JP4647411B2 - ID code interpretation device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for reading an ID code formed on a medal.

As a technique for identifying whether or not the medal 10 used as a game medium in a gaming machine such as a slot machine belongs to its own store, for example, the techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below are known. It has been.
The techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11A is a plan view of a conventional medal 10, FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line FF of FIG. 11A, and FIG. 12 shows how the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line GG of FIG. 12, and shows the state of incidence and reflection of the beam light when the medal 10 is at the position of FIG. FIG. 14 and FIG. 14 are enlarged sectional views of the annular convex portion 20, and are explanatory diagrams showing how the light beam is reflected at the edge portion of the annular convex portion 20 and in the vicinity thereof, and FIG. FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line H-H in FIG. 15A and shows the beam when the medal 10 is at the position shown in FIG. FIG. 15C is an explanatory diagram showing the incident and reflected light, and FIG. 15C shows the detection by the light receiving unit 50 when the medal 10 is at the position shown in FIG. FIG. 16A is a plan view showing how the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30, and FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 16A. FIG. 16C is an explanatory diagram showing how the light beam is incident and reflected when the medal 10 is at the position shown in FIG. 16A. FIG. 16C shows the medal 10 at the position shown in FIG. FIG. 17A is a plan view showing a state in which the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30 and FIG. 17B is a diagram of FIG. 17A. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line JJ, and is an explanatory view showing the incidence and reflection of beam light when the medal 10 is at the position shown in FIG. 17A. FIG. FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a waveform of a detection signal by the light receiving unit 50 at the position A), and FIG. FIG. 19 is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the waveform of the detection signal from the light receiving portion 50. FIG. 19 shows two medals 10 connected to the medal passage 30. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the medal 10 in the ID code scan line 70. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of each annular convex portion 20 when two medals 10 flow down the medal passage 30 continuously. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a relationship between an edge portion and a waveform of a detection signal from the light receiving portion 50. FIG.

The techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are as follows.
As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the surface of the medal 10 is provided with a plurality of annular convex portions 20 that are concentric with the outer circumferential circle of the medal 10 and have different diameters. A unique ID code is formed due to a difference in the interval between the IDs. Then, this ID code is read by the ID code reading device, and only the medal 10 having the ID code of the own store is passed, and the medal 10 not matching the ID code of the own store or the medal 10 not having the ID code is excluded. .
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the ID code interpretation device includes a medal passage 30 for causing the medal 10 to flow down, and an illumination unit 40 for irradiating beam light toward one point on the medal passage 30. A light receiving unit 50 for receiving the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface of the medal 10 flowing down the medal passage 30, and a reading unit for reading the ID code based on the beam light received by the light receiving unit 50 And.

Here, the center trajectory of the medal 10 when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30 is referred to as “medal center trajectory 60”. Further, a line on the ID code forming surface that the beam light scans when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30 is referred to as an “ID code scan line 70”. A line obtained when the light beam is projected onto the ID code forming surface is referred to as a “beam light projection line 80”.
As shown in FIG. 12, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, the illumination unit 40 is formed so as to irradiate the beam light toward a predetermined point on the medal center locus 60. For this reason, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, the medal center locus 60 and the ID code scan line 70 coincide. That is, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, the center line of the medal 10 is scanned.

Further, as shown in FIG. 12, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, the beam light projection line 80 is located on the medal center locus 60.
Further, as shown in FIG. 12, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, the medal center locus 60 and the ID code scan line 70 coincide with each other, and the medal center locus 60 and the beam light projection line 80 coincide with each other. The light beam hits the annular convex portion 20 so as to be orthogonal to both of the two intersections of the annular convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, the illumination unit 40 is formed so as to irradiate the beam light at an angle “θ3” with respect to the ID code forming surface. Further, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the light beam is reflected in a direction perpendicular to the ID code forming surface when it hits the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the vicinity thereof. That is, the angle “θ3” is an angle at which the beam light hitting the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the vicinity thereof is reflected in a direction perpendicular to the ID code forming surface.

Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the light receiving portion 50 is provided at a position where it can receive the light beam reflected upon the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the vicinity thereof. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the irradiation position of the light beam and the light receiving unit 50 are provided on the same straight line perpendicular to the ID code forming surface. As a result, the beam light emitted from the illumination unit 40 reaches the light receiving unit 50 when it hits the edge of each annular projection 20 and its vicinity, but otherwise it does not reach the light receiving unit 50. It was.
15 to 17 show how the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30, how the light beam is incident and reflected when the medal 10 is in the position shown in each figure, and the medal 10 is shown in each figure. The waveform of the detection signal by the light receiving unit 50 when in the position is shown. That is, when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30, the reflection angle of the beam light and the waveform of the detection signal from the light receiving unit 50 change as shown in FIGS.

