JP2003132394A - Coin separating conveyance device and automatic transaction machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin separating conveyance device and an automatic transaction machine capable of preventing stay of coins and positively separating and conveying the coins one by one even when there is a stay coin in a erected state erecting or rotating leaning against a side wall guide plate by providing a coin toppling function of forcibly toppling the erected coin during conveyance. SOLUTION: The coin separating conveyance device separating and conveying the fed coins one by one is characterized by that it is provided with an inclined conveyance belt carrying the fed coins and feeding them obliquely upward, with at least one side wall guide plate erected along a belt side part of the inclined conveyance belt, and a coin toppling means of toppling erected coins in the side wall guide plate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin separating / conveying device which is internally constructed in, for example, an ATM of a financial institution, and more specifically, a coin separating / conveying device for appropriately eliminating the standing and retaining phenomenon of coins on a belt surface. Equipment and automated teller machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a coin separating / conveying device of this type is
The conveyor belt is provided with the supplied coins on the upper surface of the belt to convey the coins, and the feeding roller that is arranged opposite to the conveyor belt to feed the coins by sandwiching the coins one by one.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 7 (A), the device for separating and feeding the coins by means of the conveyor belt and the feeding roller is arranged so as to increase the separating ability of the coins 71.
It is necessary to incline 2 with respect to the transport direction.

However, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the coin 71 leans on the side wall guide plate 73 while rotating in the forward direction of the belt, which rotates in the feeding direction due to the inclination of the conveyor belt 72, so that the coin 71 rotates. There is a case where a standing stagnant state is generated in which a standing rotation is interposed while standing in a well-balanced position.

For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, the arcuate rear wall 7 is provided at the lower inclined position of the conveyor belt 72 for releasing the standing retention.
4 are provided in a pair, and the conveyor belt 72 is rotated from the normal direction to the reverse direction to switch the conveying direction, whereby the standing coin 71 switches the rotating direction while leaning on the side wall guide plate 73, and based on this, the standing coin 71 is switched. Moves rearward and forcibly contacts the arcuate rear wall 74. As a result, there is known a device that breaks the standing state and prevents the standing coin from accumulating.

[0006]

However, even in such a coin separating / conveying apparatus, as shown in FIG.
(1) A plurality of standing coins 71a, 7 on the conveyor belt 72
In the case where 1b are continuously rotated upright, the standing coins 71 in the transport area up to the arc-shaped rear wall 74 may be rotated even if the transport belt 72 is reversed depending on the transport state at that time.
The a and 71b lean against the side wall guide plate 73 to maintain an inappropriate standing and staying state, which may cause the device to go down.

For example, before the first standing coin 71a falls, it cannot be lifted from the standing state by being sandwiched between the arc-shaped rear wall 74 and the second standing coin 71b. Two
The standing coins after the first one may fall into a state where they cannot come into contact with the arc-shaped rear wall 74, and the retention cannot be released.

(2) In order to get out of such standing standing state, the conveyor belt 72 is operated in the forward and reverse directions, and further tilted at the position of the arc-shaped rear wall 74, and then the tilted coin is again returned to the front side. Since it is necessary to convey the paper in the forward rotation direction, the processing time becomes long.

(3) Even if the conveyor belt 72 is rotated in the normal direction, if a coin is present on the arc-shaped rear wall, the coin hinders tilting and the standing coins 71a and 71b cannot be tilted completely. was there.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when the self-rotating standing coin 71a is conveyed in the reverse direction (moved to the downstream side),
If another coin 71 is already present on the rear wall portion 74a,
The self-rotating standing coin 71a cannot reach the circular arc portion 74b, and the self-standing standing state may not be canceled.

Therefore, according to the present invention, even if a coin in a standing and stagnant state that leans against the side wall guide plate and stands up and rotates is generated,
A coin separating / conveying device and an automatic transaction machine capable of preventing the accumulation of coins and reliably separating and conveying the coins one by one by providing a coin tilting function for forcibly tilting the standing coins during the conveyance. The purpose is to provide.

