JP2023172134A - Coin handling device and automatic transaction device - Google Patents

Abstract

To properly discharge foreign matters mixed in a collection space.SOLUTION: An upper separation unit 15 includes: a collection cover 41 provided on the normal direction side of a disk surface 43S of an inclined disk 43 and forming a coin collection space 48 for collecting coins between the disk surface 43S and itself; and a foreign matter removal gate 80 that is provided on the normal direction side of the disk surface 43S in the inclined disk 43, forms at least a portion of the bottom of the coin accumulation space 48, and is proximate to a discharge surface 92S so that the coins are not discharged from the coin collection space 48 to the outside when the gate is closed. The foreign matter removal gate 80 can move to a half-open state in which at least a portion of the coin collection space 48 is exposed to the outside by forming a gap SP1 between it and the discharge surface 92S so that foreign matters smaller than coins are discharged out of the coin collection space 48 while the coins are not discharged out of the coin collection space 48.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

The present invention relates to a coin processing device and an automatic transaction device, and is suitable for application to, for example, an automatic teller machine (ATM) in which a customer inserts banknotes or coins and performs a desired transaction.

Conventionally, automatic teller machines used in financial institutions, supermarkets, etc. have been used to allow customers or store staff to deposit cash such as banknotes or coins, or to dispense cash to customers or store staff, depending on the content of the transaction with the customer. Withdrawal methods are widespread.

Some automatic teller machines have a coin processing device therein that processes coins, for example. The coin processing device includes, for example, a deposit/withdrawal section that exchanges coins with customers or clerks, a stacking/separating section that stacks coins and separates the stacked coins one by one, and a transport section that transports coins. It has an identification section (also called a recognition section) that identifies the denomination, authenticity, etc. of a coin, and a storage section that stores coins for each denomination.

Among these, the accumulation/separation section is configured to be rotatable, for example, an inclined disk (also called a rotating disk) whose central axis is inclined from the horizontal direction, and a protrusion is provided on the disk surface, and an accumulation space for accumulating coins is formed. It has been proposed that the lower end of the accumulation cover (also called hopper) is formed along the lower part of the outer periphery of the inclined disk (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this stacking/separating section, coins are hooked onto a protrusion and fed out one by one by rotating an inclined disk.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-149041

In such an accumulation/separation section, it is desired to appropriately discharge foreign matter that has entered the accumulation space.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to propose a coin processing device and an automatic transaction device that are capable of appropriately discharging foreign matter mixed into a collection space.

In order to solve this problem, the coin processing device of the present invention includes a disk surface that is rotatably supported around a central axis and whose normal line is inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction, and a coin processing device formed on the disk surface. A tilted disc that rotates in a predetermined rotational direction and has a protrusion that comes into contact with a coin to transport the coin; an accumulation cover forming a coin accumulation space for accumulating coins; and an accumulation cover provided on the normal side of the disk surface of the inclined disk and forming at least a part of the bottom of the coin accumulation space; A foreign matter removing section is provided near a predetermined discharge surface so that the coins are not discharged to the outside, and the foreign matter removing section is configured to prevent the coins from being discharged to the outside from the coin accumulation space, but to discharge foreign matter smaller than the coins from the coin accumulation space to the outside. In this way, a gap is formed between the coin accumulating space and the ejecting surface so that the coin accumulating space can be moved to a foreign matter ejecting state in which at least a portion of the space is exposed to the outside.

Further, the automatic transaction device of the present invention is provided with an operation section that accepts operations by a user and the above-mentioned coin processing device.

The present invention can prevent coins from falling from the coin accumulation space to the outside, while allowing foreign objects to fall and be discharged from the coin accumulation space to the outside.

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a coin processing device and an automatic transaction device that can appropriately discharge foreign matter mixed into the accumulation space.

It is a perspective view showing the external structure of an automatic teller machine. FIG. 2 is a right side view showing the internal configuration of the coin processing device. The configuration (1) of the upper separation part is shown, with (A) being a front view and (B) being a right side view. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 3A, showing the structure (2) of the upper separation part. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3(A), showing a gate closed state. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3(A), showing a gate cleaning state. FIG. 3A is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3A, showing the gate in an open state. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3(A), showing a gate half-open state. 3(A) is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3(A), showing how foreign matter is discharged in a gate half-open state. FIG. It is a sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3(A), showing a state in which a coin is sandwiched. 3 is a timing chart showing light reception results of a coin remaining detection sensor, in which (A) is a non-remaining state, (B) is a medium remaining state, and (C) is a foreign matter remaining state.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described using the drawings.

[1. Configuration of automated teller machine]
As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic teller machine 1 as an automatic transaction device is constructed around a box-shaped housing 2, and is installed in, for example, financial institutions and various commercial facilities, and is used by users ( In other words, they conduct cash-related transactions such as deposit processing and withdrawal processing with customers of financial institutions and commercial facilities, bank employees, maintenance staff, etc.

The housing 2 is provided with a reception section 3 on the front side thereof at a location where the user can easily insert banknotes, operate the touch panel, etc. while facing the user. The reception section 3 is provided with a passbook inlet/outlet 4, a card inlet/outlet 5, a coin inlet/withdrawal outlet 6, a banknote inlet/withdrawal outlet 7, an operation display section 8, etc. In addition to direct communication, notifications of information regarding transactions and reception of operational instructions are performed.

The passbook entry/exit 4 is a portion into which a passbook is inserted or ejected. A passbook processing unit (not shown) is provided on the back side of the passbook entry/exit 4 for reading magnetic information from a magnetic recording unit provided on the back cover of the passbook and recording the details of transactions in the passbook. There is. The card inlet/outlet 5 is a portion into which various cards such as cash cards are inserted or ejected. A card processing section (not shown) is provided on the back side of the card entry/exit 5 for reading account numbers and the like magnetically recorded on various cards.

The coin deposit/withdrawal port 6 is a part into which coins to be deposited by the user are inserted and coins to be withdrawn to the user are discharged. The banknote deposit/withdrawal port 7 is a portion into which banknotes are deposited by the user and from which banknotes to be withdrawn to the user are discharged. The coin deposit/withdrawal port 6 and bill deposit/withdrawal port 7 are opened or closed by driving a shutter, respectively. The operation display unit 8 as an operation unit is a touch panel that integrates a liquid crystal display panel that displays an operation screen, transaction details, etc. during a transaction, and a touch sensor that detects input operations by the user.

Below, the side of the automatic teller machine 1 that the user faces is referred to as the front side, the opposite side is referred to as the rear side, the left and right sides viewed from the user facing the front side are respectively referred to as the left side and the right side, and furthermore, the upper side and the right side are referred to as the left side and right side, respectively. Define and explain the lower side.

Inside the casing 2, there are a main control unit 9 that centrally controls the entire automated teller machine 1, a coin processing device 10 that performs various processes related to coins to be traded, and a banknote processing device that performs various processes related to banknotes. (not shown) etc. are provided. The main control unit 9 is mainly composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown), and performs deposit processing and withdrawal processing by reading and executing a predetermined program from a ROM (Read Only Memory), flash memory, etc. (not shown). Performs various processing such as gold processing. Furthermore, the main control section 9 has a storage section made up of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc., and stores various information in this storage section.

The coin processing device 10 has a shape similar to a rectangular parallelepiped as a whole, and is attached to the housing 2 via a slide rail (not shown). Further, a door (not shown) that can be opened and closed is provided on the front side or the rear side of the housing 2. Therefore, when maintenance work or the like is performed on the automatic teller machine 1, the coins can be transferred by opening the front or rear door of the housing 2 and sliding the coin processing device 10 forward or backward. The processing device 10 is located outside the casing 2 and housed inside the casing 2.

[2. Configuration of coin processing device]
As shown in FIG. 2, the coin processing device 10 includes a plurality of parts that perform various processes regarding coins inside a coin processing device housing 11. This coin is made of a non-magnetic material with sufficient strength, such as an alloy of copper and nickel or aluminum, and is formed into a thin plate shape. Incidentally, the coin processing device 10 is assumed to handle a plurality of types of coins having different diameters and thicknesses. Hereinafter, the coin with the largest diameter handled by the coin processing device 10 will be referred to as the largest diameter coin, and the coin with the smallest diameter will be referred to as the smallest diameter coin. Further, hereinafter, the thickest coin handled in the coin processing device 10 will be referred to as the thickest coin, and the thinnest coin will be referred to as the thinnest coin. In the coin processing device 10 installed in Japan, the largest diameter coin and thickest coin are 500 yen coins, the smallest diameter coin is 1 yen coin, and the thinnest coins are 1 yen coin, 5 yen coin, and 10 yen coin. It is a yen coin. Incidentally, the thickness of a 1 yen coin, a 5 yen coin, and a 10 yen coin is approximately 1.5 mm.

