Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
BILL POSITION ADJUSTMENT METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR
BILL ACCEPTOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a bill acceptor for use with
an automatic vending machine and more particularly, to a bill
position adjustment method and system for bill acceptor, which
automatically adjust the width of the bill passage to correct the
direction of an inserted bill into accurate alignment with a
recognition device for accurate recognition.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Following fast development of technology, the distance
among people has been greatly shortened, our mode of living has
been changed, requesting convenience and rapidness. In
consequence, different automatic vending machines, auto teller
machines, bill acceptors and many other automatic service
machines are developed and intensively used public places to serve
people without serviceman. These automatic machines are highly
invited for the advantage of saving much labor and bringing
convenience to people.
Further, to avoid direct loss due to counterfeiting and to
avoid inadvertently passing counterfeit bills to consumers, a bill
acceptor has recognition means to recognize the authenticity of a
i
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
bill before receiving it. However, the bill passage of a bill acceptor
is specifically designed for a particular bill of one specific width.
Because different bills issued from different countries have
different sizes (length, width and thickness) and different
anti-counterfeit characteristics at different locations. A bill that is
inserted into a bill acceptor must be kept in accurate alignment
with the recognition device so that the recognition device can
accurate recognize the anti-counterfeit characteristics. If an
inserted bill is biased, the recognition device may reject the bill
due to a recognition error. In this case, the user must insert the bill
again, causing inconvenience.
Further, after recognition of a bill to be a true bill, a
transmission mechanism is controlled to transfer the bill to a bill
box. If a bill is biased when it is being transferred to the bill box, it
may be curved in the bill box, lowering the available space of the
bill box, or jammed in the bill entrance of the bill box, causing a
machine failure.
There is known a bill acceptor that has two clamping arms
arranged at two opposite lateral sides of the bill passage and
movable relative to each other for holding an inserted bill in
accurate alignment with the recognition device. However, this
design is still not satisfactory in function because of the following
drawbacks:
2
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
1. The bill acceptor fits only one specific kind of bills having a
specific width.
2. When a wrinkled and softened bill is inserted into the bill
acceptor, the bill will be deformed after clamped by the two
clamping arms, causing the recognition device unable to
accurate recognize the anti-counterfeit characteristics of the bill
or the transmission mechanism unable to transfer the bill
positively.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a bill acceptor that
eliminates the aforesaid problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been accomplished under the
circumstances in view. It is therefore one object of the present
invention to provide a bill position.adjustment method and system
for bill acceptor, which automatically adjusts the width of the bill
passage to correct the direction of an inserted bill into accurate
alignment with a recognition device for accurate recognition. It is
another object of the present invention to provide a bill position
adjustment method and system for bill acceptor, which
automatically corrects the direction of an inserted bill without
wrinkling the bill. It is still another object of the present invention
to provide a bill position adjustment method and system for bill
acceptor, which fits different kinds of bills having different sizes
3
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
and different anti-counterfeit designs.
To achieve these and other objects of the present invention,
the bill position adjustment system for bill acceptor comprises a
body with an insertion slot and a bill passage, a transmission
mechanism for transferring an inserted bill, a recognition device
for recognizing the authenticity and value of an inserted bill, an
entrance sensor and a stoppage sensor mounted in the bill passage
for controlling the transmission mechanism to transfer the inserted
bill into position for recognition, a bill passage adjustment
mechanism for adjusting the width of the bill passage to correct the
direction of an inserted bill into accurate alignment with the
recognition device, and a bill sensor mounted in a sensor zone in
the bill insertion slot for detecting the width of an inserted bill and
controlling the bill passage adjustment mechanism to adjust the
width of the bill passage subject to the detection result.
