JP5199906B2 - Electronic money / coin front module - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a coin sorter mounted on a counterpart device that needs to receive coins, such as billing and currency exchange, or a front module for this coin sorter, and in particular, the coin sorter has an electronic money reading function. It relates to a technique for adding.

  A conventional coin sorting device with a front plate is configured to include a front plate on which a coin insertion slot, a coin return slot, a coin return button, and the like are arranged, and a coin sorting section installed on the back side of the front plate. . The front plate also provides a coupling surface for the counterpart device. When the front plate is fixed to the counterpart device, the coin sorting unit is accommodated in the counterpart device. The coin sorting unit determines the authenticity of the coins inserted through the coin insertion slot, and in the case of a genuine coin, it is discharged to the safe side in the counterpart device, and in the case of a false coin, the coin is It is designed to return to the return port side.

  This coin sorting device with a front plate is often used in game machines, particularly table type game machines. The table-type game machine has a game screen on the top of the table, and when the user faces the game screen of the table, the front of the coin is visible in the lower right of the user. A coin sorting device with a front plate is arranged on the side.

  In recent years, the use of electronic money by IC card has become widespread as a form of billing. Therefore, in the counterpart device that needs to receive coins, in addition to conventional coins, it has become necessary to receive money using electronic money. Therefore, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, by providing an IC card reader / writer integrally with the coin sorting machine itself, the coin sorting function and the electronic money reading can be performed without requiring any special change to the counterpart device. Techniques that simultaneously realize functions have been proposed.

JP 2005-25404 A

  In the coin sorting machine of Patent Document 1, the coin slot is inclined obliquely upward from the vertical surface so that the user can easily insert coins, but the coin slot and the IC card holder are in the same place. Because it was formed, there was a problem that users were confused about which one to use. Moreover, as a result of the coin insertion slot and the IC card holding part being mixed, there is a problem that it is difficult to visually determine how to use them.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can provide a user with an environment that makes it easy to use both electronic money and coins without requiring any special changes to the counterpart device. An object is to provide a front module for a coin sorter and a coin sorter.

  The above object can be achieved by the following means by the inventors' diligent research.

  The present invention that achieves the above object is an electronic money / coin combined type front module that is mounted on a front plate of a coin sorting unit housed in a counterpart device, and that projects from the counterpart device to the front side. A body, a ceiling surface provided with a coin slot into which coins are inserted, and a bottom surface of the casing that is continuous with the ceiling surface and has an angle with the ceiling surface. A front surface provided with a card holding portion over which an IC card is held, and an insertion side extension path provided in the housing for guiding the coins inserted from the coin insertion port to the coin sorting unit in the counterpart device And an antenna device that is provided on the back side of the IC card holding part in the housing and wirelessly communicates with the IC card. Is Yuru.

  In the electronic money / coin combined front module, the present invention that achieves the above object includes a coin return port formed on the lower side of the front surface of the casing, and the casing includes a coin return portion. A return-side extension path for guiding the coin to the coin return port is provided.

  The present invention that achieves the above object is characterized in that, in the electronic money / coin combined front module, a display portion that indicates a state of the IC card holding portion is provided on the front surface.

  In the electronic money / coin combined type front module, the present invention that achieves the above object is characterized in that a coin return operation part is formed in the vicinity of the coin insertion slot on the ceiling surface, and the coin return operation part is provided in the casing. A displacement transmission mechanism for transmitting the displacement to the coin sorting unit is provided.

    The present invention that achieves the above object is the electronic money / coin combined front module according to the above invention, the coin sorting unit housed in the counterpart device, and the coin sorting unit fixed to the counterpart device. A coin sorter characterized by comprising a front plate integrally.

  According to the present invention, since the coin slot and the IC card holding part are arranged in a state of being distinguished by the casing ceiling surface and the casing front surface, the user can use the coin and electronic money without hesitation. Is possible. That is, the coin insertion slot is located on the ceiling surface, so that it is easy for the user to insert coins and the coin can be securely inserted, and the IC card holding part is located on the front surface so that the user can care about the size of the IC card. It is possible to use without.

It is a perspective view showing the whole coin sorter composition of this embodiment. It is a side view which shows typically the internal structure of the coin sorting part in the coin sorter. It is a side view which shows the internal structure of the front module in the coin sorter. It is a perspective view which shows the displacement transmission mechanism in the front module. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the control circuit in the front module. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the control circuit. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the coin sorter which concerns on the other example of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the coin sorter which concerns on the other example of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the whole structure of the coin sorter which concerns on the other example of this embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a coin sorter and an electronic money / coin combined front module according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a coin sorter 1 according to this embodiment. The coin sorting machine 1 is integrated with a coin sorting unit 10 accommodated in a counterpart device (not shown), a front plate 20 for fixing the coin sorting unit 10 to the counterpart device, and the front plate 20. The electronic money / coin combined front module (hereinafter referred to as front module) 50 is provided.

