Patent Publication Number: US-2018037429-A1

Title: Paper sheet handling apparatus

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a paper sheet handling apparatus that performs recognition and counting of a paper sheet, and stacks the paper sheet. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A banknote handling apparatus that performs recognition and counting of banknotes, and stacks those banknotes in a stacking unit is known in the art. Some stacking units that allow stacking of a plurality of banknotes have an opening for removing the banknotes stacked therein. In the stacking unit having such an opening, it is desirable that a banknote is surely stacked without the banknote being jumping outside of the opening and that the banknote stacked inside is easily removable. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a banknote handling apparatus in which a pushing member is provided in a stacking unit, and the banknote stacked in the stacking unit is pushed by this pushing member toward the opening. Accordingly, the banknote can be surely stacked deep inside the stacking unit when viewed from the opening, and by pushing the stacked banknote toward the opening with the pushing member, it becomes easy to remove the banknote from the opening. 
     CITATION LIST 
     Patent Document 
     [Patent Document 1] PCT Publication No. WO 2009/028072 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
     However, in the conventional technology, the banknote may not be surely pushed by the pushing member. Specifically, when the banknote is pushed inside the stacking unit, a part of the banknote may be caught in bumps and dents, structural members, and the like present inside the stacking unit. Particularly, a banknote in a bad condition, such as a banknote stacked in a folded manner or a torn note, is sometimes not pushed as it is caught in the bumps and dents and the like present inside the stacking unit. 
     The present invention is made to address the problems in the conventional technology. One object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet handling apparatus that can surely push a paper sheet stacked in a stacking unit toward an opening provided for removing the paper sheet. 
     Means for Solving Problems 
     To solve the above problems and to achieve the above object, a paper sheet handling apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a feed unit that feeds a paper sheet; a transport unit that transports the paper sheet fed by the feed unit; a stacking unit for stacking therein the paper sheet transported by the transport unit and having an opening for removing the paper sheet stacked therein; a pushing member that pushes the paper sheet present in the stacking unit toward the opening; a pressing member that presses the paper sheet pushed by the pushing member; and a control unit that controls driving the pressing member based on an operation of the pushing member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, while the pushing member is pushing the paper sheet, the pressing member presses the paper sheet in a direction that is orthogonal to a pushing direction of the pushing member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the pressing member is a rotating member that is used for stacking the paper sheet inside the stacking unit. The rotating member presses the paper sheet while rotating. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the rotating member is a stacking wheel. When stacking the paper sheet, while the stacking wheel rotates, the stacking wheel receives between blades the paper sheet transported by the transport unit to discharge and stack in the stacking unit. When pressing the paper sheet, while the stacking wheel rotates, the stacking wheel presses the paper sheet being stacked inside the stacking unit in a direction going away from the stacking wheel. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the rotating member includes a shaft member supported on a rotation axis; an arm member that extends in a diameter direction of the shaft member; and a patting member arranged at a far tip end in a diameter direction of the arm member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the control unit controls a rotational frequency of the rotating member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the control unit changes the rotational frequency of the rotating member between when stacking the paper sheet in the stacking unit and when pressing the paper sheet pushed by the pushing member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the control unit controls a rotation direction of the rotating member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the pushing member and the pressing member are drivable while the transport unit is not operated. 
     The above paper sheet handling apparatus further includes a first driving mechanism for driving the transport unit; a second driving mechanism for driving the pushing member; and a third driving mechanism for driving the pressing member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, a plurality of the stacking units are provided. The pushing member and the pressing member are provided in each of the stacking units. The control unit separately controls driving each of the pushing members and each of the pressing members. 
     The above paper sheet handling apparatus further includes an operation unit that receives an instruction operation. The control unit controls driving the pushing member and the pressing member based on the instruction operation received in the operation unit. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the control unit controls driving the pushing member and the pressing member based on a status of paper sheet handling. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the pressing member moves between a pressing position at which the pressing member presses the paper sheet present inside the stacking unit and a retracted position at which the pressing member is retracted from inside of the stacking unit. The control unit controls moving the pressing member to the retracted position while a banknote is being stacked in the stacking unit and moving the pressing member from the retracted position to the pressing position when the pushing member pushes the paper sheet. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, a part of the pressing member in contact with the paper sheet is constituted by an elastic member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, a part of the pressing member in contact with the paper sheet is constituted by a rotating member rotatable in a direction of pushing of the paper sheet by the pushing member. 
     In the above paper sheet handling apparatus, the pressing member presses the paper sheet by applying wind pressure on the paper sheet. 
     The above paper sheet handling apparatus further includes a detection unit that detects a stacking state of the paper sheet stacked in the stacking unit. The control unit determines whether pressing of the paper sheet is necessary or not based on a detection result by the detection unit and drives the pressing member when the pressing of the paper sheet is necessary. 
     Advantageous Effects of Invention 
     According to the present invention, in the stacking unit having the opening for removing the paper sheet stacked therein, when the pushing member pushes the stacked paper sheet toward the opening, the paper sheet can be pressed by the pressing member. Even if bumps and dents, structural members, and the like are present inside the stacking unit, by pressing the paper sheet in a direction going away from them, it can be prevented that the paper sheet is caught in the bumps and dents, the structural members, and the like. Accordingly, the pushing of the paper sheet can be performed surely. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an external appearance of a banknote handling apparatus according to the present embodiment. 
         FIG. 2  is a view depicting a structure of a banknote stacking unit. 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are perspective views of a structure of a pushing member provided inside the banknote stacking unit and a driving mechanism that moves the pushing member. 
         FIGS. 4A and 4B  are views depicting a retracted position and a pushing position of the pushing member inside the banknote stacking unit. 
         FIG. 5  is a view depicting an internal structure of the banknote stacking unit. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a functional unit that controls operations of stacking wheels that function as a pressing member and operations of the pushing members. 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart depicting a flow of a process procedure for pushing a banknote present inside the banknote stacking unit with the pushing member while controlling the rotation of the stacking wheel. 
         FIG. 8  is a view depicting an example of a stacking wheel provided with a patting member. 
         FIG. 9  is a view depicting another example of a pressing member arranged pivotably on a roof surface of the stacking unit. 
         FIG. 10  is a view depicting an example of a pressing member arranged retractably in an opening in a side surface of the stacking unit. 
         FIG. 11  is a view depicting an example of a pressing member that presses a banknote by wind pressure. 
         FIG. 12  is a view depicting another example of a pressing member that presses a banknote by wind pressure. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an external appearance of a trash tray. 
         FIGS. 14A to 14C  are views depicting a structure of the trash tray. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Exemplary embodiments of a paper sheet handling apparatus according to the present invention are explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the paper sheet handling apparatus according to the present invention, as far as the apparatus includes a stacking unit having an opening, a type of paper sheet that can be handled therewith is not particularly limited. An example of a banknote handling apparatus that handles a banknote is explained below. 