FIG. 18 shows the relationship between the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the waveform of the detection signal from the light receiving portion 50. As shown in FIG. 18, the medal 10 is provided with four annular convex portions 20, and the beam light is orthogonal to each annular convex portion 20 at two locations, so that the detection signal has eight peaks. It can be seen.
FIG. 19 shows a state where two medals 10 flow down through the medal passage 30. FIG. 20 shows each state when two medals 10 flow down through the medal passage 30. The relationship between the edge part of the cyclic | annular convex part 20 and the waveform of the detection signal by the light-receiving part 50 is shown.
In the conventional ID code interpretation device, since the center line of the medal 10 is scanned, if the medal 10 flows down continuously, the last peak of the medal 10 flowing down first does not appear, or the medal 10 flowing down first The boundary between the ID code and the ID code of the medal 10 flowing down after the medal 10 may be difficult to understand, and it may be difficult to interpret the ID code.
JP-A-6-139393 JP-A-6-139438

As described above, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, it may be difficult to interpret the ID code when medals flow down in series.
Further, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, the ID code cannot be interpreted unless scanning from one end of the medal to the other end. For this reason, it took a relatively long time to determine whether or not the ID code of the own store.
Further, in the conventional ID code interpretation device, if the number of annular convex portions is n, 2n peaks appear in the waveform of the detection signal. Therefore, the data amount of the ID code is relatively large and the load on the CPU is compared. It was big.

(Claim 1)
Therefore, in the first aspect of the invention, the ID code scan line is shifted from the medal center locus and is parallel to the medal center locus . In addition, at any one of the two intersections between each annular convex portion and the ID code scan line, a line when the beam light is projected onto the ID code forming surface is substantially orthogonal to the tangent line of the annular convex portion. In this manner, the medal center locus is inclined at a predetermined angle . Furthermore, and only the light beam reflected when the person standing with and against annular projection to receive by the light receiving portion. As a result, even if medals flow down in succession, the boundary between ID codes can be understood. Further, one of the two intersections and the other are made different in how the light beam strikes the annular convex portion, and thus the reflection angle of the light beam is made different. If the number of annular convex portions is n, the number of peaks appearing in the waveform of the detection signal is also set to n. If the medal is scanned from the front end to the middle of the medal or from the middle of the medal to the rear end of the medal in the downstream direction, it is possible to determine whether the ID code of the store is used. In this way, the ID code can be reliably read even if medals flow down continuously, and the time required to determine whether or not the ID code of the own store can be relatively shortened. An object of the present invention is to provide an ID code interpretation device capable of relatively reducing the load on the CPU by relatively reducing the data amount of the ID code.

(Claim 2)
The invention of claim 2 Symbol placement, in addition to the object of the invention of claim 1, wherein, among the intersection points with two places between each annular projection and the ID code scanning lines, in the direction which intersects the first, the light beam circular It was made to hit so as to be almost orthogonal to the convex part. As a result, if the medal is scanned from the front end in the flow direction to the middle, it is possible to determine whether or not the ID code of the own store without waiting for the medal to completely pass through the irradiation position of the beam light. did. An object of the present invention is to provide an ID code interpretation device capable of promptly receiving or returning medals.

(Claim 1)
The invention according to claim 1 is an ID code interpretation device for interpreting an ID code formed on a medal 10, and the ID code is provided on at least one side of the disk-shaped medal 10 on the surface of the medal 10. The ID code interpretation device is formed by providing a plurality of annular convex portions 20 that are concentric with the outer circumference circle and have different diameters. The ID code interpretation device includes a medal passage 30 for allowing the medal 10 to flow down in a certain direction, The light receiving unit 40 for irradiating the beam light toward one point, the light receiving unit 50 for receiving the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface of the medal 10 flowing down the medal passage 30, and the light receiving unit 50 received A reading section for reading the ID code based on the beam light, and the medal 10 trajectory when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30 is a medal center trajectory 60, and the medal 10 is the medal passage 30. And flowed down To the line on the ID code forming surface beam light is scanned, if the ID code scanning lines 70, the illumination unit 40, ID code scanning lines 70 a predetermined distance offset from the medal centroid 60, and with the medal center locus 60 The illumination unit 40 is set to be parallel, and the illumination unit 40 has two lines when the light beam from the illumination unit 40 is projected onto the ID code forming surface , each annular projection 20 and the ID code scan line 70. At any one of the intersections, at any time during the flow of the medal, the medal center locus 60 is inclined at a predetermined angle so as to be substantially perpendicular to the tangent line of the annular convex portion 20 at the intersection. The light receiving part 50 is formed so as to receive the light beam reflected by the ID code forming surface when the light beam hits the annular convex part 20.

