JP2010218505A - Coin hopper - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin hopper which surely outputs a coin detection signal each time a coin is output by one at a time even when a second guide is improperly moved. <P>SOLUTION: A rotary body 252 which is driven and connected to a rotary disk and rotates by a multiple corresponding to the number of through holes with respect to the rotary disk, and a stopper 254 which is interlocked with the second guide and can move forward/backward to/from a rotary path of the rotary body are provided. While the stopper performs a normal ejection operation, the second guide is located at the rotary path but does not come into contact with the rotary body just before flicking a coin out and just after flicking the coin out. When the second guide is located at a flicking position other than just before flicking and just after flicking, the second guide is set to a position relation in which the second guide comes into contact with the rotary body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention provides a signal for counting coins that are ejected one by one by sandwiching coins between a fixed guide and a movable guide that is elastically biased, and detecting the movement of the movable guide. It is related with the coin hopper which outputs.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to a coin hopper that can prevent an erroneous detection signal from being output by illegally moving the movable guide.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a coin hopper in which one coin is always paid out when one signal for counting coins is output by movement of the movable guide.
In this specification, the coin includes not only a coin as a currency but also a token for a game.
The small-diameter coin means a small-diameter with respect to the large-diameter coin. When simply referred to as “coin”, it includes a small-diameter coin and a large-diameter coin.

  As this type of prior art, a coin hopper that holds coins in a stacked state, a base having a flat bottom for receiving coins, and a base that is freely rotatable and disposed in a bottom hole of the coin hopper A rotating disk, a plurality of openings disposed in a circumferential direction of the rotating disk and penetrating through the rotating disk in the thickness direction, and provided on the rotating disk, and rotated together with the rotating disk, the coin on the base The same number of fins as the opening, an actuator for rotating the rotating disk, a coin feeding opening formed in the base, and defining one side of the opening. A guide roller and a detection roller which is swingably disposed in the vicinity of the coin feeding opening and is biased by a spring in at least one direction. And a detection lever which is slidably disposed in the vicinity of the detection roller and interlocks with the detection roller, and sensor means for counting the number of coins by the swing of the detection lever. The detection lever is moved before the detection roller swings in conjunction with the detection roller swinging against the urging force of the spring by the coin pushed out and thrown out from the coin opening. In a coin dispensing device that swings from a corresponding normal position to a corresponding detection position after swinging the detection roller, the coin throwing device is coaxially arranged in parallel in the circumferential direction and rotates integrally with the rotary disk. And a coin throwing device having the same number of push-back portions as the opening, which can forcibly return the detection lever at the detection position in the normal position direction. And it is (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2001-52229 (FIGS. 1-10, pp. 2-7)

In the conventional apparatus, coins are inserted into a coin hopper, and coins that have reached the base from the opening due to the rotation of the rotating disk are radially outward along the fins corresponding to each opening as the rotating disk rotates. It will be pushed out.
The coin is in contact with the guide roller and is inserted between the detection roller and the detection roller so that the detection roller swings against the spring, and the center of the coin is centered between the guide roller and the detection roller. When the straight line passing is exceeded, the coin is pushed out vigorously by the urging force of the spring, and the coin is sent out from the opening.
When the detection lever blocks the coin throw sensor, the number of coin throws is counted up once.
If a foreign object such as a wire or a rod is inserted through the coin feeding opening and the detection roller (or detection lever) is pushed into the inside by the foreign object, the detection lever will not normally swing. The coins are thrown out from the coin delivery opening while the count-up by the coin throw-out sensor is blocked.
However, the detection roller is then pushed back in the separation direction with respect to the center of the rotating disk by the push-back portion constituted by the tip, and the detection lever is moved from the detection position to the normal position via the detection roller. It is pushed back to Therefore, even for an illegal act such as inserting the foreign object, the coin thrown-out sensor can reliably count up the coins to be thrown out next time.
The same applies to the case where the detection roller does not return to the original position due to a malfunction of the spring after the coin has been thrown out, and the push-back portion after pushing out the coin is within the rotation radius of the push-back portion. A detection roller is pushed to return it to its original position.
Therefore, for example, even if the screw is malfunctioning, the coin is erroneously thrown out while the detection roller and the guide roller are always open, so that an error in counting the number of coins does not occur. Have

In this prior art, the detection roller is pushed by the push-back portion at the tip of the “fin” that pushes the coin to forcibly push the detection lever back from the detection position toward the normal position.
In other words, since the push-back portion comes into contact with the detection roller at a predetermined pressure, wear occurs.
When the push-back part is worn, the push-back part is formed at the tip of the "fin" that pushes the coin, and the "fin" is integrated with the rotating disk, so the rotating disk must be replaced. There is.
In the second and third embodiments of the prior art, the push-back disk is provided separately from the rotating disk, so that the problem of “fin” wear is solved, but the cost increases as the number of parts increases. This is disadvantageous in downsizing.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a coin hopper that always outputs a coin detection signal whenever a coin is paid out one by one even when the second guide is illegally moved.
The second object of the present invention is to provide a coin detection signal every time coins are paid out one by one, even if the second guide is illegally moved, and to be provided integrally with the rotating disk. It is an object to provide an inexpensive coin hopper without causing wear of the pushed portion.

