JP2000182116A - Coin receiving/dispensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the accuracy of detecting whether or not coins are changed into a coin slot. SOLUTION: This coin receiving/dispensing device 1 detects the coins changed into a coin slot 9 and carries them to the inside of a machine. Whether or not coins are changed into the slot 9 is detected not only by a photoelectric sensor 10 that is placed at the slot 9 but a material sensor 12. Thus, the coins that cannot be detected by the sensor 10 can be detected by the sensor 12. As a result, the accuracy to detect the coins changed into the slot 9 is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
int Of Sales) terminals and ECR (Electronic CashRegiste)
The present invention relates to a coin depositing and dispensing device used in connection with r).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, coin depositing and dispensing apparatuses, for example, POS
(Point Of Sales) devices and ECR (Electronic Cash Re
gister) is used. An example of a structure for inserting coins in such a coin depositing and dispensing apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.

In a coin depositing and dispensing apparatus 101 exemplified as a conventional example, the presence or absence of a coin inserted into a coin insertion slot 102 is determined by a photoelectric sensor 10 provided near the coin insertion slot 102.
3 to detect the change. This photoelectric sensor 103
Is composed of a pair of a light emitter that emits light and a light receiver that receives the emitted light. A change in the output of the photoelectric sensor 103 is obtained by a change in the amount of light received by the photoreceptor due to a coin crossing the optical axis between the light emitter and the photoreceptor.
Therefore, the coin depositing and dispensing device 101 converts coins according to such an output change of the photoelectric sensor 103.
The feeding belt 104 to be carried into the apparatus 1 is operated. That is, by providing the photoelectric sensor 103 near the coin slot 102, the coin depositing and dispensing apparatus 101 operates the insertion belt 104 only when a coin is inserted.

The coins inserted into the coin slot 102 and conveyed into the coin depositing and dispensing apparatus 101 are sorted by denomination,
It is stored in the coin storage unit. When a coin payout command is issued from the POS terminal or the ECR to the coin depositing / dispensing apparatus 101, the coins are counted and the required amount of coins is paid out to the coin payout exit.

[0005]

However, such a coin depositing and dispensing apparatus 101 cannot detect a coin C1 that has not passed through the optical axis of the photoelectric sensor 103, as illustrated in FIG. In some cases, the insertion belt 104 does not operate even though a coin is present in the coin insertion slot 102. Alternatively, even when the coin C2 passes through the optical axis in a short time like the coin C2, the coin C2 may not be detected. In such a case, for example, the operator
The coin must be conveyed by pressing a convey key provided in 01, for example, and there is a problem that the operation is troublesome. Further, since the photoelectric sensor 103 only detects the presence or absence of a coin, the insertion belt 104 operates even when a foreign object such as a counterfeit coin is inserted into the coin insertion slot 102, and the coin receiving / dispensing device 101
There is also a problem that foreign matter is stored inside.

An object of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of detecting the presence or absence of a coin in a coin slot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to determine whether a coin has been inserted in a coin slot.

[0008]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
The presence or absence of a coin inserted into the coin slot is detected by an output change of a photoelectric sensor whose output changes by a coin passing through the optical axis provided on the inner wall surface of the coin slot,
When detecting that there is a coin in the coin slot,
In a coin dispensing and dispensing apparatus in which a coin transport section is operated to carry coins into the machine and pay out a predetermined number of predetermined coins as necessary, a material sensor whose output changes according to the approach of coins is provided at the coin insertion slot. It is provided on the back side of the bottom part of the above, so that the presence or absence of a coin in the coin insertion slot is detected by the output change of the photoelectric sensor, the output change of the material sensor, or the output change of the photoelectric sensor and the output change of the material sensor. .

Therefore, the presence or absence of a coin in the coin insertion slot is detected based on the output change of the photoelectric sensor, the output change of the material sensor, or the output change of the photoelectric sensor and the output change of the material sensor.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the authenticity of the coin inserted into the coin insertion slot is determined based on the output of the material sensor.

That is, since the type of metal is determined based on the output of the material sensor, the authenticity of the inserted coin is determined.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the invention, at least one material sensor is provided at a downstream end of the coin slot in the coin transport direction.

