. For example, the first arm 200 inserts the key 210 into the key hole of the banknote storage container 400 by moving the position of the key 210 up and down, back and forth, left and right, or rotating the key 210 based on information on the position and angle of the key hole from the control device 900. The first arm 200 unlocks the bill storage container 400 by rotating the key 210 based on an instruction from the control device 900, and directly opens the front cover 420. More specifically, the control device 900 correctly determines the vertical and horizontal positions of the keyhole and the rotation angle of the keyhole based on the image obtained from the image capturing unit 350 of the second arm 300, and transmits a control command to the first arm 200 to insert the key 210 into the keyhole.

< second arm 300 >

As shown in fig. 5, a hand 302 for gripping a bill is attached to the front end of the articulated arm 301 of the second arm 300.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the robot 302 is a two-finger type robot, and is attached to the front end of the second arm 300 as shown in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the robot 302 is mainly composed of a movable finger 310, a fixed finger 320, a movable finger raising/lowering mechanism 330, a connecting unit 340, and an imaging unit 350. These components are described in detail below.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the movable finger 310 is formed of a base portion 311, an intermediate portion 312, and a claw portion 313. As shown in fig. 6, the base portion 311 is a thick plate portion having a substantially rectangular shape. As shown in fig. 6, the intermediate portion 312 is a thick plate portion having a substantially trapezoidal shape, and extends from the front end of the base portion 311 toward the front Dy. The width of the intermediate portion 312 is narrower toward the front Dy. As shown in fig. 6, the claw portion 313 is an elongated and substantially rectangular thick plate portion, and extends from the front end of the intermediate portion 312 toward the front Dy. Here, as shown in fig. 7, the tip end portion of the claw portion 313 is formed in a shape protruding downward. As shown in fig. 7, in the movable finger 310, the upper surface of a portion from the base end of the intermediate portion 312 to the tip end of the claw portion 313 is inclined downward from the base end of the intermediate portion 312 toward the tip end of the claw portion 313. As shown in fig. 7, a rubber piece Sr is attached to the lower surface of the claw portion 313. The movable finger 310 is fixed to a front lifting plate 332f (described later) of the movable finger lifting mechanism 330 on the base end side of the base portion 311. Further, a reinforcing plate 315 (see fig. 6 and 7) is provided to improve the joining strength between the movable finger 310 and the front lifter plate 332 f. The reinforcing plate 315 is fixed to both the movable finger 310 and the front lifter plate 332 f.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the fixed finger 320 is formed of a base 321, an intermediate portion 322, a claw portion 323, and a protruding portion 324. As shown in fig. 6, the base 321 is a thick plate portion having a substantially rectangular shape. As shown in fig. 6, the intermediate portion 322 is a thick plate portion having a substantially trapezoidal shape, and extends from the front end of the base portion 321 toward the front Dy. The width of the intermediate portion 322 is narrower toward the front Dy. As shown in fig. 6, the claw portion 323 is an elongated and substantially rectangular thick plate portion, and extends forward Dy from the widthwise center of the side surface on the distal end side of the intermediate portion 322. As shown in fig. 7, a notch Cv is provided on the upper side of the claw portion 323. As a result, as shown in fig. 6, the tip end portion of the claw portion 323 is formed in a shape protruding upward. As shown in fig. 7, in the fixing finger 320, the lower surface of the portion from the middle position to the tip of the claw portion 323 is inclined upward from the middle position toward the tip. As shown in fig. 6, the protruding portion 324 is an elongated, substantially rectangular thick plate portion having the same width as the claw portion 323, and extends forward Dy from the front end of the claw portion 323. As shown in fig. 7, the front end position Ts of the protruding portion 324 is located forward of the front end position Tm of the claw portion 313 of the movable finger 310. That is, protruding portion 324 of fixed finger 320 protrudes further forward Dy than claw portion 313 of movable finger 310. Further, a rubber piece (rubber sheet) Sr as an anti-slip member is attached to the protruding portion 324. As shown in fig. 7, the attachment position of the rubber piece Sr does not face the attachment position of the rubber piece Sr of the movable finger 310. The fixed finger 320 is fixed to a support plate 331 (described later) of the movable finger raising/lowering mechanism 330. In addition, a pair of reinforcing plates 325 (see fig. 6 and 7) are provided on the left and right sides in order to improve the joining strength between the fixing finger 320 and the support plate 331. These reinforcing plates 325 are fixed to both the fixing fingers 320 and the support plate 331. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the fixed finger 320 faces the movable finger 310 in the ascending and descending direction of the movable finger 310.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the movable finger lift mechanism 330 is a two-stroke lift mechanism, and is mainly composed of a support plate 331, a front lift plate 332f, a rear lift plate 332r, a front cylinder mechanism 333f, and a rear cylinder mechanism 333 r. The support plate 331 supports the rear side cylinder mechanism 333 r. The rear cylinder mechanism 333r is a double-acting cylinder and is a driving source for moving up and down the rear lift plate 332 r. As described above, the rear cylinder mechanism 333r is attached to the support plate 331. A front cylinder mechanism 333f is attached to the rear lift plate 332 r. The front cylinder mechanism 333f is a double acting cylinder and is a driving source for moving up and down the front lifting plate 332 f. As described above, the movable finger 310 is attached to the front lifter plate 332 f. That is, the rear cylinder mechanism 333r moves up and down the rear lift plate 332r, thereby moving up and down the front cylinder mechanism 333f, the front lift plate 332f, and the movable finger 310. On the other hand, the front cylinder mechanism 333f moves up and down the front lifting plate 332f to lift up and down the movable finger 310. As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the front side cylinder mechanism 333f and the rear side cylinder mechanism 333r are provided with air supply/exhaust ports 335 and 336, respectively. Air supply/exhaust pipes (not shown) are connected to these air supply/exhaust ports 335 and 336.