In order to achieve this object, the coin hopper according to the first invention is configured as follows.
A coin is moved to the back surface of a plurality of through-hole rotating discs arranged in the bottom hole of a coin holding bowl having an upper opening by a pushing portion arranged in correspondence with the through-holes, to the side of the rotating disc. The coin is pushed by the pushing portion by the rotation of the rotating disk between the first guide arranged in a fixed state and the second guide provided so as to be elastically movable toward and away from the first guide. A coin hopper provided with a coin detection device that detects the passage of the coin in relation to the movement of the second guide by the coin after being moved to a position; In contrast, a rotating body that rotates at a multiple that corresponds to the number of through holes, and a stopper that is interlocked with the second guide and that can advance and retract in the rotation path of the rotating body, The stopper is positioned in the rotation path immediately before and after the coin is ejected during a normal payout operation, but is not in contact with the rotating body, and the second guide is The coin hopper is characterized in that it is set in a positional relationship in contact with the rotating body when it is located at the ejecting position other than the time immediately before the ejecting but immediately after the ejecting.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the coin hopper according to the first aspect, the first guide is selectively fixed at a first position with respect to a small diameter coin or a second position with respect to a large diameter coin, and the second guide is a small diameter coin or a large coin. It is a coin hopper characterized by being moved to the same starting position regardless of the diameter coin.
Furthermore, the third invention is the coin hopper according to claim 2, wherein the second guide is a roller rotatably attached to one side of a lever rotatably supported by a fixed shaft, and the stopper is the lever A coin hopper characterized in that the coin hopper is integrally formed.

In the coin hopper according to the first invention, the coins stacked in the holding bowl fall into the through hole by the rotation of the rotating disk, and are slid on the base by the pushing portion formed on the back surface of the rotating disk, It is moved to the outlet opening constituted by the first guide and the second guide.
The coin that has reached the outlet opening is pushed by the pushing portion to move the second guide to the flip-out position.
As a result, the coin is flipped out by the resilient force applied to the second guide immediately after the diameter portion passes between the first guide and the second guide.
At this time, the stopper advances and retreats in the rotation path for each rotation of the rotating body, but since the timing of progressing to the rotation path is a timing not to collide with the rotating body, there is no influence on the operation of the coin hopper.
On the other hand, the coin detection device outputs a detection signal in conjunction with the movement of the second guide.
One detection signal is counted as a count value 1, and when the indicated number is reached, the rotation of the rotating disk is stopped.
When the second guide is illegally moved to the flip-out position by the instrument, the rotating body collides with the stopper and forcibly moves in the return direction.
Thereby, the coin detection device outputs a detection signal.
In other words, when one coin is paid out, one detection signal is always output.
As a result, coins are not illegally acquired.

In the coin hopper of the second invention, the first guide is selectively fixed at the first position with respect to the small diameter coin or the second position with respect to the large diameter coin.
Thereby, even if it is a case where a small diameter coin or a large diameter coin is used, the protrusion position of a 2nd guide does not change.
In other words, by changing the position of the first guide, a large-diameter coin or a small-diameter coin can be used without changing the position of the coin detection device.
Thereby, the coin hopper which increased versatility can be provided.

  In the best mode of the present invention, a coin is moved by a pushing portion arranged corresponding to the through hole on the back surface of a plurality of through holes-equipped rotating disks arranged in a bottom hole of a coin holding bowl having an upper opening. The pushing portion is rotated by the rotation of the rotating disk between a first guide disposed in a fixed state on the side of the rotating disk and a second guide provided so as to be elastically contactable / separable with respect to the first guide. Driven to the rotating disk in a coin hopper provided with a coin detecting device that detects the passage of the coin in relation to the movement of the second guide in association with the movement of the coin by the coin pushed by the A rotating body that is connected and rotates with respect to the rotating disk at a multiple corresponding to the number of through holes, and interlocks with the second guide, and advances and retreats in the rotating path of the rotating body. The stopper is positioned in the rotation path immediately before and after the coin is ejected during normal payout operation, but is not in contact with the rotating body, and When the second guide is located at the ejecting position other than the time immediately before the ejecting and immediately after the ejecting, the second guide is set in a positional relationship in contact with the rotating body, and the first guide is in the first position with respect to the small-diameter coin, or the large-diameter The coin hopper is selectively fixed at a second position with respect to a coin, and the second guide is moved to the same ejecting position regardless of a small diameter coin or a large diameter coin.

First, an outline of the coin hopper 100 will be described with reference to FIG.
The coin hopper 100 has a function of paying out the disk-shaped coins 102 held in a stacked state one by one.
The coin hopper 100 includes at least a frame 104, a hopper base 106, a holding bowl 108, a rotating disk 110, a circumferential guide device 112 for a coin 102, a ejecting device 114, an exit passage 116, a coin detection device 118, an exit passage definition device 122, and an illegal one. A prevention device 124 is included.

