JP2013114377A - Coin delivery port mechanism and cash processing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin delivery port mechanism capable of leveling coins accumulated on a carton.SOLUTION: The coin delivery port mechanism includes: a carrying path through which coins discharged from a safe for payment where coins are stored are carried to a discharge part; a carton which receives coins discharged from the discharge part; a driving part which moves the carton at least forward and backward; a detection part which is provided between the bottom of the carton and the discharge part and detects that coins accumulated on the carton have reached a prescribed height; and a driving control part which, when it is detected by the detection part that coins accumulated on the carton have reached the prescribed height, drives the driving part so that coins discharged from the discharge part are dropped on positions where accumulated coins do not reach the prescribed height, in the carton.

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin dispensing port mechanism that discharges coins to be dispensed and accumulates them in a coin receiving unit, and a cash processing apparatus including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art In a cash processing apparatus such as a cash machine for a window, a method in which a withdrawal coin is discharged to a coin tray that is a coin receiving unit called a carton is common. As for the withdrawal of coins at the counter, a small number of 1 to 4 coins and other denominations are mainly used, so the depth of the part where the cartons are accumulated is shallow from the viewpoint of the operability of the carton. ing.

  When collecting in-flight coins, etc., a large number of coins may be released at one time. However, since the release of such a large number of coins is negligible in terms of the overall transaction, the capacity of the carton is increased more than necessary. Never do. In general, a relatively large capacity is secured without affecting the operability at the time of a small number of withdrawal transactions by taking the depth of the carton widely.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-25326 JP-A-6-176231 JP 2001-195637 A

  However, since the depth of the carton cannot be made so deep, when a large number of coins are discharged into the carton, the accumulation of coins is concentrated near the coin outlet. If the accumulation of coins concentrates at a specific location in the carton in this way, it may hinder the release of subsequent coins, or the coin may spill out of the carton when the carton is pulled out, or the coin may be caught inside the aircraft. May occur. In order to prevent these problems, it is necessary to repeat the work of extracting a few coins.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved coin dispensing port capable of leveling the accumulation of coins on a carton. It is in providing a mechanism and a cash processing apparatus provided with this.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, a conveyance path that conveys coins dispensed from a dispensing safe that stores coins to a discharge unit, and a coin receiver that receives coins discharged from the discharge unit. The coin receiving unit is provided at a predetermined stacking height, the driving unit moving the coin receiving unit at least in the loading / unloading direction of the coin receiving unit, the bottom surface of the coin receiving unit, and the discharging unit. When the detection unit detects that the coin has been accumulated and the detection unit detects that the coins accumulated in the coin receiving unit have reached a predetermined accumulation height, the falling of the coins released from the discharging unit in the coin receiving unit There is provided a coin dispensing mechanism, comprising: a drive control unit that drives the drive unit so that the position becomes a position where coins are not stacked up to the stacking height.

  According to the present invention, when the accumulated height of coins in the coin receiving unit becomes a predetermined value or more, the coin receiving unit is moved to change the coin collecting location. Thereby, accumulation of coins on the coin receiving part can be leveled.

  Here, the coin receiving part may be composed of a bottom part on which coins discharged from the discharge part are accumulated and a wall part surrounding the bottom part, and the detection part may be provided near the upper end of the wall part.

  The detection unit may use an optical sensor.

  Further, the detection unit is provided on the bottom side from the upper end of the wall portion of the coin receiving portion, and the wall portion of the coin receiving portion is formed by a translucent member at least a portion facing the position where the detection portion is disposed. It may be.

  Furthermore, the drive control unit may control the drive unit so as to move the coin receiving unit within an accommodable range in which coins discharged from the discharging unit can be stored in the coin receiving unit.

  Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, according to another viewpoint of this invention, the coin withdrawn from the dispensing safe which accommodates a coin is conveyed, and a coin is discharge | released from a 1st discharge | release part or a 2nd discharge | release part. Released from the transport path, a coin receiving section that receives the coins that are released from the first discharge section and the second discharge section of the transport path, a passage detection section that detects the passage of coins on the transport path, and the first discharge section. A first counting unit for counting the number of coins to be performed, a second counting unit for counting the number of coins discharged from the second discharging unit, and a first discharging unit and a second discharging unit for discharging coins in the transport path And a switching control unit that switches the switching member based on each number of coins counted in the first counting unit or the second counting unit at the timing when the passage of the coin is detected by the passage detecting unit. A coin withdrawal characterized by comprising Mechanism is provided.

  According to the present invention, two discharging parts are provided, and when the number of coins discharged from the discharging part from which coins are currently discharged exceeds a threshold number, the switching position of the coins is changed by switching the switching member. Thereby, the accumulation | aggregation location of the coin discharge | released on a coin receiving part can be changed, and accumulation | storage of the coin on a coin receiving part can be equalized.

  Here, the switching control unit may change the coin discharging unit by switching the switching member when the number of coins discharged from the discharging unit from which coins are currently discharged exceeds a threshold number.

