JP3086681B2 - Coin processing equipment - 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 apparatus for feeding refill coins ejected from a refill cassette to a coin feeding section and feeding coins one by one by the coin feeding section.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional coin processing apparatuses of this kind include:
For example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-15897, there is an example of a circulating coin depositing and dispensing machine that uses deposited coins as dispensing coins.

In the configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-15897, a coin feeding section is formed by a rotating disk, and coins fed from the coin feeding section are sent to a feeding path. This delivery passage is branched in two ways in the middle, one of which is connected to a temporary storage section leading to a collection safe, and the other is connected to a sorting passage. An identification unit for identifying a denomination, authenticity or the like is provided in the pay-out passage. The collection safe serving as a replenishment cassette stores coins in a loose state and has a throw-out mechanism for throwing out the stored coins. The sorting passage is a dedicated passage for replenishing coins to the denomination storage unit for storing coins by denomination, and is disposed above the denomination storage unit so that replenished coins are dropped and stored in the corresponding denomination storage unit. Therefore, at the time of coin replenishment, the replenished coins dispensed from the collection safe are sent to the sorting passage via a dispensing belt, a coin deposit and withdrawal port, a coin dispensing unit, and a dispensing passage.

[0004] Dispensed coins at the time of dispensing are transferred from the denomination storing section to a coin depositing / dispensing port through a dispensing belt, and deposited coins at the time of depositing are transferred from the coin depositing / dispensing port to a coin feeding section and a payout path. After that, the money is temporarily held in the temporary holding unit, and when the payment is approved, it is sent to the collection safe.

Particularly, in a replenishment operation for replenishing coins, coins stored in a collection safe are sent to a denomination storing unit as replenished coins at the start of work or during work.

That is, the dispensing mechanism, the dispensing belt, the coin receiving and dispensing port, the coin dispensing section, the dispensing passage, and the sorting passage of the collection safe are driven. Replacement coins thrown out of the collection vault
The coins are fed into the coin payout section through the coin pay-in / pay-out port by the payout belt, and are fed out one by one. Then, after the replenishment coins are identified by the identification unit, they are sorted and stored in the corresponding denomination storing units while passing through the sorting passage from the feeding passage.
When the number of coins in all the denomination storage units becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the replenishment operation is completed.

[0007] As described above, the amount and speed of the refill coins fed from the portion of the collection safe serving as the refill cassette that stores the refill coins to the coin feeding section are kept constant. In addition, the amount of the replenishment coin at that time is set to be equal to or slightly smaller than the amount that the replenishment coin is normally fed from the coin feeding unit.

[0008]

However, when the replenishment coins are not normally fed out from the coin feeding section, for example, not only when the feeding is stopped but also when the feeding efficiency is lowered, the replenishment coins are stored. The amount of replenishment coins sent to the coin dispensing unit from the part to be increased becomes larger than the amount of replenishment coins fed out, there is a possibility that replenishment coins will overflow, and replenishment coins stored in the coin dispensing unit even if replenishment coins do not overflow The amount of coins may increase too much, and the payout efficiency of replenishment coins may deteriorate.

On the other hand, if the amount of replenishment coins sent to the coin feeding section is extremely suppressed in order to prevent replenishment of replenishment coins, the processing speed is reduced.

[0010] A method of arranging an optical sensor at a predetermined height in the coin feeding section and controlling the amount of refill coins to be fed based on the detection result is considered. However, it is difficult to accurately detect the amount, and there is a problem that an erroneous operation is likely to occur.

Further, the feeding efficiency of the rotating disk of the coin feeding section is not only deteriorated when the amount of stored replenishment coins is too large, but also deteriorated when the amount of replenished coins is too small. It is desired to keep the storage amount at an appropriate level in order to pay out well.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and a coin processing apparatus for feeding refill coins ejected from a refill cassette to a coin feeding section and feeding the replenishing coins one by one by the coin feeding section. It is an object of the present invention to provide a coin processing device capable of improving the dispensing efficiency of replenishment coins and increasing the processing speed.

[0013]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus for feeding a refill coin ejected from a refill cassette into a coin feeding section, and feeding the replenished coins one by one by the coin feeding section. A number-of-reserves-calculating means for calculating the number of replenished coins stored in the coin dispenser from the difference between the number of replenished coins dispensed from the replenishment cassette and the number of replenished coins dispensed from the coin dispenser; When the number of stored coins calculated by the stored number of coins calculating unit is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the feeding of the replenishment coins from the replenishment cassette to the coin feeding unit is stopped. Control means for restarting.