First, the frame 104 will be described with reference to FIG.
The frame 104 has a function of supporting the hopper base 106 and the storage bowl 108, and has a rectangular cylindrical shape that is injection-molded with resin.
The frame 104 includes a base 126 at a lower end and a rectangular cylindrical support portion 128 that is integrated with the base 126 and extends upward.
In the hollow portion of the support portion 128, an electric motor and the like for driving the control board and the rotating disk 110 are disposed, and the head portion is formed obliquely.

Next, the hopper base 106 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The hopper base 106 has a function of holding the holding bowl 108, the rotating disc 110, the circumferential guide device 112, the ejecting device 114, and the coin detecting device 118 in a predetermined position, and the coin 102 moved by the rotating disc 110. Has a function to guide.
The hopper base 106 has a rectangular thick plate shape and is fixed to the top of the support portion 128.
In other words, the hopper base 106 is inclined at a predetermined angle.

The hopper base 106 has a bottomed and round pan-shaped guide hole 132 located at the center of the upper surface 130, first mounting portions 134A and 134B and second mounting portions 136A and 136B of the holding bowl 108 formed at the upper and lower ends, and guide holes. An outlet opening 138 that opens a part of the circumferential surface of 132, and a mounting portion 140 of the coin detecting device 118 and a mounting portion 142 (see FIG. 5) of the circumferential direction guiding device 112 are included on the back surface side.
A bottom surface 144 of the guide hole 132 is a substantially flat surface, and a shaft hole 148 through which the rotating shaft 146 to which the rotating disk 110 is attached is formed at the center.
The peripheral wall 150 of the guide hole 132 is constituted by an inner peripheral surface of a C-shaped metal guide ring 151 and a side surface of a guide body 192 described later.
The coin 102 pushed by the rotating disk 110 moves while its lower surface slides on the bottom surface 144 of the guide hole 132 and its peripheral surface is guided by the peripheral wall 150 that is the peripheral surface of the guide hole 132.
A later-described ejection device 114 is arranged facing the outlet opening 138.

Next, the storage bowl 108 will be described with reference to FIG.
The holding bowl 108 has a function of storing the coins 102 in a broken state.
The lower end portion 152 of the storage bowl 108 has a cylindrical shape having substantially the same diameter as the guide hole 132 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the hopper base 106.
In other words, the lower end portion 152 extends obliquely upward, the upper end portion 154 is formed with an upper end portion 154 that expands in a square shape, and the upper end is an upper opening 156 for inserting coins 102. .
The upper portion of the rotating disk 110 is disposed in the bottom hole 155 in the cylinder of the lower end portion 152.
The upper end 154 and the lower end 152 of the storage bowl 108 are connected by an inclined wall, and the coin 102 riding on the upper end 154 naturally slides down due to gravity and falls onto the rotating disk 110 below.
The retaining bowl 108 can be easily attached to the hopper base 106 by engaging the first mounting portions 134A and 134B and the second mounting portions 136A and 136B with locking portions (not shown) formed in the lower portion of the storage bowl 108. It can be installed and removed.

Next, the rotating disk 110 will be described with reference to FIG.
The rotating disk 110 has a function of sorting the coins 102 held in a loosely stacked state in the holding bowl 108 one by one and transporting them to the ejecting device 114.
The rotary disk 110 is rotationally driven via a reduction gear 160 by an electric motor 158 (see FIG. 5).
On the rotating disk 110, circular through holes 164 are formed at equal intervals on a circle with a predetermined radius centered on the rotation axis, and a downward cone-shaped introduction portion 165 is formed on the upper surface side of the through holes 164. ing.
Further, a conical shape is formed at the central portion, and a central convex portion 166 for attaching the rotating shaft 146 and stirring the coin 102 is formed.
The rotating disk 110 has a lower portion in the guide hole 132 and a circumferential surface that is narrower than the thickness of the coin 102 with respect to the circumferential wall 150, and an upper portion in the bottom hole 155 of the lower end 152 of the storage bowl 108. It is arranged with a large gap.

On the lower surface of the rib 166 defining the through hole 164 that is the back surface 161 of the rotating disk 110, a first pushing portion 168 and a second pushing portion 170 for pushing the coin 102 are opposed to each of the through holes 164. Projecting downward.
The first pushing surface 168P and the second pushing surface 170P (see FIG. 2) of the first pushing portion 168 and the second pushing portion 170 are located on an involute curve extending from the center portion of the rotating disk 110. Yes.
Between the first pushing portion 168 and the second pushing portion 170, the first groove 172A for passing through the first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body 112B constituting the circumferential guide device 112 described later is passed. A second groove 172B for the purpose is formed.

