JP2000187747A - Coin processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin processor capable of executing suitable processing corresponding to a processing mode and efficiently suppressing the feeding of unwanted foreign coins or the misreading of authentic coins. SOLUTION: A coin processor mounted on an automatic teller machine(ATM) or the like has an inspection part 7 for discriminating the authenticity or denomination of each coin. The inspection part 7 has a milling sensor 30 for detecting milling formed on the edge of the coin. The inspection part 7 judges the existence of the milling based on a prescribed threshold set by the sensor 30. An inspection CPU 90 switches the threshold for judging the existence of the milling in accordance with the contents of a transaction based a command sent from a mechanism controlling CPU 80.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin processing apparatus such as a coin counter installed in a financial institution such as a bank or a coin processing machine installed in an ATM, and more particularly, to the detection of the presence or absence of an indent on the side of a coin. The present invention relates to a coin processing device provided with a side edge detection sensor (hereinafter simply referred to as a tooth sensor).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A financial institution such as a bank is provided with an automatic teller machine (ATM) for handling cash such as coins and bills. The ATM incorporates a circulating coin processing device that automatically performs coin deposit and withdrawal 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 includes a transport mechanism for forcibly transporting coins while pressing the coins against a transport surface with a transport belt.
And an inspection unit for optically and magnetically identifying the features (such as authenticity and denomination) of the coin to be conveyed.
The transport mechanism transports coins along a transport reference plane that is provided on one side of the transport surface along the transport direction, and supplies the coins to the inspection unit. Note that, upstream of the transport mechanism, a width shifting mechanism for pressing coins against the transport reference surface is provided.

[0005] The inspection unit includes a material sensor for magnetically detecting the material of the coin and a diameter sensor for optically detecting the outer diameter of the coin. Is provided with a jagged sensor for optically detecting the concavo-convex shape (jagged pattern or inscription) on the side surface of.

The knurled sensor is provided along the transport reference surface and close to the outer side of the transport surface, condenses and irradiates light to the side surface of the coin transported along the transport reference surface, and receives the reflected light. Then, the received reflected light is converted into a digital signal to detect the uneven shape (the number of knurls) on the side surface of the coin. Then, the number of jaggies detected is compared with a preset threshold value to determine the presence / absence of jaggies.

[0007]

However, in the conventional jagged sensor, the threshold of the jagged number, which is a criterion for determination, is set relatively broadly in consideration of the number of coins to be rejected. For this reason, for example, there is a problem that a foreign currency having a relatively wide jagged pitch cannot be distinguished from a 500-yen coin having a stamp on the side surface, and the rejection rate of a foreign currency having a relatively wide jagged pitch is reduced.

On the other hand, if the threshold value is set strictly, the number of rejects of a genuine coin due to scratches or dust on the side of the coin increases, for example, in a loading process or a scrutiny process in which a large number of coins are processed at a time. Will occur.

[0009] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and its object is to enable appropriate processing according to the processing mode.
An object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing device capable of efficiently preventing undesired foreign currency insertion and erroneous reading of genuine coins.

[0010]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus comprising: a conveying means for conveying coins; and a side face of the coin conveyed by the conveying means. A detecting means for detecting certain irregularities, a judging means for comparing the number of irregularities detected by the detecting means with a predetermined threshold value to judge whether or not the coin has irregularities; Threshold switching means for switching the threshold.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing device, comprising: a notifying means for notifying a processing mode of coins; a conveying means for conveying coins; Detection means for detecting certain irregularities, determination means for comparing the number of irregularities detected by the detection means with a predetermined threshold value to judge the presence or absence of irregularities of the coin, and notification by the notification means Threshold value switching means for switching the threshold value, which is a criterion for determination by the determination means, based on the processing mode.

[0012] According to the coin processing device of the present invention, the threshold value switching means may be arranged so that, when the processing mode notified by the notifying means is processing relating to deposit and withdrawal, Switching is performed so as to lower the threshold value.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus comprising: a conveying means for conveying coins; a detecting means for detecting irregularities on a side surface of the coin conveyed by the conveying means; Means for comparing the number of unevenness detected by the means with a predetermined threshold value to determine the presence or absence of unevenness of the coin, and a command for setting the threshold value as a reference for determination by the determining means. Command generating means for performing the command, threshold value switching means for switching the threshold value based on the command generated by the command generating means,
It has.

