JP2000067295A - Coin processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin processor capable of effectively removing powder dust piled on the conveying surface of coins and preventing a detection error caused by powder dust in simple configuration. SOLUTION: This coin processor is provided with an upper feeding part 2 for feeding out coins, which are inserted while being mixed, one by one. The fed-out coin is made closer to a reference conveying face 70 by a pickup roller 3 provided while being inclined in a conveying direction, and the coin is conveyed through a conveying path 4 to an inspecting part 7. The conveying path between the pickup roller 3 and inspecting part 7 is separated so as to partially slide and a reference conveying face 70a is slid in the direction of an arrow together with a conveying face 5a. Each time the prescribed number of coins are fed out the conveying face 5a is slid and the conveying position of a coin pushed out by the reference conveying face 70a is shifted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a circulating coin processing apparatus which is mounted on, for example, an automatic teller machine in a financial institution such as a bank and automatically performs coin depositing and dispensing processing. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A financial institution such as a bank is provided with an automatic teller machine for handling cash such as coins and bills. The automatic teller machine incorporates a circulation type coin processing device that automatically performs coin depositing and dispensing processing.

[0003] At the time of deposit, the coin processing device accepts the deposited coin, identifies its authenticity and denomination, and stores the deposited coin in a corresponding denomination safe in accordance with the identification result. At the time of withdrawal, the required number of coins of the required denomination are taken out from the respective denomination safes, and the number of coins is discriminated after identifying the authenticity or the denomination.

[0004] This type of coin processing apparatus has a transport surface for transporting coins, and a transport belt that pushes coins against the transport surface and travels. The coin conveyed on the conveyance surface is supplied to an inspection unit for optically and magnetically identifying the characteristics (such as authenticity and denomination) of the coin. A transport reference surface is provided on one side of the transport surface along the transport direction. The transport reference surface is provided upright from the transport surface, and the coin is brought into contact with the side surface of the coin and transported to the inspection unit.

The inspection unit has a material sensor for magnetically detecting the material of the coin and a diameter sensor for optically detecting the outer diameter of the coin. The diameter sensor has a light source disposed above the transport surface to illuminate coins passing through the transport surface, and a line sensor extending below the transport surface in a direction crossing the coin transport direction. Then, the shadow of the coin is detected by the line sensor, and the outer diameter of the coin is detected based on the maximum value of the length of the shadow.

[0006]

When detecting the outer diameter of a coin with this type of diameter sensor, a problem is that the detection accuracy is deteriorated by dust accumulated on the conveying surface. The dust accumulated on the transport surface is cleaned (self-cleaning) by transporting the coin, but a band due to the dust is generated in a portion where the coin does not pass. When the dust band is detected by the line sensor and the shadow of the dust is detected in connection with the shadow of the coin, the S / N of the detected signal is reduced and the diameter of the coin can be accurately detected. Disappears. In particular, when detecting the outer diameter of a 500-yen coin having a large diameter, the dust bands are easily connected to each other, and there is a problem that mistakes and rejects frequently occur due to a mistake in detecting the diameter of a 500-yen coin.

In particular, in recent years, with the development of high-performance resins, the use of inexpensive resins as materials for the transfer surface has been attempted. However, in a coin processing device that processes a large number of coins at one time, for example, a load at the time of stacking in a large-capacity safe or a stacker that accommodates a large amount of coins in a combined manner, or an impact at the time of settling with a single-sheet picker. As a result, scratches and "burrs" are generated particularly with relatively soft one-yen coins. For this reason, the sliding surface of the coin surface such as a scratch or "burr" scrapes the resin-made conveying surface and generates a large amount of dust. In addition, the transport belt is similarly worn, and dust is generated due to scraping of the transport belt.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object a simple structure that can effectively remove dust accumulated on a coin transport surface and prevent detection errors due to dust. An object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing device.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus, comprising: a conveying means for placing coins on a predetermined conveying surface and conveying the coins in a predetermined direction; Illuminating the coins conveyed by the conveying means, detecting the light from the coins and detecting the characteristics of the coins, and setting the conveying position of the coins conveyed to the detecting means by the conveying means. Moving means for shifting in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

