JP7225732B2 - cash handling equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cash processing device.

Retail stores, such as supermarkets and convenience stores, and large-scale mass retailers, such as discount shops, have cash registers or POS (Point Of Sales) registers, and cash processing devices connected to the registers or POS registers. there is The cash processing apparatus has a coin depositing/dispensing unit for depositing/dispensing coins and a bill depositing/dispensing unit for depositing/dispensing banknotes.

The coin depositing/dispensing unit has a coin storage for storing coins by denomination in deposit processing. , coins are dispensed. A coin jam may occur in the coin storage, and when a coin jam occurs, it becomes difficult to smoothly perform the dispensing process. Therefore, techniques for preventing coin jams are being researched. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of providing a coin storage with a block-shaped coin jam prevention member conveyed by a conveying belt. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of providing an eccentric cam at a part of the bottom of the coin storage.

JP 2005-141577 A JP-A-2005-25673

However, with the technique described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to control the position of the coin jam prevention member, and the coin jam cannot be cleared depending on the location where the coin jam occurs. Further, when the coin jam prevention member is positioned near the dispensing port, the coin jam prevention member may interfere with coin dispensing. Further, with the technique described in Patent Document 2, it is difficult to clear the coin jam when the coin jam occurs at a position where the eccentric cam is not provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved cash handling apparatus capable of improving the performance of removing jammed coins. That's what it is.

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pair of opposing wall portions forming a coin storage, and a wall portion provided at the bottom of the coin storage for conveying coins in the coin storage. and a plurality of protruding portions provided protruding from the bottom portion at positions separated from each other along the coin transport direction, one wall portion constituting the pair of wall portions and the a plurality of first projections provided between the conveying belt and a plurality of second projections provided between the conveying belt and the other wall portion constituting the pair of wall portions; as the plurality of protrusions .

The cash processing apparatus may further include a control unit that controls projecting operations of the first plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of protrusions.

The control unit may cause the first plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of protrusions to protrude from the bottom at the same time.

The controller may alternately cause the first plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of protrusions to protrude from the bottom.

The control unit is configured such that one end of the one coin is supported by the bottom portion of the one wall portion and the one wall portion while the other end of the one coin is supported between the other wall portion and the conveying belt. The position of the lower end of the other coin is higher than the height from the bottom of the contact point between the other end and the other coin in the state of being supported by the other coin standing in the conveying direction between the coins. The amount of protrusion of the second plurality of protrusions may be designed to be high.

The control unit may repeat the control to project the first plurality of projections and the second plurality of projections while increasing the amount of projection.

The plurality of projecting portions includes a set of adjacent projecting portions, and even if a coin stands along the conveying direction at any position among the intervals between the projecting portion sets, the projecting portion set When at least one of the protrusions protrudes, the protrusion may come into contact with the coin.

The cash processing apparatus further includes a separating roller that separates the coins conveyed by the conveying belt one by one, and has a downstream projection that is positioned most downstream in the coin conveying direction among the plurality of projections. Even if the coin stands along the conveying direction at any position between the part and the separation roller, the downstream projecting part contacts the coin when the downstream projecting part projects. You may

The cash processing apparatus further includes an upstream end wall portion that connects the pair of wall portions and forms an upstream end portion of the coin storage. When the coin is in an upright position, the center of gravity of the coin is located downstream of the upstream protrusion when the upstream protrusion located most upstream among the plurality of protrusions protrudes. good too.

The cash processing apparatus may further include a member including the plurality of projecting portions and a connecting portion that connects the plurality of projecting portions, and a driving portion that moves the member up and down with respect to the bottom portion.

The cash processing apparatus may further include a push-up part that sequentially pushes up the plurality of projecting parts from the bottom part while moving along the coin transport direction.

The second plurality of protrusions may include protrusions provided at positions corresponding to intervals in the conveying direction of the protrusions included in the first plurality of protrusions.

Each of the plurality of protrusions may have a tapered shape.

