Money input/output apparatus, replenishing/collecting apparatus, and method of running money input/output apparatus

A money input/output apparatus includes a bill accommodation unit, a mount unit, a detection unit, a second storage unit, an instruction reception unit, a conveyance unit, and a control unit. The control unit reads the denomination of the bill from the first storage unit and determines whether or not the read denomination of the bill corresponds to the denomination stored in the second storage unit in association with the mount unit on which mounting of the bill accommodation unit has been detected when the detection unit has detected that the bill accommodation unit has been mounted on the mount unit, starts reception of an instruction to input or output to the bill from the instruction receiving unit and makes the conveyance unit convey the bill in accordance with the instruction when the denominations have been determined to correspond. Thereby, a bill accommodation unit can be used for all denominations.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application of International Application PCT/JP2010/073725 filed on Dec. 28, 2010 and designated the U.S., the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present invention relates to a money input/output apparatus, a replenishing/collecting apparatus, and a method of running a money input/output apparatus.

BACKGROUND

When, for example, a ticket vending machine or the like for vending tickets has received a bill, it examines the bill for the authenticity, the denomination, the degree of damage, etc., and stores bills that can be output as change for each denomination. These bills are stacked, accumulated, and stored (see Patent Document 1, for example).

Also, some automated teller machines, or the like used in banking facilities are provided with a temporary depository having functions of sequentially accommodating bills which have been input and whose denominations have been determined, holding them until the transaction is completed, and sequentially releasing those bills after the transaction is completed. This temporary depository is provided with a rotatable drum to roll up bills together with tape, and the rotatable drum is rotated in one direction so that it rolls up bills on itself to hold the bill temporarily, and then it is rotated in the reverse direction so as to discharge the rolled up bills (see Patent Document 2, for example).

Further, an example has also been disclosed in which an accommodation unit for accommodating a plurality of denominations of bills separately is provided with a drum that can rotate in forward and backward directions in order to roll up a bill by having the bill between two pieces of tape (see Patent Document 3, for example).

SUMMARY

A money input/output apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a money input/output apparatus that inputs and outputs a bill including a removable bill accommodation unit that can accommodate at least one denomination of a bill, includes a first storage unit storing accommodation information including a denomination of an accommodated bill, and accommodates and discharges a bill, a mount unit on which the bill accommodation unit is mounted, a detection unit that detects whether or not the bill accommodation unit has been mounted on the mount unit, a reading unit that reads the denomination of the bill from the first storage unit when the detection unit has detected mounting of the bill accommodation unit, a second storage unit that stores the mount unit and the denomination of the bill to be accommodated in the bill accommodation unit mounted on the mount unit in an associated manner, an accommodation determination unit that determines whether or not the denomination of the bill read by the reading unit corresponds to the denomination stored in the second storage unit in association with the mount unit on which the mounting of the bill accommodation unit has been detected, an instruction receiving unit that starts reception of an instruction to input or output the bill when the accommodation determination unit has determined that the denominations correspond, and a conveyance unit that conveys the bill in accordance with the instruction.

A money input/output apparatus according to another aspect includes a removable bill accommodation unit that can accommodate at least one denomination of a bill, includes a first storage unit storing accommodation information including a denomination of an accommodated bill, and accommodates and discharges a bill, amount unit on which the bill accommodation unit is mounted, a detection unit that detects whether or not the bill accommodation unit has been mounted on the mount unit, a reading unit that reads the denomination of the bill from the first storage unit when the detection unit has detected mounting of the bill accommodation unit, a second storage unit that stores the denomination read by the reading unit and the mount unit in an associated manner, an instruction receiving unit that starts reception of an instruction to input or output the bill when the denomination and the mount unit are stored in the second storage unit in an associated manner, and a conveyance unit that conveys the bill in accordance with information in the second storage unit and the instruction.

A bill replenishing/collecting apparatus according to another aspect includes a removable bill accommodation unit that can accommodate at least one denomination of a bill, includes a first storage unit storing accommodation information including a denomination and a number of an accommodated bill, and accommodates and discharges a bill, a mount unit on which the bill accommodation unit is mounted, a detection unit that detects whether or not the bill accommodation unit has been mounted on the mount unit, a replenishment instruction obtainment unit that obtains a replenishment instruction including a denomination and a number of bills with which the bill accommodation unit is replenished when the detection unit has detected the mounting of the bill accommodation unit, a replenishment unit that replenishes the bill accommodation unit with bills in accordance with the replenishment instruction, a bill distinguishing unit that determines a denomination and a number of the bills used for the replenishment in accordance with the replenishment instruction, a recording unit that records the accommodation information in the first storage unit in accordance with the denomination and the number of the bills determined by the bill distinguishing unit.

