JP7660815B2 - Coin stacking mechanism and coin wrapping machine - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coin stacking mechanism that stacks a predetermined number of coins, and a coin wrapping machine that wraps wrapping paper around the coins stacked by the coin wrapping machine.

Conventionally, an accumulation mechanism has been described in which a spiral protrusion on each of a pair of accumulation drums is lowered in synchronization with the supply of coins, so that the coins are stacked and accumulated in an upward direction in sequence (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2008-217564 A

However, in the coin stacking mechanism described above, coins discharged horizontally are stacked on the protrusions with their rear portions tilted backwards, and the preceding coin stacked on the protrusions receives and decelerates the following coin in a horizontal position. However, if the following coin in a horizontal position collides with the unevenness formed on the front and back of the preceding coin in a backward tilted position, it may bounce unintentionally and prevent smooth stacking. In addition, the pair of stacking drums are large, which poses a problem of tending to increase the size of the coin stacking mechanism.

Therefore, the present invention provides a coin stacking mechanism and coin wrapping machine that is small and capable of stacking coins smoothly.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the coin stacking mechanism of the present invention is a coin stacking mechanism that stacks a predetermined number of coins, and comprises a transport means for transporting the coins, a stacking means for stacking the coins vertically in a horizontal position , and a supply means for supplying the coins transferred from the transport means to the stacking means so that the rear part of the coin in the coin's traveling direction maintains a rearward inclination lower than the front part of the coin and falls onto the preceding coin stacked in the stacking means , the supply means being a pair of rotating bodies provided on either side of the coin transport path and rotatable in a predetermined rotational direction as the coin is transported, and the deceleration grooves formed on the peripheral surface of each rotating body are formed at the front end in the rotational direction and comprise a coin receiving portion that receives the coin, a tapered portion formed at the rear end in the rotational direction and presses down the rear part of the coin, and a coin sliding portion that connects the coin receiving portion and the tapered portion and into which part of the coin enters .

According to this configuration, the coins transferred from the transfer means are supplied to the accumulation means in a tilted state, so that the following coins can be accumulated without colliding with the irregularities formed on the front and back surfaces of the preceding coins, allowing the coins to be accumulated smoothly. Furthermore, the size can be made smaller than that of conventional coin accumulation mechanisms in which coins discharged horizontally are accumulated by the accumulation means at an angle.

In addition, in order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the coin stacking mechanism of the present invention is a coin stacking mechanism that stacks a predetermined number of coins, and comprises a transport means for transporting the coins, a stacking means for stacking the coins, and a supply means for supplying the coins transferred from the transport means to the stacking means while maintaining a backward-leaning posture in which the rear of the coin is lower than the front of the coin in the coin's traveling direction, and the stacking means has a step portion for stacking the coins vertically in a horizontal posture, and the coins supplied to the stacking means fall onto the coins stacked on the step portion while maintaining the backward-leaning posture.

In order to achieve the above object, a coin wrapping machine according to the present invention includes the above-mentioned coin stacking device.
According to this configuration, clogging during coin stacking is suppressed, and wrapped stacked coins can be obtained smoothly. In addition, the coin wrapping machine can be made smaller in size by the amount of the coin stacking mechanism being made smaller.

The present invention provides a coin stacking mechanism and coin wrapping machine that is compact and capable of stacking coins smoothly.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a coin wrapping machine according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the coin wrapping machine. FIG. 3A and 3B are plan and front views showing the main parts of the coin stacking device. Block diagram of a coin wrapping machine. 4A and 4B are front and bottom views showing how a rotating body receives coins. 11A and 11B are front and bottom views showing the rotating body pushing in the rear of the coin. 13A and 13B are front and bottom views showing how a subsequent coin is guided on top of the preceding coin. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a rotating body of a coin stacking device according to a first modified example of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a rotating body of a coin stacking device according to a second modified example of the present invention.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following, when referring to the number, numerical value, amount, range, etc. of components, unless otherwise specified or when it is clearly limited to a specific number in principle, it is not limited to that specific number and may be more or less than the specific number.