Inside the coin processing device housing 11, there are six deposit/withdrawal sections 13, a chute section 14, an upper separation section 15, a recognition conveyance section 16, a delivery section 17, a pin belt conveyance section 18, located relatively above or near the center. A stacker section 21, a withdrawal conveyance section 22, and a temporary holding section 23 are provided. Inside the coin processing device housing 11, there is a coin control unit 12, a replenishment collection store 24, a first replenishment reject store 25, a second replenishment reject store 26, a reject store 27, and a replenishment reject store 27 on a relatively lower side. A storage 28 and a lower separation section 29 are provided.

Like the main control unit 9, the coin control unit 12 is mainly configured with a CPU (not shown), and performs deposit transactions, withdrawal transactions, etc. by reading and executing a predetermined program from a ROM, flash memory, etc. (not shown). The coin processing device 10 is centrally controlled. Further, the coin control unit 12 has an internal storage unit consisting of a RAM, a flash memory, etc., and stores various information in this storage unit.

The deposit/withdrawal unit 13 allows the user to deposit coins or withdraws coins from the user by passing coins to and from the user. The deposit/withdrawal unit 13 includes a container 13A that has an opening on the upper side and stores coins, a shutter 13B that opens and closes the opening, and a sensor (not shown) that detects the presence or absence of coins in the container 13A. )have.

When the user inserts coins into the storage container 13A with the shutter 13B open, the deposit/withdrawal section 13 closes the shutter 13B, transfers the coins from the storage container 13A to the chute section 14, and transfers the coins to the chute section 14. 14 is lowered to reach the upper separating section 15. Further, when a coin is conveyed from a pin belt conveyance section 18 (described later) with the shutter 13B closed, the deposit/withdrawal section 13 stores the coin in the storage container 13A, and then opens the shutter 13B to allow the user to have it received.

The upper separating section 15 is composed of an accumulation/separation section 15A that occupies a relatively large volume on the lower side, and a separation/conveyance section 15B that is formed to protrude upward from the accumulation/separation section 15A. The upper separating section 15 stacks coins in the stacking/separating section 15A, separates the coins one by one, and transports the coins upward by the separating and transporting section 15B, and further transports them backward along the transport path. and hand it over to the recognition conveyance section 16.

The recognition conveyance section 16 is located on the right side of the chute section 14, and images the coin while conveying it, and based on the obtained image signal, determines the denomination, authenticity, degree of damage, etc. of the coin. It is determined whether the coin can be handled. Then, the recognition conveyance unit 16 notifies the coin control unit 12 of the obtained determination result as the recognition result of the coin, and also delivers the coin to the delivery unit 17. The delivery section 17 delivers the coins received from the recognition conveyance section 16 to the pin belt conveyance section 18.

The pin belt conveyance section 18 surrounds the lower front side, lower side, rear side, and upper side of the stacker section 21 by a front pin belt conveyance section 18F, a lower pin belt conveyance section 18L, a rear pin belt conveyance section 18R, and an upper pin belt conveyance section 18U, respectively, and carries coins. A transport route is formed as a transport route. The pin belt conveyance section 18 is composed of a conveyance guide that comes into contact with the surface of the coin and guides the coin to proceed along the conveyance path, and a pin belt that runs approximately along the conveyance path. This pin belt is provided with a pin that comes into contact with the trailing end of the coin and pushes it in the transport direction. By running the pin belt, the pin belt conveyance section 18 conveys the coins received from the transfer section 17 along the conveyance path and discharges them into the container 13A of the deposit/withdrawal section 13.

Further, the pin belt conveying section 18 is provided with branching sections 19 for branching the coin conveying path at a plurality of locations in the front lower part and the lower side of the stacker section 21, respectively. A guide section 30 for guiding the coin is provided on the left side of each branch section 19.

Each branching section 19 has a rotatable guide plate, an actuator, etc. (none of which are shown), and by rotating the guide plate under the control of the coin control section 12, coins can be continuously transferred. It is switched whether to advance along the pin belt conveyance section 18 or to branch to each guide section 30. Each guide section 30 advances the coins to the replenishment collection store 24, the first replenishment reject store 25, the second replenishment reject store 26, the temporary storage section 23, the reject store 27, the unclaimed take-in store 28, etc., respectively.

Furthermore, the pin belt conveying section 18 is provided with stacker branch sections 20 at six locations above each of the six stacker sections 21 . A guide section 31 for guiding coins to the stacker section 21 is provided on the left side of each stacker branch section 20. Each stacker branching section 20 is configured similarly to each branching section 19, and by rotating a guide plate based on the control of the coin control section 12, the coins can continue to advance along the pin belt conveying section 18. , or branch to each stacker section 21.

The stacker sections 21 are each associated with coins of a predetermined denomination, and include a guide section 31 provided on the upper side and a stacker section 21 that stacks coins vertically on the lower side of the guide section 31. It has a part 32 and a payout part 33 that feeds out coins from the lower side of the stacking part 32. When the stacker section 21 receives the coins transported by the pin belt transport section 18 from the stacker branch section 20, the guide section 31 guides the coins to the stacking section 32 and stacks them. Further, under the control of the coin control section 12, the stacker section 21 feeds out the coins accumulated in the stacking section 32 one by one using the feeding section 33 and drops them into the dispensing conveyance section 22 or the temporary storage section 23 below.

The dispensing conveyance section 22 is located on the right side of the pin belt conveyance section 18, and is configured like a hollow rectangular parallelepiped with an open top and front side, and forms a space in which coins can be stored. Further, the dispensing conveyance section 22 has a belt conveyance mechanism made of a belt, a pulley, etc. built into the bottom thereof, and coins fed out from the stacker section 21 are placed or accumulated on the belt. With the coins placed or accumulated on the belt, this dispensing conveyance unit 22 causes the upper part of the belt to run forward, thereby causing the coins to fall into the temporary storage unit 23 on the front side. .

The temporary storage section 23 has a configuration in which the rear end of the dispensing conveyance section 22 is lowered and the front end is raised, and the left and right side plates are triangular. , a belt transport mechanism is built into the bottom. Therefore, the temporary storage section 23 places or accumulates the coins fed out from the stacker section 21 and the coins conveyed from the dispensing conveyance section 22 on a belt in the internal space. In addition, the temporary holding section 23 feeds out the coins to the upper separation section 15 on the front side by running the upper part of the belt diagonally upward in the state in which the coins are placed or accumulated on the belt. , let it fall inside.

The replenishment collection warehouse 24 has a stacking section for stacking coins therein, a transport mechanism for transporting the coins stacked in the stacking section, and the like. This replenishment and collection storage 24 accumulates coins guided by the guide section 30, and also feeds out the coins accumulated inside to the front and delivers them to the lower separating section 29. The first replenishment reject store 25 and the second refill reject store 26 each have a space therein for accumulating coins, and accumulate coins guided by the guide section 30. The reject warehouse 27 and the unclaimed storage 28 each have a space therein for accumulating coins, and each accumulates the coins guided by the guide section 30.

The lower separation section 29 is arranged at a position adjacent to the rear side of the replenishment and recovery storage 24 . Although the lower separating section 29 has a similar configuration to the upper separating section 15, it is different from the upper separating section 15 in the direction in which it is attached to the coin processing device housing 11. The lower separating section 29 is composed of an accumulating/separating section 29A and a separating/conveying section 29B that correspond to the accumulating/separating section 15A and the separating/conveying section 15B, respectively. The lower separation section 29 receives coins from the replenishment collection warehouse 24 and accumulates them therein, separates the accumulated coins one by one, transports them upward one by one, and releases them into the temporary storage section 23. .

