EP0555630B1 - Coin checker - Google Patents

Coin checker Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0555630B1
EP0555630B1 EP93100126A EP93100126A EP0555630B1 EP 0555630 B1 EP0555630 B1 EP 0555630B1 EP 93100126 A EP93100126 A EP 93100126A EP 93100126 A EP93100126 A EP 93100126A EP 0555630 B1 EP0555630 B1 EP 0555630B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
main plate
spring
opening lever
extension
coin acceptor
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP93100126A
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German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0555630A3 (en
EP0555630A2 (en
Inventor
Ekhart Dr. Entw.-Ing. Wohlrab
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Crane Payment Innovations GmbH
Original Assignee
National Rejectors Inc GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by National Rejectors Inc GmbH filed Critical National Rejectors Inc GmbH
Publication of EP0555630A2 publication Critical patent/EP0555630A2/en
Publication of EP0555630A3 publication Critical patent/EP0555630A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0555630B1 publication Critical patent/EP0555630B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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    • GPHYSICS
    • G07CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07FCOIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F1/00Coin inlet arrangements; Coins specially adapted to operate coin-freed mechanisms
    • G07F1/04Coin chutes

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a coin validator according to the preamble of claim 1.
  • Essential parts of a coin validator are a main plate and a track carrier plate pivotably articulated on the main plate, between which parts the coin track runs, along which the coins are checked for authenticity with the help of one or more sensors.
  • Vending machines equipped with coin validators have, almost without exception, a return mechanism which can be operated by the user at will in order to cancel the initiated process and to return inserted coins.
  • an opening lever cooperating with the return mechanism is provided, upon actuation of which the track carrier plate is pivoted against the main plate against a helical spring by a certain amount, so that possibly stuck or jammed coins can be removed and removed fall into the return channel.
  • the opening lever sits on a metal bearing journal attached to the main plate.
  • a helical return spring engages an arm of the opening lever.
  • the storage and the restoring mechanism engaging the opening lever have some disadvantages in conventional coin acceptors.
  • the opening lever, but also the bearing pin requires a minimum depth, so that the storage of the opening lever takes up a relatively large amount of space.
  • the return spring should generate a minimum preload on the opening lever in the rest position. This is difficult to do in manufacturing.
  • the helical return spring is in turn relatively expensive to manufacture.
  • the invention is therefore based on the object of improving a coin validator in such a way that its opening lever can be actuated in a controlled manner and can nevertheless be provided with a reset option using simple means and in a relatively simple manner.
  • the return spring is formed by a leaf spring which is fixed at one end to the main plate and at the other end cooperates with a shoulder of the opening lever under pretension.
  • a leaf spring can be cut from the strip material in a simple manner and therefore causes very low material and manufacturing costs. If the main plate is molded from plastic, as is generally customary, a suitable receptacle for the leaf spring can be molded into the main plate in a simple manner. Therefore, the assembly of the leaf spring is very easy. Bringing together the extension of the opening lever with the leaf spring also requires a simple handle, but a controlled preload is provided for the opening lever.
  • the leaf spring is in one Appropriate angle attached to the main plate, so that due to the material used for the spring and its dimensions, a predetermined bias is generated when it is brought together with the approach of the opening lever.
  • the extension of the opening lever engages the spring at a distance from the end, and a stop is provided on the main plate, against which the free end of the spring bears against a predetermined pivoting angle of the opening lever.
  • the more or less short section of the spring between the stop and the shoulder is deformed as soon as the spring rests against the stop. This results in a highly progressive spring behavior and a softer stop for the opening lever when it approaches its end position.
  • the opening lever is arranged on the side of the main plate assigned to the carrier plate and the extension extends through an arcuate slot in the main plate, the leaf spring being arranged on the side of the main plate facing away from the raceway carrier plate.
  • the ends of the arcuate slot also form limit stops for the approach for pivoting the opening lever.
  • An embodiment of the invention provides in this connection that the approach cooperates with a switching lever of a microswitch. For example, when the opening lever is actuated, the switching lever of the microswitch can be removed from the switching contact, so that the contacts of the microswitch are open during the duration of the actuation of the opening lever. Such a pulse generated by the contacts of the microswitch is easy to use and cannot be manipulated.
  • a bearing journal is formed on the plastic main plate, onto which a bushing section of the opening lever can be rotated, but is axially fixed.