A method of running a money input/output apparatus according to another aspect is a method of running a money input/output apparatus that inputs and outputs a bill, including a detecting step in which a detection unit provided in the money input/output apparatus detects whether or not a bill accommodation unit that can accommodate at least one denomination of a bill, includes a first storage unit storing accommodation information including a denomination of an accommodated bill, can be mounted on and removed from a mount unit included in the money input/output apparatus, and accommodates and discharges a bill has been mounted on the mount unit, a reading step of reading a denomination of the bill from the first storage unit, an accommodation unit determination step of determining whether or not the denomination read in the reading step corresponds to a denomination stored in a second storage unit in the input/output apparatus in association with the mount unit on which the mounting of the bill accommodation unit has been detected, an instruction receiving step of starting reception of an instruction to input or output the bill when the denominations have been determined to correspond in the accommodation unit determination step, and a conveyance step of conveying the bill in accordance with the instruction.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

As described in, for example, Patent Document 1, bills that are accommodated in a stacked and accumulated state for use as change sometimes cause conveyance failures such as double feed, or the like during feed-out operations. Also, double feed sometimes causes errors in counting the number of bills. Due to this, a feed-out mechanism that manages friction or gap has to be provided to the bill feed out unit of a bill accommodation unit. For this, dedicated accommodation units and feed out units that have been adjusted to the sizes of respective bills have to be prepared, and changes of denominations to be treated requires mechanical adjustments, making each of these units unable to respond to different sized bills, which is problematic.

Meanwhile, as described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a unit can be used in common for different sized bills according to a method in which a bill is rolled up on a drum together with tape, and is accommodated. However, according to a method in which bills are rolled up on a drum to be accommodated, when an accommodation unit is replenished with bills to be used as change or accommodated bills are collected, bills have to be accommodated or discharged sequentially. Due to this, operations take time before the service starts and after the service is finished, which is problematic. Also, when an accommodation unit has to be replenished with bills or bills have to be collected during service hours in banking facilities, or the like, the replenishing or collecting operations have to suspend the service for not a short time period, which deteriorates the quality of customer services.

First Embodiment

Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present invention will be explained by referring to the drawings. First, explanations will be given for the configuration of a money input/output apparatus1according to a first embodiment by referring toFIGS. 1 through 3.FIG. 1is a configuration of the money input/output apparatus1according to the first embodiment.FIG. 2is a block diagram representing the configuration of the money input/output apparatus1.FIG. 3is a block diagram representing functions of a control unit of the money input/output apparatus1.

As represented inFIGS. 1 and 2, the money input/output apparatus1is a money input/output apparatus that can be used as a money input/output unit of, for example, automated teller machines in banking facilities, ticket vending machines for transport facilities, etc. The money input/output apparatus1includes an operation unit4, bill conveyance units31through49, a bill distinguishing unit7, stackers9athrough9d(referred to also as stacker9), stacker mount units13athrough13d(referred to also as mount unit13), stacker detection units29athrough29d(referred to also as stacker detection unit29), a collection box27, a collection box mount unit51, a collection box detection unit28, an abnormality report unit53, and a storage unit55, which are connected to a control unit5through a system bus2.

The operation unit4includes an input display unit (not shown) that is set, for example, on the front plane of the money input/output apparatus1so as to receive instructions such as purchases of tickets, deposit or withdrawal of cash, a money input unit15through which bills are inserted, and a money output unit17for discharging bills as change or money being paid back. Explanations will be given for an implementation in which the operation unit4is provided directly to the money input/output apparatus1for convenience. However, when the operation unit4is used as the money input/output unit of an automated teller machine or the like, it may be provided to the main body unit of an automated teller machine so as to be electrically connected to the money input/output apparatus1.

The bill conveyance units31through49are paths along which a plurality of rollers (not shown) that can rotate in the forward and backward directions are provided for conveying bills to a prescribed direction by holding bills between themselves, using friction or by other means. The bill conveyance units31through49are further provided with a motor (not shown) for driving at least part of these plurality of rollers so that bills can be conveyed between the money input unit15, the stacker9, the collection box27, and the money output unit17bidirectionally. The bill conveyance unit49will be explained later in detail. The bill distinguishing unit7is a distinguishing device for determining the denominations, the authenticity, etc. of bills. Bills are distinguished both when they are input and output, however, they may be distinguished in a simplified manner such as by determining only the lengths of bills when, for example, they are output.

The stackers9athrough9dare removably provided to the stacker mount units13athrough13d, respectively as indicated by arrows10inFIG. 1so as to be able to accommodate bills inside themselves and to feed out the bills to the outside. The stacker9may be mounted on any stacker mount units13, and has the same internal configurations as the other stackers9. For example, the stacker9a, the stacker9b, and the stacker9ccan accommodate 10000 yen bills, 5000 yen bills, and 1000 yen bills, respectively, whereas they have the same internal configurations. The stacker9can also be used as, for example, a temporary depository for temporarily storing bills input from the money input unit15after the start of an operation through the operation unit4until the process started by that operation finishes. The configurations of the stackers9athrough9dwill be explained later in detail.

