JP2878115B2 - Coin processing machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a coin processing machine for sorting and counting or wrapping coins, and more particularly to a coin processing machine having a function of detecting a stained state of coins to be sorted and counted.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an apparatus for detecting the stained state of coins to be sorted and counted, for example, there is an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-18844. In this apparatus, the detection of the dirty state of the coin is performed by detecting the reflection from the coin surface by a sensor and comparing it with predetermined stain determination level data.

[0003]

However, in the above-described apparatus, the discrimination of stains may be different for each machine due to variations in the characteristics of the sensors themselves, the mounting conditions of the sensors, and the like, so that the stained coins cannot be reliably detected. Could come out. The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing machine that can reliably detect a dirty coin even if there is a variation unique to a sensor or a change in mounting conditions. .

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing machine comprising: a light emitting element for irradiating light on a coin surface; and a light receiving element for receiving light reflected from the coin surface. And a dirty detection sensor having a light-receiving amount level by the light-receiving element is compared with a predetermined reference value level to detect the dirty state of the coin, at least the light-emitting amount level of the light-emitting element Switching to two stages, sensor characteristic detecting means for detecting a sensor characteristic from a light receiving level of a light receiving element in each stage, and light emitting level determining means for determining a light emitting level of the light emitting element based on the detected sensor characteristic And a reference value level correcting means for correcting a reference value level to be compared with a light receiving amount level by the light receiving element based on the detected sensor characteristics. It is a symptom.

In a coin processor according to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the coin processor of the first aspect, the sensor characteristic detecting means detects a change in a light receiving level of the light receiving element with respect to a change in the light emitting level of the light emitting element. It is characterized in that a sensor characteristic is detected by calculating a ratio.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing machine according to the first or second aspect, wherein the light emission level determining means is configured to perform the processing based on the detected sensor characteristics and a set denomination. It is characterized in that a light emission level of the light emitting element is determined.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing machine according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the reference value level correcting means includes the detected sensor characteristic and a set gold value. It is characterized in that the reference value level is corrected based on the type.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing machine according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a coin passage is formed for guiding coins around the outer periphery thereof to pass therethrough. And a passage width adjusting means for setting the passage width to a width corresponding to the set denomination.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing machine according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, further comprising a stopper means for stopping conveyance of the coin when a dirty coin is detected. It is characterized by having.

[0010]

According to the coin processor of the first aspect of the present invention,
The sensor characteristic detecting means switches the light emission amount level of the light emitting element to at least two stages and detects the sensor characteristic from the light reception amount level of the light receiving element in each stage. The light emission level determining means determines the light emission level of the light emitting element based on the detected sensor characteristics, and the reference value level correcting means corrects the reference value level.

According to the coin processor of the second aspect of the present invention, the sensor characteristic detecting means detects the sensor characteristic by calculating the ratio of the change in the light receiving level of the light receiving element to the change in the light emitting level of the light emitting element. .

According to the coin processor of the present invention, the light emission level determining means determines the light emission level of the light emitting element based on the detected sensor characteristics and the set denomination. .

According to the coin processor of the present invention, the reference value level correcting means corrects the reference value level based on the detected sensor characteristics and the set denomination.

According to the coin processing machine of the present invention, the passage width adjusting means sets the coin passage to have a passage width corresponding to the set denomination. When the denomination is changed, the passage width is automatically set according to the denomination according to the setting.

According to the coin processing machine of the present invention, the stopper means stops the conveyance of the coin when the dirty coin is detected, so that the coin is automatically detected when the dirty coin is detected. Is stopped.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A coin processing machine according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 denotes a coin passage that is arranged in the coin processor and horizontally moves downstream (to the right in FIG. 1) in a state where the coins 8 sent from the upstream side are arranged in a line.

The coin passage 10 has a pair of rails 11 and 12 provided in parallel with each other, and a step portion 13 and a projecting portion 13 which project from a vertically lower side of the opposing surface of the rails 11 and 12 by a predetermined amount so as to approach each other. The coin 8 is transported above the coin 8 while its outer peripheral portion is guided by the opposing surfaces of the rails 11 and 12 in a state where the coin 8 is supported on the upper surfaces of the steps 13 and 13. The sheet is conveyed by a belt 14.