     An outline of the banknote handling apparatus (paper sheet handling apparatus) according to the present embodiment is given below.  FIG. 1  is a perspective view depicting an external appearance of a banknote handling apparatus  1 . The banknote handling apparatus  1  has a hopper  20  and a reject unit  50  arranged on a side surface thereof, and has two banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and an operation/display unit  70  arranged on a front surface thereof. Each of the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  has an opening on a front surface side of the apparatus for removing a banknote stacked therein. The banknote is stacked in an inclined standing state inside the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . Moreover, on the left side of the operation/display unit  70  is arranged a trash tray  71  of a push-open type that comes out toward the front surface side when pushed toward a back surface side of the apparatus. Trash, such as paper dust, that is produced while the banknote is transported by a transport unit on a transport path arranged inside the apparatus, is collected in the trash tray  71 . By using the trash tray  71 , the trash can be removed from the apparatus. 
       FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an external appearance of the trash tray  71 .  FIGS. 14A to 14C  are views depicting a structure of the trash tray.  FIG. 14A  is a plan view of the trash tray  71  when seen from above, and  FIG. 14B  is a side view of the trash tray  71  when seen from the left side of the apparatus (from below in  FIG. 14A ). Moreover,  FIG. 14C  is a cross-section taken at a position of a dot-and-dash line shown in  FIG. 14A  when seen from the left side of the apparatus. 
     The trash tray  71  includes a front part  71   a,  side parts  71   b,  a rear part  71   c,  a bottom part  71   d,  and an engaging member  71   e.  As shown in  FIG. 1 , the front part  71   a  constitutes one surface with the front surface of the apparatus when attached to the banknote handling apparatus  1 . The side parts  71   b  are arranged on left and right of the trash tray  71 . The rear part  71   c  is arranged in a shape of a symbol “&lt;” when seen from above. The trash accumulates on a top surface of the bottom part  74   d.  The engaging member  71   e  is formed outside of the rear part  71   c.  The trash tray  71  has a shape of a box with a top surface thereof open. This box, when seen from above, has approximately five-cornered shape including the two side parts  71   b  that are substantially parallel to each other. The engaging member  71   e  is arranged at an apex, which is the corner on the rear part  71   c,  of the approximately five-cornered shape. 
     The front part  71   a,  which is substantially plate-shaped, is formed to match with an opening, which is formed on the front surface of the apparatus, so that it constitutes one surface with the front surface of the apparatus, when the trash tray  71  is mounted in the banknote handling apparatus  1 . The right side part  71   b  (upper one in  FIG. 14A ) is substantially rectangle plate shaped and a part thereof only on the front part  71   a  side is slightly curved. The left side part  71   b  is substantially rectangle plate shaped. A height (height in an up-down direction in  FIG. 14B ) of the side parts  71   b  is less than a height of the front part  71   a.  The front part  71   a  and both the side parts  71   b  are joined in such a manner that a lower edge of both the side parts  71   b  contacts a top surface of a plate arranged inside the apparatus when the trash tray  71  is mounted in the apparatus so that the front part  71   a  constitutes one surface with the front surface of the apparatus. The bottom part  71   d,  which is the substantially five-cornered shaped plate, is connected to the front part  71   a,  both the side parts  71   b,  and the rear part  71   c  at a slightly upper position from the lower edge of both the side parts  71   b.  When the trash tray  71  is mounted in the apparatus, the top surface of the bottom part  71   d  is horizontal and a small gap is secured between the lower surface of the bottom part  71   d  and the plate of the apparatus side to which the lower edge of both the side parts  71   b  contact. The bent plate-shaped rear part  71   c  is formed on the top surface side of the bottom part  71   d.  A height of the rear part  71   c  is less than the height of the side parts  71   b.  A height of the plate-shaped engaging member  71   e  is less than the height of the rear part  71   c.    
     A latch mechanism that engages with the engaging member  71   e  is arranged in an inner wall surface of the banknote handling apparatus  1  at a position that corresponds to the engaging member  71   e  of the trash tray  71 . When the trash tray  71  is inserted from the opening on the front surface of the apparatus and pushed toward the back surface side of the apparatus while sliding on the top surface of the plate arranged inside the apparatus so that the lower edge of both the side parts  71   b  are in contact with the top surface of the plate, the latch mechanism and the engaging member  71   e  engage, and, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the trash tray  71  is fixed in a position at which the front part  71   a  constitutes one surface with the front surface of the apparatus. Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 1 , when the trash tray  71  is further pushed toward the back surface side from the state in which the trash tray  71  has been mounted in the banknote handling apparatus  1 , the engagement between the latch mechanism and the engaging member  71   e  is released and the trash tray  71  is pushed by the latch mechanism from the front surface of the apparatus toward the front side. 
     Because a rear part of a conventional trash tray was formed with a flat plate, trash and/or dust may accumulate between an outer portion of the rear part (left outer portion in  FIG. 14A ) and an inner wall surface of the apparatus in which the latch mechanism is provided, so that the trash tray may not be pushed inside the apparatus, and the trash tray might not be fixed to the apparatus. In the trash tray  71  according to the present embodiment, the rear part  71   c  is constituted by two surfaces that have an angle a of 90 degrees therebetween as shown in  FIG. 14A . Therefore, a space is secured between an outer portion of the rear part  71   c  and an inner wall surface of the apparatus as shown with a dotted line circle in  FIG. 14A . Accordingly, even if the trash is present in the outer portion of the rear part  71   c,  when the trash tray  71  is pushed, the trash can be pushed aside and moved in the space in the outer portion of the rear part  71   c  (inside the dotted line circle), and the engaging member  71   e  can be engaged with the latch mechanism. 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , while the top surface of the bottom part  71   d  constitutes one surface from the front part  71   a  to the rear part  71   c,  the side parts  71   b  and the rear part  71   c  have different heights. Specifically, a height h 2  of the rear part  71   c  is less than a height hl of the side parts  71   b  shown in  FIG. 14C . Accordingly, when the trash gets accumulated and piled up in the space in the outer portion of the rear part  71   c  as shown with the dotted line circle in  FIG. 14A , as the trash tray  71  is pushed, as shown with an arrow in  FIG. 14A , the accumulated trash crosses over an upper edge of the rear part  71   c  and falls inside the trash tray  71 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , because the small space is secured between a bottom surface of the bottom part  71   d  and the plate on the apparatus side, when the trash gets accumulated in the space in the outer portion of the rear part  71   c  (particularly below the engaging member  71   e ), the space between the bottom surface of the bottom part  71   d  and the plate on the apparatus side functions as an escape space for the trash when fixing the trash tray  71  to the apparatus. Accordingly, the trash tray  71  can be pushed while preventing the trash from getting caught in the space between the trash tray  71  and the latch mechanism, and the engaging member  71   e  can be engaged with the latch mechanism. 
