JP4604165B2 - Automatic coin replenishment device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coin automatic alignment and supply device for automatically supplying coins to a coin holding device that stacks and holds coins for each denomination.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a coin automatic alignment and replenishment device for automatically replenishing a predetermined number of coins to a predetermined denomination holding portion of a coin holding device automatically one by one.
Further, the present invention relates to an auxiliary cover for reliably stacking coins supplied from the coin automatic alignment and replenishment device on the coin holding device.
Note that “coin” used in this specification includes coins, tokens of game machines, and the like.

In order to pay out the change efficiently and accurately, a coin holding device shown in FIG. 14 is used.
That is, a predetermined number of coin types are stacked and held in the coin holding device 10 and mounted on a change dispenser for use (see, for example, International Patent Publication WO03 / 015038A2).
The coin holding device 10 has a main body 16 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the coin, extending in the vertical direction, and a plurality of holding portions 14 in which a part of the side wall is opened 12 in the vertical direction. A cover 22 detachable by inserting the guide groove 20 of the main body 16 so as to close the vertical opening 12 and close the upper opening 18 of the retaining portion 14 is provided.

There is a gap for one coin between the lower end 24 of the cover 20 and the bottom 26 of the main body 16, and a protruding member enters and exits an opening (not shown) formed on the back surface of the main body 16. Coins are projected one by one.
Therefore, by instructing the number of protrusions of the predetermined denomination, a predetermined number of coins of the predetermined denomination are paid out.
In order to supply coins to the holding part 14, a coin lump in which a predetermined number of denominations are wrapped in a sheet shape is inserted into the holding part of the corresponding denomination from the upper opening 18.
Thereafter, a predetermined number of coins are replenished by removing the wrapped sheet.
This replenishment work was a manual work, and the work efficiency was low.

  In order to make this replenishment work more efficient, coins with mixed denominations are thrown into the tray, the inserted coins are sorted one by one by a rotating disk, and the sorted coins are held in the corresponding cylindrical holding parts. (For example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,751 (FIGS. 1-4, 6-8) U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,833 (Figures 1 and 4, pages 4-7)

In the prior art, since various denominations are input in a mixed manner, an apparatus for sorting them is necessary, and it has not been possible to reduce the size.
In addition, since the denominations are mixed, the denomination is determined one by one electrically or mechanically, so that the replenishment is performed in series, and a predetermined number of coins cannot be quickly arranged. .

A first object of the present invention is to provide an automatic coin alignment and replenishment device capable of quickly storing a predetermined number of coins of a predetermined denomination in a predetermined holding unit.
The second object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the coin automatic alignment and supply device.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary cover of a coin holding device that can smoothly hold coins in the holding portion when automatically aligning and supplying coins to the holding portion using the coin automatic alignment and supply device.

In order to achieve these objects, the coin automatic alignment and supply device of the present invention is configured as follows.
In a coin automatic alignment and replenishment device that automatically replenishes coins to a coin retaining device in which a plurality of cylindrical coin retaining portions are arranged in parallel, a coin hopper for each denomination that retains coins in a stacked state, located below the coin hopper, upper is connected to a predetermined outlet of said coin hopper and mounting chute portion that is connected to a predetermined holding portion of the lower part the coin reservoir, box-shaped cover which incorporates the chute portion and the coin hopper, the cover A replenishment position positioned below the chute portion by the selected attachment device, a holding portion that can be selectively positioned at a standby position parallel to the chute portion, a control portion that controls the number of coins to be paid out by each coin hopper, and It is an automatic coin alignment supply device provided with.

In this configuration, the coin hopper pays out one coin at a time to the upper part of the chute.
The coin that has fallen on the upper part of the chute slides down on the chute and falls from the lower part of the chute to the opposite holding part of the coin holding device from the upper opening.
The dropped coin is supported by the bottom of the holding unit and held almost horizontally.
Coins that are paid out from the coin hopper at a predetermined time interval are guided by the chute as described above, fall to the holding portion, and are sequentially stacked.

When the coin hopper pays out a predetermined number of coins, the coin hopper is stopped by the control unit.
As a result, a predetermined number of coins are stacked and held in the holding unit.
Therefore, since a predetermined number of coins of a predetermined denomination are automatically supplied to a predetermined holding part of the holding device, there is an effect that time and labor for supply are greatly reduced.
Furthermore, since the holding part for holding the coin holding device is selectively disposed at a predetermined position below the chute part, the size of the cover containing the coin hopper and the chute part can be made as small as possible.

Furthermore , since the holding unit for mounting the coin holding device can be moved to the replenishment position and the standby position by the selective mounting device with respect to the cover and is integrated with the cover, there is no risk of losing, and the coin is inserted into the coin. When the reserving device is not replenished, it can be held at the standby position in parallel with the chute, so that the device can be made compact.