The number of replenished coins stored in the coin dispensing section is calculated by the stored number calculating means from the difference between the number of replenished coins ejected from the replenishing cassette and the number of replenished coins fed from the coin feeding section. When the number of stored coins calculated by the stored number calculating unit becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the feeding of the replenished coins from the replenishment cassette to the coin feeding unit is stopped, and when the number of stored coins becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the feeding of the replenished coins is restarted. Therefore, the number of replenishment coins stored in the coin feeding unit is kept constant, and the payout is efficiently performed without lowering the processing speed.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coin processing apparatus for dispensing a dispensed coin ejected from a denomination coin storage unit in the machine body, and sending a deposited coin to be inserted into the machine body to a coin payout unit. The coin pay-out unit feeds out the received coins one by one, sends them to the identification unit of the coin identification and classification passage, temporarily holds the received coins based on the identification result of the identification unit, and uses the denomination of the coin to be used for withdrawal at the time of payment approval. In a coin processing device to be stored in a coin storage unit, a replenishment cassette having a plurality of replenishment coin storage units capable of storing replenishment coins in a stacked state and simultaneously discharging the stored replenishment coins, and Sending means for sending the refilled coin to be ejected to the coin feeding section, provided in the coin identification and classification passage,
A denomination classification unit for classifying replenishment coins fed from the coin feeding unit and identified by the identification unit into denominations and storing them in the denomination coin storage unit, and a plurality of replenishment coin storage units of the replenishment cassette. Calculating the number of replenished coins stored in the coin dispensing unit from the difference between the number of replenished coins dispensed from any one and the number of replenished coins dispensed from the coin dispensing unit counted by the identification unit When the number of stored sheets calculated by the number-of-sheets calculating means is equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the feeding of the replenished coins from the refill cassette to the coin feeding unit is stopped, and when the number of stored numbers is equal to or less than a predetermined amount. And control means for restarting the feeding of the refill coins.

The number of replenished coins stored in the coin dispensing section is calculated by the stored number calculating means from the difference between the number of replenished coins ejected from the replenishing cassette and the number of replenished coins fed from the coin feeding section. When the number of stored coins calculated by the stored number calculating unit becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the feeding of the replenished coins from the replenishment cassette to the coin feeding unit is stopped, and when the number of stored coins becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount, the feeding of the replenished coins is restarted. Therefore, the number of replenishment coins stored in the coin feeding unit is kept constant, and the payout is efficiently performed without lowering the processing speed. Therefore, in the coin processing device for depositing and withdrawing coins, the process of replenishing coins from the replenishment cassette to the coin storage unit by denomination is performed efficiently.

[0017]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a coin processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a body, and as shown in FIG. 2, at the upper front side of the body 1 on the operator side, a front opening has a shutter 2 which can be opened and closed. The cash slot 3 is opened, and a coin tray 4 is disposed inside the cash slot 3. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the coin receiving tray 4 has an opening 5 formed on the upper surface thereof.
Circular side plates 6 and 6 are arranged on both sides, and these side plates 6
6 are formed in a semi-cylindrical shape having a semi-cylindrical bottom plate portion 7 connecting them. A rotating shaft 8 driven by a driving source (not shown) is attached to the center of the side plate portion 6 toward the outside. Usually, as shown in FIG. By rotating the rotating shafts 8, 8, the opening 5 can be rotated downward.

A pair of transmission holes 11 are formed in the side plate portion 6 of the coin receiving tray 4 at positions substantially at the center of the side plate portion 6 so as to oppose each other in the axial direction of the coin receiving tray 4. Three pairs of transmission holes 12 are drilled around the bottom of the side plate 6,
Optical fullness detection sensors 13 are mounted on both ends of the transmission hole 11 in the axial direction, and optical residual detection sensors 14 are mounted on both ends of the transmission hole 12 in the axial direction. .

A coin discharging chute 16 is provided below the coin receiving tray 4. The chute 16 rotates the coin receiving tray 4, and when the opening 5 faces downward, the contents of the coin receiving tray 4 are removed. accept.

Further, at a position where the length of the coin tray 4 in the axial direction is divided into three equal parts, a coin-roll preventing member 17 for preventing the insertion of a bar-shaped metal bar curved along the bottom plate 7 of the coin tray 4 is provided. Both ends of the metal bar insertion preventing member 17 are bent to form a locking portion 18, and the locking portion 18 is rotatably inserted and locked into a locking hole 19 formed in the chute 16, Gold injection prevention member 17
Some swinging is possible.

Below the chute 16, a chute 16
A coin dispensing section 20 for storing and dispensing coins discharged from the coin is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the coin dispensing section 20 has a rotating disk 21 for dispensing coins. The rotating disk 21 is inclined in the horizontal direction. The rotating shaft 22 is rotatably driven by a drive mechanism (not shown). During coin feeding, the rotating shaft 22 is positively rotated clockwise as shown in FIG. It is rotated counterclockwise when the above jam is cleared.

At the center of the rotating disk 21, there is formed a mounting hole 23 to be attached to the rotating shaft 22. On the surface of the rotating disk 21, a disk-shaped disk having a diameter smaller than that of the rotating disk 21 and thinner than a coin is provided. A plate 24 is mounted, and a mounting hole 25 is formed at the center of the plate 24 so as to be mounted on the rotating shaft 22. The rotating shaft 22 communicates with the mounting hole 23 of the rotating disk 21 and the mounting hole 25 of the plate 24. The cap 26 is mounted and fixed to the tip of the rotating shaft 22. Then, a fitting concave portion 27 having a width larger than the diameter of the coin having the largest diameter is formed between the rotating disk 21 and the peripheral portion of the plate member 24. In the peripheral portion of the rotating disk 21 facing the fitting concave portion 27, elongated holes 28 extending in the circumferential direction are formed so as to penetrate at equal intervals.