In addition, when referring to the shape or positional relationship of components, etc., this includes things that are substantially similar or similar to that shape, etc., unless otherwise specified or considered in principle to be clearly different.

In addition, drawings may exaggerate characteristic parts to make the features easier to understand, and the dimensional ratios of components may not necessarily be the same as in reality.

Next, a coin wrapping machine 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The coin wrapping machine 1 stacks a predetermined number of loose coins and wraps the stacked coins thus formed in a predetermined amount of wrapping paper H such as transparent polyethylene film to form them into a rod shape.

First, the external configuration of the coin wrapping machine 1 will be described with reference to Figure 1. An inlet 2 is provided at the top of the coin wrapping machine 1, through which the operator inserts loose coins to be wrapped. A cover 3 is provided on this inlet 2 for opening and closing the inlet 2, and this cover 3 is designed to be opened and closed manually.

In addition, near the coin insertion port 2, there is a touch sensor panel 6 that combines an operation input unit 4 where the operator inputs various settings such as denomination designation information for the wrapping operation and operation inputs for starting and stopping the wrapping process, and a display unit 5 that displays the results of counting coins in the coin wrapping machine 1, as well as guidance for various settings such as the wrapping operation and printing contents, and the setting contents, etc.

Next, the basic internal configuration of the coin wrapping machine 1 will be described with reference to Figure 2. In Figure 2, the reference numeral 18 denotes a stacking mechanism that stacks loose coins inserted in a lump through the coin slot 2 in the open state.

The coin accumulation mechanism 10 has a rotary hopper 11 that receives loose coins inserted in one go through the open coin slot 2 (see FIG. 1), and a coin passage 12 that receives and transports coins that are dispensed one by one by the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the rotary hopper 11. The rotary hopper 11 may be configured to include, for example, a turntable that receives coins inserted in large quantities and divides them into smaller coins, and a supply plate that receives coins from the turntable and dispenses them one by one into the coin passage 12, but is not limited to this.

The coin passage 12 has a feed 13 at its top that transports coins one by one. An identification section (not shown) is provided midway through the coin passage 12, so that the genuineness and denomination of coins transported through the coin passage 12 can be determined as necessary. Here, the coin passage 12 is provided with a rejection hole (not shown), so that coins that are not determined to be genuine by the identification section fall through the rejection hole. In other words, the coin passage 12 transports only genuine coins.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the coin accumulation mechanism 10 includes an accumulation bearing 14, a rotor 15, and a crosspiece belt 16.

The accumulation bearing 14 is provided near the exit of the coin passage 12. The accumulation bearing 14 is rotatable about a rotation axis (not shown), and supports the coins transferred from the coin passage 12 from below and guides the coins C toward the rotor 15.

The rotating bodies 15 are provided on either side of the transport path P through which the coins C pass. The rotating bodies 15 are formed into a roughly circular plate and are provided so as to be freely rotatable in the rotation direction D.

Deceleration grooves 17 are formed in the lower corners of the rotating body 15. Four deceleration grooves 17 are provided along the circumferential direction of the rotating body 15. The number of deceleration grooves 17 may be three or less or five or more. The circumferential length of the deceleration grooves 17 is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the coin C.

The deceleration groove 17 is formed with a coin receiving portion 17a, a coin insertion portion 17b, and a tapered portion 17c in this order along the rotation direction D.

The coin receiving portion 17a is formed vertically at the front end in the rotation direction D. The coin slipping portion 17b connects the coin receiving portion 17a and the tapered portion 17c. The height of the coin slipping portion 17b is formed to be greater than the thickness of the coin C when viewed from the side. The tapered portion 17c is provided at the rear end in the rotation direction D and is inclined so that the height of the deceleration groove 17 gradually decreases from the front to the rear in the rotation direction D.