  Furthermore, in order to solve the said subject, according to another viewpoint of this invention, the coin withdrawn from the dispensing safe which accommodates a coin is conveyed, and a coin is discharge | released from a 1st discharge | release part or a 2nd discharge | release part. A transport path, a coin receiving section for receiving coins released from the first discharge section and the second discharge section of the transport path, and a first counting section for counting the number of coins discharged from the first discharge section, A second counting unit that counts the number of coins discharged from the second discharging unit, and a switching member that switches the coin discharging unit between the first discharging unit and the second discharging unit in the conveyance path, are provided in parallel. A switching control unit that performs switching control for simultaneously switching the switching members based on the number of discharged coins counted in the first counting unit or the second counting unit. For each transport path, where the coins are currently being released When the number of coins released exceeds the threshold number, the transfer of coins from the vault is stopped, the transfer of coins from the vaults of all the transfer paths is stopped, and there are unpaid coins In some cases, a coin dispensing mechanism is provided that switches each switching member.

  Moreover, the coin from which the coin discharge | released to the coin receiving part by the coin deposit port which deposits a coin, the coin dispensing port mechanism of any one of the said Claims 1-8, and a coin dispensing port mechanism is taken out is taken out. It is also possible to provide a cash processing apparatus characterized by comprising a withdrawal port.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a coin dispensing mechanism that can level the accumulation of coins on a carton and a cash processing apparatus including the same.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows schematic structure of the cash processing apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the structure of the coin dispensing opening mechanism which concerns on the same embodiment. It is an AA arrow line view of FIG. It is a BB arrow line view of FIG. It is an AA arrow line view of FIG. 2, Comprising: The state when detecting that the accumulation height of the coin became h with the accumulation | storage monitoring sensor is shown. It is an AA arrow line view of FIG. 2, Comprising: A state when a carton is moved is shown. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the structure of the coin dispensing opening mechanism which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, Comprising: The state for which the switching fork is closed is shown. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the structure of the coin dispensing opening mechanism which concerns on the same embodiment, Comprising: The state for which the switching fork is open is shown. It is a top view which shows the switching member of the discharge conveyance path which concerns on the same embodiment. It is a top view which shows the switching member of the some discharge conveyance path which concerns on the same embodiment.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

<1. First Embodiment>
[1-1. Example of cash processing equipment appearance]
First, with reference to FIG. 1, schematic structure of the cash processing apparatus 1 which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the cash processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment.

  In general, a cash processing apparatus 1 provided at a window of a financial institution such as a bank has a function of depositing / withdrawing cash, and as shown in FIG. 1, a coin unit 10 for processing coins is provided on the upper part of the apparatus. A bill portion 30 for processing bills is provided at the lower part of the apparatus. Here, the front surface of the cash processing apparatus 1 is the side facing the user.

  A coin deposit slot 11 for depositing coins is provided on the upper surface of the coin unit 10, and a deposit slot shutter 11 a that can be opened and closed is provided in the coin deposit slot 11. During the counting operation of the coin unit 10, the deposit slot shutter 11a is closed to prevent erroneous insertion. Further, on the front surface of the coin portion 10, there is a coin dispensing port 12 from which coins are discharged by a coin dispensing port mechanism. The coin dispensing port 12 is provided with a carton that is a coin receiving unit that receives the released coins, and coins that are discharged and dropped by the coin dispensing port mechanism are accumulated on the carton. On the other hand, the banknote part 30 is provided with a banknote deposit / withdrawal port 31 from which a banknote to be deposited is stored and a banknote to be dispensed is taken out.

  The cash processing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment levels coins that are released and accumulated in a carton by a coin dispensing mechanism provided in the coin unit 10. This prevents the accumulation of coins from concentrating on a specific location in the carton, and prevents problems such as defective discharge of subsequent coins, falling coins from the carton when the carton is withdrawn, or catching coins in the aircraft. Prevent occurrence. Hereinafter, based on FIGS. 2-6, the structure and operation | movement of the coin dispensing opening mechanism which concern on this embodiment are demonstrated in detail.

[1-2. Configuration of coin dispensing mechanism]
First, based on FIGS. 2-4, the structure of the coin dispensing opening mechanism 100 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the coin dispensing mechanism 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is an AA arrow view of FIG. FIG. 4 is a BB arrow view of FIG.

  The coin dispensing mechanism 100 according to this embodiment includes a dispensing unit 110 that dispenses the coin C, and a carton movement that moves the carton 120 by detecting the accumulated height of the coin C dispensed on the carton 120. 1 and is provided in the coin part 10 of FIG.

  The dispensing unit 110 includes a dispensing safe 112 that stores coins for dispensing according to denomination, and a discharge conveyance path 114 that conveys the coin C dispensed from the dispensing safe to the discharge port 116. For example, the dispensing unit 110 of the present embodiment is provided with six dispensing safes 112a to 112f of denominations 1 to 6, as shown in FIGS. Discharge safes 112a to 112f are provided with discharge transport paths 114a to 114f for transporting coins C, respectively. The discharge conveyance path 114 can be configured, for example, by passing a conveyance belt between two rollers. A coin dispensing port of the safe 112 is disposed on one end side of the discharge conveyance path 114, and a discharge port 116 for discharging coins is disposed on the other end side.

