JP4501773B2 - Coin processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin processing apparatus, and more particularly, to a coin processing apparatus that can use medals used in a game hall or the like in a vending machine.

  The vending machine is equipped with a coin processing device that can use coins of specific denominations that are in circulation. In general, a recycle-type coin that pays off the used coins as change is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional coin processing apparatus.
A conventional coin processing apparatus 100 has a coin receiving port 101 for receiving coins inserted in the upper part of the figure, and a coin identifying unit 102 in the lower part thereof. Below the coin identification unit 102, there are provided a gate G0 that distributes whether coins are received or led to a return slot, and a gate G1 that distributes received coins to 100 yen, 500 yen, 10 yen, and 50 yen. . Below the gate G1, there is a gate G2R for distributing whether the coins distributed as 10 yen or 50 yen by the gate G1 are collected into a safe and a gate for distributing the uncollected coins to a 10 yen tube or a 50 yen tube G3R is provided.

  Further, a gate G2L is provided below the gate G1 to distribute coins distributed as 100 yen or 500 yen by the gate G1 to the 100 yen path 103 or the 500 yen path 104. The 100-yen passage 103 is provided with escrow projections 105 and 106 so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the passage space, and the 500-yen passage 104 is provided with escrow projections 107 and 108 so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the passage space. Each of which constitutes a temporary holding section. Below these 100-yen passage 103 and 500-yen passage 104 are provided gates G2F and G3L that distribute the temporarily held coins to a return opening, a safe, or a 100-yen tube / 500-yen tube. And the change tube part 109 which consists of a 10 yen tube, a 50 yen tube, a 100 yen tube, a 500 yen tube, and an auxiliary change tube (SUB) is arrange | positioned under the gate G3R, G2F, G3L.

  A payout mechanism (not shown) is provided below the change tube portion 109. This payout mechanism is capable of paying out a required number of coins equivalent to a change from the change tube portion 109 when change is generated at the time of purchase of a product.

  Here, the passage configuration of the 100 yen / 500 yen coin temporarily suspended will be described. The passage configuration of the 500 yen coin has almost the same configuration as the passage configuration of the 100 yen coin. The passage configuration of the yen coin will be described.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view showing a flow of 100 yen coins in a conventional coin processing apparatus. In FIG. 5, the same components as those shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals.
The coin 110 inserted from the coin receiving port 101 is passed through the coin discriminating unit 102 to determine the type and authenticity (true or false) of the coin 110, and the gate G0 determines whether the coin G0 is a true coin / fake. Fake coins are sorted, and if they are fake coins, they are led to a passage leading to the return port. In the case of a genuine coin, it is distributed as 100 yen or 500 yen by the gate G1, and then guided to the gate G2L, where the 500 yen coin and the 100 yen coin are distributed. The downstream side of the gate G2L is a temporary storage portion for 100 yen coins, and the escrow projections 105 and 106 can be alternately rushed / retracted into the passage by the escrow solenoid 112 via the lever 111. ing. Gates G2F and G3L are provided on the downstream side of the temporary storage unit so that 100-yen coins released from the temporary storage unit are guided to a safe, a change tube, and a return port.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a standby state of the temporary storage unit, and FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a coin processing state of the temporary storage unit.
This temporary holding part is provided for preventing change of coins using counterfeit coins. The coins that have been put in are temporarily held here, and the actual goods that have been temporarily held in response to the return command. Is to be returned.

  In the standby state shown in FIG. 6 of the temporary holding portion, the escrow solenoid 112 is in an off state. At this time, the escrow projection 105 on the upstream side is retracted from the 100-yen passage 103, and the escrow projection 106 on the downstream side Protrudes into the 100-yen passage 103. As a result, the 100-yen passage 103 is blocked by the escrow projection 106, and the coin 110a that has fallen into the 100-yen passage 103 is blocked by the escrow projection 106 and temporarily held there. .

  Next, when an instruction to purchase or return the product is issued by the user, the escrow solenoid 112 is turned on. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the escrow solenoid 112 lifts one end of the lever 111 to cause the upstream escrow projection 105 to enter the 100-yen passage 103 and the downstream escrow projection 106 to the 100-yen passage. Evacuate from 103. As a result, the temporarily held coins 110a are sent out and guided to a distribution destination determined by the operation of the gates G2F and G3L. At this time, when there is a coin 110b that has been temporarily held continuously with the coin 110a, the upstream escrow projection 105 receives the coin 110b. When the escrow solenoid 112 is turned off again, the standby state shown in FIG. 6 is resumed, and the coin 110b received by the upstream escrow projection 105 is received by the downstream escrow projection 106 and temporarily held. The

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a temporary holding state of coins in the coin processing device.
The 100 yen coin and the 500 yen coin that have passed through the gates G0 and G1 from the coin identification unit 102 are sorted by the gate G2L, and the 100 yen coin is guided to the 100 yen path 103 and the 500 yen coin is guided to the 500 yen path 104, respectively. In the illustrated example, up to three 100 yen coins and 500 yen coins can be temporarily held between the gate G2L and the escrow protrusions 106 of the 100 yen path 103 and the escrow protrusions 108 of the 500 yen path 104, respectively.