Each of the stackers9includes a memory device11. The memory devices11are rewritable memory devices, and store as accommodation information at least the denominations and the numbers of bills accommodated in the stacker9in such a manner that the denominations and the numbers are associated. It is also possible to store as accommodation information the categories of bills, date of accommodation, and identification information of the money input/output apparatus1that was used previously. Categories of bills are, for example, whether or not each bill is authentic, damaged, suspicious about the authenticity, or counterfeit. Also, when, for example, the stacker9is used as a temporary depository for storing input bills temporarily, information reporting that fact may be stored.

The stacker detection unit29is, for example, an optical sensor, and is configured to cover the light receiving unit when the stackers9athrough9dare mounted so that it outputs to the control unit5signals in accordance with whether stackers9athrough9dhave been mounted on the money input/output apparatus1.

The collection box27is an accommodation unit for accommodating bills that have been determined to be not necessary to be accommodated in the stacker9because at least one of the stackers9athrough9dhas already accommodated sufficient number of bills, bills left behind in the money output unit17, bills that have been determined by the bill distinguishing unit7to be inappropriate as bills to be output (such as in cases when there are breakages, damages, stains, or the like), bills that will not be used as change (high denomination bills), etc., and is removably provided to the collection box mount unit51. Also, the collection box27accommodates bills fed out from the stackers9athrough9dwhen bills are collected without removing the stackers9athrough9d. It is also possible for the operation unit4to instruct the collection box to accommodate bills that have been accommodated in the stackers even when the stackers can accommodate more bills.

The collection box27includes a memory device25. The memory device25is a rewritable memory device, and stores as accommodation information at least the denominations, the numbers, the categories, and etc. of bills accommodated in such a manner that the denominations, the numbers, the categories, and etc. are associated. The memory device25may also store the dates of accommodating the bills, the identification information of the money input/output apparatus1that was used previously, and the like. The collection box detection unit28is, for example, an optical sensor, and is configured to cover the light receiving unit when the collection box27is mounted and to receive light when the collection box27is not mounted so that it outputs to the control unit5signals in accordance with whether the collection box27has been mounted on the money input/output apparatus1.

The abnormality report unit53uses, for example, light, sound, etc. in order to report an abnormality to the stacker mount unit13when an abnormality has occurred such as in a case where the stacker9not set in the control unit5has been mounted, a case where a conveyance abnormality has been detected, or other cases. The storage unit55is a ROM (Read Only Memory) device, a RAM (Random Access Memory) device, or the like for appropriately recording a control program of the money input/output apparatus1, setting of denominations corresponding to the stackers9athrough9d, data related to the conveyance of bills, data read from the memory devices11provided to the stackers9athrough9d, information generated accompanying processes by the control unit5such as distinguishing results, or the like. The above configuration recycles various types of bills in the money input/output apparatus1according to the present embodiment.

Explanations will be given for functions of the control unit5by referring toFIG. 3. The control unit5has the functions of a stacker mounting determination unit57, a collection box mounting determination unit59, a memory input/output unit61, an operation detection unit63, a bill conveyance control unit65, a distinguishing process unit67, an abnormality signal output unit69. The stacker mounting determination unit57determines whether or not the stackers have been mounted on the stacker mount units13athrough13din accordance with signals output from the stacker detection unit29. The collection box mounting determination unit59determines whether or not the collection box27has been mounted on the collection box mount unit51in accordance with signals output from the collection box detection unit28.

The memory input/output unit61reads and writes data to the memory device11included in the stacker9and the memory device25included in the collection box27, and stores read data in the storage unit55. The operation detection unit63detects operation made on the operation unit4. The bill conveyance control unit65controls the conveyance of bills by the bill conveyance unit and the stackers9athrough9din accordance with operations made on the operation unit4, data read from the memory device11, a control program stored in the storage unit55, and the like. The distinguishing process unit67detects the denominations, authenticity, or the like of bills in accordance with information on the bills detected by the bill distinguishing unit7so as to distinguish the bills, and stores the distinguishing results in the storage unit55. When an abnormality has been detected in the money input/output apparatus1, the abnormality signal output unit69outputs a signal to report the abnormality to the abnormality report unit53.

Explanations will now be given for the internal configuration of the stacker9by referring toFIG. 4.FIG. 4represents the internal configuration of the stackers. As illustrated inFIG. 4, the stacker9is provided with a drum88including a roll-up shaft89that has a manual knob87. Pieces of tape96and98are fixed to the roll-up shaft89of the drum88at one end of each of them. The tape96and the tape98are belt-like films. The tape96is tensioned on a tension roller91, and the other end of it is held by a holding roller83. The holding roller83includes a torsion spring21and a torque limiter22. The tape96is fed out from the holding roller83, or is fed into the holding roller83. At the same time, the tape96is rolled up on the drum88, or is fed out from the drum88.

The tape98is tensioned across the rotation transmission roller92and a guide roller93, and the other end of it is held by a holding roller86. The holding roller86includes a torsion spring84and a torque limiter85. The tape98is fed out from the holding roller86, or is fed into the holding roller86. As the same time, the tape98is rolled up on the drum88, or is fed out from the drum88.