[0010] By shifting the coin transport position by the moving means, dust accumulated on the coin transport surface can be removed by the coin itself, and detection errors by the detecting means due to undesired dust can be prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the coin processing apparatus further comprising setting means for setting a shift timing and a shift amount of the coin by the moving means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the coin processing apparatus is provided downstream of the detecting means in the transport direction, and returns the coin transport position shifted by the moving means to the original position. It is characterized by further comprising means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein a coin dispensing means for dispensing coins inserted and mixed one by one, and a coin dispensed by the dispensing means are placed and transported. Transport surface, and a transport reference surface that stands up from the transport surface and guides the side of the coin, and transports the coin placed on the transport surface in a certain direction in contact with the transport reference surface. Conveying means, width shifting means for bringing the coin fed by the feeding means to the transport reference plane, illuminating the coin conveyed by the conveying means, detecting light from the coin, and characteristics of the coin Detecting means for detecting the position of the coin, which is provided on the upstream side in the direction of transport of coins by the transport means relative to the detection means, and which is moved toward the transport reference plane by the width shifting means, from the transport reference plane. In the direction of separation. Comprises moving means for bets, the.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the coin processing apparatus, the moving means shifts the coin transport position by partially moving the transport reference plane.

According to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises a detecting means for detecting passage of a coin immediately before the moving means in the transport direction,
The moving means is operated according to a detection result by the detecting means.

According to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the coin processing apparatus further comprises setting means for setting a shift timing and a shift amount of the coin by the moving means.

According to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, the coin is provided downstream of the detecting means in the transport direction, shifted by the moving means and passed through the detecting means. And a return means for returning the transfer position to the original position.

According to the coin processing device of the ninth aspect of the present invention, the width shifting means and the returning means are provided with:
It is characterized in that it has a rubber roller provided opposite to the transport surface and inclined with respect to the transport direction.

Further, according to the coin processing device of the present invention, there is further provided a diagnosis means for diagnosing a degree of deterioration of the detection performance by the detection means, and the moving means comprises a diagnosis result by the diagnosis means. The coin transport position is shifted according to the following.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, a coin processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention is mounted on, for example, an automatic teller machine in a financial institution such as a bank, and automatically performs a coin depositing process and a coin dispensing process. Coin processing device.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a rotatable tray as a deposit and withdrawal port. At the time of deposit, coins of various mixed denominations to be processed are inserted from the outside of the apparatus, and at the time of withdrawal, they are discharged to the outside of the apparatus. A coin of various denominations of various kinds is released. When the coins are inserted, the tray 1 rotates to drop the received coins into the upper feeding portion 2 of the centrifugal disk structure disposed vertically below.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the upper feeding portion 2 as viewed from the pan 1 side, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the upper feeding portion 2. The upper feeding portion 2 receives the coins dropped from the tray 1 and separates them by centrifugal force.
Motor 2b for rotating the disk 2a at a predetermined speed, a mountain-shaped ridge 2c provided substantially at the center of the upper surface of the disk 2a, a cylindrical guide 2d surrounding the outside of the disk 2a, and a height provided at a coin outlet of the upper feeding portion 2. It has a regulation guide 2e. Then, when various mixed coins fall from the saucer 1,
The coins are separated by the centrifugal force of the disk 2a and are fed out one by one via the height regulating guide 2e. The fed coins are counted by a sensor 2f provided at the coin outlet.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a structure for transporting coins fed from the upper feeding section 2. According to this, a pickup roller 3 is disposed slightly downstream of the coin outlet of the upper feeding section 2, and a conveyance path 4 for forcibly conveying the coin fed by the pickup roller 3 is provided downstream of the pickup roller 3. Are arranged adjacent to each other. The coins are conveyed one by one at a predetermined pitch by the rotation speed ratio between the pickup roller 3 and the conveyance path 4.