The connection portion 340 is a portion for connecting the robot 302 to the second arm 300, and is, for example, a flange or the like.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, the image pickup unit 350 is a small camera such as a CCD camera, for example, and is fixed to the right side of the movable finger raising and lowering mechanism 330 by a support arm SA extending from the support plate 331 of the movable finger raising and lowering mechanism 330. The image pickup unit 350 intermittently picks up an image and transmits electronic data of the picked-up image to a control device (not shown).

Next, an example in which the second arm 300 of the present embodiment draws out a banknote bundle from the banknote storage container 400 will be described. Before describing the second arm 300, the banknote storage container 400 will be described.

As shown in fig. 3, the banknote storage container 400 is mainly composed of a frame 410, a front cover 420, a holding plate 411, and support bases 412a and 412 b. As shown in fig. 3, the housing 410 is a rectangular parallelepiped box having an open front side. The depth of the frame 410 is set to be sufficiently longer than the length of the fixing finger 320. The front cover 420 is a plate member having a substantially rectangular shape, and is supported on the upper side of the opening edge of the housing 410 so as to be openable and closable via an opening and closing mechanism such as a hinge. The holding plate 411 is a member that holds the banknote bundle MT in cooperation with the support tables 412a and 412b, and is provided at a position slightly above the center of the frame 410 in the height direction so as to be vertically movable. Further, a semicircular cutout Rs is provided at the front center of the holding plate 411. The support tables 412a and 412b are left and right separation type support members that clamp the banknote bundle MT in cooperation with the clamp plate 411, and are fixed to the left and right sides on the lower side of the housing 410. A slit Rt is formed between these supporting bases 412a and 412 b. The slit Rt extends in the depth direction. In the banknote storage container 400, the clamp plate 411 is biased downward by a biasing member (coil spring or the like) provided on the upper side thereof. That is, the banknote bundle MT accommodated in the banknote storage container 400 is pressed against the support bases 412a and 412b by the clamp plate 411. As shown in fig. 3, in the banknote storage container 400, a banknote bundle MT is stored between the support tables 412a and 412b and the clamp plate 411 in a state where the longitudinal direction of the banknotes is along the depth direction.

When the second arm 300 draws out the banknote bundle MT in the banknote storage container 400, the second arm 300 operates as follows, for example, by the control device 900.

First, the controller 900 controls the operation of the second arm 300 to move the hand 302 to a predetermined position and to face a predetermined direction (see fig. 8). Here, the predetermined position is a position on the front side of the banknote storage container 400, and the predetermined direction is a direction in which the image pickup unit 350 can pick up an image of the front side of the banknote storage container 400.

Next, the controller 900 controls the second arm 300 and the robot 302 to raise the movable finger 310 to the uppermost position, and then inserts the tip of the fixed finger 320 into the slit Rt of the support tables 412a and 412b (see fig. 9 and 10). At this time, the movable finger 310 is positioned above the cutout Rs of the holding plate 411, and the fixed finger 320 is positioned directly below the banknote bundle MT (see fig. 10). At this time, the fixed finger 320 is inserted to the middle position of the slit Rt, but the movable finger 310 is inserted only to the position above the notch Rs of the chucking plate 411 (see fig. 10). That is, the fixed fingers 320 contact the lower surface of the banknote bundle MT over a length of about half the length of the banknote bundle MT in the longitudinal direction, and the movable fingers 310 contact only the upper surface of the banknote bundle MT on the front side (see fig. 10).