Further, the bill passage adjustment mechanism comprises
at least one first adjustment device and at least one second
adjustment device arranged at two opposite lateral sides of the bill
passage and movable transversely relative to the bill passage to
adjust the width between the at least one first adjustment device
and the at least one second adjustment device, and a plurality of
driving devices controllable to move the at least one first
adjustment device and the at least one second adjustment device
4
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
separately. Because the at least one first adjustment device and the
at least one second adjustment device are separately moved to
correct the direction of an inserted bill, correcting the direction of
an inserted bill does not wrinkle or deform the bill.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a bill acceptor equipped
with a bill position adjustment system in accordance with the
present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded view in an enlarged scale of a part of
the bill position adjustment method and system in accordance with
the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an exploded view in an enlarged scale of the
movable bill impression mechanism of the bill position adjustment
method and system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 4 is schematic top view of the bill position adjustment
system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the bill position
adjustment system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a sectional side view, in an enlarged scale, of the
bill acceptor shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 7 is an operation flow chart of the bill position
adjustment system in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a schematic top view of the present invention,
5
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
showing the bill position adjustment system in operation (I).
FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of the present invention,
showing the bill position adjustment system in operation (II).
FIG. 10 is a schematic top view of the present invention,
showing the bill position adjustment system in operation (III).
DETAILED DESCRIPTTON OF TIHE PREFERRED EMBODIlVVENT
Referring to FIGS. 1-6, a bill acceptor is shown comprising
a body 1, a bill passage adjustment mechanism 2, a transmission
mechanism 3, a movable bill impression mechanism 4 and a
recognition device 5.
The body 1 comprises a bill passage 11 for allowing a bill 6
to pass, an insertion slot 12 extending to the outside and disposed
in communication with the bill passage 11 for the insertion of a bill
6 into the bill passage 11, at least one, for example, a sensor zone
13 defined in an inner side of the insertion slot 12, at least one bill
sensor 131 installed in the sensor zone 13 and adapted to detect the
width and position of a bill 6 being inserted into the insertion slot
12, an entrance sensor 14 mounted in the rear side of the insertion
slot 12 in front of the bill passage 11 and adapted to detect the
presence of a bill 6, and a stoppage sensor 15 installed in a rear
side of the bill passage 11 and adapted to detect stoppage of a bill
6.
The bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 is mounted in the
6
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
body 1 between the entrance sensor 14 and the stoppage sensor 15
and adapted to adjust the width of the bill passage 11 subject to the
control of the at least one sensor zone 13. The bill passage
adjustment mechanism 2 comprises a plurality of driving devices
21 operable subject to the control of the at least one bill sensor 131,
and a plurality of adjustment devices 22 respectively coupled to
and movable by the driving devices 21 to adjust the width of the
bill passage 11 subject to the control of the at least one bill sensor
131. The driving devices 21 are mounted in the bottom side of the
bill passage 1, each comprising a rotary member 211 and two arms
2111 that are perpendicularly extended from the rotary member 211
and define therebetween a sliding way 2112. The adjustment
devices 22 are respectively coupled to the driving devices 21 and
suspending in the bill passage 11 at two opposite lateral sides of
the bill passage 11, each comprising a plurality of sliding members
221 movable along fixed guide rods 23 in the bottom side of the
bill passage 11, a barrel 222 vertically disposed on the middle, an
axle 223 inserted through the barrel 222, and a bearing 224
mounted on the bottom end of the axle 223 and coupled to the
sliding way 2112 between the two arms 211 of one associating
driving device 21. Further, spring members 24 are respectively
sleeved onto one of the fixed guide rods 23 and stopped against the
adjustment devices 22.
7
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
The transmission mechanism 3 is mounted in the body 1 at
one side, namely, the bottom side of the bill passage 11 behind the
sensor zone 13 and at an inner side relative to the adjustment
devices 22 of the bill passage adjustment mechanism 2, comprising
a plurality of bill-transfer members 31 for transferring a bill 6
being inserted into the insertion slot 12. The bill-transfer members
31 can be rollers, rolling balls, transmission belts or any other
devices capable for transferring a bill 6.
