JP2006285479A - Rolled coin storage - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rolled coin storage for enabling an operator to quickly notice erroneous storage, and to instantaneously make a retry, and for preventing the generation of the abnormality of a balance due to erroneous decision. <P>SOLUTION: When specific rolled coin drawers 11, 12 and 13 are manually pulled-out/pushed in, the presence and denominations of rolled coins stored in the respective storage parts of the drawers are decided by a control unit as a decision means based on the longitudinal displacement of the respective drawers to be specified from the output of a rotary encoder E as a displacement detecting means and the outputs of a diameter sensor S1 and hole sensors S21, S22 and S23 corresponding to the presence of light shielding due to rolled coins, and the denominations of the rolled coins can be decided with the diameters of the rolled coins to be specified based on the longitudinal displacement of the drawers and the output of the diameter sensor S1 and the presence of the central holes of the rolled coins to be specified based on the outputs of the hole sensors, and even when some speed fluctuation is detected in the drawers to be manually pulled out/pushed in, the diameters of the rolled coins can be accurately specified without being affected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  In the present invention, it is possible to manage the amount of bar metal coins by storing the bar metal coins (coins of the same denomination in a certain number of bars and packaging them) in a specific storage unit according to denomination. It relates to a bar storage.

  As the above bar metal storage, there is one described in Patent Document 1, for example. The bar metal storage described in Patent Document 1 sequentially determines the denomination of each bar metal coin stored in the cassette in a state where a cassette storing a plurality of bar metal coins is stored in the storage body. It is configured to. Specifically, an image reading unit (scanner) that moves along the arrangement direction of the bar metal coins stored in the cassette is provided in the storage body. Based on the image read by the scanner, the denomination of each bar metal coin is determined.

When it is determined that a denomination of a denomination different from the denomination that should be originally stored in each cassette (incorrect storage), a warning is displayed on the display screen. ing. Further, based on the warning display, after reinserting the erroneously stored coins in the cassette, the denomination (retry) is performed again by pressing the re-investigation key on the display screen.
JP 2003-337969 A

The above-described conventional bar metal storage has the following problems.
First, the operator must store the cassette containing the bar metal coins in the storage body, and after checking the denomination by moving the scanner as described above, check the display screen for erroneous storage. I must. Also, when performing a retry, the same procedure must be performed by pressing the re-investigation key after re-inserting the erroneously stored coins in the cassette. For this reason, it takes time until the operator notices erroneous storage, and the operation is complicated and the retry cannot be performed immediately. Further, when an erroneous determination occurs due to a detection failure of the scanner or the like, there is a possibility that the amount of stock in the bar storage is abnormal as it is, but no countermeasure is taken into account.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and provides a bar storage box that allows an operator to quickly notice erroneous storage and to immediately retry, and to make an erroneous determination. It aims at providing the bar metal storage which can prevent generation | occurrence | production of the stock balance abnormality by.

  1st invention is attached to a storage main body and this main body so that it can be pulled out manually in a horizontal vertical direction at least between a closed position and a pulled-out position, and a bar metal coin of a specific denomination is 1 each. A bar metal drawer provided with a plurality of bar metal storage parts for storing the axes in the horizontal direction one by one and having a light-transmitting portion extending in the vertical direction over at least a range in which the storage part is provided Displacement detecting means for detecting the longitudinal displacement of the drawer with respect to the main body, and a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit fixed to the main body at positions facing each other with the translucent portion of the drawer vertically interposed therebetween. Each of the drawers based on the bar metal diameter sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the presence or absence of light shielding by the bar metal coin, the displacement of the drawer detected by the displacement detection means, and the output of the diameter sensor. The determination means for determining the presence and denomination of the bar metal coins stored in the storage unit, the position of each storage unit in the drawer, and the correspondence between the denominations of the bar metal coins to be stored in each storage unit Storage means for storing in advance; locking means for performing a locking operation for preventing the drawer from being pulled out from the closed position when the drawer is pushed into the body to push the drawer that has been pulled out from the body; When the drawer is pushed in, there is a storage portion where the denominations determined by the determination means and the denominations stored in the storage means do not match each other for each storage portion of the drawer. And a control means for controlling the locking means so as not to perform the locking operation.