Subsequently, the controller 900 moves the movable finger 310 downward to grip the banknote bundle MT together with the fixed finger 320. The controller 900 controls the operation of the second arm 300 to retract the robot 302, thereby drawing out the banknote bundle MT from the banknote storage container 400.

In particular, in the present embodiment, as will be described later, the controller 900 controls the operation of the second arm 300 to transfer the banknote bundle MT to the banknote transport device 500 without changing the posture of the manipulator 302. Thus, the second arm 300 can quickly transit to the image pickup process and the bill removal process for the lock hole of the next bill storage container 400.

< paper money transporting device 500 >

As shown in fig. 1, the banknote transport device 500 is disposed at a substantially central portion of the table 50, and moves the banknote bundle MT received from the second arm 300 to the vicinity of the third arm 100 as it is. Referring to fig. 11 and 12, the banknote transport apparatus 500 includes: an accommodating part 510 for accommodating bills; a slide mechanism 520 for moving the accommodating portion 510 from beside the first arm 200 to beside the third arm 100; and a sorting mechanism 530 for sorting the banknotes.

The storage unit 510 includes a bottom surface 511 on which banknotes are placed, and wall portions 512, and 512 surrounding four corners of the banknotes so that the banknotes are not exposed from the storage unit 510. Preferably, the width and positional relationship of the wall portions 512, 512 easily correspond to various kinds of banknotes of various countries. In other words, for relatively large banknotes, the gaps between the banknote and the wall portions 512, 512 are small, whereas for relatively small banknotes, the gaps between the banknote and the wall portions 512, 512 are large. For example, the space surrounded by the wall portions 512, 512 is formed to have a size slightly larger than the inner size of the banknote storage container.

As described later, the bottom surface 511 is formed with a groove 511X along the front-rear direction for drawing the fixing finger 320 of the robot 302 of the second arm 300 rearward. In addition, a groove 511Y for allowing the fixing finger 120 of the third arm 100 to enter is formed in the bottom surface 511 along the left-right direction.

Note that, in the storage box 510 of the present embodiment, the upper side is opened, and the gap through which the second arm 300 for inserting the banknote bundle MT passes, that is, the gap between the two wall portions 512 and 512 on the rear side is provided on the side surface, and the gap through which the third arm 100 for withdrawing the banknote bundle MT passes, that is, the gap between the two wall portions 512 and 512 on the right side is provided on the side surface, but the shape of the storage box 510 is not limited to the above shape, and may be any shape as long as the banknote bundle MT can be inserted quickly. For example, a gap may be formed only at one side, and the gap may be commonly used by the first and second arms 200 and 300.

The slide mechanism 520 is not particularly limited as long as the housing portion 510 can be slid in the front-rear direction. For example, the actuator having the housing unit 510 attached to the tip end thereof may be slid by a motor, or a chain or a belt that moves together with the housing unit 510 may be driven by a driving roller or a driven roller driven by a motor.

The operation of the banknote transport apparatus 500 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 13 and 14. First, in a normal state, the housing unit 510 of the banknote transport device 500 stands by near the third arm 100. In this state, the bill storage container 400 is conveyed to the vicinity of the second arm 300 by the BOX conveyor 800 and is unlocked by the first arm 200, whereby the front cover 420 is opened.

As shown in fig. 13(a), the second arm 300 inserts the robot arm 302 into the banknote storage container 400, and grasps and takes out the banknote bundle MT. It should be noted that the second arm 300 preferably inserts the manipulator 302 into the banknote storage container 400 and withdraws the banknote bundle MT slightly forward, and then reinserts the manipulator 302 into the banknote storage container 400 and securely grips the banknote bundle MT again.

As shown in fig. 13(B), the second arm 300 draws out the bill from the bill storage container 400.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 13(C), after the banknotes are drawn out from the banknote storage container 400, the second arm 300 images the inside of the banknote storage container 400 by the imaging unit 350, and thereby confirms whether or not the banknotes remain.

When it is confirmed that there is no remaining bill, the controller 900 moves the storage unit 510 forward, that is, near the second arm 300, by the slide mechanism 520, as shown in fig. 13 (D). In more detail, the sliding mechanism 520 moves the receiving portion 510 to the left side of the base of the second arm 300.

