JP3410921B2 - Automatic change dispensing device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an automatic change dispensing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of coin storages divided for each denomination are arranged in parallel, and 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 50 yen, 100 yen, 500 yen, etc. are stored in these coin storage parts. It stores coins and stores POS terminals (Point Of Sales) and ECR (Electronic
There is an automatic change dispenser that uses a belt to pay out coins in a coin storing unit to a coin payout exit when there is change due to a command from the Cash Register).

FIG. 7 shows an example of a conventional automatic change dispensing device. In this example, the coin storage portion 16 for storing coins C for each denomination is provided with a drop opening 16a at the upper rear portion, and is configured so that the coin C falls by denomination through the drop opening 16a. In order to pay out the coins C to a coin payout exit (not shown), a payout belt 17 extending from the bottom surface of the coin storage portion 16 to the coin payout exit is provided. The payout belt 17 is suspended around a driving roller 18 and a driven roller 19, respectively. At the exit of the coin storage unit 16, a separating roller 20 for separating the coins C one by one is provided.
A coin shutter 23 is provided on the downstream side of the separation roller 20. The coin shutter 23 is temporarily stopped for each denomination and the operation of the coin shutter 23 is controlled so that the required number of coins C are sent out. It is rotatably supported by. These coin shutters 23 press the leading coin C on the payout belt 17 at one end 23a, but when the shutter solenoid 25 connected to the other end is driven, the spindle 2
It is configured to rotate about 4 and pay out a specified number of coins C. Furthermore, each coin shutter 23
Immediately after, a payout sensor 26 for counting the number of coins C paid out for each denomination and a payout check sensor 27 for checking the material of the coins C paid out are provided.

Therefore, the coin C in the coin storage unit 16 is rotated by the payout belt 17 so that the coin shutter 23 is opened.
When the coin shutter 23 is opened by driving the shutter solenoid 25, it is conveyed until it comes into contact with one end 23a of the coin. The coins C paid out at this time are detected by the payout sensor 26, and the number of coins C paid out is counted by incrementing the counter each time the selection signal is output.

[0005]

In such an automatic change dispenser, when the payout belt 17 is rotated, the coins C piled up under the drop opening 16a are placed on the payout belt 17 in order from the lowest layer. So the payout belt 1
On the upper surface of the coin 7, coins C are arranged substantially in a line without a gap in a state where the coin C is in contact with the payout belt 17. In this way, the payout belt 1
When the coin shutters 23 are closed and the payout belt 17 is rotated in a state where the coins C are lined up on the upper surface of the coin 7, the coins C stacked below the drop opening 16a do not advance to the front of the coin storage portion 16 and are paid out. The belt 17 idles. When the coin C is further inserted into the coin storage unit 16 in this state, the coin C cannot receive the conveying force from the payout belt 17, so that the coins C are stacked and stopped only around the drop opening 16a. The payout opening side of the storage section 16 remains empty and the volume cannot be fully utilized. Also,
The coin C must be replenished to the coin storage 16 frequently.

[0006] From the above, the actual Kaihei 5-1298
As described in Japanese Patent No. 1, there is one in which a feeding belt for paying out coins in a coin storage unit is vertically moved by an eccentric roller. However, by simply moving the feeding belt up and down, it is considered that the posture of the coins on the lowermost layer on the feeding belt is unlikely to change and is maintained in the surface contact state, and the contact state of the coin with the feeding belt does not change much. Since it is expected that it will be difficult to load coins to the front of the coin storage section. Also,
When there is a coin having one surface in contact with the side surface of the coin storage part, that is, when a coin that has been inserted in a vertical posture exists, when the feeding belt is moved up and down, the coin that is inserted in a vertical posture is
There is a possibility that it may enter between the delivery belt and the bottom plate that supports the lower surface of the delivery belt.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an automatic change dispensing device capable of replenishing coins in the entire coin storage portion.