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to improve the coin jam releasing performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is an external appearance perspective view of the cash processing apparatus 1 by embodiment of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a block diagram which shows the functional structural example of the cash processing apparatus 1 by embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view of the coin depositing/dispensing unit 100 viewed from above. 4 is a top view of the denomination storage unit 161 according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section obtained when the coin storage 181 is cut along the line II shown in FIG. 4. FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows the specific example of protrusion operation|movement. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of coin jam in the coin storage 181; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how the coin jam is cleared; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how the coin jam is cleared; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing how the coin jam is cleared; FIG. 12 is a side view of the coin storage 181; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a downstream protrusion 214</b>P positioned most downstream among the plurality of protrusions 214 and the separation roller 196 ; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between an upstream protruding portion 214Q positioned most upstream among the plurality of protruding portions 214 and the upstream end wall portion 172; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a projecting operation of a projecting portion 214 according to a modified example; FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a projecting operation of a projecting portion 214 according to a modified example; It is a figure which shows the cross section obtained when the coin storage box 182 by 2nd Embodiment is cut|disconnected by the line along the conveyance direction. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a projecting operation of the projecting portion 224 according to the second embodiment; FIG. 11 is a top view of a denomination storage unit 163 according to a third embodiment;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

In addition, in this specification and drawings, a plurality of components having substantially the same functional configuration may be distinguished by attaching different alphabets after the same reference numerals. However, when there is no particular need to distinguish between a plurality of constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration, only the same reference numerals are given to each of the plurality of constituent elements.

<0. Overview>
First, an outline of a cash processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. A cash processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to a cash register installed in a checkout office such as a retail store such as a supermarket and a convenience store, a large-scale mass retailer such as a discount shop, or a cash register for POS (Point Of Sales). It is a cash change machine.

(Appearance configuration)
FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a cash processing device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the cash processing apparatus 1 has a coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 , a banknote deposit/withdrawal unit 200 , a display unit 221 and an operation unit 222 .

The coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 is provided in approximately the left half of the cash processing apparatus 1 in the width direction (left and right direction when the cash processing apparatus 1 is viewed from the front), and manages coin deposit/withdrawal. The coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 has a deposit port 131 , a withdrawal port 132 and a reject port 133 in front of the cash processing apparatus 1 . Deposit coins are inserted into the deposit port 131 by the operator. Coins are dispensed to the disbursement port 132, and the disbursement port 132 holds the dispensed coins. A reject coin is discharged to the reject port 133 .

The banknote deposit/withdrawal unit 200 is provided in approximately the right half of the cash processing apparatus 1 in the width direction, and manages the deposit/withdrawal of banknotes. The banknote deposit/withdrawal unit 200 has a banknote deposit/withdrawal port in front of the cash processing apparatus 1, and a shutter 204 is provided so as to cover the banknote deposit/withdrawal port. With the shutter 204 open, the operator inserts deposited banknotes into the deposit/withdrawal port or removes disbursed banknotes from the deposit/withdrawal port.

The display unit 221 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display, and displays menu screens and the like. Moreover, the display unit 221 displays information indicating the state of the cash processing apparatus 1 . The display unit 221 is provided next to the operation unit 222 on the upper front surface of the banknote deposit/withdrawal unit 200 .

The operation unit 222 has keys, buttons, and the like, and receives operator's operations. For example, the operator selects a desired item on the selection screen displayed on the display unit 221 by operating the operation unit 222 . The operation unit 222 is arranged on the front upper surface of the banknote deposit/withdrawal unit 200 .

In the above description, the cash processing apparatus 1 is a cash change machine, but the present invention can also be applied to a deposit/withdrawal apparatus and an automatic transaction apparatus having a coin dispensing port for dispensing and receiving coins. Morphology is applicable.

(Functional configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of the cash processing device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 , the cash processing apparatus 1 includes a control unit 40 , a storage unit 50 , a communication unit 60 , an operation display unit 220 , a coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 and a banknote deposit/withdrawal unit 200 .

The control unit 40 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and functions thereof can be realized by the CPU developing a program stored in the storage unit 50 into a RAM (Random Access Memory) and executing the program. At this time, a computer-readable recording medium recording the program may also be provided. Alternatively, the control unit 40 may be composed of dedicated hardware, or may be composed of a combination of multiple pieces of hardware. Such a control unit 40 controls the overall operation of the cash processing apparatus 1 .

