Field of the invention
[0001] The present invention relates to a banknote accumulator that incorporates the functions
of storing from an entry a determined number of banknotes in independent compartments,
one per banknote, and that of returning the selected banknotes through the same entry
channel.
[0002] The accumulator of the invention comprises a cylindrical and rotating storage drum,
and a banknote feeder-extractor device, whose storage drum is internally subdivided,
by means of movable partitions, forming cells each one of which a banknote can be
introduced in and extracted from by means of the aforementioned banknote feeder-extractor
device. The accumulator of the invention belongs to the field of apparatus that store
banknotes temporarily, after being measured and validated by a previous device. Every
banknote is unitarily and individually stored from the rest of the stored banknotes,
thus allowing individual access to each one of them to be issued as cash or prize,
as in the case of a slot machine.
Background of the invention
[0003] In the current state of the art, different systems are used for the temporal storage
and banknote dispensation, systems in which the required functionality is not obtained,
either because of its complexity or because of its ultimate cost which makes it unfeasible
for automatic machines that sell products and services, for arcade machines or slot
machines.
[0004] As a representative example of the state of the art, we can mention the following
documents:
W009835324 A1 describes a banknote temporal storage system in which banknotes are stored individually
in compartments located in a drum, in radial direction. Each one of the housings include
a mechanical device to achieve the introduction, retention and later return of the
banknote, which makes it bulky, complex and expensive.
DE 3136610 A1 patent deals with a banknote dispenser in which the banknotes are stored between
movable adjoining partitions and are dispensed when they coincide with the outlet
slot. In this dispenser, the banknotes admission is unsolved so that it is a temporal
storage of accumulation/dispensation of banknotes and the same as in the previous
case, the banknotes are accumulated in a cylinder according to a radial direction.
In EP 0084643 A1 patent document, a temporal banknote accumulator device is described in the form
of an endless belt, wherein partitions are fixed to achieve the individual storage
of the banknotes. In this case the minimum dimension would be attained when the belt
was adapted to a cylindrical support and it would be a similar system to the one described
above.
In EP 00791211 there is a cylindrical storage in which the banknotes are accumulated stacked onto
its surface. The transportation is performed by means of a system of flexible bands.
Even though the space required for the accumulative cylinder is not excessive, the
conveyor system is bulky and complex, besides the access to the accumulated banknotes
is not random but sequential, i.e. the last stored banknote will be the first to be
extracted.
Finally, 6,786,479 B2 US patent deals with a cylindrical accumulator which is intended to store several
types of banknotes separately. This system is like the one previously described, of
the kind that accumulates the banknotes in the periphery of a cylinder, with the difference
that it comprises as many accumulation sectors in the cylinder as different types
of banknotes are desired to be accumulated. This system has the disadvantage of using
a large volume of the accumulative cylinder, if it is pretended to accumulate several
different types of banknotes.
Description of the invention
[0005] The object of the present invention is a banknote accumulator/dispenser which has
the characteristic of storing a determined number of banknotes in a minimum space,
keeping random access to each one of the banknotes, all this maintaining great simplicity
and operational safety, which makes it possible to create a low cost device, of reduced
dimensions, and therefore, adaptable to different applications in which the required
space and the cost of the device are significant limitations.
[0006] The device of the invention comprises a cylindrical storage wherein, by means of
movable partitions, different cavities are formed to store each admitted banknote
unitarily, with the characteristic that the banknote is stored from the surface towards
the interior of the cylinder according to a spiral trajectory.
[0007] For that purpose, in the banknote accumulator of the invention, the partitions are
constituted by blades of arched longitudinal design arranged between the flat walls
of the drum, from their periphery, directed towards the interior of said drum according
to equally inclined trajectory. Between consecutive blades, chambers of arched and
inclined trajectory are delimited. The blades can toggle around a joint axis parallel
to the axis of the drum, between maximum inclination positions towards the interior
and of maximum inclination towards the exterior. In the first mentioned position,
the one of maximum inclination towards the interior, each blade remains detached from
the blade located immediately next to it, allowing the input or the output of a banknote
from the cell delimited between both blades. On the other hand, when a blade is in
the position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, it leans against the blade
located immediately next to it, trapping between the two the banknote contained in
the cell delimited by said blades, preventing it from moving, in such a way that it
cannot be extracted from the cell wherein it is housed.