As shown in fig. 14(a), the articulated robot arm 301 of the second arm 300 moves the robot 302 directly above the housing unit 510 without changing the posture of the robot 302.

As shown in fig. 14(B), the articulated robot arm 301 of the second arm 300 moves the robot arm 302 into the housing portion 510 without changing the posture of the robot arm 302. In the present embodiment, the articulated robot arm 301 of the second arm 300 lowers the robot 302 without changing the posture of the robot 302. In other words, the robot arm 301 moves the robot arm 302 downward while maintaining the orientation and inclination of the robot arm 302 itself.

At this time, the claw portions 313, 323 of the robot 302 descend inside the housing portion 510, that is, inside the wall portions 512, and the base portions 311, 321 of the robot 302 descend outside the housing portion 510. In other words, the intermediate portions 312, 322 or the base portions 311, 321 of the robot arm 302 descend through between the two wall portions 512, 512 on the rear side.

As shown in fig. 14(C), when the manipulator 302 reaches the bottom surface 511 of the housing section 510, the second arm 300 ends the gripping of the banknote bundle MT and draws the manipulator 302 out of the housing section 510. That is, the claw portions 313 and 323 are drawn out backward through the groove portion 511X and between the two rear wall portions 512 and 512. The articulated robot arm 301 of the second arm 300 moves the robot arm 302 to a position deviated from the path of the bill conveying device 500, for example, a photographing position of a lock hole of the bill storage container 400.

As shown in fig. 14(D), the controller 900 moves the accommodating portion 510 to the rear, that is, to the vicinity of the third arm 100, by the slide mechanism 520. In particular, in the present embodiment, a sorting mechanism 530 for sorting corners of the banknote bundle MT surrounded by the wall portions 512, 512 is attached to the rear end portion of the slide mechanism 520.

The aligning mechanism 530 is a long resin member, and is configured to be movable in the front-rear direction. The arranging mechanism 530 is disposed at a position where the front end portion of the arranging mechanism 530 enters the inside of the wall portions 512, 512 when the accommodating portion 510 moves to the rear end portion of the slide mechanism 520. Accordingly, even if the storage unit 510 moves backward violently and suddenly stops at the rear end of the slide mechanism 520, since the banknotes first come into contact with the sorting mechanism 530 and lose momentum, the probability that the banknotes are thrown outward from between the rear wall portions 512 and 512 or that the banknotes collide with the rear wall portions 512 and are thrown upward from the storage unit 510 can be reduced.

When the accommodating section 510 stops at the rear end portion of the slide mechanism 520, the paper is placed by the fourth arm 700, and the finisher mechanism 530 vibrates in the front-rear direction. Thus, the banknotes are pressed against the front wall portions 512 and 512 by the front end portion of the sorting mechanism 530, and as a result, the corners of the banknote bundle MT are sorted.

In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 13(a) and (B), the robot arm 301 is inserted into the banknote storage container 400 and picks up and takes out the banknote bundle MT with the robot arm 302 being oriented horizontally in the front-rear direction. As shown in fig. 13(C), the robot arm 301 preferably has the robot arm 302 oriented in the vertical direction to capture an image of the inside of the banknote storage container 400, but does not swing in the horizontal direction. As shown in fig. 13(D) to 14(C), the robot arm 301 moves the robot arm 302 to a position directly above the housing unit 510 while keeping the robot arm horizontal and oriented in the front-rear direction, and then moves the robot arm down into the housing unit 510. That is, in the present embodiment, the swinging motion of the robot 302 in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the bill is picked, for example, the left-right direction in a plan view, is reduced, so that the robot 302 can be moved at high speed without dropping the bill.

Note that the robot 302 may not perform a swinging motion in the vertical direction. That is, the robot arm 301 is inserted into the banknote storage container 400 with the robot arm 302 horizontally oriented in the front-rear direction, picks up and takes out the banknote bundle MT, moves right above the housing unit 510, and then lowers the banknote bundle MT into the housing unit 510. That is, by reducing the operation of swinging the robot 302, the robot 302 can be moved at a high speed without dropping the bills.

< Printer 600 >

The printer 600 prints information indicating that the banknote bundle MT is taken out from the target banknote storage container 400 on a sheet of paper and discharges the sheet of paper. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the control device 900 acquires various information on the banknote storage container 400 from the BOX sensor 850. The control device 900 transmits the identification information of the bill storage container 400 to the printer 600. The printer 600 prints the identification information of the bill storage container 400 on a sheet of paper and discharges the sheet of paper.