For example, the control unit 40 can execute processes such as coin deposit, partial recovery, and full recovery. For depositing, coins inserted into the coin deposit port of the cash processing device 1 are stored, and cash equivalent to the difference between the cash deposited into the cash processing device 1 and the amount billed to the customer is sent to the withdrawal port 132 as change. This is the process of withdrawing money. Partial collection is a process of withdrawing a specified number of coins for each denomination from the cash processing apparatus 1 to the withdrawal port 132 . All collection is a process of withdrawing all coins stored in the cash processing apparatus 1 to the withdrawal port 132 . Coins that have been dispensed to the dispensing port 132 and held in the dispensing port 132 are taken out by the operator. Also, the control unit 40 according to the embodiment of the present invention controls the projecting operation of the projecting portion of the coin storage, which will be described later.

The storage unit 50 is a storage device capable of storing programs and data for operating the control unit 40 . In addition, the storage unit 50 can also temporarily store various data necessary in the course of operation of the control unit 40 . For example, the storage unit 50 may be a non-volatile storage device.

The communication unit 60 is a communication interface for communicating with the host computer 400 via the network 500 . In this embodiment, it is mainly assumed that the communication unit 60 performs wired communication, but the communication unit 60 may also perform wireless communication.

The operation display unit 220 corresponds to the display unit 221 described above and the operation unit 222 described above. The configuration of the banknote deposit/withdrawal unit 200 is as described with reference to FIG. The configuration of the coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 is also as described with reference to FIG. The configuration will be explained in more detail.

(Structure of coin deposit/withdrawal section)
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 viewed from above. In the coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100, coins inserted into the deposit port 131 are separated one by one, and are transported along the transport path by the deposit transport unit 151 to the sorting unit 154 via the discrimination unit 153. Coins are sorted by denomination and stored in the denomination-specific storage section 160 (one of the coin storage boxes 180). The coins stored in the denomination storage section 160 are ejected to the dispensing port 132 by the dispensing dispensing section 156 .

The deposit transport unit 151 is composed of two endless transport belts 151a and 151b. The conveying belt 151a is conveying means for conveying the coin inserted into the deposit port 131 to the middle of the upstream portion of the conveying path. The conveying belt 151b conveys the coin from the middle of the upstream portion of the conveying path to the downstream portion of the conveying path (strictly speaking, above the coin storage 180 of the corresponding denomination provided inside the denomination storing section 160). It is a means of transportation.

The discriminating unit 153 is a component that discriminates the type and authenticity of coins. The coins are delivered to the deposited money conveying section 151 via the discriminating section 153 . Coins that have been discriminated as valid by the discriminating section 153 are delivered to the deposit transport section 151 . On the other hand, coins (rejected coins) discriminated as being unjustified by the discriminating section 153 are dropped onto a transport belt (not shown) transported to the reject port 133 by opening the reject gate 157 on the transport path. As a result, the coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 can discharge the rejected coin to the reject port 133 .

The sorting unit 154 is a component that sorts by denomination the coins correctly discriminated by the discriminating unit 153 and conveyed onto the denomination storing unit 160 . The sorting unit 154 sorts the coins by denomination and drops them from the sorting/storage gate 158 into the coin storage 180 of the corresponding denomination provided inside the storage unit 160 by denomination.

The denomination storage unit 160 is a component that stores coins by denomination. The denomination storage unit 160 has both a function of storing coins and a function of dispensing coins. The denomination storage unit 160 is internally partitioned into a plurality of coin storages 180 by a plurality of partition plates 170 .

Each coin storage 180 is assigned a unique denomination. The coin deposit/withdrawal unit 100 stores coins of denominations assigned to each coin storage 180 in each coin storage 180 . Here, six coin storage boxes 180 are provided for six denominations of 1-yen coin, 5-yen coin, 10-yen coin, 50-yen coin, 100-yen coin, and 500-yen coin. be described as existing.

Each coin storage 180 is arranged in parallel so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the device. Therefore, the partition plates 170, which are walls that partition the coin storages 180, are also arranged in parallel so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the device. At the bottom of each coin storage 180, one conveying belt is provided for conveying coins in the direction of the dispensing port 132 (forward direction). Each coin storage 180 also has a separation roller for separating coins conveyed by the conveyor belt one by one, a pin for opening and closing the outlet of the coin storage 180, and a coin feeder fed from the outlet toward the dispensing port 132. An optical sensor or the like for detecting coins is provided.

