JP2013131094A - Coin processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a coin processing device capable of shortening a pay-out period of coins to be stored in coin storage means, and integrating coin conveyance means to miniaturize the device.SOLUTION: In a coin processing device which identifies coins inserted into a coin insertion port 3, after that, automatically takes the coins inside, stores the coins in coin storage parts 12 provided for every denomination, and pays out the coins stored in the coin storage parts 12 to a coin pay-out port 7 according to a coin pay-out request, reception conveyance means for conveying the coins inserted into the coin insertion port 3 and identified toward the coin storage parts 12 one by one, and payment conveyance means for conveying the coins to be stored in the coin storage parts 12 toward the coin pay-out port 7 are constituted as one coin conveyance passage 11, and the coin storage parts 12 which store the coins for every denomination are arranged along the coin conveyance passage 11.

Description

  The present invention is a coin processing apparatus which is installed in a cash register counter such as a supermarket or a convenience store, stores coins received from a customer in a storage, and withdraws a required number of coins as change from the storage in accordance with a withdrawal instruction. About.

As such a coin processing apparatus, a coin depositing and dispensing machine described in JP 2009-59308 A is known. This coin depositing / dispensing machine includes a feeding mechanism that feeds coins inserted into a coin insertion slot one by one, an identification passage having an identification section that identifies a coin fed out from the feeding mechanism, and an arrangement following the identification passage. A classification passage for classifying coins into denominations, a transfer means for depositing coins in the identification passages and the classification passages, and disposed below the classification passage, and classified into denominations in the classification passages. The coins are stored in a non-aligned state and the stored coins can be dispensed, and the coins dispensed from the storage dispenser are transported to the coin outlet. A coin depositing / withdrawing machine comprising a conveying means for gold, and a predetermined value at the time of a collecting process in which all coins are thrown out from the storing / dispensing portion of the money type and conveyed to the coin dispensing port and collected. Only the storage / throwing section of several denominations is driven sequentially. After the recovery operation, in which comprises a control means for causing the recovery operation for driving simultaneously the accommodating and dispensing portion of all denominations.

 And according to this, at the time of the collection process in which all coins are thrown out from the storage / disposal part of each denomination and conveyed to the coin dispensing port, only the storage / disposal part of a predetermined number of denominations are sequentially After performing the collecting operation to drive, the collection operation to drive all the denomination storage and dispensing unit at the same time is performed, preventing the coins from stagnation or clogging at the dispensing means It can shorten the time it takes.

JP 2009-59308 A

By the way, in such a coin processing device, the storage and throwing unit for storing coins in the main body stores coins that are inserted into the coin insertion slot and classified by denomination in the classification passage in an unaligned state, and the storage The coins are thrown into the coin dispensing slot, but since the stored coins are not aligned, the dispensing interval is stabilized when coins are fed from the storage dispensing part to the coin dispensing slot. However, there was a problem that the throwing time may become redundant.
Further, a depositing transport means for transporting coins thrown into the coin insertion slot to the storage and dispensing section, and a dispensing transport means for transporting coins thrown from the storage dispensing section to the coin dispensing slot, Since each storage / throwing part is separately provided on both sides, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the apparatus.

  In order to cope with such a problem, the present invention stores coins stored in a storage / dispensing unit in an aligned state in which the coins can be thrown in a short time, and shortens the throwing time. And a deposit transport unit that transports coins that have been thrown into the coin slot into the storage / dispensing unit, and a withdrawal transport unit that transports coins thrown out from the storage / dispensing unit to the coin dispensing slot. An object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing device that can be reduced in size by being shared.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 identifies coins inserted into a coin slot and automatically takes them into the interior and stores them in a coin storage section provided for each denomination. In the coin processing device that pays out the coins stored in the coin storage unit to a coin payout outlet in response to a coin payout request, the coins inserted into the coin input port and identified are directed to the coin storage unit. A coin transport passage configured to transport the coins stored in the coin storage portion toward the coin payout exit as a single coin transport passage, Along with this, the coin storage part for storing coins by denomination is arranged.
According to this, the coins that are inserted into the coin insertion slot and conveyed toward the coin storage part, and the coins that are stored in the coin storage part and conveyed toward the coin payout outlet, It can be conveyed by the road.