  The coin sorting unit 10 has a thin box shape extending in the vertical direction in the counterpart device with respect to the front plate 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the coin sorting unit 10 includes an introduction path 10A for guiding the inserted coins, and a determination mechanism 10B for determining the authenticity of the coins introduced through the introduction path 10A. And a genuine coin guide path 10C for discharging the genuine coins determined by the determining mechanism 10B to a safe in the counterpart device, and a false coin guide for guiding the false coins determined by the determining mechanism 10B to the coin return port side. A return mechanism 10E that forcibly guides coins to the fake coin guide path 10D by a user's operation of a coin return button regardless of whether the coin is true or false is provided.

  The front plate 20 is a plate material provided integrally on the front side of the coin sorting unit 10, and welded stats 58 are welded to the four corners. The front plate 20 is fixed to the counterpart device using the screws of the welding stat 58. In the present embodiment, the front plate 20 is configured to also serve as the back surface of the housing 52 in the front module 50.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the front module 50 includes a housing 52 that protrudes to the front side with respect to the counterpart device (or the front plate 20). The casing 52 has a substantially box shape having a ceiling surface 52A, an upper front surface 52B1, a lower front surface 52B2, a side surface 52C, and a bottom surface 52D. A step 52F is formed at the boundary between the upper front surface 52B1 and the lower front surface 52B2, and the upper front surface 52B1 protrudes toward the user as compared with the lower front surface 52B2.

  The ceiling surface 52A is provided with a coin slot 56 and a coin return button 57. Further, an IC card holding portion 60 is provided on the upper front surface 52B1. A coin return port 64 is provided in the lower front surface 52B2. The coin insertion slot 56 is opened upward in a substantially horizontal state, and various coins including coins are inserted therein. The IC card holding unit 60 is a region on which an IC card having a function such as electronic money (not shown) is held, and is formed of a plane having a predetermined area. The coin return port 64 is an opening for returning the coin when the coin sorting unit 10 determines that it is a fake coin or when the coin return button 57 is operated.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a display unit 66 and a selection button 68 are disposed above the IC card holding unit 60 in the upper front surface 52B1. The display unit 66 is configured by a display screen using liquid crystal, organic EL, or the like, displays a list of names of a plurality of types of usable IC cards, and highlights the currently selected IC card name. When the user presses the selection button 68, the highlighted display moves to another IC card name, and the IC card owned by the user can be selected. The IC card reading process is executed by holding the IC card that matches the selected name over the IC card holding unit 60.

  The upper front surface 52B1 of the housing 52 is continuous to the lower side of the ceiling surface 52A and forms an angle of 60 degrees to 90 degrees with the ceiling surface 52A. Accordingly, the ceiling surface 52A and the upper front surface 52B1 are visually distinguished completely by the difference in angle. The user can reliably visually recognize the coin receiving function on the ceiling surface 52A side and the electronic money reading function on the upper front surface 52B1 side.

  FIG. 3 shows the internal structure of the front module 50. In the housing 52, a closing side extension path 70, an antenna device 72, a return side extension path 76, and a displacement transmission mechanism 78 are provided.

  The insertion-side extension path 70 is a coin guiding passage that connects the coin insertion slot 56 to the coin sorting unit 10, and guides the coins that are thrown from the coin insertion slot 56 to the coin sorting unit 10. Specifically, the insertion side extension path 70 has a partial arc shape that forms an angle range of about 90 degrees. From the coin insertion port 56 that is in a substantially horizontal state, the insertion side extension path 70 is located on the side of the coin sorting unit 10 provided on the front plate 20. Coins are guided along the circular arc path between the insertion slot 20A.

  The antenna device 72 is provided in a state of being close to the back side of the IC card holding unit 60 on the upper front surface 52B1, and wirelessly communicates with an IC card (not shown) held on the IC card holding unit 60. A control circuit 74 (see FIG. 5) for controlling the antenna device and the like is housed in a separate housing (not shown) in the counterpart device. The control circuit 74 is connected to the antenna device 72, the display unit 66, and the selection button 68 by wiring (see FIG. 6).