(Organization of issues)
In other cash handling machines, coin jams have occurred in the coin storage. A coin jam occurs, for example, when another coin leans against a coin standing along the partition plate. Since coin jamming makes it difficult to smoothly dispense money, techniques for preventing coin jamming have been researched. As such a technique, a technique of providing an eccentric cam at a part of the bottom of the coin storage is known. However, with this technology, it is difficult to clear the coin jam when the coin jam occurs at a position where the eccentric cam is not provided.

The inventor of the present invention has created each embodiment of the present invention by focusing on the above circumstances. According to each of the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to improve the coin jam clearing performance. Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail one by one.

<1. First Embodiment>
(composition)
FIG. 4 is a top view of the denomination storage section 161 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the denomination storage section 161 has a plurality of coin storage boxes 181 formed by a pair of opposing partition plates 170 and an upstream end wall portion 172 connecting the pair of partition plates 170. The storage 181 has a conveyor belt 192 and a plurality of protrusions 214 . The denomination storage unit 161 also has a cam mechanism 194 and a separation roller 196 positioned over the plurality of coin storages 181 .

The conveyor belt 192 is provided at the bottom of the coin storage 181, and conveys the coins positioned on the conveyor belt 192 in the direction of the outlet 132 (hereinafter also referred to as the "conveyance direction"). The cam mechanism 194 has a rod provided along the width direction of the plurality of coin storages 181 and an eccentric cam provided at the bottom of each coin storage 181 through which the rod penetrates. The eccentric cam repeatedly protrudes from the bottom of each coin storage 181 and sinks into the bottom of each coin storage 181 as the rod rotates. The eccentric cam pushes the coin positioned on the eccentric cam, thereby facilitating the transportation of the coin. The separation roller 196 is a roller provided above the conveying belt 192 of each coin storage 181 across the plurality of coin storages 181 . The separation roller 196 separates the coins conveyed to the separation roller 196 one by one, and feeds the separated coins downstream.

As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of projections 214 are provided at positions separated from each other along the coin transport direction. The configuration of the projecting portion 214 will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. 5 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section obtained when the coin storage 181 is cut along line II shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 , a plurality of projecting portions 214 are connected via connecting portions 216 to form one projecting row member 210 . The protruding row members 210 are provided on both sides of the transport belt 192 in the width direction. That is, each coin storage 181 is formed by a pair of partition plates 170 facing each other as shown in FIG. One protruding row member 210 is provided, and a second protruding row member 210 is provided between the other partition plate 170 of the pair of partition plates 170 and the conveyor belt 192 .

The denomination storage unit 161 has a drive unit (for example, a motor) (not shown) for driving the above-described protruding row member 210, and the protruding row member 210 is driven by the drive unit as shown in FIG. pushed upwards. As a result, the plurality of protrusions 214 of the protrusion row member 210 protrude from the bottom of the coin storage 181 . When the coin storage 181 is jammed with a coin, such a projecting operation of the plurality of protrusions 214 can clear the jammed coin. A specific example will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a cross section obtained when the coin storage 181 is cut along line II-II shown in FIG. A coin jam is caused by one or more coins standing along the conveying direction within a range not placed on the conveying belt 192 and a coin leaning against the coin. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the coins C1 and C2 are one or more coins standing along the transport direction within a range not placed on the transport belt 192, and the coin C3 is the leaning coin. One end of coin C3 is supported by bottom portion 190 of coin storage 181 and partition plate 170, and the other end of coin C3 is supported by coin C2. In addition, in FIG. 7, the projecting portion 214 is stopped at the standby position where the tip of the projecting portion 214 is flush with the bottom portion 190 of the coin storage 181 . Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the projecting portion 214 has a tapered shape with an inclined surface on the conveying belt 192 side.

(motion)
When the predetermined number of coins are not paid out in the dispensing process, the control unit 40 operates the conveying belt 192 a plurality of times in the conveying direction and the opposite direction. If the predetermined number of coins are not delivered even in this operation, the control unit 40 pushes up the protruding row members 210 positioned on both sides of the conveying belt 192 to protrude the protruding portions 214 from the bottom portion 190 of the coin storage 181 .