Further, through-holes are provided at equal intervals on the surface side of the rotating disk 21, and a pick-up member 29 protruding from the surface is attached to the through-hole, and the pick-up member 29 is provided on the back surface. The spring is urged toward the front side by the leaf spring 30 and projects to the surface by an amount slightly smaller than the thickness of the coin to be handled during normal operation when no load is applied, and the pickup member 29 is pressed from the front side with an unnecessary force. Then, the elastic disk 21 is buried from the surface of the rotating disk 21 to the back side by the elastic deformation of the leaf spring 30. The pick-up member
29 has a clockwise end face formed perpendicular to the surface of the rotating disk 21 and an opposite end face is an inclined face.

In the vicinity of the peripheral edge of the surface of the plate member 24, four frustoconical stirring members 31 are provided upright at equal intervals.

Further, a hopper 32 for storing coins between the rotating disk 21 and the rotating disk 21 is disposed on the surface of the rotating disk 21 so as to cover the surface of the rotating disk 21. This hopper
Reference numeral 32 denotes a bowl having an opening 33 for receiving coins formed at an upper portion thereof, and a storage space 34 is formed between the opening 32 and the surface of the rotating disk 21. The hopper 32 is formed with a guide portion 35 having a small interval with the rotating disk 21 along the outer peripheral edge of the rotating disk 21,
A restricting portion 36 is formed from the guide portion 35 in parallel with the periphery of the rotating disk 21 at a small interval along the vicinity of the periphery of the rotating disk 21. An inclined portion 37 is formed, and a vertical portion 38 whose wall surface is substantially vertical from the center side of the inclined portion 37 is formed.

Further, at a slightly lower portion of the opening 33 of the hopper 32, an insertion portion 40 (shown in FIG. 1) into which coins can be inserted is formed by opening, and an opening / closing door 41 is hinged at the lowermost end of the hopper 32. 42
It is attached to open and close freely. And hopper 32
A mounting frame 43 is attached to the lower part of the armature.A solenoid 44 is mounted on the mounting frame 43. The solenoid 44 has an arm 45 that can move forward and backward. The arm 45 is mounted on the opening / closing door 41. The opening / closing door 41 opens and closes due to advance and retreat. Note that when the solenoid 44 is not excited, the door 41 is in a closed state, and when the solenoid 44 is excited, the door 41 is opened.

The opening of the rotating disk 21 of the door 41
A transmission hole 46 is formed at a position facing the opening 28, and when the opening 28 and the transmission hole 46 communicate with each other, the opening 28 and the transmission hole 46 are formed.
An optical first residual detection sensor 49 in which a light emitting unit 47 and a light receiving unit 48 are formed to face each other at both ends of 46 is provided.
The portion through the transmission hole 46 and the opening 28 forms an optical path from the light emitting unit 47, that is, the optical path is orthogonal to the surface of the rotating disk 21. Thus, when no coins are stored in the hopper 32 and the transmission hole 46 and the opening 28 are located on a straight line, the light is transmitted, and the transmission hole 46 and the opening 28 are located on a straight line. , Or if coins are stored, the light is blocked. Therefore, when the rotating disk 21 rotates in a state where coins are not stored in the hopper 32, the light transmitting state and the light shielding state are repeated in a fixed pattern. That is, repeating the light-transmitting state and the light-blocking state in a certain pattern means "no remaining coins", and not repeating the light-transmitting state and the light-blocking state in a certain pattern means "with remaining coins".

Further, a transmission hole is provided slightly above the first residual detection sensor 49 near the lowermost guide portion 35 of the hopper 32.
51, 52 are provided so as to face each other, and a second residual detection sensor 55 is provided at both ends of the transmission holes 51, 52, in which a light emitting section 53 and a light receiving section 54 are formed to face each other. And the transmission hole 5
The portion passing through 1 and 52 serves as an optical path from the light emitting section 53, and enters a light-transmitting state when coins are not stored in the hopper 32, and enters a light-shielding state when coins are stored. In other words, the light-transmitting state means "without residual coin", and the light-shielding state means "with residual coin".

As shown in FIG. 1, a collection chute 56 connected to the open / close door 41 of the hopper 32 of the coin feeding section 20 is connected to the collection chute 56. The lower end of the collection chute 56 is connected to a residue collection box 57. I have.

Further, a coin discriminating / classifying passage 61 for receiving, sorting, and conveying coins fed from the rotating disk 21 is provided obliquely upward from the upper position of the rotating disk 21, and is fed from the coin feeding section 20. Introduction passage area 62 in which the carry-in side for guiding coins is inclined upward, a first coin passage area 63 in a substantially horizontal direction connected to the introduction passage area 62, and an end of the first coin passage area 63 A folded coin passage area 64 that is folded upward in an arc from the second coin passage area 65 that is connected to the end of the folded coin passage area 64 and that conveys the coin from the upper area of the first coin passage area 63 toward the coin tray 4. Are formed continuously. And the introduction passage area 62 of the coin identification and classification passage 61,
In the first coin passage area 63, the folded coin passage area 64, and the second coin passage area 65, coins are inclined in a state where the upper side is inclined at a predetermined angle toward the back with respect to the vertical, for example, about 15 degrees. It is conveyed, and the upper surface is formed by a conveyance guide plate 66 that is substantially flush with the upper surface of the rotating disk 21.