[0008] With the described arrangement, each cell, destined to the housing of a banknote,
remains limited or formed between two consecutive blades. When these blades occupy
the position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, they lean against each other
retaining the banknote housed in the cell, while the preceding blade, of the two that
constitute the cell, occupies the position of maximum inclination towards the interior,
remains detached from the next blade, thus allowing the input and output of a banknote.
The blades are pushed into the position of maximum inclination towards the exterior
by means of a spring.
[0009] The blades remain mounted between the flat walls of the drum according to a joint
axis that is located next to the external end of the blades. The joint axis of consecutive
blades remain located at a smaller distance than the length of said blades, said blades
being of bigger length than the distance between the mentioned joint axis and the
central nucleus of the drum. Thus, when the blades occupy the position of maximum
inclination towards the exterior, to which they are pushed by the aforementioned spring,
because of their convex surface, each blade leans against the external end of the
blade located immediately next to it, while the position of maximum inclination towards
the interior is defined by a stop located in one of the flat walls of the drum. As
previously indicated, every blade relates to a spring that pushes it constantly to
the position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, being displaced to the position
of maximum inclination towards the interior by an extractor carriage that constitutes
the banknote feeder-extractor device.
[0010] Preferably the blades will run through the interior of the drum according to spiral
trajectories delimiting, between two consecutive blades, cells with the same trajectory.
[0011] The blades will be limited by longitudinally arched edges that are located in parallel
plans to the walls of the drum, and by internal and external cross edges, preferably
straight, the joint axis of each blade being near and parallel to the cross external
edge.
[0012] The blades have an elastically flexible sheet of equal width that protrudes from
the cross internal edge of said blades, following the curvature of the internal surface
thereof, said sheet working as a guide for the banknotes in the interior area of the
cells. This flexible sheet will not reach the central nucleus of the drum, at least
when the blade occupies the position of maximum inclination towards the exterior.
[0013] The blades will comprise protuberances in their convex and concave surfaces that
in the position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, lean onto the opposite
surface of the adjoining blades, clamping the banknote housed in the cells limited
by one blade and another.
[0014] The feeder-extractor device of the accumulator of the invention consists in a motor-driven
carriage that comprises rollers or drag belts for banknotes and that is set near to
the periphery of the drum. This carriage toggles between an idle or inactive position,
in which the rollers or drag belts remain detached from said drum, and an active position,
in which the rollers or drag belts lean against the external section of a blade and
push it to the position of maximum inclination towards the interior. The motor-driven
carriage adds two drive motors, one for the toggling thereof and another to drive
the rollers or drag belts.
[0015] The storage also comprises a motor to constantly position a determined cell in front
of the motor-driven carriage, which performs the functions of introducing and extracting
the banknote from the selected cell in its active position by means of the rollers
or drag belts. In the inactive idle position of the motor-driven carriage, the rollers
or drag belts can be used for dragging or displacing the banknotes towards a determined
position, external to the drum, for example a storage with non-return possibilities.
The rollers or drag belts of the motor-driven carriage will be driven by a gear motor
with bidirectional rotation. In the active position of the motor-driven carriage,
the rollers or drag belts guide a banknote towards the selected cell, while the end
of the transport system leans onto the convex side of the entry blade towards the
cell, causing an angular displacement thereof to the position of maximum inclination
towards the interior, which allows the access to said cell. Next, the motor-driven
carriage introduces the banknote and removes the support over the blade, clamping
the banknote in its cell avoiding possible accidental displacements when the drum
rotates to other positions.
[0016] The banknote stored in a cell adopts a perceptively spiral trajectory from the exterior
to the interior of the cylinder thanks to the shape of the blades and to the flexible
sheet thereof. This design is especially advantageous regarding the volume occupied
by the drum and the simplicity of the mechanism. The drag carriage used has bidirectional
rotation, allowing the opposite option, i.e. extracting a banknote from a determined
selected cell.