     In this manner, by changing the shape of the trash tray  71  from the conventional shape, even if the trash accumulates in the outer portion of the rear part  71   c,  it is prevented that the trash tray  71  cannot be pushed and fixed. The specific dimensions are given below as an example. In the trash tray  71  shown in  FIG. 14A , a width W between inner walls of the side parts  71   b  is approximately 30 millimeters (mm). The height h 1  from the top surface of the bottom part  71   d  to an upper edge of the side parts  71   b  shown in  FIG. 14C  is 13 mm. The height h 2  from the top surface of the bottom part  71   d  to the upper edge of the rear part  71   c  is 6.5 mm, and a height h 3  from the bottom surface of the bottom part  71   d  to the lower edge of the side part  71   b  is 3 mm. 
     In the present embodiment, among the four side surfaces of the apparatus, the surface on the front side of the apparatus and on which the operation/display unit  70  is arranged is referred to as the front surface, and when viewed by an operator who operates the operation/display unit  70  while being on the front side of the banknote handling apparatus  1 , the side surface on the left side is referred to as a left surface, the side surface on the right side is referred to as a right surface, and a side surface of the back side of the apparatus is referred to as a back surface. Moreover, in the present embodiment, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a direction from the left surface to the right surface of the apparatus is taken as an X-axis direction, a direction from the front surface to the back surface of the apparatus is taken as a Y-axis direction, and a direction from the bottom surface to the top surface of the apparatus is taken as a Z-axis direction. 
     The banknote handling apparatus  1  includes an upper unit  11  and a lower unit  12 . The hopper  20 , the reject unit  50 , and the operation/display unit  70  are arranged in the upper unit  11 , and the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  are arranged in the lower unit  12 . A recessed notch  51  that extends from the front surface to the back surface side of a housing is formed in a front bottom right of the upper unit  11 . A stacking space of the reject unit  50  and a space in the notch  51  are connected. This allows confirmation of the presence/absence of a rejected banknote in the reject unit  50  and removal of the rejected banknote from the reject unit  50  to be performed easily. 
     The hopper  20  functions as a feed unit that feeds a banknote inside the apparatus. Specifically, the hopper  20  includes a guiding member  21  that supports the banknotes, which are placed in a stacked manner therein, from a short edge side of the banknotes (Y-axis direction). The stacked banknotes are fed one by one inside the apparatus sequentially from the bottommost banknote. 
     The reject unit  50  includes two stopper members  52  and a pressing member  53 . The stopper members  52  stop the rejected banknote being discharged in the stacking space of the reject unit  50  from the transport path arranged inside the apparatus so that it does not jump to the outside. The pressing member  53  presses from the above the rejected banknote that has been stopped in the stacking space. 
     The banknote stacking units  30  and  40  each having the opening in the front surface side thereof are arranged respectively on the left and the right outer sides of the lower unit  12 . The banknote fed inside the apparatus from the hopper  20  is subjected to the recognition and counting process inside the apparatus by a recognition unit. The banknote that is recognized as an object for stacking in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  is stacked in the first banknote stacking unit  30  or the second banknote stacking unit  40  depending on a recognition result. The banknote that is not the object for stacking, the banknote that could not be recognized by the recognition unit, and the like, is stacked in the reject unit  50  as the rejected banknote. 
     Two stacking wheels  33  are arranged inside the banknote stacking unit  30  and two stacking wheels  43  are arranged inside the banknote stacking unit  40 . These stacking wheels  33  and  43 , while rotating, receive the banknotes that are transported by the transport unit inside the apparatus and discharged in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , and stack the banknotes in an aligned manner. 
       FIG. 2  is a view depicting a structure of the first banknote stacking unit  30 . Inside the first banknote stacking unit  30 , the two stacking wheels  33  (see stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b  in  FIG. 5 ) are arranged at separate positions in the Y-axis direction. The two stacking wheels  33  are coaxially fixed on one rotation axis such that positions of each of blades overlap when seen from the Y-axis direction. 
     In the first banknote stacking unit  30 , the banknote that is transported inside the apparatus by the transport unit is discharged inside the stacking unit  30  from above a right wall  30   c.  The discharged banknote is sent toward a left wall  30   b  by the stacking wheel  33  that rotates counterclockwise around the Y axis. The left wall  30   b  is inclined such that the left side thereof is at a higher level than the right side thereof. The banknote sent to the left wall  30   b  by the stacking wheel  33  is stacked in an inclined standing state so that the inclined wall surface of the left wall  30   b  and the banknote face are parallel to each other. That is, the banknote is stacked in the inclined standing state such that the short edge is in the front side and the long edge is in contact with a bottom surface  30   a  and an upper side of the short edge is in the outer direction of the device than a lower side of the short edge. 
     The second banknote stacking unit  40  has the same structure as the first banknote stacking unit  30 . The structure of the second banknote stacking unit  40  can be obtained by horizontally flipping the first banknote stacking unit  30  shown in  FIG. 2 . In the second banknote stacking unit  40 , the banknote that is discharged from a left upper side is sent to a right wall inside the banknote stacking unit by the stacking wheel  43  that rotates clockwise around the Y axis. The banknote is stacked in an inclined standing state so that the banknote face is parallel to the inclined right wall whose right side is at a higher level than a left side. Though not shown in  FIG. 2 , the first banknote stacking unit  30  and the second banknote stacking unit  40  include a banknote detection sensor that detects a banknote stacked therein. 
     A pushing member  34  is explained below. Inside the stacking space of the first banknote stacking unit  30 , the pushing member  34  is arranged on the back surface side. Similarly, inside the stacking space of the second banknote stacking unit  40 , a pushing member  44  is arranged on the back surface side (see  FIG. 4 ). In the first banknote stacking unit  30  and the second banknote stacking unit  40 , all the banknotes stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  are pushed toward the respective openings by a forward movement of the respective pushing members  34  and  44 . Structures of the pushing members  34  and  44  and a driving mechanism for moving the pushing members  34  and  44  are the same in both the first banknote stacking unit  30  and the second banknote stacking unit  40 ; therefore, these structures in the first banknote stacking unit  30  are explained below as example. 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  are perspective views depicting a structure of the pushing member  34  and the driving mechanism that moves the pushing member  34  that are arranged inside the first banknote stacking unit  30 . In  FIGS. 3A and 3B  are shown the left wall  30   b  that is the outer wall of the apparatus (the negative X-axis direction side) on which the banknote sent by the stacking wheel  33  inside the stacking space of the first banknote stacking unit  30  is stacked such that the banknote face is in contact thereto, the pushing member  34  that is arranged so as to be slidably movable in a front-back direction (Y-axis direction) along the left wall  30   b  fixed to the apparatus, and the driving mechanism that drives the pushing member  34 .  FIG. 3A  depicts a retracted position of the pushing member  34  that is the position of the pushing member  34  when the stacking of the banknote is performed.  FIG. 3B  depicts a pushing position that is the position of the pushing member  34  when the banknote stacked inside was pushed forward. 