  The carton 120 is a coin receiving unit that receives the coin C discharged from the discharge port 116, and is disposed below the discharge port 116. The carton 120 includes a bottom portion 122 on which coins C are accumulated and a wall portion 124 that rises from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 122 and has a depth d. The coins C accumulated in the carton 120 can be prevented from spilling from the carton 120 by the wall portion 124.

  The carton moving unit 130 is a mechanism that moves the carton 120 based on the accumulated height of the coins C in the carton 120, and includes accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L, a slide unit 134, a carton driving unit 136, and drive control. Part (not shown).

  The accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are detection units that monitor the accumulation state of coins at the position where the coins C released from the discharge port 116 and freely fall are accumulated. As the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L, for example, an optical sensor including a light emitting unit including an LED that emits light and a light receiving unit such as a photodiode that receives light emitted from the light emitting unit can be used.

  The accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are configured to monitor the accumulation state of the coins C at a height h near the upper end 126 of the carton 120 (height from the upper surface of the bottom 122 of the carton 120 in the z direction). 2 is provided so that the light emitted from the light receiving unit receives light in the direction perpendicular to the coin conveyance direction (dotted lines indicating the optical axes of 132R and 132L in FIG. 2). The accumulation monitoring sensors 132 </ b> R and 132 </ b> L are provided to detect the accumulation of coins at a specific location in the carton 120. When coins become higher than a predetermined accumulation height in the carton 120, problems such as defective discharge of subsequent coins, falling coins from the carton when the carton is pulled out, or catching of coins in the machine occur. Therefore, the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L detect whether or not the accumulated height of the coins C is the height h at which the possibility of the above-mentioned problem occurs when the coins C are accumulated more than this.

  In addition, the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are arranged so as to detect a position where the coins C that are discharged from the discharge port 116 and freely fall in the coin conveyance direction (x direction) of the discharge conveyance path 114 are accumulated. A detection position in the x direction of the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L is a position away from the discharge port 116 by a distance L in the positive direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are arranged in the arrangement direction (y direction) of the safe 112 so that the entire position where the coins C withdrawn from the respective safes 112 are discharged and accumulated can be monitored. Are provided at both ends of the carton 120. Thereby, it is possible to detect the accumulation height of the coins C withdrawn from all the safes 112 by one accumulation monitoring sensor 132R, 132L. The detection results of the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are output to the drive control unit.

  In the present embodiment, the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are provided so as to detect above the wall portion 124 of the carton 120 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, but the present invention is limited to such an example. Not. For example, the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L may be provided so as to detect a position slightly lower than the upper end 126 of the wall portion 124 of the carton 120. Thereby, the malfunction which generate | occur | produces by concentrating on the specific location in the carton 120 and accumulating the coin C can be prevented more reliably. At this time, when an optical sensor is used as the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L, at least a portion corresponding to the integrated height detected from the wall portion 124 is made of a translucent member so that light can pass through the carton 120. Form.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the slide unit 134 is a mounting board on which the carton 120 is mounted, and is provided so as to be movable at least in the direction in which the carton 120 is put in and out (x direction). The slide part 134 is driven by a carton drive part 136.

  The carton drive unit 136 is a slide motor that drives the slide unit 134. Based on a control signal from the drive control unit, the carton drive unit 136 drives the slide unit 134 on which the carton 120 is placed to move in the x direction by a predetermined movement amount. The amount of movement of the slide part 134 can be, for example, about 1 to 2 times the diameter of the coin C.

  The drive control unit performs drive control of the carton drive unit 136 based on the detection results of the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L. When the drive control unit recognizes from the detection results of the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L that the coins C are accumulated in the carton 120 at the detection position up to a predetermined accumulation height h, the drive control unit 136 slides on the carton drive unit 136. A control signal for moving the unit 134 by a predetermined movement amount is output.

[1-3. Operation of the coin dispensing mechanism]
The operation of the coin dispensing mechanism according to this embodiment will be described based on FIGS. FIG. 5 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2 and shows a state when the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L detect that the accumulation height of the coins C is h. FIG. 6 is an AA arrow view of FIG. 2 and shows a state when the carton 120 is moved.

  The withdrawal of the coin C is started by withdrawing the coin C of the denomination specified from the withdrawal safe 112 in the withdrawal unit 10. Coins C withdrawn from the safe 112 are placed on the discharge transport path 114 and transported in the coin transport direction (x direction), and discharged from the discharge port 116. The coins C discharged from the discharge port 116 are accumulated in a carton 120 disposed below the discharge port 116. At this time, when a large amount of coins C of a specific denomination are withdrawn, the coins C fall freely on the carton 120, so that they are stacked at a substantially constant position as shown in FIG.

