JP6842969B2 - Test medium, coin processing device and coin identification inspection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a test medium, a coin processing device, and a coin identification inspection method.

The coin identification unit used in the coin processing machine is arranged on the transport path, and the denomination of the coin is identified by using the captured image obtained by imaging the transported coin with an imaging means such as a line sensor. There is something to do (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-102894

Conventionally, in the coin processing machine as described above, the coin identification unit is inspected using actual coins. Since the patterns on the front and back surfaces of an actual coin differ depending on the circumferential position, that is, the rotation position, the circumferential position at the time of detection by the coin identification unit may affect the detected image.

An object of the present invention is to provide a test medium capable of stable inspection of a coin identification unit, a coin processing device using the test medium, and a coin identification inspection method.

In order to achieve the above object, the test medium of the first aspect according to the present invention is a test medium used for testing a coin identification unit that detects and identifies an image of a coin, and has a disk shape. A plurality of grooves are formed concentrically at predetermined equal intervals on at least one surface in the plate thickness direction, and the plurality of grooves are the outer end surfaces of the outer end in the plate thickness direction of the surface on which the plurality of grooves are formed. The feature is that the depth from the portion becomes deeper in order as the diameter side becomes smaller.

According to the first aspect, since a plurality of grooves are concentrically formed on at least one surface in the plate thickness direction, the position in the circumferential direction at the time of detection by the coin identification unit is output in the detection image. The effect can be suppressed. Therefore, stable inspection of the coin identification unit becomes possible.

According to the first aspect, since the depth of the plurality of grooves from the outer end surface portion of the outer end in the plate thickness direction of the surface on which they are formed is deeper toward the smaller diameter side, the coin identification portion It is possible to sharpen the detected image by.

In the test medium of the second aspect according to the present invention, in the first aspect, the outer end surface portion is radially outside of all of the plurality of grooves, and the intermediate surface portion between the adjacent grooves is The depth from the outer end surface portion is deeper toward the smaller diameter side.

According to the second aspect, the depth from the outer end surface portion of the intermediate surface portion between the adjacent grooves is deeper toward the smaller diameter side, so that the detected image can be sharpened by the coin identification portion. become.

Coin processing apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention, a coin identifying unit that performs identification by detecting the image of the coin, the test medium of said first or second state like, is detected in the coin identification portion It is characterized by including a control unit capable of executing an inspection mode for inspecting the coin identification unit.

According to the third aspect, since the test medium has a plurality of grooves concentrically formed on at least one surface in the plate thickness direction, the circumferential direction at the time of detection by the coin identification unit of the coin processing device. The influence of the position on the output of the detected image can be suppressed. Therefore, stable inspection is possible in the inspection mode of the coin processing apparatus, which inspects the coin identification unit based on the result of detecting the test medium in the coin identification unit.

Fourth coin discriminating test method aspect of the present invention, the first or second state like test medium, wherein by detecting the coin identification section for performing identification by detecting the image of the coin the coin identification section It is characterized by inspecting.

According to the fourth aspect, since the test medium has a plurality of grooves concentrically formed on at least one surface in the plate thickness direction, the circumferential position at the time of detection by the coin identification unit can be detected. The effect on the output of the image can be suppressed. Therefore, stable inspection of the coin identification unit becomes possible.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a test medium capable of stable inspection of a coin identification unit, a coin processing apparatus using the test medium, and a coin identification inspection method.

The test medium of the 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention is shown, (a) is a sectional view, and (b) is a bottom view. It is an enlarged sectional view of the part A of FIG. 1 which shows the test medium of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows the coin processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the coin identification part of the coin processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the main part of the coin identification part of the coin processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the coin identification part of the coin processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the coin identification part of the coin processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the coin processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is an inspection flowchart of the coin identification part of the coin processing apparatus of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. This is coin image data obtained by detecting the test medium of the first embodiment according to the present invention with a coin identification unit. The test medium of the 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention is shown, (a) is a sectional view, and (b) is a bottom view. It is an enlarged sectional view of the part B of FIG. 11 which shows the test medium of the 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. This is coin image data obtained by detecting the test medium of the second embodiment according to the present invention with a coin identification unit. It is coin image data of the test medium which detected the test medium of the 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention by a coin identification part.

<First Embodiment>
The first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the test medium 201 of the first embodiment has a disk shape, the outer peripheral surface 202 is a cylindrical surface, and one side surface 203 and the other side surface 204 in the plate thickness direction are formed. It extends so as to be orthogonal to the central axis of the outer peripheral surface 202. The central axis of the test medium 201 coincides with the central axis of the outer peripheral surface 202. The test medium 201 has an outer diameter and a thickness equivalent to a 500-yen coin, and is made of, for example, stainless steel (SUS).

A plurality of, specifically ten annular grooves 211a to 211j are formed concentrically in this order from the outer side to the inner side in the radial direction on the surface 203 on one side in the plate thickness direction. The common central axis of the grooves 211a to 211j coincides with the central axis of the outer peripheral surface 202, and forms a concentric pattern at predetermined equal intervals.

As the grooves 211a to 211c are shown in FIG. 2, the grooves 211a to 211j each have an opening 212, a bottom surface 213, an outer cylindrical surface 214, an inner cylindrical surface 215, an outer tapered surface 216, and an inner tapered surface 217. doing.

In each of the grooves 211a to 211j, the radial width of the opening 212 is constant regardless of the circumferential position, and the radial width of the bottom surface 213 is also constant regardless of the circumferential position. The radial width of the 212 is wider than the radial width of the bottom surface 213, and the opening 212 and the bottom surface 213 coincide with the center position of the radial width in the radial direction.

The grooves 211a to 211j all have the same radial width of the opening 212, and the same radial width of the bottom surface 213. All the bottom surfaces 213 of the grooves 211a to 211j are arranged in the same plane, and this plane extends orthogonal to the central axis of the outer peripheral surface 202.

In each of the grooves 211a to 211j, the outer cylindrical surface 214 extends from the outer edge of the bottom surface 213 in the radial direction to the opening 212 side with a constant diameter, and the inner cylindrical surface 215 is inside the bottom surface 213 in the radial direction. It extends from the edge portion to the opening 212 side with a constant diameter. In each of the grooves 211a to 211j, the outer cylindrical surface 214 and the inner cylindrical surface 215 have the same axial length, and all the grooves 211a to 211j have the same axial length.

In each of the grooves 211a to 211j, the outer tapered surface 216 extends from the edge portion of the outer cylindrical surface 214 opposite to the bottom surface 213 to the opening 212 side and has a larger diameter toward the opening 212 side. The inner tapered surface 217 extends from the edge portion of the inner cylindrical surface 215 opposite to the bottom surface 213 to the opening 212 side and has a smaller diameter toward the opening 212 side. In each of the grooves 211a to 211j, the outer cylindrical surface 214 and the inner cylindrical surface 215 have the same axial length, and all the grooves 211a to 211j have the same axial length.

As described above, each of the grooves 211a to 211j is a tapered groove whose width in the radial direction becomes narrower toward the bottom surface 213 side, and all have the same depth.

