JP2000251107A - Coin processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin processor that identification accuracy of a coin is high and the amounts of coins returned as rejected coins are reduced. SOLUTION: This coin processor has an inspecting part 7 which is arranged at a prescribed position of a carrying path 4 defined by a carrying belt 5 and inspects coins on the basis of image data obtained by irradiating the coins C with light, respective denomination cashboxes 12 storing coins in respective classes on the basis of inspected results of the inspecting part, a vertical conveyor 17 carrying a coin ejected from the respective denomination cashboxes to the upstream of the inspecting part and a dust shielding part 19 which is arranged at the upstream of the inspecting part on the carrying path and also between positions where the coin is carried by the vertical conveyor and reduces effects which foreign matter such as dust carried to the inspecting part by the carrying belt imposes on the generation of image data by the inspecting part and can process the coin with high identification accuracy without being affected by dirt and foreign matter inside the device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is mounted on an automatic teller machine at a financial institution such as a bank, for example.
The present invention relates to a circulation type coin processing device that automatically performs coin depositing and dispensing (coin receiving and paying out).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, financial institutions such as banks are provided with automatic teller machines 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] The coin processing device determines the authenticity and denomination of the deposited coin at the time of deposit and stores the coin in a denomination safe corresponding to each denomination, and at the time of withdrawal, the required denomination from the denomination safe. The coin is taken out, and after judging the authenticity and the denomination again, the coin is paid out.

This type of coin processing apparatus is provided with a forced transport means for forcibly transporting coins and an inspection unit for determining the authenticity and denomination of coins transported to the forced transport means. Have been.

The forcible conveying means includes a conveying surface through which the illuminating light provided by the inspection unit can be transmitted, and a conveying belt provided opposite to the conveying surface and conveying the coin while pressing the coin against the conveying surface.

The inspection unit includes an outer diameter sensor for detecting the outer diameter of the coin, a side sensor for detecting a notch pattern or a mark formed on the outer periphery of a specific type of coin, and a material for specifying the material of the coin. It has a sensor and an image sensor that optically detects the pattern on the coin surface from the reflected light obtained by irradiating the coin surface with light. The detection result of the outer diameter and material and the image captured from the reflected light by the image sensor The authenticity and denomination are identified based on the result of comparing the data with the data of genuine coins prepared in advance.

[0007] For example, the diameter data captured from the outer diameter sensor is captured as the time during which light from the light source is shielded by a coin to be inspected in one scan, as shown in FIG. Further, before the image data captured from the image sensor is compared with genuine coin image data, only image data corresponding to a coin is separated by image processing called “detection cutout”.

[0008]

However, trash or dust, which is generated from coins due to friction between the conveyor belt and the coins, and dust or the like that is taken in along with the coins, is conveyed along the coins along the conveyance path to the inspection unit. It is known that dust, dust, metal pieces, and the like are transported.

In particular, in recent years, since high-performance resins have been developed and inexpensive resin materials have been widely used as a material for the transport surface, for example, accumulation in a large-capacity safe or the like accommodating a large number of coins in a complex manner. Occasionally or due to the impact of the picker when one sheet is fed out, etc.
Scratches and "burrs" are produced on the yen coins, and as a result, the sliding surface of the coins such as scratches and "burrs" scrapes the resin-made transport surface and generates a large amount of dust. Also, dust is generated due to wear and scraping of the conveyor belt.

This is, for example, as shown in FIG.
If dust shadows are detected during the “detection cutout” of the coin image, it is difficult to accurately separate the image data in the “detection cutout” process, and there is a problem that a large number of genuine coins are rejected.

Although it is possible to remove dirt and dust floating inside the apparatus, especially on the transport surface and the inspection unit and its vicinity, it is possible to remove dirt and dust generated by processing many coins at high speed. The amount is large, and there is a problem that the time and cost required for cleaning and maintenance increase.

An object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing apparatus capable of processing coins with high discrimination accuracy without being affected by dust or foreign matter inside the apparatus.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made on the basis of the above-mentioned problems, and has a conveying means for moving a coin to be inspected in a predetermined direction, and a conveying path defined by the conveying means. Inspection means for inspecting coins arranged at a position, a denomination safe for holding coins by type based on the inspection result of the inspection means, and an inspection of the transport path for coins ejected from the denomination safe. A second transport means for transporting upstream of the means, and a foreign substance such as dust, which is disposed upstream of the inspection means and which is conveyed toward the inspection means, is guided by the inspection means. And a dust-proof means for preventing the coin.

According to the present invention, a transport means for moving a coin to be inspected in a predetermined direction and a predetermined position of a transport path defined by the transport means are provided by irradiating at least the coin with light. Inspection means for inspecting coins based on image data, a denomination safe for holding coins by type based on the inspection results of the inspection means, and an inspection of the transport path for coins ejected from the denomination safe. A second transport unit that transports upstream of the unit, and a foreign substance such as dust that is disposed upstream of the inspection unit and that is transported toward the inspection unit by the transport unit. And a dust-proof means for reducing the influence on the coin processing apparatus.