  • the bushing section is formed in one piece with the opening lever and can have a shoulder on the inside which cooperates with a complementary shoulder of the bearing journal, so that the sliding of the bushing section onto the bearing journal is limited.
  • an embodiment of the invention provides that the bushing section is fixed to the hollow bearing journal by means of a plastic expansion rivet.
  • a receiving slot for the leaf spring is formed on the main plate made of plastic and the spring has a bent tab which snaps behind the wall of a recess when the leaf spring is completely inserted into the receiving slot transversely to the longitudinal extent, the recess fixes the spring lengthways together with the rag.
  • the spring is inserted transversely to the longitudinal direction in the slot until the tab bent out of the leaf spring snaps into the recess, so that the spring is in both longitudinal directions and opposite to the direction of insertion is set securely.
  • a determination in the direction of insertion is made through the bottom of the slot.
  • the angle of the slot determines the degree of deformation of the spring in the rest position of the opening lever and thus the preload.
  • a coin validator 10 has a main plate 12, which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 on the side facing away from the raceway support plate.
  • the raceway support plate is not shown.
  • an opening lever 14 is pivotally mounted, which serves to pivot the track carrier plate away from the main plate when actuated.
  • the opening lever 14 and the raceway support plate can overlap to bring about a pivoting.
  • the mounting of the opening lever is clearer from Fig. 3.
  • the opening lever made of plastic has a one-piece molded bearing bush 16 which has an inwardly directed flange 18 at the free end. In addition, it is provided with a paragraph 20 on the inside.
  • a hollow bearing journal 22 integrally formed on the main plate 12 serves to receive the bearing bush 16, the flange 18 cooperating with the free end of the bearing journal 22 and the shoulder 20 with a corresponding shoulder of the bearing journal 22.
  • the shoulders of the journal 22 and bushing 16 can also be spaced apart to avoid pinching and to reduce friction.
  • a plastic expanding rivet 24 is inserted into the bore of the bearing pin 22, the head 26 of which rests against the outside of the bearing bush 16 and whose expansion sections 28 engage behind an inner shoulder 30 of the bearing pin 22.
  • a leaf spring 32 is arranged on the outside of the main plate 12. With the one end in FIGS. 1 and 2 on the left, it is fixed in a receptacle 34 and with the other end it lies at the upper end of a kidney-shaped extension 36 of the opening lever 14, which extends through an arcuate guide slot 38 of the main plate 12. As can be seen, the spring 32 is provided with a pretension in the rest position of the opening lever 14 shown in FIG. 1. If the opening lever is pivoted counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 2, the tension of the spring 32 is increased and attempts to move the lever 14 back into the rest position.
  • the shape of the spring 32 can be seen more clearly from FIGS. 5 and 6.
  • the leaf spring is cut straight from a strip material and provided at one end with a tab 40 which is formed by punching out, the punched-out section being somewhat out of the plane of the leaf spring 32 is bent out.
  • the receptacle 34 for the Leaf spring formed by a corresponding extension 42 on the main plate 12, which is formed in one piece. It has a slot 44 which extends over the length of the extension 42. At 46 the slot is widened. If the leaf spring 32 is now pressed transversely to the longitudinal extent into the slot 44, the tab 40 snaps in the region of the recess 46 behind the associated wall and is thereby fixed in the opposite direction to the press-in direction. In the pressing direction, the leaf spring 32 is fixed by the bottom of the slot 44. The tab 40 prevents movement of the spring 32 in the longitudinal direction.
  • a microswitch 50 is fastened to the main plate 12 on the same side as the leaf spring 32 by means of pins 52 molded onto the main plate.
  • the microswitch has a contact lever 54 which interacts with a contact pin 56 of the microswitch 50.
  • the shift lever 54 bears against the shoulder 36 on the side facing away from the spring 32.
  • the microswitch 50 is therefore actuated in the rest position of the opening lever. If, on the other hand, the opening lever is actuated only a little, as shown in FIG. 2, the switching lever 54 releases the contact pin 56, so that reliable contacting is ensured.
  • the spring and the projection are now dimensioned such that the free end 58 of the spring 32 bears against an upper flange 60 of the main plate 12 when the opening lever 14 approaches its end position.
  • the end position of the opening lever 14 is formed by the ends of the guide slot 38.
  • the section of the spring 32 projecting beyond the extension 36 is deformed. Since this section is very short, a considerable spring force is applied to the extension 36. This results in a softer "braking" of the opening lever when actuated than would be the case with a rigid stop.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Rotary Switch, Piano Key Switch, And Lever Switch (AREA)
  • Springs (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Magnetic Means (AREA)
  • Testing Of Coins (AREA)
  • Control Of Vending Devices And Auxiliary Devices For Vending Devices (AREA)

Description

Die Erfindung bezieht sich auf einen Münzprüfer nach dem Oberbegriff des Patentanspruchs 1.The invention relates to a coin validator according to the preamble of claim 1.

