JP5010168B2 - Coin conveyor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin transport device that transports coins by a transport belt having bent portions having different inclination angles at intermediate positions in the transport direction.

  Conventionally, for example, at a cash register at a store, or at a window at a financial institution, a cash register with a customer, such as a POS register, an electronic cash register, and a deposit / withdrawal management machine, etc. Coin depositing / dispensing machines have been developed that are electrically connected to a depositing / dispensing device and can automatically deposit and withdraw coins using electrical signals output from these depositing / dispensing devices.

  This coin depositing / dispensing machine has a coin receiving port that allows a plurality of coins to be received simultaneously at the upper front of the fuselage, and a feeding belt that feeds coins toward the depth of the fuselage is located at the bottom of the coin receiving port. It is arranged along. A conveying path is provided following the feeding belt. The conveyance path includes a first conveyance path that conveys the coins fed by the feeding belt further in the depth direction of the machine body, and a coin that changes direction in the machine body width direction at the back position of the machine body following the first conveyance path. And a second transport passage for transporting the container. The second transport path is provided with a denomination classification hole for classifying coins into denominations along the second transport path, and stores coins classified below the second transport path. Is arranged.

  Since the coin insertion slot takes up a large storage volume, the bottom of the coin insertion slot is formed deep, and the bottom is positioned at the lower position of the fuselage. In addition, since the coin storage portion takes a large storage volume, the bottom of the coin storage portion is formed deep, and the upper portion of the coin storage portion is positioned at the upper position of the machine body. As a result, the second transport path is also arranged horizontally in the upper position of the machine body.

  With such an arrangement, the transport passage first transports the coins inserted into the coin slot into the machine body depth direction through the first transport passage and transports it in an inclined state, and then changes the transport direction to a right angle. Thus, the coins are classified in a horizontal state by the second transport path. Therefore, a bent portion that changes the coin conveyance from the inclined state to the horizontal state is arranged in the middle of the first conveyance path.

  However, if the coin slips near the exit of the first conveyance path and the coin stagnates on the first conveyance path despite the rotation of the conveyance belt of the first conveyance path, the first conveyance Due to a large change in the angle at the bent portion of the passage, the coins that have been transported by the inclined surface with respect to the coin that has stagnated on the horizontal surface on the bent portion ride on from behind, and the coins in the first transport passage There is a possibility that the coins overlap and the coins are clogged (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In addition, in order to prevent such coins from overlapping each other, bent portions of the conveying belt for conveying coins are provided at two or more locations in the conveying direction, or a large number of bent portions of the conveying belt are continuously formed so that the conveying surface is curved. By doing this, there is a configuration that prevents coins from overlapping each other (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP-A-9-274678 (page 3-4, FIG. 1-2) JP 2004-199154 A (page 3-6, FIGS. 3 and 6)

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a demand for high-quality products that are inexpensive and that do not easily stop the equipment due to poor transport, etc., as an environment surrounding coin cash dispensers for stores and coin depositing and dispensing machines used at financial institutions.

  In order to prevent coins from overlapping each other on the conveyor belt having a bent portion, the conveyor belt is provided with two or more bent portions in the conveying direction, or a large number of bent portions of the conveyor belt are continuously formed so that the conveying surface is curved. However, when the conveyor belt is rotating and the coins are stagnating near the exit of the conveyor passage, the subsequent coins are stuck by pressing the immediately preceding coins, and at this time, the coins overlap each other above the conveyor belt. Since there is no member that regulates the balance, the balance may be lost due to slight vibration, deformation of coins, etc., and coins may overlap.

  This invention is made in view of such a point, and it aims at providing the coin conveying apparatus which prevents the coins from overlapping in the bending part of a conveyance belt, and can reduce conveyance defect.

The coin conveying device according to claim 1 is suspended by a plurality of rollers pivotally supported by a horizontal axis so as to rise and incline from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the conveying direction, and an inclination angle is set at an intermediate position in the conveying direction. A conveyor belt having different bent portions, a conveyor belt guide for supporting a portion excluding the bent portion of the conveyor belt from below, and coins in the upper area of the conveyor belt upstream of the bent portion of the conveyor belt in the conveying direction. are oppositely arranged to form a gap which can pass only one, and the separation roller aligning the coins one layer one row are oppositely arranged on the upper region of the bent portion of the conveyor belt, so that the coin passes only one is always biased upward and regulating member for regulating, by the biasing means, to support the portion of the bent portion of the conveyor belt from below, while being restricted a bent portion of the conveyor belt by the regulating member transportable ; And a movable support member retractably supported to a lower side Ri by the coin to be, in a state where the movable supporting member is increased, the gap between the regulating member and the bent portion of the conveyor belt is treated It is set to be smaller than the thickness of the coin .