  As described above, in the temporary holding unit, the introduced coins are temporarily stored here, and the stored coins are sent out one by one and sent out by a series of operations of off-on-off of the escrow solenoid. The coins that were introduced next will be stored in the reserved space.

By the way, in amusement halls or the like, it is also conceivable to use points for savings and medals for product prices instead of purchasing products with vending machines (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2003-44901 A JP 2002-163407 A

  However, in order to use the points from the stored medals for the product price, it is necessary to install a device for the product exchange separately from the vending machine, and the installation space in the store cannot be used effectively. was there.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coin processing device that can be exchanged for goods using a medal even in a vending machine.

  In the present invention, in order to solve the above problem, a coin having a mechanism in which the identified coins are sorted by the sorting means and stored in the storing means by denomination, and the coins stored in the storing means are paid out by the dispensing means. In the processing device, a coin / medal identifying unit capable of identifying a coin and a medal, and a coin for setting whether to store a coin of a specific denomination or a medal in a change tube of a specific denomination of the storage unit In the case of coin setting by the medal setting means and the coin / medal setting means, the received medal is stored in the safe, and in the case of medal setting, the received medal is received in the change tube of a specific denomination. Control means for storing coins of a specific denomination respectively in the safe and controlling the return of fishing medals by the payout means. Currency processing apparatus is provided.

  According to such a coin processing device, the coin of the specific denomination is stored in the change tube of the specific denomination by the coin / medal setting means, or the medal is stored instead of the coin of the specific denomination. When coins are set, when a coin is inserted, the same operation as before is performed, and when a medal is inserted, the coin is stored in a safe. When setting a medal, when a coin of a specific denomination is inserted, the coin is stored in a safe. When a medal is inserted, the medal is stored in a change tube of a specific denomination and the specified denomination is excluded. Like other denomination coins, the fishing means can be returned by the payout means.

  The coin processing device according to the present invention enables combined processing of medals and coins, and can change a setting so that a plurality of medals can be processed or a single medal can be processed. Accordingly, there is an advantage that it is not necessary to replace the coin processing device depending on the application, and a product exchange device dedicated to medals is not required, thereby improving the convenience of the user.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to a vending machine using medals.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the basic configuration of a coin processing apparatus according to the present invention.

  This coin processing apparatus can use the mechanism shown in FIGS. 4 to 8 as it is as a mechanism for processing coins and medals, and the medal has an outer diameter and thickness close to the largest 500 yen coin. It is intended for those having an outer diameter and thickness smaller than that.

  The coin processing device temporarily holds a coin / medal setting unit 11 for setting whether only one or a plurality of medals can be used, a coin / medal identifying unit 12 for identifying coins and medals, and a high-priced coin. Temporary holding means 13, distribution means 14 for distributing the identified coins to respective destinations, storage means 15 for holding coins in denominations for reuse as change, and payout for changing change Means 16 and control means 17 for controlling the entire coin processing apparatus are provided.

  The coin / medal setting means 11 specifies one of the specific denominations among the change tubes of the storage means 15 that stores coins in denomination depending on whether only one medal is used or a plurality of medals can be used. It has a function to set whether to use for storing coins of denomination or for storing medals. The coin / medal identification means 12 has a function of identifying a medal in addition to identifying the conventional 500 yen, 100 yen, 50 yen, and 10 yen denominations and true coins (true or fake coins). Yes.

  Temporary holding means 13 is provided as a countermeasure against counterfeit coins, and temporarily holds high-priced coins such as 100 yen and 500 yen, and the coins that are held for the first time when a product is sold. Is stored in the storage means 15 and when the return operation is performed, the held coins are returned. The distribution means 14 switches various coin passages provided in the interior, and guides coins or medals that could not be identified by the coin / medal identification means 12 to the return slot or temporarily identifies the identified coins or medals. It has a function of guiding to the holding means 13, the storage means 15, the safe 18 or the return port. The payout means 16 has a function of paying out the required number of coins of the corresponding denomination when change is required.

  Although not shown, the control means 17 is a processor that performs various arithmetic processes of the coin processing device, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores programs for performing various processes, a program executed by the processor, Random Access Memory (RAM) that stores various data, input / output interface circuits that input signals such as various setting switches and buttons, and output signals that control actuators such as display devices and solenoids Yes.

  The vending machine equipped with the coin processing device with the above configuration functions as a normal vending machine that sells products with coins when coins are first inserted, and when a medal is first inserted, It functions as a device for exchanging products with medals.

  Next, the operation of this coin processing device will be described for the case where the coin / medal setting means 11 is set so that only one medal can be used and the case where a plurality of medals are set to be usable. . Here, it is assumed that a 500 yen coin or medal is selectively stored in a change tube provided for a 500 yen coin, and when the coin / medal setting means 11 is set to 500 yen, only one medal is provided. When the medals are set to be usable, a plurality of medals can be used.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of operation when 500 yen is set.
In the case of 500 yen setting, first, a coin or medal is inserted and it is determined whether or not it is a coin (step S1). Here, when the first thrown in is a coin, it functions as a normal vending machine and performs the same processing as the conventional one explained in FIGS. 4 to 8 (step S2). Therefore, even if regular medals are inserted after the second piece, the medals are identified as not coins and returned to the return slot.