A pair of rotating bodies 15 are fixedly positioned evenly on either side of the center of the transport path P, and the diameter of the rotating bodies 15 is set according to the smallest diameter coin C, while the radial depth of the coin insertion portion 17b is set according to the largest diameter coin C, making it possible to accommodate a variety of coins C regardless of their diameter.

The crosspiece belt 16 is composed of an endless lifting belt 16a with a horizontal step 16b on the outer periphery. The lifting belt 16a is configured to be rotatable in a predetermined direction (clockwise in FIG. 2) by a drive motor (not shown) in synchronization with the supply of coins from the coin passage 12. A number of coins are stacked vertically in a horizontal state on the step 16b to form accumulated coins.

A horizontal shutter 25 may be provided below the crossbeam belt 16, on whose upper surface a predetermined number of stacked coins are placed. The horizontal shutter 25 is rotatable around a rotation axis 25a and has a coin drop hole (not shown) that can be opened and closed freely. When the horizontal shutter 25 is opened, the stacked coins placed on its upper surface are dropped and handed over to the packaging mechanism 20 below via the coin drop hole.

The packaging mechanism 20 has a liftable support rod 21 that supports from below the accumulated coins dropped from the horizontal shutter 25, three parallel packaging rollers 22 arranged vertically around the support rod 21, and a packaging motor (see Figure 5) 23 that rotates and drives these packaging rollers 22.

One of the wrapping rollers 22 can move close to or away from the remaining two. When one of the wrapping rollers 22 is separated from the remaining two, it is configured to receive the accumulated coins sent from the coin accumulation mechanism 10, and when the one of the wrapping rollers 22 receives the accumulated coins in this manner, it moves close to the remaining two, thereby sandwiching the accumulated coins between the three. In this state, the wrapping roller 22 is driven to rotate, and wrapping paper H is sandwiched between the wrapping roller 22 and the accumulated coins, so that the wrapping paper H is wrapped around the circumference of the accumulated coins.

In addition, the packaging mechanism 20 has upper and lower clamping claws 24 that clamp both excess portions of the wrapping paper H that protrude above and below the stacked coins wrapped as described above.

A wrapping paper supply mechanism 40 is provided on the side of the wrapping mechanism 20 to supply wrapping paper H to the wrapping mechanism 20. The wrapping paper supply mechanism 40 has a pair of paper feed rollers 42 that clamp the wrapping paper H unwound from a wrapping paper roll 41 supported to rotate freely around a vertical axis, pull out the wrapping paper H from the wrapping paper roll 41 by a length corresponding to the amount of rotation, and supply it to the accumulated coins, a paper feed motor (see FIG. 5) 43 that rotates the paper feed rollers 42 at a constant speed, a plurality of guide rollers 44 that guide the wrapping paper H unwound from the paper feed roller 42 by the drive of the paper feed motor 43 toward the wrapping roller 22, and a cutter 45 that cuts the wrapping paper H. The cutter 45 is designed to cut the wrapping paper H by the tension generated in the wrapping paper H when the paper feed roller 42 is stopped and the wrapping roller 22 is rotated.

The CPU 50 shown in FIG. 5 issues various control commands for the coin wrapping machine 1, and is connected to the operation input unit 4, display unit 5, paper feed motor 43, wrapping motor 23, etc., as well as to a ROM 51 that stores the control program and reference data for the coin wrapping machine 1, and a RAM 52 that stores the identification results and counting results of the appraisal unit. The paper feed motor 43, etc. are configured to operate based on control commands from the CPU 50.

Next, the operation of the coin wrapping machine 1 having the above configuration will be described. First, when the operator inserts loose coins of mixed denominations into the insertion port 2 and performs an input operation to start wrapping from the operation input unit 4, the CPU 50 starts driving control of the rotary hopper 11, and the rotary hopper 11 separates the loose coins inserted into the insertion port 2 one by one and sequentially delivers them to the coin passage 12. Here, the input operation to start wrapping refers to a series of operations in which the operator inputs data such as the denomination and number of coins to be wrapped, and then confirms the input results on the display unit 5 and performs a decision operation, and the data input here is stored in the RAM 52 described above.

