JP5913233B2 - Coin deposit / withdrawal device - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a coin deposit and withdrawal device.

  A conventional coin deposit / withdrawal device recognizes the correctness of a coin taken in from the outside by an identification unit, and stores a coin (normal coin, normal coin) that the identification unit is normal. The identification unit, for example, generates a magnetic field in a gap that allows the passage of a true coin, passes a coin through the gap, and observes the change in the magnetic field, thereby identifying the correctness or denomination of the coin.

  If the gap between the above-described identification parts is too wide, it is difficult to obtain a change in the magnetic field due to coins, and therefore the gap is set as narrow as possible. For this reason, if the coin is deformed, a foreign object adheres to the coin, or a coin of another country that is thicker than the coin of the home country, the coin may be jammed in the identification unit.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coin deposit / withdrawal device in which coins are not jammed in the identification unit.

The coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus according to the embodiment includes a receiving unit, an identification unit, a storage unit, a transport unit, and a reject unit. The receiving unit accepts coins from the outside. The identification unit includes a transport surface, a movable unit, and a support unit. The conveying surface supports the coin from the lower surface. The movable part includes a sensor for identifying whether the coin received by the receiving part is correct or not, is opposed to the transport surface through a gap through which a normal coin having the maximum thickness can pass, and the thickness is set at the entrance of the gap. height than the maximum of the normal coin is guided down the high coin processing that have been subjected to. The support portion is configured such that when the coin conveyed on the conveyance surface comes into contact with the movable portion and enters below the movable portion from the entrance portion and pushes it up, the movable portion expands the gap with respect to the conveyance surface. The movable part is supported so as to be movable in the direction of movement. The storage unit stores coins in which the identification unit is normal. The transport unit transports coins from the receiving unit through the identification unit to the storage unit. The reject unit removes the coin that the identification unit is not normal from the transport unit.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the coin change machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an internal configuration of the coin change machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the identification unit of the first embodiment as viewed from the upstream side in the coin conveyance direction. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder moves as the coins on the transport surface come into contact with the movable portion in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a modified example in which the support portion of the first embodiment is changed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the identification unit of the second embodiment as viewed from the upstream side in the coin conveyance direction. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder is moved by the coin on the transport surface contacting the movable portion in the second embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a modification in which the support portion of the second embodiment is changed.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, the coin change machine which is 1st Embodiment of a coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus is demonstrated using drawing. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a coin change machine 1. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the internal configuration of the coin change machine 1. The coin change machine 1 includes a receiving unit 2, an identification unit 3, a storage unit 4, a transport unit 5, a reject unit 6, and a payout unit 7.

  The receiving unit 2 has a mouth opened to the outside, receives coins from the mouth, and takes them into the interior. The identification unit 3 identifies whether the coin received by the receiving unit 2 is correct or not. The storage unit 4 stores coins that the identification unit 3 is normal. The transport unit 5 transports coins from the receiving unit 2 through the identification unit 3 to the storage unit 4. The reject unit 6 removes the coin that the identification unit 3 is not normal from the transport unit 5. The payout unit 7 pays out coins as change from the storage unit 4 to the outside.

  The transport unit 5 includes a transport surface 51 and a transport belt 52. The conveyance surface 51 is a flat surface of a metal plate and supports coins from the lower surface. The conveyor belt 52 is an endless belt, is tensioned with a predetermined tension by a pair of pulleys (not shown), is arranged on the conveyor surface 51, and rotates when one pulley is driven. The conveyor belt 52 rotates in contact with the upper surface of the coin on the conveyor surface 51, thereby slid the coin along the conveyor surface 51 and conveys the coin to the storage unit 4.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the identification unit 3 as viewed from the upstream side in the coin conveyance direction. The identification unit 3 includes a part of the transport surface 51, a movable unit 31, and a support unit 32. The movable part 31 includes a sensor 33 and a holder 34. The support portion 32 includes a base 35, a shaft 36, and an urging member 37.

  The sensor 33 is a magnetic sensor as disclosed in, for example, a prior art document, and outputs a signal corresponding to the correctness of the coin received by the receiving unit 2. The sensor 33 of the present embodiment is divided into an upper portion 33a disposed on the upper surface side of the coin and a lower portion 33b disposed on the lower surface side of the coin. The holder 34 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped member, and the upper portion 33a of the sensor 33 is attached downward. The lower portion 33 b of the sensor 33 is embedded in the transport surface 51.

  The movable part 31 has a gap g between the portion closest to the transport surface 51 and the transport surface 51 through which normal coins (special coins) having the maximum thickness can pass. In other words, the movable portion 31 faces the transport surface 51 through a gap g through which a specie having the maximum thickness can pass.

The height of the gap g, that is, the distance between the upper portion 33a of the sensor and the holder 34 and the transport surface 51 is slightly higher than the thickness of the true coin having the maximum thickness.
Moreover, the chamfering process is given to the edge part of the surface facing the conveyance surface 51 of the holder 34 in the coin conveyance direction upstream. That is, the height of the upstream side (inlet) in the coin conveyance direction of the gap g is increased.