Further, the present invention provides a transport means for moving a coin to be inspected in a predetermined direction, and is disposed at a predetermined position on a transport path defined by the transport means, and is obtained by irradiating at least the coin with light. Inspection means for inspecting coins based on image data, a denomination safe for holding coins by type based on the inspection results of the inspection means, and an inspection of the transport path for coins ejected from the denomination safe. A second conveying means for conveying upstream of the means, and in the conveying path,
The foreign matter such as dust conveyed toward the inspection means is disposed upstream of the inspection means and between the position at which coins are conveyed by the second conveyance means, and the foreign matter is conveyed toward the inspection means by the conveyance means. A coin processing device comprising: a dust proof unit that reduces influence on generation of image data.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a coin processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the appearance of an automatic teller machine (ATM) 100 installed in a financial institution such as a bank.

On the front face of the ATM 100, a passbook insertion unit 101 for inserting a passbook, a card insertion unit 102 for inserting a card, a bill receiving / dispensing port 103 used for accepting / dispensing bills, and accepting / dispensing coins. A coin deposit / withdrawal port 104 to be used and an operation / display unit (hereinafter, abbreviated as a touch panel) 105 for receiving an input operation by a user and displaying various guidances are provided.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a circulation type coin processing device mounted on the ATM 100 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coin processing device comprises:
The coin C,..., C is provided with a receiving tray 1 as a deposit and withdrawal port for receiving coins. At the time of depositing, coins C,. The coins C,..., C of various denominations mixed are discharged to the outside of the apparatus via the tray 1.

An arbitrary number of coins C,..., C, in which a plurality of denominations are mixed by a user, are mixed with each other, and the upper feeding portion 2 of the centrifugal disk structure provided vertically below the tray 1 by rotating the tray 1. Is dropped.

Coins C,..., Fed from the upper feeding section 2
C are sequentially sent out to the inspection unit 7 provided downstream by the pickup roller 3 and the conveyance path 4 for forcibly conveying the coins C,..., C fed by the pickup roller 3. In addition, the transport path 4 includes first and second
Conveyor belt 5 stretched between rollers 4a and 4b of
The coins C,..., C are sequentially conveyed while the coins C,..., C are pressed against the conveyance surface 6 by the conveyor belt 5.

The inspection unit 7 determines the authenticity of coins C,..., C sequentially conveyed on the conveyance path 4 by a side sensor, a diameter sensor, a material sensor, and an image sensor which will be sequentially described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 19
The first and second inspection units 80, which will be described later using
90, the coins C,..., C being conveyed by the U-turn conveyance path 8 and the downstream conveyance path 9 provided on the downstream side of the conveyance path 4 are sorted by the sorter 10 by denomination.

The sorting unit 10 comprises, for example, well-known opposed gates 11,..., 11.
, 11 are selectively opened and closed so that coins C,..., C that are continuously conveyed are stored in denomination safes 12,.

The rejected coin identified as a rejected coin by the inspection unit 7 passes through the sorting unit 10 as it is, and is returned to the receiving tray 1.

Immediately after the downstream of the inspection unit 7 on the transport path 4,
An overflow box 13 for storing excess coins when the denomination safe 12 is full is provided. When the overflow box 13 becomes full, a safe 14 for collecting excess coins and the facing gate 1 are provided.
4 a is further provided upstream of the U-turn conveyance path 9. When the coins C,..., C are replenished from outside the apparatus, coins to be replenished are supplied through the safe 14.

A predetermined number of coins C,.
If C is not stored, the safe 14
, C are replenished to the denomination-type safe 12. That is, FIG.
The coin dispensing unit 15 composed of a reciprocating picker and the like described below is used to provide a lower dispensing unit 16 in which coins C,... Sent to In addition, the lower feeding part 16 is
It has a centrifugal disk structure substantially similar to the upper feeding section 2 described above.

The coins C,.
C is transported to the upstream of the inspection unit 7 in the middle of the transport path 4 by a sandwich type vertical conveyor 17 constituted by, for example, a flat belt.

Hereinafter, the coins C,.
C is identified by the inspection unit 7 as authenticity or denomination, is selected by the selection unit 10, and is stored in the denomination safe 12.

Next, the dispensing operation of coins will be described.

When an instruction is made to dispense an arbitrary amount via the touch panel 105 shown in FIG. 1, first, a reciprocating picker (not shown) provided at the lower part of each denomination safe 12,... Coin dispensers 15,..., 15
, C, the designated number of coins C,...

The coins C,.
C is transported to the upstream side of the inspection unit 7 of the transport unit 4 by a sandwich type vertical conveyor 17 constituted by, for example, a flat belt.

