JP2008065598A - Coin processing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate cleaning operation of a conveying belt by a full-time maintenance engineer, to reduce rejection of coins caused by the soiled conveying belt, and to reduce the frequency of conveying errors caused by reduction of grip force, in a coin processing machine which recognizes and processes coins conveyed in contact with the conveying belt. <P>SOLUTION: The coin processing machine recognizes and processes coins 12 conveyed in contact with the conveying belt 8. The machine includes a soil detecting means for detecting the soiling of the conveying belt 8 except the recognition operation, and a cleaning means for cleaning the conveying belt 8. When the soiling is detected by the soil detecting means, the cleaning means works. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin processing machine that performs deposit / withdrawal processing of coins.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 10 as the configuration of the depositing unit, this type of coin handling machine separates the inserted coins 12 one by one and takes them into the coin handling machine, and a coin depositing slot. 4 comprises a transport path 5 for transporting the coins 12 fed from 4 to the sorting holes 11 for each denomination.

  And in the conveyance path 5, the recognition belt | band | zone 8 which conveys the coin 12, the recognition part 9 which performs the authenticity determination whether it is a regular coin by the material and shape of a coin, and the denomination determination which discriminates a denomination. A reject hole 14 for rejecting a coin 12 that is determined not to be a genuine coin by true / false determination, a reject portion (not shown) for storing the reject coin, and an outer diameter of each coin that has normally passed through the recognition portion 9 The sorting holes 11 for dropping into the storage for each denomination using the difference are arranged in the order of the denominations having the smallest diameter.

  A conveyance monitoring sensor 17 for monitoring the conveyance of the coins 12 is arranged in the vicinity of each sorting hole 11, and the conveyance of the coins 12 is guided by the width adjusting guide 15. Further, a storage (not shown) for storing the coins 12 that have fallen from the sorting hole 11 for each denomination is provided.

  The conveyance monitoring sensor 17 is a sensor for detecting the arrival of the conveyed coins, and measures the time for switching from OFF to ON to monitor whether the conveyance between the sensors is normally performed.

  The coin 12 fed out from the coin deposit port 4 with the above configuration is guided by the width adjusting guide 15, performs authenticity determination and denomination determination at the recognition unit 9, and when it is not a regular coin, from the reject hole 14 On the other hand, coins determined as regular coins are dropped from the selection hole 11 corresponding to the size of each denomination of the coin 12 while being monitored for conveyance by the conveyance monitoring sensor 17 and denominated (not shown) It is designed to be stored in the storage.

JP-A-2005-284459

  However, in the conventional coin processing machine, when dirt is attached to the conveyor belt 8 of the depositing unit, the dirt is reflected in the A / D converted scanning data used for authenticity determination of the recognition unit 9 and the determination is adversely affected. There is a problem that the determination accuracy is lowered and the rejection rate is increased. Further, the contamination of the conveyor belt 8 may reduce the gripping force of the conveyor belt 8, change the conveyance speed, and may cause a conveyance error by the coin conveyance monitoring sensor.

  In order to prevent these, it is necessary to periodically clean the conveyor belt 8. However, the depositing unit is composed of a mechanism that performs highly accurate authenticity determination, denomination determination, and the like. It had to be done by trained professional maintenance personnel. For this reason, there has been a problem that maintenance costs increase. In addition, it was impossible to know when to clean, and it was impossible to perform timely cleaning.

  The present invention employs the following means in order to solve the aforementioned problems. That is, according to the present invention, in a coin processing machine that recognizes and processes coins that are brought into contact with the conveyance belt, the contamination detection unit that detects the contamination of the conveyance belt at a time other than during the recognition operation, and the conveyance belt A cleaning means for cleaning is provided, and when the dirt detection means detects the dirt, the cleaning means is operated.