 Moreover, the invention which concerns on Claim 2 is a coin processing apparatus of Claim 1, Comprising: The said coin storage part can be raised / lowered freely in the inside of the cylindrical part extended in the up-down direction, and the said cylindrical part. A stage portion provided; a coin intake opening at an upper portion of the cylindrical portion; and a coin carry-out means provided above and facing the cylindrical portion, wherein the coin conveyance path is connected to the coin storage portion. The coins transported toward the coin are taken in from the coin take-in port, and are stacked and stored on the stage unit adjusted within a predetermined drop movement distance of the coin taken in from the intake port in the cylindrical part, In response to a coin dispensing request, the coins stacked on the stage unit are moved toward the coin unloading means by raising the stage unit, and the uppermost coins are conveyed one by one by the coin unloading means. Carry out to the aisle It is intended.

 According to this, the coins inserted into the coin slot are stacked in the coin storage unit and stored in an aligned state, and the coins stored in the aligned state in the coin storage unit are sequentially carried out from the top to the coin transport path. And can be paid out to the coin payout exit.

 Further, the invention according to claim 3 is the coin processing device according to claim 2, wherein a gate part that can be moved back and forth is provided in the coin conveyance path, and when the gate part protrudes into the coin conveyance path, When the predetermined coins that are conveyed one by one through the coin conveyance path are guided to the coin intake and taken into the coin storage unit, and retracted from the coin conveyance path, the coin intake path is closed to close the coin conveyance path. The coins that are transported are prevented from entering the coin storage part, and the coin carry-out means carries out the top coins of the stage part one by one to the coin transport path via the gate part. Is.

 According to this, it is possible to easily select the predetermined coins that are transported through the coin transport path by the gate unit and take them into the coin storage unit. Moreover, when paying out the coins stored in the coin storage part to the coin transport path, the coins can be paid out from above the coin transport path via the gate part.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the coin that is inserted into the coin slot and transported toward the coin storage portion, and the coin that is stored in the coin storage portion and transported toward the coin payout outlet are Since it can convey by one coin conveyance path, a coin processing apparatus can be reduced in size.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the coins inserted into the coin slot are stacked in the coin storage part and stored in an aligned state, and the coins stored in the coin storage part in the aligned state are sequentially transferred from the top to the coin transport path. Therefore, it is possible to provide a coin processing device that can stably dispense coins to the coin dispensing outlet in a short time.
Further, according to the invention according to claim 3, by moving the gate part to and from the coin conveyance path, it is possible to easily select the predetermined coins conveyed through the coin conveyance path and take them into the coin storage part. The coin storage structure for each denomination can be simply configured to reduce the cost of the coin processing device. Moreover, when paying out the coins stored in the coin storage part to the coin transport path, the coins transported from the upstream onto the coin transport path can be obtained by paying out the coins from above the coin transport path via the gate part. Even when it exists, it is possible to pay out a coin and transport it. That is, it is possible to provide a coin processing apparatus that can pay out coins efficiently and in a short time.