Wesentliche Teile eines Münzprüfers sind eine Hauptplatte und eine an der Hauptplatte schwenkbar angelenkte Laufbahnträgerplatte, zwischen welchen Teilen die Münzlaufbahn verläuft, entlang der die Münzen mit Hilfe eines oder mehrerer Sensoren einer Prüfung auf Echtheit unterzogen werden. Mit Münzprüfern ausgestattete Automaten weisen fast ausnahmslos einen Rückgabemechanismus auf, der vom Benutzer willkürlich betätigbar ist, um den eingeleiteten Vorgang abzubrechen und eingeworfene Münzen zurückzugeben.Essential parts of a coin validator are a main plate and a track carrier plate pivotably articulated on the main plate, between which parts the coin track runs, along which the coins are checked for authenticity with the help of one or more sensors. Vending machines equipped with coin validators have, almost without exception, a return mechanism which can be operated by the user at will in order to cancel the initiated process and to return inserted coins.

Bei einem Münzprüfer nach DE-A-27 44 945 ist ein mit dem Rückgabemechanismus zusammenwirkender Öffnungshebel vorgesehen, bei dessen Betätigung die Laufbahnträgerplatte entgegen einer Schraubenfeder zwischen den Platten um einen gewissen Betrag gegenüber der Hauptplatte verschwenkt wird, damit möglicherweise festsitzende oder eingeklemmte Münzen heraus- und in den Rückgabekanal fallen. Der Öffnungshebel sitzt auf einem an der Hauptplatte angebrachten Lagerzapfen aus Metall. Eine schraubenförmige Rückstellfeder greift an einen Arm des Öffnungshebels an.In a coin validator according to DE-A-27 44 945, an opening lever cooperating with the return mechanism is provided, upon actuation of which the track carrier plate is pivoted against the main plate against a helical spring by a certain amount, so that possibly stuck or jammed coins can be removed and removed fall into the return channel. The opening lever sits on a metal bearing journal attached to the main plate. A helical return spring engages an arm of the opening lever.

Die Lagerung und der an dem Öffnungshebel angreifende Rückstellmechanismus sind bei herkömmlichen Münzprüfern mit einigen Nachteilen behaftet. Der Einbau eines separat zu fertigenden Lagerstiftes für den Öffnungshebel, der mit der zumeist aus Kunststoff bestehenden Hauptplatte verbunden werden muß, ist verhältnismäßig aufwendig. Außerdem benötigt der Öffnungshebel, aber auch der Lagerzapfen eine Mindesttiefe, so daß die Lagerung des Öffnungshebels verhältnismäßig viel Platz in Anspruch nimmt. Die Rückstellfeder soll bereits in der Ruhelage eine Mindestvorspannung auf den Öffnungshebel erzeugen. Dies ist bei der Fertigung schwierig zu bewerkstelligen. Die schraubenförmige Rückstellfeder ist ihrerseits verhältnismäßig fertigungsaufwendig.The storage and the restoring mechanism engaging the opening lever have some disadvantages in conventional coin acceptors. The installation of a separately manufactured bearing pin for the opening lever, which must be connected to the main plate, which is usually made of plastic, is relatively complex. In addition, the opening lever, but also the bearing pin requires a minimum depth, so that the storage of the opening lever takes up a relatively large amount of space. The return spring should generate a minimum preload on the opening lever in the rest position. This is difficult to do in manufacturing. The helical return spring is in turn relatively expensive to manufacture.

Daher liegt der Erfindung die Aufgabe zugrunde, einen Münzprüfer dahingehend zu verbessern, daß sein Öffnungshebel kontrolliert betätigbar ist und gleichwohl mit einfachen Mitteln und auf wenig aufwendige Weise mit einer Rückstellmöglichkeit versehen werden kann.The invention is therefore based on the object of improving a coin validator in such a way that its opening lever can be actuated in a controlled manner and can nevertheless be provided with a reset option using simple means and in a relatively simple manner.

Diese Aufgabe wird erfindungsgemäß gelöst durch die Merkmale des Patentanspruchs 1.This object is achieved according to the invention by the features of patent claim 1.