  According to the first aspect, when the drawer is pushed in, the determination means uses the drawer displacement detected by the displacement detection means and the output of the diameter sensor according to the presence or absence of light shielding by the bar metal coin. The presence or absence and denomination of the bar metal coins stored in the part are determined. In that case, the denomination of the bar metal coin can be determined based on the diameter of the bar metal coin specified based on the longitudinal displacement of the drawer and the output of the diameter sensor. In this way, by using the longitudinal displacement of the drawer, it is possible to accurately identify the diameter of the bar metal coin without being affected even if there is some speed fluctuation in the drawer that is pushed in manually. It becomes.

  For this reason, the denomination of the bar metal coins stored in the plurality of storage units can be accurately determined in a short time by simply pushing the bar metal drawer manually. When there is an erroneous storage, the lock means is not locked when the drawer is pushed in, so that the operator who has manually pushed the drawer can notice that there is an erroneous storage. Further, an operator who has noticed erroneous storage can retry by simply pulling out the drawer and reinserting the erroneous storage coin, and then pushing the drawer again. That is, the operator can quickly notice erroneous storage and immediately retry.

  The second invention further comprises display means controlled by the control means in the first invention, and the control means is provided with an operator when there is a storage portion where the compared denominations do not match. The display means is controlled to display a warning for

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main body of the storage and a main body, which is attached to the main body so that it can be pulled out manually in a horizontal vertical direction at least between a closed position and a pulled-out position. A bar metal drawer provided with a plurality of bar metal storage parts for storing the axes in the horizontal direction one by one and having a light-transmitting portion extending in the vertical direction over at least a range in which the storage part is provided A displacement detecting means for outputting a number of pulse signals proportional to the longitudinal displacement of the drawer relative to the main body, and a light emitting unit fixed to the main body at a position facing each other with the translucent part of the drawer vertically And a bar diameter sensor that outputs a signal corresponding to the presence or absence of light shielding by a bar metal coin, a longitudinal displacement of the drawer specified from the output of the displacement detector, and an output of the diameter sensor. Based on the determination means for determining the presence and denomination of the bar metal coins stored in each storage section of the drawer, and when the drawer is pushed into the main body, the drawer that has been pulled out from the main body, A locking means for performing a locking operation to prevent the drawer from being pulled out from the closed position; and a pulse speed which is the number of pulse signals output by the displacement detecting means per unit time when the drawer is pushed in is a predetermined speed. Control means for controlling the locking means so as not to perform the locking operation when the speed limit is exceeded or when the pulse acceleration, which is the rate of time change of the pulse speed, exceeds a predetermined speed limit, It is a bar metal storage characterized by comprising.

  According to the third aspect of the invention, when the drawer is pushed in, based on the longitudinal displacement of the drawer specified from the output of the displacement detecting means and the output of the diameter sensor according to the presence or absence of light shielding by the bar metal coin, the determining means Determines the presence and denomination of the bar metal coins stored in each storage section of the drawer. In that case, the denomination of the bar metal coin can be determined based on the diameter of the bar metal coin specified based on the longitudinal displacement of the drawer and the output of the diameter sensor. In this way, by using the longitudinal displacement of the drawer, it is possible to accurately identify the diameter of the bar metal coin without being affected even if there is some speed fluctuation in the drawer that is pushed in manually. It becomes.

  On the other hand, if the speed of the drawer that is manually pushed in is too high, or if the speed fluctuation (acceleration) is too high, the bar metal coins move in the drawer storage section, or the displacement detection means causes a detection failure. As a result, an erroneous determination may occur. Therefore, when the pulse speed or pulse acceleration corresponding to the speed and acceleration of the drawer exceeds a predetermined speed limit or speed limit, the drawer is manually pushed by being not locked by the locking means when the drawer is pushed. The operator can be made aware that there is a possibility of erroneous determination. Note that an operator who has noticed the possibility of erroneous determination can retry by simply pulling out the drawer and then pushing it again. As a result, it is possible to prevent occurrence of an abnormality in the amount due to erroneous determination.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the control unit further includes a display unit controlled by the control unit, and the control unit is configured such that when the pulse speed exceeds the limit speed, or the pulse acceleration is the limit acceleration. When the value exceeds the value, the display means is controlled to display a warning for the operator.

  Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1-8 is a figure which shows embodiment of the bar metal storage by this invention. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1-8, the structure of the change replenishment management system using the bar metal storage of this embodiment, the specific structure of a bar metal storage, the structure of the coin change machine in the said system, this implementation The effects and modifications of the embodiments will be sequentially described.