In the vicinity of the tension roller91, a bill detection sensor97is arranged for detecting passing of bills, and transmits a detection signal to the control unit5when the stacker9is mounted on the money input/output apparatus1. In this situation, it is desirable that the tape96be transparent or semi transparent because the bill detection sensor97detects bills through the tape96.

Rotation detection plates95are provided in such a manner that they can rotate in synchronization with the rotation transmission roller92while being fixed to a rotation shaft94of the rotation transmission roller92. A rotation sensor99is provided in such a manner that it loosely holds one of the rotation detection plates95. In a state where the stacker9is mounted on the money input/output apparatus1, the sensor99transmits to the control unit5a signal corresponding to the rotation speed of the rotation transmission roller92.

Further, the stacker9has a stepping motor79for rotating the holding rollers83and86, the rotation transmission roller92, and the drum88both in the forward and backward directions via a gear or the like (not shown) in a state where the stacker9is mounted on the money input/output apparatus1. The stepping motor79is controlled by the control unit5in accordance with signals from the bill detection sensor97and the rotation sensor99.

In the above configuration, a bill that is being conveyed while being between the tension roller91and the rotation transmission roller92in the stacker9is rolled up on the roll-up shaft89of the drum88while being sandwiched by the tape96and the tape98. Also, a bill that has been fed out from the drum88is fed to the outside from between the tension roller91and the rotation transmission roller92in a state that it is sandwiched by the tape96and the tape98. Note that the bill conveyance unit in the stacker9that has been described above is shown as the bill conveyance unit49inFIG. 1in a simplified manner.

Next, explanation will be given for the configuration of a replenishing/collecting apparatus100according to the first embodiment by referring toFIGS. 5 through 7.FIG. 5represents the configuration of the replenishing/collecting apparatus100.FIG. 6is a block diagram representing the configuration of the replenishing/collecting apparatus100.FIG. 7is a block diagram representing functions of a control unit105.

As illustrated inFIGS. 5 and 6, the replenishing/collecting apparatus100replenishes the stacker9with bills, or collects bills from the stacker9. In the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, portions having similar configurations as in the money input/output apparatus are denoted by the same numerical symbols, and their explanations will be omitted. The replenishing/collecting apparatus100includes an operation unit104, a depository102, bill conveyance units108through116, the bill distinguishing unit7, stackers9-1through9-8(referred to also as stacker9), stacker mount units13-1through13-8(referred to also as stacker mount unit13), stacker detection units29-1through29-8(referred to also as stacker detection unit29), a collection box117, the collection box mount unit51, the collection box detection unit28, the abnormality report unit53, and a storage unit101, which are connected to the control unit105through the system bus2.

The operation unit104is provided on, for example, the front plane of the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, and has an input window (not shown) or the like for inputting instructions for replenishing the stacker9with bills and collecting bills from the stacker9. The depository102is an accommodation unit for storing bills to be used for replenishing the stacker9with. The bill conveyance units108through116are paths along which a plurality of rollers (not shown) that can rotate in the forward and backward directions are provided for conveying bills to a prescribed direction by holding bills between themselves by utilizing friction with the bills, or the like. The bill conveyance units108through116are further provided with a motor (not shown) for driving at least part of these plurality of rollers so that bills can be conveyed between the depository102, the stacker9, and the collection box117.

The stackers9-1through9-8are removably provided to the stacker mount units13-1through13-8, respectively as indicated by arrows10inFIG. 5. The stackers9-1through9-8may be mounted on any stacker mount units, and have the same internal configurations as those of the stackers9athrough9d. Also, the stackers9-1through9-8are provided with memory devices11-1through11-8, respectively. The collection box117is an accommodation unit for storing bills collected from the stackers9-1through9-13, includes a memory device25, and is removably provided to the collection box mount unit51. The collection box117is identical to the collection box27in configuration, and can be used as the collection box27of the money input/output apparatus1.

The storage unit101is a memory device such as a ROM device, a RAM device, or the like for appropriately recording a control program of the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, denominations corresponding to the stackers9-1through9-8, data related to the conveyance of bills, data read from the memory devices11provided to the stackers9-1through9-8, information generated accompanying processes by the control unit105such as distinguishing results, or the like.

Explanations will be given for functions of the control unit105by referring toFIG. 7. Members having the similar functions as those in the money input/output apparatus are denoted by the same numerical symbols, and there explanations thereof will be omitted. The control unit105has the functions of the stacker mounting determination unit57, the collection box mounting determination unit59, a memory input/output unit124, an operation detection unit126, a bill conveyance control unit128, the distinguishing process unit67, the abnormality signal output unit69, and a depository control unit134.

The memory input/output unit124reads and write data to and from the memory device11and the memory device25by referring to data stored in the storage unit101, and stores read data in the storage unit101. The operation detection unit126detects an operation made on the operation unit104. The bill conveyance control unit128controls the movement of bills of the bill conveyance units108through116and the stacker9in accordance with an operation made on the operation unit104, data read from the memory device11and the memory device25, a control program stored in the storage unit101, and the like. The depository control unit134controls the feeding out of bills from the depository102by controlling a conveyance mechanism (not show) in accordance with instructions from the operation unit104. It is possible to replenish the depository102with bills from the outside as indicted by an arrow103.