The introduction passage area 62 of the coin identification and classification passage 61
Transport means 67 for transporting coins along each of the first coin passage area 63, the folded coin passage area 64, and the second coin passage area 65;
Is provided. The transport means 67 is provided with transport projections provided at equal intervals for transporting coins one by one at intervals.
A coin transport belt 69 having a coin 68 is provided. The coin transport belt 69 transports coins while pressing the coin against a transport guide plate 66. The distance between the upper surface of the transfer protrusion 68 and the rotating disk 21 and the distance between the transfer protrusion 68 and the transfer surface of the transfer guide plate 66 are set to values smaller than the thickness of the coin. The coin transport belt 69 is formed by an endless belt suspended by a drive pulley (not shown) driven by a motor in the introduction passage area 62 and a plurality of guide pulleys 71.
The reference numeral 69 designates an introduction passage area 62, a first coin passage area 63, a folded coin passage area 64 from the end of the first coin passage area 63, and a second coin passage area 65 from the end of the folded coin passage area 64. Along the end of the second coin passage area 65 from the end of the second coin passage area 65 to the start end side of the introduction passage area 62 endlessly. The coin conveyance speed of the coin conveyance belt 69 is slightly higher than the coin feeding speed fed by the rotating disk 21. It's getting faster. Further, the coin transport belt 69 is provided with a transport protrusion 68 for separating and transporting coins on a surface facing the transport guide plate 66 at predetermined intervals, and the coin transport belt
Coins are conveyed by the cooperation of 69 and the conveyance projection 68. The gap between the upper surface of the transport guide plate 66 and the opposing surface of the transport protrusion 68 of the coin transport belt 69 is a small gap that is not in contact with the upper surface of the transport guide plate 66 and the opposing surface portion of the coin transport belt 69 other than the transport protrusion 68. The gap is slightly smaller than the minimum thickness.

Further, a discharge member 72 is connected to the transport guide plate 66, the leading end of which extends to a position close to the step of the rotary disk 21 and takes in the coins picked up by the rotary disk 21 into the coin identification and classification passage 61. The projecting member 72 is mounted on the rotating disc 21.
Are formed at the surfaces of the fitting recesses 27 at intervals such that coins cannot pass through, and a passage groove 73 through which the pickup member 29 passes is formed.

The introduction passage area 62 of the coin identification and classification passage 61
There is provided an identification unit 74 having a function as a feeding number counting unit formed by a material sensor for performing identification and counting of the suitability of the carried-in coins, inappropriateness, denominations, etc., an image sensor, and the like. I have.

Further, in the first coin passage area 63 of the coin identification and classification passage 61, a type classification unit 81 is provided as a denomination classification unit for classifying the coins identified by the identification unit 74.
In the classification unit 81, first to sixth sorting holes 82 of 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen, and 500 yen coin are provided at intervals sequentially toward the downstream side. An opening is formed, and a seventh sorting hole 83 for overflow coins and an eighth sorting hole 84 for collected coins are opened.

A sorting plate 85 for opening and closing the first to sixth sorting holes 82, the seventh sorting hole 83 for overflow coins, and the eighth sorting hole 84 for collected coins is a transport guide plate 66.
Each of the sorting plates 85 is driven by a rotary solenoid (not shown) based on a signal determined by the identification unit 74, and the tip of the sorting plate 85 is provided. Each coin rotates and protrudes from the transport surface of the transport guide plate 66, and each coin passes through the first to sixth sorting holes 82, the seventh sorting hole 83 for overflow coins, and the eighth sorting hole 84 for collected coins. At the same time, it is taken into the first to eighth sorting holes 82, 83, 84 opened by the sorting plate 85 and dropped.

As shown in FIG. 6, a chute 91 faces each of the first to sixth sorting holes 82, and the lower end of the chute 91 is open on both sides in the vertical direction so that coins are stacked. Temporary holding sections 92 that are temporarily held and can be moved in the width direction of the machine body 1 by a driving unit (not shown) are formed. Each of these temporary holding sections 92 is a first holding section of a cylindrical temporary holding frame 93.
Or a through-hole opened up and down corresponding to the sixth sorting hole 82, and the temporary holding frame 93 is moved forward and backward in a direction orthogonal to the coin transport direction of the coin identifying and sorting passage 61 by a driving means (not shown). .

Further, a seventh sorting hole 83 for overflow coins and an eighth sorting hole 84 for collected coins are communicated with respective chutes 91 as shown in FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, below the temporary holding frame 93, a denomination coin storage unit 94 having a storage space for storing and storing coins therein is detachably mounted in a cassette system. The denomination coin storage unit 94 includes denomination storage cylinder portions 95 corresponding to the first to sixth sorting holes 82 for coins for stacking various coins by denomination. . A projecting portion is formed on the upper part of each storage tube portion 95, and each projecting plate 96 for closing the upper opening of each storage tube portion 95 is provided in the projecting portion. When the uppermost coin of the storage cylinder portion 95 is received by the lower surface of the temporary holding frame 93 by the advancement to the, the uppermost coin by driving the ejection plate 96 is discharged.