Here, the rails 11 and 12 can move so as to approach or separate from each other while maintaining a parallel state, so that the distance between the opposing surfaces, that is, the passage width, depends on the denomination of the coin 8. It is being adjusted. More specifically, the rail 11 is urged by a spring (not shown) to bring its cam follower 15 into contact with the passage width adjusting cam 16, and when the passage width adjusting cam 16 rotates, the cam follower follows the uneven cam surface. Reference numeral 15 changes the position, and the rail 11 moves while maintaining the parallel state with respect to the rail 12 to change the interval. The passage width adjusting cam 16
Are rotated intermittently by a predetermined angle so that the cam surface is switched by a driving source such as a motor (not shown).
Here, the rails 11 and 12, a spring (not shown), a cam follower 15, a passage width adjusting cam 16, and a driving source (not shown) constitute a passage width adjusting means 17.

Further, in a portion of the rails 11 and 12 downstream of the coin passage 10, a flat passage surface 20a is
The coin passage 20 is disposed on the same plane as the upper surface of the coin 3, and the coin passage 20 is disposed at a distance from each other in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the coin 8 conveyed by the conveyor belt 14. A stain detection sensor 23 including a pair of light emitting elements 21 and 21 and a light receiving element 22 disposed between the light emitting elements 21 and 21 is provided. The stain detection sensor 23 emits light to the lower surface of the coin 8 by the light emitting elements 21 and 21, receives the reflected light by the light receiving element 22, and outputs a signal corresponding to the received light amount to the CPU 25. It has become.

On the downstream side of these contamination detection sensors 23,
The material sensor 2 is located at a predetermined position in the center of the width of the coin passage 20 where one coin can be detected simultaneously with the stain detection sensor 23.
6 are provided. The material sensor 26 detects magnetic data that changes in accordance with the material of the coin 8 moving on the passage surface 20a of the coin passage 20, and outputs a material detection level signal to C.
The data is output to the PU 25. The CPU 25 compares, for example, the peak value of the material detection level signal with the reference value level data stored in advance. And
When the peak value of the material detection level signal is included in the area of the reference value level data, the material is determined to be normal,
If not, it is determined that the material is abnormal. Also, CPU
Reference numeral 25 also counts the number of coins transported based on the material detection level signal output from the material sensor 26.

Further, an optical sensor 27 for detecting the presence or absence of the coin 8 by reflecting light and outputting a coin detection signal to the CPU 25 is provided downstream of the material sensor 26. The optical sensor 27 is a timing sensor for timing the coins 8 conveyed from the upstream side to the downstream side in the coin passage 20 in accordance with the counting result or the discrimination result. Timing after elapse of time determined from the output time of the coin detection signal by the transport speed of the coin 8 by the transport belt 14 and the distance between the optical sensor 27 and the stopper means 28 provided downstream from the optical sensor 27 The CPU 25 drives and controls the stopper means 28.

The stopper means 28 has a stepped portion 29 with a partially cut-out shape, and allows the coin 8 to pass by positioning the stepped portion 29 on the side of the passage surface 20a. By rotating the step portion 29 from the passage surface 20a toward the rail 12 by rotating horizontally from the state by a predetermined angle, a part of the passage surface 20a protrudes to restrict the passage of coins 8. Here, a processing unit (not shown) that performs a packaging process and the like of the coin 8 is provided further downstream than the stopper unit 28.

As shown in FIG. 2, the above-described contamination detection sensor 23, material sensor 26, optical sensor 27, stopper means 28, and passage width adjusting means 17 are connected to the CPU 25. Storage means 31 for storing information necessary for operation of the processor, reference value level data for coin discrimination, material detection level signal, and the like.
And a transport drive system 33 for driving the transport belt 14 and the like provided above the coin passages 10 and 20, and a switch type or the like for setting a denomination of a coin to be sorted and counted or packed by an external input. The seed setting means 34 is connected.

Here, the contents of control of the entire coin processing machine by the CPU 25 will be briefly described. First, when the denomination setting means 34 is operated and a signal corresponding to the designated denomination is output from the denomination setting means 34, the CPU 25 issues a drive signal corresponding to a difference angle between the designated denomination and the designated denomination. Is output to the passage width adjusting means 17. Thereby, the passage width adjusting means 17
Rotates the passage width adjusting cam 16 to the angular position of the designated denomination, whereby the rail 11 moves with respect to the rail 12, and the passage width of the coin passages 10, 20 becomes the coin outer diameter of the designated denomination. .