It is a top view which shows typically the structure inside the coin processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. In the coin processing device according to the embodiment of the present invention, a state in which the coins transported toward the coin storage means in the coin transport path unit is guided to the gate unit and stored in the corresponding denomination coin storage. It is a figure shown, Comprising: (a) is a sectional side view, (b) is a top view. In the coin processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a state in which the coins stored in the denominated coin storage are fed to the coin transport path by the coin feeding means and transported toward the coin payout exit is schematically shown. It is a figure shown, Comprising: (a) is a sectional side view, (b) is a top view. In the coin processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, it is a schematic diagram which shows the application example which has arrange | positioned money type storage on both sides of a coin conveyance path part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a coin processing apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an internal configuration of a coin processing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the arrow in a figure shows the moving direction of the coin processed in the coin processing apparatus 1. FIG. As shown in the figure, the coin processing apparatus 1 is provided with a coin insertion slot 3 on the front right side (lower right side in the figure) of the housing 2 into which a plurality of coins can be simultaneously inserted. A coin payout exit 7 is provided on the left side of the mouth 3. This coin processing apparatus 1 is a temporary holding for temporarily holding a coin identified as a genuine coin by a depositing coin transport mechanism 9 for transporting a coin inserted into a coin slot 3 into the inside and a check unit 17 described later. The coins sent from the part 10 and the temporary storage unit 10 are transported toward the denomination storages 12a to 12f described later, and the coins paid out from the denomination storages 12a to 12f are transported toward the coin payout exit 7. A coin transport path section (coin transport path) 11 and a plurality of denomination storage boxes 12a to 12a arranged near the side portions along the extending direction of the coin transport path section 11 and respectively store coins of a predetermined denomination. The coin storage means (coin storage part) 12 comprised from 12f, and the gate which guides the coin conveyed by the coin conveyance path part 11 toward the coin storage means 12 to each money type storage 12a-12f according to money type Part 19 , Coin feeding means (coin carrying means) 21 for paying out coins stored in the respective denomination storage units 12a to 12f toward the coin transfer path unit 11, and the coin transfer path unit 11 from the denomination storage units 12a to 12f. Are provided with a coin identification sensor 13 (to be described later) for discriminating the denomination of the coins that are discharged toward the coin payout exit 7 and the control unit 30 for controlling the operation of each part. .

 In addition, the above-described check unit 17 is disposed inside the coin transport mechanism 9. The coin check unit 17 identifies the authenticity / incorrectness and denomination of the coins inserted into the coin insertion slot 3, and switches the reject gate 34 provided on the downstream side according to the identification result, thereby changing the inserted coins. Is sent out to either the coin payout exit 7 or the temporary holding unit 10. Here, the coins identified as regular coins by the quarantine unit 17 are temporarily held in the temporary holding unit 10, and after the amount is fixed, the coins are sent out toward the coin conveyance path unit 11. Further, a cancel gate 35 is provided on the downstream side of the temporary storage unit 10. For example, when a return command for the inserted coin is issued from the control unit 30, the coin temporarily stored by switching the cancel gate 35 is provided. Can be returned from the coin payout exit 7 as it is. Note that coins that are not identified as genuine coins by the quarantine unit 17 are returned directly to the coin payment outlet 7 via the reject gate 34.

  The gate unit 19 that guides the coins transported toward the coin storage means 12 through the coin transport path unit 11 to the respective denomination storages 12a to 12f selects the coins sent from the temporary storage unit 10 by denomination. Then, it guides to the denomination storage 12a-12f corresponding to each denomination, Comprising: The denomination storage arrange | positioned along the coin conveyance path part 11 extended toward back from the front surface of the coin processing apparatus 1. It is provided corresponding to each of the cabinets 12a to 12f. In addition, the gate part 19 provided corresponding to these money-type storages 12a-12f identifies the coin sent to the coin conveyance path part 11 from the temporary storage part 10 with the above-mentioned coin identification sensor 13, and the identification result Accordingly, the coins are guided to the respective denomination storage units 12a to 12f. Also, the number of coins stored in the denomination storages 12 a to 12 f by the respective gate units 19 is stored in the storage unit 30 a of the control unit 30.

The plurality of denomination storages 12a to 12f constituting the coin storage means 12 are configured to individually store coins of denominations of 1 yen, 50 yen, 5 yen, 100 yen, 10 yen, and 500 yen, respectively. Has been. The denomination storages 12a to 12f are provided with a coin feeding means 21 for feeding the coins stored therein to the coin transport path section 11. In addition, the above-mentioned coin identification sensor 13 that identifies the coins fed out from the denomination storages 12a to 12f and counts the fed coins is provided on the front side (coin payout exit 7 side) of the coin transport path portion 11. Yes.
And in the coin storage means 12 comprised in this way, when dispensing the change paying to a customer, for example, according to the amount of money, coins of the designated number of coins are paid out from each denomination storage 12a-12f. By means 21, the coin can be fed to the coin transport path 11 and can be withdrawn to the coin payout exit 7.