As shown in FIG. 6, a support member for supporting a stack of coins is provided in each storage cylinder portion 95 of the coin storage portion 94 by denomination.
97 are provided so as to be vertically movable.
The coins are stacked and supported by 97, and each of these bearing members 97 is detachably connected to a drive mechanism 98 from a vertical guide groove (not shown) of the storage cylinder portion 95, and is respectively lifted and lowered. In this case, the state in which the uppermost coin of the storage cylinder portion 95 is pressed against the lower surface of the temporary storage frame 93 is maintained, and the coin held in the temporary storage portion 92 is
It becomes possible to store it inside 95. In addition, the temporary holding unit 92
Can be collectively slidable between a standby position above the denomination coin storage unit 94 and a discharge position.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, a first coin collection cassette 101 is provided at the lower front side of the coin storage unit 94 by denomination, and this first coin collection cassette 101 is provided. At the top of the horizontal belt 102
The horizontal belt 102 is formed of a flat belt, one end of which is close to the input section 40 of the hopper 32 of the coin feeding section 20, and the other end of which is connected to a seventh sorting hole 83 for overflow coins. It has reached a position beyond the front of 91. The horizontal belt 102 can rotate in both forward and reverse directions and can switch the rotation speed, and conveys coins to the coin feeding section 20 or the first coin collection cassette 101. The horizontal belt 102 is used to store coins by coin type 94
From the dispensing plate 96, coins discharged from the temporary holding unit 92, and coins discharged from the seventh sorting hole 83 of the overflow coin through the chute 91 and the discharging hole 105. The coin is conveyed, and the coin is discharged to a receiving portion 103 which is opened upward at an upper portion of the first coin collecting cassette 101.

The ejection plates 96 are individually driven and slidable between a standby position above the denomination coin storage unit 94 and a retreat position opposite to the horizontal belt 102. And
The chute 91 shown in FIG.
Coins can be discharged to the discharge hole 105 or to a second coin collection cassette 106 that can be attached to and detached from the body 1.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, coins ejected from the eighth sorting hole 84 of the collected coins through the corresponding chutes 91 are stored in the holding box 10 detachably mounted in the machine body 1.
7, the holding box 107 has an ejection hole 108, and the ejection hole 108 is provided in the first coin collection cassette 10.
1 is located at a position corresponding to the receiving section 103. Further, a delivery mechanism such as a belt (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the holding box 107.

Further, a replenishing cassette 111 which is detachable from the body 1 is disposed above the body 1. The replenishment cassette 111 includes a plurality of storage portions 114 for storing coins in a stacked state and having a bottom plate 113 which can be opened and closed by a solenoid 112, respectively. The bottom plate 113 is normally biased and held at the closed position. When the solenoid 112 is excited, the bottom plate 113 is moved to the open position, and the stored coins are ejected onto the lower horizontal belt 102.

The coin receiving tray 4, the coin feeding section 20, the coin discriminating / classifying passage 61, and the like are configured as a deposit transfer system, and the horizontal belt 102, the coin feeding section 20, the coin discriminating / classifying path 61, etc. are configured as a dispensing transfer system. Some components such as the coin feeding section 20 and the coin discriminating / classifying passage 61 are shared between the deposit transfer system and the dispensing transfer system.

The control system is as shown in FIG.

The control unit 121 includes, for example, a CPU and the like, and has a function as a number-of-projected-sheets counting unit, a stored-number-of-sheets calculating unit, and a control unit. The control unit 121 includes a mode selection unit 12 for selecting a mode such as deposit, withdrawal, replenishment or collection.
2 is connected.

Also, a full detecting sensor 13 for detecting that the coin tray 4 is full of coins, a residual detecting sensor 14 for detecting the remaining coins in the coin tray 4, and detecting the denomination and authenticity of the coins. And a sensor such as a first residue detection sensor 49 and a second residue detection sensor 55 for detecting the remaining coins in the hopper 32.

Further, a shutter opening / closing means 123 for opening / closing the shutter 2 and a coin tray rotating means for rotating the coin tray 4
124, a rotating disk driving means 125 for rotatingly driving the rotating disk 21
Conveyor belt driving means 126 for driving the coin conveyor belt 69
Opening / closing door opening / closing means 127 for opening / closing the opening / closing door 41, and a holding box coin ejection means for ejecting coins in the holding box 107.
128, reject passage switching means 129 for switching the switching plate 104 of the reject chute 91, and a horizontal belt
A driving speed control means 130 for controlling the speed of the motor 102 and a horizontal belt driving means 132 connected to a driving direction control means 131 for controlling the driving direction are connected.

Further, coin ejecting means 133 for ejecting coins and ejecting coins in the temporary holding section 92 includes a bearing member.
The coin lifting device 134 for raising the coin 97, the temporary coin ejection device 135, the replenishment coin ejection device 136 for ejecting the replenishment coins from the replenishment box 111, and the selection plate driving device 137 for opening and closing the selection plate 85 are respectively provided. It is provided for each denomination of the denomination coin storage unit 94.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

First, the operation in the deposit processing mode will be described.

When "payment processing" is selected by an operation unit (not shown), the mode selection means 122 sets the payment processing mode.

Then, the shutter 2 of the pay-in / pay-out port 3 is opened by the shutter opening / closing means 123 so that coins can be inserted. When a process is instructed after a coin is inserted into the coin receiving tray 4 through the cash slot 3, the coin receiving tray 4 is rotated after the shutter 2 is closed, and the coin is fed into the chute 16. If the amount of inserted coins is too large, the rotation of the coin tray 4 may be hindered.
Is blocked, the operator is prompted to reduce the number of coins without taking in the coins, that is, rotating the coin tray 4.

