Patent Publication Number: US-11640740-B2

Title: Automated teller machine and medium conveyance route switching device for automated teller machine

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0172355, filed on Dec. 20, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference for all purposes. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to an automated teller machine and a medium conveyance route switching device for an automated teller machine. More specifically, the present disclosure pertains to a medium conveyance route switching device for an automated teller machine, which is installed in an automated teller machine to switch a conveyance direction of a medium on a conveyance path. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The automated teller machine an apparatus that allows a user to perform a deposit/withdrawal transaction of a cash or a check, an account transfer and an inquiry service without time restrictions through the use of a cash card or a bankbook issued by a financial institution. The automated teller machine is an unmanned terminal which is widely used in the financial industry because it can rapidly provide financial services to a user. 
     The automated teller machine may include a deposit/withdrawal part for a user to input or receive a medium for deposit or withdrawal, a conveyance path through which the medium deposited or withdrawn through the deposit/withdrawal part is conveyed, a discrimination part provided on the conveyance path to discriminate the presence or absence of an abnormality and the type of a medium, a temporary storage part in which the medium deposited through the discrimination part is temporarily stored, a rejected medium storage part configured to accommodate a medium discriminated by the discrimination part to have an abnormality, and a medium storage part configured to perform a reflux function so that the medium is received or withdrawn. 
     In addition, the gate provided in the conveyance path is usually formed of a blade installed to rotate about a rotation shaft at a position where the conveyance path is branched. The gate is configured so that the medium conveyed from any one conveyance path is connected to one of the remaining conveyance paths in correspondence to a deposit/withdrawal step. A medium conveyance route switching device is provided in the conveyance path so as to switch a medium conveyance route to a plurality of other conveyance routes in each deposit/withdrawal step. 
     The conventional medium conveyance route switching device, e.g., Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1173806 (published on Aug. 16, 2016), is usually composed of a triangular blade rotatably installed at a position where three conveyance paths are branched. The conventional medium conveyance route switching device is configured so that the medium conveyed from any one conveyance path is connected to one of the remaining two conveyance paths in correspondence to a deposit/withdrawal step. 
     However, in the conventional medium conveyance route switching device, the installation space of an actuator for driving the blade occupies a relatively large space. This may make it difficult to arrange components inside the device in a space saving manner. 
     In addition, the conventional medium conveyance route switching device is limited to the conveyance paths branched in three directions and, therefore, may not be able to actively cope with an increasing trend in the branching direction of the conveyance path due to diversified cassette arrangement. 
     SUMMARY 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an automated teller machine and a medium conveyance route switching device for an automated teller machine, which are capable of accurately and rapidly changing a conveyance direction of a medium at the time of depositing or withdrawing the medium. 
     Furthermore, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an automated teller machine and a medium conveyance route switching device for an automated teller machine, which are capable of reducing an installation space of an actuator for driving a gate and consequently realizing space-intensive arrangement of components in the device. In addition, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an automated teller machine and a medium conveyance route switching device for an automated teller machine, which are capable of increasing the branching directions of a conveyance path in conformity with the diversified medium cassette arrangement. 
     In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a medium conveyance route switching device for an automated teller machine, including: a support unit located at a branching point of a first conveyance path, a second conveyance path and a third conveyance path where conveyance directions of a medium converge in three directions; a gate assembly including a first gate, a second gate and a third gate positioned on one ends of the first conveyance path, the second conveyance path and the third conveyance path, respectively, to guide at the branching point the medium to other conveyance paths among the first conveyance path, the second conveyance path and the third conveyance path than a conveyance path from which the medium is conveyed; and a rotation mechanism configured to rotate the first gate, the second gate and the third gate, wherein the rotation mechanism includes: a first actuator configured to rotate the first gate to switch the medium conveyed from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path or the third conveyance path; and a second actuator configured to, when the first gate is rotated, rotate the second gate and the third gate in associated with the second gate so that the second conveyance path and the third conveyance path become open or close. 
     The first gate may be configured to guide the medium conveyed from the first conveyance path to the second conveyance path or the third conveyance path, the second gate may be configured to guide the medium conveyed from the second conveyance path to the first conveyance path or the third conveyance path, and the third gate may be configured to guide the medium conveyed from the third conveyance path to the first conveyance path or the second conveyance path. 