Further, according to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, there is provided a coin transporting means for transporting coins, a detecting means for detecting irregularities on a side surface of the coin transported by the transporting means, Determining means for comparing the number of irregularities detected by the means with a predetermined threshold value to determine whether or not the coin has irregularities, and counting means for counting the number of coins removed based on the result of the determination by the determining means. Threshold value switching means for switching the threshold value serving as a reference for determination by the determination means on condition that the number of coins counted by the counting means exceeds a predetermined number.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an automatic teller machine (ATM) 100 installed in a financial institution such as a bank.

On the front surface of the ATM 100, a passbook insertion unit 101 for inserting a passbook, a card insertion unit 102 for inserting a card, a bill depositing / dispensing port 103 for inserting / dispensing bills, and coin insertion / dispensing. A coin depositing / dispensing port 104 for inputting information and an operation / display panel 105 for displaying various kinds of guidance are provided.

FIG. 2 schematically shows the overall configuration of a circulation type coin processing apparatus mounted on the ATM 100.

This coin processing apparatus is provided with the above coin depositing and dispensing port 1
04 has a saucer 1 connected thereto. In the receiving tray 1, coins of various mixed denominations to be processed are input from the outside of the apparatus when coins are deposited, and coins of various mixed denominations to be paid out of the apparatus are discharged when dispensing. Saucer 1
When the coins are inserted, the coins received by rotation are dropped on the upper feeding portion 2 of the centrifugal disk structure disposed vertically below.

The upper feeding section 2 separates the coins dropped from the tray 1 by centrifugal force and controls the coins by a height regulating guide (not shown) provided at the outlet of the disc 2a to feed coins one by one. .

At a position adjacent to the outlet of the disk 2a of the upper feeding section 2, a pickup roller 3 is provided, and a conveying path 4 for forcibly conveying coins fed by the pickup roller 3 is provided. . The transport path 4 runs a transport belt 6 stretched between a pair of rollers 4a and 4b separated from each other by pressing the transport belt 6 against a substantially horizontal transport surface 5. On one side of the transport path 4, that is, on the far side in the figure, a transport reference surface (not shown) extending perpendicular to the substantially horizontal transport surface 5 is formed. Further, the pickup roller 3 is provided slightly inclined in a direction in which coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 are pressed against the transport reference plane. Therefore, the coin fed out by the pickup roller 3 is conveyed while being pressed against the conveyance reference surface so that the conveyance positions on the conveyance surface 5 are aligned.

The coins taken out to the transport path 4 are transported one by one at predetermined intervals according to the rotation speed ratio between the pickup roller 3 and the transport path 4.

Normally, since the upper feeding section 2 has a higher coin feeding ability than the pickup roller 3, coins are connected almost continuously before the pickup roller 3. Subsequent coin (outer diameter: Dia) is pick-up roller 3
Is driven at its rotation speed, and during the time that the coin advances by its own diameter, the previously extracted coin is driven at the transport speed of the downstream transport path 4, and the transport pitch Xint of the coin is Xint = (V2 · Dia) / V1 V1: upstream drive rotation speed (rotation speed of pickup roller 3) V2: downstream drive rotation speed (rotation speed of transport path 4)

The conveying path 4 forcibly conveys coins fed from the upper feeding section 2 while pressing the coins onto the conveying surface 5 by a conveying belt 6, and an inspection section 7 arranged downstream (described in detail later). ). The inspection unit 7 optically and magnetically identifies the characteristics (such as authenticity and type) of the conveyed coin.

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 transported by the transport path 4 into denominations based on the identification result of the inspection unit 7. The sorting section 8 is composed of, for example, well-known opposed gates 9,..., And selectively opens and closes the gates 9,.

The coins sorted by the sorting unit 8 are denominated safes (denomination accumulating units) 10,.
It is put into the store, and it is sorted and accumulated according to the denomination.

The coins identified as rejected coins by the inspection unit 7 are passed through the sorting unit 8 and the denominated cash 1
It is guided to a downstream transport path 12 via a U-turn transport path 11 disposed on the downstream side of 0, and is returned to the tray 1 by the downstream transport path 12.