Normally, since the upper feeding portion 2 has a higher coin feeding ability, coins are connected almost continuously before the pickup roller 3. Subsequent coin (diameter: D
ia) is driven at the rotation speed of the pick-up roller 3, and the leading coin is driven at the transport speed of the downstream transport path 4 during the time it advances by its own diameter, so that the coin transport pitch Xin
t is: Xint = (V2 * Dia) / V1 V1: Upstream drive speed (speed of pickup roller 3) V2: Downstream drive speed (speed of transport path 4) Dia: Diameter of coin to be transported .

The conveying path 4 forcibly conveys coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 while pressing the coins onto the conveying surface 5 by the conveying belt 6, and to the inspection section 7 (see FIG. 1) disposed downstream. send. The inspection unit 7 identifies authenticity, type, correctness, etc. of the conveyed coin by predetermined detection and judgment processing.

The coins passing through the inspection unit 7 are transported again to the transport path 4.
Is forcibly conveyed further downstream, and sent to the sorting unit 8 disposed downstream. The sorting unit 8 sorts coins (genuine coins) transported by the transport path 4 into denominations based on the identification result of the inspection unit 7. The sorting unit 8 is composed of, for example, well-known opposed gates 9,..., And selectively sorts coins by denomination by selectively driving these gates 9,.

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining the sorting operation of the sorting unit 8. As shown in FIG. For example, of the four gates 9 shown, the third gate 9 from the upstream side in the transport direction
In order to sort coins by opening and closing (herein referred to as a third gate), a sensor 92 (referred to as a second sensor) provided immediately before the second gate on the front side of the third gate detects the passage of coins. When the coin has passed (FIG. 5a), the opening operation of the third gate is started, and when the coin passes through the third gate and the third sensor 93 detects the completion of coin passing (FIG. 5c), the closing operation of the third gate is performed. To start.

As described above, the coins sorted by the sorting unit 8 are arranged in a plurality of denomination stackers 1 disposed below the coins.
0,... Are arranged and stored by denomination.
On the other hand, the rejected coin determined by the inspection unit 7 to be a rejected coin is stored in the denomination stacker 10.
It is guided to a downstream transport path 12 via a U-turn transport path 11 disposed downstream of the container, and is returned to the tray 1 by the downstream transport path 12.

When the money type stacker 10 is full,
Overflow box 17 for storing excess coins
Is arranged downstream of the inspection unit 7, and coins are inserted by a well-known facing gate 18.

When the overflow box 17 becomes full, for example, a safe 19 provided downstream of the sorting unit 8 is provided.
The excess coins are collected through a well-known opposed gate 20. In addition, when replenishing coins from outside the apparatus, replenished coins are inserted into the safe 19.

When a predetermined number of coins is not stored in the denomination-specific stacker 10, in preparation for a dispensing process,
A replenishment operation from the safe 19 to the denomination stacker 10 is performed. That is, a coin dispensing section (not shown) constituted by a reciprocating picker or the like provided at the lower portion of the safe 19 takes out a specified number of coins from the safe 19 and feeds the lower portion disposed below the denomination stacker 10. To the unit 21. The lower feeding section 21 is provided with the upper feeding section 2.
It has a centrifugal disk structure similar to that of.

The lower feeding section 21 feeds out coins thrown out of the safe 19 one by one and sends them to a sandwiching and transporting type vertical conveyor 22 composed of a flat belt or the like. Conveyed to section 2. The coins conveyed to the upper feeding unit 2 are fed one by one in the same manner as described above and conveyed on the conveying path 4. It is stored in the type stacker 10. Alternatively, the transport outlet end of the vertical conveyor 22 may be connected to the transport path 4 on the near side of the inspection unit 7, and coins fed from the lower feeding unit 21 may be directly guided to the inspection unit 7.