The invention of claim 2, wherein the coin hopper comprises an inclined base and the rotating disk, there payout opening the coin to the upper side of the inclined base, guide path extending in a vertical direction following the dispensing port and the inclined base 2. The coin automatic alignment and replenishment device according to claim 1, which is arranged in parallel, and a lower end portion of the guide passage is located above the chute portion.
In this configuration, coins are paid out from the payout opening on the upper side of the tilt base by the rotating disk.
As a result, the guide passage extending substantially vertically below the payout opening can be juxtaposed on the inclined base.
With this configuration, since the posture of the coin can be made substantially constant in the guide passage, the coin posture at the chute can be made uniform every time.
Thereby, since the coin attitude | position in a chute | shoot part becomes the same each time, the sliding-down speed | velocity | rate of a coin becomes substantially uniform, and a coin can be piled up horizontally on a coin holding device.
Further, since the guide passage is vertical, there is an advantage that the apparatus can be miniaturized.

The invention according to claim 3 is the coin automatic alignment and replenishment device according to claim 2, wherein the buffer body is suspended so as to be swingable at a position corresponding to the payout opening of the guide passage .
In this configuration, the coins thrown out from the payout opening collide with the buffer body and move it so that the kinetic energy is attenuated.
At the time of the fall, the coin is guided to the wall surface of the guide passage so as to be in a substantially vertical state, so that the fall posture is almost constant every time.
Therefore, since the coin posture is the same every time when moving to the chute portion, the coin posture at the chute portion is stabilized, and as a result, there is an advantage that the coins are quickly aligned.

The present invention provides a coin holding device in which a plurality of cylindrical coin holding portions are arranged side by side, closes a lower end opening of the coin holding device, and is located above the upper end portion of the coin holding device and below the chute portion. includes a cover positioned on the side, it is preferable to include an auxiliary cover of the coin automatic alignment replenishing apparatus for a coin replenishing apparatus wherein the cover is detachable to the coin reservoir.
In this configuration, after the auxiliary cover is attached to the coin holding device, the coin holding device is attached to the holding portion of the coin alignment supply device, so that the coins that are paid out from the coin hopper and slide down the chute are first covered. After colliding with the upper part of the guide, it falls to the holding part.
Since the lower end opening of the holding part is closed by the lower part of the cover, the coin that has fallen into the holding part does not jump out of the lower end opening.
Accordingly, the coins paid out from the coin hopper have the advantage of being stacked and held in the coin holding portion in a horizontal state with the support of the cover.

  The best mode of the present invention is a coin hopper for each denomination that holds coins in a stacked state in an automatic coin alignment supply device that automatically supplies coins to a coin holding device in which a plurality of cylindrical coin holding portions are arranged in parallel. The chute unit is located below the coin hopper, the upper part is connected to a predetermined outlet of the coin hopper, and the lower part is opposed to the predetermined holding part of the coin holding device, and includes an inclined base and a rotating disk, The coin hopper having a coin outlet on the upper side of the inclined base, a guide passage extending in the vertical direction following the outlet and arranged in parallel with the inclined base, and having a lower end positioned above the chute, A plate-like body that is swingably suspended at a position facing the payout opening of the guide passage, a box-shaped cover that houses the coin hopper and the chute, and the shim A holding portion for holding the coin holding device at a predetermined position below the seat portion, and the holding portion is arranged in parallel with the replenishment position and the chute portion located below the chute portion by a selective attachment device attached to the cover The coin automatic alignment and replenishment apparatus can be selectively positioned at the standby position and includes a control unit that controls the number of coins to be paid out by each coin hopper.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the coin automatic alignment and supply device (standby state) of the embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the coin automatic alignment and supply device of the embodiment in a state where the upper lid is opened and the holding unit is moved to the supply position.
FIG. 3 is a front view of the coin automatic alignment and supply device (supply state) according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the coin automatic alignment and replenishment apparatus according to the embodiment with the upper lid removed.
FIG. 5 is a plan view of the chute portion of the automatic coin alignment and replenishment device of the embodiment.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view passing through the center of the rotating disk of the coin hopper used in the automatic coin alignment and replenishment apparatus of the embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an auxiliary cover of the holding device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view from the front side of the selective mounting device of the embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view from the back side of the selective mounting device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a block circuit of the control device and the coin hopper control device of the embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a main flowchart for explaining the operation of the control device of the embodiment.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coin hopper according to the embodiment.

This embodiment is an example of an alignment supply device for 25 cent coin, 10 cent coin, 5 cent coin and 1 cent coin of US currency.
As shown in FIG. 2, the coin alignment supply device 300 is provided for each denomination and is located below the coin hopper unit 304, which pays out coins held in bulk, and is paid from the coin hopper unit 304. A chute unit 306 that guides the coins that have been taken out, and a holding unit 309 that is positioned below the chute unit 306 and that holds a coin holding device 308 that accepts coins that slide down the chute unit 306 are included.

The coin hopper portion 304 and the chute portion 306 are disposed in a box-shaped cover 302.
A holding portion 309 is disposed so as to be selectively positioned relative to the opening 310 on the front wall of the cover 302.
Since the holding unit 309 is selectively positioned, the coin alignment supply device 300 can be miniaturized as much as possible.

First, the structure of the coin hopper unit 304 will be described.
In the coin hopper unit 304, coin hoppers 312 for sorting and paying out coins held in bulk are arranged one by one corresponding to the number of denominations to be paid out.
Therefore, since there are four denominations in this embodiment, at least four coin hoppers 312 are arranged.
However, in this embodiment, eight coin hoppers 312 (A to H are added to the same number) are arranged to hold one denomination in a plurality of holding units.
Since these coin hoppers 312A to 312H have the same structure, they will be described with reference to FIG.