When coins are erroneously inserted into the coin tray 4, the coin tray 4 is rotated by the coin tray rotating means 124, and the loose coins are fed into the chute 16 by the first half rotation of 180 degrees. However, the coin bars are caught by the coin-roll preventing member 17 and remain, and the coin bars are again collected in the coin tray 4 by the remaining rotation. In addition, if any one of the residual detection sensors 14 does not return to the light-transmitting state despite the rotation of the coin receiving tray 4, a message to that effect is displayed to urge the operator to remove the residue. Note that since the coin-rolling preventing member 17 is not fixed as described above and can swing a little, it is difficult for biting to occur.

Further, the coin feeding section 20 is moved through the chute 16.
The coins sent to are stored between the rotating disk 21 and the hopper 32. Then, before and after the coin is fed, the rotating disk driving means 125 starts driving the rotating disk 21 and the conveying belt driving means 126 to drive the coin transport belt 69, and coins are fed one by one.

More specifically, while the stored coins are stirred by the rotation of the stirring member 31, the coins are transferred to the guide portion 35 of the hopper 32.
And fall between the rotating disk 21 and are picked up by the pick-up member 29. Further, since the amount of protrusion of the pick-up member 29 is smaller than the thickness of one coin, the number of coins picked up is limited to one. When the picked-up coin reaches the vicinity of the uppermost portion, the coin is continuously pushed forward along the ejection member 72 of the conveyance guide plate 66 by the conveyance protrusion 68 of the coin conveyance belt 69.
Further, if coin biting occurs, the rotating disk driving means 12
5, the rotating disk 21 is rotated in the reverse direction to release it. further,
Residues such as deformed coins and foreign substances that cannot be unwound even when the rotating disk 21 is rotated are discharged by opening the open / close door 41 at the bottom of the hopper 32 by the open / close door opening / closing means 127 after feeding out the coins. It is sent to the residue collecting box 57 through the collecting chute 56.

The coins conveyed by the coin conveyor belt 69 pass through the discriminating section 74, are discriminated for denomination and authenticity, and are received in the first to sixth sorting holes 82 to be accepted based on the discrimination result. The selection plate 85 is rotated and taken in by the selection plate driving means 137. Further, the taken-in coins are sent to the temporary holding section 92 through the chute 91 and are accumulated. Then, as a result of the identification by the identification unit 74, in the case of a fake coin determined to be not a normal coin, a foreign coin, or a coin that cannot be identified due to dirt, etc., any of the first to sixth coins
The sorting plate 85 of the sorting hole 82 is not rotated, but is returned to the coin tray 4. If the coins are normal coins but the temporary holding unit 92 to be accumulated is full, or if there is no space in the coin storage unit 94 by denomination, the seventh sorting hole 83 is used.
Is rotated to take in coins. At this time, the switching plate 104 in the chute 91 is located at a position where the passage is directed sideways, and coins are thrown out onto the horizontal belt 102.

When all the inserted coins are sent to the temporary holding section 92, the coin tray 4, or the horizontal belt 102, the total amount of the coins temporarily stored in the temporary holding section 92 and the horizontal belt 102 is calculated. Display and confirm approval of operator.

If the coin has been approved, the coins held in the temporary holding section 92 by the temporary coin release means 135 are retracted and the support member 97 in the coin type coin storage section 94 is retracted. Descends and is accumulated and stored in the coin storage unit 94 by denomination. For the coins temporarily held on the horizontal belt 102, the horizontal belt 102 is set clockwise as shown in FIG. Through the first coin collection cassette 101. At this time,
If the number of coins on the horizontal belt 102 is, for example, 50 or more, the driving speed control means 130 rotates the horizontal belt 102 at a low speed. Since the number of coins is fed onto the horizontal belt 102 based on the identification result of the identification unit 74, the number of coins can be grasped from the identification result and the like.
If a large amount of coins are sent into the relatively narrow receiving portion 103 at a stretch, there is a high possibility that jamming will occur. Therefore, the occurrence of jamming is suppressed by gradually feeding coins. Conversely, if the number of coins on the horizontal belt 102 is equal to or less than a predetermined number, the driving speed control means 130
Rotate 102 to reduce processing time.

On the other hand, if not approved, the coin ejecting means 133 moves the temporary holding section 92 above the horizontal belt 102, and ejects the held coins onto the horizontal belt 102. Thereafter, the horizontal belt 102 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 1, and is fed into the coin feeding section 20 together with the coins originally held on the horizontal belt 102. Also in this case, if a large amount of coins are sent into the input section 40 of the hopper 32 at a stretch, there is a high possibility that the coins will be clogged, so that the coins are loaded on the horizontal belt 102 in the same manner as when the coins are sent into the first coin collection cassette 101. Horizontal belt depending on the number of coins placed
Switch the rotation speed of 102 to prevent clogging.

Next, the operation in the payment processing mode will be described.

When "dispensing processing" is selected by an operation unit (not shown), the mode selecting means 122 sets the dispensing processing mode.