  When the accumulation height of the coins C becomes h at the detection positions by the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L, the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L detect that the coins C are accumulated up to the vicinity of the upper end 124a of the carton 120. For example, when the integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are optical sensors, when the accumulated height of the coins C is lower than the height h, the light emitted from the light emitting unit is detected by the light receiving unit (sensor off state). On the other hand, when the accumulated height of the coins C is greater than or equal to the height h, the light emitted from the light emitting unit is shielded by the accumulated coins C, and the light receiving unit cannot detect the light (sensor on state). The integrated monitoring sensors 132R and 132L notify the drive control unit of the sensor on / off state as a detection result.

  When the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are turned on and the drive control unit recognizes that the coin C is accumulated to the vicinity of the upper end 124a of the carton 120, the drive control unit drives the carton drive unit 136 to move the carton 120. The drive control unit outputs a control signal for moving the slide unit 134 by a predetermined movement amount to the carton drive unit 136. The carton drive unit 136 is driven based on the control signal, and the slide unit 134 moves in response to the drive. As a result, the newly released coins C are accumulated at positions where the coins C are not yet accumulated in the carton 120, and the accumulation points of the coins C can be diffused. In this way, the coins that are released and accumulated in the carton 120 are leveled to prevent the accumulation of coins from concentrating on a specific location in the carton, and the subsequent coins are discharged poorly, or the coins fall from the carton when the carton is withdrawn. Or, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as catching of coins in the aircraft.

  The movement of the carton 120 is performed every time the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are turned on. However, if the carton 120 is moved in the same direction, the coins C discharged from the discharge port 116 are accumulated in the carton 120. Disappear. Therefore, the movement of the carton 120 is performed when the coin C to be discharged can be reliably stored at the position of the moved carton 120. When the coins 120 cannot be stored in the carton 120, the accumulation monitoring sensors 132R and 132L are turned on. Even if this happens, the carton 120 is not moved.

  In the present embodiment, the movable direction of the carton 120 is only the x direction, which is the drawing direction of the carton 120, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and moves in the y direction, which is the width direction of the carton 120, for example. It may be possible. The coins C are not accumulated so that the coins C are dropped from the carton 120 at a place where no or a small amount of coins C is discharged. Therefore, by enabling movement in the x direction and the y direction, more coins C can be leveled and accumulated in the carton 120.

  In this embodiment, every time the accumulated height of the coins C in the carton 120 is higher than the height h, the carton 120 is moved to the front side of the apparatus (the x-axis positive direction side). However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, every time the accumulated height of the coins C in the carton 120 is higher than the height h, the carton 120 may be moved to the back side of the apparatus (the negative x-axis direction side).

<2. Second Embodiment>
Next, the configuration and operation of the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Similarly to the first embodiment, the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment is also provided in the cash processing apparatus 1 as shown in FIG. The coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment releases the carton without moving, compared to the configuration of the first embodiment in which the carton 120 is moved and the coins C accumulated in the carton 120 are leveled. By switching the discharge position of the coin C discharged from the transport path, the coin C accumulated in the carton is leveled. This prevents the accumulation of coins from concentrating on a specific location in the carton, and prevents problems such as defective discharge of subsequent coins, falling coins from the carton when the carton is withdrawn, or catching coins in the aircraft. Prevent occurrence.

  Hereinafter, based on FIGS. 7-10, the structure and operation | movement of the coin dispensing opening mechanism 200 which concern on this embodiment are demonstrated in detail. FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment, and shows a state in which the switching fork 222 is closed. FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the configuration of the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment, and shows a state in which the switching fork 222 is open. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the switching member of the discharge conveyance path according to the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a plurality of discharge conveyance path switching members according to the present embodiment. In addition, since the structure of the cash processing apparatus 1 is the same as that of 1st Embodiment, the description is abbreviate | omitted here.

[2-1. Configuration of coin dispensing mechanism]
First, based on FIGS. 7-9, the structure of the coin dispensing mechanism 200 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated. The coin dispensing opening mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment is released by a discharge transport unit 210 that transports the coin C to be dispensed, a switching unit 220 that switches a discharge position of the coin C transported by the discharge transport unit 210, and the discharge transport unit 210. The carton 230 is a coin receiving unit that receives coins, and a control unit 240 that controls the switching unit 220, and is provided in the coin unit 10 of FIG. 7 to 9 show the configuration of the coin dispensing mechanism 200 around one denomination, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the coin dispensing mechanism 200 has six denominations. You may equip each minute, or you may equip only one denomination.

  The discharge transport unit 210 transfers the coins C withdrawn from a withdrawal safe (not shown) that stores the withdrawal coins by type of money to, for example, two rollers 211 (one roller is not shown). The transporting round belt 212, the discharge transporting path 214 that holds the coin C so as to face the transporting round belt 212, and the switching fork 216 that is a switching member that is rotatably driven by the switching unit 220. In the present embodiment, the transport round belt is used as a member for transporting the coins C together with the discharge transport path 214, but the present invention is not limited to such an example, and for example, a wide transport belt can be used. When the conveyance round belt 212 is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction (for example, counterclockwise in FIG. 7), the coin C sandwiched between the conveyance round belt 212 and the discharge conveyance path 214 is exchanged with the conveyance round belt 212. It is conveyed to the discharge port to the carton 230 by the frictional force.