  The coin transport device according to claim 2 is the coin transport device according to claim 1, wherein the movable support member is a roller rotatable in the transport direction of the transport belt.

  The coin transport device according to claim 3 is the coin transport device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein stop means for forcibly stopping the transport of coins is arranged on the downstream side in the transport direction of the transport belt even when the transport belt is in operation. The restricting member is provided so as to form an interval through which only one coin can pass from the upper region of the bent portion of the conveyor belt to the stop means.

  According to the coin conveying apparatus of claim 1, the regulating member is provided in the upper region of the bent portion of the conveying belt so as to form an interval through which only one coin can pass, and the bent portion of the conveying belt is moved to the movable support member. The movable support member supports the bent portion of the conveying belt while being regulated by the regulating member, and supports the conveying belt so that the conveying belt can be retracted downward to allow passage of one coin. In addition, it is possible to prevent the coins from overlapping each other at the bent portion of the conveyor belt and reduce the conveyance failure.

  According to the coin transport device of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the coin transport device of claim 1, the movable support member is a roller that can rotate in the transport direction of the transport belt. The friction due to the contact of the belt is small and the conveyor belt can be smoothly rotated.

  According to the coin transport device of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the coin transport device of claim 1 or 2, the transport of coins is forcibly stopped downstream of the transport belt in the transport direction even when the transport belt is operating. Even if the stopping means is provided, by providing the restricting member from the upper area of the bent portion of the conveying belt to the stopping means, it is possible to prevent coins from overlapping and to reduce conveyance failure.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a coin transport device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the coin depositing and dispensing machine. This coin depositing / dispensing machine is a coin depositing / dispensing machine that is electrically connected in combination with a POS register at a cash register of a store and can automatically deposit and withdraw coins.

  The machine body 11 of the coin depositing / dispensing machine includes a frame body 12 having an open front surface and a main body unit 13 that can be pulled out from the front surface of the frame body 12. The dimension of the machine body width direction along the front surface of the machine body 11 is formed to be approximately half the width of the POS register. For example, a bill depositing / dispensing machine formed to have the same width as the coin depositing / dispensing machine Can be used in combination.

  On the upper surface of the front part of the main unit 13 protruding from the frame body 12 of the machine body 11, a coin insertion slot 14 for inserting coins is formed on the right side which is one side in the machine body width direction, and the left side which is the other side in the machine body width direction. An operation display unit 15 is provided for performing operations and displays.

  On the right side of the front of the front of the main unit 13, a reject box 16 for returning rejected coins is arranged so that it can be pulled out, and the power switch 17 of the coin depositing and dispensing machine and the main unit 13 are attached to the frame 12. A lock 18 that locks in a state of being inserted into the machine is disposed, and a discharge tray 19 from which coins dispensed from the inside of the machine is discharged is disposed on the left side. The discharge tray 19 is provided with a full detection sensor 20 that detects a full state in which coins discharged to the discharge tray 19 are full.

  Next, the top view of the internal structure of a coin depositing and dispensing machine is shown in FIG. The feeding mechanism 21 arranged in the machine width direction along the front of the machine body at the front part of the machine body 11, so that the feeding mechanism 21 is followed by the feeding mechanism 21 in the machine width direction opposite to the coin feeding direction of the feeding mechanism 21. A coin passage 24 having an identification passage 22 arranged and a classification passage 23 arranged in the depth direction of the machine body following the identification passage 22; a conveying means 25 for conveying coins in the coin passage 24; A delivery means 26 as a stopping means for delivering coins fed out from the mechanism 21 to the transport means 25 one by one; a denomination storage and throwing section 27 arranged in parallel in the machine body depth direction below the sorting passage 23; Further, a withdrawal / conveying section 28 disposed in the front-rear direction along the left side surface of the machine body 11 is provided on the left side of the storage / throwing section 27.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the feeding mechanism 21 is arranged in a non-aligned state with coins (indicated by symbol C in the figure and omitted hereinafter) inserted into the coin insertion slot 14 below the coin insertion slot 14. A receiving belt 31 having a receiving portion 31 for receiving is provided, and a feeding belt 32 as a conveying belt constituting the bottom surface of the receiving portion 31 is disposed along the width direction of the machine body.