[0008]

The invention according to claim 1 is
The coin storage part has a coin storage part having a drop opening with an upper opening for dropping coins formed in the rear part, and a payout belt extending from the bottom surface of the coin storage part toward the coin payout outlet. An automatic change dispensing device configured to convey coins stored in a coin to the coin dispensing outlet and convey the coins to the coin dispensing outlet, in the lower portion of the dispensing belt near the lower portion of the coin outlet of the coin storing unit, An actuating member is provided which protrudes and retracts upward from the belt, directly interferes with the coins, and breaks the aligned state of the coins on the payout belt. Therefore, when the actuating body is driven, the aligned state of the coins existing in the upper part of the actuating body is collapsed by the actuating body, and the coin is separated from the payout belt at that portion, so that the following coin moves forward by the payout belt that rotates. To do. By repeating such an operation by the operating body, it becomes possible to sequentially move the coins stacked under the drop opening to the front of the coin storage portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, two payout belts that make a pair for each type of coin are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval and form a pair of the payout belts. The actuator was arranged between the belts. Therefore, since the actuating body interferes with the portion close to the center of the coin, the coin can be displaced in a larger range. Along with this, it is possible to promote the moving action of the coin near the actuation body.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a rotatable actuating body whose radius from the center of rotation to the outer circumference in contact with the coin is changed is used. Therefore, it is possible to use a simple drive source such as a motor that only rotates in one direction as a drive source that drives the operating body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, a lever that is reciprocally driven is used as the actuating member. Therefore, it is possible to use a linearly reciprocating drive source in addition to the rotating motor as the drive source for driving the actuation body.

The invention according to claim 5 is the invention as claimed in claims 1, 2, and 3.
Alternatively, in the invention described in 4, the operating body is connected to a motor that drives the payout belt. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately provide a drive source for driving the actuation body.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same parts as those described in FIG. 7 will be described using the same reference numerals. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional left side view showing the relationship between the coin storage part and the operating body, FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the relationship between the coin storage part and the operating body, and FIG. 3 is a left side view showing another example of the operating body. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the whole, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the outer appearance of the whole, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a coin storage portion and a coin payout portion.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the main body case 1
On the front right side of the above, there is provided a coin insertion opening 2 which is opened upward so that the coins C are collectively inserted. The coin insertion slot 2 is provided with a plurality of sets of insertion sensors 3 for photoelectrically detecting the presence or absence of the coin C. An insertion roller 4 is provided at one end of the coin insertion opening 2, and the insertion portion 5 is formed by the insertion roller 4 and the coin insertion opening 2. The input roller 4 is arranged directly above the input belt 6 that conveys the coins C in a row, with a gap for one coin C to pass through. In addition, the rotation direction of the charging roller 4 is set so that when the coins C overlap the charging belt 6, the coins C other than the lowermost coin C are returned to the coin charging slot 2 side.

The feeding belt 6 is continuously provided with a conveyor belt 7 having a faster conveying speed so that the coins C can be fed with a predetermined gap by increasing the feeding speed of the coins C and further. The conveyor belt 8 is continuously provided. An outer diameter checking unit 9 for checking the outer diameter of the coin C and a denomination determining unit (not shown) for determining the denomination of the coin C are provided in the conveyor belt 7 portion. A reject / overflow portion 10 is provided at the tip of the outer diameter check portion 9. The reject / overflow unit 10 interrupts the coin transportation to eliminate the coins C being transported when the transported coins C are not genuine coins or when the coin storage unit described later is full. . Further, the conveyor belt 8
A conveyor belt 11 that converts the conveying direction into a right angle and conveys the coin C to the coin sorting position is provided at the end portion of the. Then, the input roller 4, the input belt 6, and the transfer belts 7, 8 and 11 constitute a coin transfer unit that transfers the coin C input into the coin input port 2 to the coin sorting position.