8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams showing the projecting operation of the projecting portion 214. FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the projecting portions 214 of the projecting row members 210 located on both sides of the conveyor belt 192 simultaneously project from the bottom portion 190 of the coin storage 181, and the coins C1 to C3 are also pushed up by the projecting portions 214. After that, when the projecting portion 214 returns to the standby position, the coins C1 to C3 are out of balance as shown in FIG. 9, and the coin jam can be cleared. Then, the control unit 40 moves the conveying belt 192 in the conveying direction. The projecting operation of projecting portion 214 and the operation of conveying belt 192 are repeated until a predetermined number of coins are delivered from coin storage 181 . 10, the distance D1 between the adjacent projecting portions 214 is the same as that of the coin C lying between the adjacent projecting portions 214 in a state in which the coin C is pushed toward one of the partition plates 170. As shown in FIG. is set to a distance such that it does not overlap the projecting portion 214 on the other partition plate 170 side in plan view.

(Detailed design example)
In the embodiment of the present invention, the arrangement of the projecting portion 214, the projecting amount of the projecting portion 214, etc. are designed so that a coin jam occurring at any position between the upstream end wall portion 172 and the separating roller 196 can be cleared. be. Detailed design examples relating to the arrangement of the protrusion 214 and the amount of protrusion of the protrusion 214 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12 .

11 is a side view of the coin storage 181. FIG. The distance D1 between the adjacent projections 214 and the projection amount H2 of the projections 214 are such that the adjacent projections 214 are adjacent to each other even if the coin stands along the conveying direction at any position among the intervals between the adjacent projections 214. The value is designed such that when at least one of the protrusions 214 protrudes, the protrusion 214 comes into contact with the coin. In the example shown in FIG. 11, since the adjacent projecting portions 214 project at the same time, the coin C standing along the conveying direction in the interval between the adjacent projecting portions 214 contacts both of the adjacent projecting portions 214, It is pushed up by both adjacent projections 214 . With such a design, it is possible to push up the coin even if the coin stands along the conveying direction at any position between the protruding portions 214 at both ends in the conveying direction. That is, even if a coin jam occurs at any position between the projecting portions 214 at both ends in the conveying direction, there is a possibility that the coin jam can be cleared.

FIG. 12A is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the downstream protrusion 214P, which is located on the most downstream side among the plurality of protrusions 214, and the separation roller 196. FIG. The distance between the downstream projecting portion 214P and the separation roller 196 and the projecting amount of the downstream projecting portion 214P depend on the distance between the downstream projecting portion 214P and the separation roller 196 at which the coin moves along the conveying direction. The value is designed so that the downstream protrusion 214P comes into contact with the coin when the downstream protrusion 214P protrudes, even when standing. In the example shown in FIG. 12 , the coin C standing at the interval between the downstream projection 214P and the separation roller 196 is pushed up by the downstream projection 214P and comes into contact with the separation roller 196 . With such a design, even if a coin jam occurs between the downstream protrusion 214P and the separation roller 196, the coin jam can be cleared.

FIG. 12B is an explanatory view showing the relationship between the upstream end wall portion 172 and the upstream projection 214Q positioned most upstream among the plurality of projections 214. As shown in FIG. The distance between the upstream protruding portion 214Q and the upstream end wall portion 172 and the amount of protrusion of the upstream protruding portion 214Q are the same as the distance between the upstream side protruding portion 214Q and the amount of protrusion of the upstream side protruding portion 214Q. The value is designed such that the center of gravity of the coin is located downstream of the upstream protrusion 214Q when the side protrusion 214Q is protruded. In the example shown in FIG. 12B, the coin C stands along the conveying direction while contacting the upstream end wall portion 172, and when the upstream protrusion 214Q protrudes, the coin C is pushed by the upstream protrusion 214Q. be pushed up. Here, since the projecting direction of the upstream projecting portion 214Q and the extending direction of the upstream end wall portion 172 are different, the projecting of the upstream projecting portion 214Q changes the positional relationship between the upstream projecting portion 214Q and the coin C, The center of gravity of the coin C moves downstream from the upstream projecting portion 214Q. As a result, it is expected that the coin C loses its balance on the upstream projecting portion 214Q and rolls down downstream. With such a design, even if a coin jam occurs near the upstream end wall portion 172, the coin jam can be cleared.