When the denomination safe 10 is full, an overflow box 13 for storing excess coins is provided in the inspection unit 7.
Coins are inserted through a well-known opposed gate 14 or the like.

When the overflow box 13 is full, for example, the safe 15 provided downstream of the sorting unit 8
The excess coins are collected by a well-known facing gate 16 or the like. It should be noted that when refilling coins from outside the apparatus, refill coins are inserted into the safe 15.

When a predetermined number of coins are not stored in the cash-type safe 10, the safe 15
, A replenishment operation to the denomination safe 10 is performed. That is, a coin dispensing section (not shown) constituted by a reciprocating picker and the like provided at the lower portion of the safe 15 takes out a specified number of coins from the safe 15 and feeds the lower portion disposed below the denomination safe 10. Put into the unit 17. The lower feeding portion 17 is
It has a centrifugal disk structure similar to that of the upper feeding section 2.

The lower feeding section 17 feeds out coins thrown out of the safe 15 one by one and sends them to a sandwiching type vertical conveyor 18 constituted by a flat belt or the like. The coin is transported to the section 2. The coins conveyed to the upper feeding unit 2 are fed one by one in the same manner as described above, are conveyed on the conveyance path 4, and after the authenticity and the type are identified in the inspection unit 7, the coins are sorted by the sorting unit 8 and the predetermined money is discarded. Classified safe 10
Is stored in.

The above is the description of the deposit processing system for performing coin deposit processing. Next, the dispensing processing system for performing coin dispensing processing will be described. In the dispensing process, coins are taken out from the denomination safe 10 and paid out to the tray 1. That is,
A coin dispensing section 19,... Constituted by a reciprocating picker and the like disposed below each denomination safe 10, takes out a designated number of coins from each denomination safe 10,. Are discharged to the lower feeding portion 17 disposed below the.

The lower pay-out section 17 is provided for each denomination safe 10,.
Coins thrown out of the conveyor 18
And is conveyed to the upper feeding section 2 via the vertical conveyor 18. 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.

Incidentally, reference numeral 20 denotes a temporary holding section for temporarily holding the dispensed coins, and reference numeral 21 denotes a foreign matter collection box for collecting foreign matters. still,
The temporarily held coins are guided to the temporary holding section 20 by selectively opening and closing the facing gate 20a.

FIG. 3 schematically shows the appearance of the inspection unit 7. The inspection unit 7 includes the transport surface 5 and the transport belt 6.
It is detachably attached to.

The inspection unit 7 has a transport surface 7a for transporting coins,
And a sensor reference surface 7b that is perpendicular to the transport surface 7a and extends to one side of the transport surface 7a along the coin transport direction (the direction of the arrow a in the figure). This inspection unit 7
Is such that the transport surface 7a is disposed at substantially the same height as the transport surface 5 of the transport path 4 and the sensor reference surface 7b is
Are positioned slightly outside the transport reference plane (not shown), for example, about 0.3 mm deeper than the transport reference plane. When the inspection unit 7 is positioned in this manner, coins passing through the inspection unit 7 are conveyed on the conveyance surface 7a with their ends separated from the sensor reference surface 7b by a predetermined distance (about 0.3 mm). (See FIGS. 4 and 5).

In addition, the inspection unit 7 detects the unevenness of the coin side surface, for example, a jagged pattern (50
Circle, 100 yen) and a side indentation detection sensor 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as a “gear sensor 30”) for optically detecting an engraved mark (500 yen), and an outer diameter detection sensor 40 (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “cogger sensor 30”) for optically detecting the outer diameter of a coin. (Hereinafter simply referred to as a diameter sensor 40) and a transmitted magnetic flux amount detection type material detection sensor 60 (hereinafter simply referred to as a material sensor 60) for magnetically detecting the material of a coin. Hereinafter, each sensor 30, 40, 6 of the inspection unit 7
0 will be described in detail.

The tooth sensor 30 is accurately positioned with respect to the sensor reference surface 7b at a position outside the sensor reference surface 7b and close to the sensor reference surface 7b. In other words, the tooth sensor 30 is accurately positioned so that its focal point is located a predetermined distance, for example, 0.3 mm inward from the sensor reference plane 7b.