The coins C,..., C conveyed to the upstream of the inspection section 7 are identified by the inspection section 7 as to whether they are authentic or denominated, and the type and quantity are confirmed. It is transported downstream. The coins C,..., C transported to the most downstream of the transport path 4 are guided to the downstream transport path 9 by the U-turn transport path 8 and guided to the tray 1. If the coins C,..., C deposited in the tray 1 remain, the coins C,..., C being transported toward the tray 1 by the downstream transport path 12 are opposed to the facing gate 18a. Is temporarily held by the temporary holding unit 18 until the tray 1 becomes empty (the tray 1
Send to) is suspended.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the upper feeding section 2 of the coin processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the upper feeding section 2 as viewed from the pan 1 side. Is a cross-sectional view of the upper feeding section 2 cut along the rotation axis.

The upper feeding portion 2 receives the coins C,..., C dropped from the tray 1 and separates the disk 2a by centrifugal force and a motor 2 for rotating the disk 2a at a predetermined speed.
b, 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 regulating guide 2e provided at a coin outlet of the upper feeding portion 2. ing.

The coins C,..., C dropped from the tray 1 in a mixed state are separated by the centrifugal force of the disk 2a, and the coins C,... It is paid out one by one. The fed coins C,..., C are counted by a sensor 2f provided at the coin outlet.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration for transporting coins fed from the upper feeding section. Note that FIG.
5 schematically shows the vicinity of the pickup roller 3 of the coin processing apparatus described above, the transport path 4 and the transport belt 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, one coin C,..., C is placed at a position adjacent to the exit of the disk 2a of the upper feeding portion 2.
A pickup roller 3 that feeds out one sheet at a time and a conveyance path 4 that forcibly conveys coins C,..., C fed out by the pickup roller 3 are provided.

The transport path 4 is composed of first
And a transport belt 6 stretched between the second rollers 4a and 4b and a transport surface 6 provided along the transport belt 5. The transport belt 5 presses coins C,. The coins C,..., C fed from the outlet 2a of the upper feeding unit 2 are sequentially sent to the inspection unit 7 provided downstream.

More specifically, coins C guided to the transport path 4
.., C are transported one by one on the transport surface 6 one by one at a predetermined pitch according to the rotation speed ratio between the pickup roller 3 and the transport belt 5 of the transport path 4. Note that the coin feeding ability of the upper feeding section 2 is larger than that of the pickup roller 3 for coins C,
, .C are high, so that coins C,..., C are connected almost continuously before the pickup roller 3.

Here, the next coin C of the following coins (outer diameter is Dia) is conveyed at the rotation speed of the pickup roller 3 and is advanced by a time corresponding to its own diameter. The coin C is driven at the transport speed of the downstream transport path 4, and the transport pitch Xint at which the coin C is transported is: Xint = (V2 · Dia) / V1 V1: the upstream drive rotation speed (pickup roller V2: downstream drive rotation speed (the rotation speed of the transport path 4).

The coins C (C,..., C) whose authenticity, type, correctness, and the like have been identified by the inspection unit 7 are further transported downstream by the transport path 4 and passed through the U-turn transport path 8. It is sent to the sorting unit 10 provided in the downstream transport path 9.

The sorting unit 10 includes a well-known opposed gate 11,
, 11 and the coins conveyed by the conveying path 4 are arbitrarily determined based on the identification result of the inspection unit 7 by any of the gates 11,.
By selectively opening and closing 1, coins C,..., C continuously conveyed are sorted by denomination.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining the sorting operation by the sorting unit.

For example, of the four gates 11 shown, the third one from the upstream side in the transport direction (here, the third gate 11)
When the coins C,..., C are selected by opening and closing the gates, a sensor 11b (referred to as a second sensor) provided immediately before the second gate on the front side of the third gate detects the passage of the coins. , The opening operation of the third gate is started, and when the coin passes through the third gate and the third sensor 11c detects the completion of passing of the coins C,..., C (FIG. 5c), The closing operation of the three gates is started.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a coin ejection section for ejecting coins accumulated in each denomination safe one by one and peripheral members.

The coin dispensing section 15 is composed of a rod-shaped picker 22 which is reciprocally movable by a slider 21 in a direction orthogonal to the lower end of the safe 12 below the coin outlet at the lower end of the denomination safe 12.

The picker 22 is reciprocated in a direction perpendicular to the lower end of the safe 12 by a slider 21 reciprocated by rotation of a crank 24 driven by an actuator 23 represented by a rotary solenoid or the like.

Therefore, when the actuator 23 is driven, the picker 22 slides along the slider 21, and the coins accumulated at the lowermost end of the denomination safe 12 are pushed out by the tip of the picker 22, and the coins of the denomination safe 12 are moved. It is thrown from the outlet.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram for explaining the appearance of the inspection unit.

The inspection unit 7 is configured to remove dust and dirt floating around the transport path 4 together with the coins C transported along the transport path 4 along the direction in which the coins C are transported (to be guided inside the apparatus together with the coin C). A dust shielding unit 19 for preventing belt powder and the like generated inside the apparatus from entering the inspection unit 7, and a diameter sensor 40 for optically detecting the outer diameter of the coin C (described below with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10) 14), a side sensor 50 (described below with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13) for detecting the characteristics of the side surface (outer periphery) of the coin C, and a material sensor 60 (FIG. 14 and FIG. 14) for magnetically detecting the material of the coin C. 15 and an image sensor 30 (described below with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17) for optically detecting a pattern on the surface of the coin C.