Next, a sorting hole 12 for each denomination whose hole width size is successively increased is provided along the conveyor belt 11, and a coin sorting portion 13 located at a coin sorting position is formed therein. Selection hole 12 is 1 yen, 5 yen, 10 yen, 50 yen, 1
6 for each denomination of 00 yen and 500 yen
It is provided individually. A counting sensor 14 is provided for each sorting hole 12. Further, a coin storage portion 16 having an upper opening which is communicated with each of the sorting holes 12 and is partitioned by the partition plate 15 for each coin C is provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, a payout belt 17 is provided so as to be stretched around a driving roller 18 and a driven roller 19 on the bottom surface of each coin type of the coin storage section 16. The payout belts 17 are a set of two long and short pairs that form a pair for each type of coin C, and are inclined so that the height increases toward the downstream side in the coin conveying direction. A separating roller 20 for separating the coins C one by one is arranged so as to traverse all the outlets at the exit of the coin storage unit 16, and a predetermined number of coins C are arranged in a line. A coin standby unit 21 for aligning and waiting is provided for each denomination. The longer one of the payout belts 17 extends to the coin waiting section 21, passes through the coin waiting section 21, and reaches the coin payout position. Further, the coin standby portion 21 is provided with a holding plate 22 having a size determined so that two or more coins C do not overlap with each other on the upper portion of the payout belt 17.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the operation control is performed at the upper part near the tip of each payout belt 17 so as to temporarily stop the coins C for each denomination and send out the required number of coins C. The coin shutter 23
It is rotatably supported around 4. These coin shutters 23 press the leading coin C on the payout belt 17 at one end 23a, but when the shutter solenoid 25 connected to the other end is driven, the coin shutter 23 is rotated about the spindle 24 and designated. It is configured to pay out the coins C as many as the number of coins. Immediately after each coin shutter 23, a payout sensor 26 that counts the number of coins C paid out for each denomination.
And a payout check sensor 27 for inspecting the material of the coins C paid out for each denomination to check whether or not the coins are genuine coins. These payout check sensors 27
Is a kind of magnetic sensor such as a proximity switch that reacts with metal. Here, a coin dispensing unit 28 having a transport belt structure is configured to transport the coins C stored in the coin storage unit 16 by denomination and drop them at the coin dispensing position.

Further, the payout belt 17 of the coin payout section 28
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, at the coin payout position where the coins C are dropped according to the denomination, a coin-shaped payout outlet 29 in the form of a housing having an open upper surface is arranged. A drawer 30 (see FIG. 5) forming a drawer is provided in the space inside the main body case 1 below the payout belt 17 and the coin payout outlet 29, which are components of the coin payout unit 28, and the drawer 30 (see FIG. 5) is not shown. It is provided so that it can be pulled out by control from the terminal / ECR. Further, on the front left side of the body case 1, a display unit 31 and various operation units 32 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 1, at the rear portion of the coin storage portion 16, there is a drop opening 16a having an upper opening for dropping the coin C.
Is formed, and at a lower portion of the payout belt 17 at the bottom slightly below the drop port 16a by the separating roller 20 side, the coin appears and protrudes upward from the payout belt 17 and directly interferes with the coin C. An actuating member 33 that pushes the aligned state of the coins C on the payout belt 17 is provided. The actuation body 33 has an eccentric cam-like shape in which the radius from the center of rotation (center of the drive shaft 34) to the outer periphery in contact with the coin C changes, and the actuation body 33 is fixedly fitted to the drive body 33. The shaft 34 is connected to a motor that drives the payout belt 17 such that the actuating body 33 rotates at a peripheral speed substantially equal to that of the payout belt 17. In addition, as shown in FIG.
Is disposed between the two payout belts 17 forming a pair. In this case, the actuating body 33 is preferably rotated in the rotation direction of the payout belt 17.