  According to the coin processing machine of the present invention, in the coin processing machine for recognizing and processing the coins that are brought into contact with the transport belt, the dirt detection means for detecting the dirt on the transport belt at a time other than during the recognition operation, Cleaning means for cleaning the conveyor belt is provided, and when the dirt detecting means detects the dirt, the cleaning means is operated, so that maintenance by the maintenance staff is minimized and the conveyor belt is stained. It is possible to reduce the frequency of deposit rejection and conveyance errors.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the element common to drawing.

(Constitution)
The configuration of the coin processing machine of the embodiment will be described with reference to the overall configuration of the POS register and the overall configuration diagram of the coin processing machine of FIGS. 3 and 4, and the side view and top view of the coin processing machine of FIGS. .

  In general, the POS register is provided with a coin processing machine 1 and a banknote processing machine 2 as shown in an external perspective view of FIG. 3, and the coin processing machine 1 receives a coin deposit port 4 into which a coin received from a customer is inserted. A withdrawal port 33 for paying out coins to be paid as change to the customer, and a reject unit 19 for storing coins determined to be unacceptable are provided.

  On the other hand, the banknote processing machine 2 collects and stores banknotes stored in the banknote processing machine 2, which deposits banknotes received from customers or pays out banknotes to be paid to the customers as banknotes. A collection cassette unit 35 is provided.

  The POS register 3 includes an operation panel 30 provided with keys for inputting instructions for collecting and replenishing coins of the coin processor 1 and banknotes in the banknote processor 2, and the contents inputted by the store clerk and the state of the apparatus. Operation display units 31 and 32 for displaying are provided.

  As the internal configuration of the coin processor 1, as shown in the top view in FIG. 4, a coin deposit port 4 for depositing a received coin received from a customer, and a denomination for transporting the deposited coin and selecting a denomination. Conveyance path 5 which is a sorting mechanism, a denomination storage 6 for storing deposited coins in denominations and withdrawing in accordance with a withdrawal instruction, and a withdrawal transport for transporting coins withdrawn from denomination storage 6 It has the part 7 and the withdrawal port 33 which discharge | releases a withdrawal coin.

  A recognition unit 9 is provided at the entrance of the conveyance path 5 to detect the authenticity and denomination of coins by detecting the shape (external shape, outer diameter, presence / absence of holes, etc.) and material. In addition, a denomination sorting hole 11 is formed on the conveyance surface 18 of the conveyance path 5 and is a hole slightly larger than the outer shape (outer diameter) of each denomination coin. Sorting holes 11 for 50 yen, 5 yen, 100 yen, 10 yen, and 500 yen are arranged in order in the transport direction. Further, a transport monitoring sensor 17 for monitoring the transport of coins is provided in front of each sorting hole 11.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the recognition unit 9 includes a denomination determination unit 9 a that performs authenticity determination and denomination determination, and a contamination detection unit 9 b that detects contamination of the conveyance belt 8. Its output is connected.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the depositing unit of the coin processing machine 1 is held by pulleys 8 a to 8 c and is rotated in the direction of arrow A by a driving unit (not shown) to convey the belt 12 while holding the coin 12. Is provided. Further, for example, a cleaning roller 3 is provided that is movable in the direction of arrow C in the figure by driving the actuator 16 and rotates slowly in the direction of arrow D as compared with the driving speed of the conveyor belt 8 to clean the surface of the conveyor belt 8. Yes.

  The cleaning roller 3 may be a mechanism that uses a link instead of a mechanism that directly drives the actuator 16, or the cleaning roller 3 may not be formed in a roller shape, and a sheet-shaped cleaning material may be brought into contact with the transport belt 8. Of course.

  Next, the configuration of the control system of the coin processor 1 will be described with reference to the control system block diagram of FIG. The control system of the coin processor 1 recognizes the optical sensor group 40 (not shown) for controlling conveyance such as coin dispensing conveyance, the above-described conveyance monitoring sensor 17, and the coin authenticity determination and denomination identification. The unit 9 is connected as an input to the control unit 20, and the actuator 16 and the motor drive unit 23, which is a drive source for the transport system, are connected as an output. In addition, a storage unit 21 is provided that stores a conveyance state and a control state of the coins 12 or a threshold value Ta for detecting dirt described in detail later, and is connected to the control unit 20.