  The feeding belt 32 is an endless flat belt, and a plurality of rollers including rollers 33 and 34 at both ends pivotally supported by horizontal shafts 33a and 34a, and a left side that is downstream from the right side that is upstream in the conveying direction. It is suspended so as to incline upward as it goes to, and is bent by a roller 35 as a movable support member so that a bent portion 36 having a different inclination angle is formed at an intermediate position in the conveying direction. The upper surface portion of the belt facing the upper side of the feeding belt 32 is configured as a conveying surface 37 on which coins are placed and conveyed, and an upstream side of the conveying surface 37 in the conveying direction from the bent portion 36 is formed as an inclined surface that rises and is inclined downstream in the conveying direction. The side is formed in a horizontal plane. The width of the passage formed on the feeding belt 32 is larger than the largest diameter coin among the coins to be processed and smaller than two minimum diameter coins.

  On the lower side of the belt upper surface portion constituting the conveying surface 37 of the feeding belt 32, a feeding belt guide as a conveying belt guide for supporting a portion of the belt upper surface portion constituting the conveying surface 37 excluding the bent portion 36 from below. 38 and 39 are arranged.

  A separation roller 40 is provided in a pair so as to form an interval through which only one coin can pass in the upper region of the feeding belt 32 on the upstream side in the conveying direction from the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32. The separation roller 40 rotates in the direction opposite to the coin feeding direction of the feeding belt 32 and feeds the non-aligned coins on the feeding belt 32 in a single layer and one row.

  In the upper region of the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32 and the upper region downstream of the bent portion 36 in the conveying direction, a regulating member 41, 42 is opposed to each other with an interval through which only one coin can pass. Yes.

  A guide portion 43 that guides the coin to the start end side of the identification path 22 by contacting the peripheral edge of the coin on the feeding belt 32 to the lower side of the regulating members 41 and 42 in the conveyance direction downstream region from the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32. It is arranged. In the middle of the guide portion 43, a guide projection 44 is formed that moves the coin whose peripheral edge abuts on the guide portion 43 toward the start end side of the identification passage 22 rather than the subsequent coin.

  The roller 35 that supports the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32 from below can be retracted downward by being pushed by coins that are conveyed while the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32 is regulated by the regulating member 41. It is said. As shown in FIG. 2, the roller 35 is supported so as to be movable in the vertical direction and is biased upward by a plate spring 45 as a biasing means. That is, the roller 35 can be rotated in the conveying direction of the feeding belt 32 by a horizontal shaft 46, the shaft 46 is fixed to a distal end that is a free end of the leaf spring 45, and a base end of the leaf spring 45 is a feeding belt guide 39. The leaf spring 45 is always elastic so that the roller 35 moves upward, and the upward movement of the roller 35 causes the leaf spring 45 to come into contact with the stopper 48. It is regulated by. Then, at the ascending position of the roller 35 where the leaf spring 45 contacts the stopper 48, the distance between the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32 and the regulating member 41 is set to be smaller than the thickness of the coin to be processed.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the coin passage 24 is disposed in a horizontal state, and a passage surface portion 51 formed of a horizontal plane that contacts one surface of the coin over the identification passage 22 and the classification passage 23, and the passage surface portion. On both sides of 51, there are passage side portions 52 on both sides for guiding the periphery of the coin. The passage width, which is the opposing width of the passage side surface portions 52 on both sides, is formed to be larger than the largest diameter coin among the coins to be processed and smaller than two minimum diameter coins.

  The identification passage 22 includes a first turn-back passage portion 53 that is turned rightward from a starting end portion connected to the feed-out mechanism 21, and the first turn-back passage portion 53 is connected to the feed mechanism 21 on the back side of the feed-out mechanism 21. An identification passage portion 54 disposed in parallel with the feeding belt 32, a second folding passage portion 55 that turns back to the left following the identification passage portion 54, and a body depth following the second folding passage portion 55 A bent passage portion 56 that bends toward the direction sorting passage 23 is provided.