  The discharge conveyance path 214 has an interval between the opposite conveying round belt 212 and the opposite conveying round belt 212 so that a frictional force that can be conveyed by the conveying round belt 212 is generated between the coins C sandwiched therebetween. It arrange | positions substantially parallel. A transport direction (x-axis positive direction) side of the discharge transport path 214 is an inclined portion 214 a extending to the arrangement side of the carton 230. The inclined portion 214a is a first discharge port for the coin C, and the coin C discharged through the inclined portion 214a is stacked on the apparatus back side (x-axis negative direction side) of the carton 230.

  The switching fork 216 is connected to a switching unit 220, which will be described later, at the end opposite to the discharge conveyance path 214, and is flush with the placement surface of the coins C in the discharge conveyance path 214 by the operation of the switching unit 220. The closed state (FIG. 7) and the open state (FIG. 8) where the end portion on the discharge conveyance path 214 side is rotated to the opposite side to the carton 230 and lifted are switched. As shown in FIG. 7, when the switching fork 216 is in the closed state, the coin C passes through the discharge conveyance path 214 and the switching fork 216 and is discharged to the carton 230. Thus, let the discharge port of the coin C from the switching fork 216 be a 2nd discharge port. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the switching fork 216 is in the open state, the coin C passes through the inclined portion 214 a of the discharge conveyance path 214 and is discharged from the first discharge port to the carton 230.

  Note that conveyance guides 218 for guiding the coins C conveyed along the discharge conveyance path 214 are provided on both sides in the width direction (y direction) of the discharge conveyance path 214 as shown in FIG.

  The switching unit 220 is a drive mechanism that switches the switching fork 216, and includes a switching fork operation solenoid 222, an arm unit 224, and a connecting unit 226.

  The switching fork operation solenoid 222 generates a magnetic field by, for example, passing a current through a copper wire, and attracts the magnetic movable portion 222a. When a current is passed through the copper wire, the movable portion 222a is sucked into the copper wire and enters the state shown in FIG. 8, and when the current is cut off, the attractive force disappears and the movable portion 222a returns to the state shown in FIG. . In this way, the switching fork operation solenoid 222 moves in the y direction. The movable portion 222a of the switching fork operation solenoid 222 is connected to the arm portion 224, and the arm portion 224 can be translated in the y direction. The switching fork operation solenoid 222 is driven and controlled by the control unit 240.

  The arm portion 224 is a member that is connected to the movable portion 222a of the switching fork operation solenoid 222 and is movable integrally in the y direction. A stopper 224a having a diameter larger than that of the movable portion 222a is provided at one end of the arm portion 224 on the switching fork operation solenoid 222 side. By providing the stopper 224a, the movement of the arm portion 224 in the negative x-axis direction can be restricted, and the switching fork 216 can be prevented from rotating excessively. The other end of the arm portion 224 opposite to the stopper 224a is rotatably connected to one end of the connecting portion 226.

  The connecting portion 226 is a member that connects the end portion of the switching fork 216 opposite to the discharge conveyance path 214 and the arm portion 224. One end of the connecting portion 226 is rotatably connected by the arm portion 224 and the rotating shaft 228a, and the other end is rotatably connected by the switching fork 216 and the rotating shaft 228b.

  The carton 230 is a coin receiving part that receives the coins C discharged from the first discharge port and the second discharge port, and is arranged at the lower part of each discharge port. The carton 230 includes a bottom portion 232 on which coins C are accumulated, and a wall portion 234 that rises from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 232, and has a depth d. The coins C accumulated in the carton 230 can be prevented from spilling from the carton 230 by the wall portion 234.

  The control unit 240 is a passage sensor 242 that is a passage detection unit that detects the passage of the coin C on the discharge conveyance path 214, and a first counting unit that counts the number of coins C discharged from the first discharge unit. 1 count sensor 244, a second coefficient sensor 246 that is a second counting unit that counts the number of coins C released from the second releasing unit, and a detection result of at least one of these sensors 242, 244, or 246 And a switching control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the switching unit 220.

  The passage sensor 242, the first count sensor 244, and the second count sensor 246 include, for example, a light emitting unit that includes an LED that emits light and a light receiving unit such as a photodiode that receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit. An optical sensor can be used. At this time, each sensor 242, 244, and 246 detects the light emitted from the light emitting unit by the light receiving unit when the coin C is not present at the sensor detection position on the discharge conveyance path 214 (sensor off state). On the other hand, when the coin C exists at the detection position of the sensor on the discharge conveyance path 214, the light emitted from the light emitting unit is shielded by the coin C, and the light receiving unit cannot detect the light (sensor on state). Each sensor 242, 244, and 246 notifies the switching control unit of the on / off state of the sensor as a detection result.