Then, the CPU 25 drives the transport drive system 33. Then, basically, only the coin 8 of the designated denomination moves through the coin passages 10 and 20 from the upstream side to the downstream side,
For example, it is counted by a material detection level signal output from the material sensor 26, and then conveyed to a downstream side from the stopper means 28, conveyed to a wrapping processing position, and wrapped. Here, during the conveyance, the contamination state of the coin 8 is determined by the contamination detection sensor 23, and the normality / abnormality of the material of the coin 8 is determined by the material sensor 26, and the counting and the presence or absence of the hole are performed. If abnormalities are detected (if the coins are soiled coins and the presence / absence of coins is different from the set denomination) or if the set number of coins 8 is counted, abnormal coins or coins after counting are counted. The stopper means 28 is rotated at a timing after a lapse of a predetermined time from the point when the optical sensor 27 detects that the coin 8 has moved to the downstream side of the stopper means 28, and the transport drive system 33 is stopped. It is made to let.

As shown in FIG. 3, the light emitting elements 21 and 21 of the contamination detection sensor 23 of this embodiment
6 are connected to the CPU 25, and these light emitting elements 21 and 21 are connected to the D based on a control signal from the CPU 25.
The amount of light emission is adjusted according to the magnitude of the output signal from the / A converter 36. The light receiving element 22 is connected to an addition circuit 37, and the addition circuit 37 is connected to an A / D converter 38 and a D / A converter 39, and the A / D converter 38 and the D / A converter 39 is C
It is connected to PU25. The output signal of the light receiving element 22 is subjected to an offset adjustment of a light receiving amount level, which will be described later, by a D / A converter 39 based on a control signal from the CPU 25, that is, the D / A converter 39 adds the D / A to the light receiving amount level. After the offset D / A output voltage output from the A-converter 39 is added, CP is output via the A / D converter 38.
It is input to U25. The CPU 25 determines whether or not the coin 8 is dirty based on this signal.

Next, the offset adjustment of the light receiving level of the light receiving element 22 will be described along the procedure. In the offset adjustment, the relationship between the light emission amount and the light reception amount varies depending on the characteristics of the light receiving element 22 itself, the mounting condition of the light receiving element 22, and the like. Therefore, the sensor characteristic detecting unit 25a of the CPU 25 needs to adjust the offset. It is what you do.

An example of the variation in the relationship between the amount of emitted light and the amount of received light is shown below. White paper and black paper (blackened with ink or the like) on the stain detection sensor 23, that is, on the light emitting elements 21 and 21 and the light receiving element 22 are shown. Paper), and the horizontal axis indicates the light emission amount of the light emitting elements 21 and 21, and the vertical axis indicates the light reception amount of the light receiving element 22. As shown in FIG. And the amount of received light varies. Here, the reason why the maximum portion of the received light amount of the line indicating the white paper in FIG.
This indicates that the light receiving element 22 is in a saturated state. The portion indicated by the line segment below the received light amount 00 is a virtual line.

(1) White paper is placed on the stain detection sensor 23, that is, on the light emitting elements 21 and 21 and the light receiving element 22. (2) The offset D / A output value (hereinafter, referred to as an offset output value) output from the CPU 25 to the D / A converter 39 is set to 00H. (3) Raise the light emission D / A value (hereinafter referred to as light emission amount) output from the CPU 25 to the D / A converter 36 from 00H,
The light emission amount level of the light emitting element 21 is increased, and as shown in FIG.
A point A at which the received light A / D value (hereinafter referred to as the received light amount) output to the PU 25 exceeds the first predetermined value 20H,
The received light amount at this time is F. However, when the light emission amount exceeds the predetermined value EFH, it is determined that the adjustment is not possible.

(4) Further, the point at which the light emission amount is increased to a second predetermined value A + 10H is taken, and the light reception amount at this time is set to B. (5) Then, the slope C (C = change in received light amount / change in emitted light amount,
That is, the ratio of the change in the light receiving amount level of the light receiving element to the change in the light emitting amount level of the light emitting element) is calculated by the following equation. C = (BF) / 10H However, if B <F, it is determined that adjustment is impossible.

(6) The above (2) to (5) are performed a predetermined number of times (for example, 16 times), and an average value is obtained to determine the slope C. However, if the slope C is smaller than the predetermined value 1.0, it is determined that adjustment is impossible. (7) When the specific offset value G unique to the light receiving element 22 is G = C
X Calculate by AF. (8) The target offset value to be targeted is set to H, the difference between the target offset value and the specific offset value G is obtained, and this is set to E (E =
HG). However, if H <G, it is determined that adjustment is impossible.
The target offset value H is, for example, 20H when the inclination C is less than 2, and 40H when the inclination C is 2 or more.