< fourth arm 700 >

When the bill conveying device 500 conveys the bill to the rear, the fourth arm 700 grips the sheet positioned in the sheet discharge portion of the printer 600. The printer 600 prints the identification information of the banknote storage container 400 that has stored the banknotes on the sheet. The fourth arm 700 places the grasped sheet on the upper surface of the bill in the housing section 510. Thereafter, the paper sheets are sorted together with the banknote bundle MT by the sorting mechanism 530.

More specifically, in the present embodiment, the banknote bundle MT is arranged in the front-rear direction by the arranging mechanism 530, and the banknote bundle MT is arranged in the left-right direction by the fourth arm 700. In the present embodiment, the banknote bundle MT is arranged in the upper right corner of the housing unit 510 by the above-described two operations.

< third arm 100 >

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the third arm 100 is mainly composed of a robot hand 110 and a robot arm RA. These components are described in detail below.

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the robot 110 is a two-finger type robot. The robot 110 is fixed to the tip of the robot arm RA. As shown in fig. 16, the manipulator 110 is mainly configured by a movable finger 111, a fixed finger 112, a movable finger reciprocating mechanism 113, a drag preventing unit 117, a drag preventing unit reciprocating mechanism 118, and a link 119.

As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the movable finger 111 is a bifurcate portion for gripping the banknote bundle MT. Both of the two fingers of movable finger 111 are thick plate portions facing fixed finger 112 (described later) substantially in parallel. The movable finger 111 is fixed to a first lifting plate 114 (described later) of the movable finger reciprocating mechanism 113. Further, a mark is displayed on the side surface of the movable finger 111.

As shown in fig. 16, the fixed finger 112 has a double-fork shape (not shown) for gripping the banknote bundle MT. Both of the two fingers of fixed finger 112 are thick plate portions facing movable finger 111 substantially in parallel. Further, the fixed finger 112 is fixed to a support plate 116 (described later) of the movable finger reciprocating mechanism 113. Further, a mark is displayed on the side surface of fixed finger 112 on the same side as the mark display surface of movable finger 111. The marks displayed on movable finger 111 and fixed finger 112 are arranged in a direction parallel to the opposing direction of movable finger 111 and fixed finger 112.

As shown in fig. 16, the movable finger reciprocating mechanism 113 is mainly composed of a first elevating plate 114, a second elevating plate 115, and a support plate 116. The second lifting plate 115 supports the first lifting plate 114, and the support plate 116 supports the second lifting plate 115. The first lifting plate 114 and the second lifting plate 115 are lifted and lowered by a mechanism (not shown) provided in each of them (for example, a cylinder mechanism). That is, the movable finger 111 fixed to the first elevation plate 114 is also moved up and down by the first elevation plate 114 and the second elevation plate 115 being moved up and down. Therefore, the banknote bundle MT can be gripped between the fixed finger 112 and the movable finger 111 that moves up and down, and the gripping state can be released.

As shown in fig. 16, the drag prevention unit 117 is a rectangular plate-like member and is fixed to a tip of a drag prevention unit reciprocation mechanism 118 (described later). The drag prevention unit 117 reciprocates in the front-rear direction by the drag prevention unit reciprocation mechanism 118.

The drag prevention section reciprocating mechanism 118 is a mechanism for preventing dragging of the banknote bundle MT when the manipulator 110 is retracted from the conveyance destination of the banknote bundle MT, and is positioned between the two fingers of the fixed finger 112, provided substantially parallel to the fixed finger 112, and fixed to the support plate 116 of the movable finger reciprocating mechanism 113, as shown in fig. 18. The drag prevention unit reciprocating mechanism 118 is a mechanism (not shown) that reciprocates (for example, an air cylinder mechanism or the like), and reciprocates the drag prevention unit 117 in the front-rear direction.

By configuring the drag prevention unit 117 and the drag prevention unit reciprocation mechanism 118 as described above, when the manipulator 110 gripping the banknote bundle MT transports the banknote bundle MT to the destination and releases the gripping state and retracts the banknote bundle MT from the destination, the drag prevention unit 117 prevents dragging of the banknotes by moving the drag prevention unit reciprocation mechanism 118 forward. Therefore, when the manipulator 110 is retracted, the banknote bundle MT can be prevented from collapsing.

As shown in fig. 16, the connection portion 119 is a portion for connecting the robot arm 110 and the robot arm RA, and is, for example, a flange.

The robot arm RA is, for example, an existing multi-axis robot arm. As shown in fig. 15 and 16, the base end of the robot arm RA is rotatably attached to the fixed stand.