[System configuration]
As shown in FIG. 1, the bar storage 1 according to the present embodiment is combined with a coin change machine 3 and a POS register (money registration machine) 5 to constitute a change replenishment management system. As shown in FIG. 2, the bar metal storage 1 of the present embodiment is integrally configured with a coin change machine 3 and adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. Specifically, the main body (housing) 1a of the bar storage 1 and the housing 3a of the coin changer 3 are integrally formed. The POS register 5 is arranged in the vicinity of the coin change machine 3 and the bar storage 1.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bar storage 1, the coin changer 3, and the POS register 5 have control units 16, 36, and 50, respectively. Among them, the control unit 16 of the bar storage 1 is communicatively connected to the control unit 36 of the coin changer 3, and the control unit 36 of the coin changer 3 is communicatively connected to the control unit 50 of the POS register 5.

[Composition of the bar metal storage]
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the bar storage 1 is composed of a storage main body 1 a and three bars attached to the main body 1 a so as to be able to be manually pulled out (in the horizontal vertical direction). It has gold drawers 11, 12, and 13. Each of the bar drawers 11, 12, 13 is provided with a plurality of bar metal storage portions 14 (FIG. 2) capable of storing one bar metal coin of a specific denomination. The storage posture of the bar metal coins in each storage unit 14 is a horizontal posture in which the axis of the bar metal coins is directed in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the drawing direction (vertical direction) of the bar metal drawers 11, 12, 13.

  For example, the upper bar metal drawer 11 is provided with eight storage units 14 for one-yen bar coins and two storage units 14 for five-yen bar metal coins. The middle bar drawer 12 is provided with eight 10-yen coin storage units 14 and two 50-yen coin storage units 14. The lower bar metal drawer 13 is provided with eight storage units 14 for 100 yen bar metal coins and two storage units 14 for 500 yen bar metal coins.

  Further, the bar storage 1 is provided with a detection system 18 (FIG. 1) that outputs a signal for determining the presence and denomination of a bar metal coin for each bar storage part 14 of the bar drawers 11, 12, and 13. I have. Then, the control unit 16 of the bar metal storage 1 determines the presence and denomination of the bar metal coins stored in the storage units 14 of the specific drawers 11, 12, 13 based on the signal output from the detection system 18. It has a function as a determination means for determining. Also, on the front surface of the main body 1a of the bar metal storage 1, the state of FULL (full) / EMPTY (out of stock) etc. of the bar metal coins of each denomination is displayed based on the determination result of the control unit 16 as the determination means. A display panel 1b is provided.

  In the present specification, the bar metal coins taken out from the bar metal drawers 11, 12, 13 of the bar metal storage 1 (usually by cashiers) are referred to as “extracted bar metal coins”.

  FIG. 3 shows a frame F provided inside the main body 1a (FIG. 2) of the bar storage 1. The frame body F holds the bar drawers 11, 12, and 13 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. A light-transmitting portion (opening or transparent portion) 15 is formed at the bottom of each drawer 11, 12, 13 and extends in the vertical direction at the center in the horizontal direction. The translucent portion 15 extends over a range in which the plurality of storage portions 14 (FIG. 2) are provided in each of the drawers 11, 12, and 13, and extends to the vicinity of the front end of the drawer before the frontmost storage portion 14. . As shown in FIG. 5, a rack R extending in the vertical direction is provided on the left side of each drawer 11, 12, 13.

FIG. 4 shows various vertical positions of one drawer 11 on the basis of the front panel 1c (see FIG. 3) of the main body 1a as a representative of the three drawers 11, 12, and 13. In FIG. 4:
(B) is a “closed position” in which the front surface of the drawer 11 is substantially flush with the front panel 1c;
(A) is a “push position” in which the drawer 11 is further pushed in from the closed position, and the front surface of the drawer 11 is slightly retracted from the front panel 1c;
(C) “Detection start / end position” where detection by the detection system 18 (FIG. 1) starts when the drawer 11 is pulled out, and detection by the detection system 18 ends when the drawer 11 is pushed in;
(D) “detection end / start position” in which detection by the detection system 18 ends when the drawer 11 is pulled out, and detection by the detection system 18 starts when the drawer 11 is pushed in;
(E) is a “drawing position” that is pulled out until the bar coins B can be stored / removed from all the storage portions 14 (FIG. 2) of the drawer 11;
Respectively. In FIG. 4, the following bar metal diameter sensor S1 is shown as a representative of the detection system 18 (FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 3, at the front part of the frame F, one bar metal diameter sensor S1 and three bar metal hole sensors S21, S22, S23 are provided. The diameter sensor S1 has a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit fixed to the frame F (main body 1a) at positions facing each other with the light-transmitting portions 15 of the three drawers 11, 12, and 13 sandwiched vertically. The diameter sensor S1 is disposed such that the optical axis passes through the translucent portion 15 in front of the foremost storage portion 14 of each drawer 11, 12, 13 in the closed position (FIG. 4B) ( FIG. 4 and FIG. 5).