Beim erfindungsgemäßen Münzprüfer wird die Rückstellfeder von einer Blattfeder gebildet, die an dem einen Ende an der Hauptplatte festgelegt ist und am anderen Ende mit einem Ansatz des Öffnungshebels unter Vorspannung zusammenwirkt. Eine Blattfeder kann auf einfache Weise vom Bandmaterial geschnitten werden, verursacht daher sehr geringe Material- und Fertigungskosten. Wird die Hauptplatte aus Kunststoff geformt, wie dies allgemein üblich ist, kann auf einfache Weise eine geeignete Aufnahme für die Blattfeder in die Hauptplatte eingeformt werden. Daher gestaltet sich die Montage der Blattfeder sehr einfach. Auch das Zusammenbringen des Ansatzes des Öffnungshebels mit der Blattfeder erfordert einen einfachen Handgriff, gleichwohl wird eine kontrollierte Vorspannung für den Öffnungshebel bereitgestellt. Die Blattfeder wird in einem geeigneten Winkel an der Hauptplatte angebracht, so daß aufgrund des verwendeten Materials für die Feder und ihrer Abmessungen eine vorgegebene Vorspannung erzeugt wird, wenn sie mit dem Ansatz des Öffnungshebels zusammengebracht wird.In the coin validator according to the invention, the return spring is formed by a leaf spring which is fixed at one end to the main plate and at the other end cooperates with a shoulder of the opening lever under pretension. A leaf spring can be cut from the strip material in a simple manner and therefore causes very low material and manufacturing costs. If the main plate is molded from plastic, as is generally customary, a suitable receptacle for the leaf spring can be molded into the main plate in a simple manner. Therefore, the assembly of the leaf spring is very easy. Bringing together the extension of the opening lever with the leaf spring also requires a simple handle, but a controlled preload is provided for the opening lever. The leaf spring is in one Appropriate angle attached to the main plate, so that due to the material used for the spring and its dimensions, a predetermined bias is generated when it is brought together with the approach of the opening lever.

Nach einer Ausgestaltung der Erfindung greift der Ansatz des Öffnungshebels im Abstand vom Ende an der Feder an, und an der Hauptplatte ist ein Anschlag vorgesehen, gegen den sich das freie Ende der Feder nach einem vorgegebenen Schwenkwinkel des Öffnungshebels anlegt. Der mehr oder weniger kurze Abschnitt der Feder zwischen dem Anschlag und dem Ansatz wird verformt, sobald sich die Feder gegen den Anschlag anlegt. Dadurch wird ein stark progressives Federverhalten erzielt und ein weicherer Anschlag für den Öffnungshebel, wenn er sich seiner Endlage nähert.According to one embodiment of the invention, the extension of the opening lever engages the spring at a distance from the end, and a stop is provided on the main plate, against which the free end of the spring bears against a predetermined pivoting angle of the opening lever. The more or less short section of the spring between the stop and the shoulder is deformed as soon as the spring rests against the stop. This results in a highly progressive spring behavior and a softer stop for the opening lever when it approaches its end position.

Nach einer weiteren Ausgestaltung der Erfindung ist der Öffnungshebel auf der der Trägerplatte zugeordneten Seite der Hauptplatte angeordnet und der Ansatz erstreckt sich durch einen bogenförmigen Schlitz der Hauptplatte, wobei die Blattfeder auf der der Laufbahnträgerplatte abgewandten Seite der Hauptplatte angeordnet ist. Die Enden des bogenförmigen Schlitzes bilden gleichzeitig Begrenzungsanschläge für den Ansatz für die Schwenkbetätigung des Öffnungshebels.According to a further embodiment of the invention, the opening lever is arranged on the side of the main plate assigned to the carrier plate and the extension extends through an arcuate slot in the main plate, the leaf spring being arranged on the side of the main plate facing away from the raceway carrier plate. The ends of the arcuate slot also form limit stops for the approach for pivoting the opening lever.

Es ist bekannt, Manipulationen mit dem Öffnungshebel entgegenzuwirken, indem gleichzeitig mit seiner Betätigung ein Signal abgeleitet wird. Herkömmliche Lösungen sind jedoch fertigungstechnisch aufwendig und nicht montagefreundlich. Außerdem wirken die erzeugten Impulse nicht immer sicher Manipulationen entgegen. Eine Ausgestaltung der Erfindung sieht in diesem Zusammenhang vor, daß der Ansatz mit einem Schalthebel eines Mikroschalters zusammenwirkt. Beispielsweise kann bei einer Betätigung des Öffnungshebels der Schalthebel des Mikroschalters von dem Schaltkontakt entfernt werden, so daß während der Dauer der Betätigung des Öffnungshebels die Kontakte des Mikroschalters geöffnet sind. Ein derartiger durch die Kontakte des Mikroschalters erzeugter Impuls ist gut verwertbar und nicht manipulierbar.It is known to counteract manipulations with the opening lever by deriving a signal simultaneously with its actuation. However, conventional solutions are complex in terms of production technology and are not easy to assemble. In addition, the impulses generated do not always counteract manipulations. An embodiment of the invention provides in this connection that the approach cooperates with a switching lever of a microswitch. For example, when the opening lever is actuated, the switching lever of the microswitch can be removed from the switching contact, so that the contacts of the microswitch are open during the duration of the actuation of the opening lever. Such a pulse generated by the contacts of the microswitch is easy to use and cannot be manipulated.