A coin for dispensing is previously stored in the denomination coin storage unit 94, and the dispensing plate 96 is at the forward position and covers the upper part of the denomination coin storage unit 94.

When the operator inputs the denomination and the number of coins to be dispensed using the operation unit and instructs dispensing, the horizontal belt 102
Are rotated in the counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 1, coins are ejected from the corresponding coin type coin storage unit 94 onto the horizontal belt 102, and the coins are sent to the coin feeding unit 20.

The specific discharging operation is as follows. After the discharging plate 96 is retracted in the direction opposite to the side on which the horizontal belt 102 is stretched to open the upper part of the denomination coin storage portion 94, the support member 97 is removed. The coin is moved up and the top coin is positioned at the same height as the ejection plate 96. In addition, at this time, the partial holding section 92 is at the release position. Thereafter, the top coin is ejected by returning the ejection plate 96 to the original position.

The coins fed to the coin feeding section 20 are fed out one by one, conveyed by a coin conveyance belt 69, and identified while passing through the identification section 74. As a result of the discrimination, the coin is fed into the coin tray 4 without turning any of the sorting plates 85 if there is no problem. On the other hand, when the coin is a coin of a denomination that should not be dispensed or a coin that cannot be identified, the selection plate 85 attached to the seventh selection hole 83 is rotated. Plank 104
The coins are collected in the second coin collection cassette 106 and the normal coins are ejected again from the coin storage unit 94 because the opening of the downward passage is opened. When all the coins instructed to withdraw are sent to the coin tray 4, the shutter 2 is opened and the operator takes out the coins.

Further, the operation in the replenishment processing mode will be described.

When "replenishment processing" is selected by an operation unit (not shown), the replenishment processing mode is set by the mode selection means 122.

In order to replenish coins to the coin storage unit 94 by denomination, there are a case where coins previously stored in the replenishment cassette 111 are replenished and a case where coins inserted through the cash slot 3 are replenished. .

First, a case where coins are replenished from the replenishment cassette 111 will be described. When the solenoids 112 attached to the refill cassette 111 are sequentially excited by the refill coin ejection means 136, the bottom plate 113 is retracted, and the refill coins are discharged onto the horizontal belt 102. The horizontal belt 102 has started to rotate in the counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 1 when the execution of the replenishment process is instructed, and the released replenishment coins are sent to the coin feeding unit 20. Replenishment coins fed out one by one from the coin feeding unit 20 are identified by the identification unit 74. The normal replenishment coin is rotated by the selection plate 85 of the first to sixth selection holes 82 leading to the corresponding coin-type coin storage unit 94, so that the coin is stored in the corresponding coin-type coin storage unit.
Stored in 94. In the case of an abnormal coin such as a fake coin, a foreign coin, or a non-handled coin, or a coin that cannot be identified, the sorting plate 85 of the seventh sorting hole 83 is rotated, and the second coin collecting cassette is rotated.
Recovered at 106. Also, although it is a normal replacement coin,
In the case of coins of a denomination that does not need to be replenished because there is no space to be stored in the denomination coin storage unit 94, the selection plate 85 of the eighth selection hole 84 is rotated and held in the holding box 107. After that, the holding box
The ejection belt 107 (not shown) is rotated, and the refill coins are fed into the first coin collection cassette 101 through the receiving section 103. At this time, similarly to the horizontal belt 102 at the time of the above-described deposit processing, if the number of replenished coins retained on the ejection belt is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the ejection belt rotates at a low speed to cause clogging in the receiving unit 103. If the number is less than a predetermined number, the processing speed is reduced by rotating at a high speed.

Further, in order to keep the number of coins in the coin feeding section 20 at an appropriate amount with good feeding efficiency, the number of refill coins identified by the identification section 74 from the number of refill coins discharged from the refill cassette 111, that is, If the number of refilled coins minus the number of refilled coins exceeds the specified number,
The release of refill coins from 111 shall be stopped, and the release of refill coins shall be resumed when the number of refill coins drops below the predetermined number. Generally, in the coin feeding section 20, it is considered that the number of the full number of coins which is about 70 to 80% is the highest in the feeding efficiency.

When replenishing the coin from the deposit / withdrawal port 3, the replenished coins inserted into the coin receiving tray 4 are sent to the coin feeding unit 20, and the subsequent processing is the same as the replenishment from the replenishment cassette 111.

Further, the operation in the collection processing mode will be described.

When "collection processing" is selected by an operation unit (not shown), the collection processing mode is set by the mode selection means 122.

When the collection process is instructed, the horizontal belt 102
Is rotated in the counterclockwise direction shown in FIG. 1, and coins are ejected from the coin storage unit 94 by denomination. This dispensing operation is performed in the same manner as in the dispensing process. Then, the thrown out coins are fed into the coin feeding section 20 by the horizontal belt 102, and then fed out one by one to be identified. During this time, similarly to the above-described replenishment processing, in order to keep the number of coins in the coin payout unit 20 at an appropriate amount with good payout efficiency, the identification unit 74 has identified the number of coins discharged from the coin type coin storage unit 94. If the number of coins, that is, the number of coins obtained by subtracting the number of coins fed out, is equal to or more than a predetermined number, the dispensing of coins from the coin type coin storage unit 94 is stopped, and if the number of coins becomes equal to or less than the predetermined number, coin ejection is restarted. .