     The pushing member  34  includes a back plate  34   a,  a bottom plate  34   b,  and a side plate  34   c  integrated together. The back plate  34   a,  the bottom plate  34   b,  and the side plate  34   c  are in the form of a thin plate. A plurality of serrated protruding members is provided on an outer peripheral edge of the back plate  34   a.  Recess members that engage with these protruding members are provided in the front-back direction at corresponding positions on the wall surface that constitutes the stacking space. When the pushing member  34  moves, because the protruding members of the back plate  34   a  move inside the recess members in the wall surface, the banknote does not enter into the space between the pushing member  34  and the wall surface. Moreover, the side plate  34   c  has a surface shape in which steps are formed corresponding to the protruding members of the back plate  34   a.  The left wall  30   b  is formed in a shape that matches with this surface shape of the side plate  34   c.  As a result, when the pushing member  34  moves, the banknote does not enter into the space between the side plate  34   c  and the left wall  30   b.    
     The driving mechanism that slidingly moves the pushing member  34  in the front-back direction is constituted by a motor  120  that functions as a pushing member driving unit, a cam plate  121  rotated by the motor  120 , and a linking plate  122  driven by the cam plate  121 . The rotation of the cam plate  121  is converted into a front-back motion of the pushing member  34  by the linking plate  122 . 
     The movement of the pushing member  34  in the lateral direction (X-axis direction) and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) is suppressed and the pushing member  34  is supported so as to be slidably movable only in the front-back direction. One end of the linking plate  122  is rotatably supported by a shaft that projects from the backside of the bottom plate  34   b  of the pushing member  34 . The other end of the linking plate  122  is rotatably supported by a rotation axis  122   b  fixed to the apparatus. The linking plate  122  is provided with a narrow longitudinal through-hole  122   a.  A shaft on one end of the cam plate  121  is inserted into this through-hole  122   a  while the other end of the cam plate  122   a  is connected to a rotation axis of the motor  120 . When the cam plate  121  is rotated by the motor  120 , the shaft of the cam plate  121  makes a reciprocating movement inside the through-hole  122   a  of the linking plate  122 . Because of such a reciprocating movement, the other end of the linking plate  122  supported by the rotation axis  122   b  performs a back and forth movement, and the pushing member  34  connected to this other end also moves back and forth. 
     A not-shown sensor is arranged on the backside of the back plate  34   a  and this sensor detects whether the pushing member  34  has returned to the retracted position. Upon detecting that the pushing member  34  has returned to the retracted position, the rotation of the motor  120  is stopped. A not-shown spring member that applies a pulling force in the direction shown with an arrow in  FIGS. 3A and 3B  is attached to a shaft  122   c  of the linking plate  122 . During the period in which the motor  120  has been stopped, the linking plate  122  moves by the pulling force of the spring member, and the pushing member  34  returns to the retracted position. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  are views depicting the retracted position and the pushing position of the pushing member  44  inside the banknote stacking unit  40 .  FIGS. 4A and 4B  depict the banknote handling apparatus  1  when viewed from the right side.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  depict an external appearance of the upper unit  11  whereas depict a schematic cross-section of the lower unit  12 .  FIG. 4A  shows a state in which the pushing member  44  of the second banknote stacking unit  40  is in the retracted position, and  FIG. 4B  shows a state in which the pushing member  44  is in the pushing position.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  depict the pushing member  44  of the second banknote stacking unit  40  as an example, and the pushing member  34  of the first banknote stacking unit  30  operates in the same manner. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4A , two stacking wheels  43   a  and  43   b  are arranged inside the second banknote stacking unit  40 . A banknote  15  is fed inside the apparatus from the hopper  20 , transported inside the apparatus, and then discharged in the banknote stacking unit  40 . The banknote  15  is sent in a right outer side of the apparatus by the stacking wheels  43   a  and  43   b,  and is stacked in the inclined standing state as indicated with a dashed-line in  FIG. 4A . 
     Then, as shown in  FIG. 4B , the pushing member  44  moves to the pushing position that is in the back surface side of the stacking wheel  43   a  arranged in the back surface side. As a result, the front short edge of the stacked banknote  15  is pushed toward the opening of the second banknote stacking unit  40 , and the banknote  15  can be easily removed by grasping a front edge of the banknote  15  that is in the inclined standing state. After reaching the pushing position, the pushing member  44  returns to the retracted position shown in  FIG. 4A  and stops there. 
     One technical feature of the banknote handling apparatus  1  is that, when pushing the banknotes stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  by the pushing members  34  and  44 , the banknotes are pressed by a pressing member so that the banknotes being pushed are not caught in the bumps and dents or other structural component inside the apparatus. 
       FIG. 5  is a view depicting an internal structure of the first banknote stacking unit  30 .  FIG. 5  schematically shows a situation in which the first banknote stacking unit  30  is seen from above so that the opening that is present on the front side of the apparatus is on the lower side in the figure. Because the structure of the second banknote stacking unit  40  can be obtained by horizontally flipping the structure shown in  FIG. 5 , the explanation about the second banknote stacking unit  40  is omitted, and only the first banknote stacking unit  30  will be explained. 
     Openings  133   a  and  133   b  are formed in the right wall  30   c  that constitutes the stacking space in the first banknote stacking unit  30 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , a part of the stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b  is exposed inside the stacking space from the respective openings  133   a  and  133   b.    
     The banknote transported on the transport path is discharged inside the banknote stacking unit from the right side as shown with an arrow  100  in  FIG. 5 . The discharged banknote is received between the blades of the two stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b,  and sent toward the left wall  30   b  and stacked. In doing so, as shown with a dotted line in  FIG. 5 , it is possible that the stacked banknotes contain a banknote  15   a  stacked in a folded manner, and/or a banknote  15   b  stacked but caught in the opening  133   b.  If the pushing of the stacked banknotes is performed by the pushing member  34  in this state, the banknotes  15   a  and/or  15   b  may be caught in the opening  133   b  and/or the stacking wheel  33   b,  and may not be pushed as desired. To avoid this, in the banknote handling apparatus  1 , the stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b  are used as a pressing member when performing the pushing of the banknote by the pushing member  34 . 
     Specifically, by rotating the stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b  counterclockwise around the Y axis (from right to left in  FIG. 5 ) in the same manner as done when stacking the banknote, a pressing force that presses the stacked banknotes toward the left wall  30   b  is applied to the banknotes  15   a  and  15   b.  While applying the pressing force, the pushing of the banknotes is performed by the pushing member  34 . By rotation of the stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b,  the banknotes  15   a  and  15   b  are pushed away from the stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b  and the openings  133   a  and  133   b.  All the stacked banknotes can be surely pushed toward the opening of the stacking unit by performing the pushing of the banknotes by the pushing member  34  while rotating the stacking wheels  33   a  and  33   b.    