(Effect)
As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, even if a coin jam occurs at any position in the coin storage 181, there is a possibility that the coin jam can be cleared. In other words, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to improve the coin jam clearing performance.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 7, the projecting portion 214 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a tapered shape with an inclined surface on the conveying belt 192 side. According to the tapered shape, the coin pushed up by the protruding portion 214 easily slides down onto the conveying belt 192 along the inclined surface, so that it is possible to further improve the performance of clearing the jammed coin. In addition, the projecting portion 214 may have a tapered shape in which the upstream side or the downstream side is inclined. This configuration also makes it easier for the coin pushed up by the projecting portion 214 to roll down along the inclined surface to the upstream side or the downstream side, so it is possible to improve the coin jam releasing performance.

(Modification)
The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Several modifications of the first embodiment of the present invention are described below. It should be noted that each modified example described below may be applied to the first embodiment of the present invention independently, or may be applied in combination to the first embodiment of the present invention. Further, each modification may be applied instead of the configuration described in the first embodiment of the present invention, or may be additionally applied to the configuration described in the first embodiment of the present invention. good too.

-First Modification In the above, an example in which the row members 210 on both sides of the conveyor belt 192 are pushed up at the same time has been described, but the row members 210 on both sides of the conveyor belt 192 may be pushed up alternately. The modification will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14. FIG.

13 and 14 are explanatory diagrams showing the projecting operation of the projecting portion 214 according to the modification. As shown in FIG. 13, the controller 40 causes only the protrusion 214A of the protrusion row member 210A to protrude first among the protrusion row members 210A and the protrusion row members 210B on both sides of the conveyor belt 192, and the protrusion 214A is made to stand by. After returning to the position, the protruding part 214B of the protruding row member 210B protrudes. Then, the control unit 40 moves the conveying belt 192 in the conveying direction after the protruding portion 214B also returns to the standby position. The projecting operation of projecting portion 214 and the operation of conveying belt 192 are repeated until a predetermined number of coins are delivered from coin storage 181 .

According to this modified example, the protrusions 214A and 214B on both sides of the conveyor belt 192 protrude alternately. The protrusion pushes up only the coins C1 and C2 positioned on the protrusion 214A, the coins C2 and C3 are out of contact, and the coins C1 and C2 roll down. As a result, the coin C falls onto the conveyor belt 192 as shown in FIG. 14, and the coin jam is cleared.

In order to obtain such a function and effect, the height of the lower end of the coin C is set to be larger than the height H1 shown in FIG. Then, the protrusion amount H2 of the protrusion 214A shown in FIG. 13 is designed. The height H1 shown in FIG. 7 is supported by the coins C1 and C2 standing on one side of the conveyor belt 192 in a range not placed on the conveyor belt 192, and by the bottom portion 190 and the partition plate 170 on the other side of the conveyor belt 192. is the height from the bottom 190 of the point of contact between the coin C2 and the coin C3 when the coin C3 is leaning against it. By making the height of the lower end of the coin C between the projecting portions 214A larger than the height H1, it is possible to release the coin C2 and the coin C3 from contact when the projecting portion 214A is projected. Similarly, the protrusion amount of the protrusion 214B may also be designed to be larger than the height H1 shown in FIG.

In the above description, the projecting portion 214A of the projecting row member 210A projects first, followed by the projecting portion 214B of the projecting row member 210B. 214 A of protrusion row members 210A may protrude.

-Second Modification In the projecting operation of the projecting portion 214 which is repeated until a predetermined number of coins are fed out from the coin storage 181, the same projecting amount is used as described in the first embodiment or the first modification. may be applied, or a different amount of protrusion may be applied. For example, in the newly repeated projection operation of the projecting portion 214, a projection amount larger than the projection amount in the previous projection operation may be applied. At least the largest protrusion amount may be larger than the height H1 described in the first modified example. A sudden change in the accumulated state of coins in the coin storage 181 may exacerbate coin jamming. As a result, it is possible to improve the coin jam clearing performance.

<2. Second Embodiment>
The first embodiment of the present invention has been described above. In the first embodiment, the plurality of protrusions 214 arranged along the transport direction protrude simultaneously, but in the second embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of protrusions arranged along the transport direction are sequentially projected. protrude to Hereinafter, the configuration of the coin storage 182 according to the second embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG.