[0012]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a coin separating / conveying device for separating and conveying the supplied coins one by one, and an inclined conveyor belt on which the supplied coins are placed and fed obliquely upward. And at least one side wall guide plate erected along the belt side portion of the inclined conveyor belt, and a coin tilting means for tilting the standing coin on the side wall guide plate.

Here, the coins are coins that are used in circulation, and other coins that have similar shapes and that are used in games can also be applied.

The inclined conveyor belt may be formed by arranging an inclined flat belt on which coins can be placed and conveyed.

The side wall guide plate may have a height capable of guiding the standing coins on the inclined conveyor belt surface. In this case, a pair of side wall guide plates may be arranged in parallel to both edges of the inclined conveyor belt, or may be arranged only on one side.

The coin tilting means can be constituted by a protruding member protruding from the side wall guide plate.

According to the present invention, even if the coin guided to the surface of the inclined conveyor belt stands up, the standing up coin is tilted by the coin tilting means to eliminate the standing state during the transportation thereof. The coins do not stand up and remain on the surface, whereby coins are laid one by one on the belt surface and fed out in a plane.

As described above, since the standing-up and retention phenomenon of coins can be eliminated, the coins can be reliably conveyed one by one to the subsequent stage, and the jamming of coins due to the standing-up and retention can be prevented in advance, so that the device unexpectedly goes down. There is no fear, the device for handling and processing coins can be stably and reliably operated, and highly reliable operation can be achieved. Further, since the standing and holding state of the coins can be eliminated without the need for the reverse rotation driving operation for switching the conveying direction of the inclined conveying belt, the conveying mechanism can be simplified and the processing time can be shortened.

As an example of the coin tilting means, it can be constructed by only providing a protruding member, and the protruding position is formed so as to protrude above the side wall guide plate which is higher than the center of gravity when the coin stands up. Then, the upper side of the standing coin can be tilted efficiently with the upper side being pushed from the side.

In particular, when the protruding member comes into contact with the flat portion of the standing coin from the side, the direction of the standing coin is changed slightly from the conveying direction and the standing coin is switched to the tilting force of the coin itself. As a result, the standing coin can be tilted quickly and reliably. Further, even if standing coins are continuously generated, the standing posture can be sequentially broken at the position of the protruding member and the coins can be continuously tilted.

Further, when the protruding member is formed by a part of a pyramidal shape or a spherical shape, the apex of the protruding member makes point contact with the coin, so that the standing coin rapidly changes its direction at the time of contact with the standing coin. It becomes easier and the inclination can be promoted.

When a plurality of projecting members are formed so as to project along the carrying direction, the coin can be tilted at a plurality of positions in the carrying direction, and in addition to enhancing the tilting function, the coin can be moved from the upstream side to the downstream side. The tilt area can be set in a wide area up to the side.

When such a coin separating / conveying device is built into an automatic transaction machine such as an ATM, it is possible to prevent the jamming of coins due to standing-up coins and to ensure reliable and stable transaction use.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an ATM installed in a financial institution such as a bank. This ATM 11 has an input device 12 equipped with a CRT and a touch panel for displaying transaction operations to a customer and a passbook insertion slot 13 on the upper front surface of the device body. A card insertion slot 14, a coin deposit / withdrawal slot 15 and a bill deposit / withdrawal slot 16 are provided to allow transactions such as deposit, withdrawal, transfer, passbook entry and balance inquiry.

FIG. 2 shows a coin separating / conveying device 21 which is internally provided in the ATM 11.
The coin separating / conveying device 21 receives a plurality of coins C, which are connected to the inside of the coin deposit / withdrawal port 15 provided on the customer service side of the TM11 and are put into the coin deposit / withdrawal port 15 collectively. It separates the sheets one by one and takes them inward and conveys them.