Es sind verschiedene Möglichkeiten der Lagerung eines Öffnungshebels an der Hauptplatte denkbar. Eine besonders bevorzugte besteht erfindungsgemäß darin, daß an der Hauptplatte aus Kunststoff ein Lagerzapfen angeformt ist, auf den ein Buchsenabschnitt des Öffnungshebels drehbar, jedoch axial fest gelagert ist. Der Buchsenabschnitt wird einteilig mit dem Öffnungshebel geformt und kann an der Innenseite einen Absatz aufweisen, der mit einem komplementären Absatz des Lagerzapfens zusammenwirkt, so daß das Aufschieben des Buchsenabschnitts auf den Lagerzapfen begrenzt ist. Um auch eine Sicherung in entgegengesetzter axialer Richtung zu erhalten, sieht eine Ausgestaltung der Erfindung vor, daß der Buchsenabschnitt am hohlen Lagerzapfen mittels eines Spreizniets aus Kunststoff festgelegt ist.Various options for mounting an opening lever on the main plate are conceivable. According to the invention, a particularly preferred one is that a bearing journal is formed on the plastic main plate, onto which a bushing section of the opening lever can be rotated, but is axially fixed. The bushing section is formed in one piece with the opening lever and can have a shoulder on the inside which cooperates with a complementary shoulder of the bearing journal, so that the sliding of the bushing section onto the bearing journal is limited. In order to also obtain a securing in the opposite axial direction, an embodiment of the invention provides that the bushing section is fixed to the hollow bearing journal by means of a plastic expansion rivet.

Auch zur lagesicheren Anbringung der Blattfeder bestehen verschiedene konstruktive Möglichkeiten. Eine sieht erfindungsgemäß vor, daß an der Hauptplatte aus Kunststoff ein Aufnahmeschlitz für die Blattfeder geformt ist und die Feder einen abgebogenen Lappen aufweist, der hinter die Wand einer Ausnehmung schnappt, wenn die Blattfeder quer zur Längserstreckung vollständig in den Aufnahmeschlitz eingeschoben ist, wobei die Ausnehmung zusammen mit dem Lappen die Feder in Längsrichtung festlegt. Bei der Montage wird die Feder quer zur Längsrichtung in den Schlitz eingelegt, bis der aus der Blattfeder herausgebogene Lappen in die Ausnehmung schnappt, so daß die Feder sowohl in beiden Längsrichtungen als auch entgegengesetzt der Einschieberichtung sicher festgelegt ist. Eine Festlegung in Einschieberichtung erfolgt durch den Boden des Schlitzes. Der Winkel des Schlitzes bestimmt das Maß der Verformung der Feder in der Ruhestellung des Öffnungshebels und damit die Vorspannung.There are also various design options for securely attaching the leaf spring. One provides according to the invention that a receiving slot for the leaf spring is formed on the main plate made of plastic and the spring has a bent tab which snaps behind the wall of a recess when the leaf spring is completely inserted into the receiving slot transversely to the longitudinal extent, the recess fixes the spring lengthways together with the rag. During assembly, the spring is inserted transversely to the longitudinal direction in the slot until the tab bent out of the leaf spring snaps into the recess, so that the spring is in both longitudinal directions and opposite to the direction of insertion is set securely. A determination in the direction of insertion is made through the bottom of the slot. The angle of the slot determines the degree of deformation of the spring in the rest position of the opening lever and thus the preload.

Die Erfindung wird nachfolgend anhand von Zeichnungen näher erläutert.

Fig. 1
zeigt eine Seitenansicht des oberen Teils eines Münzprüfers nach der Erfindung auf der der Laufbahnträgerplatte abgewandten Seite.
Fig. 2
zeigt eine ähnliche Darstellung wie Fig. 1, jedoch bei betätigtem Öffnungshebel.
Fig. 3
zeigt eine Draufsicht auf den Münzprüfer nach Fig. 1 im Bereich des Öffnungshebels mit teilweise weggebrochenen und geschnittenen Abschnitten.
Fig. 4
zeigt einen Schnitt durch die Darstellung nach Fig. 1 entlang der Linie 4-4.
Fig. 5
zeigt die Seitenansicht der auch in den Figuren 1 und 2 gezeigten Blattfeder.
Fig. 6
zeigt eine Draufsicht auf die Blattfeder nach Fig.5.
The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to drawings.
Fig. 1
shows a side view of the upper part of a coin validator according to the invention on the side facing away from the track carrier plate.
Fig. 2
shows a similar representation as Fig. 1, but with the opening lever operated.
Fig. 3
shows a plan view of the coin validator of FIG. 1 in the region of the opening lever with partially broken and cut sections.
Fig. 4
shows a section through the representation of FIG. 1 along the line 4-4.
Fig. 5
shows the side view of the leaf spring also shown in Figures 1 and 2.
Fig. 6
shows a plan view of the leaf spring according to Fig.5.