  Moreover, each hole sensor S21, S22, S23 is provided corresponding to the drawers 11, 12, 13 respectively. Each of the hole sensors S21, S22, S23 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit fixed to the frame F (main body 1a) at positions facing each other with the corresponding drawers 11, 12, 13 from both sides. Each hole sensor S21, S22, S23 is arrange | positioned so that an optical axis may pass through the height corresponding to the center of the bar metal coin B accommodated in corresponding drawers 11, 12, and 13. FIG.

  A single two-phase rotary encoder E is provided on the left side of the front portion of the frame F at a height substantially corresponding to the upper drawer 11. As shown in FIG. 5, the rotary encoder E has an input shaft e1 extending downward. Three pinions P corresponding to the racks R of the drawers 11, 12, and 13 are fixed to the input shaft e1. The rack R of each drawer 11, 12, 13 and the corresponding pinion P are at least the drawer 11, 12, 13 at the detection start / end position (FIG. 4 (c)) and the detection end / start position (FIG. 4 ( d)) (the position between the closed position (FIG. 4 (b)) and the withdrawal position (FIG. 4 (e)) within the range necessary for determination by the determination means) When the drawers 11, 12, and 13 are in the closed position, they are arranged so as not to mesh with each other.

  Thus, the rotary encoder E is configured to output a number of pulse signals proportional to the longitudinal displacement of the drawers 11, 12, 13. That is, the rotary encoder E, the rack R, and the pinion P described above constitute displacement detection means for detecting the longitudinal displacement of each drawer 11, 12, 13 with respect to the main body 1a.

  In FIG. 6, the relationship between one drawer 11 and the locking means corresponding to the three drawers 11, 12, and 13 is represented by (a) closed position and (b) push-in position of the drawer 11. It is shown. A partition plate 11 a extending in the lateral direction is provided at the rear portion of the drawer 11. A lock plate 17 and a light shielding plate 19 fixed to the drawer 11 are disposed behind the partition plate 11a. Corresponding to these lock plate 17 and light shielding plate 19, a lock arm 20 and a push-in sensor S31 are provided, respectively. The lock arm 20 and the push-in sensor S31 are attached to the frame F shown in FIG. 3 (the main body 1a shown in FIG. 2). The slide member 26 is attached to the frame F so as to be slidable in the vertical direction.

  The push-in sensor S31 has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit facing each other with the light shielding plate 19 in the lateral direction at the closed position of the drawer 11 shown in FIG. The lock arm 20 includes an engagement portion 21 that can be engaged with the front end of the lock plate 17, and a rotation shaft 22 that rotatably attaches the arm 20 to the frame F. A drive device D1 such as a pull solenoid and a return spring 23 are connected to the arm 20. By these drive device D1 and the return spring 23, the arm 20 is locked at a position where the engaging portion 21 can be engaged with the lock plate 17, and a release position where the arm 21 is retracted so that the engaging portion 21 is not engaged with the lock plate 17. And can be rotated between.

  The slide member 26 is connected to a biasing spring 27 that biases the slide member 26 forward (rightward in FIG. 6) with respect to the frame F. In the closed position of the drawer 11 shown in FIG. 6 (a), the front end portion of the slide member 26 comes into contact with the partition plate 11a by the biasing force of the spring 27 to slightly bias the drawer 11 forward. ing.

