JP2001126099A - Coin paying out device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin paying out device which confirms the number of paid out coins more easily than a conventional device. SOLUTION: This coin paying out device feeds out medals M one by one by a pay out hopper 11 to throw the medals M into a nearly U-shaped groove formed with a medal receiving member 19 and a push out member 21. The thrown-in medals M are integrated on the lower end side of the groove by gravity and lined up in a line. The lined-up medals M are pushed to an easy-to- take position by the member 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin payout apparatus incorporated in a medal lending machine or a currency exchange machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, coins and gaming medals (hereinafter referred to as coins) have been described.
A coin payout apparatus that performs a payout operation of paying out these disc-shaped bodies (collectively, coins) is known. This type of coin payout apparatus is built in a medal lending machine or a currency exchange machine. For example, in the case of a medal lending machine that lends medals for 20 yen per sheet, if a 1000 yen bill is inserted into the medal lending machine, 50 The coin payout device is configured to operate until one medal is paid out.

[0003]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional medal lending machine, the medal is discharged from the payout slot separately, and the medal is received with a hand, a container or a tray of the medal lending machine. In this case, there is a disadvantage that it is not easy to confirm the number of medals because a large number of medals are piled up to 50.

[0004] In addition to a medal lending machine, even in a money changing machine, for example, if a 1000-yen bill is exchanged for 10 100-yen coins, if 10 coins are piled up,
It was not easy to grasp the number of coins at a glance. That is, the conventional medal payout apparatus and the coin payout apparatus built in the money changing machine have a drawback that it is difficult to confirm the number of paid out medals and coins.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coin payout apparatus which makes it easier to check the number of coins paid out than before.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, a coin payout apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a coin sending means for sending coins one by one;
A substantially U-shaped groove extending obliquely downward from the upper end side to the lower end side is formed, and is disposed so that coins fed from the coin feeding means are inserted into the groove. And a coin arranging means for arranging a plurality of coins, which are inserted one by one into the lower end of the groove by their own weight, in a thickness direction and arranged in a line.

[0007] In this coin payout apparatus, the coin sending means is configured to send out coins one by one, and any of those employed in known medal lending machines and money changing machines can be used arbitrarily. More specifically, for example, coins are previously stored in a tank or a hopper for storing coins, and coins fitted into the concave portions of the disk-shaped rotating body or coins caught on the convex portions of the rotating body during the payout operation are It is possible to use one configured to be fed one by one with the rotation of the rotating body.

[0008] Alternatively, a coin supply line commonly used by a plurality of coin payout devices is provided in place of a device for feeding a required number of coins by operating a belt conveyor or the like or a tank for storing coins. A required number of coins may be directly supplied from the coin supply line each time the payout operation is performed. Alternatively, the coins may be arranged in a line in the passage, and the coins may be pushed from the rear side to push out the coins on the front side.

The coin arranging means forms a groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section extending obliquely downward from the upper end to the lower end. Here, as a groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section, typically,
An inner peripheral surface of a cylinder corresponding to a half circumference in which a cross-sectional shape is a semicircle having a downward convex shape can be given. In this case, it is desirable that the radius of the cylinder is slightly larger than the radius of the coin so that a plurality of coins are stacked in the thickness direction and aligned in a line.

[0010] However, as long as the function of aligning the coins can be realized, the cross section of the groove does not need to be strictly a semicircle. ) Or a groove having a cross-sectional shape that forms an arc other than 180 degrees. The radius of curvature of the inner surface having a substantially U-shaped cross section may be partially smaller than the radius of the coin as long as the function of aligning the coins can be realized. That is, the inner surface having a substantially U-shaped cross section in the present invention includes not only the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder for a half circumference as described above, but also the functionally equivalent inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape. .

The groove formed by the coin arranging means extends obliquely downward, and the specific angle is not particularly limited as long as the medals can be aligned. Is preferably set to about 30 to 60 degrees, and more preferably, the angle between the vertical line and the vertical line is set to about 30 degrees (that is, the angle to the horizontal plane is about 60 degrees).
If the angle between the vertical line and the vertical line is too small, the contact between the medal and the groove tends to be difficult to maintain, and the effect of aligning the medal is reduced by that much. On the other hand, if the angle between the vertical line and the vertical line is too large, the contact pressure between the medal and the groove increases, so that the medal may be stagnated on the way to the lower end of the groove, and the medals may be accumulated at the lower end of the groove. It is difficult to make it.