 FIG. 2 shows the coin processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which the coins transported through the coin transport path portion 11 toward the coin storage means 12 are guided by the gate portion 19 and corresponding coin types are stored. It is a figure which shows typically the state accommodated in storage 12a-12f, Comprising: (a) is a sectional side view, (b) is a top view. As shown to (a) of this figure, this coin conveyance path part 11 is stretched by the rollers 31a and 31b arrange | positioned at the both ends of the extending direction of the coin conveyance path part 11, and this roller 31a, 31b. An endless transport belt 32 is provided, and an upper surface area on the outer surface side of the endless transport belt 32 is configured as a coin transport path surface 11a on which coins are placed and transported. The transport belt 32 is a flat belt having a belt width substantially equal to the maximum diameter of coins stored in the denominated coin storages 12a to 12f.

 Moreover, each coin storage 12a-12f which comprises the coin storage means 12 is vertically cylindrical in the cylindrical coin storage part (tubular part) 25 extended in the up-down direction, and the inside of the cylindrical coin storage part 25. The stage portion 26 is provided so as to be movable up and down in a direction, and a guide rail portion 27 that guides the movement of the stage portion 26 in the vertical direction. Here, the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 is formed so that its inner diameter is slightly larger than the diameter of the coins stored therein, and the upper end of the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 takes in the coins transported through the coin transport path unit 11 into the interior. The coin inlet 25a is opened in a concave shape. The denominated coin storages 12a to 12f are configured to store coins that are carried from the coin intake 25a of the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 in an aligned state on the upper surface of the stage unit 26. ing.

 Moreover, the upper end part of the cylindrical coin storage part 25 is open | released, and the coin feeding means 21 is provided above it so that the upper end part may be opposed. The coin feeding means 21 includes a feeding belt 23 stretched between a pair of rollers 22a and 22b. The uppermost coin stored in the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 is brought into contact with the lower surface area of the outer surface of the feeding belt 23. Thus, by driving the feeding belt 23 in a predetermined direction, the coin is fed from the upper end portion of the cylindrical coin storage portion 25 toward the coin transport path portion 11.

 Moreover, as shown in (b) of a figure, the vertically long wedge-shaped gate part 19 is provided in the side corresponding to each coin-type coin storage 12a-12f. One end of the gate portion 19 is pivotally supported in the vicinity of the side portion of the cylindrical coin storage portion 25, and the other end 19b is pivoted about the support shaft 19a to move in and out on the coin conveyance path surface 11a of the coin conveyance path portion 11. It is provided freely. And when the other end 19b of the gate part 19 protrudes on the coin conveyance path surface 11a of the coin conveyance path part 11, the other end (front end) 19b is upstream in the coin conveyance direction so that the gate part 19 blocks the coin conveyance direction. It becomes a sideways posture inclined obliquely toward the side, and functions to guide the coins transported through the coin transport path 11 toward the coin inlet 25a of the cylindrical coin storage 25. Further, when the other end 19b of the gate portion 19 retreats from the coin conveyance path surface 11a of the coin conveyance path portion 11, the gate portion 19 assumes a substantially parallel posture along the extending method of the coin conveyance path portion 11, In the aspect of closing the coin intake 25 a of the side cylindrical coin storage unit 25, the coins conveyed through the coin conveyance path unit 11 are prevented from flowing into the cylindrical coin storage unit 25. In this manner, the gate unit 19 controls the coins conveyed through the coin conveyance path unit 11 into the denomination storages 12a to 12f.

 In addition, when the coin conveyed through the coin conveyance path unit 11 is taken into the cylindrical coin storage unit 25, the stage unit is arranged so that the coin does not stand up in the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 and become clogged. 26 is configured to move in the vertical direction according to the number of coins stacked on the upper surface thereof, and to adjust the falling movement distance of the coins taken in from the coin intake 25a within a predetermined range. With such a configuration, the coins are reliably stacked and stored on the upper surface of the stage portion 26 in an aligned state.