The sensor reference surface 7b is formed with an opening 31 for irradiating light from the tooth sensor 30 to coins conveyed on the conveyance path. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the giza sensor 30 emits light to the vicinity of the opening 31, that is, a side surface of the coin C passing through the focal position of the giza sensor 30 (a light emitting element (light emitting diode, semiconductor laser, ) 32, a condensing lens 33 for condensing light emitted from the light emitting element 32 on the side surface of the coin C, a condensing lens 34 for taking in reflected light generated on the side surface of the coin C, and A light receiving element (for example, a photodiode) 35 for receiving light through the light source, and a transparent guide 36 made of glass or the like provided in the opening 31 and transmitting light. The optical axis on the light emitting side and the optical axis on the light receiving side are each set at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the sensor reference plane 7b. The transparent guide 36 provided in the opening 31 is
It is provided to prevent intrusion of dust that is undesirably accumulated on the transport surface 7a.

The light emitted from the light emitting element 32 is condensed on the side of the coin C conveyed on the conveying surface 7a by the condensing lens 33, and the reflected light from this side is condensed by the condensing lens 34. The light is received by the light receiving element 35 via. By the way, in order to increase the detection accuracy of the tooth sensor 30, it is necessary to accurately transport coins at a transport position separated by a predetermined distance from the sensor reference surface 7b. That is, it is necessary to convey the coin so that the end of the coin passes through a position 0.3 mm away from the sensor reference surface 7b.

FIG. 6 shows a processing circuit for processing a signal (light reflected from the side surface of the coin C) detected by the tooth sensor 30. The analog signal reflected by the side surface of the coin C and received by the light receiving element 35 is amplified to a predetermined level by the amplifier circuit 37, then the DC component is cut off, and converted to a digital signal by a comparator or the like. This digitalized output signal is
It is input to the timer / counter controller 38, where the number of irregularities on the side of the coin (for example, the number of irregularities per irregularity width)
Is detected. The irregularity shape of the coin side surface can be detected in more detail by detecting the irregularity width of the digital signal by the timer / counter controller 38 and detecting the number of irregularities for each irregularity width.

A part of the analog signal amplified by the amplifier circuit 37 is taken into an inspection CPU, which will be described later, via an A / D converter 39, and the level of the output signal from the jagged sensor 30 is detected. .

FIG. 7 shows an example of an analog signal output and a digital signal output by the jagged sensor 30 when the coin C has a jagged pattern on the side surface (for example, a 50-yen coin or a 100-yen coin). An example of an analog signal output and a digital signal output by the giza sensor 30 when a mark is provided on the side surface (500 yen coin) is shown. As is clear from FIGS. 7 and 8, the coin C
Can be easily detected, and the type of the coin C can be specified by comparing the number of irregularities and the irregularity width with a reference value prepared in advance.

The diameter sensor 40 has a transport surface 41 as shown in FIG. The transfer surface 41 is provided on the transfer surface 7.
It is formed of a transparent and strong sapphire glass disposed in the same plane as the transport surface 7a so as to form a transport surface of the inspection unit 7 together with a. The transport surface 41 made of sapphire glass extends to a material sensor 60 described later.

The diameter sensor 40 has an open portion 40a on one side along the width direction of the transfer surface 41.
(Light emitting diode) array 42 as a light source disposed along the transport surface width direction above the
A printed wiring board 43 to which the D array 42 is attached;
An optical slit 44 for guiding the light from the ED array 42 to the transport surface 41, an optical slit 45 provided below the transport surface 41, a rod lens array 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.

The opening 40a is used for attaching and detaching the conveyor belt 6. Between the back side of the transport surface 41 and the condenser lens 46, the transport belt 6 is masked, and
A guide member 49 is provided to prevent the detection accuracy from deteriorating due to the vibration. 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 light emitted from the LED array 42 through the transport surface 41 and converts the light into an electric signal. Further, guide members 51 and 52 for guiding the conveyance of the coin C and forming an effective detection area are provided at both ends in the width direction of the conveyance surface 41. The inner surfaces of the guide members 51 and 52 facing each other are coins C.
In particular, the inner surface of the guide member 51 acts as a sensor reference surface 51a disposed in the same plane as the above-described sensor reference surface 7b.