  When the drawer 11 is manually pushed from the closed position in FIG. 6A to the pushed position in FIG. 6B, the output of the sensor S31 is switched from light shielding to light transmissive due to the backward movement of the light shielding plate 19. In response to this, the driving device D1 rotates the arm 20 to the release position (by control of the control unit 16 shown in FIG. 7). If the force that has pushed the drawer 11 is loosened, the drawer 11 is slightly pulled out of the closed position by the biasing force of the spring 27 (between the closed position and the detection start / end position in FIG. 4C). Advance. Thereby, the drawer 11 can be easily pulled out manually.

  On the other hand, when the drawer 11 that has been drawn out is pushed into the main body 1a at the time of "pushing the drawer", the drawer 11 is pushed into the pushing position shown in FIG. 6B (against the biasing force of the spring 27). The output of the sensor S31 is switched from light transmission to light transmission through light shielding. In response to this, the driving device D1 (spring 23) rotates the arm 20 to the lock position (by control of the control unit 16 shown in FIG. 7). Therefore, when the force that has pushed the drawer 11 is loosened, the engagement portion 21 of the arm 20 engages with the lock plate 17 when the drawer 11 returns to the closed position by the biasing force of the spring 27. In this way, for each of the drawers 11, 12, and 13, a locking unit that performs a “locking operation” for preventing the drawers 11, 12, and 13 from being pulled out from the closed position when the drawer is pushed in is configured.

  Note that the drive device D1 is a solenoid that rotates the arm 20 to the release position only when energized, so that the drive device D1 is always in a locked state that prevents the drawer from being pulled out from the closed position (regardless of whether the drawer is pushed). be able to. Thereby, the security in the state where the store in which the bar metal storage is installed becomes a power failure and the inside of the store becomes dark can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 16 is connected to a bar metal diameter sensor S1, bar metal hole sensors S21, S22, S23 and a rotary encoder E that constitute the detection system 18 (see FIG. 3). The control unit 16 is connected to driving devices D1, D2, D3 and push sensors S31, S32, S33 corresponding to the drawers 11, 12, 13 (see FIG. 6). In addition, a display panel 1b (see FIG. 2), a memory (storage means) M, and a communication interface T are connected to the control unit 16. The memory M stores in advance the correspondence between the positions of the storage units 14 and the denominations of the bar metal coins to be stored in the storage units 14 in all the drawers 11, 12, and 13. The communication interface T is used for communication connection between the control unit 36 and the control unit 16 of the coin changer 3 (FIG. 1).

  Based on the longitudinal displacement of any one of the drawers 11, 12, and 13 specified from the output of the rotary encoder E and the output of the bar metal diameter sensor S1, the control unit 16 controls the storage unit 14 of the drawer. It has a function as a determination means for determining the presence and denomination of the stored bar metal coin.

  Specifically, when the bar drawer is manually pulled out / pushed into the storage body 1a, the rotary encoder E, the diameter sensor S1, and the hole sensors S21, S22, S23 corresponding to the drawer are respectively shown in FIG. Signals 70, 72 and 74 as shown in FIG. Among these output signals, the pulse signal 70 of the rotary encoder E causes the longitudinal displacement of the drawers 11, 12, 13 (each storage portion 14) with respect to the main body 1a, and therefore with respect to the sensors S1; S21, S22, S23. Identified. Further, by the signals 72; 74 of each sensor S1; S21, S22, S23, light transmission / light-shielding by the radial outer edge and inner edge of each bar metal coin (only the outer edge in the case of other than perforated coins of 5 yen and 50 yen) The transition of (the presence or absence of light shielding) is specified.

  Thereby, it is possible to specify not only the presence / absence of a bar metal coin but also the diameter of the bar metal coin stored and the presence / absence of the center hole for each storage part 14 of a specific bar metal drawer 11, 12, 13 It becomes. Based on this, the control unit 16 can determine whether or not the bar metal coins present in each storage unit 14 are the denominations of the money types that should be stored.

  In addition, when the drawer is pushed in any one of the drawers 11, 12, and 13, the control unit 16 determines the denomination of the determined bar metal coin and the money stored in the memory M for each storage unit 14 of the drawer. Contrast with species. The control unit 16 controls the locking means (in this case, the driving devices D1, D2, and D3) so as not to perform the locking operation when there is a storage portion 14 in which the denominations that are compared do not match. It has a function as a first control means.