A left frame 311L and a right frame 311R juxtaposed at predetermined intervals, a base 313 fixed to the left and right frames 311L and 311R in an inclined state, and a rectangular coin that holds cylindrical coins attached to the upper surface of the base 313 in a stacked state Bowl 314, a rotary disk 318 rotated by an electric motor 316 in a circular hole 315 at the bottom of the bowl 314, a discharge outlet 319 and a discharge outlet 319 opened to the side of the circular hole 315 on the upper side of the inclination of the base 313 The coin sensor 320 is disposed adjacent to.
As the coin hopper 312, a coin hopper disclosed in US Design Patent No. 423589 is preferably used.

A channel-shaped duct 321 that forms a guide passage 317 extending in the vertical direction relative to the payout opening 319 is detachably attached to the left and right frames 311L and 311R.
The wall surface of the duct 321 connected to the base 313 is a first slope 323 descending at a first angle from the discharge outlet 319 side, and a second slope sloped at a second angle greater than the first slope 323 following the first slope 323. A first vertical surface 327 extending downwards substantially vertically following the 325 and the second slope 325 is included.

The surfaces opposite to each other are a second vertical surface 329 extending substantially vertically, and are arranged at an interval of 3 to 5 times the thickness of the first vertical surface 327 and the coin, and the lower end between them is a drop port 331.
The width of the duct 321 is about one half of the width of the coin hopper 312 as shown in FIG. 4, and is in a range not more than twice the maximum coin diameter of the denomination used, preferably about 1.5 of the maximum coin diameter. It is formed with double width.
Therefore, the coin hopper 312 and the duct 321 are integrated.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the duct 321 is disposed so as to slightly overlap by facing the payout opening 319F of the front row 324F and the payout opening 319B of the back row 324B of the coin hopper and shifting in the lateral direction. .
In other words, as shown in FIG. 6, the guide passages 317 are arranged so as to overlap each other.

In this manner, the width of the cover 302 can be made as narrow as possible by shifting the duct 321 in the row direction of the hopper rows 324F and 324B.
Further, the depth dimension of the cover 302 can be shortened by slightly overlapping the ducts 321 in the front row 324F and the rear row 324B.
Furthermore, by arranging the guide passages 317 in a row, the entrances of the chute below it can be arranged in a row, so that there is an advantage that it is easy to manufacture.

Note that the rotating disk 318 of the coin hopper 312 of the embodiment has four or more through holes 322.
When there are many through-holes 322, coins are paid out at extremely short intervals, so there is a possibility that they will not be stacked and aligned.
In order to eliminate this fear, it is preferable to increase the reduction ratio of the speed reducer 321 disposed between the output shaft of the motor 316 and the rotary disk 318 to reduce the rotation speed.
By increasing the time interval in which coins are paid out, coins can be ensured with a simple structure time to horizontally align the holding portion 14 (see FIG. 8).

In this embodiment, at least two holding units are prepared for one denomination in order to hold the coin holding device 308 in a denomination according to a statistical denomination of consumption.
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4, eight coin hoppers 312 from 312A to 312H are provided, and four coin hoppers 312 are arranged at predetermined intervals in two rows in front and rear (the denominations to be held are the respective coin hoppers 312. Is filled in.)
As shown in FIG. 6, the coin hoppers 312A to 312D in the front row 324F and the coin hoppers 319B in the rear row 324B and the coin hoppers 312E to 312H in the rear row 324B are arranged to face each other and are shifted in the alignment direction as shown in FIG. Has been placed.

The coin hopper 312A in the front row 324F holds 25 cent coins, the coin hoppers 312B and 312C hold 1 cent coin, and the coin hopper 312D holds 10 cent coins in a stacked state.
The coin hopper 312E in the rear row 324B holds 10 cent coins, the coin hopper 312F holds 1 cent coin, the coin hopper 312G holds 5 cent coins, and the coin hopper 312H holds 25 cent coins in a stacked state.

As shown in FIG. 1, lids 328A to 328H can be opened and closed by pivoting relative to the top openings of bowls 314 of coin hoppers 312A to 312H in order to supply coins to the coin hoppers on top plate 302T of cover 302 Is provided.
As shown in FIG. 6, the coin hoppers 312A to 312D in the front row 324F are fixed to an intermediate first base 330 that is horizontally arranged at the middle portion in the vertical direction of the cover 302, and the coin hoppers 312E to 312H in the rear row 324B are similarly arranged. The intermediate second base 332 is fixed.

The intermediate first base 330 and the intermediate second base 332 are juxtaposed at a predetermined interval 333, and the intermediate second base 332 is fixed to a base 396 described later.
The coin hopper 312 can use a method that does not use the rotating disk 318 having a function of paying out coins one by one.

Next, the chute unit 306 will be described.
The chute unit 306 is positioned below the payout outlets 319F and 326B of each coin hopper 312 and individually drops the coins paid out one by one from each coin hopper 312 to the predetermined holding unit 14 of the coin holding device 308 while dropping by gravity. Has a function to guide.
The chute 306 includes a duct 321, a shock absorber 336 that attenuates the momentum of coins paid out from the coin hopper 312, and a slide portion 338 that slides and guides coins that fall through the shock absorber 336. .