(Operation)
With the above configuration, the coin processor 1 of the embodiment operates as follows. This operation will be described below with reference to the operation flowchart of FIG. 7, the operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 8, and the contamination detection operation of FIG. In addition, since it is the same as that of the operation | movement of a general coin processing machine other than the coin deposit operation | movement of a coin processing machine, the description is abbreviate | omitted for simplification.

  First, the control unit 20 displays a transaction type selection screen on the operation display unit 31 or 32 of the POS register 3 (step S11). When a coin deposit transaction is selected by the operation panel 30 (step S12), the deposit is made. The coin 12 is fed out from the coin deposit slot 4, is transported to the transport path 5 by the transport belt 8, and is guided by the width adjusting guide 15, while the authenticator 9 performs the authenticity determination and the denomination determination of the coin (step S16). ).

  If it is determined in step S16 that it is not a regular coin due to dirt or the like or if the denomination cannot be determined (step S17), it is recognized as a rejection and dropped from the reject hole 14 (step S18).

  On the other hand, when it is determined as a regular coin by the recognition unit 9 in step S16 and the denomination is normally performed, since it is not a forged coin, it is conveyed to each denomination sorting hole without falling into the reject hole 14. Then, it is dropped from the sorting hole 11 having the corresponding hole diameter (step S19). That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the coin 12 a brought into the width adjusting guide 15 enters the sorting hole 11 having a diameter corresponding to the denomination, and the coin 12 falls as indicated by an arrow E in the figure. And stored in the denomination storage 6 according to the denomination.

  On the other hand, when a coin deposit transaction is not selected in step S12, a stain detection process for the conveyor belt 8 is performed (step S13). As shown in FIG. 9, for example, the stain detection process is performed by observing an output voltage corresponding to the amount of light received by the recognition unit 9 as a recognition unit output, obtaining a binarized output with a predetermined threshold Va, Observation is performed by the control unit 20.

  For example, when the output voltage exceeds the threshold value Va for a relatively long time as indicated by a in the figure, it is determined that the conveyor belt 8 is dirty and needs to be cleaned. In addition, when the time exceeding the threshold value Va is relatively short as shown in part b in the figure, it is determined that dust, foreign matter, etc. are adhered and the transport path is dirty, and guidance is given to that effect to maintenance personnel. Notice.

  Note that the recognition unit output waveform in FIG. 9 shows an example in which the transport belt 8 is black, but when the transport belt 8 is white, the output voltage of the recognition unit 9 is normal when the transport belt 8 is white. Since the output voltage of the recognition unit 9 decreases when the level becomes higher and dirt, dust, or foreign matter occurs, the threshold value Va should be set in consideration of this.

  Returning to the flowchart again, when the control unit 20 determines that the conveyor belt 8 is dirty for a relatively long time by exceeding the threshold value Va by the above-described stain detection process (step S14), FIG. In this way, the actuator 16 is driven, the cleaning roller 3 that rotates slowly in the direction D compared with the conveying speed of the conveying belt 8 is brought into contact with the conveying belt 8, and the surface of the conveying belt 8 is cleaned for a predetermined time (step) S15). And it returns to the waiting screen of the coin deposit process of step S12.

  If the contamination of the conveyor belt is continuously detected in step S14 and the contamination is not removed even after repeated cleaning of the conveyor belt 8, the conveyor belt 8 is scratched or discolored and the conveyor belt 8 is replaced. It is determined that the time has come, guidance is given to that effect, and maintenance personnel are notified.