(9) The amount of light output from the CPU 25 to the D / A converter 36 is increased from 00H. At this time, the amount of light output from the light receiving element 22 to the CPU 25 via the A / D converter 38 is a predetermined value. Let D be the point beyond B0H and I be the amount of light received at this point. (10) The CPU 25 sets the received light amount to (IE).
To adjust the offset output value output to the D / A converter 39. However, if the offset output value exceeds FFH, it is determined that adjustment is impossible. (11) The above (9) to (10) are repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, 16
Times) to determine the offset output value by taking the average value.

As described above, the adjustment has been completed to adjust the offset value of the light receiving element 22 to the target offset value. Also, the light emitting element 2 on the stain detection sensor 23,
Black paper is placed on the light receiving elements 1, 21 and the light receiving element 22, and in this case, the slope C of the change in the amount of received light with respect to the change in the amount of emitted light is similarly obtained. In the present embodiment, the sensor characteristic detected by the sensor characteristic detecting means 25a is the slope C
It is.

Light emission level determining means 25b of CPU 25
Determines the amount of light emitted by the light-emitting element 21 based on the slope C of the change in the amount of received light with respect to the change in the amount of light detected by the sensor characteristic detecting means 25a. Will do. That is, when the slope C is large, the amount of received light with respect to the amount of emitted light is large, so that the amount of emitted light is reduced. When the slope C is small, the amount of received light relative to the amount of emitted light is small, so that the amount of emitted light is increased.

An example of the characteristics of the amount of light emitted and the amount of light received will be described below.
White paper and black paper (paper painted in black with ink or the like) are placed on the light receiving elements 22 and 21, and the light emission amounts of the light emitting elements 21 and 21 are plotted on the horizontal axis, and the light receiving quantity of the light receiving element 22 is plotted on the vertical axis. , Target offset value (20H if the slope C is less than 2 as described above, 40H if the slope C is 2 or more)
When a line having a slope C is plotted, a graph as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained (in FIG. 5, the solid line indicates the characteristics of white paper, and the broken line indicates the characteristics of black paper). Here, the numbers 1 to 4 attached to the lines each represent the slope C.

To give a specific example, the light emission level determining means 25b, as shown in the upper part of the table of FIG.
In the case of coins other than coins, when the inclination C is less than 2, the light emission amount is E0H, when it is 2 or more and less than 3, the light emission amount is C0H, when it is 3 or more and less than 4, the light emission amount is 90H or when it is 4 or more and less than 5. When the light emission amount is 70H, 5 or more and less than 6, the light emission amount is 60H, 6
In the above case, the light emission amount decreases as the slope C increases, such as the light emission amount of 50H. As shown in the lower part of the table of FIG. 7, in the case of a one-yen coin, the light emission amount is B0H when the inclination C is less than 2, and the light emission amount is 80 when the inclination C is 2 or more and less than 3.
H, when 3 or more and less than 4, the light emission amount is 60H, when 4 or more and less than 6, the light emission amount is 40H, when 6 or more, the light emission amount is 30H,
As described above, the larger the slope C, the smaller the light emission amount, and the smaller the light emission amount in the case of other coins C.
If the inclination is smaller than 1, an adjustment error is determined at the adjustment stage.

Next, a method of determining contamination by the contamination detection sensor 23 will be described. First, sampling of the discrimination sampling data will be described. Sampling is performed for 1 msec. Is performed by the interrupt processing of
As shown in FIG. 8, the sampling is started from the coin discrimination counting start time point a. After the sampling is started, the received light amount is always stored in the sample buffer X, which is a period for detecting the contamination state preset for each denomination (FIG. 8C shows the received light amount data of the light receiving element 22). ).

The timing of the stain determination is set in advance for each denomination from the time point b when the coin presence signal shown in FIG. The time point c is after the sample number Y. Therefore, at the time of soil determination, the data of “sample buffer X−the number of samples Y” immediately before the material sensor 26 determines that a coin is present and the data of the number of samples Y immediately after the material sensor 26 determines that a coin is present are used. The combined data is used as discrimination sampling data, and contamination is discriminated based on the sampling data.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, a sample buffer X and a sample count Y are set for each denomination. For example, if the coin is a 500 yen coin, 1 msec. In each state, when the material sensor 26 detects the coin 8 and stores 11 pieces of sampling data in this state, 16 pieces of continuous sampling data are stored every time. Five of the sampled data are those immediately before the material sensor 26 detects the coin 8), and the soiling is determined based on the sampling data.