The surface 203 has an outer edge surface portion 218a radially outside the groove 211a to 211j which is the outermost in the radial direction, an intermediate surface portion 218b between the grooves 211a and 211b, and an intermediate surface portion 218c between the grooves 211b and 211c. , An intermediate surface portion 218d between the grooves 211c and 211d, an intermediate surface portion 218e between the grooves 211d and 211e, an intermediate surface portion 218f between the grooves 211e and 211f, an intermediate surface portion 218g between the grooves 211f and 211g, and an intermediate surface portion 218g between the grooves 211g and 211h. It has an intermediate surface portion 218h, an intermediate surface portion 218i between the grooves 211h and 211i, an intermediate surface portion 218j between the grooves 211i and 211j, and a central surface portion 218k inside the groove 211j in the radial direction.

The outer edge surface portion 218a and the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j are both annular, and the central surface portion 218k is a circular surface extending over the entire inner surface in the radial direction from the outer peripheral edge portion. The outer edge surface portion 218a, the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j, and the central surface portion 218k are arranged in the same plane, and these form the outer end surface portion 219 of the outer end in the plate thickness direction of the surface 203. The radial widths of the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j are constant regardless of the circumferential position, and all have the same radial width.

The surface 204 on the other side in the plate thickness direction is a circular surface extending over the entire inner surface in the radial direction from the outer peripheral edge portion thereof. The surface 204 is a plane orthogonal to the central axis of the outer peripheral surface 202. Therefore, the surface 204 is parallel to the outer end surface portion 219 of the surface 203.

The test medium 201 has, for example, an outer diameter of 26.6 mm and a thickness of 2 mm. The distance from the central axis of the test medium 201 to the center position of the radial widths of the grooves 211a to 211j is, for example, 1.2 mm for the groove 211a, 2.4 mm for the groove 211b, and 3. 6 mm, groove 211d is 4.8 mm, groove 211e is 6.0 mm, groove 211f is 7.2 mm, groove 211g is 8.4 mm, groove 211h is 9.6 mm, groove 211i is 10.8 mm, groove 211j is 12.0 mm. ,. The radial width of each of the bottom surfaces 213 of the grooves 211a to 211j is, for example, 0.5 mm. The depth of each of the bottom surfaces 213 of the grooves 211a to 211j from the outer end surface portion 219 is, for example, 0.3 mm. The size and material of the test medium 201, the number of grooves formed in the test medium 201, and the width, depth, and other dimensions of the grooves can be arbitrarily selected.

The coin processing device 1 of the first embodiment counts and stores the loose coins inserted from outside the machine by denomination while identifying them. As shown in FIG. 3, the coin processing device 1 has a coin insertion / delivery unit 10 into which coins are inserted from the outside.

The coin insertion / delivery portion 10 includes a rotating disk 12 arranged horizontally, a substantially cylindrical side wall portion 13 which rises vertically from the outer edge portion of the rotating disk 12, and is partially cut out, and a rotating disk 12. It has a sorting ring 14 provided in the notch portion of the side wall portion 13 with a gap equivalent to one coin between them.

Loose coins are inserted into the coin insertion / delivery unit 10 from outside the machine. When the rotating disk 12 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 3 in this state, the coin is carried along the inner peripheral surface of the side wall portion 13 by the centrifugal force. Further, the coins are separated one by one through the gap between the rotating disk 12 and the sorting ring 14, and are sequentially fed out from the coin insertion / feeding section 10.

At the coin feeding position of the coin feeding / feeding unit 10, a transport path 20 for guiding the coins fed from the coin feeding / feeding section 10 in a row and a feed unit 21 for transporting the coins on the transport path 20 are provided. There is.

The transport path 20 has a first transport portion 23 arranged along the tangential direction of the rotary disk 12 and a second transport portion 24 extending in an orthogonal direction from the side opposite to the rotary disk 12 of the first transport unit 23. And a third transport unit 25 extending in the orthogonal direction from the side opposite to the first transport unit 23 of the second transport unit 24. The first transport unit 23 is provided with a coin identification unit 27 that detects an image of a coin being transported and counts while identifying the denomination. Therefore, the coin processing device 1 has a coin identification unit 27 that detects and identifies an image of a coin, and processes the coin based on the identification result of the coin identification unit 27.

The second transport unit 24 has a reject port 28 for guiding coins that can be dropped and the dropped coins to be taken out of the machine, and a coin identification unit 27 for dropping coins identified as indistinguishable into the reject port 28. A reject portion 29 is provided. The coins that have fallen from the reject port 28 are discharged into a reject box (not shown).

The third transport unit 25 is provided with a sorting unit 32 that sorts the coins counted by the coin identification unit 27 by denomination. The sorting unit 32 has sorting ports 32a to 32f for each type of coin on which coins can be dropped, and these sorting ports 32a to 32f are provided side by side in the extending direction of the third transport unit 25. These sorting ports 32a to 32f are designed to drop coins from those having a small outer diameter, and the most upstream sorting port 32a is a 1-yen coin, and the downstream sorting port 32b is a 50-yen coin. The downstream sorting port 32c is a 5-yen coin, the downstream sorting port 32d is a 100-yen coin, the downstream sorting port 32e is a 10-yen coin, and the downstream sorting port 32f is a 500-yen coin. Are designed to be dropped separately. Coin detection sensors 33a to 33f for detecting coins are provided at positions immediately before the sorting ports 32a to 32f, and the sorting ports 32a to 32f are based on the difference in the number of detected coins between adjacent coin detection sensors 33a to 33f. It is designed to count the number of coins that have fallen from the ones in between.

The feed unit 21 has a plurality of transport belts 35, 36, and these transport belts 35, 36 press the coins fed from the coin loading / feeding unit 10 against the transport path 20 from above to transport the coins. During this transportation, the coins are first identified and counted by the coin identification unit 27. The coins that could not be identified by the coin identification unit 27 are dropped from the reject port 28 by the reject unit 29, and the other coins are dropped from the corresponding ones of the sorting ports 32a to 32f of the denomination of the sorting unit 32. ..

Although not shown, below the sorting ports 32a to 32f, there is a temporary storage section for each type of coins that temporarily stores coins that have fallen from the sorting ports 32a to 32f so that they can be returned to the outside of the machine, and a temporary storage section. There is a withdrawal storage unit for each type of coin that can be withdrawn.

The coin identification unit 27 is provided in the first transport unit 23 of the transport path 20. Assuming that the horizontal direction orthogonal to the coin transport direction in the first transport section 23 is the passage width direction, the transport surface 39 on the upper surface of the first transport section 23 is arranged horizontally and is linear in the tangential direction of the rotating disk 12. It has a passage portion 40 extending in the direction of the passage 40, and side wall portions 41 and 42 erected on both sides of the passage portion 40 in the passage width direction and extending in the same direction as the passage portion 40. The passage portion 40 supports the lower surface of the coins delivered from the coin insertion / delivery portion 10 with the transport surface 39 to guide the movement, and the side wall portions 41 and 42 are arranged so that the coins are lined up in a row at that time. Guide the outer circumference of the coin.