     The first gate may include a first rotation shaft rotatably mounted to the support unit and a plurality of first gate pieces disposed on one side of the first rotation shaft, the first gate pieces being spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the first rotation shaft, the second gate may include a second rotation shaft rotatably mounted to the support unit and a plurality of second gate pieces disposed on one side of the second rotation shaft, the second gate pieces being spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the second rotation shaft, and the third gate may include a third rotation shaft rotatably mounted to the support unit and a plurality of third gate pieces disposed on one side of the third rotation shaft, the third gate pieces being spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction of the third rotation shaft. 
     The rotation mechanism may further include a driving gear configured to operatively connect the third rotation shaft and the second actuator, and a driven gear configured to operatively connect the second rotation shaft and the driving gear. 
     The driving gear and the driven gear may be engaged with each other so that the second gate pieces and the third gate pieces rotate in opposite rotation directions. 
     The support unit may include: a first support piece having a first through-hole portion; a second support piece having a second through-hole portion, wherein one side wall of the second support piece remains in contact with one side wall of the first support piece; a third support piece having a third through-hole portion, wherein one side wall of the third support piece remains in contact with another side wall of the second support piece and another side wall of the first support piece; and a fixing shaft configured to extend through the first through-hole portion, the second through-hole portion and the third through-hole portion to fix the first support piece, the second support piece and the third support piece. 
     The support unit may be provided in an assembly form in which the first support piece, the second support piece and the third support piece are alternately arranged with respect to the first gate, the second gate and the third gate along a longitudinal direction of the fixing shaft. 
     The first support piece, the second support piece and the third support piece may be arranged symmetrically to each other with the fixing shaft interposed therebetween. 
     The first actuator may be operatively connected to one end of the first gate, and the second actuator may be located on the other end side of the first gate so as to be operatively connected to the second gate and the third gate. In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided an automated teller machine, including: a conveyance path configured to provide conveyance routes for a medium to be deposited and withdrawn through a deposit/withdrawal part; a medium conveyance route switching device described above configured to guide a moving direction of the medium at a branching point of the conveyance path where the conveyance routes are branched; and a discrimination part installed on the conveyance path to discriminate the presence or absence of an abnormality and the type of the medium. 
     According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to accurately and rapidly change a conveyance direction of a medium at the time of depositing or withdrawing the medium through the use of a simple structure. 
     Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to reduce an installation space of an actuator for driving a gate and consequently realize space-intensive arrangement of components in the device. 
     In addition, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to increase the branching directions of a conveyance path in conformity with the diversified medium cassette arrangement. 
     Moreover, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to perform switching in conformity with various switching angles between conveyance paths, which makes it possible to cope with various switching angles compared with a conventional triangular single blade gate. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram schematically showing an automated teller machine provided with a medium conveyance route switching device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view showing the medium conveyance route switching device of the automated teller machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a region “A” in  FIG.  2   . 
         FIG.  4    is an enlarged perspective view in which the first support piece shown in  FIG.  3    is removed. 
         FIG.  5    is a perspective view showing the back side of the first support piece removed from  FIG.  3   . 
         FIG.  6    is a front view showing the medium conveyance route switching device of the automated teller machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIGS.  7  to  9    are operation state diagrams showing the operation state of  FIG.  6    at the branching point of the conveyance path. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Hereinafter, configurations and operations of embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following description is one of various patentable aspects of the present disclosure and may form a part of the detailed description of the present disclosure. 
     However, in describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of known configurations or functions that make the present disclosure obscure may be omitted. 
     The present disclosure may be modified and include various embodiments. Specific embodiments will be exemplarily illustrated in the drawings and described in the detailed description of the embodiments. However, it should be understood that they are not intended to limit the present disclosure to specific embodiments but rather to cover all modifications, similarities, and alternatives that are included in the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. 
     The terms used herein, including ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” may be used to describe, and not to limit, various components. The terms simply distinguish the components from one another. 
     When it is said that a component is “connected” or “linked” to another component, it should be understood that the former component may be directly connected or linked to the latter component or a third component may be interposed between the two components. 
     Specific terms in the present disclosure are used simply to describe specific embodiments without limiting the present disclosure. An expression used in the singular encompasses the expression of the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context. 