Here, the determination of the contamination will be described. The discrimination detection data is obtained by adding the discrimination sampling data.

On the other hand, the reference value level data to be compared to determine whether or not the detection data for determination (in other words, the level of the amount of light received by the light receiving element) is soiled is the reference data set and stored in advance for each denomination. Sensor characteristic detecting means 25a
The reference value level correction means 25c of the CPU 25 corrects based on the inclination C of the change in the amount of received light with respect to the change in the amount of emitted light, which is the sensor characteristic detected in the step (1), and further obtains the result by adding the number of samples of the sample buffer X. Will be.

More specifically, an example will be described. In the chart shown in FIG. 10, the reference value level when the inclination C is 1 and the offset is 0 is set for each denomination and the contamination determination level LEV1 to LEV.
4 is set for each of the four values.
The reference level data of = 1 and the offset of 0 is corrected according to the following equation in accordance with the slope C of the change in the amount of received light with respect to the change in the amount of light detected by the sensor characteristic detecting means 25a, thereby obtaining determination reference value data. become. [(((Reference data × light emission amount) / light emission amount with slope C = 1)
X slope C) -target offset value] x number of samples = discrimination reference value data

The contamination determination levels LEV1 to LEV4
Is a level that can be selected by an operator.
The more severe the EV1 is toward the LEV4, the more severe (that is, it is determined that even a small stain state is soiled). Here, [] in the above expression is the received light amount of the coin processor, and this is added by the number of samples in the sample buffer X to obtain discrimination reference value data. The amount of light emission with the slope C = 1 is, for example, E0 for coins other than one yen in the example shown in FIG. The corrected discrimination reference value data is calculated before shipment of the coin processing machine and stored in the storage means 31 for each denomination and contamination discrimination level. The denomination set by the denomination setting means 34 is sent to the CPU 25
Is appropriately read out at the time of determining whether the coin 8 is soiled and is compared with the detection data for determination. For example, when the detection data for determination is smaller than the determination reference value data, the detected coin is determined to be a dirty coin.

As described above, according to the coin processor of the present embodiment, the sensor characteristic detecting means 25
a, a light emission level determining means 25b and a reference value level correcting means 25c,
Switches the light emission level of the light emitting element 21 in two stages and calculates the sensor characteristic, that is, the ratio of the change in the light reception level of the light receiving element 22 to the change in the light emission level of the light emitting element 21 from the light reception level of the light receiving element 22 at each stage. Therefore, based on the detected sensor characteristics of the stain detection sensor 23,
The light emission level determining means 25b determines the light emission level of the light emitting element 21, and the reference value level correcting means 25c compares the light emission level (detection detection data) with the light reception level of the light receiving element 22 (discrimination reference value data). ) Will be corrected. Therefore, even if there are inherent variations of the stain detection sensor 23, changes in the mounting conditions, and the like, these are corrected, and the stained coin can be reliably detected.

The light emission level determining means 25b determines the detected sensor characteristics and denominations (the denominations are classified into one-yen coins and other than one-yen coins in this embodiment as shown in FIG. 7). Since the light emission level of the light emitting element 21 is determined based on this, the light emission level can be made appropriate for each denomination.

Further, the reference value level correcting means 25c
Based on the detected sensor characteristics and the set denomination, the reference value level (discrimination reference value data) to be compared with the light reception level (detection detection data) by the light receiving element 22 is corrected. Appropriate for each denomination.

In addition, the CPU 25 controls the passage width adjusting means 1.
7, the coin paths 10 and 20 are set to have a passage width corresponding to the denomination set by the denomination setting means 34. Therefore, the coin paths 10 and 20 are set when the denomination is changed. The width of the passage is automatically set according to the denomination according to the setting by the means 34. Therefore, it is possible to immediately respond to a denomination change.

Further, since the stopper means 28 stops the conveyance of the coins 8 when the stained coins are confirmed by the CPU 25, the conveyance of the coins 8 is automatically stopped when the stained coins are mixed. Therefore, since the dirty coin is not transported further downstream, the coin can be immediately removed.