The coin identification unit 27 has a transport plate 45 that forms a part of the passage unit 40. The transport surface 46 on the upper surface of the transport plate 45 forms a part of the transport surface 39, and guides the lower surface of the coin like the other parts of the transport surface 39. The transport plate 45 is made of a translucent material, specifically a glass plate.

As shown in FIG. 4, the coin identification unit 27 has guide members 48 and 49 on both sides in the passage width direction on the upper side of the transport plate 45. The guide member 48 constitutes a part of the side wall portion 41 shown in FIG. 3, and the guide member 49 constitutes a part of the side wall portion 42 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the portion between the guide members 48 and 49 on the upper surface of the transport plate 45 is a transport surface 46 for guiding the coin C.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the coin identification unit 27 is provided on the above-mentioned transport plate 45 and the lower side of the transport plate 45, and emits light from the lower side to the coin C moving on the transport surface 46. It has a lower irradiation unit 51 for irradiation and an identification main body 52 provided below the transfer plate 45 for identifying coins C moving on the transfer surface 46. The coin identification unit 27 has an upper irradiation unit 53 shown in FIG. 8 that irradiates the coin C moving on the transport surface 46 with light from above.

The identification main body 52 has a cell hook lens 55 as a condensing unit arranged under the transport plate 45 and a line sensor 56 as an image detection unit arranged under the cell hook lens 55. ing. The cell hook lens 55 and the line sensor 56 are arranged so as to extend in the passage width direction of the transport surface 46, and align the positions of the transport surface 46 in the coin transport direction with each other. The identification main body 52 detects a line image along the passage width direction of the coin C at the coin identification position directly above them by the cell hook lens 55 and the line sensor 56, and connects the line images in chronological order to make coins. The outer diameter and pattern of C are simply detected to identify authenticity, positive loss, denomination, and the like.

The lower irradiation unit 51 is located directly above the cell hook lens 55 and the line sensor 56, and is upstream and downstream in the coin transport direction with respect to the coin identification position (hereinafter referred to as the coin identification position) of the coin by the identification main body 52. It has assemblies 61 and 61 which are common parts arranged on the side respectively. In the following description, (U) is added to the code of the assembly 61 and its components provided on the upstream side in the coin transport direction with respect to the coin identification position, and the assembly 61 is provided on the downstream side in the coin transport direction with respect to the coin identification position. (L) is added to the reference numerals of the assembly 61 and its components to distinguish them from each other.

As shown in FIG. 5, the assembly 61 (U) is an upstream assembly provided on the upstream side in the coin transport direction of the pair of assemblies 61 (U) and 61 (L). The assembly 61 (U) includes a substrate 65 (U), a light source 67 (U) composed of a plurality of LEDs 66 (U) mounted on the substrate 65 (U), and a guide mounted on the substrate 65 (U). The light absorbing plate 68 (U), the reflector 69 (U) attached to the upper surface of the light guide plate 68 (U), and the light absorbing sheet 70 arranged on the lower side of the light guide plate 68 (U) on the coin identification position side. (U), and these are assembled and integrally configured. The reflector 69 (U) is an upstream reflector provided on the assembly 61 (U) on the upstream side in the coin transport direction among the assemblies 61 (U) and 61 (L), and is a light absorbing sheet 70 (U). Is an upstream light absorbing sheet provided on the assembly 61 (U) on the upstream side in the coin transport direction.

The substrate 65 (U) of the upstream assembly 61 (U) is transferred from the state parallel to the transport surface 46 to the transport surface 46 on the downstream side of the coin transport direction, centering on the virtual axis parallel to the passage width direction. It is tilted to approach.

The light source 67 (U) mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 65 (U) is an upstream light source arranged on the upstream side in the coin transport direction with respect to the coin identification position. The plurality of (specifically, eight) LEDs 66 (U) constituting the light source 67 (U) are all aligned in position and height in the coin transport direction, and are arranged in a row at equal intervals in the passage width direction. Has been done. The optical axis of these LEDs 66 (U) is parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 65 (U) and parallel to the coin transport direction in a plan view, and is directed to the downstream side of the coin transport direction, that is, the coin identification position side. ..

The light guide plate 68 (U) is made of a transparent acrylic plate, and an arrangement hole 91 (U) penetrating in the plate thickness direction is formed in the intermediate portion. The light guide plate 68 (U) is placed on the substrate 65 (U) so that a plurality of LEDs 66 (U) are arranged in the arrangement hole 91 (U), and is attached to the substrate 65 (U). .. The light guide plate 68 (U) has a flat plate portion 92 (U) mounted on the substrate 65 (U).

The flat plate portion 92 (U) has a front light guide plate portion 93 (U) located on the downstream side of the arrangement hole 91 (U) in the coin transport direction and side plate portions 94 located on both sides of the arrangement hole 91 (U) in the passage width direction. It has (U) and 95 (U), and a back plate portion 96 (U) located on the upstream side of the arrangement hole 91 (U) in the coin transport direction. The flat plate portion 92 (U) is placed on the substrate 65 (U) so as to be inclined in the same manner as the substrate 65 (U). That is, the flat plate portion 92 (U) is arranged so as to be inclined so that the downstream side is closer to the transport surface 46 than the upstream side in the coin transport direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the flat plate portion 92 (U) is inclined in a range where the angle θ1 (U) formed with the transport surface 46 is larger than 0 degrees and 15 degrees or less, and specifically, θ1 (specifically, θ1 (U). U) = 10 degrees tilted. Therefore, the flat plate portion 92 (U) has an acute angle with respect to the transport surface 46, and if the positions in the coin transport direction are the same, the distance from the transport surface 46 is equidistant.

The front light guide plate portion 93 (U) is arranged on the upstream side in the coin transport direction with respect to the coin identification position. In the front light guide plate portion 93 (U), the front end surface 98 (U) and the rear end surface 99 (U) are parallel in the plate thickness direction and parallel in the passage width direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light guide plate 68 (U) extends from one side in the passage width direction on the downstream side of the front light guide plate portion 93 (U) in the coin transport direction to the downstream side in the coin transport direction. It has a light plate portion 100 (U). The front light guide plate portion 93 (U) and the extension light guide plate portion 100 (U) form an upstream light guide plate portion 101 (U) arranged on the coin identification position side of the light source 67 (U).

The extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) is arranged on the same plane as the front light guide plate portion 93 (U), so that the downstream side of the coin transport direction is inclined so as to approach the transport surface 46. It has a base end plate portion 102 (U) and a tip plate portion 103 (U) on the tip side that bends with respect to the base end plate portion 102 (U) so as to be parallel to the transport surface 46. .. The base end plate portion 102 (U) is an upstream side inclined plate portion that is inclined with respect to the transport surface 46 in the light guide plate 68 (U) on the upstream side. The tip plate portion 103 (U) is a one-side parallel plate portion that is parallel to the transport surface 46 on one side in the passage width direction.

