Device and method for stacking value documents

1 . A device for stacking value documents, comprising:

a stacker unit for receiving the value documents;

a conveyor unit for conveying the value documents into the stacker unit;

wherein the stacker unit comprises a rotatable stacker wheel for receiving the value documents;

wherein the rotatable stacker wheel has a plurality of deflectable stacker wheel segments which are provided along a circumference of the rotatable stacker wheel in a mutually spaced manner;

wherein each of the deflectable stacker wheel segments defines a respective receiving region for receiving one of the value documents conveyed into the stacker unit; and

a deflecting unit configured to selectively deflect at least one stacker wheel segment to modify a size of the respective receiving region associated with the at least one stacker wheel segment,

wherein the deflecting unit comprises a movable deflection element which can be transferred from a non-deflecting state to a deflecting state.

2 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the deflecting unit is designed to deflect the stacker wheel segments arranged along the circumference of the rotatable stacker wheel, in particular some or each of the deflectable stacker wheel segments of the rotatable stacker wheel, one after another in time and thereby modify the size of the receiving region associated with the respective stacker wheel segment.

3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stacker wheel segments comprises a first stacker wheel segment having a first associated receiving region and a second stacker wheel segment having a second associated receiving region spaced apart from each other along the circumference of the rotatable stacker wheel;

wherein the deflecting unit is designed to deflect the first stacker wheel segment and the second stacker wheel segment differently one after the other in such a way that a size, in particular width, of the first receiving region when the first stacker wheel segment is deflected differs from a size, in particular width, of the second receiving region when the second stacker wheel segment is deflected.

4 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the deflecting unit is designed to deflect the deflectable stacker wheel segments in a direction of an inner region of the rotating stacker wheel, in particular with a radial directional component towards an axis of rotation of the stacker wheel.

5 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable stacker wheel has an axis of rotation fixed within the device, and

wherein the stacker wheel and thus the deflectable stacker wheel segments provided on the circumference of the stacker wheel can be rotated about the fixed axis of rotation at a predeterminable rotational speed, and

wherein the deflecting unit is designed to deflect the deflectable stacker wheel segments relative to the fixed axis of rotation of the rotating stacker wheel in such a way that a distance between the stacker wheel segments and the fixed axis of rotation is reduced.

6 . The device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the movable deflection element is configured to contact one of the deflectable stacker wheel segments in the deflecting state in order to deflect said deflectable stacker wheel segment.

7 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein an outer side of the respective deflectable stacker wheel segment defines a rear delimitation of the respective receiving region, or a delimitation of said respective receiving region following the respective receiving region along a direction of rotation of the stacker wheel, and

wherein a stacker wheel segment running ahead of the respective receiving region along the direction of rotation of the stacker wheel defines a front delimitation of the receiving region, or a delimitation of said receiving region running ahead of the respective receiving region along the direction of rotation of the stacker wheel.

8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein each stacker wheel segment of the plurality of deflectable stacker wheel segments comprises at least two stacker wheel fingers arranged in particular along a circumference of the stacker wheel at substantially a same azimuthal position of the stacker wheel and spaced apart along an axis of rotation of the stacker wheel;

wherein the deflecting unit is designed to simultaneously deflect the at least two stacker wheel fingers of the respective stacker wheel segment.

9 . The device according to claim 1 , comprising:

a control unit which is designed to cause the deflecting unit, in particular the movable deflection element, to deflect the respective stacker wheel segment,

wherein the control unit is designed in particular to decide for one or more value documents whether or not it the control unit causes the deflecting unit to deflect the respective stacker wheel segment, into the associated receiving region into which the respective value document is conveyed.

10 . The device according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to make a decision as to whether or not the control unit causes the deflecting unit to deflect the respective stacker wheel segment as a function of any time delay of the respective value document conveyed into the stacker unit, and possibly as a function of the time delays of further value documents conveyed into the stacker unit before the respective value document.

11 . The device according to claim 9 , wherein the deflecting unit, in particular the movable deflection element, is designed to deflect the respective stacker wheel segment by a variable deflection distance and the control unit is designed to variably control the deflecting unit in such a way as to deflect the respective stacker wheel segment by the variable deflection distance,

wherein the control unit determines the variable deflection distance in particular as a function of any time delay of the respective value document conveyed into the stacker unit and possibly as a function of the time delays of further value documents conveyed into the stacker unit before the respective value document.

12 . A value document processing device comprising:

the device for stacking value documents according to claim 1 and

a device for separating value documents from an output stack and for feeding the separated value documents to the stacking device.

13 . A method for stacking value documents, in particular comprising a device according to claim 1 , said method comprising the steps of:

conveying value documents one at a time to a stacker unit comprising a rotating stacker wheel for receiving the value documents,

wherein the rotating stacker wheel has a plurality of deflectable stacker wheel segments which are arranged at a distance from one another along a circumference of the rotating stacker wheel,

wherein the deflectable stacker wheel segments each define a receiving region for receiving one of the value documents conveyed into the stacker unit, and

deflecting one of the stacker wheel segments by means of a deflecting unit in order to modify a size of a receiving region of the stacker wheel associated with the stacker wheel segment, and

conveying one of the value documents conveyed to the stacker unit into the stacker unit, in particular into the receiving region of the stacker wheel associated with the respective deflected stacker wheel segment.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the deflection of the respective stacker wheel segment increases a size, in particular a width, of the receiving region associated with the respective stacker wheel segment, into which the respective value document is conveyed.

15 . A device for stacking value documents, comprising:

a stacker unit for receiving the value documents;

a conveyor unit for conveying the value documents into the stacker unit;

wherein the stacker unit comprises a rotatable stacker wheel for receiving the value documents;

wherein the rotatable stacker wheel has a plurality of deflectable stacker wheel segments which are provided along a circumference of the rotatable stacker wheel in a mutually spaced manner;

wherein each of the deflectable stacker wheel segments defines a respective receiving region for receiving one of the value documents conveyed into the stacker unit; and

a deflecting unit configured to selectively deflect each stacker wheel segment to modify a size of the respective receiving region associated with a respective stacker wheel segment,

wherein the deflecting unit comprises a movable deflection element which can be transferred from a non-deflecting state to a deflecting state, and

wherein the device further comprises a control unit which is designed to cause the deflecting unit, in particular the movable deflection element, to deflect the respective stacker wheel segment.

16 . The device according to claim 15 , wherein the control unit is further designed to decide for one or more value documents whether or not the control unit causes the deflecting unit to deflect the respective stacker wheel segment into the respective receiving region into which the respective value document is conveyed.

17 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the deflecting unit is configured to selectively deflect each stacker wheel segment individually and to modify the size of the respective receiving region associated with each respective stacker wheel segment.