As shown in FIG. 6, the slide part 338 includes an upper chute part 340 that is inclined at a first angle and a lower chute part 342 that is inclined at a second angle smaller than the first angle.
Upper chute 340 is located below drop port 331 between front row 324F and rear row 324B and accepts coins.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper chute 340 is a passage that is divided into eight by a partition wall 360 that stands vertically on a single chute plate 348 at a predetermined interval and extends in the vertical direction.
The upper end portion of the upper chute 340 is located directly below the drop port 331 of the duct 321, has the same width and depth, and accepts coins falling from the drop port 331.

Lower chute portion 342 has an upper end portion is located below the upper chute portion 340, chute plate 348 shown in FIG. 5 extending obliquely downward lower end located below the front row 324F and, a partition wall shown in FIG. 5 Having a guide groove formed by 360;
In other words, the guide grooves 362A to 362H are provided corresponding to the coin hoppers 312A to 312H individually.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the chute plate 348 of the lower chute 342 is inclined by about 25 degrees with respect to the horizontal line , but is preferably set in the range of 20 degrees to 40 degrees.
If this angle of inclination exceeds 40 degrees, the falling speed of the coins will be large, and the alignment at the holding part 14 will not be performed well, and if it is smaller than 20 degrees, the falling speed of the coins will be small and there is a possibility that it will not slide down due to its own weight. Furthermore, the device becomes larger.

The upper end portions of the guide grooves 362A to 362H in the lower chute portion 342 are continuous with the upper chute portion 340 and have substantially the same width as that, and the lower end portion is located above the corresponding retaining portion 14 in the coin retaining device 308. ing.
In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the guide grooves 362A, 362E, 362B, 362F and the guide grooves 362H, 362D, 362G, 362C are located below the duct 321 and are formed symmetrically with respect to the center. ing.

Next, the shock absorber 336 will be described.
The shock absorber 336 has a function of attenuating the momentum of coins paid out from the coin hopper 312.
The shock absorber 336 has a simple structure, and the first shock absorber 363 is disposed above the guide passage 317 in order to obtain the maximum effect.
The first shock absorbers 363 have the same structure, and will be described with reference to FIG.

In the first shock absorber 363, an upper end portion of a plate-like first shock absorber 366 that substantially crosses the guide passage 317 is attached to a first shaft 364 attached to the upper end portion of the duct 321 so as to be pivotable.
The first shaft 364 is horizontal and is disposed so as to be substantially orthogonal to the coin payout direction from the coin hopper 312.
As shown in FIG. 7, the first buffer 366 is normally inclined slightly due to its own weight, and the lower end of the first buffer 366 is stationary with the second inclined surface 325 separated from the second inclined surface 325 by approximately one coin.

For example, coins paid out from the coin hopper 312 are paid out upward because the base 313 is upward.
However, the vehicle immediately stalls and collides with the first buffer body 366 in the forwardly lowered state.
The coin whose momentum has been attenuated by the collision with the first buffer 366 slides down while being pressed against the second inclined surface 325 by the lower end of the first buffer 366 and collides with the second vertical surface 329 at an obtuse angle.
The collided coin is turned downward and falls in the guide passage 317 in a substantially vertical state.

Next, the second shock absorber 370 will be described with reference to FIG.
A second shock absorber 370 is disposed in each of the guide grooves 362A to 362H of the upper chute 340.
The second shock absorbers 370 all have the same structure.
In the second shock absorber 370, the upper end portion of a plate-like second shock absorber 374 that substantially crosses the guide groove 362 is pivotally attached to a second shaft 372 supported at both ends by the upper end portion of the partition wall 360.

The second shaft 372 is disposed horizontally.
The second buffer 374 is normally inclined slightly as shown in FIG. 6 and is stationary with its lower end portion being separated from the upper chute plate 348 by approximately one coin thickness.
The tip of the coin falling in the almost vertical state in the guide passage 317 collides with the chute plate 348 of the upper chute 340, and immediately after turning to the left in FIG. 6, collides with the second buffer 374, and the momentum is attenuated. Further, it is pressed against the chute plate 348 by the lower end of the second buffer 374.

As a result, the coin slides down while making surface contact with the chute plate 348 in the lower chute portion 342.
In other words, it is possible to suppress the rampage of the coin in the chute unit 306 due to the coins being paid out vigorously, and the coin can reach the coin holding unit 308 at a predetermined angle.
Note that the second shock absorber 370 may not be disposed if the first shock absorber 363 can sufficiently prevent the coin from being ramped up.

Next, the coin holding device 308 will be described with reference to FIG.
The coin holding device 308 has a holding unit 14 that holds coins stacked in a line for each denomination.
In the embodiment, the left and right end portions of the plate-like auxiliary cover 382 are inserted into the left and right slide grooves 20 of the conventionally known main body 16 (the right slide groove is not shown).
The auxiliary cover 382 covers the side opening 12 of the main body except for the lower opening 26 for paying out coins.

A side wall 388 which is located on the side opening 12 side and extends upward from the main body 16 and has a recess 390 formed in the extension of each holding portion 14 is formed integrally with the upper end portion of the auxiliary cover 382.
The lower end of the side wall 388 on the lower chute 342 side is connected by a rib 389 (see FIG. 6) having a triangular cross section.