The dust shielding portion 19 extends in a direction perpendicular to each of the transport surface 6 of the transport path 4 and the width direction of the transport surface 6, and along the transport path 4 together with the coins C transported by the transport belt 5. A screen-shaped dust shielding plate 19a is provided for preventing dust, dust, belt pieces, and the like conveyed inside the apparatus and conveyed to the vicinity of the inspection unit 7 from being guided to the inspection unit 7, and the vicinity of the conveyance surface 6 is provided. It is formed in the opening 19b.
In the dust shielding plate 19a, a cutout (divided portion) 19c is provided at a portion corresponding to the area where the transport belt 5 is stretched so that the transport belt 5 does not interfere with (contact with) the dust shielding plate 19a. Have been.

According to the dust shielding plate 19a, the inspection unit 7
Is prevented from being guided to the inspection unit 7 beyond the shielding plate 19a, so that the occurrence of an undesired detection error in the inspection unit 7 is reduced. Is done. The dust shielding plate 19a is disposed only at the entrance where the coin C to be inspected is conveyed to the inspection unit 7, but is often conveyed by the lower feeding unit 16 and the vertical conveyor 17. Since the dust and dust or the belt pieces are dropped into the entrance of the transport path 4, the dust and dust transported to the inside of the inspection unit 7 can be substantially substantially removed.

The configuration and operation of the diameter sensor 40 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view illustrating the diameter sensor 40. FIG. 9 is a cross-section of the coin C cut in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the coin C is conveyed (the width direction of the conveying surface 6).

As shown in FIG. 9, the diameter sensor 40 is
It has a transparent plate 41 made of transparent and strong sapphire glass. The transparent plate 41 is formed so that the transport surface 6 of the inspection unit 7 is formed similarly to the transparent plate 31 of the image sensor 30 described later with reference to FIGS.
1 are arranged in the same plane. Also, the transparent plate 41
As schematically shown in FIG. 8, the material sensor 60 and the conveyance path 4 located in the side surface sensor 50 are integrally formed.

The diameter sensor 40 has an LED (light emitting diode) array 42 (light source) extending in the width direction (a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the coin C is conveyed) above the transparent plate 41, and an LED array 42 attached thereto. An optical slit 44 for guiding the light from the printed wiring board 43 and the LED array 42 to the transparent plate 41, and an optical slit 45 provided below the transparent plate 41, and collects light passing through the optical slit 45. It has a lens 46 that emits light, a CCD line sensor 47 that photoelectrically converts light condensed by the lens 46, a printed wiring board 48, and the like. Note that a well-known rod lens array or the like is used as the lens 46.

At both ends in the width direction of the transparent plate 41, guide members 49, 49 for guiding the coins C conveyed on the conveyance path 4 and forming an effective detection area are provided. In particular, the inner side surface of the guide member 49 is used as a transport reference surface that defines a position where the coin C is transported.

Hereinafter, detection of the outer diameter of the coin C by the diameter sensor 40 will be briefly described.

The transparent plate 41 is moved by the conveyor belts 5a and 5b.
When the coin C is transported upward, the light emitted from the LED array 42 is blocked by the coin C. At this time, coin C
Is detected by the line sensor 47. The outer diameter of the coin C is determined by comparing the maximum value of the sensor output with a diameter determination table (not shown) prepared in advance in the ROM. Also, by measuring the length from the effective area defined by the guide member 49 to the shadow end of the coin, the transport position of the coin C, that is, the distance from the guide member 49 to the end of the coin C (width shift amount). Can also be detected.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the outer diameter of the coin C (and the shift amount) corresponds to the CCD output signal (FIG. 10) corresponding to one scan of the line sensor 47.
Since (a)) is High in the area where the coin C is shadowed and Low in the other area, the reference clock (FIG. 10B) corresponding to one pixel and the guide member 4
Only the effective detection area corresponding to the area between 9, 49 is High
An effective pixel area signal (FIG. 10C) is prepared in advance, and a logical product of the reference clock, the effective pixel area signal, and the CCD output signal is obtained, so that an effective area corresponding to the length of the light shielding area by the coin C is obtained. A clock (FIG. 10D) can be obtained. The diameter of the coin C can be measured by counting the number of effective clocks by a counter 95 described later (described later in FIG. 19) and obtaining the maximum value.

A passing position clock (see FIG. 10) obtained by counting the reference clock from the guide member 49 (at the beginning of the effective pixel area) to the end of the shadow area by the coin C (at the beginning of the CCD output signal) by the counter 95. By determining the minimum value of (e)), the width of the coin C can be measured.

