Paper identification counter and paper identification and counting method

A paper identification counter comprising:

• a counter body;
• a hopper which is formed to the counter body and to which papers to be identified and counted are fed;
• a delivery mechanism for delivering the papers fed to the hopper to a conveyance passage;
• a paper conveyance unit for conveying the delivered papers one by one along said conveyance passage in a direction of a short width side of the papers at a conveyance speed of 1,200 sheets or more per minute;
• a paper identification unit disposed on a way of the conveyance passage for identifying and counting the papers;
• a stacker in which the identified and counted papers delivered through a U-shaped curved region are stacked;
• and
• a pocket for collecting papers to be rejected, which are not identified and counted,
• said paper conveyance unit including a paper delivery drive system for delivering and conveying the papers from the hopper to the U-shaped curved region and a paper conveyance drive system for conveying the papers from the U-shaped curved region to the stacker, said paper delivery drive system and said paper conveyance drive system being driven by driving sources, respectively.

A paper identification counter comprising:

• a counter body;
• a hopper disposed at a top portion of said counter body;
• a stacker disposed at a front portion of said counter body;
• a conveyance passage formed in said counter body so as to extend from the hopper to the stacker, said conveyance passage including a rectilinear conveyance passage descending from the hopper through a delivery mechanism along a back side of the counter body, a U-shaped curvilinear conveyance passage continuous with said rectilinear conveyance passage, disposed at the lower portion on the back side of the counter body, and a downstream conveyance passage extending from the curvilinear conveyance passage to the stacker;
• and
• a back side conveyance passage opening mechanism disposed on a back side of the rectilinear conveyance passage so as to be pivotal about a pivot at a lower portion of the counter body in an installed state thereof, said back side conveyance opening mechanism includes a rear opening guide arm mechanism which is pivotal about a pivot disposed at a lower front portion of said U-shaped curvilinear conveyance passage, said opening guide arm mechanism including guide plates constituting the rectilinear conveyance passage and the U-shaped curvilinear conveyance passage.

A paper identification counter comprising:

• a counter body;
• a hopper disposed at a top portion of said counter body;
• a stacker disposed at a front portion of said counter body;
• a conveyance passage formed in the counter body so as to extend from the hopper to the stacker, said conveyance passage including a rectilinear conveyance passage descending from the hopper through a delivery mechanism along a back side of the counter body, a U-shaped curvilinear conveyance passage continuous with said rectilinear conveyance passage, disposed at a lower portion on the back side of said counter body, and an angled conveyance passage extending from the curvilinear conveyance passage to the stacker;
• and
• an angled conveyance passage opening mechanism disposed below the angled conveyance passage to be pivotal about a pivot at a lower portion of said counter body.

A paper identification counter comprising:

• a counter body;
• a hopper disposed at a top portion of said counter body;
• a stacker disposed at a front portion of said counter body,
• a conveyance passage formed in said counter body so as to extend from the hopper to the stacker, said conveyance passage including a rectilinear conveyance passage descending from the hopper through a delivery mechanism along a back side of the counter body, a U-shaped curvilinear conveyance passage continuous with said rectilinear conveyance passage, disposed at the lower portion on the back side of said counter body, an angled conveyance passage extending from the curvilinear conveyance passage to the stacker, and a reject conveyance passage diverging from the angled conveyance passage at a top portion thereof;
• and
• a reject conveyance passage opening mechanism disposed below the reject conveyance passage to open the reject conveyance passage.

A paper identification counter comprising:

• a counter body;
• a hopper disposed at a top portion of said counter body;
• a stacker disposed at a front portion of said counter body;
• a conveyance passage formed in said counter body so as to extend from the hopper to the stacker, said conveyance passage including a rectilinear conveyance passage descending from the hopper through a delivery mechanism along a back side of said counter body, a U-shaped curvilinear conveyance passage continuous with said rectilinear conveyance passage, disposed at the lower portion on the back side of the counter body, and a downstream conveyance passage extending from the curvilinear conveyance passage up to said stacker;
• and
• a paper identification unit disposed along said rectilinear conveyance passage and adapted to perform a paper identification/counting and true-counterfeit discrimination, said paper identification unit having a line sensor arranged so as to traverse said conveyance passage and which includes a light emission side line sensor member and a light reception side sensor member, said light emission side line sensor being provided with a plate-shaped lens member that collimates a light from a spot-like light emission element so as to form a lens group consisting of a number of lenses that are integrally arrayed in a train with a predetermined pitch.

A method of identifying and counting papers comprising the steps of:

• delivering papers stacked in a hopper to a conveyance passage at a delivery speed of 1,200 sheets per minute or more by means of a delivery mechanism;
• guiding said delivered papers to a rectilinear conveyance passage descending along a back side of a counter body;
• making paper identification, counting and true-counterfeit judgment by a paper identification unit in a process of passing the rectilinear conveyance passage;
• leading the papers identified and counted by the paper identification unit, through a curvilinear conveyance passage at a lower portion on a back side of the counter body, to a downstream conveyance passage, said conveyance passage including a first U-shaped conveyance region and a second U-shaped conveyance region;
• and
• delivering the papers through the downstream conveyance passage to a stacker for stacking the papers separately from papers to be rejected, which are not identified and counted, and collected by a pocket.

A method of identifying and counting papers comprising the steps of:

• delivering papers stacked in a hopper to a conveyance passage at a delivery speed of 200 sheets per minute or more by means of a delivery mechanism;
• guiding said delivered papers to a rectilinear conveyance passage descending along a back side of a counter body;
• making paper identification, counting and true-counterfeit judgment by a paper identification unit in a process of passing the rectilinear conveyance passage;
• leading the papers identified and counted by the paper identification unit, through a U-shaped curvilinear conveyance passage at a lower portion on a back side of the counter body, to a downstream conveyance passage;
• and
• delivering the papers through the downstream conveyance passage to a stacker for stacking the papers,
• wherein said downstream conveyance passage is an angled conveyance passage having a top from which a reject conveyance passage diverges, and out-of-identification/counting papers, among said papers identified and counted by said paper identification unit, are led to said reject conveyance passage and then to a pocket for stacking the out-of-identification/counting papers.