[3. Transport of coins in various processes]
Next, various processes involving the conveyance of coins in the coin processing device 10, ie, conveyance and accumulation of coins in deposit processing, withdrawal processing, etc., will be explained. Here, each process performed by the coin processing device 10 when performing a deposit transaction and a withdrawal transaction between the automatic teller machine 1 and the user will be explained.

When a deposit transaction is performed with a user in the automatic teller machine 1 (FIG. 1), the coin processing device 10 recognizes the denomination, etc. of the coin deposited by the user through the deposit counting process in the previous stage. The number of coins is counted, and each coin is transported and stored at an appropriate storage location through subsequent deposit storage processing. Specifically, when the user inserts a coin into the deposit/withdrawal unit 13 in the deposit counting process in the previous stage, the coin processing device 10 operates the chute unit 14, the upper separation unit 15, the recognition conveyance unit 16, the delivery unit 17, and the pin belt conveyance unit. 18 and then stored in the temporary storage section 23.

At this time, the coin processing device 10 aggregates the deposit amount based on the recognition result of each coin by the recognition conveyance section 16, displays it on the operation display section 8 (FIG. 1), and allows the user to continue the deposit transaction, or Let them choose whether to cancel or not. When the user selects to continue, the coin processing device 10 performs the subsequent deposit receiving process, and when the user selects to cancel, the coin processing device 10 cancels the deposit transaction and stores coins as in the case of withdrawal processing, which will be described later. It is transported to the deposit/withdrawal department 13 and returned.

In the subsequent deposit storage process, the coin processing device 10 sequentially transfers coins from the temporary storage section 23 to the stacker section 21 via the upper separation section 15, the recognition conveyance section 16, the delivery section 17, the pin belt conveyance section 18, and the stacker branch section 20. transported to and accumulated. At this time, the coin processing device 10 transports each coin to the stacker unit 21 according to the denomination of the coin based on the recognition result of each coin by the recognition transport unit 16.

In addition, when a withdrawal transaction is performed with a user in the automatic teller machine 1 (FIG. 1), the coin processing device 10 transfers coins of the amount instructed by the user to the deposit/withdrawal section through the withdrawal process. Transfer to 13 and withdraw money. Specifically, when the coin processing device 10 receives an operation input indicating that a withdrawal transaction is to be started or an amount to be withdrawn from the user via the operation display unit 8 (FIG. 1), the coin processing device 10 starts the withdrawal process and inputs the amount to be withdrawn. The corresponding denomination and number of coins are fed out from each stacker section 21 and accumulated in the temporary storage section 23 via the dispensing conveyance section 22. Next, the coin processing device 10 sequentially passes through the temporary storage section 23, the upper separation section 15, the recognition conveyance section 16, the delivery section 17, and the pin belt conveyance section 18, and then conveys the coins to the deposit/withdrawal section 13, stores them, and uses them. have someone receive it.

Incidentally, in addition to deposit processing and withdrawal processing, the coin processing device 10 performs a replenishment process of replenishing coins from the replenishment and collection warehouse 24 to the stacker section 21, a collection process of collecting coins from the stacker section 21 to the replenishment and collection warehouse 24, etc. It is also now possible to do so.

[4. Configuration of upper separation section]
As shown in FIGS. 3(A) and 3(B), the upper separating section 15 is configured around a separating section housing 40 located on the left side, and the upper separating section 15 is configured around a separating section housing 40 located on the left side, and is located at the center or on the right side of the separating section housing 40. The lower part is covered by an accumulation cover 41. Incidentally, in the upper separation section 15, in the vertical direction, a portion corresponding to the accumulation cover 41 is an accumulation separation section 15A, and an upper side thereof is a separation conveyance section 15B.

A motor 42 is attached to the left side of the separation unit housing 40, a plurality of gears (not shown) are incorporated therein, and an inclined disk 43 is attached to the right side. The motor 42 is provided with an output shaft 42S on the right side, and by rotating the output shaft 42S, a driving force is transmitted to the inclined disc 43 via an internal gear.

As shown in FIG. 4, the inclined disk 43 is formed into a disk shape with a diameter sufficiently larger than that of a coin. This inclined disk 43 is formed into a thin disk shape. The inclined disk 43 has a disk surface 43S, which is a right side disk surface, formed to be generally flat. Incidentally, the inclined disk 43 is manufactured, for example, by cutting a metal plate with relatively high hardness. The tilted disc 43 is tilted so that the central axis 43C faces upward with respect to the horizontal direction, specifically, diagonally upward and to the right. Therefore, the upper portion of the disk surface 43S is tilted slightly to the left with respect to the vertical direction. Further, the inclined disk 43 is rotatably supported around a central axis 43C, and when driving force is transmitted from the motor 42 through a gear, the inclined disk 43 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 (clockwise in FIG. 4, hereinafter referred to as (Hereinafter, the rotation of the inclined disk 43 in the direction of the arrow R1 is also referred to as forward rotation, and the rotation of the inclined disk 43 in the direction of the arrow R2, which is the opposite direction of rotation from the direction of the arrow R1. (Also called reverse rotation).

The disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 is provided with a plurality of separation protrusions 44 that protrude diagonally upward to the right, which is the normal direction. The separation protrusions 44 are attached to the disk surface 43S at locations slightly inward from the outer periphery at respective locations dividing the outer periphery of the inclined disk 43 into seven equal parts. The separation protrusion 44 has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape extending toward the center of the inclined disk 43 (that is, the central axis 43C). That is, the separation protrusion 44 is relatively long in the radial direction connecting the central axis 43C and the outer periphery 43T on the disk surface 43S, relatively short in the circumferential direction, and sufficiently short (that is, thin) in the left-right direction. Further, the length (that is, the thickness) of the separation protrusion 44 in the left-right direction is approximately 1.5 mm, which is equal to or less than the thickness of one coin.

Further, the inclined disk 43 has pin notches 45 cut out at seven locations near each of the seven separation protrusions 44 on the outer periphery so as to be hollowed out from the outer periphery 43T toward the center (center axis 43C). is formed. The pin notch 45 has a shape similar to a triangle with one side being the outer periphery 43T of the inclined disk 43, and has a separation protrusion near the apex near the central axis 43C of the inclined disk 43. It is almost adjacent to 44.

The inclined disk 43 has outer light passage holes 72o formed at seven locations on the outer periphery between the seven pin notches 45. The outer light passing hole 72o has a circular shape and is bored so as to penetrate from the right side to the left side of the inclined disk 43, and is emitted from the light emitting part 70e of the coin remaining detection sensor 70 (FIG. 3). The detected light Lx is passed from the left side of the inclined disk 43 to the disk surface 43S side (right side).

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the inclined disk 43 has an inclined surface at seven locations between the seven separation protrusions 44 among the locations where the distance along the radial direction from the central axis 43C is approximately equal to the separation protrusions 44. An inner light passage hole 72i is formed so as to penetrate the disk 43 from the disk surface 43S to the left side surface. This inner light passing hole 72i passes through the inclined disk 43, and is reflected by the prism 70p of the coin residual detection sensor 70 (FIG. 3) and passes through the gate inner light passing hole 88i (FIG. 5) of the foreign matter removal gate 80. The detection light Lx is passed from the disk surface 43S side of the inclined disk 43 to the left side surface.

The outer light passage hole 72o is arranged such that the outer light passage hole 72o is blocked by a coin when a coin is located on the storage guide inner circumferential surface 51S (described later) which is the bottom of the coin accumulation space 48. and the size is set.

In addition, the inner light passing hole 72i is located closer to the central axis 43C of the inclined disk 43 than the inner peripheral surface 51S of the storage guide when the coin sticks to the disk surface 43S due to moisture or the like and overcomes the centrifugal force of the inclined disk 43. The arrangement and size are set such that the inner light passage hole 72i is blocked by the coin when it remains above the inner circumferential surface 51S.

In this way, when a coin is located on the storage guide inner peripheral surface 51S, at least one of the outer light passing hole 72o and the inner light passing hole 72i is formed. It is arranged and sized so that it is covered by coins.

A portion of the collection cover 41 described above functions as a coin guide 50. The coin guide 50 includes an arc-shaped storage guide 51 adjacent to the outer circumferential side of the lower portion of the inclined disk 43, and a front conveyance guide 52 extending linearly upward from the front end of the storage guide 51. ing.