Here, the “ID code reading device” is for reading the ID code formed on the medal 10.
The “ID code” is formed by providing, on at least one surface of the disk-shaped medal 10, a plurality of annular convex portions 20 that are concentric with the outer circumference of the medal 10 and have different diameters. Is. A unique ID code can be formed by the difference in the number, width, interval, and the like of the annular protrusions 20. The ID code may be formed only on one side of the medal 10 or may be formed on both sides of the medal 10.
Further, the “medal passage 30” is for allowing the medal 10 to flow down in a certain direction.

The “illuminating unit 40” is for irradiating the beam light toward one point on the medal passage 30.
The “light receiving unit 50” is for receiving the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface of the medal 10 flowing down the medal passage 30.
The “reading unit” is for reading the ID code based on the light beam received by the light receiving unit 50.
The “medal center locus 60” is a locus of the center of the medal 10 when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30.

The “ID code scan line 70” is a line on the ID code forming surface that the beam light scans when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30.
Further, in the ID code interpretation device according to the present invention, the illumination unit 40 is arranged so that the ID code scan line 70 is located at a position shifted from the medal center locus 60 within a radius range of the medal 10 by a predetermined distance. The light beam is directed to the ID code forming surface so that the light beam strikes the annular convex portion 20 so as to be substantially orthogonal to any one of the two intersections between the convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70. It is formed so as to incline at a predetermined angle.
That is, in the ID code interpretation device according to the present invention, the ID code scan line 70 is shifted from the medal center locus 60. Further, the direction of deviation may be above or below the medal center locus 60. That is, the ID code scan line 70 may be shifted upward from the medal center locus 60 or may be shifted downward from the medal center locus 60. In other words, the irradiation position of the beam light may be shifted upward from the medal center locus 60 or may be shifted downward from the medal center locus 60. The distance of the deviation is set within the radius range of the medal 10. Further, the shift distance is set within a range smaller than the radius of the annular projection 20 having the smallest diameter.

In the ID code interpretation device according to the present invention, the beam light is substantially orthogonal to the annular convex portion 20 at any one of the two intersections of each annular convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70. So that it hits like so.
For example, four annular projections 20 are provided on both sides of the medal 10 to form an ID code. The outermost annular convex portion 20 is the first annular convex portion 20 (21), the innermost annular convex portion 20 is the second annular convex portion 20 (22), and the innermost annular convex portion 20 is the third annular convex portion 20 (22). An annular convex portion 20 (23) is provided, and the innermost annular convex portion 20 is designated as a fourth annular convex portion 20 (24). When the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30, the beam light is transmitted through the first annular convex portion 20 (21), the second annular convex portion 20 (22), the third annular convex portion 20 (23), and the fourth annular convex portion. Cross 20 (24) twice. That is, there are two intersections between the first annular convex portion 20 (21) and the ID code scan line 70. The same applies to the second to fourth annular protrusions 20 (22 to 24).

Here, of the two intersections of the first annular convex portion 20 (21) and the ID code scan line 70, the one that the beam light crosses first is referred to as the “first annular convex portion intersection”, and the beam light later. The direction crossed by is referred to as a “first annular convex rear intersection”. The same applies to the second to fourth annular protrusions 20 (22 to 24).
The light beam strikes the first annular convex portion intersection point so as to be substantially orthogonal to the first annular convex portion 20 (21). Then, even at the second annular convex portion intersection, the beam light strikes so as to be substantially orthogonal to the second annular convex portion 20 (22), and also at the third annular convex portion intersection, the light beam is third. It hits so as to be substantially orthogonal to the annular convex portion 20 (23), and the light beam hits the fourth annular convex portion 20 (24) so as to be substantially orthogonal to the fourth annular convex portion intersection.

On the other hand, the light beam does not strike the fourth annular convex portion 20 (24) substantially orthogonally at the fourth annular convex rear intersection point, and the light beam does not hit the third annular convex rear portion intersection point. Does not substantially perpendicularly intersect with the third annular convex portion 20 (23), and the light beam is also substantially absent from the second annular convex portion 20 (22) at the intersection of the second annular convex portions. In addition, the light beam does not hit the first annular convex portion 20 (21) so as to be substantially perpendicular to the first annular convex portion 20 at the rear intersection of the first annular convex portions.
This is because the ID code scan line 70 is at a position deviated from the medal center locus 60, and the beam light projection line 80 (the line when the beam light is projected onto the ID code forming surface) is in the medal center locus 60. This is because it is inclined by a predetermined angle. The predetermined angle is an angle at which the light beam projection line 80 is substantially orthogonal to the tangent to the annular convex portion 20 at any one of the two intersections of each annular convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70. It is.