  Here, when the drawers 11, 12, 13 are pushed in, the number of pulse signals 70 output by the rotary encoder E per unit time is defined as “pulse speed”, and the time change rate of the pulse speed is defined as “pulse It is defined as “acceleration”. Specifically, for example, by using timer interrupt processing, a value obtained by dividing the number of pulse signals 70 in a certain time interval Δt by the time interval Δt is defined as “pulse speed”, and two adjacent time intervals Δt are A value obtained by dividing the difference between the pulse velocities by the time interval Δt can be approximately used as “pulse acceleration”. Then, when the pulse speed exceeds a predetermined limit speed, or when the pulse acceleration exceeds a predetermined limit acceleration, the control unit 16 locks the drive means (drive devices D1, D2) so as not to perform the locking operation. , D3) as a second control means for controlling D3).

  Furthermore, when the control unit 16 controls the locking means so as not to perform the locking operation as the first or second control means, at the same time, the display panel (display means) 1b displays a warning for the operator. It has the function as the 3rd control means which controls. As a warning display in that case, for example, a display method of blinking a display lamp corresponding to the drawer (faster than normal blinking) can be considered.

[Configuration of coin change machine]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the coin change machine 3 includes an insertion port 30, a payout port 34, and a display / operation panel 3b (FIG. 2) formed on the front side of the housing 3a. As shown in FIG. 1, the coin change machine 3 includes an identification unit 31, a selection unit 32, and a denomination storage unit 33. The identification means 31 is configured to identify the denomination and number of loose coins inserted into the insertion slot 30. The sorting means 32 is configured to sort the loose coins identified by the identifying means 31 for each denomination. The denomination storage unit 33 is configured to store the loose coins sorted by the sorting unit 32 in denominations.

  And this coin change machine 3 is comprised so that the rose coin accommodated in the money classification accommodating part 33 may be thrown out to the payout outlet 34 as needed, such as payment of change. In addition, as the rose coins to be inserted into the insertion slot 30, in addition to coins replenished for change (typically, rose coins obtained by unwrapping the withdrawal bar metal coins), the deposit received from the customer Although coins are also included, they are stored in the denomination storage unit 33 without being particularly distinguished and used as change.

  A determination result is transmitted from the control unit 16 of the bar storage 1 to the control unit 36 of the coin changer 3. The control unit 36 receives the denomination and number of the rose coins identified by the identification means 31 when the rose coins obtained by unwrapping the take-out bar coins are inserted into the insertion slot 30, and It has a function of comparing the denomination and the number of the extracted bar coins based on the determination result and managing the correspondence between them.

  For example, the denomination and number of rose coins do not correspond to the denomination and number of extracted bar coins (the same denomination, the total number of rose coins is the number of coins per bar metal coin (usually 50 If it is determined that it does not match (number of sheets) × number of sheets), a measure such as setting a flag in the log data of the change replenishment management system is taken. Thereby, the correspondence between the taken-out bar metal coin and the rose coin replenished for change can be managed accurately. Instead of the control unit 36 of the coin changer 3, the control unit 50 of the POS register 5 may have a function of managing such a correspondence relationship.

  In terms of the relationship with the lock means (FIG. 6) of the bar storage 1, it is preferable that the control units 36 and 16 perform the following control from the viewpoint of preventing fraud. That is, as long as there are a sufficient amount of coins for all denominations in the storage unit 33 of the coin changer 3, the drawer 1 is always withdrawn from the closed position of the drawer (regardless of the above control). Maintain the locked state to prevent. Thereby, the drawer of the bar metal storage 1 can be pulled out only when it is necessary to replenish coins from the bar metal storage 1 to the coin change machine 3.

[Function and effect]
Next, the effect of the bar metal storage of this embodiment comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.
According to the bar storage 1 of the present embodiment, when the specific bar drawers 11, 12, 13 are manually pulled out / pushed into the main body 1a, the specifics are determined from the output of the rotary encoder E as the displacement detecting means. Control unit 16 as a determination means based on the longitudinal displacement of the drawers 11, 12, 13 and the outputs of the diameter sensor S 1 and the hole sensors S 21, S 22, S 23 according to the presence or absence of light shielding by the bar Determines the presence and denomination of the bar metal coins stored in the storage units 14 of the drawer. In that case, the denomination of the bar metal coin is specified based on the diameter of the bar metal coin specified based on the longitudinal displacement of the drawer and the output of the diameter sensor S1, and the output of the hole sensors S21, S22, S23. It can be determined based on the presence or absence of the center hole of the bar metal coin to be made. In this way, by using the longitudinal displacement of each drawer 11, 12, 13, even if there is some speed fluctuation in the drawer that is pulled out / pushed manually, It becomes possible to specify the diameter accurately.

