Paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus

Abstract

Bills are aligned, ejected and collected in a storage tray without being bent. A bill conveyed to the storage tray is given curve habits in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the bill. The front edge of the bill immediately after being ejected from the last conveying part lifts up holding levers by pressing their lower surfaces. The holding levers impose a load on the bill, and strengthen the curve habits of the bill. Then, the bill is conveyed in an obliquely upward conveyance direction immediately after passing through the last conveying part. And the bill continues to be conveyed to the storage tray.

1 . A paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus, comprising:
 an accommodation unit in which a paper sheet is ejected and stored;   a conveying unit for conveying the paper sheet to the accommodation unit;   a curving unit for giving a curve habit to the paper sheet in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the paper sheet conveyed by the conveying unit; and   a load imposing unit, which is arranged between the curving unit and the conveying unit, for imposing a downward load on the paper sheet by slipping contacting the surface of the paper sheet conveyed by the conveying unit.   
   
   
       2 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the accommodation unit is configured with a storage tray.   
   
   
       3 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the conveying unit is configured with an upper belt linked between an upper roller on a downstream side of a conveyance direction and an upper roller on an upstream side of the conveyance direction, and a lower belt linked between a lower roller on the downstream side of the conveyance direction and a lower roller on the upstream side of the conveyance direction; and   widths of the upper belt and the lower belt are formed to be narrower than a size of the paper sheet in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper sheet.   
   
   
       4 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein
 the upper roller on the downstream side of the conveyance direction is arranged in a position closer to the accommodation unit than the lower roller on the downstream side of the conveyance direction.   
   
   
       5 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the curving unit is configured with rollers arranged on both sides of the upper belt and the lower belt on a more upstream side of the conveyance direction than the accommodation unit;   circumferential surfaces of the rollers are arranged in positions higher than a conveyance surface of the upper belt and the lower belt for the paper sheet; and   a central position of a rotational axis of each of the rollers is arranged in a position on a more upstream side of the conveyance direction than a last conveying part of the upper belt and the lower belt for the paper sheet.   
   
   
       6 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the load imposing unit is configured with a rotational member having two holding levers branched from a support that functions as a rotational support;   the support is arranged on an inner side of the upper belt on a more upstream side of the conveyance direction than the upper roller on the downstream side of the conveyance direction;   the holding levers extend to an inside of the accommodation unit beyond the last conveying part of the upper belt and the lower belt for the paper sheet on both sides of the upper belt and the lower belt; and   freely rotating ends of the holding levers contact an upper surface, on which the paper sheet is put, of the accommodation unit or an upper surface of a topmost stored paper sheet in a standby state.   
   
   
       7 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein
 a resistance to upward and downward bending forces of the paper sheet is strengthened with curve habits given by the curving unit before the paper sheet reaches the last conveying part of the upper belt and the lower belt for the paper sheet.   
   
   
       8 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the holding levers are lifted up by a front edge of the paper sheet as a result of contacting the front edge of the paper sheet immediately after the paper sheet passes through the last conveying part of the upper belt and the lower belt for the paper sheet, and strengthen the curve habits given to the paper sheet by slipping contacting a bottom of the curve habits of the paper sheet, which are given by the curving unit; and   the paper sheet is conveyed in an obliquely upward conveyance direction immediately after passing through the last conveying part as a result of further strengthening the resistance to upward and downward bending forces with the strengthened curve habits.   
   
   
       9 . The paper sheet ejecting/collecting apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the holding levers are released from being lifted up by the paper sheet and freely rotating ends of the holding levers drop immediately after a rear edge of the paper sheet passes through the last conveying part, and a friction is generated between the paper sheet and the curving unit in the conveyance direction with a downward press of the paper sheet by a slidingly contacting part of the dropped freely rotating ends; and   the paper sheet continues to be conveyed by the curving unit until the rear edge in the conveyance direction passes through the curving unit.