  The return-side extension path 76 is a coin guide passage that connects the coin sorting unit 10 to the coin return port 64 formed in the lower front surface 52B2 of the casing 52, and the coins returned from the coin sorting unit 10 Is guided to the coin return slot 64.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the displacement transmission mechanism 78 includes a transmission shaft 78A and a swing lever 78B. The transmission shaft 78A extends in the vertical direction and is slidable in the vertical direction. The swing lever 78 </ b> B is provided on the input shaft of the return mechanism 10 </ b> E of the coin sorting unit 10. The transmission shaft 78A has an upper end in contact with the coin return button 57 and a lower end in contact with the swing lever 78B. When the coin return button 57 is pushed downward by the user, the transmission shaft 78A slides downward as shown in FIG. 4B, and the swing lever 78B swings. As a result, rotational power is input to the return mechanism 10E of the coin sorting unit 10, and the inserted coins are forcibly returned.

  FIG. 5 shows a hardware configuration of the control circuit 74. The control circuit 74 includes a CPU 74A, a ROM 74B, and a RAM 74C. These are connected to each other by a circuit board, and memory addresses and data are transmitted and received between the devices. The CPU 74 </ b> A is a central processing unit and performs overall control of the coin sorter 1. The ROM 74B is a read only memory (READ ONLY MEMORY). The ROM 74B stores firmware (program) for performing basic operations, programs for realizing various functions to be described later, and the like. The CPU 74A can read and execute a necessary program from the ROM 74B at an arbitrary timing. The RAM 74C is a memory (Random Access Memory) that can be accessed at any time. The RAM 74C functions as a work area for the CPU 74A and at the same time temporarily stores various data according to instructions from the CPU 74A. Although not particularly shown here, the control circuit 74 is also mounted with other electronic components for supplying power to the display unit 66 and the antenna device 72 and for controlling the display unit 66 and the antenna device 72. .

  FIG. 6 shows a functional configuration realized by the CPU 74A executing the program stored in the ROM 74B in the control circuit 74.

  The control circuit 74 includes an electronic money R / W processing unit 75A, a display control unit 75B, a mode switching unit 75C, and a communication unit 75D as functional configurations. The electronic money R / W processing unit 75A controls the antenna device 72 to read information from the IC card and write information to the IC card. The display control unit 75B controls the display unit 66 to display various information on the display unit 66. In the present embodiment, a list of available IC card names is displayed on the display unit 66. The mode switching unit 75C receives the operation signal of the selection button 68 and switches the mode of the front module 50. For example, when there are IC cards of Company A, Company B, and Company C, the mode switching unit 75C selects the Company A mode that allows reading and writing of the IC card of Company A as a standard, but the user selects When the button 68 is pressed once, the mode is switched to the B company mode in which reading and writing of the B company IC card can be performed. This switching result is transmitted to the display control unit 75B, and the display unit 66 displays that it is currently in the B company mode. When the user presses the selection button 68 once more, the mode switching unit 75C switches to the C company mode in which the C company IC card can be read and written. When the user presses the selection button 68 once again, the mode returns to the company A mode. In this way, the company A mode, the company B mode, and the company C mode are switched in this order depending on the number of times the selection button 68 is pressed. The communication unit 75D transmits the electronic money information read from the IC card to the counterpart device through wiring (not shown).

  As described above, according to the coin sorting machine 1 of the present embodiment, since the ceiling surface 52A and the upper front surface 52B1 are arranged at an angle, the coin insertion port 56 and the coin return button 68 on the ceiling surface 52A are configured. The coin use area and the electronic money use area constituted by the IC card holding part 60, the display part 66, and the selection button 68 on the upper front surface 52B1 are clearly distinguished and arranged. Therefore, the user can easily use coins and electronic money without hesitation. Moreover, in this coin sorter 1, the return side extension path 76 is provided in the housing | casing 52, and the coin return port 64 can be formed in lower front surface 52B2. As a result, even if the IC card holding part 60 protrudes to the front side, it can be avoided that the coin return port 64 is hidden.

  Furthermore, in this coin sorter 1, the coin insertion slot 56 is arranged in the upper stage, the IC card holding part 60 is arranged in the interruption, and the coin return slot 64 is arranged in the lower stage. . Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the coin insertion slot 56 is arranged on the ceiling surface 52A, the coin insertion slot 56 opens upward in a substantially horizontal state. As a result, since the user can easily insert coins into the coin insertion slot 56 simply by dropping the coins from above, it is possible to reduce mistakes in inserting coins by the user as compared with conventional coin sorters.

  Further, in this coin sorting machine 1, as a result of arranging the insertion side extension path 70 in a partial arc shape and disposing the coin insertion port 56 so as to escape horizontally to the ceiling surface 52A side, the entire upper front surface 52B1 of the casing 52 is arranged. Can be used effectively. Thereby, since the area of the IC card holding part 60 can be widened, the convenience when using electronic money is improved. On the other hand, it is possible to make the front module 50 extremely compact while arranging the coin slot 56 and the IC card holding part 60 separately. As a result, it can be directly mounted on the existing accommodation space of the counterpart device without changing the size. Even when the coin sorting unit 10 and the front plate 20 are already installed in the counterpart device, it is possible to additionally install only the front module 50 on the front side thereof.