The storage guide 51 forms a small gap between the storage guide inner peripheral surface 51S, which is an inner peripheral surface of the storage guide 51, and the outer peripheral surface of the inclined disc 43. The front conveyance guide 52 has a flat rear side surface, and is continuous with the storage guide inner circumferential surface 51S at its lower end. For convenience of explanation, the rear side surface of the front conveyance guide 52 will also be referred to as the conveyance reference plane FS below. The upper end of this front conveyance guide 52 has reached a position higher than the upper end of the inclined disk 43. Further, about the lower half of the front conveyance guide 52 is included in the accumulation/separation section 15A, and about the upper half is included in the separation and conveyance section 15B.

Left conveyance guides 53 and 54 are provided on the left side of the rear side of the front conveyance guide 52 . The right side surface of the left conveyance guide 53 is formed in a planar shape, and is located in substantially the same plane as the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43. Further, the left conveyance guide 53 has a front portion in contact with the front conveyance guide 52, and a lower rear portion thereof is inclined in a gentle arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the inclined disk 43. Furthermore, the rear portion of the left conveyance guide 53 is formed into a planar shape with its normal line generally directed toward the rear, and is generally linear when viewed from the right direction.

The left conveyance guide 54 is provided at a position slightly away from the left conveyance guide 53 on the rear side of the left conveyance guide 53 . The right side surface of the left conveyance guide 54 is formed in a planar shape like the right side surface of the left conveyance guide 53, and is located in substantially the same plane as the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43. Hereinafter, the right side surfaces of the left conveyance guides 53 and 54 will also be referred to as the conveyance surface FC. The front portion of the left conveyance guide 54 is formed into a planar shape with its normal line generally facing forward, and is generally linear in the vertical direction when viewed from the right. As a result, in the separating unit housing 40, a groove shape extending in the vertical direction is formed between the left conveyance guides 53 and 54. Further, the lower rear side portion of the left conveyance guide 54 is inclined in a gentle arc shape along the outer peripheral surface of the inclined disk 43. Incidentally, in the separation section housing 40, the front conveyance guide 52, the left conveyance guide 53, and the left conveyance guide 54 are integrally constructed as one component.

Furthermore, a rear conveyance guide 55 is provided on the rear side of the left conveyance guide 54 in the separating unit housing 40 . The front side surface of the rear conveyance guide 55 is formed in a planar shape with its normal line generally facing forward, and is generally straight in the vertical direction when viewed from the right. For convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the space surrounded by the front conveyance guide 52, left conveyance guides 53 and 54, and rear conveyance guide 55 will also be referred to as conveyance space SC. This conveyance space SC is a space on the right side of the conveyance surface FC and on the rear side of the conveyance reference plane FS.

On the other hand, a belt pulley 61 is disposed on the left side of the inclined disk 43 inside the separation unit housing 40. The belt pulley 61 is formed into a flat disk shape as a whole, and its diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the inclined disk 43. Further, the belt pulley 61 is attached to the inclined disk 43 so that its central axis coincides with the center axis of the inclined disk 43 and the disk surface is aligned substantially parallel to the inclined disk 43. Therefore, the belt pulley 61 rotates together with the inclined disk 43.

Furthermore, the separation unit housing 40 has a front pulley 62, an upper pulley 63, and a rear pulley 64, each having a disk shape that is sufficiently smaller than the belt pulley 61, above the belt pulley 61. The front pulley 62 is located above and in front of the belt pulley 61. The upper pulley 63 is located on the rear upper side of the front pulley 62. The rear pulley 64 is located on the rear lower side of the upper pulley 63 and above the belt pulley 61. The front pulley 62, the upper pulley 63, and the rear pulley 64 are each rotatably supported by the separating part housing 40, and their respective right surfaces are on the same plane as the right surface of the belt pulley 61 or on the same plane. Located nearby.

In addition to this, the separating unit housing 40 is provided with a belt 65. The belt 65 is an endless belt made of a flexible material such as resin or rubber. They are stretched so that they touch each other.

Specifically, the belt 65 rotates in the direction of arrow R1 from near the upper end of the outer peripheral surface of the belt pulley 61 (that is, clockwise in FIG. 4) to the rear, lower, front, and upper front sides. Cross over and make contact. Furthermore, the belt 65 contacts the lower rear portion or the vicinity of the rear end of the front pulley 62 while being in contact with the upper front portion of the belt pulley 61, and moves away from the circumferential side of the belt pulley 61 to the vicinity of the rear end of the front pulley 62. The upper pulley 63 is stretched upward and eventually comes into contact with the vicinity of the front end of the upper pulley 63. Subsequently, the belt 65 contacts the outer circumferential surface of the upper pulley 63 from near the front end to the upper and rear sides, and is stretched slightly downward from near the rear end of the upper pulley 63 so that the belt 65 contacts the outer circumferential surface of the upper pulley 63 . It abuts near the front end. Further, the belt 65 contacts the outer circumferential surface of the rear pulley 64 from near the front end to near the lower end, and shortly after leaving the outer circumferential surface of the rear pulley 64 comes into contact again near the upper end of the belt pulley 61 .

Further, pins 66 are attached to the belt 65 at predetermined intervals. The pin 66 includes a mounting portion attached to the belt 65 and a protruding portion protruding rightward from the mounting portion. Among these, the protruding part is formed in a cylindrical shape with its central axis oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43, and its right end (i.e., tip) protrudes to the right side of the disk surface 43S, and is separated. It has reached a position approximately equivalent to the upper surface of the protrusion 44.

In the separation unit housing 40 , the mounting intervals and mounting positions of the pins 66 on the belt 65 are set to match the positions of the pin notches 45 on the inclined disk 43 . Therefore, in the separation unit housing 40, when the belt 65 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the belt pulley 61, the protrusion of the pin 66 enters the pin notch 45 of the inclined disk 43, and the pin 66 is inserted into the pin notch 45. It is located at a location close to the central axis 43C, that is, at a location close to the separation protrusion 44.

When the inclined disk 43 rotates around the central axis 43C, the pin 66 rotates together with the inclined disk 43 and the belt pulley 61 while remaining in the pin notch 45. That is, the pin 66 travels in an arc shape along the rotating orbit in synchronization with the outer peripheral portion of the inclined disk 43. Further, in the separation unit housing 40, the protrusion of the pin 66 is passed between the left conveyance guides 53 and 54 in the portion where the belt 65 is stretched from near the rear end of the front pulley 62 to near the front end of the upper pulley 63. . At this time, the pin 66 has the vicinity of its right end protruding to the right side of the conveyance surface FC.

On the other hand, the accumulation cover 41 (FIG. 3) has a lower portion shaped like an arc very close to the outer periphery of the inclined disk 43, and forms a curved surface that moves away from the inclined disk 43 as it moves upward. A coin accumulation space 48 is formed between the inclined disk 43 and the coin accumulation space 48 . A foreign matter removal gate 80 (described later) for discharging coins, foreign matter, etc. remaining in the coin accumulation space 48 is provided in a portion of the lower part of the accumulation cover 41 so as to be rotatable with respect to the accumulation cover 41.

On the other hand, a discharge section 92 (FIG. 5) is formed in the accumulation cover 41 (FIG. 3). The discharge section 92 is a plate-shaped member that extends from the left side of the lower end of the disk surface 43S at a position extremely close to the outer periphery of the inclined disk 43 toward the diagonally lower right side so as to be separated from the coin accumulation space 48. A discharge surface 92S is formed on the right side thereof. This discharge surface 92S has a planar shape and has a width in the front-rear direction that is about half the diameter of the inclined disk 43. This ejecting section 92 causes coins, foreign objects, etc. to fall while contacting the ejection surface 92S, and ejects them from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside.

[5. Coin feeding by upper separation section]
When coins fall from the chute section 14 (FIG. 2), the upper separation section 15 stores the coins in the coin accumulation space 48, that is, in the space sandwiched between the inclined disk 43 and the accumulation cover 41. Thereafter, the upper separating section 15 performs a dispensing process of dispensing the coin based on the control of the coin control section 12, and a conveyance process of conveying the coin and handing it over to the subsequent recognition conveyance section 16 (FIG. 2).