  For this reason, it is possible to accurately determine the denominations of the bar metal coins stored in the plurality of storage units 14 of the drawer by simply pressing the specific bar metal drawers 11, 12, and 13 in a short time. Management can be performed. Further, a mechanism for moving the sensor at a constant speed as in the prior art is not required. For this reason, cost reduction of a bar metal storage can be aimed at. Further, the vertical displacements of the plurality of drawers 11, 12, 13 can be detected by a single rotary encoder E, respectively. For this reason, the cost of a displacement detection means can be reduced, and also the further cost reduction of a bar metal storage can be aimed at.

  Further, if it is determined that a bar metal coin of a denomination different from the denomination to be originally stored is stored in one of the storage units 14 of the drawers 11, 12, 13 (incorrect storage), the drawer The lock means is not locked when pushed. For this reason, the operator who has manually pushed in the drawers 11, 12, 13 can be made aware that there has been an erroneous storage. Further, an operator who has noticed erroneous storage can perform another denomination (retry) simply by pulling out the drawers 11, 12, 13 and reinserting the erroneous storage coins, and then pushing the drawer again. That is, the operator can quickly notice erroneous storage and immediately retry.

  On the other hand, if the speed of the drawers 11, 12, and 13 that are manually pushed in is too large, or if the speed fluctuation (acceleration) is too large, the bar metal coins move in the drawer storage section 14, or the displacement is detected. There is a possibility that the rotary encoder E as a means may cause a detection failure and cause an erroneous determination. Therefore, when the pulse speed or pulse acceleration corresponding to the speed and acceleration of the drawers 11, 12, and 13 exceeds a predetermined speed limit or speed limit, the lock means is not locked when the drawer is pushed. For this reason, the operator who has manually pushed in the drawers 11, 12, and 13 can be made aware that there is a possibility of erroneous determination. An operator who notices the possibility of erroneous determination can retry by simply pulling out the drawers 11, 12, and 13 and then pressing them again. As a result, it is possible to prevent occurrence of an abnormality in the amount due to erroneous determination.

  Further, when the locking means is controlled so as not to perform the locking operation as described above, a warning is displayed on the display panel 1b at the same time, and the possibility of erroneous storage or erroneous determination is also appealed to the operator's vision. Therefore, it is possible to prompt the retry more reliably.

[Modification]
(1) Although the case where the control unit 16 of the bar storage 1 has the function as the determination means has been described, instead of this, the control unit 36 of the coin changer 3 or the control unit 50 of the POS register 5 It can also be configured to have a function as the determination means.
(2) The case where each drawer 11, 12, 13 can be pulled out between the pushing position (FIG. 4 (a)) and the drawing position (FIG. 4 (e)) with respect to the main body 1a has been described. However, it is not limited to this. That is, when the lock means is configured to operate at the closed position of each drawer 11, 12, 13 (FIG. 4B), each drawer 11, 12, 13 is in the closed position (FIG. 4). It is sufficient that the drawer can be freely drawn between (b)) and the drawing position.
(3) Although the case where the locking means (FIG. 6) operates based on the outputs of the optical sensors S31, S32, S33 has been described, it operates based on electrical detection other than optical or mechanical detection. You may do it.
(4) The case where each pinion P is fixed to the input shaft e1 of the rotary encoder E has been described, but each pinion P may not be fixed to this as long as it rotates in conjunction with the input shaft e1. . For example, another gear or shaft may be interposed between each pinion P and the input shaft e1.
(5) When the perforated coins are not included in the bar metal coins to be handled, or the diameter difference of the bar metal coins is sufficiently large between the denominations, and the denomination is sufficiently determined only by the output of the bar metal diameter sensor S1. If possible, the rod hole sensors S21, S22, S23 may be omitted.