The tip plate portion 103 (U) of the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) has an inclined surface 105 (U) that is parallel to the plate thickness direction and is inclined with respect to the coin transport direction in a plan view on the outside in the passage width direction. U) is formed. The tip plate portion 103 (U) is formed with an end surface 106 (U) that is parallel to the plate thickness direction and parallel to the coin transport direction in a plan view inside the passage width direction. The end face 106 (U) is a main light emitting surface that mainly emits light in the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U). The central position of the end face 106 (U) in the coin transport direction coincides with the positions of the cell hook lens 55 and the line sensor 56, that is, the coin identification position.

Of the plurality of LEDs 66 (U) constituting the light source 67 (U), one LED 66 (U) on the most extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) side has the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) and the passage width. The positions of the directions are aligned, and the remaining plurality of (specifically, seven) LEDs 66 (U) are portions where the extended light guide plate portion 100 (U) of the front light guide plate portion 93 (U) is not formed. And the position in the aisle width direction. The front light guide plate portion 93 (U) is arranged between the plurality of LEDs 66 (U), that is, the light source 67 (U), and the coin identification position.

The front light guide plate portion 93 (U) guides light from a plurality of LEDs 66 (U) that are aligned with the position in the passage width direction along the coin transport direction, and the coins of the front light guide plate portion 93 (U). Light is emitted from the front end surface 98 (U) shown in FIG. 6 on the downstream side in the transport direction, and the coin C at the coin identification position is irradiated from the upstream side in the transport direction. The front light guide plate portion 93 (U) is an upstream transport direction light guide plate portion on the upstream side of the coin identification position.

The front light guide plate portion 93 (U) guides light on each optical axis of the plurality of LEDs 66 (U) in a direction orthogonal to the plate thickness direction and parallel to a coin transport direction in a plan view. become. Since the front light guide plate portion 93 (U) is inclined so that the downstream side is closer to the transport surface 46 than the upstream side in the coin transport direction, the light on the optical axis from each of the plurality of LEDs 66 (U) is parallel. Irradiate from the upstream side and the lower side to the downstream side and the upper side in parallel with the coin transport direction visually. The irradiation angle at this time is larger than 0 degrees and 15 degrees or less (specifically, 10 degrees) with respect to the transport surface 46, similar to the inclination of the front light guide plate portion 93 (U).

As shown in FIG. 5, the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) emits light on the optical axis from the LED 66 (U) that is aligned with the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) in the passage width direction. , The base end plate portion 102 (U) is guided so as to be orthogonal to the plate thickness direction and parallel to the coin transport direction in the plan view, as in the front light guide plate portion 93 (U), and then the tip plate portion 103. By reflecting (U) on the inclined surface 105 (U) provided on the inclined surface 105 (U), the (U) is converted into a direction intersecting the coin transport direction, and the coin C at the coin identification position is viewed from the lower side of one side. Irradiate toward the upper side of the other side along the width direction of the passage. That is, the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) is a one-sided light guide plate portion located on one side in the passage width direction, and the inclined surface 105 (U) is an extension of the light guide plate 68 (U) on the upstream side. It is an upstream optical path conversion unit formed in the light guide plate unit 100 (U).

More specifically, the tip plate portion 103 (U) reflects light on the optical axis parallel to the transport direction on the upper surface 107 (U) in a plan view along the base end plate portion 102 (U) from the LED 66 (U). , A posture along the path width direction in a plan view from the end surface 106 (U) by converting the direction parallel to the passage width direction in a plan view by the inclined surface 105 (U) and reflecting it on the lower surface 108 (U). As it is, irradiate from one side and the lower side in the width direction of the passage toward the other side and the upper side. It should be noted that, due to the difference in the refractive index when the end face 106 (U) is emitted to the atmosphere, the inclination after the emission is further upward than that immediately before the emission. As shown in FIG. 7, the angle θ2 (U) of the emitted light with respect to the transport surface 46 is set to be larger than 0 degrees and 20 degrees or less (specifically, 15 degrees). The extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) is directed from the end of the transport surface 46 on the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) side in the passage width direction toward a position of 1/4 of the passage width W, that is, a position of W / 4. It is designed to irradiate light on the optical axis from the LED 66 (U).

The reflector 69 (U) shown in FIG. 5 covers the entire upper surface of the flat plate portion 92 (U) of the light guide plate 68 (U) and closes the upper opening of the arrangement hole 91 (U). The extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) is not covered with the reflector. Further, the light absorption sheet 70 (U) is attached to the substrate 65 (U) via a support member (not shown), and is parallel to the lower side of the front light guide plate portion 93 (U) on the coin identification position side. It is arranged below the extension light guide plate portion 100 (U).

The assembly 61 (L) is a downstream assembly provided on the downstream side in the coin transport direction of the pair of assemblies 61 (U) and 61 (L). The assembly 61 (L) includes a substrate 65 (L), a light source 67 (L) composed of a plurality of LEDs 66 (L) mounted on the substrate 65 (L), and a guide mounted on the substrate 65 (L). The light absorbing plate 68 (L), the reflector 69 (L) attached to the upper surface of the light guide plate 68 (L), and the light absorbing sheet 70 arranged on the lower side of the light guide plate 68 (L) on the coin identification position side. It has (L), and these are assembled and integrally configured. The reflector 69 (L) is a downstream reflector provided on the assembly 61 (L) on the downstream side in the coin transport direction among the assemblies 61 (U) and 61 (L), and is a light absorption sheet 70 (L). Is a downstream light absorbing sheet provided on the assembly 61 (L) on the downstream side in the coin transport direction.

The substrate 65 (L) of the downstream assembly 61 (L) is closer to the transport surface 46 than the downstream side in the coin transport direction, centering on the virtual axis parallel to the passage width direction, from the state parallel to the transport surface 46. It is tilted like this.

The light source 67 (L) mounted on the upper surface of the substrate 65 (L) is a downstream light source arranged on the downstream side in the coin transport direction with respect to the coin identification position. The plurality of (specifically, eight) LEDs 66 (L) constituting the light source 67 (L) are all aligned in position and height in the coin transport direction, and are arranged in a row at equal intervals in the passage width direction. Has been done. The direction of the optical axis of these LEDs 66 (L) is parallel to the upper surface of the substrate 65 (L) and parallel to the coin transport direction in a plan view, and is directed to the upstream side of the coin transport direction, that is, the coin identification position side. ..

The light guide plate 68 (L) is made of a transparent acrylic plate, and an arrangement hole 91 (L) penetrating in the plate thickness direction is formed in the intermediate portion. The light guide plate 68 (L) is placed on the substrate 65 (L) so that a plurality of LEDs 66 (L) are arranged in the arrangement hole 91 (L), and is attached to the substrate 65 (L). .. The light guide plate 68 (L) has a flat plate portion 92 (L) mounted on the substrate 65 (L).