As a specific means for forming the groove having the above-mentioned shape, for example, a gutter having the above-mentioned shape may be provided on the inner surface side, or the lower half of the inner peripheral surface may have the above-mentioned shape. As long as the groove is formed, a cylindrical shape may be provided as a whole. In addition, a single member is not limited to the one forming the groove, but may be one in which several members are gathered to form the groove.For example, a large number of thin rods may be formed on the end face of the rod. By arranging them so as to form a substantially U-shape, the grooves having the above-described shape may be formed on the side surfaces of the many bars.

The coins arranged by the coin arranging means are configured so that the user can receive the coins in the aligned state. Specifically, for example, in the case of coin aligning means for aligning coins in a groove whose upper surface is open, the coin is kept aligned by exposing the lower end of the groove to a position accessible to the user. You can take it out. Further, in the case of coin alignment means for aligning coins in the cylinder, the side surface of the cylinder or the lower end surface of the cylinder can be opened and closed,
The openable and closable portion may be opened so that coins can be taken out in an aligned state. These coin arranging means may be always provided at a position where the user can reach. However, the coin arranging means is usually located at the first position which is not reachable by the user, and the coin arranging means is normally located at the first position which is not reachable by the user. You may comprise so that it may move to the 2nd position which reaches.

The coin arranging means superimposes a plurality of coins in the thickness direction and arranges them in a line. However, the alignment direction and the thickness direction do not always need to coincide exactly. Although coins overlap in the thickness direction,
When the center positions of the overlapped coins are slightly displaced from each other, the alignment direction is slightly inclined with respect to the thickness direction, but this is also acceptable.

In the coin payout apparatus having the above structure, when coins sent from the coin sending means are inserted into the groove formed by the coin arranging means, the coins are accumulated under their own weight at the lower end of the groove, and a plurality of coins are collected. Coins overlap in the thickness direction and are aligned in one row. Therefore, according to this coin payout device, coins can be paid out in a line, and the paid out coins are not piled up. The number of coins can be easily checked.

Next, in the coin payout apparatus according to the present invention, a part or the whole of the plurality of coins arranged in one line by the coin arranging means is pushed out in a direction orthogonal to the coin thickness direction. And a coin pushing means for moving the coin to a position where the coin can be easily taken out of the coin arranging means.

In this coin payout apparatus, the coin pushing means operates by a force transmitted from a motor or a solenoid or a force applied by a user to push out a coin. When a motor is used as a power source, power is normally transmitted to a member that comes into contact with the coin using a gear mechanism, a belt-pulley mechanism, a chain-sprocket mechanism, or the like. When the solenoid is used as a power source, and when the user operates by hand, various types of link mechanisms are combined to transmit power to a member that comes into contact with the coin.

According to the coin payout device thus configured, in addition to the actions and effects described for the coin payout device according to claim 1, a part or all of a plurality of coins arranged in one row can be used. The coin is pushed out by the coin pushing means in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the coin, and moves to a position that is easier to remove than the alignment position by the coin aligning means, so that the coin can be more easily taken out.
This has the effect.

In particular, if only a part of a plurality of coins is pushed out, a necessary number of coins can be taken out little by little even when a large number of coins are paid out at once, which is convenient. Specifically, for example, in a spinning-type gaming machine (so-called slot machine), three medals are often inserted per game, so that the coin pushing-out means pushes out only three of a plurality of coins. With such a configuration, even if a large number of medals are paid out at once, medals can be taken out one game at a time.

Next, a coin dispensing device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a coin dispensing device, wherein the coin dispensed from the coin dispensing means slides down into a groove formed by the coin arranging means while being laid down. It is characterized by having.

According to this coin payout apparatus, in addition to the functions and effects described for the coin payout apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, the coins sent out from the coin sending means are surely turned over. As a result, the coins are aligned in the groove formed by the coin arranging means, so that, for example, the coin does not stand up in the groove and roll, so that the coins can be more reliably aligned.

Next, a coin dispensing device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is configured to be openable and closable, and to prevent coins accumulated in a groove formed by the coin aligning means from jumping out of the groove when closed. And an opening / closing member which is opened to allow a coin to be taken out from a groove formed by the coin aligning means.

By providing such an opening / closing member, the coin can be easily taken out of the groove only by opening the opening / closing member, and even if the groove formed by the coin alignment means is relatively shallow, the coin can be inserted into the groove. There is an effect that the coin does not jump out when introduced.

The opening and closing member may be configured to be opened and closed by power transmitted from a dedicated driving mechanism, or may be driven by the other movable part as it operates. It may be configured to open and close, and in some cases, may be configured to open and close by the force applied by the user by hand. The other movable part may be not only a part of the coin payout device but also the coin itself. For example, when the coin pushing means as described in claim 2 is adopted, the coin pushing means is pushed. The moving coin may be configured to abut on the opening / closing member and move to a position where it is easier to remove than the alignment position by the coin alignment means while expanding the opening / closing member as it is.