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 outer diameter of the coin C can be detected by optically measuring the length of the shadow portion. Also, by measuring the length from the effective area defined by the guide member 51 to the shadow end of the coin,
The transfer position of the coin C, that is, the coin C from the sensor reference surface 51a
(Hereinafter, referred to as a width shift amount) can be detected.

Here, a method of measuring the outer diameter and the width of the coin C will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In the (a) CCD output signal corresponding to one scan of the line sensor 47, the shadow area due to the coin C is High, and the other areas are Low. 1
Only the reference clock corresponding to the pixel and the effective detection area corresponding to the area between the guide members 51 and 52 are Hig.
(c) An effective pixel area signal is prepared in advance, and a logical product of the (b) reference clock and the (c) effective pixel area signal and the above (a) CCD output signal is obtained. (D) An effective clock corresponding to the length of the light shielding area can be obtained. The diameter of the coin C can be measured by counting the number of effective clocks by a counter described later and obtaining the maximum value.

A reference clock (passing position clock) from the sensor reference plane 51a (at the beginning of the effective pixel area) to the end of the shadow area of the coin C (at the beginning of the CCD output signal) is counted by a counter described later. e) By determining the minimum value of the passing position clock, the width of the coin C can be measured.

The material sensor 60 is, as shown in FIG.
A wide primary core 61 having an open portion 60 a on one side along the width direction of the transport surface 41 and extending below the transport surface 41 in the width direction of the transport path, and wound around the primary core 61. Primary coil 62 for excitation, and this primary coil 62
Secondary coil 63, which is wound around and receives electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62, a wide secondary core 64 extending along the transport path width direction above the transport surface 41, and A second secondary coil 65 is provided around the core 64 and receives electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62. 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 an LPF (low-pass filter) 70
, And supplied to the arithmetic circuit 71 as a first secondary coil rectified output V21 and a second secondary coil rectified output V22.

In the arithmetic circuit 71, these rectified outputs V21
And the output signal Vout based on V22 and V22 in accordance with the following formula. Where AMP1, AMP2, and AMP3
Is a constant.

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 detected, the material of the coin C passing through the material sensor 60 is measured.

The arrangement order of the knurled sensor 30, the diameter sensor 40, and the material sensor 60 in the inspection unit 7 can be appropriately set.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a control system for controlling the operation of the coin processing device configured as described above. The control system of the coin processing device includes a mechanical control CPU 80 that controls the operation of the entire device and an inspection CPU 90 that controls the inspection unit 7. ROMs 81 and 91 in which programs are recorded, RAMs 82 and 92 for temporarily storing processing data and the like, and ICUs (interruption controllers) 83 and 93 for controlling mutual interruption operations are connected to the CPUs 80 and 90, respectively. . And each CPU 8
For communication between 0 and 90, parallel communication is performed via a dual port RAM 85.

The inspection CPU 90 has a diameter sensor 40 for detecting the diameter and width of the coin C, and a counter 95 for counting the number of clocks and irregularities detected by the jagged sensor 30 for detecting the irregular shape of the side surface of the coin C. A / D for digitizing output signal from material sensor 60
The converter 73 and a parallel I / O 99 for outputting predetermined display data via the operation / display panel 105 provided on the front surface of the ATM 100 are connected.

Next, in the above-described jaw sensor 30, the threshold value of the number of jaws as a criterion for judging the presence or absence of a jaw is set by mechanical control C.
The switching control of the present invention in which switching is performed for each command from the PU 80 will be described. The threshold value is switched by the inspection CP
This is performed under the control of U90.

That is, the inspection CPU 90 handles a relatively small amount of coins, such as a deposit transaction and a withdrawal transaction, and uses the most important command for directly transacting money with the user. After preparing for rejection, lowering the threshold value of the presence or absence of indentation and tightening the criterion to prevent undesired intake and withdrawal of foreign currency with side indentation, such as loading and scrutiny of coins, For a command for processing a relatively large amount of coins by circulating them in the apparatus, the threshold is raised and the judgment criterion is loosened in consideration of rejection.

FIG. 13 is a table showing an example of a threshold value indicating the presence or absence of a jaw which can be switched in response to a command issued from the mechanical control CPU 80.