In such a structure, when the coin C is inserted into the coin slot 2, the insertion sensor 3 detects the coin C, and the detection signal causes the insertion roller 4, the insertion belt 6, and the conveyor belts 7 and 8. The conveyor belt 11 is driven.
Therefore, the coins C inserted into the coin insertion slot 2 are separated and conveyed one by one between the inserting roller 4 and the inserting belt 6, and are conveyed by the conveying belt 7 with the intervals of the respective coins C widened. To be done. In the process, the outer diameter check unit 9 and a denomination determination unit (not shown) determine whether the coin is a genuine coin or a counterfeit coin. If the coin is not a genuine coin or the coin storage unit 16 overflows, a coin C is rejected by the reject overflow unit 10.

When the coin storage 16 does not overflow, the coin C which is determined to be a true coin is redirected from the conveyor belt 8 to the conveyor belt 11 and conveyed, and the coin selector 13
Will sort by denomination. That is, the coin is dropped into the sorting hole 12 according to the denomination and is stored in the coin storage unit 16. The coin C dropped through the sorting hole 12 and the drop port 16a is
The number is counted by the counting sensor 14. Also,
When there is no coin C in the coin standby portion 21, the payout belt 1
7 is driven, and the operation control is performed so that a predetermined number of coins C are always present in the coin waiting portion 21.

Next, when the POS terminal / ECR performs the tightening process and the POS terminal / ECR issues a payout command of the coin C, the payout belt 17 is driven and the coin shutter 23 is shuttered for each denomination. Since it is driven by the solenoid 25, the required number of coins C are sent out. The coin C sent out in this manner is paid out to the coin payout exit 29.

When the coin C is replenished in the coin storage unit 16, in the present embodiment, as described above, the coin C is inserted into the coin insertion slot 2 and the coin C is conveyed by the denomination. Although the coins are separately supplied to the coin storage unit 16, in the case of an automatic change dispensing device that does not have a denomination selection function, the coins C previously selected by denomination may be supplied to the coin storage unit 16. Good. In any case, the coins C fall from the drop opening 16a and are stacked on the payout belt 17. The coins C stacked here are conveyed toward the coin shutter 13 in order from the lowermost coin C by rotating the payout belt 17. Conventionally, when the leading coin C comes into contact with the coin shutter 23, the coins C line up on the upper surface of the payout belt 17 without a gap. Therefore, even if the payout belt 17 is rotated, the coin C directly mounted on the payout belt 17, And the coins C stacked on it do not move.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, by rotating the operating body 33, as shown in FIG.
Because it projects upward from between the two payout belts 17 and directly abuts on the coin C in the lowermost layer and pushes up the coin C,
The aligned state of the coins C on the payout belt 17 existing at the upper part of the actuation body 33 is collapsed by the actuation body 33, and the coin C is separated from the payout belt 17 at that portion, so that the succeeding coin C rotates. It comes into contact with 17 and moves forward by the conveying force of the payout belt 17. By repeating such an operation by the rotating actuating member 33, the aligned state of the coins C in the lowermost layer is broken and the dropping port 16
The coins C stacked under a can be sequentially moved to the front of the coin storage portion 16.

In this case, since the coins C are most stacked right below the drop port 16a, it is desirable to dispose the actuating member 33 at a position slightly closer to the separation roller 20 side than the drop port 16a. By doing so, the coins C stacked directly below the drop port 16a can be efficiently moved forward. At the position closer to the separation roller 20 side than the actuating body 33, the coins C in the lowermost layer may be in line contact with the payout belt 17 side by side without a gap, but even in such a state, they are conveyed from the rear side. The coin C slides on the coin C that is in surface contact with the payout belt 17 and is brought forward. Further, by arranging the plurality of actuating bodies 33 along the payout belt 17, the coin C can be swiftly brought to the front of the coin storage portion 16.