(composition)
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a cross section obtained when the coin storage 182 according to the second embodiment is cut along a line along the transport direction. As shown in FIG. 15, the coin storage 182 according to the second embodiment has a conveying belt 192, a cam mechanism 194, a separation roller 196 and a plurality of projections 224. As shown in FIG. The conveying belt 192, the cam mechanism 194, and the separation roller 196 are the same as those described in the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

A plurality of protrusions 224 are arranged along the transport direction on the bottom of the coin storage 182 . Unlike the protrusions 214 according to the first embodiment, the protrusions 224 according to the second embodiment are separate from each other. Each projecting portion 224 can reciprocate between a standby position buried in the bottom and a projecting position projecting from the bottom along an elevation guide (not shown). Note that in the coin storage 182 according to the second embodiment as well, a plurality of projecting portions 224 are arranged on both sides of the transport belt 192 in the same manner as in the coin storage 181 according to the first embodiment.

15, a movement guide 240 and a push-up portion 242 are provided below the bottom of the coin storage 182. As shown in FIG. The movement guide 240 is arranged along the transport direction, and the push-up portion 242 reciprocates on the movement guide 240 . The movement guide 240 and the push-up portion 242 may be provided in each coin storage 182 or may be provided over a plurality of coin storages 182 .

(motion)
When the predetermined number of coins are not paid out in the dispensing process, the control unit 40 operates the conveying belt 192 a plurality of times in the conveying direction and the opposite direction. When the predetermined number of coins are not paid out even by the operation, the projecting operation of the projecting portion 224 is controlled.

16A and 16B are explanatory diagrams showing the projecting operation of the projecting portion 224 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 16, the push-up portion 242 moves on the movement guide 240 based on the driving force applied from the driving portion (not shown). When the push-up portion 242 moves on the movement guide 240, the push-up portion 242 abuts on the projecting portion 224, and the pushing-up portion 242 pushes up the projecting portion 224, thereby causing the projecting portion 224 to project. Then, when the pushing-up portion 242 passes through the projecting portion 224 pushed up by the pushing-up portion 242, the projecting portion 224 returns to the standby position. When the push-up portion 242 moves from the upstream side to the downstream side as shown in FIG. 16, it projects sequentially from the projecting portion 224 located on the upstream side and returns to the standby position.

(Effect)
According to the second embodiment described above, when a certain projecting portion 224 projects, the projecting portion 224 adjacent to the projecting portion 224 in the transport direction is at the standby position or between the standby position and the maximum projecting position. be. Therefore, when the standing coin jammed by the projecting part 224 is unbalanced, the adjacent projecting part 224 does not become an obstacle, so that the standing coin easily falls down or rolls easily. Therefore, it is possible to improve the coin jam clearing performance.

In addition, since the number of protrusions 224 that protrude simultaneously in the second embodiment is smaller than the number of protrusions 214 that protrude simultaneously in the first embodiment, lower power is required at each timing in the second embodiment. It is possible to let the protrusion 224 protrude.

<3. Third Embodiment>
The second embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Next, a third embodiment of the invention will be described. The third embodiment of the present invention differs from the other embodiments in the placement of the protrusions. The operation described in the first embodiment or the second embodiment can be applied to the projecting operation according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a top view of the denomination storage section 163 according to the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, the denomination storage unit 163 has a plurality of coin storages 183, and each coin storage 183 has a conveyor belt 192, a cam mechanism 194, a separation roller 196, and a plurality of protrusions 234. . The conveying belt 192, the cam mechanism 194, and the separation roller 196 are the same as those described in the first embodiment, so detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

The plurality of projecting portions 234 includes a plurality of projecting portions 234A arranged along the conveying direction on one side of the conveyor belt 192, and a plurality of projecting portions 234B arranged along the conveying direction on the other side of the conveyer belt 192. include. As shown in FIG. 17, the plurality of projecting portions 234A includes projecting portions 234A provided at positions corresponding to intervals in the transport direction between the projecting portions 234B included in the plurality of projecting portions 234B. Similarly, the plurality of projecting portions 234B includes projecting portions 234B provided at positions corresponding to intervals in the transport direction between the projecting portions 234A included in the plurality of projecting portions 234A.

According to the third embodiment as described above, even when a coin jam occurs at any position in the coin storage 183, the coin jam can be released.