Feed from the mechanical control CPU 80 before the coin is transported
When the 1BYTE data (00h to 06h) relating to the transaction content is sent to the inspection CPU 90 together with the command (20h), the inspection CPU 90 switches the threshold value for the presence or absence of the indentation based on the transaction content. For example, the threshold value of (01h) until a payment transaction is performed and payment is accepted is determined as follows:
The threshold (V-3) is lowered by three ranks from the threshold (V) at the time of loading or scrutiny (05h, 06h). This makes it possible to prevent undesired foreign currency from being taken in with a high probability.

In the above-described coin processing apparatus, the capacity of the storage section for storing rejected coins is limited.
For commands that process a relatively large number of coins, such as loading and scrutiny, setting a strict threshold may result in rejection. For example, if one command rejects a large amount of coins due to scratches on the side of the coins or dirt such as dust adhering to the transparent guide 36 of the opening 31, rejection occurs.

On the other hand, a command for processing a relatively small amount of coins, such as a deposit transaction or a withdrawal transaction, is unlikely to develop an error even if the threshold value of the number of teeth is set strictly. That is, in the normal processing, only the 500 yen coin, which is a large coin, is often targeted for the jagged detection. Therefore, even if there is a rejection error of a specific denomination (500 yen coin) in one command, there is a quantitative problem. Not be. In addition, such rejection errors are unavoidable in order to reliably eliminate foreign currency.

That is, as described above, by switching the threshold value of the presence / absence of a jaw according to the transaction content of each command, appropriate processing can be performed in accordance with the processing mode, and undesired foreign currency can be taken in or withdrawn. Misreading of coins can be efficiently prevented.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show the relationship between the threshold value of the presence or absence of the indentation and the rejection rate of foreign currency, by using four coin processing devices (machine A to machine D) and using a foreign currency having a relatively large jaw pitch. The result of investigating with A is shown. In this case, the other physical quantities (diameter, material) are within the range of a genuine coin.

According to this, in the normal setting of the threshold value (V), the rejection rate of the foreign currency A having a relatively large zigzag pitch is extremely low, and the rejection rate of the foreign currency A increases as the threshold value is lowered. I understand. On the other hand, the misreading rate of genuine coins tends to gradually increase as the threshold value is lowered.

That is, it is understood that the rejection rate can be increased by lowering the threshold value of the presence or absence of the jaw by the control of the present invention, even for the foreign currency A having a wide jagged pitch, which was low in the conventional control.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show the relationship between the threshold value of the presence or absence of the indentation and the rejection rate of foreign currency, using three devices (airframes A to C), a genuine 50 yen coin, and the like. 10
The results of examining foreign currencies B and C similar to a 500 yen coin having a jagged pitch close to a 0 yen coin are shown.

According to this, for foreign currencies B and C having a relatively narrow jaw pitch, the normal threshold value setting (V)
However, it turns out that it shows a relatively high rejection rate,
By further lowering the threshold, the foreign currency exclusion rate can be reduced to 10
It can be seen that it can be increased to nearly 0%.

As described above, according to the present invention, the threshold for the presence or absence of the indentation in the indentation sensor 30 is switched in accordance with the transaction content sent as a command from the mechanical control CPU 80. The value can be set strictly to increase the rejection rate of foreign currency, and the threshold can be set loosely at the time of loading or scrutiny to prevent rejection.

Further, the threshold value switching control of the present invention may be performed based on a command sent from the mechanical control CPU 80 irrespective of the transaction content of the coin processing device as described above.

FIG. 18 is a table showing the relationship between a command issued from the mechanical control CPU 80 and a threshold value for the presence or absence of a jaw set for each command. For example, in a normal command (10h), the threshold value is set to (V), and another command (11h to 15
When h) is issued from the mechanical control CPU 80, the threshold value is switched in the range of (V-1) to (V-5).

As described above, by switching the threshold value in response to a command from the mechanical control CPU 80, for example, the area and period can be limited, and the rejection rate of foreign currency can be increased.

Further, in the processing of one command, the threshold value may be changed to be stricter on condition that the number of rejected coins due to the presence or absence of the indentation has exceeded a predetermined number.