  Since the passage sensor 242 is a sensor for determining whether or not the switching fork 216 can be operated, the passage sensor 242 is separated by a predetermined distance or more from the inclined portion 214a of the discharge conveyance path 214 to the upstream side in the coin conveyance direction (x negative direction side). Provided in position. The arrangement position of the passage sensor 242 is determined so as to ensure a necessary time until the switching fork 216 is operated in response to the detection result of the passage sensor 242.

  The first counting sensor 244 is arranged at a bent portion of the inclined portion 214a of the discharge conveyance path 214 in order to count the number of coins C discharged from the first discharge port. On the other hand, the second counting sensor 246 is disposed in the vicinity of the end portion connected to the connecting portion 226 of the switching fork 216 in order to count the number of coins C discharged from the second discharge port. Each number of coins counted by the first counting sensor 244 and the second counting sensor 246 is stored, for example, in a memory (not shown) in the apparatus.

  A switching control unit (not shown) controls the operation of the switching unit 220 based on at least one of the detection results to switch the switching fork 216 between open and closed states. When the switching sensor 242 detects the passage of the coin C by the passage sensor 242, the switching control unit determines a discharge port for discharging the passed coin C based on the number of coins discharged from the first discharge port and the number of coins discharged from the second discharge port. decide. And when the discharge port of the coin C is made into the 1st discharge part, a switching control part operates the switching fork operation | movement solenoid 222 so that the switching fork 216 may be in an open state. On the other hand, when the discharge port of the coin C is the second discharge portion, the switching control portion operates the switching fork operation solenoid 222 so that the switching fork 216 is closed.

[2-2. Operation of the coin dispensing mechanism]
The discharge transport unit 210 of the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment allows the two coin C discharge ports (the first discharge port and the second discharge port) to discharge the coin C to different positions in the carton 230. )have. The discharge port of the coin C is determined by the switching control unit based on the determination requirement as to whether or not the number of coins discharged by the first counting sensor 244 and the second counting sensor 246 exceeds the threshold number.

  The withdrawal of the coin C is started by withdrawing the coin C of the denomination designated from the withdrawal safe in the withdrawal unit. The coins C withdrawn from the dispensing vault are sandwiched between the conveyance round belt 212 and the discharge conveyance path 214 and conveyed in the coin conveyance direction (x direction). It should be noted that the coins C to be dispensed are transported at a predetermined time interval by the payout mechanism and the transport mechanism of the dispensing safe.

  Here, most of the withdrawal transactions are change, and at this time, the maximum number of denominations is four. Therefore, the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment opens / closes the switching fork 216 by the switching control unit every time the number of coins discharged from either the first discharge port or the second discharge port becomes 5, for example. Switch the state. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the initial state of the switching fork 216 is an open state. When the switching fork 216 is in the open state, the coin C passes through the inclined portion 214a and is discharged and accumulated from the first discharge port to the device back side (x-axis negative direction side) of the carton 230. At this time, the number of coins discharged from the first discharge port is counted by the first counting sensor 244 and stored in the memory.

  Each time the passage of the coin C is detected by the passage sensor 242, the switching control unit confirms the number of coins discharged from the first discharge port. The switching fork 216 is left open until the number of coins discharged from the first discharge port becomes five. Then, when the first counting sensor 244 detects that the number of coins released becomes five, the switching control unit operates the switching fork operation solenoid 222 so that the movable portion 222a is sucked, and is shown in FIG. Thus, the switching fork 216 is closed. When the switching fork 216 is in the closed state, the coin C passes over the switching fork 216 and is discharged and accumulated from the second discharge port to the front side of the carton 230 (the x-axis positive direction side). At this time, the number of coins discharged from the second discharge port is counted by the second counting sensor 246 and stored in the memory.

  Each time the passage of the coin C is detected by the passage sensor 242, the switching control unit confirms the number of coins discharged from the second discharge port. The switching fork 216 is kept closed until the number of coins discharged from the second discharge port becomes five. Then, when the second counting sensor 246 detects that the number of coins released becomes five, the switching control unit operates the switching fork operation solenoid 222 so as to release the suction of the movable unit 222a, and FIG. As shown, the switching fork 216 is returned to the open state. Thereafter, the coin dispensing mechanism 200 repeats this operation.

  If the switching operation of the switching fork 216 is not in time after the arrival or passage of the coin C is detected by the passage sensor 242, the switching operation is skipped or an error occurs. As a result, the switching fork 216 cannot be switched in the open / closed state in time, so that the coin C is not sandwiched between the discharge conveyance path 214 and the switching fork 216, or the switching fork 216 is moved at the timing when the coin C is conveyed. Avoid being lifted and opened.

  Thus, in this embodiment, two discharge ports are provided, and the open / close state of the switching fork 216 is switched based on the number of coins discharged from each discharge port. Conventionally, since the discharge port of the carton is fixed and the coins C are accumulated at a specific location, troubles such as preventing the release of the coins C when discharging a large number of coins, or spilling the coins C from the carton when the cartons are pulled out. There was a factor that caused. By the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the present embodiment, the accumulation positions of the coins C on the carton 230 are dispersed, and the accumulation of coins can be smoothed. In this way, it is possible to release a large number of coins at a time by making use of the depth shape of the carton 230.