As the drive source for driving the actuating body 33, a simple drive source for rotating the actuating body 33 in one direction can be used. Although a motor is used in this example, it is not necessary to separately use a motor for driving the actuation body 33 by also driving this motor with a motor for driving the payout belt 17.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, an example in which a lever 35 that is reciprocally driven is used as an operating member will be described. In this case, since the width of the coin storage portion 16 orthogonal to the coin conveying direction is narrow, it is desirable that the lever 35 reciprocate along the rotation direction of the payout belt 17. Lever 3
When the coins 5 are reciprocated along the rotation direction of the payout belt 17, the aligned state of the coins C placed on the payout belt 17 below the drop port 16a can be pushed down by the lever 35. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it is possible to obtain substantially the same effect as when the actuation body 33 is used. As described above, when the reciprocating lever 35 is used as the actuating body, as a drive source for driving the lever 35,
It is possible to use a drive source other than a rotating motor, such as an electromagnet that linearly reciprocates and a linear motor. Since the rotational movement can be converted into a linear reciprocating movement, a rotating motor can be used as a drive source.

Regardless of which operating member such as the operating member 33 and the lever 35 is used, the two dispensing belts 17 forming a pair for each type of coin C are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval to form a pair. By disposing the actuating member between the payout belts 17, the actuating member can be interfered with the portion near the center of the coin C. Thereby, the coin C can be displaced in a larger range. Along with this, the moving action of the coin C near the actuating body can be promoted.

[0030]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the coin is stored in the lower part of the payout belt near the lower part of the drop opening of the coin storage part so as to project upward from the payout belt and directly interferes with the coin to cause the payout belt. Since the actuator that breaks the aligned state of the upper coins is provided, the aligned state of the coins existing on the upper part of the operating body can be pushed by the actuator, and the coins separate from the payout belt at that portion, so that The coin can be moved forward by the rotating payout belt. By repeating such an operation by the actuating body, the coins stacked under the drop opening can be sequentially brought to the front of the coin storage portion.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, two payout belts forming a pair for each type of coin are arranged side by side at a predetermined interval, and an actuating member is arranged between the pair of payout belts. Therefore, the coin can be displaced in a larger range.
Along with this, it is possible to promote the moving action of the coin near the actuation body.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the rotatable actuating body whose radius from the center of rotation to the outer circumference in contact with the coin changes is used, the actuating body can be rotated in only one direction as a drive source. A simple drive source can be used.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the lever that is reciprocally driven is used as the actuating member, a linear reciprocating drive source is used in addition to the rotating motor as the driving source for driving the actuating member. be able to.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the operating body is connected to the motor for driving the payout belt, it is not necessary to separately provide a drive source for driving the operating body.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional left side view showing a relationship between a coin storage unit and an operating body according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a relationship between a coin storage unit and an operating body.

FIG. 3 is a left side view showing another example of the operating body.

FIG. 4 is an overall plan view.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an overall appearance.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a coin storage part and a coin payout part.

FIG. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional left side view showing a state of depositing money into a coin storage unit in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

C coin 16 coin storage 16a Drop port 17 Delivery belt 29 coin outlet 33 Actuator 34 Actuator, lever

Continuation of front page (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G07D 1/00-3/16 G07D 9/00-9/06

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A coin accommodating portion having an upper opening for dropping coins formed at a rear portion, and a payout belt extending from a bottom surface of the coin accommodating portion toward a coin payout exit. In the automatic change dispensing device configured to convey the coins stored in the coin storage unit by the payout belt and to pay out the coins to the coin payout outlet, in the payout belt near the lower portion of the drop opening of the coin storage unit. An automatic change dispensing device comprising a lower portion provided with an actuating member that protrudes and retracts upward from the dispensing belt, directly interferes with coins, and destroys the aligned state of the coins on the dispensing belt. 2. A pair of payout belts forming a pair for each type of coin are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval, and an actuating member is arranged between the pair of payout belts. The automatic change dispensing device according to claim 1. 3. An automatic change dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein a rotatable actuating body whose radius from the center of rotation to the outer periphery in contact with the coin changes is used. 4. The automatic change dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein a lever that is reciprocally driven is used as the actuating body. 5. The automatic change dispensing device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the actuating member is connected to a motor that drives a dispensing belt.