     In the banknote handling apparatus  1 , a rotational speed and a rotation direction of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  can be controlled as desired. Specifically, a rotational speed of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  when pushing the banknote by the pushing members  34  and  44  and a rotational speed of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  when stacking the banknote that has been transported by the transport unit inside the apparatus can be set same, or can be set different. Also, a rotation direction of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  when pushing the banknote by the pushing members  34  and  44  and a rotation direction of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  when stacking the banknote that has been transported by the transport unit inside the apparatus can be set same, or can be set different. 
     For example, the stacking wheels  33  and  43  are rotated at a high speed when stacking the banknote to perform banknote handling faster, and when using the stacking wheels  33  and  43  as the pressing member that presses the banknote being pushed by the pushing members  34  and  44 , the rotational speed is reduced to rotate the stacking wheels  33  and  43  at a low speed. 
     When using the stacking wheels  33   a  and  43   a  as the pressing member, the stacking wheels  33  and  43  can be rotated at a constant rotational speed or they can be rotated while changing the rotational speed. Moreover, when performing the pushing of the banknote by the pushing member  34 , the stacking wheels  33  and  43  can be rotated continuously, or they can be rotated intermittently by repeating rotation and stopping. Moreover, with respect to the rotation direction, the rotation can always be in one direction, clockwise or counterclockwise, or the rotation direction can be changed in between. 
     For example, in the first banknote stacking unit  30 , after the stacking wheel  33  is rotated clockwise only for a first predetermined duration or a predetermined number of rotations so that the banknote  15   b  being caught in the opening  133   b  is pushed and separated from the opening  133   b,  the rotation direction of the stacking wheel  33  is changed, and the stacking wheel  33  is rotated counterclockwise thereby pushing the banknote  15   b  toward the left wall  30   b.  Moreover, for example, the rotation direction of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  is switched intermittently between clockwise and counterclockwise thereby shaking the stacking wheels  33  and  43 . 
     When pushing the banknote, how the stacking wheels  33  and  43  are to be rotated can be set previously. An answer to which method of rotating the stacking wheels  33  and  43  for pressing the banknote is effective for surely pushing the banknote by the pushing members  34  and  44  can vary depending on the structures of and/or the positional relation between the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and the respective stacking wheels  33  and  43 , a size, a paper quality, and the like of the banknotes that are to be stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . The rotation method of the stacking wheels  33  and  43 , including the rotational speed and the rotation direction, can be set after considering these factors. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a functional unit that controls operations of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  that function as the pressing member and operations of the pushing members  34  and  44 . Though the banknote handling apparatus  1  has a function to perform various banknote handling, only those functional units that are necessary for the explanation of the present embodiment are shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     The banknote handling apparatus  1  includes the operation/display unit  70 , a control unit  110 , a pushing member driving unit  120 , a stacking wheel driving unit (pressing member driving unit)  130 , and a banknote detection sensor  140 . The operation/display unit  70  is a touch-panel type liquid crystal display and can be used to input information and/or to give orders and/or instructions and the like relating to the banknote handling. A result of recognition and counting and the like of the banknote and various information relating to the banknote handling can be displayed on the operation/display unit  70 . The pushing member driving unit  120  has a function to drive the pushing members  34  and  44  to push the banknotes inside the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . The motor  120  shown in  FIG. 3  functions as the pushing member driving unit  120  that slidingly moves the pushing members  34  and  44  between the retracted position and the pushing position. The banknote detection sensor  140  is a sensor that detects presence/absence of a stacked banknote in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . 
     The stacking wheel driving unit  130  has a function to drive the stacking wheels  33  and  43  when pushing the banknote by the pushing members  34  and  44 . The stacking wheel driving unit  130  functions as the pressing member driving unit that drives the stacking wheels  33  and  43  that function as the pressing member that presses the banknote. 
     The control unit  110  includes a banknote handling control unit  111 , a pushing member control unit  112 , and a pressing member control unit  113 . The banknote handling control unit  111  has a function to perform banknote handling. In the banknote handling, the banknotes set in the hopper  20  are fed, one by one, into inside the apparatus, the recognition unit performs the recognition and counting of the banknotes transported by the transport unit on the transport path, and the banknote is stacked in either the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  or the reject unit  50  based on the obtained recognition result. 
     Apart from an operation mode in which the processing is continued until all the banknotes set in the hopper  20  are stacked in either the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and the reject unit  50 , the banknote handling apparatus  1  can perform a batch processing in which a predetermined number of stacked banknotes are removed from the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  each time the number of banknotes being stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  reaches the predetermined number. In the batch processing, stacking of the banknotes in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  is stopped when the number of banknotes stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  reaches the predetermined number. Subsequently, when it is detected by the banknote detection sensor  140  that the stacked banknotes of the predetermined number had been removed via the front opening, the stacking of the banknote is started again. This process is repeated until all the banknotes set in the hopper  20  are processed. 
     The pushing member control unit  112  has a function for controlling the operation of pushing the banknote by the pushing members  34  and  44  by controlling the pushing member driving unit  120 . The pressing member control unit  113  has a function for controlling the operation of pressing by the stacking wheels  33  and  43 , which function as the pressing member, by controlling the stacking wheel driving unit  130  that functions as the pressing member driving unit. The method of rotation of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  that press the banknote is set previously. Accordingly, the pressing member control unit  113  controls the stacking wheel driving unit  130  based on this setting contents. 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart depicting a flow of a process procedure for pushing a banknote present inside the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  by the pushing members  34  and  44  while controlling the rotation of the stacking wheels  33  and  43 . After the banknote handling is started by the banknote handling control unit  111 , the pushing members  34  and  44  are in a standby state at the retracted position in the back surface side inside the stacking unit  30  and  40  until it becomes necessary to push the banknotes stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  (Step S 1 : No). 
     For example, after all the banknotes set in the hopper  20  are stacked in either the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  or the reject unit  50 , a user of the banknote handling apparatus  1  checks the result of banknote handling displayed on the operation/display unit  70  and performs an operation to confirm this process. 
     Alternatively, for example, after all the banknotes set in the hopper  20  are fed inside the apparatus and stacked in either the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  or the reject unit  50 , if the operation to confirm is not performed by the user while a predetermined time period set previously, the process can be confirmed automatically. 
     Alternatively, for example, if the banknotes set in the hopper  20  contain a predetermined paper sheet called a separator card, the process can be confirmed automatically when the recognition unit detects such a separator card. The separator card is a paper sheet that can be inserted between the banknotes of different transactions to distinguish the banknotes of each of the transactions when placing the banknotes of different transactions in a lump on the hopper  20  and processing the banknotes. For example, a predetermined design, such as a barcode, a predetermined character, and the like is typically printed on the surface of the separator card. The banknotes set in the hopper  20  are fed one by one inside the apparatus and subjected to the recognition and counting process by the recognition unit. When the recognition unit detects the separator card based on the predetermined design, character, and the like printed thereon, the banknote handling control unit  111  recognizes that the banknotes processed before the detection of the separator card and the banknotes processed after the detection of the separator card belong to the different transaction, and stops the banknote handling. Subsequently, the banknote handling control unit  111  confirms the transaction before the detection of the separator card. 