The above is a description of a deposit processing system for performing coin deposit processing. Next, a dispensing processing system for performing coin dispensing processing will be described. In the dispensing process, coins are taken out from the coin type stacker 10 and paid out to the tray 1. That is, the coin dispensing units 23,.
(Described later), a specified number of coins are taken out from each denomination stacker 10,... And are ejected to a lower feeding section 21 arranged below each denomination stacker 10,.

The lower feeding section 21 is provided with a stacker 1 for each money type.
The coins ejected from 0,... Are fed out one by one, sent to the vertical conveyor 22, and conveyed to the upper feeding section 2 via the vertical conveyor 22. The coins conveyed to the upper dispensing unit 2 are dispensed one by one in the same manner as described above and conveyed on the conveyance path 4, and after checking the type and quantity in the inspection unit 7, conveyed to the most downstream by the disbursed instruction number, It is guided to the downstream transport path 12 via the U-turn transport path 11, and is discharged to the tray 1 by the downstream transport path 12.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a temporary storage unit for temporarily storing deposited coins and the like, and reference numeral 25 denotes a foreign substance collection box for collecting foreign substances.
FIG. 6 schematically shows a coin ejecting section 23 for ejecting coins accumulated in each denomination stacker 10 one by one, and peripheral members thereof.

The coin dispensing section 23 has a rod-shaped picker 31 which can be inserted and removed near the coin exit at the lower end of the cylindrical denomination stacker 10. The picker 31 is slidably held by a slider 32. A drive actuator 34 such as a rotary solenoid is connected to a base end of the picker 31 via a crank 33. Thus, when the actuator 34 is driven,
The picker 31 is slid along the slider 32, and coins accumulated at the lowermost end of the denomination stacker 10 are pushed out by the tip of the picker 31, and are ejected from the exit of the denomination stacker 10.

Next, the inspection unit 7 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The inspection unit 7 has a diameter sensor 40 for detecting the outer diameter of the coin conveyed through the conveyance path 4 and a material sensor 60 for detecting the material of the coin.

As shown in FIG. 7, the diameter sensor 40 has a transfer surface 41 made of sapphire glass on which coins are placed and transferred, and an opening 4 on one side of the transfer surface 41 in the width direction.
0a. The transfer surface 41 is arranged in the same plane as the transfer surface 5 described above. The diameter sensor 40 is
An LED (light emitting diode) array 42 as a light source extending in the width direction above the transport surface 41,
Printed wiring board 43 on which array 42 is mounted, LE
An optical slit 44 for guiding the light from the D array 42 to the transport surface 41, an optical slit 45 disposed below the transport surface 41, a self-fox lens for condensing light passing through the optical slit 45, and the like. A condensing lens 46, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) type line sensor 47 for receiving light through the condensing lens 46, a printed wiring board 48 to which the line sensor 47 is attached, and the like are provided.

Between the back side of the transport surface 41 and the condenser lens 46, a guide member 49 for masking the transport belt 6 and preventing the detection accuracy from deteriorating due to the deflection of the transport belt 6 is provided. Due to the presence of the guide member 49, the optical slit 45 is divided into two along the width direction of the transport surface 41.

The optical slit 45, the condenser lens 46, and the line sensor 47 constitute a photoelectric conversion unit that receives the light emitted from the LED array 42 through the transport surface 41 and converts the light into an electric signal.

Guide members 51 and 52 for guiding the transport of the coin C and forming an effective detection area are provided at both ends in the width direction of the transport surface 41. Guide member 51,
The inner surfaces facing each other serve as a reference surface for transporting the coin C.

The transport surface 4 is transported by the transport belt 6.
When the coin C is forcibly conveyed over the coin 1, the light emitted from the LED array 42 is blocked by the coin C, and a light / dark signal due to the shadow of the coin generated at that time is detected by the line sensor 47. The sensor output is R (not shown).
The denomination of the coin C is determined by comparing with a diameter determination table prepared in advance in the OM.