Next, explanations will be given for operations of the money input/output apparatus1and the replenishing/collecting apparatus100configured as described above by referring toFIGS. 8 through 11.FIG. 8is a flowchart explaining a method of running the money input/output apparatus1according to the first embodiment.FIG. 9is a flowchart explaining the bill replenishment process in the replenishing/collecting apparatus100.FIG. 10is a flowchart explaining a money input/output process in the money input/output apparatus1.FIG. 11is a flowchart explaining the bill collection process in the replenishing/collecting apparatus100.

As illustrated inFIG. 8, the stacker9that can be mounted on and removed from both of the money input/output apparatus1and the replenishing/collecting apparatus100is replenished with bills in the replenishing/collecting apparatus100(S151). This process is usually performed in a backyard before the start of the services in which money is input and output by using the money input/output apparatus1. After being removed from the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, the stacker9is mounted on the money input/output apparatus1, and the money input/output process is performed (S152). When the money input/output process is finished, and the stacker9has been removed from the money input/output apparatus1, the stacker9is mounted back on the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, and bills inside are collected (S153). The collection of bills is usually performed in the backyard after the money input/output service is finished.

Next, explanations will be given for the bill replenishment process in the replenishing/collecting apparatus100by referring toFIG. 9. As illustrated inFIG. 9, the replenishing/collecting apparatus100repeats detection until an replenishment instruction is input in the operation unit104(S161). In other words, the operation detection unit126of the control unit105monitors whether a signal based on operations for performing bill replenishment is input from the operation unit104. While the operation detection unit126is performing this monitoring, information specifying, for example, at least one of the stackers9-1through9-8as a replenishment target, and the denomination and the number of bills used for the replenishment are input to the operation unit104.

Next, it is detected whether or not the stacker9as a replenishment target for which a replenishment instruction has been input from the operation unit104has been mounted (S162). Specifically, the stacker mounting determination unit57continues monitoring (No in S162) until a signal indicating the mounting of the stacker9is detected from the stacker detection unit29corresponding to the stacker9to be replenished. When the stacker for which a replenishment instruction was input from the operation unit104has not been mounted, an error message or a message prompting the mounting of the stacker9may be displayed on the operation unit. When the mounting of the stacker9to be replenished is detected (Yes in S162), bills are fed out from the depository102. Bills having been fed out are distinguished by the bill distinguishing unit7(S163). Specifically, the depository control unit134transmits a control signal to a conveyance mechanism (not shown) in response to the denomination and the number of the bills input in the operation unit104in order to feed out bills to the bill conveyance unit108. The bill distinguishing unit7outputs a signal responding to the denomination, the authenticity, and the like of the bills by using a distinguishing mechanism (not shown) having, for example, an optical sensor included inside, and the distinguishing process unit67distinguishes the bills (S163). Bills that are suspicious about the authenticity or are inappropriate to be used (bills subjected to breakage, damage, stain, or the like) are conveyed to the collection box117by, for example, a bill conveyance unit (not shown) running between the bill conveyance unit116and the bill distinguishing unit7.

Bills distinguished to be appropriate to be used are accommodated sequentially in the replenishment target stacker9(S164). The control unit105performs monitoring (S165) until the accommodation is completed by the depository control unit134, the bill conveyance control unit128, the distinguishing process unit67, etc. When the termination of the accommodation is detected, the memory input/output unit124makes the memory device11of the stacker9that has been replenished with bills store the denomination and the number of bills used for the replenishment (S166). The control unit105reports the completion (S167), for example, by displaying the completion on a display unit (not shown) of the operation unit104(S167) so as to terminate the replenishment process. It is also possible to store bills of a plurality of denominations in the depository102in the above replenishment process. It is also possible to employ a configuration in which data specifying what denominations are to be accommodated in which of the stackers9-1through9-8is beforehand stored in, for example, the storage unit101so that the bill conveyance control unit128switches the stackers9as the conveyance destinations in response to the stored data and the distinguishing results by the bill distinguishing unit7.

Next, explanations will be given for the money input/output process performed by the money input/output apparatus1by referring toFIG. 10. Note that the stacker9is removed to be mounted on the money input/output apparatus1when replenishment of the replenishing/collecting apparatus100has been finished. As illustrated inFIG. 10, the money input/output apparatus1performs monitoring (No S171) until the stacker9is mounted newly. Specifically, the stacker mounting determination unit57of the control unit5performs monitoring until a signal is transmitted indicating the mounting of the stacker9from one of the stacker detection units29athrough29d.