The flat plate portion 92 (L) has a front light guide plate portion 93 (L) located on the upstream side of the arrangement hole 91 (L) in the coin transport direction and side plate portions 94 located on both sides of the arrangement hole 91 (L) in the passage width direction. It has (L) and 95 (L), and a back plate portion 96 (L) located on the downstream side of the arrangement hole 91 (L) in the coin transport direction. The flat plate portion 92 (L) is placed on the substrate 65 (L) so as to be inclined in the same manner as the substrate 65 (L). That is, the flat plate portion 92 (L) is arranged so as to be inclined so that the upstream side is closer to the transport surface 46 than the downstream side in the coin transport direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the flat plate portion 92 (L) is inclined in a range where the angle θ1 (L) formed with the transport surface 46 is larger than 0 degrees and 15 degrees or less, and specifically, θ1 (L). ) = It is tilted at 10 degrees. Therefore, the flat plate portion 92 (L) has an acute angle with respect to the transport surface 46, and if the positions in the coin transport direction are the same, the distance from the transport surface 46 is equidistant.

The front light guide plate portion 93 (L) is arranged on the downstream side in the coin transport direction with respect to the coin identification position. In the front light guide plate portion 93 (L), the front end surface 98 (L) and the rear end surface 99 (L) are parallel in the plate thickness direction and parallel in the passage width direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the light guide plate 68 (L) is opposite to one side portion (extended light guide plate portion 100 (U)) in the passage width direction on the upstream side in the coin transport direction of the front light guide plate portion 93 (L). It has an extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) extending from the side portion) to the upstream side in the coin transport direction. The front light guide plate portion 93 (L) and the extended light guide plate portion 100 (L) form a downstream light guide plate portion 101 (L) arranged on the coin identification position side of the light source 67 (L).

The extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) is arranged on the same plane as the front light guide plate portion 93 (L), and is inclined so that the upstream side is closer to the transport surface 46 than the downstream side in the coin transport direction. It has a base end plate portion 102 (L) and a tip plate portion 103 (L) on the tip side that bends with respect to the base end plate portion 102 (L) so as to be parallel to the transport surface 46. .. The base end plate portion 102 (L) is a downstream side inclined plate portion that is inclined with respect to the transport surface 46 in the light guide plate 68 (L) on the downstream side. The tip plate portion 103 (L) is the other side parallel plate portion that is parallel to the transport surface 46 as shown in FIG. 6 on the other side opposite to the tip plate portion 103 (U) in the passage width direction. ..

As shown in FIG. 5, the tip plate portion 103 (L) of the extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) is parallel to the plate thickness direction on the outside in the passage width direction and is parallel to the coin transport direction in a plan view. An inclined surface 105 (L) is formed. The tip plate portion 103 (L) is formed with an end surface 106 (L) that is parallel to the plate thickness direction and parallel to the coin transport direction in a plan view inside the passage width direction. The end face 106 (L) is a main light emitting surface that mainly emits light in the extended light guide plate portion 100 (L). The central position of the end face 106 (L) in the coin transport direction coincides with the positions of the cell hook lens 55 and the line sensor 56, that is, the coin identification position. The end face 106 (L) of the tip plate portion 103 (L) and the end face 106 (U) of the tip plate portion 103 (U) are parallel to each other to align the positions in the coin transport direction. In other words, the end face 106 (L) and the end face 106 (U) face each other in the passage width direction.

Of the plurality of LEDs 66 (L) constituting the light source 67 (L), one LED 66 (L) on the most extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) side has the extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) and the passage width. The positions of the directions are aligned, and the remaining plurality of (specifically, seven) LEDs 66 (L) are portions of the front light guide plate portion 93 (L) where the extended light guide plate portion 100 (L) is not formed. And the position in the aisle width direction. The front light guide plate portion 93 (L) is arranged between the plurality of LEDs 66 (L), that is, the light source 67 (L), and the coin identification position.

The front light guide plate portion 93 (L) guides light from a plurality of LEDs 66 (L) that are aligned with the position in the passage width direction along the coin transport direction, and the coins of the front light guide plate portion 93 (L). Light is emitted from the front end surface 98 (L) on the upstream side in the transport direction, and the coin C at the coin identification position is irradiated from the downstream side in the transport direction. The front light guide plate portion 93 (L) is a light guide plate portion in the downstream transport direction on the downstream side of the coin identification position.

The front light guide plate portion 93 (L) guides light on each optical axis of the plurality of LEDs 66 (L) in a direction orthogonal to the plate thickness direction and parallel to a coin transport direction in a plan view. become. Since the upstream side of the coin transport direction is inclined so as to approach the transport surface 46, the front light guide plate portion 93 (L) flattens the light on the optical axis from each of the plurality of LEDs 66 (L). Irradiate from the downstream side and the lower side to the upstream side and the upper side in parallel with the coin transport direction visually. The irradiation angle at this time is larger than 0 degrees and 15 degrees or less (specifically, 10 degrees) with respect to the transport surface 46, similarly to the inclination of the front light guide plate portion 93 (L).

The extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) transmits light on the optical axis from the LED 66 (L) that is aligned with the extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) in the passage width direction to the base end plate portion 102 (L). Similar to the front light guide plate portion 93 (L), the light guide is provided so that the L) is orthogonal to the plate thickness direction and parallel to the coin transport direction in a plan view, and then the tip plate portion 103 (L) is provided on the light guide plate portion 103 (L). By reflecting it on the inclined surface 105 (L), it is converted into a direction that intersects the coin transport direction, and the other side opposite to the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) with respect to the coin C at the coin identification position. Irradiation is performed from the lower side of the side of the light toward the upper side of one side of the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) along the width direction of the passage. That is, the extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) is the other side light guide plate portion located on the other side opposite to the extending light guide plate portion 100 (U) in the passage width direction, and is an inclined surface 105 (L). Is a downstream optical path conversion unit formed on the extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) of the light guide plate 68 (L) on the downstream side.

More specifically, the tip plate portion 103 (L) reflects light on the optical axis parallel to the transport direction on the upper surface 107 (L) in a plan view along the base end plate portion 102 (L) from the LED 66 (L). , A posture along the path width direction in a plan view from the end surface 106 (L) by converting the direction parallel to the passage width direction in a plan view by the inclined surface 105 (L) and reflecting it on the lower surface 108 (L). As it is, irradiate from the other side and the lower side in the passage width direction toward one side and the upper side. It should be noted that, due to the difference in the refractive index when the end face 106 (L) is emitted to the atmosphere, the inclination after the emission is further upward than that immediately before the emission. As shown in FIG. 7, the angle θ2 (L) of the emitted light with respect to the transport surface 46 is set to be larger than 0 degrees and 20 degrees or less (specifically, 15 degrees). The extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) is directed from the end of the transport surface 46 on the extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) side in the passage width direction toward a position of 1/4 of the passage width W, that is, a position of W / 4. It is designed to irradiate light on the optical axis from the LED 66 (L).

The reflector 69 (L) shown in FIG. 5 covers the entire upper surface of the flat plate portion 92 (L) of the light guide plate 68 (L) and closes the upper opening of the arrangement hole 91 (L). The extending light guide plate portion 100 (L) is not covered with the reflector. Further, the light absorption sheet 70 (L) is attached to the substrate 65 (L) via a support member (not shown), and is arranged below the coin identification position side of the front light guide plate portion 93 (L). It is arranged below the extending light guide plate portion 100 (L).