The CPU 50 receives data based on the results of validation and counting of the coins dispensed into the coin passage 12, such as the denomination, authenticity, and damage, from the validation unit installed midway through the coin passage 12, and stores this data in the RAM 52. The CPU 50 also drives and controls the feed 13 to transport only genuine coins of the denomination based on the input from the operation input unit 4 to the rotor 15, and accumulates a predetermined number of coins (for example, about 50 coins).

Specifically, as shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the coin C is transferred to the rotor 15 while being maintained in a substantially horizontal position by the accumulation bearing 14. At this time, the deceleration groove 17 waits at a receiving position where at least a portion of the coin receiving portion 17a is located on the transport path P of the coin C. When the coin C collides with the coin receiving portion 17a, the coin C is decelerated by the reaction force, while the rotor 15 starts to rotate in the rotation direction D due to the collision force. Note that the rotor 15 rotates with a portion of the coin C on the left and right sides housed in the coin insertion portion 17b when viewed from below.

Next, as shown in Figures 7(a) and (b), when the rotor 15 rotates in the rotation direction D and the rear of the coin C is pushed downward by the tapered portion 17c, the coin C transitions to a backward tilted position in which the rear is lower than the front. After that, the coin C falls under its own weight onto the rail belt 16 while maintaining the backward tilted position.

After that, as shown in Figures 8(a) and (b), the following coin C transferred to the rotating body 15 rides on the rear of the preceding coin C which is tilted backward. Then, like the preceding coin C, the following coin C collides with the coin receiving portion 17a, transitions to a backward tilted posture by the tapered portion 17c, and then falls onto the bay belt 16. In this way, both the preceding and succeeding coins C are supplied to the bay belt 16 while maintaining their backward tilted posture.

Coins C supplied to the crossbeam belt 16 fall onto the preceding coins C stacked vertically in a horizontal position on the step 16b. The following coin C falls onto the preceding coin C while maintaining a backward tilted position, preventing it from colliding with the irregularities formed on the front and back surfaces of the preceding coin C. The lifting belt 16a is synchronized with the transport speed of the feed 13 and lowers one step when a coin supplied through the rotating body 15 is placed on the step 16b, and the coin supplied thereafter is stacked on top of the preceding coin, so that multiple coins are accumulated in a vertically stacked state on the step 16b.

When the coin stacking mechanism 10 has completed stacking a predetermined number of coins, the CPU 50 controls the horizontal shutter 25 to open and move the stacked coins between the wrapping rollers 22 of the wrapping mechanism 20, which wraps the stacked coins. The CPU 50 then controls the three wrapping rollers 22 to clamp the stacked coins.

Meanwhile, the CPU 50 drives and controls the paper feed roller 42 of the wrapping paper supply mechanism 40 to supply wrapping paper H from the wrapping paper roll 41 to the wrapping mechanism 20. Then, by driving the wrapping roller 22 with the wrapping paper H sandwiched between the wrapping roller 22 and the circumferential surface of the stacked banknotes, the wrapping paper H is wrapped around the stacked coins a predetermined number of times, and then the excess portions of the wrapping paper H above and below the stacked coins are crimped by the crimping claws 24.

In this way, the coin stacking mechanism 10 according to this embodiment is a coin stacking mechanism 10 that stacks a predetermined number of coins C, and is configured to include a feed 13 that transports the coins C, a bay belt 16 that stacks the coins C, and a rotating body 15 as a supply means that supplies the coins C transported from the feed 13 to the bay belt 16 in a tilted backward state.

With this configuration, the rotating body 15 supplies the coins C transferred from the feed 13 to the rail belt 16 in a tilted state, so that the following coins C can be stacked without colliding with the unevenness formed on the front and back surfaces of the preceding coins C, allowing the coins to be stacked smoothly. Furthermore, the size can be made smaller than conventional coin stacking mechanisms that tilt and stack coins discharged horizontally.