For example, in a deposit transaction and a withdrawal transaction,
5 foreign currencies rejected at the reference threshold (V)
When the number of rejected coins exceeds 20, the threshold rank is lowered by about one or two ranks (V-1, V-2). Try to lower the threshold rank. The number of rejected coins depending on the presence or absence of the indentation is determined by another physical quantity sensor (diameter, material)
Inspection CPU 90 together with the number of rejected coins
Is determined.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified within the scope of the present invention.

[0078]

As described above, since the coin processing apparatus of the present invention has the above-described configuration and operation, it is possible to perform appropriate processing according to the processing mode, and to input an undesired foreign currency. And misreading of genuine coins can be efficiently prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an automatic teller machine (ATM) equipped with a coin processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the coin processing apparatus of the present invention mounted on the ATM of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing an inspection unit detachably incorporated in the coin processing apparatus of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a tooth sensor incorporated in the inspection unit of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the toothed sensor of FIG. 4 in a see-through manner;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a processing circuit for processing an output signal from the tooth sensor of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of a digital signal waveform detected by a jagged sensor when a coin having a jagged pattern on a side surface (a 50-yen coin or a 100-yen coin) is conveyed together with an analog waveform at that time.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing an example of a digital signal waveform detected by a Giza sensor when a coin (500 yen coin) having a stamp on a side surface is conveyed, together with an analog waveform at that time.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing a diameter sensor incorporated in the inspection unit in FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a timing chart for explaining an operation of detecting the diameter and the amount of width of the coin by the diameter sensor of FIG. 9;

11 is a diagram showing a material sensor incorporated in the inspection unit of FIG. 3 together with its signal processing circuit.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a control system of the coin processing device of FIG. 2;

FIG. 13 is a table showing threshold values of the presence or absence of a jaw set according to the transaction content by the coin processing device.

FIG. 14 is a table showing the rejection rate for foreign currency A and the erroneous reading rate of genuine coins;

15 is a graph showing the exclusion rate of foreign currency A and the erroneous reading rate of genuine coins corresponding to the table of FIG. 14;

FIG. 16 is a table showing exclusion rates for foreign currencies B and C in a table;

FIG. 17 is a graph showing the rejection rates of foreign currencies B and C corresponding to the table of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing, in a table form, a threshold value of the presence or absence of a jaw corresponding to a command sent from the mechanical control CPU;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference numeral 7: inspection unit, 30: jaw sensor, 40: diameter sensor, 60: material sensor, 80: mechanical control CPU, 90: inspection CPU, 100: ATM, C: coin.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A conveying means for conveying coins, a detecting means for detecting irregularities on the side of a coin conveyed by the conveying means, and a predetermined threshold value for detecting the number of irregularities detected by the detecting means. And a threshold value switching means for switching the threshold value as a criterion for the determination by the determination means. apparatus. 2. A notifying means for notifying a processing mode of coins, a conveying means for conveying coins, a detecting means for detecting irregularities on side surfaces of coins conveyed by the conveying means, Determining means for determining the presence or absence of unevenness of the coin by comparing the number of detected unevenness with a predetermined threshold value; and a determination criterion in the determining means based on a processing mode notified by the notifying means. And a threshold value switching means for switching the threshold value. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value switching means switches the threshold value to a lower value when the processing mode notified by the notification means is processing relating to payment and withdrawal. Item 3. The coin processing device according to Item 2. 4. A conveying means for conveying coins, a detecting means for detecting irregularities on a side surface of the coin conveyed by the conveying means, and a predetermined threshold value for determining the number of irregularities detected by the detecting means. Determining means for determining the presence or absence of irregularities on the coin by comparing with the command; command generating means for generating a command for setting the threshold value as a reference for determination by the determining means; And a threshold value switching means for switching the threshold value based on the command. 5. A conveying means for conveying coins, a detecting means for detecting irregularities on a side surface of the coin conveyed by the conveying means, and a predetermined threshold value for detecting the number of irregularities detected by the detecting means. Determining means for determining the presence or absence of unevenness of the coin by comparing the number of coins removed based on the determination result by the determining means; and a predetermined number of coins counted by the counting means. Threshold value switching means for switching the threshold value, which is a criterion for determination by the determination means, on condition that the threshold value is exceeded.