 FIG. 3 shows the coin processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, wherein coins stored in the denominated coin storages 12a to 12f are fed out to the coin transport path section 11 by the coin feeding means 21, and a coin payout exit. 7A and 7B are diagrams schematically illustrating a state where the sheet is conveyed toward the position 7, in which FIG. When the coins stored in the denominated coin storages 12a to 12f are fed to the coin transport unit 11 and transported toward the coin payout opening 7, first, as shown in FIG. The uppermost coins stacked and stored on the upper surface of the stage unit 26 are pushed against the lower surface of the outer surface of the feeding belt 23 of the coin feeding means 21, and the outer surface side of the feeding belt 23 is raised. The feeding belt 23 is driven so that the lower surface faces the coin conveyance path unit 11, and the coins stacked on the top of the stage unit 26 are transferred one by one from the upper end of the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 to the coins of the coin conveyance path unit 11. It pays out on the conveyance road surface 11a. And the coin carried out on the coin conveyance path surface 11a of the coin conveyance path part 11 is conveyed toward the coin payment exit 7 with the conveyance belt 32 of the coin conveyance path part 11. FIG. The coin feeding means 21 provided facing the upper end of the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 has one end of the feeding belt 23 on the coin conveyance path surface 11a of the coin conveyance path unit 11 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 2, the coin transport path 11 is inclined with respect to the coin transport direction so as to be directed toward the coin payout exit 7. Thus, when the coins stored in the denominated coin storages 12 a to 12 f are fed out to the coin transport path portion 11, they can be fed out so as to be easily transported toward the coin payout exit 7.

 In addition, when the coins stored in the denominated coin storages 12 a to 12 f are fed out to the coin transport path unit 11, the gate unit 19 is positioned substantially parallel to the coin transport path unit 11, and the coin collection of the cylindrical coin storage unit 25 is performed. It is hold | maintained at the aspect which obstruct | occludes the inlet 25a. Accordingly, the coins stored in the denominated coin storages 12a to 12f are stacked on the coin transport path surface 11a from above the coin transport path section 11 via the gate section 19 that closes the coin intake 25a. The That is, even when the coins transported from the upstream are already placed on the coin transporting road surface 11a, the coins can be drawn out and placed so as to be stacked on the upper side, so that the coins can be dispensed efficiently. It can be carried out.

 In the coin processing apparatus 1 configured as described above, when a coin is inserted into the coin insertion slot 3, the coin inserted therein is detected by an insertion detection sensor (not shown), and a coin transport mechanism 9 that transports the coin to the inside. Is driven. The coins conveyed by the coin transport mechanism 9 are identified by the internal check unit 17 as to whether the coins are true or false and their denominations. If they are genuine coins, they are sent to the temporary storage unit 10 and temporarily stored. . Thereafter, when the amount to be inserted is confirmed by an operation of a confirmation operation button or the like (not shown) or an instruction from an external device or the like, Each sheet is fed out. And the conveyance belt 32 which comprises the coin conveyance path surface 11a of the coin conveyance path part 11 is driven, and the coin drawn | fed out on the coin conveyance path surface 11a is conveyed toward internal denomination storage 12a-12f. At this time, the coins conveyed through the coin conveyance path unit 11 are identified and counted by the coin identification sensor 13, and are stored in the respective denomination storages 12a to 12f distributed to denominations by the gate unit. Further, when paying out coins stored in the denomination storages 12a to 12f as change etc., when the payout amount is fixed by an operation of a not-shown payout button or an instruction from an external device, the denomination The coins stored in the storage boxes 12a to 12f are fed one by one onto the coin transport path surface 11a of the coin transport path section 11 by the coin feeding means 21 in accordance with the payout amount. And the conveyance belt 32 which comprises the coin conveyance road surface 11a is driven, and the coin drawn | fed out on the coin conveyance road surface 11a is conveyed toward the coin payment exit 7 opened to the housing | casing 2 front. In addition, the coin conveyed by the coin conveyance path part 11 is identified and counted by the coin identification sensor 13, and the amount of money instruct | indicated reliably is paid out to a coin payment exit.

 The coin processing device 1 according to the present embodiment thus identifies the coins inserted into the coin insertion slot 3 and takes them in, and stores them in the denomination storage units 12a to 12f in denominations. The coins accommodated inside can be paid out to the outside from the coin payout exit 7 as change or the like.