The coin is guided by the slope 391 on the upper side of the rib 389 and falls to the holding unit 14.
The auxiliary cover 382 is integrally formed of resin and manufactured at a low cost.
An auxiliary cover 382 is attached to and integrated with the main body 16 to assemble the coin holding device 308.
In this assembled state, the recessed portion 390 is continuously located above the retaining portion 14, and the retaining portion 14 and the recessed portion 390 form one cylinder.
The coin holding device 308 is attached to the holding unit 309 (see FIGS. 3 and 10) , and receives coins at that position.

Next, the holding unit 309 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
The holding unit 309 has a function of holding the coin holding device 308 at a predetermined position, and a function of being selectively positioned at the standby position and the replenishment position.
Therefore, it can be changed to another device having the same function.
The holding unit 309 includes a horizontal bottom 396 at the lower end of the slide base 394 in which a rectangular recess 392 is formed, a vertical wall 404, a position restricting body 398 of the coin holding device 308, a lower supporter 406, and movable holders 408 and 410.

The position restricting body 398 is fixed to the horizontal bottom 396 and has an upward concave portion 400 and a rear wall 402.
The coin holding device 308 is fitted in the lower end portion between the upward concave portion 400 and the rear wall 402 of the position restricting body 398, and positioned in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.
In this state, the lower opening 26 is closed by the position restricting body 398.
Further, the bottom of the main body 16 is applied to a horizontally-long rectangular lower supporter 406 fixed to the vertical wall 404 of the slide base 394 to position the lower portion in the front-rear direction.

Next, the movable holders 408 and 410 will be described.
The movable holders 408 and 410 hold the coin holding device 308 in a predetermined position by holding the middle part of the main body 16 with the pivotable left and right hook-shaped movable holders 408 and 410 arranged in the middle of the vertical wall 404. Has the function of
Since the movable holders 408 and 410 are symmetrical, the movable holder 408 will be described as a representative.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rectangular intermediate supporter 414 is fixed to an intermediate portion of the vertical wall 404.
As shown in FIG. 6 , the intermediate supporter 414 contacts the rear wall of the main body 16 and regulates the position of the main body 16 in the front-rear direction.
As shown in FIG. 4, a movable holder 408 is pivotally attached to a support shaft 416 extending in the vertical direction at the lateral end of the intermediate supporter 414.
A hook 418 is formed at the tip of the movable holder 408 so as to hold the main body 16 from the front side.

A leaf spring (not shown) is locked to the other end (not shown) of the movable holder 408, and gives the movable holder 408 a counterclockwise rotational force in FIG.
In addition, the movable holder 408 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 4, and a stopper (not shown) is locked to the side surface of the intermediate supporter 414 in a substantially right angle state with respect to the vertical wall 404 and stops in that state.

  Therefore, when the coin holding device 308 is applied to the intermediate supporter 414, the coin holding device 308 is almost vertically suspended, and the lower end portion of the main body 16 is positioned between the position restricting body 398 and the rear wall 402 positioned in the upward recessed portion 400. The rear wall of the main body 16 is applied to the intermediate supporter 414.

During this movement, the rear corner of the main body 16 contacts the inclined surface 426 of the movable holder 408, and the movable holder 408 is rotated clockwise and the movable holder 410 is rotated counterclockwise.
Further, the main body 16 is pushed forward and brought into contact with the intermediate supporter 414.
When the holding portion 309 is in a replenishment position, which will be described later, each holding portion 14 is located below the lower end portion of each guide groove 362A to 362H, and the lower end portion is located on the side of the side wall 388.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper opening 18 of the retaining portion 14 is adjacent to the lower end portion 404 of the chute plate 348 and positioned below.
Next, the movable holder 408 is manually rotated counterclockwise, and the movable holder 410 is manually rotated clockwise, whereby the hook 418 is locked to the front wall of the main body 16.
Accordingly, the coin holding device 308 is fixed to the holding unit 309.

Next, the selective attachment device 420 of the holding unit 309 will be described.
The selective attachment device 420 in the embodiment includes a holding position 309 adjacent to the side wall of the cover 302 and a standby position 422 shown in FIG. 1 and a supply position 424 shown in FIG. In addition, the holding unit 309 can be selectively positioned by the telescopic device 426.
When the holding portion 309 is integrated with the cover 302 as in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the holding portion 309 can be prevented from being lost.

However, the selective attachment device 420 only needs to have a function of attaching and removing the coin holding device 308 at a predetermined position below the guide grooves 362A to 362F.
In other words, a fixing device to which the coin holding device 308 can be attached and detached may be attached to the cover 302.

Next, the telescopic device 426 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.
The telescopic device 426 has a function of selectively positioning the holding unit 309 at the standby position 422 and the replenishment position 424.
Therefore, the telescopic device 426 can be changed to another device having a similar function, for example, an air cylinder.

The expansion / contraction device 426 of the embodiment includes a left expansion / contraction device 426L and a right expansion / contraction device 426R, which are arranged on the left and right sides of the holding portion 309, but the structure is the same. The description will be made representatively, and the same parts of the right telescopic device 426R will be denoted by the same numeral R, and the description thereof will be omitted.
Note that, when not disclosed in the left telescopic device 426L in the drawing, description will be made with reference to the right telescopic device 426R as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 2, the left guide plate 430L is fixed to the front wall 428 of the cover 302 substantially perpendicularly.