Further, in the ID code interpretation device according to the present invention, the light receiving unit 50 is formed so as to receive the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface when the beam light hits so as to be substantially orthogonal to the annular convex part 20. Has been.
For example, the first annular convex back intersection, only the beam light reflected at the first annular convex forward intersection, the second annular convex forward intersection, the third annular convex forward intersection, and the fourth annular convex forward intersection is received. The beam light reflected at the second annular convex rear intersection, the third annular convex rear intersection, and the fourth annular convex rear intersection, and the beam light reflected at a position other than the annular convex portion 20 should not be received. The position and orientation of the light receiving unit 50 can be adjusted.

Since it is configured as described above, the ID code interpretation device according to the present invention can identify the boundary between ID codes even if medals 10 flow in succession. Further, the way in which the light beam strikes the annular convex portion 20 is different at one of the two intersections and the reflection angle of the light beam is different. For this reason, if the number of the annular convex portions 20 is n, the number of peaks appearing in the waveform of the detection signal is also n. As a result, if the medal 10 is scanned from the front end of the medal 10 to the middle, or from the middle of the medal 10 to the rear end of the medal 10, the store does not have to scan from one end of the medal 10 to the other end. It can be determined whether the ID code is.
Therefore, the ID code can be reliably read even if the medals 10 flow down continuously, the time required for determining whether or not the ID code of the store is relatively short, The load on the CPU can be made relatively small by making the data amount of the ID code relatively small.

In the above description, the light beam hits the first annular convex portion 20 (21) so as to be substantially orthogonal to the first annular convex portion intersection, but at the first annular convex rear portion intersection, The light beam may strike so as to be substantially orthogonal to the first annular convex portion 20 (21).
(Claim 2)
The invention according to claim 2 limits the invention according to claim 1, and the illumination part 40 intersects the tip of two intersections of each annular convex part 20 and the ID code scan line 70. On the other hand, the light beam is irradiated so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the ID code forming surface so that the light beam strikes so as to be substantially orthogonal to the annular convex portion 20.

As described above, in the ID code interpretation device according to the present invention, the beam light is transmitted to the annular convex portion 20 at the first intersection among the two intersections of each annular convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70. It hits so as to be almost orthogonal. In other words, the beam light is substantially orthogonal to each annular convex portion 20 at the first annular convex tip intersection, the second annular convex tip intersection, the third annular convex tip intersection, and the fourth annular convex tip intersection. I try to hit like that.
For this reason, if the medal 10 is scanned from the front end in the flow direction to the middle, that is, if the scan is performed from the first annular convex point intersection to the fourth annular convex point intersection, the irradiation position of the beam light is determined by the medal 10. Without waiting for complete passage, it is possible to determine whether or not it is the ID code of the own store. Therefore, the process of receiving or returning the medal 10 can be performed quickly .

(Claim 1)
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the ID code scan line is shifted from the medal center locus and parallel to the medal center locus . Further, at any one of the two intersections between each annular convex portion and the ID code scan line, the line when the beam light is projected onto the ID code forming surface is substantially orthogonal to the tangent line of the annular convex portion. In this manner, the medal center locus is inclined at a predetermined angle . Furthermore, and only the light beam reflected when the person standing with and against annular projection to receive by the light receiving portion. For this reason, even if medals flow down in succession, the boundary between ID codes can be known. Moreover, the way the light beam strikes the annular convex portion is different at one of the two intersections and the reflection angle of the light beam is different. Therefore, if the number of annular convex portions is n, the number of peaks appearing in the waveform of the detection signal is also n. Therefore, if the medal is scanned from the front end to the middle of the medal or from the middle of the medal to the rear end of the medal in the downstream direction, it is possible to determine whether or not the ID code is the own store. Therefore, the ID code can be reliably read even if medals flow down continuously, the time required to determine whether or not the ID code of the store is relatively short, and the data amount of the ID code is compared. Therefore, it is possible to provide an ID code interpretation device that can reduce the load on the CPU relatively small.