The coin separating / conveying device 21 described above is provided with coins C ...
An inclined conveyor belt 22 on which the sheet is placed and is delivered obliquely upward, a delivery roller 23 provided on the inclined upper side of the inclined conveyor belt 22, and a rear wall 24 provided on the inclined lower side of the inclined conveyor belt 22. A side wall guide plate 25 that guides the side of the inclined conveyor belt 12 and a small hemispherical protrusion 26 for tilting the coin that protrudes from the side wall guide plate 25 are provided.

The slanted conveyor belt 22 is a flat belt capable of carrying coins C ... on the upper surface of the belt and enhances the performance of separating a plurality of coins received on the upper surface of the belt.
The belt 22 is inclined and arranged in the conveying direction at an inclination angle of, for example, about 15 to 20 so that the feeding side becomes higher.

As a result, even if some of the coins received on the upper surface of the belt are in the upright state, the balance is lost and the upright coins are flatly laid down. Also, the coin
In order to feed the sheets one by one, a feeding roller 23 is provided opposite to the inclined upper side of the inclined conveyor belt 22.

The above-mentioned feeding roller 23 is provided in opposition in the upper conveyance width direction of the inclined conveying belt 22, and one coin C is placed between the upper and lower opposed surfaces of the feeding roller 23 and the inclined conveying belt 22 which are vertically opposed to each other. It has a feeding function for pinching and feeding each sheet in a plane. Further, this feeding roller 2
3 has a role of rotating the inclined conveyor belt 22 in the direction opposite to the normal rotation (feeding direction) to disperse the plurality of coins C ... There is.

The inclined conveyor belt 22 and the feeding roller 23 described above are driven and output by a control signal from a control unit (not shown) of the ATM 11, and driven and output for each coin transaction.

On the other hand, the rear wall 24 provided on the lower inclined side of the inclined conveyor belt 22 is arranged as a straight plate in the conveying width direction on the belt surface as a stopper member for coins. The upper coin C is restricted from moving backward. And, the coins introduced here are the inclined conveyor belt 22.
Is driven to move to the feeding position above the inclination.

Further, the side wall guide plates 25 provided upright along both sides of the inclined conveyor belt 22 in the conveying direction have a height capable of guiding the standing coins on the inclined conveyor belt 22 on the belt surface. A coin receiving port 27 is opened above the side wall guide plate 25, and a hemispherical protrusion 26 and a rib 2 are provided at the lower part.
8 and a detection sensor S are provided.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the above-mentioned hemispherical projection 26 is formed on the inner surface of the side wall guide plate 25 which is located higher than the center of gravity (the circular center of the coin) G when the coin C stands up. Project. By providing this hemispherical protrusion 26,
Even if the coin C guided here leans against the side wall guide plate 25 and is standing up, as shown in FIG. 3B, the upper side of the standing coin C is in a contact corresponding position with the hemispherical protrusion 26. Can be tilted by pushing from the side.

In this case, the standing coin C is surely tilted by the hemispherical projections 26 coming into lateral contact with the flat portion of the standing coin C both during forward rotation and during reverse rotation. be able to.

At this time, since the hemispherical protrusions 26 make contact with each other by pushing the flat portion of the standing coin from the side, even if the hemispherical protrusions 26 move while rotating on the belt surface, the standing coins are contacted at the time of contacting the hemispherical protrusions 26. In C, the direction of rotation changes from the conveying direction to the inward direction, and the conveying direction of the belt and the rotating direction of the coin are different. At this time, the rotating action of the coin itself switches to a tilting force that tilts the coin. As a result, the standing coin C is quickly and surely tilted.

Further, even if standing coins C are continuously formed along the side wall guide plate 25, the standing postures can be successively collapsed at the position of the hemispherical projections 26 and the coins can be continuously tilted. In this case, the hemispherical protrusion 26 is provided with the protrusion amount set to generate the tilting action of the standing coin, and the hemispherical protrusion 2 is further provided.
The surface of 6 has a spherical and smooth projecting surface as a whole, and the spherical surface makes a point contact with the coin, so that the contact resistance with the standing coin is small, and the standing coin C is laterally converted at the time of contact. It will be easier.

