JP2015022720A - Coin receiving and paying device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To switch the transfer destination of reject coins.SOLUTION: The coin receiving and paying device includes: a conveyance path; an identification part; a reject part; an exhaust port; a reject box; and a switching member. The conveyance path is the path of a coin to be received and conveyed to a storage part. The identification part is disposed at the conveyance path, and configured to identify the rightness or denomination of the coin. The reject part is configured to selectively remove the coin from the conveyance path in accordance with the identification of the identification part. The exhaust port is disposed at the front side of an own device as one of the transfer destinations of the reject coin as the coin removed by the reject part. The reject box is disposed in the own vehicle as the other transfer destination of the reject coin. The switching member is driven by a drive part to switch the transfer destination of the reject coin to either the exhaust port or the reject box.

Description

  Embodiments described herein relate generally to a coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus and a program.

  The coin deposit / withdrawal device identifies whether each coin is authentic and stores the genuine coins in denominations. Also reject unauthentic coins.

  The above coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus is installed in, for example, a retail store. The operator of the device is a store clerk or a customer. When the store clerk operates the device, the store clerk receives the coins stored in the device from the customer. The clerk confirms the authenticity of the received coin with his eyes. Thereafter, the clerk puts only genuine coins into the device. Then, the clerk manually inputs the total amount of genuine coins. The device pays out change based on the input amount. However, the device may reject genuine coins. This is because the device could not be identified as authentic. The genuine coins rejected by the device are preferably collected at the store.

When the customer operates the device, the device calculates how much coins are stored without being rejected. Then, change is paid out based on the calculated amount. Therefore, it is desirable to return the coins rejected by the device to the customer.
As described above, various types of coin reject destinations are required for the coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus, and it is desired to be able to switch the coin reject destination.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus and program capable of switching a coin reject destination.

  The coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus according to the embodiment includes a conveyance path, an identification unit, a reject unit, a discharge port, a reject box, and a switching member. The conveyance path is a path for coins that are deposited and sent to the storage unit. An identification part is provided in the said conveyance path, and identifies the correctness or denomination of a coin. The reject unit selectively removes coins from the transport path according to the identification of the identification unit. The discharge port is one of the transfer destinations of reject coins, which are coins removed by the reject unit, and is provided on the front side of the device itself. The reject store is another transfer destination of the reject coin, and is provided inside the own apparatus. The switching member is driven by the drive unit and switches the transfer destination of the reject coin to either the discharge port or the reject store.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an appearance of a change machine according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the change machine according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the internal structure around the conveyance path of the change machine according to the embodiment, in which the coins removed by the reject unit are returned to the return tray. FIG. 4 is a side view schematically showing the internal structure around the conveyance path of the change machine according to the embodiment, in which the coins removed by the reject unit are stored in the reject box. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical connection between a control unit and each unit included in the change machine according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing a flow of reject coin transfer destination switching processing executed by the control unit of the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart schematically showing a flow of reject conveyance path drive control processing executed by the control unit of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart schematically showing a flow of reject coin evacuation processing executed by the control unit of the embodiment.

  Embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the change machine 1. The change machine 1 is an example of a coin deposit and withdrawal device.

  The change machine 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped housing 2 with a long depth, a deposit port 3 on the right side of the front side of the upper surface of the housing 2, a withdrawal port 4 on the front left side of the housing 2, and a front surface of the housing 2. A discharge port 5 is provided on the right side. The change machine 1 further includes a tray 6 that projects forward from the bottom of the dispensing port 4 and a return tray 7 that projects from the bottom of the discharge port 5 to the front.

  The deposit port 3 is a port that accepts coins to be put into the housing 2. The withdrawal port 4 is a port for paying out coins stored in the housing 2 to the outside of the housing 2. The tray 6 receives the coins dispensed by the withdrawal port 4. The discharge port 5 is an opening through which the coins received at the deposit port 3 are taken out of the housing 2 without being stored in the housing 2. The return tray 7 receives the coins returned from the discharge port 5.

  In addition, the change machine 1 includes a drawer 8 that is housed in a space provided below the deposit port 3 and the return tray 7.

FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the internal structure of the change machine 1. The change machine 1 is in the housing 2,
A storage unit 9, a conveyance path 10, an identification unit 11, and a rejection unit 12 are provided. The storage unit 9 stores coins received by the deposit port 3. The conveyance path 10 is a path for coins sent from the deposit port 3 to the storage unit 9, and includes a metal flat plate 10a and a conveyance belt 10b. The flat plate 10a supports the lower surface of the coin. The transport belt 10b is an endless belt that is stretched with a predetermined tension by a pair of pulleys (not shown) and is given a rotational force, and is in contact with the upper surface of the coin to give the transport force to the coin. The identification unit 11 identifies the correctness and denomination of coins passing through the conveyance path 10.

  The reject unit 12 selectively removes from the transport path 10 coins that are not stored in the storage unit 9 according to the identification unit 11 identification, that is, based on the identification result of the identification unit 11. The reject unit 12 includes a hole 12a formed in the flat plate 10a and a lid 12b that closes the hole 12a so as to be freely opened and closed. The hole 12a is located on the reject conveyance path 14 (described later, see FIG. 3 or FIG. 4). When the lid 12b opens the hole 12a, the coin that has reached the hole 12a falls into the reject conveyance path 14. That is, coins are removed from the conveyance path 10.

  3 and 4 are side views schematically showing the internal structure around the conveyance path 10 of the change machine 1, and FIG. 3 shows a state in which the coin C removed by the reject unit 12 is returned to the return tray 7. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the coin C removed by the reject unit 12 is stored in a reject box 13 (described later).

  The change machine 1 includes a reject box 13, a reject transport path 14, a switching member 15, and a solenoid 16 in the housing 2. First, the transport path 10 further includes a belt conveyor 10 c immediately below the deposit port 3. The flat plate 10a (refer FIG. 2) is located in the downstream of the belt conveyor 10c.

  The reject conveyance path 14 is a belt in which an endless belt 14a is stretched over a pair of rollers 14b. The reject conveyance path 14 is provided below the conveyance path 10 to form a layer with the conveyance path 10 and receives the coin C removed by the reject unit 12. Send to the front side of the housing 2. The reject box 13 is a top-opening box whose front face is the drawer 8 and is another destination of the coins C removed by the reject unit 12.

  Here, immediately before the discharge port 5 in the transfer route of the coin C from the reject unit 12 to the discharge port 5, there is a branch point that is divided into a transfer route to the reject box 13. A switching member 15 is disposed at this branch point.

  The switching member 15 is configured such that a substantially rectangular parallelepiped cylinder 15 a is rotatable around a shaft 15 b along the width direction of the housing 2. The switching member 15 switches whether the coin C is sent out from the front end of the reject conveyance path 14 to either the discharge port 5 or the reject storage 13. The solenoid 16 rotates the switching member 15 according to the energized state.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the solenoid 16 protrudes from the shaft 16 a, the switching member 15 transfers the coin C sent by the reject conveyance path 14 except for the reject unit 12 to the return tray 7. At this time, the coin C slides down on the upward surface of the outer surface of the cylinder 15a. As shown in FIG. 4, when the solenoid 16 pulls the shaft 16 a, the switching member 15 has a hole 13 a that communicates the coin C sent by the reject conveyance path 14 except the reject unit 12 to the reject storage 13. Let fall. At this time, the coin C passes through the inside of the cylinder 15a.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical connection between the control unit 21 provided in the change machine 1 and each unit. In addition to the above configuration, the change machine 1 further includes a control unit 21, a mode selection switch 22, a drive unit 23, a tray sensor 24, a passage sensor 25, and a return tray sensor 26.

  The control unit 21 includes a CPU (not shown), a RAM, and a storage unit such as a ROM and an HDD, and the CPU reads each program stored in the storage unit into the RAM and executes the program, so that each unit (solenoid) 16, the mode selection switch 22, the tray sensor 24, the passage sensor 25, the return tray sensor 26, and the like). Moreover, the control part 21 functions as the mode switching means 21a, the counting means 21b, and the reject conveyance control means 21c by executing a program.

  The mode selection switch 22 switches the operation mode of the change machine 1 to either the automatic input mode or the deposit priority mode. The mode switching means 21a switches the operating mode of the change machine 1 to either the automatic input mode or the deposit priority mode based on the operation of the mode selection switch 22 (first switching means).