     A banknote can be used to distinguish the banknotes of each transaction when the banknotes of a plurality of transactions are set in the hopper  20 , apart from using the separator card. For example, the banknote handling apparatus  1  can previously acquire serial numbers of banknotes that are at the boundaries of the transactions, and distinguish the banknotes of each of the transactions based on those serial numbers. The banknote at the boundary can be the last banknote of the current transaction or can be the first banknote of a subsequent transaction. Specifically, based on the serial number read from each banknote, when the last banknote of the current transaction is detected, the current transaction is confirmed after stacking the detected last banknote in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . Alternatively, based on the serial number read from each banknote, when the first banknote of the subsequent transaction to be performed after the current transaction is detected, the current transaction is confirmed after stacking the last banknote, which has been transported before the detected first banknote, in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . 
     When the banknote handling is confirmed in this manner, the banknote handling control unit  111  notifies the pushing member control unit  112  and the pressing member control unit  113  that the banknote handling has been confirmed. The pushing member control unit  112  and the pressing member control unit  113 , upon receiving such a notification, determine that the pushing of the banknotes stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  is necessary (Step S 1 : Yes). 
     If the banknote handling has been confirmed and the rotation of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  has been already stopped (Step S 2 : No), the pressing member control unit  113  controls the stacking wheel driving unit  130  to start the rotation of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  (Step S 3 ). After the stacking wheels  33  and  43  have started rotation, the pushing member control unit  112  controls the pushing member driving unit  120  to start pushing of the stacked banknotes by the pushing members  34  and  44  (Step S 4 ). Inside the respective banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , when the pushing members  34  and  44  move from the retracted position toward the front opening to push the stacked banknotes and reach the pushing position, the pressing member control unit  113  that recognizes this fact controls the stacking wheel driving unit  130  to stop rotation of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  (Step S 5 ). The pushing members  34  and  44  are continued to be driven by the pushing member driving unit  120  even after they have reached the pushing position, and are moved to the retracted position and stopped. It is allowable to arrange a sensor that detects whether the pushing members  34  and  44  have reached the pushing position. Alternatively, the same can be determined based on the rotation of the motor  120  that functions as the pushing member driving unit and the like. 
     After the stacking wheels  33  and  43  have stopped rotation, the user of the banknote handling apparatus  1  can remove the banknotes, which have been pushed toward the opening, from the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . After having pushed all the banknotes toward the opening, if the banknote handling has been completed because no banknote is remaining in the hopper  20  (Step S 7 : Yes), the process procedure is finished. Meanwhile, when the transaction was confirmed by detecting the separator card and the handling target banknotes are remaining in the hopper  20  (Step S 7 : No), the banknote handling control unit  111  starts the subsequent banknote handling after the banknote detection sensor  140  has detected that the banknotes of the confirmed transaction had been removed via the opening of the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  (Step S 1 ). 
     The stacking wheels  33  and  43  start rotating before the pushing members  34  and  44  start the pushing. The stacking wheels  33  and  43  stop rotating after completion of the pushing by the pushing members  34  and  44 . That is, the stacking wheels  33  and  43  rotate while the pushing members  34  and  44  are moving from the retracted position to the pushing position. However, the rotation start and rotation stop timings of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  can be set as desired. For example, it is allowable to set so that the stacking wheels  33  and  43  start rotating after the pushing members  34  and  44  have started their movement. Moreover, for example, it is allowable to set so that the stacking wheels  33  and  43  stop rotating before the pushing members  34  and  44  have reached the pushing position. Alternatively, it is allowable to set so that the stacking wheels  33  and  43  continue rotating until the pushing members  34  and  44  have returned to the retracted position after moving to the pushing position. The timing of starting and stopping the rotation of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  can be set previously, based on the structures of and/or the positional relation between the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and the respective stacking wheels  33  and  43 , a size, a paper quality, and the like of the banknotes that are to be stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , so that the pushing of the banknotes can be performed surely. 
     When the banknote handling performed by the banknote handling apparatus  1  is the batch processing, the stacking of banknotes is stopped because the previously set predetermined number of banknotes have been stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . The banknote handling control unit  111  notifies the pushing member control unit  112  and the pressing member control unit  113  of this fact. The pushing member control unit  112  and the pressing member control unit  113 , upon receiving such a notification, determine that the pushing of the banknotes stacked in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  is necessary (Step S 1 : Yes). 
     If the handling target banknotes are still remaining on the hopper  20  and the stacking wheels  33  and  43  are rotating (Step S 2 : Yes), the pushing member control unit  112  controls the pushing member driving unit  120  so that the pushing members  34  and  44  perform the pushing (Step S 6 ). While the stacking wheels  33  and  43  continue rotation, the pushing members  34  and  44  move from the retracted position to the pushing position. The banknotes stacked in the stacking units  30  and  40  are pushed toward the opening by the pushing members  34  and  44 . While the stacking wheels  33  and  43  still continue rotation, the pushing member  34  and  44  return to the retracted position again and stop. Because the banknotes are still remaining in the hopper  20  (Step S 7 : No), if the pushed banknotes are removed from the opening of the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , the banknote handling control unit  111  detects the removal of banknotes by the banknote detection sensor  140 . Accordingly, the banknote handling control unit  111  restarts stacking of the banknote in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  from which the banknotes were removed (Step S 1 ). 
     Meanwhile, even when the batch processing is being performed, there is a case in which handling of all the banknotes set in the hopper  20  has been completed, all the banknotes have been stacked in either the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and the reject unit  50 , and the pushing of the banknotes is to be performed (Step S 1 : Yes). In this case, the rotation of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  had been stopped (Step S 2 : No) because all the banknotes have been already stacked in either the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and the reject unit  50 , Steps S 3  to S 5  are executed. When the pushing members  34  and  44  return to the retracted position after finishing the pushing of the banknotes, the batch processing had been already completed (Step S 7 : Yes). Therefore, the process procedure is completed. 
     Like in the batch processing, when performing the pushing of the banknotes by the pushing members  34  and  44  in the middle of the banknote handling, the rotation motion of the stacking wheels  33  and  43 , which are rotating to perform the banknote handling, is maintained. While the stacking wheels  33  and  43  keep rotating, the pushing process by the pushing members  34  and  44  is performed. It should be noted that, the rotational speed and the rotation direction of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  during the pushing process can be set different from the rotational speed and the rotation direction thereof during the banknote handling. 