  The identification passage portion 54 of the identification passage 22 is provided with a coin recognition portion 57 that detects the material, diameter, etc. of the coin and identifies the denomination.

  As a reject coin branching portion for branching the reject coin identified as the reject coin as a result of the discrimination in the coin discriminating portion 57, the second turn-back passage portion 55 located near the right side surface of the fuselage 11 of the identification passage 22 The reject gate 58 is provided. The reject gate portion 58 is formed with a branch hole 59 having a size capable of branching coins from the passage surface portion 51 to a portion of the passage side surface portion 52 on the outer peripheral side of the second folded passage portion 55. In addition, a reject gate 60 that also serves as a part of the passage side surface 52 on the outer peripheral side of the second folded passage portion 55 from the passage surface portion 51 is disposed so as to be openable and closable with the back side of the fuselage as a fulcrum. The reject gate 60 is opened and closed by the target driving means. A reject box 16 is disposed below the reject coin branching portion, and reject coins branched from the branch hole 59 when the reject gate 60 is opened are accommodated in the reject box 16.

  In the second return passage portion 55 of the identification passage 22, an exclusion port 59 a is formed on the upstream side in the transport direction from the reject gate portion 58 to drop and remove dust and foreign matters fed out to the identification passage 22. This exclusion port 59a is left with an allowance on which the minimum diameter coins can be placed on both sides of the exclusion port 59a so that the minimum diameter coin will not fall to the exclusion port 59a regardless of whether it is conveyed inwardly or outwardly. Yes.

  The classification passage 23 is disposed so as to pass through the central region in the body width direction of the storage / throwing portion 27 from the bent passage portion 56 of the identification passage 22 toward the body depth direction, and each of the plurality of storage / throwing portions 27 is arranged. A plurality of classification gate portions 61 for classifying coins into denominations and storing them in the storage and dispensing portions 27 are disposed at a plurality of classification positions corresponding to the upper positions of the two. Each classification gate portion 61 is formed with a classification hole 62 through which coins fall in the passage surface portion 51, and a classification gate 63 is disposed in the classification hole 62 so as to be opened and closed with the downstream side in the coin transport direction as a fulcrum. 63 is opened and closed by an electric drive means such as a solenoid or a motor (not shown).

  On the start end side of the classification passage 23, a detecting means 64 for optically detecting coins conveyed by the conveying means 25 is disposed.

  Further, the conveying means 25 is moved along the central area in the width direction of the identification passage 22 and the classification passage 23 by pulleys 71 as a plurality of rotating bodies rotatably supported in a horizontal direction by a vertical shaft 71a. A conveyor belt 72 as a conveyor is stretched so as to rotate while rotating. For example, a timing belt having a plurality of teeth on the inner periphery is used as the transport belt 72. In this case, a timing pulley having a plurality of teeth on the peripheral surface is also used as the pulley 71. The distance between the conveyor belt 72 supported by the plurality of pulleys 71 and the passage surface portion 51 is kept wider than the thickness of the maximum thickness coin among the coins to be processed.

  The conveyor belt 72 has a protrusion 73 that protrudes downward and pushes and conveys coins in the passage one by one at a predetermined interval that allows the coins to be separated and conveyed one by one in the conveying direction. Is provided. The distance between the projection 73 and the passage surface 51 is kept smaller than the thickness of the minimum thickness coin to be processed.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the delivery means 26 is a starting end portion of the identification passage 22 that receives the coins fed from the feeding mechanism 21 into the identification passage 22, and the identification passage 22 from above the feeding belt 32. A circular cam 81 is rotatably supported in a horizontal direction by a vertical shaft 81a at a position opposite to the passage width direction with respect to the guide portion 43 that guides the coins. The cam 81 is rotationally driven in the coin delivery direction (clockwise direction in the figure) by an electric drive means such as a pulse motor (not shown).

  On the lower surface of the cam 81, a pair of projecting portions 82 are formed to project downward at symmetrical positions on the circumference of the peripheral portion, and a groove portion 83 is formed between the projecting portions 82. The distance between the projecting portion 82 and the passage surface portion 51 is formed such that a coin cannot enter, and the distance between the groove portion 83 and the passage surface portion 51 and the width of the groove portion 83 between the pair of projecting portions 82 each enter one coin. It is formed in a dimension that can be.