When the rotary disk 110 rotates, the coin 102 placed thereon is stirred by the through hole 164, the central convex portion 166, etc., and the posture is changed and falls into the through hole 164.
The lower surface of the dropped coin 102 is guided to the bottom surface 144 of the guide hole 132, and the outer periphery is guided by the peripheral wall 150.
The rotating disk 110 is rotated by the first extruding surface 168P and the second extruding surface 170P by the rotation of the rotating disk 110 and is rotated together with the rotating disk 110.
At this time, the peripheral surface of the coin 102 is guided to the peripheral wall 150, but the contact pressure with respect to the peripheral wall 150 is not based on a large contact pressure because it is mostly based on centrifugal force.
In the follow-up process, the coin 102 whose rotation is prevented by the first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body 112B of the circumferential guide device 112 is guided in the circumferential direction of the rotating disk 110, and finally the second extrusion The surface 170B is pushed into the outlet opening 138.

Next, the circumferential guide device 112 will be described with reference to FIG.
The circumferential guide device 112 has a function of guiding the coin 102 pushed by the first pushing portion 168 and the second pushing portion 170 in the circumferential direction of the rotating disk 110 and guiding it to the outlet opening 138.

Specifically, a cylindrical pin-shaped first restricting body 112A and second restricting body 112B that penetrate the hopper base 106 from the lower side to the upper side and extend toward the rotating disk 110 are arranged.
In other words, the first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body 112B protrude in the movement path 182 of the coin 102.

The first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body 112B are fixed to leaf springs 174A and 174B (see FIG. 5) whose one ends are fixed to the attachment portion 142 on the back surface of the hopper base 106.
Accordingly, the coin 102 pushed by the first pushing portion 168 and the second pushing portion 170 is prevented from being rotated by the rotating disk 110 by the first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body 112B, and the outlet opening 138 side To be guided to.
In addition, when the coin 102 naturally moves to the outlet opening 138 without using only one of the first restrictor 112A or the second restrictor 112B, or without using the first restrictor 112A and the second restrictor 112B, it is necessary to arrange them. There is no.

In other words, when the diameter of the rotating disk 110 is large and the coin 102 can be guided in the circumferential direction of the rotating disk 110 by the first pushing portion 168 and the second pushing portion 170, the first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body. There is no need to place 112B.
When the first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body 112B receive a predetermined lateral force from the coin 102, the leaf springs 172A and 172B are elastically deformed so that the first restricting body 112A and the second restricting body 112B are the bottom surface 144. The coins 102 can move over the coins 102 and move together with the rotating disk 110.

The outlet opening 138 will now be described with reference to FIG.
The outlet opening 138 is a rectangular opening in which the peripheral wall 150 of the guide hole 132 on the side of the circumferential guide device 112 is cut out over a predetermined length.
In the embodiment, since the exit of the coin 102 is defined by the first guide 176 and the second guide 178, the exit opening 138 is between them.
The length of the outlet opening 138 (the circumferential length of the guide hole 132) is sufficient for the coin 102 to pass through.

Next, the outlet passage 116 will be described with reference to FIG.
The exit passage 116 has a function of guiding the coin 102 ejected by the ejecting device 114.
The outlet passage 116 is a thin plate-like passage that extends in the circumferential direction of the rotating disk 110 continuously to the outlet opening 138.
The outlet passage 116 is defined by a concave groove 182 formed in the hopper base 106, a first guide 176, a second guide 178, and an outlet passage definition guide 184 that covers the upper release surface of the concave groove 182. Is growing.
The bottom surface 186 of the concave groove 182 is disposed in the same plane as the bottom surface 144, and the lower surface of the coin 102 pushed out by the second pushing portion 170 is guided.
The outlet passage defining device 122 is constituted by the hopper base 106 and the outlet passage defining guide 184 in this embodiment.
However, as long as the structure delimits the passage of the coin 102, other configurations can be adopted.
An end face of the exit passage 116 is an exit 190 of the coin 102.

Next, the ejecting device 114 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The ejecting device 114 has a function of ejecting the coins 102 that are separated and sent one by one by the rotating disk 110 one by one.
The ejecting device 114 includes a first guide 176, a second guide 178, and an urging means 188.

First, the first guide 176 will be described with reference to FIG.
The first guide 176 of the present invention has a function of fixedly defining one side of the outlet opening 138 when the coin 102 is ejected.
Furthermore, the present embodiment has a function of making the movement amount of the second guide 178 the same regardless of whether the small diameter coin 102S or the large diameter coin 102L is used.
The first guide 176 in this embodiment is constituted by an arcuate end 194 of a spatula-shaped sheet metal guide body 192.
The guide body 192 is formed with the other end 194 and the side protrusion 196, the side protrusion 196 is fitted in the arc-shaped recess 198 formed in the hopper base 106, and the other end 200 is in contact with the restricting portion 202. In the state, it is set to be located at the first position P1 suitable for the small-diameter coin 102S.
In this state, the linear first side surface 204 constitutes a part of the guide hole 132.
As shown in the drawing, when the guide body 192 is reversed left and right, the second side surface 206 opposite to the first side surface 204 forms part of the guide hole 132.
The second side surface 206 is curved more than the first side surface 204, and the guide hole 132 is enlarged.
In other words, the large coin 102L is guided to the outlet opening 138 by the first restrictor 172A and the second restrictor 172B, and the second guide 178 has the same amount of movement as when the small coin 102S is ejected. Is set.
The guide body 192 is fixed to the first position P1 or the second position P2 by fitting a protrusion formed on the lower surface of the outlet passage cover 184 into positioning holes 208A and 208B formed in the guide body 192.