Ein Münzprüfer 10 weist eine Hauptplatte 12 auf, die in den Figuren 1 und 2 auf der der Laufbahnträgerplatte abgewandten Seite dargestellt ist. Die Laufbahnträgerplatte ist nicht gezeigt. Im oberen rechten Bereich der Hauptplatte 12 ist ein Öffnungshebel 14 schwenkbar gelagert, der dazu dient, die Laufbahnträgerplatte bei Betätigung von der Hauptplatte fort zu verschwenken. Beispielsweise können Öffnungshebel 14 und Laufbahnträgerplatte überlappend zusammenwirken, um eine Verschwenkung herbeizuführen. Die Lagerung des Öffnungshebels geht deutlicher aus Fig. 3 hervor. Der Öffnungshebel aus Kunststoff weist eine einteilig angeformte Lagerbuchse 16 auf, die einen nach innen gerichteten Flansch 18 am freien Ende aufweist. Außerdem ist sie innen mit einem Absatz 20 versehen. Ein einteilig an die Hauptplatte 12 angeformter hohler Lagerzapfen 22 dient zur Aufnahme der Lagerbuchse 16, wobei der Flansch 18 mit dem freien Stirnende des Lagerzapfens 22 zusammenwirkt und der Absatz 20 mit einem entsprechenden Absatz des Lagerzapfens 22. Die Absätze von Zapfen 22 und Buchse 16 können auch beabstandet sein, um Klemmungen zu vermeiden und die Reibung zu verringern. In die Bohrung des Lagerzapfens 22 wird ein Kunststoffspreizniet 24 eingesteckt, dessen Kopf 26 gegen die Außenseite der Lagerbuchse 16 anliegt und dessen Spreizabschnitte 28 eine innere Schulter 30 des Lagerzapfens 22 hintergreifen.A coin validator 10 has a main plate 12, which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 on the side facing away from the raceway support plate. The raceway support plate is not shown. In the upper right area of the main plate 12, an opening lever 14 is pivotally mounted, which serves to pivot the track carrier plate away from the main plate when actuated. For example, the opening lever 14 and the raceway support plate can overlap to bring about a pivoting. The mounting of the opening lever is clearer from Fig. 3. The opening lever made of plastic has a one-piece molded bearing bush 16 which has an inwardly directed flange 18 at the free end. In addition, it is provided with a paragraph 20 on the inside. A hollow bearing journal 22 integrally formed on the main plate 12 serves to receive the bearing bush 16, the flange 18 cooperating with the free end of the bearing journal 22 and the shoulder 20 with a corresponding shoulder of the bearing journal 22. The shoulders of the journal 22 and bushing 16 can also be spaced apart to avoid pinching and to reduce friction. A plastic expanding rivet 24 is inserted into the bore of the bearing pin 22, the head 26 of which rests against the outside of the bearing bush 16 and whose expansion sections 28 engage behind an inner shoulder 30 of the bearing pin 22.

Wie erkennbar, ist auf der Außenseite der Hauptplatte 12 eine Blattfeder 32 angeordnet. Mit den einen in den Figuren 1 und 2 links liegenden Ende ist sie in einer Aufnahme 34 festgelegt und mit dem anderen Ende liegt sie am oberen Ende eines nierenförmigen Ansatzes 36 des Öffnungshebels 14, der sich durch einen bogenförmigen Führungsschlitz 38 der Hauptplatte 12 hindurcherstreckt. Wie erkennbar, ist die Feder 32 in der in Fig. 1 dargestellten Ruhestellung des Öffnungshebels 14 mit einer Vorspannung versehen. Wird der Öffnungshebel entgegengesetzt dem Uhrzeigersinn verschwenkt gemäß Fig. 2, wird die Spannung der Feder 32 noch erhöht und sucht den Hebel 14 wieder in die Ruhestellung zurückzubewegen.As can be seen, a leaf spring 32 is arranged on the outside of the main plate 12. With the one end in FIGS. 1 and 2 on the left, it is fixed in a receptacle 34 and with the other end it lies at the upper end of a kidney-shaped extension 36 of the opening lever 14, which extends through an arcuate guide slot 38 of the main plate 12. As can be seen, the spring 32 is provided with a pretension in the rest position of the opening lever 14 shown in FIG. 1. If the opening lever is pivoted counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 2, the tension of the spring 32 is increased and attempts to move the lever 14 back into the rest position.