A slide plate 432 is attached to be slidable in the vertical direction with respect to the left guide plate 430L.
A rectangular opening 433 is formed at the center of the slide plate 432.
The opening 433 faces the lower end 404 of the lower chute 342 when the holding unit 309 is located at the replenishment position 424.
As a result, the coins that have slipped down the guide grooves 362A to 362H can fall into the coin holding device 308.

A left moving plate 432L and a right moving plate 432R extending in parallel adjacent to the inside of the left guide plate 430L and the right guide plate 430R are formed at both ends of the slide plate 432.
An outer guide rail 434A extending in the vertical direction on the outside of the left moving plate 432L and an inner guide rail 434B extending in the vertical direction on the inner side are fixed.
A first upper stopper 436F extending in the horizontal direction relative to the upper end portion of the outer guide rail 434A is fixed to the left moving plate 432L, and a first lower stopper 438F extending in the horizontal direction opposite to the lower end portion is fixed.

Similarly, a second upper stopper 436S, which is opposed to the upper end portion of the inner guide rail 434B and extends in the horizontal direction, is fixed to the left moving plate 432L, and a second lower stopper 438S which is opposed to the lower end portion and extends in the horizontal direction is provided. It is fixed.
A movement guide 444R composed of a pair of bearings 440F and 440B and 442F and 442B arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction is disposed on the lower inner surface of the right guide plate 430R.
These bearings are preferably made of resin because they do not need to be refueled and can cushion the impact.

The outer guide rail 434A is sandwiched between the left and right bearings, and the slide plate 432 is movable in the vertical direction.
When the slide plate 432 is moved downward, the first upper stopper 436F is stopped by the rollers 440F and 440B.
A second movement guide 448L made of a roller bearing similar to the movement guide 444R is attached to the upper part of the left side wall 446L and the right side wall 446R of the holding portion 309.
An inner guide rail 434B is disposed between the rollers 434F, 134B and 438F, 438B of the second moving guide 448L, and the holding portion 309 can move up and down in parallel with the slide plate 432.

When the holding unit 309 moves downward, the lower rollers 438F and 438B are stopped by the second lower stopper 438S (the states of FIGS. 2, 3 and 6).
Standby holding devices 450L (see FIG. 9) and 450R are disposed on the left side wall 446L and the right side wall 446R of the holding unit 309, respectively.
The standby holding devices 450L and 450R have a function of holding the holding unit 309 at the standby position 422.
Therefore, it can be changed to another device having the same function.

In the present embodiment, the standby holding devices 450L and 450R are stepped pins 452L and 452R (see FIG. 4) that are movably disposed on the left side wall 446L and the right side wall 446R.
These pins 452L and 452R are pushed inward by springs (not shown), and the large diameter portions 454L and 454R are respectively relative to the notches 456L and 456R formed on the upper front edges of the guide plates 430L and 430R. The stepped portion of the head is stopped at the left side walls 446L and 446R, respectively.

More specifically, when the stepped pins 452L and 452R are moved so as to be pushed into the side walls 446L and 446R, the large diameter portions 454L and 454R are disengaged from the notches 456L and 456R, and the holding portion 309 can be moved downward.
Channel-shaped handles 458R and 458L (see FIG. 9) are fixed laterally on the outer end surfaces of the left and right side walls 446L and 446R.
The holding unit 309 is moved in the vertical direction with the handles 458R and 458L.
Accordingly, the pins 452L and 452R are arranged in the vicinity of the upper part of the handles 458R and 458L so that the pins 452L and 452R can be operated with the handles 458R and 458L.

  Next, a coin hopper payout control unit 460 for paying out coins from the coin hoppers 312A to 312H in order to supply a predetermined number of predetermined denominations to the coin holding device 308 will be described.

  The payout control unit 460 includes setting units 462A to 462H for setting the number of payouts from the first hopper 312A to the eighth hopper 412H, an auto reset button 466 for resetting the control units 464A to 464H of each coin hopper, The control units 464A to 464H are controlled based on the information of the payout button 468, the display 470, the setting unit, the button, etc. for causing the control units 464A to 464H to perform the payout process, and the information from them is processed. Processing device 472.

The payout control unit 460 corresponds to a control unit.
These units can be substituted by a keyboard of a personal computer.
The processing device 472 includes a payout button 468, a ROM 474 that stores a processing program, a RAM 476, and a microprocessor 478.
The processing device 472 can be changed to a device that executes a processing program in a file format.

Since all of the hopper control units 464A to 464H are the same, 464A will be described as a representative.
The hopper control unit 464A is the processing unit 482, receives signals from the processing device 472 and the sensor 320, and drives the motor 316 by turning on and off the drive circuit 490.
The electric brake 492 is controlled in conjunction with the motor 316 being turned off, so that the rotating disk 318 is braked suddenly.

The processing unit 482 includes a microprocessor 484, a ROM 484, and a RAM 486, and performs processing based on a program stored in the ROM 484.
The processing unit 482 has a function of receiving a signal from the sensor 320 and counting the coins that have been paid out.

  Further, when a payout instruction is received from the processing device 472, the drive circuit 490 is turned on to supply power to the motor 316, and when the signal from the sensor reaches the payout instruction number, the drive circuit 490 is turned off to the motor 316. Is stopped, and the electric brake circuit 492 is operated to stop the motor 316 suddenly.