When the stacker9has been determined to have been mounted (Yes in S171), accommodation information including the denomination and the number of bills accommodated in the stacker9is read from the memory of the mounted stacker9(S172). Specifically, the memory input/output unit61accesses the memory device11, and reads the stored accommodation information such as the denomination, the number, and the like of the bills so as to store the information in the storage unit55. The storage unit55has beforehand stored which of the stacker mount units13is to receive the stackers9having stored what denominations in an associated manner. The bill conveyance control unit65determines whether or not the denomination obtained from the memory device11is identical to the right denomination that has beforehand been stored in the storage unit55(S173). When it is not identical, (No in S173), an abnormality signal is transmitted from the abnormality signal output unit69, and an abnormality is reported in the abnormality report unit53(S182). When it is the right denomination (Yes in S173), it is determined whether or not the stackers9athrough9dare mounted on the stacker mount units13athrough13d(S174). When the stacker mount unit13on which the stacker has not been mounted exists, the process returns to S171. It is also possible to employ a configuration in which information on the stacker that has to be mounted is stored in the storage unit55via the operation unit4or the like, and the process proceeds to the next step (S175) even if not all the stackers have been mounted.

When the stackers9have been mounted on all the stacker mount units13(Yes in S174), the operation detection unit63starts detection of operations input from the operation unit4, and performs monitoring (No in S175) until an operation is input. When the operation detection unit63has detected an operation from the operation unit4(Yes in S175), information corresponding to the detected operation is stored in the storage unit55. The bill conveyance units31through49perform conveyance in response to the operation from the operation unit4while the distinguishing process unit67distinguishes bills to be input or output that have been conveyed in accordance with a signal from the bill distinguishing unit7(S176) during the conveyance. Specifically, the distinguishing process unit67determines whether or not they are normal i.e., whether they are bills not appropriate to for outputting such as bills that are suspicious about the authenticity, that are subjected to breakage, damage, stain, or the like (S177). When the bill are determined to be not normal (No in S177), the bills that were input from the money input unit15are discharged from the money output unit17, and the bills that were fed out from the stacker9are accommodated in the collection box27(S183). When bills are determined to be normal, the bills are collected or output (S178). When they are collected or output, the distinguishing process unit67stores information related to distinguishment of the bills in the storage unit55. Note that operations after the operation detection unit63detected operations on the operation unit4and before the collection or the output of bills is completed (S175through S178) will be explained later in detail.

The memory input/output unit61calculates the denominations and the numbers of bills accommodated in the respective stackers9athrough9dand the collection box27on the basis of information stored in the memory device11in the storage unit55and information stored by, for example, the distinguishing process unit67, and stores in the storage unit55the denominations and the numbers in an associated manner. When the number of bills in one of the stackers9athrough9dor in the collection box27has changed, information in the corresponding memory device11or the memory device25is rewritten (S179). It is also possible for the memory input/output unit61to write prescribed information to the memory device11and the memory device25on an as-needed basis. The above operations are repeated (No in S180) until the operation time of the money input/output apparatus1finishes, and when the operation time has finished, the stacker9is removed (S181), and the process terminates.

Explanations will now be given for operations in steps S175through S178respectively in response to types of money input/output processes. It is now assumed that 10000 yen bills, 5000 yen bills, and 1000 yen bills are stored in the stackers9athrough9c, respectively. The explanations assume a case where the stacker9dis in a state that it can accommodate at least a prescribed number of bills when the money input/output apparatus1starts its service, and the stacker9dis used as a temporary depository.

As the first example, a case will be explained where bills have been inserted into the money input unit15. When the operation detection unit63has detected the insertion of bills into the money input unit15of the operation unit4, the money input unit15feeds the bills to the bill conveyance unit31by using a mechanism (not shown) in a one-by-one manner. The bills are conveyed through the bill conveyance units31,32, and33under the control of the bill conveyance control unit65, and pass through the bill distinguishing unit7. When bills that have been conveyed are determined by the distinguishing process unit67to be authentic 1000 yen bills that can be used as, for example, bills to be output, bill conveyance units35,36,38, and41accommodates them in the stacker9c. In the stacker9c, bills are rolled up on the drum88by being sandwiched by the tape96and tape98as illustrated inFIG. 4.

When bills are suspicious about authenticity, or are determined to be inappropriate for outputting such as when they are subjected to breakage, damage, stain, or the like, such bills are temporarily accommodated in the stacker9das a temporary depository through the bill conveyance units35,36, and39. When bills are suspicious about authenticity, the bill conveyance control unit65feeds out bills from the stacker9dagain. Specifically, in the stacker9d, the bill conveyance control unit65controls the stepping motor79so that bills are rolled up on the drum88by being sandwiched by the tape96and the tape98to be accommodated as illustrated inFIG. 4. Thereafter, the drum rotates in the reverse direction so that bills are fed out from between the tension roller91and the rotation transmission roller92. Then, the bills are discharged from the money output unit17through the bill conveyance units39,36,35,33, and47. When they have been determined to be bills that are inappropriate for reusing or when the stacker9chas no more space to accommodate bills, the bills are accommodated in the collection box27through the bill conveyance units39,35, and37after the completion of process of inputting bills.