Here, a method for measuring the outer diameter of the coin C will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Line sensor 4
In the (a) CCD output signal corresponding to one scan of No. 7, the shadow area due to the presence of the coin C is High, and the other areas are Low. Thus, only the reference clock (b) corresponding to one pixel and the effective detection area corresponding to the area between the guide members 51 and 52 become High (c).
An effective pixel area signal is prepared in advance, and these (b) reference clock, (c) effective pixel area signal, and (a) CC
By taking the logical product with the D output signal, it is possible to obtain an effective clock (d) corresponding to the length of the light-shielded area by the coin C. The outer diameter of the coin C is measured by counting the number of effective clocks by a counter (not shown) and obtaining the maximum value.

As shown in FIG. 9, the material sensor 60 has a transfer surface 41 that is integrally continuous with the transfer surface 41 of the diameter sensor 40 described above. An opening 60a is formed on one side of the conveying surface 41 in the width direction, similarly to the diameter sensor 40 described above. The material sensor 60 includes a wide primary core 61 extending in the width direction below the transport surface 41, an exciting primary coil 62 wound around the primary core 61, and the primary coil 61. A first secondary coil 63, which is wound around the first coil 62 and receives electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62,
Wide secondary core 6 extending in the width direction above the
4. A second secondary coil 65 wound around the secondary core 64 and receiving electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62 is provided. The primary coil 62 is excited by a sine wave signal emitted from a sine wave oscillator 66.

The outputs from the first and second secondary coils 63 and 65 are respectively amplified to a predetermined level via an amplifier circuit 67, and then the DC component is cut by a DC component cut circuit 68 comprising a capacitor or the like. , Is subjected to full-wave rectification by a full-wave rectifier circuit 69 and is provided with
And supplied to the arithmetic circuit 71 as a rectified output V21 of the first secondary coil and a rectified output V22 of the second secondary coil.

In the arithmetic circuit 71, these rectified outputs V21
The output signal Vout is calculated in accordance with the following formula based on Vout and V22. In the following formula, AMP1, AMP
2, and AMP3 are constants.

Vout = AMP1 * [AMP2 * V21−AMP3 * V22] Then, this output signal Vout is supplied to the A
The signal is input to the / D converter 73, where it is periodically converted to a digital signal and output as an output signal of the material sensor 60. And the maximum value (peak) of this output signal
Is compared with the data as shown in FIG. 10 prepared in advance, and the material of the coin C passing through the material sensor 60 is determined.

By the way, in the inspection unit 7 of the coin processing apparatus 1 described above, it is known that dust due to scraping of the transport surface and the transport belt is accumulated on the transport surface 41 for transporting the coins C. The dust is accumulated in a belt-like shape on a portion of the transport surface 41 separated from the transport reference surface on which the side surface of the coin is guided and through which the coin does not pass. As described above, the belt-shaped dust is transferred to the transfer surface 4.
When the dust is accumulated on the coin 1, the shadow of the dust is connected to the shadow of the coin and detected by the diameter sensor 40, and the detection accuracy of the outer diameter of the coin is reduced.

For this reason, in the present invention, the transfer position of an arbitrary coin among the coins continuously transferred to the inspection unit 7 is slightly shifted in a direction crossing the transfer direction to change the transfer path of the coin. Changed to remove strip dust.
Hereinafter, a configuration for shifting the coin transport position will be described with reference to FIG.

The coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 are transported via the pickup roller 3 and the transport path 4 to the transport reference surface 7.
It is conveyed on the conveying surface 5 along 0 and supplied to the inspection unit 7. The pickup roller 3 is constituted by a rubber roller provided to be inclined with respect to the coin transport direction,
The coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 are brought closer to the transport reference plane 70. In the vicinity of the pickup roller 3, a light transmission type sensor 2f for detecting that a coin has been fed is provided.