[0025]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to an example. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the present embodiment, the coin payout device 1
Is built into a stand-mounted medal lending machine 2 installed next to the spinning-type gaming machine.

This medal lending machine 2 discriminates the type and authenticity of the bill inserted into the bill insertion slot 3 by a built-in bill validator (not shown). , And those other than the 1,000-yen bill are pushed back to the bill slot 3 and returned. If a 1000-yen bill is accepted, a total of 50 medals will be eventually paid out.
Is operated, and the remaining number of medals to be paid out is displayed on the display 5 when the 1000 yen bill is inserted.

There are three selection switches 4 having different payout numbers of medals, and the payout number can be arbitrarily set in advance by the manager of the medal lending machine 2. For example, one selection switch 4 is 1
For the game (3 cards), another selection switch 4 is half (25
The number of medals to be paid out is set.
Then, when the selection switch 4 is operated, the coin payout apparatus 1 executes a medal payout operation in accordance with the payout number set in each selection switch 4.

Next, the coin payout apparatus 1 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the coin payout apparatus 1 includes a payout hopper 11, a guide guide 15, a regulation guide 17, a medal receiving member 19, a pushing member 21, a coil spring 23, a solenoid 25, a link bar 27, a medal detection. It is provided with a sensor 29 and the like.

Of these, the payout hopper 11
1 while counting the payout medals M stored in the container
This device pays out one by one. In this embodiment, a commercially available product (manufactured by Asahi Seiko Co., Ltd.) is used, but other devices may be used as long as equivalent functions can be realized. The payout hopper 11 is provided with a remaining amount sensor (not shown) that changes the on / off state when the remaining amount of the medals M becomes lower than a certain level. It has become. In the present embodiment, when the remaining amount of medals is insufficient, the medal supply mechanism disposed outside the medal lending machine 2 is operated, and the medals M are automatically supplied to the payout hopper 11. Alternatively, the warning light indicating the insufficient remaining amount may be simply turned on. Note that the payout hopper 11 functions as a coin sending means in the present invention.

The guide 15 has a flat sliding surface 15a extending obliquely downward at an angle of 30 degrees (60 degrees with respect to the horizontal plane) with respect to the vertical line, and is bent downward at the end portion. The regulation guide 17 forms a gap through which the medals pass between the guide guide 15 and the sliding surface 15a, and the medals reaching the end portion of the sliding surface 15a hit the regulation guide 17 and fall downward.

The medal receiving member 19 has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface corresponding to a half circumference whose cross section orthogonal to the axial direction forms a semicircle convex downward, and its axial direction is 30 degrees with respect to the vertical line ( It is arranged at an angle of 60 degrees to the horizontal plane. The opening and closing members 20 are attached to both sides of the medal receiving member 19. The opening / closing member 20 is normally in the closed position shown in FIG. 3 under the force of a spring (not shown), and the space formed between the opening and closing member 20 and the medal receiving member 19 moves the medal M in the thickness direction. It is a space that can be stacked and accommodated. Further, when the pushing member 21 described later pushes the medal M as shown in FIG. 4, the medal M is interrupted between the opening / closing members 20, and the opening / closing member 20 is pushed to the open position. .

The pushing member 21 is normally in the first position shown in FIG. 4 by being pressed by the coil spring 23. On the other hand, when the solenoid 25 is excited, it rotates about the fulcrum 27a. By being pulled by the link bar 27, it is configured to move to the second position shown in FIG. 3 against the pressing force of the coil spring 23.

When the pushing member 21 moves to the second position (see FIG. 3), the upper surface of the pushing member 21 forms the same cylindrical inner peripheral surface as the inner peripheral surface of the medal receiving member 19, and the medal receiving member 19 And the push member 21 form a substantially U-shaped groove. In this state, the medal receiving member 19 and the push-out member 21 function as coin alignment means in the present invention.

The medals M aligned on the pushing member 21
As the pushing member 21 moves to the first position (see FIG. 4), the pushing member 21 is pushed out in a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction of the medal M, and moves to a position where the medal M can be more easily taken out. At this time, the pushing member 21 also functions as a coin pushing means in the present invention.

The medal detection sensor 29 is a sensor for detecting whether or not there is a medal M in a substantially U-shaped groove formed by the medal receiving member 19 and the pushing member 21. As described above, the coin payout apparatus 1 configured as described above operates when the payout of the medal M is instructed from the medal lending machine 2 side.