Next, the configuration and operation of the side surface sensor 50 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the side sensor 50 is provided in the form of an uneven portion which may be provided on the side surface of the coin C depending on the type of the coin C, for example, a ladder (or caterpillar). Parallel patterns (50 yen or 100 yen) or stamps (500 yen
Circle) is optically detected, and is at a predetermined position with respect to the sensor reference surface 7b at a position outside the sensor reference surface 7b orthogonal to the conveyance surface 6 on which coins are conveyed and near the reference surface 7b. It is arranged as follows.

The sensor reference surface 7b is formed with an opening 51 for applying light from the side sensor 50 to coins conveyed on the conveyance path.

Near the opening 51 and the side sensor 50
A light-emitting element (e.g., a light-emitting diode) 52 that emits light toward the coin C and a light from the light-emitting element 52
Lens 53 for collecting light reflected on the side surface of the coin C, and a light receiving element (for example, a photodiode) 5 for receiving light via the light collecting lens 54
5. A transparent guide 56, such as glass, provided in the opening 51 and transmitting light.

The light emitting element 52 and the lens 53
And the optical axis connecting the light receiving element 55 and the lens 54 are each set at an angle of about 45 ° with respect to the sensor reference plane 7b. In addition, the transparent guide 56 provided in the opening 51 prevents dust from entering the transfer surface 6 of the side sensor 50.

The light emitted from the light emitting element 52 is condensed on the side of the coin C conveyed on the conveying surface 6 by the condensing lens 53 and is reflected on the side of the coin C. The light reflected by the coin C is incident on the light receiving element 55 via the condenser lens 54.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, after the analog signal detected by the light receiving element 55 of the side sensor 50 is amplified to a predetermined level by the amplifier circuit 57,
The DC component is cut and converted to a digital signal by a comparator or the like.

The digitized output signal is supplied to the counter controller 85 of the first inspection section 80 (see FIG. 19).
And the number of irregularities on the side surface of the coin C (for example, the number of irregularities per irregularity width) is detected. Note that a part of the analog signal amplified by the amplifier circuit 57 passes through the A / D converter 58 and the CPU of the first inspection unit 80 described with reference to FIG.
The level of the output signal is input to the CPU 81, and the level of the output signal is detected by the CPU 81 and is compared with a reference value prepared in advance as the number of irregularities on the side surface of the coin C or the irregularity width, and is used to identify the type of the coin C You.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating the material sensor 60.

As shown in FIG. 14, the material sensor 60
Are wide primary cores 61, 1 extending in the width direction of the transport path below the transparent plate 41 extending from the diameter sensor 40.
A primary coil 62 for excitation wound around a secondary core 61,
A first secondary coil 63 wrapped around the primary coil 62 and receiving electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62, a wide secondary 2 extending above the transparent plate 41 along the width direction of the conveyance path;
A secondary coil 64 is provided around the secondary core 64 and the secondary core 64 and receives electromagnetic induction from the primary coil 62. The primary coil 62 has a sine wave oscillator 66
Is excited by a sine wave signal generated by

Outputs from the first and second secondary coils 63 and 65 are respectively amplified to a predetermined level by an amplifier circuit 67, and then a DC component is cut by a DC component cut circuit 68 composed of a capacitor or the like. Wave rectification circuit 6
9 is full-wave rectified and LPF (low-pass filter) 70
To make it DC.

Each of the DC converted outputs is the first 2
The rectified output V21 of the secondary coil 63 and the rectified output V22 of the second secondary coil 65 are supplied to the arithmetic circuit 71.

Based on these rectified outputs V21 and V22, the arithmetic circuit 71 outputs the output signal V
out is calculated. Where AMP1, AMP2 and A
MP3 is a constant.

Vout = AMP1 × (AMP2 × V21−A
MP3 × V22) The output signal Vout is amplified to a predetermined level by the amplifier circuit 72, and then converted to a digital signal at a predetermined timing by the A / D converter 73.
0 is output as an output signal.

The maximum value (peak) of this output signal is shown in FIG.
5, the material of the coin C passing through the material sensor 60 is determined. Note that, as an example, the output of the material sensor 60 has a gentle mountain shape because it is the integral value of the magnetic flux, and the peak value can be easily detected.

As is well known, the magnitude of the output is the amount of eddy current generated on the surface of the coin with respect to the alternating magnetic field, and the amount of eddy current is determined based on the conductivity of the material used for the coin.
Copper alloy with low conductivity (50 yen, 100 yen, 500 yen
An aluminum coin (1 yen) is small and has high conductivity.
Yen) and bronze coins (10 yen). That is, aluminum (1 yen)> bronze (10 yen)> brass (5 yen)>
The determination data in the order of white copper (others) is obtained.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the image sensor 30.

As shown in FIG. 16, the image sensor 30 includes the diameter sensor 40 and the material sensor 6 described above.
0 and is formed integrally with the transport path 6 from each sensor.
Has a transparent plate 31 extended along.