Next, the second guide 178 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The second guide 178 is provided so as to be movable, and has a function of ejecting the coin 102 with the first guide 176.
In the present embodiment, the second guide 178 is a roller 214 that is rotatably supported by a support shaft 212 (see FIG. 4).
The second guide 178 is disposed on the side of the rotary disk 110 and the first guide 176, and constitutes one side wall of the outlet opening 138.

The support shaft 212 is fixed to one end of a swing lever 220 that is pivotally attached to a fixed shaft 218 fixed downward on the back surface of the hopper base 106, and exits through an arc-shaped elongated hole 222 of the hopper base 106. It is located in the outlet passage 116 adjacent to the opening 138 and separated from the first guide 176 by a predetermined distance.
The biasing means 188, specifically the spring 226, is hooked between the pin 224 protruding on the lower surface of the hopper base 106 and the pin 225 protruding downward from the swing lever 220, and the roller 214 is 2 is biased counterclockwise in FIG. 2 (clockwise in FIGS. 5 and 6) so as to approach the guide 176.

The urging means 188 has a function of making the second guide 178 elastically close to the first guide 176.
Usually, the rocking lever 220 is integrally formed with a locked portion 228 that is locked by a locking portion 230 that is formed elastically on the back surface of the hopper base 106. The guide 176 is stationary at the standby position SP stopped at an interval smaller than the diameter of the coin 102.

When the diameter portion of the small diameter coin 102S or the large diameter coin 102L advances between the first guide 176 and the second guide 178, after the second guide 178 is moved to the ejecting position DP as shown in FIG. The coin 102 is ejected to the exit passage 116 with the elasticity of 226.
The second guide 178 is pivoted by the swing lever 220, but can be changed so as to approach and separate from the first guide 176 by linear motion.
Further, the urging means 188 can be changed to a device having a similar function such as an electromagnetic actuator and an air actuator in addition to the spring.

Next, the coin detection device 118 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4 to 6.
The coin detection device 118 has a function of detecting a movement of the second guide 178 by the coin 102 directly or indirectly and outputting a detection signal DS.
The coin detection device 118 of the embodiment includes a second guide 178, a swing lever 220 that supports the second guide 178, an action piece 242 that moves integrally with the swing lever 220, and a detection device 244 for the action piece 242. Yes.

The action piece 242 is integrally formed with the swinging lever 220, is formed at a position farther from the support shaft 212 than the second guide 178, and extends to a detected length in an arc shape centering on the support shaft 212. 246.
The detection device 244 has a function of outputting an electrical detection signal DS of “H” or “L” when the detected part 246 is detected.
The detection device 244 of the embodiment is a transmissive photoelectric sensor 248, and outputs a detection signal DS when the projection light projected from the through hole 248H is blocked.
The photoelectric sensor 248 is fixed to the back surface of the hopper base 106 via a mounting portion 250.

In the embodiment, since the photoelectric sensor 248 is located below the hopper base 106 surrounded by the support portion 128, it is extremely difficult to illegally access from the outside.
When the second guide 178 is moved to the ejection position DP by the coin 102, as shown in FIG. 9, when the detected part 246 faces the through hole 248H, the projection light from the through hole 248H to the light receiving part is blocked.
By this interruption, the output of the photoelectric sensor 248 changes from “H” to “L”.
When the second guide 178 moves from the ejection position DP to the standby position SP, the detected part 246 is removed from the through hole 248H as shown in FIG. Becomes “H”.
When the output of the photoelectric sensor 248 changes from “L” to “H”, the detection signal DS is output.
By counting this detection signal DS, the number of coins 102 paid out can be known.
Therefore, the detection device 244 can be changed to another type having the same function, for example, another sensor such as a reflective photoelectric sensor or a metal sensor.
Furthermore, the coin detection device 118 can be configured by directly detecting the movement of the swing lever 220 or the second guide 178.

The outlet passage defining device 122 will now be described with reference to FIGS.
The outlet passage defining device 122 has a function of defining the outlet passage 116.
The outlet passage is defined and formed by fitting the outlet passage cover 184 in the concave groove 182 of the hopper base 106 and then fixing the outlet passage cover 184 to the hopper base 106 by a fixing means such as a screw.
Specifically, the lower surface of the outlet passage 116 is defined by the bottom surface 186, the upper surface is defined by the lower surface of the outlet passage cover 184, and the side surface is defined by the side wall of the recessed groove 182.
Confirm that the guide body 192 is set at the first position P1 corresponding to the small-diameter coin 102S or the second position P2 corresponding to the large-diameter coin 102L and confirm the movement state of the coin 102 in the exit passage 116 In order to make it possible, the outlet passage cover 184 is preferably formed of a transparent resin.