The movable bill impression mechanism 4 is mounted in the
body 1 at the other side, namely, the top side of the bill passage 11,
comprised of a rotary shaft 41, an electromagnetic valve 42, a
plurality of impression wheel brackets 43 arranged at two sides
relative to the electromagnetic valve 42, two sensor switches 44
and a cover 45. The rotary shaft 41 has two opposite coupling
portions 411 respectively axially extended from the two distal ends
thereof and pivotally coupled to the inside of the body 1, a plurality
of coupling frames 412 extended from the periphery, a plurality of
pressure arms 413 extended from the periphery and facing the
impression wheel brackets 43, and a shield plate 414
perpendicularly extended from one coupling portion 411. The
coupling frames 412 define therebetween a receiving space 4121.
Further, each two adjacent coupling frames 412 have a notch 4122.
The electromagnetic valve 42 comprises a reciprocating valve rod
8
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
421 inserted into the receiving space 4121 between the coupling
frames 412 of the rotary shaft 41, a pin 422 transversely inserted
through the reciprocating valve rod 421 and coupled to the notches
4122 of the two associating coupling frames 412, and a spring
member 423 mounted on the reciprocating valve rod 421. Each
impression wheel bracket 43 comprises two coupling rods 431
respectively pivotally coupled to the inside of the body 1, two
suspension arms 432 respectively extended from the coupling rods
431, an impression wheel 433 pivotally coupled between the
suspension arms 432 and suspending in the bill passage 11 inside
the body 1, a bearing portion 434 extended in direction away from
the suspension arms 432 for pressing by one pressure arm 413 of
the rotary shaft 41, a locating member 435, and a spring member
436 connected with its one end to the locating member 435. The
two sensor switches 44 are disposed at two sides relative to the
shield plate 414 of the rotary shaft 41, and inducible by the shield
plate 414 to control the operation of the electromagnetic valve 42.
The cover 45 defines an accommodation space 450 for
accommodating the rotary shaft 41, the electromagnetic valve 42
and the impression wheel brackets 43, and has locating members
451 for the connection of the other ends of the spring members 436
of the impression wheel brackets 43.
The recognition device 5 is installed in the body 1 behind
9
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
the bill passage adjustment mechanism 2, having sensor means for
detecting the anti-counterfeit characteristics of an inserted bill 6.
Referring to FIG. 7 and FIGS. 1-6 again, the bill position
adjustment method runs subject to the following steps:
(100) Insert a bill 6 through the insertion slot 12 into the bill
passage 11.
(101) The bill 6 touches the entrance sensor 14, and the
transmission mechanism 3 is driven to move the
bill-transfer members 31, transferring the bill 6 forwards
toward the inside.
(102) The bill 6 triggers the stoppage sensor 15 to stop the
transmission mechanism 3, keeping the bill 6 between two
adjustment devices 22.
(103) The at least one bill sensor 131 in the sensor zone 13
detects the width and biasing direction of the bill 6.
(104) The movable bill impression mechanism 4 moves the
impression wheels 433 away from the bill 6.
(105) The bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 drives the driving
devices 21 to move the adjustment devices 22 that are
arranged at one lateral side in the bill passage 11 subject to
the detection of the at least one bill sensor 131.
(106) The bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 drives the driving
devices 21 to move the adjustment devices 22 that are
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
arranged at the other lateral side in the bill passage 11,
thereby correcting the direction of the bill 6 into accurate
alignment with the recognition device 5 for authenticity
recognition.
(107) The movable bill impression mechanism 4 moves the
impression wheels 433 toward the bill 6, pressing the
impression wheels 433 on the bill 6 against the bill-transfer
members 31.
(108) The transmission mechanism 3 drives the bill-transfer
members 31 to transfer the bill 6 forwards, and at the same
time the recognition device 5 detects the authenticity of the
bill 6, and then proceed to step (109) if the bill 6 is
recognized to be a true bill, or step (111) if the bill 6 is a
counterfeit.