Below the transparent plate 31, a light source for illuminating the surface of the coin C conveyed on the transparent plate 31 by irradiating light obliquely to the lower surface (the surface not in contact with the coin) of the transparent plate 31 Light emitting diode (LED) array 32, coin C
A CCD area sensor 33, which is a photoelectric conversion element that receives light reflected from the surface of the device and converts the light into an electric signal, and a printed wiring board 34 to which the area sensor 33 is attached are provided.

Note that disposing the LED array 32 obliquely with respect to the transparent plate 31 makes it possible to emphasize the shading of the unevenness of the surface of the coin C conveyed on the transparent plate 31, and to use a binary signal based on the detected signal. It is possible to increase the maximum accuracy of obtaining the converted signal.

The area sensor 33 is, for example, a CCD area sensor having 200,000 to 300,000 pixels. When the coin C comes to a predetermined position, the LED array 32 is turned on instantaneously, thereby forming an image of the surface of the coin C. (Pattern) is read and transferred to the memory as image data.

Next, the pattern detection processing of the coin C by the image sensor 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The output signal output from the area sensor 33 is converted into a digital signal by an image processing circuit (not shown), and is converted as image data of the coin C into an image RA (not shown).
M or the like (STP1, FIG. 18).

When the image data of the coin C is stored in the image RAM, the detection and cutout processing (see FIG. 17, cut off) by the CPU 91 of the second inspection unit 90 of the inspection unit control system described later with reference to FIG. Thus, the image area of the coin C is specified from the image data stored in the image RAM (not shown) (STP2, FIG. 18).

Next, the image data of the image area specified by the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 94 (see FIG. 19) is binarized, and the feature amount of the image is extracted (STP3, FIG. 18).

The extracted features are stored in the ROM 9 in advance.
1 is collated and compared with the determination reference data prepared in 1 to determine the authenticity and type of the coin C (STP4, FIG.
8).

Generally, since the coin C is circular, image data capturing the moment when the coin C is positioned on the transparent plate 31 is in a state of being rotated in an arbitrary direction. Therefore, it is difficult to specify the direction of the coin C. For this reason, a feature amount irrelevant to the rotation of the coin C is defined, a feature amount is extracted, the extracted feature amount is compared with reference value data prepared in advance, and the similarity is obtained to determine the similarity. Can be improved.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the area specified by the inspection is divided into ring-shaped areas having a predetermined width, for example, an interval of about 1 mm, and the image data in each ring area has a predetermined threshold. Binarize with
The density integrated value (high-level integrated value) is obtained, and from the relationship (distribution) of the density integrated value in each ring area, the distribution data of each genuine coin stored in advance (reference distribution pattern as reference value data) And when the similarity Rk is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, about 0.9), it can be determined that the coin is a genuine coin and the denomination can be determined.
Note that the similarity Rk is, for example, the density distribution of the density distribution data of the genuine coin (reference value data) as A [i], and the density distribution of the density distribution data of the coin to be inspected (the data obtained by inspection). As B [i], the following equation

(Equation 1) Can be obtained by

FIG. 19 shows the image sensor 3 of the inspection unit 7.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a control system that controls a diameter sensor 40 and a material sensor 60.

As shown in FIG. 19, the control system of the inspection unit 7 includes a first inspection unit 80 (diameter sensor 40 and material sensor 60) and a second inspection unit 90 (image sensor 30).

The first inspection unit 80 includes a first inspection unit CPU 81 for controlling each unit according to a control program, a ROM 82 storing initial data, a control program, and the like.
RAM 83 for temporarily holding various data, diameter sensor 4
It comprises a counter unit (TCU) 84 for counting clocks output from 0, and a serial interface (SCU) 85 for transferring signals and data to and from the second inspection unit 90. An output signal from the material sensor 60 is input to the CPU 81 via the A / D converter 73 described with reference to FIG.

The second inspection section 90 includes a second inspection section CPU 91 for controlling each section according to the control program, a ROM 92 storing initial data and a control program, and the like.
It has a RAM 93 for temporarily storing various data and a DSP 94 for processing image data at high speed.

That is, as described above with reference to FIG. 17, the output signal output from the area sensor 33 is converted into a digital signal by an image processing circuit (not shown).
The image data of the coin C is stored in a memory such as an image RAM (not shown), and the image data of the coin C is stored in the image RAM. The image area of the coin C is specified from the image data stored in the image RAM which is not used, and then the image data of the specified image area is binarized by the DSP 94 to extract the feature amount of the image.

FIGS. 20 to 23 are schematic views for explaining another embodiment of the dust shielding plate shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 20, the dust shielding unit 11
9 is extended in a direction orthogonal to each of the conveying surface 6 and the width direction of the conveying surface 6, is conveyed to the inside of the apparatus along the conveying path 4 together with the coins C conveyed by the conveying belt 5, and A screen-shaped dust shielding plate 1 for preventing dust, belts, and the like floating around from being guided to the inspection unit 7.
19a, an opening 119b is formed near the transfer surface 6. In this example, the outer diameter of the driving pulleys 4a and 4b is reduced so that the transport belt 5 is configured to pass through the opening 119b of the dust shielding plate 119a. Notches can be removed. Thereby, the dustproof property with respect to the inspection unit 7 can be further enhanced.