Next, the fraud prevention device 124 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The fraud prevention device 124 has a function of always outputting the detection signal DS when the coin 102 passes through the ejecting device 114.
In other words, when the second guide 178 is moved from the standby position SP to the flip-out position DP, it has a function of forcibly moving to the vicinity of the standby position SP before the next coin 102 pushes the second guide 178. .
The tamper-proof device 124 of the embodiment includes a rotating body 252 and a stopper 254.

First, the rotating body 252 will be described.
The rotating body 252 is rotated with respect to the rotating disk 110 by a rotation ratio that is a multiple of the number of the through holes 164.
Specifically, the rotating body 252 is rotationally driven by the speed reducer 160.
The reduction gear 160 is built in a reduction gear box 256 fixed to the back surface of the hopper base 106 as shown in FIGS.
An electric motor 158 is fixed to the back surface of the reduction gear box 256, and a small-diameter drive gear 258 is disposed at the tip of the output shaft protruding into the reduction gear box 256.
The drive gear 258 meshes with a first reduction gear 264 that is rotatably supported by the first fixed shaft 262.
A second reduction gear 266 formed integrally with the first reduction gear 264 meshes with a third reduction gear 272 that is rotatably supported by the second fixed shaft 268.
A fourth reduction gear 274 integrated with the third reduction gear 272 meshes with a fifth reduction gear 276 fixed to the lower end portion of the rotating shaft 146.
With this structure, the rotating disk 110 is rotated at a predetermined speed through each reduction gear by the rotation of the electric motor 158.

A driven gear 278 that meshes with the third reduction gear 272 is fixed to a second rotation shaft 282 that is rotatably supported by the reduction gear box 256.
The lower end portion of the second rotating shaft 282 protrudes below the speed reducer box 256.
The rotating body 252 is fixed to the protruding lower end portion of the second rotating shaft 282, and rotates on the lower outside of the reduction gear box 256.
The rotation ratio of the second rotation shaft 282 to the rotation shaft 146 is a multiple of the number of through holes 164.
In other words, the rotating body 252 rotates once each time the second pushing portion 170 of the rotating disk 110 sends out one coin 102 toward the ejecting device 114.
The rotating body 252 has a predetermined radius from the center of rotation of the second rotating shaft 282.
Therefore, the rotating body 252 rotates the rotation path R located in a predetermined plane.
The locking surface 284 of the rotating body 252 is disposed on a straight line L1 passing through the axis of the second rotating shaft 282.

Next, the stopper 254 will be described.
The stopper 254 moves in conjunction with the second guide 178. When the second guide 178 is positioned at the standby position SP, the stopper 254 moves out of the rotation path R of the rotating body 252 and the second guide 178 in normal operation. In the process of moving from the ejection position DP to the standby position SP, the function of entering the rotation path P and stopping the rotation of the rotating body 252 and the rotating path when the rotating disk 110 is rotated. It has the function of being moved out of R.
In other words, during normal operation, the stopper 254 moves back and forth in the rotation path R at a timing at which the rotating body 252 is not locked in conjunction with the second guide 178.
In other words, when the second guide 178 is positioned in the vicinity of the ejection position DP during normal operation, the stopper 254 is positioned in the rotation path R, and the second guide 178 is positioned in the vicinity of the standby position SP. It is located outside the rotation path R.
When an abnormality occurs, for example, when the second guide 178 is held in the vicinity of the ejecting position DP by an instrument, the stopper 254 stops the rotation by locking the rotating body 252 or stops when the rotating body 252 rotates. The second guide 178 is forcibly moved to the vicinity of the standby position SP via 254.

The stopper 254 is one side 288 of the fan-shaped locking body 286 formed integrally with the swing lever 220.
Accordingly, the stopper 254 moves integrally with the second guide 178 and the action piece 242.
One side 288 is disposed on a straight line L2 passing through the axis of the fixed shaft 218.
When the side surface 288 is positioned on the rotation path R of the stopper 254, the rotating body 252 is locked and the rotation is stopped.
Further, when the rotational force of the rotating body 252 wins, the rotating body 252 moves the stopper 254 and moves it outside the rotation path R.
As a result, the second guide 178 is forcibly moved from the ejection position DP to the vicinity of the standby position SP, the action piece 242 is disengaged from the through hole 248H, and the photoelectric sensor 248 outputs the detection signal DS.
In other words, when the second guide 178 is moved to the ejection position DP, the coin 102 is always returned to the vicinity of the standby position SP every time one coin 102 passes, and one detection signal DS is output.
Since the rotating body 252 is a separate part from the rotating disk 110, the rotating disk 110 is not damaged by the stopper 254.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
7 to 10 are examples in the case where the small-diameter coin 102S is used.
The guide body 192 is fixed at the first position P1 of the first guide 176.
When the coin 102 payout instruction signal is received, the electric motor 158 rotates, and the rotating disk 110 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 via the speed reducer 160 and the rotating shaft 146.
Due to the rotation of the rotating disk 110, the small-diameter coin 102S falls into the through hole 164, and the lower surface thereof is supported by the bottom surface 144 of the guide hole 132.
Further, the small-diameter coin 102S is pushed by the first pushing portion 168 (first pushing surface 168P) and the second pushing portion 170 (second pushing surface 170P), and its lower surface slides on the bottom surface 144, and the circumferential surface. Is rotated along with the rotating disk 110 while being guided by the peripheral wall 150.
At this time, since the small-diameter coin 102S is pushed by the second pushing portion 170 toward the outer arc surface, the small-diameter coin 102S receives a force pushing the small-diameter coin 102S toward the rotation center, and the peripheral wall 150 of the centrifugal force acting on the small-diameter coin 102S And the contact pressure of the first side surface 204 moves in a substantially zero state (FIG. 2).