The block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the bar metal storage by this invention in the state integrated in the change replenishment management system. The perspective view which shows the bar metal storage and coin change machine of the system shown in FIG. The (a) upper side perspective view and (b) lower side perspective view which show the internal structure of the bar metal storage shown in FIG. The displacement of one bar drawer in the bar storage shown in FIG. 2 is expressed as (a) push-in position, (b) closed position, (c) detection start / end position, (d) detection end / start position, (e ) The schematic diagram shown in each position of the drawer position. The side view which shows typically the relationship between each metal-bar drawer and the displacement detection means in the metal-bar storage shown in FIG. The top view which shows the relationship between one bar metal drawer and the corresponding locking means in the bar metal storage shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the control system of the bar metal storage shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example of the output signal of the encoder and sensor shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 Bar storage 1a Body 1b Display panel (display means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1c Front panel 11, 12, 13 Bar metal drawer 14 Bar metal accommodating part 15 Light transmission part 16 Control unit (determination means / control means)
17 Lock plate (locking means)
19 Shading plate 20 Lock arm (locking means)
23 Return spring (locking means)
26 Slide member 27 Biasing spring E Rotary encoder (displacement detection means)
e1 Input shaft R Rack (displacement detection means)
P pinion (displacement detection means)
S1 Bar diameter sensor S21, S22, S23 Bar hole sensor S31, S32, S33 Push-in sensor D1, D2, D3 Driving device (locking means)
M memory (memory means)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Coin change machine 3a Case 30 Slot 31 Identification means 32 Sorting means 33 Money-type storage part 34 Outlet 36 Control unit 5 Cash register 50 Control unit

Claims (4)

The storage body,
It is attached to this body so that it can be pulled out manually in at least a horizontal vertical direction between at least a closed position and a pulled-out position, and stores one bar metal coin of a specific denomination one by one with its axis line directed laterally. And a plurality of bar metal storage parts for forming a bar metal drawer formed with a translucent portion extending in the longitudinal direction over at least a range in which the storage part is provided,
A displacement detecting means for detecting a longitudinal displacement of the drawer relative to the main body;
A bar diameter sensor that has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit fixed to the main body at positions facing each other across the translucent part of the drawer, and outputs a signal corresponding to the presence or absence of light shielding by a bar metal coin; ,
Determination means for determining the presence and denomination of a bar metal coin stored in each storage section of the drawer, based on the displacement of the drawer detected by the displacement detection means and the output of the diameter sensor;
Storage means for storing in advance a correspondence relationship between the position of each storage unit in the drawer and the denomination of the bar metal coin to be stored in each storage unit;
Locking means for performing a locking operation to prevent the drawer from being pulled out from the closed position when the drawer is pushed into the body to push the drawer that has been pulled out from the body;
When the drawer is pushed in, for each storage part of the drawer, a storage part in which the denomination determined by the determination means and the denomination stored in the storage means are compared and the compared denominations do not coincide with each other. If there is, control means for controlling the locking means so as not to perform the locking operation;
A bar storage room characterized by comprising: It further comprises display means controlled by the control means,
2. The bar according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display a warning to an operator when there is a storage unit in which the compared denominations do not match each other. Storage. The storage body,
It is attached to this body so that it can be pulled out manually in at least a horizontal vertical direction between at least a closed position and a pulled-out position, and stores one bar metal coin of a specific denomination one by one with its axis line directed laterally. And a plurality of bar metal storage parts for forming a bar metal drawer formed with a translucent portion extending in the longitudinal direction over at least a range in which the storage part is provided,
Displacement detection means for outputting a number of pulse signals proportional to the longitudinal displacement of the drawer relative to the body;
A bar diameter sensor that has a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit fixed to the main body at positions facing each other across the translucent part of the drawer, and outputs a signal corresponding to the presence or absence of light shielding by a bar metal coin; ,
Determination means for determining the presence and denomination of a bar metal coin stored in each storage section of the drawer based on the longitudinal displacement of the drawer specified from the output of the displacement detection means and the output of the diameter sensor. When,
Locking means for performing a locking operation for preventing the drawer from being pulled out from the closed position when the drawer is pushed into the body to push the drawer that has been pulled out from the body;
When the drawer is pushed, when the pulse speed, which is the number of pulse signals output from the displacement detection means per unit time, exceeds a predetermined limit speed, or the pulse acceleration, which is the rate of change of the pulse speed with time, is a predetermined value. Control means for controlling the locking means so as not to perform the locking operation when a limit acceleration is exceeded;
A bar storage room characterized by comprising: It further comprises display means controlled by the control means,
The control means controls the display means to display a warning to an operator when the pulse speed exceeds the speed limit or when the pulse acceleration exceeds the speed limit. The bar storage box according to claim 3.

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