Specifically, the upper separating section 15 first rotates the inclined disk 43 in the direction of arrow R1 (clockwise in FIG. 4) (normally rotates it) using the driving force from the motor 42 (FIG. 3). As a result, the upper separation section 15 hooks the coins one by one onto the separation protrusion 44 while appropriately agitating the coins accumulated in the coin accumulation space 48 using the separation protrusion 44. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the coin CN has its left side in contact with the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43, a part of the rear side of the circumferential side in contact with the separation protrusion 44, and the lower side. A part of the storage guide is brought into contact with the inner circumferential surface 51S of the storage guide.

Further, the upper separating section 15 (FIG. 4) continues to rotate the inclined disk 43 to bring the left side surface of the coin into contact with the inclined disk 43, and also to bring the circumferential side of the coin into contact with the separating protrusion 44 and the storage guide 51. While maintaining the state in which it is in contact with the storage guide, it is slid along the inner circumferential surface 51S of the storage guide and lifted forward and upward.

Eventually, when the coin reaches the vicinity of the front end of the inclined disk 43, the upper separating section 15 causes the front end portion of the coin to come into contact with the rear surface of the front conveyance guide 52, that is, the conveyance reference surface FS, and the separation protrusion 44 moves the rear of the coin. In other words, a driving force is supplied so as to apply force from the lower side in the forward and upward direction. Thereby, the upper separating section 15 slides the front end of this coin onto the conveyance reference surface FS.

The upper separating part 15 continues to rotate the inclined disk 43, and when the belt 65 reaches the vicinity of the front pulley 62, the pin 66 takes over from the separating protrusion 44 and moves to the rear and lower side of the coin, that is, behind the center of gravity of the coin. It comes into contact with the side. In addition, the upper separating section 15 transfers the coin from the upstream stacking and separating section 15A to the downstream separating and conveying section 15B, with the left side surface of the coin in contact with the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43. From this point on, the left conveyance guides 53 and 54 come into contact with the right side surfaces, that is, the conveyance surface FC.

Next, the upper separating section 15 causes the belt 65 to run as the inclined disk 43 rotates, thereby gradually separating the pin 66 adjacent to the separating protrusion 44 from the separating protrusion 44 and moving the left conveyance guides 53 and 54. rise along the gap. Thereby, the upper separating section 15 can transport the coin upward within the transport space SC while sliding the front end of the coin on the transport reference surface FS and sliding the left side surface on the transport surface FC. can. Thereafter, the upper separation section 15 further causes the belt 65 to travel, thereby conveying the coin in the rear direction along the upper conveyance guide 57 and the like, and then delivers the coin to the recognition conveyance section 16 (FIG. 2).

In the inclined disk 43, the separation protrusion 44 is located at a location slightly inward from the outer circumference 43T of the inclined disk 43, and a pin notch 45 is formed on the outer circumference side of the separation protrusion 44. Since the inclined disk 43 is configured in this way, by positioning the pin 66 in the pin notch 45 in the coin accumulation space 48, coins can be transferred from the accumulation/separation section 15A side to the separation/conveyance section 15B side. When delivering the coin, an operation such as letting out the coin while keeping the pin 66 in contact with the rear lower side of the coin can be performed.

In fact, in the upper separating section 15, near the bottom of the coin accumulating space 48, the coin tilts the upper part slightly to the left with respect to the vertical direction, and the left board face is oriented almost parallel to the disc face 43S of the inclined disc 43. In many cases, the position will be in a separated position (hereinafter referred to as a separated position). In this case, the upper separating section 15 can apply force from behind to the coin in this separated position using the separating protrusion 44 or the pin 66.

[6. Configuration of coin remaining detection sensor]
As shown in FIG. 3(A), the upper separating section 15 is provided with a coin remaining detection sensor 70 that detects the presence or absence of coins or foreign matter remaining in the coin accumulation space 48. The coin remaining detection sensor 70 is an optical sensor, and includes a light emitting section 70e, a light receiving section 70r, and a prism 70p.

The light emitting section 70e is attached to the separating section housing 40 on the left side of the inclined disk 43, and emits the detection light Lx diagonally upward to the right toward the coin accumulation space 48. The prism 70p is attached to the foreign matter removal gate 80 (FIG. 3(B)) on the right side of the inclined disk 43, and moves the traveling direction of the detection light Lx emitted from the light emitting part 70e upward diagonally to the left by 90°. ] The detection light Lx is bent so as to travel parallel to the inclined disk 43, and then the traveling direction of the detection light Lx is further bent by 90[°] diagonally downward to the left, and the detection light Lx is caused to travel toward the light receiving portion 70r. The light receiving section 70r is attached to the separation section housing 40 on the left side of the inclined disk 43 and diagonally above and to the left of the light emitting section 70e, and receives the detection light Lx reflected by the prism 70p.

The coin remaining detection sensor 70 notifies the coin control unit 12 (FIG. 2) of the result of receiving the detection light Lx. The coin control unit 12 determines whether or not coins or foreign matter remain in the coin accumulation space 48 based on the light reception result. Specifically, the coin remaining detection sensor 70 detects that when a coin located in the coin accumulation space 48, particularly near the lower end, crosses the detection light Lx of the coin remaining detection sensor 70, the detection light Lx is blocked by the coin and the detection light Lx is The coin control unit 12 is notified of the light reception result indicating that no light is being received (ie, ON state (light shielding state)). On the other hand, when the coin does not cross the detection light Lx of the coin remaining detection sensor 70, the coin remaining detection sensor 70 receives a light reception result indicating that it is receiving the detection light Lx (i.e., OFF state (light-transmitting state)). The coin control unit 12 is notified.

[7. Detection of residual coins and foreign objects]
If the coin control unit 12 continues to rotate the inclined disc 43 of the upper separation unit 15 in the forward direction and no coin is detected in the recognition conveyance unit 16 even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the coin control unit 12 stops the coin from being fed out from the upper separation unit 15. Decide that it is finished. Next, after the coins have been fed out from the upper separating section 15, the coin control section 12 reversely rotates the inclined disk 43 by one revolution, and based on the light reception result obtained at that time, coins are placed in the coin accumulation space 48. Or determine whether foreign matter remains.

If the coin control unit 12 does not detect any coins or foreign objects even once during the reverse rotation of the inclined disk 43 for one revolution, the coin control unit 12 determines that no coins or foreign objects remain in the coin accumulation space 48 . It is determined that the condition is On the other hand, if the coin control unit 12 detects a coin even once while rotating the inclined disk 43 in one rotation, the coin control unit 12 detects a medium such as a coin or a foreign object larger than a clip in the coin accumulation space 48. It is determined that the medium remains in the remaining state. On the other hand, if the coin control unit 12 detects a small foreign object such as a paper clip even once during the reverse rotation of the inclined disk 43, the coin control unit 12 detects that the foreign object remains in the coin accumulation space 48. It is determined to be in a residual state.

In the case of the non-remaining state, the coin control unit 12 obtains the light reception result for one rotation of the inclined disk 43 from the coin remaining detection sensor 70, as shown in the timing chart T1 shown in FIG. 11(A). The result of this light reception is that the detection light Lx emitted from the light emitting part 70e of the coin remaining detection sensor 70 passes through the outer light passage hole 72o and the gate outer light passage hole 88o (FIG. 5) (described later), and travels through the prism 70p. When the direction is changed and the light passes through the gate inner light passage hole 88i (FIG. 5) (described later) and the inner light passage hole 72i and enters the light receiving section 70r, it becomes in the OFF state. Furthermore, since seven sets of outer light passing holes 72o and inner light passing holes 72i are arranged at equal intervals in the rotational direction of the inclined disk 43, the timing chart T1 is periodically turned off. In addition, the timing chart T1 shows that the detection light Lx emitted from the light emitting part 70e of the coin remaining detection sensor 70 passes through the outer light passing hole 72o, the gate outer light passing hole 88o, the prism 70p, the gate inner light passing hole 88i, and the inner light passing hole 88o. The light is in the OFF state for a predetermined transmission time, which is a predetermined period during which the light passes through the hole 72i and enters the light receiving section 70r. For this reason, the coin control unit 12 determines that the coin is in the non-residual state when it obtains a light reception result in which the ON state is periodically changed to the OFF state and all OFF states continue for a predetermined light transmitting time.