  The automatic input mode is an automatic deposit amount calculation mode in which the amount calculated automatically by counting the coins C inserted from the deposit slot 3 by the change machine 1 is used as the deposit amount. In the automatic input mode, the coins C that could not be identified by the identification unit 11 are removed from the transport path 10 by the reject unit 12 and go out of the housing 2.

  The deposit priority mode is a deposit amount manual input mode in which a numeric value manually input by the operator is used as the deposit amount. For example, the operator uses an operation unit such as a keyboard provided in an external device (not shown) such as a POS terminal connected to the change machine 1 for the numerical value input. In the deposit priority mode, all the coins C received by the deposit slot 3 are inserted after receiving confirmation from the operator, and are therefore treated as at least regular coins C. That is, even if it cannot be identified by the identification unit 11, it is stored in the reject box 13 in order to avoid circulation for change, for reasons such as deformation that cannot be mechanically recognized.

The change machine 1 determines the change amount based on the deposit amount and the product price, and withdraws the change.
In the automatic deposit mode, the automatically calculated deposit amount matches the amount stored in the storage unit 9. In the deposit priority mode, the amount stored in the storage unit 9 does not necessarily match the amount manually received by the operator.

  The drive unit 23 includes a solenoid 16 and drives the switching member 15 by controlling the energization state of the solenoid 16. The tray sensor 24 is, for example, a transmission sensor, and detects a coin C or a foreign object on the tray 6 when it is present. The return tray sensor 26 is a transmission sensor, for example, and detects when there is a coin C or a foreign object on the return tray 7.

  The passage sensor 25 is a transmission sensor, for example, and detects the coin C passing through the cylinder 15a of the switching member 15. The counting means 21b counts the number of coins C sent to the discharge port 5 or the reject box 13 based on the output from the passage sensor 25.

  6 to 8 are flowcharts schematically showing the flow of processing executed by the control unit 21. Hereinafter, the operation of the change machine 1 will be described with reference to these flowcharts.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart of reject coin C transfer destination switching processing. This process is executed in conjunction with the switching of the operation mode. When the control unit 21 switches the operation mode according to the operation received by the mode selection switch 22, the mode switching unit 21a switches the transfer destination of the reject coin C according to the operation mode (second switching unit).

  That is, when the operation mode is the automatic input mode (step S1: automatic input), the mode switching unit 21a controls the solenoid 16 by operating the drive unit 23 and operates the switching member 15 to change the transfer destination of the reject coin C. The discharge port 5 is set (step S2). When the operation mode is the deposit priority mode (step S1: deposit priority), the mode switching unit 21a controls the solenoid 16 to operate the switching member 15 to control the transfer of the reject coin C. The destination is the reject box 13 (step S3).

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the reject conveyance path drive control process. This process is executed when the reject coin C is transported when the reject warehouse 13 is selected as the return destination of the reject coin C. The control unit 21 continues to drive the reject conveyance path 14 until the count value obtained by the counting unit 21b matches the number of sheets rejected by the reject unit 12 by the reject conveyance control unit 21c.

  That is, when the count value does not match the reject sheet number (step S11: No), the drive of the reject conveyance path 14 is continued (step S12), and when the count value matches the reject sheet number (step S11: Yes), reject transfer is performed. The driving of the path 14 is stopped (step S13).

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the reject coin C evacuation process. This process is executed at the time of rejection in the automatic input mode under the operator operating environment. The automatic input mode is a setting for transferring the reject coin C to the return tray 7, but only when there is a coin C or foreign matter in the return tray 7, the control unit 21 avoids overflow of the return tray 7. The reject coin C is transferred to the reject box 13.

  That is, when a rejection occurs in the automatic input mode under the operator operating environment, the control unit 21 can confirm the output of the return tray sensor 26 and determine that the return tray 7 is empty (step S21: Yes). The transfer destination of the reject coin C is left as the discharge port 5 (step S22). When it is determined in step S21 that the return tray 7 is not empty (step S21: No), the drive unit 23 temporarily changes the transfer destination of the reject coin C to the reject box 13 (step S23). . In this case, the control unit 21 cancels the temporary change of the transfer destination when the count value by the counting means 21b matches the reject number.