The small-diameter coin 102S is guided in the circumferential direction of the rotating disk 110 by itself or the regulation body 112.
At this time, a force is applied to the restricting body 112 from the lateral direction, but it remains substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface 144.
Due to the movement of the small-diameter coin 102S in the circumferential direction, the small-diameter coin 102S reaches between the first guide 176 and the second guide 178 (FIGS. 2 and 7).
The second guide 178 is in the standby position SP until it is moved by the coin 102S (FIG. 7 (A)).
The photoelectric sensor 248 does not output the detection signal DS when the second guide 178 is located in the vicinity of the standby position SP.

On the other hand, the second rotating shaft 282 is rotated by a multiple of the number of through holes 164 of the rotating disk 110 via the third gear 272 and the driven gear 278.
In other words, every time one small-diameter coin 102S is pushed into the ejecting device 114, the second rotating shaft 282, in other words, the rotating body 252 rotates once for each small-diameter coin 102S paid out.

The small-diameter coin 102S is pushed further in the circumferential direction by the second pushing portion 170 following the first pushing portion 168, and the first guide 176 is fixed, so that the second guide 178 is standby by the small-diameter coin 102S. It is moved from the position SP to the ejection position DP (FIG. 9).
Thus, the swing lever 220 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 7A about the fixed shaft 218.
In the process of moving to this ejection position DP, the action piece 242 is opposed to the through hole 248H and blocks the projection light from the light projecting portion (FIG. 8), so the output of the photoelectric sensor 248 is from “H” to “L”. To change.
As shown in FIG. 11, a control device (not shown) starts measuring time when the output changes from “H” to “L”.

The small-diameter coin 102S is ejected almost laterally through the second guide 178 by the resilient force of the biasing means 188 immediately after the diameter portion passes between the first guide 176 and the second guide 178, and exits. It is paid out from the exit 190 through the passage 116.
As a result, the second guide 178 returns to the standby position SP.

The action piece 242 interrupts the light shielding of the photoelectric sensor 248 in conjunction with the return movement of the second guide 178 to the standby position SP, so that the projection light from the light projecting unit is received by the light receiving unit.
As a result, the output of the photoelectric sensor 248 changes from “L” to “H”.
Based on the output change from “L” to “H”, the detection device 244 outputs a detection signal DS.
Therefore, the number of coins 102 paid out from the exit 190 can be counted by counting the detection signal DS.
In addition, after changing from “H” to “L”, if the duration of “L” is shorter than the predetermined time, no abnormal signal is output.
When the duration of the output “L” of the photoelectric sensor 248 continues for a predetermined time, for example, twice or more than usual, the abnormal signal ES can be output as an abnormal state.
For example, when the time required for paying out two coins has elapsed since the duration of “L” has elapsed, an abnormal signal is output, and based on this, rotation of the electric motor 158 can be stopped.

When the second guide 178 is positioned at the standby position SP, the stopper 254 is located outside the rotation path R of the rotating body 252, and therefore the rotating body 252 does not contact the stopper 254 during the rotation (FIG. 7). ).
When the second guide 178 is located at the flip-out position DP, the stopper 254 proceeds on the rotation path R of the rotating body 252, but the rotating body 252 is positioned at a position shifted by approximately 180 degrees with respect to the traveling position of the stopper 254. It is not locked by the stopper 254 (FIG. 9).

Next, an abnormal case in which the second guide 178 continues to be held at the ejecting position DP by the instrument will be described.
Since the second guide 178 holds the flip position DP, the stopper 254 also continues to be positioned on the rotation path R of the rotating body 252.
As a result, when the rotating body 252 is rotated by the continuous rotation of the rotating disk 110, it is locked to the stopper 254.
At this time, when the holding force of the second guide 178, and hence the holding force of the stopper 254, is larger than the torque of the rotating body 252, the rotating body 252 is stopped.
In other words, the rotation of the rotary disk 110 is stopped and the small-diameter coin 102S is not paid out.
On the other hand, since the action piece 242 continues to block light projection from the through hole 248H, the detection signal DS is not output.