On the other hand, in the case of the medium remaining state, the coin control unit 12 obtains the light reception result for one rotation of the inclined disk 43 from the coin remaining detection sensor 70, as shown in the timing chart T2 shown in FIG. 11(B). In the case of the medium remaining state, even if the detection light Lx emitted from the light emitting part 70e of the coin remaining detection sensor 70 is located inside the outer light passage hole 72o and the gate outer light passage hole 88o, the detection light Lx does not enter the light receiving part 70r. Until the end of the scene, the remaining coins will block the scene. At this time, compared to FIG. 11(A), the light reception result shows a location where the OFF state time is less than or equal to the predetermined light transmission time, such as location A (in other words, the ON state is turned on at the timing when the OFF state should be achieved). (where the condition continues for a certain period of time) exists. When the coin control unit 12 obtains a light reception result in which there is a location where the OFF state time is equal to or less than the predetermined light transmission time, such as location A, the coin control unit 12 determines that the medium remains in the state.

On the other hand, in the case of a foreign matter remaining state, the coin control unit 12 obtains the light reception result for one rotation of the inclined disk 43 from the coin remaining detection sensor 70, as shown in the timing chart T3 shown in FIG. 11(C). When foreign matter remains, even if the detection light Lx emitted from the light emitting part 70e of the coin remaining detection sensor 70 is located inside the outer light passing hole 72o and the gate outer light passing hole 88o, the light receiving part 70r It is blocked by remaining foreign matter before it enters the beam. However, if the foreign object is smaller than a coin, the foreign object does not block the detection light Lx as much as the coin. At this time, compared to FIG. 11(A), the light reception result shows that during the period when the OFF state should normally be maintained, there are parts like part B that flicker between the ON state and the OFF state. . When the coin control unit 12 obtains a light reception result in which there is a part, such as part B, that flickers between the ON state and the OFF state to such an extent that it is not determined to be a medium remaining state, the coin control unit 12 determines that there is a foreign matter remaining state. At this time, the coin control unit 12 determines that foreign matter remains when flickering is detected for a certain period of time or longer so that the light reception result does not erroneously detect flickering as being caused by coins (genuine coins).

The above has described the case where the tilted disk 43 is rotated in the opposite direction after the coins have been fed out from the upper separating section 15 to determine whether the coin remains or the foreign matter remains. The invention is not limited to this, and the coin control unit 12 detects a coin remaining state and a foreign matter remaining state while rotating the inclined disk 43 in the forward direction while feeding out coins from the upper separation unit 15, and rotates the inclined disk 43 in the forward direction. If the coin remaining state and the foreign object remaining state are not resolved even after continuing to do so, it is determined that the coin remaining state and the foreign object remaining state are present.

[8. Configuration of foreign matter removal gate]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the foreign matter removal gate 80 is formed at the lower end of the collecting cover 41 and includes a support portion 81, a bottom portion 82, an inclined portion 83, and a prism holding portion 84.

The bottom portion 82 is formed at the lower left end of the foreign matter removal gate 80 and constitutes a part of the periphery of the lower end of the storage guide 51. Therefore, the bottom portion 82 is adjacent to the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the inclined disk 43 and has an arcuate shape very close to the outer periphery of the inclined disk 43. A bottom surface 82S, which is a part of the inner circumferential surface 51S of the storage guide, is formed on the upper surface of the bottom portion 82, and a slight gap is formed between the bottom surface 82S and the outer circumferential surface of the inclined disc 43. Therefore, both front and rear ends of the bottom surface 82S are continuous with parts of the storage guide inner peripheral surface 51S other than the bottom surface 82S.

The inclined part 83 is a plate-shaped member extending diagonally upward and to the right from the right end of the bottom part 82, and has an inclined surface 83S formed on its left surface. Further, the inclined portion 83 forms a coin accumulation space 48 between the inclined portion 83 and the inclined disk 43. The prism holding part 84 is formed in a part of the inclined part 83 and holds the prism 70p.

In the inclined portion 83, a gate outer light passage hole 88o and a gate inner light passage hole 88i are formed. The gate outer light passage hole 88o has a circular shape and is provided near the lower end of the inclined portion 83. This gate outer light passage hole 88o is formed so as to penetrate from the right side surface to the left side surface (slanted surface 83S) of the inclined part 83, and is formed so as to penetrate from the light emitting part 70e of the coin remaining detection sensor 70 (FIG. 3). The detection light Lx that has been emitted and passed through the outer light passage hole 72o of the inclined disk 43 is passed from the left side (disk surface 43S side) of the inclined portion 83 to the right side (that is, the prism 70p side of the coin remaining detection sensor 70). .

The gate inner light passage hole 88i has a circular shape and is provided above the gate outer light passage hole 88o in the inclined portion 83. This gate inner side light passage hole 88i is bored so as to penetrate from the right side surface to the left side surface (slanted surface 83S) of the inclined part 83, and is configured to pass through the detection light reflected by the prism 70p of the coin remaining detection sensor 70. Lx is passed from the right side of the inclined portion 83 (that is, the prism 70p side) to the left side (the side of the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43).

A cylindrical shaft 86 (FIG. 3(B)) extending in the front-rear direction is fixed to the bottom of the central portion of the collection cover 41 in the front-rear direction. At the front and rear ends of the foreign matter removal gate 80, support portions 81 that protrude upward are rotatably supported by a shaft 86. Therefore, the foreign matter removal gate 80 is rotatable about the shaft 86 from the gate closed state shown in FIG. 5 to the gate opened state shown in FIG. 7.

Further, a motor 90 is attached to the right side of the separation unit housing 40, and a plurality of gears (not shown) are incorporated inside. The motor 90 rotates the foreign material removal gate 80 about the shaft 86 by transmitting driving force to the foreign material removal gate 80 via a gear.

The gate closed state (FIG. 5) is a state in which the bottom portion 82 is close to the discharge surface 92S with almost no gap. In this gate closed state, the gap between the bottom part 82 and the discharge surface 92S is narrow enough to prevent coins CN and foreign objects from falling. In addition, in the gate closed state, the tip (left end) of the bottom portion 82 is on the left side of the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 (i.e., on the side away from the coin accumulation space 48 with respect to the disk surface 43S, in other words, rather than the disk surface 43S). It has penetrated to the side opposite to the normal direction of the disk surface 43S. Therefore, in the gate closed state, the tip of the bottom portion 82 overlaps the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43.

In the gate open state (FIG. 7), the foreign matter removal gate 80 is rotated significantly counterclockwise in the figure (hereinafter also referred to as gate opening direction Do) with respect to the gate closed state (FIG. 5), and the bottom part 82 is It is in a state where it is separated from the discharge surface 92S in the upper right direction. In this gate open state, the gap between the bottom portion 82 and the ejection surface 92S is wider than the diameter of the largest diameter coin, allowing coins CN and foreign matter to fall.

Further, the foreign matter removal gate 80 can also transition to a gate cleaning state shown in FIG. In the gate cleaning state (FIG. 6), the foreign matter removal gate 80 is slightly rotated in the gate opening direction Do compared to the gate closed state (FIG. 5), and there is a slight gap between the bottom part 82 and the discharge surface 92S. It is vacant. In this gate cleaning state, the gap between the bottom portion 82 and the discharge surface 92S is set to such an extent that coins do not fall, but dust and coin powder can fall.

Furthermore, the foreign matter removal gate 80 can also transition to the gate half-open state shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. In the gate half open state (FIGS. 8 and 9), the foreign matter removal gate 80 is slightly rotated in the gate opening direction Do compared to the gate closed state (FIG. 5) and in the gate cleaning state (FIG. 6), and the bottom 82 and the discharge surface 92S, there is a slight gap SP1, although it is wider than in the gate cleaning state (FIG. 6). In this gate half-open state, the gap SP1 between the bottom portion 82 and the ejection surface 92S is set to such an extent that the coin CN does not fall, but a small foreign object FM such as a clip can fall. Specifically, the gap SP1 between the bottom portion 82 and the ejection surface 92S is set to be slightly narrower than the thickness of the thinnest coin. Therefore, in the gate half-open state, the coin CN does not pass through the gap SP1 between the bottom part 82 and the ejection surface 92S, while the foreign object FM, such as a clip, which is thinner than the thinnest coin, does not pass through the gap SP1 between the bottom part 82 and the ejection surface 92S. It passes through the gap SP1. In other words, in the gate half-open state, the gap SP1 between the bottom portion 82 and the ejection surface 92S is the maximum opening amount from which normal coins (genuine coins) do not fall.