(109) The transmission mechanism 3 drives the bill-transfer
members 31 to transfer the bill 6 further forwards to a bill
box (not shown).
(110) The bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 drives the driving
devices 21 to return the adjustment devices 22 to their
former position where the bill passage 11 is in the widest
condition. Thereafter proceed to step (113).
(111) The bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 drives the driving
devices 21 to return the adjustment devices 22 to their
11
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
former position where the bill passage 11 is in the widest
condition.
(112) The transmission mechanism 3 reverses the bill-transfer
members 31 to transfer the bill 6 backwards to the insertion
slot 12.
(113) End.
Referring to FIGS. 8-10 and FIGS. 1-4 again, when a bill 6
is inserted into the insertion slot 12 to touch the entrance sensor 14,
the entrance sensor 14 outputs a signal, causing the transmission
mechanism 3 to move the bill-transfer members 31 in transferring
the bill 6 forwards. When the bill 6 touches the stoppage sensor 15,
the stoppage sensor 15 outputs a signal to stop the transmission
mechanism 3. When the transmission mechanism 3 is stopped, the
bill 6 is kept between two adjustment devices 22, and the at least
one bill sensor 131 in the sensor zone 13 detects the width and
biasing direction of the bill 6 and provides the detection data to the
control circuit (not shown) that controls the operation of the bill
passage adjustment mechanism 2. At this time, the movable bill
impression mechanism 4 moves the impression wheels 433 away
from the bill 6, and the bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 drives
the driving devices 21 to move the adjustment devices 22 that are
arranged at one lateral side in the bill passage 11 subject to the
detection of the at least one bill sensor 131 (in case the bill 6 is
12
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
biased rightwards, the right-sided adjustment devices 22 are moved
at first). Thereafter, the bill passage adjustment mechanism 2
drives the driving devices 21 to move the adjustment devices 22
that are arranged at the other lateral side in the bill passage 11,
thereby correcting the direction of the bill 6 into accurate
alignment with the recognition device 5 for authenticity
recognition. After the direction of the bill 6 has been corrected and
stopped between the adjustment devices 22 in accurate alignment
with the recognition device 5, the movable bill impression
mechanism 4 is driven to move the impression wheels 433 toward
the bill 6, pressing the impression wheels 433 on the bill 6 against
the bill-transfer members 31, and then the transmission mechanism
3 is driven to move the bill-transfer members 31 and to further
transfer the bill 6 forwards, enabling the recognition device 5 to
detect the authenticity of the bill 6.
When one driving device 21 is started, it rotates the rotary
member 211, causing the two arms 2111 to move the bearing 224 of
the associating adjustment device 22, and therefore the associating
adjustment device 22 is forced to move with its sliding members
221 along the associating fixed guide rods 23. When the adjustment
device 22 is moving along the associating fixed guide rods 23 in
one direction, the spring members 24 are compressed. When the bill
6 is moved away from the space between the right-sided and
13
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
left-sided adjustment devices 22, the spring members 24 force the
associating adjustment device 22 back to its former position.
During the operation of the movable bill impression
mechanism 4, the electromagnetic valve 42 is driven to retract the
reciprocating valve rod 421 and the pin 422, causing the coupling
frames 412 to be moved by the pin 422 in one direction, and
therefore the rotary shaft 41 is biased in one direction. At this time,
the pressure arms 413 are biased with the rotary shaft 41 in
direction toward the bill passage 11 and pressed on the bearing
portions 434 of the impression wheel brackets 43, thereby causing
each impression wheel bracket 43 to turn in one direction, and
therefore the impression wheel 433 is moved with the associating
suspension arms 432 away from the bill passage 11. At this time,
the bill 6 is released from the constraint of the bill-transfer
members 31 and the impression wheel 433, and can be corrected to
the accurate position by the adjustment devices 22.