When the coin is recognized as a normal coin, the sorting plate 85 of the eighth sorting hole 84 is rotated and fed into the holding box 107. At this time, the coin is fed from the holding box 107 to the first coin collection cassette 101 because the ejection mechanism of the holding box 107 is driven. On the other hand, when the coin is identified as an abnormal coin, the sorting plate 85 of the seventh sorting hole 83 is rotated and taken into the chute 91. Since the switching plate 104 of the chute 91 is in a position to open the downward passage, coins are stored in the second coin collection cassette 106.

When the coins stored in all the coin storage units 94 are stored in the first coin collection cassette 101 or the second coin collection cassette 106, the dispensing operation is stopped. Thereafter, if the first coin collection cassette 101 and the second coin collection cassette 106 are removed from the machine body 1, the collection process is completed. The amount of the collected coins, for example, the total amount, the number of denominations, and the like can be grasped from the identification result, and the residue collection box 57 is also extracted.
The residue inside is also taken out.

Note that the number-of-discharges counting means is not limited to a single counting means, but functions as a total number calculation means for calculating the total number of coins when coins are output from a plurality of coin type coin storage units 94. I do.

[0081]

According to the coin processing device of the first aspect,
The number of replenished coins stored in the coin dispensing section is calculated from the difference between the number of replenished coins dispensed from the replenishing cassette and the number of replenished coins fed from the coin dispensing section by the stored number calculating means. When the amount exceeds the fixed amount, the feeding of coins from the replenishment cassette to the coin feeding unit is stopped, and the feeding of coins is restarted when the number of stored coins becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount, so that the number of coins stored in the coin feeding unit is constant. The feeding can be efficiently performed without lowering the processing speed.

According to the coin processing device of the present invention, the difference between the number of replenished coins ejected from the replenishment cassette and the number of replenished coins ejected from the coin dispensing part is determined by the number of replenished coins stored in the coin dispensing part. The stored number is calculated by the stored number calculating means, and when the stored number becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the feeding of coins from the replenishment cassette to the coin feeding unit is stopped, and when the stored number becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount, coin feeding is restarted. So
The number of coins stored in the coin dispensing section is kept constant, and dispensing can be efficiently performed without lowering the processing speed. Therefore, in the coin processing device for depositing and withdrawing coins, the process of replenishing coins from the replenishment cassette to the denomination coin storage unit can be performed efficiently.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an internal configuration of a coin depositing and dispensing machine showing one embodiment of a coin processing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing a configuration near a deposit and withdrawal section of the coin depositing and dispensing machine.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a configuration in the vicinity of a deposit and withdrawal section of the coin depositing and dispensing machine.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a coin feeding section of the coin depositing and dispensing machine.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a configuration of a coin feeding section of the coin depositing and dispensing machine.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line BB shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line CC shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the coin depositing and dispensing machine.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Aircraft 20 Coin feeding unit 61 Coin identification / classification passage 74 Identification unit 81 Type classification unit as denomination classification unit 94 Denomination coin storage unit 102 Horizontal belt as feeding means 111 Replenishment cassette 121 Reservation number calculation means and control means Control unit with function as

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A coin processing device for feeding refill coins ejected from a refill cassette to a coin feeding unit and feeding the refill coins one by one by the coin feeding unit, wherein the number of refill coins thrown from the refill cassette and the number of Storage number calculating means for calculating the number of replenishment coins stored in the coin feeding section from the difference from the number of replenishment coins fed from the coin feeding section; and the stored number calculated by the storage number calculation means is a predetermined amount. Control means for stopping the supply of refill coins from the refill cassette to the coin feeding section when the above is reached, and restarting the refill coin feed when the number of stored coins becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount. Coin processing equipment. 2. A dispensing coin to be dispensed from a denomination coin storage section in the machine body, and a deposit coin to be inserted into the machine body is sent to a coin dispensing section, and the coin dispensing section uses the coin dispensing section to deposit a deposited coin. Coin processing in which coins are fed out one by one and sent to the discriminating section of the coin discriminating / classifying passage, and the deposit coins are temporarily held based on the discrimination result of the discriminating section, and the deposited coins used for dispensing at the time of deposit approval are stored in the coin type coin storing section. In the apparatus, a replenishment cassette having a plurality of replenishment coin storage parts capable of storing replenishment coins in a stacked state and capable of simultaneously discharging the replenishment coins stored therein, and refilling the replenishment coins ejected from the replenishment cassette with the coins Feeding means for feeding the coin to the payout unit; provided in the coin identification / classification passage, the replenishment coins fed out from the coin payout unit and identified by the identification unit are classified into denominations and the denominations A denomination classification unit to be stored in another coin storage unit; a number of replenishment coins to be ejected from any of the plurality of replenishment coin storage units of the replenishment cassette; and replenishment to be counted from the coin feeding unit counted by the identification unit. Means for calculating the number of replenished coins stored in the coin dispensing section from the difference from the number of coins; and the replenishing cassette if the number of stored coins calculated by the stored number of coins is equal to or greater than a predetermined amount. And a control means for stopping the feeding of refill coins from the coin feeding unit to the coin feeding section and restarting the feeding of the refill coins when the number of stored coins becomes equal to or less than a predetermined amount.