When the torque of the rotating body 252 is larger than the holding force of the stopper 254, the rotating body 252 moves the stopper 254 and pushes it out of the rotation path R (the chain line in FIG. 6, FIG. 10).
In other words, the second guide 178 is forcibly moved from the ejection position DP to the vicinity of the standby position SP.
As a result, the small-diameter coin 102S is pushed out by the second guide 178 and paid out from the outlet 190.
In this process, the action piece 242 does not block the light projection from the through hole 248H, so the output of the photoelectric sensor 248 changes from “L” to “H” and outputs the detection signal DS.
Thereby, the paid-out coin 1 is counted.
In other words, when the small-diameter coin 102S is paid out, one detection signal DS is always output.
Therefore, when the small-diameter coin 102S is not paid out, the detection signal DS is not output, and when the small-diameter coin 102S is paid out, one detection signal DS is always output. Therefore, the small-diameter coin 102S and the detection signal DS are a pair. One relationship.
Therefore, the small-diameter coin 102S cannot be obtained illegally.

Next, the case where the large-diameter coin 102L is used will be described with reference to FIG.
When the large-diameter coin 102L is used, the guide body 192 is fixed at the second position P2 of the first guide 176 as shown in FIG.
When the first guide 176 is fixed at the second position P2, the ejection position DP of the second guide 178 is the same as when the small-diameter coin 102S is used (FIG. 12 (B)).
Therefore, even when the large-diameter coin 102L is used, the coin 102 and the detection signal DS are paid out in a one-to-one relationship as in the case where the small-diameter coin 102S is used.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coin hopper according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the hopper base on which the rotating disk of the coin hopper of the embodiment is mounted. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the hopper base, the speed reducer, and the rotating disk with the storage bowl of the coin hopper of the embodiment removed. 4A and 4B are enlarged perspective views of the fraud prevention device and the detection device, where FIG. 4A is a perspective view from above, and FIG. 4B is a perspective view in a state of being turned upside down. FIG. 5 is a rear view of the hopper base of the coin hopper according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is an enlarged rear view of the coin hopper fraud prevention device and the detection device according to the embodiment. 7A and 7B are diagrams for explaining the operation on the front surface side and FIG. 7B on the back surface side of the coin hopper according to the embodiment before coin payout. 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the operation on the front surface side and FIG. 8B on the back surface side during the coin payout of the coin hopper of the embodiment. 9A and 9B are diagrams for explaining the operation on the front surface side and FIG. 9B on the back surface side immediately before the coin payout of the coin hopper of the embodiment. 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining the operation on the front surface side and FIG. 10B on the back surface side when the coin hopper of the embodiment is fraudulent. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a detection signal from the coin detection device of the coin hopper according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the coin hopper of the embodiment when using a large-diameter coin.

102 coins
106 Hopper base
108 coin holding bowl
110 Rotating disc
118 coin detector
138 Exit opening
155 Bottom hole
156 Top opening
158 through hole
161 Back
168, 170 Pushing part
176 First Guide
178 Second Guide
220 lever
252 Rotating body
254 stopper,
DP projecting position
P1 1st position
P2 2nd position

Claims (3)

Arranged on the back surface (161) of the rotating disk (110) with a plurality of through holes (158) arranged in the bottom hole (155) of the coin retaining bowl (108) having the upper opening (156) corresponding to the through holes. The coins (102) are moved on the hopper base (106) by the pushed pushing parts (168, 170), and are arranged in a fixed state on the side of the rotating disk and the first guides (176) An outlet opening (138) is formed by a second guide (178) provided so as to be elastically contactable and separable with respect to the outlet, and a coin pushed by the pushing portion is pushed into the outlet opening by the rotation of the rotating disk. A coin hopper provided with a coin detecting device (118) for detecting the passage of the coin in association with the movement of the second guide by the coin, the second guide being moved to the ejecting position (DP) by
A rotating body (252) that is drivingly connected to the rotating disk and rotates with respect to the rotating disk by a multiple corresponding to the number of through holes, and a rotation path (R) of the rotating body in conjunction with the second guide A stopper (254) that can move forward and backward
During the normal payout operation, the stopper is positioned in the rotation path immediately before and after the coin is ejected, but does not come into contact with the rotating body, and the second guide is A coin hopper, wherein the coin hopper is set in a positional relationship in contact with the rotating body when it is located at a flip-out position at a time other than immediately before the flip-out and immediately after the flip-out. The coin hopper of claim 1,
The first guide is selectively fixed at a first position (P1) with respect to the small diameter coin (102S) or a second position (P2) with respect to the large diameter coin (102L), and the second guide is attached to the small diameter coin or the large diameter coin. Regardless, it is moved to the same starting position (DP). In the coin hopper of claim 2,
The second guide is a roller (214) rotatably attached to one side of a lever (220) rotatably supported on a fixed shaft (218), and the stopper is formed integrally with the lever. It is characterized by.

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