(Claim 2)
According to the invention of claim 2 Symbol placement, among the intersections with two places between each annular projection and the ID code scanning lines, in the direction which intersects the first, so that the light beam strikes the so substantially perpendicular to the annular projection I made it. For this reason, if the medal is scanned from the front end in the flow-down direction to the middle, it is possible to determine whether or not the ID code of the own store without waiting for the medal to completely pass through the irradiation position of the beam light. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an ID code interpretation device capable of promptly receiving or returning medals.

(Explanation of drawings)
1 to 10 show an embodiment of the present invention.
1A is a plan view of a medal 10 according to the present embodiment, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1A, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of FIG. 2 and shows the incidence and reflection of the beam light when the medal 10 is in the position of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 2, and is an explanatory view showing the incidence and reflection of beam light when the medal 10 is in the position of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG. 5 when the medal 10 is in the position of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of FIG. 5 and shows the state of the beam light when the medal 10 is in the position of FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the medal 10 in the ID code scan line 70, and shows the relationship between the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the waveform of the detection signal from the light receiving portion 50. FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a state in which two medals 10 flow down through the medal passage 30, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the medals 10 in the ID code scan line 70. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the waveform of a detection signal from the light receiving portion 50 when the medal 10 flows down through the medal passage 30 continuously.

(Medal 10 and ID code)
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the present embodiment, ID codes are formed on both sides of a disk-shaped medal 10.
In the present embodiment, the ID code is formed by providing four annular convex portions 20 that are concentric with the outer circumference of the medal 10 and have different diameters on both sides of the disk-shaped medal 10. ing. Here, what is provided on the outermost side is the first annular convex portion 20 (21), and what is provided on the inner side is the second annular convex portion 20 (22), which is provided on the inner side. What is provided is the third annular protrusion 20 (23), and what is provided on the innermost side is the fourth annular protrusion 20 (24).

In the present embodiment, the ID code patterns formed on both sides of the medal 10 are the same.
In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the present embodiment, the first to fourth annular protrusions 20 (21 to 24) are positioned relatively closer to the outside of the medal 10. It is provided so that As a result, L and θ1 can be made as large as possible.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, in the present embodiment, the interval between the annular convex portions 20 is relatively narrow. Thereby, the difference of the irradiation angle of the beam light with respect to each annular convex part 20 is made as small as possible.

(ID code interpretation device)
The ID code interpretation device is for interpreting the ID code formed on the medal 10.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the ID code interpretation device includes a medal passage 30 for causing the medal 10 to flow down in a certain direction, and an illumination unit for irradiating beam light toward one point on the medal passage 30. 40, a light receiving unit 50 for receiving the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface of the medal 10 flowing down the medal passage 30, and a reading for reading the ID code based on the beam light received by the light receiving unit 50 Department. That is, the medal passage 30 is for flowing the medal 10 in a certain direction. The illumination unit 40 is for irradiating beam light toward one point on the medal passage 30. The light receiving unit 50 is for receiving the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface of the medal 10 flowing down the medal passage 30. The interpretation unit is for interpreting the ID code based on the light beam received by the light receiving unit 50.

Further, the illumination unit 40 includes a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode, and a beam lens that converts light emitted from the light emitting element into beam light. When the illumination drive circuit causes the light emitting element to emit light, the illumination unit 40 emits beam light.
The light receiving unit 50 includes a condensing lens for collecting the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface, and a light receiving element such as a photodiode for converting the light collected by the condensing lens into a signal. Yes. With such a configuration, the light receiving unit 50 converts the received beam light into a detection signal. The interpretation unit compares the detection signal with previously registered ID code data, and outputs the comparison result to the central processing unit. When the medal 10 that matches the ID code of the store is used, the interpretation unit outputs a comparison result indicating that it matches the ID code data registered in advance to the central processing unit. Then, the central processing unit outputs a signal indicating that the medal 10 is allowed to pass to the output unit. On the other hand, when a medal 10 that does not match the ID code of the store is used, the interpretation unit outputs a comparison result indicating that it does not match the ID code data registered in advance to the central processing unit. Then, the central processing unit outputs a signal for returning the medal 10 to the output unit.