When the operation unit4has received a cancelling operation before the confirmation of inputting money (during temporary accommodation of input bills), the bill conveyance control unit65feeds out as many bills as input bills from the stacker9cor9dthat has accommodated the input bills, and discharges them from the money output unit17through the bill conveyance units38,36,35,33, and47, and the like.

Explanations will be given for a case a where bills are output as change from the money output unit17as a second example. It is assumed that the bill conveyance control unit65has given a money output instruction to the bill conveyance unit49of, for example, the stacker9bwhen change has to be output in the above money input/output processor the like. In the stacker9b, the drum88rotates in the reverse direction so that as many bills as necessary are fed out in accordance with the instruction from the bill conveyance control unit65, and the bills are discharged from the money output unit17through the bill conveyance units43,40,38,36,35,33, and47sequentially. When this process is performed, the bill distinguishing unit7performs simple distinguishment such as determination of the length, or the like. It is desirable that bills that have been determined to be inappropriate for outputting as a distinguishment result be accommodated in the collection box27through, for example, the bill conveyance units42,40,38,36, and37and other bill conveyance units (not shown) connecting the bill conveyance units33and42.

Explanations will be given for a case where bills are collected in the money input/output apparatus1as a third example. When an instruction to collect bills from one of the stackers9has been input through the operation unit4, the bill conveyance control unit65makes the specified stacker9sequentially feed out bills that have been accommodated, and conveys the bills to the collection box27through the bill conveyance units36through45so as to accommodate them in it. When this operation is performed, the memory input/output unit61makes the memory device25store the denominations, the numbers, and the categories of accommodated bills in an associated manner. It is also possible for the memory input/output unit61to write to the memory device25prescribed information on an as-needed basis. It is also possible to obtain from the memory device11in the stacker9information on bills to be stored in the memory device25.

As another example, it is also possible to provide the stacker9dedicated to replenishment at, for example, a position that allows bills to be conveyed into it from a position above the bill distinguishing unit7of the bill conveyance unit33on the left side of the outside of the money input/output apparatus1inFIG. 1so as to replenish the stackers9athrough9dwith bills through the bill conveyance units33,35,36,39,41,43, and45, and the like.

Next, explanations will be given for a process of collecting bills performed by the replenishing/collecting apparatus100by referring toFIG. 11.FIG. 11is a flowchart explaining a process of collecting bills performed by the replenishing/collecting apparatus100. When the replenishing/collecting apparatus100performs the collection, the stackers9athrough9dare removed from the money input/output apparatus1, and one of the stacker mount units13-1through13-8of the replenishing/collecting apparatus100is mounted. As illustrated inFIG. 11, the operation detection unit126continues monitoring until an instruction to collect bills is given to the operation unit104(No in S191). When the operation detection unit126has detected a collection instruction, the stacker mounting determination unit57continues monitoring until the collection target stacker9from which the collection of bills has been instructed is mounted, while the collection box mounting determination unit59continues monitoring until the collection box117is mounted (No in S192).

When the stacker mounting determination unit57has determined the mounting of the collection target stacker9and the collection box mounting determination unit59has determined the mounting of the collection box117(Yes in S192), the drum88rotates in the reverse direction in the collection target stacker9so that bills are fed out. InFIG. 5, when the collection target stacker is, for example, the stacker9-6, bills are conveyed to the bill distinguishing unit7through the bill conveyance units113and115, and the distinguishing process unit67distinguishes the bills in accordance with signals corresponding to the denominations, the authenticity, and the like output from the bill distinguishing unit7(S193). The distinguishing process unit67stores in the storage unit101the distinguishing results such as the denominations, the numbers, the authenticity, or the like of the bills.

The control unit105continues monitoring until the collection by the bill conveyance control unit128, the distinguishing process unit67, and the like is terminated (No in S194). When the control unit105has detected the termination of the collection (Yes in S194), the memory input/output unit124resets the memory device11of the stacker9from which bills were collected. The memory input/output unit124refers to the distinguishing results stored in the storage unit101, and stores in the memory device25the denominations, the numbers, and the like of the collected bills (S195). The control unit105reports the completion, for example, by displaying the fact of the completion on a display unit (not shown) in the operation unit104(S196), and the collection process is terminated.

As described above, the stacker9, which is able to be attached to and removed from both of the money input/output apparatus1and the replenishing/collecting apparatus100according to the first embodiment accommodates bills by making the drum88roll up them while they are sandwiched by two pieces of the tape96and the tape98. Also, it is configured to feed out bills sandwiched by the pieces of tape to the outside by making the drum88rotate in the reverse direction. Also, accommodation information such as the denominations, the numbers, and the like of bills accommodated inside is stored in the memory device11. The stacker9is replenished with bills in the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, and the accommodation information of the accommodated bills is stored in the memory device11. After being removed from the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, the stacker9is mounted on the money input/output apparatus1, and the money input/output process is performed. When the money input/output process is terminated and the stacker9is removed from the money input/output apparatus1, the stacker9is mounted on the replenishing/collecting apparatus100again so that bills in it are collected. When this process is performed, the memory device11is reset to the initial state.