FIG. 21 illustrates still another embodiment of the dust shield 19 shown in FIGS. 8 and 20.
The dust shielding portion 219 extends from the base portion 7a of the inspection portion 7 in a direction orthogonal to each of the transport surface 6 and the width direction of the transport surface 6, and along the transport path 4 along with the coins C transported by the transport belt 5. And a screen-shaped dust shielding plate 219a for preventing dirt, dust, belt pieces and the like conveyed inside the apparatus and drifting around the inspection unit 7 from being guided to the inspection unit 7. Note that, in this example, the opening 219b, which is an area where the drive belt 5 is stretched, is defined from the transport surface 6 side. With this configuration, dustproofness with the inspection unit 7 can be further improved as compared with the example of FIG. 8 in which the dust shielding plate 19a is divided. In addition, the same components as those of the related art can be used for the drive pulleys 4a and 4b for driving the transport belt 5, so that an increase in cost can be prevented.

FIG. 22 illustrates still another embodiment of the dust shield 19 shown in FIGS. 8, 20, and 21. The dust shield 319 includes a base 7a of the inspection unit 7.
Part (dust inflow prevention part) 3 that extends from the first surface in a direction orthogonal to each of the conveying surface 6 and the width direction of the conveying surface 6.
19a, a second portion (dust holding portion) 319b bent in a direction parallel to the transport surface 6 orthogonal to the first portion 319a, and a first position from a predetermined position of the second portion 319b. A third portion (dust movement preventing portion) 319c bent in parallel with the portion 319a. According to this configuration, dirt, dust, belt pieces, and the like, which are conveyed inside the apparatus along the conveyance path 4 along with the coins C conveyed by the conveyance belt 5 and float around the inspection unit 7, are located before the inspection unit 7. , Deposited on the second portion 319b. Note that an opening 319d is defined between the second portion and the transport surface 6.

In this example, the height of the opening 319d (the distance in the direction perpendicular to the conveying surface 6) is reduced (FIG. 20).
(The outer diameter of the driving pulleys 4a and 4b is reduced as shown in FIG. 3) instead of increasing the length of the second portion 319b along the transfer surface 6, thereby increasing the area where dust and dust can be collected. As a result, the drive pulleys 4a and 4b for driving the transport belt 5 can use the same components as in the related art, thereby preventing an increase in cost.

FIG. 23 shows the dust shield 31 shown in FIG.
9 is a more advantageous embodiment, and the dust shielding portion 419 includes a first portion (a dust inflow blocking portion) extending in a direction orthogonal to each of the conveying surface 6 and the width direction of the conveying surface 6. 419a, a second portion (dust holding portion) 419b bent in a direction parallel to the transport surface 6 orthogonal to the first portion 419a, and a first position from a predetermined position of the second portion 419b. And a third portion (dust movement preventing portion) 419c bent in parallel with the portion 419a. Above the second portion 419b (the area defined on the opposite side of the transport surface 6), an adhesive medium (dust collection unit) 4 that semi-permanently retains dust and dirt deposited on the second portion 419b.
19e is provided. As the adhesive medium 419e, for example, a well-known double-sided tape or a thin layer of an adhesive having a small solvent content is used.

According to this configuration, dust and dirt or belt pieces that are conveyed inside the apparatus along the conveyance path 4 along with the coins C conveyed by the conveyance belt 5 and drift around the inspection unit 7 are removed from the inspection unit 7. Is captured by the adhesive medium 419e on the second portion 419b, and is fixed to the adhesive medium 419e.

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

As described above, in the coin processing apparatus according to the present invention, dust and dirt conveyed along with coins to the inspection section for inspecting coins, and metal pieces and the like generated due to friction between the coin and the apparatus are removed by the inspection section. The dust shield provided at the entrance prevents entry into the inspection section.

Thus, in the process of extracting the characteristic amount of the pattern of the coin from the captured image data or extracting the signal for specifying the outer diameter from the diameter data, the characteristic amount and the outer diameter are incorrectly specified. Can be prevented.

Therefore, the amount of coins to be inspected which are suspended (rejected) due to an identification error is reduced, and the processing speed is improved.

Further, in order to reduce the number of maintenance operations, the dust shielding portion is provided with a region parallel to the transfer surface capable of holding (collecting) a large amount of dust.
The time and work costs required for cleaning etc. are reduced.

[0108]

As described above, according to the coin processing apparatus of the present invention, dust and dust which may be conveyed along with coins due to the conveyance of coins, or metal pieces or the like generated by friction between coins and the apparatus are sent to the inspection unit. It has a dust shield to prevent entry.

Thus, in the captured image data,
It is reduced that a signal generated due to a shadow of dust, a metal piece or the like is included.