When a plurality of hemispherical projections 26 are formed so as to project along the carrying direction, the standing coins can be tilted in a plurality of steps in the carrying direction. It is possible to set the tilt area in a wide area from to the downstream side.

On the entire inner surface of the side wall guide plate 25, a plurality of ribs 28 are formed in the vertical direction so as to project at equal intervals, which serves to prevent sticking of a seal or an adhering substance.

Further, a detection sensor S is provided on the side wall guide plate 25 corresponding to the lower inclined position of the inclined conveyor belt 22, and whether or not a coin exists on the surface of the inclined conveyor belt 22 is detected by the detection sensor S. It has been detected and confirmed.

The coin separating / conveying device 2 thus constructed.
The processing operation of No. 1 will be described below. Now, coin separating and conveying device 2
When a coin C is inserted into the first coin C, the inserted coin C is placed on the upper surface of the inclined conveyor belt 22 and conveyed in the payout direction of the inclined upper part.
Between the feeding roller 23 and the feeding roller 23 facing upward, the overlapping coins are separated and fed one by one.

At this time, even if the coin guided to the surface of the inclined conveyor belt 22 stands up against the side wall guide plate 25, it stands up when it corresponds to the hemispherical protrusion 26 during the movement in the conveying direction. Since the coin is pushed down from the side so as to come into contact with the hemispherical protrusion 26 and the standing state can be canceled, the coin C does not stand up and remain on the surface of the inclined conveyor belt 22 and all the coins can be reliably delivered. .

FIG. 4 shows a coin separating / conveying device 41 of another embodiment. In this coin separating / conveying device 41, the inclined conveying belt 42 and the feeding roller 43 are substantially the same as those of the above-mentioned embodiments. Since the arc-shaped rear wall 44 and the stepped side wall guide plate 45 are different, only different parts will be described.

The above-mentioned arcuate rear wall 44 has, for example, a U-shaped arcuate shape for receiving coins on the belt surface, and by providing this arcuate shape, the orientation of the standing coin C that rotates on its axis in the conveying direction. Is intended to eliminate the standing by giving a direction changing action of changing the direction inward along the arc surface.

Further, the stepped side wall guide plate 45 is one in which the side wall portion is provided in a stepwise manner, and a quadrangular pyramid projection 46 is projectingly provided on the upper surface thereof, and the stepped side wall guide plate 45 is provided so as to be compoundly projected.

Even in the case of such a configuration, the quadrangular pyramid protrusion 46
The coin tilting action by the above-mentioned works, and the tilting action of the standing coin and the retention preventing effect similar to those in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

FIG. 5 shows a coin separating / conveying device 51 of another embodiment. The coin separating / conveying device 51 is replaced with the straight plate-shaped rear wall 24 of the coin separating / conveying device 21 of FIG. The case where the arc-shaped rear wall 52 is used is shown.

In this case, the arcuate rear wall 52 alone cannot provide a sufficient tilting action for the standing coin, but the side wall guide plate 53
Since the coin tilting action is exerted on both the hemispherical protrusions 54 protruding in the direction, a more stable tilting function can be obtained.

FIG. 6 shows a tilting operation in the coin separating and conveying device 51 when standing coins are connected, and for example, two standing coins C, C continuous in the conveying direction are conveyed obliquely along the side wall guide plate 53. Even if the belt 55 moves while rotating on its own, the hemispherical protrusions 54 come into contact with each other during the movement,
At this time, the coin C standing up by contacting so as to press from the side,
The direction of C is changed to inward. Along with this, the standing coins lose their standing posture and are continuously fallen at this position.
Therefore, due to the presence of front and rear standing coins, even if the continuous standing coins are in the tilt regulation state, they can be collapsed and tilted reliably.