Die Form der Feder 32 ergibt sich deutlicher aus den Figuren 5 und 6. Die Blattfeder ist aus einem Bandmaterial gerade abgeschnitten und an einem Ende mit einem Lappen 40 versehen, der durch Ausstanzung gebildet ist, wobei der ausgestanzte Abschnitt etwas aus der Ebene der Blattfeder 32 herausgebogen ist.The shape of the spring 32 can be seen more clearly from FIGS. 5 and 6. The leaf spring is cut straight from a strip material and provided at one end with a tab 40 which is formed by punching out, the punched-out section being somewhat out of the plane of the leaf spring 32 is bent out.

Wie aus Fig. 4 zu erkennen, ist die Aufnahme 34 für die Blattfeder durch einen entsprechenden Ansatz 42 an der Hauptplatte 12 gebildet, der einteilig angeformt ist. Er weist einen Schlitz 44 auf, der sich über die Länge des Ansatzes 42 erstreckt. Bei 46 ist der Schlitz erweitert. Wird nun die Blattfeder 32 quer zur Längserstreckung in den Schlitz 44 eingepreßt, schnappt der Lappen 40 im Bereich der Ausnehmung 46 hinter die zugeordnete Wand und ist dadurch entgegengesetzt der Einspreßrichtung festgelegt. In Einpreßrichtung ist die Blattfeder 32 durch den Boden des Schlitzes 44 festgelegt. Der Lappen 40 verhindert eine Bewegung der Feder 32 in Längsrichtung.As can be seen from Fig. 4, the receptacle 34 for the Leaf spring formed by a corresponding extension 42 on the main plate 12, which is formed in one piece. It has a slot 44 which extends over the length of the extension 42. At 46 the slot is widened. If the leaf spring 32 is now pressed transversely to the longitudinal extent into the slot 44, the tab 40 snaps in the region of the recess 46 behind the associated wall and is thereby fixed in the opposite direction to the press-in direction. In the pressing direction, the leaf spring 32 is fixed by the bottom of the slot 44. The tab 40 prevents movement of the spring 32 in the longitudinal direction.

An der Hauptplatte 12 ist auf der gleichen Seite wie die Blattfeder 32 ein Mikroschalter 50 mittels an die Hauptplatte angespritzten Stiften 52 befestigt. Der Mikroschalter weist einen Kontakthebel 54 auf, der mit einem Kontaktstift 56 des Mikroschalters 50 zusammenwirkt. Der Schalthebel 54 liegt an der der Feder 32 abgewandten Seite am Ansatz 36 an. In der Ruhestellung des Öffnungshebels ist mithin der Mikroschalter 50 betätigt. Wird hingegen der Öffnungshebel nur wenig betätigt, wie in Fig. 2 dargestellt, gibt der Schalthebel 54 den Kontaktstift 56 frei, so daß eine sichere Kontaktgabe gewährleistet ist.A microswitch 50 is fastened to the main plate 12 on the same side as the leaf spring 32 by means of pins 52 molded onto the main plate. The microswitch has a contact lever 54 which interacts with a contact pin 56 of the microswitch 50. The shift lever 54 bears against the shoulder 36 on the side facing away from the spring 32. The microswitch 50 is therefore actuated in the rest position of the opening lever. If, on the other hand, the opening lever is actuated only a little, as shown in FIG. 2, the switching lever 54 releases the contact pin 56, so that reliable contacting is ensured.

Wie aus den Figuren 1 und 2 ferner zu erkennen, steht das freie Ende 58 der Feder 32 über den Ansatz 36 etwas über. Die Feder und der Ansatz sind nun so bemessen, daß das freie Ende 58 der Feder 32 sich gegen einen oberen Flansch 60 der Hauptplatte 12 anlegt, wenn sich der Öffnungshebel 14 seiner Endstellung nähert. Die Endstellung des Öffnungshebels 14 wird durch die Enden des Führungsschlitzes 38 gebildet. Dadurch erfolgt eine Verformung des über den Ansatz 36 überstehenden Abschnitts der Feder 32. Da dieser Abschnitt sehr kurz ist, wird eine erhebliche Federkraft auf den Ansatz 36 aufgebracht. Dadurch erfolgt ein weicheres "Abbremsen" des Öffnungshebels bei einer Betätigung als dies mit einem starren Anschlag der Fall wäre.As can also be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2, this stands free end 58 of the spring 32 over the shoulder 36 slightly over. The spring and the projection are now dimensioned such that the free end 58 of the spring 32 bears against an upper flange 60 of the main plate 12 when the opening lever 14 approaches its end position. The end position of the opening lever 14 is formed by the ends of the guide slot 38. As a result, the section of the spring 32 projecting beyond the extension 36 is deformed. Since this section is very short, a considerable spring force is applied to the extension 36. This results in a softer "braking" of the opening lever when actuated than would be the case with a rigid stop.