  In the present embodiment, since the switching member 15 is positioned immediately before the discharge port 5, the transfer destination can be changed immediately before the discharge port 5, so that the switching member 15 is separated from the discharge port 5. In the above processing, even if there is a coin C or foreign matter in the return tray 7 in the above process, the possibility of performing normal rejection in time for removal of the coin C or foreign matter is increased.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the return destination of the reject coin C can be switched by selecting a mode with the mode selection switch 22. In particular, in the present embodiment, the reject destination of the reject coin can be switched depending on whether the deposit amount is the amount of coins actually stored or the amount manually input. However, a dedicated switch for directly selecting and specifying the return destination of the reject coin may be provided regardless of the change of the deposit amount. Moreover, the change machine applied to the self-checkout operated by the customer can be shared with the change machine used in the operator operating environment. By the way, the self-checkout changer has the deposit priority mode disabled and operates only in the automatic input mode.

The program executed by the coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus of the present embodiment is provided by being incorporated in advance in a ROM or the like.
The program executed by the coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus of the present embodiment is an installable or executable file, and is a computer such as a CD-ROM, flexible disk (FD), CD-R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). The information may be provided by being recorded on a recording medium that can be read by the user.
Furthermore, the program executed by the coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus of the present embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by being downloaded via the network. Moreover, you may comprise so that the program run with the coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus of this embodiment may be provided or distributed via networks, such as the internet.
The program executed by the coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus of the present embodiment has a module configuration including the above-described units (mode switching means and counting means). As actual hardware, a CPU (processor) is programmed from the ROM. Are read out and executed, the above-described units are loaded onto the main storage device, and mode switching means and counting means are generated on the main storage device.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Change machine, 3 ... Deposit port, 4 ... Withdrawal port, 5 ... Discharge port, 6 ... Receptacle, 7 ... Return plate, 8 ... Drawer,
9 ... Storage part, 10 ... Conveyance path, 11 ... Identification part, 12 ... Reject part,
13 ... Reject box, 14 ... Reject transport path, 15 ... Switching member, 16 ... Solenoid,
21 ... control unit,
21a ... mode switching means, 21b ... counting means, 21c ... reject conveyance control means,
22 ... Mode selection switch, 23 ... Drive unit,
24 ... tray sensor, 25 ... passage sensor, 26 ... return tray sensor.

JP 2004-302520 A

Claims (6)

A transport path that is a path for coins to be deposited and sent to the storage section
An identification unit that is provided in the conveyance path and identifies the correctness or denomination of coins;
A reject unit that selectively removes coins from the transport path according to the identification of the identification unit;
One of the transfer destinations of reject coins that are coins removed by the reject unit, and a discharge port provided on the front side of the own device;
Reject warehouse that is the other transfer destination of the reject coin and is provided inside the device itself;
A switching member that is driven by a drive unit and switches a transfer destination of the reject coin to either the discharge port or the reject storage;
A coin deposit and withdrawal device. The coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit includes a solenoid, and the switching member is driven by the solenoid. There is a branch point to the reject store immediately before the discharge port in the transfer path of coins from the reject unit to the discharge port,
The coin depositing / withdrawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching member is arranged at the branch point. A mode that regulates the operating status of the device itself, an automatic deposit amount calculation mode that uses the amount automatically calculated by counting the received coins, and a deposit amount that includes a value obtained by manual input by the operator. A first switching means for switching to either the amount manual input mode;
The switching member causes the reject coin to be transferred to the discharge port when the first switching unit is set to the deposit amount automatic calculation mode, and is set to the deposit amount manual input mode by the first switching unit. Second switching means for causing the reject storage when
The coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: A sensor that is disposed on the switching member and detects a coin that passes through the switching member and is sent to the discharge port or the reject box;
Counting means for counting the number of coins sent to the discharge port or the reject box based on the output of the sensor;
Reject transport control means for controlling the transport of coins to the reject box based on the output of the counting means;
The coin deposit / withdrawal apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: A computer provided in the coin depositing and dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A mode that regulates the operating status of the device itself, an automatic deposit amount calculation mode that uses the amount automatically calculated by counting the received coins, and a deposit amount that includes a value obtained by manual input by the operator. A first switching means for switching to either the amount manual input mode;
The switching member causes the reject coin to be transferred to the discharge port when the first switching unit is set to the deposit amount automatic calculation mode, and is set to the deposit amount manual input mode by the first switching unit. Second switching means for causing the reject storage when
Program to make it work.

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