  If it is determined in step S1 that the first thrown in is a medal, the medal is temporarily held in the temporary holding means 13 (step S3). In the case of this 500 yen setting, only one medal is accepted, so even if additional medals or coins are inserted, they are all returned to the return slot. Here, the reason why only one medal can be temporarily held is as follows. Most medals are slightly smaller than 500 yen coins. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when 500 yen coins are connected to the 500 yen passage 104 and are held on the downstream escrow projections 108, the upstream escrow projections 107 are disposed on the coins. When the lower coin is dropped to the change tube for 500 yen, the upstream escrow projection 107 protrudes. Here, if two or more medals having a small outer diameter are put on hold, the second medal will be positioned at the protruding position of the escrow projection 107, so the conventional mechanism for processing coins This is because only one medal can be put on hold if used as it is.

  Next, it is determined whether or not a product has been selected (step S4). When a product is selected, the medal held in the temporary holding means 13 is stored in the safe (step S5). In step S4, when a return operation is performed without selecting a product, the medal held in the temporary holding means 13 is returned to the return slot (step S6), and returns to the initial state.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of operations when setting medals.
In the case of medal setting, first, a coin or medal is inserted and it is determined whether or not it is a coin (step S11). If it is a coin, it is determined whether or not the coin is 500 yen. (Step S12). If the accepted coin is a 100 yen, 50 yen or 10 yen coin other than 500 yen, the same processing as the conventional one explained in FIG. 4 to FIG. 8 is performed (step S13). That is, if it is a 100 yen coin, it is temporarily suspended, and if it is a 50 yen or 10 yen coin, it is stored in the corresponding change tube. If the accepted coin is a 500 yen coin, the coin is temporarily held by the temporary holding means 13 (step S14). As described above, about 500 yen coins, coins can be inserted until three of them are temporarily held, and if a medal is inserted during that time, it is returned to the return slot.

  After that, it is determined whether or not the product has been purchased by selecting the product (step S15), and if the return operation is performed without purchasing the product, the temporarily suspended 500 yen coin is returned to the return port. Returned (step S16). When the product is purchased, the 500 yen coin that has been temporarily suspended is stored in the safe (step S17). Next, it is determined whether or not there is a change (step S18), and if there is a change, a payout process is performed by the payout means 16 (step S19). If there is no change, the process ends and returns to the initial state.

  If it is determined in step S11 that the first inserted is a medal, the medal is stored in the change tube for 500 yen of the storage means 15 via the temporary holding means 13 and reused as a fishing medal. (Step S20). Only the medal can be accepted after the second piece, and when a coin is inserted, the coin is returned to the return slot.

  Next, it is determined whether or not a product has been selected (step S21). When a product is selected, it is determined whether or not there is fishing due to excessive insertion of medals (step S22). A process of paying out the extra number of medals from the change tube for 500 yen of the storage means 15 is performed by the paying means 16 (step S23), and this process ends and returns to the initial state. In step S21, even when a return operation is performed without selecting a product, a process of paying out the number of medals inserted by the payout means 16 from the change tube for 500 yen in the storage means 15 is performed.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the fundamental structure of the coin processing apparatus by this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement at the time of 500 yen setting. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement at the time of medal setting. It is a front view which shows schematic structure of the conventional coin processing apparatus. It is a schematic side view which shows the flow of the 100 yen coin of the conventional coin processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows the standby state of a temporary storage part. It is a figure which shows the coin processing state of a temporary storage part. It is a figure which shows the temporary holding state of the coin of a coin processing apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Coin / medal setting means 12 Coin / medal identification means 13 Temporary holding means 14 Sorting means 15 Storage means 16 Discharge means 17 Control means 18 Safe

Claims (3)

In the coin processing apparatus provided with a mechanism that sorts the identified coins by the sorting means and stores them in the storing means for each denomination, and pays out the coins stored in the storing means by the paying means,
Coin / medal identification means capable of identifying coins and medals;
A coin / medal setting means for setting whether to store a coin of a specific denomination or a medal in a change tube of a specific denomination of the storage means;
In the case of coin setting by the coin / medal setting means, the received medal is stored in a safe, and in the case of medal setting, the received medal is placed in the change tube of the specified denomination and the received coin of the specified denomination is stored. Control means for controlling the storage of the fishing medals by the payout means, respectively, stored in the safes;
A coin processing apparatus.   2. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein when the coin is first received, the control is performed so that only the coin is received thereafter, and when the first medal is received, the coin is not received. . Temporary holding means for temporarily holding coins or medals arranged and received in front of the storage means, and the control means accepts only one medal when the coin is set, The medal is temporarily held in the temporary holding unit, and the held medal is controlled to be distributed to the safe or the return port by the distributing unit. In the case of the medal setting, the received medal is set to the temporary holding unit. 2. The coin processing device according to claim 1, wherein the coin processing device is controlled so as to pass through and hold in the change tube of a specific denomination and to pay out the return of the fishing medal or the received medal by the paying means.

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