Therefore, the identification accuracy of coins is improved, and the amount of coins returned as rejected coins is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an automatic cash transaction apparatus in which a coin processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a coin processing device incorporated in the automatic teller machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating an upper feeding section of the coin processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of an upper feeding portion shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating intervals between coins conveyed along a conveyance path of the coin processing apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a sorting unit of the coin processing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation of a coin dispensing unit of the coin processing apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an inspection unit incorporated in the coin processing apparatus illustrated in FIG. 2;

9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a diameter sensor incorporated in the inspection unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of detecting an outer diameter of a coin by the diameter sensor shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a side sensor incorporated in the inspection unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a side sensor incorporated in the inspection unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for detecting a pattern or the like on a side surface of a coin by the side surface sensor shown in FIGS. 11 and 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a material sensor and a control circuit of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 8;

15 is a graph showing material determination reference data in the material sensor shown in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an image sensor incorporated in the inspection unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for obtaining a feature amount of a coin pattern using the image sensor shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a method for obtaining a feature amount of a coin pattern using the image sensor shown in FIG. 16;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a control system of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram for explaining another embodiment of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 21 is a schematic view for explaining another embodiment of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram for explaining another embodiment of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram for explaining a modification of the inspection unit shown in FIG. 23;

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram illustrating a sensor output obtained by a known coin processing device and the influence of dust and the like included in the sensor output.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 ... Pickup roller, 4 ... Conveying path, 5 ... Conveying belt, 6 ... Conveying surface, 7 ... Inspection part, 19 ... Dust shielding part, 19a ... Dust shielding plate , 119: dust shielding portion, 119a: dust shielding plate, 219: dust shielding portion, 219a: dust shielding plate, 319: dust shielding portion, 119a: dust inflow blocking portion, 319b: Dust holding unit, 319c: Dust movement prevention unit, 419: Dust shielding unit, 419a: Dust inflow prevention unit, 419b: Dust holding unit, 419c: Dust movement prevention unit 419e: Adhesive medium (dust collection unit).

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A transport means for moving a coin to be inspected in a predetermined direction, an inspection means arranged at a predetermined position of a transport path defined by the transport means and inspecting the coin, and an inspection of the inspection means. A denomination safe that holds coins by type based on the result, a second transport unit that transports coins ejected from the denomination safe to the upstream of the inspection unit on the transport path, and an upstream of the inspection unit Arranged by the transport means,
A coin processing device, comprising: dust-proof means for preventing foreign substances such as dust conveyed toward the inspection means from being guided to the inspection means. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said dustproof means is provided on said transport path.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coin is conveyed between the inspection unit and a position where the coin is conveyed by the second conveying unit.
The coin processing device according to claim 1. 3. The dustproof means is a plate-like body extending in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which coins are transported by the transport path and in a direction orthogonal to a direction orthogonal to a width direction of the transport path. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein the coin processing device is provided. 4. A coin processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said dust-proof means is a plate-like body extending in a direction parallel to a surface direction of the coin conveyed by said conveying path. . 5. The dust-proof means is a plate-like body extending in a direction parallel to a surface direction of a coin conveyed by the conveying path, and a tip end portion of the coin is conveyed by the conveying path. The coin processing device according to claim 4, wherein the coin processing device extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction and in a direction perpendicular to each of the directions perpendicular to the width direction of the transport path. 6. A collecting member capable of collecting foreign matter such as dust is provided on a plate-like body portion of the dustproof means extending in a direction parallel to a surface direction of coins conveyed by the conveying path. The coin processing device according to claim 5, wherein the coin processing device is provided. 7. A coin processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said collecting member is provided with an adhesive or an adhesive supplied together with a sheet medium. 8. A coin processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said dust-proof means is provided with a structure which does not interfere with said transport means. 9. A transport means for moving a coin to be inspected in a predetermined direction, and at a predetermined position on a transport path defined by the transport means, and at least image data obtained by irradiating the coin with light. Inspection means for inspecting coins based on the inspection means, a denomination safe for holding coins by type based on the inspection result of the inspection means, and a coin ejected from the denomination safe upstream of the inspection means on the transport path. A second transporting means for transporting the inspection means, disposed upstream of the inspection means,
A coin processing device, comprising: dust-proof means for reducing foreign substances such as dust conveyed toward the inspection means from affecting the generation of the image data by the inspection means. 10. A transport means for moving a coin to be inspected in a predetermined direction, and at a predetermined position on a transport path defined by the transport means, at least image data obtained by irradiating the coin with light. Inspection means for inspecting coins based on the inspection means, a denomination safe for holding coins by type based on the inspection result of the inspection means, and a coin ejected from the denomination safe upstream of the inspection means on the transport path. A second transporting means for transporting to the transport path, upstream of the inspection means and the second transporting means in the transporting path.
And a foreign matter such as dust conveyed toward the inspection means by the conveyance means may affect the generation of the image data by the inspection means. And a dust proofing device for reducing dust.