Therefore, all the conveyed coins pass over the material sensor.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, when a counterfeit coin is detected based on the output of the material sensor, the coin transport unit is stopped.

Therefore, when a counterfeit coin is detected by a change in the output of the material sensor, the coin transport unit stops.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, when a counterfeit coin is detected by the output of the material sensor, a reject overflow section provided in the coin transport section is operated. .

Therefore, when a counterfeit coin is detected by a change in the output of the material sensor, the coin inserted into the coin slot is collected by operating the reject overflow section.

[0018]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
This will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire coin depositing and dispensing apparatus, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the entire coin depositing and dispensing apparatus, FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view showing the coin depositing operation, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view showing a coin dispensing operation, FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing electrical connection of a material sensor which is a feature of the present invention among components provided in the coin dispensing apparatus, and FIG. It is a flowchart which shows a process.

The coin depositing and dispensing apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a coin insertion section 3 provided in a main body case 2 for inserting a plurality of coins.
A coin transport unit 4 that transports the coins inserted into the coin insertion unit 3 one by one into the coin depositing and dispensing apparatus 1, a coin sorting unit 5 that sorts the transported coins by denomination, and a coin denomination of the sorted coins. A coin storing unit 6 for storing coins for each coin, a coin waiting unit 7 for holding coins to be paid out in response to a coin payout command, and a coin payout unit 8 for paying out a required amount of coins in accordance with the coin payout command. .

First, as seen from the operator, the main body case 2
A coin insertion slot 9 that opens upward is formed on the right front side of the coin. A photoelectric sensor 10 for detecting that a coin has been inserted into the coin insertion slot 9 when the coin passes through the optical axis is provided on a wall surface of the coin insertion slot 9, and a coin deposited and dispensed on the bottom surface. A charging belt 11 to be carried into the apparatus 1 is provided. A material sensor 12 having a coil 12a for detecting coins in a non-contact manner by a magnetic field that changes due to the approach of coins is arranged on the back side of the insertion belt 11 over the entire bottom surface. On the downstream side of the coin insertion slot 9, an insertion roller 13 for separating and conveying the inserted coins one by one is disposed opposite to the insertion belt 11. The coin slot 9 is formed by the coin slot 9, the photoelectric sensor 10, the loading belt 11, the material sensor 12, and the loading roller 13.

A coin guide path 15 for conveying coins stored in the coin storage section 6 is connected to the insertion belt 11.
In the coin guide path 15, a conveyor belt 16 having a speed higher than that of the insertion belt 11 and another conveyor belt 17 are connected to each other in order to increase the interval between the inserted coins and convey the coins. In the coin guide path 15, an outer diameter check section 18 and a reject overflow section 19 are provided below the transport belt 16. The outer diameter check unit 18 determines whether the coin is a true coin or a false coin based on the outer diameter of the conveyed coin. The reject overflow unit 19 eliminates unnecessary coins by driving the reject solenoid 19a, which is a driving unit, when the conveyed coins are not genuine coins or when the coin storage unit 6 is full of coins. I do. On the downstream side of the transport belt 17, a curved wall 20 that changes the transport direction of coins, and a transport belt 21 that transports coins to the coin sorting unit 5 are provided. These transport belt 16, transport belt 17, curved wall 2
0 and the conveyor belt 21 form a coin conveyor 4.

Below the conveyor belt 21, coin selection ports 22 having different sizes for each denomination are formed on the upstream side in the coin conveyance direction from the smaller one. Each coin sorting port 22 is provided with a counting sensor 23 for counting stored coins. The coin sorting port 22 and the counting sensor 23 form a coin sorting section 5.

Each of the coin sorting ports 22 has
A coin storage section 6 partitioned by denomination by a partition plate 24 is provided continuously. The coin storage unit 6 is provided with a full sensor (not shown) for detecting that the coin storage unit 6 is full of coins for each denomination. In addition, a driving roller 25 and a driven roller 26
A transport belt 27 composed of two long and short endless belts is provided for each denomination,
At the end of the short conveyor belt 27a of the conveyor belt 27,
Separation rollers 28 for separating coins one by one are arranged opposite to each other so as to cross all the conveyor belts 27. The long transport belt 27b extends to a coin standby unit 7 provided downstream of the coin storage unit 6 for each denomination.