     When performing the pushing of the stacked banknotes in the middle of the batch processing, the pushing of the stacked banknotes is performed only in the banknote stacking unit between the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , in which the stacking of the banknote has been stopped and it has become necessary to perform the pushing of the stacked banknotes of the predetermined number. The banknote handling is just continued in the banknote stacking unit between the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , in which the stacking of the banknotes is being performed. 
     The first banknote stacking unit  30  includes one pushing member  34 , the pushing member driving unit  120 , and one stacking wheel  33  that function as the pressing member, and the stacking wheel driving unit  130 . Separately from the first banknote stacking unit  30 , the second banknote stacking unit  40  includes one pushing member  44 , the pushing member driving unit  120 , and one stacking wheel  43  that function as the pressing member, and the stacking wheel driving unit  130 . The transport unit that transports the banknotes on the transport path inside the apparatus during the banknote handling, the pushing member driving unit  120 , and the stacking wheel driving unit  130 , are arranged separately. That is, transport of the banknote by a driving mechanism (first driving mechanism) that includes the transport unit, the movement of each of the pushing members  34  and  44  by the driving mechanism (second driving mechanism) that includes the pushing member driving unit  120 , and the rotation of each of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  by a driving mechanism (third driving mechanism) that includes the stacking wheel driving unit  130  can be performed independently. 
     Specifically, for example, while the stacking wheel  33  is rotating and the banknotes are being stacked in the first banknote stacking unit  30 , stacking of the banknote can be stopped in the second banknote stacking unit  40 . At this time, it is also possible to stop the pushing member  34  and the stacking wheel  43  of the second banknote stacking unit  40 . Alternatively, it is possible to move only the pushing member  34 , to rotate only the stacking wheel  43 , to move the pushing member  34  while rotating the stacking wheel  43 , and the like. 
     The stacking wheels  33  and  43  are used to stack the banknotes during the banknote handling. Additionally, when pushing the banknotes by the pushing members  34  and  44 , the stacking wheels  33  and  43  are used as the pressing member that presses the banknotes that are being pushed by the pushing members  34  and  44 . A structure is allowable in which a patting member is arranged in a portion where the stacking wheels  33  and  43  contact the banknote. 
       FIG. 8  is a view depicting an example of the stacking wheel  33  provided with a patting member  160 .  FIG. 8  is a view when the first banknote stacking unit  30  is seen from the front surface side. Note that, the stacking wheel  33  of the first banknote stacking unit  30  is shown in  FIG. 8 , and the stacking wheel  43  of the second banknote stacking unit  40  has the same structure. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the patting member  160  that pats the banknote is arranged at far tip ends in a diameter direction of the blades of the stacking wheel  33 . In the example shown in  FIG. 8 , the stacking wheel  33  has 16 blades, and 8 patting members  160  in total, one each for alternate blades, are arranged; however, the number of the patting members  160  is not particularly limited. The patting member  160  can be formed, for example, integrally with the blade, which is made of resin, of the stacking wheel  33 . Alternatively, the patting member  160 , which is made from resin or rubber, can be attached to each of the blades of the stacking wheel  33 . 
     It is allowable to provide, inside the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , the pressing member separately from the stacking wheels  33  and  43 .  FIGS. 9 to 12  are views depicting examples of the pressing member provided separately from the stacking wheels  33  and  43 .  FIG. 9  is a view when the first banknote stacking unit  30  is seen from the front surface side.  FIGS. 10 to 12  are views when the first banknote stacking unit  30  is seen from above. Note that, only the first banknote stacking unit  30  is shown in  FIGS. 9 to 12 ; however, the second banknote stacking unit  40  also includes the similar pressing member. 
       FIG. 9  is a view depicting an example of a pressing member arranged pivotably on a roof surface of the stacking unit. In the example shown in  FIG. 9 , a pressing member  171  is arranged on the roof surface of the stacking space in which the banknotes are stacked, and the pressing member  171  is supported so as to be pivotable in the manner shown with an arrow by a support shaft  170  at a position that is in between the two stacking wheels  33  ( 33   a,    33   b ) arranged at different locations along the Y-axis direction. A tip end part  172  of the pressing member  171  is constituted by an elastic member such as rubber. The pressing member  171  is pivotable, by the not-shown pressing member driving unit  130 , between a retracted position shown in  FIG. 9  and a pressing position in which the pressing member  171  pivots on the support shaft  170  so that the tip end part  172  contacts the banknotes  15  and presses the banknotes  15 . When pushing the banknotes  15  with the pushing member  34  toward the opening, the pressing member control unit  113  controls the pressing member driving unit  130  to cause the pressing member  171  to pivot to the pressing position and press the banknotes  15  toward the left wall  30   b.  Once the pushing by the pushing member  34  is finished, the pressing member  171  is caused to return to the retracted position and wait. 
       FIG. 10  is a view depicting an example of a pressing member arranged retractably in an opening  133   c  arranged in a side surface of the stacking unit. In the example shown in  FIG. 10 , a pressing member  173  retractable as shown with an arrow  101  is arranged in the opening  133   c  of the right wall  30   c  that constitutes the stacking space. A roller  174  is rotatably attached to a tip of the pressing member  173 . The roller  174  is supported such that it rotates in a direction shown with an arrow  102  following the movement of the banknotes  15  when the banknotes  15  pushed by the pushing member  34  move in a direction shown with an arrow  103 . Accordingly, the banknotes  15  move smoothly as the banknotes  15  being pushed create no resistance against the pushing even while the banknotes  15  are being pressed toward the left wall  30   b  by the pressing member  173 . The not-shown pressing member driving unit  130  moves the pressing member  173  between a pushing position shown in  FIG. 10  and a retracted position which is a position right side of the opening  133   c,  that is, outside of the stacking space (right side of the right wall  30   c ). When pushing the banknotes  15  with the pushing member  34  toward the opening, the pressing member control unit  113  controls the pressing member driving unit  130  to cause the pressing member  173  to move to the pressing position and press the banknotes  15  toward the left wall  30   b.  Once the pushing by the pushing member  34  is finished, the pressing member  173  is caused to return to the retracted position and wait. 
     It is allowable that the tip end part  172  of the pressing member  171  shown in  FIG. 9  is replaced with a roller, like in FIG.  10 , that is supported rotatably to rotate in the direction of pushing of the banknotes  15 . Alternatively, the roller  174  arranged at the tip of the pressing member  173  shown in  FIG. 10  can be replaced with an elastic member like in  FIG. 9 . The configuration to prevent generation of the resistance against the pushing on the pushed banknote  15  is not limited to the roller  174 . It is allowable to use a ball and the like that can rotate freely. 
     The number of the pressing members  171  and  173  is not limited to one, and these members can be provided in plurality. For example, the pressing member  171  shown in  FIG. 9  can be provided in plurality at positions that are separated in the Y-axis direction. Moreover, when such pressing members  171  are provided, lengths thereof from the support shaft  170  to the tip end part  172  can be varied thereby changing the pressing position of the banknotes  15  in the Z-axis direction. Similarly, for example, the pressing member  173  shown in  FIG. 10  can be provided in plurality at positions that are separated in the Y-axis direction. Alternatively, the pressing member  173  can be provided in plurality at positions that are separated in the Z-axis direction. 