Brief description of the drawings
[0017] An embodiment of the accumulator of the invention is shown in the attached drawings,
presented as a non-limiting example thereof, which will help understand better the
constitution and characteristics thereof, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective of a complete system of the accumulator, with the identifying
and storage ones, with the accumulator of the invention.
[0018] Figure 2 is a perspective of the drum of the accumulator, in which the front wall
has been suppressed to show the interior thereof.
[0019] Figure 3 is a rear perspective of the storage drum.
[0020] Figure 4 is a perspective of the motor-driven carriage that constitutes the banknote
feeder-extractor device.
[0021] Figure 5 is a front elevation view of the storage drum, without the front wall thereof,
showing an intermediate position of a banknote in the introduction or extraction phase
thereof from a cell.
[0022] Figure 6 is a similar view to that of figure 5, showing the position that the banknotes
adopt within the storage drum when the motor-driven carriage is in inactive or idle
position.
[0023] Figure 7 is a similar view to that of figure 6, showing the direction of a banknote
towards a second storage orientation.
[0024] Figure 8 shows an exterior perspective of one of the blades that delimit the cells
of the storage drum.
[0025] Figure 9 shows an interior perspective of the same blade of figure 8.
Detailed description of an embodiment of the invention
[0026] In figure 1 a mechanism is represented for dealing with banknotes that comprises
a banknote reader 1, in charge of the reading and validation of introduced banknotes,
and a storage drum 2 that belongs to the accumulator of the invention. Between the
banknote reader 1 and the storage drum 2, it can be convenient to insert a conveyor
3, to conveniently direct the banknotes to said drum. The mechanism is completed with
a banknote feeder-extractor device, constituted by a motor-driven carriage 4, and
by a gear motor 5 of bidirectional rotation that performs the function of positioning
the storage drum 2 angularly.
[0027] As shown in figure 2, the storage drum 2 defines a cylindrical hole that remains
limited between parallel flat walls 6, from which their front wall has been suppressed,
and a central nucleus 7, leaving the drum open at its periphery. The blades of arched
longitudinal design 8 are mounted within this drum, and as better appreciated in figures
7 and 8, they present a convex external surface, referenced as number 9, and a concave
internal surface 9'. The blades are limited by arched longitudinal edges 10, located
in parallel plans to the walls 6 of the drum, and by external cross edges 11 and straight
internal edges 12. Each blade 8 has an elastically flexible sheet 13, of equal width
as the blade and it follows the curvature of the internal surface 9' thereof.
[0028] As it can be seen in figures 2 and 5, the blades 8 are set within the storage drum
2, between the walls 6 thereof and as from its periphery, directed towards the interior
thereof according to equal inclined trajectories, delimiting every two consecutive
blades a chamber 14 of arched and inclined trajectory, equal to that of the blades
8.
[0029] As it can be observed in figures 8 and 9, from the arched edges 10 of the blades
and in approximate coincidence with the cross external edge 11, there protrude both
aligned end pivots 15 and they are introduced through holes, not shown, which the
walls 6 of the drum have in facing positions, to determine in each blade 8 a joint
axis thereof parallel to the axis 16 of the drum and around which the blades can toggle
between a position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, in which each blade
8 leans against the external cross edge 11 of the blade located immediately next to
it, as it can be seen in figure 2, and a position of maximum inclination towards the
interior, shown in figure 5 referenced as number 8', in which this blade remains detached
from the blade located immediately next to it, delimiting the blade 8' with the blade
8 located immediately next to it, a cell or opening 17 whereby a banknote 18 can be
introduced or extracted from the cell 14'. In the position of maximum inclination
towards the exterior of the blades 8, when leaning each one of them against the external
cross edge 11 of the blade located immediately next to it, the banknote 18 contained
in each cell 14 is trapped or clamped between consecutive blades, thus preventing
the accidental displacement of the banknote. In order to secure this clamping, the
blades 8 have in the convex surface, figure 8, protuberances 19 and in the concave
surface, in adjacent position to the external cross edge 11, protuberances 20, figure
9, clamping between one another the banknotes 18 when the blades occupy the position
of maximum inclination towards the exterior, shown in figure 6.