  The base 35 is formed continuously from the holder 34. If it demonstrates in drawing, the lower part from the AA line in FIG. The base 35 is a substantially flat member, is continuous with the holder 34 on one side, and holds the holder 34 at a predetermined height with respect to the transport surface 51 like a cantilever. Further, the base 35 has a hole 35a penetrating from the upper surface to the lower surface.

  The shaft 36 is erected on the end of the conveying surface 51 through the hole 35a, and has a diameter-expanded portion 36a at the head. The urging member 37 is a helical spring disposed so as to wrap around the outer periphery of the shaft 36, for example, and is positioned between the diameter-expanded portion 36a and the upper surface of the base 35 in a compressed state so that the base 35 is transported. 51 is in pressure contact.

  Here, the hole 35a, the shaft 36, and the urging member 37 are provided at a plurality of locations along the coin conveyance direction (the depth direction in FIG. 3). For this reason, the holder 34 does not rotate around the shaft 36.

  With the above-described configuration, the support unit 32 moves the holder 34 so that the holder 34 can move in the direction in which the gap g increases with respect to the transport surface 51 when the coins transported on the transport surface 51 abut on the movable unit 31. support. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the holder 34 has moved as the coins on the transport surface 51 come into contact with the movable portion 31.

  In such a configuration, in the coin change machine 1, when the receiving unit 2 receives a coin from the outside and takes it into the inside, the transport unit 5 transports the coin to the storage unit 4 through the identification unit 3. Further, the coin change machine 1 uses the payout unit 7 to pay out coins as change from the storage unit 4 to the outside.

  When the identification unit 3 identifies the coin as not normal based on the output of the sensor 33, the reject unit 6 performs an operation of removing the coin from the transport unit 5 at a predetermined timing. Here, the predetermined timing is a timing based on a time that can be calculated from, for example, the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit 5 and the distance from the identification unit 3 to the rejection unit 6.

  The identification unit 3 identifies whether the coin that has reached the sensor 33 is correct or not by conveyance by the conveyance unit 5. Since the height of the gap g is slightly higher than the thickness of the largest true coin as described above, the true coin can pass through. When a coin having a height higher than the gap g (abnormal coin) reaches the identification unit 3, the abnormal coin on the transport surface 51 is caught by the movable unit 31.

  When the abnormal coin transported by the transport unit 5 is caught by the movable unit 31, the abnormal coin is guided to the chamfered portion of the entrance and enters under the holder 34, and the holder 34 and the base 35 are opposed to the biasing force of the biasing member 37. Push up.

  Thereby, even if an abnormal coin having a height higher than that of a genuine coin is conveyed to the identification unit 3 by the conveyance unit 5, the movable unit 31 is configured to be movable in the direction in which the gap g is enlarged. Coins are not jammed in the gap g of the identification unit 3.

  The abnormal coin is identified as an abnormal coin by the identifying unit 3, passes through the identifying unit 3, and then removed from the transport unit 5 by the reject unit 6.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the identification unit 3, when the support unit 32 contacts the movable unit 31 with the coin conveyed on the conveyance surface 51, the holder 34 has a gap g with respect to the conveyance surface 51. The holder 34 is supported so as to be movable in the expanding direction. Accordingly, when the coin comes into contact with the movable portion 31, the holder 34 moves in the direction in which the gap g is enlarged with respect to the transport surface 51. Therefore, even if an abnormal coin having a height higher than the gap g is conveyed to the identification unit 3, the abnormal coin is not jammed in the identification unit 3. That is, it is possible to prevent the identification unit 3 from being clogged with coins.

  FIG. 5 shows a modification in which the support portion 32 of the first embodiment is changed. In this modification, a support portion 132 is provided instead of the support portion 32.

  The support part 132 has a base 35, a shaft 36, and an urging member 37 similar to those of the support part 32, and a rotation fulcrum 38 that is not present in the support part 32. The rotation fulcrum 38 positions the end of the table 35 at a fixed position on the conveyance surface 51 and allows the table 35 and the holder 34 to rotate so as to approach and separate from the conveyance surface 51 with the rotation fulcrum 38 as a rotation axis. . The rotation fulcrum 38 extends along the coin transport direction (the depth direction in the figure) or is provided at a plurality of locations along the coin transport direction.

  According to the above configuration, when an abnormal coin having a height higher than that of a genuine coin is conveyed to the identification unit 3 by the conveyance unit 5 and the abnormal coin pushes up the holder 34 against the urging force of the urging member 37, The holder 35 moves away from the conveyance surface 51 by the table 35 rotating about the rotation fulcrum 38 as a rotation axis.

  In this modification, since the positioning of the movable part 31 with respect to the transport surface 51 is performed not only by the shaft 36 but also by the rotation fulcrum 38, it is considered that the behavior of the movable part 31 is stabilized.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the identification unit 103 of the present embodiment as viewed from the upstream side in the coin conveyance direction. The identification unit 103 includes a detection unit 8 in addition to the configuration of the identification unit 3 of the first embodiment. The detection unit 8 includes a detector that is operated by the movement of the movable unit 31 in a state of projecting out of the housing, and detects the movement of the movable unit 31 by the operation received by the detector. A microswitch having a lever 8a as a child.