       FIG. 11  is a view depicting an example of a pressing member that presses the banknotes  15  by wind pressure. The pressing member shown in  FIG. 11  includes an air outlet  175  formed in the right wall  30   c  that constitutes the stacking space, and an air blowing unit  176  that blows air from the air outlet  175  to apply a wind pressure on the banknotes  15  as shown with an arrow  104 . The air blowing unit  176  and the air outlet  175  are connected to each other with a hard pipe, a flexibility tube, and the like so that the air fed from the air blowing unit  176  is blown from the air outlet  175 . When pushing the banknotes  15  toward the opening with the pushing member  34 , the pressing member control unit  113  controls the air blowing unit  176  to blow air from the air outlet  175  and apply wind pressure on the banknotes  15  thereby pressing the banknotes  15  toward the left wall  30   b.  Once the pushing by the pushing member  34  is finished, the operation of the air blowing unit  176  is stopped. The shape and the number of the air outlets  175  shown in  FIG. 11  are exemplary and need not be limited to this example. For example, a circular air outlet can be provided in plurality. Alternatively, the air outlet can be a narrow slit that extends in the X-axis direction of  FIG. 11 . 
       FIG. 12  is a view depicting another example of a pressing member that presses the banknotes  15  by wind pressure. The pressing member shown in  FIG. 12  includes an air blowing unit  177  arranged on the right wall  30   c  that constitutes the stacking space. The air blowing unit  177  blows air as shown with an arrow  105 . When pushing the banknotes  15  toward the opening with the pushing member  34 , the pressing member control unit  113  controls the air blowing unit  177  to blow the air and apply wind pressure on the banknotes  15  thereby pressing the banknotes  15  toward the left wall  30   b.  Once the pushing by the pushing member  34  is finished, the operation of the air blowing unit  177  is stopped. 
     The present embodiment explained an example in which the two banknote stacking units  30  and  40  respectively included the two stacking wheels  33  and  43 ; however, the number of the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and the number of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  are not particularly limited. Instead of the stacking wheels and  43 , it is allowable to use a rotating member used conventionally and called an elastic fin wheel as the pressing member. Specifically, a rotating member that includes a shaft member supported and rotationally driven by a rotation axis and an arm member that extends in a diameter direction of the shaft member can be used as a pressing member that presses the banknotes by the arm member while rotating in the manner as the stacking wheels  33  and  43 . The number of the arm members is not particularly limited. It is allowable to arrange the patting member  160  shown in  FIG. 8  at a far tip end in a diameter direction of the arm member. 
     An example has been explained in which, when the control unit  110  recognizes that it has become necessary to perform the pushing of the banknote in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , the pushing by the pushing members  34  and  44  and the pressing by the stacking wheels  33  and  43  that function as the pressing member is performed automatically; however, the configuration is not limited to the present embodiment. For example, it is allowable that the pushing and the pressing of the banknotes is performed when the user of the banknote handling apparatus  1  performs an operation with the operation/display unit  70  to instruct the pushing of the banknotes. 
     It is allowable to perform the pressing of the banknotes only when it is determined from the stacking state of the banknotes inside the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  that it is necessary to perform the pressing of the banknotes in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 . Specifically, the banknote detection sensor  140  that detects the banknotes present inside the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  is further arranged so as to be able to detect the banknotes  15   a  and  15   b  shown in  FIG. 5  that are in a bad stacking state and therefore need to be pressed when being pushed. Before starting the pushing of the banknotes in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , the pressing member control unit  113  causes the banknote detection sensor  140  to detect the stacking state of the banknotes and determines whether it is necessary to perform the pressing of the banknotes. Upon determining that it is necessary to perform the pressing of the banknotes because there are banknotes in the bad stacking state, the pressing member driving unit  130  is controlled to press the banknotes  15   a  and  15   b.  Meanwhile, if the banknotes have been stacked in an aligned state whereby it is determined that it is not necessary to press the banknotes, the banknotes are not pressed. 
     Instead of a configuration in which the banknotes are always pressed, or a configuration in which the banknotes are pressed only when it is necessary to press the banknotes when the pushing of the banknotes is performed, it is allowable to have a configuration in which it is possible to turn off the pressing function so that the banknotes are not pressed. In this case, for example, if the banknote handling apparatus  1  is going to be used for handling only new banknotes, it is possible to turn off the pressing function beforehand. 
     With the paper sheet handling apparatus according to the present embodiment, inside the banknote stacking units  30  and  40 , the banknotes pushed by the pushing members  34  and  44  can be pressed by the pressing members in a direction that is orthogonal to the direction of pushing of the banknotes. For example, when the banknote is stacked in the manner in which the banknote face is parallel to the wall surface that constitutes the stacking space, the banknote is pressed so that the banknote face complies with the wall surface. 
     For example, the stacking wheels  33  and  43  that are used for stacking the banknotes in the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  can be used as the pressing member and the banknotes can be pressed in a direction going away from the stacking wheels  33  and  43 . Accordingly, the pushed banknotes will not be caught in the stacking wheels  33  and  43  and/or the openings and the like formed in the wall surfaces on which the stacking wheels  33  and  43  are arranged whereby the banknotes can be pushed surely. Moreover, because the rotation method of the stacking wheels  33  and  43 , including the rotational speed and the rotation direction, can be set as desired, by setting the rotation method of the stacking wheels  33  and  43  based on the structures of and/or the positional relation between the banknote stacking units  30  and  40  and the respective stacking wheels  33  and  43 , a size, a paper quality, and the like of the banknotes that are to be stacked, the banknotes can be surely pushed toward the opening while pressing them. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     As explained above, the paper sheet handling apparatus according to the present invention is useful in surely pushing with the pushing member the banknote stacked in the banknote stacking unit. 
     EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 
       1  Banknote handling apparatus 
       11  Upper unit 
       12  Lower unit 
       20  Hopper 
       21  Guiding member 
       30 ,  40  Banknote stacking unit 
       33  ( 33   a,    33   b ),  43  ( 43   a,    43   b ) Stacking wheel 
       34 ,  44  Pushing member 
       50  Reject unit 
       52  Stopper member 
       53  Pressing member 
       70  Operation/display unit 
       71  Trash tray 
       110  Control unit 
       111  Banknote handling control unit 
       112  Pushing member control unit 
       113  Pressing member control unit 
       120  Motor (pushing member driving unit) 
       121  Cam plate 
       122  Linking plate 
       130  Stacking wheel driving unit (pressing member driving unit) 
       140  Banknote detection sensor 
       160  Patting unit 
       171 ,  173  Pressing member 
       174  Roller 
       176 ,  177  Air blowing unit