  The edges of the protrusions 82 facing each other in the rotational direction are configured as push-out portions 84 that push the peripheral edges of the coins that are fed from the feed mechanism 21 and enter the groove 83 and transfer the coins to the protrusions 73 of the conveyor belt 72. In addition, the edge portion facing in the opposite direction to the rotation direction of each projecting portion 82 and the outer peripheral surface of each projecting portion 82 separate subsequent coins from the handed over coins until the next delivery timing. It is configured as a deterrence unit 85 to be retained.

  A detecting means 86 for optically detecting coins fed from the feeding mechanism 21 to the identification passage 22 is disposed at a side position of the feeding belt 32 of the feeding mechanism 21.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3 (a), the cam 81 has a position where the coins fed from the feeding mechanism 21 to the identification passage 22 enter the one groove 83 and come into contact with the one restraining portion 85 to stop. A subsequent position is rotated 180 ° at a timing at which coins can be delivered to the protrusion 73 according to the position of the protrusion 73 of the transport belt 72, and the subsequent mechanism is fed from the feeding mechanism 21 to the identification passage 22. Control is performed so that the coin enters the other groove 83 and comes into contact with the other restraining portion 85 to stop, that is, stops at the next fixed position, and waits for the next delivery operation.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, each storage / throwing portion 27 has a storage portion 91 that stores coins classified and dropped in the classification passage 23 in a non-aligned state, and constitutes the bottom portion of the storage portion 91. A throw-out belt 92 is disposed along the body width direction.

  The discharge belt 92 is an endless flat belt, and is directed from the right side, which is upstream in the discharge direction, to the left side, which is downstream, by a plurality of rollers including rollers 93 and 94 at both ends pivotally supported by a horizontal axis. It is suspended so as to incline ascending.

  A reverse roller 95 is provided in an upper area on the end side in the dispensing direction of the dispensing belt 92 so as to form an interval through which only one coin can pass. The reversing roller 95 rotates in the direction opposite to the dispensing direction of the dispensing belt 92, and the unaligned coins on the dispensing belt 92 are arranged in a single row and dispensed.

  At the end of the throwing belt 92 in the throwing direction from the reverse rotation roller 95, the detecting means 96 for detecting coins thrown from the end of the throwing belt 92, and when the necessary number of coins are thrown out A stopper 97 for forcibly stopping the subsequent coin dispensing is provided.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 6, the withdrawal conveyance unit 28 has a withdrawal conveyance belt 101 stretched along the front-rear direction on the side of the coin dispensing direction of all the storage dispensing units 27. The coins to be dispensed from each storage and dispensing unit 27 are placed on the dispensing conveyance belt 101 and conveyed forward to be discharged to the discharge tray 19.

  Next, the operation of the coin depositing and dispensing machine of the present embodiment will be described.

  First, the deposit process will be described.

  Coins are inserted into the receiving unit 31 of the feeding mechanism 21 from the coin insertion slot 14. By detecting the coins on the feeding belt 32 by a sensor (not shown) of the receiving unit 31, the feeding belt 32 rotates and the separation roller 40 rotates in the reverse direction, so that the unaligned coins on the feeding belt 32 are 1 Align and feed out one layer.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (d), the coins that pass under the separating roller 40 and are arranged in one layer and one line enter the lower side of the regulating member 41, and bend the feeding belt 32. The roller 35 supporting 36 is moved downstream in the feeding direction while being pushed down against the bias. Further, the coin enters the lower side of the regulating member 42, and the peripheral edge abuts against the guide portion 43 and moves toward the start end portion of the identification passage 22.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), when there is no regulating member 41 in the upper area of the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32, the rear side of the coin placed on the horizontal plane on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the bent portion 36 is bent. There is a risk that the portion 36 floats up with respect to the inclined surface on the upstream side in the feeding direction, and subsequent coins enter the raised coins so that the coins overlap each other.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (d), there is a restricting member 41 in the upper area of the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32, and the portion of the bent portion 36 of the feeding belt 32 is supported by the roller 35 from below. At the same time, the roller 35 supports the bend portion 36 of the feeding belt 32 while being regulated by the restricting member 41 so that the feeding belt 32 can be retracted downward by the coins and is allowed to pass one coin. Overlap of coins at the bent portion 36 of the belt 32 can be prevented, and poor conveyance can be reduced.