In the present embodiment, the imaging device 150 is disposed in the vicinity of the third arm 100. As shown in fig. 15, the imaging device 150 is a digital camera such as a CCD camera, for example, and is provided at a position where it can image the side surface of the robot 110 when the robot 110 grips the banknote bundle (broken line) MT indicated by a dotted line. The imaging device 150 captures images so that the side surfaces of the movable finger 111 and the fixed finger 112 of the robot hand 110 holding the banknote bundle MT are accommodated in one image, and acquires captured data. Then, the imaging device 150 transmits the imaging data to the control device 900 in accordance with a control signal from the control device 900. Note that a series of processing in the imaging device 150 is performed between the time when the manipulator 110 grips the banknote bundle MT and the time when conveyance of the banknote bundle MT is started.

In the present embodiment, the control device 900 measures the thickness of the banknote bundle MT based on the distance between the marks of the movable finger 111 and the fixed finger 112 of the robot 110 based on the imaging data transmitted from the imaging device 150. The control device 900 measures the thickness of the banknote bundle MT by analyzing and calculating the distance between the marks when the manipulator 110 grips the banknote bundle MT from the captured data. Then, the control device 900 derives the transport speed and the radius of gyration of the banknote bundle MT in accordance with the thickness data (hereinafter, referred to as "thickness data") of the banknote bundle MT. The control device 900 may derive the transport speed and the radius of gyration corresponding to the thickness data by, for example, comparing the thickness data with a control table stored in a memory described later, or may derive the transport speed and the radius of gyration corresponding to the thickness data by substituting the thickness data into a calculation formula for calculating the transport speed from the thickness data and a calculation formula for calculating the radius of gyration from the thickness data. Then, the control device 900 transmits data of the transport speed and the turning radius of the banknote bundle MT to the third arm 100. Note that controlling the transport speed and the turning radius of the banknote bundle MT means controlling the transport speed and the turning radius of the robot 110.

Next, a control example of the banknote storing process performed by the third arm 100 will be described. Here, as an example of a destination to which the banknote bundle MT is conveyed, a cassette CA attached to a rotary table TA is used as shown in fig. 15. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this example.

First, the controller 900 controls the robot arm RA to move the robot 110 to a position where the robot 110 waiting at a predetermined position can grip the banknote bundle (see the broken line in fig. 15) MT. Then, the controller 900 controls the movable finger reciprocating mechanism 113 of the robot 110 to move the movable finger 111 of the robot 110 lifted upward in advance downward and grip the banknote bundle MT together with the fixed finger 112. Here, it is preferable that the banknote bundle MT is previously aligned so that the manipulator 110 can easily hold the banknote bundle MT.

Next, in a state where the manipulator 110 holds the banknote bundle MT, the imaging device 150 images the side surfaces of the movable finger 111 and the fixed finger 112 of the manipulator 110 so as to be accommodated in one image. The imaging device 150 transmits the imaging data to the control device 900. These series of processes are performed between the time when the manipulator 110 grips the banknote bundle MT and the time when the third arm 100 starts conveying the banknote bundle MT.

Next, the control device 900 receives the image pickup data transmitted from the image pickup device 150. The control device 900 measures the thickness of the banknote bundle MT based on the positional relationship between the movable finger 111 and the fixed finger 112 of the robot 110 in the captured data. Then, the control device 900 derives the transport speed and the turning radius of the banknote bundle MT corresponding to the thickness data, and sends these data to the control section of the third arm 100. These series of processes are also performed between the time when the manipulator 110 grips the banknote bundle MT and the time when the third arm 100 starts conveying the banknote bundle MT. Then, the third arm 100 performs the control described below using the transport speed and the turning radius of the fed-out banknote bundle MT.

For example, as the thickness of the banknote bundle MT becomes thicker, the control device 900 decreases the transport speed of the banknote bundle MT and shortens the turning radius. Further, as the thickness of the banknote bundle MT becomes thinner, the control device 900 increases the transport speed of the banknote bundle MT and increases the turning radius. However, the control device 900 controls the transport speed and the turning radius of the banknote bundle MT within the range of the maximum value and the minimum value set for each of the transport speed and the turning radius of the banknote bundle MT. The controller 900 controls the robot arm RA to transport the banknote bundle MT to the cassette CA as the transport destination. The control device 900 controls the robot arm RA to sequentially stack the banknote bundles MT in the cassette CA.