In the above embodiment, an example is described in which the light emission level of the light emitting element is switched in two stages and the sensor characteristic is detected from the light reception level of the light receiving element in each stage. It is also possible to switch to.

[0050]

As described in detail above, claim 1 of the present invention
Alternatively, according to the coin processor described in 2, the sensor characteristic detecting means switches the light emission amount level of the light emitting element to at least two stages and detects the sensor characteristic from the light reception amount level of the light receiving element in each stage. The light emission level determining means determines the light emission level of the light emitting element based on the detected sensor characteristics, and the reference value level correcting means corrects the reference value level. Therefore, even if there is a variation unique to the stain detection sensor or a change in the mounting condition, this is corrected, so that the stained coin can be reliably detected.

According to the coin processor of the present invention, the light emission level determining means determines the light emission level of the light emitting element based on the detected sensor characteristics and the set denomination. Therefore, the light emission level can be made appropriate for each denomination.

According to the coin processor of the present invention, the reference value level correcting means corrects the reference value level based on the detected sensor characteristics and the set denomination. The value level can be made appropriate for each denomination.

According to the coin processing machine of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the passage width adjusting means sets the coin passage to have a passage width corresponding to the set denomination. When the denomination is changed, the passage width is automatically set according to the denomination according to the setting. Therefore, it is possible to immediately respond to a denomination change.

According to the coin processing machine of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the stopper means stops the conveyance of the coin when the dirty coin is detected, so that the coin is automatically detected when the dirty coin is detected. Is stopped. Therefore, since the dirty coin is not conveyed further downstream, the dirty coin can be immediately removed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing the vicinity of a different coin discriminating point of a coin processor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control system of the coin processor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a stain detection sensor and a CPU of the coin processor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing a variation state of a light receiving amount of the light receiving element with respect to a light emitting amount of the light emitting element. The horizontal axis represents the light emitting amount of the light emitting element, and the vertical axis represents the light receiving amount of the light receiving element.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating a method for calculating sensor characteristics of a coin processor according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the like, in which a horizontal axis represents a light emission amount of a light emitting element and a vertical axis represents a light reception amount of a light receiving element.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of a slope of a change in light reception amount with respect to a change in light emission amount, in which the horizontal axis represents the light emission amount of the light emitting element and the vertical axis represents the light reception amount of the light receiving element.

FIG. 7 is a table showing the light emission level determined by the light emission level determining means of the coin processor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart for detecting contamination of a coin processing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) shows the timing of stop-start of discrimination counting, and (b) shows the absence of coins of the material sensor;
(C) shows a change in the amount of light received by the light receiving element.

FIG. 9 is a table showing an example of a sample buffer X and a sample count Y for each denomination for detecting contamination of a coin processor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a table showing reference value levels when the inclination C is 1 and the offset is 0 in the coin processor according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10, 20 coin passage 17 passage width adjusting means 21 light emitting element 22 light receiving element 23 stain detection sensor 25a sensor characteristic detecting means 25b light emission amount level determining means 25c reference value level correcting means 28 stopper means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G07D 5/00-5/10

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A dirt detection sensor having a light emitting element for irradiating light on a coin surface and a light receiving element for receiving light reflected from the coin surface, wherein the level of the amount of light received by the light receiving element is a predetermined reference value. A coin processing machine for detecting a dirty state of a coin by comparing the light emission level of the light emitting element with at least two levels, and detecting a sensor characteristic from the light reception level of the light receiving element in each stage. Means, a light emitting level determined by the light emitting element based on the detected sensor characteristic, and a reference value level to be compared with the light receiving level by the light receiving element, based on the detected sensor characteristic. A coin processing machine comprising: a reference value level correcting means for correcting. 2. A coin according to claim 1, wherein said sensor characteristic detecting means detects a sensor characteristic by calculating a ratio of a change in a light receiving level of the light receiving element to a change in a light emitting level of the light emitting element. Processing machine. 3. The coin according to claim 1, wherein the light emission level determining means determines the light emission level of the light emitting element based on the detected sensor characteristics and a set denomination. Processing machine. 4. The reference value level correction unit according to claim 1, wherein the reference value level correction unit corrects the reference value level based on the detected sensor characteristics and a set denomination. Coin processing machine. 5. A coin passage for guiding a coin along its outer periphery to pass therethrough, and having a passage width adjusting means for setting the passage width to a width corresponding to a set denomination. The coin processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 6. The coin processing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper means for stopping conveyance of the coin when a dirty coin is detected.