  By using the roller 35 that can rotate in the conveying direction of the feeding belt 32 as the movable support member, there is little friction due to contact between the feeding belt 32 and the roller 35, and the feeding belt 32 can be smoothly rotated.

  Further, the cam 81 of the delivery means 26 located at the start end of the identification passage 22 forcibly stops the coin conveyance even when the feeding belt 32 is in operation, but the cam 81 By providing the restricting members 41 and 42 up to the vicinity region, it is possible to restrict the coins from moving upward due to pressure, and to prevent the coins from overlapping each other.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, when the cam 81 of the delivery means 26 located at the start end of the identification passage 22 is located at a fixed position, the abutment of the identification passage 22 from the feeding mechanism 21 is brought into contact with the guide portion 43. The coin moving toward the start end enters one groove 83 and comes into contact with the restraining portion 85 of one protrusion 82 to stop. At this time, the rotation of the feeding belt 32 is continued. Further, as shown in FIG. 1 (a), the coin abutting on the guide portion 43 is moved by the guide projection 44 toward the start end side of the identification passage 22 rather than the succeeding coin. It is possible to send it in securely.

  By detecting the coins fed from the feeding mechanism 21 to the identification passage 22 by the detection means 86, the coins can be delivered to the projection 73 according to the position of the projection 73 of the transport belt 72 at a predetermined timing. The cam 81 rotates in the delivery direction.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), when the cam 81 starts to rotate, the other protrusion 82 enters between the preceding and succeeding coins, and on the outer peripheral surface of the other protrusion 82. A deterrence unit 85 stops the progress of subsequent coins.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the coin to be transferred at the push-out portion 84 of the other protrusion 82 is pushed out to a position in the identification passage 22 that can be transferred to the protrusion 73 of the transport belt 72.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (d), when the cam 81 rotates 180 ° and returns to the next fixed position, it stops.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (e), the coins in the identification passage 22 are pushed and conveyed by the protrusion 73 of the conveyance belt 72. Further, the subsequent coin enters the other groove 83, and the coin is detected by the detection means 86, so that the coin is delivered to the protrusion 73 according to the position of the next protrusion 73 of the conveyor belt 72. The cam 81 rotates in the delivery direction at a predetermined timing.

  As described above, the peripheral edge of the coin fed out from the feeding mechanism 21 is pushed by the pushing portion 84 of the cam 81, and the coin is transferred to the protrusion 73 of the conveying belt 72, and is fed from the feeding mechanism 21 by the restraining portion 85 of the cam 81. Since the subsequent coins are separated and retained until the next delivery operation, the coins can be reliably delivered to the protrusion 73 of the conveyor belt 72 one by one. For this reason, it is possible to prevent dust, foreign matter, and the like that are thrown in from the coin insertion slot 14 and fed together with the coins by the feeding mechanism 21 from entering the coin passage 24. Even if it is fed out, it is possible to prevent dust and foreign matter from entering the downstream side of the transport direction by providing a removal port 59a for dropping and removing such dust and foreign matter. By using 81, regardless of the structure of the feeding mechanism 21 and the coin passage 24, the coins fed from the feeding mechanism 21 can be surely delivered one by one to the protrusion 73 of the conveyor belt 72. The passage 24 can have a compact configuration, and the coin feeding device can be made compact.

  Since the circular cam 81 in which at least a pair of the push-out portion 84 and the restraining portion 85 is disposed on the circumference is rotated to transfer the coin, the coin transfer operation can be performed smoothly and reliably.

  Also, the coins that are pushed and conveyed in the identification passage 22 by the protrusion 73 of the conveying belt 72 are identified by the coin identifying unit 57.

  As a result of identification, reject coins that are identified as reject coins that cannot be identified, for example, branch at reject gate unit 58 and are stored in reject box 16. By removing the reject box 16 from the airframe 11, the reject coins can be collected.

  At this time, the second return passage portion 55 connected to the classification passage 23 by changing the direction of the coin conveyance direction at a position near the right side surface of the machine body 11 from the direction opposite to the coin feeding direction of the feeding mechanism 21. The reject gate portion 58 is disposed, and the reject coin can be easily accommodated in the reject box 16 disposed in the vicinity of the right side surface of the machine body 11, and the reject coin can be easily taken out from the front side of the machine body.