In addition, in the half-open state, the gap SP2 (FIG. 9) between the tip (left end) of the bottom surface 82S of the bottom portion 82 and the lower end of the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 is narrower than the diameter of the smallest diameter coin. The coin CN is prevented from falling from the gap SP2 between the bottom part 82 and the inclined disk 43. Further, as described above, in the gate closed state (FIG. 5), the tip (left end) of the bottom portion 82 is located on the left side of the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 (i.e., on the side away from the coin accumulation space 48 with respect to the disk surface 43S). ). Therefore, when the foreign matter removal gate 80 rotates clockwise in the figure (hereinafter also referred to as gate closing direction Dc) from the gate half open state to the gate closed state (FIG. 5), coins are not deposited in the coin accumulation space 48. If CN remains, as shown in FIG. 10, the coin CN will be caught between the bottom portion 82 and the inclined disk 43, and the foreign matter removal gate 80 will no longer rotate in the gate closing direction Dc.

[9. Operation of foreign object removal gate after coin feeding]
The coin processing device 10 puts the foreign matter removal gate 80 in the gate closed state (FIG. 5) when paying out coins from the upper separating section 15. Next, after the coin processing device 10 has finished feeding out the coins from the upper separating section 15, the inclined disk 43 is reversely rotated for one revolution, thereby determining whether the coin processing device 10 is in a non-remaining state, a medium remaining state, or a foreign matter remaining state. judge.

If the coin processing device 10 is in the non-residual state, the coin processing device 10 uses the driving force from the motor 90 (FIG. 3) to bring the foreign matter removal gate 80 into the gate cleaning state (FIG. 6), and then performs a cleaning operation to return it to the gate closed state (FIG. 5). By doing this, dust and coin powder are discharged from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside. On the other hand, if the medium remains in the coin accumulation space, the coin processing device 10 performs a medium removal operation that returns the foreign matter removal gate 80 from the gate open state (FIG. 7) to the gate closed state (FIG. 5). The medium such as the coin CN remaining in the 48 is discharged.

On the other hand, if foreign matter remains, the coin processing device 10 performs a foreign matter removal operation. Specifically, the coin processing device 10 removes small foreign objects such as clips existing in the coin accumulation space 48 by bringing the foreign object removal gate 80 into a half-open state (FIG. 8) using the driving force from the motor 90 (FIG. 3). (Figure 9). At this time, the coin processing device 10 may erroneously detect the coin CN as a foreign object FM depending on the state of the timing chart (FIG. 11). In that case, the coin CN rather than the foreign object FM remains in the coin accumulation space 48, but as described above, the coin CN does not fall from the coin accumulation space 48 even in the half-open state (FIG. 9).

Subsequently, the coin processing device 10 rotates the foreign matter removal gate 80 in the gate closing direction Dc from the half-open state (FIG. 9) to the gate closed state (FIG. 5). At this time, as described above, the coin CN is sandwiched between the bottom portion 82 and the inclined disk 43. The coin processing device 10 remains in the gate closed state even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the foreign object removal gate 80 began to be rotated in the gate closing direction Dc in an attempt to transition from the half open state (FIG. 9) to the gate closed state (FIG. 5). If the transition does not occur to (FIG. 5), it is determined that the coin CN is sandwiched between the bottom portion 82 and the inclined disk 43 (FIG. 10). At this time, the coin processing device 10 stops its operation and performs error processing.

[10. Effects, etc.]
If it is determined that a medium remains, a medium removal operation is performed, but if it is unclear whether a coin remains, the foreign object removal gate 80 is rotated in the gate opening direction Do to the extent that the coin does not fall and is cleaned. It is also possible to perform only motion. However, in this case, during the cleaning operation, although normal coins do not fall from the coin accumulation space 48 , small foreign objects such as paper clips do not fall and remain in the coin accumulation space 48 , and coins from the upper separating section 15 do not fall. This may lead to improper feeding of the media or erroneous detection of residual media. Further, in that case, when the foreign matter removal gate 80 rotates in the gate closing direction Dc during the cleaning operation, the remaining foreign matter is caught between the foreign matter removal gate 80 and the discharge section 92, causing the foreign matter removal gate 80 to malfunction. There is a possibility that it will become.

On the other hand, if the coin processing device 10 determines that the foreign matter remains state rather than the non-remaining state or the medium remaining state after the coin CN is fed out from the upper separating section 15, the coin processing device 10 sets the foreign matter removal gate 80 to the gate closed state ( 5) to the gate half-open state (FIG. 8). In addition, in the gate half-open state (FIG. 8), the coin processing device 10 forms a gap SP1 between the bottom portion 82 and the discharge surface 92S, which is large enough to allow small foreign objects FM such as clips to fall from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside. I decided to do so. Therefore, the coin processing device 10 can discharge foreign objects such as clips, which are small and therefore are difficult to detect because they do not block the detection light Lx of the coin residual detection sensor 70 (FIG. 3) as much as coins, from the coin accumulation space 48. .

Furthermore, since the coin processing device 10 is small in size, it does not block the detection light Lx of the coin residual detection sensor 70 (FIG. 3) as much as coins, making it difficult to detect foreign objects. can be discharged by the foreign matter removal operation.

As a result, in the coin processing device 10, the foreign matter may become clogged inside the coin accumulating space 48, resulting in failure to feed out the coins from the upper separating section 15, or the foreign matter may remain in the coin accumulating space 48, causing the coin remaining detection sensor 70 (see Fig. It is possible to prevent the coin processing device 10 from erroneously detecting the foreign object as a coin due to blocking of the detection light Lx in 3). Furthermore, the coin processing device 10 can prevent foreign matter from being caught between the bottom portion 82 and the inclined disk 43 during the cleaning operation, thereby preventing the foreign matter removal gate 80 from malfunctioning.

Further, the coin processing device 10 is configured to form a gap SP1 between the bottom portion 82 and the ejection surface 92S, which is large enough to prevent coins from falling from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside in the gate half-open state (FIG. 9). Therefore, even if the coin processing device 10 mistakenly detects a coin (genuine coin) as a foreign object instead of a foreign object such as a paper clip that should be detected as a foreign object, the coin processing device 10 does not allow the coin to fall from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside. It is possible to prevent the coins from being lost and to hold them inside the coin accumulation space 48. Therefore, the coin processing device 10 can prevent miscalculation.

Further, when the coin processing device 10 rotates the foreign object removal gate 80 in the gate closing direction Dc from the half open state (FIG. 9) to the gate closed state (FIG. 5), coins remain in the coin accumulation space 48. In this case, the coin is sandwiched between the bottom portion 82 and the inclined disk 43 (FIG. 10). Therefore, the coin processing device 10 detects that coins remain inside the coin accumulation space 48 when the foreign matter removal gate 80 does not transition from the half-open state (FIG. 8) to the gate closed state (FIG. 5). Can be detected. Therefore, the coin processing device 10 can prevent miscalculation.

According to the above configuration, the upper separation part 15 of the coin processing device 10 of the automatic teller machine 1 is rotatably supported around the central axis 43C, and has its normal line inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction. An inclined disk 43 that has a disk surface 43S and a separation protrusion 44 as a protrusion that is formed on the disk surface 43S and serves as a protrusion that comes into contact with a coin and conveys the coin, and rotates in the direction of arrow R1, which is a predetermined rotation direction. , an accumulation cover 41 that is provided on the normal side of the disk surface 43S of the inclined disk 43 and forms a coin accumulation space 48 for accumulating coins between it and the disk surface 43S; A foreign matter removal gate 80 is provided on the linear direction side, forms at least a part of the bottom of the coin accumulation space 48, and is close to the ejection surface 92S so that coins are not discharged from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside in the gate closed state. The foreign matter removal gate 80 forms a gap SP1 with the discharge surface 92S so that coins are not discharged from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside, but foreign matter smaller than coins is discharged from the coin accumulation space 48 to the outside. The coin accumulating space 48 can be moved to a half-open state as a foreign matter discharge state in which at least a portion of the space 48 is exposed to the outside.

Thereby, the upper separating section 15 can prevent the coins from falling from the coin accumulating space 48 to the outside, while allowing foreign objects to fall and be discharged from the coin accumulating space 48 to the outside.