  Moreover, in this coin sorter 1, since the IC card holding part 60 has a slight upwardly inclined surface, the IC card holding part 60 can be opposed to the user's line of sight, and the electronic money reading function Can be surely communicated to users. Furthermore, since the display unit 66 indicating the state of the IC card holding unit 60 is provided above the IC card holding unit 60, various information can be transmitted to the user using the display unit 66. In the present embodiment, the case where a list of names of readable IC cards is displayed has been described. In addition, the balance of electronic money in the IC card, the usage method of the IC card, and the like can be transmitted.

  As already described, since the upper side of the upper front surface 52B1 approaches the coin insertion slot 56 and the insertion side extension path 70 of the ceiling surface 52A, the internal space of the housing is reduced, and the antenna device 72 is installed. It becomes difficult. Therefore, as in the present embodiment, the display unit 66 that does not require much internal space is arranged on the upper side of the upper front surface 52B1, and the IC card holding unit 60 is arranged below the display unit 66, so that all of the upper front surface 52B1 is placed. Effective use.

  Further, in the coin sorting machine 1, by providing a displacement transmission mechanism 78 in the casing 52, a coin return button 57 is arranged in the vicinity of the coin insertion slot 56 of the ceiling surface 52A. As a result, the user can visually grasp the meaning of the coin return button 57 from the place. In particular, the existing coin sorting unit 10 is provided with a coin return mechanism 10E on the lower side from the center in the vertical direction, but the displacement of the coin return button 57 is changed by the displacement transmission mechanism 78 in the casing 52. Can be transmitted reliably.

  In the above embodiment, the lower front surface 52B2 in which the coin return port 64 is formed is recessed toward the counterpart device with respect to the upper front surface 52B1 in which the IC card holding portion 60 is formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as in another configuration example shown in FIG. 7, the upper front surface 52B1 and the lower front surface 52B2 may be configured on the same surface. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the lower front surface 52B2 may protrude toward the user side with respect to the upper front surface 52B1. In this way, the visibility of the coin return port 64 can be improved. Conversely, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper front surface 52B1 may be protruded toward the user, and the lower front surface 52B2 may be the surface of the front plate. In this way, the forward projecting portion can be small, and the front module can be kept out of the way when the position of the front module is close to the user. In addition, about the other structure of these coin sorter 1, since it is substantially the same as the coin sorter 1 already shown in FIGS. 1-6, specific description is attached | subjected by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol in drawing. Omitted.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although shown only when the coin return button 57 was employ | adopted as a coin return operation part, this invention is not limited to this, A coin return lever may be sufficient. In addition, the coin return operation unit can be arranged at a place other than the place shown in the present embodiment as long as it is a convenient place.

  The present invention can provide a coin sorter with improved usability of both coins and electronic money, and an electronic money / coin combined front module.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Coin sorter 10 Coin sorting part 20 Front plate 50 Front module 52 Case 52A Ceiling surface 52B1 Upper front surface 52B2 Lower front surface 56 Coin slot 57 Coin return button 58 Welding stat 60 IC card holding part 66 Display part 68 Selection button 70 Throw Side extension path 72 Antenna device 76 Return side extension path 78 Displacement transmission mechanism

Claims (5)

An electronic money / coin combined front module mounted on a front plate of a coin sorting unit housed in a counterpart device,
A housing projecting to the front side from the counterpart device;
A ceiling surface provided with a coin slot into which coins are inserted, formed in the housing,
A front surface provided with a card holding portion that is formed at an angle with the ceiling surface and is continuous with the lower side of the ceiling surface in the housing;
An insertion-side extension path that is provided in the housing and guides the coins input from the coin input port to the coin sorting unit in the counterpart device;
An antenna device that is provided on the back side of the IC card holding portion in the housing and wirelessly communicates with the IC card,
Electronic money / coin combined front module. A coin return opening is formed on the lower side of the front surface of the housing, and a return-side extension path for guiding the coin from the coin sorting unit to the coin return opening is provided in the housing. And
The electronic money / coin combined front module according to claim 1. A display unit indicating a state of the IC card holding unit is provided on the front surface.
The electronic money / coin combined front module according to claim 1. A coin return operation part is formed in the vicinity of the coin insertion slot on the ceiling surface,
A displacement transmission mechanism for transmitting the displacement of the coin return operation unit to the coin sorting unit is provided in the housing.
The electronic money / coin combined type front module according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The electronic money / coin combined front module according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The coin sorting unit housed in the counterpart device;
The front plate for fixing the coin sorting unit to the counterpart device;
A coin sorter characterized by comprising an integrated unit.

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