Here, the center trajectory of the medal 10 when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30 is referred to as “medal center trajectory 60”. Further, a line on the ID code forming surface that the beam light scans when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30 is referred to as an “ID code scan line 70”. A line obtained when the light beam is projected onto the ID code forming surface is referred to as a “beam light projection line 80”.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the illumination unit 40 is arranged so that the ID code scan line 70 is located at a position displaced from the medal center locus 60 by a predetermined distance, and is connected to each annular projection 20 and the ID code scan. Irradiate the light beam at a predetermined angle with respect to the ID code forming surface so that the light beam strikes at approximately one of the two intersections with the line 70 so as to be substantially orthogonal to the annular protrusion 20. It is formed as follows.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the ID code scan line 70 is at a position shifted by a distance “L” downward from the medal center locus 60. The deviation distance “L” is within the radius of the medal 10. Further, the shift distance “L” is smaller than the radius of the annular convex portion 20 having the smallest diameter. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the shift distance “L” is smaller than the radius of the fourth annular convex portion 20 (24). Thus, in the present embodiment, the ID code scan line 70 intersects each of the first to fourth annular convex portions 20 (21 to 24) at two locations. That is, when the medal 10 flows down the medal passage 30, the light beam is transmitted to the first annular convex portion 20 (21), the second annular convex portion 20 (22), the third annular convex portion 20 (23), and the first annular convex portion 20 (23). Each of the four annular protrusions 20 (24) crosses twice.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the beam light with respect to the annular convex portion 20 is the one that intersects first among the two intersections of each annular convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70. So that they are almost perpendicular to each other.
As shown in FIG. 2, there are two intersections between the first annular projection 20 (21) and the ID code scan line 70, and the intersection between the second annular projection 20 (22) and the ID code scan line 70. There are also two intersections, and there are also two intersections between the third annular projection 20 (23) and the ID code scan line 70, and there are intersections between the fourth annular projection 20 (24) and the ID code scan line 70. There are also two places. Here, of the two intersections of the first annular convex portion 20 (21) and the ID code scan line 70, the one that the beam light crosses first is referred to as the “first annular convex portion intersection”, and the beam light later. The direction crossed by is referred to as a “first annular convex rear intersection”. Of the two intersections of the second annular convex portion 20 (22) and the ID code scan line 70, the one where the beam light crosses first is defined as the “second annular convex portion intersection”, and the beam light is later emitted. The crossing direction is defined as the “second annular convex rear intersection”. Of the two intersections of the third annular convex portion 20 (23) and the ID code scan line 70, the one where the beam light crosses first is referred to as the “third annular convex portion intersection”, and the beam light is later transmitted. The crossing direction is defined as the “third annular convex rear intersection”. Of the two intersections of the fourth annular convex portion 20 (24) and the ID code scan line 70, the one where the beam light crosses first is defined as the “fourth annular convex portion intersection”. The crossing direction is defined as the “fourth annular convex rear intersection”.

In the present embodiment, the light beam strikes the first annular convex portion 20 (21) so as to be substantially orthogonal to the first annular convex portion intersection. As a result, the light beam hits at the second annular convex portion intersection point so as to be substantially orthogonal to the second annular convex portion 20 (22), and the beam light also passes through the third annular convex portion intersection point. It hits so as to be substantially orthogonal to the three annular convex portions 20 (23), and the light beam hits the fourth annular convex portion 20 (24) so as to be substantially orthogonal to the fourth annular convex portion intersection. It has become.
On the other hand, the light beam does not strike the fourth annular convex portion 20 (24) substantially orthogonally at the fourth annular convex rear intersection point, and the light beam does not hit the third annular convex rear portion intersection point. Does not substantially perpendicularly intersect with the third annular convex portion 20 (23), and the light beam is also substantially absent from the second annular convex portion 20 (22) at the intersection of the second annular convex portions. In addition, the light beam does not hit the first annular convex portion 20 (21) so as to be substantially perpendicular to the first annular convex portion 20 at the rear intersection of the first annular convex portions.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ID code scan line 70 is at a position shifted from the medal center locus 60, and the beam light projection line 80 is inclined by the angle “θ1” with respect to the medal center locus 60. This is because. In the present embodiment, the angle “θ1” is determined so that the light beam projection line 80 is the annular convex portion 20 at the intersection of the annular convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70 at the first intersection. The angle is approximately perpendicular to the angle.
For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, in the present embodiment, the fourth annular convex portion 20 (24) of the beam light at the fourth annular convex portion intersection and the fourth annular convex rear intersection. Each way of winning is different. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and 7, the reflection angle of the beam light is different between the fourth annular convex front intersection and the fourth annular convex rear intersection. Although not shown, the same applies to the first to third annular protrusions 20.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the illumination unit 40 irradiates the beam light with an angle “θ2” inclined with respect to the ID code forming surface. That is, the incident angle of the beam light with respect to the ID code forming surface is “θ2”. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the light beam hits the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the vicinity thereof so as to be substantially orthogonal to each annular convex portion 20, it is perpendicular to the ID code forming surface. Reflected in the direction. That is, the angle “θ2” is set so as to be substantially orthogonal to each of the annular protrusions 20 so that the beam light hitting the edge of each annular protrusion 20 and the vicinity thereof is perpendicular to the ID code forming surface. It is as an angle reflected in In this way, the illumination unit 40 is set so as to be substantially orthogonal to the respective annular projections 20, so that the beam light hitting the edge portion of each annular projection 20 and its vicinity is perpendicular to the ID code forming surface. The light beam is irradiated at an angle “θ2” with respect to the ID code forming surface so as to reflect in the direction. As shown in FIG. 6, even if the light beam hits the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the vicinity thereof, the ID code must be applied so as not to be orthogonal to each annular convex portion 20. It does not reflect in the direction perpendicular to the forming surface.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the light receiving unit 50 receives the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface when the beam light hits the annular convex part 20 so as to be substantially orthogonal to the annular convex part 20. Its position and its orientation are adjusted. As described above, when the light beam hits the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the vicinity thereof so as to be substantially orthogonal to each annular convex portion 20, it is reflected in a direction perpendicular to the ID code forming surface. . As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the light receiving unit 50 is formed so as to receive the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface at this time. More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the irradiation position of the light beam and the light receiving unit 50 are provided on the same straight line perpendicular to the ID code forming surface. The light receiving unit 50 has the condensing lens facing the ID code forming surface. Thereby, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the beam light emitted from the illumination unit 40 is substantially orthogonal to each annular projection 20, and the edge portion of each annular projection 20 and its vicinity. In this case, it reaches the light receiving unit 50. In other cases, more specifically, it hits a place where there is no annular projection 20, or even as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each annular projection Even if it hits the 20 edge portions and the vicinity thereof, the light receiving portion 50 is not reached unless it hits the respective annular convex portions 20 so as to be substantially orthogonal.

FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the edge portion of each annular convex portion 20 and the waveform of the detection signal from the light receiving portion 50. In the present embodiment, the light beams are orthogonal at the first annular convex tip intersection, the second annular convex tip intersection, the third annular convex tip intersection, and the fourth annular convex tip intersection, but the first annular projection When a single medal 10 is scanned from one end to the other end because it is not orthogonal at the convex rear intersection, the second annular convex rear intersection, the third annular convex rear intersection, and the fourth annular convex rear intersection, As shown in FIG. 8, four peaks appear in the detection signal.
FIG. 9 shows a state where two medals 10 flow down through the medal passage 30. FIG. 10 shows each state when two medals 10 flow down through the medal passage 30. The relationship between the edge part of the cyclic | annular convex part 20 and the waveform of the detection signal by the light-receiving part 50 is shown.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the ID code scan line 70 is shifted from the medal center locus 60. Of the two intersections between each annular convex portion 20 and the ID code scan line 70, the beam light strikes so as to be substantially orthogonal to the annular convex portion 20 at the first intersection. In other words, the beam light is substantially orthogonal to each annular convex portion 20 at the first annular convex tip intersection, the second annular convex tip intersection, the third annular convex tip intersection, and the fourth annular convex tip intersection. So that it hits like so. Furthermore, the light receiving unit 50 receives only the light beam reflected when it hits the ring-shaped convex part 20 so as to be substantially orthogonal.
For this reason, even if the medals 10 flow down in succession, the boundary of the ID code can be known. Further, the way in which the light beam strikes the annular convex portion 20 is different at one of the two intersections and the reflection angle of the light beam is different. Thereby, if the number of the annular convex portions 20 is n, the number of peaks appearing in the waveform of the detection signal is also n. Therefore, if the medal 10 is scanned from the front end in the flow-down direction to the middle, that is, if the medal 10 is scanned from the first annular convex tip intersection to the fourth annular convex tip intersection, the medal 10 completely positions the irradiation position of the beam light. It is possible to determine whether it is the ID code of the own store without waiting for it to pass.

Therefore, the ID code can be reliably read even if the medals 10 flow down continuously, the time required for determining whether or not the ID code of the store is relatively short, and the ID code The amount of code data can be made relatively small, the load on the CPU can be made relatively small, and the medal 10 can be received or returned quickly.
In the present embodiment, the ID code scan line 70 is shifted below the medal center locus 60, but the ID code scan line 70 may be shifted above the medal center locus 60.
Further, in the present embodiment, the beam light strikes so as to be substantially orthogonal to each annular convex portion 20 at the first intersection among the two intersections of each annular convex portion 20 and ID code scan line 70. However, it is also possible to make the light beams impinge on each annular convex portion 20 so as to be substantially orthogonal to the one that intersects later.