When the coin payout apparatus 1 is operated, first, the solenoid 25 is excited, and the pushing member 21 moves to the second position. Subsequently, the medals M are sent out one by one from the payout hopper 11, and slide down while lying on the slide-down surface 15a of the guide guide 15. Then, the medal M that has reached the end portion of the guide guide 15 comes into contact with the regulating guide 17, falls downward, and enters a substantially U-shaped groove formed by the medal receiving member 19 and the pushing member 21.

Here, in the present embodiment, the diameter of the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder formed by the medal receiving member 19 and the pushing member 21 is 28 mm, which is 25 mm in diameter of the medal M.
The size is slightly larger than the size. Therefore, the medals M that have entered the substantially U-shaped groove are accumulated from the lower end side of the groove, overlap in the thickness direction, and are aligned in one row.

The payout hopper 11 sets the medal M to 1
The number of medals M is counted by the photo sensor built in the payout hopper 11 and the number of medals M specified by the selection switch 4 is sent out to the payout unit 13. The hopper 11 stops. As a result, the coin payout apparatus 1
The specified number of medals M are paid out, and the medals M are arranged on the push-out member 21.

Finally, the solenoid 25 is demagnetized, whereby the pushing member 21 moves to the first position and moves to a position where the medal M can be easily taken out. At this time, the medal M is interrupted between the opening and closing members 20, so that the opening and closing members 20 are pushed and spread to the open position. When the solenoid 25 is demagnetized, the drive power applied to the solenoid 25 is controlled so as to be gradually reduced so that the medal M does not jump out by the force of the coil spring 23.

As described above, according to the coin payout apparatus 1, the medals M can be paid out in a line.
Since the paid-out medals M are not piled up, the number of paid-out medals M can be easily confirmed as compared with a medal lending machine using a conventional coin payout device.

Also, since the configuration in which the medals M are pushed out to a position where the medals M can be easily taken out by the pushing member 21 is adopted, the medals M can be taken out more easily. For example, a substantially U-shaped groove is formed to prevent the medals M from jumping out. Even if it is deeper than enough, it is not difficult to take out the medal M.

Further, since the medals are laid down and slide down the guide 15 to enter the substantially U-shaped groove, the medals M do not stand up and roll in the grooves, so that the medals M Can be more reliably aligned. In addition, since the opening / closing member 20 is provided, the medal M
Is paid out, the medal M does not jump out of the groove, and when the medal M is pushed out by the pushing member 21, the opening / closing member 20 opens in conjunction with the operation of the medal M. It doesn't interfere with taking out.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention can be embodied in modes other than those described above, and is not limited to the above specific modes. Hereinafter, useful modified examples other than the above will be described. For example, in the coin payout device 1, the solenoid 25 is used as a power source,
Although the pushing member 21 is operated, a motor may be used as a power source. More specifically, a motor and a reduction gear mechanism using a worm gear or the like,
By combining the linear motion conversion mechanism, a power transmission mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor into the reciprocating motion of the pushing member 21 can be configured, and the pushing member 21 may be moved using this. In the coin payout apparatus 1, the pushing member 21 which is normally in the forward position is moved backward by the force of the solenoid 25, and is returned to the forward position by the force of the coil spring 23. On the contrary, the pushing member is always in the retracted position,
When the medal is pushed out, the pushing member may be advanced by the force of a solenoid or a motor, and may return to the retracted position by the force of a spring or the like.

The pushing member is not limited to an electric power source such as the solenoid 25 or a motor, and may be configured to be operated manually. More specifically, for example, as shown in a coin payout device 50 shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the push button 51 and the push button 51 are supported rotatably about a fulcrum 53a, and each connection A link mechanism 53 rotatably connected at points 53b to 53e, and a pushing member 55 are provided. The pressing force applied to the push button 51 is transmitted to the pushing member 55 via the link mechanism 53, The pushing member 55 may be configured to push out the medal M. In the coin payout apparatus 50, the shutter 63 is also configured to operate in conjunction with the push button 51. Specifically, the coin payout apparatus 50 is rotatable around an end of an arm 65 that rotates about a fulcrum 65a. It is attached and moves up and down by the force transmitted from the link mechanism 67 that is moved by being pushed by the push button 51.

In the case of the coin payout apparatus 50, the lower side of the medal is supported by the thumb while pressing the push button 51 with the thumb, and the upper side of the medal is pressed with the index finger or the middle finger to pinch the medal, and the medal is pulled out and taken out as it is. be able to. When the finger is released from the push button 51, the push button 51 returns to the initial position by the action of the coil spring 57, and at the same time, the pushing member 55 retreats, so that the remaining aligned medals M directly fall downward, The preparation for pushing out the next medal M is completed. In addition, the push button as described above can also be adopted when the pushing member is operated by an electric power source, and when the push button is pressed, the switch is turned on, and the push button is pushed by the power from the electric power source. The member may be adapted to operate.