     Hereinafter, a medium conveyance route switching device for an automated teller machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG.  1    is a block diagram schematically showing an automated teller machine provided with a medium conveyance route switching device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , the automated teller machine  10  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a frame/housing  700 , a deposit/withdrawal part  300 , a conveyance path  200 , a medium conveyance route switching device  100 , a discrimination part  400 , a temporary holding part  500 , and a reflux cassette  600 . 
     The frame/housing  700  may provide a storage space for storing a medium. In this embodiment, the frame/housing  700  is not limited to a storage space of a medium (a bank note, a check, etc.). The frame/housing  700  may provide the overall appearance of the automated teller machine. 
     The deposit/withdrawal part  300  may provide a deposit/withdrawal space for inputting or receiving a medium. The deposit/withdrawal part  300  may be provided with belts, rollers, motors and the like for conveying the medium. Configurations of the belts, the rollers, the motors and the like are generally known in the art of medium conveyance and, therefore, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. 
     The conveyance path  200  may provide a medium conveyance path in the internal space of the frame/housing  700 . The conveyance path  200  may provide a conveyance route of a medium to be deposited and withdrawn through the deposit/withdrawal part  300 . For example, the conveyance path  200  may guide the medium deposited through the deposit/withdrawal part  300  to the discrimination part  400 , the temporary holding part  500  or the reflux cassette  600 , or may guide the medium discharged from the reflux cassette  600  to the discrimination part  400  or the deposit/withdrawal part  300 . 
     The medium conveyance route switching device  100  may be installed on the conveyance path  200 . The medium conveyance route switching device  100  may branch the conveyance path so that the moving direction of the medium is guided. Details of the medium conveyance route switching device  100  will be described later. 
     The discrimination part  400  may be installed on the conveyance path  200 . The discrimination part  400  may discriminate the type and the presence or absence of abnormality of the medium passing through the conveyance path  200 . At the time of depositing and counting the medium, the normal medium discriminated as a medium having no abnormality by the discrimination part  400  may be temporarily stored in the temporary holding part  500 . The suspected medium discriminated as a media having an abnormality by the discrimination part  400  may be returned to the customer through the deposit/withdrawal part  300 . 
     The temporary holding part  500  may provide a storage space for temporarily storing the medium discriminated by the discriminating part  400 . The temporary holding part  500  may receive the medium discriminated by the discrimination part  400  through the conveyance path  200 . 
     The reflux cassette  600  may provide a stacking space capable of storing a medium during deposition. The reflux cassette  600  may discharge the medium stored in the stacking space during withdrawal. The reflux cassette  600  may include a plurality of cassettes having different sizes depending on the type of a medium. 
     The configuration of the automated teller machine  10  described above is exemplified to help understanding of the present embodiment. Accordingly, other configurations may be added to the above-described configuration as needed. The configuration and structure may be modified or changed according to the needs. 
       FIG.  2    is a perspective view showing the medium conveyance route switching device of the automated teller machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG.  3    is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a region “A” in  FIG.  2   .  FIG.  4    is an enlarged perspective view in which the first support piece shown in  FIG.  3    is removed.  FIG.  5    is a perspective view showing the back side of the first support piece removed from  FIG.  3   .  FIG.  6    is a front view showing the medium conveyance route switching device of the automated teller machine according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  to  6   , the medium conveyance route switching device  100  according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a support unit  110  located at a branching point where conveyance routes converge in three directions, a gate assembly  130  configured to guide a medium to different conveyance paths at the branching point, and a rotation mechanism  140  configured to rotate a first gate  131 , a second gate  132  and a third gate  133 . 
     Specifically, the support unit  110  may be located at a branching point of the conveyance path  200  where conveyance routes of the medium converge in three directions. The medium conveyed on the conveyance path  200  may be supported by a guide roller  710 . In the case of the three-way conveyance path  200 , for the sake of convenience and understanding of the description, the conveyance path located on the lower side in the drawings is defined as a first conveyance path  201 , the conveyance path located on the left side in the drawings is defined as a second conveyance path  202 , and the conveyance path located on the right side in the drawings is defined as a third conveyance path  203 . The support unit  110  may be located at a point where the conveyance path  200  is branched into switching paths  120  (see  FIG.  7   ). 
     The support unit  110  may include a first support piece  111 , a second support piece  112 , a third support piece  113  and a fixing shaft  114 . The first support piece  111  may be provided as an inverted triangle piece as a whole. Side walls  111   a  and  111   b  of the first support piece  111  may be in close contact with the side wall  112   b  of the second support piece  112  and the side wall  113   a  of the third support piece  113 , respectively. A first through-hole portion  111   a  may be formed at a lower edge portion of the first support piece  111 . 