FIG. 1A is a plan view of a medal according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The top view which shows a mode that a medal flows down a medal channel | path, and the mode of incidence of beam light. It is BB sectional drawing of FIG. 2, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of incident and reflection of a beam light when a medal exists in the position of FIG. It is CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 2, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of incidence | injection and reflection of beam light when a medal exists in the position of FIG. The top view which shows a mode that a medal flows down a medal channel | path, and the mode of incidence of beam light. It is DD sectional drawing of FIG. 5, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of incidence | injection and reflection of beam light when a medal exists in the position of FIG. It is EE sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 5, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of incidence | injection and reflection of beam light when a medal exists in the position of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the medal in an ID code scan line, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the edge part of each annular convex part, and the waveform of the detection signal by a light-receiving part. The top view which shows a mode that two medals flow down a medal path. It is sectional drawing of the medal in an ID code scan line, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the edge part of each cyclic | annular convex part, and the waveform of the detection signal by a light-receiving part when two medals flow down in a medal path . 11A is a plan view of a conventional medal, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 11A. The top view which shows a mode that a medal flows down a medal channel | path, and the mode of incidence of beam light. It is GG sectional drawing of FIG. 12, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of incidence | injection and reflection of beam light when a medal exists in the position of FIG. It is a cross-sectional enlarged view of a ring-shaped convex part, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows a mode that beam light reflects in the edge part and its vicinity of a ring-shaped convex part. FIG. 15A is a plan view showing how the medal flows down the medal passage, and FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH of FIG. 15A, where the medal is shown in FIG. FIG. 15C is an explanatory diagram showing the waveform of the detection signal by the light receiving unit when the medal is at the position shown in FIG. 15A. . FIG. 16A is a plan view showing how the medal flows down the medal passage, FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 16A, and the medal is shown in FIG. FIG. 16C is an explanatory diagram showing the state of the detection signal by the light receiving unit when the medal is at the position of FIG. 16A. . FIG. 17A is a plan view showing how the medal flows down the medal passage, FIG. 17B is a cross-sectional view taken along line JJ of FIG. 17A, and the medal is shown in FIG. FIG. 17C is an explanatory diagram showing the waveform of the detection signal by the light receiving unit when the medal is at the position of FIG. 17A. . It is sectional drawing of the medal in an ID code scan line, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the edge part of each annular convex part, and the waveform of the detection signal by a light-receiving part. The top view which shows a mode that two medals flow down a medal path. It is sectional drawing of the medal in an ID code scan line, Comprising: Explanatory drawing which shows the relationship between the edge part of each cyclic | annular convex part, and the waveform of the detection signal by a light-receiving part when two medals flow down in a medal path .

Explanation of symbols

10 medals
20 Annular projection
21 First annular projection
22 Second annular projection
23 Third annular projection
24 Fourth annular projection
30 medal passage
40 Illumination part
50 Receiver
60 medal center trajectory
70 ID code scan line
80 beam light projection line

Claims (2)

An ID code reading device for reading an ID code formed on a medal,
The ID code is formed by providing a plurality of annular convex portions that are concentric with the outer circumferential circle of the medal and have different diameters on at least one surface of the disc-shaped medal,
ID code interpretation device
A medal passage for flowing medals in a certain direction,
An illumination unit for irradiating beam light toward one point on the medal path;
A light receiving unit for receiving the beam light reflected by the ID code forming surface of the medal flowing down the medal passage;
A reading unit for reading the ID code based on the light beam received by the light receiving unit,
The medal center trajectory when the medal flows down the medal passage is the medal center trajectory,
When the line on the ID code forming surface that the beam light scans when the medal flows down the medal passage is an ID code scan line,
The ID code scan line is set to be deviated from the medal center locus by a predetermined distance and parallel to the medal center locus ,
The illuminating unit has a line when the beam light from the illuminating unit is projected on the ID code forming surface, and the medal of the medal is at one of the two intersecting points of each annular convex part and the ID code scanning line. At any time during the flow, it is formed so as to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the medal center trajectory so as to be substantially orthogonal to the tangent line of the annular convex portion at the intersection point,
The light receiving unit is formed so as to receive the light beam reflected by the ID code forming surface when the light beam hits the annular convex portion.   The illumination unit forms the ID code so that the beam light strikes the annular projection so that it is substantially orthogonal to the annular projection at the tip of the two intersections of each annular projection and the ID code scan line. 2. The ID code reading device according to claim 1, wherein the ID code reading device is formed so as to be irradiated at a predetermined angle with respect to the surface.

Images