Further, in the coin payout apparatus 1, the medals are arranged in substantially U-shaped grooves. However, as in the coin payout apparatus 50 illustrated in FIG. Even if they are arranged at an angle, they may function as substantially U-shaped grooves. The substantially U-shaped groove in the coin dispensing apparatus 1 aligns the medals so that the thickness direction of the medals coincides with the axial direction of the grooves. However, the coin illustrated in FIG. Like the payout device 50, a medal holding part 61 in which the thickness direction of the medal does not coincide with the axial direction of the groove may be used, and the medals can be aligned even with this.

The coin dispensing apparatus 1 is configured so that the push-out member 21 pushes out all the paid-out medals (the number of coins differs depending on the selection switch 4). As shown in the coin payout apparatus 50 illustrated in FIG. 5, the pushing member 55 may be configured to push out only a part (three in FIG. 5A) of a plurality of aligned medals. In particular, in the case of the coin payout device 50 illustrated in FIG. 5A, the pushing member 55 is in contact with the medal on the surface formed in a step shape, and three coins are shifted in a state where the center position of the medal is slightly shifted. As the medal is pushed out,
It is easier to insert medals into a gaming machine one by one than in a case where three medals are pushed out while being exactly overlapped.

In addition, in the coin payout apparatus 1, the push-out member 21 is provided in order to make it easier to take out medals. However, if the aligned medals can be easily taken out, the push-out member 21 is not particularly provided. It does not matter. In the coin payout apparatus 1, the opening / closing member 20 is provided to prevent the medal from jumping out. However, if measures such as sufficiently increasing the depth of the U-shaped groove are taken, the opening / closing member 20 is omitted. It is also possible. Conversely, the opening / closing member 20
Is provided, medals do not jump out even if the U-shaped groove is shallow, so that the medals can be easily taken out even if the pushing member 21 is omitted.

In the above embodiment, the medal lending machine 2
Although the coin payout device 1 incorporated in the above is exemplified, the same coin payout device 1 can be incorporated in a money changing machine.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a medal lending machine in which a coin payout device exemplified as an embodiment of the present invention is incorporated;
(A) is the front view, (b) is the side view.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an internal structure of the coin payout device.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a coin arranging means of the coin payout apparatus and a partial cross sectional view near an opening / closing member.

FIG. 4 is a view also showing a sectional view showing a coin arranging means of the coin payout apparatus and a partial transverse sectional view near an opening / closing member.

FIG. 5 shows the internal structure of another coin payout device;
(A) is a sectional view showing the same, and (b) is a diagram showing only a link mechanism for operating a shutter.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... coin payout device, 2 ... medal lending machine, 3
..Bill insertion slot, 4 ... Bill return slot, 11 ... Payout hopper, 15 ... Guide guide, 15a ...
Sliding surface, 17: regulation guide, 19: medal receiving member, 20: opening / closing member, 21: pushing member, 23 ...
.Coil springs, 25 ... solenoids, 27 ...
・ Link bar, 29 ... Medal detection sensor.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Yamashita 1374, Danshita, Matsukawado-cho, Kasugai-shi, Aichi Furuya Seiko Co., Ltd.F-term (reference) 2C088 BC74 BC75 BC77 3E001 AA06 AB03 CA03 CA10 DA03 DA05 DA10 FA21 FA34 FA77

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A coin delivery means for delivering coins one by one, and a groove having a substantially U-shaped cross section extending obliquely downward from the upper end to the lower end, and formed into the groove from the coin delivery means. A coin is arranged so that coins to be sent out are inserted, and a plurality of coins which are inserted one by one into the groove and accumulate at the lower end side of the groove by its own weight are arranged in a row in a thickness direction. A coin payout device comprising an alignment means. 2. A method in which a part or all of a plurality of coins aligned in one line by the coin aligning means is pushed out in a direction orthogonal to a thickness direction of the coins, so that the coins are moved from a position aligned by the coin aligning means. The coin dispensing device according to claim 1, further comprising a coin pushing means for moving the coin to a position where the coin can be easily taken out. 3. A sliding surface for sliding coins sent from said coin sending means into a groove formed by said coin aligning means while lying down. Item 3. The coin payout device according to Item 2. 4. The coin arranging means is configured to be openable and closable to prevent the coins accumulated in the groove formed by the coin arranging means from jumping out of the groove when the coin arranging means is closed. 4. An opening / closing member for allowing a coin to be taken out of the groove.
A coin payout device according to any one of the above.