Note that the processing unit 482 can be changed to another device having the same function, such as a logic circuit.
Further, the file format processing program can be changed from the processing device 472 to a device that executes the processing program.
Furthermore, the processing device 472 can use a common instruction signal for coin hoppers of the same denomination.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
First, prior to the operation of the coin alignment supply device 300, the holding unit 309 is moved to the supply position 424.
That is, the handles 458L and 458R are grasped by the little finger, ring finger, middle finger, and index finger, and the heads of the pins 452L and 452R are pushed in with the thumb, and the pins 452L and 452R are moved inward.

Accordingly, the large diameter portions of the pins 452L and 452R are disengaged from the notches 456L and 456R, so that the holding portion 309 can be moved downward.
When the holding unit 309 is moved downward, the slide plate 432 can move until the upper stopper 436F is stopped by the rollers 440B and 440F.
Furthermore, the holding portion 309 can be moved vertically downward until the second movement guides 448L and 448R are stopped by the lower stopper 438S.

The position stopped by the upper stopper 436S and the lower stopper 438S is a supply position 424.
At the replenishment position 424, the coin holding device 308 fitted with the auxiliary cover 382 is held by the holding unit 309 as described above.

Next, setting of the number of coins to be paid out will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
First, the number of payouts for each coin hopper is preset in each of the payout number setting circuits 462A to 462H.
For example, 100 is preset in all the payout amount setting circuits 462A to 462H.

When changing the number of payouts, the payout number setting mode is switched to, and a new payout number is selectively stored in each of the payout number setting circuits 462A to 462H by operating the keyboard 494.
The number of payouts can be stored as a file format or a data table, and can be selected and set from them.

First, when the auto-reset button 466 is pressed, the processing device 472 sequentially communicates with the processing units 482 of the coin hopper control units 464A to 464H in step S1.
The processing unit 482 self-resets in step H1.
At this time, if there is an abnormality, an abnormality signal is stored in step H2.
In step H3, it is determined whether or not there is a state confirmation signal C.

In step H4, when there is a state confirmation signal C, an abnormal signal E is output.
That is, when an abnormal signal is stored, an abnormal signal E is output, and when there is no abnormal signal, a normal signal N is output.
Next, in step H5, it is determined whether or not there is a payout instruction signal D.
If there is no payout signal D, the process returns to step H2.
If there is a payout signal D, the process proceeds to step H6, and payout processing described later is performed.

In step S2 of the processing device 472, it is determined whether there is an abnormal signal E.
If the abnormality signal E is not in the step S2, looping through step S2. If there is an abnormal signal E , the process proceeds to step S3, where it is determined whether the reception is based on the operation of the auto-reset button 466. If the reception is based on the operation, the process proceeds to step S4.
In step S4, it is determined whether the payout button 468 is turned on.
When the payout button 468 is on, the process proceeds to a payout process described later, and when it is off, the process proceeds to step S5.
In step S5, it is determined whether the response is a payout request signal. If not, the process returns to step S2.

In step S3, if the reception is not steward groups on the operation of the automatic reset button 466, at step S6, to determine whether the reset is necessary.
If reset is necessary, the process proceeds to step S7, and a reset signal R for reset instruction is output to the processing unit 482 of each coin hopper.
If the reset is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S8, the status signal from each hopper is determined, and if the abnormal signal E is received, the process proceeds to step S9, where an abnormal display is displayed on the display 470, and then the standby state is entered.
If no abnormal signal is received, the process proceeds to step S10, a normal signal is displayed on the display 470, and then the process proceeds to step S4.

If the payout button 468 is on in step S4, the process proceeds to step S11.
In step S11, it is determined whether the number of payouts of each hopper is a predetermined value. If it is out of the predetermined value range, the process proceeds to step S12, an error is displayed on the display 470, and a standby state is entered.
If the number of payouts of each hopper is appropriate in step S11, the process proceeds to step S13, and a payout instruction signal D is output to each hopper, and then the process proceeds to step S5.

When the processing unit 482 of the hopper receives the payout instruction signal D in step H5, the process proceeds to step H6.
In step H6, the processing unit 482 stores the number of payout instructions, turns on the drive circuit 490 in step H7, supplies current to the motor 316, and rotates the rotary disk 318.
As the rotating disk 318 rotates, coins are paid out one by one.

The sensor 320 detects coins paid out one by one and outputs a detection signal CU.
In step H8, the presence / absence of the detection signal CU is determined. If the detection signal CU is present, the count process is performed in step H8.
When there is no detection signal CU, it enters a standby state.

Next, in step H10, the count value is compared with the stored number of payout instructions.
If less than the number of payout instructions, return to step H7, if equal to the number of instructions, proceed to step H11 to turn off the drive circuit 490, cut off the current supply to the motor 316 and operate the brake circuit 492 for a predetermined time The motor 316 is suddenly stopped to stop paying out coins.
Next, in step H12, the paid-out number signal F is output, and the process returns to step H2.

If it is determined in step S5 that the paid-out number signal F has been reached, the process proceeds to step S14.
If it is determined in step S14 that the number of payout instructions issued by the hopper is equal to the number of payouts, the process proceeds to step S15 to display the normal on the display 470, and then returns to step S2.
If they do not match in step S14, the process proceeds to step S16, an error is displayed on the display 470, and a standby state is entered.