  In this example, the switching timing of the switching fork 216 is set to be when the number of coins counted by any of the counting sensors 244 and 246 becomes five, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the switching fork 216 may be switched when the number of coins released becomes 10 or when it becomes 1. Moreover, you may set the number of coins discharge | released as a switching timing according to a money type.

[2-3. Multiple denomination switching fork switching operation]
7 to 9 show the configuration for one denomination (that is, one discharge conveyance path), the coin dispensing port mechanism 200A according to the present embodiment has a plurality of denominations (that is, a plurality of discharge conveyance paths). It is also possible to have. At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, when six denomination discharge conveyance paths 214 a to 214 f are provided, all the switching forks 216 a to 216 f may be operated by one switching unit 220. it can.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 10, six denomination discharge transport paths 214 a to 214 f are arranged in a direction (y direction) orthogonal to the coin transport direction (x direction) with the transport guide 218 interposed therebetween. . The coins C withdrawn from the dispensing safe are transported on the discharge transport paths 214a to 214f. In general, since the coin C is fed out from the safe deposit box asynchronously with each denomination, the switching forks 216a to 216f are switched in an open / closed state with no coin C on all the discharge transport paths 214a to 214f. There is a need. Therefore, in this example, when switching the open / close state of the switching forks 216a to 216f, since the feeding of the coin C from the safe is stopped, this can be used for switching determination of the switching forks 216a to 216f. Therefore, it is not necessary to install the passage sensor 242 for detecting the arrival or passage of the coin C as in the above example.

  In addition, on each discharge conveyance path 214a-214f, the 1st count sensor 244a-244f which counts the number of coins discharge | released from a 1st discharge port, and the 2nd count sensor 246a which counts the number of coins discharge | released from a 2nd discharge port. ˜246f are provided.

  In the coin dispensing mechanism 200A, the initial state of the switching fork 216 is set to the open state. When it is detected by the first counting sensors 244a to 244f of the discharge transport paths 214a to 214f of any denomination that the number of coins discharged from the first discharge port becomes five, the switching control unit Stops feeding coin C from the seed safe. Similarly, with respect to the feeding of coins C from other safe deposit boxes, when it is detected that the number of coins discharged from the first discharge port has become five, the coin C is fed from the safe deposit box of the denomination. To stop.

  Thus, when the payout process of the coin C from the bank is stopped for all denominations and the discharge of the specified number of withdrawals for at least one of the denominations is not completed, the switching control unit After the operating solenoid 222 is operated to switch the switching forks 216a to 216f to the closed state at the same time, the feeding of the coins C is resumed from the denomination safe of the denomination whose designated number of withdrawals has not been completed. With this operation, the coin C can be discharged from the second discharge port.

  Thereafter, it stops each time the second counting sensors 246a to 246f detect the feeding of the coins C from the respective safes. When all the denominations of the coin C empty coin C are stopped, and the discharge of the designated number of withdrawals for at least one of the denominations is not completed, the switching forks 216a to 216f are At the same time, it is returned to the open state so that the coin C is discharged from the first discharge port.

  In this way, when a plurality of denomination discharge conveyance paths 214a to 214f are provided, all the switching forks 216a to 216f are simultaneously opened and closed by one switching unit 220, whereby each of the conveyance units 210a to 210f is opened. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the switching unit 220 for switching the switching forks 216a to 216f. In addition, since it is a requirement that the transfer of the coins C on all the discharge transport paths 214a to 214f is stopped in the switching control of the switching forks 216a to 216f, it is determined whether the switching forks 216a to 216f are operable. The passing sensor for this can also be omitted.

  In this example, when the switching forks 216a to 216f are switched, there is a waiting time until all the discharge conveyance paths 214a to 214f are stopped. For this reason, compared with the case where the switching part 220 is provided in each discharge | emission conveyance path 214a-214f, the time (discharge completion time) required for discharge | release of the coin C in total becomes long. However, since change transactions occupy most of the withdrawal transactions are less than 4 denominations, it is necessary to release another number of coins C, such as reducing the number of coins C that have become too large in the plane. A partial recovery process and a total recovery process performed at the time of scrutiny. Therefore, it has little impact on normal transactions. Of course, each of the discharge conveyance paths 214a to 214f may be provided with a switching unit 220, and one switching unit 220 may be provided for a plurality of denominations (for example, every two denominations and three denominations). .

<3. Modification>
As a modification of the coin dispensing mechanism provided in the cash handling apparatus 1, the configuration of the coin dispensing mechanism 100 according to the first embodiment and the configuration of the coin dispensing mechanism 200 according to the second embodiment. You may combine.

  For example, as in the first embodiment, the number of coins released from the outlet 116 provided in the second embodiment to the coin dispensing mechanism 100 that moves the cartons 120 and changes the accumulation location of the coins C is shown. You may provide the counting sensor which counts. At this time, when the counting sensor detects the release of a predetermined number (for example, five) of coins C, the drive control unit moves the carton 120 to change the accumulation position of the coins C. Even with such a configuration, the accumulation of coins C on the carton 120 can be leveled as in the above-described embodiment. In the case where there are a plurality of dispensing units 110, for example, the carton 120 may be moved when the number of coins discharged from at least one of the dispensing units 110 exceeds a predetermined number.