<4. Conclusion>
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, it is possible to create a computer program for causing hardware such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM incorporated in the cash processing apparatus 1 to exhibit functions equivalent to those of the components of the cash processing apparatus 1 described above. A storage medium storing the computer program is also provided.

Further, in the above description, an example is described in which the projecting portion 214 or the like is projected when a predetermined number of coins are not paid out in the dispensing process. is not limited to For example, even if a coin jam occurs near the sorting storage gate 158 in the deposit process and the full detection sensor reacts even though the number of coins in the coin storage 180 has not reached the capacity number, the cash processing apparatus 1 may perform a protruding action, such as protruding portion 214 .

1 cash processing device 40 control unit 50 storage unit 60 communication unit 100 coin deposit/withdrawal unit 131 deposit port 132 withdrawal port 133 reject port 151 deposit transport unit 151a transport belt 151b transport belt 153 discrimination unit 154 sorting unit 156 payout unit 157 Reject gate 158 Sorting storage gates 160, 161, 163 Denomination storage section 170 Partition plate 172 Upstream end wall sections 180, 181, 182, 183 Coin storage box 190 Bottom section 192 Conveyor belt 194 Cam mechanism 196 Separation roller 200 Banknote receiving/dispensing section 204 Shutter 210 Protruding row members 214, 224, 234 Projecting portion 216 Connecting portion 240 Moving guide 242 Lifting portion 400 Host computer 500 Network

Claims (13)

a pair of opposing walls forming a coin storage;
a transport belt provided at the bottom of the coin storage for transporting coins in the coin storage;
a plurality of protruding portions protruding from the bottom portion at positions spaced apart from each other along the coin conveying direction;
with
a first plurality of projecting portions provided between one wall portion constituting the pair of wall portions and the conveying belt;
A cash processing apparatus having, as the plurality of projections, each of the other wall portion constituting the pair of wall portions and a plurality of second projection portions provided between the conveyor belt. 2. The cash processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a control unit that controls projecting operations by said first plurality of protrusions and said second plurality of protrusions. The cash processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said control unit causes said first plurality of protrusions and said second plurality of protrusions to protrude from said bottom at the same time. The cash processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said control unit alternately causes said plurality of first projecting portions and said plurality of second projecting portions to project from said bottom portion. The control unit
While one end of the one coin is supported by the bottom portion of the one wall portion and the one wall portion, the other end of the one coin is held between the other wall portion and the conveying belt in the conveying direction. Protrusion such that the lower end position of the other coin is higher than the height from the bottom of the contact point between the other end and the other coin when supported by the other coin standing along the 5. The cash processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the protrusion amount of said second plurality of protrusions is designed as the amount. The controller according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the control for projecting the first plurality of protrusions and the second plurality of protrusions is repeatedly performed while increasing the amount of protrusion. Cash handling equipment. The plurality of projecting portions includes a set of adjacent projecting portions, and even if a coin stands along the conveying direction at any position among the intervals between the projecting portion sets, the projecting portion set The cash processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein when at least one of the protrusions protrudes, the protrusion contacts the coin. The cash processing device further comprises a separation roller for separating the coins conveyed by the conveying belt one by one,
The coin stands along the conveying direction at any position between the downstream projecting portion positioned most downstream in the coin conveying direction among the plurality of projecting portions and the space between the separating rollers. The cash processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the downstream projecting portion comes into contact with the coin when the downstream projecting portion projects. The cash processing apparatus further includes an upstream end wall portion connecting the pair of wall portions, forming an upstream end portion of the coin storage,
When a coin is standing while abutting against the upstream end wall along the conveying direction, when the upstream projecting portion positioned most upstream among the plurality of projecting portions projects, the coin is The cash processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein the center of gravity is located downstream of the upstream projecting portion. The cash processing device
a member comprising the plurality of projections and a connecting portion that connects the plurality of projections;
a driving unit that raises and lowers the member with respect to the bottom;
The cash processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , further comprising: The cash processing device
The cash processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a push-up part that pushes up the plurality of projecting parts sequentially from the bottom part while moving along the coin transport direction. 12. Any one of claims 1 to 11 , wherein the second plurality of protrusions includes protrusions provided at positions corresponding to intervals in the conveying direction of the protrusions included in the first plurality of protrusions. The cash processing device according to item 1. The cash processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein each of said plurality of protrusions has a tapered shape.

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