     Side walls  112   a  and  112   b  of the second support piece  112  may be in close contact with the side wall  111   a  of the first support piece  111  and the side wall  113   b  of the third support piece  113 , respectively. A second through-hole portion  112   a  may be formed at a side edge portion of the second support piece  112 . 
     Side walls  113   a  and  113   b  of the third support piece  113  may be in close contact with the side wall  112   a  of the second support piece  112  and the side wall  111   b  of the first support piece  111 , respectively. A third through-hole portion  113   a  may be formed at a side edge portion of the third support piece  113 . The fixing shaft  114  penetrates through the first through-hole portion  111   a , the second through-hole portion  112   a  and the third through-hole portion  113   a  to fix the first support piece  111 , the second support piece  112  and the third support piece  113 . 
     The first support piece  111 , the second support piece  112  and the third support piece  113  may be disposed symmetrically to each other with the fixing shaft  114  interposed therebetween. The first support piece  111 , the second support piece  112  and the third support piece  113  may be provided in a plural number and may be alternately arranged with respect to the first gate piece  161 , the second gate piece  162  and the third gate piece  163  of the gate assembly  130  along the longitudinal direction of the fixing shaft  114 . 
     The gate assembly  130  may guide the moving direction of the medium conveyed on the three-way conveyance path  200 . To this end, the gate assembly  130  may include a plurality of gates that are rotatably installed on the support unit  110 . Since one end of each of the gates is rotated at a point where the conveyance path  200  is branched into the switching paths  120 , the other end of each of the gates can selectively open or close each of the switching paths  120 . 
     The gate assembly  130  includes a first gate  131 , a second gate  132  and a third gate  133  located on the side of the first conveyance path  201 , the second conveyance path  202  and the third conveyance path  203 , respectively. 
     The first gate  131  may guide the conveyance direction of the medium from the first conveyance path  201  to the second conveyance path  202  or the third conveyance path  203 . The first gate  131  may include a first rotation shaft  151  rotatably mounted to the support unit  110 , and a plurality of first gate pieces  161  spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on one side of the first rotation shaft  151 . The first rotation shaft  151  is a rotation axis of the first gate  131  and may be rotatably installed on a lower portion of the support unit  110 . 
     The second gate  132  may guide the conveyance direction of the medium from the second conveyance path  202  to the first conveyance path  201  or the third conveyance path  203 . The second gate  132  may include a second rotation shaft  152  rotatably mounted to the support unit  110 , and a plurality of second gate pieces  162  spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on one side of the second rotation shaft  152 . The second rotation shaft  152  is a rotation axis of the second gate  132  and may be rotatably installed on one side portion of the support unit  110 . 
     The third gate  133  may guide the conveyance direction of the medium from the third conveyance path  203  to the first conveyance path  201  or the second conveyance path  202 . The third gate  133  may include a third rotation shaft  153  rotatably mounted to the support unit  110 , and a plurality of third gate pieces  163  spaced apart along the longitudinal direction on one side of the third rotation shaft  153 . The third rotation shaft  153  is a rotation axis of the third gate  133  and may be rotatably installed on the other side portion of the support unit  110 . 
     The rotation mechanism  140  may include a first actuator  141  configured to rotate the first rotation shaft  151 , a second actuator  142  configured to rotate the second rotation shaft  152  and the third rotation shaft  153  together, a driving gear  173  configured to operatively connect the third rotation shaft  153  and the second actuator  142 , and a driven gear  172  configured to operatively connect the second rotation shaft  152  and the driving gear  173 . 
     The first actuator  141  may rotate the first rotation shaft  151  clockwise or counterclockwise in the drawings, whereby the moving direction of the medium moved through the first conveyance path  201  can be guided to the second conveyance path  202  or the third conveyance path  203 . 
     When the first rotation shaft  151  is rotated, the second actuator  142  may rotate the second rotation shaft  152  and the third rotation shaft  153  together. At this time, the second rotation shaft  152  and the third rotation shaft  153  are engaged with each other through the driving gear  173  and the driven gear  172 . Therefore, if one of the second gate  132  or the third gate  133  is rotated by the second actuator  142 , the second gate  132  and the third gate  133  may be rotated together. 