In the coin processing device 1, the coins inserted into the coin insertion / delivery unit 10 shown in FIG. 3 are fed out from the coin insertion / delivery unit 10, driven by the feed unit 21, arranged in a line on the transport path 20, and conveyed. To. Then, in the coin identification unit 27, as shown in FIG. 5, the coin C moves on the transport surface 46 during transport, and the identification body portion 52 is being transported by the line sensor 56 at the coin identification position. The line image data of the lower surface of the coin C is detected, and the coin is identified based on the line image data detected by the line sensor 56.

The identification main body 52 arranges a plurality of line image data obtained by sampling a plurality of coins C transported on the coin identification unit 27 at predetermined sampling intervals with a line sensor 56 to obtain coin image data. It is generated and the denomination of coin C is identified based on the coin image data. That is, the coin image data is compared with the reference coin image data of the coins of each denomination, the degree of matching is calculated, and if there is a denomination whose degree of matching is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the coin C of the coin image data is It is determined that the coin is of the denomination, and the coin C is moved to the sorting unit 32 without being dropped to the reject port 28 by the reject unit 29, and dropped to the corresponding denomination of the sorting ports 32a to 32f. .. Further, if there is no denomination whose matching degree is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, the coin C in the coin image data is identified as having no corresponding denomination and the denomination cannot be identified, and is dropped into the reject port 28 by the reject unit 29. ..

As shown in FIG. 8, the coin processing device 1 includes an operation unit 121 that receives an operation input by an operator, a display unit 122 that displays a screen for the operator, and a control unit 123 that controls the entire coin processing device 1. And have.

The coin processing device 1 is adapted to perform a coin identification inspection method for inspecting the coin identification unit 27 using the test medium 201 described above. That is, the coin processing device 1 sets an inspection mode in which the above-mentioned test medium 201 is detected by the coin identification unit 27 that detects and identifies the image of the coin C, and the coin identification unit 27 is inspected based on the result. It has become feasible. Therefore, the test medium 201 is used for testing the coin identification unit 27.

When the operation unit 121 inputs the inspection mode selection operation of the coin identification unit 27, the control unit 123 of the coin processing device 1 performs the inspection process of the coin identification unit 27 in the flow shown in FIG. ing. When the inspection mode selection operation of the coin identification unit 27 is input, the control unit 123 causes the display unit 122 to display a screen display instructing the supply of the test medium 201 to the coin insertion / delivery unit 10 (step S1). In this screen display, an instruction to place the test medium 201 on the rotating disk 12 with the surfaces 203 on which the grooves 211a to 211j are formed face down and an instruction operation to start the test after the test medium 201 is placed are input. Includes instructions.

Looking at the screen display of the display unit 122, the operator places the test medium 201 on the rotating disk 12 with the surfaces 203 on which the grooves 211a to 211j are formed face down, and then starts the test on the operation unit 121. Enter the instruction operation. When the test start instruction operation is input to the operation unit 121 (step S2: YES), the control unit 123 drives the coin insertion / delivery unit 10 and the feed unit 21. Then, the test medium 201 is fed from the coin insertion / feeding unit 10 to the transport path 20, and is driven by the feed unit 21 to move on the transport path 20. During that time, the test medium 201 moves on the first transport unit 23 and passes over the coin identification unit 27. As a result, the coin identification unit 27 irradiates the test medium 201 with light by the lower irradiation unit 51 and the upper irradiation unit 53, scans the test medium 201 with the line sensor 56 of the identification main body 52, and detects the medium image data on the surface 203. (Step S3).

FIG. 10B is raw medium image data detected when the surface 203 of the test medium 201 of the first embodiment is scanned by the line sensor 56, and FIG. 10A is the raw medium image. This is medium image data after the data has been subjected to a predetermined filtering process. The control unit 123 inspects the coin identification unit 27 by comparing the media image data after the predetermined filtering process as shown in FIG. 10A with the reference medium image data.

The control unit 123 compares the medium image data of the surface 203 of the test medium 201 detected by the coin identification unit 27 with the reference medium image data (step S4). As the reference medium image data, for example, the medium image data of the surface 203 of the new test medium 201 at the time of optimum adjustment is stored. As a result of comparison, if the medium image data has partial unevenness (the area where the groove pattern is unclear is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value) and the amount of light is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value (step S5: YES), the display unit 122 displays the coin identification. Part 27 displays the unevenness that is the result of detecting the test medium 201 (step S6). If the determination in step S5 is NO, there is no partial unevenness in the medium image data, and the amount of light is less than a predetermined threshold value (step S7: YES), the display unit 122 indicates that there is insufficient light amount, which is the detection result. (Step S8). If the determination in step S7 is NO, the medium image data is partially uneven and the amount of light is less than a predetermined threshold value (step S9: YES), the display unit 122 has unevenness as a detection result and insufficient light amount. The presence is displayed (step S10). If the determination in step S9 is NO, there is no partial unevenness in the medium image data and the amount of light is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, so that the display unit 122 displays the detection result of no abnormality (step S11).

In the inspection mode of the coin identification unit 27, the control unit 123 drops the test medium 201 into the reject port 28 by the reject unit 29.

Here, when the medium image data on the surface 203 of the test medium 201 is compared with the reference medium image data and a partial unevenness or an abnormality of insufficient light amount is detected, the control unit 123 is programmed if it can be automatically adjusted. In order to automatically adjust by software and execute the inspection again, the display unit 122 may display a screen display instructing the supply of the test medium 201 to the coin insertion / delivery unit 10. If necessary, an image in which the read medium image data of the test medium 201 and the reference medium image data as a reference thereof are arranged is generated and displayed on the display unit 122 so that the operator can confirm it. ..

An example of inspectable items, determination, and adjustment of the inspection of the coin identification unit 27 will be described below.

Since the lower irradiation unit 51 irradiates the surface 203 of the test medium 201 with a plurality of LEDs 66 arranged in a row, the irradiation unevenness of the lower irradiation unit 51 is tested based on the medium image data of the test medium 201. Judgment is made from the uniformity of the amount of light received on the surface 203 of the medium 201. When there is uneven irradiation, the control unit 123 can perform automatic adjustment by software such as adjusting the amount of light of the LED 66 corresponding to the uneven irradiation portion.

Further, the amount of light of the lower irradiation unit 51 is determined from, for example, the maximum value of the amount of light received on the surface 203 of the test medium 201. Even in the case of the light amount of the lower irradiation unit 51, the control unit 123 can perform automatic adjustment by software such as adjusting the light amount of the LED 66 as a whole so that the maximum value of the received light amount becomes a predetermined value. ..

Further, the irradiation angle of the lower irradiation unit 51 is determined from the irradiation depth of the test medium 201. The irradiation angle of the lower irradiation unit 51 can be easily physically adjusted because the adjustment state can be easily confirmed by the medium image data of the test medium 201.

Further, by comparing the degree of change in the shade (brightness) of the entire image of the test medium 201 with the reference, it is determined how much the focus is deviated. As for the focus, the adjustment condition can be easily confirmed by the medium image data of the test medium 201, so that the physical adjustment can be easily performed.