As described above, in the coin processing device 1 of the present invention, the coins that are inserted into the coin insertion slot 3 and conveyed toward the coin storage means 12, and the coins that are stored in the coin storage means 12 and conveyed toward the coin payout outlet 7. Since the coins to be carried can be transported in the respective directions by the single coin transport path section 11, the coin processing device 1 can be miniaturized.
The coins inserted into the coin insertion slot 3 are stacked in the denomination storages 12a to 12f constituting the coin storage means 12 and stored in an aligned state, and the coins stored in the aligned state are sequentially transferred from the top to the coin transport path. Since it can carry out to the part 11 and can be paid out to the coin payment outlet 7, the coin processing apparatus 1 which can perform the payment to the coin payment outlet 7 stably in a short time can be provided.

 Moreover, since the coin of the predetermined denomination conveyed by the coin conveyance path part 11 by the gate part 19 can be easily selected and taken into the denomination storages 12a to 12f, the coin storage structure for each denomination is simplified. The cost of the coin processing apparatus 1 can be reduced. Further, when coins stored in the denomination storages 12a to 12f are paid out to the coin transport path 11, the coins can be paid out from above the coin transport path 11a via the gate 19 above. Even when coins to be transported from the upstream are present on the transport road surface 11a, the coins can be paid out and transported upward. That is, it is possible to provide the coin processing device 1 that can pay out coins efficiently and in a short time.

  Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the apparatus shown in this embodiment mode, and application changes can be made within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. For example, the plurality of denomination storage units 12a to 12f arranged along the coin conveyance path unit 11 are arranged along both sides of the coin conveyance path unit 11 as shown in FIG. May be. Further, the arrangement configuration and shape of the coin insertion port 3, the coin transport mechanism 9, the temporary storage unit 10, the coin transport path unit 11, the gate unit 19, the denomination storages 12a to 12f, the coin feeding means 21, the coin payout exit 7, and the like. Etc. are set as appropriate according to the specifications of each coin processing device, and are not limited to the present embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coin processing apparatus 3 Coin insertion port 7 Coin payment exit 9 Coin conveyance mechanism 11 Coin conveyance path part (coin conveyance path)
12 Coin storage means (coin storage)
17 Checking part 19 Gate part 21 Coin feeding means (coin carrying means)
23 feeding belt 25 cylindrical coin storage part (cylindrical part)
26 Stage unit 30 Control unit

Claims (3)

After identifying the coins inserted into the coin slot, they are automatically taken in and stored in the coin storage section provided for each denomination, and the coins stored in the coin storage section are In the coin processing device that pays out to a coin payout exit in response to a payout request, a deposit transport means for transporting coins that are inserted into the coin slot and identified one by one toward the coin storage section, and the coin storage section A coin transport passage configured to transport the coins stored in the coin payout exit toward the coin payout exit, and the coin storage portion for storing coins by denomination along the coin transport passage. A coin processing apparatus characterized by being arranged.   The coin storage part includes a cylindrical part extending in the up-down direction, a stage part provided in an up and down direction inside the cylindrical part, a coin intake opening at an upper part of the cylindrical part, A coin carrying means provided above and facing the cylindrical portion, and taking in the coins that are conveyed toward the coin storage portion from the coin inlet, The falling movement distance of the coins taken in from the intake is stacked and stored on the stage unit adjusted within a predetermined range, and the coins stacked on the stage unit according to the coin payout request are stored in the stage unit. 2. The coin processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coin is moved toward the coin carry-out means, and the uppermost coin is carried out one by one by the coin carry-out means to the coin transfer passage. A gate part that can freely move in and out of the coin conveyance path is provided, and when the gate part protrudes into the coin conveyance path, a predetermined coin conveyed one by one in the coin conveyance path is guided to the coin intake. When the coin is taken into the coin storage unit and retracted from the coin transport path, the coin intake is closed to prevent the coins transported through the coin transport path from entering the coin storage unit, and the coin carry-out means The coin processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the uppermost coins of the stage unit are carried out one by one through the gate unit to the coin transport path.