  Further, as a result of the identification, the coins identified as proper coins pass through the reject gate 58 and are detected by the detection means 64, and then conveyed in the classification passage 23. In the classification passage 23, since the coin conveyance position can be grasped according to each detection by the coin identification unit 57 and the detection means 64 and the conveyance distance of the coin by the conveyance belt 72, the coin is classified by the classification gate 63 of the corresponding denomination. Classify.

  At this time, in the classification passage 23, based on the result of the denomination identification in the identification passage 22, the classification gate 63 that can be driven by the electric drive means opens and closes, and the classification gate 63 opens to allow coins to enter the classification hole 62. Because it is classified, coins can be reliably classified.

  Since the sorting passage 23 is arranged so as to pass through the central area in the width direction of the storage / throwing portion 27 toward the machine body depth direction, coins classified in the sorting passage 23 are arranged in the width direction of the storage / throwing portion 27. It is easy to be dispersed in the entire area of the storage / throwing section 27.

  Next, the withdrawal process will be described.

  For example, in response to a dispensing command signal from the POS register, the dispensing belt 92 rotates and the reverse rotation roller 95 rotates reversely, and the unaligned coins on the dispensing belt 92 are aligned in one row and thrown out. Send out in the direction.

  In the storage / dispensing unit 27 for the withdrawal-related denomination, the stopper 97 is opened, and the coin is dispensed from the end of the dispensing belt 92 to the dispensing / conveying unit 28. The coins thrown out are detected by the detecting means 96 and counted.

  In the storage / disposal part 27 for the non-withdrawal denomination and the storage / disposal part 27 for the denomination corresponding denomination after the required number of coins have been dispensed, the stopper 97 is closed to restrict the coins from being dispensed.

  The coins thrown into the dispensing transport unit 28 are transported forward and discharged to the discharge tray 19.

  Further, the operation start of the dispensing transport unit 28 may be performed at the same time as the start of the dispensing operation from the storage and dispensing unit 27 or after the completion of the dispensing operation from the storage and dispensing unit 27.

  When the dispensing operation starts from the storage and dispensing unit 27, the dispensing process time can be shortened and the denomination set on the front side of the machine is transferred to the discharge tray 19 in sequence, so the dispensed money The visual confirmation of the seeds becomes easier and more reliable transactions are possible.

  On the other hand, when the operation of the dispensing transport unit 28 is started after the dispensing operation from the storage and dispensing unit 27 is completed, it is released until all the coins to be dispensed are dispensed onto the dispensing transport unit 28. Because it is not transported to the tray 19, even if there is a coin that has been thrown out for some reason, only a part of it will be transported to the discharge tray 19 first, and it will take time to transport the rest You can prevent cash accidents without having to forget to collect coins.

  In the case of the collection process, it is desirable to start driving the dispensing transport unit 28 simultaneously with the start of the dispensing operation from the storage dispensing unit 27. This is because, compared with the withdrawal process, the collection process throws out a large amount of coins, so that the processing time can be shortened.

  In addition, when the full of the discharge tray 19 is detected by the full detection sensor 20 of the discharge tray 19 during the collection process, the discharge operation from the storage and discharge unit 27 is temporarily stopped and placed on the dispensing transport unit 28. After transporting the thrown coins to the discharge tray 19, the transport operation is stopped. Thereafter, when the user receives the thrown coins and the full detection sensor 20 is full, the throwing operation is automatically resumed. As a result, it is possible to prevent a cash accident caused by a coin spill or the like occurring when the discharge tray 19 becomes full, and to reduce the burden on the user by automatically restarting the throwing operation. It becomes possible.

  In the coin depositing / dispensing machine configured as described above, an endless conveyance belt 72 is stretched on the identification path 22 and the classification path 23 by a plurality of rotatable pulleys 71 pivotally supported by a vertical axis 71a. As a result, the space above the passage required for disposing the conveyor belt 72 can be reduced. Therefore, the coin storage amount can be increased by downsizing the machine body 11 in the height direction or allocating the space that can be made compact to the storage / throwing-out unit 27.

  Furthermore, by disposing the feeding mechanism 21 and the identification passage 22 in the body width direction along the front surface of the body, it is possible to reduce the dimensions of the feeding mechanism 21 and the identification passage 22 in the body depth direction and secure a depth space. By arranging the classification passage 23 in the machine body depth direction and arranging a plurality of storage / throwing portions 27, the width in the depth direction of each storage / throwing portion 27 can be increased by utilizing the secured depth space. Therefore, the coin storage amount can be increased. Therefore, by forming the coin passage 24 in a substantially T shape, the coin storage amount can be increased without increasing the body size.