Next, the controller 900 controls the robot arm RA to insert the movable finger 111 and the fixed finger 112 of the robot 110 into the back side of the casing CA, and then controls the drag prevention unit reciprocating mechanism 118 to move the drag prevention unit 117 forward and controls the movable finger reciprocating mechanism 113 to lift the movable finger 111 upward, thereby releasing the held state and releasing the banknote bundle MT. Then, the control device 900 controls the robot arm RA to retract the robot arm 110 from the housing CA while maintaining the tilt angle of the robot arm 110. At this time, since the drag prevention section reciprocating mechanism 118 moves forward, the drag prevention section 117 prevents the banknote bundle MT from being dragged. After the robot 110 has completely retracted from the housing CA, the controller 900 controls the drag prevention unit reciprocation mechanism 118 to pull back the drag prevention unit 117. Finally, the controller 900 controls the robot arm RA to move the robot 110 to a predetermined position and prepare for the next conveyance of the banknote bundle MT.

< accommodation part 190 >

Referring to fig. 15, the accommodating portion 190 includes a rotary table TA and a plurality of cases CA. In the present embodiment, the two cases CA are disposed back to back on the turntable TA. The first case CA faces one side of the third arm 100, and the second case faces the opposite side of the third arm 100.

The control device 900 calculates the thickness of the banknote bundle MT grasped by the third arm 100 based on the image data from the photographing device 150, and calculates the amount of banknotes stacked in the first cassette CA by accumulating the thicknesses of the banknote bundle MT. When a predetermined amount or more of bills are stacked in the first cassette CA, the controller 900 rotates the rotary table TA so that the second cassette CA faces the third arm 100. During this period, the operator detaches the first cassette CA from the rotary table and moves to the apparatus for performing the next work.

< control device 900 >

Next, the configuration of the control device 900 will be described with reference to fig. 17. The control device 900 is mounted with a CPU910, a memory 920, a display 930, an operation unit 940, a communication interface 960, and the like. The CPU910 controls each unit of the automatic banknote processing system 1 and each unit of the control device 900 according to the program of the memory 920. The CPU910 receives a command from the operation unit 940, and displays the operation state of the automatic banknote handling system 1 on the display 930. The CPU910 acquires data from each unit of the automatic banknote processing system 1 or controls each unit of the automatic banknote processing system 1 via the communication interface 960.

For example, the memory 920 stores the container kind data 921 as shown in fig. 18. The container type data 921 stores the size of the bill storage container, the position of the lock hole, the angle of the lock hole, the type of the lock, and the like, in accordance with the type of the bill storage container.

In addition, the memory 920 stores individual container data 922 as shown in fig. 19. The individual container data 922 stores identification information, the type of the banknote storage container, the device set in the previous time, the date and time when the banknote was last collected, and the like, for each banknote storage container.

Thus, the CPU910 specifies the type of the target banknote storage container 400 by referring to the individual container data 922 or specifies the position and angle of the lock hole by referring to the container type data 921 based on the information received from the BOX sensor 850. The CPU910 also transmits the position and angle of the lock hole to the first arm 200 via the communication interface 960.

The CPU910 calculates the thickness of the banknote bundle MT picked up this time, stores the thickness of the accumulated banknotes in the memory 920, and rotates the rotary table TA when a predetermined amount of banknotes are accumulated in the cassette CA, based on data from the imaging device 150 of the third arm 100.

< second embodiment >

The first arm 200 may have a plurality of kinds of keys corresponding to the kinds of the bill storage containers 400. The front cover 420 can be unlocked by a key corresponding to the bill storage container 400 by detection of the BOX sensor 850.

In more detail, the memory 920 of the control device 900 stores the lock data 923 shown in fig. 20. The lock data 923 stores, for each type of lock, identification information, a correction value of a position of the lock with respect to a position of the lock as a reference, a correction value of an angle of the lock with respect to an angle of the lock as a reference, a size of the lock, that is, a width, a height, a depth, and the like.

Thus, the CPU910 specifies the type of the target banknote storage container 400 by referring to the individual container data 922, the position and angle of the lock hole by referring to the container type data 921, or the type and correction value of the lock corresponding to the banknote storage container 400, based on the information received from the BOX sensor 850. Then, the CPU910 transmits the position, angle, kind of lock, and correction value of the lock hole to the first arm 200 via the communication interface 960. Thus, the first arm 200 corrects the position and angle by the correction value, and inserts a predetermined key into the lock hole of the bill storage container 400 to unlock the same.

< third embodiment >

In the above embodiment, the second arm 300 grips the bundle MT of banknotes in the banknote storage container 400, and inserts the banknotes into the housing unit 510 while holding the posture of the banknotes. However, the second arm 300 may change the posture of the bill to insert the bill into the housing unit 510.