When retracting the reciprocating valve rod 421 and the pin
422 to bias the rotary shaft 41, the spring member 423 is
compressed. When the impression wheel brackets 43 are biased to
move the associating impression wheels 433 away from the bill
passage 11, the spring members 436 are compressed. After the
adjustment devices 22 pushed the bill 6 into the accurate position,
the electromagnetic valve 42 is stopped, the spring member 423
14
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
returns the rotary shaft 4 to its former position, and the spring
members 436 return the impression wheel brackets 43 to their
former position. At this time, the bill-transfer members 31 and the
impression wheel 433 are respectively pressed on the top and
bottom sides of the bill 6, enabling the bill 6 to be transferred
forwards by the bill-transfer members 31.
As stated above, when a bill 6 is inserted into the insertion
slot 12, the at least one bill sensor 131 in the sensor zone 13 is
induced to detect the width of the bill 6, causing the bill passage
adjustment mechanism 2 to adjust the width of the bill passage 11
subject to the detection of the at least one bill sensor 131. A
database may be linked to the sensor zone 13. The database has
stored therein data of widths, location of anti-counterfeit
characteristics and location of value of different bills issued by a
government or different governments. Subject to the data stored in
the database, the at least one bill sensor 131 in the sensor zone 13
can accurately detect the width of a bill 6 being inserted into the
insertion slot 12 so that the bill passage adjustment mechanism 2
can accurately adjust the width of the bill passage 11, avoiding a
bill jam.
Further, the at least one bill sensor 131 in the sensor zone
13 can be a reflective sensor, penetrative sensor, contact image
sensor (CIS), linear sensor or any other optical sensing device. The
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
at least one bill sensor 131 can be installed in the bill passage 11 on
the top, bottom, or one or both lateral sides, capable of accurately
detecting the width and direction of the inserted bill 6.
Because the locations of the anti-counterfeit characteristics
and value of different kinds of bills are different, different
recognition devices may be necessary to detect the authenticity and
value of different kinds of bills. The invention effectively
eliminates the problem of using multiple recognition devices to
detect different kinds of bill. By means of the at least one bill
sensor 131 in the sensor zone 13 to detect the kind of each inserted
bill 6 and to compare the detected data with storage data in the
database, the adjustment devices 22 are accurately controlled to
move the bill 6 into accurate alignment with the recognition device
5 for accurate recognition of the authenticity of the bill 6.
Therefore, only one single recognition device 5 is necessary, saving
much the manufacturing cost of the bill acceptor.
In conclusion, the invention provides a bill position
adjustment method and system for bill acceptor that has the
following advantages and features:
1. By means of the at least one bill sensor 131 in the sensor
zone 13 to detect the width and biasing direction, the adjustment
devices 22 are moved subject to the detection of the at least one bill
sensor 131, thereby correcting the direction of the bill 6 into
16
CA 02648199 2009-01-02
accurate alignment with the recognition device 5 for accurate
recognition.
2. The bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 is controlled to
move the adjustment devices 22 that are arranged at one lateral side
in the bill passage 11 subject to the detection of the at least one bill
sensor 131 in the sensor zone 13, and then to move the adjustment
devices 22 that are arranged at the other lateral side in the bill
passage 11, thereby correcting the direction of the bill 6 into
accurate alignment with the recognition device 5 for authenticity
recognition, avoiding wrinkling or biasing of the bill 6. .
3. By means of the at least one bill sensor 131 in the sensor
zone 13 to detect the width and biasing direction of an inserted bill
6 and the bill passage adjustment mechanism 2 to correct the
direction of the bill 6 subject to the detection of the at least one bill
sensor 131, one single recognition device 5 is sufficient to
recognize different kinds of bill 6, saving much the cost of the bill
acceptor.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been
described in detail for purposes of illustration, various
modifications and enhancements may be made without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the
invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
17