  In addition, since the sorting passage 23 is arranged so as to pass through the central area in the width direction of the storage / throwing portion 27 in the depth direction of the aircraft, the coins classified in the sorting passage 23 are centered in the width direction of the storage / throwing portion 27. It can be easily dropped and dispersed over the entire area of the storage / throwing section 27, and the coin storage amount can be increased without increasing the size of the machine body.

  Further, since the feeding mechanism 21 has a configuration using the feeding belt 32 and the separation roller 40, the feeding mechanism 21 can be made compact as compared with the case where a rotating disk is used.

  The delivery means is not limited to the cam 81. For example, a belt having a plurality of protrusions on the peripheral surface is used, and coins fed from the feeding mechanism 21 are received one by one between the protrusions. You can extrude or keep subsequent coins.

  Further, the storage / throwing section 27 is not limited to six.

  Also, unlike the shape classification that is divided by the classification hole according to the coin diameter size, the denomination to be classified and stored in each storage and dispensing unit 27 can be arbitrarily set, for example, used as a coin cash register change machine in a supermarket or the like In this case, the “1 type of money” with the highest withdrawal frequency is 10 yen, 1 yen, 100 yen in the order from the front side of the aircraft 11, and the “5 type of money” is 50 towards the back side of the aircraft 11. By setting in the order of 5 yen, 500 yen, the distance between the storage and dispensing unit 27 of the denomination with high withdrawal frequency and the discharge tray 19 can be shortened, and the withdrawal processing time can be shortened.

  Furthermore, denominations that are not used for withdrawals and denominations that are full in the storage / throwing section 27 can be stored in a single storage / throwing section 27 in a mixture of multiple denominations. The number of collection operations from the dispensing unit 27 can be reduced, and long-term non-stop operation is possible.

FIG. 1 shows a coin transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a front view showing a coin feeding state when there is no regulating member, (d) ) Is a front view of a coin feeding state when there is a regulating member. It is a front view which shows the support structure of the movable support member of a coin conveying apparatus same as the above. It is a top view explaining the delivery operation | movement by the delivery means of a coin conveying apparatus same as the above in order of (a)-(e). It is a top view of the internal structure of the coin depositing and dispensing machine to which the same coin transport device is applied. It is sectional drawing of the storage and throwing-out part of a coin depositing and dispensing machine same as the above. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of a coin depositing and dispensing machine same as the above. It is a perspective view of a coin depositing and dispensing machine same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

26 Delivery means as stopping means
32 Feeding belt as conveyor belt
33, 34 rollers
33a, 34a axes
35 Rollers as movable support members
36 Bend
38, 39 Feed belt guide as conveyor belt guide
40 Separation roller
41, 42 Restriction member
45 Leaf spring C as a biasing means Coin

Claims (3)

A conveyor belt that is suspended by a plurality of rollers that are pivotally supported by a horizontal axis so as to rise and incline as it goes from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and has a bent portion with a different inclination angle at an intermediate position in the conveyance direction;
A conveyor belt guide for supporting a portion excluding the bent portion of the conveyor belt from below;
A separation roller that is arranged opposite to the upper part of the conveyance belt at an upstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the bent portion of the conveyance belt so as to form an interval through which only one coin can pass, and aligns the coins in one layer and one row;
A regulating member that is opposed to the upper region of the bent portion of the conveyor belt and regulates so that only one coin passes;
Is constantly urged upward by the urging means, said to support the portion of the bent portion of the conveyor belt from below, to I Ri bottom side to the coin being conveyed bent portion while being regulated by said regulating member of the conveyor belt A movable support member that is removably supported , and
In the state where the movable support member is raised , the coin conveying device is set so that the distance between the bent portion of the conveying belt and the regulating member is smaller than the thickness of the coin to be processed . The coin transport device according to claim 1, wherein the movable support member is a roller that is rotatable in a transport direction of the transport belt. On the downstream side of the conveyance belt in the conveyance direction, stop means for forcibly stopping the coin conveyance even when the conveyance belt is in operation is disposed,
3. The coin conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the regulating member is provided so as to form an interval through which only one coin can pass from an upper region of the bent portion of the conveying belt to the stopping means. .

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