In more detail, it is preferable that the second arm 300 can more swiftly photograph the locking hole of the next bill storage container 400 after picking up the bills in one bill storage container 400, or can more swiftly pick up the bills in the next bill storage container 400. For this reason, even if the posture is slightly changed, it is sufficient if the bill of the first arm 200 can be promptly removed from the bill storage container 400 by the transport device 500.

< fourth embodiment >

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the functions of the respective devices may be assumed by other devices, or the functions of one device may be assumed by a plurality of devices, or the functions of a plurality of devices may be assumed by one device.

For example, the second arm 300 may have the function of the first arm 200, and conversely, the first arm 200 may have the function of the second arm 300. Alternatively, the first arm 200 or the other arm may have a photographing function of the second arm 300.

Alternatively, for example, the control structure of the automatic banknote handling system 1 is not limited to the above-described structure. For example, at least any one of the BOX transport apparatus 800, the BOX sensor 850, the reversing apparatus 860, the first arm 200, the second arm 300, the banknote transport apparatus 500, the printer 600, the fourth arm 700, the third arm 100, the image pickup apparatus 150, the housing section 190, and the like may be directly controlled by the control apparatus 900 without having a computer of its own.

Alternatively, on the contrary, at least one of the BOX transport device 800, the BOX sensor 850, the reversing device 860, the first arm 200, the second arm 300, the bill transport device 500, the printer 600, the fourth arm 700, the third arm 100, the image pickup device 150, the housing unit 190, and the like may have a computer such as a processor or a memory, and only a rough instruction may be received from the control device 900, and detailed processing or calculation may be locally executed or determined.

< summary >

In the above embodiment, there is provided an automatic banknote handling system comprising: an arm for taking out the paper money from a storage container storing the paper money; and a paper money conveying device for conveying the paper money taken out by the arm. The arm moves to the bill conveying device while maintaining the orientation of the bills taken out of the storage container in the horizontal direction.

In the above embodiment, there is provided an automatic banknote handling system comprising: an arm for taking out the paper money from a storage container storing the paper money; and a paper money conveying device for conveying the paper money taken out by the arm. The arm moves to the bill conveying device in a state of keeping the posture of the bill taken out from the storage container.

Preferably, the transport device transports the banknotes in a posture taken out by the arm.

Preferably, the conveying device comprises: a bill housing section into which bills taken out by the arm are put; and a guide rail for linearly sliding the bill housing section in a direction away from the storage container.

Preferably, the banknote sorting device further comprises a sorting mechanism for sorting the conveyed banknotes in a state of being accommodated in the conveying device.

Preferably, the automatic banknote handling system 1 further includes a mechanism for preventing the banknotes of the transport device from flying off the transport device during or at the end of the transport of the banknotes.

The present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown not by the above description but by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the equivalent meaning and scope of the claims.

Description of the reference numerals

1: automatic paper money processing system

50: table (Ref. Table)

100: third arm

110: mechanical arm

111: movable finger

112: fixed finger

113: movable finger reciprocating motion mechanism

114: first lifting plate

115: second lifting plate

116: supporting plate

117: prevention part

118: prevention part reciprocating mechanism

119: connecting part

120: fixed finger

150: image capturing apparatus

190: accommodating part

200: first arm

210: key with a key body

300: second arm

301: multi-joint type mechanical arm

302: mechanical arm

310: movable finger

311: base part

312: intermediate section

313: claw part

315: reinforcing plate

320: fixed finger

321: base part

322: intermediate section

323: claw part

324: projection part

325: reinforcing plate

330: movable finger lifting mechanism

331: supporting plate

332 f: front lifting plate

332 r: rear lifting plate

333 f: front side cylinder mechanism

333 r: rear side cylinder mechanism

335: air supply and exhaust port

336: air supply and exhaust port

340: connecting part

350: image pickup unit

400: paper money storage container

410: frame body

411: clamping plate

412 a: supporting table

412 b: supporting table

420: front cover

500: paper money conveying device

510: accommodating part

511: bottom surface

511X: trough part

511Y: trough part

512: wall part

520: sliding mechanism

530: sorting mechanism

600: printer with a movable platen

700: fourth arm

800: BOX conveying device

850: BOX sensor

860: reversing device

900: control device

910：CPU

920: memory device

930: display device

940: operation part

960: communication interface

CA: paper money accumulation and accommodation box

MT: and (5) bundling the paper money.