  The detection unit 8 is arranged so that the lever 8 a contacts the upper surface of the holder 34. When the movable unit 31 is pushed up by an abnormal coin or the like, the lever 8a is pushed by the holder 34, and the output of the detection unit 8 is turned on. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a state where the coins on the transport surface 51 are in contact with the movable portion 31 and the holder 34 is moved.

  In such a configuration, when an abnormal coin having a height higher than the true coin is conveyed to the identification unit 103 by the conveyance unit 5, the output of the detection unit 8 is turned on. The output of the identification unit 103 when the abnormal coin is identified at this time is highly likely to be a value that cannot be identified as a genuine coin, but it cannot be said that there is no possibility that the threshold value for abnormal coins will not be exceeded. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in identifying the rejection target, not only the output of the identification unit 103 but also the output of the detection unit 8 is considered. That is, the coin is made an abnormal coin by being recognized as an abnormal coin by the output of the identification unit 103 or the output of the detection unit 8 is turned on, and is conveyed by the reject unit 6. Part 5 will be excluded.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when the coin is in contact with the movable unit 31 and the output of the identification unit 103 does not exceed the threshold value that can be identified as an abnormal coin, the coin is rejected as an abnormal coin. It becomes possible to handle.

  FIG. 8 shows a modification in which the support portion 32 of the second embodiment is changed. In the present modification, a support portion 232 is provided instead of the support portion 32.

  The support part 232 has the same configuration as the support part 132 of the modified example (FIG. 5) of the first embodiment. That is, the support portion 232 has the same base 35, shaft 36, and biasing member 37 as the support portion 32, and also has a rotation fulcrum 38 that the support portion 32 does not have. The rotation fulcrum 38 positions the end of the table 35 at a fixed position on the conveyance surface 51 and allows the table 35 and the holder 34 to rotate so as to approach and separate from the conveyance surface 51 with the rotation fulcrum 38 as a rotation axis. . The rotation fulcrum 38 extends along the coin transport direction (the depth direction in the figure) or is provided at a plurality of locations along the coin transport direction.

  According to the above configuration, when an abnormal coin having a height higher than that of a genuine coin is conveyed to the identification unit 103 by the conveyance unit 5 and the abnormal coin pushes up the holder 34 against the urging force of the urging member 37, The holder 35 moves away from the conveyance surface 51 by the table 35 rotating about the rotation fulcrum 38 as a rotation axis.

  In this modification, since the positioning of the movable part 31 with respect to the transport surface 51 is performed not only by the shaft 36 but also by the rotation fulcrum 38, it is considered that the behavior of the movable part 31 is stabilized.

  In this modification, it is preferable that the position where the lever 8a is in contact with the upper surface of the holder 34 is a position far from the support portion 232 in order to improve the detection accuracy of the detection portion 8.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

1 ... coin change machine,
2 ... acceptance department,
3 ... identification part,
31 ... movable part,
32 ... support part,
33 ... sensor, 33a ... upper part, 33b ... lower part,
34 ... Holder,
35 ... stand, 35a ... hole,
36 ... shaft, 36a ... expanded diameter part,
37 ... biasing member,
g ... Gap,
4 ... storage part,
5 ... Conveying section, 51 ... Conveying surface, 52 ... Conveying belt,
6 ... Reject part,
7: Dispensing department,
132 ... support part, 38 ... rotation fulcrum,
103 ... Identification part, 8 ... Detection part, 8a ... Lever,
232 ... Supporting part.

JP 2009-223777 A

Claims (5)

A receiving part for accepting coins from outside,
A transport surface for supporting coins from the bottom surface;
A sensor that identifies whether the coin received by the receiving unit is correct or not, is opposed to the transport surface through a gap through which the normal coin with the maximum thickness can pass, and the normal coin with the maximum thickness at the entrance portion of the gap A movable part that has been processed to guide a coin having a higher height down ,
When the coin transported on the transport surface comes into contact with the movable portion and enters the movable portion from below the movable portion and pushes it up, the movable portion moves in a direction in which the gap increases with respect to the transport surface. Possible, a support part for supporting the movable part;
An identification unit having
A storage unit for storing coins in which the identification unit is normal; and
A transport unit for transporting coins from the receiving unit through the identification unit to the storage unit;
A reject unit that removes from the transport unit a coin that the identification unit is not normal; and
A coin deposit and withdrawal device. A detection unit for detecting the movement of the movable unit;
The coin receiving / dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the reject unit performs an operation of removing a coin from the transport unit at a predetermined timing after the detection unit detects the movement of the movable unit. The coin receiving and dispensing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the detection unit is a micro switch. The coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a biasing member that biases the movable portion in a direction of narrowing the gap. Said support portion, the coin receiving and dispensing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4 for supporting the movable portion rotatably.

Images