The coin stacking mechanism 10 is a pair of rotors 15, 15, each of which is provided on either side of the transport path P and can rotate in a predetermined rotational direction D as the coin C is transported. The deceleration grooves 17 formed on the circumferential surface of each rotor 15 are configured to include a coin receiving portion 17a formed at the front end in the rotational direction D to receive the coin C, a tapered portion 17c formed at the rear end in the rotational direction D to push down the rear of the coin C, and a coin slip-in portion 17b that connects the coin receiving portion 17a and the tapered portion 17c and into which a portion of the coin C slips.

With this configuration, when the coin receiving section 17a receives a coin C transferred from the feed 13, the rotating body 15 rotates in the rotation direction D while a portion of the coin C is received in the coin insertion section 17b, and the tapered section 17c presses down on the rear of the coin C, thereby tilting the coin C backward.

The coin accumulation mechanism 10 is configured so that the rotating body 15 rotates in response to the impact of the coin C against the coin receiving portion 17a.

With this configuration, the rotor 15 rotates without using an external drive source, making it possible to further reduce the size.

The coin stacking mechanism 10 is also configured such that the crossbeam belt 16 has a step portion 16b that stacks the coins C vertically in a horizontal position, and the succeeding coin C supplied to the crossbeam belt 16 falls in a backward tilted state onto the preceding coin C stacked on the step portion 16b.

With this configuration, the following coin C falls onto the preceding coin C, which is in a horizontal position, while maintaining a backward tilted position, preventing the following coin C from colliding with the irregularities formed on the front and back surfaces of the preceding coin C.

The coin wrapping machine 1 according to the present invention is also configured to include the coin stacking mechanism 10 described above.

This configuration prevents clogging during coin stacking, making it possible to obtain wrapped, stacked coins smoothly. In addition, the coin wrapping machine can be made smaller in size by the same amount as the coin stacking mechanism is made smaller.

In the above embodiment, the pair of rotating bodies 15 rotate in response to the collision of the coin C, but the rotating operation of the rotating bodies 15 may be performed by an external drive unit.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a pair of meshing connecting gears 18 may be connected to respective rotors 15, a coin detection sensor 12a may be provided to detect coins transported through the coin passage 12, and a drive unit 19 may be provided to directly or indirectly rotate the connecting gears 18 based on the detection signal of the coin detection sensor 12a.

With this configuration, the timing when the coin C is supplied between the rotating bodies 15 coincides with the timing when the deceleration grooves 17 formed on the circumferential surfaces of the pair of rotating bodies 15 reach a position where the coin C can be received, so the coin C can be transported stably.

Furthermore, the pair of rotating bodies 15 is not limited to being fixed at a predetermined distance as described above, but may be configured, for example, so that the pair of rotating bodies 15, 15 can move toward and away from each other. One such configuration is shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), in which the rotating shaft 15a of the rotating body 15 is connected to the connecting gear 18 via a timing belt 18a, and the rotating shaft 15a is configured to be swingable along the circumferential direction of the connecting gear 18.

With this configuration, the distance between the pair of rotating bodies 15 can be adjusted according to the coin diameter, making it possible to accommodate a variety of coins C.

In addition, a position detection sensor (not shown) that can determine the relative positional relationship of the deceleration groove 17 in the rotating body 15 (phase of the rotating body 15) may be provided. As a position detection sensor, for example, one or more through holes corresponding to the receiving position of the deceleration groove 17 are formed in one of the connecting gears 18, and a reflection sensor that detects that the deceleration groove 17 has reached the receiving position by detecting the through holes is considered, but a pair of optical sensors, interrupters, etc. may also be used. By using such a position detection sensor, the rotating body 15 can properly receive the coins C, thereby preventing clogging of the coins C.

A positioning unit may be provided to appropriately manage the phase of the rotor 15. For example, the positioning unit may be configured such that a recess is provided on the outer periphery of the rotor 15 according to the receiving position, and a latch (positioning unit) is provided that can move forward and backward in the radial direction of the rotor 15 and engage with the recess; when the latch engages with the recess, the rotor 15 is positioned at the receiving position, and when the drive unit 19 rotates the rotor 15, the latch retracts from the recess.