[0030] The blades 8 are constantly pushed to the position of maximum inclination towards
the exterior by means of a spring, as it will be discussed further on in relation
to figure 3, while the motor-driven carriage 4 displaces them to the position of maximum
inclination towards the interior. This carriage, figure 4, is mounted having the possibility
of toggling around an axis defined by the aligned pivots 22, and it comprises rollers
or drag belts 23 driven by means of a gear motor 24 of bidirectional rotation. The
carriage 4 can toggle, around the axis defined by the aligned pivots 22, between an
inoperative position, shown in figure 6, in which the rollers or belts 23 remain detached
from the blades 8, and an active position, shown in figure 5, in which the rollers
or drag belts 23 lean and push the blade 8' to the position of maximum inclination
towards the interior.
[0031] With the described arrangement, within the storage drum 2 there will be as many cells
as blades 8 are mounted in the interior thereof. The blades 8 adopt a vane shape,
convex on their external side and concave on their internal side, and are set in the
drum according to a spiral trajectory, delimiting chambers 14 with equal trajectory.
[0032] In the active position the motor-driven carriage, figure 5, leans onto the convex
surface of blade 8' and displaces it to the position of maximum inclination towards
the interior, causing its detachment in relation to blade 8 located immediately next
to it, to define the opening 17 that grants access to chamber 14'. By means of rollers
or drag belts 23 of the carriage 4, figure 4, a banknote 18 is lead to the interior
of the cell 14' and introduces it keeping a small portion 25 out from the cell, as
it can be seen better in figure 6, with the purpose of being able to access this banknote
when conducting its extraction. Once the banknote has been introduced in the corresponding
cell, the carriage 4 toggles towards the inactive position shown in figure 6, in which
blade 8' recovers the 8 position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, in which
the corresponding banknote 18 remains clamped between the two blades.
[0033] As it can be observed in pictures 8 and 9, an intermediate pivot 26 protrudes from
one of the arched edges 10 of each blade 8, and is introduced through a radial slot
27, figures 3, 5 and 6, which the opposite wall 6 of the drum 2 presents in facing
position. The length of this slot and more particularly its internal cross edge, constitutes
a stop that limits the displacement of the intermediate pivot 26 of the blade towards
the interior and also limits the displacement of said blade, defining the maximum
inclination position towards the interior of the blade.
[0034] As it can be seen in figure 3, a spring 28 leans against all the intermediate pivots
26 of the blades that pushes them towards the external end of the slots 27, displacing
the blades to their position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, wherein
the slots 27, of arched design with a centre that coincides with the joint axis defined
by the pivots 15 of the corresponding blade and run in radial direction, lean against
the blade located immediately next to it, figure 2.
[0035] In this figure 3, the blade 8' is shown occupying the position of maximum inclination
towards the interior, with the corresponding intermediate pivot 26' leaned against
the internal cross edge of the slot 27'.
[0036] The flexible sheet of the blades acts as a guide in the trajectory which the banknote
18 has to describe, as it can be observed in figure 6, trajectory which will ideally
correspond to that described by blades 8, spiral-like towards the interior of the
storage drum 2, trajectory which is advantageous because of the volume optimization
of the accumulative device. In figure 6, it is shown the position ideally adopted
by the banknotes 18 in the interior of the storage drum, in which all the banknotes
remain clamped between the two blades that delimit each chamber, clamping which is
secured by means of protuberances 19 and 20 of the blades, described in reference
to figures 7 and 8.
[0037] In the inactive or idle position of the motor-driven carriage 4, the rollers or drag
belts 23 can lead the banknotes 18 to another direction, figure 7, in which for example
a non-return storage can be found, not represented.
