Banknote sorting and bundling apparatus and banknote sorting and stacking method

Abstract

A banknote sorting and bundling apparatus ( 1 ) includes a stacker ( 16 ) for sorting and stacking a banknote being transported, a bundling-side stacking unit ( 21 ) for sorting and stacking a banknote of a specific banknote-kind as a bundling-object-banknote, a category setting unit ( 191 ) that sets a category of a banknote to be stacked in the stacker ( 16 ) and the bundling-side stacking unit ( 21 ), and an assignment setting unit ( 193 ) that assigns, if there is no stacking unit for which a banknote-kind of the banknote being transported is set among the stackers ( 16 ) or the bundling-side stacking units ( 21 ) for which the category of the banknote being transported has been set, the banknote-kind of the banknote being transported as the stacking banknote for a stacking unit for which no stacking banknote has been set. Therefore, the work burden for setting the stacking category and the banknote-kind for the bundling-side stacking units ( 21 ) or the stackers ( 16 ) one by one is greatly reduced.

1 . A banknote sorting and bundling apparatus comprising:
 a recognition unit that recognizes a category and a banknote-kind of the banknote;   a sorting and stacking unit including at least one stacking unit for sorting and stacking the banknote based on a recognized category and a recognized banknote-kind;   a bundling-side stacking unit including at least one stacking unit for sorting and stacking the banknote for bundling based on the recognized category and the recognized banknote-kind;   a bundling unit that bundles the banknotes stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit;   a transport unit that transports the banknote recognized by the recognition unit to the sorting and stacking unit or the bundling-side stacking unit;   a category setting unit that sets a common category of the banknote for all of the stacking unit(s) included in the sorting and stacking unit and/or all of the stacking unit(s) included in the bundling-side stacking unit;   an assignment setting unit that assigns, when there is no stacking units corresponding to the recognized category and the recognized banknote-kind, the recognized banknote-kind to an unassigned stacking unit for which the recognized category has been assigned and no banknote-kind has been assigned; and   a control unit that controls the transport unit to transport the banknote to the stacking unit corresponding to the recognized category and the recognized banknote-kind.   
     
     
         2 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the assignment setting unit includes a determining unit that determines, after the category and the banknote-kind have been recognized, whether there is a stacking unit for which the recognized banknote-kind has been set among a plurality of the stacking unit for which the recognized category has been set, and   the assignment setting unit assigns, when the determining unit determines that there is no stacking unit for which the recognized banknote-kind has been set, and there is an unassigned stacking unit for which no banknote-kind has been set, the recognized banknote-kind to the unassigned stacking unit.   
     
     
         3 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein when the determining unit determines that there is a stacking unit for which the recognized banknote-kind has been set, the banknote is sorted and stacked in the stacking unit. 
     
     
         4 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the assignment setting unit assigns, when removal of the banknotes stacked in the stacking unit is detected, the banknote-kind of the stacking unit from which the banknotes have been removed as unassigned. 
     
     
         5 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a specific stacking unit for sorting and stacking banknotes of a specific denomination from among denomination information included in the banknote-kinds, and   wherein the assignment setting unit prohibits, if the recognized banknote-kind is the specific denomination, assignment of the recognized banknote-kind as the banknote-kind for the bundling-side stacking unit and as the banknote-kind for the sorting and stacking unit.   
     
     
         6 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a denomination specifying unit that specifies a denomination to be set as the banknote-kind for each of the sorting and stacking unit or the bundling-side stacking unit, according to a predetermined operation, and   wherein the assignment setting unit prohibits, if the recognized banknote-kind of the banknote is any denomination other than the denomination specified by the denomination specifying unit, assignment of the recognized banknote-kind as the banknote-kind for the unassigned stacking unit.   
     
     
         7 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the assignment setting unit sets the banknote-kind for at least one of the stacking units among the bundling-side stacking units as unassigned. 
     
     
         8 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the bundling-side stacking unit comprises stacking units of a plurality of banknote bundling devices, that are connected together, and each of the banknote bundling devices has three stacking units for stacking the banknotes for bundling. 
     
     
         9 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to any one of  claim 1 , wherein the category of the banknote is classified into two categories to be stacked in the stacking unit, one category is fit banknotes among the banknotes, and the other category is unfit banknotes among the banknotes. 
     
     
         10 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to any one of  claim 1 , wherein the category of the banknote is classified into two categories, one category is for stacking a new version banknote among the banknotes, and the other category is for stacking an old version banknote among the banknotes. 
     
     
         11 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to any one of  claim 1 , wherein the banknote-kind is the denomination information that identifies a denomination of the banknote. 
     
     
         12 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the banknote-kind includes banknote face/back information that identifies whether the banknote is face-up or face-down. 
     
     
         13 . The banknote sorting and bundling apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the banknote-kind includes portrait orientation information that identifies whether the portrait is upright or inverted. 
     
     
         14 . A banknote sorting and stacking method comprising:
 recognizing a category and a banknote-kind of the banknote;   sorting and stacking the banknote in a sorting and stacking unit including at least one stacking unit based on a recognized category and a recognized banknote-kind;   stacking the banknote in a bundling-side stacking unit including at least one stacking unit for bundling based on a recognized category and a recognized banknote-kind;   bundling the banknotes stacked in the bundling-side stacking unit;   transporting the banknote recognized at the recognizing to the sorting and stacking unit or the bundling-side stacking unit;   setting a common category of the banknote for all of the stacking unit(s) included in the sorting and stacking unit and/or all of the stacking unit(s) included in the bundling-side stacking unit;   assigning, when there is no stacking units corresponding to the recognized category and the recognized banknote-kind, the recognized banknote-kind to an unassigned stacking unit for which the recognized category has been assigned and no banknote-kind has been assigned; and   controlling the transporting of the banknote to transport the banknote to the stacking unit corresponding to the recognized category and the recognized banknote-kind.   
     
     
         15 . The banknote sorting and stacking method according to  claim 14 , wherein
 the assigning includes   determining, after the category and the banknote-kind have been recognized, whether there is the stacking unit for which the recognized banknote-kind has been set among a plurality of the stacking units for which the recognized category has been set, and   assigning, if it is determined at the determining that there is no stacking unit for which the recognized banknote-kind has been set, and there is an unassigned stacking unit for which no banknote-kind has been set, the recognized banknote-kind to the unassigned stacking unit.