Note that, in the money input/output apparatus1, the memory11is an example of a first storage unit according to the present invention, the stacker9is an example of a bill accommodation unit, the stacker mount unit13is an example of a mount unit, the stacker detection unit29is an example of a detection unit, the memory input/output unit61is an example of a reading unit and an updating unit, the storage unit55is an example of a second storage unit, the bill conveyance control unit65is an example of an accommodation distinguishing unit, the operation unit4is an example of an instruction input unit, and each of the bill conveyance units31through49is an example of a conveying unit.

Also, in the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, the operation detection unit126is an example of a replenishment instruction obtainment unit according to the present invention, the depository control unit134and the bill conveyance control unit128are examples of a replenishment unit and a collection unit, and the memory input/output unit124is an example of a recording unit.

As described above, according to the money input/output apparatus and the replenishing/collecting apparatus according to the first embodiment, a removable stacker that can be used for a plurality of denominations of bills can be installed without mechanical adjustment or the like. In other words, a stacker that can accommodate and feed out bills regardless of differences in bill sizes and influences of friction between bills can be provided. For this, erroneous mounting on the money input/output apparatus1can be detected by providing the memory devices11for storing accommodation information including the denominations and the numbers of accommodated bills. Also, by making the money input/output apparatus1and the replenishing/collecting apparatus100read information from the memory devices11, accommodation information on bills accommodated inside can be read, and thereby the timing of replenishment and collection can be made more accurate.

Also, according to the stacker9, the area of the base of the accommodation unit can be smaller than the size of bills when it is accommodating bills contrary to a case where bills are accommodated in a stacked manner, and thereby the money input/output apparatus1and the replenishing/collecting apparatus100can be more compact. Also, the stacker9can be a removable stacker that can prevent double feed during feeding out of bills.

Further, because the stacker9is removably provided to the money input/output apparatus1, the replenishing/collecting apparatus100can be replenished with bills only by mounting one of the stackers9that has been replenished with bills by the replenishing/collecting apparatus100. Collection can also be performed by the replenishing/collecting apparatus100by removing the stacker9. Accordingly, bills are accommodated or fed out sequentially by the stacker9, however, operations before the service of the money input/output apparatus1starts and after the service finishes can be performed in a short time period. Further, even when the apparatus has to be replenished with bills during the service hours, the replenishment can be completed only by removing and mounting cassettes, thereby preventing deterioration in the quality of customer services.

In the replenishing/collecting apparatus100, the plurality of stackers9can be replenished with bills at the same time by distinguishment performed by the bill distinguishing unit7with bills of various denominations being accommodated in the depository102, making it possible to increase operation efficiency. Also, the stacker9can be used for a plurality of denominations, minimizing the number of stackers9that have to be prepared so as to attain costs. Further, the collection box117and the collection box27can be used in the same manner in the money input/output apparatus1, making it possible to reduce costs further.

Second Embodiment

Next, explanations will be given for a money input/output process performed by the money input/output apparatus according to a second embodiment by referring toFIG. 12. The configuration of the money input/output apparatus is the same as that of the money input/output apparatus1according to the first embodiment, and thus explanations thereof will be omitted. Also, S201and S202inFIG. 12are identical to S171and S172inFIG. 8, and S204through S211, and S213inFIG. 12are identical to S174through S181, and S183inFIG. 8, and thus, detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 12is a flowchart explaining the money input/output process of the money input/output apparatus according to the second embodiment. In the money input/output apparatus1according to the first embodiment, the denominations of bills accommodated in the stacker9mounted on each of the stacker mount unit13is set, while the second embodiment controls the conveyance of bills in accordance with the denominations read from the memory device11. Specifically, as illustrated inFIG. 12, when the memory input/output unit61has read denomination from the accommodation information in the memory device11, the memory input/output unit61stores in the storage unit55the read denominations and identification information of the stacker mount units13athrough13din an associated manner. The bill conveyance control unit65sets the conveyance in accordance with the denominations stored in the storage unit55and the information of the stacker mount units13athrough13d(S203). When denominations have been set for all the stacker mount units13, the process proceeds to S204. Note that the abnormality report unit53may report abnormalities of, for example, the bill conveyance units31through49in the present embodiment.

As described above, according to the money input/output apparatus1of the second embodiment, the denomination of bills stored in the memory device11of the stacker9can be set as the denomination of bills that are accommodated or fed out by the stacker mount unit13by the position of the stacker mount unit13on which the stacker9is mounted. Accordingly, the stacker mount unit13on which the stacker9is mounted is not limited, making it possible to improve the usability by, for example, using it as a bill input/output machine for different currencies.

Note that the present embodiment is not limited by the above described embodiments, and various configurations or embodiments can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the configuration of the stackers9is not limited to the above, and any configurations can be used for stackers of the present invention as long as they can accommodate and feed out different sized bills. Information in the memory devices11and25is not limited to the above, and can include other elements. Also, the configurations of the money input/output apparatus1and the replenishing/collecting apparatus100are not limited to the above, and any configurations causing similar effects are within the scope of the present invention.