[0038] The process of banknote extraction is opposite to the storage one. First of all,
the gear motor 5, figure 1, will position the storage drum 2 in a determined cell
in relation to the motor-driven carriage 4. Optical detectors, not represented, will
be mounted in order to detect the angular position of the drum 2. Next the motor-driven
carriage 4 will rotate angularly to its active position of figure 5, leaning onto
the convex side of blade 8' of the selected cell, displacing it to the position of
maximum inclination towards the interior. Next, the rollers or drag belts 23 will
be activated, by means of the gear motor 24, figure 4, causing the extraction of the
banknote stored in the corresponding cell 14'.
[0039] Combining the functions of the motor-driven carriage 4, it is possible to lead the
banknotes from drum 2 to the second position, shown in figure 7, where a non-return
accumulator can exist. For that purpose, it is sufficient to interrupt the extraction
of a banknote 18 in such a way that, once it has been extracted from drum 2, but still
in carriage 4, said carriage is positioned in its idle state and its dragging mechanism
is later activated with straight orientation until the banknote exits the dragging
mechanism.
1. Temporal banknote accumulator, that comprises a cylindrical and rotating storage drum,
and a banknote feeder-extractor device, whose storage drum is internally subdivided,
by means of movable partitions, forming cells, wherein a banknote can be introduced
in and extracted from each one of them by means of the aforementioned banknote feeder-extractor
device, characterized in that the partitions are constituted by blades of arched longitudinal design arranged ,
from the periphery of the drum, directed towards the interior thereof according to
equally inclined trajectories, delimiting cells of arched and inclined trajectory,
whose blades are mounted between the flat walls of the drum by means of a joint axis
parallel to the axis of the drum on which they can toggle between a maximum inclination
position towards the interior, defined by a drum stop, and a position of maximum inclination
towards the exterior, to which they are pushed by means of a spring, each blade remaining,
when occupying the first mentioned position, detached from the blade located immediately
next to it, allowing the input or the output of a banknote from the cell delimited
between both blades, whereas on the second mentioned position, each blade leans against
the blade located immediately next to it, trapping between the two the banknote contained
in the cell delimited by said blades.
2. Accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the mentioned joint axis is located next to the external end of the blades, leaving
the joint axes of consecutive blades located at a smaller distance than the length
of said blades, the blades being of bigger length than the distance between the mentioned
joint axis and a central nucleus of the drum, being displaced to the position of maximum
inclination towards the interior by the banknote feeder-extractor device.
3. Accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the blades run through the interior of the drum according to spiral trajectories
and delimit, every two consecutive blades, cells with the same trajectory.
4. Accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the blades are limited by longitudinally arched edges that are located in parallel
plans to the walls of the drum, and by internal and external straight cross edges,
the joint axis of each blade being near and parallel to the cross external edge.
5. Accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the joint axis whereby the blades are mounted is defined by two end pivots which
protrude, in aligned positions, from the arched edges of the blades, near to the external
cross edge of said blades.
6. Accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the stops that limit the position of maximum inclination towards the interior of
the blades consist of a radial slot that one of the flat walls of the drum has, for
each blade, of arched design with centre in the joint axis of the blades, wherein
an intermediate pivot is introduced, said pivot protruding from the opposite arched
edge of said blade.
7. Accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the blades decrease gradually in thickness from the external cross edge up to the
internal cross edge.
8. Accumulator according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades extend, from the internal cross edge, in an elastically flexible sheet
of equal width that follows the curvature of the internal surface of the blades.
9. Accumulator according to the preceding claims, characterized in that the blades comprise protuberances in their convex and concave surfaces which in the
position of maximum inclination towards the exterior, lean onto the opposite surface
of the adjoining blades, clamping the banknote housed in the cells limited by one
blade and another.
10. Accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that the banknote feeder-extractor device consists in a motor-driven carriage that comprises
rollers or drag belts for banknotes and that is set near to the periphery of the drum,
toggling between an idle position, in which the rollers or drag belts remain detached
from said drum, and an active position, in which the rollers or drag belts lean against
the external section of a blade and push it to the position of maximum inclination
towards the interior, the carriage providing two drive motors, one for the toggling
thereof and another one to drive the rollers or drag belts.