With this configuration, clogging of coins C can be prevented by positioning the rotating body 15 at a predetermined receiving position so that the coin receiving portion 17a is located on the transport path P.

In addition, by providing a mechanism in the coin passage 12 that keeps the intervals between coins C randomly transferred from the rotary hopper 11 approximately constant, the coins C can be stably accumulated. Examples of such mechanisms include a mechanism that uses a retractable stopper pin or the like to temporarily stop a coin being transferred through the coin passage 12, thereby keeping the intervals between the front and rear coins C approximately constant, or a mechanism that provides multiple bars on the endless belt of the feed 13, each of which can hold only one coin C, and transfers the coin through the coin passage 12 by clamping the coin C between adjacent bars.

The driving unit 19 may be a stepping motor or the like that drives at a predetermined cycle. The stepping motor drives the connecting gear 18 in accordance with the interval between the coins C transferred to the rotating bodies 15, so that a pair of rotating bodies 15 can be driven in synchronization with a simple mechanism that does not involve detection of the coins C by the coin detection sensor 12a.

In addition, when coins C are continuously transported at equal intervals, the rotation speed of the drive unit 19 may be set to a substantially constant speed.

Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways other than those described above without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the present invention extends to such modifications.

1: Coin wrapping machine 10: Coin stacking mechanism 11: Rotary hopper 12: Coin passage 12a: Coin detection sensor 13: Feed (transport means)
14: Integrated bearing 15: Rotating body (supply means)
16: Cross belt (accumulation means)
16a: Lifting belt 16b: Step portion 17: Deceleration groove 17a: Coin receiving portion 17b: Coin insertion portion 17c: Tapered portion 18: Connection gear 18a: Timing belt 19: Drive portion C: Coin D: Rotation direction P: Conveyance path

Claims (7)

A coin stacking mechanism for stacking a predetermined number of coins,
A transfer means for transferring the coins;
A stacking means for stacking the coins vertically in a horizontal position ;
a supply means for supplying the coin transferred from the transfer means to the accumulation means so that the rear part of the coin in the coin traveling direction is kept in a rearwardly inclined position lower than the front part of the coin and falls onto the preceding coin accumulated in the accumulation means;
Equipped with
the supplying means is a pair of rotating bodies provided on either side of the coin transport path and rotatable in a predetermined rotation direction in association with the transfer of the coins;
The deceleration grooves formed on the circumferential surface of each rotor are
a coin receiving portion formed at a front end in the rotation direction and configured to receive the coin;
a tapered portion formed at a rear end in the rotation direction and pressing down the rear portion of the coin;
a coin receiving portion that communicates with the coin receiving portion and the tapered portion and into which a part of the coin enters;
A coin accumulation mechanism comprising : 2. The coin stacking mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the rotating body is rotated by the coin colliding with the coin receiving portion. 2. The coin stacking mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the supplying means includes a drive unit that rotates the rotating body in synchronization with the transfer of the coins. The coin accumulation mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the pair of rotating bodies are configured to be movable toward and away from each other. 2. The coin stacking mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the supplying means further comprises a positioning unit that positions the rotating body at a predetermined receiving position so that the coin receiving unit is located on the transport path. A coin stacking mechanism for stacking a predetermined number of coins,
A transfer means for transferring the coins;
A stacking means for stacking the coins;
a supply means for supplying the coin transferred from the transfer means to the stacking means while maintaining a rearwardly inclined posture in which a rear portion of the coin is lower than a front portion of the coin in a coin traveling direction;
Equipped with
The stacking means includes a step portion for stacking the coins vertically in a horizontal position,
A coin stacking mechanism, characterized in that the coins supplied to the stacking means fall onto the coins stacked on the stepped portion while maintaining the backward tilted posture . A coin wrapping machine comprising the coin stacking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .

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