(Effect of Example)
As described above, according to the coin processing machine of the embodiment, the denomination determining unit that determines the authenticity and denomination of the coin, and the conveyor belt that conveys the coins when the denomination determining unit is not in operation. A recognition unit having a dirt detecting means for detecting dirt and a cleaning means for cleaning the transport belt are provided, and when the dirt is detected by the dirt detecting means, the cleaning means is operated. Maintenance by personnel can be minimized, and the frequency of deposit rejection and conveyance errors due to contamination of the conveyor belt can be reduced.

<< Other modifications >>
In the above description of the embodiment, Japanese coins have been described as an example. However, the present invention can be easily applied to a coin processor that handles foreign coins or a coin processor that handles them as a mixture.

  In the above description of the embodiment, the cleaning roller 3 is driven to perform cleaning. However, although the maintenance cost is high, guidance is given to that effect so that the maintenance belt is cleaned. However, it is possible to reduce the frequency of recognition rejection and conveyance error due to contamination of the conveyor belt 8.

  In the above description of the embodiment, the timing for driving the cleaning roller 3 was not described. However, the transport time of the transport belt 8 from the position of the recognition unit 9 to the arrangement position of the cleaning roller 3 is obtained in advance, If the cleaning roller 3 is driven after the conveyance time has elapsed since the detection of dirt, the conveyance belt 8 can be more efficiently cleaned.

  In the above description of the embodiment, it has been described that the contamination of the conveyance belt 8 is detected using the output of the recognition unit 9. However, although it is somewhat expensive, an optical sensor or the like is provided separately to A detection unit for detecting the state may be provided, and the contamination of the conveyor belt 8 may be detected using the output of the detection unit.

  Further, in the above description of the embodiment, it has been described that the conveyance belt 8 of the depositing unit is detected and cleaned, but this can also be applied to the conveyance belt of the dispensing conveyance unit 7. In this case, it is possible to reduce the frequency of conveyance errors due to a decrease in grip force at the time of withdrawal.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely used in a coin processing machine that performs deposit / withdrawal processing of coins.

It is a block diagram (side view) of the deposit part of the coin processing machine of an Example. It is a block diagram (top view) of the deposit part of the coin processing machine of an Example. It is an external perspective view of a POS register. It is a top view (top view) of a coin processor. It is a block diagram (top view) of the deposit part of the coin processing machine of an Example. It is a control system block diagram of the coin processing machine of an Example. It is an operation | movement flowchart of the coin processing machine of an Example. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing (side view) of the coin processing machine of an Example. It is explanatory drawing of the contamination detection operation | movement of a conveyance belt. It is a block diagram (top view) of the deposit part of the conventional coin processing machine.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coin processing machine 3 Cleaning roller 4 Coin inlet 5 Conveyance path 6 Money storage box 7 Withdrawal conveyance part 8 Conveyance belt 9 Recognition part 11 Money classification selection hole 12, 12a Coin 15 Alignment guide 16 Actuator 17 Conveyance monitoring sensor 20 Control unit 30 Operation panel 31, 32 Operation display unit

Claims (5)

A coin processing machine that recognizes and processes coins that are transported in contact with a transport belt,
A dirt detecting means for detecting dirt on the conveyor belt at a time other than the recognition operation;
A cleaning means for cleaning the conveyor belt;
The coin processing machine, wherein when the dirt is detected by the dirt detecting means, the cleaning means is operated.   The contamination detection unit includes a determination threshold value for determining the amount of light from the conveyance belt, and detects contamination of the conveyance belt based on a time when the light amount exceeds the determination threshold value. The coin processing machine according to 1.   3. The contamination detection unit according to claim 1, wherein when the time exceeding the determination threshold is equal to or less than a predetermined time, guidance is provided that the conveyance path needs to be cleaned. Coin handling machine.   4. The dirt detecting unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the stain detection is repeated even after the operation of the cleaning unit, guidance is provided that the conveyor belt needs to be replaced. Coin handling machine.   The coin processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cleaning means makes a cleaning roller or a cleaning sheet abut on the conveyor belt.

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