Next, the movement of coins paid out from the coin hopper 312 will be described.
First, a case in which the coin hoppers 340A to 340D in the front row 324F are paid out will be described with reference to FIG.
The coins paid out from the payout opening 319 of the coin hoppers 312A to 312D fall while drawing a parabola, and their tips collide with the first buffer body 366 at an obtuse angle.

Since the coin collides with an obtuse angle, the coin is forcibly moved downward by the first buffer 366 and slides down while being in contact with the second inclined surface 325.
Next, since the tip of the coin collides with the second vertical surface 329 at an obtuse angle and is directed downward, the coin falls almost vertically into the guide passage 317.
The kinetic energy of the coin is absorbed by the collision with the first buffer 366.

The coin that has fallen through the guide passage 317 collides with the chute plate 348 of the upper chute 340 at an obtuse angle and is guided leftward in FIG.
The coins bounced by the collision collide with the lower end portion of the second buffer 374 and are pressed against the upper chute 340.
Therefore, the coin slides down to the lower chute 342 while making surface contact with the upper chute 340.

By colliding with the second buffer 374 and shaking it, the kinetic energy of the coin is absorbed, and the coin quickly comes into surface contact with the upper chute 340 and falls.
Coins that have slipped down the guide grooves 362A to 362H of the lower chute 340 collide with the side wall 388 of the auxiliary cover 382.
Since the impact of the coin is absorbed by the resin, the coin falls into the holding portion 14 in a substantially horizontal state and stops at the bottom.
The coins paid out next have a sufficient time interval because the rotational speed of the rotary disk 318 is low.

Therefore, even if coins are continuously paid out, the coins that have been paid out before do not fall until they are almost horizontal, so that the coins are surely stacked.
The coins paid out from the coin hopper in the rear row 324B are also held in the holding unit 14 in the same manner as the coins paid out from the front row 324F.
After the coins are paid out, the movable holders 408 and 410 are rotated to take out the coin holding device 308 from the holding portion 309, the auxiliary cover 382 is removed from the main body 16, and the conventional cover 22 is attached. It can be used in the dispensing device.

When the coin supply operation is completed, the holding unit 309 is returned to the standby position 422.
That is, the handles 458L and 458R are held as described above, and the pins 452L and 452R are moved outward and lifted upward in that state.
In this process, the second auxiliary guides 448L and 448R push up the upper stopper 436S and move the slide plate 432 integrally.
Next, when the pins 452L and 452R are released at positions where the pins 452L and 452R reach the notches 456L and 456R, the pins 452L and 452R are returned by a spring (not shown), and the large diameter portions 454L and 454R are notched 456L. , 456R, the holding unit 309 is held at the standby position 422.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the coin automatic alignment and supply device (standby state) of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the coin automatic alignment and supply device of the embodiment in a state where the upper lid is opened and the holding unit is moved to the supply position. FIG. 3 is a front view of the coin automatic alignment and supply device (supply state) according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the coin automatic alignment and replenishment apparatus according to the embodiment with the upper lid removed. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the chute portion of the automatic coin alignment and replenishment device of the embodiment. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view passing through the center of the rotating disk of the coin hopper used in the automatic coin alignment and replenishment apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an auxiliary cover of the holding device according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view from the front side of the selective mounting device of the embodiment. FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view from the back side of the selective mounting device according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a block circuit of the control device and the coin hopper control device of the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a main flowchart for explaining the operation of the control device of the embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the coin hopper according to the embodiment. FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of a known coin holding device.

Explanation of symbols

14 Coin holding part
302 cover
306 Shooting part
308 Coin holding device
309 Holding part
312A-312H Coin Hopper
313 inclined base
317 Guide passage
318 rotating disc
319 exit
366 Plate
382 Cover
420 Selective mounting device
424 Supply position
422 Standby position
460 Control unit

Claims (3)

In a coin automatic alignment and replenishment device that automatically replenishes coins to a coin retention device (308) in which a plurality of cylindrical coin retention portions (14) are arranged in parallel,
Coin hopper (312A-312H) for each denomination that holds coins in bulk
A chute (306), which is located below the coin hopper, the upper part is connected to a predetermined payout opening (319) of the coin hopper, and the lower part is connected to a predetermined holding part of the coin holding device,
A box-shaped cover (302) containing the coin hopper and the chute part;
A holding part (309 ) that can be selectively positioned at a replenishment position (424) located below the chute part and a standby position (422) parallel to the chute part by a selective attachment device (420) attached to the cover. ),
A control unit (460) for controlling the number of coins to be paid out by each coin hopper,
A coin automatic alignment and supply device. The coin hopper includes an inclined base (313) and a rotating disk (318), the coin outlet is on the upper side of the inclined base, and a guide passage (317) extending in the vertical direction following the outlet is provided in the coin hopper. The coin automatic alignment and replenishment device according to claim 1 , wherein the coin passage is arranged in parallel with an inclined base, and a lower end portion of the guide passage is located above the chute portion . 3. The coin automatic alignment and replenishing device according to claim 2, wherein the buffer body (366) is suspended so as to be swingable at a position of the guide passage facing the payout port .

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