Claims (9)

  1. A coin acceptor, comprising a main plate (12), a carrier plate for the coin track pivotally attached to the main plate, an opening lever (14) attached to the main plate for pivoting the carrier plate away from the main plate upon actuation, and a separate return spring (32) for the opening lever (14), characterized in that the return spring (32) is formed by a leaf spring with one end thereof being secured at the main plate (12) and the other end co-operating with an extension (36) of the opening lever (14) under pretension.
  2. The coin acceptor of claim 1, characterized in that the extension engages spring (32) at a distance from the end (58) thereof, and a limit stop (60) is provided at the main plate (12) which is engaged by the free end of spring (32) after rotation of the opening lever (14) a predetermined angle.
  3. The coin acceptor of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the opening lever (14) is positioned on the side of main plate (12) facing away from the track carrier plate, and the extension (36) extends through an arcuate slot (38) of main plate (12), and the leaf spring (32) is positioned on the side of the main plate (12) facing the track carrier plate.
  4. The coin acceptor of one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the extension (36) co-operates with a switching lever (54) of a micro switch (50).
  5. The coin acceptor of claim 4, characterized in that leaf spring (32) is positioned above the extension (36), and the switching lever (54) co-operates with the lower end of extension (36)
  6. The coin acceptor of one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that a bearing pin (22) is integrally formed with the main plate (12) of plastic material, a sleeve portion (16) of opening lever (14) is rotatably supported on the bearing pin, however, secured against axial displacement.
  7. The coin acceptor of claim 6, characterized in that the sleeve portion (16) is fixed to a hollow bearing pin (22) by means of an expanding rivet (24) of plastic material against axial displacement.
  8. The coin acceptor of one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that a receiving slot (44) for the leaf spring (32) is formed on the main plate (12) of plastic material, and spring (32) includes a flange (40) bent away, the flange snapping behind the wall of a recess (46) if leaf spring (32) is inserted completely in the receiving slot (44) transverse to its longitudinal extension, with the recess (46) fixing the spring (32) in the longitudinal direction in conjunction with flange (40).
  9. The coin acceptor of claim 7, characterized in that the bottom of the slot has a small distance from the associated side of the main plate (12).
EP93100126A 1992-02-13 1993-01-07 Coin checker Expired - Lifetime EP0555630B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE4204272 1992-02-13
DE4204272A DE4204272C2 (en) 1992-02-13 1992-02-13 Coin acceptor
US08/250,794 US5524744A (en) 1992-02-13 1994-05-27 Coin return mechanism for a coin acceptor

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0555630A2 EP0555630A2 (en) 1993-08-18
EP0555630A3 EP0555630A3 (en) 1994-07-27
EP0555630B1 true EP0555630B1 (en) 1997-03-05

Family

ID=25911817

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP93100126A Expired - Lifetime EP0555630B1 (en) 1992-02-13 1993-01-07 Coin checker

Country Status (4)

Country Link
US (1) US5524744A (en)
EP (1) EP0555630B1 (en)
DE (2) DE4204272C2 (en)
ES (1) ES2099295T3 (en)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE4339021B4 (en) * 1993-11-10 2005-12-15 Phoenix Mecano Digital Elektronik Gmbh Opening lever assembly
DE29609817U1 (en) * 1996-05-23 1996-08-14 Trenner D Wh Muenzpruefer Coin validator for recognizing and checking coins
US6109417A (en) * 1998-11-03 2000-08-29 Parkway Machine Corporation Anti-corruption coin/token input chute

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4089400A (en) * 1976-01-23 1978-05-16 Gregory Jr Lester Coin testing device
DE2756105C3 (en) * 1977-03-04 1981-11-12 Coin Acceptors, Inc., St.Louis, Mo. Coin checking and sorting device
US4353452A (en) * 1980-04-04 1982-10-12 U.M.C. Industries, Inc. Coin-handling device
GB2122403A (en) * 1982-06-18 1984-01-11 Gen Electric Co Plc Coin chutes
JPS6119880U (en) * 1984-07-07 1986-02-05 株式会社 日本コインコ coin sorting machine
GB2252855B (en) * 1991-02-13 1994-10-26 Mars Inc Coin validators

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0555630A3 (en) 1994-07-27
DE4204272A1 (en) 1993-08-19
ES2099295T3 (en) 1997-05-16
US5524744A (en) 1996-06-11
EP0555630A2 (en) 1993-08-18
DE4204272C2 (en) 1994-07-07
DE59305555D1 (en) 1997-04-10

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