Banknote sorting and bundling apparatus

Abstract

A banknote sorting and bundling apparatus ( 1 ) includes a banknote processing device ( 2 ) including a stacker ( 16 ), and a banknote bundling device ( 3 ) including a bundling unit ( 22 ) and a bundling-side stacking unit ( 21 ). The apparatus ( 1 ) further includes a banknote transport unit ( 13 ) that transports a banknote deposited in a hopper unit ( 11 ) through a banknote transport path ( 18 ) including a first transport path ( 18 A), a second transport path ( 18 B), and a third transport path ( 18 C), a diverting unit ( 13 A) for diverting the banknote being transported through the banknote transport path ( 18 ) to the stacker ( 16 ) or the bundling-side stacking unit ( 21 ), and a post-bundling transport unit ( 26 ) for dispensing a bundle of banknotes bundled by the bundling unit ( 22 ) to a bundle dispensing outlet ( 23 ) provided near the hopper unit ( 11 ). When one hundred bundling-object-banknotes stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit ( 21 ) have been bundled, the post-bundling transport unit 26 dispenses the bundle to the banknote dispensing outlet ( 23 ) provided near the hopper unit ( 11 ). Consequently, work efficiency of an operator is improved.

1 . A banknote sorting and bundling apparatus comprising:
 a sorting and stacking unit in which a banknote deposited in an input port is sorted and stacked;   a bundling-side stacking unit in which a predetermined banknote is sorted and stacked as a bundling-object-banknote;   a bundling unit that bundles the bundling-object-banknotes stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit;   a banknote transport unit that transports the banknote deposited in the input port through a banknote transport path that includes a first transport path that is connected to the input port and passes above the sorting and stacking unit, a second transport path that is connected to the first transport path and bends back in an arrangement direction of the sorting and stacking unit, and a third transport path that is connected to the second transport path, the sorting and stacking unit, and the bundling-side stacking unit;   a diverting unit that diverts the banknote being transported through the banknote transport path to at least the sorting and stacking unit or the bundling-side stacking unit;   a bundle transport unit that dispenses a bundle of banknotes bundled by the bundling unit to a bundle dispensing outlet provided near the input port; and   a drive control unit that controls the banknote transport unit, the diverting unit, and the bundle transport unit.   
     
     
         2 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a banknote recognition unit that recognizes a banknote-kind of the banknote being transported on the first transport path;   a first reject unit provided on the first transport path; and   a second reject unit provided at a far end of the third transport path, and wherein,   upon detecting a first specific banknote on the first transport path, the drive control unit controls the banknote transport unit and the diverting unit so that the first specific banknote is transported to the first reject unit, and,   upon detecting a second specific banknote on the second transport path or the third transport path, the drive control unit controls the banknote transport unit and the diverting unit so that the second specific banknote is transported to the second reject unit.   
     
     
         3 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a face reversing unit provided on the second transport path that reverses the banknote so that the banknote faces in a specific direction, either face-up or face-down. 
     
     
         4 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising
 a plurality of banknote bundling devices that can be connected each other, each of the banknote bundling devices including the bundling unit, the bundling-side stacking unit, and the bundle transport unit, wherein   the drive control unit controls the banknote transport unit and the diverting unit so that the banknotes are sorted and stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit, corresponding to the banknote, of the banknote bundling devices via the third transport path.   
     
     
         5 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a pre-bundling transport unit that transports a predetermined number of the bundling-object-banknotes stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit to the bundling unit,
 wherein the bundling unit is provided below the bundling-side stacking unit, and   when the number of the bundling-object-banknotes stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit reaches the predetermined number, the drive control unit controls the pre-bundling transport unit so that the predetermined number of bundling-object-banknotes stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit is transported to the bundling unit.   
     
     
         6 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a banknote recognition unit that recognizes a banknote-kind of the banknote being transported on the first transport path;   a first reject unit provided on the first transport path;   a second reject unit provided at a far end of the third transport path; and   an error detecting unit that detects a transport error of the banknote downstream of the first reject unit,   wherein, when the transportation error of the banknote is detected by the error detecting unit, the drive control unit controls the banknote transport unit and the diverting unit so that the banknote on the second transport path or the third transport path is transported to the second reject unit.   
     
     
         7 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the bundling-side stacking unit includes two bundling-side stacking units for each of which a banknote-kind is set in advance and one spare bundling-side stacking unit for which no banknote-kind is set, and
 the drive control unit, when the number of the bundling-object-banknotes stacked in one of the bundling-side stacking unit reaches a predetermined number, sets the banknote-kind, that was set for the bundling-side stacking unit in which the number of the bundling-object-banknotes has reached the predetermined number, for the spare bundling-side stacking unit, sets the bundling-side stacking unit in which the number of the bundling-object-banknotes has reached the predetermined number as a spare bundling-side stacking unit, and controls the banknote transport unit and the diverting unit so that the banknotes of the set banknote-kind that has reached the predetermined number are subsequently stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit for which the banknote-kind is set.   
     
     
         8 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , includes four sorting and stacking units, three bundling-side stacking units, and one bundling unit.