A part of the transport path from the pickup roller 3 to the inspection unit 7 is configured to be slidable in a direction indicated by an arrow in FIG. 11A, that is, in a direction crossing the coin transport direction. Specifically, a portion of the transport surface 5 adjacent to the downstream side of the pickup roller 3 is partially separated as a transport surface 5a, and is slidable in the direction of the arrow along with the transport reference surface 70a of the corresponding portion. An actuator 72 such as a solenoid or a pulse motor is connected to the side of the transfer surface 5a remote from the transfer reference surface 70a as a driving unit for sliding the transfer surface 5a. The amount of slide of the transport surface 5a, that is, the amount of shift of coins is adjustable by the actuator 72.

The coin fed from the upper feeding section 2 is conveyed by the pickup roller 3 to the transport reference plane 70 and is conveyed. After being detected by the sensor 2f as a trigger, the actuator 72 operates after a predetermined time delay. The transfer surface 5a and the transfer reference surface 70a
Slides. Thereby, the side surface of the coin on the transport surface 5a is pushed by the transport reference surface 70a, and the transport position of the coin is shifted. After the coin has passed, the transported surface 5a is returned to its original position by a return spring (not shown) or the like. The slide timing of the transfer surface 5a is set so that the slide starts when a coin approaches the transfer surface 5a. The transport surface 5a slides intermittently every time a predetermined number of coins, for example, ten coins, are transported.

As a result, any coin among the coins conveyed to the inspection unit 7 is pushed by the conveyance reference plane 70a, and the conveyance position is shifted in the direction crossing the conveyance direction, and the conveyance plane separated from the conveyance reference plane 70 5 or the dust accumulated in a belt shape on the transport surface 41 is periodically cleaned. Therefore, in particular,
It is possible to prevent the band-shaped dust from being accumulated on the transport surface 41 of the diameter sensor 40, to prevent the detection accuracy of the sensor from being reduced, and to prevent the detection of the outer diameter caused by the connection of the dust.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the sensor 2f is set at a predetermined slide amount for each predetermined number of sheets.
The conveyance surface 5a is slid with the detection of the passing of coins as a trigger. The slide timing (coin shift timing) and the slide amount (coin shift amount) of the conveyance surface 5a are commanded from the upper level as shown in FIG. 13 can be arbitrarily set by using a dip switch setting as shown in FIG.

FIG. 14 schematically shows a switch S for setting various operating conditions in the coin processing device 1. The switch S is an 8-bit dip switch S1 that can be switched on / off, a rotary switch S2 that can be switched between four positions 0 to F along the circumference,
S3 and a push switch S4. In addition, a display unit 98 having a 7-segment LED for displaying a switching state of each switch is provided near the switch S.

As described above, since the shift timing and the shift amount of coins can be arbitrarily set by a command or switch setting from a host, setting according to the installation environment of the apparatus and the processing status of coins becomes possible.

Further, the state of dust accumulated on the transfer surface 41 of the diameter sensor 40 is detected, and the degree of reduction in the detection accuracy of the diameter sensor 40 is diagnosed. Based on the result of the diagnosis, the transfer surface 5a is slid. You may make it do. In this case, in a state where the coin does not pass through the diameter sensor 40, a sensor output as shown in FIG. 15 is detected in response to the diagnostic command, and a shadow of dust is detected at a position separated from the transport reference plane 70. The transport surface 5a is slid when the C rank is present.

As described above, by detecting the state of the dust actually accumulated on the transfer surface 41 of the diameter sensor 40 and shifting the transfer position of the coin, the dust band can be more reliably removed, and the detection error can be eliminated. Can be prevented.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, a rubber roller similar to the above-described pickup roller 3 is disposed close to the downstream side of the inspection unit 7, and the coin whose transport position has been shifted as described above is returned to the original position where it came into contact with the transport reference surface 70. You may do it.
This eliminates the need to separately provide a sensor or the like on the downstream side of the inspection unit 7 for coins conveyed at regular positions and for shifted coins, thereby simplifying the device configuration.

In the above-described embodiment, the inspection unit 7
The transport position of the coin is shifted by moving a part of the transport path toward the coin, but similarly, the inspection unit 7 itself is slid in a direction crossing the transport direction of the coin to relatively transport the coin. The position may be shifted.