     For example, when the second actuator  142  rotates the third rotation shaft  153  clockwise, the second rotation shaft  152  may be simultaneously rotated counterclockwise by receiving a rotational force through the driving gear  173  and the driven gear  172 . In the present embodiment, the second actuator  142  is operatively connected to the third rotation shaft  153  via the driving gear  173 . However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The second actuator  142  may be operatively connected to the second rotation shaft  152  through the driving gear  173 . 
     The driving gear  173  may operatively connect the end of the third rotation shaft  153  and the driving shaft of the second actuator  142 . Furthermore, the driving gear  173  may engage the driven gear  172 . The driven gear  172  may be provided at the end of the second rotation shaft  152  so as to engage with the driving gear  173 . Since the driving gear  173  and the driven gear  172  are engaged in a gear-to-gear meshing manner, if the second rotation shaft  152  and the third rotation shaft  153  are rotated by the driving gear  173  and the driven gear  172 , the second gate piece  162  and the third gate piece  163  may be rotated in opposite rotation directions. 
     Hereinafter, the operation of the medium conveyance route switching device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. 
       FIGS.  7  to  9    are operation state diagrams showing the operation state of  FIG.  6    at the branching point of the conveyance path. 
     First, as illustrated in  FIGS.  7  to  9   , a plurality of branched switching paths  120  may be provided on the conveyance path  200  in order to guide the medium moved along the conveyance path  200  in one direction to the conveyance path  200  in the other direction. For example, the plurality of switching paths  120  may include a first switching path  121 , a second switching path  122  and a third switching path  123  that interconnect the three-way conveyance paths  200 . 
     The first switching path  121  may connect the second conveyance path  202  and the third conveyance path  203 . The second switching path  122  may connect the first conveyance path  201  and the third conveyance path  203 . The third switching path  123  may connect the first conveyance path  201  and the second conveyance path  202 . At this time, the first conveyance path  201  may be branched into the second switching path  122  and the third switching path  123 . The second conveyance path  202  may be branched into the first switching path  121  and the third switching path  123 . The third conveyance path  203  may be branched into the first switching path  121  and the second switching path  122 . 
     For example, as shown in  FIG.  7   , when the first actuator  141  rotates the first rotation shaft  151  clockwise in  FIG.  7    and the second actuator  142  rotates the third rotation shaft  153  counterclockwise in  FIG.  7   , the first gate  131  and the third gate  133  may open the second switching path  122 . Accordingly, the medium moved through the first conveyance path  201  may be guided to the third conveyance path  203  through the second switching path  122 , or the medium moved through the third conveyance path  203  may be guided to the first conveyance path  201  through the second switching path  122 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  8   , when the first actuator  141  rotates the first rotation shaft  151  counterclockwise in  FIG.  8    and the second actuator  142  rotates the third rotation shaft  153  counterclockwise in  FIG.  8   , the second rotation shaft  152  is rotated clockwise in  FIG.  8    together with the third rotation shaft  153 , so that the first gate  131  and the second gate  132  can open the third switching path  123 . Accordingly, the medium moved through the first conveyance path  201  may be guided to the second conveyance path  202  through the third switching path  123 , or the medium moved through the second conveyance path  202  may be guided to the first conveyance path  201  through the third switching path  123 . 
     As shown in  FIG.  9   , when the second actuator  142  rotates the third rotation shaft  153  clockwise in  FIG.  9   , the second rotation shaft  152  is rotated counterclockwise in  FIG.  9    together with the third rotation shaft  153 . Therefore, the second gate  132  and the third gate  133  may open the first switching path  121 . Accordingly, the medium moved through the second conveyance path  202  is guided to the third conveyance path  203  through the first switching path  121 , or the medium moved through the third conveyance path  203  may be guided to the second conveyance path  202  through the first switching path  121 . 
     As described above, the present disclosure provides a structure capable of accurately and rapidly changing the conveyance direction of the medium at the time of depositing or withdrawing the medium. It is possible to reduce the installation space of the actuator for driving the gate and consequently realize space-intensive arrangement of components in the device. It is possible to increase the branching directions of the conveyance path in conformity with the diversified medium cassette arrangement. 
     While the present disclosure has been described above using the preferred embodiments, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. A person having ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field will be able to replace or modify the constituent elements. Such replacement or modification should be construed to fall within the scope of the present disclosure.