In the coin standby unit 7, a coin stopper 29 for temporarily stopping coins and controlling the operation so as to feed out a required number of coins is provided above the long transport belt 27b. The coin stopper 29 is driven and controlled by a payout solenoid (not shown), and pays out a specified number of coins. Further, immediately after the coin stopper 29 in the coin transport direction, a payout sensor 30 for checking the number of paid out coins is provided. The end of the long transport belt 27b reaches a coin payout opening 31 that opens upward in front of the center of the main body case 2, and the coins stored therein are selectively conveyed and paid out by denomination. A payout section 8 is formed. A display key unit 32 for displaying an error message is provided on the upper left side of the main body case 2 when viewed from the operator.

Next, with reference to the electric block diagram shown in FIG. 5, the electrical connection of the material sensor 12 among the components of the coin depositing and dispensing apparatus 1 will be described. Material sensor 1
2 has a microcomputer mainly including a CPU 33 and a ROM 34 and a RAM 35 connected to its data bus and address bus, and this microcomputer controls the driving of each unit. The ROM 34 stores fixed data such as wavelength data of genuine coins.
Stores variably data. Further, the material sensor 12 is connected to the CPU 33 via the rectifier circuit 36 and the oscillation circuit 37. This CPU 33
Is connected to a POS terminal or ECR or the like.

Here, the operation of the material sensor according to the present embodiment will be described.

First, when a coin approaches the material sensor 12, an induced current flows through the approaching coin, and a magnetic field is generated by the current. When the magnetic field and the coil 12a are electromagnetically coupled, the effective impedance resistance of the coil 12a increases, and the inductance decreases. The output drop of the oscillation circuit 37 caused by this is captured and amplified, and the rectification circuit 3
At 6 rectifies to a waveform corresponding to the digital signal. And
The output value obtained by the rectification is compared with the value of a genuine coin stored in the ROM 34 to determine the authenticity of the coin. Here, when the inserted coin is a fake coin, the value of the induced current flowing inside the coin is different from the value of the genuine coin stored in the ROM 34, so that the output value of the oscillation circuit 37 is a genuine coin. Therefore, it is determined that the coin is a counterfeit coin.

Next, a description will be given of a function executed by the microcomputer by the control program stored in the ROM 34.

The material sensor 12 specific to the coin deposit detection processing of the present embodiment performs the coin deposit detection processing as shown in the flowchart of FIG. In this process, first, the presence or absence of a coin in the coin insertion slot 9 is detected based on a change in the output of the photoelectric sensor 10 (step S1). When a coin in the coin slot 9 is detected by a change in the output of the photoelectric sensor 10, the coin transport unit 4
Operates (step S2). When the coin in the coin insertion slot 9 is detected based on the output change of the material sensor 12 (Step S3), the authenticity of the inserted coin is determined (Step S4).

On the other hand, even if there is no change in the output of the photoelectric sensor 10 in step S1, if a coin is detected based on the change in the output of the material sensor 12 (step S7), the coin transport unit 4 operates (step S8), and The authenticity of the coin inserted into the coin insertion slot 9 is determined based on the output change of the sensor 12 (step S4).

If it is determined in step 4 that the detected coin is a genuine coin, the coin is conveyed to the coin storage unit 6. Even after a certain time has passed since the coin detection, the photoelectric sensor 10
Alternatively, when there is no change in the output of the material sensor 12 (step S5), the coin transport unit 4 stops (step S6), and the coin transport operation ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S4 that the detected coin is a counterfeit coin, the operation of the coin transport unit 4 is stopped (step S9), and the display key unit 32 reads, for example, "things other than coins." Please remove it "(step S10).

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the second coin deposit detection process. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in the control program for performing the coin deposit detection processing. Here, a description will be given of a function executed by the microcomputer by the control program stored in the ROM 34.