Further, at the time of product assembly, the coin identification unit 27 detects the test medium 201, checks for partial unevenness and insufficient light amount of the detected image data of the coin identification unit 27, and performs optical adjustment based on the check result. .. At that time, the operator can determine what kind of work should be performed and adjusted from the check result of partial unevenness and insufficient light intensity.

In addition, at the time of maintenance inspection or failure repair, the coin identification unit 27 detects the test medium 201 to determine the necessity of cleaning the transport path 20 and check whether any defective parts or damages have occurred, so that maintainability is possible. Can be improved.

According to the first embodiment described above, a plurality of grooves 211a to 211j are formed concentrically on the surface 203 on one side in the plate thickness direction of the test medium 201, and the plurality of concentric grooves 211a to 211j are formed. Since the pattern is constant depending on the circumferential position, it is possible to suppress the influence of the circumferential direction position, that is, the rotation position at the time of detection by the coin identification unit 27 of the coin processing device 1 on the output of the detected image. Therefore, in the inspection mode in which the coin identification unit 27 is inspected based on the result of detecting the test medium 201 by the coin identification unit 27, the coin identification unit 27 of the coin processing device 1 can be stably inspected. As a result, stable optical adjustment is possible, variation in identification accuracy of the coin processing device 1 can be reduced, and reliability of the coin processing device 1 can be improved. In addition, it becomes possible to uniformly maintain a constant identification accuracy regardless of the experience and intuition of maintenance personnel, and optical adjustment can be easily performed in a short time. Specifically, what kind of work is performed by inspecting the coin identification unit 27 with the test medium 201 at the time of product assembly, checking for partial unevenness and insufficient light intensity, and performing optical adjustment based on the results. You can decide whether to go and make adjustments, and make the optimum adjustments. In addition, since the test medium 201 can be counted to determine the necessity of cleaning the transport path 20 and to check whether any defective or damaged parts have occurred, maintainability can be improved.

Since the plurality of grooves 211a to 211j have the same depth from the outer end surface portion 219 of the outer end in the plate thickness direction of the surface 203 on which they are formed, they can be easily manufactured.

Since the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j between adjacent ones of the plurality of grooves 211a to 211j form the outer end surface portion 219, manufacturing becomes easy.

Since the grooves 211a to 211j are tapered grooves whose width in the radial direction becomes narrower toward the bottom surface 213 side, light incident on the surface 203 not only in the vertical direction but also in the oblique direction is easily reflected.

Due to the configuration in which the line sensor 56 scans the pattern, the coin image data may become elliptical depending on the transport speed. When it becomes an ellipse, the appearance of the coin pattern changes depending on the transport direction (direction of the coin), and it is necessary to adjust the angle with respect to the reference and correct the appearance (make it a perfect circle). If the test medium 201 is used, the pattern does not change uniformly regardless of the direction in which the test medium 201 is conveyed, so that comparison is easy.

<Second Embodiment>
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14, focusing on differences from the first embodiment.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the surface 203 of the test medium 201 is partially different from that of the first embodiment.

The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the depths of the grooves 211a to 211j of the surface 203 from the outer edge surface portion 218a are different. The grooves 211a to 211j of the second embodiment have a deeper depth from the outer edge surface portion 218a as they have a smaller diameter. In other words, the concentric grooves 211a to 211j are formed so as to become deeper from the outer edge of the test medium 201 toward the center. That is, the grooves 211a to 211j have a depth from the outer edge surface portion 218a of the bottom surface 213 of the groove 211a, the bottom surface 213 of the groove 211b, the bottom surface 213 of the groove 211c, the bottom surface 213 of the groove 211d, the bottom surface 213 of the groove 211e, and the groove 211f. The bottom surface is 213, the bottom surface of the groove 211g is 213, the bottom surface of the groove 211h is 213, the bottom surface of the groove 211i is 213, and the bottom surface of the groove 211j is 213.

Although the bottom surfaces 213 of the grooves 211a to 211j of the second embodiment are not on the same plane, they all extend orthogonally to the central axis of the outer peripheral surface 202. The outer edge surface portion 218a has an annular shape on the radial outer side of all of the plurality of grooves 211a to 211j.

In each of the grooves 211a to 211j of the second embodiment, the radial width of the opening 212 is constant regardless of the circumferential position, and the radial width of the bottom surface 213 is also constant regardless of the circumferential position. ing. The grooves 211a to 211j of the second embodiment all have the same radial width of the opening 212, and the same radial width of the bottom surface 213.

The second embodiment is also different from the first embodiment in that the depths of the annular intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j between adjacent grooves 211a to 211j from the outer edge surface portion 218a are different. ing. In the second embodiment, the depth of the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j from the outer edge surface portion 218a is deeper toward the smaller diameter side. That is, the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j have a depth from the outer edge surface portions 218a such that the intermediate surface portions 218b between the grooves 211a and 211b, the intermediate surface portions 218c between the grooves 211b and 211c, the intermediate surface portions 218d between the grooves 211c and 211d, and the grooves 211d. , 211e intermediate surface portion 218e, intermediate surface portion 218f between grooves 211e and 211f, intermediate surface portion 218g between grooves 211f and 211g, intermediate surface portion 218h between grooves 211g and 211h, intermediate surface portion 218i between grooves 211h and 211i, groove 211i , 211j are deeper in the order of the intermediate surface portion 218j.

The central surface portion 218k of the circular surface radially inside the groove 211j has a depth deeper than the intermediate surface portion 218j from the outer edge surface portion 218a. Therefore, the outer edge surface portion 218a is the outer end surface portion of the outer end of the surface 203 in the plate thickness direction. Although the outer edge surface portion 218a, the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j, and the central surface portion 218k are not on the same plane, they extend orthogonally to the central axis of the outer peripheral surface 202.

Therefore, in each of the grooves 211a to 211j of the second embodiment, the axial length of the inner tapered surface 217 is shorter than the axial length of the outer tapered surface 216, and all the grooves 211a to 211j are inside. The axial lengths of the tapered surface 217 are made equal, and the axial lengths of the outer tapered surface 216 are made equal.

In each of the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j of the second embodiment, the radial width is constant regardless of the circumferential position, and all have the same radial width.

The test medium 201 of the second embodiment has an outer diameter, a thickness, a distance from the central axis to the center position of the radial width of the bottom surfaces 213 of the grooves 211a to 211j, and the bottom surfaces of the grooves 211a to 211j. The radial width of 213 is the same as that of the first embodiment. In the test medium 201 of the second embodiment, the depths from the outer edge surface portions 218a of the grooves 211a to 211j are, for example, 0.3 mm for the groove 211a, 0.4 mm for the groove 211b, 0.5 mm for the groove 211c, and the groove 211d. Is 0.6 mm, the groove 211e is 0.7 mm, the groove 211f is 0.8 mm, the groove 211g is 0.9 mm, the groove 211h is 1.0 mm, the groove 211i is 1.1 mm, and the groove 211j is 1.2 mm. There is.