  Further, as in the second embodiment, two discharge ports are provided, and the coin dispensing port mechanism 200 that changes the accumulation location of the coins C by switching the open / close state of the switching fork 126 is provided in the first embodiment. An accumulation monitoring sensor that monitors the accumulation height of the coins C on the carton 230 may be provided. At this time, when the accumulation control sensor detects that the accumulated height of the coins C at the detection location in the carton 230 has become the height h, the switching control unit switches the open / close state of the switching fork 216, Change the coin C outlet. Thereby, the accumulation location of the coins C discharged to the carton 230 can be changed, and the accumulation of the coins C on the carton 230 can be leveled as in the above-described embodiment.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can come up with various changes or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. Of course, it is understood that these also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cash processing apparatus 10 Coin part 30 Banknote part 100, 200, 200A Coin dispensing port mechanism 110 Withdrawal part 112 Depot safe 114 Discharge conveyance path 116 Discharge port 120, 230 Carton 130 Carton movement part 132R, 132L Integrated monitoring sensor 134 Slide Part 136 carton driving part 210 discharge transport part 212 transport round belt 214 discharge transport path 214a inclined part 216 switching fork 218 transport guide 220 switching part 222 switching fork operation solenoid 224 arm part 226 connecting part 240 control part 242 passage sensor 244 first count Sensor 246 Second coefficient sensor C Coin

Claims (9)

A transport path for transporting coins withdrawn from a cashbox storing coins to a discharge unit;
A coin receiving portion for receiving coins discharged from the discharging portion;
A drive unit for moving the coin receiving unit at least in the direction of inserting and removing the coin receiving unit;
A detection unit that is provided between the bottom surface of the coin receiving unit and the discharge unit and detects that the coins accumulated in the coin receiving unit have reached a predetermined accumulation height;
When the detection unit detects that the coins accumulated in the coin receiving unit have reached a predetermined accumulation height, the coin falling position released from the discharge unit in the coin receiving unit is changed to the accumulated height. A drive control unit that drives the drive unit so that the position is not integrated,
A coin dispensing mechanism, comprising: The coin receiving portion is composed of a bottom portion on which coins discharged from the discharge portion are stacked, and a wall portion surrounding the bottom portion,
The coin dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is provided near an upper end of the wall portion.   The coin dispensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the detection unit is an optical sensor. The detection part is provided on the bottom side from the upper end of the wall part of the coin receiving part,
4. The coin dispensing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the wall portion of the coin receiving portion is formed of a translucent member at least at a portion facing a position where the detection portion is disposed. 5.   The said drive control part controls the said drive part so that the said coin receiving part may be moved within the accommodating range which can accommodate the coin discharge | released from the said discharge | release part in the said coin receiving part. The coin dispensing mechanism according to any one of the preceding claims. A transport path for transporting coins withdrawn from a cashbox storing coins, and discharging the coins from the first discharge section or the second discharge section;
A coin receiving unit that receives coins that are discharged from the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit of the transport path, and
A passage detection unit that detects passage of the coin on the conveyance path;
A first counting unit for counting the number of coins released from the first releasing unit;
A second counter for counting the number of coins released from the second discharger;
A switching member that switches the coin discharge portion between the first discharge portion and the second discharge portion in the transport path;
A switching control unit that switches the switching member based on the number of coins discharged in the first counting unit or the second counting unit at a timing when the passage of the coin is detected by the passing detection unit;
A coin dispensing mechanism, comprising:   The said switching control part switches the said switching member and changes the discharge | release part of a coin, when the number of coins discharge | released from the discharge | release part from which the coin is currently discharged | emitted exceeds a threshold number of sheets. Coin dispensing mechanism according to. A transport path for transporting coins withdrawn from a cashbox storing coins, and discharging the coins from the first discharge section or the second discharge section;
A coin receiving unit that receives coins that are discharged from the first discharge unit and the second discharge unit of the transport path, and
A first counting unit for counting the number of coins released from the first releasing unit;
A second counter for counting the number of coins released from the second discharger;
A switching member that switches the coin discharge portion between the first discharge portion and the second discharge portion in the transport path;
A plurality of conveyance paths provided in parallel;
A switching control unit for performing switching control for simultaneously switching the switching members based on the number of coins discharged in the first counting unit or the second counting unit;
With
The switching controller is
For each of the transport paths, when the number of coins released from the outlet from which coins are currently discharged exceeds a threshold number, the transport of coins from the safe is stopped,
A coin dispensing slot mechanism, wherein the switching member is switched when the conveyance of coins from the safes out of all the conveyance paths is stopped and there are unpaid coins. A coin deposit port for depositing coins,
A coin dispensing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
A coin dispensing port from which the coins discharged to the coin receiving unit by the coin dispensing port mechanism are taken out;
A cash processing apparatus comprising:

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