As described above, even if the coin guided on the inclined conveyor belt surface is erected, the hemispherical projections can overturn the standing coin to eliminate the standing state during the conveyance, so that the inclined conveyor belt surface can be eliminated. It is possible to prevent coins from standing upright. As a result, there is no possibility that the device will unexpectedly go down, and since the rotation direction of the inclined conveyor belt can be dealt with only in the feeding direction, the standing and staying state can be eliminated without the need for reverse driving of the inclined conveyor belt, and the conveyor mechanism can be simplified. And the processing time can be shortened.

In correspondence with the configuration of the present invention and the configuration of the above-described one embodiment, the coin tilting means and the projection member of the present invention are the hemispherical projections 16 and 44 and the quadrangular pyramid projection 46 of the embodiment. Correspondingly, in the same way as below,
The control means corresponds to the TM11 and corresponds to the control section incorporated in the ATM11, but the present invention can be applied based on the technical idea shown in the claims and is limited to only the configuration of the above-described embodiment. It is not something that will be done.

[0051]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the phenomenon of standing and staying of coins on the inclined conveyor belt surface can be eliminated, the coin
It is possible to reliably convey to the subsequent stage one by one, and prevent the coin jamming due to standing and stagnant, so there is no risk of the device going down unexpectedly, the device can be maintained and operated stably and reliably, and highly reliable operation is possible. Besides, since the reverse rotation of the belt can be omitted, the transport mechanism can be simplified and the processing time can be shortened.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ATM.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of essential parts showing a coin separating and conveying device.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a tilting operation of a standing coin.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of essential parts showing a coin separating and conveying device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a principal part showing a tilting operation of a coin separating and conveying device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a main part showing a tilting operation of continuous standing coins according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a standing coin generation state of a conventional coin separating and conveying device.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a state where standing coins are generated on an arc-shaped rear wall of a conventional coin separating and conveying device.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a standing coin generation state in which a conventional coin separating and conveying device is connected.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a main part showing a standing coin generation state on an arc-shaped rear wall of a conventional coin separating and conveying device.

[Explanation of symbols]

11 ... ATM 21, 41, 51 ... Coin separating and conveying device 22, 42, 55 ... Inclined conveyor belt 25, 45, 53 ... Side wall guide plate 26, 54 ... Hemispherical protrusions 46 ... Square pyramid protrusion C ... coin

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A coin separating / conveying device for separating and conveying the supplied coins one by one, wherein an inclined conveyor belt on which the supplied coins are placed and fed obliquely upward, and a belt of the inclined conveyor belt. A coin separating / conveying device comprising at least one side wall guide plate erected along a side portion and a coin tilting means for tilting a standing coin on the side wall guide plate. 2. A coin separating / conveying device for separating and conveying the supplied coins one by one, wherein an inclined conveyor belt on which the supplied coins are placed and fed obliquely upward, and a belt of the inclined conveyor belt. At least one side wall guide plate erected along the side portion, and a standing coin that leans on the side wall guide plate and rotates by the movement of the inclined conveyor belt, is redirected to the central portion in the width direction of the inclined conveyor belt. A coin separating / conveying device comprising a direction changing means. 3. A feeding roller which is in contact with a belt feeding surface on the upper side of the tilt of the tilted feeding belt for feeding coins between the tilted feeding belt and the feeding roller, and the tilted feeding is performed via the feeding roller. 3. The coin separating / conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for driving the belt in a forward / reverse direction. 4. The coin separating / conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the coin tilting means is constituted by a protruding member protruding toward the belt surface side of the side wall guide plate. 5. The protruding member is formed of a part of a pyramidal shape or a spherical shape, and a protruding surface connecting the coin guide surface of the side wall guide plate and the apex of the protruding member is formed smoothly. The coin separating and conveying device according to claim 4. 6. The coin separating / conveying apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the protrusion member is formed so as to project at an upper position whose apex position is higher than the center of gravity of the standing rotary coin. 7. The coin separating / conveying device according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the projecting members are formed so as to project along the coin carrying direction. 8. An automatic transaction machine comprising the coin separating and conveying apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7.