In the test medium 201 of the second embodiment, the depths from the outer end surface portions 219 of the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j and the central surface portions 218k are, for example, 0.1 mm for the intermediate surface portion 218b and 0.2 mm for the intermediate surface portion 218c. The face portion 218d is 0.3 mm, the intermediate surface portion 218e is 0.4 mm, the intermediate surface portion 218f is 0.5 mm, the intermediate surface portion 218 g is 0.6 mm, the intermediate surface portion 218h is 0.7 mm, the intermediate surface portion 218i is 0.8 mm, and the intermediate surface portion 218j. Is 0.9 mm, and the central surface portion 218k is 1.0 mm. The depth of the central surface portion 218k of the test medium 201 of the second embodiment is 1.0 mm, but the actual coin pattern is only about 0.5 mm, so it may be created within that range.

Similar to the first embodiment, the coin processing device 1 of the second embodiment counts and stores the loose coins inserted from outside the machine by denomination while identifying them.

The coin processing device 1 of the second embodiment uses the test medium 201 of the second embodiment to inspect the coin identification unit 27 in the same manner as in the first embodiment. That is, when the test medium 201 of the second embodiment being conveyed passes over the coin identification unit 27, the coin identification unit 27 irradiates the test medium 201 with light by the lower irradiation unit 51 and the upper irradiation unit 53. , The line sensor 56 of the identification main body 52 scans to detect the medium image data of the surface 203.

FIG. 13B shows the raw data detected by the line sensor 56 when the surface 203 of the test medium 201 of the second embodiment is scanned by the line sensor 56 when the coin identification unit 27 has an optical design / adjustment failure. It is the medium image data, and FIG. 13A is the medium image data after the raw medium image data is subjected to a predetermined filtering process. As shown in FIG. 13, when the coin identification unit 27 has an optical design / adjustment failure, there is a portion where the pattern of the grooves 211a to 211j on the surface 203 cannot be recognized.

FIG. 14B shows the line sensor 56 when the surface 203 of the test medium 201 of the second embodiment is scanned by the line sensor 56 when the optical design and adjustment of the coin identification unit 27 are appropriately performed. It is the detected raw medium image data, and FIG. 14A is the medium image data after applying a predetermined filter process to the raw medium image data. As shown in FIG. 14, when the coin identification unit 27 is appropriately optically designed and adjusted, there is no portion where the pattern of the grooves 211a to 211j of the surface 203 cannot be recognized, and all the grooves 211a It can be confirmed that the light reaches the inner side in the depth direction at ~ 211j, that is, the bottom side in the depth direction of the grooves 211a to 211j. This makes it possible to confirm whether the light that the coin identification unit 27 irradiates the coin C can uniformly irradiate the unevenness of the coin C. Then, for example, when the medium image data detected by the line sensor 56 is the data shown in FIG. 13, the coin identification unit 27 is appropriately adjusted to obtain the data shown in FIG. To.

According to the second embodiment described above, the depths of the plurality of grooves 211a to 211j of the test medium 201 from the outer edge surface portion 218a of the outer end in the plate thickness direction of the surface 203 on which they are formed are on the small diameter side. Since the depth is as deep as possible, the detected image can be sharpened by the coin identification unit 27.

Further, since the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j between the adjacent grooves of the plurality of grooves 211a to 211j have a deeper depth from the outer edge surface portion 218a on the smaller diameter side, the detection image by the coin identification unit 27 Clarification is possible.

Therefore, a more stable inspection of the coin identification unit 27 of the coin processing device 1 becomes possible. As a result, the variation in the identification accuracy of the coin processing device 1 can be further reduced, and the reliability of the coin processing device 1 can be further improved.

In the embodiment, it can be modified as in the following modifications 1 and 2.

(Modification example 1)
Contrary to the test medium 201 of the second embodiment, the plurality of concentric grooves 211a to 211j of the surface 203 may be formed so that the depth becomes shallower from the outer edge of the test medium 201 toward the center. In this case, the thickness of the outer edge surface portion 218a and the surface 204 is the specified thickness, and the grooves 211a adjacent to the inside of the outer edge surface portion 218a are the deepest among the grooves 211a to 211j. By using the test medium 201 formed in this way together with the test medium 201 of the second embodiment, it is possible to confirm whether the light irradiating the coin C is uniformly irradiated to the unevenness of the coin C. In addition, the intermediate surface portions 218b to 218j may also be formed so that the depth from the outer edge surface portion 218a becomes shallower toward the smaller diameter side.

(Modification 2)
In the first and second embodiments and the first modification, the grooves 211a to 211j may be formed on both sides 203 and 204 of the test medium 201. In that case, combinations having different surfaces 203 and 204 are possible, such as forming the grooves 211a to 211j of the second embodiment on the surface 203 and forming the grooves 211a to 211j of the modified example 1 on the surface 204. That is, the test medium 201 may have a plurality of grooves 211a to 211j concentrically formed on at least one of the surfaces 203 and 204 on both sides in the plate thickness direction.

In the coin identification unit 27 described above, the identification main body 52 of the light receiving system is on the lower side. Then, the upper irradiation unit 53 causes the identification main body 52 to detect only the presence or absence of transmission of the irradiation light by the test medium 201, and the identification main body 52 detects the test medium from the shadow of the test medium 201 detected at that time. The outer diameter of 201 is detected. The lower irradiation unit 51 generates reflected light in the test medium 201 and causes the identification main body 52 to detect it, and the identification main body 52 detects the reflected light, that is, the pattern of the test medium 201 at that time. Therefore, it is sufficient that the test medium 201 is formed with grooves 211a to 211j on only one side, but if the identification main body 52 is also provided on the upper side so that the patterns on both sides can be detected at the same time, the test medium 201 can be used. By forming the grooves 211a to 211j on both sides 203 and 204 of the above, for example, the upper irradiation unit 53 and the lower irradiation unit 51 can be inspected and adjusted at the same time by acquiring an image once.

1 Coin processing device 27 Coin identification unit 201 Test medium 203 side (one side side)
211a to 211j Groove 218a Outer edge surface (outer end surface)
218b to 218j Intermediate surface 219 Outer end surface C coin

Claims (4)

It is a test medium used for testing the coin identification unit that detects and identifies coin images.
It has a disk shape, and a plurality of grooves are formed concentrically at predetermined equal intervals on at least one surface in the plate thickness direction.
The plurality of grooves are a test medium characterized in that the depth from the outer end surface portion of the outer end in the plate thickness direction of the surface on which the plurality of grooves is formed becomes deeper in order as the one having a smaller diameter side. The outer end surface portion is radially outside of all of the plurality of grooves.
Intermediate surface portion between said grooves adjacent the depth from the outer end surface portion, the test medium of claim 1, wherein that it is deeper that of the small diameter side. A control unit capable of executing an inspection mode in which the coin identification unit detects and identifies a coin image and the test medium according to claim 1 or 2 is detected by the coin identification unit to inspect the coin identification unit. A coin processing device characterized by being provided with. A coin identification inspection method, characterized in that the test medium according to claim 1 or 2 is detected by a coin identification unit that detects and identifies an image of a coin, and the coin identification unit is inspected.