[11. Other embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the coin processing device 10 has been described with respect to the case where the foreign matter removal gate 80 is rotatably provided with respect to the accumulation cover 41 about the shaft 86. The present invention is not limited to this, and the coin processing device 10 may be moved between the gate closed state and the gate open state by various other moving methods, such as by linearly reciprocating the foreign object removal gate 80. good.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the coin processing device 10 has a case in which the ejection surface 92S has a planar shape and the ejection portion 92 extends from the vicinity of the lower end of the inclined disk 43 toward the diagonally lower right side. The present invention is not limited to this, and the coin processing device 10 may have the ejection surface 92S in various other shapes, such as a curved surface, or may have the ejection surface 92S in various other shapes, such as parallel to the disk surface 43S. It may be extended along the direction.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the coin processing device 10 returns the foreign matter removal gate 80 from the gate half-open state to the gate closed state, and then rotates the inclined disk 43 in the forward or reverse direction to move the coin into the coin accumulation space 48. You may also check again to see if any coins or foreign objects remain.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the coin processing device 10 has been described with respect to the case where the foreign matter removal gate 80 is formed integrally with the collection cover 41. The present invention is not limited to this, and the coin processing device 10 may form the foreign matter removal gate 80 separately from the collection cover 41.

Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, the case where the present invention is applied to the upper separating section 15 has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and may be applied to the lower separating section 29, for example.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the case where the present invention is applied to the coin processing device 10 incorporated in the automatic teller machine 1 as an automatic transaction device has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, but is applicable to various devices such as automatic ticket vending machines that conduct transactions regarding coins with customers, and to be used by staff of financial institutions, clerks of retail stores, etc. to manage cash. The present invention may be applied to a cash management device, a change machine that dispenses change, and the like.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and other embodiments. That is, the scope of the present invention extends to embodiments in which each of the embodiments described above and part or all of the other embodiments described above are arbitrarily combined. Further, the present invention extracts a part of the configuration described in any one of the above embodiments and other embodiments, and extracts a part of the configuration described in any one of the above embodiments and other embodiments. The scope of application of the present invention also extends to embodiments in which part of the configuration of any embodiment is replaced or diverted, and embodiments in which a part of the extracted configuration is added to any embodiment. It is.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the coin processing device 10 as a coin processing device is configured by the tilted disk 43 as the tilted disk, the accumulation cover 41 as the accumulation cover, and the foreign matter removal gate 80 as the foreign matter removal section. I mentioned the case where The present invention is not limited to this, and the coin processing device may be configured by an inclined disk having various other configurations, a collection cover, and a foreign matter removing section.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be utilized, for example in the automatic teller machine etc. which perform transaction processing regarding a coin with a customer or a clerk.

1...Automated teller machine, 2...Casing, 3...Reception department, 4...Passbook entry/exit, 5...Card entry/exit, 6...Coin entry/exit, 7...Banknote entry/exit, 8...Operation display section, 9...Main control section, 10...Coin processing device, 11...Coin processing device housing, 12...Coin control section, 13...Deposit/withdrawal section, 13A...Accommodator, 13B...Shutter, 14...Chute section, 15...Upper separation section, 15A...Collection separation section, 15B...Separation conveyance section, 16...Recognition conveyance section, 17...Delivery section, 18...Pin belt conveyance Department, 19... branching section, 20... stacker branching section, 21... stacker section, 22... dispensing conveyance section, 23... temporary holding section, 24... replenishment collection warehouse, 25... first replenishment reject Warehouse, 26...Second replenishment reject warehouse, 27...Reject warehouse, 28...Lower separation section, 29A...Accumulation separation section, 29B...Separation conveyance section, 30, 31 ...Guiding part, 32... Accumulating part, 33... Feeding part, 40... Separating part housing, 41... Accumulating cover, 43... Inclined disc, 43C... Central axis, 43S... Disc surface, 43T ...Outer periphery, 44... Separation projection, 45... Pin notch, 48... Coin accumulation space, 50... Coin guide, 51... Storage guide, 51S... Storage guide inner peripheral surface, 52... Front Conveyance guide, 53, 54... Left conveyance guide, 65... Belt, 66... Pin, 70... Coin residual detection sensor, 70e... Light emitting section, 70r... Light receiving section, 70p... Prism, Lx... Detection light, 72o... Outer light passing hole, 72i... Inner light passing hole, 80... Foreign matter removal gate, 81... Support part, 82... Bottom, 82S... Bottom surface, 83... Inclined part, 83S... ... Inclined surface, 84 ... Prism holding part, 86 ... Shaft, 88o ... Gate outside light passage hole, 88i ... Gate inside light passage hole, 90 ... Motor, 92 ... Discharge part, 92S ... Discharge surface , CN...coin, FM...foreign object, SC...transportation space.

Claims (11)

It is rotatably supported around a central axis and has a disk surface whose normal line is inclined upward with respect to the horizontal direction, and a protrusion formed on the disk surface that abuts the coin and conveys the coin. and an inclined disk rotating in a predetermined rotation direction;
an accumulation cover that is provided on the normal side of the disk surface of the inclined disk and forms a coin accumulation space between which the coins are accumulated;
A predetermined ejecting device is provided on the normal side of the disk surface of the inclined disk, forms at least a part of the bottom of the coin accumulating space, and prevents the coins from being ejected from the coin accumulating space to the outside in the closed state. and a foreign matter removal part close to the surface,
The foreign matter removing unit is configured to form a gap with the discharge surface so that the coins are not discharged from the coin accumulation space to the outside, but foreign matter smaller than the coins are discharged from the coin accumulation space to the outside. The coin processing device is movable to a foreign matter discharge state in which at least a portion of the coin accumulation space is exposed to the outside. The foreign matter removing section is
2. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein in the foreign matter discharging state, a gap narrower than the thickness of the thinnest coin among the coins handled in the coin processing device is provided between the coin processing device and the ejection surface. The foreign matter removing section is
If the coin remains in the coin accumulation space, when transitioning from the foreign object discharge state to the closed state, the coin is sandwiched between the foreign matter discharge state and the discharge surface, and movement to the closed state is stopped. The coin processing device according to claim 1. The foreign matter removing section is
The coin processing device according to claim 3, wherein in the closed state, the tip of the inclined disk is located on the opposite side of the normal direction from the disk surface. Determining whether or not the coin or the foreign object remains in the coin accumulation space, and if it is determined that the coin does not remain but the foreign object may remain, the foreign object removing section is removed. The coin processing device according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit that controls the transition from the closed state to the foreign matter discharge state and then back to the closed state. The control unit includes:
The foreign matter removing section is controlled to shift from the foreign matter discharging state to the closed state, and if the foreign matter removing section does not shift to the closed state even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the coins are removed from the coin accumulating space. The coin processing device according to claim 5, wherein it is determined that the coin remains. A residual detection sensor that emits a detection light passing through the coin accumulation space and notifies the control unit of a light reception result consisting of a light-transmitting state in which the detection light is received and a light-blocking state in which the detection light is blocked. have,
The control unit includes:
If the light reception result is obtained in which the light transmission state and the light shielding state are repeatedly switched at the timing when the light transmission state would have been obtained if the coins and the foreign matter did not remain in the coin accumulation space, The coin processing device according to claim 5, wherein it is determined that the foreign matter remains in the coin accumulation space. The control unit includes:
It is determined whether the coin or the foreign object remains in the coin accumulation space, and if it is determined that the coin remains, the foreign object removing section is moved from the closed state to the ejection surface and the foreign object. The coin processing device according to claim 5, wherein the coin processing device is controlled to shift to an open state in which a gap between the removal unit and the foreign matter discharge state is opened wider than the foreign matter discharge state, and to discharge the coins from the coin accumulation space to the outside. The control unit includes:
It is determined whether or not the coin or the foreign object remains in the coin accumulation space, and if it is determined that neither the coin nor the foreign object remains, the foreign object removing section is changed from the closed state to the ejection surface. The coin processing device according to claim 5, wherein the coin processing device is controlled to shift to a cleaning state in which a gap between the foreign matter removing section and the foreign matter removing section is opened narrower than in the foreign matter discharging state. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter removing section is formed integrally with the accumulation cover. an operation section that accepts user operations;
An automatic transaction device comprising: the coin processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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