The material sensor 12 specific to the coin deposit detection processing of the present embodiment performs the coin deposit detection processing as shown in the flowchart of FIG. In this process, first, the presence or absence of a coin in the coin insertion slot 9 is detected based on a change in the output of the photoelectric sensor 10 (step S11). When the output of the photoelectric sensor 10 changes, the coin transport unit 4 operates (step S1).
2). Then, when the coin in the coin slot 9 is detected based on the output change of the material sensor 12 (step S13), the detected value is compared with the value of the genuine coin stored in the ROM 34 to determine the authenticity of the coin. (Step S14).

On the other hand, even if there is no change in the output of the photoelectric sensor 10 in step S11, if a change in the output of the material sensor 12 is detected (step S17), the coin transport section 4 operates (step S18).

If it is determined in step 14 that the detected coin is a genuine coin (step S14), the coin is transported to the coin storage unit 6. If there is no change in the output of the photoelectric sensor 10 or the material sensor 12 even after a certain time has elapsed after the detection of the coin (step S15), the coin transport unit 4 stops and
(Step S16) The coin transport operation ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S14 that the detected coin is a fake coin, the reject overflow unit 19 is opened (step S19), and the fake coin is sorted and collected. Then, after a certain time has elapsed (step S20), the reject overflow unit 19 is closed (step S2).
1) The coin transport unit 4 is stopped (step S16), and the coin deposit detection processing ends.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin receiving / dispensing apparatus for detecting the presence or absence of a coin inserted into a coin insertion slot based on a change in output of a photoelectric sensor, wherein a material sensor is provided on a bottom portion of the coin insertion slot. The change in the output of the photoelectric sensor, the change in the output of the material sensor or the change in the output of the photoelectric sensor and the change in the output of the material sensor are used to detect the presence or absence of a coin in the coin insertion slot. The accuracy of detection can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the authenticity of a coin inserted into the coin slot is determined by a change in the output of the material sensor. It can be performed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, at least one material sensor is provided at the downstream end of the coin slot in the coin transport direction so that all the transported coins pass over the material sensor. It is possible to reliably determine whether the coin is true or false.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when a counterfeit coin is detected based on a change in the output of the material sensor, the coin transport unit is stopped, so that the counterfeit coin is not transported into the coin depositing and dispensing apparatus. The reliability of the coin depositing and dispensing device can be improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when a counterfeit coin is detected by a change in the output of the material sensor, the reject overflow unit is operated to collect the counterfeit coin, so that the counterfeit coin is stored in the coin depositing and dispensing device. The reliability of the coin depositing and dispensing apparatus can be improved without being performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the entire coin depositing and dispensing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the entire coin depositing and dispensing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional side view showing a coin depositing operation.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional side view showing a coin dispensing operation.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection of a material sensor, which is a feature of the present invention, among components provided in the coin depositing and dispensing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a first coin deposit detection process.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a second coin deposit detection process.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal side view of a coin slot showing a conventional example of a state in which a coin passes.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 coin receiving / dispensing device 4 coin transport section 9 coin insertion slot 10 photoelectric sensor 12 material sensor 19 reject overflow section

Claims (5)

[Claims] And detecting the presence or absence of a coin inserted into the coin insertion slot based on an output change of a photoelectric sensor which is provided on an inner wall surface of the coin insertion slot and whose output changes as the coin passes through the optical axis. When it is detected that there is a coin in the coin slot, the coin transfer unit is operated to carry in the coin into the machine, and a coin dispensing and dispensing device configured to pay out a predetermined number of predetermined coins as necessary. A material sensor whose output changes due to the approach of a coin is provided on the back side of the bottom portion of the coin slot, the output change of the photoelectric sensor, the output change of the material sensor or the output change of the photoelectric sensor and the output change of the material sensor. Wherein the presence or absence of a coin at the coin insertion slot is detected. 2. The coin receiving and dispensing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the authenticity of the coin inserted into the coin insertion slot is determined based on the output of the material sensor. 3. The coin receiving and dispensing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the material sensors is provided at a downstream end of the coin slot in the coin transport direction. 4. The coin receiving and dispensing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when a counterfeit coin is detected based on an output of the material sensor, the coin transport unit is stopped. 5. A coin receiving and dispensing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when a counterfeit coin is detected by an output of said material sensor, a reject overflow section provided in said coin transport section is operated. .