[0061]

As described above, the coin processing apparatus according to the present invention has the above-described structure and operation, so that the dust accumulated on the coin conveying surface can be effectively reduced with a simple structure. And can prevent detection errors due to dust.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a coin processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an upper feeding portion incorporated in the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper feeding portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a pickup roller and a transport path on the downstream side of an upper feeding section in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory diagram for explaining an operation of a sorting unit incorporated in the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing a coin dispensing unit incorporated in the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1 and peripheral members thereof.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a diameter sensor of an inspection unit incorporated in the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a timing chart for explaining an operation of detecting the outer diameter of a coin by the diameter sensor of FIG. 7;

9 is a diagram showing a material sensor of an inspection unit incorporated in the coin processing device of FIG. 1 together with its signal processing circuit.

FIG. 10 is a graph showing data giving criteria for the material sensor of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are a plan view and a side view showing a configuration for shifting a transport position of coins fed from an upper feeding section. FIGS.

FIG. 12 is a table showing slide timings and slide amounts corresponding to commands from a host;

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a slide timing and a slide amount in a table corresponding to a dip switch setting.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a switch unit of the coin processing device.

FIG. 15 is a diagram exemplifying an output of a diameter sensor according to a diagnostic command for each rank indicating a degree of decrease in detection accuracy.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference numeral 2: Upper feeding section, 2f: Sensor, 3: Pickup roller, 4: Transport path, 5, 5a: Transport surface, 6: Transport belt, 7: Inspection section, 8: Sorting section, 9: Sorting gate, 10: Safe , 40: diameter sensor, 41: transport surface, 60: material sensor, 70, 70a: transport reference surface.

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A transporting means for placing coins on a predetermined transporting surface and transporting the coins in a fixed direction, illuminating the coins transported by the transporting means, detecting light from the coins and detecting the light of the coins. A coin processing device comprising: a detection unit that detects a feature; and a moving unit that shifts a conveyance position of a coin conveyed to the detection unit by the conveyance unit in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. . 2. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting a shift timing and a shift amount of the coin by the moving means. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a return unit provided downstream of the detection unit in the transport direction and returning the transport position of the coin shifted by the moving unit to the original position. The coin processing device according to claim 1. 4. A feeding means for feeding coins which have been mixed and thrown in one by one, a conveying surface for placing and conveying the coins fed by the feeding means, and a coin standing upright from the conveying surface. A transport unit that has a transport reference surface that guides the side surface, a transport unit that transports coins placed on the transport surface in a certain direction in contact with the transport reference surface, and a coin that is fed by the feed unit. Width-shifting means for approaching the transport reference plane; illuminating coins transported by the transporting means; detecting means for detecting light from the coins to detect characteristics of the coins; Moving means provided on the upstream side in the conveying direction of coins by means for shifting the conveying position of the coin brought to the conveying reference plane by the width moving means in a direction away from the conveying reference plane. It is characterized by That the coin processing apparatus. 5. A coin processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said moving means shifts the coin transfer position by partially moving said transfer reference plane. 6. The apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising detecting means for detecting passage of a coin immediately before said moving means in said transport direction, wherein said moving means is operated according to a detection result by said detecting means. The coin processing device according to claim 1. 7. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising setting means for setting a shift timing and a shift amount of the coin by said moving means. 8. The apparatus further includes a return unit provided downstream of the detection unit in the transport direction and returning the transport position of coins shifted by the moving unit and passed through the detection unit to the original position. The coin processing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: 9. A coin processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said width shifting means and said returning means each have a rubber roller facing said transport surface and inclined with respect to said transport direction. 10. A diagnostic device for diagnosing a degree of deterioration in detection performance by said detecting device, wherein said moving device shifts a coin transport position in accordance with a result of the diagnosis by said diagnostic device. 5. The coin processing device according to 4.